Brissett Following Wilson's Negotiation Path?
- Jacoby Brissett may not have the ceiling Russell Wilson did despite both being third-round picks, but the newest Patriots quarterback investment may be following in the rookie version of Wilson’s footsteps when it comes to contract negotiations, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes. Since third-round picks represent an interesting fulcrum in terms of draft pool money — first- and second-round picks receive the maximum base salaries, with prospects selected in Rounds 4-7 receiving the minimum, leaving third-rounders in a gray area — only 17 out of the 35 players taken there this year have signed their rookie deals. Brissett is angling for more money due likely to his position’s prestige, Volin notes. Wilson’s camp negotiated for a higher base salary than the seven players taken immediately before him four years ago, and this year, third-rounders have already begun to jockey for extra dollars. Despite being picked at No. 88, Packers linebacker Kyler Fackrell will earn $25K more than No. 87 overall choice Nick Vigil will from the Bengals in 2016, Volin reports, and although the players taken immediately before and after Brissett at No. 91 — C.J. Prosise (Seahawks) and Brandon Williams (Cardinals) — having already signed their deals, Brissett’s negotiation still won’t be a simple process.
Unlikely Sources Points To Patriots Firing Jastremski
As a result of a report from an unlikely source, the status of John Jastremski with the Patriots is in question, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports. Comedian Jim Breuer received an email from one of the equipment managers implicated in the Deflategate proceedings that points to Jastremski being quietly fired by the Pats last season.
As a result of a report from an unlikely source, the status of John Jastremski with the Patriots is in question, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports. Comedian Jim Breuer received an email from one of the equipment managers implicated in the Deflategate proceedings that points to Jastremski being quietly fired by the Pats last season.
The last news coming from New England about Jastremski’s status came last fall, when the team announced in September Jastremski and Jim McNally were reinstated after their NFL suspensions, and then in October when Bill Belichick said the team was still searching for a role for Jastremski. However, Breuer’s email describes a November 2015 weekend encounter in Mexico where Jastremski, who invited Breuer for a drink and emailed him on November 10 thanking him for the conversation, said the Patriots fired him and that he was unable to get another NFL job.
Volin reached out to the Patriots about this, but the team did not reply. While not a traditional source, as Volin points out, Breuer detailing a November conversation with Jastremski alters the narrative about the team’s belief of its innocence. That said, the alleged dismissal could have conceivably been unrelated.
- The Eagles may be thin at inside linebacker beyond their starters, but CSNPhilly.com’s Dave Zangaro doesn’t anticipate a Jim Schwartz–Brandon Spikes reunion. A quality run-stopper, Spikes played for Schwartz in 2014 with the Bills after four in New England, starting 49 games in five years. He’s been unattached since the Patriots released him in June 2015, and a hit-and-run incident resulted in Spikes being suspended for four games last season despite being unaffiliated with a team.
Ryan Bros. On Bills, Saints, Pats, M. Williams
Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB.com had a rather entertaining interview with Bills head coach Rex Ryan and brother Rob Ryan, who’s in his first year as the team’s assistant head coach/defense. Their discussion is certainly worth a full read, but we’ll round up some of the highlights from the braggadocious bros.
Rex Ryan on Rob Ryan:
“Nobody grinds the way Rob does. Bill Belichick hired Rob for one reason: He knew he was a freaking great football coach, and he could grind. That’s it. If you are going to be with Bill Belichick, you better be a grinder.”
“He sleeps here half the week, in his office, in the offseason. Honest to God.”
“I brought in a real football coach. Not a 9-to-5er, a real football coach whose life and passion is the NFL. The name Ryan means something. If you are a fan of the Buffalo Bills, thank your lucky stars he is here, and myself. To me, that’s what we added to this team. When we talk about “all in,” we’re going to do everything we can in our power to help our players succeed. And that’s why we made some of the changes that we made.”
Rob Ryan on why he joined the Bills’ staff:
“I am used to picking my spots, but this time, I had one choice. When I was fired by the Saints, I came here to look at it. Rex loves this team, he brags about this team, so I wanted to be around it. After I did that, for one week, I was like, Damn, I’ve got 
to be here. I don’t care who was going to offer me a job. I wanted to be a part of this. Rex brought me in, because of nepotism … (pause) … and I’m glad he did.”
“To be the best defensive coach in football, I’ve got to learn from the best, so I came here. It’s been how many years since we’ve been together? He’s not learning anything, but I am. Look at some of his protégés. Bob Sutton is doing a fantastic job in Kansas City. Chuck Pagano was with Rex. He spun off a ton of great coaches, and it is going to be fun to be a part of that.”
Rob Ryan on his nearly three-year tenure as the Saints’ defensive coordinator:
“I need to be in a multiple system. I was hired to be in a multiple system in New Orleans, and I did a damn good job and got fired for it.”
“I have coordinated in college and in the pros. And the biggest history of improvement ever in the league, I coordinated that defense [the 2013 Saints]. The defenses I have taken over were ranked, like, 31st. Oh, “my numbers aren’t too good.” You take over the 31st group and see how you do. And you’re given about two years to do it. There are two years that don’t have my signature on them, and it’s the last two years in New Orleans. And that’s just the truth.”
[Note: Saints head coach Sean Payton responded by shooting down the notion that the team’s defense didn’t have Ryan’s fingerprints on it.]
“All of a sudden, we let some good players go; we changed the system after we finished fourth in the league in defense.”
“The biggest mistake I think I made in New Orleans was sitting on my hands and collecting a paycheck, instead of going in, knowing it was wrong and fixing it. When we wanted to change the philosophy of the defense, I should have.”
“They signed players; they signed a free-agent free safety [Jairus Byrd in 2014], and said, we are going to keep him in the middle of the field like the goalpost. Well, that’s great. He’s not going to make one play back there, and now we have changed the entire defense for one signing, and it ruined us. He’s a great kid. But the truth of the matter is, you let an All-Pro safety walk, Malcolm Jenkins, and lost your two best leaders on the team, him and Roman Harper. We changed the entire style of play. It was strange. But hey, I did the best job I could. And it wasn’t good enough. They should have fired me. They probably should have fired everybody that made that decision to go in that direction. Now I’m going to move my whole family over here to Buffalo for a reason: to go kick everybody’s ass, including theirs.”
“But at the end of the day, the last two years in New Orleans were a waste of time for me.”
Rex Ryan on the Bills’ 2015 defense, which dropped to 19th from fourth under Jim Schwartz the previous season, and whether a rebound is on the way:
“I screwed up, and that’s totally on me. So if people lost a little faith in it, or whatever, I can understand. I should be doubted, because I made a mistake in judgment. But just go back and look at the history. You are going to get the real deal this year, and we’ll see how it goes. I know how it has gone my whole career.”
“This was the first time in my life I have ever come into a situation where the defense got worse. And so that was odd. That was different. No excuses. But I’ll stand by my record; I’ll stand by everything I have ever done in this league statistically. Put the numbers up. Do you want to look at one year, or a 15-year window? I specifically said I probably shouldn’t have tried to combine systems last year. I should have just gone for it, this is it, blunt-force trauma, and bring in some players that knew the system and can help run it.”
Rex Ryan on defensive end Mario Williams, who was unhappy in Ryan’s scheme last season and got his release in March:
“Now look, with some of the comments [he made], do I wish him well? Not really. But, he’s on Miami. If he would have gone somewhere else, maybe. He’s a good kid, but I am used to some mean motherf—ers that play out there. The Terrell Suggs, Jarrett Johnsons of the world. I screwed them, too; I had them drop [into coverage], too. Not one of them bitched. Von Miller [dropped into coverage] in the Super Bowl. Why? Because that’s what’s asked of him; that’s what his job is. Your job is to play. Coaches spend a hell of a lot more time studying tape and everything else. They are trying to put the team in the best position to be successful, not an individual.”
Rob Ryan on the AFC East rival Patriots:
“But I know one thing, we are going to beat them. We are together, we’re going to beat the best. It’s two against one. [Belichick] one on one against any coach in the league, that guy is pretty damn good. And he’s also got his best buddy Tom Brady with him. He trained him, and he single-handedly made him great as well.”
“Bring Belichick on. We got him.”
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dont'a Hightower Isn't Focused on Impending Free Agency
- Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower is set to be a free agent at the end of this season, but the 26-year-old isn’t anxious to discuss his contract situation. “I don’t have anything to do with any of that,” Hightower told Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “I’m just out here trying to get better with my teammates.”
[SOURCE LINK]
Reiss Highlights Patriots' "Under-the-Radar" OTA Participants
About a year ago, ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss focused on Tom Brady‘s praise for unheralded Patriots running back Dion Lewis. The career journeyman’s pass-catching skills were clear, but the running back was also commended for his ability to take “a teaching point that was covered in morning meetings…and [execute it] on the field.”
While the Patriots determine whether they’ve landed on any hidden gems, let’s see what else is happening around the AFC East…
Latest On Tom Brady, Deflategate
Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi admits that he has been excited about the coming season ever since Lamar Miller left the team in free agency. 
“I’ve been excited since I found out that Lamar was going to be moving on and that the position would be available,” Ajayi said, via the team’s website. “I’ve just been pushing myself through this offseason to prepare myself to have a great sophomore season. I was able to get a lot of opportunities last year when I finally started playing, and I felt comfortable. Now, I’m ready to elevate my game to a new level this season.”
After the Dolphins watched Miller sign a four-year deal with the Texans, Miami pivoted towards restricted free agent C.J. Anderson only to watch the Broncos match a four-year, $18MM offer sheet. Later on in March, the Fins missed out on Chris Johnson when he re-signed with the Cardinals on a hometown discount.
Recently, head coach Adam Gase admitted that Ajayi is the leading candidate to take over as Miami’s top tailback. With third-round pick Kenyan Drake standing as the team’s only meaningful addition at running back, the team will be banking on Ajayi for some major production.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Tom Brady‘s new lawyer Ted Olson told ABC News today that the facts in his client’s case are “so drastic, and so apparent … the court should rehear it,” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The NFLPA will file a petition to rehear the Brady case today “en banc,” meaning that there will be a rehearing before a whole panel of judges (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com)
- In an interview with SiriusXM (Twitter link), former Jets offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson made it sound as though he is comfortable with retirement. “Retirement is different but welcomed. Signs that times were changing. Didn’t want football to define my life,” Ferguson said.
- Earlier today, Ryan Fitzpatrick reaffirmed his desire to return to the Jets. The veteran quarterback also dismissed the notion that he might retire if he does not find a suitable deal.
- On Monday, the Browns released former Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline.
Malcolm Butler Not Focused On Contract
- “I’m not going to discuss that right now,” Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler said of his contract status while appearing on WEEI yesterday. “Whenever the time comes, it comes. I’m a football player. I’m not a GM.” Butler, 26, will play out his rookie deal in 2016 before becoming a restricted free agent following the 2017 campaign, so New England has some time before it truly needs to make a decision on its defensive back. Still, the Chandler Jones trade was thought to be made with an eye towards freeing up future cap space in order to retain Butler, Dont’a Hightower, and Jamie Collins, so it would be an upset if the Patriots and Butler didn’t come to an agreement at some point.
Jacoby Brissett Remains Unsigned, Says Deal Will Get Done; Malcolm Mitchell Skips NFLPA Event
- Former NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissett, one of the Patriots‘ three third-round draft choices this year, is the only New England draftee who has not yet signed his rookie contract, as Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com observes. Brissett is the league’s only draft pick to not hire a traditional sports agent, instead relying on former NFL safety Abram Elam, whom Brissett is consulting as an adviser, and NFLPA director of salary cap and agent administration, Mark Levin. Although rookie contracts under the new CBA are fairly straightforward as a result of the rookie wage scale–Brissett himself has said that the deal will get done, and he will get a four-year contract worth roughly $3MM with a $680K signing bonus–the Brissett situation serves as a reminder that there is still some back-and-forth between teams and rookies, especially third-round draftees. As Reiss points out, while nearly 75% of this year’s draft class has signed, only 15 of 35 third-round picks have inked their rookie deals. First- and second-round picks can receive a maximum of 25% allocation of a team’s rookie salary cap, but because the third round does not max out at 25%, there is often debate over what the correct percentage should be, and therefore more room for negotiation and the inclusion of incentives like workout bonuses.
- In the same piece linked above, Reiss observes that Patriots’ fourth-round draft pick Malcolm Mitchell was one of 41 rookies invited to the NFL Players Association Premiere in Los Angeles from May 19-22, and he was the only one that did not attend the event. Mitchell reportedly felt traveling cross country before arriving back in town at midnight tonight or early tomorrow morning would have put him in a position where he wouldn’t be at his best for tomorrow’s start of voluntary organized team activities. Although the NFLPA might not be in love with Mitchell’s decision, New England will certainly appreciate Mitchell’s concern for his new club.
Patriots Have “Preliminary” Interest In Arian Foster
SATURDAY, 9:35am: For what it’s worth, Foster was spotted at Boston’s Logan Airport yesterday, but ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss says a trip to Gillette Stadium wasn’t in his itinerary.
The Patriots may have eight running backs on their current roster, but Reiss doesn’t believe that’d prevent the organization from pursuing a veteran running back. The writer notes that Foster’s “well-documented” rushing production and his pass-catching ability make him a natural fit for the Patriots, but the running back’s health is also a big factor.
The Patriots currently have Dion Lewis, LeGarrette Blount, James White, Donald Brown, Brandon Bolden, Tyler Gaffney, Joey Iosefa and undrafted D.J. Foster on their roster.
FRIDAY, 6:06pm: After the Patriots chose not to select a running back in last month’s draft, they could be eyeing help via the free agent market. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), New England has interest in free agent running back Arian Foster, but that interest is “just preliminary.”
[RELATED: Patriots audition safety William Moore]
Per Cole’s report, it sounds as though the Patriots are simply doing their due diligence on Foster, at least for the moment. It wouldn’t be surprising if New England’s reticence to take a more serious look at Foster is related to his health questions, as a report just this morning indicated that Foster is a week or two away from being able to pass a physical. In 2015, Foster was slowed by a groin injury in training camp and the preseason, and later suffered a torn Achilles, landing him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
Still, as I noted when ranking Foster as the No. 3 available offensive free agent, the 29-year-old back is still capable of putting up results when he is on the field. He accumulated 6,472 rushing yards during his seven years as a Texan, and earned three consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2010 to 2012, averaging about 1,900 all purpose yards and 16 touchdowns in those seasons. But Foster was limited to 25 regular-season games from 2013 to 2015, and injuries, his age, and his increasing cap number resulted in the Houston releasing him this spring.
The Patriots will return much of the same running back corps that that they fielded in 2015, as LeGarrette Blount will team with James White, Brandon Bolden, and a rehabbing Dion Lewis to carry the load in New England. The one new addition to the club’s backfield is former Charger Donald Brown, but he figures to see most of his action on special teams.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Patriots Notes: Kraft, Las Vegas, Mundine
- Reports continue to link the Raiders to Las Vegas, and the club has found another supporter — Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who tells Jarrett Bell of USA Today that he’s in favor of the Raiders leaving for Nevada. “I think it would be good for the NFL,” Kraft said. “I know Mark Davis has tried so hard in Oakland. If they won’t do it … I want to support him.”
- The Patriots won a grievance with former tight end Jimmay Mundine, giving them a $71K salary cap credit, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets.