Minor Moves: Friday
Here are Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- The Lions claimed quarterback Garrett Gilbert from the Patriots earlier today, reports Howard Balzer of LockerDome.com (via Twitter). The team released quarterback Anthony Boone, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter).
- The Seahawks have signed wide receiver Kasen Williams, according to John Boyle of Seahawks.com (via Twitter). The team waived linebacker Mister Alexander to make room for Williams, who announced the signing on his Instagram account.
- Wide receiver Zach D’Orazio was waived by the Patriots, and passed through waivers unclaimed, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- While the Buccaneers might have landed recently released tight end Tim Wright, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports is interested to see the full list of teams who put in waiver claims for him (via Twitter). He adds that the Jets were one team that did.
- In order for the Buccaneers to make room for Wright on the roster, the team has waived tight end Taylor Sloat, according to Jenna Laine of SportsTalkFlorida.com (via Twitter).
- The Jets have signed former USC Trojan and Saints offensive tackle Charles Brown after they wrapped up their full-squad minicamp, reports Randy Lange of NewYorkJets.com. The team cut offensive tackle Sean Hooey to make room for the former second-round pick.
- Hooey wouldn’t be unemployed for very long, as the 49ers claimed him off waivers from the Jets, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
Patriots Sign Matt Flynn
FRIDAY, 2:19pm: The Patriots have officially signed Flynn, the team announced today in a press release.
THURSDAY, 3:10pm: The Patriots have agreed to terms on a contract with quarterback Matt Flynn, reports Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Russini reported earlier today (Twitter link) that Flynn was working out for New England. Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe has the corresponding move, tweeting that the Pats are waiving QB Garrett Gilbert.
Russini notes (via Twitter) that she has been told by several sources that the signing has “nothing to do” with Tom Brady‘s situation, and that the Pats simply want to have a veteran quarterback in camp. Still, it makes sense that New England would want a veteran in the mix to start the regular season as well. The team is bullish on Jimmy Garoppolo, Brady’s backup, but if the four-game ban for the reigning Super Bowl MVP is upheld, having a No. 2 QB on the roster with more experience than Gilbert make sense.
Flynn, who turns 30 later this month, has spent most of his career with the Packers, parlaying a huge Week 17 game in 2011 into a three-year contract with the Seahawks in free agency. After never starting a game in Seattle, Flynn bounced around the league a little, joining the Bills and Raiders before returning to Green Bay.
Last season, Flynn backed up Aaron Rodgers once again, completing eight of 16 passes when he saw the field. The Packers carried both Flynn and Scott Tolzien on their roster in 2014, but after they re-signed Tolzien this past March, reports indicated that they weren’t interested in retaining Flynn as well.
WR Rumors: Welker, D. Thomas, J. Jones
Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas, and James Jones spent the 2014 season playing in the AFC West, but now all three receivers are free agents. Thomas, of course, isn’t on the unrestricted market like Welker and Jones, but he has yet to sign his one-year franchise tender, meaning he’s not yet officially under contract with the Broncos.
Here’s the latest on the trio of wideouts:
- A general manager tells Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report that his team strongly considered signing Welker, but “there was great concern” about his history of concussions. As Freeman writes, teams familiar with Welker’s medical history say they think the ex-Bronco has sustained at least six concussions during his NFL career.
- Despite the concern about Welker’s head injuries, which will keep many suitors away, there are still teams interested in adding him. According to Freeman, the Patriots and Broncos aren’t interested in a reunion with Welker, but the Ravens and Dolphins could be good fits.
- Thomas, Welker’s old Denver teammate, has until July 15 to sign a long-term contract with the Broncos, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says Thomas may not report to training camp if the two sides don’t strike a deal.
- While the Broncos consider Thomas’ asking price too high, some league executives have suggested to Rapoport that Thomas deserves a Calvin Johnson-esque deal, based on Thomas’ recent production and the salary cap increases over the last couple years. When Johnson inked his eight-year, $130MM extension in 2012, the cap was $120.6MM. Three years later, it’s up to $143.28MM.
- Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) today, Jones identified the Jaguars as a potential fit for him. He also mentioned the Chiefs, Giants, and Seahawks, three teams that reportedly inquired on him when he became a free agent last month.
Brandon Spikes Facing Multiple Charges
Veteran linebacker Brandon Spikes is facing charges following the traffic incident that resulted in his release from the Patriots. Massachusetts State Police announced today that it has issued a citation charging Spikes with leaving the scene of a personal injury crash, among other charges.
A car registered to Spikes was found abandoned on I-495 in Foxborough, Mass., early last Sunday morning. An OnStar representative told Massachusetts State Police that the driver reported hitting a deer, but no deer was found in the vicinity and the car had front-end damage.
A short time later, police responded to a hit-and-run report nearby. The occupants of the SUV, who said they were rear-ended by a car they didn’t see, were treated for minor injuries at an area hospital and were later released. Police determined that Spikes was speeding and driving negligently when he crashed his Maybach sedan into the SUV.
While leaving the scene of a personal injury crash calls for up to two years in jail, it’s unlikely Spikes will face severe penalties, given the minor nature of the injuries. Still, the case figures to negatively impact his chances of playing for an NFL team this season, since he could face discipline from the league as well. The Pats didn’t even wait for the charges against Spikes to be confirmed before announcing earlier this week that they were cutting the inside linebacker.
Extra Points: Incognito, Davis, Wright
The Bills‘ offseason signing of Richie Incognito raised some eyebrows, but coach Rex Ryan says that the guard has been nothing but “outstanding” so far this spring, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Incognito has long been regarded as one of the better interior lineman in the NFL. However, the bullying scandal of 2013 put his career on halt and his future in jeopardy. After missing half of 2013 and all of 2014, Incognito signed with Buffalo on a one-year deal with a base salary of $900K.
- Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis anticipates landing a contract extension before the start of training camp, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. Davis, 32, is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him $7.25MM this year, with a salary cap number of $9.9MM. Davis has averaged 77 tackles a year since returning from the third ACL reconstruction on his right knee in 2012. The Panthers drafted his likely successor when they took former Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson with the 25th overall pick this year, but he’s still confident that Carolina will present him with a fair deal.
- With the Patriots having waived tight end Tim Wright, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com revisits the trade that brought Wright to New England last summer for Logan Mankins. As Reiss observes, the Pats also received cap relief and a draft pick in that trade, so Wright may not have been the key piece in the deal, but it’s still a bit surprising that the club parted ways with him.
- Head coach Gus Bradley and the Jaguars expect to see veteran pass rusher Chris Clemons at next week’s mandatory minicamp, as Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union writes. Clemons hasn’t been present for Jacksonville’s voluntary OTAs this year, but would forfeit his workout bonus if he doesn’t show up next week.
- Frustrated with injuries, Eagles outside linebacker Travis Long nearly walked away from the game before ever seeing live action, as Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com writes.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Latest On Evan Mathis
One of the league’s very best guards is now on the open market and teams are already circling the wagons. Which teams are in Evan Mathis and which clubs look like potential fits? Let’s find out..
- It’s not clear if Mathis has interest in the Bills, but the Bills are curious to find out, according to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter). That union could make a lot of sense since Mathis blocked for running back LeSean McCoy for the last four years.
- Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter) hears the Cardinals aren’t interested in Mathis.
- The Dolphins, Patriots, and Seahawks all make sense for the 33-year-old, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). However, he cautions that Mathis’ price point will start to scare teams off if it gets to be too high.
- The Vikings might be a good fit for Mathis, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes. Two of the coaches who would work with Mathis the most — offensive line coach Jeff Davidson and head coach Mike Zimmer — are already familiar with him from previous stops. Meanwhile, the Vikings have $10MM+ in cap space for 2015.
- The Saints, who have a vacancy at guard after trading starter Ben Grubbs, have only ~$3.5MM of salary cap space available to pursue Mathis, Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune notes. Tight end Tim Wright, however, could be more in the Saints’ price range.
Minor Moves: Thursday
Today’s minor moves..
- The Jets announced (via Twitter) that they have released tackle Sean Hooey. Hooey, a former member of the Rams, stands at 6’9″ and 300+ pounds.
- The Giants announced that the have added rookie linebacker Tony Johnson while dropping fellow rookie linebacker Ryan Jones. Johnson, who played two seasons at Louisiana Tech after transferring from a community college, played in 12 games as a senior and finished third on the team with 69 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
- The Patriots announced that they have signed three rookie free agents in linebacker D.J. Lynch (Bowling Green), tight end Jimmay Mundine (Kansas) and tight end Logan Stokes (Louisiana State). To make room, wide receiver Zach D’Orazio has been let go.
Patriots Release Tim Wright
The Patriots have released tight end Tim Wright, according to Shalise Manza Young of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Wright came to the Patriots last year as a part of the Logan Mankins deal with the Buccaneers. Wright will now be subject to waivers and, ironically, it’s the Bucs that hold No. 1 waiver priority.
The Patriots likely felt that Wright’s role on the team can be filled by offseason pickup Scott Chandler. They also have another notable in Fred Davis on the depth chart, further squeezing Wright out of the picture. Former edge rusher Jake Bequette and sixth-round choice A.J. Derby are below Rob Gronkowski, Michael Hoomanawanui, Chandler, and Davis at tight end.
Wright burst on to the scene in his rookie year with the Bucs when he hauled in 54 catches and five touchdowns. Last season, he caught 26 passes for 259 yards, but didn’t do a whole lot down the stretch of the regular season and didn’t record a reception in the playoffs.
AFC Notes: Bortles, Pats, Bills, Titans
Leon Washington is out of the picture in Tennessee, but Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt feels that he can find his next return man in-house between wide receiver Jacoby Ford, running back Antonio Andrews and running back Dexter McCluster. “We’ll look at a lot of different guys,” Whisenhunt said, according to John Glennon of The Tennessean. “We’ll see where Jacoby fits in that mix. Antonio did a nice job for us last year. Dexter has done it before, and we’ll see what other guys (might be in the mix).” Washington, meanwhile, remains a free agent. Here’s more from the AFC..
East Notes: Mathis, Hardy, Eagles, Pats
Eagles coach Chip Kelly says that he has yet to speak with offensive guard Evan Mathis, who has not reported for OTAs, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
“We’ll take it as it comes,” Kelly said.
Mandatory minicamp starts on June 16th, but he could wind up in camp with another club as the Eagles have given him permission to look for a viable trade. The Eagles have said that they’re not shopping the 33-year-old, but Kelly has admitted that he is willing to listen on anyone. Earlier today, we learned that Mathis contends that the Eagles offered to boost his salary by $1MM per season but later pulled that proposal off the table. Here’s more from the East divisions..
- A ruling on Greg Hardy‘s appeal is expected to come this week, and Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News suspects the 10-game suspension for the Cowboys defensive end may not be reduced.
- Kelly says that so far, Eagles offseason acquisition Sam Bradford has done a “great job” so far in his recovery from a torn ACL in his left knee, Berman writes. Kelly also reiterated that Bradford is still on track to return in a reasonable timeframe. There is no date for that return just yet, however.
- Following the release of UDFA cornerback Eric Patterson, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reset the Patriots‘ depth chart at cornerback. Logan Ryan, Bradley Fletcher, and Malcolm Butler are the top three cornerbacks on the chart, but Reiss notes that safety Devin McCourty came into the NFL as a corner and could concievably move back depending on how things unfold.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.