Jets To Target Revis Over Cromartie
While Darrelle Revis is technically under contract for 2015, his $20MM base salary and $25MM cap number actually make him more likely to hit the open market than some notable prospective free agents. Players like Justin Houston and Dez Bryant don’t have contracts for 2015 yet, but their respective teams can use the franchise tag to keep them around. The franchise tag isn’t in play for the Patriots and Revis — if the team can’t come to an agreement on an extension with the cornerback and doesn’t want to pick up his pricey option, he’ll be cut.
If the Pats do release Revis, the former Jets cornerback will be a top priority on New York’s list of free agent targets. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), as much as Antonio Cromartie would like to return to the Jets, he will be a “distant second” to Revis as the team considers its free agent options at cornerback.
Of course, Cromartie could move up to that No. 1 spot on the Jets’ list of free agent corners if the Pats manage to work something out with Revis prior to March 10. There are other noteworthy cornerbacks eligible for free agency this winter, such as Byron Maxwell, Brandon Flowers, and Kareem Jackson, but none of those players looks like as ideal a fit as Cromartie for the Jets. Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson told ESPN.com recently that all his teammate talks about is “freaking New York,” where former Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is now the head coach.
As Cole explains, Cromartie recognizes that, coming off a strong season in Arizona and having turned 30 last April, this may be his last, best shot at a big, long-term contract. So if the Jets decide to sign Revis to that sort of deal, Cromartie may turn elsewhere. If Revis returns to New England though, the Jets – armed with a ton of cap space and a need at CB – may be a perfect match for a player looking to return to New York and sign one more lucrative contract.
AFC Notes: Cromartie, Richardson, Ravens
Antonio Cromartie is coming off a one-year contract with the Cardinals, and while fellow cornerback Patrick Peterson would like to see his teammate return to Arizona, Peterson tells Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com that Cromartie will certainly have interest in heading back to the Jets.
“I’m definitely trying to keep him here,” Peterson said. “It’s going to be tough, especially with Todd [Bowles] being in New York and he loves [New York]. That’s all he talks about is freaking New York. I’m definitely trying to get him to stay and we’ll see what happens.”
Cromartie and his representatives won’t be able to talk to the Jets until March 7, so Peterson has a few more weeks to try to recruit the veteran corner back to the Cards. As he works on that, let’s round up a few more items from across the AFC….
- After suspending Trent Richardson at the end of the 2014 season, the Colts could soon have a battle on their hands with the NFLPA over Richardson’s 2015 salary, which may become non-guaranteed based on that suspension. If that issue comes to a head though, it won’t be the first incident between Richardson and the Colts, according to Mike Wells of ESPN.com. Wells reports that the relationship between the team and the running back deteriorated over the course of the 2014 season because of weight issues, accessibility, and an unexpected absence.
- The Ravens have mostly avoided restructuring contracts in previous seasons, but may have to rework a couple this season to create some temporary cap relief, according to Aaron Wilson and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. However, the club could also release or extend players to open up cap room. Defensive end Chris Canty, center Gino Gradkowski, and wide receiver Jacoby Jones are among the Ravens veterans whose deals may need to be addressed.
- According to Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter links), Jaguars owner Shad Khan said he wants to extend his team’s London series beyond 2016. Per Khan, Jacksonville’s revenues will rank 22nd in the league this season, an improvement buoyed by the revenue from the franchise’s games in England.
- The Browns‘ uncertain quarterback situation extends to the coaching staff, according to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com, who points out that Kevin O’Connell, who will be in charge of Cleveland’s QBs, has never coached at any level in football before.
- Vince Wilfork played more than 70% of the Patriots‘ defensive snaps, and the club was a top-10 scoring defense with a lengthy playoff run, meaning the big defensive lineman earned every 2014 incentive in his contract, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). That means Wilfork received the full $8MM salary for which he was eligible.
AFC Links: Woodson, Titans, Pats, Skrine
Let’s check out some assorted notes from around the AFC…
- Following his tenure with the Packers, veteran cornerback Charles Woodson inked a contract with the Raiders. Woodson admitted that his agent had reached out to the Lions during the 2012 offseason, but there was little interest from the franchise. “I was kind of throwing some lines out there to see where the interest was,” Woodson said (via ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein). “Most teams, coming out of Green Bay, everybody thought I was pretty much done. Washed up. Couldn’t run anymore. I heard all of the adjectives to describe me…They were one of those teams that probably thought that.”
- Michael Oher was just one of many offseason additions that didn’t work out for the Titans in 2014, writes ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky. Linebacker Wesley Woodyard lost his job to a rookie, running back Dexter McCluster made little impact offensively, defensive lineman Al Woods ultimately settled into a backup role and linebacker Shaun Phillips was cut in November.
- In a series of tweets, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap partially attributes the Patriots cap-conscious approach to the team’s inability to keep running back Curtis Martin. The franchise’s lack of cap flexibility during the 1998 offseason had a lasting impact on the organization, and the team vowed to never be in that kind of situation again.
- Count Browns defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil among those who’d like to see defensive back Buster Skrine back with the team next season. “Buster is one of my favorite guys on the defense,” O’Neil previously said (via Kevin Jones of ClevelandBrowns.com). “He embodies ‘Play Like a Brown.’ I don’t ever want to let good players walk out the door.”
AFC Links: Manning, Ngata, Hughes, Incognito
Even with a coaching change and big decisions to make on Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas, the Broncos’ offseason will more or less be about whether or not Peyton Manning returns in 2015.
If Tony Dungy is correct, Manning will be back next year, according to the Associated Press on IndyStar.com.
“I was with him last week and he didn’t give me any indication one way or another, but he certainly didn’t say anything to me that led me to believe he wouldn’t be playing,” said Dungy. “My gut feeling is that he’ll be back unless he really has a health-related problem. He enjoys the team. He enjoys his teammates. I think he really wants to come back and play well and not let that be the last game of his career.”
Here are some more links from around the AFC:
- The Ravens have asked star defensive tackle Haloti Ngata to restructure his contract in the past, but for the first time they have leverage to make such a request this offseason, writes Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun. Ngata is owed $8.5MM in base salary and will count for $16MM against the cap. Considering the Ravens need to free up money for free agency, the declining Ngata could have to look for a new team if he refuses to restructure his deal, and coming off a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, the team holds all the cards.
- The top priority for the Bills this winter should be figuring out a way to bring back Jerry Hughes, who has developed into one of the league’s most productive pass rushers, writes Jason Fitzgerald in his preview of Buffalo’s offseason at OverTheCap.com.
- The Bills will host Richie Incognito for an official visit and physical on Saturday, reports James Walker of ESPN (via Twitter). Incognito has not played since being suspended as part of the bulling investigation with the Dolphins. The team needs help at guard, with Erik Pears and Kraig Urbik unlikely to return to the team, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN (via Twitter). The meeting may be merely a formality, as the team is expected to sign Incognito should he pass his physical, according to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter).
- Cornerback Curtis Brown, a former Steelers third-round pick, will have a workout with the Jets on Tuesday, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- Malcolm Butler may be a Super Bowl hero, but the undrafted Patriots cornerback isn’t going to get hung up on one play. He is already concerned with continuing to improve and become a fixture in the NFL, writes Tom Curran of CSNNE.com. “I’m going to probably enjoy this moment, I’ll never forget it,” said Butler. “Probably for a couple more days or whatever, however it dies down. Have a little time to relax and then get back to work and just try to prove my point that this one play doesn’t [define] me. I don’t want to be known as a great player for one play, so I’ve got more to prove. So, I’ll have a little relax time and get back to work.”
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
La Canfora On Use Of The Franchise Tag
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes how the use of the franchise tag is trending downward. In 2013, only six players received either franchise or transition tags. This offseason, despite the hard work of Luke Adams to profile the candidates for the tag on each team, that number could drop to four.
La Canfora notes that his guess of four does not include the possibility of a team franchising a kicker or punter in lieu of another viable candidate.
While the Lions, Giants, Packers, and Dolphins each have a viable candidate, each team is unlikely to tag that player. Those four are expected to try to avoid the tag in the effort to retain their stars.
Although the number could drop to four, anything less than that would be a huge surprise. As far as La Canfora sees it, there are four sure things in terms of the franchise tag (all four of which Luke did pin down in his rundown of franchise tag candidates, for the record).
- Demaryius Thomas to the Broncos is an obvious choice, whether his quarterback in 2015 is Peyton Manning or Brock Osweiler. The case in Denver has another wrinkle, with La Canfora writing that if the team could come to an agreement on a long-term deal with Thomas, then tight end Julius Thomas will become a candidate to be franchised instead, albeit not the sure thing Demaryius is.
- Fellow superstar wide receiver Dez Bryant is another lock to be hit with the tag. The Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones could be afraid to commit long-term money to him, but would be happy to keep him on a year-to-year situation even at a high price. There was also some steam gaining for DeMarco Murray’s chances of being tagged, but Bryant is seen as the superior offensive weapon.
- On the defensive side of the ball, an already capped-out Chiefs team will place the franchise tag on Justin Houston. Houston’s tag number is not set in stone, with the team likely to tag him as an outside linebacker, Houston and his agent will push for the slightly higher defense end number which comes with an additional $1.6MM based on La Canfora’s projections. Houston could be considered a defensive end because he is primarily a pass rusher in the Kansas City defense. Either way, La Canfora believes they will have to tag him regardless of the number, despite the cap gymnastics they might have to do to afford him.
- Staying on defense, the Patriots will likely tag safety Devin McCourty as they continue to focus on signing Darrelle Revis to a long-term deal. After Revis, the team should be able to negotiate a deal to keep McCourty as well, and keep the top two players in a very good secondary together as head coach Bill Belichick looks for a fifth Super Bowl victory.
Minor Moves: Friday
Here are today’s minor moves around football, including multiple back-of-the-roster NFL transactions as well as a one-time starting quarterback heading north to the CFL….
- Center Darren Keyton, who was cut by the Lions before the team’s Wild Card game, has re-signed with the club, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- Quarterback John Skelton, who started 17 games for the Cardinals from 2010 to 2012, has signed a two-year pact with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Skelton’s stint in Arizona wasn’t particularly effective — he finished with 15 touchdowns to 25 interceptions, completing just 53.2% of his passes and posting a 63.0 QB rating. The 26-year-old spent time most recently with the Bengals in 2013.
- Former University of Miami center Jared Wheeler signed with the Seahawks today, according to agent Brett Tessler (via Twitter). Wheeler, who was cut by the Bills prior to the 2014 regular season, is the latest signee for Seattle, after the team added 11 players on reserve/futures contracts earlier this week.
- The Patriots also made several reserve/futures signings yesterday, and completed a few more today, according to a team release. Defensive lineman Antonio Johnson, linebacker Rufus Johnson, and running back Dion Lewis have new contracts with the Pats.
Patriots To Start Work On Revis Extension
While there’s been a little buzz lately suggesting that the Patriots could pick up their second-year option on cornerback Darrelle Revis, that has always been a long shot, given its size ($20MM salary, $25MM cap hit). Today, team president Jonathan Kraft essentially acknowledged as much, suggesting during an appearance on WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan that the Pats’ priority is to work out a longer-term deal with the star corner.
“People understand that [the option]’s a placeholder and we’ll get to work on trying to make [an extension] happen,” Kraft said in the interview, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. For his part, the Pats president has nothing but praise for Revis.
“He’s been everything and more since he’s been here,” Kraft told WEEI. “Patriots fans knew what he was like on the field, but didn’t know what he was like off it. Having worn green all those years and the blind emotion we all have toward the Jets, you have one perception of the man. And the man is very different than that. He’s a great guy and he works hard. There is no over-ego to him and he’s a great teammate. He’s been a real pleasure to have him as part of the organization.”
The Pats will have a little more than four weeks to exclusively negotiate with Revis, and it appears that the team will do everything it can to extend his contract before free agency begins. If New England chooses not to pick up that second-year option on the 29-year-old, the franchise tag won’t be in play, due to the way the contract is structured. The club will have to make its decision on Revis by March 9, so if no deal is reached by that point, the corner could hit free agency on March 10 along with the rest of this year’s class.
Recent reports have indicated that the division-rival Bills and Jets will be among Revis’ top suitors if he makes it to the open market.
AFC Notes: Wilfork, Manning, Colts, Texans
At least one recent report has suggested that Vince Wilfork may decide to go out on top and call it a career after the Patriots‘ latest Super Bowl win. However, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, retirement isn’t in Wilfork’s plans, at least for now.
“There’s no way in the world this is my last season,” Wilfork said. “I doubt if this is my last one. I still have a lot of football in me.”
Wilfork certainly seemed to have plenty left in the tank in 2014, as he logged 818 defensive snaps, which was 300+ more than the next-closest Patriots defensive lineman Chris Jones (511). But whether or not Wilfork’s career will continue in New England remains to be seen. The defensive lineman’s cap number jumps to nearly $9MM for 2015, and there’s plenty of non-guaranteed money left on the deal, so the Pats will likely attempt to restructure the contract. If the two sides can’t work something out, Wilfork might be a candidate to be released this winter.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- Peyton Manning has yet to announce whether or not he’ll return to the Broncos for another season, but recent reports have suggested he’ll likely be back, and teammate Von Miller is confident the veteran signal-caller will stick around, as Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post details.
- Although wide receiver Duron Carter was the subject of plenty of fan interest and speculation as he visited potential suitors last month, the deal he signed with the Colts is a modest one. Per Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), $25K of Carter’s first-year salary is guaranteed, but he didn’t receive a signing bonus. Indianapolis’ other CFL signee, offensive lineman Ben Heenan, actually received more guaranteed money ($35K) than Carter, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- The Colts announced several changes to their coaching staff today, hiring Jim Hostler as their wide receivers coach for 2015 and moving a handful of assistants into new roles. According to the club, former running backs coach David Walker will be the only assistant not returning.
- Addressing his team’s quarterback situation, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien suggested that “it will probably be a competition” for the starting job next season, writes Deepi Sidhu of HoustonTexans.com. While Ryan Fitzpatrick remains under contract with the club, Case Keenum and Ryan Mallett are both eligible for free agency, so Houston could be in the market for a QB next month, or during the draft.
2015 Salaries Guaranteed For Gronk, Others
In a week that has already featured a Super Bowl win and several days of celebrating that win, Rob Gronkowski gets some more good news today. As Joel Corry of CBSSports.com outlines, by remaining on the Patriots’ roster, the star tight end has his 2015 base salary ($4.75MM), along with his ’15 workout bonus ($250K), become fully guaranteed. When combined with the prorated portion of his signing bonus, the newly-guaranteed salary puts Gronk on the books for an $8.65MM cap hit for the coming season.
Gronkowski isn’t the only player whose 2015 salary becomes guaranteed today, as Corry writes. A pair of Cardinals have also locked in a 2015 pay day, as cornerback Patrick Peterson will have his $11.62MM base salary become fully guaranteed, while quarterback Carson Palmer will have his $1MM base salary and $9.5MM roster bonus (due March 12) become guaranteed. The duo will count for over $29MM on Arizona’s cap in 2015, assuming the team doesn’t rework either contract in the offseason.
Gronkowski, Peterson, and Palmer are the latest noteworthy players to have their salaries fully guaranteed for the 2015 season. Earlier this week, Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Joe Haden, and Gerald McCoy had their ’15 salaries guaranteed as well.
East Notes: Revis, Jets, McCoy
It’s long been assumed that the Patriots would not pick up Darrelle Revis‘ 2015 option as it would mean carrying the cornerback’s $25MM cap charge next season. However, the idea of New England exercising the option has been gaining traction, and Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter links) passes along how the contract’s guarantees would be structured. Per Corry, Revis would be entitled to a $12MM roster bonus on the first day of the 2015 league year. The bonus would be paid in four $3MM installments, with payments coming on March 31, October 31, December 31, and March 31 of 2016.
Here’s more from the league’s east divisions:
- As PFR’s Zach Links wrote in his evaluation of the Jets’ offseason, Gang Green could look to release Percy Harvin and/or Chris Johnson to create cap space. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com agrees, and adds that linebacker Calvin Pace and defensive lineman Jason Babin could also be on the chopping block.
- Christopher Price of WEEI.com offers his free agent forecast for the Patriots, noting that both Devin McCourty and Stephen Gostkowski are legitimate candidates for the franchise tag.
- Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com looks at the state of the Eagles‘ running back corps going into the offseason. It’s a diverse and talented group, but the team will have to decide what, if anything, should be done with LeSean McCoy. Although McCoy was not the electrifying playmaker in 2014 that he was in 2013, he still had a very productive season, with 1,319 rushing yards and a 4.2 YPC average. However, his $11.95MM cap hit has left some wondering if Philadelphia would be better off cutting him. Kapadia, though, believes McCoy is not going anywhere, though the Eagles could approach him with a restructure proposal and may select a running back in the middle rounds of the draft.
- Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com look at how Washington might approach their safety positions, which seem to be in a constant state of flux, this offseason. Although the team has often tried to bring in cheap veteran free agents without much success in the past, both writers believe Washington has no other choice but to open the checkbook again. Tandler suggests Kendrick Lewis as a possible target for free safety, while advocating for Phillip Thomas to be given the strong safety job. El-Bashir, though, thinks the team must fill both positions in free agency and expresses no confidence in Thomas.
- Liz Clarke of the Washington Post examines the value of Brian Orakpo, who was Washington‘s highest-paid player in 2014, as he hits free agency.
Zach Links and Rory Parks contributed to this post.