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New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

NFC Links: Romo, Davis, Seahawks

June 6th, 2015 at 5:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL nixed next month’s inaugural National Fantasy Football Convention headed by Tony Romo due its proximity to casino property. The event was set for July 10-12 at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.

Romo and other players who planned to participate could’ve been fined or suspended by doing so since it’s been a long-held league policy that players and personnel cannot hold events at casinos or participate in those connected to them. The sessions, however, were going to ensue at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, which doesn’t have gambling on site.

Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray and others were set to join Romo at this event. The contingent of players was reportedly due more than $1MM in appearance fees.

“NFL has canceled our fantasy football convention this year in Vegas and that is disappointing. I’m sad for the fans and players,” Romo tweeted.

Here are some other late-afternoon notes from the NFC.

  • Jim Tomsula learned of Anthony Davis‘ plans via text message before Friday’s OTA practice, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News reports. Inman notes some 49ers players likely knew of Davis’ intentions, but when one overheard it from a staffer, he replied, “Are you serious?” Inman designates Trent Brown as the primary successor option on the right edge.
  • In light of Junior Galette‘s recent pectoral injury that has him seeking additional opinions before committing to a recovery course of action, the Saints may further limit their top pass-pursuer to pass-rushing situations only when and if he returns this season, Nick Underhill of TheAdvocate.com reports. Anthony Spencer will have more of a certain role now, and Cameron Jordan may have to rush mostly from the outside on passing downs instead of taking on guards from a defensive tackle slot as he did at points last season.
  • Of the Legion of Boom bastions that reportedly needed offseason surgery, only Earl Thomas underwent a procedure, while Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor are now fully healthy despite avoiding operations, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Jeremy Lane, however, likely won’t be ready for the start of the season with knee and arm maladies. Will Blackmon as a result has the inside track on the Seahawks‘ nickel spot.
  • Down about 30 pounds to 320, Alvin Bailey will almost certainly be the Hawks’ new left guard, replacing the departed James Carpenter, notes Condotta in a series of observations from Seattle’s OTA sessions.

 

Contract Details: Jordan, Chester, Harris

June 5th, 2015 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

A handful of salary and bonus details for recently-signed contracts have been reported so far today, so let’s round up the highlights. Deals whose details have been reported but aren’t noted here, such as Jerrell Powe‘s with Washington or Trindon Holliday‘s with the Raiders, are one-year, minimum salary pacts with no guaranteed money.

  • Cameron Jordan, DE (Saints): Six years, $61.969MM (five years, $55MM in new money). $16MM signing bonus. $6MM roster bonus on fifth day of 2016 league year. Salary cap figures of $4.169MM (2015), $12.8MM (2016), $10.3MM (2017), $12.5MM (2018), $12.3MM (2019), and $9.9MM (2020) (link via Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post).
  • Chris Chester, G/C (Falcons): One year, $2.8MM. $550K signing bonus. $1.55MM base salary. $700K in per-game roster bonuses (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com).
  • Ryan Harris, T (Broncos): One year, $920K base value. $50K signing bonus. $870K base salary. Up to $500K in incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Michael Buchanan, DE/OLB (Bills): Two years, $1.285MM. $25K roster bonus in 2016. No guaranteed money (Twitter link via Wilson).

Extra Points: Wallace, Galette, Jaguars

June 4th, 2015 at 9:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Mike Wallace wound up with the Vikings this offseason, but that union could have theoretically happened two years ago when he was a free agent. Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports asked the wide receiver if he was close to signing with Minnesota at that time rather than the Dolphins.

“Honestly, I liked the team, but I pretty much was going to Miami,” the veteran said.

Now, Wallace says he’s thrilled to be with the Vikings and he says that he “loves” coach Mike Zimmer. Here’s more from around the NFL..

  • If Junior Galette misses time, the Saints have in-house options to turn to, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes. New Orleans already loaded up this offseason on more outside linebacker depth than usual, including free agent Anthony Spencer and rookie sack machine Hau’oli Kikaha out of Washington. Still, he writes, the Saints’ best option is to get Galette back healthy.
  • If Acho can pressure quarterbacks like he can recite Shakespeare, the Bears might have themselves a valuable signing, CSNChicago.com’s Chris Boden writes. Acho, regarded as one of the smartest players in football, was without a team until three weeks into free agency when coach John Fox came calling.
  • UDFA running back Corey Grant is turning heads in camp with the Jaguars and Gene Frenette of The Florida Times-Union sounds convinced that he’ll make the roster.
  • The Browns added former Titans executive Lake Dawson to their personnel department, a source familiar with the situation tells Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. The Titans parted ways with Dawson in January after he spent eight seasons with them. He joined the franchise in 2007 as director of pro personnel and ascended to vice president of football operations in 2011. The Browns had an opening in their front office after parting ways with player personnel associate Jon Sandusky.

Galette Considering Surgery After Injury

June 4th, 2015 at 6:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Saints linebacker Junior Galette suffered a pectoral injury recently and is contemplating surgery, sources informed Mike Garafolo and Ross Jones of Foxsports.com.

Galette, 27, sustained the injury away from the team’s facilities. Should the sixth-year veteran opt for surgery, he could be out as long as six months, report Jones and Garafolo. The Saints’ top sack artist watched OTA practice from the sidelines Thursday but did not participate, according to NOLA.com’s Evan Woodberry.

Prior to extending fellow pass-rusher Cameron Jordan earlier this week, the Saints locked down Galette, who has 22 sacks the past two seasons, to a four-year, $41.5MM contract before last season.

The Giants lost left tackle Will Beatty to a torn pectoral recently, and their top edge protector will miss five to six months. It’s unclear whether Galette has a torn muscle at this time.

Jordan recorded 7.5 sacks last season after a Pro Bowl-garnering 12.5 in 2013, leading to his new deal but may be on his own for a while this season, with teams planning protections to stop him. Outside linebacker Parys Haralson recorded three sacks last season. The team also signed Anthony Spencer earlier this offseason. Each would have amplified roles for a defense that ranked 31st last year in yards allowed per game if Galette misses regular-season time.

NFC Notes: Crowder, Panthers, Seahawks

June 4th, 2015 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Rookie wide receiver Jamison Crowder, selected by Washington in the fourth round of this year’s draft, was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. As Marvez details, a since-deleted Instagram post appears to accuse Crowder of domestic violence (Twitter link).

“The Washington Redskins are aware of an off-field situation involving Jamison Crowder,” the team said in a statement to FOX. “We have been in touch with the NFL office and will continue to follow proper League protocol and assist them in any way we can to gather all of the facts. We will not be making any further comment at this time.”

As we wait to see what comes of the investigation into Crowder, here are a few other Thursday items from across the NFC:

  • “The biggest thing it does for us is it gives us a fixed cost,” Panthers GM Dave Gettleman said of Cam Newton‘s new extension, per Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. “And we’ve been very intentional and thoughtful about how we’re spending our money, and we’ll continue to do that. We’ve been planning for this.” As Person notes, the team has also been planning for a new contract for linebacker Luke Kuechly, which should happen eventually, and the Panthers want to extend linebacker Thomas Davis as well.
  • Addressing Jermaine Gresham‘s visit to New Orleans, Saints head coach Sean Payton said the tight end’s meeting went well, and that he thinks Gresham could be a good fit (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune).
  • The Seahawks announced a handful of promotions in their front office today, including elevating Scott Fitterer and Trent Kirchner to co-directors of player personnel. Both Fitterer and Kirchner drew interest from other teams this past winter, as Fitterer interviewed with the Eagles and Kirchner met with the Jets.
  • Speaking of those Seahawks, Jason Fitzgerald of The Sporting News takes a closer look at the salary cap situation in Seattle, where the team must make decisions on a number of players eligible for contract extensions and one notable contributor (Michael Bennett) who wants to rework his deal.
  • The Lions have moved Xavier Proctor from the defensive line to the other side of the ball, and will try him as an offensive tackle, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link).

NFC Notes: Hardy, Saints, Cowboys, Peterson

June 3rd, 2015 at 9:30pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s not yet known when offseason acquisition Greg Hardy will be able to play for the Cowboys this year, but coach Jason Garrett is impressed with what he’s seen so far in practice, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram writes. “He’s done a really good job,” Garrett said about Hardy’s work ethic. “Once we decided to sign him, we’ve certainly tried to embrace him in every way and he’s embraced the situation. He was here well before the off-season program got into full gear and guys were in the weight room and out on the field working and he embraced being a part of that once the off-season program started.” More from the NFC..

  • Rita LeBlanc spent about eight hours on the witness stand Wednesday in the competency trial of Saints owner Tom Benson, as the staff at The Times-Picayune writes. LeBlanc was tabbed by her grandfather as his future successor until Benson announced in January that his third wife would be inheriting the Saints and the NBA’s Pelicans instead.
  • Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee is back on the practice field one year after a knee injury wiped out his season and he’s confident that he’ll be good to go for training camp and the start of the season, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News writes.
  • Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is cautiously optimistic about the team’s potential now that Adrian Peterson is back in the fold, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes.

Saints Host Jermaine Gresham On Visit

June 3rd, 2015 at 7:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Free agent tight end Jermaine Gresham visited the Saints today, sources tell Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Saints, from the outside, appear to be a little thin at the position following the Jimmy Graham trade of this offseason. As of right now, however, there is no deal between the Saints and Gresham, Garafolo adds.

Gresham, one of the biggest names remaining in free agency, has yet to sign after undergoing back surgery earlier this offseason. When he does sign, eventually, it will be with a different rep at the table after he canned the controversial Ben Dogra. As of late March, the Raiders and Bengals were said to be in the mix for his services.

The soon-to-be 27-year-old was certainly one of the more intriguing options on the free agent market, but his subpar 2014 campaign didn’t earn him a place on Luke Adams’ list of the top 50 free agents. He finished last season with 62 catches for 460 yards and five touchdowns, earning him a negative rating from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). However, it was a step up from his performance in 2013 and 2012, when PFF rated him as one of the two worst tight ends in the entire league.

NFC Notes: Newton, Jordan, Cards, Bears

June 3rd, 2015 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on the details we passed along earlier today on Cam Newton‘s and Cameron Jordan‘s new extensions, we have another pair of notes. Joel Corry of CBSSports.com clarifies (via Twitter) that while Newton’s $10MM option bonus isn’t technically guaranteed at the time of the signing, it’s practically guaranteed, since there’s essentially no chance the Panthers will cut the quarterback before picking it up. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Jordan received a significant signing bonus, worth $16MM, from the Saints.

Here are a few more items from across the NFC:

  • The Cardinals signed defensive lineman Frostee Rucker to a one-year extension earlier this week, and Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com identifies three more defensive players who could be next in line for new deals. Weinfuss’ list includes safety Rashad Johnson, defensive back Justin Bethel, and cornerback Jerraud Powers.
  • Asked about whether he expects Martellus Bennett to attend the Bears‘ June minicamp, head coach John Fox said he “can’t predict” the tight end’s intentions, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes. Bennett, who wants a new contract, has been absent from the team’s OTAs.
  • Having signed a $40MM deal to remain with the Packers this offseason, wideout Randall Cobb vows the new contract won’t change his approach or create added pressure, per Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com.
  • According to an incident report obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, former Falcons linebacker Prince Shembo admitted to kicking his girlfriend’s dog and considered fleeing the country after the animal’s death. The AJC’s Tyler Estep has the details.

Details On Cam Newton, Cam Jordan Contracts

June 3rd, 2015 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

More details are trickling in on Cam Newton‘s massive $103.8MM extension with the Panthers, as well as Cameron Jordan‘s new five-year extension with the Saints. We’ll round up the latest on the two NFC South mega-deals right here:

Newton:

  • According to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), the cap numbers on Newton’s new deal are as follows: $13MM (2015), $19.5MM (2016), $20.166MM (2017), $21.5MM (2018), $23.2MM (2019), and $21.1MM (2020). Corry notes (via Twitter) that the deal includes a $10MM option bonus in 2016, with a $10MM non-exercise fee. The non-exercise fee is the amount that must be paid out if a player is kept on the roster without his option being picked up.
  • There have been varying reports on the amount of the full guarantee in the contract. Albert Breer of the NFL Network suggests (via Twitter) that only $31MM is fully guaranteed. That would be the $22.5MM signing bonus, the $7.5MM roster bonus due later this week, and the $1MM base salary for 2015.
  • As we passed along earlier today, however, Corry says the full guarantee works out to $41MM, which also seems to include his $10MM option bonus for 2016. Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that $54MM is fully guaranteed, which would be the aforementioned amounts, plus Newton’s $13MM base salary for ’16.
  • While we may have to wait for further clarification, my guess is that – while it’s possible only $31MM is fully guaranteed at the time of the signing – Corry’s $41MM figure is probably accurate. That $10MM second-year option may not be fully guaranteed at this point, but as Corry wrote in a piece last year, sometimes teams will guarantee future base salary, with that guarantee voiding or reducing after an option has been picked up — that approach minimizes or eliminates the risk of a player being cut before the option exercise period ends.
  • One detail that everyone agrees on, which was reported at the time of the initial agreement yesterday, is that the total amount of guaranteed money – including injury-only guarantees – is $60MM.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap breaks down what Newton’s extension looks like in chart form, and also compares the deal to other notable quarterback extensions signed recently.

Jordan:

  • While Jordan’s five-year, $55MM extension includes $33MM guaranteed for injury, just $23.96MM is fully guaranteed, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Facebook link). Jordan’s previous $6.969MM salary for 2015 had already been fully guaranteed, so that’s $17MM in new fully guaranteed money.
  • When the agreement was first reported yesterday, it was noted that $5MM was available for Jordan in incentives — those are sack-related, according to La Canfora, though he doesn’t have details on the specific requirements.
  • If Jordan’s play slips, the Saints could comfortably move on from this contract after two seasons, says La Canfora. In his view, the deal won’t be a point of reference when star lineman like Marcell Dareus and Muhammad Wilkerson are negotiating new contracts, though it may make a good comparable for a player like Cameron Heyward of the Steelers.

Saints, Cameron Jordan Agree To Extension

June 2nd, 2015 at 9:52am CST by Luke Adams

9:52am: Jordan’s extension is worth $55MM, with $5MM in incentives, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Since Jordan was already set to earn a salary just below $7MM for 2015, his six-year average looks like it will be in the neighborhood of $10.3MM, which is nearly the same annual rate the Saints are paying Galette.

9:39am: The Saints have reached an agreement on a lucrative contract extension for Cameron Jordan, whose previous deal was set to expire at the end of the 2015 season, reports MiCameron Jordanke Garafolo of FOX Sports. According to Garafolo, the five-year extension can be worth up to $60MM, and Jordan will get $33.6MM in guarantees, including about $27MM over the next two years.

Those initial figures may overstate the value of Jordan’s new contract a little — the fact that the deal can be worth “up to” $60MM suggests that some incentives may be involved, and I imagine a portion of that $33.6MM guarantee is for injury only. Still, the extension will keep Jordan under team control through the 2020 season, and it looks like a significant investment by the Saints into a player who has become a key part of the club’s defense.

Over the last three seasons, Jordan has racked up 28 total sacks, including 12.5 in his Pro Bowl 2013 season. Interestingly, after recording a +35.3 grade as a pass rusher in ’13, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Jordan’s pass-rushing grade fell to -7.9 in 2014, as he totaled just 7.5 sacks. However, PFF considered the 25-year-old an above average defensive end against the run.

Jordan’s new contract places him just outside of the top five 4-3 defensive ends by annual average salary, though one of those five is Jason Pierre-Paul, who is currently in line to earn $14.813MM on a one-year pact, via the franchise tag. Mario Williams, Robert Quinn, Charles Johnson, and Chris Long also have higher per-year values on their contracts than Jordan will, but Jordan’s extension is right up there with teammate Junior Galette‘s deal.

By locking up Jordan and Galette, the Saints have secured a pair of excellent pass rushers, though it’s not clear if Galette is in the team’s long-term plans. The 27-year-old ran into some legal troubles in recent months, and offseason reports suggested head coach Sean Payton and the Saints wouldn’t have been opposed to moving on from Galette if they could find a taker. For now though, he and Jordan appear poised to help anchor Rob Ryan‘s 2015 defense, which features some new faces like Brandon Browner and Dannell Ellerbe.

Jordan’s new contract could help set a precedent for other top defensive lineman who are eligible for extensions this offseason, including Marcell Dareus and Muhammad Wilkerson. For his part, Wilkerson tweeted, “Yup I see how this works,” shortly after word of Jordan’s agreement broke.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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