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La Canfora On Manning, Suh, McCown, Saints

February 25th, 2015 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Weighing in on two of the biggest offseason stories, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com leads off his latest piece by looking at the Peyton Manning and Ndamukong Suh situations. In La Canfora’s view, Manning will ultimately return to the Broncos after the two sides tweak his contract a little. As for Suh, the CBSSports.com scribe doesn’t have any updates on the Lions‘ talks with the defensive star, but says he thinks the Jaguars and Raiders will be major players. For those teams to be involved in the Suh derby, he’d have to reach the open market, which would mean no long-term deal or franchise tag from Detroit.

La Canfora also passes along plenty more tidbits related to free agency, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights….

  • When it comes to the market’s top pass rushers, La Canfora thinks Pernell McPhee can reach $10MM per year, with Jerry Hughes in the $9MM range, and Brandon Graham and Jason Worilds around $7.5MM. La Canfora also believes that all four of those players will join new teams next month.
  • Free agent quarterback Josh McCown is expected to decide on his new team later this week or early next week, and could land another deal worth $5MM annually. The Bills and Browns look like the best bets for McCown, according to La Canfora.
  • The Saints are working through contract issues with about a half-dozen players on their roster, sources tell La Canfora. If things work out the way the team hopes, Marques Colston, Jahri Evans, and Curtis Lofton would likely stick around on reduced salaries, while Ben Grubbs, Brodrick Bunkley, and David Hawthorne could be let go. As for Junior Galette, La Canfora is hearing that head coach Sean Payton has “expressed a desire” to part ways with him, following his January arrest. However, Galette’s contract still contains a sizeable chunk of guaranteed money, and the team likely can’t void those guarantees.
  • Percy Harvin probably won’t accept a pay cut from the Jets, which means the team will likely cut him. La Canfora expects the wideout to gamble himself in free agency, signing a one-year deal with a team that has a good quarterback in place.
  • The Jaguars will be seeking a top pass catcher, and La Canfora wouldn’t be surprised if the team lands a player like Randall Cobb or Julius Thomas. Per La Canfora, the Packers recognize Cobb’s market could get out of hand, and may focus on re-signing other key free agents, like Bryan Bulaga and Letroy Guion.
  • Chiefs center Rodney Hudson came very close to signing a four-year extension worth $6MM per year during the season. He’s a good bet to exceed that amount in free agency, and the Raiders are one viable suitor.
  • La Canfora anticipates the Ravens will work out a restructured deal with Lardarius Webb, but isn’t as certain about Haloti Ngata, who may play for a new team in 2015.
  • The Jets would have interest in Ryan Mallett if he reaches the open market. However, the Texans have made their interest in the quarterback clear, and Mallett himself said today that he’d like to return to Houston (Twitter link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).

Tuesday Roundup: Cassel, Winston, Peterson

February 24th, 2015 at 8:38pm CST by Rory Parks

Vikings GM Rick Spielman said that nothing definitive has been decided about bringing Matt Cassel back to the team, but Spielman was complimentary of his veteran signal-caller when discussing him earlier this week. “We went through our process, we evaluated all of our players,” Spielman said, according to Brian Hall of FOXSportsNorth.com. “We looked at everything from what they bring to our football team, in the locker room, off the field, what they bring to us on the field. But we also have to look at where they’re at from a standpoint of their contract, where we’re at from a cap standpoint…Matt’s done a great job. Came in and has won some games when he had to play. He’s a great locker-room guy. Matt has a lot of value to us.” Cassel is signed for the 2015 season at a salary of $4.15MM, and he’ll count $4.75MM against the cap.

Now for some more links from around the league on this Tuesday evening:

  • Tahir Whitehead filled in capably for Stephen Tulloch when Tulloch went out last season, and that leaves the Lions with an interesting choice this offseason, as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes. Detroit could continue to roll with Whitehead at middle linebacker and carve out some space by parting ways with Tulloch. The 30-year-old is slated to count $5.8MM against the cap next season. Whitehead, meanwhile, costs just $713K.
  • The consensus around the league is that the Buccaneers will draft Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick, according to a tweet from the NFL Network (citing its own Ian Rapoport).
  • The Colts are in dire need of a running back, and Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes that the team will be closely monitoring the Adrian Peterson situation. If Peterson and the Vikings part ways, Indianapolis GM Ryan Grigson, a noted risk-taker, may pull the trigger.
  • Falcons defensive end Osi Umenyiora has no plans to retire, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Umenyiora, 33, will become a free agent on March 10, and he said he would like to play at least one more season. If he could choose, Umenyiora stated that he would like to finish his career where it started: with the Giants.
  • Packers fullback John Kuhn is one of the last members of a dying breed, but the impending free agent reaffirmed his importance to the Green Bay offense in 2014, earning first team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career. As Weston Hodkiewicz of PackersNews.com writes, there is mutual interest in Kuhn’s return to the Packers.
  • Former Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne, who has garnered interest from at least a dozen teams, is expected to sign with a club this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (writing for the National Football Post).
  • Bill Williamson of ESPN.com believes middle linebacker Nate Irving could be a fit with the Raiders if the impending free agent is not re-signed by the Broncos.
  • Parys Haralson, who signed a one-year deal with the Saints in February, hopes to end his career in New Orleans, writes Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune.
  • Jason Fitzerald of OverTheCap.com provides the Panthers‘ salary cap outlook for the 2015 season.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

 

NFC South Notes: Williams, Saints, Falcons

February 24th, 2015 at 10:46am CST by Zachary Links

DeAngelo Williams, who was recently informed by the Panthers that he will be released, was unhappy with the team’s support (or lack thereof) last year at the time of his mother’s death. “That was the end. That was it. Nobody came to the funeral,” Williams told WBTV’s Molly Grantham. “The owner didn’t reach out. He didn’t say anything. Never talked to me. Nobody upstairs ever talked to me. The only two people who ever said anything to me was coach Rivera and Dave Gettleman. . . . There’s nothing that coach Rivera and Dave Gettleman can do to me that will make me mad or make me hate them because in my darkest hour they were there for me. More from the NFC South..

  • While Williams said the Panthers informed him they didn’t run the ball enough to justify his contract, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer notes that only four teams had more rushes than Carolina last season. Meanwhile, over the last three seasons, only the Texans ran the ball more than the Panthers. Williams’ release had more to do with his declining production and his age, according to a team source.
  • Two team negotiators confirmed to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) that the Panthers will get a $1MM 2016 salary cap credit from Williams’ option bonus that’s being prorated by cutting him.
  • The Saints have a tough cap situation this offseason and some tough decisions to make. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) would put money on linebacker David Hawthorne, guard Ben Grubbs, and Brodrick Bunkley getting cut. Meanwhile, he sees wide receiver Marques Colston, guard Jahri Evans, and linebacker Curtis Lofton agreeing to pay cuts. Pro Football Rumors recently looked at the Saints’ situation as a part of our ongoing Offseason Outlook series.
  • Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter) is hearing from agents that the Falcons are still evaluating which players fit their scheme before re-signing or releasing anyone.
  • D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution looked at pending Falcons free agent Javier Arenas. The fifth-year cornerback played just 54 snaps in six games and couldn’t win the nickelback job on the worst defense in the league. It doesn’t seem all that likely that new head coach Dan Quinn will push to re-sign the unrestrictd free agent.

Saints Negotiating To Keep Jahri Evans

February 23rd, 2015 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

Even accounting for a $143MM salary cap for 2015, the Saints are currently projected to be about $21MM over the threshold, meaning the team will have to make a handful of moves to get under the cap prior to the new league year. One such move may involve releasing high-priced guard Jahri Evans, but according to Katherine Terrell of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Saints have reached out to Evans’ camp to try to find a way to keep the veteran lineman.

Evans is currently on New Orleans’ books for $11MM for the 2015 season, the highest cap hit for any guard in the NFL. Releasing him, which Terrell reports the Saints were initially prepared to do, would create $6MM in cap savings, leaving $5MM in dead money on the club’s books. Reworking the deal to incorporate a pay cut likely wouldn’t create quite that much cap room, but it would allow the Saints to hang onto a player who has made six consecutive Pro Bowls, and would help the team make some progress toward getting under the cap.

Evans’ current contract runs through the 2016 season, and by the start of the 2017 campaign, he’d be 34 years old, so the Saints may not be inclined to tack any extra years onto the deal. Still, Terrell hears from a source that the veteran’s top choice is to remain with the Saints, and with the possibility of a release lingering as a viable option for New Orleans, he may be willing to reduce his salary in exchange for some additional guaranteed money.

Even if they work out something with Evans, the Saints will have to address the contracts for a number of other players, including their other guard, Ben Grubbs, who counts for $9.6MM against 2015’s cap. Head coach Sean Payton recently indicated that his team doesn’t currently have any plans to restructure Drew Brees‘ contract – which features a $26.4MM cap number – so if that’s the case, then players like Junior Galette, Jimmy Graham, Jairus Byrd, and Marques Colston look like top candidates to have their deals tweaked.

NFC South Notes: Falcons, Jones, Galette

February 19th, 2015 at 7:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Even though the Falcons could use some more depth right now, GM Thomas Dimitroff doesn’t regret blowing up the 2011 draft to land Julio Jones, Will Brinson of CBSSports.com writes. “I feel depth — let’s talk about depth. You can talk about depth at so many levels,” Dimitroff said. “Maybe what we passed up, what went to Cleveland, you can juxtapose that again. I know how important Julio is to this team, the game-breaking skills he has. We wanted our offense to have that presence.” Here’s more from the NFC South..

  • Junior Galette‘s attorney, Ralph Whalen, issued a statement indicating that the domestic violence charges against his client have been dismissed, according to Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter). The Saints linebacker could still face NFL discipline for the January incident.
  • Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon is eligible for free agency next month, and there’s “definite interest” in the veteran from at least one AFC team, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
  • The Buccaneers added a new executive to their front office today, announcing in a press release that they’ve hired Duke Preston as the club’s new director of player development. Preston previously held the same position at the University of Notre Dame.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Latest On FA Market For WR, CB

February 19th, 2015 at 5:35pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL executives around the league are scared that Larry Fitzgerald‘s deal with the Cardinals will inflate the free agent market for wide receivers, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The new contract surprised three different execs, who didn’t see him getting $11MM per season for two years.

Executives expected the wide receiver market to be more in the $7-$8MM range and believed that Fitzgerald would fall near the top of that range. His new deal, as many have posited, probably comes in at around $6MM over market value. Still, Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill did not want to lose his franchise player and he believes that Fitzgerald sets a phenomenal example for teammates on and off-the-field. While the quantifiable stats make the deal an overpay in the eyes of most, Bidwill believes that No. 11’s value goes beyond his on-field production. In 2014, Fitzgerald hauled in 63 catches for 784 yards and two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net hears that the belief around the league is that the available corners will be overpaid in free agency as the demand will far outweigh the supply. The need is great for many teams like the Saints and Bears, who could look to sign not one but two cornerbacks on the open market. The Patriots won the Super Bowl with the help of two free agent corners in Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner and it’s not hard to see other teams eagerly trying to replicate that success.

Payton: No Plans To Rework Brees Contract

February 19th, 2015 at 3:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite the fact that the team is further over the projected 2015 cap than any other club in the league, the Saints don’t have any plans at the moment to reduce Drew Brees‘ cap hit for the coming year by reworking his contract, according to head coach Sean Payton. As Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune details, Payton told Pro Football Talk that the Saints haven’t discussed a restructure or an extension for the star QB.

“I don’t think that’s something that’s going to be happening anytime soon or something that [Brees] or his agent have talked to [general manager] Mickey [Loomis] about,” Payton said.

It seems a little hard to believe that the Saints will leave Brees’ contract untouched, considering the team is currently more than $23MM over the projected cap (per OverTheCap.com), and the quarterback’s cap number for 2015 is $26.4MM. For comparison’s sake, during the 2014 season, only two players had cap hits higher than $20MM — Ndamukong Suh ($22.41MM) and Eli Manning ($20.4MM).

Of course, a simple restructure – converting base salary into a signing bonus – would increase 2016’s cap hit beyond its current $27.4MM figure, making it even more unpalatable. But a new contract extension that added a couple years to Brees’ current deal could potentially reduce the cap hits for both seasons, and provide the signal-caller with a chunk of up-front money. It will be interesting to see what series of moves the Saints complete to create cap space if Brees’ contract isn’t involved. Other candidates for restructures or pay cuts include Junior Galette, Jimmy Graham, Jairus Byrd, Marques Colston, and Jahri Evans, as our Zach Links detailed in his preview of the team’s offseason this morning.

Payton was also asked about the Saints’ three biggest offseason needs during his conversation with PFT, and Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets that the head coach identified cornerback, interior offensive lineman, and pass rusher as three positions on which to focus.

Offseason Outlook: New Orleans Saints

February 19th, 2015 at 8:55am CST by Zachary Links

Pending free agents:

Top 10 2015 cap hits:

  1. Drew Brees, QB: $26,400,000
  2. Junior Galette, DE: $15,450,000
  3. Jimmy Graham, TE: $11,000,000
  4. Jahri Evans, G: $11,000,000
  5. Jairus Byrd, S: $10,300,000
  6. Marques Colston, WR: $9,700,000
  7. Ben Grubbs, G: $9,600,000
  8. Curtis Lofton, LB: $9,250,000
  9. Cameron Jordan, DE: $6,969,000
  10. Brodrick Bunkley, DT: $6,112,500

Notable coaching changes:

  • Hired 2014 Raiders head coach Dennis Allen as senior defensive assistant.

Draft:

  • No. 13 overall pick
  • No traded picks

Other:

Overview

The PFR staff didn’t agree on much when we submitted our predictions for the 2014 season. However, we were all on the same page when it came to the Saints. Every writer – including yours truly – predicted that New Orleans would win the NFC South. More than one writer saw the Saints playing in February and, why not? On paper, there was no reason to think that they couldn’t be one of the league’s elite once again. Of course, when the Saints finished with a 7-9 mark, we all wound up with a red X, though that record was nearly good enough to take the crown in what proved to be an awful year for the division.

In short, the Saints have some work to do this offseason to get back on top, but not a whole lot of cap room to work with.

Positions Of Need

The Saints’ top need is probably at the cornerback position and they’re widely expected to address that in free agency rather than in the draft. When the Saints’ duo of Keenan Lewis and Jabari Greer patrolled the field in 2013, New Orleans had themselves a solid pairing that gave the team above-average production, as the metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) show. However, Greer suffered a devastating career-ending injury midway through the season and that unit really hasn’t been the same since. This offseason, the Saints are probably looking for something more substantial than a band-aid fix.

Luckily, there should be no shortage of quality options on the open market. At the top of the list, the Saints could find guys like Byron Maxwell, Kareem Jackson, and Brandon Flowers. Veteran Antonio Cromartie will also be there, though teams might be wary of his age and a possible regression towards the kind of play he exhibited during the end of his tenure with the Jets. If the Saints do look to the draft for a CB, guys like Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes, Washington corner Marcus Peters, or LSU’s Jalen Collins could be options, though all have their own drawbacks, including Peters’ off-the-field incidents. Recently, Saints defensive back Corey White, who was seeing time at safety to close out the 2014 season, made it known that he’ll be moving back to cornerback. However, I would expect that he’ll be no higher than the No. 3 option on the depth chart.

The Saints will also look to make upgrades at both outside linebacker and probably inside linebacker. PFF rated Curtis Lofton as one of the very worst starting linebackers in the NFL last season and, frankly, you probably didn’t need advanced metrics to tell you that. And, on the outside, the Saints need a worthy partner for Junior Galette, who might not even be on the field to start the season thanks to his January incident. With a desperate need for an athletic edge rusher, the OLB need will probably take priority even over the inside. Florida’s Dante Fowler Jr. has been widely connected to the Saints at No. 13 and he could be a fit as both a defensive end and outside linebacker. Clemson’s Vic Beasley is another intriguing possibility and one that could potentially fit at both positions, even if some believe he projects more as a defensive end. Meanwhile, reserve Parys Haralson will be back in the fold for the Saints after agreeing to a one-year deal.

Khiry Robinson is promising but the Saints will be in the market for a tailback if Mark Ingram goes elsewhere. New Orleans could also shop for a center if they don’t feel that Tim Lelito is ready for primetime.Mark Ingram (Featured)

Key Free Agents

The Saints are still interested in reaching a deal with Ingram, but GM Mickey Loomis stressed on Wednesday that their ability to keep him will be “intertwined” with the team’s salary cap situation and Ingram’s market value. “In free agency, everyone wants to see what the market is,” Loomis said. “The question is, can that get done prior to March 10? Can both sides get a good feel for that beforehand and do a deal, or do we need to wait and see where all the offers are and respond accordingly?” With limited cap room and multiple teams that could be in the market for a running back, his return is anything but certain. Meanwhile, fellow tailback Travaris Cadet is headed towards restricted free agency.

While the Saints secondary as a whole was disappointing in 2014, especially with the injuries suffered by Jairus Byrd and Kenny Vaccaro, Jamarca Sanford was something of a bright spot when he joined the team later in the season. We’re not expecting an overhaul at either strong safety or free safety, but the team probably wants Sanford back as a safety net in case of another letdown.

After taking care of Haralson and kicker Shayne Graham, the Saints don’t have a whole lot of other high-priority free agents. The aforementioned Goodwin will be eligible for free agency, but they’ll probably part ways after a season in which the veteran ranked No. 27 out of 41 qualified centers, per PFF.

Possible Cap Casualties

Marques Colston has been a mainstay on the Saints roster for years, but he has regressed sharply and he has the salary of a top-20 receiver. Releasing Colston would give the Saints $4.3MM in cap room, but it might make more sense to keep him, possibly with a reworked contract. The Saints love to spread the ball around to different receivers from week to week, but Colston is the one who sees more looks that any of them on the whole.

After an atrocious 2014, Lofton’s time in New Orleans could be through, though there isn’t an in-house answer to replace him. Guard Jahri Evans has an $11MM cap charge for 2015 and the Saints could save $6MM by dropping him. However, it’s worth noting that Evans played the second half of the season with a partially torn triangular fibrocartilage complex in his wrist, so the team might have higher hopes for him once he’s healthy. Cutting nose tackle Brodrick Bunkley, who finished the year on IR, would save the team nearly $2.9MM. Tailback Pierre Thomas could also go, but I think his future will depend largely on what happens with Ingram and Cadet this offseason.

Extension Candidates/Contract Issues

With their backs against the wall, the Saints can be expected to try and restructure deals with multiple players. Currently hamstrung with being more than $23MM over the cap, the Saints can play around with the contracts of Jimmy Graham, Byrd, Galette, and Lofton to take care of that overage.

Drew Brees has a cap charge of $26.4MM in 2015 and $27.4MM in 2016, but converting salary to a bonus next season would only cripple the club’s cap in future seasons. Some have suggested that Brees could (or should) effectively take a pay cut like Tom Brady did with the Patriots, but Brees has been outspoken on players’ rights and the Saints would probably be barking up the tree if they went that route.

An extension for Brees, tacking a couple extra years onto a contract that currently runs through the 2016 season, could be a win-win for the player and the team, reducing his short-term cap hit while ensuring that he has the sort of deal that would allow him to finish his career in New Orleans. Extending Cameron Jordan may also allow the club to clear some 2015 cap room, as he’s currently on the books for nearly $7MM. Jordan recorded just 7.5 sacks last year after racking up 12.5 in 2013, and his pass-rushing production dropped off across the board, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). But he’s still capable of getting to the quarterback and more than held his own against the run — it’d be a little surprising if the Saints don’t want to keep him around beyond 2015.

Overall Outlook

The Saints don’t have a ton of breathing room this offseason and they’re not going to make a giant splash in free agency like they did last year with Byrd. Still, they’ll be able to improve with their top-half draft picks and if they make a few sacrifices, they can carve out enough space to get the cornerback they need. New Orleans could expand its cap room even further by effectively living for today and borrowing against their future, but that wouldn’t be the wise long-term play for this team.

Information from Over The Cap was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC South Notes: Saints, Ingram, V-Jax

February 18th, 2015 at 5:43pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are still interested in reaching a deal with upcoming free agent running back Mark Ingram, but GM Mickey Loomis tells Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune that their ability to keep him will be “intertwined” with the team’s salary cap situation and Ingram’s market value. “In free agency, everyone wants to see what the market is,” Loomis said. “The question is, can that get done prior to March 10? Can both sides get a good feel for that beforehand and do a deal, or do we need to wait and see where all the offers are and respond accordingly?” Here’s more from the NFC South..

  • Buccaneers GM Jason Licht will meet with the agent for Vincent Jackson in Indianapolis, presumably to ask for a restructuring of his $9.77MM salary, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Jackson finished the year with 70 catches for 1,002 receiving yards and two touchdowns. That yardage total was the lowest he’s had in a full season since 2007. When asked if Jackson will be back in 2015, Licht said (link), “Absolutely. We really like Vincent Jackson.”
  • Loomis also told Woodbery that the Saints have a plan to get under the NFL salary cap by March 10th. Getting that done won’t be a walk in the park and all things considered, Loomis says he has a checklist of about 20 things to accomplish in the coming months. On the other hand, things should be a bit more straightforward than last year, when Jimmy Graham‘s status dominated the offseason.
  • The Saints won’t hire a new player personnel director following Ryan Pace‘s departure, Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune writes. Loomis said filling Pace’s role just to fill a title isn’t really necessary, as titles have never meant much to him anyway.

NFC Links: Saints, Falcons, Eagles, Lions, Bears

February 15th, 2015 at 7:24pm CST by Rob DiRe

Whether you are watching the NBA All-Star Game, SNL 40, or something else, here is a roundup of some NFC links you might have missed today:

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