NFC Rumors: Bucs, Saints, Finley, Cowboys
The Buccaneers are making a push to re-sign fullback Erik Lorig, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The strong blocker has opened up holes for Doug Martin and the club’s other running backs and can also pitch in at tight end (link). La Canfora still expects the unrestricted free agent to test the open market, but he could still wind up back in Tampa Bay even if he does (link). More from around the NFL..
- The Saints have had discussions with tackle Zach Strief, wide receivers Joe Morgan and Robert Meachem, and linebacker Parys Haralson, and now we can add another name to the list. Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune reports that New Orleans has also engaged in early discussions on a new deal with safety Rafael Bush.
- There’s a healthy market forming for Packers free agent tight end Jermichael Finley, who is coming off of injury, La Canfora tweets. A longterm deal doesn’t seem all that likely but he could do well on a one or two year pact.
- Todd Archer of ESPN.com (on Twitter) senses that the Cowboys will not restructure Brandon Carr‘s contract because they don’t want to push money into future caps.
- Reuben Frank and Jeff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com look at 28-year-old safety Chris Clemons as a possibility for the Eagles. Mosher writes that he wouldn’t be surprised in the least if Clemons winds up in green.
- The Giants and safety Stevie Brown have talked about a new deal, agent Blake Baratz tells Ed Valentine of Big Blue View.
Saints, Jimmy Graham Several Million Apart
The Saints and star tight end Jimmy Graham remain several million dollars apart per season in contract negotiations, sources tell Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Sources indicate that New Orleans is willing to make Graham the highest paid tight end in the NFL while Graham wants roughly $12MM per year (link). The Saints have told Graham that they’ll eclipse the $9MM per year that Rob Gronkowski got from the Patriots, but that’s not enough for the 27-year-old.
Despite the sizable gap in talks, there’s next to zero chance of Graham hitting the open market. The Saints are expected to extend the franchise tag to Graham if they cannot come to terms on a brand-new multi-year pact. The franchise tag, however, could leave Graham with a bad taste in his mouth. Even though Graham is widely regarded as a tight end, he believes that he should be paid as a wide receiver given that he lined up at WR for nearly two-thirds of his snaps last season. It’s also worth noting that with 86 catches for 1215 yards in a season where he was dealing with injury, he certainly offers wide receiver-type production.
A recent PFR poll showed that most readers believe Graham should be tagged as a TE if he does not reach agreement on a new contract with the Saints.
NFC Notes: Panthers, Rams, Saints, Vikings
Restructuring multiple contracts has helped the Panthers create some cap flexibility for 2014, which should increase the odds of prospective free agent Greg Hardy remaining with the team, writes ESPN.com’s David Newton. Still, as Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com writes, pushing back cap commitments to several players ensures that Carolina’s long-term cap outlook remains shaky at best. Additionally, while some outlets have reported that the latest moves will create nearly $29MM in cap room for the club, Fitzgerald and Joel Corry (Twitter link) believe that figure is closer to $19MM based on recent cap projections.
As the Panthers continue to maneuver to field a competitive roster under the 2014 cap, let’s check in on a few more Tuesday notes from across the NFC….
- Although the Rams met with Rodger Saffold‘s representatives at the combine, the team has yet to make a contract offer, writes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The club is expected to propose a new deal soon in an effort to lock up the free agent offensive lineman.
- The Saints are holding early discussions with several of their own free agents, according to reports by ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett and Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. In addition to talking to Zach Strief, which we heard about yesterday, the Saints have approached wide receivers Joe Morgan and Robert Meachem, as well as linebacker Parys Haralson. There seems to be mutual interest in each case, though no deals appear imminent yet.
- Redskins defensive lineman Adam Carriker has only played in two games in the last two seasons due to quadriceps issues, but he’s optimistic about returning for 2014 and is hopeful that the Redskins will give him that chance, as he tells John Keim of ESPN.com. Carriker is viewed as a likely cap casualty, since releasing him would create nearly $3MM in cap savings for Washington.
- Dave Campbell of The Associated Press passes along comments from Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and GM Rick Spielman on the organization’s search for a long-term answer at quarterback.
Free Agent Rumors: Strief, Carroll, Woodson
The hot stove is slowly starting to heat up. Here are some rumors regarding free agents from around the league…
- The Saints and offensive tackle Zach Strief have “mutual interest” on a signing a new deal, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett says (via Twitter). The player’s agent says that initial conversations have been good.
- The Dolphins have interest in bringing back cornerback Nolan Carroll and have met with his agent, tweets CBSSports.com’s Jason La Confora. La Confora notes that Carroll will test the open market and see where the best offers are.
- Charles Woodson is going to play in 2014 and the Raiders want him back, writes Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin. When asked about a reunion with the Packers, Woodson didn’t express much optimism.
- Packers coach Mike McCarthy expressed interest in bringing back B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett and his other free agent defenders, writes Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. McCarthy also acknowledged that it “wasn’t realistic” to bring back all of the players.
NFC Notes: Panthers, Saints, Dansby
The Panthers were “vague” when addressing Steve Smith‘s future with the club, says ESPN.com’s David Newton. General manager Dave Gettleman didn’t express much confidence when talking about whether the team’s all-time leading receiver will play again.
“Steve’s had a great career. None of us are here forever,” Gettleman said. “He’s part of the evaluation.”
Newton says the decision has little to do with Smith’s injury and more to do with money or Smith’s desire to play another couple of seasons to make a run for the record books. While the Panther await Smith’s decision, here are a couple more notes from the NFC…
- Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says that the reported change in the salary cap will not affect any of his team’s decisions, reports Roman Vargas of the Black and Gold Blog. The team already cut veterans Jabari Green, Roman Harper and Will Smith, and the extra $5MM will put the team at $6MM beneath the cap.
- The Cardinals have offered Karlos Dansby a multi-year deal, tweets Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports Phoenix. Dansby had stated his desire to stay in Arizona earlier this offseason. He recently told ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss (via Twitter) that his agents had not yet started negotiating with the Cardinals.
Kenyon Coleman To Retire
7:50pm: Coleman is planning on retiring after having missed the entire 2013 season, reports ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett. As mentioned below, it was reported earlier that the Saints had no intention of re-signing the 12-year veteran.
4:18pm: The Saints don’t intend to re-sign defensive end Kenyon Coleman this offseason, reports Katherine Terrell of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. New Orleans signed Coleman to a one-year deal a year ago, but he spent the year on injured reserve after suffering a torn pectoral muscle in August.
While Coleman has never recorded huge sack numbers, Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan had high praise for the veteran lineman last summer, calling him the “best run defender in football as a 3-4 end.” In his last two fully healthy seasons, with the Browns in 2010 and the Cowboys in 2011, Coleman ranked among the top 10 among 3-4 ends in Pro Football Focus’ run defense rankings (subscription required). Still, he’ll turn 35 in April, so a backup or part-time role is likely his best bet for 2014.
We also heard yesterday that the Saints won’t tender a contract offer to restricted free agent Tom Johnson, so it looks like at least two of the team’s defensive linemen will be hitting the open market.
Saints Won’t Tender Tom Johnson
The Saints will not tender restricted free agent defensive tackle Tom Johnson, tweets USA Today’s Tom Pelissero. Johnson played in 40 games and totaled five sacks in three seasons with New Orleans.
After leaving Southern Mississippi in 2006, Johnson spent time in training camp with the Colts, then had various stints in NFL Europa, the AFL and the CFL before finding a home with the Saints.
Since Johnson went undrafted out of college, the Saints would not receive any draft pick compensation were they to place the lowest right of first refusal tender on him. But they would reserve to right to match any offer sheet he was offered.
The 2013 RFA original round and right of first refusal tenders amounted $1.32MM. With the 2014 salary cap projected to increase by $7MM, or 5%, one would expect a similar bump with the tenders.
South Notes: Caldwell, Griffin, Washington
Despite owning 10 selections in the 2014 NFL Draft — including No. 3 overall — Jaguars second-year GM David Caldwell cites a robust class of eligible draftees as a reason to trade down and stockpile picks.
“We have 10 picks already and when we did the Eugene Monroe trade, we felt it would be a deep draft,” Caldwell said at his NFL Scouting Combine interview, according to John Oehser of Gaguars.com. “We feel really good about having an extra four and an extra five.”
In addition to its regularly allotted picks in Rounds 1-7, Jacksonville acquired a fifth-round pick with the trade of receiver Mike Thomas to the Lions, along with the aforementioned fourth- and fifth-round picks from the Ravens in the Monroe trade.
With NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock calling this draft class the deepest in the last 10 years, and Steelers GM Kevin Colbert saying it’s the deepest he’s ever seen, one would be hard-pressed to argue with Caldwell’s philosophy, especially with a lineup devoid of blue-chip talent.
More notes from the AFC and NFC South….
- Titans safety Michael Griffin and receiver Nate Washington are due to make $6.2MM and $4.8MM in 2014, respectively, but it “sounds like they’re going to be OK,” according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean (Twitter link).
- However, Wyatt doesn’t feel so optimistic about right tackle David Stewart, who is scheduled to earn $6.4MM next season. The Titans would not endure a cap hit of any kind if they release Stewart, who is in the final year of a six-year deal and has missed four games in each of the past two seasons due to injury.
- Saints GM Mickey Loomis said he plans on filling as many needs as possible in free agency, then finding the best players available in the draft, writes John DeShazier of NewOrleansSaints.com. The New Orleans staff has all the reports written on the 2014 NFL draft class, said Loomis, and that it is now in the “fine-tuning” stage of the evaluation process.
- DeShazier notes that the BPA strategy has paid dividends with Loomis at GM, unearthing gems like Jahri Evans and Marques Colston in the fourth and seventh rounds of 2006, along with Pierre Thomas and Junior Galette as undrafted free agents in 2007 and 2010.
Extra Points: Roberts, Fitzpatrick, Steelers
Andre Roberts doesn’t sound bullish about the possibility of returning to the Cardinals for 2014, suggesting during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio that there may not be “enough balls to go around out here” (link via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com). Roberts will be looking for a four- or five-year contract this offseason, but will be willing to sign a one-year, make-good deal, according to Weinfuss. The receiver also sounds like he’s looking forward to testing the open market.
“I’m pretty excited about the whole free-agency process,” Roberts said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what’s coming for the rest of my career.”
Here’s more from across the NFL:
- Titans backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick could be cut this offseason if the team wants to create a little cap flexibility, but he tells John Glennon of the Tennessean that he’s not worried about that possibility.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes there’s at least an outside chance that a grievance over Jimmy Graham’s franchise-tag position could result in the Saints star becoming an unrestricted free agent, as he explained in a piece this morning. Taking that possibility into account, Florio thinks the Saints ought to tag Graham and push for resolution sooner rather than later.
- With a grievance over Graham’s position likely looming, Pat Kirwan of CBSSports.com takes a look at how the NFL could make franchise-tag positional designations more logical. In Kirwan’s view, the league and the NFLPA should agree on several adjustments to the system, including adding new designations for fullbacks and kick returners, and dividing offensve linemen and wide receivers into multiple groups.
- Appearing on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert echoed comments made by team president Art Rooney II last month, suggesting that the franchise wants to re-sign Ben Roethlisberger and ensure that he remains a Steeler for the rest of his career. ESPN.com’s Scott Brown has the quotes and the details.
- In an interesting piece for the National Football Post, Jack Bechta explains how agents help their clients prepare for the draft combine.
Panthers Tops In “Dead Money”
Thanks in large part to last season’s trade of Jon Beason, the Panthers have $17.8MM in “dead money,” more than any team in the league, according to ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert (full chart here). “Dead money” is defined as cap space consumed by players no longer on the roster, whether they retired, were released or traded. The numbers will fluctuate as rosters continue to evolve, but listed below are the five teams with at least $10MM worth of “dead money” at present time, including the players accounting for most of the sunk costs:
- Panthers ($17.8MM): Beason ($8MM), Jordan Gross ($5.6MM), James Anderson ($2.8MM)
- Bills ($12.1MM): Ryan Fitzpatrick ($8MM), Mark Anderson ($3MM), Rian Lindell ($1.38MM)
- Cowboys ($11.8MM): Jay Ratliff ($6.9MM), Nate Livings ($2.1MM), Marcus Spears ($1.4mM), Sean Lissemore ($1.2MM)
- Saints ($10.5MM): Roman Harper ($3.7MM), Jabari Greer ($2.7MM), Will Smith ($2.4MM), Garrett Hartley ($1MM)
- Cardinals ($10.1MM): Levi Brown ($6.5MM), Adam Snyder ($3MM)
At the other end of the spectrum, six teams have less than $1MM in “dead money”: Jets, Rams, Buccaneers, Colts, Seahawks and Bengals.