Free Agent Rumors: Decker, Graham, Bell
Appearing on Sirius XM Radio today, Eric Decker discussed his free agency and didn’t rule out the possibility of a return to the Broncos. However, the wide receiver’s comments suggested that Denver will likely just be one of the many options he’ll consider — Decker indicated that he’d “welcome a call” from the Broncos, but said he’ll need to make the decision that’s best for his family (Twitter link). The free-agent-to-be added that it’s not all about the money, and that he’ll be looking for a spot where he’ll have fun and enjoy going to work every day (Twitter link).
Here are a few more updates on free agents around the league:
- While there has been no real progress in contract talks between Jimmy Graham and the Saints, expect Graham to immediately file a grievance to be considered a receiver if and when the team designates him as its franchise player, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- In a piece for CBSSports.com, Joel Corry examines the free agents who could be designated as franchise players for each of the league’s 32 teams, and also touches on Graham’s looming positional battle.
- As both Corry and Robert Mays of Grantland point out, there’s a precedent for a positional grievance related to the franchise tag. In 2008, Terrell Suggs challenged his designation as a linebacker, contending that he spent more time at defensive end. Suggs and the Ravens ultimately compromised on the average of the two positions’ salaries. If Graham and the Saints were to reach a similar agreement, it would have to be considered a win for New Orleans, since Graham will likely be seeking top-five wide receiver money, according to Corry.
- Justin Rogers of MLive.com attempts to project the cost of a long-term deal for Lions running back Joique Bell, who will be eligible for restricted free agency next month. Rogers concludes that a four-year contract that starts at around $3-3.5MM per year could make sense for both sides.
NFC South Links: Franchise Tag, Combine
Panthers‘ Greg Hardy‘s impending free agency has been at the forefront of conversation in the NFL world these past few weeks, and Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer added to the chatter today, writing that while they want the star pass rusher back, applying the franchise tag on him would eat up all of the team’s remaining cap room. David Newton of ESPN.com agrees that it isn’t about whether the Panthers would like to, but instead whether they could afford to. Unless they can come to a long term agreement quickly, it seems more and more likely that Hardy would be able to reach unrestricted free agency. Here are some other links from around the NFC South:
- While Hardy, Captain Munnerlyn, and Cam Newton have been the big names of the Panthers‘ offseason, David Newton wrote that the team cannot forget to focus on improving their offensive line, even with their current cap woes.
- The Falcons do not have any logical candidates for the franchise tag this offseason, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The tag could come into play in the 2015 offseason if the team is unable to sign wide receiver Julio Jones to an extension.
- With the scouting combine fast approaching, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlights five prospects the Falcons should keep an eye on. Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today picks out five position of need for the team to address in the draft.
- Reyes also wrote about five positions of need for the Saints to address in the draft, and suggested a few prospects who could fill those needs.
- The Buccaneers do not have a player who is a logical franchise tag candidate, writes Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. Before the season, quarterback Josh Freeman was considered a likely use for the tag. Freeman was benched and then released early in the season.
Will Smith Open To 4-3 Or 3-4 Defense
Although Will Smith, one of the Saints’ most recent salary cap casualties, would prefer to return to his natural position as a defensive end in a 4-3 front, he remains open to serving as a 3-4 outside linebacker as well, according to NFL.com’s Kevin Petra. Of course, Smith expected to move to outside linebacker last season after Rob Ryan was hired as the Saints defensive coordinator, but a torn ACL ended his season before it ever really began. Smith said:
“I think I’m at heart a 4-3 defensive end. That’s something I would like to play. But if I go to a team that requires me to play outside linebacker, I’m cool with that too.”
As Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes, Smith is wise to keep his options open. Just last season, Dwight Freeney expressed a desire to return to his natural position of 4-3 defensive end, but when Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram tore his ACL, a different opportunity opened up for Freeney.
Smith’s track record as a pass-rusher is likely to appeal to a number of teams, particularly if those teams believe he would be open to whichever defensive scheme they utilize. His age (he will be 33 when the season begins) will keep his cost down, and as players like Freeney, John Abraham, and James Harrison proved last season, there is a market for an older player that can still get after the quarterback. Furthermore, since Smith was cut and was not an unrestricted free agent, he would not count against the compensatory pick formula, making him even more attractive to teams that keep an especially close eye on their compensatory selections.
As Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes, Smith is an eminently viable option for the Patriots. However, he will likely have a number of suitors to choose from as the offseason progresses.
NFC Notes: Saints, Packers, Delmas
One of the top priorities for the Saints this offseason (other than re-signing their superstar wide receiver tight end pass catcher) is retooling their secondary, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. The team needs a legitimate number two cornerback to pair with Keenan Lewis, with Triplett suggesting the Panthers’ Captain Munnerlyn as a possibility, despite his desire to remain with Carolina.
- Sources are saying that Packers general manager Ted Thompson will be active in free agency, looking to sign up to five players away from other teams, but Mike Vandermause of PackersNews.com isn’t buying it. The Packers have signed five unrestricted free agents in the last seven years and didn’t sign any three of the past four years. Only Jeff Saturday in 2012 became an every down starter, until he was benched towards the end of the season.
- With Jermichael Finley‘s return unlikely, and Andrew Quarless hitting free agency, the Packers will have to explore other options at tight end, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwalkee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. If they are serious about free agency, Scott Chandler or Brandon Pettigrew could be fits, but a more likely scenario is that they would address the position in the draft, where tight end is thought to be a deep class.
- The Falcons are looking to improve the safety position, and Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com believes the team could be interested in Louis Delmas who was recently released by the Lions. Delmas would be an improvement over the inconsistent Thomas DeCoud, and could make a nice pair with William Moore at the back of the secondary.
- The Cardinals have a very good duo of wide receivers in Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd, but last year they weren’t able to install their third receiver, Andre Roberts, into a big role in the offense. This could mean they will struggle to keep him in 2014, writes Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. He believes Roberts would have to take less money and a smaller role in order to stay.
- Cardinals‘ cornerback Bryan McCann said that he wants to start in 2014. Although that is unlikely to happen in Arizona, he still would like to return to the Cardinals, writes Weinfuss. McCann has never started a game in his four year career, but could bring extra value due to his return skills.
Saints Re-Sign Shayne Graham, Bryce Harris
In addition to the re-signing of exclusive rights free agent Trevin Wade, the Saints have re-signed placekicker Shayne Graham and offensive tackle Bryce Harris, according to Sheldon Mickles of The Advocate.
Graham signed a one-year deal for $955K. The 36-year-old replaced Garrett Hartley in December, going 6-for-6 on field goals in the final two regular season games and wild-card win over Philadelphia before missing from 45 and 47 yards in a divisional round loss to Seattle.
Harris, an ERFA like Wade, signed a one-year, $570K tender after playing in all 16 regular season games, including one start at right tackle. Harris provides depth as a swing tackle, “jumbo” blocker and special-teams contributor.
NFL Notes: Saints, Redskins, Vikings
Despite cutting ties with a handful of veterans earlier this offseason, the Saints hover just $3MM under the salary cap with free agent tight end Jimmy Graham‘s future still uncertain. Accordingly, Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune lists a handful of veterans who could be released in order to create more room (cap figure in parentheses): Brodrick Bunkley ($6.1MM), Lance Moore ($5.1MM), Pierre Thomas ($2.9MM), Darren Sproles ($4.25MM) and Patrick Robinson ($2.8MM).
In other NFC notes:
- The Redskins “must devote a significant of attention and efforts to improving the offensive line,” says Mike Jones of the Washington Post. The coach and scheme will not change, and eight of the team’s top nine linemen are under contract, but personnel upgrades are needed. Aside from stalwart left tackle Trent Williams, left guard Kory Lichtensteiger (who could be tried at center) seems like the only 2013 starter whose job is safe. Whether or not the team intends to release center Will Montgomery, right guard Chris Chester and/or right tackle Tyler Polumbus is uncertain, but any of the three could be replaced via free agency or draft.
- Vikings new head coach Mike Zimmer plans to implement a more aggressive defensive scheme, meaning the team’s scouting staff will take a longer look at prospects whose skill sets might not have fit with Leslie Frazier’s more conservative cover-2 system, writes ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling.
- Panthers free agent Captain Munnerlyn says his agent will meet with team officials at the Combine next week, according to Charlotte Observer beat reporter Joe Person (via Twitter).
NFC Notes: Vikings, Falcons, Packers, Graham
With Matt Cassel and Josh Freeman headed for unrestricted free agency, the Vikings will have some decisions to make at quarterback this offseason. Despite Christian Ponder‘s subpar performance in 2013, the team is confident will return, GM Rick Spielman tells ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling (Twitter link). As Goessling notes though, Spielman sounds committed to the idea of bringing in a young QB, and says the club will “at least two” signal-callers to the roster.
Let’s round up a few more Friday items from across the NFC….
- The Falcons are giving “strong consideration” to hiring former Rams GM Billy Devaney to their front office, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The Falcons, who recently added Scott Pioli to their ranks, employed Devaney as recently as 2007, when he was an assistant GM in Atlanta.
- Even if the Packers hope to retain both of their restricted free agents – safety M.D. Jennings and linebacker Jamari Lattimore – it may not make sense to tender either player for $1.389MM, says Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, suggesting that the team could try to sign both players for something close to the minimum salary.
- There’s a good chance that contract negotiations between Jimmy Graham and the Saints will go to the eleventh hour, but it’s not entirely clear when the clock will strike as midnight, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains.
- Re-signing punter Donnie Jones should be the easiest call for the Eagles this offseason, according to Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com.
Saints Re-Sign Trevin Wade
The Saints have re-signed cornerback and special-teamer Trevin Wade, according to Brian McIntyre (on Twitter). Wade had two years of NFL experience, so he was an exclusive rights free agents, unable to sign with any team except New Orleans.
A Browns’ seventh-round pick in 2012, Wade saw a decent amount of playing time (200+ snaps) in Cleveland’s secondary that season, but was cut by the team last summer. The 24-year-old caught in with the Saints in November, and was active for New Orleans’ final two regular season games as well as the club’s two postseason contests.
Wade’s one-year contract will be worth the minimum salary ($570K). Assuming he lasts the season in New Orleans, he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency a year from now.
Saints Waive Smith, Harper, Greer; Won’t Re-Sign Vilma
4:51pm: The Saints have officially issued a press release announcing that Smith, Harper, and Greer have been cut. The team also won’t re-sign Vilma, according to the release.
“These were not easy decisions to make,” said Saints GM Mickey Loomis in a statement. “Since we acquired them, Jabari, Roman, Will and Jonathan have all been excellent players on the field for us. Each of them were integral parts in turning this program around and winning a Super Bowl…. However, a new NFL year is about to begin and, with the start of free agency in March, these difficult moves allow us to position our team under the salary cap to move forward for 2014.”
4:48pm: The Saints will also release cornerback Jabari Greer, according to Florio (via Twitter). The Saints could create about $3.18MM in cap savings by cutting Greer, but it’s not possible the amount will be lower than that, since he could be eligible for $1MM+ in injury protection, as Rapoport explains in a pair of tweets.
4:34pm: NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport confirms (via Twitter) that Harper has been informed the Saints have released him.
4:18pm: Today’s list of NFL transactions didn’t include any from the Saints, so it looks like potential cap casualties have at least earned another day on the roster. Still, cuts are expected to come this week. According to Triplett (via Twitter), the Saints have informed Smith that he’ll be waived. Meanwhile, Harper sent out a thank-you tweet to Saints fans, suggesting that he has also been told he’ll be released.
9:11am: The Saints are expected to release a handful of veteran players to increase cap flexibility, and those cuts could begin as soon as today, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (Twitter link) echoes that report, with both reports identifying safety Roman Harper and defensive end Will Smith as two potential cap casualties for the team.
As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com details in his latest 2014 salary cap update, only one team (the Cowboys) has more money committed to ’14 salaries than the Saints, who are currently $13MM+ over the projected cap for next year. Waiving Smith represents the best way to immediately clear nearly that entire deficit — in the last year of his contract, Smith has a cap number of $13.9MM, which could be reduced to just $2.35MM in dead money by releasing him.
As for Harper, after starting nearly every game for the Saints in the previous six seasons, he was limited by injuries in 2013, and was ineffective in his limited playing time. The cap savings won’t be as significant for the Saints if and when they waive Harper, since the veteran still has $3.69MM in bonus money on the final two years of his deal, but the club could still clear $2.18MM in space by cutting him.
Florio notes in his report that a return to New Orleans for free agent linebacker Jonathan Vilma appears highly unlikely. The 31-year-old has been plagued by injuries, which limited him to just one game in 2013, and Vilma’s recent comments about having to share a locker room with a gay teammate aren’t likely to help his free agent stock much either.
NFC South Notes: Gonzalez, Graham, Panthers
Former Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano was in the news again today, with a report suggesting that his candidacy in the Browns’ coaching search contributed to the rift between CEO Joe Banner and owner Jimmy Haslam. The Bucs themselves aren’t making headlines at the moment, but here are a few of the latest items on their division rivals in the NFC South:
- In a recent ESPN The Magazine interview, retiring tight end Tony Gonzalez left the door slightly open for a possible return to the Falcons later in the 2014 season, “if the team is hot in November, 9-2 or something.” However, it doesn’t sound like GM Thomas Dimitroff is anticipating having Gonzalez back. Speaking to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, Dimitroff simply said, “I believe Tony Gonzalez has retired and he’ll have a fantastic career in the media business.”
- While Jimmy Graham was split out as a receiver for about two-third of his snaps in 2013, that fact alone doesn’t tell the whole story about his position, writes John McTigue of ESPN.com (Insider link). In McTigue’s view, Graham will still be considered a tight end if and when the Saints designate him as their franchise player, but when he eventually receives a long-term deal, he should get wide receiver money.
- When I asked earlier in the week whether Graham should be viewed as a tight end or wide receiver for franchise salary purposes, over 60% of you went with TE.
- With three of the four defensive backs who finished the season as starters eligible for free agency, the Panthers will have to make their secondary an area of focus this offseason, writes David Newton of ESPN.com. As Newton suggests, this year’s cornerback class is strong enough that Carolina could likely find a starter in the second round of the draft.