NFC Notes: Niners, Kaepernick, Saints
When asked about a report that he got into an altercation with left tackle Joe Staley, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis offered up a denial, as Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle writes.
“I don’t recall that,” Davis said “I don’t know where that’s coming from. It’s funny to me. He’s been like a brother to me… We’ve had arguments in the past. My first year, I remember, I came here and we got into it. We got into right then and seconds later we were hanging out, laughing and drinking sodas together.”
While Davis claims the incident didn’t happen, several reporters have suggested that a skirmish between Staley and Davis arose after the tight end called out quarterback Colin Kaepernick in a players-only meeting. Here’s more on the Niners, along with a few other NFC teams:
- 49ers CEO Jed York and GM Trent Baalke should step up right now and squash the rumblings about Kaepernick’s future with the organization, Tim Kawakami of The Mercury News writes. Kawakami feels that the front office can put the QB’s mind at ease by saying that the Niners still plan on building around him, but the team yet to do so. The franchise also allowed speculation to run rampant over ex-coach Jim Harbaugh, whom some might say was San Francisco’s best coach in decades.
- In his latest piece for TheMMQB.com, former Packers executive Andrew Brandt examines a pair of NFC East defensive ends, writing that the Cowboys will be negotiating against themselves if they try to extend Greg Hardy, and suggesting that Jason Pierre-Paul‘s fireworks accident will likely end up costing him about $7-10MM in salary this season.
- When the Saints traded defensive lineman Akiem Hicks to New England for tight end Michael Hoomanawanui earlier this season, many pundits didn’t like the deal for New Orleans. However, as Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes, Hoomanawanui has seen more playing time than Hicks on his new team, and has allowed the Saints to bring a new wrinkle to their offense, with multiple three-tight-end sets.
- The Saints tried out defensive back Brandon Dixon on Thursday, according to a source who spoke with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NFC East Notes: Randle, JPP, Giants
Here’s a look at the NFC East..
- Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said that running back Joseph Randle has been excused from the team today to deal with a personal issue, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. However, did not say whether it was related to his demotion from a starting role or possible discipline from the league. Even though Randle was at the team’s facility this morning, Garrett said he did not meet with the running back.
- Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul looked good in practice on Thursday, but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo isn’t going to rush things, as Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Post writes. “It’s going to take a little while, it’s really early now,” Spagnuolo said. “We want to be optimistic, and I know he (Pierre-Paul) is too, but I think we want to be smart about it. We’ll just see where it goes.”
- Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter) can see the Giants making a trade between now and the deadline, depending on where they are in a few weeks. The Giants are currently 4-3 heading into Sunday’s contest against the Saints.
Contract Details For Jason Pierre-Paul
After a lengthy saga that involved a franchise tag, a fireworks accident, and a series of physical exams, Jason Pierre-Paul officially signed a contract this week with the Giants, aiming to return to the team for the second half of the 2015 season.
Pierre-Paul’s franchise tag was initially worth $14.13MM, but after missing seven weeks, the standout defensive end would’ve only been eligible to earn up to about $8.71MM, the prorated portion of that season-long figure. With the Giants reluctant to guarantee that full amount, and Pierre-Paul not wanting to risk being placed on the non-football injury list, the two sides worked out a compromise.
Here are all the details on JPP’s new one-year contract with the Giants:
- Perhaps most importantly, the Giants agreed not to place Pierre-Paul on the NFI list as part of their agreement, meaning the veteran pass rusher will once again be eligible for free agency at season’s end (Twitter links via Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com). If the Giants had placed JPP on NFI, they may have been able to bring him back at the same price as his 2015 franchise tag.
- Pierre-Paul receives $1.5MM in guaranteed base salary, and can earn up to $1.5MM in per-game roster bonuses, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. The Giants have a roster exemption for JPP for the next two weeks, which means he’d only have to play in the club’s final seven games to max out his per-game bonuses — he’ll earn about $214K for each game he spends on the active roster.
- According to Garafolo, Pierre-Paul can earn up to another $5.71MM or so, via playing-time and sack incentives. Rand Getlin of the NFL Network confirms (via Twitter) that the one-year deal is worth a maximum of $8,713,530 — the prorated franchise tag figure for 10 weeks.
- La Canfora provides the specifics on those incentives, which are fairly convoluted. Essentially, if Pierre-Paul plays in at least 80% of the team’s defensive snaps over the final seven games, he’d earn a max of $3.85MM in playing-time incentives (Twitter link). If he records 10 or more sacks, JPP would max out both his sack and playing-time incentives, and earn his full $8.71MM salary (Twitter links). Of course, racking up 10 sacks in seven games is a tall order for even a fully healthy star, so the 26-year-old’s earnings for the season will very likely fall below that $8.71MM figure.
NFC East Notes: Randle, Cousins, JPP
According to reports from Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, Cowboys running back Joseph Randle – upset with his demotion – left the team’s facility on Wednesday, skipping a treatment session for a strained oblique. It sounds as if Randle will return to the team on Thursday, and Hill’s sources downplay the notion that the running back left the team because he was upset about being surpassed on the depth chart by Darren McFadden.
Still, Randle’s decision to go AWOL frustrated some members of the Cowboys staff, and isn’t a great look for a player who has had his share of off-field issues in the past — as Hill notes, Randle has been arrested twice since last October, and “drew the ire” of the Cowboys when he made comments in the offseason about DeMarco Murray leaving “meat on the bone” last season.
We’ll have to wait and see if there’s any fallout to Randle’s absence, but if the Cowboys’ public support of Greg Hardy is any indication, it might just be a matter of time until Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones are issuing votes of confidence for Randle.
Here’s more from out of the NFC East:
- It seems as if there has been more discussion and speculation about Robert Griffin III‘s contract situation beyond 2015 than Kirk Cousins‘ situation, but Washington‘s current starting quarterback is eligible for free agency this winter. Rich Tandler of RealRedskins.com examines the possible scenarios for Cousins, suggesting that he thinks a short-term deal with Washington is the most likely outcome.
- The Giants will have a roster exemption for Jason Pierre-Paul until November 9, meaning the team won’t have to officially move the recovering defensive end to its 53-man roster until then, tweets Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
- Newsday’s Bob Glauber takes a look at Pierre-Paul’s return to the Giants, writing that it’s worth rooting for JPP to make good on his second chance.
Workout Notes: Saints, Seahawks, Jaguars
Today’s workouts from around the NFL..
- The Jets worked out defensive end Lawrence Okoye, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. Okoye, a former University of Kentucky discus hurler, had previous stops with the 49ers and Cardinals.
Earlier updates:
- The Saints tried out John Conner and Henry Hynoski, a league source tells Mike Florio of PFT. New Orleans already has a fullback on the roster in Austin Johnson, but he was a surprise scratch on Sunday and he may have fallen out of favor with coaches. Conner, nicknamed the Terminator, was a favorite of Rex Ryan while with the Jets. Conner followed Ryan to Buffalo in 2015, but he was let go before the start of the season. Hynoski, a four-year veteran, spent his full career with the Giants and appeared in every game last year.
- The Seahawks had ten players in for tryouts on Monday, including running back Isaiah Pead and defensive end Lawrence Okoye, a source tells Florio. Linebacker John Lotulelei, tackle Jesse Davis, guard Taylor Boggs, defensive end Keith Browner, guard Kadeem Edwards, defensive end Efe Obada, and defensive end DeAngelo Tyson were also showing their stuff for Seattle.
- The Jaguars brought in kickers Zach Hocker and Randy Bullock for a workout on Wednesday, but Josh Scobee was not among those in attendance, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
- In addition to their previously reported look at Jeff Demps, the Jets tried out running back Akeem Hunt on Tuesday, a league source tells Florio. Wide receiver Larry Pinkard also got a look from Gang Green. Chris Ivory is dealing with tightness in his quad, so the Jets might opt to add a running back if he needs to sit out for a while.
- The Browns recently worked out cornerbacks Bill Bentley, Chase Casey, Al Louis-Jean, and Robert Steeples, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Cardinals worked out Emmanuel Acho, James Anderson and Ja’Gared Davis, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Falcons worked out Mike Gillislee and Devin Wylie, Wilson tweets.
- The Panthers worked out Andrew Miller, Wilson tweets.
- The Jets worked out wide receiver Larry Pinkard, Wilson tweets.
- The Steelers worked out Dwight Bentley and Montell Garner, Wilson tweets.
- The Raiders worked out Dyshawn Davis, Wilson tweets.
- The Saints worked out Jeff Luc, Patrick Scales, Jason Williams, and Christian Yount, Wilson tweets.
- The Packers worked out Justin Anderson, Curtis Grant, and Ronald Powell, Wilson tweets.
- The Colts worked out Sean Baker, Matt Daniels, outside linebacker Mike McAdoo, and Dreamius Smith, Wilson tweets.
Giants Re-Sign Jason Pierre-Paul
WEDNESDAY, 1:54pm: According to Rapoport (via Twitter), Pierre-Paul can earn up to about $8.7MM on his one-year contract, which is the prorated portion of his franchise tag. However, the guarantee is lower than that, and the deal includes plenty of incentives.
TUESDAY, 6:46pm: The Giants officially announced the signing of JPP.
6:22pm: The Giants will ask for a two-week roster exemption for Pierre-Paul, who” could be on the field in some form or fashion tomorrow,” Rapoport tweets.
6:10pm: The Giants will sign Jason Pierre-Paul tonight, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). JPP is officially back with big blue, though it remains to be seen when he’ll make his debut. It’ll be a one-year deal (link) and the two parties are working on finalizing the language. 
There are currently conflicting reports on when JPP will make his return to the field. The most recent word came from Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News who heard from a source that Week 12 against Washington is the most likely possibility. There was some thought that JPP could be ready for the Patriots on November 15th, but that source says that a post-bye week return is more realistic.
The Giants waited a long time to get a look at JPP’s hand and when they finally got a chance to examine it early in the season, they were not comfortable with giving him the green light. The defensive end finally circled back to Big Blue in the last week, however, and they are ostensibly satisfied with what they saw. Pierre-Paul is not only down a digit, but he reportedly also suffered a broken middle finger and also lost a piece of his thumb.
Pierre-Paul had a strong 2014 campaign with 12.5 sacks and three forced fumbles and was the league’s seventh-best 4-3 defensive end according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required). At the end of the season, JPP found himself entangled in a contract dispute with the Giants. The Giants slapped the defensive end with a one-year, $14.813MM franchise tender to keep him, but Pierre-Paul was fighting for a lucrative long-term deal. Big Blue reportedly came to the table with a ~$60MM offer, but Pierre-Paul turned it down.
In July, of course, things took a bizarre and unfortunate turn when JPP injured his hand in a fireworks accident. For a while there, Pierre-Paul was rather distant from the organization and even from his teammates. Despite the frosty summer between the two parties, the Giants are undoubtedly ecstatic to have their star defensive lineman back in the fold. Outside of JPP, the Giants don’t have any players who have recorded more than 7.0 sacks in a season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jason Pierre-Paul Rumors: 10/27/15
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul reported to the team facility on Monday for the second time in the last two months, and the first time since the regular season began. Depending on the outcome of his all-important physical exam, a contract agreement between the two sides looms as a possibility. Here’s the latest on JPP and the Giants:
- A Giants source believes that JPP could be ready right after the team’s bye week, which would mean a Week 12 comeback against Washington, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. There was some thought that JPP could be ready for the Patriots on November 15th, but the source said that a post-bye week return was more realistic.
Earlier updates:
- There are still details to work out, but the Giants and Pierre-Paul are working through contract negotiations with the hopes of getting something done today, says Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. If that happens, the hope inside the building is that JPP can get back in shape in time to debut in Week 10 against the Patriots.
- The Giants are comfortable with where Pierre-Paul is physically, and have entered contract negotiations, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). If the two sides can work out the terms of that contract and reach an incentive-laden, one-year deal, the Giants will sign JPP as soon as today, and get a roster exemption for him to return to practice, according to Rapoport.
- According to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter links), the physical exam went “way better” this time than it did back in September, when Pierre-Paul was fresh out of surgery. Raanan is hearing that there’s more optimism now that JPP may be able to play this season.
- The Giants and Pierre-Paul’s representatives have talked about working out a one-year, incentive-laden deal, which would lock up JPP through the end of the 2015 campaign, per Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter links). While there’s no guarantee such an agreement gets done, the two sides are hopeful. According to Graziano, the club’s goal would be to get JPP into the building to rehab and practice, getting him ready to perhaps return to the field by Week 10 or 12.
Workout Notes: Giants, Dolphins, Chiefs
The Giants are working out a handful of kickers today, including Kyle Brindza, Zach Hocker, Corey Acosta, and Tom Obarski, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Josh Brown has been a little inconsistent on kickoffs, putting one out of bounds on Sunday, but it’s hard to imagine the team making a change, considering he’s perfect on field goals and has missed just one extra point. As Jordan Raanan of NJ.com tweets, the Giants are likely just kicking the tires on free agents.
Let’s round up a few more workout updates from around the NFL…
- Defensive linemen Jerel Worthy, Derrick Lott, Glenn Foster, and Davon Coleman worked out for the Dolphins today, says Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). Worthy and Foster are the most notable names of the group, having each logged a full season’s worth of regular season contests with the Packers and Saints, respectively.
- Lott was also among the players who tried out recently for the Chiefs, per Wilson (Twitter links). Running back Gus Johnson, defensive end Lawrence Okoye, and linebacker Alex Singleton also got a look from Kansas City.
- According to Wilson (via Twitter), before signing wideout Corey Washington to the practice squad, Washington also worked out receiver Marcus Lucas and tight end Connor Hamlett.
- Offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk, who spent time in the summer on the Niners’ roster, auditioned for the Buccaneers today, tweets Wilson.
- Former USC outside linebacker J.R. Tavai had a tryout with the Packers today, according to Wilson (via Twitter). Tavai signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in May, but was cut by the team prior to the regular season.
- The Cardinals auditioned cornerback Keith Lewis, who was cut by the Jets back in August, tweets Wilson.
- On the heels of Jason Myers missing his third PAT of the season, Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley noted that Myers’ kickoffs were also a little short, and mentioned the possibility of bringing in kickers for workouts, per Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com. According to Bradley, GM Dave Caldwell will make that call.
NFC East Notes: JPP, Hardy, Cowboys
Jason Pierre-Paul‘s visit to Giants was reported to the league as an official free agent visit, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter). That makes the visit his second of that type and there will be no more allowed, so the JPP saga has to end soon.
Here’s more from the NFC East..
Jason Pierre-Paul Reports To Giants
2:54pm: According to Kimberly Jones of the NFL Network (Twitter link), the Giants will want any contract with Pierre-Paul to feature incentives for playing-time and production. As Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports adds (via Twitter), if JPP thinks he’s getting his full remaining salary guaranteed, he has been misled.
Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains why Pierre-Paul probably should have signed his franchise tender weeks – or months – ago.
1:42pm: As expected, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has reported to the Giants for the first time since the 2015 regular season began. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that JPP arrived at the team’s facility earlier this afternoon.
We’ve heard from Cole and other reporters over the last 24 hours that Pierre-Paul and his camp are confident that the veteran pass rusher is healthy enough to sign his franchise tender and start playing for the Giants immediately. However, there were rumblings before the season that JPP thought he was close to returning, and the team disagreed at that point, sending him back home to recover further. So we’ll have to wait to see what the club thinks this time around.
A physical exam of Pierre-Paul’s hand looms large, and Cole tweets that Dr. Robert Hotchkiss, the Giants’ team doctor, will evaluate JPP to see if he’ll be able to play with a glove on that injured hand.
If the club decides that the 26-year-old is ready, it may be as simple as having him sign his franchise tender and getting him back on the field. However, there may be some additional issues to sort out — Pierre-Paul will want assurances that the Giants won’t place him on the non-football injury list, where the team could withhold his pay, and the club may want to reduce JPP’s 2015 salary in exchange for that concession.