NFC Links: McCourty, Bridgewater, Packers
Devin McCourty ultimately stayed with the Patriots, but not before being lured by the NFL’s largest market. The Giants‘ offer was comparable to what McCourty ended up signing to stay in New England — five years, $47.5MM — co-owner John Mara told Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
The best safety on the market’s refusal to take the Giants’ money began a failed venture that leaves the team with one of the most barren depth charts at any position in the league with the draft less than six weeks away. As of now, the Giants have only Nat Berhe and Cooper Taylor, fifth-round picks in 2013 and 2014, respectively, on their roster. Neither has started a game. Former Giants starters Stevie Brown and Quintin Demps still reside in free agency.
Other news from the NFC …
- Like the Steelers, the Packers are a staunch build-from-within franchise, and this year furthered that philosophy. As a result, corners Tramon Williams and Davon House departed, and coach Mike McCarthy expects Casey Hayward and former Gonzaga basketball talent Demetri Goodson to challenge for those spots, reports Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Unless Carl Bradford or another player enables Clay Matthews to relocate to his former spot outside, the Pro Bowl linebacker may stay an inside linebacker going into the season.
- Packers president Mark Murphy doesn’t expect the Bears’ proposal of both teams receiving a guaranteed overtime possession to pass, reports ESPN’s Jason Wilde. Murphy probably won’t support any of the rules changes, reports Silverstein on Twitter.
- Vikings coach Mike Zimmer wants Teddy Bridgewater to gain weight and develop additional strength before he begins his first full season as the Vikings’ quarterback, writes Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Zimmer said the 2014 first-rounder played at around 210 pounds last season, and the second-year coach prefers the 6-foot-2 signal-caller to be closer to 220.
- After reports surfaced of Adrian Peterson‘s agent declining a Vikings meeting, the All-Pro runner didn’t solicit much of a response from Zimmer. “Well, Adrian is under contract with us, and we’re excited to get him back here with his teammates and get him back playing,” Zimmer told Hartman.
- The NFL held its first Veterans Combine on Sunday night in Arizona with numerous former NFLers participating. The Eagles were among the few teams to talk with offensive linemen after their drills concluded, NFL.com’s Mark Sessler reports on Twitter.
Giants’ Mara On Rule Changes, L.A.
Heading into the NFL owners’ meetings, which begin Monday, Giants co-owner John Mara provided a status report on the chance of the proposed rule changes passing, writes ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
The Patriots have three proposals set to be up for debate this week: Bill Belichick‘s continued quest to expand replay to include penalty reviews, along with ideas for more boundary cameras and a realignment of the extra point. Of the three, the revamped extra point has the best chance of passing, according to the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe.
Seeking a more difficult try that would place the ball at the 15-yard line — a 33-yard try — the Patriots’ proposal needs 24 votes to pass.
“We’ve had a lot of discussions about that,” Mara said, via Howe. “I think that one has a chance. I don’t know if it’s going to get 24 votes, but I happen to be in favor of that one and think it’s a good proposal because we have a play right now that is a ceremonial play, and why not make it competitive?”
Mara said the replay expansion idea failed 9-0 in the competition committee and is unlikely to pass this week, citing subjectivity in that thought process as opposed to the black-and-white nature of most of the already-reviewable sequences. New England’s effort to increase cameras on sidelines and end zones also hovers below the passing threshold, per Howe.
While not on the table this year, a 14-team playoff field is inevitable, the Giants co-owner told Howe, with a potential hang-up of scheduling the third wild-card games as part of tripleheaders or as stand-alone contests on Monday night. The NFL increased playoff eligibility from four to five teams per conference in 1978 and five to six in 1990, making this current six-team standard by far the longest-standing bracket limit since the AFL-NFL merger.
The league will have at least one team in Los Angeles in 2016 and possibly two, Mara told ESPN’s Dan Graziano (via Twitter), with the Rams’, Raiders’ and Chargers’ quests to return to the city well-documented.
J.D. Walton To Join Dolphins
The Dolphins agreed to a deal with former Broncos and Giants center J.D. Walton, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter.
Walton, who visited with the Dolphins today, started two years with the Broncos and one with the Giants. Last year’s starting snapper in Miami, Samson Satele saw his one-year contract expired earlier this month, opening up the Dolphins’ center position. But former Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey, moved to right guard last season, could return to his former post and make Walton a depth piece. ESPN Dolphins reporter James Walker expects this to be the case.
Terms of the deal are not yet disclosed. The Giants released Walton, a 2010 third-round pick of the Broncos, one season into the two-year, $6MM contract he signed last March. Walton, who will be 28 in five days, endured a rough 2014 campaign, finishing as the league’s 38th-best center, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required). But with the Giants having no better option, the ex-Baylor standout led all centers in snaps with 1,145.
The Dolphins didn’t receive much better production from Satele, brought in last August, and appear to be letting him move on in free agency.
Starting 16 games in both 2010 and 2011, Walton blocked for both Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow in those seasons. But a severe ankle injury sustained four games into Peyton Manning‘s tenure a year later sidelined him for the rest of 2012 and led to the Broncos waiving him in December 2013. Walton drew PFF’s ire in both of his Broncos campaigns as well, finishing as the fourth-worst and worst center, respectively, in his first two seasons.
Giants Owner Talks FAs, Eli, JPP, Draft
Speaking to reporters today, Giants co-owner John Mara answered questions about his team’s approach to free agency, the contract status of a pair of the club’s most notable players, and a handful of other topics. Tom Rock of Newsday passed along several highlights from the session, so let’s round them up, with all links going to Twitter….
- Acknowledging that the Giants “still have some holes to fill” on their roster, Mara said the team has done a good job so far in free agency.
- Asked about the top free agents available, Mara admitted that the Giants made a big push for Devin McCourty. The club also inquired on Ndamukong Suh, but he was “a little too pricey” for the team’s liking. According to Mara, this year’s free agent class was a mediocre one, and many of the players who signed lucrative deals did so because a lot of teams had plenty of cap space. The Giants didn’t want to invest in those higher-end players at inflated prices.
- No contract extension is imminent for Eli Manning, but “obviously something will be done at some point,” according to Mara.
- The Giants co-owner would like to see Osi Umenyiora retire as a Giant, but Mara hasn’t spoken to coaches or GM Jerry Reese about signing the veteran pass rusher this year.
- Mara would prefer to lock up Jason Pierre-Paul to a long-term contract, but is comfortable having JPP play out the 2015 season on the one-year franchise tag if necessary. The two sides have until July to work out a multiyear extension.
- Wide receiver won’t be a top priority for the Giants early in this year’s draft, but the club won’t be averse to taking one if there’s value to be had.
FA Notes: Dolphins, Jackson, Selvie, Newman
Having decided not to match the Bills’ offer sheet for tight end Charles Clay, the Dolphins may be prepared to spend the money saved on Clay on some other free agents. According to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), in addition to hosting wide receiver Michael Crabtree, Miami is also having quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and center J.D. Walton in for visits.
Jackson, in particular, is an intriguing potential fit for the Dolphins. The team still needs a veteran backup behind Ryan Tannehill, and while Miami’s preference may be to re-sign Matt Moore, Jackson could come a little cheaper.
Here are a few more free agent notes from around the NFL:
- Defensive end George Selvie, who has reportedly drawn interest from the Buccaneers and Vikings so far in free agency, is visiting the Giants today, according to Art Stapleton of The Record (Twitter link).
- The Vikings and cornerback Terence Newman have discussed some contract figures, but weren’t close to a deal as of late last night, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). If the veteran corner were to join the Vikings, he’d reunite with former Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
- Free agent offensive tackle Corey Hilliard is paying a visit to the Jets, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Hilliard, a former Lion, is a solid swing tackle when he’s healthy, but injuries have derailed his last two seasons.
- In a piece for The Sporting News, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a look at the players who have done the best and worst so far in free agency.
Giants Re-Sign Daniel Fells
THURSDAY, 8:44pm: The Giants have officially re-signed Fells, the team confirmed today in a press release.
WEDNESDAY, 4:18pm: Free agent tight end Daniel Fells is returning to New York, having agreed to terms with the Giants on a one-year deal, reports Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (via Twitter).
Larry Donnell emerged as the Giants’ No. 1 tight end and top pass catcher at the position in 2014, but Fells earned his fair share of playing time as the No. 2 option, and graded as a much better run blocker than Donnell, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Feels, 31, didn’t match the receiving numbers he posted in previous years in St. Louis and Denver, but he also caught 16 balls from Eli Manning for 188 yards and four touchdowns.
It’s the third notable roster move reported today for the Giants, who also agreed to sign defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis and restructured guard Geoff Schwartz‘s contract.
Giants, Geoff Schwartz Restructure Contract
4:45pm: Schwartz’s new deal also includes up to $500K in playing-time incentives, so he’ll have the opportunity to earn back the full $2MM he agreed to give up, tweets Raanan.
8:34am: After what amounted to a lost season, Geoff Schwartz has agreed to restructure his deal with the Giants, as Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger writes. The offensive lineman has given up a good deal in guarantees under his reworked deal with Big Blue.
The new pact will call for Schwartz scale back his base salary from $3.675MM to $1.675MM. He’ll get a chance to earn $1.5MM back in per-game roster bonuses and he’ll have $500K of his 2016 salary guaranteed. In essence, those two figures could combine to make up for the gap. In the end, the Giants will get a cap hit of $2.845MM for Schwartz in 2015, a lesser blow than what they were slated to pay out before, giving them $2.13MM in additional cap space for this league year. The Giants could use that extra breathing room to help facilitate new deals for Jason Pierre-Paul, Prince Amukamara or Eli Manning.
Schwartz, 28, signed a four-year deal with the Giants when he hit free agency in March, but he barely played for the club in 2014. Sidelined with a toe injury, Schwartz was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return prior to Week 1. The 28-year-old returned for November contests against the Cowboys and Jaguars, but that apparently was the beginning and end of his 2014 campaign.
Schwartz was a seventh-round pick of the Panthers in 2008 and made enough of a mark there to see time in all 16 games during his rookie season, including three starts. In his sophomore campaign, he started all 16 games at right guard. He went a couple of years without another start until 2013 with KC, which he used to springboard into his lucrative deal in New York.
Contract Details: Revis, Cromartie, Spiller
Here are a few notable details from some of the contracts signed by free agents within the last several days:
AFC deals:
- Darrelle Revis, CB (Jets): Five years, $70MM base value. $39MM fully guaranteed. Options for 2018 and 2019 (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- Antonio Cromartie, CB (Jets): Four years, $32MM base value. Can be worth up to $35MM (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
- Marcus Gilchrist, S (Jets): Four years, $22MM base value. $3.5MM fully guaranteed. $3.125MM cap number in 2015 (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com).
- Tramon Williams, CB (Browns): Three years, $21MM base value. $10MM fully guaranteed. $1.5MM signing bonus. $2MM roster bonus due this month (Twitter links via Wilson).
- Scott Chandler, TE (Patriots): Two years, $5.3MM base value. $2MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald).
- Christian Ponder, QB (Raiders): One year, $2.25MM base value. $1.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Bill Williamson of ESPN.com).
NFC deals:
- C.J. Spiller, RB (Saints): Four years, $16MM. $7.3MM fully guaranteed. $2MM available in escalators. Voids after three years if Spiller makes it to two Pro Bowls (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
- Rashean Mathis, CB (Lions): Two years, $3.5MM base value. $750K signing bonus (Twitter links via Wilson).
- Chykie Brown, S (Giants): Two years, $1.8MM base value. $200K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Tyrunn Walker, DT (Lions): One year, $1.75MM base value. $550K signing bonus (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
Giants To Sign Kenrick Ellis
Former Jets defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis is signing a one-year deal with the Giants today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Ellis’ visited the Meadowlands’ other team on Tuesday.
The Jets were hoping to retain Ellis but at the outset of free agency, he was receiving a lot of outside interest with six teams inquiring on him. The rival Dolphins were among the teams also linked to him. Ellis, 27, saw time in 14 games last season, racking up 12 total tackles and one sack.
FA Notes: Connolly, Gresham, Ellis, Barksdale
After passing along several updates on free agency this morning, we’re back this afternoon with another round-up. Here’s the latest on a handful of players still on the market:
- The Patriots would like to re-sign Dan Connolly, but the veteran offensive lineman is also receiving interest from the Seahawks and Bears as a center, and from the Dolphins and Buccaneers as a guard, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The 32-year-old has been a mainstay in New England for the last few years, but had a down year in 2014, placing among the bottom 10 guards in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
- Tight end Jermaine Gresham is meeting with a doctor tomorrow to determine the severity of a back injury, and could be headed for surgery later this week, according to Rapoport (via Twitter). Greshman still expects to be ready for training camp, but that’s a giant red flag for potential suitors, and explains why he remains unsigned. Teams in need of a tight end – such as the Bills, Raiders, and Browns – figure to monitor Gresham’s situation, tweets Rapoport.
- Free agent defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis could potentially make the move from one New York team to another. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter), the former Jet is visiting the Giants today.
- The Titans have maintained interest in Joe Barksdale, arguably the top tackle left on the market, says Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Since hitting free agency last week, Barksdale has frequently been linked to the Titans and the Rams, who are still interested in re-signing him.
- Veteran free agent Samson Satele is looking for a team that will give him the opportunity to compete for a starting center job, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.