Rolle Recruiting Jermichael Finley For Giants
While the NFL’s free agent period doesn’t officially open until March, at least one player has already been laying the groundwork to bring a prospective free agent to his team. At an awards dinner on Tuesday, Giants safety Antrel Rolle admitted that he has been recruiting free-agent-to-be Jermichael Finley, as Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News writes.
“I said I would love for him to be a part of the Giants so I wouldn’t have to face him,” Rolle said. “He’s an extreme talent. He’s an exceptional guy and more importantly I know he’s a fiery guy. I think that’s something we can definitely use on the offensive side of the ball.”
Finley, who underwent single-fusion spinal surgery in November, hopes to be cleared for contact soon and return to action in the 2014 season. The longtime Packer has mentioned the possibility of returning to Green Bay or signing with the Seahawks and said he’d “love to be a part of the Giants,” according to Rolle, so it sounds like the 26-year-old is looking forward to testing the open market.
As for Rolle himself, he only has one year remaining on his deal with the Giants, but has no interest in going anywhere and would reportedly be open to discussing an extension with the team this offseason.
Tuck “Thinks” He Wants To Return To Giants
Giants defensive end Justin Tuck believes he wants to return to the Giants, the only team with which he has ever played, according to Dan Martin of the New York Post. Tuck, who previously stated his intentions to assess his value in free agency, said while he wants to return, certainty is impossible. “I honestly think the Giants are going to do everything in their power to make it work,” he said. “They want me to be back. I think I want to be back.”
Tuck’s familiarity with Giants as an organization seems to be important to him, as he noted, “I’ve only been here, with one team.” He continued: “The Giants are a great organization, but everyone understands it’s a business. We’ll do our due diligence — on both sides — and see what happens.”
Tuck, 31, enjoyed his best season in years, and one that was injury-free, a recent rarity for him. He accrued 13 sacks, and was graded as the seventh-best 4-3 defensive end by Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Giants should have ample amounts of cap space with which to work, so re-signing Tuck from should not be a problem from a financial point of view.
Cap Notes: Bills, Giants, Browns, Texans
Bills safety Jairus Byrd will need to be tendered at $8.3MM if the team wants to keep him under the franchise tag for a second consecutive year, reports Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Back-to-back franchise tags call for the affected player’s salary to be increased by 120%. Byrd, widely considered one of the best safeties in the NFL, was displeased with being franchise tagged last year, having hoped to work out a long-term extension. Recent extensions by comparable safeties include those of Eric Weddle, who was guaranteed $19MM by the Chargers, and Dashon Goldson, to whom the Buccaneers guaranteed $18MM (numbers courtesy of OverTheCap.com).
Some other cap notes from around the league:
- The Giants have about $13.7MM in cap space, estimates Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. However, they can clear approximately $14 million more by cutting players like Chris Snee, Mathias Kiwanuka, David Baas, Brandon Myers, and Corey Webster. Still, even with $27 million to work with, the Giants will might be strapped as the need to bolster a porous offensive line, add offensive play-makers to potentially replace Hakeem Nicks and David Wilson, and improve a defense that was among the league’s worst.
- Within the same article, Graziano suggests the Giants designate Baas as a post-June 1 cut, spreading the hit over two seasons, and enabling the team to sign someone like Alex Mack. Graziano also thinks the team should sign defensive tackle Linval Joseph to an extension before free agency starts.
- Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com does not believe the Browns will place the franchise tag on safety T.J. Ward, instead attempting to sign him to an extension, or waiting to match an offer from another team. This is contrast to the opinion of ESPN.com’s Tony Grossi, who noted he does think the Browns will tag Ward.
- The Texans will likely part ways with quarterback Matt Schaub and his $14.5MM 2014 cap number, reports Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, Johnathan Joseph, Owen Daniels, and Danieal Manning, all of whom have significant cap figures, appear to be safe.
NFC Notes: Peppers, Vick, Strief
The Bears had perhaps the worst defensive season in team history in 2013. One of the main contributing factors was the subpar season of high-priced defensive end Julius Peppers, who too often was a non-factor. At a cost of over $14MM against the salary cap, Peppers recorded just 7.5 sacks and failed to impact games on a week-to-week basis. Now 34, Peppers has two years remaining and is scheduled to count approximately $18.2MM against the cap in 2014 and approximately $20.7MM against the cap in 2015. Those figures are obviously unreasonable given his deterioration and the Bears’ laundry list of needs. In his most recent mailbag for ESPN Chicago, Michael C. Wright says Peppers would “absolutely” restructure his deal, but also details a scenario in which Peppers is cut post-June 1 with the thinking that swallowing a moderate dead-money cap hit is more palatable in order to save money.
More news and notes from around the NFC:
- Wright does not envision the Bears re-signing any of their key free agents-to-be before the start of free agency, saying “most” of the Bears 25 players with expiring contracts will be elsewhere next season.
- Michael Vick knows he won’t be back in Philadelphia, but does not see himself as a backup. Vick “very badly” wants a chance to start, according to the Philadelphia Daily News’ Les Bowen (per Twitter).
- In an analysis of the Saints‘ needs, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett said there’s a “strong chance” stalwart right tackle Zach Strief could depart via free agency, saying the 30-year-old could start for anyone. That observation might not be that far off, as Pro Football Focus rated Strief as the best right tackle in the game in 2013 (subscription required).
- The Giants and safety Stevie Brown, who missed 2013 because of a torn ACL, are discussing a contract, according to Pro Football Talk.
East Notes: Incognito, Edelman, Rolle
Neither Jonathan Martin nor Richie Incognito figures to play for the Dolphins in 2014, but Martin said earlier this week that he wants to continue his playing career, and Incognito conveyed the same sentiment today, tweeting, “I need a job.” Unlike Martin, whose agent will likely work with the Dolphins to find a trade partner, Incognito is a free agent this offseason, so he’ll be able to sign with any team willing to bet that his role in last year’s bullying scandal won’t be a locker-room distraction.
Let’s check in on a few more items from out of the AFC and NFC East…
- Asked by Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald if he wants to re-sign with the Patriots, Julian Edelman didn’t exactly vow to return at all costs, but his response (“Who doesn’t? It’s a great franchise”) did suggest a desire to remain in New England.
- With one year left on his contract with the Giants, Antrel Rolle doesn’t plan on going anywhere and would be open to discussing an extension, says Zach Braziller of the New York Post.
- Because of the schemes run by Chip Kelly, the Eagles may find it easier to recruit free agents on offense, writes Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com, who adds that Philadelphia could be a tougher sell for free agent defensive linemen.
Justin Tuck Looking Forward To Testing Market
Justin Tuck has spent all nine seasons of his NFL career with the Giants, but it seems as if he’ll be shopping for a new home this March. Speaking to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post this morning, Tuck indicated that he was looking forward to exploring his options in unrestricted free agency.
“I will see what the market is for me,” Tuck said. “I’ve never been in this situation before, and it’s a great opportunity for myself. I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t see what the market is, and I will.”
At the conclusion of the Giants’ season a month ago, Tuck suggested that he’d be open to the idea of re-signing in New York and perhaps eventually retiring as a Giant. However, he seems less enthused about that idea now, acknowledging that while he intends to meet with the Giants next month to discuss a new deal, he and the team will both do what’s in their best interests, which may mean parting ways.
With about $116MM on the books for 2014, and a long list of pending free agents, the Giants won’t have a ton of flexibility to make Tuck a competitive offer. Still, it remains to be seen what sort of years and dollars the defensive end could land. He’s coming off a strong bounceback season that saw him play in all 16 games and record 11 sacks, but he’ll also turn 31 in March, so his age and injury history may raise red flags for potential suitors.
Giants Likely To Re-Sign Josh Brown
With the Giants struggling to a 7-9 record during the 2013 season, kicker Josh Brown perhaps didn’t get as many scoring opportunities as he would’ve liked in his first year with the club. However, it sounds like he’ll get another chance to rack up points for the team next season. According to Jordan Ranaan of NJ.com, a new deal between Brown and the Giants appears to be “imminent and likely.”
“I absolutely would love to be back with the Giants. I conveyed that with them,” Brown told Ranaan. “I was picking up that they were feeling the same exact way.”
After spending the first 10 years of his career kicking for the Seahawks, Rams, and the Bengals, Brown inked a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Giants last March. The 34-year-old converted all 31 extra-point attempts and 23 of 26 field goals (88.5%) for New York. Of the dozen or so other kickers set to hit the open market, only Phil Dawson, Dan Carpenter, Nick Folk, and Steven Hauschka had higher 2013 field goal conversion rates than Brown.
While Ranaan writes that the Giants seem to be “on the verge” of re-signing Brown, the veteran kicker himself indicates that he’s looking forward to talking to the team, which indicates that negotiations have yet to occur. Still, given Brown’s success in 2013 and his insistence that he’s “not looking to make it rain” with his next deal, the two sides could reach an agreement quickly.
Coaching Notes: Browns, Redskins, Jets, Giants
The Browns would like to hire Bills linebackers coach Jim O’Neil as their new defensive coordinator, but if the Bills should block O’Neil from interviewing with Cleveland, the Browns will pursue Ravens inside linebackers coach Don “Wink” Martindale, tweets NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Martindale served as the Broncos defensive coordinator in 2010 before joining the Ravens, and was the Raiders linebackers coach from 2004 to 2008.
Although their tenures with Baltimore never overlapped, new Browns head coach Mike Pettine worked as the Ravens outside linebackers coach in 2008 under John Harbaugh. According to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, if Harbaugh vouches for Martindale, Pettine will value Harbaugh’s endorsement.
- Newly-extended Jets head coach Rex Ryan is looking to fill out his coaching staff, and LSU special teams coach Thomas McGaughey has become a leading candidate to replace Ben Kotwica as New York’s special-teams coordinator, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. Kotwica recently left the Jets to become the Redskins special-teams coordinator.
- Speaking of the Redskins, Washington has hired Randy Jordan to be its new running backs coach. Jordan beat out former Redskins running back and coach Ernest Byner for the post, and his hire fills the last vacant position coach job on Jay Gruden‘s staff.
- The Giants, meanwhile, continue the overhaul of their offensive coaching staff by hiring Oregon State offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf as their new quarterbacks coach. Along with fellow new hires Ben McAdoo and Craig Johnson, Langsdorf will try to help turn around a Giants offense that struggled mightily in 2013 under the shaky hand of quarterback Eli Manning.
Reiss On Browns, Quinn, Diehl, Pats
Front offices and coaching staffs continue to turn over throughout the NFL, including in New England, prompting ESPN’s Mike Reiss to give his take on several news items. Highlights:
- Turning down ostensibly prestigious, high-profile NFL jobs in fear of stigmatic repercussions is all the rage right now, but before the Dolphins’ convoluted GM search, the Browns were trendsetters. Before hiring head coach Mike Pettine, the team “circled back” on Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels only to be told, ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ a second time.
- Browns CEO Joe Banner told reporters Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was reluctantly crossed off the list because the Browns did not want to wait until after the Super Bowl, as first reported by Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
- Reiss compared the recent retirement of Giants OL David Diehl to that of former Patriot OT Matt Light, implying Diehl’s loss could be more impactful than national perception indicates. Diehl was considered a heart-and-soul-type who brought leadership and dependability to the offensive line.
- Reiss spitballs that the retirement of longtime Patriots offensive line coach/assistant head coach Dante Scarnecchia could open the door for former Rutgers and Tampa Bay head man Greg Schiano to join the coaching staff. Bill Belichick’s relationship with Schiano is well-documented and the New England roster is filled with Rutgers products.
David Diehl Announces Retirement
Longtime Giants offensive lineman David Diehl has decided to call it a career, officially announcing his retirement today. Diehl played 11 seasons in New York, starting more than 160 total games at both guard and tackle for the club.
After missing only four games in his first nine seasons, Diehl was slowed by knee problems during the last two years, which contributed to his decision to retire at age 33. A fifth-round pick out of Illinois in 2003, Diehl won a pair of Super Bowls with the Giants, and earned a spot in the 2009 Pro Bowl as a left tackle.
“I’ve accomplished everything I could possibly dream of as a football player,” Diehl said. “If in 2003, anyone would have said that Dave Diehl, a fifth-round draft pick out of Illinois, would win two Super Bowls, play in the Pro Bowl and win every single Giant award possible, people would have said you’re crazy. I have a lot to be proud of.”
With Diehl retiring and Kevin Boothe, who started all 16 games in 2013, facing free agency, the Giants may end up having a couple new regulars protecting Eli Manning next season.