Packers Match Offer For Sean Richardson
The Packers have matched the Raiders’ offer sheet for safety and special-teamer Sean Richardson, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The move, which comes in advance of this afternoon’s deadline, ensures that Richardson will remain in Green Bay for the coming season.
By matching the Raiders’ offer, the Packers are now on the hook for the same deal Oakland would have paid Richardson. The Raiders’ offer sheet was reportedly for one year and $2.55MM — that total includes a $1MM base salary, a $1.35MM signing bonus, and a $200K reporting bonus.
Richardson, 25, has yet to play a major role on defense for the Packers since joining the team in 2012, logging a career-high 135 defensive snaps in 2014. However, he has been a special teams ace for the club, recording 12 tackles in kick and punt coverage last season. With Morgan Burnett, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, and Micah Hyde still in the mix in Green Bay, it’s not clear whether there will be room for Richardson to take on a larger role in 2015, but the fact that the club is willing to pay him $2.55MM suggests it’s possible.
As for Oakland, the team still has Nate Allen and Charles Woodson at the safety position, but the Raiders’ offer to Richardson indicated they viewed him as a potential starter. The club may have to return to the free agent market in search of another safety, or earmark that position as one to address in the draft.
FA Notes: Bell, Titans, Bowman, Dolphins
Let’s check in on the latest updates on a pair of unrestricted free agents searching for jobs, as well as a pair of restricted free agents who will soon find out where they’ll be playing next season….
- Offensive tackle Byron Bell, who recently worked out for the Chiefs, is now receiving consideration from another AFC team, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. According to Wyatt, Bell is visiting the Titans today. The Titans saw longtime tackle Michael Roos retire this offseason, and release Michael Oher, so the club is in the market for a tackle to complement Taylor Lewan, and brought in Joe Barksdale for a visit last week. If Tennessee were to sign Bell, the team would essentially be swapping tackles with the Panthers, with Bell’s old team having signed Oher.
- Free agent cornerback Zackary Bowman is visiting the Dolphins today, according to Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter). Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets that there’s a “pretty good chance” Bowman ends up signing with Miami. I didn’t mention Bowman when I examined the notable defensive free agents still on the market over the weekend, but the former Giant did play 458 defensive snaps last season, starting five games for New York.
- Safety Sean Richardson was in Green Bay for a visit and a physical on Sunday, per Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link), who notes that could be a sign that the Packers will match the Raiders‘ offer sheet for the restricted free agent. Green Bay’s decision is due today.
- The Lions‘ decision on whether or not to match the Buccaneers‘ offer sheet for RFA defensive end George Johnson is also due today. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press points out (via Twitter), that Johnson has already signed eight contracts with Tampa Bay, having frequently been shuttled on and off the team’s roster and practice squad earlier in his playing career.
Packers’ Decision On Sean Richardson Due
Sean Richardson will learn where he’ll play this season on Monday, with the Packers’ decision on whether or not to match the one-year, $2.55MM offer sheet he received from the Raiders last week due.
The fourth-year player operated as the Packers’ fourth safety last season, but his value comes from his special teams contributions. Richardson led the Packers with 361 special teams snaps and 13 special teams tackles last year, and Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel makes a case for why the Packers will keep him around next season.
Green Bay, which assigned Richardson a low-end tenure as a restricted free agent last month, played Richardson on just 121 defensive snaps last season and return top three safeties Morgan Burnett, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Micah Hyde. Should the Packers match, Richardson as of now would become their 13th-highest-paid player, with a 2015 salary exceeding Hyde and Clinton-Dix. Richardson would also be one of the richest special teams performers in the league, topping Pro Bowlers Matt Slater, Justin Bethel and Darrell Stuckey, according to Silverstein.
Silverstein reminds this situation is similar to a 2008 scenario where Packers GM Ted Thompson matched a Titans offer for Jarrett Bush, a fellow special-teamer whose Packers career went on to last nine seasons after he re-signed again with the team in 2012. There remains a chance Bush, who will be 31 when the season starts, could return to Green Bay. But he’s an unrestricted free agent coming off surgery at an advanced age for exclusive kick- and punt-coverage players.
Since Richardson, 25, came into the league undrafted out of Vanderbilt, the Packers wouldn’t receive any compensation should they not match the Raiders’ offer. Despite lucrative extensions for Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga, the Packers can easily afford to keep Richardson, with $17.7MM worth of cap space. They would save $1.5MM by not matching Richardson’s offer.
The Raiders have $20.7MM of room and would likely present a better chance at defensive playing time, with recently signed Nate Allen and 38-year-old Charles Woodson slotting as Oakland starting safeties and scant depth behind them.
NFC Mailbags: Rams, Saints, Packers, Bucs
It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening the mailbags to answer questions from readers. Let’s take a look at some notes out of the NFC…
- If the Rams were to select a quarterback in the upcoming draft, Nick Wagoner would expect either Austin Davis or Case Keenum to not make the roster.
- When focusing on Washington‘s positions of need in the draft, John Keim points to an edge rusher, defensive lineman, receiver or quarterback. Meanwhile, he eliminates a running back, tight end and inside linebacker from consideration for the team’s first-round pick.
- Despite the Saints signing veterans Brandon Browner and Kyle Wilson, Mike Triplett says the team shouldn’t hesitate to select top cornerback prospect Trae Waynes if the Michigan State product is available.
- Rob Demovsky believes it’s a 50-50 chance the Packers will match the Raiders‘ offer sheet to safety Sean Richardson. The $2.55MM could ultimately prove to be too pricey to retain the backup safety.
- The Panthers should begin exploring an extension for cornerback Josh Norman, according to David Newton. “Big corners with that type of ability — and attitude — are rare and don’t come cheaply,” the writer explained.
- Pat Yasinskas writes that the best value the Buccaneers could get for quarterback Mike Glennon is a third-round pick, but he clarifies that a fourth or fifth-rounder is much more realistic.
Extra Points: Nicks, Ravens, Miles, Draft
Outside of a visit to the 49ers, free agent receiver Hakeem Nicks hasn’t garnered any known interest on the open market. But the 27-year-old insists he’s not done in the NFL. “I’m nowhere near finished, man, and I want to prove that to the world and everybody,” Nicks told Mike Garfolo of FOX Sports. “That’s definitely my mentality, but I don’t even want to talk about it. I feel like I got into that situation last year talking about it. I’m about to just go out there and prove it.”
Here’s more from around the league…
- The Ravens have stayed in touch with safety Jeromy Miles, but there’s no deal between the two sides at this time, according to Aaron Wilson of The Balitmore Sun (via Twitter).
- Arizona State safety Damarious Randall will visit the Buccaneers on Sunday, and already had a private workout with the club, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).
- Nebraska receiver Kenny Bell worked out for the Texans recently, and he’ll meet with the Colts on Wednesday, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports.
- Defensive end Marcus Rush already worked out for the Bengals and Raiders, and the Michigan State product will also take a visit with Cincinnati, per Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link).
- The Lions will take a look at Western Oregon receiver Tyrell Williams on Monday, while the Cardinals will meet with him later in the week, says Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- Illinois tight end Matt LaCosse will take a predraft visit with the Packers on Friday, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
- Robert Klemko of TheMMQB.com spoke with the general managers of two clubs — the Ravens and the Steelers — who usually pick near the end of the first round of the draft, and gauged each team’s strategy for acquiring value while picking in the 20s.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
AFC West Notes: Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders
The Chiefs could have training camp battles at several positions, writes Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. At center, third-year player Eric Kush is the favorite to replace Rodney Hudson, but as Teicher notes, it’s unlikely that Kansas City will hand Kush, who has appeared in only three games during his career, the starting job without competition. As such, it’s possible that the club could bring in other options, either through the draft, where Florida State’s Cameron Irving is the top available center, or through free agency, where former Raiders Stefen Wisniewski remains unsigned.
Let’s take at look at some draft news from the rest of the AFC West:
- Central Michigan wide receiver Titus Davis is visiting the Chargers today, according to U-T San Diego’s Michael Gehlken (on Twitter). The wideout ran a 4.51 second 40-yard-dash at the combine and is projected as a third-to-fifth round choice given this year’s deep wide receiver class. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) is hearing a lot of mid-round buzz on Davis.
- The Raiders will be bringing in cornerback Travis Lee for a visit, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter). Pauline views the Miles College product as a sleeper in this year’s class.
- UConn defensive lineman B.J. McBryde is visiting the Chiefs today, according to Pauline (on Twitter).
- Chargers running backs coach Ollie Wilson spent 1-on-1 time with a handful of prospects before their pro days, including Jay Ajayi of BSU and Matt Jones of Florida, according to Gehlken (on Twitter).
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
Draft Updates: Mariota, White, Falcons, Jags
The previously-reported visits for top draft prospects Marcus Mariota, Leonard Williams, and Dante Fowler Jr. are all happening today for the Titans, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Although the Titans are getting a closer look at Mariota, another team in the top five apparently won’t get an opportunity to do so. Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that Washington had planned to bring in Mariota for a visit, but the two sides couldn’t work out a time, so that trip is now off.
The news may not mean anything significant, but Charles Robinson notes in his latest piece for Yahoo! Sports that sources around the league are skeptical that Washington is truly interested in selecting Mariota with the No. 5 overall pick. “They’re trying to create leverage to get someone to [trade] up,” said one AFC personnel source.
With a report today suggesting that the Browns have real interest in moving up for Mariota, the Oregon quarterback is certainly generating the most draft buzz this week, but we have plenty of updates on other prospects as well. Here’s the latest:
- Within Robinson’s previously-linked piece, he notes that Buccaneers ownership will ultimately make the final call on whether or not to draft Jameis Winston, adding that there have been some internal questions about the community relations impact of selecting Winston.
- Kevin White, arguably the top receiving prospect in this year’s class, said today that he’s setting up visits with the Jets, Bears, Rams, and Giants, per Ross Tucker of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link).
- The Falcons are hosting a pair of top-tier pass rushers today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Clemson’s Vic Beasley and Kentucky’s Bud Dupree are in town.
- Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union provides a full list of the 20 prospects that visited the Jaguars this week. While we’ve passed along many of those names already, there are also plenty of new ones: Javorius “Buck” Allen (RB, USC), T.J. Yeldon (RB, Alabama), Amari Cooper (WR, Alabama), Rashad Greene (WR, FSU), DeAndre Smelter (WR, Georgia Tech), Cedric Ogbuehi (T, Texas A&M), Andrus Peat (T, Stanford), Eli Harold (DE, Virginia), Arik Armstead (DL, Oregon), Landon Collins (S, Alabama), and Trae Waynes (CB, Michigan State).
- In addition to visiting the Eagles, UCF wide receiver Breshad Perriman met with the Raiders, Colts, and Steelers this week, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- Washington cornerback Marcus Peters, Stanford cornerback Alex Carter, and Virginia linebacker Max Valles made visits to Pittsburgh to meet with the Steelers today, tweets Scott Brown of ESPN.com.
- The Giants, Steelers, and Texans have hosted visits for Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant, who has also worked out for the Cowboys, Raiders, and Buccaneers, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
Extra Points: Tillman, Talib, Los Angeles, Peterson
Let’s take a look at some assorted notes from around the league as we wrap up this Wednesday night…
- Former Bears cornerback Charles Tillman visited the Panthers earlier this evening, reports ESPN.com’s Jeff Dickerson (via Twitter). The reporter notes that the two sides have yet to discuss a contract.
- Rebecca Lopez of WFAA-TV in Dallas reports (via Twitter) that Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib is being investigated for aggravated assault earlier this morning. The 29-year-old’s brother, Yaqub, is also being investigated by police. According to ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold, the pair were questioned by police early Wednesday, but no one was arrested.
- Addressing a rumor going around, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) dismisses the notion that the Eagles have any real interest in acquiring Johnny Manziel. According to Cole, the Browns tossed out the idea in a conversation with Philadelphia, but it didn’t gain any traction. Of course, Cleveland also reportedly offered the Eagles a first-round pick for Sam Bradford.
- In an extensive and interesting piece, Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times examines nine potential outcomes for an NFL move to Los Angeles, including scenarios in which multiple teams relocate and scenarios in which just one of the Rams, Chargers, or Raiders makes the move.
- The NFL submitted it’s appeal to the Eighth Circuit Court regarding Adrian Peterson, according to USA Today’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). Once it’s filed, the NFL Player’s Association will have 14 days to respond. As Pelissero notes (via Twitter), the appeal “has more to do with precedent than Peterson,” adding that the running back could realistically be reinstated regardless of the outcome.
- Count Reggie Bush among those who are rooting for Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne to make the 49ers. The running back expressed his confidence to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “I’m sure he’ll make it, I don’t think there’s any doubt in anybody’s mind he’ll make the roster,” Bush said. “He has all the talents and athleticism to be able to play in this league and to be able to play at a high level in this league…I think making the team is actually the least of his worries.”
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
AFC Links: Ravens, Welker, Raiders, Patriots
Eric DeCosta is one of the hottest up-and-coming general manager candidates in the league. The Ravens assistant GM was asked to interview with the Jets and Bears this offseason, but the 43-year-old declined, just as he had previously with the Seahawks and Raiders. Why refuse an opportunity to become a general manager just to remain an assistant? DeCosta answered that question earlier today (via Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun):
“I get a chance to work with my friends. Every day, I come in and work with my friends. I think it’s a relationship business. In the end, personal ambitions aside, all you have is really your reputation and your friends and your enjoyment in life. And I love Baltimore, the community.
“My wife is from Baltimore. I’ve been here 20 years, my kids go to school here. It’s great. I sit with these guys every day and give everybody a hard time, get a chance to play jokes on everybody every day, and it’s just fun. I enjoy work. I enjoy coming in here. We have a great owner, awesome stadium and best fan base in the country. So, what more do you want?”
There may be another reason for DeCosta to stay put, as Wilson says the executive is “[d]esignated contractually as the Ravens’ general-manager-in-waiting behind Ozzie Newsome.”
Let’s take a look at some more notes out of the AFC…
- Wes Welker‘s visit with the Dolphins ended without a deal, reports Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). The 33-year-old spent three seasons in Miami prior to his tenure with the Patriots. He finished last season with 49 catches for 464 yards and two touchdowns, the lowest totals since his rookie campaign.
- While it doesn’t come as much of a surprise, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Vic Tafur confirms (via Twitter) that Michael Crabtree wrapped up his visit with the Raiders without a contract. The former first-round pick met with the organization on Monday.
- Stevan Ridley spurned the Dolphins and Washington to sign with the Jets earlier this evening. As the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe notes on Twitter, the Patriots didn’t make “a significant enough push” to retain their free agent running back.
Minor Moves: Wednesday
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- We learned yesterday that the Raiders have officially secured all five of their restricted free agents, and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets today that the team has locked up its exclusive rights free agents as well. Rival clubs couldn’t make a play for those ERFAs, so there wasn’t much suspense about whether or not they’d be returning to Oakland. Defensive end Denico Autry, tight end Brian Leonhardt, tackle Matt McCants, fullback Jamize Olawale, and cornerback Neiko Thorpe are now under contract.
- Cornerback Antwon Blake, who received the low-end RFA tender from the Steelers last month, has officially signed that tender, according to Wilson (via Twitter). Blake will return to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal for 2015 worth $1.542MM.
- Former Texans and Bears defensive lineman Amobi Okoye has been released by the Cowboys, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Okoye appeared in 87 games between 2007 and 2012 before he was sidelined by a medical issue, and had been attempting to make it back to the NFL — if he intends to continue his comeback attempt, it looks like it’ll have to happen with another team.
- The Packers have cut tackle Aaron Adams with a failed physical designation, per Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette (Twitter link). The former Kentucky lineman tore his ACL and MCL during training camp last year and missed the entire 2014 season.