Extra Points: DeVito, L.A., Garcon, NFLPA
While hundreds of NFL writers will submit mock drafts within the next two months, few are more plugged in than Peter King of TheMMQB.com, whose first mock draft of the year lends credence to the idea that the Eagles have real interest in Marcus Mariota. King’s mock has the Eagles pulling off a trade with Washington to move up to the No. 5 spot and nab Mariota — Philadelphia gives up its first- and second-round picks this year, along with its first- and fourth-round picks for 2016, in the hypothetical swap.
Here’s more miscellany from around the NFL:
- The Chiefs are expected to ask defensive lineman Mike DeVito to take a pay cut, reports Conor Orr of NFL.com. DeVito, who is set to earn a base salary of $3.75MM with a 2015 cap number of $5.4MM, could be cut by Kansas City if he decides he doesn’t want to accept a reduced salary.
- As Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times reported late last night (via Twitter), Inglewood’s City Council unanimously approved Stan Kroenke‘s Hollywood Park stadium project. By approving the project, the Inglewood City Council can skip a couple steps, Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk explains. City officials can now avoid putting the stadium proposal up for a public vote, and can avoid “potentially lengthy” environmental reviews. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link) notes that Carson officials are expected to do the same thing with the Raiders/Chargers‘ stadium proposal.
- There have been “zero talks” about Pierre Garcon‘s contract between his camp and the Washington front office, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter). That doesn’t mean discussions won’t happen at some point, but Keim notes there’s been nothing yet to indicate that any sort of move involving Garcon is coming.
- An already crowded field got even more crowded today, as former NFL player Sean Morey emerged as the latest candidate to become executive director of the NFLPA, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- The latest MMQB.com piece from ex-Packers executive Andrew Brandt touches on a handful of interesting topics, as Brandt explores the L.A. issue, notes the different between a contract restructure and a pay cut, and points out that salary cap flexibility can often be created fairly easily.
La Canfora On Manning, Suh, McCown, Saints
Weighing in on two of the biggest offseason stories, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com leads off his latest piece by looking at the Peyton Manning and Ndamukong Suh situations. In La Canfora’s view, Manning will ultimately return to the Broncos after the two sides tweak his contract a little. As for Suh, the CBSSports.com scribe doesn’t have any updates on the Lions‘ talks with the defensive star, but says he thinks the Jaguars and Raiders will be major players. For those teams to be involved in the Suh derby, he’d have to reach the open market, which would mean no long-term deal or franchise tag from Detroit.
La Canfora also passes along plenty more tidbits related to free agency, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights….
- When it comes to the market’s top pass rushers, La Canfora thinks Pernell McPhee can reach $10MM per year, with Jerry Hughes in the $9MM range, and Brandon Graham and Jason Worilds around $7.5MM. La Canfora also believes that all four of those players will join new teams next month.
- Free agent quarterback Josh McCown is expected to decide on his new team later this week or early next week, and could land another deal worth $5MM annually. The Bills and Browns look like the best bets for McCown, according to La Canfora.
- The Saints are working through contract issues with about a half-dozen players on their roster, sources tell La Canfora. If things work out the way the team hopes, Marques Colston, Jahri Evans, and Curtis Lofton would likely stick around on reduced salaries, while Ben Grubbs, Brodrick Bunkley, and David Hawthorne could be let go. As for Junior Galette, La Canfora is hearing that head coach Sean Payton has “expressed a desire” to part ways with him, following his January arrest. However, Galette’s contract still contains a sizeable chunk of guaranteed money, and the team likely can’t void those guarantees.
- Percy Harvin probably won’t accept a pay cut from the Jets, which means the team will likely cut him. La Canfora expects the wideout to gamble himself in free agency, signing a one-year deal with a team that has a good quarterback in place.
- The Jaguars will be seeking a top pass catcher, and La Canfora wouldn’t be surprised if the team lands a player like Randall Cobb or Julius Thomas. Per La Canfora, the Packers recognize Cobb’s market could get out of hand, and may focus on re-signing other key free agents, like Bryan Bulaga and Letroy Guion.
- Chiefs center Rodney Hudson came very close to signing a four-year extension worth $6MM per year during the season. He’s a good bet to exceed that amount in free agency, and the Raiders are one viable suitor.
- La Canfora anticipates the Ravens will work out a restructured deal with Lardarius Webb, but isn’t as certain about Haloti Ngata, who may play for a new team in 2015.
- The Jets would have interest in Ryan Mallett if he reaches the open market. However, the Texans have made their interest in the quarterback clear, and Mallett himself said today that he’d like to return to Houston (Twitter link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).
FA Rumors: Pascoe, Jean-Francois, McCourty
The agent for tight end Bear Pascoe tells D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that his client will be moving on from the Falcons next month.
“We had a great conversation with the Falcons and it looks like at this point Bear is going to explore some other options for next year and the Falcons are going to do the same,” said Noel LaMontagne, Pascoe’s agent. “The front office and Bear both were really appreciative of everything over the last year, but with coaching changes, there will always be other changes, so Bear is going to see what else is out there for the future.”
Let’s round up a few more Wednesday updates on 2015’s prospective free agents:
- After been released by the Colts earlier this week, defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois is seeking a new home for the 2015 season, and a pair of potential suitors has already surfaced. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Jean-Francois has visits lined up with Washington and the 49ers this week. Jean-Francois has a history with the Niners, having spent the first four years of his NFL career in San Francisco.
- Asked about the possibility of being franchised by the Patriots, safety Devin McCourty wasn’t sure if that’s the team’s plan, but said being tagged wouldn’t be the worst thing (Twitter link via Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald). “The franchise tag is player-friendly now,” McCourty said (Twitter link via Phil Perry of CSNNE.com). “It’s a good number.”
- After some confusion about his contract status, Lions defensive end George Johnson is being considered a restricted free agent by both the NFL and NFLPA, says Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). As such, there’s a very good chance Johnson returns to Detroit.
- Appearing on PFT Live today, veteran safety Mike Adams said he’d like to retire as a Colt (Twitter link). Adams, who is eligible for free agency, turns 34 next month, so there’s a chance his next contract will be his last.
- As we heard this morning, the Dolphins are working to get a deal done with tight end Charles Clay. If he remains unsigned when the free agent period arrives though, Clay’s market will be “very strong,” tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk takes a look at a few clubs to watch in free agency, identifying the Falcons, Buccaneers, Raiders, Jaguars, and Bills as the teams poised to spend big.
Tuesday Roundup: Cassel, Winston, Peterson
Vikings GM Rick Spielman said that nothing definitive has been decided about bringing Matt Cassel back to the team, but Spielman was complimentary of his veteran signal-caller when discussing him earlier this week. “We went through our process, we evaluated all of our players,” Spielman said, according to Brian Hall of FOXSportsNorth.com. “We looked at everything from what they bring to our football team, in the locker room, off the field, what they bring to us on the field. But we also have to look at where they’re at from a standpoint of their contract, where we’re at from a cap standpoint…Matt’s done a great job. Came in and has won some games when he had to play. He’s a great locker-room guy. Matt has a lot of value to us.” Cassel is signed for the 2015 season at a salary of $4.15MM, and he’ll count $4.75MM against the cap.
Now for some more links from around the league on this Tuesday evening:
- Tahir Whitehead filled in capably for Stephen Tulloch when Tulloch went out last season, and that leaves the Lions with an interesting choice this offseason, as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes. Detroit could continue to roll with Whitehead at middle linebacker and carve out some space by parting ways with Tulloch. The 30-year-old is slated to count $5.8MM against the cap next season. Whitehead, meanwhile, costs just $713K.
- The consensus around the league is that the Buccaneers will draft Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick, according to a tweet from the NFL Network (citing its own Ian Rapoport).
- The Colts are in dire need of a running back, and Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes that the team will be closely monitoring the Adrian Peterson situation. If Peterson and the Vikings part ways, Indianapolis GM Ryan Grigson, a noted risk-taker, may pull the trigger.
- Falcons defensive end Osi Umenyiora has no plans to retire, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Umenyiora, 33, will become a free agent on March 10, and he said he would like to play at least one more season. If he could choose, Umenyiora stated that he would like to finish his career where it started: with the Giants.
- Packers fullback John Kuhn is one of the last members of a dying breed, but the impending free agent reaffirmed his importance to the Green Bay offense in 2014, earning first team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career. As Weston Hodkiewicz of PackersNews.com writes, there is mutual interest in Kuhn’s return to the Packers.
- Former Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne, who has garnered interest from at least a dozen teams, is expected to sign with a club this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (writing for the National Football Post).
- Bill Williamson of ESPN.com believes middle linebacker Nate Irving could be a fit with the Raiders if the impending free agent is not re-signed by the Broncos.
- Parys Haralson, who signed a one-year deal with the Saints in February, hopes to end his career in New Orleans, writes Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune.
- Jason Fitzerald of OverTheCap.com provides the Panthers‘ salary cap outlook for the 2015 season.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
AFC West Notes: Rivers, Cobb, Chargers
The expectation around the NFL is that the Raiders will make a run at wide receiver Randall Cobb, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com tweets. However, the Packers aren’t expected to let him hit the open market, so they might not even get the chance to pursue him. A look at the AFC West..
- The uncertainty of where the Chargers might end up playing doesn’t figure to have major implications on Philip Rivers as he ponders signing with the team beyond 2015, Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com writes. “Is the location of this team going to be a deciding factor? I can’t honestly tell you that it will be,” Rivers told Darren Smith of The Mighty 1090. “Is it a factor at all? Sure, but I can’t tell you that it’s at the top of the list, because it’s just really not. That goes without saying I hope we’re staying. But should we move, it doesn’t move to the top of my list for deterrents for not being a Charger.” Rivers is entering final year of a deal that will pay him $15.75MM in base salary and count more than $17MM against the salary cap. Chargers GM Tom Telesco said earlier this year he wants Rivers to be a Charger for life but the two sides have yet to have discussions about restructuring his contract.
- Raiders middle linebacker Nick Roach, who missed the entire 2014 season after suffering a concussion in a preseason game, is still having headaches and is not expected to return next season, team sources told Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. After playing every defensive snap for Oakland in 2013, Roach suffered the concussion in a preseason game against the Packers in August. He briefly returned to practice in September but never made it back into live action.
- Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star spoke with NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks, whose latest mock has the Chiefs taking Marcus Mariota at No. 18. Brooks wouldn’t be concerned if Mariota took a slide, largely due to concerns about the amount of time it would take for him to transition to the pro game from Oregon’s uptempo spread offense. And, while the Chiefs have Alex Smith under center, Chiefs GM John Dorsey was in Green Bay when they took Aaron Rodgers in the first round and sat him for three years behind Brett Favre.
Minor Moves: Monday
Let’s round up today’s minor moves, with any new transactions being added to the top of the list:
- The Raiders have signed kicker Giorgio Tavecchio, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Oakland originally claimed Tavecchio off waivers from Detroit on August 26 of last year, but waived him just four days later as it moved down to a 53-man roster.
- The Vikings have added linebacker Brian Peters, the club announced in a press release. Peters, a Northwestern alum, has spent the past two years with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, leading the team in tackles in 2014.
L.A. Notes: Chargers, Raiders, San Antonio
The NFL is serious about bringing the league back to Los Angeles, even though it hasn’t happened in time to get games there in 2015. Still, the future of the NFL is moving toward a return to one of the nation’s largest markets, writes Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II notes that this commitment is not in sentiment only, but in actual financial investment. Rooney is serving as chairman of the NFL committee looking into moving to L.A.
“People are actually investing dollars into getting something done,” said Rooney. “People can take that as maybe we’re more serious than we’ve been over the last decade or so.”
Here are some other notes surrounding the teams considering relocation to Los Angeles:
- Chargers owner Dean Spanos and San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer met to discuss the team’s need to explore other options in case they cannot reach an agreement to stay at Qualcomm Stadium, according to Kevin Acee of the U-T San Diego (via Twitter). The team released a statement regarding the meeting between Spanos and Faulconer. The comes on the heels of a joint proposal with the Raiders to finance a stadium in Los Angeles.
- While the Raiders and Chargers are currently working together on their journey towards relocation, the idea that the joint proposal will seal the deal is premature. The Raiders will need to see significant progress over the next 30 days in order to take this process to the next step, writes Matier and Ross of SFGate.com.
- The Raiders may still be trying to head back to Los Angeles, but the city of San Antonio has not given up its efforts to bring the team to the state of Texas, writes Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. “The concerted efforts of San Antonio’s public and private sectors remain focused on a long-term vision to bring the Raiders to the Alamo City,” according to a statement released by the city.
- The Raiders may be the wild card in this whole relocation process, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (via Twitter). The Chargers and Rams are both looking to Los Angeles, but the Raiders could stay in Oakland, go to San Antonio, or even replace the Rams in St. Louis, in addition to the L.A. possibility.
AFC Links: Raiders, Thomas, Patriots, McPhee
Following news that the Raiders and Chargers proposed a shared Los Angeles stadium, there were rumors that Raiders owner Mark Davis was using the move as leverage for a new stadium in Oakland. The owner didn’t necessarily confirm that rumor, but he did acknowledge that he’d like to keep the organization in it’s current location (via Vic Tafur of SFChronicle.com):
“That’s our No. 1 priority, to stay in Oakland, always has been and will continue to be,” Davis said. “We’re really trying to stay, and now there’s a great opportunity in Los Angeles. We need to get something done.”
Davis also touched on his relationship with Alex Spanos, the Chargers owner:
“My dad helped Alex (Spanos) get in the league, and while we have been fierce rivals on the field, we have common philosophies and goals,” Davis said. “And we have the same need. We are the two California teams that need a stadium.
“Together, we may be able to get it done.”
Let’s take a look at more rumors from the AFC…
- As each day goes by, it sounds increasingly unlikely that Julius Thomas will return to the Broncos. Similar to many free agent departures, fingers are already being pointed, and the tight end’s agent believes the organization is to blame. “The Broncos came to me, we tried to get it done, it didn’t work,” said Frank Bauer (via Mike Klis of The Denver Post). “Does Julius love Denver? Yes. Does Julius love the fans there? No question. Does he love the organization and the community? Look at what he does for kids in that town…But for some reason people are trying to tear him down. In my opinion what they’re doing by tearing him down is pushing him away.”
- While Patriots running backs Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley are set to hit the open market, the team has plenty of depth to compensate for their potential departure. Among that group would be Tyler Gaffney, who missed last season while recovering from an ACL injury. Ben Volin of The Boston Globe believes the team stashed Gaffney for a reason, and he’ll be given every chance to make the team’s roster in 2015 (Twitter links).
- Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower underwent shoulder surgery this past week and is expected to miss anywhere from six to seven months. Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald writes that the injury could have an impact on negotiations with veteran Jerod Mayo and his $10MM cap hit for 2015.
- It was anticipated that Ravens linebacker Pernell McPhee would be a commodity in free agency, and ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure tweets that the 26-year-old is going to be more expensive than anticipated.
Latest On Los Angeles Talks
The Raiders and Chargers created an uproar Thursday when they announced joint plans to build and share a $1.7 billion, privately financed stadium 15 miles south of Los Angeles in Carson, Calif.
With the Raiders, Chargers and Rams as possible relocation candidates, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote Friday that commissioner Roger Goodell has a complicated situation on his hands. Florio opines that two of the three franchises will ultimately end up in L.A., while the odd club out could be pursued by the likes of St. Louis and San Antonio.
Here’s more on the league’s possible return to Los Angeles:
- Carson politicians and community leaders held a rally Friday in support of landing the Raiders and Chargers, according to ESPN’s Arash Markazi. Carson Mayor Jim Dear called the acquisition of multiple NFL teams “an enormous opportunity.”
- The Raiders’ departure from Oakland is far from a sure thing, writes Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News. Purdy takes a skeptical approach toward possible Raiders relocation and wonders if team owner Mark Davis is using Carson as leverage to get a new stadium in Oakland.
- Conversely, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets that the relocation of the Raiders and Chargers to Carson “could really happen.” In another tweet, LaCanfora speculates that Rams owner Stan Kroenke would get a new stadium deal in St. Louis (plus other pot sweeteners) if his team isn’t one of the two that goes to L.A.
- Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune spoke to Davis, who said Oakland is “absolutely” a possibility for the Raiders going forward. McDonald went on to tweet that the Raiders and Chargers are frustrated by a lack of progress toward new stadiums in their respective cities.
- “That’s our No. 1 priority, to stay in Oakland, always has been and will continue to be,” Davis told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Vic Tafur. One league official informed Tafur that three teams are racing for two spots in L.A. Further, the three front-runners (San Diego, Oakland and St. Louis) can all terminate their current leases and move after next season.
- If the Raiders and/or Chargers do relocate, there hasn’t been any talk of either switching from the AFC to the NFC, Tafur tweets.
West Rumors: Fitz, Raiders, Parker, Wilson
While we learned the basic details of Larry Fitzgerald‘s new contract with the Cardinals earlier this week, we didn’t have the specific figures until today, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com breaks down the deal in a series of five tweets. Fitzgerald will receive a $10MM bonus on the second day of the 2015 league year, and has fully guaranteed $1MM and $11MM base salaries for 2015 and 2016, respectively. That $10MM bonus will be considered a signing bonus, meaning it’s prorated over the course of the deal, which extends through 2018, though it’s scheduled to void five days after the 2017 Super Bowl. The contract, which includes a no-trade clause, reduces Fitzgerald’s 2015 cap hit to $10.85M, creating $12.75M in immediate cap room for the Cards.
Let’s round up a few more items from around the NFL’s two West divisions….
- Although Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie has publicly stated that the team won’t rule out keeping Matt Schaub in 2015, league sources tell Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle that Oakland won’t bring back its high-priced backup. According to Tafur, safety Tyvon Branch and outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley could also be on the chopping block, and running back Maurice Jones-Drew would likely have to take a pay cut to return to Oakland.
- The Chiefs are engaged in ongoing discussions with the agent for free agent defensive back Ron Parker, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star, who tweets that Parker’s asking price is still about $6MM per year. Paylor reported earlier in the month that Parker would be seeking a $6MM annual salary on a four- or five-year deal.
- Cap experts like Joel Corry and Jason Fitzgerald have recently speculated that when Russell Wilson signs an extension with the Seahawks, he could become the first quarterback to receive a fully guaranteed contract. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), that possibility is “very real,” and it’ll be fascinating to see how it plays out.
- In his examation of the free agent market for tight ends, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap explains why Broncos TE Julius Thomas may be overvalued next month.