Latest On Kirk Cousins, Washington
6:32pm: The likelihood of the two sides reaching a long-term pact is “not good,” per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. However, that could change after Washington applies the franchise tag to Cousins, Rapoport adds (Twitter link).
9:53am: There will be no long-term deal “now nor anytime soon” between Washington and quarterback Kirk Cousins, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). However, things are not contentious between the two sides, he says. 
[RELATED: 2016 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates]
Earlier this week, there were some conflicting reports as to whether talks between the two sides were active. The discussions have “broken off,” yet the two sides are “still talking,” just without much to discuss at the moment, Schefter tweets. That report alone sounds pretty ambiguous, but the main point here seems to be that there probably won’t be a long-term pact hammered out in the coming weeks.
Reports late in the 2015 season suggested that Washington intended to retain Cousins by any means necessary, and the franchise tag wouldn’t be a bad outcome for the player. Based on a projected salary cap of $154MM for 2016, the non-exclusive franchise tag for quarterbacks this year would be worth nearly $20MM, and that salary becomes fully guaranteed if and when a player signs the franchise tender. Locking in a guarantee of nearly $20MM for one year and setting a baseline for a longer-term extension could help improve Cousins’ leverage in contract talks. And of course, if Washington doesn’t use its franchise tag to lock him up, he would potentially have the opportunity to reach the open market, where multiple lucrative offers would likely be waiting for him.
Perhaps no player in the league did more over the last four weeks of the regular season to help his stock than Cousins, who completed 74% of his passes for nearly 1,200 yards, while posting a 12:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio to go along with a 134.0 quarterback rating. For the season, Cousins thew 29 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, led the league in completion percentage (69.8%), and helped Washington win its first division title since 2012.
We ranked Cousins third overall in our most recent free agent power rankings, and identified him earlier this week as one of 2016’s top franchise-tag candidates.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC Notes: Cowboys, Lynch, 49ers, Packers
There will be no intrigue or drama when it comes to the Cowboys‘ potential use of the franchise tag. Executive VP Stephen Jones announced Tuesday that the team won’t be using its franchise or transition tag, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. While Jones’ announcement is somewhat unusual, it’s not surprising — when Luke Adams examined potential 2016 franchise tag candidates on Monday, he didn’t mention a single Cowboy, even as a long shot.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- If Marshawn Lynch goes through with his retirement, he’ll owe the the Seahawks the $5MM signing bonus from the contract he signed last offseason. However, the team won’t ask for that money back, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
- Within a look at the 49ers‘ offensive line situation, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes that there’s no timetable for offensive tackle Anthony Davis to file for reinstatement from the NFL’s reserve/retired list. There’s a belief that Davis will return to the Niners after taking a year away from the game. But even if he does, it shouldn’t affect the team’s offseason plan at the position much, as Maiocco notes there’s no guarantee Davis will return at the same level.
- The Packers have officially announced some changes to their coaching staff, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky, who writes that they’ve hired Ben Sirmans as running backs coach, Brian Angelichio as tight ends coach, and Ejiro Evero as defensive quality control assistant. Sirmans, previously with the Rams, will replace Sam Gash. Angelichio, who was last with the Browns, will take over for Jerry Fontenot.
- Demovsky has a year-by-year breakdown of Letroy Guion‘s new contract with the Packers. The deal is heavy on bonus money with $50K in per-game roster bonuses plus another $1.7MM in roster and workout bonuses. Last season, Guion played under a one-year, $2.75MM pact.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
Chiefs Prioritizing Deal For Eric Berry
The Chiefs are prioritizing pending free agent safety Eric Berry and could sign him to a long-term deal as early as next week’s NFL scouting combine, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
Berry is coming off a stellar season that saw him earn All-Pro honors for the second time, his fourth Pro Bowl nod and AP 
Comeback Player of the Year. The 27-year-old missed 10 contests in 2014 while battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but he was able to recover in time to return last season and play all 18 of the Chiefs’ games (playoffs included).
Earlier this month, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt spoke of Berry’s importance to the organization.
“Certainly, Eric is somebody that’s very important to the franchise,” Hunt said. “Coach (Andy) Reid and his staff think highly of him. They appreciate the leader that he’s become, and obviously personally, he had the amazing year overcoming cancer. We’ll do everything we can to try to bring him back.”
Berry’s now-expired pact, which he inked after the Chiefs drafted him fifth overall in 2010, ranked second among current safeties in total value ($50.05MM), fourth in AAV at over $8.34MM, and first in guarantees at just under $25.70MM. His next contract should keep him in the elite tier in all three categories.
In the event the Chiefs and Berry are unable to strike a new deal, the team could place the franchise tag on the 6-foot, 212-pounder by March 1 to prevent him from hitting the open market March 9. As PFR’s Luke Adams wrote earlier this week, the franchise price of over $10MM for a safety isn’t exactly cheap, but it wouldn’t be unpalatable in Berry’s case. Moreover, by tagging Berry, the Chiefs would buy themselves extra time to lock him up for the long haul.
While the Chiefs appear willing to do what it takes to retain Berry, they otherwise won’t be big-time players when it comes to handing out sizable contracts this offseason, Cole reports. That means they could lose one of Berry’s top secondary cohorts, cornerback Sean Smith, who’s also unsigned as free agency approaches.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
JPP Unlikely To Return To Giants
Pending free agent Jason Pierre-Paul is unlikely to return to the Giants for a seventh season, a league source tells Kristian R. Dyer of USA Today.
“[A]ll signs point toward the Giants letting Pierre-Paul test free agency,” the source stated, adding, “as of right now he isn’t going to be returning.”
[RELATED: Offseason Outlook: New York Giants]
Pierre-Paul has been one of Big Blue’s fiercest defenders since they drafted him 15th overall in 2010. The 27-year-old end totaled 42 sacks from 2010-14, including a career-high 16.5 during the Giants’ Super Bowl-winning campaign in 2011. However, his career took a terrible turn last summer when he lost his right index finger thanks to a July 4 fireworks accident. The Giants withdrew a $60MM contract offer for Pierre-Paul afterward, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, and he refused to report to the team and its doctors for several weeks while recovering.
The two sides ultimately patched up their differences enough for Pierre-Paul to come back and play the 2015-16 season for $7.35MM, a steep drop-off from the $14.8MM he would have made as their franchise player.
Pierre-Paul returned to the field in November and ended up appearing in eight games, registering 26 tackles and a personal-low one sack. Despite his statistical decline, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) still ranked Pierre-Paul a solid 30th out of 91 qualifying edge rushers. The site remained impressed with his pass-rushing ability, though it gave him a poor grade against the run. He clearly disagrees in regards to the latter, having stated in December that, “I think I play the run better than I play the pass.”
Pierre-Paul also expressed a desire before the season ended to finish his career with the Giants, but the chances of that happening now appear low. While JPP should garner plenty of interest as a free agent from teams in need of an edge rusher, it remains to be seen if he’ll end up with a deal anywhere near the one the Giants were willing to give him prior to his accident.
Photo Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
James Harrison To Return In 2016?
WEDNESDAY: Harrison said he’ll need six weeks of training to determine if his body will enable him to return next season, tweets Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He’ll begin training in Scottsdale in mid-March and the six-week timeline will take him up to the start of OTAs (Twitter link via Dulac).
“I’m going to start the process of making sure that I can get back to where I need to be so I’m able to give 100 percent, Harrison stated. “If I get to that point and I’m feeling good, there’s probably a good chance – no, not probably – I will play” (Twitter links via Dulac).
TUESDAY, 5:50pm: Hold the phone. Despite his agent’s comments, Harrison told his business and PR managers that he’s not certain he will return in 2016, Dulac tweets.
5:08pm: Steelers veteran James Harrison will celebrate his 38th birthday in May but that doesn’t mean that he’ll be retired come September. On Tuesday, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert indicated that he anticipates the linebacker will want to continue playing (Twitter link via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Colbert added that he doesn’t “see any reason” why he wouldn’t want to have the veteran linebacker back in the fold. 
[RELATED: Steelers Optimistic About LeVeon Bell’s MCL Recovery]
With that in mind, Harrison’s representation says that the plan is for the veteran to join the Steelers in camp this summer.
“I guess we will be there,” Harrison’s agent, Bill Parise, told Kaboly. “This is not a announcement or anything like that, but we are under contract and everything is going forward.”
When asked in late January, Harrison was on the fence about his plans. Now, all signs are pointing to Harrison returning to Pittsburgh for at least one more season. Of course, as Harrison’s agent cautioned, nothing will be for certain until Harrison personally addresses his NFL future.
Harrison is due a $1.25MM base salary in 2016. This past season, Harrison appeared in 15 games, racking up 40 total tackles, 5.0 sacks, 1 interception, two forced fumbles, and four pass deflections. Now that Charles Woodson has retired, Harrison stands as the NFL’s oldest active defensive player.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Staff Notes: 49ers, Washington, Rams, Cowboys, Vikes
The latest coaching staff updates from around the NFL:
- The 49ers’ Chip Kelly is hiring Dana Bible as a senior advisor, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). Bible’s last NFL experience came as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator in 1998. He hasn’t worked since 2012, when he was an assistant at North Carolina State.
- Washington has hired Kevin Carberry as assistant offensive line coach and Shane Waldron as offensive quality control, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com tweets.
- The Rams hired former Georgia tight ends coach John Lilly to the same position, sources tell Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Cowboys are hiring Michigan defensive backs coach Greg Jackson to coach the safeties while Joe Baker will coach cornerbacks, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
- The Vikings have named Brent Salazar their strength and conditioning coach, Chris Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Salazar was previously the Chiefs’ assistant strength coach for nine seasons. He’s replacing the fired Evan Marcus in Minnesota.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
David Bruton Wants To Return To Broncos
Safety David Bruton will be eligible to sign anywhere in a few weeks, but he says his preference is to stay with the defending World Champions, as Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post tweets. However, there figures to be a pretty healthy market for Bruton this spring. The Broncos safety tells Wolfe that he’s heard the Bears, Dolphins, and Giants are interested in him. 
[RELATED: Malik Jackson Talks Free Agency, Broncos’ QBs]
Bruton could also be pricing himself out of Denver. The safety told Wolfe (link) that he is eyeing a three-year, $15MM deal like the one that Justin Bethel received from the Cardinals. With more pressing needs to address, it would be surprising to see the Broncos give him that sort of deal prior to the start of free agency or even early on that week. The Broncos project to have T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart at safety, so they can afford to let Bruton go if he does not fit into the budget.
Bruton was placed on IR in December after breaking his leg and, therefore, did not play in the Super Bowl. Remarkably, Bruton played through three quarters of a late-season tilt against the Steelers with a broken fibula and, by his own estimation, he could have played in SB50 had he been eligible (link). At this point, Bruton says he’s 100% and is already riding bikes and doing squats in preparation for next season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC South Notes: Colts, Jaguars, Skuta
A pair of pending Colts free agents have hired Drew Rosenhaus to represent them, per Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter links). Tight end Dwayne Allen and linebacker Jerrell Freeman will both be represented by the super agent heading into March and that could be a promising sign for the Colts. Rosenhaus has a history of getting deals done with Indianapolis and the team would surely like to retain both players.
Here’s more from the AFC South:
- Linebacker Dan Skuta had never been considered a probable cap casualty for the Jaguars this offseason, but that possibility became even more remote last week. According to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), $3.5MM of Skuta’s $3.6MM base salary for 2016 became fully guaranteed on Friday, meaning there would be extremely minimal cap savings this season for the Jags if they were to cut him.
- Finding a starting center should be a priority for the Jaguars this offseason, says Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. As we noted last week during our Jags offseason preview, incumbent starter Stefen Wisniewski is a free agent, and Alex Mack – who drew significant interest from Jacksonville two years ago – may hit the market again.
- Colts linebacker Jonathan Newsome was arrested early Wednesday morning on possession of marijuana charges, as Matt Adams of FOX59 writes. Authorities first came to Newsome’s home to follow up on a noise complaint and during the investigation, officers found marijuana. Police said Newsome cooperated with authorities as he was taken into custody. Newsome established himself in 2014 with 4.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits. In 2015, the 25-year-old didn’t put up the same kind of numbers, recording 18 total tackles and 1 sack.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Latest On Giants, Prince Amukamara
Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara says that he doesn’t expect to discuss a new contract with the Giants before hitting free agency in March (Twitter link via SiriusXM NFL Radio). Noting that his agent instructed him to “open-minded” through the free agency process, Amukamara says that he hopes to return to the G-Men in 2016 (link).
[RELATED: Giants, Ben McAdoo Finalize Coaching Staff]
Amukamara, 26, has had an up-and-down run with the Giants since his entry into the league in 2011, but some of his problems can be chalked up to injury. Of course, that’s a double-edged sword when evaluating a free agent. Amukamara’s only 16-game season came in 2013 and in the last two years, he has only taken the field for 19 contests. Still, in his 11 games in 2015, Amukamara was a difference maker, notching 63 total tackles, 10 pass deflections, one fumble recovery, and one interception.
When healthy, Amukamara has demonstrated the ability that made him the No. 19 overall pick in the 2011 draft. I’d expect the Giants to make an effort to re-sign Amukamara before free agency officially gets underway, but the team will only go so far to retain him given the options that are out there at cornerback. If the bidding for him gets into the neighborhood of $10MM annually, that’s a price that the Giants probably won’t pay.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lions Won’t Re-Sign Manny Ramirez
Lions guard Manny Ramirez will not sign a new deal with the club. Both the guard and the team are ready to move on as he approaches free agency, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets. 
[RELATED: Lions Cut RB Joique Bell]
Ramirez, who turns 33 on Friday, saw time in all 16 games this season but started only seven contests. When he was relegated to the bench in favor of younger interior linemen, Ramirez missed out on several playing-time incentives in his contract. When asked in November if he felt his benching carried financial motives, Ramirez took the high road.
“I hope not,” Ramirez said.“But I can’t worry about that. I can only worry about the things that I’m in control of, which is, every time I step on the field, that I’m ready to go. That’s all I can do.”
Ramirez played more than 1,000 snaps for the Broncos in 2014, seeing time at both center and guard. On Day 1 of the draft, however, Denver shipped him to the Lions in a deal that allowed them to move up and select Missouri pass rusher Shane Ray.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.