Latest On Jets, Damon Harrison
Jets defensive tackle Damon Harrison is eligible to hit free agency in a few weeks but if he has his druthers, he won’t be going anywhere. On Tuesday, Harrison told Sirius XM NFL Radio (audio link) that he wants to stay with the Jets. And while no deal is done yet, Harrison says that the two sides are getting closer to an agreement. 
“I think we are headed in the right direction with a deal getting done, but I understand that the NFL is a business,” Harrison said.
For the last few years, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus have been very high on Harrison’s work. In 2015, Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d) gave Harrison a 91.9 overall grade, placing him as the 7th best interior defensive lineman in the NFL. Harrison played in only half of Gang Green’s snaps, but he is incredibly vital to the Jets’ 3-4 front and could get big bucks from another club looking for a tough, physical nose tackle. As a result, the Jets’ best chance to retain Harrison might be to work out a long-term deal prior to the start of free agency.
Harrison, 27, has started in all 16 regular season games in each of the last three seasons. Last year, Harrison recorded a career-high 72 tackles and also notched a forced fumble.
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Patriots LB Jerod Mayo Announces Retirement
Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo has announced his retirement via Instagram. The post is titled, “Retiring a Patriot.”
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“After a lot of thought, Chantel and I take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude for what we consider a life changing event…that of becoming a New England Patriot for the past eight years,” Mayo wrote. “We are extremely grateful to “Thundercat,” Jonathan, the Kraft family, Coach Belichick, the Pats organization, and the most amazing fans in contributing to these pages of our lives. As my family and I prepare for the future, be sure that the Pats memories will always hold a special place in our hearts.”
Mayo, who has been with the Patriots since he was selected 10th overall in the 2008 draft, saw his role reduced this season. After starting all but two of his 87 regular season games in the first seven years of his NFL career, Mayo started only eight of 16 games in 2015, appearing in just over 400 defensive snaps. His 47 tackles represented a new career low. In January, Mayo was placed on season-ending IR.
The linebacker, 30 next week, saw injuries derail his last few seasons. He appeared in just 12 of 32 regular-season contests in 2013 and 2014 before staying healthy for most of this year. With Mayo retiring, the Patriots will save $7MM while carrying $4.4MM in dead money.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On UCLA’s Myles Jack
UCLA star Myles Jack has yet to receive clearance to fully participate in next week’s NFL scouting combine, as Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com writes. However, the 20-year-old will do the bench press, attend team interviews, and undergo the medical check at the combine in Indianapolis. 
Jack, who injured his knee in September, expects to be fully cleared in early March. For his part, the linebacker insists that he is only holding back in training as a precaution.
“Personally, I feel great,” Jack said. “The knee, I can do whatever I can do with the knee, running, cutting. It feels great. It feels like a new knee.”
Decision makers around the league believe Jack will go “very early” in the draft and he has been referred to as a “rare athlete,” a compliment that is not thrown around often. There are concerns about his size, but scouts are quick to point to Shaq Thompson, the Panthers first round pick in 2015, as an example of a player who was not held back by his statue. Jack, they say, is also a much better prospect than Thompson.
In an informal survey of NFL execs, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net found that the consensus has Jack going No. 4 overall, ahead of Ohio State’s Joey Bosa. Of course, in order to go in the top five, Jack’s knee will have to hold up to intense scrutiny from interested teams.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bears Cut OT Jermon Bushrod
The Bears announced that they have cut tackle Jermon Bushrod with a failed physical designation. Bushrod was due to earn $6.5MM in 2016. Bushrod inked a sizable five-year deal back in 2013 and he had two more seasons to go before the pact was terminated on Tuesday. The failed physical stemmed from Bushrod’s bad shoulder, a source tells Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter). 
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Bushrod, 31, suffered a concussion early in the season and, soon after, a shoulder injury. Charles Leno took over the tackle spot in his absence and Bushrod was then asked to play backup to him and right tackle Kyle Long.
“We thank Jermon for his contributions to the Bears,” Bears GM Ryan Pace said (via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune). “I have so much respect for how he carries himself on and off the field. He was a locker room leader and contributor in helping the younger players on our team grow. We wish him and his family the best as they move forward.”
Bushrod and the Bears agreed to a five year contract worth nearly $36MM back in 2013. Prior to that, the tackle spent 2007-2012 with the Saints where he earned two consecutive Pro Bowl selections before hitting the open market.
The Bears will save $4.3MM against the 2016 cap by releasing Bushrod while carrying $4.4MM in dead money. With Bushrod out of the picture, the Bears are expected to evaluate both Leno and Long as options on the left side.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lions Cut RB Joique Bell
The Lions have cut Joique Bell, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Bell entered last season as the team’s starting tailback before being leapfrogged by rookie Ameer Abdullah. Abdullah was up-and-down in his first season, but he is clearly the team’s tailback of the future. 
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Bell, 30 in August, saw time in 13 games last season, rushing for 311 yards off of 90 carries with four touchdowns. He also produced as a pass-catching back, hauling in 22 receptions for 286 yards. Bell has been an important part of the Lions’ backfield rotation since 2013, but the club apparently will look for a No. 2 back elsewhere in ’16.
Bell was due to earn $2.5MM in 2016, a sum that would be very reasonable for a No. 2 tailback. However, Bell was not projected to be the main understudy to Abdullah, thanks to the emergence of Theo Riddick. Much of Bell’s value is tied to his receiving ability, but that’s a role that Riddick filled very capably in 2015. Riddick caught 80 catches (99 targets) for 697 yards in 2015, making him a favorite in the Detroit locker room as well as in PPR fantasy football leagues. He also ran for 133 yards off of 43 carries.
The Lions save $1MM by cutting Bell while carrying $2.5MM in dead money.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/16/16
Here are the latest minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL:
- The Cardinals announced a pair of signings today in a press release, confirming that they’ve re-signed safety Chris Clemons and added Australian Rules Football player Joel Wilkinson. A former starter in the Dolphins’ secondary, Clemons hasn’t seen much playing time since joining the Cardinals in 2014, but the team likes him enough to bring him back for a third season. As for Wilkinson, he’ll try to follow in the footsteps of Jarryd Hayne, who earned a spot on the 49ers’ roster last year after coming over from Australia. Wilkinson will play cornerback.
- The Steelers signed long snapper Matt Dooley and defensive tackle Lavon Hooks while cutting tight end Rob Blanchflower and offensive tackles Kelvin Palmer and Mitchell Van Dyk, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Falcons announced on Monday that they have waived cornerback Travis Howard and fullback Collin Mooney, two players who spent the 2015 season on the injured reserve list. Mooney last saw the field during a regular-season contest in 2013, when he appeared in 12 games for the Titans. Howard has spent time with the Patriots and Giants, but has never seen regular-season action.
- Cornerback Chance Casey, who spent more than half of the 2015 season on the Browns’ practice squad, has signed with the Jaguars, per team PR rep Tad Dickman (Twitter link). Casey was on the Colts’ roster last summer before being waived during roster cutdowns in September.
West Notes: Osweiler, 49ers, Chargers, Rams
Will the Broncos retain Brock Osweiler and install him as the team’s new starting QB in 2016, in the event that Peyton Manning retires? Running back Ronnie Hillman thinks so.
“It’s not my decision, but letting him go would not be too smart,” Hillman told SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Twitter).
Of course, Hillman himself might not be back in 2016, considering he’s also approaching free agency. The 24-year-old is coming off his best season, but he has been up and down during his four years in Denver, and he didn’t make a real impact in the playoffs — he ran for just 54 yards on 32 postseason carries, including zero yards on five attempts in the Super Bowl.
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s West divisions:
- In a pair of pieces for the Sacramento Bee, Matt Barrows previews the decisions facing the 49ers in their offensive backfield this offseason, as the team looks to address its quarterback and running back situations. According to Barrows, the draft combine will provide a prime opportunity for the Niners to assess the QBs set to hit the market, along with potential draft targets.
- Mark Whicker of the Los Angeles Daily News is extremely skeptical that the Chargers will get the votes they need from the city of San Diego to approve a new stadium.
- The Seahawks, Chiefs, and Broncos are among the teams in great position to pick up extra picks for the 2017 draft, as Nick Konte of Over the Cap explains in his early look at next year’s compensatory picks.
- Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com wonders if Robert Griffin III might be a good fit in Los Angeles. Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said last year that he likes the idea of having a mobile quarterback who can extend plays, which seems to apply to RGIII’s skill set.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Roger Goodell Earned $34MM+ For 2014
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell received $34.1MM in compensation for the 2014 NFL season, reports Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. According to Rovell, that $34.1MM figure is the amount listed on a tax filing that the league submitted today.
While Goodell’s base salary was a relatively modest $3.5MM, he also received a bonus of $26.5MM, $3.7MM in pension, along with other deferred benefits and “reported compensation.”
The $34MM+ compensation figure applies to the 2014 calendar year. During that time, Goodell dealt with – and arguably botched – a pair of off-field incidents involving running backs Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson.
Despite the blemishes on his résumé, Goodell didn’t see his salary take a significant hit from what he earned in previous years. The NFL commissioner earned just over $35MM for 2013, as we detailed last February. The year before that, Goodell was paid $44.2MM, though that figure included more than $9MM in deferred pay, meaning his salary was once again in the $35MM range.
Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal, who pegs Goodell’s 2014 compensation at $34.2MM, notes (via Twitter) that much of the commissioner’s pay for that year was set in 2013, prior to 2014’s domestic violence scandals. Kaplan also points out (via Twitter) that this will be the last time the NFL has to publicly disclose Goodell’s salary, since the league surrendered its tax-exempt status in 2015.
As Rovell tweets, Goodell has now earned more than $180MM in total compensation during his first nine years as the NFL’s commissioner.
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Giants, Ben McAdoo Finalize Coaching Staff
New Giants head coach Ben McAdoo has officially finalized the team’s new coaching staff, which features 20 assistants, the club announced today in a press release. There are no real surprises on the staff, which features 12 coaches from Tom Coughlin‘s staff, though McAdoo stressed that “this is a new staff.”
“Nobody was retained, there were no holdovers; everyone was hired,” McAdoo said. “When I sat down with everybody on the staff, that was one thing I wanted to make clear. No one was retained, no one was a holdover. Everyone was hired here as part of a new staff.”
Although one could make the case that assistants like defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and special teams coordinator Tom Quinn are technically holdovers from last year’s staff, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News suggests (via Twitter) that McAdoo probably means those coaches – and others – had to re-interview for their positions.
One of the 12 assistants who will return to the Giants this year is Mike Sullivan, who received a promotion from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, as previously reported. Sullivan, of course, steps in for McAdoo, who was elevated from OC to head coach after Coughlin resigned.
Quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti and offensive line coach Mike Solari are among the new additions to McAdoo’s staff whose hirings were previously reported. Adam Henry (WRs coach), Patrick Graham (DL coach), Jeff Zgonina (assistant DL coach), Bill McGovern (LBs coach), Dwayne Stukes (assistant special teams coach), and Aaron Wellman (strength and conditioning) round out the group of new coaches.
For the full list, be sure to check out the Giants’ press release.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Malik Jackson Talks Free Agency, Broncos’ QBs
With noteworthy Broncos players like quarterback Brock Osweiler and outside linebacker Von Miller also eligible for free agency this winter, defensive end Malik Jackson may be a little overlooked around the NFL as the new league year approaches. However, he’s a priority in Denver, with a weekend report suggesting that the team is “negotiating in earnest” in an effort to retain Jackson.
As those discussions continue, Jackson appeared on the NFL Network on Monday to discuss his contract situation and the Broncos’ outlook at quarterback. Via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post, who recapped the defensive lineman’s comments in a pair of stories, here are a few of the highlights from Jackson during that conversation:
On the possibility of testing the free agent market:
“In talking to my agent, I got a pretty good idea of what my worth is. But I would like to see — because you never know — just to see the numbers. But if Denver came with quality numbers close to what we feel I deserve, then I would stay.”
On staying with a contending team vs. seeking out the best possible contract offer:
“I think it’s 50-50. That’s what makes it so hard, because you want to get paid. That’s your dream, to get paid and take care of your family. But you still want to win, too.“
On the possibility of Osweiler returning as the Broncos’ starting quarterback:
“He’s definitely someone who’s proven. He’s been underpaid for four years, quietly waiting. When he got his chance to go, he really outperformed himself. I think with the defense they have in Denver, you could put Brock back there and he’ll definitely win some games with them.”
On Manning’s potential retirement:
“To be honest with you, I think throughout the whole year I think it’s kind of been hard, getting hurt and everything, I think you can kinda see it take a toll throughout the season. I think when he talked to the team going into the game Saturday night you could kind of feel like the way he was talking, he was getting a little emotional. I don’t know if that was his last speech before a team, but you could definitely tell maybe it was getting closer. He kind of felt an extra type of why about this game to really want to go out there and win.”