Extra Points: Eagles, Bengals, Browns, Steelers
Some assorted notes from around the league as we wrap up the weekend…
- While Chip Kelly may not be considered the Eagles bona fide general manager, there’s no denying that he was controlling personnel decisions this offseason. Based on the team’s underwhelming performance in 2015, NFL Media’s Michael Robinson believes the organization needs a more traditional GM. “He needs a guy that’s going to come in and help him evaluate talent,” he said (via Conor Orr of NFL.com).
- The Bengals have denied both USC and Miami’s request to interview offensive coordinator Hue Jackson for their previous head coaching vacancies, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. If Jackson doesn’t receive an NFL offer, Florio believes he could eventually replace Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati.
- Firing Mike Pettine with four games to go makes little sense for the Browns, writes Marla Ridenour of Cleveland.com. The writer believes the move would “do more harm than good,” as owner Jimmy Haslam‘s “quick trigger” may make it hard to find a competent replacement.
- Steelers return man Jacoby Jones botched a pair of kicks in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Colts. The veteran has been benched for the second half, and Florio wonders if his tenure with Pittsburgh may be over.
Mike Pettine, Browns Haven’t Discussed Coach’s Job Security
It was exactly 13 months ago when the Browns topped the Bengals to gain sole possession of the AFC North. Since then, the team has gone 3-16, including losses in 15 of their past 17 games. Predictably, some pundits have questioned Mike Pettine‘s job security.
The head coach added some fuel to the fire following Sunday’s loss to the Bengals, telling Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that he hasn’t received any assurances from owner Jimmy Haslam regarding his job status for the rest of the season.
“We haven’t had those discussions,” Pettine said. “Jimmy and I had good conversations. We talk every week. Frankly, there’s a lot of football left to be played. We’re evaluated every day, whether we’re evaluating ourselves or whether it is coming from him.
“We’re just going to fall back on what we know how to do. We’re going to come in every day, prepare relentlessly like we do, we’re going to coach our players hard and we will see what happens.”
As Cabot points out, Haslam previously said that he wouldn’t “blow things up” following this season. However, those statements followed a promising 7-9 campaign, and things haven’t gone so well for the organization since. Embattled quarterback Johnny Manziel has had a tumultuous sophomore campaign, and the Browns have gotten little production from their recent first-round picks.
The writer believes Haslam will let Pettine stick around for the rest of the season, although there’s no guarantee beyond that. The owner has already fired a pair of coaches in Pat Shurmur and Rob Chudzinski.
NFC Notes: Cardinals, Browner, Coughlin
Before signing a three-year extension with the Cardinals yesterday, cornerback Justin Bethel was set to hit free agency following the season. The special teams ace could have made more than $9MM guaranteed on the open market, but he told Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com that he wanted to stay in Arizona.
“You never know,” Bethel said. “You want to stay with the team that brought you in. You talk with your agents, you talk with your family, you want to do what’s best for you and your career. Not everybody plays the game for a long time. I didn’t want to go and be greedy if they gave me a really good deal, which they did. I’m thankful.”
Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC…
- Brandon Browner‘s brutal first season with the Saints got even worse in today’s loss to the Panthers. The cornerback was called for three penalties, was beat by Devin Funchess for a touchdown, and was a part of the failed coverage that led to another score by Ted Ginn. The veteran was also caught arguing with teammate Jairus Byrd and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. This led to Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe tweeting that Browner should be released, citing the distraction that accompanies the defensive back.
- On the flip side, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com notes (via Twitter) that the Saints are too depleted to let go of Browner, noting that both Delvin Breaux and Damian Swann are currently banged up.
- Leading by 10 with less than nine minutes to go, Giants coach Tom Coughlin opted to go for the touchdown instead of a field goal. Eli Manning‘s pass ended up being picked off, setting the way for the Jets’ comeback victory. The New York Post’s Steve Serby believes that play could signal “the beginning of the end” for the long-time Giants coach.
49ers Open To Kaepernick Return
6:35pm: NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport echoes Schefter’s report, providing more details on the meeting.
“My understanding is Colin Kaepernick sat down with general manager Trent Baalke and discussed among other things potential free agent targets for next year and the plan for 2016, a sign that maybe — just maybe — the 49ers are not done with Kaepernick yet,” Rapoport said on NFL Network’s GameDay Morning (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com). “I’m told he is in their plans for 2016.”
9:22am: Most NFL writers and talking heads believe that the 49ers and quarterback Colin Kaepernick will part ways this offseason. San Francisco appears to be headed towards a rebuilding phase, Kaepernick’s performance has declined precipitously over the last several seasons, and there is plenty of reported interest in Kaepernick’s services among quarterback-needy teams who remain intrigued by the 28-year-old’s upside. Indeed, the majority of articles published over the last several weeks have focused on where Kaepernick will end up in 2016, and San Francisco has not appeared on many of those lists.
But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), Kaepernick met with team officials last week, and both sides are open to a reunion in 2016. Of course, neither party would publicly foreclose the possibility of a return at this point, but it is interesting to note that there was a meeting between team and player that apparently went well. Both sides were rumored to be looking for a fresh start, and recent reports indicated that the 49ers would continue to dangle Kaepernick in trade talks in the offseason after they were contacted by at least three teams who were interested in acquiring the signal-caller in advance of this year’s trade deadline.
Of course, Kaepernick’s contract situation is a complicating factor in all of this. His $11.9MM salary in 2016 is currently guaranteed for injury only, but it becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, 2016. The shoulder surgery that he underwent on November 24 has a recovery time of four to six months, and if he cannot pass a physical by April 1, the team would be forced to guarantee his salary. If that’s the case, and if a trade is untenable–as at least one national writer believes–then maybe Kaepernick will, in fact, return to the team he starred for not long ago.
Justin Bethel Signs Extension With Cardinals
5:05pm: The deal is official, via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
“With the guys we’ve got here, especially in our secondary, Pat (Peterson), Ty (Mathieu), Rashad (Johnson), Jerraud, Deone (Bucannon), Tony (Jefferson), all those guys, I think we have a really, really close group,” Bethel told Urban. “It shows on the field. Being able to get my deal done, and hopefully get some other guys done, is a really big deal to me.
“I’m just thankful I could stay with the team that drafted me.”
SUNDAY, 11:13am: Former NFL agent Joel Corry passes along (via Twitter) a couple of details on the impact of this extension on the Cardinals’ salary cap. As Corry notes, Bethel’s cap numbers will be $3.25MM in 2016, $5.25MM in 2017, and $5.75MM in 2018.
SATURDAY, 9:47am: Cardinals Pro Bowl defensive back Justin Bethel has signed a three-year, $15MM extension, agents Damarius Bilbo and Fletcher Smith told NFL Network’s Rand Getlin (via Twitter). The deal will contain $9MM in guaranteed money and $1.8MM in incentives and escalators (Twitter link). NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport was the first to report that a deal was close.
Bethel, the Cardinals’ sixth-round pick in 2012, was set to become a free agent following this season. The cornerback has yet to miss a game in his career, although he only recently earned his first career start. In 2015, the 25-year-old has compiled 18 tackles, five passes defended, and an interception (which was brought back for a score). While he’s only played 201 snaps on defense this season, his 247 special teams snaps are tops on the team.
The Presbyterian College alumni was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2013, and he made the Pro Bowl in both 2013 and 2014. The team will presumably now switch their focus to fellow defensive backs Jerraud Powers and Rashad Johnson, who are set to hit free agency following the season.
Extra Points: Amendola, Patriots, Los Angeles
Returning from injury, Patriots receiver Danny Amendola has had a nice — and profitable — day so far, as New England is tied with Philadelphia as the contest heads to halftime. Amendola not only caught a touchdown pass from Tom Brady, but caught his 50th pass of the season, good for a $150K bonus, according to Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link).
Here’s more from around the league as the second slate of NFL games reach their midway points…
- Appearing on the Patriots‘ pre-game show, owner Robert Kraft said that NFL owners discussed the possibility of moving a team — or teams — to Los Angeles for roughly three hours at last week’s owner’s meetings. However, the group still has “no sense” of what clubs will ultimately end up in southern California (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe).
- While the owners might not have a solid plan for the NFL in LA, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has several, which he outlined earlier this morning. Each scenario involves some combination of the Rams, Chargers, and Raiders in either Carson or Inglewood, CA, and the entire post is well worth a read.
- The league recently shortened the legal tampering period from three days to two, and according to Florio, that’s not the only change the NFL will implement. Actual negotiations will be allowed to take place during that two-day window, a source tells Florio, instead of just vague contract concepts. Whether or not that means teams and agents can come to concrete agreements is still unknown.
PFR Originals: 11/29/15 – 12/6/15
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- Luke Adams went over the 2016 cap outlook for the two clubs that will square off on Monday Night Football tomorrow night — Washington (link) and the Cowboys (link). While Washington might need to release several notable players (Robert Griffin III, Pierre Garcon), Dallas figures to restructure the contract of Tony Romo once again.
- Luke also rounded up the best of the football blogs in the latest edition of Pigskin Links. Got a great football blog post that you want to see featured in next week’s Pigskin Links? Email it to Zach or tweet it to him: @ZachLinks.
Jonathan Vilma Announces Retirement
Former Jets/Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has announced his retirement from the NFL, according to a statement issued by the Saints. Vilma, 33, is set to be honored later today before New Orleans’ game against Carolina.
“I’m excited to be retiring from my playing career as a member of the New Orleans Saints,” said Vilma. “I loved everything about being a Saint and was fortunate to be surrounded by so many outstanding coaches and teammates for six years and to be a part of the team that won Super Bowl XLIV. I would also like to thank our fans for making my playing career in New Orleans so memorable. I will never forget the amazing fans here and the experiences we shared together.”
Vilma, a first-round draft pick in 2004, played four seasons with New York before heading to the Saints in a 2008 trade. The former Miami Hurricane would spend the next six seasons in New Orleans, starting starting 68 games during that time. Injuries sapped Vilma’s ability during the 2013 season, and though he drew free agent interest during the summer of 2014, he never latched on with another club. The three-time Pro Bowler finishes his career with more than 600 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and 12 interceptions.
Off the field, Vilma was just as productive, starting the Jonathan Vilma foundation in 2010 to help victims from the devastating 2010 Haitian earthquake. Vilma, whose parents both hail from Haiti, helped raise more than $400K, and was a key figure in establishing three new charter schools in his parents’ native country. He was named the Saints’ 2010 “Man of the Year.”
“Jonathan Vilma is one of the most talented, dedicated and determined players that I have had the pleasure to coach,” said said Saints head coach Sean Payton. “Whether it was on the practice field, in the meeting room or in the weight room, Jonathan’s leadership, preparation and effort were second to none. He was an enormous asset to our team and was an integral part of us winning a Super Bowl.”
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Week In Review: 11/29/15 – 12/6/15
The headlines from the past week at PFR:
Key News:
- Having already fired their head coach and defensive coordinator earlier in the year, the Dolphins continued to clean house, firing offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, promoting quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor to take his place.
- The 49ers made a change in their front office, reassigning team president Paraag Marathe; however, he’ll continue to lead the club’s salary cap.
- The NFL made two rules changes this week, shortening the legal tampering period to two days, and allowing the trading of compensatory draft picks beginning in 2017.
Extended:
- Cardinals – Justin Bethel, CB (through 2018)
- Chargers – Tom Telesco, GM (through 2019)
Signed:
- Browns – Terrelle Pryor, QB (link)
- Panthers – Cortland Finnegan, CB (link)
Waived:
- Dolphins – C.J. Mosley, DT (link)
Injuries:
- Browns – Josh McCown, QB (IR)
- Cardinals – Chris Johnson, RB (IR-DTR)
- Colts – Ahmad Bradshaw, RB (IR)
- Falcons – Leonard Hankerson, WR (IR)
- Giants – Geoff Schwartz, G (IR)
- Jaguars – Toby Gerhart, RB (IR)
- Seahawks – Jimmy Graham, TE (IR) and Paul Richardson, WR (IR)
Sunday Roundup: Payton, Lacy, Osweiler
As Week 13 gets underway in full force, let’s take a look at some news and notes from around the league:
- The Saints will not release head coach Sean Payton, but the team is warming to the idea of trading him for draft picks, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. New Orleans though, would not deal Payton to a team he does not wish to coach, and Payton would not sign an extension with any team that does not appeal to him.
- 2015 has been nothing short of a disappointment for Packers RB Eddie Lacy, and his on-field struggles are just one cause for concern. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (article via Conor Orr of NFL.com), Green Bay is troubled by Lacy’s off-field behavior–Lacy was, of course, disciplined for a curfew violation Wednesday night–and the team in fact cut fellow RB Alonzo Harris and did not resign him to the practice squad because he is a close friend of Lacy’s and the Packers apparently believe Harris is a bad influence on their star back.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com examines the type of deal that Broncos QB Brock Osweiler might command in the offseason. The Broncos may offer him a contract with an AAV of roughly $12MM–which is what Nick Foles is earning with the Rams–but assuming Osweiler finishes the regular season with a 6-1 or 5-2 record as a starter, he would have no reason to accept such an offer, as there would be plenty of teams willing to shell out much more than that in free agency. Instead, Denver may be forced to extend Von Miller and use the franchise tag–which it planned to use on Miller–on Osweiler.
- In a separate piece, Fitzgerald examines the 2016 class of free agent defensive ends.
- Although he lost the opportunity to finish the season as the Browns‘ starting QB several weeks ago, Johnny Manziel has been told by the club that he will start again this season, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. When that will be, however, is anyone’s guess.
- After failing in his attempts to purchase the Bills, Jon Bon Jovi is still attempting to buy an NFL club, and La Canfora writes that Bon Jovi, along with a number of other potential suitors, is paying close attention to the Titans, a team that other owners believe could formally come for sale in the spring or fall as the Adams family continues to sort through tax and estate issues.
- Texans right guard Brandon Brooks, who has dealt with a number of stomach ailments over the past year, experienced nausea this morning at Ralph Wilson Stadium and went to a Buffalo-area hospital for further evaluation, per Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. Needless to say, Brooks was scratched from Houston’s game with the Bills this afternoon.
- Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee tweets that the 49ers have not yet determined if they will move rookie WR DeAndre Smelter off the NFI list. The deadline to do so is tomorrow, and the team’s decision could be impacted by its injury situation after today’s clash with the Bears.