HEADLINES

Extra Points: NFLPA, Mayo, Van Pelt, Raiders

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:34pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL Players Association has formally filed a grievance against the league challenging the NFL’s new personal conduct policy, which was adopted in December despite the NFLPA’s objections, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The union contends that it didn’t have an opportunity to collectively bargain many key points of the new policy, arguing that the policy violates the CBA and that it was adopted “without the consent, and over the objections, of the NFLPA.”

While we wait to see what comes of the union’s grievance, let’s round up several items from across the NFL….

  • Injured Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo has been prioritizing his rehabilitation after a season-ending knee injury, and fully intends to get back on the field in 2015, but he has also developed an interest in coaching during his time spent on injured reserve, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “I’m just trying to learn as much as I can,” Mayo said. “If I do choose to go down that road, hopefully I can apply some of these principles that I’ve learned from coach [Bill] Belichick in my coaching career.”
  • While a previous report revealed the Packers turned down the Rams’ request to speak to Alex Van Pelt about their offensive coordinator job, St. Louis wasn’t the only team rebuffed by Green Bay. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), the Jaguars and Bears were also denied permission to interview Van Pelt.
  • The Raiders have officially confirmed a handful of new additions to Jack Del Rio’s staff, announcing in a press release that they’ve hired Todd Downing (QB coach), Marcus Robertson (DB coach), Sal Sunseri (LB coach), and Mike Tice (OL coach).
  • The Jets also announced several new assistants in addition to their new coordinators. According to the team, Mike Caldwell (assistant HC/ILB coach), Mark Collins (OLB coach), Joe Danna (DB/S coach), and Karl Dorrell (WR coach) are among the new arrivals.
  • Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey isn’t phased by the fact that 2015 could be a make-or-break season for him and head coach Joe Philbin, suggesting that he approaches every season as if it’s make-or-break, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
  • The Texans have made some front office changes, promoting Jon Carr to director of college scouting and hiring Matt Jansen to the new position of college scouting coordinator, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links).
  • We learned yesterday that Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett met with the Dolphins at the Senior Bowl, but Miami is far from the only team to interview Lockett. The wideout, who is generating plenty of buzz in Mobile, tells James Walker of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that he spoke to 28 NFL teams this week.

Jets Hire Kacy Rodgers As DC

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

JANUARY 23: The Jets have finally made the hiring of Rodgers official, confirming it in a press release. The team also announced the hiring of Bobby April as special teams coordinator.

JANUARY 16: New Jets head coach Todd Bowles has begun to fill out his staff, as Adam Caplan of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that Dolphins defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers will take over as New York’s defensive coordinator. Reports yesterday indicated that the Dolphins would not block Rodgers’ move to their division rival, and now it sounds like deal will be finalized at some point in the coming days (Twitter link via Caplan). Rodgers, 45, has worked as an NFL assistant since 2003, and his time in Miami overlapped with Bowles’ from 2008-11. He’ll replace Dennis Thurman, who followed ex-Jets coach Rex Ryan to Buffalo.

In South Beach, Rodgers worked with a Dolphins defensive line that included talented players such as Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon, and Jared Odrick, and although the club’s entire defense tailed off near the end of the season, it still finished eighth in adjusted sack rate. Miami’s line did contribute to a defensive unit that ranked 24th in rushing yards allowed, however. In New York, Rodgers will employ a similarly talent defensive line — Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson lead a position group that helped the team Jets finish fifth in rushing yards allowed and fourth in adjusted sack rate.

The primary area of focus for Rodgers, then, will be Gang Green’s secondary, which allowed the third-highest passer rating to opposing quarterbacks, and finished 24th in DVOA against the pass. Chief among Rodgers’ assignments will be to mold two recent first-round defensive back selections, corner Dee Milliner and safety Calvin Pryor, in the hopes of fortifying a weak secondary.

Rodgers, a Tennessee alum, coached in the college ranks before joining the Cowboys as a defensive tackles coach in 2003. He’s been in his current role since ’08. As for scheme, it’s unclear what look what Rodgers will use as his base defense — the Dolphins ran an 4-3 front, while Bowles and the Cardinals employed a 3-4 defense. Regardless, the unit will surely look different that than the Ryan-led defense of recent years.

Browns Notes: Manziel, Hoyer, Carter

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Addressing the Browns’ decision to release offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan from his contract, head coach Mike Pettine suggested that Shanahan wanted to move on, and the team didn’t want the situation to drag out.

“It’s just very hard to win in the NFL (even) when everybody’s into it and they truly want to be there,” Pettine said. “And again if you have somebody that just doesn’t want to be there, I know it’s easy to say, ‘Hey he’s under contract, hold him to it,’ (but then) there’s a dark cloud over your coaching offices and I’ve been a part of that.”

According to Pettine, there was some discussion about trying to get compensation for Shanahan, who had two years left on his contract, but the head coach didn’t want to “get into that legal stuff.”

Here’s more on the Browns:

  • Initial reports suggested that Shanahan may have had an issue with the team’s commitment to Johnny Manziel, but Pettine dismissed the notion that the former OC wanted out because of Cleveland’s quarterback situation: “I think a lot of people are just putting that out there as a possible reason where he looked at it and said, ‘Hey, the QB situation’s not great and this is one of the reasons I want to get out of here.’ I won’t get into details, but in his reasoning to me that was not a part of it.”
  • While Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has often been cited as a catalyst for the Manziel pick, Haslam didn’t exactly rave about the young quarterback this week, suggesting that selecting a QB in the first round of this year’s draft is on the table. Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal has the details and quotes.
  • Jeremy Fowler and Pat McManamon of ESPN.com spoke to nearly 20 Browns sources to try to determine what went wrong during Manziel’s first NFL season, and found a handful of worrisome patterns both on and off the field.
  • The Browns’ chief contract negotiator, Sashi Brown, reached out to Brian Hoyer‘s agent Joe Linta a week ago to re-open communications between the two sides, according to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. Grossi writes that while it may have seemed at one point like a foregone conclusion that Hoyer would be moving on, “that tide is turning” and the veteran could re-sign.
  • Hoyer is scheduled to sit down with Pettine, GM Ray Farmer, and new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo in the next week or two, and what he hears in those meetings may determine whether or not he instructs Linta to pursue a possible extension with the club. Linta on his client: “Brian would love to stay — if the situation were good for all parties. He’s looking forward to meeting those guys over the next couple of weeks.”
  • CFL receiver Duron Carter, who was previously said to be in talks with the Browns, Colts, and Vikings, is now down to two finalists, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s not clear which clubs are the finalists, but the Colts and Vikings have been cited as frontrunners throughout the process, so it’s possible Cleveland is no longer in the mix — that’s just my speculation though.

NFL Issues Update On Patriots Investigation

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL’s investigation into whether members of the Patriots intentionally tampered with footballs used in Sunday’s AFC championship game against the Colts, which began earlier this week, looks like it could continue for some time. The league has issued a statement updating the progress of the investigation, which is being headed by NFL executive VP Jeff Pash and Ted Wells, who led last year’s investigation into the Dolphins’ bullying scandal. The statement, which can be found in full right here, reads, in part:

“The investigation is ongoing, will be thorough and objective, and is being pursued expeditiously. In the coming days, we expect to conduct numerous additional interviews, examine video and other forensic evidence, as well as relevant physical evidence. While the evidence thus far supports the conclusion that footballs that were under-inflated were used by the Patriots in the first half, the footballs were properly inflated for the second half and confirmed at the conclusion of the game to have remained properly inflated. The goals of the investigation will be to determine the explanation for why footballs used in the game were not in compliance with the playing rules and specifically whether any noncompliance was the result of deliberate action. We have not made any judgments on these points and will not do so until we have concluded our investigation and considered all of the relevant evidence.

“Upon being advised of the investigation, the Patriots promptly pledged their full cooperation and have made their personnel and other information available to us upon request. Our investigation will seek information from any and all relevant sources and we expect full cooperation from other clubs as well. As we develop more information and are in a position to reach conclusions, we will share them publicly.”

NFC Notes: Romo, Fitzgerald, Fewell, 49ers

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Tony Romo’s contract currently calls for a $27.77MM cap hit in 2015, before dipping to $17.64MM in 2016, which would appear to make him a slam-dunk candidate to have his deal restructured this offseason. However, Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones says “not a given,” according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News, who explains why it’s risky to push more money into the later years of the contract. Still, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets, it’s hard to believe Jerry Jones will “hold the line financially” with Romo turning 35 in April and the team’s championship window potentially closing soon.

Let’s check in on a few other Friday items from out of the NFC….

  • Speaking of Romo, in an appearance on 103.3 KESN-FM in Dallas, he admitted that he’s consistently talking to Jerry Jones and other members of the Cowboys‘ front office about re-signing Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray, writes Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. In order for that to be possible, the team may need the cap space that a Romo restructure would create.
  • Reiterating that he hopes to get contract extensions done for head coach Bruce Arians and GM Steve Keim following the Super Bowl, Cardinals president Michael Bidwill also addressed’s Larry Fitzgerald contract last night, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com outlines. Bidwill advised fans to “relax” about Fitzgerald, assuring them the situation will get worked out. “My goal from the beginning was to have Larry Fitzgerald retire as a Cardinal when he is ready to retire many years from now,” Bidwill said. “I am feeling confident something will get worked out.”
  • As expected, former Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell will be in San Francisco today to interview with the 49ers for their defensive backs coach position, tweets Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports.
  • D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution takes a look at the prospects who have spoken to the Falcons at the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl.
  • You can make the case that the Saints don’t need to bring back any of their free-agents-to-be this offseason, says Jason Fitzgerald in his preview of the team’s offseason at OverTheCap.com.

NFC North Notes: Packers, Cobb, Mathis

January 23rd, 2015 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

With cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Davon House both eligible for free agency this offseason, the Packers must decide whether to retain one, neither, or both, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. For his part, House would like to see both he and Williams work out new deals with the team.

“In a perfect world, we both come back,” House said. “But there’s only two starting corners on each team. Tramon is well-deserving. I feel like my potential is pretty high. So we’ll see, we’ll see.”

Here’s more from around the NFC North:

  • A team source tells Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com that he can’t see Packers GM Ted Thompson letting wideout Randall Cobb get away in free agency. However, Cobb says that until he has signed on the dotted line, he “can’t be for certain on anything.”
  • Asked at the end of the 2014 season if he wanted to play one more season, cornerback Rashean Mathis suggested that he may have more than one year left in him, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press details. Although Mathis turns 35 before the 2015 season, he’s coming off a strong year, and would like to re-sign with the Lions, though he didn’t rule out the possibility of playing for another team.
  • Longtime Vikings nose tackle Kevin Williams is playing for the Seahawks now, looking for his first Super Bowl ring next Sunday, but when he eventually retires he wants to sign a one-day contract with Minnesota and go out as a Viking, as he tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Latest On Teams Still Seeking OCs

January 23rd, 2015 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

There’s been plenty of turnover among the offensive coordinator ranks around the NFL already this offseason, with about a third of the league’s franchies hiring new OCs so far — 10 teams have hired replacements for their old coordinators, while the Cowboys are technically the 11th to install a new OC, having given Scott Linehan the official title that Bill Callahan previously held.

As our coordinator search tracker shows, even after those 11 teams have made changes, there are still three clubs with vacancies at the position, though it’s possible only two of those clubs will actually make a hire. Here’s the latest on the three teams still without an offensive coordinator:

San Francisco 49ers

The Niners have already added one notable name to their offensive staff, hiring ex-Raiders interim coach Tony Sparano as their tight ends coach, but are still in need of a coordinator to oversee the offense. The club pursued former Broncos OC Adam Gase before he landed with the Bears, which leaves three candidates who have been linked to the club since the hiring of head coach Jim Tomsula: Mike Shanahan, Lane Kiffin, and Rob Chudzinski.

Shanahan’s name came up about a week ago, but he hasn’t received much buzz since then, and it looks to me as if Kiffin and Chudzinski are the favorites for the position. In fact, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported over the weekend that Kiffin appeared to be the frontrunner. Since then, the Colts have rebuffed San Francisco’s attempt to speak to Chudzinski, which would seem to further solidify Kiffin as a top option, but we shouldn’t rule out the Colts assistant quite yet. Alex Marvez of Fox Sports reports (via Twitter) that Chudzinski’s contract with Indianapolis expires on Monday, at which point he’s expected to interview with the 49ers and Rams.

St. Louis Rams

As noted above, the Rams are expected to interview Colts assistant Rob Chudzinski when his contract with Indianapolis expires on Monday, and the fact that both San Francisco and St. Louis are willing to wait on Chudzinski suggests he’s a viable candidate for both clubs. Like the 49ers, the Rams had interest in Adam Gase and have been declined permission to speak to Chudzinski until now — St. Louis was also turned away when the team attempted to speak to Packers assistant Alex Van Pelt, and has seen a number of potential targets, including Greg Roman and Kyle Shanahan, land jobs with other clubs.

Still, the Rams did interview a candidate this week, in former Bills OC Nathaniel Hackett. Perhaps at this point Hackett is a top target by default, but a Thursday report indicated that the team may be comfortable promoting an in-house coach into the OC role. Tight ends coach Rob Boras and quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti are viewed as strong candidates who are already on the staff, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who adds that Boras would probably get the nod over Cignetti if the Rams stay in house.

Houston Texans

The Texans didn’t have an offensive coordinator on staff in 2014, with head coach Bill O’Brien serving as the de facto OC. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported earlier in the week that Houston could add an OC to the staff for 2015, but there has been no news on that front since La Canfora addressed the topic. The CBSSports.com scribe noted that Doug Marrone would be a strong candidate for such a position, so the fact that Marrone ultimately accepted a non-OC job in Jacksonville suggests the Texans may not be hiring an OC after all. Nonetheless, it’s a situation worth monitoring.

Extra Points: Broncos, Titans, 49ers, Bears

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Texans have released defensive line coach Bill Kollar from his contract in order for him to join ex-Houston coach Gary Kubiak and the Broncos, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). Kollar had been the Texans’ DL coach since 2009. He has family in the Denver area, and he credited Bill O’Brien for being gracious enough to let him leave. Per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Kollar is “considered an elite coach by his peers.” Here’s more from around the league…

  • Linebacker Derrick Morgan told SiriusXM NFL Radio that the Titans want to re-sign him, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. The impending free agent has never lived up to his first-round billing, having posted just 23.5 sacks in five seasons as a pro.
  • The Eagles let executive Tom Gamble go earlier this year as part of a reported power struggle, but it appears that he’ll land on his feet. Per John Middlekauff of 95.7 The Game (Twitter link), Gamble has discussed taking a role with the 49ers, and is expected to accept it. Gamble previously worked in San Francisco’s front office from 2005-13.
  • The Bears have found a new tight ends coach, hiring former Saints offensive assistant Frank Smith, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Former Saints executive Ryan Pace, now the general manager in Chicago, may have had some familiarity with Smith.
  • New Jets GM Mike Maccagnan has hired a new front office member, bringing in Rams scout Brian Heimerdinger to serve in a front office role, writes Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Heimerdinger could be installed as the new college scouting director or be given a new title, but he won’t be replacing anyone already on staff, per Cimini.
  • The hiring of Adam Gase as offensive coordinator could be good news for Jay Cutler‘s future with the Bears, according to Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report (Twitter links). Per Pompei, Gase’s system has similarities to that of Chargers head coach Mike McCoy, who is known to get the most out of his quarterbacks.

NFC South Notes: Saints, Ingram, Falcons

January 22nd, 2015 at 9:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints’ ownership situation has officially turned ugly — after learning last night that owner Tom Benson had transferred ownership of the Saints (and the NBA’s Pelicans) after he dies to his wife, Gayle, his granddaughter, Rita Benson LeBlanc, has filed a lawsuit, claiming Benson is mentally incompetent and is being manipulated by his wife, according to the Times-Picayune, who provide a copy of the suit in PDF form. Benson himself has responded to the suit, tweets Mike Triplett of ESPN.com: “The false accusations in this suit further support the actions I have taken in changing the succession and transfer of ownership.” It’s a sad situation, but one that has on-the-field implications, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com notes (Twitter links) that GM Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton’s jobs would have been in jeopardy had LeBlanc taken over; the duo reportedly has much better relationship with the new designee, Gayle. Here’s more from the NFC South…

  • Along with DeMarco Murray, Saints running Mark Ingram will be at the top of the free agent running back class, but his preference is to remain in New Orleans, writes Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune. “I want to be a Saint. I was drafted there. I’m always appreciative and grateful for that,” said Ingram. “…Of course there’s always that ‘what if you go somewhere and you could be the main guy and do everything’, but I love the Saints and want to be a Saint.” Ingram indicated that he hadn’t spoken with team representatives since his end-of-season meeting, but said club officials told him at that time they’d like to retain him.
  • CFL free agent Delvin Breaux will audition for the Saints on Friday, according to Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune. Breaux, a New Orleans native, isn’t eligible to sign with an NFL team until February 10, like all CFL players.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines the Saints’ 2015 cap situation — he projects them to be roughly $25MM in the red heading into the offseason, and suggest they could release veterans Jahri Evans and Curtis Lofton to save cap space.
  • The Falcons are right to wait on Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, opines Field Yates of ESPN (Insider subscription required). Quinn will make good use of the Atlanta’s talented young corners, writes Yates, but the club will need to find a impact pass-rusher and depth along the defensive line.

Release Candidate: Tamba Hali

January 22nd, 2015 at 9:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After winning just 29 games in the six seasons prior to head coach Andy Reid’s arrival, the Chiefs have won 20 games in the past two seasons alone, earning a postseason berth in 2013. Reid’s first season in Kansas City was a massive success, as the club went from owning the No. 1 overall draft pick after posting a 2-14 record to finishing 11-5. Many correctly predicted 2014 would be a year of regression for the Chiefs, but the team didn’t fall off a cliff — it still managed to win nine games, and nearly made the playoffs for the second year in a row."<strongTamba Hali” width=”232″ height=”300″ />

Reid and general manager John Dorsey surely believe their club is a year-in, year-out contender, and with quarterback Alex Smith now signed through the 2018 season, the Chiefs have their most important piece locked up. Continuity is an important factor in building a championship-caliber team, something Dorsey acknowledges. “We’re not in the game to blow things up,” Dorsey told Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star earlier this month. “I don’t think you can do that, but these guys understand that, in order to achieve a high level of success, you’re going to be in this thing together.”

Still, fiscal decisions will have to be made in the coming months — assuming a $140MM cap for 2014, Over the Cap’s data shows the Chiefs to be more than $2MM in the red. Small restructures can be finagled to move money around, ensuring that the team can sign its draft class and make modest free agent additions. But unless Kansas City does something drastic, it won’t be able to do much to upgrade this offseason. That’s why the notion of cutting longtime pass-rusher Tamba Hali isn’t so crazy.

The Chiefs selected Hali, now 31, in the first round of the 2006 draft. The Penn State alum entered the league as a 4-3 defensive end in former Kansas City coach Herm Edwards’ scheme and struggled to find success, accruing -11.5 and +0.1 grades in ’06 and ’07, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Todd Haley took over as KC’s head coach in 2008, and the team installed a 3-4 look, the scheme they’ve employed ever since. After moving to outside linebacker, Hali has excelled, registering a positive PFF grade every season (including 2010, when he was ranked as the league’s top 3-4 OLB); since the position switch in ’08, he ranks eighth in the league with 64 sacks.

Hali’s play has declined with age, to be sure — he posted just six sacks last season, and while his +11.2 PFF grade still ranked him among the top-15 3-4 OLBs, his production clearly isn’t where it was a few years ago. Even more pressing is Hali’s salary as he enters the final year of his contact. He’s set to earn a base salary of $6.75MM, and is due a $2MM roster bonus and a $250K workout bonus — combined with his signing bonus proration, Hali will count roughly $11.965MM against the cap in 2015, the third-highest figure at his position in the league. That roster bonus is due on March 19, so the Chiefs have just under two months to make a decision on Hali.

As I noted, Kansas City is projected to be roughly $2MM over the cap in 2015 — however, that number doesn’t account for pass-rusher Justin Houston, a free-agent-to-be who seems destined for the franchise tag (at a value of around $13MM). Additionally, the club is not without needs, as upgrades could be used at positions like receiver, offensive line, and the secondary. By releasing Hali, the Chiefs would save $9MM in cap space (they’d only be on the hook for his a portion of his signing bonus, roughly $2.965MM), enabling them to pursue improvements in other areas.

Of course, Hali isn’t the only Chief who could be cut in order to save the club money. Receiver Dwayne Bowe was ineffective in 2013, is set to have the second-highest cap number on the team next year; Kansas City would save $5MM by releasing him. Fellow WR Donnie Avery will be almost certainly be cut, a move that would save KC more than $3.5MM. Releasing Mike DeVito ($4MM), Joe Mays ($3MM), and A.J. Jenkins (~$1.34MM) could also clear out cap space for the Chiefs, so there are definitely other options to create financial breathing room. But if Kansas City is aiming to either franchise tag or re-sign Houston and make additions in other areas, it might not make sense to allow an aging (albeit still effective) pass-rusher like Hali to take up more than eight percent of its cap.

For his part, Hali seems amenable to taking a pay cut, or at least he’s paying lip service to that effect (via Paylor):

“At this stage of my career, it isn’t about money. The Kansas City Chiefs have taken care of me, financially. I have some good people in my corner that have positioned me to be able to live a lifestyle a lot of people won’t be able to live. So I’m not one of those guys who gets all bent out of shape over money. I love playing the game, I want to win a championship in Kansas City. If money is going to be a hindrance in doing that, we’ll find a way … we’ve got to get Justin (Houston) paid and get our guys, Dee Ford, ready to be playing at a higher level … but we’ve got to get Houston paid, I’m optimistic about that … that’s something we’ve got to get done.”

If Hali is released (if pressed, I’d say he’s about 75% likely to be cut, though a pay reduction scenario would render that estimation moot), he’d likely find a strong market for his services. Pass-rushers are always rewarded in free agency, and luckily for Hali, there are a number of teams who run a 3-4 front who will have ample cap space to use in the coming months. The Colts present the most intriguing scenario in my mind — the team will be three seasons into playing a 3-4 look, are open to spending in free agency, need pass-rush help, and will have more than $37MM of cap space to use. The Titans, with more than $40MM in space, and the Raiders (if they continue to mix in 3-4 looks) could also be interested in signing Hali, as could the Falcons (again, pending scheme changes) and the Eagles in the NFC.

At 31, Hali probably wouldn’t garner a deal in excess of four years or so, but as cap expert Joel Corry notes in the Paylor article linked above, he’d probably come out ahead by entering the market. He wouldn’t face much in the way of positional competition — with Houston likely to be franchised, the other top 3-4 OLBs include Jason Worilds, Brandon Graham, and Brian Orakpo. Hali would probably be looking at a deal in the neighborhood of DeMarcus Ware (three years, $10MM AAV, $16.5MM guaranteed) or Julius Peppers (three years, $8.67MM AAV, $7.5MM guaranteed). He’s younger than both of those comparables, so it’s conceivable he could get a four-year contract, but his AAV would probably sit in that $8.5MM range, with perhaps 40% of his total guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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