Extension Candidate: Cliff Avril
Like most successful NFL teams, the Seahawks aren’t a club built through notable free agent acquisitions. Seattle stars Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and K.J. Wright were acquired through the draft, while Marshawn Lynch and Percy Harvin were obtained via trade. However, the Hawks are not averse to spending wisely in free agency, mostly in the form of modest, short-term deals. During the 2013 offeason, for example, Seattle added several pieces to its defensive line, two of whom (Michael Bennett and Tony McDaniel) signed one-year contracts. In the months since, both Bennett (four years, $28.5MM) and McDaniel (two years, ~$6.5MM) have been retained.
The Seahawks signed a third defensive lineman during that same offseason, one who (at the time) probably had the most name recognition. Cliff Avril was added on a two-year deal worth $13MM; the second year of the pact (2014) became fully guaranteed on February 7. Per Over the Cap, Avril is also eligible to earn as much as $2.1MM in sack-based incentives. Given its significant investment in Bennett, it’s fair to wonder if Seattle is interested in extending Avril in order to preserve its outstanding defensive line.
Avril, 28, entered the league as a second-round pick of the Lions in 2008. He became a full-time starter in Detroit the following season, and went on to rack up 39.5 sacks and 124 tackles across 73 games in the Motor City. After his rookie contract expired, Avril rejected a three-year, $30MM contract offer from the Lions, and played the 2012 season under the franchise tag, which was worth roughly $10.6MM.
While Pro Football Focus’ grades can’t encapsulate every detail of a players’ performance, their advanced metrics do paint a complex picture of Avril. Except for the 2010 season, PFF (subscription required) assigned Avril a negative grade from 2008-2012. During that span, the Purdue product exhibited a far greater capacity for pass-rushing than run defending. To illustrate this, I totaled Avril’s pass-rush and run-defense grades for that four-year period. Against the run, PFF rated Avril as a -45.5 player from ’08-’12 — he was much better at getting to the quarterback, as he garnered a +55.3 grade during the same span. This data portrays Avril as a one-dimensional lineman, one who could help in obvious passing situations but would struggle on early downs.
Even after joining a different defensive scheme in Seattle, Avril continued to struggle against the run. This isn’t to insinuate that Avril is a sub-par player, as he accrued a +8.2 grade from PFF in 2013, rating as the 12th-best 4-3 defensive end among 52 qualifiers. But, like the rest of his career, most of his value was tied up in pass-rushing. Through four games this season, however, Avril has shown to be more of a complete DL — PFF says he’s the third-best at his position, and is almost as equally proficient against the run as the pass.
Despite Avril’s successes, Seattle might be reticent to retain the veteran. General manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll aren’t afraid to rid themselves of veterans, especially along the defensive line, as evidenced by their release of both Red Bryant and Chris Clemons earlier this year. Avril will be 29 when the 2015 season gets underway, so the Hawks could be wary of committing to a multi-year deal. Additionally, as Jason Fitzgerald of OTC noted when examining the construction of Super Bowl teams, Seattle isn’t a typically-built squad, meaning that spending big on a 4-3 end (which many clubs do) might not be in the cards, especially given that it already has Bennett under contract.
Still, the Seahawks will have more than $29MM available in cap space heading into 2015, and as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported twice in the past three months, the team is very interested in working out a new deal with Avril. His current $7.5MM average annual value would place him at 14th among defensive ends, in between Carlos Dunlap and Bennett. At first glance, it seems as though Avril should surpass the 12th-highest DE contract: the four-year, $32MM ($15.5MM in guarantees) pact Jared Allen signed with the Bears. However, Bennett, No. 13 among 4-3 ends, was a better player than Avril last year — the two are playing at an equal level in 2014, but Bennett is the more versatile player who can move around in the Hawks’ front four.
Ultimately, it’s difficult to imagine Seattle giving Avril more money than Bennett received. This creates a conundrum, as Bennett’s AAV on his new deal is almost $400K less than Avril’s two-year pact. Bennett did take less money to stay with the Seahawks, but it’s worth wondering whether Avril would consider less money on a per-year basis in order to secure a large guarantee. I wouldn’t be surprised if Seattle offered Avil the exact same contract as Bennett: four years, $28.5MM, with $16MM guaranteed. It would be a nice payday for Avril, a fair deal for the Seahawks, and a way for the team to show how similarly it values the two key pieces on its defensive line.
Extension Candidate: Jeremy Maclin
Whether or not they strictly adhere to them, many teams have policies in place that precludes in-season contract extensions, even for players on the verge of free agency. A Week 1 deadline for contract negotiations means that players won’t be distracted during the season by haggling over contract figures, and can focus all their attention on their performance on the field as they play for a new contract.
The Eagles haven’t completed an in-season extension for one of their players since 2009, but the club isn’t entirely opposed to the concept. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported last week that the team is open to the idea of locking up No. 1 receiver Jeremy Maclin to a deal that will keep him in an Eagles uniform beyond this season. While it’s not clear if negotiations between Philadelphia and Maclin’s camp are underway, the 26-year-old is eligible for free agency in March, so the team should be motivated to get something done, if not during the season, then shortly thereafter.
Coming off an ACL injury that wiped out his 2013 season, Maclin settled for a one-year, $5.5MM contract, even though the Eagles were willing to make him a longer-term offer. The former 19th overall pick reportedly turned down a five-year proposal from the team, preferring to bet on himself to have a big 2014 season and earn a more lucrative deal in 2015.
While terms of the Eagles’ five-year offer to Maclin aren’t known, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was in the same ballpark as the contract offered to and signed by fellow wideout Riley Cooper. After setting career-highs in receptions (47), receiving yards (835), and touchdowns (eight) during the 2013 campaign, Cooper received a five-year, $22.5MM contract, with $8MM in fully guaranteed money. Maclin’s track record suggested he had a higher ceiling – and floor – than Cooper, so perhaps the Eagles offered him a little more in terms of annual average salary or guaranteed money. But Maclin was coming off a serious knee injury, so it seems unlikely Philadelphia made him too lucrative an offer, especially considering the Missouri product opted for the one-year deal instead.
A contract in the ballpark of Cooper’s deal may have been a fair offer eight months ago, but Maclin’s value is already on the rise through four games this season. He leads the Eagles in all major receiving categories, and is on pace to establish new career-bests in receptions (80), receiving yards (1,412), and touchdowns (12).
Of course, projecting one’s pace after just a quarter of the season is a dangerous game, particularly for a player like Maclin, who is coming off a major injury a year ago and hasn’t played a full 16-game slate since 2010. Still, Maclin’s early-season production suggests he’s capable of assuming the role of Philadelphia’s top wideout now that DeSean Jackson is in Washington, and if he and the Eagles open extension talks, Maclin’s September play will factor significantly in his asking price.
As long as Maclin continues to produce and stays healthy, he should have a chance to match or exceed the five-year contracts signed by the top free agent wideouts of 2014’s class — Eric Decker‘s $36.25MM pact and Golden Tate‘s $31MM deal would likely be targets for Maclin and his agent, and you can certainly make a case that those players are appropriate comparables for the Eagles wideout.
Decker’s numbers during his final two years in Denver were markedly better than any of Maclin’s full-season totals, but those figures were impacted greatly by the fact that Peyton Manning was throwing passes to Decker. As for Tate, in a more conservative Seattle offense, his 64-catch, 898-yard production in 2013 looks pretty similar to the sort of seasons Maclin was posting during his first four years in Philadelphia. In a more pass-heavy Lions offense this season, Tate is off to a start similar to Maclin’s, minus the touchdowns — 24 receptions for 317 yards.
The Eagles may be inclined to wait until season’s end to address Maclin’s contract situation, in order to ensure he stays healthy and continues to build rapport with quarterback Nick Foles. But if the sixth-year wideout does both of those things, his stock will only continue to rise right along with his 2014 receiving totals. Getting him locked up now to a contract in the neighborhood of Decker’s could be Philadelphia’s most prudent move, and perhaps an annual salary in the $7-8MM range would be enough to get Maclin to sign off the sort of five-year contract he turned down last winter.
PFR Originals: 9/21/14 – 9/28/14
The original content produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- Luke Adams explored the 12 teams that have yet to use their injured reserve-designated to return slot.
- In the latest PFR Glossary entry, Luke explains how the injured reserve list impacts a player’s salary.
- Luke also posted a trio of polls this past week. One poll asked our readers if they would be in favor of a London franchise, with close to 90% not supporting the idea.
- Luke also asked which 3-0 team would stay unbeaten the longest, with more than 50% of the readers choosing the Bengals. Reversely, Luke asked which 0-3 team would take the longest to earn their first victory, and the Jaguars narrowly beat out the Buccaneers.
12 Teams Have Yet To Use IR-DTR Slot
As I explained when I broke down the concept of the NFL’s injured reserve list on Friday, each of the league’s 32 clubs is allowed to designate one IR player to return each season. These players are eligible to begin practicing six weeks after they land on injured reserve and can return to game action eight weeks after their IR designation.
Since teams can only use the designation once per season, some strategy can be required in deciding which player to put on IR-DTR. If a rarely-used player at the back of the roster suffers an injury with a projected recovery time of six to eight weeks, a team could elect to place him on IR-DTR, or simply cut him with an injury settlement and save the single designation in case a more notable player on the roster sustains an injury with a similar timetable.
Of course, while some teams have multiple candidates for the IR-DTR slot, and may be forced to keep an injured player or two on their active rosters, other clubs have yet to have even one player become a strong candidate for that designation to return. After the Patriots placed Sealver Siliga on IR with the designation to return today, there are just a dozen teams who have yet to take advantage of that spot on the reserve list.
With 13 weeks still remaining in the regular season after this weekend’s games, that designation to return could still come in handy for players who suffer injuries but might be healthy in time to contribute in December and January. So it’s worth keeping an eye on these 12 clubs, who have yet to use their IR-DTR spots, to see if they come in handy in the near future.
The following teams have yet to place a player on injured reserve with the designation to return:
- Arizona Cardinals
- Atlanta Falcons
- Baltimore Ravens
- Buffalo Bills
- Cleveland Browns
- Denver Broncos
- Houston Texans
- Miami Dolphins
- Minnesota Vikings
- New York Jets
- Oakland Raiders
- Tennessee Titans
To see how the NFL’s other 20 teams have used their IR-DTR spots, be sure to check out our complete list.
Injured Reserve
As has been the case throughout the preseason and season so far, we saw several key players moved to teams’ injured reserve lists this week. Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel, Chargers running back Danny Woodhead, and Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch are among the players who headed to the IR within the last several days, opening up a spot on their clubs’ active rosters for their teams to replace them.
The injured reserve designation is generally – though not always – used for players who will be out for the season. That’s especially the case with players like Woodhead, whose team will want to keep him around beyond this year. Woodhead signed a two-year contract extension with San Diego in July, so there’s little chance the club moves forward in 2015 without him in the mix. That means Woodhead will spent this season on IR, earning his full salary, and will plan on returning to the Chargers’ active roster next year.
That’s not the case for every player who lands on injured reserve though. Particularly during the preseason, we see players who weren’t part of their teams’ long-term plans hit the IR list, only to be cut several days later. Generally, these cases involve players who aren’t suffering from season-ending injuries, and receive injury settlements from their respective clubs in order to release those clubs from any liability.
For instance, let’s say a player is injured during the final week of the preseason with a high ankle sprain, and the player and team both agree that the injury will sideline him for three weeks. The club could place that player on injured reserve, then cut him with a two-week regular-season injury settlement (since the final preseason week is also taken into account). That would allow the player to receive 2/17ths of his season salary, and allow him to look for work with a new club when he gets healthy. If the club were to keep the player on injured reserve rather than removing him with a settlement, it would be required to cut him when he gets healthy.
Teams who release a player from IR with a settlement are eligible to re-sign that player later in the season, if they so choose. But they must wait six weeks, on top of the time of the initial settlement. In that previous example then, a club would have to wait until after Week 8 to re-sign the player with the high ankle sprain.
Players who remain on their clubs’ injured reserve lists all season continue to receive their full salary, which also counts against their teams’ salary caps. The Rams are one club that has an inordinate amount of what is essentially “dead money” sitting on injured reserve this season, since highly-paid quarterback Sam Bradford landed on the IR before the season begin.
In some instances, players agree to “split contracts” when they sign with a club, which means that the player will receive a smaller salary if he lands on injured reserve. Split contracts, which are worth less than the active roster minimum salaries, are fairly rare, and are primarily signed by undrafted rookies or veterans with injury histories.
One additional quirk related to the injured reserve list is the option each team has to designate one IR player to return each season. With the IR-DTR spot, a club can place a player on IR, but bring him back to practice after six weeks, and back to game action after eight weeks. Once a team uses this designation once, it can’t use it again that season, though not every club necessarily gets the opportunity to make use of it. Here’s our list of how teams have used the IR-DTR slot so far this season.
Note: This is a PFR Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to free agency, trades, or other aspects of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Information from The National Football Post was used in the creation of this post.
PFR Originals: 8/31/14 – 9/7/14
The original content produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- We’ll be keeping a running list of the 10 players each team places on its practice squad. PS movement is constant throughout the season, so be sure to follow our tracker to stay on top of whom each team is keeping in reserve.
- In our latest PFR Glossary entries, Luke Adams explained the injured reserve/designation to return exemption (which was first implemented in 2012), and the concept of vested veteran salary guarantees
- I examined the largest 2014 cap hits among defensive position groups.
- Luke asked which team will win the 2015 Super Bowl — while a plurality thought an unlisted team would win the title, the Patriots took second place with about 17% of the vote. Thanks for participating!
- The writers at PFR posted their predictions for the upcoming season, projecting division winners, playoff outcomes, and major league awards.
2014 Pro Football Rumors Writer Predictions
The 2014 NFL season gets underway in about one hour, and the writers at Pro Football Rumors have weighed in with projections for the upcoming year. We’ve predicted which teams will earn playoff berths, the participants in the each conference’s Championship game and the Super Bowl, and the winners of the league’s major awards. The Saints and Drew Brees are favorite picks of PFR this year — seven of us have New Orleans reaching at least the NFC title game, while four writers see Brees earning MVP honors.
Click on the link below to see forecasts from Luke Adams, Rob DiRe, Matt Feminis, David Kipke, Ben Levine, Zach Links, Rory Parks, and Dallas Robinson. And feel free to add your 2014 NFL prognostications in the comments section!
IR Players With Designation To Return
As of 3:00pm central time on Tuesday, NFL teams could begin adding players to injured reserve lists with the designation to return. Unlike the usual IR list, which keeps a player inactive all season or until he reaches an injury settlement with his team, this shorter-term IR list allows a player to begin practicing after six weeks and to begin playing in games after eight weeks.
Of course, whereas the standard injured reserve list can accommodate several players at once, NFL teams can only use the designation to return on one player, so teams must be cautious about how to fire that single bullet. So far, a handful of clubs have taken advantage of the opportunity to use the IR-DTR spot, so we’ll list all those players right here. If other clubs decide to use their openings at any point, we’ll note that below as well.
Here’s the full list so far:
AFC East:
- Buffalo Bills: Used on C.J. Spiller, RB (collarbone) after Week 7
- Miami Dolphins: Unused
- New England Patriots: Used on Sealver Siliga, DL (foot) after Week 3
- New York Jets: Unused
AFC North:
- Baltimore Ravens: Used on Asa Jackson, CB (foot) after Week 5
- Cincinnati Bengals: Used on Tyler Eifert, TE (elbow) after Week 1
- Cleveland Browns: Used on John Hughes, DE (knee) after Week 8
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Used on Jarvis Jones, LB (wrist) after Week 3
AFC South:
- Houston Texans: Unused
- Indianapolis Colts: Used on Xavier Nixon, T (knee)
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Used on Marcedes Lewis, TE (ankle) after Week 2
- Tennessee Titans: Unused
AFC West:
- Denver Broncos: Used on Danny Trevathan, LB (knee) after Week 6
- Kansas City Chiefs: Used on Joe Mays, LB (wrist)
- Oakland Raiders: Used on Rod Streater, WR (foot) after Week 4
- San Diego Chargers: Used on Melvin Ingram, OLB (hip) after Week 2
NFC East:
- Dallas Cowboys: Used on Demarcus Lawrence, DE/OLB (foot)
- New York Giants: Used on Geoff Schwartz, G (toe)
- Philadelphia Eagles: Used on Evan Mathis, G (knee) after Week 1
- Washington Redskins: Used on Barry Cofield, DT (ankle) after Week 1
NFC North:
- Chicago Bears: Used on Marquess Wilson, WR (collarbone)
- Detroit Lions: Used on Kyle Van Noy, LB (abdomen)
- Green Bay Packers: Used on J.C. Tretter, C (knee)
- Minnesota Vikings: Unused
NFC South:
- Atlanta Falcons: Used on William Moore, S (shoulder) after Week 4
- Carolina Panthers: Used on Mike Tolbert, RB (leg) after Week 3
- New Orleans Saints: Used on Khairi Fortt, LB (leg)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Used on Charles Sims, RB (ankle)
NFC West:
- Arizona Cardinals: Used on Matt Shaughnessy, LB (knee) after Week 5
- San Francisco 49ers: Used on Glenn Dorsey, DT (biceps)
- Seattle Seahawks: Used on Jeremy Lane, CB (groin) after Week 1
- St. Louis Rams: Used on Chris Long, DE (ankle) after Week 1
Largest 2014 Cap Hits By Position Group: Defense
Earlier this offseason, our Luke Adams examined the largest 2014 cap hits by position on both offense and defense, scrutinizing the most expensive individual cap charges for next year. The list that follows, while along the same lines, tabulates the largest cap hits by position group. Some overlap in the lists is unavoidable — if a single player has an exorbitant cap charge, it will inevitably raise the team’s cap hit for his position as a whole. After taking a look at positional group spending on offense a few weeks ago, we’ll examine defensive cap figures here.
Looking at both the offensive and defensive lists, 14 of 32 NFL teams appear on neither ranking — each of those franchises can somewhat be placed into one of three buckets. The Bears, Bengals, Broncos, Cardinals, Falcons, Patriots, and Ravens are contending teams whose cap management techniques have been lauded. The Bills, Buccaneers, Jets, Raiders, and Texans are rebuilding squads who aren’t looking to break the bank on one player.
The two clubs that remain, the Colts and Saints, are harder to classify. Each is successful team, to be sure. However, many of Indianapolis’ free agent additions have been criticized, while New Orleans’ cap management approach has been widely denounced. What these lists show, though, is that neither club has overly-invested at any one position. Yes, the Colts have benefited from Andrew Luck‘s rookie contract, and the Saints’ methods might prove unworkable. But perhaps each team is more interested in spreading the wealth and maintaining depth than it seems.
Defensive line:
- Panthers, $37.716MM
- Lions, $37.403MM
- Rams, $35.462MM
Even with starting tackle Star Lotulelei playing on a rookie contract, Carolina still tops this list thanks to Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy‘s combined 2014 cap hit of nearly $30MM. The Panthers have spent their money wisely, though, as the team ranked second in adjusted sack rate and ninth against the run, per Football Outsiders. Ndamukong Suh‘s league-leading cap figure of $22.413MM pushes Detroit to second place. The Rams could top this list sooner than later, as Richard Quinn, Michael Brockers, and Aaron Donald are all under rookie deals for the time being.
Linebacker:
- Packers, $29.346MM
- Steelers, $28.59MM
- Chiefs, $24.785MM
Scheme differentiation plays a part in the linebacker rankings — simply due to the value placed on pass-rushing LBs, teams that employ 3-4 fronts will shoot to the top of this list. In fact, of the 10 teams that spend the most on linebackers, eight use a 3-4 look as their primary defense. Packers Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones, and Julius Peppers all have 2014 cap hit north of $3.5MM. The Steelers are something of an outlier, as their top defensive cap charge is that of Lawrence Timmons, an inside linebacker — his $11.816M cap number is No. 1 among all LBs. Outside rusher Jason Worilds is second among Pittsburgh defenders, as he is playing under the $9.754MM franchise-tag figure. The Chiefs, another 3-4 team, are paying big money to Tamba Hali (second-highest cap number among LBs), and could rise on this list if they extend Justin Houston, who currently counts just under $1.6MM against the cap.
Cornerback:
- Cowboys, $22.048MM
- Packers, $19.704MM
- Browns, $18.473MM
At corner, we come to the first real oddity among positional spending: Despite counting $2MM+ more against the cap than any corner unit in 2014, the Cowboys CBs are anything but impressive — they finished 27th in DVOA against the pass last season, per FO. Brandon Carr and his $12.217 cap figure (first among corners) was highly ineffective in 2013, grading as just the 58th-best CB in the league, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Green Bay has a reputation for penny-pinching, but that really only applies to free agency — as their rank here and on the LB list shows, they’re willing to invest in their own players. Joe Haden‘s cap charge of $12.129MM is second only to Joe Thomas among Browns; first-rounder Justin Gilbert will count just $2.333MM against Cleveland’s 2014 cap.
Safety:
- Seahawks, $16.089MM
- Chiefs, $14.385MM
- Titans, $14.008MM
The Seahawks are led by perhaps the best safety in the league, Earl Thomas, who will count $7.373MM against the cap next year. His backfield mate, Kam Chancellor, has a $5.835MM cap number. Tampa Bay (Dashon Goldson, Mark Barron) is the only other team that has two safeties within its top-10 2014 cap hits. Eric Berry, a benefactor of the old CBA, has the Chiefs’ highest cap charge, barely edging out Hali. The Titans have something of a three-headed monster at S, with Michael Griffin, Bernard Pollard, and George Wilson each seeing snaps in the backfield. Tennessee seems to have invested well, as each member of the triumvirate ranked within the top 25% of safeties last season, per PFF. Griffin has the highest 2014 cap figure at $8MM.
Contract information from Over the Cap was used in the creation of this post.
2014 NFL Practice Squads
In addition to the 46 players active for regular season games and the seven additional roster players made inactive on game days, NFL teams are permitted to construct 10-man practice squads. The players on the squad work out and practice with the players on the active roster, but aren’t eligible to participate in games.
For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units.
Listed below are the current practice squad rosters for each NFL team. We’ll keep this list up to date throughout the year as players are shuttled on and off of these squads, so be sure to use the link in the sidebar on the right, under “PFR Features,” to keep tabs on the latest.
If you have any corrections, please contact us. Here are 2014′s NFL practice squads: