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Poll: Bears Backup Quarterback

May 31st, 2014 at 6:42pm CST by Peter Sowards

When Josh McCown signed a two-year, $10MM deal with the Buccaneers in March, the position of Bears backup quarterback swung wide open. And when the team added San Jose State’s David Fales with a sixth-round pick two months later, the competition got that much juicier.

Three men are competing for the No. 2 spot on the QB depth chart: Jordan Palmer (brother of Carson), Jerrod Johnson and the aforementioned Fales. Palmer is the leader in the clubhouse, according to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune, a spot he’s earned with experience. A sixth-round pick in 2007, 2014 will mark his eighth season of professional football.

Johnson spent 18 days on the practice squad in September, Wiederer notes, and has yet to throw a pass in the NFL after entering the league in 2011 as an undrafted free agent from Texas A&M.

Whoever wins the spot has big shoes to fill — McCown shined bright last season filling in for an injured Jay Cutler, leading the league in fewest interceptions per throw and winning three of five starts. The biggest reason for his success, per quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh, was the relationship he shared with Cutler.

“Josh was a great example of a guy where, although he knew he was going to be backing up Jay, he truly approached every day like he was going to be getting all the reps,” Cavanaugh said. “He worked very hard. And not only that, he was selfless enough to know that although I’m competing, I want to be able to help Jay too.

“Those guys had a unique relationship that Jay really counted on. Josh was his sounding board a lot. Sometimes when coaches speak to you, it’s coach-speak. You want to hear one of your buddies say, ‘Hey, they’re right.’ Or, ‘Let’s talk it through and then we’ll approach them about it.’ So there’s a role to be played there.”

Largest 2014 Cap Hits By Position: Defense/ST

May 30th, 2014 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday, we took a closer look at the players with the largest cap hits for 2014 on the offensive side of the ball. Today, we’ll shift our focus to defense, as well as examining punters and kickers. These guys aren’t necessarily taking in the largest cash payments for the 2014 season, but a combination of base salary and bonuses ensure that their cap numbers are among the NFL’s highest.

As was the case with the offensive players, even just a quick glance at the lists below reveal details about how certain clubs have constructed their rosters, and hint at salary trends by position. Before we jump into the top 2014 cap hits on defense and special teams by position, a few observations about the players that show up on these lists:

  • There are a few instances on the offensive side of the ball where positional lines are blurred — a running back like Darren Sproles often acts as a de facto wide receiver, as do tight ends like Jimmy Graham. But those lines are blurrier on defense, where some teams run 3-4 defenses and others run 4-3. Defensive ends generally get more opportunities to rush the quarterback in 4-3 defenses, so it’s no surprise that four of the top five DEs on this list play in 4-3 systems. Only Haloti Ngata is the exception.
  • Similarly, 3-4 outside linebackers are their teams’ primary pass rushers, and all five of the top OLB cap hits belong to 3-4 players.
  • The current highest cap hit for an outside linebacker actually belongs to LaMarr Woodley of the Steelers. Pittsburgh released him earlier in the offseason, but designated him as a post-June 1 cut, so for now he continues to count for $13.59MM against the team’s cap. That will change in a matter of days though, when Woodley’s 2014 cap number is reduced to just $5.5MM, so we left him off this list.
  • Still, had Woodley been included, it would have only further illustrated the Steelers‘ dedication to stockpiling impact linebackers. Even without Woodley, Pittsburgh still has a top-five cap hit at OLB in Jason Worilds, and the No. 1 cap hit at ILB in Lawrence Timmons. Linebacker may not have been a position of need when the Steelers drafted Ryan Shazier in the first round earlier this month, but it’s hardly a shock that the club went in that direction.
  • The only team with two players on the same list below? The Panthers, with a pair of defensive ends accounting for nearly $30MM in cap space. No wonder the club didn’t have much room left over to add an impact receiver.
  • Joe Haden‘s cap number has yet to be confirmed, since he recently inked an extension, and Over the Cap and Spotrac had different figures for the cornerback. So the number here is an estimation. Either way though, he appears likely to rank second overall this season.
  • The Broncos have the league’s reigning MVP in Peyton Manning and spent big on defense this offseason, but that doesn’t mean they’re ignoring special teams at all. Denver is the only club with both a kicker and punter among the top five cap hits.

Here are the lists of the top five 2014 cap hits by defensive and special teams position:

Defensive end:

  1. Mario Williams, Bills: $18.8MM
  2. Charles Johnson, Panthers: $16.42MM
  3. Haloti Ngata, Ravens: $16MM
  4. Chris Long, Rams: $14.9MM
  5. Greg Hardy, Panthers: $13.116MM

Defensive tackle:

  1. Ndamukong Suh, Lions: $22.413MM
  2. Gerald McCoy, Buccaneers: $15.627MM
  3. Geno Atkins, Bengals: $9MM
  4. Ahtyba Rubin, Browns: $8.175MM
  5. Barry Cofield, Redskins: $7.678MM

Outside linebacker:

  1. Tamba Hali, Chiefs: $11.465MM
  2. Brian Orakpo, Redskins: $11.455MM
  3. Clay Matthews, Packers: $10.944MM
  4. Jason Worilds, Steelers: $9.754MM
  5. Robert Mathis, Colts: $8.75MM

Inside linebacker:

  1. Lawrence Timmons, Steelers: $11.816MM
  2. James Laurinaitis, Rams: $10.4MM
  3. Paul Posluszny, Jaguars: $9.5MM
  4. Dannell Ellerbe, Dolphins: $7.425MM
  5. David Harris, Jets: $7MM

Cornerback:

  1. Brandon Carr, Cowboys: $12.217MM
  2. Joe Haden, Browns: $11.728MM
  3. Johnathan Joseph, Texans: $11.25MM
  4. Brandon Flowers, Chiefs: $10.5MM
  5. Lardarius Webb, Ravens: $10.5MM

Safety:

  1. Eric Berry, Chiefs: $11.62MM
  2. Eric Weddle, Chargers: $10.1MM
  3. Antrel Rolle, Giants: $9.25MM
  4. Dashon Goldson, Buccaneers: $9MM
  5. Michael Griffin, Titans: $8MM

Kicker:

  1. Josh Scobee, Jaguars: $4.188MM
  2. Matt Prater, Broncos: $3.813MM
  3. Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots: $3.8MM
  4. Nick Folk, Jets: $3.6MM
  5. Mason Crosby, Packers: $3.4MM

Punter:

  1. Mike Scifres, Chargers: $4.035MM
  2. Dustin Colquitt, Chiefs: $3.8MM
  3. Brandon Fields, Dolphins: $3.586MM
  4. Michael Koenen, Buccaneers: $3.25MM
  5. Britton Colquitt, Broncos: $3.25MM

Contract information from Over The Cap was used in the creation of this post.

Largest 2014 Cap Hits By Position: Offense

May 29th, 2014 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier in the spring, we examined the largest contracts signed in free agency this offseason by overall value, per-year value, and guaranteed money. However, while there were some massive deals signed by free agents, most of those contracts don’t include significant first-year cap hits. Since the later years of a contract are typically non-guaranteed, the larger cap hits are pushed to the back half of the term, as shown by Jairus Byrd‘s $54MM deal with the Saints — the 2014 cap number on Byrd’s contract is just $3.5MM, whereas that number jumps to $10.5MM by 2017 and $11MM in 2018.

It should come as no surprise then that when we take a closer look at the top 2014 cap hits, not many ’14 free agents make the top five lists by position. Instead, these are typically players who are at the point in their contracts where cap numbers are increasing, but are still productive enough that those rising cap hits are worth stomaching to keep the players on the roster.

Before we jump into the top 2014 cap hits on offense by position, a few observations about the players that show up on the lists below:

  • Much has been made of the fact that inexpensive quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick have led their teams to the Super Bowl in recent years, and the list of 2014’s biggest cap hits at the position reflects this trend — of the top five QBs, only one (Drew Brees) led his team to the postseason last year, and New Orleans was a No. 6 seed.
  • Similarly, the declining value of running backs has been an oft-discussed trend during this offseason, but the highest-paid players at the position still stack up reasonably well against most other positions. It may take a little more time to tell if the position’s value is decreasing as sharply as it appears, or if this year’s class of free agent backs just wasn’t particularly strong.
  • At tight end, it figures to just be a matter time until Jimmy Graham perennially tops the list of largest cap hits, but for now, his $7.035MM franchise tag leaves him outside the top five.
  • Unsurprisingly, the top five tackles all play on the left side.
  • Breaking down the top fives by position allow us to see which teams place a premium on certain positions, committing a sizable portion of their caps to those spots. For instance, the Saints have a pricey interior line, with two guards in the top five, while the Browns have the top cap hits at both tackle and center.

Here are the lists of the top five 2014 cap hits by offensive position:

Quarterback:

  1. Eli Manning, Giants: $20.4MM
  2. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers: $18.895MM
  3. Jay Cutler, Bears: $18.5MM
  4. Drew Brees, Saints: $18.4MM
  5. Sam Bradford, Rams: $17.61MM

Running back:

  1. Adrian Peterson, Vikings: $14.4MM
  2. LeSean McCoy, Eagles: $9.7MM
  3. Ray Rice, Ravens: $8.75MM
  4. Arian Foster, Texans: $8.5MM
  5. Matt Forte, Bears: $7.9MM

Wide receiver:

  1. Mike Wallace, Dolphins: $17.25MM
  2. Andre Johnson, Texans: $15.645MM
  3. Percy Harvin, Seahawks: $13.4MM
  4. Calvin Johnson, Lions: $13.058MM
  5. Vincent Jackson, Buccaneers: $12.432MM

Tight end:

  1. Jason Witten, Cowboys: $8.412MM
  2. Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars: $8.25MM
  3. Greg Olsen, Panthers: $7.8MM
  4. Antonio Gates, Chargers: $7.363MM
  5. Vernon Davis, 49ers: $7.343MM

Tackle:

  1. Joe Thomas, Browns: $12.3MM
  2. D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Jets: $11.699MM
  3. Russell Okung, Seahawks: $11.24MM
  4. Trent Williams, Redskins: $10.98MM
  5. Jake Long, Rams: $9.25MM

Guard:

  1. Jahri Evans, Saints: $11MM
  2. Logan Mankins, Patriots: $10.5MM
  3. Carl Nicks, Buccaneers: $9.357MM
  4. Ben Grubbs, Saints: $9.1MM
  5. Andy Levitre, Titans: $8.6MM

Center:

  1. Alex Mack, Browns: $10MM
  2. David Baas, Giants: $8.225MM
  3. Ryan Kalil, Panthers: $7.284MM
  4. Nick Mangold, Jets: $7.227MM
  5. Chris Myers, Texans: $7MM

Contract information from Over The Cap was used in the creation of this post.

Extension Candidate: Alex Smith

May 28th, 2014 at 8:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Raise your hand if two years ago you thought Alex Smith would be in position to ask for a contract with an average annual value of about $18MM. Okay, now stop lying and put your hand down.

After a revitalizing season with the Chiefs last year that brought about his first Pro Bowl invitation, Smith is entering the final year of his contract and the Chiefs would like to keep him off the open market. That could be easier said that done. Earlier today, Ed Werder of ESPN.com reported that there has been “very little dialogue” between the two sides on a fresh contract. Head coach Andy Reid seems to think that they could get something done, but Kansas City is understandably reluctant to give Smith a deal similar to the one Jay Cutler got from the Bears. Cutler’s new seven-year deal gave him an AAV of $18.1MM, and that could be too rich for KC’s blood when it comes to the former No. 1 overall pick.

Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap looked at Smith’s case and weighed him against Cutler and Tony Romo. There are few areas – outside of win percentage – that favor Smith in a matchup with Romo when considering the Dallas QB’s completion percentage, touchdown/interception ratio, and other vitals. However, Smith and Cutler do appear to be a much stronger match. Neither guy is a slam-dunk franchise QB but both men have found success (even when it’s not pretty) and in a league with few quality options, they have to be considered premium talents. Ultimately, Fitzgerald concludes that an $18MM per year asking price is not outlandish based on what he done the last few seasons and I’m inclined to agree.

Do you think Smith is deserving of that type of deal? Cast your vote below and let us know in the comments section.

The Importance Of June 1st

May 28th, 2014 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Many of the most important dates of the NFL offseason have already come and gone, but this Sunday represents another day that team executives around the league have circled on their calendars. Here’s a brief summary of why June 1 is important, and what we can expect starting next Monday, after that deadline has passed:

  • As we explained in a PFR Glossary entry, players released or traded after June 1 count against the cap differently than players who were cut or moved earlier in the offseason, with teams able to spread the player’s dead money across multiple years. So we could see a handful of veterans released or dealt once June 1 is behind us.
  • Several players were released earlier in the offseason and designated as post-June 1 cuts, meaning their cap hits will finally be reduced starting in June. Those players are LaMarr Woodley (Steelers; $8MM cap savings), Carlos Rogers (49ers; $6.6MM), Miles Austin (Cowboys; $5.5MM), Steve Smith (Panthers; $5MM), David Bass (Giants; $5MM), Daryn Colledge (Cardinals; $5MM), and Thomas DeCoud (Falcons; $3.4MM). Each of those teams was starting to approach the cap limit, so the new savings will give them the flexibility to lock up draft picks and possibly revisit the free agent market.
  • Speaking of free agents, June 1 represents the deadline for teams to extend contract tenders to their unrestricted FAs. If a club’s former veteran player remains unsigned, that team can make him a one-year offer worth 110% of his previous cap number (minus workout and incentive payments). For former players who were on rookie contracts, the one-year tender is worth 100% of the player’s previous base salary. Players who receive these June 1 tenders have until July 22 to sign with another team — after that date, the player’s previous team retains exclusive negotiating rights throughout the season.
  • Most free agents won’t receive tender offers, meaning they become free after June 1 to sign with any club without being tied to future draft compensation. As such, we’ll likely see an increase in veterans inking contracts, since teams will no longer have to worry that signing those players will reduce their chances at compensatory 2015 draft picks.

Details from Over The Cap were used in the creation of this post.

Extension Candidate: Roddy White

May 27th, 2014 at 8:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons want to lock up former All-Pro wide receiver Roddy White up for the long haul, but an unfortunate tragedy put football and contract talks on the backburner earlier this offseason. Understandably, neither side wanted to talk business after the untimely passing of White’s half-brother, Tyron Moore Jr. While things were put on hold, we learned earlier today that the Falcons still expect to hammer out an extension with White at some point this offseason.

The report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network suggested that Brandon Marshall‘s new three-year, $30MM pact with the Bears could be used as a model for the deal. On the surface, that sounds like a fair deal considering that both men have been among the league’s elite wide receivers for several years. However, given White’s injury struggles last season and the presence of Julio Jones on the other side of the field, that could be a bit too lofty for him. Besides, Marshall is a couple years younger than White, who will celebrate his 33rd birthday in November.

Complicating matters further will be Jones’ contract situation. The dynamic receiver is set to earn $5.15MM in 2014 and $10.18MM in 2015 before he’s eligible to hit free agency and it’s a safe bet that his next deal will have an average annual value closer to his 2015 salary than his 2014 figure. At the end of the day, however, the Falcons know that White’s effectiveness will be limited if he doesn’t have another elite WR with him to attract attention. The Falcons got some solid games out of Harry Douglas and others last season, but outside of Jones, no wide receiver on the roster can deliver like White.

Some might say that a better comparable for White would be Colts veteran Reggie Wayne, who signed a three-year, $17.5MM extension at age 33. ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure raised this point recently, but there are a couple of reasons why that comparable might be off. For starters, in our humble opinion, White has more value than Wayne, even when taking health into account. Secondly, Wayne’s deal was struck two years ago when teams were working under a smaller salary cap. Three years is probably the appropriate length on a new deal for White and a dollar figure that falls between Marshall’s deal and Wayne’s deal (say, $8MM average annual value) would make a lot of sense.

Extension Candidate Series

May 27th, 2014 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The bulk of free agency is behind us, but many of 2014’s biggest contracts could still be on the way. There are a number of players who have one or two years left on their contracts whose teams will want to lock them up before they’re eligible for free agency, and many of them will sign extensions over the next few weeks and months.

At Pro Football Rumors, we’ll look to cast a spotlight on several of these players, writing pieces that focus on many of the more notable extension candidates out there. These players won’t necessarily ink new deals before the regular season gets underway, or even before they hit free agency, but their clubs will at least want to discuss the idea, and we’ll examine what sort of contracts they might be in line for.

Our Extension Candidate series is already underway, and we’ll be adding plenty more installments to it in the near future. You can find this index at any time on the right-hand sidebar under “PFR Features” to follow the latest. Here’s our complete list so far:

Extension Candidate: Gerald McCoy

May 26th, 2014 at 10:43pm CST by Rory Parks

Yesterday, we learned that the Buccaneers have reached out to the agent of star defensive tackle Gerald McCoy in hopes of initiating talks on a contract extension, so it only makes sense to continue our series on extension candidates with a more detailed piece on McCoy.

NFL: Buffalo Bills at Tampa Bay BuccaneersMcCoy, taken in the first round of the 2010 draft–just one pick after Lions DT Ndamukong Suh–struggled with injuries in each of his first two seasons in the league, missing three games with a left biceps tear in 2010 and missing 11 games with a right biceps tear in 2011. However, he showed flashes of dominance during those years and then established himself as a bonafide star in 2012, racking up five sacks, 37 quarterback hurries, and, most importantly, anchoring the interior of Tampa Bay’s stifling run defense.

Things only got better for McCoy in 2013, as he piled up 10 sacks and, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), graded out as the top defensive tackle in the game. He will become a free agent at the end of the 2014 season, and, if he has not received an extension by that time, will be hitting the free agent market as a game-changing interior lineman at age 27.

As a top draft pick in the last year of the old CBA, McCoy is already a very wealthy man, having a signed a five-year, $63MM rookie contract in the summer of 2010. So what will his next contract look like? Probably pretty similar to the first one. The Bengals’ Geno Atkins, who is about a month younger than McCoy and who finished right above McCoy as PFF’s best defensive tackle in 2012–Atkins was 11th best in 2013, despite missing seven games with an ACL tear–signed a five-year, $55MM extension with Cincinnati in September of 2013. Two years earlier, a then-27-year-old Haloti Ngata signed a five-year extension with the Ravens worth $61MM. Ngata was reportedly offered a lucrative, long-term extension this offseason, but there is some dispute surrounding that rumor and no concrete financial details were released.

It seems, then, that McCoy can reasonably expect an extension in the five-year, $55-60MM range. ESPN.com’s Pat Yaskinsas suggested something even more lucrative, calling McCoy Tampa Bay’s “best player” and opining that a contract worth $13MM annually would not be unreasonable. For his part, McCoy has expressed excitement about the defense that new head coach Lovie Smith plans to install and has indicated that he has no intentions of holding out if he does not have a new deal by training camp. Judging by yesterday’s report, the Bucs hope that a new deal will, in fact, be reached before the start of the season, which would allow them to continue to reap the benefits of their star tackle as he progresses through his prime physical years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

The 49ers’ Offensive Line Situation

May 26th, 2014 at 4:02pm CST by David Kipke

The reigning NFC runners-up have developed an elite offensive line over the past few years, as evidenced by the remarkably consistent success of Frank Gore, as well as the fact that the unit allowed the fourth fewest quarterback pressures in 2013. It’s worth considering how the unit will look heading forward into 2014 and beyond.

The 49ers finished 2013 with nine offensive lineman on their active roster. Although San Francisco chose not to re-sign returning starting center Jonathan Goodwin, the team added USC center Marcus Martin via the draft. While the rookie will likely provide quality depth at both center and guard, three-year veteran Daniel Kilgore figures to slide into Goodwin’s vacated starting role. In fact, Kilgore’s February three-year extension, which was covered by our own Luke Adams, would suggest that the 49ers perhaps have similar intentions to groom Martin for multiple seasons before bumping him up to a starting role when Kilgore’s contract expires.

Former first-rounder Jonathan Martin was another significant offseason acquisition for the 49ers, when the team sent the Dolphins a 2015 seventh-round draft pick for him. Although Martin does not figure to start away with elite tackles Joe Staley and Anthony Davis already on the roster, the Stanford product immediately becomes one of the league’s best backup tackles.

One interesting subplot to watch after next season will be the 49ers’ treatment of former All-Pro left guard Mike Iupati, who will become a free agent next March after establishing himself as one of the predominant guards in the NFL. Should the 49ers decide to cut ties with Iupati, one could reasonably expect Marcus Martin, Kilgore, or 2014 draft pick Brandon Thomas to fill his vacated spot. Meanwhile, Jonathan Martin has no experience at guard, but suggested he has heard that making a transition toward the interior of the line is easier than moving from guard to tackle. So while the team may lose an elite lineman next offseason, they have four high-upside, talented replacements waiting in the wings — or in Kilgore’s case, about six inches to Iupati’s right on Sundays.

It is undeniable that the 49ers have learned how to cultivate homegrown superstar lineman, a reality exemplified chiefly by perennial All-Pros Staley and Iupati. As good as the last few years have been on the San Francisco offensive line, the future looks just as bright.

Extension Candidate: Jimmy Smith

May 25th, 2014 at 10:16am CST by Rory Parks

The Ravens had high hopes for Jimmy Smith when they selected him with the 27th overall pick of the 2011 draft. Labeled by some as the most “pro-ready” cornerback in that draft class, Smith’s stock took a hit because of perceived character issues stemming from several failed drug tests and an aggravated assault charge. The Ravens, noting that those incidents came early in his collegiate career, rolled the dice on Smith, hoping he and Lardarius Webb might combine to form a fearsome duo in the secondary.

NFL: Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore RavensAlthough Smith has had no off-field troubles since entering the league, his career got off to an inauspicious start when he suffered an ankle injury covering the Ravens’ first kickoff of the first regular season game of 2011. Smith returned to the field a few weeks later and showed flashes of his elite skill throughout the rest of the season, including an interception of Tom Brady in the 2011 AFC Championship Game.

In 2012, however, Smith battled through health and performance problems, missing five games due to a sports hernia injury and struggling with his consistency when he did see the field. But in Super Bowl XLVII, Smith played an integral role in the Ravens’ goal-line stand that denied the 49ers’ attempts to take the lead in the closing minutes, and that effort appeared to catapult him into 2013.

Smith started all 16 games in 2013, recording two interceptions and finally displaying on a consistent basis the blend of athleticism and technical skill that made him so appealing to Baltimore in 2011. As such, it was a foregone conclusion that the Ravens would pick up his fifth-year option, which they did in April of this year, keeping him in Baltimore through the end of the 2015 campaign.

Nonetheless, the team has expressed interest in extending its budding star. As our Luke Adams pointed out in his piece on the extension possibilities for the Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson, extensions for top cornerbacks are becoming more and more lucrative. Richard Sherman‘s new deal with the Seahawks averages $14MM annually, while Joe Haden‘s extension with Cleveland includes a $22MM guarantee. Those contracts represent a sizable increase from the already hefty free agent deals handed out to 2014 free agents Darrelle Revis, Aqib Talib, and Vontae Davis.

Admittedly, Smith is not yet in the same conversation as Sherman, Haden, and Peterson. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) ranked all three players among the top 20 cornerbacks in the league, whereas Smith checked in at No. 36. Of course, Peterson’s value is further enhanced by his return skills, and although Smith was a reliable special teams contributor earlier in his career, his value as a shutdown corner far outweighs his value as a gunner.

The Ravens, however, would stand to benefit from extending Smith sooner rather than later. A cornerback with his abilities is an increasingly critical component of a championship formula, and there is no reason to believe his 2013 successes were a fluke. If he repeats his 2013 performance in 2014, he will have officially established himself as one of the top corners in the league, and he will be justified in asking for a contract similar to Sherman’s and Haden’s. Although Smith’s second contract will probably not quite reach that level of lucrativeness, the longer the Ravens wait, the more expensive he will be.

 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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