Eagles, Titans Never Got Close On Marcus Mariota Trade
The latest on a pair of NFC franchises:
- Philadelphia was reportedly aggressive in trying to trade up to No. 2 in the 2015 draft to land quarterback Marcus Mariota, who played under then-Eagles head coach Chip Kelly at Oregon in 2012. But Kelly shot that down in a discussion with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, revealing that talks didn’t go anywhere because Tennessee wasn’t interested in moving the pick (via Matt Lombardo of NJ.com). “That’s all speculation that’s out there, you hear stories that ‘we offered this, we offered that,” said Kelly. “We didn’t offer anything because they weren’t taking any offers for it.” Unable to move up 18 spots to land Mariota, the Eagles ultimately stayed at No. 20 and selecting wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who has disappointed in the NFL. Kelly didn’t even finish out the 2015 season with the Eagles, who fired him prior to Week 17 and then went on to select a different potential franchise signal-caller, Carson Wentz, after moving up to No. 2 overall (by way of a trade with the Browns) in 2016.
- Just over a month after signing running back Latavius Murray in free agency, presumably to start, the Vikings selected ex-Florida State rusher Dalvin Cook in the second round of the draft. Murray addressed that Wednesday, telling NFL Network (per Kevin Patra of NFL.com): “I was home, watching the draft — I try to keep up regardless, just with the game itself. So they draft him. It wasn’t a surprise. When you see a guy, again, first-round potential sitting there in the second round, they snatch him up, you can’t be surprised. It motivates me regardless, because they’re always going to bring in somebody to take over for your position.” Even with Cook in the fold, Murray expects to rack up the lion’s share of the Vikings’ rushing attempts in 2017, and the ex-Raider plans to mentor the younger back. “As I said, MJD [Maurice Jones-Drew], Darren McFadden, Marcel Reece, those guys did everything they could to try and help me be a better player, and I’m going to do the same for Dalvin,” Murray noted. “Again, it’s going to come down to who is going to be the best player that can play. Because I give Dalvin knowledge and try to help him, doesn’t mean, OK, that I shouldn’t go out there and outperform him and outcompete.”
- The Vikings believe they may have a steal on their hands in another newcomer, defensive tackle Will Sutton, suggests Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune. Sutton, whom the NFC North rival Bears cut in May and who signed with the Vikings a week later, wasn’t playing in an ideal scheme in Chicago, according to Minnesota’s brass. “We felt like when [the Bears] went to a 3-4, it was probably not a real good fit for him,” said Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. “His game is based on quickness and acceleration and penetration, so we’ve kind of had our eye on him for a while.” Pro Football Focus disagrees with Zimmer, for what it’s worth, as the outlet gave Sutton easily the best grade of his three-year career last season. He posted poor marks over the two prior seasons, though, including a rookie campaign (2014) spent in a 4-3.
NFC East Notes: Redskins, Pryor, Eagles
Will free agent addition Terrelle Pryor wind up being the Redskins‘ leading receiver in 2017? JP Finlay and Rich Tandler of CSN Mid-Atlantic put the question up for debate. Pryor’s 55% catch rate last year wasn’t great, but Finlay argues that he couldn’t have done much better given the quarterbacks he had throwing to him. If Pryor was able to haul in 77 receptions for 1,007 yards with a rotating cast of unimpressive QBs, then he could put up even bigger numbers with Kirk Cousins throwing to him. On the flipside, Tandler notes that wide receiver Jamison Crowder and tight end Jordan Reed both figure to be targeted more than Pryor, giving the Ohio State product long odds of being the team’s top pass catcher.
Here’s more out of the NFC East:
- Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount can earn $50K if he weighs in between 240-245 pounds on the team’s reporting date for training camp, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Blount’s one-year deal calls for $1.25MM in base pay, but he can earn a total of $2.8MM through incentives, including the summer weigh-in. Blount is coming off one of his best seasons, having achieved career highs in carries (299), yards (1,161), and touchdowns (an NFL-leading 18).
- If a deal does not get done between the Redskins and Kirk Cousins, don’t be shocked if Washington leaks the last offer rejected by the quarterback, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. It’s likely that the final offer will sound impressive in comparison to what Cousins has accomplished so far on the field, so the Redskins can win some fan sympathy by giving a selective peek behind the curtain. An extension is currently viewed as a longshot and Cousins might be fundamentally unhappy with the team.
- Could the Giants consider free agent cornerback Darrelle Revis? It would make for an excellent story, but James Kratch of NJ.com writes that it doesn’t make sense for the G-Men financially. Revis can collect his $6MM salary from the Jets by sitting on the couch and some have speculated that he would want $8MM from a team in order to actually play this year. Not only is that an unreasonable asking price for Revis at this stage of his career, but the Giants couldn’t fit that salary under the cap even if they wanted to make it happen.
- Alterraun Verner, on the other hand, would be a more realistic option for the Giants, Kratch writes. Verner was apparently out of shape when he auditioned for the Jaguars in May, but he’d be an interesting slot option if he is now ready to play football. The Giants have a great slot corner in Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, but they don’t have a Plan B in the event of an injury.
Eagles Make Scouting Dept. Changes
- The Eagles announced some changes to their scouting staff on Friday, including promoting Trey Brown from director of college scouting to player personnel executive college/pro and hiring Ian Cunningham to take over Brown’s old post. Brown was among a few candidates who interviewed last month for the Bills’ then-vacant general manager job, which ended up going to Brandon Beane. Cunningham’s new to Philly, having spent the previous nine years with Baltimore. There, he worked with Joe Douglas, whom the Eagles hired as their vice president of player personnel last year.
Eagles Won't Pursue Eric Decker
- After flirting with free agent receiver Jeremy Maclin, the Eagles are unlikely to pursue fellow pass-catcher Eric Decker, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). Philadelphia, which was reportedly the runner-up in the Maclin sweepstakes, pursued the now-Raven because of their previous relationship with the wideout, per Garafolo. The Eagles don’t enjoy that sort of familiarity with Decker, and are comfortable with their current crop of wide receivers, which includes Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Jordan Matthews, and Nelson Agholor.
Mychal Kendricks' Role Unlikely To Change In 2017
- After playing just 27 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps in 2016, linebacker Mychal Kendricks has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason. For now, Kendricks is still in Philadelphia, and if he remains an Eagle this year, his role is unlikely to change, writes Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com. The Eagles used their nickel package over 70 percent of the time last season, and they’ll probably rely on it heavily again; if so, Kendricks will continue to watch from the sideline as fellow linebackers Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham receive the majority of snaps. The 26-year-old Kendricks still has three years left on his contract, but releasing him would cost the Eagles $9.15MM in dead cap this summer. Barring a trade, then, he figures to spend the sixth year of his career with his only NFL employer to date.
Jason Peters Could Move To Guard
- The Eagles handed Jason Peters a one-year extension Wednesday, and the club could move the veteran offensive lineman from tackle to guard at some point in the future, as head coach Doug Pederson told reporters, including Matt Lombardo of NJ.com (Twitter link). The switch would make some sense, especially from a contractual standpoint, as Philadelphia has already locked up its left tackle of the future — incumbent right tackle Lane Johnson. Johnson is earning $11.25MM annually, far and away the highest salary among right tackles, a sure sign the Eagles envision the former first-round pick eventually transitioning to the blindside.
Eagles, Jason Peters Agree To Extension
The Eagles and Jason Peters have agreed to an extension, per a team announcement. It’s a one-year addition that should keep the left tackle in Philadelphia through the 2019 season. 
[RELATED: Eagles Didn’t Get Into Bidding War For Jeremy Maclin]
Peters told reporters on Tuesday that he wanted a restructured contract. What he didn’t tell the media was that his reps and the Eagles were apparently on the doorstep of getting something done.
Originally, Peters’ contract took him through 2018 with little in the way of guaranteed money. Now, he has $15.5MM in guarantees over the next three years and can earn a maximum of $32.5MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). As a part of that $15.5MM in guarantees, $8MM will come in the form of a signing bonus. The new contract may allow Peters to retire with the Eagles. Meanwhile, the team may get some cap relief.
In 2016, the advanced stats at Pro Football Focus placed Peters as the eighth-best tackle in the NFL. His 88.3 overall score on PFF ranks as the third-highest showing of his career. For his career, he has made nine Pro Bowls and is a three-time first-team All-Pro.
Jason Peters Wants Restructured Contract
On Tuesday morning, left tackle Jason Peters strongly hinted to reporters that he wants the Eagles to restructure his contract (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). Peters explained that he doesn’t want to have to worry about getting cut as he enters each year of his contract and also expressed a desire to retire as a member of the Eagles.
Earlier this offseason, the Eagles approached Peters about taking a pay cut. Those talks were not fruitful, but the Eagles opted to keep him at a base salary of $10.45MM (per Over The Cap) rather than replace him.
The 35-year-old has solid comp over the next two seasons, but he has little in the way of certainty. In 2017, he’s slated to carry a $11.7MM cap number. Next year, he’ll have an $11.25MM cap figure, but the Eagles would be left with just $1MM in dead money if they choose to release him.
Peters doesn’t have leverage, per se, but the two sides could come to terms on a reworked contract that benefits everyone. A revised deal could see Peters take a cut in base salary in the next two years in exchange for a bump in guaranteed money or even years.
Last season, Pro Football Focus placed Peters as the eighth-best tackle in the entire league. His 88.3 overall score on PFF ranks as the third-highest showing of his career. For his career, he has made nine Pro Bowls and is a three-time first-team All-Pro.
Eagles Never Got Into A Bidding War For Maclin
We learned earlier today that the Eagles, not the Bills, were the runners-up for Jeremy Maclin‘s services, which came as something of a surprise given last week’s report that Philadelphia did not have interest in reuniting with Maclin. Per Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links), Eagles head coach Doug Pederson claims he was not being coy when he said the team was not considering Maclin, but that the Eagles did not reach out to Maclin until the weekend, when they contacted him to gauge interest. However, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets the Eagles never really got into a bidding war with the Ravens, who ultimately signed Maclin and who apparently gave him “solid money” to come to Baltimore.
Eagles Were Runners Up For Jeremy Maclin
On Monday morning, it was reported that Jeremy Maclin was deciding between signing with the Ravens or the Bills. As it turns out, the decision actually came down to the Ravens and the Eagles, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Ravens Sign WR Jeremy Maclin]
This news comes as a surprise since Maclin’s only two known visits were with Buffalo and Baltimore. Furthermore, Eagles coach Doug Pederson said last week that the team did not have interest in the wide receiver “at [the] time.” Apparently, Pederson was playing coy with the media and Maclin felt familiar enough with the Eagles that he did not require a visit to Philadelphia.
The Bills went hard after Maclin, but apparently they did not crack his top two. Running back LeSean McCoy started the recruitment effort early by reaching out to his former Eagles teammate and Maclin’s visit stretched into a second day, but Buffalo was still not to his liking. One has to wonder where the Bills will go from here since their wide receiver group continues to look shallow. The Bills could use at least one receiver with a pedigree like Maclin’s to provide support behind oft-injured star Sammy Watkins. Robert Woods, who was a solid WR2 for the Bills, left the team in free agency this spring.