Evan Mathis Rumors: Wednesday
Earlier this morning, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that the Eagles have “made it known” that Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis is available in trade talks. According to multiple reports, Mathis is seeking a raise following a career year, and the Eagles don’t seem inclined to give it to him before the 2014 season begins. A few more details have trickled in on Mathis and a potential trade since then, so let’s dive in….
- According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter), Mathis and agent Drew Rosenhaus broached the subject of a new contract to the Eagles prior to the combine, at which point the team countered with the idea of a trade. Mathis was subsequently shopped around in Indianapolis and since then, but there haven’t been many nibbles, tweets McLane.
- The Eagles are seeking a third-round pick for Mathis, but may settle for a fourth, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). La Canfora adds that if the Eagles can’t get that sort of return, the club may just hang onto the veteran offensive lineman.
- Alex Marvez of FOX Sports also tweets that Mathis could very well return next season, and notes that Philadelphia has given Mathis permission to pursue a trade. In that case, it may be Rosenhaus exploring his client’s value more than the Eagles doing so.
- A source tells Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link) that Mathis has yet to consider the possibility of a holdout.
Eagles Rumors: Mathis, Jackson, QBs, Draft
DeSean Jackson has been the subject of trade rumors for several weeks now, but he’ll have some company going forward. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported this morning (via Twitter) that the Eagles have “made it known” All Pro guard Evan Mathis is available via trade. According to Rapoport (via Twitter) and Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter), Mathis would like a new contract after a breakout year, and the Eagles aren’t inclined to give the 32-year-old a raise on his $5.15MM salary ($6.15MM cap number).
Eagles head coach Chip Kelly spoke to reporters this morning in Orlando and was asked about Mathis, Jackson, and several other topics related to the team. Here are a few highlights from the conversation (all links go to Twitter):
- Kelly confirmed that he has spoken to Jackson and said it was a good conversation, but added that the Eagles will “always do what’s best for the organization,” according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. Kelly didn’t say at any point that the standout wide receiver wouldn’t be traded, though he did say Jackson hasn’t asked for a new contract, according to Bowen.
- Asked why it took so long for him to talk to Jackson, Kelly said he hadn’t been following all the trade rumors and reports, says Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. As Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com notes, that explanation doesn’t really add up, but after being pressed on the issue, Kelly simply said, “I don’t have an answer for you.”
- “I don’t think our offense has ever been predicated on one player,” Kelly said, when asked about how the offense could possibly be better off without Jackson.
- Kelly hasn’t spoken to Mathis about the possibility of a new deal, but is very skeptical that the veteran guard would cause any problems for the team, says Mosher.
- After losing Michael Vick in free agency, backup quarterback is a “position of need” for the Eagles, according to Kelly. Asked about Mark Sanchez, the head coach didn’t confirm the team’s interest, but said the ex-Jet is a “very good athlete” and has plenty of experience. As for starter Nick Foles, Kelly was adamant that Foles is Philadelphia’s franchise quarterback.
- The Eagles will focus on taking the best player available in the draft, with Kelly stressing today that he doesn’t think the roster is necessarily set at any position.
NFC Notes: Ware, Jordan, Eagles, Packers
The Cowboys had to let veteran DeMarcus Ware go this offseason, but head coach Jason Garrett says it was far from an easy decision to make.
“DeMarcus Ware is one of the best players the franchise has ever had,” Garrett told Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com. “He played his position over the past eight or nine years as well as anybody has in the National Football League. Those are very difficult and challenging decisions. There’s a lot of different factors that go into making a decision like that and we just felt like at this time, the best thing for us to do was to not compete to the extent that we would have had to to keep him in a Cowboys uniform. A great player, a great human being, one of the cornerstones of our franchise. But you have to make some of these hard decisions and you have to be disciplined to do that.”
Here are a few more NFC links:
- Coach Andy Reid says Akeem Jordan’s versatility and reliability will help the Redskins, writes Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Reid coached Jordan for six seasons in Philadelphia, and then brought him with him to Kansas City last season. Now, Jordan has traveled east to join him in Washington D.C.
- The Eagles are going to have to make several difficult and most likely unpopular decisions in the next year to get under the 2015 salary cap, explains Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. 13 players have a combined 2015 cap hit of $68,025,140, or 47 percent of the Eagles’ current 2015 total cap figure. Aside from LeSean McCoy and Jason Peters, any of those players could wind up as cap casualties after the 2014 season.
- Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters, including Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, that they shouldn’t put a label on newly-acquired veteran Julius Peppers. Peppers will play a combination of outside linebacker and defensive lineman that Green Bay will refer to as an “elephant.” This means means Peppers will not work directly under defensive line coach Mike Trgovac, who was Peppers’ defensive line coach and defensive coordinator with the Panthers from 2002-08.
- McCarthy wants to have unrestricted free agent Matt Flynn back in the fold, but he’s realistic and knows it might not be in the cards. “I’d like to have Matt back,” the Packers coach said, according to Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com. “I thought Matt was a good addition to our football team. I have great respect and admiration for him, just being around him a lot on a positional basis. Yeah, I’m hoping financially it works out.”
DeSean Jackson Rumors: Tuesday
There were plenty of DeSean Jackson rumors swirling yesterday as another busy NFL week kicked off, but we didn’t exactly move any closer to a resolution of the situation. As we wait to see whether the Eagles decide to trade, release, or keep their standout receiver, we’ll monitor today’s Jackson updates right here, with the newest items added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie had no interest in discussing Jackson in a press conference with reporters today, writes Sheil Kapadia of Philadelphia Magazine.
- Late last night, Jackson posted an old photo of himself and Chip Kelly on Instagram, accompanied by the following caption: “Good to Talk to Big Chip today !! Say or hear what ya want !! The Picture speaks for itself !!”
- While Jackson’s post hints that Kelly reassured the receiver that he wasn’t going anywhere, that’s not quite the case, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. A source close to Jackson tells Bowen that Kelly’s message was “don’t worry about anything and keep working hard and be ready for camp.”
- Early this morning, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote a piece suggesting Jackson’s days in Philadelphia are “all but over,” pointing to GM Howie Roseman‘s non-denials yesterday as the latest hint. However, McLane has since heard from a source close to the situation that Jackson, following his conversation with Kelly, has called a few teammates to tell them he’s staying.
Lions To Sign James Ihedigbo
9:41pm: The Bears and Eagles were also interested in Ihedigbo, tweeted ESPN’s Adam Caplan.
9:37pm: Ravens free agent safety James Ihedigbo agreed to terms on a two-year deal with the Lions, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Ihedigbo visited Detroit the first week of free agency, at which time the team offered a two-year deal. They’ve been waiting for an answer ever since. Ihedigbo, 30, started 16 games for the Ravens last year, totaling 101 tackles, 11 passes defended, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. The Lions had familiarity with the safety thanks to new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, who was Ihedigbo’s position coach in Baltimore. Presumably, Ihedigbo steps into a starting role for the Lions, who cut ties with oft-injured Louis Delmas in February.
Bears’ Mills Tops Performance-Based Pay List
Bears rookie right tackle Jordan Mills, whose base salary was $495k last season, will receive approximately $318k from the performance-based pay pool, more than any other player in the league. Created in order to reward players who make the least and play the most, the performance-based league pool is $3.46MM per team. Each team’s performance-based pay leader can be found here, courtesy of USA Today.
Mills, a fifth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech, started all 16 games for the Bears. However, his starts were more a reflection of the team’s lack of options, as Mills rated as one of the league’s worst starters, ranking last in pass protection (-32.5 rating) and hurries allowed (62). Other notables (dollar figures rounded):
- Vontaze Burfict (Bengals): $316k
- Ronald Leary (Cowboys): $307k
- Larry Warford (Lions): $261k
- Jason Kelce (Eagles): $260k
- David Bakhtiari (Packers): $257k
- Danny Trevathan (Broncos): $245k
- Keenan Allen (Chargers): $218k
- Will Hill (Giants): $215k
DeSean Jackson Rumors: Monday
After rounding up a week’s worth of DeSean Jackson rumors on Saturday night, we passed along a couple more stories on the standout trade candidate yesterday. Jackson figures to be a popular topic at this week’s NFL meetings in Orlando, so it’s no surprise that there are already a few more updates and notes on the Eagles receiver to recap. We’ll track today’s Jackson news and rumors right here, adding the latest items to the top of the page throughout the day:
- A source close to the team confirms to Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com confirms that the Eagles made the decision to try to move on from Jackson at least a month ago, rather than in the last couple weeks.
Earlier updates:
- Although he cautions that there are mixed reports galore on the Jackson front, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says the latest buzz he’s heard in Orlando suggests the 49ers have interest – despite an on-the-record denial – and that the Seahawks would have interest at a significantly lower cost than Jackson’s current salary.
- Jeff McLane (Twitter link) spoke to one NFL coach who has no interest in Jackson, since the coach believes the Eagles‘ apparent willingness to move the receiver means there “has to be something there we don’t know.”
- Jets owner Woody Johnson confirmed yesterday that his team has interest in Jackson, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) notes Johnson also said that a trade’s “not our primary operating motif.”
- Examining Johnson’s comments, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News have each published new stories on the Jackson situation. McLane writes that the team has been “actively shopping” the star receiver since at least last week, while Bowen hears from a front office source on a rival team that the Eagles “wanted a lot” for Jackson when they discussed him last month. At that point, Philadelphia was allegedly seeking more than a second-round pick, but another NFL source who spoke to Bowen now wonders if the Eagles can land more than a fifth- or sixth-rounder.
- The Raiders have interest in Jackson, but may not be inclined to part with a 2014 draft pick for him, tweets Rapoport.
- Among the teams not in the mix for Jackson: The Seahawks and Panthers. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears from a source that Seattle has “no interest at all” in the 27-year-old, while David Newton of ESPN.com reiterates that Jackson isn’t a fit in Carolina, despite the team’s thin receiving corps.
- Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News recognizes why a Jackson trade could make sense for the Eagles, but doesn’t see the logic in releasing him unless there’s a serious non-football issue we haven’t heard about.
Extra Points: Bears, Mack, Steelers, Jackson
The Bears are considering veterans as they search for a backup to quarterback Jay Cutler, but coach Marc Trestman feels good about what Jordan Palmer showed late in the preseason last year, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. “We give Jordan a lot of credit,” Trestman said. “He literally learned the offense on his own because we didn’t have time to work daily with him. He worked. He worked overtime and he learned the offense and came in and played admirably in the preseason. He moved the football team and was very sufficient. He’s got a lot of experience and not a lot of wear and tear. He’s been around a long time. Obviously, we’re going to have another one in there and see how that goes over the next couple of months.” More from around the NFL..
- A source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter) that the Ravens have a high opinion of Alex Mack but they’ve believed all along that signing the center would be complicated and expensive to pull off.
- Steelers GM Kevin Colbert says that with the available talent in this draft, trading down is the best strategy. Unfortunately for him, he says he’s far from alone in that thinking. “It makes more sense in this draft than trading up,” Colbert said, writes Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). “I’m sure everyone shares the same thought.”
- Jets owner Woody Johnson definitely has a win-now mindset, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “I’m not going to use the word ‘patient’ anymore. We want to do it now,” Johnson said.
- Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk writes that Johnson could face a tampering violation for discussing his interest in bringing DeSean Jackson to the Jets.
More DeSean: False Rumors And The Jets
3:23pm: Jets owner Woody Johnson indicated the team’s interest in Jackson by name, saying “We’re looking at a lot of players, including DeSean,” according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter link). However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Johnson implied that a trade was not the best option to acquire Jackson, ostensibly meaning that the Jets hope the Eagles simply release the receiver.
9:18am: Here at PFR, we have written extensively on the potential trade or release of mercurial wideout DeSean Jackson since rumors first surfaced that the Eagles would listen to trade offers for him at the beginning of this month (check out a useful roundup of Jackson links here). At some point over the course of the past few weeks, the Patriots, 49ers, Jets, Panthers, and Seahawks have all been said to have some interest in Jackson, either in trading for him or signing him if he should be released.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has added an interesting twist to the story. He writes that there is “suspicion” in league circles that the interest of at least some of the above-mentioned teams has been fabricated by the Eagles in an attempt to create a trade market for Jackson. Of course, if Philadelphia is indeed leaking false rumors, the strategy does not appear to be paying off, as there has yet to be a single report of a firm offer for Jackson.
However, the Jets’ interest does appear to be genuine. New York has been the team linked most frequently to Jackson, and Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes that the Jets have the ammo to bring him aboard. As Cimini notes, the Jets “have the resources to be a major player. They have the need, the cap space (more than $30 million) and the right recruiter (Michael Vick).”
Cimini adds that the Jets have a “measured interest” in trading for Jackson, but that their interest would certainly intensify if Jackson were released. Nonetheless, Cimini himself believes acquiring Jackson would be out of character for GM John Idzik. Jackson is a “problem child,” and the fact that the Eagles appear willing to rid themselves of such an integral component to their 2013 success speaks volumes. Cimini also notes that Jackson and Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg appeared to have something of a rocky relationship when Mornhinweg was in Philadelphia.
49ers, Eagles Not Discussing DeSean Jackson
The 49ers have not contacted the Eagles regarding the availability of DeSean Jackson, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. 49ers general manager Trent Baalke denied having any discussions involving Jackson, who is expected to either be traded or released shortly.
The 49ers have shown interest in multiple wide receivers during free agency, but have yet to land a player to complement current starters Michael Crabtree and Anquan Boldin. While Jackson would add an electrifying option to the San Francisco offense, his $10.5MM base salary in 2014 poses a problem, as the 49ers only have roughly $3.7MM in cap space available, and need to keep room for an expected Colin Kaepernick extension.
Baalke did add one interesting statement, perhaps not specifically about Jackson, but about roster construction as a whole, that could point to a trade being unlikely: “I do believe you’re never one player away because too much can happen,” said the GM. “You could acquire that player and the very next day that player gets injured and he’s done for the year. And then you’re back to square one and you have to tell yourself, ‘Well, we’re still one player away.’ I don’t buy that philosophy.”