NFC East Notes: Pryor, Redskins, FA Strategies
Following up on his article on Saturday where he wrote that Oakland QB Terrelle Pryor would be a good fit for the Eagles if he is released by the Raiders, Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com elaborates in a different piece today. He notes that Pryor is almost certainly done in Oakland after the Raiders–who value Matt McGloin as a back-up–traded for Matt Schaub, and that Pryor’s athleticism and mobility would fit well in Chip Kelly‘s offense.
Mosher adds that Kelly actually had a great deal of interest in Pryor when Kelly was the head coach at Oregon and Pryor was a prized high school recruit. In short, then, the dots are there to connect, and if the Raiders release Pryor outright, the Eagles would be interested. If, however, the Raiders are more interested in trading Pryor for a late-round pick, the Eagles would probably balk, having already given up their extra fifth-round choice for Darren Sproles.
More from the NFC East:
- Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com writes that, despite the signing of Tracy Porter, the Redskins‘ secondary is still a work in progress and they remain in pursuit of a free agent cornerback. The team hosted Brandon Browner before he signed with New England and had a visit scheduled with Walter Thurmond before he signed with the Giants.
- Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News writes that the Cowboys are still in the market for free agent defensive players even after the acquisitions of Henry Melton, Jeremy Mincey, and Terrell McClain. Executive vice president Stephen Jones, though, is looking “harder than ever” at a free agent’s age and injury history before striking a deal.
- Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes that the Giants have departed from their typical approach to free agency by spending big this offseason, and he believes they were right to do it.
Teams Inquiring On DeSean Jackson
SATURDAY, 7:42pm: The Jets have had internal discussions about adding Jackson and will consider trading for him, a source told Brian Costello of the New York Post.
TUESDAY, 6:57pm: A source close to Jackson tells Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (on Twitter) that the Eagles have not contacted the receiver about the trade talks and rumors.
6:10pm: Albert Breer of the NFL Network (on Twitter) hears that the 49ers aren’t interested in Jackson. Right now, they have just $4.22MM in cap space and they have to budget for quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
4:29pm: Rumblings and rumors of potential unease between wide receiver DeSean Jackson and the Eagles have resulted in some trade speculation this month, and according to Derrick Gunn of CSNPhilly.com, those reports have prompted NFL teams to call the Eagles to inquire about Jackson’s availability.
Gunn reports that while the Eagles aren’t shopping Jackson, they’re not hanging up on teams calling to ask about him either. The Patriots and 49ers are among the clubs that have inquired, according to Gunn, who adds that Philadelphia would be seeking at least a third-round pick and potentially more than that for the standout receiver.
I’d be a little surprised if a deal happens, but there are plenty of reasons it might make sense. Jackson has an annual cap hit of $12MM+ for the next three seasons, and with Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin having been locked up this offseason, the Eagles have two cheaper receivers capable of starting, even if neither Cooper and Maclin is a true No. 1. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer also suggested that Jason Avant often acted as the go-between for Jackson and wide receivers coach Bob Bicknell, and Avant has since been released.
ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (video link) also reported earlier today that the Eagles weren’t actively trying to trade Jackson, but would be willing to listen to offers.
DeSean Jackson Could Be Released
While it has been widely reported that the Eagles are trying to trade receiver DeSean Jackson, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that the team will release Jackson if no deal is struck.
In the piece, Mehta credits his source with saying “Philly is trading him or cutting him. That’s a fact. They don’t want him.”
Mehta writes that Jackson seems uninterested in taking a pay cut, but believes that the 27-year-old playmaker will have to restructure his contract in order to get a deal done. Fresh off the NFC Championship game, both the 49ers and the Seahawks have expressed interest in acquiring Jackson, although neither team would be able to squeeze his salary ($12MM per year for three years) into their books.
The Jets and Raiders both have the cap room to absorb Jackson’s salary, but he is still very highly paid. The Raiders may be unwilling to part with a valuable draft pick, and even though the Jets have some extra picks, the report that Jackson will be released hurts the Eagles leverage in trade talks.
The Patriots and Panthers have also been thought of as potential landing spots, but would seem to be equally unwilling to trade a valuable asset for such an expensive player.
Backup QB Notes: Browns, Eagles, Raiders, Ravens
Browns veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer, rehabbing his torn ACL injury suffered in October, says his goal is to be the starter, writes Nate Ulrich of the Beacon Journal. Hoyer’s role remains to be seen, as the team is expected to draft its quarterback of the future, but who that is and when he’s drafted could dictate Hoyer’s place on the depth chart. If the Browns spend the fourth overall pick on a passer, Hoyer is likely relegated to a backup role, but if the team drafts a quarterback not quite pro-ready, Hoyer could have an opportunity as a bridge starter. Meanwhile, Ulrich speculates the Browns could sign 33-year-old Rex Grossman to serve as a No. 3 and mentor.
In other backup signal caller news:
- With trade acquisition Matt Schaub in the fold, the Raiders are content with backup Matt McGloin, tweeted Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Writing about the Eagles’ quarterback depth, CSNPhilly.com’s Geoff Mosher says the team is “thinner at the position than they’ve been in more than a decade.” Second-year man Matt Barkley, whom the Eagles traded up to draft in the fourth round, is in line to be the backup, and Mosher notes, “Chip Kelly touted Barkley’s progress throughout the season and seemed very enthused about the former USC star’s future.” Should the team decide to add a veteran competitor for the No. 2 job, Terrelle Pryor, expected to be squeezed out of Oakland, could be the best system fit.
- The Ravens should be in the market for another quarterback, believes CSN Baltimore’s Ray Frager. The Ravens spoke with Brandon Weeden before he signed with the Cowboys, indicating the team is looking for a backup capable of running new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak’s play-action passing game for an extended stretch of games in the event starter Joe Flacco goes down. Current backup Tyrod Taylor‘s inexpensive contract is up next season, and his style of play and inaccuracy make him more suited for a No. 3 job.
DeSean Jackson Believes He Is Done With Eagles
Star receiver DeSean Jackson believes his tenure with the Eagles is over, reports Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com. McManus has spoken with two sources close to Jackson, who attested to the wideout’s belief that he will be traded this offseason.
Jackson has been on the trade block since the beginning of March, due in large part to the big salary commitment he holds on the cap. The receiver will have a cap hold of at least $12MM in each of the next three seasons, which places him among the highest paid pass catchers in the NFL. While he may seem to be overpaid, after setting career highs in receptions and yards and tying his career high in touchdowns in 2013, there is not much more he could have done to justify his paycheck. His speed and playmaking ability would make him dangerous in any offense, and coach Chip Kelly has gotten the most out of him in their first year together.
While no official trade talks have begun, the Jets, Patriots, Raiders, Panthers, and 49ers have been speculated to have interest in acquiring Jackson. The Eagles are reportedly looking for a third-round pick in return for their top receiver. The team acquiring him would not only have to give up the draft pick, but would have to be able to fit an expensive player under their cap going forward.
It is tough to imagine the Eagles explosive offense looking the same in 2014 without one of their biggest contributors. The team did re-sign Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin, the latter of which is almost like an addition after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. They still have one of the best running backs in the league in LeSean McCoy, and added Darren Sproles as another dangerous player who can produce at a number of different spots along the formation. The team could still look to add to its offense in the draft, but if Nick Foles matches his performance from last year, the Eagles should be able to put an above average offense on the field even without replacing Jackson.
FA Notes: Finley, Britt, Spencer, Barkley
Former Packers’ tight end Jermichael Finley failed his physical with the Seahawks, reports Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette (via Twitter). He writes that Finley is only four months removed from neck surgery.
Finley could still be months away from landing with an NFL team, based on his recovery, notes Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Here are some other rumors from around the NFL:
- While they haven’t expressed much interest in Finley, the tight end is still an option for the Giants. However it looks like the team has concluded that Anthony Spencer‘s health is not worth the risk, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
- Kenny Britt had a good visit with the Patriots, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. Britt had a conversation with Reiss’ colleague Mike Rodak, who covers the Bills. “It was actually better than I thought it was,” said Britt, discussing the Patriots. “A lot of guys, a lot of people out there that don’t know or been on the inside or think it’s strict and things like that, but it’s laid back when I got there. They got good people there. I actually worked out for them. The workout went great. I had a good time.”
- Matt Barkley will have a chance to win the number two quarterback job behind Nick Foles, reports Matt Bosher of CSNPhilly (via Twitter). Bosher writes that the Eagles will still have to bring another quarterback in this offseason.
Poll: Will Eagles Trade DeSean Jackson?
The Eagles were at the center of one of the NFL’s most notable trades of the month, acquiring Darren Sproles from the Saints for a fifth-round draft pick. But with plenty of time still remaining in the offseason, it’s possible that the Eagles could still be involved in a bigger deal, trading away an offensive playmaker of their own.
DeSean Jackson has been the subject of trade speculation for the last several weeks, and the rumor mill has been heating up in recent days, with multiple reports suggesting the Eagles were willing to listen to inquires about their star receiver, even if they weren’t necessarily shopping him. Since then, the 49ers, Patriots, Jets, Raiders, and Panthers have been listed among the teams that called Philadelphia to ask about Jackson.
While it may not be news that a club would simply field calls about a player, there are signals that the Eagles are actually considering the possibility of moving Jackson, who has a cap number of $12MM+ in each of the next three seasons. The team has stayed strangely silent about the numerous reports suggesting Jackson may be available, and Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer reports today that the talks with the Panthers actually began when the Eagles “informally” reach out to gauge Carolina’s interest. While the Panthers don’t have the cap flexibility to be real suitors for Jackson, Person’s report suggests that the Eagles aren’t necessarily just sitting back and letting other teams call them.
The Eagles locked up a pair of solid receivers earlier in the offseason, re-signing Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper to new deals. Additionally, Jackson has made a few off-the-field headlines, and moving his contract would free up some cap room. Still, the explosive 27-year-old receiver is coming off a season in which he established new career-highs in receptions (82) and receiving yards (1,332), to go along with his nine touchdowns. He’d be sorely missed by the Eagles’ offense, and it may not be worth it to move him if the club can only acquire something like a third-round pick in return.
What do you think? Will Jackson still be an Eagle in Week 1 of the 2014 season, or will he be playing for another team by then?
Will the Eagles trade DeSean Jackson before the 2014 season?
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Yes 51% (384)
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No 49% (362)
Total votes: 746
NFC East Links: Redskins, Jackson, Cowboys
Although the Redskins have been fairly active in free agency, the team hasn’t really brought in any outside impact players besides defensive lineman Jason Hatcher, and there are still several holes on the roster, writes Mike Jones of the Washington Post. As such, GM Bruce Allen wasn’t necessarily brimming with enthusiasm when asked about his club’s free agent haul.
“I feel okay [about free agency],” Allen said. “It’s easier if you said we had one or two deficiencies to target players, but we needed to address every position on the football team except for quarterback. And, so we talked to a lot of players at the beginning of free agency, tried to calculate who we could afford and who we couldn’t, knowing that we needed at least a dozen if not more.”
As the Redskins continue to seek out players to potentially fill their roster holes, let’s round up a few other NFC East notes…
- Within Jones’ piece, he notes that the Redskins remain in talks with free agent safety Ryan Clark.
- Up until now, the Eagles haven’t commented publicly on the DeSean Jackson trade rumors swirling around the team, but as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, the team’s decision-makers won’t be able to avoid the media at the NFL’s annual meetings in Orlando next week. Florio believes the situation could come to a head within the next week. Yesterday, we heard that the Jets, Panthers, and Raiders are among the teams to have inquired about Jackson’s availability.
- Within his latest chat, Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News fielded questions from Cowboys fans about the draft, the defense, and whether Anthony Spencer is still a viable free agent target.
Extra Points: MJD, Britt, Smith, Jets
Maurice Jones-Drew is currently looking for about $3.5MM per year on his next deal, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Even though the former Jaguars star has accomplished great things throughout his career, finding big money as an older tailback in this market could prove to be tough. More from around the NFL..
- Don’t bank on the Cowboys signing Jared Allen, says Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter links). Breer’s understanding is that it was an either/or proposition when it came to Allen and Henry Melton, whom Dallas signed earlier this week. That could change if Allen’s asking price comes down, however.
- The Bills and Panthers have expressed interest in wide receiver Kenny Britt and visits may be taking place with those teams, agent Pat Dye Jr. tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports 1 (via Twitter). Dye says a short-term deal for Britt, who has already checked in with the Redskins, Rams, and Patriots, is likely.
- On SNY (via Manish Mehta of the Daily News on Twitter), Jets coach Rex Ryan gave Geno Smith quite the endorsement. “Make no mistake about it: Geno Smith is going to be hard to beat out. I don’t care who we add,” Ryan said.
- The Jets have expressed a desire to re-sign guard Vlad Ducasse, but Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) sees him signing with the Bengals or Vikings.
- In addition to the Jets, the Panthers and Raiders have also called the Eagles about DeSean Jackson, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. There seems to be a healthy amount of interest in the 27-year-old.
- Former Browns All-Pro safety T.J. Ward indicated via Twitter that Cleveland’s new brass really didn’t want him back. “Quotes get misunderstood all the time,” the new member of the Broncos wrote. “Just FYI. Cleveland offered me nothing. Boom! There u have it. #GoBroncos.”
- The Panthers are working out receivers Kevin Cone, Lestar Jean, and C.J. Akins, tweets Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. Aikins spent time with the Rams in 2013.
- Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey told SiriusXM NFL Radio (on Twitter) that he’s not done shopping just yet. “Free agency never closes. We’re always looking to add more players.“
Jets Notes: Jackson, Vick, Free Agency
With Michael Vick set to visit the Jets tomorrow, it’s worth noting that New York is among the teams that has inquired on Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). While landing Jackson may be a long shot even if the team does sign Vick, Rapoport notes that the two players are close from their time in Philadelphia.
That nugget on Jackson wasn’t the only Jets-related item in the news today, however. GM John Idzik and head coach Rex Ryan spoke to the media on a conference call, and Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post rounded up several of the highlights, so let’s dive in….
- Despite the public perception that the Jets have been too cautious in free agency and have missed out on several targets, Idzik isn’t concerned: “We said all along that we would be judicious and selective in free agency. Nine days into free agency, we feel we’ve been productive.”
- Idzik also stressed that the Jets have done well to bring back many of their own free agents, including linebacker Calvin Pace and offensive lineman Willie Colon.
- Ryan insists he’s happy with the cornerbacks on the roster, though Idzik said there “may be trade talks” to strengthen the position (Twitter link).
- While Idzik didn’t mention Vick by name, he hinted that the team has interest in the veteran signal-caller in part due to his connection to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg: “Whenever you have inside knowledge on a player… that is a tremendous advantage. There is less projection, especially if you’re dealing with a position that entails a lot like quarterback.”