Cohen Predicts Where Top Free Agents Land
Andrew Cohen of OverTheCap.com has been following free agency very closely, giving updates on the cap situations of every NFL team and details on current player contracts. Earlier today, he took a break from crunching numbers to examine the possible destinations on some of the league’s top free agents. After outlining the effective cap space of each NFL team, which takes into account the amount of money they would have to pay their draft selections, he shows a picture of where some of the biggest names could land.
Of his top ten free agents, he sees more than half of them returning to their teams in 2014, either via long-term contract or because of the franchise tag. Some of those players we already thought would end up with extensions or playing next year under the tag,
However, he does see a few key players changing uniforms this offseason, finding some big money with a new franchise:
- Cohen predicts Panthers‘ star Greg Hardy finding a team that run a 4-3 defense and has some cap room, such as the Raiders or Jaguars.
- The top receiver this offseason, Eric Decker has already been linked to Cleveland by Cohen earlier this offseason, and the Browns are still thought to be a front runner for his services, along with the Jets.
- Bengals‘ pass rusher Michael Johnson played under the franchise tag in 2013, and is unlikely to be tagged again. Cohen could see the Falcons cutting Osi Umenyiora and plugging Johnson into his role.
- Because of the Steelers‘ cap woes, Cohen does not think they will have the opportunity to offer Jason Worilds a contract comparative to what he would get on the open market. For that reason, he sees the pass rusher leaving for greener pastures. According to Cohen he might not have to leave the state, as he sees the Eagles 3-4 defense as a perfect landing spot for the outside linebacker.
NFC Notes: Ware, Orakpo, Giants, Gilbert
One of the biggest questions yet to be answered for the Cowboys this offseason is what to do with DeMarcus Ware, and team owner Jerry Jones said a decision needs to be made, writes Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram. Due to his high salary and his decline due to injuries, Ware is likely either to be cut or possibly to take a pay cut. While the Cowboys would struggle if they lose their top defensive player, Ware has not been open to taking a pay cut but would be willing to restructure his contract. Here are some other notes from around the NFC East:
- Redskins’ general manager Bruce Allen isn’t the only member of the organization who has publicly stated his desire to see Brian Orakpo return, writes Tarik El Bashir of CSNWashington.com. Head coach Jay Gruden also expressed his feelings about the team’s star pass rusher. “As a free agent, he’s the top priority for us. We’d love to get Brian back,” said Gruden. “But there’s a lot of issues at hand on our team. We’re evaluating every free agent that’s on our team, and that’s out there in the National Football League very hard, and we’ll make those decisions when they come up.”
- Giants general manager Jerry Reese said that he is content to allow both Justin Tuck and Hakeem Nicks test the free agent market this offseason, writes Glenn Minnis of XN Sports. “You never know,” said Reese. “We keep all of our options open. Both of those guys, they deserve to see what the market is.” Tuck and Nicks were among the best players on the team’s 2011 Super Bowl roster, but neither are expected to return to the team in 2014.
- The Eagles need to bolster a secondary that struggled against the pass in 2013, and the team could target Justin Gilbert of Oklahoma State in the first round of the NFL Draft, writes Matt Kelley of Rant Sports. He believes that Gilbert could immediately upgrade the corner position, bringing the talent the team thought they were getting when they signed Cary Williams. Kelley would be surprised if the Eagles passed on Gilbert should he be available at pick 22.
Poll: Which WR Will Eagles Keep?
With the news from The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane that the Eagles are prioritizing Jeremy Maclin over Riley Cooper, we’re interested to see if you think either receiver — or possibly both — will be back next season.
Cooper’s 2013 season was well-documented, starting with video evidence of the fourth-year receiver from Florida using a racial slur at a country music concert in late July. He apologized vehemently, was accepted back by his teammates, and then went on to set career highs in receptions (47), yards (835) and touchdowns (eight). He played in all 16 games, starting 15, and totaled six receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown in Philadelphia’s 26-24 playoff loss to New Orleans.
Maclin’s season was over before it started. He suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in training camp. A first-round pick from Missouri in 2009, Maclin has put up consistently good numbers for the, hovering between 55-70 catches in each season. He has never failed to surpass 750 receiving yards, but he’s never topped 1,000, either.
What do you believe to be the fates of Maclin and Cooper? Feel free to defend your vote in the comments section below.
Which Wide Receiver Will The Eagles Keep?
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Jeremy Maclin 46% (232)
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Riley Cooper 26% (133)
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Both 20% (99)
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Neither 8% (39)
Total votes: 503
Free Agency Notes: Pitta, Maclin, Cooper
Taking care of free agent tight end Dennis Pitta is the top priority for the Ravens, according to Bo Smolka of CSN Baltimore.
With the contract extension for linebacker/defensive end Terrell Suggs in the books, GM Ozzie Newsome said at his Scouting Combine news conference that Baltimore is “concentrating” on locking up the fourth-year BYU player for the foreseeable future.
Smolka notes that Baltimore has until March 3 to apply the franchise tag on Pitta, and they can expect a fight if they do so — Pitta lined up as an in-line tight end less than 25% of the time and will argue he deserves the $11.6MM wide receiver designation, as opposed to the $6.8MM tight end figure.
We talked yesterday about Ravens coach John Harbaugh being optimistic that the team can retain Pitta, as well as offensive tackle Eugene Monroe. Newsome is arguably the finest general manager in the league, so don’t bet against the possibility of him bringing back both players at team-friendly prices.
Some other free agent notes to pass along, in particular dealing with Philadelphia…
- The Eagles are prioritizing Jeremy Maclin over Riley Cooper, NFL sources have told Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- In a perfect world, McClane says Philadelphia would sign Maclin to a one-year deal, then try to sign another receiver with starting ability.
- In his Thursday interview at the NFL Combine, GM Howie Roseman said it would be a tough sell to keep both players. “You can only put a limited amount of resources into the position before it starts taking out from other places,” he said.
- This previous PFR post takes an in-depth look at the two receivers with the help of Pro Football Focus.
NFC East Links: Eagles, Cowboys, Marinelli
A few notes from the NFC East…
- Don’t expect to see the Eagles add a big-name safety, writes Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. In the article, Frank speaks to Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who has appeared to have learned from the failed 2011 Dream Team. While the team may not go after T.J. Ward or Jairus Byrd, Frank says the team knows it needs to upgrade at the position.
- The Eagles have made re-signing wide receiver Jeremy Maclin a priority over fellow free agent Riley Cooper, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. McLane says the team’s ideal plan is to keep Maclin and then sign a starting-caliber receiver in free agency.
- Newly appointed Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli will have much more freedom now that he doesn’t have to defer to Monte Kiffin on decisions, writes Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram.
- The Cowboys have informed agent Jordan Woy that they’d like to re-sign defensive linemen Jason Hatcher and Anthony Spencer, according to Hill (Twitter link). Hill adds that the club will let the market dictate the offer, which suggests Dallas will wait until after March 11 to try to reach agreements.
NFC East Notes: Orakpo, Eagles, Cowboys
As we look forward to another busy day at the combine in Indianapolis, let’s check in on a few Friday morning updates on all four NFC East squads:
- Redskins general manager Bruce Allen confirmed that the club will meet with the agent for free agent linebacker Brian Orakpo this weekend, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post.
- Although the Eagles will have to make offseason decisions on about a third of the players on their roster, GM Howie Roseman was fairly noncommittal when asked about those decisions, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer details.
- In the last couple offseasons, the Eagles have made modest free agent expenditures, but the team is still willing to spend big on the right player, says Roseman (link via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “I think unique situations call for unique action,” Roseman said. “If there is a unique player in free agency that is hard to find other than top of draft and fits all the criteria that we outlined, some publicly and some privately, you have to look at it. We still view ourselves as aggressive and risk-takers. Sometimes you have to take risks to get better.”
- With Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper facing free agency and Jason Avant‘s contract making him a potential cap casualty, Roseman sounds like he’s “willing to shuffle the [Eagles‘] deck at wide receiver,” writes Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com.
- The odds are very slim that the Cowboys will draft quarterback Johnny Manziel, but they’ll meet with him at the combine today, writes Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- The Giants are well-positioned to get Eli Manning some help on offense in this year’s draft, according to Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News, who suggests a few offensive linemen and pass-catchers the team may target at the combine.
- Earlier this morning, we heard that the Redskins have no plans to trade Kirk Cousins.
NFC Notes: Nelson, Tuck, Fitzgerald, Mangini
We’ve already published posts on the Vikings, Bears, and Cowboys so far today, but even after rounding up a few team-centric updates, there are still several more notes to pass along on NFC teams. Here’s the latest:
- While there will be plenty of items on the Packers‘ to-do list this offseason, locking up wide receiver Jordy Nelson to an extension is expected to be near the top of that list, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- There are plenty of notable names among this year’s free agent class of defensive ends, but Justin Tuck’s agent tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com that he believes his client is the best all-around player of the bunch. “Justin is by far the most complete d-end in the class,” agent Doug Hendrickson said of the longtime Giant. “He can play the 4-3, he can play the 3-4. He obviously had an incredible season last year with every stat he had with the tackles, tackles for loss, the hurries and the sacks. They were up there with the upper-echelon defensive linemen.”
- Asked about a report last month that suggested the Patriots were mulling a Larry Fitzgerald trade last year, Cardinals GM Steve Keim said of the rumor, “I was looking for someone to fire because [the Patriots] never called me” (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). That initial report suggested that the Pats’ talks didn’t get very far, so it sounds like they were just internal discussions.
- Former defensive specialist Eric Mangini will be the 49ers’ tight ends coach in 2014, the team confirmed today. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee was the first to report Mangini’s new role.
- Cornerback figures to be one of the most important positions for the Eagles to address this offseason, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer, exploring some potential options for the team.
- Offensive lineman Gabe Carimi, who was released by the Buccaneers earlier this month, admitted in an appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio that he was surprised by the move. However, the early cut gave Carimi to test the market ahead of the free agent period. While he had planned to work out for the Bengals and some other teams, the ex-Bear landed with the Falcons this week (Twitter links via Alex Marvez of FOX Sports).
NFC East Notes: Riley, Cowboys, Eagles
It’s already been a busy day for NFC East updates, as the Cowboys opened the morning by winning a coin flip for the 16th overall pick in the 2014 draft, while the Redskins followed up by finalizing their new contract agreement with cornerback DeAngelo Hall. We also heard that Washington will be seeking at least a second-round pick if the team decides to make Kirk Cousins available via trade. Now we’ve got a few more NFC East notes to pass along, so let’s dive in….
- The Redskins and free agent linebacker Perry Riley haven’t made much progress so far in contract negotiations, sources tell Mark Maske of the Washington Post. The two sides continue to talk, and the Redskins still want to retain the free-agent-to-be, but no deal is close at this point, says Maske, adding that one source suggests Riley appears increasingly likely to test the open market in March.
- Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com explores the long-term implications of Hall’s new deal with the Redskins, in a post at RealRedskins.com.
- The Cowboys are still “getting the lay of the land” when it comes to making roster decisions on players like DeMarcus Ware and Miles Austin, executive vice president Stephen Jones tells Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News.
- There’s a very real chance that the Eagles draft a quarterback this May, as Reuben Frank details at CSNPhilly.com.
- According to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal, Eagles defensive end Cedric Thornton has moved from CAA Sports to Joby Branion of Athletes First (Twitter link). Mullen adds that Branion, Carmen Wallace, and Athletes First will also represent Cowboys linebacker Bruce Carter, who has left former agent Carl Carey (Twitter links). Carter still has one year remaining on his contract, while Thornton is an exclusive rights free agent this offseason.
NFC Notes: Delmas, Falcons, Panthers
The Eagles will be targeting safeties this offseason in an effort to upgrade their secondary, but veteran free agent Louis Delmas doesn’t appear to be on their wish list, according to Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. A source tells Frank that the Eagles have “little interest” in the former Lion, who was released by Detroit last week, and that disinterest is likely related to Delmas’ health. While the 26-year-old free safety started all 16 games in 2013, he has had surgeries on both knees in recent years, and missed 13 of 32 regular season contests in 2011 and 2012.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- In a Tuesday news release, CBS Sports confirmed that Tony Gonzalez will be joining the network’s pregame studio show, replacing the departing Dan Marino and Shannon Sharpe. The new job for Gonzalez essentially rules out a return to the field in 2014, meaning the Falcons will get $7MM in cap savings, as ESPN’s Adam Caplan outlines (via Twitter).
- Noting that the Panthers haven’t really begun negotiating with any of their prospective free agents yet, ESPN.com’s David Newton says there’s no reason to get worked up about Cam Newton‘s contract situation, since he’ll get paid eventually, whether it happens this offseason or down the line.
- The Cowboys will have to lock up wide receiver Dez Bryant and left tackle Tyron Smith at some point, and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com believes a new deal for Smith should take precedence.
- Following up on the latest Sam Bradford rumors, Andrew Cohen of OverTheCap.com breaks down the four scenarios for the Rams: Releasing Bradford, extending him with a pay cut, extending him without a pay cut, and standing pat.
East Notes: Allen, Redskins, Eagles, Dolphins
Five of the eight teams are covered in this morning’s look at the AFC and NFC East divisions, so let’s dive right in and check out Tuesday’s East links….
- Jets safety Antonio Allen has switched agents and will now be represented by Joel Segal of Lagardere Unlimited, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. The 2012 seventh-round pick remains under contract through 2015.
- In a piece for the Washington Post, Mike Jones explores whether or not the Redskins ought to re-sign outside linebackers Rob Jackson and Darryl Tapp. In Jones’ view, it could make sense for the club to bring back Jackson, but re-signing Tapp won’t be a priority.
- The Eagles need to add depth at running back behind LeSean McCoy, writes ESPN.com’s Phil Sheridan. While Sheridan tosses out the names of a few free agent options, he expects the team to draft a running back rather than sign one.
- Offensive tackle will be a major area of focus for the Dolphins this offseason, and Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel suggests there are multiple ways the team could address the position.
- If he were running the Giants, Mike Tanier of Sports on Earth would extend Eli Manning‘s contract and roll the dice on bringing in potentially high-reward offensive playmakers.