Draft Notes: Gardner, Funchess, Irving
With teams beginning to set their draft boards in stone, many are meeting with prospects to try to learn as much as they can as they prepare for the 2015 NFL Draft.
Here are a few prospects that have visited with organizations, with new updates added to the top:
- LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins will visit with the Ravens prior to the NFL draft, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Collins had already met with the team during both the NFL Combine and the Senior Bowl.
- Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner says that between three and four teams are interested in him as a passer, while the rest of the league views him as a wide receiver, writes Michael Rothstein of ESPN (via Twitter). Gardner has already worked out with the Falcons and Bengals, and has visits with the Patriots and Chiefs coming up next week (via Twitter). He will also be meeting with the Steelers before the draft as well (via Twitter).
- Rothstein also notes thats fellow Wolverine Devin Funchess worked out for the Falcons last week, at both wide receiver and H-back (via Twitter).
- Former Iowa State defensive tackle David Irving will work out in San Jacinto, California on Monday morning. Despite being dismissed from the team due to an arrest and missing the 2014 season, at least two NFL teams are expected to attend, writes Gil Brandt of NFL.com (via Twitter).
Extra Points: Texans, Steelers, Browns, Vikings
Texans owner Bob McNair is happy with what his front office was able to accomplish in free agency, write John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, particularly with the acquisitions of Brian Hoyer, Vince Wilfork, Rahim Moore, and Cecil Shorts.
“I’ve been quite pleased with free agency. We’ve accomplished what we set out to do. We signed a quarterback and got help in the defensive line. We wanted a free safety with range, more of a centerfielder, and we wanted to add some speed at receiver,” McNair said. “And we were able to retain Kareem, Derek and Mallett. We did it within the cap, and we didn’t sacrifice our future.”
Here are some other notes from around the NFL:
- Steelers team president Art Rooney II has been overseeing a much different offseason, but does not expect the team to be extremely active late in the offseaon, writes Mark Kaboly of TribLive.com. “We’re still looking at what the options are, and we’ll continue to do that,” Rooney said. “I think we’re at this point not expecting that there’s going to be a lot more activity out there, but we’re certainly continuing to look. If there’s a player that makes sense for us to pursue, we’ll do that.”
- The Browns have been spending their money and assets on the defensive side of the ball recently, and their commitment on that side of the ball is evident when analyzing the salary cap numbers by position, writes Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. The Browns are spending a large amount of money on their secondary, both in terms of cornerbacks and safeties, and are also spending significantly at linebacker. However, they are in saving money at quarterback, and more significantly at running back.
- The Vikings have had lukewarm interest in inside linebacker Brandon Spikes, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (via Twitter). Wolfson hasn’t heard anything about the team’s interest in fellow linebackers Mason Foster and Rolando McClain, but infers that they might be similarly uninspiring options for the Vikings.
AFC Notes: Delmas, Broncos, Steelers
Some notes from the AFC on Friday.
- Re-signed to a one-year contract by the Dolphins on Friday, safety Louis Delmas is ahead of schedule in rehabbing a torn ACL, reports ESPN’s James Walker. Delmas is confident he’ll be ready for Week 1 to start in Miami for the second straight season.
- Prior to Jacob Tamme committing to the Falcons and Mitch Unrein deciding to sign with the Chargers on Thursday, the Broncos attempted to bring both back, reports Mike Klis of the Denver Post. This keeps with Denver’s stingy offseason. The only other player the Broncos opted to keep was also mostly a backup in his first four years, tight end Virgil Green, while they allowed Julius Thomas, Rahim Moore, Terrance Knighton, Orlando Franklin and Nate Irving to leave.
- ESPN reporter Mike Sando listed his 10 worst-value signings (subscription required), placing the Dolphins’ salary cap-reshaping pact with Ndamukong Suh first. Byron Maxwell (Eagles), Chris Culliver (Washington), Buster Skrine (Jets) and Thomas round out the top five.
- In an interview with Steelers president Art Rooney II, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter Mark Kaboly notes the team’s signing of DeAngelo Williams may represent the entirety of their outside-the-organization accords. Rooney expects to fill the spots of cornerback and outside linebacker in the draft, just as the team usually does to replace departed free agents.
- The Chargers’ starting lineup will look a bit different in 2015, Eric D. Williams of ESPN said in his projection of the Bolts’ new starters. Williams expects Branden Oliver to succeed Ryan Mathews, with Chris Watt getting the first look at center after the retirement of Nick Hardwick. Defensively, San Diego could go with Ricardo Mathews over former second-rounder Kendall Reyes and Jeremiah Attaochu for the exiting Dwight Freeney, per Williams.
- Rooney expects to implement a rule prohibiting players wearing eligible numbers to line up as ineligible receivers, noted Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter Mark Kaboly on Twitter. The Patriots used this surprise tactic in their comeback win over the Ravens in the AFC divisional playoffs.
Extra Points: Holmes, Steelers, Cards, Willis
Wide receiver Santonio Holmes isn’t getting any bites this offseason and he told SI Now (video link) that he doesn’t understand why he’s out of a job.
“It baffles me a little to know that I’m not a part of any organization,” Holmes said. “It is a gift and a curse at the same time. And I say that because the gift of playing and the opportunity to be a figure in the National Football League. I enjoyed my time. And the curse of having one injury in my entire career that people are now looking at me as if Santonio Holmes is not the guy anymore.”
Many feel that Holmes is no longer the same player after suffering a Lisfranc fracture in 2012 with the Jets. It also doesn’t help that he has a reputation as a difficult locker room presence.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- The Steelers haven’t exactly been aggressive in free agency so far, and that approach won’t change anytime soon. Team president Art Rooney II said today that Pittsburgh continues to look at available options, but he isn’t expecting much in the way of upcoming free agent signings, as Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review outlines.
- The Cardinals have been a bit more active in free agency than Pittsburgh, having signed Mike Iupati to a lucrative long-term deal. However, for the most part, GM Steve Keim is on the lookout for bargains, writes Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com.
- Appearing on NBC Sports Network on Thursday, speaking to former teammate Takeo Spikes, Patrick Willis said he’s having no second thoughts about his decision to retire, and adamantly stated there’s no chance he attempts a comeback. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com has the details and quotes.
- Former Dolphins quarterback Pat White has announced his retirement, according to the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos (on Twitter). White only played in the CFL in 2014 and didn’t see the field much with the Eskimos as there were multiple quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart. Former Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland drafted White No. 44 overall in 2009 but the West Virginia product did very little on the NFL gridiron.
- The Cowboys, Saints, Chiefs, and Texans will have some cap work to do between now and the summer, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap (Twitter links). Meanwhile, the Browns, Jaguars, Titans, and Buccaneers figure to have lots of cap space leftover (Twitter link).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
AFC North Notes: Steelers, Ravens, T. Williams
The five-year, $99MM extension Ben Roethlisberger signed with the Steelers last week pays him more than $35MM in 2015, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who provides some details on the quarterback’s new deal. Bouchette reports that Big Ben gets a $31MM signing bonus, and could earn up to $9MM in incentives in later seasons, potentially increasing the total value of the contract to $108MM.
Here’s more from around the AFC North:
- Free agent defensive back Sterling Moore, who paid a visit to the Buccaneers last week, has a meeting lined up with the Steelers this week, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. Non-tendered by the Cowboys, Moore arrives in Pittsburgh tonight and his visit with the team will continue tomorrow, per Anderson.
- The Ravens ultimately signed Kendrick Lewis to address their need at safety, but the club also had interest in Ron Parker before he decided to return to Kansas City, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Speaking of Ravens’ secondary targets, Wilson reports in a separate piece for the Sun that Baltimore is currently eyeing cornerback Tramon Williams, who has also received interest from the division-rival Browns.
- In a piece naming 10 of his favorite team-friendly deals of free agency so far, Grantland’s Bill Barnwell places the Ravens‘ signing of Justin Forsett atop his list.
- Free agent wide receiver Cecil Shorts is paying a visit to the Texans this week, but the Ohio native doesn’t have a visit lined up with the Browns, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
- Earlier today, Cabot reported that the Browns attempted to trade for Larry Fitzgerald before he worked out a new contract with the Cardinals.
Extra Points: Robinson, Manning, Romo, House
Former Saints cornerback Patrick Robinson will visit the Steelers on Sunday, Dale Lolley of the Washington (Pa.) Observer Reporter notes on Twitter. The sixth-year corner’s drawn interest from several teams thus far into his initial free agency opportunity.
Some other notes from Saturday …
- The New York Post’s Paul Schwartz points out that Ben Roethlisberger‘s latest extension sets the bar for 2004 first-round peer Eli Manning, with $20MM per year being the possible floor for the 12th-year Giants quarterback. Set to count $19.75MM against the Giants’ cap this year, Manning’s entering the last year of the $97.5MM megadeal he signed in 2009. The Giants may have to do another extension with Manning as major deals come to pass for younger signal-callers, according to Joel Corry of CBS Sports.”You are going to see the market escalate if reports are correct that Seattle’s prepared to make Russell Wilson the highest-paid player,” Corry told Schwartz. “And there are reports about Indy doing something uncharacteristically early with Andrew Luck, which would make him the highest-paid player. The market’s gonna go up, and usually people benefit from a trickle-down effect. That’s not even taking Cam Newton into consideration.”
- More on the subject of market-steering QB accords: Tony Romo‘s 2014-inked contract that features a staggering $27.77MM cap number has restrained the Cowboys thus far in free agency, the Dallas Morning News’ Rainer Sabin writes. Beyond the departure of reigning rushing champion DeMarco Murray to the Eagles, the Cowboys have lost Henry Melton, Jeremy Parnell, Bruce Carter and three others in the opening week of player movement. The Cowboys’ brass remain hesitant to reduce Romo’s figure to prevent ramifications down the road, scenarios they’ve dealt with in the recent past.
- New Falcons coach Dan Quinn identified team speed as his top priority upon watching film of his new team, Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes as part of a lengthy Q&A session with Quinn and Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff.
- The Jaguars are betting free agent acquisition Davon House has “another level of upside” despite coming in with scant starting experience with the Packers, the Florida Times-Union’s Ryan O’Halloran writes. Their primary reason behind this faith that led to House receiving $10MM in guaranteed money was his film against top receivers like Calvin Johnson and Julio Jones, which O’Halloran analyzes.
Contract Updates: Manning, Suh, Parker
Peyton Manning‘s contract restructure with the Broncos includes a no-trade clause, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. However, that clause only applies for 2015, so theoretically the Broncos would be free to trade him after this season.
- Ndamukong Suh‘s new contract included $60MM in guaranteed money, and Florio says that money will be paid to Suh over the first three years of the contract. Following that, Suh has “rolling guarantees,” and the Dolphins will have to guarantee his salary on the fifth day of each league year. The defensive tackle will earn $16.985 in 2018, $18.985 in 2019 and $18.36 million in 2020.
- Ron Parker‘s five year, $30MM contract with the Chiefs includes $8MM in guaranteed money, including a $5MM signing bonus, according to Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter). He also notes that $5MM of the total $30MM value comes in incentives like playoff appearances and interceptions.
- Lance Kendricks‘ contract with the Rams will pay him $18.5MM over four years, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). He will count $5.6MM against the cap in 2015, which includes $1.5MM in base salary and a $4MM roster bonus (via Twitter).
- Kendall Langford‘s new contract with the Colts is a four-year deal worth $17.2MM, but only $2.5MM of that money is guaranteed, according to Thomas (via Twitter). He received a $1MM signing bonus and a $1.5MM roster bonus, to go along with a $2.5MM base salary in 2015 (via Twitter).
- New Steeler DeAngelo Williams new two-year contract is worth $4MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Kenny Britt re-signed with the Rams on a two-year deal worth $14MM, but the second year of the contract is voidable based on performance milestones, reports Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter).
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Steelers Sign Ben Roethlisberger To New Deal
SATURDAY, 8:44am: The five-year deal is worth $99MM, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). He notes that the value can increase to $108MM.
Albert Breer of the NFL Network reports (on Twitter) that Roethlisberger will make $65MM through the first three years, a record payout. Breer also points out that the reported money would give Ben Ben’s contract an average annual value of $21.85MM, right behind Aaron Rodgers’ league-leading $22MM AAV.
FRIDAY, 4:09pm: Roethlisberger has officially signed his new deal, which is a five-year pact, the team announced today (via Twitter). The contract keeps Big Ben locked up through the 2019 season.
2:35pm: The Steelers (on Twitter) announced that they have reached agreement with Ben Roethlisberger on a new contract. The two sides have been working on a reworked deal for some time.
GM Kevin Colbert told reporters last month at the combine that talks between the two sides were progressing. The GM was very confident that it could be done within a traditional cap structure, so that’s likely what we’ll see out of Pittsburgh.
Big Ben was set to enter the final year of his contract, earning a $11.6MM base to go along with a prorated $6.795MM, adding up to a massive $18.395MM cap number. The Steelers carried that amount plus $500K last season, but the new deal should smooth that out while giving the quarterback some additional years.
Even though Big Ben is getting up there in years, he boosted his stock with a strong 2014 campaign. The 33-year-old threw for a career-high 4,952 yards and completed 408-of-608 passes with 32 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The advanced metrics were also impressed with Roethlisberger’s play. The Pro Bowler finished the year with an overall score of 29.0 (per Pro Football Focus, subscription required), placing him third amongst all qualified quarterbacks behind Drew Brees (No. 2) and Aaron Rodgers (No. 1). That posting portrayed him as one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL as opposed to 2013, where he finished just outside of the top 10.
Steelers Sign DeAngelo Williams
4:44pm: It’s a two-year deal for Williams and the Steelers, the team announced (via Twitter).
3:23pm: After paying a visit to the team’s facility today, running back DeAngelo Williams will sign a new contract with the Steelers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported (via Twitter) that it looked as if the two sides would strike a deal, and the veteran back himself has since tweeted about his new team as well, assuring his followers that he has plenty of gas left in the tank.
Williams, a former first-round pick, is coming off the worst season of his career, one marred by injuries. The 31-year-old played only six games for the Panthers, and wasn’t productive when he did play, averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per carry on 62 total attempts. Carolina had been on track to head into the 2015 league year with three running backs among their top 10 cap numbers — Jonathan Stewart, Williams, and Mike Tolbert counted for about $18MM combined, so it came as no surprise when the club decided to part ways with Williams, a longtime Panther.
For the Steelers, Williams certainly won’t be asked to carry the load — that task will fall to Le’Veon Bell, the AFC’s leading rusher in 2014. Williams figures to have the inside track on the backup role in Pittsburgh, with Dri Archer serving as a change of pace and all-purpose weapon.
NFL Issues Performance-Based Bonuses
The NFL has announced and issued its performance-based pay bonuses for the 2014 season, according to a press release from the league. The bonuses, which are based on a player’s playing time relative to his salary level, come from a pool of $3.633MM per team. Here are the top performance-based pay amounts for the past season:
- Seantrel Henderson, T (Bills): $373,671
- Corey Linsley, C (Packers): $339,566
- Russell Bodine, C (Bengals): $318,612
- Avery Williamson, LB (Titans): $315,120
- E.J. Gaines, DB (Rams): $308,338
- Zach Fulton, G (Chiefs): $303,352
- Kelvin Beachum, T (Steelers): $297,687
- Preston Brown, LB (Bills): $293,179
- Michael Wilhoite, LB (49ers): $292,406
- Paul Worrilow, LB (Falcons): $287,413