AFC Links: Jets, Brady, Browns, Ravens
The Steelers have a number of impending free agents, including linebacker Jason Worilds and cornerback Ike Taylor. While some Pittsburgh fans may be pessimistic about the team retaining all of their players, general manager Kevin Colbert is actually confident.
“Almost to a man I’d be shocked if [they] didn’t want to stay,” Colbert said (via ESPN.com’s Scott Brown). “I feel they all would like the opportunity to be able to stay. It doesn’t mean they won’t field other offers or see what else is out there. In the end I think the majority of them will want to be here.”
Let’s take a look at some more notes from the AFC…
- We heard yesterday that Antonio Cromartie would be very open to a reunion with the Jets, but the cornerback cautioned that he may want to play for a contender. However, he also noted that the organization was closer to contention than their 4-12 record indicated. “I don’t think the Jets are rebuilding at all,” Cromartie told Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
- Tom Brady is set to make $5MM today as part of the $30MM signing bonus from his 2013 extension with the Patriots, tweets ESPN’s Field Yates.
- If Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com was the Browns owner, his first move this offseason would be re-signing Brian Hoyer. However, he’d only make that move if the entire organization agreed.
- ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley examined whether the Ravens should cut wideout Jacoby Jones, with the writer concluding that the team should hold on to the return specialist. The writer does caution that the receiver’s production may not justify his salary.
AFC Notes: Steelers, Manning, Forsett
Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wonders if time is running out for third-string Steelers quarterback Landry Jones. Jones has been inactive for every game since being drafted in 2013 and hasn’t advanced enough to beat out veteran Bruce Gradkowski as Roethlisberger’s backup. Meanwhile, GM Kevin Colbert isn’t sure Jones ever will. “Has he progressed to the point where he beat out Bruce as the No. 2? No,” Colbert said. “Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. I think when you have young guys, at least they have that chance to grow.” More from the AFC..
- Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning met with GM John Elway at the team’s Dove Valley headquarters Thursday afternoon, according to Mike Klis of The Denver Post. Broncos president Joe Ellis boarded owner Pat Bowlen’s plane Thursday morning and flew to New Orleans to pick up Manning, who had been spending time in his hometown. Still, the soon-to-be 39-year-old is not ready to announce whether he’ll play in 2015.
- Free agent running back Justin Forsett told SiriusXM NFL Radio (audio link) that he definitely wants to be back with the Ravens, but he’s also looking for a significant commitment. Forsett, 29, had a breakout year in 2014, rushing for 1,266 yards.
- In his chat on Thursday afternoon with local reporters, new Raiders coach Jack Del Rio was non-committal when discussing Maurice Jones-Drew, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. Del Rio obviously goes way back with MJD, but Del Rio sounded skeptical when discussing the veteran’s explosiveness, or lack thereof.
- It’ll be interesting to see how Del Rio and Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie‘s approaches mesh and what they agree and disagree on, Jerry McDonald of Bay Area Newspaper Group tweets. Del Rio is known for having a strong personality so it’s not a given that he can click with just anyone.
AFC North Links: Steelers, Bengals, Ravens
The NFL has announced the introduction of a new veteran combine this year, set for March 22 in Phoenix. The event, scheduled for nearly two weeks after the start of 2015’s free agent period, will allow about 100 veteran free agents to audition for interested teams. However, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert doesn’t have much interest in the combine as an evaluation tool, as Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review details.
“Most of these guys that go to the veteran combine have been in at camp,” Colbert said. “They’ve been veterans. They’ve been practice squad players or they’ve been active players. So what they do in a workout I’m not really interested in. I just want to see what they did when they did have their chance to be NFL players.”
As we wait to see whether the event will pique the interest of other GMs and teams around the NFL, let’s check in on a few notes from around the AFC North….
- The Bengals may have a fairly uneventful offseason ahead of them, according to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, who notes that this should be a good time for the team to try to work out a contract with star receiver A.J. Green.
- One reason we shouldn’t expect much action from the Bengals this offseason is that the club typically doesn’t pursue free agents at the top of the market, and Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer explains why.
- While the cornerback position could be a priority for the Ravens this offseason, the club should also make sure to address the safety spot, since only Matt Elam and 2014 third-rounder Terrence Brooks have contracts for next season at the moment, says Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
- Restricted free-agent-to-be Will Hill will likely return to the Ravens, and he’s out there recruiting for other potential free agent safeties to join him in Baltimore. As Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com writes, Hill is campaigning for his former Giants teammate Antrel Rolle to sign with the Ravens.
Extra Points: Rams, Bell, Incognito
Inglewood mayor James Butts told The Beast 980 that enough signatures have been acquired to support a stadium initiative. The next step in the process will be a public hearing regarding the stadium project on February 24th. Of course, there are many more hurdles to be cleared, but this is a potentially big step towards clearing a path toward the Rams heading west to L.A. More from around the NFL..
- Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is expected to be suspended for the first two games of the 2015 season following his August arrest, sources told ESPN.com’s John Clayton. Since Bell is a first-time offender, that’s the maximum suspension allowed under the NFL’s new substance abuse policy.
- New Bills offensive guard Richie Incognito told Jeff Darlington of NFL Media that he discussed the Miami bullying scandal with his new team and told the club about what he learned from the situation. The 31-year-old says that he understands that this will be his last chance to play in the NFL given the hit that his reputation has taken.
- The Chargers regressed on special teams in 2014 and they’ll need some reinforcements for 2015, Tom Krasovic of U-T San Diego writes. Depending on how things break, it’s possible that the Bolts could carry a kickoff specialist. Of course, doing that would take a bit away from other area on the roster.
- The somewhat surprising decision by the Buccaneers to release quarterback Josh McCown could signal that the team is gearing up to spend significant dollars in free agency, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Meanwhile, if the Bucs don’t use that money to sign another quarterback in free agency, that almost certainly means the club will select either Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick.
- Former Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik‘s experience with Josh Freeman is why he prefers Mariota to Winston, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Both have serious talent, but Mariota is regarded as someone with very high character.
- The Saints should retain Mark Ingram, but only at the right price, according to Sean Fazende of WVUE. Ingram stands as the fourth-best free agent tailback in Fazende’s view and he feels a four-year, $16MM offer with $6MM guaranteed would make sense for both sides.
- Michael Felger of CSNNE.com wonders if the Broncos might use Tom Brady‘s contract as leverage in contract talks.
Extra Points: Browns, Hoyer, NFLPA, L.A.
Executives from rival teams are beginning to complain about the fact that Kevin O’Connell, who is on track to become the Browns‘ new quarterbacks coach, continues to work with Marcus Mariota to help him prepare for the draft, amidst rumors that Cleveland is contemplating trading up to draft a QB.
“So let me get this straight,” said one high-level team executive on another team, to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “The Browns can have their quarterbacks coach in waiting work with a player, teach him the entire offense, etc., but we can’t even talk to any potential draft pick until the combine per league rules? Something is wrong here.”
As Florio notes, the Browns may not technically be violating any rules, since they haven’t officially announced O’Connell as their QBs coach yet, but considering Cleveland is currently under investigation for another rules violation (“Textgate“), the team may want to tread carefully.
Let’s check in on a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:
- Speaking of the Browns‘ quarterback situation, prospective free agent Brian Hoyer told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) that while it’s possible he’ll return to Cleveland, the city he grew up in, he also has do what’s best for himself this offseason. With that said, Hoyer is confident that he could become the Browns‘ starting quarterback again if he stayed with the club. “I did it once [before],” Hoyer said (Twitter link).
- Three notable quarterbacks from the class of 2004 – Eli Manning (Giants), Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers), and Philip Rivers (Chargers) – are headed into the final year of their respective contracts. As Jordan Raanan of NJ.com details, contract extensions for the trio won’t come cheaply even as the three players enter their mid-30s, with the price tags likely to be in the neighborhood of $20MM annually.
- The battle to become the new NFLPA executive director is becoming a crowded field, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. Cole reports (via Twitter) that, in addition to incumbent union leader DeMaurice Smith, at least three other candidates – Jim Acho, Sean Gilbert, and John Stufflebeem – will run for the position, while two others are considering entering the mix.
- The NFLPA Committee on Agent Regulation and Discipline (CARD) announced that agent Vincent Porter has been suspended after he was arrested for wire fraud. Porter was the agent for Giants linebacker Devon Kennard and previously worked with Seahawks tailback Christine Michael and Patriots running back Jonas Gray as well.
- Bryce Johnston of Over The Cap puts his concept of “expected contract value” to the test by using it to break down recent contracts signed by top centers Ryan Kalil (Panthers), Alex Mack (Browns), and Maurkice Pouncey (Steelers).
- Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson is interested in becoming involved in efforts to get an NFL franchise to Los Angeles, as he tells Jarrett Bell of USA Today Sports.
Steelers Notes: Ben, Worilds, FAs, Draft
Speaking to reporters today, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert addressed a number of items on his team’s offseason to-do list, including contract extension talks with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. While there was some initial confusion among local reporters about Colbert’s comments about Big Ben, the team’s PR rep, Burt Lauten, tweets that the Steelers have indeed begun preliminary negotiations on a new deal with their QB. The club is confident that the two sides will work something out that locks up Roethlisberger for the next few years, according to Colbert.
That piece of info comes from Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter), and Kaboly tweeted several more highlights from Colbert’s presser, as did ESPN’s Scott Brown and Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Here are the noteworthy comments and observations from Colbert, with all links going to Twitter:
- According to Colbert, the Steelers would like to re-sign outside linebacker Jason Worilds, believing he had a good season in 2014 and that he has plenty of upside going forward. While the club doesn’t like to use the franchise tag, it hasn’t ruled out the possibility of assigning the transition tag to Worilds again this season. The cost for that tag in 2014 was about $9.75MM — it would be higher (likely around $11MM) in 2015.
- At the moment, Colbert is concerned about the depth at tight end and outside linebacker, since only Heath Miller and Jarvis Jones are under contract for 2015 at those positions.
- Defensive backs and pass rushers will be among Pittsburgh’s top priorities in free agency and the draft. The team will consider adding a starting cornerback if there is one who fits into the team’s system and cap, according to Colbert: “Sure, that’s a position that you are looking for help. Is there one who is available and signable? I don’t know yet.”
- It doesn’t sound as if Colbert would be too concerned if the Steelers don’t make major additions at cornerback and outside linebacker in free agency — he believes it’s a strong draft class for both of those spots. For now though, every position remains in play for the club’s first-round pick (No. 22 overall).
- Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin will begin talks on Wednesday about which prospective free agents the team wants to attempt to re-sign. Ike Taylor and James Harrison are among the veteran defenders who will be up for discussion.
- The Steelers won’t have to make as many cap-clearing moves in advance of free agency as they did a year ago, per Colbert.
Coaching Notes: Steelers, Falcons, Raiders
Former Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler is now the club’s defensive coordinator, so a pair of assistants have received promotions to fill the hole on the staff. The Steelers announced today that Jerry Olsavsky will coach the team’s inside linebackers, while Joey Porter will coach the outside linebackers, according to Steelers.com. Both coaches played linebacker for the Steelers before coming back to coach with the organization.
Here are some other coaching notes from around the NFL:
- We heard earlier this week that Seahawks assistant Marquand Manuel was expected to follow Dan Quinn to Atlanta, and Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com confirms that news today, tweeting that Manuel signed his two-year deal to join the Falcons. He’ll serve as the club’s defensive backs coach and senior defensive consultant. McClure gives credit to his colleague Josina Anderson for the report.
- After announcing earlier today that Ken Norton Jr. would be their new defensive coordinator, the Raiders are filling out the defensive staff under Norton. University of Miami defensive line coach Jethro Franklin will be headed to Oakland to accept the same job with the Raiders, reports Thayer Evans of SI.com (via Twitter).
- Central Michigan University has hired Lions special teams coach John Bonamego to be their new head coach, reports Hondo Carter of SpartanNation.com (via Twitter). It will be Bonamego’s first head coaching opportunity.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Extra Points: Winston, Mariota, Keisel, Schaub
Let’s take a look at a few notes from around the league to finish out the night:
- Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News tweets that he has not heard anyone from a team’s personnel department say that they would draft Jameis Winston over Marcus Mariota.
- ESPN’s draft guru Todd McShay offers a contrasting viewpoint in his second mock draft, as he projects Winston will be taken first overall by the Buccaneers (Insider subscription required).
- After Brett Keisel’s season ended with a torn triceps in November, many expected his 13th season with the Steelers to be his last. However, the defensive end wasn’t talking retirement at a charity event on Wednesday. “I’ve been preparing for when that day comes, and by ‘that day’ I mean the end,” Keisel told reporters, including Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com. “But right now I’m under contract and I’m going to rehab and see (how) things turn out.”
- Brown (via Twitter) wonders if FSU cornerback P.J. Williams might be of interest to the Ravens. Williams was the Defensive MVP of the 2014 BCS National Championship Game, and would be a solid addition to a secondary in need of an upgrade.
- Saints linebacker Curtis Lofton says, as players are wont to do, that the team does not need to be active in free agency to improve its defense (even if New Orleans had the cap room to be especially active players). Per Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune, Lofton says what the defense really needs is to improve its situational football: “When it comes to situational football, I think of third-and-one, third down, red zone, two-minute — all those things are super-important and lead to wins and losses. If we get better in all those areas, we’ll be pretty good next year.” Lofton said the Saints had not yet approached him about a contract restructure, but New Orleans is expected to convert his $4.5MM roster bonus into a signing bonus in order to drop his cap number from $9.25MM to $6.25MM.
- Michael Wagaman of ESPN.com reports that Matt Schaub will either have to restructure his current deal with the Raiders or otherwise be released. Schaub has stated that he does not intend to retire, but if he wants one last crack at being a starting quarterback, he may prefer to get out of Oakland, where Derek Carr is seen as the future of the franchise.
- Kevin Lynch of the San Francisco Chronicle takes a look at the major changes that could be coming for the 49ers, including the likely retirement of stalwart Justin Smith.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Steelers Re-Sign Greg Warren
The Steelers have re-signed veteran long snapper Greg Warren, the team announced today in a press release. Warren, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent, agreed to a one-year contract.
While terms of the deal aren’t immediately available, Warren is coming off a minimum salary benefit deal, which saw him earn a minimum base salary and the maximum allowable $65K signing bonus. There’s a good chance his new agreement with Pittsburgh looks the same as that contract.
Warren, 33, has served as the Steelers’ regular long snapper since the 2005 season, appearing in 149 regular season games during his time with the club. He had been one of 14 long snappers around the NFL eligible to hit the open market this offseason.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
The NFL’s waiver period for 2015 officially opened this week after the Super Bowl, which means we should see an uptick in transactions over the next few weeks, even before free agency opens on March 10. Here are Tuesday’s minor moves from around the league:
- The Colts announced today that they have agreed to terms with guard Ben Heenan. Heenan, 6’4″, 316 pounds, spent the last three seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL. In 2014, he started all 21 games for the Roughriders, released Heenan from his CFL deal this week to allow him to pursue NFL opportunities. Heenan had offers from five NFL teams, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- The Bills have claimed wide receiver Justin Brown off waivers from the Steelers, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). The Steelers waived Brown back in December to make room for the addition of Ben Tate. Brown, a sixth-round choice in 2013, caught 12 passes for 94 yards during his time in Pittsburgh.
- While Brown didn’t clear waivers, several other players who were cut since the end of the regular season made it through, tweets Wilson. Safety Jakar Hamilton (Cowboys), offensive lineman Darren Keyton (Lions), and tight end Steve Maneri (Patriots) all went unclaimed.
- After signing a reserve/futures contract with the Lions at the end of the regular season, tight end Ifeanyi Momah was cut today by the team due to a failure to disclose a physical condition, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. Momah spent time on the Lions’ and Browns’ practice squads in 2014.
- The Saints formally terminated the contract of linebacker Cheta Ozougwu today, says Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune (Twitter links). Ozougwu spent the entire 2014 season on New Orleans’ reserve-PUP list.
- Fullback Greg Jones, who announced his retirement last month, has officially been moved to the reserve/retired list by the Jaguars, per Wilson (via Twitter).
Zach Links contributed to this post.