HEADLINES

Adam Humphries

NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Falcons, Cardinals, Mosley, Vikings

March 7th, 2019 at 11:51am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Buccaneers have an interesting offseason ahead of them. They have a lot of holes to fill on the roster as Bruce Arians takes over as coach, but not much cap space to work with. In a recent piece, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com previewed their offseason. Overall, Laine isn’t too bullish on their ability to add many big names. The Bucs have been linked to some high-end free agents like Le’Veon Bell, but Laine cautions they’d need to make a bunch of moves to make his potential salary fit. One of their own, receiver Adam Humphries, is set to be a free agent, and Humphries will reportedly be a hot commodity. Sources told Laine that Humphries is seeking a deal worth $8MM annually, which is actually slightly less than the $10MM we heard he was looking for yesterday. 

Either way, it sounds like Humphries might get priced out of the Buccaneers‘ range. Laine also reports no decision has been made yet on fellow receiver DeSean Jackson as he heads into the final year of his contract, but writes that “lack of cap space may force their hand” into releasing or trading him. In her piece Laine also throws out some names who could be cut to create cap space, like ” defensive end William Gholston ($3.75 million against the cap in 2019), defensive tackle Beau Allen ($5 million), defensive tackle Mitch Unrein ($3.75 million).”

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • The Falcons made major shakeups to their coaching staff after their disappointing 2018 season. All three coordinators were let go, and now Atlanta is making another coaching change. The Falcons have hired Jess Simpson to be their new defensive line coach, as current defensive line coach Bryant Young is stepping down, according to Will McFadden of the team’s official website. Simpson comes to the Falcons from the University of Miami, where he served as defensive line coach. In 2017 he was a defensive assistant on the Falcons’ staff, so there’s some familiarity here.
  • We heard yesterday that some Ravens players thought C.J. Mosley and Terrell Suggs could re-team in Arizona, and now there’s more smoke to that fire. The “Cardinals are expected to make a big push” for Mosley if the Ravens don’t lock him up before free agency starts, sources told Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. Mosley to the desert seems to be picking up some steam, and it makes sense. Mosley is still only 26, and would be a very nice pickup for this rebuilding Cardinals team.
  • Vikings running back Roc Thomas was arrested and charged with felony drug possession, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Thomas was arrested in January after “police found 143.28 grams of marijuana” in his apartment. Thomas is due back in court on March 18th. Thomas was a rookie undrafted free agent last year, and made Minnesota’s initial 53-man roster after an impressive preseason. He was cut midway through the season and re-signed to the practice squad, and signed a reserve/futures contract at the end of the year. He’s likely to face discipline from the league when this all gets sorted out.

La Canfora’s Latest: Mathieu, Ravens, Bucs

March 6th, 2019 at 9:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While the Texans are attempting to retain Tyrann Mathieu, both the Ravens and Buccaneers have “serious interest” in the veteran defensive back, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Baltimore just released fellow safety Eric Weddle on Tuesday, while Tampa Bay has been in need of secondary help for years. Mathieu inked a one-year, $7MM deal with Houston last year, but he’s expected to receive a significant raise on his next contract. Per La Canfora, Mathieu should be able to collect $24MM over the first two years of a new deal.

Here’s more from JLC:

  • Overall, the safety market is not expected to be as depressed as it was a year ago, when Mathieu, Eric Reid, Kenny Vaccaro, Tre Boston, and others were forced to settle for one-year pacts. Earl Thomas will set the market and is asking for $13MM annually, per La Canfora. Meanwhile, former Giants safety Landon Collins — now on the market after New York declined to franchise him — will likely come in below Thomas, and Bears defender Adrian Amos is searching for $9-10MM per year.
  • While there aren’t any clear-cut, No. 1 wideouts available this offseason, slot receivers are aplenty, and they should get paid, says JLC. Golden Tate is looking for $13MM per season, while Adam Humphries may be targeting $10MM annually and has already been deemed too expensive to return to the Buccaneers. Cole Beasley could also get $10MM per year, while John Brown wants $8-9MM per season.
  • Offensive tackle Daryl Williams is expected to reach the open market, and La Canfora reports Williams’ price has already “soared” above where the Panthers are comfortable paying. Both the Bills and Giants are expected to target Williams, and both connections make sense. Buffalo employs former Carolina staffer Brandon Beane as its general manager, while ex-Panthers GM Dave Gettleman is in charge in New York.
  • The Raiders have already been mentioned as a potential suitor for Chargers receiver Tyrell Williams, and the Colts could also join the fray, per La Canfora. Williams is expected to earn more than $12MM per year on his new deal.

Top FA Slot WRs Seeking $10-14MM Per Year

March 1st, 2019 at 7:49pm CST by Micah Powell

The top of the free agent slot-receiver crop is expected to be seeking between $10-14MM a year according to league sources, Yahoo Sports’ Terez A. Paylor tweets. 

That includes names like Golden Tate, who tallied 74 catches for 794 yards in 2018, and Adam Humphries, who enjoyed a breakout campaign 76 grabs for 816 yards with the Buccaneers.

It shouldn’t be too surprising those pass catchers will be looking to command that money. The prevalence and importance of the slot receiver is at an all-time high and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down soon.

Will they reach that mark?

Jarvis Landry set the high-water mark in the 2018 offseason, commanding a five-year, $75MM deal with the Browns. He, however, was coming off three consecutive Pro Bowl campaigns in which he logged at least 90 receptions each season. He also embraced a larger role on the boundary in his first season with the Browns.

While Tate is likely to set the bar this season, he will be 31 when the season kicks off in September. His previous deal also only paid him an average of $6.2MM a season. Humphries, on the other hand, will be 26 in 2019 and will be looking to sign his first big contract in the NFL. Though they will both outdo Tate’s previous contract, in average annual value, it remains to be seen if they could challenge that of Landry.

Extra Points: Bucs, Smith, Jets, Sanders

February 24th, 2019 at 9:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

More buzz points to the Buccaneers keeping Donovan Smith. After a report indicated the Bucs were not likely to let Smith walk in free agency, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times follows that up by noting the team will, in fact, use its franchise tag to keep the left tackle — barring a pre-free agency deal coming to fruition. The Bucs will talk with Smith’s representatives at the Combine. While the team is up against the salary cap and changed coaches, Stroud adds the Bucs are eager to see how Smith progresses under new offensive line coach Joe Gilbert and new run game coordinator Harold Goodwin. Tampa Bay already has three offensive linemen signed to veteran-starter-level contracts — Ryan Jensen, Ali Marpet and Demar Dotson. But shedding Dotson’s deal in advance of the right tackle’s age-34 season would free up nearly $5MM. A 10-year Buccaneer, Dotson has one season left on his deal. It stands to cost more than $14MM for the Bucs to tag Smith.

With the Combine approaching, here is the latest from around the league:

  • A Smith tag would make it less likely Adam Humphries returns. Although the Bucs are high on their slot receiver, Stroud notes he was eyeing an $8MM-AAV pact prior to his career-best 2018 season. With receiver not a particularly strong position this year — though, some key names will be available — Humphries can probably command a deal worth more than the Bucs ($15MM-plus in cap space) can afford.
  • Needs exist across the Jets‘ roster, but they are expected to target a pass rusher with their No. 3 overall pick, Brian Costello of the New York Post notes. However, the top two teams in this draft — the Cardinals and 49ers — are candidates to select edge defenders ahead of the Jets. The Cards have been connected to trade-down scenarios, and Costello adds the Jets would love to move back to collect more picks as well. New York traded three second-round picks — two last year, one this year — to move into position to nab Sam Darnold. The Jets’ second 2019 pick comes at No. 68 overall.
  • Gang Green could use skill-position help, and the team is expected to pursue a slot receiver, Costello notes. From Wes Welker to Jarvis Landry, Adam Gase‘s offenses have worked best when a high-end slot player has been present. Humphries, Golden Tate, Jamison Crowder, Randall Cobb and Cole Beasley are the top slot talents available in free agency.
  • Should the Broncos decline Emmanuel Sanders‘ option, they would save $10.2MM. However, the injured wide receiver was by far their best aerial threat last year. Releasing Sanders would leave Denver thin at wideout, which would not make much sense after the team traded for Joe Flacco. The Broncos will probably pick up Sanders’ option, CBS Sports’ Joel Corry and OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald predict (subscription required). Both analysts write that even if Sanders starts the season on the PUP list, he would be worth keeping. One year and nearly $13MM remain on Sanders’ deal. He recently said he would reject a pay cut, though the Broncos haven’t made that request. He tore an Achilles’ tendon in December, so training camp would be the earliest the soon-to-be 32-year-old receiver could return.

Extra Points: Free Agency, Williams, Humphries, Lions

February 22nd, 2019 at 8:09pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’re just a few weeks away from the start of free agency, and the market is starting to heat up. Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network were recently discussing the wide receiver market, and both think that Chargers receiver Tyrell Williams is in for a big payday (Twitter link). Pelissero points out that “four NFL players since 2015 have averaged over 16 yards on 150+ catches: DeSean Jackson, T.Y. Hilton, Rob Gronkowski“, and Williams.

Williams has been quietly producing for the Chargers the past few years, but has mostly been hidden behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. It doesn’t sound like Los Angeles is looking to commit major resources to their third receiver, so it seems probable that he walks next month. Both Garafolo and Pelissero seem to think he could wind up as some new team’s number one wideout. A former undrafted free agent from Western Oregon, Williams had 653 yards and five touchdowns last year.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • In a separate video posted to Twitter, Garafolo and Pelissero broke down this year’s class of free agent slot receivers. Notably, Garafolo thinks Buccaneers receiver Adam Humphries is an under-the-radar player who could “cash in” on the open market. Like Williams, Humphries has proven to be a player very capable of producing, but has been buried on a Tampa Bay roster stacked at the skill positions.
  • The Lions released safety Glover Quin last week, and his run with Detroit apparently ended much sooner. Quin revealed in a recent podcast interview that he had actually asked the team to release him last offseason, shortly after the team hired Matt Patricia to be their coach, according to Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press. The Lions obviously declined, and kept Quin for this past season before cutting ties. Quin is 33 now and his play has been declining the past few years, but he’s still a serviceable player and should have no problem finding a new home.
  • In case you missed it, the Steelers’ GM confirmed that three teams had reached out to inquire about an Antonio Brown trade.

 

Buccaneers Want To Retain WR Adam Humphries

January 6th, 2019 at 6:52pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers are focused on retaining one of their top wideouts. General manager Jason Licht told Greg Auman of The Athletic that Tampa Bay is “going to do everything [they] can to get Adam Humphries back in the mix” (Twitter link).

As Auman notes, the team previously tried to extend the impending free agent. However, Humphries decided to bet on himself, and it ultimately worked out in the 25-year-old’s favor. Humphries had his best professional season in 2018, finishing with 76 receptions, 816 yards, and five touchdowns. This performance earned him the 30th-best score among 122 eligible wideouts, per Pro Football Focus.

A former undrafted free agent out of Clemson, Humphries has spent his entire four-year career in Tampa Bay. He’s finished with at least 600 receiving yards in each of the past three years, and he’s also spent plenty of time on special teams. Humphries finished the 2018 season with 21 punt returns for 139 yards.

The organization is hoping Humphries will be back in Tampa Bay in 2019, but it sounds like one of his fellow wideouts probably won’t be sticking around. Veteran receiver DeSean Jackson has expressed a preference to move on from the Buccaneers this offseason.

South Rumors: Falcons, Buccaneers, Morgan

October 15th, 2018 at 4:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons will be looking for a new kicker for temporary purposes. Matt Bryant will miss Atlanta’s Week 7 Monday night game, Dan Quinn said. The longtime Falcons kicker is dealing with a strained hamstring, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, who adds Giorgio Tavecchio is among the names the Falcons are considering as a replacement. Tavecchio was briefly affiliated with the Falcons earlier this year, but Bryant’s kicked in all six Falcon games in his 10th season with the franchise. He hasn’t missed a game since he was limited to 11 appearances in 2015. Tavecchio will be among “a number of kickers” considered during the lead-up to the Falcons’ home Monday-nighter against the Giants.

Here’s the latest from the South divisions, continuing on the Atlanta injury front:

  • Another week of recovery will likely be required for Devonta Freeman, per McClure. The Falcons’ starting running back is has dealt with knee and foot trouble and now has a groin issue to overcome. Atlanta’s gotten by with Tevin Coleman and newcomer Ito Smith in the backfield.
  • Ali Marpet became the latest Buccaneers starter to sign a lucrative extension, joining Mike Evans and Cameron Brate in doing so this year. More re-ups could be on track. Kwon Alexander and the Bucs are still talking an extension, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. While Stroud writes it’s uncertain if the Bucs want to pay Alexander like a top-tier linebacker — they have Lavonte David on the books at $10MM per year — he’s on the radar. As is fourth-year left tackle Donovan Smith, who’s in a contract year. Despite rarely being viewed as a productive player by Pro Football Focus, Smith is well thought of among Bucs brass, per Stroud. Adam Humphries is another player the Bucs would like to retain, though they have a crowded receiver room. Chris Godwin‘s emerged as Tampa Bay’s No. 3 man and may be Evans’ top complement if DeSean Jackson ($10MM non-guaranteed salary in 2019) isn’t back next year. Humphries’ contract expires after this season.
  • Derrick Morgan will miss a few weeks because of a shoulder injury, Mike Vrabel said. A ninth-year player who dealt with a knee injury during the preseason, Morgan has played in all six Titans games this year and has only missed more than two games in a season once in the past eight years. Harold Landry will likely start opposite Brian Orakpo in the meantime.
  • Stationed on the Texans‘ PUP list, D’Onta Foreman can return to practice this week but probably won’t, per Bill O’Brien (via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, on Twitter). Foreman’s been out since late last season because of an Achilles’ tendon tear.
  • Braden Smith appears to have solidified himself as the Colts‘ right tackle. Indianapolis went through several players in hopes of identifying a candidate, but Frank Reich said Monday (via ESPN.com’s Mike Wells, on Twitter) this job will be Smith’s to lose. Smith’s started three games for the Colts this season.
  • Former Lions, Patriots and Bengals linebacker Marquis Flowers worked out for the Texans on Monday, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com tweets. The Lions cut Flowers last week. He played in 16 games for the Bengals in 2015 and ’16 and suited up for all 19 of the Patriots’ games last year.

Bucs WR Adam Humphries Signs RFA Tender

April 17th, 2018 at 5:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Buccaneers wide receiver Adam Humphries has signed his second-round restricted free agent tender, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Humphries will now be paid $2.914MM for the 2018 campaign.

Humphries has become a major part of Tampa Bay’s offense over the past two seasons, as he managed at least 55 receptions and 600 receiving yards in both 2016 and 2017. While his yards per reception decreased by a full yard from 2016 to 2017, Humphries hauled in the majority of his targets — indeed, his 73.5% catch rate ranked third among NFL wideouts with at least 40 receptions.

While the Buccaneers made several high-profile acquisitions during the free agent period, they didn’t address the wide receiver position, meaning — for now — Humphries is still ticketed for slot duties. That could conceivably change, however, if 2017 third-round pick Chris Godwin begins seeing more playing time in his sophomore campaign, or if Tampa uses a draft selection on a pass-catcher.

Humphries was one of 14 NFL restricted free agents to be tendered at the second-round level. There was no rush for Humphries to ink his tender, as RFAs have until April 20 to work out offer sheets with other clubs. However, it was unlikely that any NFL team would have been willing to sacrifice a second-round pick in order to land Humphries.

Buccaneers To Use Second-Round Tender On Adam Humphries

March 12th, 2018 at 2:20pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers are expected to place a second-round tender on restricted free agent wide receiver Adam Humphries, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The tender this year is expected to be worth about $2.914MM.

The second-round tender has been more popular than ever this year with scores of players already having it assigned. It makes sense that teams are retaining lots of RFAs at a cost of less than $3MM given the abundance of cap room around the league.

Humphries, 25 in June, hit new career highs with 61 catches and 631 receiving yards last season. In three years with Tampa Bay, Humphries has amassed 143 grabs for 1,513 yards with four touchdowns.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/17/17

April 17th, 2017 at 7:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest minor moves…

  • Raiders defensive end Denico Autry has signed his RFA tender, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). The Raiders gave the 2014 undrafted free agent an original-round tender, leading to speculation that he could draw interest from elsewhere. Instead, Autry will return to the Raiders on the heels of back-to-back three-sack seasons. ERFAs Seth Roberts (WR) and Denver Kirkland (G) are also back in the fold, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (on Twitter).
  • The Seahawks have re-signed linebacker Kache Palacio, writes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Palacio, a former fullback who went undrafted out of Washington State last year, spent most of 2016 on Seattle’s practice squad.
  • Lions ERFAs Brandon Copeland (DE), Kerry Hyder (DT) and T.J. Jones (WR) have signed their tenders, tweets Birkett. Dolphins ERFAs Mike Hull (LB) and Anthony Steen (C) did the same earlier Monday, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Panthers have re-upped restricted free agent guard Andrew Norwell and a pair of exclusive rights free agents – center Tyler Larsen and punter Michael Palardy – writes Bryan Strickland of their website. Carolina used a second-round tender on Norwell, who will earn $2.746MM in 2017. Norwell combined for 29 starts over the previous two seasons and ranked 11th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 72 qualified guards last year.
  • Steelers RFA cornerback Ross Cockrell has inked his original-round tender, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Cockrell went in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, so the Steelers would have been entitled to a fourth-rounder had Cockrell signed elsewhere and they elected against matching the offer. The 25-year-old caught on with the Steelers in 2015 and has since totaled 31 appearances, 23 starts and two interceptions. Cockrell started in every Steelers game last year, and his performance ranked an improve 28th among 111 qualified corners at PFF.
  • Chiefs RFA kicker Cairo Santos has signed his tender, per Schefter (on Twitter). Santos, undrafted in 2014, received a low tender; as such, Kansas City wouldn’t have been entitled to compensation had he gone elsewhere. The three-year veteran has connected on 84.3 percent of field goal attempts, including 88.6 percent last season (good for fifth in the league).
  • Lions offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas has signed his RFA tender, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The Lions assigned Lucas an original-rounder tender last month, so they wouldn’t have gotten a pick had the 2014 undrafted free agent signed elsewhere and they chose not to match. Lucas is now slated to make $1.797MM this year in Detroit, where he has started in six of 35 career appearances.
  • The Buccaneers have re-signed quarterback Ryan Griffin, cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah, tight end Cameron Brate, linebacker Adarius Glanton, and wide receivers Adam Humphries and Freddie Martino, per Scott Smith of the team’s website. As a restricted free agent, Griffin is the only one of the bunch who could have potentially gone elsewhere (the rest were exclusive rights free agents). The Bucs tendered the 2013 undrafted free agent at an original-round level last month, and he’ll now try to win the No. 2 role behind Jameis Winston. Tampa Bay’s previous second-stringer, Mike Glennon, is now the Bears’ starter.
  • RFA defensive back Marcus Burley and ERFA running back George Atkinson III are returning to the Browns, per a team announcement. Burley, undrafted in 2013, received an original-round tender. The former Seahawk is coming off his first year in Cleveland, where he appeared in 12 games and played just under 40 percent of the Browns’ special teams snaps.
  • Fullback Tommy Bohanon and receiver Larry Pinkard have signed with the Jaguars, tweets the team’s account. Bohanon is the only with NFL experience, having logged 36 appearances and 14 starts as a Jet from 2013-15.
  • Speaking of the Jets, they have re-signed linebacker Julian Stanford (via Randy Lange of the team’s site). The Jets could Stanford on Friday, but both sides knew that was only a procedural move. Last season was the first as a Jet for the 26-year-old Stanford, who appeared in nine games (two starts) and played about a quarter of their defensive snaps and a third of their special teams snaps.
Load More Posts