Brian Orakpo - Pro Football Rumors

FA Rumors: Orakpo, Rolle, Gilchrist, Conte

March 10th, 2015 at 4:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

After also being linked to the Cardinals earlier today, Brian Orakpo will visit the Titans to start his first free agency foray, according to Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com on Twitter.

The Titans have more than $44MM in cap room, according to OverTheCap, and do not have much money currently allocated to their linebacking corps as free agency enters warp speed. Tennessee’s highest-paid linebacker is 3-4 inside man Wesley Woodyard, who signed with the Titans last year, with a $3.5MM number for this season.

An older first-time free agent who enters his age-29 season, Orakpo made more than triple that on the franchise tag for Washington last season before suffering a pectoral tear for the third time in his career, weakening the edge-rusher’s momentum.

In other news in the opening stage of real free agency …

Antrel Rolle will visit the Bears, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus’ Twitter, but has no agreement in place. The Bears are the highest bidder for the 32-year-old free safety’s services, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright on Twitter.
The player Rolle could be replacing in Chicago, 26-year-old Chris Conte, will visit the Buccaneers, ESPN Falcons reporter Vaughn McClure notes on Twitter. Conte was the fourth-worst safety Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded last year.
More from the safety market: the Jets will host former Chargers back-line starter Marcus Gilchrist tonight, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Gilchrist started all 16 games for the Chargers the past two years.
Kendrick Lewis and the Texans engaged in preliminary discussions on keeping the free safety in Houston, reports Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.
Veteran defensive end Cory Redding announced (Twitter link) he intends to visit the Cardinals on Wednesday. Now 34, Redding started at least 14 games for the Colts the past three years.
Chargers backup linebacker Andrew Gachkar has visits booked with two potential suitors, the Panthers and Vikings, notes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). The Vikings appear to be the frontrunner for Gachkar’s second contract, adds Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Twitter.

Latest On Brian Orakpo

March 10th, 2015 at 1:37pm CST by Zachary Links

1:37pm: The Cardinals are poised to sign LaMarr Woodley, but that doesn’t necessarily take them out of the running for Orakpo, tweets Keim.

12:33pm: The Titans and Cardinals are in the mix for Brian Orakpo along with Washington, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Cardinals, he adds, are the team to watch as they badly want an edge presence in 2015. John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that the Cards are making a big push for the veteran linebacker.

When Washington made Orakpo its highest-paid player with an $11.455MM deal last year (off of the franchise tender), the club had much higher hopes for him than an injury-riddled year that would be cut short by Week 7. Still, Orakpo is one of the best at his position when he’s healthy and Washington knows that his talent would be hard to replace, so they find themselves chasing him today. Right now, it sounds like the Cardinals could blow them away, however, and the Titans are also getting involved.

Orakpo recorded just 0.5 sacks in his first seven games before a torn pectoral wiped out the second half of his season.

NFC FA Rumors: Irving, Cowboys, Falcons

March 10th, 2015 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

The Cardinals are expected to lock up former Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon to a new contract once free agency opens, but the team has interest in adding two free agent linebackers, not just one, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport reports that Nate Irving could be that second linebacker, as the former Bronco is likely to visit Arizona this week.

The Cowboys have some interest in free agent cornerback Antonio Cromartie, tweets Rapoport. Cromartie has been almost exclusively linked to the Jets, but there’s no agreement in place between the two sides yet.
Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets that he has been told “repeatedly” that the Falcons aren’t real players for Brian Orakpo. However, Jones adds that Atlanta does appear to have interest in another Washington free agent, wide receiver Leonard Hankerson.
Running back Antone Smith has yet to hear a whole lot about his free agent status, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, who says (via Twitter) that the Falcons would like to bring him back. Smith has also reportedly drawn some interest from the Giants.
In the wake of the Saints‘ release of Curtis Lofton, there’s mutual interest between the team and Ramon Humber in getting a deal done to help bolster the inside linebacker spot, tweets Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com.
No longer a free agent, Randall Cobb told reporters today, including Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link) that he had five other offers when he decided to return to the Packers, and got a sixth after he had made his decision.
After offering him a contract, the Vikings remain in contact with quarterback Shaun Hill, who has yet to make a decision, tweets Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.

Extra Points: Hoyer, Hardy, Morgan, Williams

March 9th, 2015 at 10:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As we learned earlier today, the Jets aren’t giving up on Brian Hoyer despite reports of the quarterback agreeing to a deal with the Texans. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Jets spoke with Hoyer’s agent twice Monday, and were set to do so again Monday night.

Here’s more from around the league as on free agency eve…

Disputing an earlier report, the Falcons told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they have no interest in free agent defensive end Greg Hardy.
The Buccaneers have been “kicking the tires” on edge rusher Derrick Morgan, but it’s unclear if they’ll actually present him with an offer, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).
Defensive tackle Dan Williams could be a target for the Raiders, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. Williams’ time in Arizona might be up following their signing of Corey Peters earlier tonight.
The Titans are in on edge rusher Brian Orakpo, who has drawn interest from numerous teams, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter).
Vince Young was not accepted to and won’t attend the NFL Veterans Combine on March 22 in Phoenix, a representative for the quarterback tells Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Smith hears that Young was not “invited” by the NFL and entered late (link). He could wind up as a last-minute addition but as of right now, he won’t be there.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

FA Rumors: Murray, Raiders, Orakpo, Hill

March 9th, 2015 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

While DeMarco Murray may not land an eight-digit annual salary, his camp sounds confident that there are teams willing to pay $8MM per year for his services, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. However, as Getlin notes it’s not clear yet whether the Cowboys are one of those teams. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Murray is willing to move on from Dallas if a better opportunity presents itself, but the running back is approaching free agency slowly and methodically rather than rushing into any decision.

While we wait to see if Jerry Jones opens up his check book for the NFL’s leading rusher before Murray hits free agency tomorrow, let’s check in on some few other free agent news….

The Raiders are “hot after” Mike Iupati, widely considered to be the top free agent guard available this winter, reports Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Oakland figures to be up against the Bills and Jets, among other teams, in the bidding for Iupati. Landing the 49ers veteran after agreeing to terms with center Rodney Hudson would certainly help the Raiders solidify their offensive line.
The Falcons were mentioned a week ago as a potential favorite for Brian Orakpo, and it doesn’t appear that’s changed. Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington tweets that she’s hearing Atlanta is the current frontrunner for the free agent pass rusher.
The Titans are still in play for Derrick Morgan, but so are about a half-dozen other teams, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter), the Cowboys and Raiders are among the teams showing interest in quarterback Shaun Hill, who also has reportedly has an offer on the table from the Vikings.
The Steelers have no immediate plans to re-sign veteran outside linebacker James Harrison, who could potentially be a late-summer addition for the club, tweets Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
We can add the Chiefs to the growing list of teams that has inquired on free agent cornerback Cary Williams, tweets Nick Jacobs of TWC SportsChannel in Kansas City.
Washington hasn’t been in contract with wide receiver Leonard Hankerson, but the free-agent-to-be has heard from a few other teams, says John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

AFC FA Rumors: Raiders, Jags, Colts, Jets

March 8th, 2015 at 4:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Raiders may have missed out on two big-name free agent targets — Ndamukong Suh and Randall Cobb — but they may have other players in mind. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Oakland will continue to make a “strong push” for center Rodney Hudson, though the Chiefs haven’t given up on retaining him. Elsewhere, the Raiders have expressed interest in free agent tight end Jermaine Gresham, tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, who adds that the Browns also have interest.

Let’s dive in to the latest AFC rumors…

The Jaguars have an “opportunity” with running back DeMarco Murray, per Robinson (Twitter link). It’s not entirely clear if that means Jacksonville has been talking with the free agent RB, but Robinson says the Jags could outbid the Cowboys.
More on the Jaguars: Despite their ample cap space, they were “never in” on Ndamukong Suh, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter).
While it’s not a priority, the Colts are expected to talk to edge rusher Brian Orakpo in the coming days, tweets Robinson. Orakpo has also drawn interest from the Falcons. Jaguars, Cardinals, as well as his current team, Washington.
The Jets have interest in free agent safety Ron Parker, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). We learned earlier today that Parker and the Bucs have mutual interest.
Given the nature of recent CB contracts, Buster Skrine is one cornerback who could be in for a big payday, according to Garfolo (on Twitter).
With Jordan Cameron unlikely to return, the Browns are expected to show interest in tight end Ed Dickson, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.

NFC Rumors: Peterson, Hoyer, Eagles, Cards

March 8th, 2015 at 4:09pm CST by Dallas Robinson

If Adrian Peterson is able to work his way out of Minnesota, his preferred destination would be Arizona, tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, who adds that the veteran running back’s other top landing spots are the Colts, Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Chargers. For their part, the Cardinals have denied any interest in the Vikings running back, adds Robinson’s colleague Rand Getlin (via Twitter). However, Getlin does tweet that a source told him the Cards’ release of Darnell Dockett was done to clear out cap room for Peterson.

Let’s check out the latest from the NFC as free agency approaches…

Both the Vikings and the 49ers have expressed interest in quarterback Brian Hoyer, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN (Twitter link). But with other teams like the Jets and Texans (who could potentially offer a starting role) showing interest, as well, I’d bet the Hoyer would look unfavorably upon joining Minnesota or San Francisco, where he’d be the clear backup.
Though they’re about to add Byron Maxwell, the Eagles could still use another corner, but the club hasn’t shown interest in either Buster Skrine or Chris Culliver, tweets Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com, who adds in a separate tweet that Walter Thurmond is also not on Philly’s radar.
Washington appears set on adding help along the defensive line — they’re intrigued by Terrance Knighton, and they’ve also expressed interest in free agents Stephen Paea and Dan Williams, per John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
After re-signing Scott Tolzien earlier today, the Packers aren’t interested in retaining fellow backup QB Matt Flynn, tweets Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
The Cardinals are interested in linebacker Brian Orakpo, per Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 (Twitter link). Arizona is also interested in Trent Cole (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN), so it looks like they’re targeting OLB help.
The Buccaneers are looking for safety help, and there is mutual interest between the club and FA Ron Parker, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link).

NFC East Notes: Washington, Giants, Spiller

March 6th, 2015 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing today on the NFL Network, Brian Orakpo left the door open for a return to Washington, but didn’t sound overly optimistic about the possibility, as Mike Jones of the Washington Post details.

“There’s obviously a chance. Obviously the window is still there. The sides are still talking, but it’s very minimal right now,” Orakpo said. “It’s always the numbers. Numbers have to make sense for both sides. And I understand, me coming off of injury, they have to look out for themselves, and I have to look out for myself. So, if we can come up with something that works out for both sides, who knows?”

Jones hears from sources that Orakpo’s return to Washington is unlikely, and Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington (Twitter link) reports the same thing, even more definitively. It looks like Orakpo will be on the lookout for a new NFL home very soon, and the veteran linebacker said today during that NFL Network appearance that he’d have some interest in playing for a team in his home state of Texas.

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

With no progress on a long-term deal for restricted-free-agent-to-be Kai Forbath, Washington will likely just offer the kicker a one-year tender, a source tells Jones (Twitter link).
If the Ravens and Justin Forsett don’t work out a deal within the next few days, the veteran running back will have an interesting market, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. According to Rapoport, Washington is ready to make a play for Forsett, and the Saints will likely be among his suitors as well.
In addition to having interest in Devin McCourty, as he previously reported, the Giants also figure to explore the possibility of signing safety Rahim Moore, says Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. All three of New York’s top safeties from 2014 are eligible for free agency, so there figures to be some turnover at the position next week.
Sources close to Chip Kelly tell Russini (Twitter link) that the Eagles head coach wasn’t willing to rework LeSean McCoy‘s contract, especially considering the running back was looking for a raise. I’d be surprised if McCoy thought the Eagles – or the Bills – would increase his $9.75MM base salary for 2015, but perhaps he wanted to renegotiate his deal to include more guarantees beyond ’15.
As for the running back McCoy is replacing in Buffalo, C.J. Spiller appears to be campaigning to sign with the Eagles, writes Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com.

Jaguars Interested In Brian Orakpo

March 3rd, 2015 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

After he played on the one-year franchise tag in 2014, Brian Orakpo unsurprisingly did not receive another tag this time around from Washington, having appeared in just seven games before going down for the year with a pectoral injury. While the team would like to work something out to keep him in the fold, Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington (Twitter link) hears that it’s “not looking good” for the two sides to reach an agreement before Orakpo hits the open market.

Last night, we heard that the Falcons are a potential frontrunner for Orakpo, and Russini confirms the team’s strong interest in the edge defender. She also adds another potential destination to the mix, reporting (via Twitter) that the Jaguars are “very interested” in Orakpo.

Jacksonville would be a somewhat curious fit for Orakpo. The Jags are a 4-3 team, so the 28-year-old would presumably make the move from his outside linebacker position in Washington’s 3-4 scheme into a new role, perhaps as the team’s “Leo” rusher. Even if that transition went smoothly, pass rushers aren’t necessarily one of Jacksonville’s many needs — the team actually tied for sixth in the NFL in 2014 with 45 sacks.

Still, Pro Football Focus’s data (subscription required) suggests the Jaguars’ defensive ends weren’t getting after the quarterback at an elite level on an individual basis. Of the team’s four regular DEs, only Chris Clemons had more than 17 total QB pressures, and Clemons, Red Bryant, and Tyson Alualu all received pass-rushing grades that were well below average. Additionally, no team heads into the offseason with more cap room than the Jags, who have the flexibility to splash around in free agency if they so choose.

Although Orakpo wasn’t playing all that well before he landed on injured reserve last season, he has averaged nearly 10 sacks per year when he’s been healthy, so it’ll be interesting to see how he does in a free agent market where two of the top two pass rushers – Justin Houston and Jason Pierre-Paul – have been franchised.

NFC South Notes: Orakpo, Falcons, Peters

March 2nd, 2015 at 10:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a quick look at the NFC South..

Washington would like to hang on to Brian Orakpo, but they’ll have competition. There are at least four teams interested in the pass rusher, according to a source who spoke with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, and the Falcons are one of them. At present, Washington and the Falcons are regarded as the front runners.
It is unclear exactly where the Falcons and defensive lineman Corey Peters stand at this point, but there have been ongoing discussions between both parties, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. McClure expects agent Greg Linton to argue that Peters was more valuable than Tyson Jackson, who was brought in at $5MM per year to stuff the run but fell far below expectations. The Falcons, meanwhile, would probably want Peters at half the price.
Mike Triplett of ESPN.com looked at Saints restricted free agent offensive tackle Bryce Harris. The 26-year-old didn’t excel at the left tackle position, but he has played well in the past as a backup right tackle and an extra blocker in jumbo run packages. That role probably wouldn’t be worth the $1.5MM RFA tender, so they’ll probably seek to bring him back on a cheaper deal if they want to retain him.