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Cameron Jordan

NFC South Notes: Hicks, Saints, Jordan

September 30th, 2015 at 8:26pm CST by Zachary Links

This week, the Saints and quarterback Drew Brees agreed to a contract restructuring which gave the club a little bit more breathing room in 2015. New Orleans now has $2.6MM in additional cap room this season, but Brees’ cap hit for 2016 has been raised to an eye-popping $30MM, the highest in the NFL. Obviously, Brees is very unlikely to play out ’16 at that rate. The Saints will have to figure out a course of action with the veteran and that could mean an extension or a pay cut, but a trade or release might also be in play.

Here’s more out of the NFC South..

  • The Saints‘ trade of Akiem Hicks another blow to the team’s dismal scouting record, Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune writes. Hicks is the third draft pick the Saints have traded in the past seven months, joining former core players Jimmy Graham (Seahawks) and Kenny Stills (Dolphins). Hicks has been phased out of the Saints’ defensive plans and in a vacuum, the trade doesn’t come as a great shock. However, Duncan finds it disappointing that the Saints have traded a player who was slated to be a big part of the front seven last summer.
  • The New Orleans Police Department has closed its investigation into an incident at a night club involving Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan without bringing charges, as Matt Sledge of The Advocate writes. The local district attorney could still decide to take the case to a grand jury, however.
  • Running back Antone Smith, who reached an injury settlement with the Falcons at the final roster cutdown, has now been given the green light to resume football activities and sign with a team, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

NFC Notes: Eli, C. Jordan, Saints, Ellis

September 10th, 2015 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Reports this week have indicated that Eli Manning and the Giants are making progress toward a new contract extension, and it looks increasingly possible that a deal could be reached before New York’s Week 1 opener against the Cowboys. Adam Schefter of ESPN is the latest to express optimism, suggesting today on NFL Live that Manning will likely have an extension in place by Sunday that pays him north of $20MM annually (Twitter link).

As we wait to see whether the Giants and Manning can get something finalized this week, let’s round up a few more NFC items….

  • Not long after parting ways with their top pass rusher, Junior Galette, due to ongoing off-field incidents, the Saints are potentially dealing with another legal situation involving a key defensive player. As Mike Triplett of ESPN.com details, New Orleans police are investigating a nightclub altercation from his past weekend that allegedly involves Cameron Jordan. So far, no charges have been filed and no arrests have been made, and Jordan’s attorneys call the allegations “ridiculous,” as Jonathan Bullington of the Times-Picayune writes. Still, it’s the last thing the Saints wanted to be dealing with as the regular season gets underway.
  • Former Jets and Giants defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis was in Carolina today to pay a visit to the Panthers, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • The Saints are bringing in former Dolphins guard Mike Liedtke for a look on Monday, per agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). After being cut by Miami, Liedtke visited the Jets on Tuesday.
  • Addressing the Kam Chancellor holdout in Seattle, Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports notes (via Twitter) that it would send the wrong message for the Seahawks to meet Chancellor’s demands when Michael Bennett, who is also unhappy with his contract, was in attendance for the team’s entire training camp.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News weigh in with some thoughts on Jason Pierre-Paul‘s situation, with Vacchiano writing that the Giants can’t count on JPP being a real contributor this year.

NFC South Notes: Saints, Panthers, Falcons

June 18th, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A judge on Thursday ruled 87-year-old Saints owner Tom Benson mentally competent and fit to continue running his business empire, but that doesn’t mean he’s in the clear. Benson announced in January that he was cutting his daughter and her children out of Saints ownership and leaving the team to his wife of 10 years, which led to lawsuits in both Louisiana and Texas. Those lawsuits were filed by his daughter, Renee, and her children, Rita and Ryan LeBlanc, who tried to prove that Benson was incapable of running his businesses. That failed, but his daughter and grandchildren might appeal, writes Andy Grimm of NOLA.com, and it could set off a years-long fight for ownership of both the Saints and the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans.

Here’s more on the Saints and two of their NFC South rivals:

  • Even though the Panthers signed quarterback Cam Newton to a mega-deal earlier this month, general manager Dave Gettleman told Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer that he doesn’t want the 26-year-old to change his dual-threat playing style to avoid potential injuries.  “He’s got to be Cam. You don’t hold back a thoroughbred, you don’t,” said Gettleman. Newton has established himself as an elite running QB during his four-year career, piling up over 2,500 yards and 33 touchdowns.
  • One of Newton’s go-to targets, wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, struggled with weight issues at Florida State and has tacked on some pounds this offseason after a stellar rookie year, but Gettleman isn’t concerned. “It really is much ado about nothing. Right now he’s only five pounds off his playing weight. That’s it,” Gettleman told Person.“He’s a few pounds over, that’s all. He’ll be fine.”
  • Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan‘s sack total dropped precipitously last year, going from 12.5 the previous year to 7.5 for a defense that had the third-fewest sacks in the NFC. Defensive line coach Bill Johnson believes Jordan is primed for a return to his 2013 form.“There’s two or three things that we’re going to go after and he’s made improvement on those things. At this time in the year you break down each guy individually and try to give him their needs and I think he accepted them well,” Johnson said, according to Andrew Lopez of NOLA.com. “He’s been consistent on the practice field. It’s a coaching eye. I’ve looked at him going on five years; I know what I’m seeing.”
  • Falcons coach Dan Quinn wouldn’t comment directly Thursday when asked about free agent offensive guard Evan Mathis, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter (via Twitter). The Falcons, like many other teams, are a potential fit for Mathis – a two-time Pro Bowler whom the Eagles released last week.

Contract Details: Jordan, Chester, Harris

June 5th, 2015 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

A handful of salary and bonus details for recently-signed contracts have been reported so far today, so let’s round up the highlights. Deals whose details have been reported but aren’t noted here, such as Jerrell Powe‘s with Washington or Trindon Holliday‘s with the Raiders, are one-year, minimum salary pacts with no guaranteed money.

  • Cameron Jordan, DE (Saints): Six years, $61.969MM (five years, $55MM in new money). $16MM signing bonus. $6MM roster bonus on fifth day of 2016 league year. Salary cap figures of $4.169MM (2015), $12.8MM (2016), $10.3MM (2017), $12.5MM (2018), $12.3MM (2019), and $9.9MM (2020) (link via Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post).
  • Chris Chester, G/C (Falcons): One year, $2.8MM. $550K signing bonus. $1.55MM base salary. $700K in per-game roster bonuses (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com).
  • Ryan Harris, T (Broncos): One year, $920K base value. $50K signing bonus. $870K base salary. Up to $500K in incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Michael Buchanan, DE/OLB (Bills): Two years, $1.285MM. $25K roster bonus in 2016. No guaranteed money (Twitter link via Wilson).

NFC Notes: Newton, Jordan, Cards, Bears

June 3rd, 2015 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on the details we passed along earlier today on Cam Newton‘s and Cameron Jordan‘s new extensions, we have another pair of notes. Joel Corry of CBSSports.com clarifies (via Twitter) that while Newton’s $10MM option bonus isn’t technically guaranteed at the time of the signing, it’s practically guaranteed, since there’s essentially no chance the Panthers will cut the quarterback before picking it up. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Jordan received a significant signing bonus, worth $16MM, from the Saints.

Here are a few more items from across the NFC:

  • The Cardinals signed defensive lineman Frostee Rucker to a one-year extension earlier this week, and Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com identifies three more defensive players who could be next in line for new deals. Weinfuss’ list includes safety Rashad Johnson, defensive back Justin Bethel, and cornerback Jerraud Powers.
  • Asked about whether he expects Martellus Bennett to attend the Bears‘ June minicamp, head coach John Fox said he “can’t predict” the tight end’s intentions, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes. Bennett, who wants a new contract, has been absent from the team’s OTAs.
  • Having signed a $40MM deal to remain with the Packers this offseason, wideout Randall Cobb vows the new contract won’t change his approach or create added pressure, per Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com.
  • According to an incident report obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, former Falcons linebacker Prince Shembo admitted to kicking his girlfriend’s dog and considered fleeing the country after the animal’s death. The AJC’s Tyler Estep has the details.

Details On Cam Newton, Cam Jordan Contracts

June 3rd, 2015 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

More details are trickling in on Cam Newton‘s massive $103.8MM extension with the Panthers, as well as Cameron Jordan‘s new five-year extension with the Saints. We’ll round up the latest on the two NFC South mega-deals right here:

Newton:

  • According to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), the cap numbers on Newton’s new deal are as follows: $13MM (2015), $19.5MM (2016), $20.166MM (2017), $21.5MM (2018), $23.2MM (2019), and $21.1MM (2020). Corry notes (via Twitter) that the deal includes a $10MM option bonus in 2016, with a $10MM non-exercise fee. The non-exercise fee is the amount that must be paid out if a player is kept on the roster without his option being picked up.
  • There have been varying reports on the amount of the full guarantee in the contract. Albert Breer of the NFL Network suggests (via Twitter) that only $31MM is fully guaranteed. That would be the $22.5MM signing bonus, the $7.5MM roster bonus due later this week, and the $1MM base salary for 2015.
  • As we passed along earlier today, however, Corry says the full guarantee works out to $41MM, which also seems to include his $10MM option bonus for 2016. Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that $54MM is fully guaranteed, which would be the aforementioned amounts, plus Newton’s $13MM base salary for ’16.
  • While we may have to wait for further clarification, my guess is that – while it’s possible only $31MM is fully guaranteed at the time of the signing – Corry’s $41MM figure is probably accurate. That $10MM second-year option may not be fully guaranteed at this point, but as Corry wrote in a piece last year, sometimes teams will guarantee future base salary, with that guarantee voiding or reducing after an option has been picked up — that approach minimizes or eliminates the risk of a player being cut before the option exercise period ends.
  • One detail that everyone agrees on, which was reported at the time of the initial agreement yesterday, is that the total amount of guaranteed money – including injury-only guarantees – is $60MM.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap breaks down what Newton’s extension looks like in chart form, and also compares the deal to other notable quarterback extensions signed recently.

Jordan:

  • While Jordan’s five-year, $55MM extension includes $33MM guaranteed for injury, just $23.96MM is fully guaranteed, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Facebook link). Jordan’s previous $6.969MM salary for 2015 had already been fully guaranteed, so that’s $17MM in new fully guaranteed money.
  • When the agreement was first reported yesterday, it was noted that $5MM was available for Jordan in incentives — those are sack-related, according to La Canfora, though he doesn’t have details on the specific requirements.
  • If Jordan’s play slips, the Saints could comfortably move on from this contract after two seasons, says La Canfora. In his view, the deal won’t be a point of reference when star lineman like Marcell Dareus and Muhammad Wilkerson are negotiating new contracts, though it may make a good comparable for a player like Cameron Heyward of the Steelers.

Saints, Cameron Jordan Agree To Extension

June 2nd, 2015 at 9:52am CST by Luke Adams

9:52am: Jordan’s extension is worth $55MM, with $5MM in incentives, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Since Jordan was already set to earn a salary just below $7MM for 2015, his six-year average looks like it will be in the neighborhood of $10.3MM, which is nearly the same annual rate the Saints are paying Galette.

9:39am: The Saints have reached an agreement on a lucrative contract extension for Cameron Jordan, whose previous deal was set to expire at the end of the 2015 season, reports MiCameron Jordanke Garafolo of FOX Sports. According to Garafolo, the five-year extension can be worth up to $60MM, and Jordan will get $33.6MM in guarantees, including about $27MM over the next two years.

Those initial figures may overstate the value of Jordan’s new contract a little — the fact that the deal can be worth “up to” $60MM suggests that some incentives may be involved, and I imagine a portion of that $33.6MM guarantee is for injury only. Still, the extension will keep Jordan under team control through the 2020 season, and it looks like a significant investment by the Saints into a player who has become a key part of the club’s defense.

Over the last three seasons, Jordan has racked up 28 total sacks, including 12.5 in his Pro Bowl 2013 season. Interestingly, after recording a +35.3 grade as a pass rusher in ’13, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Jordan’s pass-rushing grade fell to -7.9 in 2014, as he totaled just 7.5 sacks. However, PFF considered the 25-year-old an above average defensive end against the run.

Jordan’s new contract places him just outside of the top five 4-3 defensive ends by annual average salary, though one of those five is Jason Pierre-Paul, who is currently in line to earn $14.813MM on a one-year pact, via the franchise tag. Mario Williams, Robert Quinn, Charles Johnson, and Chris Long also have higher per-year values on their contracts than Jordan will, but Jordan’s extension is right up there with teammate Junior Galette‘s deal.

By locking up Jordan and Galette, the Saints have secured a pair of excellent pass rushers, though it’s not clear if Galette is in the team’s long-term plans. The 27-year-old ran into some legal troubles in recent months, and offseason reports suggested head coach Sean Payton and the Saints wouldn’t have been opposed to moving on from Galette if they could find a taker. For now though, he and Jordan appear poised to help anchor Rob Ryan‘s 2015 defense, which features some new faces like Brandon Browner and Dannell Ellerbe.

Jordan’s new contract could help set a precedent for other top defensive lineman who are eligible for extensions this offseason, including Marcell Dareus and Muhammad Wilkerson. For his part, Wilkerson tweeted, “Yup I see how this works,” shortly after word of Jordan’s agreement broke.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC South Notes: Brees, Jordan, Panthers

May 28th, 2015 at 8:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Many were surprised by the Saints‘ offseason trade of star tight end Jimmy Graham, but quarterback Drew Brees has learned to roll with the punches over the years, Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune writes. “I love Jimmy and I miss Jimmy, as a player and a person, but life goes on and I like the players that we have,” Brees said. Brees singled out Ben Watson, Josh Hill and third-string tight end Orson Charles as capable replacements for Graham, who is now with the Seahawks. Here’s more from the NFC South..

  • Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan played coy when asked about the status of his contract on Thursday, as Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune writes. Jordan did confirm that there have been contract talks for more than a year, but wouldn’t say much more. Jordan is currently playing on his fifth-year option.
  • Last week we learned that the Saints let two area scouts go. Today, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter) found out that college scouts Brian Adams and Ryan Hollern are the scouts who were fired.
  • The Panthers believe that their offseason additions will help to free things up for wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, The Associated Press writes. The Panthers brought back veteran Ted Ginn Jr. and drafted Devin Funchess from Michigan in the second round this offseason to help beef up a passing game that finished 19th in the league last season. Benjamin, a rising NFL sophomore, impressed as a rookie in 2014.

South Notes: Saints, Gregory, Beasley, Colts

March 30th, 2015 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Saints have been one of the league’s busiest teams this month, stockpiling several early-round draft picks and trading core contributors like Jimmy Graham, Kenny Stills, and Ben Grubbs. According to Peter King of TheMMQB.com, the team wants to continue to be active over the course of the next month, which could mean trading veteran guard Jahri Evans, or perhaps extending or dealing defensive end Cameron Jordan. As we wait to see what else GM Mickey Loomis and the Saints have up their sleeves, let’s check in on a few more items from around the NFL’s two South divisions….

  • While Randy Gregory‘s failed drug test at the combine may result in him not being a top-10 pick, it hasn’t necessarily diminished interest in him around the league. Faced with the possibility of Gregory being available, clubs with picks in the second half of the first round are taking a closer look at the Nebraska product. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Panthers are the latest team to work out Gregory.
  • Clemson’s Vic Beasley, one of this year’s top edge-rushing prospects, had a workout today with the Falcons, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
  • Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com is confused by the Colts‘ apparent decision not to make head coach Chuck Pagano a serious contract extension offer this offseason. Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explores whether Ryan Grigson‘s involvement in the Deflategate saga could cause a strain on the relationship between Indianapolis’ coach and general manager.

Saints Notes: Evans, Spencer, Jordan, Draft

March 25th, 2015 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

Although he was the last head coach to arrive at the NFC coaches’ breakfast in Phoenix this morning, Sean Payton of the Saints may have dropped more noteworthy tidbits for reporters in Arizona than any other NFC coach. Let’s dive in and round up the highlights, via Larry Holder, Nick Underhill, Ian Rapoport, and Mike Garafolo (all links go to Twitter)….

  • The Saints explored the possibility of trading both Jahri Evans and Ben Grubbs, since it wasn’t feasible to keep both high-priced guards. With Grubbs having been sent to Kansas City, Evans is poised to stick around, but his contract may still be addressed and modified, per Payton.
  • There were “four or five teams” talking to the Saints about a potential Jimmy Graham trade, including the Dolphins. Asked about whether last year’s positional battle or contract negotiations involving Graham played a part in the team’s decision to trade the tight end, Payton replied, “Zero. None.” The head coach added that he has spoken to Drew Brees about the deal, and the quarterback handled it fine.
  • Payton confirmed that free agent DE/OLB Anthony Spencer visited the Saints on Monday, but said there’s nothing to announce at this point.
  • Payton likes this year’s draft class for wide receivers, and believes the team will take at least one or two defensive linemen or edge defenders in the draft. Adding a tight end, either in free agency or the draft, is also a priority.
  • General manager Mickey Loomis has begun discussions on a potential long-term contract extension for defensive Cameron Jordan.
  • Payton believes there’s a good chance Travaris Cadet would have re-signed with the Saints if the club hadn’t added C.J. Spiller in free agency. The head coach added that he had dinner in Los Angeles with Reggie Bush to discuss a potential reunion before signing Spiller, since the team expected Spiller to “end up somewhere else at a higher number.”
  • Asked about finding a successor for Brees, Payton said he thinks the veteran quarterback has “a lot of good football left,” but he’s open to drafting a QB if there’s value to be had. However, Payton dismissed the idea of trading up for Marcus Mariota, saying that “won’t happen.”
  • Prior to releasing him, the Saints wanted Curtis Lofton to make some adjustments and improvements to his game, and to take a pay cut, but it didn’t pan out.
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