HEADLINES

Darius Lipford

49ers Notes: Boone, Lipford, Staley

July 21st, 2014 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The extension agreed upon by the 49ers and Joe Staley may have been sending a message to players like Vernon Davis and Alex Boone, with the team rewarding a player who showed up at spring workouts despite being underpaid. However, that doesn’t mean the Staley deal will persuade Boone to attending training camp — Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com “wouldn’t be surprised if Boone is the rare player to skip much if not all of camp.” While the Niners have most of the leverage in this scenario, La Canfora suggests that, given the high expectations for the veteran squad heading into 2014, the club may be wise to reach a compromise with the disgruntled guard.

Here’s more on the Niners:

  • Within the same piece, La Canfora also touches on recent comments by commissioner Roger Goodell suggesting that perhaps the Raiders could share Levi’s Stadium with the 49ers, but notes that owner Mark Davis is even less interested in that idea than his father was.
  • While the 49ers are unlikely to sign Boone to a new contract with a large signing bonus, an agreement that includes other forms of roster bonuses and incentives could be doable for the team, writes Kevin Lynch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Lynch is less enthusiastic about the idea of Davis getting a new contract.
  • Linebacker Darius Lipford, who went unselected in the supplemental draft and worked out for the Niners last week, is drawing interest from three other teams, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap has the specifics on Staley’s new contract, which he describes as virtually an all-new deal, rather than simply an extension. The total value on the pact, which includes two option years, is six years, $44.65MM.
  • Earlier today, I asked which team will win the NFC West in 2014. So far, PFR readers like the Seahawks, who have grabbed about 47% of the vote, over the Niners, who have earned about 39%.

NFC Notes: Revis, 49ers, Graham, Cowboys

July 15th, 2014 at 9:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Cutting Darrelle Revis wasn’t easy for Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith, as Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com writes. “It was not an easy decision because Darrelle’s a great player. But he’s not the only great player in the league. We just felt like we needed, instead of having one great player we thought we could get three. Instead of having one real good player, we felt like we could get three real good players,” Smith said. More out of the NFC..

  • A source tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter) that former UNC linebacker Darius Lipford had a good workout for the 49ers today but he was not signed. Lipford was one of four players in this year’s supplemental draft.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap gives his thoughts on the impact of Jimmy Graham‘s contract with the Saints. While the four-year, $40MM is the largest ever given to a tight end, the three-year cash flows indicate that this deal won’t necessarily be a game changer. With a backloaded deal, Graham’s contract isn’t as far ahead of the contracts given to Rob Gronkowski or Vernon Davis.
  • Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com wonders if Graham’s new deal will set the baseline for Cowboys star receiver Dez Bryant. Even though Bryant and Graham (officially, now) play different positions, their numbers have been rather similar over the last three years, so a comp would make some sense. There are currently seven wide receivers earning an average annual value of at least $10MM: Brandon Marshall, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Percy Harvin, Mike Wallace, Dwayne Bowe, and Vincent Jackson.

NFC Notes: Lipford, Nwaneri, Tate, Packers

July 14th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Former UNC linebacker Darius Lipford, who went undrafted in last week’s supplemental draft, will work out for the 49ers this week, tweets Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee. So far, four teams have expressed interest in bringing Lipford in for a visit since he has the most upside of the four players not selected in the supplemental draft, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter).

Let’s round up a few more items from across the NFC….

  • Caplan also passes along contract details for new Cowboys offensive lineman Uche Nwaneri, who signed a minimum salary benefit contract which includes a $65K signing bonus (Twitter link).
  • Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today examines the players who may hold out when training camps begin and discusses what teams may have to do to ensure those players are in the fold. The list of potential holdouts includes a handful of NFC West players — Vernon Davis and Alex Boone of the 49ers and Marshawn Lynch of the Seahawks.
  • In an interview with ESPN’s First Take today, Lions wide receiver Golden Tate softened earlier comments and explained that his decision to leave the Seahawks was driven by more than money. “If you have an opportunity to earn way more money in another city, you’ll leave in a second. Every single person in the world would have done what I did,” Tate said, according to MLive.com’s Gillian Van Stratt.
  • Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com looks at the Packers‘ backup quarterback battle. The incumbent Scott Tolzien is going up against the once-heralded Matt Flynn for the No. 2 role and some have wondered what might happen if both perform well during training camp. The Packers could, in theory, roll with three QBs, but they haven’t done that since 2008 and doing so would come at the expense of depth elsewhere on the field.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Latest On 2014 Supplemental Draft

July 9th, 2014 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

The NFL’s supplemental draft will take place tomorrow at noon central time, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), who lists the four players eligible to be selected: New Mexico wideout Chase Clayton, Virginia-Lynchburg defensive lineman LaKendrick Ross, SMU running back Traylon Shead, and UNC linebacker Darius Lipford. While we’d previously heard about the first three prospects, Lipford’s inclusion is new.

A year ago, none of the six players eligible for the supplemental draft were picked, and that may be the case again this year. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reported yesterday that no teams he’d spoken to had a draftable grade on any players eligible to be selected this year.

Still, many teams are at least doing their due diligence on this year’s supplemental draft class. The Bears, Cardinals, Chiefs, Colts, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, and Texans reportedly attended the workout for Ross, while the Cowboys, Texans, Packers, Colts, Lions, Giants, Seahawks, Dolphins, and Bears were in attendance to watch Shead work out.

The supplemental draft is intended to accommodate players who missed the deadline for May’s NFL draft or were declared ineligible for another reason. If a team wants to select a player in the supplemental draft, it must let the league know the round in which it’s willing to select that player. The club which submits the highest round will receive the player and forfeit a 2015 draft pick in that same round. For instance, when the Browns used a second-round supplemental choice on Josh Gordon in 2012, it meant that the team lost its second-round pick for the 2013 draft.