John Mara

NFC Notes: Wilson, Mara, Raji, Cards

April 14th, 2015 at 4:47pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

With Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson a year from free agency, the two sides have begun discussions on a new contract. However, there hasn’t been much progress toward keeping Wilson in a Seahawks uniform long term, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The Seahawks used a 2012 third-round pick on Wilson, who has since made two Pro Bowls and helped lead the team to three straight playoff berths, a pair of NFC championships and, most importantly, a Super Bowl title. Wilson has made a relative pittance during that time span and will soon be in position to cash in as one of the highest-paid QBs in the NFL. Whether he’ll cash in as a Seahawk or a member of another franchise remains to be seen, of course.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

A change in the league’s playoff format won’t happen this year, but Giants owner John Mara believes it’s coming sooner than later, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. While 12 of the league’s 32 teams currently qualify for the postseason, a change would likely elevate the total to 14. Mara isn’t particularly gung-ho about it. “I still would prefer to keep it the way it is, but I don’t think it’s the end of the world if we end up making the change,” said Mara.
Mara expects changes to the extra point next season, tweets the New York Daily News’ Ralph Vacchiano.
Defensive lineman B.J. Raji will be one of the most important Packers in 2015, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Raji, 28, missed all of last season after tearing his bicep and then signed a one-year deal to remain in Green Bay earlier this offseason. If healthy, the 337-pounder should boost a Packers defense that finished just 23rd against the run last year. “I can either take away or add to the legacy – and I want to add to it,” Raji said, according to Dunne.
Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians seems committed to young quarterback Logan Thomas for the long term, but ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss writes that UCLA’s Brett Hundley might be a better fit for the franchise. The Cardinals have visited with Hundley, who’s expected to be a third- or fourth-round pick in the upcoming draft. Weinfuss believes Hundley is a more skilled player than Thomas, whom the Cards used a fourth-rounder on a year ago, and would be a perfect third-stringer to sit behind starter Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton in 2015. Then, when Stanton becomes a free agent next year, Hundley would be able to slide in immediately behind Palmer – who will turn 37 during the 2016 campaign.

NFC Links: McCourty, Bridgewater, Packers

March 22nd, 2015 at 8:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Devin McCourty ultimately stayed with the Patriots, but not before being lured by the NFL’s largest market. The Giants‘ offer was comparable to what McCourty ended up signing to stay in New England — five years, $47.5MM — co-owner John Mara told Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.

The best safety on the market’s refusal to take the Giants’ money began a failed venture that leaves the team with one of the most barren depth charts at any position in the league with the draft less than six weeks away. As of now, the Giants have only Nat Berhe and Cooper Taylor, fifth-round picks in 2013 and 2014, respectively, on their roster. Neither has started a game. Former Giants starters Stevie Brown and Quintin Demps still reside in free agency.

Other news from the NFC …

Like the Steelers, the Packers are a staunch build-from-within franchise, and this year furthered that philosophy. As a result, corners Tramon Williams and Davon House departed, and coach Mike McCarthy expects Casey Hayward and former Gonzaga basketball talent Demetri Goodson to challenge for those spots, reports Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Unless Carl Bradford or another player enables Clay Matthews to relocate to his former spot outside, the Pro Bowl linebacker may stay an inside linebacker going into the season.
Packers president Mark Murphy doesn’t expect the Bears’ proposal of both teams receiving a guaranteed overtime possession to pass, reports ESPN’s Jason Wilde. Murphy probably won’t support any of the rules changes, reports Silverstein on Twitter.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer wants Teddy Bridgewater to gain weight and develop additional strength before he begins his first full season as the Vikings’ quarterback, writes Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Zimmer said the 2014 first-rounder played at around 210 pounds last season, and the second-year coach prefers the 6-foot-2 signal-caller to be closer to 220.
After reports surfaced of Adrian Peterson‘s agent declining a Vikings meeting, the All-Pro runner didn’t solicit much of a response from Zimmer. “Well, Adrian is under contract with us, and we’re excited to get him back here with his teammates and get him back playing,” Zimmer told Hartman.
The NFL held its first Veterans Combine on Sunday night in Arizona with numerous former NFLers participating. The Eagles were among the few teams to talk with offensive linemen after their drills concluded, NFL.com’s Mark Sessler reports on Twitter.

Giants’ Mara On Rule Changes, L.A.

March 22nd, 2015 at 7:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Heading into the NFL owners’ meetings, which begin Monday, Giants co-owner John Mara provided a status report on the chance of the proposed rule changes passing, writes ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

The Patriots have three proposals set to be up for debate this week: Bill Belichick‘s continued quest to expand replay to include penalty reviews, along with ideas for more boundary cameras and a realignment of the extra point. Of the three, the revamped extra point has the best chance of passing, according to the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe.

Seeking a more difficult try that would place the ball at the 15-yard line — a 33-yard try — the Patriots’ proposal needs 24 votes to pass.

“We’ve had a lot of discussions about that,” Mara said, via Howe. “I think that one has a chance. I don’t know if it’s going to get 24 votes, but I happen to be in favor of that one and think it’s a good proposal because we have a play right now that is a ceremonial play, and why not make it competitive?”

Mara said the replay expansion idea failed 9-0 in the competition committee and is unlikely to pass this week, citing subjectivity in that thought process as opposed to the black-and-white nature of most of the already-reviewable sequences. New England’s effort to increase cameras on sidelines and end zones also hovers below the passing threshold, per Howe.

While not on the table this year, a 14-team playoff field is inevitable, the Giants co-owner told Howe, with a potential hang-up of scheduling the third wild-card games as part of tripleheaders or as stand-alone contests on Monday night. The NFL increased playoff eligibility from four to five teams per conference in 1978 and five to six in 1990, making this current six-team standard by far the longest-standing bracket limit since the AFL-NFL merger.

The league will have at least one team in Los Angeles in 2016 and possibly two, Mara told ESPN’s Dan Graziano (via Twitter), with the Rams’, Raiders’ and Chargers’ quests to return to the city well-documented.

NFL Execs Weigh In On Michael Sam

February 10th, 2014 at 10:35pm CST by Peter Sowards

As the world reacted to the news that the NFL might soon see its first openly gay current player last night, so did anonymous NFL club officials. The feedback from decision makers around the league was not nearly as positive as the general public’s.

Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans polled eight NFL executives and coaches, and the overwhelming consensus was that the announcement would hurt Michael Sam‘s draft stock. The redshirt senior from the University of Missouri is predicted as a mid- to late-round draft pick, but one NFL player personnel assistant told SI he doesn’t feel football is ready for an openly gay player.

“In the coming decade or two, it’s going to be acceptable, but at this point in time it’s still a man’s-man game,” the assistant said. “To call somebody a [gay slur] is still so commonplace. It’d chemically imbalance an NFL locker room and meeting room.”

Three general managers and one scout spoke on the condition of anonymity to The MMQB’s Peter King, with one GM saying his team had discussed the issue at draft meetings in recent days.

“First of all, we don’t think he’s a very good player,” the GM told King. “The reality is he’s an overrated football player in our estimation. Second: He’s going to have expectations about where he should be drafted, and I think he’ll be disappointed. He’s not going to get drafted where he thinks he should. The question you will ask yourself, knowing your team, is, ‘How will drafting him affect your locker room?’ And I am sorry to say where we are at this point in time, I think it’s going to affect most locker rooms. A lot of guys will be uncomfortable. Ten years from now, fine. But today, I think being openly gay is a factor in the locker room.”

The results were more positive today, as a legion of owners and coaches – each of whom were willing to put their names with their words – voiced their support for a potential gay player as a member of their team. Giants co-owners Steve Tisch and John Mara backed Sam loudly, in statements to TMZ and Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger respectively. Meanwhile, one team personnel executive told NFL.com columnist Judy Battista that he could see owners pushing their coaches and personnel staff “it’s OK” to draft Sam.

Other notable league personnel to come out in support of Sam include Bears GM Phil Emery, Packers coach Mike McCarthy and Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Kraft’s coach, Bill Belichick, released a statement via the team’s website, expressing that he and the Pats pursue players “who can best contribute to our team and organization, regardless of the matters being discussed today.” The league also released its own statement in support of Sam and his efforts.

Stepping away from the issue of Sam’s personal life, NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said he has a “pretty good feel” for the undersized Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year, projecting him as a third- to fifth-round pick.

“He’s an explosive kid who’s much better going forward than he is going backward,” Mayock told Philly.com’s Paul Domowitch. “His size would dictate he’s got to be a linebacker, but I don’t think his physical skill-set dictates that, and therein lies the rub.”

With the NFL scouting combine less than two weeks away, each team will have its opportunity to interview Sam with this historic news out in the public. Sam’s performance at the combine could go a long way in defining his draft value, which was murky even before his announcement — given his size and speed, there are questions about whether he’ll have a true NFL position. A strong showing at the combine, along with impressive interviews with NFL teams, should solidify his place as a mid-round pick, particularly given the outcry of public support from various owners and executives today.

We’ll have to wait until May to know definitively what sort of effect Sunday’s announcement will have on Sam’s draft stock. But if the Missouri alum has shown anything to us this far, it’s that he’s mature beyond his 24 years and ready for whatever life has to throw at him next.