NFC Notes: Marshall, Packers, 49ers
The Vikings will have the first opportunity to pitch their city as the host of Super Bowl LII in 2018, according to the team’s Twitter account. As NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport points out (via Twitter), that is exactly what the team was hoping for. Minneapolis hasn’t hosted a championship since 1992 and the construction of a new stadium may be enough to bring the game back to Minnesota. The Saints and Colts are also finalists for the bid.
Now, for more notes from around the NFC…
- Brandon Marshall will donate $1MM to the mental healthy community, the Pro-Bowler announced during his appearance on “The View” (via Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com).
- Marshall’s new contract will likely have an impact on future deals for Packers receivers Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson, tweets ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
- The 49ers have two starting-caliber nose tackles in Glenn Dorsey and Ian Williams and could very well trade one of them, writes Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee. The team only plays the position on about 40 percent of their defensive plays, so they could move one of the veterans to acquire more draft picks. Barrows mentions Williams as being the most likely to be traded.
- Josh Johnson will have no impact on the 49ers cap room, writes Barrows in another article. The quarterback signed with the team last week, and because the player’s salary is not among the top-51 on the team, it will have no impact on the 49ers’ available offseason cap space.
49ers Sign Josh Johnson
The 49ers announced that they have signed quarterback Josh Johnson to a one-year deal, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. The Bengals released Johnson earlier this week after taking A.J. McCarron in the draft.
Johnson, who turns 28 tomorrow, made five starts for the Buccaneers between 2009 and 2011. Since then, the 6’3″ quarterback spent a season each with the Browns and Bengals. Johnson played for San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego, which presumably played a role in the deal.
Johnson signed a two-year deal with the 49ers in March of 2012 but was unable to make the 53-man roster. The QB will hope for a better outcome this time and an opportunity to help support starter Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers traded for former top-10 pick Blaine Gabbert this offseason while McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Kory Faulkner are also under contract, so Johnson will have his work cut out for him.
Minor Moves: Seahawks, Cowboys, Colts, Chiefs
With teams adding draft picks and undrafted free agents, cuts may have to be made in order to clear spots on 90-man rosters for the new arrivals. We can expect those cuts to dominate today’s list of minor transactions. Here are the latest moves, with updates added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- A little over a month after signing a three-year deal with the Seahawks, long snapper Jorgen Hus is on waivers, having been cut by Seattle, per Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
- Guard Chris DeGeare, defensive tackle Frank Kearse, wide receiver Lance Lewis, defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo, linebacker Quinton Spears, and linebacker Jabara Williams have been cut by the Cowboys, per Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Earlier updates:
- The Colts have waived four players, according to Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter): Linebacker Alan Baxter, fullback Stephen Cambell, tight end Martell Webb, and kicker Carson Wiggs.
- Wideout Rashad Ross has been waived by the Chiefs, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
- After adding a quarterback (A.J. McCarron) in the draft, the Bengals have released Josh Johnson, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).
- The Dolphins have also parted ways with a quarterback, cutting Jordan Rodgers, the younger brother of Aaron Rodgers, the team announced today (via Twitter). In addition to Rodgers, wide receiver Michael Rios was also waived.
- The Bills have released running back Anthony Allen, according to a team release. Allen had signed a futures contract with the club in January.
- The Bills are waiving offensive tackle Jamaal Johnson-Webb, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Johnson-Webb spent some time on Buffalo’s practice squad last season and signed a futures contract with the club after the season.
- The Chiefs are cutting fullback Eric Kettani, according to Wilson. Like Johnson-Webb, Kettani didn’t actually see any playing time for his club, having signed a futures contract following the 2013 season. Wilson notes that the Navy product is expected to draw some interest in free agency, however.
- Defensive back Charles Mitchell has been waived by the Broncos, the team announced today (via Twitter). The former Falcon didn’t appear in a regular season game for Denver.