HEADLINES

Mark Sanchez

Browns GM Talks Haden, QBs, FAs, Mack

March 24th, 2014 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing at the NFL’s owner meetings in Orlando, Browns GM Ray Farmer answered several questions from reporters today, including Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal and Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Here’s a round-up of some of the highlights, with Twitter links via Ulrich and Cabot:

  • After cornerback Joe Haden fueled speculation by tweeting “It’s a crazy business” last night, Farmer insisted that the team has no interest in trading Haden, and would like to keep him in Cleveland for a long time.
  • Farmer defended the team’s decision not to attend the Pro Days of top quarterback prospects like Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, and Johnny Manziel by arguing that those days are “scripted” and saying that the Browns’ absence keeps teams guessing about Cleveland’s intentions. The general manager added that he’s “not leaning in any direction” with the No. 4 pick in the draft.
  • Farmer believes Cleveland will have opportunities to trade up or down in the draft, and confirmed that discussions about those possibilities are already underway.
  • Asked if the Browns have interest in Mark Sanchez, Farmer said the team would be interested in “anyone who can help us win,” though he didn’t say whether Sanchez was one such player. For now, the GM says he’s comfortable with Brian Hoyer, and that Hoyer’s competition could come from anywhere, including a player in the draft.
  • Farmer confirmed that the Browns had interest in Matt Schaub before Houston sent him to the Raiders.
  • According to Ulrich, Farmer paused for a few seconds when asked where the Browns stood with offensive lineman Paul McQuistan and defensive end Alex Carrington, before replying, “We’ll see.” Both free agents visited the team last week.
  • Cleveland investigated many options for a No. 2 wide receiver and No. 2 cornerback in free agency, but nothing worked out, according to Farmer.
  • The Browns are still focused on working out a long-term deal with Alex Mack, who received the transition tag from the club this offseason.

Rams Interested In Mark Sanchez

March 24th, 2014 at 9:10am CST by Luke Adams

The NFL’s quarterback carousel has been busy this offseason, with Mark Sanchez representing the latest roster casualty, when the Jets replaced him with Michael Vick on Friday. However, Sanchez is drawing interest from at least one NFL team. Rams head coach Jeff Fisher tells Jim Corbett of USA Today that his team will at least kick the tires on the former Jet.

“I’d say that there is interest. I can’t say how much. But there certainly would be interest,” Fisher said. “I don’t have a backup with experience on the roster right now.”

Rams starter Sam Bradford is coming off an ACL injury, and his 2013 backup, Kellen Clemens, has signed with the Chargers in free agency. The current No. 2 in St. Louis, Austin Davis, has yet taken a snap in an NFL regular season game. As Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com noted in a weekend piece in which he identified the Rams as a top possibility for Sanchez, the ex-Jets signal-caller also has a connection to Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who was previously the OC in New York for several seasons.

According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Rams GM Les Snead also has interest in Sanchez, so Fisher isn’t on his own. However, if Sanchez plans to sign within the next day or two, it likely won’t be with the Rams, says Werder.

NFL Notes: Smith, Vick, Jones-Drew

March 22nd, 2014 at 8:44pm CST by Peter Sowards

In his first public comments since the team signed Michael Vick, Jets quarterback and second-year pro Geno Smith was unabashed in his praise of the move and the man himself.

“Awesome, man. Vick’s my guy,” Smith said Saturday, according to the Associated Press. “We needed to find a guy that was legitimately a guy that could come in and play. I think that’s what we did.”

Signing just a one-year deal for $5MM, Vick figures to compete with Smith for the starting job.

Check the notes below for more NFL-related content…

Extra Points: 49ers, Sanchez, Saints

March 22nd, 2014 at 6:01pm CST by Peter Sowards

The other side of the coin to being a team that drafts talent well is that all that talent must be compensated appropriately. This is the conundrum examined by CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Maiocco, responding to a reader who questioned the 49ers‘ cap situation. “Teams that do a good job of acquiring talent will always have a difficult time holding onto that talent for future contracts,” Maiocco writes, citing Michael Crabtree and Mike Iupati as players in line for blockbuster deals after their contracts expire next offseason.

Rounding up some more links from today in the NFL…

  • ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini looks at what’s next for former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, including a top-five list of potential landing spots: the Rams, Bears, Browns, Bills and Seahawks.
  • Sanchez deserved better from the Jets, writes Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. Cannizzaro contends that the Jets knew their plans for Sanchez — releasing him — long ago, but waited only until right before his $2MM roster bonus was due, and thus decreased the amount of potential landing spots for 2009 fifth overall pick.
  • Mike Triplett of ESPN.com expects Saints head coach Sean Payton to be “more committed than ever to running the ball successfully” next season, Triplett writes in his latest mailbag. But he still takes the “over” on 4,800 passing yards.
  • Can Brian Hoyer be “The Guy” for the Browns? ESPNCleveland.com’s Tony Grossi doesn’t know, but he wants to find out.
  • With electrifying wide receiver DeSean Jackson potentially on his way out of Philadelphia, he could potentially find a home with Andy Reid and the Chiefs, but don’t expect Kansas City to trade for him, writes Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star. As Paylor notes, the Chiefs don’t have the necessary cap space to make the move — just $4.8MM — and the team is light on draft picks after the Alex Smith trade.

Jets Release Mark Sanchez

March 21st, 2014 at 5:26pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Jets have announced that the team has released quarterback Mark Sanchez (via Twitter). The move will free up $8.3MM in cap space in 2014, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).

The former first-round pick had a series of ups and downs during his five seasons with the team. Statistically he rated as one of the most turnover prone quarterbacks in football, posting 68 touchdowns and 69 interceptions in four years as a starter. He never completed more than 57% of his passes and fumbled 43 times. At the same time, Sanchez was able to lead the Jets to a pair of AFC Championship games during his run.

FA Rumors: Ihedigbo, DeCoud, Britt, Incognito

March 21st, 2014 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

James Ihedigbo won’t be returning to his old team, and there’s a chance he also won’t be headed to the club he looked likely to land with last week. According to Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times, the Ravens are no longer in the running for the free agent safety, who has narrowed his decision down to three NFC teams — one is believed to be the Lions, who appeared to be closing in on Ihedigbo last Thursday. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun adds (via Twitter) that Baltimore wasn’t willing to match the Lions’ initial offer, but it sounds like two other clubs are at least in that ballpark.

Here are a few more Friday morning free agent updates:

  • Free agent safety Thomas DeCoud may represent a Plan B for the Lions if they can’t land Ihedigbo. DeCoud, who was released by the Falcons earlier in the offseason, is visiting Detroit today, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
  • Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) expects the Lions to sign a safety very soon, and says it sounds like there are three potential options on the table, which suggests the team is eyeing another player in addition to Ihedigbo and DeCoud.
  • Agent Pat Dye Jr. confirmed last night that Kenny Britt had received from the Bills, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) the free agent receiver will be making his next visit to Buffalo.
  • Rapoport also reports (Twitter links) that while free agent guard Richie Incognito can sign with an NFL team, he can’t play or be paid until undergoing a comprehensive evaluation by medical advisors designated by the league and the NFLPA.
  • Adam Caplan of ESPN.com passes along a pair of free agent nuggets, tweeting that fullback Spencer Larsen worked out for the Bills and cornerback Elbert Mack worked out for the Bengals.
  • With Matt Schaub heading to Oakland, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) predicts that the Browns will land Rex Grossman, adding that perhaps Mark Sanchez ends up on the Bills and Michael Vick lands with the Jets. Vick is visiting with the Jets today, and the club also has to make a decision soon on Sanchez, who is owed a roster bonus on Tuesday.

AFC East Notes: Edelman, Sanchez, Cooks

March 15th, 2014 at 10:59am CST by Matt Feminis

As of last night, the Patriots and free agent receiver Julian Edelman were talking about a contract that would keep Tom Brady‘s most productive receiver in New England. Edelman visited the 49ers Friday, but CBS’ Jason La Canfora believes a deal with the Pats remains the most likely scenario (via Twitter).

Other Pats and Jets news and notes:

  • The Patriots were supposed to meet with Steve Smith, but they never got the chance, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com.
  • In a detailed explanation, Jason Fitzgerald of overthecap.com writes the Jets are playing a game of poker with the Mark Sanchez situation.
  • The Jets have been “all over” Oregon State receiver Brandin Cooks in pre-draft preparation, according to ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini (via Twitter). That news could be telling, especially remembering back to last year when the team was reportedly fixated on Tavon Austin before the Rams swooped in. While not as versatile, productive or hyped as Austin, Cooks is also a smallish, playmaking receiver who brings an explosive element, something the Jets 31st ranked passing offense sorely needs, even with the signing of Eric Decker. Cooks, who is capable of working inside or outside, blazed 40-yard dash times in the low 4.3s at the Combine. He’s expected to go in the second round, where the Jets hold the 18th pick.

Raiders Targeting Schaub, Sanchez

March 14th, 2014 at 10:33pm CST by Peter Sowards

Matt Schaub and Mark Sanchez are still employed by the Texans and Jets, respectively, but both teams are expected to move on from the veteran quarterbacks. And once they do, a source tells ESPN Reporter Paul Gutierrez that the Raiders will have interest in both quarterbacks, as well as Josh Freeman and Michael Vick, in that order.

As Gutierrez notes, Oakland’s quarterback depth chart consists of Terrelle Pryor, Matt McGloin and Trent Edwards, so adding a well-traveled veteran would be in the team’s best interests.

The rumors swirling around Sanchez have been pretty dormant as of late, but Schaub has been linked to the Browns as recently as Monday. Cleveland recently cleaned house at quarterback, releasing Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell on Wednesday (links here).

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals

March 2nd, 2014 at 9:38pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jim Harbaugh saga continues. Today we learned that some 49ers players may be getting sick of their head coach. Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that “Harbaugh’s act has worn thin in the locker room, particularly among some key “face of the 49ers” type players.” As Killion points out, this information comes close to a week before free agency is set to open. Harbaugh had been reportedly discussed in a potential deal between the 49ers and Browns.

Now, for more news around the NFC West…

  • The Seahawks will not offer the franchise tag to Steven Hauschka, tweets Tom Pelissero of the USA Today. Pelissero mentions that he thought the team might be tempted to use the tag on the journeyman kicker.
  • The Rams have three quarterbacks without contracts and may be looking for two backups for next season, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. Wagoner believes the team will go with a rookie and a veteran, and thinks that Kellen Clemens is likely to return. He also mentions Mark Sanchez as a possibility, pointing out the connection between Sanchez and Rams’ offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
  • As the salary cap continues to grow, so do the chances that Larry Fitzgerald stays with the Cardinals beyond 2014, writes Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com.Weinfuss hypothesizes that if the cap increases to north of $140MM, there may be another restructuring of Fitzgerald’s contract that would be more manageable for the team.

Jets Notes: Sanchez, Smith, Pace, Cromartie

February 20th, 2014 at 4:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Jets head coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik both spoke to the media today in Indianapolis. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Ryan and Idzik sidestepped questions about whether or not Mark Sanchez will be back with the Jets in 2014. However, Izdik indicated that he believes Sanchez still can be a starting-caliber NFL quarterback, according to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (Twitter link).
  • The Jets didn’t commit to Geno Smith as the starting quarterback in 2014, but Ryan was much more effusive in his praise for Smith than Sanchez, notes Brian Costello of the New York Post.
  • Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News passes along a few of Ryan’s and Izdik’s noncommittal quotes on Sanchez’s future, including the head coach insisting that he wants all of his players to return, and the GM maintaining that Sanchez is making “very good progress” in shoulder rehab.
  • Within Mehta’s piece, Ryan also expressed a desire to bring re-sign free agent linebacker Calvin Pace and suggested that it would be hard to replace Antonio Cromartie if the team decided to make the veteran defensive back a cap casualty.
  • Izdik didn’t shoot down the idea that the club could consider drafting a quarterback in the first round, tweets Hubbuch.
  • The Jets likely won’t make any of their veteran cuts until they absolutely have to, according to Izdik (Twitter link via Hubbuch).
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