Mark Sanchez - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Broncos, Browns, Texans

April 19th, 2016 at 8:42pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Contract talks between the Broncos and franchise-tagged pass rusher Von Miller are going so poorly that the Super Bowl 50 MVP could consider holding out until November both this year and, if needed, in 2017, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Cole says that the Broncos’ current offer to Miller is worth only a little more per year than what the Giants gave the far less accomplished Olivier Vernon ($17MM) in free agency and doesn’t contain nearly enough guaranteed money for Miller’s liking.

Here’s more on Denver and a couple other AFC clubs:

Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez is working hard to take the reins in Denver, showing leadership, and impressing his teammates in the process, reports Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today (video link). “I can tell he wants to be a leader on this team. He wants to be our quarterback. He wants to be The Guy. And that’s the type of guy we need,” receiver Emmanuel Sanders said. Of course, early reviews aside, Sanchez is a long shot to win the Broncos’ starting job. The team could foil his plans to start by trading for the 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick, adding a high-round draft pick, or signing free agents like Brian Hoyer or Ryan Fitzpatrick.
After the Browns released veteran defenders Karlos Dansby and Donte Whitner earlier this offseason, linebacker Paul Kruger worried about his own status with the team, he told Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “Yeah I was definitely anticipating something,” the 30-year-old said. “Made me a little nervous, I’m not going to lie.” The Browns could still part with Kruger and save $5.3MM before June 1 or $6.5MM if he’s a post-June 1 cut, but they already have the third-most cap space in the league. Kruger, for his part, now expects to remain in the fold. “Those are discussions that I let my agent and those people take care of but hey, I’m here right now and this is where I’m planning on being come August,” he said. Kruger’s sack total plummeted from 11 in 2014 to 2.5 last season, though he still menaced opposing quarterbacks, finishing with the league’s fourth-most hurries (33).
The Texans will bring in Wisconsin fullback Derek Watt and Arkansas running back Jonathan Williams for Wednesday visits, reports Tania Ganguli of ESPN (Twitter links). Derek Watt is the brother of superstar Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt.
Wide receivers Cam Worthy and Saalim Hakim, offensive lineman James Brewer and defensive back Dax Swanson will partake in Browns minicamp this week as tryout players, tweets the team’s communications manager, Dan Murphy.

Broncos’ John Elway On QB, Von Miller, O-Line

March 21st, 2016 at 8:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The defending champions have already undergone a major facelift this offseason, but GM John Elway says that he’s not done tinkering with the team’s roster. Of course, in the wake of Peyton Manning‘s retirement and Brock Osweiler‘s departure, the No. 1 item on the team’s agenda will be to figure out its quarterback situation. The Broncos also have to address the contract of star defensive player Von Miller. The Broncos placed the franchise tag on Miller earlier this offseason and the two sides are discussing a long-term pact.

On Monday, Elway addressed these issues and more. Here’s a look at the highlights (via Troy Renck of The Denver Post):

On the team’s quarterback situation:

“We will bring somebody in to compete. We are not going to just turn the job over to [Mark Sanchez] now, even though I know he’s excited about competing for the job. Everything is out there. There are a still a lot of guys. You never know what’s going to fall out of the tree. We are not in any rush.”

On Miller and the possibility of a holdout:

“I don’t see the benefit of it, but the (players) obviously do. But we are going to do everything we can and are hopeful we can come to some kind of agreement. Von is a big part of this. We want him to continue to be a big part.”

On the team’s revamped offensive line:

“We are excited about the bookends. [Donald Stephenson] is a young guy we think has a tremendous amount of upside. And [Russell Okung] is a guy who has played solid the last five or six years, been on championships teams and knows what it takes. Plus it gives us flexibility with the guys we have now with [Ty Sambrailo] and [Michael Schofield] (on playing guard). Different guys can go different places. It opens us up for the draft, and we can get to the point where we can take the best player.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: Sanchez, Ferguson, Dolphins, Hoyer

March 12th, 2016 at 10:42am CST by Ben Levine

Quarterback Mark Sanchez was traded to the Broncos yesterday, but if the veteran had had his way, he would have ended up in Denver years before.

According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter), Sanchez wanted to play for the Broncos following his release from the Jets in 2014. The play-caller wanted to learn from future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, but the presence of Brock Osweiler essentially prevented Sanchez from joining the organization. Instead, he landed with the Eagles on a one-year, $2.25MM deal.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the AFC…

The Jets are set to meet with offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum, and considering D’Brickashaw Ferguson‘s huge cap hit, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini wonders whether the veteran lineman could be a cap casualty. Ferguson is set to count for $14.1MM against the cap, and his declining performance in 2015 could make him expendable.
With Olivier Vernon off to the Giants, the Dolphins continue to look for ways to improve their defensive line depth. Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that the team is looking to secure a meeting with veteran defensive end Chris Clemons.
After the Texans signed Osweiler to a pricey deal, it seemed inevitable that incumbent quarterback Brian Hoyer would be traded. However, general manager Rick Smith was adamant that the 30-year-old still has a role on the team. “I think it’s pretty apparent you need a couple quarterbacks in this league, okay,” Smith told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “And so Brian obviously played a lot of football for us, understands our system, our scheme and our team and is a valuable member of our team.”

Extra Points: Sanchez, 49ers, Blackmon, Washington

March 11th, 2016 at 10:10pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Eagles traded quarterback Mark Sanchez to Denver on Friday, but the Broncos were just one of several teams that had interest in acquiring the seven-year veteran. The 49ers were among the intrigued clubs, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Had the Niners landed him, it would’ve reunited Sanchez with head coach Chip Kelly. The two were together in Philly the previous two seasons, when Sanchez completed 64.3% of his passes and tossed 18 touchdowns against 15 interceptions.

Here’s more from around the NFL as Friday wraps up:

Washington and free agent cornerback Will Blackmon are discussing a contract, reports Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic (Twitter link). Blackmon, a nine-year veteran, spent last season in Washington and put up impressive numbers in 15 games (10 starts, 49 tackles, three forced fumbles, two interceptions), though he ranked just 84th out of 111 qualifying corners at Pro Football Focus.
The Chargers will continue looking for tight end help after losing Ladarius Green in free agency and missing out on James Hanna earlier today, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. There are some decent veteran options in Jermaine Gresham, Zach Miller, Jared Cook and Owen Daniels left on the market, notes Gehlken, though he expects the Chargers to address the position via the draft.
Northern Illinois linebacker Perez Ford had a busy Friday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The draft prospect talked with the Browns, Dolphins, Chiefs, Jets, Lions, Chargers, Seahawks, Bears and Washington.

Broncos Acquire Mark Sanchez From Eagles

March 11th, 2016 at 1:43pm CST by Luke Adams

1:43pm: The Broncos aren’t done at quarterback yet, and plan to bring in another player to compete with Sanchez for the starting job, Schefter confirms (via Twitter).

12:41pm: The conditional 2017 pick acquired by the Eagles in the swap is a seventh-rounder, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The conditions aren’t yet known, but I would imagine they’ll hinge on Sanchez’s playing time in Denver.

12:29pm: The Broncos have begun to address their hole at quarterback, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, who reports (via Twitter) that Denver is acquiring Mark Sanchez from the Eagles. Philadelphia will get a conditional draft pick in exchange for the veteran signal-caller, per Klis. The pick is a 2017 selection, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

The Broncos lost the top two quarterbacks on their depth chart this week, as Peyton Manning officially announced his retirement and Brock Osweiler signed with the Texans on a four-year, $72MM deal. While it remains to be seen if he’ll start for the Broncos, Sanchez is an affordable fallback option for the team. He’ll count for just $4.5MM against the 2016 cap – with another $3MM+ available in incentives – and the 2017 pick the Broncos are giving up is unlikely to be more than a late-rounder.

Sanchez a former fifth overall pick, served primarily as the backup during his two-year stint in Philadelphia, but did start 10 games for the Eagles. Overall, the 29-year-old completed 64.3% of his passes, with 3,034 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

With just Sanchez and Trevor Siemian on their depth chart, the Broncos will remain in the market for quarterback help, and that includes the possibility of trading for someone else, such as Colin Kaepernick — Peter Schrager of FOX Sports tweets that the Sanchez deal doesn’t take Kaepernick off the table for Denver.

As for the Eagles, Sanchez became expendable for them when the team re-signed Sam Bradford and added Chase Daniel in free agency. By trading him instead of releasing him, the Eagles create $4.5MM in cap savings instead of $3.5MM, since the club will no longer be on the hook for the $1MM guarantee on his 2016 base salary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Eagles QB Situation

March 10th, 2016 at 2:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Is this the end of the line for Mark Sanchez in Philadelphia? Will Sam Bradford cede the starting job to Chase Daniel? The answers appear to be yes, and no, respectively. When speaking to reporters today, Eagles coach Doug Pederson seemingly inferred that Sanchez is now out of the picture.

In response to a question about his quarterback depth chart, the coach said, “Sam Bradford is the No. 1. Chase Daniel is the No. 2. And we’re working on the No. 3,” (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer).

That statement seems to be good news for Bradford as he is still in line to be the team’s starter, despite the sizable deal given to Daniel this week. Sanchez, of course, is conspicuously absent there and one has to think that he will be shopped in the coming weeks. The USC product is entering his contract year and is slated to earn $4.5MM in base salary while carrying a $5.5MM cap number.

Daniel and Pederson have history, which helped lead the two sides to a deal this week. The former Chiefs signal caller got a sizable deal from Philly, which led many to believe that he was being brought in as more than just a clipboard holder. Daniel, entering his age-30 season has attempted only 77 passes in his career while backing up Drew Brees and Alex Smith. He ranked as PFR’s No. 3 available quarterback, slotting in behind Brock Osweiler and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eagles Rumors: Daniel, Bradford, Pederson

February 24th, 2016 at 6:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have question marks at quarterback and their new head coach apparently covets a signal caller who is under contract elsewhere. Doug Pederson is quite familiar with Chiefs reserve QB Chase Daniel and he told reporters today that Daniel could be a starter in the NFL, if given the right opportunity (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). As for incumbent Sam Bradford, Pederson says he believes Bradford wants to be there (link).

Here’s more on the Eagles’ QB situation and other news on Philly:

Pederson said the Eagles have contingency plans in place in case they can’t bring Bradford back, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
When asked about Bradford, Pederson said (Twitter link via Zach Berman of The Inquirer): “All I know is if Sam wants to be in Philadelphia, he’ll be in Philadelphia.” Pederson indicated that he would not tag Bradford in order to ensure his return to Philly and Berman believes that the coach’s implication is that it’s all up to the QB (link).
Rookie quarterbacks in the draft won’t affect the Bradford situation, the coach told reporters (Twitter link via Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News).
Pederson says there “are holes” on the team’s offensive line, as John Clark of CSNPhilly tweets. He says he will look to the draft and free agency to fill those needs.
Pederson said that he anticipates Mark Sanchez returning to the team as a backup quarterback (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). Sanchez is already under contract for 2016.

Sunday Roundup: Sanchez, Cousins, Graham

November 22nd, 2015 at 12:48pm CST by Rory Parks

Just like Brock Osweiler in Denver, Mark Sanchez has the opportunity to secure a full-time starting job with the Eagles, and his audition starts today. As Sam Bradford continues to deal with a concussion and shoulder injury, Sanchez will get the start against the Buccaneers this afternoon, and per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (article via Kevin Patra) he will also start Thanksgiving Day against the Lions. Since the Eagles did not sign Bradford to an extension this offseason, it will be easy for Philadelphia to move on from him if it so chooses, and it would not be a surprise if Sanchez took hold of the job for the remainder of 2015. What happens beyond that, though, is anyone’s guess.

Now let’s take a look at some links from around the league:

Washington has had preliminary contract talks with Kirk Cousins, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter). However, as former NFL agent Joel Corry tweets, there is no reason for Cousins to sign an extension anytime soon, as the rewards for not doing so outweigh the risks.
Rapoport tweets that the Cowboys‘ support for embattled DE Greg Hardy is waning. Hardy was late for practice last Thursday and late for a team meeting last Saturday, and it is unclear how much longer he can test the team’s patience. Of course, it would be strange if tardiness is the reason Dallas ultimately chooses to part ways with Hardy.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald looks back at what went right for the Dolphins this offseason and what they should have done differently.
Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com details the reasons for Jimmy Graham‘s disappointing 2015 season and likens his tenure with the Seahawks to Randy Moss‘ time in Oakland. Fitzgerald believes that Graham’s statistical output is artificially low because of the offense he plays in, and although there are risks if a team should choose to pursue Graham in the offseason, the potential rewards outweigh those concerns.
In a separate piece, Fitzgerald explores why Nick Foles‘ benching does not mean he will be leaving the Rams next year.
Matt Vensel of The Star Tribune examines how the Vikings have successfully navigated the draft and deftly handled difficult personnel decisions to assemble one of the league’s best defenses.
Likewise, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle discusses how the Texans‘ youth movement on defense is giving the club hope for the future.
Although it does not come as much of surprise, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says that teams hoping to lure Alabama head coach Nick Saban back to the professional ranks are facing very steep odds, and La Canfora details why Saban will stay right where he is.
Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reviews the performance of the 2015 draft class to date, observing that, with a few notable exceptions, the class has largely been a disappointment.
Nick Korte of OverTheCap.com explores some potential impacts of the NFL’s decision to make compensatory draft picks tradeable.

NFC Notes: Packers, Saints, Eagles

November 15th, 2015 at 9:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A look around the NFC. . .

Although the Packers’ offense is slumping, head coach Mike McCarthy said after Sunday’s 18-16 loss to Detroit that he won’t take play-calling duties away from coordinator Tom Clements. “I like the way our staff works, and I like the way they work with our players,” McCarthy stated, per ESPN’s Jason Wilde. McCarthy called Green Bay’s offensive plays from 2006-14 before deciding to give the role to Clements this year.
The 4-6 Saints are entering their bye week, and Larry Holder of NOLA.com writes that it’s the perfect time for head coach Sean Payton to fire defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and give Ryan’s job to defensive assistant Dennis Allen. Payton brought in Allen after Ryan’s defense finished 31st in the league last season. Led by Ryan, the Saints have allowed 130 points over the last three weeks – including 47 in an embarrassing defeat in Washington on Sunday. Afterward, Payton said that “we’re not going to discuss any of those types of changes, certainly not right now.”
While Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford hasn’t been particularly good this year, Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer submits that Sunday’s output by backup Mark Sanchez was a prime example of why nobody should call for Sanchez to take over the starting job. After an injured Bradford left the Eagles’ game against Miami with Philadelphia leading 16-13, Sanchez came in and failed to help the team to victory – even throwing a costly interception – in a 20-19 defeat. The season’s on the brink for the 4-5 Eagles, and Sielski doesn’t expect their playoff chances to stay alive for long if Bradford misses time and Sanchez has to be the No. 1 signal caller.
Jeff McLane of the Inquirer believes that Eagles head coach and football czar Chip Kelly‘s decision to trade for Bradford in the offseason was a worthy gamble. However, Kelly could be done in by his failure to surround Bradford with a sturdier offensive line and better receivers, McLane opines.

Sunday Roundup: Richard, Sanchez, Sherman, L.A.

May 31st, 2015 at 8:54pm CST by Rob DiRe

Earlier today Rory Parks rounded up a few stories to pass along that came across the ticker. Here are a few more Sunday stories that are worth checking out:

Sam Bradford has been anointed the presumed starter in Philadelphia, but his road to the job won’t come without competition. Mark Sanchez has made it clear that he wants to be the Eagles’ starter, and Phil Sheridan of ESPN believes he will have a chance to win it.
Kris Richard is settling into his new role as Seahawks defensive coordinator, and he has made it clear that he is taking over Dan Quinn’s defense with a “if it’s not broke. don’t fix it” approach, according to the team’s official website. Working under Quinn, Gus Bradley, and Pete Carroll has given him a unique perspective on how to run a defense.
Mike Sherman has left the NFL for the amatuer ranks, becoming the head coach at Nauset Regional High School in North Eastham, Massachusetts, reports Kevin Patra of NFL.com. Sherman, who has recently served as offensive coordinator for the Dolphins, and amassed a 59-37 record during his six years as head coach of the Packers from 2000 to 2005.
Gil Brandt of NFL.com has a note for any fans in Los Angeles hoping for an NFL team, the Hollywood Park grandstand was demolished today (via Twitter). The proposed NFL stadium is planned to take its place. Austin Knoblauch of the Los Angeles Times has the full story of the demolition.