HEADLINES

Mike McGlynn

AFC Notes: Jets, Broncos, Blount, MJD, Titans

March 26th, 2014 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to the Seahawks and Cowboys, the Jets may also have been in on Jared Allen before he agreed to sign with the Bears, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. According to Schefter, head coach Rex Ryan spoke to the veteran defensive end last week, and the Jets wanted to get involved in the bidding, though it’s not clear how serious the interest was from Allen’s end. As New York continues to search for upgrades in free agency, let’s check in on a few more AFC teams….

  • Unsurprisingly, the Broncos are expected to exercise their fifth-year option for 2015 on defensive standout Von Miller, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post. The option, available for 2011 first-round picks, would pay Miller a little less than $10MM in ’15.
  • The running back market is coming into focus, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). According to La Canfora, LeGarrette Blount, who is still receiving interest from the Patriots, will visit with the Steelers later this week. Pittsburgh is still considering Maurice Jones-Drew as well, though not at his original $3.5MM-per-year asking price.
  • Free agent offensive lineman Mike McGlynn, who has met with the Redskins and Rams since the start of free agency, is scheduled to visit the Titans tonight and tomorrow, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
  • The Raiders have added several players over age 30 in free agency, but GM Reggie McKenzie doesn’t view those players as stop-gap solutions. McKenzie told Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle that he wanted to bring in immediate contributors to show the team’s young players the Raiders are serious about winning.
  • Colts GM Ryan Grigson said today that his team preferred its in-house options at center to the free agents available at the position, as Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star details. That’s not to say that no free agent center would have been an upgrade, but given the potential cost, Grigson didn’t feel a move would be worth it.
  • Offensive line and wide receiver will be areas of focus for the Jaguars in the draft, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
  • R.J. Stanford‘s new one-year deal with the Bengals includes a $730K base salary, a $50K signing bonus, and a $25K workout bonus, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

NFC West Notes: Allen, McGlynn, L.A.

March 21st, 2014 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent defensive end Jared Allen seemed on the verge of reaching an agreement with the Seahawks yesterday, but continues to deliberate for now. Allen seems to be not only weighing offers from the Seahawks and other suitors, but also considering whether he’ll even continue his career. While retirement seems unlikely for the veteran pass rusher, there were rumblings about that possibility earlier this month, and according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Allen told him at the start of free agency that there was a “walk-away number” he wouldn’t go below.

As we wait for Allen to make his decision, let’s round up a few other items from out of the NFC West:

  • After meeting with the Redskins earlier this week, free agent offensive lineman Mike McGlynn will visit with the Rams, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter).
  • If there’s someone “remotely associated with the NFL” who believes it was a coincidence that Rams owner Stan Kroenke purchased land in Los Angeles large enough to accommodate a stadium, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com has yet to meet that person. In a lengthy piece, La Canfora explores the possibility of the Rams or Raiders eventually making their way back to L.A.
  • Antonio Cromartie’s one-year deal with the Cardinals has a base value of $3.5MM, and it’s guaranteed for almost the entire amount, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). The contract includes a $1MM signing bonus, a $2.25MM guaranteed base salary, $25K in total per-game roster bonuses, and an extra $750K available via incentives.

Extra Points: Browns, Goodson, Dolphins, Rams

March 19th, 2014 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

After initially suggesting that he’d be open to returning to the Seahawks on a “hometown discount,” Golden Tate ultimately landed with the Lions, inking the second-largest deal of the offseason for a wide receiver. In retrospect, Tate may regret making the comment about giving Seattle a discount, as he explained on 710 ESPN in Seattle (link via Terry Blount of ESPN.com).

“I didn’t mean a 40% discount,” Tate said. “I’m going to earn in one year at Detroit what Seattle was going to pay me for two years. Seattle offered numbers that were laughable. I thought, ‘I’ve given you everything and this is what you give me?'”

As Tate looks forward to teaming up with Calvin Johnson in Detroit, let’s check in on a few more odds and ends from around the NFL….

  • Free agent offensive lineman Paul McQuistan and defensive lineman Alex Carrington visited with the Browns, tweets Pat McManamon of ESPN.com.
  • The Jets have converted Mike Goodson’s $650K roster bonus into a different form of roster bonus that can be obtained if he’s on the roster for all 16 games, as Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com details (via Twitter). The move takes the bonus charge off the cap, creating some modest savings for the Jets.
  • Before he re-signed with the Jets, Willie Colon drew interest from the Falcons and Vikings, but those teams both ultimately “backed off,” the lineman told reporters today (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
  • The Redskins hosted free agent guard Mike McGlynn for a visit today, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Washington is clearly in the market for at least one interior lineman after cutting Will Montgomery, considering we heard earlier in the afternoon that the club will also host Brian De La Puente.
  • The conditional draft pick the Dolphins sent to the Ravens for Bryant McKinnie last season will be a seventh-rounder, a league source tells Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
  • The Vikings‘ offer to Henry Melton was competitive with the Cowboys‘ proposal in terms of salary, but the free agent defensive lineman simply chose Dallas instead, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
  • A little over a week into free agency, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch examines where the Rams stand, and takes an in-depth look at Rodger Saffold‘s new contract.
  • Javier Arenas‘ one-year deal with the Falcons is a minimum salary benefit contract with a $65K signing bonus, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the details on the new additions to the NFLPA’s executive committee.

AFC Notes: Pouncey, Chiefs, Satele, McGlynn

February 22nd, 2014 at 12:20pm CST by Matt Feminis
    • “The Ted Wells report most likely saved the Dolphins a lot of money when it comes to Mike Pouncey,” says ESPN.com’s James Walker. Pouncey is a 24-year-old Pro Bowler, but his part in the bullying of Jonathan Martin “is reason enough to deny Pouncey a long-term extension,” according to Walker, who believes rewarding Pouncey would send a bad message.
    • The Chiefs will not have to release any players for cap purposes, believes ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher, who also says the team must retain two of the three starting offensive linemen scheduled to hit free agency: Branden Albert, Jon Asamoah and Geoff Schwartz. Says Teicher: “[The Chiefs] might be able to get Schwartz and Asamoah for what they could pay Albert. That’s what makes the most sense. But I know Schwartz wants to be a starter (and get paid like one). I don’t blame him. He won’t come back for a backup job or backup money unless he can’t get better somewhere else. That’s true for Asamoah, too. So the Chiefs may be forced to choose between Schwartz and Asamoah and look elsewhere for their backups.”
    • Colts center Samson Satele did not get a ringing endorsement from GM Ryan Grigson, says ESPN.com’s Mike Wells. Satele’s roster spot could be in jeopardy, as he struggled last season and counts $5.1MM against the 2014 salary cap. Additionally, Wells mentions some scouts think Mike McGlynn, a free agent-to-be, is a better option. The team also spent a fourth-round pick on Khaled Holmes, a developmental center out of USC.