Extra Points: Trades, Jets, Hawks, Bucs, Jags
The NFL trade deadline is on Tuesday, and we’ve already seen a pair of minor moves in the past week, as the Patriots acquired linebacker Kyle Van Noy from the Lions, and then shipped tight end A.J. Derby to the Broncos. More high-profile names could be on the move in the next few days, leading both Joel Corry of CBSSports.com and Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com to examine candidates to be traded before the deadline. Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall — who appeared on Breer’s list — is unlikely to be dealt, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, especially because two general managers predicted New York would only garner a fifth- or sixth-round pick for the veteran pass-catcher.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Russell Wilson has never missed a game during his NFL career, but a knee injury threatened to knock him out earlier this season, as Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com details. Wilson told reporters today that he was originally told his knee issue would sideline him for as many as four weeks, but the Seahawks quarterback has opted to play through the injury. He’ll continue to do so, and will also battle a pectoral ailment as Seattle faces New Orleans on Sunday.
- Buccaneers wide receiver Louis Murphy suffered a setback in his recovery from a November 2015 knee injury, and his timetable for return is currently unknown, writes Roy Cummings of Today’s Pigskin. Murphy, who joined Tampa Bay before the 2014 season and has managed 41 receptions since, has been on the PUP list the entire year. The Bucs could use a boost at receiver after placing veteran Vincent Jackson on injured reserve last week. They auditioned Nate Washington on Tuesday, and are reportedly willing to trade for a pass-catcher.
- Although the Jaguars were interested in running back DeMarco Murray when he became a free agent in 2015, his price tag proved too costly for Jacksonville and Murray ended up signing with Philadelphia, as Hays Carlyon of Jacksonville.com recalls. “It was great,” Murray said of meeting with the Jags. “To this day, I always look back and wonder if I would’ve been a Jaguar because of Gus [Bradley]. I got a chance to basically meet him and learn about him in a week span. It was so hard for me to tell him no.”
Russell Wilson Has Sprained MCL
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has a sprained MCL, head coach Pete Carroll confirmed to 710 ESPN today (Twitter link via Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com). However, Carroll says Wilson is “feeling great,” and he’s expected to be available against the Jets on Sunday, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
[RELATED: Seattle Seahawks Depth Chart]
Wilson has dealt with injury early and often this season, as he suffered an ankle injury during Week 1 that threatened to keep him out for several games. He was able to return for Week 2 against the Rams, but this latest knee ailment forced him to leave Sunday’s contest versus the 49ers. Before being sidelined, Wilson had played well, completing 15-of-23 passes for 243 yards and one touchdown. The Seahawks have a bye in Week 5, so If Wilson can make it through Sunday’s game, he’ll get an extra week of rest thereafter.
The only other quarterback on Seattle’s roster is rookie undrafted free agent Trevone Boykin, who was called into action on Sunday in relief of Wilson. In his first NFL appearance, the 23-year-old completed seven passes for 65 yards and one score. If Wilson, who began receiving treatment last night, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), goes down again, Boykin will be asked to step up.
Wilson isn’t the only member of the Seahawks’ offense nursing an injury, as running back Thomas Rawls is set to miss several weeks with a hairline fracture in his fibula.
Latest On Russell Wilson’s Ankle
6:04pm: Carroll told reporters, including Condotta (Twitter link), that Wilson will practice on Wednesday and plans to suit up on Sunday against the Rams.
11:37am: It sounds like Seahawks fans can breathe easy. Coach Pete Carroll told 710 ESPN that Wilson’s injury isn’t “very serious” and added that “he’ll make it through,” indicating that he’ll suit up for Week 2 (Twitter links via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times). Carroll added that the QB’s X-rays came back negative (link).
8:02am: After the Seahawks’ 12-10 victory over the Dolphins, quarterback Russell Wilson told reporters that he’ll be “ready to roll” next week against the Rams despite suffering an ankle sprain. Apparently, that’s not quite the case. Wilson’s sprain is “significant” and his Week 2 availability is in question, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Whether or not Russell Wilson can go against Los Angeles on Sunday, the Seahawks are expected to pick up another veteran QB (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Latest On Marshawn Lynch]
As it stands, undrafted rookie Trevone Boykin is the only other quarterback on Seattle’s roster. Surprisingly, the Seahawks do not have a QB on the taxi squad either.
Wilson, 28 in November, has never missed a regular season game since entering the league in 2012. The Wisconsin product earned his third Pro Bowl selection in 2015 has he completed 68.1% of his passes and threw for 34 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC Notes: Seahawks, Thurmond, Giants
Some assorted notes from around the NFC…
- The 2016 base salaries for several Seahawks players will be guaranteed today, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. The list includes Richard Sherman ($12.569MM), Russell Wilson ($12.342MM), Cliff Avril ($6MM) and K.J. Wright ($5.25MM). $6MM of Earl Thomas‘ $8MM 2016 salary is also guaranteed today (via Corry).
- The Eagles and free agent safety Walter Thurmond haven’t started discussions on an extension, tweets Geoff Mosher. The two sides are expected to start talking at the NFL Combine.
- Jordan Raanan of NJ.com puts the Giants chance of retaining cornerback Prince Amukamara at “40 percent.” With the 26-year-old expected to fetch a contract of at least $10MM annually, Raanan isn’t convinced that the team is willing to spend at the position.
- Raanan also believes the Giants should pursue Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon. The 25-year-old is younger than Mario Williams (who is expected to be released) and he’s more dependable than Jason Pierre-Paul.
NFC Notes: Cruz, Hayne, Wilson, Ramirez
Victor Cruz‘s uncertain future with the Giants received some press this month when he landed on injured reserve, ending his season, but he won’t be the only difficult roster decision facing the Giants in the offseason. As Bob Glauber of Newsday details, the team will also have tough calls to make on players like Jason Pierre-Paul, Prince Amukamara, and Jon Beason.
Here are some other notes from around the NFC:
- Jarryd Hayne admitted today that he has received offers to return to Australia’s National Rugby League since he was moved from the 49ers‘ 53-man roster to their practice squad, but he’s committed to NFL, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. The former rugby star saw some action earlier this season as a running back and return man for San Francisco.
- Despite an up-and-down performance so far this season, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson says the lucrative new contract he signed prior to the season isn’t playing any part in his – or the team’s – struggles, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes. “People want to make it something else but for me I love the game of football and I love coming to work, I love getting here early and leaving late and that’s what it’s about,” Wilson said. “Nothing’s changed. The biggest thing is we’ve just got to find ways to win.”
- Having been benched by the Lions, veteran guard Manny Ramirez is unlikely to reach several playing-time incentives in his contract, and he hopes that’s not the motive for his reduced role. “I hope not,” Ramirez said Thursday, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “But I can’t worry about that. I can only worry about the things that I’m in control of, which is, every time I step on the field, that I’m ready to go. That’s all I can do.”
NFC Rumors: Smith, Kaepernick, Wilson, Floyd
PFR’s Ben Levine assessed some of the Aldon Smith fallout this morning, and now the conversation shifts to which team will take a chance on him.
Whichever franchise takes this PR plunge, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes said team should insist the deal for the former All-Pro pass-rusher is for at least two years, with at least part or all of the fifth-year veteran’s 2015 set to be erased via suspension. That way, Florio notes, the team that acquires Smith’s rights would be able to play him in 2016 and ’17.
While general managers will be careful, with Smith being a repeat offender who shows no signs of slowing down, there will be considerable interest in a refocused Smith’s services, Florio writes.
Among the teams referenced as potential landing spots are the Seahawks, Cowboys, Cardinals, and Giants in the NFC, with the Patriots, Steelers and Colts serving as theoretical destinations in the AFC. Some of these teams would place Smith at defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, but with
With Junior Galette signing so quickly after video of him striking a woman surfaced, a Smith signing soon isn’t out of the question.
Here are some more items from around the league as we continue in the last Saturday before game action commences.
- A TMZ report alleging Smith and Colin Kaepernick and another naming the car that Smith is being charged with vandalizing as Kaepernick’s are being debunked by the fourth-year quarterback, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. With TMZ reporting a fight between the two took place Tuesday, Inman reports no fights have taken place in the 49ers‘ five practices. “I don’t drive a Mercedes. Let’s put it that way,” Kaepernick told media in his denial of the report.
- Russell Wilson‘s new Seahawks contract does not include a no-baseball clause like Jameis Winston‘s does with the Buccaneers, Florio reports. Johnny Manziel has a similar clause.
- Bruce Arians doesn’t know when Michael Floyd will be able to return due to having never witnessed a sequence like the one that ended with the wideout dislocating three of his fingers this week in 40 years in football, according to Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. “There really is no timetable because it really is such a different type of injury,” Arians told McManaman. Arians said the Cardinals will now break camp with six receivers, since Floyd is not viewed as a short-term IR candidate, after saying there was a chance they would have anyway.
Seahawks Notes: Bennett, Chancellor, Wilson
The Seahawks recently extended Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner with big-money contracts, and the roster is beginning to look awfully top-heavy, with several players set to earn $10MM annually over the next few years. Defensive end Michael Bennett, who isn’t overly pleased with his current deal, also expressed some concern that solid role players like Tony McDaniel are being let go due to cap concerns.
“That’s what people don’t understand, people talk about Tony McDaniels like ‘Oh, he’s just another guy,’ but think about, how does a Bobby Wagner make those tackles?” Bennett said to Frank Schwab of Yahoo! Sports. “These are the workers. It’s like the clothing line. You see the people who own the clothing line, but you don’t see the people who work and make the clothes. The middle man is always needed for success in this league.”
Of course, if the Seahawks reward disgruntled players like Bennett and safety Kam Chancellor with the raises they’re seeking, it might mean losing another one of those “middle men,” perhaps someone like Brandon Mebane. So Seattle will have to tread carefully when it comes to renegotiating contracts.
Here’s more out of Seattle:
- A source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Chancellor’s holdout could potentially go into the regular season if the two sides can’t reach a middle ground. As was the case with Dez Bryant‘s threat of missing regular season games, I’ll believe it when I see it. But Chancellor has made plenty of money over the last couple years, and has shown a willingness to give up money by missing camp.
- Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show today, Wilson downplayed the notion that he had been looking to become the NFL’s highest-paid player, as Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk details. “No. The only thing that was important was being in Seattle,” Wilson said. “In terms of being paid, however I played, that’s what I wanted to dictate my pay raise.”
- In the wake of the Wilson and Wagner extensions, former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a closer look at the Seahawks’ cap situation, writing that the team should be able to contend for the Super Bowl through at least the 2017 season.
Fallout From Bobby Wagner Extension
Let’s take a look at how Bobby Wagner‘s new four-year, $43MM deal impacts his club and several other teams with linebackers anticipating a new contract.
Seahawks
- ESPN’s Andrew Brandt tweets that the Seahawks structured Russell Wilson‘s extension to give them maximum salary cap room for this season, thereby allowing them to sign Wagner to a long-term contract. As such, the team will probably need Wilson to restructure his deal a couple years from now.
- Wagner made some waves on Friday when he tweeted “Can’t keep everyone.” As former NFL agent Joel Corry tweets, that message may end up applying to Seattle left tackle Russell Okung, whose contract expires at the end of this year. Bruce Irvin, who is also eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of 2015, may also be playing his last year in a Seahawks uniform.
- The Wagner extension has inevitably called attention to the contract situations of Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett, who are both unhappy with their current deals (Chancellor, of course, has decided to hold out of training camp). Corry tweets that, if the Seahawks address Chancellor’s contract, it would “create an issue” with Bennett. Chancellor does have three years left on his contract, so should the Seahawks rework his deal in any way, Corry tweets that Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas will both expect the same treatment in 2016.
- Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times believes the Seahawks will likely want to keep guard J.R. Sweezy, who is playing in the last year of his contract, but it is too early to say how the team will approach impending free agent punter Jon Ryan (Twitter links).
Buccaneers
- Rand Getlin of the NFL Network tweets that the Wagner deal was “always going to inform the Lavonte David deal,” a sentiment shared by several other prominent scribes. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, though, is not so sure. Fitzgerald points out (via Twitter) that David and Wagner play completely different positions and that David, as a non-pass rushing outside linebacker, is likely to land around $3MM less per season than Wagner.
- In any event, Getlin tweets that David and the Bucs will continue to talk over the coming days, and both sides are reportedly motivated to strike a deal.
- Corry tweets that Tampa Bay prefers contracts longer than four years when it comes to extending its best players, so that may be what the team is aiming for with David.
Lions
- DeAndre Levy, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of this season, saw Wagner’s deal and hopes to remain with the Lions, but he said he will leave all contract talk to his agent (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press).
Seahawks Notes: Wilson, Bennett, Chancellor, Thomas
We learned some details of Russell Wilson‘s four-year, $87.6MM contract with the Seahawks yesterday, and CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora provides us with some more information on the extension.
The quarterback’s cap hit for 2015 will be $6.9MM, followed by cap hits of $18.5MM (2016), $18.8MM (2017), $21.7MM (2018) and $23.2MM (2019). As the writer notes, these numbers are “very manageable” for the organization, as they can convert some of the base salary to bonus money.
Wilson’s 2016 and 2017 salaries (as well as part of his 2018 salary) are guaranteed for injury, and the contract has the potential to be fully guaranteed later on. Therefore, the injury guarantee total of $61MM comes via $30MM in injury guaranties and $31MM in signing bonus money. $20MM of that bonus will be delivered in August, and Wilson will get the other $11MM in April.
The first three years of Wilson’s contract totals around $56.6MM, trailing the deals recently signed by Cam Newton and Ben Roethlisberger. As the cap continues to rise and quarterbacks keep signing extensions, La Canfora opines that the two sides could be talking about a new contract in 28-36 months.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes that the only guaranteed money in the entire contract is the signing bonus and Wilson’s $700K base salary for 2015.
Let’s take a look at some more notes out of Seattle…
- Defensive end Michael Bennett showed up to training camp despite not receiving a new contract. “I’m still upset about my contract situation but it’s one of those things where it is what it is,” Bennett said (via Tim Booth of the Associated Press). “I’ve got to be professional and come out here and be a leader that I’ve always been and get this team back to where we need to be.”
- Meanwhile, coach Pete Carroll said he has been in contract with safety Kam Chancellor, who decided to hold out. “He has his points. He got his thoughts,” Carroll said. “He’s a very smart guy. He’s thought this out. He’s made a clear choice. We’ll see how it goes. I miss him.”
- Following offseason surgery on his left shoulder, safety Earl Thomas has indeed been placed on the PUP list to start Seahawks training camp (via the Associated Press). Carroll preached patience as the All-Pro recovers, saying he doesn’t want Thomas to return until he’s “safe and secure.”
Seahawks Notes: Wagner, Wilson, Chancellor
The Seahawks made the biggest news of the day this morning when they reached an agreement with Russell Wilson, extending the quarterback’s contract through the 2019 season. Now that Wilson is locked up, linebacker Bobby Wagner is next up for an extension of his own, and head coach Pete Caroll said today that the team is “on it,” hinting it could be done soon, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
For his part, Wagner sounds a little impatient to get a new deal finalized, admitting today that he considered not showing up for camp, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. When asked if he has a deadline for negotiations, Wagner replied, without elaborating, that his deadline is “now.” Following news of Wilson’s agreement this morning, Wagner also tweeted, somewhat ominously, “Can’t keep everyone.”
While we wait to see if the Seahawks work something out with Wagner, let’s round up several more notes on Wilson’s extension and a couple other Seattle players….
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) and Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (all Twitter links) provide several details on Wilson’s new deal. The base salaries on the contract are $700K (2015), $12.34 (2016), $12.6MM (2017), $15.5MM (2018), and $17MM (2019). The $31MM signing bonus and Wilson’s $700K salary for this season are the only fully guaranteed figures in the pact. Nearly $30MM in future salaries are guaranteed for injury only, and those salaries will become fully guaranteed on the fifth day after the start of the waiver period each year.
- Agent Mark Rodgers had a flight scheduled out of Seattle this morning in the event that he and the Seahawks didn’t reach a compromise on Wilson, suggesting today’s deadline was very real, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rodgers acknowledged that there was a “fairly wide” gap that needed to be closed to get something done with the Seahawks, and said that getting the team to agree to a four-year extension instead of a five-year deal was one key (Twitter links via Pelissero and Condotta).
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap takes a closer look at Wilson’s extension, comparing it to some other top quarterback deals. According to Fitzgerald, you could make a strong case that Wilson’s contract is the best in the NFL for a player.
- Kam Chancellor, who didn’t report to camp today for the Seahawks, tweeted out a reference to a bible verse that includes the line, “the worker deserves his wages,” Condotta points out (via Twitter).
- Chancellor is one of two notable Seahawks defenders unhappy with his multiyear contract. The other is defensive end Michael Bennett, who thought until the last minute about holding out as well, tweets Condotta. Bennett is prepared to play this season and won’t let his contract situation become a distraction, but he wants to keep talking to the team about a new deal, per Condotta (Twitter link).