NFC Links: Suh, Seahawks, Giants, Packers
Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who identifies as an introvert, spoke with the Oregonian’s John Canzano for a piece about the All-Pro’s image “reconstruction.” Suh has taken criticism for spending his offseason in Portland instead of Detroit, but explained his reasoning: “I’m there when everyone reports. I like being in my own niche and by myself. I have my trainers here. I get 1-on-1 attention. I have every ounce of this campus to myself. My coaches have been here. I’ve probably talked with our head coach more than just about any player on the team. People here don’t care about celebrity. I can walk around and do whatever I want. I’m a normal Portland person.”
Here’s some additional NFC links:
- Several Seahawks veterans, prominent ones, could be entering their final season with the team because of impending salary-cap implications, particularly with Russell Wilson‘s inevitable contract extension soon to hit the books, writes ESPN’s Terry Blount.
- The NFC East position groups are being broken down by Jordan Raanan and Eliot Shorr-Parks on NJ.com. Their latest post examines the division’s tight ends. They agree the Giants have the worst tight end group in the division, and Shorr-Parks goes so far as to say, “They may just have the worst tight ends in the entire NFL, let alone the NFC East.”
- ESPN’s Rob Demovsky discussed the Packers’ secondary depth, including seemingly forgotten man Davon House, who has had an impressive offseason.
- Meanwhile, the Packers’ NFC North rival Bears are still trying to sort out their safety position. “Every spot on the safety depth chart registers as a battle to watch because right now every position — including the starting jobs — is up for grabs,” says ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
- There’s room on the 49ers roster for 2014 fourth-rounder Bruce Ellington and 2013 fourth-rounder Quinton Patton, says ESPN’s Bill Williamson.
- Falcons reserve receiver/core special teamer Drew Davis will be sidelined for six weeks after foot surgery, reports Orlando Ledbetter in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Davis was placed on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he would miss about three weeks of training camp.
Poll: Andrew Luck Vs. Russell Wilson
Earlier today, we learned that buzz around the NFL suggests that Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson will be in line for annual salaries of $24-25MM when they’re eligible to extend their rookie contracts. Whether either player will ink an extension as soon as they’re eligible is debatable. Considering teams now hold fifth-year options on first-round picks, the Colts will have a little leverage if they want to wait on Luck. In any case, for now we’re not considering the timeline for the quarterbacks’ new deals — we’re examining which one deserves to be paid more.
As I noted in that previous post when comparing Luck and Wilson, not only does the Seattle signal-caller have more postseason success, but he has also posted better regular-season numbers in many key categories. In their two years in the NFL, Wilson has completed a higher percentage of passes (63.6% to 57.0%), tossed more TDs (52 to 46), and thrown fewer interceptions (19 to 27) than Luck. The Seahawks star also has a higher career passer rating (100.6 to 81.5), more yards per attempts (8.1 to 6.8), and more rushing yards (1,028 to 632).
Those statistics, combined with Wilson’s Super Bowl win, would suggest that he has significantly more value than Luck, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Wilson has been aided by a Seahawks defense that not only played a huge part in the team’s Super Bowl run but also consistently puts the team’s offense in good scoring position. Additionally, Seattle’s offense often takes a run-first approach led by Marshawn Lynch, allowing Wilson to pick and choose his spots more carefully, whereas a subpar running game has forced the Colts to lean more heavily on Luck to accumulate first downs and points over the last two years.
A former first overall pick, Luck is also a year younger than Wilson, and when the two players sign their next contracts, they won’t just be paid for what they’ve already accomplished — their teams will be paying for the continued development and growth they expect in the coming years. And if you asked people around football which quarterback will be the league’s best five years from now, I imagine you’d hear Luck’s name mentioned often.
What do you think? Which franchise quarterback do you think deserves to be paid more on his next contract?
Luck, Wilson On Track For $24MM+ Per Year?
While Colin Kaepernick‘s new contract has the potential to be massive, its average of $21MM per year didn’t set a new standard. The high water mark for quarterbacks’ annual salaries still belongs to Aaron Rodgers and his $22MM per year figure. Nonetheless, it may just be a matter of time before a new wave of young signal-callers tops that amount. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), word around the NFL suggests that when Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson sign extensions, their new deals will come in at around $24-25MM per year.
As Joe Flacco‘s long-term contract with the Ravens exhibited, Super Bowl victories typically give a notable bump to a quarterback’s value, so it’s no surprise that Wilson, coming off a championship, would be eyeing such a mega-deal. However, his regular-season numbers also stack up quite well against Luck’s — the Indianapolis QB has piled up more yardage, but in their two years in the league, Wilson has completed a higher percentage of passes (63.6% to 57.0%), tossed more TDs (52 to 46), and thrown fewer interceptions (19 to 27) than Luck.
That isn’t to say that Luck won’t also be deserving of a $24MM+ annual salary, particularly with the salary cap on the rise. The former first overall pick showed plenty of improvement in 2013 even after one of his top weapons (Reggie Wayne) went down with a season-ending injury, and more is expected of him on offense than of Wilson, who plays in a more run-heavy system in Seattle. Further growth is expected for Luck in 2014, and the Colts will do everything they can to lock up their franchise quarterback. Still, barring a drastic turn this season, Wilson may actually have a stronger case to become the highest-paid QB in football.
Cam Newton, Nick Foles, and Robert Griffin III are among the other talented young quarterbacks who also figure to engage their respective teams in talks on long-term extensions sometime within the next year or so.
Seahawks Notes: Tate, Bennett, Salary Cap
As the Seahawks said goodbye to receiver Sidney Rice and defensive lineman Red Bryant, they said hello to approximately $12.8MM in savings, freeing the defending Super Bowl champions to be active participants in upcoming free agency.
Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reached out to cap expert Jason Fitzgerald of OvertheCap.com, and Fitzgerald offered a plethora of knowledge, shining light on the possible plans of GM John Schneider in the coming months.
- According to Fitzgerald, the team will have about $17.8MM in cap room. He predicts a safe spending level between $10-10.5MM after setting aside $1.5MM for rookie draft picks and a minimum $6MM cushion.
- Fitzgerald views tight end Zach Miller and defensive end Chris Clemons as “too expensive” on their current deals, set to earn $7.5MM and $6MM in 2014, respectively.
- With a cap number hovering around $76MM in 2015, Fitzgerald does not envision Seattle having any problems taking care of quarterback Russell Wilson, left tackle Russell Okung, cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas going forward. With the exception of Okung, who has two years left on his current deal, each player is eligible for free agency next offseason.
- Free agent Golden Tate should not be that expensive to re-sign, says Fitzgerald, likening him to Eagles receiver Riley Cooper, who just received a five-year, $25MM contract with $10MM guaranteed.
- Defensive lineman Michael Bennett, however, “is a trickier one” because he excelled at a premium position last season in a contract year. Fitzgerald doesn’t know if the Seahawks can retain Bennett’s services if the former Texas A&M Aggie goes for a $9-10MM/year contract.
NFC West Rumors: Wilson, Fitzgerald, Seahawks
Expecting to see Russell Wilson go from the pages of Pro Football Rumors to MLBTradeRumors? Unfortunately, despite some speculation to the contrary, the Seahawks star quarterback won’t be heading to spring training with the Texas Rangers, his agent tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The Rangers acquired Wilson’s rights in December’s Rule 5 draft from the Rockies, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll explore being a two-sport athlete anytime soon. More out of the NFC West..
- The Seahawks will have to create space to sign Golden Tate and Michael Bennett and extend Richard Sherman and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (via Twitter) surmises that they’ll likely cut Sidney Rice and ask Zach Miller to take a pay cut.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com weighs in with his reaction to Larry Fitzgerald‘s contract restructuring. The Cardinals wide receiver agreed to convert $11.75MM of his $12.75MM deal into a bonus to help the Cards save about $9.4MM against the cap.
- The restructuring of Fitzgerald’s deal should all but end the trade speculation around him, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. The Patriots and Cardinals have never entertained serious trade discussions for Fitzgerald but the speculation/wishful thinking has been there for some time.