Trevor Siemian

Extra Points: Saints, Pats, Cards, Broncos

April 10th, 2017 at 9:49pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There’s a slightly better chance cornerback Malcolm Butler will be a member of the Saints than the Patriots in 2017, says Albert Breer of The MMQB (video link). If New England does trade Butler, it could happen during the week leading up to the draft, notes Breer. Butler, a restricted free agent, is facing an April 21 deadline to sign an offer sheet with someone. Once that passes, he won’t be allowed to negotiate a contract with anyone other than the Patriots. While the Saints have discussed a contract with Butler, they aren’t going to tender him an offer sheet because they’d risk losing the 11th pick in the draft. But the Saints also own the 32nd choice, which they acquired from the Pats in the Brandin Cooks trade, and could send that back to them in a Butler deal.

More from New England and a couple other NFL destinations:

With Butler potentially on the way out, the Patriots hosted Florida corner Teez Tabor on Monday, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Tabor is among the draft’s 50 best prospects in the estimation of NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, though both an underwhelming 40-yard dash and subpar interviews at the combine could cause him to slide.
Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer visited the Cardinals on Monday, according to Rapoport (via Twitter). Kizer may be a possibility at No. 13 overall for Arizona, which needs to find an heir apparent to the 37-year-old Carson Palmer.
Trevor Siemian will reportedly enter the Broncos’ forthcoming quarterback competition with an edge over Paxton Lynch, but head coach Vance Joseph insists he’ll give each a “50-50” shot. “It’s going to go down to the wire, I hope,” he added (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News).
Monday roundup: Marshawn Lynch is interested in joining New England; LSU running back Leonard Fournette might go higher in the draft than expected; and Buffalo and Philadelphia added veteran signal-callers.

AFC Notes: Broncos, Lynch, Bills, Blount

April 8th, 2017 at 3:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tony Romo now being out of the picture for the Broncos turns them back to their incumbents, whom the franchise has praised this offseason. Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch now will have a full-fledged competition for Denver’s starting job, and despite the first-round investment the Broncos made in Lynch, he may have an uphill battle edge going into the team’s offseason workouts. Siemian indeed has the upper hand going into the Broncos’ first Vance Joseph-led program, James Palmer of NFL.com notes.

Joseph himself told Palmer that “players want to play for” Siemian and “they want to win for him.” The Broncos’ staff believes Siemian “played at a higher level than many assume” last season, per Palmer. Conversely, Joseph identified leadership and grasp of Denver’s offense as areas Lynch needs to improve upon.

Mike McCoy did well to tailor previous Broncos offenses to the strengths of Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow before incorporating much of Peyton Manning‘s Colts concepts into the 2012 Broncos’ playbook. Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com writes that observing whether or not McCoy can tailor an offense to Lynch’s strengths will be worth monitoring this offseason. Earlier this year, Lynch looked like the player the team wanted to win the job. Lynch being a first-round pick might mean that’s still the case, but Siemian looks to have a big backer in Joseph just as he did in Gary Kubiak.

Here’s the latest from the West divisions.

Under the terms of the Seahawks extension Marshawn Lynch signed in 2015, he’s set to make around $9MM this year. While the Raiders refused to outbid the Vikings for Latavius Murray on an offer far less than that, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that the Bay Area native would mean more to this Raiders team than just as a running back. Although only one back (Le’Veon Bell) is set to take up more than $7MM of his team’s cap this year, Florio points out that Lynch could do well for a wounded Raiders Oakland-area fanbase that just saw the franchise agree to move (again) only to say it’s going to play the next two years in Oakland. Lynch’s productivity history, the Raiders’ lack of a proven every-down back on their roster and the ball-carrier’s Bay Area popularity give Lynch leverage in Florio’s mind. Of course, this running back draft class is believed to be quite deep, which could negate some of Lynch’s leverage.
Lynch would be a good fit behind the Raiders’ power-based run game, Bucky Brooks of NFL.com observes. He’d allow the aforementioned complementary backs — Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington — to serve in similar roles that they did last year, with Brooks noting Lynch’s presence would help stop defenses from shifting too much attention to Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree.
The Patriots have an offer out to LeGarrette Blount, but Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes the bulldozing running back is probably looking for the team to increase the guaranteed money in said offer. While Blount has continued to circle back to the Patriots in recent years, Reiss believes this is a take-it-or-leave-it proposal due to the deep running back class.
The Bills are going to feature an easier-to-comprehend defense under Sean McDermott, according to Breer. “You can see the schemes are simple, and intended to help the players play fast,” a Bills veteran informed the reporter. Rex Ryan‘s defenses were not known for their simplicity. Buffalo ranked 19th in total defense in each of the past two years.

Elway: Broncos Content With Siemian, Lynch

March 27th, 2017 at 4:40pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Cowboys backup quarterback Tony Romo reportedly wants Denver to be his second NFL stop, but if we’re to believe Broncos general manager John Elway, the feeling isn’t mutual. Elway once again gave votes of confidence to the Broncos’ top two signal-callers, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, on Monday, and indicated that the pair will engage in “a great competition” to decide the team’s starter for 2017 (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post).

“Like we’ve said, we really feel good about the two young ones we have,” Elway said of the 25-year-old Siemian and Lynch, 23. “Trevor did a good job for us last year and Paxton was young. The plan is to stay the course there and see what’s available in the draft.”

Considering Lynch was a first-round pick a year ago, it seems doubtful the Broncos will use another valuable selection on a passer this year. Although Lynch didn’t play much in his rookie season, when he appeared in three games and made two starts in place of an injured Siemian, the Broncos would reportedly prefer for him to win the job next season. That makes sense, as the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Siemian doesn’t match up with the 6-7, 244-pound Lynch in terms of size, arm strength or draft pedigree. To Siemian’s credit, though, the 2015 seventh-round pick was was reasonably effective in his first pro action last season, especially relative to his $615K salary. All told, Siemian completed 59.5 percent of throws, averaged 7 yards per attempt and tossed 18 touchdowns against 10 interceptions in 14 starts, eight of which resulted in wins for a 9-7 team that disappointingly missed the playoffs a year after winning the Super Bowl.

While Romo is obviously a far more proven option than either of the Broncos’ QBs and could theoretically help the club return to championship contention, he comes with myriad questions. Romo will be 37 in April, has barely played over the past two seasons because of injuries, and, if the Cowboys go the expected route and release him, would certainly warrant a higher salary as a free agent than those of Siemian and Lynch. Still, it’s not a lock those factors will combine to prevent the Broncos from at least kicking the tires on Romo if he reaches the market. As Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes (on Twitter), Elway’s not allowed to publicly discuss Romo because he’s still under contract another team. Thus, the Romo-to-Denver speculation probably won’t completely go away until his 2017 destination is actually known.

AFC East Rumors: Cutler, Hightower, Bills

March 11th, 2017 at 9:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The team most linked to Jay Cutler now that he’s a first-time free agent, the Jets may be split on acquiring the former Broncos and Bears quarterback. Gang Green is intrigued by the 12th-year passer, and the feeling is believed to be mutual. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News notes a faction of the Jets wants the 33-year-old Cutler on the roster, linking former Broncos and Bears assistant Jeremy Bates — the Jets’ new quarterbacks coach — to being in the pro-Cutler camp. The Jets, though, aren’t presently inclined to spend much on Cutler, with Mehta noting if he were available for “a few million” the Jets’ brass would probably sign him. Cutler played three seasons of the seven-year, $126MM Bears deal he signed in 2014.

Here’s more from the Jets and some of their division rivals.

One team involved in talks with UFA linebacker Dont’a Hightower is convinced he will sign to stay with the Patriots, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets. Breer doesn’t specify the team here, but the Patriots have been connected to the sixth-year ‘backer throughout free agency despite not placing the franchise tag on him. New England has been the only known team to be pursuing Hightower. While there are surely others in the hunt for a top-level free agent, none have been revealed yet.
Lorenzo Alexander expects the two-year, $9MM contract he signed with the Bills to be his last. “I see myself walking off into the sunset and transitioning into life after football after I’m done,” the soon-to-be 34-year-old pass-rusher said, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. The Bills re-signed the 2016 wonder despite being set to shift to a 4-3 defense. Prior to last season, Alexander (12.5 sacks in ’16) had nine career sacks in nine seasons.
The Jets would be interested in acquiring Trevor Siemian from the Broncos in the event they sign or trade for Tony Romo, Mehta reports. Unloading a late-round pick for Siemian would be something the Jets would consider. Cutler might be the Jets’ backup plan behind Siemian, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reported earlier this week. But there are a lot of moving parts to this string of deals, one that became murkier when the Texans cleared eight figures in cap space via their unorthodox Brock Osweiler trade. That opens the door for Houston to pursue Romo, and it’s unlikely the team will look to move Tom Savage in that event. The Broncos, though, would have less use for Siemian if they land Romo since Paxton Lynch is still tentatively viewed as their quarterback of the future. Siemian has two years remaining on his rookie contract.
In addition to keeping Alexander, the Bills re-upped right tackle Jordan Mills on Saturday.

Cowboys Expect To Trade Tony Romo To Broncos Or Texans

March 9th, 2017 at 1:31pm CST by Zachary Links

1:31pm: The Broncos are not currently shopping Siemian, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets.

1:27pm: Some “backpedal talk” has emerged regarding a Siemian-to-New York trade, Mortensen tweets. But he adds that Romo remains a trade candidate a day after being expected to be released.

1:07pm: The Cowboys now expect to trade Tony Romo to the Broncos or Texans, sources tell Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Meanwhile, the Broncos are talking with the Jets about trading Trevor Siemian to New York.

A Broncos trade for Romo would be surprising, a source tells Denver7’s Troy Renck (Twitter link). The Broncos have long been connected to Romo but never via trade until today. For more than a month, reports out of Denver have pegged the Broncos as being willing to look at Romo as a UFA.

Wednesday, there was word that the Cowboys would be releasing Romo, allowing him to explore free agency. It turns out that the Broncos and Texans are now willing to acquire him via trade. If a deal goes down, it stands to reason that Romo could agree to restructure his deal in order to make things work for the acquiring club.

Romo, 37 in April, has not been healthy for two full seasons. However, he does have four Pro Bowl selections on his resume. In his last healthy season (2014), Romo completed a league-high 69.9% of his passes with 3,705 yards through the air and 34 touchdowns against just nine interceptions.

The Broncos have been telling everyone that they are willing to go into 2017 with Siemian and Paxton Lynch as their quarterbacks. However, the Romo talk has been strong for weeks now and it sounds like they are looking to bring another star QB to Denver. The Broncos brought in Peyton Manning at a time when the world was writing him off and they might be able to find the same success here with Romo. If they do acquire him, it will be interesting to see whether Romo will be put into an open competition with Lynch or given the starting job from the get-go.

Houston has not been as bullish on a Romo acquisition as Denver has been reported to be. Although neither side has exactly been aggressive, word out of Houston was the team was not going to pursue Romo. The two-time reigning AFC South champions, though, did not get close to what they hoped from Brock Osweiler this season. The Texans’ four-year $72MM contract — one that cannot be realistically removed from the payroll until 2018 — now looks like an albatross after the 6-foot-7 passer could not complete his first Houston season without being benched. He returned to the lineup once Tom Savage sustained a concussion and won a playoff game, but Osweiler did not provide many signs he is the future in Houston.

The Cowboys would take a ~$19MM cap hit this year if they were to trade Romo rather than release him. They could not spread it over two years as they could by designating him a post June 1 cut.

The Jets would like to deal for Siemian but they will look hard at Jay Cutler if they cannot pull off a trade with Denver, Mortensen tweets. Right now, Siemian is Plan A, Cutler is Plan B, and it’s not clear what their Plan C might be if both fall through. The Jets, with limited cap space and little chance of contending in 2017, have very few options to address their vacancy under center.

A seventh-round pick out of Northwestern, Siemian has two years and just $1.3MM left on his rookie contract. He completed 59 percent of his passes and led the Broncos to an 8-6 record. But two injuries sidelined him, providing possible durability queries going forward.

Photo via PFR on Instagram.

AFC Rumors: Stills, Siemian, Revis, Texans

March 8th, 2017 at 10:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Kenny Stills may have had another contract proposal from at least one other club before re-signing with the Dolphins, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Bears and Eagles were the two known teams with interest in Stills, but it’s entirely possible other clubs also pursued him. Ultimately, Stills re-upped with Miami at a cost of $32MM over four years.

Here’s more from the AFC:

If the Broncos end up signing the recently-released Tony Romo, they could end up discussing a Trevor Siemian trade with the Jets, opines Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). To be clear, this is only speculation on the part of Pelissero, but it’s an interesting thought experiment to imagine potential destinations for Siemian if Romo lands in Denver. Siemian isn’t the only semi-starting quarterback that could be affected by a Romo pursuit: if the Texans ink Romo, some executives think Houston will trade Tom Savage to the 49ers.
Former Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis showed evident signs of decline last season, and a developing legal issue led to the Jets ultimately cutting the veteran. One general manager recently told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News he wouldn’t pursue the veteran cornerback even if he was willing to play “for free.” Another executive told Mehta that “you respect the body of work throughout his career, but all good things come to an end.”
The Texans re-signed kicker Nick Novak last night, and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) has the details on the new pact. Novak’s one-year deal is worth $1.15MM and includes a $250K signing bonus.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC Rumors: Dolphins, Alonso, Broncos

March 1st, 2017 at 1:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Kiko Alonso doesn’t want to move from the middle linebacker spot in 2017, a source tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Dolphins might want to move him to outside linebacker, but that might not be an option if he is unwilling to adjust. As Salguero notes, the Dolphins should probably figure all of this out in the next week with free agency on the horizon. There’s also this – in the past, Alonso has indicated a willingness to move, if it would help the team. So, even if the linebacker’s preference is to remain in the middle, he might be willing to be a good soldier and shift positions.

Here’s more from the AFC:

There has been lots of talk about the Broncos acquiring a veteran quarterback, but head coach Vance Joseph indicated that he’s happy with current options Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian. “We’ve got two young guys that combined to win nine games last year as starters — probably should have won two more games,” he said (via NFL.com). “We’re fine there with those two kids.”
Jaguars coach Doug Marrone admits leaving the Bills head coaching job was a “mistake” he has learned from, as Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets. He added that he has spoken about it with Bills owner Terry Pegula. Marrone opted out of his Bills deal before the 2015 season, but a unique clause in his contract allowed him to still collect on his full $4MM salary.
On Wednesday, the Steelers re-signed James Harrison to a two-year deal. The new pact will take him through his age-40 season.

Latest On Broncos’ Tony Romo Interest

February 26th, 2017 at 2:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

If the Cowboys release Tony Romo — as the veteran quarterback himself expects the club to do — the Broncos will internally debate the idea of pursuing 36-year-old signal-caller, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS. If Romo’s price tag reaches the $13MM range, however, Denver is expected to bow out, per Klis.

The Broncos have long been believed to be Romo’s ideal landing spot, while Denver was reportedly only interested in Romo as a free agent signing, given that the club isn’t willing to sacrifice draft pick capital or assume Romo’s contract. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said last night his team hasn’t made any decision on the Romo front, tweets Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News, but a release seems likely, if only for financial reasons.

Romo has three years left remaining on his current deal, and an acquiring club would take on base salaries of $14MM, $19.5MM, and $20.5MM over the next three respective campaigns. A trade, though, would leave the Cowboys will nearly $20MM in dead money, the effect of multiple restructures that pushed prorated bonus money into the future. As such, a post-June 1 designated release of Romo makes more sense, as such a move would saddle Dallas with only $10.7MM in dead money.

Signing Romo would indicate a Broncos uneasiness with 2016 first-round quarterback Paxton Lynch, writes Klis, noting that Romo wouldn’t join Denver without an assurance of a starting job. Trevor Siemian, the Broncos’ primary starter last season, would also see his status become murky if Romo is signed. The 25-year-old is coming off shoulder surgery, but should be ready to go by OTAs, reports Troy Renck of Denver7.

The Broncos will likely have competition for Romo once he reaches the open market, as the Texans, Chiefs, Bills, and Redskins have all been linked to the 13-year pro.

Extra Points: Broncos, Jags, 49ers, Falcons

February 8th, 2017 at 9:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Broncos have been connected to quarterback Tony Romo, whom they could pursue in free agency if the Cowboys cut him, but head coach Vance Joseph insisted Tuesday that Denver’s 2017 starter is already on its roster. On whether he’s committed to Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, Joseph said (via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com): “Absolutely, I am. They’re both smart guys. Obviously different skill sets, but I’m committed to both of those kids. They’re good football players and we’ve got to build around those guys.” Joseph’s offensive coordinator, Mike McCoy, echoed his boss, saying he’s “happy with the guys we have.”

After the Broncos hired Joseph and McCoy last month, Mike Klis of 9News reported that the club would rather start Lynch than Siemian next season. As a first-round rookie last year, Lynch sat behind Siemian – who fared OK in his first season as a No. 1 – but did see action in three games and pick up two starts.

Broncos Notes: Kubiak, Okung, Quarterbacks

December 31st, 2016 at 8:53am CST by Ben Levine

The Broncos could look a bit different in 2017, and those changes could start with the coaching staff. Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post writes that both head coach Gary Kubiak and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will have to decide whether they want to return to Denver for next season.

Kubiak’s health could play a significant role in any decision. The head coach was hospitalized earlier this season with a “complex migrane,” and he previously collapsed during a 2013 contest with the Texans. Naturally, the 55-year-old claims that he isn’t focused on the future.

“I love this league. I love the Broncos. I love this work. I’m all in on the Raiders right now,” Kubiak said. “There will be time for reflection and all of that stuff next week.”

Meanwhile, Phillips’ two-year contract is set to expire following this season. The 69-year-old has been responsible for Denver’s stifling defense, but the coach could decide to hang it up after having coached 39 years in the NFL.

“We think the world of Wade,” Kubiak said. “Everybody knows the job that Wade has done. (Contracts) are things that will be addressed after we get through this week. But Wade’s a tremendous person and a tremendous football coach.”

Let’s take a look at some other notes out of the Mile High City…

The Broncos offensive line has struggled this season, and Wolfe writes that the organization will have to choose whether they want to “cut the cord” on Russell Okung and/or Donald Stephenson. The team has until the first day of the league year (March 9th) to pick up a $1MM option on Okung’s contract – which would then trigger a unique four-year, $48MM extension ($19.5MM guaranteed). “It’s not on me. We’ll get to that hurdle when we get there,” said Okung. “For now, we still have to play Oakland.”
Meanwhile, the Broncos could save about $3MM in cap space if they release Stephenson. The veteran has struggled in 2016, making only 12 starts. As Wolfe writes, the lineman has been responsible for three sacks and 11 penalties. “I work my butt off,” said Stephenson. “The problems definitely aren’t from not trying. I’m giving it all I got. There’s some things I’ve got to get better at.”
Besides fixing the offensive line, NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling believes the Broncos should prioritize fixing their run defense and solidifying the quarterback position. The organization could choose between Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch as their future signal-caller, or Wesseling suggests the team could make a move for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

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