8 Teams That Could Sign Donte Whitner
Veteran safety Donte Whitner wasn’t happy with the timing of his release from the Browns earlier this year, and he had every right to be upset. After Rodney McLeod, George Iloka, Eric Weddle, Tashaun Gipson, and a cadre of other safeties had already scored large contracts on the open market, Whitner hit free agency about three weeks after many clubs had already spent their free agent money. As such, Whitner will likely have to settle for a one-year deal in the coming weeks.
But Whitner, who will turn 31 years old later this month, is still a talented player, having graded as the league’s No. 24 safety among 89 qualifiers in 2015, per Pro Football Focus. He’s also remarkably durable, as he’s missed only three games over the past six seasons. As such, PFR recently ranked Whitner as the No. 1 free agent available on the defensive side of the ball, ahead of other players such as Leon Hall, Greg Hardy, and Dwight Freeney.
Let’s take a look at some potential landing spots for Whitner as he looks to ink a contract before (or during) training camp…
Carolina Panthers — Former fourth-round pick Tre Boston spent the first two years of his career as a special teams stalwart, biding his time behind Roman Harper while waiting for a starting opportunity. That time has come, but will Ron Rivera and the rest of Carolina’s coaching staff feel comfortable relying on Boston, who has just six starts to his name and has only averaged about 28% playing time over the past two seasons? After rescinding Josh Norman‘s franchise tag, the Panthers will have enough questions at cornerback without having to worry about their safety group, too. Adding Whitner to play opposite Kurt Coleman could help alleviate any concerns the club might have.
Dallas Cowboys — The Cowboys defense has taken its share of hits this offseason, with Rolando McClain, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Randy Gregory all facing multi-game suspensions. Dallas’ secondary has remained untouched, but second-year safety Byron Jones is the only above-average option projected to start in the club’s defensive backfield. Strong safety Barry Church has never been special, and the Cowboys didn’t select a safety in the draft until the sixth round (Central Michigan’s Kavon Frazier). If Tony Romo can stay healthy during the upcoming season, Dallas should return to contention in the NFC East, and Whitner could be the final piece of the puzzle on defense.
Detroit Lions — Lions general manager Bob Quinn has been adamant that his club will field a wide-open competition at strong safety, but the latest reports indicate the former Saint Rafael Bush holds the upper hand over fellow free agent signee Tavon Wilson and fourth-round rookie Miles Killebrew. Bush, though, hasn’t been able to stay healthy during his five-year NFL career. The 29-year-old ended the 2014 season on injured reserve with a broken leg, and missed all but one game last year after tearing a pectoral muscle. Wilson, meanwhile, never started a single contest for the Patriots despite being a former second-round pick, and played just 83 defensive snaps in 2015. All in all, it’s an unproven and untrustworthy group, and Whitner could represent a more sure thing.
Houston Texans — The Texans boasted one of the NFL’s best defensive units in 2015, so they don’t need to add a free agent like Whitner. Houston already had a poor encounter with a veteran free agent safety last season, as Rahim Moore was benched in early November before being released just one season into a three-year deal. But that experience shouldn’t scare the Texans off, as Whitner could add a hard-hitting force to a safety crop that possesses quantity, but perhaps not quality. Andre Hal looks like the club’s starter at free safety, but strong safety could be a toss-up between Eddie Pleasant, Quintin Demps, Antonio Allen, and rookie Kris Dillon. Whitner, for all his faults, looks to be an improvement over any of those options.
Jacksonville Jaguars — The Jaguars are going all-in on the 2016 season, and they spent the majority of their offseason upgrading their defense. After handing big-money deals to defensive lineman Malik Jackson and safety Tashaun Gipson, general manager Dave Caldwell spent all but one of his draft picks on defenders, using his first two to pluck cornerback Jalen Ramsey and linebacker Myles Jack. But after allocating all that capital, strong safety is still a weak spot on the Jags’ roster, as former second-round pick Johnathan Cyprien graded out as a bottom-three safety last year, according to PFF. As such, Cyprien is reportedly in danger of losing his job to James Sample, but perhaps Jacksonville would prefer a more stable veteran. And not for nothing, Whitner has working experience with Gipson, as the pair spent the past two seasons together in Cleveland.
Kansas City Chiefs — Even after losing one safety to free agency (Tyvon Branch) and another to retirement (Husain Abdullah), the Chiefs are still pretty well-stocked at the position. All Pro Eric Berry, the club’s franchise tag designee, will hold down one spot, while Ron Parker will man the other. But with Parker taking on so many other roles in Kansas City’s defense, including nickel corner, Whitner could make for a strong depth addition. It wouldn’t be a perfect match, however, as Berry does his best work close to the line of scrimmage — the same area that Whitner regularly patrols. The Chiefs are going to mess with Berry’s role to accommodate someone like Whitner, so the latter might have to be open to a reserve role.
Los Angeles Rams — The Rams are perhaps the most obvious fit on this list, especially given that they’re the only club with which Whitner has had a known visit. Whitner met with Los Angeles in the beginning of April, and though reports have indicated that he remains “in play” for general manager Les Snead & Co., the Rams might be cooling in their pursuit of veteran safeties. LA’s search for secondary help — which, in addition to Whitner, has involved fellow free agent Dashon Goldson — could be limited by the team’s desire to see how its younger options, such as Maurice Alexander, Cody Davis, and Christian Bryant, play out before adding a more experienced player. The Rams’ only safety with more than five career starts under his belt is T.J. McDonald, who could possibly be facing a suspension after being arrested for DUI earlier this year.
San Diego Chargers — San Diego has already replaced franchise legend Eric Weddle, agreeing to a deal with former Colt Dwight Lowery over the offseason. But strong safety remains a weakness — in his first season as a full-time starter, Jahleel Addae was below-average, ranking as the No. 76 safety in the league, per PFF. The Chargers ranked 25th in defensive DVOA last season, and were even worse specifically against the run, where they placed 31st. Whitner would help in that regard, assisting the front seven in rush defense while Lowery covers the back end. San Diego did assign Addae the second-round restricted free agent tender, so the club clearly values him, but none of his $2.553MM salary is guaranteed, so if the Chargers wanted to go in another direction, they could easily get out of that contract.
Others — Given that former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is now with the Bears, I initially pegged Chicago as a good fit for Whitner, given that the pair enjoyed success together in the Bay Area from 2011-13. However, the Bears selected two safeties in this year’s draft, and as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune has written on multiple occasions, Chicago would like to see how those younger options play out, and is quite pleased with 2015 rookie Adrian Amos at strong safety.
The Ravens also struck me as a potential landing spot for Whitner, given that general manager Ozzie Newsome has a history of squeezing every last drop out of veteran free agents. But Baltimore already spent money on Eric Weddle this offseason, and even after offloading the troubled Will Hill, the club still boasts cornerback convert Lardarius Webb, former first-round pick Matt Elam, and Kendrick Lewis at safety, so it’s not exactly a position of need. Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com noted that the Ravens have long been fans of Whitner, but allowed that a signing was unlikely.
Finally, the Vikings are known to be looking for the perfect complement to Pro Bowler Harrison Smith, and even after inking Andrew Sendejo to a four-year deal and signing free agent Michael Griffin, the club still doesn’t sound confident with its options at strong safety. Whitner, then, would seem to be a potential fit, but as Ben Goessling of ESPN.com wrote last month, Minnesota is probably looking for a player who can handle pass coverage responsibilities given how often the team moves Smith around the formation. Whitner is not that guy, so perhaps the Vikes aren’t quite a perfect landing spot.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chargers Eyeing Separate Los Angeles Site
The California State Supreme Court’s decision last week to review a lower court’s ruling that stated merely a simple majority was necessary to approve a downtown San Diego stadium measure rather than the traditional two-thirds majority dealt a blow to the Chargers‘ aspirations in their city. Enough so that the franchise is once again considering Los Angeles, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report notes (video link).
With the team not expecting a two-thirds majority to approve public funds to be put toward a new Chargers downtown stadium, they are reconsidering the league’s Los Angeles offer. But they’re not immediately keen on sharing a stadium with the Rams in Inglewood. Rather, the Chargers are revisiting the City of Industry site — a 600-acre locale eventually discarded in favor of the Inglewood and Carson projects during the three-pronged Los Angeles pursuit — due to its Eastern Los Angeles County location (22 miles from downtown L.A.) being viewed within the organization as a better way to attract fans from Orange County and the Inland Empire region of L.A., Cole reports.
The Chargers do not believe their downtown San Diego stadium measure can pass at a 66.6% requirement and do not want to continue playing at the Mission Valley site that’s been their home since initially moving from Los Angeles in 1961. They reached a deal in principle to join the Rams in Inglewood but used that as leverage against San Diego earlier this year. Those prospects are fleeting right now, however, bringing the dormant Chargers-to-L.A. talk back to the forefront.
Chargers Not Believed To Be Las Vegas Option
- Loosely connected to Las Vegas in light of a California State Supreme Court decision last week weakening their downtown San Diego stadium measure’s chances of passing, the Chargers are not believed to be an option for Vegas at this time, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets. The Bolts’ choices look like a murky San Diego future or sharing a stadium with the Rams in Los Angeles if those talks fall through.
Raiders’ Vegas Interest Continues; Chargers An Option?
With potential Las Vegas relocation looming for the Raiders, owner Mark Davis has visited the city “a half-dozen times the last six or eight weeks,” Las Vegas Sands Corp. senior vice president Ron Reese said Thursday (per A.J. Perez of USA Today). Not surprisingly, then, Reese went on to classify the Raiders’ interest in Vegas as “serious.”
Reese’s boss, Sands CEO and chairman Sheldon Adelson, has proposed a $1.45 billion, 65,000-seat domed stadium that would require $750MM in taxpayer money.
On Adelson’s stadium plan, Reese stated, “It’s a major investment. The NFL has expressed a strong desire for a public-private partnership. Our organization is taking the lead, working with the Raiders to create public-private support for this.”
Unfortunately for Adelson and the Raiders, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval is among multiple politicians opposed to $750MM in taxpayer money going toward a stadium and would rather the number drop by at least $200MM, a source told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Sandoval has the authority to call a special session of the Nevada legislature, which could take place later this summer and determine the fate of the stadium, writes Florio.
It’s unclear if the Raiders would willingly head to Las Vegas with $550MM in public money funding a stadium instead of $750MM. If they’re not amenable to it, the Chargers – who aren’t making progress in their quest to land a new facility in San Diego – could become the answer for the city at $550MM, according to Florio, who expects either the Raiders or Bolts to ultimately end up in Vegas for less than $750MM. It’s possible, then, that Nevada could become a second viable non-San Diego option for the Chargers, who have until Jan. 15, 2017, to partner with the Rams in Los Angeles.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Chargers’ Stadium Effort
The California State Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Chargers’ chances of seeing a new stadium built in San Diego, and the team’s future is uncertain as a result.
California’s high court temporarily blocked a lower court ruling that would have made it much easier to pass the team-backed initiative that would raise hotel taxes to generate public funds toward a new stadium, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Instead of the measure needing a simple majority to pass in the November election, a two-thirds majority of voters will need to vote in favor of it.
Considering Acee estimates around 60% of voters are opposed to using public funds to build a new stadium, the measure receiving 66.6% of the vote now looks unrealistic. The Chargers figured this was coming, per Acee, but Wednesday night’s confirmation provides an air of finality to the lofty requirement.
This week’s ruling did not mean the two-thirds threshold will be locked in, with the court only agreeing to review the appellate court’s March ruling. A review does mean the appellate court’s earlier decision is no longer the law, however. Even if the simple majority ruling is overturned or upheld, it will further complicate matters by dragging on past the November elections, David Garrick of the Union-Tribune writes.
A decision either way will almost certainly will not happen until at least 2017. Voters will now vote on the measure in November without knowing what will be required for it to pass, further clouding the Chargers’ status.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tabs the 66.6% majority requirement as virtually impossible for the stadium measure to pass, so he lays out six options for the Bolts going forward. Moving to Los Angeles or playing out their lease at Qualcomm stadium loom as the top two choices, Florio writes. The Chargers’ lease at their current 49-year-old stadium runs through 2020, but repairs and upgrades are likely to be required to make this a tenable choice. After all, the stadium’s state served as a driving force behind the Bolts’ push for joining up with the Raiders on the teams’ Carson project.
The Chargers in January agreed in principle to join the Rams in Los Angeles and have until Jan. 15, 2017 to decide. Of course, Dean Spanos then declared the team would play in San Diego this season, and the team and the city began engaging in productive talks soon after.
The franchise remains conflicted about joining Stan Kroenke‘s Rams in Inglewood, with Florio pointing out efforts are ongoing to determine the dollars and cents of the Chargers being the second team in Los Angeles.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Stevie Johnson's Role In Chargers' Offense
- The Chargers are likely to run fewer three-receiver sets under offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt this year than they did last season when Frank Reich was at the helm, but they won’t phase veteran Stevie Johnson out of their attack, per Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. In his first year with the Bolts, Johnson battled injuries and posted respectable production in 10 games, racking up 45 catches on 65 targets for 497 yards and three touchdowns. As San Diego’s depth chart shows, the 30-year-old is behind Keenan Allen and offseason pickup Travis Benjamin in the club’s wideout pecking order. He’ll also have to compete with tight end Antonio Gates for targets.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/22/16
Today’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- Offensive tackle Dominick Jackson, whom the Lions waived Tuesday, cleared waivers and is now a free agent, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. The undrafted rookie from the University of Alabama signed with the Lions on June 1 after the Redskins jettisoned him May 16.
- The Chargers have signed rookie punter Drew Kaser and rookie guard Donavon Clark, per the team’s website.
Seven Rookies Remain Unsigned
Updated on June 25th, 2016 3:32pm CT
The overwhelming majority of the rookies in the 2016 draft class have officially signed. However, as we approach July, we still have a small group of stragglers. Seven rookies have yet to put pen to paper with their respective teams and that group includes three first-rounders: Joey Bosa (Chargers, No. 3), Darron Lee (Jets, No. 20) and Joshua Garnett (49ers, No. 28). 
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Bosa, of course, stands as the most high-profile player yet to sign his rookie pact and his negotiations are also the most public of the bunch. This week, agent Todd France and team president of football operations John Spanos both discussed the negotiations in radio interviews and it appears that the two sides aren’t even in agreement as to what the disagreement is all about. Spanos says the two sides are hung up on the idea of offset language. France, meanwhile, says there are other reasons behind the protracted talks, including cash flow.
The latest Collective Bargaining Agreement has made rookie contracts much simpler than they used to be. Every rookie from No. 1 through (roughly) No. 256 receives a four-year deal with varying salary amounts based on where they are selected. However, offset language is among the key clauses which may be discussed. If a player with offset language in his contract his released midway through the deal, the original team is only on the hook for the difference in salary between the two contracts. Without offset language, the player can effectively double dip and collect two paychecks. Naturally, there are many player agents who are disinclined to forfeit that potential earning power.
Of the seven players without signed deals, four of those players are third-round picks. That’s because contracts in the third round are, for some reason, far less regulated than the rest of the draft. While third round picks have slotted signing bonuses like everyone else, the base salaries can be brokered and that’s probably at least part of the holdup for these four rookies. However, one pattern to note is that first-rounders Bosa, Lee, Fuller, and Garnett are all represented by powerhouse agency CAA.
Here is the complete list of 2016 rookies who have yet to complete their contracts with signatures and initials:
Cleveland Browns
- 3-65: Carl Nassib, DE (Penn State)
Dallas Cowboys
- 3-67: Maliek Collins, DT (Nebraska)
New York Jets
- 1-20: Darron Lee, LB (Ohio State)
San Diego Chargers
San Francisco 49ers
- 1-28: Joshua Garnett, G (Stanford)
Tennessee Titans
- 3-64: Kevin Byard, DB (Middle Tennessee State)
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Joel Corry On Joey Bosa
- Chargers first-round defensive end Joey Bosa has a better chance at improving the payout of his ~$17MM signing bonus than getting guarantees without offsets, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) opines. Bosa, the third overall selection, is one of the last few first-rounders in this year’s class who hasn’t signed yet; however, Chargers president of football operations John Spanos doesn’t seem concerned.
Latest On Chargers, Joey Bosa
It’s late June and the Chargers have yet to sign Joey Bosa, the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft. The two sides were said to be haggling over offset language, though agent Todd France tells Alex Marvez of Sirius XM that the negotiations are more complicated than that. 
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“You are a little more boxed in from the pure dollar standpoint, total dollars, but there are a lot of moving parts,” he said (transcript via NFL.com). “Language-wise, there’s different things you can look at. And, then, obviously, how you structure it, especially in those top 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 picks in the first round, whether those bonuses in the second and third, fourth year — those training-camp roster bonuses — do you not want those? What’s the cash flow? What’s the deferral? Those types of things.”
Meanwhile, Chargers’ president of football operations John Spanos claims that offset language is the main hangup in getting a deal formally signed.
“I would say that there are a lot of things in our business that come with the territory and negotiating contracts are one of them. That’s part of the business,” he told 1090 in San Diego. “Was it disappointing to have 89 players instead of 90 in for camp? Sure. But these things tend to work themselves out and the good thing was, when Joey Bosa was here he looks great.”
With no offset language, the Chargers would pay Bosa the balance of his four-year guaranteed contract even if they release him midway through the deal. Then, theoretically, Bosa could collect two salaries upon signing elsewhere. With offset language in place, the Chargers would be off the hook for Bosa’s salary with his new team, paying him only the difference. The Bolts see offset language as the biggest barrier to a deal, but Bosa’s agent apparently has other qualms outside of that.
Before acquiring the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, the Eagles reached out to Carson Wentz‘s camp to confirm that he would agree to offsets. However, the Rams do not believe in offset language and, subsequently, they did not include offsets in their deal with No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff. I would imagine that the precedent set by the Rams in this year’s draft has been brought up quite a bit from Bosa’s side of the table.
Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.