Minor Moves: Tuesday
Today’s minor moves..
- The Raiders have agreed to terms with third-round pick Clive Walford, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The University of Miami tight end has received praise for his soft hands and run-blocking ability.
- The Browns signed third round running back Duke Johnson, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter). Johnson is expected to become the team’s new kick returner, though Justin Gilbert will likely be given a chance to do so as well.
- The Chiefs announced (on Twitter) that they have waived tackle Kelvin Palmer and wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers.
- The Chiefs have claimed guard Marcus Reed off waivers from the Packers, according to the NFL transactions report, as Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets.
- The Chargers waived Ricky Tjong-a-Toe, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (on Twitter). The defensive end tore his ACL last year.
Eric Weddle Addresses Contract Situation
Eric Weddle has never been one to beat around the bush. Now at odds with the Chargers over his contract situation, he’s staying true to form. The safety read a prepared statement to Bolts beat writers and then conducted a 15 minute Q&A, as Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego writes.
“Contrary to what has recently been said by upper management, there has never been any financial numbers discussed and the Chargers have never put an offer on the table for us to consider,” Weddle said as part of the statement. “It is obvious to me I am not part of this organization’s long-term plans. The NFL is a business, and I can accept that. I just wish the organization had been upfront with me from day one.”
The veteran went on to reiterate the position of agent David Canter, explaining that he is prepared play his final season in San Diego. If there is no agreement on a multi-year extension before training camp, Weddle says that his agent will not “speak to the Chargers again.”
Weddle, who skipped all of the Chargers voluntary workouts, is scheduled to make $7.5MM in base salary in the final year of a five-year, $40MM deal, making him the fourth-highest paid safety in terms of total compensation in 2015. In late April, GM Tom Telesco indicated that, while he was focused on the draft at that point, he eventually wanted to discuss Weddle’s contract. Ultimately, that didn’t wind up happening.
Weddle has been the Chargers’ starting safety since 2008 and he has not missed a regular season start since the 2009 season. In 2014, Weddle racked up 114 total tackles to go along with eight pass deflections and an interception. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated the three-time Pro Bowler as the best overall safety in the NFL last season with a +18.9 overall grade.
Minor Moves: Monday
Today’s minor moves..
- The Chiefs signed offensive lineman Tavon Rooks, agent Richard Kopelman tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- The 49ers signed center/guard Ben Gottschalk to a two-year deal while signing kicker Corey Acosta and wide receiver Mario Hull to three year deals, Wilson tweets. To help make room, Darius Davis has been waived (link).
- The Chargers have signed undrafted rookie offensive tackle Forrestal Hickman, according to a league source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Hickman, who stands at 6’8″ and 315 pounds, tried out for the Chargers during their rookie minicamp. The Missouri Science and Tech product was an all-conference selection last season.
- The 49ers released tackle/guard Chris Martin, according to agent Brett Tessler (on Twitter). Martin finished last season on San Francisco’s practice squad, but the agent says that the team simply had too many similar guys already on the roster.
- The Jets announced that they have waived/injured tight end Zach Sudfeld, who suffered a torn ACL, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. In his stead, the Jets have inked tight end Steve Maneri.
- The Seahawks waived/injured defensive end Ryan Robinson, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (on Twitter). Condotta assumes that the Seahawks are hoping that he’ll pass through waivers, allowing them to stash him on IR.
- The Packers have waived rookie guard Marcus Reed, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Reed was signed as a UDFA last month. Green Bay currently has 89 players on the roster.
- The Seahawks signed wide receiver Kasen Williams, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
Eric Weddle To Attend Chargers’ Minicamp
After sitting out the team’s OTAs in search of a new contract, veteran safety Eric Weddle will report to the Chargers’ mandatory minicamp this week, reports Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). Agent David Canter (Twitter link) confirms that his client will be in attendance and will participate in all activities.
Weddle, 30, is scheduled to make $7.5MM in base salary in the final year of a five-year, $40MM deal, making him the fourth-highest paid safety in terms of total compensation in 2015. In late April, GM Tom Telesco indicated that, while he was focused on the draft at that point, he eventually wanted to discuss Weddle’s contract, so it came as a bit of a surprise two weeks ago when a report indicated the Chargers were shutting down talks until after the season.
At the time, Canter called the team’s stance “disappointing,” strongly suggesting that Weddle would opt to hit free agency in 2016 rather than attempting to work something out with San Diego after the season. Still, the Pro Bowler’s agent also indicated that his client would go all-out for the Chargers this season, so it makes sense that Weddle would show up this week.
If Weddle had opted to skip this week’s minicamp, he would’ve been subject to fines for the first time this offseason — OTAs were voluntary, so the veteran’s pay wasn’t docked for missing those. As Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets, Weddle also intends to report to training camp and will be good to go for the season, which may very well be his last with the Chargers.
Chargers GM On Weddle, Rivers, Liuget
Chargers general manager Tom Telesco is a busy man. Having just completed an extension for defensive lineman Corey Liuget, Telesco will now shift his focus to two other key members of the team: safety Eric Weddle and quarterback Philip Rivers.
Weddle skipped the team’s voluntary workouts, and he’s also spoken out against the organization’s handling of negotiations. The 30-year-old is entering the final year of his five-year, $40MM contract. Meanwhile, Rivers is set to be a free agent following the 2015 season, and he’ll be paid $15.75MM in the final year of his contract. The 33-year-old was mentioned in trade rumors throughout the offseason.
Telesco talked with Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith of The Mighty 1090 AM radio late last week, and ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams transcribed the conversation. We previously passed along some of Telesco’s quotes regarding Weddle, but we’ve compiled some of the other intriguing soundbites below…
On the ongoing negotiations with Weddle, and whether the safety will show up to minicamp next week:
“Each negotiation, each discussion is just different. In his case, he’s up there at the top of the market where he’s paid right now.”
“I expect him to, but we’ll see next week. But I’d expect him to be here. … He’s a pro. He’s a big part of this team. We know everything about him. We’ll know he’ll be ready to go. I’m not worried about that at all.”
On the organization’s discussions with Rivers:
“We still have open lines of communication, but there’s really nothing new to report right now. We’ll continue to hopefully talk and see how it goes.”
“The numbers are pretty big, so the conversations do take some time. But we’ll keep working at it, and we’ll see where it goes.”
On Liuget’s five-year extension:
“It was nice to get him extended. Corey is a very disruptive layer, and he plays a very important position in our defense. The 3-tech defensive tackle makes that whole front go, and he has that type of ability. He turned 25 just a couple months ago. He still has a really high ceiling. There’s still a lot of good football in front of him, and still a lot of skills in front of him. So I don’t even think we’ve seen the finished product yet.”
AFC West Notes: Houston, Thomas, Weddle, L.A.
The Chiefs will open their three-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, but will likely do so without star pass rusher Justin Houston, writes Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Head coach Andy Reid was asked whether he expected to see Houston next week. “He probably won’t be,” said Reid. “We just move on. I don’t really get caught up in all that stuff.”
Here are some other notes from around the AFC West:
- Peyton Manning lost tight end Julius Thomas and slot receiver Wes Welker, but is still looking to make another deep playoff run this season. However, he is unhappy that Demaryius Thomas has not received a new deal yet, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. While installing a new offense under Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison, every day Thomas misses he falls behind on learning the offense.
- Eric Weddle is another player who hasn’t been at team facilities amidst a contract dispute, and general manager Tom Telesco offered his thoughts on The Mighty 1090 in San Diego. Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com transcribed part of the conversation. “We said before the draft that we would talk after the draft. And we did. And we talked multiple times. We listened to their concerns about his current contract. We listened to their complaints about playing too much. And we read through their statistical analysis and their financial comparisons,” said Telesco. “We went through all of that stuff. We just decided that we’re just not at their numbers right now. It’s really as simple as that. There’s no sinister agenda there, nothing like that. Just right now it’s not there.”
- The Rose Bowl and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum have both emerged as possibilities to become temporary homes for any NFL team that agrees to move to Los Angeles, writes Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today. The league will soon discuss plans for temporary housing for teams to move to City of Angels ahead of a new stadium being built, and both the Chargers and Raiders are top candidates to relocate.
Details On Corey Liguet’s Extension
The full details of Corey Liuget‘s contract extension with the Chargers have surfaced, and the 25-year-old defensive lineman did very well for himself. When news of Liuget’s new deal first broke, I speculated that he would fall into the second tier of 3-4 defensive ends rather than joining players like J.J. Watt, Cameron Jordan, Calais Campbell, and Jurrell Casey in the first tier.
However, the Chargers’ agreement with Liuget indicates that the team is paying him not only for what he has done so far in his career, but for what the club believes he can do over the next several years. Liuget’s deal places him fourth among 3-4 defensive ends in annual salary, falling in just behind Jordan’s new contract, suggesting that San Diego thinks the former first-round pick is still on the rise.
Here are the details on Liguet’s extension, via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link) and Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post:
- New money on five-year extension: $51.25MM ($10.25MM per year)
- Total money on six-year contract: $56.727MM ($9.455MM per year)
- Signing bonus: $7.5MM
- Total guaranteed money: $30.477MM
- Total fully guaranteed money: $18.977MM
- Annual base salaries:
- 2015: $1MM
- 2016: $3MM
- 2017: $8MM
- 2018: $8MM
- 2019: $7.5MM
- 2020: $8.25MM
- Annual salary cap numbers:
- 2015: $7.977MM
- 2016: $10MM
- 2017: $9.5MM
- 2018: $9.5MM
- 2019: $10.25MM
- 2020: $9.5MM
- Roster bonuses:
- 2015: $5.477MM (due today)
- 2016: $5MM (due third day of league year)
- 2019: $1.25MM (due third day of league year)
- 2020: $1.25MM (due third day of league year)
West Notes: Cardinals, Liuget, D. Thomas
The Cardinals are deep enough at certain positions that GM Steve Keim says he could look to make trades later this summer, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic writes.
“It’s a good concern, (but) for the first time we have a certain amount of depth here where we’re either going to have the ability to trade a player, or two, or four or five at certain positions that can not only make other NFL rosters, but could potentially start for some teams,” Keim told the Doug and Wolf show on Arizona Sports 98.7. “So I have to be active and make sure that I address that situation so we’re not just releasing players and allowing teams to pick them up.”
More from the West divisions..
- Corey Liuget‘s extension with the Chargers calls for him to earn nearly $20MM fully guaranteed at the time of signing, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. Liuget, who turned 25 in March, notched a career-high 57 tackles and recorded 4.5 sacks to go along with a pair of forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
- Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is upset that Denver hasn’t hammered out a new deal with wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. No. 18 wants his favorite target back on the practice field, but that might not happen anytime soon if the two sides can’t bridge their gap.
- Rodney Hudson got a fat five-year, $44.5MM deal (with $20MM guaranteed) from the Raiders and his teammates say he’s worth every penny, as Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes. Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is inclined to agree. “Rodney’s done a terrific job. He’s been more than what we anticipated,” Musgrave said. “He has better movement than I think we expected from our film study and from watching from the other sideline. He’s done a great job of pulling. Guards and tackles pull a bunch in our system, but the center needs to at times, and he’s able to do that.”
West Notes: Seahawks, Boldin, L.A., Cards
After the team traded away four-year starter Max Unger, Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable says that he expects “quite a battle” at the center position, as Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times writes.
Lemuel Jeanpierre, who has been with Seattle since 2010 – but has made only eleven starts – appears to be the frontrunner. However, Patrick Lewis started four games last year and is a definite contender. Also in the mix are Drew Nowak and rookie Kristjan Sokoli.
While the center position may be up in the air, the Seahawks fortified tight end in a big way when they acquired Jimmy Graham from the Saints in the Unger deal. Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two West divisions:
- The 49ers saw multiple players retire this offseason but Anquan Boldin said that he didn’t give any thought to joining that list, as Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group writes. “If I felt we didn’t have a chance, I probably wouldn’t be here,” Boldin said Wednesday at minicamp. “There’s a lot of talent in this locker room. If we play the way we’re capable of playing, we’ll be right in the mix.”
- Longtime NFL executive Carmen Policy is helping the Raiders and Chargers with their Carson stadium project, and in Q&A with Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News, Policy lays out his case for why Carson is the ideal location for the NFL to return to L.A.
- Demaryius Thomas, who received the franchise tag from the Broncos this offseason, has until July 15 to work out a long-term contract with the club, and his teammates are keeping a close eye on the situation, as Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com details.
- The Cardinals lost what little experience they had at the tight end position when John Carlson suddenly retired in May, leaving them to work with a much younger group, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic writes.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
West Notes: Manning, Los Angeles, Bush
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has spoken with other players who walked away from the game because they grew bored with the tediousness of studying film and the monotony of practice. That’s not the case for him, however.
“I think everybody likes continuity and some consistency in what you’re doing. But I will say at age 36 when I got here and now 39 that I have been stimulated by the changes, which I do think keeps you engaged and energetic and focused in meetings,” Manning said, according to Arnie Stapleton of The Associated Press.
Here’s more from the West divisions..