Sunday Roundup: Mallett, Trades, Guion
Ryan Mallett missed the Texans‘ team charter to Miami Saturday and had to make the trip via commercial airline, per Karen Warren of The Houston Chronicle. Mallett is in uniform and will be the team’s No. 2 quarterback today, as expected–the Texans do not have another quarterback on the roster–but he will certainly be fined, and his future with the club has never been more in doubt. Mallett, who also missed a training camp practice this year–he said his cell phone battery died, so his cell phone alarm would not go off–is due $2.5MM in 2016, the second year of his two-year contract, but Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle believes the team will cut ties with Mallett after the 2015 season (Twitter link). If Tom Savage was not on injured reserve, Warren says it would not be a surprise if Mallett was cut today.
Now for some more links from around the league:
- The Bears‘ Matt Forte, the 49ers‘ Vernon Davis, and the Falcons‘ Roddy White have been the biggest names included in this year’s trade rumors, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (article via Kevin Patra of NFL.com) does not believe any of the three will be traded, and he sets forth his rationale for why each will stay with their current clubs for the remainder of 2015.
- According to Rapoport (via Twitter), there are three notable college coaches who would be open to an NFL head coaching job after this season: UCLA’s Jim Mora, Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly, and Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin. In a separate tweet, Rapoport notes that NFL GMs believe Kelly would be an especially good fit with the Giants, if Big Blue has a head coaching vacancy after 2015.
- Earlier this year, Johnny Manziel was saying and doing all the right things, and he had earned considerable praise for his on- and off-field behavior and for apparently turning his life around. But after an alcohol-related incident that culminated in an encounter with police several weeks ago–an incident for which he will not be facing any charges–questions about his future in the league have resurfaced. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Browns officials had been bracing for some sort of negative publicity, as Manziel’s demeanor and dedication had taken a turn for the worse after Josh McCown returned from injury to reclaim the starting quarterback job from Manziel, who led the club for one week. Some within the organization have been hoping to part ways with Manziel for some time, and this latest development will give that contingent a little more ammunition, as they have further proof that Manziel is not a team-first type of player.
- Packers DT Letroy Guion‘s recent legal troubles have been well-documented, but according to Michael Cohen and John Diedrich of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Guion has faced domestic violence charges as well, which had previously gone unreported. In two of the three cases brought against Guion, the charges were dropped, and in the third, Guion paid restitution to avoid additional penalties. He has been accused of stalking and of hitting the mother of his child in the jaw. Those incidents occurred from 2011 to 2013 when Guion was with the Vikings, and if it turns out he never reported the charges to the club, he could face further discipline from the league.
- The Bears are actively scouting college quarterbacks as they prepare for the post-Jay Cutler era, and Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune examines two potential targets, California’s Jared Goff and Michigan State’s Connor Cook, in detail.
- Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post examines in detail how Broncos GM John Elway has methodically constructed Denver’s defense, which has been the league’s best in 2015.
NFC West Notes: Kaepernick, Hyde, Cardinals
A quick look around the NFC West:
- Colin Kaepernick isn’t the long-term answer at quarterback for the 49ers, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (video link), and Miller believes his replacement could come by way of a top five pick in the 2016 draft. Miller lists California’s Jared Goff, Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg and Memphis’ Paxton Lynch as prospects who could be San Francisco’s first-round pick and next starting signal caller.
- 49ers running back Carlos Hyde has been playing with a foot injury – “something like” a stress fracture, he says – and has averaged just 3.0 yards per carry over the last two games. Given that the 49ers are 2-5, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle wonders if it’s in their best interest to rest Hyde until he’s fully healthy. Dr. Ken Jung – a Los Angeles-based ankle and foot surgeon – told Branch that Hyde’s injury will likely bother him for the rest of the season. “By taking a week or two off — or even just resting during the week — it allows the bone to heal itself or catch up. But once the stress or the activity level goes beyond what the bone can tolerate it tends to stay in a vicious cycle,” Jung said.
- Seattle got back into the win column with its 20-3 victory over the 49ers on Thursday and improved to 3-4, drawing closer to the NFC West-leading Cardinals (4-2). Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic contends that the Cardinals need to find their identity – which they lost in last week’s 25-13 defeat in Pittsburgh, the writer thinks – and respond to the Seahawks with a statement win over the Ravens on Monday.
NFC Links: Kaepernick, Cardinals, JPP
Some assorted notes from around the NFC…
- Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman could envision the Eagles trading for embattled quarterback Colin Kaepernick following the season (via Twitter). The 49ers signal-caller has previously shown the skills that Chip Kelly covets, and Freeman believes (via Twitter) the coach is convinced that he can fix any quarterback.
- Furthermore, Freeman tweets that scouts are attributing the 49ers offensive issues on the offensive line and coaching staff, not the quarterback.
- It could be in the 49ers best interest in bench Kaepernick, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. The quarterback’s contract calls for more than $31MM in guaranteed money for injury, meaning the organization would be in quite the financial hole if Kaepernick were to go down.
- Over the past few years, the Cardinals have added some big names during the first weeks of free agency. However, Kent Somers of AZCentral.com says the team should be commended for the under-the-radar moves that have often come later in the summer. Jermaine Gresham and Chris Johnson were among the Cardinals’ later additions this past summer, with Karlos Dansby, John Abraham and Tommy Kelly being previous examples.
- Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter) has serious doubts as to whether Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul will return this season.
49ers Notes: Tomsula, Kaepernick, Bethea
The 49ers became a big talking point for media outlets today after an embarrassing 20-3 loss on Thursday Night Football. Here are some notes about the team:
- The loss to the Seahawks last night put a spotlight on the problems the 49ers have, and head coach Jim Tomsula was put on the defensive. He said despite evaluating everything in the organization, he would not consider a change to the offensive coaching staff in season, per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).
- Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was particularly bad on Thursday night, but coach Tomsula insists there will be no change under center in San Francisco, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). “Colin’s our quarterback,” said Tomsula. “No controversy.”
- Antoine Bethea was placed on injured reserve today, with what was originally reported as a shoulder injury. Barrows reports that it is actually a torn pectoral muscle that will force him to miss the rest of the season (via Twitter).
49ers Place Antoine Bethea On IR
The 49ers have ended the season of safety Antoine Bethea, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who reports that Bethea has been placed on the injured reserve list. The move clears a spot on the roster for wide receiver Jerome Simpson, who is returning from a six-game suspension.
Bethea, 31, hasn’t missed a regular season game since 2007, playing – and starting – an incredible 146 out of a possible 151 games over the course of his 10 NFL seasons. However, he’ll be sidelined for the final nine games of the Niners’ 2015 campaign due to a shoulder injury.
Bethea left Thursday night’s game against the Seahawks with the shoulder issue, and was having an MRI conducted today, so we can assume the results of that MRI weren’t great. Safety Jaquiski Tartt looks like the best bet to take over for Bethea’s job for the second half of the season, assuming the leg injury he sustained on Thursday isn’t serious.
As for Simpson, the Niners had been granted a roster exemption for the suspended wideout, allowing the team to keep him on the reserve/suspended list for an extra few days, following his six-game ban. Now that he’s on the 53-man roster, the ex-Viking will be eligible to play in San Francisco’s next game.
West Rumors: Jenkins, 49ers, St. Louis
Three of the four Rams‘ starting defensive backs are eligible for free agency after the 2015 season, and cornerback Janoris Jenkins is perhaps the most notable of the free-agents-to-be. According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the team has had ongoing discussions with Jenkins’ agent since the spring, making a contract offer to the cornerback last week during St. Louis’ bye. Still, it sounds like Jenkins may want to test the market this winter.
“I’m not talking about the contract,” Jenkins said. “I ended that last week, when they gave me those numbers. It was something I didn’t want to hear. I ended it just like that. I’ll play it out. I’m gonna bet on myself.”
Let’s check in on a few other items from out of the NFL’s West divisions….
- The 49ers‘ loss to Seattle on Thursday night is the kind of game that “has to send people back to the drawing board,” according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who has heard whispers that “something big” could happen in San Francisco. “I don’t know what it’s going to be. I don’t know what they’re talking about, but clearly the 49ers can’t go on this way,” Maiocco said, adding: “There are a lot of very upset people in the 49ers organization.”
- After the 49ers‘ latest loss, it’s becoming clear that the club is in a rebuilding year, writes Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News.
- Several St. Louis aldermen are introducing a bill at a Friday board meeting that would call for a public vote before allowing the city to spend approximately $150MM on a new stadium, says David Hunn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. According to Hunn, the mayor’s office has cautioned that such a bill could kill plans to build a new stadium for the Rams or another NFL team.
- In his look at the most important additions of the Broncos’ offseason, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post identifies safety Darian Stewart as “a big upgrade” over former starter Rahim Moore, and praises defensive coordinator Wade Phillips for turning Denver’s D from good to great.
Vernon Davis Addresses Trade Rumors
With the 49ers struggling this season and Vernon Davis in the final year of his contract, the veteran tight end has been the subject of trade rumors and speculation, with a Thursday report indicating that Davis was drawing interest around the league. While Davis has heard those rumblings, he tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com that he’s trying not to think about the possibility of being dealt by the Niners.
“I’ve been a Niner for 10 years,” Davis said. “This is all I know. It’s really not about me being upset. I understand the nature of the business. It’s a business — it is. If anyone was somewhere for 10 years, they’d be highly upset, highly disappointed.”
Davis, who has been in San Francisco since 2006, is coming off perhaps his worst season with the team, setting or matching career-worst marks by totaling just 245 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2014. The 31-year-old has been slowed by injuries this season, but he had a solid game on Thursday night against Seattle, and is just two years removed from a Pro Bowl season.
Although it’s not hard to imagine a contender wanting to roll the dice on him at the trade deadline, Davis said his agent has told him not to worry about the possibility, adding that it’s “probably just rumors.” Still, if the Niners decide to move him, the former sixth overall pick recognizes that it’s not personal.
“You have to understand, after all of this, it’s a business,” Davis said. “I have no intention of going anywhere. But sometimes things happen and you just have to be prepared for it. I think anyone would be upset.”
This year’s trade deadline falls on November 3, so the 49ers have less than two weeks to make a decision on Davis.
Vernon Davis Drawing Trade Interest
As Vernon Davis racks up catches and yards in a losing effort for the 49ers, one can’t help but wonder if he’ll soon be doing the same in a different uniform. As it turns out, numerous teams have called to explore the availability of the 49ers tight end, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The feeling, he adds, is that Davis is available.
Davis is in the final year of his contract and there is little chance that he will return to San Francisco next season, given that his production has dropped off since his Pro Bowl performance in 2013. The 49ers are in clear rebuilding mode, and it would make sense for them to at least recoup some value for Davis while they have the chance.
Of course, they will also need to weigh whether any potential compensation they receive from trading Davis would be more valuable than the compensatory pick they would receive when he signs with a different club. At the same time, by trading Davis mid-season, SF can net a pick for the 2016 draft rather than a compensatory pick in 2017 should he leave as a free agent. Likewise, any team that trades for Davis would be in line for a compensatory pick should he sign elsewhere, thereby helping to offset the cost of trading for him right now.
Davis has been battling injury this season but he looks healthy right now and he would welcome a change of scenery. Any team dealing for him would be on the hook for roughly half of his $4.7MM salary, including weekly roster bonuses.
It’s not clear which teams have called on Davis, but the Broncos would be one logical suitor given their lack of production at the tight end position.
NFC West Notes: Kaepernick, Rams, LA
Here’s a look at the NFC West:
- Each game Colin Kaepernick plays this year will be a referendum on what the 49ers should do with him after this season, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com write. Kaepernick, who has looked shaky this year, is due $11.9MM in base salary and another $2MM in roster bonuses next season. If he’s traded or cut before April 1, the 49ers would save $14MM in cash and $9.4MM in cap space. The duo notes that the Lions are in a similar spot with Matthew Stafford, who could also be dealt. Stafford, like Kaepernick, has no guaranteed money on his contract beyond this season.
- An NFL source told Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter links) that there are two critical elements to the term sheet the St. Louis stadium task force submitted to the league ten days ago. One key part of it is that St. Louis promised to pay for the potential cost overruns on the project. The other is that the task force has come up with a way to exempt the stadium from being subject to property taxes. That’s potentially great news for the city of St. Louis and bad news for owner Stan Kroenke, who seems very keen on moving the Rams to Los Angeles.
- The Rams raised the salary of practice squad offensive tackle Isaiah Battle – a supplemental draft pick – to nearly $26K per week, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). That gives Battle, a Clemson product, the highest pay of any practice squad player in the NFL. Most taxi squad players earn about $6,700/week. The Rams used a fifth-round supplemental pick on Battle, which means that they gave up their 2016 fifth-round pick to get him. Even though they cut him from the roster in September, they were able to add him to their p-squad. As it turns out, Battle was the only player taken in this year’s supplemental draft.
NFC Notes: Kilgore, Carroll, Thompson, Fells
49ers center Daniel Kilgore suffered a broken left leg in a loss against the Broncos one year ago, but his 2015 debut doesn’t appear to be imminent, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. When asked if he could sit out the 2015 season, Kilgore didn’t rule out that scenario.
“I wouldn’t suspect that, but there’s always that possibility,” Kilgore said. “A year ago, I wouldn’t have said I would be in this situation. So you always have that possibility.”
Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the NFC….
- Joining a chorus of NFL head coaches who have had to shoot down college rumors in recent weeks, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said that a return to USC is “not happening,” as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes.
- Good news for the Panthers: Shaq Thompson appeared to suffer a serious injury on Sunday, but a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) that it turned out to only be a sprained MCL for the rookie linebacker.
- Cardinals tight end Darren Fells may miss two or three weeks with a sprained shoulder, a source tells ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss (on Twitter). Fells had an MRI on Monday morning to better assess the damage.
- As we detailed yesterday, the Buccaneers have two players now eligible to begin practicing, and the club announced today that both Demar Dotson (IR-DTR) and Akeem Spence (PUP) will rejoin their teammates on the practice field beginning Tuesday. Tampa Bay will have a three-week window to activate the duo.
- Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com feels that Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery is worthy of a long-term investment. Jeffery’s performance in Detroit – eight receptions for 147 yards and one touchdown – reinforced his importance to the team in the view of Dickerson, who says Chicago should not let the wideout reach the open market next spring. Dickerson doesn’t view Jeffery as an elite receiver, but he does feel that he is in the next tier, along with guys such as T.Y. Hilton, Mike Wallace, Vincent Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. I’d agree with that assessment, though Jeffery has to stay healthy in order to justify that type of money.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.