NFL Issues Performance-Based Bonuses
The NFL has announced and issued its performance-based pay bonuses for the 2014 season, according to a press release from the league. The bonuses, which are based on a player’s playing time relative to his salary level, come from a pool of $3.633MM per team. Here are the top performance-based pay amounts for the past season:
- Seantrel Henderson, T (Bills): $373,671
- Corey Linsley, C (Packers): $339,566
- Russell Bodine, C (Bengals): $318,612
- Avery Williamson, LB (Titans): $315,120
- E.J. Gaines, DB (Rams): $308,338
- Zach Fulton, G (Chiefs): $303,352
- Kelvin Beachum, T (Steelers): $297,687
- Preston Brown, LB (Bills): $293,179
- Michael Wilhoite, LB (49ers): $292,406
- Paul Worrilow, LB (Falcons): $287,413
FA Rumors: J. Johnson, Parker, Falcons, 49ers
Free agent safety Jeron Johnson is generating some interest around the league, and will pay a visit to Washington, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Johnson, a Boise State product, never saw any real significant playing time on defense for a Seahawks team that featured Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, but he was a solid backup and excelled on special teams.
Let’s round up a few more Friday free agent news items and rumors from around the NFL….
- The Bears would like to sign safety Ron Parker, but he left Chicago last night without a deal, a source confirms to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, who tweets that the former Chief appears to be in no rush to sign.
- Having already met with the Seahawks and Broncos, Shelley Smith will make his next visit to Atlanta to meet with the Falcons, a source tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The free agent offensive lineman is scheduled to arrive tonight and have his official visit tomorrow.
- The 49ers saw one of their free agent cornerbacks, Chris Culliver, find a deal in Washington today, but according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, they’ve spoken to another – Chris Cook – about returning (Twitter link). Still, Maiocco’s source says there have been no recent conversations between the two sides.
- Free agent center Stefen Wisniewski remains in Seattle for now, but a visit to the Rams is “very possible,” tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In addition to visiting the Seahawks, Wisniewski also met with the Bucs earlier this week.
- Offensive lineman Erik Pears, who visited the 49ers this week, is also receiving interest from the Jets and Broncos, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Pears started all 16 games for the Bills at right guard last season.
- The Chargers are continuing to eye the free agent market in search of upgrades at wide receiver, after having lost Eddie Royal to Chicago, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- Former Giants guard John Jerry is making a free agent visit to Tennessee today to meet with the Titans, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). Having waited out the first wave of free agency, the Titans have been very active today, locking up Brian Orakpo, Derrick Morgan, Ryan Succop, and Karl Klug to new contracts.
Thursday Roundup: Weddle, Peterson, Harvin
The Chargers still have over $21MM in cap space, and could look to spend that money to add to the team this offseason. Meanwhile, star safety Eric Weddle is coming into the last year of his contract and is unsure of his future with the team, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com.
“I think I’ve earned [a new deal],” Weddle said. “But it has to work both ways. They have to want it, too. And if they don’t, then we will play it out and I’ll be a free agent next year “I want to be here, but I understand the situation and what they want to do. If I’m a part of it — great. If not, then I plan on making this season a memorable one and we’ll see what happens from there.”
- The Vikings are focused on keeping Adrian Peterson, not trading him, writes Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. But Vensel’s colleague at the Star Tribune, Michael Rand, believes the stars are aligning for the Cowboys to make a trade for Peterson.
- Percy Harvin has finished his visit with the Bills, and he is mulling other possible visits, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). La Canfora adds that the Harvin situation could begin to wrap itself up as early as this weekend.
- Brian Orakpo is in Tennessee on a visit and is planning to meet with the Cardinals next. However, he might not make it to Arizona if the Titans can get a deal in place before he leaves tonight, writes John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- Shelley Smith has left Seattle without a deal and will now visit the Broncos, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post.
- Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star looks ahead to the rest of the Colts‘ offseason, noting that the team has already made its big splashes with the additions of Andre Johnson, Trent Cole, and Frank Gore. However, Holder expects Indianapolis to perhaps add a safety like Louis Delmas or Kendrick Lewis and/or an offensive lineman in the second wave of free agency, when better bargains can be had. The Colts currently have around $15-16MM in available cap space.
- 49ers GM Trent Baalke does not appear especially concerned about losing last year’s starting cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox should those two players sign elsewhere in free agency. As Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News writes, Baalke is confident that the team has capable internal options to fill the void.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
Extra Points: Mariota, Richardson, Culliver
The Jets have scheduled a pre-draft visit with Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter). Mariota says he’ll be meeting with the Bucs, Eagles and Titans at his pro day, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) adds. Mariota’s pro day performance was underwhelming, Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean tweets, though as we saw last year with Teddy Bridgewater, we shouldn’t necessarily put a ton of stock into that. More from around the NFL..
- After being officially waived by the Colts earlier, Trent Richardson gave an explanation for why it didn’t work out in Indianapolis, according to Mike Wells of ESPN (via Twitter). “Me and the GM didn’t see eye to eye,” said Richardson. “My next step, I’ll be the starter. Indy didn’t fit me.” The embattled halfback also confirmed that he was continually fined by the organization for being overweight (via Twitter). Richardson had told head coach Chuck Pagano he would have flown himself to New England for the AFC Championship game, but was told he would inactive regardless (via Twitter).
- Long snapper James Winchester joined the Chiefs despite three other teams competing to sign him, writes Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter). The Chiefs now have three long snappers on the roster.
- Washington is bringing in cornerback Chris Culliver for a visit, writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). However, La Canfora warns that a return to the 49ers for Culliver should not be ruled out, and that his value is rising with fewer top cornerbacks left on the market (via Twitter).
- While both Shelley Smith and Stefen Wisniewski visited with the Seahawks, neither offensive lineman is expected to sign today, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).
- The 49ers have not closed the door on bringing Stevie Johnson back, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). San Francisco released Johnson earlier this week after signing Torrey Smith, but it sounds like they might consider bringing him back at a cheaper rate.
49ers Re-Sign Blaine Gabbert
THURSDAY, 2:48pm: The 49ers have officially confirmed their new deal with Gabbert, along with the previously reported re-signing of tight end Garrett Celek.
TUESDAY, 10:19pm: It’s a two-year, $2MM deal for Gabbert, per Chris Mortensen of ESPN (Twitter link).
7:20pm: A year after acquiring him from the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick, the 49ers are re-signing backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). A source tells Anderson that Gabbert is “staying in San Francisco.”
Gabbert, a former 10th overall pick, served as Colin Kaepernick‘s primary backup last season, though he only saw the field in mop-up duty, since Kaepernick stayed healthy all year. The two signal-callers are currently the only two QBs on San Francisco’s roster, so it looks like the former Jaguar will have the inside track on the No. 2 job for 2015, though there could be another move coming for the Niners.
While we haven’t yet seen what Gabbert could do away from Jacksonville, his track record suggests that the 49ers would be in trouble if he saw any extended action in 2015. For his career, the 25-year-old has completed 53.2% of his passes and thrown more interceptions than touchdowns, en route to a 5-22 record as a starter.
FA Rumors: Ravens, Bush, Knighton
Look for the Ravens to be players on the receiver market once it comes into better focus, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes. The Ravens could be waiting on guys like Dwayne Bowe and Mike Wallace to be cut since their preference is always to gravitate towards guys who have been released. Signing released players doesn’t hurt the team’s status for compensatory draft picks, and they generally come cheaper that way, too. More from around the NFL..
- Free agent running back Reggie Bush is set to meet with the Patriots and 49ers, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 (via Twitter).
- A head coach told Russini (on Twitter) that teams are afraid to sign Terrance Knighton because he’s out of shape.
- Defensive back Sterling Moore is coming to Tampa for a visit with the Buccaneers, Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune tweets. The Cowboys elected not to tender a contract offer to the cornerback earlier this month. The Vikings were also said to have preliminary interest in him earlier this week.
- Packers free agent cornerback Tramon Williams is back home thinking things over after his visit with New Orleans, but the Saints remain in play, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. The Vikings also reached out to Williams this week.
- Patriots free agent linebacker Akeem Ayers is currently visiting with the Rams, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets. Ayers was sent from the Titans to the Pats in a mid-season trade.
- The Giants have expressed interest in safety Darian Stewart, but no visit has been scheduled yet, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). Stewart is in Denver today, then headed to Atlanta.
- There was talk that the Dolphins were meeting with Falcons free agent cornerback Robert McClain with the intent of signing him, but that’s on hold right now, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter links). Money is tight in Miami and they have other needs to fill, so he’ll remain on their radar while they look at other areas first.
- The Cowboys brought in former Browns running back Ray Agnew for a workout, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). That was presumably prior to signing fullback Jed Collins, however, so there might not be a spot for Agnew in Dallas anymore.
Extra Points: Brooks, Johnson, Spiller
There have been whispers that 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks could be a cap casualty, but general manager Trent Baalke made it clear that the player would be back next season.
“There has never been an indication from me otherwise,” Baalke told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “While all that was being written, I just sat back and looked at it because it was speculation based on our cap number and the cash flow that we had leading into free agency. A lot of assumptions were made, but wrongly.”
More notes as we wrap up this Wednesday evening…
- The Buccaneers met with Stefen Wisniewski earlier today, but Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune tweets that the center left Tampa without a deal. In another tweet, Cummings says the team never intended to sign Wisniewski today.
- In the meantime, Wisniewski will meet with the Seahawks, reports Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). Seattle would be in the market for a center after dealing Max Unger yesterday.
- We heard previously that the Saints were in the mix for free agent running back C.J. Spiller. That interest is real, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the former Bills weapon will meet with the organization in New Orleans on Thursday.
- Despite the reported interest in the defensive end, Michael Johnson‘s camp won’t start talking to teams until Thursday, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (on Twitter).
- Yahoo’s Rand Getlin reports (via Twitter) the former 49ers defensive back Perrish Cox will meet with the Titans on Friday. The Browns and Washington have previously shown interest.
- Offensive guard Shelley Smith will visit with the Seahawks on Thursday and the Broncos on Friday, according to Mike Klis of The Denver Post. Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com says (via Twitter) the Falcons are also interested, but haven’t set up an interview.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NFC Links: Vikings, 49ers, Cowboys
Some assorted notes from around the NFC…
- The bridge hasn’t been completely burned between the Vikings and Adrian Peterson. ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling tweets that the organization is still trying to “work things out” with the embattled running back.
- Prior to signing with the Bills, the Vikings asked Jerome Felton to bring them back a counter offer, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter). The fullback did just that, but Minnesota refused to come close to the four-year, $9.2MM deal he got from Buffalo.
- 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said there’s no interest in bringing in defensive end Greg Hardy, according to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee (via Twitter).
- The Cowboys are hosting fullback Jed Collins tonight, according to Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram. The Cowboys are hunting for a replacement for Tyler Clutts, who is a free agent. He is the first player the Cowboys have hosted during free agency.
NFC Rumors: Johnson, Peters, Pears, Carter
NFL.com’s Michael Silver reports (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers had a trade lined up involving defensive Michael Johnson, but the veteran wouldn’t agree to a contract restructuring. Here’s more from the NFC…
- Corey Peters, who joined up with the Cardinals today, told reporters that he had more lucrative offers elsewhere but believed that Arizona was the best fit for him, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets. Peters signed a three-year, $9MM deal with the Cards that will pay him $5.75MM guaranteed.
- Bills free agent offensive lineman Erik Pears is scheduled to visit the 49ers on Thursday, a source tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter).
- The Cowboys had some interest in re-signing linebacker Bruce Carter, but not at an average of $5MM per season, Charean Williams of the Star Telegram tweets. Carter got a healthy pay day when he agreed to sign with the Bucs earlier today.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
49ers Release Stevie Johnson
WEDNESDAY, 6:13pm: Johnson has officially been released by the 49ers, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter).
7:13am: With Smith’s deal set to become official on Wednesday, the 49ers will release Johnson today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who says the two sides weren’t able to work out an agreement on a pay cut (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 7:21pm: Johnson remains on the 49ers’ roster, but there are ongoing discussions about reducing or restructuring the backup wideout’s deal, the Sacramento Bee’s Matt Barrows reports on Twitter.
MONDAY, 5:11pm: With a deal between the 49ers and Torrey Smith reportedly in the works, San Francisco will release fellow wide receiver Stevie Johnson, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 (Twitter link). The release of Johnson will leave no dead money on San Francisco’s cap and will save the club more than $6MM.
The 49ers acquired the 28-year-old Johnson from the Bills in exchange for a conditional draft pick prior to last season. He wasn’t a focal point of the club’s offense, but he did catch 35 passes for 435 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games. San Francisco is expected to overhaul its receiving corps this offseason, and with Smith rumored to be added soon, Michael Crabtree will probably join Johnson in vacating the Bay Area.
Johnson, meanwhile, will join a rapidly thinning free agent receiver market. With the two top options — Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant — seeing the franchise tag, and the next best pass-catchers — Randall Cobb and Jeremy Maclin — already finding new deals, Johnson will be among a list of still unsigned WRs that includes Andre Johnson, Cecil Shorts, and the aforementioned Crabtree. Per Russini, Johnson is expected to land with another team “quickly.”