Extra Points: Locker, Jones, 49ers, Fines
Titans‘ quarterback Jake Locker has been underwhelming in his short career, and how he plays this year will determine his future with the team. If he continues to disappoint, rookie Zach Mettenberger could be an option, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Even still, Mettenberger will likely have to compete for the starting job going forward into 2015, even if Locker is not retained.
Here are some other notes from around the NFL:
- Titans‘ head coach Ken Whisenhunt says there is a possibility that the team only keeps four receivers on the roster. That leaves Michael Preston, Brian Robiskie, Marc Mariani, and Derek Hagan fighting for just one spot, writes Kuharsky.
- New Raiders‘ receiver James Jones is ready to step up and become the top receiver for his team, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. “I’m trying to prove something everyday, not only to the coaching staff, but to the entire league,” Jones said. “I’ve got a little chip on my shoulder, and I’m trying to prove it to the world to the league everyday that I can be a No. 1 receiver, that I can be one of those receivers that’s talked about in the National Football League.”
- The 49ers‘ just unveiled their new football stadium, and already are being forced to pull up the turf and replace it, writes Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. The grass proved to cause problems during the second half of their 34-0 loss to the Broncos on Sunday, but will be resodded in time for their preseason game against the Chargers this coming Sunday.
- With plenty of NFL stars still hoping for contract extensions, Ari Nissim of the National Football Post looks at ten who could be in line for new contracts sometime this season. The list is full of the league’s top receivers and pass rushers, as well as Chiefs‘ quarterback Alex Smith.
- With all the fines coming down this preseason, NFL fans can freshen up on the rules surrounding these fines thanks to Brian McCarthy of the league office (via Twitter).
Extra Points: Manziel, Sam, Gilbert, Crabtree
There are story lines abound in the NFL, but which division is the league’s most compelling? NFL.com asked a roundtable of analysts that very question and there’s a wide range of answers. Charley Casserly likes the sardine-packed NFC West. Bucky Brooks likes the electrifying offenses of the NFC East. Dave Dameshek, meanwhile, picks the AFC North simply for Browns quarterbacks Johnny Manziel. More from around the league..
- if Michael Sam can show some versatility over the next two games and an ability to hang on special teams, he can make the Rams‘ final cut on August 30th, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports. “Michael Sam has shown enough rushing the passer – and that’s what he is, he’s a DPR, he’s a designated pass rusher – that he can get off and beat a tackle on the upfield shoulder. He can spin and come underneath,” former Rams vice president of player personnel Tony Softli said. “He’s got to prove he can do it on special teams, and I think that’s going to be his (way) to make this team.”
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a closer look at the contract extension the Steelers gave to Marcus Gilbert. Despite what others have said, the average annual value of the five new years ($6MM) isn’t too high in Fitzgerald’s estimation.
- In a piece for the Sporting News, Fitzgerald looks at ways the 49ers and Michael Crabtree can come to terms on a deal in the next two weeks.
- CFL commissioner Mark Cohon will not return for a third term when his contract expires next year, according to The Associated Press. Cohon, whose contract ends in April, wants to give the board of governors time to find a successor. The 48-year-old commissioner says this is the “right time” to leave.
- The NFL needs to have a developmental league like the NBA, writes Andrew Brandt of The MMQB. In the next two weeks, many players will lose their jobs, and it would make sense for them to have a place to go. NFL Europe didn’t pan out as planned, but a league with teams in Florida, Texas or, Southern California would have players ready to hit the ground running nearby.
NFC Notes: Bowers, 49ers, Giants, Davis
Former Buccaneers second round defensive end Da’Quan Bowers could be on the hot seat, writes Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. Bowers has been sidelined by a groin injury and missed another practice on Wednesday.
“I think every day you don’t practice you’re hurting your chances,” coach Lovie Smith said. “We’ve seen enough to like Da’Quan a lot, but all the reps that he’s not getting, someone else is getting. The best way to beat your competition sometimes is just to stay on the field. You can’t get Wally Pipped.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com explains why the 49ers are pushing to get a new deal done with Michael Crabtree. Maiocco writes that the team is feeling extra pressure to get a deal done, in part, because of Colin Kaepernick’s willingness to take less in guaranteed money in order to give the organization more cap space this season to get contracts done with teammates.
- The Giants are definitely on the lookout for offensive line reinforcements, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, who suggests (via Twitter) that the team is unsure whether right guard Brandon Mosley is a starter and will be keeping a close eye on the waiver wire when roster cutdowns begin.
- Falcons wideout Drew Davis, who underwent foot surgery earlier this summer, will begin the season on the team’s PUP list, head coach Mike Smith tells ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure.
- Matt Cassel says he has no ill will toward the Chiefs organization or fans, and is looking forward to returning to Kansas City for the first time this week when the Vikings play the Chiefs, as Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune details.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
49ers Not Interested In Trading Alex Boone
The 49ers have received inquiries from teams regarding the availability of holdout guard Alex Boone but are not interested in dealing him, a source told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Another source said the 49ers have told teams that they would be willing to part with Boone for a first- or second-round draft pick, which is unreasonably high for an offensive guard.
Boone, who is under contract for two more seasons, has skipped the first four weeks of training camp and is subject to fines of $30K daily. The 49ers tried to bring him back with a contract offer earlier this week but he turned it down. The value of the deal is quite uncertain. Some reports indicate that it would have made him one of the top 12 highest-paid guards in the league, but Bill Williamson of ESPN.com reported that it wouldn’t have even put him in the top-25. Reportedly, if the team offers Boone a deal that pays him $15MM over the next three years, he’d likely sign it.
Boone, the Niners’ starting right guard in each of the last two seasons, is in line for a $2MM base salary this season and just $1.2MM in 2015, but is now subject to about $900K in fines. While San Francisco’s offensive line could certainly use Boone, the team has other players that they can turn to and other extensions they may have to prioritize over him.
49ers Notes: Extensions, Harbaugh, Lloyd
As their new agreement with defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey exhibits, the 49ers are continuing their pattern of extending players whose leverage may be lacking due to injuries, their spot on the depth chart, or various other factors. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle points out (via Twitter) that the Niners locked up Alex Boone, Daniel Kilgore, and Ian Williams before those players became starters, and Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap notes (via Twitter) that strategy has allowed the club to create several team-friendly contracts and compile plenty of depth.
Of course, as Fitzgerald adds (via Twitter), the downside of signing players early to club-friendly deals is that when someone like Boone significantly outplays that contract, it can result in a stand-off like the one taking place between the team and the veteran guard right now. As we wait to see how the Boone situation is resolved, let’s check in on a few other Niners-related items….
- Based on conversations Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News has had with NFL sources – many of whom know Jim Harbaugh well – Kawakami says 80% of the people he has spoken to believe there’s a “strong chance” this will be Harbaugh’s last season with the 49ers. While that doesn’t necessarily mean the Niners will have a new head coach for the 2015 season, it means 2014 is a crucial year for Harbaugh and the team. Anything less than a Super Bowl win could end up resulting in “some very tense and possibly very unsatisfactory discussions” between the two sides during the offseason, says Kawakami.
- When Colin Kaepernick first signed his extension this summer, he said he hoped that by not pushing for every last dollar, he’d created some flexibility for the 49ers to sign or extend other players. Asked yesterday whether he wants to see the team use that added flexibility to sign Boone or anyone else in particular, Kaepernick declined to weigh in, suggesting it’s up to the front office to decide how to spend the club’s money. Eric Branch has the details and quotes.
- Veteran wideout Brandon Lloyd, who signed with the Niners this offseason, has a “real good chance” to make the regular-season roster, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds that the former Pro Bowler has bonded with Anquan Boldin. Lloyd didn’t play last season, but is only two years removed from a 74-catch season in New England.
49ers Sign Glenn Dorsey To Two-Year Extension
WEDNESDAY, 8:12am: A source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Dorsey’s extension features $6.075MM in new money, with $2.575MM in guarantees and $1.75MM in incentives. In total, the lineman can earn up to $10.957MM through 2016 if he maxes out the deal.
TUESDAY, 6:04pm: The 49ers have signed defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey to a two-year extension through 2016, the team announced in a press release. The 29-year-old Dorsey tore his right bicep earlier this month, and could potentially miss the entire season, so it’s curious that the team would choose to lock him up now.
“Glenn is a true pro who has quickly become a valued contributor to our organization both on and off the field,” said San Francisco general manager Trent Baalke. “He is a quick study and a very good football player that has earned this extension, and we look forward to his future contributions.”
Dorsey was set to enter the second year of a two-year, $6MM deal — $2.3MM of which he is to earn this season in base salary. Terms of his new deal aren’t yet known, but it will be interesting to see if the Niners were able to take advantage of the fact that Dorsey is probably going be injured for the duration of his contact year. As Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 notes (via Twitter), this could be something of a buy-low opportunity for San Francisco — Dorsey was probably amendable to receiving any sort of guaranteed money while rehabbing from his injury, even if it was for pennies on the dollar.
Prior to joining the Niners, Dorsey spent five seasons with the Chiefs after being selected fifth overall in the 2008 draft. After playing mostly defensive end in Kansas City’s 3-4 scheme, he was expected to do the same in San Francisco, albeit in a reserve role. However, after starting nose tackle Ian Williams went down with an injury, Dorsey became the starter on the interior. He’s not an ideal fit for NT at 6’1″, 297 pounds, but he was competent in the role — Pro Football Focus (subscription required) assigned him a +4.5 grade for 2013, noting that he especially excelled against the run. In his career, the former LSU Tiger has started 78 games, accruing 189 tackles and six sacks.
Dorsey probably shouldn’t be counted on for much production in 2013. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Dorsey will require one more MRI on his healing bicep before the 49ers make a decision on his roster status. In that vein, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee adds (on Twitter) that Dorsey is a strong candidate to be labeled San Francisco’s injured reserve/designated to return player.
This 49ers, however, agreed to this new pact with the long-term future of their defensive line in mind. Ends Justin Smith and Ray McDonald are signed through 2015 and 2016, respectively, but both could become cap casualties during next offseason. Williams is once again injured, and the rest of the position group includes youtful players like Tank Carradine, Quinton Dial, and Demarcus Dobbs. In extending Dorsey, San Francisco has added some stability to a defensive line that could see quite a bit of turnover during the next 12 months.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
49ers Working To Extend Michael Crabtree
While Alex Boone continues his hold out in the hopes of securing a new contract, the 49ers have been busy handing out extensions to a number of other players. Colin Kaepernick and Joe Staley have both received fresh deals over the past several months, and Glenn Dorsey got two years tacked onto his contract today. San Francisco apparently isn’t done through, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter) that the team’s next extension target is receiver Michael Crabtree.
While Niners general manager Trent Baalke had previously stated that there was no deadline by which talks had to cease, Rapoport says that the team wishes for negotiations to conclude by the start of the regular season. If an agreement has not been reached, a new deal won’t be discussed until next offseason. While Rapoport notes that there has been “progress” in the parties’ dialogue, it sounds like San Francisco is willing to take a hardline stance, with the aim of getting a pact completed soon.
For his part, Crabtree sounds receptive to a new deal — Rapoport tweets that while the 26-year-old obviously wants to earn top-of-the-market receiver money, he is willing to do so through incentives, rather than demanding a exorbitant base salary. With his history of injuries, Crabtree probably doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter, as the 49ers are likely unwilling to guarantee much money to a player who has had a difficult time staying on the field. Additionally, signing a new deal now could be also be beneficial to Crabtree, as an injury-riddled contract year would surely tank his value heading into free agency.
As our Luke Adams noted when examining Crabtree as an Extension Candidate last month, the recent contracts signed by Eric Decker ($15MM guaranteed) and DeSean Jackson ($16MM guaranteed) should set the floor for the 49er. However, with Crabtree amenable to an incentive-based structure, perhaps a deal could coalesce that resembles that of Kaepernick — a modest guarantee, with escalators based on performance. Such a contract probably wouldn’t be team results-based (as Kaepernick’s is), as receivers don’t have as much of an impact on wins and losses as do quarterbacks. But an extension based on future individual production might be manageable, especially if it contains agreeable injury protection language.
Crabtree has been largely successful since entering the NFL as the 10th overall pick in 2009. From 2009-2012 (omitting his injury-riddled 2013), the Texas Tech product averaged 65 receptions for 836 yards and five touchdowns. 2012 was his best season, as he caught balls from both Kaepernick and Alex Smith, establishing new career highs in receptions (85), receiving yards (1,105), and touchdowns (9). He was just as dynamic in the postseason, compiling 285 yards and three touchdowns through the air and helping San Francisco reach the Super Bowl, where he nearly hauled in a game-winning touchdown on the team’s final drive.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Alex Boone Turned Down Niners’ Offer
5:00pm: According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), the sense he’s gotten from talking to other teams is that the Niners probably won’t trade Boone, though that could change. Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that if the team offers Boone a deal that pays him $15MM over the next three years, he’d likely sign it.
3:20pm: Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com offers some clarity on the conflicting reports on the Niners’ offer to Boone. Maiocco hears from sources that San Francisco is offering the guard an extension on his current deal, which wouldn’t kick in until 2016, rather than tearing up the current contract and negotiating a new one. So the extension which starts in ’16 may have a top-12 annual value, but Boone would still be underpaid for the next two seasons.
2:47pm: According to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Niners’ most recent offer to Boone wouldn’t have even made him a top-25 highest-paid guard, let alone top 12.
2:34pm: A source tells Getlin (Twitter link) that it isn’t true that Boone declined a contract offer that would have made him one of the league’s 12 highest-paid guards, though Ian Rapoport of NFL.com backs up Brandt’s report (via Twitter). I’m guessing the offer is structured in such a way that there’s a dispute about whether it’s actually a top-12 value — perhaps it includes incentives that must be met, or minimal guarantees. That’s just my speculation though.
2:09pm: The 49ers have made Alex Boone a contract offer that would have made him one of the top 12 highest-paid guards in the league, but the veteran offensive lineman turned it down, reports Gil Brandt of NFL.com (via Twitter). With the two sides still at an impasse, a trade is looking like an increasingly plausible scenario, and Boone’s trade value is on the rise as injuries begin to pile up around the league, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, who says the market for the 49ers guard “continues to increase” (Twitter link). Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports agrees, tweeting that the longer Boone holds out, the more valuable he becomes.
Boone, the Niners’ starting right guard in each of the last two seasons, is in line for a $2MM base salary this season and just $1.2MM in 2015, but is now subject to about $900K in fines, as Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News detailed last week. Having been an instrumental part of one of the league’s best offensive lines in recent years, the 27-year-old is looking for a raise to a level that more accurately reflects his talent.
Currently, Boone ranks as the 43rd-highest-paid guard in the NFL, so the offer reported by Brandt sounds reasonable, though the structure and level of guarantee in that proposal aren’t known. As Over the Cap’s data shows, the 12th highest-paid guard in the NFL is currently Evan Mathis, at $5.1MM per year, so presumably San Francisco’s offer to Boone exceeded that figure. However, Mathis and the players around him on that list only received modest $5-6MM guarantees — Boone may be seeking a guarantee more in line with the $9-11MM received by 2014 free agents like Zane Beadles and Rodger Saffold.
While San Francisco’s offensive line could certainly use Boone, the team has a good deal of depth up front, and may have to prioritize extensions for other key players over a new deal for the former Ohio State Buckeye. If Boone doesn’t relent in his demands, moving him in a trade for a future draft pick may be in the 49ers’ best interests. I’d be surprised if the Niners are able to land a pick in the top 60, considering Boone’s new team would also face the cost of a new contract, but a third-rounder could be within reach.
If the Niners do move Boone, there are plenty of clubs that would make sense as fits. The Buccaneers and Giants have been cited as potential suitors, and I’d suggest Indianapolis and Miami are among the other logical landing spots. Even teams seeking a tackle, like perhaps the Falcons, who lost Sam Baker to a season-ending injury, could kick the tires on Boone, who has experience at multiple positions.
King’s Latest: CBs, Bortles, Fairley, 49ers
Those defensive penalties that have plagued preseason games for the last two weeks won’t be going away once the regular season gets underway, according to vice president of officiating Dean Blandino. Blandino tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com that defensive holding and illegal contact penalties will continue to be a point of emphasis throughout the year, and that he expects coaches and teams to adjust their style of play over the next few weeks. In the second weekend of the 2014 preseason, there have been nearly nine more penalties per game than an average 2013 regular season contest, which is a number that will hurt the game if it extends into the regular season, writes King.
Here’s more from this week’s MMQB:
- King predicts that we’ll hear of several teams desperate for cornerbacks in the next week or so. “We’re going to get one,” a personnel man for one team said. “But we may have to pay a higher price than we want, or a higher price than the player deserves.” King identifies the Jets, Ravens, Lions, Colts, Vikings, and Buccaneers as teams that may be on the lookout for another corner.
- While Chad Henne may open the regular season under center for the Jaguars, the team has always planned to transition Blake Bortles into the starting role when he’s ready, regardless of how well or how poorly Henne is playing, says King. Based on how Bortles has looked so far in the preseason, that transition could end up happening sooner rather than later.
- According to King, Nick Fairley is now behind C.J. Mosley on the Lions‘ depth chart. So far, it doesn’t seem as Detroit’s decision to decline Fairley’s 2015 option as a motivational tactic has paid off for the defensive tackle or the team.
- One scout suggests the 49ers should be worried about the backup quarterback situation, and King writes that Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke may be thinking about elevating Josh Johnson to No. 2 on the depth chart after another poor performance by Blaine Gabbert.
- King praises the Bears‘ signing of wide receiver Santonio Holmes, writing that he has “no idea” why so many people view Holmes as a toxic locker-room presence — in King’s view, the veteran wideout has been “mildly disruptive,” but he’s hardly a cancer.
49ers’ Not Looking To Add At Quarterback
The bright spots were far and few between during the 49ers’ embarrassing 34-0 defeat to the Broncos earlier today. The team’s signal callers struggled in particular, with the four quarterbacks on the roster failing to produce even a single touchdown drive, and combining to produce three points in two preseason games thus far.
Of the four quarterbacks on the roster, only starter Colin Kaepernick‘s job is secure, and hopefully for the team he will stay healthy and his backups will never see any meaningful action. Even still, there is concern over the uncertainty of the three players vying to be the number two passer on the depth chart.
Blaine Gabbert was thought to have the inside track, after the 49ers traded a sixth round pick to the Jaguars to acquire his services. However, through two preseason games he has completed only 11/27 passes for 60 yards, throwing two interceptions in the process. His performances have left his spot on the team in doubt.
At the same time, fellow backups Josh Johnson and McLeod Bethel-Thompson have failed to impress themselves. Bethel-Thompson has thrown two interceptions himself, and while Johnson escaped the preseason opener without a turnover, he lost a fumble today against the Broncos.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh is unhappy with the amount of turnovers he is seeing from the group, noting that turnovers will be the deciding factor on who gets the nod in the event Kaepernick should need to be replaced, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
“In terms of a backup quarterback, it’s as simple as who doesn’t turn the ball over,” Harbaugh said. “They’re turning the ball over. All of them have. There’s nobody to elevate. Whoever doesn’t turn the ball over will be the backup quarterback.”
Harbaugh still shot down the idea that the team would look outside the organization for a suitable backup.
One quarterback who could provide an upgrade over the current backups is Christian Ponder, writes Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com (via Twitter). Ponder has fallen out of favor with the Vikings, as Matt Cassel and Teddy Bridgewater are currently battling for the starting job in Minnesota.
The team will of course like to get 16 games out of their starter, but in today’s NFL, a weak backup quarterback can take a contender to a bottom dweller in a hurry.