NFC Notes: Lee, McCoy, Suh, Tanner
Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee is in the early stages of rehabilitation from a torn left ACL, but he’s already thinking about his future, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com. “I think I’ll come back completely healthy,” Lee said. “Now, the question is, can I stay out there? That’s something that obviously I’m hopeful for and I’m going to do everything I can do to do that and control everything I can. But at the end of the day, there’s situations that you might not be able to avoid. I’m not going to stress too much about that end. I’m just going to do what I can do.” More from the NFC:
- Bad news for Seahawks tight end Anthony McCoy as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter) hears from a source that he has torn his left Achilles. Last season, McCoy suffered a torn right Achilles and missed the entire season. In 2012, the 26-year-old’s last season on the field, he hauled in 18 receptions for 291 yards and three touchdowns while also spending time on special teams.
- The Lions are postponing talks with Ndamukong Suh because they want him to be informed and sign a deal he’s happy with, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It was reported yesterday that Detroit will table talks with the star defensive tackle until after the season.
- Running back Phillip Tanner visited with the 49ers yesterday before ultimately signing with the Colts, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com. The 49ers have a new running back of their own in 27-year-old Alfonso Smith, who joined the club yesterday. San Francisco’s once-loaded RB stable is looking pretty banged up at the moment. backup Kendall Hunter tore his ACL, LaMichael James has a dislocated elbow, and Marcus Lattimore has multiple nagging injuries.
- New Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is keeping the Big Blue’s defense on their toes in practice, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “Reps against the no-huddle does help going against the guys in Philly — their offense is very, very fast — and I think the Redskins, they do the same thing too,’’ cornerback Prince Amukamara said. “That’s only preparing us for the season.’’
- Earlier tonight we recapped the Buccaneers‘ offseason.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
As August approaches, teams continue to shuffle around their 90-man rosters, making minor signings and cuts. We’ll round up Tuesday’s minor transactions right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Bears signed wide receiver Dale Moss to fill out their roster, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). Moss spent part of 2012 on the Bears’ practice squad and the early part of the 2013 offseason on Chicago’s roster.
- Brian McIntyre (Twitter links) passes along word of a pair of waiver claims, reporting that the 49ers claimed offensive tackle Michael Philipp from the Dolphins, while the Lions were awarded wideout Quintin Payton from the Bucs. Detroit had an open roster spot, so no corresponding move was necessary to claim Payton — San Francisco has waived quarterback Kory Faulkner to make room for Philipp.
- The Steelers have waived-injured offensive lineman David Snow, replacing him on the roster with running back Josh Harris, the team announced today (Twitter link via PR man Burt Lauten).
Earlier updates:
- After suffering a couple injuries in the secondary recently, the Ravens have brought in a free agent defensive back, signing former Arena Leaguer Marrio Norman to a contract, the team announced today. To make room on the roster, Baltimore has cut wide receiver Gerrard Sheppard, who spent most of last season on the club’s practice squad.
- In order to make room for the newly-signed Alfonso Smith, the 49ers have waived-injured rookie guard Fouimalo Fonoti, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
- The Dolphins have made a series of moves this morning, signing tight end Brett Brackett, quarterback Seth Lobato and defensive end D’Aundre Reed, and waiving quarterback Brock Jensen and linebacker Derrell Johnson. Miami also waived-injured guard Davonte Wallace, according to the team (TwitLonger link). Of the six players, only Reed has seen regular-season NFL action, and his experience is limited to six active games in 2012. The release of Jensen is also notable, since he was one of the club’s more highly-touted undrafted free agents this spring.
- Former Jets linebacker Ricky Sapp has been cut by the Texans, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, who tweets that the team signed running back Tim Cornett and offensive tackle Mike Farrell. Sapp, a former fifth-round pick who was active in 10 total games last year for the Jets and Texans, will have to clear waivers before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
49ers, Ahmad Brooks Restructure Contract
The 49ers and Ahmad Brooks have agreed to a contract restructuring that will create just over $2MM in cap space for the team, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap (on Twitter). Brooks’ new Paragraph 5 salary (base salary) is $855K for the coming season and he’ll make up for that in bonus money (link).
Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports (Twitter links) has the details. The veteran linebacker converted $3.395MM of his 2014 base salary into signing bonus money for cap purposes. His cap number for 2014 drops from $6.6MM to about $4.5MM while his cap numbers in the remaining years rise to about $9.6MM in ’15 and ’16 and $8.6MM in ’17. That $9.6MM cap number for 2015 includes a $450K reporting bonus, according to Brian McIntyre (on Twitter).
Brooks, 30, signed a six-year contract extension worth $44.5MM ($17.5MM guaranteed) in February 2012. The outside linebacker has yet to miss a regular season game across four seasons for the 49ers, racking up 196 tackles and 33 sacks along the way.
While the restructuring doesn’t mean that another move is around the corner, it does give San Francisco some extra flexibility this offseason as they have several players seeking extensions and a holdout from guard Alex Boone. Tight end Vernon Davis, wide receiver Michael Crabtree, and right guard Mike Iupati are among those who could be in line for new deals.
Contract Details: Nelson, Reynolds, White
With a number of veteran free agents signing deals recently, and others being extended, the latest contract details have been a little more complicated than the usual minimum salary contracts we’d seen over the last few weeks. With that in mind, here’s a roundup of a few of the latest specific figures to surface:
- Over at the National Football Post, Aaron Wilson provides a year-by-year summary of Jordy Nelson‘s new extension with the Packers, which averages $9.7MM per year in new money and features an $11.5MM signing bonus.
- Garrett Reynolds‘ minimum salary benefit contract with the Lions includes a $15K signing bonus, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- Details of Roddy White‘s extension with the Falcons have emerged, and, unsurprisingly, the deal doesn’t look quite as lucrative as initially reported. According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (all Twitter links), White’s new four-year contract has a base value of $23MM, which means there’s $18MM in new money on the three-year extension. The pact also features a $7.55MM signing bonus and $8.5MM in escalators which could push the overall value to as high as $31.5MM. Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap has all the details in chart form.
- We heard last week that Tyson Clabo‘s new two-year deal with the Texans is worth $2.4MM, and now Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has the breakdown of the specifics (via Twitter). Per Wilson, the contract includes annual base salaries of $900K, a $200K signing bonus, roster bonuses worth up to $80K ($5K per game) in 2014, and roster bonuses worth up to $320K ($20K per game) in 2015.
- Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) clarifies that the Seahawks can now recover up to 15% of the prorated portion of Marshawn Lynch‘s signing bonus, rather than the entire thing. That means the team could go after $225K of the bonus, rather than $900K.
- The 49ers can do the same thing with Alex Boone‘s contract, as Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group details. 15% of Boone’s prorated signing bonus works out to $51K.
NFC Notes: Harbaugh, Peterson, Packers
Asked about Alex Boone‘s holdout and Vernon Davis‘ near-holdout, as well as his own contract situation, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh took the opportunity to set the record straight regarding rumors about his deal with the Niners, in a conversation with Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
“I signed my 10th contract in the National Football League in 2011, so I understand contracts,” Harbaugh said. “I understand how contracts work, and what they are there for. I also know that I work at the pleasure of the San Francisco 49ers organization and at the pleasure of the York Family. And I am paid extremely well – which I am most grateful for – and I am very proud to be part of this organization. For the record, I have never asked to be the highest-paid coach in football. I have never asked to be paid like a Super Bowl-winning coach. I have never asked for more power. Nor has anybody asked for those things on my behalf, which anybody in this organization can attest to, and all the focus will be on the 2014 season and achieving our goals of the team.”
Harbaugh’s comments seem to be directly reference an early-June report which suggested that contract talks between the Niners and their head coach had reached an impasse. While further discussions may still be on hold, it doesn’t sound as if Harbaugh is unhappy with his situation, which figures to be addressed after the 2014 season.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Cardinals GM Steve Keim and cornerback Patrick Peterson both appear committed to working out a long-term extension sooner rather than later, with Keim indicating the team has had “great talks” with agent Joel Segal, and Peterson saying the two sides are in “pretty heated negotiations.” Still, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today writes, no template has been set yet for how to account for the 2015 options for 2011 first-rounders when negotiating their second contracts.
- After speaking to “key people” within the Packers‘ organization, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com came away more convinced than ever that general manager Ted Thompson has no plans to retire anytime soon.
- Peter King of TheMMQB.com takes a look at Jordan Gross’ somewhat surprising decision to retire after the 2013 season, and how the longtime Panthers tackle is transitioning into his post-playing career.
- The Vikings are bringing in prominent criminal attorney Ted Wells, who headed the report on the Dolphins’ bullying scandal, to work on settlement talks for the Chris Kluwe investigation, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
49ers Sign Alfonso Smith
It appears the 49ers have signed veteran running back Alfonso Smith; the 27-year-old published a photo of the 49ers logo on Instagram, along with the caption “I’m A Niner [Baby !]” (h/t to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com). Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweeted earlier today that he expected San Francisco to sign a ball-carrier soon, and it looks they’ve done so.
Smith is entering his fifth NFL season after going undrafted out of Kentucky in 2010. He spent the past four years with the Cardinals, working as a backup. For his career, Smith has 48 carries for 156 yards and two touchdowns. In 2013, he played on nearly 50% of Arizona’s special teams snaps, and he’ll likely be asked to contribute in that capacity in San Francisco.
Earlier this year, it seemed the Niners were well-stocked with RB talent — second-round rookie Carlos Hyde was set to join Kendall Hunter, LaMichael James, and a rehabbing Marcus Lattimore behind starter Frank Gore. However, Hunter will miss the season after tearing his ACL on Saturday, James has a dislocated elbow, and Lattimore is still dealing with a multitude of injuries. Smith will presumably battle with Hyde for backup duties while the rest of the corps gets healthy.
West Notes: Lynch, Boone, Smith, Bradford
Though Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch seems intent on holding out for a new contract, his financial incentive to show up for training camp ramps up tomorrow, writes Terry Blount of ESPN.com. Lynch is currently being fined $30K for each missed practice session, but the more serious penalties can begin Tuesday, the sixth day of Lynch’s absence. The 28-year-old is subject to losing 15% of his signing bonus, which would amount to $900K. For his next 10 absences (starting Tuesday), Lynch could be fined an additional 1% per day. In total, Lynch could lose 25% of his signing bonus, or $1.5MM.
Blount adds that Lynch could lose one regular season game check (for Lynch, roughly $313K) for each preseason game that he misses. However, as Joel Corry of CBS Sports tweets, this particular rule only applies to players who signed as unrestricted free agents. Lynch, whose contract was signed about a week before free agency began in 2012, won’t be affected by this stipulation.
More from the NFL’s two West divisions:
- Like Lynch, 49ers guard Alex Boone is in the middle of a holdout, and Bill Williamson of ESPN.com doesn’t expect Boone to show to camp any time soon. The two sides are “far apart” in talks, and because San Francisco isn’t inclined to deal with Boone until he reports to practice, this battle could go on for awhile.
- Alex Smith is only signed through 2014, but the Chiefs are hoping to a new deal can be worked out soon. “…[T]here’s communication going on,” head coach Andy Reid told reporters, including the Kansas City Star’s Terez A. Paylor, at a press conference. “They’re working through it so we’ll see what happens. These things take [time]. You know how the game goes. Alex isn’t worried about it and I’m not not worried about it.”
- Sam Bradford is facing yet another “make or break” season with the Rams, per USA Today. St. Louis can save almost $13MM by cutting Bradford after 2014.
NFC Links: Cowboys, 49ers, Suh, Cardinals, Redskins
Let’s see what’s happening around the NFC on this Sunday evening…
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones acknowledged that the team nearly selected Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel, tweets NFL.com’s Dan Hellie. The owner added that he will rethink the decision “for the rest of (his) career.” Jones did clarify that he ultimately made the correct pick in offensive tackle Zack Martin (again via a tweet from Hellie).
- 49ers running back LaMichael James dislocated his elbow in practice and will miss a month, writes Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee. With Kendall Hunter out for the season with a torn ACL, the team only has rookie Carlos Hyde and Jewel Hampton as backup options for Frank Gore.
- With a depleted running back group, ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson can envision the 49ers placing Hunter on the IR and adding a free agent running back (Twitter link). ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets out a list of possibilities: Willis McGahee, Felix Jones, Michael Bush, Kahlil Bell, Bernard Scott, LaRod Stephens-Howling and (in a separate tweet) fullback Brian Leonard.
- Count Lions head coach Jim Caldwell among those who believe a contract extension will get done between the team and Ndamukong Suh. “I’m always optimistic,” Caldwell said to ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein. “I think you know me by now, and I think without question they are working at it, and I think something will be done at the appropriate time.”
- The Cardinals used Robert Hughes as a fullback during practice, and ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss says the player is a “strong possibility” to be the team’s fourth running back.
- The Redskins’ release of linebacker Brandon Jenkins should allow some younger players to shine, writes ESPN.com’s John Keim. “We like the play of the guys behind him,” head coach Jay Gruden said. “We thought the earlier we make that move to give Brandon a chance to go somewhere else would be beneficial to him.”
49ers Links: Camp Reports, Lynch, Martin
There is no shortage of information to consume for 49ers’ fans, as training camp reports have emerged from a number of sources. Tom Pelissero’s report for USA Today highlights the improved receiving group, with a healthy Michael Crabtree and a still able Anquan Boldin leading the charge.
Here are some more notes from around the 49ers’ camp:
- Pelissero also notes that with Anthony Davis recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, former Dolphin Jonathan Martin has been filling in at right tackle with the first team offense.
- The team has been intent on re-signing Crabtree, but Bill Williamson’s camp report for ESPN.com also notes that the team also plans to re-sign right guard Mike Iupati. Iupati has been one of the best interior linemen in the league, and was thought as possibly too expensive for the team to retain.
- One note from that report that needed to be highlighted further was general manager Trent Baalke’s assertion that the team only had four or five roster spots open this camp. Williamson highlighted that statement on his Twitter account.
- Williamson also highlighted a number of players who had been particularly impressive thus far in a separate report. Among those players who had been performing well were former Bills’ receiver Stevie Johnson and rookie tailback Carlos Hyde.
- Head coach Jim Harbaugh also pointed out two players who were standouts at their position in cornerbacks Tramaine Brock and Chris Culliver, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). They separated themselves from the other corners on the roster.
- Harbaugh also complimented defensive lineman Lawrence Okoye after his first padded practice, according to Maiocco (via Twitter).
- The team has activated two rookies from the physically unable to perform and non-football injury lists in Aaron Lynch and Marcus Martin, respectively, reports Maiocco of (via Twitter).
- Although both players are now active and will participate in walk throughs, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee points out that this does not necessarily mean they will be joining padded practices just yet (via Twitter).
NFC Notes: 49ers, Panthers, Saints, Redskins
49ers GM Trent Baalke confirmed today that the team wants to extend the contracts of wide receiver Michael Crabtree and guard Mike Iupati, tweets Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. Baalke added that he hasn’t decided when the time will be to stop negotiations if no deal has been reached, which suggests that discussions are ongoing. We’ve examined both Crabtree and Iupati as part of our Extension Candidate series.
Let’s round up a few more items from around the NFC….
- The last year of Kendall Hunter‘s contract with the 49ers will be a lost one, as an ACL injury has him ticketed for injured reserve, but Baalke would like to re-sign the running back next year if possible, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
- With running backs Jonathan Stewart and Tyler Gaffney sidelined, the Panthers intend to sign another player to join the backfield, according to head coach Ron Rivera (Twitter link via Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer). Per ESPN.com’s David Newton (Twitter links), Gaffney suffered a torn lateral meniscus tear in his knee and will miss the season.
- It’s a contract year for Mark Ingram and it might as well be for Pierre Thomas as well, according to Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune, who says it will be a pivotal season for the two Saints running backs.
- New Redskins coach Jay Gruden didn’t make much use of his fullbacks during his last three seasons in Cincinnati. However, he intends to work Darrel Young into the mix in Washington this year, explaining simply, “I didn’t have Darrel Young in Cincinnati. If I had him, I would have used him” (link via Joseph White of The Associated Press).
- Frank Gore is pulling for fellow NFC West running back Marshawn Lynch to get a new deal from the Seahawks as a result of his holdout, as he tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today.