QB Rumors: Vick, Cassel, McCown
As Andrew Cohen writes at OverTheCap.com, at least two former starting quarterbacks, Mark Sanchez and Matt Schaub, will likely be cap casualties in the coming days or weeks. Both players are expected to be released, as their respective teams move on to alternative options and take advantage of the cap savings.
While Sanchez and Schaub haven’t reached free agency yet, several other signal-callers appear poised to hit the open market in a couple weeks, assuming they don’t re-up with their current teams before March 11. Here are the latest rumors on a few of the top options on the QB market, mostly courtesy of Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com:
- A strong market is forming for Michael Vick, and while the Jets have been mentioned as a potential suitor, league sources believe the team may refrain from spending in the range that Vick would require, says La Canfora.
- The Raiders are considering multiple free agent quarterbacks, and Oakland may represent the best spot for Vick to start immediately. However, it’s still possible that Vick re-signs with the Eagles.
- The Vikings, 49ers, Buccaneers, and Texans are exploring free agent options as well, according to La Canfora.
- Matt Cassel is viewed as a decent bet to return to Minnesota, but if he doesn’t, the Texans are a likely suitor for him.
- Josh McCown is drawing interest from several teams, including, as we’ve already heard, the Bears and Jets. However, New York’s interest will again be dependent on how much the club is willing to spend on a veteran QB.
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com makes a case for why the Jets should re-sign Vick.
NFC Notes: Falcons, Packers, Bears
It was revealed yesterday that potential number-one pick Jadeveon Clowney wants to play for the Falcons. While team general manager Thomas Dimitroff brushed off Clowney’s comments, he did reveal his willingness to wheel and deal. Dimitroff spoke to NFL Network’s Kimberly Jones and discussed the Falcons’ draft plans (via D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution):
“I’ve been very clear about this, we will always be open for business,” Dimitroff said. “We will always be open to move up and back, depends on what’s right for us.”
Based on most mock draft, Clowney won’t be around for the Falcons’ pick. Even then, Dimitroff may instead be looking to move down.
“Again, I feel really comfortable with where we are at six,” he said, “but there are opportunities on both sides of six.”
Here are a couple more notes from around the NFC…
- The Packers should re-sign center Evan Dietrich-Smith, says Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Vandermause believes the team should keep Dietrich-Smith and let him compete with J.C. Tretter for the starting gig.
- The Bears have shown interest in bringing back Henry Melton and Jay Ratliff, writes Dan Pompei. The writer also says that he would be surprised if the team had zero interest in bringing back Nate Collins.
- Vernon Davis hinted on Instagram that he’s working on bringing Maurice Jones-Drew to the 49ers, writes Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union. Davis posed a picture with the caption: “Me and Maurice Jones Drew discussing the FUTURE a few nights ago. #San Francisco.’’ As Stellino points out, Jones-Drew grew up in California and attended UCLA.
Extra Points: Titans, Roos, Harbaugh, Browns
Although the Titans are currently prioritizing this year’s pending free agents and potential cap casualties, the team shouldn’t forget about players like left tackle Michael Roos and defensive tackle Jurrell Casey, whose contracts are up after the 2014 season, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. In Wyatt’s view, Tennessee can afford to wait to see how Casey fits in a changing defense, but the team would be wise to try to lock up Roos to an extension as soon as possible.
Here are a few more miscellaneous Monday links from around the NFL:
- Former Octagon agents Doug Hendrickson and C.J. LaBoy have joined Relativity Sports, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal (via Twitter). Mullen adds in a second tweet that the duo will work with and report to Relativity’s football CEO, Eugene Parker.
- If Jim Harbaugh doesn’t receive a contract extension this offseason and the 49ers don’t win the Super Bowl next season, expect the Dolphins to be among the teams pursing the head coach next year, tweets Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports.
- Before he was removed from his role as CEO of the team, Joe Banner had the Browns‘ offensive and defensive coordinators reporting directly to him, reports Pat Kirwan of CBSSports.com. As agent Mike McCartney observes (via Twitter), if Kirwan’s report is accurate, it’s not hard to understand why head coaching candidates would’ve been reluctant to accept the Cleveland job.
- Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who had a stellar performance at the combine, met with nine teams, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link): The Cowboys, Ravens, Bears, Bengals, Vikings, Texans, Lions, Buccaneers, and Rams.
- The Packers, Patriots, and Seahawks met with Rutgers receiver Brandon Coleman, who also had an informal meeting with the Redskins, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
49ers’ Craig Dahl Agrees To Pay Cut
Safety Craig Dahl has agreed to a new contract that will reduce his salary for 2014 and create $600K in cap savings for the 49ers, a source tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Jason Hurley of NinersCapHell.com was the first to notice that Dahl’s base salary for ’14 was down to $825K in the NFLPA database.
Dahl, 28, had previously been in line to earn a $1.35MM base salary with bonus money increasing his total cap number to about $1.883MM. However, it appears as if his base salary has been reduced by $525K, while his $250K roster bonus has been reduced to a potential $175K that can be earned via per-game roster bonuses. According to Maiocco, $365K of Dahl’s $825K base salary will be guaranteed.
Maiocco also reports that the new deal will also include $650K in unlikely incentives, which Dahl could earn if he makes the Pro Bowl or reaches certain thresholds in playing time and interceptions. Those incentives won’t count against the cap unless they’re earned, so taking into account Dahl’s prorated signing bonus and workout bonus, his new cap number is about $1.283MM.
After starting all 16 games in the Rams’ secondary in 2012, Dahl assumed a backup role in San Francisco in 2013, seeing action on special teams as well. With Donte Whitner set to hit free agency, Dahl could compete for an increased role in the Niners’ secondary in 2014.
Latest On Jim Harbaugh, 49ers, Browns
Since Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on Friday that the Browns had “nearly” acquired the rights to 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, several reports have followed up on that story with additional details and an assortment of half-confirmations, half-denials from the Browns and Niners. Here’s a round-up of where the story stands as of Monday morning:
- After tweeting on Friday that PFT’s report “isn’t true,” 49ers CEO Jed York softened his stance somewhat. “The Browns reached out to me, and we had no interest in pursuing it,” York tells Peter King of TheMMQB.
- Speaking to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, York explained that he initially shot down the report because it wasn’t true that the 49ers were willing to move forward with the deal and Harbaugh wasn’t interested. Asked how far discussions progressed, York replied “not far at all,” adding that the Niners had “no interest” in entering serious negotiations. According to York, the team intends to reopen extension talks with Harbaugh before the 2014 season.
- Barrows reported yesterday that the Browns called the 49ers last month to ask about several of the team’s coaches. During conversations between the two sides, Harbaugh’s name came up, and former Browns CEO Joe Banner indicated what sort of compensation the team would be willing to provide for the Niners head coach. However, the discussion didn’t progress from that point.
- Browns owner Jimmy Haslam confirmed this weekend that there was at least something to the initial report, telling Jarrett Bell of USA Today, “There was an opportunity there, and it didn’t materialize.”
- While Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com also believes talks between the Browns and Niners didn’t get far, he says the rift between Harbaugh and San Francisco’s front office – including GM Trent Baalke and president Paraag Marathe – is much greater than has been portrayed in the media. League sources who have spoken to La Canfora at the combine have been pessimistic about the odds of an extension this offseason for Harbaugh.
NFC Notes: Lions, Giants, Clowney, Watkins
The biggest positions of need for the Lions is thought to be cornerback after a poor performance from the secondary in 2013, and also finding a talented receiver to pair with Calvin Johnson. Even still, Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News writes that doesn’t lock the Lions first-round pick into those positions. He writes that there are some interesting offensive tackles projected as top ten picks, including Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews, Auburn’s Greg Robinson and Michigan’s Taylor Lewan. If any of those three were still available, they would be real options for the Lions at tenth overall. Here are some other notes from the NFC:
- If Hakeem Nicks leaves the Giants in free agency, the team will have a hole to fill at receiver, writes Tom Rock of Newsday. He writes that general manager Jerry Reese is not sold that Rueben Randle can fill that role, and that the team could look to address the position in free agency or with its first-round pick.
- Rams’ head coach Jeff Fisher subscribes to the theory that you can never have enough pass rushers, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. If the Texans select a quarterback with the first pick, the Rams may have the opportunity to add a great pass rusher in Jadeveon Clowney. While it is not a position of need, he is thought to be the best player available in the draft.
- Bill Williamson of ESPN.com wrote about the possibility of the team moving up in the draft to grab a big time playmaker like Clemson’s Sammy Watkins. While Williamson thinks it is too big of a leap, as Watkins is thought of as a top five pick, if he begins to fall past tenth overall the 49ers have the resources to consider packaging picks to move up in the draft.
- John Kuhn‘s agent, Kevin Gold said there is “mutual interest” in Kuhn returning to the Packers, according to Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette (via Twitter). Gold and the Packers have been talking specifics in Indianapolis at the Scouting Combine.
Colin Kaepernick, 49ers Talking Extension
Earlier today, Ian Rapaport reported that Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers have begun preliminary contract talks (via Twitter). While some believe that he could be looking at an elite payday, Dan Hanzus of NFL.com is less clear about what the quarterback’s value is. If the team is sold on his talents, the best chance they have of extending him on a fairly team-friendly deal would be this offseason.
2014 will be the last year on Kaepernick’s rookie contract, and although he was drafted in 2011, because he was not a first-round pick the 49ers do not own a team option for a fifth year of his services, like the Panthers do with Cam Newton. Kaepernick is scheduled to make just under $1MM before hitting free agency next season.
That free agency is something the 49ers would like to avoid. Hanzus writes that although Kaepernick took the league by storm after replacing an injured Alex Smith midway through the 2012 season, he struggled with consistency in 2013. The 26-year-old signal caller failed to throw for 200 yards in eight different games despite throwing for 412 yards to start the season and 310 yards to end it.
He also failed to throw for 200 yard in his final two playoff games, and turned the ball over three times in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Seahawks.
Kaepernick was reported saying that he was not likely to try to make his contract situation a point of contention, realizing that holding out for every last dollar would hurt the team’s ability to surround him with important players. While Hanzus makes note of the flaws in his seemingly superhuman talent, he still believes that Kaepernick’s potential upside is remarkably high, and writes that it would be a “a Tyson-in-Tokyo upset if Kaepernick ever reached the open market.”
Combine Notes: Lions, Kaepernick, Ravens, Osemele, Pierce, Ebron
- The Lions are “casting a wide net” in their search for receivers, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. The team has a “major deficiency” at receiver and is looking in the draft and free agency for a legitimate complement to Calvin Johnson. Said GM Martin Mayhew: “We want guys that, if, for whatever reason Calvin is getting doubled or he’s not playing in a particular game, that he can go out and make plays by himself. That was one of our things last year, when Calvin was injured, we struggled offensively a lot of times to get off or other players to get off. We’re going to be looking for receivers who can win one-on-one battles, win one-on-one matchups and make plays down the field.”
- The 49ers and Colin Kaepernick are talking extension, tweets the Boston Globe’s Jeff Howe.
- North Carolina junior TE prospect Eric Ebron has piqued the interest of the Giants and Jets, according to ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini.
- The Ravens met with offensive tackle prospects Cyrus Kouandjio (Alabama) and Morgan Moses (Virginia), according to the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson.
- Kelechi Osemele (herniated disk) will be ready to participate in the team’s conditioning program in April, while Bernard Pierce (rotator cuff surgery) will be ready for training camp, adds Wilson.
Browns Nearly Traded For Jim Harbaugh?
5:36pm: 49ers CEO Jed York denied the rumor via Twitter.
4:58pm: Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report hears from multiple source that Florio’s report is “essentially accurate,” with one source telling Freeman there were “extensive discussions between the Browns and Niners (Twitter link).
3:58pm: While the Browns didn’t deny the PFT report, a 49ers source calls it “ridiculous” and “completely false,” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Of course, whether or not the initial report is true, it makes sense for the Niners to deny it, since they’re moving forward with Harbaugh in charge. For the Browns, as I wrote below, the report suggests that the team was aiming high in its coaching search, so Cleveland may be less inclined to publicly shoot it down.
3:47pm: Jim Harbaugh nearly became the first NFL head coach traded since the Jets sent Herm Edwards to Kansas City in 2006, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Citing multiple league sources, Florio reports that the Browns had a deal in place that would have sent multiple draft picks to the 49ers in exchange for the rights to Harbaugh, but the San Francisco coach decided to stay put. On the heels of Florio’s report, the Browns have released a statement in which the team didn’t deny pursuing Harbaugh.
“The team conducted an extensive coaching search, and explored several options,” said the Browns in the statement. “That search produced an outstanding head coach in Mike Pettine and we’re excited about his future with the club” (Twitter links via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal).
The Browns were the NFL’s last team to hire a head coach this offseason, and their long, laborious search was believed to have contributed to GM Mike Lombardi and CEO Joe Banner losing their jobs. If Florio’s report on Harbaugh is true, it adds another odd wrinkle to the team’s lengthy coaching hunt, and shows how high Cleveland was aiming in its search for Rob Chudzinski‘s replacement. The Browns ultimately hired Pettine, the former Bills’ defensive coordinator, as their head coach.
Had Harbaugh agreed to coach the Browns, and had the two teams agreed on fair compensation, the divisional rivalry between the Browns and Ravens would’ve taken on a new importance as well, with Jim and John Harbaugh squaring off twice a year. Ultimately though, it seems as if the younger Harbaugh was just one of many coaching candidates the Browns targeted but couldn’t reel in.
Extra Points: Wheeler, Grimes, Chargers, Gore
There have been some rumblings at the combine that the Dolphins could cut linebacker Philip Wheeler, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle, who adds (via Twitter) that the Raiders would be “very interested” in bringing Wheeler back to Oakland if he were available. Still, I’d be pretty surprised if Miami decided to part ways with Wheeler. With several years of prorated bonus money still left on his deal, the Dolphins wouldn’t create any cap savings by releasing the 29-year-old this offseason.
As the Dolphins weigh that decision, let’s check out a handful of other updates from across the NFL….
- Cornerback Brent Grimes had been viewed as a candidate to be designated as the Dolphins’ franchise player this offseason. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com now hears that tagging Grimes may not be a realistic solution for Miami at a cost of about $11.3MM (Twitter link).
- Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com provides a few of the notable quotes from Chargers GM Tom Telesco during his Thurday sesssion with reporters. Telesco acknowledged that the team isn’t exactly “flush with cap space,” suggesting there will be some tough decisions to make in the next several weeks.
- In his comments to the media today, there were no indications that GM Trent Baalke and the 49ers will ask Frank Gore to take a pay cut for 2014, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
- After spending big in free agency a year ago, the Colts plan to be more judicious with their spending this offseason, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
- According to ESPN.com’s David Newton, the time may be right for the Panthers to draft a QB to back up Cam Newton.
- The Ravens met with a pair of top-five OT draft prospects – Zack Martin and Taylor Lewan – at the combine, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- In an interview with Rob Maaddi of The Associated Press, former All-Pro receiver Terrell Owens suggested he still thinks he’s capable of playing in the NFL at age 40. In spite of T.O.’s confidence, I wouldn’t expect to see him sign with an NFL team anytime soon.