Bucs, Louis Murphy Agree To Extension
The Buccaneers have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with wide receiver Louis Murphy, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (on Twitter).
Murphy, 27 (28 by the start of next season), has hauled in 31 catches for 380 yards and two touchdowns this season. Over the course of his six year career, which has also included time with the Raiders, Panthers, and Giants, Murphy has 152 career receptions for 2,124 yards and 10 touchdowns. The advanced metrics at ProFootballFocus (subscription required) aren’t all that impressed with his play this year, however. Murphy grades out as one of the worst wide receivers eligible for measure – he’s No. 106 out of 113 with a -9.2 overall rating.
The former Florida Gator was moved to the injured reserve list on December 15th, along with teammates Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Gerald McCoy. The speedster’s ankle will be good to go in 2015.
NFC Links: Bradford, Crabtree, Foster
A variety of factors will go into the offseason decision-making for the Rams, but with the defense clicking on all cylinders and the team playing themselves out of a high draft pick, the team’s best course of action may be to retain Sam Bradford, writes Joan Niesen of Sports Illustrated.
It would take too much for the Rams to trade for a quarterback or move up in the draft, and hoping for a healthy and consistent season from Bradford could be the best move for them if they hope to compete in the NFC West next season.
Here are some other links from around the NFC:
- The 49ers will have to make a decision on whether or not to keep Michael Crabtree with the team going forward, and the former first-round pick is excited to reach this offseason, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “I can’t wait to see what’s next, the next chapter in my career,” said Crabtree. “I’m going to go hard every day. I’m going to go hard every year, try to get better. Try to maximize my talent.”
- Buccaneers‘ linebacker Mason Foster is also set to hit free agency, but is looking forward to remaining with the team in 2015 and beyond, writes Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. “I definitely want to stay in Tampa,’’ Foster said. “Both my sons were born in Tampa. I’ve got a lot of ties down here, and I love Tampa. It would be great. It would be amazing to stay here. But football is a business so you know there’s a chance you won’t be here.’’
- The Lions will be without center Dominic Raiola this weekend against the Packers with the lineman suspended for the game, but the team is confident in backup Travis Swanson, writes Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. Raiola surely would love Swanson to play well as the Lions beat the Packers to win the division, but as an impending free agent, his leverage would be much better were Swanson to struggle to replace him.
- The Eagles are slated to be selecting around 20th in the 2015 NFL draft, and Jared Sherman of CSNPhilly.com has already taken a look at what players they could consider selecting in his first mock draft. Sherman has the team targeting a cornerback, going with Marcus Peters out of Washington. The way the Eagles have been burned by Dez Bryant and DeSean Jackson the past two weeks, it is no surprise Sherman sees corner as the team’s top priority.
NFC Links: Colston, Cutler, Bucs, Packers
ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett explores a couple reasons why Marques Colston‘s future with the Saints is uncertain. The 31-year-old’s production has dropped the past three seasons, and he’s set to make $7MM in 2015. Of course, the veteran wideout could agree to a pay cut, and that would certainly make teammate Drew Brees a happy camper.
“First of all, I think he’s gonna be here for a long time,” Brees said. “But just as I talk about him as a player, as a person, as a teammate and all those things, he’s everything you would want. Everything you would want. And I’ve been lucky to have him for nine years, and I’m gonna be lucky to have him for a few more.
“I mean he’s a mainstay. There’s not any person who I’ve ever played with who has been more steady, more consistent in every way. He’s the consummate teammate.”
Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the NFC…
- Despite making only four appearances this season, the Saints still claim they haven’t given up on second-round pick Stanley Jean-Baptiste. Both coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said they knew the cornerback would be a project, and they continue to echo that sentiment. “When we made that selection, we kind of understood exactly what we were receiving from an experience standpoint,” Payton said (via Triplett). “I like what I’ve been seeing from him. … For us, we like a lot of the characteristics we value in that position, and he has them. I think with the selection there were certain things we understood regarding him, and you have to have a vision. I think we had that.”
- Jay Cutler will return as the Bears starting quarterback this weekend, and the embattled star says he’ll be playing for “the guys that have been in the huddle all year long.” As Michael C. Wright explains, Cutler understands that there could be some drastic changes within the organization this offseason. “I think you’ve just got to prepare yourself that anything could happen,” Cutler said. “That’s kind of what I’m prepared for. I mean, everyone could stay. Everyone could get axed. You just never know what direction it’s going to go. You just have to stay open-minded and know that things happen for a reason.”
- The Buccaneers haven’t been particularly good recently, but that hasn’t prevented Mason Foster from wanting to stick around. The linebacker has battled injuries, and ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas says there’s no guarantee the 25-year-old will return. However, if it were up to Foster, he’d make Tampa Bay is permanent home. “I definitely want to stay in Tampa,’’ Foster said. “Both my sons were born in Tampa. I’ve got a lot of ties down here, and I love Tampa. It would be great. It would be amazing to stay here. But football is a business so you know there’s a chance you won’t be here.’’
- Packers cornerback Davon House has missed the last two games as he tries to recover from a fractured right scapula. The upcoming free agent understands that his season may be over, and that means his tenure in Green Bay could also be finished. “I’m still not cleared, so if the season were to end this Sunday I played my last game as a Packer probably,” House said (via Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press Gazette). “You have to be real in my shoes. You have to be real. It’s my fourth year. It’s not guaranteed I’ll be back in March, so it’s a chance I played my last game. Is that highly (likely), no? But it’s still possible.”
Workout Updates: Wednesday
Although NFL teams have been working out players all season, most of this week’s auditions will be conducted with an eye on the future, since clubs will soon be able to start signing players to reserve/futures deals for the 2015 season. Listed below are the most recently reported workouts from around the league, with all links pointed to Aaron Wilson’s Twitter account, unless otherwise indicated…
- Prior to signing long snapper Charley Hughlett, the Browns auditioned several other long snappers, taking a look at Dax Dellenbach, Brandon Hartson, and Luke Ingram. The club also worked out defensive tackle Torell Troup.
- While the Raiders elected to sign linebacker Justin Jackson to their practice squad yesterday, the team also tried out fellow linebacker Terrance Bullitt. Bullitt reached an agreement as an undrafted free agent with the Ravens in May, but it fell through due to a shoulder issue.
- The Vikings brought in defensive end Leon Mackey and linebacker Justin Anderson for tryouts this week — the latter ended up signing to Minnesota’s practice squad.
- A pair of running backs and a pair of defensive backs worked out for the Falcons this week. Atlanta opted to sign RB Ronnie Wingo and DB Brandan Bishop to its taxi squad, passing on RB Michael Ford and DB Malcolm Branson.
- In addition to working out for the Jaguars this week, defensive end Shawn Lemon auditioned for the Colts.
- Undrafted free agent center Jared Wheeler tried out for the Buccaneers, along with kicker Travis Coons, wide receiver Derrick Johnson, defensive back Shelton Johnson, and offensive linemen Adrian Battles, Stetson Burnett, Brett Van Sloten, and Brett Jones.
- The Seahawks auditioned wide receivers Lamont Bryant, Mike Davis, Jeremy Gallon, and Douglas McNeil, along with ex-Ravens outside linebacker Michael McAdoo, per Wilson. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that Seattle also looked at quarterback Brett Smith, who was waived by the Buccaneers in May.
- Caplan also passes along word of one more workout, tweeting that former seventh-round kicker Zach Hocker tried out for the 49ers.
NFC Notes: Bucs, McCown, Vikings, Falcons
The Buccaneers could wind up picking No. 1 overall, but head coach Lovie Smith isn’t thinking about it, as Pat Yasinkas of ESPN.com writes.
“That can’t even come into the equation,” Smith said. “[In Sunday’s loss to Green Bay], even though we didn’t play as well, the guys fought right up until the end — they weren’t thinking about that pick or anything like that. This week we’re going to do the same thing. We’re going to make decisions that will give us the best chance to win by being able to look at players that we haven’t seen, that may come into the equation a little bit, but we’re going to do everything that we possibly can to try and win the game and let everything else take care of itself.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Although Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown will turn 36 next summer, he’s not thinking about retiring after this season, as Pat Yasinkas of ESPN.com writes. “I don’t know if it’s at that point yet,” McCown said. “Obviously right now at this point in the season your body is tired and all those things. But once you get away from it and kind of reassess things, I feel good. My plan right now is to keep playing.”
- Wide receiver Jarius Wright and safety Harrison Smith are two Vikings players eligible for contract extensions this offseason, and as Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press details in a pair of pieces, Wright thinks he’s done enough to warrant a new deal, while Smith says he loves Minnesota and has no interest in playing anywhere else. Within that second piece, Tomasson also spoke to a few other Vikings about potential extensions, including tackle Matt Kalil.
- Former Browns CEO Joe Banner is advising the Falcons, with a focus on the team’s new stadium business, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
- Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters, including Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter), that his personnel department really liked center Travis Swanson coming out of the draft. Of course, Swanson wound up being selected by the Lions in the third round of this year’s draft instead.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Browns, Buccaneers
Today’s minor moves..
- Browns defensive tackle John Hughes will be activated from the IR-DTR list, according to Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald (via Twitter). Hughes suffered an MCL injury in late October and has been sidelined ever since. He returned to practice about two weeks ago but remained on the short-term IR list.
- The Buccaneers will sign punter Chase Tenpenny to a reserve-future deal, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).
Buccaneers, Titans Will Draft In Top Two
With one week left in the regular season, the first half of the 2015 NFL Draft order is close to being set. The Buccaneers and Titans both lost in Week 16, clinching their place as the first two teams to reach the podium when the draft opens on April 30.
Last week, the top six teams in terms of potential draft position were the Buccaneers, Titans, Jaguars, Raiders, Washington, and Jets. Of those teams, Jacksonville, Washington, and Oakland all notched wins this past weekend. Those wins knocked all three teams out of the running for a top two pick, and the Jets were already out of that race due to strength of schedule.
Rivers McCown of Advanced Football Analytics put together odds of where each team will likely fall within the top five selections of the NFL Draft. According to their calculations, the Buccaneers have a 75% chance of landing the first overall pick, and could clinch that spot with a loss. The Titans would need to lose to the Colts and have the Buccaneers to beat the Saints in order to jump into the top spot.
Washington’s schedule would not allow them to gain the third overall pick after beating the Eagles, even if the Jets, Raiders, and Jaguars all win and end the season with four wins. The Jaguars and Raiders will play the Texans and Broncos respectively, and both teams will still need those wins in Week 17. The Jets might have an easier game, with the Dolphins already eliminated from playoff contention.
Minor Moves: Saturday
We will keep track of all of Saturday’s minor transactions here. As usual, newest moves will be added to the top as they come in:
- The Seahawks have made a change to their 53-man roster, placing tight end Rashaun Allen on waivers and promoting offensive lineman Keavon Milton from their taxi squad, tweets Brian McIntyre. Milton will provide some depth on Seattle’s offensive line as the team prepares to be without Russell Okung and Max Unger this weekend in Arizona.
Earlier updates:
- Earlier today, the Raiders placed Tarell Brown on injured reserve. The team has signed linebacker Spencer Hadley off of its practice squad to fill Brown’s roster spot, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).
- The 49ers have placed rookie inside linebacker Chris Borland on the injured reserve, reports Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). The team has promoted outside linebacker Chase Thomas from its practice squad.
- The Buccaneers have placed safety Major Wright on injured reserve, reports Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter). The team has promoted cornerback C.J. Wilson from the practice squad to the active roster to fill his spot.
- The Dolphins have signed wide receiver Matt Hazel off of the practice squad to the active roster, reports James Walker of ESPN (via Twitter). The team has released linebacker Jake Knott to make room for Hazel.
Extra Points: Marks, Cutler, Ponder, Bucs
With his sack tonight, Jaguars defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks earned a fat $600K bonus, as Vito Stellino of The Florida Times-Union writes. Marks would already have earned the bonus if the league didn’t take away a sack he was credited with against Houston’s Ryan Fitzpatrick two weeks ago when the quarterback tripped and fell down and he was the first to touch him. However, he claims that he wasn’t upset about the ruling. More from around the National Football League..
- Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune looks at what might be next for Bears signal caller Jay Cutler. The Cardinals will probably bring back Carson Palmer in 2015, the Raiders have Derek Carr, and Rams tight ends coach Ron Turner would probably talk coach Jeff Fisher out of the idea. Ultimately, Biggs sees the Jets and Titans as the most likely destinations for the veteran.
- Matt Vensel of the Star-Tribune (video link) wonders if there will be a spot in the NFL for former Vikings starting quarterback Christian Ponder.
- Matt Bowen of the Chicago Tribune ran down the Bears‘ problems from top to bottom, from the front office to the locker room.
- Former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford has agreed in principle to become the new head coach of the CFL’s BC Lions, a source tells Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- It seems likely that Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert will be staying on injured reserve for the rest of the year, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The athletic tight end has not practiced since Week 1.
- Signing linebacker K.J. Wright to a contract extension shows the Seahawks‘ commitment to their core players, writes Terry Blount of ESPN.com.
NFC Notes: Glennon, Vick, Rolle, Austin
A pair of playoff hopefuls will square off in two NFC divisional matchup this weekend, but it’s hard to view Cardinals/Seahawks and Saints/Falcons as equally important games. While the winner of the West showdown will have the inside track on the No. 1 seed for the postseason, the winner of the South contest will inch slightly closer to .500, and move closer to becoming the league’s worst division winner.
While we look forward to those two games and others, let’s check out the latest links from around the conference….
- In the offseason, head coach Lovie Smith repeatedly referred to Mike Glennon as the Buccaneers‘ “quarterback of the future,” but he wasn’t willing to continue bestowing that title on Glennon this week, writes Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. “His future right now is, he’s on our football team,” Smith said of Glennon. “We’re not talking on the future right now. The future is about that last press conference — after the season.”
- With his one-year Jets deal set to expire soon, Michael Vick has considered his 2015 destination, and is intrigued by the idea of joining his hometown team in Washington, as he tells Newsday’s Kimberley A. Martin. “I’m open to playing for anybody that wants to win. But obviously, going back home, I mean, that’ll be a dream come true,’‘ Vick said with a smile. “But I would hate to get my hopes up for something that wouldn’t happen. So I can’t even think about it right now.”
- Nick Powell of NJ.com attempts to determine what a new contract for Antrel Rolle would look like as the Giants safety nears free agency.
- Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, who is on the Fritz Pollard list of top minority head coaching candidates, indicated today that he’ll interview with any teams interested in him as a head coach this offseason, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
- Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright, whose new four-year extension with the team was announced earlier today, said sticking with Seattle was his preference all along, and the Seahawks’ offer exceeded the dollar number had had in his head (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times).