Bucs Release Mike Kafka
The Bucs have released quarterback Mike Kafka, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Kafka was signed off of the practice squad late last month.
Kafka, 27, did not take a snap during his short stint on the Bucs’ active roster. His lone NFL experience came in 2011 with the Eagles where he appeared in four games, completing 11 of 16 throws.
Although he drew some interest from the Cowboys back in February, Kafka was signed by the Bucs and spent most of the year with the club before becoming a roster casualty during the cutdown to 53 players. After he cleared waivers though, Tampa Bay quickly re-added him to its practice squad, making him the de facto No. 3 signal-caller for the team despite the fact that he wasn’t on the active roster.
NFC Notes: Seahawks, McCoy, Lions, Bears
Recent reports indicated that the Seahawks are falling apart and possibly planning to part ways with running back Marshawn Lynch after this season, but Seattle silenced that speculation this week with a big team effort against the Panthers, writes Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. “[The reports were] not a distraction at all,” coach Pete Carroll said. “Our guys don’t care about what’s being said. We’ve been prepared all year that there would be stuff like this, that there would be controversy and story lines that would try to get in between us. We’re fine.” More from the NFC..
- The Falcons are 2-6 and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (video link) says that both coach Mike Smith and GM Thomas Dimitroff could be on the hot seat this offseason. Owner Arthur Blank can be expected to “evaluate everyone” after the season.
- There isn’t any offset language with the $51.5M of guarantees in Gerald McCoy‘s contract with the Bucs, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
- With Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush sidelined, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is extra glad that his club added Golden Tate over the offseason. “He’s just a competitive son of a gun,” Stafford said of Tate, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. “And you just trust him, you want to throw him the ball, you feel good about it when you throw it to him. And I’m proud of him, happy for him. I know he’s going to be excited when Calvin comes back to be that duo that they want to be.”
- Bears GM Phil Emery doesn’t sound like a man who wants to make a coaching change. “The solutions to win games are with the people in this building,” said the GM, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
King On Lynch, Fairley, Martin, Pats
Let’s check out some of the highlights from Peter King’s weekly MMQB column..
- King agrees with ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and feels that this is the end for Marshawn Lynch in Seattle. However, he doesn’t see him getting moved by Tuesday’s deadline unless the Seahawks are blown away by an offer. Even a team desperate for a running back isn’t going to give the Seahawks anything like the third-round pick that they would need to start considering a deal, King opines. Lynch is set to earn $6.5MM in 2015 but Seattle might cut him loose instead.
- The Lions initially believed that defensive tackle Nick Fairley hadn’t suffered a season-ending knee injury in London on Sunday, but King is now hearing that the injury is bad. Fairley’s MRI results should be in later today.
- King notes that on NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast, Mike Florio noted that the Patriots could be in the market for Buccaneers running back Doug Martin. Martin is in the midst of a down year and injured his ankle yesterday.
- John Brown was the Cardinals‘ hero on Sunday and that may have surprised some, but not Cardinals GM Steve Keim. When Keim traded the No. 20 pick in the draft to New Orleans for the Nos. 27 and 91, he was hoping and praying Brown would fall to him at No. 91. Brown, who doesn’t have a big program pedigree, was available, and it would appear that the Cards made one heck of a selection.
Kelly: Eagles Not Looking To Trade
The trade deadline is a little over 24 hours away and speculation has been swirling around the 5-2 Eagles. However, an interview on WIP, Eagles coach Chip Kelly made it known that the Eagles aren’t thinking about making a deal between now and tomorrow afternoon, tweets Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News.
“The trade deadline is overblown,” Kelly said. “I don’t anticipate doing anything. I’m very happy with the team we have right now. I love the way they can compete.”
Yesterday, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that the Eagles are looking for help at strong safety with Nate Allen struggling so far this season. Florio was unsure of who the Eagles might target, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com was quick to point out that the Buccaneers’ Dashon Goldson and the Titans‘ Michael Griffin could be had at the right price. Later that day, Allen didn’t do much to help his case as he let Cardinals wideout John Brown get behind him to catch the go-ahead 75-yard touchdown with less than two minutes to play. The Eagles are also reportedly calling on Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson, who would look pretty great lined up opposite of Jeremy Maclin, who is in the midst of a career year.
However, if Kelly is to be believed, the Eagles are more than content to roll with the team that they have in place for the second half of the year.
NFC Notes: Jake Long, Bucs, Bears, Lions
The Rams fear that left tackle Jake Long has torn his ACL, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Long, the first overall pick in 2008, spent the first five seasons of his career with the Dolphins before signing a four-year, $34MM contract with St. Louis prior to last season. If the diagnosis is correct, Long would be the second notable Rams player, along with quarterback Sam Bradford, to have his season cut short by an ACL injury. Long also missed the final game of last season after tearing his ACL. Greg Robinson, the second overall pick in the 2014 draft, will presumably take over at left tackle. He had been playing left guard, and given that Rodger Saffold also suffered an injury today, the Rams will have to do some maneuvering along their offensive line. Veteran guard Davin Joseph is a candidate to be re-inserted into the starting lineup.
- We’ve heard rumors that the Buccaneers could look to move Vincent Jackson and/or Doug Martin, and following today’s overtime loss to the Vikings, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com opines (Twitter links) that Tampa Bay should look to deal the two, in addition to safety Dashon Goldson, at all costs. The Bucs generally don’t offer signing bonuses, so no money would accelerate onto their cap if Goldson was dealt. The acquiring team would be responsible for 9/17 of Goldon’s 2014 base salary, plus all of his 2015 guarantee — in total, about $7.18MM. Given that he rates 74th out of 82 qualified safeties per Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required), I’d wager that no team would be interested in taking on his salary, and even less inclined to give up a draft pick.
- On the subject of Buccaneers trade rumors, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines what a Jackson deal would look like, noting that because an acquiring team would need at least $5.1MM in cap space in order to take on his contract, the pool of suitors is limited. Fitzgerald lists the Browns, Eagles, and Patriots among the clubs that have both the requisite cap space and the motivation to trade for a receiver upgrade.
- Bears defensive lineman Lamarr Houston will undergo an MRI tomorrow, but the club fears the worst, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Mike Garafolo adds (via Twitter) Chicago believes Houston, a key free agent addition over the offeseason, suffered a season-ending knee injury.
- Another NFC North lineman, the Lions’ Nick Fairley, suffered a knee injury today, and head coach Jim Caldwell isn’t optimistic about Fairley’s status. “I’m not quite certain where he is right now,” Caldwell told reporters, including Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. “But obviously, when you’re carried off the field, it’s not the greatest news. We’ll see what the doctors say about him.”
Sunday Roundup: Lynch, Broncos, 49ers
The Seahawks traded Percy Harvin amid rumors that his presence had created a rift in the locker room, and now no one expects Marshawn Lynch to return to Seattle next year, including Lynch himself, writes ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adds that Lynch has grown increasingly “salty” over his contract and his role in the Seahawks’ offense, and Seattle is simply tired of contending with his persistent discontent. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Lynch communicates minimally, if at all, with head coach Pete Carroll and the Seahawks’ management.
Citing NFL Media’s Michael Robinson, Conor Orr of NFL.com writes that the time is now for Russell Wilson to lead his team through this shroud of controversy and distraction, and as far as the on-field ramifications of Lynch’s potential departure, Rapoport tweets that he expects Seattle to take a running back early in next year’s draft. Mortensen writes that the Seahawks may have made Lynch available via trade this year, but the trickle-down effect from fullback Derrick Coleman‘s recent injury has taken that option off the table.
Now for some more notes from around the league:
- Brian McIntyre tweets that, if the Seahawks do, in fact, release Lynch in 2015, they will have saved $17.5MM in cash and $12.7MM in cap space with the departures of Lynch and Harvin.
- Our Luke Adams wrote several days ago that the Broncos do not anticipate reaching a contract extension with either of their top pending free agents, Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas. Mike Klis of the Denver Post writes that the offers Denver made to the Thomases remain on the table, but it appears nothing will happen until the offseason. Klis goes on to note that the contract situations of both players are quite different, and he describes what it might take for Denver to retain both (spoiler: a lot of money).
- Rapoport tweets that the 49ers could get Aldon Smith back as early as Monday, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes that, with the impending returns of Smith, NaVorro Bowman, and Glenn Dorsey, San Francisco could be looking to deal a defensive player or two from the back end of its depth chart to create roster space for those players.
- Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that the Steelers, after making little effort to re-sign Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery in the offseason, are still looking for a reliable complement for Antonio Brown.
- Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel wonders if the Packers will make a trade to address their weakness at inside linebacker.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com tweets that, if the Jets part ways with head coach Rex Ryan, the Falcons would be the perfect landing spot for him.
- Joel Corry of National Football Post takes a deeper look at Gerald McCoy’s new deal with the Buccaneers.
More Trade Rumors: Bucs, Eagles, Pats
Let’s take a look at a couple more trade-related items to add to this morning’s rumors:
- In addition to fielding calls for star wideout Vincent Jackson, the Buccaneers may also be willing to deal Doug Martin, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (citing ESPN’s Adam Schefter). Florio adds that Tampa Bay could see Martin as expendable given that rookie Charles Sims is close to a return from his ankle injury.
- Florio writes in a separate piece that the Eagles are looking for safety help, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the Buccaneers Dashon Goldson and the Titans‘ Michael Griffin could be had at the right price.
- In yet another article, Florio writes that the Patriots are shopping for a running back. Might Tampa Bay’s Martin be a fit?
Trade Buzz: V-Jax, Rams, Vikings
There seems to be more buzz surrounding this year’s NFL trade deadline than in years past, and Michael Fensom of the National Desk points out that Week 8 will be the final “audition” for those players who have generated the most interest, including the Buccaneers‘ Vincent Jackson and the Bengals‘ Jermaine Gresham. Fensom also observes that, since January 2012, the teams that have made the most trades are also among the most successful clubs on the field.
Of course, as CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes, the odds that a major trade comes to fruition are pretty slim, especially since so few teams are clearly out of the hunt at this point in the season. That does not mean, however, that it is not worth your while to take a look at some of the latest trade buzz. The trade deadline is Tuesday, October 28:
- NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the Eagles, Patriots, and Seahawks are among the teams calling about Jackson. He adds (via Twitter) that the Chiefs are also involved. He points out, however, that the Buccaneers are looking for real value in any trade involving Jackson, and Rapoport defines “real value” as a second-round pick (Twitter link).
- Rapoport tweets that another player that could be on the move is Rams DT Kendall Langford, who has generated some interest. La Canfora believes that St. Louis may have also fielded some calls on RB Zac Stacy.
- La Canfora writes that the Raiders are willing to deal Matt Schaub, but there is unsurprisingly not much of a market for him.
- La Canfora adds that players who had previously been discussed as trade possibilities, like the Eagles‘ Brandon Graham, have since been taken off the table.
- Fensom reasons that, given the Seahawks‘ reported interest in tight ends, Seattle is a potential landing spot for Gresham.
- Our Zach Links recently wrote that Titans WR Nate Washington has been made available via trade, but Fensom writes that other Tennessee players like Wesley Woodyard and Michael Griffin are also rumored to be available.
- There is also speculation that the Vikings are looking to sell, and Fensom lists Adrian Peterson, Chad Greenway, and Greg Jennings as potential trade chips.
Extra Points: McCoy, Woodyard, Mosley, Smith
The Buccaneers and Gerald McCoy exchanged countless proposals and they have been working on a deal every week since before camp, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It’s a deal that both sides wanted and they got it done with a reported seven-year, $98MM extension earlier today.
Here are some other notes from around the NFL:
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com put together his thoughts on the McCoy deal, noting that the Buccaneers have a bunch of cap space available and they had to spend it somewhere.
- If the Titans trade linebacker Wesley Woodyard, who was just signed this offseason as a free agent, it’ll be an indictment on their front office, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. It’s not a good idea to hang on to someone who isn’t working out or is a bad fit, but the Titans couldn’t afford to have missed so badly on a pricey addition. (Nearly 12% of our readers believe Woodyard will be traded.)
- With Lions‘ defensive tackle C.J. Mosley suspended and away from the team, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press was asked if the fans would finally get to see Larry Webster play significant snaps. Birkett thinks Webster will get a few snaps, but as a defensive end he will not be replacing Mosley’s playing time.
- Jets‘ quarterback Geno Smith has struggled as the team fell into a 1-6 start, but after the addition of Percy Harvin, Smith has what amounts to a nine-game audition to prove he deserves a chance to be the team’s quarterback in 2015, writes Kimberly Martin of Newsday.
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
Buccaneers Sign Gerald McCoy To Extension
5:34pm: Reports of $51MM in guaranteed are not entirely true, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. While $32.35MM becomes guaranteed after the 2016 Super Bowl, the rest of the $51.5MM does not become guaranteed until the third day of the 2016 league year.
In the unlikely event that McCoy does not live up to his contract over the rest of this year and 2015, the team could get out from the contract without paying that additional $19MM that becomes guaranteed in 2016.
12:03pm: The Buccaneers have reportedly locked up one of the best defensive lineman in the game, as Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed defensive tackle Gerald McCoy to a seven-year deal. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the deal is worth $98MM with $51MM guaranteed.
Roy Cummings of the Tampa Bay Tribune tweets that the deal with pay McCoy an extra $7MM this season, raising his pay to $20MM for 2014. He adds that that incentives will allow the contract to reach $98MM, with the guaranteed money coming in the first four years of the contract. He also notes (via Twitter) that McCoy’s average annual salary of $14MM will make him the highest-paid defensive tackle in the league.
The two sides have been rumored to be working on a deal for months, and it only seemed like a matter of time before an agreement was finally reached. The former number-three pick had his best statistical season in 2013, finishing with 50 tackles and 9.5 sacks. He’s compiled only 17 sacks and two sacks in 2014, but he still rates among the best at his position. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) ranks McCoy as the best defensive tackle in the league, and his pass-rushing rating is comparable to some of the best defensive ends and linebackers in the league.
Even more staggering is his impact on the Buccaneers. Pro Football Focus ranks Tampa Bay as the worst defense in the league and McCoy is only one of three Bucs (Alterraun Verner and Lavonte David are the others) to warrant a positive ranking by PFF.
McCoy was finishing the final year of his five-year, $63MM rookie contract signed in 2010.