Teams Inquiring On Darrelle Revis
While a number of solid cornerbacks appear poised to hit the free agent market next month, a few NFL clubs also appear to be eyeing a corner whose contract extends well beyond March. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, teams are calling the Buccaneers to inquire about Darrelle Revis, with many rival executives believing that Revis is “ripe to be dealt” at the start of the 2014 league year.
Despite some apparent interest, no firm offers have been extended yet, and the Bucs certainly aren’t shopping their standout cornerback, according to La Canfora. The CBS Sports scribe also cautions that Revis’ age and sizable salary figure to limit the potential return for Tampa Bay. Still, inquiries and negotiations could ramp up as March 11 approaches, particularly since the team has hired a new general manager and head coach.
The lack of a prorated signing bonus in Revis’ deal makes a trade more palatable for the Buccaneers. The 28-year-old has five years and $80MM remaining on his contract, but there’s no signing bonus money included in that amount. If the pact featured, for instance, $2MM per year in prorated bonus money, all that money would accelerate onto the Bucs’ current cap in a trade, just as it does when a player is released. In a hypothetical Revis swap, the Bucs could clear his entire cap number.
Still, as La Canfora suggests, Revis’ age and base salary ($13MM per year, plus $3MM annually in roster and workout bonuses) figure to act as a deterrent in any talks. After missing most of the 2012 season, the veteran reclaimed his spot as Pro Football Focus’ top cornerback in 2013 (subscription required), so the Bucs would likely be seeking a sizable return, and teams may not be willing to give up high draft picks to take on such a massive contract.
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.
Buccaneers To Seek Veteran QB
Earlier today, we learned that the Jets may be in the market for a veteran QB–specifically Josh McCown–to push young signal-caller Geno Smith. Now, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the Buccaneers are “absolutely” looking to bring in an experienced quarterback to compete with and possibly replace second-year QB Mike Glennon.
With just five picks in the 2014 draft but a great deal of cap space to work with, Tampa Bay plans to be active in free agency, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. New GM Jason Licht said that, with a new coach and a new regime, he cannot simply “hand the keys over” to the incumbent QB and declare him the starter without at least bringing in some competition. New head coach Lovie Smith agreed, stating, “This roster wasn’t set up with our system in mind. Not that it’s going to be that much different, but we’ll probably change more players than you think.”
Regarding his quarterback situation, Smith added, “In an ideal world, you would like to have some kind of a veteran in the mix instead of three young guys that haven’t played a lot. I think you can maybe get away with it at some of the other positions, but it’s not ideal (at quarterback).”
Of course, as Florio observes, the veterans available on the free agent market are more placeholders than long-term answers. Those options include McCown, Michael Vick, Matt Cassel, and (most likely) Matt Schaub.
Mike Williams’ Future With Bucs Uncertain
In July 2013, the Buccaneers rewarded receiver Mike Williams with a six-year contract extension worth $40.5MM. Now, less than a year later, his future with the team could be in jeopardy, due to an off-the-field life filled with partying, arrests, and other missteps, as detailed by Greg Auman and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The article paints a picture of a life filled with chaos, with Williams causing tens of thousands of dollars worth of property damage, angering his neighbors with noise violations, and throwing raucous parties, sometimes on nights before Tampa Bay was to play a game the next afternoon.
The Bucs have spent much of the past two seasons ridding themselves of players who caused such concerns. Cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Eric Wright, as well as running back LeGarrette Blount, have either been traded or released. And while those moves came under a regime headed by now-departed general manager Mark Dominik and coach Greg Schiano, new head coach Lovie Smith doesn’t take kindly to the type of behavior exemplified by Williams, either. “There’s a pattern here and it’s disturbing,” said Smith. “No one is bigger than the football team. He has to understand that.”
Smith continued: “Have I been disappointed in Mike Williams? Of course. There’s a standard. We’re just not going to put up with it, no matter who it is. You have to be good on the field and off the field. Simple as that. And if you’re not doing what you need to do one or the other, you have problems and that’s where Mike has to take care of a few things.”
If Williams can correct his errors off-the-field, Smith would surely love to reap the benefits of having a player of his caliber. Williams, before tearing his hamstring and missing most of the 2013 season, flourished between 2010-2012, averaging 64 receptions for 910 yards and eight touchdowns. Though his rapport with new quarterback Mike Glennon remains to be seen, adding Williams to an offensive core that includes receiver Vincent Jackson, running back Doug Martin (also returning from injury), tight end Tim Wright, and an elite offensive line would be a start to turning Tampa’s fortunes around.
Even if the Bucs wished to release Williams, two factors would impede that transaction: money and depth. Cutting Williams would result in a costly $6.4MM cap hit, likely too expensive for the team to bear. And besides Jackson, the Tampa wide receiver depth chart has few inspiring options, with players like Chris Owusu and Eric Page next in line.
But the man who would make such a decision doesn’t sound pleased. New general manager Jason Licht, when asked what Williams needs to learn from these incidents, had a terse response: “He has to learn not to make headlines off the field. Start there.”
Combine Updates: Bucs, Titans, Bears, Lions
The 2014 scouting combine is underway in Indianapolis, and NFL head coaches and general managers have begun speaking to reporters both in scheduled press conferences and in smaller side interviews. There have been several tidbits worth passing along from those sessions, so let’s dive right in and round up a few highlights….
- While Lovie Smith said he likes Mike Glennon, the Buccaneers head coach also expressed a belief that there could be a potential franchise quarterback available with the No. 7 pick in the draft, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times details. If that’s the case, it sounds like the Bucs will strongly consider drafting a signal-caller in the first round.
- Steelers GM Kevin Colbert didn’t reveal much about his team’s offseason plans, but was enthusiastic in discussing 2014’s draft class. While he cautioned that it’s an immature group due to all the underclassmen in the mix, Colbert said it’s the best class he has even seen, according to Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). As Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star notes (via Twitter), that’s very high praise coming from Colbert, who has been preparing for drafts for the last 30 years.
- Colbert’s comments on wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders suggested to the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe that the Steelers intend to let Sanders hit the open market.
- Asked about running back Chris Johnson, a potential cap casualty, Titans GM Ruston Webster said that the club can be as patient as it wants to be in making a decision on Johnson, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Webster also confirmed that the Titans have spoken to cornerback Alterraun Verner‘s agent about a new contract, adding that “we’ll continue to talk” (Twitter link via Wyatt).
- The Bears would like to re-sign free agent defensive lineman Henry Melton, GM Phil Emery indicated to reporters, including Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link). However, it’s clear that it will come down to Melton’s price tag. Emery also echoed coach Marc Trestman‘s views on Chris Conte, suggesting that he hopes the safety comes in and wins a starting job (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune). “I’d like to be talking to him about an extension,” Emery said of Conte.
- Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said “never say never” when it comes to re-signing recently released safety Louis Delmas, but didn’t sound optimistic about the possibility, says Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). Caldwell added that acquiring a wide receiver to complement Calvin Johnson will be one of the club’s top priorities this offseason, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link).
- The Cardinals would like to re-sign linebacker Karlos Dansby but have always been prepared to move on, GM Steve Keim said today, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link).
Panthers Tops In “Dead Money”
Thanks in large part to last season’s trade of Jon Beason, the Panthers have $17.8MM in “dead money,” more than any team in the league, according to ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert (full chart here). “Dead money” is defined as cap space consumed by players no longer on the roster, whether they retired, were released or traded. The numbers will fluctuate as rosters continue to evolve, but listed below are the five teams with at least $10MM worth of “dead money” at present time, including the players accounting for most of the sunk costs:
- Panthers ($17.8MM): Beason ($8MM), Jordan Gross ($5.6MM), James Anderson ($2.8MM)
- Bills ($12.1MM): Ryan Fitzpatrick ($8MM), Mark Anderson ($3MM), Rian Lindell ($1.38MM)
- Cowboys ($11.8MM): Jay Ratliff ($6.9MM), Nate Livings ($2.1MM), Marcus Spears ($1.4mM), Sean Lissemore ($1.2MM)
- Saints ($10.5MM): Roman Harper ($3.7MM), Jabari Greer ($2.7MM), Will Smith ($2.4MM), Garrett Hartley ($1MM)
- Cardinals ($10.1MM): Levi Brown ($6.5MM), Adam Snyder ($3MM)
At the other end of the spectrum, six teams have less than $1MM in “dead money”: Jets, Rams, Buccaneers, Colts, Seahawks and Bengals.
Tuesday Signings: Seahawks, Bucs, Bears
A handful of NFL teams signed players to contracts today, according to the league’s transactions log. Because these are modest reserve/futures contracts and not significant deals like DeAngelo Hall‘s, we’ll round them up in a single post, right here:
- The Seahawks have signed wide receiver Chris Matthews, tweets Brian McIntyre. Matthews, who was said to be deciding between two NFL teams, had a standout 2012 season for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, racking up nearly 1200 yards on 81 catches, but was sidelined for most of the 2013 season due to various injuries.
- Linebacker Damaso Munoz has signed with the Buccaneers, according to McIntyre (via Twitter). Like Matthews, Munoz has spent multiple seasons playing in the CFL, having played for the Edmonton Eskimos in each of the last three years. Munoz’s 2012 and 2013 campaigns were virtually identical from a statistical perspective — in both seasons, he notched 88 tackles and three sacks.
- The Bears have signed cornerback Derricus Purdy, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The former Texas Southern DB went undrafted in 2013 before reportedly drawing some interest from the Packers and Bills.
NFC South Links: Franchise Tag, Combine
Panthers‘ Greg Hardy‘s impending free agency has been at the forefront of conversation in the NFL world these past few weeks, and Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer added to the chatter today, writing that while they want the star pass rusher back, applying the franchise tag on him would eat up all of the team’s remaining cap room. David Newton of ESPN.com agrees that it isn’t about whether the Panthers would like to, but instead whether they could afford to. Unless they can come to a long term agreement quickly, it seems more and more likely that Hardy would be able to reach unrestricted free agency. Here are some other links from around the NFC South:
- While Hardy, Captain Munnerlyn, and Cam Newton have been the big names of the Panthers‘ offseason, David Newton wrote that the team cannot forget to focus on improving their offensive line, even with their current cap woes.
- The Falcons do not have any logical candidates for the franchise tag this offseason, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The tag could come into play in the 2015 offseason if the team is unable to sign wide receiver Julio Jones to an extension.
- With the scouting combine fast approaching, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlights five prospects the Falcons should keep an eye on. Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today picks out five position of need for the team to address in the draft.
- Reyes also wrote about five positions of need for the Saints to address in the draft, and suggested a few prospects who could fill those needs.
- The Buccaneers do not have a player who is a logical franchise tag candidate, writes Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. Before the season, quarterback Josh Freeman was considered a likely use for the tag. Freeman was benched and then released early in the season.
Devin Hester Likely To Leave Bears
Bears return man Devin Hester is without a contract for 2014, and Dan Pompei at Bleacher Report says, “It is starting to look like Devin Hester has brought back his last kick for the Bears.” Despite being used solely as a return specialist last season, Hester, 31, did not regain the explosiveness and productivity of his prime. Considering the Bears have less than $7MM in cap space with several needs to address, Pompei says the team is likely to seek a returner who also contributes on offense or defense.
As for Hester’s future, while his days of his superhuman impact appear a thing of the past, he still remains a viable upgrade for many teams. Hester ranked in the top third of return men in the league, averaging 27.6 yards per kickoff return and 14.2 yards per punt return, including a score. Pompei alludes to speculation that Hester could reunite with former head coach Lovie Smith in Tampa.
Buccaneers Sign Steve Maneri, D.J. Moore
The Buccaneers added two more players to their 2014 roster today, signing tight end Steve Maneri and cornerback D.J. Moore, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com. While both players were on NFL clubs in 2013, neither player finished the season on a team’s active roster, making them eligible to sign before the free agent period begins on March 11.
It’s worth noting that Maneri and Moore both have experience with the Bears, though only Moore played under current Bucs head coach Lovie Smith in Chicago. A fourth-round draft pick in 2009, Moore racked up 10 interceptions for the Bears in three seasons from 2010 to 2012, playing primarily as a nickelback. The Vanderbilt product, who turns 27 next month, signed a one-year deal with the Panthers for the 2013 season, but was released by the club in October after missing multiple games with knee issues.
As for Maneri, his most significant playing time came in 2012 when he started eight games and caught five passes for the Chiefs. The 25-year-old is a converted offensive tackle, so if he makes the Bucs’ regular season roster, he figures to see the brunt of his playing time as a blocker in sets featuring multiple tight ends.
Terms of the contracts weren’t released, but I’d guess both players will be in line for minimum base salaries, perhaps with modest signing bonuses.