Latest On Mike Williams
Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Williams has been at the center of a few off-field stories in recent months and years, with several 911 calls to his house since last summer. However, none of those incidents was as dangerous as yesterday’s, when Williams was hospitalized yesterday after being stabbed by his brother. The Bucs receiver, who said the stabbing was an accident, has reportedly been released from the hospital, and we wish him a speedy recovery. However, the incident casts more doubt on Williams’ long-term future in Tampa Bay.
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports (via Twitter) that Tampa Bay had been open to dealing Williams, but that off-field troubles, including this most recent incident, will limit outside interest. With a trade unlikely, it’s possible that the Bucs may ultimately decide to simply cut ties with the troubled receiver. Williams is playing on a contract that runs through the 2018 season, but most of the guaranteed money was paid in 2013, as Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports noted today (via Twitter).
Garafolo and La Canfora (Twitter links) have confirmed that although Williams’ modest $1.8MM base salary for 2014 is guaranteed, his $5.2MM base for 2015 is not fully guaranteed. With no prorated bonus money on the contract, the Bucs could release Williams and carry just $1.8MM in dead money on their cap in 2014.
Of course, before making any decisions on Williams’ future, the team would like to touch base with him. However, GM Jason Licht said today that neither he nor head coach Lovie Smith has been able to talk to Williams since yesterday, despite an attempt to reach out (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times). As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, Licht intends to continue looking into the situation in an attempt to find out how Williams is doing “health-wise [and] how his mindset is.”
Extra Points: NFLPA, Moreno, Contract Details
Newly-minted NFLPA president Eric Winston is just hours into his new role, but he sounds like he’s ready to hit the ground running.
“This union has always been about fighting,” Winston told Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “It won’t change.”
Winston didn’t mince words when it came to the idea of expanding the NFL season from 16 to 18 games, telling Pelissero that the idea is “dead in the water.” He was less definitive when it came to the idea of playoff expansion, but he made it clear that the union will only be on board under certain conditions. Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Knowshon Moreno arguably had the most impressive 2013 campaign of any of this year’s free agent running backs, but his name hasn’t surfaced at all in the last nine days. That changed today, with word breaking that the Dolphins will have Moreno in a for a visit on Friday (Twitter link via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald).
- The Panthers continue to pursue free agent receivers, and will have Lestar Jean in for a visit tonight and tomorrow, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
- The Buccaneers hosted free agent defensive back Chris Owens today, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. Owens also met with the Steelers this week, as we heard earlier this afternoon.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap has the full breakdown of many of the new contracts signed in recent days, including, but not limited to, Andrew Hawkins‘ four-year pact with the Browns, Scott Chandler‘s two-year deal with the Bills, James Starks‘ two-year deal with the Packers, Charlie Johnson‘s two-year contract with the Vikings, and Usama Young‘s two-year deal with the Raiders.
- Jerricho Cotchery‘s deal with the Panthers is technically for five years, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun details (via Twitter). I imagine it includes three void years, similar to Roman Harper‘s new contract. Cotchery also received a $2.25MM signing bonus.
- Wilson (Twitter links) also provides details on a pair of minimum salary benefit contracts, noting that fullback Jed Collins will get $710K from the Lions between his $65K signing bonus and $645K base salary. Safety Craig Steltz will get $795K from the Bears between his $730K salary and the $65K roster bonus for 2014.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Bucs To Sign Mike Jenkins
The Buccaneers have reached an agreement on a contract with Mike Jenkins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the free agent defensive back will sign a one-year deal. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that the agreement, which has now been confirmed by the Bucs, will be worth $1.5MM, with another $500K available via incentives.
Most of the reported interest Jenkins received this week came from the Cardinals and Buccaneers, so it makes sense that he’d land in Tampa after the Cards agreed to terms with Antonio Cromartie. Jenkins, a longtime Cowboy, spent last season in Oakland, starting 15 games for the Raiders and piling up 65 tackles to go with a pair of interceptions.
Jenkins ranked in the middle of the pack among cornerbacks last season, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, due to a subpar grade in pass coverage, but the Bucs may view him as a good fit for their defensive scheme under new head coach Lovie Smith. The team has also added cornerback Alterraun Verner since free agency opened, parting ways with Darrelle Revis.
Florida Notes: Incognito, Bucs, Jaguars
Speaking to WSVN in Miami, free agent guard Richie Incognito suggested yesterday that he remains on track to return to the NFL following last year’s bullying scandal and recent treatment for erratic behavior. As James Walker of ESPN.com details, Incognito would like come back to Miami and play for his old team.
“Returning to the Dolphins was my number one goal from the time I got suspended,” Incognito said. “I want to return to the community in Miami and resume my playing career as soon as possible.”
Even with Jonathan Martin now in San Francisco, the odds of Incognito playing in Miami again, for a Dolphins team now hyper-conscious of public relations, seems virtually impossible. Here’s more on the free agent offensive lineman and a couple other notes on the NFL’s Florida teams:
- In a separate piece at ESPN.com, Walker agrees that while some NFL team may be willing to take a chance on signing Incognito for the 2014 season, that team won’t be the Dolphins.
- Discussing an interview conducted with head coach Lovie Smith by the Buccaneers‘ official website, Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune notes that the team still feels as if it has a few more moves left to make in free agency. Cummings adds that there’s a chance Earl Bennett, recently released by Chicago, could interest the ex-Bears head coach.
- The Jaguars were focused on free agency up until this Tuesday, but GM Dave Caldwell suggests to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union that about 95% of the club’s attention has now shifted to the draft, meaning there likely won’t be many more free agent additions in Jacksonville. Caldwell also weighed in on the Jags’ additions of Jason Babin and Chris Clemons, among other topics.
FA Rumors: De La Puente, Harrison, Murphy
Brian De La Puente is arguably the best center still available in free agency, and it sounds as if he’s drawing interest from plenty of potential suitors. Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports that the Saints, Giants, Broncos, and Patriots remain possibilities for De La Puente, who is scheduled to visit with the Redskins. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) adds that if there’s no agreement in place when the veteran center leaves Washington, more visits are expected.
Here’s more on some of the free agents still on the market:
- We already heard this week that veteran free agent James Harrison is interested in returning to the Steelers, and according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that interest is mutual.
- Having visited for two days with the Buccaneers, wide receiver Louis Murphy is scheduled to meet with the Bengals tomorrow, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
- The Giants will host free agent offensive lineman Charles Brown, tweets Adam Caplan.
- After leaving his visit with the Rams without an agreement in place, free agent quarterback Shaun Hill appears to be considering both the Rams and Lions, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
- The Bengals confirmed (via Twitter) that free agent defensive end Robert Ayers visited with them today, which means he left that meeting without an agreement in place.
- Ravens safety Brynden Trawick is no longer an exclusive rights free agent, having signed his $495K tender from the team, tweets Aaron Wilson.
Contract Details: Edelman, Meriweather, Harper
Here are a few more contract details on deals recently signed by free agents:
- In addition to including a $5MM signing bonus, Julian Edelman‘s four-year deal with the Patriots features yearly base salaries of $1MM, $2.25MM, $2.5MM, and $3MM, with various roster bonuses and workout bonuses making up the rest of the $17MM total. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweeted the details, and Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com presents them in chart form.
- Fitzgerald notes that Brandon Meriweather‘s one-year pact with the Redskins includes a $145K signing bonus, the only guaranteed money in the deal.
- Fitzgerald also provides the details on Roman Harper‘s new deal with the Panthers, which is technically a five-year contract. The pact includes three voidable years to help spread out the cap hit.
- Jamon Meredith‘s two-year contract with the Buccaneers is worth $2.7MM, with $350K in guaranteed money and up to $750K available in playing time incentives, according to Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).
- The contract Sherrick McManis agreed to sign with the Bears will be a minimum salary benefit deal, confirms Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
Buccaneers Sign Jeremy Cain
The Buccaneers have added a specialist to their roster today, inking Jeremy Cain to a contract, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).
Cain, 33, only got into a single regular-season game last season during a brief stint with the Bears, but was the Jaguars’ long snapper for several seasons prior to 2013.
Contract Details: DRC, Hauschka, Edelman
We’ve got plenty more contract details to round up, so let’s dive right in….
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and Albert Breer of the NFL Network pass along several key details on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie‘s contract with the Giants, which seems to include $12MM in fully guaranteed money, and a little more in salary guaranteed for injury only. Here are the relevant Twitter links to read up on all the specifics.
- Wilson also shares the specifics on Steven Hauschka‘s three-year contract with the Seahawks (Twitter link), Walter Thurmond‘s one-year deal with the Giants (Twitter link), and Dane Fletcher‘s one-year deal with the Bucs (Twitter link).
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has been doing a great job all week getting finalized contract details up in his database, and he passed along several new entries today. Among them: The Raiders‘ two-year deals for LaMarr Woodley and Justin Tuck, the Eagles‘ extension for Darren Sproles, and the Saints‘ five-year pact with Zach Strief.
- Julian Edelman received a $5MM signing bonus from the Patriots on his new contract, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
- John Keim of ESPN.com has the details on Santana Moss‘ minimum salary benefit contract and Clifton Geathers‘ two-year deal with the Redskins.
- Although Michael Oher‘s four-year deal with the Titans was initially reported as including $9.5MM in guaranteed money, it’s actually a little less than that, and only $6MM is fully guaranteed, with another $3.35MM guaranteed for injury only. Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com has the details.
- Emmanuel Sanders‘ three-year, $15MM contract with the Broncos features $6MM in guaranteed money and cap hits of $6MM (2014), $4MM (2015), and $5MM (2016), tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
- Updating his earlier report on Charles Tillman‘s contract with the Bears, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets that the deal includes $150K in performance incentives (based on total interceptions), so it could max out at $3.4MM instead of $3.25MM.
- Frank Zombo‘s two-year deal with the Chiefs is worth $1.6MM and includes a $100K signing bonus, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. A minimum-salary deal for Zombo with a $100K bonus would work out to $1.575MM, so either that $1.6MM figure is rounded up, or the linebacker received slightly more than the minimum.
FA Rumors: Cromartie, Murphy, Allen, Britt
Let’s follow up this morning’s summary of the latest free agent rumors with another round for the early afternoon:
- A league source tells Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link) not to expect the Jets to re-sign Antonio Cromartie. “They’re not being very aggressive,” the source said, repeating what is becoming a common refrain in discussions on the Jets’ approach to free agency.
- Still in the market for receiving help, the Buccaneers are hosting free agent Louis Murphy today, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Once he completes his visit with the Cowboys, Jared Allen intends to head home and weigh his options, according to Rapoport, who tweets that the veteran defensive end is unlikely to make a decision today. Allen could also decide to make more visits to teams after Dallas, Rapoport notes (via Twitter).
- We heard on the weekend that wide receiver Kenny Britt would be meeting with the Redskins at some point this week, and that visit happened today, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
- After visiting the Bucs yesterday, cornerback Mike Jenkins is meeting with the Cardinals today, tweets Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic.
- The Bears continue to have interest in re-signing cornerback and key special teams player Sherrick McManis, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Biggs suggested last week that the Ravens, Eagles, and Falcons could be in the mix for McManis, but the Bears remain in talks to bring him back.
Extra Points: DRC, Miller, Sanders, Saffold
Following up on a piece he wrote about Jets GM John Idzik‘s deliberate – and perhaps questionable – approach to free agency, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets that, after an initial low-ball offer, the Jets made an “11th hour” pitch to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. However, the Giants had essentially locked up the free agent cornerback by that point.
Here are a few more Tuesday updates from around the NFL:
- In a series of tweets, Tom Pelissero of USA Today breaks down the details on Zach Miller‘s pay cut with the Seahawks, which will reduce the tight end’s 2014 compensation by $3MM and his 2015 pay by $2MM.
- After missing out on Emmanuel Sanders, the Chiefs continue to target younger wide receivers in free agency, which rules out some of the older veterans on the market, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
- Speaking of Sanders, his agents issued a lengthy statement suggesting that there was never an agreement in place with the Chiefs before the receiver agreed to sign with the Broncos, as Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post details.
- In the wake of the Sanders controversy, former agent Joel Corry points out in a piece for CBSSports.com that both agents and teams can be guilty of reneging on deals.
- Aaron Wilson (Twitter links) passes along the specifics of the Rodger Saffold contract with the Rams, which includes a $5MM signing bonus, a $3MM roster bonus for 2015, and a $3MM guaranteed base salary in 2014. As Joel Corry tweets, the Raiders‘ decision to void their agreement with Saffold will cost the offensive lineman a significant sum.
- Daryl Smith‘s contract with the Ravens includes a $3.5MM signing bonus, and that appears to be the only guaranteed money in the deal, as Aaron Wilson details in a pair of tweets. According to Wilson, the four-year pact can be worth up to $16.1MM, as initially reported, but it has a base value of just $13.6MM.
- Jack Bechta of the National Football Post identifies the Colts‘ signing of Hakeem Nicks and the Buccaneers‘ deal with Alterraun Verner as two of the best bargains in free agency so far. Among our top 25 free agents of 2014, Nicks and Verner are two who will earn markedly less than I anticipated.