Titans, Eagles Talking Brandin Cooks Trade
Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks is the object of trade talks and the Titans and Eagles are two of the interested suitors, league sources tell Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Titans appear to be the more likely destination for him, one source says (Twitter link), but two other sources have conflicting opinions on the matter (link). 
[RELATED: Titans, Eagles Interested In Alshon Jeffery]
Back in December, we first heard that the Saints could explore a Cooks deal. Now, on the eve of free agency, that seems to be coming to fruition. Both the Titans and Eagles are known to be looking for wide receivers and it’s little surprise that both teams are also in the mix for Alshon Jeffery. If one of the two clubs nabs Cooks via trade, that could help facilitate a Jeffery signing for the other team.
One scenario, Mortensen writes, would be for the the Titans to send their No. 18 overall pick to New Orleans for Cooks in a one-for-one swap. Another scenario, sources say, has the Titans swapping the No. 5 overall selection with the Saints’ No. 11 pick for Cooks, perhaps with another pick or two also involved.
At one point last year, Cooks felt his role in the offense was slipping and he was rather vocal about it. Apparently, his declaration that “closed mouths don’t get fed” had some validity. When all was said and done, Cooks finished with 117 targets, just 12 less than he had in 2015.
In 2016, Cooks caught 78 passes for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns. His yards-per-reception average of 15.0 was a career high and his 66.7% catch rate was a slight step up from his 2015 showing.
Although talk of a Cooks deal has been brewing for a while, it’s a bit surprising to hear that the Saints might bail on the talented receiver. After all, he still has two years to go on his current deal at a rather affordable rate. This year, he’ll earn a base salary of $1.56MM. Then, there’s a fifth-year option on him worth about $8.5MM for 2018.
In addition to Cooks, the Saints also have Michael Thomas, Willie Snead, and Brandon Coleman on the depth chart. Thomas, a rising sophomore, could be elevated to the WR1 role, but the Saints would probably need to add another impact wide receiver if they were to trade Cooks.
49ers, Titans In Mix For Alshon Jeffery
As the top wide receiver available, Alshon Jeffery can expect to be a popular guy once the legal tampering period starts next week. Potential suitors for his services right now include the 49ers, Titans, Eagles, and the incumbent Bears, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. Meanwhile, the Rams will not be among the clubs going after him, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com hears (on Twitter). 
This week, the Bears declined to use the franchise tag on Jeffery and that was expected since a second tag would have cost the team roughly $17MM on a one-year deal. After an injury-riddled 2015, Jeffery had a disappointing year, including a four-game suspension. Jeffery is still a bonafide WR1, but he’s certainly not worth the same average salary that Antonio Brown has on his new deal.
The Eagles have been connected to Jeffery for weeks now, along with the Redskins’ Pierre Garcon and the Dolphins’ Kenny Stills. After the team’s receiving corps fell flat last year, Philly is looking to give Carson Wentz some better options downfield. Jeffery, for all his red flags, would undoubtedly make the Eagles’ offense more potent.
The Titans are also a logical landing spot for the Bears star. As PFR’s Dallas Robinson recently detailed, finding better receivers for Marcus Mariota ranks as one of the Titans’ biggest needs this offseason.
Titans Re-Sign QB Matt Cassel
Matt Cassel will stay on board as Marcus Mariota‘s backup. The Titans announced that they have agreed to terms with the quarterback on an extension. It’s a two-year deal, according to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (on Twitter). He’ll get $5.25MM with $2.75MM in 2017, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Titans GM Discusses Offseason, Draft, Free Agency]
Cassel was called on to start late last season when Mariota went down with a fractured fibula. In four games, the veteran completed 30-of-51 passes for 284 yards, with two touchdowns against two interceptions.
Cassel could be asked to lead the first team offense in practice this summer if Mariota is slow to recover, but the early word is that the youngster is doing just fine.
“I feel pretty good about it,’’ coach Mike Mularkey said of Mariota’s timetable. “You have to trust the doctor’s words, and if you know Marcus like we do, we believe with the way he goes about his business he’ll be prepared. He is not going to overdo it, he has been told to be careful, and be smart about it. Our No.1 goal is to make sure he is under center when we open up opening day. I am not going to put a timeframe on when that first practice or when that first (OTA) will be. I can’t do that because every player is different in how they recover, and it’s difficult to do.”
Salary Cap Numbers For All 32 Teams
On Wednesday, we learned that the 2017 salary cap will be set at roughly $167MM. However, every team’s number will be different depending on how much money each team elects to rollover from the previous season.
Courtesy of the NFLPA, we now have the total cap numbers for all 32 clubs. Here they are, listed by division and in descending order:
AFC East
- Dolphins – $175.36MM
- Patriots – $171.29
- Bills – $169.84MM
- Jets – $167.37MM
AFC North
- Browns – $217.12MM
- Bengals – $173.58MM
- Steelers – $170.27MM
- Ravens – $169.55MM
AFC South
- Jaguars – $206.31
- Titans – $191.05MM
- Colts – $173.61MM
- Texans – $171.94MM
AFC West
- Raiders – $175MM
- Broncos – $174.24MM
- Chiefs – $172MM
- Chargers – $167.11MM
NFC East
- Redskins – $182.06MM
- Eagles – $174.93MM
- Cowboys – $169.4MM
- Giants – $168.8MM
NFC North
- Bears – $175.1MM
- Packers – $174.98MM
- Lions – $171.73MM
- Vikings – $167.4MM
NFC South
- Panthers – $180.21MM
- Saints – $172.75MM
- Buccaneers – $172.33MM
- Falcons – $167.93MM
NFC West
- 49ers – $205.71MM
- Cardinals – $171.4MM
- Seahawks – $169.07MM
- Rams – $167.3MM
Titans GM Discusses Offseason, Draft, Free Agency
General manager Jon Robinson‘s first year on the job perhaps went better than expected. The Titans finished with nine wins for the first time since 2011, and it’s pretty clear that the young squad is ready to be an AFC South contender for years to come.
Of course, in order to maintain that success, the front office has to make smart decisions during the offseason. Fortunately, all of the team’s impending free agents could easily be replaced, although that surely means the team would be seeking some help at defensive back, offensive line, and defensive line.
With more than $60MM in cap space and a pair of first-round picks, it’s likely that the Titans can build upon their impressive 2016 campaign.
Robinson appeared at the “Tailgate & Tuxedos” event for season-ticket holders this past week, and he discussed parts of his offseason strategy with Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. We’ve compiled the notable quotes below…
On how the front office weighs drafting “best player available” or “position of need”:
“A lot of that plays off what we do in free agency, and that period starts here in a couple of weeks. We’ve already evaluated those free agent prospects and once we get to the draft there’s really three or four different things you can do. You can trade the pick, which we were able to do last year, you can address a need position.
“Hopefully the best player available and your need kind of meet — that is the perfect storm, which is kind of what happened last year when we took Jack (Conklin) with the first pick. So you take every situation and look at it and make the best decision possible.”
On which positions he’ll pursue in the draft:
“Good football players. We are looking for good football players at every position. You can never have enough of those.”
On his game plan for free agency:
“You have a game plan, sometimes things change. The financial component comes into team building. … We have a game plan together and we are looking forward to it in a couple of weeks when free agency hits and we try to continue to build the team.”
Kuharsky: Titans May Start Williamson Again
- The Titans may not view a three-down linebacker as a primary need the way, holding fourth-year ‘backer Avery Williamson in a reasonably high regard, Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com notes. The Titans hold two first-round picks and could nab a top-flight ILB with one. ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper Jr. (Insider link) has the team going with Marshon Lattimore and O.J. Howard, respectively, with its two first-rounders.
Roddy White Retires From NFL?
Despite being linked to handful of teams in 2016, former Falcons receiver Roddy White wound up sitting out the entire year. Now, after a conversation with WSB TV’s Zach Klein and Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it sounds like he won’t be returning to the game. White “is done playing,” Schultz writes. 
During his chat, White went into detail about how close he was to finding an NFL home last season. Interestingly enough, he was close to signing with the Patriots after Atlanta cut him loose in March. Before the two sides could finalize an agreement, however, the Pats opted to sign Nate Washington instead. The Vikings reached out to White after their 5-0 start but by the time the team was ready to sign him, they had begun their slide. He also turned down interest from the Titans and Buccaneers either because he didn’t view them as contenders or worried about playing time. Ultimately, he stopped working out in mid-October when it was clear he would not land with a contender.
White, 34, made four Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2010, when he caught a career-high 110 passes for 1,389 yards and 10 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he wasn’t used much in his final NFL season and finished with just 43 catches for 506 yards and a touchdown. White will be remembered fondly by Falcons fans and he’ll likely be inducted to the team’s Ring of Honor sometime soon.
2017 NFL Draft Order Set
With the Super Bowl in the rear view mirror, the offseason is officially underway for all 32 teams. We now have the complete draft order for the entire first round, with one exception which is noted below.
The Patriots, of course, will have the honor of having the last pick. The Falcons, after losing in heartbreaking fashion, will have the penultimate selection in the first round.
Here is the complete order, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter links):
1. Browns
2. 49ers
3. Bears
4. Jaguars
5. Titans
6. Jets
7. Chargers
8. Panthers
9. Bengals
10. Bills
11. Saints
12. Browns
13. Cardinals
T-14. Eagles (via the Vikings)
T-14. Colts (Note: The Vikings and Colts have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broke by coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 14 and the other team getting the No. 15 pick.)
16. Ravens
17. Redskins
18. Titans
19. Buccaneers
20. Broncos
21. Lions
22. Dolphins
23. Giants
24. Raiders
25. Texans
26. Seahawks
27. Chiefs
28. Cowboys
29. Packers
30. Steelers
31. Falcons
32. Patriots
Goodell: Titans Need To Sort Out Ownership
During Wednesday’s press conference, commissioner Roger Goodell indicated that the Titans need to figure out their ownership situation and appoint one individual who will be in charge of all decisions (Twitter link via Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com). He also noted that they have been in violation of this policy in the past. For more highlights from Goodell’s presser, check out Wednesday’s post to see his comments on Ezekiel Elliott, Josh Brown, and more.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/24/17
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Cincinnati Bengals
Green Bay Packers
Tennessee Titans