AFC South Notes: Colts, Hunter, Clemons
In his look at the Colts‘ top five priorities for training camp, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star suggests the team needs to solidify its offensive line and attempt to work out some contract extensions within the next few weeks. Although the Colts have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Evan Mathis, they have no plans to sign him, preferring instead to work on developing their long-term pieces on the line, says Holder. He also notes that extension discussions between T.Y. Hilton and the Colts have re-opened, which could be a promising soon as the wide receiver enters a contract year.
Here’s more on the Colts and their division rivals:
- Hilton, left tackle Anthony Castonzo, and a pair of tight ends top the list of the Colts‘ most important expiring contracts, writes Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. Castonzo is another player that Indianapolis would like to lock up before the season, if possible.
- Speaking to the media today, Titans wide receiver Justin Hunter said he has yet to hear from the NFL following his arrest on a felonious assault charge, writes Terry McCormick of 247Sports.com. “Right now, it’s in the hands of my attorneys and I’m just focused on football,” Hunter said of his legal situation.
- Jaguars pass rusher Chris Clemons, who missed the team’s OTAs this spring, reported to training camp today, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com. Clemons was placed on the non-football injury list and won’t practice right away.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/30/15
Today’s minor moves and signings..
- The Panthers announced (on Twitter) that they have signed wide receiver Avius Capers and punter Matt Wile while waiving cornerback Garry Peters.
- Tackle Jonathan Martin, who has retired from the NFL, has been placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list (Twitter link). Martin was supposed to fill out retirement paperwork by this afternoon but apparently did not, prompting the Panthers to make that roster move, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets.
- The Bengals signed rookie free agent wide receiver Desmond Lawrence, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets.
- The Titans have signed nose tackle Isaako Aaitui, Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean tweets.
Free Agent Rumors: Bengals, Cherilus, Long
The Bengals are considering adding a veteran receiver to compete in training camp for a roster spot and playing time, and they worked out a couple interesting names today, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). Getlin reports that, in addition to Greg Little, Santonio Holmes and David Nelson also auditioned for Cincinnati. Holmes, a longtime Jet, played for the Bears in 2014, while Nelson has accumulated 138 receptions in five seasons with the Bills and Jets. So far, none of the three wideouts have signed with the Bengals.
Here are a few other notes, rumors, and updates on free agency around the NFL:
- Having visited the Bills and Lions, offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus headed home today without a deal in place, and will assess his options, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. If Cherilus is deciding between Buffalo and Detroit and doesn’t plan on making any more visits, I’d expect him to sign soon.
- Another veteran offensive lineman who made some visits this week also remains on the market, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, who writes that Jake Long‘s meeting with the Broncos ended without the club signing the former No. 1 pick. Long is also said to be drawing interest from the Falcons and Giants.
- The Cowboys have been linked to free agent running backs most of the offseason, but executive VP Stephen Jones says the team doesn’t have any plans to bring in another one at this point. The team will, however, add a couple linebackers, according to Jones (Twitter link via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
- Free agent cornerback Josh Victorian, who last played a regular season game for Houston in 2013, tried out for the Titans, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).
Titans Re-Sign Chase Coffman
4:50pm: The Titans have confirmed in a press release that they’ve re-signed Coffman, announcing that they’ve added running back David Fluellen to their roster as well. Fluellen spent time with the Eagles and Colts last year after going undrafted.
3:49pm: The Titans are re-signing tight end Chase Coffman, who spent the majority of the 2014 season with the team, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
Coffman, a former All-American at Missouri, appeared in 167 offensive snaps for the Titans last season, and also saw some time on special teams. The former third-round pick wasn’t a major part of Tennessee’s offense, but he did catch six balls for 64 yards and a touchdown.
Coffman, who returns to Tennessee after working out for the Saints earlier in the offseason, figures to play a similar depth role for the club in 2015, assuming he earns a spot on the 53-man regular season roster.
WR Rumors: Hilton, Jones, Green, Hunter
Earlier today, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported that some executives around the league believe that the price tag on Andrew Luck‘s eventual extension could make it tricky for the Colts to commit $12MM or so annually to T.Y. Hilton as well. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), however, the team is currently engaged in extension discussions with the wideout.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus told Cole that the Colts and Hilton are unlikely to reach any sort of agreement before training camp begins, but Cole appears confident that the two sides could work something out within the next several weeks. He also adds that Hilton is expected to seek upwards of $14MM annually on a new deal.
Hilton is a very productive player, but he’s not the sort of prototypical No. 1 receiver that guys like Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas are, so I’d be pretty shocked if the Colts inked him to an extension in that neighborhood. If the two sides do get something done before the season begins, something closer to Randall Cobb‘s four-year, $40MM pact makes more sense to me.
Here are a few more notes on wide receivers from around the league:
- Those Bryant and Thomas contracts figure to have more of an impact on A.J. Green and Julio Jones. According to Cole (video link), the Bengals‘ and Falcons‘ stars will look to exceed the $14MM average salaries landed by Bryant and Thomas, and get something in the neighborhood of $15MM per year. Both Green and Jones have missed time with injuries, but that’s not expected to be a huge roadblock in either contract negotiation, says Cole.
- Justin Hunter‘s arrest is currently “under review” by the NFL, writes Terry McCormick of 247Sports.com. It will likely be some time before the NFL announces any discipline for the Titans receiver, who was charged with felonious assault for allegedly breaking a man’s jaw in a bar fight.
- In search of some wide receiver depth, the Jets worked out former second-round pick Greg Little, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Little, who played three seasons for the Browns, spent most of last season with Cincinnati.
Details On Marcus Mariota’s Partial Offsets
The Titans became the final team to come to terms with their first-round pick earlier this week, agreeing to a standard four-year deal with a fifth-year option with quarterback Marcus Mariota. The delay in negotiations was largely (if not entirely) due to haggling over offsets, and as such, the final contract reportedly contains partial offset language, the details of which we’ve learned today.
According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (all Twitter links), the only portion of Mariota’s $24.214MM contract that would be subject to offsets are his base salaries, which total just $2.28MM. Mariota’s signing bonus, which is worth roughly $15.87MM, and his roster bonuses — $1.011MM in 2016, $2.021MM in 2017, and $3.032MM in 2018 — are protected. Additionally, Pelissero reports that those roster bonuses are due on the fifth day of training camp each year.
Speaking on the subject nearly two weeks ago, Titans CEO and president Steve Underwood seemed adamant that the club would not budge on the issue of offsets. “We’ve always had offset language in our player contracts. It’s nothing new,” Underwood said. “I think it is important where a high first-round draft pick is concerned, because it’s the precedent. Everything that we do is precedential for the next round of contracts.”
Instead, it appears as though Tennessee caved on the issue; the club could point to the fact that some offsets were included as a win, but for the most part, this looks like a victory for Mariota and his camp. For what it’s worth, No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston didn’t force the issue on offsets, choosing instead to agree to a contract with the Bucs the day after he was drafted. Only one player selected in the top 10 – third overall pick Dante Fowler Jr. – has a deal without any offset language.
As explained by Luke Adams of PFR last summer, offset language relates to what happens to a player’s salary if he’s cut during the first four years of his career, while he’s still playing on his rookie contract. For the top 15 to 20 picks in the draft, those four-year salaries will be fully guaranteed, even if a player is waived at some point during those four seasons. For example, if a player has $4MM in guaranteed money remaining on his contract and is cut, he’ll still be owed that $4MM.
However, if a team has written offset language into the contract, that club can save some money if and when the player signs with a new team. For example, if that player who had $4MM in guaranteed money left on his contract signs with a new club on a $1MM deal, his old team would only be on the hook for $3MM, with the new team making up the difference. If there’s no offset language on that first deal, the old team would continue to be on the hook for the full $4MM, and the player would simply earn an additional $1MM from his new club.
AFC Notes: Hunter, Heyward, Texans, Raiders
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk doesn’t understand why Titans wide receiver Justin Hunter hasn’t been put on paid leave after allegedly punching a man in the face and breaking his jaw. Hunter currently faces five to 20 years in prison and a $100K fine, but the Titans are reportedly expected to have him in camp.
Technically, the conduct policy only says that a player may be placed on paid leave if he is charged with a crime or if a league investigation “leads the commissioner to believe that [the player] may have violated this policy.” Still, Florio feels that the NFL should show some consistency and sideline Hunter.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post has the complete breakdown of Cameron Heyward‘s extension. The Steelers defensive end will earn a $12MM signing bonus and a $15MM guarantee on his deal. He carries respective cap hits of $6.4MM, $10.4MM, $10.4MM, $11.4MM, $11.15MM, and $9.5MM from 2015 to 2020.
- The Texans are working out former Boston College offensive tackle Matt Patchan, a league source tells Wilson. After going undrafted in 2014, Patchan signed with the Bucs, and spent time on the club’s practice squad last year.
- Former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com identifies one or two players for each AFC team who are at some sort of career crossroads, or are facing make-or-break type seasons in 2015.
- The Raiders wanted to upgrade the safety spot, and believe they did so by signing Nate Allen from Philadelphia this offseason, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes. The Raiders hope that Allen can play center field and free up Charles Woodson to make big plays down field. Of course, Allen has given up some big plays in the past and a skeptic might wonder if he’s the man for the job.
- Adam Caplan of ESPN.com joined Mighty 1090 in San Diego (audio link) to discuss Ladarius Green‘s opportunity in the wake of Antonio Gates‘ suspension. The young Chargers tight end was widely expected to break out in 2014, but Gates was as good as ever to start the year and didn’t cede his starting job. Now, Green has an opportunity to shine with Gates sidelined.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Community Tailgate: Who Will Win AFC South?
We’re still several weeks away from the start of battles on the NFL gridiron, but there’s no offseason when it comes to debate amongst fans. Earlier this summer, we launched a new series here at PFR that will be known as the Community Tailgate. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. Every weekday, we’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.
Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.
As the 2015 season inches closer, we’re examining each NFL division, asking you which team you expect to finish atop the East, North, South, and West. Having already taken a closer look at the East and North divisions, along with the NFC South, we’re shifting our focus to the AFC South, perhaps the league’s most lopsided division.
According to betting site Bovada.lv, no NFL team is more likely to win its division than the Colts, who are even heavier favorites in the AFC South than the Packers, Seahawks, or Patriots are in their respective divisions. That’s not a surprise. After all, the Colts have won the division by multiple games in each of the last two seasons, averaging 11 wins per year while their division rivals average just 4.5 wins.
There’s not much reason to expect the Colts to fall off in 2015 either, with Andrew Luck continuing to improve, and veterans like Frank Gore and Andre Johnson now at his disposal, along with first-round receiver Phillip Dorsett. There are still some questions on the defensive side of the ball in Indianapolis, but as long as Luck stays healthy, those defensive shortcomings may not be a factor until the postseason.
While the Colts aren’t necessarily one of the league’s most dominant teams, the lack of competition in the AFC South contributes to Indianapolis’ strong odds to win the division. The Titans and Jaguars finished 2-14 and 3-13 respectively a year ago, and while they may not be quite that dismal again this year, it’s hard to imagine either team making a playoff push, even with some encouraging free agent additions in Jacksonville, and new quarterback Marcus Mariota in Tennessee.
That leaves the Texans as the team most likely to challenge the Colts for the AFC South crown, as they did a year ago, finishing 9-7. J.J. Watt has a greater impact on a given game than any other defender in the league, and a healthy Jadeveon Clowney would make that Houston D even more dangerous. But there’s still no clear-cut solution at the quarterback position, where Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett will battle for the No. 1 job. Additionally, with Johnson in Indianapolis, Arian Foster and DeAndre Hopkins will be asked to carry a significant load on offense, and the unit could be in real trouble if either player gets hurt.
What do you think? Will the Texans knock the Colts out of the top spot? Will the Jaguars or Texans make a surprise run for the division? Or will the Colts cruise to another division title? Who do you expect to win the AFC South? Weigh in below in the comment section with your thoughts!
Justin Hunter Updates: Tuesday
Having allegedly been involved in a bar fight over the Fourth of July weekend earlier this month, Titans wide receiver Justin Hunter was arrested in Virginia on reported allegations of “malicious intent.” The Titans issued a brief statement yesterday, indicating that the team was aware of the situation and was still in fact-gathering mode.
While Tennessee continues to gather facts, more details of Hunter’s situation are emerging. We’ll round up Tuesday’s updates in this space, with any additional news added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Titans will let the legal process play out, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. Hunter can be expected to take part when training camp opens despite his arrest for felony assault, Werder’s source indicates.
- Hunter’s attorneys have released a statement (via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com on Twitter): “Justin has been released on $25k bond with normal and reasonable conditions. Based upon all the factors that the court must consider, including prior history and character, strength of the case, and risk of flight, the judge recognized that bond was appropriate. We look forward to vigorously defending the allegations.”
- After appearing in court today, Hunter was released on a $25K bond and was placed under a curfew, writes Brock Vergakis of The Associated Press. Per Vergakis, Hunter was charged with malicious wounding.
- During today’s arraignment, prosecutors said that Hunter started a fight on July 3 by punching a man in the face twice, writes Vergakis. According to prosecutors, after the bar was cleared, Hunter punched the man again while he was bent over spitting out blood on the sidewalk. The man allegedly had a broken jaw as a result of the assault.
Earlier updates:
- The victim in the fight that led to Hunter’s arrest was admitted to the hospital with apparent broken bones, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who cites Virginia police. Rapoport adds in a second tweet that Hunter’s “weapon” was his fists.
- The victim that pressed charges against Hunter sustained “serious, but not life-threatening” injuries during the brawl inside the Sandbar Raw Bar on July 3, a Virginia Beach police officer tells Terry McCormick of 247Sports.com.
- Having turned himself in on Monday, Hunter was booked and held overnight without bond, though bond will likely be set in the case today, writes McCormick. The wideout is scheduled to appear this afternoon in a Virginia courtroom for arraignment on a felonious assault charge.
- During today’s court appearance, Hunter’s next court date will also be set — that date should be about six weeks from now, says McCormick.
Titans Sign Marcus Mariota
6:45pm: The deal has partial offset language, according to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (on Twitter).
6:35pm: Finally, it’s a done deal. The Titans announced on Tuesday night that they have signed rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota.
“We are glad to have the deal with Marcus done, and I’d like to thank both Marcus and his representatives for their diligence in working with us to finalize this contract,” said Titans Executive Vice President and General Manager Ruston Webster. “We were confident that Marcus would be under contract before training camp, and we look forward to him starting his career on time with his teammates when we open camp next week. This is an exciting time for the Tennessee Titans organization, and we look forward to a bright future.”
Negotiations between Tennessee and the No. 2 overall pick went on much, much longer than anyone anticipated. Eventually, it came to light that the dispute stemmed from whether the contract would include offset language. As explained by Luke Adams of PFR last summer, offset language relates to what happens to a player’s salary if he’s cut during the first four years of his career, while he’s still playing on his rookie contract. For the top 15 to 20 picks in the draft, those four-year salaries will be fully guaranteed, even if a player is waived at some point during those four seasons. For example, if a player has $4MM in guaranteed money remaining on his contract and is cut, he’ll still be owed that $4MM.
However, if a team has written offset language into the contract, that club can save some money if and when the player signs with a new team. For example, if that player who had $4MM in guaranteed money left on his contract signs with a new club on a $1MM deal, his old team would only be on the hook for $3MM, with the new team making up the difference. If there’s no offset language on that first deal, the old team would continue to be on the hook for the full $4MM, and the player would simply earn an additional $1MM from his new club.
No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston didn’t force the issue on offsets, choosing instead to agree to a contract with the Bucs the day after he was drafted. Only one player selected in the top 10 – third overall pick Dante Fowler Jr. – has a deal without offset language.
In 2014, the Hawaii native directed the most efficient offense (23.5) in the country and led all quarterbacks nationally with a total quarterback rating of 90.9. Mariota finished the season ranked third among FBS quarterbacks with 4,454 passing yards and amassed 42 passing touchdowns, while rushing for 770 yards and 15 scores. The Oregon QB was regarded by some as the best signal caller in the draft, though the Bucs felt differently and selected Winston No. 1.
Now, only two draft picks remain unsigned: Colts cornerback D’Joun Smith and Colts defensive lineman Henry Anderson.