Draft Notes: Gregory, Mariota, Flowers, Collins
News broke earlier this week that Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory failed a drug test at last month’s combine, but there’s still no shortage of interest in the highly touted 22-year-old as the NFL draft approaches. According to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.Net (Twitter link), almost a half-dozen new teams have scheduled visits with Gregory since finding out about his failed drug test. Pauline names the Chargers and Steelers as a couple of clubs that will meet with Gregory, whom draft experts regard as a first-round talent.
Here’s more on several draft prospects and the teams interested in their services:
- Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes that Jets brass will head to Oregon on Saturday to work out quarterback Marcus Mariota. Representing the Jets will be general manager Mike Maccagnan, head coach Todd Bowles, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo, director of college scouting Rex Hogan and director of player personnel Brian Heimerdinger. The Jets have the sixth overall selection in the draft and are in need of a franchise quarterback, but it’s not expected that Mariota will fall to their pick.
- Miami’s Ereck Flowers, who might be the first offensive tackle taken in this year’s draft, will visit the Buccaneers and Panthers, per Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com. Campbell writes that “all four NFC South teams are showing significant interest” in Flowers, who will also powwow with the Browns, Colts and Chargers.
- Michael DiRocco of ESPN tweets that LSU cornerback Jalen Collins will meet with the Jaguars.
- The Dolphins will host Michigan linebacker Jake Ryan on April 2, according to ESPN’s James Walker.
- Former Missouri wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham will visit the Titans sometime in April, Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com reports.
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets that the Browns will meet with Indiana center Collin Rahrig prior to his Pro Day workout.
Titans Re-Sign Brandon Harris
The Titans have brought back cornerback Brandon Harris, re-signing him to a one-year contract, the team announced today (via Twitter).
Harris, who turned 25 in January, was selected by the Texans in the second round of the 2011 draft. After spending three years in Houston as a special teams player and an occasional contributor on defense, Harris was waived by the Texans during last August’s preseason roster cuts. The Titans claimed the former Miami Hurricane off waivers, and he spent the 2014 season in Tennessee. Harris earned 112 defensive snaps for the club, recording 11 tackles and three passes defended.
With Perrish Cox joining Jason McCourty, Coty Sensabaugh, and Blidi Wreh-Wilson on the Titans’ cornerback depth chart for the 2015 season, Harris is unlikely to earn much more playing time than he did in 2014. Assuming he makes the team, he’ll likely provide depth in the secondary, and play on special teams.
Contract Details: Britt, Dent, Fasano, Jets
Here are a few specific details on some of the contracts signed recently by 2015’s free agents:
- Kenny Britt‘s two-year contract with the Rams can be worth up to $13.95MM with incentives. However, the deal voids after one year if Britt has 901+ receiving yards or at least nine touchdowns during the 2015 season, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
- Per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), Akeem Dent‘s two year deal with the Texans is worth $4.5MM, and includes $2MM in guaranteed money, including a $750K signing bonus.
- Wilson also has the details on Anthony Fasano‘s new two-year contract with the Titans, tweeting that it’s worth $5.25MM, with a $1.125MM signing bonus and $500K annually in per-game roster bonuses.
- New Jets defensive lineman Stephen Bowen will make $950K on his one-year deal with the team, with $60K of that amount fully guaranteed, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter) that defensive lineman Kevin Vickerson also signed for $950K and a $60K signing bonus, so it appears the two players have the same contract.
La Canfora’s Latest: Mariota, AP, Dolphins
After spending four days at this week’s league meetings in Arizona, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com came away with some additional insight and information on a number of key storylines around the NFL, including Marcus Mariota‘s potential landing spot and the Adrian Peterson situation in Minnesota. Let’s round up some of the highlights from La Canfora’s latest column….
- After speaking to a number of team executives around the NFL, La Canfora gets the “strong sense” that Mariota won’t make it past the second overall pick. That doesn’t necessarily mean Mariota will be a Titan, but if a team wants to move up to snag him, a trade with Tennessee at No. 2 is more likely than a move to No. 5 or 6. “He’s going second overall,” said one GM who has an eye on the Mariota market. “I don’t know to which team, but he’s going second overall.”
- Ben Dogra, Peterson’s agent, was “ever-present” at this week’s meetings, and his mission to get his client off the Vikings‘ roster “remains at full throttle,” according to La Canfora. While head coach Mike Zimmer indicated yesterday that the team had no plans to trade its star running back, Dogra will continue to do whatever he can to accommodate an exodus from Minnesota for Peterson, and has told people he’s confident a deal can get done before the draft.
- As La Canfora notes, and as I alluded to yesterday in the wake of Zimmer’s comments, the Vikings aren’t budging, and they have no reason to — the team is unlikely to get a whole lot in return for a 30-year-old running back who sat out most of last year, won’t be reinstated until April 15 at the earliest, and has three years and $45MM left on his deal.
- Several people told La Canfora this week that Mike Tannenbaum is “clearly calling the shots” for the Dolphins, with GM Dennis Hickey playing a reduced role.
- Many people in the know believe that the Saints will ultimately end up with Tom Benson‘s wife Gayle rather than his grandchildren, as a legal battle for the franchise continues to play out.
AFC Notes: Browns, Titans, Steelers, Raiders
ESPN reports that Browns officials were told at this week’s owners meetings that the team will face “severe” discipline for violating an NFL policy. Cleveland will be punished for the actions of general manager Ray Farmer, who admitted to sending text messages (reportedly to members of the club’s sideline) during games last season. That violates the league’s electronic device policy, and it could cost the Browns in the form of fines or the loss of draft picks. The extent of the Browns’ punishment will be announced next week.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets that the odds of the Steelers extending the contract of defensive end Cameron Heyward prior to the season are “100%.” Heyward will make just under $7MM in 2015, the last year of his deal, and could hit free agency in 2016. The four-year veteran finished last season with a career-high 7.5 sacks, giving him 15 since entering the league in 2011. The former first-round pick has appeared in all 64 of Pittsburgh’s regular-season games since he joined the club, and has finished in the top 20 of Pro Football Focus’ ranking system (subscription required) for 3-4 defensive ends three straight years.
- Linebacker James Harrison seems to regard his recent decision to re-sign with the Steelers as bittersweet. The Titans were also vying for Harrison’s services, and choosing Pittsburgh over Tennessee means he won’t get to continue working under defensive guru Dick LeBeau. The 77-year-old left the Steelers after 11 seasons and joined the Titans’ staff in February. “You don’t want to let (coach LeBeau) down, you want to be loyal to him to a fault,” Harrison said on the “Ike Taylor Show,” according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. “It came down to I had to take a step back and look at it and it was a business. Both offers being the same, it wasn’t a good business move to go to Tennessee because I would have to uproot everything and I already had everything in Pittsburgh combined with the fact my legacy is in Pittsburgh.”
- Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie isn’t content with his team’s offensive line. “I don’t have enough offensive linemen on the roster. I want to bring some good ones in,” McKenzie said, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. The Raiders’ biggest O-line need is at right guard, an area they could address in the upcoming draft. “Right guard is going to be a competitive situation in camp,” said new head coach Jack Del Rio.
AFC Notes: Pats, Jets, Rivers, Locker, Colts
The Jets have filed tampering charges against the Patriots based on owner Robert Kraft‘s comments yesterday concerning New England’s pursuit of Darrelle Revis, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As Florio writes, this is likely the Jets seeking revenge after New England filed similar charges against Gang Green in January (also regarding Revis comments).
It’s unlikely that anything comes of this tit-for-tat scenario, so let’s check out some news from around the AFC…
- Chargers sources have not flatly denied that they’ll trade Philip Rivers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). Team sources have said they don’t want to move the veteran quarterback, but as Rapoport notes, that’s different than saying they won’t deal him. If a trade were to occur, the price for Rivers would be multiple first-round picks, says Rapoport.
- Jake Locker‘s retirement was just as stunning to the Titans as it was to the general public, Tennessee head coach Ken Whisenhunt tells Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Whisenhunt says the club found out about Locker’s decision at the same time as everyone else, adding that the subject of retirement never came up during his year-end talks with Locker.
- GM Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano told reporters, including Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), that the Colts are not finished in free agency, and could look to add pieces to the club’s defense.
- Titans interim president Steve Underwood maintains that the team is not for sale, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
Contract Details: Clay, Cromartie, Webb, Britt
Here are some specific details on a number of contracts agreed to and/or signed recently. One-year minimum salary benefit deals aren’t included.
AFC deals:
- Charles Clay, TE (Bills): Five years, $38MM base value. $24.5MM fully guaranteed. $10MM signing bonus. $10MM roster bonus in 2016. No-trade clause for first three years (three Twitter links via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- Antonio Cromartie, CB (Jets): Four years, $32MM base value. $7MM guaranteed. $2MM roster bonus. No signing bonus (link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
- Lardarius Webb, CB (Ravens): Restructured contract. Three years, $18MM base value. $5.25MM guaranteed. $3MM roster bonus in 2015 (link via Wilson).
- Nate Irving, LB (Colts): Three years, $7.25MM base value. $1.5MM guaranteed. $750K signing bonus. Escalators in 2016, 2017 (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Karl Klug, DL (Titans): Two years, $3.75MM base value. $1MM signing bonus. $200K roster bonus in 2016. Up to $625K in annual incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- James Harrison, OLB (Steelers): Two years, $2.75MM base value. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Byron Stingily, T (Titans): Two years, $2.5MM base value. $250K signing bonus. $800K playing-time escalator (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Louis Delmas, S (Dolphins): One year, $2.25MM base value. Up to $1.25MM in incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Mitch Unrein, DT (Chargers): Two years, $1.9MM base value. $250K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
NFC deals:
- Kenny Britt, WR (Rams): Two years, $9.15MM base value. $4.05MM guaranteed. $1.5MM roster bonus in 2015. Potential void in 2016 based on 2015 escalator (link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
- Jacob Tamme, TE (Falcons): Two years, $3.2MM base value. $400K signing bonus. $250K roster bonus in 2016. $1MM escalator based on performance, playing time (Twitter links via Wilson).
- Clint Gresham, LS (Seahawks): Three years, $2.705MM base value. $300K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Ahtyba Rubin, DL (Seahawks): One year, $2.5MM base value. $1MM signing bonus. Up to $500K in playing-time incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Kenrick Ellis, DT (Giants): One year, $1.475MM base value. $500K guaranteed. $300K signing bonus (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com).
- George Selvie, DE (Giants): One year, $1.2MM base value. $200K signing bonus. Up to $200K in incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
South Notes: Titans, Spencer, Saints, Panthers
With the Buccaneers viewed as very likely to draft Jameis Winston first overall next month, the Titans‘ pick at No. 2 is a big one, since it’s not clear whether Tennessee will opt for quarterback Marcus Mariota or select a defender.
Asked today about the Mariota possibility, Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt told reporters, including Jim Corbett of USA Today (Twitter link) that “if he comes to us at No. 2, he’s definitely going to be the Day One starter.” As Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports tweets, Whisenhunt later clarified that he meant if his team were to draft a quarterback second overall, it would be with the expectation that the player would start immediately.
Whisenhunt’s comments don’t necessarily signal that Tennessee is leaning toward the Oregon signal-caller, but the door certainly doesn’t seem closed on that outcome either. Here are a few more notes from around the NFL’s two South divisions:
- The latest report on the possibility of a Titans sale has led to the latest round of denials from the organization. This time, it’s interim president Steve Underwood saying that ownership is committed to the team, and doesn’t intend to field offers on the franchise, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Per Wyatt, Tommy Smith‘s replacement also made it clear that he has confidence in Whisenhunt and GM Ruston Webster.
- Former Cowboys DE/OLB Anthony Spencer is visiting New Orleans to meet with the Saints, per Kristian Garic of WWL 870 (via Twitter). Spencer, who has spent all eight years of his NFL career with Dallas, hasn’t started a game since his Pro Bowl season in 2012, but has a history with Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
- Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman said today that linebacker Thomas Davis will be next in line for a contract extension, and also suggested that wide receiver Greg Jennings and cornerback Alan Ball are still in play for Carolina — both players have drawn interest from other teams as well, and are taking their time to make decisions.
- Texans head coach Bill O’Brien identified safety and offensive line as two spots at which he wants to improve his team’s depth, adding that he’d like to upgrade the club’s return game as well (Twitter link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).
AFC Links: Texans, Jaguars, Dolphins, Browns
The Texans current batch of quarterbacks would never be confused with Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. Ryan Mallett, Brian Hoyer and Tom Savage don’t evoke fear, but that doesn’t mean their team can’t be successful. Owner Bob McNair is a supporter of that sentiment, as he told Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com that he believes his team could contend for a Super Bowl:
“Teams have done that. Look at Baltimore back in 2000. They had an outstanding defense. They could run the ball and they had a quarterback that didn’t turn it over that much. I think that is a plan that can bring you great success. Look what we did last year playing four quarterbacks. We didn’t have that consistent play at quarterback and yet look how close we came. We’ve improved our defense this year.”
Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the AFC…
- Jaguars general manager David Caldwell told Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union that his team has interest in free agent wideout Greg Jennings, but he warns that they haven’t scheduled a visit (Twitter link).
- While appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum said his team also hasn’t scheduled a visit with Jennings (via Alex Marvez of Fox Sports on Twitter). However, Tannenbaum noted that Miami could pursue the veteran wideout later in free agency.
- Following news earlier today that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam could be a candidate to purchase the Titans, a Browns spokesman told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that the Tennessee native is devoted to Cleveland. “It’s 100% false,” the spokesman said. “There is no truth to the careless speculation from the reporter.”
- Browns general manager Ray Farmer said the organization would continue to monitor potential quarterback additions, tweets Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com.
- Farmer would not reveal whether the Browns offered a first-round pick to the Rams for Sam Bradford, but he did comment that the current Eagles signal-caller likely isn’t available (via Ulrich on Twitter).
La Canfora’s Latest: Wilson, Peterson, Titans
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com has been busy today at the NFL’s March meetings in Arizona, publishing three pieces — one on Russell Wilson‘s contract, one on the Titans‘ ownership situation, and one that addresses a few other items of note from around the league. Here are a few highlights from all three of La Canfora’s Monday articles:
- La Canfora continues to hear that no new deal is imminent for Wilson and the Seahawks, and while both sides would like to get something done, there’s no sense that real progress has been made. The two sides figure to keep negotiating throughout the spring and the summer, but Wilson is prepared to play the 2015 season without an extension in place if need be, knowing that even without a new contract, he’d likely be in line for $20MM+ if Seattle franchises him next winter.
- Adrian Peterson doesn’t want to play for the Vikings, but there may not be much trade interest in him at his current salary, and Minnesota doesn’t appear willing to cut him either. That may end up essentially creating a game of chicken between the star running back and the team — the Vikes could probably find a trade partner if Peterson were open to significantly reworking his deal, but it’s not clear how much he’d be willing to sacrifice to get out of Minnesota. La Canfora believes the Cowboys, Cardinals, and Washington would have interest at the right price, but that price likely isn’t $45MM over three years.
- Some team executives around the NFL are growing frustrated with the league for dragging out investigations into the Patriots (Deflategate), Browns (Textgate), and Falcons (Noisegate), questioning why there’s still no resolution on any of those issues.
- “Lot of people like [Marcus] Mariota a lot more than what you are seeing in the media,” said a high-ranking official for one NFL team. La Canfora believes Mariota will be the second overall pick, or at least a top-five selection.
- Currently, veteran free agents signed after June 1 don’t factor into the following year’s compensatory picks. According to La Canfora, the league may change that date to May 1 to help benefit players (who could find a home a few weeks earlier) and teams (who could get those players to their facilities sooner).
- Rumblings about a potential Titans sale have only increased since Tommy Smith left the franchise. La Canfora writes that billionaire Dave Tepper, who currently owns 5% of the Steelers, is considered by some league insiders as the favorite to land the Titans. However, the CBSSports.com scribe warns not to count out current Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who is a Tennessee native and would love to own the Titans. While a “swap” of franchises between owners is unlikely, it’s worth keeping an eye on Haslam just in case, says La Canfora.