Uncategorized - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Heyward, Giants, Brees

May 20th, 2015 at 9:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward said he’s in no rush to get his contract done, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets. The veteran would like to get a deal done as soon as possible, but he’s not dwelling on it. The 26-year-old has appeared in every regular season game for the Steelers since his debut in 2011. Over the last two seasons, he has started 29 games for Pittsburgh and racked up a combined 114 tackles and 12.5 sacks. Here’s more from around the NFL..

After Robert Kraft decided to accept the penalties brought against the Patriots, speculation began to fly that the owner made a back-room deal with Roger Goodell that includes leniency for quarterback Tom Brady. Giants owner John Mara finds that theory to be preposterous. “I believe [Patriots owner Bob Kraft] ultimately accepted the penalties because he knew he didn’t have anywhere to go” with an appeal or a potential lawsuit, Mara told Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post.
Giants center Weston Richburg is disappointed by the news of Will Beatty‘s injury but he also doesn’t see the team going out-of-house to replace him. “We were gonna depend on him big-time, but it’s a next man up mentality,” Richburg told SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Twitter) “We have guys here who can step up.”
Drew Brees is confident that the Saints‘ young, inexperienced receivers keep the offense moving in the absence of tight end Jimmy Graham and receiver Kenny Stills, who’ve both been traded away, The Associated Press writes. While nine-year veteran Marques Colston remains on the roster, most of the receivers and tight ends on the club haven’t been asked to play prominent roles yet.
Some are wondering why the Inglewood stadium could be the only possible L.A. host of Super Bowl LIV and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) explains it’s because it’s the only site that could have a team playing there in 2018. The Carson project simply wouldn’t be ready in time.

AFC East Notes: Tannehill, Manuel, Bills

May 19th, 2015 at 6:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Until recently, the possibility of a contract extension didn’t seem all that likely to Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes.

“I didn’t know if it was going to happen or not,” Tannehill told reporters today . “I still had two years [on my contract], so it wasn’t something I was expecting. Fortunately enough, we made it happen.”

Eventually, a deal came together and the quarterback now has major financial security in the form of a six-year, $96MM deal. And, as Beasley notes, agent Pat Dye could argue that Tannehill’s new-money average from 2017 through 2020 is the sixth-highest in the league – with a bit of accounting magic. Here’s more from the AFC East..

Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman shot down speculation that quarterback EJ Manuel could be cut in training camp if he doesn’t show progress, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets. Yesterday, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW reported that Manuel might not make the 53-man roster if he doesn’t take a step forward. The Florida State product had a promising rookie season in which he threw for 1,972 yards in ten starts but even then, his touchdown-to-interception ratio left much to be desired as he threw for 11 scores but gave up 9 picks. Last season, he lost the starting job after four games.
Bills running backs coach Anthony Lynn is concerned about Bryce Brown‘s absence from voluntary workouts, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News writes. That’s not great news for Brown, especially when considering all the backs in competition in Buffalo. “Bryce is doing what he has to do right now, taking care of his family in the offseason, but yes, it will set him back,” he said. “I mean, he’s five, six weeks behind everyone else. Once he gets here, it’s going to be hard to slow down and catch him up. That’s one of my biggest concerns, but, you know, he’s got the playbook. Hopefully he’s taking care of his business and hopefully he’ll come in in great shape and we’ll see what happens.”
Patriots owner Robert Kraft surrendered in a battle he couldn’t win, Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe opines.

Trade Rumors App For iOS/Android

May 19th, 2015 at 12:09pm CST by Luke Adams

With the 2015 draft in the books, it’s contract extension season in the NFL, and you can follow all the latest news and rumors with the Trade Rumors app for iOS and Android devices! Here are some of the features of the app:

Customize your home screen. The app has feeds for Pro Football Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors, and Hoops Rumors by default, but if you’re more of a one- or two-sport person, you can easily remove and reorder feeds. You can also add a feed for any of the 92 NFL, MLB, or NBA teams, as well as the thousands of players in the archives of our three sites. Please note that the default ordering puts MLB Trade Rumors on your home screen, but you can easily go into Settings to reorder and add or remove feeds.
In addition to customizing your feeds, you can also set up notifications at the sport, team, or even player level, and receive a notification as soon as a new article is posted on that topic.
We’ve also allowed for filtering of all stories versus top stories, for what is shown on the home screen as well as for notifications. This allows you to limit yourself to just the most important news for a feed, if you prefer.
Article sharing options are plentiful: choose Facebook, Twitter, email, and text message.
Once you’ve clicked an article in a feed, you can swipe to read the next article in that feed.

Best of all? The Trade Rumors app is free! Download it today for iOS or Android.

Extra Points: Tebow, Smith, Falcons

May 18th, 2015 at 9:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Can Tim Tebow find success with the Eagles? Former teammate Eric Decker seems to think so. “Chip’s been doing a lot of stuff this year, so I think anything’s possible,” Decker, now with the Jets, told Manish Mehta of the Daily News. “Really, (Tebow) can create his own role. I know he wants to be head quarterback, but he can create a role for himself that can help a team in many ways (whether it’s) the two-point conversion if it’s moved up or a goal-line package. He has the athletic ability to be a personal punt protector… and can play other positions. They’ll figure out a way to utilize him if it’s going to help them be a better football team.” Here’s more from the NFC..

Justin Smith told reporters, including Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group (on Twitter), that the left side of his body hasn’t been responding well as of late. “If you don’t have the tools, you can’t do the job. It’s time to go,” said the 49ers defensive end, who walked away from the game of football earlier today.
The Falcons rearranged their front office this winter, giving more responsibility to new head coach Dan Quinn and assistant GM Scott Pioli while taking some duties away from GM Thomas Dimitroff. So far, owner Arthur Blank is happy with how things have worked out, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. “I think it’s working great,” Blank said. “There is tremendous respect both ways. They’re working off each other; playing off each other’s strengths. They’re both good listeners to each other and to others. And I think the dynamic has worked out as well as anybody could have possibly thought. I think Thomas and Scott have worked beautifully together as well. So I’m very happy with all of that.”
Buccaneers defensive tackle Clinton McDonald says fellow DT Henry Melton is a great addition to the defense and will help the Bucs get to the quarterback, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets.

Eagles Said No To Broncos’ Draft Day Offer

May 16th, 2015 at 4:48pm CST by Zachary Links

After weeks of rumors and rumblings about teams that could potentially swing draft day deals, Day 1 of the 2015 draft wound up being rather uneventful. One of the would-be trades would have seen the Broncos move up from No. 23 to the Eagles’ No. 20 pick, but Denver was rebuffed, according to Gil Brandt of NFL.com (Twitter links).

Instead of adding draft picks, the Eagles opted to stay put and grab USC wide receiver Nelson Agholor. Of course, adding a wide receiver was a top priority for Chip Kelly & Co. after losing Jeremy Maclin, who signed with the Chiefs in March. Agholor joins Jordan Matthews, Riley Cooper, Miles Austin, as a part of the Eagles receiving corps. Agholor figures to get a good amount of burn in 2015, provided that he is as NFL-ready as the Eagles think he is.

It’s not immediately clear who the Broncos might have been targeting at No. 20. The Broncos wound up taking Shane Ray at No. 23 and it’s conceivable that he was their target in trying to move up. Ray was projected by some to be a fringe top ten pick before a flunked drug test hurt his stock.

Extra Points: Winston, Peterson, Lions

May 13th, 2015 at 10:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith isn’t thrilled with former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden and his comments about Jameis Winston, Greg Auman and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times write.

“I’m disappointed. To say that the young man is an “embarrassment’? That’s pretty strong,” Smith said. “I just don’t think he’s speaking for all of Florida State, even though he’s in an official role there. Normally, what we’re doing today with our greats, you (embrace) them. Everybody on the outside may be throwing stones at them. Normally, when you’re in a family, you don’t do that. I’m very disappointed that somebody like that would make that type of statement.”

Here’s more from around the NFL..

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer claims that he doesn’t envision any issues with team harmony if Adrian Peterson returns to the club and remains disgruntled, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Peterson, who missed 15 games last season, has been (ostensibly) pushing for the Vikings to guarantee the money owed to him over the next three years of his contract. Peterson is set to earn $12.75MM in 2015 and Zimmer declined comment when asked if he has spoken recently to Peterson or if the running back will be at OTAs.
Ameer Abdullah‘s trainer offered up a very flattering NFL comparison for his client. “He reminds me a ton of Steve Smith and you see what he’s done in the league,” Otis Leverette told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I played with him in (a college) all-star game and played with him in the league for a while, they’ve kind of got that same thing to them. They just don’t know that they’re supposed to be small, they don’t believe in obstacles. The things that other people see as obstacles, they just see as another day at the office.” The Lions‘ second-round pick put pen to paper earlier today.
Cardinals fans who are wondering which rookie free agents will be making the final roster should look at the bonuses being paid to the UDFAs for clues, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic writes. BYU inside linebacker Alani Fua leads the pack with a healthy $17K bonus while North Carolina State tackle Robert Crisp is the runner-up with $15K.

Free Agent Notes: Arrington, Conner, Davis

May 13th, 2015 at 10:22am CST by Luke Adams

It’s not clear if the Browns or Falcons put in a waiver claim for D.J. Swearinger, but both clubs had interest in landing the former Texans safety before he was claimed by the Buccaneers yesterday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. One team that did put in a claim was the Jets, a source tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). None of those clubs could get to Swearinger, however, as Tampa Bay had the No. 1 waiver priority and used it.

While Swearinger didn’t make it to the open market, we have a few updates on players who are currently free agents, or who recently signed contracts with new teams:

As the Ravens explore the possibility of adding a cornerback, recently released ex-Patriot Kyle Arrington is “clearly” their top target, writes Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter link) agrees that the Ravens are in the mix for Arrington, adding that the Panthers are another team to watch.
Having already signed Jerome Felton this offseason, the Bills shouldn’t necessarily be in the market for another fullback, but the team is hosting John Conner for a visit today, according to a report from Draft Diamonds. Conner has had multiple stints with the Jets under Rex Ryan, who is fond of his blocking ability and would consider adding “The Terminator” to the roster as a complement to Felton.
Tight end Fred Davis, who was a free agent – and serving a suspension – for over a year before signing with the Patriots this week, received a $20K workout bonus and $60K in per-game roster bonuses on his one-year, minimum salary deal, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. Davis’ contract doesn’t include any guaranteed money.
As NFL communications rep Randall Liu notes (on Twitter), unrestricted free agents who didn’t receive contract tenders from their former clubs are now free to sign with new teams without having an impact on that team’s compensatory draft pick formula. The NFL moved up this cutoff date from June 1 to May 12 this year, allowing unsigned players a better opportunity to find new homes earlier in the spring.

NFC Notes: Cards, Washington, Bears

May 5th, 2015 at 4:23pm CST by Luke Adams

While John Carlson‘s retirement announcement today came as a surprise to many observers, the Cardinals‘ football people weren’t shocked by the news, per Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter links). However, Somers notes that the team wasn’t aware of Carlson’s plan prior to the draft, so it’s fair to wonder if Arizona might’ve taken a tight end a little earlier — the team selected Louisville’s Gerald Christian with the 256th and final pick in this year’s draft, making him 2015’s “Mr. Irrelevant.”

Here’s more from around the NFC:

After selecting running back Matt Jones in the draft last week, Washington is no longer in the market for veteran free agent Pierre Thomas, tweets ESPN.com’s John Keim.
Following the 2015 draft, the Bears’ front office is undergoing some major changes under new general manager Ryan Pace. As Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune details, college scouting director Marty Barrett won’t have his contract renewed after 18 years with the franchise. Meanwhile, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets that Jay Muraco is out as Chicago’s East Coast scout, confirming a report from Neil Stratton of InsideTheLeague (Twitter link). A source tells Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (Twitter link) that Barrett figures to land with the Jets, while Caplan tweets that Muraco may resurface with the Falcons.
Speaking to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com, Pace explained why the Bears decided not to use one of their six picks on a quarterback during the draft.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a closer look at the specific numbers in Jameis Winston‘s rookie contract with the Buccaneers, and how they reflect the changes in the overall rookie salary pool. So far, Winston is the only rookie reported to have officially signed his contract.
Panthers special teams coordinator Bruce DeHaven is taking a medical leave of absence to deal with a “serious health situation,” and will be replaced in the interim by Russ Purnell, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.

Extra Points: Falcons, Bennett, Spikes, Stacy

May 1st, 2015 at 2:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Some assorted, non-prospect related notes from around the NFL…

Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff denied a report that the team was working a trade to land Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “He’s under contract,” Dimitroff said on 92.9 The Game this morning. “I didn’t give it a second thought.” Irvin, an Atlanta native, played for Falcons head coach Dan Quinn for the past two seasons in Seattle.
Bears tight end Martellus Bennett told NFL Network (video link) that he’s extremely high on first round choice Kevin White. While it’s not proof positive that Bennett is staying in Chicago, it could be a sign that he anticipates staying put this season. Bennett was rumored to be a trade candidate earlier this week.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman was contacted on Thursday night about his interest in free agent linebacker Brandon Spikes, according to Darren Wolfson of KSTP TV in Minneapolis (via Twitter). Spielman passed on the offer, as Wolfson notes that the GM is confident he’ll get a linebacker in the draft.
Following reports that Rams running back Zac Stacy requested a trade, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that representatives for the former fifth-rounder met with the organization. While it was a productive meeting, Thomas notes that a a decision hasn’t been made regarding Stacy’s future with the team. The Rams selected Georgia running back Todd Gurley with the tenth pick of the first round.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Ray, Falcons, Cowboys

April 28th, 2015 at 10:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Jets tight end Jace Amaro walked back some of the harsh comments he had for former head coach Rex Ryan, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. “I had no intention of attacking anybody, especially Rex,” Amaro said. “I have the utmost respect for the guy, he gave me a chance to play in this league before anyone else. … I was really just talking to the players mostly and our team now and I’m not really worried about what happened last year.” Amaro is squarely focused on the season ahead, but two of those 16 games will be against his former coach. Here’s more from around the NFL..

Earlier tonight, SiriusXM’s Adam Schein asked Falcons coach Dan Quinn if Shane Ray is still on his board. “Yeah, absolutely,” the coach said, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “As we’re going through the process we felt good about him. I think he had a setback. It was hard, and hopefully one that, like I said, he learns from and can move on from.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones won’t call running back a “must” for his team in this year’s draft. That checks out with Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter), who hears that they could wait until the third or fourth round to grab a tailback. Dallas can afford to take a lesser back in this year’s draft thanks to their outstanding offensive line.
Danny Amendola said he didn’t have any hesitation about taking a pay cut to stay with the Patriots, Shalise Manza Young of The Boston Globe writes. “You know, it’s a business and everybody treats it like a business. Obviously you love playing football, you love being around the locker room, you love being around your teammates, and that’s really the most important thing for me,” Amendola said. “I love the group we have here, I love the work ethic everybody puts in every week, I love being here, so that’s why I chose to come back.”

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