Uncategorized - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Marshall, Raiders, Falcons, Bills

May 20th, 2014 at 10:12pm CST by Zachary Links

After the Bears signed Brandon Marshall to a new three-year, $30MM deal, James Walker of ESPN.com looks back on the return that the Dolphins got by dealing him. Miami received a pair of third round picks that turned into cornerback Will Davis, tight end Michael Egnew, and receiver B.J. Cunningham. Davis received little playing time last year as a rookie, Egnew is a third-round bust after two seasons and may not make the roster in 2014, and Cunningham is no longer with the Dolphins. Needless to say, ex-GM Jeff Ireland could have positioned Miami better had he used those draft choices differently. Here’s tonight’s look around the NFL..

Raiders owner Mark Davis says the team can come up with the necessary $400MM to build a stadium but he’ll need help, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. He says if the project doesn’t happen, they’ll then evaluate other options, which presumably means moving. If the Raiders move, Los Angeles seems like a likely destination. Late tonight, Davis admitted talks are in the “eleventh hour,” writes Mike Coppinger of NFL.com.
The Falcons want rookie Prince Shembo to do it all on defense, writes Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The fourth round pick out of Notre Dame is muscular at 253 pounds and still boasts a decent 4.68 second 40-yard-dash.
Whether or not there’s an opportunity to relocate the Bills from western New York, multiple NFL owners expect a Jon Bon Jovi-led group to bid on the team, tweets Tim Graham of the Buffalo News. Bon Jovi has a working relationship with Larry Tanenbaum, the chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and NBA’s Toronto Raptors.
Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel examines Demetri Goodson‘s attempt to transition from point guard to cornerback. The Packers sixth round pick didn’t play football for six years between his sophomore year of high school and first year at Baylor but excelled once he got there.

Extra Points: Playoffs, Bryant, Crabtree, Draft

May 20th, 2014 at 6:49pm CST by Luke Adams

At the NFL’s spring meetings today in Atlanta, the league’s owners discussed the concept of playoff expansion, but opted to postpone a more in-depth conversation on the subject until the fall. While that rules out the possibility of a 14-team playoff for the 2014 season, the idea remains very much in play for 2015, and it seems inevitable that it will happen eventually, as Kevin Seifert writes at ESPN.com. Seifert runs through 10 questions related to playoff expansion, examining the league’s motives, players’ and fans’ views, and whether expanding to a 14-team playoff could lead to any other changes.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the NFL….

Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters, including Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter) that he is confident expanded playoffs will go into effect for 2015.
The future of the NFL draft remains up in the air and Goodell wouldn’t specify a target date for the draft in 2015, writes ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure. “We’re looking at everything,” Goodell said. “We think that the draft has a great deal more potential to grow in popularity. We don’t believe [the date] affected us in a negative way at all this year.“
With Dez Bryant, Michael Crabtree, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Roddy White, Wes Welker, Torrey Smith, Demaryius Thomas, Reggie Wayne, Jeremy Maclin, and Hakeem Nicks in the final years of their deal, 2015 is shaping up to be an all-time great wide receiver free agent class, tweets Adam Schefter of NFL Network.
Will Brinson of CBSSports.com takes an in-depth look at whether or not trading a first-round pick to acquire a specific player has benefited NFL teams over the last decade or so. Predictably, Brinson finds that there’s some short-term benefit to making such a deal, but that it doesn’t necessarily pay off in the long run.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Latest On Upcoming Bills’ Sale

May 20th, 2014 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

While many groups interested in buying the Bills may be interested in moving the franchise somewhere besides western New York, it looks like it’ll be an uphill battle to uproot the team. In addition to a stadium lease that makes it extremely difficult to relocate the Bills for the next several years, many of the NFL owners seem inclined to keep the club where it is. As Tim Graham of the Buffalo News details, Giants owner John Mara said today that he and many of his fellow owners are hoping for an outcome that allows the Bills to remain in Buffalo.

“The team means so much to that area,” Mara said. “It’s been a great franchise for the league. I think most of the people in that room would like to see it remain in Buffalo.”

Here’s more on the Bills’ future and the sale of the franchise:

Not all of the NFL’s owners have been unequivocal in stating their support for keeping the Bills in Buffalo. While lauding Jon Bon Jovi as a potentially “outstanding” future NFL owner, Jerry Jones of the Cowboys noted that the league wants to “create every opportunity we can to involve more fans.”
Added Jones: “At the end of the day, it’s my town against your town, Cowboys against whoever we’re playing. To the end that we can create more rivalries and involve larger viewing audiences, populations, that’s something that you have to look at when you get a chance to, and that’s the debate between Buffalo and Toronto.”
Although Jones’ comments appear to leave the door open for a possible relocation to Canada, Graham hears that one Toronto-based group with interest in buying the Bills is reconsidering since moving the team may be difficult (Twitter link). Similarly, Judy Battista of NFL.com (Twitter link) was told by a source with knowledge of the sale that “whoever buys it has to be prepared to stay there.”
As for the sale itself, the Bills are close to identifying the investment bank and legal firm that will handle the sale, according to club president and CEO Russ Brandon, who says a selection of a bank should happen by the end of the month (link via Graham). Brandon declined to name potential bidders for the franchise, but added that interest level is “high” (Twitter link via Adam Benigni of NBC Buffalo).

Pro Football Rumors On Facebook/Twitter

May 20th, 2014 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

Not many notable free agents are still on the board, and 2014 NFL draft is behind us, but there will be plenty of roster turnover over the next few weeks and months, and it’s a prime time for key players to receive contract extensions. Throw in Jimmy Graham‘s June franchise tag hearing, and there will be a number of notable stories to track on Pro Football Rumors throughout the summer. You don’t necessarily have to keep refreshing our site to keep tabs on them — there are a handful of different ways you can follow us to get the latest updates on NFL news and rumors all year.

You can like us on Facebook, and receive headlines and links for all our posts via your Facebook account. You can also follow us on Twitter to have all our posts and updates sent directly to your Twitter feed. Meanwhile, our Google+ page is located here, and if you’d like to follow us using your RSS reader of choice, you can find our RSS feed right here.

If you prefer to receive updates only on roster moves such as signings, cuts, and trades, you can follow our transactions-only feeds via RSS and Twitter.

AFC Notes: Johnson, Mosley, Vick

May 13th, 2014 at 6:25pm CST by Zachary Links

It would be too late to help Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon, but when and if the NFL’s new drug policy is finalized and announced, it will include changes specific to marijuana and other drugs of abuse, writes Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. A source says that the renegotiation of the drug policy, which has been going on since 2011 and includes testing for HGH, also will significantly increase the threshold for a positive marijuana test and reduce the punishments for violations involving that drug. Here’s more from around the NFL..

Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes that a new team taking on Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson in a deal would be taking on an awful lot in financial commitments. Johnson’s cap figure is $15.6MM after hitting a $3.5MM escalator. Earlier today we learned that Johnson is frustrated with the Texans as he openly wondered if Houston is the place for him.
Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com wonders if Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley could be the best defensive rookie to come out of this draft. Most assume No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney will come away with the award, but none of the defensive rookies taken with the first pick since the DROY was created have won it. That’s 45 years of history going in Mosley’s favor.
Willie Colon doesn’t think the Jets’ impending quarterback derby will pull the team apart, tweets Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. “No, competition is good. I think it’ll be healthy for us,” Colon said.

NFC Draft Links: Cards, Rams, Eagles

May 4th, 2014 at 7:06pm CST by Ben Levine

There hasn’t been a single first-round pick from the 2011 draft who has signed an extension and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com investigates the matter. While a solid portion have had their fifth-year options picked up, Florio says it’s “curious” that even a handful of the players have yet to ink a longterm deal. According to the writer, a league insider suggests that the lack of extensions is an indication of collusion among the teams.

The list of players includes Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson and Falcons receiver Julio Jones. These players could holdout (and pay a hefty fine of $30K a day), with Florio adding that Peterson hasn’t ruled out that option.

Let’s take a look at some draft notes from around the NFC…

Cardinals general manager Steve Keim makes it sound like he’s in favor of trading back, writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. “You are going to get third-round players in the fourth and fifth round,” Keim said, “guys who can come in and be immediate impact players for you.”
2014 will be a crossroads year for the Rams, says Bernie Miklasz of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead are in their third year on the job, and the writer opines that if a general manager/coach duo can’t succeed by year three then “you have to wonder if they’ll be able to get it done at all.”
The Eagles are committed to drafting the best available player in each round, but in each instance that could potentially be a wideout, writes Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer. As a result, Berman says that it’s essential for the team to identify receivers they like and where in the draft they’ll be selected.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman isn’t impressed by the safeties in the upcoming draft and hinted that the position may not be a priority, writes Les Bowen The Philadelphia Daily News.

NFC North Notes: Pryor, Rodgers, Lions

April 30th, 2014 at 9:35pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Bears have a tremendous need at safety, and Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune looks at some of the top prospects at the position. According to Campbell, the Bears’ top choice would be Calvin Pryor of Louisville, but he also lists a number of “intriguing options”, some that could be available after the first round of the draft. Here are some other notes from around the NFC North..

Surrounding Aaron Rodgers with as many playmakers as possible will always be a goal for the Packers‘ front office, and Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel looks at a few lesser-known prospects that could be added to the mix in later rounds. As part of his draft series, McGinn offers a historical comparison and the words of an unnamed NFL personnel man to round out his preview.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press looks at possible quarterback targets for the Lions. Of course, with Matthew Stafford under center and Dan Orlovsky on a one-year deal to back him up, Detroit doesn’t have a huge QB need, but the club could draft someone in the later rounds to give Kellen Moore a run for his money.
ESPN’s Todd McShay says the Vikings should take UCF star Blake Bortles, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. McShay views Bortles as the best quarterback in the draft and feels that Minnesota should pull the trigger if he falls to No. 8.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Pouncey, Vikings, Jags, Panthers

April 29th, 2014 at 9:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel wonders if a contract extension for Mike Pouncey would make sense for the Dolphins. Miami used its fifth-year option on the Pro Bowl center this afternoon, meaning that he’s in line to earn $7.438MM in 2015. While the Dolphins’ offensive line has undergone a significant overhaul this offseason, including the addition of tackle Branden Albert, Pouncey represents one of the few holdovers. Tonight’s look around the league..

What should the Vikings do with the No. 8 pick in the draft? There’s a lot of talk of the team targeting a quarterback like UCF’s Blake Bortles, but longtime NFL signal caller Rich Gannon says they should focus elsewhere, writes Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap looks at the Jaguars‘ work in free agency. Jacksonville’s biggest signing was guard Zane Beadles, a move that is somewhat questionable since his success could be a product of playing with Peyton Manning. Overall, Fitzgerald gives the Jags a B grade for a free agent class that could provide some strong upside at reasonable costs.
Panthers GM Dave Gettleman, like many execs around this time of year, is keeping his cards close to his vest, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter) feels the 49ers will stay at No. 30 or trade up, but doesn’t see them trading down.
The Jaguars are likely to seek linebacker help late in the draft, writes Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union.

Latest On Potential Bills Sale

April 19th, 2014 at 3:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The estate of late Bills owner Ralph Wilson has yet to appoint an investment banking firm to put an updated value on the franchise and oversee negotiations for the sale of the club, meaning the formal bidding process has yet to get underway. However, that doesn’t mean that potential bidders aren’t lining up to make a run at the Bills.

As John Wawrow of The Associated Press writes, the Bills were valued at $870MM by Forbes last year, but the sale price figures to be even higher, given the number of interested parties. Erie County deputy executive Richard Tobe said he has been approached by about 10 prospective ownership groups, which he has told to contact the team. Here’s a few updates from Wawrow on investors interested in making a bid on the Bills:

We’ve heard about Donald Trump‘s interest in buying the Bills, and Michael Cohen, Trump’s executive vice president, reiterated that the billionaire is serious about getting involved: “There’s nobody more serious than Donald Trump. Donald Trump has made it crystal clear that the Bills will remain in Buffalo.”
Bills legend and former quarterback Jim Kelly is expected to pursue an ownership role with the team as well, according to his brother – and the vice president of Jim Kelly Inc. – Dan Kelly. Despite undergoing treatment for a recurrence of sinus cancer, the former Bills signal-caller “will be an active participant in it moving forward,” says his brother.
Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs is another potential bidder for the Bills, according to Wawrow. Jacobs has yet to publicly announce his intentions, but a source tells Wawrow that the Jacobs family “is definitely a player.” The NFL doesn’t allow owners to control major sports franchise in separate markets, so Jacobs Sr. would have to sell the Bruins to own a stake in the Bills, which he has said he doesn’t intend to do. However, that doesn’t preclude his sons, Jeremy Jr., Lou and Charlie, from getting involved with the Bills.
As previously reported, rock star Jon Bon Jovi, who has a strong connection to Larry Tanenbaum of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (the owner of the NHL’s Maple Leafs and NBA’s Raptors), has interest in owning an NFL team and may make a play for the Bills.

Pro Football Rumors On Facebook/Twitter

April 19th, 2014 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Not many notable free agents are still on the board, but the 2014 NFL draft is less than three weeks away, and there’s still no consensus on who will be picked in the top 10, the top five, or even at No. 1. There will be plenty of notable stories to track on Pro Football Rumors throughout the spring, and you don’t necessarily have to keep refreshing our site to keep tabs on them. There are a handful of different ways you can follow us to get the latest updates on NFL news and rumors all year.

You can like us on Facebook, and receive headlines and links for all our posts via your Facebook account. You can also follow us on Twitter to have all our posts and updates sent directly to your Twitter feed. Meanwhile, our Google+ page is located here, and if you’d like to follow us using your RSS reader of choice, you can find our RSS feed right here.

If you prefer to receive updates only on roster moves such as signings, cuts, and trades, you can follow our transactions-only feeds via RSS and Twitter.

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