NFC West Notes: Peterson, Joseph, Rams
Earlier today we learned that the Cardinals were one of the teams that talked to the Buccaneers before this year’s draft about the possibility of a Mike Glennon trade. Glennon would have been groomed to be the club’s next quarterback while backing up starter Carson Palmer, but the talks ultimately didn’t go anywhere. The latest out of the NFC West..
- Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter) hears that extension talks between cornerback Patrick Peterson and the Cardinals are active and some progress has been made. While there has been more movement on a new deal between the two sides than most teams have had with standouts from the 2011 class, nothing is iminnent at this time, however. Recently, our own Luke Adams looked at Peterson’s case for an extension. The cornerback is probably pushing to exceed the $14MM annual salary that Richard Sherman got on his four-year deal and the $22MM guaranteed that Joe Haden received on his five-year deal. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him match one or both of those marks when all is said and done.
- It was a long road that led guard Davin Joseph to the Rams, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. The Rams wound up re-signing Rodger Saffold after his deal with the Raiders fell through and some assumed that would have 86’d any hope of a deal between Joseph and St. Louis. However, the Rams maintained their interest and signed Joseph after watching the market play out. The former first-round pick had interest from the Cowboys and Patriots but ultimately chose the Rams this offseason.
- The Rams‘ home stadium, the Edward Jones Dome, is running out of money, writes David Hunn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In six years, the authority that oversees the stadium will have burned through its $16MM savings and they project to be ~$62MM in the hole in 15 years. With increased talk of a team picking up and moving to Los Angeles, that’s not great news for the city of St. Louis.
NFC South Notes: Falcons, Newton, Bucs
Falcons coach Mike Smith is sad to have lost Sean Weatherspoon for the year, but he believes that the club’s additions through free agency and the draft have left them better equipped to deal with filling the void, writes Charles Odum of the Associated Press. Notre Dame’s Prince Shembo, a fourth-round pick, and Syracuse’s Marquis Spruill, a fifth-rounder, will both have increased opportunities in the wake of Weatherspoon’s Achilles tear. Smith also said additions to the defensive line also should give the linebackers better protection to make plays. They signed defensive end Tyson Jackson and defensive tackle Paul Soliai in free agency and drafted defensive end Ra’Shede Hageman in the second round. Here’s more out of the NFC South..
- A report last night indicated that Cam Newton‘s camp is afraid that Colin Kaepernick‘s new deal with the 49ers will set a tone for forthcoming contract negotiations with the Panthers QB. If that’s the case, Newton isn’t copping to it. “I’m not terrified of anything,” Newton said, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. “For me, that’s the last thing on my mind. The first thing is trying to get little anky right. I’m not worried about no money. I’m not worried about things I can’t control.”
- Ultimately, Newton’s best tactic for avoiding a similar structure to Kaepernick could be declining to talk about a contract until after the 2014 season or later with the Panthers, opines Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. Newton isn’t hurting for money right now, but he can bet on himself over the next two years, forcing Carolina into a difficult spot come 2016, when they’ll have to decide whether to use the non-exclusive franchise tag and risk losing him to another team.
- The Buccaneers new and improved depth at cornerback this offseason is already evident, writes Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. “Every day it seems we talk about one of the corners,” coach Lovie Smith said. “You see the way we practice. Guys are stripping the ball right up until the end. It’s about taking the ball away. To a man, they’ll talk to you about that. As the head football coach of our defense, that’s a great job to finish a game off like that.”
- Saints camp invite Charles Hawkins, a wide receiver with speed, is willing to do whatever it takes to make the roster, writes Andrew Lopez of The Times-Picayune.
Seven Teams Holding Mandatory Minicamps This Week
According to Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk, the Cardinals, Bengals, Browns, Broncos, Lions, Saints, and Buccaneers will hold their mandatory minicamps this week.
These mandatory minicamps are heavily regulated by the NFL’s CBA. Per the CBA, players undergo physical exams on Monday. The teams may then hold a mandatory veteran minicamp with three days of practice on Tuesday through Thursday. Although pads and contact drills are prohibited for these mini camps, players can wear helmets. Players may be on the field for a total of no more than 3.5 hours per day. No organized team activities, which include medical treatment and taping, may begin prior to 7:00am local time or end after 8:30pm local times, with one hour provided for both lunch and dinner.
Mandatory minicamps are not to be confused with voluntary minicamps, which are allowed to occur prior to the draft only in the event that a team has hired a new head coach that offseason.
Browns Notes: Manziel, Burleson, Gordon
If this whole football thing doesn’t end up working out, Johnny Manziel has a pretty good fallback option. The San Diego Padres drafted Manziel with the 837th pick in the MLB Draft this afternoon (via Twitter). The Browns rookie quarterback is listed as a shortstop.
According to USA Today’s Nick Schwartz, Manziel played a bit of baseball in high school, so the drafting is not completely random. The quarterback also threw out the first pitch at a Padres game last season.
As ESPN Stats & Info pointed out on Twitter, it’s unlikely Manziel will ever make the major league level (and it has nothing to do with his career in the NFL) – no 837th pick has ever played in an MLB game.
Let’s see what else is going on in Cleveland…
- After being “blindsided” by the organization over his firing in February, former CEO Joe Banner is unsure whether he’ll return to the NFL. “I’m not going to do anything for now, and whether or not I’m going to come back and do something in football is up in the air,” Banner told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
- Wide receiver Nate Burleson says injuries were the main reason why the Lions let him go, write Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. The veteran adds that he considered retiring and was close to accepting a job with one of the large television networks as an analyst.
- If the Browns decide to trade embattled star wideout Josh Gordon, ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon isn’t convinced the team would even receive a draft pick in return. He refers to the Randy Moss trade in 2007, when the Patriots sent the Raiders a fourth-round pick.
Minor Moves: Silva, Broussard, Waivers
The Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson is always a reliable source on NFL transactions. Earlier, he tweeted out some minor moves from around the league. Let’s check them out…
- The Bills have cut safety Mana Silva (Twitter link). The defensive back played ten games for the Bills and Cowboys in 2012.
- Chiefs defensive tackle Risean Broussard has cleared waivers (Twitter). Wilson adds that the player will be placed on injured reserve. The Chiefs had signed Broussard as an undrafted free agent following the 2013 draft, but released him soon after. The team signed him again in late January.
- Wilson also tweeted out a list of players who have cleared waivers: Trevor Gillette (Jaguars), Stephen Goodin (Giants), Jared Green, Joel Grigsby, Daniel Zychlinski (Raiders).
Extra Points: Kaepernick, Chiefs, Adams, Hill
Speaking to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star, former NFL agent Joel Corry suggests that he thinks the Chiefs could push for a similar structure to Colin Kaepernick’s deal when they try to extend Alex Smith, though he doubts agent Tom Condon would go for it. “If you ask me to take my agent hat off, I don’t think this deal is going to have any real impact on Alex Smith’s negotiation,” Corry said of Kaepernick’s extension. “It’s two different (situations). The problem is, the Chiefs still aren’t going to want to want to pay him in that Matthew Stafford, Tony Romo, Jay Cutler range.”
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap (Twitter links) posits that the bottom line on Kaepernick’s deal is that he would have put himself in line for the Joe Flacco extension if he had a big walk year but he instead protected himself against injury.
- Wide receiver Joe Adams, who was drafted by the Panthers in the fourth round in 2012, has been released by the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- There was some speculation that an undated press release from the Arena Football League’s Arizona Rattlers indicated that former Giants safety Will Hill had signed with the AFL club. However, Conor Orr of the Star-Ledger says that’s not the case, suggesting that perhaps Hill was activated off the AFL’s suspension list, creating some confusion.
Extra Points: Nelson, Packers, Willis, Gordon
The NFLPA is considering a plan that would pay players year round rather than just during the season in an effort to help them manage their money better, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports. For that proposal to go through, a simply majority of the 32 team reps will have to approve and the deal will also have to be negotiated with the league. Here’s more from around the league..
- Jordy Nelson‘s last deal with the Packers, which pays an average of $4.2MM per season, cost him a whole lot of money, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. In the last three seasons, only three other NFL receivers — Dallas’ Dez Bryant, Detroit’s Calvin Johnson and Denver’s Eric Decker — have more touchdown catches than Nelson (30). He’s 12th in yards (3,322) and sixth in yards per catch (16.45) among all receivers during that same stretch.
- The 49ers may find their replacement for injured inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman from within, writes Steve Corkran of Bay Area News Group. San Francisco has asked All-Pro Patrick Willis to think about shifting over to Mike linebacker this season and he sounds open to the idea.
- Josh Gordon‘s teammates might feel betrayed by his behavior and the Browns front office surely isn’t pleased, but he’s far too special for Cleveland to cut him loose at this point, opines Maria Ridenour of the Beacon Journal. Of course, it’d be hard to imagine the Browns doing such a thing, but they do sound frustrated. “There has to be a willingness [to improve] on the other side. Sometimes guys get the message too late,” said Pettine. “In all my time in the league, there’s always going to be a handful of guys that just don’t get it.”
- New Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi could have big things planned for rising sophomore Theo Riddick, writes Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News. Riddick had nine carries for 25 yards and a touchdown, and four catches for 26 yards last year. He was effectively Bush’s backup, and 2011 second-round pick Mikel Leshoure was Joique Bell’s backup.
AFC Mailbags: Bengals, Steelers, Colts, Jags
ESPN’s NFL writers answered questions from their readers this weekend. Let’s take a look at some interesting notes from the AFC…
- Jay Cutler‘s deal with the Bears and Alex Smith‘s likely extension with the Chiefs will have an impact on the Bengals negotiations with Andy Dalton, writes Coley Harvey.
- Even though the team selected Jeremy Hill in the second round this year (and Giovani Bernard in the second round last season), Harvey would be surprised if the Bengals let go of veteran running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
- In spite of the above opinion, Harvey says the team will likely part ways with one of Green-Ellis, Cedric Peerman or Rex Burkhead. The writer believes that Burkhead is at the most risk of being cut.
- Scott Brown says “it would make all the sense in the world” for the Steelers to bring back Brett Keisel. In an another article, Brown writes that Heath Miller‘s recent quote (the tight end stated that the linebacker was not with the team “right now”) is an indication that the veteran will return.
- LaVon Brazill, Da’Rick Rogers and Griff Whalen will likely be competing for the Colts‘ final wideout spot, writes Mike Wells. The writer believes that Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton, Hakeem Nicks and Donte Moncrief are locks to make the roster.
- If the Jaguars weren’t in such good shape cap-wise, Michael DiRocco thinks the team would have cut or tried to restructure the contract of tight end Marcedes Lewis.
NFC Links: Panthers, Bucs, Lions, Packers
We’ve taken a look at rumors from the NFC West and NFC East this afternoon. Now let’s focus on some links from the North and South divisions…
- There is enough room on the Panthers roster for both Tyler Gaffney and Kenjon Barner, says ESPN.com’s David Newton. The running backs’ skills on special teams, in addition to the age of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, means the young players will likely stick around.
- Cornerbacks Josh Norman and Josh Thomas are in “prove-me” years and may not make the Panthers roster, Newton mentions in the same article.
- The Buccaneers have four quarterbacks in Josh McCown, Mike Glennon, Mike Kafka and Alex Tanney. There’s no way all four are sticking around, and The Tampa Tribune’s Roy Cummings says that keeping three may even be a stretch. New coach Lovie Smith carried three quarterbacks in seven of his nine seasons with the Bears, but even Smith hinted that the Bucs’ will likely only carry two.
- Lions wideout Kris Durham‘s biggest threat for a roster spot is Kevin Ogletree, writes ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein. The writer says it would be tough for both players to make the final roster.
- Keeping four running back is not out of the question for the Packers, says ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. The team’s current halfbacks are Eddie Lacy, James Starks, DuJuan Harris and Johnathan Franklin. As Demovsky points out, that’s a group with a lot of injury risk.
Vikings Notes: Johnson, Barr, Munnerlyn
The Vikings added Matt Cassel and rookie Teddy Bridgewater this offseason and as a result, many have wondered if quarterback Christian Ponder could be a trade candidate. It’s hard to see someone dealing for Ponder to be their starter, but he could be a very intriguing No. 2 QB for a team. In a poll earlier this week, Pro Football Rumors readers voted Ponder the third-most likely candidate to get moved behind Pats QB Ryan Mallett and disgruntled 49ers tailback LaMichael James. Here’s more out of Minnesota..
- Vikings defensive tackle Tom Johnson has lived one heck of a football odyssey. Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press runs down Johnson’s journey, which included stops in NFL Europe, the Arena Football League, and the Canadian Footabll League. He finally made the NFL at age 29 with the Saints and three years later, he inked a deal with Minnesota.
- Sure, he’s biased, but Purdue defensive coordinator Greg Hudson can’t help but rave about Vikings’ first-round pick Anthony Barr, writes Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune. “I’ve known him since he was a baby, and watched him grow up,” Hudson said of his nephew. “But he’s a great kid, he really is. He’s grounded, very close to everybody in the family, in particular my in-laws John and Jean Barr. That’s special. They’re his grandparents, but with his parental situation, and just having Mom, they were the ramrods and have been a blessing.”
- Vikings cornerback and sixth-year pro Captain Munnerlyn is ready for new challenges in his first season in the NFC North, write Mark Craig of the Star Tribune.