Uncategorized - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Links: Sanchez, McFadden, Jackson

March 1st, 2014 at 4:43pm CST by Rob DiRe

The extra cap space the Lions will have will allow them extra flexibility in free agency, but Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com doesn’t see the team making a big splash. Free agent Willie Young still isn’t a lock to be retained, and Rothstein thinks the team will look to get younger at many positions this offseason.

Here are some other notes from the NFC:

If the Vikings draft a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft, they could still look for a veteran quarterback to bridge the gap in free agency, writes Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. While Matt Cassel seems like an obvious choice, Goessling thinks Mark Sanchez could be a dark horse candidate.
Steve Smith of the Panthers has an uncertain future in Carolina, and Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer writes that Smith is distrustful of general manager Dave Gettelman.
Darren McFadden is looking for a new team, and Bill Williamson of ESPN.com sees a potential fit with the 49ers. McFadden is familiar with the team’s runningback coach Tom Rathman from their Raider days, and he would be a cheap veteran the team could afford.
While the Cardinals are waiting to see of they can keep Karlos Dansby, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com thinks D’Qwell Jackson would be a great alternative. Though a little older, the veteran will bring leadership to the locker room, and could be had on a team-friendly deal.

Official Franchise/Transition Tag Numbers

February 28th, 2014 at 5:47pm CST by Rob DiRe

In a series of Tweets, Albert Breer of the NFL Network released what he reports to be the official monetary values associated with the franchise and transition tags. The numbers he reported are as follows:

Franchise Tag

Quarterback- $16.912MM
Runningback- $9.54MM
Wide Receiver- $12.312MM
Tight End- $7.035MM
Offensive Line- $11.654MM
Defensive End- $13.116MM
Defensive Tackle- $9.654MM
Linebacker- $11.455MM
Cornerback- $11.834MM
Safety- $8.433MM
Kicker/Punter- $3.556MM

Transition Tag

Quarterback- $14.666MM
Runningback- $8.033MM
Wide Receiver- $10.176MM
Tight End- $6.106MM
Offensive Line- $10.039MM
Defensive End- $10.633MM
Defensive Tackle- $8.060MM
Linebacker- $9.754MM
Cornerback- $10.081MM
Safety- $7.253MM
Kicker/Punter- $3.205MM

Breer also added that while the transition tag is not usually exercised by NFL franchises, it is especially important because the numbers associated with that tag are the numbers that will be used for the fifth-year options for top ten picks in the 2011 draft (via Twitter).

2014 NFL Salary Cap Set At $133MM

February 28th, 2014 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The league has officially informed teams that the 2014 NFL salary cap will be set at exactly $133MM, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The projection is about $7MM higher than had initially been expected, and is an increase of more than 9% on last year’s $123MM figure.

The added flexibility for the coming season should have an effect on teams’ roster moves, as clubs may be less inclined to release players or renegotiate contracts with oversized 2014 cap hits. However, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier today, the cap is continued to take large steps forward over the next couple years, and could reach $150MM by 2016. In that case, teams may end up being more willing to push player salaries or dead money into future seasons.

The new NFL salary cap figure is good news for teams like the Panthers, Saints, and Cowboys, who were facing a cap crunch in both the short- and long-term. It also bodes well for teams hoping to retain their own star free agents, since they’ll have a little extra cap flexibility with which to work.

NFC Rumors: Raiola, Vikings, Beason, Hardy

February 27th, 2014 at 8:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Dominic Raiola has been the Lions‘ center since the days when they wore leather helmets, but eventually he’ll be moving on from football. He wants to play for another two seasons, but Detroit would like to start grooming someone to take over for Raiola once he retires, writes Dave Bickett of the Detroit Free Press. It’s not a top priority, but if they get a chance in the middle of the draft, don’t be surprised if you see the Lions go for a center. Here’s more out of the NFC..

Simoni Lawrence turned down three clubs to sign with the Vikings, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.
Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter) expects it to take a deal paying $3-4MM annually for the Giants to sign linebacker Jon Beason to a new deal.
The Panthers met recently with Drew Rosenhaus, defensive end Greg Hardy‘s agent, and the two sides have had ongoing negotiations, two league sources tell Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. After totaling 26 sacks over the past two seasons, Hardy is looking for a deal that will be commensurate with his performance.
Beyond Beason, Carolina will be looking to re-sign wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and free safety Michael Mitchell, both of whom played on one-year deals last season, Person notes. Backup quarterback Derek Anderson and No. 2 tight end Ben Hartsock are viewed as priorities as well, but will likely have to take one-year contracts. The Panthers are expected to let free agent receiver Brandon LaFell and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn test the market, but could ultimately re-sign them to shorter, team-friendly deals.

Projected 2014 Cap Increases To $132MM+

February 27th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 4:44pm: The 2014 cap could be set as soon as tomorrow, and barring an unexpected development, it figures to be in the $132-133MM range, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 12:56pm: The projected 2014 cap continues to rise, with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hearing from a source that the final number will likely exceed $132MM. According to the source, the cap could end up being a “few million” higher than $132MM.

SATURDAY, 12:43pm: ESPN’s John Clayton says the 2014 cap projection is now up to $132MM (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 20, 7:57am: Heading into the NFL offseason, we’ve been assuming that the salary cap for the 2014 league year will fall somewhere between the $126.3MM figure initially projected by the league and $128MM, the amount multiple reporters have suggested is more likely. However, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, teams may have even more cap flexibility in 2014. Schefter hears from league sources that the cap is now projected to be in the neighborhood of $130MM, up more than 5% from last season’s $123MM figure.

That higher projection is a win-win for teams, who will have a little more wiggle room than they anticipated, and players, some of whom should reap the benefits of that added flexibility. It’s particularly good news for clubs whose salary commitments for 2014 had already approached or surpassed the initial cap projections, such as the Cowboys, Steelers, Seahawks, and Saints.

The official cap figure, which is determined based on the NFL’s revenues, will be established in March when the new league year begins.

AFC Notes: Browns, Raiders, Jackson, Ravens

February 26th, 2014 at 5:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on the Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday, NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah said that he’s hearing “from several different places” that the Browns are targeting quarterback Derek Carr with the No. 26 pick rather than drafting a signal-caller at No. 4 (link via Marc Sessler of NFL.com). Of course, there’s plenty of time for that stance to change over the next two and a half months. More out of the AFC..

Raiders owner Mark Davis spoke to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle about the need for a franchise quarterback, the team’s boatload of cap space, and whether or not this is a make-or-break year in Oakland.
Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk expects the Broncos and Titans to be in the mix for linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, who hit the free agent market today when he was cut by the Browns. Seven teams have reached out to Jackson since his release and he’s currently deciding where to visit first, tweets Jason La Canfora of NFL.com.
Torrey Smith is very open to the idea of the Ravens adding a receiver in free agency or the draft, as he tells Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. “The more, the merrier,” Smith said. “The more help you can have no matter what position it is, it’s only going to make us stronger as a unit. Whatever we bring in, whether it’s free agency or a rookie, we’ll welcome him in with open arms.”
Although Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star suggested yesterday that Adam Vinatieri could be a franchise tag option for the Colts, that’s not the case, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). As Corry notes, even though Vinatieri didn’t play out two seasons as the Patriots‘ franchise player, he was tagged twice by New England, meaning he’d be eligible for the quarterback’s franchise salary if he were tagged a third time.

Plaxico Burress Wants To Continue Playing

February 25th, 2014 at 5:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Veteran wide receiver Plaxico Burress was said to be mulling retirement, but that no longer appears to be the case. The former Steelers star told ESPN’s Outside The Lines that he believes he still has more football ahead of him, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Sulia).

“I believe I do. I am rehabbing three or four days a week and I may go out and give it one more big push and that is the competitor in me,” said the 36-year-old, who added that he’s also working on his own business venture at the same time.

Burress did not appear in a regular season game with Pittsburgh in 2013 and probably won’t be back with the Steelers in 2014. Burress’ last productive year was with the Jets in 2011 when he hauled in 45 catches for 612 yards with eight TDs. Of course, the veteran lost years of his career thanks to his infamous gun incident.

AFC East Links: Jets, Dolphins, Albert

February 24th, 2014 at 10:08pm CST by Ben Levine

While various reports may claim the contrary, the Jets are a “realistic possible landing spot” for quarterback Michael Vick, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports (video link). Rapoport cites the team’s desire for a veteran alternative to Geno Smith, as well as Vick’s connection to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.

A few other notes from one of the Jets’ rivals in the AFC East…

The Dolphins and Brent Grimes continue to make progress, and the cornerback is “pretty optimistic” about returning to Miami, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Grimes also said that the franchise tag has not been brought up in negotiations.
In the same article, Jackson mentions that the Dolphins have not yet made offers to impending free agents Randy Starks or Paul Soliai. The team has expressed interest in bringing back both players, though.
The Dolphins have made signing offensive tackle Branden Albert a “high priority,” league sources told Ian Rapoport (via NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal). The Cardinals are also zeroing in on Albert.
Dolphins’ Philip Wheeler isn’t likely to be a casualty of the June 1st cut day, writes Ryan Feder of OverTheCap.com.

Lions Will Seek Veteran Quarterback

February 24th, 2014 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lions won’t be in the market for a starting quarterback this offseason, with Matthew Stafford firmly entrenched as the number one in option in Detroit. But the team will be keeping an eye out in free agency for a veteran option to back up Stafford, according to GM Martin Mayhew (link via Justin Rogers of MLive.com).

“We’ll get into the free agency market and see what it looks like and see if there’s a veteran out there that’s right for us, that we feel comfortable with,” Mayhew said.

One free agent who will attract some interest from the team is Shaun Hill, who has been Stafford’s backup in Detroit for the last several seasons. However, it sounds as if he’ll just be one of the options the Lions consider, rather than necessarily heading into free agency as the club’s first choice. Former Boise State signal-caller Kellen Moore also remains under contract with the team for one more year, though Mayhew doesn’t love the idea of heading into 2014 with Moore as the primary backup.

While this year’s top free agent quarterbacks such as Michael Vick, Matt Cassel, and Chad Henne will likely be seeking opportunities to start, there are plenty of other intriguing options on the market. Josh McCown, Josh Freeman, Matt Flynn, Tarvaris Jackson, and Kellen Clemens are among the notable No. 2 QBs expected to be available next month.

Bills Notes: QBs, Johnson, Dareus, Williams

February 23rd, 2014 at 11:08am CST by Rory Parks

Although it is unusual for a team’s general manager to make definitive statements at this time of year, Bills GM Doug Whaley made it clear that his club will not take a quarterback with its first-round pick, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak. Starting quarterback E.J. Manuel was the only quarterback selected in the first round of last year’s draft, which boasted a weak class of QBs. Given the more talented group of quarterbacks in the 2014 class, and given that Manuel suffered his third knee injury in December, there has been speculation that the Bills would take a QB in the first round for the second consecutive year. Whaley, however, indicated that the Bills would not go in that direction.

More notes out of Buffalo:

Wide receiver Stevie Johnson‘s future with the team is uncertain, given that he is due a sizable roster bonus in March. However, head coach Doug Marrone has reached out to Johnson to assure him that the team still wants him. As Tim Graham of the Buffalo News reported, there was some disconnect between Johnson and the Bills’ coaching staff last season, and his “act” was wearing thin among his teammates.
Whaley says that a contract extension for defensive tackle Marcell Dareus is “on the radar,” but it does not sound as though it is a priority right now. Since Dareus was a first-round pick under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Bills hold a team option on him for the 2015 season.
Although defensive end Mario Williams will cost the Bills a hefty $18.8MM cap hit in 2014, Whaley indicated that he has no intention of restructuring Williams’ deal at this time.
In a separate piece for the Buffalo News, Graham indicates that the Bills met with Jairus Byrd‘s agent on Saturday and that the team still hopes to sign Byrd to a long-term deal.

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