Around The NFL

[Superman55]

Stefen Wisniewski - C - Raiders
The Raiders plan to let free agent C Stefen Wisniewski test the open market.
Wisniewski isn't expected to be re-signed after the Raiders failed to get an extension done during the season. He's been a full-time starter since entering the league in 2011 -- missing only three games over the last four seasons. 25-year-old Wisniewski should draw interest from multiple teams. He's seeking a contract in the range of $3 million annually.

Torrey Smith - WR - Ravens
CBS' Jason La Canfora reports the Ravens offered free agent Torrey Smith a five-year, $35 million deal that included $19 million guaranteed before the season.
It's an offer Smith will have a hard time matching in free agency after posting a 49/767/11 line in 2014. Smith is one of the league's very best deep threats, but his game hasn't evolved to that of a true No. 1 receiver's. Re-signing with Baltimore makes the most sense for both sides, but Smith may need to test the open market to ensure fair value.

Jordan Cameron - TE - Browns
ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi puts the Browns' odds of re-signing free agent Jordan Cameron at one percent.
Grossi has been beating this drum for weeks, but "one percent" is his most-compelling missive thus far. It's odd that a team with so little receiving talent would be willing to let arguably a top-five pass-catching tight end walk without a fight, but the Browns must be tired of Cameron's continual injuries. Gary Barnidge and Jim Dray would form the NFL's most dismal tight end corps.

Brian Hoyer - QB - Browns
ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi puts the Browns' odds of re-signing free agent Brian Hoyer at 51 percent.
With Johnny Manziel in rehab, Hoyer's odds of returning to his hometown team have certainly increased. Hoyer has sounded like a man intent on cashing in, but there's a strong chance the Browns will end up his best payday opportunity. Of course, if Hoyer catches wind that he'd have to have a legitimate competition with Johnny Football, he may endeavor to move on no matter what.

Jacoby Jones - WR - Ravens
The Ravens would create just $750,000 in salary-cap space by releasing Jacoby Jones.
Heading into the second season of a four-year, $12 million deal, Jones is due $2.5 million. The Ravens could recoup all of that by designating Jones as a post-June 1 cut, but that wouldn't be a big help in March. Going on 31, Jones remained one of the league's best return men in 2014, but caught only nine passes.

Jordan Cameron - TE - Browns
CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reports impending free agent Jordan Cameron is "not interested" in re-signing with the Browns.
Who would choose to remain in that mess of an organization? We can't blame Cameron. Although he's proven to be extremely prone to concussions, Cameron is a major threat when on the field. The former college basketball player is a seam-stretching tight end who averaged 17.7 YPR this past season. He's going to be one of the more interesting free-agent cases to follow in March.

Antrel Rolle - DB - Giants
Team chairman John Mara said the team wants free agent FS Antrel Rolle "at the right price."
It's going to be a tricky negotiation. Rolle has been very durable (never missed a game in his five-year Giants career) and usually effective, but is coming off a down year and turned 32 in December. He's our No. 3 free agent safety available, behind only Devin McCourty and Rahim Moore.


Tramon Williams - DB - Packers
Free agent LCB Tramon Williams considers his future with the Packers uncertain.
Williams turns 32 in March and GM Ted Thompson tends to prefer parting with aging veterans a year early, as opposed to keeping them a year too long. "I have no idea what's going to happen," Williams conceded. "Right now, there's nothing going on." Williams seems likely to hit the free agent market. He may return to the Packers if they can re-sign him affordably.

Knowshon Moreno - RB - Dolphins
ESPN's James Walker doesn't expect Miami to bring back free agent Knowshon Moreno.
Coming off his injury-filled 2014, the Dolphins plan to move on from Moreno. He settled for a one-year deal last offseason and will likely struggle to find guaranteed offers. Moreno is four months removed from ACL surgery.

Jason Worilds - LB - Steelers
ESPN's Paul Kuharsky believes the Titans could target free agent OLB Jason Worilds.
Worilds spent the last five seasons under new Titans assistant head coach/defense Dick LeBeau. Tennessee is in the market for edge rushers with Derrick Morgan a free agent and Kamerion Wimbley a candidate for release. Worilds made $9.75 million under the transition tag last year and is going to be a difficult re-sign for the Steelers, who have one of the NFL's worst cap situations.
Related: Titans
Source: ESPN.com

John Abraham - LB - Cardinals
XTRA 910 Arizona's Mike Jurecki "hears" impending free agent John Abraham is "50-50" about continuing his playing career.
Abraham, 37 in May, has been working out, but has yet to make a decision. That will likely hinge on whether Abraham draws any interest on the open market after his 2014 season was ended in Week 1 thanks to his latest concussion. Abraham recorded 11.5 sacks in 2013 to lead the Cardinals.

Matt Schaub - QB - Raiders
The Raiders can clear $5.5 million in cap space by cutting Matt Schaub.
In other words, the Raiders will be cutting Schaub. His salary can/will come off the books 100 percent clean, with no dead money left behind. Four months shy of his 34th birthday, Schaub said last season that he planned to continue playing in 2015, but he won't be gifted anyone's No. 2 job. Both his physical skills and confidence have eroded with alarming speed.

 

[Superman55]

Eagles eyeing Locker?
February, 6, 2015
FEB 6
4:02
PM ET
By Joe Kaiser | ESPN Insider
140COMMENTS0EMAILPRINT
After four injury-riddled seasons in Tennessee, Jake Locker is a free agent who will almost certainly end up on a different team next season. Could the Philadelphia Eagles be that team?

Per Mark Eckel of NJ.com, the Eagles are a potential suitor for Locker in the eyes of one NFL agent.

"According to the agent, who requested anonymity, there will be interest from the Eagles and head coach/personnel czar Chip Kelly in the 8th overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft," Eckel wrote.

This would be an interesting move by the Eagles, who have been mentioned in rumors ranging from trading Nick Foles to St. Louis to trading up and drafting Marcus Mariota in this year's draft. Kelly got an up-close-and-personal look at Locker in his college days, when Locker starred at Washington and Kelly coached at rival Oregon, and the quarterback would likely be a better fit in Kelly's offense than he was the Titan's more conventional attack.

Keep an eye on this in the weeks ahead.

 

[Superman55]

Will Giants re-sign Rolle and JPP?
February, 5, 2015
FEB 5
11:45
AM ET
By Tom Carpenter | ESPN Insider
130COMMENTS1EMAILPRINT
The New York Giants could lose a couple of key defensive players during the offseason, as defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and safety Antrel Rolle are slated to be unrestricted free agents.

Not surprisingly, money will be a key factor in whether the Giants decide to bring each of them back.

"We would like to have [Rolle] back, but again, at the right price," team chairman John Mara said after the season, right after saying the same about Pierre-Paul, noted Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. "I could say that about anybody. We would like them all back at the right price. What that is, depends on the circumstances."

ESPN Giants reporter Dan Graziano thinks that Rolle's contract will be key to the Giants being able to re-sign both players:


Dan Graziano
Twitter mailbag: Offseason personnel plans
"It's certainly not impossible that the Giants could re-sign free agents Jason Pierre-Paul and Antrel Rolle, but the chances depend on a number of things. First and foremost is price. If Pierre-Paul is determined to max out as a free agent (which I believe he is), then the Giants would either let him leave or franchise him. If they franchised him, there would be less money for Rolle, who also believes he's worth a lucrative free-agent deal and could leave if they lowball him the way they did Justin Tuck last year. Their best chance for keeping both is that at least one of them gives some sort of 'hometown discount.' They're not likely to get that from Pierre-Paul. But as a 32-year-old safety, Rolle might not find the market for which he's hoping and could decide staying with the Giants at their price is the best option for finishing his career."

 

[Superman55]

Any chance Broncos let Demaryius go?
February, 2, 2015
FEB 2
3:55
PM ET
By Tom Carpenter | ESPN Insider
150COMMENTS0EMAILPRINT
Now that we have reached the NFL's offseason, the buzz surrounding prospective unrestricted free agents will be heating up in the coming days and weeks. Among the elite players set to hit the market is Demaryius Thomas, whose rookie contract with the Denver Broncos has run its course.

He told Sports Illustrated this week that he'd like to re-sign but is unsure how things will flesh out.

"It's hard to say. I really don't know. I'm basically letting my agent handle that," he said. "... I'd love to be a Bronco, but I have no idea what they have planned for me."

Whether it is via a long-term deal or the franchise tag, ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates expects Thomas to be back with the Broncos for 2015:


Field Yates
Five franchise tag candidates
"The NFL has a bright group of young receivers, the 27-year-old Thomas included. The Broncos have made no secret of their desire to extend Thomas long term, and the receiver surely seems amenable to the idea of being a Bronco for a long time. Frankly, it wouldn't be a surprise to see this deal get done before free agency, especially because the team also has tight end Julius Thomas among its pending unrestricted free agents. Signing one of them long term would keep the franchise tag open for the other. But if Denver is unable to get either player extended in advance of March 2, Demaryius is the slam-dunk choice to receive the franchise tag. He wins with size, speed, power, route running, is a team leader (elected as a captain last season) and makes any passing offense a dangerous one when he is a part of it."

 

[Superman55]

Jonathan Kraft: Pats to “get to work” on Darrelle Revis deal

Posted by Darin Gantt on February 6, 2015, 12:40 PM EST
Derrelle Revis
AP
The Patriots have a big, expensive decision to make soon with cornerback Darrelle Revis.

But Patriots president Jonathan Kraft said the team plays to “get to work” on a new deal, admitted the $20 million option on him for 2015 was just a “placeholder.

“Hopefully both sides want to make a deal and we’ll be able to get one done,” Kraft said on WEEI, via Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com.

Kraft said Revis was well worth it to the team this year, establishing the value of the veteran corner.

“He’s been everything and more since he’s been here,” Kraft said. “Patriots fans knew what he was like on the field, but didn’t know what he was like off it. Having worn green all those years and the blind emotion we all have towards the Jets, you have one perception from the man. And the man is very different than that. He’s a great guy and he works hard.

“There is no over-ego to him and he’s a great teammate. He’s been a real pleasure to have him as part of the organization.”

And since no one expects the Patriots to eat that $20 million option, there’s an incentive on their parts to take care of him long-term, since at least two division rivals would likely be hot on his trail if he hit the open market again.

 

[Elias]

Bills going after Icognito

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/06/report-bills-to-take-a-look-at-richie-incognito/

As the Bills attempt to take the next step from 9-7 to the postseason, the franchise will take a look at a guy who has been exiled from the sport for more than a year

James Walker of ESPN.com reports that the Bills will give former Dolphins guard Richie Incognito a physical on Saturday.

It’s a low-risk proposition for the Bills, whose fan base remains in a state of euphoria regarding: (1) the acquisition of the franchise by owners who are committed to keeping the team in Buffalo; and (2) the hiring of coach Rex Ryan. Few if any will bat an eye at the interest in Incognito.

If Incognito signs with the Bills, he’ll become a member of the offseason roster, which can hold up to 90 players. He’ll need to show that he can still perform at a high level — and he’ll have to stay out of trouble — if he hopes to win a spot on the 53-man roster.

Incognito was suspended by the Dolphins in November 2013 for his role in the bullying of Jonathan Martin, who currently plays for the 49ers. Incognito became a free agent last March, but he has generated only mild interest.

 

[Elias]

View attachment 265

 

[ucrenegade]

torrey smith and woirlds are who i would target.

 

[McJet]

Hi guys, came over from the other board.
Been reading a lot of posts and you guys have a nice forum going. Thought i'd jump into the fray.
I'm not pro or anti Harvin i'm just wondering that i don't think the Jets could get someone with Percys skill set with the 4th pick in the draft. i know he comes with a 10 million price tag but what if the Jets could absorb that hit with all the cap money that they have? Percy would probably be around a 6 million a year player, so for the extra money w/ no gaurantees wouldn't it be feasible to keep Harvin. I mean it's not like the Jets have enough playmakers on offense to be cutting lose a guy like Harvin. Thoughts?

 

[NickSINYC]

Hi guys, came over from the other board.
Been reading a lot of posts and you guys have a nice forum going. Thought i'd jump into the fray.
I'm not pro or anti Harvin i'm just wondering that i don't think the Jets could get someone with Percys skill set with the 4th pick in the draft. i know he comes with a 10 million price tag but what if the Jets could absorb that hit with all the cap money that they have? Percy would probably be around a 6 million a year player, so for the extra money w/ no gaurantees wouldn't it be feasible to keep Harvin. I mean it's not like the Jets have enough playmakers on offense to be cutting lose a guy like Harvin. Thoughts?

Happy to see you made it over here with the rest of us. It's worth the move.

 

[McJet]

Happy to see you made it over here with the rest of us. It's worth the move.

Thanks Nick, Been reading a lot of good stuff. The articles on the home page are great and everyone seems to have nice ideas about the Jets going forward. It looks like a good place to hang my hat.

 

[NickSINYC]

Thanks Nick, Been reading a lot of good stuff. The articles on the home page are great and everyone seems to have nice ideas about the Jets going forward. It looks like a good place to hang my hat.

No drama here just good Jet fans. We are all on the same page.
This is a great landing place for all of us.

 

[Superman55]

McJet - I keep Harvin also, too much talent and no dead money whenever we move on makes it an easy decision. He's a talent we got for a 4th rd pick, with a good contract in terms of long term salary cap, that is a game changer...no brainer for me unless we get a shot at Dez or Thomas or maybe if we decide Smith is a better WR fit for our offense.

My FA targets:

Resign Harrison and Wilkerson
Houston OLB
Maxwell CB
Spiller RB
Franklin OG

 

[Elias]

McJet - I keep Harvin also, too much talent and no dead money whenever we move on makes it an easy decision. He's a talent we got for a 4th rd pick, with a good contract in terms of long term salary cap, that is a game changer...no brainer for me unless we get a shot at Dez or Thomas or maybe if we decide Smith is a better WR fit for our offense.

My FA targets:

Resign Harrison and Wilkerson
Houston OLB
Maxwell CB
Spiller RB
Franklin OG

I like all your picks. Just think Houston will get franchised by KC. Maxwell is a big possibility. I just think we may need to overpay a bit bc Quinn and the Falcons will most likely be interested in him and he might go there due to the familiarity he has with Quinn's defense. If we can get Madwell and Cro, I am very happy.

 

[Superman55]

I like all your picks. Just think Houston will get franchised by KC. Maxwell is a big possibility. I just think we may need to overpay a bit bc Quinn and the Falcons will most likely be interested in him and he might go there due to the familiarity he has with Quinn's defense. If we can get Madwell and Cro, I am very happy.

I think Milliner gets a shot at one side, so it's likely Maxwell and Jackson CB Texans as FA targets...I'd prefer Maxwell.

Houston is $6 mill over the cap, so they'll need to clear $6 mill to get under the cap and $12 mill for picks...not sure that leaves much room to franchise Houston and get a long term deal done...maybe, but I fight that tight accounting.

 

[ucrenegade]

I wonder if Cro would try out at S. With his long arms and athletic ability I bet he would thrive there.

 

[McJet]

I think Milliner gets a shot at one side, so it's likely Maxwell and Jackson CB Texans as FA targets...I'd prefer Maxwell.

Houston is $6 mill over the cap, so they'll need to clear $6 mill to get under the cap and $12 mill for picks...not sure that leaves much room to franchise Houston and get a long term deal done...maybe, but I fight that tight accounting.

I like your FA listed hope it comes about but i agree with Elias that the Chiefs will franchise Houston. Worilds(sp) Steelers could be a fall back option.

 

[Superman55]

Worild's likely to sign with titans. He was reportedly set to sign there last year before tagged and even more so likely to sign there with Lebeau in the fold. Expect him to be a titan.

Boston Herald reporting Pats to tag McCourty.

 

[Football51]

Bills going after Icognito

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/06/report-bills-to-take-a-look-at-richie-incognito/

As the Bills attempt to take the next step from 9-7 to the postseason, the franchise will take a look at a guy who has been exiled from the sport for more than a year

James Walker of ESPN.com reports that the Bills will give former Dolphins guard Richie Incognito a physical on Saturday.

It’s a low-risk proposition for the Bills, whose fan base remains in a state of euphoria regarding: (1) the acquisition of the franchise by owners who are committed to keeping the team in Buffalo; and (2) the hiring of coach Rex Ryan. Few if any will bat an eye at the interest in Incognito.

If Incognito signs with the Bills, he’ll become a member of the offseason roster, which can hold up to 90 players. He’ll need to show that he can still perform at a high level — and he’ll have to stay out of trouble — if he hopes to win a spot on the 53-man roster.

Incognito was suspended by the Dolphins in November 2013 for his role in the bullying of Jonathan Martin, who currently plays for the 49ers. Incognito became a free agent last March, but he has generated only mild interest.

Alex Marvez retweeted
Tim Graham @ByTimGraham · 13h 13 hours ago
League source tells me Richie Incognito physical/meeting a formality, that he's going to be a Bill. Was a high priority target for Rex Ryan.

 

[Superman55]

Rex Ryan at his opening press conference said the Bills would be bullies in the AFC...guess he wasn't joking.