The first week of free agency in the NFL is so busy and news-heavy that it can make the second week look pale in comparison. But there are a lot of interesting names and talented players still available, with more that will peek their heads out over the following days, weeks, and months of 2014.
NFL news roundup: Eagles talk DeSean Jackson with other teams, NFL proposes new rules
Plus the Rams are shopping the number two pick again, while Michael Vick continues to look for a new place to call home.
Rumors and news continues to swirl around the wire on Wednesday, with one of the biggest names currently on the market possibly changing teams in the coming weeks.
DeGone Jackson?
News that the Philadelphia Eagles are listening to offers on wide receiver DeSean Jackson continues to heat up, with reports that the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers are both dialing up Philly and asking for the price. Apparently that price is as high as a third-round pick, but so far nobody has bitten on that request.
Despite the fact that Jackson was at his best last season, gaining a career-high 1,332 yards under the guidance of Chip Kelly, he may be too pricey for the Eagles moving forward. According to OvertheCap.com, Jackson’s cap hit is $12.75 million in 2014, and then $12 million in both 2015 and 2016. The team would save $6.5 million against the cap by releasing him this year, and then $8 million in 2015 and $10 million in 2016.
Philadelphia signed wide receiver Riley Cooper to a new five-year contract this year, and Jeremy Maclin to a one-year deal as he tries to rebuild his value after missing all of last season.
Richard Hill at Pats Pulpit isn’t against adding Jackson, he’s just not sure how they can do it:
The Patriots have shown that they aren't content with using the same receivers last year. If the acquisition of Brandon LaFell was a point for Kenbrell Thompkins, sniffing around Jackson should be an affront on current speedster Josh Boyce.
Personally, I 'm not sure how the Patriots could obtain Jackson. They currently stand with under approximately $5 mill in cap space, so the only way this deal happens is if there's a straight up exchange between Jackson and Danny Amendola + a draft pick. Which actually doesn't sound too terrible. Edit: Apparently the Eagles are only looking for a third round pick. I'm sure Belichick is wondering if a fourth rounder will do.
David Fucillo at Niners Nation had a different look at what it would mean to add Jackson at this time for the 49ers:
However, money can not be set aside in this case. My concern is the notion of bringing in a high priced talent that the team would in turn have to likely extend to make this all worth it. Making a move for DeSean Jackson involves going shopping in the high priced retail world. Plenty of teams will do that, but the 49ers have already acknowledged they prefer the value they can find in whole sale pricing. Last year at the Sloan Analytics Conference, Paraag Marathe went into this topic on a football analytics panel. I’ve embedded the video below. The entire thing is worth a watch beyond just the wholesale vs. retail discussion.
With a deal looking more and more likely, Jackson could be the biggest name to change teams this offseason. It’s just a matter of whether or not a team can afford him and is willing to risk a draft pick in one of the deepest drafts of recent memory.
Deja Two
Much like they did in 2012, the St. Louis Rams are apparently shopping the second overall pick. Though there doesn't appear to be as obvious a target this year as there was with Robert Griffin III, there are multiple players at the top of the draft that a team could move up for: Blake Bortles, Jadeveon Clowney, Johnny Manziel, or Teddy Bridgewater, for example.
Two years ago, the Rams managed to snag three first-round picks and a second-round pick from the Washington Redskins, one of which happens to be the second overall pick that they are shopping right now. Since teams get to see firsthand how risky it can be to trade that much for one player, it seems unlikely that St. Louis will get anything close to that this year.
The Rams don’t seem to have a need for a quarterback or a defensive end, so they likely have little reason to stay where they are at in the draft right now. With most teams expecting them to target tackle Greg Robinson if they don’t move down, St. Louis can move down a few spots and still draft Robinson or another tackle, like Jake Matthews or Taylor Lewan.
The second question the Rams have to consider about a potential trade is where they move down to in the first round. One possibility is Atlanta’s sixth pick, but that would most likely put them out of the running for Greg Robinson and Sammy Watkins. Getting Cleveland’s fourth pick, or even Oakland’s fifth, would probably give them a shot at one of those players, if they even want Watkins or Robinson.
There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of reason for them to stay at second overall, and it appears that they are trying to move it as expected.
Open Mike Night
Free agent quarterback Michael Vick is still shopping his services to teams that are possibly looking for someone to compete to start next season, and his next visit would keep him in the northeast. Vick is visiting the New York Jets this weekend to see if there's a partnership to be had for next season or beyond.
The Jets have not officially released Mark Sanchez, but Sanchez has a bonus coming next week and isn't expected to be kept on the team with his $13.1 million cap hit for 2014.
Vick played well last season in Kelly's offense, gaining 8.6 yards per attempt and posting a passer rating of 86.5 in seven games, but lost his job to Nick Foles after getting injured. There didn't seem to be any contention in the locker room after Vick was benched, and he was considered by many to be handling the situation well, but would like to compete for a job to start in the NFL again.
New York is looking to add someone to compete against Geno Smith as the starter after Smith had 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions as a rookie last season.
American Rules Football
The NFL Competition Committee announced new rule change proposals on Thursday, with the Patriots and Redskins proposing seven of the 13 possible changes. New England would like to raise the goal posts by five feet, among other things, which could’ve given them an extra win in 2012.
First, Belichick proposed the extension of the field goal posts to make them 5 feet longer. We can all point to 2012's regular season game against the Ravens where a last second field goal was counted for the Ravens as the ball went over the top of the posts. If the posts were longer, it would have been no good and the Patriots would have been able to hold on for a victory.
Belichick also proposes the league move the extra point kick back to the 25-yard line.
The move-back of the line of scrimmage on PATs has been a hot topic this offseason, with kickers converting 99.1% of their PAT attempts over the last five years.
Washington proposed moving kickoffs to the 40-yard-line, making personal foul penalties reviewable, and eliminating overtime in preseason games. There were more rules proposed by the committee, as well as some bylaws that would affect league rosters, including allowing teams to bring back more than one player from IR.
The Injured Reserve proposal would have allowed the Packers to put multiple players on IR last season and potentially bring them back. That would have been very helpful knowing that Aaron Rodgers' injury would have lasted around six weeks or more, as the team could have put him on IR despite Randall Cobb also being on that list (and being the one player designated for return). This type of IR would be more similar to baseball's Disabled List or the NBA/NHL's Injured Reserve.
No more of m-m-m-my Bironas in Tennessee
For the first time since 2004, Rob Bironas won't be kicking field goals for the Titans. After nine seasons, Tennessee released the veteran kicker who was due a $250,000 roster bonus this week if he wasn't let go.
Bironas was an All-Pro in 2007 when he went 35-of-39 on field goal attempts, both of which led the NFL that season. Overall, he connected on 85.7 percent of his attempts during his Tennessee career. The Titans signed him to a two-year, $6.7 million deal in 2013, but he played out just half of that contract.
Jimmy Morris at Music City Miracles hates to see Bironas go, but understands why it had to happen:
Bironas was very good for this team at times throughout his career. He won a lot of games and gave us GUNFINGAZ!!!, but there is no doubt that his leg was starting to fade. The Titans have decided to cut him before his production really falls off. It is hard to fault them for that. With all of that being said, it will be really weird to see someone besides Bironas running out there to kick for the Titans.
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