Category: NFL (Page 699 of 1282)

      Chiefs sign Matt Cassel to new contract

      July 14, 2009 /

      According to a report by the Boston Globe, the Chiefs signed quarterback Matt Cassel to a six-year, $63 million contract, which also includes $28 million in guaranteed money. He’ll receive $40.5 million in the first three seasons.

      Considering he has just 15 starts in his career, this is obviously a huge risk for the Chiefs. But he would have made $14.65 million this season had KC not signed him to an extension, so the deal is a bargain for the Chiefs, or at least for one season.

      Ironically, Cassel will make more than Tom Brady and is now being paid like a top-5 quarterback. But if the offensive-minded Todd Haley can build upon the success that Cassel had in New England, then the financial risk will be worth the reward for the Chiefs.

      That said, if Cassel fails miserably, this contract could put Kansas City in contract hell for the next couple of years. But what are they supposed to do? They’ve desperately needed a quarterback for years and parted with a second round pick to acquire him. The next step was to commit to him financially, so hopefully for them everything will pan out.

      NFL

      Jackson to demand trade if Vikings sign Favre?

      July 14, 2009 /

      The NFL Network’s Mike Lombardi is reporting that there’s talk of quarterback Tavaris Jackson possibly demanding a trade if the Vikings sign veteran free agent Brett Favre. The 26-year-old Jackson would probably be low man on the totem pole if Favre signs, considering the team also traded for Sage Rosenfels earlier this offseason.

      Although Jackson is still young and has put up fairly decent numbers thus far in his career, it’s safe to assume that he won’t garner much attention on the trade market. He only has experience in the West Coast offense and he’ll become a free agent at the end of the year, so why would any team give up a draft pick (assuming that that’s what the Vikings would want in return) to acquire him?

      It’s only a matter of time before the Vikings sign Favre and while Minnesota might want to try and deal Jackson to get something in return for the former second round pick, there doesn’t appear to be much of a market for him. The Seahawks could be interested because they run the WCO, but all indications are that Matt Hasselbeck’s back is healthy and backup Seneca Wallace already has starting experience in that offense.

      Another team that could be interested is St. Louis, who currently employs a walking stick figure at quarterback in Marc Bulger. But considering what they’re paying Bulger these days, the Rams are going to try and get everything they can out of him before finally waiving the white flag on that situation.

      The Vikings might inevitably want to hang onto Jackson this season as insurance in case Favre’s arm falls off at some point. I’m sure Brad Childress would sleep a little easier at night knowing he could at least fall back on Jackson and Rosenfels if the Favre experiment backfires.

      NFL

      Mason to retire – will Ravens pursue Marshall or Boldin?

      July 14, 2009 /

      Ravens wideout Derrick Mason made an announcement on JockLife.com (a website owned by his agents) that he is set to retire from pro football.

      Mason is coming off shoulder surgery and never got the pay raise that he had requested earlier this offseason, although he claims that his main motivation for waiting to hang ‘em up is that he just isn’t “emotionally enthused” about playing anymore.

      With Mason retiring, the Ravens are now extremely thin at receiver, with Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams penciled in as the current starters. Considering they’re devoid of playmakers, it’s easy to speculate that the Ravens might pursue one of the two disgruntled receivers in Denver’s Brandon Marshall or Arizona’s Anquan Boldin.

      Even though he would be a definite upgrade over Mason (and any other Baltimore receiver for that matter), the Ravens might not pursue Marshall considering GM Ozzie Newsome and head coach John Harbaugh are opposed to adding players with character issues. And in the case of Marshall, they wouldn’t just be adding a player with character flaws, but they would also probably have to give up multiple prospects to acquire him (plus millions of dollars for a new contract).

      Boldin has a few years on Marshall, but he obviously has the talent Baltimore is seeking at receiver. But would the Ravens be willing to part with a first round pick to acquire him? Would they also be willing to shell out the $9 or $10 million that he’s seeking?

      Another thing to consider is that Marshall and Boldin might not even be available. Sure, their situations with their respective teams look bleak, but that doesn’t mean the Broncos and Cardinals aren’t hell bent on trying to resolve the issues and keep both players in house. But regardless, Mason’s retirement plans certainly bring up a compelling situation in Baltimore now.

      NFL

      Are the Rams the NFL’s sleeper team of ’09?

      July 11, 2009 /

      Mike Tanier of the New York Times must have been hitting the sauce the past couple days, because he’s suggesting that the Rams will be one of the NFL’s surprise teams in 2009.

      It turns out that Spagnuolo isn’t the only reason for optimism in St. Louis. Many statistical indicators suggest that the Rams are close to rising again. One is their fumble recovery percentage: the Rams forced 17 fumbles last year but recovered just 5, a sign that with better luck and a dose of Spagnuolo’s coaching, their defense will create a few more turnovers.

      The Rams were one of the worst teams in the league in red zone running, and it takes only a slight improvement in that area to make a big difference on the scoreboard. The Rams lost many of their starters to injuries in 2008 and can get better just by getting healthier.

      One other major factor works in the Rams’ favor: their division. The Seahawks are rebuilding. The 49ers haven’t had a winning season since 2002. The Cardinals won the conference, but they are no powerhouse. With a few slight improvements, the Rams could easily go 4-2 or 5-1 against the N.F.C. West. Those wins alone would give them their best record in three years!

      I like the direction of this team under Spagnuolo more than I do Scott Linehan, but this is still a bad football team, even in a weak division.

      Steven Jackson is a beast, but the Rams’ offensive line is brutal (remember that Jason Smith hasn’t taken a snap in the NFL yet) and Marc Bulger checked out years ago. He plays with zero passion and even if he were into the games, the offensive line will get him stomped anyway. The defense has some nice young pieces to build around in Chris Long, Ron Bartell, Adam Carriker and James Laurinaitis, but there are still a ton of holes on that side of the ball, too.

      Will the Rams be improved in ’09? Maybe. Will they be a sleeper? Pass me whatever Tainer is drinking and I’ll let you know.

      NFL

      White seeking a new contract – Abraham too?

      July 10, 2009 /

      The Atlanta Falcons were one of the best stories in the NFL last year, as they rose from the depths of football hell and became a playoff team thanks to the roster construction of new GM Thomas Dimitroff, the guidance of new head coach Mike Smith, and the outstanding play of guys like Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Michael Turner and John Abraham.

      But Dimitroff’s job is far from over and now he has the unenviable task of trying to make some of the current players financially happy. The first being White, who enters the final year of his rookie contract, and the other is Abraham, who some believe is searching for a new deal himself.

      Dimitroff’s first priority should be White, who one would assume is seeking Greg Jennings-type money. The productive Packers’ wideout recently signed a three-year extension worth $27 million in base salary, as well as $16 million in guaranteed money. White is certainly worth that type of loot, especially considering he has emerged as one of the better receivers in the game and is clearly the Falcons’ best young playmaker.

      Chances are, Atlanta will re-sign White before the season starts. There’s no reason to play hardball with their best receiver, especially considering how productive he has been over the last three seasons. With Michael Vick’s salary completely coming off the books after the 2009 season, the Falcons should have more than enough money to throw at White.

      Abraham, however, could be a different story. When he was acquired via a trade from the Jets in 2006, he wound up signing a six-year, $45 million contract. The deal also included a $12.5 million signing bonus, but now NFL Network’s Steve Wyche is hearing “rumblings” that Abraham is seeking a new contract and while he won’t command Albert Haynesworth-type money, he might ask for what Jared Allen is making ($73.26 million over six years).

      Granted, this is just a rumor and no other media outlet has confirmed Wyche’s report. But if Abraham does want a new deal, he might not have much leverage considered he’s 31 and is already set to make $5 million in 2009. He can be a one-man wrecking crew at times and as he went, so did the Falcons’ defense last year. But he seemingly is already being paid what he’s worth, so it’ll be interesting to see how the situation plays out.

      NFL

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