Guest boatboatboat Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 [h=3]Fins prepared to move on from P Fields? [/h] March, 9, 2015 Mar 9 9:42 AM ET By Tom Carpenter | ESPN Insider Recommend0Tweet0Comments0EmailPrint All of the buzz surrounding the Miami Dolphins in recent days has been about landing free-agent whale Ndamukong Suh with a massive six-year, $114 million contract with $60 million in guaranteed money. Needless to say, that deal is going to soak up a lot of the Fins' salary-cap space, so they may need to jettison some other contracts. That could start with former Pro Bowl punter Brandon Fields. {C} "Miami will release Fields unless he restructures his deal, a source confirmed to the Palm Beach Post," wrote Andrew Abramson. "Fields counts for $3.9 million against the cap this year. ... releasing Fields would free up $3.1 million. "Fields will gauge the market to see if he can get a better deal elsewhere or if it makes sense to return to Miami on a restructured contract." In 2013, when Fields made the Pro Bowl, he led the NFL in average yards per punt (48.8). He was 12th in that department last season (46.3 YPP). However, according to Pro Football Focus' grading, Fields was just the 12th-best punter in 2013 and ranked 23rd last season. In other words, the Dolphins may well be better off spending that money elsewhere on their roster, while bringing in a decent replacement for Fields. Tags: Insider NFL, NFL, Fantasy NFL [h=3]ATL plans if Weatherspoon joins ARI [/h] March, 9, 2015 Mar 9 8:52 AM ET By Tom Carpenter | ESPN Insider Recommend0Tweet0Comments0EmailPrint Despite the fact that linebacker Sean Weatherspoon's career with the Atlanta Falcons was marred by injury -- he missed all of last season with a ruptured Achilles -- the club was hoping to bring the free agent back. However, it appears that he is set to commit to the Arizona Cardinals when the free-agent market officially opens on Tuesday afternoon. {C} "Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon will sign a one-year deal worth just south of $4 million with the Arizona Cardinals, a league source told Yahoo Sports," wrote Rand Getlin. If Weatherspoon can get and stay healthy for the 2015 campaign, he offers plenty of upside to the Cards and could parlay that into a multi-year deal next offseason. Getting back to the Falcons, how will they replace Weatherspoon?: [h=5]Vaughn McClure[/h] Falcons brace for Sean Weatherspoon's departure "The Falcons are likely to check into Seattle's Malcolm Smith as a replacement. Smith played under Quinn the last two seasons when Quinn was the defensive coordinator for the Seahawks. Tampa Bay's Mason Foster, who was drafted by Falcons assistant head coach Raheem Morris when Morris was the Buccaneers' head coach, is worth serious consideration as well. And the Falcons are likely to draft a linebacker no matter what happens in free agency." Tags: Insider NFL, NFL, Fantasy NFL <a href="http://ad.Doubleclick.net/jump/espn.us.com.nfl/blog;pgtyp=blog;sp=espn;prem=t;sz=615x50,1x1;" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.Doubleclick.net/ad/espn.us.com.nfl/blog;pgtyp=blog;sp=espn;prem=t;sz=615x50,1x1;" border="0" alt=""></a> [h=3]Are 49ers looking to trade Kaepernick? [/h] March, 9, 2015 Mar 9 8:23 AM ET By Tom Carpenter | ESPN Insider Recommend3Tweet0Comments0EmailPrint Whenever a coaching change happens, there is a decent chance that even key players on that team could be moved during the offseason. It looks like that may be the case for the San Francisco 49ers, which swapped Jim Harbaugh out for Jim Tomsula as head coach. The change at the top could lead to the departure of quarterback Colin Kaepernick. "49ers have put Colin Kaepernick on the trading block. Taking offers," tweeted Jayson Braddock of KBME radio in Houston. "... for the record, direct quote, 'SF put Kaepernick on the trading block.'" "The Eagles are confirmed as one of the two teams in talks ... Confirmed the NFC team is the Chicago Bears. ..." For what it's worth, Niners general manager Trent Baalke issued a statement countering that report. “Colin is our quarterback and we are excited to have him,†Baalke said in a statement, per CSNBayArea.com. “He is not going anywhere. The media reports suggesting otherwise are without merit and, quite frankly, ridiculous.†Kaepernick had a rough 2014 campaign, but most agree that he has plenty of untapped potential, if it can be drawn out of him. The teams mentioned in the report have quarterback questions, so they would make sense as landing spots for Kaepernick. The Eagles may be trying to get away from Nick Foles and the Bears surely are aiming to get away from Jay Cutler. {C} Tags: Insider NFL, NFL, Fantasy NFL [h=3]Julius Thomas set to join Jaguars? [/h] March, 9, 2015 Mar 9 7:57 AM ET By Tom Carpenter | ESPN Insider Recommend2Tweet0Comments0EmailPrint Tight end Julius Thomas barely set foot on the field during the two years after he was drafted in 2011 due to health issues. Once he was able to play football again, he joined forces with Peyton Manning and racked up 24 touchdowns in 27 games during the next two seasons. Since the NFL is the way it is, it looks like he has parlayed that two-year performance into a huge payday with a new team. {C} "Tight end Julius Thomas, though, is working out contract details with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to an NFL source," wrote Mike Klis of the Denver Post. "The deal is not done, although it may simply be waiting on the market to officially open at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Thomas was expected to get a five-year contract worth close to $9 million per year." While this is great news for Thomas' bank account, a move to the Jaguars should be bad news for his once lofty fantasy value: [h=5]Matt Williamson[/h] Sizing up the top free agents for 2015 "I think he's a very good athlete, but not an elite athlete. I don't know that he has a Jimmy Graham-type of ceiling. You do look at what happened to the Broncos' offense after he got hurt last season. It was much worse. They went to the run. A lot of people said that was because of Peyton Manning, but another big reason was this guy was out. They lost that red zone production. But if he goes to, say, Jacksonville and is the top receiver on that team, I could see him really taken away by defenses. There is some 'buyer beware' there, to me, in terms of a guy where his stats are great but then, depending on his next home, could fall off in a big way." Tags: Insider NFL, NFL, Fantasy NFL [h=3]Will Justin Houston get out of Chiefs tag? [/h] March, 8, 2015 Mar 8 2:09 PM ET By Tom Carpenter | ESPN Insider Recommend8Tweet1Comments5EmailPrint There is a reason why it's a rarity to see a player who sports the franchise tag receiving offers from another team: such a team would need to be wiling to give up a pair of first-round picks to the team that applied the tag. Despite the long odds, it appears that Kansas City Chiefs edge-rusher Justin Houston hopes to receive such an offer, despite having been tagged by the Chiefs. {C} "Per multiple sources, Houston is very upset with the Chiefs. It’s believed that he’ll actively solicit an offer sheet in the hopes the Chiefs won’t match it," wrote Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. While convincing a team to give him such an offer may be unlikely, the fact that he is such an elite player makes it at least a possibility. To that point, per ESPN Stats & Info, of the nine other men who recorded at least 20 sacks in a season, five of them are in the Hall of Fame, three are still active and the other is Mark Gastineau. Basically, no one is better than Houston at what he does: [h=5]Matt Williamson[/h] Sizing up the top free agents for 2015 "If I had to pick one edge pass-rusher, it would be Houston. I think he's the best in the league. Speed and everything else. And he's really getting better and better each year. Just highly productive and never comes off the field." {C} Tags: Insider NFL, NFL, Fantasy NFL [h=3]Eagles, Colts targeting UFA Frank Gore? [/h] March, 8, 2015 Mar 8 1:32 PM ET By Tom Carpenter | ESPN Insider Recommend5Tweet0Comments3EmailPrint UPDATE: As noted below, The Eagles are interested in signing UFA Frank Gore. However, it appears the Indianapolis Colts also are in the mix for Gore's services. "League sources said the Indianapolis Colts and Gore have mutual interest in working toward a contract," wrote Matt Maoicco of CSNBayArea.com. --- Although Frank Gore has been the backbone of the San Francisco 49ers offense for a decade, odds seem to be that he will leave the team this offseason as an unrestricted free agent. It appears that one potential landing spot could be with the Philadelphia Eagles, who just shipped star running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills. "A person with knowledge of the situation, who requested anonymity, told NJ Advance Media that the Eagles have expressed interest in free-agent running back Frank Gore," wrote Eliot Shorr-Parks. "That person said a deal with the San Francisco 49ers star could get done as early as Tuesday, the first day free agents can sign with another team." Right now, unrestricted free agents are allowed to talk with suitors, leading up to the official start of free agency Tuesday. Gore is at the back end of his career but would give the Eagles leadership and upside at the position. ESPN NFL Insider Bill Polian gave Gore a B-minus in his free-agency grades: [h=5]Bill Polian[/h] Best available NFL free agents "His entire career Gore has been one of the most productive north-south power runners. He's a winner whose toughness and leadership by example would be ideal for a contending team. He does have a long medical history and a lot of mileage, which are concerns." Tags: Insider NFL, NFL, Fantasy NFL [h=3]Will Eagles, Sanchez reunite for 2015? [/h] March, 7, 2015 Mar 7 12:35 PM ET By Tom Carpenter | ESPN Insider Recommend1Tweet0Comments0EmailPrint All of the offseason talk about the Philadelphia Eagles QB corps has revolved around Nick Foles and Marcus Mariota. Rightly so, since Foles is the incumbent starter and Mariota has history with coach Chip Kelly. Still, regardless of how things might go with that pair, it appears that the Eagles are interested in bringing veteran Mark Sanchez back for 2015. "Considered by many to be the best quarterback option on the market, the Eagles and Sanchez have a strong mutual interest in reuniting next season, a person close to the situation who requested anonymity told NJ Advance Media," wrote Eliot Shorr-Parks. Presumably, he would return as the primary backup to Foles or a stop-gap starter if they land Mariota. In nine weeks running the show when Foles was hurt last season, Sanchez completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 2,418 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Sanchez can begin fielding offers from other teams Saturday afternoon, so he could be lured elsewhere. ESPN NFL Insider Matt Williamson thinks that the Eagles also could target free agent Jake Locker: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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