Monthly Archives: March 2014

Teams Being Told That Rashard Mendenhall Is Retiring

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*Updated* Former Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall is set to retire according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The former 1st round draft pick played five seasons for the Steelers before signing with the Arizona Cardinals in 2013.

Mendenhall hinted at possibly retiring last month in an article at The Huffington Post. The article was a bit…unusual, but the subtext was hard to miss. The former Steelers back who was much maligned for his “dance moves”, finishes his career with 4,236 rushing yards, 39 total touchdowns and an average of 3.9 yards per carry.

Safety Ryan Mundy (FA) and QB Dennis Dixon (Bills PS) are the two remaining active players from the Steelers 2008 draft class.

Mendenhall’s agent Mike McCarthy confirmed the reports via his twitter account.

 

Lastly, here’s Mendenhall’s (rather wordy) explanation of why he’s retiring. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rashard-mendenhall/rashard-mendenhall-retirement-_b_4931316.html

Report: Steelers Interested In Free Agent CB Alterraun Verner

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The Steelers have reportedly expressed interest in free agent cornerback Alterraun Verner, according to Titans beat writer Jim Wyatt. Wyatt notes that several other teams have also expressed interest in the free agent defensive back. This report makes sense, much more sense then the rumor that surfaced earlier about the Steelers alleged interest in TE Jermichael Finley.

Verner was drafted by the Titans in the 4th round in the 2010 draft. He had 49 total tackles and 5 interceptions last year. It was also his first pro bowl appearance.

Bill Polian, in tandem with ESPN, recently rated free agent cornerbacks. Here’s what he had to say about Verner.

“Verner may not have top-end size or speed, but he is an excellent starting-level cornerback who plays with terrific toughness and a willingness to be physical. He has the strength and balance to be physical at or near the line of scrimmage without losing his feet with very good ball skills and on-ball production and an understanding of opposing route concepts. He lacks the elite short-area quickness and burst to match up against slot receivers but can ably handle perimeter cornerback duties. He is good at the point of catch, playing his technique through the catch and disrupting receivers. At age 25 and playing a premium position, he could cash in on the open market above this grade level.”

Verner will command a decent contract, but could possibly be had for an amount the Steelers could afford. Certainly a considerably lower 1st year cap hit than Ike Taylor’s current one. Here’s what Verner said last week about taking a hometown discount with the Titans.

“It is not like I want the Titans to spend all of their salary cap just to keep me,” said Verner. “It is not like I need $10 or I need $11 million, or I need to be one of the top five highest-paid corners in the league. I want them to be able to sign other guys to help the team.

“But I also want to feel respected, and the way Tennessee has operated and the way they have paid veteran players, they have set the tempo on how they value players. So if they don’t offer me something that shows they value me, I feel like it is a slap in my face.”

Whether or not the Steelers are sincerely interested is hard to determine. While it’s a possibility, it’s also very likely that expressed interest is a just negotiating tool.

Time To Navigate The Murky Waters Of Free Agency Tampering

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It’s that time of year again. The weekend before free agency officially begins, where teams can tamper with free agents, without actually tampering. Starting at 12:00 pm est Saturday and ending with the start of the new league year at 4:00 pm est on Tuesday, the legal tampering window is open.

In the past, there was confusion about what teams were and were not allowed to do regarding negotiations with pending free agents (not their own of course). The NFL released a memo to all teams this year, to try to clarify what they weren’t so clear on in the past. The memo, provided by NFL network reporter Albert Breer, stated that a team may “express its position as to signing bonus, length of contract, amounts of signing bonus and yearly compensation”, but it “cannot make an offer” or “enter into a written or oral agreement of any kind”.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared more specific rules and outlines  for clubs during the tampering period on Facebook. Here is what Schefter had to share-

“During the three-day period commencing at 12 noon, New York time, on Saturday, March 8, and ending at 3:59:59 p.m., New York time, on Tuesday, March 11, clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with, the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expirations of their 2013 Player Contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 11. However, a contract cannot be executed with a new club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 11.

1. During this negotiating period, a club is permitted to:
a. Submit a written summary of the club’s negotiating position to a certified agent;
b. Express its position as to signing bonus, length of contract, amounts of signing bonus and yearly compensation, and other items;
c. Adjust its negotiating position in response to a certified agent’s position; and
d. Engage in an oral exchange of positions.

2. A club must express that it is stating a negotiating position, not making an offer. No part of the exchange of information is binding on either party.

3. A club cannot:
a. Execute a contract;
b. Submit a draft of an NFL Player Contract to a certified agent or the player;
c. Make an “offer;”
d. Enter into a written or oral agreement of any kind, express or implied, or make promises or representations of any type concerning the terms or conditions of employment to be offered to any Unrestricted Free Agent for inclusion in a Player Contract after the start of the new League Year;
e. Provide assurances of intent as to the future execution of an NFL Player Contract;
f. Announce an agreement or an agreement in principle; or
g. Discuss or make travel arrangements for a player.

During this negotiating period, a prospective Unrestricted Free Agent cannot visit a club (other than the player’s current club) at its permanent facility or at any other location, and no direct contact is permitted between the player and any employee or representative of a club (other than the player’s current club). If a player is self-represented, clubs are prohibited from discussions with the player during the negotiating period.

Furthermore, clubs (other than the player’s current club) may not discuss or make any travel arrangements with prospective Unrestricted Free Agent players, their certified agents, or anyone else associated with the player until the expiration of those players’ contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 11.

The three-day negotiating period applies only to potential Unrestricted Free Agents; it does not apply to players who are potential Exclusive Rights Players or Restricted Free Agents, or to players who have been designated as Franchise Players or Transition Players.”

So in summary, teams and agents can essentially do everything but fill out a contract. 🙂

Will Allen’s Contract Details And Steelers Salary Cap Update

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The Steelers re-signed veteran free agent safety Will Allen on Wednesday, but the contract details were not available.  According to reports, his deal was indeed what I expected, a one year dear for the veteran minimum, with no signing bonus. The minimum for Allen this year is $955,000.

Knowing this, I can give you a pretty accurate update on the Steelers salary cap situation. Allen’s $955,000 base salary will displace $420,000 from the current Top 51, making his signing effectively count for only $535,000. Factoring that in to the numbers I provided yesterday after the restructure of Antonio Brown, the Steelers should have a hair under $2.5 Mil in available cap space at the time of this writing.

Going into free agency, the team is going to want to have more money to play with than that. As you’d expect, we should be hearing news on Ike Taylor very soon. Either a reduction in his 2014 salary, or his release. I would imagine he will agree to some form of contract renegotiation that frees up a minimum somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 Mil. The restructure of Lawrence Timmons’ contract is also an easy option for the team to clear more cap space. While they may go for a full restructure to free up almost $4 Mil, I’m expecting that they won’t want to do that right now.

Steelers Restructure Antonio Brown’s Contract

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As expected, the Steelers have restructured Antonio Brown’s contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. According to Schefter, the restructuring clears $4 Mil in 2014 cap space. While it’s close to that, the maximum cap savings available by restructuring AB is $3,952,500.

While there are no official numbers yet, I can break down what the move likely looks like. Here’s a before and after:

[table]

Player, Year, Base Salary, Signing Bonus, Salary Cap Number

“Brown, Antonio”, 2014, “$6,000,000”, “$2,470,000”, “$8,470,000”

[/table]

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[table]

Player, Year, Base Salary, Signing Bonus, Salary Cap Number

“Brown, Antonio”, 2014, “$730,000”, “$3,787,500”, “$4,517,500”

[/table]

 

This move should put the Steelers in the neighborhood of $3.5 Mil under the $133 Mil salary cap. Expect more moves in the future. Lawrence Timmons is a prime restructure candidate, though, I don’t expect he’ll be max restructured like Antonio Brown was. Releasing or renegotiating with Ike Taylor will clear significant cap room. Signing Jason Worilds to a long term deal will clear additional room, as well.  Extending Ben Roethlisberger could easily clear 4-5 Mil in cap space, though that is not an immediate need for the team.

Breaking Down Troy Polamalu’s Contract Extension

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The Steelers extended Troy Polamalu’s contract yesterday, keeping him under contract through 2016. The details of the extension weren’t immediately available, but I can break the down for you now. The 3 year deal has a total value of $20 Mil, and includes a $6.75 Mil guaranteed signing bonus. His 2014 base salary goes down from $8.25 Mil to $1.5 Mil. The new deal clears $4.5 Mil in cap space for the Steelers in 2014.

Here is a before and after of his salary cap numbers:

[table]

Player, Year, Base Salary, Signing Bonus, Salary Cap Number

“Polamalu, Troy”, 2014, “$8,250,000”, “$2,637,500”, “$10,887,500”

[/table]

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[table]

Player, Year, Base Salary, Signing Bonus, Salary Cap Number

“Polamalu, Troy”, 2014, “$1,500,000”, “$4,887,500”, “$6,387,500”

“Polamalu, Troy”, 2015, “$6,000,000”, “$2,250,000”, “$8,250,000”

“Polamalu, Troy”, 2016, “$5,750,000”, “$2,250,000”, “$8,000,000”

[/table]

Steelers Make More Cuts As They Work Towards Cap Compliance

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The Steelers have trimmed more salary cap space today by releasing/waiving OT Levi Brown, CB Curtis Brown, and LB Larry Foote. These moves, along with the extensions of Troy and Heath, should have them just above the $133 Mil salary cap. It’s hard to say exactly, because we do not know Will Allen’s exact contract details, nor do we have the exact details of Troy’s extension.

Levi Brown

Levi Brown was acquired through trade during last season from the Arizona Cardinals. His contract was virtually risk free, and he was an easy choice for cutting. He injured his triceps muscle during pre-game warm ups last October, and never played a down in Pittsburgh. Cutting him cleared $6.25 Mil in cap space. He was listed as a “Failed Physical” designation on the official transaction sheet.

Curtis Brown

Curtis Brown was drafted by the Steelers in the 3rd round of the 2011 draft. He’s been injured frequently, and disappointing at times when he was on the field. His waiving cleared $645,000 in cap space, but added $130,300 in dead money. He was listed as waived with the “Failed Physical” designation, as well. He underwent ACL surgery in January, so that would make sense.

Larry Foote

Larry Foote signed a 3 year deal with Pittsburgh in 2013. He had two years remaining, but his relatively low signing bonus made him an easy candidate for a cap savings cut. That, his age, and his September biceps surgery that is. Foote was set to count $1,833,333 towards the 2014 cap, and releasing him cleared $1,166,666 in cap space. Cutting him added $666,667 in dead money. Don’t be too surprised if he’s back at some point down the road. I’m not saying he’ll be back, but don’t be shocked if he is.

Steelers And Troy Polamalu Agree On Extension Through 2016

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The Steelers have announced that they have extended Troy Polamalu’s contract through 2016. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. The team needs to free up cap space this year, and Troy was coming on the final year of his contract. His 2014 salary cap number was a whopping $10,887,500.

I’ll report the specific numbers when I have them over the next few days, but I expect his extension to be similar to Heath’s, in that his 2014 salary, or a big portion of it, was converted to a cash signing bonus. It’s difficult to speculate exactly how much it will free up, but I would think it has to be at least in the neighborhood of 4 to 5 million.

A Breakdown Of Heath Miller’s Contract Extension

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It was reported that the Steelers and Heath Miller agreed on contract rework earlier this week, but the details were not available. As I said previously, it was indeed an extension that lowered his 2014 cap number. He is now under contract with the Steelers through 2016. Here is a before and after of the numbers.

[table]

Player, Year, Base Salary, Signing Bonus, Salary Cap Number

“Miller, Heath”, 2014, “$6,020,000”, “$3,446,500”, “$9,466,500”

[/table]
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[table]

Player, Year, Base Salary, Signing Bonus, Salary Cap Number

“Miller, Heath”, 2014, “$1,020,000”, “$5,113,166”, “$6,133,166”
“Miller, Heath”, 2015, “$4,000,000”, “$1,666,666”, “$5,666,666”
“Miller, Heath”, 2016, “$4,000,000”, “$1,666,666”, “$5,666,668”

[/table]

As you can see, the extension lowers Heath’s salary cap hit for 2014, clearing $3,333,334 in cap space to be exact.

Kevin Colbert And Scouts On Hand At Texas A&M Pro Day Today

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The Steelers, and probably every other team in the league, have personnel in attendance at McFerrin Athletic Center for Texas A&M’s Pro Day today. Kevin Colbert and GM’s from a couple other teams are on hand to watch players like OT Jake Matthews perform tests and run drills. QB Johnny Manziel and WR Mike Evans will not be participating today, though, Evans will be in attendance to meet with team representatives. Mike Evans will not work out for scouts until March 27th.

Here is a complete list of the prospects in attendance today according to a statement released by the Aggies.

LB Nate Askew

DL Kirby Ennis

WR Mike Evans

TE Nehemiah Hicks

DB Toney Hurd Jr.

DB Tramain Jacobs

LB Steven Jenkins

WR Travis Labhart

RB Ben Malena

QB Johnny Manziel

OL Jake Matthews

WR Derel Walker