Jets hire John Idzik as their new general manager

The Jets’ search for a new general manager has come to an end.

The team announced Friday that they have tabbed John Idzik as the replacement for Mike Tannenbaum. Idzik has been with the Seahawks since 2007 and currently holds the title of vice president of football administration. His responsibilities include overseeing the team’s contract negotiations and compliance with the salary cap as well as dealing with all football operations budgets.

That paints Idzik as a cap guy, similar to Tannenbaum, although Idzik has also been involved with player personnel decisions during his time with Seattle. The Jets have said that their next general manager will have final say on those kinds of decisions, but Idzik’s background suggests coach Rex Ryan will also be taking on a big role on that end.

The Jets interviewed at least 10 candidates for the job since parting ways with Tannenbaum in a search organized by Jed Hughes of the Korn/Ferry consulting firm. That will either be seen as a thorough vetting of the available candidates or the latest sign that the Jets lack a cohesive direction. Chances are the view will tilt toward the latter given the paper similarity to Tannenbaum.

Idzik will get an immediate chance to prove he was the right man for the job as the Jets need help all over the roster while they also unravel an ugly cap situation before the start of next season.

AP

Safety Ryan Clark played a couple of seasons with the Redskins before joining the Steelers and he could be headed back to Washington now that it looks like there’s no spot for him in Pittsburgh.

Clark broke the news that he’d be visiting with the Redskins in his sideline as an ESPN talking head on Wednesday. It’s the first visit that Clark will be making since the start of free agency.

Clark will turn 35 this year and definitely isn’t the same player he was earlier in his career, but the Redskins are as desperate for safety help as any team in the league. They got shoddy play at the position all of last season and both Brandon Meriweather and Reed Doughty are free agents. With many of the top free agent safeties off the board already, Washington is in a position where rolling the dice on Clark could make sense.

Clark had 104 tackles and two interceptions last season and his expected departure from Pittsburgh became all but certified when the team signed Mike Mitchell on Tuesday.

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Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware bet on himself.  And won.

Rejecting a request to reduce his 2014 compensation from $12.75 million this year in Dallas, Ware will make (per a league source) $13 million in 2014 from the Broncos.

In the second year of the three-year contract, Ware will make $7 million, which is $6 million less than he would have made under his prior contract in Dallas for 2015.

In 2016, Ware will is due a $3 million roster bonus in March, and a base salary of $7 million.

It adds up to $30 million over three years, $20 million over two.  And the Broncos have beefed up a pass rush that will have (hopefully) a healthy Von Miller in 2014.

AP

Josh McCown now has his chance to start.

Which could be the start of something else for his new team.

McCown’s agent Mike McCartney just tweeted out word that his client had agreed to a new two-year deal with the Buccaneers.

After his steady play last year with the Bears, McCown earned another chance to start after it appeared his career had stalled at journeyman backup.

But with the only competition for the job Mike Glennon, that is not the case.

Now, McCown might need to get recruiting. He’s close friends with soon-to-be-former Panthers wideout Steve Smith (they were actually playing in the same flag football game the day Smith broke his wrist), and might want to lure his pal down to Tampa as soon as the Panthers do the expected.

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The New England Patriots are showing interest in cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Patriots are expected to make a push for Revis, who will either be cut or traded by the Buccaneers in the next two hours.

The Patriots have a need for a cornerback after losing their top cornerback, Aqib Talib, in free agency. Talib signed with the Broncos, and bringing in Revis is about the only move the Patriots could make that would represent an upgrade after losing their best cornerback to their biggest conference rival.

It’s not known whether the Patriots would be willing to trade for Revis and pay him the $16 million a year his current contract calls for, or if they’re only planning to make a move for him when and if the Buccaneers cut him. But bringing Revis on board would be a bold move after a quiet start to free agency in New England.

AP

No fax machines were required this time.

The Broncos got former Cowboys pass-rusher DeMarcus Ware into their building, and they didn’t let him out.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPNcom, Ware has agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract which includes $20 million guaranteed. PFT has also confirmed the agreement.

The deal is pending a physical, but both sides are motivated for him to pass this one.

Ware gives the Broncos the proven pass-rusher opposite Von Miller they’ve been looking for since last year’s Elvis Dumervil screw-up, and only enhances John Elway’s reputation as the league’s top closer.

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Early on Wednesday, there were reports that linebacker Jon Beason was one of the many veteran defensive players on the radar of the Broncos as they restock that side of the ball in free agency.

Beason won’t be sharing a locker room with Peyton Manning, though. He’ll be back with Eli Manning and the rest of the Giants instead.

Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network reports that Beason and the Giants agreed to terms on a contract that will keep Beason from leaving for Denver or anywhere else. The Giants acquired Beason in a trade with the Panthers early last season and their defensive turnaround coincided almost exactly with Beason being installed as the team’s starting middle linebacker.

The Giants were always expected to make a strong push for Beason, who chose to represent himself in negotiations this offseason, and his foray into the open market may have helped get a deal done once both sides knew what Beason’s value was on the open market. No details about the deal have been disclosed.

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The Bears have looked to Green Bay for safety help.

The club said Wednesday it had reached a one-year contract with Packers safety M.D. Jennings.

The 25-year-old Jennings started all 16 games at free safety for the Packers in 2013, notching 74 tackles and defending one pass. However, he was not tendered as a restricted free agent.

Jennings (6-0, 187) could provide competition for Chris Conte, the Bears’ starting free safety a season ago. The Bears also added Giants safety Ryan Mundy on Tuesday, signaling their desire to help a position that had its problems in 2013.

AP

Yes, it was reported on Tuesday that defensive end Jared Allen’s people are talking to the Seahawks.  No, it hasn’t happened.

Per a source with direct knowledge of the situation, the Sehawks have not yet spoken to Allen’s representatives.  That doesn’t mean they won’t, but they haven’t.  Yet.

And for good reason.  If, as it appears, Allen wants more than the market will bear for a pass rusher on the wrong side of 30, the Seahawks won’t want to pay that.  If, at some point, the Seahawks sense that a bargain could be had, the Seahawks could make a move.

Last year, for example, they landed two of the premier pass rushers in free agency — Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett — after it became clear that they could be had for reasonable amount.

Allen could have struck a deal with the Broncos on Tuesday, but financial commitments got in the way.  The Bears reportedly are interested.

More teams should be.  Allen is one of the best pass rushers of the last 15 years.  He still has a lot left in the tank, he always goes hard, and he’s a great teammate.

Someone eventually will be very happy to have Allen.  It remains to be seen who that will be.

AP

The Cowboys, following the pattern of last year, continue to pick through the scraps for defensive line help.

According to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com, the Cowboys have signed defensive tackle Terrell McClain to a three-year deal.

McClain was with the Texans last year, after originally entering the league with the Panthers as a second-round pick.

In fact, he joins a bit of a parade of former Panthers draft picks rolling through Dallas, along with Nick Hayden, and the recently released Everette Brown and Corvey Irvin.

The Panthers have actually had some good defensive linemen in recent years, but none of them ever seem to make it to Dallas.

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The Packers have a pair of free agent tight ends in Jermichael Finley and Andrew Quarless who have yet to sign contracts for next season, but the team isn’t waiting for them to make up their minds to explore other options.

Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Owen Daniels is visiting with the team. Daniels was released by the Texans earlier this week.

Daniels is likely a familiar name to Packers fans after playing his college ball at the University of Wisconsin and playing a prominent role in the Houston offense for most of the last eight seasons. Daniels wasn’t quite as visible in 2013 as a broken leg ended his season after five games and 24 catches, but he would be an experienced and reliable set of hands for Aaron Rodgers if he’s healthy next season.

The Ravens have also been linked to Daniels, which likely has much to do with the fact that former Texans head coach Gary Kubiak is now the offensive coordinator in Baltimore.

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Of the Panthers’ various options for receiver Steve Smith, keeping him won’t be the one that’s selected.

Smith’s agent, Derrick Fox, tells Steve Reed of the Associated Press that Smith will have a new home in 2014.

“[Steve] is not going to play for the Panthers next year, I know that,” Fox said.  “I just don’t know when that transaction is going to take place.”

If the Panthers cut Smith, they’ll owe him $3 million in fully-guaranteed base salary, with no offset clause.  It means that he can sign with another team, keep that team’s money, and keep Carolina’s $3 million.

A trade would send that obligation to a new team, clearing the Panthers of any financial obligations.  But a new team has no reason to pay $7 million for Smith.  A new team would be more inclined to wait for Smith to be released and sign him on the open market.

The contract that gives Smith plenty of leverage and the Panthers few desirable choices was signed in 2012.  It was supposedly Smith’s retirement deal.

“Where we are disappointed is the fact he signed an extension to stay loyal to the club and complete his career as a Panther,” Fox said.  “That is why we did the long-term team deal.  Now we are at a crossroads where the Panthers don’t want him anymore.”

The next question is whether someone else does.  It’s safe to assume the answer is yes.

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The Vikings have retained an experienced reserve interior offensive lineman.

The club has re-signed guard/center Joe Berger, who has played for Minnesota since 2011.

The 31-year-old Berger started a game at both guard spots last season and appeared in all 16 contests. He also contributed on special teams.

A 10th-year pro from Michigan Tech, Berger has played in 82 regular season games in his NFL career. Before joining the Vikings, Berger played for the Dolphins (2005-2006, 2009-2010) and Cowboys (2006-2008).

AP

The Panthers entire offensive line either retired or hit free agency. And they still didn’t make a move to keep Bruce Campbell.

According to John Keim of ESPN.com, the Redskins did, signing the backup tackle to a one-year deal.

Campbell hasn’t started an NFL game in his time with the Panthers and Raiders, and is still living off an excellent Combine workout when he was coming out of Maryland. He ran a 4.75 40-yard dash, which was enough to sell the Raiders on him, and that was essentially his career highlight.

He missed last year after suffering a preseason shoulder injury, though it was hard to notice.

AP

Free-agent defensive end/linebacker DeMarcus Ware has arrived in Denver for the first free-agent visit of his career.

The Broncos are the front runners for Ware, and they’ll get the first crack at signing him.

Appearing on Wednesday’s edition of PFT Live, Vic Lombardi of CBS 4 in Denver said he’ll be surprised if the Broncos don’t sign Ware today.

Ware is believed to be looking for $10 million per year.  He was due $12.75 million from the Cowboys, and it’s unclear how much less than that the Cowboys were willing to pay to keep him.

If Ware gets out of Denver without a contract, there’s a good chance he’ll sign elsewhere.  The best news is that the negotiations are occurring face to face, without the intervention of, you know, a fax machine.

AP

Darren Sproles does not want to be traded.

Sproles, the running back and return man whom the Saints are shopping around the league, told Josina Anderson of ESPN that if he has no future in New Orleans, he wants the team to cut him.

“I want to get released,” Sproles said. “I don’t want to be traded. I don’t know where they would send me because I have no control over it and I want to be able to pick. The good thing is none of the teams I’m told they’re talking to are terrible. It’s more than two. I feel I should have more of an idea later on today.”

It’s easy to see why Sproles would feel that way: You’d always rather control your own fate, and potentially negotiate a pay raise, than have someone else determine your future for you. But the reality is that the Saints are reportedly fielding several offers for Sproles, and they’d be fools not to get some compensation for Sproles if they can.

If Sproles is adamantly opposed to a trade, he could threaten to retire if the Saints trade him somewhere he doesn’t want to go. That might scare some teams off. But the most likely scenario is that the Saints trade Sproles to the team that offers them the best deal, and that Sproles ends up playing for that team, even if it’s a team that wouldn’t have been his top choice.