With Supreme Court hearing this week, Ayanbadejo, Fujita continue push for gay marriage

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So much for sports figures steering clear of potentially controversial topics.

A handful of NFL players have embraced the issue of gay marriage, and as the constitutionality of California’s ban moves this week toward formal consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court, two of them have made the case on high-profile platforms.

Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo appeared Sunday on Face the Nation to explains that, in his view, gay marriage provides the next frontier in the battle for equality.

“This is something I’ve been speaking about since 2009,” Ayanbadejo said, via Politico.  “In my opinion it’s just the evolution of civil rights and equal rights.  Athletes do a lot to change society and this is something we can make a big difference.  It starts with bullying and kids in elementary school and goes all the way to the legislative, and treating everybody equally. . . .

“This is a fight that myself and a bunch of my colleagues want to take on and we feel like everybody should be treated equally.  We’re not going to stop until everyone is treated fairly.”

Free-agent linebacker Scott Fujita made the case for acceptance in a New York Times op-ed.  Fujita also addressed the question of whether athletes should be involved in controversies of this nature.

“[W]e’re people first, and football players a distant second,” Fujita wrote.  “Football is a big part of what we do, but a very small part of who we are.  And historically, sports figures like Jackie Robinson, Billie Jean King and Muhammad Ali have been powerful agents for social change.  That’s why the messages athletes send — including the way they treat others and the words they use — can influence many people, especially children.”

Of course, some people will never be influenced.  But many could be, and those are the persons to whom Ayanbadejo, Fujita, Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, and others are directing the message of equality and acceptance.

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The Vikings have gotten 17.5 sacks in a situational role from defensive end Everson Griffen over the last three years and it appears he’ll be back in Minnesota to give them more in 2014.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Griffen is re-signing with the Vikings on what he calls a “huge” five-year deal. There’s no details about just how huge, but it supports what we’ve been hearing about deals being higher across the league in free agency this year than they were last year.

The Vikings aren’t giving Griffen, who ranked 19th on PFT‘s Hot 100 free agents, a big deal to continue as a situational pass rusher. Jared Allen is a free agent and keeping him doesn’t look like a priority for the Vikings, who also stand to lose veteran defensive tackle Kevin Williams to another club. That means more work for Griffen and, it seems, a salary to match.

With the negotiating window open, teams looking for help at end have had a chance to let Griffen know how much they desired his services. Minnesota outbid them, though, which leaves Michael Johnson, Michael Bennett and Lamarr Houston set to be the top available players at the position.

UPDATE 1:42 p.m. ET: Adam Schefter of ESPN reports it is a five-year, $42.5 million deal that includes $20 million guaranteed.

AP

Last year, it was Brian Urlacher.  Last week, it was Devin Hester.  Soon, it could be Charles Tillman.

Eventually, it will be Lance Briggs.  And Lance Briggs knows it.

“It’s sad, man,” Briggs said of the recent departures of veteran Bears players, via the Chicago Sun-Times.  “For a guy like me — and I know Peanut [Tillman] and Brian have been here a long time — we’ve seen a lot of guys come and go.  I think we all know our time is coming.  But it’s sad when it does.  And I hate to see a guy like Devin, and what he’s meant to this city and to the Bears organization, not brought back. .  . .  It’s hard with the bond that you build with all your brothers.  It kinda just sucks.”

Briggs remains hopeful that Tillman will re-sign with the Bears.

“One of my brothers didn’t get a chance to come back this past year, and hopefully the other one gets to stay,” Briggs said. “We’ll see.”

At some point, Tillman won’t be back.  At some point, Briggs won’t be back.  It’s a harsh reality of the modern NFL, where players received the freedom that comes with free agency but in turn experience the finality that comes from costing too much under the salary cap.

“When my time comes, I don’t expect anything more or less than a tweet saying, ‘We’re parting ways with Lance,’” Briggs said.  “It’s not gonna hurt my feelings or anything like that.”

That day is coming for Briggs.  And for Julius Peppers.  And for Matt Forte.  And Jay Cutler.  And Brandon Marshall.  And every other player who has been or will be a contributor to the Bears and every other NFL team.

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A recent report had the Patriots floating wide receiver Danny Amendola’s name to other teams as a trade possibility along with speculation that he could be released if he isn’t dealt.

If he is going to be released, the Patriots will be doing it on Tuesday. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports that the Patriots have until the end of Tuesday to make a decision about Amendola before $2 million of his $3 million base salary becomes guaranteed for the 2014 season.

Amendola has a cap charge of $4.575 million once the salary is guaranteed and designating him as a June 1 cut would spread the remaining cap hit over the next two seasons. Amendola didn’t have a productive 2013 season and missed time to both a groin injury and a concussion. This wasn’t Amendola’s first injury-plagued season and the Patriots, who would save a bit more than $1.3 million under the cap, may prefer to devote more resources to re-signing Julian Edelman and exploring other receiving options than banking on a rebound.

It would be a quick change of direction for the Patriots, but they’ve never been unwilling to move on if they feel there are better options available at a position.

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William Clay Ford Sr., the longtime owner of the Detroit Lions, has died at the age of 88.

“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of Mr. Ford and extend our deepest sympathies to Mrs. Ford and to the entire Ford family,” Lions President Tom Lewand said in a statement. “No owner loved his team more than Mr. Ford loved the Lions. Those of us who had the opportunity to work for Mr. Ford knew of his unyielding passion for his family, the Lions and the city of Detroit.”

Ford purchased the Lions in 1963 and oversaw their move out of the city from Tiger Stadium to the Pontiac Silverdome in 1975, and then oversaw their move back into downtown Detroit with the opening of Ford Field in 2002. Ford was the youngest son of Edsel Ford and the last surviving grandchild of Henry Ford, and he was the largest individual shareholder in Ford Motor Company.

Control of the Lions will presumably go to his son, William Clay Ford Jr., who has become increasingly active in the team in recent years. There is no reason to believe Bill Ford would make any immediate changes, but he developed a reputation for being more proactive than his father when his public criticism precipitated the ouster of team President Matt Millen in 2008.

Born March 14, 1925, William Clay Ford Sr. served in the Navy in World War II and married Martha Firestone of the family that owned the Firestone tire company in 1947. In addition to Bill Jr., William and Martha had three daughters.

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It’s been a rough month for the Ravens.

In fewer than four weeks, three players on the team have been arrested.  Joining running back Ray Rice and receiver Deonte Thompson is guard Jah Reid.

According to the website of the Monroe County, Florida Sheriff’s office, Reid was arrested early Sunday on two misdemeanor charges of battery.

A third-round pick in 2011, appeared in 10 games with no starts in 2013.  He’s due to become a free agent next year.

AP

Cowboys owner and General Manager Jerry Jones loves to make a splash in free agency, but at the moment he doesn’t have the salary cap space to do it.

Even after the Cowboys’ recent moves — including cutting center Phil Costa and restructuring the contracts of guard Mackenzy Bernadeau, quarterback Tony Romo, linebacker Sean Lee and cornerback Orlando Scandrick — the Cowboys only have about $2 million in cap space, according to ESPN.com.

Before Jones could make a splash with an addition, he may have to make a splash with a subtraction. And so the big question facing the Cowboys is whether they’ll release DeMarcus Ware, the defensive end they’re hoping will take a pay cut. If Ware doesn’t play ball on a restructured deal and Dallas releases him, the Cowboys will get $7.4 million in cap savings, which would put their total cap space at around $9.4 million.

There’s likely more cap relief coming for the Cowboys, as they can release receiver Miles Austin with a post-June 1 designation and free up another $5.5 million in cap room, but that cap room won’t be available until it’s time for the Cowboys to start using some of their cap space to sign their rookie class.

Basically, the Cowboys’ free agency plans hinge on what happens with Ware. If they release him or get him to take a new contract that provides immediate cap relief, Jones may be able to sign a key player in free agency. If things stay as they are, the Cowboys will mostly be observers while other teams are spending.

AP

The talk that the Texans are interested in trading with the Patriots to acquire quarterback Ryan Mallett appears to be just talk.

In fact, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports that there’s not even any reason to talk about it. McClain reports that the Texans “won’t be trading for Ryan Mallett,” period.

It sounds good in theory: New Texans head coach Bill O’Brien was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator for Mallett’s rookie season, so O’Brien knows what kind of player Mallett is, and Mallett knows what kind of offense O’Brien runs. That’s the case for the Texans making the trade.

The case against it is that Mallett has completed a grand total of one pass in an NFL regular-season game. If the Texans are going to make a quarterback with no experience their starter, it’s going to be a rookie they’re drafting as their long-term answer. Not a third-year backup who only has one year left on his rookie contract.

The most likely path for Mallett is spending one more year as Tom Brady’s backup and then hitting free agency a year from now. The most likely path for the Texans is acquiring their quarterback of the future in the draft.

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Safety Mike Mitchell made the most of a one-year deal in 2013, starting 14 games and providing the NFC South champion Panthers with solid play in the back end of the secondary.

That would seem to position him well for a longer deal this offseason and early reports about interest in Mitchell around the league do nothing to change that opinion. Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer reported Saturday that Mitchell fielded calls from the Bears, Eagles, Falcons and Broncos and added the Redskins to the list on Sunday.

Person adds that the Redskins join their NFC East rivals from Philadelphia as the teams showing the most interest in Mitchell. While we can’t be sure what that interest will amount to when it comes time for players to actually sign contracts, both teams are in major need of help at safety and Mitchell would certainly be an upgrade over what they had in 2013.

The Panthers aren’t out of the mix, but their limited cap space could make it hard for them to compete for Mitchell while also making other moves to bolster the team for the 2014 season.

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The four-year, $17 million contract was nice.

But Red Bryant’s background with coach Gus Bradley was one of the things that sold him on the Jaguars.

Back when he was still with the Seahawks, Bryant raved about his former defensive coordinator, which speaks to his quick signing after being cut last week.

“A lot of times, people look tough and they’re soft and a lot of times people look soft, but they’re tough,” Bryant said last fall, via Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union. “Gus has a fire about him. I played for him for four years and I know what type of man he is. He’s committed to winning and you best believe he’s going to come up with the best game plan to beat us.”

Bradley’s Jaguars did not, in fact, win that game — it wasn’t close, a 45-17 beating.

But it’s clear that Bradley’s influence was a big factor in Bryant’s quick decision, which should help solidify a team that is moving in the right direction.

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Last week, there was a report that the Saints were shopping wide receiver Lance Moore and running back Pierre Thomas to other teams while also being open to trading running back Darren Sproles.

No trades have been made, but two of the three are no longer in New Orleans. Moore and Sproles were released last week, leaving Thomas as the last man standing in the trio. It seemed that changed on Saturday when safety Malcolm Jenkins tweeted about Thomas’ departure, but, according to Thomas’ agent Lamont Smith, nothing has changed regarding Thomas’ status with the team.

“Status quo on PT at the present time,” Smith wrote on Twitter.

Will that remain the case? Based on moves they’ve made on both sides of the ball, one of the Saints’ plans for the offseason was clearing the roster of aging players whose money could be reinvested elsewhere and Thomas, who is set to make $2.9 million this season, fits the bill on that front. The Saints have Khiry Robinson, Mark Ingram and Travaris Cadet on the roster at running back in addition to Thomas, so the cupboard won’t be bare if they do say goodbye to a second veteran running back.

AP

Yes, Titans cornerback Alterraun Verner is getting all the calls.  But Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib is generating the buzz.

Talib, who hit the open market in 2013 after being traded from Tampa to New England during the 2012 season, signed a one-year, $5 million contract to stay with the Patriots last year.  After a solid season and an extended stretch of staying out of trouble, Talib figures to cash in significantly.

And for good reason.  The cornerback market has recovered significantly, thanks in large part to the spike in the salary cap and the return of a defense-wins-championships mentality to the NFL.  With 30-something cornerback Brent Grimes getting $32 million over four years and Packers cornerback Sam Shields getting $39 million over four from the extremely-careful-with-money Ted Thompson, the top shelf could spring past $10 million per year, this year.

With Talib, the concern for some is whether a significant payday will provoke a return of the off-field concerns that helped run him out of Tampa.  Thanks to the Aaron Hernandez debacle, the Patriots can’t make a huge investment of guaranteed money in Talib without risking an I-told-you-so moment if/when Talib finds trouble away from the field, again.

Washington, by multiple accounts, has emerged as a potential player for Talib’s services, given the connect-the-dots presence of former Bucs coach Raheem Morris as the defensive backs coach there.  Morris, who once described Talib as a “wild child,” would have to believe Talib can be trusted to stay on the right path while millions are raining down.  More importantly, G.M. Bruce Allen would have to be willing to make the investment of cash and cap dollars necessary to lure Talib.

Some think Allen intends to wait and shop for bargains, and to resist signing anyone to a big-money contract right out of the gates.  If that’s the case, Talib becomes a player they won’t be pursuing — unless no one else signs him and he becomes a de facto bargain.

For now, it’s hard to know which teams are interested, because Talib’s camp isn’t leaking the phone logs to the media.  Even without that info, it’s safe to say that plenty of interest exists.  The question is whether a team will be willing to take the leap of faith that the Talib of recent months has trumped the “wild child” that wore out his welcome in Tampa.

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Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh settled on a new agent last week, a decision that opens the door to negotiations with the team about a contract extension that would lower his $22.4 million cap number for the 2014 season.

Reaching agreement on such an extension is seen as essential to the Lions’ plans in free agency because of the need for cap space in Detroit to make significant additions to the roster. According to Lions president Tom Lewand, though, extending Suh is something the team wants to do because they like him as a player not because they think they need to do it in order to fulfill their other offseason desires.

“An opinion that any one deal can make or break a plan doesn’t fit. There is no one deal that makes or breaks a plan. The plan is a lot more dynamic and has a lot more pieces than that,” Lewand said, via the team’s website. “It’s not impacting anything that we’re doing in free agency. It doesn’t impact our plan at all. It doesn’t impact what we’re getting ready to do when the league year starts next week.”

Lewand pointed out that people said the same thing about the need to extend quarterback Matthew Stafford early last offseason, when the Lions were in worse cap shape, and that the Lions added Reggie Bush and Glover Quin before getting around to addressing Stafford’s contract. Creative contracts helped then and they will help again this offseason, but any moves the Lions can make to get their cap into better shape in the short and long term are still ones they should be pursuing this offseason.

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On the first day of the legal tampering period, the agent representing Titans cornerback Alterraun Verner received plenty of phone calls from teams.  At last count, there were six.

And unless those six teams independently leaked to the media that interest is being expressed, the Verner camp becomes the primary suspect for the source of the leaks.

Ditto for Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson, who has seven teams calling his agents.  As one league source remarked regarding Johnson:  “I would have thought 20 teams would call.  Maybe more.  Anyone can place a call.”

That’s the reality of the legal tampering period.  Teams can express interest and negotiate without making an offer.  When a cap-strapped team like the Steelers is calling about Verner, it becomes impossible to know who’s simply kicking tires, who’s genuinely interested, and who’s trying to use the process to create smoke screens.

For those who are genuinely interested, it’s impossible to know the level of the interest unless someone starts leaking the terms that are being discussed via negotiations that aren’t allowed to inadvertently become agreements.

The sense is that, come Tuesday, a few big names will move quickly and for too much money and then others will jump in later in the week.  Even now, some of the teams aren’t even making calls, because they have no intention to sign anyone out of the gates.

From a football standpoint, the smart play always is to be patient and shop for bargains.  From a business standpoint, some owners will choose to make a big splash in order to sell tickets and generate buzz and erase (if only for a day) the stink of dysfunction hovering over the franchise.

For now, reports of interest in specific players will continue to emerge and we’ll continue to pay attention to those reports even as we continue to not know what it all really means.

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The Giants could lose a pair of free agent defensive linemen in Justin Tuck and Linval Joseph once the market officially opens and they are reportedly looking to Baltimore for a possible replacement.

Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News both report that the Giants have expressed interest in defensive end Arthur Jones, who has spent the last four seasons with the Ravens. Jones joins cornerback Alterraun Verner as reported Giants targets in free agency.

Jones has started 19 games for Baltimore over the last two seasons, recording 8.5 sacks and forcing a fumble while picking up a Super Bowl ring after the 2012 season. He’s ranked 30th on PFT‘s Hot List of the top 100 players eligible for free agency this offseason.

Wilson adds that the Titans and Redskins also have interest in Jones, who has played in a 3-4 defense during his time with the Ravens. The Giants don’t run that type of scheme, but it seems they think Jones is versatile enough to handle a switch.

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What can the Bills do on the offensive line in free agency?

A call for the Dolphins to sign KR Devin Hester.

Keeping CB Aqib Talib might cost the Patriots more than they’d like to spend.

Running down the best plays of Jets TE Jeff Cumberland’s season after he signed a new contract with the team.

The Ravens have money to spend and holes to fill in free agency.

Said Bengals OL Mike Pollak after re-signing with the team, “They said they were going to get me some reps at center, but they also might have a need at guard. I’m looking forward to a couple of more years of hanging out with these guys and getting back to the playoffs.”

Was using the transition tag on C Alex Mack the right move for the Browns?

LB Larry Foote will be missed by many around the Steelers.

Seahawks CB Richard Sherman’s interception topped a list of interceptions that shaped the Texans season.

Colts head coach Chuck Pagano was at Arizona State’s pro day workout.

Jaguars G.M. Dave Caldwell said he spoke to coach Gus Bradley to make sure DE Red Bryant would fit into the team’s culture.

A look back at the Titans’ history in free agency.

Safety is an obvious spot where the Broncos can improve.

Running through a list of potential Chiefs free agent targets.

FB Marcel Reece wants the Raiders to be fearless in free agency.

What’s the forecast for the Chargers in free agency?

A suggestion that the Cowboys part ways with DE DeMarcus Ware.

LB Jameel McClain is still a possibility for the Giants.

Some praise for the Nick Foles-Chip Kelly combination with the Eagles.

Taking stock of Redskins LB Brandon Jenkins heading into his second season.

DE Austen Lane’s experience with defensive coordinator Mel Tucker should help him with the Bears.

Will the Lions be drafting a wide receiver in the first round?

Making the case for an aggressive approach to free agency for the Packers.

FB Jerome Felton doesn’t expect RB Toby Gerhart to return to the Vikings.

The Falcons tendered CB Robert McClain, but the restricted free agent may still hear from suitors.

S Charles Godfrey could be in line for a bigger role if the Panthers lose Mike Mitchell.

Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes that the Saints are renovating rather than rebuilding.

The Buccaneers are hoping for a healthy return from K Connor Barth.

Cardinals S Tyrann Mathieu has had to rely on the kindness of others while he recovers from his knee injury.

The Rams are saying they’ll be less active in free agency than they were last year.

49ers CB Tarell Brown is expected to be a popular man in free agency.

Bruce Irvin wished former Seahawks teammate Red Bryant in his new role with the Jaguars.