League suspends Saunders eight games for PED policy violation

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Last year, the NFL suspended tight end Weslye Saunders for the first four games of the season, due to a violation of the league’s policy against performance-enhancing substances.  This year, the Colts tight end has been suspended again.

The NFL has announced that Saunders will miss the first eight games of the 2013 season for violating the PED policy.  It’s the standard penalty for a second offense.

Saunders will be eligible to participate in training camp and the preseason.  After the final preseason game, he’ll be exiled until November 4.

For a third offense, Saunders would be suspended 12 months, and he’d then have to apply for reinstatement to the league.

Saunders appeared in 11 regular-season games last year, starting four times.  But with Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen and half of a season without Saunders, it could be time for the Colts to move on.

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When the Patriots stopped quarterback Ryan Mallett’s draft-day free fall in 2011, it was assumed that coach Bill Belichick eventually would flip the former Arkansas Razorback for something more than the third-round pick used to get him.

With Mallett entering the final year of his contract, Belichick is running out of chances to trade Mallett.  And with former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien now the head coach of the Texans after a pair of years as head coach at Penn State, O’Brien could be the guy to make the deal.

Nick Underhill of MassLive.com reports that the Texans have expressed interest in acquiring Mallett.  At this point, however, the level of interest hasn’t progressed beyond “talk.”

Mallett remains unproven, given that he has had limited regular-season reps.  A fair package arguably would include a mid-round draft pick in 2014 and a conditional pick in 2015 that would hinge on the success of Mallett and/or the team this season.

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During the first day of the second annual legal tampering period, plenty of teams reportedly have shown interest in plenty of players.  Few if any are running backs.

As one source who has been actively working the phones throughout the day told PFT on Saturday night, there’s currently no market for running backs.

If it holds, it’s no surprise.  In recent years, not many/any veteran tailbacks have broken the bank as free agents, with the best contracts coming in the range of $3 million to $4 million per year.  Which also happens to be the top of the market for kickers.

Eight running backs appear on PFT’s Free Agent Hot 100:  Ben Tate (No. 38); Donald Brown (No. 43); Darren McFadden (No. 67); Knowshon Moreno (No. 70); James Starks (No. 76); LeGarrette Blount (No. 83); Maurice Jones-Drew (No. 85); Toby Gerhart (No. 99).

Based on Saturday, there won’t be a land rush for tailbacks on Tuesday.  The contracts likely will come late in the week, at the earliest.

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Soon, it could be easier to list the teams that aren’t interested in Titans cornerback Alterraun Verner.

Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean, who previously pegged the Jets, Vikings, and Rams as having interest in the No. 10 player on PFT’s Free Agent Hot 100 list, now reports that the Lions, Steelers, and Giants also have interest in Verner.

A fourth-round pick in 2010 from UCLA, Verner has started every game the last two years, becoming one of the best young corners in the NFL in the process.  The Titans opted not to apply the franchise tag to Verner, which would have paid him a lot of money on a one-year deal.  It now appears that Verner will be getting a lot more money on a multi-year deal, from someone.

Of course, it’s one thing for teams to show interest and another for that interest to become a contract offer. Teams that plan to box out the other contenders for Verner will need to have the cap space to do it.

The Steelers don’t.  But it costs no cash or cap space to show interest.

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The Cardinals are planning to upgrade their offensive line by cutting a veteran starter and signing a better replacement.

Daryn Colledge, a guard who has started all 16 games in all three of his seasons in Arizona, is apparently about to be released. Colledge said goodbye to Arizona on Twitter on Saturday.

“Wanna thank you the fans and the Cardinals for an amazing opportunity. A great organization headed in the right direction. Wish ya the best,” Colledge wrote.

The 32-year-old Colledge would have been due a $4.8 million salary this season, so it’s no surprise that he was a cap casualty. The question now is where the Cardinals will look to improve on the offensive line.

According to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic, the Cardinals’ No. 1 target is free agent left tackle Branden Albert. If they’re not able to acquire the sought-after Albert, the Cardinals’ Plan B would be guard/tackle Rodger Saffold. Either Albert or Saffold would improve the Cardinals’ offensive line.

Colledge will become a free agent as soon as his release from the Cardinals is official, and one place where he could find a job is Miami, as he previously played for coach Joe Philbin in Green Bay. Saffold handled his departure from Arizona with class, and the Dolphins could use a classy veteran on their offensive line.

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One of the top free agent cornerbacks is off the market.

The Packers and cornerback Sam Shields have reached a four-year, $39 million contract, a league source told PFT’s Mike Florio on Saturday.

Shields will receive a $12.5 million signing bonus, and his 2014 compensation is $15 million. By the second season, Shields is slated to have made $21 million, and the deal is worth $30 million through 2016.

The 26-year-old Shields recorded 61 tackles, defended 16 passes and intercepted four passes in 2013.

Shields was PFT’s No. 15-ranked free agent and the No. 5-ranked player at a strong group of prospective free agents at his position. His departure doesn’t hurt the leverage of New England’s Aqib Talib, Indianapolis’ Vontae Davis, Tennessee’s Alterraun Verner and Denver’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

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PFT’s No. 5-ranked free agent doesn’t appear to be lacking for potential suitors.

Seven teams, including the Vikings, have checked in on Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com reported Saturday.

Goessling reports that it has been indicated that Johnson won’t be re-signing with Cincinnati.

The 27-year-old Johnson has notched 26.5 sacks in regular season play in five NFL campaigns. His most productive pass rushing season was in 2012, when he recorded 11.5 sacks. He had 56 tackles but just 3.5 sacks in 2013.

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Bears General Manager Phil Emery wants to win games.

But if he can bring families closer together, that might help too.

According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears are believed to have shown interest in Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett to help bolster their defensive line.

Last year, Emery landed tight end Martellus Bennett, Michael’s brother, on the first day of free agency.

Landing Bennett would probably have a defensive end trickle-down effect, as it’s hard to imagine doing a big deal for a prime free agent and retaining veteran Julius Peppers.

Bennett had 8.5 sacks for the Seahawks on a one-year deal, and he figures to have plenty of interest in the market.

But only one team has his brother.

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One of PFT’s top-rated free agent cornerbacks is reportedly drawing interest from multiple teams as the negotiating period begins.

According to Jim Wyatt of the Nashville Tennessean, the Jets, Vikings and Rams are teams “in the mix” for Titans cornerback Alterraun Verner, who is No. 10 on PFT’s Free Agent Hot 100.

The 25-year-old Verner intercepted a career-high five passes for Tennessee in 2013. He has never missed a regular season game in four NFL campaigns.

The Rams’ reported interest in Verner might not be a major surprise, what with former Titans head coach Jeff Fisher now holding the same job in St. Louis.

Contracts with free agents cannot be offered or signed until Tuesday, the start of the new league year. However, teams are able to talk with players in the interim.

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Hakeem Nicks didn’t have a great contract year.  He may be looking for a Mulligan.

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that the Giants receiver, listed as the No. 21 free agent on the PFT Hot 100, is willing to consider a one-year contract, which would give him a chance to prove that the last season or two were aberrations — and which would give him another crack at the open market in 2015.

Teams may be more interested in a multi-year deal that operates like a one-year contract, placing a significant, non-guaranteed option bonus into the second year of the contract in order to reap the benefit of Nicks proving that 2012 and 2013 was a fluke.

Per Mortensen, Nicks’ agents also circulated to teams on Saturday letters from Dr. Robert Anderson and Dr. James Andrews claiming that Nicks’ past foot and knee problems, respectively, are healed.

The issue, however, may not be Nicks’ body but his brain.  Nicks possibly regards himself as a Mike Wallace-type player, worth $60 million over five years.  But Nicks’ performances over the last two years, potentially hampered by concerns of suffering a serious injury and never getting that big payday, will make it very hard for him to get the kind of money he wants.

In the end, it won’t be an easy negotiation for Nicks.  A one-year deal may be his best bet to get paid in 2015, assuming he can and will perform like a player who deserves a rich, multi-year deal.

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A year ago, the Dolphins made a huge splash in free agency, signing three guys to $125 million worth of contracts on the first day.

They might make an equivalent ripple this year, or it might be bigger because of the sheer size of the free agents involved.

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins used the early moments of the league’s legal tampering period to express their deep and sincere admiration for the top free agent offensive linemen, with particular interest in Chiefs tackle Branden Albert and Rams tackle Rodger Saffold.

They also made contact with the representatives for Eugene Monroe and Jared Veldheer to cover their bases, but a source described the Dolphins as most interested in Albert, and willing to pay big money for Saffold to play guard.

It’s so early in the period that a lot of this should be taken with a grain of salt. But we knew the Dolphins needed to upgrade at left tackle in particular and the line in general entering the offseason.

But after former General Manager Jeff Ireland signed Mike Wallace, Dannell Ellerbe and Phillip Wheeler to big contracts on the first day last year, it’s a little surprising to see them loading up again.

Or perhaps not, since the guy who authorized those signings was fired, and the new guy (Dennis Hickey) has his own identity to establish, for an owner eager to put last year’s ugliness behind them, and willing to put his wallet behind that effort (as he did with Brent Grimes already).

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The Chargers’ special teams captain will be staying in San Diego.

Darrell Stuckey, a defensive back who makes most of his contributions on special teams, has agreed to a new four-year contract with the Chargers.

“It feels good knowing Darrell will be back with us,” Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco said in a statement. “He’s proven to be a very valuable member of both our defense and our special teams, as well as a positive influence in the locker room.”

Stuckey arrived in San Diego as a fourth-round draft pick out of Kansas in 2010. He only played in one game as a rookie but has been a major contributor on special teams since 2011. Now the Chargers can expect him to be a major contributor on special teams through 2017.

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The Jaguars have just bolstered their rebuilding effort with a big addition to their defense.

Red Bryant, a starting defensive end on last year’s Super Bowl-winning Seahawks team, has signed with Jacksonville. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that it’s a four-year deal.

The 6-foot-4, 323 pound Bryant has started every game but one in the last three seasons for Seattle. Overall he’s been with the Seahawks for six years, having arrived as a fourth-round pick in 2008.

Although the official free agency period hasn’t started yet, Bryant is eligible to sign now because he was released by the Seahawks in a cost-cutting move.

Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley was the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2012, so he knows Bryant well. Bryant will be a big part of Bradley’s efforts to turn around the struggling Jaguars.

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Colts punter Pat McAfee has talked to the team about potentially becoming their field goal kicker as well.

McAfee, who already handles kickoffs for the Colts, said after signing his new five-year contract that he would like to add field goals to his duties. McAfee said he hopes free agent kicker Adam Vinatieri returns this year, but after Vinatieri leaves, McAfee wants a crack at the job.

“It was definitely brought up and that was kind of the thing I think that was most talked about,” McAfee said, in comments distributed by the team. “Who knows what’s going to happen with Vinatieri? If he gets re-signed, if he wants to get re-signed, however long he wants to play, I just wanted to know whenever that guy is done, whenever that Hall-of-Fame career is over, that I just want a fair shake in kicking as well. That came up in the conversation. Who knows what’s going to happen with everything else obviously with him or who else they bring in. That definitely came up during negotiations and I’m excited to see how that turns out as well.”

McAfee was both punter and kicker in college at West Virginia, and at one point he owned the record for the longest field goal ever kicked at Heinz Field, having booted a 51-yarder against the Pitt Panthers. So he has the skills for the job.

However, it’s very, very rare in today’s NFL for teams to even consider having one person handle all the kicking. NFL teams typically want a punter to spend all his time practicing punting and a field goal kicker to spend all his time practicing field goal kicking. The Falcons had a disastrous experiment in 2006, when Michael Koenen opened the season as both the punter and the kicker. They scrapped that idea just two weeks into the season, after Koenen missed six of his first eight field goal attempts.

Still, finding one player who can handle all the kicking would free up a roster spot when depth is needed at another position. As the NFL considers phasing out the extra point after already making touchbacks easier on kickoffs, teams might start to think the kicking game has become less important, and consider devoting just one roster spot to kicking. If it happens any time soon, McAfee would likely be the man to do it.

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Now that the official tampering period has begun, teams are able to negotiate with agents (sort of).  While any offers and agreements are prohibited, teams are permitted to outline terms that potentially would be offered as of Tuesday, when free agency opens.

Those terms that are being outlined almost definitely will mirror the offers officially made on Tuesday.

Based on the terms that have been outlined in the 150 minutes since the window for legal tampering opened, it’s looking better than last year.  A lot better.

“Deals will be higher across this year across the board,” one league source said.  “Teams will be spending this year.”

That meshes with recent comments from Eagles G.M. Howie Roseman, who predicted a more active free agency cycle in 2014:  “[W]hen you look at this free agency class and you compare it to last year and the year before, it doesn’t have as much talent as it’s had the last couple of years, so I think that more so the teams who have money and want to go into the free agent market, they’re going to be even more aggressive to get those done quickly.”

With the salary cap increasing by $10 million per team this year and potentially spiking to $160 million by 2016, teams not only can spend — they have to.  The new labor deal requires teams to spend 89 percent of the unadjusted cap on a (for now) rolling four-year average.  So even if teams prefer to build a team with minimum-salary players, teams now must spend.

And they apparently will spend.

We likely won’t know specifics on any spending until Tuesday, thanks to the memo that as a practical matter will prompt teams and agents to say nothing about potential contracts before the signing period launches.  As one source explained it, however, teams typically honor the non-binding discussions that occur during the legal tampering period and the non-legal tampering period.

Otherwise, it becomes hard for teams to do business.  This year, plenty of business is about to be done.

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After reportedly receiving one- and two-year contract offers from the Packers, you couldn’t blame defensive lineman B.J. Raji if he wanted to check his options elsewhere.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, that’s exactly what Raji is doing. Raji intends to see what other teams might be willing to offer, Rapoport reported Saturday.

The question now is whether the 27-year-old Raji can garner a more enticing deal from another club. For Raji, compensation and how he will be utilized in a defensive scheme figure to be factors in his decision-making process. The latter point could be especially important relative to his playing future and his future earning power, especially if he garners just a short-term deal now. If Raji takes a one-year deal, he must be confident he will be utilized in a manner that best suits his skills.

It will be interesting to see if any teams gamble on Raji recapturing his best form. Three seasons ago, he notched 6.5 sacks for a Super Bowl-winning team. Moreover, he was a first-round pick just five years ago. Perhaps there’s a team that rolls the dice and comes up a winner, a la Denver with defensive tackle Terrance Knighton last March.