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NFL

Falcons GM: Extension for Matt Ryan not first priority

INDIANAPOLIS — Atlanta Falcons general manger Thomas Dimitroff said signing quarterback Matt Ryan to an extension now with two years left on his contract is not out of the question, but the primary focus is re-signing players set to become unrestricted free agents next week.

Ryan, who signed a five-year, $103.75 million extension in July of 2013 that included $59 million guaranteed, is signed through 2018 and still owed $35 million. His cap number for next season is $23,750,000 and is $21,650,000 for 2018. If the Falcons wanted to, they could give Ryan an extension this offseason and lower his cap number by giving him a larger signing bonus while reducing his base salaries.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank told ESPN.com during Super Bowl that Ryan “needs to be compensated well” following an MVP season. Blank just didn’t specify when the big payday would occur.

Matt Ryan is signed a five-year extension worth $103.75 million in July of 2013. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

“I’m saying that eventually, we will address Matt Ryan and his contract,” Dimitroff said Wednesday. “Right now, our focus is going to be on this year’s class, understanding that Matt is a very important part of our future, as every knows — an extremely important part of our future.”

The Falcons typically award extensions the year before a contract is set to expire.

“We’ve been very consistent with that,” Dimitroff said. “We’re never completely cast in stone. So, I think that leaves the opening that you never know. Sometimes things can get done. But we have been very consistent with that. And if you look at any of our signings since I’ve been here — and I’m a stickler for consistency — that sends a very good message where people can’t say, ‘Well, you did it with him, and you did it with him.’ “

Dimitroff said he has not talked to Ryan’s agent, Tom Condon, regarding an extension. Condon also represents Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is expected to land a new lucrative deal before he becomes an unrestricted free agent following the 2017 season. The deals expected to be signed by both Stafford and Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr are likely to set the mark for where Ryan should be compensated. Andrew Luck of Indianapolis received $87 million guaranteed in a five-year extension signed last June.

Regarding the Falcons set to become unrestricted free agents, Dimitroff said the team is in contract negotiations to keep safety Kemal Ishmael, tight end Levine Toilolo, fullback Patrick DiMarco, and defensive lineman Courtney Upshaw. Dimitroff said he expects veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, who has spent all 12 of his NFL seasons with the Falcons, to reach free agency, implying the Falcons have no intent to re-sign him. The same is expected for veteran tight end Jacob Tamme, who is coming off of shoulder surgery.

Dimitroff said the team plans to tender restricted free agents Taylor Gabriel and Ben Garland, although the level of those tenders were not yet revealed. A second-round tender could be placed on Gabriel, a speedy wide receiver who would be a coveted if given a low-level tender.

Dimitroff also said he had a couple of good conversations with Kristin Campbell, the agent for two-time Pro Bowl running back Devonta Freeman, after word surfaced during the Super Bowl about Campbell seeking “elite” pay for Freeman. Freeman has one year left on his contract and is due to make $1.838 million in 2017, based on an escalator in his contract.

NFL

Bengals will listen to offers on QB McCarron

INDIANAPOLIS – Cincinnati Bengals player personnel director Duke Tobin didn’t shut down the possibility of trading backup quarterback AJ McCarron in the offseason.

Tobin said they’re not actively seeking to move McCarron, but he welcomed any team to call him if they had a reasonable offer.

“The phones in our office work,” Tobin said. “They always work. I’ve got an interest in listening to any of you that want to talk.”

He added later: “We’re not actively looking to diminish our football team by trading AJ McCarron and that diminishes our football team. It has to be something we feel is valuable enough to warrant doing that. What it is, I don’t know. Who it is to, I don’t know. It’s not ideal to trade guys within your division, particularly at that position. But we listen.”

Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron is still a part of the team’s future, but player personnel director Duke Tobin said the team would listen to offers. Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Tobin implied it would take a strong offer for the Bengals to trade McCarron, who started three regular season games in 2015 and the AFC wildcard loss to the Steelers that season while filling in for an injured Andy Dalton.

“The larger point on AJ McCarron for us is he’s a very valuable piece of what we do,” Tobin said. “It’s not a point where we’re saying, ‘What do we do with this guy? We don’t have a plan for him.’ There is a plan in place for us. He plays a very valuable position and you’re always one play away from going to your backup quarterback. We view our team as a team that can challenge.”

The Bengals had received inquiries about McCarron in the past, but none warranted serious consideration, Tobin said.

“We talk to teams all the time. I talk to my colleagues around the league about their teams and they talk to us about their teams,” he said. “Those are conversations that are part of our regular working environment, not just in regards to AJ. But I would be lying to you if I told you there was never any interest from other teams. We don’t advertise that. Obviously there wasn’t enough interest at a high enough level that we thought it was worth pursuing.”

The Bengals carried three quarterbacks on the active roster in 2016 after claiming Jeff Driskel off waivers, presumably to have a backup plan in case McCarron did get traded. McCarron, drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, technically has one year left on his rookie deal, although the Bengals could have his rights for up to two more seasons because he did not spend enough time on the active roster as a rookie to accrue a year toward free agency.

“I think that’s still to be determined,” Tobin said. “Ultimately those types of things are always determined by arbitrators at some point. We do know that we have him for one more year and that’s valuable, and it’s a second year, hopefully we can come to some sort of agreement to have him here longer … again, we’re in the AJ McCarron business. He’s a good player for us. He’s proven valuable, he elevates our offense, even when he’s not on the field by the way that he works…

“There is some debate as to whether he earned a season the first year and that is the crux of the debate. We want to be respectful of his position and ultimately like I said it will be decided by somebody other than AJ and somebody other than the Cincinnati Bengals.

NFL

Bengals: No 'rash,' fast decisions on CB Jones

INDIANAPOLIS — Cincinnati Bengals player personnel director Duke Tobin said he was ‘very disappointed’ with cornerback Adam Jones, who was arrested in early January on charge of felony harassment with a bodily substance, disorderly conduct, assault and obstructing official business.

“It was disappointing for us to see him display what he displayed. It is a poor reflection of him and it’s not indicative of who he is in our opinion. I think Adam is better than that,” Tobin said.

The Cincinnati Bengals are in no hurry to make a decision on the future of Adam Jones despite the cornerback’s latest off-field issues. The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP

Jones’ legal status is currently pending, as Cincinnati prosecutor Joe Deters publicly said that he would like to see what punishment the NFL might give Jones before proceeding with the case. The NFL has not commented other than to say Jones, who has had multiple off the field issues over the course of his career, will be reviewed under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Tobin said the team will not make any quick decisions regarding Jones’ status with the team at this time. A key date for the Bengals could be March 9, when the NFL free agency period officially opens. The Bengals could lose starting cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, who is set to become a free agent. Jones, 33, has two years remaining on his contract, and the team could save as much as $7.5 million against the cap this year if he were released.

“I’m not going to condemn him and I’m not going to condone what he did, but whether there was anything criminal there or not is to be determined by our criminal justice system,” Tobin said. “We’re going to let that work and if there’s an NFL penalty that’ll be determined by the NFL and we’re going to let that work…

“We’re not going to make any rash, harsh, fast decisions about the future of our football team without all the information. We don’t have an update on that. His status on our team is like a lot of players’ status on our team. He’s got to earn his way like everyone else does. Where this goes, I cannot predict it, but we are certainly not going to make a decision on him without more information.”

NFL

Cutler's status as Bears QB 'fluid,' GM says

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace described Jay Cutler’s situation as “fluid” on Wednesday, partly because the quarterback has not been medically cleared following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right throwing shoulder in December.

The Bears have been actively shopping Cutler since the end of the season and would open up $13 million in salary-cap space if they trade or release the veteran quarterback. But none of that can happen until Cutler is healthy enough to pass a physical.

“Jay’s under contract, so it’s fluid. I would describe it as fluid,” Pace told reporters at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. “There are a lot of conversations going on between us and Bus Cook. I think one of the things with Jay I value is his agent, Bus Cook. We’re close, and I think at times like these that relationship is important because we can be honest and transparent. I think he’s one of the top agents out there, and I think that helps in this process.”

Pace added: “[Cutler] is far along in his rehab. I wouldn’t say he’s there yet, but he’s definitely ahead of [schedule]. He hasn’t gotten to that point yet [where he’s been medically cleared], but he’s ahead of schedule.”

The general manager left the door open for Cutler to return in 2017, although that scenario is highly unlikely.

“At this point we pretty much have everything on the table,” Pace said. “For us, to do it the responsible way, that’s necessary.”

Cutler is under contract through 2020, but there is no guaranteed money left on his deal. His base salary in 2017 is scheduled to be $12.5 million, and he can earn $2.5 million in per-game roster bonuses if he is on the active roster on game day.

The 2017 salary is modest for an NFL starting quarterback, but Cutler is coming off a disappointing season in which he started only five games because of injuries.

The Bears would carry $2 million in dead money — the remaining portion of his restructured prorated signing bonus — with Cutler off the roster.

The Bears are waiting for Jay Cutler to be medically cleared from December shoulder surgery before they can make a move on the beleaguered quarterback. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

Cutler, who turns 34 in April, holds almost every passing record in franchise history, but he has led the Bears to just one playoff appearance in eight seasons.

Chicago’s arguably most polarizing athlete, Cutler has been through a tenure with the Bears that has been marked by turnovers. He has 109 interceptions in 102 regular-season games for the Bears, including a career-worst 26 picks in 2009 after the club paid a hefty price to acquire him from the Denver Broncos.

He has cycled through six offensive coordinators in Chicago. The Bears’ revolving door of playcallers also contributed to Cutler’s failure to develop into a premier franchise quarterback.

Cutler did lead the Bears to the NFC Championship Game in 2010 — a contest he left because of a knee injury — and posted a career-best 92.3 passer rating in 2015, but those achievements have been largely overshadowed by his struggles protecting the football.

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