Ralph Vacchiano's Blog
The Giants officially confirmed that they tendered one-year contracts to nine of their 11 restricted free agents. There were no surprises and we already knew most of the information. The few remaining gaps on the scorecard are now filled in:
S C.C. Brown - - “Right of first refusal” tender, $1.226 million … No compensation due, if he signs elsewhere.
OL Kevin Boothe - - “Original pick” tender, $1.176 million. … Compensation: Sixth-round pick.
DT Barry Cofield - - Second-round tender, $1.759 million
CB Kevin Dockery - - No tender. Now an unrestricted free agent.
WR Derek Hagan - - “Original pick” tender, $1.176 million … Compensation: Third-round pick.
WR Domenik Hixon - - Second-round tender, $1.684 million
TE Darcy Johnson - - No tender. Now an unrestricted free agent.
WR Sinorice Moss - - “Original pick” tender, $1.176 million. Compensation: Third-round pick. (Moss was originally a second-round pick, but the compensation is only a third, per NFL rules).
DE Dave Tollefson - - Second-round tender, $1.684 million
OL Guy Whimper - - “Original pick” tender, $1.176 million. Compensation: Fourth-round pick.
LB Gerris Wilkinson - - “Original pick” tender, $1.176 million. Compensation: Third-round pick.
The Giants also tendered one-year, minimum-salary contracts to their three Exclusive Rights Free Agents - - RB D.J. Ware, TE Scott Chandler and DB D.J. Johnson.
Publ.Date : Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:04:20 -0500
Carr motors out of SF with no deal
UPDATE: 9:52 p.m.
David Carr visited the 49ers today, but the free agent QB has left San Francisco without signing a deal, but it may only be a matter of time before he does.
Carr went home to Bakersfield, Calif., after his visit with the 49ers last night, but according to an NFL source, Carr’s agent is still negotiating with the 49ers. Carr has offers to visit both the Arizona Cardinals and the Cleveland Browns, but he hasn’t decided to take either of those trips yet.
That’s a pretty strong indication that a deal will likely come soon.
If Carr leaves, which seems probable, the Giants’ options for a new backup for Eli Manning aren’t very good. The most likely possibilities would seem to be Jeff Garcia or Mark Brunell, who of course has a history with Tom Coughlin from their days together in Jacksonville.
However, as of late today, I haven’t found a single agent with an available quarterback who had heard from the Giants. It appears the Giants want to see what Carr does before they make a move, because ideally they’d still like to bring him back.
***
Meanwhile, out in St. Louis, Steve Spagnuolo, the old Giants’ defensive coordinator, is about to sign one of his old players. DT Fred Robbins is closing in on a deal with the Rams, according to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The 33-year-old Robbins is an unrestricted free agent and the Giants had absolutely no interest in bringing him back.
Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:50:00 -0500
Robbins runs to Rams for $12 million
The Giants never had any intention of re-signing DT Fred Robbins. The St. Louis Rams, though, apparently wanted him pretty badly.
Robbins agreed to terms today on what ESPN says is a three-year contract worth up to $12 million. The devil is in the details, of course, and “up to” $12 million could mean he’ll “actually” earn a lot less. But that’s still a staggering amount for a soon-to-be-33-year-old defensive tackle who lost his starting job last year.
Clearly, though, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo - - the former Giants defensive coordinator - - needs defensive help and it wouldn’t hurt to have a few of his old guys around to preach the virtues of his plan and system. Robbins, who had microfracture surgery on his knee prior to last season, was a popular guy in the Giants’ locker room and considered something of a quiet leader.
Still, he had only two sacks last year, after recording 5 1/2 in each of the previous three seasons. When healthy, though, he can provide quite a push up the middle.
The Giants weren’t interested in bringing Robbins back because of his age, his recent injuries, and the fact that they have Chris Canty, Rocky Bernard, Barry Cofield and Jay Alford at the defensive tackle spot already.
Publ.Date : Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:35:12 -0500
Carr agrees to terms with 49ers
The Giants are officially in the market for a backup quarterback.
David Carr, who served as Eli Manning’s backup the last two seasons, has agreed to terms on a new contract with the San Francisco 49ers, according to his agent, Mike Sullivan. The terms of the deal were not immediately available, but Carr is expected to sign the contract tomorrow morning.
The 30-year-old, who was the top overall pick in the 2002 draft, also drew interest from Arizona and Cleveland. The Giants wanted him back too, but a source familiar with Carr’s thinking said he wanted to find a team that would give him a better shot at playing. And while 49ers coach Mike Singletary has committed to Alex Smith as his starting quarterback, clearly he’s on much shakier ground than Eli Manning is in New York.
Carr is also a native of Bakersfield, Calif., and had a desire to return to his home state.
The Giants will begin their search for a new backup quarterback tomorrow when they bring in former Colts QB Jim Sorgi for a workout. They are also expected to look into veteran QBs Jeff Garcia and Mark Brunell.
Garcia does not have a visit scheduled with the Giants - - at least “not yet,” according to his agent, Doug Hendrickson. “Waiting to hear,” he wrote in an e-mail.
Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:56:32 -0500
Giants lose kickoff specialist to Vikings
Kicker Rhys Lloyd will not be trying out for the Giants tomorrow because he has apparently agreed to terms on a contract with the Minnesota Vikings tonight.
The 27-year-old kicker, who spent the last two seasons as the Carolina Panthers’ kickoff specialist, said via Twitter a few minutes ago that “As of an hour ago. I am a viking.” He went to Minnesota first and was planning to stay there overnight regardless, before visiting the Giants in New Jersey tomorrow.
Now the Giants will have to look elsewhere if they want to bring in another kicker. Of course they still have incumbent Lawrence Tynes and rookie Sam Swank on their roster, so there’s no guarantee they will look at anyone else.
Publ.Date : Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:09:40 -0500