INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Latest from the NFL’s annual scouting combine in Indianapolis (all times local):
2:30 p.m.
Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy would like to have two key players back next season: running back Eddie Lacy and guard T.J. Lang.
Both can become free agents next week and while neither is signed yet, that doesn’t mean they won’t be when the free-agent market opens next Thursday.
General manager Ted Thompson noted that in past years the Packers have re-signed their players in the waning hours before hitting the open market. It could happen again, even with Lacy and Lang recovering from injuries.
”We would love to have Lacy back and really, we would love to have all of our free agents back, but as you know, this is a business, and from that standpoint, I don’t have anything new at this time,” McCarthy said.
As for Lang who was carted off the field in the NFC championship game with an injured left foot, McCarthy said: ”He is still getting there, but at this time, it probably will be training camp before he does much.”
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1:00 p.m.
Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore is one step closer to testing free agency, and veteran defensive tackle Kyle Williams will return to Buffalo for a 12th season.
In the meantime, starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s future remains uncertain.
Those were among the updates new Bills coach Sean McDermott provided Wednesday during a news conference at the NFL scouting combine.
McDermott said the Bills don’t intend to place a franchise tag on Gilmore before free agency opens next week. McDermott also said that Willliams is returning after the player contemplated retirement.
Gilmore completed his fifth season in Buffalo with a team-leading five interceptions and a team-high 12 passes defensed. Gilmore has said he considers himself among the league’s top cornerbacks and is seeking a long-term deal to reflect that.
Such a contract demand would price Gilmore out of Buffalo; the Bills have little room under the $167 million salary cap.
Williams is a respected team leader and a starter in Buffalo since his rookie season in 2006. He rebounded from an injury-shortened 2015 season to make five sacks in 15 games last year.
McDermott provided little update on Taylor’s future. In signing Taylor to a five-year contract extension in August, the Bills retained the right to opt out of the new deal before it kicks in on March 11. Should they pick up Taylor’s option, the Bills will commit over $30 million in base salary and bonuses this season.
McDermott said the team is still evaluating Taylor.
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11:45 a.m.
One day after cutting All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman is keeping the door open to re-signing the longtime face of the franchise.
He’s just not sure what, or how much, it might take.
”What you can’t predict is what the market is going to be,” Spielman said. ”You may have expectations today and those expectations will change within a week. We have to be very flexible with Adrian or any of our guys that we want to sign back.
”We are very open with all our players,” he continued. ”We want to have all of them back if we can.”
Spielman was ready for the questions about Peterson. He just wasn’t expecting the first question to be about Sam Bradford.
”Wow! I bet a dollar that the first one would be about Adrian Peterson right out of the gate,” Spielman joked. ”I guess I lost.”
Spielman also said that while injured Teddy Bridgewater is working hard to get back on the field but there is still no timeline for a return after the promising quarterback sustained a season-ending knee injury in training camp.
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11:15 a.m.
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert still doesn’t know if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will return next season.
He’d sure like him back – for a long time. Still, he’s contemplating contingency plans.
”I hope he plays forever,” Colbert said. ”Chances are he will extend his career, we don’t know how long it will go. But you always have to be prepared to select a quarterback at some point, and he’s aware of that. We’ve talked about it. He understands that if we add a guy into the mix, we’ll do that at some point. ”
Earlier this year, Roethlisberger said he needed time to think about his future before coming back for a 14th season.
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10:30 a.m.
Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn got right to the point when he stepped to the podium at the NFL combine in Indianapolis.
He brought up the subject of watching tape of the Super Bowl, in which the New England Patriots came back from a 25-point deficit to defeat the Falcons 34-28 in overtime. And he quickly dispelled any notion that he’s over it.
”Yes, I am past it, but I’m not over it,” Quinn said. ”And I never will be.”
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