It’s been rumored for quite some time now that Seattle has a significant interest in acquiring embattled Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson, and while the Seahawks would seem on paper to not have the space or financial flexibility to make such a move, things are beginning to shape up in that direction.

According to NFL Network’s Jason LaCanfora, the Seahawks are making a major push as we speak to move wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh elsewhere in an attempt to gain enough room to complete a deal with San Diego for Jackson.

Houshmandzadeh was productive in first year in Seattle last season, but his struggles thus far in the pre-season have opened the door to the team looking at releasing him at the cutdown deadline this Saturday. He’s not seen as being a good fit for the new offense installed by first year offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates.

If they can find a decent trade offer for Houshmandzadeh’s  services, a deal to obtain Jackson could come about shortly thereafter, as the Seahawks would have a definite need at that point for a quality receiver. The Chargers have reportedly asked for a 2nd round pick in the next draft and a third round pick two years from now.

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It’s not often that former first round picks are traded or released by their respective club without having spent a significant amount of time as a starter first, but in the case of Arizona quarterback Matt Leinart, it seems likely that very scenario will be playing itself out at some point this week.

According Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, the Cardinals have been quietly shopping Leinart around the rest of the league over the past few days, and are expected to make a move one way another very soon (H/T to NFP)

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic seconded Glazer’s post with his own thoughts, adding that an outright release is a very real possibility if Arizona is unable to find a trading partner of their liking before Saturday’s deadline to cut the roster to 53 players.

Leinart has been a major disappointment since he joined the Cardinals in 2006 as the 10th overall pick, struggling throughout his first two seasons to distinguish himself as the starter, and took a seat on the bench seemingly for good at the start of the 2008 campaign behind veteran Kurt Warner.

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The first casualty of the NFL Draft is here, and his name is John Henderson.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jaguars will officially release the veteran defensive tackle later on today, making room for their two draft acquisitions at the position, Tyson Alualu and D’Anthony Smith.

Henderson is a two time Pro Bowler and has been one of Jacksonville’s top performers along their defensive line since he was selected #9 overall by the Jaguars in the 2002 draft. He had 32 tackles and two forced fumbles last season.

The Raiders continued their efforts to upgrade their pass rush this afternoon, trading one of their fifth round selections to Jacksonville to acquire defensive end Quintin Groves.

The news was first reported by Groves himself this afternoon on his Twitter account, telling his fans he was on his way to Oakland. It was confirmed a short while afterward by multiple sources.

Groves was a second round pick by the Jaguars in 2008, but failed to live up to expectations during his tenure in Jacksonville, notching just 43 tackles and 2.5 sacks in two seasons.

This is the part three of our series looking at how each team stacks up headed into next week’s draft. In case you missed it, you can find part one covering the AFC East here and part two covering the AFC North here.

As always, feel free to let us know what you think via the comment section.

Houston Texans (9-7)

The Texans came close to their first playoff trip in franchise history last year, but things didn’t quite play out the way they wanted late in the season. That disappointment has fueled the fires of anticipation in Houston this off-season, and anything short of a solid playoff run will be looked at as a failure, given the level of talent amassed across the board right now. There are still some areas of concern headed into next week’s draft though, and as such, the Texans will need to use their picks judiciously to maximize production from those players next fall. Read the rest of this entry »

In spite of the excellent weather and overwhelming number of football crazed fans in their state, over the past few seasons the Jaguars have had a difficult time trying to sell tickets to their home games. Much has been made of this fact and while Jacksonville is certain to have a team for the short term, the possibility still remains that the Jaguars could leave for greener pastures in the near future.

A possible solution to that problem has been proposed by many this off-season, in the form of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.

While Tebow would not be the savior of the franchise on the field, his popularity among the potential purchasers of tickets is unquestionable, and as such an acquisition of his services by Jacksonville would undoubtedly boost ticket sales for next season at the very least.

Such a decision seems absurd on first glance, but in reality the NFL is still a business and making money is the most important characteristic of a successful franchise in the eyes of the owners. So any way that the Jaguars can make that happen would theoretically be a wise decision, even if it entails drafting a player higher than they are valued, which would be the case with Tebow.

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Sun @ 8:20 pm – Wright has the scoop on the terms of Kampman’s deal: four years, $26 million, with $11 million guaranteed. The contract is virtually the same as the one signed by Kampman in Detroit.

11:05 am – Despite several rumors floating around that indicated defensive end Aaron Kampman (Packers) was on his way to Seattle or Philadelphia, the only trip he took this weekend was to speak with the Jaguars. And in the end, it will still be his only visit, after he signed a contract agreement with Jacksonville early this morning.

The story was first reported by Michael Wright of the Florida Times-Union, and while terms of the deal have not been released as of yet, it’s likely that Kampman’s contract will be similar to the one signed by fellow pass rusher Kyle Vanden Bosch earlier in the weekend with Detroit.

The move for Kampman was expected, given the Jaguars definite need for improvement in their pass rush, and Kampman’s desire to get back to playing in a 4-3 base defense, where he thrived for much of his career.

Having spent the majority of his career as a special teams ace, wide receiver Kassim Osgood (Chargers) was excited to see what free agency would bring him this off-season. His decision to test the market proved to be a good one a short while ago, after he reached an agreement with the Jaguars on a three year deal.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the contract for Osgood is worth $6.675 million and could potentially get as high as $10.875 million if he reaches all of his incentives. That’s a big jump up from what he was making in San Diego, and it’s likely Osgood will have a shot to be an every down receiver for Jacksonville, as they’re a bit thin at the position.

Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew lashed out verbally at his team’s offensive strategy in last week’s 41-0 debacle at Seattle, saying Jacksonville lacks identity, especially in the running game, according to the Associated Press.

“It just seems like now if we don’t get 30 yards (rushing), we just go away from it,” said Jones-Drew, whose 75 carries are far less than Garrard’s 169 passes. “I’ve never been a part of a team like that.”

“We have to figure out a way to be consistent,” Jones-Drew said. “The running game is like chess. The running game is your pawns. They don’t really mean that much in the beginning, but at the end, they surround the king and it’s check mate. That’s what the running game is.

This is definitely an uncharacteristic moment of frustration, as Jones-Drew has never been one to air his dirty laundry publicly, but we can’t say that he’s wrong substance wise here, as the Jaguars playcalling has been notably suspect throughout much of the season. Jones-Drew is one of the only stars on offense in Jacksonville right now, and for some inexplicable reason, the team has not taken advantage of his skills much this year.

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Former Jaguars WR Matt Jones has a workout scheduled with the 0-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and is on a short list of free agents for several other teams, including Dallas and Chicago, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

Jones was a productive receiver for one season with Jacksonville, but off the field issues, including drug use, derailed his short career and as a result he was released by the Jaguars last spring. He is a former first round pick, and his size/speed combination is drawing interest from teams in need of a playmaker at WR this year.

The Associated Press is reporting that Washington head coach Jim Zorn has ruled out a potential deal with former Falcons QB Michael Vick, at least for the time being.

The Redskins have been extremely open in their pursuit of an upgrade at the quarterback position this off-season, but an addition of Vick would not make a lot of sense for the team given his current status with the league and a lack of physical activity over the past two years during his stint in prison.

Look for Washington to revisit a move to add Vick into the fold at a later point, especially if Vick gains a full reinstatement from the commissioner and is able to show that he can still play at a high level.

In a separate article, Mark Miller of Yahoo! Sports discussed potential landing spots for Vick earlier today, and believes that Minnesota and Jacksonville are the two most likely suitors given their need for talent at the position, especially now that the Vikings and Brett Favre have ended their saga.

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According to the Associated Press, former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jimmy Smith was arrested late yesterday afternoon in Jacksonville for possession of marijuana and crack cocaine. Smith, who was a longtime standout at the position for the Jaguars, was initially pulled over by the Florida Highway Patrol because of excessive window tinting.

The police report indicated that Smith’s vehicle smelled strongly of burnt marijuana and after a search was conducted, troopers found the cocaine, marijuana, and a business card with cocaine residue in the center console. Smith is now expected to be charged with multiple counts of possession of narcotics and driving with a suspended license. No bail has yet been set in his case.