Update:
ESPN’s Ed Werder reports that even though RB Andre Ellington is dealing with a hip pointer, the Arizona Cardinals have “no interest” in signing free agent RB Ray Rice to a contract.
Instead, HC Bruce Arians said that they are likely to go Marion Grice as their starting running back in the event that Ellington can’t play in Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.
Yesterday, Lions HC Jim Caldwell told reporters that they aren’t considering Rice either, so while he’s likely the best available running back, it appears NFL teams are concerned about the backlash and attention that would come from adding him to their roster.
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Peter King of MMQB.com spoke to two NFL general managers over the weekend about the possibility of signing RB Ray Rice.
However, neither of them has interest in signing him to a contract, but they do believe he could have a new team before the start of training camp next year.
One of the GMs told King that Rice has a few things working against him: He’ll soon be 28 years old, he averaged only 3.1 yards per carry, he’s been away from the game for a number of months and signing him would likely be a distraction.
King believes Rice finding a new home before the end of the season would be a “long shot.”
On Sunday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that “at least” four NFL teams have looked into the idea of signing Rice. Schefter specifically mentioned that the Colts and Saints are among these teams. However, neither is expected to sign Rice to a contract.
Others mentioned that the Broncos could be a team to keep an eye on, but reports later mentioned that neither Denver nor New Orleans had any interest in getting him under contract.
Rice, 27, is reportedly in great shape, even though he hasn’t participated in football activities since training camp. According to Schefter, “Rice is determined to sign with the right team in the right situation or he’s prepared to wait to see what additional opportunities present themselves this off-season.”
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the 49ers don’t seem to have anything to lose by signing rice, since the reputation of having several “thugs” on the team is publicly prevalent now. jim could get some (inside) information about rice from brother, john.