NFL roundup: Vikings pick up Frazier's option, Eagles add Gamble as VP

The Minnesota Vikings are retaining the man who steers the ship, while the Philadelphia Eagles are added a new first mate to the front office.

The Vikings announced that they picked up the contract option of head coach Leslie Frazier for 2014, while the Eagles hired Tom Gamble to serve as vice president of player personnel.

In his second full season as the Vikings' head coach, Frazier led the team to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth last year. Minnesota went 3-13 in 2011.

"Coach Frazier has done a remarkable job in building a strong foundation for the Minnesota Vikings and creating a very positive future," Vikings owner/president Mark Wilf said in a statement. "We value his leadership and look forward to working with him for many years to come."

In Philadelphia, general manager Howie Roseman has as much responsibility in the day-to-day operation as any top executive in the NFL. Hiring Gamble, who was a candidate for multiple general manager openings in January, gives Roseman an experienced and successful first lieutenant.

"Since Ryan Grigson left to become the general manager of the Colts, we've been looking for the right person to fill his spot, and we are excited about what Tom can bring to the team," Roseman said. "He's not only a talented evaluator but also a good man and the type of person you want as a part of your team."

Gamble, whose father Harry Gamble was team president of the Eagles from 1986-95, worked for eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. For the past two years, he was director of player personnel in San Francisco.

Tom Gamble has been in the NFL for 25 years as an assistant coach and scout. He broke into the league as a scouting assistant with the Eagles in 1988. He will report directly to Roseman and help oversee college and pro personnel scouting efforts and player acquisition.

--Arizona Cardinals running back Javarris James was suspended for the first four games of 2013 season for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.

James, who has not played in an NFL game since 2010, will be allowed to participate in offseason and preseason activities with the Cardinals. James, 25, spent the 2012 season on injured reserve after suffering a torn ACL in the Cardinals' preseason finale against Denver on Aug. 30.

--Richard Mann is heading home to join the Pittsburgh Steelers as wide receivers coach, the team announced.

Born and bred in suburban Aliquippa, Pa., Mann last served as an assistant coach in the NFL in 2009, at the end of an eight-season stint as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' wide receivers coach. In the early part of that run, current Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was Tampa Bay's defensive backs coach

Since leaving the Buccaneers, Mann has served as a pre-draft consultant to players, according to the Steelers.

--Coach John Fox announced the Denver Broncos hired Derius Swinton as assistant special teams coach.

Swinton, 27, will be in his fifth season in the NFL. He served as a special teams quality control coach for Kansas City in 2012 following three seasons in that role with the Rams.

A graduate of Hampton University, Swinton began his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee in 2007.

--Former Dallas Cowboys kicker David Buehler joined another team in the same division, signing with the New York Giants.

Buehler had a three-year stint with the Cowboys from 2009-11, though he served as Dallas' placekicker only in 2010. He was a kickoff specialist throughout the 2009 season and in four of the first nine games in 2011 before he sustained a season-ending hip injury. He didn't play in the NFL last year following hip surgery in December 2011.

During his lone season as a field-goal kicker, Buehler made 24 of 32 attempts, with a long of 53 yards.

--Former Chicago Bears wide receiver Johnny Knox is unlikely to play again in the NFL because of a lingering back injury, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Knox, who missed the 2012 season on the physically unable to perform list, was waived by the Bears on Tuesday.

"He had to work himself back up to where he could even walk," former Bears assistant coach Darryl Drake told the Tribune.

Knox's agent disagrees with Drake and other medical experts who say Knox's return to the field is a long shot. Marc Lillibridge told the Chicago Sun-Times that Knox, 26, expects to play next season.

--The Detroit Lions are scheduled to host free agent safety George Wilson, who was released by the Bills last week.

A two-year starter at strong safety and team captain in 2012, Wilson entered into a rotation for the second half of last season when defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt was looking for more of a big-play spark from the position.

Wilson, 31, is also scheduled to visit the Tennessee Titans.

--The Cleveland Browns signed free agent punter Spencer Lanning for his second stint with the team. He was in training camp last season before being waived in late August. He went on to spend brief stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets.

--Former Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards is eager to advance his heavyweight boxing career and says he is ready to "smash" either of the world champion Ukrainian brothers, Vitali or Wladimir Klitschko. But first Edwards, who has a 3-0 record, will need to overcome his most recent victory, which is giving boxing a black eye.

After reviewing videos of a Feb. 9 fight at the Red River Fairgrounds in West Fargo, N.D., state boxing commissioner Al Jaeger announced he suspended Nicholas "Turbo Tax" Capes indefinitely. Capes, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, was a last-second replacement. But he didn't last a minute in the fight. He hit the deck 13 seconds into the first round after Edwards missed with a right upper cut. Videos of the fight show no evidence of Edwards ever landing a punch.