49ers Acquire Jonathan Martin From Dolphins

March 11th at 9:09pm CST by Zach Links

The 49ers are trading a conditional pick to the Dolphins for offensive tackle Jonathan Martin, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter).

From Miami’s perspective, the deal gives both the Dolphins organization and Martin a fresh start. For the 49ers, they acquire a 2012 second-round selection on a low-risk trade.

Still just 24, Martin started all 16 games in 2012 for the Dolphins at right tackle and did the same at left tackle for seven games in 2013 before leaving the team. Martin went from an unknown in the world outside of football to a front page mainstay for months thanks to the Richie Incognito scandal. It was presumed from the get-go that the club would move on from both Martin and Incognito in an effort to revamp their locker room. With Incognito in NFL limbo and Martin on his way to San Francisco, the Dolphins have all but turned the page on an ugly chapter in their franchise’s history.

The trade reunites Martin with his former coach at Stanford, Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh spoke highly of Martin’s character in the now infamous Wells Report.

Martin will come to San Francisco in support of offensive tackles Joe Staley and Anthony Davis. The deal marks the second swap by the 49ers today. Earlier, they acquired Blaine Gabbert from the Jaguars for a low draft pick.

Jets Interested In Maurice Jones-Drew

March 11th at 9:04pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Jets struggled on offense last season, and while most of the blame fell on rookie quarterback Geno Smith and an underachieving group of receivers, the team also found it difficult to move the ball on the ground. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that while the team is looking to upgrade its receivers, it also could look at improving at running back (via Twitter). One option he writes that the Jets are seriously considering is former Jaguar Maurice Jones-Drew.

Jones-Drew has struggled with injuries the past two seasons, but also dealt with offenses that were among the league’s worst. He is only a few year removed from toting the football all the way to the rushing title, amassing over 1,600 yards in 2011.

The 28-year-old workhorse does have over 1,800 carries under his belt, and has taken a beating in his NFL career. Jones-Drew is a reliable receiver out of the backfield, and can make an impact on third down both catching the football and protecting the quarterback. As veteran running backs such as Darren McFadden and Toby Gerhart have been signing cheap deals so far this offseason, albeit much less accomplished NFL players, Jones-Drew could make a difference sharing the tailback duties for the Jets with Chris Ivory.

Broncos Are Favorites To Sign DeMarcus Ware

March 11th at 9:00pm CST by Zach Links

The Broncos have emerged as the favorites to sign veteran defensive end/linebacker DeMarcus Ware, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN. We learned earlier today that six teams, including the Browns, have interest in the former Cowboys standout.

Teams with both 3-4 and 4-3 schemes had their eye on Ware at the official start of free agency. After a few weeks of will they/won’t they with Dallas, Ware forced their hand this morning and got them to decide on his future in advance of the afternoon kickoff to free agency.

Ware would have accounted for a $16MM cap hit in 2014 for Dallas and was owed $26MM in total between ’14 and ’15. Ware, once among the NFL’s elite front seven personnel, is on the verge of turning 32 and isn’t the type of game-changing talent that he once was. The linebacker-turned-defensive end is a seven-time Pro Bowler and a four-time First-Team All-Pro, but he clearly lost a step in 2013. It sounds like Denver might be the place where he tries to rediscover his magic of years past.

If Ware winds up with the Broncos, that means one less suitor for fellow veteran defensive end Jared Allen.

Saints Sign Jairus Byrd

March 11th at 8:53pm CST by Zach Links

8:53pm: The Saints are giving Byrd a six-year, $54MM contract, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN. The deal includes a healthy $28MM guaranteed.

8:27pm: The Saints announced that they have signed Jairus Byrd to a six-year deal. In a free agent market chock full of quality safeties, Byrd was the very best and one of the best free agents available at any position.

Byrd was said to have serious interest in signing with the Redskins and Eagles and a return to the Bills was said to be possible, but he’ll be headed to New Orleans instead. The Dolphins and Rams also reached out to Byrd’s camp, though the same could probably be said for a lot of teams.

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of manuevering the Saints had to do in order to sign Byrd since they were really tight against the cap this offseason. Even though the expected release (or trade) of tailback Darren Sproles should free up some cash for New Orleans, they were still about $2.4MM from the limit heading into today.

Byrd will now team up with Kenny Vaccaro to give the Saints one of the most threatening safety duos in the entire NFL. Byrd, 27, missed a good chunk of the season with injury but still wound up with 37 tackles and four interceptions across eleven games. Last year in Buffalo, Byrd made $6.3MM after receiving the franchise tag from Buffalo.

Contract Details: Whitner, Jenkins, Blackmon

March 11th at 8:49pm CST by Zach Links

The latest particulars from various contracts signed today..

Donte Whitner‘s four-year, $28MM deal with the Browns includes $11MM fully guaranteed in 2014, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
Malcolm Jenkins‘ three-year deal with the Eagles is worth $15.5MM, Pelissero tweets. He gets $6MM fully guaranteed in 2014, plus $2.5MM of the $4MM base in ’15 now guaranteed for injury.
Will Blackmon‘s two-year, $1.725MM deal with the Jaguars included $500K guaranteed, Pelissero tweets. He earn up to $250K with playing time in ’14 and ’15.
Zane Beadles‘ five-year, $30MM deal with the Jaguars has $12.5MM in guaranteed money, Pelissero tweets. He’s scheduled to get roster bonuses of $4.5MM in ’14 and $2MM in ’15 is guaranteed for skill/injury.

Jaguars To Sign Toby Gerhart

March 11th at 8:28pm CST by Zach Links

The Jaguars have agreed to sign running back Toby Gerhart, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida-Times Union. Gerhart received a three-year deal worth $10.5MM with $4.5MM in guaranteed money, reports Ian Rapaport of NFL.com in a tweet.

It was expected for Gerhart to leave in free agency, but it may be a surprise that he was worth so much on the open market. It is reminiscent of the contract Shonn Greene signed a year ago to become Chris Johnson‘s backup, money that looks too big in retrospect, and seemed large at the time. The Jaguars had a lot of cap space to work with, but they must plan to give Gerhart a chance to carry the ball at those figures.

Buccaneers To Sign Alterraun Verner

March 11th at 8:25pm CST by Zach Links

The Buccaneers have agreed to terms with cornerback Alterraun Verner, tweets Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The contract is a four-year deal, worth $26.5MM with $14MM in guaranteed money, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Verner was the eighth best free agent available according to PFR’s own Luke Adams, and signed a very favorable deal compared to what other cornerbacks are expected to get in this market. Sam Shields signed a contract that could be worth $39MM to stay with the Packers earlier this offseason, and Aqib Talib, Vontae Davis, and Verner were all allegedly seeking contracts in the range of $8MM-$10MM per year.

Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that the Jets were never serious contenders for Verner’s services (via Twitter). The Giants and Vikings were also thought to be interested in the former Titan.

AFC North Rumors: Gerhart, Nwaneri, Sanders

March 11th at 8:15pm CST by Zach Links

Three teams are showing interest in free agent running back Toby Gerhart, including the Browns, a source tells Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Niners and Jaguars are also in the mix. The latest from the AFC North..

Uche Nwaneri is visiting the Bengals this Thursday, reports Tania Ganguli os ESPN.com (via Twitter). Nwaneri was released by the Jaguars earlier this week.
The Ravens really like Emmanuel Sanders, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). They have not reached out to him yet, but would love to steal him away from their division rivals if the price is right.
The Steelers want to bring back Jerricho Cotchery, writes Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter). The team has reached out to the veteran wide receiver, but no deal has been struck yet.

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

Dolphins To Sign Branden Albert

March 11th at 8:04pm CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 8:04pm: Albert got an $8.5MM signing bonus on his deal with the Dolphins, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports. He’ll make $11.025MM in the first year. The total is $47MM over five years, potentially.

3:12pm: Albert has agreed to a five-year, $46MM deal that includes $25MM in guaranteed money, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 3:05pm: Albert is line to sign with the Dolphins for $10MM per year, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).

10:58am: The Dolphins have made Branden Albert a top priority since being allowed to speak to his agent on Saturday, and it looks like their work on the offensive tackle will pay off. A day after Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote that the Dolphins would likely sign Albert, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald confirms (via Twitter) that the Chiefs free agent “will be a Dolphin.”

According to Salguero, an agreement between the two sides isn’t 100% in place, but it looks like it should be finalized tomorrow. Peter King of TheMMQB.com reported earlier today that Miami looked ready to “blow the opposition out of the water” for Albert, and it sounds like the lineman’s new long-term deal could be worth $10MM+ annually.

Left tackle was the Dolphins’ top priority this offseason as the team looked to repair an offensive line that will be decimated by free agency and last season’s bullying scandal. We heard last month that Miami intended to target Albert and Eugene Monroe, but Salguero tweets, with some surprise, that the club didn’t even have Monroe ranked as the second-best option at left tackle.

When I listed my picks for the top 25 free agents of 2014, I ranked Albert 11th overall, noting that he has recorded positive grades for four straight seasons, according to Pro Football Focus. I wrote that the Dolphins would have interest, but predicted Albert would land in Arizona on a four-year contract worth $8-9MM per year. It sounds like the 29-year-old will sign an even more lucrative deal with Miami, while the Cardinals are expected to shift their focus to Jared Veldheer or Rodger Saffold.

As for Albert’s old team, with whom he’s still under contract for one more day, the Chiefs will likely replace him by shifting Eric Fisher to left tackle and starting Donald Stephenson at right tackle.

FA Rumors: McCown, Allen, Mack, Hatcher

March 11th at 7:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Josh McCown‘s first free agent visit, which is already underway, is with the Buccaneers, and the free agent quarterback and also meetings scheduled with the Texans and Jets, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he doesn’t make it to all his scheduled visits, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Both La Canfora and Mehta suggest that a deal with the Bucs looks very possible for McCown. Here’s more on free agency:

Defensive end Jared Allen has narrowed down his free agent options, but may not sign all that quickly, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the Broncos are interested in Allen, but perhaps not at his current asking price. There also may not be any other serious suitors involved at that price, says Florio.
The transition tag hasn’t stopped teams from contacting center Alex Mack, according to Mike Garafolo of USA Today (via Twitter). However, Garafalo adds that the Browns free agent center has yet to set up any visits with clubs.
Defensive end Antonio Smith would like to stay with the Texans, but has visits lined up with the Redskins, Titans, Rams, and Raiders, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.
Jason Hatcher‘s visit with the Seahawks is the first of five meetings he has scheduled, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com.
Offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger is drawing interest as a potential starting guard or center, says Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
Free agent running back Anthony Dixon will visit with the Titans, says Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.

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