Britton Colquitt

Vikings To Sign P Jordan Berry

The previously noted Britton Colquitt procedural return does not look like it will end up coming to pass. Instead, the Vikings intend to sign former Steelers punter Jordan Berry, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Minnesota released Colquitt on Wednesday, but the veteran was back at the team’s facility Thursday. The second-generation NFL punter appears to need other plans now, with the Vikings pivoting to Berry.

Berry received his walking papers from the Steelers on Monday, with the team going with drafted punter Pressley Harvin III. Berry was with the Steelers from 2015-20. Interestingly, his 11-game 2020 Pittsburgh slate came after the Steelers opted to cut Dustin Colquitt, Britton’s older brother, in October.

Britton Colquitt operated as the Vikings’ punter for the past two seasons, playing in all 32 Minnesota regular-season games in that span. The 11-year veteran is going into his age-36 season. Berry turned 30 earlier this year.

Vikings Re-Sign Britton Colquitt

Britton Colquitt wasn’t gone for long. The Vikings re-signed their punter on Thursday morning (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press).

[RELATED: Vikings Add Mannion To Practice Squad]

Colquitt was cut on Wednesday — a real eyebrow-raiser since he was the sole punter on Minnesota’s roster. But, as we’ve seen before in the NFL, this was a short-lived hiatus.

Colquitt re-upped with the Vikes on a three-year, $9MM deal last year with $5MM guaranteed. It’s likely that his new contract is cheaper, and possibly shorter. The 36-year-old has suited up for every Vikings game over the last two years, averaging 45.1 yards per attempt. He’ll look to keep up the good work this year as he enters his 12th NFL season.

Vikings Cut Britton Colquitt

The Vikings have released punter Britton Colquitt, per the league’s transactional wire. It’s a surprising cut, especially since Colquitt was the sole punter on the Vikings’ roster.

Colquitt re-upped with the Vikes on a three-year, $9MM deal last year with $5MM guaranteed. The 36-year-old has suited up for every Vikings game over the last two years, averaging 45.1 yards per attempt. There’s no word yet on who might replace Colquitt. It’s also possible that he’ll be brought back on a cheaper/shorter contract.

All in all, Colquitt has eleven seasons under his belt between the Broncos, Browns, and Vikings. Given his body of work, he’ll likely find a deal from some team in the coming weeks.

Vikings, Britton Colquitt Agree To Deal

The Vikings will bring back Britton Colquitt. Minnesota will re-sign its punter, per Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (on Twitter).

Colquitt agreed to a three-year, $9MM deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. He will receive $5MM guaranteed. Colquitt, 34, was a free agent so he is signed through the 2022 season.

The Browns featured Colquitt as their punter for three seasons but cut him just before the 2019 regular season, and he landed in Minnesota. He averaged 45.2 yards per punt last season. The former Broncos punter will attempt to become a long-term Viking on his latest NFL contract.

Vikings Rumors: Cook, Colquitt, Jones

Like many teams with a top-flight running back, the Vikings are in a bit of a quandary when it comes to a potential extension for Dalvin Cook. Cook has been susceptible to injury throughout his young career, but after a breakout 2019 that saw him rack up 1,135 yards and 13 TDs for the run-first Minnesota offense, we heard that the team would explore an extension for him this offseason.

Cook, 24, is now eligible for a new contract since he has three years of service time, and the $1.3MM he is due to make in 2020 — the last year of his rookie deal — is a pittance relative to his value. Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com details the pros and cons of a Cook re-up, but it sounds like GM Rick Spielman wants to keep the 2017 second-rounder in the fold for the long haul.

“Right now, we have so much ahead of us and a lot of decisions to make before free agency begins and the new league year begins, and then we look at the draft once we settle down and everything,” Spielman said. “But I consider Dalvin as one of those core group of players that we definitely want to try to keep.”

Negotiations could get complicated, but expect the Vikings to start talking with Cook’s reps not long after the draft.

Now for more out of Minnesota:

  • Punter Britton Colquitt expects to re-sign with the Vikings, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Colquitt turned in a strong performance in 2019, his first year with Minnesota, and the Vikes — who have deployed four punters in the past four seasons — are seeking stability. It sounds as if the two sides are close on a three-year deal that would pay Colquitt between $2-3MM per season.
  • The Vikings are interested in re-signing right tackle Rashod Hill, per Cronin (via Twitter). Hill, a former UDFA, is eligible for unrestricted free agency, but Minnesota values his contributions as a swing tackle and his abilities in pass protection. It will be interesting to see if a RT-needy team on a budget takes a flier on Hill as a potential starter.
  • The Vikings also want to keep center Brett Jones, as Tomasson tweets. Jones started 13 games as recently as 2017, when he was a member of the Giants, and Minnesota acquired him via trade with New York in August 2018. He started the first three games of the 2018 season but was displaced by Pat Elflein, who was returning from injury, and when the Vikings selected Garrett Bradbury in the first round of the 2019 draft, Jones was again relegated to a reserve role. He was actually cut in September to make room for Josh Doctson, and though he re-signed shortly thereafter, he appeared in just two games and was ultimately put on IR. Per Tomasson, Jones wants to test the market in search of a shot at a starting job.

Vikings To Sign Britton Colquitt, Cut Matt Wile

More Vikings special teams maneuvering. They are signing veteran punter Britton Colquitt and cutting incumbent Matt Wile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Wile and Dan Bailey survived Minnesota’s initial cuts, despite dual-threat punter Kaare Vedvik‘s arrival, but Wile will lose his roster spot to the more experienced Colquitt. Colquitt had been with the Browns, but he lost out to undrafted rookie Jamie Gillan, aka “The Scottish Hammer.” Minnesota traded a fifth-round pick for Vedvik a couple weeks ago, but ended up cutting him after he struggled in the preseason.

A Michigan product, Wile entered the league as an undrafted free agent back in 2015. Four games split between the Cardinals and Falcons in 2016 had been his only regular season action, until he won the Vikings’ job last year. He punted in all 16 games for Minnesota in 2018, but clearly didn’t make that strong of an impression. Colquitt has plenty of experience, having served as the Broncos’ punter for six years and winning Super Bowl 50 with them. He’s spent each of the past three years with Cleveland.

Browns Reach 53-Man Limit

After making a couple of trades, the Browns have made a boatload of cuts to reach the 53-man max. Here’s the breakdown:

Contract Terminated:
LB Ray-Ray Armstrong
P Britton Colquitt
DT Carl Davis
T Bryan Witzmann

Waived:
WR Dorian Baker
DT Brandin Bryant
TE Stephen Carlson
TE Seth DeValve
T Brian Fineanganofo
RB Trayone Gray
LB Willie Harvey
S J.T. Hassell
WR Ishmael Hyman
CB Robert Jackson
K Greg Joseph
CB Donnie Lewis Jr.
S Montrel Meander
WR Braxton Miller
RB A.J. Ouellette
DE Jarrell Owens
CB Lenzy Pipkins
DT Brian Price
DE Wyatt Ray
S Tigie Sankoh
T Brad Seaton
WR Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi
LB Anthony Stubbs
T Travis Vornkahl
LB Dedrick Young II
WR Derrick Willies
G Willie Wright
DE Anthony Zettel

Waived/Injured:
G Kyle Kalis (concussion)
FB Joe Kerridge (concussion)

IR:

CB Phillip Gaines (concussion)

Browns To Trade Or Release Britton Colquitt

The Browns informed Jamie Gillan that he has won the punting job, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). With “The Scottish Hammer” booting the ball, the Browns will make Britton Colquitt available in one fashion or another.

Colquitt has been a successful punter with multiple stops in the NFL, and was named a Pro Bowl alternate last year. However, Gillan, a rookie from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, edged him out this summer.

There are at least a handful of teams with shaky punting situations and Colquitt figures to be at the top of most lists.

Contract Details: Gholston, Colquitt, Doyle, Davis

Updates on the contracts signed over the past couple of days, mostly via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle…

  • Buccaneers defensive end William Gholston‘s contract includes $13.5MM in guaranteed money, as well as a guaranteed base salary of $3MM for the 2017 season (via Twitter). The 25-year-old’s $6.5MM 2018 salary becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2017 league year.
  • Defensive tackle Khyri Thornton‘s deal with the Lions is worth $3.3MM with a $325K bonus (Twitter). Thornton will make $700K in 2017, followed by a $1.325MM salary in 2018. He can earn another $12.5K via annual per game active roster bonus, as well as $225K via a weight bonus.
  • Punter Britton Colquitt‘s new deal with the Browns is worth $11.2MM and $4.5MM guaranteed (via Twitter). The former fourth-rounder will earn $1.65MM in 2017, followed by salaries of $2.55MM (2018), $2.7MM (2019), and $2.8M (2020).
  • Colts tight end Jack Doyle will earn $18.9MM on his next contract (via Twitter). Doyle will earn a guaranteed $1MM next season, followed by a $3.5MM salary in 2018 (guaranteed fifth day of league year) and $5.15MM salary in 2019. The tight end will also earn a $6.5MM roster bonus on March 10th.
  • Fullback James Develin earned a $2.45MM contract from the Patriots along with a $300K signing bonus, reports Wilson (Twitter). Develin will earn $800K each year, with a guaranteed $200K base salary for 2017. He can earn another $12.5K via a per-game active annual roster bonus.
  • ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets that tight end Vernon Davis will receive $15MM ($7.5MM guaranteed) from the Redskins. The veteran will make $6MM in the first year of the three-year deal.
  • Punter Shane Lechler‘s new deal with the Texans is for one-year and $2MM ($1MM guaranteed), reports Caplan (via Twitter).

Browns Sign P Britton Colquitt To Extension

The Browns are giving punter Britton Colquitt a four-year extension, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (on Twitter). Colquitt was slated to become a free agent on March 9. The new deal could keep him in Cleveland through the 2020 season.

Colquitt has not missed a regular season game since breaking into the league in 2010 with the Broncos. After several years with Denver, he signed a free agent pact with the Browns last offseason. Unfortunately, he was used quite a bit in 2016 as the Cleveland offense sputtered. Colquitt averaged 45.3 yards per punt last season, besting his average of the previous three seasons.

The Browns recently re-upped fellow special teamer Charley Hughlett.