2014 March - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Contract Details: Hatcher, Jennings, Cards

March 14th, 2014 at 7:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Jason Hatcher told reporters today that the Redskins blew away the competition with their pitch and offer to him, and Tom Pelissero of USA Today brings us the specifics of Hatcher’s deal (via Twitter). The four-year, $27.5MM deal includes $10.5MM in guaranteed money, made up of a $9MM signing bonus and a $1.5MM guaranteed base salary in 2014.

Here are more details on contracts signed for players by NFC teams this week:

While Rashad Jennings‘ four-year deal with the Giants can apparently max out around $14MM, it only has a base value of $10MM, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
Matt Shaughnessy‘s two-year contract with the Cardinals includes a $1.4MM signing bonus, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Pelissero tweets that there’s a “trigger” of sorts including in the deal, in the form of a $500K roster bonus due next March.
Jonathan Dwyer‘s one-year deal with the Cardinals is a minimum salary benefit contract. Wilson tweets that the base salary of $730K is non-guaranteed, while Dwyer also got a $65K signing bonus.
Meanwhile, another Cardinals signee, Ted Larsen, gets two years and $2.6MM, with a $470K, tweets Pelissero. The deal also features per-game roster bonuses and additional escalators, as Pelissero explains.
The Vikings‘ one-year pact with Derek Cox doesn’t include any guarantees, according to Pelissero (via Twitter). It features a $730K base salary, a $50K workout bonus, and $220K in potential playing time incentives, meaning it can max out at $1MM.
Domenik Hixon‘s one-year contract with the Bears is worth the minimum salary ($730K), but the receiver can earn up to $100K in roster bonus money, tweets Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com. Dickerson adds (via Twitter) that M.D. Jennings has a similar deal, though the safety’s minimum salary is $645K.
Ramon Humber received a minimum salary benefit deal from the Saints, with a $65K signing bonus and $300K in overall guaranteed money, tweets Wilson.

Antonio Smith Signs With Raiders

March 14th, 2014 at 6:47pm CST by Rob DiRe

Antonio Smith has signed with the Raiders, reports Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The contract is a two-year deal, worth $9MM.

The former Texan has been a middle of the road pass rusher, amassing just 41.5 sacks over the past nine seasons, but has been able to consistently stay on the field, only missing one game since 2006. He will join Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley on a revamped defensive line for the Raiders.

Chiefs Sign Vance Walker

March 14th, 2014 at 6:27pm CST by Rob DiRe

Vance Walker and the Chiefs have come to terms on a three-year deal to bring the defensive tackle to Kansas City, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter). According to Paylor, it’s worth $13MM, including $3.75MM in guaranteed money.

Walker, 26, started 15 games for the Raiders last season, recording 40 tackles and three sacks for the club. Oakland reportedly extended a contract offer to Walker before the free agent period opened, but the Georgia Tech product was interested in the rare opportunity to test the market as an unrestricted free agent.

A report this morning erroneously suggested that Walker had already reached a deal with the Chiefs, but at that point no deal was in place. Had Kansas City failed to lock up Walker, he was set to visit the Seahawks on Sunday.

Raiders Sign Tarell Brown

March 14th, 2014 at 6:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent cornerback Tarell Brown will be taking his talents across the bay for the 2014 season. The Raiders have signed the ex-49er to a new contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), it’ll be a fully guaranteed one-year contract worth $3.5MM.

Cornerback was an area of need for the Raiders this offseason, after all four of their CBs who received significant playing time in 2013 received negative grades from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). According to those PFF rankings, Brown played significantly better than any cornerback on the Raiders’ roster, posting a +4.4 grade in 772 defensive snaps.

Brown, who has played for the Niners since being selected in the fifth round of the 2007 draft, didn’t record an interception last season, but had at least two in four of his previous five seasons. He also recovered a pair of fumbles in 2013. The 29-year-old appears poised to replace Tracy Porter in Oakland, after Porter agreed to sign with the Redskins.

Titans To Sign Michael Oher

March 14th, 2014 at 5:38pm CST by Rob DiRe

Michael Oher and the Titans have agreed to a contract that will bring the offensive tackle to Tennessee, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN. The four-year deal is worth $20MM, with $9.5MM in guaranteed money.

The former Raven was expendable after Eugene Monroe signed an extension with the team. Oher has had ups and downs in Baltimore, but has shown the ability to play both right and left tackle.

FA Rumors: Weeden, Browner, DRC, Clark

March 14th, 2014 at 5:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Count the Cowboys among the teams with interest in Brandon Weeden following the signal-caller’s release from the Browns, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. According to Archer, even though the Cowboys believe Kyle Orton will return next season to back up Tony Romo rather than opting to retire, the team could carry three quarterbacks on its 53-man roster. Here’s more on a few free agents who either remain on the market or recently agreed to deals:

Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network hear from Redskins sources that Brandon Browner hadn’t arrived at Redskins Park for his free agent visit as of close of business today (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link) hears that Browner remains in New England, attempting to hammer out a deal with the Patriots. We recapped the odd back-and-forth developments in the Browner story in an earlier post.
Following Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie‘s visit with the Jets, the cornerback will meet with the Giants, assuming he doesn’t yet have a deal in place, reports Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger.
The Panthers have showed interest in free agent safety Ryan Clark, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
Wide receiver Steve Smith said on a conference call today that before he agreed to sign with the Ravens, the Chargers made him an offer and the Redskins and Seahawks also expressed interest (Twitter link via Joseph Person).
B.J. Raji received interest from the Raiders and Chiefs before he agreed to re-sign with the Packers, tweets Ian Rapoport. I imagine it’s no coincidence that the general managers in both Oakland and Kansas City have roots in Green Bay.

Titans Notes: Verner, Woodyard, Stewart

March 14th, 2014 at 5:24pm CST by Rob DiRe

New Buccaneer Alterraun Verner spoke earlier about his decision to leave the Titans earlier today, saying he felt undervalued by the team, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.

“I think it’s very tough because there’s a lot of changeover, new coaches and everything like that,” Verner said. “At times, I felt that I could have been undervalued or maybe not appreciated enough.”

He said the Titans offered him a contract close to what he got in Tampa Bay, but the decision was not solely about the money.

Details of Wesley Woodyard‘s new contract with the Titanns have been released, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). The $16MM contract includes $4.75MM in guaranteed money.
Wyatt also reported that the team’s former right tackle David Stewart is unlikely to continue his career (via Twitter). Stewart was released earlier in the week.
Chris Johnson has become more willing to take a pay cut if it helps the Titans to trade him, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. It is unclear if teams would be interested in the 28-year-old running back.

Packers Re-Sign B.J. Raji

March 14th, 2014 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

4:55pm: The Packers have officially announced Raji’s new deal.

2:27pm: Defensive lineman B.J. Raji has accepted an offer from the Packers to return to Green Bay, reports Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter). It’s a one-year deal worth $4MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who adds that Raji will return to nose tackle (Twitter link).

Raji, a mainstay on the Packers’ defensive line for the last several years, had played nose tackle for the first four seasons of his career before playing primarily at defensive end last season. The 27-year-old failed to record a sack for the second straight season in 2013, and ranked 43rd out of 45 qualified 3-4 defensive ends, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), so a return to his natural position makes sense.

Raji reportedly rejected a contract offer from the Packers during the season that would have been worth $8MM per year, so after seeing his value decline leading up to free agency, his decision to accept a one-year contract likely suggests that he wants to rebuild that value before testing the market again a year from now.

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com originally reported last week that Raji was close to accepting a one-year offer from the Packers, but the big defensive lineman decided to see what else was out there before agreeing to return to Green Bay. At the time of that initial report, it was suggested that the Packers’ offer would have a max value of $6.5MM, so we’ll see if the deal agreed upon this week includes incentives.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dolphins, Shelley Smith Reach Two-Year Deal

March 14th, 2014 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Dolphins have agreed to sign offensive lineman Shelley Smith to a two-year contract, reports Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter). The deal will be worth $5.5MM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), while Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports notes (via Twitter) there’s a $1.5MM guarantee.

Smith, 26, has been a part-time guard in St. Louis for the last two seasons, playing 360 offensive snaps in 2012 and 371 in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He received a +7.0 grade from PFF last season, which placed him 23rd out of 81 qualified guards, despite his lack of playing time. Smith was particularly effective as a run blocker.

The signing represents the next step in a rebuilding process for Miami’s offensive line following last year’s bullying scandal. The team also signed Branden Albert this week to play left tackle, so assuming Smith occupies one of the two guard positions, the Dolphins now have at least three starters in place, with Albert and Smith joining incumbent center Mike Pouncey.

Smith had been visiting Miami today, and we heard earlier today that the club was hoping to lock him up before he left town. The former sixth-round pick also reportedly met with the Giants and Patriots.

Giants, Jameel McClain Agree To Deal

March 14th, 2014 at 4:48pm CST by Rob DiRe

FRIDAY, 4:48pm: McClain’s deal with the Giants is for two years and $4.1MM, with the potential to max out at $5.6MM via incentives, according to Pelissero, who provides extensive details in a pair of tweets.

THURSDAY, 9:44pm: Linebacker Jameel McClain has agreed to a deal with the Giants, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports (via Twitter).

The 28-year-old McClain has played his entire career with the Ravens, spending the last four years as a starter at various positions in the linebacker group. He announced his signing with the Giants (via Twitter), paying respect to Baltimore in the process.

He will be joining a group of linebackers that includes Jon Beason and (most likely) Spencer Paysinger. McClain’s versatility should help him fit in, even as he adjusts to the 4-3 defense employed by the Giants, as opposed to the 3-4 consistently run by the Ravens. McClain has missed nine games in the past two seasons, but hopes to provide stability for a Giants team that has not had a steady group of linebackers in recent memory.