2014 March - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Rumors: Saints, Cowboys, Peppers, Guion

March 14th, 2014 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Having reportedly turned down an opportunity to meet with the Dolphins, free agent tackle Zach Strief expects to re-sign with the Saints, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). It’d be interesting to see Strief sign back with New Orleans, since he was expected to do well on the open market and the Saints don’t have a lot of cap flexibility. As we saw with the Jairus Byrd contract though, the team could find a way to squeeze him in, particularly with Darren Sproles‘ deal off the books.

Here are a few more brief notes from around the NFC:

The Cowboys have shown interest in recently released defensive end Julius Peppers, according to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. In search of defensive line help, the team also plans to host Henry Melton, as we heard earlier.
Former Vikings defensive tackle Letroy Guion is considering the Ravens, Patriots, and Packers in free agency, says Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter). According to Tomasson, Guion, who has already visited New England, will meet with Green Bay on Sunday unless he has a deal in place before then.
Darryl Tapp‘s new one-year deal with the Lions is a minimum salary benefit contract, with a base salary of $855K and a signing bonus of $65K, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. It’ll count against Detroit’s cap for $635K.

Ravens Sign Daryl Smith To Four-Year Deal

March 14th, 2014 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

12:47pm: The Ravens have officially announced Smith’s new deal (Twitter link).

10:19am: The Ravens have agreed to terms on a new contract for free agent linebacker Daryl Smith, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Schefter, it’s a four-year deal worth $16.1MM.

Smith, 32, started all 16 games for the Ravens last season after spending the first nine years of his career in Jacksonville. Appearing in 1,097 snaps, Smith was especially solid as a a pass-rusher and in pass coverage, according to Pro Football Focus, whose metrics ranked him 16th among 55 qualified inside linebackers (subscription required).

Earlier this week, we heard that the Ravens wanted to re-sign Smith but not at his current asking price, so it appears the two sides reached a compromise of some sorts. A four-year, $16MM+ deal is a nice haul for a player who turned 32 today, but we’ll have to wait to see how much of that total is guaranteed. The Broncos were also rumored to have interest in the linebacker.

Justin Tuck Discusses Giants’ Offer

March 14th, 2014 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Raiders and Justin Tuck agreed to a two-year, $11MM deal yesterday, one of the first details reported suggested that the veteran defensive end gave the Giants a chance to match the offer before he agreed to it. However, Tuck tells Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News today that the Giants wouldn’t have necessarily had to match the $11MM to keep him around.

According to Tuck, he would’ve been willing to return to New York for something in the neighborhood of two years and $8MM, but the the Giants’ final offer was worth less than $6MM for two years. Tuck, 30, confirms that even though he spoke to team owner John Mara after receiving the offer he eventually accepted from the Raiders, the Giants were unwilling to increase their own offer.

Tuck stressed that he was grateful for his time in New York, where he spent the first nine seasons of his NFL career, but was disappointed to be leaving on this note.

“I’m just frustrated with how it ended. I’m upset about it,” Tuck said. “But I’ll move on and hopefully one day time will heal all wounds. Right now, I just don’t understand a lot that’s gone on and how they strung us along.”

Florida Notes: Bucs, Thurmond, Dolphins

March 14th, 2014 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up a few Friday afternoon items on Florida’s NFL teams….

The Buccaneers aren’t in play for cornerback Walter Thurmond, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). We heard earlier today that Thurmond’s visit with the Redskins had been canceled as well, so it sounds as if he may be close to making a decision. He has reportedly visited the Jaguars, as well as the 49ers.
The new deals with the Buccaneers for quarterback Josh McCown and offensive tackle Anthony Collins include plenty of incentives, as Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com details.
Free agent right tackle Zach Strief declined an offer to visit the Dolphins, with no explanation given, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Within the same piece, Jackson says the Dolphins hope to get a deal done with offensive lineman Shelley Smith today, and that owner Stephen Ross never met with Jonathan Martin before the team sent him to the Niners, despite repeatedly saying he would.

Redskins Sign Darryl Sharpton

March 14th, 2014 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 12:10pm: The Redskins have officially signed Sharpton, the team announced today. We passed along details on the contract earlier today.

THURSDAY, 1:39pm: The Redskins have agreed to a one-year contract with ex-Texans linebacker Darryl Sharpton, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Sharpton’s new deal can be worth up to $2MM.

Sharpton had a meeting planned with the Titans today but it appears that he’s already spoken for. The 26-year-old is coming off of his most impressive season to date. In 15 games (eight starts), Sharpton racked up two forced fumbles, two passes defended, and a career-best 55 tackles.

FA Rumors: 49ers, Tate, Rams, Melton, Bills

March 14th, 2014 at 11:47am CST by Luke Adams

News of signings and visits is gradually slowing down as we approach the 72-hour mark of free agency, but there are plenty of players still seeking contracts, and it wouldn’t be surprising if a number of those free agents find deals today. Here’s the latest on a few available players:

The 49ers are comfortable heading into 2014 with Chris Culliver and Tramaine Brock as their starting cornerbacks, but are willing to offer Tarell Brown a three-year, $10MM deal to return, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
Free agent running back Ben Tate‘s visit with the Browns is continuing into today, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).
The Rams “aren’t quite done” in free agency, according to head coach Jeff Fisher (Twitter link). Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com notes that the team remains interested in free agent guards Daryn Colledge and Davin Joseph.
Speaking of Fisher, the Rams will host one of his former players from Tennessee, as wide receiver Kenny Britt is scheduled to visit St. Louis, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Earlier today, we heard that Henry Melton was en route to Seattle to visit the Seahawks after spending the night in Minnesota. After his Seattle meeting, Melton will visit the Cowboys, tweets Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The Bills have confirmed that free agent running back Anthony Dixon and linebacker Brandon Spikes are visiting the team today, according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com.
Chris Russell of ESPN Radio (Twitter link) hears that cornerback Walter Thurmond is no longer scheduled to visit the Redskins.
Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star explores the Colts‘ signing of Phil Costa and their rumored interest in Alex Mack, suggesting that Costa represents a solid fallback starting option at center if the team is unable to land Mack.

Lions Sign Pettigrew To Four-Year Deal

March 14th, 2014 at 11:35am CST by Luke Adams

11:35am: The Lions have officially announced Pettigrew’s new deal (via Twitter). We passed along additional details on the contract earlier today.

7:06am: The Lions and Brandon Pettigrew have agreed to a four-year contract that will keep the free agent tight end in Detroit, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. According to Birkett, Pettigrew’s new deal is worth $16MM, with $8MM in guaranteed money.

Pettigrew, who had 71 receptions in 2010 and 83 in 2011, was one of the top tight ends to reach the unrestricted free agent market, after Dennis Pitta re-signed with the Ravens and Jimmy Graham was designated as the Saints’ franchise player. The former 20th overall pick was said to be nearing an agreement yesterday, with the Lions attempting to fight off other suitors like the Jets, Raiders, and Chiefs.

Having already signed wide receiver Golden Tate to a long-term deal, the Lions are ensuring that Matthew Stafford will have plenty of targets besides Calvin Johnson to throw to in 2014. According to Birkett, the club still intends to add at least one more receiver, perhaps early in May’s draft.

No Deal For Brandon Browner, Patriots

March 14th, 2014 at 11:33am CST by Rob DiRe

11:33am: Breer and Rapoport hear from Redskins sources that Browner’s visit, which was called off as of this morning, is now back on for this afternoon (Twitter link).

9:29am: We now have conflicting reports coming even from the same reporter. Acknowledging how messy the story has become, Albert Breer says he’s hearing from two Redskins sources that Browner’s visit has been called off, even though agent Peter Schaffer still says it’s a go (Twitter links).

9:09am: Once again, we have conflicting reports on Browner, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears that today’s visit with the Redskins is still happening. According to Florio’s source, the meeting was delayed, not canceled.

FRIDAY, 8:37am: Although Browner had been scheduled for a visit in Washington next, he’s still in the Boston-area this morning and continues to talk to the Patriots, according to ESPN’s Josina Anderson and Field Yates (Twitter links). Ian Rapoport hears that the visit with the Redskins may have been canceled, while Albert Breer says Washington is under the impression Browner may do a deal with New England (Twitter links).

THURSDAY, 9:45pm: Agent Peter Schaffer tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that reports of Browner signing with New England are “100% untrue.” Schaffer added that he has four teams to still negotiate with. Meanwhile, Rapoport tweets that the cornerback is telling those close to him that he is New England-bound. Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune (on Twitter) says those four teams are the Patriots, Saints, Redskins, and Raiders.

9:10pm: Brandon Browner and the Patriots have come to an agreement on a two-year deal, reports Ian Rapaport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Browner must serve his four-game suspension to begin 2014.

The giant Browner, who is among the tallest cornerbacks in the league if not the tallest, will be paired with Darrelle Revis when he gets back from suspension. The former Seahawk had previously played across from another one of the league’s best defensive playmakers in Richard Sherman.

Browner will be 30 years old at the start of the upcoming season, and has only played three seasons in the NFL, all with the Seahawks. Browner was also suspended in 2011, also for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Bengals Sign Marvin Lewis Through 2015

March 14th, 2014 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent players aren’t the only ones signing new deals this week. According to the team, the Bengals have signed head coach Marvin Lewis to a one-year contract extension, locking him up through the 2015 season (Twitter link).

Lewis, who has been coaching the Bengals since 2003, is the second longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, behind Bill Belichick in New England. In his 11 seasons with the team, Lewis has led Cincinnati to a 90-85-1 regular-season record. The club has earned a playoff spot five times during that stretch, but has yet to win a postseason game under Lewis.

Lewis would have been heading into a contract year in 2014, so the one-year extension gives him a little more job security.

Contract Details: Pettigrew, Ginn, Clemens

March 14th, 2014 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Brandon Pettigrew agreed to a new four-year contract with the Lions today, and while $8MM of the $16MM total is guaranteed, $2.8MM of that amount, 2015’s base salary, is guaranteed for injury only, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Pelissero adds that the rest of the guarantee comes from a $4MM signing bonus and a $1.2MM base salary for 2014 (Twitter links). Here are several more details on recent deals:

The three-year contract Ted Ginn Jr. agreed to with the Cardinals includes a $2.25MM signing bonus and $1.5MM in annual incentives, says Pelissero (via Twitter). Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com breaks it down in chart form.
Kellen Clemens‘ two-year, $3MM pact with the Chargers includes a $645K signing bonus and a $250K roster bonus due on the third day of the 2015 league year, tweets Pelissero.
The Redskins‘ one-year, $2MM deal with Darryl Sharpton can be worth up to $2MM. It’s made up of an $820K signing bonus, a $730K non-guaranteed base salary, $200K in per-game roster bonuses, and $250K in playing-time incentives, according to Pelissero (via Twitter).