2014 March - Pro Football Rumors

Patriots Re-Sign Michael Hoomanawanui

March 12th, 2014 at 7:40pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 7:40pm: Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter) has the specifics on the contract: it’s $2.4MM over two years with $500K guaranteed, $400K in incentives each year, and a roster bonus of $6K per game. Hooman has cap numbers of $1.401MM and $1.38MM, assuming he hits the playtime incentives

11:47am: The Pats have officially announced the signing of Hoomanawanui.

MONDAY, 10:19am: The Patriots will re-sign tight end Michael Hoomanawanui to a two-year contract, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports first reported (via Twitter) that Hoomanawanui, who had been eligible for unrestricted free agency, reached an agreement with the Pats.

Hoomanawanui, 25, has spent the last two seasons in New England after starting his career with the Rams. The former fifth-round pick played more than 700 snaps in 2013, grabbing 12 balls for 136 yards and a touchdown. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Hoomanawanui wasn’t an effective run blocker, though he graded as slightly above average as a pass blocker.

Having earned the minimum salary in 2013, Hoomanawanui will likely be in line for another minimum deal this time around, though specific details aren’t yet known.

Cardinals Sign Jared Veldheer

March 12th, 2014 at 7:34pm CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 7:34pm: Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk has the full details on Veldheer’s deal. The tackle has a full-guaranteed base salary of $1.25MM in 2014 and a $3MM full-guaranteed base in 2015. He has an additional $3MM guaranteed for injury in 2015, which will become fully guaranteed on the third day of the 2015 league year. In 2016, $3.5MM in base salary is guaranteed only for injury and becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of that year’s league year. The full base salary in 2016 is $6.5MM, which is the same for 2017 and 2018.

From 2014-2017, Veldheer can earn a bit more than $31K for each game played, maxing out at $500K. The contract also has $2.5MM in potential escalators, as well as a $500K annual Pro Bowl bonus.

Florio mentions that the Raiders did not view Veldheer as a “high-end left tackle” and instead envisioned him on the right side. The Cardinals intend to play him at left tackle.

TUESDAY, 6:05pm: Details of Veldheer’s contract are becoming more clear, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports the $35MM deal includes $17MM in guaranteed money and a $6.25MM signing bonus (via Twitter).

3:09pm: The Cardinals have reached agreement on a five-year, $35MM deal with former Raiders tackle Jared Veldheer, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Veldheer started and played in only five games for Oakland in 2013 after having played 16 games in his previous three seasons. The 26-year-old was drafted in the third round (69th overall) in 2010 and started 48 games for the Raiders in his four years with the team.

Earlier today, the left tackle fired his agent in order to hire his brother, James Veldheer.

Raiders Sign Austin Howard To Five-Year Deal

March 12th, 2014 at 7:22pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 7:22pm: The Raiders have officially announced their deal with Howard.

TUESDAY, 11:26pm: Howard’s deal will be a five-year pact worth $30MM, with $15MM guaranteed, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

11:23pm: The Raiders have an agreement in place with free agent tackle Austin Howard, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). The Jets made an effort to re-sign their right tackle before he hit the open market today, but fell short, and Howard will now head west for the 2014 season.

Howard, 26, started all 16 games at right tackle for New York for a second consecutive season in 2013, allowing just two quarterback sacks and ranking as one of the best tackles in the league when it came to avoiding penalties, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). While right tackles typically don’t receive the same kind of paydays as their counterparts on the left side of the line, the Raiders entered the day with the most cap space in the league and already spent big money on Rodger Saffold, who may play guard for the team. In other words, I’d expect Howard will make out pretty well on his new deal.

Last month, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com suggested that Howard could be in line for a deal similar to the one signed by Patriots right tackle Sebastian Vollmer a year ago. Vollmer agreed to a four-year, $17MM contract that could increase to an overall value of up to $27MM due to various incentives. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if Howard surpassed those dollar amounts.

The Saints, Cardinals, and one other team had interest in Howard before he reached a deal with the Raiders, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.

Titans Agree to Terms With Al Woods

March 12th, 2014 at 7:18pm CST by Zachary Links

7:18pm: Woods’ deal with the Titans is for two years and $5MM, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter).

6:38pm: The Titans are agreeing to terms with Woods, tweets Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Details of the deal are not yet known.

1:22pm: Updating his earlier report, Bouchette now hears that Woods’ deal with the Titans may not be done after all (Twitter link). Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean says (via Twitter) that it looks like Woods is still scheduled to meet the Packers and Cardinals later this week.

1:11pm: The Titans have signed Al Woods, a source tells Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter). The former Steelers nose tackle visited Tennessee today and the two sides wasted little time in hammering out a deal.

The 6’4″, 307 pound lineman saw time in all 16 games last season (including two starts) and registered 2.0 sacks. Pittsburgh had interest in retaining Woods but they’ll have to look elsewhere to fill a sizable gap on the defensive line. Woods, a former fourth round pick of the Saints, will now join the fourth NFL team in his professional career.

Latest On Darrelle Revis

March 12th, 2014 at 7:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers are cleaning house and earlier today they made star cornerback Darrelle Revis walk the plank. Here’s the very latest on Revis and his future…

The talks between Revis and the Jets (mentioned below) were initiated by the cornerback’s side in an attempt to see if there was interest, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter)

Earlier updates:

The Jets and Revis have been in touch about a possible reunion, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. According to Mehta, the cornerback would like to play for Rex Ryan again, and that interest is believed to be mutual, but it’s unclear if the team’s management and ownership would be fully on board as well.
Buccaneers GM Jason Licht says “it came close a couple different times” when asked about a potential trade for Revis on NFL Network, tweets Ian Rapoport.
A member of Revis’ camp is confident that he will end up on Patriots, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “It’s going to happen,” the source told Mehta.
Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com (on Twitter) hears from a source that the Eagles are expected to make a play for Revis. Meanwhile, Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter) says Revis to the Eagles is not going to happen. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter) doesn’t see it happening with the Eagles since their scheme doesn’t require a shutdown CB.

East Rumors: Giants, Jets, Pats, Eagles

March 12th, 2014 at 7:12pm CST by Ben Levine

A couple of rumblings from the teams in the Eastern divisions…

Jacoby Jones turned down more money from the Giants to re-sign with the Ravens, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Linval Joseph, who was signed by the Vikings, said today that the final offer he got from the Giants was nowhere close to what he got from Minnesota, tweets Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
The Jets have expressed interest in recently reinstated cornerback Brandon Browner, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. However, at this time, it appears unlikely that he’ll end up with Gang Green.
Jason Avant, who hit the market early after being released by the Eagles, will visit with the Patriots, tweets Field Yates of ESPN Boston.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter) surmises that if another team really wanted Patriots free agent receiver Julian Edelman, he’d be signed by now. The wide receiver market isn’t terribly hot at the moment.
Malcolm Jenkins said the Raiders and Rams showed interest before he decided to sign with the Eagles, says Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly (via Twitter). As Mosher points out, Rams’ defensive coordinator Greg Williams was Jenkins’ coach with the Saints.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Redskins Rumors: Clark, Tapp, Carroll, Talib

March 12th, 2014 at 6:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Reports have surfaced suggesting Ryan Clark won’t sign with the Redskins despite visiting the team today, but agent Joel Turner is adamant that his client wouldn’t meet with the club unless he had interest, says Mike Jones of the Washington Post. According to Jones, Clark has other suitors, but is intrigued by the idea of returning to Washington (Twitter links). Here’s more on the Redskins:

Unrestricted free agent Darryl Tapp won’t be returning to the Redskins, agent Fletcher Smith tells ESPN.com’s John Keim (Twitter link).
The Redskins have not inquired on free agent cornerback Nolan Carroll, tweets Chris Russell of ESPN Radio 980. Carroll is a University of Maryland product, which would make him of interest to many Skins fans.
The Redskins were one of the teams to express interest in Aqib Talib before he signed with Denver, the cornerback confirmed today (Twitter link via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com). Talib also suggested that the Pats, 49ers, and Saints inquired.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Jets Sign Leger Douzable

March 12th, 2014 at 6:28pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets will bring back defensive end Leger Douzable, as the team has signed him to a one-year deal, reports ProFootballTalk (via Twitter). Details of the deal have not been released.

Douzable played in 16 games for the Jets in 2013, compiling 19 total tackles to go along with 1.5 sacks. The 27-year-old was undrafted out of UCF in 2008, and caught on with the Vikings‘ and Giants‘ practice squads. He played 12 games for the Rams in 2009 before playing the next two seasons for the Jaguars.

Contract Details: McCluster, Bradshaw, Cassell

March 12th, 2014 at 6:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest contract details from around the NFL..

Dexter McCluster‘s three-year deal with the Titans gets him $7.35MM guaranteed with a $3MM bonus, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. While he can earn $12MM over those three years through incentives, it’s valued closer to $9MM, tweets Jim Wyatt of The Tennesseean. The base salaries are as follows: $1MM, $2.35MM, and $2.275MM (link).
Ahmad Bradshaw‘s deal with the Colts is a minimum salary benefit contract, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. The tailback gets an $855K base which counts as $695K against cap. The deal also has an injury split.
Jacoby Jones‘ four-year deal with the Ravens has a base value of $12MM and a max value of $14MM, tweets Wilson. The wide receiver has a $2MM incentive clause for catches and $4.5MM guaranteed.
Matt Cassel gets a $3MM roster bonus Monday and a $2.65M base in 2014 in his new two-year, $10.5MM pact with the Vikings, tweets Pelissero. In 2015, it’s a $4.15MM base with a $500K roster bonus due in March. There’s also $100K without the bonus each year. He also has an injury waiver.
In Linval Joseph‘s five-year, $31.25MM deal with the Vikings, he gets $12.5MM guaranteed with a $3MM signing bonus, tweets Wilson.
Jon Asamoah‘s deal with the Falcons is a five-year, $22.5MM deal with $8MM guaranteed, Pelissero tweets. The total includes $500K in per-game roster bonuses each year.
T.J. Ward‘s deal with the Broncos is a four-year, $22.5MM pact with $7MM due in the first year, tweets Pelissero. Another $6.5MM is guaranteed for injury only in 2015.
DeMarcus Ware‘s three-year, $30MM deal with the Broncos is front-loaded, with $13MM due in 2014 and $23M after 2015, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports. Ware’s cap numbers are: $9.6MM, $11.6MM and $8.6MM for 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively, adds Corry (via Twitter).
Austin Howard‘s five-year, $30MM deal with the Raiders has $11.8MM guaranteed, tweets Wilson. The salaries are as follows: $2.9MM, $3.9MM, $4.4MM, $4.9MM, and $5.4MM.

Bears Notes: Peppers, Rosario, McCown

March 12th, 2014 at 5:54pm CST by Ben Levine

During the press conference introducing new Bears defenders Lamarr Houston and Ryan Mundy, general manager Phil Emery addressed a number of topics pertaining to his team’s offseason plans (many of which were tweeted out by the Chicago Tribune’s Rich Campbell). Emery talked about the defensive end position, saying the team was “going to be patient and see how it all works out.” The general manager also touched on the team’s former defensive end, Julius Peppers, who was cut by the Bears yesterday. Emery said that Peppers was not designated as a post-June 1st cut, which means he’ll count for $8.4MM in dead money this season but would be off the books the following year.

More from Campbell, Brad Briggs of the Chicago Tribune and Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times…

Emery said there’s a good chance that tight end Dante Rosario would return, stating “We like Dante.” Rosario was released by the team earlier this week.
For their number-two running back, Emery seeks a player who can specifically pass protect.
In regards to cornerback, the general manager makes it sound like the team will address the position through the draft. “The draft has a lot more depth than what’s available in the free agent class,” Emery said.
The team will also look towards the draft for a quarterback, but Campbell adds that they may also sign someone for the position. Former Bears’ quarterback Josh McCown signed with the Buccaneers earlier today.
Talking about free agent cornerback Charles Tillman, Emery said “it’s an ongoing conversation.”
The Bears brought safety Cody Grimm in for a workout, tweets Biggs.
The Bears never presented McCown with an offer, and Biggs (via Twitter) says the team never would have matched the Buccaneers’ offer.
According to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter), Mundy had a two-year offer from the Giants to stay put but chose to go to the Bears instead.