2014 March - Pro Football Rumors

Chiefs To Sign Joe Mays, Jeff Linkenbach

March 12th, 2014 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chiefs have agreed to terms on new deals with a pair of players, according to multiple reports. Inside linebacker Joe Mays has reached a two-year, $6MM deal with the club that includes a $1.5MM signing bonus, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, agent Andy Simms confirms that client Jeff Linkenbach, an offensive lineman, has also agreed to sign in Kansas City (Twitter link).

Mays, 28, started 13 games for the Texans last season, recording 66 tackles and a sack, and ranked 22nd out of 55 qualified inside linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics. His contract represents a nice raise, as he played on a minimum-salary contract last year in Houston. We first heard yesterday that the Chiefs had interest in Mays.

Linkenbach, meanwhile, has recorded negative grades consistently on PFF over the last several seasons in Indianapolis, but has still earned 33 starts in four years. He’ll provide depth on an offensive line that has lost Branden Albert, Jon Asamoah, and Geoff Schwartz already this week.

Seahawks To Sign Taylor Price

March 12th, 2014 at 4:01pm CST by Zachary Links

After losing Golden Tate to the Lions, the Seahawks are set to sign free agent wide receiver Taylor Price, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

In an interesting twist, Rapoport notes that Seattle had Price ranked one slot behind Tate in the 2010 draft. However, Tate fell to them at No. 60 and they went with the Notre Dame product instead. Seattle met with Price last night and it’s safe to say the pow-wow went well.

Seattle saw a lot of potential in Price four years ago but he hasn’t been able to realize that so far in his NFL career. After stints with the Patriots and Jaguars, Price has just five career receptions to his name.

Jaguars Sign Toby Gerhart

March 12th, 2014 at 3:51pm CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 3:51pm: The Jaguars have officially signed Gerhart, tweets Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com.

TUESDAY, 8:28pm: 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.

WR Rumors: Sanders, Edelman, Tate

March 12th, 2014 at 3:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and defensive lineman Ziggy Hood are in town visiting the Jaguars, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida-Times Union. However, Sanders has other visits scheduled this week, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter) and Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) adds that the Jets are still a possibility.

Sanders is set to visit with the Buccaneers following his visit with the Jaguars today, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
The Ravens remain quite interested in free agent wide receiver Julian Edelman, tweets La Canfora. Meanwhile, the Patriots want him back and other teams are also in the mix.
Golden Tate said the Jaguars, Jets, and the incumbent Seahawks were also interested in his services, tweets Mike Rothstein of ESPN. The former Seattle receiver landed with the Lions earlier today.

No Deal Between Schofield, Giants

March 12th, 2014 at 3:29pm CST by Rob DiRe

WEDNESDAY, 3:29pm: The Giants’ deal with Schofield is considered dead, writes the Star-Ledger’s Jordan Raanan.

1:51pm: The Giants’ deal with Schofield hasn’t necessarily been scrapped, says Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. However, the team may no longer be willing to pay him $8MM for two years, which could prompt the linebacker to look elsewhere (Twitter links).

1:35pm: The Giants’ deal with Schofield is now on hold, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports that the club has concerns about the linebacker’s physical, due to potential knee problems (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 5:04pm: The Giants agreed to terms on a two-year deal with linebacker O’Brien Schofield, reports Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The contract is worth $8MM. Schofield spent his four seasons in the NFC West, as a backup linebacker with the Cardinals and last year with the Seahawks.

Buccaneers Sign Alterraun Verner

March 12th, 2014 at 3:27pm CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 3:27pm: The Buccaneers tweeted that the deal is official.

TUESDAY, 8:25pm: 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.

Browns Release Jason Campbell

March 12th, 2014 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Browns have parted ways their second quarterback of the afternoon, announcing that they’ve released Jason Campbell, according to the team’s official Twitter feed. The move comes on the heels of Brandon Weeden‘s release. Campbell had been owed a $250K roster bonus if he remained on Cleveland’s roster beyond tomorrow.

Campbell, who has had stints with the Redskins, Raiders, Bears, and Browns, started eight games for Cleveland last season after Brian Hoyer went down with a knee injury. His numbers were passable, as he completed 56.8% of his 317 passes for 2,015 yards, 11 TDs, and eight interceptions. However, with a new decision-making team in place for the Browns, it appears the quarterback position will be overhauled.

With Weeden and Campbell out and Hoyer returning from that knee injury, the Browns appear likely to draft a quarterback early in May’s draft. The team also may add another signal-caller in free agency for depth purposes.

Campbell’s release frees up $3.25MM in 2014 cap space for the Browns.

Ravens To Re-Sign Jacoby Jones

March 12th, 2014 at 3:11pm CST by Zachary Links

3:11pm: Jones’ four-year contract is worth $14MM, with $4.5MM in guaranteed money, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.

2:53pm: The Ravens have reached agreement on a four-year deal with Jacoby Jones, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Jones was scheduled for a visit with the Giants today and had interest elsewhere, but he has inked a new deal that could keep him in Baltimore through 2017.

Jones, 30 in July, averaged 12.5 yards per punt return and 28.8 yards per kick return in 2013, including a kickoff returned for a touchdown against the Vikings. He also got involved in the passing game, hauling in 37 receptions for 455 yards and two scores. Jones’ most productive season as a wideout came in 2010 with the Texans when he had 51 receptions and 562 receiving yards.

Talks Between Seahawks, McDaniel Heating Up

March 12th, 2014 at 3:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have interest in Tony McDaniel, tweets Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. However, the defensive tackle might just return to Seattle instead. Negotiations between McDaniel and the Seahawks are heating up, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter) hears, while two other teams are also involved. There could be a decision today from the 29-year-old’s camp.

In 2013, his first season in Seattle, McDaniel racked up 26 tackles and two sacks at left defensive tackle. McDaniel appeared in all 16 games last season, something he hasn’t accomplished since 2009.

Giants Sign Rashad Jennings

March 12th, 2014 at 3:05pm CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 3:05pm: Jennings has officially signed his new contract with the Giants, according to Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link). A source tells Smith it’s a four-year pact worth $14MM, with about $3MM in guaranteed money. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports clarifies (via Twitter) that $14MM is the max value of the deal.

TUESDAY, 4:26pm: Rashad Jennings took to Twitter to announce that he is about to sign with Big Blue: “Flying to the Big Apple tonight! Looking forward to signing the dotted lines with @Giants.”

Jennings, who has previously served as the understudy to both Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew, also had interest from the incumbent Raiders. The 6’1″ tailback rushed for 733 yards last season, a career high, off of 163 attempts.