HEADLINES

Month: March 2014

Justin Tuck, LaMarr Woodley Visiting Raiders

March 12th, 2014 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

10:57am: In addition to Tuck and Woodley, defensive linemen Henry Melton and B.J. Raji are receiving interest from the Raiders, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). However, Tafur thinks Melton will end up landing with the Cowboys.

8:15am: The Raiders lost a key edge defender in free agency yesterday when Lamarr Houston agreed to a lucrative long-term deal with the Bears, but Oakland will bring in a pair of intriguing free agents as the team considers alternatives. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), veteran pass rushers Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley will visit with the Raiders today.

The Raiders entered the offseason with more available cap space than any other team, and while the team has invested heavily in a pair of offensive linemen (Rodger Saffold, Austin Howard), Oakland should still have plenty of financial flexibility to add talent on both sides of the ball.

Tuck, who recorded 11 sacks last season, doesn’t seem to be attracting a whole lot of serious interest so far. One report yesterday suggested that there was a suitor willing to pay him $3MM per season, which is a fairly modest price for the longtime Giant, who may be more inclined to return to New York if he doesn’t receive a significant offer.

As for Woodley, he became a cap casualty in Pittsburgh after a couple disappointing and injury-plagued seasons with the Steelers. However, now that he’s no longer attached to a $13MM+ cap number, he could provide much better value for a new team. Woodley will turn 30 during the 2014 season, while Tuck turns 31 later this month.

Darrelle Revis Rumors: Wednesday

March 12th, 2014 at 10:51am CST by Zachary Links

If there was any question about whether the Buccaneers would move Darrelle Revis, it appears that the club has answered that with an emphatic yes. Last night, the Bucs signed one of the top available cornerbacks on the market in Alterraun Verner. With a four-year, $26.5MM deal struck with the former Titans standout, we can expect Revis to be donning a different uniform in 2014. Hopefully, it’s something nicer than the Bucs’ calculator font jerseys. The latest on Revis…

  • Albert Breer of the NFL Network doesn’t think there’s any way the Patriots would trade for Revis, but says the team has talked about signing the cornerback if he’s released (Twitter link).
  • The Falcons, Eagles, and Giants are among the other clubs that have called Tampa Bay about Revis, according to Ian Rapoport, though he adds (via Twitter) that he’s not sure any of those teams will trade for him. Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link) thinks the Giants were just checking out the situation and aren’t likely to pursue Revis even if he’s cut.
  • Rapoport also notes (via Twitter) that restructuring Revis’ deal to convert this year’s salary into a signing bonus would reduce the cornerback’s 2014 cap hit to just $5.6MM.

Earlier updates:

  • The Patriots have been among those who have called to expressed interest in a trade for Revis, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Still, Revis doesn’t plan on taking a pay cut. Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (on Twitter) also hears that the Pats are a possibility.
  • Reports are out saying Bucs have released Revis but they appear to be premature, Cummings tweets.

Steelers Re-Sign Cody Wallace

March 12th, 2014 at 10:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers announced that they have re-signed center/guard Cody Wallace to a three-year deal, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

Wallace got some unfortunate press for himself in December when he inadvertently grabbed Dolphins defensive tackle Randy Starks below the belt. However, the 29-year-old is known more for his protection skills. Last season, Wallace saw time in ten games with four starts for Pittsburgh.

Saints, Pierre Thomas Agree To Extension

March 12th, 2014 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have extended Pierre Thomas with a two-year deal, according to his agent Lamont Smith (on Twitter). The extension will keep Thomas under contract through the 2016 season.

There was a great deal of speculation this offseason that the Saints would waive Thomas to save $2.9MM against the salary cap in 2014. Instead, it sounds like the two sides have compromised on a new dollar figure that will give New Orleans some extra breathing room this season. New Orleans needs to shave every dollar that they can after signing top safety Jairus Byrd to a six-year, $54MM deal with $28MM guaranteed.

Last season, Thomas rushed for just 549 yards off of 147 yards, resulting in a 3.7 yards per game average, his lowest in any full NFL season. The Saints are expected to say goodbye to Darren Sproles either by release or trade, so the new deal for Thomas will give them some extra stability in the backfield.

Eagles To Sign Bryan Braman

March 12th, 2014 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles have agreed to sign linebacker Bryan Braman to a two-year contract, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link), who hears from agent Sean Stellato that the deal will be worth $3.15MM, with $1MM in guaranteed money. The team has confirmed the move (Twitter link).

Braman, who had been eligible for restricted free agency this offseason, didn’t receive a contract tender from the Texans yesterday, allowing him to become unrestricted. As such, Philadelphia can sign the 26-year-old outright rather than inking him to an offer sheet the Texans might match.

In three years with Houston, Braman rarely saw the field on defense, but was a key contributor on special teams. It’s the second special teams addition of the day for the Eagles, who also locked up former Seahawk Chris Maragos.

Browns In Lead For Ben Tate?

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

It looks like the Browns’ pursuit of wide receiver Andrew Hawkins will fall short, as the Bengals plan to match Cleveland’s offer sheet. However, the Browns are eyeing another offensive weapon and may be the favorites to land him, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport reports that Cleveland seems to be in the lead to sign Ben Tate, with a visit planned for the free agent running back.

In his first four NFL season, Tate has been limited to just 421 total carries due to injuries and his spot on the Texans’ depth chart. Playing behind Arian Foster, the former second-round pick has yet to receive an extended run as a team’s feature back since entering the league. However, he has certainly exhibited the ability to be a No. 1 back — those 421 carries have yielded 1,992 yards, good for an average of 4.7 yards per carry. While he doesn’t have the track record of other running backs available this offseason, Tate may have the most upside of the group.

The Browns are in the market for a running back this winter after sending former starter Trent Richardson to Indianapolis last fall in exchange for a first-round pick.

Pats Rumors: Amendola, Smith, Shaughnessy

March 12th, 2014 at 10:12am CST by Zachary Links

Late last night, the Broncos agreed to a six-year, $57MM deal with free agent cornerback Aqib Talib. While the Kansas product’s departure isn’t a total shock, it does leave the Pats with a significant gap to fill this offseason. The latest out of Foxboro..

  • Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter) notes that $2MM of Danny Amendola‘s $3MM base salary with the Patriots became guaranteed yesterday. While he has offsets, the $2MM guarantee means he’ll likely stay put in New England.
  • The Giants have competition for guard Shelley Smith, tweets Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger. He also has a scheduled visit with the Patriots on Thursday.
  • The Patriots are hosting outside linebacker Matt Shaughnessy on a visit today, a league source tells Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter).

Titans Rumors: FA Visits, Hatcher, Woodley

March 12th, 2014 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

Several of the Titans’ early free agent visits have been reported already, but Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean now provides a specific schedule for the first few. According to Wyatt (Twitter links), defensive lineman Al Woods and running back Anthony Dixon will be in town today, while the team will host defensive lineman Antonio Smith and linebacker Wesley Woodyard on Thursday, assuming neither player has agreed to sign with another club by then.

Here’s more from Wyatt:

Giants Release Marcus Dowtin

March 12th, 2014 at 9:53am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants have released linebacker Marcus Dowtin, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. Dowtin saw three games of action with Big Blue in 2013.

Dowtin, who went undrafted in 2012, has bounced around a bit in the last two years. After hooking on with the Jets as an undrafted free agent, the 25-year-old had stints with the Bills and Eagles before landing with the Giants. In his three games last season, Dowtin recorded two tackles.

Five Teams In Mix For Brandon Pettigrew?

March 12th, 2014 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Giants, Jets, Texans, and Raiders are among the potential landing spots for free agent tight end Brandon Pettigrew, who could also return to the Lions, says Mike Silver of the NFL Network (Twitter link). It’s not clear whether Pettigrew has any visits lined up yet, but it seems that those five clubs have expressed some level of interest in the 29-year-old.

Pettigrew, who had 71 receptions in 2010 and 83 in 2011, is perhaps the top tight end on the unrestricted free agent market, with Dennis Pitta having re-signed with the Ravens and Jimmy Graham designated as the Saints’ franchise player.

As for Pettigrew’s potential suitors, all of them will likely lose one of their top two tight ends in free agency this offseason. The Giants saw Brandon Myers sign with the Bucs, the Texans released Owen Daniels, and the Jets and Raiders may end up parting ways with UFAs Kellen Winslow and Jeron Mastrud, respectively.

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