HEADLINES

Month: March 2014

Bengals Release Kyle Cook

March 11th, 2014 at 2:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals announced (via Twitter) that they have released offensive lineman Kyle Cook.

Cook was scheduled to make a $2.5MM base salary in 2014 and 2015 with a cap number of $3.34MM in each of those years. While cutting him loose leaves the Bengals with some dead money on their books, they will see a cap savings of $2.060MM this season and $2.7MM in 2015.

With Cook out of the picture, Mike Pollak is the new frontrunner to take over at center, tweets Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. However, he’ll have competition from Trevor Robinson and T.J. Johnson (link).

Broncos Re-Sign Andre Caldwell

March 11th, 2014 at 2:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Andre Caldwell has re-signed with the Broncos on a two-year deal, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The wide receiver’s deal has a max value of $3.45MM.

Caldwell, 29 in April, saw time in all 16 games last season for Denver. He hauled in 16 catches (30 targets) for 200 yards in Peyton Manning‘s pass-happy offense. While he wasn’t one of the primary targets in Denver, he did manage three scores on the year.

Colts Re-Sign Vinatieri To Two-Year Deal

March 11th, 2014 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

2:00pm: Vinatieri gets $5MM over two years, tweets Mike Chappell of the Indy Star.

9:24am: The Colts have re-signed veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri to a two-year contract, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Having re-signed punter Pat McAfee to a long-term deal last week, Indianpolis now has both of its key right legs locked up through at least the 2015 season.

Vinatieri, the NFL’s active leading scorer, converted 35 of 40 field goals for the Colts last season, including four of six from beyond 50 yards. At season’s end, he indicated that he wasn’t considering retirement, and that he hoped to keep playing for “two or three more years,” so there’s a chance this may not even be his last NFL contract.

Karlos Dansby, Browns Agree To Four-Year Deal

March 11th, 2014 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Browns have reached an agreement to sign free agent linebacker Karlos Dansby, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). Dansby’s four-year deal with Cleveland will be worth a total of $24MM, with $10MM in the first year and $14MM in guaranteed money.Karlos Dansby

Although he’ll turn 33 in November, Dansby certainly didn’t show any signs of falling off in 2013, racking up 121 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and a career-high four interceptions, including two for touchdowns. The former 33rd overall pick also ranked fifth among inside linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus, grading exceptionally well in pass coverage. Dansby will replace D’Qwell Jackson at inside linebacker for the Browns, and receives a deal similar to the one Jackson signed in Indianapolis.

The Browns’ new-look defense under head coach Mike Pettine is starting to come into focus, with the team also expected to lock up hard-hitting safety Donte Whitner when free agency opens later today. When I ranked 2014’s top 25 free agents over the weekend, both Whitner and Dansby placed inside my top 20, at Nos. 17 and 19 respectively.

Mary Kay Cabot first reported earlier today that the Browns were expected to seriously pursue Dansby, while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that the Browns had emerged as “the team to beat” in the Dansby sweepstakes, with the Titans and Cardinals having fallen out of the running.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers, Dawson Agree To New Deal

March 11th, 2014 at 1:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Kicker Phil Dawson announced via Twitter that he has reached agreement on a new deal with the 49ers, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Dawson adds that it’s a two-year pact (link).

Dawson, 39, set the 49ers franchise record with 27 consecutive made field goals. He made 32 of 36 attempts during the regular season in 2013 and was 7-for-7 in the postseason, including a 33-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Packers in the playoffs. The 15-year veteran holds the NFL record in accuracy of (84.5 percent) among all kickers with at least 300 made field goals in his career.

Seahawks Re-Sign Anthony McCoy

March 11th, 2014 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 1:42pm: The Seahawks have officially re-signed McCoy, the team announced today.

MONDAY, 5:38pm: It may not be the team’s most exciting contract agreement of the day, but the Seahawks appear to have agreed to terms with another player, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that Anthony McCoy will re-sign with Seattle. The deal isn’t official yet but it’s expected to be finalized soon, says Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter)

McCoy, 26, caught 18 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns for the Seahawks in 2012, but spent the entire 2013 season on injured reserve after tearing his Achilles. Assuming he’s fully healthy for 2014, McCoy figures to compete for playing time at the tight end position.

Terms of the deal haven’t been reported yet, but I imagine it’ll be a short-term contract worth the minimum salary, perhaps with a small bonus.

Jaguars Pursuing Beadles, Eyeing Decker

March 11th, 2014 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Zane Beadles has narrowed his free agent options down to the Jaguars and one other team, reports Mike Klis of the Denver Post. That second team isn’t the Broncos, according to Klis, who says Beadles won’t be returning to Denver. Linebacker Wesley Woodyard also won’t be re-signing with the Broncos, Klis adds.

While it’s not clear what sort of contracts the Jaguars and the mystery suitor are offering Beadles, the guard figures to command a salary in the neighborhood of $5MM per year, says Klis. Considering the Broncos are already heavily invested in left tackle Ryan Clady and right guard Louis Vasquez, the team wasn’t comfortable making a big offer to Beadles as well.

As the Jaguars pursue Beadles, the team is also eyeing another one of the Broncos’ prospective free agents. According to Klis, Jacksonville has expressed interest in wide receiver Eric Decker.

No Deal For Julian Edelman, Patriots

March 11th, 2014 at 1:24pm CST by Zachary Links

1:24pm: The Patriots and Edelman were unable to reach an agreement today, and the receiver will hit the open market, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

10:03am: Patriots offered WR Julian Edelman a three-year deal, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter). New England is hoping to get an answer from his camp by the start of free agency and they very much want to keep him in 2014.

Edelman, 28 in May, hauled in 105 receptions for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns in 2013, exceeding his total production from his first four seasons. He also played in all 16 regular season games, a career first. To date, he has earned just ~$3MM over the course of his career, so he should see a sizable pay bump with his next deal.

While the Pats want to retain Edelman, Albert Breer of NFL Network (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised if they have a backup plan in place.

NFC Rumors: Sproles, Tuck, Suh, Watson

March 11th, 2014 at 1:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Let’s check on the latest miscellaneous notes from around the NFC….

  • The Saints are set to cut Darren Sproles today, but they are still holding out hope on trading him, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. There are more than ten teams interested in the diminutive tailback if he’s cut free, so it’s conceivable that they could find a trade partner.
  • Justin Tuck‘s exploration of the free agent market may end up with him returning to the Giants, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio hears that one team was willing to pay Tuck $3MM per year, but the veteran defensive end would prefer to remain in New York at that price.
  • Talks have yet to start between the Lions and Ndamukong Suh on reworking his deal, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The thinking previously was that Detroit had to re-work the deal before the start of free agency but that’s not the case.
  • Buccaneers linebacker Dekoda Watson is likely to sign elsewhere at the start of free agency, a league source tells Mike Florio.
  • The Bears would like to bring back cornerback/special teams player Sherrick McManis, but the Ravens, Eagles, and Falcons could be in play as well, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
  • With Donte Whitner set to leave the 49ers, San Francisco could turn to safety Ryan Mundy as a fallback, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
  • Free agent left tackle Jared Veldheer has fired his agent in order to hire his brother, James Veldheer, as his new agent, tweets Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910. Veldheer is expected to sign with the Cardinals.
  • The Redskins are monitoring Kenny Britt, who could be had on a reasonable deal in a soft market, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times. Of course, the Redskins’ likely deal with Andre Roberts lessens their need for Britt.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Contract Tenders: Dobbs, Lattimore, Bears

March 11th, 2014 at 1:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers are expected to extend the restricted free agent tender to defensive lineman Demarcus Dobbs and extend a tender to exclusive rights free agent Michael Wilhoite, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. We’ll keep track of the latest contract tenders here..

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