HEADLINES

Month: March 2014

49ers Interested In Michael Bennett?

March 7th, 2014 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Seahawks and 49ers battled for NFC West supremacy during the regular season, then for the NFC title in the postseason, and now the fight between the two teams may extend to one of 2014’s top free agents. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there’s a belief in league circles that the 49ers could make a run at Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett this offseason.

Florio doesn’t cite any specific sources, and cautions that the Niners could be feigning interest in order to drive the price up for their division rivals. Bennett also may not be an ideal fit in San Francisco’s 3-4 scheme, though the PFT report suggests he could be a potential replacement for veteran end Justin Smith, who will turn 35 in September and may only have one season left with the team.

Whether or not the Niners make a serious play for Bennett, the free-agent-to-be is expected to draw significant interest when he hits the open market next week. The Seahawks also figure to receive competition from the Bears and perhaps the Raiders and Jaguars, among other clubs, as they try to re-sign their standout pass rusher.

Cardinals Sign John Estes

March 7th, 2014 at 11:58am CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 11:58am: Estes signed a two-year contract worth the minimum salary, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The deal also has injury waivers each year.

TUESDAY, 12:46pm: The Cardinals have signed free agent center John Estes to a contract, the team announced today (Twitter link). Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but it figures to be a minimum-salary pact.

Estes, who appeared briefly for the Jaguars during the 2011 regular season, underwent knee surgery in 2012 and spent the year on injured reverse. The Hawaii alum hasn’t returned to action for an NFL team since then, but should get the chance to compete for a spot on Arizona’s roster this summer.

FA Rumors: QBs, Saffold, Vikings, Ravens

March 7th, 2014 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

This year’s class of free agent quarterbacks doesn’t feature any stars, but there are a handful of players who should make very solid backups, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. In his latest piece, La Canfora takes a shot at forecasting where a few of the more notable names on the market will land. Among his predictions: Michael Vick to the Jets, Josh McCown to the Vikings, Matt Cassel to the Texans, and Josh Freeman to the Raiders.

With just over 24 hours left for teams to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents, let’s check out a few more FA rumors and news items:

Patriots, Danny Aiken Agree To One-Year Deal

March 7th, 2014 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Patriots have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with long snapper Danny Aiken, according to ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss (via Twitter). Aiken had been scheduled to hit restricted free agency.

Aiken, 25, will almost certainly be signed to a minimum salary deal. For a player with his three years of NFL experience, a minimum one-year deal would be worth $645K, which isn’t bad money for someone who plays exclusively on special teams. As Reiss notes (via Twitter), the team now has all three of its specialists under contract for 2014 prior to free agency.

Jaguars Re-Sign Cameron Bradfield

March 7th, 2014 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 11:20am: Bradfield’s two-year deal is worth $3MM, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, who adds (via Twitter) that the contract includes a $1.225MM guaranteed base in 2014, along with a $25K workout bonus and $400K in incentives.

THURSDAY, 10:25am: The Jaguars have re-signed offensive tackle Cameron Bradfield, tweets agent Andy Simms of PlayersRep Sports (hat tip to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun). Bradfield’s new deal with the team will be a two-year contract, according to Simms.

Bradfield, who had been eligible for restricted free agency this offseason, was forced into left tackle duty last season when Eugene Monroe was traded and Luke Joeckel went down with a broken ankle. The 26-year-old didn’t play particularly well in his new role, grading as the fourth-worst tackle in the league out of 76 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). However, Bradfield performed passably at right tackle in 2012 as the club’s starter, and will likely either move back to that spot or come off the bench in 2014.

The new deal for Bradfield may close the book on the Jaguars’ restricted free agent business this offseason, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. According to O’Halloran, the club isn’t expected to tender offers to tight end Allen Reisner or defensive tackle Kyle Love. Both players would become unrestricted FAs if they don’t receive tenders from Jacksonville.

Jaguars, Harbor Agree To Two-Year Deal

March 7th, 2014 at 11:18am CST by Zachary Links

FRIDAY, 11:18am: Harbor’s two-year deal is worth $3MM, with a $1.35MM guaranteed base in 2014 to go along with a $100K roster bonus and a $50K workout bonus, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.

THURSDAY, 12:03pm: The Jaguars agreed to terms with tight end Clay Harbor on a two-year deal, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter). Harbor, 27 in July, made seven starts at tight end in his first season with Jacksonville.

The unrestricted free agent hauled in 24 catches for 292 yards last year and was on the field for all 16 regular season games. Prior to 2013, Harbor spent three years with the Eagles where he saw inconsistent playing time at TE with some fullback duty mixed in. Financial terms of the deal aren’t yet known for the former Missouri State standout, but he earned a minimum salary of $630K last season with the Jags, so another minimum deal wouldn’t be a surprise. While Harbor wasn’t quite the focal point of the Jaguars’ passing attack, he did show that he could be a useful offensive weapon with good speed for the position.

In addition to Harbor and Cameron Bradfield, the Jaguars have also re-signed unrestricted free agent Sam Young, according to John Oehser of Jaguars.com (on Twitter). The 6’8″, 316 pound bruiser played mostly on special teams in 2013.

Colts Sign D’Qwell Jackson

March 7th, 2014 at 10:45am CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 10:45am: Jackson’s deal includes a signing bonus of just $1MM, with a guaranteed base salary of $4.5MM in 2014, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today. 2015 includes a $4.63MM roster bonus that will be guaranteed as of next week, as well as an $870K base salary (Twitter links). The modest signing bonus will make it much more manageable for the Colts to get out of the contract in the third or fourth year without carrying much dead money.

THURSDAY, 8:33am: The Colts have reached an agreement to sign free agent linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The team’s owner, Jim Irsay, first teased the deal, tweeting: “We’ve agreed to terms with a new member of our defense…” Because he was released by the Browns last month, Jackson was free to sign with a new team before next Tuesday, when the 2014 free agent period officially begins.

The agreement between the Colts and Jackson will be for four years and $22MM, reports Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports 1 (Twitter link). According to Garafolo, $11MM – or 50% – of the overall value of the contract will be guaranteed, though Pro Football Talk notes (via Twitter) that some of that guarantee may be for injury only.

Jackson, 30, had been expected to decide on his free agent destination by the end of the week, having narrowed his options down to the Colts, Titans, Broncos, and Dolphins. By signing in Indianapolis, Jackson will be reunited with former Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski, who was added to the Colts’ staff as a special assistant last month. Jackson will be slotted in as an inside linebacker in the team’s 3-4 scheme, playing alongside Jerrell Freeman. Pat Angerer and Kelvin Sheppard filled that position for the Colts last season, but Angerer is expected to depart in free agency, and Sheppard appears headed for a reserve role.

2013 wasn’t a particularly strong season for Jackson according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, as he ranked 42nd of 55 qualified inside linebackers. In fact, it’s perhaps a bit of an upset to see the veteran sign with another 3-4 team, since he has historically graded better as the middle linebacker in a 4-3 system. Still, Jackson was a longtime defensive leader in Cleveland, and he racks up tackles, having easily surpassed 100 in each of his healthy NFL seasons since his rookie year. The former 34th overall pick will undoubtedly be an upgrade for a Colts defense in need of improvement.

With Jackson locked up, expect the Colts to turn their free agent focus to wide receivers and defensive lineman, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who thinks that Arthur Jones of the Ravens would be a “natural fit” (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Broncos Rumors: DRC, Holliday, Decker

March 7th, 2014 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Broncos made their first major roster move of the offseason yesterday, finalizing the release of cornerback Champ Bailey. Our latest round of Broncos links includes a look at what Bailey’s departure could mean for the team’s pursuit of secondary help, so let’s check out Friday’s updates….

  • With Bailey already gone and several other players eligible for free agency, the Broncos figure to add at least two cornerbacks to their roster for 2014, and one will be signed in free agency, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is among the Denver corners eligible for free agency, and the Broncos will make “a serious attempt” to re-sign him, says Klis.
  • Return specialist Trindon Holliday isn’t expected to return to the Broncos next season, writes Klis in a separate Post piece. While Holliday could still return to Denver if he doesn’t garner much interest on the open market, the Broncos have informed the 27-year-old that they won’t offer him a contract tender. As a restricted free agent, Holliday’s tender would’ve been worth $1.431MM for one year, and would’ve given Denver the right of first refusal if the return man signed an offer sheet with another club.
  • Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes an excellent in-depth look at Eric Decker’s looming free agency, concluding that it would be a surprise if the wide receiver didn’t sign a deal worth more than Mike Williams’ contract with the Bucs, perhaps with a per-year value of $8MM and $15MM+ in guaranteed money. However, if Decker encounters a soft market, the Broncos could benefit, since the 26-year-old may prefer to remain in Denver if no big-money offer is available. When I examined Decker’s free agent stock last month, I predicted a deal worth close to $10MM annually with $15-20MM in guaranteed money.

David Akers, Rian Lindell Won’t Be Re-Signed

March 7th, 2014 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of NFC teams won’t re-sign their kickers, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the Lions and Buccaneers won’t bring back David Akers and Rian Lindell respectively. Cardinals kicker Jay Feely also appears set to hit the open market next week, says Marvez.

Lions GM Martin Mayhew told reporters at the combine in Indianapolis that the team didn’t expect to bring back Akers, so that doesn’t come as a real surprise. Detroit has signed two kickers – John Potter and Giorgio Tavecchio – to futures contracts, so one of them will likely take over for the veteran Akers. In Tampa Bay, Connor Barth should be recovered from a torn Achilles in time for the 2014 season, so Lindell’s services will no longer be needed.

Feely’s case is a little trickier. The 37-year-old has been the Cardinals’ kicker for the last four seasons, and converted 30 of 36 field goal tries in 2013. The team doesn’t have a logical in-house replacement for Feely, so if he’s not re-signed, perhaps other free agents like Phil Dawson or Josh Brown could become targets.

NFC North Links: Pettigrew, Allen, Melton

March 7th, 2014 at 9:39am CST by Luke Adams

Here’s a roundup of a few Friday morning items on NFC North clubs:

  • While Brandon Pettigrew may not be quite as crucial to the Lions’ offense as Dennis Pitta is to the Ravens’ passing attack, the Detroit tight end is a better run blocker and figures to receive a contract in the same ballpark as Pitta, says Justin Rogers of MLive.com. In Rogers’ view, a five-year deal worth about $30MM isn’t out of the question this offseason for Pettigrew.
  • Examining Jared Allen’s recent comments about his free agency, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press is skeptical about the Vikings’ chances of re-signing the free agent defensive end.
  • Defensive tackle Henry Melton made the Pro Bowl in 2012, but he’s coming off ACL surgery and is eligible for free agency this offseason. Bears GM Phil Emery must decide if an investment in Melton is worth the risk, writes Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times.
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