MONDAY, 12:23pm: Flowers’ four-year deal with the Chargers is now official, the team announced today in a press release.
SUNDAY, 2:58pm: The Chargers have reached an agreement on a four-year deal with cornerback Brandon Flowers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Flowers will earn a $9MM AAV, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. Although Flowers was set to become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday, we heard yesterday that a reunion between him and San Diego was likely.
In his first season with the Charger, Flowers finished as the league’s 15th-best CB among 108 qualifiers per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The 29-year-old, who ranked as PFR’s No. 22 free agent, started 14 games, accruing two interceptions in the process. After being released by the Chiefs last summer, Flowers signed on with San Diego on a one-year pact that netted him $3MM — he should be in for a significant pay bump this time around.
The Chargers have about $27MM in cap space, so while we don’t know how Flowers’ contract specifics will affect their room, the club should have money left to spend if they want to make upgrades via free agency. San Diego has already been active this offseason, re-signing left tackle King Dunlap to a four-year deal, but they have other pending free agents in Ryan Mathews, Dwight Freeney, and Eddie Royal who could be retained.
Flowers’ re-signing contributes to the thinning of an already meager free agent CB market — top option Byron Maxwell is said to be heading to Philadelphia, and Kareem Jackson has already re-signed with the Texans, so options are few for secondary-needy clubs. Antonio Cromartie, Chris Culliver, and Davon House represent the best remaining corners available.