Jets Could Target A.J. Bouye
The mega-deal the Jets gave cornerback Darrelle Revis in free agency two offseasons ago proved to be an ill-fated decision, but it doesn’t look as if it’s going to deter them from trying to upgrade the position via the open market this year. With Revis out of the picture, there’s talk at the scouting combine that the corner-needy Jets will pursue the Texans’ A.J. Bouye if he reaches free agency, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post.
The 25-year-old Bouye is arguably the best soon-to-be available corner in a class that could also feature the Patriots’ Logan Ryan and the Bills’ Stephon Gilmore, among others. As such, Bouye figures to rake in elite money – perhaps something along the lines of the five-year, $62.5MM deal with $29MM in guarantees the Giants gave then-free agent Janoris Jenkins last offseason.
While Bouye only has 19 NFL starts on his resume, one personnel department executive told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle last week that the four-year veteran is “going to get paid a lot of money” because “everybody in the league knows how good he is.” Bouye made his case for a massive payday in ranking third among Pro Football Focus’ 112 qualified corners in overall performance last year.
Unlike Bouye, the Jets hardly thrived in 2016. Their pass defense was part of the reason for their 5-11 finish, as it ranked second to last in the NFL in DVOA and allowed 30 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. Thus, the team could attempt to reel in Bouye, who’s familiar with its general manager, Mike Maccagnan. Before taking over the Jets’ football department two years ago, Maccagnan worked in the Texans’ front office from 2010-14. He was Houston’s assistant director of college scouting when it signed Bouye as an undrafted free agent in in 2013.
NFC South Notes: Bucs, Falcons, Panthers
The Buccaneers and impending free agent wide receiver Vincent Jackson have discussed a potential return, but the 34-year-old could retire, writes Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. “We did have conversations with Vincent,” general manager Jason Licht said Wednesday. “I have the utmost respect for him. Everybody in the organization does. In my mind, in head coach Dirk [Koetter’s] mind, in the owners’ minds, he’ll be a Buc for life. So whatever happens happens, but we’ll always want Vincent to be around the organization.”
Jackson has been with the Buccaneers since 2012, and he started 16 games in each of his first three seasons as a member of the club, but he has endured back-to-back knee injury-shortened campaigns. The six-time 1,000-yard man has combined for just 15 appearances since 2015.
Regardless of whether the Buccaneers re-sign Jackson, they’re going to target “playmakers” this offseason, Licht revealed. Entering free agency, only three teams have more cap space than the Bucs.
More from the NFC South:
- Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said wide receiver Taylor Gabriel and guard Ben Garland will be tendered as RFAs (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com). He did not specify what level, however. Gabriel was the far bigger contributor of the two last year, when he averaged 16.5 yards per catch on 35 receptions and combined for seven touchdowns through the air and on the ground. Garland appeared in all 16 of the Falcons’ regular-season games, but he didn’t start any.
- Dimitroff also announced that the Falcons will let defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux become an unrestricted free agent after 12 years together, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Conversely, the Falcons are trying to re-sign fullback Patrick DiMarco (Twitter link). Babineaux, 35, has totaled 185 appearances, 133 starts, 27 sacks and 10 forced fumbles in Atlanta, which selected him in the second round of the 2005 draft. He’s coming off the eighth 16-game season of his career, in which he picked up six starts and 22 tackles. DiMarco, a four-year Falcon, has three 16-appearance seasons in a row under his belt. He made eight starts in 2016.
- Panthers GM Dave Gettleman told reporters on Wednesday that tackle Michael Oher is still in the league’s concussion protocol. This means the Panthers could be in the market for a starting left tackle. Oher has been dealing with a brain injury since September and only played in three games last year as a result. The eight-year veteran is under contract through 2019.
- Reserve defensive end Darryl Tapp made it clear Wednesday that he wants to re-sign with the Saints, relays Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. Tapp’s agent and the Saints have engaged in discussions about a new deal. The 32-year-old journeyman just finished his first season in New Orleans, where he started in two of 16 appearances.
- As of last month, the Buccaneers hadn’t held contract talks with soon-to-be free agent running back Jacquizz Rodgers. However, the team would “love to have” him back, Licht stated (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com). Rodgers, 27, put up 560 yards on 129 rushes (4.3 per carry) and scored two touchdowns last season.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Lions In Talks With Larry Warford, Riley Reiff
The Lions could lose 40 percent of their starting offensive line, right guard Larry Warford and right tackle Riley Reiff, as early as the opening of free agency on March 9. But general manager Bob Quinn indicated Wednesday that the Lions aren’t going to let either walk without first making an attempt to re-sign them.
[RELATED: Top Offensive Free Agents]
“We’ve had discussions both of them,” Quinn told reporters, including Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. “We don’t have anything to announce with them, but we’re working toward that, and I’m excited to see what the offensive line looks like next year.”
The 25-year-old Warford is the younger of the pair and should be more expensive to retain, having started in all 57 of his appearances since the Lions chose him in the third round of the 2013 draft. Warford ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 20th-best guard last year, and he could end up with a $9MM-per-annum payday in the coming weeks.
Reiff, meanwhile, has been in Detroit since it nabbed him 23rd overall in the 2012 draft. Aside from a 16-appearance, eight-start rookie year, Reiff has lined up with the Lions’ No. 1 unit dating back to his second season. The 28-year-old has appeared in no fewer than 14 games, all starts, in each season since 2013. He also has experience at both tackle spots, though PFF wasn’t that bullish on his work on the right in 2016, as it placed him a below-average 48th among 78 qualified OTs. Nevertheless, Quinn was impressed with Reiff’s output.
“I think Riley did a good job over at right tackle,” Quinn said. “It’s not an easy transition, after a few years at left, to move over to the right. It’s a different playing style. But I thought he had a solid year. He competed.”
While Warford and Reiff could soon reach free agency, teammate and backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky definitely will, per Quinn. Orlovsky, who has had multiple stints with the Lions during his career, seemed to say goodbye to Detroit on Twitter earlier this month. It’s now official, and Jake Rudock will take over as Matt Stafford’s primary backup.
Eagles To Consider Jamaal Charles
The Eagles don’t have a bell cow running back on their roster, but it appears five-time 1,000-yard rusher and four-time Pro Bowler Jamaal Charles is on their radar. Philadelphia will consider pursuing Charles, whom the Chiefs released Tuesday, according to head coach Doug Pederson (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com).
“I’ve got some history with him in Kansas City for three years,” said Pederson, who coordinated the Chiefs’ offense from 2013-15. “I think he’s a tremendous running back and it’s something that we’ll evaluate now. And we’ll grade him just like we do every free agent and ever person that’s released and see where he can fit into our offense.”
Charles was superb under Pederson during his first two years atop the Chiefs’ offense, but knee injuries hampered him during the previous two seasons. The 30-year-old Charles tore his ACL in October 2015, thereby limiting him to five games and 71 carries, and he missed all but three games last season thanks to a setback that led to November surgery. As a result, Charles picked up a mere 12 carries in 2016.
On a rate basis, the Eagles last year received impressive production from rushers Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood and Kenjon Barner, all of whom averaged at least 4.1 yards per carry. But none finished with more than 155 attempts, a total that a healthy Charles has eclipsed five times during his nine-year career. Adding Charles would give the Eagles a logjam of ball carriers, but it doesn’t seem as if it would affect the 33-year-old Sproles’ status. Pederson said Wednesday Sproles will be on next season’s roster, per Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com (Twitter link).
Latest On Browns’ QB Possibilities
Colin Kaepernick has informed all 32 NFL teams he’s going to opt out of his contract with the 49ers and become a free agent. When that happens, one team that definitely won’t pursue Kaepernick is the quarterback-needy Browns, a league source told Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
Browns head coach Hue Jackson has demonstrated an affinity for Kaepernick in the past, so it’s conceivable the 29-year-old could have been on their radar. Jackson had interest last offseason in Kaepernick, who was then coming off an injury-plagued, statistically subpar campaign. But Kaepernick bounced back to a degree in 2016, as he tossed 16 touchdown passes against four interceptions, averaged 7.2 yards per attempt (up from 6.2 in 2015) and finished second among QBs in rushing yards (468, on a lofty 6.8 per carry) as part of a two-win team.
The only signal-caller who outrushed Kaepernick last year, the Bills’ Tyrod Taylor, will be on the Browns’ list if Buffalo releases him, reiterates Cabot. So could Buccaneers backup and soon-to-be free agent Mike Glennon, and the Browns also aren’t going to give up on acquiring either Patriots No. 2 Jimmy Garoppolo or Bengals reserve A.J. McCarron via trade, according to Cabot. The Patriots are reportedly unlikely to deal Garoppolo, though, while the Bengals will place a high price tag on McCarron – a former Jackson pupil – if anyone inquires about his availability.
Should the Browns fail to reel in a palatable long-term option via trades or free agency, the draft – in which they’re set to pick first and 12th overall – could be the avenue they take. Cabot notes they’ll “strongly consider” selecting a potential franchise passer then.
For now, their most established option under center is Robert Griffin III, who’s due a $750K roster bonus March 11. It’s possible Griffin will stay on the roster beyond that date, though, head of football operations Sashi Brown said Wednesday (via Cabot).
“That’s not going to be a major decision for us one way or the other in terms of a lever for making that decision,” he revealed. “We’re going to evaluate Robert, not his contract. And we’ve had some discussions there.”
Latest On Russell Okung’s Market
Although Denver declined left tackle Russell Okung‘s expensive contract option last week, his time with the club isn’t necessarily up. Broncos general manager John Elway said Wednesday he’ll consider re-signing Okung, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com.
[RELATED: Top Offensive Free Agents]
If the Broncos do attempt to bring back Okung, they’ll have no shortage of competition in a year featuring a weak class of free agent tackles. Along with the previously reported Giants, Jets, Chargers and Vikings, the Rams and Seahawks could also court Okung, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Seattle is perhaps the most intriguing fit of the bunch, given that Okung has spent the vast majority of his career there. The Seahawks selected Okung sixth overall in the 2010 draft, and he went on to start in all 72 of his appearances with the team before joining the Broncos last year in free agency. Injuries were often an issue in Seattle for Okung, but he’s now coming off his first 16-game season, one in which he also totaled 16 starts. All told, Okung rated as an average tackle in 2016, per Pro Football Focus, which placed him 38th among 78 qualifiers.
Now back on the market, the 29-year-old Okung will attempt to land a better deal than the one he secured last offseason, when he made the oft-criticized decision to act as his own agent. It’s unclear if Okung will take that route again this year.
2017 NFL Franchise Tag Players
The deadline to designate franchise or transition players for 2017 has passed. Here’s the rundown of the players that were tagged, plus the candidates that did not receive the designation:
Franchise players (exclusive):
- Le’Veon Bell, RB (Steelers): $12.12MM (story)
- Kirk Cousins, QB (Redskins): $23.94MM (story)*
Franchise players (non-exclusive):
- Melvin Ingram, LB (Chargers): $14.55MM (story)
- Trumaine Johnson, CB (Rams): ~$16MM (story)*
- Chandler Jones, LB (Cardinals): $14.55MM (story)
- Jason Pierre-Paul, DE (Giants): $16.934MM (story)
- Kawann Short, DT (Panthers): $13.387MM (story)
*second tag; players receive raise over designated salary for position tender
Candidates who didn’t receive tags:
- A.J. Bouye, CB (Texans)
- Stephon Gilmore, CB (Bills)
- Dont’a Hightower, LB (Patriots)
- Alshon Jeffery, WR (Bears)
- Dontari Poe (Chiefs)
- Terrelle Pryor, WR (Browns)
- Ricky Wagner, OT (Ravens)
- Brandon Williams, DT (Ravens)
Bears, Jets In Mix For Mike Glennon
Teams technically can’t talk to other team’s free agents before the “legal tampering period,” but two teams have already emerged as possible landing spots for quarterback Mike Glennon. The Bears and Jets are expected to be in the mix for him, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Top 3 Offseason Needs: New York Jets]
Glennon, 27, went 5-13 as the Bucs starter between the 2013 and 2014 seasons. In 2015, he saw zero playing time while No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston took over as the starter. Last year, Glennon did get to take the field, but he attempted only eleven passes in two games.
The Buccaneers expect Glennon to test the open market, but they say the door is still open for a return. With several teams in need of a starting option, I have a hard time envisioning the Buccaneers coming away as the top bidder.
Other free agent quarterback options include Nick Foles, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum, and Matt McGloin. In my book, Glennon ranks ahead of all of them.
Chris Long, Patriots To Part Ways
Chris Long took to Instagram to announce that he will not be re-signing with the Patriots this offseason. The 31-year-old (32 in late March) hinted that he is looking to join a team that will give him increased playing time and a more prominent role.
“This has zero to do with money, etc,” Long wrote. “It’s the right move in my heart because I want to get back to being the player I was before. I’m thankful for my role this year, but as a competitor, I’m itching to do what I do best.”
Soon after the Patriots traded Chandler Jones to the Cardinals, they added Long on a one-year, $2MM deal. After playing in just 18 regular season games in two seasons, Long appeared in every single regular season game for the Pats. His season was capped off with a Super Bowl win, but he might not have been satisfied with his amount of burn in the postseason.
Now that Long is out of the picture, the Patriots could look to add a defensive end like Jared Odrick. Odrick met with the Pats recently and passed their physical.
AFC Rumors: Dolphins, Alonso, Broncos
Kiko Alonso doesn’t want to move from the middle linebacker spot in 2017, a source tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Dolphins might want to move him to outside linebacker, but that might not be an option if he is unwilling to adjust. As Salguero notes, the Dolphins should probably figure all of this out in the next week with free agency on the horizon. There’s also this – in the past, Alonso has indicated a willingness to move, if it would help the team. So, even if the linebacker’s preference is to remain in the middle, he might be willing to be a good soldier and shift positions.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- There has been lots of talk about the Broncos acquiring a veteran quarterback, but head coach Vance Joseph indicated that he’s happy with current options Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian. “We’ve got two young guys that combined to win nine games last year as starters — probably should have won two more games,” he said (via NFL.com). “We’re fine there with those two kids.”
- Jaguars coach Doug Marrone admits leaving the Bills head coaching job was a “mistake” he has learned from, as Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets. He added that he has spoken about it with Bills owner Terry Pegula. Marrone opted out of his Bills deal before the 2015 season, but a unique clause in his contract allowed him to still collect on his full $4MM salary.
- On Wednesday, the Steelers re-signed James Harrison to a two-year deal. The new pact will take him through his age-40 season.