HEADLINES

Month: March 2017

Jets To Host TE Mychal Rivera

March 17th, 2017 at 10:04am CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent tight end Mychal Rivera will meet with the Jets on Monday, according to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (Twitter link). New York will be Rivera’s first known free agent stop. "<strong

The Jets have been in search of a tight end (and a quarterback and a handful of players at key positions) and Rivera could be their solution. As it stands, the Jets’ tight end depth chart consists of Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Eric Tomlinson, and Braedon Bowman. Seferian-Jenkins, by the way, will out of action for the first two games of the 2017 season thanks to a suspension stemming from a DUI.

Rivera started 13 games for Oakland between the 2013 and 2014 seasons. The ’14 campaign proved to be his best to date as he had 58 receptions, 534 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. In 2016, Clive Walford leapfrogged him on the depth chart. The Raiders are unlikely to bring him back.

As of today, the Jets officially have $22,717,504 in cap room to work with, though that number does not include the deals for offensive tackle Ben Ijalana, defensive tackle Mike Pennel, or cornerback Morris Claiborne (via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano).

Giants Re-Sign QB Josh Johnson

March 17th, 2017 at 9:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants are re-signing quarterback Josh Johnson, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a two-year deal, according to his agent.Josh Johnson (vertical)

Johnson, 31 in May, has bounced around since leaving the Buccaneers in 2011. Since 2012, Johnson has spent time with the Ravens, Browns, Bengals, 49ers, Colts, Bills, Jets, and Giants. The last time he took the field was in 2013, when he compiled 20 rushing yards on seven carries for Cincinnati. His last NFL start came in 2011 with the Bucs.

Johnson, for now, will occupy the second QB spot on the Giants’ depth chart. Given Eli Manning‘s major struggles last season, I would expect the Giants to seek out a higher-quality QB2 for 2017.

Seahawks To Re-Sign Luke Willson

March 17th, 2017 at 9:29am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Seahawks have agreed to re-sign tight end Luke Willson to a one-year deal worth up to $3MM, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.Luke Willson (Vertical)

Seattle reportedly offered Willson a new deal during the 2016 season, but Willson didn’t consider it a serious proposal and didn’t even respond to it. Things have seemingly changed, as Willson will now return to the Pacific Northwest for a fifth campaign. He’ll work with alongside Seahawks tight ends Jimmy Graham and Nick Vannett.

Willson, 27, ranked as PFR’s No. 5 tight end heading into the free agent period. In 2016, Willson dealt with injuries and only managed to appear in 11 games, playing in roughly a third of Seattle’s offensive snaps. During that time, he posted 15 receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns.

Chiefs LB Derrick Johnson Accepts Paycut

March 17th, 2017 at 8:56am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chiefs have worked out contract restructures with linebacker Derrick Johnson and fullback Anthony Sherman, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com.Derrick Johnson

Johnson, 34, was previously scheduled to earn $4.75MM in 2017 base salary and could have made an additional $1MM in per-game roster bonuses. Instead, he’s agreed to reduce his base salary to a fully guaranteed $1MM, and will also earn a $1MM signing bonus. In sum, the cap-strapped Chiefs were able to use leverage against Johnson — who tore his Achilles last season — in order to create roughly $4.25MM in cap space.

Sherman, meanwhile, will see his base salary drop from $1.55MM to a fully guaranteed $1MM, per Yates. Additionally, his previous per-game roster bonuses of $12,500 have been slashed in half, and are now worth only $6,250 per contest. In total, the move creates about $550K in cap space for the Chiefs.

Colts Re-Sign Darius Butler

March 17th, 2017 at 8:30am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts have re-signed free agent safety Darius Butler to a one-year deal, the club announced today. The pact is worth $3MM, and could increase to $4.5MM via incentives, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.Darius Butler (vertical)

Butler was PFR’s top remaining safety still on the board, and though he’s played cornerback in the past, Butler will in fact convert to safety full-time, Schefter confirms. The 30-year-old Butler had reiterated his desire to shift to the back end at the outset of free agency, and he’ll get his wish even though the Colts released a cornerback — Patrick Robinson — earlier this week.

Indianapolis has managed to retain Butler even though a report last week indicated the two parties had reached a contract impasse. While Butler wasn’t one of the first safeties to sign a new contract during the free agent period, other clubs had expressed interest. Before re-signing with the Colts, Butler took visits with both the Bears and Redskins.

Butler, a former second-round pick, had played cornerback for most of his career before transitioning to safety in the middle of last season. Pro Football Focus still graded Butler among corners in 2016, and he finished as the league’s No. 20 CB. In 12 appearances (seven starts), Butler put up 33 tackles, three interceptions, and seven passes defensed.

Heading into the offseason, Butler ranked as PFR’s No. 48 overall free agent.

Extra Points: Raiders, Eagles, Broncos

March 16th, 2017 at 10:05pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

“Things could be on track” for a vote on the Raiders’ potential relocation to take place during the upcoming owners meetings from March 26-29, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy informed Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. Indeed, the Raiders are “on course” to apply for Las Vegas relocation at the meetings, a source told Gutierrez. If a vote is held, Mark Davis will need 23 of the league’s other 31 owners to sign off on his Vegas plan. Before that happens, though, owners want to know where the Raiders would play in 2019, according to Gutierrez. They’re going to remain in Oakland the next two seasons, and the potential Las Vegas stadium wouldn’t open until 2019, leaving a one-year gap.

More from around the league:

  • Florida State running back and first-round prospect Dalvin Cook is in Philadelphia meeting with the Eagles, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). The Eagles finished an unimpressive 18th in the league in yards per carry last season and don’t have a high-end No. 1 rusher, so it’s possible they’ll give Cook serious consideration if he’s on the board at No. 14.
  • One of Cook’s fellow draft-bound running backs, Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon, visited the Broncos on Thursday, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano. Mixon met privately with both Broncos CEO Joe Ellis and general manager John Elway, adds Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter links).
  • Terence Newman told reporters that his agent spoke with the Raiders on the same day he spoke to the Vikings, but Oakland did not make an offer (Twitter link via Mark Craig of the Star Tribune). Regardless, the Vikings were Newman’s top choice. This week, the cornerback agreed to return to Minnesota for his age-39 season.
  • Although the Bengals’ Andre Smith has served as an offensive tackle during his entire eight-year career, he’ll shift to right guard in his ninth season, writes Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. “We think he has chance to be a really good player for us there,” said Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander. Smith, who spent his first seven seasons in Cincinnati and 2016 in Minnesota, returned to the Bengals on Tuesday on a one-year deal. He’ll replace former line mate and standout right guard Kevin Zeitler, who signed a massive contract with the AFC North rival Browns at the outset of free agency.
  • While the Vikings have shown interest in free agent cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, they aren’t among the teams that have booked visits with him, tweets Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.
  • Offensive lineman Gosder Cherilus has officially announced his retirement (Twitter link). After initial word that Cherilius would retire, one report said that he was simply not seeking a contract at this time, indicating that the situation was fluid. However, Cherilus is indeed walking away from the game.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Contract Details: Lacy, Vikings, Titans, Bears

March 16th, 2017 at 8:40pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest contract details from around the NFL:

  • ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link) offers further information on the weight-related incentives in Eddie Lacy‘s contract with the Seahawks: The running back can earn $55K in incentives for each month from May to December if he’s at or below the designated weight in his deal. Those weights are 255 pounds (May), 250 (June-August) and 245 (September-December). Lacy recently weighed in at 267 pounds during a free agent visit.
  • Running back Latavius Murray‘s three-year accord with the Vikings comes with a chance to earn $2.3MM in incentives for rushing yards (it’s unclear how many), escalators in 2018 ($2MM) and 2019 ($4MM) based on rushing yards, and an annual Pro Bowl incentive, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
  • Defensive end/outside linebacker Datone Jones‘ one-year deal with the Vikings features a $1.6MM signing bonus and per-game roster bonuses of $31,250 each (up to $500K), a $150K workout bonus and $1.25MM in incentives for sacks and playing time, reports ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
  • Titans linebacker Daren Bates‘ three-year contract is worth $5.6MM and includes a $500K signing bonus, per ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky.
  • Offensive tackle Tom Compton‘s agreement with the Bears is a one-year, $1.85MM deal with $850K in guarantees and $400K in incentives, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Cornerback Johnthan Banks‘ one-year pact is worth $855K and features $200K in guarantees and an $80K signing bonus.

East Notes: Jets, Eagles, Jenkins, Bills

March 16th, 2017 at 7:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Muhammad Wilkerson, who inked a monster extension with the Jets last year, appears to be extremely out of shape, according to multiple scouts who saw him at Temple’s Pro Day (via Manish Mehta of the Daily News). Wilkerson’s listed weight last season was 315 pounds and it’s unclear how heavy he is at the moment. The Jets effectively chose Wilkerson over fellow defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson last year by giving him the long-term deal and, so far, it’s not clear if Wilkerson will reward the Jets for their confidence in him. Last year Wilkerson had just 4.5 sacks, the lowest total since his rookie season. This year, he’s set to carry a $18MM cap number with a fully guaranteed $14.75MM base salary, so a trade is probably out of the question. Meanwhile, Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter) posted a picture of Wilkerson from just last week in which he appears to be in the same shape he was last year.

A bit more from the NFL’s East divisions:

  • Eagles GM Howie Roseman continues to shoot down rumors that he offered up Malcolm Jenkins in trade talks for Brandin Cooks. His latest denial is the firmest one to date (Twitter link via 97.5 The Fanatic). “The Brandin Cooks, Malcolm Jenkins thing kind of gets under my skin. We were never going to trade Malcolm Jenkins,” Roseman said.
  • Initially reported as a four-year deal, kicker Steven Hauschka‘s pact with the Bills is actually a three-year contract, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). It’s worth $8.85MM, nearly half of which ($4MM) is guaranteed.
  • In case you missed it, Gang Green agreed to a deal with longtime Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne on Thursday.

Seahawks Visits: Charles, RJF, A. Brown

March 16th, 2017 at 7:27pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent running back Jamaal Charles had a “good visit” with the Seahawks, but he doesn’t plan to sign there – at least not yet – a source told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Charles may meet with another team next week, per Florio, who notes that the club’s identity isn’t yet known.

Jamaal Charles (Vertical)

Given that Seattle already added a No. 1-caliber rusher, Eddie Lacy, this week, it’s interesting that Charles isn’t ruling out signing there. In addition to Lacy, the Seahawks have Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise as prominent members of their running back corps, so there doesn’t seem to be a fit for Charles on paper.

As Charles leaves Seattle without a deal, two defenders – tackle Ricky Jean-Francois and linebacker Arthur Brown – are on their way to visit the team, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Jean-Francois came available when the Redskins released him Wednesday, after he had played in all of their games and totaled eight starts over the previous two seasons. The Seahawks are lacking established depth behind starting defensive tackles Jarran Reed and Ahtyba Rubin, which Jean-Francois would provide. The 30-year-old is excited about the possibility of joining the Seahawks.

“It would be great to get a chance to get out of a 3-4 and play in a 4-3, because I would get to use more of my skill-set and not be limited,” he told ESPN’s Josina Anderson. “In the 3-4, I feel like you can only do so much; but in a 4-3, I feel like you can get uphill more and disrupt the back field.”

Brown, meanwhile, is looking for a fourth team after spending the first four years of his career with the Ravens, Jaguars and Jets. The 2013 second-round pick hasn’t lived up to his draft selection, as he has just a half-sack and no starts on his resume. Brown, 26, has primarily served as a special teamer in the pros.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/17

March 16th, 2017 at 6:55pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest minor moves from around the NFL:

  • The Chiefs have signed safety Marqueston Huff, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). Since going in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, Huff has appeared in 41 games in stints with the Titans and Ravens, though he has only picked up one start. Huff played in 11 contests with Baltimore last year and failed to register a tackle in 32 defensive snaps. He did see plenty of special teams action, however (223 snaps).
  • The Redskins have added linebacker Chris Carter, a six-year veteran who is joining his sixth team. Carter has totaled four starts, the latest of which came in 2013, and 62 appearances. The special teamer combined for 14 appearances last season between the Colts and Ravens.
  • Patriots cornerback Justin Coleman has signed his exclusive rights tender, tweets ESPN’s Field Yates. Coleman, 23, has seen action in 20 games and racked up three starts in his two-year career.
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