2017 March - Pro Football Rumors

Giants Not Done Adding Offensive Linemen

March 12th, 2017 at 9:35am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants signed former Chargers offensive lineman D.J. Fluker to one-year deal yesterday, but the club is still expected to add more pieces to its front five, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com details.

Fluker, who agreed to a pact worth roughly $3MM, is likely to remain at guard rather than shift back to tackle (where he began his career). But Fluker is not guaranteed a starting job, nor is any other Giants offensive lineman outside of Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg, according to Raanan. New York is still considering where to play incumbent left tackle Ereck Flowers, leaving the rest of the line in flux.

Free agent guard John Jerry could return to Big Blue, as Raanan reports the “door is not believed to be closed” on a potential reunion. Jerry, 30, started all 16 games for the Giants last season, lining up at right guard. Elsewhere among internal free agents, New York has already seen Marshall Newhouse sign with Oakland, while Will Beatty is not expected to return, per Raanan.

As PFR’s list of the Top 2017 Offensive Free Agents shows, starting options remain unsigned on the open market. At tackle, Ryan Clady, Austin Pasztor, and Andre Smith are still on the board, while T.J. Lang, Jahri Evans, and Tim Lelito are up for grabs on the interior.

Contract Details: Ravens, Zeitler, Guy

March 12th, 2017 at 9:23am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at the details of some recently-signed free agent contracts:

Danny Woodhead, RB (Ravens): Three years, $8.8MM. $4.25MM guaranteed. $1.75MM cap number for 2017 (Twitter links via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun). As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com observes (via Twitter), that represents a sizeable investment for a running back in this market. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets that Woodhead gets a $2.5MM signing bonus.
Tony Jefferson, S (Ravens): Four years, $34MM (max value of $37MM). $19MM guaranteed. $5.5MM cap number for 2017 (Twitter links via Zrebiec). La Canfora tweets that Jefferson gets a $10MM signing bonus.
Kevin Zeitler, G (Browns): Five years, $60MM. $31.5MM guaranteed ($6MM 2017 base salary fully guaranteed). $12MM signing bonus. Cash per year values of $18MM, $10MM, $10MM, $10MM, $12MM (Twitter links via Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer).
Lawrence Guy, DL (Patriots): Four years, $19MM. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter) reports that Guy receives a fully-guaranteed $4.9MM in 2017, but that the total base value of his contract is $13.4MM, with the chance to reach $19MM with $1.4MM playing-time incentives each year. As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets, Guy’s deal effectively amounts to a one-year pact, as the final three years of the contract are non-guaranteed. Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets that Guy receives a $4MM signing bonus.
Marshall Newhouse, OT (Raiders): Two years, $3.5MM. Can earn an additional $1MM in playing-time bonuses (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com).

Eagles Want Fifth-Round Pick For Kendricks

March 12th, 2017 at 9:07am CST by Dallas Robinson

Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks has reportedly been on the trade block dating back to the 2015 draft, but Philadelphia is now actively shopping him, and is looking for at least a fifth-round pick in exchange, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

A Kendricks deal won’t save the Eagles all that much in cap space (just $1.8MM), but Philadelphia currently possesses the least amount of cap room in the league with fewer than $4MM in reserves. If the club is planing another signing during the free agent period, it could use the extra breathing room. The Eagles were also trying to deal linebacker Connor Barwin before ultimately releasing him, and are still attempting to unload center Jason Kelce, although they won’t do so simply to clear cap space.

Any team that acquires Kendricks will be on the hook for his 2017 $4.85MM base salary, $4.35MM of which became fully guaranteed this week. Kendricks, 26, is signed through the 2019 campaign thanks to an extension in August 2015. An acquiring club would take on cap charges of $5MM, $6MM, and $7MM in the next three seasons, respectively.

A full-time starter during his first four seasons with the Eagles, Kendricks was largely relegated to a reserve role in 2016, as he played on only a quarter of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps. In that span, he racked up 28 tackles and fumble recovery, and earned positive marks for his run defense and pass rushing ability from Pro Football Focus. Kendricks’ coverage grade of 47.7, however, was lacking.

Bears Sign Kendall Wright

March 12th, 2017 at 8:21am CST by Sam Robinson

Kendall Wright will attempt to re-establish his value in a new locale in 2017. The former first-round Titans pick will join the Bears on a one-year deal worth up to $4MM, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The team confirmed the move (via Twitter).

Wright will join Markus Wheaton in trekking to Chicago from the AFC on what will be a revamped Bears receiving corps, one that lost Alshon Jeffery.

After being marginalized in what became a run-based attack in Tennessee, Wright knew he would not be back for a sixth Titans season shortly after his fifth concluded. He was a healthy scratch in Tennessee’s regular-season finale and did not surpass 500 receiving yards in either of his final two Titans slates.

But the 27-year-old Wright, who’s played much of his career in the slot, has a 1,000-plus-yard receiving season to his credit. He finished the 2013 campaign with 94 receptions, 1,079 yards and two touchdowns. He added six touchdowns in 2014, a season that featured 715 yards for Wright, but one that doubled as his last as the Titans’ clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver. After going for more than 2,300 yards in his first three seasons with Jake Locker as the primary distributor, Wright totaled just 824 in his last two Titans seasons.

Wright likely had a backer in a high-ranking place on the Bears’ coaching staff, with former Titans OC Dowell Loggains now the Chicago OC. Loggains was Tennessee’s OC from 2012-13.

With the signing, the Bears are expected to release Eddie Royal, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes. Royal, who will turn 31 in May, has one year remaining on his contract, but the $5MM that he is due in 2017 contains no guarantees, so Chicago can clear the full $5MM from its salary cap by cutting him. Per Biggs, Royal’s contract will likely be terminated when he can pass a physical after undergoing surgery in late December to repair a turf toe issue.

Adrian Peterson To Visit Seahawks

March 11th, 2017 at 10:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks are doing their due diligence at running back, and it turns out they do want to see what Adrian Peterson potentially has left. The defending NFC West champions will meet with the future Hall of Famer on Sunday, ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson tweets.

This comes after the team lined up visits for both Jamaal Charles, Eddie Lacy and Latavius Murray. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports was the first to report Peterson would trek to Seattle (Twitter link). But the last report coming out of Seattle regarding Peterson was not pointing to an imminent visit. Instead, Peterson will be part of a star-studded UFA tour for a Seahawks team that saw its young running backs fail to stay healthy last season.

Peterson has not seen his market take off despite being one of this generation’s greatest running backs. The soon-to-be 32-year-old back saw the Vikings predictably decline an $18MM price tag to bring him back for an 11th season in Minnesota. Since, he’s been connected to the Patriots, Raiders, Seahawks and Giants this offseason. None previously exibited much interest. Sunday’s trip to the Pacific Northwest could be critical not only for Peterson, but for the running back market.

The running back’s father said earlier this week, via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, both the Raiders and Seahawks expressed interest in his son. But no Bay Area visit has been scheduled. Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell‘s presence piqued Peterson’s interest in the Seahawks, per Tomasson. He was the Vikings’ OC during Peterson’s first four seasons. Peterson rushed for more than 1,300 yards in three of those four slates and at least 1,200 in all four. Although, he has nearly 2,500 carries on his resume now and is obviously a different player.

A three-time rushing champion, Peterson saw a torn meniscus essentially end his Vikings tenure after 10 seasons. He averaged just 1.9 yards per carry in 2016 — an off-a-cliff drop from his usual per-tote marks — behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines. Pro Football Focus, though, graded Seattle’s group as being the league’s worst last season. So, it will be interesting to see what comes out of this meeting. With so many visits with backs scheduled, it’s unlikely the Seahawks sign Peterson on sight and don’t meet with the aforementioned ball-carriers.

Christine Michael led the Seahawks in rushing last season, but the team waived him midway through the year. Thomas Rawls finished with the most ground yards (349) of any current Seahawk but averaged just 3.2 per carry and missed seven games due to injury. Passing-down back C.J. Prosise also played in just six games.

Contract Details: Britt, Wagner, Broncos

March 11th, 2017 at 10:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details of some recently signed free agent contracts:

Kenny Britt‘s four-year Browns deal will provide the ninth-year wide receiver with $10.5MM fully guaranteed at signing, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Britt will collect $17MM over the first two seasons of this deal, Caplan reports.
The Lions‘ lavish accord for Ricky Wagner raises the right tackle ceiling, although the base salaries in this contract don’t reflect that early. Wagner will see $3MM in base salary in 2017 and ’18 before those figures spike to $9MM per year from 2019-21, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports. Wagner’s deal provides $17.5MM in true guarantees, with his 2018 salary being fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the ’18 league year, per Birkett. Wagner’s 2019 base salary is guaranteed against injury. He received a $14.5MM signing bonus, while the former Raven’s cap hits will be $5.9MM in each of the next two seasons.
D.J. Fluker‘s one-year Giants pact is expected to be worth $3MM, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports. That’s quite a bit lower than what the Chargers would have paid him ($8.82MM) if they kept him after picking up his fifth-year option.
Menelik Watson‘s three-year, $18.75MM Broncos accord will give the British blocker $5.375MM in fully guaranteed money at signing, Mike Klis of 9News reports. Watson received a $4MM signing bonus. The former Raider will have a $5.5MM guaranteed-against-injury salary in 2018 and is due a nonguaranteed $5.5MM amount in 2019.
Ronald Leary‘s four-year contract with the Broncos also comes with a fully guaranteed 2018 salary, which will pay former Cowboy $7.65MM for his age-29 season, per Klis. Leary is slated to make $8.15MM in 2019 and ’20, respectively. His 2019 base salary is guaranteed against injury only, with the ’20 slate being nonguaranteed.
Russell Shepard‘s three-year Panthers deal will be worth $10.5MM, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports. The contract includes a $2MM signing bonus and $2.5MM guaranteed. Laine notes the former Bucs wideout will make $4MM in 2017.
Sealver Siliga‘s one-year Buccaneers deal can max out at $1.5MM, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The contract contains a $200K signing bonus and a $100K roster bonus for the nomadic defensive lineman.

AFC East Rumors: Cutler, Hightower, Bills

March 11th, 2017 at 9:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The team most linked to Jay Cutler now that he’s a first-time free agent, the Jets may be split on acquiring the former Broncos and Bears quarterback. Gang Green is intrigued by the 12th-year passer, and the feeling is believed to be mutual. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News notes a faction of the Jets wants the 33-year-old Cutler on the roster, linking former Broncos and Bears assistant Jeremy Bates — the Jets’ new quarterbacks coach — to being in the pro-Cutler camp. The Jets, though, aren’t presently inclined to spend much on Cutler, with Mehta noting if he were available for “a few million” the Jets’ brass would probably sign him. Cutler played three seasons of the seven-year, $126MM Bears deal he signed in 2014.

Here’s more from the Jets and some of their division rivals.

One team involved in talks with UFA linebacker Dont’a Hightower is convinced he will sign to stay with the Patriots, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets. Breer doesn’t specify the team here, but the Patriots have been connected to the sixth-year ‘backer throughout free agency despite not placing the franchise tag on him. New England has been the only known team to be pursuing Hightower. While there are surely others in the hunt for a top-level free agent, none have been revealed yet.
Lorenzo Alexander expects the two-year, $9MM contract he signed with the Bills to be his last. “I see myself walking off into the sunset and transitioning into life after football after I’m done,” the soon-to-be 34-year-old pass-rusher said, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. The Bills re-signed the 2016 wonder despite being set to shift to a 4-3 defense. Prior to last season, Alexander (12.5 sacks in ’16) had nine career sacks in nine seasons.
The Jets would be interested in acquiring Trevor Siemian from the Broncos in the event they sign or trade for Tony Romo, Mehta reports. Unloading a late-round pick for Siemian would be something the Jets would consider. Cutler might be the Jets’ backup plan behind Siemian, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reported earlier this week. But there are a lot of moving parts to this string of deals, one that became murkier when the Texans cleared eight figures in cap space via their unorthodox Brock Osweiler trade. That opens the door for Houston to pursue Romo, and it’s unlikely the team will look to move Tom Savage in that event. The Broncos, though, would have less use for Siemian if they land Romo since Paxton Lynch is still tentatively viewed as their quarterback of the future. Siemian has two years remaining on his rookie contract.
In addition to keeping Alexander, the Bills re-upped right tackle Jordan Mills on Saturday.

Colts To Let Erik Walden Depart?

March 11th, 2017 at 8:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Erik Walden is operating like a player who knows he will have to find a new NFL home. Despite delivering a career-best season in his Colts contract year, the pass-rusher appears set to leave Indianapolis after tweeting a parting-ways message today (all Twitter links).

We haven’t heard much from the 31-year-old UFA this offseason despite Walden coming off an 11-sack season. But the Colts signed younger talents Jabaal Sheard and John Simon this week and made a potential depth addition in Barkevious Mingo.

While Walden came through with 11 sacks, that represented a big leap from his usual production level. He’d only once before delivered more than three in a season, coming with a six-sack slate for the 2014 Colts. However, he’s two years younger than Lorenzo Alexander, who’d delivered a nondescript pass-rushing career prior to breaking out for 12.5 sacks, so there could be a slower-developing market for Walden. Alexander received two years and $9MM from the Bills. Walden finished a four-year, $16MM Colts deal in January.

Prior to playing in Indianapolis, Walden entered the league as a sixth-round pick in 2008. He bounced around until playing two full seasons with the Packers en route to landing that UFA Colts deal in 2013. He only missed three regular-season games for the Colts during his tenure.

NFC Notes: D-Jax, Eagles, Patterson, Saints

March 11th, 2017 at 7:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

It hasn’t been an overly positive week for the Redskins, who became the first team in NFL history to lose two 1,000-yard receivers from the previous year in the same offseason. They lost Chris Baker and fired GM Scot McCloughan as well. Washington, though, did add Terrelle Pryor on a one-year deal, and before DeSean Jackson‘s Buccaneers agreement became finalized made a late push to keep him, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Reports continued to push Jackson out of Washington due to salary escalation, and the Bucs’ three-year, $33.5MM deal (with $20MM in guarantees) proved to be what the 30-year-old deep threat preferred.

Here’s more from the NFC.

The Eagles attempted to trade Mychal Kendricks in yet another offseason but saw most of his 2017 salary become guaranteed on Friday. A Kendricks trade would create just $1.8MM in cap space, but a source tells Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com there’s still a chance he’s dealt. The 26-year-old played just 27 percent of Philly’s defensive snaps last season.
Cordarrelle Patterson has visited three teams — the Redskins, Raiders and Bears — but may want to stay with the Vikings. The fifth-year wideout/return man said on Snapchat (via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press), “All I am hearing is stay with the Vikings!! Trust me I want to… But we all know business is business … So what you (going to) do, Rick.” It’s safe assume “Rick” is Vikings GM Rick Spielman. The Vikings did not pick up Patterson’s fifth-year option in 2016, but given his productivity as a return man (five career kick-return touchdowns, two first-team All-Pro distinctions), it’s reasonable to suggest the Vikes would want him back at a price cheaper than the $7.915MM it would have cost them to pick up that option.
Rex Burkhead visited the Falcons today, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This marks the first update on Burkhead since he became a free agent. He rated as PFR’s No. 7 UFA running back this year. Given a bigger role with the Bengals after Giovani Bernard went down, Burkhead averaged 4.6 yards per carry last season and gained 489 yards from scrimmage on 91 touches. The Falcons, of course, have one of the best backfields in football, so Burkhead wouldn’t stand to leapfrog Devonta Freeman or Tevin Coleman.
Prior to Marcus Cooper signing with the Bears, the Saints expressed interest in the fifth-year cornerback, Herbie Teope of NOLA.com reports.
The NFL will strip the Patriots of the fourth-round pick they acquired from the Saints (No. 118) in the Brandin Cooks deal. (This represents the last Deflategate penalty.) But Mike Florio of Pro Football talk argued the Saints should have worked the phones to attempt to trade down from that spot. However, the trade became official on Saturday afternoon. The pick will now essentially disappear, unless New England acquires a higher fourth-round pick. The Patriots must forfeit their highest fourth-round pick, which was No. 132 prior to the Cooks trade, as part of the Deflategate penalty. Florio argues the Saints should have called teams that picked in between Nos. 119-131 to trade down — thus sending that selection to the Patriots — while picking up a minor return from another team in doing so.

Giants To Sign D.J. Fluker

March 11th, 2017 at 7:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants will add former first-round pick D.J. Fluker on a one-year deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Fluker visited the team this weekend after seeing the Chargers release him.

New York will add a guard who saw Los Angeles backtrack on its fifth-year option decision from 2016, while Fluker will have a chance to re-establish his value on a team that had a vacancy at right guard. Both the Giants and Patriots expressed interest in Fluker, who started for four seasons in San Diego, but New York’s offensive line had a more obvious hole than did New England’s.

Fluker will likely slide into the right guard slot John Jerry occupied for most of the past three seasons. Jerry is now a UFA. Fluker began his career as the Chargers’ right tackle before moving inside to guard for the 2015 and ’16 seasons. He has not flashed the form the Bolts hoped he would when they drafted him 11th overall in 2013, but he will only be 26 this season.

The Bolts backed out of Fluker’s option, worth $8.82MM, since it was nonguaranteed. The former Alabama blocker will now join a line that saw Justin Pugh make the transition from first-round tackle to standout guard. Fluker graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 54 guard last season — 38 spots behind Pugh — but he made it through 16 games after injuries cost him four in 2015. Fluker has otherwise proven to be durable, playing in 31 of a possible 32 regular-season games during his first two seasons.

It’s not a guarantee just yet the Giants want Fluker at guard. They also have an opening at right tackle after Marshall Newhouse agreed to terms with the Raiders on Friday night.