HEADLINES

Month: March 2017

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/17

March 9th, 2017 at 2:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. All RFA tenders listed are original round/right of first refusal (worth $1.797MM), and all links go to Twitter:

RFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

ERFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

Lions To Release LB DeAndre Levy

March 9th, 2017 at 1:59pm CST by Zachary Links

After eight seasons with the team, the Lions are releasing linebacker DeAndre Levy, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The veteran will be designated a June 1st cut, allowing the team to save some extra cap room for next season (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press on Twitter). The linebacker was set to make $5.75MM this upcoming season, and his cap hit accounted for $8.39MM. The organization saves around $1MM by making this move.

DeAndre Levy (vertical)Levy joined the Lions as a third-round pick in 2009, and he quickly established himself as a reliable presence on the defensive side of the ball. The linebacker missed only seven regular season games through his first six years in the league, including a career-year in 2014 when he collected 151 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one interception, and one safety. Levy earned second-team All-Pro honors following the season, and he subsequently signed a four-year, $33.74MM extension with the Lions.

Detroit’s investment hasn’t paid off over the past two seasons. Levy has only appeared in six games (four starts) since inking the new deal, compiling 21 tackles. A report from earlier this month indicated that the team hadn’t approached the 29-year-old about a pay cut, but there were indications that Levy would still return to the Lions for the 2017 season.

The team will presumably be eyeing some reinforcement at linebacker following this move. The team is currently rostering four players at the position, including Thurston Armbrister, Tahir Whitehead, Antwione Williams, and Paul Worrilow.

Browns To Sign Kevin Zeitler

March 9th, 2017 at 1:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns will give Kevin Zeitler a five-year, $60MM deal that includes $31.5MM guaranteed, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The deal will make Zeitler the highest-paid guard in NFL history.Kevin Zeitler (Vertical)

Nearly every NFL front office was reportedly interested in Zeiter, who was the top free agent guard on the market and ranked as PFR’s No. 5 overall free agent. In addition to the Browns, the Colts, Jaguars, and Saints were all linked to Zeitler, who hasn’t missed a start in either of the past two seasons. With his new pact, Zeitler will eke past Kelechi Osemele as the league’s highest-paid interior offensive lineman.

Zeitler, 26, has made 71 starts at right guard since Cincinnati selected him in the first round of the 2012 draft, and in 2016 Zeitler graded as the league’s seventh-best guard, according to Pro Football Focus. Zeitler played the 2016 campaign under the terms of his fifth-year option which paid him $8.07MM, a figure that should have represented the bare minimum in contract negotiations.

Cleveland has revamped its offensive line today, adding Zeitler to play right guard, J.C. Tretter to man center, and extending left guard Joel Bitonio on a long-term deal. The Browns’ front five ranked near the bottom of the league in both adjusted line yards and adjusted sack rate, so the club clearly needed to address the position group.

For Cincinnati, the loss of Zeitler represents the second major offensive line defection of the day, as left tackle Andrew Whitworth signed with the Rams this morning.

Calais Campbell Picks Jaguars Over Broncos

March 9th, 2017 at 1:42pm CST by Zachary Links

After considering Denver, Calais Campbell is going to sign a four-year, $60MM deal with the Jaguars (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The deal will include $30MM guaranteed.Calais Campbell (vertical)

The Jaguars’ offer was initially reported to be “upwards of $14MM per season.” It sounds like Campbell’s indecisiveness may have motivated the Jaguars to sweeten the pot even further. The Broncos were offering him $13MM/year on a new deal. It should also be mentioned that there is no state income tax in Florida, so Campbell stands to make a lot more with the Jags than he would have with the Broncos.

The Jaguars were armed with ample cap space this offseason and they used it to beef up their front seven with the addition of Campbell. The former University of Miami star will join up with Malik Jackson, Dante Fowler Jr., Roy Miller, and Yannick Ngakoue to form a fearsome front four.

Despite entering his age-31 season, Campbell was one of the prizes of this year’s free agent market — he ranked as PFR’s No. 9 overall free agent and No. 1 interior defender. Capable of playing tackle or end, Campbell placed as the No. 2 interior player in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, earning strong marks against the run and pass. Last year, he managed eight sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception while playing more than 800 snaps.

Bears To Sign Dion Sims

March 9th, 2017 at 1:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears have agreed to a deal with tight end Dion Sims, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. It’s a three-year, $18MM pact featuring $10MM in guarantees, Garafolo adds (Twitter links).Dion Sims (Vertical)

In Chicago, Sims will likely play an in-line tight end role, allowing Zach Miller to flex out from time to time. The Bears were also linked to other tight ends during the free agent process, and clearly wanted to upgrade the position. Miller is nearing 33 years old and missed six games in 2016 due to injury, so Chicago had tight end depth on its mind as a primary offseason goal.

Sims, 26, has never topped 30 receptions or 300 yards receiving during his four-year career, but the Dolphins reportedly wanted to retain him ever after acquiring Julius Thomas from the Jaguars. Not only is Sims a solid blocker (whereas Thomas is not), he would have provided the Dolphins with another tight end option in the event Thomas falls victim to injury, something he’s done multiple times during his NFL career.

Sims graded as PFR’s No. 6 free agent tight end.

Jets To Re-Sign OL Ben Ijalana

March 9th, 2017 at 1:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are retaining OL Ben Ijalana, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). It will be a two-year, $11MM deal.

Ijalana offers versatility on the offensive line and he stepped up to play left tackle when called upon in 2016. He’s not exactly a world-beater, however. Ijalana got a 47.6 overall score from Pro Football Focus, ranking him as the No. 60 tackle in the NFL last year out of 78 qualified players.

Buccaneers To Sign Chris Baker

March 9th, 2017 at 1:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Buccaneers are expected to sign free agent defensive lineman Chris Baker “barring any snags,” tweets Peter Schrager of FOX Sports.Chris Baker (vertical)

Baker registered 10.5 sacks over the past two seasons and profiled as one of the top interior defenders available in free agency. He ranked 18th among interior defenders (4-3 defensive tackles, 3-4 nose tackles and 3-4 ends) in the opinion of Pro Football Focus last season. Baker, 29, started all 16 games for the first time in his career in 2016.

In Tampa Bay, Baker will team with Gerald McCoy to form a fearsome defensive interior. The Buccaneers don’t blitz very often, so generating any sort of pressure — from the interior or otherwise — is often dependent on the front four getting to the quarterback. In addition to Baker and McCoy, the Bucs’ line also consists of Robert Ayers, Noah Spence, and Jacquies Smith, among others.

Baker becomes the second free agent to make the trip from Washington to Tampa Bay, joining wide receiver DeSean Jackson in that regard.

Cowboys Expect To Trade Tony Romo To Broncos Or Texans

March 9th, 2017 at 1:31pm CST by Zachary Links

1:31pm: The Broncos are not currently shopping Siemian, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets.

1:27pm: Some “backpedal talk” has emerged regarding a Siemian-to-New York trade, Mortensen tweets. But he adds that Romo remains a trade candidate a day after being expected to be released.

1:07pm: The Cowboys now expect to trade Tony Romo to the Broncos or Texans, sources tell Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Meanwhile, the Broncos are talking with the Jets about trading Trevor Siemian to New York.

A Broncos trade for Romo would be surprising, a source tells Denver7’s Troy Renck (Twitter link). The Broncos have long been connected to Romo but never via trade until today. For more than a month, reports out of Denver have pegged the Broncos as being willing to look at Romo as a UFA.

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Wednesday, there was word that the Cowboys would be releasing Romo, allowing him to explore free agency. It turns out that the Broncos and Texans are now willing to acquire him via trade. If a deal goes down, it stands to reason that Romo could agree to restructure his deal in order to make things work for the acquiring club.

Romo, 37 in April, has not been healthy for two full seasons. However, he does have four Pro Bowl selections on his resume. In his last healthy season (2014), Romo completed a league-high 69.9% of his passes with 3,705 yards through the air and 34 touchdowns against just nine interceptions.

The Broncos have been telling everyone that they are willing to go into 2017 with Siemian and Paxton Lynch as their quarterbacks. However, the Romo talk has been strong for weeks now and it sounds like they are looking to bring another star QB to Denver. The Broncos brought in Peyton Manning at a time when the world was writing him off and they might be able to find the same success here with Romo. If they do acquire him, it will be interesting to see whether Romo will be put into an open competition with Lynch or given the starting job from the get-go.

Houston has not been as bullish on a Romo acquisition as Denver has been reported to be. Although neither side has exactly been aggressive, word out of Houston was the team was not going to pursue Romo. The two-time reigning AFC South champions, though, did not get close to what they hoped from Brock Osweiler this season. The Texans’ four-year $72MM contract — one that cannot be realistically removed from the payroll until 2018 — now looks like an albatross after the 6-foot-7 passer could not complete his first Houston season without being benched. He returned to the lineup once Tom Savage sustained a concussion and won a playoff game, but Osweiler did not provide many signs he is the future in Houston.

The Cowboys would take a ~$19MM cap hit this year if they were to trade Romo rather than release him. They could not spread it over two years as they could by designating him a post June 1 cut.

The Jets would like to deal for Siemian but they will look hard at Jay Cutler if they cannot pull off a trade with Denver, Mortensen tweets. Right now, Siemian is Plan A, Cutler is Plan B, and it’s not clear what their Plan C might be if both fall through. The Jets, with limited cap space and little chance of contending in 2017, have very few options to address their vacancy under center.

A seventh-round pick out of Northwestern, Siemian has two years and just $1.3MM left on his rookie contract. He completed 59 percent of his passes and led the Broncos to an 8-6 record. But two injuries sidelined him, providing possible durability queries going forward.

Photo via PFR on Instagram.

Alshon Jeffery Leaning Toward Signing With Eagles

March 9th, 2017 at 1:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Alshon Jeffery is leaning toward choosing the Eagles when free agency starts, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. At last check, both the Colts and Eagles were making “strong pushes” to sign the wide receiver. Now, he could be Philly bound, leaving the Colts and Bears to look elsewhere.

The Eagles found a deep threat receiver on Thursday morning when they agreed to sign Torrey Smith. After that, we got word that they were easing up on their pursuit of a Brandin Cooks trade. Ultimately, a Cooks trade would have cost the Eagles a boatload of draft compensation on top of having to work out a new deal with Cooks at some point in the next two years. If they can sign Jeffery and Smith, they will have given two serious weapons to Carson Wentz without hurting their draft situation.

Remaining in these wideout pursuits despite having one of the worst cap situations in the league, the Eagles would be in a better place offensively by signing Jeffery. With the Bears in 2013 and ’14, the big target surpassed 1,100 yards — going for 1,421 in a Pro Bowl ’13 slate — before injuries and a suspension limited him the past two seasons.

Jeffery rated as PFR’s No. 2 overall free agent. The Eagles showed interest in DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Kenny Stills and Kenny Britt. By adding Smith and Jeffery, they could possibly put Jordan Matthews in the slot full-time and have a layered passing attack, one that also includes Zach Ertz.

Contract Details: Jones, Taylor, Branch, D-Jax, Bitonio, Davis

March 9th, 2017 at 1:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s the latest on some of the latest contracts agreed to this week.

  • Chandler Jones‘ five-year Cardinals extension will pay him $16.5MM per year, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets. Jones will make $53MM in guaranteed money from his second NFL contract, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports adds (on Twitter).
  • Tyrod Taylor‘s restructured Bills deal is a two-year, $30.5MM pact, La Canfora reports (on Twitter), adding that the rest of it voids after 2018. Taylor will make $15.5MM in guarantees as a result of the re-done pact and $14.5MM in 2017. La Canfora adds the quarterback stands to collect $16MM in ’18.
  • Andre Branch‘s three-year Dolphins deal is worth $24MM, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). Volin adds the contract includes two fully guaranteed years– at $17MM — for the 27-year-old pass-rusher. Volin adds that Branch could see $3.75MM more via incentives. Branch will receive a $6MM signing bonus, make $2.9MM in base salary in 2017, $7.9MM in ’18 and $6.9MM in ’19, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • DeSean Jackson‘s Buccaneers pact will be worth approximately $11MM per year, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
  • Joel Bitonio‘s five-year Browns extension will pay out $47.5MM in base salary, Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com tweets, adding $23MM in guarantees are included. The new deal kicks in after Bitonio’s 2017 season, so he’s under contract in Cleveland through 2022.
  • Vernon Davis‘ second Redskins contract will include a $4MM signing bonus and $7.5MM guaranteed, Wilson tweets. His base salaries from 2017-19, respectively, are $2MM, $3.75MM and $4.75MM.
  • Courtney Upshaw re-signing with the Falcons on a one-year deal will result in $1.15MM coming his way in 2017, Wilson tweets. The defender gets a $125K signing bonus and will make $775K in base salary this season.
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