2017 March - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Colts, Okung, Panthers, Ngata

March 6th, 2017 at 3:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Restricted free agent defensive tackle Zach Kerr has yet to be tendered an offer by the Colts and an NFL source tells Stephen Holder of the Indy Star that indications are he won’t be tendered at all. Kerr’s playing time vacillated last year but he still finished out with 2.5 sacks. Since joining the Colts as a UDFA in 2014, he has played nose tackle, defensive tackle, and defensive end. In related news, the Colts have decided against tendering an offer to linebacker Josh McNary.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Panthers players are “actively recruiting” free agent tackle Russell Okung, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Teams themselves cannot officially reach out to free agents until Tuesday.
Haloti Ngata informed the Lions that he plans to play this year, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. Ngata stated back in January that he would return in 2017, but Breer says the coaching staff was unsure about his intentions until recently.
If Ravens fullback Kyle Juszczyk reaches free agency on Thursday, he’ll likely sign with a team that provides him a “hybrid” role, meaning that he’d see time at running back, fullback, and tight end, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Juszczyk is our No. 1 rated fullback ticketed for free agency.
The Giants will not tender an offer to restricted free agent Orleans Darkwa, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com writes. A return is still possible, but the running back will first test the market. Darkwa was recently cleared for action after recovering from a leg injury.
The 49ers don’t plan to tender either of their RFAs, running back DuJuan Harris or cornerback Marcus Cromartie, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports.
The Vikings have interest in re-signing punter Jeff Locke, but it looks like he’ll test the market, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets.

Trumaine Johnson Signs Franchise Tender

March 6th, 2017 at 2:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Given the franchise tag for a second straight season, Trumaine Johnson didn’t complicate matters regarding his 2017 status. The sixth-year cornerback signed his $16.742MM franchise tender today, Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com reports (on Twitter).

That figure makes Johnson the league’s second-highest-paid cornerback in 2017, behind only Josh Norman. Johnson wasn’t expected to be a long holdout regarding the tag, as he’ll make more money than he did last season due to the franchise tag rules mandating 120% increases for players tagged a second time. The Rams and the 27-year-old corner have until July 15 to agree to an extension.

The Rams used the tag here on the former third-round pick to avoid losing talented cornerbacks in consecutive years. Janoris Jenkins did not make the St. Louis-to-Los Angeles move with the Rams, instead departing for New York on a $12.5MM-AAV deal. In 2016, Johnson had 57 total tackles and one interception in 14 games. In the year prior, he racked up 71 total tackles and seven interceptions. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 26 corner in 2016.

Los Angeles has $20.2MM in cap space. A Johnson extension would expand that figure, but as of now, that near-$17MM amount goes on the Rams’ books, limiting their free agent pursuit.

Bills Cut K Dan Carpenter, Others

March 6th, 2017 at 2:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills announced that they have parted ways with a number of players, including kicker Dan Carpenter. Cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, long snapper Garrison Sanborn, tight end Gerald Christian, and safety Phillip Thomas were also shown the door.

Buffalo’s kicker from 2013-16, Carpenter was slated to carry a $2.937MM cap number for 2017. In his first year with Buffalo, he nailed 92% of his field goal attempts. However, his numbers have been slipping in recent years. In 2015, he missed six of the recently-elongated extra points and bricked five more in 2016. Last year, Carpenter made only 76% of his field goal tries, so his release doesn’t come as a huge shock.

Collectively, these cuts will create $6.1MM in additional cap space for the Bills, inflating their total past $24MM.

Robey-Coleman served as a sporadic starter in Buffalo, breaking with the Bills’ first unit 15 times during his four seasons with the team. The 25-year-old former UDFA signed a two-year deal to stay in Buffalo in 2015, and this release could create a bit of a market for his services. He was set to make $2.1MM this season. Buffalo will save $1.65MM as a result of this release.

While profiling as a lower-tier player than Stephon Gilmore or Ronald Darby, Robey-Coleman graded out as the Bills’ best cornerback, per Pro Football Focus, in 2016. In 573 snaps, PFF slotted Buffalo’s slot man as its No. 33 overall corner. A former USC standout, Robey-Coleman intercepted two passes last season, forced a fumble and scored a defensive touchdown. As a result of this release, the Bills could well be without their Nos. 1 and 3 corners from 2016. Gilmore is expected to move on in free agency.

Sanborn spent eight seasons in Buffalo and was one of the team’s longest-tenured performers. The 31-year-old played his entire career up to this point with the Bills. Buffalo signed Reid Ferguson to a reserve/futures contract after the season, and it appears the team will go with a younger cog as its long snapper. He played in 128 straight games for the Bills dating back to the 2009 season.

Darius Butler Wants To Play Safety

March 6th, 2017 at 1:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Darius Butler is versatile to play anywhere in the secondary, but if he has his druthers, he would rather play safety, as Stephen Holder of the Indy Star writes. Butler, however, is stopping short of any kind of demand.

“I’m just a football player,” Butler said. “But to be 100 percent honest with you, I would like to transition to safety at this point in my career.”

We have Butler ranked as the fourth-best safety in this year’s free agent class (based on talent), ahead of guys like Jonathan Cyprien, Micah Hyde, D.J. Swearinger, Jahleel Addae, and T.J. McDonald. Butler’s ability to play cornerback is a big part of his appeal, but his clear preference would be to have a regular safety gig and only fill in at cornerback when needed.

The Colts still have safety as a clear need on defense, so it’s conceivable that he could return to Indianapolis and play at his preferred spot. Playing at both safety and corner due to injuries last year, Butler graded out as the 20th best safety in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus. His 82.6 overall score was the highest of his career.

NFC East Rumors: Cowboys, Romo, Redskins

March 6th, 2017 at 1:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys are hoping a team comes in with a Tony Romo trade offer and hoping the 36-year-old passer would accept the deal, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). Romo is believed to be open to helping Dallas facilitate a trade, but Jerry Jones said he plans to “do right by” the longtime starting passer. Hill also notes Romo would be inclined to sign an playing time-incentive-based contract that would make it easier for a team to justify adding him.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

One team with interest in Romo said the Cowboys QB will likely have to take a low base salary in the $6MM-$8MM range with per game incentives, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter).
Redskins free agent wide receiver DeSean Jackson will be looking for deals in the $10MM-12MM per-year range this week, several sources tell Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The market for Jackson is heating up and it sounds like he’ll put pen to paper just as soon as he’s allowed.
The Redskins only just reached out to Pierre Garcon‘s reps this week, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. With many expected suitors, it remains to be seen if the Redskins can keep him. It’s also not clear how badly they want him back.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

FA Rumors: Warford, Cowboys, Panthers

March 6th, 2017 at 1:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

This year’s strong guard market figures to drive up the prices for interior linemen. Two such top-tier UFAs figure to push for eight-figure deals, with Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com connecting both Ronald Leary and Larry Warford to deals of around $8MM per season (Twitter link). Robinson adds that Leary’s per year range could soar into the $9MM range (Twitter link). This comes after a report pegged Kevin Zeitler, generally viewed as this year’s top available guard, as being set to command $12MM AAV.

Kelechi Osemele‘s $11.7MM-AAV deal currently tops the guard hierarchy, but only two other players — Kyle Long and David DeCastro — are eight-figure-per-year players. The only other $8MM-per-year guards are Brandon Brooks, Mike Iupati and the recently extended Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, so Leary and Warford look set to join exclusive company with their second contracts. Robinson also reported last night T.J. Lang‘s next deal is estimated to be between $8-$10MM AAV.

Here’s more from the free agent market, courtesy of Robinson.

The Panthers are going to be bargain hunting on the offensive line in free agency, Robinson (on Twitter) senses. He also envisions Carolina addressing the secondary in a meaningful way, which jibes with what we’ve been hearing over the past few months.
Barry Church doesn’t figure to see a gargantuan raise the way many free agents will, with Robinson expecting the Cowboys safety sign for more than $5MM on average (Twitter link). Although, Robinson notes Church’s next contract could average earnings that are “solidly higher” than $5MM. Eric Berry‘s megadeal took the top safety off the market, so teams in need of back-line defenders could turn to a player like Church. The 29-year-old career-long Cowboy started in Dallas for the past four seasons. Church made $4.25MM in base salary last season in Dallas. A former UDFA, Church said last month he was open to giving the Cowboys a hometown discount to some degree, but this could well be his last chance to earn a higher-end contract. PFR’s latest safety rankings place Church third — behind Tony Jefferson and Duron Harmon.
Robinson provided extensive clarity on what the wide receiver market could look like, and the pursuit of Alshon Jeffery might not yield what the Bears wideout believes he deserves.

Five Teams In On Terrelle Pryor

March 6th, 2017 at 1:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Terrelle Pryor is days away from free agency and, as expected, he’ll have a healthy market for his services. The wide receiver is drawing interest from the Giants, 49ers, Eagles, and Titans on the eve of the legal tampering period, sources tell Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. More teams could get involved and, of course, the Browns are working hard to re-sign him.

At this point, the Browns and Pryor are far apart in negotiations, Cabot hears. agent Drew Rosenhaus is looking for Pryor to get paid like one of the top receivers in the NFL. After Rosenhaus blew the ceiling off of the WR market with Antonio Brown‘s new deal, there could be a domino effect that aids the Ohio State product. Still, a deal that puts Pryor in the top five at his position in terms of compensation would be a shocker.

Pryor is firmly in the top tier of available receivers this offseason, along with Alshon Jeffery of the Bears and Kenny Stills of the Dolphins. Our most recent rankings have Pryor as the second-best WR on the market, behind Jeffery and ahead of Stills. Despite Rosenhaus’ ambitions, I still see Stills as having more earning power than Pryor.

The Giants are in the market for a receiver after parting ways with Victor Cruz and a player like Pryor would help deflect attention from star Odell Beckham Jr. Still, I’d be surprised if they were able to keep up with the bidding on him. The Eagles and Titans are logical landing spots since both clubs are also in on Jeffery and a possible Brandin Cooks deal. The 49ers, like the Browns, have lots of cap space to work with.

Titans Discussing Anthony Fasano Re-Up

March 6th, 2017 at 1:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Anthony Fasano is about to hit free agency for the second time in three years, but the Titans are discussing bringing the tight end back. The indications, as of now, point to the Titans wanting to retain Fasano, Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com reports.

The Titans are likely interested in at least one more Fasano season due to the blocking ability the 32-year-old veteran displayed last year. Fasano’s second Tennessee campaign featured him grading out as Pro Football Focus’ best run-blocking tight end. He paired with Delanie Walker to give the Titans two top-15 PFF tight ends, making Tennessee the only team to have two such players grade this high. As a receiver, 2016 marked Fasano’s worst season. In Mike Mularkey‘s run-first offense, Fasano caught just eight passes for 83 yards — each stat representing a career-low figure.

It won’t take a substantial commitment to keep Fasano. The Titans signed him initially in 2015 for two years and $5.25MM. Walker will make $4.2MM in base salary this season. PFR’s latest tight end rankings place Fasano, who will turn 33 in April, seventh among tight ends.

Latest On DeSean Jackson

March 6th, 2017 at 1:00pm CST by Zachary Links

It sounds like DeSean Jackson won’t be on the market for long. The receiver is expected to agree to terms with a team on Thursday, the first possible day that players can sign, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. The Redskins and Buccaneers are in the mix for his services, along with “multiple other teams.”

Our newly-updated positional rankings (based on talent, not earning power) have Jackson listed as the fifth-best WR out there, behind Alshon Jeffery, Terrelle Pryor, Kenny Stills, and Kenny Britt, but ahead of Brandon Marshall and teammate Pierre Garcon.

We first learned of the Buccaneers’ interest in Jackson last week. The Bucs have Mike Evans, but they don’t have much after him, so Jackson would be a great fit as their WR2. If they want him, however, they’ll have to pony up considerable cash as his market grows.

The Eagles have been heavily connected to Jackson for months and although they are not specifically mentioned in Florio’s filing, they might get in on the bidding this week. If that’s the case, I believe nostalgia will factor into his decision, if the numbers are all roughly equal.

Julius Peppers To Continue Playing

March 6th, 2017 at 12:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Julius Peppers isn’t done with football just yet. The veteran will return to play in 2017, though his next stop is still uncertain.

“Julius, after taking some time to reflect during the offseason, has decided that he still has the desire and enthusiasm for the game, and his intention is to play a 16th NFL season,” agent Carl Carey told ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky and Vaughn McClure.

Peppers is fifth on the NFL’s all-time career sacks list, and could conceivably move up to No. 4 with another year on the field. The 37-year-old has 143.5 career sacks and needs seven to match Chris Doleman’s 150.5 total. Last year, Peppers finished out with 7.5 sacks, so a repeat effort would leave him all alone at No. 4 on the list. To have any chance of bypassing Kevin Greene (third all-time with 160 sacks), he’ll need at least two more seasons. Of course, Peppers will be taking things one step at a time and his next deal will almost certainly be of the one-year variety.

Our updated rankings of this year’s defensive free agents lists Peppers as one of the ten best edge defenders out there.