Kenny Britt On Eagles’ Radar
Connected to several free agent wide receivers this offseason, the Eagles are expected to show interest in Kenny Britt once the legal tampering window opens at 11 a.m. CT on Tuesday, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports.
Philadelphia has been connected to a blockbuster Brandin Cooks trade, a DeSean Jackson reunion, a Pierre Garcon pact and a potential Kenny Stills signing. Britt has not shown the consistency of the first three receivers in this group, and at 28 he’s four years older than Stills, but does not look to cost as much. Cooks looks to require a first-rounder to pry from the Saints, and Jackson and Garcon figure to be $9MM-plus-per-year players. A Britt deal is expected to cost a team between $6-$8MM annually. That would still be a sizable raise for the former first-round pick, but it still represents second-tier money.
Washington is also expected to pursue Britt, being as he would be a cheaper option than Garcon or Jackson.
Making barely $4MM in 2016, Britt broke out on an otherwise anemic Rams passing offense last season, compiling his first 1,000-yard slate. Finishing with 68 receptions for 1,002 yards and five touchdowns, Britt profiles as one of the better UFA wideouts. The ex-Titans first-rounder’s previous season-high mark was 775 back in 2010. Britt also worked with new Eagles wide receivers coach Mike Groh with the Rams last season, helping connect the re-emerging player to Philadelphia.
Per McManus, the Eagles want to pair a big target on the outside with a more elusive performer. Britt profiles as the former type. Philly is also open to dealing Jordan Matthews, whom a previous regime drafted. Matthews led Eagles wideouts with 804 receiving yards, in 13 games, but no other Philly wideout surpassed 400 yards.
Titans Now In Lead For Brandin Cooks?
Identified early as one of the suitors in the sudden Brandin Cooks sweepstakes, the Titans may now be out in front of this derby. Tennessee remains in on the Cooks market and could well be leading it, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com reports (on Twitter).
The Titans and Eagles became the first known suitors for the Saints’ No. 1 wide receiver last week, but New Orleans has received several offers for the fourth-year wideout. One of those appears to have come from the Patriots, who are believed to have included their No. 32 overall pick in a package for Cooks. The Saints are aiming for a “real significant” return for Cooks, he of back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons, and have received other offers that include second-round picks. Tennessee holds the Nos. 5 and 18 picks in the first round.
But the Titans have been interested in Cooks since this news broke. The agents for Cooks, Ryan and Bruce Tollner, also represent Marcus Mariota, potentially helping forge a connection to Tennessee. The team does not have a wideout of Cooks’ caliber currently on the roster and is set to see former first-rounder Kendall Wright depart via free agency. Although, Wright ceded his role as Tennessee’s No. 1 years ago. Rishard Matthews led the run-based Titans with 945 air yards last season.
Cooks has one more year, at $1.56MM, left on his rookie contract. But the Saints, or any team that acquires him, would pick up his fifth-year option that stands to be worth around $8.5MM for 2018.
Jaguars Release Davon House, Shopping Sen’Derrick Marks
Both Davon House and Sen’Derrick Marks saw their roles diminish last season after formerly being full-time Jaguars starters. And both could play elsewhere in 2017. After previously trying to find a trade partner for the cornerback, the Jags plan to cut House, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. They are now attempting to find a trade match for Marks, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union reports. Jacksonville officially cut House on Monday, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.
Jacksonville signed House to a four-year, $25MM deal in 2015. But he will join fellow key ’15 signees from that year in being cut or shipped out. The Jags traded Julius Thomas and cut Jared Odrick earlier this offseason. After shopping him during Combine week, the Jags evidently could not find a taker. This release will clear all $6MM attached to House off the Jags’ cap sheet, one that already had the team set at $70MM-plus in space entering Saturday.
The former Packers backup started all 16 games for the Jags in 2015 but was benched last season as the team retooled its cornerback corps, bringing in Jalen Ramsey and Prince Amukamara.
Marks saw an ACL tear in Week 17 of the 2014 season alter his career. The 30-year-old defensive tackle and full-time Jags contributor has started just three more games since. Marks played in all 16 games last season but sat behind Malik Jackson and Abry Jones, both of whom being set for long-term Jacksonville tenures after Jones was re-signed last month.
Marks has one more season at $4.675MM on his Jags contract. Should the Jaguars release Marks, all but $200K of his 2017 wages will be cleared off the books. He registered 8.5 sacks in 2014 but just 3.5 since.
Chad Greenway To Retire
The Vikings announced Chad Greenway will retire after 10 seasons. A Tuesday press conference is on tap for the UFA linebacker to retire as a member of the Vikings, with whom he played all 10 of those campaigns.
Greenway signed a one-year contract in 2016 to return to the team, but last season was expected to be his last. The 34-year-old linebacker will make good on those intentions. This will mark a new era for the Vikings, who drafted both Greenway and Adrian Peterson in the first round of the 2007 draft.
The former Iowa standout made two Pro Bowls, in 2011 and 2012, and 144 career starts. He became a full-time starter beginning in Week 1 of the ’07 slate and didn’t relinquish his spot on the outside in the Vikings’ 4-3 scheme. Greenway made nine Vikings starts last season, playing for $2.75MM. Greenway played in all 16 games last season and made 41 tackles, a career-low mark. Finishing his career with 1,334 tackles, Greenway made more than 100 in six of his 10 seasons, with a 148-stop 2012 campaign representing his high-water mark. He also registered 18 career sacks.
Minnesota still has Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks and Emmanuel Lamur under contract for 2017. Lemur signed a two-year deal in 2016 as well.
2017 Franchise Tag And RFA Salaries
The NFL has officially set the 2017 salary cap at $167MM, an increase of about $12MM from the 2016 season. That uptick means franchise tags, as well as restricted free agent salaries, will also see a bump. Here are the values for the 2017 season, courtesy of a league announcement and Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap (Twitter link):
Franchise tag (non-exclusive):
Quarterback: $21.268MM
Running back: $12.120MM
Wide receiver: $15.682MM
Tight end: $9.780MM
Offensive line: $14.271MM
Defensive end: $16.934MM
Defensive tackle: $13.387MM
Linebacker: $14.550MM
Cornerback: $14.212MM
Safety: $10.896MM
Kicker/Punter: $4.835MM
Restricted free agent tenders:
First round tender: $3.910MM
Second round tender: $2.746MM
Original round/right of first refusal: $1.797MM
For more information on these subjects, check out the Pro Football Glossary entries on franchise/transition tags and restricted free agency.
Panthers Interested In Matt Kalil?
The Panthers could be fixing to have both Kalil Bros. on the roster in 2017. The Panthers are expected to have interest in Matt Kalil, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. 
Kalil, 28 in July, played in only two games last year thanks to September hip surgery. Teams will be wary of his medical status, but his father tells Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press that he is now 100% healthy. For his part, the younger Kalil has said that he would like to stay in Minnesota:
“I’d love to stay here the rest of my career,” Kalil said last fall. “This is the team I started out with in the NFL, and I’ve been playing with these guys. I’ve met a lot of great friends here, my wife is from here. It’d be a good place to finish my career.”
Even if he’s healthy, the reality is that Kalil comes with tons of question marks. Kalil hasn’t been overly effective blocker since earning a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie. Kalil allowed the second-most pressures among tackles in 2014 and finished 18th from the bottom in 2015, according to Pro Football Focus.
AFC West Rumors: Romo, Broncos, Chiefs
Linked to numerous teams throughout the offseason, Tony Romo should still be on the Broncos‘ radar, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com said (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post). The former agent anticipates the Broncos being the winner of this unique pursuit while noting the Texans are likely the primary competition.
“I expect Romo to be a Bronco,” Corry said. “Houston may actually be his more favored destination because it’s in the state of Texas and it’s an easy transition. He wouldn’t be uprooting his family in the same way as he would with Denver. But Denver, [recent] Super Bowl champions, just a quarterback away, it makes sense.”
John Elway didn’t dismiss the Romo route last week, saying the Broncos would “look at all options,” but has praised his two incumbents, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. Corry suggests the Broncos retain Siemian even if they sign Romo. While possibly being able to fetch a late draft pick in a trade, Denver’s primary 2016 starter stands to make just $628K next season. The Broncos unloaded Mark Sanchez last year because Siemian beat him out for the starting job, wanting Lynch to see more practice reps. A Romo/Siemian/Lynch setup would potentially be a complicated scenario but provide the Broncos with depth.
Here’s more from the AFC West.
- We have additional details on Eric Berry’s six-year, $78MM deal with the Chiefs, courtesy of Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Berry’s $20MM signing bonus is prorated through 2021, meaning the Chiefs could not save real cap room by cutting him until 2019. If that were to happen, they’d save about $4.5MM in space. As previously reported, the deal includes $40MM in guarantees, including a $20MM signing bonus. He’ll earn $30MM over the first two years of the new pact. The deal is the most lucrative ever given to a safety.
- The Chiefs have a similar timeline on Laurent Duvernay-Tardif‘s extension, should they choose to bail on the deal, Paylor writes. Kansas City could save about $2.2MM in cap space by cutting the guard in 2019. The Canadian doctor-in-training inked his five-year, $41.25MM extension with KC late last month.
- It seems like Broncos nose tackle Sylvester Williams and cornerback Kayvon Webster are likely to sign elsewhere, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post tweets. Webster has been vocal about his desire for more playing time and we recently ranked him as one of the Top 50 Free Agents based on his potential earning power.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Teams Want Nick Mangold To Move To Guard
For years, Nick Mangold stood as one of the league’s very best centers. Now, he’s being asked to change positions. Teams that have expressed interest so far have asked Mangold if he’d be willing to move to guard, sources tell ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link). So far, he’s held off on making that commitment and he continues to wait for an opportunity to continue as a center. 
Mangold was released by the Jets late last month, allowing the team to clear upwards of $9MM of cap room for 2017. Contending clubs are expected to pursue the veteran and PFR’s Dallas Robinson speculated that the Buccaneers, Bengals, Lions, Vikings, Redskins, and Cardinals could be among the clubs to call on him.
Our recent list of the Top 50 Free Agents available left Mangold on the cutting room floor, but we did give him “honorable mention” status. Looking at the center market, Mangold probably won’t be as in-demand as the younger J.C. Tretter. Others with starting experience include Joe Hawley, John Sullivan, and A.Q. Shipley. Stefen Wisniewski, who mostly played at guard in 2016, also has experience in the middle.
East Rumors: Gilmore, Eagles, Matthews
Stephon Gilmore delivered his finest statistical season during what amounted to his contract year in 2016, but the top Bills cornerback didn’t receive rave reviews from the analytics community. At least, not compared to the 2015 season, when Pro Football Focus viewed him as a top-20 corner. But Gilmore expected to be rewarded like a top-flight cover man, with Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com noting he will likely receive the largest contract among this year’s UFA corners.
Gilmore is seeking a deal north of Janoris Jenkins‘ five-year, $62.5MM contract that came with $29MM guaranteed. Gilmore comes in at No. 14 on PFR’s top 50 free agents list, behind other corners A.J. Bouye and Logan Ryan, whom La Canfora also expects to do very well on the market. The Bears are planning to aggressively pursue cornerback help, per La Canfora, who connects them to Gilmore. The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs made the same connection last week.
Here’s a look at the latest from the AFC and NFC East:
- Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) “believes” the Eagles will be open to trading Jordan Matthews if they receive a solid offer. Same goes for quarterback Chase Daniel, who is said to be drawing trade interest. Matthews, 25 in July, was a second-round pick in 2014 under the Chip Kelly administration. Last year, he had 73 catches for 804 yards and three touchdowns, a step back from 2015 when he had 85 catches, 997 yards, and eight scores.
- The Patriots believe someone is going to make LeGarrette Blount an offer they won’t match, Robinson tweets. With that in mind, Robinson believes they are preparing for his departure. Blount stands as one of the better running backs available in free agency, but other big names will be out there including Adrian Peterson, Eddie Lacy, and Jamaal Charles.
- Redskins UFA defensive end Chris Baker expects to receive an offer from the team by Tuesday.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Elliott, Crawford
Here’s a look at the NFC East:
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he has heard nothing new about the league’s investigation into assault allegations against Ezekiel Elliott, Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News writes. “Absolutely nothing anywhere that indicates anything other than what they told us when we left training camp,” Jones said, “and that is that they have no cause.” Jones added that if the investigation had turned anything up, he “would have heard about it.”
- Cowboys defensive end Jack Crawford has interest from roughly five teams, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. There’s a chance he could return to Dallas, but the Colts, Bills, and Jaguars are also in play for his services. Last year, Crawford re-signed with the Cowboys on a one-year, $1.1MM deal with a $240K signing bonus. This time around, he could command more money. Crawford, 29 in September, made a career-high eleven starts in 2016 and had 25 tackles with 3.5 sacks.
- Giants kicker Robbie Gould will test free agency, according to a source who spoke with Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Gould, 35, did not miss a single field goal attempt in his lone season with the Giants. Including the playoffs, he went 12-for-12 on three point tries, with a long of 47 yards. He made 21 of his 24 extra point attempts. The Giants do have a kicker signed to a futures deal, but it sounds like they might be the market for a proven leg.