Titans Release CB Jason McCourty
The Titans are releasing cornerback Jason McCourty, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). McCourty was the team’s longest tenured player, but he’ll now have to seek work elsewhere. The Titans wanted to redo McCourty’s deal, but the two sides couldn’t agree on terms, a source tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter). 
There was no real buildup for the move, so McCourty’s release comes as a pretty big surprise. In the past, the Patriots inquired on McCourty, but it didn’t seem like a trade was close to happening. Now that he’s a free agent, one has to wonder if New England will get into the mix in an effort to reunite him with twin brother Devin McCourty.
Jason McCourty, selected in the sixth round of the 2009 draft by the Titans, appeared in 108 games for the team, including 90 starts. The 29-year-old (30 in October) has long been regarded as a quality talent, but he turned in a so-so year in 2016. That came after a 2015 season in which he missed all but four games due to injury. All things considered, the Titans apparently were unwilling to keep McCourty at a $7MM cap number for the coming season. There will be no dead money left over since there was no guaranteed cash remaining on the deal.
In 2016, Pro Football Focus ranked McCourty as the 55th ranked cornerback in the NFL out of 111 qualified players. In his best years (2010-2013), McCourty was ranked comfortably within the top 30, framing him as a starting caliber corner.
The Titans own the No. 5 overall pick in the draft and they could target a top corner like Marshon Lattimore, Gareon Conley, or Marlon Humphrey.
Texans Release OL Tony Bergstrom
The Texans are cutting offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Cutting Bergstrom will save the club $2.875MM while leaving $375K of dead money against the cap. 
One year ago, Bergstrom joined the Texans as a free agent, agreeing to a two-year, $5.75MM deal with $1.5MM guaranteed. He went on to appear in 15 games as a reserve, but didn’t see a lot of playing time in total. In the previous season, Bergstrom appeared in every game for the Raiders and made three starts.
Bergstrom turns 31 in May and was buried on Houston’s depth chart in 2016, so he won’t have big bucks thrown in his direction. However, he did an alright job filling in for the injured Rodney Hudson in 2015 and he offers experience at both tackle and guard. Bergstrom could get a look as line depth this summer, should he choose to continue playing.
Extra Points: Romo, Lynch, Raiders, Mixon
As an undrafted free agent, Tony Romo almost wound up with the Broncos or the Cardinals over the Cowboys.
“I actually wanted to go to Denver a little bit more, I felt like I had a better chance of making the roster,” Romo told Peter King of The MMQB this week. “The money … Arizona, I believe, offered the most, probably around $20,000 or $25,000, which was like being rich at that time. Denver came in and they were like 15 to 20, but they also had Mike Shanahan who I had strong respect for, and obviously the Cowboys came in. It was Mike Shanahan on one side and then Bill Parcells on the other. Sean would call in and then eventually he passed the phone to Jerry [Jones], so you went through the whole gamut.”
While you ponder that, here’s more news from around the NFL:
- The Raiders are working on short-term deal with heavy incentives for Marshawn Lynch in advance of his reinstatement, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. After that, the Seahawks will either trade him to Oakland or release him to facilitate a deal.
- 49ers GM John Lynch won’t rule out the possibility of drafting controversial Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon. “I think in terms of our board, we’ve made an effort to be as transparent as possible, but just one thing that I believe is that we’re not going to share some specifics of our board, who’s on it, who’s off it,” Lynch said (via CSNBayArea.com). “So I think that applies to that young man, as well.” The 49ers released cornerback Tramaine Brock after his domestic violence arrest, but that apparently doesn’t equal a complete zero tolerance policy.
- The Rams extension timing with first-round picks Robert Quinn, Tavon Austin, and Michael Brockers suggests that Aaron Donald will have a new deal by October, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com opines (Twitter link). This week, the Rams exercised Donald’s fifth-year option, but many expect the two sides to hammer out a long-term extension before that kicks in.
Colts Sign DT Johnathan Hankins
The Colts have taken the top remaining free agent off of the board. Johnathan Hankins has agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth up to $30MM, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The defensive tackle gets $10.5MM in the first year with $15.9MM guaranteed overall. Of course, further details on the deal’s cash flow will give us a better grip on the contract’s true value.
Hankins made the deal official (Twitter link).
The incumbent Giants had a four-year, $28MM proposal on the table for Hankins. On the surface, it seems like he got significantly more from Indianapolis. If he serves the complete term of the deal, he’ll be eligible for free agency again at age 28. Depending on how he performs, that could set him up for a massive multi-year payday in the future. In the interim, he netted a decent sized multi-year deal at a time when it seemed like he might have to settle for a one-year pact.
In terms of per year average, Hankins’ deal puts him eighth amongst all 4-3 defensive tackles, behind Ndamukong Suh, Fletcher Cox, Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson, Gerald McCoy, Michael Brockers, and Geno Atkins. The Giants were looking to pay him like Nick Fairley (four years, $28MM with $14MM guaranteed), but he went one level up while taking a bit less in per-year guarantees.
After finishing dead last in DVOA in 2016, the Colts were determined to improve the defensive line. After acquiring Hankins, Jabaal Sheard, Sean Spence, John Simon, Barkevious Mingo, and others, the Colts are certainly in better shape.
Meanwhile, the Giants will have to figure out a way to replace the 25-year-old. At this point, the best free agent interior linemen are long gone and the draft doesn’t offer a ton of high end defensive tackles. Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen is projected to come off of the board well before the Giants’ turn at the podium and that leaves second-tier guys like Malik McDowell (Michigan State), Caleb Brantley (Florida), and Larry Ogunjobi (Charlotte) and not all of those players are scheme fits for the G-Men. On the open market, Jared Odrick stands as the best available DT.
Jay Cutler Still Mulling Retirement
Back in February, Jay Cutler was said to be mulling retirement. That’s still an option for the free agent quarterback, according to a league source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Roman Modrowski. 
The soon-to-be 34-year-old quarterback has been linked to the Jets, but we haven’t really heard his name in recent weeks. After earning upwards of $100MM over the course of his career, Cutler might not want to take the punishment of another NFL season. He might be motivated to try and leave the game as a winning quarterback, but the Jets won’t offer him a good chance at that and most contending clubs would only consider him as a backup. His only chance at starting for a playoff-caliber team would be with the Texans, but it’s not clear if they have interest.
In his 11 NFL seasons for the Broncos and Bears, Cutler has amassed a career 68-71 record. His best season came in 2008 for Denver when he threw for more than 4,500 yards and 25 touchdowns. That season earned Cutler his sole career Pro Bowl selection.
I have Cutler ranked as the best quarterback still available on the open market, ahead of Colin Kaepernick and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Seahawks Expected To Trade Marshawn Lynch To Raiders
The Seahawks and Raiders are expected to work out a trade sending Marshawn Lynch to Oakland, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The deal is contingent on first hammering out a reworked contract. 
On Thursday morning, we learned that Lynch has begun the reinstatement process. According to Rapoport (on Twitter), Lynch technically does not have to file for reinstatement in order to allow for a trade. If and when a new contract is executed, however, he must request and be granted reinstatement in order to play (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Ed Werder).
Lynch was held back by injuries in 2015, but he had a strong 2014 with 4.7 yards per carry and a career-high 13 touchdowns on the ground. He’s still only 30 years old and, theoretically, would be returning to football with fresh legs.
After losing Latavius Murray to the Vikings in free agency, the Raiders are without a clear No. 1 running back for the coming year. Lynch could fill that void and be the team’s primary ball carrier ahead of Jalen Richard, DeAndre Washington, and Taiwan Jones. Some analysts have been expecting the Raiders to target a running back with the No. 27 pick in the draft, but acquiring Lynch could push them in a different direction.
Lynch has reportedly mulled the possibility of joining the Patriots or following Richard Sherman to his next team (if the cornerback is dealt), but his affinity for Oakland has been the league’s worst kept secret for the past year. When asked about the idea of returning with the Raiders, Lynch issued steadfast denials, but there was clearly fire beneath the smoke.
Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Latest On Adrian Peterson
Things might be looking up for Adrian Peterson. The veteran running back impressed the Patriots in his recent workout as he looked fast and explosive, Ed Werder of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link). Werder adds that the Saints might look to sign him before the draft, if the two sides can agree on money. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) says a deal is not expected to come together in the next couple of weeks.
The Saints were the third club to host Peterson this offseason, following meetings with Seahawks and Patriots. The Saints reportedly did not put Peterson through a workout, but it sounds like they have real interest in signing him anyway. Adding Peterson before the draft would allow the Saints to put even more focus on building the defense and would give them a strong 1-2 combo with Mark Ingram.
The Saints can only spend so much for Peterson, but at this point, the running back probably can’t do much better than a one-year deal with a modest base salary. At least with the Saints, Peterson can see a realistic path to contention, even though they’re coming off of a challenging 2016.
Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Marshawn Lynch Begins Reinstatement Process
Marshawn Lynch has begun the process of reinstatement, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. The Seahawks running back is hoping to play for Raiders, of course, but Werder suggests that he could be interested in teaming with Richard Sherman elsewhere if the star Seahawks cornerback is traded. 
[RELATED: Marshawn Lynch Interested In Patriots]
Lynch would carry a $9MM cap hit for Seattle if reinstated and the team simply cannot afford him at that rate. The Seahawks also don’t really need Lynch from a football perspective after signing Eddie Lacy in free agency this offseason. Once Lynch formally returns to football, the team will be forced to trade or release him, which could pave the way for his long-expected union with the Raiders.
For a long time, it was Raiders-or-bust for Beast Mode, but he’s at least considering other options if he cannot work things out with Oakland. Lynch has interest in joining up with the Patriots and he’s now reportedly daydreaming about following Sherman out of Seattle. The Raiders are still the odds-on favorites to land Lynch, but it’s certainly a situation worth monitoring.
Patriots Host Mike Gillislee, Damien Williams
The Patriots got a double dose of restricted free agent running backs on Wednesday. The Patriots hosted Bills RFA RB Mike Gillislee and Dolphins RFA RB Damien Williams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter links). 
The Bills surprised many in the football world when they assigned Gillislee an original round/right of first refusal tender, which would only entitle them to a fifth-round pick if they did not match an offer sheet. For another $1MM or so, the Bills could have placed the second-round tender on Gillislee and that probably would have kept every potential suitor at bay. Gillislee averaged an NFL-best 5.7 yards per carry on 101 attempts as LeSean McCoy‘s understudy.
Williams, 25, was eclipsed by Jay Ajayi in Miami last year. Ultimately, he finished out with 35 carries for 115 yards (3.3 yards per carry average) and three touchdowns. Although the Dolphins would like to keep him, they would be able to get by just fine with Ajayi and Kenyan Drake holding down the RB position. They can also replenish the RB group in the late rounds of this year’s draft.
It’s fair to wonder whether the Patriots’ interest in either player is sincere. Already, the Pats have free agent addition Rex Burkhead, Dion Lewis, James White, D.J. Foster, and Branden Bolden on the roster and LeGarrette Blount remains available. The Patriots could be taking a real look at guys like Gillislee, Williams, and Adrian Peterson, but they could also be faking it to put additional pressure on Blount to re-sign. It doesn’t sound like Blount has much of an outside market for his services, so that could be an effective strategy for New England.
Extra Points: Cutler, Lynch, 49ers, Eagles
Free agent quarterback Jay Cutler continues to mull retirement, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. The Jets have been the only team to show real interest in the 34-year-old since the Bears released him in March, and Gang Green went on to sign a different veteran, one of Cutler’s former backups in Josh McCown. It seems the Jets would have added Cutler had he been willing to sign with them, as Caplan writes that he wasn’t gung-ho on joining a rebuilding club. As a playoff-caliber team without an obvious answer under center, the Texans and Cutler could theoretically be a match, but they’re uninterested in signing him. Cutler has started in all 139 of his appearances, so it would be understandable if he’d rather walk away from football than continue as a backup.
More from around the game:
- Retired running back Marshawn Lynch, who’s considering returning to the league, was involved in an unflattering incident at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday, video of which is available courtesy of TMZ. Lynch smacked a cellphone out of the hand of an autograph seeker, cracking the screen, and that person is now considering filing a police report for assault. The league declined to comment on the run-in, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
- Contrary to a report from Tuesday, the 49ers aren’t ready to give up on running back Carlos Hyde, according to general manager John Lynch. They’re actually “really high on” Hyde, who’s “a very talented young man,” per Lynch (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). It wouldn’t necessarily be wise to take Lynch’s comments at face value here, though Hyde did make his case to continue as San Francisco’s No. 1 back when he posted a 4.6 yards-per-carry average on 217 attempts and combined for nine touchdowns last season.
- The Eagles have worked out Missouri defensive end Charles Harris, writes Tim McManus of ESPN.com. The potential first-rounder totaled nine sacks last season during his final year with the Tigers. Harris is part of what some executives and coaches are calling the best defensive draft class of the past two decades, tweets Dianna Russini of ESPN.
- Free agent wide receiver Louis Murphy was arrested Wednesday at Tampa International Airport on a felony count of carrying a concealed weapon, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. Murphy, 29, played with the Raiders, Panthers, Giants and Buccaneers from 2009-15. He missed all of last season with a torn ACL, becoming a free agent after the Bucs waived him off injured reserve in November.