Ravens Sign WR Jeremy Maclin
The decision is in. Jeremy Maclin has signed with the Ravens, according to a team announcement. It’s a two-year deal for the wide receiver worth $11MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’ll earn $6MM in year one of the deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) says, adding that there isn’t a lot of “funny money” in the contract. 
The Ravens aren’t done adding to the receiver group, either. Even though Maclin has been signed, the Ravens continue to be in the mix for Eric Decker, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Jets have informed Decker that he will either be released or traded in the coming days, but it is not clear whether the Ravens are looking to make a deal with Gang Green or wait to see if he is cut loose. The Ravens and the Jets had preliminary trade talks about Decker last week.
Baltimore surprised many during the draft when it did not select a wide receiver. The patient approach has paid off for the Ravens as they have landed a former Pro Bowler in the late stages of the offseason. The Ravens will now roll into 2017 with a receiver group led by Maclin, Mike Wallace, and Breshad Perriman. Joe Flacco will have nothing but speed at his disposal and that could mean big things for this Ravens offense.
The Ravens are hoping that the addition of Maclin will help to mitigate the loss of tight end Dennis Pitta. Pitta was released earlier this month after he suffered yet another hip dislocation. Last season, he returned to his old form and became one of Flacco’s top targets. Although Pitta will be missed, the Ravens passing attack is likely in better shape than it was in 2016.
In 2015, Maclin had 87 catches for more than 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns for the Chiefs. Even though he is not far removed from that performance, KC cut him in order to avoid paying his $9.75MM base salary for 2017. Last season, Maclin had 44 catches for 536 yards and two scores in 12 games.
NFC Notes: Maclin, Revis, Newton
We learned earlier today that the Eagles, not the Bills, were the runners-up for Jeremy Maclin‘s services, which came as something of a surprise given last week’s report that Philadelphia did not have interest in reuniting with Maclin. Per Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links), Eagles head coach Doug Pederson claims he was not being coy when he said the team was not considering Maclin, but that the Eagles did not reach out to Maclin until the weekend, when they contacted him to gauge interest. However, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets the Eagles never really got into a bidding war with the Ravens, who ultimately signed Maclin and who apparently gave him “solid money” to come to Baltimore.
Now for more from the NFC:
- Cowboys WR Dez Bryant tweeted free agent corner Darrelle Revis yesterday and told him to consider signing with the Cowboys, leading some to speculate that the club could be interested in relocating Revis Island to Texas, despite earlier reports to the contrary. Nonetheless, Clarence Hill, Jr. of the Star-Telegram, citing a team source, tweets that there is “nothing going on with Revis.”
- We heard earlier today that Eddie Lacy passed his weigh-in with the Seahawks, which netted him a $55K bonus, but he was not the league’s biggest loser this week. As Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes, Cowboys offensive lineman Byron Bell picked up $150K by weighing in at less than 320 pounds on Monday, and he can earn another $300K if he meets his weight requirements at the start of training camp and the first week of the regular season. And, per ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter), if Falcons NT Dontari Poe weighs 340 pounds or less tomorrow, he earns $125K.
- Panthers QB Cam Newton will not throw at this week’s minicamp, but the quarterback is still on schedule with his recovery and is expected to be ready for training camp, as Edward Lewis of NFL.com writes.
- The Saints may be shopping Travaris Cadet, but Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune does not believe they can realistically expect to get any takers, so the team will probably be forced to release him.
- We learned earlier tonight that Rams DT Aaron Donald could miss this week’s mandatory minicamp as he continues to push for a long-term deal.
Aaron Donald, Le’Veon Bell May Skip Minicamp
We heard earlier tonight that Duane Brown is not expected to report to the Texans’ minicamp tomorrow, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (article via Conor Orr of NFL.com) reports that Rams DT Aaron Donald and Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell could miss their teams’ respective minicamps as they seek new contracts of their own.
Bell is now the only franchise-tagged player in the league not to have signed the franchise tender or agreed to a long-term extension, though he and the Steelers have been working on a deal for awhile, and it was reported at the end of last month that neither Bell nor Pittsburgh is worried about the running back’s status. At this point, though, the Steelers have most of the leverage. As talented as Bell is, and as important as he is to the team’s offense, his suspensions and injury history are certainly working against him in contract talks, and the closer we get to training camp, the more difficult it would be for Bell to land a contract on the open market that pays him even $10MM in 2017, much less the $12.1MM he stands to receive under the franchise tender.
As Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes, the franchise tag value makes a long-term deal unlikely at this point. Bell is no doubt pushing for a multiyear deal that includes twice the amount of the franchise tender in guarantees with a roughly $12MM average annual value, and Bouchette is skeptical that the Steelers would meet those demands (particularly when they can just tag Bell again next season for about $14.5MM, which does not sound too exorbitant for a player of his caliber).
Because Bell is not under contract, he cannot be fined for missing minicamp. The same cannot be said for Donald, who is under club control through 2018, but it is unlikely Los Angeles would actually impose a fine on Donald. We learned last month that negotiations on a long-term deal had entered the “serious phase,” but we have not heard anything since that report. It still looks as if the two sides may reach a multiyear pact sometime soon, though the Rams’ tight salary cap situation could be complicating things a bit. Indeed, Donald’s next contract could make him the highest-paid defensive player in the game, and with hardly any cap room at the moment, the Rams may need to get creative to take on such a contract.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/12/17
Monday’s minor moves from around the league:
- The Browns signed LB Deon King and WR Richard Mullaney and waived DL Nile Lawrence-Stample with a failed physical designation, as Pat McManamon of ESPN.com reports. King was with the Colts and Chargers last season, while Mullaney was in the Texans’ and Cowboys’ training camp.
- The Ravens waived CB Carlos Davis with an injury settlement.
Duane Brown Not Expected At Minicamp
Texans LT Duane Brown stayed away from the team during voluntary OTAs, and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports that the club does not expect anything to change when mandatory minicamp opens tomorrow. Wilson, citing league sources not authorized to speak publicly, says Brown will continue to express his desire for a new deal through his absence.
The 31-year-old Brown is under contract through 2018 and is scheduled to earn a non-guaranteed $9.65MM base salary this season and $9.75MM in 2018 (his 2017 salary ranks third among all left tackles, though his total cash places 11th). As our Zach Links wrote last month, Brown’s consistently strong performance could warrant having some of his future money guaranteed as a part of a contract extension, but the fact that he still has two years left on his current deal could mean that he won’t get far with his demands.
Brown, whom the Texans selected in the first round of the 2008 draft, has been a stalwart at the left tackle spot since his rookie campaign. He made the Pro Bowl in three consecutive years from 2012-14 (including a First Team All-Pro nod in 2012), and though he was not selected to the NFL’s All-Star game in the subsequent two seasons, he still played quite well.
He has also been pretty durable. He missed four games last season thanks to a torn quadriceps muscle, but he missed only four regular season games in total in the previous five seasons.
Brown can be subject to fines totaling $80,400 if he misses the entire minicamp, though it is unlikely the Texans would exercise that option against a valuable, long-tenured player like Brown.
Jets To Sign RB Jordan Todman
The Jets are expected to sign veteran running back/kick returner Jordan Todman, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Terms of the deal are not yet known, but this is likely a one-year pact. 
[RELATED: Jets Release WR Eric Decker]
Todman, 27, has bounced around between four teams in six years. Most recently, he spent the 2016 season with the Colts where he carried the ball only nine times and contributed mainly on special teams. Todman had 16 kick returns for a total of 478 yards in 2016, giving him a strong 29.9 yards-per-return average. That total includes one spectacular 99-yard return for a touchdown against the Packers in November. Jets fans looking to forget about their troubles can view the impressive play on YouTube.
The Jets already have a big group of running backs, including main guys Bilal Powell and Matt Forte plus reserves Brandon Wilds, Elijah McGuire (rookie), Brandon Burks, and Romar Morris. As a return specialist, Todman may have a leg up on making the 53-man roster.
Colts Claim Tyvis Powell
The Colts claimed safety Tyvis Powell off waivers from the Browns, according to a team announcement. To make room on the roster, Indianapolis has waived cornerback Reggie Porter. 
Powell appeared in eight games as rookie with Seattle last season and recorded three tackles. He did not make it into the postseason with the Seahawks, however, as Seattle dropped him from the roster just prior to the playoffs in order to clear a spot for Devin Hester. In February, Cleveland picked him up off of waivers. Roughly four months later, it’s a familiar scene for the Ohio State product. He’ll be starting over with a new team and hoping to make it through the fall.
With an 8-8 record last season, the Colts were roughly in the middle of the pack in terms of waiver priority. Powell will now look to hook on as a reserve behind Clayton Geathers and rookie Malik Hooker, a fellow former Buckeye.
Jets Release WR Eric Decker
The Jets have released wide receiver Eric Decker, according to a team announcement. The Jets informed Decker last week that he would be either released or traded, so it seems that the Jets were unable to find a suitable trade. 
[RELATED: Ravens Still On Decker, Even After Adding Jeremy Maclin]
The Jets worked hard to find something for Decker instead of releasing him for nothing, but a release was always the most likely outcome. The Jets were willing to eat money in a potential Decker trade, but they could not eat enough to make a deal work, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The Jets were reportedly waiting to see where Jeremy Maclin would sign before giving up and releasing Decker. After Maclin signed with the Ravens, the trade market for Decker still did not materialize. Interestingly, the Ravens are not ruling out a Decker signing even after adding Maclin, so Baltimore could pounce quickly. If the Ravens are able to lure in Decker and make everything work under the cap, they’ll have one of the most intriguing WR groups of any team in 2017.
Although the veteran may be poised for a bounce-back year, teams were probably unwilling to part with anything of value to take him on at a high salary. Now, contenders will vie for Decker’s services and likely offer deals that are less expensive than the two years that were left on his five-year, $36.25MM contract.
Decker never missed significant time in his NFL career until the 2016 season. Hip and shoulder injuries limited him to just three games last season. He finished out the year with nine grabs for 194 yards and two touchdowns.
By dumping Decker, the Jets will save $7.5MM in cap space in each of the next two seasons.
Eagles Were Runners Up For Jeremy Maclin
On Monday morning, it was reported that Jeremy Maclin was deciding between signing with the Ravens or the Bills. As it turns out, the decision actually came down to the Ravens and the Eagles, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Ravens Sign WR Jeremy Maclin]
This news comes as a surprise since Maclin’s only two known visits were with Buffalo and Baltimore. Furthermore, Eagles coach Doug Pederson said last week that the team did not have interest in the wide receiver “at [the] time.” Apparently, Pederson was playing coy with the media and Maclin felt familiar enough with the Eagles that he did not require a visit to Philadelphia.
The Bills went hard after Maclin, but apparently they did not crack his top two. Running back LeSean McCoy started the recruitment effort early by reaching out to his former Eagles teammate and Maclin’s visit stretched into a second day, but Buffalo was still not to his liking. One has to wonder where the Bills will go from here since their wide receiver group continues to look shallow. The Bills could use at least one receiver with a pedigree like Maclin’s to provide support behind oft-injured star Sammy Watkins. Robert Woods, who was a solid WR2 for the Bills, left the team in free agency this spring.
Saints To Sign QB Ryan Nassib
The Saints are expected to sign quarterback Ryan Nassib, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport adds that the Saints have “always been high on him,” so they’re happy to have him in the fold. 
Nassib becomes the fourth quarterback on the Saints’ roster after starter Drew Brees, primary backup Chase Daniel, and Garrett Grayson. It would appear that the Saints are pitting Nassib against Grayson for the QB3 role, though it’s not a certainty that they’ll carry three quarterbacks on the final 53-man roster. If the Saints are planning on having just Brees and Daniel come September, then Nassib and Grayson could wind up as practice squad candidates for New Orleans.
Nassib was selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft by the Giants, but the Syracuse product never got to make a start for the G-Men. Nassib received praise from Giants coaches for his work in practice, but the team didn’t try to re-sign him this offseason.
Last year, Nassib’s season ended early thanks to an elbow injury. At this stage, however, he is presumably healthy and ready to compete.