2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Seahawks, Rams Interested In Terrelle Pryor

March 15th, 2018 at 11:32am CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns have company in their pursuit to bring Terrelle Pryor back to Ohio. Both the Rams and Seahawks are also now interested in the free agent wide receiver’s services, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports.

Seattle lost Paul Richardson to Washington, which signed Pryor last offseason, and Los Angeles saw Sammy Watkins sign with Kansas City on a whopping contract. Pryor did not perform as well as either last year but was the Browns’ top receiver in 2016.

The Browns remain in the mix, Cabot reports, but are now battling some more competitive pursuers. Pryor caught just 20 passes for 240 yards last season, proving to be an ill-fitting piece in Jay Gruden’s offense. He finished the season on IR.

Cleveland, though, tried to reacquire the Ohio State product midway through his disappointing season but could not. The Browns have been the team most linked to Pryor this offseason.

Chiefs Interested In Chad Henne, Matt Moore

March 15th, 2018 at 11:31am CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs will meet with Chad Henne on Thursday night, according to ESPN.com’s Jeff Darlington (on Twitter). The Chiefs also have interest in Dolphins free agent signal caller Matt Moore, Darlington adds.

The Titans and Dolphins are also showing interest in Henne, who has spent the last six seasons with the Jaguars. Henne has appeared in only six games since 2014, but NFL teams believe that he profiles as a solid backup option. In KC, he’d be the No. 2 QB behind Patrick Mahomes, giving them an experienced Plan B. The last time Henne, 33 in July, saw consistent playing time was 2013, when he completed 60.6% of his passes for 3,241 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.

Moore, another free agent QB from a Florida team, will turn 34 in August. Last year, it was reported that he felt slighted by Miami’s signing of Jay Cutler, so he could be looking to move on this offseason.

Patriots To Host LB Jonathan Casillas, TE Asante Cleveland

March 15th, 2018 at 11:24am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots are hosting linebacker Jonathan Casillas and tight end Asante Cleveland today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) and Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter link), respectively.

Casillas should be familiar to New England’s decision-makers, as the Patriots acquired him from the Buccaneers at the 2014 trade deadline. He played in eight games for the Pats that season before agreeing to a three-year, $10.5MM deal with the Giants the following offseason. New York is not expected to re-sign the 30-year-old Casillas, who finished the year on injured reserve, so he could help fill out a New England linebacker corps that also includes Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, and Elandon Roberts.

Cleveland, meanwhile, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this offseason, but the Chargers opted not to tender him a contract. While he’s never topped 12% playing time on offense and only has one career reception, Cleveland would be a candidate for special teams and reserve duty behind Rob Gronkowski. The Patriots are expected to release fellow tight end Dwayne Allen at some point, but given that he doesn’t have any guarantees due in the near future, Allen could stick on the New England roster throughout the summer.

Texans Place C.J. Fiedorowicz On Reserve/Retired List

March 15th, 2018 at 11:22am CST by Sam Robinson

A brutal 2017 featuring three concussions caused C.J. Fiedorowicz to mull retirement, and it looks like the veteran tight end will follow through with it.

The Texans placed Fiedorowicz on the reserve/retired list on Thursday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. Fiedorowicz signed a Texans extension last year but suffered three concussions and ended the season on IR.

This would have been Fiedorowicz’s fifth season. He enjoyed a breakout year during Brock Osweiler‘s lone season in Houston in 2016, hauling in 54 passes for 559 yards and four touchdowns en route to a new contract.

In each of his additional three seasons, the former third-round pick out of Iowa didn’t surpass 200 air yards. Of course, he was on track to do so last season but was sidetracked by head injuries that limited him to just five games.

Houston also adjusted the 26-year-old tight end’s contract, which was a three-year, $22MM extension with $10.1MM guaranteed. Fiedorowicz renegotiated his signing bonus as a result of this decision, and instead of his deal representing a $5.165MM cap hold, it will now count $1.676MM against the Texans’ 2018 cap.

Patriots, Falcons Pursuing RB Danny Woodhead

March 15th, 2018 at 11:19am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots and Falcons have reached out to free agent running back Danny Woodhead, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Woodhead is available following his release from the Ravens earlier this week.

Woodhead joined the Ravens on a free agent deal last offseason, but his contract was terminated before he could earn the full value of the $8.8MM deal. Thanks to a hamstring injury, Woodhead saw time in only eight games. He caught 33 passes for 200 yards in what was effectively half of a season.

Woodhead, a practice field favorite of the Jets, made his way to the Patriots in 2015 and became a major contributor in their offense. Across three seasons with New England, Woodhead averaged 4.8 yards per carry and averaged 32 catches for 342 yards per 16-game set. The Patriots are on the lookout for backfield help after losing Dion Lewis to the Titans. They did, however, re-sign one of their own in Rex Burkhead.

In Atlanta, Woodhead would serve as a complementary piece to go along with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Woodhead hasn’t been utilized as a traditional ball carrier in recent seasons and he’d be doing even less in that regard with the Falcons.

NFL Contract Restructures: 3/15/18

March 15th, 2018 at 11:10am CST by Zachary Links

With the 2018 league year officially underway, a number of teams have reworked player contracts in order to create additional cap space. Here’s what moves clubs have made today:

Broncos: Created $12.375MM in 2018 cap space by converting $16MM of LB Von Miller‘s $18.5MM base salary into a signing bonus (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).
Cardinals: G Mike Iupati accepted $3MM pay cut. 2018 base salary reduced from $7.75MM to $5MM. $250K roster bonus eliminated. 2019 contract season is now voidable (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com).
Cowboys: Created ~$7.5MM in 2018 cap space by restructuring C Travis Frederick‘s contract (Twitter link via Jane Slater of NFL.com).
Eagles: Created $5.407MM in 2018 cap space by converting $7.21MM of TE Zach Ertz‘s $8MM base salary into a fully guaranteed roster bonus (Twitter link via Yates).
Ravens: Created $5.625MM in 2018 cap space by converting $7.5MM of DT Brandon Williams‘ $8.5MM base salary into a signing bonus (Twitter link via Yates).

Dolphins To Release C Mike Pouncey

March 15th, 2018 at 11:08am CST by Zachary Links

Dolphins center Mike Pouncey has been released, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). While Schefter reports Pouncey requested his release, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) says Miami asked Pouncey to accept a 50% pay reduction, which he declined.

Pouncey now joins Ryan Jensen as one of the top available centers in free agency. Jensen is coming off of a tremendous year in which he was ranked as the No. 6 center in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. Pouncey, for all of his name value and past accolades, comes with question marks.

Pouncey did not look like his usual self last year. Although he appeared in all 16 of the Dolphins’ games his hip injury slowed him down. In the past, we’ve heard that he may eventually require replacement surgery at some point. One doctor went so far as to tell Pouncey that he would have to retire as a result of the malady, but Pouncey, for now, is bucking medical advice.

By releasing Pouncey, the Dolphins will get out from under his $9MM cap hit with just $2MM in dead money.

Last year, PFF ranked Pouncey as the league’s No. 25 center, a sharp contract with his No. 11 ranking in 2015.

Chiefs Re-Sign P Dustin Colquitt

March 15th, 2018 at 11:05am CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs have agreed to a new three-year deal with punter Dustin Colquitt, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The new pact will be worth up to $9MM.

Colquitt is the Chiefs’ longest-tenured player as he has been with the team since 2005. Save for two missed games in 2008, Colquitt has been on the field for every regular season contest in that span. Last year, Colquitt booted 65 punts for 2936 yards, good for an average of 45.2. He also kicked the longest punt in the NFL last season when he drilled a 77-yarder in December. It was the second-longest attempt of his career, next to his 81 yard boot in 2007.

Last year, Colquitt carried a $4.9MM cap number. His new deal will lessen that blow going forward.

Raiders Likely To Sign WR Jordy Nelson

March 15th, 2018 at 10:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders trying to finalize deal today for former Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Nelson visited the Raiders on Wednesday and he remains in Oakland today.

“This is going to get done,” one source familiar with the talks tells Schefter.

If the Raiders land Nelson, they’re likely to cut fellow wide receiver Michael Crabtree, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) adds. Crabtree is set to carry a $7.7MM cap hit, a number that, truthfully, does not seem all that high given the boom of the free agent wide receiver market in recent days. Money aside, it seems like new head coach Jon Gruden simply prefers Nelson to Crabtree.

Nelson also had visits with the Seahawks and Saints on the docket, but, at this rate, he won’t be making those trips. If things go as planned, Nelson will be signed to serve as the No. 2 wide receiver in Oakland, behind Amari Cooper. The Raiders also plan to return Seth Roberts and Cordarrelle Patterson, as shown on Roster Resource.

This marked the first ever trip through free agency for Nelson, who turns 33 in May.

Seahawks Host WR Jaron Brown On Visit

March 15th, 2018 at 10:33am CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals free agent wide receiver Jaron Brown is traveling to Seattle today for a visit with the Seahawks, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Brown was PFR’s No. 9 ranked wide receiver heading into free agency.

Already, the Cardinals lost one Brown when John Brown inked a free agent deal with the Ravens. Jaron Brown could be the next to go he can agree to terms with Seattle. The Cardinals are a bit cash-strapped, particularly after signing quarterback Sam Bradford to a sizable free agent deal, but it would behoove them to retain Jaron Brown. At the moment, their wide receiver group has a bit of a drop off after Larry Fitzgerald with J.J. Nelson, Chad Williams, Carlton Agudosi, and Rashad Ross under contract, as shown on Roster Resource.

Other clubs reportedly view Brown a potential No. 2 wide receiver, though he’d slot in no better than No. 3 with Seattle, behind Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett. The speedy Marcus Johnson, brought over via trade with the Eagles, also figures to get involved.

Brown, 28, posted the best season of his career in 2017 by registering 31 receptions for 477 yards and four touchdowns. He also has considerable special teams experience, though he played on only a third of Arizona’s special teams snaps in 2017.