2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Saints Interested In Austin Seferian-Jenkins

March 12th, 2018 at 11:44am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are expected to show interest in tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins this week, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Tight end is on the to-do list for New Orleans and they are also eyeing a potential reunion with Jimmy Graham.

Seferian-Jenkins bounced back from substance abuse problems to put together a productive season with the Jets in 2017. He is reportedly seeking $7MM per year on his next deal, which may be a bit too optimistic, but there will be a market for his services. The Falcons and Seahawks are also believed to be potential landing spots for the tight end.

Last year, the former-second round pick caught 50 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns. His 50 receptions ranked 13th among tight ends in 2017, but his blocking leaves something to be desired. Pro Football Focus ranked him as just the 35th-best run-blocker at his position.

Chiefs To Release Ron Parker

March 12th, 2018 at 11:43am CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs are officially cutting Ron Parker on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (Twitter link). This news was expected and won’t cost the franchise too much in dead money.

Kansas City turned to Parker as a four-season starter at safety, with the second, third and fourth seasons coming on a second Chiefs contract the defensive back signed in March of 2015. Parker has been one of the most durable players at his position since becoming a perennial K.C. starter, suiting up for 64 of the past 65 games — all starts for a near-annual playoff entrant.

Parker will tag the Chiefs with a $2MM dead-money charge, but the franchise will save $5MM after this move.

Initially taking over as a first-string safety after Eric Berry was diagnosed with cancer in 2014, Parker signed a five-year, $30MM deal and was Berry’s running mate on three Chiefs playoff teams over the past three years. The 30-year-old former UDFA notched 40 pass breakups and intercepted nine passes as a Chief, with the team often using the former cornerback’s skills as a slot corner to help its defense.

However, Parker’s 2017 play was not on par with his usual work. And the retooling defense will move on after five seasons.

Saints Interested In Malcolm Butler

March 12th, 2018 at 11:34am CST by Zachary Links

Once again, the Saints have interest in acquiring cornerback Malcolm Butler. New Orleans is eyeing the Patriots free agent as well as Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, according to Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

The Patriots and Saints discussed a trade last offseason that would have sent Butler to New Orleans, but talks fell apart when the two sides could not agree to the level of draft compensation. After a down year, the Saints now have an opportunity to sign Butler to a cheaper deal and they won’t have to give up draft picks to do it, save for the impact the signing would have on their compensatory formula. Butler ranked just 51st amongst Pro Football Focus’ qualified corners last season and was virtually a healthy scratch in the Super Bowl.

The Giants released Rodgers-Cromartie over the weekend after he rejected a pay cut. DRC was scheduled to make $6.48MM in 2018, a figure that he can likely come close to on the open market. A reunion with the Broncos appeared to make some sense for Rodgers-Cromartie, but Denver does not have interest. Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune tweets that the cornerback does have a connection to the organization, as senior defensive assistant Peter Giunta was the Giants cornerbacks coach back in 2014.

Broncos Place Second-Round RFA Tender On Matt Paradis

March 12th, 2018 at 11:30am CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Broncos have regressed since their Super Bowl season, Matt Paradis has become one of the franchise’s best players over the past two seasons. And the Broncos are treating the restricted free agent center as such.

Denver plans to place a second-round tender on its three-year center starter, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. A second-round tender will cost the Broncos $2.914MM after Paradis represented merely a $615K cap hit for Denver last year.

Since earning the center job at the outset of Denver’s 2015 Super Bowl campaign, the former sixth-round pick has not missed a snap. Paradis managed to accomplish this despite playing in 2016 on two hips that eventually needed surgery. Despite undergoing procedures on both during the 2017 offseason, he was back in action in Week 1 and anchored the ’17 Broncos’ line.

The 28-year-old snapper profiles as an extension candidate for the Broncos, who have not enjoyed much non-Paradis continuity on their line over the past three years. Paradis is one season from UFA status, joining key re-up possibility Bradley Roby in that regard.

The Broncos also have to make a tender call on outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett, who joins Paradis in profiling as a top-tier RFA this offseason.

Rams To Release Tavon Austin

March 12th, 2018 at 11:21am CST by Sam Robinson

Tavon Austin‘s two-year Rams extension did not end up working out to the franchise’s liking, and less than two years after authorizing it, the Rams are moving on from the wideout.

The Rams plan to release Austin, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports (on Twitter).

While the Ravens would seem like a logical landing spot, given their pursuit of now-Browns wideout Jarvis Landry and the fact Austin is from Baltimore, La Canfora reports an Austin/Ravens agreement isn’t likely.

Despite the Rams reigniting their offense under Sean McVay after finishing as the league’s worst passing attack a year earlier, Austin managed just 13 receptions for 47 yards last season. However, the gadget weapon did rush for 270 yards and a score.

Austin will hit the Rams with a $5MM dead-money charge thanks to a fully guaranteed roster bonus — due whether he’s on the team or not — but no additional dead money remains on the 26-year-old’s deal. And by cutting him before March 16, the Rams save $3MM against their 2018 cap.

Austin signed a four-year, $42MM deal in the summer of 2016. That contract does contain offset language, so the Rams would potentially be off the hook for some of that dead money. But given what’s happened in the former No. 8 overall pick’s career, it’s hard to see a team adding Austin for much more than the league minimum.

Raiders Release CB Sean Smith

March 12th, 2018 at 10:49am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have released cornerback Sean Smith, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This move was anticipated, particularly in light of Smith’s ongoing legal situation.

It gets worse for Smith. The 30-year-old is expected to plead guilty to a felony count of assault with great bodily injury and be sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation, according to Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter) stemming from an incident on July 4, 2017, in Pasadena Calif.

Smith would have counted for $8.25MM against Oakland’s cap, making this move something of a no-brainer even prior to the announcement that he’d plead guilty to the felony assault charges.

The veteran graded out as just the No. 73 cornerback among 121 qualifiers last year, per Pro Football Focus. He’s picked off two passes in each of the last three seasons but had a career-low four pass defenses last year while appearing in 14 games, starting eight.

Smith was a seventh-round pick of the Dolphins in 2009 and signed a four-year, $40MM deal with the Raiders prior to 2016 after spending three seasons with the Chiefs. The Raiders cut cornerback David Amerson a year after signing him to a four-year, $35MM deal. Fellow cornerback T.J. Carrie, who started 15 games for the Raiders last year and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the league’s No. 22 cornerback, is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

Carrie, who grew up in the Bay Area, has expressed interest in returning to Oakland. The team also has Gareon Conley, Dexter McDonald, Antonio Hamilton, Shaquille Richardson, Darius Hillary and Tevin Mitchel on the roster at cornerback. The Raiders also hold the No. 10 overall pick in the upcoming draft, with cornerback certainly among their top targets.

Cowboys Re-Sign DT Brian Price

March 12th, 2018 at 10:42am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have re-signed defensive tackle Brian Price, according to Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram (on Twitter). It’s a two-year pact worth $1.35MM.

Price appeared in only eight games for Dallas before being placed on injured reserve in November. He’ll remain with the Cowboys as defensive line depth and a special teamer for now, but the team could be grooming him for bigger things in the future.

Had he not shoved an official to the ground at the University of Texas-San Antonio, Price likely would have been selected in the 2016 draft. He was not drafted due to that major red flag, but the Packers pounced on the chance to sign him to the practice squad. Before long, they elevated his taxi squad salary to $26,470 per week, well above the minimum salary of $6,900/week. He missed Green Bay’s cut in 2017, leading him to Dallas.

In other Cowboys news, tight end Jason Witten is being courted by FOX to become an analyst for Thursday Night Football.

Seahawks Re-Sign Bradley McDougald

March 12th, 2018 at 10:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks have agreed to re-sign Bradley McDougald. The safety will stay in Seattle with a three-year, $13.95MM deal, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter).

McDougald was originally signed to be a reserve last offseason, but he wound up starting when Kam Chancellor was lost to injury. This year, Seattle’s numbers crunch could lead them to move on from Chancellor, so McDougald could wind up as a Week 1 starter.

The Seahawks have already cut ties with cornerback Richard Sherman, who agreed to a deal with the 49ers, and Earl Thomas is set to become an unrestricted free agent following the upcoming season. Chancellor is set to enter the first season within his three-year, $36MM extension signed prior to last year and is slated to make $6.8MM in base salary with a $9.6MM cap hit. Chancellor, 29, is expected to return to the team next season despite making hints toward retirement on social media last year.

Entering Monday, the Seahawks had $30.7MM in available cap space, which put them at No. 15 in the NFL. The Seahawks also have Delano Hill, Tedric Thompson and Jordan Simone on the roster at safety. Cornerback Byron Maxwell was the only other players in the Seahawks secondary due to hit unrestricted free agency outside of McDougald.

The Seahawks signed McDougald, 27, to a one-year, $2MM deal prior to last season. In his first season with Seahawks, he played in all 16 games, starting nine, and made appearances at both safety spots and cornerback. He finished the year with 46 tackles and four pass defenses. He had a career-high 10 pass defenses and matched a career-best with two interceptions with the Buccaneers in 2016. The Chiefs originally signed McDougald as an undrafted free agent in 2015.

Chiefs To Re-Sign FB Anthony Sherman

March 12th, 2018 at 9:59am CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs have agreed to a new deal with fullback Anthony Sherman, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The news was first reported by the Pardon My Take podcast (Twitter link).

The veteran fullback is now slated to return for a sixth season with the Chiefs. Terms of the deal are not yet known.
Sherman was rated as PFR’s top fullback eligible for free agency, ahead of Zach Line, Mike Tolbert, John Kuhn, and Derrick Coleman. Sherman had only six catches last year and his 14 rushing attempts all came in Week 17, but he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 5 fullback in the NFL thanks to his run blocking acumen. His 183 snaps were good for ninth amongst all players at the position.

In other Chiefs news, the team is set to meet with free agent defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson.

Bears Re-Sign Bradley Sowell

March 12th, 2018 at 9:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have re-signed Bradley Sowell, according to James Palmer of NFL.com (on Twitter). The offensive lineman will remain in Chicago on a new two-year deal rather than exploring free agency.

Sowell, 29 in June, spent last year as a reserve for the Bears, seeing time at both left guard and right tackle. His 297 snaps were not enough to qualify for ranking, but in a larger sample, he would have graded out as one of the 20 worst guards in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus.

Terms of the deal are not yet known, but Sowell’s deal likely won’t be for much more than the veteran’s minimum.

Meanwhile, the Bears are reportedly hoping to land wide receiver Allen Robinson.