2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Valentino Blake To Continue Playing

March 12th, 2018 at 9:20am CST by Zachary Links

Last summer, cornerback Valentino Blake left the Giants due to personal reasons and later announced his retirement. This year, Blake intends to get back into football, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets.

Blake left the game for personal reasons and is now free to sign anywhere he chooses as a free agent. Blake may have to wait a while before his market materializes, particularly since this is a deep class for cornerbacks.

Blake, 28 in August, was a durable defender for the Jaguars, Steelers and Titans over the first five seasons of his career. In 2016, he logged his third consecutive 16-game campaign with the Titans. However, Pro Football Focus ranked his performance just 76th among 110 qualified corners in that season.

This year’s cornerback class is headlined by the likes of Trumaine Johnson, Malcolm Butler, Bashaud Breeland, E.J. Gaines, and Morris Claiborne.

Bills Interested In Sam Bradford, Case Keenum

March 12th, 2018 at 9:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have interest in both Sam Bradford and Case Keenum, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Pelissero adds that the Bills see Bradford as a good scheme fit.

The Bills are in need of a quarterback after shipping Tyrod Taylor to the Browns. The third-round pick they picked up in the deal (No. 65 overall) could help them find a new QB on the trade block, but they are intent on first exploring their options in free agency. With upwards of $32MM in cap space, the Bills theoretically have room to sign someone of Bradford or Keenum’s stature.

With Taylor off the roster, the Bills will be down to one quarterback in Nathan Peterman when the new league year opens on Wednesday. Third-string quarterback Joe Webb is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Peterman — a fifth-round pick in 2017 — made four appearances as a rookie, including two starts. The 23-year-old struggled, though, throwing five interceptions and completing 49% of his passes.

Kirk Cousins‘ landing spot could also have an effect on the Bills’ pursuit of Keenum or Bradford. The Vikings are reportedly expected to Cousins their first priority this offseason. If they were to miss out on Cousins, though, that could open up the possibility of a reunion with Keenum and Bradford, along with Teddy Bridgewater.

Keenum, 30, started 14 games last year for the Vikings, completing a career-high 67.6% of his passes while throwing 22 touchdowns to seven interceptions and leading the team to the NFC Championship Game. Bradford started the other two games for the Vikings, missing most of the season with a knee injury.

Bradford, 30, was activated in time for the postseason, though, to serve as Keenum’s backup. He was given assurance of the structure of the ligaments in his ailing knee in November by Dr. James Andrews after a procedure to shave a bone spur and clean out fluid.

Redskins Re-Sign K Dustin Hopkins

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

The Redskins have taken care of one of their own free agents in advance of the legal tampering period. Kicker Dustin Hopkins has agreed to a new deal, according to a team announcement. It’s a three-year deal worth $6.875MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal includes a $1.2MM signing bonus.

Hopkins, 28 in October, has been with the Redskins since 2015. In that time, he has made 73-of-87 field goal attempts along with 93-of-98 extra point tries. He has been perfect on short-range attempts in that time, making all 26 of his field goals from 20-29 yards out.

Hopkins is the third player the Redskins have re-signed this offseason, following linebacker Mason Foster and safety Deshazor Everett. They still have 15 unrestricted free agents to address (only 14, if you exclude Kirk Cousins), including four members of the 2014 draft class: linebacker Trent Murphy, center Spencer Long, cornerback Bashaud Breeland and wide receiver Ryan Grant.

Eagles Expect To Re-Sign Patrick Robinson

March 12th, 2018 at 9:04am CST by Zachary Links

It seemed unlikely just a couple of weeks ago, but the Eagles believe they will have an extension hammered out with Patrick Robinson before legal tampering begins on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Robinson emerged as both a key defensive player and a locker room leader for Philadelphia in 2017.

The Eagles don’t have a ton of cap room to work with, even after trading wide receiver Torrey Smith. The acquisition of Michael Bennett from the Seahawks has also set them back a bit, though that move will allow them to trade or release Vinny Curry before the majority of his $9MM salary becomes guaranteed for the coming year.

If Robinson isn’t retained by Philadelphia, the rival Giants will be among the teams with interest in signing him in free agency.

Latest On Kirk Cousins

March 12th, 2018 at 8:51am CST by Ryan Posner

At least two teams in pursuit of quarterback Kirk Cousins are set to offer the soon-to-be free agent a three-year, fully guaranteed contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Rapoport also reported that there was one more team that’s expected to offer a deal that would nearly be fully guaranteed, keeping Cousins on track to soon become the highest paid quarterback in the league.

Cousins wasn’t expected to agree to a new deal until the new league year begins on Wednesday. But with the “legal tampering” period beginning Monday, and two fully-guaranteed deals reportedly on the table, that could certainly change. It’s been suggested that Cousins could earn up to $60MM in the first year of a deal, given a team’s willingness to move around money and available cap space.

The Vikings have $47.6MM in open cap space, with the Broncos at $23MM and the Cardinals at $20.2 MM. The Jets overtook the Browns as the league leaders in cap room over the weekend and have around $92MM in available space.

The Vikings are still believed to be in the “driver’s seat” to sign Cousins, per Rapoport (Twitter link), and he’s expected to take 1-2 visits before deciding on a new team. Minnesota was one of four teams which was reported last week to be a finalist for Cousins’ services, also including the Jets, Cardinals and Broncos.

It was reported Sunday that the Vikings were set to make adding Cousins a top priority this offseason, holding off on other moves until they figure out if he’ll be under center for them. Minnesota has options if it were to miss out on Cousins, with its three quarterbacks on last year’s roster — Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford — all due to become free agents.

Lions To Meet With RB Jonathan Stewart

March 12th, 2018 at 8:46am CST by Zachary Links

Former Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart is scheduled to visit with the Lions on Monday, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Stewart’s visit is taking place before DeMarco Murray touches down in Detroit later on today.

Stewart was released by the Panthers late last month after ten seasons with Carolina. Late last week, he took his first free agent visit with the Seahawks, but did not sign right away.

Last year, Stewart didn’t put together much of a stat line as he played behind rookie Christian McCaffrey. It’s possible that a change of scenery, a different blocking scheme, or a different complement in the backfield could improve Stewart’s output. He is on the verge of his 31st birthday, but Stewart’s isn’t that far removed from his 2015 season in which he averaged 4.1 yards per carry and qualified for the Pro Bowl.

The Lions had the worst rushing production in the NFL last year, so they are open to all options this offseason.

Three Teams To Meet With Benson Mayowa

March 12th, 2018 at 8:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins aren’t the only team on Benson Mayowa‘s docket. The Jets have the first meeting with the former Cowboys defensive end, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). After the Jets, Mayowa is then slated to take his visit with the Redskins. If Mayowa doesn’t sign with either club, the Seahawks and Colts are also expecting visits with him.

Mayowa had an up-and-down two-year tenure with the Cowboys, but he still has quite the market after him. When the Cowboys signed Mayowa in 2016, he was a hot restricted free agent property out of Oakland with interest around the league for his perceived potential. He largely excelled in his first season with Dallas, nothing six sacks. However, things tailed off last year as he had just one sack in 14 games.

There aren’t a ton of high-end pass rushers in free agency, particularly after the Lions opted to franchise tag Ezekiel Ansah. The Jets, who have two free agent pass rushers of their own to consider in Mike Pennel and Kony Ealy, could go hard after Mayowa given the dearth of other options available.

Cardinals To Release Adrian Peterson

March 12th, 2018 at 8:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals expected to release running back Adrian Peterson today, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). By cutting Peterson now, the Cardinals will avoid paying a $750K bonus to the veteran, which was due on the third day of league year, Friday.

We first heard back in February that the Cardinals were planning to release Peterson. However, Schefter hears that Peterson still could circle back to Arizona later, perhaps at a rate cheaper than his originally scheduled $2.881MM cap charge.

The Patriots, Seahawks, and Giants all expressed interest in Peterson before he signed with the Saints last year, so those are all teams to keep in mind as Peterson approaches free agency. Additionally, the Ravens discussed dealing for Peterson before the Saints traded him to Arizona last year.

Peterson, who turns 33 on March 21, managed 3.5 yards per carry on 129 attempts and scored two touchdowns for the Cardinals. He had his moments – like when he ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns in his Arizona debut – but he was among the least effective backs in the league overall. Football Outsiders ranked Peterson 46th among 47 tailbacks in both DYAR and DVOA, metrics which measure overall and per-play value.

DeMarco Murray To Meet With Lions

March 11th, 2018 at 10:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Titans running back DeMarco Murray is scheduled to visit the Lions on Monday, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Murray secured his release from Tennessee on Thursday, making him eligible for free agency right away.

Murray, 30, is coming off of a down season in which he amassed just 659 yards and averaged 3.6 yards per carry. On a per-tote basis, it matched the career low he set in his lone season with the Eagles. He did have 39 catches for 266 yards, however, and may be capable of getting back to his old form with a new team.

The Lions are in serious need of help in the backfield after finishing at or near the bottom in every statistical measure of rushing. Detroit owns the No. 20 selection in this year’s draft, but they may prefer to use that pick to bolster their pass rush or another area of the team.

Last year, Murray graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 40 running back in the league. That’s nothing to write home about, but pass-catching specialist Theo Riddick (No. 24) was the only Detroit RB to place higher.

Details On Richard Sherman’s New Contract

March 11th, 2018 at 9:53pm CST by Ben Levine

When Richard Sherman first inked his contract with the 49ers, it was reported that the new deal was for three years and $39MM. ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio was skeptical of these numbers, and he confirmed the true details of the cornerback’s contract tonight.

Ultimately, the full base value of the deal is $21.15MM, with another $18MM worth of “per-game roster bonuses, annual 90-percent playing-time incentives, an annual Pro Bowl incentive, and an annual All-Pro incentive.” If the veteran were to earn the full $39MM, he’d have to “play all 48 regular-season games over the next three years, be on the field for at least 90 percent of the snaps, make it to the Pro Bowl every year, and qualify for the All-Pro team every year.” In other words, it’s unlikely that Sherman will ever see the full value of the contract.

Florio also notes that at the time of signing, only $3MM of the deal is guaranteed. If Sherman passes his preseason physical, he’ll earn another $4MM in guaranteed money. However, after that, it’s ultimately up to the 49ers whether the contract will continue through 2019 and beyond. The writer has a list of specific details on the contract. Notably, Sherman’s signing bonus is worth $3MM (as opposed to the $5MM that had previously been floated around). His base salary for 2018 is $2MM, and this is boosted to $7MM in 2019.

After being released by the Seahawks on Friday, Sherman inked a three-year deal with their division rivals on Saturday. The veteran is still rehabbing from surgery to fix a torn Achilles, but he expects to be ready by June. The three-time First-Team All-Pro was relatively productive in nine games last season, compiling 35 tackles, two interceptions, and seven passes defended.