2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Steelers To Release Mike Mitchell

March 9th, 2018 at 1:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers are expected to release Mike Mitchell next week, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). They remain open to bringing him back a reduced salary, however.

Mitchell was slated to carry a $5MM salary in 2018 which was not workable for the Steelers given their limited room. His so-so season at free safety didn’t help matters either. Mitchell missed three games last season and ranked as just the No. 62 safety in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. At the same time, he was Pittsburgh’s highest-rated safety, per PFF, which underscores their need in the secondary.

Mitchell has been a starter for Pittsburgh over the last four years and, up until last year, he had never missed a game in black and yellow. He’ll attract interest from other teams, but his age (31 in June) and the depth of the free agent safety market may work against him.

Bengals To Decline Adam Jones’ Option

March 9th, 2018 at 1:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have informed cornerback Adam Jones that they won’t be picking up his option, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com (on Twitter). However, they would like him back at a cheaper rate to compete as a nickel corner and kick returner.

This was the expected move, as the Bengals are saving $6MM by declining the veteran’s option. Jones was an effective punt returner last year, averaging 21.8 yards per attempt. He started in all nine of his games at cornerback in an injury-shorted season, but played only 299 snaps. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus rated his season as his worst ever, by a wide margin. He fared better in the previous two seasons, when he ranked as PFF’s No. 37 CB in 2016 and their No. 15 CB in 2015.

Jones will turn 35 in September, but he has said that he wants to continue playing football.

Raiders High On RB Doug Martin

March 9th, 2018 at 1:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Raiders coach Jon Gruden met with former Bucs running back Doug Martin and came away impressed with him as a person, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport adds that the Raiders are expected to make a strong push for Martin in free agency.

The Raiders’ interest in Martin is interesting in light of Marshawn Lynch‘s unclear status with the team. Lynch is slated to earn $4MM in 2018 with up to $4MM in bonuses and it’s possible that the Raiders will move on from him before free agency gets underway.

Martin profiles as more of a complementary ‘back than a primary one in the wake of a down season in Tampa Bay. The 29-year-old missed time due to a PED suspension last year and has averaged just 2.9 yards per carry over the last two campaigns. Gruden likely doesn’t see Martin as a one-for-one replacement for Lynch, but he could be part of a running back by committee approach, one that is less costly than having Lynch at the top of the depth chart. Alternatively, he may view Martin as a solid backup for Beast Mode.

Martin topped 1,400 yards as a rookie and did it again in 2015, but he has not cleared 500 yards in his other four NFL seasons.

Eagles Trade Torrey Smith To Panthers

March 9th, 2018 at 12:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers trading cornerback Daryl Worley to the Eagles in exchange for wide receiver Torrey Smith, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The deal will give the Eagles some cap relief while strengthening their cornerback depth. Meanwhile, the Panthers acquire a proven veteran receiver, something that ranked high on their list of needs this offseason.

The Eagles were expected decline Smith’s $5MM option and make him a free agent, but they instead found a taker in the Panthers. Smith started 14 games during his only season in Philly, hauling in 36 receptions for 430 yards and two touchdowns. That marked an improvement over his previous season with the Niners, a year in which he missed one-quarter of the regular season games and caught just 20 passes for 267 yards and three TDs.

Smith, a 2011 second-round pick, made a name for himself in Baltimore where he topped 1,100 yards in the 2013 season and established himself as one of the league’s best deep threats. He no longer looks the part of a top-tier wide receiver, but as he proved last year, he still has some gas in the tank.

Worley appeared in 15 games and started all but one of those contests for the Panthers. He tallied 63 tackles, one sack, and ten passes defensed, but he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 89 ranked cornerback last season.

Seahawks To Release CB Jeremy Lane

March 9th, 2018 at 12:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Richard Sherman isn’t the only corner being cut by the Seahawks. Fellow Legion of Boomer Jeremy Lane will also be released today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Lane, 28 in July, saw the most playing time of his career between 2016 and 2017. Although he has made 15 starts over the past two seasons, he has not been a high-level contributor, according to the advanced metrics. Lane graded out as one of the five worst cornerbacks in the NFL last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Lane entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2012 and has been with the club ever since. For his seventh year in the league, he’ll be suiting up elsewhere. His departure from Seattle nearly happened back in October, when the Seahawks agreed to send him to Houston as a part of the Duane Brown deal. Lane’s failed physical forced the two sides to adjust the trade and remove the cornerback from the swap.

By cutting Lane, the Seahawks will save nearly $5MM with $2.5MM in dead money left on the cap.

Titans Cut QB Matt Cassel, WR Eric Weems

March 9th, 2018 at 12:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans are making moves this week. Quarterback Matt Cassel and wide receiver Eric Weems have been released, according to a press release from the team. They join running back DeMarco Murray and safety Da’Norris Searcy as recent Titans cap casualties.

Cassell spent two years with the Titans as a backup to Marcus Mariota. He played sparingly and amassed a stat line of 446 yards with three touchdowns against four interceptions with a 59% completion rate. By cutting Cassel, the Titans will clear his entire $2.5MM cap hit from the books.

The release of Weems will free up $1.35MM for the Titans. Weems, 33 in July, was an expected cut this offseason. He served primarily as a deep reserve in 2017 with the occasional appearance on special teams.

Between all four cuts, the Titans have saved approximately $13MM heading into free agency.

Latest On Saints’ Drew Brees

March 9th, 2018 at 11:10am CST by Zachary Links

11:10am: There’s some conflicting word on when Brees is permitted to speak with teams. Both the NFL and NFLPA spokesman George Atallah say that Drew Brees can negotiate with other teams starting on Monday, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).

9:08am: The NFL’s “legal tampering” period gets begins on Monday, but unlike most of the league’s pending free agents, Saints quarterback Drew Brees will not be able to speak with teams, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). That’s because Brees has to wait until his contract voids on March 14 in order to explore the market.

If the Saints do not strike a new deal with Brees before the start of free agency on Wednesday, they’ll be forced to carry $18MM in dead money against their cap. It is widely expected that an extension will be reached, but the deadline provides Brees with leverage in talks, even though he has already stated that he does not plan on testing the open market. In theory, if the Saints do not give Brees an offer to his liking, he can put New Orleans in a serious cap crunch and go elsewhere.

Realistically, agent Tom Condon has probably heard from rival teams that would be interested in signing his client. Although the legal tampering period is designed to give teams an opportunity to speak with prospective free agents, there’s a great deal of talk that goes down at the NFL combine between agents and teams. Condon may not have set out to talk to clubs about Brees in Indianapolis, but he has certainly heard from GMs with interest and has a rough idea of the offers that would be out there for his client, should he deviate from his plans.

Brees is PFR’s No. 2 ranked player in free agency this year.

Titans Cut S Da’Norris Searcy

March 9th, 2018 at 10:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Titans have released safety Da’Norris Searcy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Searcy had one year remaining on his Titans contract.

By cutting Searcy, the Titans will save $3.85MM with $1.125MM in dead money left on the cap. That’s down from his original deal thanks to a restructuring of his contract last year, but it was not enough to keep his spot on the team.

Searcy netted a four-year, $24MM+ deal in free agency from the Titans in 2015, based off the strength of his 2014 campaign with Buffalo. The strong safety performed well in the first year of the deal, but his play dipped in ’16 and ’17.

Last year, Searcy amassed 23 tackles with one interception. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 61 ranked safety.

The Titans could explore safety in free agency, but they seem set with Johnathan Cyprien and Kevin Byard as their starters. Byard excelled in 2017, but injuries slowed Cyprien in the first year of his four-year, $25MM contract with Tennessee.

Patriots To Move On From Ricky Jean-Francois?

March 9th, 2018 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

It sounds like Ricky Jean-Francois won’t be back with the Patriots next season. The defensive tackle released a statement on Friday indicating that he won’t be re-signed by New England.

“I plan on continuing to play at the highest level,” Jean-Francois said in a statement released through his PF agency (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss). “Hopefully I made a strong case for myself this past season. I did absolutely everything I could to help the Patriots during my short time there, and I learned that playbook immediately. It takes a special type of player and discipline to do that so quickly. My priority right now is to find a stable home where I can step in and make a similar impact for a few more seasons before I ride off into the sunset. … I’d like to thank Robert Kraft, Coach Belichick, Coach Patricia and the Patriots front office for allowing me to be a part of something that not a lot of players get the opportunity to do – play for the New England Patriots. Playing in Foxboro made me appreciate this game a lot more. Thank you to everyone there for giving me a great experience that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Jean-Francois was cut twice by the Packers last year before hooking on with the Pats in November. New England also released him weeks later, but he was quickly re-signed and stayed with the club through their trip to the Super Bowl. Francois appeared at both defensive end and nose tackle for the Pats in the playoffs as he totaled six tackles and one sack.

Contract Details: Ravens, Redskins, Saints

March 9th, 2018 at 9:37am CST by Zachary Links

Some financial details on contracts signed in recent days:

Safety Deshazor Everett‘s contract with the Redskins is for two years and $2.6MM with a $250K signing bonus that represents the only guaranteed portion of the deal, according to ESPN.com’s John Keim (on Twitter). Evertt can void the 2019 season if he plays 85% of the defensive snaps or intercepts five passes in 2018. He can also receive up to $125K in roster bonuses each season. He’ll carry cap hits of $1.1MM this season and $1.475MM in 2019.
Defensive end Brent Urban, who was re-signed by the Ravens earlier this week, will have a base salary of $1MM with some incentives on his one-year deal, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Urban missed the bulk of the 2017 season thanks to a Lisfranc injury, so he was facing a not-so-great market on Wednesday.
George Johnson’s one-year deal with the Saints has a modest base of $915K base with a $483K split, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). Johnson will carry a minimum salary benefit cap number of $720K.