2018 April - Pro Football Rumors

Patriots Will Not Trade TE Rob Gronkowski

April 4th, 2018 at 10:24am CST by Dallas Robinson

After trading wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Rams on Tuesday, the Patriots will not be dealing tight end Rob Gronkowski, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). In fact, New England has not held any talks regarding a possible Gronkowski trade, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Earlier this week, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reported that several clubs were planning to call the Patriots and inquire on Gronkowski’s availability. That could still happen, of course, but it doesn’t sound as though New England has any interest in or motivation to trade their All Pro tight end.

Despite February rumors that Gronkowski could choose to retire this offseason, most subsequent reports have indicated the 28-year-old All Pro intends to return in 2018. Gronkowski has reportedly been working out at Tom Brady‘s Sports Therapy Center, and Rapoport reported Monday that nothing has changed in terms of Gronk’s status. Indeed, there may never be a formal announcement from Gronkowski — he may simply show up for offseason workouts and continue his career.

Gronkowski, of course, is still a dominant player when healthy. In 2017, Gronk was on the field for 14 games, and managed 69 receptions, 1,084 yards, and eight touchdowns, all of which placed him within the top-five among tight ends. He’s signed through the 2019 campaign, with base salaries of $8MM and $9MM over the next two respective seasons.

Bills Sign DE Terrence Fede

April 4th, 2018 at 9:25am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills have signed free agent defensive end Terrence Fede, the club announced today. It’s a one-year deal, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.

Buffalo already has a good deal of depth on the edge, as the team signed former Redskins pass rusher Trent Murphy earlier this offseason, adding him to a rotation that also includes Jerry Hughes and Shaq Lawson. Fede, then, isn’t likely to see much time as a rotational option, but the Bills should be familiar with what they’re getting. As Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald notes (Twitter link), former Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey drafted Fede in 2014, and now works in Buffalo’s scouting department.

While Fede has never started a contest during his four-year career, the 26-year-old does offer 51 games of reserve experience. In 2017, Fede played on just 16% of Miami’s defensive snaps, but saw action on a whopping 75% of the club’s special teams snaps. In total, Fede — a former seventh-round pick — managed seven tackles and one fumble recovery a season ago.

Reaction To Brandin Cooks Trade

April 4th, 2018 at 8:48am CST by Dallas Robinson

A year after acquiring him from the Saints, the Patriots shipped wide receiver Brandin Cooks and a fourth-round pick to the Rams in exchange for first- and sixth-round picks. Let’s take a look at some of the reaction to and fallout from the blockbuster deal:

Before trading him to Los Angeles, the Patriots engaged in extension talks with Cooks, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. However, those discussions stalled as the two sides were simply too far apart. Cooks is scheduled to earn $8.459MM in 2018 under the terms of his fifth-year option, but he’s likely looking for at least $14MM annually on a new deal. The Rams, for their part, have reportedly already expressed interest in extending Cooks’ contract, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that Los Angeles is “intent” on doing so. Florio, however, indicates there is as of yet no timeline for a long-term pact to get done.
The Rams and Patriots had discussed a possible Cooks trade for more than a month, well before Los Angeles ever contacted the Giants regarding fellow wideout Odell Beckham Jr., according to Schefter (Twitter link). Los Angeles preferred Cooks, and the price tag — New York is reportedly looking for at least two first-round picks in exchange for OBJ — likely played a role in that stance. Talks between the Patriots and Rams heated up on Monday when head coaches Bill Belichick and Sean McVay worked at the same coaching clinic, and those talks ultimately led to a trade on Tuesday, per Schefter (Twitter link).
Los Angeles finally acquired Cooks on Tuesday after attempting to land him from the Saints last year, as Rams general manager Les Snead tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com. The Rams did not hold a first-round pick a season ago while the Patriots did, allowing New England to make the better offer for Cooks. Los Angeles, meanwhile, discussed a deal involving then-franchise-tagged cornerback Trumaine Johnson, but the talks never gained traction. For what it’s worth, the Rams actually tried to trade Johnson twice in 2017: once for Cooks, and once in exchange for a second-round pick, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
The Patriots never viewed Cooks as a true No. 1 wide receiver, per Rapoport (Twitter link), and quarterback Tom Brady is “not sad” about the trade. While Cooks topped 1,000 yards receiving in his lone New England campaign, he wasn’t a perfect fit for the Patriots’ offense, says Rapoport. Theoretically, New England could shift back to a more horizontal offense based around incumbent receivers Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan now that Cooks is no longer in town.
Although the Rams have now eschewed a hypothetical Beckham trade in favor of acquiring Cooks, the “frenzy” surrounding the mercurial Giants receiver doesn’t figure to subside, as Ralph Vacchiano of SNY writes. Still, a Beckham deal remains “highly unlikely,” as Los Angeles’ payment for Cooks doesn’t come anywhere close to what New York would want in exchange for Beckham.

Titans Meet With Jordan Matthews

April 3rd, 2018 at 10:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans will meet with wide receiver Jordan Matthews, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Matthews previously visited with the Packers and Patriots and, at least at one point, had an offer from the Cardinals.

The former Bills and Eagles receiver made a name for himself at Vanderbilt, which is a stone’s throw away from Nissan Stadium, so a return to Tennessee could hold appeal for him. The Titans would also give him an opportunity to shine with alongside Rishard Matthews and 2017 first-round pick Corey Davis.

From 2014-16, Matthews averaged 75 receptions for 891 yards and six touchdowns for the Eagles. Last year, however, he had only 25 catches in ten games for the Bills last year thanks to knee and ankle injuries. A one-year deal would make sense for him since he could restore his value with a big 2018.

Last year, the Titans posted the eighth-fewest receiving yards in the NFL and they’re looking to improve on that figure in the fall. With dynamic rusher Derrick Henry keeping defenses honest, that won’t be hard to do with the right personnel at wide receiver.

Steelers Re-Sign RB Stevan Ridley

April 3rd, 2018 at 8:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Running back Stevan Ridley has re-signed with the Steelers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal for the veteran.

At this point, Ridley has an extensive collection of NFL jerseys. Over the course of seven NFL seasons, he has suited up for the Patriots, Jets, Falcons, and Steelers with stops in between with the Lions, Colts, Broncos, and Vikings.

Ridley is best known for his run with the Pats, which included a stellar 2012 season. In that campaign, he amassed more than 1,200 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. Unfortunately, injuries have slowed him down ever since.

The 29-year-old will duke it out with James Conner, Fitzgerald Toussaint, and James Summers for a spot behind star Le’Veon Bell in 2018.

Cardinals’ David Johnson Cleared By Doctors

April 3rd, 2018 at 7:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals running back David Johnson has been given full medical clearance, according to Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). He’ll be ready for Arizona’s full slate of offseason workouts.

Johnson was arguably the league’s best offensive player in 2016 as he posted more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 20 total touchdowns. He remains one of the NFL’s premier talents at running back, but his health was a question mark this offseason after he missed the majority of the 2017 campaign.

Johnson told the media that he was fully healthy back in January, but new head coach Steve Wilks indicated at the owners’ meetings that he had yet to get the full green light from doctors. In recent days, Johnson got the go-ahead.

Johnson will now return to an offense spearheaded by a different veteran quarterback. Carson Palmer is gone and in his place is the talented, yet injury-prone, Sam Bradford. Should Bradford suffer another malady, the Cardinals have Mike Glennon as a backstop.

Contract Details: Texans, Weeden, Bills

April 3rd, 2018 at 7:21pm CST by Zachary Links

A deeper look at some recent free agent deals:

Quarterback Brandon Weeden‘s contract with the Texans is for one year at a rate of $880K. The deal includes $230K in guaranteed cash between $140K of his base being assured and a $90K signing bonus. Weeden has not seen the field since 2015 when he appeared in four games for Dallas and two for the Texans. The 34-year-old (35 in October) has a career 6-19 record.
Linebacker Will Compton’s one-year deal with the Titans can be worth up to $2MM, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. The deal included a $250K signing bonus. As Keim notes, that’s a solid contract for Compton considering that shoulder and Lisfranc injuries held him back in 2017. With the Titans, he’ll have an opportunity to reassert himself and potentially start.
The Bills’ contracts signed last week with cornerback Phillip Gaines and wide receiver/punt returner Kaelin Clay were both for one year at minimum salaries, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Gaines is not well regarded by the advanced metrics, but he was a pivotal reserve for Kansas City from 2014-2017 and started some games last year due to Steven Nelson‘s injury.

Chiefs Sign DB Robert Golden

April 3rd, 2018 at 7:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Robert Golden has signed with the Chiefs, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic tweets. The defensive back has been on the market ever since being released by the Steelers in March.

The Steelers dropped Golden in order to save $1.5MM against the salary cap. For the Chiefs, he’ll serve as a cheap reinforcement in the secondary after the departures of cornerbacks Terrance Mitchell and Phillip Gaines and the possible loss of free agent Kenneth Acker. The Chiefs’ new look cornerback group will be headlined by former Redskin Kendall Fuller and February free agent pickup David Amerson. Steven Nelson, Keith Reaser, and Will Redmond are also slated to return as reserves. Meanwhile, Golden will also see some action at safety (behind starters Eric Berry and Daniel Sorensen) and special teams.

Golden, 27, spent his entire six-year career with the Steelers until he was cut last month. In 2017, Golden appeared in all 16 games, posting 11 tackles and one interception in that time.

Rams Pursued Bengals TE Tyler Eifert

April 3rd, 2018 at 7:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Tyler Eifert is back with the Bengals, but he garnered interest elsewhere in free agency before re-signing. Eifert’s decision ultimately came down to the Bengals and the Rams, Jim Owczarski of The Enquirer reports.

“But at the end of the day I knew where I wanted to be, which was with the Bengals,” the tight end said. “From the beginning, I told everyone that it would take something pretty special for me to leave. It would have to be an obvious decision.”

The Rams made Eifert a strong offer, but the Bengals pounced on their opportunity to match. The tight end’s new one-year deal is worth $5.5MM, but performance incentives could allow him to earn roughly $8.5MM in 2018. If Eifert plays in all 16 games, something that he has not done in his career and hasn’t come close to doing since 2015, he can add $1MM to his bank account. He can then earn an extra $3MM via receptions, receiving yards and touchdown incentives.

“I felt like I owed that to the organization, to Mr. Brown, to coach Lewis and to the fans, especially the way the first five years of my career have gone; up and down,” Eifert said of rejecting L.A.’s overtures. “I felt like (I had to) to keep them in the loop. I knew that’s where I wanted to be, so I’m happy about that.”

Eifert would have been a risky, but potentially rewarding, addition for the Rams. Of course, L.A. is not lacking for star power after adding notables like Ndamukong Suh, Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, and, most recently, wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Tight end remains a need for L.A., but they can find support for current depth chart topper Tyler Higbee in the draft later this month.

Rams Want To Extend Brandin Cooks’ Deal

April 3rd, 2018 at 6:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams aren’t wasting any time in getting down to business with Brandin Cooks. The Rams have already expressed interest in extending the wide receiver’s contract, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic (on Twitter).

Cooks is entering his contract year and will carry a cap number just under $8.5MM. Having sacrificed a first-round pick for him, the Rams were expected to try and lock him up for the long term, but not necessarily this quickly. Keeping with the theme of this offseason, L.A. is moving quickly and aggressively on this front.

A new deal for Cooks won’t come cheap. This offseson, Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans inked a five-year, $82.5MM extension with $55MM in overall guarantees. The deal, which could balloon to nearly $96MM through incentives, stands as the new watermark for receivers in terms of overall value. Evans is also second in average annual value at $17MM/year, trailing only Steelers superstar Antonio Brown. Cooks may not command a deal to match Evans, but he won’t be far off, either.

Cooks, a former first round pick out of Oregon State, had 65 grabs for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Between 2015 and 2016 for New Orleans, he averaged 81 grabs for 1,156 yards and eight scores.