2020 March - Pro Football Rumors

Bills Sign RB Taiwan Jones

March 18th, 2020 at 2:18pm CST by Ben Levine

Taiwan Jones is joining the Bills for his second stint with the organization. The veteran running back is signing a one-year deal with the Bills, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).

Jones has been kicking around the NFL since 2011, spending time with the Raiders, Bills, and (most recently) the Texans. He’s appeared in 91 career games.

While Jones primarily served as a return man during his first stint in Buffalo (2017 through 2018), he played a “bigger” offensive role with the Texans in 2019. He ultimately finished the campaign with 40 rushing yards on nine attempts, and he added a single reception for nine yards.

Of course, as Bills fans know, Jones also had a clutch catch in the Bills and Texans’ double overtime playoff game. The 34-yard reception set up Houston for the game-winning field goal.

Rams Sign OLB Leonard Floyd

March 18th, 2020 at 2:03pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Rams are making their first big splash of free agency. Los Angeles is signing outside linebacker Leonard Floyd to a one-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

It’s a $10MM deal that can be worth up to $13MM, Schefter reports. Floyd was cut by the Bears yesterday when Chicago signed fellow outside linebacker Robert Quinn, and it didn’t take him very long to find a new home. We heard word that the Giants were interested in Floyd, so Rams GM Les Snead likely had competition for his services. Floyd would’ve earned $13.2MM in 2020 under his fifth-year option had the Bears kept him, so his release won’t end up hurting him too much financially if at all.

The ninth overall pick back in 2016 Floyd was a bit of a disappointment in Chicago, but he’ll now get the chance to prove himself and re-enter unrestricted free agency at this time next year. The Georgia product became a starter as a rookie and showed plenty of flashes, racking up seven sacks in 12 games in his first year as a pro.

Unfortunately he never really progressed from that point, and his sack totals actually declined in each of the past three years. Still only 27, he has a lot of theoretical talent. He’ll slide in more or less as the replacement for Dante Fowler Jr., who just left the Rams to sign a three-year, $48MM deal with the Falcons less than an hour ago.

When the Rams next take the field looking to put their disappointing 2019 season behind them, their defense is going to look quite a bit different. Not only did they trade away cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib midway through last year, they’ve now seen a string of departures in free agency.

Safety Eric Weddle retired; Cory Littleton, Michael Brockers, and Fowler Jr. have now all departed in free agency, and the team just declined their option on usual slot corner Nickell Robey-Coleman. They’ve also replaced defensive coordinator Wade Phillips with Brandon Staley, so it’s safe to say that side of the ball is getting a complete makeover after Sean McVay’s dissatisfaction with the previous structure became evident.

Bears QB Nick Foles Restructures Contract

March 18th, 2020 at 2:03pm CST by Ben Levine

Fresh off a trade to the Bears, quarterback Nick Foles has restructured his contract, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

The deal still has three years remaining and $21MM guaranteed. However, Foles now has the option to void the contract (depending on his performance) after either of his first two seasons in Chicago. Foles can presumably still earn upwards of $50MM over the next three years.

Earlier today, the Bears sent a compensatory fourth-round to the Jaguars for the former Super Bowl MVP. This offseason, the Bears had been looking for a challenger to former first-round pick Mitchell Trubisky, and Foles will give the 26-year-old a run for his money.

Jacksonville was 0-4 in Foles’ four starts last season, with the 31-year-old completing 65.8-percent of his passes for 736 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Ravens Sign Sam Koch To Extension

March 18th, 2020 at 2:00pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Sam Koch isn’t going anywhere. The punter is staying put in Baltimore with a two-year extension, the Ravens announced in a tweet.

Koch still had a year left on his previous deal, so Baltimore was being proactive here. The Ravens have been aggressive the past few days, landing Calais Campbell in a surprising trade with the Jaguars and doling out big money to free agent defensive lineman Michael Brockers. Koch might get overshadowed by Baltimore’s other specialist, league-best kicker Justin Tucker, but he’s been a reliable option himself.

A sixth-round pick all the way back in 2006, Koch has been with the team for the past 14 seasons. He’s never reached elite status but has been solid the entire time, earning the only Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods of his career in 2015. Terms of the deal weren’t immediately available, but we’ll pass those along to you as soon as we get them. The Nebraska product will turn 38 in August, and it’s possible this extension takes him right into retirement.

Colts Discussed Nick Foles Trade

March 18th, 2020 at 1:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts have another high-profile quarterback on their payroll, with the long-rumored Philip Rivers partnership coming to fruition on Tuesday. But the team had an alternative plan, it appears.

Before the Jaguars traded Nick Foles to the Bears for a fourth-round compensatory pick, they were discussing a deal with the Colts involving a fifth-round choice, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. This would have been a rare intra-division deal, but the Jags instead shipped their high-priced passer to the NFC.

Foles worked with Frank Reich in Philadelphia, with the current Indianapolis HC residing as the Eagles’ OC during the team’s 2017 Super Bowl season. Reich played a key role in helping shape Foles’ dominant playoff run.

The Colts now have both Rivers and Jacoby Brissett on their roster, signing the former to a $25MM deal and having the latter attached to a $21.4MM 2020 cap number. That does not appear to be a tenable arrangement, but the Colts clearly came into the offseason with big plans to upgrade at football’s premier position. Foles will now receive a new start in Chicago.

Panthers Sign WR Seth Roberts

March 18th, 2020 at 1:53pm CST by Ben Levine

Seth Roberts is heading to Carolina. The wideout is signing with the Panthers, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).

The former undrafted free agent spent the first five seasons of his career with the Raiders, and he finished with at least 30 receptions and (basically) 400 receiving yards each year between 2015 and 2018.

Roberts was cut by the Raiders last offseason, and he ended up catching on with the Ravens. He saw a reduced offensive role in his 16 games with Baltimore, hauling in 21 receptions for 271 yards and two scores. He also added a pair of catches in Baltimore’s playoff loss to the Titans.

The Panthers offense is going to look a whole lot different next season. Besides adding quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, the organization also hired offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

Latest On Vikings’ Everson Griffen

March 18th, 2020 at 1:44pm CST by Zachary Links

There’s still strong mutual interest between the Vikings and free agent Everson Griffen, a source close to the defensive end tells Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (Twitter links). However, the defensive end market is still evolving and Griffen may have to wait for younger players to set the market price for the position.

One league source familiar with Griffen’s situation tells Tomasson that the 32-year-old could be in line for a deal worth $8MM-$10MM, plus incentives. The veteran is coming off a four-year, $58MM extension he signed with Minnesota back in 2017.

The former fourth-rounder has spent his entire career with the Vikings, earning four Pro Bowl nods in 10 seasons. This past season, Griffen finished with 41 tackles, eight sacks, and an interception.

The pass rusher hasn’t compiled fewer than 5.5 sacks since 2011, and while he’s getting up there in age, he should still find himself with a long list of suitors.

Vikings To Re-Sign QB Sean Mannion

March 18th, 2020 at 1:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sean Mannion will stay on as Kirk Cousins‘ backup. The Vikings are re-signing Mannion, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes (on Twitter).

The parties agreed on a one-year deal, Goessling tweets. This will mark the second straight offseason Mannion agreed to a one-year Minnesota pact.

For the second time in three years, Mannion saw the NFC playoff picture produce a Week 17 starting opportunity. He filled in for a resting Cousins in last year’s regular-season finale. He completed 12 of 21 passes for 126 yards and two interceptions against the Bears. These marked Mannion’s only pass attempts last season.

A third-round pick in 2015, Mannion stayed with the Rams for four seasons before moving on. He replaced Trevor Siemian as Cousins’ backup last year. The 27-year-old QB2 has thrown 74 career passes in five seasons and has yet to record his first regular-season touchdown pass.

Broncos To Give DT Mike Purcell Second-Round Tender

March 18th, 2020 at 1:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mike Purcell‘s ascent into the Broncos’ starting lineup midway through last season paid immediate dividends, and the team will proceed accordingly.

Denver will place a second-round tender on the restricted free agent defensive tackle, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Purcell went from the Alliance of American Football to the NFL’s top run-stopping interior defender, in the view of Pro Football Focus, in 2019 and will be in line to stay on as the Broncos’ nose tackle.

A Colorado native, the soon-to-be 29-year-old Purcell joined the Broncos in 2019. Prior to last season, when he made seven starts and played in 13 games, he had started just eight games since coming into the league in 2014. He made 48 tackles — eight for loss — last season.

The Broncos entered free agency with each member of its season-opening starting defensive line from last season — Derek Wolfe, Shelby Harris and Adam Gotsis — set for free agency. Purcell replaced Gotsis in last season’s starting lineup, and the Broncos’ run defense immediately improved. Denver has Purcell, 2019 third-round pick Dre’Mont Jones and now trade acquisition Jurrell Casey up front.

While the Broncos still have some degree of a D-line need, they do not intend to let their RFA nose tackle go anywhere.

Contract Details: Bridgewater, Panthers, Vaitai, Lions, Byrd, Patriots, Brees, Saints

March 18th, 2020 at 1:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest notes on all of the contracts being handed out around the league:

QB Teddy Bridgewater, Panthers: signed. Bridgewater got a three-year deal worth $63MM and a whopping $40MM of that is guaranteed in the first two years, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. He got a $15MM signing bonus to take over for the start of the Matt Rhule era. Newton’s post has the full breakdown on how it’ll be paid out with various workout and roster bonuses.
OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Lions: signed. Vaitai’s five-year, $50MM contract includes $20MM guaranteed which will come in the first two years of the deal, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL Radio tweets. Detroit can get out of the pact after that.
WR Damiere Byrd, Patriots: signed. Byrd’s one-year deal can be worth up to $2.5MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network notes in a tweet.
QB Drew Brees, Saints: re-signed. Brees’ two-year, $50MM new deal with New Orleans includes a signing bonus of $23MM and a small base salary of only $2MM in year one, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That structure as well as two voidable years added on for 2022-2023 help keep his 2020 cap hit very low so the Saints can spend more as they gear up for one more Super Bowl with Brees under center.
LB Sean Lee, Cowboys: re-signed. Lee is back for one more ride on a one-year, $4.5MM deal with $2MM guaranteed. He actually could earn up to $6.5MM if he hits some playing time incentives, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, although he writes they’re “not-likely-to-be-earned.”
S Darian Thompson, Cowboys: re-signed. Thompson is getting a two-year deal worth $2.5MM, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. He’s getting a $200K signing bonus and can earn an extra $250K with playing time escalators.
WR Cody Core, Giants: re-signed. New York locked up the special teams ace who barely plays on offense, and he got paid handsomely. Core will be getting $4MM over a two-year deal, Wilson tweets. Only $1MM of it is guaranteed however.
S Jordan Poyer, Bills: extension. The full details are in on Poyer’s new pact. Poyer had two new years added on and will now make $22.7MM over the next three years with $13MM of that being guaranteed, Wilson tweets. He also got a $3MM signing bonus. In a separate tweet, Wilson notes that Poyer has an annual $500K interception incentive he can earn.