2020 March - Pro Football Rumors

Chiefs Re-Sign QB Chad Henne

March 16th, 2020 at 9:24pm CST by Ben Levine

9:25pm: The two sides have agreed to a two-year deal, according to Paylor (via Twitter).

8:24pm: After spending the past two years in Kansas City, Chad Henne and the Chiefs could be heading towards another contract. Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo reports (via Twitter) that the organization is interested in re-signing the veteran quarterback.

Henne hasn’t started an NFL game since the 2014 season, but he’s embraced his gig as Patrick Mahomes‘ backup. The 34-year-old didn’t get into a single game during the Super Bowl-winning 2019 season, and he appeared in only a single game during the 2018 campaign. In fact, since 2015, he’s only seen the field for four games.

In total, the veteran has appeared in 68 games during his career, connecting on 59.3-percent of his passes for 12,960 yards, 58 touchdowns, and 63 interceptions.

Other than Mahomes, the Chiefs are also retaining quarterback Kyle Shurmur on their offseason roster.

Steelers CB Joe Haden Restructures Contract

March 16th, 2020 at 9:21pm CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers continue to turn to veterans to help them clear up some extra cap. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that Joe Haden has restructured his contract. Specifically, Haden guaranteed his salary all while opening up some extra breathing room for the front office.

This past season, the former first-round pick earned his first Pro Bowl nod since 2014. The veteran finished the campaign with 65 tackles, 17 passes defended, five interceptions, and one forced fumble. After spending seven seasons in Cleveland to start his career, Haden has seemingly found a home in Pittsburgh, where he’s spent the past three seasons.

Last September, Haden signed a new two-year, $22MM extension that would last through the 2021 campaign. The 30-year-old was set to have a $12.6MM cap hit next season.

Earlier this evening, we learned that the Steelers front office pulled off a similar move with veteran kicker Chris Boswell.

Seahawks Re-Sign DT Jarran Reed

March 16th, 2020 at 9:09pm CST by Ben Levine

Jarran Reed will be back in Seattle next season. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the defensive tackle has re-signed with the Seahawks. It’s a two-year pact worth $23MM.

The 2016 second-round pick has spent his entire career with the Seahawks. Following a pair of forgettable seasons to start his career, Reed absolutely broke out during the 2018 campaign. He finished that season having compiled 50 tackles and 10.5 sacks in 16 games (16 starts).

Reed was suspended for the first six games of the 2019 season after violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, but he still managed to get into 10 games for Seattle. In total, the 27-year-old finished the season with 27 tackles and one forced fumble.

It’s been a relatively quiet day in Seattle. Besides placing tendering a handful of players (including tight end Jacob Hollister), this is their first reported move.

Bills Sign LB A.J. Klein

March 16th, 2020 at 9:06pm CST by Ben Levine

A.J. Klein is heading to Buffalo. The former Saints linebacker is inking a three-year, $18MM deal with the Bills, according to SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). The deal contains $9.7MM in guaranteed money.

Klein spent the first four seasons of his career with the Panthers, where he worked under current Bills head coach Sean McDermott (who was serving as defensive coordinator at the time). Klein signed a three-year deal with the Saints prior to the 2017 season, and he evolved into a full-time starter during his stint in New Orleans.

The 28-year-old continued to produce during his three seasons with the Saints, including a 2019 campaign where he compiled 69 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one interceptions,and one forced fumble.

Earlier today, Caplan had tweeted that the Bills continued to look for a starting linebacker to pair with Matt Milano. The team apparently found their target in Klein, meaning they won’t have to dedicate valuable draft assets towards the position.

LB Jamie Collins Signs With Lions

March 16th, 2020 at 8:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Jamie Collins is reuniting with Matt Patricia. The free agent linebacker has signed with the Lions, reports Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (via Twitter). It’s a three-year deal worth $30MM, including $18MM guaranteed, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link).

Following a two-plus year stint with the Browns, Collins reunited with the Patriots last offseason on a one-year deal. The 30-year-old ended up setting a career-high with seven sacks to go along with 81 tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles. Collins played under Patricia during his first stint in New England.

We’ve heard several times (including earlier tonight) that the Saints were pursuing the veteran linebacker. The Patriots were also hoping to retain their former second-round pick. Ultimately, Collins presumably decided to take the money and the opportunity to team up with his former coordinator.

The Lions were busy this morning, handing out a massive contract to former Eagles offensive tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Tonight, they’ve clearly shifted their focus to the defensive side of the ball.

Raiders Agree To Terms With QB Marcus Mariota

March 16th, 2020 at 8:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Marcus Mariota is indeed heading to Vegas. The Raiders have agreed to terms with the free agent quarterback, reports Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review Journal (via Twitter).

As we passed along earlier tonight, Raiders starter Derek Carr isn’t going anywhere, as Mariota is expected to serve as the backup in 2020. There had been whispers for some time that the organization was eyeing the former second-overall pick, with the front office shifting priorities from a top-tier starter like Tom Brady to a solid backup who could push Carr.

The Titans traded for Ryan Tannehill last offseason, insisting that he was going to be Mariota’s backup. Of course after Mariota struggled to start the year he was quickly benched in favor of Tannehill, who ended up leading Tennessee to the AFC Championship Game and earning a massive extension. In total, Mariota finished the year having completed a career-low 59.4-percent of his passes for 1,203 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions.

While Mariota will temporarily be slotted in as the backup in Las Vegas, he could eventually push Carr for the full-time gig if the incumbent starter struggles. Mariota has shown flashes throughout his career, including a 2016 season when he tossed 26 touchdowns and ran for a pair of touchdowns. The 26-year-old has also started a pair of playoff games during his career, throwing for four touchdowns vs. only one interception.

QB A.J. McCarron To Re-Sign With Texans

March 16th, 2020 at 8:33pm CST by Ben Levine

The Texans offense will look a whole lot different next year, but at least fans will be familiar with their quarterbacks. Backup A.J. McCarron announced on Instagram that he’s re-signing with Houston (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter).

McCarron signed a one-year deal with the Texans last offseason, and he earned his first start since 2015 during Houston’s regular season finale. In that contest, the 29-year-old completed 21 of his 36 pass attempts for 225 yards and one interception. He also had a rushing touchdown to go along with four sacks.

The former fifth-rounder out of Alabama has made 15 appearances during his career. He earned three starts with the Bengals back in 2015, throwing six touchdowns vs. only two interceptions. He also started for Cincy in the playoffs that year, tossing a touchdown in the Bengals loss to the Steelers.

In Houston, he’ll continue serving as the backup to Deshaun Watson. Earlier today, the organization stole headlines when they traded star wideout DeAndre Hopkins for running back David Johnson.

Jets Sign OT George Fant

March 16th, 2020 at 8:14pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets have added some reinforcement to their offensive line. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that offensive tackle George Fant has inked a three-year deal with the Jets. The contract is worth $30MM, including $13.7MM guaranteed.

Fant made a name for himself when he switched from the Western Kentucky basketball team to the Western Kentucky football team. Despite only appearing in two collegiate games as a tight end, Fant still got a gig from the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

In his four years with the organization, Fant evolved into one of Seattle’s top rotational lineman. While his 2017 season was lost thanks to a torn ACL, he’s otherwise appeared in 46 games (24 starts) during his three healthy seasons.

There’s uncertainty throughout the entire Jets offensive line, so this probably won’t be their last notable move. With Sam Darnold entering a critical third season in the NFL, the front office will surely look to put him in every position to succeed.

Broncos Targeting DL D.J. Reader

March 16th, 2020 at 7:59pm CST by Ben Levine

The Broncos are eyeing D.J. Reader, but it sounds like they’ll have some competition. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos “continue to be in discussions” with the defensive lineman.

However, Klis cautions that Denver is probably “not the only team” pursuing Reader. Meanwhile, NFL.com’s James Palmer tweets that the Broncos are “still very interested” in the lineman.

The 25-year-old has spent the first four seasons of his career in Houston, and he’s started each of his 45 games over the past three years. That includes a 2019 campaign where he compiled a career-high 52 tackles and 2.5 sacks. The 2016 fifth-rounder has appeared in 61 regular season games during his career.

The Broncos have been relatively busy today. Most notably, they inked offensive lineman Graham Glasgow to a four-year, $44MM contract.

Raiders Close With Marcus Mariota

March 16th, 2020 at 7:49pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Well this is certainly going to raise a lot of eyebrows around the league. The Raiders are “pushing to close out a deal” with free agent quarterback Marcus Mariota, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

While Mariota is a high profile addition, this doesn’t mean the end is near for Derek Carr, as Sirius XM NFL Radio insider Adam Caplan tweets that Mariota has been their top choice to backup Carr. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that Vegas has had eyes on Mariota for a long time, and that’s what we heard a couple weeks ago. The thinking at the time was that the Raiders had shifted from pursuing a top-tier starter like Tom Brady to pursuing a solid backup who can push Carr.

This all but certainly removes the Raiders from the Brady sweepstakes. While head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock will likely insist for the time being that Carr remains the starter, they likely wouldn’t be making this move if they were completely sold on him as the long-term answer under center.

Mayock has hedged all offseason when asked about Carr, and it’s been tough to get a read on how Gruden truly feels about him. We heard last month there was a “growing sense” that teams would inquire about trading for Carr. Interestingly enough, Mariota might find himself in a situation very similar to the one he was in last year, just on the opposite end.

The Titans traded for Ryan Tannehill last offseason, insisting that he was going to be Mariota’s backup. Of course after Mariota struggled to start the year he was quickly benched in favor of Tannehill, who ended up leading Tennessee to the AFC Championship Game and earning a massive extension. Now, Mariota might get the chance to do the same thing to Carr. As Garafolo points out Mayock had Mariota as his top-rated quarterback in the 2015 draft class, ahead of Jameis Winston who went first overall.