2020 March - Pro Football Rumors

Blake Jarwin Agrees To Extension With Cowboys

March 16th, 2020 at 1:06pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Sources tell Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com that tight end Blake Jarwin has agreed to a three-year deal to remain with the Cowboys for up to $24.25MM with $9.25MM in guarantees.

Jarwin was an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State in 2017 who earned his way onto the Cowboys practice squad, before a mid-season promotion brought him to the 53-man roster. While he only appeared in one game (and recorded no statistics) as a rookie, over the past two seasons, Jarwin has made 58 receptions for 678 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns.

The return of Jason Witten last season likely cut into what would have been an even larger role for Jarwin last season in Dallas. Still just 26, the Cowboys clearly have high hopes for him to develop in a frontline contributor as his new deal pays him in line with a mid-tier starter.

Raiders To Sign Nick Kwiatkoski

March 16th, 2020 at 1:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have agreed to sign former Bears linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Kwiatkoski has also personally confirmed the news, tweeting out a picture of the Raiders’ new stadium.

It’s a three-year deal for the free agent defender, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The longtime Bears backup/part-time starter will receive $21MM in this deal, with $13.5MM guaranteed, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Giants were also in the mix for the four-year veteran, per Garafolo (on Twitter).

Kwiatkoski will make $6.75MM in base salary this season, and Albert Breer of SI.com tweets the linebacker has a $3.4MM roster bonus that is essentially guaranteed at signing. He will receive that payment in five days.

The Bears watched Kwiatkoski progress into a legitimate contributor since he was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. However, after signing fellow linebacker Danny Trevathan to a three-year extension, the Bears decided to let Kwiatkoski walk via free agency. Jon Gruden, who has been eager to fortify his front seven, was happy to take him on.

Kwiatkoski, 27 in May, had perfect attendance for his last two seasons and started in half of his contests last year. In 2019, he logged 76 stops, three sacks, one interception, and four passes defensed.

Kwiatkoski, a well-respected run-stuffer, also stepped up his pass-rush pressure last year. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus gave him an 81.8 grade in that category, showing that he’s trending towards even better things. The Broncos and Giants were among the clubs that were connected to him – at least, speculatively – before the deal with Las Vegas.

Giants Interested In OLB Jordan Jenkins

March 16th, 2020 at 12:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after franchise-tagging ex-Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams, the Giants have emerged as a suitor for longtime Williams teammate Jordan Jenkins.

The Giants are indeed interested in Jenkins, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter). Jenkins has spent his entire career with the Jets, becoming their top edge rusher over the past two seasons.

Jenkins, 25, has posted 15 sacks over the past two seasons. While the Jets tried to acquire higher-profile outside linebackers during that time — namely Khalil Mack and Anthony Barr — they turned to Jenkins as their top sack artist.

Big Blue has been linked to Jadeveon Clowney while also being skittish about the price tag the former No. 1 overall pick will carry. Jenkins would be a more cost-efficient option, but the Giants also may lose top incumbent pass rusher Markus Golden. So, they feature multiple needs at outside linebacker.

Bears Interested In Teddy Bridgewater

March 16th, 2020 at 12:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have been in talks with Teddy Bridgewater during the legal tampering period, Mike Florio of PFT hears. The Saints don’t have the cap room to keep the quarterback, but the Bears are among the clubs interested in him and, potentially, among the teams willing to give him a starting job.

The Bears plan on sticking with Mitchell Trubisky, though they’ve signaled a desire to bring in competition. Bridgewater would fit the bill.

Florio hears that Bridgewater is in line for a deal that would pay him roughly $21MM/year. At that salary, Bridgewater would probably be anointed as the Bears’ Week 1 starter.

Bridgewater has started in only six games since January of 2016, but he’s also made a complete recovery from his devastating injury. Many believe that Bridgewater can thrive if given the opportunity to start.

Last year, Bridgewater went 5-0 as the Saints’ starter, filling in for Drew Brees while he was sidelined. Trubisky, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 draft, went 8-7. He had just 17 touchdowns against ten interceptions, casting doubt on his future prospects with the Bears.

Steelers Cut Mark Barron, Anthony Chickillo

March 16th, 2020 at 12:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have released linebackers Mark Barron and Anthony Chickillo, according to a team press release. In a related move, the club also cut wide receiver Johnny Holton.

For Barron, it’s an early end to the free agent deal he inked with the Steelers one year ago. With his two-year, $12MM deal terminated, he’ll look for work elsewhere. After coming over from the Rams, Barron registered 82 tackles, three sacks, and one fumble recovery in 15 games.

Chickillo, meanwhile, has mostly played as a reserve throughout his career in Pittsburgh. He has 65 total appearances to his credit with just nine starts. All in all, he’s logged 67 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, eight sacks, three pass defenses, three forced fumbles, and lots of time on special teams.

Texans To Trade DeAndre Hopkins To Cardinals

March 16th, 2020 at 12:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Minutes after their David Johnson trade surfaced, the Texans and Cardinals will top that deal. The Texans have agreed to send All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

Hopkins will be included in the Johnson trade, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The seven-year veteran now becomes the centerpiece of said trade. Not only are the Texans taking all of Johnson’s contract, but it appears they are dealing Hopkins without getting a first-round pick back.

Interestingly, this deal thus far does not include any first-round picks. The Texans will trade Hopkins and a fourth-round pick for Johnson, a 2020 second-rounder and a 2021 fourth-rounder, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter).

This marks one of the biggest skill-position trades in recent memory, and the Cardinals will now have a Hopkins-Larry Fitzgerald–Christian Kirk receiver trio. A rumor surfaced earlier Monday about Hopkins being available, and SI.com’s Albert Breer adds (on Twitter) that the dominant receiver came up in trade rumors in August and October. Bill O’Brien took over personnel duties last May.

Hopkins, who will turn 28 this summer, has been a first-team All-Pro in each of the past three seasons. He’s made four of the past five Pro Bowls. One of the top contested-catch players in modern NFL history, the former first-round pick will now be tasked with helping the Kyler Murray-centered Arizona offense take steps forward. Cardinals GM Steve Keim interestingly got off the Johnson contract and acquired Hopkins without having to give up a first-round pick. The Cardinals hold this year’s No. 8 overall pick. The second-rounder they are giving up is the No. 40 overall selection.

Hopkins signed a five-year, $81MM extension in 2017. Three seasons remain on that deal. While it is certainly possible the Cardinals will redo his contract, as the Raiders did upon acquiring Antonio Brown last March, Hopkins is set to make just $12.5MM in 2020 base salary.

This marks an unusual move for the Texans, who have used Hopkins as their offensive centerpiece since Andre Johnson vacated that role several years ago. Hopkins has five 1,100-yard seasons since 2014, the last year he and Johnson were on the same team, and has 54 career touchdowns. His 504 receptions, 6,590 yards and 46 TDs each rank second in the league over the past five years (h/t Field Yates of ESPN.com). Both Kenny Stills and Will Fuller are under contract for 2020, but neither is signed beyond next season.

The Texans have been active traders since O’Brien took over as de facto GM (and now actual GM). They dealt two first-round picks and a second for Laremy Tunsil and unloaded third-rounders for Duke Johnson and Gareon Conley. This Hopkins-Johnson deal will give the Texans a second-rounder back, but the team obviously is not as strong offensively after making the move.

49ers, Arik Armstead Agree To Deal

March 16th, 2020 at 12:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers are taking care of a major piece of offseason business. The defending NFC champions agreed to terms with Arik Armstead on a five-year extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

News emerged earlier on Monday the sides were closing in on a deal, and after the 49ers did not use their franchise tag on Armstead, they finalized an extension. Armstead will receive up to $85MM on this five-year contract, per Rapoport.

Many labeled Armstead as a bust early on, but he silenced critics with his performance in 2019. Pro Football Focus pegged the former first-rounder as the sixth-best edge defender out of 107 qualified players in the category. Meanwhile, Jadeveon Clowney ranked 20th, Shaquil Barrett ranked 25th, and Yannick Ngakoue ranked 36th. Barrett led the league with 19.5 sacks while Armstead recorded “just” ten sacks, but he had more quarterback hurries, which is perhaps a better indicator of sacks to come.

Some may say that Armstead is something of a one-hit wonder, dismissing his 2019 season as a well-timed burst before free agency. However, the talent has been there all along, and the Niners are confident that he’ll continue to build on that performance. It’s worth noting that Armstead has generated a hurry on over 9.2% of his pass-rush snaps over his career – none of the aforementioned players have topped 7.8%.

Along with Nick Bosa and Dee Ford, Armstead has helped to turn one of the Niners’ biggest weaknesses into the team’s greatest strength. With a new deal, SF will aim to keep that momentum going.

Cardinals Trade David Johnson To Texans

March 16th, 2020 at 12:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals and Texans have agreed to a trade that will send David Johnson to Houston, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The deal, in effect, amounts to a salary dump for Arizona. The Texans will take on his entire salary, Schefter adds (on Twitter).

Exact terms of the exchange are not yet known, but the Texans probably didn’t give up much to facilitate the deal.

The Cardinals said that releasing Johnson was “not an option” this year. Due $13MM/year on his monster deal, and releasing him would have saddled the team with a $16.2MM dead money hit. Instead, they’ve escaped some of that obligation with the trade.

Johnson’s was once one of the league’s very best running backs. But, thanks to ankle and back injuries, he’s been a shell of his former self. Last year, the Cardinals limited his carries and pushed him further down the pecking order by trading for Kenyan Drake in the middle of the season. Drake, meanwhile, will remain tied to the club thanks to the transition tag.

Last year, Johnson missed time and averaged just 3.7 yards on 94 totes. His last big year came in 2016, when he earned Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro nods as he ran for 1,239 yards. Before that, he put his name on the map as a rookie by averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

This won’t be the only blockbuster move made by the Texans this week. Shockingly, we heard earlier today that the Texans could even entertain trade offers for DeAndre Hopkins.

Dolphins Interested In Shaq Lawson

March 16th, 2020 at 12:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not much has emerged about Shaq Lawson‘s market, but with many would-be free agent edge rushers being franchise-tagged, the longtime Bills defender should see interest pick up.

One of the Bills’ top rivals is in the mix for Lawson, with Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reporting the Dolphins are interested in the former first-round pick (Twitter link).

This year’s market has seen Shaquil Barrett, Matt Judon, Yannick Ngakoue and Bud Dupree removed from free agent consideration because of the tag. The Bills did not pick up Lawson’s fifth-year option last year, but the Clemson alum posted a career-high 6.5 sacks with 18 QB hits.

The Dolphins lead the NFL in cap space, with more than $80MM, and have needs at most spots on their roster. The team does return Taco Charlton and still has fellow 2017 first-round edge Charles Harris under contract.

Dolphins To Sign Ereck Flowers To $30MM Deal

March 16th, 2020 at 12:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have agreed to sign Ereck Flowers, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Once finalized, it’ll be a three-year deal worth $30MM with $19.5MM fully guaranteed.

Flowers, who floundered in his early years with the Giants, was not expected to find free agent riches at the outset of the offseason. However, the dearth of quality offensive line help around the league bolstered his market tremendously. Lately, we’ve heard rumors that Flowers could fetch $10MM/year on his next deal. That was indeed the case, and the Dolphins will be the team to pay out that contract.

Last year, Flowers earned $3.25MM with the Redskins. Playing at guard, Flowers started in all 16 games and surprised many with his performance. After the Redskins locked down Brandon Scherff and the Patriots took Joe Thuney off of the market with a surprise franchise tag, Flowers was looking better than ever to teams in need of interior help.

The deal brings the Miami native and former Hurricane back to his old stomping grounds. Meanwhile, the Dolphins get a talented lineman who – in theory – could offer support at multiple positions.