2020 March - Pro Football Rumors

Texans, Ka’imi Fairbairn Agree To Extension

March 10th, 2020 at 10:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have struck a new deal with kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. It’s a fresh four-year deal worth $17.65MM, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). The pact includes $9MM in guaranteed money and positions him as the third-highest paid kicker in the NFL in terms of average annual value.

Before the deal, Fairbairn was slated to reach unrestricted free agency. The new deal will keep him under contract through the 2023 season.

Since coming to Houston in 2017, Fairbairn has connected on 77 of 92 field goal tries and 111 of his 121 extra point attempts. He’ll try to keep up the good special teams work along with punter Bryan Anger, who recently re-upped with the team on a a three-year, $8.25MM deal.

The new deal marks a nice pay bump for Fairbairn, who collected a $3.095MM salary last year.

Alex Boone Drawing Interest From NFL Teams

March 10th, 2020 at 10:36am CST by Zachary Links

We haven’t seen Alex Boone on the field in a while, but he says he’s looking to play for the first time since 2017. His attempted comeback is not a publicity stunt, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter) hears, and the veteran already has interest from a “handful” of teams.

Boone, 33 in May, played for the 49ers, Vikings, and Cardinals across eight pro seasons. He entered the league as a UDFA back in 2009 and battled until he found his way to the Niners’ starting lineup in 2012.

Later on, he landed a four-year, $26.2MM free agent deal with the Vikings. Unfortunately, he clashed with Minnesota brass and reportedly had conditioning issues. The Vikings asked him to take a pay cut, Boone said no, and they dropped him after just one year. His last action came in ’17 with the Cardinals, where he started 13 games.

Boone, Pelissero hears, is back up to 285 pounds. That’s important and also impressive – last year, Boone slimmed down in order to compete in an Ironman Triathlon.

Panthers Sign Kyle Allen To Extension

March 10th, 2020 at 10:23am CST by Zachary Links

Kyle Allen, in all likelihood, wasn’t going anywhere. Now, it’s official. On Tuesday, the Panthers announced a one-year extension for the quarterback.

Allen was slated to become an exclusive rights free agent, which is to say that he wasn’t truly on course for free agency. Instead of exercising their right to keep Allen for another low-cast year, the Panthers have given him a fresh contract, one that might include a small bump in compensation.

Allen, 24, started in 12 games in Cam Newton‘s stead last year. Early on, he looked sharp – the Panthers rattled off four wins in his first four starts. After that, things got bumpy, though the blame couldn’t be entirely placed on his shoulder pads. The Panthers went 1-7 in Allen’s next eight starts as they tumbled out of playoff contention. The youngster finished out the year with 17 touchdowns against 16 interceptions and seven lost fumbles, a stat reflective of their offensive line issues.

Allen, a former UDFA, is slated to hold the clipboard for Newton once again this year. The Panthers reportedly plan to stick with the former MVP as their starter, but nothing is certain at this stage of the offseason.

Browns Release Christian Kirksey

March 10th, 2020 at 10:17am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have released linebacker Christian Kirksey, per a club announcement. Kirksey was one of the team’s longest-tenured players, but the club’s revamped regime did not see him as a part of their plans in 2020.

“Christian Kirksey has been a vital member of our organization for the last six seasons because of his contributions on and off the field,” said Browns GM Andrew Berry, who overlapped with Kirksey in his original stint from 2016-2018. “He has been a strong leader both in our locker room and in the Cleveland community. These are difficult decisions and, in Christian’s case, more challenging because of how well he has represented our team. We thank him for his dedication and wish him nothing but the best in the next phase of his career.”

Kirksey played in 73 games and started 54 times over the course of six years. After his first four years of perfect attendance, the injury bug derailed him a bit. In 2018, he was held back by a hamstring injury. Last year, a torn pectoral muscle shut him down after just two games. He leaves the Browns after notching 484 stops, 11.5 sacks, two interceptions, and four forced fumbles. More importantly, he’ll leave behind a legacy of charitable work in the Cleveland area.

Cowboys Exercise Jamize Olawale’s Option

March 10th, 2020 at 9:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have picked up the 2020 option for fullback Jamize Olawale, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Olawale joined the Cowboys two years ago via trade with the Raiders and has been a key special teams piece ever since.

In Oakland, Olawale was used to clear the way as a lead blocker. The Cowboys brought him in to take over for Keith Smith who, strangely enough, signed on with the Raiders in the same offseason.

Soon after the trade, the Cowboys gave Olawale a new three-year, $5.4MM deal with $2.8MM guaranteed, though the 2020 and 2021 seasons were left as option years. The Cowboys had to decide on those seasons before the end of the ’19 league year, and that’s what they did today.

Olawale, 31 in April, has 109 career appearances to his credit with 20 starts for the Raiders and Cowboys. He has not registered a carry since 2017 and did not catch a pass in 2019, though he was targeted twice on throws.

Ravens’ Marshal Yanda Retires From NFL

March 10th, 2020 at 9:26am CST by Zachary Links

Marshal Yanda is calling it a career. On Wednesday, the Ravens’ guard will formally announce his retirement from the NFL, as ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley tweets.

Yanda, 35, spent his entire 13-season career with the Ravens. He also mulled retirement last year and there have been rumblings for the past few weeks about him hanging ’em up before the 2020 season. He’s following through on that, choosing to focus on family and his life outside of football.

Last year, Yanda helped the Ravens rack up 3,296 yards on the ground as he protected superstar Lamar Jackson & Co. That was an NFL all-time record, one that they couldn’t have achieved without stellar protection on the interior line from the eight-time Pro Bowler.

Along the way, Yanda also racked up two First-Team All-Pro nods and a Super Bowl ring. The veteran likely still has plenty of quality football left in the tank, but he also has nothing left to prove. He’s earned many millions of dollars since entering the league as a third-round pick in 2007 and reached the pinnacle of the sport – now, he’ll enjoy the fruits of his labor off of the field.

With Yanda out of the picture, the Ravens will be off the hook for his $7MM salary in 2020. They’re unlikely to find a better guard for that price.

Texans, Darren Fells Agree To Extension

March 10th, 2020 at 9:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have agreed to terms on a new two-year contract with tight end Darren Fells, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The new deal is worth $7MM and will pay Fells a little more up front with $4MM in 2020.

Fells, who will celebrate his 34th birthday in April, set a career high with seven touchdowns last year. It was an unexpected jump in offensive production for the veteran, who was previously known best for his blocking prowess.

Last summer, many thought that Fells was on the chopping block soon after signing his one-year deal with Houston. Six weeks after putting pen to paper, the Texans used a third-round choice on San Diego State’s Kahale Warring, a 6’5″ athlete with lots of promise as a blocker. Meanwhile, there were also “the Jordans” – 2018 picks Jordan Akins and Jordan Thomas.

Still, Fells emerged from the pack and as he started in all 16 games and caught 34 passes for 341 yards (and the aforementioned seven TDs.) Now, he’ll stick with the Texans for 2020 and possibly beyond.

NFL Moves Franchise Tag Deadline

March 10th, 2020 at 8:43am CST by Zachary Links

The NFL’s franchise tag deadline has been moved to Monday, according to NFL.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). It’s a sensible move, designed to project the league against a logistical nightmare as the collective bargaining agreement talks drag.

In the final year of the CBA, teams were slated to have a loophole that would enable them to use the franchise and the transition tag. It’s been an oft-discussed scenario for the Cowboys, who could have theoretically used one tag on quarterback Dak Prescott and the other on Amari Cooper. If the CBA is ratified between now and Monday, that option will no longer be there. If the CBA doesn’t pass by Monday and there isn’t an additional extension, the loophole may still be available.

As it stands, the NFLPA’s voting window has until Saturday to put the proposed CBA into place. The new franchise tag deadline has been set for 11:59am ET/10:59am CT. After that, the “legal tampering” period gets underway on Monday at 12pm ET/11am CT. On Wednesday at 4pm ET/3pm CT, free agency officially begins.

Marcus Sherels Considering Retirement

March 9th, 2020 at 9:44pm CST by Ben Levine

Marcus Sherels could be calling it a career. There’s a “50-50” chance the Vikings special teams ace retires, reports Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com. The veteran will likely test free agency before making a decision.

The 32-year-old has spent much of his career with the Vikings organization, but 2019 saw him testing new waters. Minnesota didn’t make him an offer last offseason, leading to Sherels signing with the Saints. He was let go by New Orleans at the end of the preseason and went back to the Vikings, but Minny released him in late October. Following a brief stint with the Dolphins, Sherels once again signed with the Vikings. He ultimately appeared in eight total games last season, returning 12 punts.

The 2010 undrafted free agent out of Minnesota has compiled 2,503 punt return yards during his 10-year career, and his 2,480 yards with the Vikings is a franchise-best. Sherels has also returned 57 kickoffs during his career, and he has 108 tackles and one interception. Tomasson notes that it “would not be a surprise” if the front office moves on from the veteran.

With only $1.3MM of salary cap space, the front office will have to make some tough decisions this offseason. We’ve already learned that one of those decisions involves safety Anthony Harris, who sounds likely to leave Minnesota when free agency opens in March.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/20

March 9th, 2020 at 7:49pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions will be posted below:

RFAs

Non-tendered:

Buccaneers: OL Mike Liedtke

Liedtke has been with the Buccaneers organization since 2016, bouncing between the active roster and practice squad. He appeared in a career-high nine games for Tampa Bay in 2018. He missed the entire 2019 campaign thanks to shoulder surgery, but Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets that the 28-year-old is “almost fully recovered.”