2020 March - Pro Football Rumors

Panthers Meet With DL Chris Smith

March 3rd, 2020 at 12:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers will huddle up with former Browns defensive lineman Chris Smith on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Smith has been away from the game since his girlfriend’s tragic death last year, but he’s ready to make his return in 2020.

Smith entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick of the Jaguars in 2014. After that, he spent time with the Bengals and went on to ink a three-year deal with the Browns in 2018. In his first season, he notched 21 stops, two passes defensed, one sack, and a forced fumble. In 2019, he made nine appearances before being released in December. For his career, Smith has 67 total tackles and 8.5 sacks in 60 games.

The Panthers’ defensive line figures to look rather different in 2020. The team is expected to decline the 2020 option on nose tackle Dontari Poe and Gerald McCoy, Bruce Irvin, and Vernon Butler are unlikely to return. Mario Addison, who has tallied 55 sacks for the Panthers, may be the only pending free agent DL to return. Even then, it’d have to be on the Panthers’ preferred terms.

Tom Brady Hoping To Play With Antonio Brown?

March 3rd, 2020 at 11:48am CST by Zachary Links

Is Tom Brady looking to reunite with Antonio Brown? Two people close to the troubled wide receiver tell Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com that the quarterback has told Brown that he wants to play with him again.

It’s a surprising bit of news that perhaps should be taken with a grain of salt. First, we have to consider the source – those close to Brown would have incentive to push the narrative that the league’s most popular athlete is eager to team up with him. It’s also possible that Brady, who was friendly with Brown during his short stay in New England, is simply looking to keep up Brown’s spirits.

If Brady returns to the Patriots, it’s hard to envision such a reunion taking place. And, if Brady signs elsewhere, teams will have reservations about getting involved with Brown. Even before all of the ugly accusations and disturbing social media videos, Brown was perceived to be unstable for his behavior in Pittsburgh and the drama that nixed his Oakland tenure before it even began.

One of Brown’s attorneys told the ESPN duo that Brady has encouraged Brown to stay “mentally and physically strong” so that they can pair up once again. If that does somehow come to fruition, it’s not a given that Brown will be allowed to take the field in September.

Meanwhile, it’s anyone’s guess as to where Brady will wind up. The Colts and Giants are reportedly not among the teams chasing him, but the Chargers, Titans, and Raiders may be among the clubs looking to pry him from the Patriots. Despite his accomplishments, some execs have told Graziano and Fowler that they’re expecting him to fetch no more than $30MM/year on a two- or three-year deal.

Giants Exercise Alex Tanney’s Option

March 3rd, 2020 at 8:57am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants have exercised their option on Alex Tanney‘s contract, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). With that, he’ll be in the mix to serve as Daniel Jones’ QB2 this year.

Tanney, 33 in November, has bounced around the league throughout his career. He had stops with the Chiefs, Cowboys, Browns, Buccaneers, Titans, Bills, Colts, and Titans (again) before joining the Giants in May of 2018. Meanwhile, he’s thrown just 15 passes in the NFL between two games.

Despite his lack of live action, coaches see Tanney as a quick study and a solid influence in the locker room. Keepin the Monmouth product isn’t an expensive proposition, either. If he sticks, he’ll earn just $950K in base salary with a $1.012MM cap hit. If he doesn’t make the cut, the Giants won’t be on the hook for much: the dead money hit would be less than $38K.

Earlier this offseason, there were some rumblings that the Giants could consider Tom Brady, but we heard recently that they will not be in pursuit of the future Hall of Famer. Instead, they’ll stay the course with youngster Daniel Jones who showed flashes of promise after taking over for Eli Manning.

Broncos Targeting Top Free Agent RBs

March 3rd, 2020 at 8:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos are doing their due diligence on top running backs in this year’s class, Mike Klis of 9News hears. This year’s crop includes Derrick Henry (Titans), Kenyan Drake (Cardinals), Melvin Gordon (Chargers), and several other big names.

The Broncos believe that a reliable running back can help to keep defenses honest and, in turn, aid in the development of young quarterback Drew Lock, Klis writes. Henry is at the top of the shopping list for many RB-needy teams, though he’s expected to command a hefty asking price. He also might not reach the open market; the Titans are expected to cuff him with the franchise tag if they cannot work out a long-term deal, which would tender him at roughly $11MM for the coming season.

Drake, Gordon, and Carlos Hyde (Texans) may be in the mix, however. Between those veteran options and the draft, it’s likely that the Broncos will move to upgrade their RB room which currently leads with Royce Freeman and Philip Lindsay. Last year, the Broncos ranked 20th in the NFL with 103.9 rushing yards per contest.

As Klis notes, the Broncos met with a number of RB prospects at the combine late last month, including J.K. Dobbins, Cam Akers, Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and A.J. Dillon.

Chargers, Travis Benjamin To Part Ways

March 3rd, 2020 at 8:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers and wide receiver Travis Benjamin are “mutually parting ways,” a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Benjamin will hit the open market in a couple of weeks and he apparently won’t be discussing a new deal with the Bolts.

Benjamin joined the Chargers as a free agent in 2016 after talks with the incumbent Browns broke down. He landed a four-year, $24MM deal with $13MM guaranteed, a solid payout for a player who came out of nowhere to post 68 receptions, 966 yards, and five touchdowns in his platform year.

Since then, Benjamin’s production has been in decline. In Year One with the Chargers, he posted a 47/677/4 line. After the move to L.A., things cooled – 34/567/4 in 2017, 12/186/1 in 2018, and, thanks to injuries, he had just six grabs in five games last year.

Benjamin won’t be the only Chargers veteran leaving L.A. Quarterback Philip Rivers – an even more notable San Diego import – will be signing elsewhere in March.

At wide receiver, the Chargers will have some work to do – they don’t have a lot of proven talent on hand, outside of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

Falcons Release OL John Wetzel

March 2nd, 2020 at 10:01pm CST by Ben Levine

The Falcons announced today that they released offensive lineman John Wetzel.

The 28-year-old had six separate stints with the Falcons last season, but the organization continued to turn to him whenever they had a need on the offensive line. The Boston College product ultimately got into a pair of games for Atlanta in 2019. The offensive guard previously started 19 of his 32 games for the Cardinals between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, but he was limited to only eight games (five starts) in 2018.

The organization clearly sees value in Wetzel, so it wouldn’t be a shock if the veteran landed back with the Falcons at some point. It’s worth noting that the lineman was able to sneak in a workout with the Texans between one of his runs in Atlanta.

This will likely be one of many minor moves that the Falcons make as they scrounge around for extra cap. The team’s currently sitting with around $5MM in space, although they could move on from someone like Devonta Freeman to clear up even more room.

NFC West Rumors: Drake, Olsen, Rams

March 2nd, 2020 at 8:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

This running back market could feature Derrick Henry and Melvin Gordon, but given how most of the high-end running back contracts of recent years have not helped teams, the prices for the free agent backs might be team-friendly.

Nevertheless, Kenyan Drake is hoping to parlay his Cardinals work into a lucrative deal. The former Dolphins starter-turned-trade chip is expected to target $8-$10MM per year, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. That would come in south of the Ezekiel Elliott–Todd Gurley–Le’Veon Bell–David Johnson top tier but north of the rest of the field. Drake is a candidate to stay in Arizona, however, despite Johnson’s presence.

The Cardinals want to re-sign their recent trade acquisition, and the prospect of a franchise tag has surfaced. That $10MM-plus figure entering the equation would be a serious boon for Drake’s value.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

ESPN’s Brady Henderson has details on Greg Olsen‘s one-year, $7MM deal with the Seahawks (Twitter link). The veteran tight end will earn a $3.75MM signing bonus with a $1.75MM base salary, leading to $5.5MM in guaranteed money. Olsen also has an extra $1.5MM in per-game roster bonuses.
The Rams will be without offensive guard Joseph Noteboom and center Brian Allen until the start of training camp, according to Rich Hammond of The Athletic. The fact that the team won’t have a pair of starters for much of the offseason program could influence the front office’s decision to retain impending free agent Austin Blythe and potential trade candidate Rob Havenstein.
We learned earlier today that despite having around only $13MM in cap space, the 49ers are motivated to keep Arik Armstead in the fold.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Jaguars Want To Trade QB Nick Foles

March 2nd, 2020 at 7:57pm CST by Ben Levine

If the Jaguars have their way, it’ll be Minshew Mania again in 2020. ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler report that the Jaguars “want to go with Gardner Minshew as their starting QB” next season. As a result, the organization would like to find a taker for Nick Foles.

However, as the two reporters point out, it might not be easy to trade the veteran quarterback, and the Jaguars will have to “sweeten the deal, either with a pick or by paying part of the salary.” Last offseason, Jacksonville signed the former Super Bowl MVP to a whopping four-year deal worth $50.1MM guaranteed. The veteran will count for more than $22MM against the cap next season, although teams could have an out (with a $12.5MM cap hit) following the 2020 campaign.

It’s not too surprising that the Jaguars are opting for the younger option. While Foles didn’t play horribly in his four starts, the team still went 0-4 with him under center. The Jaguars improved to 6-6 with Minshew at quarterback, and the rookie finished the season with a top-10 interception rate.

Foles could theoretically be a fallback option for a squad that misses out on their free agent or trade targets. However, considering the 2020 salary and modest future investment, rival teams may choose to use their money elsewhere.

OL Jeremiah Sirles Announces Retirement

March 2nd, 2020 at 6:52pm CST by Ben Levine

Jeremiah Sirles is calling it a career. The veteran offensive lineman announced his retirement today (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com).

After appearing in 28 games with the Vikings between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Sirles inked a one-year deal with the Panthers prior to the 2018 campaign. However, he landed on injured reserve at the end of the preseason, and he was subsequently released by Carolina. He ended up catching on with the Bills, and he proceeded to appear in 12 games (five starts) during the 2018 season.

He inked a one-year extension with Buffalo last offseason, but a foot injury led to his release. Sirles spent the entire 2019 campaign without a gig.

The 28-year-old cited a pair of knee injures when explaining his retirement decision.

“The decision doesn’t come easy, but after two major ankle surgeries last year, my wife and I have made the decision to see what the future holds for our family,” Sirles said (via Williams). “Part of me will always be a kid who was able to play a game he loved for 20 years. Here is to the next steps and some exciting things lined up.”

49ers, Arik Armstead In Extension Talks

March 2nd, 2020 at 5:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Faced with a genuine possibility of losing one of their five first-round defensive linemen in free agency, the 49ers are not giving up on keeping Arik Armstead in the fold.

The team holds barely $13MM in cap space and is in the early stages of talks with George Kittle and DeForest Buckner on what will be mammoth extensions. However, the 49ers still want to extend Armstead. And they are working on a deal, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets.

Armstead completed a dominant contract year, posting a team-high 10 sacks, and was productive in the playoffs for a 49ers team that held a fourth-quarter lead in Super Bowl LIV. But the 2015 first-round pick was not exactly a dependable asset during his first four seasons, totaling nine sacks from 2015-18 and missing 18 games due to injury in that span.

While Nick Bosa looms as a surefire extension candidate, he is under contract through 2023. An extension for the 26-year-old Armstead pact may not overlap with a future Bosa accord. As for the 49ers of 2020, they have both Jimmie Ward and Emmanuel Sanders as free agents — at positions featuring less talent than San Francisco features up front. A Dee Ford release would save the 49ers $9MM-plus, while cutting Jerick McKinnon would add $4MM to that. If the 49ers find a taker for Marquise Goodwin, they could save an additional $3MM.

An Armstead re-up would still be tricky and hamstring the 49ers’ offseason efforts. A franchise tag in the $18MM vicinity would pose a bigger impediment, so an extension makes the most sense. But with Chris Jones, Matt Judon, Bud Dupree and possibly Yannick Ngakoue set to be franchise-tagged, it may be difficult for the 49ers to convince Armstead to sign a deal before seeing the interest that would come his way on a thinning pass rusher market.