2022 March - Pro Football Rumors

Jaguars To Sign Foye Oluokun

March 14th, 2022 at 12:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

The big spending continues in Jacksonville. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the Jaguars have agreed on a three-year, $45MM deal with linebacker Foye Oluokun (Twitter link). He adds that there is $28MM in guaranteed money.

The 26-year-old Yale product has emerged as a highly productive linebacker in the past two seasons in particular. In 2021, he played in all 17 games, registering a league-leading 192 combined tackles. He also added two sacks, three interceptions and a forced fumble, as he was an integral part of the Falcons’ defense.

That production had Atlanta eager to keep him. However, it was believed he would garner enough interest to land outside of the team’s price range. At an average value of $15MM per season, that has certainly turned out to be the case.

That figure stands in stark contrast to what an analytical evaluation might deem him to be worth. In his two seasons as a starter, Oluokun has received PFF grades of 56.6 and 46.5. While that is principally driven by underwhelming numbers in coverage, his run-stopping ability will be put to good use in Jacksonville. His addition, along with that of defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi, should improve a Jacksonville defense that gave up 125 yards per game on the ground in 2021.

Bengals To Sign Ted Karras

March 14th, 2022 at 12:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have agreed to sign offensive lineman Ted Karras (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Once finalized, it’ll be a three-year, $18MM deal to keep Karras under club control through 2024.

[RELATED: Bengals To Sign Cappa]

Karras, best known for his time with the Patriots, returned to New England on a one-year, $4MM deal last year. Before that, he spent the 2020 season with the rival Dolphins. In 2020, he started in all 16 games and played on all 1,067 of the ‘Fins offensive snaps. Last year with the Pats, Karras wasn’t quite as active, but still appeared in all 17 games with 13 starts.

Karras will be joined by former Buccaneers guard Alex Cappa, who agreed to a four-year, $40MM deal with the Bengals on Monday morning. Cappa appeared in all 19 of the Buccaneers’ games last year (including the playoffs), showing that he’s now well recovered from the ankle fracture that kept him out of Super Bowl LV.

Brandon Scherff Intends To Sign With Jaguars

March 14th, 2022 at 12:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

One of the biggest free agents amongst offensive linemen – and in this year’s class overall – may have found his destination. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Brandon Scherff “intends” to sign with the Jaguars. It’s a three-year, $49.5MM deal for Scherff, including $30MM guaranteed and $33MM paid out through the first two years (via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo on Twitter).

[RELATED: Jaguars To Sign Foye Oluojun]

The 30-year-old had spent his entire seven-year career with Washington. The three most recent of those campaigns each earned him trips to the Pro Bowl, bringing his career total to five. 2020 also saw him recognized with first-team All Pro honors for the first time. PFF assigned him an overall grade of 73.6 in 2021, which continued his trend of consistent, high-level play.

A first round pick out of Iowa, Scherff has long been considered one of the top offensive linemen (at any position) in the NFL. Size, athleticism, technique and strength have never been an issue for him. Availability, however, has. He has missed 14 games over the past three years, which was part of the reason for a growing riff between him and the team.

After playing two consecutive years on franchise tags, it became increasingly clear Scherff would be headed elsewhere. Washington reportedly offered a contract which would have made him the highest-paid guard in the league this time last year, but nothing could be agreed upon for a long-term pact.

With Scherff in place, the Jaguars have taken a massive step forwards in terms of protecting quarterback Trevor Lawrence. With left tackle Cam Robinson having been franchised tagged, the signing of an interior linemen represents, in the eyes of many, another sign that the Jags could draft Michigan edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson with the first overall pick in April’s draft.

Seahawks To Re-Sign Quandre Diggs

March 14th, 2022 at 12:17pm CST by Adam La Rose

Seattle has seen quite a bit of roster turnover recently, but they will be retaining one of their best defenders. Safety Quandre Diggs has re-signed on a three-year, $40MM deal (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).

Last month, it was reported that there was a mutual interest between the team and player for a new deal to get done. Diggs, 29, made it clear he would be asking for compensation putting him at or near the top of the safety market. That didn’t come as a surprise, given that he was coming off of his second straight Pro Bowl season. He totalled 10 interceptions and 17 pass breakups between the past two seasons. On the other hand, a broken leg suffered in the season finale threatened to complicate negotiations.

At an average of $13.3MM per year, this new deal is likely less than what Diggs could have landed on the open market. It is also less than what fellow pending free agent safety Jessie Bates received on the franchise tag. Still, it gives the Seahawks a very expensive safety tandem, with Jamal Adams due nearly $60MM over the next four years.

With Diggs (and Bates) off the market, the free agent safety class is now topped by the likes of Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Williams and Marcus Maye. Seattle, meanwhile, looks to continue re-shaping (as opposed to re-building) their roster.

Bears Expected To Sign Larry Ogunjobi

March 14th, 2022 at 12:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bears have another key piece for their defensive line. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that the Bears are expected to sign defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi. Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune adds that the contract is worth $40.5MM over three years, with $26.35MM guaranteed (Twitter link).

After four seasons with the Browns, Ogunjobi signed a one year, $6.2MM deal with the Bengals in March of last year. He was a huge part of their defensive overhaul and went on to record 49 tackles and seven sacks in 16 games. The investment in Ogunjobi – along with the likes of Trey Hendrickson and Chidobe Awuzie – certainly paid off, as the Bengals won the AFC North for the first time since 2015. Unfortunately, his season was brought to a halt with a right foot injury before the divisional round.

Ogunjobi saw a 68% snap share on defense during his time with the Bengals. He finished 2021 with 49 tackles, seven sacks, 12 total tackles for loss, and 16 quarterback hits.

Steelers To Sign Mitch Trubisky

March 14th, 2022 at 11:59am CST by Adam La Rose

As expected, the Steelers have dipped into the free agent pool to address the quarterback position. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the team has reached an agreement with Mitch Trubisky on a two-year deal (Twitter link).

Trubisky’s contract comes in at $14.25MM base value, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets, but substantial incentive money is available. Unspecified incentives can take the deal up to $27MM. This could be contingent on Trubisky sticking as Pittsburgh’s starter.

The former second overall pick spent last season with the Bills, serving as Josh Allen‘s backup. That came after a four-year stint in Chicago, which included a Pro Bowl campaign in 2018. His 11-3 record that season didn’t end up as the taking-off point for a successful career as the Bears’ franchise QB, however. Struggling to find success despite the team’s strong defense and running game, he found himself holding a clipboard in Buffalo while Chicago invested a first round pick in Justin Fields last April.

Given the relationship that developed between the 27-year-old and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, many expected the Giants to be his destination with the latter being hired as the new head coach. “He’s a great leader of men. He’s just real and authentic with all the guys, and I think that is why so many people respected him in our building. So I’m excited to see what he’s going to do”, Trubisky recently said of Daboll.

With that said, the Steelers were also reported to be targeting the former Tar Heel last month. Trubisky was one of three signal-callers Pittsburgh was eyeing, the others being Teddy Bridgewater and Jameis Winston. Despite the hole at the position, it became known rather quickly that the Steelers were not going to acquire Deshaun Watson, who remains by far the biggest name remaining in the QB market.

Trubisky will now compete with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins for the starting role in Pittsburgh. Head coach Mike Tomlin has stressed the need for mobility in the team’s next QB, which could give him a leg up on the competition. This news also further points to Daniel Jones being the undisputed No. 1 in New York, something which, of course, wouldn’t have been as assured had Trubisky signed with the Giants as many had figured he would.

Meanwhile, another team can be scratched off the list of those interested in trading for Jimmy Garoppolo. The Colts have been named as a potential landing spot for the veteran, along with, presumably, each team which loses out on acquiring Watson.

Panthers Release A.J. Bouye

March 14th, 2022 at 11:45am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have released cornerback A.J. Bouye, per an official club announcement. This comes on the heels of defensive lineman Morgan Fox‘s release, which has also been confirmed by the team.

Bouye had a couple of really solid years with the Texans, grading out as one of the league’s best CBs. He parlayed into a five-year, $67.5MM deal from the Jaguars in 2017 and things went well initially. In his first Jags season, he was a second-team All-Pro with six interceptions. Then, his play slipped year by year — he had just one interception in each of the next two seasons, enabling the Broncos to acquire him in 2020 for nothing more than a fourth-round pick.

Once the Broncos cut in February 2021, the Panthers picked him up for cheap. Now, he’s out of the picture in Carolina as the Panthers look to remodel their defense. The 30-year-old (31 in August) could still be a worthwhile veteran pickup for a team in need, though the ceiling is much lower than it was just a few years ago. The Panthers, meanwhile, will save a good chunk of change as they cancel the rest of his two-year, $7MM pact.

Due to injuries, Bouye was limited to just ten games and seven starts last year. He finished his lone Panthers season with 28 tackles, three passes defensed, and one forced fumble.

Cardinals, James Conner Reach Agreement On Extension

March 14th, 2022 at 11:44am CST by Adam La Rose

With Chase Edmonds headed to Miami, the Cardinals faced an increased need to retain James Conner. They have done just that, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The sides have reportedly come to an agreement on aa three-year deal worth $21MM, including $16MM over the first two seasons (Twitter link).

Conner formed an impressive duo with Edmonds in Arizona, where he landed the chance to be a No. 1 back after leaving Pittsburgh. The former third rounder earned a second Pro Bowl appearance in his debut campaign in the desert, recording 1,127 scrimmage yards and 18 total touchdowns.

That production gave the Cardinals reason to keep both Conner and Edmonds if it was possible. Conner was always the more likely to be the team’s priority, though, and they have secured him throughout the remainder of his prime. Eno Benjamin – who is a more natural replacement for Edmonds, based on his skillset – is now in line to become the backup tailback.

The $7MM-per-year average is quite a raise compared to the $1.75MM he played for in 2021. Before the deal was announced, Arizona had roughly 11MM in cap space; while they can therefore afford this new contract, it eats up a portion of the space available for keeping Chandler Jones. Nevertheless, the team’s RB situation has been resolved before the new league year officially begins on Wednesday.

Browns Release Jarvis Landry

March 14th, 2022 at 11:26am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have released Jarvis Landry (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The wide receiver had been given permission to seek a trade, but that did not result in a suitable offer for Cleveland.

The Browns have already remodeled their wide receiver group by trading for Amari Cooper. By cutting Landry, they’ll gain the cap room they needed to get under the limit and escape Landry’s $14.3MM base salary for 2022. Previously, the Pro Bowler had just one year left on that contract.

The Browns were reportedly willing to keep Landry at a lower rate and there was some mutual interest on that front. However, after the arrival of Cooper, there was no real avenue to Landry staying put.

Landry, 30 in November, agreed to a five-year, $75.5MM extension with the Browns after they traded for him in 2018. He delivered two Pro Bowl seasons in Cleveland and served as Baker Mayfield‘s most consistent target. Things have been up-and-down during that span, but the Browns got a much better return on the Landry trade than the Odell Beckham Jr. deal.

Landry, a five-time Pro Bowler, should have no shortage of suitors on the open market. However, he’ll have to settle for a cheaper contract than his last one. Landry averaged just 47.5 receiving yards per game last season and missed five weeks of action.

The Bills, Chiefs, and Packers are expected to be among the clubs with interest, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo (Twitter link).

Dolphins To Sign Chase Edmonds

March 14th, 2022 at 11:24am CST by Adam La Rose

Minutes after it was announced they were keeping their top pass rusher, the Dolphins also added to their rushing attack. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team has reached an agreement on a two-year, $12.6MM deal with Chase Edmonds (Twitter link). The contract includes $6.1MM in guaranteed money.

Edmonds, who will be 26 at the start of the 2022 season, was part of a highly effective tandem in Arizona. Paired with James Conner, he posted 592 rushing yards at a clip of 5.1 per carry, scoring two touchdowns. He also added 311 receiving yards, making 2021 a career year.

The effectiveness of the Conner-Edmonds duo led the Cardinals to express their desire to keep both in the fold. However, the former fourth rounder will now be suiting up for a different team for the first time in his NFL career.

Edmonds will represent a significant upgrade over the incumbent RBs in Miami. Myles Gaskin averaged an underwhelming 3.5 yards per carry in 2021, which cost him his spot as the No.1 back and forced the team to add Duke Johnson midseason. The latter performed much better, posting 330 yards on the ground in five games with the Dolphins. Still, Edmonds will add an efficient piece to Miami’s ground game, which ranked 30th in the league at just over 92 yards per game last year.

Meanwhile for the Cardinals, it has been announced the team has re-signed Conner to a three-year deal. He was always the more likely to be retained, as Eno Benjamin represents a more natural replacement for Edmonds.