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Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

Lions Sign TE Darren Fells

March 11th, 2017 at 12:03pm CST by Ben Levine

Darren Fells was apparently impressed by his visit to Detroit yesterday. NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that the Lions have signed the tight end to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM.

Darren FellsThe 30-year-old was non-tendered by Arizona earlier this week, and it was apparent that his tenure with the team was over following their signing of tight end Jermaine Gresham.

Other than a brief stint with the Seahawks, Fells had spent his entire career with the Cardinals. The former undrafted free agent ultimately played in 38 games (24 starts) for Arizona, hauling in 40 catches for 536 yards and four touchdowns. This past season, the tight end caught 14 passes for 154 yards and one touchdown.

The 30-year-old will certainly provide the Lions with some depth, as the team was only rostering tight ends Eric Ebron and Cole Wick. Fells will presumably be relied on as a blocker.

Extra Points: Lang, Jones, Jeffery, Cyprien

March 10th, 2017 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Some assorted notes from around the NFL…

  • Free agent guard T.J. Lang will not be visiting the Broncos following the team’s signing of lineman Ronald Leary, tweets Mike Kliss of 9News. The second-best free agent interior lineman still has plenty of suitors, as he’s set to meet with the Lions and Seahawks. The Packers, his former team, also have interest.
  • Had the Cardinals not extended Chandler Jones, the pass rusher would have eaten up over $14MM of spending space as their franchise player in 2017. He’ll instead take up around $10MM of cap room in 2017, tweets Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic.
  • Alshon Jeffery‘s one-year, $14MM deal with the Eagles is the largest non-franchise tag one-year pact in NFL history, according to the NFL Media Research Group (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Jeffery’s pact eclipsed Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s one-year, $12MM deal with the Jets.
  • The Jaguars didn’t make a contract offer to strong safety Jonathan Cyprien, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets. After spending four seasons in Jacksonville, the 26-year-old joined the Titans on a four-year, $25MM contract.
  • The Rams‘ release of defensive end Eugene Sims came with a failed physical designation, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets. The 31-year-old was let go by the team early this morning.
  • Akeem Spence said the Buccaneers expressed interest in bringing him back next season, but the defensive tackle needs a “fresh start,” tweets ESPN’s Michael Rothstein. Spence ultimately inked a three-year, $10.5MM deal with the Lions.
  • Rudy Ford ran a 4.25 at today’s Auburn Pro Day, tweets agent Blake Baratz. The safety was told earlier this week that he wasn’t healthy enough to participate at the combine. Baratz declares Ford “the most underrated prospect in the draft.”

Cardinals S Tyvon Branch Takes Pay Cut

March 10th, 2017 at 7:29am CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals and Tyvon Branch have reworked the safety’s contract, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter). The veteran will now making $2MM instead of the $4MM he was set to receive, opening up a chunk of cap room for Arizona.

Tyvon Branch (vertical)Branch signed a two-year, $8MM contract with the organization last offseason. The 30-year-old was limited to only six games in 2016 as he struggled through a groin injury, and he had two separate stints on the injured reserve. The safety ultimately finished the year with 28 tackles and four passes defended.

Between 2009 and 2011, Branch was considered one of the top safeties in the game. During that three-year span with the Raiders, he averaged more than 100 tackles, two sacks, and one interception.

In 2017, Branch figures to play a reserve role for the Cardinals behind Tyrann Mathieu and Antoine Bethea.

Cardinals To Sign Karlos Dansby

March 9th, 2017 at 5:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cardinals have agreed to sign linebacker Karlos Dansby for a third stint with the team, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. It’s a one-year deal for the veteran, according to Darren Urban of the Cardinals website (via Twitter).

Karlos Dansby

Dansby entered the NFL in 2004 as a second-round pick of the Cardinals, with whom he played through 2009 before a three-year stay in Miami. The ex-Auburn star then returned to the Cardinals in 2013, but his second tenure with the club only lasted one season. He has since suited up with Cleveland and Cincinnati.

Despite his age (35), Dansby has remained productive. In 2016, his 13th season, he totaled 16 appearances for the seventh time, though he turned in a career-low seven starts. Dansby nonetheless surpassed the 100-tackle mark for the seventh time and ranked a middle-of-the-road 46th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 87 qualified linebackers.

Dansby is the second over-30 defender who has agreed to sign with the Cardinals on free agency’s first day, joining safety Antoine Bethea. The two will try to bolster a ‘D’ that has suffered notable losses in lineman Calais Campbell (Jaguars) and safety Tony Jefferson (Ravens) since the league year began.

Latavius Murray To Visit Seahawks

March 9th, 2017 at 3:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Running back Latavius Murray is set to visit the Seahawks, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. "<strong

Murray, 27, has spent his entire career in Oakland to date. Now, he could be an option for the Seahawks as they mull possibilities in the backfield. As reported earlier today, Jamaal Charles is also slated to meet with Seattle.

Murray averaged 4.0 yards per carry in each of his two seasons as the Raiders’ primary starter, a post he ascended to late in the 2014 season. While he rushed for 12 touchdowns in 2016, Murray saw Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington eat into his workload. He surpassed 1,000 yards in 2015 but rushed for only 788 last season.

The Raiders are interested in bringing him back as a free agent after he tests the market. Although Oakland has been connected to Adrian Peterson, the Silver and Black aren’t enamored at this point by adding the future Hall of Famer.

In other running back news, Cardinals free agent running back Chris Johnson intends to continue playing and will visit teams next week. It is unclear at this time whether a return to the Cardinals is in play.

Cardinals Sign K Phil Dawson

March 9th, 2017 at 2:36pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals have signed veteran kicker Phil Dawson, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Kent Somers of AZCentral.com reports (via Twitter) first reported that the two sides were talking. It’ll be a two-year deal for the special teamer, according to Darren Urban of the Cardinals website (via Twitter).

Phil DawsonDawson, 42, represents a more experienced option than 26-year-old Chandler Catanzaro, who is now a free agent (the Cardinals non-tendered him yesterday). Dawson hadn’t missed a game during his four-year tenure with the 49ers, and despite getting up there in age, he hasn’t shown too many signs of decline. The veteran connected on 85.7-percent of his field goals last season, and he only missed one extra point in 34 attempts.

Meanwhile, Catanzaro took a step back in 2016. After connecting on 90-percent of his field goals the previous year, the former undrafted free agent saw the number drop to 75 percent this past season. The kicker also connected on 91.5-percent of his extra points – a mark that Dawson has reached in each of the past 11 seasons.

Dawson ranked sixth on our listing of the best available kickers.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/17

March 9th, 2017 at 2:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. All RFA tenders listed are original round/right of first refusal (worth $1.797MM), and all links go to Twitter:

RFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

ERFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

Contract Details: Jones, Taylor, Branch, D-Jax, Bitonio, Davis

March 9th, 2017 at 1:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s the latest on some of the latest contracts agreed to this week.

  • Chandler Jones‘ five-year Cardinals extension will pay him $16.5MM per year, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets. Jones will make $53MM in guaranteed money from his second NFL contract, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports adds (on Twitter).
  • Tyrod Taylor‘s restructured Bills deal is a two-year, $30.5MM pact, La Canfora reports (on Twitter), adding that the rest of it voids after 2018. Taylor will make $15.5MM in guarantees as a result of the re-done pact and $14.5MM in 2017. La Canfora adds the quarterback stands to collect $16MM in ’18.
  • Andre Branch‘s three-year Dolphins deal is worth $24MM, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). Volin adds the contract includes two fully guaranteed years– at $17MM — for the 27-year-old pass-rusher. Volin adds that Branch could see $3.75MM more via incentives. Branch will receive a $6MM signing bonus, make $2.9MM in base salary in 2017, $7.9MM in ’18 and $6.9MM in ’19, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • DeSean Jackson‘s Buccaneers pact will be worth approximately $11MM per year, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
  • Joel Bitonio‘s five-year Browns extension will pay out $47.5MM in base salary, Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com tweets, adding $23MM in guarantees are included. The new deal kicks in after Bitonio’s 2017 season, so he’s under contract in Cleveland through 2022.
  • Vernon Davis‘ second Redskins contract will include a $4MM signing bonus and $7.5MM guaranteed, Wilson tweets. His base salaries from 2017-19, respectively, are $2MM, $3.75MM and $4.75MM.
  • Courtney Upshaw re-signing with the Falcons on a one-year deal will result in $1.15MM coming his way in 2017, Wilson tweets. The defender gets a $125K signing bonus and will make $775K in base salary this season.

Cardinals Re-Sign A.Q. Shipley

March 9th, 2017 at 1:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cardinals announced that they’ve re-signed center A.Q. Shipley to a two-year deal.A.Q. Shipley (Vertical)

Shipley, 30, is coming off another two-year contract that paid him less than $800K per season, but he could be in for a raise after a 2016 campaign that saw him grade as the league’s No. 14 center, per Pro Football Focus. Shipley isn’t big-bodied like most offensive lineman — he’s officially listed at 5’11” — and while Arizona has expressed interest in replacing him in the past, the former seventh-round pick keeps producing consistent results.

Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said last week he hoped his club would retain Shipley, who earned an honorable mention on PFR’s list of the top free agent interior lineman.

Cardinals Sign S Antoine Bethea

March 9th, 2017 at 12:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have reached agreement with strong safety Antoine Bethea on a three-year deal, a source tells Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). With that signing, the Cards have replaced the departing Tony Jefferson.

Bethea will see a three-year commitment despite being set for his age-33 season. The 49ers cut the 12th-year veteran earlier this week, and instead of having another role on a rebuilding team, Bethea joins a veteran roster that is one year removed from being on the Super Bowl precipice.

The three-time Pro Bowler has a Super Bowl ring already, earning it as a full-time rookie starter for the 2006 Colts, and brings plenty of experience to Arizona’s secondary. Bethea has started all 162 games he’s played since entering the league as a sixth-round pick. Bethea made his most recent Pro Bowl in 2014 for the 49ers. He joins a star-powered secondary behind Patrick Peterson and alongside Tyrann Mathieu.

This agreement comes after the Cardinals moved quickly to extend the franchise-tagged Chandler Jones.

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