Falcons To Sign Jon Asamoah
The Falcons appear to have a reached an agreement to sign free agent guard Jon Asamoah, according to John Middlekauff of 95.7 The Game (via Twitter). Middlekauff says that Atlanta will sign Asamoah for a deal worth about $4.5MM annually, and Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports is hearing the same thing (Twitter link).
Asamoah has been linked to the Falcons multiple times in the last few days, with a Saturday report indicating that the team was “extremely” interest in him, while a report yesterday suggested it’d be a “small upset” if the free agent guard didn’t land in Atlanta.
When I examined the free agent market for guards last week, I placed Asamoah in the first tier, speculating that he was more likely than fellow Chiefs lineman Geoff Schwartz to sign with a new team. While he didn’t play regularly for the entire 2013 season, Asamoah ranked 20th overall among guards, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required).
NFC Rumors: Veldheer, Houston, Byrd, Hawley
It looks like many of the top offensive tackles will fly off the shelves early when free agency gets underway at 3:00pm central time this afternoon. Branden Albert appears to be headed to Miami, while Anthony Collins will likely sign with the Bucs, and Eugene Monroe and the Ravens should work out a new deal. That leaves the Cardinals as the logical landing spot for Jared Veldheer, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com says (via Twitter) GMs and agents are essentially viewing that as a done deal, turning their attention to Rodger Saffold and other players. As we wait to see if Arizona can officially lock up the Raiders’ free-agent-to-be, let’s check out a few more updates from around the NFC….
- The Packers were “very interested” in defensive end Lamarr Houston, but appear likely to bow out of the bidding as his price tag increases, says Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- It doesn’t sound as if things are heating up between Jairus Byrd and the Redskins at the moment, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, who hears from a source that the two sides are just having “casual conversations” (Twitter link).
- The Lions have been in recent contact with defensive end Willie Young’s agent about a new deal, but Young looks set to hit the open market and should have a handful of suitors, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
- The Falcons are trying to lock up center Joe Hawley to keep him from reaching the open market, but there are other teams interested in him, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, who says (via Twitter) talks might go right up to 3:00pm today.
- Tight end Garrett Graham could be a target for the Buccaneers, tweets Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com.
- As they did a year ago, the Eagles could strike quickly in free agency today, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Falcons Re-Sign Mike Johnson
The Falcons have re-signed offensive tackle Mike Johnson, the team announced today in a press release. Having started one game in his four seasons with the Falcons, Johnson likely represents a depth signing for Atlanta, though depending on what other moves the team makes, he could compete for a starting role. The agreement is for one year, according to the club.
Johnson was selected 98th overall in the third round of the 2010 draft by the Falcons. The 26-year-old played on the minimum salary over the course of his rookie contract, and I’d expect his new deal will also be worth the minimum, though terms haven’t been disclosed. Johnson will be returning from an ankle and leg injury that sidelined him for the entire 2013 season.
Falcons Aggressively Pursuing Paul Soliai
The Falcons are “aggressively” pursuing prospective free agent Paul Soliai, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). La Canfora notes that Atlanta may be implementing some 3-4 elements on defense, since Soliai is perhaps the best nose tackle available this offseason.
As of last week, the Dolphins had yet to make contract offers to either Soliai or fellow defensive lineman Randy Starks, so it looks like both players will reach the open market. The Dolphins are instead targeting other defensive tackles, including Earl Mitchell, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Soliai, who has also attracted interest from the Vikings, will turn 31 in December, so he may not receive as lucrative a long-term deal as some of the younger linemen on the market. However, he’d certainly make an excellent addition on a Falcons defensive line that badly needs to be retooled. According to Jackson, Soliai’s decision is down to three teams.
FA Rumors: Ward, Asamoah, Mundy, Quarless
The 2014 free agent period will officially get underway tomorrow, meaning Monday represents the last full day for teams to re-sign their own prospective free agents before those players are eligible to hit the open market tomorrow afternoon. With free agency looming, Andrew Cohen breaks down the salary cap situations for all 32 teams in a piece for Rotoworld and rumors on free-agents-to-be continue to swirl. Let’s round up a few of the latest overnight and morning updates:
- Safety T.J. Ward is among the players on the Jets‘ “persons of interest” list, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Ward would be a good fit for New York’s secondary, though the team typically doesn’t invest heavily in safeties.
- An NFL source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that it would be a “small upset” if prospective free agent Jon Asamoah doesn’t sign with the Falcons to play right guard. However, the Jets are another possibility for Asamoah, Caplan adds in a second tweet.
- Giants free agent safety Ryan Mundy is intrigued by the opportunity to compete for a starting job with the Bears, reports Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- The Giants have inquired on free agent tight end Andrew Quarless, but they’re just one of seven teams in the mix, with the Packers trying to re-sign him, reports Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News (Twitter links).
- Longtime Texans defensive end Antonio Smith has drawn interest from four teams and has a pair of visits lined up, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that Smith figures to sign this week.
NFC Notes: Umenyiora, Sproles, Smith, Rudolph, Dietrich-Smith
A handful of Saturday morning notes from around the NFC leading up to the opening of free agency:
- If Osi Umenyiora declines to accept a pay cut in Atlanta, a Giants reunion would be a possibility, writes Conor Orr of the New Jersey Star Ledger.
- Darren Sproles would be an “outstanding fit for the Bears,” writes Dan Pompei, who says the former Saint could replace Devin Hester and be a dynamic change-of-pace back the team has been unable to field behind Matt Forte. Additionally, Pompei notes the connection between Sproles and offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer, who was with Sproles in New Orleans.
- “Financially, it makes little sense” for the Panthers to release Steve Smith because the team would take a financial hit in each of the next two seasons, says ESPN.com’s David Newton. The writer thinks the decision isn’t so much about money as it is the effect in the locker room. If the veteran’s role is reduced, would he turn sour?
- The Vikings have $41MM worth of cap space to play with, and ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling thinks a chunk of it will go to Kyle Rudolph, who is scheduled to hit free agency next year but has said he wants to remain in Minnesota long-term. It could behoove the team to act now, as Rudolph could see his production (read: value) increase under new offensive coordinator Norv Turner.
- The Packers have expressed their desire to bring back center Evan Dietrich-Smith, says the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein, who compares Dietrich-Smith’s free agent situation to Scott Wells‘ in 2012. Back then, the team thought they could let Wells negotiate with other teams and still retain his services, but they miscalculated and lost him to the Rams. The Packers are taking the same approach with Dietrich-Smith, who, coincidentally, has the same agent as Wells.
Contract Tenders: 49ers, Jaguars, Broncos
Players who have three years or less of NFL experience and no contract for 2014 continue to receive contract tenders from their current teams. For exclusive rights free agents, these tenders essentially represent the contracts they’ll be playing under in 2014, since ERFAs aren’t permitted to negotiate with any of the league’s other 31 teams. Restricted free agents, on the other hand, can accept these one-year contract offers, but will also have the freedom to negotiate with other suitors and perhaps sign an offer sheet once the free agent period begins.
Here are some of the latest ERFA and RFA contract tenders:
- The 49ers extended a contract tender worth $1.431MM to restricted free agent Demarcus Dobbs, reports Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). The team also tendered ERFA linebacker Michael Wilhoite, says Pelissero.
Earlier updates:
- The Falcons tendered cornerback Robert McClain with a $1.431MM offer, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. McClain was the team’s only restricted free agent this offseason.
- The Jaguars tendered offers to wide receivers Mike Brown ($495K) and Kerry Taylor ($495K), offensive tackle Austin Pasztor ($570K), fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou ($570K), and tailback Jordan Todman ($645K), according to Pelissero (Twitter links). Todman, a former UConn notable, had only practice squad experience before making his on-field debut with the Jags in 2012. He had 256 yards and two scores on the ground with 14 catches, 116 receiving yards, and a touchdown through the air.
- The Dolphins tendered offers to wide receiver Armon Binns ($495K) and linebacker Jonathan Freeny ($570K), Pelissero tweets.
- More from Pelissero, who tweets that the Broncos have tendered offers to defensive end Mitch Unrein ($1.431M) and Brandon Marshall ($495K). Of course, that’s the Marshall who plays linebacker, not the star receiver.
- The Lions have tendered offers to kick returner Jeremy Ross ($570K), linebacker Julian Stanford ($570K), cornerback Chris Greenwood ($570K), and tight end Matt Veldman ($420K), tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter) adds that wide receiver Kris Durham was also tendered an offer. Durham had an opportunity to shine when the Lions lost Nate Burleson to injury early in the season but he wasn’t able to break out even with double coverage on Calvin Johnson.
- The Buccaneers are on the verge of tendering exclusive rights free agents Eric Page and Deveron Carr, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
FA Rumors: Falcons, Finley, Winston, Neal
Let’s follow up on this morning’s free agent rumors with another round of them for the afternoon….
- The Falcons are engaged in active talks to bring back offensive lineman Mike Johnson, but appear ready to part ways with defensive tackle Peria Jerry, reports D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Consitution.
- Tight end Jermichael Finley has drawn interest from the Jets, Chiefs, Seahawks, Giants, and Steelers, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. The former Packers standout still hasn’t been medically cleared, however.
- The Cardinals have maintained interest in offensive lineman Eric Winston, but with no deal imminent, the veteran tackle could hit the open market, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- The Packers have had meaningful discussions with outside linebacker Mike Neal, but they haven’t come up with a large enough offer to keep him from testing the open market, tweets Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
- Wilson also passes along an update on former Ravens defensive tackle Bryan Hall, who worked out for eight NFL teams at Arkansas State today. Hall was converted to linebacker by Baltimore, but is back to playing on the line now (Twitter links).
- According to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter link), defensive tackle Antonio Johnson continues to talk to the Titans, as the team tries to re-sign some of its players scheduled to be unrestricted free agents
- Having re-signed Marcus Sherels, the Vikings have one restricted free agent left, in linebacker Larry Dean. A source tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link) the team is having ongoing discussions on the possibility of bringing Dean back.
- Tight end Dustin Keller, who was doing exceptionally well in camp with the Dolphins last offseason before tearing his ACL, is on track to return for this season, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Keller is an unrestricted free agent.
Falcons Want Umenyiora To Take Pay Cut?
FRIDAY, 1:04pm: The Falcons won’t push Umenyiora to take a pay cut if he’s not inclined to accept one, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. According to Florio, the team’s inquiry into Umenyiora’s salary is part of a standard year-end procedure, and if the defensive end isn’t open to the idea, the club will make a decision on whether to keep him or cut him.
THURSDAY, 12:18pm: The Falcons want defensive end Osi Umenyiora, set to earn $3.5MM in 2014, to take a pay cut, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. The veteran has a $500K roster bonus due on March 25th.
Recently, the 32-year-old expressed optimism that he would be back with Atlanta for this season even though he would count as a $4.75MM hit against the team’s salary cap. The Falcons another big-name defender in cornerback Asante Samuel last month to create more than $4MM in cap savings.
While Samuel struggled to stay on the field last season, Umenyiora saw time in all 16 games with 13 starts. The former face of the Giants racked up 47 tackles and 7.5 sacks, forced three fumbles, and returned an interception for a touchdown. Even if he can’t come to terms with the Falcons on a number for 2014, Umenyiora has said that he intends to continue playing and sees himself going for three more seasons.
Jason Snelling Retires
Longtime Falcons running back Jason Snelling has decided to retire, the team announced today in a press release. Snelling cited the desire to spend more time with his family as the primary reason for ending his NFL playing career.
“I have decided to retire after seven years in the NFL to spend time with my family,” Snelling said in a statement. “I want to thank Mr. [Arthur] Blank, [GM] Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith for providing me the opportunity to play for the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are a first class organization run by a first class owner and I am grateful that I got to spend my entire career in Atlanta.”
Snelling, who had one year remaining on his contract, spent all seven seasons of his NFL career with the Falcons after being selected by the team in the seventh round of the 2007 draft. The 30-year-old played at halfback and fullback for the team, logging 363 total carries over the course of 96 games for 1,420 rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns (rushing and receiving). His best season came in 2009, when he had a brief run as the team’s feature back and recorded 613 rushing yards and four rushing TDs.
With the retirement, the Falcons will clear Snelling’s $1.375MM base salary from their books for 2014, leaving $358K in dead money.