First Two AAF Players Sign NFL Deals
That didn’t take long. Just a few hours after the AAF announced it would allow players to start signing NFL contracts effective immediately, two players have already inked deals. 
The Chiefs are signing cornerback Keith Reaser, while the Panthers have added receiver Rashad Ross, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links). In a separate tweet, Schefter notes that Reaser is getting $100K upfront guaranteed in the form of various bonuses. That’s a significant chunk of change, and indicates Kansas City likely had competition for Reaser’s services.
Reaser comes from the Orlando Apollos, the team coached by Steve Spurrier that had the best regular season record before the AAF suspended operations. Ross comes from the Arizona Hotshots, and was one of the best players in the league before it shut down. He had multiple huge games, and was dominating AAF defenses.
Reaser spent parts of the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the Chiefs, so there’s some familiarity there. He was originally drafted by the 49ers in the fifth round back in 2014. He spent most of the 2017 season on the practice squad, and was released with an injury settlement early last season. Ross was a 2013 undrafted free agent, who received his most run with the Redskins back in 2015 when he returned kicks and caught eight passes for 184 yards. The Arizona State product was with the Cardinals for part of last offseason, but hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since 2016.
The two are likely the first of many who will sign NFL contracts in the coming days and weeks. While the league was ultimately unsuccessful, it clearly was helpful to a good number of players in getting them back on NFL radars. Reaser has already landed more than an AAF salary, and there will surely be more to follow.
NFC Notes: Rosen, Cardinals, Draft, 49ers, Street, Vikings, Kline
It’s been a rollercoaster of an offseason for Josh Rosen. His first head coach was fired, and his new coach Kliff Kingsbury initially re-committed to him. But ever since then momentum has shifted toward the Cardinals using the first overall pick on Kyler Murray, and looking to trade Rosen. Arizona hasn’t done much to tamp down speculation, and the current conventional wisdom is that the Cards will take Murray. The draft isn’t until April 25th, but current Cardinals players are due to report for offseason workouts on April 8th. When those workouts take place, don’t be surprised if Rosen isn’t there, argues Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic.
McManaman writes that both Rosen and the team might not want him to report, for several reasons. McManaman notes that the Cardinals were eligible to start workouts this coming week, but pushed back the start of their offseason program by a week. Kingsbury said it was for scheduling purposes, but McManaman speculates that it could’ve been to give them more time to work out a Rosen trade. McManaman also argues that the team won’t want to have the free-speaking Rosen shoved in front of a gaggle of reporters right now, and that there’s always the risk of an injury. If Rosen does decide to no-show the workouts, it’ll add a whole lot of fuel to the rumors that he isn’t long for the desert.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Arizona’s division rival, the 49ers, also have an important draft ahead of them. The 49ers pick second overall, and the last we heard they were targeting Ohio State pass-rusher Nick Bosa. But the 49ers are also looking to add pass-catchers, and will soon host a pair of wideouts for visits. San Francisco will bring in South Carolina receiver Deebo Samuel and Ole Miss receiver A.J. Brown, sources told Matt Barrows of The Athletic. It sounds like the 49ers are still leaning Bosa at number two, assuming the Cardinals pass on him, but are looking to bring in a new weapon for Jimmy Garoppolo with one of their next picks.
- Speaking of the 49ers, we have an update on Kentavius Street. Street was a highly regarded prospect from NC State last year, but he tore his ACL at his pro day. San Francisco still thought highly enough of him to draft him in the fourth round, but he missed his entire rookie season. Street bulked up while he was sidelined with the injury, and coach Kyle Shanahan said from the owners meetings he’s been encouraged by his progress, according to Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports. Shanahan said he could see Street playing both inside and outside, and he’s a good bet to make an impact as a sophomore.
- The Vikings signed guard Josh Kline last week to bolster their offensive line, and now we have details on the contract. The Vikings guaranteed Kline $7.25MM at signing, according to Ben Goessling of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Goessling reports that the Vikings now have less than $3MM in cap space, and will now need to make some maneuvers in order to be able to sign their draft class next month. The Vikings’ offensive line was a weak spot last year, and they’ll be counting on Kline to give them a boost. Kline received average marks from Pro Football Focus last year, grading out as their 50th-best guard.
Extra Points: Brown, Draft, Johnson, Texans
The Antonio Brown saga was the defining story of the NFL season. It dominated news coverage in the aftermath of the Super Bowl, all the way up until he was finally traded to the Raiders. But the drama apparently didn’t end there. Brown’s trade has implications for every team in the league, and for every player who may want to force his way out in the future. The league has taken note, and teams are apparently quite concerned. “Multiple high-ranking sources” told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com that they’re fearful “Brown forcing his way out of a contract with three years left” will set a “dangerous” precedent.
Executives were outraged by the move according to Fowler, and one source derided the fact that Brown essentially acted like a free agent in picking his new team. “Other star players see this and might want to do the same,” another source said. Another source was surprised that Pittsburgh decided to cave and meet Brown’s demands instead of playing hardball, saying it was “un-Steeler-like” of the organization. It remains to be seen whether Brown’s actions will actually inspire other players to follow suit, but the league is clearly getting ready to fight back in case they do.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Draft talk is starting to heat up, and the latest rumblings we’re hearing are from a report out of Ole Miss’ pro day from Tony Pauline of Draftanalyst.com. Pauline reports that the Jaguars and Broncos are both “very interested” in tight end Dawson Knox. Pauline also writes that the Cowboys have been “throwing a lot of love” Knox’s way. All three teams have unsettled futures at tight end, so the interest makes a lot of sense. Knox is in the second tier of tight ends behind the top group, and could be a nice pickup sometime in the middle rounds.
- Legendary receiver Andre Johnson has joined the Texans’ front office as an adviser, and he doesn’t plan on stopping there. Johnson wants to work his way up through the organization and eventually be a front office head one day, he told John McClain of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). “I’m learning the business of the game. I thought I might want to be a GM or run a team. I want to do everything I can to help the Texans win their first Super Bowl,” the future Hall of Fame member said. Johnson was one of the best receivers in the game for a long time, and holds nearly every Texans receiving record that there is. Johnson was hired last month to work with the team’s coaching and scouting staffs, according to a separate post from McClain.
AFC Notes: Colts, Funchess, Mathis, Texans, Mills, Bills, Ravens
The Colts made it very clear they were looking for a number two receiver this offseason. Ever since the season ended with a loss to the Chiefs in the second round of the playoffs, the front office and coaching staff had emphasized the need for a consistent second option behind T.Y. Hilton. The Colts mostly rotated lesser-known role players like Ryan Grant and Chester Rogers as their number two last season, and needed to upgrade. When free agency opened they went out and got their guy, signing Devin Funchess to a one-year deal worth up to $13MM.
Speaking to the media from the owners meetings this week, Colts coach Frank Reich revealed he banged the table for Funchess. When GM Chris Ballard first approached Reich about signing Funchess, Reich said he was immediately all-in, according to Zak Keefer of The Indianapolis Star. “I was like, ‘Please, let’s get this guy.’ That was the guy we really wanted to get,” Reich explained. Funchess was up and down during his time with the Panthers, but has always been high on talent. Funchess will provide the Colts’ receiving corp with the big bodied receiver they were lacking opposite the smaller Hilton, and will be a nice weapon for Andrew Luck in 2019. The Colts are clearly confident in his ability to improve his consistency, and Reich seems genuinely excited about the addition.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- Speaking of the Colts, Indianapolis is making a notable change to their coaching staff. Robert Mathis will no longer be a full-time coach, according to Keefer. The Colts’ legend had served as an assistant coach helping out with the team’s pass-rushers the past two seasons. Mathis will now transition into a role as a consultant, giving him more time to develop his private training business. Mathis spent 14 years in the NFL, all with the Colts, and racked up 123 sacks. He’s also the league’s all-time leader in forced fumbles.
- The Texans recently signed Matt Kalil, but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily done adding offensive tackles. The team hosted former Bills tackle Jordan Mills on a visit before signing Kalil, but they’re apparently still interested in adding Mills, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. Wilson writes that Houston has “remained in contact with Mills” and that he’s “still a candidate to potentially join the team.” Offensive line was the team’s main weakness last year, and it looks like they’re trying to add as many pieces as possible. Mills started all 16 games for Buffalo in each of the last three seasons, but graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 70th-best tackle last season.
- The Bills and Ravens are two teams that could desperately use receiver help, that much isn’t really a secret. Both teams have young quarterbacks in Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, and they both need to upgrade their receiving corp. They’re both likely to draft a wideout early next month, and they’re each showing interest in one of the top receivers available in the upcoming draft. Buffalo and Baltimore will both meet with Ole Miss receiver D.K. Metcalf ahead of the draft, James Palmer of NFL Network hears (Twitter link). Metcalf blew up the combine with freakish athletic testing, and should go sometime in the first round.
DeMarcus Lawrence, Cowboys At ‘Impasse’ In Negotiations?
It doesn’t sound like DeMarcus Lawrence and the Cowboys are going to reach an agreement on a longterm deal any time soon. The pass-rusher was franchise-tagged by Dallas earlier this month, and the two sides have been negotiating ever since. 
But the Cowboys’ front office and Lawrence’s agent , David Canter, have “reached an impasse in negotiations,” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). We heard a couple of days ago that Lawrence was upping his asking price from $20MM annually to around $22.5MM annually, so this news isn’t shocking. The Cowboys are reportedly offering Lawrence a deal that would make him the league’s highest-paid 4-3 defensive end, but Lawrence wants something more in the area of what Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack are making.
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said earlier this week that the team was “motivated” to get a longterm deal done, but that they weren’t inclined to pay him Donald money. In addition to salary demands, Rapoport reports there’s another issue holding up a deal. We heard back in January that Lawrence would undergo surgery this offseason, as he had been dealing with a torn labrum in his shoulder.
Rapoport says the Cowboys want Lawrence to get surgery right away to ensure he’s fully healthy for the start of next season, but Lawrence is going to wait until he gets a new contract to get the shoulder surgery. It appears he’s using the needed surgery as leverage in negotiations. According to Rapoport, the surgery Lawrence needs has around a four month recovery period, so there’s somewhat of a deadline here.
Rapsheet says Lawrence will need to go under the knife by April or May at the latest if he wants to be ready for the start of the 2019 season. That’s well before the July 15th deadline to agree on an extension, and it’ll be interesting to see which side blinks first. Lawrence has been one of the better pass-rushers in the league the past two years, and had 10.5 sacks last year.
Extra Points: Bosa, Cardinals, Mount, CBA
For a long time toward the end of the college season, Ohio State pass-rusher Nick Bosa was the favorite to go first overall in the 2019 draft. But ever since Kliff Kingsbury got the head coaching job with the Cardinals, momentum has steadily shifted toward Kyler Murray. The current conventional wisdom is that Arizona is leaning toward taking Murray with the first pick, and shopping Josh Rosen. But they won’t admit it publicly, and there are reasons to believe they haven’t actually made up their minds yet.
The Cardinals are having dinner with Bosa tonight, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bosa, the younger brother of Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa, dominated in the Big Ten. The Cardinals have been not so subtle with their interest in Murray, but it’s still possible that it’s all been a smokescreen to try and distract from their true intentions with the pick. If the Cardinals pass on him, Bosa is still a lock to go within the first couple of picks. We heard earlier this week that the 49ers were targeting him at second overall.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Free agent linebacker Deiontrez Mount has been accused of assaulting an Uber driver, as Stephanie Butzer of The Denver Channel writes. The incident, which took place early Sunday morning, left Mount with a bloodied nose when the Uber driver fought back. Mount was cited for simple assault and released, but this may not bode well for his stock on the open market. Mount missed the entire 2018 season with a torn Achilles and has just 12 career appearances to his credit between the Broncos, Colts and Titans.
- Another day, more confirmation that we could be headed for a work stoppage or prolonged battle when a new CBA needs to be negotiated between the league and the NFLPA. There are “plenty of issues that will need to be resolved before a new labor deal can be finalized,” a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, who writes that it’s “highly unlikely” there will be a quick deal. In addition to the widely-known issues about contracts and player compensation, Florio writes that there are other more under the radar issues that will be sticking points, like “the extent to which the NFL wants to expand stadium credits under the current league-union revenue split, with the new Rams’ stadium expected to be” hotly debated. Florio also thinks it’ll be the owners, not necessarily the players, wielding the threat of a lockout in order to try and get a better deal.
- In case you missed it, Bill Belichick could take over as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator after Greg Schiano stepped down.
Raiders Sign Luke Willson
The Raiders are making another move. Jon Gruden’s squad is signing tight end Luke Willson, the team announced in a release. 
Willson visited with the team earlier today, and they apparently liked what they saw. The Raiders just lost Jared Cook to the Saints, so they had a big need at tight end. Willson comes to Oakland from the Lions, after having a disappointing 2018 season in Detroit. He had spent the previous five years of his career with the Seahawks. Willson had been a solid if not spectacular option behind Jimmy Graham in Seattle, and landed a one-year, $2.5MM deal from the Lions last offseason.
Even though Detroit had very little at tight end after Eric Ebron left in free agency, Willson didn’t have much of a role on offense. He ended up catching just 13 passes for 87 scoreless yards. The Rice product was originally drafted in the fifth round back in 2013. His best season receiving-wise came in 2014, when he had 362 yards and three touchdowns.
Willson’s true impact has usually been as a blocker. He’s received solid marks from Pro Football Focus, grading out as their No. 17 ranked run-blocking tight end last season. The Raiders have been active in the second wave of free agency, signing linebacker Brandon Marshall and running back Isaiah Crowell yesterday, and now adding Willson today.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/29/19
Today’s minor moves will be posted here:
Chicago Bears:
- Re-signed: S DeAndre Houston-Carson
Dallas Cowboys:
- Released: DB Marqueston Huff
Jaguars Re-Sign Tyler Shatley
Jacksonville is bringing back some depth on their offensive line. The Jaguars are re-signing interior lineman Tyler Shatley, the team announced on Twitter.
Shatley was drawing some interest on the open market, as he recently met with the Vikings. That visit ended without a deal, and Shatley ultimately opted to return home. A 2014 undrafted free agent from Clemson, Shatley has spent the first five years of his career with the Jags. Shatley is capable of playing both guard and center, so he’ll provide some valuable versatility.
Shatley has never been a full-time starter, but he’s been called upon often the past few years. He’s started at least four games in each of the past three seasons, including notching seven starts at center last year after Brandon Linder went down with a season-ending injury. Terms of the deal weren’t immediately announced, although it’s probably safe to assume the Jaguars didn’t have to break the bank for him.
Shatley received average grades from Pro Football Focus last year, grading out as their 26th-best center. He won’t go into 2019 as a starter, but if recent history is any indication, he’ll find himself in the lineup at some point.
Seahawks Host Earl Mitchell, Nick Bellore
The Seahawks are sniffing around some of the players left over from the first wave of free agency. Seattle hosted defensive tackle Earl Mitchell and fullback Nick Bellore for visits, a source told Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Mitchell spent the past two seasons as a division rival with the 49ers, while Bellore was with the Lions the last two years. Mitchell, an Arizona product, was drafted by the Texans in the third round back in 2010. He played well enough with the Texans to earn a four-year, $16MM deal from the Dolphins back in 2014. After three years of that deal, he was cut and signed in San Francisco.
Mitchell appeared in 14 games with 12 starts last season, filling a rotational role as a run-stuffing piece in the middle. Overall, he logged 33.8% of the defensive snaps for the 49ers. Pro Football Focus gave him average grades for his work.
Bellore is an interesting case, as he can play both linebacker and fullback. An inside linebacker coming out of Central Michigan, Bellore spent the first six seasons of his career as a linebacker with the Jets and 49ers. Prior to the 2017 season, he signed with Detroit and was converted to a fullback. He played just 11 percent of the offensive snaps as a lead blocker, but was a major contributor on special teams.
It’s unclear if he’d have any interest in moving back to linebacker with the Seahawks or if they view him strictly as a fullback. The Seahawks haven’t been the biggest spenders so far in free agency, so it makes sense they’d take a look at some more under the radar guys. According to Overthecap.com, the Seahawks have the seventh-least cap space left with $11.57MM.