Eagles Decline OL Stefen Wisniewski’s Option
The Eagles are making another move along their offensive line, declining their 2019 option for guard Stefen Wisniewski, sources told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Garafolo adds that he’s “heard some rumblings” the Jets could be interested in Wisniewski on the open market. The option would’ve paid Wisniewski $3MM in 2019 and the Eagles have spent a ton of money on their offensive line recently, so it makes sense why they didn’t want to pay that.
Wisniewski has been with the Eagles since 2016, and has been an on and off starter at left guard the past three seasons. He started six games in 2016, 11 in 2017, and seven this past season. He entered the 2018 season as the starter at left guard, but was benched for Isaac Seumalo. Philadelphia extended Seumalo last week, signaling who they preferred.
They also extended center Jason Kelce a couple weeks ago, and signed left tackle Jason Peters to a new contract earlier today. Wisniewski entered the league as a second round pick of the Raiders in 2011, and has been a solid starter in Oakland, Jacksonville, and Philadelphia. Still only 29, he shouldn’t have much trouble finding a new team.
Jaguars Release Blake Bortles
After agreeing to sign Nick Foles, the Jaguars have released Blake Bortles, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network first reported several days ago that Bortles would be cut (Twitter link). Pro Football Talk tweets that Bortles will not be designated as a post-June 1 cut, which means the Jags will absorb a $16.5MM cap charge this season. However, short-term pain will give way to long-term gain, as Bortles will be completely off the books by 2020. That season, the Jaguars will also get cap credit (up to $6.5MM) based on the quarterback’s 2019 earnings (via Florio).
The writing appeared to be on the wall for a while now, especially after it was reported earlier this month that the Jags were the favorites to sign Foles.
The third overall pick of the 2014 draft, Bortles never lived up to his draft status. Bortles appeared to be on the ropes several times in Jacksonville, but he managed to battle back each time. After nearly being benched for Chad Henne before the season, he led the Jaguars to a shocking level of success in 2017, and helped them reach the AFC Championship Game. In response, the team awarded him a three-year, $54MM extension.
But Bortles collapsed this past year, and he was eventually benched for Cody Kessler, although he did reclaim the starting job at the very end of the season. In 13 games and 12 starts last year, Bortles threw for 2,718 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He will likely have to settle for a backup role this offseason wherever he lands.
Rams Re-Sign Dante Fowler Jr.
The Rams are re-signing outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr., the team announced on Twitter. Fowler had been set to become a free agent.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but it’s safe to assume Fowler landed a significant sum. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network soon tweeted that it’s a one-year deal for Fowler. He had been set to be one of the top pass-rushers available in free agency, and the Rams locking him up will have a major ripple effect across the league. The Rams traded third and fifth round picks to the Jaguars for him at the trade deadline, and didn’t want to let him walk.
Free agency is set to open tomorrow, and one of the bigger names is now off the market. We heard last week that the Jets had been interested in Fowler. The third overall pick in 2015, he had his fifth-year option declined by Jacksonville last year, which made him a free agent now. It’s interesting that he accepted a one-year deal, as he had been rumored to be seeking a lengthier pact. He’ll now have the chance to prove himself in Los Angeles, and re-enter the market next year.
Fowler never quite lived up to his draft status, but is capable of being a productive pass-rusher. For his career, he has 16 sacks in 47 games. He was relatively quiet in the regular season with the Rams, but really turned it on in the playoffs. Fowler landed the hit on Drew Brees in the NFC Championship Game which forced an interception and sent the Rams to the Super Bowl. The Rams have been really aggressive the past couple of seasons, and they’ve been continuing that this offseason. Recently, they made a splash by signing safety Eric Weddle, as they look to make another Super Bowl run.
New York Notes: Giants, Cornerbacks, Jets, Saffold
The Giants have been overhauling their defense recently. They’ve traded away defensive end Olivier Vernon, and they’ve decided not to retain safety Landon Collins. Dave Gettleman is looking to rebuild the unit, and he is reportedly looking to add to the secondary. The Giants “will target veteran starting cornerbacks” in free agency, sources told Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com. Dunleavy points out that their secondary has only one returning starter for next year, so the back half of their defense will look quite a bit different.
Specifically, the Giants will be interested in Colts cornerback Pierre Desir when the market opens, a source told Dunleavy. Desir had been a bit of a journeyman early in his career, but blossomed into a full-time starter with Indianapolis last year and had a really good season. Pro Football Focus graded him as the 18th-best cornerback in the NFL last year. Whatever happens, defensive coordinator James Bettcher will have a lot of new parts next season.
Here’s more from the Big Apple:
- Before making the trade for Kelechi Osemele, the Jets “had been eyeing” Rams guard Rodger Saffold, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com (Twitter link). Pauline writes that they’ll no longer be interested after bringing in Osemele to be a starting guard. Saffold has had a big last couple of years in Los Angeles, and will be landing a hefty contract on the open market. The Rams are hoping to retain him, and it’s possible the Jets making this trade will indirectly help them get their left guard back.
- “There will be a market for” Giants defensive end Kerry Wynn, an impending free agent, sources told Dunleavy. Given that Wynn is apparently expected to draw heavy interest, Dunleavy thinks the team might be better off trying to retain Josh Mauro, another impending free agent. Wynn had just 1.5 sacks last year, but teams are apparently high on him. Dunleavy also reports that the team has no plans to release cornerback Janoris Jenkins or restructure his contract, and that they plan on Jenkins anchoring the secondary next year.
- In case you missed it, the Jets are looking to add a blocking tight end and were interested in the recently released Darren Fells.
Cowboys Will Make ‘Strong Push’ For Earl Thomas
We heard a couple of weeks ago that Earl Thomas could get priced out of the Cowboys’ range, even though there’s been a long-rumored connection between the two sides. But Dallas apparently hasn’t been scared off by Thomas’ asking price and will make a “strong push” for the safety when free agency opens, according to David Moore of The Dallas Morning News.
The latest word is that Thomas is seeking a deal that will pay him around $13MM annually. Thomas is from Texas and played his college ball for the Texas Longhorns, and it hasn’t been much of a secret that he’s interested in returning home. Thomas wants to become the highest paid safety in the game, and Moore writes that the Cowboys “regard Thomas as a special talent.” He also notes that they aren’t concerned about his age, Thomas will be 30 in May, and that they “will make a competitive offer” for his services.
We heard more confirmation earlier today that numerous teams will be interested in signing Thomas, so the Cowboys won’t have it easy. The 49ers are expected to be aggressive in pursuing the All-Pro as are the Chiefs, who attempted to trade for him last fall. Thomas has indicated he won’t be giving the Cowboys much of a hometown discount, but it sounds like they’re willing to match, or at least come close to, what other teams are offering.
Thomas played in just four games last season before a leg injury landed him on injured reserve, but he’ll be fully recovered by the time the 2019 season rolls around. The six-time Pro Bowler would be a massive addition to the Cowboys’ already promising defense.
Extra Points: Thomas, Rams, Collins
The Rams’ decision to sign Eric Weddle last week could have a ripple effect on the rest of the league. The Rams had been interested in signing fellow safety Earl Thomas, but will no longer be pursuing him after signing Weddle, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Bob Condotta posted in a follow-up tweet that echoed what he had heard about Thomas and the Rams. Condotta also said the Cowboys, Chiefs, 49ers are “all thought now to be potential bidders for Thomas.” The 49ers have both been heavily linked to Thomas, and the Chiefs nearly traded for him last fall.
Elsewhere in the video Rapoport posted, he broke down the whole safety market. Unlike last year, where the safety market took very long to develop and seemingly nobody got paid, Rapoport expects big contracts to be flying left and right for safeties this time around. He also notes that the Redskins are expected to be interested in Landon Collins, who the Giants recently decided to let walk.
Here’s the latest from around the league on the night before free agency opens:
- In addition to safeties, it should be a very active market for free agent pass-rushers. Premier defensive linemen like Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald are starting to get more than $20MM per year on deals and we should get used to that, writes former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry. “Mack and Donald should soon have company in the $20 million-per-year non-quarterback club”, Corry writes. Corry broke down the market for edge rushers, and has a bunch of interesting tidbits in the article that is well-worth a read. Notably, he thinks Demarcus Lawrence could challenge and surpass the record-setting deals signed by Von Miller and Aaron Donald.
- In case you were yearning for a Chad Kelly update, we’ve got one. The former Ole Miss star was released by the Broncos back in November after he was arrested following an incident after Von Miller’s Halloween party. He’s been out of a job ever since, but he appeared in court again last week. The young quarterback pleaded not guilty to the felony criminal trespassing charges he’s facing, according to Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com. He’ll be back in court in April, but it sounds like he’s fighting the case rather than accepting a plea deal. He’ll likely face discipline from the league if a team decides to give him another chance.
- In case you missed it, despite rumors to the contrary, Dion Lewis is safe in Tennessee.
North Notes: Rudolph, Browns, Packers
Kyle Rudolph isn’t going anywhere. We heard earlier today that the Vikings had asked Rudolph to take a pay-cut, but his management team is pushing back forcefully on those rumors. Rudolph’s agent, Brian Murphy, released a statement saying “despite rumors, Vikings are not in negotiations with Kyle Rudolph, have not asked him to take a pay reduction and have told us explicitly that Rudy will not only be on the team this year, but hopefully for years to come,” via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
It’s a strong statement, and it doesn’t leave much room for doubt. Rudolph is scheduled to make $7.275MM next season and the Vikings have almost no salary cap space, but they’ll apparently have to create room somewhere else. Rudolph has spent the last eight seasons in Minnesota after the Vikings took him in the second round of the 2011 draft. He hasn’t been in the top-tier of tight ends, but he’s been a solid and consistent player, and he made the Pro Bowl in 2017. Rudolph has also been very durable recently, appearing in all 16 games in four straight years.
Here’s more from around the league’s northern divisions:
- Greg Robinson signed a one-year deal to return to the Browns a couple of weeks ago, and now we have the details on the contract. Interestingly, his new pact includes $500K in weigh-in bonuses, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Robinson will have weigh-ins around once a month starting in April all the way through the regular season, which suggests Cleveland wasn’t too happy with the weight he played at last year. Robinson’s deal has a base salary of $5.5MM with a $500K signing bonus, $400K in per-game roster bonuses, and a $100K workout bonus. He could face competition from a rookie, but right now the former second overall pick projects as the team’s starting left tackle.
- Speaking of the Browns, the status of receiver Breshad Perriman is still up in the air. The former first round pick and draft bust with the Ravens revitalized his career in Cleveland last year, but is now set to be an unrestricted free agent. The “two sides aren’t close” on a deal, but Perriman “wants to be back, and realizes that Baker Mayfield helped him resuscitate his career,” according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Kay Cabot writes that Perriman’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, “wants to let the market” set the price for the 25-year-old receiver. After joining the Browns mid-season, Perriman had 233 yards and two touchdowns the final four weeks of the year.
- The Packers have reportedly expressed interest in Chiefs pass-rusher Dee Ford. But trading for Ford, who has been franchise-tagged by Kansas City, may prove difficult for Green Bay. Any team that trades for Ford is likely to try and sign him to a longterm deal, but the Packers don’t usually like longterm deals with a ton of guaranteed money and prefer to structure deals with large signing bonuses instead, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). That could be a problem because as Rapoport points out, Ford has the same agent as Le’Veon Bell, and the agent takes a very strong stance on the need for more guaranteed money in deals. None of this means the Packers won’t be able to trade for Ford, but it’s an interesting note nonetheless, and it could force them to turn their focus elsewhere as they look for pass-rushing help.
Latest On Antonio Brown
After many twists and turns, the Antonio Brown saga finally came to an end when the Steelers agreed to trade the embattled receiver to the Raiders. To sort out everything that went down, Albert Breer of SI.com took a deep dive into the trade negotiations and broke down the events that led up to the agreement to send Brown to Oakland. While reports that Brown wanted a new contract only began trickling out in the past few days, Breer writes that teams were aware of his demands long before that. Breer notes that teams knew they’d have to give Brown a new contract if they traded for him a month ago, right when this all started.
It helps explains why things took so long to heat up, and why there weren’t too many known suitors. Brown’s demands apparently only got larger as the process went on, as Breer notes that “Brown went from initially wanting tweaks (getting existing money guaranteed, etc.) to wanting a big raise.” Breer confirms that a trade was indeed close with the Bills, and that after talks with Buffalo fell apart over money, the Eagles, Redskins and Raiders all reached out. Presumably, those were the three mystery teams “still alive” in this report from Friday. After the Raiders and Steelers agreed on draft compensation, “the deal was on the verge of crumbling” at one point Saturday as talks between Oakland and Brown’s agent hit an impasse. Obviously, things eventually got sorted out and Brown got the added money he was looking for.
Here’s more surrounding the All-Pro wideout:
- While everyone just wants it to be over, things aren’t done quite yet. A source emphasized to Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link) that the “trade is agreement only and ‘it’s never over till it’s over.'” Interestingly, Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network then tweeted that she was told “exactly the same thing” by a different member of the Steelers organization. This could turn out to be nothing, but it’s worth noting coming from multiple places. It would be fitting for things to fall apart now given how dramatic the whole ordeal has been.
- Brown’s agent, NFL super-agent Drew Rosenhaus, appeared on NFL Network after the trade and said he got permission to negotiate with the Raiders on Brown’s behalf Friday afternoon, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). If that timeline is accurate, it would mean that Oakland had already received permission to negotiate with Brown when the trade with Buffalo was supposedly breaking down. Rosenhaus refused to say whether Brown would’ve reported to his new team if he hadn’t gotten a new contract. Rosenhaus also had praise for new Raiders GM Mike Mayock, saying he acted like a “veteran NFL GM” throughout the process.
AFC Notes: Brown, Steelers, Chargers
It’s been more than a full day since the report that a deal was “close” to being done for Antonio Brown, but the Steelers haven’t moved yet. We still don’t have any word yet on where he’s heading, and it’s become clear that part of the holdup with trade negotiations is the fact that Brown wants a pricey new contract wherever he goes. After Odell Beckham Jr. signed his record-breaking deal last year, Brown “took note of the new money hitting the receiver market” and wanted to get in on it, writes Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.
While Brown has apparently been plotting on how to get a new contract for a while, Fowler does caution that the “notion that Brown sought a trade and publicly criticized his team solely over a new deal is misguided.” In his article, which is worth a full read, Fowler breaks down how Brown is “working the system” to get a huge new deal while he still has three years left on his current one with the Steelers.
Here’s more from around the AFC with the start of free agency right around the corner:
- Speaking of Brown’s contract, we have more clarity on what exactly he’s seeking. Yesterday we heard he was looking to become the highest paid receiver in the NFL, and now we have more on his demands. Brown wants between $18 and $20MM per year on any new deal, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports hears (Twitter link). That explains why things have been taking so long. Beckham got $18MM per year on his deal, and Brown will have a hard time getting more than that. Beckham was 25 when he signed his deal, and Brown is 30. If any team is going to pay him quarterback money, they’re not going to want to give the Steelers any compensation for the right to do it. If that’s really what Brown is holding out for, it might be a while before this is resolved.
- Denzel Perryman and the Chargers agreed on a new two-year deal yesterday, and now we have the details. The inside linebacker will earn $12MM over the course of the two years, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Perryman, who was set to be an unrestricted free agent, has been a good run-stuffer for the Chargers when he’s been able to stay healthy. The 2015 second round pick out of Miami has missed 16 games over the past two years. If he can stay on the field next year, it’ll be a huge boost to Los Angeles’ talented defense.
- In case you missed it, tight end Martellus Bennett could come out of retirement to join his brother with the Patriots.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/19
Here are today’s minor moves:
New Orleans Saints
- Extended: S Chris Banjo
The Saints gave Banjo a three-year extension, which Ian Rapoport tweets is worth up to $9MM. However, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com hears the $9MM figure “might not be completely accurate” (Twitter link). Banjo doesn’t play much on defense, he played just 5% of the team’s defensive snaps on defense, but he’s a key contributor on special teams. Banjo was an undrafted free agent in 2013, and spent the first three-plus years of his career with the Packers. He’s been with the Saints since mid-2016.