Marcus Mariota To Take Pay-Cut, Stay With Raiders
It looks like Marcus Mariota will be staying with the Raiders after all. The quarterback is expected to sign a reworked deal with Las Vegas that will drop his salary to $3.5MM, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
We heard last week that the team was going to “move on” if he refused to cut his compensation, either through a trade or release, and that a divorce was “likely.” It was reported at the time that Mariota was reluctant to cut his deal because he felt like he had options on the market, but perhaps seeing a few more quarterbacks get signed made him less confident in having those options. Now, he’ll sign a one-year deal worth $3.5MM that can be worth up to $8MM with inceentives.
Rapsheet writes that “it was up and down the last few weeks, but he recently made the call to stick around.” In a follow-up tweet, Rapoport notes the original pay-cut offer was for $3MM, and that Mariota negotiated up and got himself some upside. He had previously been scheduled to take home $10.725MM, a hefty price for a backup to Derek Carr.
Mariota appeared in one game in place of an injured Carr last season and showed fairly well against the Chargers on national TV, completing 17 of 28 passes for 226 yards a touchdown and an interception. He also added 88 yards and another score rushing.
Mariota is now on a very trade-friendly contract should a team come calling. We heard around the Super Bowl that there was legit interest in the former second overall pick, but then that interest reportedly cooled significantly.
Mariota spent his first five years in the league as Tennessee’s starter, but was benched by the Titans in favor of Ryan Tannehill midway through the 2019 season. Jon Gruden added him as his high-level clipboard holder last offseason. The 27-year-old will enter free agency next spring.
Bills To Re-Sign Isaiah McKenzie
The Bills are keeping their gadget player. Buffalo has agreed to terms on a new deal for receiver/returner Isaiah McKenzie, his agency announced on Twitter. It’s a one-year deal worth $1.15MM with $350K guaranteed, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets.
Before he decided to re-sign with the Bills, the Bears were a team that expressed interest in McKenzie as a free agent, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). McKenzie entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Broncos back in 2017. He struggled fielding punts, was cut midway through the 2018 season, and promptly claimed by Buffalo. Since then, he’s turned into a very nice find for Sean McDermott.
On his only punt return of the season in 2020, he returned it 84 yards four a touchdown. He couldn’t be the normal returner due to the presence of All-Pro Andre Roberts, but with Roberts signing in Houston McKenzie should be the return guy in 2021.
He also carved out a sizable role on offense, playing around a quarter of the offensive snaps last year. He finished with 30 catches for 282 yards and five touchdowns, and also had ten carries.
Colts HC Frank Reich On Carson Wentz
One of the (several) blockbuster moves this NFL offseason was the trade of Carson Wentz from the Eagles to the Colts. Philly moved on from the former second overall pick, while Indy will now have their fourth Week 1 starting quarterback in as many years.
The fallout from this trade will be significant, and will take years to take shape. One of the people who will be most impacted by however it turns out is Colts head coach Frank Reich, and in a recent interview with Albert Breer of SI.com he opened up about the deal for his new quarterback. Perhaps most interestingly, Reich revealed that the team was originally planning on drafting a signal-caller before they stumbled into the Wentz tradee.
“Was it going to be a draft pick? Honestly, I think Chris and I were thinking, somehow we were going to figure out how we were going to be able to draft the quarterback of our future. And then this thing came with Carson and it fell into our laps,” Reich said.
The “figure out how” part makes it seem like the Colts and GM Chris Ballard were plotting a trade up in order to draft one of this class’ top passers. It’s fun to think about how that alternate history would’ve played out. Reich expressed confidence that Wentz can turn things around after his disastrous 2020 season, and said he doesn’t need to go all the way back to 2017 to see that, but just the year before last.
“All you had to do, for me, was turn on the film in 2019, and with four games to go the Eagles needed to win out. And not only did they need to win out, but in each of those games, as I recall, looking at the film, Carson had to play great in the second half, and play a major role in that team winning those games in the second half,” he explained.
Reich also made it clear he doesn’t want to be viewed as a guru who’s going to work his magic and reinvent Wentz on his own. “I’ve already had a conversation with Carson, to say, ‘O.K., everybody’s throwing the word fix around and I get it,’” Reich said. “I wanted to get that off the table with Carson, because as a coach, you’re not trying to make it all about you. I’m not the fixer.”
Sammy Watkins To Visit Colts, Titans And Texans Interested
We heard earlier today that Sammy Watkins was on his way to visit the Ravens, but Baltimore is going to face competition for his services. Watkins will visit the Colts on Wednesday after the Ravens, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Additionally, Schefter reports that Watkins has drawn interest from the Titans and Texans. It’s a sudden flurry of attention for Watkins, who we hadn’t heard much about prior to today. There was reportedly some mutual interest between Watkins and the Chiefs in spending one more year together back in February, but then at the beginning of this month Kansas City GM Brett Veach indicated it’d be hard to work financially.
The Colts make plenty of sense as a destination, since right now it’s very uncertain whether free agent T.Y. Hilton will be back in 2021. Indy has youngsters Michael Pittman Jr. and Parris Campbell under contract, but the receiver room could use some help. The Titans just lost Corey Davis to the Jets, and need a new number two behind A.J. Brown.
The Texans just lost Will Fuller, so all of these teams are natural fits. Watkins has never quite lived up to his potential, but if he can stay healthy he can really help a team. He had 37 catches for 421 yards and two touchdowns across ten games in a secondary role for the Chiefs last year.
Giants To Sign Adoree’ Jackson
One of the biggest names on the free agent market has been officially scooped up. The Giants will sign cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
It’s a three-year deal worth a whopping $39MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The contract comes with a signing bonus of $13.5MM, full guarantees of $26.5MM, and incentives can bring the total value up to $44.5MM, Schefter tweets. It’s the culmination of a several days long courtship that saw the Giants go all-out in their recruitment. Jackson was also scheduled to meet with the Eagles later this week, but he’ll be canceling that now.
Jackson was cut by the Titans last week before the fifth-year option on his rookie contract became guaranteed. He had been set to cost Tennessee $10.2MM under that fifth-year option, so his release actually ended up getting him a raise as his new pact has an AAV of $13MM. A number of other teams reportedly showed interest, including the Rams, Chiefs, Raiders, and Cardinals.
Giants GM Dave Gettleman, whose job status beyond 2021 is tenuous at best, has been aggressive in what could be his final free agency if things don’t go well this season. The team just committed a large contract to Kenny Golladay over the weekend.
As many Giants writers were quick to point out, this signing likely means that even more contract restructures are coming to clear space. Jackson, a USC product, was drafted 18th overall in 2017. He became a starter as a rookie with the Titans, and also returned punts his first two years.
This past season, a knee injury limited him to only three games. Jackson only has two interceptions in 46 career games, but does have 33 passes defended. He’s played well at times and struggled at others, but is capable of being a very solid player. He’s still only 25, and will slot in opposite James Bradberry at corner for the Giants.
Texans To Sign Hardy Nickerson
Nick Caserio just won’t stop signing guys to one-year deals. The new Texans GM has found his latest low-risk flyer on the free agent market, this time signing linebacker Hardy Nickerson, a source told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Houston has been making a flurry of cheap signings of under the radar players as they rebuild their defense. The strategy seems to be throwing as many darts at the board as possible, and hitting on a couple of guys. It makes a lot of sense on paper. Nickerson signed with the Bengals as an UDFA in 2017, and started nine games for Cincy across his first two seasons.
He fell out of favor when the new coaching staff took over in 2019, then signed with the Vikings for 2020. He appeared in 14 games for Minnesota, starting one and playing about ten percent of the defensive snaps overall. He finished with 14 tackles, two forced fumbles, and an interception. There’s some familiarity here, as Nickerson played for new Texans DC Lovie Smith in college at Illinois.
Chiefs Finalizing Deal With Daniel Sorensen
It looks like the Chiefs are going to be bringing back a key piece of their Super Bowl runs. Kansas City is “closing in on” finalizing a deal to re-sign safety Daniel Sorensen, a source told Herbie Teope of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link).
Teope reports that it’ll be a one-year deal. Sorensen is one of the longest-tenured members of the team, having been with the Chiefs since they signed him as an undrafted free agent back in 2014. The BYU product became a nice diamond in the rough find for Andy Reid, and after a few years as a reserve he became a starter in 2017. He just wrapped up a four-year, $16MM deal that he signed that year.
This past season he played in 15 games and started 11, racking up 91 tackles, five passes defended, two forced fumbles, and three interceptions. He returned one of those for a touchdown. He played 100 percent of the defensive snaps in each of the past two Super Bowls. Sorensen turned 31 a few weeks ago.
The Chiefs have mostly focused on remaking their offensive line this season, but it appears their attention is shifting toward the defense now. They’re set to host defensive end Melvin Ingram, and will also have cornerback K’Waun Williams in for a visit on Tuesday.
Raiders To Sign Darius Philon
Las Vegas continues to add depth to their defensive line, and their latest signing is an interesting one. The Raiders have agreed to terms on a deal with Darius Philon, the team announced on Twitter.
This one came a bit out of left field, because Philon hasn’t suited up since the 2018 season. He was originally drafted by the Chargers in 2015, and spent the next four years with the team. He flashed plenty of potential during his last couple seasons there, and started 13 games in 2018. He had 33 tackles, seven for a loss, four sacks, and a forced fumble that year.
That earned him a two-year, $10MM deal from the Cardinals in 2019, but he never played a down for the team. That’s because he was arrested that August for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and cut shortly thereafter. We haven’t heard much from him since then, as he didn’t play that season or in 2020.
He’s apparently ready to make a comeback now, and is still only 27. Presumably signed very cheaply, he could be a decent low-risk flyer for a Raiders team in need of help along the defensive front.
Lions Interested In K’Waun Williams
A new team is entering the K’Waun Williams sweepstakes. We heard earlier this morning that the veteran cornerback will meet with the Chiefs tomorrow, and he’s also been connected to the Jets.
The Lions are also expressing interest in Williams, a source told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports (Twitter link). Maiocco adds that he could be headed to Detroit for a visit, but that’s not confirmed yet. He also notes that the 49ers have expressed interest in a reunion. Williams played for Robert Saleh in San Francisco the past few years, so the Jets talk makes a lot of sense.
Williams was hit with a two-game PED suspension in November, but that was quickly rescinded. He played in only eight games for the 49ers last year due to ankle and knee injuries, starting four. In 2019 he played in 15 and started eight, recording a couple of interceptions. He started his career as an UDFA with the Browns in 2014.
Williams will turn 30 in July, and could be a quality low-cost signing for a team that missed out on the initial wave of top cornerbacks like William Jackson, Shaquill Griffin, and Ronald Darby. The Lions’ secondary is going to look a lot different in 2021 after they cut Justin Coleman and Desmond Trufant this offseason. They’re hoping 2020 third overall pick Jeff Okudah will become a top corner this offseason, and could be looking to put a vet like Williams next to him.
49ers To Re-Sign Jaquiski Tartt
The 49ers aren’t done signing safeties. After adding Tavon Wilson earlier this morning, the team is now keeping one of their own in the fold. San Francisco is re-signing Jaquiski Tartt, sources told Peter Schrager of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Schrager reports it’s a one-year deal, although financial terms weren’t immediately available. The 49ers drafted Tartt 46th overall back in 2015, and he’s been a starter for them almost ever since. He started about half his games in his first two years, but has started every game he’s appeared in over the past four.
Injuries have limited him, as he hasn’t played in more than 12 games since 2016. Last year he started seven games before turf toe landed him on IR. He had 30 tackles, four passes defended, and an interception in those seven games.
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have made retaining their own guys a priority this offseason, re-signing players like Trent Williams, Jason Verrett, Kyle Juszczyk, and others. Tartt, a Samford product, turned 29 last month.