Ravens Re-Sign LB Chris Board
The Ravens just let Matt Judon walk to the Patriots, but they’re retaining a different linebacker. Baltimore has re-signed Chris Board to a one-year deal, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The deal is worth “up to” $2.68MM, and Board will be getting over $1.6MM guaranteed to sign. As Pelissero refers to, the team didn’t tender Board as a restricted free agent but now he’ll actually have the opportunity to make a little more than he would’ve under a tender.
An UDFA out of North Dakota State in 2018, Board made the 53-man roster as a rookie and played on special teams. This past year he earned a real role on defense, starting two games and playing almost 25 percent of the defensive snaps. He finished with 31 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a pass defended, and a forced fumble.
Jaguars To Sign Jamal Agnew
The Jaguars just agreed to terms with defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris, and now they’re making their second pickup of the day. Jacksonville is signing return specialist/receiver Jamal Agnew, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The initial numbers are eye-popping, as Garafolo reports it’s a three-year deal that “maxes out” at $21MM. He says that includes “reachable incentives.” It’s a heck of a lot more than the two-year, $6MM deal fellow return ace Andre Roberts just got from the Texans. The Lions drafted Agnew in the fifth-round back in 2017, and he immediately made a name for himself on special teams.
He returned two punt returns for touchdowns as a rookie, led the league in punt return average, and was named a first-team All-Pro as a result. This past year he returned 14 punts for 178 yards and a touchdown, adding 28 kick returns for 783 yards (28 Y/R).
No matter how good of a returner he is, this kind of money is still surprising. It could mean that new Jags coach Urban Meyer envisions a role for him on offense. The Lions tried using him a bit as a gadget player this past year, as he finished with 13 catches for 89 yards and six carries for 33 yards.
Obviously he can make things happen with the ball in his hands, so it’ll be interesting to see what Jacksonville’s staff cooks up for him. Darrell Bevell, who coached Agnew in Detroit this past year, is the new OC for the Jaguars.
Texans To Sign Kamu Grugier-Hill
The Texans haven’t made any big splashes, so far opting for some cheaper but still quality options. Shortly after agreeing to terms with return specialist Andre Roberts, Houston has set their sights on a linebacker.
The Texans have agreed to terms with Kamu Grugier-Hill on a one-year deal worth “up to” $3.25MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. It’s a nice low-risk signing for a rebuilding Texans defense as Grugier-Hill is still only 26 and has excelled in coverage recently.
Grugier-Hill was used as a passing downs specialist by the Dolphins, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets that he was looking for a more consistent role. He should be able to find that on a Texans team that needed linebacking help.
A sixth-round pick of the Patriots in 2016, Grugier-Hill didn’t make New England’s roster as a rookie and was scooped up by the Eagles. He started 10 games for Philly in 2018 and six the following year before signing a one-year deal with Miami for 2020. He played about 20 percent of the defensive snaps for the Dolphins last year.
Patriots To Sign Jalen Mills
The Patriots just won’t stop. After signing Jonnu Smith, Davon Godchaux, and Matt Judon to big deals already, New England is adding another high profile player.
The Pats are signing defensive back Jalen Mills, agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Interestingly, Rosenhaus also represents both Smith and Godchaux, so clearly he and Bill Belichick have a good relationship. It’s a four-year deal for Mills, worth $24MM with $9MM of that guaranteed. The Patriots have been the most active team so far, and it isn’t even close.
New England entered free agency with a lot of cap space, and they weren’t about to let it go to waste. A seventh-round pick of the Eagles in 2016, Mills quickly established himself as a starter and was a huge part of the team that beat the Patriots in Super Bowl LII as he started 15 games that year.
Known for his versatility, Mills has extensive experience at both cornerback and safety. Foot injuries limited him to only eight and nine games in 2018 and 2019, but he again started 15 in 2020. This past year he finished with 74 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three passes defended, and an interception.
49ers Re-Sign Jason Verrett
The 49ers are locking up another one of their high profile free agents. San Francisco has agreed to terms to re-sign cornerback Jason Verrett, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets.
It’s a one-year deal with a base value of $5.5MM that has “significant upside” for more, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. Rapoport later tweeted that it’ll be $6.5MM if he makes the Pro Bowl, and also noted that he turned down a multi-year offer from another team in order to bet on himself again. Given Verrett’s lengthy injury history, it makes sense that San Francisco was looking to do a one-year deal.
Verrett was one of the best stories in the NFL last season, as he was finally able to stay healthy after a brutal run of bad injury luck the previous handful of years. A first-round pick of the Chargers back in 2014, Verrett initially looked like a star in the making and made the Pro Bowl in 2015. Then a torn ACL limited him to four games in 2016. Then another knee injury limited him to only one game in 2017.
A torn Achilles sidelined him for the entire 2018 season, and because of an ankle injury he only played in one game with the 49ers in 2019. Despite only appearing in six games across four seasons from 2016-19, the 49ers brought him back last year and it paid off.
Verrett started 13 games last season, racking up seven passes defended and two interceptions. He played very well, and should be back as a starter in 2021. He’ll be especially important for Kyle Shanahan’s defense with Richard Sherman set to depart in free agency.
Patriots To Sign Matt Judon
UPDATE, 2:00pm: It’s official now, Judon is going to be a Patriot. The deal has been finalized, Rapoport tweets. It’s a four-year, $56MM pact with $32MM guaranteed in the first two years, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
1:36pm: The Patriots’ free agent spending spree might only be getting started. New England has already agreed to terms on big deals with tight end Jonnu Smith and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux on Monday, and they have a new big name player firmly in their sights.
The Patriots are making a “major push” to sign Ravens pass-rusher Matt Judon, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. The Pats feel they are “close” to signing Judon, a source told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Everything we’ve heard recently this offseason has indicated Baltimore would likely be letting Judon walk. The Ravens franchise tagged him last cycle, but it would’ve been prohibitively expensive to do so a second time and they never worked out a long-term deal.
A fifth-round pick out of Grand Valley State in 2016, Judon broke out in 2017 and has kept improving. He’s been a Pro Bowler in each of the past two seasons, with six sacks in 14 games in 2020 and 9.5 sacks the year before.
With Godchaux and now potentially Judon in the fold, the Patriots’ defensive front will be a lot more imposing in 2021. The Pats had only 24 sacks as a team in 2020, the sixth-fewest in the league.
Texans To Sign KR/PR Andre Roberts
We’ve seen some offensive and defensive players get some nice money so far on this first day of free agency, why not a special teamer? Return specialist Andre Roberts will be signing with the Texans, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL Radio tweets.
It’s a two-year deal worth just a hair under $6MM, with $3MM of that being guaranteed, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. Not too shabby for a “receiver” who hasn’t really played on offense in years. A third-round pick of the Cardinals all the way back in 2010, Roberts had some initial success as a pass-catcher in the desert but quickly carved out a career as a returner.
He’s made three straight Pro Bowls for his special teams prowess, and was a second-team All-Pro for the Bills this past year. In 2020 for Buffalo he returned 32 kicks for 961 yards, good for an impressive 30.0 yard average which led the NFL. In 2018 he led the league in punt return average for the Jets, averaging 14.1 yards on 23 returns.
He turned 33 in January, but didn’t show any signs of slowing down this past season.
Steelers GM Kevin Colbert Signs Extension
The Steelers’ brass will officially be back together for at least one more ride. After wrapping up the Ben Roethlisberger saga recently, Pittsburgh has now signed GM Kevin Colbert to a one-year extension, the team announced on Monday.
Colbert’s contract will now run through the 2022 season, closing one of the last major questions for the Steelers this offseason. His deal had previously been set to expire in May, and last month Colbert waffled about his status. He’s indicated he prefers to go year to year at this point in his career, and has flirted with retirement in recent years.
The Lions were apparently interested in poaching him away earlier this offseason before they ultimately hired Brad Holmes for their gig. Colbert has been in the Steelers’ front office since 2000, and has held the title of general manager since 2010.
The 64-year-old recently spoke passionately in defense of his head coach Mike Tomlin, saying “Mike Tomlin has done so much more good in this league than not good.”
“Mike is an excellent NFL head coach. He’s won a Super Bowl. He’s been to two. Have we had the success we wanted to have recently? No, that’s a collective ‘we.’ We’ll just continue to work to make sure (a downward trend) doesn’t happen.” He’ll certainly have his work cut out for him this offseason, as he needs to reconfigure the offensive line, figure out what to do about JuJu Smith-Schuster, keep the defense and elite, and start planning for the post-Roethlisberger era under center.
Lions, Eagles, Jaguars, Browns Pursuing S John Johnson
One of the top defenders on the market is safety John Johnson, and it sounds like there are a handful of teams hot on his tail. Johnson’s market is beginning to take shape, with the Lions, Eagles, Jaguars, and Browns all showing interest, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports hears (Twitter link).
Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL Radio followed up by tweeting that the Browns are expected to make a “strong effort” in their pursuit of Johnson. Marcus Williams, Justin Simmons, and Marcus Maye were franchise tagged by the Saints, Broncos, and Jets respectively, only ensuring a bigger payday for Johnson by making him arguably the top safety on the market.
The Rams opted not to tag Johnson for financial reasons, and it seems like moving on from Los Angeles might be likely at this point. Johnson was the only player to play every single snap for a Rams defense that was one of the best in the league last season.
The 2017 third-round pick became a starter as a rookie, and had four interceptions as a sophomore in 2018. Perhaps the most appealing part about him is that he’s only 25 and won’t turn 26 until December.
Panthers To Sign OL Cameron Erving
We’ve heard a lot this offseason about the Panthers’ bold plans to upgrade at quarterback, but so far in free agency they’ve been focused on the offensive line. They already signed Pat Elflein not even an hour ago, and now they’ve added another guy up front.
Carolina has agreed to sign Cameron Erving to a two-year deal worth $10MM with $8MM of that being guaranteed, a source told beat writer Joe Person (Twitter link). Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com was first to tweet the two sides were close. Person thinks Erving will compete for the starting job at left tackle, but as he notes he’s flexible and can play along the interior as well.
The immediate reaction from Cowboys writers was that Dallas was never going to pay nearly that much. Erving started five games at tackle for the Cowboys last year due to injuries, but with Tyron Smith and La’el Collins returning, wasn’t really needed. Erving was drafted 19th overall by the Browns in 2015, and immediately flamed out in Cleveland.
Traded for a late-round pick to the Chiefs after just two years and labeled a bust, he rehabilitated his reputation a bit in Kansas City and started 25 games across his three years there. Erving hasn’t exactly always been lights out, but he has extensive NFL experience at guard, center, and tackle, which will always have value.