Tom Brady Expected To Sign With Bucs
It looks like the Tom Brady sweepstakes are coming to a close. The expectation is that Brady will sign with the Buccaneers, sources told Jeff Darlington and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Tampa’s offer is “roughly” $30MM annually, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets, although the duration is unclear.
Rapoport added that the Buccaneers have been confident all day about landing him. It’s not at all unexpected given today’s developments, but it still is a wild conclusion to an unpredictable saga. A couple of years ago we got the first reports that Brady might want out of New England, but nobody at the time could’ve predicted it would end with him teaming up with Bruce Arians in Tampa Bay. It became clear in recent months that Brady leaving was a very real possibility, and earlier this morning the legendary quarterback announced he wouldn’t be back with the Patriots in 2020.
We heard just a little while ago that the Chargers were out of the running, which left the Bucs as the only known team aggressively pursuing Brady. The Raiders had been floated at various points, but they recently signed Marcus Mariota and the same report that had the Chargers out indicated Brady wanted to stay closer to his family on the east coast.
The Patriots were one of the best teams in the league last season, but it was mostly because of the defense and not the offense. Brady had one of his worst seasons statistically, averaging his lowest yards per attempt (6.8) since the 2002 season. The Pats were widely criticized for not providing him with enough weapons, and that won’t be an issue in Tampa.
The Bucs have arguably the best receiving duo in the league, with Chris Godwin and Mike Evans forming a matchup nightmare for any opposing secondary. Their defense also made major strides down the stretch last season under DC Todd Bowles, and they’ll now be considered an instant contender in 2020.
Brady spent 20 incredible years in New England, helping to create one of the most iconic dynasties in sports history. He’ll leave the Patriots at the age of 42, having won six Super Bowls with the team. We may never know exactly what happened the last few years, but it seems clear that Brady wanted a fresh start. His frustration with the offense was evident toward the end of last season, and it culminated in an embarrassing home loss to the Titans in the first round of the playoffs.
As for the Buccaneers, they’ll obviously be moving on from Jameis Winston, who they drafted first overall back in 2015. The game of quarterback musical chairs has almost ended, and there aren’t too many starting jobs left available for Winston to nab.
Raiders Agree To Terms With Carl Nassib
The Raiders are staying busy, this time bolstering their pass-rush. Las Vegas has agreed to terms with free agent defensive end Carl Nassib, Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune tweets.
Nassib originally became widely known to football fans as a ‘Hardknocks’ star during training camp with the Browns in 2018 when they were featured on the hit HBO series. He was waived by Cleveland at final cuts, but was quickly claimed by Tampa Bay. He thrived with the Buccaneers, racking up 6.5 sacks that year. This past season he had six more in 14 games while playing around 55 percent of the defensive snaps.
It will be interesting to see what the terms are, but it’s likely that Vegas didn’t have to break the bank for him. Overall, it’s a nice under the radar signing. Nassib was originally a walk-on at Penn State, and played sparingly his first few years. He came out of nowhere to dominate in his senior season, racking up 15.5 sacks and winning the Hendricks Award for the nation’s top defensive end.
The Raiders have struggled to generate a consistent rush in recent years, and they had only 32 sacks as a team last season. They also agreed to terms with defensive tackle Maliek Collins Tuesday to further bolster the defensive front.
Chargers Out Of Running For Tom Brady?
Momentum for Tom Brady going to the Buccaneers continues to build. The Chargers believe they are out of the running for the quarterback, according to Jim Trotter of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Everything we had heard indicated that the Chargers and Bucs were the two teams with strong offers on the table for Brady, and if the Chargers are out then there aren’t many other known suitors outside Tampa. In a different tweet, Trotter reports that Brady’s camp “led the Chargers to believe he is going to stay back East because of family considerations.” Obviously Brady’s family lives in the New England area, and Tampa would certainly be a lot closer than Los Angeles.
Many had speculated that Brady might choose the Chargers because Los Angeles would provide a better pivot for off-field ventures like the entertainment industry a la LeBron James and the Lakers, but that apparently wasn’t the case. The Raiders just agreed to terms with Marcus Mariota and they’re out West as well, which likely takes them off the table too.
At this point, it seems like it’ll either be the Buccaneers or a mystery team swooping in that we haven’t heard much reporting about. That’s not out of the question given how wild things have been this week, but as of right now Tampa seems to be considered the solid favorite. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network said when free agency opened that it was down to the Bucs, Chargers, and Patriots, and two of those teams have since been eliminated.
As for the Chargers, they’re in an interesting spot. They decided to let long-time quarterback Philip Rivers walk this offseason, and most of the top free agent passers are now off the board. They could turn their attention to the trade market and go after someone like Cam Newton, or they could focus on the draft where they could theoretically get Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert with the sixth overall pick.
Cowboys To Decline Cameron Fleming’s Option
The offensive tackle market is getting a new name. The Cowboys are not picking up Cameron Fleming‘s option so he’ll be hitting free agency, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Fleming signed a two-year deal worth up to $8.5MM last offseason. He operated as the team’s swing tackle behind Tyron Smith and La’el Collins last year. He started three games this past season as Smith was sidelined briefly by injury. A fourth-round pick of the Patriots back in 2014, he seemingly always started a few games per year. From 2014-17 with New England, he started 15 times.
He won two Super Bowls with the Patriots, and started in their Super Bowl LII loss to the Eagles. He’s still only 27 and has plenty of big-game starting experience, so he should draw some interest on the open market. The top tackles like Jack Conklin, Ricky Wagner, and Bryan Bulaga are all off the market, so the secondary options should start going soon.
Giants Re-Sign WR/ST Cody Core
The Giants continue to make moves. New York is re-signing receiver Cody Core, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
As Pelissero points out he’s primarily a special teams player, and is regarded as a key coverage unit guy. New Giants coach Joe Judge is a Bill Belichick disciple, so it’s not surprising that he values his unheralded special teamers. Core was drafted by the Bengals in the sixth-round back in 2016, and spent his first three years in Cincy. Let go at final cuts last year, he was promptly claimed off waivers by the Giants.
He caught only three passes for 28 yards this past year, but appeared in all 16 games and played 62 percent of the special teams snaps. In his last year in Cincinnati in 2018 he caught 13 passes for 160 yards and as a rookie he had 200 yards in only eight games, so the Ole Miss product has shown at least something as a receiver.
Giants To Sign LB Kyler Fackrell
The Giants’ revamping of their defense continues. New York is signing former Packers linebacker Kyler Fackrell to a one-year deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
He’ll get $4.6MM for the 2020 season. The Giants have been so active that this is actually the second former Green Bay linebacker that they’ve signed, after they recently gave Blake Martinez three years and $30MM. They also signed cornerback James Bradberry to a huge three-year, $45MM pact. Fackrell is obviously a lesser name, but it’s still a notable signing. New York’s aggressiveness on this side of the ball isn’t a surprise given how disappointing their defense was last year.
They’re entering a new era of football with Joe Judge, and the team is going to look a lot different in 2020. Fackrell was drafted in the third-round by the Packers back in 2016. He didn’t play a ton as a rookie but his role grew slowly, and he busted onto the scene in 2018. That year he came out of nowhere to rack up 10.5 sacks while starting seven games.
He took a big step back this past season with only one sack while playing about 40 percent of the defensive snaps, but his flashes of potential were enough for the Giants to take a low-risk flyer.
Ravens Expected To Decline CB Brandon Carr’s Option
Yet another cornerback is going to hit the open market. The Ravens are expected to decline Brandon Carr’s option and send him to free agency, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
We had heard the Ravens were unlikely to retain Carr if they brought back fellow corner Jimmy Smith, and now it sounds like Carr will be moving on even if Smith isn’t back. Carr will turn 34 in May, but he started all 16 games for Baltimore this past season. Carr has been remarkably durable, never missing a game or start in his 12-year career. Originally a fifth-round pick out of tiny D2 school Grand Valley State back in 2008, Carr has carved out quite the career for himself.
He’s never been elite or made the Pro Bowl, but has been a solid starter for many years. He spent the first four years of his career with the Chiefs and then five with the Cowboys, before signing a four-year, $23.5MM pact with the Ravens in 2017. With Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, who they acquired in a trade last season, both under contract, Carr became more expendable.
His playing time was reduced after the Peters trade, and it’s clear the Ravens want to get younger at the position. Humphrey is 23 and Peters is 27. All eyes will now turn to Smith, and the last we heard is that he’s planning on testing the open market while the two sides are both still interested in a potential reunion.
Rams Won’t Exercise Option On CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
Another cornerback is hitting the market. The Rams have informed Nickell Robey-Coleman that they won’t pick up his option and he’ll become an unrestricted free agent, according to Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Robey-Coleman would’ve had a $4.5MM cap hit had the Rams picked up his option. Los Angeles has been shedding defenders left and right in free agency, as starters Michael Brockers and Cory Littleton both just landed big contracts from other teams. Eric Weddle also retired, so the defense is going to look quite a bit different in 2020. The Rams traded away cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib midway through last season, so their current unit is virtually unrecognizable from the one we saw at the beginning of last year.
Robey-Coleman appeared in all 16 games and while he only started three, he played about 64 percent of the defensive snaps, so this is a significant move. The Rams have Jalen Ramsey at corner now, but not a whole lot after him. Troy Hill is still under contract, and last year’s third-round pick David Long will likely be counted on to play a bigger role assuming they don’t make any more moves.
Originally an undrafted free agent out of USC in 2013, Robey-Coleman signed a three-year, $15.75MM deal with the Rams back in 2018 that included an option for the 2020 season. Primarily a slot corner, Robey-Coleman is perhaps most well known for being the defender on the infamous pass interference non-call in the Rams’ NFC Championship Game win over the Saints two seasons ago. He should generate significant interest from teams looking for someone to man the slot.
Raiders To Sign Jason Witten
Here’s one that not many people saw coming. Tight end Jason Witten will be signing with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review Journal (Twitter link).
It’s a one-year deal that can be worth up to $4.75MM, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. Although we heard last month that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wanted Witten back, the tight end himself had said he was open to playing with another team. Witten also said that he preferred to finish his career in Dallas, but obviously it didn’t work out. Witten is a Cowboys icon, who spent 16 years with the team before now finally moving on at the age of 37.
Witten, of course, retired after the 2017 season for a brief and ill-fated stint as the Monday Night Football color commentator for ESPN. He’ll now be playing for a coach, Jon Gruden, who used to hold that exact role. After sitting out 2018 he returned to the Cowboys last year, and played a relatively significant role.
He appeared in all 16 games, catching 63 passes for 529 yards and four touchdowns. Despite his advanced age Witten has been remarkably durable, appearing in all 16 games in each of his last 15 seasons. He’ll likely play a reduced role as a pass-catcher in Vegas, and will probably serve as more of a mentor for Darren Waller, the Raiders tight end who broke out last year.
Witten was one of the last remaining ties to the old era of Cowboys football, and Dallas will likely move forward with Blake Jarwin as their unquestioned starter at the position. They signaled as much by inking him to a three-year extension Monday. Witten will end his run in Dallas as the Cowboys’ all-time leader in receptions, yards, and games played. He’s also fourth on the NFL’s all-time receptions list.
Dalvin Cook, Vikings Have Talked Extension
A handful of running backs have landed huge new contracts in recent years, and several of those teams have come to regret those deals. It’ll be very interesting to see what the next crop of running backs get, and a good test case will be Dalvin Cook. Cook is extension eligible, and Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that extension talks have taken place between Cook and the Vikings. 
Sources told Tomasson that talks will “ramp up” after free agency dies down. We heard back in January that the Vikings were prepared to keep him in the fold, and it sounds like things are starting to move in that direction. The 41st pick of the 2017 draft, Cook will be playing out the final year of his rookie deal in 2020.
The Florida State product made an instant splash as a rookie, bursting onto the scene with an impressive first few games and 122 rushing yards in his pro debut. Unfortunately his first campaign was cut short, as he tore an ACL in Week 4. In 2018 he wasn’t quite the same as he dealt with nagging hamstring injuries, carrying the ball only 133 times in 11 games.
He bounced back in a big way this past season, racking up 1,135 yards on the ground and another 519 through the air in only 14 games while scoring 13 touchdowns. The Vikings have been active this week, trading away Stefon Diggs and locking up Kirk Cousins with an extension. While they might not be looking to break the bank, it sounds like Cook is in their long-term plans.