Patriots Sign WR Damiere Byrd
There’s a whole lot of uncertainty surrounding the Patriots offense, but the team has still added a wideout. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that New England has signed receiver Damiere Byrd to a one-year deal.
The former undrafted free agent out of South Carolina spent the first four seasons of his career with the Panthers. He signed with the Cardinals for the 2019 season and had a breakout campaign, hauling in 32 receptions for 359 yards and one touchdown.
Byrd also has some experience on special teams throughout his career. He’s returned 14 kicks and 12 returns through his first five years in the league.
With Tom Brady out of the picture, it’s uncertain who will be throwing to Byrd next season. The only (somewhat) certainty is that the 27-year-old wideout will be joining fellow receivers Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, and Mohamed Sanu atop the New England depth chart.
Bills Expected To Sign DE Quinton Jefferson
Quinton Jefferson is heading up to Buffalo. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the defensive end is signing with the Bills. It’s a two-year deal for the 26-year-old.
We learned yesterday that the Seahawks were hoping to retain the lineman. However, Jefferson’s market was described as steady, so it’s not a total shock to see him move on. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos made an offer yesterday but ultimately moved on.
The 2016 fifth-round pick joined Seattle during the 2017 season, and he quickly evolved into one of the team’s top pass rushers. Jefferson has started 12 games in each of the past two seasons, combining for 51 tackles and 6.5 sacks through those two years.
The Bills have been active in revamping their defensive line. Earlier today, they agreed to a three-year deal with defensive end Mario Addison. The two new additions should partly help to soften the blow after the Bills lost Shaq Lawson to the Dolphins.
Lions Interested In DB Will Parks
We haven’t heard a whole lot from Will Parks‘ camp this week, but Troy Renck of Denver7 reports (via Twitter) that the market has “been consistently strong” for the safety.
Further, Renck notes that the Lions have been “most aggressive” in trying to sign the versatile defensive back. We’ve been hearing throughout the day that Detroit was in the market for a cornerback or safety.
Parks, a 2016 sixth-round pick, has spent his entire four-year career with the Broncos. That includes a 2019 campaign where he compiled 35 tackles, one sack, two passes defended, and one interception in 14 games (seven starts). In total, Parks has appeared in 62 games throughout his career.
We heard earlier this month that Denver could have a tough time retaining Parks. At that time, it was reported that 10 teams could have interest in the 25-year-old.
North Notes: Steelers, Ravens, Hurst
Steelers tight end Vance McDonald has restructured his contract, reports SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). The veteran will see his $5.5MM base salary converted into a signing bonus.
The 29-year-old joined the Steelers back in 2017, and he’s turned into a solid receiving threat in Pittsburgh. After finishing with a 50/610/4 receiving line in 2018, he followed that up with 38 receptions for 273 yards and three scores this past year.
McDonald joins a number of Steelers veterans who have reworked their deals to provide the organization with more cap space. That grouping includes quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who restructured his deal earlier today. With all of the Steelers moves (including cut players), they’ve opened up an estimated $35MM in cap space.
Let’s check out some more notes from the league’s northern divisions:
- Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic looks at the who the Ravens could turn to as they look to replace retired lineman Marshal Yanda. While the team is rostering several internal options, the writer dives into the potential options in the draft and free agency. Zrebiec notes that the organization has had some luck finding starting linemen on Day 2 of the draft, and he passes along that general manager Eric DeCosta “all but guaranteed” that the organization will draft at least a pair of linemen.
- The fourth-rounder that the Ravens sent the Falcons in the Hayden Hurst deal is their compensatory pick, tweets Jason La Canfora. Baltimore ended up receiving a second- and fifth-round pick in the deal. The Ravens drafted Hurst in the first-round in 2018, but he immediately took a backseat behind Mark Andrews, who Baltimore took in the third round of that same draft. With Austin Hooper leaving Atlanta, the Falcons had a major need at the position.
- The Bears had interest in lineman Alex Lewis before he re-signed with the Jets, reports Caplan (via Twitter). Chicago has been looking to shake up their offense a bit, as they’re in the market for a quarterback to battle with Mitch Trubisky. The organization has also added veteran tight end Jimmy Graham.
Giants Interested In LB Leonard Floyd
Linebacker Leonard Floyd was cut by the Bears earlier today, but he’s already got several suitors lining up. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweets that the Giants are among the teams that are in play for Floyd.
There were high hopes for Floyd when the Bears selected him in the first-round of the 2016 Draft. The Georgia product had a productive rookie campaign, compiling seven sacks.
While the linebacker put up solid numbers in the subsequent three years, his sack numbers have dropped each season. The 27-year-old finished the 2019 campaign with 40 tackles and three sacks.
Floyd was set to earn $13.2MM in what was his fifth-year option year. That would have been tough to juggle after the Bears inked pass-rusher Robert Quinn to a lucrative five-year deal.
The Giants have been active in adding linebackers this week. They signed a pair of former Packers linebackers in Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell.
Browns Exploring Trade For Vikings S Anthony Harris
The Browns are exploring a trade for Vikings safety Anthony Harris, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. It would take at least a third-rounder to get a deal done, “and probably a second.”
The 28-year-old was slapped with the franchise tag on Monday, but there were whispers that the Vikings were going to try to tag-and-trade the defensive back. Harris is set to make $11.44MM next season. As Cabot points out, the Browns have the ammo to get a deal done. The team currently owns one second-rounder (#41) and a pair of thirds (#74, #97).
Harris has a natural connection to Cleveland, as he played under Browns pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Jeff Howard in Minnesota. Browns head coach (and former Vikings offensive coordinator) Kevin Stefanski is also familiar with the long-time Vikings safety.
The former undrafted free agent has evolved into a starter in Minnesota, as he started a career-high 14 games in 2019. He finished the campaign with 60 tackles, 11 passes defended, and six interceptions.
Lions Agree To Terms With DL Nick Williams
Nick Williams is heading to a division rival. The former Bears defensive lineman is signing with the Lions, reports SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter).
The 2013 seventh-round pick has put together a seven-year career, including a recent two-year stint with Chicago. His 2019 season proved to be the best of his career, as he set career-highs in games (16), starts (five), tackles (42), and sacks (six). In total, the 30-year-old has appeared in 44 career regular season games with the Bears, Dolphins, and Chiefs.
The Lions defense is seeing a bit of a makeover. Yesterday, the team agreed to terms with former Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins.
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger Restructures Contract
The Steelers continue to rework contracts as they look to clear up some extra cap space. Now, their franchise quarterback is participating in the cap machinations. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that Ben Roethlisberger has restructured his contract.
The veteran inked a new three-year, $80MM deal with the Steelers back in April. The 38-year-old was limited to only two games in 2019 as he recovered from an injured elbow, but he set career-highs in passing yards (5,129) and touchdowns (34) in 2018. He also made four-straight Pro Bowls between 2014 and 2017.
Roethlisberger joins a growing list of Steelers who have restructured their contracts in recent days. As Dulac points out, that list includes the likes of tight end Vance McDonald, cornerbacks Joe Haden and Steven Nelson and kicker Chris Boswell. When also accounting for the team’s released players, the organization has already opened up around $35MM in cap space.
WR Amari Cooper To Re-Sign With Cowboys
Amari Cooper is about to get paid. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the star wideout intends to re-sign with the Cowboys on a five-year, $100MM deal. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the deal contains a whopping $60MM in guaranteed money.
While Cooper hasn’t necessarily established himself as one of the league’s top-tier receivers, it always seemed like he was heading towards a contract that would pay him $20MM per season. Wideouts of Cooper’s caliber or age rarely reach free agency, so it was clear that the Cowboys would have to come close to Julio Jones’ $22MM-per-year deal. Ultimately, Cooper’s $20MM average annual value will rank second at the position, bumping Michael Thomas‘ $19.25MM-AAV to the third spot.
A number of teams have been loosely connected to Cooper throughout the offseason, but Schefter tweets that one rival was pushing hard for the receiver’s services: the Washington Redskins. As Schefter notes, the Redskins pursued Cooper today and tried “to pry him away” from their divisional rival. The Broncos were also recently mentioned as a potential suitor.
Cooper earned his fourth career Pro Bowl nod following another productive season in 2019. In 16 games, the 25-year-old hauled in 79 catches for a career-high 1,189 receiving yards and a career-high eight receiving touchdowns. Cooper joined the Cowboys midway through the 2018 season following a trade with the Raiders.
Now, the Cowboys can focus on extending Dak Prescott to a new contract. Earlier today, we learned that the organization was placing the exclusive franchise tag on their Pro Bowl quarterback. At the same time, the organization watched as cornerback Byron Jones inked a lucrative deal with the Dolphins. Considering the cap constraints, it’s not surprising that ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the front office restructured the deals of both running back Ezekiel Elliott and offensive tackle La’el Collins earlier today.
Vikings Trade WR Stefon Diggs To Bills
We’ve got our second major wide receiver trade of the day. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reports (via Twitter) that the Vikings are trading star wideout Stefon Diggs to the Bills. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has full details on the swap (Twitter link):
- To Minnesota: 2020 1st-round pick, 2020 5th-round pick, 2020 6th-round pick, 2021 4th-round pick
- To Buffalo: Diggs, 2020 7th-round pick
A Diggs trade has felt inevitable for some time, as the wideout has bounced in and out of trade rumors. In fact, earlier today, the wideout hinted that “somethings going to happen” and “it’s time for a new beginning.” That led to whispers that the Seahawks and Vikings were discussing a trade. Well, after months of social media hints, it appears that the receiver finally got his wish.
During each of his five years in the NFL, Diggs has hauled in at least 50 receptions and at least 700 receiving yards. He finished the 2019 campaign with a career-high 1,130 receiving yards and six scores on 63 receptions. The 26-year-old still has four seasons remaining on his contract with a base value of $45.1MM (per ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter).
The Bills have been hunting for a big-name wide receiver to pair with quarterback Josh Allen for more than a year. Last offseason, it sounded like the team was set to acquire Antonio Brown, but the star ended up squashing that deal. Instead, the organization watched as John Brown reemerged into a 1,000-yard receiver, and Brown will team up with Diggs to form one of the top receiver duos in the league.
The Vikings will open up a chunk of cap space, which is (ironically) relevant after the team extended quarterback Kirk Cousins earlier today. The team will now move forward with Adam Thielen as their clear-cut, number-one wideout in 2020.
Earlier today, the Texans shocked the NFL when they sent star wideout DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals. In exchange, Houston received a package highlighted by running back David Johnson and a second-rounder.