Contract Details: Forte, Lewis, Rey
Here are a few of the latest contract details for players who have agreed to new deals and/or signed them in recent days. Unless otherwise specified, all links are courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle…
NFC:
- Cody Davis, S (Rams): Two years, $2.91MM. $805K guaranteed. Max value of $5.1MM after incentives and escalators (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
- Kendall Reyes, DL (Washington): One year, $2.5MM. $1MM signing bonus. $6,250 per-game active roster bonus. $850K in playing-time incentives (Twitter link).
- Joe Webb, QB (Panthers): Two years, $1.86MM. $200K bonus. $50K annual Pro Bowl incentive (Twitter link).
- Kai Forbath, K (Saints): One year, $840K. $80K signing bonus (Twitter link).
- Bryce Harris, OT (Falcons): One year, $820K. $60K bonus (Twitter link).
- Travis Lewis, LB (Vikings): One year, $810K. $50K bonus (Twitter link).
AFC:
- Donald Stephenson, OT (Broncos): Three years, $14MM. $10MM guaranteed. $3MM signing bonus. $3MM salary for 2016 fully guaranteed. $4MM salary for 2017 guaranteed for injury at signing. Otherwise, Stephenson’s 2017 salary is guaranteed if he’s on the Broncos’ roster on the fifth day of the league year (Twitter links).
- Matt Forte, RB (Jets): Three years, $12MM. $9MM guaranteed. $3MM signing bonus. $1M roster bonus due March 15. $1MM salary for 2016 and $4MM salary for 2017 guaranteed. $2MM stat escalator for 2017 and ’18 (Twitter link).
- Marcedes Lewis, TE (Jaguars): Three years, $12MM. $5MM guaranteed. Jags must exercise $3.5MM club option for 2018 before 22nd day of the league year (Twitter link).
- Vincent Rey, LB (Bengals): Three years, $10.5MM. $3MM guaranteed as a roster bonus on March 15. $500K roster bonus due on the fifth day of the 2017 league year. $500K playing-time escalator in 2017 and ’18. $12,500 per-game active roster bonus each year. (Twitter links).
Newton, Peterson, Others Get Salary Guarantees
Several NFL players have contracts containing language which states that they’ll get a full or partial salary guarantees for 2016 and/or 2017 if they remained on their respective teams on Friday, the third day of the league year. Let’s check in some of those players (link courtesy of CBS Sports’ Joel Corry):
- Cam Newton, quarterback (Panthers): $13MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed. Friday is also the deadline
for the Panthers to pick up Newton’s 2020 option for $10MM. - Eli Manning, quarterback (Giants): $17.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
- Jay Cutler, quarterback (Bears): $16MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
- Adrian Peterson, running back (Vikings): $7MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
- Julio Jones, wide receiver (Falcons): $11.5MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
- A.J. Green, wide receiver (Bengals): $6MM roster bonus is payable.
- Brandon Marshall, wide receiver (Jets): $9.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
- Mike Iupati, guard (Cardinals): $6.75MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed, as is $2MM of Iupati’s $8MM base salary for 2017.
- Rodney Hudson, center (Raiders): $7.35MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
- Gerald McCoy, defensive tackle (Buccaneers): $13.25MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
- Marcell Dareus, defensive tackle (Bills): $9.75MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
- Justin Houston, linebacker (Chiefs): $14.75MM of Houston’s $14.9MM base salary in 2016 is now fully guaranteed, as is $6.75MM of his $16.35MM base salary for 2017.
- DeAndre Levy, linebacker (Lions): $5.25MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
- Aqib Talib, cornerback (Broncos): $8.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eric Weddle Weighing Four Teams’ Offers
Free agent safety Eric Weddle is weighing offers from four teams and will respond Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Weddle’s evaluation of each team’s roster, city and schools will factor into his decision, per Rapoport, who adds (on Twitter) that he’ll whittle the four clubs down to two and move forward with negotiations.
Three of the teams chasing Weddle are the Ravens, Cowboys and Steelers, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The other could be the Raiders, who were reportedly “zeroing in on” the 31-year-old as of Thursday.
Weddle has thus far spent his entire career with the Chargers, who selected him in the second round of the 2007 draft. The 
ex-Utah standout appeared in 137 of a possible 144 regular-season games in San Diego, making 122 starts, piling up three Pro Bowl nods, five All-Pro bids, and 19 interceptions.
Despite Weddle’s success in San Diego, his tenure there ended negatively last season, with the team reportedly informing Weddle that it was fining him $10K for remaining on the field during halftime of a game to watch his daughter perform in a dance ceremony. Weddle and agent David Canter didn’t go public about the fine at first, but the latter opened up after the Chargers placed the safety on IR in Week 17, a move that was made against his wishes. Further, the Bolts notified Weddle that there would be no room for him to travel on the team plane to the regular-season finale in Denver, according to Canter.
Drama aside, Weddle had a productive swan song in San Diego – amassing 76 tackles and six passes defended in 13 games – and he said in February that his motivation was to join a contending team.
“In the next three or four years, are they going to be competitive, are they going to be division winners, are we going to have a chance at the Super Bowl?” Weddle asked hypothetically.
Of the clubs linked to Weddle, the Steelers are the only one coming off a postseason trip and are seemingly the closest to Super Bowl contention. The Cowboys and Ravens are just a season removed from their last playoff appearances, though, and both had terrible luck with injuries during the 2015-16 campaign. The Raiders are stuck in a 13-year playoff drought after going 7-9 last season, but they have an enviable core of young talent and have already added three big-ticket free agents this week in offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele, linebacker Bruce Irvin and cornerback Sean Smith.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
FA Rumors: Foster, Fitz, Thurmond, Larsen, Fins
Running back Arian Foster isn’t in a hurry to sign anywhere, writes Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who adds that the four-time Pro Bowler might not join a new club (potentially the Broncos) until after the draft. Foster spent the first seven years of his career in Houston, which cut the soon-to-be 30-year-old earlier this month after a torn Achilles cost him most of last season. Foster should be fully healthy by the summer, per Florio.
Here’s more on players who are presently without contracts:
- Six-year veteran Walter Thurmond was terrific for the Eagles last season, his first as a safety after shifting from cornerback, but he isn’t generating much interest as a free agent. One possible reason: “Several people around the Eagles” think he might retire, per Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. Thurmond, 28, has dealt with injuries and has off-field business interests, one of which is filmmaking, Bowen adds (Twitter links). If Thurmond continues his football career, odds are it won’t be in Philly, which signed safety Rodney McLeod to a sizable deal earlier this week.
- The Jets hold all the cards in their negotiations with Ryan Fitzpatrick, offers the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta, who opines that it’s time for the quarterback to admit defeat and re-sign with the only team willing to hand him a starting job. The Jets want Fitzpatrick back, but they’re not going to give the 33-year-old the $16MM to $18MM annual value that he wants, according to Mehta, and could instead turn to other options. Earlier today, Gang Green met with Robert Griffin III.
- After meeting with the 49ers on Thursday and the Seahawks today, guard Ted Larsen is “weighing options,” a source tells Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Both teams were familiar with Larsen before visiting with him – the 28-year-old has spent the last two seasons with NFC West rival Arizona. Larsen started in all 26 of his appearances with the Cards.
- Linebacker Sean Spence is visiting the Dolphins tonight, PFT reports (on Twitter). The 2013 third-round pick spent the first three years of his career in Pittsburgh, with which he amassed 90 tackles and two sacks in 31 regular-season appearances (13 starts).
Chiefs Re-Sign Derrick Johnson
THURSDAY, 5:15pm: Johnson’s third contract with the Chiefs is official, according to the team’s website.
WEDNESDAY, 6:37pm: A day after locking up longtime defensive stalwart Tamba Hali, the Chiefs will bring back another franchise icon. The club will re-sign middle linebacker Derrick Johnson to a three-year, $21MM deal, he told ESPN’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link). 
“Just agreed to it,” Johnson said (Twitter link via Anderson).
Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star reported earlier that a deal was imminent (on Twitter).
A Chief since they drafted him 15th overall in 2005, Johnson had a magnificent bounce-back year last season after missing nearly all of 2014 with a torn Achilles. The ex-Texas Longhorn started 16 games for the sixth time in his career and totaled 116 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles, and ranked eighth out of 97 qualifying linebackers at Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The 33-year-old also made his fourth Pro Bowl.
Entering free agency, PFR’s Luke Adams ranked Johnson as the 46th-best player available and No. 4 inside linebacker, behind Danny Trevathan, Jerrell Freeman, and Rolando McClain. Trevathan and McClain have since signed with the Bears and Cowboys, respectively.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Texans Sign Jeff Allen
THURSDAY, 3:17pm: The Texans officially announced that they have signed Allen (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 2:44pm: Shortly after agreeing to deals with quarterback Brock Osweiler and running back Lamar Miller, the Texans are set to add yet another big-time offensive piece. The team is expected to sign guard Jeff Allen, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com 
(Twitter link).
The deal is done, per FOX Sports’ Mike Garafolo (on Twitter), and Allen will receive $28MM over four years. He’ll get exactly half of that ($14MM) next season.
Allen, whom the Bears and Eagles were reportedly pursuing as of earlier this afternoon, will take the place of the departed Brandon Brooks – who’s signing with Philly — in Houston. The 26-year-old spent the first four seasons of his career in Kansas City after it selected him in the second round of the 2012 draft.
All told, he appeared in 44 regular-season games and totaled 36 starts.
Last season, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Allen as the 10th-best guard in the NFL, giving him a strong 88.8 grade for run blocking and a solid 77.4 grade as a pass blocker.
PFR’s Luke Adams ranks Allen as the 27th-best free agent in this year’s class.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Seahawks Re-Sign Jeremy Lane To Four-Year Deal
THURSDAY, 10:07am: It’s a four-year deal worth $23MM with $11MM guaranteed, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
WEDNESDAY, 10:07pm: The Seahawks have officially announced the signing, tweets Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times.
7:46pm: The Seahawks and cornerback Jeremy Lane have agreed to a four-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Financial details of the contract are currently unavailable.
Lane, 25, joined the Seahawks as a sixth-round pick in 2012. He hasn’t garnered a ton of playing time since then, however, missing 23 of 
a possible 64 regular-season games and totaling only six starts.
Lane sat out the Seahawks’ first 10 games last season after breaking his arm and tearing his ACL in February 2015 on an interception in the club’s Super Bowl XLIX loss to the Patriots. The 6-foot, 184-pounder also missed nine games in 2014. Still, he recorded the first two regular-season INTs of his career during the 2015-16 campaign and ranked 51st out of 111 qualifying corners at Pro Football Focus, and he’s a good bet to start full-time opposite Richard Sherman going forward.
Lane is the second key defensive cog to re-sign with the Seahawks this week, joining tackle Ahtyba Rubin. However, fellow defenders Bruce Irvin (linebacker) and Brandon Mebane (DT) joined the Raiders and Chargers, respectively.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chiefs Sign Jaye Howard To Two-Year Deal
THURSDAY, 9:53am: The Chiefs have officially confirmed their deal with Howard, via a press release. The breakdown of the two-year contract can be found right here.
WEDNESDAY, 7:23pm: The Chiefs will re-sign nose tackle Jaye Howard to a two-year deal worth up to $12MM, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link). The contract will include $8.3MM in guarantees, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Howard was reportedly seeking $8MM to $9MM per year on his next accord, but it appears he’ll fall 
well short of either mark. Howard is the third integral defensive piece the Chiefs have agreed to retain over the last two days, joining linebackers Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson.
The 27-year-old Howard set career highs in starts (14), tackles (57), quarterback hurries (18) and sacks (5.5) during the 2015-16 season. He also played the second-most snaps among Chiefs defensive linemen (752). For his work during those 752 snaps, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Howard a solid 24th out of 123 qualifying interior D-linemen.
Howard, whom the Seahawks selected in the fourth round of the 2012 draft, joined the Chiefs in 2013 and began garnering significant playing time the next season. The 301-pounder has since accumulated 32 straight regular-season appearances and logged 24 starts.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Falcons Sign Adrian Clayborn To Two-Year Deal
THURSDAY, 8:43am: The Falcons have officially announced their deal with Clayborn.
WEDNESDAY, 8:54am: The Falcons and defensive end Adrian Clayborn have agreed to a two-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport adds (on Twitter) that Clayborn will get a $9MM base with a chance to max out at $14MM. Clayborn is the second defensive end signing the Falcons have made today, joining Derrick Shelby.
Clayborn, whom the Falcons inked to a $4.5MM deal last winter, started in five of 16 appearances for the club during the 2015-16 campaign and logged 15 tackles and three sacks. The 27-year-old was also third among the Falcons’ defensive linemen in snaps (523) and earned a decent ranking (53rd out of 110 qualifying edge defenders) at Pro Football Focus (sub. required). Clayborn’s most productive years came in 2011 (42 tackles, 7.5 sacks) and 2013 (64 tackles, 5.5 sacks), both of which were spent in Tampa. He was the Bucs’ first-round pick in 2011.
Free Agency Rumors: Dolphins, Penn, Bushrod
Before he agreed to terms with Philadelphia, new Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham also received interest from the Browns, Buccaneers and Jaguars, as he tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Bradham further stated that his former team, the Bills, backed out of contract talks.
Meanwhile, in addition to having lost out on Bradham, the Browns swung and missed on receiver Rishard Matthews, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Caplan reports that Cleveland was one of several teams in play for Matthews, who agreed to sign with Tennessee on a three-year deal.
After a busy day around the NFL, we still have a few more rumors related to free agents who signed today, and free agents who are still on the market. Let’s dive in…
- The Dolphins aren’t looking to invest much money in a backup quarterback, Marvez tweets. Matt Moore is paying a visit to the Cowboys this week, and it seems Moore may not be back in Miami for the 2016 season.
- The Giants have shown interest in free agent left tackle Donald Penn, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter link). The reliable Penn has started 16 games in eight straight seasons, including the last two in Oakland.
- Offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod, whom the Bears cut last month, is garnering “ample interest” in spite of recent shoulder surgery, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). He’s planning to visit the Dolphins and Vikings, La Canfora adds.
- Prior to re-signing with the Bengals, cornerback Adam Jones drew the Vikings’ attention, he told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. On Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, Jones said, “I love Zim. He really treated me well through this, but this is the place where I know.”
- At least four teams – including the Bears – have expressed interest in return man Marc Mariani, per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports that the 49ers and Raiders are also among those clubs in the mix for Mariani, who played the last two seasons in Chicago.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.