Latest On Cardinals, QB Kirk Cousins
Despite reports that only the Vikings and Jets are strongly pursuing Kirk Cousins, the Cardinals have “serious” interest in the free agent quarterback, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Arizona has been considered one of the “final four” suitors for Cousins, alongside Minnesota, New York, and Denver. Interestingly, Cousins’ sister lives in the Phoenix area, and a desire to be near family could potentially factor into Cousins’ decision, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
At least two teams have reportedly offered Cousins a three-year, fully guaranteed contract, but it’s unclear if the Cardinals are one of those clubs. Arizona lags behind the Jets, Vikings, and Broncos with just $19MM in current cap space, so general manager Steve Keim would need to get creative in order to land Cousins, who is expected to command at least $30MM annually.
The Cardinals don’t currently have a quarterback on their roster: Carson Palmer announced his retirement earlier this offseason, while Drew Stanton, Blaine Gabbert, and Matt Barkley are each unrestricted free agents.
Patriots To Re-Sign S Brandon King
The Patriots have re-signed defensive back and core special-teamer Brandon King to a two-year that will keep him in New England through 2019, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). King had been scheduled to become a restricted free agent, but the Patriots opted to give him a new deal rather than tendering him an RFA offer.
King’s new pact is worth $2.6MM in total, reports Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter link), who adds King will collect a $400K signing bonus, which appears to be the only guaranteed portion of the agreement. Additionally, King will earn base salaries of $775K and $925K in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and can take home a maximum of $250K in per-game roster bonuses in each of the next two seasons.
King, 24, originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn in 2015. Since that time, he’s played primarily on special teams, and has never started a game. In 2017, King didn’t see any action on the defensive side of the ball, but he play the fourth-most special teams snaps (235) of any Patriot.
Extra Points: Chiefs, Lions, Eagles, Raiders
Before Alec Ogletree was traded to the Giants earlier today, the Rams also offered the veteran linebacker to the Chiefs, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Los Angeles recently completed a Marcus Peters-centered trade with Kansas City, but it’s clear if Ogletree was part of those talks, or discussed in a separate deal. The Chiefs have already announced that team icon Derrick Johnson will not be re-signed, but Kansas City could still use another inside linebacker to play opposite Reggie Ragland in its 3-4 scheme. However, the Chiefs are one of the more-cap strapped teams in the NFL, so it’s unlikely they could have taken on Ogletree’s $10MM guarantee in 2018.
- While the Lions now have until mid-July to work out an extension with recently franchise-tagged defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, a long-term could be a risky proposition for Detroit, argues Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. Ansah will already be 29 years old when the 2018 campaign gets underway, and he’s dealt with nagging injuries and inconsistent play over the course of his five-year career. Additionally, Ansah will now earn $17.143MM in 2018, meaning he’s likely looking for a guarantee of $38MM (the value of two consecutive franchise tags). As Rothstein writes, Lions general manager Bob Quinn has shown a willingness to pay up for stars in the past, but it’s unclear if Detroit is willing to go all-in for Ansah.
- In addition to confirming Mike Groh‘s previously-reported promotion to offensive coordinator, the Eagles have announced a series of staff moves. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland had had “run game coordinator” added to his title, Carson Walch was promoted to assistant wide receivers coach, and Trent Miles was promoted to offensive quality control/running backs.
- The Lions have hired former NFL defensive back Steve Gregory as a defensive assistant, the club announced today. Gregory played under Detroit head coach Matt Patricia when both were in New England, and had spent the past several seasons as a special teams quality control coach at Syracuse, his alma mater. Per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link), Gregory has long wanted to coach in the NFL, and many of his former teammates were high on his future coaching potential.
- Long snapper Jon Condo will not be re-signed by the Raiders, as Condo himself announced on his Twitter account. This was the expected result after Oakland inked two long snappers to futures deals this winter, tweets Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. A two-time Pro Bowler, Condo had spent all but one season of his dozen-year career in Oakland.
AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Landry, Bills, Pats
Although Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry hasn’t formally signed his franchise tag, he has “accepted” the tender, which is an equal action in the eyes of the NFL, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Not only does that mean Miami cannot now rescind the tag, but Landry can be traded if the Dolphins find an acceptable deal. Landry, meanwhile, is sticking to his asking price of $14MM annually, but at least one of the clubs with interest in Landry believe he’s a $10MM/year player, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Thus far, both the Bears and Ravens, two of the more receiver-needy teams in the league, have reportedly been linked to a Landry trade.
Here’s more from the the AFC East:
- Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday, Bills free agent wide receiver Jordan Matthews said he expects Buffalo to gauge the wideout market before discussing a new deal with him, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Perhaps more interesting, Matthews claimed he received “bad diagnoses” on knee and ankle injuries he suffered as a member of the Eagles, but corrections were made following his trade to the Bills. Buffalo acquired Matthews from Philadelphia last August in exchange for cornerback Ronald Darby and a third-round pick, and Matthews went on to produce a disappointing 25 receptions in 10 games. The 25-year-old is currently PFR’s No. 7-ranked free agent pass-catcher.
- The Dolphins are interested in Panthers free agent tight end Ed Dickson, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Dickson, 30, didn’t play a large receiving role during his first three years with Carolina, but an injury to starting tight end Greg Olsen allowed Dickson to play on 80% of Carolina’s offensive plays last season. While he wasn’t a world-beater, Dickson did manage 437 yards and a touchdown, solid numbers considering he’d managed just 370 receiving yards from 2014-16. Miami, who is expected to release tight end Julius Thomas, is the second team to be linked to Dickson, joining the Falcons.
- Patriots free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler is one of the more intriguing players scheduled to hit the open market next week, leading Mike Reiss of ESPN.com to examine Butler’s earning potential. As Reiss writes, it’s not often a 28-year-old, full-time starter (with the exception of the Super Bowl, of course) reaches free agency, so Butler should be able to come close to $10MM annually on the open market. Butler, an up-and-down player throughout his career, ranked as the No. 51 CB among 121 qualifiers a season ago, per Pro Football Focus, while PFR recently listed Butler as the second-best available cornerback behind Trumaine Johnson.
Cowboys Interested In CB Trumaine Johnson
The Cowboys are among the clubs with interest in free agent cornerback Trumaine Johnson, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com.
Johnson is the premier cornerback scheduled to hit the open market next week, and he’s arguably the best defensive free agent on the board overall. Therefore, it should come as no surprise if the 28-year-old is able to land $12-13MM annually on his next contract, and that figure could a be problem for Dallas. The Cowboys currently project to have just $697K in cap space when free agency opens on March 14, and while they could increase that total by cutting veterans such as wide receiver Dez Bryant, cornerback Orlando Scandrick, and tight end James Hanna, or by working out an extension for guard Zack Martin, Johnson would likely be a tight squeeze.
Dallas fielded a middle-of-the-pack defense in 2017, as the club ranked eighth in yards per attempt allowed, 21st in passing DVOA, and 28th in passer rating allowed. After allowing Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr to walk during last year’s free agent period, and subsequently releasing their own signee in Nolan Carroll, the Cowboys allowed youth to take over in their secondary. Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Xavier Woods, and Chidobe Awuzie are each age-24 or younger and played at least 300 defensive snaps a year ago.
Johnson would give the Cowboys a true No. 1 corner, but not only will he be expensive, he’ll garner interest from a number of clubs. The Rams don’t figure to re-sign Johnson after acquiring fellow cornerback Marcus Peters from the Chiefs last month, but the Raiders and 49ers have already been mentioned as possible free agent suitors.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/7/18
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: CB Teddy Williams
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: DL Ufomba Kamalu (ERFA)
New England Patriots
- Waived: WR Bernard Reedy
Philadelphia Eagles
- T Taylor Hart (two-year deal)
Bengals Want To Re-Sign DE Chris Smith
Although the Bengals hope to re-sign him, free agent defensive end Chris Smith is expected to garner “a lot” of interest on the open market, according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).
Cincinnati picked up Smith from the Jaguars last April in exchange for a seventh-round pick, and the now-26-year-old flashed during the preseason by generating two sacks. Once the regular season hit, though, Smith only played on roughly a third of the Bengals’ defensive snaps, racking up three sacks and grading as the league’s No. 81 edge defender among 106 qualifiers during that time, per Pro Football Focus.
While the Bengals would apparently be open to a new deal with Smith, they also have a glut of defensive ends on their roster. Veterans Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson will return as starters, while 2017 rookies Jordan Willis and Carl Lawson — the latter of whom was outstanding as an edge rusher during his rookie campaign — will be in reserve.
If Smith does reach free agency, he’ll join a lackluster group of edge defenders that includes Julius Peppers, William Hayes, Trent Murphy, and Pernell McPhee. PFR didn’t rank Smith among the top-15 pass rushers on the open market, but he would fall into the 16-20 range if our list were extended.
Titans, OL Josh Kline Discussing New Deal
The Titans have opened contract discussions with pending free agent guard Josh Kline, according to Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com.
Tennessee claimed Kline off waivers prior to the 2016 campaign, and he proceeded to start 30 games for the club over the next two seasons. Kline, who spent the first three years of his career in New England, graded as the NFL’s No. 22 guard among 77 qualifiers in 2017, per Pro Football Focus.
As a unit, the Titans’ offensive line took a step backward last year, as they slipped from fifth to 23rd in adjusted line yards. Kline could be in danger of leaving via free agency, while fellow starting guard Quinton Spain is a restricted free agent. Tennessee has until the start of the new league year — Wednesday, March 14 — to offer an RFA tender to Spain.
If Kline does reach the open market, he’ll join a free agent guard class that also includes Andrew Norwell, Josh Sitton, Jack Mewhort, Matt Slauson, Zach Fulton, and Senio Kelemete, among others. PFR’s Zach Links recently ranked Kline as the fourth-best option among free agent interior lineman, behind Norwell, Sitton, and Mewhort.
Jerry Jones Reimburses NFL For $2MM+
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has agreed to reimburse the NFL for more than $2MM in legal fees, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The league’s owners said expenses incurred as a result of Jones’ threat to sue the NFL.
“After a hearing with the Commissioner and the Finance Committee, the matter of the reimbursement of legal fees has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties,” the league said in a statement.
Jones, of course, expressed his unhappiness with the league over commissioner Roger Goodell‘s now-completed contract extension, as well as the NFL’s decision to suspend Cowboys running Ezekiel Elliott for six games following domestic violence accusations. While Jones never actually sued the league, he’s still required to pay for not only his own legal expenses, but those of the NFL, as well. The league’s competition committee warned Jones of such an outcome in a November letter.
Goodell himself met with Jones in Florida on Monday night, reports David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, allowing the Cowboys owner to make his case as to why he shouldn’t be forced to reimburse the league.
Latest On Richard Sherman, Seahawks
The Seahawks are likely to explore a trade of cornerback Richard Sherman after meeting with him earlier today, but it sounds as through other options on the table, as well, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Seattle is also open to releasing Sherman or retaining him at a salary lower than his scheduled $11MM.
Furthermore, the Seahawks could opt to cut Sherman and then re-sign him at a cheaper rate, adds Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). That would allow Sherman to gauge his market before potentially accepting a reduced salary to return to the only team he’s ever known. As Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap opines (via Twitter), it may not make much sense for Sherman to take a pay cut, as he could likely match his $11MM salary on the open market.
As recently as last week, Rapoport indicated Sherman wouldn’t be able to be traded any time soon given that he currently can’t pass a physical, and it’s unclear if Sherman’s health status has changed in that brief time. But the Seahawks have been down this road before, as they dangled Sherman in 2017. Seattle ultimately dropped its asking price for Sherman to a first-round and a mid-round selection, but no deal was ever made
Sherman, who will turn 30 years old later this month, appeared in nine games last season before going down with a torn Achilles. Prior to that injury, however, Sherman was still playing like a top-end cornerback, and graded as the league’s No. 33 CB among 121 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. Additionally, he ranked 16th in Football Outsiders‘ yards per pass allowed and 17th in success rate.