NFC Contract Details: Fairley, Peppers, Reiff
Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed NFC contracts:
- Nick Fairley, DL (Saints): Four years, $28MM. $14MM guaranteed. $8MM signing bonus. Base salaries of $1MM, $4.25MM, $5.95MM, $5.95MM (Twitter link via Wilson). $500K available yearly in sack incentives (link via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com).
- Captain Munnerlyn, CB (Panthers): Four years, $17MM. $8MM guaranteed. $6MM signing bonus. $1MM available via incentives (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune).
- Julius Peppers, DL (Panthers): One year, $3.5MM. $750K available via incentives (Twitter link via Josina Anderson of ESPN.com).
- Riley Reiff, T (Vikings): Five years, $58.75MM. $26.3MM guaranteed. $11MM signing bonus (Twitter links via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com). Annual $500K Pro Bowl escalator clause (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Mike Remmers, T (Vikings): Five years, $30MM. $10.5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune).
- Dion Sims, TE (Bears): Three years, $18MM. $6MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com).
- Stefen Wisniewski, OL (Eagles): Three years, $9MM. $3.25MM guaranteed. $1.75MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer)
Dontari Poe Market Heating Up
Although he hasn’t yet found a new home, free agent defensive tackle Dontari Poe is in “high demand,” tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Poe will meet with the Colts on Sunday, while the Jaguars, Raiders, Dolphins, and Falcons also want to set up visits.
The 49ers and Redskins have also been linked to Poe, who recent reports indicate may have to accept a one-year contract. That might change, however, if the massive defensive tackle can generate enough of a market for himself. Poe, who is now on the open market after the Chiefs opted not to franchise him, ranks as PFR’s No. 17 free agent.
Poe served as a lane clogger in Kansas City but was a dynamo in terms of snaps played, logging more than any nose man during his rookie-deal tenure in Kansas City. But his sack totals decreased, plummeting from 10.5 between the 2013 and ’14 seasons (both Pro Bowl slates) to 2.5 combined in 2015 and ’16.
Packers Sign Martellus Bennett
Just after learning they wouldn’t re-sign Jared Cook, the Packers have added a new tight end, as Green Bay announced that it has signed Martellus Bennett. It’s a three-year, $21MM deal, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com
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Bennett, who turns 30 years old today, will earn quite the birthday present as he heads to the Packers in order to catch passes from Aaron Rodgers. Of course, Bennett didn’t have it too bad in New England with Tom Brady, but once the Patriots acquired fellow tight end Dwayne Allen from the Colts, Bennett appeared as good as gone. Bennett reportedly rejected an in-season extension from New England, and was looking for $9MM annually on the open market.
With Cook out of the picture, Bennett becomes the primary tight end in a Green Bay offense that ranked fourth in DVOA last season. While Cook posted a solid bounceback season in 2016, there’s little question Bennett is the superior player: Bennett ranked as PFR’s No. 20 overall free agent and the No. 1 tight end on the market, ahead of Cook, Jack Doyle, and Vernon Davis.
The Patriots acquired Bennett and a sixth-round pick from the Bears in exchange for a fourth-round pick, and the acquisition paid immediate dividends. Appearing in all 16 games, Bennett managed 55 receptions for 701 yards and seven touchdowns, and helped New England overcome the loss of fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Bennett created a healthy market during the legal tampering and the first two days of free agency. The Raiders reportedly showed “heavy interest” in his services, while Giants, Jaguars, and Raiders were also eyeing Bennett. Instead, he’ll slot in alongside Richard Rodgers in the Packers’ tight end group.
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com was the first to report the deal (Twitter link), while Tom Pelissero of USA Today noted that it’s a multi-year contract (Twitter link). Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Colts, Darius Butler At Impasse
Free agent defensive back Darius Butler hasn’t been able to reach a contract to stay with the Colts, and will now begin taking visits with other clubs, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
Butler, a former second-round pick, had played cornerback for most of his career before transitioning to safety in the middle of last season. He wants to continue playing deep, as he told Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star last week, and that’s presumably how Butler is marketing himself to potential suitors. Pro Football Focus still graded Butler among corners in 2016, and the 30-year-old finished as the league’s No. 20 CB.
Butler, who appeared in 12 games (seven starts) for Indianapolis, ranks as PFR’s No. 48 overall free agent. Among safeties, we placed him fourth thanks to his coverage ability.
Mutual Interest Between Nick Foles, Bucs
The Buccaneers are eyeing Nick Foles, reports Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who adds the interest is mutual. Tampa Bay is in the market for a new backup quarterback after Mike Glennon signed with the Bears on Thursday.
Foles, 28, appeared in three games for the Chiefs in 2016 (one start), completing 36 of 55 attempts for 410 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. While his single start was an impressive showing, Foles lacks a history of solid play. After tossing 27 touchdowns with the Eagles in 2013, Foles’ next two campaigns were middling, and he wasn’t able to keep his starting job with the Rams.
Kansas City officially declined its 2017 option on Foles yesterday, and he’s already been linked to the Vikings since that time.
Cowboys To Sign Nolan Carroll
The Cowboys are having a busy hour, as they’ve agreed to a contract with cornerback Nolan Carroll, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It’s a three-year, $10MM deal that includes $4MM in 2017, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).
After a quiet first day of free agency, Dallas has now signed Carroll, wide receiver Terrance Williams, and defensive lineman Stephen Paea in the last thirty minutes or so. The addition of Carroll could be a sign the Cowboys are bracing to lose either Morris Claiborne, who is reportedly garnering interest from the Ravens, or Brandon Carr, who is also an unrestricted free agent.
Carroll, 30, spent the past three seasons with the Eagles, and was discussing an extension with Philadelphia as of last December. The seven-year veteran started all 16 games for the Birds last season (the first time he’s done so in his career), and managed one interception, 10 passes defensed, and a forced fumble. Pro Football Focus wasn’t very fond of Carroll’s play, however, grading him as the NFL’s No. 92 cornerback among 112 qualifiers.
Carroll will join a Cowboys secondary that ranked 18th in DVOA last season and is currently comprised of Orlando Scandrick, Anthony Brown, and Leon McFadden.
Contract Details: Garcon, Baker, Klein, Jones
Let’s take a look at some details of the free agent contracts signed today:
- Chris Baker, DL (Buccaneers): Three years, $15.75MM. $9MM guaranteed. $1MM in sack incentives each season (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post).
- Jack Crawford, DL (Falcons): Three years, $10.3MM. $3.75MM in 2017 (Twitter link via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com).
- Pierre Garcon, WR (49ers): Two years, $23MM. $17MM guaranteed. Options for 2019 ($6MM), 2020 ($8.9MM), and 2021 ($9.6MM) (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Landry Jones, QB (Steelers): Two years, $4.4MM. $600K signing bonus (Twitter link via Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com).
- A.J. Klein, LB (Saints): Four years, $24MM. $4MM signing bonus. $9.4MM guaranteed. 2020 season will void Klein is on Saints roster on last day of 2019 league year (via Nick Underhill of the Advocate).
- Jeff Locke, P (Colts): Two years, $3.45MM. $1.25MM guaranteed (Twitter links via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com and Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star).
- Ryan Mallett, QB (Ravens): One year, $2MM. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Akeem Spence, DL (Lions): Three years, $9MM. $3.5MM guaranteed. $1MM available via escalators (Twitter link via Peliserro).
- D.J. Swearinger, S (Redskins): Three years, $13.5MM. $9MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Kinkhabwala).
Extra Points: Raiders, Holmes, Whitworth
The latest from around the NFL:
- The Raiders are still in the mix for wide receiver Andre Holmes, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets. At least five other teams have shown interest in signing him this week.
- Left tackle Andrew Whitworth left the Bengals for the Rams because of his desire for long-term security, agent Pat Dye tells Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. Whitworth’s deal with L.A. is a three-year, $36MM pact with $15MM guaranteed. The Bengals refused to go past one-year at $10MM.
- Jairus Byrd will be designated a June 1 cut, Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets. The Saints informed Byrd of his release earlier this week.
- The Bengals are not interested in offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, Jim Owczarski of The Enquirer tweets.
- Kevin Zeitler says his best contract offers came from the Saints and Browns, Alex Marvez of SiriusXM tweets. His agent recommended Cleveland based on the money offered and that’s the direction he ultimately went in.
Bucs To Meet With J.J. Wilcox
The Buccaneers have scheduled a visit with free agent safety J.J. Wilcox, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
Wilcox appeared in 13 games last year as the Cowboys’ third safety behind Church and Byron Jones, but given that Dallas is reportedly bracing to lose many of its internal free agents, Wilcox appeared to be a goner. But with Church out of the picture, the Cowboys may push harder to re-sign Wilcox, as the club might not be comfortable starting special-teamer Jeff Heath in the back end.
Safety is a definite need area for the Buccaneers. Chris Conte has been re-signed, but Bradley McDougald is a pending free agent. Keith Tandy figures to take at least one of Tampa Bay’s starting safety jobs after playing well down the stretch in 2016, but the club could use another defensive back. Wilcox ranks 12th on PFR’s list of free agent safeties.
Conte’s deal, meanwhile, is a two-year, $5MM pact with $2.5MM guaranteed, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The max value is $7MM.
Cardinals To Sign Karlos Dansby
The Cardinals have agreed to sign linebacker Karlos Dansby for a third stint with the team, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. It’s a one-year deal for the veteran, according to Darren Urban of the Cardinals website (via Twitter).
Dansby entered the NFL in 2004 as a second-round pick of the Cardinals, with whom he played through 2009 before a three-year stay in Miami. The ex-Auburn star then returned to the Cardinals in 2013, but his second tenure with the club only lasted one season. He has since suited up with Cleveland and Cincinnati.
Despite his age (35), Dansby has remained productive. In 2016, his 13th season, he totaled 16 appearances for the seventh time, though he turned in a career-low seven starts. Dansby nonetheless surpassed the 100-tackle mark for the seventh time and ranked a middle-of-the-road 46th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 87 qualified linebackers.
Dansby is the second over-30 defender who has agreed to sign with the Cardinals on free agency’s first day, joining safety Antoine Bethea. The two will try to bolster a ‘D’ that has suffered notable losses in lineman Calais Campbell (Jaguars) and safety Tony Jefferson (Ravens) since the league year began.