Steelers Re-Sign Ramon Foster
8:49pm: Foster’s three-year deal is worth a modest $9.6MM, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com, who tweets that the guarantee is only $2.75MM.
WEDNESDAY, 7:33am: Foster has signed a new three-year contract to remain with the Steelers, tweets Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
TUESDAY, 8:33pm: Foster will in fact be re-signing with the Steelers, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link).
7:27pm: The Steelers are finalizing a new contract with guard Ramon Foster, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Foster was set to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday.
[RELATED: PFR previews the Steelers’ offseason]
Foster has been a mainstay along Pittsburgh’s offensive line during the past five years, averaging 15 starts per season during that time. The 30-year-old Foster is not only durable, but productive, as he graded as the league’s No. 16 guard last season, per Pro Football Focus. Per La Canfora, retaining Foster was a “priority” for the Steelers, who have been quietly negotiating a new contract.
Foster isn’t the only key free agent along the Steelers’ front five, as left tackle Kelvin Beachum is also set to hit the open market tomorrow. Beachum, who is recovering from an ACL tear, could still find a long list of suitors despite having recently suffered a serious injury.
Pittsburgh isn’t usually active in free agency, but if Foster is in fact retained, he’ll mark the fourth Steeler to re-sign in the past two days. He’d join safeties William Gay (link) and Robert Golden (link), and receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (link).
For his part, Foster was listed among the honorable mentions in PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents list.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/16
Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to exclusive-rights free agents. We’ll round up those decisions here:
Tendered
- Buccaneers – Jeremiah George, LB; Jacquies Smith, DE (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
- Chargers – Dontrelle Inman, WR; Kenny Wiggins, OL (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune)
- Raiders – Denico Autry, DL; Seth Roberts, WR (Twitter link via Seth Bair of CSNBayArea.com)
Non-Tendered
- Bills – Cierre Wood, RB (Twitter links via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com)
- Patriots – Josh Boyce, WR (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
- Saints – Austin Brown, DT; Ryan Seymour, OL; Lawrence Virgil, DT (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of NOLa.com.
Jets Release Jeremy Kerley
7:18pm: Kerley’s release is official, as Randy Lange of the Jets’ website writes.
3:07pm: The Jets are releasing Jeremy Kerley, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Kerley will become an unrestricted free agent and will be free to sign with any team.
New York has already made a few other significant moves today at it looks to reshape its offense — the club has agreed to sign running back Matt Forte, and has also released tight end Jeff Cumberland. Of course, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, perhaps the most significant piece of the the Jets’ offensive unit, is a free agent, as the team did not come to an agreement to re-sign him before free agency began.
Kerley, 27, agreed to an extension about 18 months ago, but it was the previous Jets front office that negotiated that deal. Cutting Kerley will save New York $1.3MM on the salary cap, but they’ll also incur $1.8MM in dead money. Largely written out of the offense in 2015, Kerley posted the worst statistics of his career, hauling in only 16 passes for 152 yards.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Free Agent Rumors: Vikings, Weddle, Steelers
The Vikings are negotiating to bring back tight end Rhett Ellison, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). If Ellison can’t be retained, however, one option to replace him might be free agent James Hanna, formerly of the Cowboys, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
Here’s a look at some of the latest news and rumors on this crazy day of action:
- Terence Newman is also a Vikings free agent, and the club will talk to his agent once again later tonight or tomorrow, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Wolfson also says that Minnesota did not show interest in guard Jeff Allen, as Alex Boone was their target all along.
- The Steelers like veteran safety Eric Weddle, a source tells Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (Twitter link), but the club thinks he’s too expensive at the moment. Pittsburgh is hoping Weddle’s price falls.
- Free agent offensive lineman Ted Larsen will take a visit with the 49ers, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
- The Bears are not done looking for free agent offensive lineman, even after agreeing to a deal with Bobby Massie, reports Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link).
- Texans restricted free agent corner A.J. Bouye is drawing interest from other clubs, but no offer sheet is yet on the table, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Bouye was tendered at the lowest level, so Houston won’t get any compensation if it fails to match an offer.
Lions Re-Sign Haloti Ngata
5:50pm: Ngata’s new two-year deal with the Lions is worth $12MM, with $6MM in fully guaranteed money, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. The veteran defender gets a $6.25MM payout in 2016.
2:32pm: The Lions have agreed to re-sign defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, his agent Mike McCartney tweets. It’ll be a two-year pact between Ngata and Detroit.
Ngata, 32, was traded from the Ravens to the Lions on the first day of free agency in 2015. In his first season in the Motor City, Ngata started 15 games, posting 15 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Ngata said in February that intended to continue playing, and a recent report indicated that he was “increasingly likely” to be retained by the Lions.
Ngata isn’t the only defensive lineman to re-sign with the Lions in the past week, as Detroit also reached an agreement with Tyrunn Walker on March 4.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Falcons Release Paul Soliai
MARCH 9, 3:51pm: The Falcons made Soliai’s release official, according to the team’s website.
FEBRUARY 21, 6:02pm: Soliai’s agent, David Canter, confirmed the lineman’s impending release. “We couldn’t agree on terms,” Canter told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
FEBRUARY 20, 8:06pm: Atlanta will indeed designate Soliai as a post-June 1 cut, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). As noted below, this means the Falcons will take on $1.4MM in dead money this year, and $2.8MM in 2017.
FEBRUARY 20, 7:35pm: The Falcons will release defensive tackle Paul Soliai on or after the start of the new league year on March 9, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. A report yesterday indicated that Atlanta had approached Soliai’s representatives about accepting a pay cut, and also noted that the veteran lineman was unlikely to do so, preferring to take his chances on the open market.
[RELATED: Falcons cut LB Justin Durant and S William Moore]
By waiting until March 9, the Falcons will absorb Soliai’s dead money hit — a charge of $4.2MM — on their 2016 salary cap. If the club opts to designate Soliai as a post-June 1 cut, it will take on dead money totals of $1.4MM in 2016 and and $2.8MM in 2017. Depending on what approach Atlanta takes, the team’s remaining 2016 cap space will fall to somewhere between $23MM and $26MM.
Having just finished the second season of a five-year deal, the 32-year-old Soliai was poised to earn a base salary of $4.5MM, accompanied by a cap figure of $6.9MM. From the Falcons’ perspective, that cap charge was likely excessive, as Soliai’s snap count in Dan Quinn‘s defense had dropped to 357 in 2015 (down from 502 in Mike Smith‘s unit in 2014). Add in the fact that Soliai wasn’t overly effective, grading as just the No. 57 interior defender last season per Pro Football Focus, and it probably makes sense that Atlanta is cutting bait.
Soliai will join a class of free agent defensive tackles that includes Damon Harrison, Nick Fairley, Terrance Knighton, and Haloti Ngata, among others. Capable of playing in either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme, Soliai shouldn’t have any trouble finding a roster spot for the upcoming season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Falcons Sign Matt Schaub
Matt Schaub will return to the city where his career began, as the Falcons announced that they’ve signed the veteran quarterback to backup starter Matt Ryan.
A report late last month indicated that a Schaub return was a possibility, and now it’s been made a reality. Atlanta selected Schaub in the third round of the 2004 draft, but he started just two games over three seasons before being traded to the Texans in 2007. Schaub had a strong six-year run in Houston from 2007-2012, averaging nearly 3,500 yards and 19 touchdowns per season, while posting a record of 44-36.
But things fell apart in 2013 — Schaub threw 14 interceptions in only eight starts before getting benched. He was subsequently traded to Oakland, but lost out to rookie Derek Carr for the starting job. Schaub then spent last season as Joe Flacco‘s backup in Baltimore.
Schaub, 34, is unlikely to see much action with the Falcons. Ryan has missed just two games during the course of eight-year career.
Chiefs To Sign DE Jonathan Massaquoi
The Chiefs have agreed to sign defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link). Massaquoi had spent 2012-2014 with the Falcons but did not appear in a game last season.
The 29-year-old Massaquoi has appeared in 39 career games, starting four, posting 45 tackles and six sacks during his career. He was claimed off waivers by the Titans at this time last season, but didn’t make the final roster and spent the year trying out for other clubs. Massaquoi never signed, but he now has a chance to make the club in Kansas City.
Falcons Frontrunner For Mohamed Sanu
3:20pm: Sanu will visit the Falcons tonight, ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure reports (on Twitter), with an agreement possible during that summit. The Falcons were initially offering the versatile wideout $30MM over five years, per Mike Garofolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Although Garofolo isn’t certain of the parameters of Atlanta’s most recent pitch to Sanu, he confirms the fifth-year receiver will visit.
3:05pm: A deal is not yet finalized between Sanu and the Falcons, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. However, Sanu is expected to visit Atlanta at some point and could sign a contract then.
1:53pm: The Falcons have emerged as the favorites to land receiver Mohamed Sanu, as they’re offering more than $7MM per year, tweets Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). A long list of clubs have expressed interest in Sanu, including the Giants, Patriots, Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Washington.
The Bengals lost Marvin Jones to the Lions on Wednesday morning and it sounds like they could conceivably lose their other top wide receiver to free agency. Jones netted an average annual value of $8MM and it has been speculated that Sanu could command $5MM/year, particularly because of the lack of talent at the position in this year’s crop, but it looks like he’ll garner significantly more than that estimate. In 2014, Sanu hauled in 56 catches for 790 yards and five touchdowns. Last year, however, he saw a dip in production with just 33 catches for 394 yards and no touchdowns.
Sanu earned honorable mention on PFR’s Top 50 List of NFL Free Agents. At the wide receiver position, Sanu was ranked as the No. 7 wide receiver available, behind Jones, Travis Benjamin, Rishard Matthews, Rueben Randle, Anquan Boldin, and Jermaine Kearse.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Derrick Johnson
The Chiefs are negotiating to keep veteran linebacker Derrick Johnson, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link). For his part, Johnson says his agent has only spoken with Kansas City, but per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link), Johnson’s rep has in fact talked with other clubs.
“It’s heating up,” Johnson told Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “It’s going to come down to the wire.” Johnson did add that he’s more optimistic now that he’ll be able to reach a deal to remain with the Chiefs for a 12th consecutive year.
Johnson, 33, hasn’t been linked to any other clubs, but the Chiefs have reportedly been “poking around” fellow free agent linebacker Jerrell Freeman as possible replacement in case Johnson departs. Johnson ranked as PFR’s No. 46 overall free agent and No. 4 inside linebacker, behind Danny Trevathan, Freeman, and Roland McClain, the latter of whom has already re-signed with the Cowboys.
In his 11th season with Kansas City, Johnson started all 16 games just one season after missing nearly the entire year with a torn Achilles. He posted 95 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions, grading out as the league’s eighth-best linebacker, per Pro Football Focus.
The Chiefs have already retained one veteran defender, agreeing to a three-year deal with Tamba Hali yesterday.