Rams Extend First-Round Tender To Case Keenum
The Rams have offered a first-round tender to restricted free agent Case Keenum, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Keenum would earn $3.635MM in 2016 under the one-year deal.
If another club expressed interest in poaching Keenum, they would not only have to sign him to an offer sheet, but they would need to sacrifice a first-round pick if Los Angeles declined to match the offer. That scenario seems wholly unlikely, so Keenum will likely return to the Rams, who have already said Keenum will enter the offseason as their starter.
Keenum, 28, took over as the Rams’ starter last season after Nick Foles was benched — he went on to start five games, completing about 61% of his passes for 828 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Head coach Jeff Fisher has said Keenum will start, but it’s always possible that the club brings in competition, either via the draft or through free agency.
Foles, meanwhile, can reportedly be had via trade, and a number of clubs could make sense as suitors.
Buccaneers To Re-Sign Doug Martin
The Buccaneers have agreed to re-sign running back Doug Martin, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link). It’s a five-year deal, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link), and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) says that it’s worth $35.75MM in total, with a max value of $42.5MM (Twitter link). Martin will pocket $15MM in full guarantees, per Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
Just last night, reports indicated that although Martin and Tampa Bay were close to reaching a new agreement, details still needed to be hammered out. That report pointed to a yearly value of $6.85MM for Martin, so his representatives were clearly able to negotiate a bit more money over the past twelve hours or so. Martin will average $7.15MM annually, good for eighth among running backs.
As many as six teams — including the 49ers, Raiders, and Texans — had reportedly expressed in Martin, and with reports earlier this week indicating that talks between Martin and the Bucs had broken down, it looked like Martin might be finding a new landing spot. But the two sides have come to together at the 11th hour, reaching a new deal just prior to the start of the free agent period.
Tampa Bay could have controlled Martin for the 2016 season by exercising his fifth-year option — they declined to do, so Martin hit free agency in 2016 instead of 2017. If the club wanted to use the declined option as something of a motivational tactic, it worked, as Martin enjoyed his best season since his rookie year, rushing for more than 1,400 yards, scoring six times, and adding 33 reception and another touchdown for good measure.
PFR ranked Martin as the No. 13 free agent, and the No. 1 available running back. Other RBs still on the market include Lamar Miller and Matt Forte, while Chris Ivory has already agreed to a new deal with the Jaguars.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Five Teams Interested In WR Andre Holmes
The Lions, Eagles, and Bengals have all expressed interest in free agent wide receiver Andre Holmes, reports Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Earlier reports had indicated that the Vikings were also targeting Holmes, and the Raiders are also working to retain him.
Each of the newly-reported clubs presents an intriguing landing spot for Holmes. The Lions, of course, lost Calvin Johnson to retirement, but have already acted today to fill that void, agreeing to terms with Marvin Jones on a new deal. The Bengals, in turn, have lost Jones, so Holmes could make for a viable No. 2 next to A.J. Green. And finally, the Eagles have already released Riley Cooper, and are building an all-new offense under head coach Doug Pederson, one in which Holmes could potentially thrive.
Holmes will be entering his age-28 season, and is coming off a down year in Oakland — he caught 14 passes for 201 yards, and wasn’t heavily involved in the Raiders offense. Just a season ago, though, Holmes started 13 games, hauling in 47 receptions for almost 700 yards, so the potential is certainly there for Holmes to contribute to an offense.
PFR ranked Holmes as the No. 15 free agent wide receiver.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bears, Tracy Porter Working Towards Deal
The Bears are working to retain cornerback Tracy Porter before the market opens, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). But the potential list of suitors for Porter is growing, per Rapoport, especially now that Janoris Jenkins is off the board and the Raiders are targeting Sean Smith.
Porter, 29, has a solid season in Chicago, where he rebounded from a down year in 2014 to become a full-time starter once again. He started 13 games, posting one interception and 12 passes defensed. Porter certainly isn’t a star, but he acted as a veteran presence on a Bears defense that needed all the help it could get. A former second-round pick, Porter has spent time with the Saints, Broncos, Raiders, and Washington in addition to the Bears.
The Bears can re-sign Porter at any time, but if he wants to join another club, Porter will have to wait about two more hours to officially agree to a new deal. Chicago, meanwhile is also said to be targeting offensive lineman Jeff Allen and linebacker Danny Trevathan.
NFC Contract Details: JPP, McClain, Stanton
Here are the latest updates on many recently agreed-upon or signed contracts from around the NFC:
NFC East:
- Jason Pierre-Paul, DE (Giants): One year, $10MM. $8.5MM fully guaranteed. $4.25MM signing bonus, $4.25MM base salary. $1.2MM per-game roster bonuses. $300K incentive tied to sacks. $10.5MM max value (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Rolando McClain, LB (Cowboys): One year, $4MM. $1MM available via incentives if McClain plays 75% of defensive snaps (Twitter link via Drew Davidson of the Star Telegram).
NFC South:
- Michael Hoomanawanui, TE (Saints): Three years, $5.2MM. $1.85MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Kyle Wilson, CB (Saints): One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Keith Tandy, S (Buccaneers): Two years, $1.85MM. $250K roster bonus guarantees on fifth day of league year (Twitter link via Wilson).
NFC North:
- Andrew Sendejo, S (Vikings): Four years, $16MM. $950K 2016 base salary (fully guaranteed). Contains option for 2019 (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Lane Taylor, OL (Packers): Two years, $4.15MM. $600K signing bonus. Contains $1MM in playtime and workout incentives (Twitter links via Wilson).
NFC West:
- Ahtyba Rubin, DT (Seahawks): Three years, $12MM. $5.5MM guaranteed. $4.5MM signing bonu (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Drew Stanton, QB (Cardinals): Two years, $6.5MM. $4.5MM guaranteed. $2MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
Browns Pull Offer To Mitchell Schwartz
The Browns are on the verge of losing center Alex Mack to the Falcons, and now their negotiations with another one of their free agent offensive lineman could be hitting a wall. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link), Cleveland has pulled its offer to right tackle Mitchell Schwartz.
Less than an hour ago, conflicting reports popped up regarding Schwartz’s status, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that Schwartz had a decent chance to return to the Browns at a salary around $7.5MM, while Mike Silver of NFL.com disagreed, saying the Schwartz would not return to Cleveland. Suffice it so stay, the situation appears fluid, and it’s probably premature to assume that Schwartz’s tenure is definitely complete.
As Florio notes in his tweet, the Browns could be merely posturing by rescinding their offer to Schwartz. It’s possible that the club believes it’s negotiating against itself, or at least offering more money than other interested clubs. By pulling the offer, Cleveland could be hoping to back Schwartz into accepting whatever price was most recently on the table.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Broncos, OT Donald Stephenson Agree To Terms
WEDNESDAY, 8:55am: Stephenson is signing a three-year, $14MM contract, with $6MM fully guaranteed, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports.
TUESDAY, 9:52pm: Stephenson will earn around $5MM annually, according to Mike Klis of 9 News, who rightly notes that that salary is starter-level money.
8:51pm: Free agent offensive tackle Donald Stephenson has agreed to sign with the Broncos, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link) hears that it’s a three-year pact. Stephenson will be able to officially join Denver when the new league year begins on Wednesday.
Offensive line was a problem area for the Broncos all season, especially after starting left tackle Ryan Clady went down with a torn ACL during training camp. Ryan Harris held his own at left tackle, and veteran guard Evan Mathis brought a stabilizing presence, but it’s not a surprise that Denver is interested in bringing in more reinforcements — in addition to agreeing to a deal with Stephenson, the Broncos have reportedly also shown interest in Cardinals free agent Bobby Massie.
Stephenson, 27, opened the season as the Chiefs’ starting left tackle, but eventually lost that job to former first overall pick Eric Fisher. He also saw action at right tackle, and ended up starting seven total games on the season. Stephenson ranked as PFR’s No. 14 available offensive tackle.
Where exactly Stephenson will play is an open question, as Clady’s status (both injury- and contract-wise) is unclear. If Clady agrees to rework his contract (as he says he is willing to do), he’ll probably be back on the blind side. The Broncos have a combination of Michael Schofield and Ty Sambrailo at right tackle, but Stephenson could be an improvement at that spot. Harris, meanwhile, is also a pending free agent.
Agreeing to sign Stephenson isn’t the only offensive line transaction Denver has made today — the club also released veteran guard Louis Vasquez.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Texans, OT Chris Clark Agree To New Deal
WEDNESDAY, 7:42am: Clark’s new two-year deal is worth $6MM, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link), who observes that $3MM per year is a nice deal for Clark, assuming he’ll be Houston’s swing tackle.
TUESDAY, 7:05pm: The Texans have reached an agreement with swing tackle Chris Clark, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). Clark was set to hit the open market on Wednesday if the two sides hadn’t come to terms on a new deal.
Houston acquired Clark from the Broncos during final roster cutdowns last August, sending a seventh-round selection to Denver to bring in the offensive tackle. Clark, 30, served as a backup to Duane Brown and Derek Newton, and ultimately started four games, playing on a little over a third of the club’s offensive snaps.
A report earlier this week indicated that the Texans would like to work out a new deal with Clark. Having accomplished that goal, however, the team is still expected to draft an offensive tackle to develop as something of an insurance policy as Brown recovers from injury, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Panthers Re-Sign Charles Johnson
WEDNESDAY, 7:31am: Johnson has officially signed his new one-year deal with the Panthers, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
TUESDAY, 7:47pm: Johnson’s one-year pact will be worth $3MM, tweets Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer, so Johnson will take a $8MM pay cut to stay in Carolina. According to Person, Johnson turned down as much as $6MM elsewhere to re-sign with the Panthers.
6:30pm: Just days after being released by the Panthers, defensive end Charles Johnson plans to return to the only team he’s ever known, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that Johnson will re-sign with Carolina. It’ll be a one-yer deal, per Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
After being cut by the Panthers on March 3, Johnson quickly lined up suitors, taking visits with both the Giants and the Buccaneers. Johnson almost went to New York, as he tells Anderson (Twitter link), but admitted that his “heart was in Carolina” — indeed, Johnson tweeted a cryptic message earlier today, indicating that many observers would be surprised by where ended up.
Johnson was scheduled to earn $11MM in 2016 (between his base salary and a workout bonus), as well as account for a $15.02MM charge on the Panthers’ cap, and it’s safe to say that Johnson will earn less than that total on his new contract. Johnson was thought to have refused a pay cut before being released, so evidently he and the club have negotiated an acceptable figure since that time.
The 29-year-old Johnson has been the Panthers’ most reliable pass rusher over the last several years, recording at least 8.5 sacks in every season from 2010 to 2014. However, his 2015 campaign was derailed by a hamstring injury, which landed him on the injured reserve list with the designation to return, sidelining him for nearly half the season.
In nine regular-season games in 2015, Johnson recorded just 12 tackles and a single sack, easily making it his least productive year since his rookie campaign. He showed flashes of his old self during the team’s postseason run though, picking up three playoff sacks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Extra Points: Hasselbeck, Powell, Vernon
Former Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is set to join the cast of ESPN’s Sunday Countdown, sources tell Jason McIntyre of the Big Lead, who adds that a retirement announcement from Hasselbeck could come as soon as tomorrow. Indianpolis informed Hasselbeck that it would not re-sign him late last month:
More from around the league before the craziness starts tomorrow:
- The Patriots are interested in free agent running back Bilal Powell, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The Jets, Powell’s club for the duration of his career, already lost one RB earlier tonight when Chris Ivory agreed to sign with the Jaguars.
- Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports is the latest to confirm rumors that the Dolphins may rescind Olivier Vernon‘s franchise tag, noting that if the club works out an extension with Cameron Wake, Vernon could become an unrestricted free agent.
- Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo underwent successful collarbone surgery and is expected to recover within six-to-eight weeks, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link).