Bears Sign Jacquizz Rodgers
The Bears have signed free agent running back Jacquizz Rodgers to a one-year contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com had reported earlier today that Rodgers was paying a visit to Chicago.
Rodgers, who turned 25 last month, spent his first four NFL seasons in Atlanta, acting as a backup and a change-of-pace back for the team’s offense. The Oregon State product never made a real impact on the ground, averaging less than four yards per carry in each of his seasons with the team, but he was an effective receiver, catching 155 balls in 63 games.
Matt Forte is expected to see the majority of the action in 2015 for a Chicago team that doesn’t generally rely on a running back by committee approach. However, Rodgers gives the team some veteran depth to complement Forte and 2014 draftee Ka’Deem Carey.
Wilson Won’t Get Fully Guaranteed Deal
Ever since general manager John Schneider alluded to the Seahawks exploring outside-the-box methods for getting Russell Wilson locked up to a new contract extension, one popular theory, explored by cap experts like Joel Corry and Jason Fitzgerald, involves the quarterback landing a fully guaranteed contract. The thinking is that Seattle could save a few million dollars per year on its cap if Wilson were to accept a slightly reduced annual salary in return for having his salary fully guaranteed.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, however, that won’t be the case. Citing Seahawks sources, Rapoport says Wilson’s next long-term contract will include high, but not full, guarantees. The NFL.com insider also added that the team hopes to get something done with its franchise quarterback prior to the start of training camp.
The news doesn’t come as a real surprise, since it was hard to imagine Wilson accepting a salary discounted enough to motivate the Seahawks to fully guarantee the deal. While a full guarantee would be appealing to the significant number of NFL players who typically have little to no chance of playing out their entire contracts, something would have to go catastrophically wrong for the 26-year-old Wilson not to play out his next deal in Seattle. So if he’s looking to maximize his earnings, it makes more sense to pursue a higher per-year salary rather than a higher guarantee.
Although there’s a chance Wilson plays out the 2015 season without a new agreement in place, he’s more likely to sign an extension this year than fellow 2012 draftee Andrew Luck. Because Luck was a first-round pick, the Colts hold a fifth-year option for 2016 on their quarterback, while the Seahawks don’t have the same luxury with Wilson, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency in ’16. Seattle could still use the franchise tag next winter, but presumably the club would rather not let the situation reach that point.
According to Rapoport, the Seahawks will also try to work out a multiyear extension with linebacker Bobby Wagner before the 2015 season gets underway, but locking up Wilson is the team’s priority. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback is expected to become one of the league’s highest-paid players.
Packers Re-Sign B.J. Raji
TUESDAY, 3:40pm: The Packers have officially announced their new deal with Raji in a press release.
MONDAY, 3:22pm: According to Rapoport (via Twitter), Raji and the Packers have agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth $3.5MM, with incentives that can increase the value to about $4MM.
10:24am: After reaching an agreement with Letroy Guion, the Packers also appear poised to retain another one of their free agent defensive tackles. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that B.J. Raji is expected to return to the Packers on a one-year contract. Earlier today, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com wrote that Green Bay had offered Raji a one-year deal worth less than $2MM.
Raji, 28, missed the entire 2014 campaign after tearing his right bicep during the preseason, but he stayed with the team throughout the season to rehab and should be back at full strength by training camp. The veteran has played in 76 games for the Packers since they drafted him ninth overall out of Boston College in 2009.
After spending several years as Green Bay’s nose tackle, Raji moved over to defensive end in the Packers’ 3-4 scheme during the 2013 season, and struggled with the transition. He had been expected to return to the nose tackle role last year before he landed on injured reserve.
Raji earned $4MM on his one-year deal with the Packers in 2014, so assuming he agrees to the terms reported by Demovsky, it looks like he’ll be accepting a sizable pay cut. However, it’s possible that his agreement with Green Bay will include incentives and/or per-game roster bonuses — because he didn’t play a single game last year, any per-game roster bonuses for Raji would be considered unlikely to be earned, meaning they wouldn’t initially count against the team’s cap.
Bill Huber of Packer Report initially reported last month that Raji would likely re-sign with the Packers.
Packers Re-Sign Letroy Guion
TUESDAY, 3:39pm: The Packers have officially re-signed Guion, the team confirmed today in a press release.
MONDAY, 10:38am: Guion’s one-year deal with the Packers will be worth $2.75MM, a league source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
8:15am: The Packers and defensive tackle Letroy Guion have agreed to terms on a one-year contract that will keep Guion in Green Bay, reports Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Per Demovsky, the deal is expected to be officially finalized and signed tomorrow.
Guion, 27, had an effective first season with the Packers in 2014, starting all 16 games for the team and racking up 41 tackles to go along with 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble. However, he ran into some off-field trouble earlier this offseason, when he was pulled over for erratic driving — police found 357 grams of marijuana, $190K+ in cash, and an unloaded gun in his truck. Guion reached a plea deal last week and avoided prosecution.
Following the conclusion of his legal case, Guion reportedly visited the Seahawks on Friday. As I noted at the time, while many teams won’t let free agents leave the building without a contract, Seattle has a track record of bringing in players for visits and not signing them. That appears to be the case this time, as Guion will return to a Green Bay team that lost to the Seahawks in January’s NFC Championship game.
Guion’s previous one-year contract with the Packers was worth just under $1MM, and I’d expect his new deal to exceed that figure, even after his off-field incident. Financial terms of the deal aren’t yet known, however.
NFL Moves Key FA Deadline To May 12
The NFL has made an adjustment to its free agency calendar, moving up a key deadline from June to May 12, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
The date of June 1 had previously been important for a number of reasons, as I laid out last spring. For one, players released or traded after June 1 had their cap numbers spread across two years of their respective teams’ cap, rather than just one year, as I explained in detail in our glossary entry on the subject.
Additionally, free agents who remain unsigned heading into June 1 were no longer attached to draft pick compensation beginning in June, meaning teams could sign those players without worrying about potentially missing out on a compensatory draft pick the following year.
Going forward, the cutoff date will now be May 12 rather than June 1 for free agents no longer counting toward the compensatory pick formula. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported last week that the league was considering making this change because it’s a win-win proposition — unsigned players get the opportunity to find a new home a few weeks earlier, and teams are able to get those players involved in their offseason programs sooner.
However, it doesn’t sound as if teams will have the opportunity to release players and spread out their cap hits across multiple years in May, unless they specifically designate them as post-June 1 cuts. It appears clubs will still have to wait until June 1 to take advantage of that CBA quirk.
Colts Sign Vincent Brown
2:56pm: It’s a minimum salary deal for Brown, tweets Mike Chappell of RTV6.
2:38pm: The Colts have added another potential weapon to Andrew Luck‘s arsenal, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed wide receiver Vincent Brown to a new contract. Brown will get a one-year deal from the team, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter).
Brown, 26, spent three seasons in San Diego after being selected in the third round of the 2014 draft, and had a nice season in 2013. The San Diego State product set career-highs in receptions (41) and receiving yards (472), but lost his grip on a roster spot during the preseason in 2014, ultimately receiving an injury settlement from the Chargers. Brown signed with the Raiders in September, but played sparingly for Oakland in ’14, catching 12 balls for 118 yards in seven contests.
If Brown still has some upside, Indianapolis could be a good spot for him to realize that potential, with Luck throwing him the ball. The Colts signed Andre Johnson earlier this month, and the veteran will see plenty of targets in 2015, but with Reggie Wayne not expected to return to the club, there should still be a number of balls to go around.
Financial terms of Brown’s agreement aren’t yet known, but I’d expect a minimum salary benefit contract.
Panthers Sign Jason Trusnik
The Panthers have inked outside linebacker Jason Trusnik to a contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). It’s a one-year deal for the former Dolphin.
Trusnik, who is entering his age-31 season, spent his last four seasons in Miami, serving mostly as a special-teamer and a part-time player on defense. He saw his most action this past year, logging nearly 400 defensive snaps for the club and contributing on special teams as well. In total, Trusnik had 50 tackles, adding an interception and a pair of fumble recoveries for good measure.
Before signing with the Panthers, Trusnik paid a visit to the Jets.
Raiders Release Antonio Smith
The Raiders have parted ways with veteran defensive lineman Antonio Smith, releasing him from his contract today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Smith had been entering the final year of his deal, so he’ll hit free agency a year early.
Smith, 33, spent five years with the Cardinals and then five years with the Texans before signing a two-year pact with the Raiders last March. That deal was worth $9MM, but didn’t include a signing bonus, so the Raiders should clear the veteran lineman’s entire $4MM cap hit from their books by cutting him.
A Pro Bowler in Houston, Smith played nearly 800 snaps at defensive tackle for the Raiders in 2014. His overall -3.9 Pro Football Focus grade (subscription required) wasn’t bad, though that final number comes from a combination of an excellent pass-rushing grade (+18.3) and a terrible grade against the run (-20.0). For the season, Smith posted an impressive 43 quarterback pressures, and I’d expect him to generate some interest from teams in need of an interior pass rusher.
49ers To Re-Sign Desmond Bishop
Looking to add some depth to their linebacker corps, the 49ers have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Desmond Bishop, reports Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). Bishop, a Bay Area native, will return to the team after signing with San Francisco last December.
Bishop, 30, spent the first six years of his NFL career in Green Bay, emerging as one of the team’s starting linebackers in 2010 and 2011. The former sixth-round pick racked up more than 100 tackles in each of those seasons, totaling eight sacks, 10 passes defended, and four forced fumbles in those two combined years. However, injuries have since derailed his career. Bishop suffered a ruptured hamstring in 2012 while with the Vikings, and in 2013, his season was cut short after four games thanks to an ACL tear.
In 2014, Bishop signed with the Cardinals but didn’t see much action in Arizona. After he was released by the Cards for a second time, he caught on with the Niners in December and appeared in two games for San Francisco, logging a pair of tackles.
Another year removed from his season-ending injuries in 2012 and 2013, Bishop could be poised to play a little more for the Niners in 2015. The veteran shouldn’t be penciled in for a major role, but the club will need some help at the inside linebacker spot after having both Patrick Willis and Chris Borland announce their retirement from the NFL this offseason.
Eagles Sign Miles Austin
TUESDAY, 12:50pm: The Eagles have officially signed Austin, the team announced today (via Twitter).
MONDAY, 4:23pm: The Eagles and Austin have agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.3MM, with another $700K available in incentives, tweets Rapoport. Presumably, the agreement is still pending a physical, which isn’t necessarily a given, considering Austin’s history of health issues.
10:40am: Assuming all goes well with his visit and his physical this week, Austin is expected to sign a contract to join the Eagles, according to Rapoport (via Twitter).
9:40am: One former Cowboys offensive playmaker has notably joined the Eagles this offseason, as DeMarco Murray made the jump from Dallas to Philadelphia. Now, the Eagles are eyeing another free agent who used to play for their division rivals. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), veteran wideout Miles Austin is set to visit Philadelphia this week.
Austin, of course, isn’t the same sort of impact player Murray is at this stage of his career. However, he had a decent bounce-back season in Cleveland last year, catching 47 balls for 568 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games. The 30-year-old has racked up 348 catches for more than 5,000 yards during his nine-year NFL career, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods during his time with the Cowboys.
The Eagles are in the market for receiving help after seeing Jeremy Maclin leave for Kansas City earlier this month. Jordan Matthews appears poised to take on a more significant role for the club in 2015, and Chip Kelly has praised the wide receiver depth in this year’s draft class. Still, besides Matthews, Riley Cooper is the only wideout currently under contract who has more than 10 career receptions, so Philadelphia could use another veteran.