Contract Details: Revis, Cromartie, Spiller
Here are a few notable details from some of the contracts signed by free agents within the last several days:
AFC deals:
- Darrelle Revis, CB (Jets): Five years, $70MM base value. $39MM fully guaranteed. Options for 2018 and 2019 (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- Antonio Cromartie, CB (Jets): Four years, $32MM base value. Can be worth up to $35MM (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
- Marcus Gilchrist, S (Jets): Four years, $22MM base value. $3.5MM fully guaranteed. $3.125MM cap number in 2015 (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com).
- Tramon Williams, CB (Browns): Three years, $21MM base value. $10MM fully guaranteed. $1.5MM signing bonus. $2MM roster bonus due this month (Twitter links via Wilson).
- Scott Chandler, TE (Patriots): Two years, $5.3MM base value. $2MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald).
- Christian Ponder, QB (Raiders): One year, $2.25MM base value. $1.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Bill Williamson of ESPN.com).
NFC deals:
- C.J. Spiller, RB (Saints): Four years, $16MM. $7.3MM fully guaranteed. $2MM available in escalators. Voids after three years if Spiller makes it to two Pro Bowls (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
- Rashean Mathis, CB (Lions): Two years, $3.5MM base value. $750K signing bonus (Twitter links via Wilson).
- Chykie Brown, S (Giants): Two years, $1.8MM base value. $200K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Tyrunn Walker, DT (Lions): One year, $1.75MM base value. $550K signing bonus (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
Ravens Re-Sign Lawrence Guy
Free agent defensive lineman Lawrence Guy had been scheduled to pay a visit to the Jets tomorrow, but he has canceled that trip and will stay with the Ravens, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The team confirmed today in a press release that Guy has signed a new two-year deal to remain in Baltimore.
Guy, who turned 25 yesterday, started the 2014 season with the Chargers, but was cut in September and was claimed off waivers by the Ravens. The Arizona State product appeared in 11 games for Baltimore, reocrding 17 tackles and recovering a fumble. With Haloti Ngata now in Detroit, Guy may have an opportunity to take on a great role with the team going forward.
According to Wilson (via Twitter), Guy had an offer on the table from the Jets worth the veteran’s minimum, one of many such offers New York has out there right now. It’s not clear what his new deal with the Ravens is worth, but it’s unlikely to be much more than the minimum.
FA Rumors: Moore, Rubin, Jennings, Selvie
If Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News were in charge of the Cowboys, he would have tendered a contract offer to cornerback Sterling Moore. Cowboys coaches didn’t see enough from Moore in 2014 to want him back, apparently, but at a cost of $1.542MM, he could have given them inexpensive depth at the position. Moore, who visited the Steelers earlier this week, is in San Francisco today meeting with the 49ers, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Here’s more on a handful of free agents around the NFL:
- The Seahawks are still in the market for defensive line help and they’ll host Browns free agent defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin today, Rapoport tweets. Back in December, Rubin said that he wanted to stay in Cleveland for life. So far, nothing like that has materialized.
- Wide receiver Greg Jennings told Stephen A. Smith on Sirius XM/Mad Dog Sports Radio that he’d be open to a reunion with the Packers, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. Jennings said that he’d never “tear down” a bridge, but Demovsky notes that Jennings might have done that already with some harsh comments towards the Packers and Aaron Rodgers upon joining the Vikings.
- We heard earlier this week that the Vikings have interest in defensive end George Selvie, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets that Minnesota appears to have backed off a little, while the Buccaneers are now “very much” in the mix for Selvie.
- Free agent offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds is paying a visit to the Rams, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). St. Louis has holes at multiple spots on its offensive line, and Reynolds is capable of playing both guard and tackle.
- Washington, the Vikings, and the Bengals are all vying to sign free agent safety Taylor Mays, writes Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. A source tells Tomasson that Cincinnati “desperately” wants to re-sign Mays, who is considering his options.
- The Ravens have maintained interest in potentially re-signing defensive lineman Lawrence Guy, who is visiting the Jets tomorrow, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- Former Dolphins defensive end Rakim Cox has been invited to the veterans combine, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Bills, Percy Harvin Agree To Deal
MARCH 18th, 12:55pm: The Bills officially announced that they have signed Harvin, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
MARCH 13th, 5:44pm: Harvin will land with the Bills, not the 49ers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Per Rapoport, Harvin’s deal with Buffalo will be for one year and “roughly” $6MM.
4:38pm: Nothing official has been announced yet for Harvin and the Bills, and according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington (Twitter link), the 49ers are trying to make a last-minute play for the wideout.
2:27pm: The Bills and Harvin have agreed to a one-year contract, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
2:10pm: The Bills continue to try to lock up Percy Harvin, according to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is “working toward striking [a] deal” with the free agent wideout. We heard this morning that Harvin was trying to decide whether or not to take a couple more visits or to simply accept an offer, perhaps from Buffalo.
Harvin was acquired by the Jets from the Seahawks back in October in the most surprising in-season trade of 2014. However, the veteran receiver and return man didn’t have a huge impact in New York, totaling 29 receptions for 350 yards and a touchdown in his eight games with the Jets. Harvin also averaged just 24.8 yards per kick return, with no TDs.
Having been recently released by the Jets, Harvin looks like a good bet to stick in the AFC East. If he and the Bills don’t reach an agreement, it’s possible the Patriots will make a push for him — an afternoon report suggested New England is a good bet to land a free agent like Harvin or Reggie Bush, and the Pats would make sense for Harvin, who reportedly has some interest in playing with a solid quarterback for a year to help increase his value.
While they don’t have that Pro Bowl-type quarterback that could help restore Harvin’s value, the Bills have added some interesting pieces so far this offseason. The team acquired LeSean McCoy in a deal with the Eagles, and is hoping to land tight end Charles Clay in free agency.
Of course, a team’s quarterback isn’t the only factor Harvin will consider. A source told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) earlier this week that the 26-year-old doesn’t want to be a “gadget guy” anymore and wants to play something closer to a traditional wide receiver role. Throughout his career, he has had coaches “lie” to him and tell him that he would play a typical wide receiver, only to have him involved more in unorthodox plays.
Ravens Rework Webb’s Contract, Re-Sign Cox
WEDNESDAY, 9:03am: Webb’s restructure will include $5.5MM guaranteed, including a $3MM bonus, a league source tells Wilson (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 5:00pm: It looks like Webb’s salary may have been reduced to $6MM not just for 2015 but for ’16 and ’17 as well. Wilson tweets that the corner is now due to make $18MM over the next three years.
4:36pm: Webb will see his 2015 base salary reduced to $6MM, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). If that’s the only change to Webb’s contract, it would create $2MM in cap savings for the Ravens.
3:58pm: The Ravens have made a series of roster moves, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links), who reports that the team has restructured the contract of cornerback Lardarius Webb and announced new deals for defensive lineman Christo Bilukidi and long snapper Morgan Cox.
The Ravens reportedly asked Webb to take a pay cut earlier this offseason, and I imagine the corner’s new deal will reduce his overall earnings, rather than simply converting a portion of his base salary into a signing bonus. Webb’s cap hit had been set to jump from $7.5MM in 2014 to $12MM in 2015, which included a base salary of $8MM.
Webb didn’t escape unscathed during a 2014 season in which the Ravens’ secondary was decimated by injuries. The veteran corner missed three games early in the year with a lower back injury, and appeared to be somewhat hampered by those back issues throughout the season. Webb’s season-long grade on Pro Football Focus (subscription required) reflected those injury problems — he ranked 78th out of 108 qualified cornerbacks in 2014 after grading as a top-20 corner in 2013. Still, if he’s back at full health, Webb’s return should help solidify Baltimore’s secondary in 2015.
As for the Ravens’ two signings, Cox has served as Baltimore’s long snapper since 2010, but missed a good chunk of the 2014 season after being placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL in October. Assuming he’s healthy in time for the 2015 season, I’d expect Cox to resume long snapping duties for the team.
A part-time player for Baltimore last season before being sidelined by an ankle injury, Bilukidi played just 47 defensive snaps after being claimed off waivers from Cincinnati. His new two-year deal with the Ravens was reported last month.
Patriots Eyeing Free Agent Cornerbacks
We heard earlier today that veteran cornerback Terence Newman was in town to visit the Patriots, but Newman isn’t the only free agent corner the team is considering. According to Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange (via Twitter), the Pats also hosted Tarell Brown, Bradley Fletcher, and Robert McClain.
While Darrelle Revis‘ departure for the division-rival Jets was the most notable shake-up in the Patriots’ secondary, and will have the biggest impact on the group for 2015, Brandon Browner also departed in free agency, signing with the Saints. In-house options like Kyle Arrington, Logan Ryan, Alfonzo Dennard, and Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler could be in line for increased roles next season, but it looks like the Pats wouldn’t mind adding a veteran or two to that group.
Brown, Fletcher, and McClain all saw significant playing time for their respective teams in 2014, with Brown (Raiders) and Fletcher (Eagles) logging 1,000+ defensive snaps while McClain (Falcons) played 642. None of them graded particularly well over at Pro Football Focus (subscription required), with Brown placing 75th among 108 qualified cornerbacks and McClain and Fletcher checking in at 90th and 92nd respectively.
Still, Browner (79th) was in that range as well, and the Pats’ coaching staff certainly doesn’t rely on PFF’s evaluations when making decisions on which players to target — no one in this group of free agent corners is capable of adequately replacing Revis, but Bill Belichick and company may find one or two players they like.
Patriots Sign Travaris Cadet
The Patriots have signed running back Travaris Cadet to a contract, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Cadet, a former Saint, had been eligible for restricted free agency, but New Orleans elected not to make him a tender offer, so the team didn’t have the opportunity to match New England’s offer.
Cadet, 26, saw his first significant action for the Saints in 2014, hauling in 38 passes on 51 targets, totaling 296 yards and a touchdown on those receptions. Although he was listed as a running back and generally lined up in the backfield, the Appalachian State product only had 10 carries for 32 yards.
In New England, Cadet looks like a viable candidate to assume the role played by Shane Vereen, who caught a ton of passes out of the backfield for the Pats. Vereen signed with the Giants as a free agent, and while Cadet likely won’t immediately be penciled in for Vereen’s snaps, New England often finds a use for that sort of versatile running back.
Financial terms of the agreement aren’t yet known, but it will likely be a modest deal. The Saints could’ve kept Cadet restricted by tendering him a one-year offer worth $1.542MM.
Top NFL Free Agents Still Available
We’re a week into the NFL’s 2015 free agent period, and most of the big-name players have come off the board in the first wave of signings. In fact, out of the 50 players we named as this year’s top free agents, only six remain unsigned.
Still, there are plenty of notable names left on the board, including some who have been released within the last week. While some of these players may not sign new deals until the summer – if they play in 2015 at all – many others figure to find new homes in the near future, perhaps even as early as today.
You can check out our full list of free agents still available right here, but here’s a round-up of several of the most noteworthy players on that list:
Offense:
- QB: Tarvaris Jackson, Matt Moore, Matt Schaub, Michael Vick
- RB: Ahmad Bradshaw, Steven Jackson, Chris Johnson, Knowshon Moreno, Stevan Ridley, Ben Tate, Pierre Thomas
- WR: Miles Austin, Dwayne Bowe, Michael Crabtree, Greg Jennings, Denarius Moore, Hakeem Nicks, Nate Washington, Reggie Wayne, Wes Welker
- TE: James Casey, Jermaine Gresham
- T: Byron Bell, Joe Barksdale, Anthony Collins, Ryan Harris, Jake Long
- G: Justin Blalock, Charlie Johnson, Chad Rinehart, Rob Sims
- C: Brian De La Puente, Will Montgomery, Stefen Wisniewski
Defense:
- DE: Red Bryant, Chris Canty, Greg Hardy, George Selvie, Anthony Spencer, Osi Umenyiora
- DT: Letroy Guion, Brett Keisel, Tommy Kelly, Ray McDonald, B.J. Raji, Ahtyba Rubin, Kevin Williams
- ILB: Lance Briggs, Mason Foster, Nate Irving, Rolando McClain, Brandon Spikes, Philip Wheeler
- OLB: Dwight Freeney, James Harrison
- CB: Alan Ball, Tarell Brown, Bradley Fletcher, Rashean Mathis, Terence Newman, Patrick Robinson, Carlos Rogers, Charles Tillman
- S: Will Allen, Stevie Brown, Louis Delmas, Dawan Landry, Dwight Lowery, Danieal Manning, Bernard Pollard
Top restricted free agents not attached to compensatory draft picks:
- Charles Clay, TE (Dolphins) (Transition player)
- Austin Davis, QB (Rams)
- Lance Dunbar, RB (Cowboys)
- Kai Forbath, K (Washington)
- Will Hill, S (Ravens)
- Andre Holmes, WR (Raiders)
- George Johnson, DE (Lions)
- Chris Polk, RB (Eagles)
- Bobby Rainey, RB (Buccaneers)
FA Notes: Connolly, Gresham, Ellis, Barksdale
After passing along several updates on free agency this morning, we’re back this afternoon with another round-up. Here’s the latest on a handful of players still on the market:
- The Patriots would like to re-sign Dan Connolly, but the veteran offensive lineman is also receiving interest from the Seahawks and Bears as a center, and from the Dolphins and Buccaneers as a guard, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The 32-year-old has been a mainstay in New England for the last few years, but had a down year in 2014, placing among the bottom 10 guards in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
- Tight end Jermaine Gresham is meeting with a doctor tomorrow to determine the severity of a back injury, and could be headed for surgery later this week, according to Rapoport (via Twitter). Greshman still expects to be ready for training camp, but that’s a giant red flag for potential suitors, and explains why he remains unsigned. Teams in need of a tight end – such as the Bills, Raiders, and Browns – figure to monitor Gresham’s situation, tweets Rapoport.
- Free agent defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis could potentially make the move from one New York team to another. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter), the former Jet is visiting the Giants today.
- The Titans have maintained interest in Joe Barksdale, arguably the top tackle left on the market, says Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Since hitting free agency last week, Barksdale has frequently been linked to the Titans and the Rams, who are still interested in re-signing him.
- Veteran free agent Samson Satele is looking for a team that will give him the opportunity to compete for a starting center job, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
Bears To Sign Thomas Gafford
The Bears are currently the only team in the NFL without a long snapper on their roster, but it appears that will soon change. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter) the team is set to sign Thomas Gafford, who has spent the last seven seasons with the Chiefs.
Gaffold, 32, had served as Kansas City’s long snapper since the 2008 campaign, but with his contract expiring this offseason, the Chiefs have elected to go in a different direction, bringing in James Winchester, Brandon Hartson, and Jorgen Hus to compete for their job.
As for the Bears, they’re moving on from Jeremy Cain, and worked out Trevor Gillette, Dax Dellenbach, Chris Maikranz, and Drew Howell before deciding to sign Gafford, according to Biggs. Gafford is expected to sign a one-year contract with Chicago on Wednesday after taking a physical with the club.