Browns Tried To Trade For Larry Fitzgerald
Before the Cardinals worked out a restructured contract with Larry Fitzgerald last month, the Browns made an attempt to trade for the veteran receiver, a league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).
Fitzgerald’s production has fallen off a little during the last three years, as he has averaged only about 72 catches and 845 yards per season from 2012 to 2014, compared to averages of close to 93 receptions and 1,296 yards in the five-year span from 2007 to 2011. Still, he would have been an upgrade for a Browns team that will be without Josh Gordon for the coming season and hadn’t added Brian Hartline in free agency at that point.
With Fitzgerald back in Arizona on a reworked contract, the Browns are looking elsewhere for potential veteran wideouts. Dwayne Bowe has paid a visit to Cleveland, and Stevie Johnson has also been identified as a possible target for the team. While Hartline is now in the mix, the Browns also lost Jordan Cameron in free agency, so they’ll need to add pass catchers to help out Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel, or whichever quarterback might be leading the club’s offense in 2015.
Giants Re-Sign John Jerry
The Giants have re-signed veteran guard John Jerry to a two-year deal worth $3.3MM, with $1MM in guaranteed money, tweets Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. The Giants had previously confirmed their new agreement with Jerry, via a press release.
Jerry, 28, has typically performed better as a pass blocker than a run blocker, a trend that continued in his first year with the Giants in 2014. After posting slightly below-average overall grades in each of his last two seasons in Miami at right guard, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required), Jerry ranked 66th out of 78 guards last season, almost exclusively due to a poor run blocking grade. While his pass blocking numbers were middle-of-the-pack, Jerry was the NFL’s third-worst run blocking guard, per PFF.
Still, Jerry was durable, playing more than 1,150 offensive snaps for the Giants, and at a rate of just $1.65MM per year, he certainly doesn’t need to be one of the league’s best offensive linemen to provide value. With Weston Richburg expected to shift to center for the 2015 season, Jerry and Geoff Schwartz will likely enter the year as the club’s starting guards.
Panthers Sign Kurt Coleman
The Panthers have officially signed safety Kurt Coleman, the team announced today (via Twitter). Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer first reported (via Twitter) that Coleman was expected to sign with Carolina, while David Newton of ESPN.com tweets that it’s a two-year deal.
Coleman, 26, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Eagles, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2010 draft. Although he was the team’s starter at free safety in 2011 and 2012, he played a reduced role in 2013 before joining the Chiefs in 2014. The Ohio State product saw his defensive playing time increase once again in Kansas City, as he logged 37 tackles and grabbed three interceptions for the season.
When Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star examined Coleman’s free agency last month, he indicated that the veteran safety would be seeking a team that would give him a chance to compete for a starting job. Coleman should get that opportunity in Carolina, for a Panthers team that parted ways with Thomas DeCoud earlier this year.
Financial terms of the contract aren’t yet known, but Paylor speculated in February that Coleman would likely be seeking a salary in the range of $1.5-2MM per year.
Cecil Shorts Visiting Texans
Free agent wideout Cecil Shorts spent the first four years of his NFL career in Jacksonville, and now he appears to be mulling the possibility of joining another AFC South team. According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter), Shorts is paying a visit to the Texans.
While the two sides aren’t on the verge of any sort of contract agreement at this point, a positive visit in Houston for Shorts could ultimately lead to a deal. The Texans are in the market for a veteran wideout to complement DeAndre Hopkins after having parted ways with Andre Johnson earlier this month. With Johnson having signed with the Colts and Shorts considering the Texans, the AFC South could be undergoing a wide receiver version of musical chairs this month.
In a follow-up tweet, McClain notes that he expects Houston to add a veteran receiver via free agency and then to draft a wideout in the first two rounds this spring as well, with a focus on speed. Although Shorts’ yards per catch averaged dipped to just 10.5 in 2014, he served as a deep threat for the Jaguars earlier in his career, racking up 979 yards and seven touchdowns on only 55 receptions in his first season as a starter in 2012.
The Jets and Chargers have also been mentioned as potential suitors for Shorts.
King’s Latest: Peterson, Hardy, Winston
After publishing a Wednesday Morning Quarterback last week to recap a crazy first day of NFL free agency, Peter King of TheMMQB.com returns to his usual Monday Morning Quarterback piece this week, and the latest installment includes several noteworthy tidbits from around the league. Let’s round up the highlights….
- Addressing a report about the Cardinals‘ possible interest in Adrian Peterson, King cites a “reliable Cardinals source” who indicates Arizona hasn’t had any contact with the Vikings about Peterson. “There is no way we could live with those numbers,” the source said, referring to the three years and $45MM left on the running back’s contract. “We just got Larry Fitzgerald’s contract under control. No way we’d add that salary.”
- One general manager tells King that Greg Hardy is on his club’s free agent list, “but pretty far down.” Many teams believe the veteran defensive end will be suspended by the league for the first six games of the 2015 season.
- Jameis Winston isn’t currently planning to attend the 2015 NFL draft in Chicago, preferring to spend it with family and friends down south, says King.
- King thinks a team like the Falcons or Buccaneers would be a nice fit for free agent pass rusher Dwight Freeney.
- The Jets likely would have blown any rival offer for Darrelle Revis out of the water, so even if the Patriots had been willing to get into the neighborhood of New York’s five-year, $70MM proposal, the Jets probably would’ve just upped the ante.
- The Cowboys started out at a $5MM-per-year price tag for DeMarco Murray, and were willing to stretch that to $6MM annually, but never considered matching the Eagles‘ final offer, which got up to $8MM+.
NFLPA Re-Elects DeMaurice Smith
Despite a crowded field that featured eight challengers, reigning executive director DeMaurice Smith was re-elected by the NFL Players Association last night in Hawaii by the league’s team player reps, per Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (via Twitter). The decision ensures that Smith gets another three-year term heading the NFLPA.
Outside of Smith, Jim Acho, Sean Gilbert, Robert Griffith, Rob London, Art McAfee, John Stufflebeam, Andrew Smith and Jason Belser were also vying for the union’s executive director position. Belser, who has worked under Smith as part of the NFLPA in recent years, was viewed as perhaps the strongest challenger.
Nonetheless, one executive committee member, veteran safety Ryan Clark, tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link) that the vote to re-elect Smith was unanimous on the first ballot. Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link) pushes back on that report, suggesting that the first vote wasn’t unanimous, with the player reps re-voting to exhibit solidarity. Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that Smith at least got the majority he needed for re-election during the first round of voting, so it wasn’t a contentious process.
The current Collective Bargaining Agreement is widely considered to be more owner-friendly than player-friendly, which made Smith vulnerable to challengers. However, with nine candidates in the running for the position, the field may have been slightly diluted, pushing players to align themselves with the candidate they knew best, rather than rallying around another contender.
Smith’s candidacy may also have received a bit of a boost in the wake of some of the lucrative free agent contracts signed by players within the last several days.
Latest On Greg Hardy
SATURDAY, 9:06pm: Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie buried the Hardy-to-Oakland rumors, telling CSNCalifornia’s Scott Bair the team doesn’t have “any intention” of pursuing him (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 2:18pm: Speaking to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, Mark Davis called rumors of the Raiders’ interest in Hardy “false, falser, and falsest.”
“He’s somebody we are not negotiating with and I don’t believe we would be interested in at this point in time,” Davis said. “I can tell you this: It has not been brought up to me and it would have to come to me.”
FRIDAY, 1:35pm: Bill Williamson of ESPN.com and Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links) have both been told by sources that the Raiders aren’t engaged in discussions with Hardy about a deal.
FRIDAY, 10:43am: Hardy is in negotiations with at least one team, and is drawing interest from others, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus, who suggests to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that his client’s market may be more lucrative than expected. Per Schefter, Rosenhaus expects Hardy to earn a “strong multiyear deal.”
“It’s a very positive situation,” Rosenhaus said. “While we’re waiting to hear from the league, we’re working through it, and it has been very encouraging.”
Gus Bradley, the head coach of one team that has been linked to Hardy, said today that the defensive end’s name has not come up in the Jaguars’ free agent discussions, per Nick Kostos of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 7:55am: With two more free agent pass rushers coming off the board this morning, teams looking to generate an outside pass rush may soon have to make a decision on whether to seriously pursue Greg Hardy, who is still awaiting word on potential discipline from the NFL. Reports this week have suggested about a half-dozen teams are eyeing Hardy, but they’re proceeding with caution due to Hardy’s off-field history and the possibility that he’ll be facing a suspension.
It appears one of those clubs with interest in Hardy is the Raiders. Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post first reported (via Twitter) that Oakland is considering the former Panthers defensive end, and the team’s interest has since been confirmed by others, including Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
While Hardy certain makes sense for the Raiders from an on-field perspective, it would be a surprise if the team was seriously considering adding him, based on the franchise’s stance on domestic violence. Owner Mark Davis has said in the past that players with that sort of history won’t receive too long a look from the Raiders — most recently, Davis told Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, “We just said it’s not going to be something that we tolerate here.”
Of course, Hardy wasn’t found guilty in his domestic violence case, but there are still concerns about the situation after he reached a civil settlement with the alleged victim. For now, the 26-year-old, who had 15 sacks in 2013 before missing most of the 2014 season, remains on the commissioner’s exempt list as the league completes its review of his case. Hardy remains eligible to sign a new contract, even on the exempt list.
Another potential suitor for Hardy could be the Jaguars — GM David Caldwell didn’t rule out the possibility of pursuing him when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday.
Dolphins Losing Interest In Charles Clay?
SATURDAY, 8:22pm: The Dolphins are ready to bow out of the Clay duel with the Bills after “losing patience” with their transition-tagged tight end, the Buffalo News’ Tim Graham reports on Twitter.
FRIDAY, 3:58pm: The Bills won’t give Clay an offer sheet today, but it’s still expected to happen at some point, a source tells Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 12:46pm: Having agreed to trade Dannell Ellerbe to the Saints, the Dolphins will clear some additional cap room and are still trying to sign Clay to a long-term extension, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
FRIDAY, 8:09am: After snatching tight end Jordan Cameron away from the Browns yesterday and signing him to a two-year deal, the Dolphins decided not to rescind their transition tender to Charles Clay. On the surface, the move suggests that Miami would still like to keep Clay, and would be fine rolling with both tight ends in 2015 and beyond. However, the decision may also signal an ongoing game of chicken between the Dolphins and their division rivals in Buffalo.
The Bills’ interest in Clay has been well documented over the last week, and having released Scott Chandler and watched Lee Smith sign with the Raiders, Buffalo badly needs a tight end. That’s why the Bills were reportedly preparing to sign Clay to an aggressive offer sheet that would be difficult for Miami to match.
Although the Bills may still structure their offer to make things hard on Miami, they now have to consider whether doing so would only make things harder on themselves. After all, there’s little chance that the Dolphins would match an expensive long-term offer for Clay now that they’ve locked up Cameron. So the Bills may just end up sticking themselves with a frontloaded contract for the tight end, and that may be why Miami hasn’t rescinded that transition tag — doing so would allow Clay to sign with Buffalo immediately, without the Fins having the right to match.
In any case, the Bills are still preparing to make an offer to Clay today or Saturday, and they believe they’ll get him, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Having already added LeSean McCoy, the Bills are also hoping they can add Percy Harvin on a one-year deal to complement Sammy Watkins. Whether it’s Matt Cassel, EJ Manuel, or Tyrod Taylor heading the team’s offense next season, it’s clear Buffalo is doing everything it can to ensure that its starting quarterback has plenty of weapons at his disposal.
Bills Sign Tyrod Taylor, Easley, Wynn
SATURDAY, 5:14pm: Taylor reportedly turned down more money from the Broncos in favor of the Bills deal, ESPN Bills reporter Mike Rodak tweets. Taylor’s contract runs for three years, voiding to two if he emerges as a starter.
SATURDAY, 11:13am: The Bills have officially announced Wynn’s deal.
THURSDAY, 5:38pm: Taylor’s deal is for two years and can be worth up to $7MM, Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets. The deal is worth $1.2MM guaranteed.
9:26am: The Bills have confirmed to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link) that they have indeed signed Taylor.
9:23am: The Bills have reached agreements with three players to new contracts, including two of their own free agents, according to reports today. Head coach Rex Ryan confirmed on The Fan 590 in Toronto that his team has added quarterback Tyrod Taylor (link via Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550), while Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports (via Twitter) that Buffalo has re-signed special-teamer Marcus Easley and defensive end Jarius Wynn.
Taylor, whose deal has only been confirmed by Ryan so far, was Joe Flacco‘s quarterback in Baltimore in recent years. Having paid a visit to Buffalo this week, he’ll likely be third on the Bills’ depth chart behind Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel, assuming he has in fact finalized a contract with the team, as the head coach suggests.
According to Wilson, Easley’s new deal is a four-year pact worth $7MM, with $2.2MM of that total guaranteed. While Easley is listed on the team’s roster as a wide receiver, he’s rarely used on offense, serving primarily as a special teams ace. In 2014, he had 11 tackles in kick and punt coverage after racking up 19 in 2013.
As for Wynn, his new two-year deal is worth $2.2MM, with a $250K signing bonus, per Wilson. With Jerry Hughes back in the fold, Wynn will likely once again serve as a reserve and part-time contributor, seeing occasional playing time on the ends behind Hughes and Mario Williams.
Raiders Sign Dan Williams, Curtis Lofton
MARCH 13: Lofton’s deal is for three years and carries a total value of $18MM ($10MM in guarantees), according to ESPN’s Bill Williamson (via Twitter). Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweeted earlier Friday that Williams’ contract is worth $25MM over four years. It includes $15.5MM in guarantees.
MARCH 11: The Raiders missed out on a few of their top targets in the early wave of free agency over the weekend, but the team is poised to add two solid defenders to its roster, Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com reports. According to Wright (Twitter link), the Raiders are signing defensive tackle Dan Williams and linebacker Curtis Lofton. The terms of the deals are not yet known.
Lofton, 28, was one of the most dependable and durable pieces on the Saints’ defense in recent years, starting all 48 regular season contests for the team since arriving in New Orleans in 2012. In 2014, he racked up 145 tackles to go along with a forced fumble. However, while his stats looked solid on the surface, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him as a bottom-five inside linebacker, out of 60 qualified players. Money was tight for New Orleans and Lofton no longer looked like he was worth his salary, so the Saints cut him loose earlier this week.
The Raiders were heavily connected to Terrance Knighton, one of the top defensive tackles on the open market this offseason, but they turned their attention to Williams once their appetite for Pot Roast had waned. We learned Tuesday afternoon that Williams had a deal in place with a team, and we now know that his home will be with the Raiders. Williams was also linked to the Lions, Giants, and Washington at different points in recent days. The 27-year-old Williams, who ranked as the No. 33 free agent on PFR’s Top 50 list, has started 40 games in his five-year career, all with the Cardinals, who selected him in the first round of the 2010 draft.