Jets, Bilal Powell Agree To Deal
8:51pm: Powell’s new one-year pact is worth $2MM, with a $750K signing bonus, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter).
11:46am: It’s a one-year deal for Powell with the Jets, tweets Mehta.
10:30am: The Jets have agreed to terms with running back Bilal Powell on a new deal that will keep him off the free agent market, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). As Mehta notes (via Twitter), Powell had been contemplating a reunion with Rex Ryan in Buffalo, but ultimately decided to stay with New York.
Powell, 26, has been with the Jets since being selected by the team in the fourth round of the 2011 draft. Although he saw a career-high 176 rushing attempts in 2013, he typically hasn’t been a real work horse for the team, contributing as a pass blocker and a special teams player. In 2014, he generally saw about 10 to 20 offensive snaps per game, recording 141 rushing yards, 92 receiving yards, and six special teams tackles for the season.
Even though they’re not really similar players, Powell’s new deal will likely take the Jets out of the market for C.J. Spiller, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that the team doesn’t have interest in Spiller anyway.
As for the Bills, now that they won’t land Powell, their path toward keeping Fred Jackson becomes easier. In fact, it may have been the team’s decision to keep Jackson on its roster that nudged Powell back to the Jets.
Bills Acquire Matt Cassel
MARCH 10, 6:30pm: Cassel has passed his physical and is now officially a member of the Bills, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Tim Graham of the Buffalo News tweets that Cassel initially failed his physical with the team on account of a broken foot. However, the Bills passed him because of the minimal risk associated with the injury.
MARCH 4, 11:53am: According to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (via Twitter), the Bills are sending one of their 2015 fifth-round picks (from the Buccaneers) and a 2016 seventh-rounder to the Vikings for Cassel, and will get a 2015 sixth-rounder back from Minnesota.
MARCH 4, 11:36am: Following their reported acquisition of LeSean McCoy, the Bills have struck another deal to add an offensive starter. The team announced today that it has agreed to terms with the Vikings on a trade that will send Matt Cassel and an undisclosed draft pick to Buffalo in exchange for two undisclosed picks. Like the McCoy swap, this trade can’t be made official until the new league year begins next Tuesday, but the two sides are in agreement.
Cassel, who turns 33 in May, started just three games for the Vikings in 2014 before a broken foot landing him on the injured reserve list, ending his season. Given the way Teddy Bridgewater took the starting job and ran with it after Cassel went down, the veteran wouldn’t have been more than a backup had he returned to Minnesota — in Buffalo, he’ll get a chance to compete for the starting job.
Cassel, who is entering the final season of a two-year contract he inked last winter, is owed a base salary of $4.15MM, along with a roster bonus of $500K (due March 17) and a $100K workout bonus. The Bills will assume all those amounts, for a total cap hit of $4.75MM, leaving no dead money on Minnesota’s books for the coming year.
After starting his career with the Patriots, Cassel saw his first action as a starter during the 2008 season when Tom Brady was sidelined for the year. He parlayed a solid season in New England into a free agent deal with the Chiefs, and while his stint with Kansas City had some bright stops – including a Pro Bowl 2010 season – the team decided to move on from the signal-caller after a 2012 campaign in which he threw for just six touchdowns to 12 interceptions.
In Buffalo this summer, Cassel figures to battle with EJ Manuel for the No. 1 job, and if the club’s goal is to contend immediately, Rex Ryan and his staff may opt for the veteran. With McCoy expected to be in the mix, and last year’s fourth overall pick Sammy Watkins developing into a big-play threat, Cassel would have some solid weapons at his disposal if he wins the job. The trade allows the Bills to avoid diving into a free agent market where the top available options would have been players like Mark Sanchez, Brian Hoyer, and Jake Locker.
Of course, the Vikings may now become players in that market. While there’s no question that Bridgewater will enter the 2015 season as Minnesota’s top signal-caller, Christian Ponder is eligible for free agency, meaning Bridgewater will be the only QB on the team’s roster as of next Tuesday. Signing a veteran backup as an insurance policy for the second-year man makes some sense for the Vikes.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jets Release Percy Harvin
4:30pm: The Jets have confirmed the transaction, making it official.
TUESDAY, 8:30am: The Jets will officially release Harvin today, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
FRIDAY, 2:31pm: Confirming what most observers suspected even before the Jets agreed to acquire Brandon Marshall from the Bears earlier today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that New York is expected to release Percy Harvin.
There’s no real urgency for the team to make the move official — as long as Harvin is no longer on the roster as of March 19, the Jets will give Seattle a sixth-round pick instead of a fourth-rounder. I expect the team to finalize Harvin’s release sooner rather than later though, to allow him to hit the open market and to free up cap room.
Harvin, 26, 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.
With no dead money left on his contract, the Jets will clear Harvin’s entire $10.5MM base salary from their books by cutting him, which will also wipe out the remaining four years on his contract. Recent reports have suggested the Jets may have been open to retaining the former first-round pick at a reduced rate, but that Harvin isn’t interested in taking a pay cut, since he’s confident he’ll do well on the open market.
The draft pick the Jets send to the Seahawks in the deal for Harvin is contingent on whether or not he remains on the roster, so cutting him will ensure the team keeps its fourth-round pick, giving up its sixth-rounder instead. New York also appears set to part ways with its fifth-round pick in the trade with the Bears for Marshall, who will replace Harvin on the club’s wide receiver depth chart.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bills Preparing For Run At Charles Clay
4:26pm: Clay will in fact be visiting the Bills, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Buffalo will attempt to structure its offer sheet to Clay so that it’s difficult for the Dolphins to match, adds Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). In fact, the Bills value Clay so highly that they’d be happy with landing him and little else, tweets Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.
2:14pm: The Bills plan to prepare the strongest possible offer sheet for Clay, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, adding that the Browns are also interested in Clay.
7:20am: The transition tag isn’t expected to stop the Bills from making a run at tight end Charles Clay, says Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Clay, who received the one-year transition tender worth $7.071MM from the Dolphins last week, is still free to negotiate with other teams starting this afternoon, and according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Buffalo is preparing to make the tight end an offer.
While that offer could come as soon as today, Garafolo (via Twitter) cautions that things may not play out quite that quickly. For an unrestricted free agent, teams will race to get him to put pen to paper to finalize a deal, but for a transition player, the Dolphins will have five days to match any offer sheet, so there’s no rush to get anything done immediately. Garafolo expects the Bills to try to bring Clay in for a visit later this week.
In other Bills-related news, La Canfora notes that the team also hopes to sign former Vikings fullback Jerome Felton, who is a free agent this winter. With former Niners offensive coordinator Greg Roman ready to take over control of Buffalo’s offense, the Bills are expected to add some sort of fullback this offseason, whether it’s Felton or someone else.
Finally, speaking of San Francisco, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News adds (via Twitter) that – despite multiple reports to the contrary – the Bills weren’t actually among the teams pursuing former Niners guard Mike Iupati, who is expected to sign with the Cardinals.
Panthers Release DeAngelo Williams
MARCH 10th, 4:16pm: The Panthers officially announced that Williams has been released. The running back will be designated as a post-June 1st cut, which will save Carolina about $2MM against the cap, according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter).
FEBRUARY 23rd, 3:49pm: While Williams’ release looks inevitable, the Panthers may not make it official for a little while. As Joel Corry of CBSSports.com points out (via Twitter), Carolina would have to wait until the new league year begins on March 10 if the team wants to designate the running back as a post-June 1 cut.
2:45pm: Williams’ release isn’t official, a Panthers spokesman tells David Newton of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Of course, considering the running back himself announced it, it seems like a good bet that it will become official soon enough.
2:10pm: The Panthers have parted ways with longtime running back DeAngelo Williams, according to Molly Grantham of WBTV. Williams himself confirmed to Grantham that he was cut by the club last week during a meeting with Carolina head coach Ron Rivera and GM Dave Gettleman.
“We sat down and [they] told me ‘The fact of the matter is we’re going to have to release you,'” Williams said. “I said you know, ‘Why?’ and he said, ‘Because we don’t run the ball enough. Just like you said back before the season started, we don’t run the ball enough to keep you and both [Jonathan Stewart], so we’re going to release you.'”
Williams, a former first-round pick, is coming off the worst season of his career, one marred by injuries. The 31-year-old played only six games, and wasn’t productive when he did play, averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per carry on 62 total attempts. The Panthers had been prepared to head into the 2015 league year with three running backs among their top 10 cap numbers — Stewart, Williams, and Mike Tolbert counted for about $18MM combined, so the team had been expected to make some sort of move to address that situation.
With three years still left on his contract, including two void years, Williams would count for $6.6MM against Carolina’s cap in 2015 if the team doesn’t designate him as a post-June 1 cut. I’d expect Williams to be treated as a post-June 1 cut, allowing the Panthers to spread his cap hit over two seasons. If the team does that, the veteran running back will count for about $4.33MM in dead money on the ’15 cap, creating $2MM in cap savings.
For his part, Williams – who is eligible to sign with another team as soon as the move is official – recognizes that the Panthers are making a business decision, and says he’s not upset by the move.
“I don’t feel bitter at all. [Stewart] had the hot hand at the end of the season. He’s a great running back, obviously. I don’t feel bitter at all. It’s a business,” Williams said. “And that business comes back and reminds us year after year – whether it be Steve Smith, whether it be Jordan Gross, whether it be myself – it’s going to happen to every guy in that locker room, so it doesn’t bother me at all.”
Jets To Acquire Brandon Marshall
TUESDAY, 3:35pm: In addition to acquiring Marshall, the Jets will also be getting Chicago’s seventh-rounder, tweets Adam Schefter. The reporter confirms that New York will be sending the Bears a fifth-round pick.
FRIDAY, MARCH 6th, 4:47pm: Per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links), the Jets are tweaking Marshall’s contract as part of the deal, meaning he’ll have a chance to earn even more than the $15.8MM previously available to him over the next two seasons.
11:34am: The Jets are expected to give up a fifth-round pick in the swap, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). That makes sense, considering the team’s fourth-rounder and sixth-rounder are currently tied up in the Harvin trade.
10:08am: The Bears and Jets have reached an agreement on a trade that will send wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the Jets, pending a physical, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). News of the move, which can’t be officially completed until the new league year begins, comes a day after we learned that the Bears were exploring their trade options with regard to Marshall. The agreement was first reported by Aaron Leming of BearReport.com (via Twitter).
Marshall, who turns 31 later this month, signed a three-year contract extension with the Bears last May that locks him up through the 2017 season. However, with Marc Trestman, Phil Emery, and the old regime out of the picture in Chicago, new GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox didn’t waste much time moving in a different direction.
While it’s not clear yet what sort of compensation the Bears will receive for Marshall, the team had reportedly been seeking a mid-round draft pick, and Leming suggests the pick may end up falling in the “late” rounds. Of course, the club will also clear some cap room in the move — Marshall’s $7.5MM base salary for 2015 was due to become fully guaranteed next Thursday, and that will now be the Jets’ responsibility, rather than Chicago’s. With $5.625MM left in dead money on the Bears’ cap, the team will create nearly $4MM in cap savings.
As for the Jets, the acquisition of Marshall likely removes any of the suspense regarding the club’s decision on Percy Harvin. The team had reportedly been interested in reducing Harvin’s pay and keeping him around, but the former Seahawk didn’t seem open to that idea, and will almost certainly be released this month. Assuming the Jets cut Harvin before March 19, they’ll owe the Seahawks a sixth-round pick as compensation for the wideout, rather than a fourth-round pick.
During the 2014 season, Marshall struggled along with the rest of the Bears, totaling just 721 receiving yards and 61 catches, his worst marks since his rookie season in 2006. However, he’s only a year removed from a 100-catch season and a spot in the Pro Bowl, so if the Jets can find a quarterback to get him the ball, he should help anchor a solid receiving corps in New York, alongside Eric Decker and Jeremy Kerley.
Of course, if the Jets continue to have quarterback issues, it’s fair to wonder if the situation with Marshall could go south. The veteran wideout isn’t the type of player to quietly go about his business if things aren’t going well for him or his team. This will be the third time since 2010 that Marshall has been traded in a league where trades are rare, and his clubhouse presence has certainly played a role in a couple of those moves, if not all three of them.
Chicago, meanwhile, figures to be in the market for a wide receiver in free agency or the draft this offseason to pair with Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery is extension-eligible for the first time this winter as he heads into the final year in his contract, and I expect the Bears to seriously explore a long-term deal for him now that Marshall is out of the picture.
Schefter (Twitter link) reported earlier today that the Colts and Browns had also spoken to the Bears about Marshall.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Broncos Re-Sign Virgil Green
2:53pm: The deal is worth $8.4MM over three years, per Renck.
2:19pm: The Broncos have officially announced their new deal with Green. It’s a three-year pact, according to the team.
2:13pm: He didn’t catch double-digit touchdowns last season, and he wasn’t on anyone’s list of top free agents for this offseason, but tight end Virgil Green will be returning to the Broncos, tweets Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. Green, like Julius Thomas, had been eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this week.
Green, 26, actually ranked just ahead of Thomas on Pro Football Focus’ overall tight end rankings in 2014, in large part due to his excellent run blocking (subscription required). Green isn’t much of a pass-catching threat – his six catches in 2014 brought his career total up to just 23 – so the Broncos figure to pair him with someone who can be involved in the aerial attack. Owen Daniels, who is very comfortable with Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison, looks like the favorite for that role. The team is reportedly set to host Daniels for a visit on Wednesday.
While a Saturday report indicated Green had six to eight “serious” suitors, his decision appeared to come down to the Broncos and Bears. As Legwold notes, Green informed the Bears today that he intended to remain in Denver.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported earlier today that the Broncos were the frontrunners for Green.
Broncos Re-Sign Johnson, Will Host Daniels
The Broncos have reached an agreement to re-sign linebacker Steven Johnson, who had been eligible for restricted free agency, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Rather than tendering him an offer worth $1.542MM, the team appears to have worked out a one-year deal worth less than that.
Johnson saw an increased role on the defensive side of the ball in the second half of the 2014 season, playing in 215 total snaps on defense for the Broncos. Typically though, he has primarily been a special teams contributor — he recorded 11 tackles in kick and punt coverage last season.
In addition to re-signing Johnson, the Broncos have also been busy trying to fill the void left by the departing Julius Thomas at tight end. According to Klis, tight end Owen Daniels, who has a long history with new Denver coach Gary Kubiak, will visit with the team on Wednesday.
While the Broncos appear set to lose Thomas to Jacksonville, the team seems to be in good position to bring back its other free agent tight end. Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that the Broncos are the frontrunners to sign Virgil Green, who is weighing strong interest from multiple teams and is close to making a decision.
Contract Details: Suh, Cobb, Jackson, Graham
Here’s a round-up of a few notable details on new contracts from around the NFL:
- Ndamukong Suh, DT (Dolphins); $60MM guarantee is fully guaranteed at signing (Twitter link via Pro Football Talk).
- Randall Cobb, WR (Packers): Four years, $40MM base value. $13MM signing bonus. $3.5MM roster bonus in March 2016, $5.35MM cap hit for 2015 (Twitter links via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com).
- Kareem Jackson, CB (Texans): Four years, $34MM base value. $9MM signing bonus. $4MM roster bonus due this weekend (Twitter link via Corry).
- Brandon Graham, OLB (Eagles): Four years, $26MM base value. $4MM signing bonus. $14MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- Cary Williams, CB (Seahawks): Three years, $18MM base value. $3.5MM signing bonus. $7MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Mark Sanchez, QB (Eagles): Two years, $9MM. $2MM signing bonus. $5.5MM guaranteed. Escalators for playing time, playoffs (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Ryan Mallett, QB (Texans): Two years, $7MM base value. $1.75MM of $2.5MM 2015 salary guaranteed (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Brian Hartline, WR (Browns): Two years, $6MM base value. $1.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Tyvon Branch, S (Chiefs): One year, $2.1MM base value. $200K signing bonus. $2MM in playing-time, INT, Super Bowl incentives (Twitter links via Wilson).
NFC FA Rumors: Irving, Cowboys, Falcons
The Cardinals are expected to lock up former Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon to a new contract once free agency opens, but the team has interest in adding two free agent linebackers, not just one, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport reports that Nate Irving could be that second linebacker, as the former Bronco is likely to visit Arizona this week.
- The Cowboys have some interest in free agent cornerback Antonio Cromartie, tweets Rapoport. Cromartie has been almost exclusively linked to the Jets, but there’s no agreement in place between the two sides yet.
- Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets that he has been told “repeatedly” that the Falcons aren’t real players for Brian Orakpo. However, Jones adds that Atlanta does appear to have interest in another Washington free agent, wide receiver Leonard Hankerson.
- Running back Antone Smith has yet to hear a whole lot about his free agent status, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, who says (via Twitter) that the Falcons would like to bring him back. Smith has also reportedly drawn some interest from the Giants.
- In the wake of the Saints‘ release of Curtis Lofton, there’s mutual interest between the team and Ramon Humber in getting a deal done to help bolster the inside linebacker spot, tweets Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com.
- No longer a free agent, Randall Cobb told reporters today, including Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link) that he had five other offers when he decided to return to the Packers, and got a sixth after he had made his decision.
- After offering him a contract, the Vikings remain in contact with quarterback Shaun Hill, who has yet to make a decision, tweets Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.