Minor Moves: Vikings, Bears, Saints, Bills
A couple of more notable free agents have come off the board today, including cornerback Aaron Berry and center Jonathan Goodwin. However, there are also a handful of under-the-radar moves to round up. Here are Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- After being cut by the Browns on Friday, defensive back Julian Posey has been claimed off waivers by the Vikings, the club announced today (Twitter link). Another defensive back, Kip Edwards, was waived to make room on Minnesota’s roster for Posey.
- The Bears have signed undrafted free agent cornerback Al Louis-Jean, the team confirmed today (via Twitter). Louis-Jean, who played his college ball at Boston College before leaving early, auditioned for Chicago at last month’s rookie minicamp.
- Guard Mike Golic Jr. and linebacker Spencer Hadley, who both signed with the Saints last month, have been cut, according to Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune (via Twitter).
- Former Syracuse center Macky MacPherson has signed with the Bills, bringing the team’s roster to the maximum 90 players, tweets ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak.
Jermichael Finley Visited Patriots
Free agent tight end Jermichael Finley paid a visit to New England to meet with the Patriots, reports ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Agent Blake Baratz told Pro Football Talk last week that his client a Friday visit scheduled but declined to identify the team. It appears the Pats were that club, as PFT speculated at the time.
Finley, 27, met with the Seahawks early in the free agent period, but Seattle is reportedly no longer in the mix for the former Packer. While the Pats and ‘Hawks are the only two teams to host Finley so far, the veteran tight end, who was voted by PFR readers as the best free agent still on the market in May, should garner some interest, particularly now that he has been medically cleared by his personal doctor and is no longer linked to future compensatory draft picks.
Although his 2013 campaign was cut short by his spinal injury, Finley was one of Aaron Rodgers‘ top weapons in Green Bay in previous years, averaging 58 receptions, 717 receiving yards, and five touchdowns per season in 2011 and 2012.
Broncos Sign Cody Latimer, Two Others
3:50pm: Paradis has also signed his four-year deal, the team announced in a press release. The offensive lineman is the 200th of 256 total draftees to reach an agreement.
3:38pm: One of the NFL’s two teams that had yet to sign any draftees coming into the day, the Broncos have sprung into action, locking up a pair of picks and working on deals with two more. Second-round receiver Cody Latimer announced on Twitter that he has signed his rookie contract with Denver, and the club confirmed in a press release that seventh-round linebacker Corey Nelson has also inked his deal.
In addition to the pair of draftees who already signed, the Broncos are also closing in on agreements with fifth-round linebacker Lamin Barrow and sixth-round center Matt Paradis, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Klis adds that the club’s other two drafted players – first-round cornerback Bradley Roby and third-round tackle Michael Schofield – are expected to complete their respective deals within the next 10 days or so.
Latimer will be in line for a signing bonus worth about $1.017MM, while Nelson’s will be a more modest $48.6K, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. Now that Denver has secured two of its draftees, the Rams are the league’s only club without any draft picks under contract. As our tracker shows, only 57 players remain unsigned, and 11 of those are St. Louis’ picks.
Patriots Sign Jimmy Garoppolo
The Patriots have locked up their second-round pick, announcing today in a press release that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has signed his four-year rookie deal. The agreement with Garoppolo means that only first-round defensive tackle Dominique Easley remains unsigned, with eight of the club’s nine draftees now under contract.
Garoppolo, the 62nd overall pick, was viewed as New England’s potential quarterback of the future when he was selected, but with Tom Brady and Ryan Mallett both still in the picture for 2014, he doesn’t figure to see the field anytime soon. In fact, owner Bob Kraft suggested last week that the rookie signal-caller is “disaster insurance” and that he hopes Garoppolo won’t see regular action for the Pats for quite some time.
Per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, the Eastern Illinois product will be in line for a signing bonus worth about $854K and an overall four-year contract worth approximately $3.484MM.
Latest On Daryl Washington
Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington is facing a year-long suspension from the NFL, but the team doesn’t intend to cut ties with him at this point, says ESPN.com’s Ed Werder. According to Werder, there are two reasons the Cards won’t release Washington: The acceleration of dead money would increase the linebacker’s 2014 cap hit (from $6MM to $11.5MM) and the team would no longer be in position to recoup a portion of his $10MM option bonus.
As Werder explains, even though a prorated portion of that bonus applies to the cap in 2014, none of the $10MM has actually been paid yet. By keeping Washington on the roster through March, Arizona triggered that bonus, but Joel Corry of CBSSports tweets that it’s scheduled to be paid in three separate future installments. As such, the Cards will be looking to at least avoid paying the first $2.5MM installment which applies to the 2014 season, though it remains to be seen what happens with the rest of the bonus.
While the Cardinals attempt to recoup some of the money owed to Washington, the team will place the 27-year-old on the reserve-suspended list, writes Werder. In addition to potentially forfeiting $2.5MM in option bonus money, Washington is also expected to lose his $2.9MM base salary, $100K in workout bonuses, and about $457K in prorated signing bonus money.
Giants Waive Will Hill
On the heels of the announcement that he’ll be suspended for the first six games of the 2014 season, Will Hill has been waived by the Giants, the club announced today in a press release. Several reports, including one from Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News last week, suggested that Hill’s stint with the Giants would likely come to an end after his latest transgression.
Hill, 24, started 10 of the 12 games he appeared in for the Giants last season, and played well, compiling 77 tackles and creating a handful of turnovers (two INTs, two forced fumbles, one recovery). Pro Football Focus’ grades ranked Hill as the league’s second-best safety in 2013, behind only Devin McCourty (subscription required), but off-field issues and character red flags have always loomed over his on-field performance.
The latest suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy is Hill’s third, and while it prompted the Giants to cut ties with him, that doesn’t mean another team won’t take a flier. Even though Hill won’t be eligible to appear in more than 10 regular-season games in 2014, his minimum salary contract ($570K) is affordable, and wouldn’t come with any long-term risk. We should find out within the next 24-48 hours whether or not Hill passes through waivers and becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Jets Sign Calvin Pryor
The Jets have officially signed first-round safety Calvin Pryor, the team announced today in a press release. The 18th overall pick last month, Pryor was the first safety to come off the board, and was the sixth consecutive defensive player to be selected in the first round by the Jets.
In three seasons at Louisville, Pryor racked up 218 tackles and 14 passes defended to go along with seven interceptions. Per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, the new Jets defensive back should be in line for a signing bonus worth nearly $4.548MM, with an overall four-year value of about $8.563MM on his contract. The deal will also include a fifth-year team option for the 2018 season.
Pryor becomes the 11th of 12 draftees to ink his rookie contract, with only third-round cornerback Dexter McDougle still unsigned. To follow all of 2014’s draft pick signings, be sure to check out our tracker.
Lions Sign Two Players, Cut Vaughn Martin
The Lions have maxed out their roster at 90 players by adding two and releasing one. According to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter), edge defender Kalonji Kashama and wide receiver Cody Wilson will take the final two spots on the 90-man roster, while defensive lineman Vaughn Martin will be cut to make room.
Martin signed a two-year, $4MM deal with the Dolphins in March of 2013, but underwent surgery for a sports hernia and was released by the team early in the ’13 season. The 28-year-old, who previously spent four seasons with the Chargers, inked a minimum salary deal with the Lions earlier this offseason, but failed to last even until training camp. He’ll come away with the $65K bonus he earned at the time of his signing, as well as modest workout bonuses for his participation in the team’s offseason program.
As for Kashama and Wilson, both players are local products — Kashama played his college ball at Eastern Michigan, while Wilson attended Central Michigan. Both players figure to be long shots to earn spots on the team’s regular-season roster.
Cowboys Considering Urlacher, Vilma
In the wake of Sean Lee‘s season-ending ACL injury, the Cowboys are weighing their options at the linebacker position, which includes eyeing some veteran free agents. According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Dallas is evaluating Brian Urlacher and Jonathan Vilma, among others. Regarding Urlacher, Werder adds (via Twitter) that nothing is imminent, but that the former Bear “took notice” when Lee went down and a hole opened up in the Cowboys’ starting lineup.
Urlacher and Vilma are a couple of the more notable names available on a free agent market that also includes linebackers like Pat Angerer and Dan Connor. Still, even if the Cowboys decide to add one of those free agents, that player wouldn’t be relied upon to fill Lee’s role himself — Werder notes that the club figures to use a two-man platoon.
It’s also possible that the Cowboys will simply elect to roll with their in-house options. Although the team has watched tape and evaluated guys like Urlacher and Vilma, a Dallas source tells Werder that the Cowboys don’t have a ton of interest in either player (Twitter link). We’ll have to wait and see if that’s a smokescreen or an indication that the club will pass on veteran free agents.
Browns Sign Aaron Berry
The Browns have officially kicked off the post-June 1 free agent period, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed defensive back Aaron Berry. The team hosted Berry for a free agent visit back in March, then had him in for an audition more recently.
Berry, who played with current Browns head coach Mike Pettine in 2012 when Pettine was the Jets’ defensive coordinator, missed last season due to an ACL injury, and was never a regular, full-season contributor on defense during his previous stints with the Lions and Jets. Still, when given the chance to start three games and appear in 478 defensive snaps in 2011 in Detroit, he played well, recording 36 tackles and grading as an above-average coverage corner, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The 25-year-old figures to compete for a roster spot in Cleveland and perhaps play on special teams if he makes the club.
As I explained last week, we should expect to see an increase in signings after June 1 passes, since a number of teams gained extra cap space as a result of post-June 1 cuts, and free agents are no longer tied to future draft pick compensation.