Bears Release Earl Bennett
3:40pm: The Bears have officially cut Bennett, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
2:20pm: The Bears have shopped Bennett in trade talks, his contract and the inevitably of his release make a deal unlikely, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
12:50pm: Earlier this month, we heard that the Bears hadn’t asked wide receiver Earl Bennett to take a pay cut, but that has changed within the last couple weeks. According to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago (via Twitter), Bennett declined the Bears’ request to reduce his pay, and the team appears likely to release the veteran receiver.
With two years remaining on his contract, Bennett is no longer owed any guaranteed money, so the Bears could clear his entire $2.45MM cap number for 2014 from their books by cutting him. Bennett, who has been with Chicago since being drafted by the team in the third round in 2008, finished last season as the No. 3 receiver on the depth chart behind Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. 2013 draft pick Marquess Wilson has now emerged as the early favorite to fill that role, according to Dickerson (via Twitter).
Dickerson also reported that the Bears were in a similar situation with receiver and return man Eric Weems, who will likely be cut if he doesn’t accept a pay cut. It’s not clear if he has made a decision one way or the other yet though.
Saints, Erik Lorig Agree To Four-Year Deal
3:37pm: Lorig’s four-year contract is worth a total of $4.8MM, including a $1MM signing bonus and annual $40K workout bonuses, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, who also tweets the annual base salaries.
11:20am: The Saints have agreed to terms with fullback Erik Lorig on a new contract, the team announced today (Twitter link via senior VP of communications Greg Bensel). Lorig will sign a four-year deal to play in New Orleans.
Lorig has spent the first four seasons of his NFL career in Tampa Bay, appearing in 432 offensive snaps in 2012 and 391 in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The 27-year-old occasionally catches balls out of the backfield, having hauled in 23 receptions over the last two seasons, but is used primarily as a blocker. According to PFF, he has graded slightly above average as a pass blocker and slightly below average as a run blocker.
New Orleans’ own fullback, Jed Collins, was eligible for restricted free agency, but didn’t receive a contract tender from the club. While a report last week suggested the Saints still had interest in re-signing Collins, it appears Lorig will replace him on the roster. Meanwhile, the Lions are hosting Collins for a free agent visit, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Jaguars Sign Tandon Doss
3:34pm: Doss’ two-year contract features base salaries worth the minimum, and includes a $65K signing bonus along with $25K annual workout bonuses, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
10:24am: The Jaguars have signed wide receiver Tandon Doss, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter). Doss had been eligible for restricted free agency this offseason, but the Ravens decided not to extend an RFA tender to him.
After seeing very limited action in his first two NFL seasons, Doss earned a bit of an expanded role in 2013. In 15 games with the Ravens, The 24-year-old grabbed 19 balls for 305 yards, and also returned 23 punts, averaging a league-best 15.6 yards per return and recording a TD.
Doss figures to provide Jacksonville some depth at receiver and could handle punt return duties as well, depending on whether the team prefers him to Ace Sanders. According to O’Halloran (via Twitter), Doss also drew interest from the Giants, Steelers, and Falcons before agreeing to terms with the Jaguars.
Bears Agree To Sign Israel Idonije
3:32pm: Idonije’s one-year contract will be worth $955K, the minimum salary, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
12:15pm: After spending a year with the Lions, defensive lineman Israel Idonije is returning to Chicago. Pro Football Talk reports that the Bears have agree to terms with Idonije, who spent his first nine NFL seasons in Chicago. It’ll be a one-year deal, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
Idonije, didn’t see the field as much for the Lions in 2013 as he had in his previous few seasons with the Bears, appearing in just 347 defensive snaps. From 2010 to 2012, the veteran played defensive end and tackle for Chicago, recording 20.5 total sacks and pressuring the quarterback at least 45 times each season, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced stats (subscription required). At age 33, Idonije likely won’t see that much playing time during his second stint with the Bears, but he could be an effective part-timer for the club.
The Bears have been active in the defensive linemen market this offseason, having already added Willie Young and Lamarr Houston to help make up for the loss of Julius Peppers.
Bears To Sign Craig Steltz, Danny McCray
The Bears have agreed to terms on one-year contracts with safeties Craig Steltz and Danny McCray, the team announced today (via Twitter). It’s a return to the team for Steltz, while McCray will head to Chicago from the Cowboys.
Steltz saw limited action on defense, playing 88 of his 123 total snaps in Week 13 against the Vikings, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). However, the 27-year-old was a core piece of the special teams unit, recording 12 tackles on kick and punt returns.
McCray, 26, played a similar role in Dallas, only seeing nine total snaps on defense, but logging seven special teams tackles. The LSU alum played a larger role in 2012, starting 10 games at strong safety, but figures to assume a reserve role in Chicago.
Raiders Sign James Jones
TUESDAY, 3:23pm: The base value of Jones’ three-year deal is an even $10MM, with $3.65MM in guaranteed money, as Albert Breer of the NFL Network Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun detail (Twitter links).
MONDAY, 6:38pm: Jones’ deal is for three years and $11.3MM, per Schefter (via Twitter).
4:45pm: The Raiders have reached an agreement with James Jones that will bring the free agent wide receiver to Oakland, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Schefter (via Twitter), Jones will ink a three-year deal and reunite with general manager Reggie McKenzie, a longtime Packers executive before he took over the GM job in Oakland.
Jones, 29, finally emerged as a full-time starter in Green Bay over the last couple seasons, due in part to injuries and free agent departures. He responded by setting career-highs in receptions (64) and TDs (14) in 2012, then establishing a new career-high in receiving yards (817) in 2013. Like Eric Decker, Jones benefited from having a future Hall of Fame quarterback throwing him the ball and shouldn’t be counted on as a No. 1 receiver, but he makes a nice addition to a Raiders offense that could use another weapon or two.
Prior to reaching an agreement with the Raiders, Jones was linked to the Panthers, Jets, and Lions. While the Jets and Lions made significant splashes with their own receiver additions this week (Decker and Golden Tate, respectively), the Panthers’ receiving corps may be in real trouble. Carolina has already lost Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell, and Ted Ginn Jr. this offseason, and sees another reliable veteran come off the board with Jones landing in Oakland.
Contract Details: DRC, Hauschka, Edelman
We’ve got plenty more contract details to round up, so let’s dive right in….
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and Albert Breer of the NFL Network pass along several key details on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie‘s contract with the Giants, which seems to include $12MM in fully guaranteed money, and a little more in salary guaranteed for injury only. Here are the relevant Twitter links to read up on all the specifics.
- Wilson also shares the specifics on Steven Hauschka‘s three-year contract with the Seahawks (Twitter link), Walter Thurmond‘s one-year deal with the Giants (Twitter link), and Dane Fletcher‘s one-year deal with the Bucs (Twitter link).
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has been doing a great job all week getting finalized contract details up in his database, and he passed along several new entries today. Among them: The Raiders‘ two-year deals for LaMarr Woodley and Justin Tuck, the Eagles‘ extension for Darren Sproles, and the Saints‘ five-year pact with Zach Strief.
- Julian Edelman received a $5MM signing bonus from the Patriots on his new contract, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
- John Keim of ESPN.com has the details on Santana Moss‘ minimum salary benefit contract and Clifton Geathers‘ two-year deal with the Redskins.
- Although Michael Oher‘s four-year deal with the Titans was initially reported as including $9.5MM in guaranteed money, it’s actually a little less than that, and only $6MM is fully guaranteed, with another $3.35MM guaranteed for injury only. Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com has the details.
- Emmanuel Sanders‘ three-year, $15MM contract with the Broncos features $6MM in guaranteed money and cap hits of $6MM (2014), $4MM (2015), and $5MM (2016), tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
- Updating his earlier report on Charles Tillman‘s contract with the Bears, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets that the deal includes $150K in performance incentives (based on total interceptions), so it could max out at $3.4MM instead of $3.25MM.
- Frank Zombo‘s two-year deal with the Chiefs is worth $1.6MM and includes a $100K signing bonus, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. A minimum-salary deal for Zombo with a $100K bonus would work out to $1.575MM, so either that $1.6MM figure is rounded up, or the linebacker received slightly more than the minimum.
Giants Sign Mario Manningham
2:35pm: The Giants have officially announced the Manningham signing.
11:32am: The Giants have reached an agreement to bring wide receiver Mario Manningham back to New York, according to Pro Football Talk. Manningham will return to the Giants on a one-year contract.
After putting up 944 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2010, then playing a key role on the Giants’ offense during their Super Bowl run in the 2011 season, Manningham inked a two-year deal with the 49ers. However, he never really put it all together in San Francisco, and a knee injury limited his playing time in late 2012 and 2013. The former third-round pick, who turns 28 in May, will return to a Giants receiving corps that lost Hakeem Nicks to the Colts but still features Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle, among others.
FA Rumors: Cromartie, Murphy, Allen, Britt
Let’s follow up this morning’s summary of the latest free agent rumors with another round for the early afternoon:
- A league source tells Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link) not to expect the Jets to re-sign Antonio Cromartie. “They’re not being very aggressive,” the source said, repeating what is becoming a common refrain in discussions on the Jets’ approach to free agency.
- Still in the market for receiving help, the Buccaneers are hosting free agent Louis Murphy today, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Once he completes his visit with the Cowboys, Jared Allen intends to head home and weigh his options, according to Rapoport, who tweets that the veteran defensive end is unlikely to make a decision today. Allen could also decide to make more visits to teams after Dallas, Rapoport notes (via Twitter).
- We heard on the weekend that wide receiver Kenny Britt would be meeting with the Redskins at some point this week, and that visit happened today, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
- After visiting the Bucs yesterday, cornerback Mike Jenkins is meeting with the Cardinals today, tweets Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic.
- The Bears continue to have interest in re-signing cornerback and key special teams player Sherrick McManis, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Biggs suggested last week that the Ravens, Eagles, and Falcons could be in the mix for McManis, but the Bears remain in talks to bring him back.
Redskins Re-Sign Brandon Meriweather
TUESDAY, 12:13pm: The Redskins have officially announced Meriweather’s new deal (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 4:23pm: Free agent safety Brandon Meriweather has reached an agreement to return to the Redskins, reports Dianna Russini of NBC Washington (via Twitter). A source tells Russini that the deal, which has been confirmed by ESPN.com’s John Keim (via Twitter), will be a one-year, $1MM pact.
Meriweather’s deal voided the week after the Super Bowl, making him an unrestricted free agent. It appears that both he and the Redskins explored the market for potential alternatives, but ultimately decided to continue their relationship for at least another season. As Keim notes (via Twitter), Washington wasn’t “wowed” by the second-tier safeties available in free agency, and were unconvinced that any were better than Meriweather.
Playing free safety and strong safety for the Redskins in 2013, Meriweather logged 69 tackles and a pair of interceptions in 13 games. However, he ranked just 77th out of 86 qualified safeties according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required).