Giants Sign Jon Beason To Three-Year Deal
FRIDAY, 3:05pm: Beason’s deal with the Giants is now official, the team announced today.
THURSDAY, 9:02am: Beason’s new contract with the Giants is for three years and $19MM, including $7MM guaranteed, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
WEDNESDAY, 12:50pm: The Giants have reached an agreement with free agent linebacker Jon Beason on a contract that will keep him in New York, reports Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network (Twitter link). The NFL Network’s Kimberly Jones first reported that a deal between the two sides was close (via Twitter).
Beason, 29, was said to be the Giants’ top priority even before free agency began, and the club was finally able to lock him up after he had a chance to test the market. Since he was representing himself, Beason wasn’t able to negotiate with clubs over the weekend, so he likely gauged his own value over the last 24 hours or so before deciding to re-sign in New York. The Broncos were among the teams rumored to have interest in the veteran linebacker.
Pro Football Focus’ metrics ranked Beason 47th out of 55 qualified inside linebackers last season, in large part due to poor grades in pass coverage. However, the ex-Panther piled up 93 tackles and an interception in just 12 games with the Giants.
FA Rumors: Vikings, 49ers, DRC, Cowboys
Vikings GM Rick Spielman spoke to reporters on a conference call today, and indicated that his team is “not by any means finished” in free agency, and will continue to be aggressive in exploring potential upgrades (Twitter links via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). According to Spielman, the Vikings still have interest in free agents Charlie Johnson and Kevin Williams, and have spoken to Williams’ agent recently (Twitter links via Tomasson).
Here are plenty more afternoon free agent rumors from around the NFL:
- After meeting with the Chiefs today, Emmanuel Sanders‘ next visit will be with the 49ers, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The free agent wide receiver, who has also visited the Jaguars and Buccaneers this week, will be staying in Kansas City overnight, so the Chiefs still have a chance to lock him up before he reaches San Francisco, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com gets the sense that Julian Edelman‘s visit with the 49ers is more a feeling out process for both sides than an indication anything is imminent (Twitter link).
- Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is heading to New York tonight to meet with the Jets, reports Schefter (via Twitter).
- The Seahawks have expressed interest in bringing back wide receiver Sidney Rice, who was released by the club earlier in the offseason, writes Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times.
- In addition to having some interest in Julius Peppers, as we heard earlier, the Cowboys are keeping an eye on Jared Allen and would be interested if his price falls, writes Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- Free agent tight ends Jermichael Finley and Ed Dickson don’t appear to be in the Giants‘ plans for now, says Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (via Twitter).
- Free agent guard Daryn Colledge met with the Rams today, and is now off to meet with the Raiders, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- The Bengals have confirmed that two offensive linemen, Vlad Ducasse and Uche Nwaneri, both visited the team today, tweets Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Titans Release Ryan Fitzpatrick
2:25pm: The Titans have officially informed Fitzpatrick he has been released, says Wyatt (via Twitter).
2:09pm: The Titans are expected to release Ryan Fitzpatrick today, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). The veteran signal-caller has a $500K roster bonus due on the fifth day of the league year, so the team figures to part ways with him before paying that bonus.
Fitzpatrick’s release had been viewed as a possibility this offseason, and his fate was likely sealed when the team agreed to sign Charlie Whitehurst this week. Whitehurst, the former Chargers backup, looks poised to enter the 2014 season as Jake Locker‘s primary backup.
As for Fitzpatrick, releasing him would create $3.25MM in cap savings for the Titans, leaving just $875K of his $4.125MM cap number on the books in dead money. He’ll immediately becoming an unrestricted free agent when the move becomes official, and given the lack of top-tier options on this year’s market, it may not take him long to find a new job — Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link) thinks Fitzpatrick could have a new deal in place within the next few days.
Vikings Re-Sign Jerome Simpson
2:23pm: GM Rick Spielman confirmed today that Simpson’s new deal is a one-year pact, and that the team felt comfortable re-signing him after the receiver met with Minnesota’s new coaches (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
1:32pm: The Vikings have re-signed Jerome Simpson to a new contract, according to the team. The wide receiver had been an unrestricted free agent.
Simpson, a former second-round pick, set a career-high in receiving yards in 2013, totaling 726 yards through the air on 48 receptions in his second year with the Vikings. Despite an off-field incident involving a DUI, the Vikings had interest in bringing the 28-year-old back for another season, as we heard earlier in the month.
With Simpson back in the fold, the Vikings will keep their 2013 group of receivers virtually entirely intact, with Greg Jennings, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Jarius Wright poised to return as well.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Delmas, Bills
Let’s take a quick tour around the AFC East:
- The Jets had several discussions with Brandon Pettigrew‘s camp and were one of three finalists for the tight end, but never extended a formal offer, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- Robert Klemko of TheMMQB.com provides an interesting look at safety Louis Delmas‘ experience as a free agent, which included a two-hour window to decide on whether or not to accept the Dolphins‘ offer. Delmas ultimately decided to sign with Miami.
- Despite reports to the contrary, the Bills have not reached a contract agreement with linebacker Brandon Spikes, who is visiting the team today, says Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Caplan adds in a second tweet that the two sides may eventually work something out, but nothing is particularly close at this point.
NFC Rumors: Saints, Cowboys, Peppers, Guion
Having reportedly turned down an opportunity to meet with the Dolphins, free agent tackle Zach Strief expects to re-sign with the Saints, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). It’d be interesting to see Strief sign back with New Orleans, since he was expected to do well on the open market and the Saints don’t have a lot of cap flexibility. As we saw with the Jairus Byrd contract though, the team could find a way to squeeze him in, particularly with Darren Sproles‘ deal off the books.
Here are a few more brief notes from around the NFC:
- The Cowboys have shown interest in recently released defensive end Julius Peppers, according to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. In search of defensive line help, the team also plans to host Henry Melton, as we heard earlier.
- Former Vikings defensive tackle Letroy Guion is considering the Ravens, Patriots, and Packers in free agency, says Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter). According to Tomasson, Guion, who has already visited New England, will meet with Green Bay on Sunday unless he has a deal in place before then.
- Darryl Tapp‘s new one-year deal with the Lions is a minimum salary benefit contract, with a base salary of $855K and a signing bonus of $65K, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. It’ll count against Detroit’s cap for $635K.
Ravens Sign Daryl Smith To Four-Year Deal
12:47pm: The Ravens have officially announced Smith’s new deal (Twitter link).
10:19am: The Ravens have agreed to terms on a new contract for free agent linebacker Daryl Smith, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Schefter, it’s a four-year deal worth $16.1MM.
Smith, 32, started all 16 games for the Ravens last season after spending the first nine years of his career in Jacksonville. Appearing in 1,097 snaps, Smith was especially solid as a a pass-rusher and in pass coverage, according to Pro Football Focus, whose metrics ranked him 16th among 55 qualified inside linebackers (subscription required).
Earlier this week, we heard that the Ravens wanted to re-sign Smith but not at his current asking price, so it appears the two sides reached a compromise of some sorts. A four-year, $16MM+ deal is a nice haul for a player who turned 32 today, but we’ll have to wait to see how much of that total is guaranteed. The Broncos were also rumored to have interest in the linebacker.
Justin Tuck Discusses Giants’ Offer
When the Raiders and Justin Tuck agreed to a two-year, $11MM deal yesterday, one of the first details reported suggested that the veteran defensive end gave the Giants a chance to match the offer before he agreed to it. However, Tuck tells Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News today that the Giants wouldn’t have necessarily had to match the $11MM to keep him around.
According to Tuck, he would’ve been willing to return to New York for something in the neighborhood of two years and $8MM, but the the Giants’ final offer was worth less than $6MM for two years. Tuck, 30, confirms that even though he spoke to team owner John Mara after receiving the offer he eventually accepted from the Raiders, the Giants were unwilling to increase their own offer.
Tuck stressed that he was grateful for his time in New York, where he spent the first nine seasons of his NFL career, but was disappointed to be leaving on this note.
“I’m just frustrated with how it ended. I’m upset about it,” Tuck said. “But I’ll move on and hopefully one day time will heal all wounds. Right now, I just don’t understand a lot that’s gone on and how they strung us along.”
Florida Notes: Bucs, Thurmond, Dolphins
Let’s round up a few Friday afternoon items on Florida’s NFL teams….
- The Buccaneers aren’t in play for cornerback Walter Thurmond, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). We heard earlier today that Thurmond’s visit with the Redskins had been canceled as well, so it sounds as if he may be close to making a decision. He has reportedly visited the Jaguars, as well as the 49ers.
- The new deals with the Buccaneers for quarterback Josh McCown and offensive tackle Anthony Collins include plenty of incentives, as Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com details.
- Free agent right tackle Zach Strief declined an offer to visit the Dolphins, with no explanation given, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
- Within the same piece, Jackson says the Dolphins hope to get a deal done with offensive lineman Shelley Smith today, and that owner Stephen Ross never met with Jonathan Martin before the team sent him to the Niners, despite repeatedly saying he would.
Redskins Sign Darryl Sharpton
FRIDAY, 12:10pm: The Redskins have officially signed Sharpton, the team announced today. We passed along details on the contract earlier today.
THURSDAY, 1:39pm: The Redskins have agreed to a one-year contract with ex-Texans linebacker Darryl Sharpton, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Sharpton’s new deal can be worth up to $2MM.
Sharpton had a meeting planned with the Titans today but it appears that he’s already spoken for. The 26-year-old is coming off of his most impressive season to date. In 15 games (eight starts), Sharpton racked up two forced fumbles, two passes defended, and a career-best 55 tackles.