FA Rumors: 49ers, Tate, Rams, Melton, Bills
News of signings and visits is gradually slowing down as we approach the 72-hour mark of free agency, but there are plenty of players still seeking contracts, and it wouldn’t be surprising if a number of those free agents find deals today. Here’s the latest on a few available players:
- The 49ers are comfortable heading into 2014 with Chris Culliver and Tramaine Brock as their starting cornerbacks, but are willing to offer Tarell Brown a three-year, $10MM deal to return, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
- Free agent running back Ben Tate‘s visit with the Browns is continuing into today, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).
- The Rams “aren’t quite done” in free agency, according to head coach Jeff Fisher (Twitter link). Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com notes that the team remains interested in free agent guards Daryn Colledge and Davin Joseph.
- Speaking of Fisher, the Rams will host one of his former players from Tennessee, as wide receiver Kenny Britt is scheduled to visit St. Louis, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- Earlier today, we heard that Henry Melton was en route to Seattle to visit the Seahawks after spending the night in Minnesota. After his Seattle meeting, Melton will visit the Cowboys, tweets Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- The Bills have confirmed that free agent running back Anthony Dixon and linebacker Brandon Spikes are visiting the team today, according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com.
- Chris Russell of ESPN Radio (Twitter link) hears that cornerback Walter Thurmond is no longer scheduled to visit the Redskins.
- Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star explores the Colts‘ signing of Phil Costa and their rumored interest in Alex Mack, suggesting that Costa represents a solid fallback starting option at center if the team is unable to land Mack.
Lions Sign Pettigrew To Four-Year Deal
11:35am: The Lions have officially announced Pettigrew’s new deal (via Twitter). We passed along additional details on the contract earlier today.
7:06am: The Lions and Brandon Pettigrew have agreed to a four-year contract that will keep the free agent tight end in Detroit, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. According to Birkett, Pettigrew’s new deal is worth $16MM, with $8MM in guaranteed money.
Pettigrew, who had 71 receptions in 2010 and 83 in 2011, was one of the top tight ends to reach the unrestricted free agent market, after Dennis Pitta re-signed with the Ravens and Jimmy Graham was designated as the Saints’ franchise player. The former 20th overall pick was said to be nearing an agreement yesterday, with the Lions attempting to fight off other suitors like the Jets, Raiders, and Chiefs.
Having already signed wide receiver Golden Tate to a long-term deal, the Lions are ensuring that Matthew Stafford will have plenty of targets besides Calvin Johnson to throw to in 2014. According to Birkett, the club still intends to add at least one more receiver, perhaps early in May’s draft.
Bengals Sign Marvin Lewis Through 2015
Free agent players aren’t the only ones signing new deals this week. According to the team, the Bengals have signed head coach Marvin Lewis to a one-year contract extension, locking him up through the 2015 season (Twitter link).
Lewis, who has been coaching the Bengals since 2003, is the second longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, behind Bill Belichick in New England. In his 11 seasons with the team, Lewis has led Cincinnati to a 90-85-1 regular-season record. The club has earned a playoff spot five times during that stretch, but has yet to win a postseason game under Lewis.
Lewis would have been heading into a contract year in 2014, so the one-year extension gives him a little more job security.
Contract Details: Pettigrew, Ginn, Clemens
Brandon Pettigrew agreed to a new four-year contract with the Lions today, and while $8MM of the $16MM total is guaranteed, $2.8MM of that amount, 2015’s base salary, is guaranteed for injury only, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Pelissero adds that the rest of the guarantee comes from a $4MM signing bonus and a $1.2MM base salary for 2014 (Twitter links). Here are several more details on recent deals:
- The three-year contract Ted Ginn Jr. agreed to with the Cardinals includes a $2.25MM signing bonus and $1.5MM in annual incentives, says Pelissero (via Twitter). Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com breaks it down in chart form.
- Kellen Clemens‘ two-year, $3MM pact with the Chargers includes a $645K signing bonus and a $250K roster bonus due on the third day of the 2015 league year, tweets Pelissero.
- The Redskins‘ one-year, $2MM deal with Darryl Sharpton can be worth up to $2MM. It’s made up of an $820K signing bonus, a $730K non-guaranteed base salary, $200K in per-game roster bonuses, and $250K in playing-time incentives, according to Pelissero (via Twitter).
Extra Points: Raiders, Bills, LaFell, Broncos
Having already added LaMarr Woodley and Justin Tuck to their defense, the Raiders continue to eye veteran free agents, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that Antonio Smith is visiting the club today before meeting with the Rams tomorrow. Here’s more from around the NFL:
- The Bills currently have no plans to add a veteran quarterback to their roster, GM Doug Whaley told WGR550 today (link via ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak).
- The Jets have had multiple discussions with Brandon LaFell‘s camp, but no visit has been scheduled for the free agent receiver, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- Vikings defensive back Jamarca Sanford agreed to restructure his contract last week, reducing his base salary by $750K in exchange for a $400K guarantee and playing-time incentives, according to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.
- Following the Broncos‘ defensive shopping spree, the team is still in the market for an interior offensive lineman, a wide receiver, and a middle linebacker, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post.
- The Ravens spoke to linebacker Wesley Woodyard before he reached a deal with the Titans, but Baltimore never got heavily involved, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- Examining a few of this week’s signings, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com explains how contract numbers are often artificially inflated when they’re first reported.
No Agreement For Vance Walker, Chiefs
9:54am: Dougherty has now checked back in, admitting that he misinterpreted a text and that there’s no deal between Walker and the Chiefs (Twitter link).
9:16am: Agent Chad Speck has directly responded to Dougherty’s initial report, via Twitter, calling it “completely false” and adding that Walker has a visit lined up with the Seahawks on Sunday.
8:57am: A pair of Chiefs beat writers, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star and Adam Teicher of ESPN, suggest nothing is finalized between Walker and the team, though both reporters say it still could happen (Twitter links). ESPN’s Adam Caplan also tweets that Walker hasn’t signed anything and still has several visits lined up.
We’ve seen this happen with a few signings this week, and in almost every case, a deal has eventually been completed. Still, it’s worth reiterating that even if an apparent agreement has been reached, nothing is official until a player signs on the dotted line, and it sounds like there are still plenty of details to finalize here before the Chiefs lock up Walker.
8:21am: After visiting with him yesterday, the Chiefs are set to sign defensive tackle Vance Walker to a contract, a source tells Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Post-Gazette (Twitter link). The Packers had been trying to set up a visit for Walker, but he’ll be headed to Kansas City for 2014 instead.
Walker, 26, started 15 games for the Raiders last season, recording 40 tackles and three sacks for the club. Oakland reportedly extended a contract offer to Walker before the free agent period opened, but the Georgia Tech product was interested in the rare opportunity to test the market as an unrestricted free agent.
Wesley Woodyard To Sign With Titans
Wesley Woodyard has decided on a team, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN, who tweets that the linebacker just told her he’ll sign with the Titans. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to a four-year deal worth up to $16MM. Woodyard had met with the Patriots earlier this week before visiting the Titans.
Woodyard, who spent the first six seasons of his career in Denver, started 24 games over the course of the last two years with the Broncos. In those two seasons as a full-time player, the 27-year-old recorded a slightly below-average grade, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, but logged seven total sacks, forced three fumbles, and averaged over 100 tackles per season.
Linebacker had been an area of focus for the Titans this offseason, as the team had interest in Darryl Sharpton and LaMarr Woodley before those players agreed to sign elsewhere. Akeem Jordan is also visiting the Titans today.
Contract Details: Munnerlyn, Dawson, McBride
Here are a few extra details on contracts that have been agreed to and signed in recent days:
- Captain Munnerlyn‘s three-year contract with the Vikings, initially reported to be worth $14.25MM, is actually worth $11.25MM, but another $3.3MM can be added through escalators and incentives, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). The deal includes $4.45MM guaranteed in guaranteed money, but Pelissero tweets that due to a small signing bonus, it could potentially just turn into a one-year contract if 2014 doesn’t go well.
- According to Pelissero (via Twitter), the two-year contract Phil Dawson signed with the 49ers is worth a total of $6.134MM and came with a $2MM signing bonus.
- The two-year deal Trumaine McBride inked with the Giants is worth $2.875MM, with a $100K signing bonus and $900K in roster bonuses, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- Wilson (via Twitter) has Will Herring‘s one-year contract with the Cowboys as an $855K base salary plus a $65K signing bonus. That would seem to suggest it’s a minimum salary benefit deal, but Wilson says the total is $1.02MM, which indicates there’s another $100K in bonuses somewhere. Either way, $300K of the deal is guaranteed, says Wilson.
- According to Wilson (via Twitter), Phil Costa‘s contract with the Colts features base salaries of $1.2MM (2014) and $1.5MM (2015), with no bonuses. $450K of Costa’s first-year salary is guaranteed.
- Wilson adds (via Twitter) that Henry Hynoski‘s $1MM contract with the Giants includes a $250K signing bonus.
- Although we heard yesterday that Chris Williams‘ contract with the Bills included a 2016 “trigger point,” when Williams was owed a significant roster bonus, the deal has been modified since being entered in the NFLPA system, says ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak. Instead of having a $1.5MM signing bonus and $2.5MM roster bonus in ’16, the deal now features a $3.5MM signing bonus and $250K roster bonus.
Saints To Re-Sign Ramon Humber
The Saints and linebacker Ramon Humber have agreed to terms on a new contract, according to Greg Bensel, the team’s senior VP of communications (Twitter link). It’ll be a one-year deal for Humber.
Humber, appeared on defense in 12 regular season games for the Saints in 2013, starting three of those contests, though his playing time was limited. The 26-year-old, who has played in New Orleans since 2010, was a primary contributor on special teams as well, recording eight tackles for that unit last season.
OL Rumors: Dolphins, Oher, Titans, Giants
As rumors continue to trickle in on the fourth day of free agency, let’s check in on a few offensive lineman who remain on the market:
- The Dolphins have extended a contract offer to offensive lineman Shelley Smith, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). However, Beasley cautions that Smith has other offers on the table, adding that the situation remains fluid. According to Beasley (via Twitter), Smith and cornerback Cortland Finnegan are at the Dolphins’ headquarters this morning.
- Free agent tackle Michael Oher is visiting with the Titans today, reports Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun adds (via Twitter) that Oher will meet with the Raiders tomorrow. With Eugene Monroe back in the fold in Baltimore, the subject of The Blind Side appears likely to land with a new team this offseason.
- As of late yesterday, the Giants still had interest in re-signing veteran offensive lineman Kevin Boothe and pairing him with J.D. Walton at center, tweets Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.