Vikings Re-Sign Fred Evans
FRIDAY, 8:17am: Evans’ one-year deal is worth $1MM, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
THURSDAY, 3:31pm: Defensive tackle Fred Evans has re-signed with the Vikings on a one-year contract, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Evans, who started three games last season for the team, had been an unrestricted free agent.
Evans’ performance in 356 snaps for the Vikings last season was almost exactly average, according to Pro Football Focus, whose metrics had the 30-year-old ranked as one of three defensive tackles who recorded a grade between +1.0 and -1.0 (subscription required). Evans didn’t record a sack, but logged 20 tackles, a forced fumble, and nine quarterback pressures.
Chargers To Re-Sign Richard Marshall
The Chargers have agreed to terms with cornerback Richard Marshall, and will re-sign him to a one-year contract, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
After starting 45 games in four seasons with the Panthers, Cardinals, and Dolphins, Marshall played a part-time role in 2013 for San Diego. Starting six of 16 games for the Chargers and appearing in 637 defensive snaps, Marshall ranked as just the 101st cornerback out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). He was also a key contributor on special teams, recording 12 tackles for that unit.
FA Rumors: Campbell, Melton, Browner, Mack
Offensive lineman Bruce Campbell, who was originally thought to have a deal with the Redskins, will visit the Giants today, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Last we heard on Campbell, there were some issues with his physical, but Washington remained on the table as a destination. According to Zac Boyer of the Washington Times (via Twitter), the Redskins’ offer stands, though perhaps it’s not the same offer that Campbell initially agreed to, given the health concerns.
Here are the latest updates on a few more free agents on the board, plus one that recently came off it:
- After sticking around Minnesota overnight, defensive tackle Henry Melton is on his way to Seattle to visit with the Seahawks, says Josina Anderson of ESPN (via Twitter).
- While his agent negotiates with the Patriots and Raiders, free agent cornerback Brandon Browner will first visit with the Redskins today and then head to New Orleans to meet with the Saints, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
- Center Alex Mack is in no hurry to sign his transition tender from the Browns, agent Tim Younger tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. According to Mack’s agent, his client intends to make some visits to teams at some point, but there are none on the docket quite yet.
- The Cowboys showed no signs of wanting to re-sign Jason Hatcher before he landed with the Redskins, the defensive lineman himself told KRLD-FM yesterday, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I know the [Cowboys’] fans are upset. They should be,” Hatcher said. “They have all the right in the world to be. But I made the right decision for me. If we could’ve made it work out we would’ve, but I’m in a great place with the Redskins, a great organization. I’m looking forward to getting back to football.”
Ted Ginn, Cardinals Agree To Three-Year Deal
9:34pm: Ginn’s three year deal will be worth at least $9.75MM with a maximum of $14.25MM, and includes $5.2MM in guaranteed money, reports Kent Somers of AZ Central Sports (via Twitter).
6:20pm: Ginn was “surprised” that the Panthers didn’t try harder to retain the veteran receiver, reports Urban (via Twitter).
5:19pm: Ginn’s deal with the Cards is worth $9.75MM for three years, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
4:38pm: The Cardinals have agreed to terms with receiver and return specialist Ted Ginn Jr. on a three-year deal, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter).
Ginn, 28, was an all-purpose threat for the Panthers in his first and only year in Carolina, with 36 catches, 26 punt returns, 25 kickoff returns, and even four carries. He enjoyed the most success as a receiver, recording 556 receiving yards and five TDs while catching balls from Cam Newton.
Prior to agreeing to sign with the Cards, Ginn drew plenty of interest from other suitors. The Giants were reportedly eyeing him and the Bucs had him in for a visit, while newly-signed Brown Donte Whitner urged Cleveland management to consider signing him.
Steve Smith Rumors: Thursday
6:37pm: Smith is scheduled to fly to Baltimore tonight in order to meet with the Ravens tomorrow, a source tells ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
5:32pm: The Smith market is starting to heat up now that he’s officially a free agent. According to Eric Edholm of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the Ravens, Patriots, Chargers, Redskins, and Seahawks have all reached out so far. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports (via Twitter) that Baltimore expects to schedule a visit with Smith soon, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears from a source that no deal is imminent tonight (Twitter link).
12:26pm: Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) clarifies that the Ravens haven’t reached out to Smith yet, and will do so later this afternoon when he’s officially off the Panthers’ roster.
11:00am: The Panthers officially announced today that Steve Smith has been released, and the Ravens have already inquired on the veteran wide receiver, according to ESPN.com’s David Newton (via Twitter). Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that Baltimore has emerged as the early favorite to land Smith.
The Ravens’ interest in Smith was first reported earlier this week, well before Carolina decided to release him, by Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The Buccaneers and Raiders were also mentioned yesterday as likely suitors, and the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers were among Smith’s preferred trade destinations when Carolina was trying to move him, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
Raiders Sign LaMarr Woodley
6:17pm: The Raiders announced via Twitter that the deal is official.
5:22pm: The Raiders have reached an agreement to sign LaMarr Woodley to a two-year deal, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Schefter reports that the new contract will have a max value of $12MM.
The 29-year-old pass rusher had 18 sacks over the past three seasons while playing through injuries, missing 14 games over that time span. Between 2008 and 2010, Woodley was among the most terrifying pass rushers in the game. He reached the quarterback consistently, recording 34.5 sacks during those seasons on the way to a monster contract extension to stay with the Steelers.
After an injury plagued 2013, the Steelers faced a dilemma with an aging star in Woodley, and a promising young player in Jason Worilds. With their salary cap problems, when they placed the transition tag on Worilds, they all but guaranteed Woodley would not return.
NFC Contract Details: Quarless, Collins, Saffold
We rounded up a handful of AFC contract details earlier this afternoon. Now, let’s turn our attention to the NFC:
- Andrew Quarless‘ two-year contract with the Packers is worth $3MM in total, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. The base salaries are $800K and $1.3MM, while the remaining money is made up of a $350K signing bonus, $200K in per-game roster bonuses, and $75K in annual workout bonuses.
- Pelissero tweets that only $9MM of Anthony Collins‘ five-year deal with the Bucs is fully guaranteed at signing, which is $6MM less than what was reported earlier. I’m guessing that $6MM is guaranteed for injury only.
- Although Rodger Saffold‘s new five-year contract with the Rams is worth $31.7MM, it can max out at $35MM+, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Willie Young‘s three-year contract with the Bears includes a $1MM roster bonus and $150K in workout bonuses, tweets Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Meanwhile, the Bears‘ signing of Ryan Mundy has the club on the hook for a two-year, $3MM contract, with $650K guaranteed, says Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (all Twitter links). That $650K guarantee comes in the form of a roster bonus, while the pact includes base salaries of $800K (2014) and $1.45MM (2015), plus workout bonuses of $50K annually.
- Eric Wright‘s one-year contract with the 49ers sounds like a minimum salary benefit deal, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link). For a player with Wright’s experience, that’s an $855K base salary to go along with a $20K reporting bonus and another $25K if he makes the team.
- Joe Berger‘s one-year deal with the Vikings is worth $920K, with a $65K signing bonus, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). That makes it a minimum salary benefit contract too.
- Anthony McCoy will have a base salary of $950K on his one-year contract with the Seahawks, tweets KJR’s Curtis Crabtree.
AFC Contract Details: Talib, Bills, Conner
Aqib Talib‘s contract with the Broncos features a $5MM signing bonus, a $2MM roster bonus, a $4.5MM guaranteed base salary, and $500K in per-game roster bonuses, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). Since Talib has a small signing bonus and his 2015 and 2016 salaries are guaranteed for injury only, the Broncos could essentially cut ties with him for no guaranteed money and a minimal ($4MM) cap hit even after the 2014 season, barring a major injury, tweets Pelissero. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has the breakdown in chart form right here.
Here are a few more specific details on deals signed this week:
- Corey Graham‘s new contract with the Bills can be worth over $19MM, but on the surface, it’s a four-year, $16.3MM deal with $8.1MM guaranteed, says Pelissero (via Twitter). According to Pelissero, the deal includes $700K in annual incentives, plus an extra $100K bonus each season for making the Pro Bowl.
- The Chargers‘ three-year deal with Kavell Conner is worth $2.7MM, with a $270K signing bonus and an escalator worth up to $500K in 2016, tweets Pelissero.
- Jim Dray‘s contract with the Browns features a $900K signing bonus, says Pelissero (via Twitter).
- Pelissero also passes along the details on Chris Williams‘ four-year contract with the Bills. According to the USA Today scribe (via Twitter), it’s worth $13.04MM with $3.025MM in the first year, and is only guaranteed for injury in year two. Pelissero adds in another tweet that there’s a $2.5MM roster bonus due early in 2016 that’s a clear “trigger point” for the deal.
- The Colts signed safety Sergio Brown on Tuesday, and that one-year deal will be worth $1.4MM, with a $300K signing bonus, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- While Keith Rivers‘ new deal with the Bills was reported as a two-year, $5MM contract with half of that amount guaranteed, it looks like it won’t be worth quite that much. Wilson tweets that it’s worth $4.05MM, with a $1MM signing bonus, base salaries of $1.25MM (2014) and $1.6MM (2015), and annual workout bonuses of $100K.
- Michael Hoomanawanui‘s two-year contract with the Patriots is worth a total of $2.4MM, with a $360K signing bonus and $1.1MM in total guarantees, tweets Wilson.
- The two-year, $5MM figure reported for Al Woods earlier today includes incentives, according to Wilson (via Twitter). The defensive lineman’s contract with the Titans features a signing bonus of $1MM, base salaries of $900K (2014) and $2.1MM (2015), and incentives worth up to $500K annually.
Brandon Pettigrew Nearing Deal
5:04pm: Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter) adds the Chiefs to the list of teams in the mix for Pettigrew, which means there appear to be four teams still in the running.
11:41am: Free agent tight end Brandon Pettigrew is expected to have a contract agreement in place shortly, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. According to Mehta, Pettigrew is contemplating interest from the Jets, Raiders, and Lions.
Pettigrew, who had 71 receptions in 2010 and 83 in 2011, is perhaps the top tight end on the unrestricted free agent market, with Dennis Pitta having re-signed with the Ravens and Jimmy Graham designated as the Saints’ franchise player.
Yesterday, we heard that there were five teams in the mix for Pettigrew. In addition to the three clubs mentioned above, the Texans and Giants were named as suitors, but Houston has since agreed to re-sign Garrett Graham, and it seems the Giants have dropped out of contention.
Titans Sign Whitehurst To Two-Year Deal
4:55pm: Whitehurst’s two-year deal has a $4MM base value, with another $4MM in incentives, tweets Wyatt, adding that $2MM is fully guaranteed. The Titans have confirmed the signing.
4:13pm: The Titans and quarterback Charlie Whitehurst have reached an agreement on a two-year deal, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). According to Wyatt, Whitehurst’s new contract can be worth up to $8MM, and it’s expected to signal the end of Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s time in Tennessee (Twitter link).
Whitehurst, who has been Philip Rivers‘ backup in San Diego for the last two seasons, saw just 12 snaps in two games during the 2013 season, and didn’t attempt a pass. So perhaps the Titans liked what they saw of the 31-year-old during his stints as the starter in Seattle during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
While Wyatt’s initial report suggests a max value of $8MM, I’d imagine a good chunk of that amount can only be earned through playing-time and performance incentives, and if Jake Locker stays healthy and keeps his job, Whitehurst likely won’t see much action.
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.