FA Rumors: DRC, Ginn, Whitehurst, Burleson
As one of the few notable cornerbacks remaining on the market, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is still searching for a deal. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), the Jets are one team that has been in touch with DRC’s camp about the free agent, as New York remains in the market for cornerback help. Here are a few more Thursday free agent updates:
- After missing out on receiver and return specialist Jacoby Jones, the Giants are eyeing Ted Ginn Jr., a player capable of filling a similar role, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
- Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean thinks there’s a reasonable chance the Titans and quarterback Charlie Whitehurst will work something out (Twitter link). Wyatt reported earlier today that Whitehurst was visiting with the club.
- The Titans are also exhibiting interest in wide receiver Nate Burleson, who was released by the Lions before the start of the free agent period, tweets Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.
- The Steelers are “really interested” in defensive end Alex Carrington, and will host him for a visit tonight, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Pittsburgh has already lost Ziggy Hood in free agency and may part ways with Brett Keisel as well.
- Linebacker Darryl Tapp is among the players visiting the Lions today, reports Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter).
- Free agent center Phil Costa is visiting the Colts today and Bengals tomorrow, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Chargers To Sign Kavell Conner
The Chargers have agreed to terms on a three-year deal with linebacker Kavell Conner, agent Tom Kleine tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides were close to a deal with resolution expected soon, after Wilson reported on Tuesday that Conner was visiting with the team.
After starting 27 games for the Colts in 2011 and 2012, Conner played a reserve role in 2013, appearing in just 147 defensive snaps while also contributing on special teams. He was very good when he did play though, recording 11 special teams tackles and posting a +3.3 grade on defense, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Bears, Willie Young Agree To Three-Year Deal
The Bears have reached a three-year deal with defensive lineman Willie Young, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). According to Pelissero, the contract is worth $9MM, including a $2MM signing bonus and $3.95MM in total guaranteed money. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun provides the deal’s annual base salaries in a tweet.
Young, 28, was a full-time starter for the Lions for the first time last season, and played very well for the team. While he was only credited with three sacks, he pressured the quarterback a total of 60 times and ranked 16th among 52 qualified 4-3 defensive ends, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
The Bears were forced to make Julius Peppers a cap casualty earlier this week and missed out on signing Michael Bennett, but have retooled their defensive line nicely, adding Young and Lamarr Houston.
Contract Details: Howard, Hawley, Carroll
As more signings become finalized, let’s check in on the specific terms for a few of them:
- Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link) has the financial details on Austin Howard‘s new five-year, $30MM contract with the Raiders, which includes a $5MM roster bonus due this weekend.
- Joe Hawley‘s two-year contract with the Falcons includes a $2MM signing bonus, with base salaries of $1MM (2014) and $3MM (2015), tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
- While Nolan Carroll‘s deal with the Eagles is worth $5.25MM over two years, it can max out at around $7MM with playing time and performance bonuses, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
- Tony McDaniel inked a two-year, $5.75MM contract with the Seahawks that includes a $1.25MM signing bonus and various other roster and incentives bonuses, says Pelissero (via Twitter).
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) and Pelissero (Twitter link) pass on the details for a pair of Chiefs signings from yesterday. Joe Mays‘ deal apparently included a $2MM signing bonus, which is higher than initially reported, and $3MM in guaranteed money. Jeff Linkenbach‘s base salary is $900K, with $250K guaranteed and up to $600K in incentives.
- Pelissero also has the details on Leger Douzable‘s one-year pact with the Jets (Twitter link). It’s worth $1MM, with a $150K signing bonus and a $100K bonus if he makes the team’s 53-man roster.
- David Johnson‘s two-year deal with the Chargers is worth $1.7MM and features a $220K signing bonus, tweets Wilson.
Eagles Acquire Darren Sproles From Saints
9:23am: The Eagles have officially announced the transaction (Twitter link).
8:14am: The Eagles will send a fifth-round pick to the Saints in the deal, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). According to Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter), it’s the pick Philadelphia had acquired from New England for Isaac Sopoaga.
7:55am: Having already re-signed Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper this offseason, Chip Kelly‘s offense in Philadelphia is adding another intriguing offensive weapon. The Eagles have reached an agreement with the Saints to acquire running back Darren Sproles in a trade, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
Sproles, 30, was initially expected to be cut by New Orleans this month, but when they received strong interest in trade talks for the versatile veteran, the Saints decided to trade him instead. The Redskins had reportedly been making a push to acquire Sproles, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweeted this morning, but according to the Washington Post (via Twitter), the team was reluctant to part with draft picks. In the end, the Redskins lost out on Sproles to their division rivals.
Although Sproles is technically a running back, he did most of his damage in recent years through the passing game. During his three seasons with New Orleans, the former fourth-round pick recorded 1,067 rushing yards on 188 carries, and 1,981 receiving yards on 232 receptions, with 21 total offensive TDs (five rushing, 16 receiving).
While rumors of a Sproles trade swirled this week, the running back himself expressed some frustration about learning of the talks through Twitter updates, and said yesterday that he’d prefer to be cut instead of traded, so he could control his own future. Still, despite the presence of No. 1 back LeSean McCoy in Philadelphia, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be upset with his landing spot, since he should have a great opportunity to shine in Kelly’s offense during a contract year.
The Saints will be on the hook for $750K in dead money, the amount of the prorated bonus money remaining on Sproles’ deal. For the Eagles, the running back will be owed a $3.4MM base salary, plus a $100K workout bonus, in the final year of his contract.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Seahawks Re-Sign Tarvaris Jackson
9:12am: Jackson has re-signed with the Seahawks on a one-year deal worth a fully guaranteed $1.25MM, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, who tweets that another $750K are available in incentives if Jackson plays.
7:43am: Nothing has been officially announced yet, but backup signal-caller Tarvaris Jackson appears to have re-signed with the Seahawks, according to tweets from the quarterback himself. Late last night, Jackson tweeted, “12’s one more year?! Let’s go!” in reference to Seattle’s 12th man, and added, in a second tweet, “Looking forward to our next journey!”
Jackson, 30, saw action in three regular-season games for the Seahawks in 2013, and even played a few snaps in the team’s Super Bowl win. The former Viking was Seattle’s full-time starter as recently as 2011, before the arrival of Russell Wilson, but has since settled into a backup role, and should be fairly inexpensive again in 2014. Last season, Jackson played on an $840K salary.
With Wilson in place as the starter and B.J. Daniels also on the roster, the Seahawks appear to be set at the quarterback position assuming Jackson’s deal gets finalized.
Lions To Sign Vaughn Martin
The Lions have agreed to a contract with free agent defensive lineman Vaughn Martin, according to agent Chad Speck (via Twitter). Terms of the deal aren’t yet known.
Martin, 27, signed a two-year, $4MM deal with the Dolphins last March, but underwent surgery for a sports hernia and was released by the team early in the 2013 season. Before signing with Miami, the London, Ontario native spent four seasons with the Chargers, starting 27 total games for the team in 2011 and 2012. For his career, the former fourth-round pick has 79 tackles and three sacks.
Given his relatively poor Pro Football Focus grades and his 2013 health issues, Martin likely won’t be a significant investment for the Lions, but it could turn into a nice depth signing for the team’s defensive line.
FA Rumors: Steve Smith, Andre Brown, Hatcher
The Ravens will be in hot pursuit of Steve Smith when he’s officially released by the Panthers, and a deal could end up materializing quickly, says Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Here’s more:
- It sounds like there’s a decent chance free agent running back Andre Brown could end up signing with the Raiders, continuing the offseason’s apparent free agent swap between Oakland and the Giants, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
- Assuming Jason Hatcher doesn’t sign with the Raiders, the defensive lineman will visit the Redskins, a source tells John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Cornerback Brandon Browner will visit with the Redskins tonight, according to Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
- The Panthers have interest in bringing back free agent receiver Brandon LaFell, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- Although fullback Henry Hynoski is visiting the Lions today, he has remained in contact with the Giants, tweets Rapoport.
- ESPN’s Josina Anderson (Twitter links) has the details on the Titans‘ upcoming free agent visits: LaMarr Woodley intends to visit Friday if he doesn’t sign with the Raiders, while Pat Sims and Antonio Smith will visit today.
- The Vikings have made a call inquiring on free agent guard Daryn Colledge, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Colledge, who will visit the Rams today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), was recently cut loose by the Cardinals for cap savings.
Bucs, Panthers, Bengals In Mix For Collins
Free agent offensive tackle Anthony Collins is choosing between the Buccaneers, Panthers, and returning to the Bengals, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. According to Auman, all three teams’ offers for Collins include comparable money.
Collins, 28, has been linked to the Buccaneers since before the free agent period officially began, and was viewed by some observers as a near-lock to sign with Tampa Bay. However, the Bengals remain in the hunt to keep their own player, and the Panthers, in search of a replacement for the retiring Jordan Gross, are a surprise contender for Collins’ services.
Having spent his first six NFL seasons in Cincinnati, Collins has never had an extended run as a full-time player, starting no more than seven games in any season for the Bengals. However, he was excellent in his 673 offensive snaps last season, never recording a negative grade in a game, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). If he can maintain that type of performance in full-time action, he could be one of the steals in this year’s tackle market.
WR Rumors: Smith, Nicks, Edelman, Hixon
A notable wide receiver came off the board last night when Eric Decker agreed to terms with the Jets, but another one is expected to hit the open market today, as word broke this morning that the Panthers will release Steve Smith. Baltimore, Oakland, and Tampa Bay have been mentioned as potential landing spots for Smith, and Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer cautions not to rule out the Chargers or Patriots as well (Twitter link). Here are a few more wide receiver rumors to start off your Thursday:
- As we heard this morning, the Panthers are eyeing Hakeem Nicks to potentially replace Smith, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports (via Twitter) that the team is currently offering a deal worth about $4.5MM per year.
- If Smith eventually lands with Baltimore, it increases the chances that Julian Edelman will re-sign with the Patriots, according to La Canfora (via Twitter). However, the CBS scribe adds in another tweet that Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer has been attempting to recruit Edelman to Cleveland.
- The Patriots continue to monitor the market, and will almost certainly land a receiver eventually, whether it’s Smith, Edelman, Nicks, or someone else, tweets La Canfora.
- We heard earlier this week that the Bears were in talks with wide receiver Domenik Hixon, and now Josina Anderson of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that the free agent is on his way to Chicago to visit the team. Assuming the visit goes well, Hixon would like to sign with the Bears, Anderson adds in a second tweet.