Chiefs To Sign Joe Mays, Jeff Linkenbach
The Chiefs have agreed to terms on new deals with a pair of players, according to multiple reports. Inside linebacker Joe Mays has reached a two-year, $6MM deal with the club that includes a $1.5MM signing bonus, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, agent Andy Simms confirms that client Jeff Linkenbach, an offensive lineman, has also agreed to sign in Kansas City (Twitter link).
Mays, 28, started 13 games for the Texans last season, recording 66 tackles and a sack, and ranked 22nd out of 55 qualified inside linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics. His contract represents a nice raise, as he played on a minimum-salary contract last year in Houston. We first heard yesterday that the Chiefs had interest in Mays.
Linkenbach, meanwhile, has recorded negative grades consistently on PFF over the last several seasons in Indianapolis, but has still earned 33 starts in four years. He’ll provide depth on an offensive line that has lost Branden Albert, Jon Asamoah, and Geoff Schwartz already this week.
Browns Release Jason Campbell
The Browns have parted ways their second quarterback of the afternoon, announcing that they’ve released Jason Campbell, according to the team’s official Twitter feed. The move comes on the heels of Brandon Weeden‘s release. Campbell had been owed a $250K roster bonus if he remained on Cleveland’s roster beyond tomorrow.
Campbell, who has had stints with the Redskins, Raiders, Bears, and Browns, started eight games for Cleveland last season after Brian Hoyer went down with a knee injury. His numbers were passable, as he completed 56.8% of his 317 passes for 2,015 yards, 11 TDs, and eight interceptions. However, with a new decision-making team in place for the Browns, it appears the quarterback position will be overhauled.
With Weeden and Campbell out and Hoyer returning from that knee injury, the Browns appear likely to draft a quarterback early in May’s draft. The team also may add another signal-caller in free agency for depth purposes.
Campbell’s release frees up $3.25MM in 2014 cap space for the Browns.
49ers Sign Antoine Bethea
2:57pm: Bethea’s physical has been finalized and he has officially signed his contract with the 49ers, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
WEDNESDAY, 2:22pm: A source tells Chris Biderman of NinersDigest that only $6.5MM of Bethea’s total $23MM salary will be guaranteed.
TUESDAY, 5:36pm: The contract for Bethea is reportedly worth close to $6MM per year over the four years, reports Ian Rapaport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Bethea will fill in for Donte Whitner alongside last year’s first-round pick Eric Reid.
3:15pm: The 49ers have reached a four-year contract agreement with safety Antoine Bethea, reports Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter).
Bethea, who will turn 30 in July, has started 123 of 128 possible games for the Colts since entering the league in 2006, earning two Pro Bowl nods during that span. In 2013, he recorded an impressive 124 tackles and grabbed a pair of interceptions.
Browns Release Brandon Weeden
2:52pm: The Browns have officially announced the release of Weeden (Twitter link).
2:46pm: The Browns will release former first-round pick Brandon Weeden by Monday, a source tells Mike Silver of the NFL Network (via Twitter). With a new regime in place and Weeden no longer a part of the club’s future plans, Cleveland had been expected to either trade or cut the signal-caller this offseason.
The move will actually put more money onto the Browns’ cap for 2014 unless the team designates it as a post-June 1 cut.
Buccaneers Release Darrelle Revis
2:50pm: The Buccaneers have officially announced the release of Revis. In a statement, GM Jason Licht cited the team’s “specific ideas regarding the best way to build this defense” as motivation for the move.
2:31pm: The Buccaneers are cutting star cornerback Darrelle Revis, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Tampa Bay had tried to trade Revis this week, but seemingly couldn’t find a suitable offer. If the team had kept the veteran corner beyond 3:00pm central time today, he would have been owed a $1.5MM roster bonus, and the Bucs would have owed New York a third-round pick rather than a fourth-rounder.
After missing 2012 with a torn ACL, Revis once again ascended to the top of Pro Football Focus’ cornerback rankings. While Bucs coach Lovie Smith has stated that Revis and his fondness for playing man-to-man coverage could fit in Tampa’s Cover-2 defense, the cornerback’s contract, which included a $16MM annual cap hit, ultimately proved untenable for a Bucs team that decided to use that money to add several other players. Because none of Revis’ cap hit was tied to prorated bonuses, Tampa Bay clears the entire $16MM from its books.
While no team was willing to give up a draft pick to acquire Revis at his previous salary, plenty of clubs are expected to express interest now that he’s an unrestricted free agent. The Patriots, who lost Aqib Talib, are one suitor to watch. One member of Revis’ camp told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News this afternoon that he thinks the cornerback will eventually land with the Patriots (Twitter link). A return to the Jets has also been viewed as a possibility.
Cowboys To Sign Jeremy Mincey
2:25pm: Mincey’s two-year pact with the Cowboys will be worth $4.5MM, with $2MM in guaranteed money, reports Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
1:47pm: The Cowboys have agreed to sign defensive end Jeremy Mincey to a two-year deal, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. The 30-year-old finished the 2013 season with the Broncos after spending the first several years of his NFL career with the Jaguars.
Although he started every game for the Jaguars in 2011 and 2012, recording 11 total sacks, Mincey returned to a reserve role last season in Jacksonville and Denver, and will likely come off the bench for the Cowboys as well. The former sixth-round pick had his best season in ’11, logging eight sacks and forcing four fumbles.
Dolphins To Re-Sign Randy Starks
The Dolphins have reached a contract agreement with defensive tackle Randy Starks that will keep him in Miami, reports Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The contract will be a two-year deal worth $12MM, according to Garafolo. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com first reported that the two sides were nearing an agreement worth about $6MM annually.
Starks, 30, has traditionally been better at rushing the passer than stopping the run, but he was excellent in both facets of the game in 2013. He ranked seventh overall among 69 qualified defensive tackles last season, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required).
It seemed as if Miami might be prepared to let both Starks and fellow free agent DT Paul Soliai walk in free agency, as reports suggested last week the team had not offered either player a deal. Now that Starks is set to return though, he’ll join Earl Mitchell, who also agree to terms today, on Miami’s defensive line.
As I noted in my preview of this year’s top free agents, Starks has been in the NFL since 2004, but is still just 30 years old, so the modest two-year deal looks like a decent value for the Dolphins.
Vikings Rumors: Melton, Rudolph, Simpson
Let’s round up a few Vikings rumors as the 24-hour mark of free agency approaches….
- Free agent defensive tackle Henry Melton is drawing interest from several teams, including the Cowboys, but he’ll visit with the Vikings tomorrow, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Although it probably won’t happen anytime soon, the Vikings are expected to extend tight end Kyle Rudolph‘s contract, perhaps this summer or during the 2014 season, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Rudolph is a “big priority” among the team’s players eligible for 2015 free agency.
- Wide receiver Jerome Simpson may still re-sign with the Vikings, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
- Chris Cook tells Tomasson (Twitter link) that there’s still a possibility he re-signs with Minnesota, and adds that he doesn’t know anything about reported interest from the 49ers.
- Tomasson also provides the financial details on Larry Dean‘s one-year contract with the Vikings (Twitter link).
Cowboys Release Miles Austin
WEDNESDAY, 1:45pm: The Cowboys have officially announced the release of Austin, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
TUESDAY, 6:19pm: The Cowboys are set to release wide receiver Miles Austin, and will designate the move as a post-June 1 cut, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The move won’t free up any cap space for free agency, but will allow the club to spread out Austin’s cap hit over the next two years, beginning in June.
Without the post-June 1 designation, releasing Austin would have only created about $400K in cap savings for the Cowboys, reducing the veteran’s $8.25MM cap number to about $7.86MM. Instead, there will only be $2.75MM in dead money on the team’s 2014 books, for about $5.5MM in savings.
Bucs Pushing To Land McCown, Collins
The Buccaneers have pushed their afternoon press conference back to 4:30pm ET as the team attempts to increase its free agent haul. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), the Bucs are “pushing to add” quarterback Josh McCown and offensive tackle Anthony Collins, and have a good chance of landing both players.
Both McCown and Collins made Tampa Bay the first stop in their respective free agency tours, and while McCown at least has more visits scheduled, it’s possible that he won’t end up making them. With a new regime in place for the Bucs, the team is seeking a veteran free agent quarterback, and McCown had the best season of any of 2014’s free agents, even if the career achievements of Michael Vick and some others may surpass McCown’s career production.
As for Collins, he has appeared likely to end up with the Bucs since the free agent market for tackles began taking shape. Other teams prioritizing left tackles in free agency, such as the Dolphins, Ravens, Raiders, and Cardinals, have already reached agreements with players, less than 24 hours into free agency.
By the time the team’s presser begins this afternoon, Tampa Bay may also have news to announce regarding Darrelle Revis. The Bucs are expected to trade or release the star cornerback by 4:00pm ET today.