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Author: Luke Adams

Eagles Agree To Terms With 16 UDFAs

May 5th, 2016 at 4:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles are the latest NFL team to announce their undrafted free agent class, tweeting out the names of 16 new additions to their roster today. Philadelphia’s list of rookie free agents includes four wide receivers, three defensive tackles, and a pair of running backs. Here’s the full breakdown:

Cowboys Notes: Hardy, QBs, Smith, Lawrence

May 5th, 2016 at 3:03pm CST by Luke Adams

According to Stephen Jones, the Cowboys were done with Greg Hardy when the 2015 season ended, despite not publicly making that stance clear until more recently, as Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram writes.

“I think one of the most important things is when you take a chance with a player, if you see it’s not working, it’s time to move on,” said Jones, the Cowboys’ executive VP. “We gave it its due in terms of a year here, and we just felt like at the end of the day, it wasn’t the right fit.”

Last week, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones went on record saying that Hardy will not be back, but it appears that the decision was made months ago. On the field, Hardy still has plenty to offer, but it would seem Dallas is not interested in dealing with the off-field headaches. Last season, Hardy ranked as the league’s 28th-best edge defender out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Let’s round up a few more Cowboys-related items:

  • The Cowboys missed out on drafting Paxton Lynch, but they’re content with their quarterback depth chart as it stands today, writes Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram. Kellen Moore will be Tony Romo‘s primary backup in 2016, per Jerry Jones. “I think Kellen Moore has shown the ‘it,'” Jones said. “He has the instincts. He has the anticipation. He knows what’s going on. He gives me and us a great feeling about basically improving. Obviously those interceptions were not something you can live with, but some of the stuff he was doing was pretty obvious that the team was responding. He was able to move the team.” Rookie Dak Prescott will likely fill the No. 3 spot behind Romo and Moore.
  • While the general consensus in the Cowboys organization seems to be that second-round pick Jaylon Smith will miss the entire 2016 season, Jerry Jones isn’t ready to commit to taking the linebacker off the regular-season roster, as Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details. Appearing on 105.3 The Fan, Jones said Smith “will not be IR’d,” noting that the club hopes Smith can be available for the latter part of the season. We’ll see if Dallas sticks to that stance in September.
  • During that appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones also said that he’s holding out hope for Demarcus Lawrence‘s suspension to be reduced from four games to two games (link via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Lawrence’s four-game ban is currently under appeal.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Draft Pick Signings: Seahawks, Lions, 49ers

May 5th, 2016 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Seahawks and second-round pick Jarran Reed have agreed to terms on a contract, his representatives tell Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The defensive tackle is scheduled to earn $4.889MM ($1.756MM signing bonus) over the life of his four-year rookie deal. Seattle is hoping that Reed will help to beef up the defensive line in the absence of Brandon Mebane.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks have also agreed to terms with guard Rees Odhiambo, as Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. The third-round pick will have a shot to win a starting job right out of the gate in Seattle.

Here are more of the latest draft pick signings from around the NFC:

  • Lions sixth-round pick Jimmy Landes, who is a strong candidate to take over the team’s long snapper job in 2016, is signing his rookie contract today, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Landes will receive a signing bonus just north of $100K.
  • Washington has begun securing its 2016 draft class by agreeing to a deal with seventh-round pick Steven Daniels, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The former Boston College linebacker will be in line for a four-year contract worth about $2.581MM, including a signing bonus of $77K.
  • Former Florida running back Kelvin Taylor, one of three players drafted in the sixth round last Saturday by the 49ers, has signed his four-year deal with San Francisco, per Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). Taylor, the son of longtime Jaguars running back Fred Taylor, isn’t the only draftee locked up by San Francisco — the team also reached an agreement with sixth-round quarterback Jeff Driskel, per Aaron Wilson (Twitter link).
  • The Packers have completed their deal with fifth-round wide receiver Trevor Davis, a source tells Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com. Davis will be competing for a spot on a crowded receiving corps in Green Bay this summer.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Patriots Reach Deals With Five Draftees

May 5th, 2016 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

1:32pm: Patriots third-round offensive lineman Joe Thuney has also signed his rookie deal, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets. For Thuney, it’ll be a four-year deal worth $3.54MM with a signing bonus of $773K. The offensive lineman out of North Carolina State drew interest from clubs thanks to his versatility — he started all along the O-Line in college.

1:28pm: The Patriots aren’t wasting any time locking up their 2016 draft class, having already reached deals with four of their draftees from last weekend, including top pick Cyrus Jones, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.New England Patriots general helmet (Featured)

Fourth-round receiver Malcolm Mitchell, sixth-round offensive lineman Ted Karras, and seventh-round wideout Devin Lucien have also agreed to terms with New England, according to reports from ESPN’s Adam Caplan, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, and ESPN’s Mike Reiss, respectively (all Twitter links).

The rookie contracts for the four draft picks who have reached agreements with the Pats will look like this, per Over The Cap:

  • 2-60: Cyrus Jones, DB (Alabama): $4.007MM total value, $1.114MM signing bonus
  • 4-112: Malcolm Mitchell, WR (Georgia): $2.918MM total value, $578K signing bonus
  • 6-221: Ted Karras, OL (Illinois): $2.17MM total value, $100K signing bonus
  • 7-225: Devin Lucien, WR (Arizona State): $2.425MM total value, $85K signing bonus

With four draftees having agreed to terms, the Pats still have more than half of their nine-man draft class to lock up, including two third-round picks — quarterback Jacoby Brissett and defensive tackle Vincent Valentine.

Although contracts for third-rounders can sometimes be trickier to negotiate than deals for later-round picks, Brissett appears to be proceeding without any formal representation. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald notes (via Twitter) that the signal-caller is being advised by Abe Elam, but doesn’t officially have an agent.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Browns Agree To Terms With 11 UDFAs

May 5th, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

No NFL team had a larger 2016 draft class than the Browns, who selected 14 players in seven rounds last weekend. Now, Cleveland has added 11 more rookies, announcing today in a press release that they’ve agreed to terms with 11 undrafted free agents. Here’s the full list of new additions for the Browns, which includes four defensive backs:

Washington Signs Jordan Reed To Extension

May 5th, 2016 at 10:24am CST by Luke Adams

10:24am: Reed will get a “base” of $46.5MM over five seasons, per Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter). The new-money average on the deal is $9.3MM per year.

8:35am: Reed has officially signed his new five-year extension to remain in Washington, the team has confirmed via its website.

8:25am: Washington has locked up a key piece of its offense for the long term, according to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has agreed to a five-year extension with tight end Jordan Reed. It will be worth $50MM over five years, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.Jordan Reed (Vertical)

While Schefter places the annual average value of Reed’s new extension at $10MM per year, Schrager tweets that it’s actually the second-largest deal for a tight end, behind Jimmy Graham‘s contract, which is also worth $10MM annually. Pro Football Talk (via Twitter) confirms that the total value of Reed’s contract is actually just under $50MM, so it doesn’t quite reach that $10MM-per-year threshold. Per PFT, the extension also includes $22MM in guarantees, though it’s not clear how much of that is fully guaranteed.

We may have to wait for the full year-by-year breakdown of Reed’s new contract to get a real idea of how it compares to other top tight end deals, but it certainly looks like a very nice payday for the former third-round pick, who had a breakout campaign in 2015.

After being limited to just 20 overall games in 2013 and 2014, Reed stayed healthy for 14 games last season, racking up 87 receptions for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns. In spite of Reed’s injury history, he seemed destined for a lucrative long-term extension, with Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz having already signed new mega-deals this offseason — neither of those tight ends matched the impressive numbers that the Washington pass-catcher put up in 2015.

Reed had been preparing to enter the final year of his rookie contract, and would have earned a base salary of $1.661MM in 2016 under the terms of his old deal. Extending him now will allow Washington to apply some of the new money in the extension to the 2016 cap, likely increasing Reed’s $1.808MM cap charge, in addition to allowing the tight end to get paid a year early.

With Reed now under contract through the 2021 season, Washington will still need to address the contract situation for the quarterback throwing him the ball. Kirk Cousins, currently set to play the 2016 season under the franchise tag, has until July 15th to work out a multiyear extension with the team. Whether or not the two sides don’t come to terms by then, Cousins looks well-equipped to have another strong season, with Reed, DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Jamison Crowder, and first-round pick Josh Doctson all a part of his arsenal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/4/16

May 4th, 2016 at 4:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from across the NFL:

  • The Cardinals have formally waived four players, including former Australian Rules Football player Joel Wilkinson, the club announced today. Along with Wilkerson, who had been attempting to break into the NFL as a cornerback, center Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, cornerback Kevin White, and cornerback Tyrequek Zimmerman were also cut by Arizona.
  • The Broncos announced today in a press release that they’ve cut veteran tight end Richard Gordon, a little over two months after re-signing him to a new contract. It’s the third time Denver has released Gordon since last October.
  • The Seahawks have parted ways with five players from their 90-roster, according to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com, who writes that offensive lineman Drew Nowak, running back Cameron Marshall, tight end Ronnie Shields, defensive end Josh Shirley and wide receiver Tyler Slavin have been cut. Nowak is probably the most notable name in the group, having started seven games at center last year for Seattle.
  • The Lions have waived center Braxston Cave and tight end Casey Pierce, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. Cave’s was likely bumped by the team’s selection of Graham Glasgow in the draft. Pierce, meanwhile, was a practice squad tight end who had been expected to compete for the No. 3 tight end spot in Detroit.
  • Clearing room for their undrafted free agent class, the Rams have waived cornerback Eric Patterson, tweets Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. A Ball State product, Patterson saw the field briefly last season for the Rams and Colts.
  • The Lions waived tight end Jordan Thompson with a failed physical designation, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. The Ohio product was once expected to be the team’s next long-snapper.
  • The Chiefs cut wide receiver Fred Williams, as Wilson tweets. Williams, 28, has been on and off of KC’s taxi squad since September of 2014. In January, the Chiefs signed Williams to a future/reserve deal.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Falcons, Keanu Neal Agree To Terms

May 4th, 2016 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Falcons have become the first NFL team to agree to terms with their first-round pick from the 2016 draft, striking a deal with safety Keanu Neal less than a week after selecting him. The team announced the agreement today in a press release, adding (via Twitter) that Neal will officially sign his contract when he reports to the team’s rookie minicamp on Thursday.Keanu Neal

A league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Neal informed the Falcons he wanted to focus on playing football, rather than negotiating a contract. That prompted the two sides to get the rookie deal for the Florida product done quickly, allowing him to get under contract before fully participating in the club’s offseason activities.

Neal’s four-year pact will be worth about $10.738MM in total, with a signing bonus of $6.009MM and a 2016 cap figure of $1.952MM, according to Over the Cap. As is the case for all first-round picks, Neal will have a fifth-year option attached to the end of his contract, allowing the Falcons to keep him under contract through 2020 if they eventually pick up that option.

Neal, a favorite of Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, came off the board with the 17th overall pick last Thursday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Vikings Reach Deals With Four Draft Picks

May 4th, 2016 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Vikings have been the most active team so far when it comes to locking up their draft picks. After officially announcing the signing of German wideout Moritz Boehringer earlier this week, the team has now reached agreements with four other draftees, including second-round cornerback Mackensie Alexander, writes Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.Mackensie Alexander (Vertical)

In addition to Alexander, the Vikings have agreed to terms with sixth-round tight end David Morgan, seventh-round linebacker Stephen Weatherly, and seventh-round safety Jayron Kearse. All four players are expected to formally sign their rookie contracts on Thursday. Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News first reported word of Morgan’s agreement (via Twitter), while Tomasson had the rest.

Contract negotiations with rookie draftees are easy than they used to be, since the total value of a rookie contract, along with the signing bonus, is essentially predetermined by where a player is drafted. For the Vikings, Alexander will get a signing bonus worth about $1.4MM on his four-year contract. Morgan, Weatherly, and Kearse are in line for bonuses of about $135K, $81K, and $64K, respectively, per Over the Cap.

With five members of their eight-man draft class having agreed to terms, the Vikes will just have to get first-round wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, fourth-round offensive lineman Willie Beavers, and fifth-round linebacker Kentrell Brothers under contract. That’s expected to happen very soon.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers’ Michael Wilhoite Signs RFA Tender

May 4th, 2016 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

49ers linebacker Michael Wilhoite has become the latest restricted free agent to sign his contract tender from his team, according to a team release from the Niners. The one-year deal will set Wilhoite up to earn a non-guaranteed base salary of $1.671MM for the 2016 season.Michael Wilhoite

Wilhoite, 27, started all 16 games for the 49ers back in 2014, but had been expected to transition back into a reserve role in 2015. However, after Patrick Willis and Chris Borland announced their respective retirements, Wilhoite was thrust back into the starting lineup at one of the Niners’ inside linebacker spots.

The former undrafted free agent, who made 12 starts last season before injuries cut his year short, was graded as the league’s worst linebacker out of 97 qualified players by Pro Football Focus. Based on his shaky performance and the presence of Gerald Hodges, who started down the stretch, Wilhoite won’t be assured of a spot in the lineup in 2016.

Wilhoite becomes the second-last restricted free agents to officially sign a contract this offseason, leaving only Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall unsigned. I examined the status of this year’s group of RFAs a couple weeks ago.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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