Vikings Sign Jasper Brinkley To One-Year Deal
The Vikings will sign linebacker Jasper Brinkley to a one-year deal, Fox Sports 1 NFL insider Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter).
Brinkley played his first four seasons in Minnesota, then spent 2013 in Arizona. His best production came in 2012, when he started 15 games and totaled 97 tackles, three forced fumbles and two passes defensed.
Vikings Re-Sign Everson Griffen For Five Years
12:41pm: The five-year deal is worth $42.5MM and includes $20MM guaranteed, tweets ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
12:38pm: Griffen’s deal will pay him in the upper-echelon of pass-rushers over the first three seasons, per Rapoport (via Twitter).
12:24pm: The Vikings have re-signed defensive end Everson Griffen to a “huge” five-year deal, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
A third-round pick from USC in 2010, Griffen has 17.5 sacks in four seasons with Minnesota. He’s played in all 16 games each of the last three years, but started only one contest.
We passed along a link earlier this month that Griffen “badly” wanted to return to Minnesota and that talks were ongoing between the two sides. With Jared Allen set to test the open market and unlikely to return, Griffen becomes the Vikings’ premiere pass rusher.
ProFootballFocus.com rated Griffen as the No. 19 4-3 defensive end in 2013 (subscription required).
Lions Owner William Clay Ford, Sr. Dies
A team employee has confirmed that Detroit Lions owner and chairman William Clay Ford, Sr. has died, reports Chris McCosky of Detroit News (via Twitter). He was 88 years old.
Jennifer Hammond of Fox 2 Detroit first reported the unfortunate news (via Twitter).
Team president Tom Lewand released the following statement:
“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of Mr. Ford and extend our deepest sympathies to Mrs. Ford and to the entire Ford Family. No owner loved his team more than Mr. Ford loved the Lions. Those of us who had the opportunity to work for Mr. Ford knew of his unyielding passion for his family, the Lions and the city of Detroit. His leadership, integrity, kindness, humility and good humor were matched only by his desire to bring a Super Bowl championship to the Lions and to our community. Each of us in the organization will continue to relentlessly pursue that goal in his honor.”
Ford purchased the team outright in November 1963 for $4.5MM and officially took over January 10, 1964, according to the team’s website.
He is survived by his wife, the former Martha Firestone, three daughters and his son, William Clay Ford Jr., who serves as the Lions vice chairman.
The staff at Pro Football Rumors sends its condolences to Mr. Ford’s friends and family.
Making Sense Of Legal Tampering Period
As the “reports” stream in of X team showing interest in Y player, a few of the league’s most respected journalists have weighed in to put all the action in its proper context.
Alterraun Verner and Michael Johnson have six and seven teams calling their agents, respectively. But, as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes, unless those teams are independently leaking to the media that interest, the players’ camps figure to be the source of the links — which is nothing out of the ordinary.
But just making a call to show interest is not exactly front-page news. “I would have thought 20 teams would call,” a league source said regarding Johnson. “Maybe more. Anyone can place a call.”
USA TODAY NFL writer Tom Pelissero paints the picture this way (via Twitter): “Any starting-caliber FA should have 9-10 teams express ‘interest.’ Of those, 3-4 are serious. Agent’s job to narrow to 1-2 by 4 p.m. Tuesday.”
Pelissero continues, saying teams aren’t working to give out info. Just because a team calls on a free agent doesn’t mean he’s a priority.
Andrew Brandt, former Packers VP and theMMQB writer, pokes fun at the free agency charade: “Time of year when NFL agents’ reputations precede them. When some say ‘Six teams are interested’ means ‘Two called, I called four.'”
For NFL Network reporter Albert Breer, the tampering period has turned out to be a poker game. “Can’t do a deal yet,” Breer tweets, “so be careful with your cards.”
Texans Interested In Ryan Mallett
SUNDAY, 10:15am: The Texans won’t be trading for Mallett, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle definitively states (via Twitter).
SATURDAY, 10:25pm: Entering the final year of his rookie deal, it might be time for the Patriots to finally see what backup quarterback Ryan Mallett is worth.
According to Nick Underhill of masslive.com, the chance to gauge Mallett’s worth could come soon, as the Texans have expressed interest in the former Arkansas quarterback, a third-round pick in 2011. However, Underhill’s source said the current level of involvement was just talk between the two clubs and that nothing was definite.
A trade to Houston would reunite Mallett with Texans coach Bill O’Brien, Underhill notes, who worked as New England’s offensive coordinator for Mallett’s rookie season.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio opines that a fair trade between the two clubs would include picks in the next two drafts, with conditions tied to Mallett’s play and/or team.
Extra Points: Suh, Hester, Talib
Ndamukong Suh‘s cap number in 2014 is $22.4MM — that’s nearly 17% of the $133MM salary cap.
However, DetroitLions.com Senior Writer Tim Twentyman said this should not hamstring the team’s efforts to be active in free agency. With less cap space last year entering free agency than they have this year, Twentyman writes that Detroit was still able to land Reggie Bush, Glover Quin and Jason Jones on free agency’s opening day.
“The fact we won’t have an extension done with Ndamukong before free agency begins doesn’t affect that plan one bit,” Lions team president Tom Lewand said. “It doesn’t affect our valuation of the free agents, it doesn’t affect what our projection of our cap situation is going forward, and it doesn’t affect how we project eventually working an extension with Ndamukong out at some point in time.”
Twentyman doesn’t expect a re-done deal by the start of free agency, despite Suh’s recent signing of CAA Sports agent Jimmy Sexton.
More notes from the second day of the legal tampering period…
- Dave George of the Palm Beach Post implores the Dolphins, who ranked No. 26 in the league in scoring last year, to sign return specialist Devin Hester.
- With about $24MM in cap room, philly.com’s Zach Berman expects the Eagles to bolster their defense in free agency.
- As cornerback Antonio Cromartie approaches 30, the Jets interest in Alterraun Verner shows that the team is exploring other options, said New York Post’s Brian Costello.
- Free safety, receiver, tight end and cornerback are the positions the Chiefs could target when free agency opens on Tuesday, writes The Kansas City Star’s Terez A. Paylor.
- The NFL is a young man’s game, with players 30 and over finding it more difficult to maintain a roster spot, reports The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin.
Redskins To Be ‘Major Players’ For Aqib Talib
The Redskins have never been shy about opening their wallet to big-name free agents under owner Dan Snyder, and it doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.
According to former NFL quarterback and current Bleacher Report analyst Chris Simms, the Redskins are going to be “a major player” for free agent cornerback Aqib Talib‘s services once the 2014 league year starts at 3:00pm CT Tuesday. Simms was in the Patriots organization recently as a coaching assistant and played with Talib in Tampa Bay.
Looking at the Redskins’ offensive needs, ESPN.com’s John Keim said Talib is the one player who could be intriguing, given the tight relationship between Talib and secondary coach Raheem Morris — the duo spent time together in Tampa Bay. Keim acknowledges the hefty price tag but likes Talib’s versatility to play inside and out and evolvement into a leader.
Talib’s biggest knock, as Keim points out, is his injury history — Talib hasn’t played more than 13 games in a season since 2009, and was knocked out of playoff games each of the last two years.
Washington is in a decent cap situation with just under $22MM in space, according to overthecap.com. However, teams like to give themselves $5-6MM of wiggle room as the season approaches and require $2-3MM to pay rookies, so paying Talib his desired salary might be a tall task.
NFC FA Rumors: Ward, Hatcher, Johnson
We passed along some news earlier today that the Lions had shown interest in free agent cornerback Alterraun Verner, but Detroit Free Press writer Dave Birkett was quick to shoot it down, citing the team’s bigger need at safety.
One of the top free agent safeties, T.J. Ward, has reportedly drawn interest from Detroit, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Rapoport says the team hopes it can create cap space with a re-do of its deal with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who currently carries a $22.41MM number for 2014.
Passing along a few more free agent rumors from around the NFC…
- Free agent defensive lineman Jason Hatcher has seven to eight teams interested in his talents, per ESPNDallas.com’s Calvin Watkins (via Twitter). Hatcher had 11 sacks for the Cowboys in 2013, more than double his previous career high.
- Add the Buccaneers to the growing list of teams interested in Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
- The Giants are serious about adding a cornerback, says Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. They’ve already shown interest in Verner, and an NFL source said the team was inclined to place a competitive bid on Sam Shields before he re-signed with the Packers.
- Free agent defensive tackle Henry Melton has “multiple suitors,” a source tells ESPN.com reporter Michael C. Wright (via Twitter). Melton excelled from 2010-’12 with the Bears, but a knee injury in 2013 coupled with off-the-field issues has curtailed his stock.
Rashard Mendenhall Retires
Free agent running back Rashard Mendenhall is retiring, reports ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Mendenhall, 26, spent his first five seasons with the Steelers, then started 13 games last year for the Cardinals, rushing for 687 yards and eight touchdowns.
A first-round draft pick from Illinois in 2008, Mendenhall totaled 4,236 yards and 39 touchdowns in his six-year career. He surpassed 1,000 yards rushing in the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
Mendenhall hinted at retirement in a February 25 column for Huffington Post: “And as I write this, today is the day that the journey is over and I am fully at peace. Eagerly looking to a new way, which lies ahead.”
PFR’s Luke Adams ranked Mendenhall in the second tier of free agent running backs.
FA Rumors Roundup: Verner, Byrd, Jones
The period for agents of free agents to negotiate with NFL teams began today at 11:00am CT, and the rumors have been steadily pouring in.
Free agent cornerback Alterraun Verner has been the topic of a good portion of those rumors. Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean reports that the Lions, Steelers and Giants have been added to the mix of teams interested in the former UCLA Bruin’s services (via Twitter).
Verner has previously drawn interest from the Vikings, Jets and Rams, and is apparently lukewarm of giving the Titans a hometown discount.
Widely regarded among the top free agent cornerbacks, Verner surely was pleased to see fellow FA corner Sam Shields sign a four-year contract with the Packers for $39MM earlier today. PFR’s Luke Adams ranked Verner as the No. 8 overall free agent and No. 2 corner behind Aqib Talib at No. 7. Shields ranks 12 spots behind Verner at No. 20. ProFootballFocus.com rated Verner as the No. 12 cornerback in football last season (subscription required).
More free agent rumors from around the league…
- Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press confirmed Wyatt’s report of the Lions having interest in Verner (via Twitter), though he can’t see it happening, citing safety as a bigger need.
- Among the teams to inquire on safety Jairus Byrd today were the Rams, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter). Rapoport called the interest “unexpected and interesting.”
- The Giants have expressed interest in former Ravens defensive lineman Arthur Jones, reports Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- Wilson also reported that the Falcons are “extremely” interested in free agent offensive guard Jon Asamoah, who has played 59 games for the Chiefs the past four seasons, with 41 starts.