AFC East Notes: Byrd, Verner, Dolphins
The Bills did not place the franchise tag on safety Jairus Byrd, electing to instead sign safety Aaron Williams to a long-term contract. However, Williams says that Byrd still wants to return to the Bills, writes Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk.
Williams said that the two safeties have a great friendship and talk all the time. Byrd and the Bills are still able to come to an agreement on a deal to keep him in Buffalo for a long time.
Here are some other free agency notes from around the AFC East:
- While Byrd is thought of as the best safety in this free agency class by most fans and pundits (including our own Luke Adams), Bill Polian of ESPN took a contrarian stance. Polian listed Byrd as the third best safety available, after Antoine Bethea and Chris Clemons (oddly, he does not list T.J. Ward as a safety, but instead as a defensive back). Polian’s reasoning is that Byrd is a “speed-deficient safety.”
- The Jets are interested in free agent cornerback Alterraun Verner, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post.
- Dolphins‘ general manager Dennis Hickey has a plan for rebuilding the team’s offensive line, and the top two targets will be Branden Albert and Rodger Saffold, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The team has also expressed interest in Eugene Monroe and Jared Veldheer.
Hakeem Nicks Cleared By Doctors
Hakeem Nicks biggest red flag has been injury issues, and to combat those ideas, his agents have “circulated medical assurances to all clubs from two of the nation’s leading specialists that past foot and knee injuries should not inhibit the wide receiver’s 2014 season,” writes Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com.
Dr. Robert Anderson and Dr. James Andrews both wrote that there are no signs that his previous injury issues are likely to recur and affect the ability for Nicks to resume his career.
While injuries have hindered his career, when healthy Nicks has been among the most productive young receivers in the game, and was especially effective during the Giants’ most recent Super Bowl run. Our own Luke Adams listed him as the 12th best free agent option, and as the top receiver as he is one spot ahead of Eric Decker.
Even still, Decker is expected to receive a much larger contract than Nicks, making the former Giant more likely to be attainable on a low-risk, high-reward contract.
According to Mortensen’s sources, Nicks would be willing to accept a one- or two-year contract to prove that he is the top flight receiver we saw in 2010 and 2011, and not the middling talent that was on the field a year ago.
Ben Tate Says Return To Texans Unlikely
Texans running back Ben Tate appeared on Sirius XM NFL Radio today to talk free agency. On the show, he mentioned that his chances of returning to Houston for the 2014 season are “less than a 2% chance” (via Twitter).
Tate has been stuck behind Arian Foster on the depth chart in recent years, but as our own Luke Adams wrote in his piece on the market for free agent running backs, Tate is thought to possess the skills to become a starter for another team. Adams placed him as a second-tier running back in this free agent class, writing that the longtime Texan could be a low-risk, high-reward player for a team in need of a playmaker in the backfield.
In a poll of Pro Football Rumors readers on who the best running back available is, Tate is tied with Knowshon Moreno as the top back in this free agent class. If our readers are correct, he will make some NFL team very happy as he will likely be an affordable option to carry the football.
Bears Notes: Free Agents, Earl Mitchell
The Bears have some time to gauge the market values of free agents to be, which will be important in their plans on how to proceed come Tuesday, writes Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun Times. They will be able to evaluate whether they can be in the mix for big name free agents such as Michael Bennett or T.J. Ward, but also if they have the resources to re-sign their own players, such as Henry Melton, Charles Tillman, and Josh McCown.
The planning will also decide whether the team plans to release defensive end Julius Peppers or to renegotiate his contract, as his $18.2MM cap figure will not be a figure the Bears are comfortable paying him.
Here are some other notes about the Bears’ offseason:
- Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes that if the Bears are unable to retain Henry Melton, a potential replacement could be found in Texans’ defensive tackle Earl Mitchell (via Twitter).
- Dan Weiderer and Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune put together a guide to free agency for the Bears. They highlighted some important in-house options the team should look to hold on to, including Melton, Tillman and McCown. Jordan Palmer, who was the team’s third quarterback last year, could return as Jay Cutler‘s backup in 2014. They do note that while the Bears could look to replace Peppers, they most likely would not cut him until they had a potential replacement lined up.
- For Weiderer and Campbell, there are a number of free agents the team should chase in free agency, highlighting Bennett and Mitchell could be great choices. Other big name free agents in the secondary could bring the Bears to pursue Jairus Byrd, T.J. Ward, Aqib Talib or Alterraun Verner. They also could see the Bears investing in cheaper options, highlighting Jason Hatcher, who has experience with defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni.
B.J. Raji To Test Free Agency
While earlier this week it sounded as if B.J. Raji and the Packers would be able to agree to a one-year deal to bring the giant defensive lineman back to Green Bay in 2014, it now looks like Raji will hit free agency, reports Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk.
Ian Rapaport of NFL.com originally reported that his return to the Packers was not a done deal (via Twitter). The one-year deal being talked about was reportedly worth between $4MM and $6.5MM with incentives, but the former first-round pick could command more money on a longer term contract on the open market.
There is also some contention about how Raji is being utilized under Dom Capers in Green Bay, and if Raji secures a one-year “prove it” deal with a team that will allow him to put up bigger sack numbers, he may choose to go there and re-establish his value before hitting free agency again in 2015.
Red Bryant, Jaguars Agree To Four-Year Deal
3:50pm: Ian Rapaport of NFL.com reports that Bryant deal is worth $17MM over four years (via Twitter).
2:01pm: Former Seahawks defensive lineman Red Bryant has reached an agreement with the Jaguars on a four-year deal, as reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).
The Seahawks released Bryant earlier this offseason, but the team left open the possibility of re-signing their run stopping defensive end during free agency.
This move reunites Bryant with Jaguars’ head coach Gus Bradley, who was the Seahawks defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2012.
Giants Made Offer To Justin Tuck
While defensive end Justin Tuck will have his opportunity to test free agency, the Giants have made him an offer in the hopes the Super Bowl winning pass rusher will return, reports Jordan Rannan of NJ.com. It is believed the offer was made some point during the last week, but no deal was struck between the two parties.
Tuck had 11 sacks last year, and is a part of a free agent class at a position that includes Michael Bennett, Jared Allen, Michael Johnson, Lamarr Houston, and Everson Griffen.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that at this point, it is unclear if the offer makes the Giants serious contenders to retain Tuck’s services in 2014, or if it is just an empty offer so the team can claim they tried to keep the 31-year-old defensive end.
Tuck’s agent stated that his client is the most complete player at the position in this free agency class, and in our own Luke Adams’ preview of the top 25 free agents, Tuck was among eight players who “just missed the cut.”
Darrell Stuckey, Chargers Agree To Deal
The Chargers and safety Darrell Stuckey have agreed to a multi-year contract, reports Ricky Henne of Chargers.com (via Twitter). The 26-year old has mostly played on special teams in his short career in San Diego. Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com reports that according to Stuckey the contract is a four-year deal (via Twitter).
Details of the contract have yet to be released, but it can be assumed that although Stuckey has been a top special teams player when healthy, his contract will be at or close to the minimum salary for a fifth year player.
Brian Orakpo Unlikely To Be Franchised
5:20pm: Final deliberations are taking place at Redskins Park this weekend over whether to make a significant financial investment in Orakpo, report Mike Jones and Mark Maske of the Washington Post.
2:39pm: Our own Luke Adams passed along the story that Brian Orakpo had not received a formal contract offer from the Redskins yet, but noted that Orakpo would likely be franchised if a long term deal was not reached.
However, NFL Insider Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports disagrees with the notion that the Redskins would franchise their star pass rusher. In a series of Tweets, La Canfora says that he would be surprised of Orakpo did not hit the open market. He notes that Redskins’ general manager Bruce Allen is unlikely to devote that much cap space to one position, and does not believe the teams are close to agreeing on a long-term contract.
Earlier today, John Keim of ESPN.com looked at where Orakpo was ranked as a free agent, in order to gauge the interest he could draw on the open market. With consesnus top free agents Jimmy Graham and Greg Hardy already receiving the franchise tag, Keim notes that Orakpo would be the best free agent left according to NFL.com, and the number one linebacker available on Yahoo.com. CBS and Rotoworld both rank him among the top two or three free agents set to hit the market, and MMQB has a lower opinion of him, while still thinking he is one of the top ten free agents available if he hits the free agency.
NFC Links: Sanchez, McFadden, Jackson
The extra cap space the Lions will have will allow them extra flexibility in free agency, but Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com doesn’t see the team making a big splash. Free agent Willie Young still isn’t a lock to be retained, and Rothstein thinks the team will look to get younger at many positions this offseason.
Here are some other notes from the NFC:
- If the Vikings draft a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft, they could still look for a veteran quarterback to bridge the gap in free agency, writes Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. While Matt Cassel seems like an obvious choice, Goessling thinks Mark Sanchez could be a dark horse candidate.
- Steve Smith of the Panthers has an uncertain future in Carolina, and Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer writes that Smith is distrustful of general manager Dave Gettelman.
- Darren McFadden is looking for a new team, and Bill Williamson of ESPN.com sees a potential fit with the 49ers. McFadden is familiar with the team’s runningback coach Tom Rathman from their Raider days, and he would be a cheap veteran the team could afford.
- While the Cardinals are waiting to see of they can keep Karlos Dansby, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com thinks D’Qwell Jackson would be a great alternative. Though a little older, the veteran will bring leadership to the locker room, and could be had on a team-friendly deal.