Cardinals Rumors: Brown, Moore, Humphries
The Cardinals are open to trading the No. 4 overall pick in next month’s draft, a move which would net them additional high-end draft capital while still allowing them to select one of the best wide receivers in a class full of receiving talent. And given that Arizona has parted ways with Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore this offseason, the club’s need for multiple pass catchers to support quarterback Kyler Murray is particularly glaring.
Here’s the latest from the desert, starting with a couple of notes on those recently-departed wideouts:
- Brown ultimately signed a one-year, $7MM contract with the Chiefs, a deal that includes an additional $4MM in incentives. “Hollywood” had previously expressed interest in re-signing with the Cardinals, and Mike Jurecki of Arizona Football Daily confirms that Brown indeed hoped to return to Arizona even as he was garnering league-wide interest. However, the Cardinals never attempted to match or better KC’s offer, so the speedy wideout will work alongside Patrick Mahomes & Co. as he eyes a lucrative multiyear pact in 2025.
- Moore, meanwhile, was traded to the Falcons, and he will apparently welcome the change of scenery that the Kirk Cousins-led outfit will provide. Despite working with two different play-callers over his first three professional seasons, Moore felt he was not given enough opportunities in the vertical passing game and ran too many horizontal routes, as ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss details. Moore will also be eligible for free agency in 2025, and while there are a number of talented skill position players on Atlanta’s roster, the soon-to-be 24-year-old could become a key ancillary target in a high-upside offense.
- Even if the Cardinals select a top-tier WR prospect like Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabers, the club could certainly add another receiver or two later on in the draft, especially given their need at the position and the strength of this year’s class. To that end, as Jurecki notes, the team recently scheduled a “30” visit with Texas WR Xavier Worthy, who set a Scouting Combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash and whom NFL.com draft guru Daniel Jeremiah referred to as a taller version of Brown. The Colts also have a visit scheduled with Worthy.
- Earlier this month, the Cardinals released OT D.J. Humphries, who had spent his entire career with the club since being selected in the first round of the 2015 draft. Financially, the release was an easy call for GM Monti Ossenfort, as Humphries tore his ACL at the end of the 2023 campaign and is therefore uncertain to play in 2024, when he was due to carry a $22MM cap charge. Emotionally, however, Ossenfort called the move “brutal,” saying, “the salary cap and the way things are set up and the way contracts work, it put us in a very tough situation. I can’t say enough about how I feel about D.J. as a football player and moreso as a person. His energy, and the leadership he brought to this team, we are certainly going to miss him. I hope nothing but the best for him in his recovery and his rehab” (via Darren Urban of the team’s official website).
- The Cardinals added Jonah Williams in free agency this year and drafted Paris Johnson with the No. 6 overall pick in last year’s draft, and they are still rostering veteran Kelvin Beachum. Nonetheless, Ossenfort left to the door open to a Humphries reunion once Humphries’ rehab is complete.
- Ossenfort has been busy fortifying his defensive line this offseason, adding Bilal Nichols, Justin Jones, and Khyiris Tonga in free agency. Nichols and Jones landed notable multiyear deals, while Tonga signed a one-year, $1.75MM accord, per CardsWire’s Howard Balzer. Still, Ossenfort thinks highly of Tonga and cited his size and the strength of his performance near the end of his tenure with the Vikings as reasons for his belief that the former seventh-round pick could carve out a meaningful role in the desert.
Steelers, Russell Wilson Plan To Discuss New Contract After 2024 Season; More On Justin Fields Trade
Despite yesterday’s stunning trade that sent Justin Fields from the Bears to the Steelers, the recently-signed Russell Wilson will remain in place as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, head coach Mike Tomlin reached out to Wilson before the trade was finalized to let the nine-time Pro Bowler know that his job is safe.
And, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Wilson and the Steelers are interested in a multiyear arrangement. While Pittsburgh is paying Wilson the veteran minimum on his one-year deal for 2024 — the Broncos are picking up the rest of Wilson’s $39MM tab — player and team are already planning to explore a “longer deal” at the the end of the season.
It would seem a bit premature to make those types of plans. After all, while Wilson’s second year in Denver was much better than his first, his brief stint with the Broncos was generally a disappointing one. And even if the Steelers do not exercise Fields’ fifth-year option for 2025, it is certainly possible that he impresses enough over the course of the upcoming year to convince Tomlin — long rumored to be a Fields fan — that his newest acquisition is worthy of a new contract and a starting role. Plus, Wilson will be 36 by the end of the 2024 campaign, while Fields just turned 25.
Nonetheless, the fact that these reports are even circulating is evidence of the Steelers’ faith in Wilson. And considering that the club is committing so little salary to him and was able to acquire Fields for a sixth-round draft choice — which will only become a fourth-rounder if Fields plays 51% of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps in 2024 — the Fields trade will have been worth it even if he simply plays out the season as a high-end insurance policy for Wilson and heads elsewhere next year.
It was not too long ago that Dulac and other Steelers beats unequivocally wrote that the team would not pursue an external addition (like Wilson and Fields) who was eyeing a QB1 role. Per Pro Football Talk, those reports were correct when they were published, but the club has dramatically changed how its views the quarterback position over the past month. During that time, Pittsburgh saw Mason Rudolph sign with the Titans in free agency and subsequently traded Kenny Pickett to the Eagles. Whether Rudolph’s departure is what triggered the shift in organizational philosophy — Dulac et al. had suggested that Rudolph and Pickett could compete for the starting quarterback job in 2024 — is unclear, but one way or another, the Steelers have overhauled their QB room in a short amount of time, and for minimal cost.
Meanwhile, Chicago fans have Caleb Williams to look forward to in the near future, but the club is doubtlessly disappointed that it was unable to fetch a larger return for Fields, the No. 11 overall pick of the 2021 draft. We heard just last week that the Bears were not panicking even when the market for Fields did not develop as hoped, and as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk opines, the club should have continued exercising patience. If GM Ryan Poles was willing to accept a 2025 draft choice in exchange for Fields, he might have waited until the 2024 draft was over to see which teams were left without a passer. He might even have kept Fields on the roster, at least as a backup, and waited to collect a compensatory draft pick if and when Fields signed with a different club as a free agent next March.
Perhaps, as Florio suggests, Poles felt that he was doing the right thing for Fields by trading him sooner rather than later. Regardless of his rationale, Poles did confirm in a statement after the trade was announced that he had been exploring a deal for weeks.
The statement, issued by the club’s official X feed, reads, “We have engaged in multiple trade conversations in recent weeks and believe trading Justin at this time to Pittsburgh is what is best for both Justin and the Bears. Today we spoke to Justin to inform him of the trade and the rationale behind it for us as a Club. We want to thank him for his tireless dedication, leadership and all he poured into our franchise and community the last three years and wish him the best towards a long and successful NFL career.”
Per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, five teams contacted the Bears to dicuss a Fields trade, though all of those clubs viewed Fields as a backup. Poles had hoped that the 2021 trade that sent Sam Darnold from the Jets to the Panthers in exchange for a 2021 sixth-rounder, a 2022 second-rounder, and a 2022 fourth-rounder would provide a framework for a Fields deal, but at the time, Carolina clearly viewed Darnold as a starter. Since rival teams did not feel the same way about Fields, Poles elected to resolve the matter quickly and to start the Williams era with a clean slate.
Broncos “Leaning Toward” Jarrett Stidham As QB1
Before the 2024 league year began, we heard that Jarrett Stidham had a good chance to open the season as the Broncos’ starting quarterback. Now, as the dust settles on the first wave of free agency, it appears that Stidham’s hold on the QB1 job has only gotten stronger.
In evaluating the QB signings and trades that have taken place around the league, Mike Klis of 9News.com says that the Broncos “seem to be leaning toward” having Stidham serve as the starter — at least at the beginning of the 2024 campaign — and using their No. 12 overall selection on a collegiate passer. After all, while Denver considered Sam Darnold, who ultimately signed with the Vikings, Sean Payton & Co. reportedly did not make a contract offer (per Klis, Darnold strongly preferred Minnesota anyway).
Likewise, Klis reports that the Broncos did their due diligence on former Patriots signal-caller Mac Jones, but they did not make a trade offer. New England ultimately dealt Jones to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick. Klis also says that Denver was never in on high-priced free agent options like Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield, and he adds that the club has not shown any interest in Ryan Tannehill. While there are still free agents (Tannehill) and trade candidates (Trey Lance, Zach Wilson) that the Broncos could pursue, none of them would necessarily unseat Stidham.
Notwithstanding Klis’ expectation that the Broncos’ will use their top draft choice on a quarterback, Troy Renck of the Denver Post believes the team could trade back, unless a player like Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy should fall into that range, or unless Payton is particularly high on Oregon’s Bo Nix. Renck’s sources tell him that four quarterbacks will be selected within the top six picks of the draft, and it certainly seems to be a safe bet that the first three selections will be used on passers. The Bears (No. 1 overall) and Commanders (No. 2 overall) appear poised to draft QBs, and even if the Patriots (No. 3 overall) trade back, the team that trades with them may well use that pick on a quarterback. The price to leap up the draft board to select the third- or fourth-best QB prospect in the draft would be prohibitive for a team like the Broncos that is clearly in rebuild mode (to say nothing of the fact that the Vikings, who have the No. 11 overall pick, are better-positioned to make such a move).
Obviously, if the Broncos were to trade down as Renck suggests, that would solidify Stidham as the short-term starter while helping the team pick up additional capital to address other holes on a roster that has plenty of them. One way or another, as Albert Breer of SI.com wrote on the day free agency began, Denver is not going to force anything at the QB position, and Payton’s confidence in Stidham affords them the ability to be patient, even if “patience” is not one of Payton’s favorite words.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/17/24
We will keep track of today’s minor moves here:
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Zeke Turner
Turner signed with the Cardinals as a UDFA in 2018 and has been with the club ever since. He has primarily operated as a special teamer during his time in the desert, racking up 1,756 third phase snaps during his six-year career against just 190 defensive snaps. However, as Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 writes, Turner will have a chance to “showcase [his] skill at linebacker,” and he could assume some of the snaps that recently-departed LB Oren Burks played.
Raiders Re-Sign DT John Jenkins
The Raiders have re-signed defensive tackle John Jenkins, per ESPN’s Amber Wilson. It will be a one-year, $3.25MM pact for the 34-year-old.
Las Vegas signed Jenkins to a one-year deal last March, and he wound up starting all 17 games for the club in 2023 while piling up a career-high 61 total tackles. That mark was also the highest among all of the Raiders’ interior defenders last season (h/t Levi Damien of Raiders Wire).
That said, Pro Football Focus was not particularly high on his work, assigning Jenkins a middling 61.2 overall grade and a 55.6 mark for his efforts against the run. Still, he was a key part of a unit that finished eighth in defensive DVOA in 2023, and GM Tom Telesco and head coach Antonio Pierce clearly believed that Jenkins and fellow D-lineman Adam Butler, who was re-upped just yesterday, were worthy of another contract.
Of course, the Raiders’ biggest splash this offseason was the acquisition of former Dolphin Christian Wilkins on a four-year, $110MM deal. Wilkins will replace Bilal Nichols — who recently signed with the Cardinals — and his presence will only help Jenkins and Butler, who will likely get the most reps at the other DT spot. Keeping Jenkins and Butler around will also allow the club to continue developing recent draftees like Byron Young, Matthew Butler, and Nesta Jade Silvera in a reserve capacity. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal expects Telesco to make further additions to the defensive line in the upcoming draft.
Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the Dolphins — who employed Jenkins in 2019 and then again from 2021-22 — brought their former defender in for a visit a few days ago as part of their extensive efforts to replace Wilkins’ production. We do not know if Miami extended an offer.
Commanders Sign CB Noah Igbinoghene
The Dallas-Washington pipeline is still operating at full force. As ESPN’s John Keim was first to report, the Commanders have signed CB Noah Igbinoghene.
Igbinoghene is the fourth player that the Commanders, now coached by former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, have added in free agency this year. He joins center Tyler Biadasz and defensive ends Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler in making the move from Texas to the nation’s capital.
Unlike his fellow former Cowboys, however, Igbinoghene is unlikely to see a ton of playing time, if he makes the roster at all. A former first-round pick of the Dolphins, Igbinoghene was traded to Dallas during the roster cutdown phase of the calendar last year and failed to make much of an impact. In Week 1, the Auburn product returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown, but that would represent the highlight of his season. He ultimately appeared in just five games and 25 defensive snaps, to go along with 77 special teams snaps.
When Miami drafted Igbinoghene with the No. 30 overall selection in 2020, the club hoped that his size and athleticism would help the converted receiver turn into an effective corner at the professional level. That never happened, and although Igbinoghene appeared in 16 games in his rookie campaign, he started only two of them and appeared in just 28% of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps. He was frequently deactivated over the following two seasons, leading to his trade in advance of the 2023 season.
As Keim notes, Quinn likely views Igbinoghene as nothing more than a depth/special teams addition, but at least he saw enough in 2023 to take a flier on his former Dallas charge on what is almost certainly a veteran minimum pact.
Jets Continuing To Explore Trade Market For WRs; Latest On Tee Higgins
Even as they have set about overhauling their offensive line, the Jets have been linked to a number of wide receivers in the free agent and trade markets. For instance, New York was reportedly interested in trading for Keenan Allen before the Chargers shipped him to the Bears, and the club inquired on Jerry Jeudy as well. Likewise, Gang Green is believed to have interest in FA Tyler Boyd and will soon visit with the recently-released Mike Williams.
As of the time of this writing, GM Joe Douglas has been unable to add to Aaron Rodgers‘ contingent of pass catchers. Unsurprisingly, however, Douglas is still exploring the trade market, as ESPN’s Rich Cimini writes.
It is unclear if Douglas will have much success in that regard. While Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins has requested a trade, Cincinnati has stated that it intends to keep the franchise-tagged talent, and per Albert Breer of SI.com, that is not just GM-speak. The club truly does want to run back the Ja’Marr Chase/Higgins tandem for at least one more season, and Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports says no trade conversations between the Bengals and the Panthers, another team in search of WR help, have taken place. Per Jones, Carolina and Cincinnati are unlikely to line up on a Higgins trade, even though the Panthers now have pick nos. 33 and 39 to offer.
On the other hand, Breer thinks that the Bengals may get an offer that is too good to turn down as the draft approaches, just as the Titans did when they dealt A.J. Brown on draft night several years ago (although that ill-fated decision on Tennessee’s part may prove to be a cautionary tale for Cincinnati). Whether such an offer is made, and whether that offer comes from Douglas — who is under pressure to win now — remains to be seen.
Instead of a trade for a player like Higgins or the 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk — who may or may not be in line for a second contract with San Francisco — Cimini believes it is more logical to add a mid-tier FA like Boyd while taking advantage of a deep pool of collegiate wideouts. Although the Jets are without a second-round choice in 2024 and will therefore not make their second selection until they are on the clock with the No. 72 overall pick, the depth of this year’s WR class means that they can still get an impact player with that pick.
In addition to Williams and Boyd, Cimini says Odell Beckham Jr. could be a Douglas target in free agency. The Ravens aggressively outbid other suitors, including the Jets, for Beckham’s services last year, but even though Beckham turned in a mostly healthy season and was a key complementary piece in Baltimore’s passing game in 2023, the club is unlikely to re-sign him. Beckham will likely not come close to the $15MM guarantee he secured from the Ravens, and Douglas could view him as a worthy ancillary weapon who could be had for a relatively low cost.
Jaguars To Acquire Mac Jones From Patriots
The Patriots have agreed to trade quarterback Mac Jones to the Jaguars, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Although the deal cannot be finalized until the new league year opens on Wednesday and until Jones passes a physical, it appears that Jones — a Jacksonville native — will try to resurrect his career in his hometown.
Schefter reported that New England and Jacksonville were discussing a sixth-round pick as trade compensation, and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network confirms that a sixth-round choice (No. 192 overall) is the official return for Jones. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says four teams were in the mix for the Alabama product, though Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports says that, as of yesterday, the Jags were the only club to make an offer. Albert Breer of SI.com adds that New England was seeking a fifth-rounder before ultimately settling for the sixth.
A report from late last month suggested that the Patriots had a three-step plan in place for addressing their quarterback situation this offseason, and trading Mac Jones was one of those three steps. While there was some pushback on the notion that New England had developed some sort of QB flowchart that had been distributed throughout the organization, it has seemed clear for some time that the club would seek a Jones trade, which would represent a beneficial change of scenery for both player and team. Now, the Pats can focus on adding a veteran to their roster and/or acquiring a top collegiate prospect in the draft. The most recent rumors on the draft front have indicated that if Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels are off the board by the time New England is on the clock with the No. 3 pick, the club will trade back.
While Jones is obviously not a threat to unseat Trevor Lawrence as the Jaguars’ starting quarterback, he will have an opportunity to regain his footing while working with Lawrence — whom he has known for years, as the two frequently competed against each other in high school recruiting camps — and head coach Doug Pederson, a celebrated quarterback whisperer. Jones, the Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2021, clearly has potential that may have been stunted by the Patriots’ coaching and schematic maneuvers in 2022, and as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, Pederson & Co. will try to unlock some of that potential and at least turn Jones into a viable backup.
Another factor in the trade is the health of current backup C.J. Beathard, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler details. Per Fowler, Beathard has been “banged up,” so the Jones acquisition gives the Jags a healthy QB2 option. The nature and extent of Beathard’s injury is unclear, and so is his future with the club at this point, though ESPN’s Mike Reiss says Jones and Beathard are expected to compete for the backup job.
The Jaguars will still have a sixth-round compensatory choice (No. 212 overall) in the 2024 draft.
Jets Re-Sign S Chuck Clark
The Jets will bring back safety Chuck Clark on a one-year contract, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. New York acquired Clark from the Ravens last March, sending a seventh-rounder back to Baltimore in the trade.
Unfortunately, Clark suffered a torn ACL during OTAs in June, thereby ending his first Jets season before it started. Obviously, Gang Green is comfortable with Clark’s recovery, and as fellow safeties Jordan Whitehead and Ashtyn Davis are also out of contract, retaining Clark on what is surely a modest deal makes plenty of sense.
As we heard earlier this week, Whitehead appears unlikely to return to the team, leaving Clark as the likely starter at strong safety and Tony Adams as his running mate at free safety. Although Clark is not a world-beater, he was a regular starter for the Ravens from 2019-22 and only became expendable once Baltimore authorized a high-end free agent contract for Marcus Williams in 2022 and selected Kyle Hamilton in the first round of that year’s draft. Even after those acquisitions, the Ravens retained Clark for the 2022 campaign, underscoring his value to the club.
Over his final two years with the Ravens, Clark earned high marks from Pro Football Focus for his work in run defense. While his coverage grades were not as strong, they were at least passable, and with the Jets likely to deploy him close to line of scrimmage on most snaps, his limitations in the passing game will be mitigated to some degree.
Until his ACL tear, Clark had proven himself to be a highly durable player, having missed one game due to injury to that point in his career. The Jets will hope the 2017 sixth-rounder, who turns 29 next month, can turn in a healthy campaign while offering stability on the back end of their defense.
Chargers, Ravens, Bears Among “Serious Suitors” For Saquon Barkley
Running back Saquon Barkley is one of the highest-profile free agents in this year’s cycle, and there have been plenty of rumors concerning his next destination already. Some of those rumors may be solidifying into something more concrete.
Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com spoke with more than a dozen managers, executives, coaches, scouts, and agents, and while there was of course some variation in their responses, most expected that Barkley would land a contract worth $10MM per year, with a three-year, $30MM pact a seemingly likely outcome.
Given the notoriously stagnant running back market, it is fair to wonder whether any team would be willing to cough up that kind of money to an RB with a concering injury history who is coming off a season in which he posted a 3.9 YPC rate. However, the consensus among Raanan’s sources was that Barkley is good enough to warrant an eight-figure-per-year deal, with one pro personnel director saying, “if he was in San Francisco, he would be Christian McCaffrey. He hasn’t had an offensive line, ever, in New York.”
So, while Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reported that the Giants are among the teams that do not see value in authorizing a $10MM+ AAV for a running back, it seems there will be at least one other club willing to make that kind of commitment for a player with Barkley’s ability. Per Raanan, the Chargers, Ravens, and Bears are among the most serious suitors for Barkley’s services.
The Chargers are something of a curious fit here. After all, the cap-strapped outfit is allowing its own multi-threat RB, Austin Ekeler, test the market and is reportedly willing to entertain trades for some of its best players in order to alleviate its salary cap issues.
The Ravens are more of a logical suitor. Previous reports have suggested the team will prioritize a running back addition, and given the importance of the ground game to Baltimore’s offensive attack, a notable contract for an RB is more justifiable for the Ravens than it would be for many teams. That is especially true in light of the fact that Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell — who suffered an ACL tear in Week 15 — are the only two backs currently under club control.
The Bears, meanwhile, are likely to trade quarterback Justin Fields and draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick. Having a QB1 on a rookie contract affords a team luxuries that it might not otherwise enjoy, and a splurge for a running back who is also adept as a receiver and who can therefore take the pressure off a young signal-caller in multiple ways makes plenty of sense.
While recent reports hinting at a Barkley-Eagles marriage were intriguing because of Philadelphia’s intra-divisional rivalry with the Giants, Raanan says neither the Eagles nor the Cowboys, another NFC East foe, are likely to meet Barkley’s asking price. Both of those teams may have RB needs, but they both seem prepared to fill those needs via a different tier of the market. Dan Graziano of ESPN.com agrees that Dallas will unlikely get involved in the Barkley sweepstakes unless he is willing to settle for a $5MM-$6MM AAV, though a Tony Pollard re-up remains in play (subscription required).
A February report indicated that the Texans were Barkley’s preferred destination. With respect to Houston’s involvement, Raanan merely writes that the club is rumored to have interest.