Colts To Re-Sign CB Kenny Moore
Chris Ballard has shown a steady track record of retaining homegrown players. This now extends to third contracts. After retaining Grover Stewart, the eighth-year Colts GM has struck a deal with Kenny Moore.
The veteran slot cornerback is re-signing with the Colts, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting a three-year, $30MM deal is coming Moore’s way. This will be a record-setting deal for a pure slot corner, at $10MM per year. Moore has been one of the NFL’s top slot players in recent years. After angling for a raise, the former UDFA will end up receiving it in free agency. KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reported the sides were talks earlier this afternoon.
Coming off his Pro Bowl nod, Moore pushed for a new contract in 2022. With two years remaining on the inside cover man’s previous deal, the Colts did not come off their stance. No known talks transpired in 2023, and Moore played out his contract. Despite the slot market having stalled out and Moore going into his age-29 season, he still looks to have done well. Of course, the guarantees here will better illustrate that.
The Colts gave Moore a four-year, $33MM deal following his second season, paying him in 2019 due to the CBA allowing undrafted players to re-sign a year early. Like Stewart, Moore rewarded the Colts on this contract; both players brought in during Ballard’s first offseason as GM will be kept on contracts that run into their 30s. Corners in their 30s bring more volatility compared to DTs in the back halves of their careers, but Moore has been Indy’s top cornerback for several years.
Indianapolis ranked third in defensive DVOA in the slot compared to 25th in outside coverage. At 5-foot-9, Moore has made his bones in the slot. Moore’s 13 INTs from the slot position are five more than any other player since 2017 (h/t ESPN’s Ed Werder).
Although this market has dried up in the years since Chris Harris‘ Broncos deal came off the books back in 2020, the Colts are making Moore another commitment. With the team facing big questions at its boundary corner positions — after a year that brought the Stephon Gilmore trade and Isaiah Rodgers gambling ban — Moore will be back to anchor the CB group.
Patriots Pursuing Calvin Ridley; Jaguars Still Aiming To Retain WR
MARCH 12: The Pats and Jags continue to pursue Ridley, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, who notes sources around the league point to a darkhorse team being in this mix. Another deep wideout draft class is likely affecting this year’s receiver market as well, though Darnell Mooney fetched a nice haul from the Falcons earlier today.
The Jags still being in this pursuit is interesting, with the team locking in Gabe Davis on Monday. Ridley coming back alongside Davis would point to the Jags, who also have Christian Kirk and Zay Jones under contract, changing up their current WR group.
MARCH 10: Wide receiver changes are expected in New England. After the team’s JuJu Smith-Schuster signing did not produce much of consequence last year, a bigger swing is anticipated once the legal tampering period begins Monday.
The Patriots are expected to pursue Calvin Ridley in free agency, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes. The cap-rich team is not known for big free agency spending, save for a few instances (largely 2021), but new faces are running the show. The Eliot Wolf-led operation appears to be aiming for a big upgrade around a to-be-determined starting quarterback.
[RELATED: 2024 Top 50 NFL Free Agents]
Jacksonville is expected to try and retain Ridley, but due to the structure of the trade with Atlanta in 2022, a pre-free agency strike has not been expected. If the Jaguars re-sign Ridley after he hits free agency, they will only owe the Falcons their 2024 third-round pick. If a deal becomes official before Ridley hits the market, Jacksonville owes Atlanta its second-rounder. The team already sent the Falcons a 2022 fifth in this two-pick trade.
With Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman Jr.. tagged and Mike Evans re-signing with the Buccaneers, Ridley looks to be the top free agent wideout available. The Patriots hold more than $82MM in cap space; only the Commanders are carrying more into the tampering period. New England re-signed Hunter Henry late this week, but its pass-catching corps still features questions.
The Pats gave Smith-Schuster a three-year, $25.5MM deal that included $16MM fully guaranteed. His $7MM base salary for 2024 is locked in. DeVante Parker, however, may be less likely to be on the 2024 Patriots. The team is expected to try to unload Parker’s contract in a trade, according to MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian, Chris Mason and Mark Daniels. It would save the Pats just more than $3MM by trading Parker, who has two seasons left on the extension he signed last year. The former Dolphins first-round pick has $3.1MM remaining in guarantees on that summer 2023 re-up.
While last year did not feature a good receiver environment in New England, Parker totaled only 394 receiving yards — third-most among Pats wideouts. Smith-Schuster managed just 260 in an injury-shortened season. Despite playing in only eight games, Kendrick Bourne finished with 406 receiving yards and four TDs. The Patriots are not closing the door on keeping Bourne on a second contract.
Bourne and the Pats are still talking, per CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson, who indicates the sides have not found an acceptable middle ground. Bourne, 28, is coming off an ACL tear. That said, the ex-49er appeared back in the team’s good graces after residing in the doghouse during a 2022 season in which he came up in trade rumors. Bourne, who totaled 800 receiving yards in Mac Jones‘ rookie season, played out a three-year, $15MM deal.
Bears To Sign TE Gerald Everett
As the Bears assemble what will almost certainly be their first Caleb Williams-directed offense, they are adding a second tight end for the likely No. 1 pick to target. Gerald Everett will commit to Chicago, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets.
Everett has bounced around since his Rams rookie contract expired, but teams have continually sought the former second-round pick as a starter. The recent Chargers and Seahawks pass catcher will be in place behind Cole Kmet in Chicago.
Despite the Bears extending Kmet last year, they are devoting some notable funds to their complementary TE post. Everett’s deal is for two years and $12MM, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who adds the veteran will receive $6.1MM fully guaranteed. Kmet is signed to a four-year, $50MM extension.
The Bears lost Darnell Mooney to a big Falcons deal earlier today, and while the team is still determining its WR2 plan, it will soon carry a solid one-two TE punch.
Everett, 29, spent the past two seasons in Los Angeles — for the exact terms he signed for in Chicago (2/12) — and totaled 966 receiving yards and seven touchdowns working with Justin Herbert (and some lesser QBs to close last season). With Herbert at the controls throughout 2022, Everett tallied 58 catches for 555 yards.
This Chicago agreement will likely come about because of new OC Shane Waldron‘s history with the South Alabama alum. Waldron was with the Rams when the team drafted him, working as Everett’s position coach in 2017, and throughout his rookie-contract duration. Everett later followed Waldron to Seattle, playing one season there — Waldron’s first as Seahawks OC — in 2021. Set to be Chicago’s new play-caller, Waldron will have a pretty good idea of Everett’s strengths and weaknesses in the scheme the veteran assistant will implement.
Browns To Re-Sign DT Shelby Harris
Being on three teams since 2021, Shelby Harris is set to enjoy more continuity in the mid-2020s. The Browns have reached an agreement to keep the veteran defensive tackle.
Harris will stay in Cleveland on a two-year deal worth $9MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. The Browns had picked up Harris weeks after his 2023 Seahawks release, and the former Broncos starter will stay in Cleveland to work alongside Dalvin Tomlinson once again.
After adding a few outside pieces at defensive tackle last year, the Browns are spending resources to keeping their own at the position this year. A day after re-signing Maurice Hurst Jr. (and Za’Darius Smith), the Browns will retain Harris, whom they signed midway through training camp last year.
Harris’ most noticeable skill comes in re-routing passes. The veteran D-tackle batted down five passes in 2023 and has two more seasons with at least seven deflections up front. The Browns used the former seventh-round pick as a seven-game starter last year, but Harris was active for all 18 Cleveland contests. He finished with 1.5 sacks and six tackles for loss with the team.
Known more for his interior pass rushing (two six-sack seasons) than his work against the run, Harris rated well in this area last season. Pro Football Focus slotted him just outside the top 20 among interior D-linemen. After being part of a No. 1-ranked Browns pass defense, the 32-year-old defender will be asked to keep going toward his mid-30s.
The Broncos gave Harris a three-year, $27MM deal to stick around in 2021, which marked his fifth season with the team. But the team included the starting D-lineman in the Russell Wilson trade. The Seahawks bailed on the $9MM-per-year contract after one season, however, leading to the Cleveland arrival. Harris has 71 starts on his resume. Harris and Tomlinson helped the Browns go from 25th in run defense in 2022 to 11th in this category last season.
Giants To Sign QB Drew Lock
Tyrod Taylor decided late Monday night to join the Jets. While the Giants may have a multifaceted QB plan this offseason, they are in need of a backup in the short term. It looks like Drew Lock will fill that role.
The Giants are signing Lock, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero. He is coming to New York on a one-year, $5MM accord, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The true value will check in south of $5MM, in all likelihood, with The Athletic’s Jeff Howe noting the contract can max out at that number. The former Broncos draftee spent the past two seasons as Geno Smith‘s backup in Seattle. With the Seahawks changing their coaching staff, Lock will land on a third NFL team.
A former Broncos second-round pick, Lock did not stick as Denver’s starter for too long. Proving erratic in the role in leading the NFL in interceptions during an injury-shortened 2020 season, the Mizzou alum returned to the bench once the Broncos signed Teddy Bridgewater in 2021. Lock has not worked as a regular starter since. But Lock did make a memorable cameo last season, leading the Seahawks to a win over the Eagles. That included a game-winning drive that culminated with a Lock toss to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Granted, the Eagles’ Sean Desai– and Matt Patricia-supervised defensive swoon made that performance look slightly less impressive than it was in the moment. But Lock is a five-year veteran who has handled a backup role for a bit. With Daniel Jones rehabbing an ACL tear, Lock appears set to take first-team reps in the Giants’ offseason program. His status as the backup for 2024 may hinge on how the Giants proceed with their first-round pick.
Taylor served as the Giants’ backup for the past two years, but after the team kept him on the bench to play Tommy DeVito, rumors emerged the veteran was likely to leave. GM Joe Schoen had confirmed the Giants would add a quarterback this offseason, and Lock is the Taylor replacement. This gives the Giants some insurance in case Jones cannot make it back by training camp, though that is the expectation. But how the Giants’ QB depth chart looks coming out of the draft looks represents the bigger storyline.
The Giants have been linked to exploring trade-up moves for a quarterback in Round 1, and while we are entering smokescreen season, a regime that did not draft Jones has a chance to add an upgrade — with J.J. McCarthy now on the radar as a target — and get off the Jones contract by 2025. Jones will be on the team in 2024, however, and if the Giants do not draft a QB early, a QB depth chart comprised of 2019 prospects will take shape.
Lions To Sign CB Amik Robertson
Having already made one notable cornerback addition via trade, the Lions are set to add further to their secondary. Detroit has agreed to a two-year deal with Amik Robertson worth $9.25MM, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.
The four-year Raiders contributor will join Carlton Davis as outside additions coming in to help the Lions’ cornerback situation. Detroit has re-signed Emmanuel Moseley as well, rounding out a still-Cameron Sutton-led CB corps. Robertson is coming off a 12-start season.
Patrick Graham turned to Robertson as a starter more than the Jon Gruden-era Raiders DCs did; the 2020 fourth-round pick logged 19 starts over the past two seasons. The Louisiana Tech product has spent time in the slot and on the boundary in Las Vegas. The Lions have Brian Branch stationed in the slot, but with the 2023 second-round pick also bringing safety experience to the table, the Robertson addition — as the C.J. Gardner-Johnson pickup did last year — provides Aaron Glenn options.
At 5-foot-8, Robertson certainly has a slot frame. Starting only two games before Graham’s arrival, Robertson has also forced three turnovers in each of the past two seasons (after a 12-INT college career). He intercepted two passes during both the 2022 and ’23 campaigns, forcing a fumble in each season as well. Robertson allowed a career-low 87.4 passer rating as the closest defender in coverage last season. He fared better in Graham’s two years in this department, and considering both seasons featured more than 670 snaps, the numbers mean a bit more than early-career struggles as a seldom-used DB.
Gardner-Johnson has not committed anywhere yet, as the torn pec sustained early last season clouds his market. If the Lions do consider moving Branch to safety, they would have a potential slot option in Robertson. Though, that setup may not excite like a Branch-CJGJ duo would.
49ers To Extend S George Odum
George Odum did not profile as a free agent the 49ers wanted to retain, but the veteran special-teamer remains in the club’s plans. San Francisco has reached an Odum extension agreement.
The All-Pro special-teamer’s deal will now run through 2026, via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who reports the team and player have agreed to a deal worth up to $10MM. Odum has been with the 49ers since 2022.
Sporting first- and second-team All-Pro nods over a six-year career, the former Colts safety made an unexpected return to help the 49ers last season. Suffering what was believed to be a season-ending biceps injury on Thanksgiving, but he made it back during the NFC playoffs. The 49ers are extending this partnership soon after.
Sustaining an injury that required surgery, Odum rehabbed and was activated from IR in time for the 49ers’ divisional-round game. He played in each of San Francisco’s playoff contests, helping the team play even with the Chiefs until their overtime walk-off. Odum, 30, does not play much on defense. But the 49ers have used him often on special teams. The ex-Colts UDFA logged 79% of the 49ers’ ST work in 2022 — a second-team All-Pro season — and was on the field for 69% of those plays last season.
Broncos To Add DT Malcolm Roach
The Saints-Broncos pipeline remains active, as Sean Payton prepares for his second season in Denver. The longtime New Orleans HC will bring in one of his former defensive linemen.
Malcolm Roach is heading to Denver on a two-year deal worth up to $8MM, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. The Broncos have two eight-figure-per-year contracts on their defensive line, but the team has some depth questions behind the Zach Allen–D.J. Jones duo. Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette notes Roach drew interest from the Rams, Cardinals, Bills and Bengals. Instead, he will continue playing under Payton.
Roach’s Saints role did not change much during his four-season Louisiana run. Starting five games in that time, Roach worked primarily as a rotational defensive lineman. Payton was in place when the Saints signed Roach as a UDFA; the Texas alum has only played for the Saints. Roach will join ex-college teammates Caden Sterns, P.J. Locke and Brandon Jones on Denver’s defense, with Payton also obviously being a familiar face.
Pro Football Focus viewed Roach as a lower-end D-tackle from 2020-22 but viewed him as an improved product last year, slotting the four-year veteran just outside the top 25 among interior D-linemen. Roach, 25, totaled a career-high 38 tackles (three for loss) last season while batting down three passes. Roach stands to help the Broncos in run defense, having logged those numbers last season despite missing five games. While skewed by a brutal start, the Broncos’ defense ranked 30th against the run last year.
Roach will join a Broncos team that saw 2022 starter Jonathan Harris hit free agency. Denver has Matt Henningsen still under contract, though 2022 fourth-rounder Eyioma Uwazurike‘s NFL future is in doubt after the gambling suspension he received last summer.
Chiefs To Add TE Irv Smith Jr.
Quiet early in free agency, the Chiefs will add a piece to their offense. The two-time reigning Super Bowl champions are bringing in former Vikings and Bengals tight end Irv Smith Jr., ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.
A second-generation NFL tight end, Smith has been unable to find consistency as a pro. Multiple teams have given the former Alabama pass catcher opportunities, however, and Chiefs pickups have resulted in a host of recent free agents collecting Super Bowl rings. Smith will join a Kansas City threepeat push, doing so on a one-year deal worth $1.29MM, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Only $384K of this deal is guaranteed.
Despite being a five-year veteran, Smith is only 25. A 2019 second-round pick, Smith has been unable to establish himself as a trusted receiving option. The Bengals’ flier on Smith produced only 18 receptions for 115 yards. Smith has not topped 300 yards in a season since 2020, when he notched a career-high 365 alongside Kyle Rudolph in Minnesota.
Injuries dogged Smith in Minnesota. He missed all of the 2021 campaign due to a knee injury and did not contribute much to the Vikings’ 2022 NFC North title, sustaining a high ankle sprain — an injury that played a role in Minnesota trading for T.J. Hockenson at the ’22 deadline. With the Bengals moving to Mike Gesicki, the Chiefs will gauge Smith’s form alongside one of the best to ever do it.
As Travis Kelce goes into his age-35 season — a 12th NFL slate for the superstar talent — the Chiefs still have his top wingman (Noah Gray) rostered. Blake Bell, however, played out a one-year contract last season.
Vikings To Sign QB Sam Darnold
11:37am: Although the Broncos monitored Darnold’s market, 9News’ Mike Klis indicates the team did not make an offer. Darnold’s asking price landing in the $10MM-per-year neighborhood looks to have moved the Broncos out of the mix. Despite the team having only Jarrett Stidham in place post-Russell Wilson, it passed on making this a true bidding war.
12:12am: Competing against multiple other suitors, the Vikings will bring in their preferred Kirk Cousins fallback option. Sam Darnold has joined DaQuan Jones in making a wee-hours call on his 2024 NFL team.
Darnold will rejoin his former teammate — new Vikings QBs coach Josh McCown — in Minnesota, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reporting the recent 49ers back will sign a one-year deal worth $10MM. The Vikings appear to have beaten out the Broncos and Commanders for the former No. 3 overall pick.
[RELATED: Falcons To Give Kirk Cousins $180MM Deal]
This will bring what looks to be a clear-cut starter opportunity for Darnold, who has not gone into a season as a starter since 2021 with the Panthers. With Cousins’ Atlanta departure set to bring $28.5MM in dead money due to the void years Minnesota tacked onto their previous starter’s deal, Darnold at a significantly reduced rate will help the Vikings pick up the pieces.
Darnold, 26, emerged on the Vikings’ radar minutes after Cousins chose to leave. The team had made its pitch to its six-year starter up until Sunday night, but the 35-year-old passer will camp in Georgia on a $45MM-per-year accord. Cousins certainly is a more stable option compared to Darnold, who could not stick as the Jets or Panthers’ starter. But the Vikings will not be devoting anything close to their QB spot compared to the past six seasons. The Cousins era taxed the Vikings, who were battling uphill in negotiations since giving the ex-Washington franchise tag recipient a fully guaranteed deal in 2018.
With the salary cap ballooning to $55.4MM, the Vikings will need to give Darnold more than the Buccaneers handed Baker Mayfield in the wake of Tom Brady‘s void years-generated bill hitting their books last year. Mayfield collected some incentives but signed for just $4MM in base value last year. Darnold has not reached the heights Mayfield did merely in Cleveland, and the USC alum has made 56 career starts. But an argument can also be made — even after six seasons — the former top prospect landed in two bad situations as a starter.
The Jets chose to ship Darnold out after three seasons, which came under Todd Bowles and Adam Gase and with clear issues on the offensive line and at the pass-catching positions. And the Panthers acquired Darnold — for three draft picks, including a second-rounder — during an unstable period in which Matt Rhule was ready to move on from the trade pickup by his second season. Mayfield then replaced Darnold as Carolina’s starter, and while the latter recaptured his job, the Panthers were on the verge of another regime change. Darnold has a career 63-56 TD-INT ratio and has averaged just 6.7 yards per pass as a pro. In his most recent season with enough usage to qualify (2021), Darnold ranked 29th in QBR.
The Vikings will give Darnold a Justin Jefferson–T.J. Hockenson–Jordan Addison trio to target, and while the former Trojans standout will probably never live up to his draft slot, Kevin O’Connell‘s offense looks like his best opportunity to show he can be a decent starter. Of course, the Vikings will certainly be connected to QBs in the draft; they hold the No. 11 overall pick. But Darnold would be in place as the bridge in that circumstance. He could also buy the NFC North team time if a trade-up maneuver proves elusive come April.