Bills Sign Rookie QB Nathan Peterman
The Bills have signed rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman, according to a team announcement. The Pittsburgh product was taken in the fifth round of this year’s draft. 
[RELATED: Bills Sign WR Rod Streater, Cut OT Cyrus Kouandijo]
Peterman was seen as a likely Day 2 pick heading into the draft, but for one reason or another, he fell to the Bills on Day 3. Peterman came into the draft as a two-year full-time starter for Pitt and he had his best season to date in 2016. Peterman threw for 2,855 yards and 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions while completing more than 60% of his passes.
The Bills’ quarterback depth chart is a bit crowded at the moment with starter Tyrod Taylor, rising sophomore Cardale Jones, Peterman, and T.J. Yates all under contract. Jones is a safe bet to go into the year as Taylor’s primary backup, so Yates and Peterman are jockeying for one spot on the 53-man roster.
The Bills have now signed all of their draft picks. Here’s a complete look at their 2017 class:
- 1-27: Tre’Davious White, CB (LSU)
- 2-37: Zay Jones, WR (East Carolina)
- 2-63: Dion Dawkins, OL (Temple)
- 5-163: Matt Milano, LB (Boston College)
- 5-171: Nathan Peterman, QB (Pittsburgh)
- 6-195: Tanner Vallejo, LB (Boise State)
Patriots Sign WR Andrew Hawkins
The Patriots have signed Andrew Hawkins, the wide receiver announced via the Twitter account for FS1’s Undisputed. It’s a one-year deal, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Patriots, Gronk Restructure Contract]
Hawkins becomes the latest veteran addition to the Patriots this offseason, joining Brandin Cooks, Mike Gillislee, Rex Burkhead, and Dwayne Allen. Still, his spot on the 53-man roster is anything but a certainty since the Pats already have wide receivers Cooks, Julian Edelman, Malcolm Mitchell, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, and special teams ace Matthew Slater under contract. Hawkins’ contract likely doesn’t have much in the way of guaranteed cash and perhaps has no guarantees, so there probably won’t be any real fiscal consequences for New England if they cut ties.
Until today, the 31-year-old had spent his entire career to date in the AFC North. After playing for the Bengals from 2011-2013, he hooked on with the Browns as a free agent prior to the 2014 season. Hawkins was initially a focal part of the offense in Cleveland, racking up 63 catches for 824 yards and two scores in his first season there. After that, however, his role shrank. Last year, he had just 33 catches for 324 yards and three scores.
QB Austin Davis To Work Out For Seahawks
Free agent quarterback Austin Davis will be visiting the Seahawks today alongside Colin Kaepernick, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear whether there are other QBs involved. 
[RELATED: Seahawks To Work Out Colin Kaepernick]
Davis, 28 in June, didn’t throw a single pass for the Broncos during his nearly fourth-month stay with the club. Before he was holding the clipboard duty for Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, he did have significant starting experience in 2014 with the Rams. In that season, he threw for more than 2,000 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in eight starts. In between, he appeared in three games for the Browns. Earlier this year, Davis auditioned for the Giants and Ravens, but he did not get signed after either workout.
It doesn’t sound like the Seahawks will be signing Kaepernick or Davis or any other backup quarterback right away. Seattle doing background work on QBs, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, and no move is expected to take place today.
Rashad Jennings To Tour With DWTS
Last night, Rashad Jennings was crowned the winner of this year’s “Dancing With The Stars.” The running back is still without an NFL team for 2017, but he has work to keep him busy in the meantime. Jennings will tour the country with DWTS, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, he has an out in his contract in the event that he gets an NFL opportunity that he wants to pursue. 
This year, Jennings became the latest active NFLer to participate in the show, joining notables such as Calvin Johnson, Antonio Brown, and Von Miller. He win also marks the fourth time that a professional football player has won the sought after disco ball trophy, joining Emmitt Smith, Hines Ward, and Donald Driver. Reportedly, teams weren’t thrilled about his decision to dance on national television instead of focusing on football.
Jennings, 32, is coming off of an injury-riddled season in which he averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. He did, however, turn in a solid year in 2015 as he averaged 4.4 yards per carry and started in all 16 regular season games.
It remains to be seen how much interest he garners as a free agent this summer, particularly since his availability for workouts might be limited during the tour. At the same time, one has to wonder if Jennings could use his newfound stardom as a launching pad for a career in broadcasting. After all, former Giant Michael Strahan made that transition seamlessly and he now makes even more money than he did on the field.
Bills Sign WR Rod Streater
The Bills have signed wide receiver Rod Streater and tight end Wes Saxton, according to a team announcement. To make room, tackle Cyrus Kouandjio and quarterback Josh Woodrum have been released. The Bills cut Kouandjio with a non-football injury designation, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. 
[RELATED: Why The Bills Should Sign TE Gary Barnidge]
Streater, 29, played in all 16 regular season games last season for the 49ers, catching 18 passes for 191 yards and two scores. He didn’t exactly set the world on fire, but he will add some depth to the team’s banged up receiver group. Star Sammy Watkins is still healing up after foot surgery and second-round rookie Zay Jones has been sidelined with a knee injury. As it stands, free agent additions Andre Holmes, Philly Brown, and Streater are the team’s top WRs in practice.
Kouandjio was involved in a bizarre incident with police in April. The lineman, 24 in July, was found partially undressed and in a field not far from the scene of a car accident. He was taken to a nearby hospital afterwards and that visit presumably included some psychiatric evaluation.
The University of Alabama product has appeared in 25 games for Buffalo since being drafted in the second round of the 2014 draft. Kouandjio has been a quality contributor in Buffalo and last season he outperformed name guys like Jake Matthews, Russell Okung, Doug Free, and Andrus Peat, according to Pro Football Focus.
Matt Jones Not In Redskins’ Plans
After Matt Jones ran for 123 yards in his second NFL game, it seemed like big things were in the running back’s future. Less than two years later, he might be on the outs in D.C. Jones does not appear to be a part of the Redskins’ plans for 2017, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, and he will not take part in the team’s voluntary OTAs. 
[RELATED: Latest On Redskins’ GM Vacancy]
Jones was a healthy scratch most of last year and the team was said to be shopping him prior to the draft in April. After selecting Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine in the fourth round, the Redskins might not have much of a need for Jones. Washington has Rob Kelley as the projected lead back and Chris Thompson as the pass-catching specialist, so they could round out the RB depth chart with Perine plus Keith Marshall and/or Mack Brown.
It’s not immediately clear whether the Redskins are thinking about cutting Jones outright, but the team and the player have definitely cooled off on each other. If the Redskins can’t find a suitable trade for the 24-year-old, then Jones may become an intriguing waiver wire option for the other 31 teams in the league.
Seahawks Meet With Colin Kaepernick
Today is the big day for the Seahawks and Colin Kaepernick. Seattle is meeting with him at team headquarters, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Russell Wilson Would Be OK With Seahawks Signing Colin Kaepernick]
Earlier this month, head coach Pete Carroll said that both Kaepernick and RG3 are on the radar for the Seahawks as they look into reserve QB options. As it turns out, the Seahawks are far more interested in Kaepernick than they are in Griffin. Kaepernick and starter Russell Wilson were once divisional rivals, but it doesn’t sound like Wilson would have an issue with Kaepernick being his understudy.
Before setting their sights on Kaepernick, the Seahawks also looked into fellow former Niners QBs Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder, but they see the controversial signal caller as the most talented backup QB option available. If he performs well for coaches today, it might not be long before he has a new home for the 2017 season.
Kaepernick threw for 16 touchdowns against four interceptions in 2016 while supported by one of the worst offensive casts in the league. He wound up with a 1-10 record in his eleven starts.
Kaepernick first came to national prominence in 2012 when he stepped in for injured starter Alex Smith. He led the Niners to a 5-2 record in his regular season starts and led the team all the way to the Super Bowl. In 2013, he had what was arguably his best complete NFL season when he went 12-4 and threw for 21 TDs versus eight picks with 3,197 yards through the air. That year, the Niners went all the way to the NFC championship game before being stopped by Seattle. In 2014, he set a career highs in rushing yards (639) and passing yards (3,369), but the Niners went .500 and failed to make the playoffs.
Patriots, Gronk Restructure Contract
Rob Gronkowski has a new deal. Gronk’s new deal will give him chance to boost this year’s salary from $5.25MM to $10.75MM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Facebook link). If he’s able to reach the maximum value of the deal for 2017, he could wind up as the league’s highest-paid tight end. Here are the complete details:
- Gronk can max out at $10.75MM if he sees either 90% play time or hits 80 catches or 1,200 receiving yards or earns an All-Pro nomination.
- He can make $8.75MM if he hits 80% play time or 70 catches or 1,000 receiving yards or 12 touchdowns.
- His salary will reach $6.75MM if he achieves 70% play time or 60 receptions or 800 receiving yards or ten touchdowns.
In terms of playing time, the top tier of this reworked contract might be tough to achieve. Gronk reached 84.2% in 2015, but he came in at just 31.5% last year and 70.3% in 2014. He also has not eclipsed 1,200 receiving yards since 2011. Still, Gronk has three First-Team All-Pro nominations to his credit including the 2014 and 2015 seasons. In that 2014 season, he had 82 receptions, so an 80+ catch total is not out of the realm of possibility. Even with the addition of Brandin Cooks, Gronk figures to be a focal point in the Pats’ offense.
Gronkowski has pushed for a new contract in the past but was never able to get a bump on the six-year, $54MM extension he signed with the team in the summer of 2012. The Patriots didn’t exactly rip up the remaining three years on his pact, but they did tack on some bonuses in a year where he has a tidy $6.75MM cap number.
Gronk’s deal calls for an $11MM cap number in 2018 and a $12MM figure in 2019. However, much of that money is non-guaranteed. If Gronk were to suffer another serious injury and the Pats wanted to release him next offseason, they’d only be on the hook for $4MM while saving $7MM against the 2018 cap. Prior to the 2019 season, the breakdown shifts to $2MM of dead money versus $10MM in savings. Ideally, Gronk probably would have liked more long-term security, but today’s restructuring is a compromise that keeps both sides happy.
Gronkowski is represented by Drew Rosenhaus.
Titans Sign Rookie Adoree’ Jackson
The Titans have officially signed Adoree’ Jackson. The USC cornerback was a first-round pick, taken with the No. 18 overall selection. 
Tennessee went into draft night with two first round picks amidst tons of speculation that they would make moves with the No. 5 and No. 18 picks. Ultimately, they stood pat with both, selecting Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis at No. 5 overall and taking Jackson at No. 18. Some expected the Titans to select Ohio State corner Marshon Lattimore at No. 5 while addressing wide receiver or a defensive position in the teens, but they flipped the script by taking Davis first and waiting to select Jackson.
Jackson had a strong junior year with the Trojans as he totaled 55 tackles (including two tackles for a loss) and five interceptions. In addition to stepping up his coverage skills in his final collegiate season, Jackson impressed with his play on special teams as he had two kickoff return TDs and two punt return TDs.
The Titans are still working to complete deals with Davis, third round wide receiver Taywan Taylor, and fifth round linebacker Jayon Brown.
Texans’ Duane Brown Pushing For New Deal
Duane Brown was not present for the Texans’ voluntary organized team activities today because he is pushing for a reworked contract, sources tell Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. 
[RELATED: Texans’ Derek Newton Accepts Pay Cut]
Brown has two years to go on the six-year, $53.4MM contract extension that began with the 2013 season. Right now, he’s due non-guaranteed base salaries of $9.65MM and $9.75MM in each of the next two seasons. After four consecutive quality seasons, a case can be made that Brown deserves to have some of his future money guaranteed as a part of a contract extension.
Still, teams typically are reluctant to rework contracts when there are two years to go for fear of setting a precedent with other players. Unless Brown is willing to stay away from the Texans during mandatory camp, he probably won’t get far with his demands.
Brown missed four games last season thanks to a torn quadriceps muscle. In the five years prior to that, however, he missed only four regular season games in total.