Jaguars Work Out LB Sam Barrington
The Jaguars worked out linebacker Sam Barrington last Friday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Barrington went to high school at nearby Terry Parker High, so this would mark a homecoming for the veteran. 
[RELATED: Jaguars Meet With OL Orlando Franklin]
Barrington spent the first three years of his career with the Packers but was waived before last year’s 53-man cut, leading him to the Packers. The Chiefs claimed him off waivers, but he did not record an official statistic in his two games there and was quickly cut. In November, he signed with the Saints and finished out the year there.
The Jaguars have been kicking the tires on veteran LB help by meeting with Gerald Hodges as well as Mike Morgan. Jacksonville also worked out a notable name in cornerback Alterraun Verner. This week, they’ll host wide receiver Victor Cruz on a visit.
Giants Meet With DE Devin Taylor
Former Lions defensive end Devin Taylor is visiting the Giants today, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This marks Taylor’s first known visit since free agency kicked off more than two months ago. 
Last year, Taylor started in all 16 regular season games for the first time in his career. The former fourth-round pick had 4.5 sacks and 28 total tackles on the year, but the advanced numbers at Pro Football Focus portrayed him as the second-worst qualified edge defender in the NFL. For what it’s worth, in the prior year, Taylor had 7.0 sacks and an overall score of 68.5 – a significantly better showing than his 39.1 mark in ’16.
Taylor is not a starting-caliber player at this point in his career and that suits the Giants just fine as they arguably have the league’s most fearsome DE duo in Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon. There are a number of reserve DEs under contract behind them including Romeo Okwara, fifth-round rookie Avery Moss, and Owa Odighizuwa, but there has been some chatter this offseason about Odighizuwa stepping away from football. Right now, it seems like Odighizuwa will play, but if he has a change of heart, someone like Taylor could serve as an insurance policy.
Jaguars Meet With OL Orlando Franklin
Orlando Franklin is a free agent after getting released one week ago by the Chargers and he’s now looking for a new home. Today, he’s meeting with the Jaguars, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). 
Franklin, 29, came to the Chargers as a free agent prior to the 2015 season, but things did not go according to plan. In his first year with San Diego, Franklin was sidelined for six games. Last year, he had a perfect attendance record in the regular season, but he was one of the seven worst qualified guards in the NFL, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus.
In Franklin’s first three NFL seasons, he started at right tackle for the Broncos and it wasn’t until his final year in Denver that he switched to left guard. The Jaguars might not have a starting position available for Franklin, but they could theoretically use him as a swingman to help fill in off the bench. Jacksonville already has three versatile O-Line reserves who seem likely to make the final roster in Patrick Omameh (G/T), Earl Watford (G/T), and Luke Bowanko (C/T). Adding Franklin could give the Jags one of the most flexible offensive line groups in the NFL.
Speaking of the Jaguars’ offensive line, the team finally touched base with Branden Albert. It remains to be seen whether they can get the veteran in the building before mandatory camp begins.
Bills Meet With LB Gerald Hodges
Before the month is out, Gerald Hodges just might visit every team in the AFC. Today, the linebacker is meeting with the Bills, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
Earlier this month, the 26-year-old visited the Jets, Colts, Patriots, and Jaguars. He also met with the Chiefs and Seahawks back in March. For one reason or another, the free agent is still without a deal for 2017.
The Bills’ linebacker group has already gone through some changes this year after the departures of Zach Brown and Lerentee McCray in free agency. The Bills project to start Reggie Ragland and Lorenzo Alexander at the OLB spots with Preston Brown in the middle, but the group behind them is looking a little thin. Ramon Humber and rookies Matt Milano and Tanner Vallejo figure to primarily pitch in as reserve OLBs, leaving them without a proven depth option for MLB. Hodges offers experience on the inside, so that’s presumably where he would factor in.
Hodges recorded 80 total tackles, three sacks, and two picks in 15 games (12 starts) with San Francisco last year.
Raiders Confident About Derek Carr Deal
Amidst whispers that Derek Carr is growing frustrated with the pace of contract negotiations, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie is adamant that things are fine between the team and its franchise quarterback. In an interview with 95.7 The Game, McKenzie reiterated that his relationship with Carr is still strong and expressed confidence in a deal coming together. 
“I see Derek every day. We have a great relationship and communicate very well,” McKenzie said (via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com). “That’s not going to be an issue at all. As far as the contracts go, I don’t like discussing contracts outside these walls. I kind of keep that as my mantra, to keep that in house. But the bottom line is that we love Derek and we want to keep him. We’re going to everything to make sure this contract gets done.”
Carr is one of the game’s top quarterbacks and he’s likely looking for a deal that will reset his market as the position. The QB is happy being a Raider, but there are no indications that he will give the team a hometown discount on an extension.
The Raiders will have Carr under club control through 2018 thanks to his fifth-year option, but going year-to-year after that point via the franchise tag would be costly and potentially contentious. Carr is eager to sign a new contract and the Raiders would like to lock him in place for years to come, so it seems like the odds of a deal getting done this year are still pretty high.
Bucs Didn’t Consider Colin Kaepernick
On Friday, the Buccaneers signed Ryan Fitzpatrick and the deal drew eye rolls from those who believe that the unemployed Colin Kaepernick is more deserving of a roster spot. Not only did the Bucs choose Fitzpatrick over Kaepernick, but it turns out that they did not consider Kaepernick for the No. 2 quarterback job at all, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. 
Kaepernick threw for 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2016 while Fitzpatrick tossed 12 TDs against 17 picks. Even the advanced metrics preferred Kaepernick as he earned a 61.6 overall score from Pro Football Focus, besting Fitzpatrick’s less atrocious 42.1 posting. Neither player set the world on fire last year, but by almost any measure, Kaepernick had the better year and his offense was by no means better than Fitzpatrick’s.
However, there are plenty of reasons why the Buccaneers probably went with Fitzpatrick without first mulling Kaepernick, and none of them pertain to Kaepernick’s social positions. Fitzpatrick was an above-average starter as recently as 2015 and he had two under-the-radar quality seasons before that with the Titans and Texans, respectively. Kaepernick, meanwhile, is now two years removed from being a respectable starter. There’s also the matter of playing styles to consider. Fitzpatrick is a pro-style quarterback who can fit the offense designed for Jameis Winston if he’s called upon. Kaepernick, however, would be better suited for a playbook with more designed runs and an offensive line that’s accustomed to the blocking schemes needed for a mobile QB.
The Bucs didn’t think about signing Kaepernick, but as we learned earlier this week, the Seahawks are taking a hard look at him.
Browns Sign No. 1 Overall Pick Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett is officially a member of the Browns. The No. 1 overall pick has signed his rookie deal, according to a team announcement. 
As dictated by his slot, Garrett’s four-year deal is worth $30.412MM with a hefty signing bonus of $20.258MM. The rookie will be well-compensated, but he’ll also be one of the position’s best bargains over the next four years if he is anywhere near as good as evaluators believe him to be. The market for defensive ends is presently sky-high with contracts exceeding $15MM per year for top earners like Muhammad Wilkerson, J.J. Watt, Olivier Vernon, and Jason Pierre-Paul.
The deal includes offset language, a source tells Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter). This means the Browns can save some money if they wind up releasing the No. 1 pick at some point during his rookie deal. In that (unlikely) event, the Browns would get out of some of their obligation if Garrett’s signs with a new club. For example, if Garrett has $4MM in guaranteed money left on his contract at the time of his release and he signs with a new club on a $1MM deal, the Browns will only be on the hook for $3MM, with the new team making up the difference.
Garrett was the consensus top prospect in the 2017 draft for months, but the Browns tried to throw the football world a curve by giving some reporters the impression that UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky was a consideration on draft day. Ultimately, the Browns made the selection that was widely seen as a no-brainer. Garrett is believed to be about as much of a can’t-miss prospect as you can get in the draft and all signs are pointing to a Pro Bowl career in his future.
Garrett figures to be a Week 1 starter for the Browns at defensive end with second-year DE Emmanuel Ogbah at the other bookend.
Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Buccaneers Sign QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
One of the best quarterbacks left on the board is now spoken for. The Buccaneers have agreed to terms with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. It’s a one-year, $3MM deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
The Buccaneers lost their Jameis Winston backup this offseason when Mike Glennon signed a lucrative free agent deal with the Bears. Fitzpatrick, who had a surprisingly strong 2015 season with the Jets, now becomes Tampa Bay’s new insurance policy under center.
While ’15 was a banner year for the bearded signal caller, 2016 was definitely a season to forget. Things got so bad in New York last year that the veteran found himself considering retirement after the season.
“Last year was the most difficult year for me,” Fitzpatrick said. “Not physically, just kind of mentally and emotionally. I had to take a step back and think about it. Is this something I still want to do? Football is something so ingrained in me, something I love doing and definitely something I want to do. I still want to compete and I still think I can contribute whether I am in a starting role or whatever capacity.”
Fitzpatrick, 35 in November, had a shaky grip on his starting job last year as he threw for 12 touchdowns against 17 interceptions. The year prior, however, Fitzpatrick threw for 31 touchdowns. If given the opportunity to get on the field, Fitzpatrick will try to channel the magic of his ’15 campaign. If he looks like the ’16 version of himself, then this might be his last stop in the NFL.
Packers, Saints Calling On C Cody Wallace
The Packers and Saints are among the teams inquiring on former Steelers center Cody Wallace, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). However, Wallace tells Fowler that he’s still rehabbing his knee injury, so it might be a little while before we see him sign.
[RELATED: Steelers Release TE Ladarius Green]
Wallace missed the entire 2016 season thanks to a complicated knee injury. Initially, he was believed to have hyperextended his bad knee. Later, it was found that he also suffered bone bruising. When the injury did not respond to treatment, the Steelers officially placed him on IR in November.
The former-fourth rounder has bounced around a bit during his nine-year career having also spent time with the 49ers, Lions, Jets, Texans, and Buccaneers. In 2015, he got a big opportunity in Pittsburgh when he started all 16 games in place of Maurkice Pouncey. Wallace was the Steelers’ fifth-lowest graded center in 2015, but he could still be a quality reserve for the Packers, Saints, or another team.
49ers Audition DT Kedric Golston
The 49ers worked out veteran free agent defensive tackle Kedric Golston, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). This marks Golston’s first known audition of the offseason.
Golston, a sixth-round pick of the Redskins in 2006, wound up spending eleven seasons in D.C. Unfortunately, his 2016 season ended after two games when he suffered a season-ending hamstring injury. Over the course of his Redskins career, Golston appeared in a total of 142 regular season games with 53 starts.
Throughout his career, Golston has alternated between defensive tackle and defensive end. In 2016, before his unfortunate injury, the plan was for Golston to be a run-stuffing nose tackle. It’s not clear where the Niners would use him in their 4-3 set, but as he approaches his 34th birthday, he might not have the speed to play as an edge defender.
The Niners seem to be exploring veteran defensive line options this week. On Thursday, SF took a look at former University of Texas standout Cedric Reed.