Packers, Letroy Guion Agree To Restructured Deal
Letroy Guion signed a restructured contract with the Packers following his PED suspension, a source tells ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky (Twitter link). The new deal will save the Packers a little bit of money and give them additional time before having to make the payments.
The new deal delays Guion’s offseason roster bonuses, which were initially to be paid out on Saturday and again on May 2, back to Weeks 9 and 15 of the season. They were reduced from $400K each to $300K. Guion’s base salary remains in tact, but he will automatically lose four weeks of his $1.7MM payout during the suspension ($400K). All in all, Guion’s slip up will likely cost him $600K.
We learned earlier this week that the defensive tackle had been suspended four games to start the 2017 season. The veteran was previously suspended three games in 2015 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Guion played in 15 games last season, compiling 30 tackles. He hasn’t recorded a sack since the 2014 season.
Jabaal Sheard To Visit Colts
Jabaal Sheard is scheduled to visit the Colts, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. It was reported earlier this week that the team could pursue the pass rusher.
After the late Thursday/early Friday trade between the Rams and Dolphins, the Colts could be the de facto leading suitor for Sheard. The Dolphins acquired a quality defensive end in William Hayes and that could take them out of the Sheard chase. Miami met with Sheard on Thursday afternoon, but Sheard would be redundant for him as they have Cameron Wake, Andre Branch, and Hayes on the DE depth chart. Hayes was accustomed to starting in L.A., so it’s hard to see Miami trying to sell him on even less playing time by bringing in Sheard.
Meanwhile, the Colts could certainly use some assistance at defensive end. Sheard could bump either Hassan Ridgeway or Henry Anderson from the starting lineup, and the move could also result in one of Arthur Jones or Kristjan Sokoli not making the roster. The Colts finished with an underwhelming 33 sacks last season, and the defensive line allowed 1,926 rushing yards (eighth-most in NFL).
Sheard would certainly help with these deficiencies. Despite getting benched midway through the season, the defensive end still had a productive year for the Patriots in 2016. The 27-year-old finished the campaign with 33 tackles and five sacks, adding on to the eight sacks he collected with New England in 2015.
Dolphins Acquire William Hayes From Rams
Trades, apparently, are all the rage in the NFL now. Early Friday morning, the Rams and Dolphins agreed on a trade that will send defensive end William Hayes and a seventh-round pick (No. 223 overall) to Miami. In exchange, the Dolphins will send back their sixth-round selection (No. 206). 
[RELATED: Rams Cut Eugene Sims, Lance Kendricks]
“Will has been an integral member of our defense since he became a Ram in 2012,” said Rams GM Les Snead in a statement. “His passion set the tone for our defense and served as an example for his teammates. Off the field, he showed compassion as he was a major contributor to the St. Louis and Los Angeles communities, working to improve the plight of the homeless. We wish Will and his family the best of luck in all of his future endeavors.”
The move clears a bit of room for the Rams but it’s likely that this was driven by football reasons. Hayes’ three year, $17.5MM contract signed last year is looking extremely reasonable as lesser pass rushers get showered with money this offseason. Ultimately, the team probably felt that Hayes wasn’t a good fit as they transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense under new coordinator Wade Phillips.
Hayes’ deal called for him collect on a $2MM roster bonus on Saturday while $1MM of his $3.5MM base salary also becomes guaranteed, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. The Dolphins are happy to pay out that salary as they add a tremendous defensive end to back up starters Cameron Wake and Andre Branch. The Dolphins run a 4-3 scheme and Hayes should thrive under new DC Matt Burke.
Hayes, 32 this spring, appeared in 14 games (all starts) for the Rams last season and racked up five sacks and 43 total tackles. Since joining the Rams in 2012, he has never had less than four sacks per season and has averaged five sacks per campaign. Pro Football Focus has always been fond of his work in St. Louis/Los Angeles and last year he received a 83.4 overall score. That placed him as the No. 17 edge defender in the NFL (thanks largely to his favorable run defense grade) and put him ahead of big names like Nick Perry (who just signed a monster deal with the Packers), Bruce Irvin, Ryan Kerrigan, and Tamba Hali.
Rams Cut Lance Kendricks, Eugene Sims
The Rams announced they are cutting tight end Lance Kendricks and defensive end Eugene Sims. In total, the Rams have purged four players in a 24 hour span, including their surprising trade of William Hayes to the Dolphins.
[RELATED: Rams Trade William Hayes To Dolphins]
Sims, 31 later this month, appeared in all 16 games for the Rams last season and made eight starts. He had 25 total tackles and 2.5 sacks on the year. From 2012-2016, Sims amassed 12 total sacks. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus has never been high on his play and last year he was given a dreadful score 48.2 overall score by their advanced metrics.
Kendricks was in the midst of a contract that was supposed to pay him $18.5MM over four years. Instead, the Rams are getting out of the deal two years early. Kendricks had a career-high 50 receptions last year for 499 yards and two scores, but the new regime didn’t feel he was worth keeping. The 29-year-old might not be out of work for long.
Titans To Sign S Johnathan Cyprien
The Titans will sign safety Johnathan Cyprien today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It will be a four-year, $25MM deal for the defensive back, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). The reporter adds that Cyprien will make $7MM next season.
Jaguars fans are often frustrated by Cyprien’s play, but he turned one of his best seasons to date in 2016. I had him ranked as the No. 31 free agent on my Top 50 list after he finished out with 126 total tackles, one sack, and four pass deflections. Pro Football Focus gave him a 87.8 overall grade – the best of his career – and placed him No. 7 among all safeties, just ahead of Chiefs star Eric Berry.
In Tennessee, Cyprien will pair with Kevin Byard in the back end, and given that Cyprien is a defender who plays closer to the line of scrimmage, Byard will need to excel at deep safety. Cyprien is an excellent run defender, but playing against the pass has never been his strong point.
With Cyprien’s signing, Rashad Johnson is presumably not in the Titans’ plans going forward.
Ravens Re-Sign DT Brandon Williams
The Ravens are keeping one of their top free agents in Baltimore. Defensive tackle Brandon Williams is re-signing with the team, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a five-year deal, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. The pact is worth $54MM, including $27MM in guarantees, which makes Williams the highest-paid nose tackle in the NFL, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Earlier Thursday, it was said that Williams’ agent was only working on a contract with the Ravens, though the Titans later found a way to get involved. The overtures from Tennessee didn’t work – Williams, 26, is sticking with the only team he’s ever known in the NFL and is in line to remain in Baltimore through his prime seasons.
Williams entered the league as a third-round pick in 2013 and has since totaled 55 appearances and 46 starts in Baltimore. Last year was the third straight 16-game campaign for Williams, who also started all of the Ravens’ contests for the second season in a row and ranked 39th in performance among Pro Football Focus‘ 127 qualified D-linemen.
Williams joins safety Tony Jefferson as the second major signing on the defensive side of the ball during this free agency period for the Ravens. After finishing an excellent sixth in defensive DVOA last season, the club also has free agent cornerback Morris Claiborne on its radar.
Steelers Interested In CB Brandon Flowers
The Steelers have had contact with representatives for cornerback Brandon Flowers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. They won’t sign him right now, he adds, but they could circle back to him later on. 
Flowers was cut loose by the Chargers earlier this week. So far, the Steelers are the first known team to have made contact with him.
The Chargers’ release of Flowers was expected as it saved $7MM against the 2017 cap. The four-year, $36.4MM deal signed in 2015 didn’t work out for San Diego, but he still could be a worthwhile contributor for Pittsburgh at a (much) cheaper rate.
Flowers’ best career season came in 2014, when he recorded 52 tackles, 10 passes defended, and three picks. In 2016, the 31-year-old only played in six games due to concussion issues. Flowers finished out the year with 28 tackles, five passes defended, and one interception.
After he was dropped by the Bolts, we ranked Flowers as one of the 15 best cornerbacks on the open market. In Pittsburgh, he’d join a defense which ranked a slightly above-average 12th in DVOA against the pass last year. Flowers would immediately become one of the Steelers’ two most accomplished corners, joining William Gay. The club’s other options at corner include Artie Burns, Ross Cockrell, Senquez Golson and Al-Hajj Shabazz.
Kirk Cousins Won’t Push For Trade
Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins will sign his franchise tag soon, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Cousins, he adds, will be a “good soldier” and understands that he’s unlikely to get dealt, despite his personal appeal to owner Dan Snyder for a trade.
Once he signs, Cousins will be slated to play out the 2017 campaign while earning nearly $24MM. In theory, the two sides can work out an extension between now and July. Based on the way talks have gone between Cousins and the Redskins to date, that doesn’t seem likely. Then again, with GM Scot McCloughan on the way out and the entire franchise in general disarray, it’s anyone’s guess as to who his reps would be negotiating with or what that lead decision maker would be inclined to do.
If Cousins doesn’t ink a multiyear deal with the Redskins by midsummer or end up in another uniform via trade in the coming months, next season could go down as his last in Washington. Tagging an unsigned Cousins again next offseason would cost the Redskins upward of $34MM, an unpalatable total.
For the second straight year, then, Cousins is in line to play without any long-term security, though he’s also on track to rake in $43MM-plus between last season and 2017 on account of the tag. Cousins has made his case for a big-money deal since breaking out during the 2015 campaign, his first as the Redskins’ full-time starter. The 28-year-old started all of the Redskins’ games over the past two seasons and helped the team to a 17-14-1 record, including an NFC East title in 2015. Along the way, Cousins combined for over 9,000 yards and 54 touchdowns against 23 interceptions.
Redskins Fire GM Scot McCloughan
The Redskins are firing GM Scout McCloughan after two seasons at the helm, according to The Washington Post. McCloughan is being let go due to his ongoing issues with alcohol, one official says. 
“He’s had multiple relapses due to alcohol,” said the official. “He showed up in the locker room drunk on multiple occasions. . . . This has been a disaster for 18 months.”
The same official intimated that McCloughan also lost his two previous NFL jobs due to alcohol abuse. The exec did not “make the best of his third chance” in the league, in the anonymous source’s estimation.
Meanwhile, there were rumblings late in the season that some in the Washington front office were jealous of McCloughan’s power, Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets. Ultimately, he was told, team management would one day use McCloughan’s drinking as an excuse to fire him. McCloughan’s players, scouting staff, and even coaches all respected and appreciated him, Jones tweets.
“The Washington Redskins have released Scot McCloughan from the organization effective immediately,”Redskins president Bruce Allen said in a statement. “We wish him success in his future endeavors. The team will have no further comment on his departure. The organization remains confident in our personnel department as we execute our free agency plans as well as prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft.” .
This brings an end to a bizarre saga that has been playing out in D.C. for weeks now. McCloughan has been out of pocket during the most critical part of the offseason and things got really strange when he was not present at the Scouting Combine in late February. This week, as the madness of free agency swirled, agents found themselves negotiating with other officials in the team’s front office. Reportedly, the chaos in Washington made the representatives of free agents question the team’s stability. Quarterback Kirk Cousins may also feel the same way – he personally asked owner Dan Snyder to trade him.
The Redskins have been “entertaining” new general manager options for “quite some time,” according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. He mentioned Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik as a candidate whose name has surfaced in internal talks. La Canfora also suggested that the team could promote executive Alex Santos to the GM spot, but it’s not clear if that has been a consideration. The Redskins have never promoted an executive from within to fill the GM role.
Without their GM in the building, the Redskins made a number of notable moves this week. Here’s a quick rundown:
- Signed safety D.J. Swearinger.
- Signed defensive tackle Stacy McGee.
- Made contact with free agent wide receiver Terrelle Pryor and arranged meeting.
- Signed defensive tackle Terrell McClain.
- Applied second-round tender to running back Chris Thompson.
- Re-signed tight end Vernon Davis.
- Extended the contract of coach Jay Gruden.
The Redskins also lost DeSean Jackson and Chris Baker to the Buccaneers, lost Pierre Garcon to the 49ers, and came up short in their efforts to sign Calais Campbell.
NFC Rumors: Romo, Baker, Jeffery, Eagles
Tony Romo was “never being waived” by the Cowboys, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). We presume the source means “cut” rather than “waived” since vested veterans cannot be waived in the offseason. Word on Wednesday was that the Cowboys would release Romo, allowing him to sign with another club. Then, on Thursday, it was reported that the Cowboys were expecting to trade the quarterback to the Broncos or Texans. For now, things remain in a holding pattern for Romo.
Here’s more from around the league on Day 1 of official free agency.
- The Redskins did not end up making an offer to Chris Baker, who agreed to a deal with the Buccaneers, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. Baker joined DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon as higher-end free agents who left Washington this week.
- Alshon Jeffery looks to be a believer in Carson Wentz. The sixth-year wideout turned out a turned down a multiyear deal with greater security from the Vikings to sign with the Eagles, Ian Rapoport tweets.
- Torrey Smith‘s Eagles deal is for one year and $5MM, Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports (on Twitter), adding that the contract contains two option years. Both option years are worth $5MM apiece. Smith will collect a $500K bonus from what will be his third NFL employer.
- Chance Warmack signed with the Eagles for one year and $1.51MM, per Pelissero (on Twitter). This looks like a value-re-establishing season for the former Titans first-rounder, who will receive a $500K signing bonus.
- The Seahawks‘ Luke Joeckel deal is for one year and up to $8MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The guaranteed money here isn’t known yet, but Joeckel could do well for himself after seeing seeing the Jaguars pass on his 2017 option in 2016 and then going on IR.
- New Giants wide receiver Brandon Marshall said four teams were on his top tier in terms of giving him the best chance to win: the Giants, Patriots, Steelers and Seahawks, per Art Stapleton of The Record (on Twitter). Marshall has never made the playoffs in 11 seasons. The Giants made their first playoff berth in five years in 2016.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report.