Five Teams In On Terrelle Pryor
Terrelle Pryor is days away from free agency and, as expected, he’ll have a healthy market for his services. The wide receiver is drawing interest from the Giants, 49ers, Eagles, and Titans on the eve of the legal tampering period, sources tell Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. More teams could get involved and, of course, the Browns are working hard to re-sign him. 
At this point, the Browns and Pryor are far apart in negotiations, Cabot hears. agent Drew Rosenhaus is looking for Pryor to get paid like one of the top receivers in the NFL. After Rosenhaus blew the ceiling off of the WR market with Antonio Brown‘s new deal, there could be a domino effect that aids the Ohio State product. Still, a deal that puts Pryor in the top five at his position in terms of compensation would be a shocker.
Pryor is firmly in the top tier of available receivers this offseason, along with Alshon Jeffery of the Bears and Kenny Stills of the Dolphins. Our most recent rankings have Pryor as the second-best WR on the market, behind Jeffery and ahead of Stills. Despite Rosenhaus’ ambitions, I still see Stills as having more earning power than Pryor.
The Giants are in the market for a receiver after parting ways with Victor Cruz and a player like Pryor would help deflect attention from star Odell Beckham Jr. Still, I’d be surprised if they were able to keep up with the bidding on him. The Eagles and Titans are logical landing spots since both clubs are also in on Jeffery and a possible Brandin Cooks deal. The 49ers, like the Browns, have lots of cap space to work with.
Latest On DeSean Jackson
It sounds like DeSean Jackson won’t be on the market for long. The receiver is expected to agree to terms with a team on Thursday, the first possible day that players can sign, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. The Redskins and Buccaneers are in the mix for his services, along with “multiple other teams.” 
Our newly-updated positional rankings (based on talent, not earning power) have Jackson listed as the fifth-best WR out there, behind Alshon Jeffery, Terrelle Pryor, Kenny Stills, and Kenny Britt, but ahead of Brandon Marshall and teammate Pierre Garcon.
We first learned of the Buccaneers’ interest in Jackson last week. The Bucs have Mike Evans, but they don’t have much after him, so Jackson would be a great fit as their WR2. If they want him, however, they’ll have to pony up considerable cash as his market grows.
The Eagles have been heavily connected to Jackson for months and although they are not specifically mentioned in Florio’s filing, they might get in on the bidding this week. If that’s the case, I believe nostalgia will factor into his decision, if the numbers are all roughly equal.
Julius Peppers To Continue Playing
Julius Peppers isn’t done with football just yet. The veteran will return to play in 2017, though his next stop is still uncertain. 
“Julius, after taking some time to reflect during the offseason, has decided that he still has the desire and enthusiasm for the game, and his intention is to play a 16th NFL season,” agent Carl Carey told ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky and Vaughn McClure.
Peppers is fifth on the NFL’s all-time career sacks list, and could conceivably move up to No. 4 with another year on the field. The 37-year-old has 143.5 career sacks and needs seven to match Chris Doleman’s 150.5 total. Last year, Peppers finished out with 7.5 sacks, so a repeat effort would leave him all alone at No. 4 on the list. To have any chance of bypassing Kevin Greene (third all-time with 160 sacks), he’ll need at least two more seasons. Of course, Peppers will be taking things one step at a time and his next deal will almost certainly be of the one-year variety.
Our updated rankings of this year’s defensive free agents lists Peppers as one of the ten best edge defenders out there.
Panthers Interested In Matt Kalil?
The Panthers could be fixing to have both Kalil Bros. on the roster in 2017. The Panthers are expected to have interest in Matt Kalil, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. 
Kalil, 28 in July, played in only two games last year thanks to September hip surgery. Teams will be wary of his medical status, but his father tells Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press that he is now 100% healthy. For his part, the younger Kalil has said that he would like to stay in Minnesota:
“I’d love to stay here the rest of my career,” Kalil said last fall. “This is the team I started out with in the NFL, and I’ve been playing with these guys. I’ve met a lot of great friends here, my wife is from here. It’d be a good place to finish my career.”
Even if he’s healthy, the reality is that Kalil comes with tons of question marks. Kalil hasn’t been overly effective blocker since earning a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie. Kalil allowed the second-most pressures among tackles in 2014 and finished 18th from the bottom in 2015, according to Pro Football Focus.
AFC West Rumors: Romo, Broncos, Chiefs
Linked to numerous teams throughout the offseason, Tony Romo should still be on the Broncos‘ radar, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com said (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post). The former agent anticipates the Broncos being the winner of this unique pursuit while noting the Texans are likely the primary competition.
“I expect Romo to be a Bronco,” Corry said. “Houston may actually be his more favored destination because it’s in the state of Texas and it’s an easy transition. He wouldn’t be uprooting his family in the same way as he would with Denver. But Denver, [recent] Super Bowl champions, just a quarterback away, it makes sense.”
John Elway didn’t dismiss the Romo route last week, saying the Broncos would “look at all options,” but has praised his two incumbents, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. Corry suggests the Broncos retain Siemian even if they sign Romo. While possibly being able to fetch a late draft pick in a trade, Denver’s primary 2016 starter stands to make just $628K next season. The Broncos unloaded Mark Sanchez last year because Siemian beat him out for the starting job, wanting Lynch to see more practice reps. A Romo/Siemian/Lynch setup would potentially be a complicated scenario but provide the Broncos with depth.
Here’s more from the AFC West.
- We have additional details on Eric Berry’s six-year, $78MM deal with the Chiefs, courtesy of Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Berry’s $20MM signing bonus is prorated through 2021, meaning the Chiefs could not save real cap room by cutting him until 2019. If that were to happen, they’d save about $4.5MM in space. As previously reported, the deal includes $40MM in guarantees, including a $20MM signing bonus. He’ll earn $30MM over the first two years of the new pact. The deal is the most lucrative ever given to a safety.
- The Chiefs have a similar timeline on Laurent Duvernay-Tardif‘s extension, should they choose to bail on the deal, Paylor writes. Kansas City could save about $2.2MM in cap space by cutting the guard in 2019. The Canadian doctor-in-training inked his five-year, $41.25MM extension with KC late last month.
- It seems like Broncos nose tackle Sylvester Williams and cornerback Kayvon Webster are likely to sign elsewhere, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post tweets. Webster has been vocal about his desire for more playing time and we recently ranked him as one of the Top 50 Free Agents based on his potential earning power.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Teams Want Nick Mangold To Move To Guard
For years, Nick Mangold stood as one of the league’s very best centers. Now, he’s being asked to change positions. Teams that have expressed interest so far have asked Mangold if he’d be willing to move to guard, sources tell ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link). So far, he’s held off on making that commitment and he continues to wait for an opportunity to continue as a center. 
Mangold was released by the Jets late last month, allowing the team to clear upwards of $9MM of cap room for 2017. Contending clubs are expected to pursue the veteran and PFR’s Dallas Robinson speculated that the Buccaneers, Bengals, Lions, Vikings, Redskins, and Cardinals could be among the clubs to call on him.
Our recent list of the Top 50 Free Agents available left Mangold on the cutting room floor, but we did give him “honorable mention” status. Looking at the center market, Mangold probably won’t be as in-demand as the younger J.C. Tretter. Others with starting experience include Joe Hawley, John Sullivan, and A.Q. Shipley. Stefen Wisniewski, who mostly played at guard in 2016, also has experience in the middle.
East Rumors: Gilmore, Eagles, Matthews
Stephon Gilmore delivered his finest statistical season during what amounted to his contract year in 2016, but the top Bills cornerback didn’t receive rave reviews from the analytics community. At least, not compared to the 2015 season, when Pro Football Focus viewed him as a top-20 corner. But Gilmore expected to be rewarded like a top-flight cover man, with Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com noting he will likely receive the largest contract among this year’s UFA corners.
Gilmore is seeking a deal north of Janoris Jenkins‘ five-year, $62.5MM contract that came with $29MM guaranteed. Gilmore comes in at No. 14 on PFR’s top 50 free agents list, behind other corners A.J. Bouye and Logan Ryan, whom La Canfora also expects to do very well on the market. The Bears are planning to aggressively pursue cornerback help, per La Canfora, who connects them to Gilmore. The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs made the same connection last week.
Here’s a look at the latest from the AFC and NFC East:
- Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) “believes” the Eagles will be open to trading Jordan Matthews if they receive a solid offer. Same goes for quarterback Chase Daniel, who is said to be drawing trade interest. Matthews, 25 in July, was a second-round pick in 2014 under the Chip Kelly administration. Last year, he had 73 catches for 804 yards and three touchdowns, a step back from 2015 when he had 85 catches, 997 yards, and eight scores.
- The Patriots believe someone is going to make LeGarrette Blount an offer they won’t match, Robinson tweets. With that in mind, Robinson believes they are preparing for his departure. Blount stands as one of the better running backs available in free agency, but other big names will be out there including Adrian Peterson, Eddie Lacy, and Jamaal Charles.
- Redskins UFA defensive end Chris Baker expects to receive an offer from the team by Tuesday.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Elliott, Crawford
Here’s a look at the NFC East:
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he has heard nothing new about the league’s investigation into assault allegations against Ezekiel Elliott, Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News writes. “Absolutely nothing anywhere that indicates anything other than what they told us when we left training camp,” Jones said, “and that is that they have no cause.” Jones added that if the investigation had turned anything up, he “would have heard about it.”
- Cowboys defensive end Jack Crawford has interest from roughly five teams, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. There’s a chance he could return to Dallas, but the Colts, Bills, and Jaguars are also in play for his services. Last year, Crawford re-signed with the Cowboys on a one-year, $1.1MM deal with a $240K signing bonus. This time around, he could command more money. Crawford, 29 in September, made a career-high eleven starts in 2016 and had 25 tackles with 3.5 sacks.
- Giants kicker Robbie Gould will test free agency, according to a source who spoke with Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Gould, 35, did not miss a single field goal attempt in his lone season with the Giants. Including the playoffs, he went 12-for-12 on three point tries, with a long of 47 yards. He made 21 of his 24 extra point attempts. The Giants do have a kicker signed to a futures deal, but it sounds like they might be the market for a proven leg.
Jets Rumors: Smith, Okung, Jefferson
The bidding for Mike Glennon could get out of hand, so we shouldn’t completely rule out the possibility that Geno Smith is brought back and installed as the team’s starting quarterback in 2017, a team source tells SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. Of course, that will all depend on his recovery from ACL surgery, his desire to stay in New York, and whether the Jets are able to land a more attractive option. Even though he was selected by the previous regime, Vacchiano hears that coach Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan “don’t hate him.”
Here’s more on Gang Green:
- The Jets are going to be in on the market for left tackle Russell Okung, a league source tells Vacchiano. He adds that the Jets may also target Cardinals safety Tony Jefferson but refers to Okung as the Jets’ biggest non-QB target. Personally, we don’t agree with the assessment that Okung is a more ambitious pursuit than the Cardinals safety. On our first edition of the Top 50 Free Agents list, we ranked Jefferson No. 8 in terms of earning power while Okung was all the way down at No. 43.
- The Jets are expected to tender restricted free agent center Wesley Johnson, a source tells Vacchiano. The SNY scribe says he “seems like a candidate” for the second-round tender.
- The Jets are putting an emphasis on the run game and have plans to add a fullback in free agency this year, a source tells Connor Hughes of NJ.com. The Jets haven’t ruled out signing former Pro Bowlers Mike Tolbert or Marcel Reece and the Falcons’ Patrick DiMarco is also an option, Hughes hears. We have DiMarco ranked as the third-best fullback on the free agent market, behind Kyle Juszczyk and James Develin. Tolbert is all the way down at No. 7 because of his age and diminished blocking skills
Bucs, William Gholston Agree To New Deal
The Buccaneers and defensive end William Gholston have agreed to terms on a new contract, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’ll be a five-year deal with a max value of $37MM, (Twitter link). That pact includes $13.5MM fully guaranteed.
Gholston was said to be a priority free agent for the Bucs and they have managed to retain him before the legal tampering period gets underway on Tuesday. The 25-year-old (26 in July) is coming off of one of his best career seasons. In 14 games (all starts), he had 50 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. For what it’s worth, the metrics at Pro Football Focus didn’t paint Gholston in a flattering light this past year, ranking him as just the 90th best edge defender out of 109 qualified players.
The Bucs still have a number of defensive linemen set to hit the open market, including Akeem Spence, Sealver Siliga, John Hughes, and Jacquies Smith.