Ravens WR Kamar Aiken Drawing Interest
Wide receiver Kamar Aiken has roughly six teams interested in him, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. The Bills, Browns, and Seahawks appear to be the strongest candidates for his services at this time. It’s not immediately clear whether the incumbent Ravens are among the teams with interest. 
Late last month, we ranked Aiken as one of the 15 best wide receivers available. However, he’s not exactly coming off of a banner year. Aiken was a central piece in the Baltimore offense in 2015 with 75 receptions (127 targets), 944 yards, and five touchdowns. This past year, his numbers dropped dramatically as he recorded just 50 targets, 29 receptions, 328 yards, and only one TD. He also had just six starts as opposed to his 14 in the previous campaign.
During the season, Aiken lobbied offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg for an increased role. Nothing came of those talks and Mornhinweg will return for another season, so we probably shouldn’t bank on a reunion.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/4/17
Here are today’s minor moves:
- Former Utah quarterback Travis Wilson signed with the Rams, Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com reports (on Twitter). The 23-year-old Wilson, though, will switch positions upon going to Los Angeles. The Rams added the four-year Utes contributor as a tight end.
- The Bears have re-signed quarterback Connor Shaw as well as long snapper Patrick Scales, as Patrick Finley and Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times write. Shaw was doing quite well in preseason last year before suffering a broken left leg in the team’s third exhibition contest. Recently, GM Ryan Pace said Shaw is doing “very well” in his rehab.
- The Eagles announced they’ve agreed to terms on a one-year deal with safety Jaylen Watkins.
49ers Re-Sign WR Jeremy Kerley
Jeremy Kerley will not be exploring free agency next week. The 49ers and the wide receiver have agreed to a three-year, $10.5MM deal, according to Adam Schefter and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Kerley came to the 49ers in an August trade with the Lions. He went on to have a career-high 64 receptions in his first season with San Francisco. Teams didn’t think much of Kerley at that point in his career, but the Niners traded for him with a specific role in mind. He flourished with the additional workload and he is now being rewarded for that.
The 28-year-old first made a name for himself when he had 56 catches and 827 yards for the Jets in 2012. From there, however, his role slowly diminished until he was released midway through his four-year extension.
The 49ers will hope for similar production out of Kerley while getting more from Torrey Smith. The Niners can also be expected to explore adding an impact receiver or two.
Matt Asiata Unlikely To Return To Vikings
Running back Matt Asiata is eligible for free agency next week and it sounds like he’ll wind up signing elsewhere. Asiata plans to test the open market and chances of him returning to the Vikings are low, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. 
[RELATED: Vikings CB Captain Munnerlyn Seeking Long-Term Deal]
Asiata, 30 in July, first broke into the NFL as a UDFA signing in Minnesota in 2011. Ever since 2012, he has been on the Vikings’ active roster. His workload increased in 2014 and 2016, seasons in which Adrian Peterson missed the majority of games. Asiata provides solid pass-catching ability – he averaged 38 catches between those two aforementioned campaigns – but he’s not an ultra-athletic ball carrier like teammate Jerick McKinnon.
Last year, Asiata re-signed with the Vikings on a one-year, $840K deal with a $60K signing bonus. The pact also included up to $500K in incentives based on playing-time, rushing yards, and receptions. It remains to be seen whether he can fetch a deal with significant guarantees this offseason. At his age, he may have to settle for a pact that doesn’t include any sort of safety net.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/3/17
Friday’s minor moves…
- The Steelers placed an original round tender on restricted free agent cornerback Ross Cockrell, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). A fourth-round pick of the Bills in 2014, Cockrell has started the last two years for Pittsburgh and is now free negotiate with other teams. However, the Steelers reserve the right to match any offer. Cockrell is slated to play 2017 on the low tender, which should be worth roughly $1.8MM.
- The Packers are bringing back punter Jake Schum, an exclusive rights free agent (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com). He will take his physical and sign next week.
- The Lions have re-signed long snapper Don Muhlbach to a one-year deal, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
- The Vikings will retain exclusive rights free agent tackle Jeremiah Sirles for $690K, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
Colin Kaepernick Opts Out Of 49ers Deal
Colin Kaepernick has officially opted out of his contract with the 49ers, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Kaepernick hired new representation – agents Jeff Nalley and Sean Kiernan of the Select Sports Group – and they informed all 32 teams in the league of his decision earlier this week.
[RELATED: Kirk Cousins Would Only Accept 49ers Trade?]
Kaepernick reached out to new general manager John Lynch right after he was hired and met with him and new head coach Kyle Shanahan in late February. The talk, apparently, did not give Kaepernick the sense that he would be the team’s starting quarterback in 2017. While Kaepernick had the option of staying or leaving, the 49ers have been widely connected to other QBs and it’s quite possible they would have released him anyway to avoid a $14.9MM cap charge.
No. 7 will now join a free agent class that includes quarterbacks like Mike Glennon, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Nick Foles, and Brian Hoyer. We could see more additions in the coming days, of course, like Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, and Tyrod Taylor.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first reported that Kaepernick would opt out. Photo courtesy of USA Toaday Sports Images.
Rams Won’t Pursue Tony Romo
The Rams will not pursue Tony Romo, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. This presumably means they won’t look into a trade for Romo or kick the tires on him if he hits the open market. 
With Case Keenum set for free agency, it stands to reason that the Rams could be in the market for a veteran quarterback to pair with Jared Goff. However, one has to imagine that Romo will at least want to compete for a starting job somewhere. It’s hard to see Romo going along with holding the clipboard for Goff, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft.
The Rams paid a ransom to the Titans last offseason to trade up to the top spot for Goff, so it’s no surprise they want him to handle the reins going forward. Goff appeared in only eight games as a rookie (seven starts) and posted a 54.7 percent completion rate, averaged 5.31 yards per attempt and tossed five touchdowns against seven interceptions. He’ll now attempt to reach his potential with new head coach Sean McVay. Romo, meanwhile, seems likely to end up with a team that’s closer to contention and either devoid of a No. 1 signal-caller or willing to bench its starter in favor of the soon-to-be 37-year-old.
Patriots Release Sebastian Vollmer
The Patriots have released Sebastian Vollmer, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Vollmer, 33 this summer, continues to struggle with hip issues. 
Vollmer was originally set for free agency following the 2016 season, but his contract tolled after he spent the year on the PUP list. The Pats could have held on to him for 2017, but they are cutting him loose instead.
Vollmer, was a mainstay at tackle for New England from 2009 through 2015. However, his performance slipped in 2015 and 2016 was a lost year for him. In ’15, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 42nd-best tackle out of 77 qualified players. Last summer, the Patriots passed on discussing an extension with him because of his injury woes and time unfortunately proved them right.
Before his step back in 2015, Vollmer consistently ranked as one of the better tackles in the NFL by PFF’s measure. During that time, he never dipped lower than the top-3o range and placed as high as top ten in the league.
Personally, I have Vollmer as one of the ten best tackles available this offseason, but slotted behind the likes of Andrew Whitworth, Ricky Wagner Russell Okung, Kelvin Beachum, Riley Reiff, Ryan Clady, and Austin Pasztor.
News of Vollmer’s release was first reported by Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter).
Bills Split On Tyrod Taylor Decision
The sense at the scouting combine is that the Bills are “leaning against” keeping Tyrod Taylor, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News tells WGRZ (video link). The Bills would be willing to keep Taylor if the option were not for such a high price, he adds. 
Meanwhile, the front office and the coaching staff are at odds about how to handle Taylor, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com hears. Top decision makers like GM Doug Whaley, senior VP of football administration Jim Overdorf, and team president Russ Brandon have decided that they don’t want to continue with Taylor and would prefer veteran options like Tony Romo and Brian Hoyer. However, new head coach Sean McDermott isn’t sure the team can find a better QB than Taylor and wouldn’t mind paying him $17MM/year.
If Taylor hits the open market, the Browns, 49ers, and Jets will be among the teams with interest.
Jets To Cut Richardson, Skrine?
The Jets aren’t done cleaning house. Sheldon Richardson, Buster Skrine, Marcus Gilchrist, and Calvin Pryor are among the players that are in danger of losing their roster spots, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini tweets. As previously reported, Eric Decker may be in the same boat. 
Cimini writes that David Harris seems safe for now, but that could change if they add a free agent at inside linebacker. Gang Green could also try to deal Pryor and Richardson since the former first-round picks still have some trade value. The Jets once shopped Richardson with the hope of netting a first-round pick, but it now seems like they might have to settle for a third-round choice given Richardson’s down year and off-field red flags. Pryor, a big hitter in the secondary, has yet to really break out in his three NFL seasons. This past season, Pro Football Focus rated the Louisville slugger as the No. 73 safety in the NFL out of 89 qualified players.
In recent days, the Jets have released wide receiver Brandon Marshall, cornerback Darrelle Revis, center Nick Mangold, offensive tackles Ryan Clady and Breno Giacomini, kicker Nick Folk, and linebacker Erin Henderson. It sounds like that list is about to grow even more.