Bills’ Kyle Williams To Return In 2017
The Bills announced that defensive tackle Kyle Williams will return next season. Presumably, that means Williams has confirmed he will not retire this offseason, nor will the Bills release him to save money against the cap. 
[RELATED: Drew Rosenhaus Expects Bills To Keep LeSean McCoy]
Williams, 34 in June, has spent his entire career in Buffalo. He’s slated to carry a $8.3MM cap number this season, but it’s not immediately clear whether the two sides have an agreement in place to re-work that number. Last year, Williams accepted a pay cut which trimmed his base salary from $6MM to $4.25MM, reducing his cap charge from $8MM to $6.25MM.
Williams missed more than half of the 2015 season, but last year he appeared in 15 regular season games. With 64 total tackles and five sacks in 2016, Williams earned his fifth career Pro Bowl selection.
RELATED:
Pats Not Expected To Trade Jimmy Garoppolo
The Patriots are not expected to trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). If the Patriots stick to their guns, Garoppolo will play out 2017 as Tom Brady‘s backup before being eligible for free agency.
A number of teams were expected to show interest in the young QB, including the Browns. With a stockpile of picks and plenty of cap room, Cleveland was reportedly angling to trade for Garoppolo and quickly get to work on an extension for him. The 49ers were also interested, though at last check they had Kirk Cousins as their No. 1 target.
Taking Garoppolo off of the market will have a ripple effect across the NFL. The Browns will now be forced to look at other options, which could push them to pursue Cousins more heavily via trade and potentially take away the 49ers’ Plan A. That ripple effect will also impact the Jets, who are on the hunt for less glamorous options. The stock of Mitch Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, and other draft QBs could increase and the same could be said for Bengals trade chip A.J. McCarron.
Browns Sign P Britton Colquitt To Extension
The Browns are giving punter Britton Colquitt a four-year extension, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (on Twitter). Colquitt was slated to become a free agent on March 9. The new deal could keep him in Cleveland through the 2020 season.
Colquitt has not missed a regular season game since breaking into the league in 2010 with the Broncos. After several years with Denver, he signed a free agent pact with the Browns last offseason. Unfortunately, he was used quite a bit in 2016 as the Cleveland offense sputtered. Colquitt averaged 45.3 yards per punt last season, besting his average of the previous three seasons.
The Browns recently re-upped fellow special teamer Charley Hughlett.
Raiders To Pursue Adrian Peterson?
Now that the Vikings have declined Adrian Peterson‘s option for 2017, the running back is free to seek employment elsewhere. A person close to the veteran says that the Raiders could be his landing spot, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets. 
The Raiders must address their running back situation this spring with Latavius Murray headed for free agency. The Raiders have decided against signing Murray to a new deal before March 9, but they could still consider a reunion once both sides have explored their options. We recently ranked Murray as the fourth-best running back eligible for free agency this year, though that was before the franchising of Le’Veon Bell and the additions of Peterson and Jamaal Charles to the group.
Peterson left the Raiders with one heck of an impression when he ran for 203 yards in Oakland in the 2015 season. Now, we’ll wait and see if they have him join forces with younger backs Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington.
Patriots Will Not Tag Dont’a Hightower
The Patriots informed Dont’a Hightower they will not apply the franchise tag to him, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This will allow the star linebacker to test the open market. 
Hightower was willing to sign the franchise tag, but the Pats have opted against potentially paying him roughly $14.7MM for the 2017 campaign. It’s not 100% clear whether the Patriots have decided against the transition tag, but it doesn’t sound like they’ll be using that either. That tag would cost less but also wouldn’t entitle New England to draft pick compensation if Hightower signs elsewhere. Still, with plenty of cap space, the Patriots can likely match any offer Hightower scores on the open market.
Hightower clearly rates as the best linebacker available in free agency, even though non-rush linebackers typically do not get as much attention as their sack-compiling cohorts. After Hightower, Zach Brown, Kevin Minter, Perry Riley, and Lawrence Timmons represent some of the better LB options out there.
Hightower, 26, played in 13 games last season and racked up 65 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ 12th-best linebacker among 87 qualifiers.
Hightower’s reps can begin speaking with teams on March 7th, when the legal tampering period begins. Starting on March 9th, free agents are allowed to sign with clubs.
Chiefs Release RB Jamaal Charles
The Chiefs are releasing running back Jamaal Charles, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The move has been anticipated for some time given Charles’ injury concerns and scheduled salary for 2017. 
“On behalf of my family and the entire Kansas City Chiefs team, I’d like to thank Jamaal Charles for his contributions and dedication over the last nine seasons,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. “Jamaal has been one of the most prolific players in our organization’s history and I have an enormous amount of respect for what he’s accomplished. He’ll always be a part of the Chiefs family, and we’ll be ready to honor him for his outstanding playing career when the time is right.”
Charles, 30, was scheduled to count for nearly $6.2MM on Kansas City’s 2017 salary cap, a figure that included a $3.75MM base salary, $1MM in per-game roster bonuses, a $2MM reporting bonus, and a $250K workout bonus. None of that money was guaranteed, however. By dropping Charles, KC has gotten out from under all of their financial obligations to the veteran.
Charles’ season ended in early November after undergoing knee surgery. His 2016 campaign finished with just 12 carries and 40 yards in three appearances. In 2015, he played in only five games, rushing 71 times for 364 yards and four touchdowns. Charles’ cap hit was not workable given all the question marks surrounding him and it remains to be seen whether the team could bring him back at a cheaper rate.
No one knows what kind of back Charles can be in 2017, but he does have an impressive resume. His 5.5 yards per carry rate is the all-time highest in the NFL and he is said to be fully healthy. The four-time Pro Bowler won’t get paid like a top running back, but he can’t be entirely counted out as a performer.
The Chiefs can take care of their running back situation in-house, leaning primarily on Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West. The team also recently added C.J. Spiller, though he is far from a lock to make the 53-man roster.
Redskins Franchise Tag Kirk Cousins
The Redskins are placing the exclusive franchise tag on Kirk Cousins, the team announced. He’ll play on a one-year, $23.94MM deal, unless the two sides can agree on a longer deal between now and July.
The exclusive tag means that other clubs cannot negotiate deals with Cousins. Under the non-exclusive variation, teams would have been able to sign Cousins to an offer sheet. An unmatched offer sheet would have resulted in a deal, though it would have meant the forfeiture of two first-round picks to the Redskins. In most cases, teams do not pursue non-exclusive tagged franchise players, but Cousins would have been an exception given the lack of quality available QBs out there.
Today’s news does not preclude the Redskins from trading Cousins, which has been a rumored possibility for some time now. The 49ers have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for the QB and, depending on who you ask, that may be the only trade he’s willing to help facilitate. The Browns may also show interest in Cousins as they try to figure out their future under center. Cousins does not have a no-trade clause, but he can effectively block any deal by refusing to negotiate a long-term deal with a new team.
In his two years as a starter, Cousins has helped the Redskins to plus-.500 seasons – including a 9-7, NFC East-winning showing in 2015 – while flourishing statistically. Cousins is coming off a year in which he completed 67 percent of passes, nearly reached the 5,000-yard mark (4,917), and tossed 25 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. This past year, Pro Football Focus rated him as one of the ten best QBs in the NFL.
Chiefs, S Eric Berry Agree To Deal
The Chiefs and safety Eric Berry are finalizing a six-year deal worth $78MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It will make him the highest paid safety in the NFL. Berry has topped the Cardinals’ Tyrann Mathieu, who previously led all back end defenders with a $12.5MM+ annual salary. The deal includes $40MM in guarantees, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter), including a $20MM signing bonus. He’ll earn $30MM over first two years of his new deal, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
Berry, 28, said that he did not want to play under a franchise tender for a second consecutive season. Now, the two sides have successfully avoided a potentially awkward situation between the two sides. Now that Berry is taken care of in advance of the franchise deadline, KC can tag fellow free agent Dontari Poe. Poe would earn roughly $13.5MM on the tender.
Berry played a full 16 game season in 2016 and posted four interceptions, nine passes defensed, and one forced fumble. he graded ou tas the NFL’s No. 8 safety, per Pro Football Focus, which also handed Berry top marks for pass coverage.
Just this week, Berry said he wasn’t “getting [his] hopes up” about the prospects of a new deal, but his representation has worked feverishly to reach agreement on a long-term pact.
Vikings Decline Adrian Peterson’s Option
The Vikings announced that they are declining Adrian Peterson‘s option for the coming season. The move has been long expected. 
Peterson’s option was worth $18MM for the 2017 season and there was no chance of the Vikings picking that up. Now that this formality is out of the way, the Vikings will work to re-sign Peterson on a cheaper deal. However, the veteran will probably first explore his options and determine his value.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would pursue Peterson if he is available. Still, AP might prefer to explore teams that are in need of a true No. 1 RB. Whether Dallas is in the cards remains to be seen, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that his strong preference will be to play alongside an established quarterback.
In 2016, Peterson suffered an unfortunate meniscus injury in Week 2 and racked up a meager 72 yards on 37 carries. In the year before that, however, he exploded for 1,485 rushing yards and eleven touchdowns. Even with questions about his age and injury concerns, Peterson remains an intriguing option for teams in need of rushing help.
Packers Pushing To Re-Sign Eddie Lacy?
Now that Le’Veon Bell is spoken for, Eddie Lacy arguably stands as the best running back on the open market. However, there’s a chance he won’t get there either. Lacy says his rep has been in contact with the Packers about a new deal and, so far, the feedback is positive. 
“Talking to my agent, the Packers have been very vocal about having me back there,” Lacy told ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.
Lacy was off to a great start last season before an ankle injury shut him down in the fall. There are loads of question marks about the running back due to his overall inconsistency and weight fluctuation, but the talent is undeniably there. At his best, Lacy is a wrecking ball who can shatter any front seven for lengthy gains. If the Packers do not re-sign Lacy by March 9th, he’ll be inundated with phone calls from interested teams. Still, it could be a little while longer before he can get on the practice field.
“My healing process is 4-6 months, on the 26th [of February] it [was] the fourth month,” Lacy said. “I’m going to try and go out and run, but if it’s not comfortable then I’m just going to continue doing what I’ve been doing. But by April, whenever I have to report, I should be able to go out and do everything.”