Buccaneers Retain ERFA TE Cameron Brate
It was a no-brainer move, but it’s now official. The Buccaneers have tendered exclusive rights free agent Cameron Brate, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times writes. 
Brate, 26 this summer, broke out in 2016 as he caught 57 passes for 660 yards and eight touchdowns. Because he only played a handful of games in his first NFL season (2014), he was shy of having three full accrued seasons, which would have made him a restricted free agent. Instead, he’s an ERFA, enabling the Bucs to keep him for cheap.
Next year, he’s scheduled for restricted free agency and may require a high tender to be kept. With that in mind, the Buccaneers may look to extend him now and lock him in at a favorable rate going forward. As a former undrafted rookie free agent, Brate has yet to cash in at the pro level, so he may opt for security over earning upside.
Browns Apply Tender To Isaiah Crowell
The Browns have applied the second-round tender to running back Isaiah Crowell, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The one-year tender is worth $2.81MM. However, the two sides are working on a long-term deal with the hope that they can replace the one-year placeholder. 
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The two sides engaged in “heavy talks” during the season, but in January they were said to be at a “stalemate”. Still just 24, Crowell is mindful of his value, but he only has so much leverage as a restricted free agent.
The three-year veteran, an undrafted free agent from Alabama State in 2014, broke out with 952 yards on 198 carries – good for a robust 4.8 YPC – and seven scores on the ground. He added 40 receptions and 319 more yards as a pass-catching option. Along with wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, Crowell was one of the very few bright spots for Cleveland in the midst of a lousy year.
The second-round tender, in all likelihood, should keep Crowell from winding up elsewhere. This year’s running back class is fairly strong at the top and any team in need of a tailback should be able to meet their needs with a second-round choice.
Kirk Cousins Would Only Accept 49ers Trade?
Kirk Cousins 
doesn’t have a no-trade clause, but he can effectively block any potential trade by refusing to agree to a contract extension with the proposed acquiring team. With that in mind, Cousins would only accept a trade to the 49ers, John Keim of ESPN.com hears. However, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) is getting different info, hearing from a source that Cousins would be open to playing for teams other than Redskins or 49ers, if that’s how things play out. The Browns, he adds, are “intriguing.”
[RELATED: Redskins Interested In Kenny Britt]
After an abysmal 2016, it’s a bit surprising to hear that Cousins could be willing to join up with the Browns. At the same time, the team is flush with cap space and tons of draft picks, so the potential for a quick turnaround is there. Cleveland’s inability to find a franchise quarterback is well-documented and Cousins could be the guy to put a stop to their QB curse. The Browns may be prioritizing a Jimmy Garoppolo trade, but Cousins would be one heck of a consolation prize.
The Redskins are expected to tag Cousins between now and the Wednesday deadline, regardless of their longer term plans for him. Cousins, meanwhile, is unwilling to sign a long-term extension with Washington before that point.
Steelers Sign Antonio Brown To Extension
The Steelers and Antonio Brown have agreed to an extension, the club announced today. The new deal, which will tie Brown to Pittsburgh through the 2021 season, will make the dynamic wide receiver the highest-paid pass-catcher of all-time.
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The pact will reportedly give Brown four new years worth $68MM, and contains a $19MM signing bonus. Brown’s 2017 base salary has been reduced to a guaranteed $910K, which along with the signing bonus, makes up the only guaranteed portions of the contract.
From there, Brown will earn base salaries of $7.875MM, $12.625MM, $11.3MM, and $12.5MM in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. In 2018, Brown is due a $6MM roster bonus on the fifth day of the league year, and 2019, Brown is due a $2.5MM roster bonus on the fifth day of the league year.
Brown has been pushing for a new deal for more than a year now, but the Steelers held firm to their organizational policy of not addressing contracts until they are one year away from expiration. In this round of talks, the Steelers and agent with Drew Rosenhaus were aiming to have a deal done by March 9th. It seems that the deal has been agreed upon with more than a week before the start of free agency.
Currently, Julio Jones leads all wide receivers in terms of total contract value ($71.25MM overall), per-year average ($14.25MM per year), and total guaranteed cash ($35.5MM). After him, Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant are tied or roughly tied in those categories, with Thomas holding a slight edge in total guaranteed money. Apparently, Brown’s new pact will set the new watermark for the wide receiver position.
Brown, 29 in July, is coming off of his third consecutive first-team All-Pro selection. Last year, Brown finished out with 106 catches for 1,284 yards and 12 touchdowns in 15 regular season games. As great as that stat line was, Brown has put up even gaudier numbers for Pittsburgh in the past. In 2014, Brown had 129 catches and 1,698 yards with 13 touchdowns. In 2015, he had an eye-popping 136 catches for 1,834 yards and ten touchdowns.
Before the multi-year agreement, Brown was slated to play out 2017 with a $13.6MM cap charge.
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com first reported the news of the extension and its basic details (Twitter links). Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link) reported the signing bonus amount. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported the financial specifics of the deal.
Dwight Freeney To Continue Playing?
After Super Bowl 51, Dwight Freeney said he wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue playing in 2017. After some thought, the veteran has decided to return for his 16th NFL season, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. However, Freeney himself tells Jim Trotter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that while he’ll “most likely” continue his career in 2017, he hasn’t yet made a final decision.
Freeney signed on with the Falcons in August 2016 and wound up helping the team to an NFC championship. After Atlanta’s unfortunate collapse in the Super Bowl, the 37-year-old apparently wants one more chance to leave the game on a high note. In 15 regular season games, Freeney totaled ten tackles and three sacks.
He’s no longer a Pro Bowl-caliber defensive end, but he is still effective as a situational pass rusher. Last week, we ranked Freeney as one of the 15 best edge defenders scheduled for free agency. Still, teams might not want to commit guaranteed dollars to him while the free agent period is in bloom, so he might have to wait until the summer again before he signs.
Giants To Franchise Tag Jason Pierre-Paul
The Giants will apply the non-exclusive franchise tag to Jason Pierre-Paul, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). Unless the two sides work out a new deal between now and July, JPP will play out 2017 on a one-year, $16.955MM contract. The transaction was not formally processed before the end of business on Monday, but the Giants have informed him of their decision. 
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The G-Men will work “aggressively” to lock Pierre-Paul up beyond 2017, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. The Giants have about $31.5MM in cap space before factoring in the tag and they can preserve a good chunk of that by smoothing out JPP’s cap hit on a multi-year deal. Ideally, the Giants would like to retain their defensive core, which means brand new deals for JPP and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.
Had JPP reached the open market, he would have stood as one of the best free agent edge defenders in this year’s class. Now that he and Jones have been franchise tagged and Melvin Ingram probably isn’t far behind, Packers standout Nick Perry probably has to be considered the best of the bunch. Perry, 27 in April, will be heavily targeted by 3-4 teams looking to boost their pass rush.
Chiefs Extend Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
The Chiefs have locked up one of their starting offensive linemen for years to come. The team has agreed to a five-year, $41.25MM extension with guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The deal includes $20MM in guaranteed money, a source tells Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear how much of that $20MM is guaranteed at signing versus yearly guarantees that are triggered at the outset of each league year. 
[RELATED: Chiefs To Tag Eric Berry Over Dontari Poe?]
Over the last two years, the 6’5″ lineman has appeared in 30 games for KC with 27 starts. In 2016, he was ranked as the 27th best guard in the NFL by Pro Football Focus with a 78.4 overall score. That grade put him ahead of notables like Kyle Long, Austin Pasztor, and Patrick Omameh. His pass blocking was particularly strong and he had the 14th highest score amongst guards in that area by PFF’s measure.
Duvernay-Tardif had one more year to go on his rookie deal, but the Chiefs saw an opportunity to lock him up on what they feel is a team-friendly extension. The contract could take the guard through his age-30 season. Sometime after that, the McGill product hopes to become a full-time doctor.
Steelers Franchise Tag Le’Veon Bell
The Steelers have placed the franchise tag on running back Le’Veon Bell, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Steelers have opted for the exclusive tag, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), which means that no other team can sign him away. The two sides now have until July to hammer out a new contract. If they do not, Bell will play out 2017 on a one-year, ~$12MM deal.
The non-exclusive variant of the tag, which costs the same as the exclusive one, opens the door for another team to sign the player if the original club does not match. When that happens, the team losing the player collects on two first-round picks.
Bell, 25, is arguably the best running back in the NFL. Had he reached unrestricted free agency, Bell probably would have become the highest-paid tailback in the NFL, considering that Adrian Peterson‘s current deal is days away from being terminated.
In 12 games last year, Bell ran for 1,268 yards off of 261 carries (4.9 yards per attempt) and had seven rushing touchdowns. Bell was often utilized as a receiver too, totaling 75 catches for 616 yards and two scores. As if that wasn’t enough, Pro Football Focus gave him the sixth-highest pass blocking grade of any running back in the NFL last year. His overall grade, naturally, was No. 1 amongst RBs.
Browns Don’t Plan To Tag Terrelle Pryor
Kawann Short and Chandler Jones were officially hit with the franchise tag on Monday, but it doesn’t sound like Terrelle Pryor will be joining them in that boat. The Browns still do not plan to use the designation on their pending free agent wide receiver, a league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. 
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Pryor broke out in 2016, but a ~$16MM salary would still be astronomical for a player of his caliber. The Browns are working feverishly to lock him up between now and the start of free agency, but they won’t chance having to absorb that cap hit. One alternative could be the transition tag, which would effectively make Pryor a restricted free agent without giving the team a chance of draft compensation.
We have the 6’4″, 223 pounder rated as the second-best wide receiver slated for free agency. Despite having to catch passes from five different quarterbacks, Pryor managed 77 receptions for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns. In a dismal season for the Browns, Pryor was one of the few bright spots.
Panthers Franchise Tag Kawann Short
The Panthers have applied the franchise tag to Kawann Short, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The long-expected move has since been confirmed by Carolina.
[RELATED: Melvin Ingram, Trumaine Johnson To Be Franchise Tagged?]
Now that Short has been tagged, the two sides will have until July to work out a long-term deal. If they are not able to come to a new agreement, Short will likely play out the 2017 season on a one-year, $13.468MM pact.
Short was ranked No. 3 on PFR’s most recent edition of the Free Agent Power Rankings and was our top interior defender to potentially reach the open market. Unlike former teammate Josh Norman, Short is on record as saying he’s okay with signing the franchise tender. The 28-year-old was the third-best interior defender in the league this season, per Pro Football Focus, and his 87.7 overall score was roughly in line with his 2015 mark, even though he had five less sacks. By PFF’s metrics, only defensive tackles Aaron Donald and Calais Campbell ranked ahead of Short in 2016.
The price tag for a Short extension went up when Fletcher Cox and Muhammad Wilkerson inked lucrative new deals last summer. Carolina would probably like to re-up Short at roughly $15MM per year on a multi-year deal, but it might take an AAV of ~$17MM or more to get something done based on how the market looks now. Even that number could trend upwards depending on how things break in March.