Ravens May Release TE Dennis Pitta
Last season, Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta made a remarkable comeback and turned in his first full season since 2012. Even though he hauled in a career-high 86 catches, the Ravens could cut him loose rather than pay him $5.5MM in 2017, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
In theory, the two sides could work a restructured deal, but that’s a concession Pitta already made one year ago. Under the terms of his reworked contract, Pitta’s salary was cut from $5MM to $1MM, but the Ravens added $3MM in incentives to help bridge the gap. When he turned in his best season to date, Pitta maxed out his potential earnings by recording more than 60 catches and appearing in at least 50% of the team’s snaps. It’s not clear whether the two sides have discussed altering Pitta’s deal again or if the veteran would be open to an adjustment.
Pitta signed a five-year, $32MM contract with the Ravens in February of 2014, a gutsy move considering that he missed most of 2013 with hip issues. Years later, Pitta is healthy and producing again, but his price tag could be too rich for the Ravens’ blood.
NFL Draft Rumors: Guards, Foreman, Griffin
Here’s a look at some interesting NFL Draft buzz, via DraftAnalyst.com’s Tony Pauline:
- The general belief is that this year’s offensive line crop is weak, and that will lead to some of the better prospects in this year’s class to be overdrafted. Right now, it seems like as many as three guards could be taken in the first round. Dorian Johnson of Pittsburgh is generally regarded as this year’s best guard with Indiana’s Dan Feeney behind him. If a third guard sneaks into the first round, it’ll be Forrest Lamp of Western Kentucky, multiple insiders tell Pauline. Lamp played left tackle for the Hilltoppers but he is commonly projected to guard or possibly center.
- Texas running back D’Onta Foreman of Texas has been running in the low-to-mid 4.5s in the 40-yard-dash, a solid time for a 235-pound RB. Pauline believes that he is an underrated pass-catcher and can offer more than just his powerful downhill running skills.
- Central Florida cornerback Shaquill Griffin is ready to run “an elite time,” trainers tell Pauline, which means clocking in under 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard-dash. At 6’1″, Griffin also has the height to succeed as an NFL cornerback.
- In other draft news, Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II has received a second-round grade from the league’s advisory committee. This comes on the heels of talk that he could be in the mix as a top three overall pick.
- Last week, we learned that Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly will not be among the players invited to the combine.
Patrick Mahomes Gets Second-Round Grade
Patrick Mahomes II’s stock appears to be on the rise. Today, the Texas Tech quarterback said that he received a second-round grade from the NFL’s College Advisory Committee (via Mike Florio of PFT). 
[RELATED: 2018 QB Draft Class Also Has Question Marks]
For a while, the consensus seemed to be that UNC’s Mitch Trubisky would be the first QB off the board in this year’s draft with Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer following afterwards. Now, it seems like Mahomes could crack the top three at the position and, according to one report, possibly go inside of the first three overall picks. The Browns, 49ers, and Bears hold the first three picks and they could all be in search of a QB come draft time. If Mahomes doesn’t hear his name called that early, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com says that the Texans at No. 25 likely represent his floor.
The scouting combine in Indianapolis should give us a better idea of where Mahomes might go in April. In a draft class that has no slam dunks at the quarterback position, we could see lots of board shuffling between now and the spring.
Extra Points: Garoppolo, Belichick, Williams
Three executives tell Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report that they believe several teams will be making blockbuster offers for Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Ultimately, they think that will result in an offer the Pats cannot refuse.
Freeman also hears from Patriots sources that Bill Belichick likely plans to stay on as coach for at least five more years. Those same sources believe that Belichick wants to continue coaching after Brady retires to show that he can win without the best quarterback of all time.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Arrelious Benn‘s new contract with the Jaguars is a two-year, $1.765MM deal that contains $100K guaranteed, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Although he didn’t contribute much to the Jacksonville offense (just five receptions for 116 yards), Benn was a regular on special teams duty, as he saw action on 63% of the Jaguars’ ST plays.
- Cornerback K’Waun Williams‘ grievance against the Browns will be heard on May 16, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Williams, who played for Cleveland from 2014-15, contends the Browns waived him while he was still dealing with an injured ankle. As such, Williams is seeking the entirety of his 2016 base salary ($600K), plus the cost of his surgery.
- Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara has fired VaynerSports and hired Damarius Bilbo of Revolution Sports Group as his new representation , according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter links). Kamara, a committee back with the Volunteers, managed less than 1,300 yards rushing during two years in Tennessee, but also averaged more than six yards per carry during that time. Largely viewed as a Day 2 prospect, recent buzz has indicated Kamara could sneak into Round 1.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
Julius Thomas Passes Dolphins Physical
All deals are contingent on players passing a physical exam, but it is often just a formality. In the case of tight end Julius Thomas, who has missed eleven games in the past two years, the physical was nothing to be scoffed at. On Tuesday, Thomas was given a clean bill of health by doctors, paving the way for a deal to be finalized between the Jaguars and Dolphins on the first day of the league year, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. 
Teams cannot officially make trades until March 9, but everything is now in place for the swap to go through. The intra-state deal will send the tight end to Miami in exchange for a 2017 seventh-round pick. Then, in a separate deal, left tackle Branden Albert will go to Jacksonville in exchange for a 2018 seventh-round pick. Initially, it looked like the veterans would be exchanged within the same trade. Effectively, of course, they are being traded for one another.
Thomas has a history with Dolphins head coach Adam Gase and he is expected to pick up the offense rather quickly. If he can stay healthy, he could prove to be a serious weapon for Miami. Between 2013 and 2014, Thomas tallied 108 catches and 24 touchdowns under Gase’s guidance. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have secured their replacement for left tackle Kelvin Beachum, though Albert comes with plenty of question marks himself.
Photo courtesy of Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Bills’ Tyrod Taylor Gets Medical Clearance
Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor has been medically cleared from last month’s groin surgery, a team source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Taylor has a $27.5MM option bonus due on March 11th. Now that he has been given the greenlight from doctors, the Bills are now free to release him without having to worry about triggering an injury guarantee. 
[RELATED: Bills Re-Sign LB Ramon Humber]
It has long been speculated that the Bills would move on from Taylor this offseason. When coach Rex Ryan and the Bills parted ways, Taylor lost his No. 1 advocate in Buffalo and that was underscored by his benching in Week 17. Now, it seems that GM Doug Whaley may push for rising sophomore Cardale Jones to take over as the starter in 2017. The 2016 fourth-round pick may or may not be elevated to the starting role, but it almost certainly won’t be Taylor under center.
When Taylor hits the open market, he’ll stand as one of the top quarterbacks available. The Browns have been connected to the mobile QB – particularly since hiring his former quarterbacks coach David Lee – though they are probably prioritizing a Jimmy Garoppolo trade. The Jets and 49ers also face major uncertainty at QB, though we haven’t heard much about those two particular teams making a run at him.
Former LB DeMeco Ryans Joins 49ers Staff
Last summer, linebacker DeMeco Ryans pushed hard to continue his NFL career. Unfortunately, he was unable to find a landing spot in 2016. Now on the verge of his 33rd birthday, Ryans is apparently done playing. Ryans has signed on with the 49ers’ coaching staff as a defensive quality control coach, which signifies that he is officially retired. 
[RELATED: 49ers To Have Interest In Jacob Tamme?]
Ryans, released by the Eagles this time last year, spent four seasons in Philadelphia after playing for the Texans for his first six years in the NFL. A two-time Pro Bowler in Houston, Ryans had two strong seasons with the Eagles before an Achilles injury and a reduced role slowed him down. In 2015, he recorded 49 tackles to go along with an interception, a forced fumble, and five passes defended.
When he was unable to find a gig last summer, Ryans indicated that he was comfortable with calling it quits. In July, Dallas Robinson of PFR proposed Ryans as a replacement for Rolando McClain, but Dallas went in a different direction. After a lack of real interest from around the league, Ryans will now begin the next chapter of his football life.
Panthers Cut FB Mike Tolbert
The Panthers are making some major moves today. Moments after releasing defensive tackle Paul Soliai comes word that the Panthers are also cutting fullback Mike Tolbert (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). 
[RELATED: Panthers Sign G Amini Silatolu]
Tolbert is coming off of his third career Pro Bowl selection, all of which have come with the Panthers. In his five years with Carolina, Tolbert has also garnered two First Team All-Pro nods (2013, 2015). We can safely assume that Tolbert is being cut for cap purposes rather than football reasons. Tolbert was set to carry a $2.075MM cap charge but the team will clear $1.725MM in space by cutting him.
Historically, the Panthers gave Tolbert a decent amount of work as a running back in their offense. In 2016, however, he had only 35 carries – the lowest total of his Panthers career. Teams looking for a lead blocker with goal line ability will be getting in touch with Tolbert’s agent over the next few weeks.
Cardinals Not Interested In Jay Cutler
Earlier this week, Peter King of The MMQB.com mused that a deal between quarterback Jay Cutler and the Cardinals this offseason wouldn’t be “shocking.” Apparently, Cutler signing in Arizona would indeed be a surprise. The Cardinals have zero interest in Jay Cutler, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets. 
[RELATED: Cardinals To Be Aggressive In Free Agency]
Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians isn’t afraid to take chances on veteran players and his offenses tend to take chances deep down the field. Still, Cutler apparently isn’t of interest to the Cardinals. While the Cardinals are looking for a quarterback who can take over after Carson Palmer retires, they’d probably prefer to groom a younger player instead of signing a QB on the wrong side of 30 who would rather be starting somewhere else.
Cutler and the Bears are likely to part ways this offseason. It’s not clear where Cutler might land after that point and that’s probably because he’s more of a Plan B or Plan C guy than anyone’s primary target. Cutler, 34 in April, may or may not be a fit for the Jets. The 49ers could also have interest in Cutler as a transitional QB.
Panthers To Release DT Paul Soliai
The Panthers are cutting defensive tackle Paul Soliai, according to agent David Canter (via Twitter). Soliai signed a two-year, $7MM deal with Carolina just one year ago. 
[RELATED: Victor Cruz Visits Panthers]
Soliai, 33, joined up with the Panthers after spending several years with the Dolphins and two seasons with the rival Falcons. This year, he was only able to appear in ten games for his new team and finished out the year with eight total tackles. For his limited time on the field, he had a dreadful 47.6 out of 100 score on Pro Football Focus.
Per the terms of his deal, Soliai was scheduled to collect on a $500K roster bonus on the fifth day of the 2017 league year. By informing him of his release today, the Panthers are giving Soliai several extra weeks to find his next NFL home. He might not be able to replicate his 2013 season, but he does offer plenty of experience and he is capable of playing in either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme.