Zachary Links | Pro Football Rumors

Jaguars To Sign Christian Kirk

March 14th, 2022 at 1:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars are set to sign former Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero).

[RELATED: Jaguars To Sign Fatukasi]

The Jaguars are giving Kirk a four-year, $72MM deal, one that Ian Rapoport of NFL.com indicates (via Twitter) can max out at $84MM. A lot will be on the former second-round pick’s shoulders, as the Jaguars will expect him to be Trevor Lawrence‘s No. 1 target.

Kirk will collect a $20MM signing bonus, with ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson tweeting his 2022 and ’23 base salaries ($1.5MM and $15.5MM, respectively, are guaranteed). The deal comes with $37MM fully guaranteed, Pelissero tweets. Each year contains $3MM in incentives, creating the $84MM ceiling. Kirk is now among the NFL’s top 10 for receiver contracts, something that has not gone unnoticed among the wideout community Monday.

Kirk, 26 in November, put up solid complementary numbers in his first three seasons in the desert. His best campaign of that stretch came in 2019, when he posted 69 catches for 709 yards. The 2018 second-round pick took a big step forward in 2021, however, notching career-highs in receptions (77) and yards (982) while finding the end zone five times. That was Kirk’s first full slate as a pro and his first where he truly lived up to his pre-draft hype.

The cash-strapped Cardinals didn’t have the space to keep him, but the Jaguars were happy to put him on their books. He’s just the latest high-priced addition for Jacksonville, joining offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, linebacker Foye Oluokun, and defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi.

Without Kirk, the Cardinals will have to find more pass-catchers to support DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore. On the plus side, they’ve re-upped tight end Zach Ertz on a three-year contract.

Jets To Re-Sign Braxton Berrios

March 14th, 2022 at 1:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are re-signing Braxton Berrios (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The wide receiver will stay on a two-year deal worth $12MM with $7MM fully guaranteed, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Berrios’ new contract does provide an out after the 2022 season. Per ESPN’s Rich Cimini on Twitter, the wideout will earn a $5.5MM base salary in 2023 and will be attached to an $8.3MM cap hit. However, only $500K of his base salary is guaranteed, meaning the Jets could cut Berrios and save $4.5MM.

Berrios posted solid numbers in 2021, thanks in large part to some big second-half performances. Heading into this week, there was buzz that Berrios could fetch something in the $9MM/year neighborhood, though the Jets were not willing to go that high. Ultimately, Berrios’ market was a little cooler than that, but the 26-year-old (27 in October) still managed to earn the biggest contract of his career by a wide margin.

The ex-Miami Hurricane scored five touchdowns, in three varieties, in his third Jets season. He also finished as the NFL’s leader in yards per kick return (30.4), bolstered greatly by his 102-yard TD against the Jaguars in Week 16. He also held down the fort while Corey Davis and Elijah Moore were out, notching 46 catches for 431 yards and two scores. One of those TDs came in the Jets’ near-upset win the Buccaneers in the season finale. Berrios also had two rushing TDs on the year, and he’ll look to bring more of that to Gang Green in 2022.

Titans To Sign Jamarco Jones

March 14th, 2022 at 1:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Seattle offensive lineman Jamarco Jones will sign a two-year, $5.75MM deal with the Titans (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The deal will also include $3.15MM guaranteed, marking a solid pay bump for the 25-year-old (26 in June).

[RELATED: Titans Cut Saffold]

Jones, a 2018 fifth-round pick, has been hampered by injuries throughout his young career. This year, he was limited to just ten games with a back issue, though he did make a couple starts in place of Damien Lewis at left guard. Still, he’s been productive while healthy. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s allowed just three sacks while on the field throughout his entire career.

Jones isn’t a world-beater, but he should a versatile piece of the puzzle for the Titans. Last year alone, he saw time at three different positions — right tackle, right guard, and left guard. In 2020, he played at every spot, save for center.

His exact role isn’t quite clear, but he’ll provide valuable support for an offensive line that will be without veteran Rodger Saffold.

Jaguars To Sign Folorunso Fatukasi

March 14th, 2022 at 1:09pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have agreed to sign Folorunso Fatukasi (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Peter Schrager). Once finalized, it’ll be a three-year, $30MM deal with $20MM fully guaranteed.

The run-stuffing defensive tackle had a lot going for him heading into this week. The four-year veteran started 15 games in 2021, after combining for just eight starts across his first three seasons. The Jets were already bracing for this, knowing that the former sixth-round pick would be out of their price range.

The Jets have deployed below-average defenses over the last two seasons, but Fatukasi has played well on an individual level. The UConn product, who just recently turned 27, should offer the Jags multiple prime seasons on this deal. The Jets, meanwhile, will look to add another piece to join Quinnen Williams (under contract through 2023) and Sheldon Rankins, who will see $1.25MM of his $4.5MM base salary become guaranteed on March 20, the fifth day of the 2022 league year.

Jets To Sign Laken Tomlinson

March 14th, 2022 at 1:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have agreed to sign Laken Tomlinson (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). Once finalized, it’ll be a three-year, $40MM with $27MM guaranteed for the former Niners guard.

Tomlinson, 30, just wrapped a three-year, $18MM deal in San Francisco. As the No. 28 overall pick in the 2015 draft, he got off to a shaky start as a pro. However, he’s improved significantly with the Niners. Serving mostly as the starting left guard, Tomlinson hasn’t missed a single game since 2017. This year, he earned his first ever Pro Bowl nod and a solid 78.6 overall score from the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus.

This marks the Jets’ first major pickup of the so-called “legal tampering period”. Per league rules, the deal cannot be fully executed until the official start of free agency on Wednesday, March 16.

There will be more to come out of the Meadowlands as the Jets pursue high-end cornerback help and plug other areas of need.

Lions To Re-Sign Tracy Walker

March 14th, 2022 at 12:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have agreed to a brand new deal with safety Tracy Walker. The veteran will return on a three-year, $25MM contract with $17MM guaranteed, according to a source who spoke with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Walker, a third-round pick in 2018, was pegged by many draft analysts as a late-round selection. However, the Lions saw something in him and they weren’t willing to let him get away. Now, they know that they made the right choice, especially since the Panthers were ready to pounce at No. 85 overall.

Walker, 27, started in all 15 of his games this year, notching 108 tackles, one sack, one interception, and six passes defensed. Heading into free agency, Pro Football Focus estimated that the safety could notch a two-year, $13MM deal. That’s more or less what he has here, in terms of annual average value, though the Lions went a touch higher at $8MM+ per annum and added an extra year. The details of the deal will be telling — it’s possible that Walker has little in the way of guarantees for that third season.

While Walker could have generated interest on the open market, he was not as valued as other safeties in this year’s class. This year’s group featured Saints standout Marcus Williams (Saints), Chiefs veteran Tyrann Mathieu, and promising Jets safety Marcus Maye.

Bengals To Sign Ted Karras

March 14th, 2022 at 12:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have agreed to sign offensive lineman Ted Karras (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Once finalized, it’ll be a three-year, $18MM deal to keep Karras under club control through 2024.

[RELATED: Bengals To Sign Cappa]

Karras, best known for his time with the Patriots, returned to New England on a one-year, $4MM deal last year. Before that, he spent the 2020 season with the rival Dolphins. In 2020, he started in all 16 games and played on all 1,067 of the ‘Fins offensive snaps. Last year with the Pats, Karras wasn’t quite as active, but still appeared in all 17 games with 13 starts.

Karras will be joined by former Buccaneers guard Alex Cappa, who agreed to a four-year, $40MM deal with the Bengals on Monday morning. Cappa appeared in all 19 of the Buccaneers’ games last year (including the playoffs), showing that he’s now well recovered from the ankle fracture that kept him out of Super Bowl LV.

Panthers Release A.J. Bouye

March 14th, 2022 at 11:45am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have released cornerback A.J. Bouye, per an official club announcement. This comes on the heels of defensive lineman Morgan Fox‘s release, which has also been confirmed by the team.

Bouye had a couple of really solid years with the Texans, grading out as one of the league’s best CBs. He parlayed into a five-year, $67.5MM deal from the Jaguars in 2017 and things went well initially. In his first Jags season, he was a second-team All-Pro with six interceptions. Then, his play slipped year by year — he had just one interception in each of the next two seasons, enabling the Broncos to acquire him in 2020 for nothing more than a fourth-round pick.

Once the Broncos cut in February 2021, the Panthers picked him up for cheap. Now, he’s out of the picture in Carolina as the Panthers look to remodel their defense. The 30-year-old (31 in August) could still be a worthwhile veteran pickup for a team in need, though the ceiling is much lower than it was just a few years ago. The Panthers, meanwhile, will save a good chunk of change as they cancel the rest of his two-year, $7MM pact.

Due to injuries, Bouye was limited to just ten games and seven starts last year. He finished his lone Panthers season with 28 tackles, three passes defensed, and one forced fumble.

Browns Release Jarvis Landry

March 14th, 2022 at 11:26am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have released Jarvis Landry (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The wide receiver had been given permission to seek a trade, but that did not result in a suitable offer for Cleveland.

The Browns have already remodeled their wide receiver group by trading for Amari Cooper. By cutting Landry, they’ll gain the cap room they needed to get under the limit and escape Landry’s $14.3MM base salary for 2022. Previously, the Pro Bowler had just one year left on that contract.

The Browns were reportedly willing to keep Landry at a lower rate and there was some mutual interest on that front. However, after the arrival of Cooper, there was no real avenue to Landry staying put.

Landry, 30 in November, agreed to a five-year, $75.5MM extension with the Browns after they traded for him in 2018. He delivered two Pro Bowl seasons in Cleveland and served as Baker Mayfield‘s most consistent target. Things have been up-and-down during that span, but the Browns got a much better return on the Landry trade than the Odell Beckham Jr. deal.

Landry, a five-time Pro Bowler, should have no shortage of suitors on the open market. However, he’ll have to settle for a cheaper contract than his last one. Landry averaged just 47.5 receiving yards per game last season and missed five weeks of action.

The Bills, Chiefs, and Packers are expected to be among the clubs with interest, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo (Twitter link).

Bengals To Sign Alex Cappa

March 14th, 2022 at 11:17am CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have agreed to sign Alex Cappa (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The former Buccaneers guard scores a four-year deal, helping to solidify Cincinnati’s offensive line.

Cappa’s contract maxes out at $40MM, but Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets it is actually a four-year, $35MM pact. The ex-Bucs blocker will collect $20MM over the deal’s first two years, with $1MM in Pro Bowl incentives being the escalators that would drive the pact toward its max value.

The Bengals have long been searching for solutions on their front five. Now, they’ve got a proven veteran that can stop the interior rush and open up rushing lanes. They’ll likely continue to target offensive line help over the next few weeks, however, taking extra steps to protect quarterback Joe Burrow.

Some had speculated that Tom Brady‘s un-retirement would help sway Cappa to stay. That wasn’t the case, and it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to tug at the heartstrings of fellow lineman Ali Marpet. Between Cappa and Marpet — who still intends to retire at the age of 28 — the Bucs have some serious holes to fill in free agency. On the plus side, they have successfully retained center Ryan Jensen with a three-year, $39MM deal.

A third-round pick in 2018, Cappa did not miss a regular-season game during Brady’s two Tampa seasons, but he did miss Super Bowl LV after suffering a fractured ankle. Cappa rebounded to play all 19 Bucs games last season. For his career, Cappa has suited up for 52 games (46 starts) across the last four years.