Chargers Waive QB Zach Mettenberger
Zach Mettenberger is now on the hunt for his third NFL team. Today, the Chargers will release the quarterback, as Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. 
Mettenberger, a one-time starter for the Titans, was waived by the team earlier this offseason. The Chargers used their high waiver priority to snag him, beating out other claiming teams like the Giants and Bengals. Apparently, he didn’t do enough to impress San Diego coaches in recent weeks. The Chargers will head into the season with Philip Rivers, Kellen Clemens, and Mike Bercovici at quarterback.
The 24-year-old was a sixth-round pick of the Titans in the 2014 draft. In his rookie season, Mettenberger saw time in seven games (six starts) and threw for eight touchdowns with seven interceptions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Offseason In Review: New York Jets
In 2015, a locker room fight between Geno Smith and a reserve linebacker changed the entire course of the Jets’ season. The skirmish left Smith with a broken jaw and left the door open for Ryan Fitzpatrick to show what he could do. Not only was Fitzpatrick a capable fill-in, he turned out to be one of the league’s better quarterbacks last season.
How could the Jets and the Harvard grad ever top that kind of offseason drama? Well, they gave it their best shot this spring and summer.
Notable signings:
- Muhammad Wilkerson, DE: Five years, $86MM. $36.75MM guaranteed. Had been assigned franchise tag.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB: One year, $12MM. Fully guaranteed.
- Matt Forte, RB: Three years, $12MM. $9MM guaranteed. $2MM available annually via escalators.
- Bilal Powell, RB: Three years, $11.25MM. $6MM guaranteed. $2.25MM available via escalators.
- Steve McLendon, DT: Three years, $10.5MM. $4MM guaranteed. $1.5MM available via escalators.
- Jarvis Jenkins, DE: Two years, $6MM. $3MM guaranteed.
- Erin Henderson, LB: Two years, $4MM. $750K guaranteed. $1MM available via incentives.
- Kellen Davis, TE: One year, minimum salary benefit. $230K guaranteed.
- Khiry Robinson, RB: One year, $1.175MM. $80K guaranteed.
- Bruce Carter, LB: One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K guaranteed.
- Darryl Morris, CB: One year, $750K. $75K guaranteed.
- Jeremy Ross, WR: One year, minimum salary benefit. $50K guaranteed.
- Kenbrell Thompkins, WR: One year, $1.671MM. Signed original-round RFA tender.
- Zach Sudfeld, TE: One year, $600K.
- Antone Smith, RB: Contract terms unknown.
In the spring, the Jets tried to re-sign Fitzpatrick to a three-year deal in the $7MM/year range. That annual value was similar to the contracts signed by Robert Griffin III and Chase Daniel earlier this offseason. Of course, Fitzpatrick was significantly more productive in 2015 than those two have been in recent years. His camp argued that he was in line for about $14-15MM year, pointing out that Sam Bradford and Brock Osweiler received contracts in the neighborhood of $18MM annually, even though they also didn’t achieve what Fitzpatrick did last year. The only trouble is, no other team appeared to show serious interest in him. Even the Broncos – who were left without a QB after one retired and one bolted – didn’t seem very interested in Fitzpatrick. 
The standoff took a number of weird twists and turns. First, there was a report that Fitzpatrick would rather walk away from the sport altogether than pay on what he believed was an unsatisfactory contract. Then, there were rumblings that he would consider playing as a No. 2 quarterback elsewhere to spite the Jets. Both claims were likely floated out by Fitzpatrick’s reps, but neither threat had much behind it.
Eventually, the Jets and Fitzpatrick came back to the negotiating table and shook hands on a one-year, fully guaranteed pact worth $12MM. Even though Fitzpatrick turns 34 in November, he should have the opportunity to cash in a multi-year deal next offseason if he is able to reprise his ’15 performance. Many would say that Fitzpatrick won the stare down with the Jets, but both sides needed each other and it’s hard to fault Gang Green for caving.
In all of the talk surrounding Fitzpatrick, defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson was almost an afterthought. Wilkerson, 27 in October, has established himself as one of the game’s best young defensive ends. Unlike talented teammate Sheldon Richardson, he has stayed out of trouble off the field while he dominates on the field. Still, the Jets showed very little interest in re-signing him this offseason, choosing instead to employ the franchise tag.
“Do I feel that they want me back? As of right now, no. I don’t feel like they want me,” Wilkerson said. “I’m a talented guy. Everybody knows that. I feel like they’re going to get the best they can out of me and just let me go. That’s how I feel. Do I like that feeling? No. I’m a New Jersey guy, born and raised and would love to raise my family here.”
Then, on the day of the franchise tag extension deadline, the Jets shocked the world when they announced that they had reached a five-year, $86MM deal with Wilkerson. So, what changed? It’s possible that the Jets realized late in the game that they needed to hammer out a long-term deal in order to improve their cap situation in 2016. Whatever the reason, Jets fans rejoiced when Wilkerson was locked up for years to come. $37MM of Wilkerson’s deal is fully guaranteed with $54MM coming to him over the next three years. That means that Wilkerson is getting paid major money, but the Jets can also cut bait with him prior to the 2018 season to get out of the other $17MM.
The Jets made a big splash in free agency when they signed running back Matt Forte. Numerous clubs were said to be interested in Forte after the 
Bears informed him that he would not be re-signed after eight seasons in Chicago. Forte had a relatively down season in 2015, missing three games with injury and failing to top 1,000 yards rushing for the first time since 2011. But, he still managed almost 1,300 yards from scrimmage thanks to his receiving ability — he caught 44 passes out of the backfield for almost 400 yards. Some are skeptical about what Forte can do at his age (31 in December), but he has a lot more in the tank than LaDainian Tomlinson did when he joined up with the Jets as a free agent years ago.
Besides, the Jets still have Bilal Powell to help run the ball and ease Forte’s workload. Powell averaged a career-high 4.5 yards per carry on 70 attempts last season and added a personal-best 47 receptions. The Jets did not want to let him linger on the free agent market and they wrapped him up on March 10th, keeping him away from interested clubs including the Cowboys, Ravens, Broncos, and rival Patriots.
Chiefs Shopping QB Aaron Murray
The Chiefs have let rival teams know that quarterback Aaron Murray is available via trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
The Chiefs, of course, signed Nick Foles earlier this offseason to serve as Alex Smith‘s primary backup. To the surprise of many, they did not release a QB to make room, opting instead to carry five signal callers. Smith, Foles, and fifth-round rookie Kevin Hogan were considered safe, leaving Murray and Tyler Bray on the chopping block. Now, it sounds like the Chiefs will try to get something in return for Murray and possibly stash Bray on the practice squad, if he can pass waivers.
Murray, 25, has yet to appear in a regular season game. He played his college football at Georgia and was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jaguars Release Bjoern Werner
The Jaguars announced the release of former Colts first-round pick Bjoern Werner. In a related move, safety James Sample was placed on IR and tight end Nic Jacobs was released. The Jaguars are now down to 75.
Werner, who turns 26 today, appeared in 38 games over the last three years for the Colts, including 16 starts. In that time, the Florida State alum registered 77 tackles (61 solo), 6.5 sacks, five passes defensed, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. However, the majority of Werner’s production came in his first two years in the league — in 2015, he appeared in 10 games and picked up just 11 total tackles and one fumble recovery. After the season, he was waived by the Colts.
Werner never lived up to expectations in Indianapolis, but was an inexpensive gamble for the Jaguars. His deal granted him an $80K bonus if he made the roster plus sack incentives, but it is unlikely that it contained any significant guarantees.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Buccaneers Down To 75
With several hours to go, the Buccaneers have already trimmed down to a 75-man roster. The team announced that they’ve waived wide receiver Donteea Dye (with an injury designation) and offensive lineman Joel Hale.
Dye, who was hoping to serve as a receiver/kick returner for the Bucs, has been dealing with a hamstring issue. Dye will need roughly a month to recover, at which point it is possible that the Bucs could bring him back. Last year, Dye appeared in 10 games for the Bucs and caught 11 passes for 132 yards and one touchdown. He also returned two kicks for an average of 18.5 yards.
Yesterday, the Bucs got most of the heavy lifting done as they cut a dozen players. For an in-depth recap of the Buccaneers’ offseason, check out our Offseason In Review.
Paul Kruger To Visit Saints, Chiefs
Paul Kruger might not be out of work for long. The defensive end/outside linebacker is slated to visit the Saints today, as ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett tweets. After that, he’ll visit the Chiefs.
[RELATED: Saints Acquire Chris McCain From Dolphins]
Kruger, released yesterday, was courted heavily by the Saints before he signed a free agent deal with the Browns in 2013. Now, New Orleans has renewed interest years later as their pass rush is lacking. The season hasn’t started yet and the Saints are already missing two key players in their front seven. Defensive end Hau’oli Kikaha, a 2015 second-round pick and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, this year’s first-round choice, are both sidelined as the season approaches. Kikaha’s torn ACL rules him out for the season while Rankins will hopefully rejoin the team this fall.
The Saints’ lack of an pass rush was glaring in Friday night’s preseason contest against the Steelers and signing Kruger could go a long way towards fixing that problem.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/29/16
Many clubs are announcing their roster moves in bulk during cutdowns, but we’ll round up the stragglers here:
- The Eagles announced that they have signed running back Cedric O’Neal, who was previously released by the team on August 21. Additionally, Philadelphia has released cornerback Aaron Grymes with an injury settlement, Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic tweets.
- The Falcons reached an injury settlement with running back Cyrus Gray, who has been dealing a hamstring injury, the team announced.
- The Redskins announced that they’ve claimed offensive lineman Vinston Painter off waivers from the Dolphins.
- The Jets have waived/injured running back Romar Morris, who is going to have shoulder surgery next week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
- The Cowboys have placed defensive lineman Shaneil Jenkins (knee), linebacker James Morris (shoulder) and cornerback Jeremiah McKinnon on waived/injured list, the club announced. Cornerback Josh Thomas (thumb) was placed on injured reserve.
- The Vikings have made several roster moves today, cutting quarterback Brad Sorensen, wide receiver Marken Michel, defensive lineman Claudell Louis, and offensive tackle Austin Shepherd (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3 via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press); and tight end Brian Leonhardt (Twitter link via Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN).
- Chiefs guard/center Garrick Mayweather has been waived, the team announced.
- The Seahawks have waived OL/DL Kristjan Sokoli, who was selected in the sixth round last year, per his agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link).
Cardinals Down To 77 After Cuts
The Cardinals announced a flurry of moves, bringing them close to the 75-man roster limit. The complete list is below.
Waived:
- G Jake Bernstein
- WR Amir Carlisle
- TE Gerald Christian
- OT Clay DeBord
- LS Daniel Dillon
- DT Iosia Iosia
- CB Asa Jackson
- WR Franky Okafor
- CB Shaun Prater
- P Garrett Swanson
- S Tyrequek Zimmerman
Waived/Injured:
- QB Jake Coker (knee)
IR:
- CB Mike Jenkins (story)
With Dillon out of the picture, Kameron Canaday has ostensibly won the Cardinals’ long snapper job.
Raiders Make Cuts, Down To 75
The Raiders have cut down to 75 with roughly 24 hours to spare. The following players have been waived by Oakland:
- S Chris Edwards
- S Chris Hackett
- S Jimmy Hall
- WR Joe Hanley
- WR Max McCaffrey
- WR Nathan Palmer
- DT Leon Orr
- K Giorgio Tavecchio
- TE Colton Underwood
- DB Tramain Jacobs
- LS Andrew East
- LB Lenny Jones
- OL Terran Vaughn
- OL Ross Burbank
In addition, the Raiders also formally placed tight end Gabe Holmes on IR.
McCaffrey, of course, is the son of former Denver wide receiver Ed McCaffrey. Max, a Duke product, turned heads when he posted a 4.46 second 40-yard dash at his pro day earlier this year.
Jaguars Waive Eight Players
The Jaguars took a big step towards getting to tomorrow’s 75-man roster max. The team announced that the following players have been waived:
- CB Demetrius McCray
- LB Joplo Bartu
- WR Shaq Evans
- K Sam Ficken
- CB Mike Hilton
- RB Cameron Marshall
- P Ryan Quigley
- WR Jamal Robinson
In addition to those cuts, offensive lineman Jeff Linkenbach has been placed on IR, safety Earl Wolff has been waived/injured, and offensive lineman Luke Bowanko (hip) and defensive end Jonathan Woodard (Achilles) have been moved to the PUP list.
McCray is a former starting cornerback and was a member of GM David Caldwell’s first draft class. Evans is a former fourth-round pick of the Jets, one of many underwhelming draft choices by former GM John Idzik.
The Jaguars are now down to 78 players.