The Lions have agreed to re-sign C.J. Moore (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Once finalized, it’ll be a one-year deal worth up to $2.4MM. The deal also includes $800K guaranteed, marking a big step up for the special teams ace. 
Moore, 27 in December, has also seen some time on defense, including Week 14 against the Cardinals. In that game, he notched his first ever NFL interception as Detroit upset Arizona 30-12. He also notched a 28-yard run against the Rams in Week 7 for his second-ever rushing attempt as a pro.
All in all, Moore tallied 22 tackles and one interception in 2021. His special teams work, meanwhile, earned him an overall score of 82.6, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. That figure was good for 26th in the league out of 218 qualified players.
At $2.4MM, the Lions have effectively matched the original round tender that Moore could have received as a restricted free agent. The key difference, however, is that they won’t have to worry about another team prying him away.
The Patriots will use the second-round restricted free agent tender on wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). In a related move, they’ve elected not to tender fullback Jakob Johnson. 
[RELATED: Teams Showing Interest In Patriots’ Harry]
Per the terms of this year’s second-round tender, Meyers will be retained on a one-year, $3.986MM deal. However, if another team pries him away, the Patriots will receive a second-round pick in exchange.
Johnson, meanwhile, could have been cuffed at the lowest-level RFA tender, which would have paid him $2.433MM. It’s still possible that he could return to the Patriots, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter) hears, though it’d be a lower salary.
Meyers began his career at North Carolina State as a quarterback, before moving to wide receiver as a sophomore. In his third year on campus, he put himself on the NFL radar with 63 grabs for 727 yards and four touchdowns. He followed that up with 92/1,047/5, but still went undrafted.
The Pats saw something in him, however, and he’s blossomed into one of their best offensive weapons. Last year, Meyers set new pro watermarks with 83 catches for 866 yards and two touchdowns.
The deadline for teams to extend tender offers to their restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents looms next week. We’ll keep tabs on the latest here:
RFAs
Tendered:
- Seahawks: G Phil Haynes
Non-Tendered:
- Colts: DT Taylor Stallworth
ERFAs
Tendered:
Non-Tendered:
The Broncos have agreed to a new one-year deal with fullback/tight end Andrew Beck (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Beck was set to be a restricted free agent, so it sounds like this new pact will replace his would-be tender. 
[RELATED: Latest On Broncos’ Offseason Plans]
The Broncos plan to use Beck in more of a hybrid role going forward, giving him an opportunity to clear rushing lanes and, perhaps, get a few more touches. Beck first broke into the league with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of UT, moving from tight end to fullback. After that, he was claimed by the Broncos where he saw a full 16-game slate in 2019. That year, Beck reeled in nine grabs for 90 yards and one touchdown. Beck has yet to record a carry or reception since then, but he’s suited up for 38 games in total as a reserve and special teams player.
Beck, 26 in May, could be joined by some marquee pass rushers and offensive linemen in the coming weeks. The Broncos currently have around $23MM in cap room and old pal Von Miller has hinted that he’d be interested in returning to Denver.
Jason Kelce is staying put. On Friday, the two sides agreed to a revamped contract that effectively comes out to one more year at $14MM, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 
The deal positions Kelce as the league’s highest-paid center, fitting for a player who has been one of the best at his position for many years. In 2021, Kelce graded out as the No. 3 ranked center in the league, per Pro Football Focus, behind only Chiefs rookie Creed Humphrey and Chargers veteran Corey Linsley.
On Thursday, the 34-year-old announced his intentions to continue playing. After that, it was just a matter of getting his contract squared away. Kelce’s old deal had him tied through 2022 at a $10.6MM cap figure, plus several void years. The void years may still be in place, but Kelce now has a pay bump to put him atop the position. Those dummy years are the product of last year’s restructuring, one that spread out his $9MM in guarantees to accommodate the Birds.
Kelce flirted with retirement — both last year and this year — but ultimately decided to kick the can down the road. Now, he’ll work to build on his latest work, a season that ended with his fourth career First-Team All-Pro selection. Or, as he put it this week, Kelce is “looking forward to another year” so he can “dominate” with the rest of the locker room.
The Bears are expected to release Danny Trevathan, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. His release clear upwards of $5MM from this year’s books but those savings would be negated by a $8.9MM dead money charge. 
[RELATED: Bears To Release Cohen]
Trevathan, soon to be 32, has been with the Bears since 2016. A training camp knee injury camp sidelined him to start 2021, but he returned after missing the first four games. His presence alongside Roquan Smith figured to strengthen Chicago’s defense, but he wound up back on IR in November. Appearing mostly as a reserve, Trevathan registered just 19 tackles across five games and appeared in roughly one-quarter of Chicago’s snaps. That’s a big drop from 2020 when Trevathan turned in a full slate, registered 113 stops, and helped bring the Bears to the playoffs.
New Bears GM Ryan Poles has made a point to clear out many of Ryan Pace’s high-priced veterans, so this is on-brand with his overall offseason plan. Already, he’s released longtime running back Tarik Cohen and traded star edge rusher Khalil Mack to the Chargers. That deal netted him a 2022 second-round pick, a 2023 sixth-round selection, and more flexibility to spend in free agency.
Trevathan, meanwhile, should be able to land a new deal elsewhere if he’s healthy and wants to continue playing.
The Bears are cutting running back Tarik Cohen (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Cohen has been unable to pass a physical on his knee injury, so the move will come with an injury designation. 
[RELATED: Latest On Bears’ Grant]
The Bears will save $2.25MM in cap room by releasing Cohen, the sure-handed running back who starred in Chicago’s offense for years. Unfortunately, injuries have taken his career off track — he’s missed 30 straight games since his torn ACL.
Cohen, a 2017 fourth-round pick, spent his entire career in Chicago up until this point. Some of his finest work came in 2018, when he finished with 1,169 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. On top of that, he was a beast in the return game with a league-leading 411 punt return yards. That showing earned him both All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods.
He later started a career-high eleven games in 2019, but he was limited to just 669 all-purpose yards. Now, the Bears’ new regime led by Ryan Poles is moving on from the rest of his three-year, $17.25MM deal.
The Bears’ return game is now led by Jakeem Grant, an impending free agent who is expected to have a “robust” market next week. Grant, acquired by the Bears midway through the season, totaled 309 punt return years between Miami and Chicago.
The Texans have agreed to a brand new deal with linebacker Christian Kirksey (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network). Financial terms are not yet known, but it’ll be a two-year pact to keep him under contract through the 2023 season. 
[RELATED: Steelers Don’t Want Watson]
Kirksey, 30 in August, joined the Texans on a low-cost one-year deal last year. He went on to suit up for 13 games with 12 starts, emerging as one of the more productive defenders in Houston. In total, Kirksey finished 2021 with 93 stops, eight passes defensed, two quarterback hits, and a pair of fumble recoveries. The Texans were said to be prioritizing him and that was indeed the case — his deal is done before the start of free agency next week.
Kirksey came into the league as a 2014 third-round pick of the Browns. He went on to play a key role on some otherwise bad Browns teams, earning a fat extension worth upwards of $10MM/year. Unfortunately, injuries derailed him in 2018 and 2019, leading to his release. His eleven-game 2020 with the Packers — which featured 77 tackles and two sacks — was an improvement, but not in line with his early work. Now, Kirksey seems to have found a home in Houston.
The Saints have restructured Alvin Kamara‘s contract (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). The revision will shift $10.465MM of the running back’s 2022 salary into a signing bonus, carving out another $8.372MM in cap space for New Orleans. Per Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the club also tacked on a void year to the end of Kamara’s deal.
[RELATED: Saints Re-Sign Granderson]
It’s another step forward for the cap-crunched Saints, who previously reworked the deals of defensive ends Cameron Jordan and Tanoh Kpassagnon. All together, that’s another $22MM in breathing room for New Orleans, though they still have roughly $10MM to go between now and the start of the league year.
Kamara led the NFL with 21 touchdowns in 2020, helping the Saints stay afloat while Michael Thomas was out. Last year, as Thomas missed the entire year, Kamara’s production slipped. In 13 games, Kamara rushed for just 898 yards and four touchdowns off of 240 carries, resulting in a career-low 3.7 yards per tote average. He also added 47 catches for 439 yards and five touchdowns — a significant drop from his past four years.
The Saints still have some more cap magic on the agenda, as well as a potential long-term deal for standout safety Marcus Williams. They’re also said to be interested in big-ticket free agent Tyrann Mathieu, but it’s not clear if they’ll be able to afford him.