Ziggy Ansah Visiting Ravens
Ezekiel Ansah could be getting closer to finding his new NFL home for the 2019 season. The Ravens will meet with the free agent defensive end on Wednesday, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Ansah, the No. 5 overall pick of the 2013 draft, enjoyed some serious highs and lows with the Lions. Over the course of six seasons, Ansah compiled 48 sacks. However, that stat doesn’t tell the whole story.
Ansah appeared in just seven games for the Lions last year before his shoulder took him out of action. However, Ansah has shown serious potential in the past with two 12+ sack seasons. As recently as 2017, Ansah profiled as one of the best edge rushers in the game.
Thanks to the shoulder, Ansah’s plan all along has been to wait until April to sign with a club. He recently had a follow-up appointment to assess his readiness for the upcoming season and now that four months have passed since his operation, he’s apparently on track to play.
Indeed, Ansah saw specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday, and Dr. ElAttrache provided a positive prognosis, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Ansah’s shoulder is structurally sound, and he should be cleared by the middle of August. The key will be getting strength back in the shoulder, and there doesn’t appear to be any reason to think that he won’t be able to do so.
For the Ravens, Ansah could bolster an edge rushing unit that is now without Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith.
Ravens, Justin Tucker Agree To Extension
The Ravens are giving kicker Justin Tucker a four-year, $23.05MM extension, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will also include an $8MM signing bonus and $12.5MM fully guaranteed in the first two seasons. The mammoth deal sets new records in each of those categories for kickers. 
With the new deal, Tucker goes from uncertainty beyond 2019 to a deal that will keep him tied to Baltimore through the 2023 season. As he looks ahead to his 30th birthday in November, the new contract could secure him for the rest of his playing days. Then again, he’s showing no signs of slowing down, so he could go the Adam Vinatieri route and play well beyond this deal.
Last year, Tucker nailed 89.7% of his field goal tries, including 5 of 7 attempts from 50+ yards. For his career, Tucker owns a 90.1% field goal percentage with a 99.6% success rate on extra points.
Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger Agree To Extension
The Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger have agreed to a three-year contract extension, according to Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette (on Twitter). The new pact will keep Big Ben in place through the 2021 season. 
Once finalized, the deal will pay well north of $30MM per year for 2020-21, placing him in the top-three highest paid quarterbacks for those two years, a source tells ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). In total, he gets a $63MM base value on his two new years, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Prior to the new deal, 2019 was set to be the walk year for Big Ben. Now, he has a contract that should take him through the end of his career.
Whether Roethlisberger is a good teammate or not has been a hot topic of late, but his on-field production continues to be top-notch, as he set career-highs in completions (452), pass attempts (675), passing yards (5,129), and touchdowns (34) this past season.
Big Ben started all 16 games last year, the first time he had done that since the 2014 season. The Steelers had a down season as a team and didn’t make the playoffs, but Roethlisberger led the league in passing yards. On the flip side, he also led the league with 16 interceptions.
Advanced metrics lauded Roethlisberger’s work as well, as he finished fourth in Total QBR and eighth in adjusted net yards per attempt. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger ranked fifth in Football Outsiders‘ DYAR, which measures value over a replacement level player, and eighth in DVOA, meaning he was effective on a per-play basis. His status in the locker room, whatever it might be, was not a factor in contract talks.
The Steelers, of course, narrowly missed the playoffs in 2018 despite Big Ben’s impressive statistics, and the team is now without Antonio Brown. But Pittsburgh has never had a losing season with Roethlisberger at quarterback, and despite the trade of Brown, the club should once again compete for the AFC North crown.
Roethlisberger was set to carry a cap charge of $23.2MM this season. The extension should lower that figure and give the Steelers a little more breathing room heading into the draft and the later stages of free agency.
Saints Pick Up Sheldon Rankins’ Option
The Saints are picking up defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins‘ fifth-year option, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The money is guaranteed for injury, so, as Rapoport notes, it’s a sign they believe Rankins will make a full recovery from his Achilles injury. 
Rankins, one of the best young defensive linemen in the game, is likely to begin the 2019 regular season on the physically unable to perform list, which would force him to miss the first six games of the year. Rankins, 25, played the most snaps of any Saints defensive tackle in 2018, managing 40 tackles (12 for loss), eight sacks, and 15 quarterback hits in the process. Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, graded Rankins as the No. 23 interior defender among 119 qualifiers.
With the additional year, Rankins will be under contract through the 2020 season. And, when he takes the field this year, he’ll help anchor a D-Line that has been overhauled by the additions of Malcom Brown and Mario Edwards Jr. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Tyeler Davison and Alex Okafor will not return after signing with the Falcons and Chiefs, respectively.
Marshawn Lynch Retires From NFL
Marshawn Lynch has retired. Again. 
After returning from his first retirement to play for the Raiders, the running back is not planning to take the field again, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.
Lynch, who just turned 33, leaves the game with a legacy as an exciting fan favorite. Beast Mode earned five Pro Bowl nods throughout his career and even secured a 2012 First-Team All-Pro selection when he tallied 1,590 yards and eleven touchdowns. He also led the league in rushing touchdowns on multiple occasions and racked up 1,200 yards or more in each season from 2011 through 2014.
With the Raiders, Lynch was effective, though not super consistent. Lynch rushed for 1,267 yards on 297 carries in his 21 games for Oakland, giving him an average of 4.3 yards per attempt in silver and black. Last year, Lynch lost the bulk of the season to a groin injury and was unable to return down the stretch.
Without Lynch, the Raiders will move forward with a backfield headlined by Isaiah Crowell, Jalen Richard, DeAndre Washington, and Chris Warren. They may also look to bolster the group in the draft.
PFR wishes Lynch the best in retirement.
Tension Between Cardinals, Patrick Peterson?
There could be trouble brewing in Arizona. Apparently, cornerback Patrick Peterson is not happy with the Cardinals after someone in the front office said something that “pissed him off,” Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic tweets. Meanwhile, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets that Peterson is disappointed with some of the decisions being made by the club’s front office. Weinfuss adds that Peterson is unlikely to report to the team’s minicamp the rest of the week.
This might help to explain Tuesday morning rumors of a pending Peterson trade, though Somers’ source says the situation is not “that big of a deal..yet.” In any event, it’s a situation worth monitoring.
When it comes to trade buzz, this isn’t P2’s first rodeo. He demanded a deal in 2018, though he apologized for his trade request in January and said he’s in Arizona “to stay.”
The Cardinals were 1-6 when P2 originally made his request last year and ultimately finished with a 3-13 record, their worst mark during Peterson’s eight-year run in the desert. Teams like the Saints and Eagles were reportedly interested in acquiring Peterson, but he rescinded his trade demand only two days after making it.
Peterson, a three-time first-team All Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler, is signed through the 2020 campaign thanks to the five-year, $70MM+ extension he inked with the club in 2014. He’s slated to carry cap numbers of $11.9MM and $13.184MM in each of the next two seasons.
Last year, Peterson extended his games played/started streak to 128 and tallied two interceptions, five pass deflections, one sack, and 54 tackles. He earned his eighth consecutive Pro Bowl nod and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 5 ranked CB in the NFL, edging out Jason McCourty, Kyle Fuller, Bryce Callahan, Prince Amukamara, and Jonathan Joseph. Only Stephon Gilmore, Desmond King II, Chris Harris Jr., and Levi Wallace placed ahead of him.
Jonathan Stewart Retires From NFL
Jonathan Stewart is calling it a career. On Tuesday, the longtime NFL running back announced his retirement and signed a one-day deal with Carolina so that he could leave the game as a member of the Panthers. 
Stewart pretty much spent his whole career with the Panthers, save for six carries with the Giants in 2018 before being placed on IR. In ten years with the Panthers, he amassed 7,318 rushing yards and 51 touchdowns on the ground. He also logged 162 catches for 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns.
Stewart was an immediate difference-maker for the Panthers after being selected with the No. 13 overall pick in 2008. Paired with DeAngelo Williams as one half of the “Double Trouble” tandem, J-Stew compiled 836 yards in his rookie season. Stewart would go on to top 1,100 yards in his sophomore season as a pro and flirt with the 1,000-yard mark in 2015, his lone Pro Bowl season.
Stewart, 32, will now be able to focus on other endeavors while spending more time with his family.
49ers’ Robbie Gould Demands Trade
Robbie Gould wants out. The 49ers kicker, who has been cuffed by the franchise tag, has halted all negotiations and refuses to sign a long-term deal with the club, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com hears. 
Gould’s agent, meanwhile, says that if he reports at all, it will not be before the Niners’ Sept. 8 regular season opener. So, at best, Gould appears set to be a summer holdout if he stays in SF. Speaking at his pre-draft press conference yesterday, GM John Lynch said he fully expects Gould to be with the 49ers in 2019, and that he still wants to sign Gould to a multiyear deal (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic). Gould, though, does not appear ready to make nice.
Gould, 36, was released after eleven years with the Bears, leading him to the Giants in 2016. Then, he inked a two-year pact with the Niners in 2017. Recently, Gould grew tired of the protracted contract negotiations and indicated that he wanted to be closer to home with his family in Chicago.
Earlier this offseason, the Niners expressed interest in signing free agent kicker Stephen Gostkowski before he re-signed with the Patriots. That irked Gould, who is doubling down on his desire to return to the midwest.
“The bottom line is, I’m unsure if I want to play there anymore,” Gould said. “At this point, I have to do what’s best for me and my family back home.”
Besides Gould, inexperienced kicker Jonathan Brown is the only other field goal leg on the Niners’ roster.
Seahawks Trade Frank Clark To Chiefs
On Tuesday, the Seahawks agreed to trade Frank Clark to the Chiefs. When finalized, the deal will send Clark and a third-round choice (No. 84 overall) to the Seahawks for their first-round pick (No. 29), third-round pick (No. 92), and the lower of the Chiefs’ 2020 second-rounders. 
The Seahawks originally cuffed Clark with a franchise tag for 2019, but the defensive end said he was unwilling to play under the terms of the one-year tender. Ultimately, Clark got his way with a massive long-term extension. The Chiefs have agreed to sign Clark to a five-year, $105.5MM deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The pact includes $63.5MM guaranteed and gives him a potentially larger total intake than Cowboys standout Demarcus Lawrence. Joel Corry of CBS Sports tweets that the $105.5MM figure is a maximum value, and that the actual contract is a five-year, $104MM pact. The additional $1.5MM stems from $300K incentives that Clark could earn in each year of the deal for posting 11.5 sacks or more.
However, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets that Clark may have been unwilling to ink that same deal with the Seahawks if Seattle had extended it to him. Instead, he was, despite his statements to the contrary, willing to hold out until September and then sign his franchise tender before the regular season started.
In a perfect world, the Seahawks would have liked to keep Clark for the long haul. However, after making Russell Wilson the highest-paid player in NFL history, space was rather limited. But now, as Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets, the team can shift its focus to extending Bobby Wagner this offseason, and if the Seahawks can’t get a deal done, they will have enough cap space in 2020 to put the franchise tag on Wagner if it so chooses.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs have made another major change to their defense. After ranking 31st in yards allowed in 2018, they’ve swapped defensive coordinator Bob Sutton for Steve Spagnuolo, moved to a 4-3 scheme, traded Dee Ford, and released Justin Houston and Eric Berry. Now, it’s out with the old and in with the new for KC. The Chiefs have landed one of the game’s best young edge rushers in clark, bringing him to a front seven that also includes new pickups Alex Okafor, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Damien Wilson.
Clark, 26 in June, entered the league as a second-round pick in 2015, but truly broke out as an NFL sophomore with ten sacks in 2016. After a nine-sack effort in 2017, he exploded for 13 sacks last year, his first full season as a starter.
Clearly, the Chiefs are all-in on fixing their defense, but it has come at the expense of draft capital and future flexibility. The Chiefs no longer have a first-round pick for Thursday, nor do they have a ton of wiggle room in future years after locking up Clark through his prime seasons.
Latest On Cardinals, Josh Rosen
Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen could be displaced by the selection of Kyler Murray on Thursday, but its anyone’s guess as to what will actually happen. There’s no consistent word on what the Cardinals will do at No. 1 overall, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears and the club has not made any recent trade calls centered around Rosen. 
Every week, there seems to be a new contender (or, another team dropping out) of the Rosen market. Early on, the Giants seemed to have their sights set on Rosen as an heir to Eli Manning. Then, the Redskins were heavily connected to the UCLA product, but they’ve since cooled on him. The latest word is that the Dolphins have done more homework on Rosen than any other team in the league, which may make them the leader in the clubhouse.
Still, it’s not clear whether any club will offer more than a third-round pick for last year’s No. 10 overall selection. It’s also not clear whether Arizona is willing to take pennies on the dollar for the young QB.