Seahawks To Meet With Jordy Nelson
Jordy Nelson‘s free agent tour is underway. The former Raiders and Packers receiver is set to visit the Seahawks on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
Aside from the Seahawks, Nelson has also drawn interest from the Patriots, Titans, and Chiefs, according to Schefter. The Raiders, who released Nelson last week, may also have interest in bringing him back on a lesser deal.
Nelson, 34 in May, wasn’t in top form last season, but he did show that he can still play. Last year, he averaged 12.2 yards per reception while catching balls from Derek Carr. That was a step up from 2017, when he averaged a career-low 9.1 yards per reception when he was mostly catching passes from quarterbacks that were not named Aaron Rodgers. All in all, Nelson had 63 grabs for 739 yards and three touchdowns last season.
The former second-round pick and Super Bowl hero caught 97 passes for 1,257 yards and 14 TDs during his last full season with Rodgers.
Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill Under Investigation
Chiefs star Tyreek Hill is under investigation for allegations of battery, as Steve Vockrodt and Brooke Pryor of the Kansas City Star write. The police report indicates that a juvenile was a victim of an assault perpetrated by Hill. Hill’s fiancee, Crystal Espinal, is listed under “others involved.” 
“The club is aware of the investigation involving Tyreek Hill,” the Chiefs said in a statement. “We’re in the process of gathering information and have been in contact with the league and local authorities. We’ll have no further comment at this time.”
The allegations are especially troubling in light of Hill’s history. Hill reportedly punched and choked Espinal, who was then eight weeks pregnant with their son, in 2014. He pleaded guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation in 2015 and, in 2016, the Chiefs made the controversial decision to draft him in the fifth round of the 2016 draft.
From a football perspective, it was a brilliant selection. Hill immediately made a huge impact with his absurd speed and led the league as a rookie with 15.2 yards per punt return. As an NFL sophomore, he nearly tallied 1,200 receiving yards with seven touchdowns. Then, last year, he set new career highs with 87 catches for 1,479 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Recently, the Chiefs began discussing an extension with Hill that could make him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. Presumably, those talks will be put on hold while Hill’s situation plays out.
Extra Points: Jets, Ravens, Draft
Some assorted notes from around the NFL…
- The Jets were reportedly interested in free agent centers Mitch Morse and Matt Paradis, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. However, the team never made an offer to either player. Morse ultimately signed with the Bills, while Paradis ended up inking a deal with the Panthers. With the Jets unable to secure either of the top two free agent centers, the front office continues to reach out to other veterans to gauge the market. Mehta notes that the draft could be another way of acquiring a center.
- Ravens special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg is retiring, the team announced. The 63-year-old had been with the organization since 2008, winning one Super Bowl championship along the way. Rosburg previously served in the same role with both the Falcons and Browns. Assistant Special Teams coach Chris Horton is expected to take over, with Rosburg briefly sticking around as a consultant. “I will stay on for a period of time to be a resource for Chris and anyone else during that transition,” said Rosburg. “I have a lot of plans. Me and my plans center around my family. I don’t want to miss as many hockey games and volleyball games as I have. Our days are limited on this earth, and there are some things that I’m missing I don’t want to miss anymore.”
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Rashan Gary wasn’t active in Michigan’s pro day. According to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), the potential top-five pick only weighed in and didn’t participate in any drills or testing. Instead, the running back stuck around to support his teammates. As Pelissero notes, the defensive tackle “crushed the combine,” and he didn’t want to risk his draft stock with a lackluster outing today.
Dolphins Trade Ryan Tannehill To Titans
The Titans have a new quarterback. On Friday, the Titans acquired Ryan Tannehill in a trade with the Dolphins, according to a tweet from Tannehill’s agents. ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe tweets that Miami will be receiving a 2019 seventh-rounder (presumably No. 233) and a 2020 fourth-rounder. Meanwhile, the Titans will be getting Tannehill and a 2019 sixth-rounder (presumably No. 188).
As a part of the deal, the Titans have also restructured Tannehill’s contract for the 2019 season. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that it’s effectively a one-year deal worth $7MM guaranteed. There are playing-time incentives that could boost that total to $12MM. Either way, Tannehill will be one of the highest-paid backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Furthermore, it’s not as significant of an investment for the Titans thanks to the Dolphins; Miami ultimately paid $5MM of that $7MM guarantee via a signing bonus, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
With Marcus Mariota under center in Tennessee, Tannehill will be eyeing a backup role from the onset. However, the veteran could end up working his way into the lineup; Mariota has missed at least one regular season game in each of his four seasons, including two in 2018. With Tannehill, the Titans at least have reliable insurance in case their starter does go down.
The 30-year-old finished last season having completed 64.2-percent of his passes for 1,979 yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 11 starts. He led the Dolphins to a 5-6 record during his outings. While these numbers aren’t outstanding, they’re probably significantly better than what the Titans incumbent backup, Blaine Gabbert, would be able to put up.
The Dolphins have been dangling Tannehill for some time and had little interest in keeping him under the terms of his contract. Tannehill was scheduled to carry a $26.6MM cap hit for Miami in 2019 with a roughly even split in dead money and cap savings in the event of a release.
This week, the Dolphins tried – and failed – to land Tyrod Taylor and Teddy Bridgewater. With few free agent difference-makers remaining, the organization may be forced to shift their focus to the draft. At the very least, it’s unlikely the Dolphins roll into the regular season with their current quarterbacks depth chart, a grouping that consists of Luke Falk and Jake Rudock.
Buccaneers To Sign Shaq Barrett
The Buccaneers have agreed to sign Shaquil Barrett, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. It’s a one-year deal for the Bucs and the former Broncos linebacker.
Barrett drew some interest on the open market and met with the Bengals on Thursday. Ultimately, he wound up in a warmer climate. The UDFA success story, though, did not land a long-term deal. He agreed to a one-year, $5MM Bucs contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The Broncos discussed a new deal with Barrett, but he aimed for more playing time this offseason. At the end of last season, Barrett publicly declared he wanted to be a full-time starter in 2019.
“I want to start. I want to be a guy somewhere. I don’t want to just be a role player,” Barrett said. “I can’t do it. … Reserve role is done for me, unless that’s the only role I got after this year. But that’s not what I’m looking for going into free agency,” Barrett said at the time.
Barrett put himself on the map with 5.5 sacks in 2015. He hasn’t been able to replicate that production since, mostly due to lack of playing time, but the Broncos thought highly enough of him to put a second round tender on him last offseason.
While Barrett’s sack numbers are not eye-popping, he was one of the better run defenders at his position during his Denver years. He became a more reliable cog than former first-round pick Shane Ray, and this continued in the duo’s contract years — Barrett being the Broncos’ top off-the-bench option and Ray ending his season as a healthy scratch.
This move crystallizes the Broncos’ need for edge help off the bench, with the team’s run of depth at this position ending with this signing, the Bucs have a proven defender that could perhaps push for a starting role in Todd Bowles‘ 3-4 defense. Jason Pierre-Paul remains on the Bucs’ roster but has never functioned as a 3-4 outside linebacker, a role in which Barrett has played exclusively. Tampa Bay also released Vinny Curry earlier this offseason.
Raiders To Play In Oakland In 2019
At long last, it’s a done deal. The Raiders finalized a lease agreement to play at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum in 2019, a source tells Michael Gehlken of the Review-Journal (on Twitter). Meanwhile, the Coliseum Authority board voted to approve the agreement (Twitter link via David DeBolt of the East Bay Times).
[RELATED: Raiders GM On Antonio Brown Trade]
There were a number of scenarios discussed for the Raiders in recent months, including one in which the Raiders would play in San Francisco’s Oracle Park, the home of MLB’s Giants. That accord ran into issues, however, as the 49ers refused to waive their territorial rights to the San Francisco area. Ultimately, they circled back to Oakland where they’ll play until their new Las Vegas stadium is open for business.
The Raiders are expected to pay a $7.5MM fee to play in the Coliseum in 2019, a price tag that has been agreed upon for some time. Additionally, the deal will come with an option that would let the Raiders spend the 2020 campaign in Oakland if the LV site is not ready by then.
Bengals To Sign G John Miller
John Miller is heading to Cincinnati. The Bengals will sign the free agent guard to a three-year, $16.5MM deal, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Miller, a third-round pick in 2015, started 47 games over the last four years with Buffalo, including all 15 of his games last year. By signing Miller, the Bengals have upgraded an O-line that will return right tackle Bobby Hart.
Miller has only played at right guard in his professional career, a position that Alex Redmond held down in 2018 for Cincinnati. Redmond, a former UDFA, performed decently, but he was hardly a world-beater, and the same can be said for left guard Clint Boling. At the very least, Miller will provide young, experienced depth.
For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics preferred Miller to Redmond last year. Miller was demoted in favor of Vlad Ducasse during the 2017 season, but he regained his starting job in 2018, and he may have done enough to land a modest multi-year pact.
One year ago, the Bills traded left tackle Cordy Glenn to the Bengals. Now, Miller will reunite with his former line mate in Cincinnati.
Patriots Release Adrian Clayborn
The Patriots cut Adrian Clayborn on Friday. The defensive end broke the news himself on Twitter and indicated that he requested his own release.
“Thank you Patriots for my time with the organization,” Clayborn wrote “I gained so much respect for how you do things and win championships. It’s done the right way through hard work. Thank you for granting my release. I’m ready for this next chapter.”
The Patriots used Clayborn as a pass-rushing specialist and employed him in 14 regular season games. All in all, he played in 30% of the team’s defensive snaps last year, but he was a healthy scratch in the final two contests of the season. Following a 9.5-sack campaign with the Falcons in 2017, the veteran’s counting stats took a step back in 2018. Clayborn ultimately finished the season with 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
By releasing Clayborn, the Pats will save roughly $4MM against the 2019 cap. The move will leave New England with $2MM in dead money.
Texans Sign Briean Boddy-Calhoun
The Texans have signed cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Boddy-Calhoun was non-tendered by the Browns earlier this month, making him a free agent. The former undrafted free agent had spent the majority of his three-year career in Cleveland.
Boddy-Calhoun started 15 games for the Browns over the past two seasons, including a 2018 campaign where he appeared in a career-high eight games. The cornerback also finished with career-bests in tackles (56) and QB hits (three). Pro Football Focus on ranked Boddy-Calhoun 79th among 112 eligible cornerbacks, but his pass-rushing grade was just outside the top-20.
In Houston, the 26-year-old will likely take on more of a backup role behind Johnathan Joseph and free agent addition Bradley Roby. The Texans are also rostering Aaron Colvin and Kayvon Webster.
Raiders, Bills GMs Discuss Antonio Brown Trade Talks
Earlier this week, the Steelers agreed to trade Antonio Brown to the Raiders in exchange for a third- and fifth-round pick in this year’s draft. However, that deal wouldn’t have even materialized if a reported Pittsburgh/Buffalo deal hadn’t fallen apart.
Appearing on the Dan Patrick Show, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said he initially told the Steelers that he was “not interested” in making a deal for the wide receiver. When Pittsburgh was willing to drop their asking price (and when trade talks with the Bills broke down), the two sides ended up agreeing on a trade.
“I kept saying we’re not interested,” Mayock said (via Andrew Perloff of the Dan Patrick Show on Twitter). “Then the Buffalo thing fell through. One of their guys reached out to Jon [Gruden]. … [Steelers GM] Kevin [Colbert] said to me, would you trade your two? I said no, but we might trade our three.”
The GM said similar things to Mike Florio earlier this week. Despite there potentially being two additional suitors for Brown, Mayock and the Raiders were still able to pull off the deal.
On the flip side, the Bills weren’t able to pull off a trade for Brown. Reports from last week indicated that Buffalo was on the cusp of acquiring the star wide receiver, but the deal ultimately broke down. While there have been several reports that the deal was nixed because of Brown’s unwillingness to play in Buffalo, Bills general manager Brandon Beane continues to claim that it was his decision to not make the trade. The executive told reporters (including ESPN’s Mike Rodak) that talks with Pittsburgh were “positive all around,” but the organization ultimately “just decided to withdraw.”
Brown’s decision to not join Buffalo has led some to claim that the Bills are not a free agent destination. Beane was quick to dismiss that “narrative,” saying the opinion “started with a bad rumor on the Antonio Brown thing when people were looking for reasons and didn’t have all the facts.”
“Don’t speak about Buffalo if you don’t know what this city and fan base is like,” Beane said. “It really pissed me off. It’s not true. How many [free agent signings] flowed through here today? … I can’t tell you how many players commented ‘This is amazing. This is awesome. What a facility. What a culture.’ This city, we love it. Anybody that says that doesn’t know Buffalo and really is speaking out of ignorance.”
The Bills have been relatively active in recent days. The added a pair of wideouts in Cole Beasley and John Brown, and they’ve also added Mitch Morse, Frank Gore, Kevin Johnson, and Tyler Kroft.