Raiders, Erik Harris Reach Extension
The Raiders and Erik Harris have reached agreement on an extension, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The safety and core special teamer will earn up to $6.5MM on a two-year deal with $2.5MM guaranteed. 
Harris was a restricted free agent this offseason and the Raiders initially cuffed him with the low-cost original round tender. Instead, Harris has received a new deal that will keep him under club control through the 2020 campaign.
Harris took the scenic route to the NFL after emerging from the California University of Pennsylvania. After a few seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL, Harris hooked on with the Saints on a futures deal. Finally, in 2017, he saw his first live action in the NFL with the Raiders. Then, last season, he impressed head coach Jon Gruden and worked his way into an important special teams role. Harris wound up playing in all 16 games with four starts in 2018. He finished out with 49 tackles, seven passes defensed, and two interceptions.
In other Raiders news, former Oakland cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie says he’s ending his brief retirement and aims to play in 2019.
Bills, Steelers Won’t Complete Antonio Brown Trade
Early Friday morning, the Bills appeared to be on the cusp of acquiring Antonio Brown from the Steelers. But, for one reason or another, the deal was scuttled. 
“We inquired on Antonio Brown on Tuesday, and kept talks open with the Steelers. We had positive discussions, but ultimately it didn’t make sense for either side,” GM Brandon Beane said in a statement. “As great a player as Antonio Brown is, we have moved on and our focus is on free agency.”
Ultimately, the deal was 86’d because Brown made it clear that he did not want to go to Buffalo, Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter) hears. Now, there are “very few options left” for the Steelers/Brown, according to a source who spoke with Breer.
The Steelers hoped to move Brown by the end of the business day, but they may have to extend their timeline. At varying points, the Redskins, Raiders, and Titans were thought to be on the leaderboard, but their level of interest is unclear. Meanwhile, it’s a bit of a time sensitive matter for the Steelers – Brown is due a $2.5MM roster bonus on March 17, so they’re hoping to unload him before that date hits. They’d also probably like to trade Brown before the start of free agency in order to have a clearer picture of their own needs and finances.
The Brown sweepstakes will roll on for at least a little while longer and it could drag for months if Brown is intent on hand-picking his destination.
Steelers To Trade Antonio Brown To Bills?
The Steelers and Bills are closing in on a trade that would send Antonio Brown to Buffalo, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. However, we have conflicting word on the potential deal. No deal is imminent between the two teams, one source tells Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (Twitter link) and another league source termed it “unlikely.” 
The Steelers have discussed a Brown deal with the Redskins, Raiders, Titans, and other clubs, but the Bills were not previously thought to be on the radar. Apparently, things heated up this week and the Bills showed intent interest in getting a deal done.
As of this writing, we don’t know whether a deal is going down for sure. We also don’t know if a deal will be done by Friday, as previously reported. A Brown-to-Buffalo trade could involve the swapping of first-round picks (the Bills own pick No. 9, Steelers have No. 20), but it’s all speculative at this point.
Brown, 31 in July, earned his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl selection in 2018, finishing with 104 catches, 1,297 yards, and a league-leading 15 touchdown receptions. In Buffalo, he’d automatically bolster a WR group that is presently led by Zay Jones and Robert Foster.
Steelers, Ramon Foster Agree To Extension
It’s a busy day in Pittsburgh. After reaching an extension with Maurkice Pouncey, the Steelers agreed to a new two-year, $8.25MM deal with Ramon Foster, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Before the deal, Foster was set to become an unrestricted free agent on March 13. 
[RELATED: Steelers, Maurkice Pouncey Agree To Extension]
Ben Roethlisberger‘s front line is now well set for the next couple of years. Foster, who earned $3.591MM last season, is now inked through his age-35 campaign.
Foster has been largely healthy throughout his Steelers career and ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 16 ranked guard in the NFL last season. His pass blocking, in particular, was exceptional. Foster’s 84.5 pass blocking score was good for seventh amongst all qualified guards, per PFF, slotting him ahead of big names like Brandon Scherff, Quenton Nelson, and Andrew Norwell.
Meanwhile, tomorrow figures to be even busier for the Steelers. The club intends to trade star wide receiver Antonio Brown by the end of the week and they’re reportedly pushing for a first-round pick in return.
Dolphins Unlikely To Re-Sign Cameron Wake
It sounds like Cameron Wake will be playing for a new team in 2019. The Dolphins have not made an effort to re-sign the impending free agent defensive end, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Shopping Robert Quinn]
Wake, meanwhile, has already received interest from multiple teams, so the veteran figures to stick around for an eleventh pro season. The 37-year-old hasn’t earned a Pro Bowl nod since 2016, but he’s still playing at a fairly high level. Last year, Wake recorded six sacks and 36 total tackles across 14 games.
“Another jersey?” Wake said. “Ideally, no. But I mean, again, if option number one is not in my favor and they don’t want me but I can still play and I can still provide and still enjoy it whatever needs to happen. If it makes sense then I’ll do it. If it doesn’t then I won’t.”
So far, the Dolphins are the only NFL team that Wake has ever known. He has 98 career sacks to his credit, but only one career playoff appearance.
Broncos To Trade Case Keenum To Redskins
Case Keenum is be D.C.-bound. On Thursday, the Redskins and Broncos hammered out a trade to send the quarterback to Washington, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
The trade will send Keenum and a Broncos 2020 seventh-round pick to D.C. in exchange for a 2020 sixth-round pick, according to Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Keenum has agreed to rework his contract in order to facilitate the deal.
Keenum had the opportunity to earn $21MM in ’19 under the terms of his old contract, but the revised pact will give him $7.5MM in total. The Broncos will pay Keenum a $500K restructure bonus and contribute $3.5MM towards Keenum’s $7MM salary. Meanwhile, Washington will pay their $3.5MM half of the tab. Ultimately, the Broncos saved themselves a few million and the Redskins found an inexpensive veteran to compete with Colt McCoy for the starting gig.
Keenum, 31, joined the Broncos on a two-year, $36MM deal prior to the 2018 campaign. Unfortunately, his season with Denver did not go as planned as the Broncos slumped to a 6-10 mark. This offseason, he was squeezed out of his starting job when the Broncos acquired Joe Flacco from the Ravens.
With the Redskins, Keenum may have an opportunity to take over for Alex Smith, who is fighting his way back from a gruesome leg injury. He’s not long removed from leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game during a 2017 season in which he ranked second in Total QBR, seventh in adjusted net yards per attempt (the passing metric most correlated with winning), fifth in interception percentage, and seventh in sack percentage.
On the flipside, Keenum’s 2018 marks tell a different story. Among 33 qualifying quarterbacks, Keenum finished 30th in Total QBR, 28th in ANY/A, 21st in interception percentage, and 11th in sack percentage. A year after ranking first in Football Outsiders‘ DVOA (meaning he was extremely effective on a per-play basis), Keenum fell all the way to 29th in 2018.
With the No. 15 pick in the draft, the Redskins are unlikely to land either Kyler Murray or Dwayne Haskins, so a short-term solution such as Keenum might make the most sense for them. There’s also the free agent market to consider, but Smith’s $20.4MM cap hit could be prohibitive in the pursuit of someone like Nick Foles.
Steelers, Maurkice Pouncey Agree To Extension
The Steelers and Pro-Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey have agreed to a two-year extension worth $22MM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With a new money average of $11MM per season, Pouncey is slated to become the NFL’s highest-paid center in 2020, provided that he is not leapfrogged in the interim. Pouncey was already signed through 2019, so the new pact will take him through the 2021 season.
Pouncey, not to be confused with brother Mike Pouncey of the Chargers, has been with the Steelers since being drafted No. 18 overall in 2010. He has earned a Pro Bowl nod in every full season since then, giving him seven selections in total. Pouncey also earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 2011 and 2014.
Last year, Pouncey ranked as the No. 14 center in the NFL, a bit below his usual spot. Still, he passed the Steelers’ naked eye test and the club is moving to keep the 29-year-old (30 this summer) in the fold for years to come.
Earlier this week, the Steelers took another step towards continuity on the offensive line by assigning a second-round tender to B.J. Finney.
49ers Exercise Options On Juszczyk, Watson
The 49ers decided to get a good deal of their housekeeping done on Thursday. Per a team announcement, the club has made the following transactions:
Tendered:
- RB Raheem Mostert (RFA)
- LB Elijah Lee (ERFA)
- DB Greg Mabin (ERFA)
Exercised 2019 Options:
- FB Kyle Juszczyk
- DL Cassius Marsh
- LB Dekoda Watson
- CB K’Waun Williams
Declined 2019 option
- WR Pierre Garcon (story)
For the most part, these were no-brainer calls for SF. Mostert, Lee, and Mabin will all return on cheap one-year deals that require little in the way of actual commitments. Juszczyk, signed to a four-year, $21MM deal in 2017, is regarded as one of the very best fullbacks in the NFL and graded out as the second-best in the league last year, per Pro Football Focus. who rejoiced when he was cut by the Pats and claimed by the Niners in 2017, tallied a career-high 5.5 sacks in 2018.
Dolphins Release Ted Larsen
The Dolphins are cutting guard Ted Larsen, a league source tells Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Dolphins also made their release of defensive end Andre Branch official. Between the two cuts, the Dolphins will save $9.15MM in cap space for 2019. 
Larsen, 32 in June, joined the ‘Fins on a three-year free agent deal in March of 2017. Unfortunately, he was plagued by injuries in his first year and underperformed in 2018. Last year, Larsen graded out as the second-worst qualified guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. For the Dolphins, this move was something of a no-brainer – dropping the veteran meant $2.125MM in savings versus $417K in dead money.
Branch signed a three-year, $24MM deal with the Dolphins in 2017, the same year as Larsen, but he hasn’t been worth the coin. After starting all 14 of his games in 2017, the 29-year-old only started one of his 14 games in 2018. Branch finished the 2018 campaign with 25 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Jets Tender Robby Anderson
The Jets announced that they have applied the second-round tender to wide receiver Robby Anderson. The one-year tender will pay Anderson $3.095MM for the upcoming season. 
As a restricted free agent, Anderson can negotiate with any club through April 19. If he signs an offer sheet with a new club, the Jets could match the offer to keep him. If the Jets do not match such an offer, they will receive a second-round draft choice. While Anderson has talent, it seems unlikely that a team will offer him substantial money and forfeit a valuable second-round pick in order to add him.
Anderson, 26 in May, made some noise in 2017 with 63 catches for 941 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a quieter year in 2018, even as his off-the-field antics made noise in the New York tabloids. He finished out last season with a 50/752/6 stat line across 14 games. With upwards of $100MM in cap room – and even more flexibility remaining – the Jets can easily afford to keep Anderson in the fold at a ~$3MM rate.
In addition to Anderson, the Jets have also retained all nine of their exclusive-rights free agents:
- QB Davis Webb
- WR Deontay Burnett
- RB De’Angelo Henderson
- OL Ben Braden
- DL Bronson Kaufusi
- LB Frankie Luvu
- LB Anthony Wint
- CB Jeremy Clark
- S Doug Middleton