Giants Exploring Olivier Vernon Trades
The Giants have discussed the possibility of trading linebacker Olivier Vernon with other clubs, sources tell Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Vernon inked a massive five-year, $85MM deal with the Giants in 2016, but the club is now looking to move his deal and put those resources to use elsewhere. 
Vernon, 28, gave the Giants a career-high 8.5 sacks in his first season with the club. He’s continued to get to the QB with 22 sacks over the course of three years, but injuries have cost him nine games over the last two campaigns. Last year, he averages four pressures per contest in eleven games.
Currently, Vernon is set to carry cap hits of $15.5MM in each of the next two seasons. The Giants have also considered releasing him outright, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter) hears, so this could be a last ditch effort for the club to get something instead of losing him for nothing. Cutting Vernon would result in $11.5MM in cap savings, but would also saddle the team with $8MM in dead money.
It stands to reason that other clubs will be interested in adding Vernon, especially now that Eagles standout Brandon Graham is off the market. The Jets, for example, could use an edge rusher of his caliber, and the two sides could theoretically discuss Vernon in a deal that would call for the Jets to move down from the No. 3 overall pick to the No. 6 overall choice. Of course, it’s not a given that the two sides will do business together.
Despite the injuries and the Giants’ overall woes, Vernon graded out as the 13th best edge defender in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus. His 86.3 score – from an admittedly smaller sample of 665 snaps – ranked as the best mark of his career.
Earl Thomas Won’t Give Discount To Cowboys
Earl Thomas is looking to become the highest paid safety in the NFL, a source tells Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram. Therefore, as Hill hears, the Texas native will not be offering any sort of hometown discount to the Cowboys. 
Thomas has long been connected to the Cowboys. Last year, he bowed to the Dallas bench after an interception in September, cut in-season plans short to catch the Cowboys on TV, and appeared to have further word of his interest to the press through backchannels. Recently, former Seahawks teammate Richard Sherman indicated that Thomas would sign with the Cowboys if they matched any other offer, but Thomas’ camp probably moved to silence such talk with today’s leak.
Becoming the highest-paid safety in the league would require Thomas to beat out Eric Berry‘s $13MM/year contract. That could be tough for a few reasons: Thomas is coming off of a season-ending leg fracture, he’ll turn 30 in May, and the free agent safety market was a huge letdown for top players last offseason.
On the other hand, Thomas still profiles as one of the best free safeties in the NFL. In 2017, Thomas earned his sixth Pro Bowl nod, logged his second career pick six, and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 5 safety. He finished out with 88 tackles, two interceptions, and seven passes defensed in that season.
The Cowboys would ostensibly love to add Thomas, but they’re not exactly flush with cap space. If Thomas is intent on getting the biggest payday possible, he’s unlikely to wind up in Dallas.
Ravens’ Alex Collins Arrested
Ravens running back Alex Collins was arrested early Friday morning after a car accident, (via Sarah Meehan and Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun). Police say Collins crashed his car into a tree roughly a mile away from the Ravens’ facility. 
Collins, 25 in August, was already in limbo this season as a restricted free agent. There were doubts that Collins would even receive a low-round RFA tender, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets, and this latest incident could seal his exit.
Collins was a fifth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2016 but was a roster casualty prior to the 2017 season. After that, he hooked on with the Ravens, and his future looked bright. As the Ravens’ top back, Collins racked up 973 yards off of 212 carries (4.6 yards per carry) and six rushing touchdowns. He also added 23 catches for 187 yards in that season. His follow up, however, was less impressive. Collins averaged just 3.6 yards per attempt across ten games and slid down the depth chart.
The Ravens now plan on using Gus Edwards as their top tailback after he managed 5.2 yards per carry in a limited sample last season. Collins, meanwhile, will probably wind up elsewhere.
Eagles, Brandon Graham Agree To Extension
Brandon Graham isn’t reaching the open market after all. On Friday, the Eagles agreed to a new three-year deal with the defensive end that will pay him $40MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
It’s a solid payday for Graham, who will bank north of $13MM per season on average. Meanwhile, he has a real chance to retire in Philadelphia. Graham will celebrate his 31st birthday in April, and the Eagles can safely focus on areas other than the pass rush later in the month.
Earlier this offseason, Graham indicated that he would probably test the open market rather than inking a new deal with Philadelphia before March. However, the Eagles came to the table with a deal that made sense for the veteran.
“I love Philly but I owe it to myself and my family to explore free agency,” Graham said in January. “I’m in the business of doing what’s best for my family. I need to explore the market.”
Graham, who’s been with the Eagles since 2010, inked a four-year deal with Philly in 2015. He’s discussed a potential extension on numerous occasions with the Eagles since then, but a fresh deal never came to fruition until now. The Eagles added extra incentives to his pact heading into the 2017 campaign, but did not otherwise amend his deal over the past four years.
Graham would have drawn serious interest in the open market, but he also would have been going up against a stacked free agent edge defenders group. Players such as Jadeveon Clowney, Frank Clark, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dee Ford, and Trey Flowers are all candidates for the franchise tag, but Graham got enough money to bypass the hassle of free agency and stay with the only NFL team he’s ever known.
Graham’s last deal paid him $6.5MM annually, so the new contract represents a substantial pay bump. While his sack total dipped to just four in 2018, Graham still managed to affect rival passers by generating 33.5 quarterback pressures and 11 quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus graded Graham as the league’s ninth-best edge defender last season, assigning him exemplary marks in both run and pass defense.
Jets To Tender Robby Anderson
The Jets will use the second-round level restricted free agent tender to keep Robby Anderson for 2019, Manish Mehta of the Daily News (Twitter link) hears. The wide receiver did not want to be tendered this offseason, but he didn’t have much choice in the matter. 
This year’s second-round tender will be worth $3.1MM, a significant pay bump from his $633K paycheck in 2018. Still, Anderson has been pushing for a long-term extension with the Jets. A multi-year deal could still be ironed out this offseason, but for now, the Jets have him on a one-year prove-it deal that will keep him away from the open market.
“I would hope not to be tendered,” said Anderson in November. “Because I don’t want to be here for possibly just one more year. I want to be here for the long term. I feel like I worked hard. [The RFA tender] is a step up from where I’m at now. But I want to be here for the long term.”
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 more than 20 free agents and upwards of $100MM in cap room, big changes are on the way for Gang Green this offseason. Amidst the overhaul, they’ll be keeping one of their most talented wide receivers in the mix.
Patriots’ Robert Kraft Pleads Not Guilty
Patriots owner Robert Kraft pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor charges of soliciting prostitution, as John R. Ellement of The Boston Globe writes. Kraft, of course, was charged last week in a connection with a human trafficking sting in Florida. 
[RELATED: Kraft Court Date Set For April 24]
Authorities say they have captured Kraft on film inside of the “spa,” so it may be tricky for Kraft to mount a proper defense if things wind up in court. The non guilty plea may also prolong the legal process, but Kraft is apparently set on clearing his name.
Per NFL policy, Kraft may be subject to league discipline, depending on how things play out from here. For example, Colts owner Jim Irsay received a six-game suspension and a $500K fine in 2014 after he pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated.
“Our personal conduct policy applies equally to everyone in the NFL,” said the league in a statement last week. “We will handle this allegation in the same way we would handle any issue under the policy. We are seeking a full understanding of the facts, while ensuring that we do not interfere with an ongoing law enforcement investigation. We will take appropriate action as warranted based on the facts.”
Jason Witten Signs With Cowboys
Jason Witten has decided to end his retirement and return to the Cowboys, according to a team press release. Witten walked away from the game last year to join ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast, but he has decided to put his broadcasting career on hold in order to resume his playing career. 
“The fire inside of me to compete and play this game is just burning too strong,” the 36-year-old (37 in May) said in a statement. “This team has a great group of rising young stars, and I want to help them make a run at a championship. This was completely my decision, and I am very comfortable with it. I’m looking forward to getting back in the dirt.”
With this news, Witten is now set to return for a 16th pro season. From 2003-17, Witten was among the best tight ends in the league and earned eleven Pro Bowl nominations, a Cowboys record for any offensive player.
The veteran will earn a base salary of $3.5MM with a maximum earning potential of $5MM for the coming year, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Witten will make less than he has in previous seasons, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes that this could be a bridge to a head coaching role for him.
Witten’s “unretirement” may drastically alter the Cowboys’ offseason plans. Previously, tight end was among the team’s biggest needs, but the Cowboys should be set with Witten, Blake Jarwin, Dalton Schultz, and Rico Gathers under contract. Geoff Swaim, an impending free agent, could also be re-signed to compete for a backup role.
By returning to the field, Witten leaves a void to fill in ESPN’s booth. That could help to explain the network’s interest in Greg Olsen, and the Panthers tight end could theoretically end his own career if offered one of the most prestigious jobs in sports television.
Witten has 1,152 career receptions to his credit, which ranks fourth in NFL history behind Jerry Rice, Tony Gonzalez, and Larry Fitzgerald. Meanwhile, his 12,448 receiving yards are good for second among all tight ends behind only Gonzalez (15,127).
Falcons May Tag Grady Jarrett
Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett is set for free agency, but the Falcons don’t intend on losing him. General manager Thomas Dimitroff feels “very confident” that Jarrett will be with the team next year and says the franchise tag is a possibility (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure). 
If tagged, Jarrett won’t necessarily be thrilled. The former fifth-round pick has tallied ten sacks over the last two seasons, including a career-high six sacks in 2018. He’s poised for a big payday and probably prefers a long-term deal to the one-year, $15.35MM tender for defensive tackles.
Jarrett’s six sacks were impressive for an interior lineman, but he’s shown that he has even more to offer. Last year, Jarrett tied with Michael Pierce for the No. 5 spot on Pro Football Focus’ rankings for defensive tackles. Over the course of 463 pass rush snaps and 245 run defense snaps, Jarrett proved that he is one of the best at his position.
If Jarrett were permitted to reach free agency, he’d easily profile as one of the ten best players available. But, unsurprisingly, the Falcons won’t let him get there.
Rams Likely To Let Suh, Fowler Hit FA
The Rams have a number of high-profile players scheduled for free agency this offseason and it sounds like they’ll allow most of them to test the waters. “There’s a good possibility” the Rams will permit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, safety Lamarcus Joyner, and edge rusher Dante Fowler to reach the open market before discussing new deals with them, GM Les Snead says (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). Snead also said the team is unlikely to use the franchise tag (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Lindsay Thiry).
Suh joined the Rams on a one-year, $14MM deal last year after he was cut loose by the Dolphins. The durable lineman turned in another 16-game season for L.A. and racked up 59 tackles with 4.5 sacks. He was also a disruptive force in the first two games of the postseason, tallying four QB hits in the first two games. He wasn’t quite as effective in the Super Bowl, but then again, most of the Rams’ stars underwhelmed in the championship game.
The Jaguars more or less gave up on Fowler when they shipped him to the Rams in October. Since then, he’s shown flashes of promise and the 24-year-old (25 in August) should draw interest from clubs looking for help around the edge. Fowler had four sacks for L.A. and Jacksonville combined, just half of his 2017 total.
Here’s the full rundown of the Rams’ impending free agents (excluding exclusive rights free agents):
- RB C.J. Anderson
- DE Dante Fowler Jr.
- LB Bryce Hager
- CB Troy Hill
- S Lamarcus Joyner
- LB Cory Littleton (RFA)
- LB Matt Longacre
- QB Sean Mannion
- OG Rodger Saffold
- CB Sam Shields
- DT Ndamukong Suh
- DE Ethan Westbrooks
- LB Ramik Wilson
Free Agent Demaryius Thomas In Custody
Free agent wide receiver Demaryius Thomas is in custody for charges of vehicular assault in Colorado, according to Denver 7. The Texans free agent (and former Bronco) lost control of his vehicle on Feb. 16 and a female passenger in the car suffered serious injuries, police say. Fortunately, those injuries were not life-threatening, but vehicular assault is a felony-level charge in Colorado. 
At the time of the crash, investigators did not believe that alcohol or drugs were a factor in the accident. Thomas was said to have suffered minor injuries in the accident, but was fine otherwise.
In his ninth NFL season, Thomas reeled in just 36 catches for 402 yards and three touchdowns for the Broncos. Before the deadline, he was shipped to the Texans, where he had 23 receptions for 275 yards and two scores. In February, the four-time Pro Bowler was cut by Houston, making him a free agent.