Ravens, Jets Pursuing Bashaud Breeland
The Ravens are “getting more aggressive” with their interest in free agent cornerback Bashaud Breeland, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com hears (on Twitter). Breeland is visiting the Browns on Friday afternoon, but the Ravens are pushing to meet with him on Friday night. 
Meanwhile, the Jets have also entered the fray, Anderson hears. There’s no visit currently scheduled with Gang Green, but the Jets have expressed interest throughout the week.
Breeland is among the best defenders left on the free agent market at this juncture. He was originally set to join the Panthers on a three-year deal in March, but a failed physical voided the contract. Now that he’s finally healthy, Breeland has picked up interest from a number of teams, including the Raiders, Chiefs, Browns and Colts. Breeland’s visit with the Chiefs was particularly lengthy, but he left KC without a contract.
The Ravens project to start Brandon Carr and Jimmy Smith at cornerback with support from 2017 first-round pick Marlon Humphrey and fourth-round rookie Anthony Averett. The Jets, meanwhile, have Trumaine Johnson, Morris Claiborne, and Buster Skrine as their top three corners. Neither team is necessarily desperate for cornerback help, but any club in the league would welcome a talent like Breeland at the right price.
Jadeveon Clowney To Play Out Final Year
Texans edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney is expected to play out the final year of his deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. There’s still time for an extension to come together, but barring a significant change in talks, Clowney will be on course for free agency next year. 
Clowney is set to earn $12.306MM in 2018, per the terms of his fifth-year option. Naturally, the Texans are interested in moving forward with Clowney, but they want to gauge his performance and health for one more season before making a major commitment.
Clowney is coming off of a full 16-game season, but injuries have been an issue in the past. This offseason, an arthroscopic knee surgery sidelined Clowney throughout the spring and early summer.
Clowney, 25, compiled career highs in sacks (9.5), tackles (59), and fumble recoveries (3) last year. His next deal should position him as one of the highest-paid defenders in the NFL, though he’s not expected to top the likes of Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack.
Latest On Seahawks’ Earl Thomas
Prior to offseason activities, the Seahawks informed Earl Thomas and his representatives that the team will not address his contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Seahawks were specific and clear in delivering that message and Thomas’ participation in camp would not have altered their stance. 
Things could get ugly as Thomas may be willing to take his holdout into the regular season. With one year to go on his current deal, Thomas wants a multi-year extension that will position him as one of the league’s highest-paid safeties. If the Seahawks won’t give that to him, then he wants to be traded, possibly to the Cowboys.
Thomas is set to earn a base salary of $8.5MM this year while counting for $10.4MM against Seattle’s salary cap. It’s the final year of the four-year, $40MM extension he inked back in 2014, a deal that made him the NFL’s highest-paid safety at the time. Today, that deal puts him sixth among NFL safeties in terms of annual average value.
It’s common for teams to delay extension talks when a player has two or more years remaining on his contract. However, with a year to go, this should be the prime time for the Seahawks to discuss a fresh deal with one of their biggest stars. Given Thomas’ age and the weakness of the free agent safety market, the Seahawks’ valuation of Thomas is likely far apart from his own appraisal. Opening up contract talks with Thomas could make the relationship even worse, which is probably why the Seahawks are holding off.
Falcons, Jake Matthews Agree To $75MM Deal
The Falcons and left tackle Jake Matthews are finalizing a five-year, $75MM deal, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal positions Matthews as one of the three highest paid left tackles in the league. 
[RELATED: Julio Jones Reaches Compromise With Falcons]
Matthews, 26, has started every game he’s played in for the Falcons since entering the league as the No. 6 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Last year, the Texas A&M product graded out as the No. 14 tackle in the NFL, per the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, Matthews’ 1,159 regular season snaps was the fourth-highest of any tackle in the NFL last season.
Initially, Matthews was scheduled to earn $12.496MM in 2018 before hitting the open market. With the new deal, he’ll earn even more – $15MM/year – while remaining under club control through 2023. It’s a whopper of a deal for a left tackle, and one that is only topped by Taylor Lewan‘s fat new contract with the Titans and Nate Solder‘s recent four-year, $62MM pact.
Next up for the Falcons may be a new deal with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Jarrett, a fifth round pick back in 2015, is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Titans, Taylor Lewan Agree To $80MM Deal
Taylor Lewan will be a member of the Titans for years to come. On Friday, the two sides agreed to a five-year, $80MM deal, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The deal includes $50MM in guarantees and makes him the highest-paid offensive lineman in history. 
The left tackle stayed away from the club earlier this summer, but he reported to camp this week. Ultimately, Lewan was able to get what he wanted without a costly holdout.
Lewan, who just turned 27, was set to play out the the 2018 season at a cost of $9.341MM before potentially hitting the open market. Now, he’s under contract through 2023 at a much higher rate.
Lewan’s $16MM/year average tops Nate Solder‘s four-year, $62MM free agent deal signed with the Giants back in March. It’s a hefty price to pay, but kicking the can down the road via the franchise tag wasn’t really a viable option for the Titans. Next year’s franchise tag for offensive linemen may cost nearly $15MM and the 20% increase for a second tag would have meant a $17.5-$18MM payout for 2020. In that scenario, the Titans would have been left with no leverage in extension talks (a third tag would be far too expensive) after having shelled out about $33MM.
A first-round pick in 2014, Lewan has been a full-time starter since the 2015 campaign. Overall, he’s appeared in 58 games and made 53 starts for Tennessee. Lewan graded out as the seventh-best tackle in the NFL in 2016 and placed 16th last year, according to Pro Football Focus.
NFC West Notes: Cardinals, Boston, Rams
The Cardinals‘ one-year deal with free agent safety Tre Boston is worth just $1.5M, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, Boston can earn up to $3MM if he hits certain requirements and incentives.
These last five months probably felt like five years for Boston as he lingered on the open market. Like other veteran safeties, he found that interested teams were only willing to offer him deals at or near the minimum salary as they preferred younger and cheaper options in the draft.
The good news for Boston is that he may be able to reestablish his value with a strong year in Arizona. The Cardinals tend to employ sets with three safeties on the field, so he’ll have a chance to shine as he mans center field.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Are the Rams concerned about giving Aaron Donald big money? Mike Florio of PFT wonders aloud if the Rams are wary of paying Donald only to watch him take his foot off of the gas, like other defensive tackles have done before him. Most notably, former standout Albert Haynesworth tanked after signing a $100MM deal with the Redskins.
- Todd Gurley‘s new $57.5MM extension with the Rams is a rarity in the NFL, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap writes. That’s because Gurley’s new contract represents a 74% uptick over the second highest paid running back in the NFL and a 110% increase over the fifth highest paid RB. The last player to sign a deal like this was Ndamukong Suh and that was as an unrestricted free agent and his increases were closer to 50% and 75%, respectively. Fitzgerald also believes that the Rams’ ill-fated extension with Tavon Austin hurt their leverage with Gurley.
- On Thursday, the Seahawks formally placed retired safety Kam Chancellor on the PUP list and released 2017 second-round pick Malik McDowell.
Cardinals Sign DE Jacquies Smith
The Cardinals signed defensive end Jacquies Smith to a one-year deal, according to a team announcement. To make room, the club waived/injured defensive lineman Praise Martin-Oguike. 
[RELATED: Cardinals Sign Tre Boston]
Smith, 28, established himself as a serviceable edge rusher for the Bucs (13.5 sacks from 2014-15) before a torn ACL ended his 2016 campaign after only one game. After working his way back to full health, Smith had played in his first contest of the year during Week 4 last year, but saw action on only seven snaps. Smith wound up signing with the Lions during their bye week in 2017, but did not play in any games for them. A second stint with Detroit later in the year resulted in two appearances for Smith, but he recorded only one tackle.
Smith is the third noteworthy defender to join the Cardinals this week, following safety Tre Boston and linebacker Arthur Moats. The Cardinals signed Benson Mayowa earlier this year to be their first defensive end off of the bench, but Smith has a real chance to also make the roster as a reserve.
Seahawks Release Malik McDowell
It’s officially official. On Thursday, the Seahawks released 2017 second-round pick Malik McDowell. It was first reported back in April that Seattle would be moving on from the defensive tackle. 
[RELATED: Seahawks Place Chancellor On PUP List]
The Seahawks had high hopes for the Michigan State product last year, but an ATV crash last summer changed the course of his career. Then, in the midst of his would-be rookie season, he was arrested for disorderly conduct after an incident at an Atlanta night club. According to reports, McDowell demanded a refund on a $600 alcohol purchase. When he was told that he had not yet paid that $600 tab, he got into a shouting match with club employees. When police arrived on the scene, he got into a verbal tirade with officers.
Last year, the Seahawks moved down three times from No. 25 before selecting McDowell with the No. 35 overall pick. At the time, it appeared be a savvy maneuver. Unfortunately, it turned out to be yet another draft miss from the Seahawks’ front office.
The 6’6″, 295-pound McDowell tallied 24.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 32 games at Michigan State, where he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in each of his final two seasons on campus.
Seahawks Place Chancellor On PUP List
Kam Chancellor‘s season is officially over, and so is his career. The Seahawks placed safety Kam Chancellor on the Reserve/PUP list on Thursday, formally ruling him out for the year. 
[RELATED: Kam Chancellor Announces Retirement]
After eight seasons with the Seahawks, Chancellor announced his retirement earlier this month. There was little doubt about his future, but the transaction means that the Seahawks have been forced to eat his $5.2MM injury guarantee for 2019. Chancellor is undoubtedly disappointed about how things have turned out, but he won’t be hurting for cash as he leaves the club with $12MM in guaranteed cash for the ’18 and ’19 seasons.
Chancellor missed nearly half of last season with a neck injury and was unable to get the greenlight from doctors this year. His nine appearances in 2017 marked a career low. Chancellor missed 16 combined games over the last three seasons after starting at least 14 games between 2011-14.
Chancellor leaves Seattle as one of the club’s most accomplished defensive players of all time. As a pivotal part of the “Legion of Boom,” Chancellor earned four Pro Bowl nods and helped the club to its first Super Bowl win following the 2013 season.
Giants, OBJ Have Yet To Discuss Deal
The Giants haven’t started contract negotiations with Odell Beckham Jr., owner John Mara told reporters on Thursday (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). Mara went on to say that talks will begin “sooner rather than later” and will start “pretty soon.” 
[RELATED: OBJ Denies Allegations, Says He’s Victim Of Extortion]
The Giants have been somewhat reluctant to enter serious talks with Beckham, in part because of their concerns about his maturity. Gradually, however, that perception is changing. Mara believes Beckham is moving in the right direction and his attendance for OTAs, minicamp, and the start of training camp is meaningful for the team.
When talks get underway, Beckham’s side will push for a deal that far exceeds Brandin Cooks‘ new five-year, $80MM+ extension with the Rams. Locking up OBJ, who had three straight seasons with at least 1,300 yards and ten touchdowns, will cost the club at least $90MM with substantial guarantees.
Alternatively, the Giants could control OBJ through the 2020 season via consecutive franchise tags. Doing that would keep the proverbial carrot on the stick for Beckham and minimize the club’s long-term risk, but they would also be exposing themselves to offseason drama and holdout threats.