Browns Waive RB Darius Jackson
The Browns announced that they have waived running back Darius Jackson. Linebacker Dominique Alexander has also been let go with a failed physical designation.
Jackson entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2016. In December of that year, he was cut to make room for the return of Darren McFadden and the Browns scooped him up off of waivers. The Browns weren’t the only team with interest – the Eagles, Giants, and 49ers all tried to land Jackson, but lost out to Cleveland due to waiver priority.
The Eastern Michigan product has still yet to see the field in a real NFL game. Last summer, a knee injury ended Jackson’s season before it could start. If he is healthy now, he figures to draw consideration from teams and those aforementioned clubs could get involved.
Alexander, who entered the league as a UDFA out of Oklahoma in 2016, was a special teams player who also lost his 2017 season to a knee injury. Alexander’s role as a linebacker/special teamer will likely be filled by fifth-round pick Genard Avery.
Cowboys’ Jason Witten To Retire, Join ESPN
It’s a done deal. Cowboys tight end Jason Witten has informed owner Jerry Jones and coach Jason Garrett that he will retire in order to join the Monday Night Football broadcast booth, multiple sources tell Todd Archer of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Witten first informed the Cowboys of the offer to join MNF before the draft, but Jones implored Witten to think it over for a few days. Although it was believed from the get-go that Witten would follow through on retirement, the veteran struggled with the decision for the last week, Archer hears.
Witten leaves the game with the fourth-most catches in NFL history (1,152) behind only Jerry Rice, Tony Gonzalez, and Larry Fitzgerald. He’s also leaving football without the Super Bowl ring he has chased since 2003, which is probably part of what made the decision difficult for him.
Top tier broadcasting jobs such as the color commentary position in the Monday Night Football booth rarely become available and Witten did not want to let this opportunity pass him by. He’s also not taking much of a pay cut – he would have earned $6.5MM in total from the Cowboys this year, but ESPN will pay him in the range of $4MM to $4.5MM.
Witten was a hot commodity in broadcasting this year as another mystery network also pursued him. Witten ultimately settled on ESPN, meaning that each of the NFL’s big three broadcasting partners will employ ex-Cowboys as their top color commentators.
Raiders Meet With Derrick Johnson
Former Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson will visit with the Raiders on Thursday, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Chiefs announced in February that they will not re-sign Johnson, though they have a standing offer to him to join the coaching staff if he does not play in 2018. 
After 13 seasons with the Chiefs, it will take some getting used to if Johnson winds up in silver and black. Johnson, 35, is the Chiefs’ all-time leading tackler, with 1,262 career stops to his credit. Since entering the league as a first round pick in 2005, Johnson has suited up in 182 games for Kansas City with 169 starts.
Johnson is obviously past his prime, but Raiders coach Jon Gruden has shown an affinity for signing experienced veterans. The linebacker, who has four Pro Bowl nods and a First-Team All-Pro selection on his resume, still performed reasonably well in 2017 as he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 33 linebacker in the NFL. Johnson doesn’t necessarily profile as a starter, but he could be a valuable depth piece who can also mentor younger defensive players.
The Raiders project to start Bruce Irvin, Tahir Whitehead, and Cory James at linebacker in their 4-3 scheme.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: RB John Crockett
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed: LB Jermaine Grace (from Colts)
New York Jets
- Claimed: DB C.J. Goodwin (from Cardinals)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed: OT Jake Rodgers (from Texans)
Jerrell Freeman Retires From NFL
Jerrell Freeman is calling it a career. On Wednesday, Freeman announced his retirement via Twitter. 
“I will be retiring from the NFL today,” Freeman wrote. “My health and my family are my top priorities. . . . Thank you Bears, Colts, Roughriders, and yes, even the Titans (where I only had a cup of coffee, haha). You will always be like family. Its been a long and rewarding journey.”
Freeman, who turned 32 on Wednesday, inked a three-year pact with Chicago prior to the 2016 campaign. Unfortunately, injuries and suspensions limited him to just 13 games over the past two years. Last season, Freeman suffered a torn pectoral in Week 1 and was subsequently banned for 10 games due to his second performance-enhancing drug policy violation. Had he continued playing, the ban would have carried over to the first two games of 2018.
When his suspension was announced last October, Freeman said that he had been suffering from memory loss and other side effects due to head trauma. Hopefully, Freeman will be able to mount a recovery as he steps away from the gridiron.
Freeman’s first NFL came in 2008 when he signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent. After that, he hooked on with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and did not return to the NFL until 2012 when he signed on with the Colts. Freeman went on to start in all 70 of his NFL games and tallied nearly 650 tackles in total.
Tom Brady Discusses Patriots, Belichick
In an appearance at the Milken Institute Global Conference in California, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady reaffirmed his commitment to football and, specifically, playing football for the Patriots. However, not everything is necessarily rosy between the team and its star player. Here’s a look at the highlights from Brady’s event, courtesy of ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss and Ben Volin of The Boston Globe: 
On staying away from the team’s voluntary offseason program:
“Part of this offseason for me is certainly about still preparing for what’s ahead in my next journey, my next mountain to climb with this group of teammates, but it’s also [acknowledging] that a lot of people are getting the short end of the stick in my life — certainly my wife and my kids. Football is year-round for me. It’s a lot of thought, a lot of energy and emotion put into it, but I need to invest in them, too. My kids are 10, 8 and 5. They’re not getting younger, so I need to take time so I can be available to them, too. … I’ve really spent the last two or three months doing those things, and I think I’m really trying to fill my tank up so that when I do go back, I can go back and I think I’ll actually be, in my mind, a better player, a better teammate, because I’ll be really rejuvenated.”
On how much longer he’ll play:
“I’ve talked two years with my wife [Gisele Bündchen]. I’ve negotiated that thus far. I’ve still got a little further to go.”
On whether he feels appreciated by those he works with and for:
“Yeah. I would say absolutely. And in general, I’m a very happy person. I’m a very positive person. It’s just my personality, I always look at things as the glass is half full. I think there are different times; when you’ve been on the same team for a long time, you have relationships for a long time, they ebb and flow like every relationship. But there are no people I’d rather play for or be committed to than the team I’ve been with for a long time, and really the fans and the community.”
On whether he feels appreciated by coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft, specifically:
“I plead the Fifth!,” Brady joked. “I think everybody in general wants to be appreciated more in their professional life, but there’s a lot of people that appreciate me way more than I ever thought was possible as part of my life. You have different influences in your life and the people I work with, they’re trying to get the best out of me. So they’re trying to treat me in the way they feel is going to get the best out of me, and I’ve got to get the best out of myself.”
On Belichick:
“We’ve had a great relationship, a very respectful relationship for a long time. I feel like he’s the best coach in the history of the NFL. He has a management style [with] players, and he would say, ‘Look, I’m not the easiest coach to play for.’ I agree. He’s not the easiest coach to play for.”
Giants Turn Down Ereck Flowers’ Option
You knew this one was coming. The Giants will decline tackle Ereck Flowers’ fifth-year option, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Twitter). 
Flowers remains under contract for the 2018 season, but it’s far from a certainty that he’ll remain with the Giants. Dave Gettleman worked hard to trade Flowers during last week’s draft, but was unable to find a taker – even at a modest asking price of a mid-round pick. Just three years ago, Flowers was selected ninth overall by the Giants.
The Giants reportedly do not plan on cutting Flowers in the near future, but one has to imagine that it’s at least a consideration for the team. Flowers has badly underperformed in his three years in New York and the team would save $2.2MM in bonuses by cutting ties. At the same time, his contract would still leave the Giants with nearly $4.6MM in dead money.
With his future hanging in the balance, Flowers has obtained the services of power agent Drew Rosenhaus. Rosenhaus, presumably, will try to steer Flowers towards a team that will start him in 2018.
Ravens Decline Breshad Perriman’s Option
No surprise here, but the Ravens will decline Breshad Perriman‘s option for the 2019 season, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. 
As shown on PFR’s fifth-year option tracker, Perriman would have earned $9.387MM in the additional year, per the equation dictated by the collective bargaining agreement.
Perriman, the 26th overall pick in 2015, missed his entire rookie season due to a PCL sprain. After Perriman re-aggravated the injury in 2015, coach John Harbaugh told reporters that it was “probably one of the all-time slowest healing sprained PCLs ever.”
Perriman made his NFL debut in 2016, but he has yet to show much on the field. The UCF product has 43 catches for 576 yards for his career and has never had more than four receptions in an NFL game.
Dolphins Decline LB Stephone Anthony’s Option
As expected, the Dolphins have declined the fifth-year option for linebacker Stephone Anthony. The additional year would have come at a cost of $9.232MM. 
Anthony seemed to have a great deal of promise when he entered the league as a first-round pick of the Saints in 2015. After starting in all 16 games as a rookie, he was moved from middle linebacker to strongside linebacker with poor results. The Dolphins acquired him for a fifth-round pick last fall, but the change of scenery didn’t do much for him. Anthony had just 15 tackles in eight games last year.
Anthony has solid speed for a player in the 240-pound range, but he has yet to turn his natural gifts into quality play on the field. He is now slated to hit the open market next March.
Eagles Sign WR Markus Wheaton
On Wednesday, the Eagles announced the signing of veteran wide receiver Markus Wheaton to a one-year deal. The Eagles will also add quarterback Joe Callahan, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Wheaton signed a two-year, $11MM deal with the Bears last year that included $5MM guaranteed. Unfortunately, he was one of several busts in that Bears free agent class. In March, Chicago cut the former Steelers draft pick.
Wheaton, 27, has registered just 51 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons. However, he had more than 40 receptions for the Steelers in both 2014 and 2015. With the Eagles, he’ll fight to be one of five or six wide receivers out of a group that is currently in the double digits. The WR depth chart is headlined by star Alshon Jeffery as well as Nelson Agholor and free agent addition Mike Wallace. Mack Hollins, Shelton Gibson, Bryce Treggs, and Marquess Wilson are also among those under contract.
Callahan, meanwhile, went unclaimed after being waived by the Packers on Monday. There could be an opportunity for him to stick as the No. 3 QB behind Carson Wentz and Nick Foles and he should see reps in the preseason as Wentz’s availability is expected to be limited.
Before signing Callahan, the Eagles also considered Ohio State product J.T. Barrett, according to Garafolo. Barrett instead chose to sign with the Saints this week.