Bills Release DE Cap Capi
The Bills have released defensive end Cap Capi. Capi hooked on with the Bills last November and appeared in four games with the team. 
Under the terms of his modest contract, Capi was under team control for another two years with hits of $555K in 2018 and $645K in 2019. There was no guaranteed money on his deal, so the Bills save $555K on this year’s cap by cutting ties with Capi.
Capi appeared in four games for the Giants earlier in 2017 before relocating to Western New York. With the Bills, he had five tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble in the regular season. He also appeared in the Bills’ Wild Card loss to the Jaguars and recorded a tackle.
There wasn’t much room for Capi on this year’s team after adding starter Trent Murphy and reserve defensive ends Owa Odighizuwa and Terrence Fede. The Bills will also return Shaq Lawson, Jerry Hughes, and Eddie Yarbrough to their DE group.
Joe Staley Gets Raise From 49ers
49ers tackle Joe Staley has gotten a pay bump. The Niners have agreed to rework his contract to give him a raise over the next two years, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Originally, Staley was set to earn $11MM combined in 2018 and 2019. Now, he’ll earn $17.4MM over the next two years. In the coming season, he’ll make $8.72MM instead of $5.5MM.
Staley has been among the very best at his position for the last six years and his new salary comes closer to reflecting his performance, even if he’s not quite at the top of the tackle market. New Giants left tackle Nate Solder is the kingpin at the position with an average of $15.5MM per year and, even with the raise, Staley will average roughly half of that over the next two seasons. For reference, Pro Football Focus had Staley ranked as the second-best tackle in the NFL in 2017 while Solder placed at No. 32.
It’s not especially common for a team to give a player a pay bump without getting some additional years in return, but Staley is the anchor of the 49ers’ offensive line and has been a leader in the locker room for the past eleven years. If Staley was giving any thought to retiring after the 2018 season, the new deal could give him incentive to continue playing.
Former Jets C Nick Mangold Retires
Nick Mangold is officially done with football. On Tuesday, Mangold announced that he will be signing a one-day contract with the Jets in order to officially retire with the team. 
“Everything that happened from pee-wee football to high school football to having the good fortune to play at The Ohio State University molded me for my opportunity to play for the New York Jets,” said Mangold. “In my 11 years as a Jet, there were plenty of ups and downs but, through it all, I wanted to be the Steady Eddie. I wanted to be the guy that other guys looked at to see how it was done. I learned this attribute from the vets that I played with.
“My biggest regret is not bringing the Lombardi Trophy to New York but, as I retire, I will continue my efforts to bring the Trophy home in a different capacity. I have no idea what that capacity is but I’m sure I will figure something out in the future.”
Mangold, 34, played for the Jets from 2006 through 2016. In March of 2017, the Jets released him in the midst of a house-cleaning that saw several high-priced vets bounced out of New York. He spent all of last year out of football as he healed up from a foot injury and he indicated earlier this year that he might try to return to the game. At the same time, he has made tons of money over the course of his playing career, so he is able to comfortably walk away from the NFL and in order to spend more time with his family.
Dez Bryant Wants To Sign With Giants
Dez Bryant is out for revenge. The former Cowboys wide receiver went on record with Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan to express his desire to play for a Dallas rival. 
“I’m kinda hoping it’s an NFC East team,” Bryant said. “If it’s somewhere else, that’s fine. But I’d like to play the Cowboys twice.”
Not all of the Cowboys’ divisional rivals make sense for Bryant, however. The Redskins, who already have Josh Doctson, Jamison Crowder, and Paul Richardson, do not have him on their radar. And while it’s fun to think about the defending champions adding Bryant to the fold, the Eagles don’t have enough wiggle room under the cap to make that happen. That leaves the Giants, and Bryant is intrigued by their roster.
“The Giants got a helluva defense, they’re going to pay [Odell Beckham Jr.] Playing with him, Sterling Shepard, the tight end [Evan Engram], Eli Manning? Crazy,” Bryant said. “They draft (Penn State running back) Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick)? That’d be crazy!”
Fisher personally gets the sense that the Giants would be Bryant’s No. 1 choice. It remains to be seen whether Giants GM Dave Gettleman feels the same way about Bryant and whether he’s willing to bring such a bold personality into his locker room.
Bucs Exercise Jameis Winston’s Option
The Buccaneers have exercised the fifth-year option on Jameis Winston‘s original rookie contract. The decision was not due until May 3, but the Bucs did not need to take this decision to the wire. 
Winston was less than perfect in 2017, but this was still a fairly easy call for the Bucs to make. Even though Winston went 3-10 as a starter last year, he performed as a better-than-average starting QB and continues to show potential. Across three years in the league, Winston has thrown for 11,636 passing yards, 69 touchdown passes, and 44 interceptions. The Florida State product, who recently turned 24, is the second-youngest passer in NFL history to top 10,000 passing yards. Before his birthday, his 69 touchdown passes set the new watermark for any NFL QB at the age of 23.
Per the terms of the CBA, the fifth-year option is equal to the average of the top 10 salaries in the previous year. The Bucs and Winston will also have the opportunity to hammer out a new long-term extension before the option year kicks in.
The fifth-year option also comes with an escape hatch for NFL teams. The additional year is guaranteed for injury only, so the Bucs can back out if Winston’s performance declines for non-health reasons.
NFL Draft Rumors: Guice, Redskins, Patriots, Bills, Giants, Darnold
Running back Derrius Guice visited the Redskins at their team facility on Monday, a source tells John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Redskins have been public about their desire to add a pass-catching running back and Guice, with 18 catches last year at LSU, would fit the bill.
With needs to address on the other side of the ball, many believe that the Redskins will take a defensive player at No. 13 overall. However, the Redskins could probably trade back into the early 20s to take Guice and address their defensive holes later on.
Here’s the latest round of NFL draft news:
- The Patriots hosted UCLA left tackle Kolton Miller on a pre-draft visit, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets.
- Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen met with the Bills on Monday and will travel to the Giants on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Meanwhile, USC QB Sam Darnold met with the Giants on Monday and will meet with the Jets on Tuesday.
- Linebacker Rashaan Evans visited the Bengals on Monday, Rapoport tweets. The Bengals own the No. 21 pick in the draft, which could allow them to snag the Alabama standout.
- Speaking of Alabama, Rapoport also notes that standout defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne met with the Redskins on Monday. Payne has shot up draft boards in recent weeks thanks to his remarkable strength. “He’s the best. He’s the best I’ve seen,”Alabama strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran said earlier this year. “I’ve never seen a guy hit 385 on the power clean every single year. His first year he hit 365 on the power clean and it was like wow, freshman, that’s incredible.”
- USC running back Ronald Jones visited the Patriots on Monday, Rapoport tweets. Within the same tweet, he notes that Stanford safety Justin Reid visited the Panthers before heading off to his Steelers visit.
- Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson took a pre-draft visit to meet with the 49ers on Monday, a league source told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 49ers have the ninth pick in the first round and Jackson is projected to come off the board as a middle-to-late first-round pick.
- LSU pass-rusher Arden Key visited the Bears on Monday, Rapoport tweets. He also notes Memphis wide receiver Anthony Miller visited the Redskins on Monday and Tulane cornerback Parry Nickerson visited the Raiders.
Panthers Claim QB Taylor Heinicke
The Panthers picked up quarterback Taylor Heinicke off waivers. The QB was cut by the Texans on Friday. 
Heinicke, 25, threw his only NFL pass to date in a 34-6 loss to the Steelers last year. The Old Dominion product hasn’t made much noise over the last three years with the Vikings, Patriots, or Texans, but he’ll look to stick on the Panthers’ roster as a backup to Cam Newton.
For now, Newton, Garrett Gilbert, and Heinicke are the only three QBs on Carolina’s roster. At the owner’s meetings, coach Ron Rivera indicated that veteran Derek Anderson could still be re-signed to serve as Newton’s primary backup.
“We’re looking for a guy that can eventually be the No. 2 guy for a long time,” Rivera said “We’re looking for that next guy, not necessarily to replace Derek but to come in and be ready to eventually replace him.”
Jets Claim K Nick Rose Off Waivers
The Jets were awarded kicker Nick Rose from the Chargers. Rose was dropped by L.A. on Friday and subjected to waivers. 
Last year, Rose filled in for the Redskins while Dustin Hopkins was sidelined with a hip injury. Rose did well in Hopkins’ absence, connecting 10 of 11 field goal attempts and 18 of 20 extra point tries. When Hopkins returned for the ‘Skins, Rose was released and later signed with the Chargers. Rose make only one of his three field goal tries in two games, which didn’t inspire confidence in L.A.
The Chargers plan to have Caleb Sturgis and Roberto Aguayo duke it out in camp for the team’s kicking job, though they could also look at other options given their field goal issues last year. Meanwhile, the Jets will pit Rose against Cairo Santos.
Seahawks To Release DT Malik McDowell
The Seahawks have not yet cleared 2017 second-round pick Malik McDowell, and they are expected to release him in the near future, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The defensive tackle’s camp hopes another team will medically clear him. 
McDowell has yet to make his NFL debut. Last year, a summer ATV crash ruled him out for his entire would-be rookie season. In December, his career took another step back when 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 to land the Michigan State standout. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the latest draft miss from the Seattle front office.
Willie Snead Reports To Saints
Willie Snead‘s status for 2018 remains uncertain, but he is proceeding as though he’ll be with the Saints in 2018. On Monday, the wide receiver reported to the team for workouts, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Snead was tendered by New Orleans at the lowest level this offseason, giving the Saints the right to match any offer sheet he signs (but no draft compensation). The wide receiver auditioned for the Ravens recently, but did not sign a deal with them. For now, he remains in limbo, but he could be getting close to signing his one-year, $1.907MM placeholder with the Saints.
Snead, 26 in October, was hardly a factor in the Saints offense last year. However, he averaged 70 catches for 940 yards and four touchdowns over the previous two seasons. Last year, as an exclusive rights free agent, he pushed for an improved contract and didn’t get it. He’s a long way from that big-money contract he wanted, but he could restore his value this year and look for a better payday next March.
The Saints added Cameron Meredith to their receiver group this offseason, meaning that Snead will have to fight for targets behind Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn Jr., Meredith, and Tommylee Lewis. On the plus side, quarterback Drew Brees tends to spread the ball around and the Saints did not land the high-end receiving threat they were seeking at tight end.