Giants Unlikely To Trade Odell Beckham Jr.
It sounds like Odell Beckham Jr. will be staying put. Teams around the league no longer believe the Giants are going to be trading the wide receiver either before or during the NFL draft, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Earlier this offseason, teams believed there was a real chance the Giants would trade the young superstar. 
Beckham reported to the G-Men recently for voluntary activities and the team now believes that he is fully on board with the new regime, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. OBJ’s ankle has also progressed well, so he should be on track for another monster season in 2018.
Meanwhile, not everyone is sold that Beckham will be staying in New York. The Giants could still be persuaded to move OBJ, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY hears, though their asking price could be a barrier to a deal. The Rams are no longer in the mix for OBJ after acquiring Brandin Cooks from the Patriots, but he speculates that a team such as the 49ers could put together a strong offer. Other teams will be wary of Beckham’s desire for a new $100MM+ contract, but the Niners have the cap room to accommodate any such deal and also possess the draft capital to make an enticing offer to the Giants.
The Patriots, in theory, also have the firepower to put together a package for Beckham, but they are not interested in such a move.
Saints To Sign Cameron Meredith
The Bears have chosen to not match Cameron Meredith‘s offer sheet with the Saints, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Meredith will now join Drew Brees & Co. in New Orleans on a two-year deal.
The Saints inked the restricted free agent to an offer sheet late last week, which triggered a five-day window for the Bears to match. Because Meredith was tendered at the lowest level, the Bears will not receive draft pick compensation.
The Bears, apparently, were skittish about Meredith’s medical situation. The receiver is coming off of a torn ACL and MCL, so there is a bit of risk in the signing for the Saints. However, if he is healthy, this will likely prove to be a brilliant value add for New Orleans.
The Saints now project to start Mike Thomas, Ted Ginn Jr., and Meredith at wide receiver. With Mark Ingram in the backfield, tight end stands as the Saints’ last major need at a skill position. Currently, the Saints have Josh Hill, Coby Fleener, Benjamin Watson, and Michael Hoomanawanui in their TE group. None of those players offer the same upside as, say, Jimmy Graham, whom the Saints tried to sign in March.
The presence of Saints wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson played a big role in Meredith’s relocation to Louisiana. Johnson worked with Meredith in Chicago and fought for him to make the Bears’ final cut in the summer of 2016. Meredith rewarded his confidence by catching 66 passes for 888 yards in just ten starts.
Meredith will now play on a two-year $9.6MM deal with $5.4MM guaranteed. With incentives, the deal could be worth as much as $12.6MM.
[RELATED: Saints Depth Chart]
Seahawks To Sign CB Dontae Johnson
The Seahawks are signing cornerback Dontae Johnson, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Johnson becomes the first significant free agent addition at cornerback for the Seahawks this year following an offseason of upheaval all around. 
The Seahawks retained corner Justin Coleman this offseason via the second-round tender, but they’re looking to bolster the group after parting ways with Richard Sherman. Needless to say, Johnson is not a one-for-one replacement for Sherman (who is now with Johnson’s former team), but he will provide depth in an area of need.
Johnson started all 16 games for the Niners last year, but he didn’t necessarily play up to that billing. The 26-year-old ranked near the bottom of Football Outsiders’ yards allowed per pass and success rate. Meanwhile, he graded out as the fourth worst qualified corner in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, as he placed 118th out of 121 possible players.
For now, the Seahawks project to start Justin Coleman and Shaquill Griffin at cornerback. Neiko Thorpe, Deandre Elliott, and Alex Carter are also slated to return as reserves.
Saints Host Lamar Jackson
The Saints hosted former Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson for a visit on Tuesday, sources tell Nick Underhill of The Advocate. The Jackson meeting counts for one of the Saints’ “Top 30” visits.
Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi attended Louisville’s pro day recently and apparently came away impressed by the mobile QB. The Saints are obviously well set at the QB position, but they could consider Jackson as an future heir to Drew Brees.
“I like him. I like him. He’s athletic. He’s got a magic smile to him. He’s a leader,” head coach Sean Payton recently said. “With Lamar, you feel it in the room, and you can tell he can lead. … He’s a special guy. You just have to be around him, interview him, and you can see why he was successful.”
Jackson offers a radically different skill set than Brees, but that doesn’t seem to bother the Saints.
“The trick for a team that takes a quarterback at any point to become or to compete to become a starter, one of our jobs is to look closely at what are the things that player does best,” Payton said. “If he’s your quarterback, you start looking closely at what he did well at Louisville, and you build that way. We’re never wanting to just take any of these players … and enter the game and view them just as Drew entered the game. They’re different athletes.”
Dolphins To Sign LB Terence Garvin
The Dolphins are signing former Seahawks and Redskins linebacker Terence Garvin, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Garvin started in three games last year, but he has made his name as a special teams standout. 
Garvin, 28, entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of West Virginia in 2013 and spent the first three years of his career with the Steelers. He then went on to play for the Redskins in 2016 and the Seahawks in 2017.
Last year, Garvin saw the most defensive playtime (18%) of his career in 2017 due to injuries. All in all, he tallied nine tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 15 games for Seattle.
Garvin will serve as a reserve for the Dolphins while their search for a third starting linebacker continues.
Contract Details: Lions, Cassel, Titans
Contract
- Matt Cassel‘s deal with the Lions is for the veteran’s minimum with $350K in guarantees, according to Justin Rogers of the Detroit News (on Twitter). So, even though there are guarantees, it’s not enough to suggest that the team is moving on from backup Jake Rudock. Rudock has a $630K salary with no guarantees, but they could conceivably roll with him over Cassel if he looks better this summer.
- Bennie Logan‘s one-year deal with the Titans has $3.75MM guaranteed, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets. As previously reported, Logan can earn up to $5MM through incentives.
- Tackle Ben Ijalana‘s one-year deal with Jets is worth $2.5MM, Rich Cimini of ESPN tweets. The total guarantee is $500K, via his signing bonus. Ijalana does not project to start for the Jets, but the team clearly values him more than the average backup.
NFL Draft Rumors: Rosen, Dolphins, Hurst
Is UCLA star Josh Rosen the top quarterback in this year’s draft? Josh Rosen thinks so.
“I’m the best QB in the draft,” Rosen told Sam Alipour of ESPN The Magazine. “A lot of guys are flashier, but I think I’m the most efficient, monotonously consistent QB in this draft. Rodgers has some flair, but if you watch Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, there’s nothing that’s explosive or Johnny Manziel — like. It’s just quarterbacking.”
Rosen has gotten some flack for his willingness to speak on social issues and interests outside of the game of football, but he says that he is focused on winning games and titles at the next level.
Here’s more draft news:
- South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst had dinner with Dolphins brass on Tuesday night and has a top 30 visit with the team on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Dolphins are in need of a tight end as Julius Thomas and Anthony Fasano remain unsigned. Hurst, a former pro baseball player who walked on as a tight end for the Gamecocks, may have the most upside of any tight end in this year’s draft.
- Key members of the Seahawks brass including GM John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll spent Tuesday at Arizona St. privately working out Texas A&M wide receiver Christian Kirk, Rapoport tweets. The Seahawks lost Paul Richardson to free agency this year and could use an impact player like Kirk to replace him. For now, Seattle projects to start Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett and also have offseason pickups Jaron Brown and Marcus Johnson in the mix. With the No. 19 pick in their possession, the Seahawks could be in range for the Aggies star.
Bengals Ask Eric Reid About Anthem Issue
Safety Eric Reid met with the Bengals on Monday to discuss football as well as some non-football matters. Bengals owner Mike Brown personally met with Reid and asked him whether he’ll kneel during the 2018 season, Mike Florio of PFT hears. 
Reid, who previously indicated that he will not kneel this year, was unwilling to commit on the spot. He ultimately left without an offer, even though he sensed that defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and other coaches were interested in signing him and didn’t care much about his anthem protests.
However, late in the visit, head coach Marvin Lewis asked Reid if he wants to clarify anything that Reid told ownership regarding the anthem. Reid said that he had nothing to add and the visit ended soon after.
Things have stalled in free agency for Reid and it’s likely that his participation in protests during the national anthem are a factor. Reid is reportedly willing to return to the Niners on a one-year deal and that may wind up being his best option. There have been some discussions on that front, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears, though SF pitched a deal for a lower guaranteed rate than the one he had in 2017. Reid, meanwhile, wants to match his $5.676MM salary from last year, according to Florio.
Colts Sign CB Kenneth Acker
The Colts annoucned the signing of cornerback Kenneth Acker. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s probably not a costly contract for Indianapolis.
Acker has played in 40 career games, including 15 starts, over the course of his four-year NFL career with the Chiefs (2016-17) and 49ers (2014-15). The Seahawks also showed some interest in him before he landed in Indy.
The Colts lost Rashaan Melvin in free agency this year when he joined with the Raiders, leaving them with a lack of depth at cornerback. Acker probably isn’t in line for a starting job, but he can offer support from the bench, along with the recently re-signed Pierre Desir.
Jets To Pick Up Leonard Williams’ Option
No surprise here. The Jets will pick up Leonard Williams‘ fifth-year option before the May 3 deadline, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. 
Williams was already under contract for the 2018 season at a reasonable $2.975MM salary. It’s not 100% clear what his 2019 salary will be since he has spent time at both defensive tackle and defensive end.
Fifth-year option salaries for top ten picks are dictated by the average of the top ten players in the NFL at the position, which is equivalent to the transition tag. This year, the transition tag the transition tag for defensive ends was set at $14.2MM. For defensive tackles, it was $11.4MM.
Williams, who will turn 24 this summer, had just two sacks last season, but that was due largely to playing snaps on the interior line. Pro Football Focus placed Williams as the No. 21 ranked defensive tackle in the NFL last season with a solid 84.8 overall score. He has graded out as a top 20 player at his position in each of his three NFL seasons, per PFF, and earned Pro Bowl honors for his work in 2016. It’s conceivable that Williams would have been in line for another Pro Bowl nod in 2017 had he not suffered a wrist injury early in the season. The tender wrist clearly affected his performance, though he did not miss a single game.
The Jets and Williams can still hammer out a long-term extension between now and 2019, which seems likely to happen. The Jets value Williams and they have the cap flexibility to lock him down for years to come.