Cardinals Targeting Mike Glennon
With Kirk Cousins likely headed to the Vikings, the Cardinals’ quarterback search continues. One option on Arizona’s radar is free agent Mike Glennon, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
The Bears informed Glennon of his release earlier this offseason. His release will be made official on Wednesday, which coincides with the official start of free agency.
The Cardinals may be eyeing Glennon as a backup possibility for a more promising QB. It’s also possible that he could be a bridge option for a rookie quarterback, which is a familiar situation for Glennon. Last year, the Bears signed Glennon to a lucrative three-year deal (which was abandoned this offseason) in order to serve as a bridge for rookie Mitch Trubisky. His turn as the Bears’ starting QB lasted all of one month.
As of this writing, the Cardinals do not have any quarterbacks under contract for 2018.
Lions To Sign LB Christian Jones
Former Bears linebacker Christian Jones plans to sign a two-year deal with the Lions, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Jones’ new contract is a two-year deal worth $7.75MM, including a $2.8MM signing bonus, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Jones had spent the previous four seasons with the Bears.
Jones, 27, made 11 starts for Chicago last season. On the year, he racked up 84 total tackles and two sacks with two passes defended. Jones graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 64-ranked linebacker last season. That’s not excellent, but Tahir Whitehead and Jarrad Davis were the only Lions LBs to finish higher.
The intra-NFC North defection will represent more turnover for the Bears at inside linebacker this offseason. The team already cut Jerrell Freeman, whom Jones replaced in the starting lineup. Freeman initially replaced Jones after he signed with Chicago in 2016, with Jones — a former UDFA — starting 13 games for the Bears in 2015. He returned to the first unit by making 11 starts last season and now figures to play a prominent role in Detroit.
Vikings Likely To Sign Kirk Cousins
It’s not a done deal, but it’s getting close. Kirk Cousins is likely to sign with the Vikings, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It would be a three-year, fully guaranteed contract (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, agent Mike McCartney is doing his best to pump the brakes. 
“No final decisions have been made,” McCartney said. “The plan is to visit Minnesota first. That’s all we can say right now.”
The Jets, of course, have had their eye on Cousins for months. The Cardinals were also hoping to get involved, but their limited cap space was a major obstacle in the Cousins sweepstakes. The Broncos were also said to be in the “final four” for Cousins at one point, but they moved quickly to sign Case Keenum early Tuesday morning. It’s quite possible that Denver sensed that Cousins was likely to go to Minnesota, driving them towards Keenum before another team could scoop him up.
Cousins made the Vikings his first visit on Tuesday — without also scheduling a Jets visit. These visit arrangements becoming public is not permitted, however, by an odd rule. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains, negotiations between a player’s agent and a team can take place during the tampering period. But plans for a meeting are not yet allowed. This could put the Vikings in position to be punished in a fashion similar to the Chiefs, who were docked a 2016 third-round pick for tampering with Jeremy Maclin in 2015.
Reportedly, the Vikings have offered Cousins a three-year deal with a $28MM annual salary. That annual figure is a bit shy of what we expected Cousins to land in free agency, but it may come with an unprecedented level of guaranteed money. It’s also possible that Cousins has better offers out there, but he may lean toward the Vikings since they would give him an opportunity to win right away.
The Vikings came one game away from reaching the Super Bowl last season with Keenum at the helm. As good as Keenum was in 2017, Cousins would represent a significant upgrade under center for this talented Vikings squad.
This would bring an end to Cousins’ lengthy run of complicated offseasons, at least for a while. It stands to arm the Vikings — the NFC’s No. 2 seed last season — with a quarterback upgrade. Minnesota has uniquely advanced to its past five playoff brackets, dating back to 2008, with five different passers — none of which repeating the feat with the team.
Minnesota will also be in position to win one of the most competitive races in free agency history, thus forcing Arizona and New York to scramble for other possible veteran solutions. It would make A.J. McCarron and Sam Bradford logical targets for these teams, each hoping to secure a Cousins commitment and thus more security at American sports’ premier position. However, the Jets are eyeing Teddy Bridgewater as a Plan B at this juncture.
This deal coming to fruition would obviously represent a seismic turn of events taking place. Cousins’ shorter-term pact would potentially put him back on the market after his age-32 season. It also could be a massive domino for his peers.
A player being signed to a fully guaranteed contract opens the door, at the very least, to other quarterbacks being able to demand the same kind of agreement. Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan are two beneficiaries on the surface. Each has achieved more than Cousins and is either already in talks with this team (Rodgers) or entering a contract year (Ryan). This could also potentially blaze a trail for players at other positions in high-leverage situations to be able to command similar accords, striking a major blow for the labor force in the nation’s most popular sport — a group that sees its MLB and NBA peers lap it when it comes to guarantee percentages.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report.
Adrian Peterson Wants To Join Texans
Adrian Peterson is a free agent, and he has an idea of where he wants to go. Peterson tells TMZ Sports that joining the texans would be his “dream scenario.”
“Obviously, being back home would be awesome,” the Palestine, Texas native said … “Houston has always been a team I’ve thought about.”
At this time, it’s not clear if the interest has been reciprocated or whether the Texans have reached out to Peterson’s representatives. Right now, the Texans seem pretty set at the top of the running back depth chart with Lamar Miller and D’Onta Foreman under contract, although Foreman is recovering from an Achilles injury.
Last season, Peterson agreed to a two-year contract with the Saints during the free agent period, but was rarely involved in the club’s offense. After weeks of not being utilized, Peterson was dealt to the Cardinals in exchange for a conditional late-round pick.
Peterson, who will turn 33 years old in March, managed 3.5 yards per carry on 129 rushes and scored twice in the desert. However, he was among the least effective backs in the league: Football Outsiders ranked Peterson 46th among 47 running backs in both DYAR and DVOA, metrics which measure overall and per-play value, respectively.
Bears To Sign K Cody Parkey
Former Dolphins kicker Cody Parkey intends to sign with the Bears, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a four-year deal worth $15MM ($9MM guaranteed), reports Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (via Twitter).
Parkey’s signing, of course, is not the biggest news of the day for the Bears. Already, Chicago has agreed to terms with wide receiver Allen Robinson and tight end Trey Burton, giving them two of this year’s top available offensive weapons.
Parkey, 26, spent the 2017 campaign with the Dolphins after kicking for the Browns from 2015-16. Last year marked the best season of Parkey’s career, as he nailed 91.3% of his field goal attempts. In Chicago, Parkey will reunite with longtime Browns special teams coordinator Chris Tabor.
Heading into free agency, PFR had ranked Parkey as the top free agent kicker on the board.
Cowboys, Bears, Jaguars Were In On Sammy Watkins
Early Tuesday morning, Sammy Watkins agreed to a three-year, $48MM deal with the Chiefs. Before that, Watkins had a booming market for his services. The Cowboys, Bears, Jaguars, and the incumbent Rams were among the teams in on the highly-coveted wide receiver, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). 
Watkins served as one of the top wide receivers available as an unrestricted free agency, along with Jaguars free agent Allen Robinson. The Bears reportedly agreed to a three-year, $42MM deal Monday with Robinson, who missed nearly the entire 2017 season with a torn ACL.
Like Robinson, Watkins has been plagued by injuries at times throughout his career, missing 10 games over the last three seasons. But the explosiveness and game-changing ability shown from the former No. 4 overall pick shouldn’t make it a surprise that teams were lining up to obtain his services. Watkins was at No. 7 in Pro Football Rumors’ Top 50 Free Agents For 2018.
If Watkins were to have gone to the Cowboys, that would’ve certainly paired up a dynamic and intriguing receiving tandem alongside Dez Bryant. The Jaguars are definitely in need of a wide receiver with the departure of Robinson, along with Marqise Lee set to become an unrestricted free agent.
The Rams were hoping to retain Watkins but that move became difficult to facilitate with the additions of Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, as well as placing the franchise tag on Lamarcus Joyner. It was reported that the Rams were deciding between Watkins and Joyner on who to give their franchise tag to.
Jets Have Teddy Bridgewater As Plan B If They Don’t Land Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins is taking his first visit with the Vikings, and that could spell bad news for the Jets. If the Jets are unable to land their top target, they will turn their attention to Teddy Bridgewater, team sources tell Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Bridgewater, ranked as the 17th best free agent on our list of this year’s top 50 available players, was hardly seen on the field last season as he returned from a gruesome knee injury. If Bridgewater is indeed signed to be the Jets’ starter, they would be wise to backstop him with another quality option. In theory, that No. 2 QB could be Josh McCown, but the interest level is currently unknown for both sides.
Cousins, for his part, looks to be moving closer to inking a deal with the Vikings. The Jets can theoretically offer more money given their ample cap space, but Minnesota would clearly be able to put a better team around Cousins. Adding Bridgewater, meanwhile, could be a long-term move for Gang Green given that he’s still only 25 years old, but the New York could also use an early-round pick on a signal-caller if it has doubts about Bridgewater’s health.
Bridgewater’s last full season came in 2015, when he threw for 3,231 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The former first-rounder also ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries. But, thanks that aforementioned knee injury, Bridgewater has attempted only two passes in the last two NFL seasons.
Jets Interested In OL Spencer Long
This may not be the free agent splash Jets fans were hoping for on Tuesday morning. Gang Green is pushing to land former Redskins offensive lineman Spencer Long, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (on Twitter). 
Already, the Jets have seen one prospective free agent quarterback come off the board in Case Keenum as he is expected to sign with the Broncos on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins is taking his first free agent visit with the Vikings.
Long can help bolster the Jets’ offensive line, but right now, no one knows which quarterback he’d be protecting. Last week, we rated Long as the 16th best interior lineman available.
Bears To Sign TE Trey Burton
Former Eagles tight end Trey Burton is expected to sign with the Bears, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Burton will land a four-year, $32MM deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
This four-year agreement looks closer to a two-year deal, however. Albert Breer of SI.com reports (on Twitter) Burton’s contract contains $18MM fully guaranteed in the first two years. After that, nothing is guaranteed, making the 2020 and ’21 seasons look like option years for the Bears.
Burton will receive a $7.5MM signing bonus and a $1MM roster bonus due early next week, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. His initial two base salaries are $2.8MM and $6.7MM, with the 2020 season also coming with a $6.7MM base. If he’s still on the roster in 2021, Burton will earn a $6MM base. Although Burton doesn’t have any fully guaranteed money due after 2019, there is a $4MM injury guarantee for part of his 2020 money, per Florio.
Burton provides new head coach Matt Nagy with a serious weapon in the offense. Between Burton and new free agent addition Allen Robinson, quarterback Mitch Trubisky couldn’t ask for much more. Lat season, Trubisky was forced to throw to one of the least-inspiring group of pass-catchers in the NFL, but he’ll now have a few legitimate targets.
Burton, of course, has been a backup for the majority of his career, as he’s played second fiddle to Zach Ertz in Philadelphia. Over the past two years, Burton has averaged 30 receptions, 288 yards, and three touchdowns per season, but he’s been extremely efficient. Football Outsiders ranked Burton third in DVOA among tight ends a season ago, meaning he provided value on a per-play basis.
Despite his relative lack of experience, Burton will now become the fifth-highest-paid tight end in the league on an annual basis. His $8MM/year salary will place behind only Travis Kelce, Jordan Reed, Rob Gronkowski, and Ertz. While Burton’s guarantees haven’t yet been made public, each of those tight ends received between $10-15MM in fully guaranteed cash.
Burton, whom PFR ranked as the best tight end on the market and the No. 19 overall free agent, drew plenty of interest before landing in Chicago, as both the 49ers and Lions expressed interest.
[RELATED: Bears Depth Chart]
Eagles Sign DT Haloti Ngata
The rich get richer. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata has signed a one-year deal with Eagles, as first reported by Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Ngata’s one-year, $2.6MM deal is fully guaranteed, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. He can earn another $25K for each game he plays, bringing the maximum value of the pact to $3MM.
Ngata’s 2017 season was mostly lost to injury and he vowed in January to continue playing in order to finish on a high note:
“I think if I finished the year healthy I would have been a little closer to probably retiring, but I want to finish the season so I think I want to keep on playing. And definitely I loved being able to be here and help Detroit have more dominance in this league. We’ve had winning seasons, I just want to continue to build this franchise and get it to where it can be a dominant franchise and a great team. So I definitely want to be here, I definitely want to keep on playing, but we’ll have to see once free agency hits.”
When Ngata was on the field for the first five games of the season, the Lions allowed just 74.6 yards rushing per game. After Ngata’s injury, the Lions allowed 129.7 yards rushing per game. Ngata may not be the player he once was, but he is still a major difference maker on the defensive line.
Ngata, 34, figures to replace Beau Allen as the Eagles’ No. 3 defensive tackle. Allen departed in free agency to join up with the Bucs.
The revamped Eagles’ defensive line projects to start Michael Bennett along with Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan, and Brandon Graham with Ngata, a five-time Pro Bowler, in support.