Jets Fear Vikings In Kirk Cousins Chase
The “legal tampering” period before free agency doesn’t begin until March 12, but the Jets are already worried about losing out on their top target. The Jets are aware of league-wide speculation that the Vikings will sign Kirk Cousins and they are taking that talk seriously after engaging in “informal, preliminary talks with his camp this week,” Ralph Vacchiano of SNY hears. 
The Jets badly need a quarterback solution for 2018 and the Vikings, in theory, have three starter-quality signal callers to choose from. However, the Vikings are not comfortable with relying on Sam Bradford or Teddy Bridgewater and they apparently would prefer to give Cousins a record-breaking deal over a more modest contract for Case Keenum. The Vikings are not expected to use the franchise tag on Keenum and it’s not hard to connect the dots to Cousins.
Cousins is reportedly planning to not agree to terms with any club before the official start of free agency on March 14, but that may change with the right offer from Minnesota. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether Cousins would change course and agree to a back-channelled deal beforehand, but the Jets are aware – and nervous – about the possibility.
The Broncos and Cardinals are also reportedly among the “final suitors” for Cousins’ services.
Giants To Move DRC To Safety
Last fall, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie‘s chances of staying with the Giants seemed slim. He is in the plans for the team’s new regime, but it’ll be at a different position. The Giants are moving Rodgers-Cromartie from cornerback to safety, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. This summer, he’ll compete with Darian Thompson for the starting job at free safety. 
Cornerbacks don’t always take well to moving to safety, particularly those of DRC’s caliber. He says he’s on board with the plan, however, according to Kimberly Jones of NFL.com (on Twitter).
The Giants had an opportunity to get out from DRC’s contract this offseason. The 31-year-old (32 in April) is slated to carry an $8.5MM cap hit, but releasing him would save $6.5MM against the cap against just $2MM in dead money.
For now, it sounds like the Giants will stick with him at his current rate, but we have a long way to go between now and the start of the 2018 season. It would not be surprising to see the Giants to ask the veteran to accept a pay cut, nor would it be a shock to see them abandon the cornerback-to-safety plan altogether, either by keeping him at corner or releasing him outright. The Giants have $23MM in cap space, a mere pittance compared to other teams in the NFL, and multiple needs to address such as remaking the offensive line and finding a new lead running back.
Last year, Rodgers-Cromartie earned a 77.2 overall score from Pro Football Focus, his lowest showing since 2012. He graded out as the 58th ranked cornerback in the NFL, portraying him as someone who is on the fringe of starter quality. His on-field performance was the least of his issues, however. Rodgers-Cromartie clashed with former coach Ben McAdoo last week – apparently, on four separate occasions – before being suspended “indefinitely” for conduct detrimental to the team. He was brought back after just one game, but his outbursts were an indicator of a much deeper problem in the Giants’ locker room.
In 2016, he earned a career-best 89.9 mark from PFF and was as second team All-Pro by both PFF and the Associated Press. That’s the kind of performance the Giants are looking for as DRC shifts his focus to a new position.
Cowboys Owner Wants To Keep Dez Bryant
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants Dez Bryant to be a member of the Cowboys next offseason (via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Of course, it remains to be seen if Dallas can accomplish that with the wide receiver’s $16.5MM cap hit looming large. 
“The reason we don’t discuss contract is that it is implies there is an issue with the contract,” Jones said. “That is not fair to imply that there is anything until we sit down and announce we have done something one way or another. It takes two. It takes him and us to do anything with his contract. I’m going to leave it at that. You have asked me as I sit here do you want him on the team next year, and my answer is yes.”
Jones indicated that the Cowboys will meet with Bryant and/or his reps before free agency starts on March 14. We shouldn’t expect the Cowboys to pitch Bryant on an extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Rapoport’s “understanding” is that the Cowboys will ask Bryant to take a pay cut or adjust the contract in some other fashion for the upcoming year. Still, moving on seems like the last resort for the Cowboys, he says.
Bryant is due a $12.5MM base salary this season. If the wide receiver is not amendable to an outright pay cut, the team look for him to slash his base pay with an equal raise in incentives. If Bryant can come close to reprising his 2014 season (88 receptions for 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns), then he’ll be well worth the money. If he falls closer to his last three seasons (an average of 50 catches for 678 yards and six scores), then the Cowboys will want to pay him appropriately.
Bears Not Looking To Trade Jordan Howard
There will be plenty of roster turnover for the Bears this offseason, but it sounds like Jordan Howard is staying put. The Bears have “zero desire” to trade the running back, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). 
On Saturday afternoon, a report from NBC Sports Chicago ignited some Twitter buzz about a potential swap involving Howard and Jarvis Landry of the Dolphins. The Bears do have interest in Landry, but they apparently do not have interest in parting with Howard in order to bring him to Chicago. To that end, a league source tells Mike Florio of PFT that there is “no way” a Landry-for-Howard swap will go down.
Howard has turned in two quality seasons for the Bears with a combined average of 4.6 yards per carry. Last year, Howard started in every game for the Bears and ran for 1,122 yards and nine touchdowns off of 276 carries. He also added 23 catches for 125 yards.
A former fifth round pick, Howard remains under contract for two more seasons with cap charges of just $692K and $782K. Naturally, he is the kind of player that Chicago is intent on keeping.
Falcons Cut DE Derrick Shelby
The Falcons have released defensive end Derrick Shelby, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Shelby’s representatives requested the release so that he could get a jump start this weekend and “do a deal this weekend,” Rapoport adds. 
Shelby, 29 in early March, left the Dolphins to sign with the Falcons in free agency last offseason. The veteran put himself on the map in 2016 when he took over for Cameron Wake following his injury and performed well in eight starts.
Shelby was a starter right out of the gate in Dan Quinn’s defense, but he did not bowl anyone over with his play. Shelby totaled 30 tackles on the year with one sack and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 51 ranked edge defender.
Shelby, who also saw time on the interior in 2017, was under a four-year, $18MM contract with Atlanta with $7.5MM in guarantees. The Falcons will save $3.25MM against the cap by releasing him, but they’ll also be on the hook for $2.5MM in dead money.
The Falcons also released tight end Levine Toilolo on Friday and more cuts could be coming down the pike. The Falcons entered Friday with less than $11.5MM in cap space, putting them near the bottom of the NFL.
Panthers Not Interested In Jarvis Landry
Jarvis Landry is on the block, but the Panthers won’t be among the teams to pursue the Dolphins wide receiver. Carolina is not interested, Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter) hears. Instead, the Panthers are looking for a wide receiver with more speed. 
Landry has done well for himself in the NFL, but he isn’t exactly a track star. At the draft combine four years ago, he ran the 40-yard-dash in 4.77 seconds, which is one reason why he slid to the Dolphins in the backend of the second round. Since then, Landry has tallied 400 receptions for 4,038 yards and 22 touchdowns. That’s not too shabby for a receiver without top-end speed.
The Panthers are out on Landry, but plenty of other teams are expected to explore trading for him. We learned earlier today that the Bears have interest in Landry and Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald suggests that the Niners are another team that would make sense. Salguero would also “not discount” the Titans. All three teams have needs at wide receiver and all of those clubs rank in the top ten in available cap space.
The Dolphins applied the franchise tag to Landry in October, holding him in place with a one-year, $16MM+ tender. Any team acquiring Landry is expected to hammer out a cap smoothing multi-year extension with him, but that number will factor heavily in negotiations.
Latest On Louisville’s Lamar Jackson
Can Louisville’s Lamar Jackson play quarterback in the NFL? Many feel that he can, but not all talent evaluators are convinced. Multiple teams have asked Jackson to work out as a wide receiver, in addition to working out as a QB, according to NFL.com’s Peter Schrager. 
Few can find fault with Jackson’s performance as a quarterback in college. As a sophomore in 2016, Jackson became the first player in school history to win the first Heisman Trophy. In 2017, he finished third in Heisman voting and wound up as the first underclassman to reach 9,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards. Still, questions persist about Jackson’s accuracy, physical build, and mechanics.
Jackson is widely viewed as a first or second-round prospect at the QB position. If no team is willing to gamble a high pick on his ability to play under center, it seems more likely that he’ll be pegged for Day 2 than Day 1.
In recent days, both Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome and Chiefs coach Andy Reid both said that Jackson can hang as an NFL QB.
“Yeah, I’m not much on that,” Reid said when asked about the idea of Jackson playing wideout. “I want to bring him in. Let’s exhaust that other thing that we know he’s good at and see. I’m just saying in general. This is a general statement: Let’s get him in and let him wing it a little bit and see how he does. We’ll be able to fit some things in there I’m sure.”
Vikings Will Not Tender Jeremiah Sirles
The Vikings will not tender offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles, agent Chris Gittings tells Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). He’ll be allowed to explore the open market, but his agent says that the Vikings still have interest in retaining him. 
Sirles came into the league as an unrestricted free agent, making him a candidate for the original round tender. The original round tender would place a one-year, $2MM hold on Sirles and give the Vikings the right of first refusal, though it would not net the Vikings any draft compensation in return. Apparently the Vikings have some interest in retaining Sirles as a reserve, but at a lesser rate.
Sirles has played predominantly at guard, but he made ten starts at right tackle for the Vikings in 2016. Categorized as a tackle by Pro Football Focus, Sirles was ranked No. 48 at the position with a poor 45.2 overall score.
In related news, Vikings interior lineman Joe Berger plans to test free agency.
Cowboys Extend Exec Will McClay
The Cowboys are holding on to vice president of player personnel Will McClay. After the McClay declined an opportunity to interview with the Texans about their GM opening, the team rewarded him with a two-year extension, as ESPN.com’s Todd Archer writes. 
The new deal, presumably, comes with a pay raise for his loyalty. The Cowboys wanted to keep McClay, a widely respected and highly sought after talent evaluator, even though he his blocked from the GM job with Jerry Jones in command.
As Archer notes, the Cowboys have drafted four Pro Bowl players – Zack Martin, Demarcus Lawrence, Ezekiel Elliott, and Dak Prescott – since McClay took over the college and pro personnel departments in 2014. In that span they’ve also tapped 14 players who start or play key roles for the team.
49ers To Pick 9th, Raiders To Pick 10th
The order for the 2018 draft is officially in the books. The 49ers won the coin toss for the rights to the No. 9 pick on Friday afternoon. The Raiders will now pick 10th. Beyond the first round, the Niners, Raiders, and Dolphins will alternate draft order due to their identical records.
The 49ers and Raiders both finished the year with matching 6-10 record and an identical strength of schedule. Typically, conference record is the next tiebreaker, but because the two teams are in different divisions and conferences, the logjam was settled with a coin flip.
The Raiders aren’t the only losers in today’s toss. The Patriots hold the rights to the Niners’ second-round pick thanks to the Jimmy Garoppolo trade and they’ll now pick at No. 43 overall instead of No. 41.
Here is the complete rundown of this year’s draft order:
1. Cleveland Browns (0-16)
2. New York Giants (3-13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (4-12)
4. Cleveland Browns (via the 4-12 Houston Texans)
5. Denver Broncos (5-11)
6. New York Jets (5-11)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11)
8. Chicago Bears (5-11)
9.San Francisco 49ers (6-10)
10. Oakland Raiders (6-10)
11. Miami Dolphins (6-10)
12. Cincinnati Bengals (7-9)
13. Washington Redskins (7-9)
14. Green Bay Packers (7-9)
15. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
16. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
17. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7)
18. Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
19. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
20. Detroit Lions (9-7)
21. Buffalo Bills (9-7)
22. Buffalo Bills (via the 10-6 Kansas City Chiefs)
23. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
24. Carolina Panthers (11-5)
25. Tennessee Titans (9-7)
26. Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
27. New Orleans Saints (11-5)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)
30. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
31. New England Patriots (13-3)
32. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)