Ravens, Jimmy Smith Restructure Deal
The Ravens and cornerback Jimmy Smith have agreed to a restructuring of his deal that will open up some cap room for the team. Smith will now have $7.725MM of his $8.5MM base salary converted into a signing bonus, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The adjustment will create $5.15MM in cap space for Baltimore. 
[RELATED: Austin Howard Hasn’t Practiced With Ravens]
After suffering a rash of injuries this offseason, the Ravens likely wanted the extra breathing room so that they could explore reinforcements. For example, if Joe Flacco‘s back does not improve and Ryan Mallett continues to struggle in practice, the Ravens may want to look into adding a free agent quarterback. The Ravens may also want to look into tight end depth in the wake of Crockett Gillmore‘s injury (which followed Dennis Pitta‘s injury/release) and they could still use some offensive line help even after adding Austin Howard to the mix.
Smith also restructured his contract last offseason, so this marks the second time that he has adjusted his four-year, $48MM extension since signing it in 2015. Last year, the cornerback’s season ended in mid-December after he suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Patriots. In 11 games, the 29-year-old racked up 32 tackles and four passes defended.
The defensive back joined the Ravens as a first-round pick in 2011, and he’s started each of his 51 games over the past four seasons. This year, he returns as a starter alongside free agent addition Brandon Carr.
NFC West Notes: Kaepernick, Seahawks, 49ers
Although the Seahawks chose to sign Austin Davis instead of Colin Kaepernick, Seattle general manager John Schneider had nothing but positive words for the free agent quarterback, according to Jeremy Bregman of NFL.com.
“He is committed to football, there’s no question about it,” Schneider said. “The thing that maybe is a misconception is he’s a really, really nice man and he has his thoughts, he has his plan and it’s one of those things where it’s right time, right fit and I’m sure he’s going to find it.”
Kaepernick was internally discussed as an option for the Dolphins before they signed Jay Cutler, and he’s also on the Ravens‘ radar while Joe Flacco deals with a back injury.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Prior to his release earlier this year, the 49ers were in discussions with Tramaine Brock about a new contract, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. However, the Niners will not circle back to him even after learning that the charges against him have been dropped.
- 49ers guard Joshua Garnett will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery and the team admits his Week 1 status is shaky. “Timeframe, I haven’t been given one yet,” Shanahan said (transcription via PFT). “I’m hoping that he has a chance for Week 1, but I know that’s going to be a battle.” That jibes with previous reports about Garnett’s timeline.
- The release of Jeremy Zuttah was a difficult decision, but coach Kyle Shanahan said it was made easier by the fact that Daniel Kilgore has established himself at center (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). Kilgore will likely serve as the team’s starting center now that Zuttah is out of the picture.
49ers Waive C Jeremy Zuttah
Jeremy Zuttah‘s time in San Francisco did not last long. The center has been waived, per an announcement from the 49ers. In a related move, the team signed linebacker Sean Porter.
Zuttah will now seek his third team of the offseason. In March, the Ravens decided to waive Zuttah before a last-minute call from the Niners turned the transaction into a trade. At the time, Zuttah was expected to slot in as the team’s starting center.
Apparently, Zuttah did not meet expectations. Daniel Kilgore now profiles as the team’s new starter while Tim Barnes, who previously served as the Rams’ starting center for multiple seasons, should be his primary backup.
Zuttah was the Ravens’ starter in the middle from 2014 through 2016. Last year, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus placed Zuttah as the 13th best center in the league. His 82.7 score was his best showing since his rookie campaign.
49ers Not Interested In Tramaine Brock
After he was cleared of domestic violence charges on Wednesday morning, it may not be long before we see Tramaine Brock back in the NFL. It just won’t be with the 49ers. Despite a report to the contrary, a Niners spokesman says the team did not reach out to Brock’s camp and there is no interest in re-signing him (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). 
[RELATED: Brock Cleared Of Domestic Violence Charges]
Brock, a top-25 cornerback last season according to Pro Football Focus, is objectively the most talented cornerback left on the open market. Still, teams will be wary of the public relations backlash that comes with signing him. There’s also a strong possibility that he will have to serve a multi-game suspension during the 2017 season.
Brock appeared in 80 games for the Niners over the years, including starts in game in 2015 and 2016, save for one missed contest.
Cowboys, Chris Jones Agree To Extension
The Cowboys have signed punter Chris Jones to an four-year extension through 2021, according to ESPN.com’s Todd Archer (on Twitter). Jones was set to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2017 season. 
The four-year extension is worth $8.7MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. That includes $4.5MM guaranteed.
Jones averaged 45.9 yards per punt in 2016, which is roughly in line with his career average. As noted by Kristi Scales of the Dallas Morning News, the veteran has the team’s’ all-time highest percentage of punts downed inside the 20 with 39.9% (113 of 283). Teams will only go so far to lock down special teams players, but the Cowboys felt the need to lock down Jones at a reasonable cost for years to come.
Jones has been with the Cowboys since 2011 when he filled in for Mat McBriar. However, non-Cowboys fans may remember him best for his crushing tackle on Lions punt returner Andre Roberts last year.
Reactions To Devonta Freeman’s New Deal
fOn Wednesday morning, Devonta Freeman finally signed a long-term extension with the Falcons. The new deal means that the Falcons can keep their star running back through the 2022 season and is reportedly worth $41.25MM. Was it worth it for Freeman to give up next year’s franchise tag or a shot at the open market? Reasonable minds can differ on that, Mike Florio of PFT writes.
Freeman gets $22MM in guarantees (including a $15MM signing bonus) and that’s significant for a player who has yet to have his big payday in the NFL. On the other hand, the five-year extension hardly guarantees Freeman’s place in Atlanta for the full term. In essence, the Falcons are really only tied to Freeman for three years. After that, it’s fairly easy to hit the eject button.
Still, Freeman is not in the same position as a high-end quarterback. The risk of injury for running backs is far greater and there is greater incentive for them to grab the guaranteed dollars when they can.
Here are some other takes on Freeman’s new contract:
- Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link) has a more complete breakdown of Freeman’s finances. Of note: Freeman’s $3.75MM salary for 2019 is guaranteed for injury only at time of signing but converts to a full guarantee in March of 2019. That means that if Freeman’s performance declines, the Falcons can cut ties with him just two years from now. After that, his 2020-22 salaries are not guaranteed.
- Former agent Joel Corry (on Twitter) doesn’t believe that Steelers star Le’Veon Bell will match Devonta Freeman’s $22MM of guarantees if/when he signs his long term deal with Pittsburgh. For comparison, fellow Steelers standout Antonio Brown has $19MM of guarantees on his $17MM per year deal.
- In addition to Freeman’s deal, Cardinals back David Johnson should consider the deal Bell rejected as a part of the running back marketplace if Bell remains unsigned in 2018, Corry tweets. Prior to this year’s franchise player extension deadline, Bell said no to a five-year deal worth roughly $60MM. The proposal included $30MM across the first two years of the contract and $42MM over the first three seasons. Bell reportedly turned the deal down in part because he wanted a deal that reflected his status as an elite running back but also as a top receiving option.
Tramaine Brock Has Charges Dropped
The felony domestic violence case against former 49ers cornerback Tramaine Brock has been dismissed, according to the Santa Clara district attorney’s spokesman (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). Brock is currently a free agent and he may wind up as one of the league’s most popular available players in the coming days. 
Already, at least five teams want to bring Brock in for a workout, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter) hears. Caplan terms Brock as the best available cornerback remaining on the market, and there’s definitely a case to be made for that at this stage of the offseason. Despite some rumblings to the contrary, the incumbent 49ers are not among the clubs with interest.
Brock, 29 later this month, was arrested on domestic violence charges in April. Officers responded to a domestic violence report and found “visible facial injuries” on the woman Brock is dating. The league may have something to say about the incident, but, legally speaking, Brock is in the clear.
The 28-year-old Brock has spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Niners after first joining the team undrafted free agent in 2010. He went on to start in 40 of 80 appearances and totaled eleven interceptions.
He’s coming off his first 16-start season, in which he amassed a career-high 58 tackles, logged 14 passes defensed and picked off a pass. He also ranked 23rd in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 111 qualified corners.
Texans Cut Terry Poole With Failed Physical
Terry Poole‘s stay in Houston was short lived. After being claimed off waivers over the weekend, the offensive tackle has been released with a failed physical designation, the team announced. 
[RELATED: Texans Made Claim On Bruce Ellington]
Poole was initially a Seahawks fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft, but he has yet to play in an NFL game. This year, he signed a futures deal with Miami, but the Dolphins cut him loose in August. Now, he’ll have to look for his fourth NFL team with the hope that the new squad will give him his first taste of live action.
Poole was not necessarily central to the Texans’ plans for this season, but tackle depth is critical as Duane Brown pushes for a new contract. The Texans are also without Derek Newton for the season as he recovers from double patella tears.
Packers Release DT Letroy Guion
The Packers have released defensive tackle Letroy Guion, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Packers DT Montravius Adams To Miss Time]
Guion was arrested in Hawaii this offseason for intoxicated driving. The lineman had a blood alcohol content of .086 an hour after the arrest – and smelled of both alcohol and marijuana at the time.
Before the DUI, Guion was already set to serve a season-opening four-game suspension for a separate infraction – a violation of the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. It seems that all of the headaches were just too much for the Packers to deal with.
Guion started 15 games for the Packers in 2016, so his production will certainly be missed. The Packers may look for outside reinforcements but, for now, they project to have Christian Ringo, rookie Montravius Adams, and Brian Price at nose tackle. Adams, unfortunately, will miss time with a stress fracture in his foot.
The 30-year-old racked up 30 tackles last year and ranked 63rd in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 127 qualified interior defensive linemen.
49ers Sign CB Asa Jackson
The 49ers have signed cornerback Asa Jackson, according to a team announcement. To make room, the team waived/injured fellow corner Zach Franklin.
Jackson, 27, is best known for his four seasons spent with the Ravens. The former fifth round pick was cycled through Baltimore’s roster last year before being plucked from the practice squad by the Lions. Upon being reunited with Teryl Austin, Jackson appeared in four games with two starts.
Franklin joined San Francisco as an undrafted rookie free agent in May out of Washburn University. In his college career, he appeared in 45 games (34 starts) and recorded 109 tackles, 32 passes defensed, six tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble.
Fun fact: Jackson is the fifth Sacramento native on the Niners’ roster, according to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee (on Twitter). If you include DeAndre Carter’s college days at Sacramento State, the count is actually up to six.