Eagles Were Runners Up For Jeremy Maclin
On Monday morning, it was reported that Jeremy Maclin was deciding between signing with the Ravens or the Bills. As it turns out, the decision actually came down to the Ravens and the Eagles, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Ravens Sign WR Jeremy Maclin]
This news comes as a surprise since Maclin’s only two known visits were with Buffalo and Baltimore. Furthermore, Eagles coach Doug Pederson said last week that the team did not have interest in the wide receiver “at [the] time.” Apparently, Pederson was playing coy with the media and Maclin felt familiar enough with the Eagles that he did not require a visit to Philadelphia.
The Bills went hard after Maclin, but apparently they did not crack his top two. Running back LeSean McCoy started the recruitment effort early by reaching out to his former Eagles teammate and Maclin’s visit stretched into a second day, but Buffalo was still not to his liking. One has to wonder where the Bills will go from here since their wide receiver group continues to look shallow. The Bills could use at least one receiver with a pedigree like Maclin’s to provide support behind oft-injured star Sammy Watkins. Robert Woods, who was a solid WR2 for the Bills, left the team in free agency this spring.
Saints To Sign QB Ryan Nassib
The Saints are expected to sign quarterback Ryan Nassib, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport adds that the Saints have “always been high on him,” so they’re happy to have him in the fold. 
Nassib becomes the fourth quarterback on the Saints’ roster after starter Drew Brees, primary backup Chase Daniel, and Garrett Grayson. It would appear that the Saints are pitting Nassib against Grayson for the QB3 role, though it’s not a certainty that they’ll carry three quarterbacks on the final 53-man roster. If the Saints are planning on having just Brees and Daniel come September, then Nassib and Grayson could wind up as practice squad candidates for New Orleans.
Nassib was selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft by the Giants, but the Syracuse product never got to make a start for the G-Men. Nassib received praise from Giants coaches for his work in practice, but the team didn’t try to re-sign him this offseason.
Last year, Nassib’s season ended early thanks to an elbow injury. At this stage, however, he is presumably healthy and ready to compete.
King Dunlap Retires From Football
King Dunlap is calling it a career. The former Chargers offensive lineman will retire instead of pursuing an NFL gig in 2017, according to his agents (on Twitter). 
Dunlap was released by the Chargers back in March and even though he is retiring today, he did have opportunities to play elsewhere, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The Broncos were said to have some level of interest in Dunlap following his release, but we haven’t heard his name much in the last three months. That’s a sign that Dunlap has been thinking about hanging ’em up for a while now.
Dunlap, an Auburn product, entered the league as a seventh-round pick of the Eagles in 2008. After going No. 230 overall, he made several teams regret passing on him as he became a quality lineman for Philly. In his final year with the Eagles, Dunlap made 12 starts and parlayed that promotion into a free agent contract with San Diego.
In four years with the Chargers, Dunlap started in all 46 of his appearances. However, Pro Football Focus rated him as just the No. 53 tackle in the NFL last season in what was his second straight injury-shortened campaign. Dunlap, who turns 32 in September, will now get to heal from all of his nagging injuries as he exits football.
Branden Albert Reports To Jaguars
Branden Albert has joined the Jaguars for this week’s mandatory minicamp, the team announced. Albert told the Jaguars last week that he would be in attendance, so his presence was expected. 
Albert skipped the Jags’ voluntary offseason program in an effort to pressure the team to give him a better contract. Realistically, that was the only way for Albert to drum up any degree of leverage, but it was still a longshot to work. Albert has two years to go on his deal and the Jaguars aren’t exactly sure what they have in him after a down year with the Dolphins.
If Albert performs well and stays healthy this season, he may have a chance at a reworked contract next offseason. For now, he’s slated to play out the 2017 season at an $8.9MM cap number. In 2018, that figure jumps to $9.6MM. Unfortunately for him, there is no guaranteed money remaining on his contract.
Now that Albert is in the fold, the Jaguars are back to Plan A with him starting at left tackle and rookie Cam Robinson playing at left guard. Beyond that, the Jags are projected to start Brandon Linder at center, A.J. Cann at right guard, and Jermey Parnell at right tackle.
Eddie Lacy Passes Seahawks Weigh-In
Eddie Lacy is slimming down and cashing in. The Seahawks running back passed his scheduled weigh-in on Monday morning, a source tells ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). 
Now that Lacy has tipped the scales at 250 lbs or less, he’ll earn a scheduled $55K bonus. Per the terms of his contract, Lacy has monthly scheduled weigh-ins through the offseason and during the regular season. Lacy made weight in May, registering below 255 pounds, giving him his first $55K payout.
Lacy’s free agent deal is worth $2.865MM guaranteed but he can add on $2.685MM through incentives, a portion of which is tied to his weight. Lacy has earned a rep as a bruising power back, but his conditioning has often been criticized, so the Seahawks gave him extra motivation to stay trim.
The former Packer reportedly weighed in at 267 pounds during one free agent visit, so he’s already shed a significant amount of weight this offseason. The goal for Lacy is for him to play at 245 lbs during the season and he is right on the doorstep of that.
Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Colts Waive Ken Griffey Jr.’s Son, Trey Griffey
Trey Griffey, the son of baseball legend Ken Griffey Jr. was waived/injured by the Colts on Monday morning, per a club announcement. The move will make room for the addition of fellow wide receiver Chris Briggs.
Griffey, a 6’3″, 209 pound athlete, had 23 catches for 382 yards and two touchdowns in his final season at Arizona. The team did not disclose his ailment, but it seems that he suffered a somewhat serious injury in practice. If he clears waivers – the typical outcome for less-heralded players who are waived/injured – then he will revert to the Colts’ injured reserve.
It was a short stay for Griffey in Indianapolis as he was signed just five weeks ago. This is a disappointing outcome for him, but the unfortunate reality is that Griffey was facing long odds of making the roster to begin with. Teams, of course, are currently working with a 90-man roster capacity. Griffey was one of twelve receivers pushing to make the final 53-man cut and the Colts are unlikely to carry more than six WRs into September. At least four of those spots are effectively spoken for with T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, Phillip Dorsett, and offseason pickup Kamar Aiken leading the way.
Texans To Host Aaron Williams On Visit
Things could be picking up for former Bills safety Aaron Williams. The veteran will meet with the Texans on Thursday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Texans Work Out WR Javontee Herndon]
Williams was cut loose by Buffalo around the start of free agency following a season in which he suffered a painful neck injury. Since then, he has had only one visit – his May 3 powwow with the Jaguars. At this point, Wilson hears that Williams is fully healthy, so it might not take long for a deal to materialize if Houston likes what it sees.
Williams has only played in ten games total over the last two seasons thanks to neck issues. However, he has been a starter for the bulk of his career and he has seven interceptions to his credit in the NFL. The Texans are thin at the safety position, so it makes sense for them to at least kick the tires on Williams.
For Williams, a deal with the Texans would represent a homecoming. Williams played his high school ball at McNeil in Austin and went to college at the University of Texas.
Odell Beckham Jr. Reports To Giants
ODB is in the house. The Giants welcomed Odell Beckham Jr. to the team facility today for his scheduled physical, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. The receiver also posted a video on Instagram declaring that he is “back” and ready to go. 
[RELATED: Giants To Keep D.J. Fluker At Guard]
Tuesday marks the start of mandatory minicamp and there was little fear that Beckham Jr. would extend his holdout into that phase of the offseason. His participation in team activities before that point, however, could be taken as a sign of good vibes between the two sides. There are conflicting reports on whether Beckham Jr. was staying away from the team to gain leverage for a new deal, but if that is indeed the case, then it doesn’t sound like the receiver is necessarily mad at the team.
The Giants don’t have a ton of incentive to give Beckham Jr. a new contract this offseason. For now, he’s slated to play out 2017 for a below-market $1.8MM salary. Then, the Giants control Beckham through a fifth-year option for $8.5MM, a rate that is still quite affordable for a player of his caliber. It would make sense for the Giants to open up talks with Beckham next offseason, though the team could still control him for years beyond 2018 with the franchise tag.
In 2016, Beckham earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod with 101 receptions for 1,367 yards and ten touchdowns.
Jeremy Maclin To Choose Team Today
The Bills and Ravens are expecting to hear from Jeremy Maclin today on his big free agent decision, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Maclin visited both teams last week and reportedly enjoyed his time in both cities. 
Soon after the Chiefs released the wide receiver, running back LeSean McCoy started playing recruiter for the Bills. The Ravens also quickly scheduled a free agent visit with Maclin. The Eagles and Browns were said to have some degree of interest, but for one reason or another, the 29-year-old only met with Buffalo and Baltimore.
Maclin would make a great deal of sense for both teams. The Bills can’t rely on star Sammy Watkins to stay healthy and the cast of receivers following him leaves much to be desired. The Ravens could also use reinforcements for Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman since they did not address the position in the draft.
The Ravens may have a leg up on Maclin thanks to the Marty Mornhinweg connection. Mornhinweg, the Ravens’ offensive coordinator, coached Maclin from 2009 through 2012 in Philadelphia. On the other hand, PFR readers seem to think that the Bills are in the catbird seat. In a recent poll, the Bills were voted as Maclin’s most likely destination with 34% of the vote. The Ravens, at 26%, came in second.
Once Maclin decides on his team, that should start the ball rolling for Eric Decker, Rapoport tweets. The Jets will either trade or release the 30-year-old and there have been some discussions with the Ravens.
49ers Sign Rookie Reuben Foster
Reuben Foster is officially a member of the 49ers. The team announced on Friday that the linebacker has inked his rookie contract. 
The Niners kicked off their draft night by trading down from No. 2 to No. 3 and selecting Solomon Thomas. Later on, they traded back into the first round to select Foster. Foster appeared in 51 games (24 starts) during his four-year career at Alabama and registered 222 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. In 2016, he was named First-Team All-America by the Associated Press and won the Butkus Award, the trophy given to the nation’s best linebacker.
Foster was believed to be a top ten candidate heading into draft week, but concerns about his character and injured shoulder hurt his stock. As he slid down the board, the Niners worked the phones hard to try and take the standout inside linebacker. At one point, the Niners were ready to trade into the middle of the first round for Foster, but they were able to get him several picks later and give up a lot less for the privilege. SF traded its No. 34 and No. 111 overall picks to Seattle to move up to No. 31 and nab Foster, who was reportedly the third-ranked player on its board.
With the signing, the 49ers now have eight of ten draft picks under contract. Thomas and C.J. Beathard are the only two unsigned rookies.