RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/14/18
Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:
RFAs
Tendered at the second-round level ($2.914MM):
- Cowboys DE David Irving (story)
- Giants: C Brett Jones (story via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- Jets: Quincy Enunwa (story)
Tendered at original round level ($1.907MM):
- Browns: DT Jamie Meder
- Chiefs: DE Rakeem Nunez-Roches (via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM)
- Jets: OL Brent Qvale, TE Neal Sterling
- Lions: WR T.J. Jones (via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- Rams: OLB Matt Longacre (via Rapoport)
- Seahawks: DE Dion Jordan (story)
- Texans: C Greg Mancz
Non-tendered:
- Buccaneers: DE Ryan Russell (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
- Chargers: LB Josh Keyes
- Chiefs: LB Ramik Wilson (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
- Dolphins: OL Anthony Steen
- Falcons: RB Terron Ward (via D. Orlando Ledbetter)
- Jaguars: S Peyton Thompson, RB Tyler Gaffney
- Jets: DL Xavier Cooper
- Lions: RB Zach Zenner, DE Brandon Copeland, DL Zac Kerin
- Packers: LB Joe Thomas (via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Panthers: WR Kaelin Clay, CB Ladarius Gunter, TE Scott Simonson, OL David Yankey (via David Newton of ESPN.com)
- Rams: LB Cameron Lynch, T Darrell Williams
- Saints: WR Brandon Coleman, DT David Parry
- Seahawks: RB Thomas Rawls, RB Mike Davis (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
- Steelers: WR Eli Rogers (story via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
- Texans: LB Brian Peters, DE Angelo Blackson, LB Ben Heeney
- Titans: S Curtis Riley (via Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com), RB Bishop Sankey (via Chris Tomasson)
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Browns: QB Kevin Hogan
- Colts: TE Erik Swoope, G Jeremy Vujnovich, CB Christopher Milton, LS Luke Rhodes
- Dolphins: C Jake Brendel, LB Mike Hull, CB Jordan Lucas
- Giants: DT Robert Thomas (via Vacchiano)
- Jets: S Doug Middleton FB Lawrence Thomas TE Eric Tomlinson
- Lions: QB Jake Rudock, DT Christian Ringo
- Packers: WR Geronimo Allison (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
- Rams: K Sam Ficken (via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com)
- Raiders: LB/DE James Cowser, S Erik Harris, G/T Denver Kirkland
- Ravens: LB Patrick Onwuasor, WR Quincy Adeboyejo, OL Matt Skura, OL Maurquice Shakir
- Seahawks: RB J.D. McKissic, DE Quinton Jefferson, DE Branden Jackson (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
Non-tendered:
- Chiefs: DB Keith Baxter (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
- Giants: TE Ryan O’Malley, LB Curtis Grant (via Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com)
- Lions: DT Rodney Coe, P Kasey Redfern (via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- Packers: CB Herb Waters, LS Taybor Pepper (via Silverstein)
- Saints: C Jack Allen
Ravens Release Jeremy Maclin
The Ravens are releasing Jeremy Maclin, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Maclin now joins an underwhelming crop of free agent wide receivers, which could help his cause as he looks for a new team. 
Maclin had 40 catches for 440 yards with three touchdowns last season. It was the lowest output in catches and receiving yards in his career. Maclin was selected to the Pro Bowl while with the Eagles in 2014, setting career highs in receptions (85) and receiving yards (1,318).
The 29-year-old was in the second year of a two-year, $11MM deal signed with the Ravens last offseason after being cut by the Chiefs. He was set to have a $7.5MM cap hit toward this season. Maclin was due a $1MM bonus if he was still on the Ravens’ roster Friday.
The decision to cut Maclin comes a day after the Ravens agreed to deals with John Brown and Ryan Grant. Brown should help replace the speed threat presented by Mike Wallace, who’s an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Grant caught a career-best four touchdowns with the Redskins last year.
Along with Wallace, Michael Campanaro is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The Ravens still have Chris Moore, Breshad Perriman, Quincy Adeboyejo, DeVier Posey and Tim White rostered at wide receiver
Maclin joins a wide receivers market that features Wallace, Jordy Nelson, Terrelle Pryor and Eric Decker. Maclin was a fairly reliable option through his first five years in the league, which came with the Eagles who drafted him 19th overall in 2009. He played in at least 15 games in four of those seasons and had 60-plus catches in four of the seasons as well before signing with the Chiefs in 2015.
Ravens C Ryan Jensen To Visit Bucs, Colts
Ravens free agent center Ryan Jensen will visit Buccaneers and then the Colts, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
The Jets, who have signed Spencer Long to fill their center vacancy, liked Jensen, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter). However, they were warded off by his price tag.
Jensen started all 16 games last season, but he was relatively experienced before 2017, as he’d started a total of nine games in the three years prior. But Jensen has youth on his side, as he’s still only 26 years old, and he graded as the league’s No. 9 center a season ago, per Pro Football Focus.
With Weston Richburg off the board, Jensen is the best pure center remaining on the open market. However, Jensen almost surely wouldn’t play center in Indianapolis, where the Colts have former first-round pick Ryan Kelly at the pivot. Tampa Bay also has a center in Ali Marpet, but he does have experience at guard.
Contract Details: Brees, Butler, T. Johnson
Let’s take a look at the details from the latest contracts signed in the NFL, with all links going to Twitter unless otherwise noted:
- Drew Brees, QB (Saints): Two years, $50MM. $10.5MM signing bonus. $10.2MM 2018 base salary. $3.3MM available via incentives in 2018. $24MM cap charge in 2018. $33.5MM cap charge in 2019 (Twitter links via Field Yates of ESPN.com).
- Malcolm Butler, CB (Titans): Five years, $61.23MM. $24MM guaranteed. $10MM signing bonus (via Howard Balzer).
- Justin Ellis, DT (Raiders): Three years, $13.5MM. $6.5MM guaranteed. 2019 base salary ($2.25MM) becomes fully guaranteed on third day of 2019 league year (via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM).
- Mark Herzlich, LB (Giants): One year, $790K minimum salary contract (via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY).
- James Hurst, T (Ravens): Four years, $17.5MM. $6MM guaranteed (via Caplan).
- Trumaine Johnson, CB (Jets): Five years, $72.5MM. $34MM guaranteed (via Balzer), $34MM fully guaranteed (per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com).
Ravens To Sign WR Ryan Grant
The Ravens are expected to sign free agent wideout Ryan Grant, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). It’s a four-year deal worth $29MM ($14.5MM guaranteed), and Grant will earn a $10MM signing bonus. This is the second receiver Baltimore has added today, as they agreed to a deal with free agent John Brown this evening.
With Mike Wallace hitting free agency and Jeremy Maclin being mentioned as a cap casualty, the Ravens have been seeking veteran additions at wide receiver. They certainly found an intriguing option in Grant, who had a breakout season in 2017. The former fifth-rounder finished the campaign with 45 receptions for 573 yards and four touchdowns. Pro Football Focus ultimately ranked Grant 57th among 116 cornerback candidates. The Redskins had previously expressed interest in retaining the wideout.
If Maclin is let go, Grant will likely slide behind Brown on the depth chart. The Ravens are also rostering Chris Moore and former first-rounder Breshad Perriman, among others.
Ravens To Sign WR John Brown
The Ravens have agreed to terms with free agent wideout John Brown, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Baltimore was reportedly in advanced talks with Brown, a former Arizona Cardinal, as of earlier today.
Brown will receive a one-year deal, per Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (Twitter links). The base value of his new contract is $5MM, but he’ll have the chance to max out at $6.5MM via incentives.
Baltimore is in dire need of wide receivers, as Mike Wallace is a free agent while fellow veteran Jeremy Maclin has been mentioned as a candidate for release. With limited cap space, however, the Ravens were forced to sit and watch as top-tier pass-catchers such as Allen Robinson, Sammy Watkins, and Marqise Lee came off the board.
Brown is coming off the worst season of his NFL tenure, as injuries limited him to just ten games. During that time, Brown managed only 21 receptions for 299 yards and two scores. As recently as 2015, however, the now 27-year-old Brown put up 65 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns, and he’s reportedly healthy.
Heading into free agency, PFR ranked Brown as the 10th-best available wide receiver. He reportedly generated interest from at least seven clubs before inking his pact with the Ravens.
Ravens, WR John Brown In Talks
The Ravens may have found the speedy wide receiver they’ve been looking for. John Brown is “pretty far down the road” in negotiations with Baltimore, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). 
Brown is coming off the worst season of his NFL tenure, as injuries limited him to just ten games. During that time, Brown managed only 21 receptions for 299 yards and two scores. As recently as 2015, however, the now 27-year-old Brown put up 65 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns, and he’s reportedly healthy.
The Ravens, at one point, were connected to Jarvis Landry. Brown represents a cheaper, though less accomplished option for the slot. One could argue that he’s also quicker out of the gate.
Ravens In Mix For Jimmy Graham?
Jimmy Graham has drawn interest from both the Packers and Saints, but the Ravens are also believed to be pursuing the former All-Pro tight end.
Graham is on the Ravens’ radar, but Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun tweets they are likely not the favorites and could be fighting an uphill battle. This is presumably due to the Ravens’ cap situation compared to the Packers’ and Saints’.
The 31-year-old tight end has drawn interest from the Drew Brees– and Aaron Rodgers-centered teams and would make for an interesting component for two franchises with stacked offenses. Baltimore’s setup is less certain, and the Ravens do not have nearly as much cap space as their reported Graham competitors do.
Despite Graham having not quite been as good for the Seahawks as he was for the Saints, he was still a top-tier red zone option last season. He caught 10 touchdowns — his fourth season with double-digit scores — but averaged a career-low 9.1 yards per catch. But it appears the ninth-year pass-catcher still has a competitive market as a first-time UFA.
Baltimore has cycled through tight ends over the past few years, with injuries playing a key role in that rotation. Graham would represent a clear upgrade from the incumbents.
Ravens Exercise CB Brandon Carr’s Option
The Ravens are picking up cornerback Brandon Carr‘s option, a source tells Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Carr signed a four-year deal with the Ravens last offseason, but really it’s a contract with a series of options. The Ravens had the choice to hit the eject button this offseason, but declined.
Carr, 31, is now scheduled to earn a base salary of $4.5MM and a roster bonus of $1.5MM in 2018. All told, he’ll count for $7MM against the Ravens’ salary cap. Had Baltimore declined Carr’s option, it would have created $4MM in cap space.
In his first campaign with the Ravens, Carr started all 16 games for the tenth consecutive season. An extremely durable player, Carr ranked as the No. 69 cornerback among 121 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, Carr finished a respectable 34th in Football Outsiders’ success rate while posting four interceptions, the latter of which tied a career-high.
While Carr is sticking around, the Ravens have parted ways with running back Danny Woodhead and offensive tackle Austin Howard earlier today.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/13/18
Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:
RFAs
Tendered at original round level ($1.907MM):
- Cardinals: DL Xavier Williams
- Jets: S Rontez Miles (via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- Saints: WR Willie Snead (story)
- Steelers: LB Anthony Chickillo (via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Non-tendered:
- Saints: CB Delvin Breaux (story)
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Bills: TE Nick O’Leary, DE Eddie Yarbrough, TE Logan Thomas, CB Lafayette Pitts (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com)
- Browns: FB: Dan Vitale, C Austin Reiter (via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal)
- Buccaneers: RB Peyton Barber (story)
- Jaguars: WR Shane Wynn (story)
- Packers: QB Joe Callahan, T Adam Pankey (reports via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com),
- Ravens: RB Alex Collins, TE Vince Mayle, CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste (via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
Non-tendered:
- Bears: TE Daniel Brown, LB John Timu