Bills, Percy Harvin Agree To Deal
MARCH 18th, 12:55pm: The Bills officially announced that they have signed Harvin, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
MARCH 13th, 5:44pm: Harvin will land with the Bills, not the 49ers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Per Rapoport, Harvin’s deal with Buffalo will be for one year and “roughly” $6MM.
4:38pm: Nothing official has been announced yet for Harvin and the Bills, and according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington (Twitter link), the 49ers are trying to make a last-minute play for the wideout.
2:27pm: The Bills and Harvin have agreed to a one-year contract, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
2:10pm: The Bills continue to try to lock up Percy Harvin, according to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is “working toward striking [a] deal” with the free agent wideout. We heard this morning that Harvin was trying to decide whether or not to take a couple more visits or to simply accept an offer, perhaps from Buffalo.
Harvin was acquired by the Jets from the Seahawks back in October in the most surprising in-season trade of 2014. However, the veteran receiver and return man didn’t have a huge impact in New York, totaling 29 receptions for 350 yards and a touchdown in his eight games with the Jets. Harvin also averaged just 24.8 yards per kick return, with no TDs.
Having been recently released by the Jets, Harvin looks like a good bet to stick in the AFC East. If he and the Bills don’t reach an agreement, it’s possible the Patriots will make a push for him — an afternoon report suggested New England is a good bet to land a free agent like Harvin or Reggie Bush, and the Pats would make sense for Harvin, who reportedly has some interest in playing with a solid quarterback for a year to help increase his value.
While they don’t have that Pro Bowl-type quarterback that could help restore Harvin’s value, the Bills have added some interesting pieces so far this offseason. The team acquired LeSean McCoy in a deal with the Eagles, and is hoping to land tight end Charles Clay in free agency.
Of course, a team’s quarterback isn’t the only factor Harvin will consider. A source told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) earlier this week that the 26-year-old doesn’t want to be a “gadget guy” anymore and wants to play something closer to a traditional wide receiver role. Throughout his career, he has had coaches “lie” to him and tell him that he would play a typical wide receiver, only to have him involved more in unorthodox plays.
Charles Clay Signs Bills Offer Sheet
WEDNESDAY, 11:11am: The Bills formally announced that Clay has inked his offer sheet, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The Dolphins have until Sunday night to match.
TUESDAY, 6:33pm: The Bills’ offer is for five years and $38MM, according to Carucci (on Twitter). The deal includes more than $20MM guaranteed. Meanwhile, Michael Silver of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that the Dolphins’ final offer to Clay was $27MM over four years with less than $15MM guaranteed.
The Bills’ offer is structured to attack Miami’s cap in 2016, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
6:24pm: The Bills have given Charles Clay an offer sheet and the tight end has inked it, according to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (via Twitter). The Dolphins now have five days to match the offer.
On Monday, Carucci reported that the Bills were steadfast in their hopes of signing Clay to an unmatchable offer sheet. The Bills, for their part, have been confident and bordering on cocky in their pursuit of Clay. A source told Carucci that it was a 90% certainty that Buffalo would land the tight end. New head coach Rex Ryan has been pushing hard for the team to sign Clay and he knows just how hard he can be to defend from his time coaching against him in intra-divisional action.
Buffalo has been going over both their cap numbers and the Dolphins’ cap numbers in an attempt to structure a contract that Miami can’t match. Over the weekend, it was reported that the Dolphins were losing interest in retaining Clay and that’s not all that hard to believe, given the potential contract that Clay could command coupled with the presence of the newly-signed Jordan Cameron.
FA Notes: Connolly, Gresham, Ellis, Barksdale
After passing along several updates on free agency this morning, we’re back this afternoon with another round-up. Here’s the latest on a handful of players still on the market:
- The Patriots would like to re-sign Dan Connolly, but the veteran offensive lineman is also receiving interest from the Seahawks and Bears as a center, and from the Dolphins and Buccaneers as a guard, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The 32-year-old has been a mainstay in New England for the last few years, but had a down year in 2014, placing among the bottom 10 guards in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
- Tight end Jermaine Gresham is meeting with a doctor tomorrow to determine the severity of a back injury, and could be headed for surgery later this week, according to Rapoport (via Twitter). Greshman still expects to be ready for training camp, but that’s a giant red flag for potential suitors, and explains why he remains unsigned. Teams in need of a tight end – such as the Bills, Raiders, and Browns – figure to monitor Gresham’s situation, tweets Rapoport.
- Free agent defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis could potentially make the move from one New York team to another. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter), the former Jet is visiting the Giants today.
- The Titans have maintained interest in Joe Barksdale, arguably the top tackle left on the market, says Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Since hitting free agency last week, Barksdale has frequently been linked to the Titans and the Rams, who are still interested in re-signing him.
- Veteran free agent Samson Satele is looking for a team that will give him the opportunity to compete for a starting center job, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
New Deals For Kraig Urbik, Bryan Braman
The Bills and Eagles have made minor cap adjustments, modifying the contracts for Kraig Urbik and Bryan Braman, respectively, according to reports. Urbik’s new deal involves him accepting a pay cut, while Braman receives a one-year extension as part of his reworked contract.
According to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (all Twitter links), the Bills have reduced the 2015 base salary for Urbik – the team’s starting left guard for most of 2014 – by $1.5MM, and sliced his 2016 base salary by $1.7MM. Urbik had been set to receive a $300K roster bonus this month, and likely would have been cut if he hadn’t agreed to the pay cut — instead, he’ll get that $300K in the form of a new signing bonus, and will receive another $150K roster bonus if he spends at least one game on the 53-man roster this fall.
The move reflects Urbik’s new status on the roster, as he appears poised to head into the 2015 season as a backup rather than a starter. The Bills’ addition of Richie Incognito earlier this offseason ensures that Urbik will likely slide down the depth chart at least one spot.
As for Braman, he’ll also take a pay cut for 2015, with the Eagles reducing his salary from $1.2MM to $745K, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The team added an extra year to the linebacker’s contract as part of the agreement, and he’ll have a $900K base salary for 2016, tweets Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Braman, who contributes almost exclusively on special teams, likely received some modest bonus or guarantee as part of the move.
FA Notes: Newman, Johnson, Clay, Lowery
As Peter King of The MMQB.com observes in his latest column, spending big in free agency often doesn’t translate to wins in the next season or two. As such, this year’s spenders – such as the Jets, Eagles, Dolphins, and Jaguars – should be wary about how much of an on-field impact their signings will have in 2015. A team like the Ravens, on the other hand, has enjoyed great success by consistently letting big free agents leave for other teams, then collecting compensatory picks for those players and replenishing the roster with young talent.
Here are a few more free agent updates:
- Veteran cornerback Terence Newman will turn 37 in September, but he intends to continue his playing career. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Newman visited the Vikings yesterday, and is headed to New England today to meet with the Patriots.
- When Michael Johnson‘s new four-year contract with the Bengals was initially reported, figures of $20MM and $24MM were cited as the overall value of the deal. Rapoport offers some clarity on that front, tweeting that the $20MM base value increases to $24MM if Johnson records 10 or more sacks during the 2015 season.
- Rex Ryan has been the “driving force” behind the Bills‘ pursuit of tight end Charles Clay, a source tells Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News. Having become familiar with the Dolphins tight end over the last few years of AFC East divisional games, Ryan badly wants Clay in Buffalo, and the Bills continue to prepare an offer sheet for Miami’s transition player.
- Safety Dwight Lowery admits that the Falcons haven’t shown much interest in re-signing him, and says he hasn’t spoken to new head coach Dan Quinn, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. Atlanta is still without a starting free safety, so it’s possible the team will circle back to Lowery at some point.
- Referring to an article in Australia’s Courier-Mail, former Seahawks defensive lineman Jesse Williams suggested in a tweet that he didn’t actually speak to the outlet. The Courier-Mail piece indicated that Williams himself said he expected to re-sign with Seattle, so it’s not clear whether or not a new deal with the club is actually in the works.
- Earlier today, I listed a few of the top free agents still on the board at each position.
FA Notes: Clay, Canty, Spencer, Irving, Moore
There hasn’t been much movement on the Charles Clay front lately, but the Bills are still steadfast in their hopes of signing him to an unmatchable offer sheet, a source tells Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Buffalo appears confident in landing the Dolphins transition player, as the source tells Carucci that it’s a 90% certainty that the Bills will acquire the tight end.
Rex Ryan is reportedly pushing for Clay, as the Bills head coach knows how difficult Clay is to defend from the former’s time with the Jets. Per Carucci, Buffalo is currently going over both their cap numbers and those of the Dolphins, in an attempt to structure a contract that Miami can’t match.
Let’s take a look at the what’s happening on the rest of the free agent market:
- Defensive lineman Chris Canty will visit the Seahawks tomorrow, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). The 32-year-old was released by the Ravens last month, and while a reunion with Baltimore is possible, he’s also met with the Jets as he explores his options.
- Canty isn’t the only defender who will take a meeting with Seattle, as LB/DE Anthony Spencer will also visit the Seahawks, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Seattle had success in bringing in veteran defensive lineman Kevin Williams last season, so perhaps they’re trying to find another diamond-in-the-rough between Canty and Spencer.
- While his visit with the Colts today went well, linebacker Nate Irving is still weighing all his options, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN. The former Bronco has also been linked to the Dolphins and the Cardinals.
- After asking a source whether receiver Denarius Moore could return to the Raiders, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (via Twitter) got a clear response: “Not a chance.” The 26-year-old hasn’t drawn any known interest during the free agent period.
- Although we heard on Thursday that the Bears were discussing a multi-year deal with linebacker Mason Foster, no such pact is imminent, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who adds that nothing is close between the two sides.
Contract Details: Morgan, Gilchrist, Cameron
Here are some details on several of the new contracts agreed to or signed by free agents within the last few days:
AFC deals:
- Derrick Morgan, OLB (Titans): Four years, $27MM base value. $10.5MM fully guaranteed. $6MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- Marcus Gilchrist, S (Jets): Four years, $22MM base value. $10MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
- Jordan Cameron, TE (Dolphins): Two years, $15MM base value. $5MM fully guaranteed. $4MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Paul Fanaika, OL (Chiefs): Three years, $6.5MM. $1.75MM signing bonus. Incentives and escalators available (Twitter links via Wilson).
- Alan Branch, DT (Patriots): Two years, $4.3MM base value. $700K signing bonus. Option for 2016 (all Twitter links via Wilson).
- Tyrod Taylor, QB (Bills): Two years, $3.35MM base value. $1.15MM fully guaranteed. $400K signing bonus. Third year voids (all four Twitter links via Wilson).
NFC deals:
- Jasper Brinkley, LB (Cowboys): Two years, $6.5MM base value. $2MM guaranteed, $2MM option bonus in 2016 (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Akeem Ayers, LB (Rams): Two years, $6MM base value. $2.75MM guaranteed. $1.3MM roster bonus in 2015 (Twitter links via Wilson).
- Andrew Gachkar, LB (Cowboys): Two years, $5.2MM base value. $1.2MM signing bonus. Up to $1MM in annual incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Nick Fairley, DT (Rams): One year, $5MM base value. $1.5MM roster bonus in 2015. Sack and playoff incentives available (Twitter links via Wilson).
- Erik Pears, OL (49ers): Two years, $4.7MM base value. $1MM guaranteed. $500K signing bonus (Twitter links via Wilson).
- Kurt Coleman, S (Panthers): Two years, $2.8MM base value. $600K signing bonus (Twitter links via Wilson).
- O’Brien Schofield, DE (Falcons): One year, $1.7MM base value. $255K signing bonus (Twitter links via Wilson).
- Chris Conte, S (Buccaneers): One year, $1.5MM base value. $1.25MM fully guaranteed (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com).
AFC East Notes: Johnson, Revis, Gachkar, Clay
The Patriots have been targeting wide receiver Stevie Johnson since his release from the 49ers, and we learned yesterday that Johnson would be visiting the team on Monday. Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com believes that could be the last visit Johnson takes, saying the team “find a way to make sure he sticks around.”
“He is only 28-years-old, 6’2″ a little under 200 pounds, absolutely electric in getting off the line of scrimmage and making people miss,” said Curran. “What happened last year at San Francisco you wonder? That’s a horrible passing game. I talked to our collegue Matt Maiocco with CSN Bay Area, and he said the only guy that could be satisfied out there was Anquan Boldin.”
- The AFC East got a lot stronger this offseason, with the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins all bringing big names onto their teams and look to be generally improved from 2014. The Patriots, on the other hand, actually lost their best defensive player in Darrelle Revis to their division rival Jets, who signed him to a five-year deal with $39MM in guaranteed money. The Patriots were not worried about the the guaranteed money, but did balk at a three-year contract with no outs for the team, writes Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.
- Although linebacker Andrew Gachkar just signed with the Cowboys, he was very interested in the Patriots, who he visited with earlier during the free agency period, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN (via Twitter). However, family ties in Dallas helped him decide to join the Cowboys.
- The Charles Clay saga wages on, as both the Bills and Dolphins seem intertwined with the versatile pass catcher’s future. However, no updates are imminent, according to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter). The Dolphins are waiting for the Bills to give Clay an offer sheet.
Sunday Roundup: Ngata, Cameron, Rams
We have seen one major signing thus far today, as Michael Johnson and the Bengals agreed to reunite. As we wait for more free agent dominoes to fall, let’s take a look at a few more notes from around the league:
- Justin Rogers of MLive.com looks at how the Lions might work out an extension for newly-acquired DT Haloti Ngata. It is still unclear whether Detroit will even approach Ngata about an extension–the team may view him as a one-year stopgap, although the draft picks they sent to Baltimore suggest that is not the case–but Rogers believes a new three-year, $26MM deal might work well for both sides. Ngata himself said he believes he has three good years left, and such an extension would give Detroit a little more cap space for 2015 while creating manageable $7.5MM cap numbers in 2016 and 2017.
- Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com says the Browns‘ strategy in attempting to re-sign Jordan Cameron did not make much sense. The Browns could have put the transition tag on Cameron for cheaper than the deal they offered, but they did not use the tag before the deadline and then made Cameron an offer for more than the tag value.
- Despite the team’s flurry of activity in the first week of free agency, the Rams have a few major holes to fill, and most of those holes are along the offensive line. As Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes, the team has about $11MM in cap space, which should give them enough room to sign two out of the three of Stefen Wisniewski, Justin Blalock, and Joe Barksdale.
- Speaking of the Rams‘ offensive line, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com writes that recently-released Jake Long could be back as the team’s right tackle on a shorter, cheaper deal, but that likely would not happen until after the draft. As far as the team’s quarterback situation is concerned, Wagoner believes all options in the draft–trade up, trade down, etc.–are on the table, despite the acquisition of Nick Foles.
- Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (via Twitter) lauds the 49ers‘ signing of Reggie Bush, who will pair with Carlos Hyde to create a strong 1-2 punch in the backfield. Miller adds that the team’s acquisitions in free agency will allow them to once again pursue the best player available in the draft rather than drafting for need.
- Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun tweets that the Ravens had interest in Mike Wallace before he was traded to Minnesota. Baltimore thought that Miami might cut Wallace, thereby making him an unrestricted free agent.
- There is no new deal in place between the Saints and Keenan Lewis, but Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets that Lewis feels better about his long-term security with the club after meeting with unspecified team officials this week.
- While they will not receive any compensatory picks in this year’s draft, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com points out that the Bills are in line for multiple compensatory selections next year.
Dolphins Losing Interest In Charles Clay?
SATURDAY, 8:22pm: The Dolphins are ready to bow out of the Clay duel with the Bills after “losing patience” with their transition-tagged tight end, the Buffalo News’ Tim Graham reports on Twitter.
FRIDAY, 3:58pm: The Bills won’t give Clay an offer sheet today, but it’s still expected to happen at some point, a source tells Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 12:46pm: Having agreed to trade Dannell Ellerbe to the Saints, the Dolphins will clear some additional cap room and are still trying to sign Clay to a long-term extension, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
FRIDAY, 8:09am: After snatching tight end Jordan Cameron away from the Browns yesterday and signing him to a two-year deal, the Dolphins decided not to rescind their transition tender to Charles Clay. On the surface, the move suggests that Miami would still like to keep Clay, and would be fine rolling with both tight ends in 2015 and beyond. However, the decision may also signal an ongoing game of chicken between the Dolphins and their division rivals in Buffalo.
The Bills’ interest in Clay has been well documented over the last week, and having released Scott Chandler and watched Lee Smith sign with the Raiders, Buffalo badly needs a tight end. That’s why the Bills were reportedly preparing to sign Clay to an aggressive offer sheet that would be difficult for Miami to match.
Although the Bills may still structure their offer to make things hard on Miami, they now have to consider whether doing so would only make things harder on themselves. After all, there’s little chance that the Dolphins would match an expensive long-term offer for Clay now that they’ve locked up Cameron. So the Bills may just end up sticking themselves with a frontloaded contract for the tight end, and that may be why Miami hasn’t rescinded that transition tag — doing so would allow Clay to sign with Buffalo immediately, without the Fins having the right to match.
In any case, the Bills are still preparing to make an offer to Clay today or Saturday, and they believe they’ll get him, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Having already added LeSean McCoy, the Bills are also hoping they can add Percy Harvin on a one-year deal to complement Sammy Watkins. Whether it’s Matt Cassel, EJ Manuel, or Tyrod Taylor heading the team’s offense next season, it’s clear Buffalo is doing everything it can to ensure that its starting quarterback has plenty of weapons at his disposal.