Darrelle Revis Has $48MM Offer
Cornerback Darrelle Revis might be the best player on the free agent market and, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, he’s on the verge of being paid like it. La Canfora reports that the Revis camp has informed teams that they have a three-year, $48MM offer on the table. The deal is said to include a whopping $40MM in guarantees, and La Canfora’s “sense” is that the offer came from the Jets. Per La Canfora, the Patriots have offered Revis over $30MM in guarantees and the Chiefs are also in the mix for his services.
Earlier Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter linked the Steelers and Bills to Revis, though Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News tweeted that the Bills aren’t after the corner. Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report added that the Packers are also in the sweepstakes.
If Revis signs with the Jets, it would mean rejoining the team with which he spent the first six seasons of his career. The Jets used a first-round pick in 2007 on Revis, who proceeded to rack up 19 interceptions and four Pro Bowl bids in New York. Revis missed most of the 2012 season, his last one with the Jets – who subsequently traded him to Tampa Bay in April of 2013 for a first-rounder.
After just a one-year stint with the Buccaneers, who released him last winter, Revis signed with New England and became an integral piece of a Super Bowl-winning team. The 29-year-old appeared in all 19 of the Patriots’ games (playoffs included) and ranked as the fourth-best cornerback in the NFL during the 2014 regular season, according to Pro Football Focus’ grading system (subscription required). He also earned his sixth Pro Bowl nod and fourth First-Team All-Pro selection.
The Pats declined Revis’ $20MM for 2015 on Monday, making him a free agent, and have been trying to keep him on a long-term deal.
Pats Rumors: Revis, Harvin, Spiller
The very latest on the Pats..
- The Bills are also expressing interest in Pats free agent cornerback Darrelle Revis, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Ryan and Revis have a previous relationship, of course, and by most accounts the star cornerback enjoyed playing for Ryan in New York.
- The Patriots are a team to watch when it comes to Percy Harvin, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport hears there’s a good chance that New England will be where he lands.
- The Pats are still searching for playmakers, Rapoport tweets. They’ve inquired about C.J. Spiller possibly filling the Shane Vereen role.
- The Saints are an early entrant into the Brandon Browner chase, but they have company, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets.
Bills Preparing For Run At Charles Clay
4:26pm: Clay will in fact be visiting the Bills, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Buffalo will attempt to structure its offer sheet to Clay so that it’s difficult for the Dolphins to match, adds Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). In fact, the Bills value Clay so highly that they’d be happy with landing him and little else, tweets Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.
2:14pm: The Bills plan to prepare the strongest possible offer sheet for Clay, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, adding that the Browns are also interested in Clay.
7:20am: The transition tag isn’t expected to stop the Bills from making a run at tight end Charles Clay, says Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Clay, who received the one-year transition tender worth $7.071MM from the Dolphins last week, is still free to negotiate with other teams starting this afternoon, and according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Buffalo is preparing to make the tight end an offer.
While that offer could come as soon as today, Garafolo (via Twitter) cautions that things may not play out quite that quickly. For an unrestricted free agent, teams will race to get him to put pen to paper to finalize a deal, but for a transition player, the Dolphins will have five days to match any offer sheet, so there’s no rush to get anything done immediately. Garafolo expects the Bills to try to bring Clay in for a visit later this week.
In other Bills-related news, La Canfora notes that the team also hopes to sign former Vikings fullback Jerome Felton, who is a free agent this winter. With former Niners offensive coordinator Greg Roman ready to take over control of Buffalo’s offense, the Bills are expected to add some sort of fullback this offseason, whether it’s Felton or someone else.
Finally, speaking of San Francisco, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News adds (via Twitter) that – despite multiple reports to the contrary – the Bills weren’t actually among the teams pursuing former Niners guard Mike Iupati, who is expected to sign with the Cardinals.
Extra Points: Hartline, Murray, Browner, Bush
The latest from around the league…
- Brian Hartline‘s decision ultimately came down to the Browns and the Patriots, the receiver tells Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (Twitter link). Hartline ended up signing a two-year pact with Cleveland yesterday.
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says the club wants to re-sign DeMarco Murray, emphasizing that Dallas is still in negotiations with its free agent running back (Twitter links via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
- The Panthers don’t seem to be showing much interest in edge rusher Derrick Morgan, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
- The Titans have interest in cornerback Brandon Browner, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). Browner isn’t expected to take a pay cut to remain in New England. Browner is receiving a lot of interest around the league, but he could still return to the Patriots, per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link).
- Jahri Evans is still a candidate for release in New Orleans, and if the Saints do cut him, expect the Bills to be in on the veteran guard, says Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Most observers expected free agent receiver Michael Crabtree to depart San Francisco, but the 49ers do have interest in re-signing him, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 (via Twitter).
- Having been cut by the Lions earlier in the offseason, running back Reggie Bush is considering a return to the Saints, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. According to Rapoport, the Patriots and Eagles are among the other teams in play for Bush.
AFC East Rumors: Jets, Vereen, Hoyer, Suh
The latest from the AFC East..
- The Jets are showing interest in Patriots running back Shane Vereen, a source tells Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Their level of interest, predictably, hinges on the outcome of their talks with Bilal Powell. There are other suitors for the 26-year-old as well.
- The Jets will have interest in Brian Hoyer if the price is right, but they won’t go out of their way to target him, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter). There are other, cheaper options for the Jets and the source says the team won’t be “losing sleep” over which veteran signal caller they wind up with.
- The Dolphins are worried about the NFL investigating them for tampering when it comes to the Ndamukong Suh pact, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald explains.
- Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter) hears that the Bills‘ offer to Jerome Felton is a nice contract for a fullback. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com first reported Buffalo’s interest in the veteran.
- Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace explained to Anderson (on Twitter) that he’s not concerned about the terms of his pay cut because any deal he strikes would be one where there are ways where he can earn his money back. The implication there, we can infer, is that Wallace is targeting easily attainable incentives in the deal that will bring him back to what he was scheduled to earn. He went on to explain that he’s happy “for the most part” in Miami (link). Any restructuring deal he takes would have to be “reasonable” and he refuses to do anything “crazy” since he has a family to take care of (link).
Minor Moves: Monday
Today’s minor moves around the NFL:
- The Packers have informed running back DuJuan Harris they will not extend him an exclusive rights tender, Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel tweets.
- The Ravens are expected to assign an exclusive-rights free agent tender to running back Fitzgerald Toussaint, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
- The Steelers have offered one-year deals to restricted free agents Antwon Blake, Will Johnson, and Robert Golden, Scott Brown of ESPN tweets. All three will get the lower tender, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter).
- The Cardinals announced they’ve re-signed Alameda Ta’amu to a one-year contract, as Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports tweets. The Cards decided not to tender him but they have retained him at a lower salary.
- The 49ers will restructure their deal with safety Craig Dahl, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). It’s now a one-year, $1.3MM deal with a $200K signing bonus, a $175K roster bonus, and a $50K workout bonus.
- The Buccaneers announced that they have re-signed defensive ends Larry English and Lawrence Sidbury, tight end Luke Stocker and linebacker Jason Williams.
- The Ravens have assigned a $510K exclusive rights tender to offensive lineman Ryan Jensen, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Wilson (link) also hears that the Ravens have given wide receiver Kamar Aiken a $585K exclusive rights tender.
- The Ravens gave cornerback Tramain Jacobs a $510K tender, per Wilson (link).
Earlier updates:
- The Bills announced that they have extended the contract of kicker Jordan Gay, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (via Twitter).
- The Browns announced that they have tendered qualifying offers to four of their restricted free agents: free safety Tashaun Gipson, defensive back Johnson Bademosi, defensive lineman Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, and linebacker Craig Robertson, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets. It’s a second-round tender for Robertson, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter). Gipson also gets the second-round tender, according to Ulrich (link).
- The Ravens have sent a second-round restricted tender $2.356MM to Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- The Steelers announced that they have agreed to terms with veteran tight end Matt Spaeth on a two-year deal. The 31-year-old appeared in 15 regular-season games in 2014 (eight starts) and caught three passes for 46 yards and a touchdown, and also started the Steelers’ playoff game against Baltimore.
- The Buccaneers are not expected to tender an offer to fullback Jorvorskie Lane, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. They could bring Lane, an ERFA, back on a different deal later, however. Lane had a tough year in 2014. He was hit with a two-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances in October and his season ended in November after he underwent surgery on his injured right leg.
- The Broncos have placed the low-level contract tender on restricted free agent defensive back Tony Carter, extending him a one-year offer worth $1.542MM, per Mike Klis of the Denver Post. The move gives Denver the right to match any offer sheet Carter signs with another team, and according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), there may be strong outside interest.
- The Cowboys have placed one-year tenders of $1.542MM each on restricted free agent punter Chris Jones and restricted free agent running back Lance Dunbar, sources tell Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News. Dunbar is the Cowboys’ third running back and tendering him gives Dallas some insurance if DeMarco Murray signs with another team in free agency. He also gives them a reserve back in the event that they have to cut ties with Joseph Randle.
- The Browns announced that they have re-signed offensive lineman Ryan Seymour. Seymour, 25, appeared in 11 games during the 2014 season, starting three at center. Nick McDonald was originally the team’s choice at center after Alex Mack went down with a broken leg, but Seymour eventually got his chance at the job.
- The Panthers have re-signed wide receiver/kick returner Brenton Bersin to a one-year deal, a source tells Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Bersin was an exclusive rights free agent.
- The Panthers announced that they re-signed Fozzy Whittaker on a two-year deal, according to Person (on Twitter). The tailback had 32 carries for 145 yards last season and also contributed on kick returns. Linebacker Ben Jacobs and center Brian Folkerts got one-year deals to remain in Carolina (link). Tackle Kevin Hughes is the only Panthers ERFA who wasn’t tendered an offer (link).
Free Agent Rumors: Fletcher, Williams, Gresham
The Vikings have expressed interest in pending free agent cornerback Bradley Fletcher, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Fletcher had an off year for the Eagles in 2014, being ranked 92 out of 108 NFL cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus. He was much better in 2013, having been ranked 44 out of 110 players at the position. Here’s a look at the latest free agent rumors..
- Giants free agent linebacker Jacquian Williams took to Twitter to let everyone know that he has interest from five teams.
- If the Raiders don’t get a deal done with tight end Jermaine Gresham, the Browns are also among those with interest, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets.
- The Jaguars a team to watch for when it comes to linebacker Dan Skuta, but there are several interested, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. He could have expanded role with Jacksonville if he signs with them tomorrow, Caplan adds.
- Pat McManamon of ESPN.com (on Twitter) doesn’t expect the Browns to lose any of their restricted free agents, but he thinks a team in need of a safety could think about adding Tashaun Gipson.
- Bills tight end Lee Smith is expected to sign a big contract with another team tomorrow, Tim Graham of The Buffalo News tweets.
Bills Intend To Keep Fred Jackson
3:24pm: Jackson will remain in Buffalo with no changes to his contract, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
2:49pm: As of early this afternoon, personnel executives from four other teams were under the impression that Jackson is or would be available, tweets Graham. That doesn’t necessarily mean the running back will become available, but it sounds like there’s no resolution here yet.
2:10pm: According to Graham (via Twitter), the Bills have approached Jackson about restructuring his contract. Since the running back is in the final year of his deal, reworking that contract would have to involve either a pay cut or an extension. Either way, the team wants Jackson to stay in Buffalo, says Graham.
1:07pm: The Bills are set to finalize their acquisition of one of the top running backs in the league tomorrow when they officially trade for LeSean McCoy. Buffalo also traded a fourth-round pick for Bryce Brown, who remains in the club’s plans, and continues to carry Anthony Dixon, a solid special-teamer. On top of all that, the team is said to have real interest in free agent back Bilal Powell.
Where does longtime Bill Fred Jackson stand in such a crowded backfield? According to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter), one Bills source says the NFL’s oldest running back “isn’t going anywhere.” A second source tells Graham that owner Terry Pegula got involved in the situation — Pegula’s exact involvement isn’t specified, but implication is that the team’s new owner wants to see Jackson remain on the roster.
Jackson, who turned 34 last month, has been a mainstay on the Bills’ offense since joining the team in 2007. While he’s one of the few backs in the NFL approaching his mid-30s, Jackson doesn’t necessarily have a ton of wear and tear on his body — he has just 1,279 carries over his eight-year careeer, or about the equivalent of three seasons worth of DeMarco Murray circa 2014.
Still, if the Bills were to part ways with Jackson, he would hardly be the first player this offseason unceremoniously cut by his longtime team. Buffalo could clear the veteran’s entire $2.731MM cap hit for 2015 by releasing him, so we’ll have to wait and see what the team ultimately decides.
Bills Targeting Bryan Bulaga, Others
The Bills aren’t done making big splashes this offseason. Ross Jones of FOX Sports (on Twitter) hears that Buffalo is pushing to sign Mike Iupati or Bryan Bulaga. Other options for the Bills could include guard Jahri Evans and wide receiver Percy Harvin if/when they become available (link).
Recently it was reported that the Raiders, Jets, and Bills appeared to be the front runners for Iupati if he does not return to San Francisco. Recently, two league sources told Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Bulaga is seeking a contract worth at least $7-8MM per year. The Bucs, Jaguars, and Washington were all identified as teams that have interest in the free agent.
Evans would likely represent a cheaper alternative to either Iupati or Bulaga. The Saints are expected to release Evans from his hefty contract, but would like to re-sign him at a cheaper rate. As it stands, Evans’ deal calls for him to have the highest cap hit of any guard in the NFL.
New Bills coach Rex Ryan got to familiarize himself with Harvin this past season in New York. While Harvin has gotten a bad rap for his locker room demeanor, Ryan spoke glowingly of the wide receiver and his behavior while with the Jets. The veteran receiver and return man didn’t have a huge impact on-field in New York, however, totaling 29 receptions for 350 yards and a touchdown in his eight games with the Jets.
Contract Details: Lynch, McCoy, Ingram, Paul
There were some conflicting – or at least confusing – reports on Friday night about the value of Marshawn Lynch‘s new contract with the Seahawks, and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun provides some clarity today, via Twitter. According to Wilson, Lynch’s new three-year pact is worth $31MM, which features $15MM in guaranteed money, including a $7.5MM signing bonus.
Wilson has plenty more numbers on new contract agreements, so let’s round up those updates, with all links going to his Twitter unless otherwise indicated:
- The exact figures on LeSean McCoy‘s new contract extension with the Bills? Five years, a base value of $40.5MM, a $13.125MM signing bonus, and $26.555MM in total guaranteed money.
- As previously reported, the Saints‘ agreement with Mark Ingram is indeed for four years and $16MM. $7.6MM of that total is guaranteed, including a $3.6MM signing bonus.
- Initially reported as being worth up to nearly $10MM, Niles Paul‘s three-year deal with Washington only has a base value of $6MM, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. $2.25MM of that total is guaranteed, and another $3.6MM is available in playing-time and reception-related incentives.
- Mike Nugent‘s two-year deal with the Bengals is worth $3.5MM, with $600K in guaranteed money. That’s not a bad rate for a kicker, though Nugent probably isn’t among the league’s best.
- The exact value on the three-year contract Josh Mauga signed with the Chiefs is $8.25MM, with $2.25MM in guaranteed money.