Panthers Still Talking With Kyle Love
- The Panthers still need a defensive tackle, a safety, and a nickel back, ESPN.com’s David Newton writes. Carolina is still having dialogue with free agent defensive tackle Kyle Love, but the team could also use a high draft pick to solidify the position, Newton notes.
Panthers Sign Brandon Boykin
TUESDAY, 11:48am: Boykin’s one-year contract with the Panthers is a minimum salary benefit deal with an $80K signing bonus, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 11:30am: Following his visit to Carolina, the Panthers have signed Brandon Boykin to a contract, according to the team’s official website. Per Max Henson of Panthers.com, it’s a one-year deal for the free agent cornerback.
Boykin, 25, had been one of the more intriguing cornerbacks still available on the free agent market. In 2015, he joined the Steelers, having been sent to Pittsburgh by the Eagles in a trade for a fifth-round pick. However, Boykin played primarily on special teams until the final few weeks of the season — he logged 252 of his 274 regular-season defensive snaps in the Steelers’ last five games.
Despite not seeing significant playing time in Pittsburgh, Boykin ranked as a top-40 cornerback in 2015 (out of 111 qualified players), per Pro Football Focus. The Georgia product has always shown flashes of upside, particularly in his six-interception 2013 campaign, but has never really gotten the opportunity to be a full-time player — he has just seven career starts.
In Carolina, Boykin will likely slot in as the Panthers’ nickel back. Josh Norman and Bene Benwikere project as the probable starters on the outside, with Charles Tillman no longer under contract.
While Boykin didn’t earn a spot on PFR’s top 50 free agent list, we placed him sixth among free agent cornerbacks when we broke down 2016’s top defensive free agents, placing him ahead of veterans like Leon Hall and Patrick Robinson due to his relative youth and upside.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Panthers Could Consider Braxton Miller In 1st Round
- Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (video link) is hearing first round buzz for former Ohio State standout Braxton Miller. Miller is looking to play wide receiver in the NFL after playing under center earlier in his college career. Miller worked out for the Texans recently and sources tell Miller that Houston sees him as possibility at No. 22. The Bengals, Vikings, and Panthers could also consider Miller late in the first round.
[SOURCE LINK]
Packers Sign Jared Cook
10:46am: It’s a done deal, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, who tweets that Cook signed his new contract moments ago.
9:31am: It will be a one-year deal worth $3.6MM for Cook with the Packers, tweets Rapoport. Pelissero clarifies (via Twitter) that $3.65MM is the max value, with incentives.
According to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link), the Falcons, Panthers, and Bears also had interest in Cook before he agreed to sign with Green Bay.
8:05am: The Packers are set to become the last team in the NFL to sign a player to a free agent contract in the 2016 league year, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that tight end Jared Cook is in Green Bay and is expected to sign with the Packers.
Cook visited Green Bay earlier in the free agent period, and was one of the few outside free agents in whom the Packers displayed any interest. According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link), the veteran tight end completed a deal with the club last Thursday, and things are just being formalized today — Cook will sign after taking a physical.
Having spent his last three seasons with the Rams, Cook was released by the team in February, allowing him to hit the open market early. Although he perhaps didn’t live up to his lucrative contract in St. Louis, Cook still posted relatively solid numbers during his three seasons with the club. From 2013 to 2015, he averaged approximately 47 receptions, 595 yards, and three touchdowns per year.
Tight end Richard Rodgers had something of a breakout season for the Packers in 2015, catching 58 balls for 510 yards and eight touchdowns. However, he was used as more of a check-down target rather than a downfield threat. Cook, who will turn 29 next month, gives the club a bit more of a dynamic pass-catching target at the position, something the Packers haven’t really had since they employed Jermichael Finley.
Of course, the Packers aren’t typically very active in free agency, as their lack of activity up until now has shown. When they do explore the market though, GM Ted Thompson and the team’s decision-makers often prefer players who have been released by other clubs, since those free agents don’t count toward the draft compensatory pick formula for the following season. Cook fits that bill.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Josh Norman Aiming For $16MM Per Year
Since the Panthers officially placed the franchise tag on cornerback Josh Norman on March 1, any signs of progression towards a long-term deal have been essentially non-existent. A report last week indicated that Norman and Carolina remained far apart in contract talks, and one reason could be Norman’s asking price, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer reports that Norman is seeking a salary “in the neighborhood of $16MM a year.”
[RELATED: Free agent CB Brandon Boykin to visit Panthers]
A $16MM annual salary would make Norman the highest-paid corner in the league by a wide margin — Darrelle Revis currently tops the list at just over $14MM per season. But as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com notes (Twitter link), Norman’s ask isn’t all that surprising, as Revis’ frontloaded deal calls for him to earn $48MM over his first three seasons with the Jets.
Still, the $16MM figure is probably just a starting point in negotiations, and it’s unlikely that Norman will reach that target for several reasons. Norman doesn’t have the track record needed to redefine the market at a position, and he’ll be 29 years old in December, so his age is working against him. The franchise tag for corners is worth $13.95MM, so the Panthers have no reason to entertain a significantly higher figure. I examined Norman’s case for an extension back in November, pegging him for a $14MM annual salary.
General manager Dave Gettleman has downplayed the notion that Norman would cause any distraction in an effort to land a long-term contract, and Norman himself has previously said that while he won’t accept a hometown discount, he doesn’t anticipate missing any portion of training camp. But speaking to the NFL Network, Norman did seem to indicate that he could skip offseason workouts and/or OTAs. “I can’t report if I haven’t signed anything so I don’t feel as if I’m at the point where I’m ready to get back to working right now,” said Norman.
Norman isn’t the only franchise-tagged player who is gunning for a significant contract, as a report on Friday indicated the Bronco linebacker Von Miller is targeting $22MM per year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Miles Killebrew Set To Meet With Panthers
- Southern Utah safety Miles Killebrew is generating plenty of interest around the league, tweets Bleacher Report’s Luke Easterling. The defensive back is set to meet with the Buccaneers, Panthers, Titans, Cardinals, Patriots, and Falcons.
[SOURCE LINK]
Brandon Boykin To Visit Panthers
8:26pm: The Panthers will have competition for Boykin’s services, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Three other teams hope to visit with the corner, Rapoport tweets.
5:04pm: Former Eagles and Steelers cornerback Brandon Boykin will take a visit outside of Pennsylvania on Monday, with the Panthers set to host the fifth-year man, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
A former fourth-round pick of the Eagles’ in 2012, Boykin played in Philadelphia for three seasons before being shipped to Pittsburgh in 2015. Boykin played in each of the Steelers’ 18 games last season but started just two.
The Panthers, however, had a patchwork secondary functioning opposite breakout sensation Josh Norman. After injuries to Bene Benwikere and Charles Tillman, Carolina had to deploy street free agents Robert McClain and Cortland Finnegan during its NFC title run.
Boykin was a key slot presence for the Eagles, notching a career-best six interceptions primarily from that position in 2013. The 25-year-old Boykin graded as the Steelers’ second-best corner, behind Ross Cockrell — according to Pro Football Focus, which rated the former Georgia corner as its No. 38 player at the position in 2015 –in his 407 snaps during the 2015 regular season and would be an upgrade outside for the Panthers.
Norman received the franchise tag but has not signed his tender and Tillman looms as a UFA and potential retirement candidate.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Panthers To Meet With Jayron Kearse
- Clemson safety Jayron Kearse will has summits and/or workouts with the Panthers, Saints and Titans on his spring docket, Getlin tweets. The 6-foot-5 safety registered 6.5 tackles for loss as a junior last season.
Panthers Looking At Baylor WR, USC LB
- Clemson DE Shaq Lawson has (or has had) visits/workouts with the Cowboys and 49ers, per Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter links). The Jets, Titans, Saints, Panthers, and Browns have also linked up with Lawson, per previous reports. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) opines that Lawson is a top 10 talent.
- Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman has workouts and/or visits set with the 49ers, Bengals, Lions, Bears, Panthers, and Browns, Getlin tweets.
- USC linebacker/safety Su’a Cravens will visit/work out for the Falcons, Panthers, Colts, Bills, Patriots, Saints, and Chargers, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
Jarran Reed Met With, Worked Out For Panthers
- The Panthers met with and worked out Alabama defensive tackle Jarran Reed this week, and will have him in for a visit next month, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter links). In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Todd McShay has Reed coming off the board at No. 19 to Buffalo, 11 spots before the Panthers’ first pick.