FA Rumors: Upshaw, Cowboys, Hall, Dansby, Mays
Free agent linebacker Courtney Upshaw will meet with the Jets on Thursday, reports Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Upshaw has made 64 straight regular-season appearances (51 starts) since Baltimore took him in the second round of the 2012 draft. The 26-year-old recorded 51 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles last season. In terms of overall performance, Pro Football Focus ranked Upshaw 84th out of 110 qualifying edge defenders for his work during the 2015-16 campaign. He was an honorable mention on PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents list.
The latest on some other unsigned players around the NFL:
- Linebacker Karlos Dansby, whom the Browns released Wednesday, would like to join the Cardinals, Bengals or Packers, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Yeah, I think the Bengals are licking their chops right now,” he said. “I hope they are. We’ll see what it is.” Notably, Dansby started his career in Arizona as a second-round pick in 2004 and piled up 25.5 sacks before leaving at the close of the 2009 season.
- The Cowboys aren’t working toward a deal with Wednesday visitor Leon Hall, per Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link). The veteran cornerback has thus far spent his entire career with the Bengals since they chose him in the first round of the 2007 draft. Hall started in four of 14 appearances last season, picked off two passes, and graded as Pro Football Focus’ 33rd-best corner (111 qualifiers). Like Upshaw, Hall also earned an honorable mention from PFR before free agency.
- Even though Hall to the Cowboys doesn’t exactly appear imminent, they are working on a deal with restricted free agent Benson Mayowa, tweets Rand Getlin of NFL.com. The Raiders gave Mayowa, a defensive end, an original-round tender. As a former undrafted free agent, that means they won’t get any compensation for him if they decide against matching a hypothetical offer. Mayowa, 25 in August, has accrued 30 appearances (three starts) and two sacks during his three-year career.
- The Bengals “have made good progress” on a contract with Taylor Mays, writes Geoff Hobson of their official website. Mays is scheduled to miss the first four games of next season because of a suspension. Nevertheless, Cincinnati wants him back as a nickel linebacker to replace Emmanuel Lamur – who signed with the Vikings – Hobson notes. Mays spent 2011-14 with the Bengals before joining the Raiders last season.
- Linebacker O’Brien Schofield took to social media Wednesday to discuss his future. “By no means have I counted the Falcons out but I’m waiting for the right opportunity for my family and I. It’s a business so I’m patient,” Schofield tweeted. The 28-year-old signed with Atlanta last offseason and then made 30 tackles and two sacks in 16 appearances (11 starts). Schofield said last week that he and the Falcons “aren’t seeing eye-to-eye on a contract.”
Brandon LaFell To Visit Bengals
The Bengals will be hosting wide receiver Brandon LaFell on a free agent visit, reports Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). It’s the first update we’ve heard on LaFell since he was cut by the Patriots two weeks ago.
LaFell, 29, spent the first six weeks of the 2015 season on the PUP list due to a foot injury, and although he played in the rest of the Patriots’ games, he never looked quite right. For the season, he caught 37 balls for 515 yards, and failed to reach an end zone.
LaFell’s performance in 2015 represented a significant step down from his 2014 showing. He was a key part of New England’s Super Bowl team in that season, setting career highs with 74 receptions, 953 yards, and seven touchdowns. He added another two TDs in the postseason, including one in the Super Bowl.
If LaFell could even split the difference between his 2014 and 2015 campaigns, he’d represent a nice addition for the Bengals, who lost the second and third wideouts on their depth chart this month. The team still has A.J. Green, who is locked up through 2019, but Marvin Jones is now a Lion, while Mohamed Sanu landed with the Falcons. As such, Cincinnati is in the market for additional pass-catchers to complement Green and tight end Tyler Eifert.
No Bengals wide receiver besides Green, Jones, and Sanu caught more than two passes in 2015.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bengals Re-Sign Pat Sims
9:27am: Sims will get a two-year contract from the Bengals, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, who observes (via Twitter) that it’s the defensive lineman’s first multiyear deal since his rookie contract.
8:44am: The Bengals have re-signed defensive tackle Pat Sims, the team announced today (via Twitter). Terms of the agreement aren’t yet known, but Sims is coming off a one-year deal with Cincinnati, so another short-term pact seems likely.
Having started his NFL career with the Bengals in 2008 after the team drafted him in the third round, Sims spent his first five seasons in Cincinnati before joining the Raiders in 2013. After two seasons in Oakland, the 30-year-old returned to the Bengals for the 2015 campaign.
In 2015, Sims appeared in just 179 defensive snaps, playing a rotational role up front and recording 16 tackles in his eight games. Paul Dehner of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sims’ role expand a little this season — the Bengals still have Geno Atkins and Domata Peko at defensive tackle, but Wallace Gilberry and Brandon Thompson are free agents.
The Bengals have made an effort to re-sign their own defensive free agents this month, bringing back defensive backs Adam Jones and George Iloka, as well as linebacker Vincent Rey, on new deals. Gilberry, Thompson, safety Reggie Nelson, cornerback Leon Hall, and linebacker Emmanuel Lamur are among the team’s defensive free agents who remain unsigned or have left for new teams.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Extra Points: Rams, M. Bryant, Bills, D. Jackson
Over the weekend, it was reported that the NFLPA had concerns about player contracts with the Rams in light of their move from Missouri to California. That issue, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, has been sorted out.
“The team’s legal move to California coincides with the start of the offseason program on April 18,” Rams executive V.P. of football operations and COO Kevin Demoff said via email. “As such, all contracts are still subject to Missouri law at time of signing. We were able to work with agents on a simple fix saying the contracts will transfer to California law once the team move is official.”
The union was concerned that players would be forced to pay California taxes, which are higher than Missouri taxes, on salaries incurred before the move. Now, it appears that they will be able to save some money on any paychecks processed before April 18th.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:
- In the wake of Martavis Bryant‘s year-long suspension becoming official on Monday, the Steelers issued a statement (via Steelers PR man Burt Lauten, on Twitter): “We are very disappointed that Martavis Bryant has put himself in this current situation of being suspended by the League. He is at a crossroads of his professional life, and he needs to understand significant changes need to occur in his personal life if he wants to regain his career as a Pittsburgh Steeler. We are hopeful that Martavis will take the necessary steps to develop the discipline in his personal life to become a successful player and a good teammate.”
- The Bills officially announced multiple changes to their defensive coaching staff, including the hiring of a new defensive line coach, John Blake. Buffalo had recently parted ways with 2015’s DL coach, Karl Dunbar.
- Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson was found guilty of simple assault in a court room on Monday, Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes. The case stemmed from a February 2015 altercation with a delivery driver. Jackson could face a maximum of 180 days in jail, and while that seems unlikely, discipline from the NFL is possible once the case wraps up. The linebacker’s sentencing is scheduled to take place on April 6th. The Colts released the following statement on the matter: “We’re disappointed to read reports of D’Qwell Jackson’s misdemeanor verdict in Washington, D.C. We’ve not had an opportunity to review any of the evidence or testimony from the trial and have not made any determination as to any action we might take as a result.”
- After re-signing with the Bengals last week, offensive tackle Eric Winston will seek a second term as president of the NFL Players Association, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today. The current expectation is that Winston will run unopposed.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Bengals Re-Sign Adam Jones To Three-Year Deal
MARCH 15, 8:09am: Nearly a week after it was agreed upon, the deal between Jones and the Bengals has been signed, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that the two sides had to finalize certain language and payout dates. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweeted last week that Jones’ three-year deal is worth $24MM, including $16MM paid out in the first two years.
MARCH 9, 7:11pm: Jones’ deal is worth upward of $20MM, per Jim Owczarski of the Enquirer (Twitter link).
MARCH 9, 5:56pm: The Bengals will keep cornerback Adam Jones in the fold, according to FOX Sports’ Mike Garafolo, who tweets that the two sides have agreed to a three-year contract. Financial details are not yet available.
Jones, 32, generated plenty of interest entering free agency, with Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio identifying the Ravens, Browns, Dolphins, Raiders, Cowboys and Vikings as potential suitors for the 32-year-old. However, he will remain a Bengal 
instead of joining the likes of Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and Reggie Nelson on the way out of Cincinnati. Sanu and Nelson have not yet reached agreements with other teams, but don’t appear likely to return to Cincinnati.
Since joining the Bengals in 2010, Jones has appeared in 75 regular-season games and recorded 43 starts. He started all 14 games he suited up for in 2015-16 and amassed three interceptions, giving him 14 in nine seasons. His overall performance earned him the No. 15 position among 111 qualifying corners at Pro Football Focus. He also finished with the fifth-best quarterback rating against, per PFF (Twitter link), and made his first Pro Bowl.
As successful as Jones’ regular season was, a crucial playoff mistake somewhat overshadowed it, as the 15-yard penalty he took when he bumped into an official while jawing with Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter helped set up a chip-shot field goal for Pittsburgh. Chris Boswell converted the 35-yard kick to seal an 18-16 win and knock Cincy from the wild-card round for the fifth straight year.
The Bengals have clearly forgiven Jones, though, and will now retain a quality defender and return man on a day otherwise defined by key losses for the club. Before free agency began, PFR’s Luke Adams ranked Jones as the 36th-best player available.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Andre Smith Deciding Between Vikings, Cardinals
6:53pm: Smith tells Tomasson (Twitter link) that his visit with the Vikings went well and that things are “even” between the Vikings and the Cardinals.
4:57pm: Tackle Andre Smith is still with the Vikings and they are still working on signing him, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter) reports. Minnesota hopes to get a deal done today with the veteran. 
Smith spent 2009-15 with the Bengals after they selected him No. 6 overall and the tackle went on to make 73 regular season starts for them in 82 appearances. If Smith signs with the Vikings, he’d be the third starting-caliber O-lineman to do so this offseason, joining guards Alex Boone and Mike Harris.
The 38th-ranked player in PFR’s top 50 free agents list, Smith’s market has been somewhat slow to materialize. From the sound of it, however, his free agency could come to a halt rather soon.
The former first-rounder didn’t receive high marks based on the advanced metrics used by Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Smith was ranked 56th out of 77 qualified tackles in 2015 with equally poor grades in pass blocking and run blocking. Smith saw 567 pass snaps and 414 run snaps last season.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC FA Rumors: Weddle, Holmes, Fitzpatrick
The Steelers were among the teams rumored to be in the hunt for safety Eric Weddle, who ultimately agreed to join the division-rival Ravens, but Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears that Pittsburgh didn’t make a formal contract offer to the safety. According to La Canfora, the Steelers stopped monitoring Weddle’s market over the weekend, shifting their focus to landing an offensive tackle.
Meanwhile, the Patriots were also a team frequently cited as a potential suitor for Weddle, but New England wasn’t one of the finalists for his services, according to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Schrager notes that Weddle and his agent spent a few hours this morning “going back and forth with two teams.” One of those clubs was the Ravens, but the identity of the second team remains unclear.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Raiders are making a push to bring back wide receiver Andre Holmes, tweets Bill Williamson of Fanrag Sports. Williamson cautions that nothing is done yet, and there’s no guarantee Holmes will return to Oakland, but the two sides appear headed toward a reunion for now.
- While there’s a belief that the Jets will eventually increase their offer to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and find a middle ground, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if Fitzpatrick may not give them the opportunity, possibly having been insulted by a lowball offer. Of course, for that to happen, the free agent quarterback will need to find a suitable offer elsewhere.
- According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter), Patriots head coach Bill Belichick called Akiem Hicks last night in a last-ditch effort to keep him in New England. The defensive tackle ultimately signed with the Bears instead, and Howe suggests that the Pats’ offer was for more years, but at a lower annual salary.
- Former Ravens safety and special-teamer Brynden Trawick, who was non-tendered by Baltimore, is paying a visit to the Bengals, tweets Joe Goodberry of CincyJungle.com.
- Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald isn’t sure why the Dolphins are interested in veteran defensive end Chris Clemons.
Contract Details: Forte, Lewis, Rey
Here are a few of the latest contract details for players who have agreed to new deals and/or signed them in recent days. Unless otherwise specified, all links are courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle…
NFC:
- Cody Davis, S (Rams): Two years, $2.91MM. $805K guaranteed. Max value of $5.1MM after incentives and escalators (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
- Kendall Reyes, DL (Washington): One year, $2.5MM. $1MM signing bonus. $6,250 per-game active roster bonus. $850K in playing-time incentives (Twitter link).
- Joe Webb, QB (Panthers): Two years, $1.86MM. $200K bonus. $50K annual Pro Bowl incentive (Twitter link).
- Kai Forbath, K (Saints): One year, $840K. $80K signing bonus (Twitter link).
- Bryce Harris, OT (Falcons): One year, $820K. $60K bonus (Twitter link).
- Travis Lewis, LB (Vikings): One year, $810K. $50K bonus (Twitter link).
AFC:
- Donald Stephenson, OT (Broncos): Three years, $14MM. $10MM guaranteed. $3MM signing bonus. $3MM salary for 2016 fully guaranteed. $4MM salary for 2017 guaranteed for injury at signing. Otherwise, Stephenson’s 2017 salary is guaranteed if he’s on the Broncos’ roster on the fifth day of the league year (Twitter links).
- Matt Forte, RB (Jets): Three years, $12MM. $9MM guaranteed. $3MM signing bonus. $1M roster bonus due March 15. $1MM salary for 2016 and $4MM salary for 2017 guaranteed. $2MM stat escalator for 2017 and ’18 (Twitter link).
- Marcedes Lewis, TE (Jaguars): Three years, $12MM. $5MM guaranteed. Jags must exercise $3.5MM club option for 2018 before 22nd day of the league year (Twitter link).
- Vincent Rey, LB (Bengals): Three years, $10.5MM. $3MM guaranteed as a roster bonus on March 15. $500K roster bonus due on the fifth day of the 2017 league year. $500K playing-time escalator in 2017 and ’18. $12,500 per-game active roster bonus each year. (Twitter links).
Newton, Peterson, Others Get Salary Guarantees
Several NFL players have contracts containing language which states that they’ll get a full or partial salary guarantees for 2016 and/or 2017 if they remained on their respective teams on Friday, the third day of the league year. Let’s check in some of those players (link courtesy of CBS Sports’ Joel Corry):
- Cam Newton, quarterback (Panthers): $13MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed. Friday is also the deadline
for the Panthers to pick up Newton’s 2020 option for $10MM. - Eli Manning, quarterback (Giants): $17.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
- Jay Cutler, quarterback (Bears): $16MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
- Adrian Peterson, running back (Vikings): $7MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
- Julio Jones, wide receiver (Falcons): $11.5MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
- A.J. Green, wide receiver (Bengals): $6MM roster bonus is payable.
- Brandon Marshall, wide receiver (Jets): $9.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
- Mike Iupati, guard (Cardinals): $6.75MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed, as is $2MM of Iupati’s $8MM base salary for 2017.
- Rodney Hudson, center (Raiders): $7.35MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
- Gerald McCoy, defensive tackle (Buccaneers): $13.25MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
- Marcell Dareus, defensive tackle (Bills): $9.75MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
- Justin Houston, linebacker (Chiefs): $14.75MM of Houston’s $14.9MM base salary in 2016 is now fully guaranteed, as is $6.75MM of his $16.35MM base salary for 2017.
- DeAndre Levy, linebacker (Lions): $5.25MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
- Aqib Talib, cornerback (Broncos): $8.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jermaine Gresham, Shea McClellin Visiting Jets
The Jets are hosting tight end Jermaine Gresham and linebacker Shea McClellin on visits, according to multiple reports. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports (via Twitter) that McClellin is visiting Gang Green today, while ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Gresham also met with the team.
Gresham, 27, signed with the Cardinals last season after spending five seasons with the Bengals. His role was reduced in Arizona, and he caught a career-low 18 balls for 223 yards and a touchdown. During his time in Cincinnati, Gresham earned two Pro Bowl nods, averaging 56 receptions per season.
The Jets, meanwhile, got little to no production from their tight ends in 2015. Gresham’s 18 receptions would have easily ranked first for New York, as the team’s TEs combined to catch just eight balls last season.
As for McClellin, the 26-year-old was the Bears’ first-round pick in 2012, and according to Biggs, Chicago would still like to re-sign him. However, the Jets figure to take a hard look at McClellin, since they have a need at inside linebacker, with both Demario Davis and Erin Henderson now on the free agent market.
The Jets are also hosting quarterback Robert Griffin and offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum on visits.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.