Greg McElroy Announces Retirement
Bengals quarterback Greg McElroy has announced his retirement as an NFL player, via his Twitter account.
“Thank you to Marvin Lewis, the Brown family, and the entire Cincinnati Bengals’ organization,” McElroy wrote, referring to the team with which he had most recently signed a futures/reserve contract. “The fans make this decision especially difficult, as you have provided so much joy throughout my career. Playing in the NFL was my lifelong dream; therefore, I must also thank the New York Jets for providing me with my initial opportunity.”
McElroy, 25, was drafted in the 7th round in 2011 by the Jets, and spent two seasons with the team. The former Crimson Tide signal-caller appeared in two games for New York in the 2012 season — while he lost his only career start against the Chargers, he also led the Jets to a comeback victory over the Cardinals in his relief appearance, making his only NFL touchdown pass a game-winner.
FA Rumors: Fitzpatrick, Ihedigbo, Underwood
When the Titans released Ryan Fitzpatrick last week, there was an expectation that it wouldn’t take long for the veteran quarterback to find work. Fitzpatrick remains on the market, but at least one potential suitor has emerged. According to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link), Tennessee’s division rivals, the Texans, are hosting Fitzpatrick for a visit today.
Let’s round up a few more Thursday odds and ends related to the free agents still available….
- According to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (via Twitter), center Brian De La Puente finished his visit in Washington and is still considering multiple options, including the Redskins and Saints.
- Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter) that safety James Ihedigbo, repped by a new agent, has at least two other teams in the mix for him besides the Lions, who seemed to be close to signing him earlier this week. The Ravens appear to be one of those two, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun notes (via Twitter).
- Wide receiver Tiquan Underwood is visiting the Panthers today, says Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The receiver-thin Panthers already signed Jerricho Cotchery today, and it “looks promising” that they could add Underwood as well.
- Richie Incognito, who is aiming to return to the NFL in 2014, believes the Raiders make “a lot of sense” as a possible destination, writes Michael Silver of NFL.com.
- Free agent defensive back Chris Owens had a visit this week with the Steelers, tweets Aaron Wilson.
- Wilson also reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos tried out free agent safety Jordan Pugh.
- The Bengals have confirmed (via Twitter) that Louis Murphy visited the club today, which means the wide receiver left the meeting without a deal in place.
Bengals Sign Jason Campbell
THURSDAY, 10:50am: The Bengals have made the Campbell signing official, tweets Coley Harvey of ESPN.com.
WEDNESDAY, 9:10pm: The Bengals have reached agreement with Jason Campbell on a one-year deal, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN. The signal caller is now reunited with former Raiders head coach Hue Jackson who now serves as Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator.
Campbell, 32, was released by the Browns right before he was due to collect a $250K roster bonus. The veteran has had stints with the Redskins, Raiders, Bears, and Browns and started eight games for Cleveland last season after Brian Hoyer went down with a knee injury. His numbers were passable, as he completed 56.8% of his 317 passes for 2,015 yards, 11 TDs, and eight interceptions, but the new regime in Cleveland wanted to go in another direction. Now, the Bengals have landed themselves a capable backup in support of Andy Dalton.
FA Rumors: De La Puente, Harrison, Murphy
Brian De La Puente is arguably the best center still available in free agency, and it sounds as if he’s drawing interest from plenty of potential suitors. Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports that the Saints, Giants, Broncos, and Patriots remain possibilities for De La Puente, who is scheduled to visit with the Redskins. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) adds that if there’s no agreement in place when the veteran center leaves Washington, more visits are expected.
Here’s more on some of the free agents still on the market:
- We already heard this week that veteran free agent James Harrison is interested in returning to the Steelers, and according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that interest is mutual.
- Having visited for two days with the Buccaneers, wide receiver Louis Murphy is scheduled to meet with the Bengals tomorrow, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
- The Giants will host free agent offensive lineman Charles Brown, tweets Adam Caplan.
- After leaving his visit with the Rams without an agreement in place, free agent quarterback Shaun Hill appears to be considering both the Rams and Lions, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
- The Bengals confirmed (via Twitter) that free agent defensive end Robert Ayers visited with them today, which means he left that meeting without an agreement in place.
- Ravens safety Brynden Trawick is no longer an exclusive rights free agent, having signed his $495K tender from the team, tweets Aaron Wilson.
Browns Sign Andrew Hawkins
3:57pm: The deal is officially in the books, with the Browns announcing the signing (via Twitter).
2:15pm: According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Bengals have officially decided not to match Hawkins’ offer sheet, meaning the wide receiver will join the Browns on a four-year, $13.6MM deal.
MARCH 18, 12:18pm: The NFL has informed the Browns that the Bengals have until midnight eastern tonight to decide whether or not to match Hawkins’ offer sheet, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.
12:22pm: As I speculated below, the Bengals are now leaning toward not matching the Browns’ offer sheet for Hawkins due to its structure, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
MARCH 13, 11:54am: Hawkins has officially signed his offer sheet with the Browns, giving the Bengals five days to match it, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. According to Rapoport, the terms of the sheet are slightly different than reported below, with $10.8MM of the $13.6MM total owed to Hawkins in the first two years of the four-year deal. That could make it a little trickier for Cincinnati to match, so we’ll have to wait and see if that changes the Bengals’ plans at all.
MARCH 12, 8:29am: The Bengals intend to match the offer sheet restricted free agent Andrew Hawkins signed with the Browns, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The deal, which Cincinnati initially appeared unlikely to match, is a four-year contract worth $12.2MM, with a potential max value of nearly $15MM. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and National Football Post provided additional details on the offer last night.
The Bengals originally retained their right of first refusal with Hawkins by placing the $1.431MM RFA tender on him. The wide receiver was an undrafted free agent, so the contract tender didn’t assure Cincinnati of any draft compensation if he signed elsewhere, but it gave the club the opportunity to match any offer he signed.
Hawkins, who turned 28 this week, had his best year in 2012, racking up 51 catches for 533 yards and four touchdowns. He began 2013 on injured reserve with an ankle injury, and only caught 12 balls in the season’s second half. Given his spot on the Bengals’ depth chart in ’13, it’s a little surprising that the club would be willing to invest in him on this sort of multiyear contract, but perhaps he’ll be in line for an increased role going forward.
As for the Browns, it appears they’ll have to shift their attention to other free agent slot receivers. The team was also in on Andre Roberts before he signed with the Redskins, and has been linked to Emmanuel Sanders.
AFC Notes: Jets, Spikes, Raiders, Broncos
Losing free agent Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to the Giants is not sitting well with members of the Jets who blame GM John Idzik for losing the player, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. In a three-pack of Tweets, Mehta says Idzik blew it by letting Rodgers-Cromartie visit the Giants, quotes an employee saying Idzik “operates on his own time and schedule” and adds head coach Rex Ryan “is pissed” about losing out on Rodgers-Cromartie. This on the heels of Ryan reportedly wanting the team to bring back Darrelle Revis, who landed with the division rival Patriots.
In other AFC news:
- Free agents Kevin Boothe and Alex Carrington “are still in the building,” according to San Francisco Chronicle Raiders beat writer Vic Tafur (via Twitter).
- The Bills introduced Brandon Spikes on Monday (contract details here), and ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak relayed some of Spikes’ first comments as a Bill, most notably that Spikes chose Buffalo because of his relationship with Pepper Johnson.
- The Broncos have made a handful of expensive free-agent additions, and ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold explains how they were able lure and afford marquee talent. For starters, the roster consists of 34 players with cap hits of $2MM or less.
- Packers free agent offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse will meet with the Bengals, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter).
Weeden, Cowboys Agree To Two-Year Deal
2:59pm: Weeden’s two-year deal with the Cowboys will be worth the minimum salary, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). That would mean a base salary of $570K in 2014 and $660K in 2015. Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that Weeden also spoke to the Ravens and Bengals before landing with the Cowboys.
2:50pm: The Cowboys have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with former Browns signal-caller Brandon Weeden, according to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). Weeden and fellow Browns QB Jason Campbell were both released last week, making them unrestricted free agents.
A report earlier this offseason suggested that Weeden, no longer in the franchise’s plans in Cleveland, was seeking a trade, and with a new regime in place it seemed extremely unlikely that the former first-round pick would still be with the team in 2014. Since being selected 22nd overall in 2012, Weeden has lost 15 of his 20 NFL starts, completing 55.9% of his passes and throwing more interceptions (26) than touchdowns (23).
For the Cowboys, Weeden appears to be third on the depth chart behind Tony Romo and Kyle Orton. There were rumblings within the last few weeks that Orton was considering retiring, but last we heard, the club still expects him to return for the final year of his contract. If Orton were to decide to end his playing career, Weeden would presumably become Romo’s primary backup.
Bengals Re-Sign Taylor Mays
MARCH 17: The Bengals officially announced their deal with Mays today. According to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, it’s a one-year pact.
MARCH 11: The Bengals and strong safety Taylor Mays have come to an agreement for Mays to return to the team in 2014, reports Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter).
Over his last three seasons with the Bengals, Mays has seen time in 34 games and made four starts at safety.
FA Rumors: Jets, Boothe, Melton, Wharton
The two New York teams appear to be the top contenders for free agent cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, but Rich Cimini of ESPN New York gets the sense that the Jets may be losing hope on the DRC front (Twitter link). That’s not to say the Giants should start printing Rodgers-Cromartie jerseys quite yet, since the Browns are rumored to be lurking as well, but it looks like the G-Men might have the upper hand on their AFC rivals.
Here’s more on a few free agents still on the market:
- The Jets continue to talk to offensive lineman Willie Colon in the hopes of working out a deal to bring him back to New York, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The club has also shown interest in free agent receiver Jacoby Ford, says Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter).
- The free agent swap meet between the Raiders and Giants continues, as offensive lineman Kevin Boothe is in Oakland to visit the Raiders today, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Defensive end Robert Ayers will visit the Bengals tomorrow, tweets Garafolo.
- The Vikings remain in contact with free agent defensive tackle Henry Melton, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Melton is visiting the Cowboys today.
- While the Dolphins have made preliminary inquiries on free agent offensive lineman Ryan Harris, the team has yet to set up a visit with the ex-Texan, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.
- Free agent guard Travelle Wharton has no plans to retire at this point, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Wharton has spent nearly his entire NFL career with the Panthers, who have seen Jordan Gross and Geoff Hangartner retire so far this offseason.
- Free agent cornerback Mike Jenkins is visiting the Buccaneers today, a source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
Vincent Rey Re-Signs With Bengals
Restricted free agent linebacker Vincent Rey, a “quintessential ‘locker room guy,'” has re-signed with the Bengals, according to Cincinnati Enquirer beat reporter Paul Dehner (via Twitter). Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com says the deal is for two years (via Twitter).
A solid backup and excellent special-teams player, Rey performed admirably in place of injured starter Rey Maualuga last year and posted 57 tackles, four sacks, five passes defended, two interceptions and a forced fumble. Rey, who was qualified at $1.43MM, made $630k last season.