AFC North Rumors: Gerhart, Nwaneri, Sanders
Three teams are showing interest in free agent running back Toby Gerhart, including the Browns, a source tells Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Niners and Jaguars are also in the mix. The latest from the AFC North..
- Uche Nwaneri is visiting the Bengals this Thursday, reports Tania Ganguli os ESPN.com (via Twitter). Nwaneri was released by the Jaguars earlier this week.
- The Ravens really like Emmanuel Sanders, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). They have not reached out to him yet, but would love to steal him away from their division rivals if the price is right.
- The Steelers want to bring back Jerricho Cotchery, writes Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter). The team has reached out to the veteran wide receiver, but no deal has been struck yet.
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
Bengals Unlikely To Match Browns’ Offer For Hawkins
7:00pm: The offer sheet is worth $12.2MM over four years, with $4MM in guaranteed money and escalators that could increase the value to $14.9MM, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
6:50pm: The Browns’ offer is believed to be in the neighborhood of $12MM over four years, tweets Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.
6:41pm: The Browns’ offer to Hawkins includes guaranteed money that’s more than three times the amount of the receiver’s RFA tender ($1.431MM), tweets Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com. As such, it’s unlikely that the Bengals match the offer.
5:55pm: Wide receiver Andrew Hawkins has recieved an offer sheet from the Browns, tweets Albert Breer of NFL Network (on Twitter). Hawkins plans to sign the offer sheet, leaving the Bengals with a decision to make (link).
Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (on Twitter) says it’s a four-year deal for Hawkins.
AFC Rumors: Raiders, Chargers, Haden, Edelman
It appears the Raiders, the team with the most cap room in the NFL, will let both of their marquee free agents walk, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio hears from a source that Oakland believes Jared Veldheer is better suited to right tackle than left tackle, and that the team can’t justify paying $7MM annually to a defensive end (Lamarr Houston) who is more a run-stopper than a pass-rusher.
With free agency looming at the top of the hour, here’s more from around the AFC:
- Raiders defensive tackle Vance Walker will test the market at 3:00pm CT, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. Oakland made Walker an offer, and he likes playing for the Raiders, but he wants to take advantage of the rare opportunity to be an unrestricted free agent, says Tafur.
- The Chargers are “very much in the mix” for free agent defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- The Colts remain in talks to bring Ahmad Bradshaw back, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. The former Giants running back was an impact player last year before his injury.
- The Browns‘ talks with Joe Haden on a long-term deal are ongoing, tweets Breer, adding that it would be interesting to see how a deal for Darrelle Revis would affect those talks.
- Sources tell Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star that the Chiefs have interest in wide receivers Jason Avant and Devin Hester.
- Assuming the Patriots can’t re-sign Julian Edelman, Andrew Hawkins is a target to keep in mind for the team, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Hawkins received an RFA tender from the Bengals, so Cincinnati would have a chance to match any offer for the receiver.
- Speaking of Edelman, the Ravens have interest in him, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Wilson also hears from a source that the Ravens will evaluate tight end Owen Daniels, who was released by the Texans (Twitter link).
- After voiding his deal and becoming a free agent yesterday, defensive lineman Jason Babin told SiriusXM NFL Radio today that he’d like to return to the Jaguars if it’s possible. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union has the details and quotes.
- Bills GM Doug Whaley told WGR 550 that “offers are on the table” for tight end Scott Chandler and kicker Dan Carpenter, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Bengals Release Kyle Cook
The Bengals announced (via Twitter) that they have released offensive lineman Kyle Cook.
Cook was scheduled to make a $2.5MM base salary in 2014 and 2015 with a cap number of $3.34MM in each of those years. While cutting him loose leaves the Bengals with some dead money on their books, they will see a cap savings of $2.060MM this season and $2.7MM in 2015.
With Cook out of the picture, Mike Pollak is the new frontrunner to take over at center, tweets Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. However, he’ll have competition from Trevor Robinson and T.J. Johnson (link).
Bengals Re-Sign Brandon Tate
Brandon Tate has re-signed with the Bengals, a league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). With the signing, Cincinnati has locked up their return man before he could be poached by another club. Terms of the deal are not yet known.
Tate, 26, had just one catch for six yards last season but he made his presence known on special teams. The 6’1″, 195 pound return man averaged 9.3 yards per punt return while averaging a solid 26.1 yards per kick return. Tate broke out for a 43 yard punt return for the Colts in December and torched the Jets for a 71 yard kick return earlier in the season.
AFC Rumors: Tate, McFadden, Mitchell, Dansby
Free agent receiver Golden Tate, who tweeted last night that things are “heating up” for him, could be a target for the Jaguars, says Peter King of TheMMQB.com. The former Seahawks notable is coming off of his most productive season ever in which he hauled in 64 catches for 898 yards and five touchdowns. More out of the AFC..
- While many free agent running backs aren’t getting much play yet, Darren McFadden is one that has drawn “significant interest,” tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter) hears from a league source that the Raiders have a one-year offer on the table for McFadden. The 26-year-old has missed 19 games over the last three seasons.
- The Dolphins are in the mix for defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. The 26-year-old is getting a lot of attention for his versatility, athletic ability, and his high motor.
- The Browns are likely to pursue Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby in free agency, a source tells Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio News Group. Dansby, 32, would replace D’Qwell Jackson, who signed a four-year deal with the Colts last week. The Browns were also unsatisfied with the play of inside ‘backer Craig Robertson as the 2013 season went along.
- The Browns are aggressively pursuing slot receivers with Davone Bess out of the picture, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. Julian Edelman is a possibility as is poaching Andrew Hawkins from the Bengals.
- Re-signing defensive tackle Antonio Johnson is a priority for the Titans, tweets Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. The club also has interest in holding on to Leon Washington, Marc Mariani, Damian Williams, and Chris Spencer.
- Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) asked a Jets source for the best way to describe the organization’s free agency plan and he was told that the club will be “aggressive.”
- The Broncos have discussed the likes of pursuing safety T.J. Ward and defensive end Jared Allen but they’re certainly not in the lead as some have implied, writes Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com.
- The Jets and Patriots will each pick up nearly an extra $2MM in cap room due to various bookkeeping technicalities, as Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com explains in a series of tweets.
WR Rumors: Britt, Hawkins, Edelman, Jones
With about 17 hours left to go until the official start of free agency, here’s a look at some of the rumors regarding receivers:
- The Redskins have interest in both Kenny Britt and Andrew Hawkins, writes Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Britt is an unrestricted free agent who has had his share of struggles both on and off the field, but he can still be a playmaker. Hawkins is a restricted free agent who was tendered at the original-pick level; because he was an undrafted free agent, the Redskins would not have to sacrifice a draft pick to sign him. Hawkins played under Redskins head coach Jay Gruden the past three seasons with the Bengals.
- The Patriots are heavily engaged in contract talks with Julian Edelman, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Edelman was on the free agent market for over a month last offseason before re-upping with the Pats, but that would assuredly not happen were he to reach free agency tomorrow.
- James Jones is receiving interest from both the Lions and the Jets, but a return to the Packers is not out of the question, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
- The 49ers could be interested in Dexter McCluster, says ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson (via Twitter).
Eagles Show Interest In Michael Johnson
The Eagles are showing interest in one of 2014’s top free agents, according to Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com, who reports that Chip Kelly‘s team is eyeing edge defender Michael Johnson. A 4-3 defensive end in Cincinnati, Bennett could draw interest from teams like the Eagles, who may view him as a fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker, writes McManus.
Johnson, a Georgia Tech product, was franchise-tagged by the Bengals for the 2013 season after an incredibly successful 2012 campaign in which he tallied 52 tackles (35 solo) and 11.5 sacks. Considered a high-ceiling prospect coming into the 2009 NFL Draft, Johnson fell all the way to the third round, when the Bengals selected him with the 70th overall pick. The prospective free agent has been linked to several teams this offseason, including the Vikings.
While providing excellent run defense has become Johnson’s calling card, he demonstrated some versatility in zone coverage schemes last season, as McManus exhibits with visual evidence in his piece. In fact, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) found that Johnson dropped into coverage 31 times last season.
The Eagles currently have over $24MM in estimated cap room, so the team could likely afford to make Johnson a lucrative offer. However, a move for the Bengals free agent would raise one intriguing question: What would happen to current starters Trent Cole and Connor Barwin? The two starters are firmly entrenched in their roles within the team and were both effective in 2013.
Within his piece, McManus suggests that Mike Neal and Rob Jackson could be alternative outside linebacker targets for the Eagles this offseason.
Extra Points: Collins, Bears, Cowboys, Jags
With Eugene Monroe, Branden Albert, and Jared Veldheer all seemingly on the verge of reaching unrestricted free agency, it’ll be an active market for left tackles and the teams seeking them. But the Bengals are hoping to stay out of the mix by locking up Anthony Collins before free agency begins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Collins should draw a good deal of interest if he becomes available, as Rapoport suggests.
Here’s more from around the NFL on a Friday afternoon:
- The Bears haven’t asked wide receiver Earl Bennett to take a pay cut, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link), and fellow ESPN scribe Michael C. Wright says (via Twitter) that’s the case for defensive end Julius Peppers as well. Of course, there’s still some time for Chicago to approach both players, if the team needs to create some flexibility.
- By officially releasing Phil Costa and restructuring Mackenzy Bernadeau‘s contract, the Cowboys are now about $2MM under the cap with free agency around the corner, tweets ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. That doesn’t necessarily mean the team is done cutting costs though — I’d still expect DeMarcus Ware‘s deal to be addressed in some form.
- As for Costa, Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com tweets that the Cowboys asked if the veteran center would take a pay cut. Costa declined, as he feels he’ll garner interest elsewhere.
- After re-signing with the Jaguars today, Chad Henne spoke to the media and admitted that he wanted to talk to other teams, but Jacksonville was his No. 1 choice and he decided to forgo the open market when the club made an offer he liked. Meanwhile, head coach Gus Bradley indicated that re-signing Henne doesn’t mean the Jaguars won’t draft a quarterback in May (Twitter links via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com).
- Punter Pat McAfee told reporters, including Craig Kelley of Colts.com (Twitter link), that he “didn’t really want” to hit free agency and is happy to have re-signed with the Colts.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
FA Rumors: QBs, Saffold, Vikings, Ravens
This year’s class of free agent quarterbacks doesn’t feature any stars, but there are a handful of players who should make very solid backups, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. In his latest piece, La Canfora takes a shot at forecasting where a few of the more notable names on the market will land. Among his predictions: Michael Vick to the Jets, Josh McCown to the Vikings, Matt Cassel to the Texans, and Josh Freeman to the Raiders.
With just over 24 hours left for teams to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents, let’s check out a few more FA rumors and news items:
- Talks are ongoing between the Rams and the reps for free agent offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, but agent Alan Herman says his client will “definitely” reach the open market next week, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Rams appear interested in re-signing Saffold as a guard, but the 25-year-old could draw interest from other teams as a tackle, which would likely increase his earning potential.
- Expect Michael Johnson to be a top target for the Vikings and head coach Mike Zimmer if the Bengals defensive end becomes available next week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Defensive lineman Arthur Jones is expected to draw significant offers in free agency that the Ravens won’t compete with, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Head coach John Harbaugh hinted at that outcome at the combine last month.
- The Ravens have an offer on the table for prospective free agent Jacoby Jones, tweets Rapoport. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun says the team has had “several discussions” with Jones’ reps.
- The Colts remain relatively far apart in contract talks with cornerback Vontae Davis, though there’s still mutual interest in getting something done. Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star has the details.
- Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee discusses the 49ers‘ approach to free agency, writing that safety Donte Whitner and cornerback Tarell Brown appear likely to test their value on the open market.
- The Eagles need to add a safety, but Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News would be surprised if the club makes a serious run at the very best free agents, like Jairus Byrd and T.J. Ward.