NFC Rumors: Peterson, Hoyer, Eagles, Cards
If Adrian Peterson is able to work his way out of Minnesota, his preferred destination would be Arizona, tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, who adds that the veteran running back’s other top landing spots are the Colts, Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Chargers. For their part, the Cardinals have denied any interest in the Vikings running back, adds Robinson’s colleague Rand Getlin (via Twitter). However, Getlin does tweet that a source told him the Cards’ release of Darnell Dockett was done to clear out cap room for Peterson.
Let’s check out the latest from the NFC as free agency approaches…
- Both the Vikings and the 49ers have expressed interest in quarterback Brian Hoyer, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN (Twitter link). But with other teams like the Jets and Texans (who could potentially offer a starting role) showing interest, as well, I’d bet the Hoyer would look unfavorably upon joining Minnesota or San Francisco, where he’d be the clear backup.
- Though they’re about to add Byron Maxwell, the Eagles could still use another corner, but the club hasn’t shown interest in either Buster Skrine or Chris Culliver, tweets Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com, who adds in a separate tweet that Walter Thurmond is also not on Philly’s radar.
- Washington appears set on adding help along the defensive line — they’re intrigued by Terrance Knighton, and they’ve also expressed interest in free agents Stephen Paea and Dan Williams, per John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- After re-signing Scott Tolzien earlier today, the Packers aren’t interested in retaining fellow backup QB Matt Flynn, tweets Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- The Cardinals are interested in linebacker Brian Orakpo, per Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 (Twitter link). Arizona is also interested in Trent Cole (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN), so it looks like they’re targeting OLB help.
- The Buccaneers are looking for safety help, and there is mutual interest between the club and FA Ron Parker, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link).
FA Rumors: Bulaga, McCourty, Suh, Raiders
While the Packers were able to retain one of their top two free agents tonight, reaching an agreement to bring back wide receiver Randall Cobb, the team may end up losing tackle Bryan Bulaga, writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Two league sources tell Silverstein that Bulaga is seeking a contract worth at least $7-8MM per year, and has a good chance of landing such a deal. Per one of Silverstein’s sources, Green Bay isn’t interested in paying $7MM+ annually for Bulaga, and would let him walk if the bidding got that high. The Buccaneers, the Jaguars, and Washington are believed to have interest in the free agent tackle.
Here’s more from around the league on what has been a busy Saturday:
- According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter), safety Devin McCourty is seeking an annual salary of $9MM per year, like what Jairus Byrd got a year ago. When I listed McCourty as 2015’s second-best free agent earlier today, I noted that if Byrd could land $9MM per year, the Pats safety should be able to do just as well on the open market.
- Cole also has an update on Ndamukong Suh, tweeting that one high-placed source is confident that Suh will end up with the Dolphins, while a second source says the Lions are the only other team involved in the bidding. Given how rare it is for a player of Suh’s caliber to reach the open market, I’d be pretty surprised if only two teams were pursuing him, but multiple reports over the last several days have identified Miami and Detroit as the frontrunners.
- Cobb had been high on the Raiders‘ list of wide receiver targets, but now that he’s off the market, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) says the team will likely shift its focus to Jeremy Maclin, Torrey Smith, and – if and when he becomes available – Percy Harvin.
- The Texans have interest in quarterbacks Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer, and it may not be an either/or proposition for the team, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, who tweets that the club would like to sign both players.
- The Cowboys have elected not to tender a contract offer to cornerback Sterling Moore, meaning he’ll be an unrestricted free agent rather than an RFA, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com.
NFC Notes: Cobb, Paea, Gore
Randall Cobb may have a soft spot for the NFL’s smallest city. The Packers wideout who looks to be the best receiving option on the market will take $1-$2MM less per year to stay with the Packers, Yahoo’s Charles Robinson tweets.
On a robust receiver market that also includes Jeremy Maclin, Torrey Smith and probably Andre Johnson and Dwayne Bowe, the elusive receiver figures to command north of $11MM per year. But Green Bay does have more than $32MM of cap space after opting to not franchise Cobb or right tackle Bryan Bulaga earlier this week.
Elsewhere around the NFC …
- Stephen Paea‘s contract-year showing of six sacks and 16 games started for the Bears has created early interest, with the Cowboys, Cardinals and Washington in on the defensive tackle, according to CSNChicago’s Jen Lada on Twitter. Paea graded out as the 11th-best defensive tackle last year at Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but the 306-pound player entering his age-27 season performed poorly against the run. The Cowboys covet Paea, who played for DC Rod Marinelli in Chicago, and Buccaneers defensive end Adrian Clayborn, reports the Dallas Star-Telegram’s Charean Williams.
- Despite receiving a promising rookie campaign from Carlos Hyde, the 49ers are pondering an 11th year in the Bay Area for Frank Gore, reports the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch.
“We want him back,” 49ers CEO Jed York said. “I think he wants to be here. I know he wants to be here. And I think we’ll figure out a way to do it.”Gore will be 32 next year and has been the 49ers’ starter since 2006. But the bruising back’s yards per carry ticked up a bit to 4.3 last season with his carries total dipping below 256 for the first time since 2010.
- The Cardinals are amid aggressive pursuits of linebackers, writes AZcentral.com’s Kent Somers. The strongest interest still appears to be in Weatherspoon, but the Cardinals reportedly are intrigued by Trent Cole and Pernell McPhee. The latest Ravens backup dynamo, McPhee will cost the most out of this trio despite starting the fewest amount of contests.
- The Bucs do not seem interested in bringing back Da’Quan Bowers, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. The 275-pound end’s started just 10 games in four seasons after Tampa Bay tabbed him as a second-round pick in 2011.
NFC East Links: Cole, McCourty, Murray
Recently released defensive end/linebacker Trent Cole has two AFC visits lined up following the abrupt conclusion of his Eagles tenure, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. Cole will visit the Colts and Browns in hopes to book another contract after playing in Philadelphia for 10 seasons.
The Browns meeting comes Sunday, per the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter.
One of several Eagles veterans jettisoned in Chip Kelly‘s recent purge, Cole has four double-digit sack seasons with the most recent coming in 2011 when he played defensive end. However, as an outside backer, Cole still graded well, finishing as Pro Football Focus’ No. 7 end in 2013 (subscription required).
Cole, who drew frequent double-teams to help Jason Babin accrue 18 sacks for the Eagles in 2011, has been durable as well, playing in at least 15 games in each of his 10 seasons.
Some more new from around the NFC East …
- The Eagles’ newfound cap room of $36MM+ will make them aggressive suitors for Devin McCourty and Byron Maxwell, per Yahoo’s Charles Robinson on Twitter. The two Super Bowl starters are probably the top two players at safety and corner, respectively, and could well sign for eight figures per year, making both landing in the same spot unlikely.
- Washington longtime pass-rusher Brian Orakpo will likely test the market after being franchised last season, but the Washington Post’s Mike Jones (Twitter link) heard from two sources he could remain in D.C. with the door staying open for a reunion. The ex-GEICO pitchman ranks 19th among PFR’s top 50 free agents.
- With $25MM+ of cap space, Washington still has intriguing free agents Roy Helu and Leonard Hankerson, among others, and ESPN’s John Keim examines what he’s hearing thus far in “soft” free agency.
- Derek Newton also drew the interest from D.C., Jones tweets, while the Eagles were Kareem Jackson admirers, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane (Twitter).
- DeMarco Murray‘s path probably leads out of town with Dez Bryant‘s tag mincing their cap room down to inside of $4MM, but Yahoo’s Rand Getlin tweeted Murray could give the Cowboys a “meaningful” discount as the 2014 rushing leader understands what another title would mean in Dallas (Twitter post).
- The Giants will go after the market’s top safeties, McCourty and Rahim Moore, writes NJ.com’s Jordan Raanan, while exploring the possibility of an Eli Manning extension to help create room to go after some of this year’s big names. Big Blue has just $12.7MM worth of space, per OverTheCap.
Doug Free, Cowboys Agree To Three-Year Deal
11:05am: Archer has more details on the contract. The three-year deal is worth $15MM, with $6MM in guaranteed money. The offensive lineman’s last big contract came in 2011, when he inked a four-year pact with Dallas worth $32MM ($17MM guaranteed).
10:10am: The deal is done, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets that the two sides have agreed to a three-year contract. Financial terms of the deal have not been released.
12:07am: The Cowboys and Doug Free are closing in on an agreement on a multiyear contract that will keep Doug Free off the free agent market, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Matt Mosley of ESPN 103.3 in Dallas was the first to report (via Twitter) that the Cowboys were getting close to bringing back their right tackle.
By re-signing Free, the Cowboys will hold together an offensive line widely regarded as the league’s best. Free, who will return to right tackle, and left guard Ronald Leary were the only Dallas linemen not named to the Pro Bowl this past year — left tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick, and right guard Zack Martin all earned spots on the Pro Bowl roster, with Smith and Martin landing on the NFL’s All-Pro First Team.
Free, 31, missed some time due to an ankle injury in 2014, snapping a streak of consecutive games played that had dated back to the 2009 season. The veteran has manned the right tackle spot in Dallas since 2012, when Smith first made the switch to the left side. This past season, he ranked 21st out of 84 qualified tackles, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required), performing particularly well as a run blocker for DeMarco Murray.
With Free close to being locked up, the Cowboys may be less inclined to bring back free agent tackle Jermey Parnell, who may be seeking a starting opportunity elsewhere anyway. Parnell has played well when he’s had a chance to see the field in recent years, but wouldn’t see much action in Dallas as long as the team’s current five starters remain in the picture.
FA Notes: Spiller, Murray, Thomas, Williams
The Vikings philosophy heading into this offseason may similar to their strategy last year. The team looked for under-the-radar signings, and they were rewarded by one of their bargain contracts. Defensive tackle Tom Johnson inked a minimum one-year contract with the squad, and he ultimately finished the season with 6.5 sacks.
“Tom Johnson last year, we were patient, and he came in and did a nice job for us as an inside nickel rusher,” general manager Rick Spielman told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “A lot of times, if you can, you sit back and hopefully let the market settle a little bit.”
It sounds like the organization will be just as patient this time around, especially based on coach Mike Zimmer‘s comments.
“You use free agency to try to plug in a couple of holes here a bit,” said Zimmer. “I don’t believe we’re going to go out and pay some guy a whole bunch of money. Like when I was in Cincinnati and a lot of places, we would kind of go with the lower end of free agents, kind of coach them and hope they fit in the system.”
Let’s take a look at some rumors surrounding the league’s top free agents…
- Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports gives a list of teams that have interest in running back C.J. Spiller (via Twitter): the Patriots, Jets, Dolphins, Cardinals, 49ers, Lions and Washington.
- Furthermore, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com says Spiller will be an option for the Cowboys if DeMarco Murray signs elsewhere. Regardless, Florio quotes Spiller referring to himself as a “former” member of the Bills.
- Peyton Manning‘s reduced salary doesn’t guarantee that the Broncos will bring back tight end Julius Thomas, writes Florio. The organization is still strapped financially, and Florio notes that come teams, including the Seahawks, Jaguars and Raiders, may have the money to lure him away from Denver.
- The Lions could soon be in the market for a new defensive tackle, and Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press says Cardinals lineman Dan Williams is atop the team’s list of potential Ndamukong Suh replacements.
Cowboys Sign Keith Rivers
THURSDAY, 1:53pm: The Cowboys have officially announced the signing of Rivers, via a press release.
WEDNESDAY, 5:45pm: The Cowboys have agreed to sign linebacker Keith Rivers to a one-year deal, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Rivers was let go by the Bills on February 17th.
Rivers, who previously spent time with the Bengals and Giants, played just 12 games for the Bills in 2014, starting three. Of his 192 defensive snaps, nearly all of them came in the first half — the former ninth overall pick played just 24 snaps on defense after Week 8. After seeing his role dwindle in the second half of the 2014 season, the Bills opted to save $1.7MM by letting him go ($500K in dead money).
Rivers, a seven-year vet, spent 2012 and 2013 with the Giants. In his time with Big Blue, Rivers started 14 games and registered 83 tackles.
NFC Notes: Ryans, Mariota, Rolle
Cardinals GM Steve Keim is determined not to let emotions dictate his free agent decisions, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes. “The problem is you can’t get too emotionally attached to players,” Keim said. “When the time comes to make another decision, you make a poor business decision and try to overpay for players that might not deserve it.” Here’s more from the NFC..
- DeMeco Ryans is coming off of Achilles surgery, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter) expects him to stay on with the Eagles. However, Rapoport could see the two sides re-working Ryans’ $7MM salary before the start of the season.
- There’s a limit to how many picks the Eagles (or any team) can trade, but the rules change once the 2015 draft opens, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. According the the league office, trades conducted before the draft begins can include draft picks in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Once the draft starts, trades can include picks from 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. If the Eagles want to make a deal for Marcus Mariota, they’ll have much more flexibility once the Bucs are officially on the clock at No. 1.
- Pending free agents safety Antrel Rolle took to Twitter to let everyone know that he hasn’t had discussions with any teams yet, including the Giants.
- D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution looked at players that the Falcons might be interested in adding in free agency, including Chiefs free safety Ron Parker, Titans defensive end Derrick Morgan, and outside linebacker Jason Worilds.
- Bob Sturm of The Dallas Morning News looked at what the Cowboys defense has to seek out this offseason.
- Cutting Pierre Thomas only makes sense if the Saints really plan to spend on a running back, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes.
Vikings Notes: AP, QB, Jennings, Munnerlyn
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman were among a contingent that flew to Houston today to meet with Adrian Peterson, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today details. Now that the running back has been moved back to the exempt list, open communication is once again permitted, and this will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two sides in months, according to Pelissero. While Peterson hasn’t asked to be traded or released, he is “uneasy” about the possibility of returning to Minnesota, so the goal of today’s meeting for the club is likely to ease some of those concerns.
As we wait to hear how the meeting in Houston goes, let’s round up a few more Vikings-related notes….
- Sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports that while Peterson hasn’t ruled out the possibility of continuing to play for the Vikings, he has also considered trade destinations, and may be open to restructuring his contract to accommodate a deal. Robinson identifies the Cardinals, Colts, Cowboys, Chargers, and Buccaneers as Peterson’s preferred destinations if he leaves Minnesota.
- The Vikings reached an agreement earlier today with the Bills on a trade that will send Matt Cassel to Buffalo, which means the club will be in the market for a backup quarterback this month. According to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Vikings already have a specific backup in mind. Goessling suggests keeping an eye on Charlie Whitehurst, who was with Norv Turner in San Diego — Turner also has a connection to free-agent-to-be Brian Hoyer.
- Spielman has said the Vikings aren’t likely to make a big splash in free agency, but as Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune observes (via Twitter), the Cassel deal is the latest move toward creating the cap room necessary to keep all free agent options open.
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets that the Vikings will likely restructure Greg Jennings‘ contract at some point this month. Conversely, Goessling hears that the team hasn’t approached cornerback Captain Munnerlyn about reworking his deal (Twitter link). Given the cap room created by the Cassel trade, restructuring Munnerlyn’s contract may not be necessary, says Goessling.
East Notes: Dolphins, Suh, Dez, Maclin, McCoy
The Giants are right to consider making a run at Ndamukong Suh, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes. The Giants aren’t well-positioned to outbid anyone, but if they were able to pull it off, the team could have a pass rush to rival what they had in 2007 with Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, and Justin Tuck.
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two East divisions, including one more item on Suh:
- We heard the Dolphins mentioned as a possible suitor for Suh earlier this week, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk lays out the reasons why Miami actually may emerge as the favorites to land the star defensive tackle, with teams like the Raiders, Jaguars, Buccaneers being floated for potential leverage rather than as legit bidders.
- Last week, former Dallas County DA Craig Watkins indicated that he had “no knowledge” of any 2011 Wal-Mart incident involving Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, but a report of the incident did, in fact, make its way to his office about a year after the fact, as Florio explains at PFT.
- It looked for a little while as if the Eagles and Jeremy Maclin were getting close to a new deal, but the two sides are farther apart now, and the wideout is starting to get “nibbles,” tweets Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports backs up this assessment, tweeting that there’s “work to be done” on the Maclin front for the Eagles.
- While running back LeSean McCoy initially wasn’t thrilled about the trade that will send him to the Bills, a source tells McLane (Twitter link) that the veteran back is “ready to move on.” We rounded up several more updates on the reported swap between the Eagles and Bills earlier this morning.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap previews the Patriots‘ offseason, suggesting that it wouldn’t be a surprise if the team lets both of its free agent running backs – Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley – sign elsewhere.
- Veteran safety Jordan Pugh, who last appeared in a regular season game for Washington in 2013, recently worked out for the Jets, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Zach Links contributed to this post.