Extra Points: Broncos, Cousins, Coleman
Despite the Broncos being interested in Kirk Cousins throughout the offseason, they moved on Case Keenum and reached an agreement before the Cousins domino fell. The Broncos, who do not have as much cap space as their top Cousins competitors do, spoke with the quarterback’s representation on Monday but did not submit an official offer, James Palmer of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). The team’s Keenum agreement being at least $18MM represented a significant discount from Cousins’ near-$30MM-AAV deal — one expected to be with the Vikings. Despite Cousins having proven more than Keenum, Broncos brass moved quickly on this agreement and was on the same page about the belated breakout passer. Palmer reports that went a long way toward completing this deal. Gary Kubiak is currently serving as a top Broncos front office bastion. Kubiak initially brought Keenum into the NFL as a UDFA while serving as Texans HC.
Here’s more from Denver and elsewhere around the league on Day 2 of pre-free agency.
- Now that the Broncos lost one of the UFAs they were trying to keep, when Corey Nelson agreed to terms with the Eagles, Denver is trying to retain a higher-profile linebacker. The Broncos are expected to try and ramp up their efforts to retain Todd Davis before he hits free agency on Wednesday, Mike Klis of 9News reports (on Twitter). This would continue a change of pace for the John Elway-era Broncos. Previous offseasons saw off-ball ‘backers Wesley Woodyard, Nate Irving and Danny Trevathan depart. But in 2016, Elway authorized an $8MM-per-year deal for Brandon Marshall. Davis almost certainly won’t cost that much, profiling as more of a two-down thumper than sideline-to-sideline rover who can reliably operate in coverage, but he won’t come cheap since he’s been a two-year starter on one of the league’s top defenses.
- Kurt Coleman took two visits before agreeing to join the Saints, meeting with the Giants and Bengals, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com tweets. Coleman has bounced around the league, with his most recent stop being his most notable since the Panthers deployed him as a three-year starter — including in Super Bowl 50 — and signed him to an extension in 2016. Despite having played for three teams and having started 74 games, Coleman won’t turn 30 until July. The Giants are in need of a safety to complement Landon Collins. The Bengals, though, don’t have as obvious a need on their back line.
Dolphins To Keep Ja’Wuan James?
Ja’Wuan James was rumored to be on the block, but it sounds like the Dolphins are intent on keeping him. The Broncos called the Dolphins to inquire the right tackle but were informed that he will be staying put, a source tells Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). 
On Monday, we heard that the Dolphins were working with James on a new contract, which is consistent with the latest word on him. The former first-round pick has been mentioned as both a trade and release candidate given his bloated cap charge, but it seems more likely that he’ll remain with the team under a lesser deal.
Given the lack of quality tackles on the open market, James has some leverage in talks. Nate Solder and Justin Pugh are the only clear-cut starters available, though Austin Howard could be added to that group now that his option has been declined by the Ravens.
Broncos Exercise Demaryius Thomas’ Option
The Broncos have exercised Demaryius Thomas‘ $4MM option to trigger the final two years on his deal, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post (on Twitter). This was the expected move, even though Thomas was once speculated to be a potential cap casualty.
Thomas has become one of the greatest wide receivers in franchise history and he’ll have a chance to build on his credentials in a ninth season in Denver. The former first-round pick has functioned as the Broncos’ No. 1 wide receiver since his second season, and John Elway said at the Combine that Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders — also a rumored cut for a franchise that had Kirk Cousins on its radar — would be back next season.
With Case Keenum now in the fold at a deal believed to be worth around $18MM per year, the Broncos have more breathing room regarding the salaries of their veteran wideouts than they would have had Cousins agreed to come to Denver. Thomas will count $12.3MM toward Denver’s 2018 cap.
Thomas and Sanders have been the Broncos’ starting tandem since 2014, and the duo has been vital for a franchise that’s had trouble identifying supporting-cast talent at receiver or from its tight ends. While the Broncos’ quarterback situation helped sink the 2017 team, Thomas still graded as Bleacher Report’s No. 6 outside receiver. His string of 1,000-yard seasons stopped at nine, but the former Georgia Tech talent still caught 83 passes for 949 yards and five touchdowns.
Despite experiencing injury trouble during his first two years, Thomas has become one of the most durable players at his job. He’s played in all 16 regular-season games for six straight years. He’s now entering his age-30 season.
Broncos Eyeing CB T.J. Carrie
The Broncos have interest in cornerback T.J. Carrie, according to CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora (on Twitter). Carrie entered free agency as one of PFR’s ten best cornerbacks available and one of the 50 best free agents overall.
Carrie has said that he doesn’t want to leave the Raiders, but it’s not clear whether new head coach Jon Gruden has him in their plans. Carrie did meet with the Raiders’ new staff, however. Ultimately, his market value could drive him away from Oakland and into the arms of a divisional rival.
The Broncos are in search of a No. 3 cornerback after agreeing to trade Aqib Talib to the Rams. Talib, Chris Harris and Bradley Roby formed probably the league’s best corner trio over the past four years, and Harris and Roby remain. But despite drafting Brendan Langley in last year’s third round, the franchise was said to be searching the veteran market for a cheaper option than Talib.
Carrie qualifies, but after a strong contract year where he proved to be a clear slot upgrade on D.J. Hayden, it’s unclear how cheap he will come. Both Harris and Roby are going to earn north of $8MM in 2018, so any Carrie deal would place the Broncos toward the top of the league in cornerback spending.
A perennial Pro Bowler, Harris has functioned as probably the game’s best slot cornerback over the past several years. But he recently expressed a desire to play more on the outside. His flexibility as a boundary corner in base sets and slot cover man in Denver’s nickel would allow the team to target a slot player or outside defender in free agency.
Broncos To Sign Case Keenum
The Broncos have agreed to sign Case Keenum, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a two-year deal for at $36MM, as Mike Florio of PFT details. All $36MM of the deal is guaranteed for injury and $25MM of the contract is fully guaranteed.
We heard on Monday that Keenum might not wait for Kirk Cousins to sign first and that is exactly the case. Keenum saw an opportunity and an offer that he liked with the Broncos, and he took it.
The deal means that there are likely three teams in on Cousins – the Jets, Vikings, and Cardinals. The Broncos were thought to be suitors, but Cousins was apparently too rich for their blood.
One year ago, no one would have expected Keenum to be one of 2018’s most sought-after free agents. The Vikings signed the former Rams signal caller to a one-year, $2MM deal in March with the idea that he would back up Sam Bradford and, eventually slide down to third on the depth chart when/if Teddy Bridgewater returned to full health. When Bradford went down in September, Keenum exceeded all expectations and put together the best season of his career.
The 30-year-old graded out as Pro Football Focus’ ninth-ranked QB in 2017, putting him above the likes of Jimmy Garoppolo, Aaron Rodgers, Marcus Mariota, Matthew Stafford, and Tyrod Taylor. With Keenum at the helm, the Vikings earned a first-round bye and beat the Saints in a playoff thriller before succumbing to the Eagles in the NFC championship game. Of course, after four seasons of mediocrity, teams are wondering whether this was an aberration or a real sign of things to come. The Broncos, of course, are in the latter camp.
Keenum, a career journeyman who inked a one-year, $2MM pact with Minnesota last offseason, posted the best season of his career in 2017 while leading the Vikings’ offense to a No. 5 finish in offensive DVOA. The 30-year-old ranked seventh in passer rating and ninth in adjusted net yards per completion during the 2017 regular season, and finished first in Football Outsiders‘ individual DVOA metric.
Keenum now reunites with Broncos senior personnel advisor Gary Kubiak, who brought him into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Texans and eventually made him his starting quarterback. Broncos head coach Vance Joseph was also on that same Texans coaching staff.
[RELATED: Broncos Depth Chart]
Broncos Pursuing Free Agent Defensive Tackles
- CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora tweets that the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Colts, Broncos, and Redskins are among the teams looking to add a defensive tackle. The reporter lists free agents Dontari Poe, Star Lotulelei, and Sheldon Richardson as potential targets.
[SOURCE LINK]
Extra Points: Cousins, Smith, Gotsis
Now that he’s going to be departing as a free agent, Kirk Cousins compiled a farewell letter aimed at Redskins fans. However, did Cousins give away his possible destination in the tags portion of his open letter? The earliest version of the quarterback’s published post had “Jets” and “Vikings” as tags, among many other entries, Will Brinson of CBS Sports tweets. So, either the person responsible for operating the tags forgot to leave those out, or has Cousins’ list been narrowed down to two? Of the serious suitors, the Vikings and Jets would make the most sense to be the teams offering a fully guaranteed contract. None of those teams ready to make those offers have been identified. The Broncos and Cardinals do not have as much cap space, though, perhaps making such a proposal dicey. But no finalists have yet to emerge.
Here’s the latest from around the league on Tampering Day 1:
- Cousins’ old team is ready to commit plenty of guaranteed money to another quarterback. Alex Smith‘s four-year, $94MM Redskins deal is soon to become official, and the contract contains guarantees that surpass Jimmy Garoppolo‘s. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter) Smith’s deal includes $55MM guaranteed at signing and $71MM fully guaranteed by the start of the 2019 league year. Those figures are almost what Matthew Stafford earned with the Lions on his 2017 extension and more than Garoppolo’s 49ers deal. Garoppolo remains the clubhouse leader with $27.5MM AAV, but that contract is light on guarantees compared to other recent re-ups. And Cousins’ contract could well blow those agreements out of the water and represent a seismic shift in NFL contracts, should it indeed be a fully guaranteed deal.
- Broncos defensive end Adam Gotsis was arrested on rape charges stemming from an alleged 2013 incident while he was a student at Georgia Tech, Kirk Mitchell and Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post report. Gotsis surrendered on the charge of strong-arm rape at the Fulton County Jail and was released upon paying a $50K bond, the Denver Post duo reports. Gotsis, who the Broncos drafted in the second round in 2016, has been accused of overcoming the will of a 25-year-old woman in March 2013. The Australia native became a starter for the Broncos last season. “We were recently informed of an investigation into an alleged incident involving Adam Gotsis that occurred in 2013 when he was in college. Our organization was aware of his arrest on March 7, and it is our understanding that no determination has been made at this time as to whether any charges will be filed,” the Broncos said in a statement. “The Broncos take an accusation of this nature very seriously and will continue to closely monitor the legal proceedings.”
McCarron Possible Broncos Backup Plan?
A Kirk Cousins-to-Denver path has lost some steam over the past week or so, and although nothing’s been decided yet, the Broncos appear to have multiple contingency plans.
Having been linked to Case Keenum throughout the offseason, the Broncos may now have A.J. McCarron on their radar. McCarron could be a target for the Broncos if Cousins signs elsewhere, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (Twitter link).
The obvious connection here would be McCarron and Vance Joseph, a former Bengals defensive backs coach during part of the quarterback’s time in Cincinnati. While McCarron could be seen as a mid-tier option on this quarterback market, he figures to receive a chance somewhere since several teams are going after Cousins and the runners-up will need backup plans.
Based on his game inexperience, McCarron profiles as a buyer-beware option. He did play well in an overtime loss in Denver in 2015 while Andy Dalton was out, but Brock Osweiler outplayed him that night. And the latter is not believed to be a consideration for the Broncos as a possible Week 1 starter.
Extra Points: Sherman, 49ers, Talib, 49ers, Bucs, Greco
Richard Sherman has taken some flack for his one-year deal with the 49ers, but he has no regrets about acting as his own agent.
“I don’t think any agent in the business could have done a better job of negotiating this contract,” Sherman told Peter King of The MMQB. “As long as I’m content with what I’m making, nothing else matters to me. Once I make a Pro Bowl, $8MM the next year is guaranteed for me. It gives me the ability to control my destiny. The 49ers have skin in the game. I have skin in the game. In my former contract, no matter what I did this year, nothing would be guaranteed to me next year. I couldn’t feel secure in my contract. Now, if I play the way I know I’m capable of playing, I know I’m going to get paid.”
Sherman’s deal is a three-year, $39MM pact, but a deeper look shows that the real base value is just $21.15MM with another $18MM coming in the form of bonuses. In order to earn the full $39MM, Sherman must play in every regular season game, be on the field for 90% of snaps, and earn Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors in each season. In other words, it’s unlikely that Sherman will actually see the full value of the deal. Still, Sherman is content with how things played out and intimated that he wanted the opportunity to face his old team twice per year.
- Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (on Twitter) had more on the 49ers’ proposed trade for cornerback Aqib Talib from the Broncos, which Talib rejected. The 49ers were going to send a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft in exchange for the services of the five-time Pro Bowler. In the end, the Broncos traded Talib to the Rams for a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft.
- The Buccanneers looked to shore up their kicking woes of late by attempting to land former Florida State kicker Dustin Hopkins before he re-signed with the Redskins, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine. The Bucs cut former second-round pick Roberto Aguayo prior to last season and Nick Folk was cut last month after missing a majority of last season on injured reserve with a minor-injury designation. Free-agent addition Patrick Murray hit 82.6% of his kicks with Tampa Bay last year in 23 attempts, with a long of 50 yards.
- The Giants and offensive lineman John Greco agreed to a one-year deal last month and Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter) that his salary for 2018 will be $1.02MM. Greco appeared in six games for the Giants last season after spending the previous six seasons as a mainstay within the interior of the Browns’ offensive line.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/12/18
Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day.
RFAs
Tendered at second-round level:
- Falcons: G Ben Garland (via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution)
- Jaguars: RB Corey Grant (via John Oehser of Jaguars.com, on Twitter)
- Redskins: T Ty Nsekhe (via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
- Titans: G Quinton Spain (Twitter link via Paul Kuharsky)
- Vikings: G/C Nick Easton (per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, on Twitter)
Tendered at original-round level:
- Bears: CB Bryce Callahan, WR Cameron Meredith, WR Josh Bellamy (via Rich Campbell and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, all Twitter links)
Non-Tendered:
- Broncos: WR Bennie Fowler (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post, on Twitter)
- Packers: P Jake Schum (per Rob Demovsky of ESPN)
ERFAs
Tendered:
- 49ers: RB Raheem Mostert (per Mostert’s agent, Brett Tessler, on Twitter)
- Broncos: LS Casey Kreiter, WR Jordan Taylor, LB Zaire Anderson, T Elijah Wilkinson, LB Jerrol Garcia-Williams, LB Joseph Jones (Jhabvala reports, Twitter links)
- Giants: G Jon Halapio (via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan, on Twitter)
- Jaguars: TE Ben Koyack, OL William Poehls (Twitter links, via Oehser)
- Packers: WR Michael Clark, OL Justin McCray, CB Donatello Brown (all Twitter links via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com and Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Raiders: K Giorgio Tavecchio, LB Shilique Calhoun (Twitter links via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Josina Anderson of ESPN.com)
- Rams: RB Malcolm Brown, CB Troy Hill (per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
Non-Tendered:
- Bears: LS Patrick Scales (via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, on Twitter)
- Cardinals: TE Ifeanyi Momah (Twitter link via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic)