AFC Notes: Houston, Wallace, Broncos
Some assorted notes from around the AFC…
- The Chiefs haven’t spoken to linebacker Justin Houston‘s representatives since slapping him with the nonexclusive franchise tag in early March, according to Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star. However, general manager John Dorsey said the lack of progress on a longterm contract isn’t a reason to panic. “It’s an ongoing process, it doesn’t happen overnight,” he said. “These things with players of this magnitude, it’s gonna take a while.”
- The Dolphins have seen plenty of roster turnover recently, but it sounds like the team is hoping to keep two potential cap casualties. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald says the team is working to restructure the contracts of wideout Mike Wallace and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe. Salguero notes that the status of these negotiations could determine whether the duo sticks around for next season.
- The Broncos are seeking reinforcement in their secondary, and ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets that the team will meet with safety Darian Stewart on Thursday. Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun says that both sides will instead meet this evening, and he notes that the Giants are also interested.
- Defensive end Vance Walker will meet with the Broncos later this week, according to Mike Klis of The Denver Post. The 28-year-old spent last season with the Chiefs.
AFC West Rumors: Freeney, Royal, Broncos
The latest from the AFC West..
- Chargers GM Tom Telesco spoke to Dwight Freeney days ago and informed him that the team won’t be pursuing another contract with him, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets. “I wish him all the luck. I really do.“
- Meanwhile, Telesco said that the “door is still open” for Eddie Royal to return to the Chargers, Gehlken tweets. So far, there has been nothing official between the wide receiver and the Bears, though there have been rumblings of a connection there. In San Diego last season, Royal caught 62 balls for 778 receiving yards. Both marks were his best since his rookie season with the Broncos in 2008.
- Broncos GM John Elway says the team is still looking at safeties and improving the offensive line in the second wave of free agency, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Broncos, who are high on tight ends, will talk with Jacob Tamme today in hopes of retaining him, Troy Renck of the Denver Post tweets. Of course, Denver seems pretty set at the tight end position in the wake of yesterday’s signing of Owen Daniels.
- Elway went on to say that the Broncos are still trying to re-sign defensive tackle Mitch Unrein, Legwold tweets.
East Rumors: Revis, Mariota, Washington
The Jets had a significantly higher offer on the table for cornerback Darrelle Revis than the Patriots did, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. Howe isn’t exactly sure of what the gap was, but the Pats apparently didn’t approach the five-year, $70MM pact that includes $39MM in guaranteed cash. Howe (link) was also told that the Patriots did not give Revis permission to explore his value from the competition before the official opening of free agency on Tuesday like they did with Browner. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC East..
- John Clayton of ESPN.com (on Twitter) is convinced that Washington will take quarterback Marcus Mariota if he falls to No. 5 overall.
- Sal Paolantonio of ESPN said on 97.5 The Fanatic that relative of Nick Foles relative said the quarterback is ecstatic to no longer be a member of the Eagles, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes. “I just talked to a member of Nick Foles’ family. He is absolutely pumped, overjoyed he’s out of Philly,” Paolantonio said. Foles is now a member of the Rams following Tuesday’s trade.
- New Washington defensive lineman Stephen Paea says the Lions, Broncos, and Buccaneers were also in the mix for his services, as John Keim of ESPN.com writes.
- When asked if the Bills ever considered cutting running back Fred Jackson, GM Doug Whaley flatly said “no,” Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Whaley also said that he does not have a framework of a deal with fullback Jerome Felton, Joe Buscaglia of WGR tweets.
- Earlier today, we rounded up the latest on Cowboys free agent running back DeMarco Murray.
Jaguars Sign Jared Odrick
WEDNESDAY, 9:53am: The Jaguars’ deal with Odrick is now official, the team announced today (via Twitter).
TUESDAY, 3:38pm: It was originally reported that Odrick would get $7MM per year, but he’ll actually earn $8.5MM per season with $22MM guaranteed overall, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
MONDAY, 11:58am: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggests (via Twitter) that the Jags have “locked up” Odrick. No deal can become official until Tuesday, but based on Rapoport’s wording, it sounds like there’s at least a verbal agreement in place between the two sides. The deal will be worth about $7MM annually, per Rapoport.
9:44am: With Ndamukong Suh headed to South Beach, the Dolphins almost certainly won’t be re-signing defensive tackle Jared Odrick, but according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Odrick could end up staying put in Florida. Florio reports that the expectation heading into Tuesday’s free agent period is that Odrick will land in Jacksonville, signing a new deal with the Jaguars.
When I listed my top 50 free agents on Saturday, I ranked Odrick 23rd, as the fourth defensive tackle on the board behind Suh, Terrance Knighton, and Nick Fairley. At the time, I estimated the 27-year-old’s asking price would be in the neighborhood of $6MM annually. However, Chris Perkins and Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel hear that Odrick could get a contract in the range of $7MM per year.
Citing an NFL source, the Sun Sentinel report indicates that – in addition to the Jaguars – the Raiders and Broncos are also talking to Odrick.
Contract Details: Franklin, Kern, Cole, Vereen
A few details on some noteworthy new contracts from around the NFL:
- Orlando Franklin, G (Chargers): Five years, $35.5MM base value. $15.5MM fully guaranteed at signing (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Brett Kern, P (Titans): Five years, $15MM base value. $2.5MM signing bonus. $5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com).
- Trent Cole, OLB (Colts): Two years, $14MM base value. $2MM signing bonus. $8MM guaranteed at signing. $1MM annually in playing-time/sack incentives (Twitter links via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com).
- Shane Vereen, RB (Giants): Three years, $12.3MM base value. $3.5MM signing bonus. $4.75MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- J.T. Thomas, LB (Giants): Three years, $10MM base value. $4.5MM guaranteed. $1MM annual escalators in 2016, 2017 (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Virgil Green, TE (Broncos): Three years, $8.4MM base value. $4.2MM guaranteed. Max value of $11.25MM (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Sergio Brown, S (Jaguars): Three years, $7MM base value. $1MM guaranteed. Escalators can push total value up to $9MM (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Ed Dickson, TE (Panthers): Three years, $6.8MM base value. $2MM signing bonus ($700K deferred) (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Joe Berger, OL (Vikings): Two years, $2.155MM base value. $130K guaranteed. $800K available in incentives (Twitter link via Pelissero).
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Today’s minor moves…
- The Patriots have agreed to terms to re-sign linebacker and special-teamer Chris White, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- The Broncos have signed tight end Joe Don Duncan, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Duncan went undrafted in 2014 out of Dixie State.
Earlier updates
- The Giants cut offensive tackle Rogers Gaines, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post tweets.
- After losing safety Sergio Brown earlier today, the Colts have re-signed fellow safety Colt Anderson, who is a core special teams player, per Kevin Bowen of Colts.com (Twitter link).
- The Texans announced they’ve re-signed linebacker Jeff Tarpinian. The 27-year-old has played in 22 games over the past two seasons, and Houston in special teams tackles in 2014.
- The Giants are set to re-sign Chris Ogbonnaya today, Dan Graziano of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. The 28-year-old (29 in May) joined up with the Giants in December of last year amidst their rash of injuries.
- Washington announced the re-signing of safety Trent Robinson. Robinson, 23, was originally drafted by the 49ers in the sixth round of the 2012 draft. He signed with Washington in October of 2013 and has appeared in 26 games with the Redskins across the last two seasons.
Knighton Won’t Sign With Raiders, Broncos
The Raiders appeared to be nearing a deal for Terrance Knighton, but that’s no longer the case. The free agent defensive tackle told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter) that things didn’t work out between him and Oakland.
“The Raiders made me an offer but it’s not close to what I was looking for. So as of right now the Raiders and Broncos are out of the race. A lot of people had me going to the Raiders because of Jack Del Rio, but I’m now focusing on a few other teams right now,” Knighton told Anderson.
When Luke Adams listed PFR’s top 50 free agents recently, he ranked Pot Roast 16th on our list. The six-year veteran was an integral part of a Broncos team that had the league’s second-best run defense in 2014, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Knighton 12th among 81 qualifying D-tackles last season.
Pot Roast started drawing “serious interest” from a handful of teams, including the Raiders, Colts, Bears, and Washington, once Ndamukong Suh came off the board. Oakland has also long been viewed as a logical landing spot thanks to the Del Rio connection, but Knighton shot that notion down hard with his comments today.
Raiders Notes: Murray, Knighton, Williams
The latest out of Oakland…
- The Raiders are in on running back DeMarco Murray, according to John Middlekauf of 95.7 The Game (Twitter link).
- Despite reports that the two sides were nearing a deal, Oakland is no longer pursuing Terrance Knighton, tweets Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4, who adds (via Twitter) that the Broncos are also out on Knighton.
- Oakland’s interest in Knighton had waned, per ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson (via Twitter), who says the club is now focused on Dan Williams.
Broncos Sign Owen Daniels
3:40pm: Daniels will get $12MM over three years, according to Mike Klis of The Denver Post (on Twitter).
3:18pm: The Broncos announced that they have signed tight end Owen Daniels to a three-year deal, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
Daniels was scheduled to visit Denver on Wednesday, but it sounds like the two sides slid the powwow up on their schedule. Now, Daniels will give Denver some reinforcements at tight end after Julius Thomas‘ reported agreement with the Jaguars. Last season, Daniels hauled in 48 catches for 527 yards and 4 touchdowns. That campaign was his most productive since his 2012 Pro Bowl season in which he had 62 catches for 716 yards and six scores.
Daniels, 31, was limited to just five games in 2013 due to a broken leg. In his previous seven NFL seasons, however, he averaged over 51 receptions per year to go along with 26 total touchdowns. Daniels was also named to two Pro Bowl teams, in 2008 and 2012. His deal with Baltimore last year was worth $1MM with $1MM in incentives.
Broncos Re-Sign Virgil Green
2:53pm: The deal is worth $8.4MM over three years, per Renck.
2:19pm: The Broncos have officially announced their new deal with Green. It’s a three-year pact, according to the team.
2:13pm: He didn’t catch double-digit touchdowns last season, and he wasn’t on anyone’s list of top free agents for this offseason, but tight end Virgil Green will be returning to the Broncos, tweets Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. Green, like Julius Thomas, had been eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this week.
Green, 26, actually ranked just ahead of Thomas on Pro Football Focus’ overall tight end rankings in 2014, in large part due to his excellent run blocking (subscription required). Green isn’t much of a pass-catching threat – his six catches in 2014 brought his career total up to just 23 – so the Broncos figure to pair him with someone who can be involved in the aerial attack. Owen Daniels, who is very comfortable with Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison, looks like the favorite for that role. The team is reportedly set to host Daniels for a visit on Wednesday.
While a Saturday report indicated Green had six to eight “serious” suitors, his decision appeared to come down to the Broncos and Bears. As Legwold notes, Green informed the Bears today that he intended to remain in Denver.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported earlier today that the Broncos were the frontrunners for Green.