Detroit Lions Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Notes: Cowboys, 49ers, Cardinals

March 16th, 2014 at 10:22pm CST by Ben Levine

A couple of notes from around the National Football Conference to end your weekend…

After having visited the Seahawks today, it appears that Jared Allen will also visit the Cowboys, tweets Sean Jensen of Thrive Sports.
After losing out on Julian Edelman and Emmanuel Sanders, the 49ers‘ list of potential receivers is shrinking, says ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson. The writer throws out James Jones, Santonio Holmes and Sidney Rice as potential options for the team.
Paying Daryl Washington the first installment of his bonus was a “good risk” by the Cardinals, writes Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Despite the linebacker’s inability to stay out of trouble, his Pro Bowl-like talent and production makes the relatively low monetary risk worth it.
While the team certainly has depth at receiver after inking Golden Tate, don’t expect the Lions to drop a wideout, writes Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. He identifies Ryan Broyles and Kris Durham as being on the bottom of the depth chart, but believes that both players could still stick around. Rothstein guesses that Broyles could start the season on the PUP list.
It’ll likely be a while before Corey Wootton signs anywhere, but ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright thinks the Bears should bring back the defensive lineman.

NFC Rumors: Saints, Cowboys, Peppers, Guion

March 14th, 2014 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Having reportedly turned down an opportunity to meet with the Dolphins, free agent tackle Zach Strief expects to re-sign with the Saints, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). It’d be interesting to see Strief sign back with New Orleans, since he was expected to do well on the open market and the Saints don’t have a lot of cap flexibility. As we saw with the Jairus Byrd contract though, the team could find a way to squeeze him in, particularly with Darren Sproles‘ deal off the books.

Here are a few more brief notes from around the NFC:

The Cowboys have shown interest in recently released defensive end Julius Peppers, according to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. In search of defensive line help, the team also plans to host Henry Melton, as we heard earlier.
Former Vikings defensive tackle Letroy Guion is considering the Ravens, Patriots, and Packers in free agency, says Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter). According to Tomasson, Guion, who has already visited New England, will meet with Green Bay on Sunday unless he has a deal in place before then.
Darryl Tapp‘s new one-year deal with the Lions is a minimum salary benefit contract, with a base salary of $855K and a signing bonus of $65K, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. It’ll count against Detroit’s cap for $635K.

Lions Sign Pettigrew To Four-Year Deal

March 14th, 2014 at 11:35am CST by Luke Adams

11:35am: The Lions have officially announced Pettigrew’s new deal (via Twitter). We passed along additional details on the contract earlier today.

7:06am: The Lions and Brandon Pettigrew have agreed to a four-year contract that will keep the free agent tight end in Detroit, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. According to Birkett, Pettigrew’s new deal is worth $16MM, with $8MM in guaranteed money.

Pettigrew, who had 71 receptions in 2010 and 83 in 2011, was one of the top tight ends to reach the unrestricted free agent market, after Dennis Pitta re-signed with the Ravens and Jimmy Graham was designated as the Saints’ franchise player. The former 20th overall pick was said to be nearing an agreement yesterday, with the Lions attempting to fight off other suitors like the Jets, Raiders, and Chiefs.

Having already signed wide receiver Golden Tate to a long-term deal, the Lions are ensuring that Matthew Stafford will have plenty of targets besides Calvin Johnson to throw to in 2014. According to Birkett, the club still intends to add at least one more receiver, perhaps early in May’s draft.

Contract Details: Pettigrew, Ginn, Clemens

March 14th, 2014 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Brandon Pettigrew agreed to a new four-year contract with the Lions today, and while $8MM of the $16MM total is guaranteed, $2.8MM of that amount, 2015’s base salary, is guaranteed for injury only, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Pelissero adds that the rest of the guarantee comes from a $4MM signing bonus and a $1.2MM base salary for 2014 (Twitter links). Here are several more details on recent deals:

The three-year contract Ted Ginn Jr. agreed to with the Cardinals includes a $2.25MM signing bonus and $1.5MM in annual incentives, says Pelissero (via Twitter). Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com breaks it down in chart form.
Kellen Clemens‘ two-year, $3MM pact with the Chargers includes a $645K signing bonus and a $250K roster bonus due on the third day of the 2015 league year, tweets Pelissero.
The Redskins‘ one-year, $2MM deal with Darryl Sharpton can be worth up to $2MM. It’s made up of an $820K signing bonus, a $730K non-guaranteed base salary, $200K in per-game roster bonuses, and $250K in playing-time incentives, according to Pelissero (via Twitter).

Brandon Pettigrew Nearing Deal

March 13th, 2014 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

5:04pm: Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter) adds the Chiefs to the list of teams in the mix for Pettigrew, which means there appear to be four teams still in the running.

11:41am: Free agent tight end Brandon Pettigrew is expected to have a contract agreement in place shortly, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. According to Mehta, Pettigrew is contemplating interest from the Jets, Raiders, and Lions.

Pettigrew, who had 71 receptions in 2010 and 83 in 2011, is perhaps the top tight end on the unrestricted free agent market, with Dennis Pitta having re-signed with the Ravens and Jimmy Graham designated as the Saints’ franchise player.

Yesterday, we heard that there were five teams in the mix for Pettigrew. In addition to the three clubs mentioned above, the Texans and Giants were named as suitors, but Houston has since agreed to re-sign Garrett Graham, and it seems the Giants have dropped out of contention.

Lions Sign Darryl Tapp

March 13th, 2014 at 4:42pm CST by Luke Adams

4:42pm: It’s a one-year deal for Tapp, the Lions have confirmed (Twitter link via Birkett).

1:19pm: The Lions will be signing free agent defensive lineman Darryl Tapp, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). Birkett adds in a second tweet that Tapp, who will replace Willie Young at defensive end, wanted to be reunited with Detroit defensive coach Jim Washburn, who worked with Tapp in Philadelphia.

Earlier this week, we learned that Tapp, an unrestricted free agent, wouldn’t be rejoining the Redskins. The former second round pick saw time in 11 games for Washington last season and, statistically, had his least productive season with seven tackles and one sack.

Colts Sign Phil Costa

March 13th, 2014 at 4:36pm CST by Luke Adams

4:36pm: Costa’s two-year deal is worth $2.7MM, with a max value of $3.5MM if he reaches playing time incentives, tweets Chappell.

4:25pm: The Colts have signed center Phil Costa, according to Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star, who reports (via Twitter) that it’s a two-year deal. Before agreeing to terms with the Colts, Costa visited the Lions, and reportedly had meetings scheduled with the Bengals and Patriots.

Costa, 26, was the Cowboys’ full-time starter at center in 2011, but missed most of 2012 with an ankle injury and transitioned into a backup role in 2013. He has a decent amount of upside, and appears to be the favorite to take over as the Colts’ starting center in 2014.

Costa’s signing means the team is likely out of the running for Alex Mack, though Chappell (Twitter link) cautions not to rule out the possibility, given Costa’s lack of playing time over the last couple seasons. A report earlier today had suggested there might be some mutual interest between Indianapolis and Mack.

FA Rumors: Melton, Walker, Cromartie

March 13th, 2014 at 2:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Unrestricted free agent defensive tackle Henry Melton, who is visiting with the Vikings on Thursday, is the center of a lawsuit from a bar altercation where he is alleged to have bitten the restaurant owner, writes Master Tesfatsion of the Star-Tribune. That could be a sticking point for the Vikings, who dealt with four player arrests in 2013. The latest free agent rumors from around the NFL…

Vance Walker is visiting with the Chiefs today, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN. The defensive tackle also has a visit lined up with the Packers, tweets Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
Former Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie is visiting with the Cardinals today, a source tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
Quarterback Shaun Hill could still return to the Lions, a source tells Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. The Buccaneers seemed like a real option for Hill until they inked Josh McCown this week.
Akeem Jordan‘s visit with the Titans has been moved up from Monday to Friday, says Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean, adding that the Redskins would like to bring in the linebacker for a visit if he doesn’t sign with Tennessee (Twitter links).
Tight end Owen Daniels is set to visit with the Redskins, a source tells ESPN’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter).
Return specialist Ted Ginn is visiting the Cardinals, tweets P. Schrager of FOXSports.com.

Lions Expected To Sign James Ihedigbo

March 13th, 2014 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

12:02pm: Ihedigbo left his visit with the Lions today without officially signing anything, but says it’s very possible he’ll sign soon, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Birkett adds that the free agent safety needs to get his agent situation “squared away” and is heading home to visit his pregnant wife (Twitter links).

8:49am: The Lions and safety James Ihedigbo are expected to reach a contract agreement soon, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press had reported earlier today that Ihedigbo was headed to Detroit for a visit.

Ihedigbo, 30, started all 16 games last season for the Ravens after recording just 15 starts in the first five years of his career. With the added playing time, Ihedigbo delivered, ranking 16th among 86 qualified safeties, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), and playing more defensive snaps (1,098) than all but seven of those safeties. As the team’s full-time strong safety, Ihedigbo racked up 100 tackles, grabbed three interceptions, and recovered a pair of fumbles.

Assuming Ihedigbo finalizes a deal with Detroit, he’ll be joining a secondary that lost Louis Delmas but still features Glover Quin. Like Ihedigbo, Quin had a very good season as a strong safety in 2013, so it’ll be interesting to see which player the team plans to move over to free safety. Ihedigbo would also be rejoining Teryl Austin, who served as the Ravens’ secondary coach for the last several seasons. Austin was hired as the Lions’ defensive coordinator earlier this offseason.

FA Rumors: DRC, Ginn, Whitehurst, Burleson

March 13th, 2014 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

As one of the few notable cornerbacks remaining on the market, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is still searching for a deal. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), the Jets are one team that has been in touch with DRC’s camp about the free agent, as New York remains in the market for cornerback help. Here are a few more Thursday free agent updates:

After missing out on receiver and return specialist Jacoby Jones, the Giants are eyeing Ted Ginn Jr., a player capable of filling a similar role, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean thinks there’s a reasonable chance the Titans and quarterback Charlie Whitehurst will work something out (Twitter link). Wyatt reported earlier today that Whitehurst was visiting with the club.
The Titans are also exhibiting interest in wide receiver Nate Burleson, who was released by the Lions before the start of the free agent period, tweets Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.
The Steelers are “really interested” in defensive end Alex Carrington, and will host him for a visit tonight, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Pittsburgh has already lost Ziggy Hood in free agency and may part ways with Brett Keisel as well.
Linebacker Darryl Tapp is among the players visiting the Lions today, reports Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter).
Free agent center Phil Costa is visiting the Colts today and Bengals tomorrow, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

Detroit Lions News & Rumors