Le’Veon Bell Deciding Between Five Teams?
Free agents have been flying off the board but perhaps the biggest name, running back Le’Veon Bell, remains unsigned. The market does appear to be narrowing down for Bell’s services, and there’s a “good likelihood” he signs with one of the Jets, Colts, Ravens, Packers, Texans, or Bills, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
However, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com soon tweeted that the Colts are officially out on Bell, which would narrow down the list to five teams. Furthermore, the Packers have already spent a ton of money today on Adrian Amos, Za’Darius Smith, and Preston Smith, so they might not no longer be able to fit the massive contract Bell is seeking into their cap.
The Jets have been the team most heavily linked to Bell for months now. There have been conflicting reports about their level of interest, and rumors they’re concerned about his weight, but they’ve been the one constant when discussing Bell. The Jets are looking to add some excitement, need a running back, and have plenty of cap space, so they still make the most sense on paper.
The Ravens make some sense as well, as they’re looking for weapons for Lamar Jackson and are planning to have a very run-heavy offense. The Texans and Bills are more outside the box options, as both have established running backs. The Texans have Lamar Miller, while the Bills have LeSean McCoy and just added Frank Gore. Both Gore and McCoy are getting up there in age while the Texans could get out of Miller’s contract fairly easily, so they’re both definitely options.
Interestingly, Anderson’s list doesn’t include the Raiders. After trading for Antonio Brown, rumors began swirling that Jon Gruden would attempt to re-pair him with Bell in Oakland. That could still be the case, although they didn’t make Anderson’s shortlist.
Texans To Sign S Tashaun Gipson
The Texans let Tyrann Mathieu walk, but they moved quickly in bringing in another safety. Houston has agreed to terms with safety Tashaun Gipson, sources told Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal is worth $22MM over three years, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
The Texans are stealing Gipson away from their division rival, as Gipson has spent the past three seasons with the Jaguars. Jacksonville released Gipson on Friday. Gipson signed a five-year, $36MM deal with the Jaguars in 2016, but was cut loose with two years still left to go on that deal.
He had been scheduled to make north of $8MM in 2019 before being released, and it’ll be very interesting to see what Houston gave him. An undrafted free agent in 2012, Gipson spent the first four years of his career with the Browns. He’s had some very good seasons, and made the Pro Bowl in 2014.
He received above average marks from Pro Football Focus last year, earning PFF’s 37th-highest grade among all safeties. He’s been very durable, starting all 48 possible games since he joined the Jaguars. His production was down last year, but in 2017 he had four interceptions. Safeties have been flying off the board early in free agency, with Mathieu, Eric Weddle, Adrian Amos, and Landon Collins all inking new deals. Earl Thomas is the last of the huge names on the market, with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Tre Boston still available as well.
Extra Points: Mathieu, Texans, Bucs, Bennett, Bears
It sounds like the Texans tried to keep Tyrann Mathieu before he ultimately signed with the Chiefs. Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo tweets that Houston offered the safety a long-term deal that would have paid him around $9.5MM per season.
The reporter notes that the Texans and Chiefs were bidding for Mathieu until the end, and Houston’s final offer was close to Kansas City’s. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle writes that the organization was (and, presumably, is) “willing to spend liberally” on a veteran safety, and both general manager Brian Gaine and coach Bill O’Brien wanted to keep Mathieu.
The safety ended up inking a three years worth $42MM with the Chiefs. The Texans have reportedly shifted their focus to other safeties, including Earl Thomas.
Let’s take a look at some additional notes from around the NFL…
- Besides a safety, McClain notes that the Texans are also hunting for a pass-rushing “inside player.” The team could ultimately look towards the draft if nothing solidifies during free agency.
- The Buccaneers reached out to linebacker Deone Bucannon, reports Greg Auman of The Athletic (via Twitter). The 26-year-old had spent his entire career with the Cardinals, and he started all of his 41 games between 2015 and 2017. He took a bit of a step back in 2018, compiling 38 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 13 games (six starts). The linebacker played with new Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians during their stints in Arizona.
- Following the Patriots‘ acquisition of Michael Bennett, there were some rumblings that his brother, tight end Martellus Bennett, would come out of retirement and return to New England. However, the Patriots’ new acquisition poured some water on the rumors this evening, saying that the whispers of Martellus coming out of retirement were “fake news” (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). After winning a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2016, the tight end split the 2017 season between New England and Green Bay.
- The Bears are expecting a pair of defensive backs to go elsewhere this offseason. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes that safety Adrian Amos is “close to having a deal in place elsewhere,” and it sounds like the team is already eyeing potential replacements. Meanwhile, Biggs notes that cornerback Bryce Callahan won’t be back with the Bears after they signed veteran Buster Skrine.
- Before agreeing to a deal with the Broncos, safety Kareem Jackson was hoping he’d be back in Houston. However, the veteran didn’t receive a whole lot of interest from the Texans, leading to the player feeling “a little disrespected.” “They didn’t even approach me with an offer or any type of deal,” Jackson told Mark Berman of KRIV (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “Obviously, they didn’t want me back or whatever the case may be. I’m not really sure. My agent was never approached by anybody from the Texans organization, so I wasn’t offered a deal of any sort. I kind of feel a little disrespected to be honest about it. At the end of the day, no hard feelings. I had a great nine years here. This will always be home for me. I definitely appreciate all the memories and all the opportunities. I appreciate the fans and everything I was able to build here. I’ll always have love for Houston.”
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/11/19
Here are Monday’s moves involving restricted and exclusive-rights free agents:
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Packers: OLB Reggie Gilbert, WR Jake Kumerow, OL Lucas Patrick, TE Robert Tonyan (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
- Seahawks: DE Branden Jackson, S Shalom Luani, WR David Moore, LS Tyler Ott, G Jordan Simmons (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson, on Twitter)
RFAs
Tendered at second-round level:
- Colts: C Evan Boehm, S Matthias Farley (via CBS4’s Mike Chappell, on Twitter)
Tendered at original-round level:
- Texans: DL Brandon Dunn (per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, on Twitter)
Non-tendered:
- Buccaneers: CB De’Vante Harris (per Greg Auman of The Athletic, on Twitter)
- Colts: S Corey Moore (via Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star, on Twitter)
- Dolphins: C Jake Brendel (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald)
Texans Eyeing Earl Thomas?
After losing Tyrann Mathieu to the Chiefs, it sounds like the Texans have shifted their focus to another veteran safety. Draft analyst Tony Pauline reports (via Twitter) that Houston is preparing a “big push” for Earl Thomas.
Thomas has consistently been connected to another Texas franchise, the Cowboys, through must of the past year. The 29-year-old is from Texas and played college football with the Longhorns. Unless he’s absolutely focused on joining Dallas, Houston would seem to be a natural fit.
However, money could end up being an issue. Recent reports indicated that the veteran was seeking a deal that would pay him $13MM annually, and he was motivated to be the highest-paid player at his position. Mathieu ended up inking a deal with Kansas City that has a $14MM average annual value; if the Texans were (presumably) unwilling to shell out that kind of money on one of their own players, it’s hard to envision them paying money to a different (and older) safety.
Thomas played in just four games last season before a leg injury landed him on injured reserve, but he’ll be fully recovered by the time the 2019 season rolls around. The six-time Pro Bowler would be a massive addition to the Cowboys’ already promising defense.
Texans Notes: Roby, Covington
- Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby is “getting a lot of interest” from teams, according to James Palmer of NFL Network (Twitter link). Palmer reports that the competition for Roby seems to have narrowed down to the Texans, Browns, Steelers, 49ers, Raiders and Broncos. Everything we’ve heard recently has indicated Roby will be walking in free agency, so it would be a bit of a surprise if he returned to Denver. A 2014 first round pick, Roby has been a solid player but has never quite lived up to his draft status. He started 15 games for the Broncos last year.
- Texans defensive lineman Christian Covington isn’t ruling out a return to Houston, but the team plans to let him test the open market, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. Wilson reports that Covington is expected to have a “healthy market” in free agency. Covington has been a bit player for the Texans the past four seasons, but did have a career-high 3.5 sacks in relatively limited action last season.
Contract Details: Brown, Boyle, Harrison
Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed contracts from around the NFL:
- Trent Brown , T (Raiders): Four years, $66MM, $36.75MM guaranteed. As Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets, Brown will earn $15MM in 2019 but $21.5MM in 2020, when the Raiders move to Las Vegas (there’s no income tax in Nevada). That’s a smart move on Brown’s part, obviously. But as Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal observes (via Twitter), there is no guaranteed money left on the deal after 2020, so the Raiders can cut bait with no dead money ramifications at the end of the 2020 season. Essentially, then, it is a two-year, $36.75MM pact.
- Nick Boyle, TE (Ravens): Three years, $18MM. $10MM fully guaranteed ($7MM signing bonus, $1MM guaranteed salary in 2019, $2MM of $4.5MM guaranteed in 2020). Twitter link via NFL Insider Adam Caplan.
- Jonotthan Harrison, OL (Jets): Re-signed on March 9. Two years, maximum of $6MM. Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- Angelo Blackson, DE (Texans): Three years, $12MM. $3.5MM guaranteed. Salaries of $2MM (guaranteed), $3.5MM, and $3.5MM. $1.5MM 2019 roster bonus. $31,250 per game 46-man roster bonus. Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- Ben Braunecker, TE (Bears): Two-year deal. Total value of $2.7MM. $300K signing bonus. $6,250 per game 46-man roster bonus. Twitter links via Wilson.
Texans Tender Ka’imi Fairbairn, Brennan Scarlett; Re-Sign Joel Heath
In a day full of big headlines, the Texans took care of some less conspicuous business. Per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the club tendered RFA kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn at the second-round level ($3.095MM). That was a no-brainer for Houston, as Fairbairn turned in an excellent season in 2018, nailing 88.1% of his field goals and sinking all of his attempts of less than 40 yards. He also made 39 of 41 extra point tries and led the NFL with 150 points.
The Texans also retained RFA linebacker Brennan Scarlett with a $2.025MM original round tender. Scarlett started three games for the club last year, compiling 18 tackles to go along with a forced fumble and an interception.
Houston did not tender defensive end Joel Heath, another RFA, but they did re-sign him to a one-year deal worth less than the $2.025MM original round tender. Heath appeared in five games last year but did not record a sack as he saw his usage decrease considerably from 2017.
None of these moves come as a surprise, as the Texans were expected to retain all of their restricted free agents. Houston also re-signed DE Angelo Blackson earlier today.
Texans Offered Tyrann Mathieu Over $9.5MM Per Year
We heard last week that the Texans had made a contract offer to safety Tyrann Mathieu in the hopes that they could convince him to steer clear of the free agent market. We now know that the deal was a long-term pact worth over $9.5MM per year, as Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets. Mathieu has elected to test the market instead, though he still wants to remain in Houston.
It is a very crowded safety market, but after free agent safeties struggled to find new homes and lucrative deals last season, it appears the increased supply of safety talent this year will not further diminish the demand. To the contrary, it seems that Mathieu may have been wise to turn down Houston’s offer, as he looks to be in high demand around the league (plus, we don’t know the length of Houston’s offer or the guaranteed money it contained).
The Ravens and Buccaneers have been rumored as potential fits, with plenty of chatter linking Mathieu to Baltimore in recent days. The Honey Badger was once the highest-paid safety in football, but he was cut by the Cardinals two years into a $12.5MM/year extension and revived his career in Houston after inking a one-year, $7MM pact with the Texans last March.
In 2018, the 26-year-old (27 in May) looked much like he did when he was at his best in Arizona, starting all 16 games and recording two picks and three sacks. Pro Football Focus appreciated his efforts, grading him as the 21st-best safety in the league.
Texans Re-Sign DE Angelo Blackson
The Texans and defensive end Angelo Blackson agreed to a new three-year, $12MM deal, a source tells Adam Caplan of NFL.com (on Twitter). Blackson played in 40% of the team’s defensive snaps last season and emerged as a pleasant surprise for Houston. 
Blackson first joined the Texans in 2017 after spending the previous two seasons with the Titans. He had just nine tackles across nine games in Year One with Houston, but he took on a larger role last year. Appearing in all 16 games (four starts), Blackson amassed 24 tackles, one sack, and three passes defensed. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus graded him as just the 99th ranked interior defender out of 112 qualified players.
The Texans still have lots of work to do on the defensive line. Christian Covington, Brandon Dunn, and Joel Heath (RFA) still need to have their contracts addressed.