NFL Draft Rumors: Jackson, Patriots, Rudolph
Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson may have erred by opting to go through the NFL draft process without an agent, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com writes. Jackson will avoid paying a portion of his rookie deal to a representative, but in an effort to save some cash, he could be hurting his draft position, which would negate the savings on the standard 1.5% fee.
Reportedly, Jackson struggled in breaking down X’s and O’s on the white board in meetings with teams and his Wonderlic score was poor. Some say the Wonderlic is meaningless, but some execs still use it as part of their evaluation process and an agent would have had him prepped for the test and other aspects of team interviews. An agent would also help to push the narrative that Jackson should be considered above some of this year’s top quarterbacks, including USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, and Wyoming’s Josh Allen.
Ultimately, Jackson’s decision will look like a smart one if he winds up going in the top half of the first round, Corry argues. But, based on what we’ve heard so far, that doesn’t seem likely. It’s notable that the Texans, who are already armed with a star QB in Deshaun Watson and don’t pick until the third round, recently had a private workout with Jackson.
Here’s more NFL draft news:
- South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst will visit the Panthers on Friday Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Carolina owns the No. 24 overall pick and they could use that selection to give themselves a potent tight end with receiving ability. Greg Olsen will start for the Panthers this season, but he is 33 and entering a contract year. In the past, Olsen has fought for a revamped deal, so it’s conceivable that he will look to push the market next March. Even if Olsen is retained beyond 2018, the Panthers need to consider the future of the tight end position.
- The Patriots, who now own two first-round picks, recently had a private workout with Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph, Rapoport tweets. Rudolph hasn’t garnered as much attention as this year’s top four QBs, but he is a potential first-rounder. Rapoport hears that he has been extremely busy with meetings and workouts, a possible sign that his stock is climbing.
- Rudolph will also have a top 30 visit with the Bills this weekend, according to Rapoport (on Twitter). The Bills own picks at 12 and 22, so he could be in the mix for one of those spots. Rudolph has also met with or had workouts for the Chargers, Saints, Giants, Steelers, and Bengals.
Texans Sign QB Joe Webb
The Texans have signed quarterback Joe Webb, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal worth $1.015MM. 
The Texans already had Brandon Weeden and Taylor Heinicke under contract as backups to Deshaun Watson, but Webb gives them an additional option to look at. In theory, Webb could also stick as a special teams contributor and/or a wide receiver given his past experience.
Last year, the 31-year-old appeared in all 16 games for the Bills, plus their Wild Card loss to the Jaguars. He played 39 snaps on offense during the regular season and 278 special teams snaps. His last significant action as a quarterback came in 2010 with the Vikings when he filled in for an injured Brett Favre.
The departure of Webb marks the sixth unrestricted free agent loss for the Bills this offseason.
Contract Details: Texans, Weeden, Bills
A deeper look at some recent free agent deals:
- Quarterback Brandon Weeden‘s contract with the Texans is for one year at a rate of $880K. The deal includes $230K in guaranteed cash between $140K of his base being assured and a $90K signing bonus. Weeden has not seen the field since 2015 when he appeared in four games for Dallas and two for the Texans. The 34-year-old (35 in October) has a career 6-19 record.
- Linebacker Will Compton’s one-year deal with the Titans can be worth up to $2MM, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. The deal included a $250K signing bonus. As Keim notes, that’s a solid contract for Compton considering that shoulder and Lisfranc injuries held him back in 2017. With the Titans, he’ll have an opportunity to reassert himself and potentially start.
- The Bills’ contracts signed last week with cornerback Phillip Gaines and wide receiver/punt returner Kaelin Clay were both for one year at minimum salaries, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Gaines is not well regarded by the advanced metrics, but he was a pivotal reserve for Kansas City from 2014-2017 and started some games last year due to Steven Nelson‘s injury.
Contract Details: Mathieu, Pamphile, Watson, Weeden
Some details on recent free agent deals (all links via Twitter):
- Tyrann Mathieu, S (Texans): $2MM base salary in 2018. $4.5MM signing bonus, $500K worth of per-game bonus (via Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com).
- Kevin Pamphile, OG (Titans): $1MM base salary, $400K guaranteed. $850K worth of incentives (via ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe).
- Ben Watson, TE (Saints): One year, $2MM. $645K signing bonus/guaranteed (via Nick Underhill of The Advocate).
- Marcus Sherels, CB/PR (Vikings): Worth $1.4MM, base salary $1.05MM. $250K signing bonus, $500K guaranteed, $100K workout bonus (via ESPN’s Ben Goessling).
NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero also has signing bonus/guarantee details on players who signed one-year deals: TE Levine Toilolo $400K (Lions), LB Pernell McPhee $350K (Redskins), QB Brandon Weeden $90K (Texans), CB Leon Hall $45K (Raiders).
Poll: Which Team Has Been The Biggest Winner In Free Agency?
With March drawing to a close and many of the game’s top free agents already inked to deals with their new teams, it’s time to take a look at the winners of free agency so far.
Entering the period, the focus was solely on Kirk Cousins and where the former Redskins signal-caller would sign and likely become the highest-paid player in the league. He expressed interest in wanting to win and followed through with his word, selecting the Vikings over a host of other suitors that included the Jets, Broncos and Cardinals. Landing a top quarterback on the open market is a rarity, which makes Minnesota easily one of the top beneficiaries of the early free-agent period. 
The team wasn’t done there, however, and added an impact defensive tackle in Sheldon Richardson to a defensive unit that was already arguably the best in the league. Coupling Richardson with Linval Joseph in the middle of the front four will make for one of the most impenetrable run defenses in the league. Minnesota also added Trevor Siemian to back up Cousins, re-signed kicker Kai Forbath and tabbed Kendall Wright to replace Jarius Wright, who the team released shortly after free agency opened.
Adding Cousins to an offense that already includes Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook and Kyle Rudolph, and slotting Richardson into the fray on the other side of the ball left the Vikings as one of the top Super Bowl favorites in 2018.
While the Vikings swung for the fences with a pair of big moves, no team has had a more active few weeks than the Rams. Just this week, the team added five-time Pro Bowl selection and 2010 Defensive Player of the Year Ndamukong Suh to a defensive front that already featured arguably the game’s most dominant defender in Aaron Donald. Needless to say, that pairing is sure to cause plenty of chaos for opposing offensive lines.
Despite losing Sammy Watkins to the Chiefs and trading Alec Ogletree to the Giants, the team did retain safety Lamarcus Joyner by placing the franchise tag on him. It also retained center John Sullivan to maintain some continuity up front on offense.
Where the Rams were the most active was not in signing players, but trading for them. In late February, the team traded for Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters and then later dealt for Broncos star cornerback Aqib Talib. The pairing, coupled with the Suh signing, gives the Rams a defense that is just as good on paper as the team’s high-powered offense.
The Browns entered the free-agent period with tons of cap space and they didn’t wait long to get to work. In one day, the team traded for Tyrod Taylor from the Bills, dealt DeShone Kizer to the Packers for Damarious Randall and used another trade to snatch up Jarvis Landry. All those moves were accomplished with the team still holding onto a majority of their stockpiled draft assets. The move of Taylor provided the team with a more than capable quarterback who can serve as a bridge to the signal-caller the team is expected to draft with either the No. 1 or No. 4 pick in the upcoming draft.
Though the team did lose Joe Thomas to retirement and a big contributor in Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland did also secure the services of Carlos Hyde to serve as the team’s workhorse. After addressing the offense in free agency, the team is set up to pursue top defensive talent in the draft after it nabs its quarterback of the future. 
The Bears made it a point to surround 2017 first-round pick Mitch Trubisky with plenty of weapons in his second season under center. They did just that by tabbing Allen Robinson, Super Bowl-hero Trey Burton and Taylor Gabriel, giving the team a steady group of pass catchers for new head coach Matt Nagy’s dynamic offense. On defense, it retained the services of breakout cornerback Kyle Fuller, who the team had to match an offer for from the Packers.
One under-the-radar signing was the deal to bring in veteran quarterback Chase Daniel. A longtime backup in New Orleans, Kansas City and Philadelphia, the former Missouri gunslinger should help Trubisky in the film room while also serving as a capable fill-in if need be.
The Buccaneers invested heavily in their offense early in free agency, re-signing wide receiver Mike Evans and tight end Cameron Brate to long-term deals. Where they made the biggest splash, however, was the signing of center Ryan Jensen from the Ravens. After just one season at the position, Jensen signed the largest deal for a center in NFL history, a four-year deal for $42MM with $22M in guaranteed money.
Tampa Bay didn’t ignore the defense, however, bringing in the likes of Jason Pierre-Paul in a trade and signing Vinny Curry. If things fall right, the Buccaneers could even add the top defensive end in the draft in Bradley Chubb, should a run on quarterbacks happen early in the first round.
Among the other teams with notable additions include: The Texans (Tyrann Mathieu), 49ers (Richard Sherman), Raiders (Jordy Nelson), Jaguars (Andrew Norwell) and Giants (Nate Solder).
So who has had the best offseason so far? Is it a team that made a flurry of moves or one who made one notable addition? Take PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Who has been the biggest winner in free agency so far?
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Rams 27% (1,262)
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Vikings 22% (1,000)
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Other 17% (777)
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Bears 16% (743)
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Browns 16% (732)
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Buccaneers 2% (81)
Total votes: 4,595
Latest On Texans, Jadeveon Clowney
Jadeveon Clowney is entering the final year of his deal, but it doesn’t sound like the Texans will let him get away. There is “a positive outlook” on both sides of the table and it is believed that a blockbuster extension is an “eventuality” this offseason, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. 
For his part, Clowney has been public about his desire to stay with the Texans.
“I want to be [in Houston] forever. It would be great, something I always dreamed of. I don’t want to leave this team,” Clowney said recently. “I’ve been here since the beginning. I want to stay here. I want to finish my career here, so I’m looking forward to that. Hopefully, they lock me in.”
The two-time Pro Bowler is set to earn $12.306MM under the terms of his fifth-year option now that he has been classified as a linebacker rather than a defensive end. Clowney’s next deal figures to be more costly and could make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Currently, that title belongs to Von Miller of the Broncos who is in the midst of a six-year, $114MM deal with $70MM guaranteed. Clowney, Aaron Donald, and Khalil Mack could all surpass Miller in the coming months, meaning that we could see three NFL defenders making $20MM per season.
Clowney, 25, racked up career highs in sacks (9.5) and tackles (59) last year, including an eye-popping 20 tackles for a loss.
Titans Sign Xavier Su’a-Filo
The Titans announced they have signed free agent offensive guard Xavier Su’a-Filo. Sua’-Filo spent the previous four years of his NFL career with the Texans. 
[RELATED: Titans Extend GM Jon Robinson’s Contract]
Over the last two seasons, the 27-year-old has started in 31 of 32 regular seasons games for Houston. The advanced metrics have never been high on him, however, as Pro Football Focus has routinely rated him as one of the league’s lesser guards. In 2017, he was PFF’s third-worst qualified guard and ranked ahead of only Ethan Pocic (Seahawks) and Jeremy Vujnovich (Colts).
The Titans also built their offensive line depth this week by signing former Bucs lineman Kevin Pamphile. Josh Kline, Quinton Spain, Su’a-Filo, and Pamphile will all jockey for time, though Kline and Spain are the presumptive starters at guard.
AFC Notes: Gruden, Kaepernick, Texans, Watson
Raiders coach Jon Gruden is surprised to see Colin Kaepernick without a job in the NFL, but he’s not necessarily of the belief that he is starting caliber.
“I think there’s a lot of intrigue there. His performance on the field wasn’t very good, on tape,” Gruden said (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez). “I think, Robert Griffin III, a rookie of the year, surprised he’s out there. Tim Tebow, takes a team to the playoffs, there’s some surprise that he never came back. You know, Johnny Manziel, he’s out there. Back to Kaepernick, you know he got beat out by (Blaine Gabbert), to start the (2016) season. I think that says something. (But) I am surprised he’s not in camp with somebody. He probably will be soon.”
Here’s more from the AFC:
- Texans coach Bill O’Brien says quarterback Deshaun Watson is ahead of schedule in ACL rehab and could be on the field throwing for OTAs (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). It’s unlikely that he’ll participate in team periods, but he has a chance at doing some individual workouts.
- The Browns‘ two-year deal with Drew Stanton is worth $6.5MM, a source tells Rapoport (Twitter link). The deal includes $4.15MM fully guaranteed and carries a maximum value of $11.3MM.
- With Tyrod Taylor, Stanton, and a quarterback to be drafted later, the Browns are expected to shop Cody Kessler, Rapoport tweets. Kessler started eight games for Cleveland in 2016, but didn’t necessarily shine. Given Kessler’s performance and the fact that the Browns probably do not have him in their plans, I wouldn’t expect much of a trade market for him.
- The Colts moved down from No. 3 to No. 6, but they do seem inclined to trade down any further unless the expected run on quarterbacks fails to materialize, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star writes. The Colts believe that at least two of this year’s top four quarterbacks (Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Baker Mayfield) will go in the top five, leaving them to choose some of this year’s very best overall talents. If that’s the case, they’re content to stay put. “If it’s beneficial for us, and we think we have a deal that works long term, we’ll make the deal,” GM Chris Ballard said recently. “But (No. 6) is a good spot for us.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/27/18
We don’t dance now, we make minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: LS Patrick Scales
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: LB Ben Heeney
- Waived: WR Deante Gray
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: OL Adam Gettis
Texans To Sign QB Brandon Weeden
The Texans are signing quarterback Brandon Weeden, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). Weeden spent last season with the Titans but did not throw a pass for them during the season. 
Weeden has not seen the field since 2015 when he appeared in four games for the Cowboys and two for the Texans. The 34-year-old (35 in October) has a career 6-19 record.
The 6’4″ signal caller currently profiles as Deshaun Watson‘s top backup, but things can change between now and the start of the season, particularly with the draft right around the corner. The Texans are keeping their options open at quarterback and even conducted a private workout with Louisville’s Lamar Jackson in the event that he slides in the draft.