Contract Details: Cousins, Graham, Davis
Let’s take a look at the most recent new contracts around the NFL:
- Kirk Cousins, QB (Vikings): Three years, $84MM. Guaranteed salaries of $22.5MM, $27.5MM and $29.5MM. Guaranteed $500K workout bonuses each year. Up to $2MM in incentives per year. No-trade clause and a no-transition tag provision in 2021 (Twitter link via Dan Graziano of ESPN).
- Jimmy Graham, TE (Packers): Three years, $30MM. $11MM signing bonus, $300K per-game roster bonuses each year. $2MM base salary in 2018, $3.45MM in 2019 and $7.45MM in 2020. $5.67MM 2018 cap number. $5MM roster bonus due on third day of 2019 season (Twitter links via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein).
- Demario Davis, LB (Saints): Three years, $24MM. $16MM guaranteed. $9.2MM signing bonus. Annual salaries of $850K, $5.95MM (guaranteed) and $7.35MM. (Twitter links via Graziano and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Jeremy Hill, RB (Patriots): One year, $1.5MM. $150K signing bonus. $1M base salary. (via Pelissero, on Twitter, and ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss).
- Bruce Ellington, WR (Texans): One year, $1.25MM. $730K base salary, $200K signing bonus (via Wilson, on Twitter).
Tyrann Mathieu Signs With Texans
Former Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu wasn’t on the open market long. Shortly after being released by his drafting team, the 2015 First Team All-Pro is reportedly signing with the Texans, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. 
Schefter also reports the deal is a one-year contract worth $7MM (Twitter link).
The addition is a big one for the Texans defense, which finished last in the NFL in scoring defense in 2017. The signing, coupled with the return of J.J. Watt, is sure to help the unit return to one of the top squads in the league.
Had Mathieu remained on Arizona’s roster past the day he was released, he would have had a large chunk of his contract guaranteed. Unwilling to carry his $14.1MM cap hit in 2018, the Cardinals released him in order to free up resources for free agency. The 25-year-old defender said he was willing to restructure his deal but balked at the notion of the pay cut.
Mathieu, inked a five-year, $62.5MM extension with the Cardinals back in 2016. That deal came after an ACL tear ended his 2015 campaign early. In 2016, he suited up for just ten games. Last year, he played a full 16-game slate, but didn’t look like his usual self.
When PFR looked at Houston’s top needs entering free agency, No. 2 on the list was bolster the secondary. There is no question this move checks that off. In 2015, the safety earned All-Pro honors after registering five interceptions and 89 tackles. If he can return to that form, landing Matthieu will be a huge get for a burgeoning Texans squad.
[RELATED: Texans Depth Chart]
AFC Notes: Kaepernick, Texans, Titans
When Colin Kaepernick‘s choice to work out in Houston this week raised some eyebrows in the football world. We now know why he was in town. Texans owner Bob McNair was deposed on Friday in Kaepernick’s collusion lawsuit against the NFL and Kaepernick sat in on the deposition, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
Kaepernick, who was ranked as one of my ten best available quarterbacks before the start of free agency, has yet to receive any bites from teams as he continues his legal proceedings against the NFL.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- The Titans are after Ndamukong Suh and that could lead to a shakeup on the defensive line, as veteran NFL reporter Paul Kuharsky notes (on Twitter). The nose tackle is set to carry a $5MM base salary in 2018 and $2.5MM of that sum becomes fully guaranteed on Sunday. Williams would not only be redundant in the event of Suh signing – he’d also be taking of cap space that may need to be allocated for the former Dolphin.
- Free agent offensive tackle Matt Tobin met with the Patriots on Friday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Broncos are working on re-signing free agent offensive lineman Billy Turner, sources tell Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter).
Texans Claim WR Sammie Coates
The Texans have claimed wide receiver Sammie Coates off waivers from the Browns, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Because Coates is not a vested veteran, he hit the waiver wire instead of unrestricted free agency. 
[RELATED: Texans Depth Chart, Via Roster Resource]
With a 4-12 record, the Texans are fourth in the league’s waiver wire order, behind only the Browns, Giants, and Colts. It’s not immediately clear if any other teams attempted to claim Coates, but the Texans had the advantage over 27 other clubs.
Coates had just six catches for 70 yards with no touchdowns last year for Cleveland. His best season to date came in 2016 with the Steelers when he had 21 catches for 435 yards and two scores.
The Texans currently have Will Fuller, Braxton Miller, and Bruce Ellington as their top receivers after star DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans have nine receivers under contract in total, but there is certainly a chance for him to stick and make the final cut.
While Coates prepares to battle for a spot with the Texans, former Steelers teammate Markus Wheaton is on the market and meeting with the Seahawks.
Extra Points: Seahawks, Nelson, Browns
The Raiders are in the mix to sign Jordy Nelson, but it’s not a done deal just yet. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) cautions not to count out the Seahawks in the Nelson chase, given John Schneider‘s history with the wide receiver.
In 2008, the Packers traded back with the Jets in the second round in order to select Nelson. Schneider was a big reason for that deal as he advocated for Nelson in the war room. Now, Schneider is at the helm in Seattle with a very real chance at signing the veteran.
The Saints, reportedly, are also pushing to sign Nelson.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Browns GM John Dorsey said he released cornerback Jason McCourty because he wasn’t sure he’d make the roster and, given his veteran status, wanted to give him a chance to catch on with another team (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon). McCourty had a solid bounce back year with the Browns, so it’s surprising to hear that Dorsey wasn’t sure if McCourty would quality for the 53-man roster. In any event, he figures to have a ripe market.
- Meanwhile, Browns coach Hue Jackson confirmed that Tyrod Taylor is the Browns starting quarterback for 2018. “He’s going to be the starting quarterback. There is no competition,” Jackson said (Twitter link via NFL.com’s James Palmer). The Browns hold the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks in this year’s draft and one of those selections will almost certainly be used on a QB. Whoever that rookie is, apparently, will be learning from the bench at the outset.
- The Raiders were a close second for Johnathan Joseph before he agreed to re-sign with the Texans, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Joseph re-upped with Houston on Thursday with a two-year deal.
- The Eagles and Giants are showing interest in Bears free agent punter Pat O’Donnell, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Latest On Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick may still be training for another opportunity, despite unusual circumstances surrounding the former 49ers starter. The free agent quarterback was working out in Houston on Thursday morning, Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson reports (on Twitter).
Indicating he observed the entirety of the workout, Robinson added the 30-year-old passer “looked good” during a 90-minute session — with what Robinson describes as featuring traditional quarterback drills — at a Houston-area field. This appeared to be a private workout with Kaepernick and his trainers. Robinson did not see any NFL teams in attendance and added the Texans were not believed to have known about it (Twitter link).
While Kaepernick has been out of football since the 2016 season, this morning routine could well illustrate he intends to keep trying to get back into the league. Although, those odds could be incredibly slim since he’s involved in a collusion lawsuit against the NFL.
Nevertheless, Kaepernick ranked seventh on PFR’s UFA quarterbacks, and five of the top six have agreed to deals, with No. 1 Kirk Cousins expected to do so soon. Lower-tier passers like Chase Daniel, Tom Savage and Mike Glennon have also come to terms with teams. Kaepernick, the leader of the 2016-initiated racial inequality-themed protests during national anthems, launched his lawsuit in October after even lower-level quarterbacks were signed last year.
Texans’ Jadeveon Clowney Classified As LB
The Texans will save a bit of cash this season, as Jadeveon Clowney has been classified as a linebacker (instead of a defensive end) for fifth-year option purposes, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Fifth-year options are based on positional value, and fifth-year options for top-10 picks such as Clowney are equal to the transition tender at the player’s position during his fourth season. When Houston exercised its option on Clowney, the club figured it was signing up for a $13.846MM defensive end salary. Instead, the Texans will only have to give Clowney $12.306MM, the figure for a linebacker.
Of course, the Texans are reportedly hoping to work out a long-term extension with Clowney prior to the 2018 campaign, so his new base salary could be moot, as Clowney would likely blow past both figures on a new deal.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: OL Vinston Painter
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: DL Angelo Blackson
- Re-signed: LB Brian Peters
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: OLB Garrett Sickels
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: LS John Denney
New York Giants
- Re-signed: DT Robert Thomas (ERFA)
- Signed: CB Curtis Riley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: RB Fitzgerald Toussaint
Texans Place C.J. Fiedorowicz On Reserve/Retired List
A brutal 2017 featuring three concussions caused C.J. Fiedorowicz to mull retirement, and it looks like the veteran tight end will follow through with it.
The Texans placed Fiedorowicz on the reserve/retired list on Thursday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. Fiedorowicz signed a Texans extension last year but suffered three concussions and ended the season on IR.
This would have been Fiedorowicz’s fifth season. He enjoyed a breakout year during Brock Osweiler‘s lone season in Houston in 2016, hauling in 54 passes for 559 yards and four touchdowns en route to a new contract.
In each of his additional three seasons, the former third-round pick out of Iowa didn’t surpass 200 air yards. Of course, he was on track to do so last season but was sidetracked by head injuries that limited him to just five games.
Houston also adjusted the 26-year-old tight end’s contract, which was a three-year, $22MM extension with $10.1MM guaranteed. Fiedorowicz renegotiated his signing bonus as a result of this decision, and instead of his deal representing a $5.165MM cap hold, it will now count $1.676MM against the Texans’ 2018 cap.
Texans Re-Sign CB Johnathan Joseph
The Texans have agreed to re-sign cornerback Johnathan Joseph, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a two-year deal worth $10MM with $3.9MM guaranteed, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). 
Joseph, one of our top 15 ranked cornerbacks before the start of free agency, didn’t appear to take any other visits this week. His representatives likely spoke with other teams, but ultimately, he has opted to return to the Texans for his eighth season in Houston.
Joseph has pretty much been a starter throughout his career, dating back to his entry into the league as a first-round pick of the Bengals in 2006. In 2018, it’s not a lock that he’ll start for the Texans. Houston has been flirting with a number of free agent corners, so another signing could theoretically push Joseph down the depth chart. We know for sure that free agent pickup Aaron Colvin will hold down at least one starting job. The other starting gig could be filled by Joseph, Kareem Jackson, or perhaps another outside addition.
Last year, Joseph started all 16 games for the Texans and managed two interceptions. He rated as just Pro Football Focus’ No. 62 corner out of 121 full-time players at the position, but simultaneously ranked 21st in Football Outsiders’ success rate, meaning he was excellent at stopping wideouts short of the sticks.