FA Rumors: Orakpo, Rolle, Gilchrist, Conte
After also being linked to the Cardinals earlier today, Brian Orakpo will visit the Titans to start his first free agency foray, according to Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com on Twitter.
The Titans have more than $44MM in cap room, according to OverTheCap, and do not have much money currently allocated to their linebacking corps as free agency enters warp speed. Tennessee’s highest-paid linebacker is 3-4 inside man Wesley Woodyard, who signed with the Titans last year, with a $3.5MM number for this season.
An older first-time free agent who enters his age-29 season, Orakpo made more than triple that on the franchise tag for Washington last season before suffering a pectoral tear for the third time in his career, weakening the edge-rusher’s momentum.
In other news in the opening stage of real free agency …
- Antrel Rolle will visit the Bears, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus’ Twitter, but has no agreement in place. The Bears are the highest bidder for the 32-year-old free safety’s services, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright on Twitter.
- The player Rolle could be replacing in Chicago, 26-year-old Chris Conte, will visit the Buccaneers, ESPN Falcons reporter Vaughn McClure notes on Twitter. Conte was the fourth-worst safety Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded last year.
- More from the safety market: the Jets will host former Chargers back-line starter Marcus Gilchrist tonight, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Gilchrist started all 16 games for the Chargers the past two years.
- Kendrick Lewis and the Texans engaged in preliminary discussions on keeping the free safety in Houston, reports Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.
- Veteran defensive end Cory Redding announced (Twitter link) he intends to visit the Cardinals on Wednesday. Now 34, Redding started at least 14 games for the Colts the past three years.
- Chargers backup linebacker Andrew Gachkar has visits booked with two potential suitors, the Panthers and Vikings, notes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). The Vikings appear to be the frontrunner for Gachkar’s second contract, adds Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Twitter.
Colts Sign Trent Cole
4:12pm: Following a couple hours of uncertainty, a deal has been agreed upon. ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports that the Colts will sign Cole to a two-year deal worth $16MM, with $8MM guaranteed (via NFL on ESPN’s Twitter).
2:27pm: As of this minute, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that there’s “nothing done at all.”
11:49am: Despite additional confirmation from Mike Wells of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Cole plans to sign with the Colts, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter links) both say it’s not quite done yet, and that other teams may still be in the mix.
11:17am: The Colts will sign pass rusher Trent Cole, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Cole, 32, was released by the Eagles earlier this month.
Cole, 32, was been a fixture on the Eagles’ defense since being selected by the club in the fifth round of the 2005 draft. During his 10 years in Philadelphia, Cole has played 155 games (145 starts), racking up 85.5 sacks, 569 tackles, and 19 forced fumbles. After posting six consecutive seasons with eight or more sacks from 2006 to 2011, Cole’s production has fallen off in recent years — he has just 17.5 sacks since 2012.
The advance metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) Cole still ranked as the 19th best outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme in 2014. That’s not as favorable as, say, his No. 7 ranking in 2013, but Cole has shown that he is still very productive.
As the Colts appear set to sign Frank Gore and possibly steal Andre Johnson away from the Eagles as well, they probably shouldn’t expect a Christmas card from Chip Kelly this year.
Jets To Acquire Brandon Marshall
TUESDAY, 3:35pm: In addition to acquiring Marshall, the Jets will also be getting Chicago’s seventh-rounder, tweets Adam Schefter. The reporter confirms that New York will be sending the Bears a fifth-round pick.
FRIDAY, MARCH 6th, 4:47pm: Per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links), the Jets are tweaking Marshall’s contract as part of the deal, meaning he’ll have a chance to earn even more than the $15.8MM previously available to him over the next two seasons.
11:34am: The Jets are expected to give up a fifth-round pick in the swap, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). That makes sense, considering the team’s fourth-rounder and sixth-rounder are currently tied up in the Harvin trade.
10:08am: The Bears and Jets have reached an agreement on a trade that will send wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the Jets, pending a physical, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). News of the move, which can’t be officially completed until the new league year begins, comes a day after we learned that the Bears were exploring their trade options with regard to Marshall. The agreement was first reported by Aaron Leming of BearReport.com (via Twitter).
Marshall, who turns 31 later this month, signed a three-year contract extension with the Bears last May that locks him up through the 2017 season. However, with Marc Trestman, Phil Emery, and the old regime out of the picture in Chicago, new GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox didn’t waste much time moving in a different direction.
While it’s not clear yet what sort of compensation the Bears will receive for Marshall, the team had reportedly been seeking a mid-round draft pick, and Leming suggests the pick may end up falling in the “late” rounds. Of course, the club will also clear some cap room in the move — Marshall’s $7.5MM base salary for 2015 was due to become fully guaranteed next Thursday, and that will now be the Jets’ responsibility, rather than Chicago’s. With $5.625MM left in dead money on the Bears’ cap, the team will create nearly $4MM in cap savings.
As for the Jets, the acquisition of Marshall likely removes any of the suspense regarding the club’s decision on Percy Harvin. The team had reportedly been interested in reducing Harvin’s pay and keeping him around, but the former Seahawk didn’t seem open to that idea, and will almost certainly be released this month. Assuming the Jets cut Harvin before March 19, they’ll owe the Seahawks a sixth-round pick as compensation for the wideout, rather than a fourth-round pick.
During the 2014 season, Marshall struggled along with the rest of the Bears, totaling just 721 receiving yards and 61 catches, his worst marks since his rookie season in 2006. However, he’s only a year removed from a 100-catch season and a spot in the Pro Bowl, so if the Jets can find a quarterback to get him the ball, he should help anchor a solid receiving corps in New York, alongside Eric Decker and Jeremy Kerley.
Of course, if the Jets continue to have quarterback issues, it’s fair to wonder if the situation with Marshall could go south. The veteran wideout isn’t the type of player to quietly go about his business if things aren’t going well for him or his team. This will be the third time since 2010 that Marshall has been traded in a league where trades are rare, and his clubhouse presence has certainly played a role in a couple of those moves, if not all three of them.
Chicago, meanwhile, figures to be in the market for a wide receiver in free agency or the draft this offseason to pair with Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery is extension-eligible for the first time this winter as he heads into the final year in his contract, and I expect the Bears to seriously explore a long-term deal for him now that Marshall is out of the picture.
Schefter (Twitter link) reported earlier today that the Colts and Browns had also spoken to the Bears about Marshall.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Colts Re-Sign Mike Adams
The Colts will keep an important member of their secondary, as Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports reports (via Twitter) that the team has re-signed safety Mike Adams. The pact is for two years, according to Garafolo.
The former undrafted free agent has bounced around since entering the league in 2004, playing for the 49ers, Browns and Broncos prior to joining Indianapolis last offseason. The 33-year-old had one of the best seasons of his career in 2014, establishing or tying career-highs in tackles (87), forced fumbles (two) and interceptions (five). He also earned his first Pro Bowl appearance.
Latest On Terrance Knighton
TUESDAY, 2:33pm: The Raiders are the frontrunners for Knighton but the Colts are still in the mix, according to Cecil Lammey of ESPN Denver (on Twitter). The Bears and Washington, meanwhile, are out.
Aaron Leming of BearReport.com (on Twitter) hears that the Raiders are expected to be the winners.
10:01am: Knighton will reach the open market in just under five hours, but there’s no guarantee he’ll sign with the Raiders at that point. After ESPN’s Bill Williamson tweeted last night that the situation remains “fluid,” Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports hears from a source today that Knighton still isn’t close to an agreement with any team (Twitter link). Oakland still looks like the most logical fit to me, given the Del Rio connection and the Raiders’ abundance of cap room, but we’ll have to wait and see what Pot Roast decides.
MONDAY, 1:35pm: The Raiders and Terrance Knighton are nearing agreement on a deal, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Tafur cautions that he hasn’t heard of the deal being finalized yet, however.
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 for Knighton, considering his history with new Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio. Not only did he play for Del Rio’s defense in Denver; he also played under Del Rio in Jacksonville earlier in his career.
When Luke Adams listed PFR’s top 50 free agents recently, he ranked Knighton 16th on our list, identifying the Raiders as his most logical suitor. 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.
Colts Sign Kendall Langford
WEDNESDAY, 1:32pm: Langford did pretty well on his new deal with the Colts — it’s a four-year pact worth $17.2MM, and features $5MM in year-one money, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
TUESDAY, 6:07pm: The Colts and free agent defensive lineman Kendall Langford have agreed to a contract, per the team’s official website. Terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.
Langford, a seven-year veteran, spent the past three seasons with the Rams and totaled over 100 tackles and eight sacks. Impressively, the 29-year-old Langford has never missed a game since breaking into the NFL in 2008 with the Dolphins, appearing in 112 straight contests and making 90 starts.
Langford is coming off a respectable season – Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him the 36th-best D-tackle in the league out of 81 qualifiers – and is expected to add durable depth to a Colts defense that finished 2014 a below-average 18th against the run.
Colts Expected To Sign Frank Gore, Meeting With Andre Johnson
11:25am: According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the deal Gore is expected to sign with the Colts is similar to the one he would’ve signed with the Eagles. It’s for three years, with a total value of $12MM, and $7.5MM guaranteed. However, we shouldn’t lock that in quite yet, given what happened between Gore and the Eagles — Pro Football Talk reports (via Twitter) that the veteran back hasn’t made his final decision yet.
11:13am: Both Johnson and Gore are traveling to Indianapolis today to meet with the Colts, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets.
11:06am: Frank Gore appeared ready to join Chip Kelly and the Eagles, but on Monday night he started having second thoughts. Now, he appears to be leaning heavily towards signing with the Colts instead. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, Gore got cold feet with Philly in part because he didn’t want a coach like Kelly to ride him hard at this stage in his career.
There were multiple concerns for Gore even beyond that. The tailback told friends he was more intrigued by the chance to play in the Colts’ offense than with the Eagles’ personnel. Also, the Colts’ offer to him is slightly more lucrative than the deal Philly was ready to give him. And, from a football standpoint, he was worried that the Eagles might struggle without Maclin and without a big-time receiving threat. Sources that Garafolo have spoken with are reluctant to say that he’s headed to the Colts for sure given that Gore has flip-flopped once already, but all signs are pointing that way.
Meanwhile, it sounds like the Eagles had a plan to pair Gore with a big time receiving threat before the deal fell apart. Someone close to wide receiver Andre Johnson told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com (on Twitter) that the Eagles wanted both him and Gore. Now, Johnson is on the owner’s private jet in transit to Indianapolis and after a phone conversation, both veterans have agreed to join the Colts.
However, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter) says that while Johnson may end up in Indy, three people close to him insist that he’s still working out in Miami this morning.
AFC FA Rumors: Harvin, Raiders, Adams
The Raiders‘ interest in wide receiver Percy Harvin will be contingent on meeting him and also finding out his price tag, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Even with Harvin’s connection to Bill Musgrave, the Raiders have to inspect the baggage before going any further with him. The latest free agent rumors..
- Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (on Twitter) still anticipates the Colts re-signing safety Mike Adams, but no deal is done just yet. Adams, who turns 34 later this month, has said that he wants to retire with the Colts.
- Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter) suggested that the Raiders are pursuing Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith. Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (via Twitter) believes that the Raiders are the favorites when it comes to him.
- Linebacker Arthur Moats spoke with the Bengals and Cardinals and seemed set to go to the Falcons before deciding to re-sign with the Steelers, Ross Tucker of NBCSN tweets.
- The Titans are still working to retain both defensive end Derrick Morgan and kicker Ryan Succop as the clock ticks towards the opening of free agency, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets.
- McCormick (on Twitter) isn’t sure that the Titans will land him, but he expects them to seriously pursue Jason Worilds.
- Linebacker Andrew Gachkar has received interest from the Vikings, Panthers, and Raiders, and may end up visiting all three teams later this week, tweets Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports. Washington has also talked to Gachkar’s camp, but hasn’t made an offer yet, per Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link). The 26-year-old had his best season for the Chargers in 2014, playing nearly 400 defensive snaps.
Colts Re-Sign Joe Reitz
The Colts have ensured that offensive lineman Joe Reitz doesn’t hit the open market later today, announcing that they’ve reached an agreement on a new contract for him. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), it’s a three-year contract for Reitz, and can be worth up to $10MM, with a base value of just under $9MM.
Reitz, 29, has been a part-time player for the Colts over the last four seasons, starting 24 games during that stretch. The versatile lineman – and Indiana native – saw time at both guard spots and at right tackle for Indianapolis during the 2014 season, taking over as the club’s starting right tackle during the postseason.
It’s not clear yet whether Reitz will be penciled into a starting role for 2014, but he should have a chance to compete for playing time, and if he’s not a starter, he’ll almost certainly be the first lineman off the bench in the event of an injury.
North Rumors: Forsett, Bengals, Iupati, Ravens
The latest out of the NFL’s North divisions:
- The Falcons, Washington, and the Colts are interested in Ravens free agent running back Justin Forsett, league sources tell Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome recently made it clear that he’d like to keep Forsett in Baltimore.
- If the Buccaneers cut defensive end Michael Johnson, the Bengals are hoping to orchestrate a reunion with him, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter).
- The Vikings never inquired on guard Mike Iupati, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets. The former 49ers standout is now reportedly headed to the Cardinals.
- Instead of using a restricted tender on special-teams ace Anthony Levine, the Ravens would like to bring him back on a longer-term contract, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets.