Colts Sign Arthur Jones To Five-Year Deal
10:01pm: A source with knowledge of the contract says that Jones’ absolute guarantee is $10MM thanks to a $5.5MM signing bonus and a fully-guaranteed base of $4.5 for 2014, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The $16MM guarantee figure is including his $6MM 2015 base salary, guaranteed for injury only.
5:58pm: Wilson reported more details of Jones’ new contract, which will be worth $33MM over five years, and will include $16MM in guaranteed money. Jones will also receive a $5.5MM signing bonus as part of the deal (via Twitter).
3:18pm: The Colts and Jones have agreed to a five-year deal worth about $6MM annually, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
8:19am: There’s a strong chance that the Colts will sign defensive lineman Arthur Jones as soon as today, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Jones’ new deal is expected to be worth $6-7MM per season.
Jones, 27, had been expected to draw significant interest from other teams on the open market, and was viewed as a good bet to leave the Ravens in free agency. The Titans, Redskins, Giants, Vikings, and Packers were among the clubs said to be interested in the former fifth-round pick, who I ranked as the 23rd-best free agent available this offseason.
Playing primarily as a part-timer on his rookie contract, Jones hasn’t accumulated a whole lot of mileage, but has exhibited plenty of potential when he’s played. In 529 snaps for the Ravens in 2013, Jones recorded a +15.7 PFF grade, performing very well against the run while also compiling 25 quarterback pressures.
Assuming the Colts can finalize the signing, it will be the team’s second major defensive addition of the offseason. The club also reached an agreement with linebacker D’Qwell Jackson last week. Next up on Indianapolis’ to-do list will be filling out a secondary that might lose cornerback Vontae Davis and/or safety Antoine Bethea.
Contract Tenders: Tuesday
Cam Johnson has signed his tender that should keep him with the Colts in 2014, according to Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter). The linebacker was traded to the Colts from the 49ers last year.
Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune reports that Buccaneers returner Eric Page has also signed his tender, but awaits for the deal to be made official (via Twitter).
While Johnson and Page signed their respective one-year deals, here are some other players from around the NFL who were not tendered and are now free agents:
- The Texans will allow three players to test free agency, as none of Bryan Braman, Terrell McClain, and Lestar Jean received tenders from the team, reports John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- Dezmon Briscoe did not receive a tender from the Redskins, reports Zac Boyer of the Washington Times (via Twitter). The 24-year-old receiver did not play in a game for the Redskins last season, but caught 35 passes for the Buccaneers in 2011.
- The Bills chose not to tender Thomas Welch, reports Mike Rodak of ESPN NFL Nation (via Twitter). The offensive tackle is now an unrestricted free agent.
- The Lions did not tender tight end Dorin Dickerson, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).
- Safety M.D. Jennings was not tendered by the Packers, reports Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter). Silverstein does leave open the possibility of the team still re-signing their starting free safety.
Colts, Fili Moala Agree To Terms
TUESDAY, 5:52pm: Moala’s one-year contract is worth $1.4MM, with $300,000 guaranteed and another $600,000 in possible incentives, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter).
MONDAY, 9:48pm: Moala’s contract is for one year, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan.
8:01pm: The Colts have agreed to terms with defensive end Fili Moala, reports Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). The team has confirmed the transaction.
Moala, a second-round pick in 2009, was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. He played 2013 under a one-year deal, after missing much of 2012 due to a torn ACL. He has started 45 games over the course of his career. Last season, he started only six games, accruing 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks, and ended the season on injured reserve.
FA Signings: Buccaneers, Colts, Bears, Bills
Among the big name signings flying around today, here are a few minor signings that might have slid under the radar:
- The Buccaneers have re-signed cornerback Danny Gorrer, according to Greg Auman of TampaBay.com (via Twitter). Gorrer has bounced around the league, playing for three teams in three years before landing with the Buccaneers in 2012.
- The Colts have agreed to a contract to retain safety Sergio Brown, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Brown has played the last two seasons with the Colts.
- The Bears have signed linebacker Jordan Senn, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Senn had played the last four seasons with the Panthers.
- The Bills have re-signed tight end Mike Caussin, according to Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News (via Twitter). Caussin has not played in an NFL game since 2011.
Ahmad Bradshaw Re-Signs With Colts
The Colts have retained Ahmad Bradshaw, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Bradshaw was arguably the most talented running back on the Colts’ roster last season, but only played in three games before missing the rest of the season due to injury.
Bradshaw will join Trent Richardson and Vick Ballard in a crowded backfield, but could be a key contributor if healthy. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Colts To Re-Sign Vontae Davis
The Colts announced that they have re-signed Vontae Davis. Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter) has the terms: it’s a four-year, $39MM deal, including $20MM guaranteed, according to a source.
The Colts opted not to use the franchise tag on their standout corner earlier this offseason. Because of that, it was speculated that Davis would be leaving Indy with other clubs, including the Jets, holding significant interest.
AFC Rumors: Raiders, Chargers, Haden, Edelman
It appears the Raiders, the team with the most cap room in the NFL, will let both of their marquee free agents walk, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio hears from a source that Oakland believes Jared Veldheer is better suited to right tackle than left tackle, and that the team can’t justify paying $7MM annually to a defensive end (Lamarr Houston) who is more a run-stopper than a pass-rusher.
With free agency looming at the top of the hour, here’s more from around the AFC:
- Raiders defensive tackle Vance Walker will test the market at 3:00pm CT, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. Oakland made Walker an offer, and he likes playing for the Raiders, but he wants to take advantage of the rare opportunity to be an unrestricted free agent, says Tafur.
- The Chargers are “very much in the mix” for free agent defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- The Colts remain in talks to bring Ahmad Bradshaw back, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. The former Giants running back was an impact player last year before his injury.
- The Browns‘ talks with Joe Haden on a long-term deal are ongoing, tweets Breer, adding that it would be interesting to see how a deal for Darrelle Revis would affect those talks.
- Sources tell Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star that the Chiefs have interest in wide receivers Jason Avant and Devin Hester.
- Assuming the Patriots can’t re-sign Julian Edelman, Andrew Hawkins is a target to keep in mind for the team, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Hawkins received an RFA tender from the Bengals, so Cincinnati would have a chance to match any offer for the receiver.
- Speaking of Edelman, the Ravens have interest in him, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Wilson also hears from a source that the Ravens will evaluate tight end Owen Daniels, who was released by the Texans (Twitter link).
- After voiding his deal and becoming a free agent yesterday, defensive lineman Jason Babin told SiriusXM NFL Radio today that he’d like to return to the Jaguars if it’s possible. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union has the details and quotes.
- Bills GM Doug Whaley told WGR 550 that “offers are on the table” for tight end Scott Chandler and kicker Dan Carpenter, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Colts Re-Sign Vinatieri To Two-Year Deal
2:00pm: Vinatieri gets $5MM over two years, tweets Mike Chappell of the Indy Star.
9:24am: The Colts have re-signed veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri to a two-year contract, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Having re-signed punter Pat McAfee to a long-term deal last week, Indianpolis now has both of its key right legs locked up through at least the 2015 season.
Vinatieri, the NFL’s active leading scorer, converted 35 of 40 field goals for the Colts last season, including four of six from beyond 50 yards. At season’s end, he indicated that he wasn’t considering retirement, and that he hoped to keep playing for “two or three more years,” so there’s a chance this may not even be his last NFL contract.
Vontae Davis Expected To Sign Tomorrow
7:24pm: The mystery team could be the Jets, as Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net reports that the team is “going hard” after the cornerback (on Twitter).
5:18pm: Cornerback Vontae Davis is expected to sign a deal within the first hours of free agency on Tuesday, but he will likely not be re-upping with the Colts, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. There were reports late last month the Davis and the Colts were in the early stages of contract talks, but those appear to have fizzled. The Colts opted not to use their franchise tag on the free agent corner.
Though the cornerback is deep, Davis is considered one of the best options still available after the Dolphins re-signed Brent Grimes. In fact, only Darrelle Revis and Grimes had higher ratings among corners according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics. Grimes’ four-year, $32MM extension should set the floor for Davis, who is six years younger. Davis could make for an interesting addition to a defensive-back needy team like the Broncos or Chargers, or perhaps he could reunite with his brother, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, by signing in San Francisco.
Contract Tenders: Monday
Cowboys punter Chris Jones signed his exclusive rights tender of $645K, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. The move locks down Dallas’ punter situation but eats up about $150K of the ~$2MM salary cap space the club had to work with. Jones averaged 45 yards per punt in his first full season with the Cowboys. The latest contract tenders from around the NFL..
- Restricted free agent tackle Byron Bell has received a second-round tender worth $2.187MM from the Panthers, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). The club also tendered exclusive rights free agent Chris Scott, tweets ESPN.com’s David Newton.
- The Chargers have only two exclusive rights free agents in linebacker Bront Bird and guard Stephen Schilling and they won’t be tendering either one, tweets Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego.
- Jets linebacker Nick Bellore got the low restricted free agent tender, a source tells ESPN’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). Bellore led Gang Green in special teams kickoff tackles last season.
- The Ravens won’t extend an RFA tender to wide receiver Tandon Doss, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The team could still bring Doss back on a smaller deal though.
- Lions wide receiver Kris Durham confirmed via Twitter that he inked his tender with the club. Durham, a fourth-round pick in 2011, became a more significant part of the Lions’ offense in 2013, racking up 38 receptions, 490 receiving yards, and a pair of touchdowns while starting 13 games. He didn’t perform well based on Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), which ranked him 109th out of 111 qualified receivers, but he’s still just 25 years old, and may not be relied upon for quite as large a role in 2014 if the team adds a receiver or two.
- Joe Morgan and Jed Collins won’t receive RFA tenders from the Saints, but the club still has interest in re-signing the two free agents, says Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune.
- The Rams won’t tender tight end Mike McNeill, who was eligible for restricted free agency, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Linebacker Justin Hickman has signed his ERFA tender from the Colts, according to Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.