Latest On DeMarco Murray
11:05pm: After attending the Mavericks fall to the Cavaliers in Dallas tonight, Murray met with Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett for a 10-minute meeting that one source described as “significant,” according to Mike Fisher of FOX Sports (Twitter links).
8:50pm: Despite their agreement with Roy Helu, the Raiders are still interested in Murray, tweets Caplan.
6:37pm: Jaguars coaches and players are on the recruiting trail, making their pitches to Murray tonight, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
5:28pm: A pair of teams looking to turn their fortunes around are making a play for last year’s top running back. The Raiders are making a run at DeMarco Murray, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). The Jaguars, who have been previously connected to Murray, are also going after him, Florio tweets. Now, Murray might get the $9MM he’s after, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Meanwhile, a source indicated to Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star Telegram (on Twitter) that Murray could finalize something tonight. That news, he says, doesn’t bode well for Dallas’ chances of keeping him. The Cowboys have been vocal about wanting to retain Murray, but they’ve been clear that they’ll only go so far in terms of salary.
Contract Details: Franklin, Kern, Cole, Vereen
A few details on some noteworthy new contracts from around the NFL:
- Orlando Franklin, G (Chargers): Five years, $35.5MM base value. $15.5MM fully guaranteed at signing (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Brett Kern, P (Titans): Five years, $15MM base value. $2.5MM signing bonus. $5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com).
- Trent Cole, OLB (Colts): Two years, $14MM base value. $2MM signing bonus. $8MM guaranteed at signing. $1MM annually in playing-time/sack incentives (Twitter links via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com).
- Shane Vereen, RB (Giants): Three years, $12.3MM base value. $3.5MM signing bonus. $4.75MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- J.T. Thomas, LB (Giants): Three years, $10MM base value. $4.5MM guaranteed. $1MM annual escalators in 2016, 2017 (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Virgil Green, TE (Broncos): Three years, $8.4MM base value. $4.2MM guaranteed. Max value of $11.25MM (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Sergio Brown, S (Jaguars): Three years, $7MM base value. $1MM guaranteed. Escalators can push total value up to $9MM (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Ed Dickson, TE (Panthers): Three years, $6.8MM base value. $2MM signing bonus ($700K deferred) (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Joe Berger, OL (Vikings): Two years, $2.155MM base value. $130K guaranteed. $800K available in incentives (Twitter link via Pelissero).
Tender Updates: Tuesday
Today’s tender decisions:
- The Buccaneers have signed running back Bobby Rainey to a one-year tender worth $1.54MM, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs will now have right of first refusal if another club offers Rainey a deal.
- The Falcons chose not to tender an offer to restricted free agent Drew Davis, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reported. The wide receiver will now become an unrestricted free agent.
- The Packers elected not to tender new contracts to wide receiver Jarrett Boykin or running back DuJuan Harris, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Ravens didn’t tender an offer to cornerback Anthony Levine, who already has other teams interested in his services. He still might end up back in Baltimore, per Wilson.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets that the Patriots declined to make a qualifying offer to receiver Brian Tyms. He’s now a free agent. Further, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, the Pats also didn’t make an offer to Tyms’ fellow wideout Greg Orton.
- In other Pats news, Volin reports that the team made qualifying offers to fullback James Develin, defensive tackle Sealver Siliga and linebacker James Morris. All three will return to New England.
- The Texans tendered a contract to quarterback Case Keenum, according to the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain.
- The Vikings have opted to let go a pair of exclusive rights free agents, linebacker Dom DeCicco and offensive lineman Josh Samuda, per Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- Safety Michael Thomas will return to the Dolphins after signing his ERFA tender, tweets James Walker of ESPN.com.
- Green Bay issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
- The Packers have issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
- James Develin is returning to the Patriots after signing his exclusive rights tender, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets.
- The Colts announced that exclusive rights free agent outside linebacker Cam Johnson has signed his tender. Johnson was first acquired by the Colts in a trade with the 49ers in September of 2013.
- The Packers tendered RFA offensive lineman Don Barclay at the lowest level ($1.542MM), per agent Joe Linta (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
- The Vikings tendered a contract offer to restricted free agent offensive tackle Mike Harris, but their other RFA-eligible player, linebacker Dom DeCicco, didn’t get a tender, tweets Mark Craig of the Star Tribune.
Earlier updates:
- The Jaguars re-signed exclusive rights free agent tackle Austin Pasztor, tendering him a contract, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
- The Dolphins tendered defensive end Derrick Shelby with the second-round tender of $2.35MM, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. Shelby, 26, appeared in 15 games last season, recording 26 tackles and 3.0 sacks.
- The Bengals (on Twitter) extended a tender offer to cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris. Lewis-Harris, an ERFA, has appeared in 12 games for Cincy over the last three years.
- The Bengals will not extend a tender offer to defensive tackle Devon Still, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. However, the Bengals have offered Still a one-year deal and he’s mulling that over while also taking matters involving his family into account, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Packers have tendered safety Sean Richardson at the ROFR (right of first refusal rate) of one-year, $1.542MM, according to Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). That’s a sizable committment to Richardson, he adds.
Cards, Jags, Bucs In Mix For DeMarco Murray?
The NFL’s rushing leader could officially hit the open market in about five and a half hours, and there are a handful of suitors expected to be in the mix for DeMarco Murray. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the Cardinals and Jaguars appear to have interest in Murray, and the Buccaneers may be in play as well.
Since Rapoport’s report, however, a pair of local reporters have weighed in, with Kent Somers of Arizona Republic suggesting (via Twitter) that the Cards don’t have real interest in Murray. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Tribune adds (via Twitter) that Tampa Bay has discussed the possibility of signing Murray, but says he has been told Bucs fans shouldn’t get “overly excited” about the possibility.
That leaves the Jaguars, who look like perhaps the strongest outside suitor for Murray, and of course the Cowboys. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier today that the team hadn’t contacted its running back since last week, but Schefter’s ESPN colleague Todd Archer tweets that executive VP Stephen Jones was in touch last night.
Rapoport confirms (via Twitter) that Jones and Murray spoke, with the team making a final push to re-sign him. Archer says it’s not clear what the tenor of the discussion was, or how long it lasted, but the fact that the running back apparently removed all mention of the Cowboys from his Twitter account after the conversation doesn’t seem like a great sign for Dallas.
Latest On DeMarco Murray, Cowboys
When I checked in yesterday on where things stood for this year’s top free agents, running back DeMarco Murray was the highest-ranked player whose destination was still very much up in the air. That remains the case for the NFL’s leading rusher, but it appears a reunion with the Cowboys is becoming less and less likely.
Late last night, Murray deleted all references to the Cowboys from his Twitter profile. On its own, the move wouldn’t necessary be a sign that he doesn’t expect to return to Dallas, but Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports tweets that in this case, it’s a signal of Murray’s frustration — the veteran back wants to re-sign with the Cowboys, but the team isn’t interested in paying big money for him. One source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the club hasn’t even called Murray since last week.
If returning to the Cowboys isn’t a viable option for Murray, he could conceivably take his time to choose his next destination. We heard on Monday that he’s approaching the process slowly and carefully rather than rushing into anything, and that makes sense, considering he’s by far the top player on the market.
Monday’s report also indicated that Murray’s camp is confident about landing an offer worth around $8MM per year. Which team might be willing to pay that kind of money for him? The Jaguars may be one candidate. Even after reaching tentative agreements with Julius Thomas, Jermey Parnell, Jared Odrick, and Dan Skuta, the Jags still have plenty of cap flexibility, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter) classifies their interest in Murray as “strong to quite strong.”
Latest On Greg Hardy
Although he’s one of the best available free agent pass-rushers, Greg Hardy‘s market will surely be affected by his murky eligibility status, given that he’s currently on the commissioner’s exempt list. Per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), however, Hardy will meet with NFL officials tomorrow to learn whether or not he’ll be suspended for his 2014 domestic violence incident.
According to Cole, Hardy is expected to have a litany of suitors once his status is resolved, and the 49ers, Falcons, Jaguars, Titans, and Colts will be the clubs with the most interest. The 26-year-old Hardy played in just one game last season due to his placement on the exempt list, but he racked up 26 sacks in the two seasons prior. If he’s not suspended, he should face a healthy market for his services; if he is hit with a ban, interest in him would obviously be commensurately lowered.
Hardy, whom the Panthers are not expected to try to retain, ranked as the No. 11 free agent on PFR’s Top 50 list.
Free Agent Rumors: Fletcher, Williams, Gresham
The Vikings have expressed interest in pending free agent cornerback Bradley Fletcher, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Fletcher had an off year for the Eagles in 2014, being ranked 92 out of 108 NFL cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus. He was much better in 2013, having been ranked 44 out of 110 players at the position. Here’s a look at the latest free agent rumors..
- Giants free agent linebacker Jacquian Williams took to Twitter to let everyone know that he has interest from five teams.
- If the Raiders don’t get a deal done with tight end Jermaine Gresham, the Browns are also among those with interest, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets.
- The Jaguars a team to watch for when it comes to linebacker Dan Skuta, but there are several interested, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. He could have expanded role with Jacksonville if he signs with them tomorrow, Caplan adds.
- Pat McManamon of ESPN.com (on Twitter) doesn’t expect the Browns to lose any of their restricted free agents, but he thinks a team in need of a safety could think about adding Tashaun Gipson.
- Bills tight end Lee Smith is expected to sign a big contract with another team tomorrow, Tim Graham of The Buffalo News tweets.
Market For Davon House Heating Up
The market for Packers cornerback Davon House, who is eligible to sign with a new team in a little over 24 hours, is “heating up,” according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Getlin identifies the Packers, Jets, Jaguars, Seahawks, Bears, and Cowboys as teams in play for House.
House, 25, is one of two Packers cornerbacks eligible for free agency tomorrow, along with Tramon Williams. Williams was one of Green Bay’s starters in 2014, while House saw part-time action in nickel and dime packages, but the younger player of the duo could end up doing better on the free agent market.
When I ranked this year’s top 50 free agents, I listed House 34th, four spots ahead of Williams. As I noted in that piece, quarterbacks only completed 46.8% of their passes into House’s coverage last season, per Pro Football Focus, which placed him fourth among all qualified cornerbacks.
While House probably won’t match the $8-10MM annual salaries landed by players like Kareem Jackson, Brandon Flowers, and Byron Maxwell, a $6MM-per-year offer appears within reach for a player who is poised to become a full-time contributor.
King’s Latest: T. Smith, J. Thomas, Murray, Jets
Peter King’s latest Monday Morning Quarterback column at TheMMQB.com doesn’t break any new signings or contract agreements, but there are plenty of noteworthy free agent tidbits tucked away within the piece. Here are a few highlights:
- Wide receiver Torrey Smith isn’t re-signing with the Ravens, and by all accounts the 49ers look like they’re in position to sign him. According to King, Smith is likely headed to San Francisco for a deal worth about $9MM annually.
- Julius Thomas also looks like a good bet to receive something in the neighborhood of $9MM per year if and when he finalizes a deal with the Jaguars, says King.
- Despite the nice new contracts Marshawn Lynch and LeSean McCoy are receiving, King hasn’t heard of any team willing to pay DeMarco Murray $10MM per season.
- Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton appears likely to leave Denver to sign with either Washington or the Raiders, per King. We heard yesterday that those two teams, along with the Bears and Colts, were among the suitors showing “serious interest” in Pot Roast.
- A person with knowledge of the Jets‘ “ideal-world plan” for the offseason suggests to King that the team would love to land both Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, if possible.
- King expects the Bills to make an effort to get Charles Clay to visit Buffalo and to sign him to a deal when free agency opens. Since Clay received the transition tag from Miami, the Dolphins would have the opportunity to match any offer sheet the tight end signed with the Bills.
- If the Jaguars and Titans don’t sign a handful of players within the next few days, they’ll likely have some big offers turned down, according to King, who anticipates both teams being very active.
AFC Rumors: Cameron, Bulaga, Langford, Raiders
Tight end Jordan Cameron has become one of the most sought after free agents in the league during this “legal tampering” period, drawing interest from the Browns, Raiders, Broncos, and Seahawks, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The Jaguars would also be in the mix if they are unable to sign Julius Thomas.
Here are some other rumors from around the AFC:
- One name the Bills could target heavily in free agency is versatile offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga, writes Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter). Graham writes there will be plenty of competition for his services.
- The Broncos have scheduled a visit with defensive tackle Kendall Langford, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post. The 29-year old veteran would provide a stout body for either a 4-3 or a 3-4 defense.
- In addition to Denver, Langford is scheduled to visit the Colts, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter). Langford already met with the Lions, Jets, and Saints.
- The Raiders are interested in Cameron to fill their tight end woes, but are also targeting Jermaine Gresham, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN (via Twitter). The team is trying to work out a deal with the former Bengal by Tuesday, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Williamson also wrote an overview of the Raiders’ free agent options after top targets Ndamukong Suh and Randall Cobb agreed to deals this Sunday.
- With Cobb and Jeremy Maclin signing big money deals, and Torrey Smith leaning towards the 49ers, the Raiders will have to look at veterans released to fill their wide receiver woes, writes Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com (via Twitter). Percy Harvin, Andre Johnson, and Dwayne Bowe could all be options for the Raiders.
- The Titans have expressed interest in pass rusher Brandon Graham, reports Paul Kuharsky of ESPN (via Twitter).
- The Titans are also targeting a number of players, and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean dives into ten topics the team will address this offseason. Among other things, Wyatt mentions the team needs to continue to pursue cornerbacks, writing that the team has expressed interest in Cary Williams, and could also chase Tramon Williams and Buster Skrine.