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.
Jaguars Pursuing Beadles, Eyeing Decker
Free agent guard Zane Beadles has narrowed his free agent options down to the Jaguars and one other team, reports Mike Klis of the Denver Post. That second team isn’t the Broncos, according to Klis, who says Beadles won’t be returning to Denver. Linebacker Wesley Woodyard also won’t be re-signing with the Broncos, Klis adds.
While it’s not clear what sort of contracts the Jaguars and the mystery suitor are offering Beadles, the guard figures to command a salary in the neighborhood of $5MM per year, says Klis. Considering the Broncos are already heavily invested in left tackle Ryan Clady and right guard Louis Vasquez, the team wasn’t comfortable making a big offer to Beadles as well.
As the Jaguars pursue Beadles, the team is also eyeing another one of the Broncos’ prospective free agents. According to Klis, Jacksonville has expressed interest in wide receiver Eric Decker.
AFC Rumors: Tate, McFadden, Mitchell, Dansby
Free agent receiver Golden Tate, who tweeted last night that things are “heating up” for him, could be a target for the Jaguars, says Peter King of TheMMQB.com. The former Seahawks notable is coming off of his most productive season ever in which he hauled in 64 catches for 898 yards and five touchdowns. More out of the AFC..
- While many free agent running backs aren’t getting much play yet, Darren McFadden is one that has drawn “significant interest,” tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter) hears from a league source that the Raiders have a one-year offer on the table for McFadden. The 26-year-old has missed 19 games over the last three seasons.
- The Dolphins are in the mix for defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. The 26-year-old is getting a lot of attention for his versatility, athletic ability, and his high motor.
- The Browns are likely to pursue Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby in free agency, a source tells Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio News Group. Dansby, 32, would replace D’Qwell Jackson, who signed a four-year deal with the Colts last week. The Browns were also unsatisfied with the play of inside ‘backer Craig Robertson as the 2013 season went along.
- The Browns are aggressively pursuing slot receivers with Davone Bess out of the picture, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. Julian Edelman is a possibility as is poaching Andrew Hawkins from the Bengals.
- Re-signing defensive tackle Antonio Johnson is a priority for the Titans, tweets Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. The club also has interest in holding on to Leon Washington, Marc Mariani, Damian Williams, and Chris Spencer.
- Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) asked a Jets source for the best way to describe the organization’s free agency plan and he was told that the club will be “aggressive.”
- The Broncos have discussed the likes of pursuing safety T.J. Ward and defensive end Jared Allen but they’re certainly not in the lead as some have implied, writes Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com.
- The Jets and Patriots will each pick up nearly an extra $2MM in cap room due to various bookkeeping technicalities, as Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com explains in a series of tweets.
Jaguars Release Justin Forsett
The Jaguars have cut running back Justin Forsett, reports ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). While $100K of prorated bonus money will still count against the team’s cap for 2014, Jacksonville avoids paying Forsett his $1.1MM base salary and a $50K workout bonus.
Forsett, 28, appeared in only 100 snaps and had just six carries for 31 yards in his first season with the Jags. The former seventh-round pick battled foot issues throughout the season and was buried on the depth chart behind Maurice Jones-Drew and Jordan Todman. Forsett will become an unrestricted free agent.
AFC Rumors: McCluster, Titans, Steelers, Jets
A league source tells Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star that wide receiver and return man Dexter McCluster won’t be returning to the Chiefs. McCluster has four or five suitors and will likely sign Tuesday night, says Paylor, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com also hears that the free-agent-to-be will be “snapped up quickly.” Here’s more from around the AFC:
- In addition to Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby, other players on the Titans‘ radar include Ravens inside linebacker Jameel McClain and Broncos defensive end/outside linebacker Shaun Phillips, tweets Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.
- Red Bryant says he received interest from the Packers, Chiefs, and Redskins signing with the Jaguars, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Bryant signed a four-year deal with Jacksonville that could pay him up to $17MM but guarantees him just $5.25MM.
- The Steelers are working to see if Ike Taylor will take a pay cut, tweets La Canfora. If Taylor is unwilling to do so, I imagine Pittsburgh will release him soon.
- Chiefs inside linebacker Akeem Jordan is drawing interest from six teams and has a visit set up with one AFC club for Thursday, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (at the National Football Post).
- The Jets are high on Matt Schaub, and figure to target him in free agency if he’s released by the Texans, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Babin Voids Jaguars Deal, Becomes Free Agent
Jason Babin has voided the final two years of his deal with the Jaguars to become a free agent, tweets John Clayton of ESPN. The move clears up $6MM+ plus from the Jaguars’ salary cap in 2014.
As Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union notes (on Twitter), Babin could re-sign with Jacksonville at some point, especially if the Jags come up empty in free agency. General Manager Dave Caldwell has said that he’ll be keeping his options open when it comes to the two-time Pro Bowler (link).
Babin, who turns 34 in May, played in all 16 games last season, racking up 31 tackles, 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two passes defended. The well-traveled veteran has been with five clubs over the course of his NFL career and assuming he doesn’t double back with any of them, he could be on his way to No. 6.
AFC Rumors: Jets, Howard, Titans, Steelers
With Antonio Cromartie no longer in the mix in New York, the Jets have turned their attention to other notable free agent defensive backs. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported late last night that the Jets were eyeing safety T.J. Ward, and he hears today from a team source that the club has also inquired on several other DBs. According to Mehta (via Twitter), New York has “varying degrees of interest” in safety Chris Clemons and cornerbacks Alterraun Verner and Captain Munnerlyn. Here are a few more Monday rumors relating to AFC teams:
- The Jets continue to negotiate with Austin Howard, but other teams have expressed interest in the free agent tackle, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post.
- We heard earlier today that defensive lineman Antonio Smith has drawn interest from four teams, and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean thinks the Titans are probably one of those clubs (Twitter link).
- The Steelers are among the clubs to inquire on free agent cornerback Nolan Carroll, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
- Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter link) hears that there’s only $5.255MM of guaranteed money in Red Bryant‘s four-year contract with the Jaguars, making it a fairly low-risk move for the club.
- Long snapper Danny Aiken‘s new one-year deal with the Patriots includes a $55K signing bonus and $25K workout bonus on top of his minimum base salary, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter).
FA Rumors: O-Line, Davis, Vinatieri, Campbell
The market for offensive linemen is beginning to heat up, and Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun has a couple of predictions from league sources. In one of his tweets, he identifies potential landing spots for Branden Albert (Dolphins), Jared Veldheer (Cardinals), Rodger Saffold (Raiders), Anthony Collins (Buccaneers) and Eugene Monroe (Ravens). In another tweet, he mentions that the Raiders have already talked to Saffold and Monroe, while the Buccaneers have contacted Saffold and Collins.
A couple of more notes on available (and potential) free agents…
- The Colts are nearing a deal with Vontae Davis, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The deal is expected to be finished on Monday. However, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star says a deal is not close (via Twitter).
- The Colts are also talking with Adam Vinatieri, but it appears that the kicker will test the market, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
- With Jason Campbell set to receive a $250K bonus, the Browns may choose to cut or trade the quarterback, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The bonus is due on the third day of the league year, which would be this Thursday.
- When asked if the Jaguars would get a deal done with Will Blackmon, John Oehser of Jaguars.com responded “yes” (via Twitter).
Red Bryant, Jaguars Agree To Four-Year Deal
3:50pm: Ian Rapaport of NFL.com reports that Bryant deal is worth $17MM over four years (via Twitter).
2:01pm: Former Seahawks defensive lineman Red Bryant has reached an agreement with the Jaguars on a four-year deal, as reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).
The Seahawks released Bryant earlier this offseason, but the team left open the possibility of re-signing their run stopping defensive end during free agency.
This move reunites Bryant with Jaguars’ head coach Gus Bradley, who was the Seahawks defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2012.
Extra Points: Collins, Bears, Cowboys, Jags
With Eugene Monroe, Branden Albert, and Jared Veldheer all seemingly on the verge of reaching unrestricted free agency, it’ll be an active market for left tackles and the teams seeking them. But the Bengals are hoping to stay out of the mix by locking up Anthony Collins before free agency begins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Collins should draw a good deal of interest if he becomes available, as Rapoport suggests.
Here’s more from around the NFL on a Friday afternoon:
- The Bears haven’t asked wide receiver Earl Bennett to take a pay cut, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link), and fellow ESPN scribe Michael C. Wright says (via Twitter) that’s the case for defensive end Julius Peppers as well. Of course, there’s still some time for Chicago to approach both players, if the team needs to create some flexibility.
- By officially releasing Phil Costa and restructuring Mackenzy Bernadeau‘s contract, the Cowboys are now about $2MM under the cap with free agency around the corner, tweets ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. That doesn’t necessarily mean the team is done cutting costs though — I’d still expect DeMarcus Ware‘s deal to be addressed in some form.
- As for Costa, Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com tweets that the Cowboys asked if the veteran center would take a pay cut. Costa declined, as he feels he’ll garner interest elsewhere.
- After re-signing with the Jaguars today, Chad Henne spoke to the media and admitted that he wanted to talk to other teams, but Jacksonville was his No. 1 choice and he decided to forgo the open market when the club made an offer he liked. Meanwhile, head coach Gus Bradley indicated that re-signing Henne doesn’t mean the Jaguars won’t draft a quarterback in May (Twitter links via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com).
- Punter Pat McAfee told reporters, including Craig Kelley of Colts.com (Twitter link), that he “didn’t really want” to hit free agency and is happy to have re-signed with the Colts.
Zach Links contributed to this post.