Browns, Chiefs, Colts Pursued DL Calais Campbell
Although Calais Campbell will play his age-36 season in 2022, the Ravens needed to fend off a few suitors to re-sign the accomplished defensive lineman.
The Browns, Chiefs and Colts showed interest in Campbell, according to USA Today’s Josina Anderson (on Twitter). Campbell elected to re-sign with the Ravens on a two-year deal that guarantees $6MM and could pay up to $16.5MM.
A six-time Pro Bowler, Campbell has thrived with three teams and in both 3-4 and 4-3 schemes. The trio of clubs pursuing Campbell use 4-3 alignments, though that distinction matters less in the sub-package-ruled modern game, but each team joins the Ravens as contenders in what has become a deep AFC.
Kansas City certainly has a need for pass-rushing help. Frank Clark has largely not delivered on the monster extension the Chiefs gave him and faces a suspension. The team lost interior pass rusher Jarran Reed in free agency and has yet to re-sign Melvin Ingram. The Chiefs’ 31 sacks last season ranked 29th. Cleveland has yet to re-sign Jadeveon Clowney and has needs at defensive tackle as well, with Malik Jackson hitting free agency and Malik McDowell nontendered as an RFA following an offseason arrest. The Colts added two-time Campbell teammate Yannick Ngakoue via trade and feature highly drafted youngsters Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo alongside DeForest Buckner up front.
The Ravens expressed interest in D-linemen this offseason, and Campbell fills a short-term need. Interior linemen Brandon Williams is a free agent, joining edge rusher Justin Houston. Both are going into their age-33 seasons. Derek Wolfe is considering retirement after injuries kept him off the field last year. Baltimore did bring back nose tackle Michael Pierce, whom the Vikings released last month. The team’s deal with Za’Darius Smith fell through at the 11th hour, with the Vikings eventually adding the Pro Bowl edge.
Chiefs Didn’t Offer Tyrann Mathieu A Contract
Tyrann Mathieu has yet to sign with his next team, but a new detail has emerged regarding his exit from Kansas City. As Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star reports, the Chiefs didn’t offer him a new contract when his old one expired last month. 
Instead, the team focused its attention on Justin Reid as a replacement. The former Texan signed a three-year, $31.5MM contract to take over the free safety spot. While Reid doesn’t have the pedigree of Mathieu, he is nearly five years younger. When asked about the team’s decision to move on, Mathieu said he it left him “heartbroken”.
“To be honest, if they would’ve offered me [Reid’s] deal, obviously I would’ve tried to negotiate, but if that’s where they drew their line in the sand, I probably would’ve took it” he added. “Agents are going to do their thing, but at the end of the day, it’s the player’s decision whether to sign it or not.”
After three seasons in Kansas City – which included two Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods, as well as a Super Bowl title – the 29-year-old is on the move for the third time in his career. He has met with the Saints and Eagles this week, but they aren’t expected to be the only teams vying for him. On a short-term deal in particular, the LSU product has a chance to earn close to the $14MM he averaged per year with the Chiefs.
Kansas City’s offseason has seen a number of notable moves. From the usage of the franchise tag on left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., to the restructured contract of Frank Clark, to the Tyreek Hill trade, the team’s cap situation has changed significantly. It didn’t come as a complete surprise, fiscally speaking, that the former two moves took priority, but it is noteworthy nevertheless that the Chiefs apparently remained as steadfast in their decision to move on from Mathieu as they did.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/7/22
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Antoine Wesley
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: RB Derrick Gore
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: T Brandon Kemp
Chiefs To Sign DT Taylor Stallworth
Nontendered as a restricted free agent last month, Taylor Stallworth found a new home Tuesday. The Chiefs are signing the young defensive tackle, according to his agent (on Twitter).
Stallworth agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Kansas City, which will be his third NFL team. Beginning his career with the Saints in 2018, the 26-year-old defensive lineman spent the past two seasons as a rotational D-lineman with the Colts.
While Stallworth made just two starts for Indianapolis, he worked as a consistent part of the team’s D-line group. The South Carolina product missed just one game as a Colt and played at least 25% of the team’s defensive snaps in each season. Last season, Stallworth finished with a 33% defensive snap rate and tallied a career-high three sacks. The 12 quarterback hits Stallworth accumulated in 2021 were 10 more than he’d compiled in his career to that point.
The Chiefs have questions on the edge, but their defensive tackle situation features more known commodities. All-Pro Chris Jones and nose tackle starter Derrick Nnadi return, with the latter being re-signed last month. The Chiefs also roster backup D-tackle Khalen Saunders, who played 31% of the team’s defensive snaps last season. The AFC West champs lost Jarran Reed in free agency; Reed is now a Packer.
Contract Details: Armstead, MVS, Douglas, Peterson, Peppers, Butler, Barnett, Harris
Here are the latest details from contracts recently agreed to around the NFL:
- Terron Armstead, T (Dolphins): Five years, $75MM. In addition to a $12MM signing bonus, Armstead’s $43.37MM guarantee includes his 2022 and ’23 base salaries ($1.1MM, $9MM), Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Armstead’s $13.25MM 2024 base salary is guaranteed for injury at signing. The deal includes $2.5MM-per-year incentives for playing time and Pro Bowl accolades, Wilson adds (on Twitter).
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR (Chiefs): Three years, $30MM. Valdes-Scantling’s $18MM guaranteed includes a $6MM signing bonus and a fully guaranteed 2022 base salary ($2.56MM), Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. The Chiefs have some flexibility in 2023. MVS has $6.4MM of his $8.6MM 2023 salary guaranteed for injury at signing; that shifts to a full guarantee if the wideout is on Kansas City’s roster on Day 3 of the 2023 league year. Valdes-Scantling’s $11.6MM 2024 base is nonguaranteed.
- Rasul Douglas, CB (Packers): Three years, $21MM. The Packers gave Douglas a $5.3MM signing bonus and have him tied to base salaries of $1.1MM, $2.25MM and $6.25MM, Wilson tweets. Douglas will collect a $2MM roster bonus if he is on Green Bay’s roster on Day 3 of the 2023 league year.
- Derek Barnett, DE (Eagles): Two years, $13.2MM. Barnett will see $7MM fully guaranteed, which includes $5.5MM in Year 1 and $1.5MM in Year 2, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes (Twitter links). The Eagles guaranteed $1.5MM of Barnett’s 2023 salary and will guarantee $2MM more of that $7.5MM figure if he is on their roster on Day 3 of the 2023 league year. There are $9MM in incentives available, Wilson tweets.
- Malcolm Butler, CB (Patriots): Two years, $9MM. The Patriots only guaranteed the recently unretired cornerback $750K, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets. That comes via a $500K signing bonus and a $250K guarantee of Butler’s 2022 base salary. Butler’s cap numbers check in at $2.22MM and $2.75MM.
- Patrick Peterson, CB (Vikings): One year, $4MM. In addition to the $3.5MM guaranteed Peterson will collect, Wilson notes the Vikings included $1MM in playing-time and playoff incentives (Twitter link). The team tacked a void year onto the deal.
- Anthony Harris, S (Eagles): One year, $2.5MM. The Eagles are guaranteeing $1MM of Harris’ $2MM base salary, Wilson tweets.
- Jabrill Peppers, S (Patriots): One year, $2MM. The Patriots are giving Peppers a $300K signing bonus and guaranteeing his $1.1MM base salary, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The deal includes $3MM in playing-time incentives.
Chiefs Interested In Trading For James Bradberry?
After the plethora of cost-cutting moves the Giants have made in Joe Schoen‘s first year as general manager, the biggest question surrounding the team remains the future of cornerback James Bradberry. According to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson, the Chiefs have emerged as an interested party trying to trade for him. 
[RELATED: Giants Could Keep Bradberry Past The Draft]
Wilson reports that there are “ongoing trade discussions” between New York and Kansas City. He is quick to add, though, that “varying degrees of confidence” exist on “if and when a deal is ultimately struck”, and that nothing is imminent at this time.
The news comes one day after Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reported that the Giants were looking to have a trade consummated “before the end of the NFL draft”. He also named the Chiefs as a potential destination, along with the Colts and Texans. The Giants’ asking price had reportedly included a third-round pick, but that may no longer be the case.
Vacchiano states that the Giants “are willing to pick up some of Bradberry’s $13.4MM salary” to help facilitate a trade. Moving on from the 28-year-old – either through a trade or release – would save the Giants eight figures in cap space. Knowing that, most other teams are said to waiting to sign him as a free agent, rather than paying with draft compensation. The Chiefs, Wilson notes however, are “extremely interested” in trading for the Pro Bowler with a deal which could include “swapping picks in the middle rounds”.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll referred to Bradberry’s circumstances as “a fluid situation”. Depending on how trade negotiations go, that situation could have a resolution sooner rather than later.
Chiefs, Stephon Gilmore Discussing Deal
Stephon Gilmore‘s top two suitors look to be in the AFC West, a division that has seen a few impact defenders arrive over the past two weeks. While the Raiders are eyeing the former Defensive Player of the Year, the Chiefs are as well.
The Chiefs have joined the Raiders in discussing a deal with Gilmore, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes. The Raiders were connected to Gilmore early in free agency and have ex-Patriot staffers Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels running the team, but the veteran cornerback has options.
Gilmore, 31, being patient is unsurprising here, given his quest to see a pay raise during the second half of his Patriots tenure. Gilmore voiced frustration about his Pats contract — a five-year, $65MM deal that became wildly team-friendly as the market moved — in 2020 and 2021, leading to a pay bump for the ’20 season and a trade to the Panthers the following year. Leading up to free agency, Carolina had not closed the door on a Gilmore re-signing. But the team prioritized Donte Jackson, who has since signed an extension.
A Gilmore-Kansas City addition would give the Chiefs additional ammo in an AFC West that has seen defenders Khalil Mack, Chandler Jones, Randy Gregory, D.J. Jones, Sebastian Joseph-Day and ex-Gilmore sidekick J.C. Jackson join the Chiefs’ rivals. The Chiefs lost Charvarius Ward to a $14MM-per-year 49ers deal and saw contributor Mike Hughes sign with the Lions. While Kansas City signed Justin Reid, it looks to come at the expense of a Tyrann Mathieu exit. The Chiefs still have L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton at corner, but the team is eyeing veterans.
A James Bradberry trade remains on the Chiefs’ radar, Wilson adds. The Giants are looking to move Bradberry, but he is going into a contract year on a $13.4MM salary. That has limited his trade appeal thus far. Kansas City has not spent much on cornerbacks in recent years, but its Tyreek Hill trade has freed up some cash. The defending division champs went to work immediately after dealing Hill, signing Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jermaine Carter over the past two days.
Chiefs Sign RB Ronald Jones
The Chiefs are bringing in a veteran running back. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), Kansas City is signing RB Ronald Jones to a one-year deal. The running back can earn up to $5MM on his one-year pact (per Pelissero on Twitter).
[RELATED: Chiefs Host WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, RB Ronald Jones]
Jones met with the Chiefs earlier this week alongside wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling. MVS ended up inking a three-year, $30MM pact with the Chiefs.
Jones was a 2018 second-round pick by the Buccaneers. He saw an inconsistent role during his first four seasons in the NFL; he had more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage in both 2019 and 2020, but he was limited to only 492 yards from scrimmage in 2021 while playing second fiddle to Leonard Fournette. Jones does have some pass-catching ability (76 career receptions) and he’s averaged a modest 4.5 yards on his rushing attempts, so there’s a good chance he’ll be a usable piece in the Chiefs offense.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire should return to the top of the depth chart in 2022, but backups Jerick McKinnon and Darrel Williams are both free agents. That means Jones will likely compete for backup reps with Derrick Gore.
Chiefs To Sign LB Jermaine Carter
Former Panthers linebacker Jermaine Carter generated interest on the market, but he has made a decision. The Chiefs are adding the four-year veteran, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal, per ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter).
Carter has just one season of full-time starter experience, but he is coming off a 17-start slate with Carolina. The 27-year-old defender visited the Chiefs on Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, joining defensive end Arden Key in that regard.
[RELATED: Chiefs Sign WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling]
This addition is interesting for a Chiefs team that used second-round picks on off-ball linebackers in each of the past two years, selecting Willie Gay and Nick Bolton. The latter enjoyed a standout rookie year and should remain the anchor of Kansas City’s defensive second level. But Carter is poised to play a key role for the six-time reigning AFC West champions, who have operated aggressively since freeing up money by trading Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins.
A former fifth-round pick, Carter drew interest from multiple teams in free agency. He made 88 tackles (three for loss) with the Panthers last season. Carter’s emergence led to Carolina trading Denzel Perryman to Las Vegas during training camp last year. The Panthers will move forward without the Marty Hurney-era investment.
Chiefs Eyeing Veteran Cornerbacks
The Chiefs are on the lookout for a cornerback. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Chiefs make a “move on a veteran corner in the coming weeks.” Specifically, Fowler has heard the Chiefs connected to free agent Stephon Gilmore and Giants cornerback James Bradberry, who could be released or traded.
Gilmore, 31, was traded midseason from New England to Carolina after a new deal with the Patriots couldn’t be worked out. In eight games in Charlotte, he registered two interceptions, helping him to a fourth consecutive Pro Bowl, the fifth of his career. Despite his impressive resume, the veteran still hasn’t found a home for next season. So far this offseason, Gilmore has only been definitively connected to the Raiders.
Many assumed that the Giants would trade or release the 28-year-old Bradberry before the new league year started last week. The veteran cornerback remains on the roster, but there’s still a chance the team moves on from him, as the Giants can realize more than $10MM in cap savings by cutting the defensive back. Despite a down year in 2021, Bradberry should still hold interest for cornerback-needy teams. He’s not too far removed from a Pro Bowl appearance in 2020, when he posted the lowest passer rating of any CB in the league, per PFF.
The Chiefs have already been active in reshuffling their secondary this offseason. The front office pivoted away from Tyrann Mathieu and replaced him with free agent safety Justin Reid.