49ers Hosting Jason Verrett; Texans, Chiefs On Deck
Free agent cornerback Jason Verrett is visiting the 49ers, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets that the Texans are presently scheduled to host Verrett after his trip to the 49ers, and the Chiefs are on the docket after that.
The former first-round pick of the Chargers has played in just five games in the last three years due to injury, and he missed the entire 2018 campaign after suffering a torn Achilles during a conditioning test last July.
Because of his health concerns, San Francisco is making a physical part of Verrett’s visit, and Houston and Kansas City may do the same. Rapoport indicated that Verrett was garnering significant interest, and that certainly seems to be the case.
Verrett was a Pro Bowler in 2015 and looked primed to establish himself as one of the best young corners in the league, but his career has been sidetracked in a big way. However, he reportedly looked like his old self in minicamp last year before the Achilles injury, and if he can make good on a one-year prove-it deal, he may be able to really cash in next offseason.
The 49ers have made major upgrades to their defense this week, signing Kwon Alexander and trading for (and extending) Dee Ford. They are also looking to bolster their secondary and made an offer to cornerback Bradley Roby, who ultimately chose to sign with the Texans.
But even with the addition of Roby, Houston could stand to add to its stable of CBs, and Kansas City is also in the market for corner help. The Chiefs are meeting with Ronald Darby tonight.
If healthy, Verrett could be in store for plenty of playing time if he lands with any of these clubs.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/13/19
Here is the latest news involving restricted free agents and exclusive-rights free agents, with updates coming throughout the day:
ERFA
Tendered:
- Bears: DE Roy Robertson-Harris, LB Isaiah Irving, OL Rashaad Coward
- Seahawks: LB Austin Calitro, LB Emmanuel Ellerbee, C Joey Hunt, RB J.D. McKissic, CB Kalan Reed
Non-tendered:
- Bears: S DeAndre Houston-Carson (via Howard Balzer on Twitter)
- Bengals: QB Brad Kaaya (via Balzer)
- Cardinals: LB Gabe Martin, DE Zach Moore, C Daniel Munyer (via Balzer)
- Chiefs: TE Alex Ellis (via Balzer)
- Colts: S Ronald Martin (via Balzer)
- Falcons: WR Marvin Hall (via Balzer)
- Giants: DT Kristjan Sokoli (via Balzer)
- Patriots: WR Cody Hollister (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
- Raiders: CB Tevin Mitchel (via Balzer)
- Rams: LB Garrett Sickels (via Balzer)
- Ravens: OT Steven Moore (via Balzer)
- Saints: DB Rickey Jefferson (per NOLA.com’s Josh Katzenstein, on Twitter)
- Seahawks: DE Ricky Ali’ifua, DB T.J. Green, RB Tre Madden, DB T.J. Mutcherson
- Steelers: T Joseph Cheek, S Malik Golden, LB Keith Kelsey, TE Jake McGee (via Balzer)
- Vikings: OT Cedrick Lang, TE Josiah Price (via Balzer)
RFA
Tendered at second-round level:
- Seahawks: T George Fant (per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, on Twitter)
Tendered at original-round level:
- Chiefs: S Jordan Lucas
- Saints: CB Ken Crawley (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of The New Orleans Advocate)
- Seahawks: DL Quinton Jefferson (via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, on Twitter)
Non-tendered:
- Bears: LS Patrick Scales (via Balzer)
- Bengals: TE Matt Lengel (via Balzer)
- Bills: TE Logan Thomas (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
- Broncos: QB Kevin Hogan, LB Deiontrez Mount, WR Jordan Taylor (via Balzer)
- Browns: CB Juston Burris, TE Orson Charles (via Balzer)
- Buccaneers: TE Alan Cross, CB Javien Elliott, T Leonard Wester (via Balzer)
- Cardinals: LB Jeremy Cash, OT John Wetzel (via Balzer)
- Chiefs: LB Terrance Smith (via Balzer)
- Dolphins: WR Leonte Carroo (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald)
- 49ers: S Tyvis Powell (via Balzer)
- Jaguars: OG Chris Reed (via Balzer)
- Jets: DT Destiny Vaeao (via Balzer)
- Panthers: WR Damiere Byrd (via Balzer)
- Raiders: DE Shilique Calhoun (via Balzer)
- Redskins: WR Maurice Harris (per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com, on Twitter), RB Rob Kelley (via Balzer)
- Saints: WR Tommylee Lewis (via Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com, on Twitter)
Chiefs Release Eric Berry
The Chiefs have released Eric Berry, the club announced today.
“I’d like to thank Eric for his contributions to our team and the Kansas City community over the last nine years,” head coach Andy Reid said. “Seeing his passion and watching his love for the game has been truly remarkable. He’s a special person, and we wish him the best as his career moves forward.”
Berry, 30, was widely expected to be cut after Kansas City inked fellow safety Tyrann Mathieu to a three-year, $42MM. The two defensive backs could have complemented each other in the Chiefs’ secondary, but most teams are simply reluctant to spent an exorbitant amount of cap and cash on a single positional group.
Berry signed a six-year, $78MM extension with the Chiefs in 2017, and that deal had kept him as the NFL’s highest-paid safety until Landon Collins topped him earlier this week. Kansas City will designate Berry as a post-June 1 release (Twitter link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), meaning it will take on $6.95MM in dead money this year and $8MM in 2020. The Chiefs will see $9.55MM in cap relief, but they won’t receive that until this summer.
A terrific safety when on the field, Berry has been limited by health issues throughout his career. In five of his nine pro seasons, Berry has failed to play more than five games. He’s been available for only three total regular season contests over the past two years after rupturing his Achilles in September 2017. In spite of that, Berry doesn’t plan to undergo offseason surgery to correct his nagging heel concerns.
Berry’s market will be one to watch in the coming weeks, as the safety position has mostly been picked over in free agency. That should leave Berry as one of the more attractive options still available, but it also means many clubs have already filled their safety void. Given his injury history, it won’t be a surprise if the three-time All-Pro is forced to settle for a one-year deal.
49ers, Chiefs Agree To Dee Ford Trade
The Chiefs will send Dee Ford to San Francisco. The 49ers have agreed to send their 2020 second-round pick to the Chiefs for the franchise-tagged pass rusher, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. We heard earlier tonight that the two sides were discussing a trade.
The teams have agreed on compensation, and it sounds like the 49ers and Ford have agreed to an extension. ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweets that Ford has signed a five-year, $87.5MM deal with his new squad. Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo tweets that the deal contains around $45MM in guaranteed money.
The 49ers are in need of edge-rushing talent, and Ford would certainly fit the bill. Ford registered a career-high 13 sacks last season, making his first Pro Bowl. Ford played in a 4-3 at Auburn and, interestingly, would be a full-time end in the 49ers’ 4-3. Beyond Ford, the Chiefs have 2018 second-round pick Breeland Speaks and 2017 second-rounder Tanoh Kpassagnon. Those two have combined for 3.5 sacks in three seasons.
The Chiefs had reportedly been shopping Ford even they slapped him with a franchise tag that will pay him up a bit more than $15MM. The front office had reportedly been seeking a second-rounder in exchange for Ford, but there were some pundits who believed that organization may have to settle for a third-rounder plus another asset. Ultimately, it sounds like San Francisco was willing to meet Kansas City’s asking price.
The Chiefs pass-rushing corps will look a whole lot different next season. The team recently released Justin Houston, leaving the team with few edge defenders on the roster.
Chiefs, 49ers In Advanced Dee Ford Talks
The Chiefs and 49ers are deep in talks about a Dee Ford trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, adding this deal could end up being finalized on Tuesday night.
This would be a major move for a Chiefs franchise that just released Justin Houston. The Chiefs put out trade feelers for both Houston and Ford, but speculation persisted about the team being prepared to jettison only one of its edge starters. But now? The 2019 Chiefs’ pass rush may look quite different from the most recent corps.
Should this trade come to pass, the Chiefs may not be likely to obtain one of the 49ers’ top two draft picks. They were targeting a Round 2 choice for Ford, but Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller tweets a third-rounder and an additional asset may end being the return. This would be similar to Kansas City’s 2018 Alex Smith trade, which brought back a third-round pick and Kendall Fuller.
San Francisco was one of the destinations mentioned for Ford. The 49ers are in need of edge-rushing talent and have been linked to that spot with their No. 2 draft pick. They may soon be in position to work out a new contract with Ford, on whom the Chiefs placed their franchise tag. That component will be key in this process, per Rapoport.
Ford, who is set for his age-28 season, was given the linebacker franchise tag — worth just more than $15MM.
This would leave the Chiefs with no proven edge rushers. But the tag-and-trade scenario would free up more than $15MM in cap space, whereas the team had to eat some dead money in its Houston release.
Ford registered a career-high 13 sacks last season, making his first Pro Bowl. While he has not been especially reliable in his career, he is by far the Chiefs’ best in-house edge rusher. But with K.C. moving to a 4-3 defense, new DC Steve Spagnuolo appears to be willing to rock the boat to find better fits.
Ford played in a 4-3 at Auburn and, interestingly, would be a full-time end in the 49ers’ 4-3. Beyond Ford, the Chiefs have 2018 second-round pick Breeland Speaks and 2017 second-rounder Tanoh Kpassagnon. Those two have combined for 3.5 sacks in three seasons.
DB Notes: Roby, Boston, Berry
Earlier today, the Texans agreed to sign former Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby to a one-year, $10MM deal. It sounds like the 27-year-old may have left some longer deals on the table, as the defensive back told Mike Klis of 9News in Denver that he turned down a three-year offer from the Steelers and a one-year offer from the 49ers. Roby said that the Browns were also in the mix (Twitter link).
“It’s a prove it deal,” Roby explained. “I feel like I should go back in (the market) while I’m still young.”
Roby left Denver after spending five years with the organization, and it sounds like the veteran holds a bit of a grudge against his former team.
“It’s a business. Denver didn’t want me, they wanted someone else,” Roby said, with the cornerback referring to the team’s acquisition of Kareem Jackson (Twitter link). “No, they tried to word it nice – they were talking about it but they didn’t offer. They got the guy they wanted.”
Let’s check out some more notes revolving around the league’s defensive backs…
- Free agent safety Tre Boston doesn’t expect to sign a deal right away, with the 26-year-old telling ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he expects to be in the “second wave” of safety signings (Twitter link). Boston said that three teams have already reached out to express preliminary interest, including the Raiders. However, following the team’s agreement with Lamarcus Joyner, it’s uncertain if they’ll still have interest. Boston spent the 2018 campaign with the Cardinals, compiling 79 tackles, nine passes defended, and three interceptions.
- Could the Chiefs signing of Tyrann Mathieu spell the end of Eric Berry‘s tenure with the organization? Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio thinks so, as the writer can’t envision the organization paying a combined $27MM for the two players. Considering Berry’s recent injury issues, this isn’t a particularly hot take, but it’s worth noting that the Chiefs will have to make a decision relatively soon. As Florio tweets, another $7.25 million of Berry’s contract will become guaranteed on March 15th.
- A number of safeties earned large paydays yesterday, which was a significant difference from last offseason. CBS Sports’ Brady Quinn explained why safeties were the bigger winner during the NFL’s first day of the legal tampering period.
Chiefs To Sign Damien Wilson
The Chiefs will sign former Cowboys linebacker Damien Wilson, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
Dallas selected Wilson in the fourth round of the 2015 draft, but he has been used somewhat sparingly on the defensive side of the ball. He played in roughly 28% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2018, which is in line with his usage during the 2016-17 campaigns. He has had a much bigger role as a special teamer.
Wilson has started a total of 22 games in his career, though he has appeared in all 64 possible games since his rookie season. He will serve as a worthwhile piece of Kansas City’s linebacker rotation, especially since it is converting to a 4-3 scheme under new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (Wilson operated under a 4-3 with the Cowboys).
For his career, Wilson has 103 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.
Chiefs, Tyrann Mathieu Agree To Deal
Connected to high-profile safeties at last year’s trade deadline, the Chiefs are continuing their pursuit months later. They are close to a deal with Tyrann Mathieu, Terez Paylor of Yahoo.com tweets.
It looks like a contract will be agreed upon, and it is quite the deal. The Chiefs are signing Mathieu for three years and $42MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The average annual value would match that of Landon Collins‘ Redskins pact. The 26-year-old Mathieu profiled as the Chiefs’ top offseason target, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link), and the contract certainly reflects that.
Mathieu signed a one-year, $7MM deal with the Texans last season; he is on the verge of doubling that a year later, illustrating the safety market’s rapid resurgence.
The Texans have been discussing a contract with Mathieu for a while, but the sides have not come to terms. This is considerably north of the proposal the Texans reportedly made, with Houston’s offer being for $9.5MM per year.
This is interesting, given the Texans’ favorable amount of cap space when compared to the Chiefs’. But Kansas City has needs across its defense and will be allocating a considerable amount of money to a position that recently saw its value stagnate.
The Chiefs still have Eric Berry‘s $13MM-AAV contract on their books but have an opening opposite the All-Pro. Berry, 30, is not a reasonable cut candidate this year. It would cost the Chiefs more than $14MM in dead money to jettison the three-time All-Pro. But Kansas City is now heavily invested at a position that has seen its value reignite in a matter of hours.
With the Legion of Boom having disbanded, no team comes close to matching what Kansas City will have allotted to its safety position. But the Chiefs had considerable issues in pass coverage last season, including at pivotal points during their AFC championship game loss, and Mathieu helped rebuild his stock in 2018. The Chiefs were connected to Collins and the still-unattached Earl Thomas early last season but opted to stand pat. While they were agonizingly close to a Super Bowl without making a move, the team is addressing a need area now.
Coming off some disappointing seasons in Arizona, following the Cardinals signing Mathieu to a then-record safety deal (five years, $62.5MM), Mathieu made the most of his one-year Texans pact. He graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 21 safety last season.
It appears Houston will need to look for another safety. While the market still has some key players, two of the top targets are no longer available.
Chiefs Release Justin Houston
The Chiefs have released edge rusher Justin Houston, the club announced today.
“Over the last eight seasons we’ve had the ability to watch Justin grow into a leader on and off the playing field,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said. “His passion helped him become one the most successful pass rushers in franchise history. We appreciate his contributions to our team and community and he’ll always be considered a part of the Chiefs family.”
Kansas City had been attempting to trade Houston, but no club was willing to take on his $15.25MM base salary. By cutting Houston, the Chiefs will $7.1MM in dead money, but will also create $14MM in cap space. That latter figure is critical for Kansas City, as the team had less than $10MM in cap space before moving from Houston.
In addition to trying to move Houston, the Chiefs are also rumored to have put fellow pass rusher Dee Ford on the trade block. Ford was designated as Kansas City’s franchise player and will earn north of $17MM in 2019, and the Chiefs are reportedly searching for a second-round pick in exchange. However, it’s possible Kansas City will be more amenable to retaining Ford now that Houston is out of the picture.
Houston led the NFL with 22 sacks in 2015, but injuries have since taken a toll on his availability. Now entering his age-30 campaign, Houston can still be an effective player, as evidenced by his 18.5 sacks over the past two seasons. Pro Football Focus graded him as the NFL’s 14th-best edge defender last year, and he should have a solid market given that most of this offseason’s best pass-rushers were taken off the market via the franchise tag.
Chiefs Sign RB Carlos Hyde
Carlos Hyde‘s Saturday visit to Kansas City will land him a deal. One of the Jaguars’ Friday cap casualties, the running back will sign with the three-time defending AFC West champions, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Chiefs announced the move.
It’s a one-year deal for Hyde, who will be on his third AFC team in the past six months. The 28-year-old back’s contract is worth $2.8MM, Terez Paylor of Yahoo.com tweets.
Despite the Chiefs having accomplished far more than Hyde’s previous teams, he will have a better chance of earning a starting job in Kansas City.
The Browns traded Hyde last season to allow for Nick Chubb to commandeer their top backfield role, and the Jaguars have Leonard Fournette in tow. The Chiefs cut Kareem Hunt midway through last season, and previous third-stringer Damien Williams ended up as the No. 1-seeded team’s top running back in the playoffs.
Williams signed a two-year, $5.1MM extension and will play on a $1.7MM cap number in 2019. The Chiefs may well end up drafting another back, but a Williams-Hyde partnership may be the 2019 team’s primary tandem. Kansas City, of course, has plenty of defensive needs it may want to address in the draft. It appears the Justin Houston–Dee Ford pairing will break up, creating an immediate need that didn’t exist entering last year’s draft.
This does double as a fairly steep downgrade for Hyde, who signed a three-year, $15MM contract with the Browns last year. However, he may be a bargain for Chiefs. Hyde is relatively fresh for a running back entering his age-29 season.
Since being a 49ers second-round pick in 2014, he has only taken 827 handoffs. Injuries posed a problem earlier in Hyde’s career, but he was a 16-game San Francisco starter in 2017 and suited up for 14 contests last year. Hyde, however, averaged just 3.3 yards per carry with the Browns and Jags in 2018. His 2017 season featured a 3.9 yards-per-carry figure. Although Hyde was barely used as a receiver last season (10 catches, 33 yards), he totaled 59 receptions and 350 yards for the ’17 49ers, adding a potential auxiliary weapon to a Chiefs offense that likes to involve its backs as outlet options.