Fisher: Rams Were Offered First-Rounder For Bradford
When Eagles head coach Chip Kelly claimed earlier this week that he was offered a first-round pick for Sam Bradford immediately after acquiring him, he was met with plenty of raised eyebrows and outright skepticism. However, appearing today on PFT Live (Twitter link), Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said that his team was also offered a low first-round pick for Bradford, but that the Rams agreed to the deal with Philadelphia because he wanted Nick Foles.
A quick look at the draft order for 2015 reveals that there are no teams near the bottom of the first round with a need at quarterback. The Patriots, Saints, Packers, Colts, Broncos, Cowboys, Ravens, Panthers, Lions, and Steelers wouldn’t have interest in Bradford, and it’s extremely unlikely the Cardinals or Bengals would either. That means the first logical team to have potentially offered a first-rounder to the Rams is probably the Eagles at No. 20.
Fisher indicated today (Twitter link) that he wasn’t sure if the team that offered the Rams a first-round pick for Bradford was the same team that offered the Eagles a first-rounder for Bradford. That comment suggests that it wasn’t Philadelphia that made the Rams the offer. The Browns, with two first-round picks – including No. 19 – and a reported interest in Bradford, make the most sense.
Of course, while it’s entirely possible that the Browns – or another team – offered a first-round pick to both the Rams and Eagles, and both teams turned it down, it’s also possible that no such offer was on the table for either club. Fisher adamantly denied at the combine that the team was considering moving Bradford, so it’s not as if we should believe everything he says. As for Kelly, if he intends to move forward with Bradford as his starting quarterback, he has some motivation to display faith in the former first overall pick.
FA Rumors: J. Johnson, Parker, Falcons, 49ers
Free agent safety Jeron Johnson is generating some interest around the league, and will pay a visit to Washington, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Johnson, a Boise State product, never saw any real significant playing time on defense for a Seahawks team that featured Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, but he was a solid backup and excelled on special teams.
Let’s round up a few more Friday free agent news items and rumors from around the NFL….
- The Bears would like to sign safety Ron Parker, but he left Chicago last night without a deal, a source confirms to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, who tweets that the former Chief appears to be in no rush to sign.
- Having already met with the Seahawks and Broncos, Shelley Smith will make his next visit to Atlanta to meet with the Falcons, a source tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The free agent offensive lineman is scheduled to arrive tonight and have his official visit tomorrow.
- The 49ers saw one of their free agent cornerbacks, Chris Culliver, find a deal in Washington today, but according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, they’ve spoken to another – Chris Cook – about returning (Twitter link). Still, Maiocco’s source says there have been no recent conversations between the two sides.
- Free agent center Stefen Wisniewski remains in Seattle for now, but a visit to the Rams is “very possible,” tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In addition to visiting the Seahawks, Wisniewski also met with the Bucs earlier this week.
- Offensive lineman Erik Pears, who visited the 49ers this week, is also receiving interest from the Jets and Broncos, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Pears started all 16 games for the Bills at right guard last season.
- The Chargers are continuing to eye the free agent market in search of upgrades at wide receiver, after having lost Eddie Royal to Chicago, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- Former Giants guard John Jerry is making a free agent visit to Tennessee today to meet with the Titans, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). Having waited out the first wave of free agency, the Titans have been very active today, locking up Brian Orakpo, Derrick Morgan, Ryan Succop, and Karl Klug to new contracts.
Rams Sign Nick Fairley
11:17am: It’s a one-year, prove-it deal for Fairley, who can earn up to $7.5MM in 2015, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The contract has a base value of $5MM, which isn’t far off from what the veteran defender would have been paid if the Lions had picked up his fifth-year option.
Playing with such a talented group of defensive linemen, Fairley has a nice opportunity to have a big year and earn a more lucrative deal a year from now, if he can stay healthy.
11:09am: One of the league’s best defensive lines will be even scarier entering the 2015 season. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), former Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley will join the Rams, having agreed to terms on a new deal with the team. The team revealed the move at Nick Foles‘ introductory press conference today (Twitter link).
Fairley had his 2014 season derailed by injuries, but he was very effective when healthy, and received plenty of interest this week. The 27-year-old paid a visit to the Bengals, and a Wednesday report indicated that about a half-dozen teams were interested in him before free agency even began on Tuesday.
A former 13th overall pick, Fairley had his best season in 2013, when he recorded 35 tackles and six sacks to go along with a pair of forced fumbles. Despite that impressive showing, the Lions elected not to exercise his relatively inexpensive ($5.477MM) fifth-year option for the 2015 season, allowing him to reach free agency. It’ll be interesting to see if Fairley signs for more or less with the Rams than he could have received from the Lions, who have now lost both Fairley and Ndamukong Suh.
As for the Rams, defensive line certainly wasn’t a pressing area of need for a team that has Robert Quinn, Aaron Donald, Chris Long, and Michael Brockers on its roster, but the team did cut Kendall Langford earlier in the offseason and was looking to add another interior piece. In Fairley, St. Louis lands one of the top defensive tackles on the market, and will move forward with a front four that’s extremely capable of both getting to the quarterback and stuffing the run.
FA Rumors: Spiller, Bowe, Falcons, Ridley
The rumors connecting C.J. Spiller to New Orleans continue to trickle in on Friday. After we heard on Wednesday that the Saints are “in the mix” for the former Bills running back, a Thursday report indicated that the team is “very high” on him. Today, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that strong interest is mutual.
The Saints have already re-signed Mark Ingram to a $4MM annual salary, and were cap-strapped heading into this week, but the team has made a number of cost-cutting moves, and could have more on the way. Spiller will likely command a deal in the same neighborhood as Ingram’s, so it’s possible that New Orleans will have the flexibility to complete such a deal, but nothing’s finalized yet.
Here’s more on free agency:
- Following up on a Thursday report which suggested that the Browns have interest in Dwayne Bowe, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) classifies Cleveland’s interest in Bowe as “strong.” Even after adding Brian Hartline in free agency, the Browns are probably in need of at least one more starting wide receiver.
- After paying a visit to the Broncos, free agent safety Darian Stewart is headed to Atlanta to visit the Falcons, source tell Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Denver had been hoping to lock up Stewart to help replace the departing Rahim Moore, but the former Raven continues to weigh his options.
- D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution adds (via Twitter) that the Falcons also plan on bringing in a tight end for a visit today, though it’s not clear exactly who that player will be.
- Stevan Ridley and the Cowboys could be a good match on a one-year, prove-it deal, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe adds (via Twitter) that there’s “definitely interest” on both sides, but nothing is brewing at this point. Even if the Cowboys add a veteran free agent at running back, they’ll probably plan on addressing the position in the draft.
- Veteran guard Justin Blalock had a good visit with the Lions, and also continues to draw interest from the Rams and Titans, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. We heard earlier in the week that the former Falcons guard had a visit with the Rams on his docket, so perhaps he’s headed to St. Louis next.
Rams To Sign Akeem Ayers
8:28pm: Ayers’ deal is for $6MM, with $3MM guaranteed, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It could reach as much as $10MM with incentives.
7:19pm: The Rams have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with linebacker Akeem Ayers, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
The coaching staff has familiarity with the former Titan, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter). Head coach Jeff Fisher never overlapped with Ayers tenure, but Gregg Williams and Frank Bush both spent time with him in Tennessee.
Ayers experienced success in 2014 after being acquired by the Patriots via trade midseason. The team was able to move on from him without hesitation after signing Jabaal Sheard, who Ben Volin of the Boston Globe considers an upgrade at the position (via Twitter).
Eagles Working To Trade Evan Mathis
1:48pm: The Patriots have also expressed interest in Mathis, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). Meanwhile, Jim Thomas tweets that the Rams have denied having interest, though he rightly points out that the team adamantly denied that they had any interest in trading Sam Bradford.
1:29pm: Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com adds the Bills and Vikings to the list of teams “sniffing around” on Mathis, and says the Saints may be involved as well (Twitter link).
1:23pm: The Dolphins have been in touch with the Eagles about Mathis, reports Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). The Rams are also believed to be in the mix, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
1:11pm: The Eagles are working to trade guard Evan Mathis, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (via Twitter). Dealing Mathis would be just the latest move in what has been a wild offseason for the Eagles.
Finding a marker for Mathis shouldn’t be too difficult considering his performance last season. Even though he only saw time in nine games, Mathis’ overall score of 25.8 (per Pro Football Focus, subscription required) ranked him as the second-best offensive guard in the NFL last season. The year prior, Mathis graded out as the very best guard in the NFL.
Mathis’ deal calls for him to earn a $5.5MM base with $1MM prorated in 2015, good for a total of $6.5MM. With an extra $500K in his base salary in 2016, that number jumps slightly to $7MM. Mathis is 33, but guards tend to age a little bit better than most other positions.
FA Rumors: Ravens, Bush, Knighton
Look for the Ravens to be players on the receiver market once it comes into better focus, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes. The Ravens could be waiting on guys like Dwayne Bowe and Mike Wallace to be cut since their preference is always to gravitate towards guys who have been released. Signing released players doesn’t hurt the team’s status for compensatory draft picks, and they generally come cheaper that way, too. More from around the NFL..
- Free agent running back Reggie Bush is set to meet with the Patriots and 49ers, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 (via Twitter).
- A head coach told Russini (on Twitter) that teams are afraid to sign Terrance Knighton because he’s out of shape.
- Defensive back Sterling Moore is coming to Tampa for a visit with the Buccaneers, Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune tweets. The Cowboys elected not to tender a contract offer to the cornerback earlier this month. The Vikings were also said to have preliminary interest in him earlier this week.
- Packers free agent cornerback Tramon Williams is back home thinking things over after his visit with New Orleans, but the Saints remain in play, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. The Vikings also reached out to Williams this week.
- Patriots free agent linebacker Akeem Ayers is currently visiting with the Rams, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets. Ayers was sent from the Titans to the Pats in a mid-season trade.
- The Giants have expressed interest in safety Darian Stewart, but no visit has been scheduled yet, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). Stewart is in Denver today, then headed to Atlanta.
- There was talk that the Dolphins were meeting with Falcons free agent cornerback Robert McClain with the intent of signing him, but that’s on hold right now, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter links). Money is tight in Miami and they have other needs to fill, so he’ll remain on their radar while they look at other areas first.
- The Cowboys brought in former Browns running back Ray Agnew for a workout, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). That was presumably prior to signing fullback Jed Collins, however, so there might not be a spot for Agnew in Dallas anymore.
Nick Fairley Visiting Rams
One of the league’s best defensive lines could add even more talent in free agency. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), free agent defensive tackle Nick Fairley is on his way to visit the Rams in St. Louis today.
Fairley had his 2014 season derailed by injuries, but he was very effective when healthy, and is drawing plenty of interest this week. The 27-year-old paid a visit to the Bengals already this week, and a report yesterday indicated that about a half-dozen teams were interested before free agency even began on Tuesday.That same Wednesday report also revealed that Fairley isn’t currently considering re-signing with the Lions, who lost Ndamukong Suh this week, but added Haloti Ngata.
As for the Rams, defensive line certainly isn’t an area of need for a team that has Robert Quinn, Aaron Donald, and Chris Long on its roster, but the team did cut Kendall Langford earlier in the offseason and could be looking to add another interior piece. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported yesterday that the Rams had reached out to Fairley.
When I ranked this year’s top 50 free agents last weekend, I placed Fairley 18th, which makes him one of the top unsigned players on our board.
Rams Acquire Case Keenum
WEDNESDAY, 6:22pm: The deal is finalized and turned in, even though the Rams have yet to announce it, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets.
TUESDAY, 4:58pm: The Rams have sent a seventh-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft to the Texans for quarterback Case Keenum, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. St. Louis’ acquisition of Keenum comes on the heels of its stunning quarterback swap with Philadelphia that sent Sam Bradford to the Eagles for Nick Foles on Tuesday afternoon.
Keenum will rejoin the Rams – whom he spent some of the 2015 season with – and compete for a role as one of Foles’ backups. The 27-year-old has appeared in 10 games since signing with Houston as an undrafted free agent in 2012, tossing 11 touchdowns against eight interceptions for a 76.8 passer rating.
Rams Re-Sign Lance Kendricks
WEDNESDAY, 5:11pm: The deal is official, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 4:37pm: We’ve seen some big name tight ends switch teams today, but it appears that one receiving threat will be staying put. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reports (via Twitter) that the Rams will re-sign Lance Kendricks to a four-year deal worth about $18.5MM.
A second-round pick in 2011, the 27-year-old still hasn’t had his “breakout” season in the NFL. Despite missing only two games in his four seasons, Kendricks only holds career-highs of 42 receptions, 519 yards and five touchdowns. He finished 2014 with 27 catches for 259 yards, earning him an underwhelming ranking from Pro Football Focus (38th among 67 tight end candidates). Those same numbers suggest that Kendrick is average catching the ball and blocking for the pass, but below-average when it comes to run blocking.
The Falcons were previously rumored to be eyeing the tight end.