NFC Rumors: Allen, Rams, Tillman, Costa
With the Broncos shifting their focus to DeMarcus Ware, Vikings free agent defensive end Jared Allen is talking with the Bears and Seahawks, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). More out of the NFC..
- Contrary to some reports, free agent defensive end Antonio Smith is not making a free agent visit to the Rams, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- The Rams decided not to make a tender offer to cornerback Quinton Pointer, an exclusive rights free agent, Thomas tweets.
- Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter) would not be surprised to see the Panthers work to get in the game for free agent cornerback Charles Tillman. There was a lot of talk about Tillman reuniting with former coach Lovie Smith in Tampa Bay, but that’s probably off the table now that the Buccaneers have agreed to sign Alterraun Verner.
- Former Cowboys veteran center Phil Costa visited the Lions today and will meet with the Patriots on Monday, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the Football Post. Costa, a 6-foot-3, 302-pounder from Maryland who has started 20 of 26 career games, started no games last season after the Cowboys drafted center Travis Frederick in the first round. For what it’s worth, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter) hears that the Pats visit took place yesterday.
- The Buccaneers were pursuing offensive tackle Rodger Saffold last weekend, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. Had they signed him, he would have played left tackle in Tampa. Instead, Saffold is Oakland bound.
FA Rumors: McCown, Allen, Mack, Hatcher
Josh McCown‘s first free agent visit, which is already underway, is with the Buccaneers, and the free agent quarterback and also meetings scheduled with the Texans and Jets, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he doesn’t make it to all his scheduled visits, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Both La Canfora and Mehta suggest that a deal with the Bucs looks very possible for McCown. Here’s more on free agency:
- Defensive end Jared Allen has narrowed down his free agent options, but may not sign all that quickly, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the Broncos are interested in Allen, but perhaps not at his current asking price. There also may not be any other serious suitors involved at that price, says Florio.
- The transition tag hasn’t stopped teams from contacting center Alex Mack, according to Mike Garafolo of USA Today (via Twitter). However, Garafalo adds that the Browns free agent center has yet to set up any visits with clubs.
- Defensive end Antonio Smith would like to stay with the Texans, but has visits lined up with the Redskins, Titans, Rams, and Raiders, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.
- Jason Hatcher‘s visit with the Seahawks is the first of five meetings he has scheduled, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com.
- Offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger is drawing interest as a potential starting guard or center, says Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- Free agent running back Anthony Dixon will visit with the Titans, says Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Rams Release Cortland Finnegan
MARCH 11, 5:28pm: The Rams have officially released Finnegan, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
MARCH 5, 3:30pm: According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), the Rams met with Finnegan today and presented him with multiple options, including taking a pay cut. Finnegan’s tweet suggests he decided to let the team release him. While Finnegan informed Fisher and a few members of the St. Louis front office of his decision after the meeting, many key members of the club’s staff found out the cornerback’s answer when they saw his tweet.
2:30pm: The Rams are releasing cornerback Cortland Finnegan, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Finnegan himself broke the news first, tweeting, “St. Louis thank you for your letting me play for a classy franchise and coach [Jeff Fisher] nothing but love thank you all.” According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link), the team will have to wait until Tuesday to officially finalize the move, due to cap restrictions.
Finnegan, whose 2013 season was cut short by a fractured orbital bone, was one of the league’s worst corners even before the injury, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). PFF ranked Finnegan 109th out of 110 qualified corners, with a grade of -19.7 in just seven games. A longtime starter for the Titans, the former seventh-round pick was named to the All-Pro first team in 2008, but has seen his production fall off in recent years.
Finnegan had a $3MM roster bonus due next week, and a $10MM overall cap number for 2014. By releasing him, the Rams will create a few million in cap savings, though the exact amount isn’t entirely clear yet. According to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), the veteran cornerback’s roster bonus was guaranteed for injury and skill, meaning he could still receive it. The team also may designate Finnegan as a post-June 1 cut, which will spread his dead money over 2014 and 2015.
According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link), Fisher expressed an openness in re-signing Finnegan at a later date and a lower salary, but I’d be surprised if that happened. The 30-year-old will immediately become an unrestricted free agent once his release is finalized, and will likely end up signing elsewhere.
Contract Tenders: Monday
Cowboys punter Chris Jones signed his exclusive rights tender of $645K, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. The move locks down Dallas’ punter situation but eats up about $150K of the ~$2MM salary cap space the club had to work with. Jones averaged 45 yards per punt in his first full season with the Cowboys. The latest contract tenders from around the NFL..
- Restricted free agent tackle Byron Bell has received a second-round tender worth $2.187MM from the Panthers, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). The club also tendered exclusive rights free agent Chris Scott, tweets ESPN.com’s David Newton.
- The Chargers have only two exclusive rights free agents in linebacker Bront Bird and guard Stephen Schilling and they won’t be tendering either one, tweets Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego.
- Jets linebacker Nick Bellore got the low restricted free agent tender, a source tells ESPN’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). Bellore led Gang Green in special teams kickoff tackles last season.
- The Ravens won’t extend an RFA tender to wide receiver Tandon Doss, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The team could still bring Doss back on a smaller deal though.
- Lions wide receiver Kris Durham confirmed via Twitter that he inked his tender with the club. Durham, a fourth-round pick in 2011, became a more significant part of the Lions’ offense in 2013, racking up 38 receptions, 490 receiving yards, and a pair of touchdowns while starting 13 games. He didn’t perform well based on Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), which ranked him 109th out of 111 qualified receivers, but he’s still just 25 years old, and may not be relied upon for quite as large a role in 2014 if the team adds a receiver or two.
- Joe Morgan and Jed Collins won’t receive RFA tenders from the Saints, but the club still has interest in re-signing the two free agents, says Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune.
- The Rams won’t tender tight end Mike McNeill, who was eligible for restricted free agency, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Linebacker Justin Hickman has signed his ERFA tender from the Colts, according to Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Rams Release Harvey Dahl
The Rams have released veteran guard Harvey Dahl, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com wrote yesterday that the team was expected to cut Dahl in the “very near future.”
While Dahl’s departure will create another hole to fill in the Rams’ offensive line, the move makes financial sense. The 32-year-old had been on the books for a cap number of $4MM, and releasing him will clear that entire amount from the club’s 2014 cap. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent, immediately free to sign with another club.
With Dahl no longer in the mix, the Rams are eyeing other options at guard. That includes trying to re-sign pending free agent Rodger Saffold, and Thomas reports (via Twitter) that the club has also showed interest in Chiefs free-agent-to-be Geoff Schwartz.
NFC Rumors: Saints, Rams, Cardinals
As the Saints continue to cut players, fans are attributing the moves to the team trying to free up cap space for Jimmy Graham. Mike Triplett of ESPN.com doesn’t directly attribute the cuts to New Orleans trying to afford the All-Pro tight end, pointing out that most of the players (Darren Sproles, Lance Moore, Will Smith) have become part-timers at this point of their careers. He also adds that the team won’t use all of their savings on Graham and will likely pursue one or two free agents.
A couple of more notes from the NFC South…
- In the same article, Triplett mentions the possibility that the Saints might let center Brian de la Puente go. If that’s the case, Triplett believes Tim Lelito would be next in line at the position.
- Saints running back Mark Ingram wasn’t necessarily happy with all of the teams cuts, especially fellow back Sproles, writes Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Still, Ingram understands that this means a bigger role in the team’s offense.
- The Rams are expecting to be less active than other teams in free agency, writes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Of course, the team has said that previously, resulting in them spending potentially $175MM in 2012 and 2013.
- The Cardinals have reportedly offered Karlos Dansby a two-year contract worth between $10MM and $12MM, reports Kent Somers of AZCentral.com. Somers adds that Dansby is likely to test free agency.
- The Vikings are making cornerback their priority in free agency, sources tell Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
NFC West Notes: 49ers, Quinn, Cardinals
The 49ers have big-money decisions to make, while the Cardinals eye offensive line help in a batch of NFC West division tidbits:
- Last season, 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers declined a pay cut, but the team had no recourse because they needed him on the field. A year later, the team is prepared to release Rogers if he does not agree to a pay cut, as the veteran is scheduled to earn a $6.25MM base salary and count nearly $8.1MM against the cap, writes Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area. Releasing Rogers after June 1 would save $6.6 on the 2014 cap, but the team would incur $1.5MM in dead money on the 2015 cap. If the team swallowed the entire cap hit in 2014, the immediate cap savings would be $5.1MM with no dead money in future years.
- The escalating salary cap helps the 49ers long-term, especially given the team’s desire to retain 2015 free agents Colin Kaepernick, Aldon Smith, Michael Crabtree and Mike Iupati, but the extra $10MM the rest of the league has to play with in the short term could make it difficult to retain this year’s free agents, including Donte Whitner, Tarell Brown and Phil Dawson, writes Eric Branch of sfgate.com.
- Robert Quinn is entering the final year of his four-year rookie contract, but a provision in the new CBA (instituted in 2011 when Quinn was drafted 14th overall) allows the Rams to keep the reigning Defensive Player of the Year through 2015, notes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By virtue of Quinn being selected between No. 11 overall to No. 32, the team can pay Quinn the average salary made by the third- through 25th-highest paid players at the defensive end position ($6.9MM).
- The Cardinals are targeting Branden Albert and Rodger Saffold in that order, according to Kent Somers of azcentral.com (via Twitter).
FA Rumors: QBs, Saffold, Vikings, Ravens
This year’s class of free agent quarterbacks doesn’t feature any stars, but there are a handful of players who should make very solid backups, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. In his latest piece, La Canfora takes a shot at forecasting where a few of the more notable names on the market will land. Among his predictions: Michael Vick to the Jets, Josh McCown to the Vikings, Matt Cassel to the Texans, and Josh Freeman to the Raiders.
With just over 24 hours left for teams to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents, let’s check out a few more FA rumors and news items:
- Talks are ongoing between the Rams and the reps for free agent offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, but agent Alan Herman says his client will “definitely” reach the open market next week, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Rams appear interested in re-signing Saffold as a guard, but the 25-year-old could draw interest from other teams as a tackle, which would likely increase his earning potential.
- Expect Michael Johnson to be a top target for the Vikings and head coach Mike Zimmer if the Bengals defensive end becomes available next week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Defensive lineman Arthur Jones is expected to draw significant offers in free agency that the Ravens won’t compete with, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Head coach John Harbaugh hinted at that outcome at the combine last month.
- The Ravens have an offer on the table for prospective free agent Jacoby Jones, tweets Rapoport. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun says the team has had “several discussions” with Jones’ reps.
- The Colts remain relatively far apart in contract talks with cornerback Vontae Davis, though there’s still mutual interest in getting something done. Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star has the details.
- Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee discusses the 49ers‘ approach to free agency, writing that safety Donte Whitner and cornerback Tarell Brown appear likely to test their value on the open market.
- The Eagles need to add a safety, but Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News would be surprised if the club makes a serious run at the very best free agents, like Jairus Byrd and T.J. Ward.
Draft Notes: Manziel, Evans, Matthews
The Browns didn’t meet with Johnny Manziel at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he wasn’t the only quarterback that the club didn’t talk to, according to Vic Carucci of ClevelandBrowns.com (via Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group). Cleveland also passed on the chance to talk to the likes of Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater, Central Florida’s Blake Bortles, and Fresno State’s Derek Carr. That doesn’t mean the team won’t meet with the top QBs, however. The Browns plan to spend quality time with the quarterbacks when they bring them to Berea, Ohio for visits and future private workouts. More draft news..
- Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans has met with the Patriots and 49ers in the last 24 hours, tweets Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.
- Tackle Jake Matthews met has met with the Browns and Rams, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Matthews, widely expected to be one of the first tackles off the board in this year’s draft, has also met with the Falcons.
- Alabama State running back Isaiah Crowell confirmed that he has spoken to the Raiders, Browns, and the Ravens, according to a report from BamaStateSports.com (hat tip to NFL.com).
Contract Tenders: Rams, Vikings, Raiders
With free agency approaching, teams are working to lock up their exclusive rights free agents and to retain the right of first refusal on their restricted free agents. Here are the contract tenders teams have placed on those FAs so far on Wednesday:
- The Rams have tendered contracts to center Tim Barnes, quarterback Austin Davis and wide receiver Justin Veltung, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. All three players are exclusive rights free agents, with Barnes and Davis set to earn $570K on their one-year deals, while Veltung will earn $495K.
- ERFA running back Matt Asiata has received a one-year tender from the Vikings, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Fantasy owners will likely recognize Asiata’s name — the 26-year-old, who could be in line for a larger role if Toby Gerhart departs in free agency, had three touchdowns in Week 15 last season replacing an injured Gerhart and Adrian Peterson.
- In addition to placing tenders on the five ERFAs we heard about yesterday, the Raiders have also tendered ERFA cornerback Chimdi Chekwa, says Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group.