Tender Updates: Tuesday
Today’s tender decisions:
- The Buccaneers have signed running back Bobby Rainey to a one-year tender worth $1.54MM, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs will now have right of first refusal if another club offers Rainey a deal.
- The Falcons chose not to tender an offer to restricted free agent Drew Davis, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reported. The wide receiver will now become an unrestricted free agent.
- The Packers elected not to tender new contracts to wide receiver Jarrett Boykin or running back DuJuan Harris, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Ravens didn’t tender an offer to cornerback Anthony Levine, who already has other teams interested in his services. He still might end up back in Baltimore, per Wilson.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets that the Patriots declined to make a qualifying offer to receiver Brian Tyms. He’s now a free agent. Further, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, the Pats also didn’t make an offer to Tyms’ fellow wideout Greg Orton.
- In other Pats news, Volin reports that the team made qualifying offers to fullback James Develin, defensive tackle Sealver Siliga and linebacker James Morris. All three will return to New England.
- The Texans tendered a contract to quarterback Case Keenum, according to the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain.
- The Vikings have opted to let go a pair of exclusive rights free agents, linebacker Dom DeCicco and offensive lineman Josh Samuda, per Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- Safety Michael Thomas will return to the Dolphins after signing his ERFA tender, tweets James Walker of ESPN.com.
- Green Bay issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
- The Packers have issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
- James Develin is returning to the Patriots after signing his exclusive rights tender, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets.
- The Colts announced that exclusive rights free agent outside linebacker Cam Johnson has signed his tender. Johnson was first acquired by the Colts in a trade with the 49ers in September of 2013.
- The Packers tendered RFA offensive lineman Don Barclay at the lowest level ($1.542MM), per agent Joe Linta (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
- The Vikings tendered a contract offer to restricted free agent offensive tackle Mike Harris, but their other RFA-eligible player, linebacker Dom DeCicco, didn’t get a tender, tweets Mark Craig of the Star Tribune.
Earlier updates:
- The Jaguars re-signed exclusive rights free agent tackle Austin Pasztor, tendering him a contract, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
- The Dolphins tendered defensive end Derrick Shelby with the second-round tender of $2.35MM, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. Shelby, 26, appeared in 15 games last season, recording 26 tackles and 3.0 sacks.
- The Bengals (on Twitter) extended a tender offer to cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris. Lewis-Harris, an ERFA, has appeared in 12 games for Cincy over the last three years.
- The Bengals will not extend a tender offer to defensive tackle Devon Still, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. However, the Bengals have offered Still a one-year deal and he’s mulling that over while also taking matters involving his family into account, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Packers have tendered safety Sean Richardson at the ROFR (right of first refusal rate) of one-year, $1.542MM, according to Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). That’s a sizable committment to Richardson, he adds.
Bills Preparing For Run At Charles Clay
4:26pm: Clay will in fact be visiting the Bills, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Buffalo will attempt to structure its offer sheet to Clay so that it’s difficult for the Dolphins to match, adds Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). In fact, the Bills value Clay so highly that they’d be happy with landing him and little else, tweets Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.
2:14pm: The Bills plan to prepare the strongest possible offer sheet for Clay, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, adding that the Browns are also interested in Clay.
7:20am: The transition tag isn’t expected to stop the Bills from making a run at tight end Charles Clay, says Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Clay, who received the one-year transition tender worth $7.071MM from the Dolphins last week, is still free to negotiate with other teams starting this afternoon, and according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Buffalo is preparing to make the tight end an offer.
While that offer could come as soon as today, Garafolo (via Twitter) cautions that things may not play out quite that quickly. For an unrestricted free agent, teams will race to get him to put pen to paper to finalize a deal, but for a transition player, the Dolphins will have five days to match any offer sheet, so there’s no rush to get anything done immediately. Garafolo expects the Bills to try to bring Clay in for a visit later this week.
In other Bills-related news, La Canfora notes that the team also hopes to sign former Vikings fullback Jerome Felton, who is a free agent this winter. With former Niners offensive coordinator Greg Roman ready to take over control of Buffalo’s offense, the Bills are expected to add some sort of fullback this offseason, whether it’s Felton or someone else.
Finally, speaking of San Francisco, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News adds (via Twitter) that – despite multiple reports to the contrary – the Bills weren’t actually among the teams pursuing former Niners guard Mike Iupati, who is expected to sign with the Cardinals.
Dolphins Release Shelley Smith
5:15pm: The team confirmed Smith’s release on its Twitter account.
4:21pm: The Dolphins have released offensive lineman Shelley Smith, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Smith was due to make $2.75MM in 2015.
Smith did not have a banner year in 2014. The guard, 28 in May, graded out as a being rather below average according to the advanced metrics compiled at Pro Football Focus (subscription required), turning in an overall score of -10.1. Smith finished the year ranked as the 54th best guard in the league out of 78 qualified players. That’s a step back from 2013, when Smith finished with a grade of 7.2, good for 25th amongst all qualified guards.
Dolphins, Fields Agree To Restructure
TUESDAY, 3:41pm: The Dolphins have restructured Fields’ deal, so he’ll be staying in Miami, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets.
MONDAY, 10:30am: The Dolphins plan to release punter Brandon Fields, according to Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald (on Twitter). The only way Fields won’t be cut loose, he adds, is if he agrees to a significant contract restructuring.
Fields appeared in all 16 games for Miami last season and the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) placed him as the 12 best qualified punter in the NFL. By releasing the 30-year-old (31 in May), the Dolphins would save $3.1MM in cap space. His existing deal calls for him to earn $7.18MM over 2015 and 2016.
Fields averaged 46.8 yards per punt in his eight seasons with the Dolphins. His current contract calls him to be one of the very highest paid punters in the league.
Dolphins To Re-Sign Kelvin Sheppard
The Dolphins have signed linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). The move is a depth signing for the Dolphins who needed reinforcements at the position.
Sheppard, 26, spent the 2013 season with the Colts after two years in Buffalo. His best season came in 2012, when he was a starter for the Bills and racked up 80 tackles to go along with a pair of sacks. Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required) suggest Sheppard has typically fared better against the pass than the run, scoring much better in pass coverage and as a pass rusher than as a run stopper.
Miami picked Sheppard up in September when Dannell Ellerbe‘s second year with the team has been prematurely cut short due to injury.
Contract Details: Suh, Cobb, Jackson, Graham
Here’s a round-up of a few notable details on new contracts from around the NFL:
- Ndamukong Suh, DT (Dolphins); $60MM guarantee is fully guaranteed at signing (Twitter link via Pro Football Talk).
- Randall Cobb, WR (Packers): Four years, $40MM base value. $13MM signing bonus. $3.5MM roster bonus in March 2016, $5.35MM cap hit for 2015 (Twitter links via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com).
- Kareem Jackson, CB (Texans): Four years, $34MM base value. $9MM signing bonus. $4MM roster bonus due this weekend (Twitter link via Corry).
- Brandon Graham, OLB (Eagles): Four years, $26MM base value. $4MM signing bonus. $14MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- Cary Williams, CB (Seahawks): Three years, $18MM base value. $3.5MM signing bonus. $7MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Mark Sanchez, QB (Eagles): Two years, $9MM. $2MM signing bonus. $5.5MM guaranteed. Escalators for playing time, playoffs (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Ryan Mallett, QB (Texans): Two years, $7MM base value. $1.75MM of $2.5MM 2015 salary guaranteed (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Brian Hartline, WR (Browns): Two years, $6MM base value. $1.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Tyvon Branch, S (Chiefs): One year, $2.1MM base value. $200K signing bonus. $2MM in playing-time, INT, Super Bowl incentives (Twitter links via Wilson).
Extra Points: Spiller, Moore, Morgan
The latest from around the NFL..
- There was speculation about it at one point, but the Dolphins will not be chasing running back C.J. Spiller at this time, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets.
- The Dolphins have been doing due diligence on finding a cheap backup defensive tackle in free agency, Salguero tweets. If they find one, that could spell the end of Randy Starks in Miami.
- Some connected Rahim Moore to the Raiders since Jack Del Rio was his defensive coordinator last year, but Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter) hears that the Raiders won’t be in the mix for him.
- The Buccaneers lost out on defensive end Trent Cole, but they’re still in the mix for Jabaal Sheard and Derrick Morgan, Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune tweets. They’re also still in the running for Parker.
- The Titans still talking with Morgan, along with three other teams, Jim Wyatt of The Tennesseean tweets.
- The Chiefs still have some interest in re-signing tackle Ryan Harris, but there’s nothing imminent on that front, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets.
- Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (on Twitter) heard that the Giants were closing in on free agent defensive tackle Dan Williams, but things quickly turned and Big Blue is no longer in the mix (link).
AFC East Rumors: Jets, Vereen, Hoyer, Suh
The latest from the AFC East..
- The Jets are showing interest in Patriots running back Shane Vereen, a source tells Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Their level of interest, predictably, hinges on the outcome of their talks with Bilal Powell. There are other suitors for the 26-year-old as well.
- The Jets will have interest in Brian Hoyer if the price is right, but they won’t go out of their way to target him, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter). There are other, cheaper options for the Jets and the source says the team won’t be “losing sleep” over which veteran signal caller they wind up with.
- The Dolphins are worried about the NFL investigating them for tampering when it comes to the Ndamukong Suh pact, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald explains.
- Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter) hears that the Bills‘ offer to Jerome Felton is a nice contract for a fullback. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com first reported Buffalo’s interest in the veteran.
- Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace explained to Anderson (on Twitter) that he’s not concerned about the terms of his pay cut because any deal he strikes would be one where there are ways where he can earn his money back. The implication there, we can infer, is that Wallace is targeting easily attainable incentives in the deal that will bring him back to what he was scheduled to earn. He went on to explain that he’s happy “for the most part” in Miami (link). Any restructuring deal he takes would have to be “reasonable” and he refuses to do anything “crazy” since he has a family to take care of (link).
Dolphins Trying To Trade Ellerbe, Wheeler
We heard over the weekend that the Dolphins were about to release linebacker Philip Wheeler, and fellow linebacker Dannell Ellerbe has long been viewed as a potential cap casualty as well. For now though, both players remain on Miami’s roster. According to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (via Twitter), the reason the Dolphins haven’t cut either player is that the team continues to try to trade both linebackers before the new league year begins.
Of course, technically, trades can’t be finalized until after the new league year gets underway, but I’d expect the Dolphins hope to reach an agreement on a deal by this afternoon and then make it official shortly thereafter.
While Miami may be holding out hope for a taker for one or both of the linebackers, the odds of a deal appear slim. After all, the club’s intention to release Wheeler has already been reported, so it seems unlikely that any team would give up anything of value for a part-time player with a 2015 salary of nearly $3MM. As for Ellerbe, his base salary for the coming year is $8.425MM, and he spent almost the entire 2014 season on injured reserve with a hip injury, so his trade value isn’t exactly through the roof either.
By the sounds of it, the Dolphins are a good bet to move on from both players whether or not they find a suitor on the trade market.
East Notes: Graham, Ellis, Pouncey, Helu
News out of the AFC and NFC East..
- The Giants thought they had Brandon Graham before he re-signed with the Eagles, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. He was prepared to make the move to a 4-3 team like the Giants, but he changed his mind and the Eagles found a way to keep him.
- Jets free agent defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis is picking up a decent amount of interest and six teams are talking to him, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. The Jets want him back but Ellis wants to scan the market first.
- A source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter) that the Patriots are one of three teams in on free agent running back Roy Helu.
- The Dolphins and Mike Pouncey have yet to discuss an extension/new deal, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. Miami has understandably been busy in recent days.
- A half a dozen teams are seriously monitoring Chiefs safety Ron Parker and the Giants are among them, Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger tweets. We learned earlier today that the Dolphins are among the teams with interest in Parker. The Jets also have interest in Parker and he could be on the Eagles’ radar now that they missed on Devin McCourty.