Saints Make Offer To Jamie Collins
The Saints are eyeing Jamie Collins. Nick Underhill reports (via Twitter) that the team has made an offer to the veteran linebacker. However, the reporter cautions that “it might take more to close the deal.”
Following a two-plus year stint with the Browns, Collins reunited with the Patriots last offseason on a one-year deal. The 30-year-old ended up setting a career-high with seven sacks to go along with 81 tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles.
We heard earlier this month that the Saints could have interest in the veteran, even with the organization already rostering a 30-something starting linebacker in Demario Davis.
Unsurprisingly, the Patriots were also reportedly looking to retain the veteran. New England has already agreed to new deals with a pair of stalwarts in Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater.
Raiders Still In On Tom Brady, Not The Favorite
Over the past couple of days, the options available to free-agent quarterback Tom Brady have become clearer. After reports emerged that the 49ers are not pursuing Brady and the Titans resigned Ryan Tannehill, two of the most speculated destinations are no longer on the table. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Raiders are not totally out of the Brady sweepstakes but are behind the Buccaneers in their pursuit.
Of course, it remains unknown how Brady feels about a reunion with the only organization he has ever played for. Brady has already etched himself into football’s Mt. Rushmore over his 20-year career with the Patriots. If the Patriots, Bucs, and Raiders are the only suitors for Brady, the Patriots are the only team that made the playoffs last season and would seem to clearly be the best option for Brady if he is prioritizing winning.
Still, Brady’s priorities (and sentiments towards the Patriots organization) remain a mystery. While the Buccaneers quarterback last season, Jameis Winston, like Brady, is a free-agent, the move would be a bit more complicated for the Raiders who have Derek Carr under contract through 2022 with a $21.5MM cap hit. However, Carr’s deal has plenty of cap flexibility and could easily be moved for assets if Brady did choose the Raiders.
Patriots TE Ben Watson Retires
For the second straight year, Ben Watson announced his retirement. The Patriots tight end will step away from the game, he announced Monday in a lengthy post (on Twitter). The expectation was for the two-stint Patriot to again retire, and Watson confirmed as such Monday.
Watson previously retired after his 2018 Saints season but backtracked on that, joining the Patriots in their effort to replace Rob Gronkowski. In doing so, Watson became the first pure tight end to play past his 39th birthday.
The 2004 first-round pick caught 17 passes for 173 yards last season. For his career, he will end up with a 547/6,058/44 line. Watson is one of just 20 tight ends to surpass 6,000 yards. The 16-year veteran sits 20th on the all-time receiving list at this position. Watson ended his career having played for the Patirots, Browns, Saints and Ravens.
While Watson will once again retire, he remains a part of the NFLPA’s executive committee. He was voted to stay on in his post last week.
Tom Brady Market Down To Patriots, Buccaneers, Chargers?
The tampering window has opened, and Tom Brady‘s options are narrowed. The Patriots legend is down to the Buccaneers, Chargers or a Pats return, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Several teams were linked to the 42-year-old superstar, but the 49ers and Raiders balked and the Titans — perhaps the most closely linked suitor — ended up extending Ryan Tannehill.
The Patriots also extended Devin McCourty and used their franchise tag on guard Joe Thuney, tying up funds going into the tampering period. Brady’s contract will void once the new league year starts at 3pm CT Wednesday. While the new CBA will allow the Pats to spread Brady’s $13.5MM cap hit out through 2021, the future Hall of Famer not re-signing by Wednesday afternoon will make matters tougher for the perennial power.
Both the Bucs and Bolts have the Pats outflanked in cap space, and each team has extensive skill-position weaponry under contract. The Chargers also took Hunter Henry, a potential Patriots target, off the market. Still, the exits of the 49ers and Titans figure to help the Patriots in their efforts to keep the all-time great. New England has also surfaced as a potential buyer in deals for wideouts or tight ends.
Patriots Tag Joe Thuney
The Patriots will use the franchise tag on offensive lineman Joe Thuney, as agent Mike McCartney tweets. It’s a stunning move – few expected the Patriots to cuff Thuney given their tight cap situation and reluctance to spend on their own free agents.
The tag does not guarantee that the Patriots will keep Thuney. Instead, this could be step one towards a tag-and-trade scenario. The left guard is a four-year starter who has never missed a game. He also just turned 27 in November – other clubs would love to have an elite interior protector in his prime.
It’s important to note that the franchise tag is the same for all offensive linemen, meaning that Thuney is now slated to make $14.8MM for the 2020 season. That’s the kind of compensation that goes to top offensive tackles. Then again, the guard market is rapidly rising – former Giants draft bust Ereck Flowers, for example, could be in line for an incomprehensibly lucrative pay day. Better options, like Redskins standout Brandon Scherff, have already been spoken for.
Meanwhile, the Patriots are working to keep franchise star Tom Brady in New England. The Titans, thought to be one of his biggest potential suitors, exited the sweepstakes by extending Ryan Tannehill. The Niners, meanwhile, are likely to stand pat with his one-time backup Jimmy Garoppolo.
Details On Matthew Slater Extension
- Special teams ace and locker room leader Matthew Slater signed a new two-year deal with the Patriots on Friday, and now we have his terms. He’s getting $5.3MM over the two years, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. He’ll have base salaries of $1.6MM in 2020 and $1.75MM in 2021, with the rest coming in the form of roster and per-game bonuses. That’s a pretty impressive figure for a player who only contributes on special teams these days. Of course, Slater’s importance to the team goes well beyond his on-field contributions, as he is a team captain and staple of Bill Belichick’s program. He’s also made the Pro Bowl eight times.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/15/20
Today’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions will be posted below:
RFAs
Non-tendered:
- Broncos: LB Joseph Jones
Tendered:
- Patriots: OL Jermaine Eluemunor (original round level)
Eluemunor was a fifth-round pick of the Ravens back in 2017, so the Patriots would get a fifth-round pick in return should any team poach him away with an offer sheet in free agency. The original round tender projects to clock in at a little over $2.1MM for 2020.
The Broncos aren’t willing to pay that much for Jones, but Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports that Denver might still bring him back at a lower price (Twitter link). Jones, a 2017 UDFA from Northwestern, played only six defensive snaps last year but played 64 percent of the snaps on special teams. Eluemunor was a reserve interior lineman for New England last year.
Patriots Re-Sign S Devin McCourty
The Patriots are re-signing a veteran team leader… but it’s not Tom Brady. New England is bringing back safety Devin McCourty on a two-year deal worth $23MM, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Rapsheet adds that McCourty will get $17MM guaranteed with his new pact. Way back in January of 2019 McCourty announced that he was considering retirement, but he obviously ended up playing the 2019 season and said recently that he intended to play in 2020 as well. As Rapoport points out this will likely allow McCourty to finish his career with the Patriots as well as alongside his identical twin brother Jason McCourty, a cornerback with the Patriots.
McCourty, 32, entered the league as a first-round pick of the Patriots back in 2010 and has been with the team ever since. He’s won three Super Bowls with them, and is an important voice in the locker room. He’s also been an incredibly consistent presence on the field, starting at least 14 games in all 10 of his pro seasons.
His performance has always ranged from good to great, and he racked up five interceptions this past year, his most since 2012. He’s been named a second-team All-Pro selection on three occasions. We had heard a couple of weeks ago that the Dolphins were going to be interested in him had he hit the open market. Jason is under contract for 2020 after the Pats recently picked up his option.
49ers Out On Tom Brady?
Sources have told NBC Sports’ Chris Simms that the 49ers are not going to sign quarterback Tom Brady. The Patriots legend, obviously, is entering free agency for the first time in his career and has been tied to San Francisco for some time. Brady grew up in the Bay Area and following Jimmy Garoppolo‘s struggles in the Super Bowl, many people were connecting the two.
While Simms noted he was unclear if anything had changed over the past few days, he stated that the 49ers were Brady’s preferred destination, but the organization plans to stick with Garoppolo. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports added in the aftermath of Simms’ report that the Titans and 49ers interest was “always more smoke than fire.”
Simms is a longtime friend of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and this may be the most public way San Francisco chooses to rebuke the rumors that have tied Brady to the Niners. Reading between the lines, if the 49ers were indeed Brady’s favorite destination, the rumors could have been entirely driven by his camp, while San Francisco never necessarily considered a change at quarterback.
Assuming Simms’ report is accurate after the Titans extended Ryan Tannehill earlier this afternoon, two of Brady’s most appealing options seem to be off the table. At this point, a return to New England seems like the only avenue available to Brady if he wants to be a contender, otherwise, teams like the Chargers, Buccaneers, or Raiders pose the largest threat to sign him away.
Titans Not Interested In Tom Brady
Scratch the Titans off the list of Tom Brady suitors. Per Dianna Russini of ESPN.com, Tennessee is no longer interested in Brady and is focused on getting a deal done with incumbent Ryan Tannehill (Twitter link). Indeed, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com hears that Tannehill and the Titans are “on the verge” of a multi-year extension (Twitter link).
Earlier this month, there were reports that the Titans were confident they could beat out the Patriots for Brady’s services. Tennessee made a surprising run to the AFC Championship Game thanks in large part to Tannehill’s 2019 renaissance, but his uneven track record and the high price tag that goes hand-in-hand with his performance last season made it a possibility that the Titans could go in another direction.
The Titans were one of a handful of clubs that had a legitimate chance to use a franchise and transition tag this offseason, as Tannehill, RB Derrick Henry, and RT Jack Conklin are all eligible for free agency and would be at or near the top of the market for their respective positions. But now that a new CBA is in place and teams can only use one tag, the need to get at least one of those players under contract immediately is magnified.
After all, if the Titans had put all their eggs in the Brady basket, Tannehill could have gotten away and Tennessee could have been left scrambling for a replacement signal-caller. Henry will almost certainly be tagged, and it seems as if Conklin will hit the open market.
Meanwhile, the new CBA does allow for more flexibility for teams like the Patriots, who can spread out dead money hits for cut players and cap charges for free agent signees over multiple years. As Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes, that could help New England in a competitive-bidding situation for Brady, and having one major competitor bow out of the race obviously increases the chances that Brady will return to Foxborough.