Patriots To Re-Sign CB Jason McCourty
The Patriots will re-sign cornerback Jason McCourty to a two-year deal, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).
McCourty made some waves by admitting that he’d contemplate retirement this offseason, but he’d since indicated he not only wanted to continue his career, but preferred to re-sign with the Patriots. That didn’t come as much of a surprise, as McCourty’s twin brother Devin is also expected back in New England next season.
New England acquired Jason McCourty from the Browns in exchange for a 14-slot drop in the sixth/seventh round of the 2018 draft, and he proved to be a valuable pickup. The former sixth-round pick played on 80% of the Patriots’ defensive snaps, grading as the No. 6 cornerback in the league, per Pro Football Focus. McCourty also ranked 21st among corners in Football Outsiders‘ success rate, meaning he was effective at stopping opposing wide receivers short of the sticks.
McCourty should line up opposite Stephon Gilmore as one of New England’s starting cornerbacks next season. Following his excellent 2018 season, McCourty should also be slated for a pay bump after collecting an average salary of just $2.375MM on his last deal.
Patriots To Re-Sign John Simon, Sign Brandon Bolden
The Patriots are set to re-sign John Simon on a brand new deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s a two-year contract, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM tweets.
Meanwhile, the Pats are also reuniting with another familiar face. Running back Branden Bolden, lauded for his special teams work, will return to New England on a two-year deal, Rapoport tweets. Bolden spent last season with the rival Dolphins but will return to the place where he made his name. Bolden logged just eight carries for 91 yards and three catches for 13 yards with Miami last year, but appeared in 66% of the Fins’ special teams plays.
Simon signed a three-year, $14MM deal with the Colts in 2017, but he was cut just prior to the 2018 season. A few weeks later, he found a new home with the Patriots. In eleven games, Simon tallied two sacks and 17 tackles, playing mostly in a reserve role.
Steelers To Re-Sign LB Anthony Chickillo
Anthony Chickillo is sticking around Pittsburgh. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Steelers are re-signing the linebacker. It’s a two-year deal worth $8MM. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets that the Patriots were also in on Chickillo, and extended him a similar offer, but Chickillo wanted to win with Pittsburgh. He said, “it’s funny everybody’s counting us out. You still have to play the games.”
The 26-year-old has spent his entire four-year career with the Steelers. After being selected in the sixth-round of the 2015 draft, the Miami product has developed into a reliable backup linebacker.
In 2018, Chickillo appeared in 16 games for a second-straight season, compiling 24 tackles and two passes defended. Pro Football Focus ranked him 40th among 103 eligible edge defenders.
With Chickillo back on board, the Steelers will have the ability to turn to him or Olasunkanmi Adeniyi to back up starters Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt. Fellow linebacker L.J. Fort is also a free agent, and there have been some rumblings that Pittsburgh could look to bring him back.
Patriots Tender Josh Gordon, Jonathan Jones
The Patriots have tendered receiver Josh Gordon a contract at the original round level, a source told Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). In a separate tweet, Volin reports the team has placed a tender at the second round level on cornerback Jonathan Jones.
The last we heard from Gordon, he was considering applying for reinstatement by the league this spring. Gordon was traded from the Browns to the Patriots last season, and had some initial success before suddenly stepping away from the team. Shortly after, it was announced that the league was suspending him indefinitely for violating the terms of his previous reinstatement.
Another report also said Gordon could be back by training camp, although that’s obviously far from a guarantee. Gordon has always been ultra-talented, but hasn’t been able to stay on the field. In 11 games with the Patriots last year, he caught 40 passes fro 720 yards and three touchdowns. The original round tender will pay Gordon $2.025MM in 2019, assuming he’s able to pay. Since he’s a former second round pick, the Patriots will get a second round pick in return if some other team decided to sign Gordon, which is very unlikely given the price.
A team would also now have to give up a second round pick to sign Jones, which more or less ensures Jones will be back in New England next year. An undrafted free agent from Auburn back in 2016, Jones will make $3.095MM net year. Jones started five games last year and played around half of the team’s defensive snaps, while also contributing on special teams.
Extra Points: Mathieu, Texans, Bucs, Bennett, Bears
It sounds like the Texans tried to keep Tyrann Mathieu before he ultimately signed with the Chiefs. Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo tweets that Houston offered the safety a long-term deal that would have paid him around $9.5MM per season.
The reporter notes that the Texans and Chiefs were bidding for Mathieu until the end, and Houston’s final offer was close to Kansas City’s. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle writes that the organization was (and, presumably, is) “willing to spend liberally” on a veteran safety, and both general manager Brian Gaine and coach Bill O’Brien wanted to keep Mathieu.
The safety ended up inking a three years worth $42MM with the Chiefs. The Texans have reportedly shifted their focus to other safeties, including Earl Thomas.
Let’s take a look at some additional notes from around the NFL…
- Besides a safety, McClain notes that the Texans are also hunting for a pass-rushing “inside player.” The team could ultimately look towards the draft if nothing solidifies during free agency.
- The Buccaneers reached out to linebacker Deone Bucannon, reports Greg Auman of The Athletic (via Twitter). The 26-year-old had spent his entire career with the Cardinals, and he started all of his 41 games between 2015 and 2017. He took a bit of a step back in 2018, compiling 38 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 13 games (six starts). The linebacker played with new Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians during their stints in Arizona.
- Following the Patriots‘ acquisition of Michael Bennett, there were some rumblings that his brother, tight end Martellus Bennett, would come out of retirement and return to New England. However, the Patriots’ new acquisition poured some water on the rumors this evening, saying that the whispers of Martellus coming out of retirement were “fake news” (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). After winning a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2016, the tight end split the 2017 season between New England and Green Bay.
- The Bears are expecting a pair of defensive backs to go elsewhere this offseason. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes that safety Adrian Amos is “close to having a deal in place elsewhere,” and it sounds like the team is already eyeing potential replacements. Meanwhile, Biggs notes that cornerback Bryce Callahan won’t be back with the Bears after they signed veteran Buster Skrine.
- Before agreeing to a deal with the Broncos, safety Kareem Jackson was hoping he’d be back in Houston. However, the veteran didn’t receive a whole lot of interest from the Texans, leading to the player feeling “a little disrespected.” “They didn’t even approach me with an offer or any type of deal,” Jackson told Mark Berman of KRIV (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “Obviously, they didn’t want me back or whatever the case may be. I’m not really sure. My agent was never approached by anybody from the Texans organization, so I wasn’t offered a deal of any sort. I kind of feel a little disrespected to be honest about it. At the end of the day, no hard feelings. I had a great nine years here. This will always be home for me. I definitely appreciate all the memories and all the opportunities. I appreciate the fans and everything I was able to build here. I’ll always have love for Houston.”
Titans To Sign Adam Humphries
The Titans have agreed to terms with receiver Adam Humphries, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The receiver market is moving quickly, with Humphries being the latest wideout to sign.
Humphries isn’t a household name, but we’ve been hearing for a while now he was about to get paid big-time. All the reporting has been that Humphries was seeking around $10MM annually, and he came pretty close. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets that the deal is worth $36MM over four years. The Titans weren’t alone in bidding for Humphries’ services, as they faced stiff competition from the Patriots, a source told Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Russini writes that the Titans were in a bidding war “all day” with the Patriots before they eventually landed him.
In fact, Doug Kyed of NESN.com tweets that the Patriots upped their offer even after Humphries agreed to sign with Tennessee, and that the offer included a higher average annual value and more guaranteed money than Humphries will get from the Titans. However, Humphries never wavered in his decision to head to Nashville.
The slot receiver has been buried behind a ton of talented skill position players in Tampa Bay, but has shown plenty of flashes the past few years.He had the best year of his career last season, catching 76 passes for 816 yards and five touchdowns. The move makes a lot of sense for the Titans, who have been starved for receiver help. Tennessee has Corey Davis, but not much of note behind him in their receiving corp.
Humphries will be a huge asset for Marcus Mariota, and as Pelissero notes in his tweet, Humphries was one of the best receivers in the league on third down last year. The Clemson product went undrafted in 2015, but quickly proved all the evaluators wrong. He should have a chance to surpass his 816 yards from last year with a larger target-share in Tennessee.
Raiders Targeting Trent Brown, Ja’Wuan James
The Raiders may have just traded away their best offensive lineman when they agreed to ship Kelechi Osemele to the Jets, but they still want to fortify the O-line in free agency. Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link), offensive tackle Trent Brown is high atop Oakland’s wish list.
Brown had an excellent platform season in his first (and likely final) year with the Patriots in 2018, starting all 19 regular and postseason games for New England en route to a Super Bowl championship. Pro Football Focus was bullish on his performance, ranking him 32nd among 80 eligible linemen.
The Buccaneers just inked Donovan Smith to a three-year pact worth $41.25MM ($27MM guaranteed), and it would not be a surprise to see Brown top that figure in terms of years, AAV, and total guarantees. That is especially true given that he profiles as the best left tackle on the free agent market by a wide margin.
Rapoport confirms as much, tweeting that Brown could be among the highest-paid tackles in the league. He turns 26 next month and clearly has Pro Bowl upside. RapSheet also says Brown could make his decision early on in the tampering window, which opens in less than an hour. The Patriots declined to use the franchise tag on him but are still interested in re-signing him, and the Texans have some interest as well. Brown, though, may prefer a different destination, as Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets that head coach Jon Gruden does not plan to move 2018 first-round pick Kolton Miller from left tackle.
Per Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Oakland is also interested in Dolphins right tackle Ja’Wuan James (Twitter link). New GM Mike Mayock is prioritizing the offensive tackle position, per Gehlken, and while Miami would like to retain James, the rebuilding Fins may find it difficult to do so.
Patriots Interested In Amendola Reunion?
Danny Amendola‘s Dolphins tenure lasted one season, and a report indicated the veteran wide receiver was interested in rejoining the Patriots. It appears the defending Super Bowl champions are open to that.
The Patriots have interest in bringing Amendola back, per Jeff Howe of The Athletic (on Twitter).
New England’s wideout situation features extensive uncertainty. Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett are free agents, and Josh Gordon — an RFA, were he to be reinstated again — cannot be counted on to come back at this point. Julian Edelman delivered another productive season, culminating in a dominant playoff stretch, but will be 33 next season.
The Patriots would be interested in a Dorsett return, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, but the team does not appear to be eyeing a bigger role for the former first-round pick. Should another team view Dorsett in a better light, Reiss expects the four-year veteran to leave New England.
Amendola will turn 34 this year and was not especially consistent for the Patriots. But he came up big in some key moments, including in his final playoff run with the Pats.
Last season, Amendola caught 59 passes for 575 yards and one touchdown. The Dolphins gave him a two-year, $12MM deal, which they scrubbed from their books earlier this week. Another Patriots contract would not be for that much, but given Amendola’s experience with the team, it would be logical the Pats could pursue him to fill in as an auxiliary weapon on a lower-end deal.
Martellus Bennett Wants To Rejoin Patriots
In March of 2018, Martellus Bennett announced his retirement. In an understandable development, given Friday’s events, the tight end wants to backtrack on that decision.
After the Patriots agreed to trade for his older brother, Michael Bennett, Martellus Bennett is eyeing a return to the Patriots, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The brothers have always wanted to be on the same NFL team, per Schefter, and Martellus enjoyed two stints with Patriots teams — the most recent coming in 2017.
Teammates at Texas A&M in the 2000s, Martellus was a second-round pick in 2008. Despite being more than a year older, Michael did not begin his NFL career until 2009, doing so as a UDFA. But it’s the latter who has been the more productive NFLer, at least over the past several seasons.
Martellus enjoyed an eventful final season, threatening retirement after joining the Packers as a free agent. Green Bay waived him months after he’s signed there, ending a controversial Wisconsin stay, before the Patriots reacquired him. Martellus’ second Patriots stay was not as productive, with the well-traveled tight end only playing in two games for the Pats during the 2017 season. He finished that year on IR.
In 2016, however, he played a vital role, replacing the injured Rob Gronkowski as New England’s top tight end for the stretch run. The Patriots have a need at tight end again, having released Dwayne Allen and with Gronkowski yet to inform them if he’s returning for a 10th season. But it’s uncertain at this point if the team wants to pair the Bennetts. The Pats obviously have a recent history of this, having used the McCourty brothers to help secure their sixth Super Bowl title.
Eagles To Trade Michael Bennett To Patriots
The Eagles are trading defensive end Michael Bennett to the Patriots, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). Philadelphia will acquire a 2020 fifth-round pick while New England will receive Bennett and a 2020 seventh-rounder, tweets McLane.
Philadelphia acquired Bennett for a fifth-round pick last year. The Pats attempted to land Bennett from the Seahawks last year; they will make the move a year later, in advance of the versatile defensive lineman’s age-34 season.
Lately, we’ve heard that the Eagles were planning to trade or release Bennett to improve their cap situation. Usually, when a talented player is involved, teams will ask that player to accept a pay cut. On Friday morning, Bennett went on national television to explain that he would not entertain such an offer. In fact, he made it known that he is expecting a raise from his $7.2MM salary for 2019.
It’s not immediately clear whether the Patriots will accommodate his request. Given their track record, it seems unlikely.
In any event, the Patriots have successfully safeguarded themselves against the potential loss of Trey Flowers. Flowers projects as one of the most highly-coveted free agents when the market opens up on Thursday and the Pats are not expected to outbid the competition.
In Bennett, the Patriots acquired a skilled sack artist, albeit one who is several years older than Flowers. Last year, Bennett amassed nine sacks for Philly, giving him his highest total since 2015. The three-time Pro Bowler has 63 career sacks to his name across nine NFL seasons.