Lions Searching For Defensive Tackles
The Lions are scouring the defensive tackle market. They’re expected to bring in free agents Johnathan Hankins and Alan Branch for visits and former Titans defensive tackle Sylvester Williams is also on their radar, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Meanwhile, they’re working on a deal with former Pats defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
The Lions project to start A’Shawn Robinson and Akeem Spence on the interior defensive line, but they’re a little thin in support. Last year’s sixth-round pick Jeremiah Ledbetter and former UDFA Toby Johnson are the only other DTs on the roster as of this writing. It’s possible that the Lions will look to sign two or more of the aforementioned quartet of free agent defensive tackles to pad out the depth chart.
Given GM Bob Quinn‘s ties to the Patriots, Jean-Francois would be a logical signing for Detroit. Hankins, meanwhile, might be the most intriguing talent of the bunch given his success in the Giants’ 4-3 scheme from 2013-2016. Last year, he also performed well in the Colts’ 3-4 defense.
Contract Details: A. Smith, Pugh, Curry, ASJ
Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently signed NFL contracts:
AFC
- Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE (Jaguars): Two years, $10MM. $4MM guaranteed. $3.21MM signing bonus. $500K 2019 option bonus. $500K annually available via catch, playoff, and touchdown incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Adrian Clayborn, DE (Patriots): Two years, $10MM. $5.5MM guaranteed. $4MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe).
- Albert Wilson, WR (Dolphins): Three years, $24MMM. $14.45MM guaranteed. $4.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Marcus Gilchrist, S (Raiders): One year, $4MM. $3.85MM guaranteed. $1.85MM signing bonus. $1MM available via playtime, interceptions, and Pro Bowl incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Tramaine Brock, CB (Broncos): One year, $3MM. Fully guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus. $1MM available via playtime incentives (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News).
- Seantrel Henderson, T (Texans): One year, $4MM. $1MM guaranteed. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
NFC
- Alex Smith, QB (Redskins): Four years, $94MM. $55MM guaranteed. $27MM signing bonus (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com and Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com).
- Justin Pugh, OL (Cardinals): Five years, $45.025MM. $15.75MM guaranteed. $10MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Vinny Curry, DE (Buccaneers): Three years, $23MM. $6.5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times).
- Zach Brown, LB (Redskins): Three years, $21MM. $10MM guaranteed. $4.5MM signing bonus. $1MM annually available in Pro Bowl, All-Pro incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Ed Dickson, TE (Seahawks): Three years, $10.7MM. $3.6MM guaranteed. $2.6MM signing bonus. $1.1MM annually available via catch, yards, and Pro Bowl incentive (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Aaron Lynch, LB/DE (Bears): One year, $4MM. $1.25MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
Patriots Re-Sign Matt Slater
The Patriots have re-signed special teams ace Matthew Slater, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter). It’s a two-year deal for the former All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler. 
Last week, Slater met with the Steelers, but it was widely expected that he would return to New England. Slater, 33 in September, has played his entire 10-year career with the Pats.
Last year, the gunner re-signed with Bill Belichick & Co. on a one-year, $1.8MM deal. The new pact should keep him in place through the 2019 season.
He’ll return to the Patriots along with Nate Ebner, another special teams specialist who re-upped with New England earlier this month.
Patriots Interested In Marcus Easley
- The Patriots are among the teams interested in former Bills wide receiver/special teams ace Marcus Easley now that he’s back to full health, league sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The Giants also have interest, per Wilson.
Patriots Release LB Shea McClellin
The Patriots have parted ways with linebacker Shea McClellin, releasing him with a failed physical designation, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). McLellin was unable to suit up last year after beginning the season on injured reserve and suffering a concussion at practice during his comeback attempt.
McClellin, 28, was taken in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Bears in 2012. He was set to enter the second season of a three-year, $9MM deal ($3.5MM guaranteed) signed with the Patriots in 2015. In his lone season with the Patriots in 2016, he appeared in 14 games — starting four — and recorded just one sack. He was graded by Pro Football Focus as the No. 72 edge rusher in the NFL out of 108 qualified players.
In four seasons with the Bears, McClellin appeared in 52 games and made 31 starts. His finest season came in 2014 when he recorded a career-best four sacks and matched his career high by appearing in 14 games.
McClellin would have likely worked as a rotational player behind Patriot starters Dont’a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy. Injuries limited Hightower to just five games last season. New England also has Elandon Roberts, Nic Grigsby and Harvey Langi rostered at linebacker, with James Harrison and Marquis Flowers unrestricted free agents this offseason.
Patriots To Extend Patrick Chung
Patrick Chung will be sticking around New England through the 2020 season. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Patriots have signed the veteran safety to a “short-term” extension. The new deal is worth $11.5MM through 2020, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter).
Chung was originally set to earn $2MM in 2018, 
which was the final year of his former deal. It now appears that year has been ripped up as he’ll earn $5.4MM in the coming year. All in all, it’s an extra $9.1MM in new money for the 30-year-old (31 in August).
The 2009 second-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career in New England before signing with the Eagles in 2013. However, he was released by Philly less than a year later, and he landed back with the Patriots. Since 2014, Chung has been a dependable presence on the Patriots secondary, missing only one regular season game during that span.
He had another productive campaign in 2017, compiling 84 tackles, nine passes defended, and one interception in 16 games (11 starts). Pro Football Focus ranked Chung 42nd among 87 eligible safety candidates, which was a huge improvement over his lackluster rating from 2016.
Contract Details: Cousins, Graham, Davis
Let’s take a look at the most recent new contracts around the NFL:
- Kirk Cousins, QB (Vikings): Three years, $84MM. Guaranteed salaries of $22.5MM, $27.5MM and $29.5MM. Guaranteed $500K workout bonuses each year. Up to $2MM in incentives per year. No-trade clause and a no-transition tag provision in 2021 (Twitter link via Dan Graziano of ESPN).
- Jimmy Graham, TE (Packers): Three years, $30MM. $11MM signing bonus, $300K per-game roster bonuses each year. $2MM base salary in 2018, $3.45MM in 2019 and $7.45MM in 2020. $5.67MM 2018 cap number. $5MM roster bonus due on third day of 2019 season (Twitter links via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein).
- Demario Davis, LB (Saints): Three years, $24MM. $16MM guaranteed. $9.2MM signing bonus. Annual salaries of $850K, $5.95MM (guaranteed) and $7.35MM. (Twitter links via Graziano and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Jeremy Hill, RB (Patriots): One year, $1.5MM. $150K signing bonus. $1M base salary. (via Pelissero, on Twitter, and ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss).
- Bruce Ellington, WR (Texans): One year, $1.25MM. $730K base salary, $200K signing bonus (via Wilson, on Twitter).
Raiders Trade Cordarrelle Patterson To Patriots
The Raiders will be parting ways with Cordarrelle Patterson and sending the former All-Pro kick returner to the Patriots, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets. Barstool Sports first reported the deal. The Raiders have since announced the deal.
The AFC teams will exchange late-round picks in this deal, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms as such, reporting (via Twitter) the Raiders will receive a fifth-rounder and send out a sixth-round choice. Oakland previously did not possess a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft.
Patterson has one more year remaining on his contract, and he’ll be changing teams for the second straight offseason. The Patriots will receive a player who has two first-team All-Pro honors to his credit, those coming during the former first-round pick’s time with the Vikings.
The sixth-year wideout stands to count $3.25MM against the cap this season. He worked as an auxiliary Raiders pass-catcher and gadget player during his one season in Oakland, accumulating 430 yards from scrimmage and scoring twice — both on runs. He averaged 9.3 yards per tote on 13 attempts.
Dion Lewis served as New England’s primary kick returner last season. He’s since signed with the Titans to leave that role vacant, and a franchise that’s valued special teams immensely under Bill Belichick will acquire a dangerous return man to fill Lewis’ spot. Patterson has not served as a punt returner much in his career, so it’s likely the 6-foot-2 cog will be installed on the Pats’ kick-return unit and potentially have a role as a backup wide receiver.
The 2013 first-rounder has not lived up to expectations as a receiver, but he landed on the 2013 and ’16 All-Pro teams for his return work. Patterson has six career kick-return scores, with three of those coming as a rookie.
Oakland has rearranged its wide receiving corps this offseason, jettisoning its No. 2 and No. 4 WRs from a season ago. Although, Jordy Nelson replaced Michael Crabtree. The team may be in need of some depth to take Patterson’s place. Seth Roberts is due back after receiving a $2MM roster bonus late this week. His $2.25MM base salary is now fully guaranteed.
Patriots Meeting With OT LaAdrian Waddle
Patriots free agent offensive tackle LaAdrian Waddle was at Gillette Stadium on Friday, meaning he was likely discussing a new contract and/or taking a physical, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.
New England is searching for offensive line depth after losing starting left tackle Nate Solder to the Giants last week. While the Patriots reportedly have interest in re-signing one or both of Waddle and Cameron Fleming, Fleming is scheduled to meet with the Cowboys during the upcoming week.
With Solder out of the picture, the Patriots don’t have many clear options to take over on Tom Brady‘s blindside. New England agreed to a one-year deal with veteran Matt Tobin on Friday, but he’s more of a depth piece than a starting left tackle. Likewise, 2017 rookies such Antonio Garcia, Cole Croston, and Andrew Jelks don’t inspire much confidence or offer much experience.
Waddle, 26, started 10 games for the Lions as recently as 2014, but he’s mostly been a reserve since then. He was pressed into starting duty for four games a season ago, and he also chipped in on nearly 20% of the Patriots’ special teams snaps. Waddle, though, has primarily played right tackle during his five-year NFL career, so he may not be much help on the left side.
Cowboys To Host Cameron Fleming
The Cowboys are scheduled to meet with free agent OT Cameron Fleming, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirmed the report (via Twitter) and added that the visit will take place tomorrow and Tuesday.
Rapoport also reiterated that New England wants to keep Fleming, which we heard previously. The Patriots lost their long-time left tackle, Nate Solder, earlier this week, when Solder signed a four-year, $62MM deal with the Giants. Fleming, though, has demonstrated the ability to play left tackle in the past, and in 2017, he graded as the league’s No. 24 offensive tackle, per Pro Football Focus. He is the best pure offensive tackle remaining on the open market, and if he were to sign elsewhere, the Pats may be forced to re-sign LaAdrian Waddle and insert him as Tom Brady‘s regular blindside protector (unless they can acquire a starting-caliber player in the draft, of course).
The Cowboys’ O-line has been a source of strength for the team over the past several seasons, and Fleming would further reinforce that unit. Archer notes that Fleming could start at right tackle for Dallas, which could then move La’el Collins back to left guard and strengthen the team’s up-the-middle protection.
Alternatively, the Cowboys could sign Fleming with an eye towards using him as a swing tackle, but it’s unlikely he would turn down a starting job with the Patriots or some other club to become a backup in Dallas. After all, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets, the market for Fleming is heating up, so it’s not as though he won’t have options.
As of right now, Dallas is the only team that has not yet signed a free agent.