Patriots Sign Shea McClellin
FRIDAY, 7:35pm: McClellin’s three-year contract is worth $12MM, including $3.5MM guaranteed, ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets.
4:03pm: The Patriots have officially signed McClellin, the team announced in a press release.
WEDNESDAY, 9:08pm: After agreeing to acquire tight end Martellus Bennett from the Bears on Wednesday, the Patriots will add another ex-Chicago player. The Pats have reached an agreement on a three-year accord with free agent linebacker Shea McClellin, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (Twitter links). Financial details are not yet available.
In landing McClellin, the Pats have kept him from the AFC East rival Jets, who visited with the 26-year-old last week. McClellin 
was the Bears’ first-round pick in 2012, but he never lived up to his draft status, totaling just 161 tackles and 7.5 sacks in four years. As a result of his disappointing play, the Bears declined his fifth-year option for 2016 last offseason. McClellin responded by notching a career-best 81 tackles in 12 games. Eleven of those 12 appearances were starts, giving him 31 overall. Pro Football Focus wasn’t impressed with McClellin’s output last season, though, grading him 88th among 97 qualifying linebackers.
With the Patriots, he’ll join a linebacking corps that features two stars – Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower – as well as Jonathan Freeny. The Patriots liked McClellin prior to the 2012 draft, notes Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter), and he has shown versatility by taking snaps along the defensive line and as both an inside and outside linebacker during his career.
The addition of McClellin is the latest move in a week of seemingly nonstop transactions by the Pats. The club has added (unofficially in some cases) receiver Chris Hogan, guard Jonathan Cooper, defensive end Chris Long, Bennett and McClellin since March 11.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Contract Details For Nate Ebner, Frank Kearse
- Nate Ebner, S (Patriots): Two years, $2.4MM. $500K guaranteed. $125K in annual per-game roster bonuses. $250K first-day camp reporting bonus. Up to $500K in playing-time, Pro Bowl incentives (Twitter links via Wilson and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com).
- Frank Kearse, DT (Patriots): One year, minimum salary benefit. $30K signing bonus. $30K first-day camp reporting bonus. $20K in per-game active roster bonuses (Twitter link).
Patriots Sign Chris Long
FRIDAY, 4:00pm: The Patriots have announced the signing of Long, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets.
WEDNESDAY, 5:23pm: Long will get $2MM on his one-year deal, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 8:21pm: The Patriots will sign Chris Long, according to Trey Wingo of ESPN (on Twitter). Long will now join a defensive line that has been weakened by today’s trade of Chandler Jones to the Cardinals. It’s a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
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The Rams cut Long on February 19 after he endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons. The soon-to-be 31-year-old suited up for just 18 of 32 regular-season games during that span, but he’s reportedly “100% healthy” and since hitting the open market, Long has indicated that his priority would be to link up with a Super Bowl contender. The Patriots certainly fit the bill in that respect, and they have a connection to Long in in defensive assistant Brendan Daly, who was the D-line coach in St. Louis from 2009-11.
From 2010 to 2013 – his last four healthy seasons – Long totaled 41.5 sacks, an average of more than 10 per year. Considering he’ll turn 31 in a few weeks, though, and is coming off two seasons in which he totaled just four sacks, his earning potential was somewhat limited.
For comparison, Jones appeared in 15 games for the Patriots last year, totaling 44 tackles to go along with a career-high 12.5 sacks. The former first-round pick also added four forced fumbles, two passes defended, and his first career interception, earning a Pro Bowl spot for the first time. Needless to say, the Pats are badly in need of Long’s help on the D-Line if they hope to offer a tough defense in 2016.
Prior to signing with the Pats, Long was also being courted by the Cowboys, Falcons, and Washington.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Patriots Had Interest In CB Antwon Blake
- Free agent cornerback Antwon Blake ultimately agreed to sign with the Titans, but he had no shortage of potential suitors when he was on the market. Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets that Blake garnered interest from the Steelers, Patriots, Jets, Lions, and Giants.
Pats' Bill Belichick Met With Georgia DL Sterling Bailey
- After his pro day workout, Georgia defensive lineman Sterling Bailey met with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, according to Pauline.
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Free Agent Rumors: Upshaw, Pats, CJ2K
Linebacker Courtney Upshaw remains on the open market here in mid-March, but his field of suitors could soon grow a little bit larger. A league source tells Mike Florio of PFT that the 49ers and Patriots could jump into the mix for the Ravens free agent linebacker. The former second-round pick, who is visiting with the Jets today,was an honorable mention on PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents list.
Here are the latest free agent rumors from around the league:
- The Dolphins announced that Chris Johnson has wrapped up his free agent visit. That announcement infers that there is no deal – at least, not yet – between CJ2K and Miami. Johnson is said to be deciding between the Dolphins and the incumbent Cardinals.
- Before putting pen-to-paper with the Ravens, the Cowboys stood as the other finalist for Eric Weddle, Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report writes. The safety had a multitude of offers and before he was down to two clubs, Weddle weeded out proposals from teams that were not positioned to in 2016. One of those teams, according to agent David Canter, made Weddle the most lucrative offer of any suitor.
- Former Ravens linebacker Daryl Smith is visiting the Buccaneers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Ravens cut Smith earlier this month in order to save roughly $2.6MM against the 2016 cap. Smith, who joined the Ravens for the 2013 season after spending nine years in Jacksonville, hasn’t missed a game in his three years in Baltimore, starting the last 48 regular-season games for the club. In 2015, he racked up 121 tackles to go along with three sacks and an interception.
Patriots Acquire Martellus Bennett From Bears
THURSDAY, 11:08am: The Patriots (press release) and Bears (press release) have both officially announced the trade, confirming the terms as reported below.
WEDNESDAY, 6:16pm: A day after sending defensive end Chandler Jones to Arizona, the Patriots have agreed to another trade. This time, New England will receive tight end Martellus Bennett from the Bears in exchange for draft-pick compensation, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.
The Patriots will give up a fourth-round selection and get a sixth-rounder back, according to Tom Curran of CSNNE (Twitter link). Specifically, the Bears will receive the 127th choice this year in exchange for No. 204, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter).
In acquiring Bennett, the Patriots will add another major threat at the tight end position to accompany superstar Rob Gronkowski. Bennett, 29, has been a prolific pass catcher throughout his eight-year career, having hauled in 348 receptions and 23 touchdowns. The 6-foot-6, 273-pounder, like the 6-6, 265-pound Gronkowski, possesses great size. Bennett also has a positive track record of production, having eclipsed the 50-catch mark in four straight seasons. He added personal highs in receptions (90), yardage (916) and touchdowns (six) in 2014 en route to his only Pro Bowl trip.
Bennett’s numbers declined last season to 53 grabs, a paltry 8.3 yards-per-catch average and three TDs in 11 games. But he’ll nonetheless serve as an upgrade over the Pats’ previous second tight end, Scott Chandler, and give them their most talented TE duo since the Gronkowski-Aaron Hernandez tandem. Chandler, whom New England released earlier this winter, was due to count upward of $3MM on its cap in 2016 after a 23-catch season. Bennett carries a cap charge of over $5MM next season, the last year of his contract. The Pats are also responsible for his $100K workout bonus.
Trading Bennett will leave Chicago with $1.125MM in dead money, but the fact that the team is moving on from him comes as no surprise. As of earlier this month, the Bears were said to be working on dealing Bennett. Further, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), they had been trying to trade Bennett for 18 months. In the wake of his Pro Bowl season, Bennett skipped the Bears’ voluntary OTAs last spring in hopes of landing a raise and an extension. That didn’t work, however, and the emergence of Zach Miller in the Bears’ offense last season made Bennett even more expendable to Chicago. The Bears re-signed Miller to a two-year, $6MM deal earlier this week, further sealing Bennett’s fate in the Windy City.
Meanwhile, after a quiet start to the offseason, the Patriots have had an action-packed week. Prior to acquiring Bennett, they signed receiver Chris Hogan, landed a second-round pick and guard Jonathan Cooper in the Jones trade, and came to terms with defensive end Chris Long on a low-cost deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC Notes: Amendola, Jordan, Titans, Jets
After acquiring tight end Martellus Bennett and signing wide receiver Chris Hogan, the Patriots are now carrying five pass-catchers whose 2016 cap hits exceed $4.4MM. The two new additions almost certainly aren’t going anywhere, and the same can be said for tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Julian Edelman, whose $4.421MM cap number is the smallest in the group.
That leaves Danny Amendola and his $6.804MM cap charge, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears from a source with knowledge of the situation that Amendola’s spot on the Patriots’ roster isn’t necessarily safe. That doesn’t mean he’ll be cut — the two sides could work out a new deal that reduces Amendola’s cap hit for 2016 and allows him to stick around. But his contract is likely to be addressed in some form or another.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- Defensive end Dion Jordan is eligible for reinstatement from his suspension next month, and the Dolphins are open to the possibility of having him back on the team for 2016, as Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald details.
- More than a week into free agency, the Titans have made plenty of moves, but there’s no indication that the team is interested in signing an offensive tackle, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. The team has 2014 first-rounder Taylor Lewan penciled in as one of its starters at tackle, but Byron Bell‘s free agency leaves a hole on the other side, and it seems increasingly likely that the team will address that spot in the draft — perhaps by using its No. 1 pick on Laremy Tunsil.
- After Demario Davis and Antonio Allen signed with new teams on Wednesday, the Jets were left with no players from their 2012 draft class on their roster. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News takes a look back at the impact – or lack thereof – that the Jets’ 2012 draftees had on the franchise, as well as GM Mike Maccagnan.
Reactions To Chandler Jones Trade
On Tuesday, the Patriots and Cardinals completed a noteworthy deal when edge rusher Chandler Jones was shipped to Arizona in exchange for offensive lineman Jonathan Cooper and a second-round draft choice. The talented Jones is coming off of a career year in which he recorded 44 tackles to go along with a career-high 12.5 sacks, earning his first-ever Pro Bowl selection. The Pats, meanwhile, got themselves a former first-round pick who can play either center or guard while adding to their upcoming draft stockpile.
Here’s a look at some of the reactions to (and fallout from) the swap:
- Now that the Patriots have traded Jones, re-signing outside linebacker Jamie Collins is a high priority, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). In 12 games last season, Collins racked up 89 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 6 passes defensed, 5 forced fumbles, and 1 interception. Collins is presently due to make a little north of $900K in 2016 and they believe that he is more likely to be receptive to an extension offer than Jones would have been. The Pats, Cole says, feel that they can get something done sooner rather than later.
- The Cardinals are not expected to sign Jones to a long-term deal until after the 2016 season, according to Cole (video link). Once Calais Campbell‘s hefty contract comes off the books, Arizona will have more room to give Jones a big deal.
- The Patriots probably saw the writing on the wall when Malik Jackson and Olivier Vernon got monster contracts this offseason, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap writes. Based on the way both players were paid ($14.25MM/year for Jackson, $17MM/year for Vernon), Fitzgerald estimates that Jones was in line for close to $20MM/year, and that sum would have been too rich for New England’s blood. As for Cooper, Fitzgerald notes that the Patriots will probably decline his 2017 option. The lineman’s option year calls for him to earn well over $10MM but, as of right now, he’s more like a $3MM player.
- Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com ran down some of the main reasons why the Patriots traded Jones. Among them, of course, is the projected cost of a new deal for Jones down the line. He also notes that New England is in a good spot at defensive end. New England has Jabaal Sheard as well as an aging, but still productive, Rob Ninkovich to help pressure opposing quarterbacks. The Patriots are also hopeful that they can get production out of Geneo Grissom and Trey Flowers plus new addition Chris Long.
- The Jones trade is reminiscent of the team’s Richard Seymour swap in 2009, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss writes. The Pats shipped Seymour to the Raiders for a 2011 first-round choice at a time when the team was unsure about whether they’d be able to re-sign him after the season.
- Collins, Dont’a Hightower, Logan Ryan, and Malcolm Butler (restricted) are all due to be free agents next year, and it would have been difficult to try and re-sign all of those contributors in addition to Jones, Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com writes. Of that group, Jones would have required the most money of anyone thanks to the way that Jackson and Vernon got paid this month. When it comes to Cooper, Barnwell wonders aloud if a change of scenery could turn things around for the former first-rounder.
- Peter King of The MMQB says that the Patriots made the right choice when looking at the numbers. Of course, it also helps that the Pats were able to add Long. Long, he writes, gave up an extra $2-3MM that he could have instead earned with the Falcons, Lions, Washington, or Cowboys.
Draft Rumors: Cowboys, Ramsey, Bosa
The Cowboys want Jalen Ramsey, but they fear that he’ll be gone by No. 4, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net writes (via PhiladelphiaEagles.com). With that in mind, Dallas is eyeing Ohio State standouts Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott. Bosa would help bolster the team at defensive end while DeMarcus Lawrence recovers from surgery and Randy Gregory serves his first month suspension. Elliott, meanwhile, would give the team help at running back.
Here are the latest rumors on the 2016 NFL Draft (all of which come from Pauline, unless otherwise indicated):
- Insiders believe that we could se three offensive tackles – Laremy Tunsil, Ronnie Stanley, and Jack Conklin – go in the first top 12 picks of the draft. That could start a run and Pauline writes that we could see six tackles taken in the first round.
- The Cowboys would consider trading down, Pauline hears, but they want to stay ahead of the Giants at No. 10.
- Observers at the UCLA pro day described Myles Jack as a “remarkable athlete.” One source told Pauline (in his running log for Walter Football) that “he looked like a defensive back doing linebacker drills.”
- Aaron Wallace, the Bruins’ other notable linebacker, is gaining a lot of momentum in the scouting community, Pauline hears. Wallace currently has official visits set up with the Buccaneers, Browns, and Raiders with more likely on the way.
- UCLA offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch has been graded as a top-75 selection, according to Pauline. Many believe that Benenoch can play tackle and guard in addition to center.
- Georgia linebacker Jordan Jenkins says that he’ll have private workouts with the Raiders, Patriots, and Saints, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
- Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter) reports that Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook has private workouts scheduled with the Cowboys and Dolphins.
- All 32 NFL teams were in attendance at MSU’s pro day, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. At the event, Cook met with the 49ers and Rams before the workout and met with the Browns‘ staff after.
- Michigan State defensive tackle Joel Heath says that he will have a private workout with the Patriots this week, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets. In addition to that, he’ll meet with the Titans later this month. Heath previously met with the Colts and Buccaneers.
- Pittsburgh wide receiver Tyler Boyd looked great at his Pro Day and the slowest unofficial 40-year-dash time that has been reported was in the low 4.5s.
- Pittsburgh corner Lafayette Pitts recorded 40-yard-dash times under 4.4 seconds, with some watches marking him at 4.35.
- There’s no definitive word on whether Virginia Tech cornerback Kendall Fuller will work out before the draft.
- Youngstown State linebacker Terrell Williams is drawing interest from clubs. The Jets and Eagles, in particular, see him as a quality backup linebacker/core special teams guy.
- The Lions have a private workouts set up with Michigan State offensive linemen Jack Conklin, Jack Allen, and Donavon Clark later this month, Birkett tweets.