FA Rumors: Giants, Hardy, Ridley, Falcons
With free agency set to open in a matter of hours, the Giants are zeroing in on a running back scheduled to his the open market later today, reports Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. According to Vacchiano, the team is “very serious” about trying to sign Shane Vereen, with one source suggesting it’s possible a deal could get done shortly after the market opens at 3:00pm central time. The report echoes what we heard last night from Albert Breer of the NFL Network, who classified the Giants’ interest in Vereen as “significant.”
As we wait to see whether the Giants can get anything done with the longtime Patriot, let’s check in on a few more Tuesday morning free agency updates….
- One general manager tells Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) that at least six teams are interested in free agent pash rusher Greg Hardy. A Monday report indicated most potential suitors would like to hear what sort of discipline Hardy will face from the league following his legal issues before they make a bid.
- The Vikings have inquired on free-agent-to-be Stevan Ridley, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. However, Ridley would likely only be an option for Minnesota if Adrian Peterson doesn’t return.
- Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link) believes O’Brien Schofield is the most likely free agent to sign with the Falcons. Schofield, an outside pass rusher, played for Dan Quinn‘s defense in Seattle.
- Safety Ron Parker has been linked to a lot of teams within the past few days, so it’s no surprise that McClure says his price is getting pretty steep (Twitter link). It may be too expensive for the Falcons, who could look to re-sign Dwight Lowery instead, per McClure.
- Safety Devin McCourty is no longer a free agent, having re-signed with the Patriots, but if he had reached the open market, the Eagles were one of three teams willing to offer him more than the $9.5MM per year New England gave him, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
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.
Contract Details: McCourty, Jones, Moats, Ginn
Here are a few noteworthy contract details on deals recently agreed upon:
- Devin McCourty, S (Patriots): Five years, $47.5MM base value. $15MM signing bonus. $28.5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- Jacoby Jones, WR (Chargers): Two years, $5.5MM base value. $1.6K signing bonus (Twitter link via Pro Football Talk).
- Arthur Moats, OLB (Steelers): Three years, $7.5MM base value. $1.9MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Ted Ginn Jr., WR (Panthers): Two years, $4.2MM base value. $1.7MM signing bonus. Up to $1.5MM in incentives (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Derek Carrier, TE (49ers): Three years, $2.985MM base value. $400K signing bonus. About $1MM in escalators (Twitter link via Pelissero).
Patriots Won’t Pick Up Darrelle Revis’ Option
3:20pm: If Revis hits free agency, Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday (via Twitter) hears that he’ll seek something in the ballpark of $48MM over three years with $40MM guaranteed.
2:39pm: The Patriots have decided not to pick up the 2015 option on Darrelle Revis, clearing a path for the star cornerback to become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Of course, the Pats could still work out a deal to retain him, but it won’t be on the terms of that option. In fact, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) says the Pats will continue negotiating with the cornerback.
Although New England would like to retain Revis, his cap number would have been an unpalatable $25MM had they exercised his option. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter) wonders if news of the option being declined might be a negotiating ploy on the part of the Pats. Still, if there’s no deal ironed out, it would make sense that the Patriots would turn down his pricey option.
PFR’s Luke Adams recently wrote that a three-year deal in the range of $45MM with a sizable portion of guaranteed money could make sense for the Patriots. The question is, would such a deal make sense for Revis given the level of interest he’d probably receive on the open market.
The Jets have been involved in “serious internal discussions” about the possibility of bringing Revis back and they figure to be one of many teams to make a serious play for the star cornerback.
Latest On Patriots, Brandon Browner
2:21pm: Howe clarifies (via Twitter) that the Pats’ decision on Browner is actually due tomorrow afternoon rather than today, so we may not see resolution on this situation for another 24 hours or so.
1:10pm: The Patriots have until today to decide on Brandon Browner‘s team option for the 2015 season, but it sounds like they may decide not pick it up. The Patriots would like to restructure his contract instead and have allowed the cornerback to explore his value around the league, a team source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
If the Patriots exercise Browner’s option, he would count $4.8MM against the cap, but he would also earn a $2MM roster bonus on Tuesday. If they decline the option, they would save $4.8MM against the cap without any dead money, but re-signing him from that point could prove to be difficult. The team source indicated to Howe that his value on the open market might actually approach $7MM to $8MM per year thanks to the deals given to Byron Maxwell ($63MM over six years), Brandon Flowers ($36MM over four years) and Kareem Jackson ($34MM over four years) in the last couple days.
Browner, 31 in August, appeared in nine regular season games for the Patriots in his suspension-shortened season. He recorded 32 total tackles, seven pass deflections, and one interception during that time. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) wasn’t wowed by Browner’s performance in 2014, ranking him No. 79 out of 108 qualified cornerbacks.
FA Rumors: Sheard, Eagles, Broncos, Bears
If you’re a little confused about all the reported deals over the last couple days between free agents and new teams, you’re not alone — the three-day “legal tampering” period prior to free agency is supposed to allow teams to negotiate with agents of prospective free agents without any offers being made or agreements being reached.
Of course, teams have long ignored those guidelines, but typically they at least maintain the pretense that they’re waiting until Tuesday afternoon, with a flood of contract agreements hitting the news wire when free agency begins at 3:00pm central time on Tuesday. This year, however, noteworthy free agents Ndamukong Suh, Jeremy Maclin, and Byron Maxwell all reportedly have deals with new teams already in place.
According to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links), the NFL sent a memo to all 32 teams expressing its displeasure with the release of contract terms prior to the official start of free agency. According to Getlin’s source, the league intends to conduct an investigation to examine whether teams agreed to terms with free agents early.
Considering the leaks on new deals seem to affect so many teams around the league, it seems unlikely that the NFL would come down too hard on everyone. If anything, the situation may be the push the league needs to modify its rules for free agency. In the NBA, for instance, teams and players are allowed to reach verbal agreements during the league’s “July moratorium,” which lasts a little over a week, but those signings can’t be made official until after the moratorium lifts. A system like that could make sense for the NFL.
As we wait to see how the NFL plans to address potential free agency violations, here’s more from around the NFL on free agents and free-agents-to-be:
- The Buccaneers, Bengals, Seahawks, and Patriots are all in the running for edge defender Jabaal Sheard, according to Getlin (via Twitter). Sheard is viewed as a better fit for a 4-3 team, which could give those first three suitors an edge over the Pats.
- A source tells Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link) that the Eagles are showing “a little bit” of interest in cornerback Tramon Williams. Despite having reached a tentative agreement with Byron Maxwell, Philadelphia remains on the lookout for another corner and perhaps a safety as well.
- Speaking of those Eagles, Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link) hears that the team was “hovering just below” $10MM annually on its final offer to Jeremy Maclin, which allowed the Chiefs to make a move on the wideout. Maclin will reportedly get about $11MM per year from Kansas City.
- The Broncos have displayed interest in free agent center Chris Myers, a source tells Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (Twitter link). This comes as no surprise, considering Myers excelled in Gary Kubiak‘s zone-blocking scheme for years in Houston.
- Elsewhere on the center front, former Raider Stefen Wisniewski is on the Bears‘ radar, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. While Chicago has expressed interest in Wisniewksi, it’s not clear how serious that interest is, Biggs notes.
- The Vikings have an offer out to quarterback Shaun Hill, but it’s unclear whether he’ll accept it, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
- The Packers maintain interest in bringing back defensive tackle Letroy Guion, despite his recent legal issues, tweets Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Dunne points out that Guion, in the wake of his off-field troubles, may come cheaper than he otherwise would have.
AFC East Rumors: Revis, Jets, Tannehill
It will be hard to beat the Patriots re-signing Devin McCourty in terms of news, but there are a number of other rumors surrounding the AFC East teams as we approach free agency.
- As the “legal tampering” period continues, the Patriots are still the favorites to keep either Darrelle Revis or McCourty, and are “a pretty good bet” to keep both players, according to Tom Curran of CSNNE.com (via Twitter). The team already completed a deal with McCourty, and only needs to keep Revis to make good on Curran’s tweet.
- While the Patriots may be the favorites, keeping Revis is not a done deal. The Chiefs and Jets are still contenders to sign Revis, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter).
- The Jets are looking to add a veteran passer to its quarterback depth chart, and one name that has surfaced as a favorite it Brian Hoyer, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
- The team has also targeted Ryan Mallett as a possible addition, although he has far less experience than fellow Tom Brady-backup Hoyer (via Twitter).
- La Canfora also examines the impact of the Dolphins signing Ndamukong Suh will have on Ryan Tannehill‘s next contract. He writes the team has left itself little wiggle room to pay Tannehill if he has another productive season that would warrant an Alex Smith-like extension, which came in at four years and $68MM, with $45MM in guaranteed money.
- It also surfaced that the Bills are expected to come to terms on a long-term deal with newly acquired quarterback Matt Cassel.
AFC East Rumors: Revis, Hughes, Powell
Although he’s not technically a free agent yet, cornerback Darrelle Revis may hit the open market very soon if he can’t work out a new deal with the Patriots. As has been expected all along, Revis’ choice appears to be coming down to the Pats and Jets, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). If New England can’t reach a long-term deal with Revis before Tuesday, and isn’t interested in picking up his 2015 option, the team will have to cut him, opening the door for the star corner to work out a deal that sends him back to New York.
As we wait to see what happens on the Revis front, here are some other items from across the AFC East:
- Negotiations between the Bills and pass rusher Jerry Hughes are expected to come to a head today, tweets Tim Graham of the Buffalo News. Per Robinson (via Twitter), the Jaguars are a potential outside suitor, but Buffalo remains hopeful of getting something done.
- While Brian Hoyer has drawn interest from a handful of clubs, the Jets are one of two suitors – along with the Texans – interested in signing him as a potential starter, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
- The Jets would like to re-sign running Bilal Powell, but believe he’s leaning toward a reunion with Rex Ryan in Buffalo, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Dan Graziano of ESPN.com confirms that the Bills have interest in Powell (Twitter link).
- The Jets are preparing some contingency plans in the event that Powell doesn’t return to New York, and one possible alternative for the team is Patriots free agent Shane Vereen, according to Mehta (via Twitter).
East Notes: Maclin, Gore, Clay
There are a number of rumblings from the league’s east divisions today, so let’s dive right in:
- We learned earlier today that Randall Cobb‘s decision to remain with the Packers would give the Eagles‘ Jeremy Maclin a little more leverage in his contract negotiations, and Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com has a little more on that front. Mosher writes that Maclin, who has asked for at least $11MM per season, is clearly the best wide receiver left on the free agent market, but the fact that he is two years older than Cobb and has torn his ACL twice since the start of his college career could deter teams from handing Maclin the same type of contract that Cobb received. Therefore, Mosher believes the stage could be set for Maclin’s return to Philadelphia.
- Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com writes that the Eagles are interested in free agent running back Frank Gore and says that a deal could be done as soon as Tuesday.
- The Bills are expected to make a “substantial offer” to Dolphins tight end Charles Clay, writes Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel. Miami placed the transition tag on Clay last week.
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com has a deeper look into the Jets‘ trade for Brandon Marshall and what it means for the team moving forward.
- In the same piece, Cimini looks at the future of Darrelle Revis. Cimini writes that the Jets will almost certainly try to overpay for Revis, who will have to choose between the mega-bucks in New York and a lifetime membership in Patriots owner Robert Kraft‘s fraternity.
- Washington and the Giants have both expressed interest in Arizona nose tackle Dan Williams (Twitter links to ESPN’s John Keim and Dan Graziano).
Updates On Maxwell And McCourty
We learned last night that the Eagles would be aggressive suitors for prospective free agents Devin McCourty and Byron Maxwell, and the team seems to be especially active in its pursuit of Maxwell. Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports tweeted yesterday that the Eagles were “out in front” for Maxwell, and Getlin added (via Twitter) this morning that Philadelphia is willing to give Maxwell a deal worth over $10MM a year, which would be a somewhat surprising top-of-the-market offer.
If Philadelphia displays the same aggressiveness with McCourty, they may be able to land him as well. As Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes, the Patriots would love to have McCourty back, but if the bidding goes much higher than $8MM per season, New England may have to bow out. We heard yesterday that McCourty is seeking at least $9MM per year, which Jairus Byrd was able to land last season. PFR’s Luke Adams predicted yesterday that McCourty, who has been a consistently productive defensive back over the course of his career, would be able to make at least as much.
The Giants are also reported to have interest in McCourty, but Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets that the team may be more interested in addressing its defensive line in free agency. As of right now, the smart money seems to be on the Eagles using a big chunk of their newfound $36MM in cap space to boost their secondary with both McCourty and Maxwell.