NFC Rumors: Cowboys, Bell, Vikings, Bears
The Cowboys are interested in re-signing free-agents-to-be Jason Hatcher and Anthony Spencer, but Dallas isn’t the only team with interest in the defensive linemen. According to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com, the free agent duo has at least seven interested suitors, including the Cowboys. Dallas is also interested in defensive tackle Henry Melton, according to Watkins (Twitter link), but the ESPN scribe cautions that there are no assurances of a deal, given the Cowboys’ limited cap space.
Here’s more from around the NFC, with free agency less than 24 hours away:
- The Lions continue to work hard on a new deal for restricted free agent running back Joique Bell, and hope to get something done before free agency begins tomorrow, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
- The Vikings have inquired about free agent defensive lineman Lamarr Houston but he’ll probably wind up elsewhere, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Wolfson adds in a second tweet that the team has kicked the tires on defensive tackle Vance Walker as well.
- Packers free agent Jermichael Finley has yet to receive medical clearance, but nonetheless has visits lined up with potential suitors this week, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
- Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report views the Redskins as the best potential fit for prospective free agent Darren Sproles, though he says the Patriots could be a dark horse.
- The Bears aren’t currently considering free agents Jairus Byrd or Michael Johnson, according to Patrick Finley and Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Jason La Canfora’s latest article at CBSSports.com includes plenty of interesting tidbits on free agents. Among them: The Buccaneers may release Jeremy Zuttah this week, and are focusing on signing Anthony Collins. La Canfora adds that the Packers are “very high” on free agent defensive lineman Arthur Jones.
- The door isn’t completely closed on center Jonathan Goodwin winding up back with the 49ers, a source tells Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune (Twitter link). Holder opines that Goodwin would be a good fit with the Saints also if Brian De La Puente leaves.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Patriots Cut T.J. Moe, Six Others
4:21pm: In addition to the four earlier cuts, the Pats have also parted ways with running back Quentin Hines, and offensive linemen Elvis Fisher and Brice Schwab, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
4:00pm: The Pats have officially waived Moe, along with three other players, according to the team. Defensive lineman Cory Grissom, running back Sam McGuffie, and linebacker Taylor Reed have also been cut.
11:55am: The Patriots will waive wide receiver T.J. Moe later today, tweets agent Matt Brei (hat tip to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun). Brei expressed disappointment about the impending move, due to the work his client has put in to recover from a torn Achilles.
Moe was signed last April by the Pats after he went undrafted out of Missouri. However, the wideout suffered that Achilles tear in May, sidelining him for the 2014 season.
DB Rumors: Byrd, Whitner, 49ers, Cromartie
Cornerback is one of the deepest positions on the free agent market this year, and there are plenty of intriguing names among the free agent safeties as well. Let’s dive in and check out the latest rumors on defensive backs….
- A source told Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link) last night that the asking price for the top free agent safeties ranged from $6MM (Donte Whitner) to $8MM (Jairus Byrd) per year, with T.J. Ward in the middle at $7MM. Biggs admits that he’s not sure if that’s changed today.
- Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link) hears that Byrd is asking for more than $8MM, and while that price has scared some teams away, the safety may ultimately land that amount.
- It’s highly unlikely that the Bears land Whitner, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter), who adds that it sounds like Chicago is looking elsewhere for a safety. The team also isn’t likely to be a major player for Byrd, tweets Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- The 49ers and Tarell Brown both appear to be testing the market, with San Francisco exploring other cornerback options and Brown looking into other suitors. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says the Niners have checked in on Nolan Carroll.
- Top free agent cornerback Alterraun Verner told SiriusXM’s Chris Russo the Patriots are “definitely a possibility” and added that Devin McCourty has been “lobbying” for him to come to New England, tweets Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com.
- Antonio Cromartie told ESPN Radio New York that the Jets never tried to renegotiate his current deal but the “door is open” for a return, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. It sounds like he’ll test the market and assess all his options though.
- John Clayton of ESPN.com (on Twitter) offers up an early prediction that Patriots free agent cornerback Aqib Talib will end up with the Redskins.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
AFC Rumors: Jets, Howard, Titans, Steelers
With Antonio Cromartie no longer in the mix in New York, the Jets have turned their attention to other notable free agent defensive backs. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported late last night that the Jets were eyeing safety T.J. Ward, and he hears today from a team source that the club has also inquired on several other DBs. According to Mehta (via Twitter), New York has “varying degrees of interest” in safety Chris Clemons and cornerbacks Alterraun Verner and Captain Munnerlyn. Here are a few more Monday rumors relating to AFC teams:
- The Jets continue to negotiate with Austin Howard, but other teams have expressed interest in the free agent tackle, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post.
- We heard earlier today that defensive lineman Antonio Smith has drawn interest from four teams, and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean thinks the Titans are probably one of those clubs (Twitter link).
- The Steelers are among the clubs to inquire on free agent cornerback Nolan Carroll, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
- Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter link) hears that there’s only $5.255MM of guaranteed money in Red Bryant‘s four-year contract with the Jaguars, making it a fairly low-risk move for the club.
- Long snapper Danny Aiken‘s new one-year deal with the Patriots includes a $55K signing bonus and $25K workout bonus on top of his minimum base salary, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter).
AFC East Links: Jets, Dolphins, Patriots
With the Jets having released Antonio Cromartie earlier today, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com analyzed the impact the move would have on the field and in the front office. Cimini doesn’t believe that Cromartie will return to New York unless he’s willing to accept a significantly smaller, one-year deal. When looking at potential replacements on the roster, the writer doesn’t buy that Kyle Wilson would be a viable replacement and suggests Alterraun Verner as a potential target. On Saturday, Cimini reported that the Jets had expressed interest in the Titans‘ cornerback. With the Cromartie release and signing of Jeff Cumberland yesterday, the Jets should have about $33MM in cap space, Cimini mentions (via Twitter).
More notes from the AFC East…
- Another option for the Jets‘ secondary could be Dolphins safety Chris Clemons, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- Fellow Dolphins‘ defensive back Nolan Carroll is generating a lot of interest, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. La Canfora adds that Carroll had similar advanced stats to Sam Shields, who signed a $39MM contract yesterday.
- With more than $30MM in cap room and a clear desire to win now, the Dolphins should make a big splash in free agency, says James Walker of ESPN.com. That move could be Branden Albert, who is likely to join the team on Tuesday.
- In the same mailbag, Walker suggests that signing a running back is important to the Dolphins, but not a top priority. Instead of someone like Ben Tate, Walker suggests Maurice Jones-Drew.
- There is a strong push within the Patriots organization to keep Julian Edelman, league sources tell Michael Giardi of CSNNewEngland.com (via Twitter). The Patriots coaches reportedly love his work ethic and ability to play special teams.
AFC Notes: Albert, Verner, Clabo, Byrd
Branden Albert is likely to sign with the Dolphins when free agency officially begins on Tuesday, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Albert, 29, was the Chiefs first-round-pick in 2008, and as Florio notes, was nearly traded to the Dolphins last offseason.
The Dolphins need to rebuild a porous offensive line, and they essentially need four starters to team with center Mike Pouncey. The unit was decimated by the controversies relating to Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito, neither of whom is expected to return to Miami. The Chiefs, meanwhile, will fill Albert’s shoes at left tackle with either Eric Fisher or Donald Stephenson, with the other manning the right tackle position.
Other news from the AFC:
- Offensive lineman Tyson Clabo is expected to hit the free agent market, and there is “real interest” from teams around the league, tweets Adam Beasely of the Miami Herald. Clabo started 15 games last season for the Dolphins.
- The Titans are still talking with cornerback Alterraun Verner, but it is unlikely he will return to Tennessee, according to the Tennessean’s Jim Wyatt (via Twitter).
- As of Sunday afternoon, the Browns had not contacted safety Jairus Byrd, writes Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Browns are widely expected to express interest in Byrd, who played under new Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine with the Bills.
- The Patriots expect both cornerback Aqib Talib and receiver Julian Edelman to come back to them with any free agent offers and give the team the opportunity to match, notes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com.
Texans Interested In Ryan Mallett
SUNDAY, 10:15am: The Texans won’t be trading for Mallett, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle definitively states (via Twitter).
SATURDAY, 10:25pm: Entering the final year of his rookie deal, it might be time for the Patriots to finally see what backup quarterback Ryan Mallett is worth.
According to Nick Underhill of masslive.com, the chance to gauge Mallett’s worth could come soon, as the Texans have expressed interest in the former Arkansas quarterback, a third-round pick in 2011. However, Underhill’s source said the current level of involvement was just talk between the two clubs and that nothing was definite.
A trade to Houston would reunite Mallett with Texans coach Bill O’Brien, Underhill notes, who worked as New England’s offensive coordinator for Mallett’s rookie season.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio opines that a fair trade between the two clubs would include picks in the next two drafts, with conditions tied to Mallett’s play and/or team.
Patriots, Danny Aiken Agree To One-Year Deal
The Patriots have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with long snapper Danny Aiken, according to ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss (via Twitter). Aiken had been scheduled to hit restricted free agency.
Aiken, 25, will almost certainly be signed to a minimum salary deal. For a player with his three years of NFL experience, a minimum one-year deal would be worth $645K, which isn’t bad money for someone who plays exclusively on special teams. As Reiss notes (via Twitter), the team now has all three of its specialists under contract for 2014 prior to free agency.
AFC East Notes: Spikes, Colon, Byrd
Earlier this morning, we passed along word that the Jets, unsurprisingly, intend to exercise their fifth-year 2015 option on defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson. We’ve got a few more updates and notes from out of the AFC East, so let’s dive in and check them out…
- Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes said this morning on NFL Network that, while he hasn’t entirely ruled out the possibility of re-signing in New England, he thinks he and the Patriots could both “benefit from a fresh start,” tweets Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com. We heard earlier this week that the two sides aren’t discussing a new deal and that Spikes is expected to hit the open market.
- Also apparently headed to the open market: Jets guard Willie Colon, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Colon is recovering from biceps surgery and has had problems with penalties throughout his career, but he’s also a very good pass blocker, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of interest he receives.
- Aaron Williams, who signed a long-term contract extension with the Bills this week, said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that fellow Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd also remains interested in re-signing with the team, as far as he knows (hat tip to Pro Football Talk): “I know that they’re still negotiating. I don’t want to speak on their situation because I have no say, nor do I know the full story on it, but I know Jairus does want to come back and wants to be a part of something special.”
AFC Notes: Edelman, Dolphins, Texans
We rounded up several updates on AFC teams this morning, but a few more have trickled in throughout the day, so let’s dive in and tackle those new items….
- The Patriots and wide receiver Julian Edelman discussed a new deal today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link via ESPN’s Field Yates). If the two sides don’t reach an agreement by Tuesday, Edelman will be free to sign with any team.
- Names like Eugene Monroe and Branden Albert have frequently been linked to the Dolphins leading up to the free agency, but Miami will need to add more than just a left tackle, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. Salguero explores a few other possible offensive line targets for the Dolphins in free agency.
- The Texans are considering many quarterback options to back up the signal-caller they’re expected to select with their first-round pick, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. According to McClain, the Texans may sign two veteran QBs to go with the rookie they bring in.
- There still hasn’t been any real movement in contract talks between the Titans and Alterraun Verner, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean, who expects the free agent cornerback to reach the open market (Twitter link).
- Former Dolphins trainer Kevin O’Neill is poised to fight his termination, writes Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel. O’Neill was among those implicated in the Wells Report.
Zach Links contributed to this post.