Giants, QB Colt McCoy Agree To Terms
Daniel Jones will no longer have a two-time Super Bowl MVP as his backup, but the Giants appear to have filled Eli Manning‘s most recent position Thursday.
The Giants and veteran quarterback Colt McCoy agreed to terms, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. It’s a one-year, $1.5MM deal, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. McCoy will migrate to another NFC East team after spending the past six years with Washington.
While the Giants were interested in Matt Moore, they have acquired a passer who has nearly as much experience and is two years younger. McCoy, 33, is a 10-year veteran who has played with the Browns, 49ers and Redskins. He has not been a regular starter since his first two seasons, but he is one of the league’s most experienced backups.
Working with Jay Gruden for most of his Redskins run, McCoy will now serve under another coach who spent a great deal of time organizing game plans in this division. Jason Garrett will be tasked with continuing Jones’ development, and McCoy figures to play a key role in helping the 2019 first-rounder.
The former Texas Longhorn started six games with the Redskins, sporting an 8-7 TD-INT ratio and a 7.6 yards-per-attempt figure.
Contract Details: Quinn, Whitworth, Harris, Lewis
Deals are coming in quickly, so we’ve compiled some important contract details below:
Cameron Fleming (Giants), One year, $4MM, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.
Dennis Kelly (Titans), Three years, $17.25MM, $8.75MM guaranteed, $4.75MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $1.5MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $4.5MM ($2.5MM guaranteed for injury at signing, fully guaranteed if on roster 5th day of 2021 league year); 2022: $5MM; $400k annual per-game roster bonus, $750K incentives available in 2021-22; $1MM escalator in base salary for 2021-22, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Alex Lewis (Jets), Three years, $18.6MM, $5.6MM guaranteed, $2.5MM signing bonus, salaries 2020: $1.1MM (guaranteed), 2021: $5.8M, 2022: $6M; $2MM 2020 roster bonus guaranteed on 5th day of league year, $400k in annual per-game roster bonuses, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Marcedes Lewis (Packers) One year, $2.25MM; $1.05MM signing bonus, salary 2020: $1.1MM, $9,375 per game active roster bonus, $750K playtime and playoffs incentives available, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Robert Quinn, (Bears): Five years, $70MM, $30MM guaranteed, $3MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $3MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $11.5MM (fully guaranteed), 2022: $12.8MM, 2023: $13.9MM, 2024: $12.9MM; $12.5MM fully guaranteed roster bonus in 2020, $100k annual workout bonuses from 2021-2024, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Giants To Sign Nate Ebner
The Giants have agreed to sign special teams ace Nate Ebner, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Ebner is just the latest free agent to depart from the Patriots and he’ll find a familiar face in head coach Joe Judge when he arrives in New Jersey.
Ebner, who has a background in rugby, has been with the Pats since 2012. He voiced a desire to stay but, ultimately, the two sides weren’t able to come to terms on a new deal.
“That would be the best thing, I think, when you consider my entire career has been here,” Ebner said recently when asked about the possibility of re-signing. “I’ve got some true friendships here. … But right now it’s out of my hands, so we’ll see what happens.”
The former sixth-rounder has won three Super Bowl rings across eight years in New England.
Giants, T Cameron Fleming Agree To Deal
The Cowboys opted not to pick up Cameron Fleming‘s option earlier this week, and the Giants are making a move to add him. Big Blue and the free agent tackle agreed to terms on a one-year deal Wednesday night, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
The longtime Patriot uniquely has a history with both Joe Judge and Jason Garrett, spending four seasons in New England and two in Dallas. The former Cowboys and Pats backup will be first in line to be the Giants’ right tackle starter, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY adds (via Twitter).
Fleming has played between 230-400 snaps in each of the past four seasons, working as a part-time starter throughout this stretch. The Giants are in the market for a new right tackle; they let 2019 starter Mike Remmers hit the market. With Pat Shurmur and Mike Shula out of the mix, it is expected Remmers will be elsewhere in 2020.
The former Patriots fourth-round pick will be entering his age-28 season. He has started 26 games in his career but never more than seven in a season. This could be a major opportunity for the veteran, though the Giants figure to be in the market for tackles in the draft as well.
Giants Interested In Matt Moore?
The Giants appear to be eyeing quarterback Matt Moore to serve as Daniel Jones‘ backup next season, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. Obviously, Eli Manning served as Jones’ backup last season but has since retired.
Moore has been one of the league’s most popular backup quarterbacks since entering the league in 2007. Aside from the 2011 season, when Moore started 12 games for the Dolphins, he has never started more than 5 games in any one year. With that said, the Panthers, Dolphins, and Chiefs have all been comfortable using Moore as a primary backup.
Backing up Patrick Mahomes last season, Moore appeared in 6 games (2 starts), completed roughly 65 percent of his passes for 659 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.
Contract Details: Bridgewater, Panthers, Vaitai, Lions, Byrd, Patriots, Brees, Saints
The latest notes on all of the contracts being handed out around the league:
- QB Teddy Bridgewater, Panthers: signed. Bridgewater got a three-year deal worth $63MM and a whopping $40MM of that is guaranteed in the first two years, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. He got a $15MM signing bonus to take over for the start of the Matt Rhule era. Newton’s post has the full breakdown on how it’ll be paid out with various workout and roster bonuses.
- OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Lions: signed. Vaitai’s five-year, $50MM contract includes $20MM guaranteed which will come in the first two years of the deal, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL Radio tweets. Detroit can get out of the pact after that.
- WR Damiere Byrd, Patriots: signed. Byrd’s one-year deal can be worth up to $2.5MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network notes in a tweet.
- QB Drew Brees, Saints: re-signed. Brees’ two-year, $50MM new deal with New Orleans includes a signing bonus of $23MM and a small base salary of only $2MM in year one, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That structure as well as two voidable years added on for 2022-2023 help keep his 2020 cap hit very low so the Saints can spend more as they gear up for one more Super Bowl with Brees under center.
- LB Sean Lee, Cowboys: re-signed. Lee is back for one more ride on a one-year, $4.5MM deal with $2MM guaranteed. He actually could earn up to $6.5MM if he hits some playing time incentives, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, although he writes they’re “not-likely-to-be-earned.”
- S Darian Thompson, Cowboys: re-signed. Thompson is getting a two-year deal worth $2.5MM, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. He’s getting a $200K signing bonus and can earn an extra $250K with playing time escalators.
- WR Cody Core, Giants: re-signed. New York locked up the special teams ace who barely plays on offense, and he got paid handsomely. Core will be getting $4MM over a two-year deal, Wilson tweets. Only $1MM of it is guaranteed however.
- S Jordan Poyer, Bills: extension. The full details are in on Poyer’s new pact. Poyer had two new years added on and will now make $22.7MM over the next three years with $13MM of that being guaranteed, Wilson tweets. He also got a $3MM signing bonus. In a separate tweet, Wilson notes that Poyer has an annual $500K interception incentive he can earn.
Giants Interested In LB Leonard Floyd
Linebacker Leonard Floyd was cut by the Bears earlier today, but he’s already got several suitors lining up. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweets that the Giants are among the teams that are in play for Floyd.
There were high hopes for Floyd when the Bears selected him in the first-round of the 2016 Draft. The Georgia product had a productive rookie campaign, compiling seven sacks.
While the linebacker put up solid numbers in the subsequent three years, his sack numbers have dropped each season. The 27-year-old finished the 2019 campaign with 40 tackles and three sacks.
Floyd was set to earn $13.2MM in what was his fifth-year option year. That would have been tough to juggle after the Bears inked pass-rusher Robert Quinn to a lucrative five-year deal.
The Giants have been active in adding linebackers this week. They signed a pair of former Packers linebackers in Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell.
Contract Details: Cooper, Hargrave, Littleton
Jonathan Bostic, (Washington): two-years, $5MM, $1.75MM guaranteed; $1.25MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $960k ($500k guaranteed), 2021: $1.69MM; $500k roster bonus in 2020, $200k in non-guaranteed weekly roster bonuses in 2020, $400k in non-guaranteed weekly roster bonuses in 2021, an additional $800k in annual incentives available as well, according to John Keim of ESPN.
Amari Cooper, (Cowboys): five-years, $100MM deal, $60MM guaranteed; $10MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $10MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $20MM (fully guaranteed), 2022: $20MM (guaranteed for injury until March 2022), 2023: $20MM, 2024: $20MM, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.
Tyeler Davison, (Falcons): three-years, $12MM, $4.55MM guaranteed; $3.64MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $910k (fully guaranteed), 2021: $3.2MM, 2022: $3.45MM; $200k in non-guaranteed weekly roster bonuses in 2020, $250k in non-guaranteed weekly roster bonuses in 2021, $350k in non-guaranteed weekly roster bonuses in 2022, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.
George Fant, (Jets): three-years, $27.3MM, $8.85MM guaranteed; $3MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $4.6MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $8MM, 2022: $9.25MM; $1.25MM guaranteed roster bonus in 2020, $400k non-guaranteed weekly roster bonuses from 2020-2022, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.
Javon Hargrave, (Eagles): three-years, $39MM, $26MM guaranteed; $11.75MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $1MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $12.75MM (fully guaranteed), 2022: $12.75MM; $250k workout bonus in 2022, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Cory Littleton, (Raiders): three-years, $35.25MM, $22MM guaranteed; salaries 2020: $11MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $5.5MM (fully guaranteed), 2022: $11MM; guaranteed $5.5MM 2021 roster bonus, non-guaranteed $500k weekly roster bonuses in 2020-2022, $250k workout bonus in 2020-2022, $250k annual Pro Bowl incentive, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Levine Toilolo, (Giants): two-years, $6.2MM, $3.25MM guaranteed; salaries 2020: $1.225MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $2.925MM; guaranteed $2MM 2020 roster bonus, $25k annual workout bonus, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Giants Re-Sign WR/ST Cody Core
The Giants continue to make moves. New York is re-signing receiver Cody Core, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
As Pelissero points out he’s primarily a special teams player, and is regarded as a key coverage unit guy. New Giants coach Joe Judge is a Bill Belichick disciple, so it’s not surprising that he values his unheralded special teamers. Core was drafted by the Bengals in the sixth-round back in 2016, and spent his first three years in Cincy. Let go at final cuts last year, he was promptly claimed off waivers by the Giants.
He caught only three passes for 28 yards this past year, but appeared in all 16 games and played 62 percent of the special teams snaps. In his last year in Cincinnati in 2018 he caught 13 passes for 160 yards and as a rookie he had 200 yards in only eight games, so the Ole Miss product has shown at least something as a receiver.
Giants To Sign LB Kyler Fackrell
The Giants’ revamping of their defense continues. New York is signing former Packers linebacker Kyler Fackrell to a one-year deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
He’ll get $4.6MM for the 2020 season. The Giants have been so active that this is actually the second former Green Bay linebacker that they’ve signed, after they recently gave Blake Martinez three years and $30MM. They also signed cornerback James Bradberry to a huge three-year, $45MM pact. Fackrell is obviously a lesser name, but it’s still a notable signing. New York’s aggressiveness on this side of the ball isn’t a surprise given how disappointing their defense was last year.
They’re entering a new era of football with Joe Judge, and the team is going to look a lot different in 2020. Fackrell was drafted in the third-round by the Packers back in 2016. He didn’t play a ton as a rookie but his role grew slowly, and he busted onto the scene in 2018. That year he came out of nowhere to rack up 10.5 sacks while starting seven games.
He took a big step back this past season with only one sack while playing about 40 percent of the defensive snaps, but his flashes of potential were enough for the Giants to take a low-risk flyer.