Giants Missed Out On Andrew Norwell
- Guard Andrew Norwell was considered the Giants‘ primary free agent target this offseason, and while he ultimately landed with the Jaguars, New York’s offer was close if not the same as Jacksonville’s, tweets Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Norwell is now the league’s highest-paid after receiving $13MM annually (and $30MM guaranteed) on a five-year deal. New Giants general manager Dave Gettleman originally signed Norwell as an undrafted free agent in Carolina, so the connection made plenty of sense, but Norwell simply chose the Jaguars, per Raanan.
Vikings Interested In CB Ross Cockrell
Ross Cockrell is on the Vikings radar. Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Minneapolis reports (via Twitter) that the organization is interested in the free agent cornerback. Wolfson adds that the Giants would like to retain the defensive back, but Cockrell’s decision will likely come down to money.
The 2014 fourth-rounder out of Duke spent time with the Bills and Steelers before joining the Giants via trade last September. The 26-year-old had another productive campaign, compiling 50 tackles, 11 passes defended, and three interceptions in 16 games (nine starts). Cockrell was listed 39th in Pro Football Focus’ ranking of the 120 eligible cornerbacks. Our own Dallas Robinson ranked Cockrell 13th among all free agent cornerbacks, noting that he was an ideal option for those seeking a bargain.
The Vikings are apparently seeking reinforcement at the position, as they previously expressed interest in free agent Bryce Callahan. Minnesota already has All-Pro Xavier Rhodes and former first-rounder Trae Waynes slotted into their starting lineup, but Cockrell could be an upgrade over the likes of Mackensie Alexander, Jack Tocho, and Horace Richardson.
Giants Sign RB Jonathan Stewart
Jonathan Stewart has reunited with old friend Dave Gettleman. The Giants will sign the veteran running back, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Stewart’s pact is for two years and has a base value of $6.9MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who adds Stewart gets $2.95MM in guarantees and can max out at $8.4MM.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan tweets the expectation is that the veteran running back will cost $3.425 MM vs. the salary cap in 2018. His contract includes incentives for rushing yards and touchdowns, and also includes a $500,000 option bonus for next year.
The Giants have several needs to address this offseason, including running back. Last year’s top rusher, Orleans Darkwa, is ticketed for free agency and it’s not clear if he’ll be back in the fold. Even if Darkwa is retained, Stewart can serve as veteran depth. Regardless of how the backfield shakes out, it’s hard to envision that Stewart will be relied on as the team’s RB1.
Stewart averaged a career-low 3.4 yards per carry last season but he did play in 15 games, his most since the 2011 campaign. He previously visited the Seahawks and Lions, but they’ll have to find running back help elsewhere.
As of this writing, the Giants still have plenty of free agent running back options at their disposal. They could also spend their free agent dollars elsewhere and use the No. 2 overall pick on Penn State star Saquon Barkley, if he is available.
Giants Interested In OT Nate Solder
The Giants are among the teams with interest in tackle Nate Solder, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter). The Patriots free agent stands as the best available tackle in a weak market and figures to have a number of suitors. 
The Giants are in serious need of offensive line help and have already missed out on top target Andrew Norwell. Their interest in retaining their own free agent lineman Justin Pugh is unclear, but in any case, Solder would represent a clear upgrade over him. Depending on how things shake out, a Solder signing wouldn’t necesarily preclude the Giants from re-signing Pugh, who can also offer help on the interior.
Solder, 30 in April, has been among the league’s better tackles since entering the league in 2011. Last year, Pro Football Focus graded him as the No. 32 tackle last season and he was in the top 20 in 2016. You could say 2017 was a down year for the veteran, but he was playing through injuries and figures to be better in 2018, if healthy.
Extra Points: Broncos, Cousins, Coleman
Despite the Broncos being interested in Kirk Cousins throughout the offseason, they moved on Case Keenum and reached an agreement before the Cousins domino fell. The Broncos, who do not have as much cap space as their top Cousins competitors do, spoke with the quarterback’s representation on Monday but did not submit an official offer, James Palmer of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). The team’s Keenum agreement being at least $18MM represented a significant discount from Cousins’ near-$30MM-AAV deal — one expected to be with the Vikings. Despite Cousins having proven more than Keenum, Broncos brass moved quickly on this agreement and was on the same page about the belated breakout passer. Palmer reports that went a long way toward completing this deal. Gary Kubiak is currently serving as a top Broncos front office bastion. Kubiak initially brought Keenum into the NFL as a UDFA while serving as Texans HC.
Here’s more from Denver and elsewhere around the league on Day 2 of pre-free agency.
- Now that the Broncos lost one of the UFAs they were trying to keep, when Corey Nelson agreed to terms with the Eagles, Denver is trying to retain a higher-profile linebacker. The Broncos are expected to try and ramp up their efforts to retain Todd Davis before he hits free agency on Wednesday, Mike Klis of 9News reports (on Twitter). This would continue a change of pace for the John Elway-era Broncos. Previous offseasons saw off-ball ‘backers Wesley Woodyard, Nate Irving and Danny Trevathan depart. But in 2016, Elway authorized an $8MM-per-year deal for Brandon Marshall. Davis almost certainly won’t cost that much, profiling as more of a two-down thumper than sideline-to-sideline rover who can reliably operate in coverage, but he won’t come cheap since he’s been a two-year starter on one of the league’s top defenses.
- Kurt Coleman took two visits before agreeing to join the Saints, meeting with the Giants and Bengals, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com tweets. Coleman has bounced around the league, with his most recent stop being his most notable since the Panthers deployed him as a three-year starter — including in Super Bowl 50 — and signed him to an extension in 2016. Despite having played for three teams and having started 74 games, Coleman won’t turn 30 until July. The Giants are in need of a safety to complement Landon Collins. The Bengals, though, don’t have as obvious a need on their back line.
Several Teams Comprise Heated Lewis Market
On a player-friendly second tampering-window day, Dion Lewis has yet to make his decision. He’s going to be receiving a notable raise from his previous contract, however, when he does choose his next team.
The 27-year-old running back does not look like he will be returning to the Patriots, who were not believed to be a bidder if the price escalated to a certain point. Now that it apparently has, the Dolphins, Jets, Giants, Titans, Texans, Colts and 49ers are in on Lewis, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.
The Jets, Colts and Titans were reported suitors earlier this week, but the remaining teams are now diving into the fray.
The Giants signed previous Pats passing-down back Shane Vereen in 2015 but haven’t found much in the way of backfield success in several years, and the 49ers may well lose Carlos Hyde in free agency. The Dolphins traded away Jay Ajayi and have versatile runner Kenyan Drake. Houston, interestingly, has a Lamar Miller–D’Onta Foreman setup but is evidently eyeing big-name help.
Lewis’ asking price was rumored to be around $6MM per year, and given the events of Tuesday and the number of interested teams here, it’s quite possible the sixth-year veteran could surpass that despite having just one 100-touch season on his resume. However, that also means Lewis could have a few productive seasons left despite being set to turn 28 later this year.
Jonathan Stewart To Visit Giants
Jonathan Stewart will make his third offseason visit since the Panthers released him, and a familiar face figures to be a big part of it.
The veteran running back will head east for a Giants meeting, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Dave Gettleman was not part of the regime that drafted Stewart in the 2008 first round, but he did serve as Carolina’s GM for four seasons.
While Gettleman has made the offensive line a bigger priority, the Giants are in need of backfield help. They have not had a particularly strong stable of running backs since Ahmad Bradshaw‘s departure. However, Big Blue could be a candidate to draft Saquon Barkley at No. 2 overall. That would mean passing on a quarterback, so it can’t be assumed the Giants are a surefire Barkley destination.
Stewart averaged a career-low 3.4 yards per carry last season but did play in 15 games — his most since the 2011 season. He visited the Seahawks and Lions already this month.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
New York Giants
- Re-signed: OG Jon Halapio, LB Mark Herzlich
Los Angeles Chargers
- Re-signed to two-year deals: LB Nick Dzubnar, WR Geremy Davis
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Griff Whalen
Giants Focusing On Andrew Norwell
Linked to the Giants intermittently this offseason, Andrew Norwell is indeed a priority for Big Blue. In fact, it looks like the All-Pro guard is the Giants’ top priority.
At the tampering period’s outset, the Giants are turning their attention to Norwell and are optimistic about their chances of landing him, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
PFR’s top non-quarterback free agent, Norwell would satisfy a glaring Giants need — one Dave Gettleman has continually mentioned since being hired as GM — but it would not come cheap. Kevin Zeitler set the new guard standard by agreeing to a $12MM-per-year deal last March. Considering the cap is now $10MM higher than it was at the time of that signing, Norwell — a more acclaimed blocker than Zeitler — could fetch a bigger contract.
The Giants have approximately $19MM in cap space, so barring additional cuts, a Norwell pact would eat into the team’s funds. And Big Blue has multiple needs up front. Norwell, however, would represent the biggest step possible to filling one of them.
Extra Points: Sherman, 49ers, Talib, 49ers, Bucs, Greco
Richard Sherman has taken some flack for his one-year deal with the 49ers, but he has no regrets about acting as his own agent.
“I don’t think any agent in the business could have done a better job of negotiating this contract,” Sherman told Peter King of The MMQB. “As long as I’m content with what I’m making, nothing else matters to me. Once I make a Pro Bowl, $8MM the next year is guaranteed for me. It gives me the ability to control my destiny. The 49ers have skin in the game. I have skin in the game. In my former contract, no matter what I did this year, nothing would be guaranteed to me next year. I couldn’t feel secure in my contract. Now, if I play the way I know I’m capable of playing, I know I’m going to get paid.”
Sherman’s deal is a three-year, $39MM pact, but a deeper look shows that the real base value is just $21.15MM with another $18MM coming in the form of bonuses. In order to earn the full $39MM, Sherman must play in every regular season game, be on the field for 90% of snaps, and earn Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors in each season. In other words, it’s unlikely that Sherman will actually see the full value of the deal. Still, Sherman is content with how things played out and intimated that he wanted the opportunity to face his old team twice per year.
- Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (on Twitter) had more on the 49ers’ proposed trade for cornerback Aqib Talib from the Broncos, which Talib rejected. The 49ers were going to send a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft in exchange for the services of the five-time Pro Bowler. In the end, the Broncos traded Talib to the Rams for a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft.
- The Buccanneers looked to shore up their kicking woes of late by attempting to land former Florida State kicker Dustin Hopkins before he re-signed with the Redskins, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine. The Bucs cut former second-round pick Roberto Aguayo prior to last season and Nick Folk was cut last month after missing a majority of last season on injured reserve with a minor-injury designation. Free-agent addition Patrick Murray hit 82.6% of his kicks with Tampa Bay last year in 23 attempts, with a long of 50 yards.
- The Giants and offensive lineman John Greco agreed to a one-year deal last month and Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter) that his salary for 2018 will be $1.02MM. Greco appeared in six games for the Giants last season after spending the previous six seasons as a mainstay within the interior of the Browns’ offensive line.