Giants Sign Dwayne Harris
WEDNESDAY, 9:41pm: The Giants announced that Harris’ signing is official, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News tweets.
TUESDAY, 3:46pm: The Giants have signed former Cowboys receiver and kick returner Dwayne Harris, according to Charles Davis of Fox Sports. Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports! reports that Harris’ deal is for five years at $3.5MM per season. It includes $7.1MM in guarantees.
Dallas chose Harris in the sixth round of the 2011 draft and he ultimately appeared in 45 games for the club, all since 2012. The 27-year-old caught 33 passes during his time with the Cowboys and finished ninth in the NFL in both kick and punt return yardage in 2014. He was second in the league in both kick return yardage and yards per return in 2013.
Giants Sign Jonathan Casillas
WEDNESDAY, 9:36pm: The Giants announced that Casillas’ signing is official, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News tweets.
TUESDAY, 3:22pm: The Giants have agreed to sign linebacker Jonathan Casillas, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. Per Graziano, it’s a three-year deal worth $10.5MM.
Casillas, a 27-year-old journeyman, had spent time with Saints and Buccaneers before being traded to the Patriots last year. In New England, he started three games, but was mostly a special teams contributor. In New York, he’ll join Jon Beason, who recently restructured his contract, at linebacker.
Giants Sign Shane Vereen
WEDNESDAY, 9:34pm: The Giants announced that Vereen’s signing is official, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News tweets.
TUESDAY, 1:41pm: Vereen’s deal is actually expected to for three years instead of four, tweets Vacchiano, noting that the annual rate should still be $4MM. Sources say it will feature $5MM in guarantees.
12:54pm: It’ll be a four-year deal that could be worth more than $16MM, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
12:35pm: Vereen to the Giants is a “done deal,” tweets Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports. Of course, it can’t officially be “done” for about two and a half more hours, so we shouldn’t lock it in quite yet, but it looks like the running back will end up in New York.
11:53am: Shane Vereen is expected to sign with the Giants, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Finding a versatile running back was near the top of the wish list for the Giants this offseason and Vereen would certainly fit the bill. Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) hears that the unrestricted free agent will still give the Pats an opportunity to match or best the Giants’ offer.
Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reported on Monday that the Giants were “very serious” about adding Vereen. Vereen was said to be seeking $3.5MM annually, but it’s not yet known how much Big Blue has offered him. At last check, the Pats were not willing to approach that $3.5MM/year price tag. The Jets were among the teams with interest in Vereen, but they’re presumably out of the mix after re-signing Bilal Powell.
Vereen, 26, ran for 391 yards off of 96 carries in 2014, good for an average of 4.1 yards per attempt. He was also heavily involved in the Pats’ passing game for the second year in a row, recording 52 catches for 447 yards. Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d) placed him as the 28th best tailback out of 57 qualified players last season with a slightly below average grade of -1.0.
AFC Notes: Houston, Wallace, Broncos
Some assorted notes from around the AFC…
- The Chiefs haven’t spoken to linebacker Justin Houston‘s representatives since slapping him with the nonexclusive franchise tag in early March, according to Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star. However, general manager John Dorsey said the lack of progress on a longterm contract isn’t a reason to panic. “It’s an ongoing process, it doesn’t happen overnight,” he said. “These things with players of this magnitude, it’s gonna take a while.”
- The Dolphins have seen plenty of roster turnover recently, but it sounds like the team is hoping to keep two potential cap casualties. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald says the team is working to restructure the contracts of wideout Mike Wallace and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe. Salguero notes that the status of these negotiations could determine whether the duo sticks around for next season.
- The Broncos are seeking reinforcement in their secondary, and ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets that the team will meet with safety Darian Stewart on Thursday. Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun says that both sides will instead meet this evening, and he notes that the Giants are also interested.
- Defensive end Vance Walker will meet with the Broncos later this week, according to Mike Klis of The Denver Post. The 28-year-old spent last season with the Chiefs.
Minor Moves: Wednesday
Today’s minor moves…
- The Giants have waived cornerback Travis Howard, according to the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz (via Twitter). The 25-year-old has yet to play an NFL game, and he spent last season on the injured reserve.
Earlier updates:
- The Chiefs will sign offensive lineman Paul Fanaika, according to Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star (via Twitter). The 28-year-old started 30 games with the Cardinals over the past two seasons.
- The Patriots have added cornerback Chimdi Chekwa on a one-year deal, according to ProFootballTalk (on Twitter). The former fourth-rounder had spent the entirety of his four-year career with the Raiders.
- The Patriots signed wide receiver Kevin Dorsey, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today (on Twitter). Dorsey also had interest from the 49ers.
- Veteran long snapper Mike Leach re-signed with the Cardinals on a one-year deal today, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Terms weren’t disclosed, but it figures to be a minimum salary benefit contract with a modest signing bonus for the 38-year-old
- The Patriots have re-signed wide receiver Brian Tyms according to the NFL’s transaction wire, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets. The Pats declined to make Tyms a qualifying offer on Tuesday but they’ve presumably signed him at a lesser rate.
- The Browns announced that they have re-signed wide receiver and top special teams contributor Marlon Moore. Moore, 27, appeared in 13 games and was the team’s leading kickoff returner with an average of 24.8 yards on his 13 attempts.
Giants’ Tom Coughlin Signs Extension
7:24pm: The Giants have officially extended Coughlin’s contract through the 2016 season, tweets Schwartz.
MARCH 11, 4:22pm: Coughlin’s one-year extension will be announced soon, perhaps even Wednesday afternoon, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter).
FEBRUARY 23: During his press conference at the combine in Indianapolis, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said that extension talks between he and the team had occurred, and he would soon be able to provide an update on that front. It appears that update will come today. According to Kimberly Jones of NFL.com (via Twitter), the expectation is that Coughlin will sign a one-year extension with the Giants after he returns from the combine today.
Almost exactly a year ago to the day, Coughlin agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Giants, and it looks like his new deal will be another one-year pact. While the longtime coach joked at season’s end that he thinks he has at least another decade in him, he’ll turn 69 before the 2015 season begins, so it makes sense that he and the club would keep agreeing to short-term extensions rather than a multiyear pact. Coughlin’s current contract would have expired at the end of the coming season, so tacking on an extra year will allow him to avoid heading into the year as a lame-duck coach.
For a time during the 2014 season, the Giants were playing so poorly that it seemed as if it could be Coughlin’s last year in New York. However, the team won three of its last four games, and the emergence of rookie wideout Odell Beckham in the season’s second half provided some optimism for the franchise going forward. Coughlin also had to deal with an unusual number of injuries in ’14 — per Spotrac, no club finished the season with more players on the injured reserve list than the Giants, who had 22 guys on IR.
Financial terms of Coughlin’s new deal aren’t yet known, but if he earns a similar salary to his previous contract, his one-year compensation figures to be in the neighborhood of $7MM.
Giants Re-Sign Mark Herzlich, Henry Hynoski
12:13pm: It’s a two-year deal worth $2MM for Hynoski, Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger tweets.
11:58am: The Giants have confirmed their agreement with Herzlich and also announced in a press release that they’ve re-signed fullback Henry Hynoski. Hynoski is considered one of the league’s best blocking fullbacks, ranking second in the category in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required).
10:36am: The Giants have re-signed linebacker Mark Herzlich, according to Nick Powell of the Star-Ledger (via Twitter). Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter) adds that it’s a two-year pact.
Herzlich, 27, didn’t have a significant role on defense for the Giants in 2013, playing just 194 snaps. However, this past season, he wound up making eight starts for the Giants. In significant time at both Sam and Will linebacker, Herzlich recorded 52 total tackles, two pass deflections, one fumble recovery, and one sack.
The Boston College product has spent all four seasons of his young NFL career with the Giants.
Giants Sign J.T. Thomas
WEDNESDAY, 9:39pm: The Giants announced that Thomas’ signing is official, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News tweets.
TUESDAY, 5:09pm: The Giants are set to sign linebacker J.T. Thomas, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’ll be a three-year deal worth $12MM with $4.5MM fully guaranteed.
Thomas, 27 in August, appeared in all 16 games for the Jaguars last season and made ten starts. In total, he had a career-high 85 tackles to go with five pass deflections and two forced fumbles. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) wasn’t all that impressed with Thomas’ play in 2014, giving him an overall grade of -16.1, placing him as one of the worst inside linebackers in the NFL.
Linebacker was an area of need for the Giants this offseason, but the size of the deal given to Thomas is rather surprising given his previous body of work.
Contract Details: Franklin, Kern, Cole, Vereen
A few details on some noteworthy new contracts from around the NFL:
- Orlando Franklin, G (Chargers): Five years, $35.5MM base value. $15.5MM fully guaranteed at signing (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Brett Kern, P (Titans): Five years, $15MM base value. $2.5MM signing bonus. $5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com).
- Trent Cole, OLB (Colts): Two years, $14MM base value. $2MM signing bonus. $8MM guaranteed at signing. $1MM annually in playing-time/sack incentives (Twitter links via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com).
- Shane Vereen, RB (Giants): Three years, $12.3MM base value. $3.5MM signing bonus. $4.75MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- J.T. Thomas, LB (Giants): Three years, $10MM base value. $4.5MM guaranteed. $1MM annual escalators in 2016, 2017 (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Virgil Green, TE (Broncos): Three years, $8.4MM base value. $4.2MM guaranteed. Max value of $11.25MM (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Sergio Brown, S (Jaguars): Three years, $7MM base value. $1MM guaranteed. Escalators can push total value up to $9MM (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Ed Dickson, TE (Panthers): Three years, $6.8MM base value. $2MM signing bonus ($700K deferred) (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Joe Berger, OL (Vikings): Two years, $2.155MM base value. $130K guaranteed. $800K available in incentives (Twitter link via Pelissero).
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Today’s minor moves…
- The Patriots have agreed to terms to re-sign linebacker and special-teamer Chris White, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- The Broncos have signed tight end Joe Don Duncan, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Duncan went undrafted in 2014 out of Dixie State.
Earlier updates
- The Giants cut offensive tackle Rogers Gaines, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post tweets.
- After losing safety Sergio Brown earlier today, the Colts have re-signed fellow safety Colt Anderson, who is a core special teams player, per Kevin Bowen of Colts.com (Twitter link).
- The Texans announced they’ve re-signed linebacker Jeff Tarpinian. The 27-year-old has played in 22 games over the past two seasons, and Houston in special teams tackles in 2014.
- The Giants are set to re-sign Chris Ogbonnaya today, Dan Graziano of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. The 28-year-old (29 in May) joined up with the Giants in December of last year amidst their rash of injuries.
- Washington announced the re-signing of safety Trent Robinson. Robinson, 23, was originally drafted by the 49ers in the sixth round of the 2012 draft. He signed with Washington in October of 2013 and has appeared in 26 games with the Redskins across the last two seasons.