Thomas Davis, Redskins Agree To Terms
Thomas Davis once announced he would retire after the 2018 season. But the Panthers’ all-time leading tackler will reunite with his longtime coach in Washington.
The 15-year veteran linebacker revealed (Twitter link) he has agreed to a deal with the now-Ron Rivera-led Redskins. Davis was cut by the Chargers late last week. Davis will turn 37 on Sunday, but he still impressively managed to start all 16 games for Los Angeles last year. A first-round pick out of Georgia all the way back in 2005, Davis spent his first 14 seasons with the Panthers. There was a stretch where it looked like his career was derailed, when he played in only nine games across three seasons from 2009-11 after tearing an ACL three times in less than two years.
Incredibly he bounced back from the poor injury luck, and started playing better than ever later in his career. He made the Pro Bowl three straight times from 2015-17, and was a large part of the reason that Carolina made the Super Bowl during the 2015 season.
Davis understandably didn’t look particularly spry during his brief time with the Chargers, and it’s highly possible that Washington doesn’t view him as a starter and wants him more for a leadership/mentorship type of role. It’ll be very interesting to see what the terms are here when they’re eventually released. The Redskins re-signed fellow linebacker Jon Bostic yesterday.
Chargers To Add T Bryan Bulaga
The Chargers will make a big move to bolster their needy tackle group. They are signing longtime Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a three-year, $30MM deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Bulaga spent 10 seasons in Green Bay, but when the Packers added Ricky Wagner, it became clear their incumbent would move on. The Bolts experienced rampant trouble at tackle last season, and Bulaga will now help protect Los Angeles’ to-be-determined quarterback.
In Bulaga and Trai Turner, the Bolts have now added higher-end starters at multiple positions up front. While L.A. used Russell Okung to acquire Turner, the team’s offensive line group is undoubtedly improved going forward. With the Bolts still in the running for Tom Brady, the Bulaga addition could be significant.
Despite Bulaga going into his 11th season, he will only turn 31 next week. He has battled injuries during his career but played 16 games this past season and 14 in 2018. Bulaga graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 15 overall tackle last season. The Chargers’ primary right-side option — Sam Tevi — graded as PFF’s No. 61 tackle last season.
While the Chargers still may have a need at left tackle, they now have two eight-figure-per-year players up front in these newcomers. They and the Buccaneers are the frontrunners for Brady, and each features talented skill-position arsenals. The 20-year veteran revealed Tuesday morning he would not return to the Patriots, and with Philip Rivers choosing the Colts, this likely sets the stage for either the Bolts or Bucs’ Q rating rising immensely soon.
Raiders To Sign Jason Witten
Here’s one that not many people saw coming. Tight end Jason Witten will be signing with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review Journal (Twitter link).
It’s a one-year deal that can be worth up to $4.75MM, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. Although we heard last month that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wanted Witten back, the tight end himself had said he was open to playing with another team. Witten also said that he preferred to finish his career in Dallas, but obviously it didn’t work out. Witten is a Cowboys icon, who spent 16 years with the team before now finally moving on at the age of 37.
Witten, of course, retired after the 2017 season for a brief and ill-fated stint as the Monday Night Football color commentator for ESPN. He’ll now be playing for a coach, Jon Gruden, who used to hold that exact role. After sitting out 2018 he returned to the Cowboys last year, and played a relatively significant role.
He appeared in all 16 games, catching 63 passes for 529 yards and four touchdowns. Despite his advanced age Witten has been remarkably durable, appearing in all 16 games in each of his last 15 seasons. He’ll likely play a reduced role as a pass-catcher in Vegas, and will probably serve as more of a mentor for Darren Waller, the Raiders tight end who broke out last year.
Witten was one of the last remaining ties to the old era of Cowboys football, and Dallas will likely move forward with Blake Jarwin as their unquestioned starter at the position. They signaled as much by inking him to a three-year extension Monday. Witten will end his run in Dallas as the Cowboys’ all-time leader in receptions, yards, and games played. He’s also fourth on the NFL’s all-time receptions list.
Colts To Sign Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers has agreed to a deal with the Colts on a deal that will pay him roughly $25MM per year, according to Judy Battista and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’ll be a one-year pact for the Colts and the longtime Bolts star, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) adds. 
[RELATED: Colts Trade For 49ers’ Buckner]
In February, the Chargers announced that they would not bring Rivers back for another season. Things had been trending in that direction for a while, despite all of the veteran’s accomplishments in San Diego and Los Angeles. He left the Chargers after setting more than 30 franchise records, making 224 consecutive starts, and earning eight Pro Bowl nominations.
Rivers, 38, isn’t coming off of his finest season, but the Colts believe that he’ll be a substantial upgrade over Jacoby Brissett. In 2019, Rivers was picked off 20 times against just 23 touchdowns. Historically, he’s been much much better in the TD/INT department. In 2018, for example, he threw for 32 TDs with 12 picks.
Even as he moves to a new part of the country, Rivers will be greeted by familiar faces. He has close ties to both Colts head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, both of whom are former Chargers assistants.
At $25MM per season, Rivers currently falls right around the middle of the pack in starting QB salary. He’ll likely tumble in the rankings by the end of the week, but he’s also earned lots of money over the course of his career. Besides, Rivers isn’t planning on playing until his late 40s like Tom Brady – this offseason, he indicated that he’d like to play for a couple more years. It’s possible he stays on the field for longer, but he did not go into free agency looking for a long committment.
Along the way, teams like the Buccaneers and Redskins have also been linked to Rivers, but the loudest rumblings have been coming from Indianapolis. Now, they’ve got him as their new quarterback with hopes of restoring the offense to its former glory.
Eagles Part Ways With Malcolm Jenkins
The Eagles announced that they will not exercise their 2020 option for safety Malcolm Jenkins. 
“Malcolm Jenkins has been an outstanding player for us and we are proud of everything he accomplished both on and off the field during his time in Philadelphia,” the team said in a statement. “Malcolm was a great teammate and leader, as well as one of the toughest and most reliable players to ever play in our city. After thorough discussion with Malcolm and his agent, Ben Dogra, both sides agreed on the difficult decision to turn the page on what was an incredible six-year relationship. We wish Malcolm and his family all the best as he pursues his next opportunity.”
The news comes right on the heels of the Eagles’ new agreement with safety Jalen Mills. It seems that Mills will help replace Jenkins in the starting lineup, though the team will have to draw from others when it comes to leadership.
Jenkins, 32, has been with the Eagles since 2014. He was an integral part of the team’s 2017 Super Bowl season and their fabric on the whole and expressed his desire to stay put. But, at the same time, he made it known that he would not play on his current contract.
“I won’t be back on the same deal,” Jenkins said, via Zach Berman of The Athletic (on Twitter). “That won’t happen. The market is good for safeties now. I consider myself in the top tier.”
The Eagles, meanwhile, did not want to commit major years or guaranteed dollars to the aging vet. With that, he’ll move to the open market where he’ll attract countless offers.
Before the release, Jenkins was set to play out the last season of his four-year, $35MM deal. Now, he’ll seek “top tier” money – roughly $10MM per year.
Dolphins To Sign RB Jordan Howard
Jordan Howard will play for a third team in three years. The former Bears and Eagles running back reached an agreement with the Dolphins, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The former fifth-round pick will land a two-year deal worth more than $10MM, Schefter notes. This continues a busy tampering period for the Dolphins.
Miami has added Byron Jones, Kyle Van Noy, Shaq Lawson, Ereck Flowers, Kamu Grugier-Hill and Emmanuel Ogbah since the tampering period began Monday afternoon. Howard will likely serve as the top veteran presence in the Fins’ backfield, with the team surely set to augment the position group in the draft.
Howard bounced back, to some degree, after a down 2018, posting a 4.4 yards-per-carry average. However, after a strong start upon being traded from Chicago to Philadelphia, Howard suffered a shoulder injury and was barely a factor down the stretch. In four seasons, Howard has totaled 979 touches. He posted two 1,000-yard seasons with the Bears — in 2016-17 — and has scored 32 touchdowns.
He will join a Dolphins backfield that lost Kenyan Drake and Mark Walton midway through last season, making Miami’s offense a largely one-dimensional unit. Howard will attempt to help Ryan Fitzpatrick or his to-be-determined successor in 2020.
Panthers To Sign Teddy Bridgewater
The Panthers are expected to sign Teddy Bridgewater when the league year officially kicks off on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen (on Twitter). The two sides are still ironing out the details, but it’ll be a three-year deal in the range of $60MM, Mort hears. 
On Tuesday morning, the Panthers announced that they have given Cam Newton permission to seek a trade. Interestingly, that news caught Newton off-guard – he accused the Panthers of “wordplay” to imply that he wanted out. Either way, Newton will be playing elsewhere in 2020 and Bridgewater will be the club’s starter moving forward.
Bridgewater, who is beloved by just about everyone in NFL circles, worked tirelessly to come back from what could have been a career-ending knee injury. Since moving on from the Vikings, he’s shown that he still has tons of talent to go along with his charisma and leadership.
Last year, he got five opportunities to start in Drew Brees‘ stead and he went undefeated. Now, heading into his age-28 season, the Panthers are hopeful that he can rekindle his early Minnesota magic.
Before the injury, Bridgewater averaged 3,075 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in his first two seasons. With the Saints, he sat for most of the 2018 season before leading the team to a 5-0 record in Brees’ absence last year. While Bridgewater ranked at or near the bottom in multiple Next Gen Stats focused on average air yards, he completed 67% of his passes in 2019.
This also represents an interesting move for a Panthers team that has been linked to a possible run at Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields in 2021. While Bridgewater will be tasked with taking over a team that has lost a lot of talent this year, he profiles as a quarterback talented enough to play Carolina out of the No. 1 or No. 2 draft slots — likely needed to secure Lawrence or Fields — next year.
Bears To Sign Robert Quinn, Cut Leonard Floyd
In one fell swoop, the Bears have revamped their pass rush. On Tuesday, the Bears agreed to a five-year, $70MM deal with Robert Quinn, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Meanwhile, they also released former first-round pick Leonard Floyd (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter).
Quinn’s deal includes $30MM fully guaranteed, giving him solid security over the course of the deal.
The Cowboys worked to keep Quinn, but the numbers crunch didn’t quite allow for that. Dallas, of course, came into the offseason with even bigger fish to fry, including negotiations with quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper. They already watched as cornerback Byron Jones left for the Dolphins, and now they’ll be losing another key member of their defense.
Quinn was the comeback kid in 2019, notching 11.5 sacks for Dallas. It was a resurgent year for the veteran, who had a rocky stretch following his last Pro Bowl appearance in 2014.
The 2011 first-round pick emerged as a serious force in 2012 and looked the part of a world-class defender in 2013 when he posted 19 sacks. He had a solid follow-up effort in 2014 (10.5 sacks), but he missed roughly half of 2015 and 2016 with the Rams. After spending the 2018 season with the Dolphins, Quinn was traded to the Cowboys last offseason.
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.
Panthers Give Cam Newton Permission To Seek Trade
The Panthers may be moving on from Cam Newton. On Tuesday, the club announced that they have granted their star quarterback permission to seek a trade.
“One of the distinct pleasures of my career was selecting Cam with the first pick in the 2011 draft,” GM Marty Hurney said in a statement. “Every year difficult decisions are made and they are never easy. We have been working with Cam and his agent to find the best fit for him moving forward and he will always be a Carolina Panther in our hearts.”
Newton, 31 in May, captured the NFL’s MVP trophy in 2015 and led the team to the Super Bowl. He also owns just about every franchise record for QBs.
Unfortunately, injuries have taken his career in a different direction as of late. The three-time Pro Bowler has gone under the knife multiple times, including surgeries to his throwing shoulder and left foot.
Newton may have lost some of his luster, but he should still hold appeal for teams in need of QB help. He’s slated to make just $18.6MM this season, making him a fairly affordable bridge option.
Any interested clubs will want to take a close look at his aforementioned maladies. At last check, we heard that Newton could ready to throw sometime this month, though the Panthers were planning to be cautious with him and delay some of his work until later in the spring.
Meanwhile, the Panthers are showing very strong interest in quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, sources tell Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). They’ll have competition for Teddy Two-Gloves, however – the Bears have shown interest (though they seem ready to pivot towards other passers) and the Bucs also see him as a strong fallback if they’re unable to land Tom Brady.
If the Panthers don’t go for Bridgewater, or another one of this year’s high-profile free agent QBs, they could consider a passer in the first round of the draft. The Panthers own the No. 7 overall pick, putting them in good position for most of this year’s top signal callers.
Saints, Drew Brees Agree To Deal
No surprise here. Drew Brees and the Saints have agreed to a brand new deal, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
Brees has re-upped with the team on a two-year, $50MM deal. Long ago, he confirmed that he would not be leaving the Saints, so it was just a matter of years and money.
The 19-year veteran turned down a two-year, $60M fully guaranteed deal from the Cardinals in 2018 to sign with the Saints, and he’s back on the same terms — two years, $50MM — he signed for then. This will almost certainly allow Brees to finish his career in New Orleans.
Brees, 41, is still playing at an extremely high level. The Saints, meanwhile, are also looking ahead. They’ll pass the torch from Brees to Taysom Hill this year – all while moving on from proven vet Teddy Bridgewater.
This is the fifth contract Brees has signed with New Orleans. Arriving in 2006, Brees has become by far the best and most important player in franchise history. He has become the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes and moved the Saints’ playoff win total from one to nine.
The future first-ballot Hall of Famer finished second in the 2018 MVP voting and looked sharp upon returning from his thumb injury last season, completing 74% of his throws for a second straight season and throwing 27 touchdown passes in just 11 games. While he may cede more time to Hill this season, the Saints’ best chance at another Super Bowl title will almost certainly involve Brees.