Buccaneers “All In” On Tom Brady
The Buccaneers are “going all in” on legendary signal-caller Tom Brady, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay, of course, has been connected to Brady in recent rumors, but it was difficult to determine how serious the team’s interest was. Apparently, it’s very serious.
Bucs head coach Bruce Arians has generally been non-committal towards incumbent passer Jameis Winston, who, like Brady, is eligible for free agency. Stroud says Arians wants to move on from Winston, and GM Jason Licht is willing to defer to his head coach.
Licht and Arians certainly have plenty to offer Brady. The club is among the league leaders in cap space and will have plenty of money to lure Brady to sunny, family-friendly Tampa while giving him a two- or three-year deal. The Bucs also have a dynamic pair of receivers and a talented (if uncertain) tight end, and they plan to add the type of pass-catching back that Brady covets. They also plan to draft an offensive tackle to shore up his protection, and Stroud says they will probably add a receiver from the immensely deep class of collegiate wideouts.
The Bucs will also allow Brady to take charge of the offense, and the fact that Florida has no state income tax will only help the team’s push. The defense also looks like a unit on the rise, so if you squint hard enough, you can see Tampa Bay as a contender with Brady under center.
If Brady chooses to sign elsewhere, Stroud says the Bucs’ fallback options are Teddy Bridgewater and Philip Rivers, in that order. Failing that, a reunion with Winston could still be in play, but that is sounding increasingly like a worst-case scenario for the Bucs.
Texans Will Allow CB Johnathan Joseph To Hit Free Agency
The Texans will allow veteran CB Johnathan Joseph to reach free agency, per a team announcement. The announcement noted that the two sides mutually agreed to this course of action.
Joseph, a 2006 first-round pick of the Bengals, spent the first five years of his career with Cincinnati before signing a five-year, $48.75MM with the Texans prior to the 2011 season (a transaction that today’s announcement said was possibly the most celebrated free agent signing in franchise history). Joseph earned a Pro Bowl nod in both of his first two seasons in Houston, and he went on to appear in 133 games (128 starts) with the team.
After the expiration of the five-year contract, Joseph signed two two-year deals to remain with the Texans. In 2018, he turned in one of the better seasons of his career, notching 58 tackles, two interceptions, and a touchdown en route to a top-10 ranking in Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. That performance led Houston to reward Joseph with a raise, but he was not nearly as effective in 2019.
Nonetheless, even cornerbacks on the back nine of their careers can still attract plenty of attention on the open market, especially those with track records like Joseph’s. And Mark Berman of Fox 26 hears that Joseph, 35, could still return to the Texans after he has seen what other teams have to offer (Twitter link).
But in the meantime, Houston will search for an upgrade. The Texans were interested in trading for Broncos CB Chris Harris prior to the 2019 deadline, and Troy Renck of Denver7 says the team is again showing strong interest in Harris — who is now eligible for free agency — this offseason (Twitter link).
In a career that has spanned exactly 200 regular season contests, Joseph has accumulated 755 tackles, 194 passes defensed, and a healthy seven pick-sixes. He has earned over $80MM between the Bengals and Texans.
Dolphins To Release S Reshad Jones
The Dolphins are releasing safety Reshad Jones, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (Twitter link). The move will become official when the new league year opens on March 18.
Miami’s decision is not exactly surprising. Jones, 32, made the Pro Bowl in 2017, but he has dealt with a number of injuries over the past few seasons, and he suited up for just four games in 2019. The Dolphins plan to deploy Bobby McCain and Eric Rowe at the safety positions in 2020, and the three-year, $18MM extension that Rowe signed with the team in December made a Jones return a questionable proposition at best.
While a reworked contract for Jones was reportedly under consideration, and though the 2010 fifth-rounder expressed back in September that he would like to remain with Miami for the long haul, it always seemed more likely that the Dolphins would cut bait. The team was in trade talks with Pittsburgh at the start of the 2019 campaign, but after an injury-marred season, no one was going to trade for Jones and his $11.5MM salary this offseason.
Still, he should garner plenty of interest on the open market. The Cowboys have been in need of a high-caliber safety for a few years now, and the Browns and Raiders could also be fits. Jones is unlikely to make anywhere close to the $11.5MM he would have earned with Miami, though he may be able to land a fairly lucrative multi-year pact. The Dolphins, meanwhile, will incur a big dead money charge by releasing Jones but will still clear about $5.3MM from their books, leaving the team with close to $100MM of cap space (if a new CBA is agreed to, the team could designate Jones as a post-June 1 cut and spread the dead cap hit over the next two seasons).
Jones was the longest-tenured Dolphin, and he leaves the team with 776 total tackles, 10.5 sacks, 55 passes defensed, 21 interceptions, and six total touchdowns in 128 games (113 starts).
NFLPA Elects J.C. Tretter As President
The NFL Players’ Association has elected J.C. Tretter as its new president, the union announced on Tuesday. Last week, Tretter was one of four players nominated for the position. Now, he’ll spearhead the NFLPA during a critical stretch in the CBA talks. 
Last week, NFLPA’s presidential race came down to Russell Okung, Michael Thomas (of the Giants), Sam Acho, and Tretter. Okung has been lobbying for the job for months, but he backed out of the running this week and put his support behind Thomas.
Tretter, a center for the Browns, will take over for Eric Winston, who has served as the union prez since 2014. There will be little time for on-the-job training: The NFLPA has until Saturday to vote on the proposed CBA and travel hazards associated with the coronavirus scare may complicate things further. Meanwhile, we’re also just days away from the official start of NFL free agency.
If more than 50% of players vote against the CBA, the 2020 season will be played under the current CBA, which was established in 2011. That CBA expires in March 2021. If the proposed CBA is not ratified, we’ll be looking at increased odds of a strike or lockout next year.
In the last round of voting, Thomas and Okung both voted against the CBA, Acho voted in favor of it, and, in the immediate aftermath, no one knew Tretter’s take. But, on Tuesday, PFT’s Mike Florio (via Twitter) reported that Tretter voted in favor of the CBA. With that in mind, Tretter’s election may bode well for a deal between now and Saturday.
Ravens’ RG3 Drawing Trade Interest
Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III is drawing trade interest from other teams, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Griffin is due $2MM in 2020, though that sum is completely non-guaranteed. 
Griffin, 30, currently serves as the backup to superstar QB Lamar Jackson. It’s surprising to hear that the Ravens would entertain trades for him, though it’s possible that they would like to add to their draft stockpile while replacing him with another QB2. If the Ravens move on from Griffin and do not sign or draft another signal caller, they’d be left with Penn State product Trace McSorley as Jackson’s backstop.
Last year, Griffin was called upon to start in the season finale against the Jets. The Ravens won that game 28-10, though Griffin completed just over half of his pass attempts.
This isn’t the first time that Griffin has drawn trade interest during his Ravens tenure. In April of last year, the Jaguars reportedly expressed interest in the longtime Redskins star before inking Nick Foles to a massive free agent deal.
Griffin won the Heisman Trophy at Baylor and looked the part of a future NFL megastar in his rookie season with the Redskins. Health issues sidetracked him afterwards. No one expects Griffin to reprise his 2012 campaign, but he still holds lots of value for NFL teams.
NFL Moves Franchise Tag Deadline
The NFL’s franchise tag deadline has been moved to Monday, according to NFL.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). It’s a sensible move, designed to project the league against a logistical nightmare as the collective bargaining agreement talks drag. 
[RELATED: J.C. Tretter, Michael Thomas, Sam Acho Nominated For NFLPA President]
In the final year of the CBA, teams were slated to have a loophole that would enable them to use the franchise and the transition tag. It’s been an oft-discussed scenario for the Cowboys, who could have theoretically used one tag on quarterback Dak Prescott and the other on Amari Cooper. If the CBA is ratified between now and Monday, that option will no longer be there. If the CBA doesn’t pass by Monday and there isn’t an additional extension, the loophole may still be available.
As it stands, the NFLPA’s voting window has until Saturday to put the proposed CBA into place. The new franchise tag deadline has been set for 11:59am ET/10:59am CT. After that, the “legal tampering” period gets underway on Monday at 12pm ET/11am CT. On Wednesday at 4pm ET/3pm CT, free agency officially begins.
Jets To Release CB Trumaine Johnson
A Jets long-anticipated Jets transaction will commence soon. The Jets have informed Trumaine Johnson he will be released, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports.
The Jets signed Johnson to a monster contract in 2018, but injuries and ineffectiveness have marred the cornerback’s post-Rams career. Johnson’s $11MM 2020 base salary would have become guaranteed on March 20.
This move is not especially advantageous to the Jets, who will eat $12MM in dead money while reaping just $3MM in cap savings. A new CBA being agreed to will allow the Jets to designate Johnson as a post-June 1 release, thus spreading out the cap hit over multiple years. If the players do not ratify the CBA proposal, the Jets will be tagged with that $12MM this year since post-June 1 cuts are not permitted in a CBA’s final year.
Since-fired GM Mike Maccagnan signed Johnson for five years and $72.5MM two years ago. After an appearance on the Forbes list due to his back-to-back franchise tags with the Rams from 2016-17, Johnson intercepted four passes in 10 games with the Jets in 2018 but made just five starts last season. Johnson dealt with a quad injury in 2018 and went on IR midway through last season.
The Jets hoped Johnson reuniting with ex-Rams DC Gregg Williams would reignite the veteran defender, Mehta adds, but nothing of that sort transpired. Pro Football Focus viewed Johnson’s 2019 play as having fallen off considerably compared to his first seven NFL seasons, and Adam Gase benched him during the campaign. The Jets attempted to trade him at last year’s deadline but predictably found no taker for his contract, which contained $34MM in guarantees.
Although Johnson did not make a Pro Bowl with the Rams, he commanded two franchise-tag salaries after the team moved to Los Angeles. However, the Jets’ decision to sign him will go down as another major Jets misstep during Maccagnan’s run. The bulk of the Jets’ major veteran investments under Joe Douglas‘ predecessor have either failed — Johnson, Darrelle Revis, Muhammad Wilkerson — or not taken off (Le’Veon Bell, C.J. Mosley).
The Jets are expected to be active in free agency again this year, and cornerback will be one of Gang Green’s goals when the market opens.
Bills To Sign Josh Norman
Josh Norman will attempt to bounce back with some familiar personnel. The former Panthers and Redskins cornerback agreed to terms with the Bills on a one-year deal, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).
The contract is worth $6MM but could climb to $8MM based on incentives, Garafolo notes. This will reunite Norman with former Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott and ex-Carolina assistant GM Brandon Beane. The top two members of Buffalo’s power structure were with Carolina throughout Norman’s Panthers tenure. Beane revealed the Bills were interested last month.
Several teams expressed some degree of interest, which helps explain the $6MM Bills proposal, but Garafolo adds (via Twitter) Norman opted for Buffalo because of his familiarity with McDermott’s system and the presence of top-tier cornerback Tre’Davious White.
Washington released Norman earlier this year, cutting ties with what was the league’s top cornerback contract for years. The 32-year-old defender will return to the system that turned him from 2012 fifth-round pick to a first-team All-Pro.
As of now, Norman will become Buffalo’s highest-paid cornerback. While the team wants to extend White, the Bills’ CB1 remains attached to his rookie deal. The Bills have fellow rookie-contract cogs Levi Wallace and Taron Johnson in place as well, but Kevin Johnson looms as a free agent. Pro Football Focus graded Kevin Johnson as its No. 24 overall cornerback last season.
Norman dominated during the Panthers’ 2015 season, playing a key role in their run to Super Bowl 50. He intercepted four passes, taking two back for touchdowns. It remains one of the best contract-year performances in modern NFL history. The Panthers rescinded Norman’s franchise tag in April 2016, leading to his five-year, $75MM Redskins pact. He did not match that play in Washington, a tenure that ended with the Redskins benching him last season.
Norman’s $15MM-per-year deal did not produce a Pro Bowl with the Redskins, but he will land on his feet with a chance to become a supporting-caster on a talented Bills roster.
Chargers, Austin Ekeler Agree To Deal
The Chargers have identified the running back they’d like to keep for the long haul. Instead of Melvin Gordon, former UDFA Austin Ekeler now has a second Bolts contract.
Ekeler agreed to a four-year, $24.5MM deal on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). This pact will include $15MM in guaranteed money. Ekeler was a restricted free agent but is now locked up through the 2023 season.
This represents a remarkable rise for Ekeler, who entered the league in 2017 undrafted out of Division II Western State (Colo.). While he backed up Gordon for most of his first two seasons, Ekeler thrived in a starting role and then alongside the former first-round pick in 2019.
He finished with 993 receiving yards — fifth-most ever in a season for a pure running back — and totaled 1,550 from scrimmage. Ekeler added 11 touchdowns and became the first Charger in 34 years to post a 100-100 game, which occurred against the Jaguars in December. His 10.3 receiving yards after catch ranked second in the NFL, per ESPN Stats & Info.
A report pointed Gordon toward free agency Thursday, and this Ekeler accord confirms it. After Gordon became extension-eligible in January 2018, the sides went two years without agreeing to terms. And Gordon’s 2019 holdout undoubtedly benefited his backup’s case for a payday. Ekeler agreed to his re-up — at a price south of what Gordon sought during his holdout — after being extension-eligible for barely two months. The Bolts and Ekeler began negotiating the extension in January, Schefter adds.
At 24, Ekeler is two years younger than Gordon and has logged 443 career touches — well behind Gordon’s 1,283. The Chargers should be able to rely on their passing-down back for a few more seasons, while Gordon will now have a chance to gauge his value on the open market.
Titans Confident They Can Beat Out Patriots For Tom Brady?
The Titans have moved into another level in one of the most complex free agency processes in recent NFL history. Not only are they one of the central teams navigating the CBA-related uncertainty, they are now juggling multiple quarterback plans.
Two months after beating the Patriots in a wild-card game, the Titans are confident that if it comes down to a head-to-head matchup between they and the Pats, they will be able to lure Tom Brady away from New England, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com said during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up! (video link).
The Titans are simultaneously negotiating with Ryan Tannehill, Fowler adds. The latter is believed to be seeking a contract in the $30MM-per-year range, per Fowler, who notes a mystery team is in play here as well. Several other teams have been mentioned as Brady suitors — from the Buccaneers to the 49ers, Chargers and Raiders — so it is unclear if there is a true mystery team in the mix or if one of the previously mentioned franchises is competing with the Titans and Patriots.
Tennessee has Tannehill, Derrick Henry and Jack Conklin as free agents. If the new CBA is ratified by March 12 at 11pm CT, teams that have used multiple tags must rescind one. The Titans are hoping to use both their franchise and transition tags, in order to keep all three of their marquee UFAs, but have not used one yet.
If Brady is truly in play for Tennessee, which has a Patriots alumni power structure of Jon Robinson and Mike Vrabel, then it would appear Henry is the better bet to be tagged. But the Titans also run the risk of not tagging Tannehill and losing both he and Brady on the market. The Bucs are also investigating Tannehill. With nothing major coming from the initial Brady suitors — the Chargers and Raiders — this situation may be trending toward the Titans as the top threat to battle the Patriots once the tampering period begins. Tennessee and New England are projected to hold $50MM and $41MM in cap space, respectively.
Brady and Bill Belichick spoke about the quarterback’s contract for the first time this offseason. While that conversation produced conflicting reports, the Pats and their all-time great do not appear much closer to a resolution. The legal tampering period begins March 16. The Pats are still the Las Vegas favorites to sign Brady, but the future first-ballot Hall of Famer is certainly making this interesting.
From a Titans perspective, this marks familiar territory. They finished second in 2012’s Peyton Manning pursuit and saw Brady’s top rival thrive with the Broncos. While Brady is seven years older now than Manning was then, and the Titans feature a better quarterback option in Tannehill compared to Jake Locker in 2012, the organization nevertheless appears to be strongly considering a run at another high-profile starter.