Giants To Sign WR Golden Tate
The Giants have agreed to sign former Eagles wide receiver Golden Tate, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Tate will receive a four-year, $37.5MM contract with $23MM fully guaranteed, according to Schefter. 
Tate entered the offseason as one of the top available wide receivers, but many others agreed to deals during the legal tampering period. Alas, Tate has a home, although he’s a bit late in signing during Day 2 of the official free agency period.
The Patriots and Steelers, two teams who explored acquiring Tate from the Lions before last year’s trade deadline, were also said to be considering him. Instead, the Odell Beckham-less Giants have swooped him up in an effort to revamp their receivers group.
Between the Lions and Eagles, Tate caught 74 passes for 795 yards and four touchdowns in 2018. It was the first time he failed to crack 800 yards since the 2012 season, his first year as a starter.
A 1,000 yard receiver as recently as 2017, Tate could be in line for big numbers once again. His ceiling is obviously lower than OBJ’s, but he can help move the chains in New York. Going forward, Eli Manning will rely on Tate, Sterling Shepard, tight end Evan Engram, and running back Saquon Barkley to keep the offense moving.
Tate’s deal carries an average annual value of $9.375MM, putting him just outside of the Top 25 at the position. His AAV is roughly half of OBJ, who leads all receivers at $18MM/year.
Raiders Release A.J. McCarron
The Raiders have released backup quarterback A.J. McCarron per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The moves comes one day before McCarron was due a $3MM roster bonus, and three days before $1.1MM of his $1.8MM 2019 salary became fully guaranteed.
Just two weeks ago, the team indicated that it may keep McCarron around to serve as Derek Carr‘s backup in 2019. At the time, new GM Mike Mayock said, “I think Jon [Gruden] and I both believe that the backup quarterback is one snap away from playing. It’s important to have someone like McCarron ready to go.”
The roster bonus and salary guarantee proved too much to stomach, though the club could theoretically bring McCarron back on a new deal.
This continues a disappointing year for McCarron, who signed with the Bills last offseason with the expectation that he would become Buffalo’s starter. However, things changed in April when Buffalo drafted Josh Allen to be their QB of the future. Just before the start of the season, the Bills shipped McCarron to Oakland for a fifth-round pick.
Panthers Release LT Matt Kalil
Panthers veteran left tackle Matt Kalil has been released, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Panthers will cut him with a post-June 1 designation, saving the club roughly $7MM this year. After that, they’ll eat $5MM in 2019 and $9MM in 2020.
Kalil signed a higher-than-expected five-year, $55MM contract with the Panthers in 2017 and that deal still had guarantees going into 2019. The left tackle leaves Carolina after appearing in just 16 games (all in ’17).
Ultimately, this amounts to a cut-your-losses maneuver. The Panthers have a new owner in David Tepper, and the GM that authorized the Kalil contract, Dave Gettleman, is now with the Giants. Effectively, the club’s new decision makers are willing to chalk up Kalil’s deal – and the associated penalties – to a bad move by the old crowd.
Kalil has spent all of the 2018 season on injured reserve. After being taken out by the right knee injury, Chris Clark took over his spot. Next season, right tackle Taylor Moton could switch sides to man LT.
Vikings To Keep Everson Griffen
The Vikings and pass-rusher Everson Griffen have struck a deal for him to remain on the team, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Griffen was set to have his $10.9MM salary fully guaranteed by tomorrow, which gave the Vikings pause. Instead, the two sides negotiated to find a workaround.
Griffen will accept a base salary cut from $10.9MM to $6.4MM in a move that will create $4.3MM in savings for the Vikings, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com. However, his per-game roster bonus total will rise from $500K to $1.5MM, so he can make up some of that loss simply by staying on the field. Additionally, Griffen — who is currently under contract through 2022 — now has the ability to void the final three years of his pact by achieving incentives.
In order to void those seasons, Griffen must post six sacks while playing at least 56% of the Vikings’ snaps in 2019, tweets Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. Griffen can also collect $500K by producing eight sacks next year.
After a bevy of extensions in recent years, plus the massive free agent deal signed by Kirk Cousins last year, the Vikings are in a tough cap situation. Griffen, 31, signed a new deal with Minnesota just a couple of years ago, but releasing him would have saved them upwards of $10MM in cap space.
Last year, Griffen missed five games as he dealt with personal issues. Without confidence in Griffen’s status, the Vikings were unwilling to move forward under the previous terms of the deal, which runs through 2022.
But when he’s right, Griffen is excellent. Even in a 2018 season that saw him deal with apparently significant off-field matters, Griffen posted 5.5 sacks and graded out as an above-average edge defender.
After surprisingly re-signing Anthony Barr and finding a way to keep Griffen in the fold, the Vikings are bringing back all of their top defenders for at least one more season as they attempt to rebound from a disappointing 2018 campaign.
Bears To Sign Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
The Bears are replacing the recently-departed Adrian Amos with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). It will be a one-year deal for Clinton-Dix, who comes back to the NFC North after a brief hiatus in Washington. Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network tweets that Clinton-Dix will earn $3.5MM in 2019.
We learned yesterday that Clinton-Dix would be meeting with Chicago, and that visit apparently well for both sides. Although he is not as physical as Amos, who signed with the division-rival Packers (Clinton-Dix’s original team), Clinton-Dix does offer arguably better coverage ability. His skill-set is somewhat similar to that of new teammate and fellow safety Eddie Jackson, but the Bears, who boast one of the best overall defenses in the league, should be able to make it work.
The Redskins picked up Clinton-Dix from the Packers at the 2018 trade deadline in exchange for a fourth-round pick. In nine games in the nation’s capital, Clinton-Dix posted 66 tackles, three passes defensed, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. All told, Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s No. 17 safety last season.
Washington wanted him back, but the prospect of suiting up for a more legitimate contender and for a better defensive unit was the deciding factor. Indeed, Garafolo says that Clinton-Dix turned down more money “elsewhere” to play for Chicago and to reunite with Jackson, his former teammate at Alabama (it is unclear whether the Redskins’ offer was higher than the Bears’ proposal, but at least one team was offering more than $3.5MM).
Giants Interested In Josh Rosen; Latest On Eli Manning
The Giants are interested in trading for Cardinals’ QB Josh Rosen, per Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. However, they are unsure as to whether Arizona will actually make him available.
It is unclear exactly how acquiring Rosen would impact the status of Eli Manning, but both Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv and Graziano report that the current plan is to keep Manning in 2019, the last year of his present contract. We had been hearing that for some time, of course, but New York’s decision to trade Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns last night sparked a new wave of speculation that the team could also look to move on from Manning.
That speculation was fueled by the fact that Manning is due a $5MM roster bonus on Saturday — which the Giants could avoid if they cut Manning before that point — and the fact that the team is clearly embracing a full-blown rebuild. But Manning is the best option that New York has, and it’s not as though there is currently a long-term answer on the roster whose development is being hindered by Manning’s presence.
Big Blue did not select one of the best quarterbacks available in a loaded class last year, and the club may not take a first-round signal-caller this year. Although the Giants will do their due diligence on Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins, they may have their eye on next year’s more heralded prospects.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, have been heavily linked to Murray, and there have been plenty of rumors that the club would be willing to trade Rosen and make Murray the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft. Indeed, we heard a little over a week ago that Murray to the Cardinals was a “done deal.” That may or may not be true, but we recently learned that multiple teams have inquired on Rosen, and the Giants may be one of those teams.
49ers Sign Tevin Coleman
The 49ers have signed running back Tevin Coleman to a two-year, $10MM deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
San Francisco was surprisingly in the running back market even after inking Jerick McKinnon to a four-year, $30MM contract last offseason. McKinnon, of course, missed the entire 2018 season after tearing his ACL, and it wouldn’t result in a significant financial hit for the 49ers to part ways with him. SF reportedly also pursued Le’Veon Bell before he signed with the Jets.
For Coleman, a $5MM annual value is the disappointing result of a disappointing campaign. Coleman witnessed the Falcons give starting running back Devonta Freeman an $8.25MM annual average on a 2017 extension, all but ensuring Coleman wouldn’t be back in Atlanta when his contract expired. When Freeman went down in 2018, Coleman wasn’t able to capitalize with his expanded work load on the ground. While he managed 4.8 yards per carry, Coleman was also among the least efficient backs in the league, per Football Outsiders‘ metrics.
Where Coleman does excel is in the passing game. He’s posted at least 25 receptions in each of the past three seasons, while FO ranked him as a top-20 back in terms of receiving efficiency. Matt Breida, who took over as the 49ers’ starting back once McKinnon went down, isn’t much of a pass-catcher, so Coleman would complement him well. But if Coleman is taking over as San Francisco’s receiving back, McKinnon might not have a role (or a job).
Chiefs Release Eric Berry
The Chiefs have released Eric Berry, the club announced today.
“I’d like to thank Eric for his contributions to our team and the Kansas City community over the last nine years,” head coach Andy Reid said. “Seeing his passion and watching his love for the game has been truly remarkable. He’s a special person, and we wish him the best as his career moves forward.”
Berry, 30, was widely expected to be cut after Kansas City inked fellow safety Tyrann Mathieu to a three-year, $42MM. The two defensive backs could have complemented each other in the Chiefs’ secondary, but most teams are simply reluctant to spent an exorbitant amount of cap and cash on a single positional group.
Berry signed a six-year, $78MM extension with the Chiefs in 2017, and that deal had kept him as the NFL’s highest-paid safety until Landon Collins topped him earlier this week. Kansas City will designate Berry as a post-June 1 release (Twitter link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), meaning it will take on $6.95MM in dead money this year and $8MM in 2020. The Chiefs will see $9.55MM in cap relief, but they won’t receive that until this summer.
A terrific safety when on the field, Berry has been limited by health issues throughout his career. In five of his nine pro seasons, Berry has failed to play more than five games. He’s been available for only three total regular season contests over the past two years after rupturing his Achilles in September 2017. In spite of that, Berry doesn’t plan to undergo offseason surgery to correct his nagging heel concerns.
Berry’s market will be one to watch in the coming weeks, as the safety position has mostly been picked over in free agency. That should leave Berry as one of the more attractive options still available, but it also means many clubs have already filled their safety void. Given his injury history, it won’t be a surprise if the three-time All-Pro is forced to settle for a one-year deal.
Dolphins Meeting With Teddy Bridgewater
Teddy Bridgewater has agreed to a new deal with the Saints, but it might not be in the books just yet. The Dolphins are making a late push to sign the quarterback, according to Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Indeed, Bridgewater is meeting with the Dolphins today, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, who notes reports of Bridgewater’s contract with New Orleans may have been premature.
With the Saints, Bridgewater would serve as the backup for and heir apparent to Drew Brees. However, the Dolphins have a starting job available and Bridgewater is from Miami. There’s reason to believe that Bridgewater would be interested, but there’s no word yet on whether he would entertain the idea of backing out of his Saints pact.
The Dolphins were believed to be eyeing former Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor for a starting role, but Taylor signed a two-year deal to become Philip Rivers‘ backup with the Chargers. Miami is fully expected to move on from Ryan Tannehill this offseason, either via trade or release, and embark on a “tanking” strategy for at least the next year or so. The club will still need someone under center, however, and the 26-year-old Bridgewater would give the Dolphins a youthful option with experience.
Bridgewater, of course, suffered a gruesome leg injury in 2016 that knocked him out of action for the following two seasons. He inked a one-year deal with the Jets last offseason, but was eventually dealt to the Saints for a third-round pick. Bridgewater started New Orleans’ final regular season game, completing 14-of-22 passes for 118 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Bridgewater started 28 games for the Vikings from 2014-15, averaging 3,075 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions during that time. Among the 30 quarterbacks who attempted at least 500 passes in those two seasons, Bridgewater ranked 22nd in passer rating, 25th in adjusted net yards per attempt, and 29th in touchdown percentage
Panthers Re-Sign Daryl Williams
The Panthers have re-signed offensive tackle Daryl Williams to a one-year deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Williams was considered one of the best right tackles available on the open market, but it appears other clubs have at least some level of concern about the status of his right knee. The 26-year-old Williams dislocated his kneecap and tore his MCL last summer, but was still able to suit up for Carolina’s season opener. However, Williams wasn’t able to complete the game and went on injured reserve not long after going down.
As such, Williams was hitting the free agent period coming off a lackluster platform season, but he was still expected to cash in. Fellow right tackle Ja’Wuan James received $13MM annually from the Broncos, and it wouldn’t have been out of the question for Williams to target a similar contract. Instead, he’ll take a prove-it deal with the Panthers with the hope he can rebound and before hitting free agency again in 2019.
A fourth-round pick in 2015, Williams was a full-time starter in both 2016 and 2017, appearing in 29 games and making 26 starts during that time. Even without Williams available, the Panthers’ line was respectable in 2018, ranking among the top-ten front fives in Football Outsiders‘ pass- and run-blocking metrics. Williams will return to a line that now includes new center Matt Paradis in addition to Matt Kalil, Trai Turner, and whomever Carolina finds to play left guard.
The Giants and Bills — both of whom employ former Carolina staffers as general manager — each reportedly had their eyes on Williams. Buffalo signed Ty Nsekhe to handle right tackle, while New York could turn to a free agent group that includes Jared Veldheer, Jermey Parnell, and Ryan Schraeder.