Jets, Jamison Crowder Agree To Deal
The Jets are adding a weapon for Sam Darnold. Jamison Crowder and the Jets agreed to terms on a three-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
Crowder’s contract is worth $28.5MM, with $17MM fully guaranteed at signing, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter).
This will help a Jets receiving corps light on surefire long-term pieces. Crowder will join the recently extended Quincy Enunwa as parts of the next Gang Green aerial attack.
Crowder broke into the role of Washington’s slot receiver early in his career, posting multiple seasons north of 775 yards — the first of which on a Redskins offense that still had Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson. Crowder’s best season came when he was working with Kirk Cousins and that duo, an 847-yard, seven-touchdown 2016.
He struggled to stay healthy last season, playing in only nine games but is likely to see a hefty payday. Mike Maccagnan said the Jets were going to be aggressive in free agency, and the market’s top slot receivers were viewed as players set to cash in this year.
The Jets are in position to have Enunwa, Crowder and Robby Anderson in the fold for 2019, with the latter being given a second-round tender. Though, with the team still connected to Le’Veon Bell, it is unlikely the Jets are done adding skill-position talent this week.
Lions To Sign Trey Flowers
The Lions have agreed to sign free agent DE Trey Flowers, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Schefter tweets that it will be a five-year pact, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that it will be worth around $16MM-$17MM per year.
The official Flowers numbers are in. It’s a five-year, $90MM deal for the former Patriots defensive end, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter), adding Flowers will receive $56MM guaranteed and $40MM fully guaranteed at signing. All of that fully guaranteed cash will come Flowers’ way by 2020, per Albert Breer of SI.com (on Twitter). Flowers will earn $28.88MM in 2019 and $54.37MM in the first three years of this deal.
This contract will bring a $28MM signing bonus, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). The first two base salaries — $805K in 2019 and $11.13MM (2020) — are fully guaranteed, per Wilson, who adds Flowers’ next two salaries will be $14.38MM (2021, with that total being guaranteed for injury only) and $10MM. The $10MM 2022 figure becomes fully guaranteed if Flowers is on the Lions’ roster on the third day of the 2021 league year.
Flowers was one of the top defenders available on the market this year, and it was reported this morning that the Bills were interested in his services. The Jets and Dolphins were also rumored to be interested in the soon-to-be former Patriot, but he instead opted to reunite with Matt Patricia in Detroit to bolster a pass rush that definitely needs some help.
Flowers won’t turn 26 until August, so he has the chance to build on an already impressive resume. Last year, he set a new career high with 7.5 sacks and continued to generate pressure against opposing QBs. He graded out as the sixth-best edge rusher in the entire NFL according to Pro Football Focus, and he posted a career-best 88.7 overall score. That mark put him below only Calais Campbell, Khalil Mack, J.J. Watt, Von Miller, and Cameron Jordan.
The Lions were expected to be active in free agency, and they have not disappointed. Flowers is the biggest addition the club has made so far, but they also signed Danny Amendola this morning and are expected to sign Justin Coleman.
Redskins To Sign Landon Collins
Landon Collins has agreed to sign with the Redskins (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson). It’s a whopper of a contract: Collins will receive a six-year, $84MM deal with $45MM guaranteed to be paid out over the first three years, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 
That’s an astronomical figure for a box safety and a huge change from last year’s safety market, which led to disappointing deals for big names such as Tyrann Mathieu. Many feared that the safety market would continue to stall, but things are looking up for the NFL’s last line of defense.
Up until this point, Collins spent his entire career with the rival Giants, a team that did not feel he was worthy of the franchise tag this offseason. Collins clashed with team brass over his contract and threatened to hold out, leading to his exit. The Giants ultimately preferred a shot at a 2020 third-round compensatory pick to keeping one of the game’s most talented young safeties.
Collins, a second-round pick in the 2015 draft, has been a full-time starter for the Giants since entering the league. A two-time Pro Bowler, Collins posted 96 tackles, four passes defensed, and a forced fumble in 2018 while grading as the NFL’s 39th-best safety, per Pro Football Focus.
The Redskins acquired safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix from the Packers last year, but his status is in limbo as an unrestricted free agent. Collins will solidify a group that has moved on from D.J. Swearinger and might not include Montae Nicholson.
Lions To Sign Justin Coleman
The Lions are closing in on a deal with former Seahawks cornerback Justin Coleman, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The contract will make Coleman the NFL’s highest-paid nickel corner. It’s a four-year, $36MM deal, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
After spending two seasons in New England, Coleman was traded to Seattle in the 2017 offseason for a seventh-round pick in 2018. Mainly serving as a nickel back with the Seahawks, Coleman proved to be a brilliant add. Coleman hasn’t missed a game for the Seahawks in the past two seasons and has emerged as a quality stopper at an increasingly important position.
You may recall that Tavon Young, way back when in late February, became the league’s highest-paid nickel corner when the Ravens re-upped him on a three-year, $25.8MM extension. That mantle now belongs to Coleman, a player who had the benefit of shopping the open market.
Free agency does not formally begin until Wednesday, but Coleman reached his deal with Detroit on Monday, the first day of the so-called “legal tampering” period. Later this week, the contract will be made official.
49ers To Sign LB Kwon Alexander
Kwon Alexander is spoken for. On Monday, the 49ers signed the former Buccaneers linebacker to a four-year, $54MM deal (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). The pact includes $27MM guaranteed, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter) adds. 
John Lynch, who knows a thing or two about the Buccaneers’ organization, is investing big in the linebacker position. Alexander was expected to cash in this offseason, but few could have foreseen this type of deal for a player coming off of a torn ACL.
The Bucs discussed an extension with Alexander last year before his ACL tear in October, but they were unwilling to break the $10MM/year mark for him. Months later, the 49ers have shelled out $13.5MM per season for the soon-to-be 25-year-old.
A fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft, Alexander started 46 games over three-plus years with the Buccaneers. Last season, he posted 38 tackles, two forced fumbles, and one sack while grading as the No. 53 linebacker at the time of his injury, per Pro Football Focus. In 2017, Alexander earned his first career Pro Bowl selection and graded out as PFF’s No. 37 off-ball ‘backer. In 2016, he registered an eye-popping 145 stops.
Previously, the 49ers were looking into inside linebackers such as C.J. Mosley and Anthony Barr. In all likelihood, the Alexander signing will take them out of the mix for both players.
Giants Discussing Odell Beckham Jr. Trade
The Giants are still involved in trade discussions with Odell Beckham Jr., according to a source who spoke with Jeff Howe of The Athletic (on Twitter). We’ve been hearing conflicting reports on OBJ’s availability, but it appears that one of the league’s best wide receivers remains is on the block. 
The Giants, we heard, would not seriously entertain offers unless they were “overwhelmed” by another club’s pitch. But, at the same time, head coach Pat Shurmur was fed up with OBJ’s antics at times last year. OBJ drew the ire of team brass in 2018 when he openly questioned Eli Manning and the club’s quarterback situation.
Dave Gettleman gave his Odell Beckham Jr. party line at the combine, but nothing can be ruled out after Antonio Brown – this generation’s most dominant wide receiver – was traded to the Raiders. Brown’s lucrative extension with the Steelers did not preclude a trade and it’s believed that the Giants will approach OBJ talks with a similar mindset.
Following an injury-plagued 2017 campaign, OBJ managed to reel in 77 catches for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games last season. If he stays healthy and has the right pieces around him, it’s not hard to imagine OBJ getting back to the exceptional form he exhibited from 2014-2016.
Raiders To Sign LT Trent Brown
The Raiders are making some serious noise in March. On Monday, the club agreed to sign former Patriots tackle Trent Brown to a four-year, $66MM deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The pact, which includes $36.75MM guaranteed, will make Brown the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history. 
The league-wide dearth of quality offensive lineman has taken the OL market to previously unforeseen heights. Brown had an excellent platform season in his first (and only) year with the Patriots in 2018, but few expected him to break the bank in this fashion.
Last year, Brown started in all 19 regular and postseason games for New England en route to a Super Bowl championship. Pro Football Focus was bullish on his performance, ranking him 32nd among 80 eligible linemen.
The Raiders already had a left tackle in UCLA product Kolton Miller, but he’ll be shifted back over to the right side, Schefter hears (Twitter link). Miller, who many felt was a reach at No. 15 overall in last year’s draft, produced mixed results in his 16 starts last year. The youngster may have a greater comfort level on the opposite side of Brown.
Meanwhile, veteran Donald Penn is a “strong candidate for release,” according to Michael Gehlken of the Review- Journal (on Twitter). By cutting Penn, the Raiders can save $7.225MM against the 2019 cap. Due to injuries, the usually durable Penn was limited to only four games in 2018.
Eagles To Sign Malik Jackson
And then there was one. Malik Jackson will sign with the Eagles, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Word of Jackson’s impending deal comes moments after we learned the Eagles and Packers were the leading contenders to sign the defensive tackle. 
When all is said and done, it will be a three-year, $30MM deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). There’s no word yet on the guarantees or pay structure, but it sounds like a solid deal for both sides.
Jackson joined the Jaguars on a six-year, $85.5MM in 2016. Then, last week, the Jaguars released him in a cost-cutting measure. His release did not come as a huge surprise – Taven Bryan supplanted him down the stretch of the 2018 season and his contract precluded the club from trading him.
Last year, Jackson notched just 32 tackles and 3.5 sacks, with Pro Football Focus ranking him 85th among 112 interior defenders. However, he was a Pro Bowler as recently as 2017 and enjoyed a solid first season in Jacksonville. Jackson also racked up 14.5 sacks across his final three years in Denver, despite only spending one of those campaigns as a full-time starter.
With Jackson, the Eagles have successfully upgraded their defensive front after trading Michael Bennett to the Patriots.
Lions Sign Danny Amendola
The Lions have signed free agent wide receiver Danny Amendola, the team announced. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that it will be a one-year pact with a guaranteed base salary of $4.5MM. The deal also includes incentives that could push Amendola’s earnings up to $5.75MM.
Amendola, 33, was released by the Dolphins a few days ago after one year in South Beach. He posted 579 yards and one touchdown for the Fins, and he should be a solid addition to a strong group of skill players in Detroit. Although there was some mutual interest in a reunion between Amendola and Patriots, Amendola will be reuniting with several familiar faces from his days in New England in head coach Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn.
Amendola offers a reliable slot target to complement Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay on the outside, and he comes at a lower price than other free agent options like Adam Humphries and Jamison Crowder. He is also considerably older and may not have as much upside as either of those players, but the Lions are expected to be very active in free agency and wanted to get out in front of the receiver market, which is expected to once again be quite robust.
Indeed, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets that the Lions will be players at the top of the pass rush market, which is what they may now focus on after securing a serviceable replacement for Golden Tate, who was traded to Philadelphia last season.
Raiders To Re-Sign DT Johnathan Hankins
This will not win the Raiders’ weekend news cycle, but Johnathan Hankins agreed to terms to stay in the Bay Area. Hankins will stay with the Raiders on a two-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Hankins was scheduled to be a free agent for the third time in three offseasons, and his most recent stay on the market was extensive. Following a release from the Colts after one season, Hankins did not agree to terms elsewhere until September.
In 2017, he lingered in free agency after the first wave but signed a $9MM-AAV Colts deal. He will eschew another stay on the market.
Oakland initially inked Hankins to a one-year pact after Week 1 of last season. The parties will now work together again in 2019, with Hankins likely in line to stay a first-unit player under Paul Guenther. The second-year Oakland DC wanted the mammoth lineman back, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic (on Twitter).
Hankins started 14 games for the Raiders last season, doing so following his 2017 work as a Colts starter and three-year run as a Giants first-stringer. Despite going into his seventh season, Hankins is only set to turn 27 this offseason. He graded out as one of the league’s best interior defenders as a Colt, and although Pro Football Focus did not view his 2018 work with the Raiders in the same light (No. 76 out of 112 full-time interior defenders), the Raiders will use some of their extensive cap space to retain him.
The former second-round pick will now have a full offseason to work in Guenther’s system, a 4-3 look like he played with the Giants, this year.