49ers To Decline Laken Tomlinson’s Option
The 49ers are not exercising fifth-year option on left guard Laken Tomlinson, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. However, he adds that the team still views him as a starter. With that in mind, the Niners will try to keep him around on a deal that will cost less than the $9.6M option. 
Tomlinson, 26, was made the No. 28 pick in the 2015 draft by the Lions. He started the first two years of his career at left guard for the Lions and served in the same capacity for the Niners after coming over in a trade last summer. Tomlinson missed the 2017 season opener, but played in the next 15 games.
Last year, Tomlinson earned the best marks of his career from Pro Football Focus. He graded out as the league’s No. 32 ranked guard, per PFF, which shows that he is clearly a starting caliber player. Still, the Niners believe that they can lock him up at a lesser rate going forward.
For now, he’s under contract for one more season as a part of an overhauled Niners offensive line. The Niners project to start three newcomers – guard Jonathan Cooper, center Weston Richburg, and first-round tackle Mike McGlinchey – along with Tomlinson and left tackle Joe Staley.
Patriots Decline Danny Shelton’s Option
The Patriots aren’t planning to pick up the fifth-year option on defensive tackle Danny Shelton, a source tells Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Many expected the Pats to tack the additional year on to Shelton’s rookie deal, so this comes as a bit of a surprise. 
Shelton is now on course to hit the open market after the 2018 season. As shown on PFR’s Fifth-Year Option Tracker, Shelton would have cost the Patriots $7.154MM in 2019 had they exercised the option and kept him on the roster through next year.
The Patriots acquired Shelton from the Browns (along with a 2018 fifth-round pick) in exchange for a 2019 third-round choice. In his three seasons with the Browns, Shelton started in 45 of his 46 appearances and turned in some solid performances as a part of a not-so-solid Browns front seven. Even in a down 2017, he still graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 35 ranked interior defender out of 122 qualified players.
As shown on Roster Resource, the Patriots also have Lawrence Guy and Malcom Brown in the middle, but Shelton should have an opportunity to compete for a first-string job in camp. Shelton has demonstrated the ability to play in multiple schemes and his versatility should make him a solid replacement for Alan Branch in the rotation.
Jaguars Decline Dante Fowler’s Fifth-Year Option
The Jaguars elected not to exercise the fifth-year option on defensive end Dante Fowler, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. However, he adds that the Jags still believe he’s an ascending player and hope to sign him to a long-term deal. 
The decision on Fowler may have been one of the trickier calls in this year’s bunch of fifth-year options. Fowler, 24 in August, missed his entire rookie season but became a solid contributor for the team upon taking the field in 2016. Last year, he set new career highs with eight sacks and two forced fumbles.
Still, extending Fowler’s deal through 2019 would have cost the team an additional $14.2MM. The option is guaranteed for injury only, but that would have been a risky proposition in light of his 2015 ACL tear.
Fowler will return as the Jaguars’ first defensive end off of the bench behind starters Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell. Campbell has three years to go on his four-year, $60MM deal with the Jaguars and the team will have to address Ngakoue’s contract after the 2019 season, so there’s definitely a limit on how much they can pay Fowler.
Latest On Dez Bryant
The market for Dez Bryant is not nearly as strong as he expected it to be. At this point, there are “far more” teams unwilling to pay Bryant the league minimum salary than there are teams that would consider Bryant, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via PFT). 
Bryant recently turned down a multi-year offer from the Ravens and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link) hears that it was in the neighborhood of the team’s three-year, $21MM deal for Michael Crabtree. The wide receiver wanted a one-year deal that would allow him to cash in as a free agent in 2019, but the Ravens could only offer Bryant a multi-year deal due to cap restrictions.
Right now, it looks like Bryant has overplayed his hand. Bryant may have to settle for less than the $7MM average annual value he would have gotten from Baltimore, which is a tough pill to swallow given his previous five-year, $70MM deal with Dallas.
Bryant says that he would like to sign with an NFC East team in order to play against Dallas twice in 2018, but it’s not clear whether he’ll find serious interest from the Eagles or Giants. We learned shortly after Bryant’s release from the Cowboys that the Redskins are not looking to sign him.
Steelers Place Ryan Shazier On PUP List
The Steelers have placed Ryan Shazier on the PUP (Phyiscially Unable To Perform) list. This was the expected course of action after GM Kevin Colbert announced in February that Shazier would not be able to play in 2018. The move means that Shazier will not count against Pittsburgh’s 90-man roster.
Shazier, of course, suffered a serious spinal injury against the Bengals in Week 13. He underwent successful spinal stabilization surgery in December, but as we saw from his on-camera appearance during the NFL Draft, he has a long way to go in his recovery. An eventual return to the field has not been ruled out, but Shazier will first focus on his general well-being and mobility.
“That’s a huge lift, for not only him, but for us,” said Colbert after watching Shazier walk across the NFL Draft stage to announce the Steelers’ first round pick. “To see where he’s come from to where he is and knowing where he might be able to go, it’s beyond inspirational. It’s just exciting. It’s really exciting for him.”
Shazier, meanwhile, said he was touched by the tremendous reaction he received in Dallas.
“It motivates you when you get the reaction you get from the crowd,” said Shazier. “The people at Ohio State loved me before I got hurt. The people at the Steelers loved me before I got hurt. Just the fact that I am going through this, so many people have been reaching out, praying and having their hands of protection around me. It really means a lot.”
Broncos To Decline Shane Ray’s Option
The Broncos will not exercise Shane Ray’s fifth-year option for 2019, multiple sources tell Troy Renck of Denver7 (on Twitter). In recent days, we’ve been hearing that Denver was leaning in this direction. 
The Broncos bolstered their pass rush by selecting Bradley Chubb with the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft, which crowded their outside linebacker group even further. Rather than overcommitting dollars to the OLB unit, the Broncos will allow Ray to play out the 2018 season with unrestricted free agency on the horizon next year.
The option for the former No. 23 overall pick would have cost Denver $9.232MM. He’ll carry a much more palatable cap number of $2.9MM in 2018 , making him an interesting trade chip for Denver. An acquiring team would take on just $1.678MM in base salary and, unlike other members of the 2015 draft class who have had their options declined, Ray has produced in the past. In his first two NFL seasons, the Missouri product tallied 12 sacks. Unfortunately, he took a step back last season as he missed time and recorded only one sack.
Eric Reid Files Grievance Against NFL
Former 49ers safety Eric Reid has filed a collusion grievance against the NFL, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets. He adds that Reid has hired attorney Mark Geragos, who has also represented Colin Kaepernick. In a statement, the NFLPA expressed support for Reid and indicated that the union will also explore other avenues in the legal process to support his fight. 
Reid entered free agency as one of the best safeties available, but there hasn’t been much of a market for him so far. The NFL veteran personally believes that his participation in anthem protests has kept him from finding work.
“The notion that I can be a great signing for your team for cheap, not because of my skill set, but because I’ve protested systemic oppression, is ludicrous. If you think is, then your mindset is part of the problem too,” Reid tweeted in March.
Before the start of free agency, I ranked Reid as the 23rd best player available on our top 50 list with the caveat that Reid’s protest participation could hurt him. That does appear to be the case, as lesser free agents at his position have already found NFL homes for 2018. However, it should also be noted that Reid is not the only talented safety who is out of work. Kenny Vaccaro and Tre Boston are also floating in free agent limbo despite years of starting experience.
For his part, Reid believes that football evaluators are interested in signing him, but owners of teams are standing in the way of a deal. It’s unclear how Reid’s legal action will impact his bid to land with a club.
Broncos Unlikely To Exercise Shane Ray’s Option
The Broncos are not planning to exercise edge rusher Shane Ray‘s 2019 fifth-year option, according to Mike Klis of 9News. James Palmer of NFL.com recently reported that it was “far from a certainty” that Denver would pick up Ray’s option.
Ray hasn’t delivered on his first-round draft billing since entering the league in 2015, and the Broncos also re-invested in their pass rush by selecting edge defender Bradley Chubb with the fifth overall pick in the weekend’s draft. With Chubb now in tow, Denver is now four-deep at outside linebacker, with superstar Von Miller and restricted free agent Shaquil Barrett joining Ray and Chubb on the club’s defense.
Ray, who will turn 25 years old this month, posted 12 sacks during his first two years with the Broncos, but missed eight games with a hand injury in 2017. He managed only a single sack and graded as a bottom-10 edge rusher, per Pro Football Focus. Ray would earn more than $9MM in 2019 if his option were exercised, and while that figure is guaranteed for injury only, Ray’s recent health issues could give Denver pause.
While purely speculative, it’s fair to wonder if the Broncos will consider a trade of Ray (or Barrett) in the coming months. While Ray wasn’t effective last season, a 24-year-old former first-round pass rusher would certainly fetch a fair price on the trade market. Ray is also eminently affordable for the 2018 campaign, as an acquiring team would take on just $1.678MM in base salary.
Eagles Exercise Agholor’s 2019 Option
Nelson Agholor‘s breakout 2017 season turned around his career, and the Eagles aren’t going to let 2018 become a contract year for the emerging wide receiver.
Philadelphia will exercise Agholor’s fifth-year option, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), and the USC product will be under team control through 2019.
Agholor stands to earn $9.387MM if he’s on Philly’s roster in 2019. These options are guaranteed for injury only, but it appears a near-certainty that Agholor will be part of the Eagles’ equation in ’19.
The Eagles traded Jordan Matthews to the Bills last summer, largely because of Agholor’s progress en route to commandeering the team’s slot role. He thrived in that capacity during the Eagles’ first Super Bowl championship season, catching 62 passes for 768 yards and eight touchdowns. Each of those numbers is more than what Agholor totaled in 2015 and ’16 combined.
Both Agholor and Alshon Jeffery are signed through at least 2019 now, furthering the Eagles’ security at wideout when such an arrangement previously didn’t exist entering last season, when Jeffery was on a one-year deal and Agholor teetering on the bust fringe.
49ers Exercise Armstead’s Fifth-Year Option
The 49ers will continue to deploy their tandem of Oregon-developed defensive linemen for the foreseeable future, ensuring Arik Armstead will be under team control through 2019 alongside DeForest Buckner.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets the 49ers plan to exercise Armstead’s fifth-year option. The No. 17 selection in the 2015 draft, Armstead has played both defensive tackle and defensive end in his career. And this could make his option amount yet to be determined.
He lined up at end last season in Robert Saleh‘s 4-3, and if that’s his determined position, the 49ers will be tagged with a $9.046MM salary in 2019. However, if he is deemed a defensive tackle, Armstead’s option season will come in at $7.154MM. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle expects (Twitter link) Armstead will earn more than $9MM as an end in 2019, if he’s still on the roster by then.
These options are guaranteed for injury only, so the 49ers could move on from their 2015 first-rounder if they choose. He’d have to be able to pass a physical by the start of the 2019 league year, however, and Armstead has seen injuries cloud his career. The 49ers placed Armstead on IR midway through last season, and he played in just eight games in 2016. Armstead may have to show he can stay healthy this coming season for the 49ers to keep him. Of course, if another injury occurs, and one severe enough to shelve him into March of ’19, they’ll have no choice regardless of his production this season.