Raiders Release CB Sean Smith
The Raiders have released cornerback Sean Smith, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This move was anticipated, particularly in light of Smith’s ongoing legal situation.
It gets worse for Smith. The 30-year-old is expected to plead guilty to a felony count of assault with great bodily injury and be sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation, according to Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter) stemming from an incident on July 4, 2017, in Pasadena Calif.
Smith would have counted for $8.25MM against Oakland’s cap, making this move something of a no-brainer even prior to the announcement that he’d plead guilty to the felony assault charges.
The veteran graded out as just the No. 73 cornerback among 121 qualifiers last year, per Pro Football Focus. He’s picked off two passes in each of the last three seasons but had a career-low four pass defenses last year while appearing in 14 games, starting eight.
Smith was a seventh-round pick of the Dolphins in 2009 and signed a four-year, $40MM deal with the Raiders prior to 2016 after spending three seasons with the Chiefs. The Raiders cut cornerback David Amerson a year after signing him to a four-year, $35MM deal. Fellow cornerback T.J. Carrie, who started 15 games for the Raiders last year and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the league’s No. 22 cornerback, is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
Carrie, who grew up in the Bay Area, has expressed interest in returning to Oakland. The team also has Gareon Conley, Dexter McDonald, Antonio Hamilton, Shaquille Richardson, Darius Hillary and Tevin Mitchel on the roster at cornerback. The Raiders also hold the No. 10 overall pick in the upcoming draft, with cornerback certainly among their top targets.
Seahawks Re-Sign Bradley McDougald
The Seahawks have agreed to re-sign Bradley McDougald. The safety will stay in Seattle with a three-year, $13.95MM deal, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). 
McDougald was originally signed to be a reserve last offseason, but he wound up starting when Kam Chancellor was lost to injury. This year, Seattle’s numbers crunch could lead them to move on from Chancellor, so McDougald could wind up as a Week 1 starter.
The Seahawks have already cut ties with cornerback Richard Sherman, who agreed to a deal with the 49ers, and Earl Thomas is set to become an unrestricted free agent following the upcoming season. Chancellor is set to enter the first season within his three-year, $36MM extension signed prior to last year and is slated to make $6.8MM in base salary with a $9.6MM cap hit. Chancellor, 29, is expected to return to the team next season despite making hints toward retirement on social media last year.
Entering Monday, the Seahawks had $30.7MM in available cap space, which put them at No. 15 in the NFL. The Seahawks also have Delano Hill, Tedric Thompson and Jordan Simone on the roster at safety. Cornerback Byron Maxwell was the only other players in the Seahawks secondary due to hit unrestricted free agency outside of McDougald.
The Seahawks signed McDougald, 27, to a one-year, $2MM deal prior to last season. In his first season with Seahawks, he played in all 16 games, starting nine, and made appearances at both safety spots and cornerback. He finished the year with 46 tackles and four pass defenses. He had a career-high 10 pass defenses and matched a career-best with two interceptions with the Buccaneers in 2016. The Chiefs originally signed McDougald as an undrafted free agent in 2015.
Bills Interested In Sam Bradford, Case Keenum
The Bills have interest in both Sam Bradford and Case Keenum, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Pelissero adds that the Bills see Bradford as a good scheme fit. 
The Bills are in need of a quarterback after shipping Tyrod Taylor to the Browns. The third-round pick they picked up in the deal (No. 65 overall) could help them find a new QB on the trade block, but they are intent on first exploring their options in free agency. With upwards of $32MM in cap space, the Bills theoretically have room to sign someone of Bradford or Keenum’s stature.
With Taylor off the roster, the Bills will be down to one quarterback in Nathan Peterman when the new league year opens on Wednesday. Third-string quarterback Joe Webb is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Peterman — a fifth-round pick in 2017 — made four appearances as a rookie, including two starts. The 23-year-old struggled, though, throwing five interceptions and completing 49% of his passes.
Kirk Cousins‘ landing spot could also have an effect on the Bills’ pursuit of Keenum or Bradford. The Vikings are reportedly expected to Cousins their first priority this offseason. If they were to miss out on Cousins, though, that could open up the possibility of a reunion with Keenum and Bradford, along with Teddy Bridgewater.
Keenum, 30, started 14 games last year for the Vikings, completing a career-high 67.6% of his passes while throwing 22 touchdowns to seven interceptions and leading the team to the NFC Championship Game. Bradford started the other two games for the Vikings, missing most of the season with a knee injury.
Bradford, 30, was activated in time for the postseason, though, to serve as Keenum’s backup. He was given assurance of the structure of the ligaments in his ailing knee in November by Dr. James Andrews after a procedure to shave a bone spur and clean out fluid.
Cardinals To Release Adrian Peterson
The Cardinals expected to release running back Adrian Peterson today, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). By cutting Peterson now, the Cardinals will avoid paying a $750K bonus to the veteran, which was due on the third day of league year, Friday. 
We first heard back in February that the Cardinals were planning to release Peterson. However, Schefter hears that Peterson still could circle back to Arizona later, perhaps at a rate cheaper than his originally scheduled $2.881MM cap charge.
The Patriots, Seahawks, and Giants all expressed interest in Peterson before he signed with the Saints last year, so those are all teams to keep in mind as Peterson approaches free agency. Additionally, the Ravens discussed dealing for Peterson before the Saints traded him to Arizona last year.
Peterson, who turns 33 on March 21, managed 3.5 yards per carry on 129 attempts and scored two touchdowns for the Cardinals. He had his moments – like when he ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns in his Arizona debut – but he was among the least effective backs in the league overall. Football Outsiders ranked Peterson 46th among 47 tailbacks in both DYAR and DVOA, metrics which measure overall and per-play value.
Redskins Have Offer Out To Trent Murphy
Trent Murphy will be eligible to speak to other teams as a free agent Monday, but the Redskins are trying to keep him off the market.
Washington has offered the UFA outside linebacker, J.P. Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports. PFR’s No. 3 edge defender free agent, Murphy resides in a weak class at the position. An agreement with Washington would further deplete the contingent.
Murphy lent credence to this offer coming in, or his camp being intrigued by it, via Twitter post Sunday night. Murphy is coming off a lost season, and this may well be a one-year proposal.
He missed all of 2017 because of multiple severe injuries. He tore an ACL and MCL in a preaseason game, and those maladies came after he underwent offseason foot surgery. The fifth-year player joins other players with recent injury histories on the market, with Pernell McPhee and Alex Okafor also among the top edge options.
Murphy, though, showed promise in 2016 by registering nine sacks despite not being a starter. Murphy, 27, was also suspended for PEDs last year. The former second-round pick would rejoin a Ryan Kerrigan-fronted edge corps if he re-signs. The Redskins selected Ryan Anderson in the second round last year and also have Preston Smith under contract.
Chargers Sign Casey Hayward To Extension
Casey Hayward is sticking around Los Angeles for the foreseeable future. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that the Chargers have inked the cornerback to a three-year, $36MM extension. The deal includes $20MM in guaranteed money.
As Michael David Smith of ProFootballFocus.com points out, Hayward still had a year left on his contract, but the Chargers ultimately ripped up the old deal and locked their top cornerback up through 2020. Rapoport tweets that Hayward will earn $15.75MM in the first year of the contract. The Pro Bowler was set to account for a $5.1MM cap hit in 2018.
Following four seasons with the Packers, the 28-year-old has spent the past two years with the Chargers organization. After serving as a backup for most of his tenure in Green Bay, the former second-round pick has established himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the league during his time in San Diego and Los Angeles.
Since joining the organization, Hayward has earned a pair of Pro Bowl births and second-team All-Pro nods, and he’s collected 11 interceptions through two seasons. Pro Football Focus was particularly fond of Hayward’s performance in 2017, ranking him first among 120 eligible cornerbacks.
The Chargers seem relatively set at cornerback heading into next season. Besides Hayward, the team is also rostering Jason Verrett, Trevor Williams (ERFA), Michael Davis, Craig Mager, and Jeff Richards.
Kirk Cousins No Longer Planning Visits?
With the legal tampering period less than 24 hours away, Kirk Cousins’ destination is the centerpiece storyline of free agency. And it’s possible this process could wrap up quickly.
Once expected to take at least one visit, Cousins may now use the traditional route for high-value free agents and agree to a deal without trekking to facilities. Diana Russini of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter) the 29-year-old quarterback is not planning to make any visits.
Russini adds that it may be down to a three-team race. The Vikings, Jets and Cardinals are “lobbying hard” and putting together recruiting pitches and video presentations for Cousins. Russini does not mention the Broncos here. Denver currently holds more cap space than Arizona but lags behind Minnesota and New York, and it’s possible John Elway could opt for a cheaper option despite the franchise being heavily linked to Cousins throughout the offseason.
These four teams were mentioned as the finalists for Cousins last weekend, and earlier this week, it was reported Cousins had not ruled out anyone just yet. The thinning-out process may be commencing in this high-stakes race.
Giants Release Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Apparently, the Giants and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie could not come to terms on a pay cut, as the club announced that it has terminated DRC’s contract. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com first reported that DRC would be released (Twitter link).
Just yesterday, we learned that New York asked the 31-year-old corner (32 in April) — whom they had already planned to move to safety — to take a significant pay cut. He was owed $6.48MM in 2018 and was scheduled to take up $8.5MM of cap space, which the Giants considered to be too steep of a price. We also heard that the two sides were not close to reaching any sort of agreement on a pay reduction, which makes today’s release fairly unsurprising.
One of the reasons DRC likely balked at accepting a reduction in pay is that he believes he can get at least close to what he was scheduled to earn with Big Blue this year on the open market. Indeed, $6.5MM does not seem to be too steep of a price to pay for a starting corner if a team believes he can effectively line up on the outside, and while he is on the wrong side of 30, he should have a couple of quality years left. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, DRC does, in fact, want to play as an outside CB again (Twitter link).
The Giants were sitting on just $15MM of cap space before making the move, and that number now jumps to roughly $21MM. They are expected to make a push for top free agent guard Andrew Norwell, who could command up to $12MM per year, and they also need to make other reinforcements along the O-line. New York also needs to invest in its running back and outside linebacker positions this offseason, and they may consider replacing DRC with divisional foe Patrick Robinson. As Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com opines, DRC’s release also makes retaining Ross Cockrell, who performed capably last season and who will become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday, more important.
Rodgers-Cromartie entered the league in 2008 as a first-round pick of the Cardinals and has since suited up for the Eagles, Broncos, and Giants. He has two Pro Bowls to his credit to go along with 30 career interceptions and six TDs.
Michael Rubin Considered “Serious Bidder” For Panthers
It appears that another bidder has expressed interest in buying the Carolina Panthers. ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell reports that Fanatics owner Michael Rubin is “considered a serious bidder in the race to buy” the organization.
Rubin, who owns a stake in the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils and Premier League team Crystal Palace, is estimated to be worth $3 billion. As Rovell notes, NFL owners are already familiar with Rubin, as Fanatics runs the NFL’s online store and sells more licensed gear than any other business. Last year, NFL owners paid $95MM for a three-percent stake in the company.
Rubin would be required to sell his stake in the 76ers, according to Rovell. The reporter notes that the part-owner has been popular among players in Philly due to his hands-on approach. At 45-years-old, Rubin would be the second-youngest owner behind Jed York of the 49ers (37 years old).
Rovell writes that Rubin is primarily competing with two other serious candidates: hedge fund billionaire David Tepper and debt collector Ben Navarro. However, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that there have been six to eight “viable bidders” for the team.
Formal bids are expected to be due in a couple of weeks, as the NFL would like to get a deal approved before the owners meetings in May. According to Rovell, Forbes previously valued the franchise at $2.3 billion. Following allegations of work misconduct, owner Jerry Richardson announced that he was selling the organization back in December.
Giants Ask DRC To Take Pay Cut
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie signed with the Giants four years ago, but the team has revamped its front office. And the new one doesn’t like how much money the defensive back will earn in 2018.
The Giants have asked DRC to take a “significant” pay cut, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). While it’s uncertain if the 11th-year defender will do so, Garafolo reports the sides are not believed to be close on terms at this point. However, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv expects a resolution to be reached before free agency opens on Wednesday. Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com says the team could also look to trade DRC, as his salary is reasonable for a team that believes he could start on the outside (Twitter link).
Rodgers-Cromartie will turn 32 in April and has just one year remaining on a five-year, $35MM contract he signed in March 2014. That year calls for a $6.48MM base salary — which the team would save by cutting him — and a $8.5MM cap number. DRC could balk at a major pay cut by believing he could fetch at least a per-year offer of close to what he’d make with the 2018 Giants, but he’s one of the players Big Blue could target as a cap casualty.
If the two sides can agree on a pay cut, the team plans to move DRC to safety next season. The Giants are expected to make a big push to sign Andrew Norwell to begin an offensive line overhaul Dave Gettleman has repeatedly hinted at. With Norwell possibly costing more than $12MM per year, and the Giants sitting on less than $15MM in cap space, adjustments will need to be made before a strong offer goes out to the UFA guard.
While the then-cornerback was part of a historically turbulent season for Giants corners, incurring a one-game suspension from then-HC Ben McAdoo, Pro Football Focus still graded DRC as a mid-level player. He would likely receive an opportunity elsewhere if the Giants moved on from him. The rangy defender is on his fourth team but has started 120 games in his career and has made two Pro Bowls.