Raiders To Bring Back Michael Crabtree
The Raiders have decided to hold onto veteran receiver Michael Crabtree, a source told Vic Tafur of The Athletic. There were previous discussions about releasing the receiver, who is set to make $7.5 MM in salary and roster bonus in 2018. 
Tafur writes that Crabtree has met with new head coach Jon Gruden in the past month and have come to an agreement that his struggles in 2017 were related to the previous regime. The problems with Jack Del Rio‘s staff were obvious in the final two games of the season when Crabtree played just 46 of 121 snaps, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Michael Gehlken (Twitter link).
At the age of 30 in 2017, Crabtree logged just 58 receptions for 618 yards but did manage to register eight touchdown grabs. The campaign followed back-to-back 85-catch seasons in his first two seasons with the Raiders. The Texas Tech product has been a force in the red zone, logging 25 receiving scores in three seasons with the Silver and Black.
Though he did have a rough season, Crabtree is a strong bounce-back candidate in Gruden’s new-look attack that prioritizes quick-hitting passes to move the chains. Crabtree is signed through the 2019 season but will not count against the cap if released.
Packers, Rodgers Have Discussed Extension
While Kirk Cousins is likely to unseat Jimmy Garoppolo for the richest contract in NFL history once free agency kicks off, his reign might not be a long one. That’s because the Packers and two-time MVP Aaron Rodgers have already begun working on a new contract, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky writes. 
Green Bay’s president Mark Murphy told ESPN the two sides have made progress on a new deal despite the quarterback being signed through the 2019 campaign. “We’ve had discussions with his representative. I have a lot of confidence in Brian [Gutekunst] and Russ [Ball] and Aaron as well. We want to create a win-win.”
In 2013, Rodgers signed a five-year, $110 MM deal to become the NFL’s highest-paid player. Demovsky notes Rodgers now ranks sixth among the league’s top salaries. At 34 years old, Rodgers can conceivably play at least five more years barring injury. He is scheduled to make $20.6 MM this year and $21.1 MM in 2019, according to overthecap.com. Should the two sides reach a speedy agreement, the Packers could add to their current $16 MM in salary cap space.
A six-time Pro Bowl selection and one-time Super Bowl champion, Rodgers got off to a quick start in 2017 before breaking his collarbone in Week 6. He finished the season with 1,675 yards and 16 touchdowns. The campaign marked Rodgers’ second season with at least seven missed games due to injury in the last five seasons.
Sam Darnold Won’t Throw At NFL Combine
In a crowded quarterback class, don’t expect USC’s Sam Darnold to cement himself as the No. 1 pick at the 2018 NFL Combine. The star quarterback will not throw at the event, which begins Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 
Though he will not take part in the throwing drills, Darnold will partake in athletic testing and interview with teams. Schefter notes that he does plan on throwing at USC’s Pro Day, which takes place on March 21. Other notable projected first-round signal-callers — Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen — all plan on throwing.
Top quarterbacks not throwing at the NFL Combine is nothing new. In 2012, both Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III did not participate in the drill and both were selected with the top two picks in the draft. Other notable QBs to not throw include Sam Bradford, JaMarcus Russell, Matthew Stafford, Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Ryan.
Since his breakout performance in the 2017 Rose Bowl vs. Penn State, Darnold has been considered among the draft’s top prospects at the quarterback position, along with Rosen. Despite a disappointing redshirt sophomore season, the USC star still amassed 4,143 yards and 26 touchdowns while leading the Trojans to the Cotton Bowl.
Darnold has been pegged in most mock drafts to the Browns (No. 1 and No. 4), Giants (No. 2), Broncos (No. 5) or Jets (No. 6).
Lions Franchise Tag DE Ziggy Ansah
The Lions announced that they have designated defensive end Ezekiel Ansah as their franchise player. The tag will prevent him from testing free agency by holding him in place with a one-year tender worth roughly $17.52MM. 
It’s a high price to pay, but the Lions did not want to risk losing one of their top defenders to free agency. The team is likely hoping that the deal will give them a starting point for fruitful long-term contract negotiations that will bring him down to a lesser cap number for 2018.
Ansah finished the 2017 season with 12 sacks, 44 total tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. His 44 career sacks rank fifth all-time in Lions history, an impressive feat with just five NFL season under his belt.
Ansah’s sack total last year was bested by only seven players: Chandler Jones, Calais Campbell, Demarcus Lawrence, Everson Griffen, Cameron Jordan, Ryan Kerrigan, and Joey Bosa. Most of those players are already playing under high-priced contracts or are well on their way to top-tier deals. It makes sense that Ansah is now joining the club, despite some health concerns.
Over the last two seasons, Ansah has spent 25 of a possible 32 weeks on the injury report. For the most part, he managed to play through the pain, missing only five games since the start of the 2016 season. When the 28-year-old (29 in May) is healthy, he’s one of the game’s most fearsome D-Linemen.
Teams like the 49ers, Colts, Jets, and others were expected to express interest in Ansah had he been allowed to reach unrestricted free agency. Ansah’s removal from the UFA market should benefit fellow defensive end Sheldon Richardson, who many feel will not be tagged by the Seahawks.
Bills To Sign Vontae Davis
Vontae Davis has found a home. The free agent cornerback is signing a one-year deal with the Bills, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Davis himself has seemingly confirmed the news on his own Twitter account as well. 
For most of the league’s players, free agency does not kick off until March 14. However, Davis was in a unique position since the Colts released him during the 2017 season. Typically, the available players in February are replacement level types. Davis, meanwhile, was able to shop himself as soon as he received medical clearance from doctors a couple of weeks ago.
No one can accuse Davis of being hasty about his free agent choice. In recent weeks, the veteran met with the 49ers, Browns, Bills, Raiders, and Dolphins before settling on Buffalo. His stated goal was to sign with a team before the start of free agency and he accomplished that with more than two weeks to spare.
The terms of the deal are not yet known and we also don’t know exactly what caliber of player the Bills are getting in the 29-year-old (30 in May). The former first-round pick looked the part of a high-end starter as he earned Pro Bowl nods in 2014 and 2015. However, his performance declined in 2016 and a core injury slowed him down tremendously last season, leading to his November release.
In 2014, Davis earned a stellar 95.1 overall score from Pro Football Focus. In the following year, he turned in a strong 81.9 mark, which still painted him as an above-average starter. However, he was one of the ten worst qualified corners in the league in 2016, per PFF, and wasn’t ranked much better at the time of his release in ’17.
If healthy, Davis could prove to be a valuable depth piece for Buffalo. He could be asked to provide even more if the team is unable to re-sign pending free agent E.J. Gaines.
Bears Cut Pernell McPhee, Quintin Demps
The Bears cut ties with two veteran defenders on Monday, releasing linebacker Pernell McPhee and safety Quintin Demps.
Demps played merely a few games with the Bears, while McPhee suffered through an injury-plagued three-season stretch in Chicago. The Bears will save $7.1MM by cutting McPhee, who had two years remaining on his five-year deal, and will create $3.26MM in space by jettisoning Demps.
Knee problems limited McPhee during his time in Chicago, but the former Ravens defender was one of the most sought-after free agents in 2015. He did not live up to the contract he signed with the Bears, missing 12 games over the past three seasons and starting just five over the past two.
The 29-year-old defender came off the PUP list in September and finished last season on IR. McPhee registered 14 sacks for the Bears but will not play with the team outside of the John Fox era.
Demps started just three games before going on IR last season. He joined the Bears after some solid seasons with the Texans, including a six-interception contract year in 2016. The 10-year veteran will turn 33 before next season.
The Bears’ cap space will balloon north of $50MM because of these transactions.
Roger Goodell To Fine Jerry Jones?
Jerry Jones‘ extensive 2017 fight against Roger Goodell about his contract extension looks like it will cost him. Ken Belson of the New York Times reports the commissioner is preparing to fine the Cowboys owner “millions of dollars” for what Goodell deemed an act of sabotage by Jones in attempting derail his extension last year. That and Jones’ ongoing defense of Ezekiel Elliott will lead to this punishment, several sources informed Belson.
This fine will exceed $2MM, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter). As Mike Florio of PFT notes, the NFL’s Constitution and Bylaws stipulates that the commissioner cannot fine more than $500K for conduct detrimental to the league. However, the NFL is not technically fining Jones, per veteran reporter Ed Werder (Twitter link). Instead, the league is seeking repayment for approximately $2MM in legal expenses relative to his threats to sue the league.Goodell was initially reluctant to take action, but the NFL Finance Committee and other owners are in support of this plan.
Jones threatened to sue the NFL last year over a matter he said stemmed over Goodell’s contract. He hired an attorney and was prepared to sue the six members of the league’s compensation committee in November, and Belson reports the owner attempted to influence NFL officials during Elliott’s case. Belson reports Jones will be ordered to pay the legal fees the compensation committee spent defending itself as well as the legal expenses the NFL spent “defending its decision to suspend Elliott.”
Goodell’s contract went through, with Elliott serving the six-game suspension that Jones and the NFLPA vigorously fought for months. This extensive process left Jones — who once supported a Goodell extension — at intense odds with the commissioner and the Arthur Blank-chaired compensation committee. And this action — foreshadowed, to some degree, late last year — by the league likely won’t quell the animosity any time soon.
Panthers To Cut DE Charles Johnson
Shortly after releasing Kurt Coleman, Carolina will release another veteran starter from its Super Bowl team. The Panthers are planning to cut Charles Johnson, ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan reports (on Twitter).
This rumored maneuver comes a year after the Panthers re-signed the defensive end for two years and $8MM. It will create $3.25MM in cap space. They will not incur any dead-money charges because of this transaction.
Johnson has spent all 11 of his NFL years in Charlotte. The Panthers re-signed him to a mega-extension in 2011 and kept him around on an additional agreement last season. He’ll venture into the free agent market heading into his age-32 season.
Johnson started 11 games last season, missing four due to a PED-induced suspension, but did not record a sack. It marked the first time since he was a rookie that this occurred. He has 67.5 career sacks, but over the 2015-16 seasons, only 5.5 of those occurred. Johnson hasn’t produced a season with at least five sacks since he registered 8.5 in 2014.
With the releases of Coleman and Johnson, the Panthers created more than $5MM in cap space. This will push the team’s projected total north of $25MM. These cuts will also reduce the number of defensive starters from Super Bowl 50 still under contract to four. That game marked Johnson’s most recent playoff outing. He did not suit up for the Panthers’ wild-card loss to the Saints.
Panthers Release S Kurt Coleman
The Panthers will release Kurt Coleman despite two seasons remaining on the safety’s deal. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter) Carolina will cut one of its safety starters.
Coleman started three seasons for the Panthers and signed an extension in 2016. He was set to comprise $5.15MM of the Panthers’ 2018 cap. This move will tag Carolina with $2.5MM in dead money while creating $2.65MM in cap space.
Coleman’s stay in Charlotte rebuilt his value after he’d been a part-time player with the 2013 Eagles and 2014 Chiefs. He started throughout the Panthers’ Super Bowl season and signed a three-year, $15.1MM extension during the summer of 2016.
Dave Gettleman signed off on Coleman’s extension that summer, and the Panthers have gone through three defensive coordinators since that move commenced. Coleman played in 12 games last season, missing time because of an MCL sprain. He will become a street free agent — on a market that also includes another Panthers safety from Super Bowl 50, Tre Boston — in advance of his age-29 season.
The Panthers may be looking to add younger talent at this position soon. Soon-to-be 37-year-old Mike Adams was Carolina’s other primary starter at this spot last season.
Chiefs To Receive Second-, Fourth-Round Picks For Marcus Peters
The Rams will send two draft choices to the Chiefs for Marcus Peters, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
Neither of those selections will come in the first round, but the Chiefs will nab a second-round pick from the Rams. Rapoport reports Kansas City will receive Los Angeles’ 2018 fourth-round pick and its 2019 second-rounder for Peters.
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter) the Chiefs will also send a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft to the Rams along with Peters in this swap. The Chiefs were asking for a third-round pick and a player — like they received from the Redskins for Alex Smith — but ended up receiving this package from the Rams, per Albert Breer of SI.com (Twitter link). Robert Quinn‘s name came up during the talks.
Although the Rams will be getting a high-ceiling player whose rookie contract — via the team picking up Peters’ 2019 option — has two years left, only they and the 49ers were confirmed suitors. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets an NFC personnel exec notes the return wasn’t as high as could be expected for a player of Peters’ caliber because of the low number of teams bidding.
By trading two of their best players, the Chiefs have now added third- and fourth-round picks in this year’s draft. This will help in a year in which they do not own a first-round choice. They acquired a third-rounder in the Smith deal. The Rams do not have a 2018 second-rounder, having sent it to the Bills for Sammy Watkins last August (they collected a sixth-round choice in that deal as well). They now do not have a 2019 Round 2 choice but are in line to employ a cornerback who landed on the All-Pro first team in 2016. Peters was the first Chiefs cornerback since Albert Lewis in 1990 to be named a first-team All-Pro.
The Chiefs selected Peters with the No. 18 pick in the 2015 draft, and he went on to become the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year. He’s been a polarizing player, having clashed with Kansas City’s coaching staff and with a sect of the Chiefs’ fanbase due to being part of the racial inequality protest, but has created takeaways at a historic rate. Peters has 19 interceptions, five forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries in three seasons.
The Chiefs were leery about paying Peters as a top-market corner, and that responsibility will now fall on the Rams. Los Angeles, though, will be getting a top-tier corner and have him under team control at rates of $3.1MM (2018) and at around $9MM (2019).