13 Teams Watched Johnny Manziel At USD Pro Day
Former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel threw passes at Thursday’s University of San Diego pro day, and 14 NFL clubs were on hand to watch him perform, reports Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Bears, Browns, Chargers, Giants, Chiefs, Jets, Patriots, Raiders, Titans, Lions, Jaguars, Panthers and Buccaneers, were all present at today’s workout, per Williams. Of course, those clubs weren’t necessarily in town just to see Manziel, as USD had its own prospects on the field.
Manziel was thought to be interested in working out a deal to play in the Canadian Football League during the 2018 campaign, and was in fact offered a contract by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in January. However, Manziel and his team reportedly weren’t pleased with the terms of the pact, and he’s now scheduled to play in the upcoming Spring League. The former first-round pick is reportedly amenable to a minimum salary or a practice squad slot.
Manziel is still only 25 years old, but he hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2015 campaign. In eight career starts for the Browns, the former Heisman trophy winner completed 57% of his passes for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Raiders Re-Sign QB E.J. Manuel
The Raiders have re-signed backup quarterback EJ Manuel, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but his spot on Jon Gruden‘s 53-man roster may not be a lock. 
The Raiders still have 2016 fourth-round pick Connor Cook under contract and they added free agent Josh Johnson earlier this month. Only two of those three QBs can stick around to play behind Derek Carr and there’s still the possibility that Oakland will draft a signal caller in April.
Last year, Manuel appeared in two games for the Raiders in Carr’s absence. He completed just 24 of 43 throws with one touchdown against one interception. The Raiders lost both of those games and Carr returned to action in Week 6.
Raiders Sign OT Breno Giacomini
The Raiders have signed tackle Breno Giacomini. The club confirmed the signing, but the length and value of the deal are not yet known. 
Giacomini is entering his eleventh NFL season after spending time with the Packers, Seahawks, Jets, and Texans. He has appeared in 94 career games with 86 starts, including 53 starts over the last four campaigns.
Last season, the Jets bailed on Giacomini’s multi-year deal in the midst of cutting a number of other veterans. The Texans scooped him up on one-year deal with a non-guaranteed $1MM base, $750K signing bonus, and up to $1MM in active roster bonuses. Giacomini graded out as one of the worst tackles in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, so he did not exactly outperform the deal. For what it’s worth, however, he did start in all 16 games for Houston while playing nearly 1,100 snaps.
Contract Details: Jordy, Glennon, Incognito
Let’s take a look at the most recent new contracts and restructures around the NFL:
New Contracts
- Jordy Nelson, WR (Raiders): Two years, $14.2MM. $13MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
- Mike Glennon, QB (Cardinals): Two-year, $8MM deal contains void years in 2020 and 2021. $4MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com).
- Spencer Long, C (Jets): Four years, $27.5MM. $6MM guaranteed (link via Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap).
- Jaron Brown, WR (Seahawks): Two years, $5.5MM. $2.75MM guaranteed. $1.95MM signing bonus. $750K available annually via receptions, yards, and touchdowns incentives (Twitter link via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com).
- Christian Jones, LB (Lions): Two years, $6.35MM. $2.8MM guaranteed. $1.75MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com).
- Kyle Wilber, LB (Raiders): Two years, $2.75MM. $1.4MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM).
- Billy Turner, OL (Broncos): One year, $2MM. $750K guaranteed. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News).
Restructures
- Richie Incognito, G (Bills): 2018 base salary reduced from $6.325MM to $3.65MM. Earned $1MM bonus. Bills created $1.675MM in cap space (Twitter link via Yates).
- John Jerry, G (Giants): 2019 contract season eliminated. 2018 base salary reduced from $3.05MM to $1.075MM, $525K of which is guaranteed. $400K roster bonus added and paid on 3/21. Per-game roster bonuses increased from $250K to $500K (all Twitter links via Dan Duggan of NJ.com). Giants created $525K in cap space.
Raiders To Sign LB Emmanuel Lamur
The Raiders have reached an agreement with free agent linebacker Emmanuel Lamur, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal (Twitter link).
Lamur had also been scheduled to meet with the Dolphins later this week, but Oakland never let him leave its building without a contract in hand. The Raiders employ former Bengals coaches Paul Guenther and David Lippincott as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, respectively, so Lamur — who played for Cincinnati from 2012-15 — should offer scheme familiarity.
While Lamur once started 13 games and played 91% of the Bengals’ defensive snaps, he’s been relegated to backup/special teams duty since that 2013 campaign. Last season, Lamur appeared in all 16 games for the Vikings (who also have another former Cincinnati coach — Mike Zimmer — at the helm), but only played 78 defensive snaps.
Despite his lack of production in recent campaigns, Lamur could have a decent shot at playing time in Oakland given the club’s lack of options at linebacker. While the Raiders recently signed fellow free agent Tahir Whitehead, they could lose NaVorro Bowman to the open market, while Bruce Irvin is expected to see most of his time at defensive end.
Ndamukong Suh Won’t Visit Raiders
Ndamukong Suh’s visit to the Raiders has been called off, sources tell Ian Rapoport and Mike Silver of NFL.com (on Twitter). The free agent defensive tackle has returned home and is not likely to make a decision today, Rapoport adds. The Rams made a strong impression on Suh, but he’s also considering the Saints and Titans. 
The reason for Suh’s visit being cancelled is not immediately clear. Assuming the Raiders stick with a 4-3 scheme, they would presumably like to upgrade from Eddie Vanderdoes as one of their starting interior line spots. Vanderdoes appeared in all 16 games last season and started 13 of those contests, but he suffered a torn ACL in the 2017 season finale and it’s not clear how he is viewed by new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. Suh would have been a phenomenal addition to the defense, but the Raiders now appear to be out of the running.
All three teams would present Suh opportunities to win, but the Rams have the best defense of the bunch. Suh could thrive under Wade Phillips‘ tutelage and put himself in position to cash in again in 2019 if he signs a one-year deal.
Emmanuel Lamur To Meet With Dolphins, Raiders
Vikings free agent linebacker Emmanuel Lamur will visit the Raiders on Wednesday and will travel to meet with Dolphins afterwards (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). Lamur has ties to both clubs thanks to defensive coordinators Paul Guenther and Matt Burke who know Lamur from their time with the Bengals. 
We first heard of the Raiders’ interest in Lamur last week. He’d be a logical fit for Oakland’s new-look defense, but the Dolphins are also showing interest after parting ways with veteran linebacker Lawrence Timmons. For now, the Dolphins project to start Chase Allen alongside Raekwon McMillan and Kiko Alonso with Neville Hewitt, Mike Hull, and Stephone Anthony in support. That unit will need an impact player or two, either through free agency or the draft.
In other Dolphins news, Kirk Cousins‘ agent reportedly researched the ‘Fins heading into free agency. We also learned that the release of Mike Pouncey was not related to locker room issues.
Raiders’ Marshawn Lynch Accepts Pay Cut
Marshawn Lynch is staying put, but on a revised contract. The Raiders running back has agreed to shave the base value of his deal by $500K, bringing him to $5.5MM for the coming year, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). In exchange for that concession, he is now “practically guaranteed” $4.5MM of that sum, rather than nothing. He can earn up to $9.25MM in total with incentives. 
Lynch received his $1MM roster bonus on Sunday, indicating that he would be a part of the team in 2018. Previously, there was some question about that given the presence of new coach Jon Gruden and the recent signing of Doug Martin to a one-year deal. Had he not accepted the pay cut, it’s possible that Oakland would have moved on from him over the weekend.
Last year, lynch averaged 4.3 yards per carry and scored seven touchdowns. When compares to Martin’s 2.9 yards per carry in each of the last two seasons, one has to imagine that Lynch will have the inside track on being the team’s primary running back. DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard, holdovers from last year’s roster, also remain with the club.
Contract Details: A. Smith, Pugh, Curry, ASJ
Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently signed NFL contracts:
AFC
- Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE (Jaguars): Two years, $10MM. $4MM guaranteed. $3.21MM signing bonus. $500K 2019 option bonus. $500K annually available via catch, playoff, and touchdown incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Adrian Clayborn, DE (Patriots): Two years, $10MM. $5.5MM guaranteed. $4MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe).
- Albert Wilson, WR (Dolphins): Three years, $24MMM. $14.45MM guaranteed. $4.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Marcus Gilchrist, S (Raiders): One year, $4MM. $3.85MM guaranteed. $1.85MM signing bonus. $1MM available via playtime, interceptions, and Pro Bowl incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Tramaine Brock, CB (Broncos): One year, $3MM. Fully guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus. $1MM available via playtime incentives (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News).
- Seantrel Henderson, T (Texans): One year, $4MM. $1MM guaranteed. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
NFC
- Alex Smith, QB (Redskins): Four years, $94MM. $55MM guaranteed. $27MM signing bonus (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com and Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com).
- Justin Pugh, OL (Cardinals): Five years, $45.025MM. $15.75MM guaranteed. $10MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Vinny Curry, DE (Buccaneers): Three years, $23MM. $6.5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times).
- Zach Brown, LB (Redskins): Three years, $21MM. $10MM guaranteed. $4.5MM signing bonus. $1MM annually available in Pro Bowl, All-Pro incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Ed Dickson, TE (Seahawks): Three years, $10.7MM. $3.6MM guaranteed. $2.6MM signing bonus. $1.1MM annually available via catch, yards, and Pro Bowl incentive (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Aaron Lynch, LB/DE (Bears): One year, $4MM. $1.25MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
Allen Hurns Has Interest From Seven Teams
Appearing on Charlotte’s WFNZ following his release from the Jaguars earlier today, free agent wide receiver Allen Hurns said he’s received interest from the Bears, Bills, Saints, Texans, Jets, Raiders, and Panthers, according to Joel Erickson of the Advocate.
A number of those clubs have already added significant help at the wideout position this offseason. Chicago signed both Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel, Oakland replaced Michael Crabtree with Jordy Nelson and are now meeting with Eric Decker, and Carolina signed Jarius Wright and acquired Torrey Smith. Other teams, such as Buffalo, New Orleans, and Houston, have done little to address their pass-catching needs.
Hurns is only 26 years old, but he hasn’t had much success since the 2015 campaign. During that season, Hurns served as the Jaguars’ No. 2 receiver behind Allen Robinson and posted a 64/1,031/10 line. Since then, Hurns’ role in the Jacksonville offense has been drastically scaled back, while injuries have also limited him. He failed to top 500 yards receiving in either 2016 or 2017.
Hurns’ first free agent visit is expected to take place with the Jets on Wednesday.