Raiders Unlikely To Make Offer To RFA S Tony Jefferson
- Despite having some interest in him, it appears unlikely that the Raiders will make an offer to Cardinals RFA safety Tony Jefferson, tweets Eddie Borsilli of SiriusXM NFL Radio. A source tells Borsilli that Oakland is more likely to focus on adding safety help in the draft.
Contract Details For Donald Penn, Andre Holmes
- Donald Penn, T (Raiders): Two years, $11.9MM, $5.5MM guaranteed. $2MM roster bonus due 20th day of 2016 league year. $300K in annual weigh bonuses (six weigh-ins worth $50K each). Up to $750K in annual playing-time, Pro Bowl, and playoff incentives (Twitter links).
- Andre Holmes, WR (Raiders): One year, $2MM. $750K guaranteed. $500K signing bonus. $250K of $1.25MM base salary guaranteed. $250K workout bonus. Up to $1MM in catch, yardage incentives (Twitter links).
Cowboys Sign Benson Mayowa To Offer Sheet
5:22pm: The deal is for three years and contains a $3.3MM signing bonus and base salaries of $700K, $2.5MM and $2.75MM, per Getlin (on Twitter). The final year of the contract, 2018, is voidable based on sack and playing-time incentives (Twitter link).
4:08pm: The Cowboys have signed Mayowa to an offer sheet, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. The Raiders have until Wednesday at midnight ET to match the offer.
2:49pm: The Cowboys are expected to sign defensive end Benson Mayowa to an offer sheet today, assuming his physical goes well, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Todd Archer of ESPN.com first reported that Mayowa was making the trip to Dallas, while Rand Getlin of the NFL Network tweeted that a physical would be a part of the visit.
Assuming the Cowboys finalize an offer sheet and Mayowa signs it, the Raiders would have five days to decide whether or not to match it. The team assigned the defensive end a low-end tender, worth $1.671MM. Because Mayowa came into the league as an undrafted free agent, the Raiders wouldn’t be entitled to any compensatory draft picks if they opt not to match an offer sheet.
Mayowa, 24, has only made three starts so far in his NFL career, but he has appeared in 30 total games for the Raiders and Seahawks. In 2015, he recorded 16 tackles, a sack, two fumble recoveries, and a safety.
We’ll have to see whether the Cowboys and Mayowa officially get something done, and what the terms of the deal are, but if the Raiders want to keep him in the fold, they’ll have the flexibility to match. Per OverTheCap.com, Oakland entered the day with the seventh-most cap room in the league — I don’t believe that figure includes Donald Penn‘s new contract with the team, but the Raiders should still have more cap flexibility than the Cowboys.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
La Canfora: Raiders Should Pursue Muhammad Wilkerson
- The Raiders have already had an extremely eventful offseason, but there’s a case to be made that they should still make one more splash. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com lays out that case, making an argument for why general manager Reggie McKenzie should make an effort to land Muhammad Wilkerson in a trade with the Jets.
Mississippi State DL Ryan Brown To Visit Raiders, Others
- Mississippi State pass rusher Ryan Brown has official visits scheduled with the Raiders, Texans, Cowboys, and, Dolphins.
[SOURCE LINK]
Raiders Re-Sign Donald Penn
THURSDAY, 2:08pm: The Raiders formally announced the signing.
WEDNESDAY, 10:40am: Penn gets a two-year, $14MM deal from the Raiders, according to Rapoport, who tweets that the first year – worth approximately $7MM – is guaranteed.
7:54am: The Raiders will re-sign left tackle Donald Penn to a new contract today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). As Rapoport explains, Penn had been scheduled to make a visit to the Giants this week, but he won’t end up getting on a plane to make that trip, having struck a deal with the Raiders instead.
Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported overnight (via Twitter) that Penn and the Raiders were finalizing a new contract, with Scott Bair of CSNCalifornia.com confirming (via Twitter) that the two sides had made “significant progress” toward a deal.
Penn has been one of the more reliable and consistent left tackles in the NFL over the past two seasons for the Raiders. In 2015, he ranked 11th at the position, according to Pro Football Focus — PFF assigned him an especially strong grade as a pass blocker. The Utah State product will turn 33 in April, so he’s unlikely to land a lucrative, long-term contract, but he should be in line for a raise on his last deal, which paid him a little more than $10MM in total over two years.
With Penn back in the fold, the Raiders will be able to play newly-signed Kelechi Osemele at guard, rather than asking him to replace Penn at left tackle. While that means that Osemele will be making left tackle money (nearly $12MM per year) to play an interior line spot, it should strengthen Oakland’s line as a whole, with the team taking advantage of its excess of cap room.
Penn’s agreement with the Raiders is the latest in a string of deals for offensive tackles. In the last 24 hours, we’ve seen Ryan Harris agree to sign with the Steelers, Kelvin Beachum strike a deal with the Jaguars, and Chris Hairston agree to re-sign with the Chargers. Russell Okung and Andre Smith are among the noteworthy free agent tackles still on the board. Now that they’re no longer getting a visit from Penn, it will be interesting to see if the Giants make a more aggressive push to land Okung.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
FA Rumors: Upshaw, Cowboys, Hall, Dansby, Mays
Free agent linebacker Courtney Upshaw will meet with the Jets on Thursday, reports Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Upshaw has made 64 straight regular-season appearances (51 starts) since Baltimore took him in the second round of the 2012 draft. The 26-year-old recorded 51 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles last season. In terms of overall performance, Pro Football Focus ranked Upshaw 84th out of 110 qualifying edge defenders for his work during the 2015-16 campaign. He was an honorable mention on PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents list.
The latest on some other unsigned players around the NFL:
- Linebacker Karlos Dansby, whom the Browns released Wednesday, would like to join the Cardinals, Bengals or Packers, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Yeah, I think the Bengals are licking their chops right now,” he said. “I hope they are. We’ll see what it is.” Notably, Dansby started his career in Arizona as a second-round pick in 2004 and piled up 25.5 sacks before leaving at the close of the 2009 season.
- The Cowboys aren’t working toward a deal with Wednesday visitor Leon Hall, per Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link). The veteran cornerback has thus far spent his entire career with the Bengals since they chose him in the first round of the 2007 draft. Hall started in four of 14 appearances last season, picked off two passes, and graded as Pro Football Focus’ 33rd-best corner (111 qualifiers). Like Upshaw, Hall also earned an honorable mention from PFR before free agency.
- Even though Hall to the Cowboys doesn’t exactly appear imminent, they are working on a deal with restricted free agent Benson Mayowa, tweets Rand Getlin of NFL.com. The Raiders gave Mayowa, a defensive end, an original-round tender. As a former undrafted free agent, that means they won’t get any compensation for him if they decide against matching a hypothetical offer. Mayowa, 25 in August, has accrued 30 appearances (three starts) and two sacks during his three-year career.
- The Bengals “have made good progress” on a contract with Taylor Mays, writes Geoff Hobson of their official website. Mays is scheduled to miss the first four games of next season because of a suspension. Nevertheless, Cincinnati wants him back as a nickel linebacker to replace Emmanuel Lamur – who signed with the Vikings – Hobson notes. Mays spent 2011-14 with the Bengals before joining the Raiders last season.
- Linebacker O’Brien Schofield took to social media Wednesday to discuss his future. “By no means have I counted the Falcons out but I’m waiting for the right opportunity for my family and I. It’s a business so I’m patient,” Schofield tweeted. The 28-year-old signed with Atlanta last offseason and then made 30 tackles and two sacks in 16 appearances (11 starts). Schofield said last week that he and the Falcons “aren’t seeing eye-to-eye on a contract.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/16
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- The Falcons announced the signings of linebacker LaRoy Reynolds and offensive tackle Tom Compton (link via their website). Reynolds has spent time with the Jags and Bears since entering the league in 2013, totaling 43 appearances and four starts. Compton, Washington’s sixth-round pick in 2012, has 44 appearances and 11 starts under his belt. He amassed career highs in both categories (16 and nine, respectively) in 2014.
- The Raiders have signed safety Brynden Trawick, according to their website. Trawick appeared in 38 games with Baltimore from 2013-15 and made one start.
- The Bears have signed long snapper Aaron Brewer to a one-year deal, per their Twitter account. Brewer was the Broncos’ long snapper from 2012-15.
- Seahawks linebacker Eric Pinkins signed his exclusive rights tender, according to Dov Kleiman of RantSports (Twitter link). Pinkins, a sixth-rounder in 2014, logged his first six appearances last season.
- While the Seahawks will keep Pinkins, the same isn’t true for long snapper Clint Gresham. The club has released him, Kleiman tweets. Gresham had been Seattle’s snapper since 2010.
- Browns safety Don Jones signed his restricted free agent tender, per Kleiman (on Twitter). Jones joined the Browns last season after spending time with three other organizations since Miami took him in the seventh round of the 2013 draft.
Draft Rumors: Cowboys, Ramsey, Bosa
The Cowboys want Jalen Ramsey, but they fear that he’ll be gone by No. 4, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net writes (via PhiladelphiaEagles.com). With that in mind, Dallas is eyeing Ohio State standouts Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott. Bosa would help bolster the team at defensive end while DeMarcus Lawrence recovers from surgery and Randy Gregory serves his first month suspension. Elliott, meanwhile, would give the team help at running back.
Here are the latest rumors on the 2016 NFL Draft (all of which come from Pauline, unless otherwise indicated):
- Insiders believe that we could se three offensive tackles – Laremy Tunsil, Ronnie Stanley, and Jack Conklin – go in the first top 12 picks of the draft. That could start a run and Pauline writes that we could see six tackles taken in the first round.
- The Cowboys would consider trading down, Pauline hears, but they want to stay ahead of the Giants at No. 10.
- Observers at the UCLA pro day described Myles Jack as a “remarkable athlete.” One source told Pauline (in his running log for Walter Football) that “he looked like a defensive back doing linebacker drills.”
- Aaron Wallace, the Bruins’ other notable linebacker, is gaining a lot of momentum in the scouting community, Pauline hears. Wallace currently has official visits set up with the Buccaneers, Browns, and Raiders with more likely on the way.
- UCLA offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch has been graded as a top-75 selection, according to Pauline. Many believe that Benenoch can play tackle and guard in addition to center.
- Georgia linebacker Jordan Jenkins says that he’ll have private workouts with the Raiders, Patriots, and Saints, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
- Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter) reports that Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook has private workouts scheduled with the Cowboys and Dolphins.
- All 32 NFL teams were in attendance at MSU’s pro day, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. At the event, Cook met with the 49ers and Rams before the workout and met with the Browns‘ staff after.
- Michigan State defensive tackle Joel Heath says that he will have a private workout with the Patriots this week, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets. In addition to that, he’ll meet with the Titans later this month. Heath previously met with the Colts and Buccaneers.
- Pittsburgh wide receiver Tyler Boyd looked great at his Pro Day and the slowest unofficial 40-year-dash time that has been reported was in the low 4.5s.
- Pittsburgh corner Lafayette Pitts recorded 40-yard-dash times under 4.4 seconds, with some watches marking him at 4.35.
- There’s no definitive word on whether Virginia Tech cornerback Kendall Fuller will work out before the draft.
- Youngstown State linebacker Terrell Williams is drawing interest from clubs. The Jets and Eagles, in particular, see him as a quality backup linebacker/core special teams guy.
- The Lions have a private workouts set up with Michigan State offensive linemen Jack Conklin, Jack Allen, and Donavon Clark later this month, Birkett tweets.
Raiders Sign Andre Holmes
6:40pm: The Raiders officially announced the deal, as Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets.
8:02am: The Raiders and wide receiver Andre Holmes reached an agreement on a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport reports that the one-year pact can be worth up to $3MM, and includes $1MM in fully guaranteed money.
According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), the deal, as described by Rapoport, is the offer the Raiders have had on the table “for a while now.” Garafolo describes the incentives in the deal as very attainable, suggesting that Holmes has a decent chance to max out the value of the one-year pact.
Holmes, 27, has spent the last three seasons with the Raiders, enjoying his best year in 2014, when he set career highs by recording 47 receptions for 693 yards and four touchdowns. With Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper in the mix last season for the first time, Holmes saw his role reduced, catching just 14 balls for 201 yards, though he still found the end zone four times.
While Rod Streater is no longer in the mix in Oakland, having agreed to a deal with the division-rival Chiefs, the Raiders’ wide receiving corps in 2016 should look fairly similar to the 2015 unit. Crabtree, Cooper, and Holmes will all be back, as will promising youngster Seth Roberts, who had 32 catches in his rookie campaign.
Holmes reportedly drew some level of interest from the Eagles, Lions, Vikings, and Bengals before agreeing to stay with the Raiders.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.