Raiders Notes: Murray, Knighton, Williams
The latest out of Oakland…
- The Raiders are in on running back DeMarco Murray, according to John Middlekauf of 95.7 The Game (Twitter link).
- Despite reports that the two sides were nearing a deal, Oakland is no longer pursuing Terrance Knighton, tweets Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4, who adds (via Twitter) that the Broncos are also out on Knighton.
- Oakland’s interest in Knighton had waned, per ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson (via Twitter), who says the club is now focused on Dan Williams.
Latest On Terrance Knighton
TUESDAY, 2:33pm: The Raiders are the frontrunners for Knighton but the Colts are still in the mix, according to Cecil Lammey of ESPN Denver (on Twitter). The Bears and Washington, meanwhile, are out.
Aaron Leming of BearReport.com (on Twitter) hears that the Raiders are expected to be the winners.
10:01am: Knighton will reach the open market in just under five hours, but there’s no guarantee he’ll sign with the Raiders at that point. After ESPN’s Bill Williamson tweeted last night that the situation remains “fluid,” Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports hears from a source today that Knighton still isn’t close to an agreement with any team (Twitter link). Oakland still looks like the most logical fit to me, given the Del Rio connection and the Raiders’ abundance of cap room, but we’ll have to wait and see what Pot Roast decides.
MONDAY, 1:35pm: The Raiders and Terrance Knighton are nearing agreement on a deal, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Tafur cautions that he hasn’t heard of the deal being finalized yet, however.
Pot Roast started drawing “serious interest” from a handful of teams, including the Raiders, Colts, Bears, and Washington, once Ndamukong Suh came off the board. Oakland has also long been viewed as a logical landing spot for Knighton, considering his history with new Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio. Not only did he play for Del Rio’s defense in Denver; he also played under Del Rio in Jacksonville earlier in his career.
When Luke Adams listed PFR’s top 50 free agents recently, he ranked Knighton 16th on our list, identifying the Raiders as his most logical suitor. The six-year veteran was an integral part of a Broncos team that had the league’s second-best run defense in 2014, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Knighton 12th among 81 qualifying D-tackles last season.
Extra Points: Spiller, Moore, Morgan
The latest from around the NFL..
- There was speculation about it at one point, but the Dolphins will not be chasing running back C.J. Spiller at this time, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets.
- The Dolphins have been doing due diligence on finding a cheap backup defensive tackle in free agency, Salguero tweets. If they find one, that could spell the end of Randy Starks in Miami.
- Some connected Rahim Moore to the Raiders since Jack Del Rio was his defensive coordinator last year, but Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter) hears that the Raiders won’t be in the mix for him.
- The Buccaneers lost out on defensive end Trent Cole, but they’re still in the mix for Jabaal Sheard and Derrick Morgan, Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune tweets. They’re also still in the running for Parker.
- The Titans still talking with Morgan, along with three other teams, Jim Wyatt of The Tennesseean tweets.
- The Chiefs still have some interest in re-signing tackle Ryan Harris, but there’s nothing imminent on that front, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets.
- Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (on Twitter) heard that the Giants were closing in on free agent defensive tackle Dan Williams, but things quickly turned and Big Blue is no longer in the mix (link).
AFC FA Rumors: Harvin, Raiders, Adams
The Raiders‘ interest in wide receiver Percy Harvin will be contingent on meeting him and also finding out his price tag, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Even with Harvin’s connection to Bill Musgrave, the Raiders have to inspect the baggage before going any further with him. The latest free agent rumors..
- Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (on Twitter) still anticipates the Colts re-signing safety Mike Adams, but no deal is done just yet. Adams, who turns 34 later this month, has said that he wants to retire with the Colts.
- Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter) suggested that the Raiders are pursuing Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith. Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (via Twitter) believes that the Raiders are the favorites when it comes to him.
- Linebacker Arthur Moats spoke with the Bengals and Cardinals and seemed set to go to the Falcons before deciding to re-sign with the Steelers, Ross Tucker of NBCSN tweets.
- The Titans are still working to retain both defensive end Derrick Morgan and kicker Ryan Succop as the clock ticks towards the opening of free agency, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets.
- McCormick (on Twitter) isn’t sure that the Titans will land him, but he expects them to seriously pursue Jason Worilds.
- Linebacker Andrew Gachkar has received interest from the Vikings, Panthers, and Raiders, and may end up visiting all three teams later this week, tweets Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports. Washington has also talked to Gachkar’s camp, but hasn’t made an offer yet, per Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link). The 26-year-old had his best season for the Chargers in 2014, playing nearly 400 defensive snaps.
Browns Interested In Darrelle Revis
9:29am: The Raiders and Chiefs are also fighting to get into the Revis sweepstakes, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Oakland, of course, has much more financial flexibility than Kansas City, but the Chiefs have the Bob Sutton connection and are closer to contention.
9:12am: The Patriots have a little less than six hours to work out a new agreement with cornerback Darrelle Revis. If the two sides don’t agree to a new deal, the Pats will cut the star corner, rather than pick up his pricey option for 2015. While the Jets have long been considered the only real threat to the Pats in the Revis sweepstakes, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com adds another potential suitor to the mix, tweeting that the Browns have expressed interest in Revis.
On the surface, Cleveland seems like an odd fit for Revis. The team already has one star cornerback in Joe Haden, and spent the eighth overall pick a year ago on Justin Gilbert. However, Buster Skrine appears to be on his way out in free agency, and Gilbert had a shaky rookie season both on and off the field. The Browns head into today’s free agent period armed with a ton of cap space, and Revis has played under Mike Pettine before in New York, back when the current Browns head coach was the Jets’ defensive coordinator.
I’d still rank the Browns a distant third behind (in some order) the Jets and Pats when it comes to potential destinations for Revis, but if Cleveland makes a huge offer, the cornerback could at least consider joining the Browns. A report yesterday indicated the price tag for Revis could be in the neighborhood of three years and $48MM, with $40MM in guaranteed money.
Brooks Reed Leaning Towards Falcons?
TUESDAY, 7:23am: According to McClure (via Twitter), it’s no longer a sure thing that Reed is leaning toward the Falcons. It’ll ultimately come down to money, says McClure.
MONDAY, 10:56pm: Reed has narrowed his decision to two teams, with one of them presumably being the Falcons, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
12:05pm: The Cardinals, Jets, Raiders, and Bears are also expressing interest in Reed, Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets.
11:51am: Linebacker Brooks Reed is leaning toward signing with the Falcons when free agency opens on Tuesday, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Last week, Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com reported that Reed was unlikely to return to Houston this offseason. In fact, as of a few days ago, Houston had yet to engage with Reed’s agent.
Reed, 28, appeared in all 16 games for Houston last season and made 13 starts. In total, he recorded 41 tackles, four passes defended, and three sacks as the team’s SAM linebacker. The advanced metrics placed Reed as an above average outside linebacker, ranking him as the 26th best OLB in a 3-4 scheme out of 46 players who qualified, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That’s a big improvement from 2013 when PFF gave Reed an overall grade of -17.7, placing him as the second-worst qualified outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.
The former second round pick burst onto the scene with 6.0 sacks as a rookie in 2011, but he has yet to replicate that kind of production.
Extra Points: Hoyer, Hardy, Morgan, Williams
As we learned earlier today, the Jets aren’t giving up on Brian Hoyer despite reports of the quarterback agreeing to a deal with the Texans. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Jets spoke with Hoyer’s agent twice Monday, and were set to do so again Monday night.
Here’s more from around the league as on free agency eve…
- Disputing an earlier report, the Falcons told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they have no interest in free agent defensive end Greg Hardy.
- The Buccaneers have been “kicking the tires” on edge rusher Derrick Morgan, but it’s unclear if they’ll actually present him with an offer, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).
- Defensive tackle Dan Williams could be a target for the Raiders, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. Williams’ time in Arizona might be up following their signing of Corey Peters earlier tonight.
- The Titans are in on edge rusher Brian Orakpo, who has drawn interest from numerous teams, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter).
- Vince Young was not accepted to and won’t attend the NFL Veterans Combine on March 22 in Phoenix, a representative for the quarterback tells Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Smith hears that Young was not “invited” by the NFL and entered late (link). He could wind up as a last-minute addition but as of right now, he won’t be there.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Monday Evening
Our first round-up of today’s minor transactions around the NFL was starting to get a little unwieldy, so we’ll recap the rest of the afternoon and evening minor moves right here. Here’s the latest:
- The Titans won’t tender either receiver Kris Durham or linebacker Kaelin Burnett, making both free agents, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
- The Ravens have tendered ERFA cornerback Rashaan Melvin at $585K, per Wilson (Twitter link). Melvin started two games for Baltimore near the end of the season.
- The Ravens also have extended an exclusive rights tender worth $435K to long snapper Patrick Scales, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Scales was originally signed in December, becoming Baltimore’s third snapper of the season. The man he replaced, Kevin McDermott, didn’t get an RFA tender, tweets Wilson.
Earlier updates:
- Rather than tendering restricted free agent linebacker Mike Morgan, the Seahawks have simply signed him to a one-year contract, per Condotta (via Twitter).
- Updating a previous note, the Seahawks actually have tendered receiver Ricardo Lockette, and have offered a contract to ERFA defensive back DeShawn Shead, as well, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links).
- The Jets have tendered offers to two RFAs — defensive tackle Damon Harrison received a second-round tender worth $2.356MM, while safety Jaiquawn Jarrett received the lowest tender.
- With Ryan Mallett returning to the fold and a deal with Brian Hoyer moving closer to completion, the Texans started clearing out a crowded quarterback position today by cutting Thad Lewis, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. Somewhat ironically, Lewis was initially added to Houston’s roster back in November to replace Mallett, who landed on injured reserve with a pectoral injury.
- The Ravens extended an RFA tender to safety Will Hill at the low-end level, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). The $1.542MM offer ensures that Baltimore maintains the right of first refusal if Hill signs an offer sheet with another club. The Ravens also tendered ERFA defensive end Steven Means, locking him up for 2015, tweets Wilson.
- The Seahawks have elected not to tender contracts to wide receiver Bryan Walters and offensive lineman Stephen Schilling, says Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links). All three players could still re-sign with Seattle, but they’ll be unrestricted free agents and can negotiate with other teams too.
- Punter Marquette King, safety Brandian Ross, and safety Larry Asante all received low-end RFA tenders from the Raiders, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Defensive back Chimdi Chekwa and running back Kory Sheets weren’t tendered, and will become UFAs tomorrow.
West Notes: Wisniewski, Chargers, Raiders
The Rams have touched base with the reps for free agent center Stefen Wisniewski, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets. Wisniewski could be a replacement for Scott Wells, who was released on Monday night.
Let’s check out more rumors from the West divisions:
- The Chargers are still in communication with running back Ryan Mathews, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link), but nothing is close to happening at the moment.
- As does seemingly half the league, the Raiders have interest in free agent safety Ron Parker, per Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Despite reports that the Raiders are nearing an agreement with Terrance Knighton, Williamson tweets that the situation is still “fluid.”
- Also from Williamson (Twitter link), Malcolm Smith is expected to have a “fast market,” and the Raiders could be in on him.
- 49ers fullback Bruce Miller was last week on a spousal abuse charge, reports Jenna Laine of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Miller, who signed an extension last March, could be in line for a suspension via the league’s domestic violence policy.
Free Agent Rumors: Fletcher, Williams, Gresham
The Vikings have expressed interest in pending free agent cornerback Bradley Fletcher, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Fletcher had an off year for the Eagles in 2014, being ranked 92 out of 108 NFL cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus. He was much better in 2013, having been ranked 44 out of 110 players at the position. Here’s a look at the latest free agent rumors..
- Giants free agent linebacker Jacquian Williams took to Twitter to let everyone know that he has interest from five teams.
- If the Raiders don’t get a deal done with tight end Jermaine Gresham, the Browns are also among those with interest, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets.
- The Jaguars a team to watch for when it comes to linebacker Dan Skuta, but there are several interested, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. He could have expanded role with Jacksonville if he signs with them tomorrow, Caplan adds.
- Pat McManamon of ESPN.com (on Twitter) doesn’t expect the Browns to lose any of their restricted free agents, but he thinks a team in need of a safety could think about adding Tashaun Gipson.
- Bills tight end Lee Smith is expected to sign a big contract with another team tomorrow, Tim Graham of The Buffalo News tweets.