Jets Sign Jarvis Jenkins To Two-Year Deal
MARCH 30, 12:06pm: The Jets have finally made the Jenkins signing official, announcing the move today in a press release.
MARCH 16, 10:52am: The Jets and Jenkins have now officially agreed to terms, per agency SportsTrust Advisors (Twitter link). Mehta tweets that it’s a two-year, $7MM contract with $3MM guaranteed for the defensive lineman.
MARCH 11, 5:04pm: While the Jets and Jenkins haven’t officially agreed to terms, there’s an expectation that the two sides will eventually work out a deal, tweets Mehta.
4:48pm: Jenkins and the Jets do not yet have an agreement, Kimberley Martin of Newsday reports (on Twitter). Jenkins told friends, per Mehta (on Twitter) he was working on a deal with the Jets, but he will head back to Atlanta, where he’s a resident, for now with no deal in place.
4:31pm: The Jets appear to be adding to their top-notch defensive end group by signing Jarvis Jenkins, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets.
It’s a three-year, $6MM deal for Jenkins, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Joining Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams in New York, Jenkins played the first three seasons of his career in Washington before joining the Bears last season.
Jenkins, who missed his rookie season with a torn ACL, signed with the Bears last year but didn’t fare well in the mind of Pro Football Focus, which rated him as its No. 104 interior defender last season. Jenkins did, however, record a career-best four sacks in 2015.
The Jets applied the franchise tag to Wilkerson last week, and Richardson’s likely uncomplicated fifth-year option decision is forthcoming.
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Broncos’ Brandon Marshall Seeks Multiyear Deal
Restricted free agent linebacker Brandon Marshall technically remains unsigned, but having received a second-round tender from the Broncos earlier this month, his options are free agency are limited. While Marshall would prefer to sign a multiyear deal, rival teams figure to be unwilling to part with a second-round pick to land him, and there’s no urgency for the Broncos to up their one-year, $2.553MM offer.
According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, Marshall is contemplating the possibility of holding out from Denver’s offseason program in the hopes of gaining some leverage for a long-term extension. Marshall and agent Drew Rosenhaus declined to comment on Klis’ report, but as the 9NEWS scribe points out, as long as the linebacker has yet to sign his tender, the team can’t penalize him for missing spring workouts.
If Marshall were to skip the Broncos’ offseason program, the next date to watch would be June 15th — at that point, the team would have the right to reduce the 26-year-old’s RFA tender to about $644K, and the club’s mandatory mini-camp is expected to take place around that time as well.
A former fifth-round pick, Marshall is a key cog in the Broncos’ defense, starting all 16 games and three postseason contests for the club in 2015. Over the course of the regular season, he totaled 101 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception.
Marshall’s importance to the Broncos has actually worked against his chances of landing a multiyear contract this offseason. Fellow RFA C.J. Anderson received a low-end tender from Denver, which allowed him to explore the market without any potential compensatory picks attached to him. Anderson ultimately signed a four-year, $18MM offer sheet with the Dolphins, which the Broncos matched.
If Marshall had received a low-end ($1.671MM) tender from the Broncos, a rival suitor would only have had to give up a fifth-round pick to sign him away, but Denver decided not to take that risk, tendering him at the second-round level.
At the time of the move, one report indicated that the Dolphins and Seahawks may have some interest in Marshall. However, I speculated that the second-round tender would diminish his value on the open market, writing that the most probable scenario would involve Marshall playing out the 2016 season on his one-year tender before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2017. So far, that continues to look like the most likely outcome, but we’ll see if the threat of a holdout changes anything for the Broncos and their standout linebacker.
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Jerraud Powers Visiting Giants
Free agent cornerback Jerraud Powers is making his first visit of the month on Thursday, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, who tweets that Powers is set to meet with the Giants. Although Powers’ first free agent visit will be to New York, there could be more on the way after that, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Powers, 28, spent the first four years of his NFL career in Indianapolis before playing for the Cardinals for the last three seasons. Having started 82 of his 87 career regular-season games, the former third-round pick is one of the more accomplished cornerbacks still available on the free agent market.
In 2015, Powers started 13 games for Arizona, picking up an interception to go along with 50 tackles, nine passes defended, and a pair of fumble recoveries. However, Pro Football Focus wasn’t overly fond of his play, ranking him 79th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks, assigning him mediocre grades for both his pass coverage and run defense.
For the Giants, Powers would likely be viewed as a nickel corner if he were to sign, since the team has two solid – and well-paid – outside starters in Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com mentioned in mid-March that Big Blue was seeking corners capable of playing in the slot, and identified Powers as a possible target.
During the legal tampering period earlier this month, Powers told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com that he’d like to sign a three- or four-year deal, and hoped to join a title contender. He’s unlikely to land a long-term contract at this point, and the Giants may still be a few pieces away from becoming legit Super Bowl contenders, but considering he’s still unsigned three weeks into free agency, Powers’ market apparently didn’t develop quite like he had hoped.
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Saints Restructure Mark Ingram’s Contract
The Saints continue to make changes to the contracts of players on their roster, having most recently restructured running back Mark Ingram‘s deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The move comes on the heels of the team also reworking Cameron Jordan‘s and Thomas Morstead‘s contracts.
[RELATED: Saints sign Nick Fairley]
Ingram, who had been in line for a $3MM base salary in 2016, saw $2.235MM of that money converted into a signing bonus, reducing his base salary to just $765K. The signing bonus is prorated over the next three seasons, opening up $1.49MM in cap room for the Saints in 2016. The running back’s cap hit has been reduced from $4MM to $2.51MM, but his 2017 and 2018 cap charges have increased to $5.245MM and $6.245MM respectively.
In the short term, the move gives the Saints a little more flexibility to continue to conduct offseason business, including finalizing Nick Fairley‘s new deal with the team. After Jordan’s and Morstead’s contracts were restructured, the Saints were said to have about $3.03MM in cap room, but Fairley is set to count for $3MM against the cap, reducing the minimal flexibility New Orleans had. Ingram’s restructure gives the club a bit of breathing room.
As for the long-term ramifications of the move, with Ingram’s cap hit on the rise for 2017 and 2018, the odds of him playing out his entire contract have probably diminished. Depending on how he performs in 2016, Ingram may have his deal addressed again in some form by the Saints a year from now.
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Draft Notes: Cravens, Lawson, Hogan
Let’s round up some draft notes to close out this Tuesday evening:
- Contrary to prior reports, USC linebacker Su’a Cravens will not be holding any private workouts for interested clubs, according to agent Fadde Mikhail (article via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). Mikhail said, “There have been too many teams that have called to set up private workouts, and I think Su’a’s body of work on film speaks for itself.” Cravens played linebacker for much of 2015, but many teams view him as a safety at the next level, and he is seen as a late first-round or early second-round prospect. As Florio notes, the decision not to work out for teams is gradually becoming more popular with some agents, who believe the reward of potentially increased draft positioning does not justify the risk of an injury that could be sustained at a workout. Greg Gabriel of NFPost.com, however, disagrees with that line of thinking, as he thinks private workouts are a critical part of the draft process that allow a team to learn more about a player’s talent and personality. He adds that Mikhail’s decision will cause Cravens’ draft stock to drop (Twitter links).
- Clemson DE Shaq Lawson, who already has a number of visits/workouts lined up, will also visit with the Lions, according to Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press.
- The Eagles worked out Stanford QB Kevin Hogan, WR/TE Devon Cajuste, and LB Blake Martinez today, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter links).
- 16 teams showed up to watch LB Victor Ochi at Stony Brook’s pro day yesterday, per Pauline, who adds that the Colts privately worked out Illinois State running back Marshaun Coprich (post via WalterFootball.com).
- UCLA KR/WR Devin Fuller worked out for “multiple members of the Falcons braintrust” yesterday, according to Rand Getlin of The NFL Network (via Twitter).
- Minnesota CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun will visit with the Vikings next week, according to Darren Wolfson of KTSP (via Twitter).
- The Bengals were on hand at Western Kentucky’s pro day today to watch TE Tyler Higbee, as Robert Klemko of SI.com tweets.
- Temple CB Tavon Young will work out for the Cardinals, Jets, Titans, and Ravens, and will visit the Steelers and Ravens, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (article via NFPost.com).
Texans, Brian Hoyer Likely To Part Ways
In a tweet that should surprise no one, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that the Texans and Brian Hoyer are “headed for a divorce” and that both sides are prepared for a fresh start. Hoyer’s stat line from 2015 does not look half bad, as he completed nearly 61% of his passes for 19 touchdowns against just seven interceptions while appearing in 11 contests for Houston. However, he did finish 20th in Football Outsiders’ DYAR metric, and it became apparent that the Texans would only go so far with Hoyer under center.
To that end, Houston signed free agent signal-caller Brock Osweiler to a four-year, $72MM deal when free agency opened, a contract that has generated a great deal of discussion among NFL writers and talking heads over the past several weeks. When Osweiler signed, Rapoport indicated that Hoyer was likely to be released, but Houston GM Rick Smith said just a couple of days later that Hoyer could well return to the team as a backup.
Of course, Smith’s comments may have been nothing more than an attempt to extract some sort of trade value out of Hoyer, as the team was reportedly looking to deal Hoyer immediately after agreeing to terms with Osweiler. If the Texans were to trade Hoyer, they would probably accept a sixth-round selection in return, but if they cannot find a trade partner, they could release him and save nearly $5MM of cap space (although Hoyer is set to enter the second year of a two-year deal he signed with Houston last season, no portion of his $4MM salary is guaranteed).
Rapoport’s latest report does not indicate whether the “divorce” between Hoyer and the Texans will come via trade or release, but it looks like a release is the more likely option at this point. Assuming Hoyer does receive his walking papers, the Broncos, Osweiler’s former employer, would be an obvious potential landing spot, and the Jets could also be a possibility (although New York still seems more likely to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick than to bring in another quarterback). Hoyer would, of course, be very attractive as a No. 2 quarterback for any number of teams, but the 30-year-old will of course prefer to sign with a club that could give him a chance to start.
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Manny Ramirez To Visit Bears
Free agent offensive lineman Manny Ramirez will visit with the Bears, according to Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune. Ramirez was traded from the Broncos to the Lions during last year’s draft in a deal that allowed Denver to move up and select Missouri pass rusher Shane Ray, but it was revealed last month that Ramirez would not return to the Lions for the upcoming season. Ramirez saw time in all 16 games this for Detroit in 2015, but he started only seven of those games as he was relegated to the bench in favor of younger interior linemen. He did, however, grade out as the league’s fourth-best center per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), so there’s reason to believe that the 33-year-old could still have something left in the tank.
As Biggs observes, the Bears are seeking competition for second-year center Hroniss Grasu, whom Chicago selected in the third round of last year’s draft. Ramirez has also seen time at the left and right guard spots over the course of his career, so he could provide valuable depth along the interior of the Bears’ O-line even if he is unable to beat out Grasu for the starting center job.
Ramirez, who was actually drafted by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2007 draft, signed with the Broncos in 2011 and spent four years in Denver under head coach John Fox, the current head coach of the Bears. Ramirez’s visit with Chicago appears to be his first of the offseason, and I would imagine any contract he signs at this point in his career would be a modest, one- or two-year pact.
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Draft Rumors: QBs, Ramsey, Treadwell, Browns
Jalen Ramsey would prefer to play cornerback despite excelling at both secondary positions at Florida State, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union reports.
His preference for the higher-paying position, though, comes with the obvious caveat of being willing to play safety as well, possibly expressing malleability to increase his chances of being taken in the top three picks.
One AFC scout in attendance said, “Take your pick; either one” regarding Ramsey’s NFL fit. “He has the range; he’s got some length to him, and he has the ball skills,” the scout told O’Halloran regarding Ramsey’s ability to slot at free safety. “He has a lot of things going for him.”
Four GMs — the Titans‘ Jon Robinson, the Steelers‘ Kevin Colbert, the Buccaneers‘ Jason Licht and the Bills‘ Doug Whaley — attended the pro day, while Mike Mularkey and Mike Tomlin were on hand as well.
Here’s the latest about this year’s crop of top prospects.
- The 49ers and Browns are slated to work out Jared Goff, Alex Marvez of Fox Sports reports (on Twitter). Both Hue Jackson and Chip Kelly were in attendance at the Cal quarterback’s pro day March 18.
- San Francisco also has a workout scheduled with Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports. The 49ers are expected to meet with Carson Wentz as well soon, as are the Browns, per Barrows. Cook is rated by most as the No. 4 quarterback on the board and could fall to the second round, while Wentz is expected to be chosen in the top 10. Colin Kaepernick‘s $11.9MM salary in 2016 becomes guaranteed if he’s still on the 49ers’ roster by 3 p.m., Thursday.
- The Eagles plan to work out Wentz on Thursday, ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan tweets. Philadelphia’s brass observed Goff during a private workout on Monday. While these two passers have become the consensus top two quarterback prospects, Caplan hears from several NFL coaches and executives that Goff is better equipped to come in and contribute immediately (Twitter link).
- Caplan also reports that one NFL offensive coordinator would sit Memphis’ Paxton Lynch, who hovers a bit below Goff and Wentz on experts’ draft boards as of now, for two seasons while the lanky talent learns the pro game (Twitter link).
- Laquon Treadwell‘s 4.63-second 40-yard dash clocking at Ole Miss’ pro day didn’t necessarily shock scouts in attendance but caused some concerns about the first-round prospect’s long-term viability, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report hears (video link). The scouts Cole spoke with don’t believe the Ole Miss early-entry talent’s ability to get open effectively in the next four or five years will be affected by his lack of straight-line speed, but there are worries about whether Treadwell can have a long, successful career. The scouts expressed concern that once the rangy receiver loses some of his already-mediocre speed his route-running and body-positioning prowess won’t be enough to compensate.
- The Browns are bringing in Treadwell for a visit Thursday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. Despite his lack of top-end speed, Treadwell is still expected to come off the board by the middle of the first round, which would be in the Browns’ range only if they traded down from their No. 2 overall slot or up from No. 32, Ulrich writes.
- Temple wide receiver Robby Anderson visited the Browns today, Ulrich reports. Jackson told media at the owners’ meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., receiver is a position is an area the Browns “need to address, obviously,” as Josh Gordon‘s status for 2016 is still unknown. “I’ve gone on record before saying I like to have bigger, faster guys play the position,” Jackson told media. “We have some very talented guys right now. They’re slight in stature, but they’re tough, and I’m looking forward to working with them and see if there’s more that we can gain from them. But at the same time, I still think it’s an area that we need to get better. And we will.”
NFC Notes: Schwartz, Bears, Love, Bucs, Rams
Geoff Schwartz‘s next stop on his free agent tour will be in Detroit, with the Lions hosting the eighth-year lineman, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).
This will be Schwartz’s second visit with the Lions. He did so in 2012 before signing with the Vikings, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). Schwartz will visit the Lions’ facilities on Wednesday, Birkett tweets.
Having already visited the Cardinals and Steelers, Schwartz continues to survey the market for a fifth team. Recently released from the Giants, Schwartz has proven to be an effective performer when healthy. The 29-year-old guard/tackle hasn’t been able to stay on the field the past two years, however, with his stay in New York limited to just 13 games in two seasons.
The Lions don’t have an immediate opening at guard, with Larry Warford and 2015 first-rounder Laken Tomlinson occupying those slots. Of course, the Steelers didn’t have a guard vacancy either. Detroit could use more help at tackle.
Here’s the latest coming out of the NFC.
- John Fox acknowledged to media (including Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com) the Bears are in need of a swing lineman and will look to sign one during the latter stages of free agency. Second- and third-year players with limited experience pack the Bears’ tackle depth chart, but Fox clearly seeks someone with more seasoning. Chicago cut Jermon Bushrod in February before he signed with the Dolphins. Khalif Barnes, Jake Long and Nate Chandler are some of the players who could fit here that remain on the market. Dickerson also mentions Will Beatty in this group. Beatty remains in search of a job after the Giants cut the former well-paid left tackle starter along with Schwartz. But Beatty would profile more as a left tackle starter, with the Bears not exactly having an untouchable cog there in Charles Leno.
- The Panthers still need a defensive tackle, a safety, and a nickel back, ESPN.com’s David Newton writes. Carolina is still having dialogue with free agent defensive tackle Kyle Love, but the team could also use a high draft pick to solidify the position, Newton notes.
- The Buccaneers remain in the mix for kick-return man Kyle Williams, although the Broncos and Jets are also involved in the pursuit, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter) reports. Williams played for new Bucs coach Dirk Koetter at Arizona State. A former 49ers return man whose NFC championship fumbles identify him to most of the football landscape, Williams missed last season with an Achilles injury after signing with the Broncos. A return to Denver would be tricky given the Broncos’ limited cap space and having re-signed receiver/returner Jordan Norwood last week.
- Los Angeles will have decisions to make regarding fifth-year options for Tavon Austin and Alec Ogletree soon, and Jeff Fisher told media (including Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com) discussions are underway and the Rams would like to keep the duo around for a long time. Fisher previously acknowledged Ogletree’s option would probably be picked up, but with Austin being a top-10 pick and costing transition tag-type money ($12.27MM), Wagoner writes an extension would be a more prudent approach to retaining Austin than putting the gadget wideout on the Rams’ books for that amount in 2017.
Zach Links contributed to this report
Cowboys, Joe Looney Agree To Terms
The Cowboys may have the best group of offensive line starters in the league, and they look to have strengthened their front’s depth. A day after visiting the Cowboys, Joe Looney will sign a two-year deal with the team, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
Looney will likely fill in as the backup center/guard on game day, a slot recently vacated by Mackenzy Bernadeau after he signed with the Jaguars.
The 25-year-old Looney started 10 games the past two seasons for the 49ers and Titans, respectively. Looney filled in at guard and center for the Titans in 2015. Pro Football Focus didn’t rave about the 25-year-old’s performance in filling in for Brian Schwenke, tabbing Looney as its No. 34 center. But Looney will be backing up Pro Bowlers in Travis Frederick and Zack Martin in Dallas.
Bernadeau was active for all 32 of the Cowboys’ regular-season games the past two years and started two games. He joined Jermey Parnell in leaving Dallas for Jacksonville.
Originally a fourth-round pick of the 49ers’ in 2012, Looney did not make the team in 2015 and landed in Tennessee, where he saw action in eight games.