Chargers, Casey Hayward Agree To Deal
3:45pm: Hayward will receive $6.8MM in guaranteed money, reports Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Jounal-Sentinel (Twitter link).
2:53pm: The Chargers have agreed to terms with free agent cornerback Casey Hayward, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link). Hayward will sign a three-year, $15.3MM deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The 26-year-old Hayward had spent the entirety of his four-year career with the Packers, but 2015 was his first season a full-time starter. Hayward started 11 games, playing 87% of Green Bay’s defensive snaps, and while he didn’t post any interceptions, he did defense six passes, and graded as the league’s No. 16 corner according to Pro Football Focus.
In San Diego, Hayward will join an impressive group of corners that includes Brandon Flowers and Jason Verrett, and while Hayward has shown that he can play on the outside, he’ll likely line up in the slot — where’s he proven to be one the NFL’s truly elite defenders — with the Chargers. The signing of Hayward could be an indication that San Diego is bracing to lose fellow corner Patrick Robinson, who is also an unrestricted free agent, and seems unlikely to return to the Chargers as what would now be their fourth corner.
The Chargers have been relatively active during the free agent period — in the secondary alone, the club also added former Colts safety Dwight Lowery in addition to Hayward. San Diego got stronger on its defensive line with the addition of Brandon Mebane, and on the offensive side of the ball, re-signed veteran tight end Antonio Gates and brought in former Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin.
Green Bay, meanwhile, will rely on Sam Shields, Damarious Randall, and Quinten Rollins to headline their group of corners for the foreseeable future. The Packers have a history of re-signing their own internal free agents, so it’s a little surprising that they weren’t able to reach an agreement with Hayward, who was not only drafted and developed by Green Bay, but signed for a very reasonable annual value of $5.1MM.
Hayward ranked as PFR’s No. 29 overall free agent, and the No. 4 corner on the market. The options listed ahead of Hayward — Janoris Jenkins, Sean Smith, and Prince Amukamara — have all reached new agreements, leaving Brandon Boykin, Leon Hall, and the aforementioned Robinson as the best remaining cornerbacks available.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Buccaneers, Chris Conte Agree To Terms
The Buccaneers have agreed to re-sign safety Chris Conte, according to Gil Arcia of TheBayCave.com (Twitter link). Jenna Laine of Sports Talk 1040 and Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter links) have since confirmed the deal. It’ll be a one-year pact, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).
Conte, 27, joined Tampa Bay last offseason, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM that reunited him with former Bears head coach Lovie Smith. Smith, of course, was fired earlier this year and replaced by offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, but Conte still has ties with the Buccaneers staff, as new Tampa secondary coach Jim Hoke coached Conte in Chicago.
In his first season with the Bucs, Conte started 13 games, and played the second-most snaps of any Tampa defensive back. He posted 59 tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles, and graded as the No. 32 safety per Pro Football Focus before suffering a knee injury in Week 15 that ultimately landed him on injured reserve.
Conte earned an honorable mention on PFR’s list of the best free agent safeties.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Week In Review: 3/6/16 – 3/13/16
Although we’ll typically round up every major transaction and bit of news in our Week in Review, the free agent frenzy renders that approach completely untenable. We’ll highlight the key moves here, but remember that you can visit PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents post to see that status of the league’s top FAs; click on the Newsstand tag to filter the site down to the largest news stories; or use the Transactions tag to focus on roster movement.
Top 10 Free Agents:
- Giants – Olivier Vernon, DE (five years,$85MM)
- Jaguars – Malik Jackson, DE (six years, $85.5MM)
- Texans – Brock Osweiler, QB (four years, $72MM)
- Raiders – Kelechi Osemele, OL (five years, $58.5MM)
- Giants – Janoris Jenkins, CB (five years, $62.5MM)
- Raiders – Bruce Irvin, LB (four years, $37MM)
- Giants – Jason Pierre-Paul (one year, $10MM)
- Giants – Damon Harrison, DT (five years, $46.25MM)
- Raiders – Sean Smith, CB (four years, $40MM)
- Falcons – Alex Mack, C (five years, $45MM)
Best Remaining Free Agents:
- Russell Okung, T (No. 11)
- Kelvin Beachum, T (No. 15)
- Eric Weddle, S (No. 17)
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB (No. 19)
- Greg Hardy, DE (No. 21)
- Donald Penn, T (No. 26)
- Casey Hayward, CB (No. 29)
- Andre Smith, T (No. 38)
- Reggie Nelson, S (No. 41)
- Nick Fairley, DT (No. 43)
- Rueben Randle, WR (No. 49)
Trades:
- Broncos – acquired QB Mark Sanchez from the Eagles in exchange for a conditional 2017 seventh-round pick
- Dolphins – acquired LB Kiko Alonso, CB Byron Maxwell, and pick No. 13 from the Eagles in exchange for pick No. 8
- Titans – acquired RB DeMarco Murray and pick No. 113 from the Eagles in exchange for pick No. 100
Sunday Roundup: Okung, Lions, RGIII
Let’s take a look at some notes from around the league as the second wave of free agency starts to heat up:
- After meeting with Russell Okung today, the Steelers are scheduled to meet with free agent tackles Ryan Harris and Chris Hairston later this week, per a tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter (we had already heard about the Harris meeting, but the Hairston visit is a new development). Pittsburgh has a void at left tackle that it is seeking to fill, as Kelvin Beachum, who missed most of the 2015 campaign with a torn ACL, looks ready to sign elsewhere.
- The Lions have already had a visit with Okung, and while all reports seem to indicate that it was a positive meeting, Detroit remains in a holding pattern with the talented but oft-injured tackle. As Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes, Detroit may have no other choice but to make a big-time offer for Okung, despite the risks, as the offensive line is in serious need of an upgrade and Okung is far and away the best talent still on the market.
- Darius Slay and Sam Martin are two members of the Lions‘ terrific 2013 draft class that could sign extensions with the club in the coming months, and as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes, Theo Riddick is also open to an extension that would keep him in Detroit for the foreseeable future. No contract talks have taken place yet, but Riddick, who led all running backs with 80 receptions in 2015, could have a bigger role in the running game in 2016, and he could get a nice payday as a result.
- Birkett writes in a separate piece that new Lions GM Bob Quinn has done a nice job of patching holes on his team’s roster while steering clear of overpaying for mediocre talent, a common pitfall for first-time GMs. But Birkett also observes that the Lions are no better right now than they were last year, and Quinn will have to prove that his eye for young talent in the draft matches matches his prudence in free agency.
- Former NFL agent Joel Corry does not believe that the Jets have serious interest in Robert Griffin III, and he believes the team’s “pursuit” of RGIII is simply a leverage play staged for Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s benefit. If the team were to sign Griffin, Corry believes it would be a modest, one-year pact worth between $4MM-$5MM (Twitter link).
- Free agent safety Rashad Johnson was set to meet with the Titans on Friday, but per ESPN’s Josina Anderson, that visit has been pushed back to tomorrow (Twitter link).
- The Raiders appear to be trending upwards, and they have suddenly transformed from a last resort to a desired destination, as Jerry McDonald of InsideBayArea.com writes. Although the team lost out on Malik Jackson, who ultimately signed with the Jaguars, Oakland landed three major free agents–Kelechi Osemele, Bruce Irvin, and Sean Smith–just one year after being spurned by a number of its top free agent targets. As GM Reggie McKenzie said, “It’s good to see people call us and not always have to beg.” McDonald adds that McKenzie is not done spending–the team still has considerable cap space, after all–and the club’s free agent haul, combined with its talented young core, could propel the Raiders back to the playoffs in 2016.
East Notes: Fitzpatrick, Patriots, Giants
We heard earlier today that the Broncos have, in fact, reached out to free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, but like the Jets, Denver is unwilling to meet Fitzpatrick’s current salary demands. As Brian Costello of The New York Post writes, Denver’s “stinginess” in that regard could push Fitzpatrick back to New York, since other quarterback-needy clubs like the Browns, 49ers, and Rams have expressed no interest in the 33-year-old. Costello does have a point, and as he writes in a separate piece, it is probably time for both sides to come out of their respective trenches and compromise, with a contract worth about $10MM per year and some incentives based on statistics or playoff appearances looking like a fair middle ground.
Now let’s take a look at some more links fro the league’s east divisions:
- Count Jets wideout Brandon Marshall as one big-name member of Gang Green that wants Fitzpatrick to return to the team. As Seth Walder of The New York Daily News writes, Marshall fears losing Fitz to free agency, saying, “The way we communicate, the way we practice together, the way we bring other guys together, I’ve never seen that anywhere else. And I’ve been a lot of places. And I’ve had a lot of quarterbacks. So that’s the toughest thing for me when I think about him potentially putting on another jersey.”
- The Patriots, as usual, have been relatively quiet during the first wave of free agency, and as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe observes, that approach makes sense, as New England already has its top players under contract and is saving to re-sign some of its key contributors whose contracts expire at the end of the 2016 season (like Malcolm Butler, Jamie Collins, and Rob Ninkovich). Volin suggests, however, that the team may want to take care of Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman now to head off any possible discontent (Gronkowski has recently expressed frustration with his contract on Twitter, and while Edelman has not publicly voiced any concern with his current deal, the fact that Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola are set to make more money than him in 2016 could change things in a hurry).
- Unlike New England, the Giants made a huge splash in the early stages of free agency, and Ralph Vacchiano of The New York Daily News commends the club for its extravagances. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, though, notes that Big Blue is not done spending, and he puts together a list of second-tier players the Giants could target, a list that includes players like Andre Holmes, Rashad Johnson, and Andre Branch.
- Raanan passes along a note on Keenan Robinson‘s new deal with the Giants, pointing out that the contract is actually a one-year, $2.6MM pact. It had previously been reported that Robinson had inked a one-year, $3.5MM deal, but Raanan says that $900K of that figure is comprised of not likely to be earned incentives. Raanan’s piece provides details on all of the Giants’ free agent contracts thus far.
- Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald welcomes the Dolphins‘ new, more measured approach to free agency this offseason, a stark contrast to the team’s recent free-spending ways. Although one can take issue with some of Miami’s decisions–the Mario Williams signing, for instance–the change in strategy is still refreshing.
Latest On Colin Kaepernick
There are several things we know about the Colin Kaepernick situation at the moment: we know that Kaepernick is willing to restructure his contract and take a pay cut to get out of San Francisco, and we know that the Browns are willing to give up a third-round pick to the 49ers to land Kaepernick (and, because the Browns are picking so high in each round, their third-round selection, No. 65 overall, is very close to being a second-round pick, which is reportedly San Francisco’s asking price for No. 7). Those developments, combined with the recent report that the Browns are currently the team in the driver’s seat in the pursuit of Kaepernick–not to mention Kaepernick’s apparent desire to play for the Browns–suggest that the former Nevada product could be on his way to Cleveland in the near future.
However, as Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee writes, Kaepernick is wary of taking a pay cut to play for the Browns given how much talent the team has lost at the start of free agency. In the past week, Alex Mack has signed with the Falcons, Mitchell Schwartz has signed with the Chiefs, and Travis Benjamin has joined the Chargers (plus, the Browns could always trade Joe Thomas between now and the draft, as Mark Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer writes). Since Cleveland’s roster was already fairly weak prior to the exodus of some of its best talent, and since the team is prepared to draft a top quarterback prospect with the No. 2 overall pick even if it brings Kaepernick aboard, it is easy to see why Kaepernick, despite his respect for new Browns head coach Hue Jackson, would be hesitant to join Jackson in Cleveland. Barrows notes that, if the Browns had offered the No. 65 overall selection for Kaepernick a week ago, Cleveland may well have a new quarterback at this point, but the early days of free agency have suddenly made that possibility much more uncertain. While the Browns would like to pay Kaepernick like a bridge quarterback–roughly $7MM-$8MM per year, with incentives for games started–they may have to pony up more cash if they still want Kaepernick.
The Broncos, of course, are still a potential landing spot for Kaepernick, and Barrows reports that if Denver came to Kaepernick with the same deal the Browns offered for the quarterback, he’d likely sign it in a second. But the Broncos and the 49ers are still at an impasse in trade talks, as Denver is willing to give up its third-round selection, No. 94 overall, while San Francisco is probably holding out for the Broncos’ No. 63 overall selection. Still, if the Broncos are unable to sign Robert Griffin III or Ryan Fitzpatrick, they may be willing to meet the 49ers’ asking price.
Meanwhile, the Jets are still lurking in the background, and Kaepernick would suddenly become a stronger option for New York if it cannot come to terms with Fitzpatrick, who nearly guided Gang Green to the playoffs in 2015 but who is currently seeking a contract that will pay him $16-$18MM per year. And the 49ers, of course, still control Kaepernick’s contractual rights, and they have repeatedly insisted that they are willing to keep him beyond April 1, when his $11.9 million base salary for 2016 would become fully guaranteed. New head coach Chip Kelly, after all, will install an offense that appears perfect for Kaepernick’s skill-set, and the 49ers certainly have the cap space to retain their once-promising QB. But Kaepernick’s apparent distaste for San Francisco could manifest itself in very uncomfortable ways for the club, which suggests that he will, in fact, have a new home in 2016. Where that home will be, however, remains a mystery as the quarterback carousel rolls on.
Rams Re-Sign Eugene Sims
SUNDAY, 9:08am: The Rams have officially re-signed Sims, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). It will be a three-year, $10MM deal for Sims, including $3.75MM in guarantees.
SATURDAY, 3:08pm: After releasing Chris Long before free agency opened, the Rams appear to be set to retain another defensive end. Following William Hayes‘ re-signing to join the team in Los Angeles, Eugene Sims will sign to stay with the Rams, according to his Instagram account (via Vincent Bonsignore of InsideSoCal.com).
An unrestricted free agent, Sims started nine games for the Rams last season after previously starting three in his initial five years in the league — all in St. Louis. He registered 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Sims attended a team meeting in Los Angeles last week, per Bonsignore, a sign the UFA intended to stay with the Rams.
The soon-to-be-30-year-old Sims served as defensive line depth during his previous five seasons after arriving via sixth-round draft pick of the Rams’ in 2010. He should be in line to back up Hayes and Robert Quinn next season.
Broncos Reach Out To Ryan Fitzpatrick’s Agent
SUNDAY, 9:00am: ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms that the Broncos have indeed reached out to Fitzpatrick, but, like the Jets, the Broncos are currently unwilling to meet Fitzpatrick’s salary demands (Fitzpatrick is said to be seeking a contract that will pay him $16MM-$18MM per year). Per Schefter, Denver will monitor the Fitzpatrick situation while continuing to pursue other signal-callers to compete with the recently-acquired Mark Sanchez.
THURSDAY, 5:38pm: The Broncos are looking into Plan B scenarios and, as expected, they are exploring the idea of signing Ryan Fitzpatrick, as Michael Silver of NFL Network tweets. Denver has been in touch with Fitzpatrick’s agent about a possible deal. 
It’s not immediately clear how close the two sides might be to a deal or whether numbers have been exchanged. And, even though the Broncos were not able to retain their top QB choice in Brock Osweiler, they still have multiple options to choose from. With Robert Griffin III also on the open market and Colin Kaepernick likely available via trade, Fitzpatrick may not be their No. 2 or even No. 3 choice.
At age 33, Fitzpatrick is coming off of a career year. Naturally, his value is pretty hard to nail down. On one hand, Fitzpatrick guided the Jets offense extremely well in 2015 and talent at the quarterback position is scarce. On the other hand, some would argue that Fitzpatrick represents a decent transitional option at best, and pessimists could point to his solid campaign as a fluke. Still, it’s the market that dictates a player’s value and there aren’t a whole lot of quality quarterback options out there. After celebrating a Super Bowl victory, the Broncos certainly want to have a capable QB under center in 2016.
In 2015, Fitzpatrick started all 16 games for the Jets, setting new career highs by tossing 31 touchdowns and racking up 3,905 yards through the air. He led the team to a 10-6 record for the season, narrowly missing a playoff berth.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dak Prescott Arrested For DUI
Former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott, who has been projected as a second- or third-round prospect in this year’s draft, was arrested for DUI early Saturday morning, according to a report from Michael Bonner and Sarah Fowler of The Clarion-Ledger. The arrest took place near the Cotton District in Starkville at 12:45 a.m., and Prescott was later released on bond. No further details are available at this time, and Prescott’s representation, Pro Sports Management, has refused comment.
Prescott is one of the most-beloved Mississippi State players in the history of the program, having led the Bulldogs to a five-week stint as the No. 1 team in the country, as well as an Orange Bowl appearance, in the 2014 season. A dynamic dual-threat talent, Prescott holds every school passing record and was named MVP of this year’s Senior Bowl after guiding Mississippi State to a convincing victory in the 2015 Belk Bowl. The Bulldogs also took home the 2013 Liberty Bowl with Prescott under center, and he, along with head coach Dan Mullen, was a driving force behind the school’s rise to relevance in the powerhouse SEC.
NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock lists Prescott as the fifth-best quarterback in this year’s draft class, behind presumptive first-rounders Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, and Paxton Lynch, and one spot behind Michigan State’s Connor Cook. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets that Prescott has been moving up his draft board, and Prescott has been mentioned as at least a speculative fit for the Cowboys and Broncos. He met with every team in the league at this year’s scouting combine, and as Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News tweets, he was set to meet with the Bills prior to the draft.
Prescott was in Starkville for Mississippi State’s pro day on Thursday, which helped cement his status as a second-day prospect. His DUI arrest, however, will almost certainly impact his draft stock.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
West Notes: Kaepernick, Ware, Dunlap, Irvin
Colin Kaepernick should call the 49ers‘ bluff and rescind his trade request, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Kaepernick’s $11.9MM base salary becomes fully guaranteed on April 1 — the Browns reportedly are willing to send a third-round pick to San Francisco in exchange for Kaepernick, but only if the quarterback agrees to lower his salary. The 49ers don’t want to pay that total, either, so Florio argues that if Kaepernick drops his request to be dealt, he forces the Niners to either guarantee him almost $12MM or release him, allowing Kaepernick to choose his next destination.
Here’s more the NFL’s two West divisions…
- We learned earlier today that as part of his restructure, Broncos linebacker DeMarcus Ware can earn back all the money he agreed to cut through sack-based incentives. Per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com, Ware can earn between $1.25MM and $3.5MM when he hits eight, nine, 11, and 13 sacks. It’s a smart structure by Denver — because Ware posted 7.5 sacks in 2015, every penny of those incentives will be labeled “not likely to be earned,” meaning the club won’t have to carry any portion of that total on its 2016 cap.
- Chargers left tackle King Dunlaps‘s 2016 base salary of $4.5MM became fully guaranteed today, as Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune notes (Twitter link). Dunlap, entering the second year of a four-year deal, will count for roughly $6.34MM on San Diego’s cap next year.
- Former Seahawks linebackers coach — and current Raiders defensive coordinator — Ken Norton Jr. played a large role in luring Bruce Irvin to Oakland, as Irvin explains to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. “I wanted to get back with him,” Irvin said of Norton Jr. “Like I said before, that guy, he’s done a lot for me, not only on the field, but off the field. He saved my career by bringing me from defensive end to a linebacker, so I have the utmost respect for that guy.”
- In a separate column, Florio reports that agents are advising their clients not to sign contracts with the Rams that seem to be bound by Missouri laws. The issue, per Florio, is that California, where the Rams will play next season, has much more pro-labor workers’ rights laws, thus the club would rather the deals be controlled by Missouri language.