Free Agent Rumors: Vikings, Weddle, Steelers
The Vikings are negotiating to bring back tight end Rhett Ellison, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). If Ellison can’t be retained, however, one option to replace him might be free agent James Hanna, formerly of the Cowboys, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
Here’s a look at some of the latest news and rumors on this crazy day of action:
- Terence Newman is also a Vikings free agent, and the club will talk to his agent once again later tonight or tomorrow, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Wolfson also says that Minnesota did not show interest in guard Jeff Allen, as Alex Boone was their target all along.
- The Steelers like veteran safety Eric Weddle, a source tells Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (Twitter link), but the club thinks he’s too expensive at the moment. Pittsburgh is hoping Weddle’s price falls.
- Free agent offensive lineman Ted Larsen will take a visit with the 49ers, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
- The Bears are not done looking for free agent offensive lineman, even after agreeing to a deal with Bobby Massie, reports Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link).
- Texans restricted free agent corner A.J. Bouye is drawing interest from other clubs, but no offer sheet is yet on the table, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Bouye was tendered at the lowest level, so Houston won’t get any compensation if it fails to match an offer.
Lions Re-Sign Haloti Ngata
5:50pm: Ngata’s new two-year deal with the Lions is worth $12MM, with $6MM in fully guaranteed money, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. The veteran defender gets a $6.25MM payout in 2016.
2:32pm: The Lions have agreed to re-sign defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, his agent Mike McCartney tweets. It’ll be a two-year pact between Ngata and Detroit.
Ngata, 32, was traded from the Ravens to the Lions on the first day of free agency in 2015. In his first season in the Motor City, Ngata started 15 games, posting 15 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Ngata said in February that intended to continue playing, and a recent report indicated that he was “increasingly likely” to be retained by the Lions.
Ngata isn’t the only defensive lineman to re-sign with the Lions in the past week, as Detroit also reached an agreement with Tyrunn Walker on March 4.
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Eagles, Nigel Bradham Agree To Two-Year Deal
The Eagles and free agent linebacker Nigel Bradham have agreed to a deal, reports Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (Twitter link). It’s a two-year accord, per Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter). Financial details are not yet available.
Bradham’s decision to sign with Philadelphia will reunite him with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. The two were together in Buffalo in 2014, when Bradham posted easily the best season of his four-year career. The ex-Florida State Seminole 
totaled 104 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception in 14 games under Schwartz, also earning a reserve spot on Pro Football Focus’ Pro Bowl team. Bradham’s performance fell off significantly without Schwartz last season, as he struggled to fit into the Bills’ Rex Ryan-led defense. The 26-year-old totaled 45 fewer tackles (59) and one sack in 11 games, ranking 81st out of 97 qualifying LBs at PFF.
In Philadelphia, Bradham figures to garner significant playing time in a linebacking corps that no longer features his ex-Buffalo teammate Kiko Alonso, whom the Eagles traded to Miami earlier today. Bradham will join a high-upside group featuring Mychal Kendricks and Jordan Hicks.
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Eagles Sign Brandon Brooks
5:48pm: The Eagles have officially announced their deal with Brooks (via Twitter).
2:33pm: The Eagles are set to sign guard Brandon Brooks, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’ll be a five-year, $40MM deal. 
Earlier this week, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report indicated that Brooks could be in line for a deal in the range of $8MM per season and that’s exactly what he appears to have gotten. Brooks’ representatives were reportedly in touch with the Texans since the Combine but the two sides could not work out a deal to keep the guard in Houston. Brooks rated as Pro Football Focus’ 37th-ranked guard in 2015, and he got a sizable payday despite joining a crowded guard class fronted by Kelechi Osemele.
According to the advanced metrics, Brooks struggled as a run-blocker in 2015, but his pass-blocking was excellent, ranking among the league’s top 10 guards. In past seasons, Brooks has been more consistent in both aspects of his game, which helped lead to his hefty deal with Philly.
Brooks was PFR’s No. 7 ranked available interior offensive lineman, putting him behind Osemele, Alex Mack, Jeff Allen, Richie Incognito, Alex Boone, and Evan Mathis. That designation put Brooks ahead of notable names such as Ramon Foster, Stefen Wisniewski, Ben Jones, Jahri Evans, Manny Ramirez, Geoff Schwartz, Mike Harris, and J.R. Sweezy.
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Broncos Offered Brock Osweiler $64MM+
5:37pm: Broncos general manager John Elway doesn’t sound too broken up about Osweiler’s exit.
“We’ve stayed true to our philosophy of building a team with players who want to be Denver Broncos and want to be here. That’s been a successful approach for us,” he said (link via Andrew Mason of the Broncos’ website).
On Elway’s attempt to keep Osweiler, the GM said, “While we did offer a very competitive and fair long-term contract to Brock, we ultimately had to remain disciplined while continuing to assemble a roster that can compete for championships.”
Elway went on to acknowledge that the Broncos are exploring other options.
“We’ve now turned our attention to other options at quarterback and are confident that we’ll find the right player and person for our team. Our organization thanks Brock for his contributions and wishes him all the best.”
5:15pm: Prior to Brock Osweiler‘s decision to accept a four-year, $72MM offer from the Texans, the Broncos offered the quarterback a contract for the same length and less money (upward of $64MM), reports Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). That came after the Broncos submitted a three-year, $45MM offer to Osweiler. Denver’s $64MM-plus pitch included $30MM in guarantees – less than the $37MM Osweiler will receive from the Texans (Twitter link via Klis).
Osweiler’s choice to leave Denver after four years as Peyton Manning’s backup came as no surprise to members of the 
organization, per Klis, who tweets that he stopped returning phone calls to some teammates and coaches over the last two weeks. Osweiler, 25, will now start anew without having to live in the shadow of Manning, which was a factor in his decision, according to Klis.
With Manning having retired and Osweiler gone, the Broncos are essentially bereft under center – an odd position to be in for a reigning Super Bowl winner. Their incumbent starter is 2015 seventh-rounder Trevor Siemian, who has never thrown an NFL pass, but his spot atop the depth chart isn’t exactly set in stone.
The recently released Robert Griffin III is on the Broncos’ list of replacement quarterbacks, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported when news of Osweiler’s departure broke (Twitter link). RG3 could visit Denver this week, per Schefter.
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Titans Acquire DeMarco Murray
5:14pm: The Titans have officially acquired Murray and the Eagles’ fourth-round pick (15th in the round) from Philadelphia in exchange for Tennessee’s fourth-round pick (second in the round), the Eagles confirmed today (via Twitter).
WEDNESDAY, 10:28am: The Eagles and Titans are expected to swap fourth-round picks as part of this deal, tweets Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic. That would allow Philadelphia to move up 13 spots in the round, giving the club the second pick on Day 3 of the draft.
TUESDAY, 6:08pm: Murray’s new contract has a four-year term and base value of $25.5MM, $12.5MM of which is guaranteed, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who adds that it’s unclear whether or not that $12.5MM is fully guaranteed. Escalators can push the total value to $33MM.
For comparison’s sake, Murray had $31MM remaining on his old deal — $12MM of that total was guaranteed, and further $9MM of that was fully guaranteed.
MONDAY, 7:47pm: Even with Kelly out of the equation, Murray had been pressuring the Eagles to trade him since the season ended, tweets ESPN’s Ed Werder.
6:10pm: The Titans are finalizing a trade to acquire running back DeMarco Murray from the Eagles, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). There’s no word yet on what the Eagles will get in return. The deal will be consummated Wednesday, the first day of the league year, and will also include a new contract for Murray, his agency, SportsTrust Advisors, announced (Twitter link). However, Murray’s guarantees won’t change, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). He’s due $7MM in 2016 and $7.5MM from 2017-19.
The Eagles shopped Murray over the last few weeks, per Rapoport (Twitter link), after the 28-year-old experienced a disastrous 
season in Philadelphia. Murray inked a five-year, $42MM deal to leave Dallas for Philly last offseason. At the time, Murray was coming off a season in which he earned AP Offensive Player of the Year honors thanks to a 392-carry, 1,845-yard, 13-touchdown showing. All of Murray’s numbers dropped precipitously under Chip Kelly, though, as he amassed 199 fewer attempts (193), over 1,100 fewer yards (702), and finished with six scores. Murray also averaged just 3.6 yards per rush, a full yard below his five-year career mark.
The Cowboys discussed the idea of reacquiring Murray, but that idea didn’t go very far, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
In Tennessee, Murray will join a club that ranked 25th in rushing yards last season and 17th in per-carry average. Quarterback Marcus Mariota beefed up both stats, though, with his lofty 7.4 YPC. Their running back corps was much less threatening. Antonio Andrews led Titans backs in attempts (143), yards (520) and touchdowns (three). He matched Murray with a paltry 3.6 YPC.
The Murray trade is one of at least two the Eagles will finalize Wednesday. We learned earlier today that they will send cornerback Byron Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso, two other Kelly acquisitions from last winter, to the Dolphins for draft-pick compensation. The Eagles might also deal running back Ryan Mathews, but that could change with Murray on the outs. Mathews was also a Kelly pickup a year ago. Regardless of whether Mathews exits, it’s clear that Eagles vice president Howie Roseman and Kelly’s replacement, Doug Pederson, are taking the club’s roster in a vastly different direction than it went in under Kelly.
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Rams Re-Sign Tim Barnes
5:07pm: Barnes will get a new two-year deal worth $5.5MM, with $3.25MM guaranteed, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Thomas adds that the max value of the contract is $9MM. The team has officially confirmed Barnes’ signing.
3:58pm: The Rams have re-signed center Tim Barnes to a two-year deal, Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). Financial details aren’t yet available.
Since signing with the Rams as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri in 2012, Barnes has appeared in 61 of a possible 64 regular-season games and logged 20 starts. Sixteen of those starts came last season, when he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 29th-best center (39 qualifiers).
Bears To Add Bobby Massie
4:54pm: It’ll be a three-year deal for Massie, tweets Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com, while Cole adds (via Twitter) that the contract is worth $18MM.
3:57pm: Bobby Massie and the Bears have reached an agreement to bring the tackle to Chicago, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets.
Massie started for three seasons with the Cardinals and was linked to multiple teams during his initial free agency foray but opted to sign with the Bears. Terms of the deal are not yet disclosed.
A starter in Arizona during the 2012, 2014 and 2015 seasons, Massie started 16 total games for the Cardinals last season, including both playoff contests, at right tackle. The NFL suspended Massie for the first three games of last season, a ban that was reduced to two, for a substance-abuse policy violation.
Upon return, Massie didn’t fare too well, per Pro Football Focus. The soon-to-be 27-year-old blocker ranked 45th at tackle, although the site is highly critical of tackles’ play.
In 2014, Massie played all 1,089 snaps for the Cardinals. But the team drafted tackle D.J. Humphries in the first round in 2015 and already employs a second-contract cog as its left tackle in Jared Veldheer.
The Bears also have an interesting quandary on their front now that Massie appears to be in the fold. Kyle Long started all 16 games at right tackle for Chicago last season but played his previous two slates as the Bears’ right guard. The fourth-year veteran and extension candidate’s previously been pegged to play tackle for the Bears next season; that could now be on the left side, where 2014 seventh-round pick Charles Leno resided in 2015.
Chicago could move Long back to guard, where he was a productive talent and a two-time Pro Bowler. Long made the Pro Bowl last year as a right tackle, so his versatility will benefit the Bears as they add a proven component to their starting front.
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Browns To Cut Johnny Manziel This Week
4:51pm: The Browns will cut Manziel sometime this week, Kinkhabwala reports (on Twitter).
4:21pm: It was widely reported over the last several weeks that the Browns would cut quarterback Johnny Manziel today – the first day of the league year – but that will not happen (yet), according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (Twitter link). Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com wonders (on Twitter) if the Browns are holding off on releasing Manziel in hopes of a quarterback-needy team trading a late-round pick for him within the next couple days.
Notably, if the Browns release Manziel before June 1, they’ll incur upward of $2.8MM in dead money. On the other hand, if they 
designate him a post-June 1 cut, they’ll rid themselves of any dead money responsibility. Further, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter pointed out earlier this week (via Cork Gaines of Business Insider), the Browns will be in posiiton to recoup some of Manziel’s bonus money if the NFL goes the likely route and suspends him for his off-field behavior. Thus, the Browns have clear incentive to keep Manziel until June 1 at the latest. He certainly won’t return to Cleveland for a third season.
Since the Browns drafted the former Texas A&M star in the 2014 first round, he has appeared in 15 games, made eight starts, and tossed seven touchdowns and seven picks. Manziel showed progress in parts of his six starts last season, but his off-field issues overshadowed his positive steps on the gridiron and have carried into the offseason. The Dallas County District Attorney’s office is currently investigating the 23-year-old over a Jan. 30 altercation with ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley, who alleges that Manziel assaulted her and ruptured her eardrum.
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Tony Bergstrom, Texans Agree To Terms
Former Raiders reserve Tony Bergstrom looks to get a chance at replacing Ben Jones as the Texans’ center, agreeing to terms with Houston, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).
Bergstrom’s agreement with the Texans is for two years, according to the Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).
Houston’s been incredibly active in attempting to transform its offense, signing Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller. But the Texans also lost Jones and guard Brandon Brooks today, when Jones reached an agreement with the Titans and Brooks opted to join the Eagles.
A third-round pick of the Raiders’ in 2012, Bergstrom’s served as line depth for the most part during his career. Bergstrom’s started four games, including three last season when he filled in for the injured Rodney Hudson. He also has played guard, which could be important given the Texans’ need at that position after Brooks defected to Philadelphia.
Despite entering only his fifth season, Bergstrom will turn 30 before his first prospective regular-season game with the Texans.