Jaguars On Verge Of Signing Malik Jackson?
11:58am: Jackson is about to sign with the Jaguars, Mike Klis of KUSA writes. Jackson’s Broncos teammates have heard that the Jaguars are the clear frontrunners for his services, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter).
11:31am: The Jaguars are making a very strong push for Broncos defensive lineman Malik Jackson, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. La Canfora adds that Jackson could agree to sign with Jacksonville “well before” the start of the league year. 
On Monday, we learned that the Jaguars, Bears and Raiders have “expressed serious interest” in signing the Broncos defensive lineman. Denver has offered Jackson anywhere from $11MM to $12MM per season but they’re apparently not the only club that’s willing to go to eight figures per season.
Jackson recorded a personal-best 45 tackles and five sacks during his third straight 16-game regular season in 2015-16, finishing 16th out of Pro Football Focus’ 123 qualifying interior defenders in overall performance (subscription required). PFR’s Luke Adams ranks Jackson the second-best free agent in this year’s class. As of this writing, the Jaguars have roughly $82MM in cap space, per Over The Cap.
In other news, Jaguars defensive tackle Abry Jones signed his one-year contract, as Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets. The restricted free agent will earn $2.553MM.
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Ravens Hit Kamar Aiken With Second-Round Tender
The Ravens will put the second-round tender on restricted free agent Kamar Aiken, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. The second-round tender is worth $2.55MM this year. 
With Aiken coming off a 75-catch breakout season, it made sense for the Ravens to pull the trigger on the second-round tender. After all, there’s a dearth of talent on the wide receiver market this offseason, and Baltimore didn’t want to risk losing Aiken or paying him even more if a rival team signed him to an offer sheet.
As PFR’s Top 10 list of free agent wide receivers shows, there isn’t a ton of high-end talent in this year’s class. Marvin Jones stands as our top-ranked receiver, followed by Travis Benjamin, Rishard Matthews, Rueben Randle, Anquan Boldin, Jermaine Kearse, Mohamed Sanu, Marques Colston, Brandon LaFell, and James Jones. Other notables include Andre Johnson, Roddy White, Nate Washington, Brian Quick, and Andre Holmes. While there’s name value in that bunch, Aiken’s ability and age (27 in May) would have put him pretty high on that list.
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Alshon Jeffery Signs Bears Franchise Tag Tender
Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has officially signed his franchise tag tender, the team announced (on Twitter). The star receiver can still ink a long-term deal up until July 15th. 
After averaging 87 receptions and 1,277 yards in 2013 and 2014, Jeffery was plagued by injuries in 2015, but he was excellent when healthy, averaging a career-high 89.7 yards per game. Now that he has accepted the tag, he’ll be in line for a salary north of $14MM for 2016.
The Bears started to remodel their team last season but, despite some speculation to the contrary, the team did not shop Jeffery. This offseason, there was little chance that the Bears would let the 26-year-old get away. Had he entered the open market, however, he would have ranked high on PFR’s Top 50 NFL Free Agents list. The current wide receiver market is headlined by Marvin Jones, Travis Benjamin, Rishard Matthews, Rueben Randle, Anquan Boldin, Jermaine Kearse, and Mohamed Sanu.
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Saints To Re-Sign Michael Hoomanawanui
The Saints have agreed to terms on a new contract for pending free agent Michael Hoomanawanui, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Marvez reports that it’ll be a three-year deal for the veteran tight end.
[RELATED: Saints to re-sign CB Kyle Wilson]
Hoomanawanui, 27, joined the Saints in late September last season, coming over from New England in a trade that sent defensive lineman Akiem Hicks to the Patriots. Upon his arrival in New Orleans, Hoomanawanui started eight of his 12 games for the club, and displayed a knack for finding the end zone — three of his 11 receptions went for touchdowns.
Among Saints tight ends, Hoomanawanui ranked third in total offensive snaps, behind Ben Watson and Josh Hill. However, both of those players are eligible for free agency this week – Watson is unrestricted and Hill is restricted – and Hoomanawanui still played a decent amount (366 snaps). Locking him up gives New Orleans a little certainty at the position as the team decides what to do with Watson and Hill.
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Packers Sign G Lane Taylor To Two-Year Deal
The Packers have signed guard Lane Taylor to a two-year deal worth $4.15MM, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Only $600K of that total contract is guaranteed, however.
We learned last week that Taylor wouldn’t be getting a restricted free agent tender and now we know why. Last year, Taylor appeared in four games for the Packers and the club is likely banking on him becoming a bigger part of the offensive line rotation going forward. Had he been given a low tender, Taylor could have been in line for a $1.671MM salary in 2016. Instead, he has a mostly non-guaranteed two-year deal that hurts his 2017 upside but still gives him a decent chunk of guaranteed cash.
Raiders Interested In Doug Martin
The Raiders might not be done making free agent splashes. After agreeing to terms with Kelechi Osemele earlier today, Oakland is now entering the Doug Martin sweepstakes, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Adding Martin to the mix would make the Raiders offensive attack even more potent as he would form a dangerous 1-2 combo with Latavius Murray. One has to imagine that quarterback Derek Carr would be thrilled to command an offense with Murray and Martin in the backfield and Amari Cooper at wide receiver.
We heard recently that Martin was hoping to “hit the jackpot” in free agency after producing the second 1,400-yard rushing season of his career. Sometime after that, his talks with the Bucs broke down. Martin’s 1,402 ground yards last season came on a career-best 4.9-yards-per-carry average. He’s poised to cash in based off of that performance, but teams also haven’t forgotten that Martin sputtered in his second and third seasons, combining to gain fewer than 1,000 yards with a per-carry average below 4.0.
Martin’s market reportedly includes at least six teams.
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Chargers, Joe Barksdale Agree To Four-Year Deal
TUESDAY, 10:27am: Barksdale’s new four-year deal with the Chargers is worth $22.2MM, with $10.5MM in fully guaranteed money, per Caplan (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 8:48pm: Joe Barksdale was close to becoming one of the top right tackles on this year’s free agent market, but he’s staying put. Barksdale will re-sign the Chargers, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). It’s a four-year pact, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). Financial details are not yet available.
“We got the deal done. I’ll be signing tomorrow,” Barksdale said.
Barksdale proved to be a bargain for the Chargers last season after joining them on a one-year deal. The 27-year-old made 16 starts and played the second-most snaps in the league among tackles (1,150). His performance earned him the No. 21 overall ranking among 77 qualifying OTs from Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Barksdale, a third-round pick of the Raiders in 2011, joined the Rams in 2012 and emerged as a dependable starter the next season. Since then, he has appeared in 48 straight games and made 45 starts for the Rams and Chargers.
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Free Agent Rumors: Osweiler, Texans, Ivory
The Broncos and Texans are shaping up as the two primary potential landing spots for free agent quarterback Brock Osweiler, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Broncos have reportedly offered Osweiler a three-year contract worth ~$39MM, but the Texans are also expected to make a competitive offer. Could they offer up more than Denver? While we await the answer, here’s more of the latest free agent news:
- Chris Ivory is on the Texans‘ radar as the new league year approaches, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. Ivory, who will celebrate his 28th birthday in a few weeks, set career highs last season in carries (247), rushing yards (1,070), and total touchdowns (eight). If the Jets do not retain Ivory, he will stand as one of the more appealing free agent running back options of the offseason.
- The Vikings are not pursuing Browns free agent tackle Mitchell Schwartz, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter). It was reported on Monday that the Vikings were pursuing Schwartz along with the Buccaneers, Giants, and Falcons. Since the Browns took Schwartz in the second round of the 2012 draft, he has appeared in and started 64 straight games. For his work last season, the 26-year-old ranked sixth out of 77 qualifying tackles by Pro Football Focus’ standards (subscription required).
- Marcus Sherels wants to return to the Vikings and the interest is mutual, though it has to be at the right price for Minnesota, Tomasson tweets. However, there’s no agreement yet and a few teams are eyeing the cornerback.
- The Saints are working to bring back running back Tim Hightower, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hightower started three games for the Saints last year after being years removed from the NFL.
- Linebacker Junior Galette took to Twitter earlier today and shot down a follower’s suggestion that he should sign a deal for the veteran’s minimum with big incentives. Galette also restated his interest in playing for Washington.
Calvin Johnson Announces Retirement
Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson has officially retired from the NFL, the team announced today in a press release. According to the Lions, Megatron filed his retirement papers with the NFL. The team added that, with respect to Johnson’s contract, those “matters were settled to the satisfaction of the parties.”
In addition to the team’s press release, the Lions have also issued a statement from Johnson, who indicated that he will not have a press conference to discuss his decision.
“Let me assure you that this was not an easy or hasty decision,” Johnson said within his statement. “I, along with those closest to me, have put a lot of time, deliberation and prayer into this decision and I truly am at peace with it.”
Johnson will retire as the Lions’ all-time leader in receptions (731) receiving yards (11,619) and receiving touchdowns (83). Since leading the NFL with 122 receptions and 1,964 yards in 2012, he had seen his production decline a little. Still, Megatron continued to be one of the league’s more productive pass catchers in 2015, with 88 catches, 1,214 yards, and nine touchdowns, making his retirement announcement somewhat unexpected.
Just days after the regular season, the first reports surfaced suggesting that Johnson was considering retirement. The idea that the 30-year-old would walk away from the NFL after such a productive season was surprising, but all the wear and tear he had endured over his career appeared to play a role in the decision. The longtime Lions wideout had been plagued by ankle and finger issues in recent years.
Had he continued his career, Johnson would have counted for more than $24MM against the Lions’ cap in 2016. Now that the six-time Pro Bowler has retired, the team will no longer be on the hook for his base salary of $15.95MM. The Lions’ reference today to settling Johnson’s contract situation likely refers to the two sides coming to some sort of agreement on whether or not Megatron will return a portion of his signing bonus. Details on that agreement aren’t yet known.
With Johnson no longer in the mix, wide receiver figures to be a priority for the Lions in both free agency and the draft. Golden Tate has been an excellent complement to Johnson since signing with Detroit in 2014, but the club doesn’t have a ton of depth behind him, and it remains to be seen whether Tate’s production will slip if receives extra attention as the No. 1 target in Detroit.
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Dolphins In Lead For Mario Williams
The Dolphins are the “clear front-runners” in the Mario Williams sweepstakes, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. According to Florio, Miami is expected to make a push on Tuesday to get something done with the veteran pass rusher, who doesn’t have to wait until Wednesday to sign. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report adds (via Twitter) that the two sides appear to be nearing a deal.
2015 was an ugly season for Williams, who didn’t mesh well with Rex Ryan and the new head coach’s defensive scheme, and was accused of displaying a lack of effort at times. Williams is only a year removed from an All-Pro season in which he piled up 14.5 sacks though, so even though he turned 31 in January, he likely still has something left in the tank.
A Monday report indicated that Williams told teams he would sign right away if he received an offer worth $10MM annually. If the Dolphins are confident about signing him, I’d imagine the team’s proposal will approach that figure — Cole suggests it may be worth in the neighborhood of $8MM per year.
The Dolphins have been very active within the last week or so, creating cap space by restructuring Ndamukong Suh‘s and Jordan Cameron‘s contracts and by cutting Greg Jennings, among other moves. However, the team is also set to add Byron Maxwell‘s salary in a team with the Eagles, and has Olivier Vernon in limbo on a transition tag worth nearly $13MM.
It’s hard to imagine the Dolphins keeping both Vernon and Cameron Wake on the roster a their current prices if the team gets something done with Williams. It remains to be seen whether that might mean removing the transition tag from Vernon or addressing Wake’s contract via restructure or release.
The Giants and Jaguars are among the other teams with reported interest in Williams, though a report this morning suggested New York was a long shot.
Here’s more on the Dolphins:
- The Dolphins are in conversations with a few veteran free agent guards, including Alex Boone of the 49ers, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson observes that Boone has a good relationship with new Dolphins offensive line coach Chris Foerster, who was in San Francisco last season.
- A source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link) that Jordan Cameron‘s contract restructure with the Dolphins will reduce his 2016 earnings to $6MM, adding no extra years to the end of the deal.
- It’s becoming increasingly unlikely that free agent running back Lamar Miller will re-sign with the Dolphins, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
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