Washington News: Johnson, Galette, Foster
Washington released safety Jeron Johnson, a source tells John Keim of ESPN.com. After signing a two-year deal with Washington last offseason, Johnson served as a backup and a special teamer all season. The move, which does not come as a huge surprise, saves Washington $1MM in cap space.
Here’s the very latest from D.C.:
- Free agent linebacker Junior Galette will be signing with agent Drew Rosenhaus, a source tells Keim. Galette recently fired agent Peter Schaffer. Washington wants to re-sign Galette and have the right of first refusal. Galette reportedly wants a one-year, “pillow” contract, similar to the deal he signed with Washington last season after being cut by the Saints. The club, however, has been countering with multi-year proposals featuring incentives. Schaffer was encouraging the linebacker to go with a multi-year deal, but the 27-year-old refused.
- Washington is working hard to re-sign linebacker Mason Foster, Keim tweets. Foster, 27, played mainly in a reserve role last season, appearing in 13 games. In total, he racked up 34 tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
- Washington is still in talks to re-sign backup quarterback Colt McCoy, Mike Jones of The Washington Post tweets. Late last month, head coach Jay Gruden indicated that he wanted to keep McCoy.
Bills Hosting Jahri Evans On Visit
Jahri Evans is visiting the Bills today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Bills are reportedly at a standstill in their talks with Richie Incognito, so Evans could be a potential replacement for the interior lineman. 
Evans has started 153 games for the Saints dating back 2006 and earned four First-Team All-Pro selections. Evans had been set to carry an $8.2MM cap figure this season, the fourth-highest on the team, and was signed through the 2017 campaign. Now, the Bills are eyeing him as an option for their offensive line at a lower rate.
The Bills have reportedly “lowballed” Incognito in recent weeks and over the weekend it was reported that the team has gone several-day stretches without contacting his agent. Incognito, who earned a Pro Bowl nod for his strong comeback season in 2015, will turn 33 this July. The Bills rolled the dice on him at a time when many NFL teams would not, but he is not interested in giving Buffalo a discount as a result.
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Vikings Re-Sign Andrew Sendejo
MONDAY, 12:15pm: The Vikings have officially confirmed their new deal with Sendejo in a press release.
SATURDAY, 1:50pm: It could be an incentive-laden deal for the veteran safety, according to Darren Wolfson of KSTP (on Twitter). The Vikings may view Sendejo as a backup plan in case they miss out on signing a more established presence to play alongside Smith, per Wolfson. Last week, Zimmer told media (including Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune) the Vikings were looking for the “right” safety to team with Smith, possibly indicating their previous options weren’t on that level.
1:26pm: It looks like a $16MM contract for Sendejo, Rapoport tweets. The Vikings could still be in the market for another safety in a crowded market which includes two former Bengal proteges of Mike Zimmer in Reggie Nelson and George Iloka, but $4MM per year is starter-level money.
1:20pm: The Vikings reached an agreement to re-sign safety Andrew Sendejo two days before their exclusive negotiating window with him expired.
It’s a four-year pact worth approximately $16MM for the seventh-year player who was set for unrestricted free agency, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Sendejo’s started 26 games for the Vikings since arriving in Minnesota in 2011, all of which coming in the past three seasons. The former undrafted free agent began his career with the Cowboys a year earlier.
Sendejo beat out 2014 starter Robert Blanton, who remains a UFA, for the strong safety job opposite Harrison Smith last season. Neither was considered a lock to return, however, with the Vikings potentially seeking an upgrade at the position.
Smith rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 safety in 2015, while Sendejo’s performance earned him the fourth-worst grade by the site among back-line defenders.
Browns Interested In Marvin Jones
The Browns are pursuing Bengals receiver Marvin Jones in free agency, Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer writes. Jones, 25, has a fan in former coach Hue Jackson, so Cleveland’s interest makes a lot of sense. 
In 13 starts last season, Jones caught 65 passes for 816 yards and four touchdowns. It was a solid bounceback for Jones after he lost the 2014 season due to an injured ankle. According to Cabot, the Browns are hoping that Jones can break out as a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver if he’s not playing in the shadow of star A.J. Green. Golden Tate‘s deal with the Lions, inked one year ago, could be a reference point for a deal, Cabot writes. Tate signed with Detroit on a five-year deal worth $31MM, including $16MM in guaranteed cash.
Jones graded out as PFR’s No. 1 available wide receiver this offseason. With youth and ability to his credit, Jones got the nod over the likes of quality receivers like Travis Benjamin, Rishard Matthews, Rueben Randle, Jermaine Kearse, and Mohamed Sanu. The Browns also have interest in Sanu, Cabot notes, but they prefer Jones because he is faster.
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Safety George Iloka Drawing Interest From Five Teams
Safety George Iloka has gotten serious interest from the Falcons, Giants, Lions, Vikings, and the incumbent Bengals, Jim Owczarski of The Enquirer tweets. Iloka is PFR’s top-rated free agent safety for the 2016 offseason. 
Iloka, 26 at the end of the month, is poised to receive a nice deal this offseason thanks to his ability and young age. This past season, the strong safety appeared in 12 games (all starts) and recorded 47 total tackles with four pass deflections and one interception. Pro Football Focus (sub. required) rated Iloka as the 15th best safety in the NFL last year, placing him behind fellow unrestricted free agents Reggie Nelson and Rodney McLeod.
The Vikings, who are coached by former Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, have long been connected to Iloka. Recently, it was reported that Minnesota would continue to pursue the safety hard, even after re-signing Andrew Sendejo.
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Ravens Re-Sign Morgan Cox
The Ravens announced that they have re-signed Pro Bowl long snapper Morgan Cox to a five-year contract.
Cox has served as Baltimore’s long snapper since 2010, but missed a good chunk of the 2014 season after being placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL in October. He came back healthy in the 2015 season, however, and resumed long snapping duties. The 29-year-old (30 in April) appeared in all 16 regular season games for Baltimore.
In other Ravens news, the team is reportedly bracing for Kelechi Osemele to leave. The Ravens also reached agreement with cornerback Shareece Wright on a new three-year deal.
Mario Williams Seeking $10MM Per Year
Free agent defensive end Mario Williams has told teams he would sign right away if given an offer of $10MM per year, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter). The Giants, Dolphins, and Jaguars are among the teams with interest, he adds. 
The Bills released Williams on Tuesday before he could count against their books for $19.9MM in 2016. Williams did not fare well in Buffalo’s transition to a 3-4 scheme last season, recording only five sacks — his fewest since his 2006 rookie campaign. Someone looking at Williams with an optimistic eye could argue that he would do better in a different scheme and under the tutelage of a different coach. A pessimist might say that Williams, 31, is slowing down.
Still, the former No. 1 overall pick has always performed better as a 4-3 end, recording 38 sacks from 2012-14 in Buffalo, and the Giants are among the clubs that could utilize him in that scheme.
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49ers, Chiefs Discussing De’Anthony Thomas Trade
The 49ers and Chiefs have discussed a trade that would send De’Anthony Thomas to San Francisco, according to John Middlekauff of 95.7 The Game (on Twitter). The wide receiver and return specialist is an Oregon product, which probably goes a long way towards explaining coach Chip Kelly‘s affinity for him. 
Thomas, 23, was a fourth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2014. Over the last two seasons, Thomas has returned 63 punts for an average return of 10 yards plus one touchdown in the ’14 campaign. He has also been effective in a small sample size of kick returns, taking 20 kicks back for an average of 28.3 yards.
Thomas was the club’s primary punt returner in the first half of the 2015 season, and handled the occasional kickoff as well. The youngster also saw some action on offense, with 174 total yards and two touchdowns on 17 receptions and nine carries. Wide receiver Frankie Hammond took over punt-return duties after Thomas was placed on the NFI list in December.
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Free Agency Rumors: Osweiler, Vernon, Miller
The Texans are expected to make a competitive offer to Brock Osweiler in both guaranteed money and per-year average salary, an NFL source tells Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Recently, the Broncos reportedly upped their offer to Osweiler, submitting one that’s worth more than $45MM over three years. From the sound of it, Houston might be ready to top that. A source tells Robinson that a $15-$16MM per year average for Osweiler will be a legitimate number for his market (link).
Here are the latest free agency rumors:
- We can expect the market for Olivier Vernon to include the Giants, Raiders, Jaguars, Browns, and Titans, Robinson tweets. Vernon was hit with the transition tag by the Dolphins earlier this month and he currently stands to earn $12.734MM on a one-year contract in 2016. However, if he signs an offer sheet that the Dolphins decline to match, they will lose him for nothing as they did with Charles Clay one year ago.
- Dolphins running back Lamar Miller will hit the open market when free agency opens, a source close to the player tells Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald. Miller, 24, ran for 872 yards off of 184 carries with eight touchdowns in 2015. Miller is hoping to land a deal similar to DeMarco Murray‘s pact, but Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears his market is in the $4-5MM range rather than $8MM.
- Doug Martin‘s market includes at least six teams, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- The Ravens are bracing for Kelechi Osemele to leave, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. Florio adds that while it has been speculated that the offensive lineman could get $11MM/year on the open market, some think the number will be closer to $9MM.
- Chris Long‘s first visit will be to Washington tomorrow, Trey Wingo of ESPN.com tweets.
- There’s mutual interest between Washington and cornerback Will Blackmon about a return in 2016, Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic tweets.
- Texans free agent guard Brandon Brooks could be in line for a deal in the range of $8MM per season, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) hears. He adds that multiple teams are interested.
Ravens To Re-Sign Shareece Wright
10:57am: Wright’s three-year deal is worth up to $16MM with a $4MM signing bonus and $5MM guaranteed, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
10:34am: The Ravens have re-signed Shareece Wright to a three-year contract, as Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com writes. Wright, soon-to-be 29, started six games for Baltimore in 2015. Financial terms of the deal are not yet known. 
Wright signed with the 49ers prior to the 2015 season but wound up being a healthy scratch for the first four games of the year. The cornerback went on to play in 11 games for the Ravens and ranked as the team’s best corner, according to Pro Football Focus. Overall, Wright totaled 40 tackles and five pass deflections.
The Ravens don’t have a ton of salary space heading into the legal tampering period, but Wright’s deal probably won’t wind up being too costly.
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