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Bengals, Maualuga Agree To Three-Year Deal

March 6th, 2015 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 2:27pm: Maualuga’s three-year pact with the Bengals is worth $15MM, with $4.5MM in guaranteed money, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.

THURSDAY, 2:57pm: The Bengals have locked up one of their pending free agents, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who reports that the team is in agreement with linebacker Rey Maualuga on a new three-year contract. The Bengals have since confirmed the move, announcing the signing on Twitter.

While re-signing Maualuga would have been on Cincinnati’s offseason to-do list anyway, the uncertain status of fellow linebacker Vontaze Burfict likely made bringing back Maualuga a greater priority for the club. Burfict is recovering from undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee, and Maualuga was one of the defensive leaders for the Bengals in his absence.

A starter at linebacker for Cincinnati since he joined the team in 2009, Maualuga played 12 games in 2014, recording 61 tackles to go along with five passes defended and an interception. In 452 defensive snaps, the 28-year-old graded about in the middle of the pack, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required), which placed him 27th out of 60 qualified inside linebackers.

Per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, Maualuga was one of three players the Bengals had hoped to get under contract before they reached the open market next week. The club is also attempting to work out new agreements with guard Clint Boling and kicker Mike Nugent, though it remains to be seen if that will happen before their agents can talk to rival suitors on Saturday.

NFC East Notes: Washington, Giants, Spiller

March 6th, 2015 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing today on the NFL Network, Brian Orakpo left the door open for a return to Washington, but didn’t sound overly optimistic about the possibility, as Mike Jones of the Washington Post details.

“There’s obviously a chance. Obviously the window is still there. The sides are still talking, but it’s very minimal right now,” Orakpo said. “It’s always the numbers. Numbers have to make sense for both sides. And I understand, me coming off of injury, they have to look out for themselves, and I have to look out for myself. So, if we can come up with something that works out for both sides, who knows?”

Jones hears from sources that Orakpo’s return to Washington is unlikely, and Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington (Twitter link) reports the same thing, even more definitively. It looks like Orakpo will be on the lookout for a new NFL home very soon, and the veteran linebacker said today during that NFL Network appearance that he’d have some interest in playing for a team in his home state of Texas.

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

With no progress on a long-term deal for restricted-free-agent-to-be Kai Forbath, Washington will likely just offer the kicker a one-year tender, a source tells Jones (Twitter link).
If the Ravens and Justin Forsett don’t work out a deal within the next few days, the veteran running back will have an interesting market, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. According to Rapoport, Washington is ready to make a play for Forsett, and the Saints will likely be among his suitors as well.
In addition to having interest in Devin McCourty, as he previously reported, the Giants also figure to explore the possibility of signing safety Rahim Moore, says Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. All three of New York’s top safeties from 2014 are eligible for free agency, so there figures to be some turnover at the position next week.
Sources close to Chip Kelly tell Russini (Twitter link) that the Eagles head coach wasn’t willing to rework LeSean McCoy‘s contract, especially considering the running back was looking for a raise. I’d be surprised if McCoy thought the Eagles – or the Bills – would increase his $9.75MM base salary for 2015, but perhaps he wanted to renegotiate his deal to include more guarantees beyond ’15.
As for the running back McCoy is replacing in Buffalo, C.J. Spiller appears to be campaigning to sign with the Eagles, writes Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com.

Saints Re-Sign Sanford, Retain Bunkley

March 6th, 2015 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Saints have re-signed safety Jamarca Sanford, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing agent Drew Rosenhaus (via Twitter). According to the PFT report, the former Viking has agreed to a one-year deal to remain in New Orleans.

Sanford, 29, started 41 games for the Vikings from 2011 to 2013, but was cut by the team in August and had trouble finding regular work for the 2014 season. After a short stint in Washington, Sanford landed with the Saints in November, and appeared in six games down the stretch for the team, logging 14 tackles.

Financial terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but I’d expect a modest salary for Sanford, who should have the chance to compete for playing time on the Saints’ defense this summer.

Here’s more out of New Orleans:

A year ago, defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley accepted a pay cut in return for a $300K roster bonus and a spot on the Saints’ roster, and it appears he has made a similar concession this time around. Mike Triplett of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that the team is bringing back Bunkley on a reduced salary, and Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link) confirms that the agreement is a “mirror image” of last year’s, and will create about $3MM in cap savings for the club.
The Saints have been “quietly” looking for trade partners for Junior Galette, a league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. However, as Getlin notes, a deal is unlikely (Twitter links). Galette has been involved in some off-the-field legal issues recently and has a $12.5MM roster bonus on the way next Thursday, making him a pretty unappealing trade chip, despite his on-field production.
Head coach Sean Payton is high on Reggie Bush, who is currently a free agent, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. La Canfora adds that the still has interest in re-signing Mark Ingram, but is keeping an eye on other running backs as well.

Chiefs Re-Sign Josh Mauga

March 6th, 2015 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chiefs have reached a contract agreement with linebacker Josh Mauga, and are re-signing him to a new three-year deal worth $8MM, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Mauga had been eligible for unrestricted free agency.

Playing on a minimum salary in 2014, Mauga logged significant time at inside linebacker for the Chiefs, playing more than 1,000 defensive snaps in his first full season as a starter. In my look at the free agent market for inside linebackers, I viewed Mauga as a second-tier player due to his subpar performance against the run last season. While the 27-year-old wasn’t a detriment to the unit in pass coverage, and got after the quarterback every now and then, his poor grade against the run ensured that he ranked 54th out of the 60 qualified ILBs, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Still, the Chiefs liked Mauga enough to lock him up for three seasons, and will likely pencil him in as a starter again for the 2015 season. We’ll have to see whether $8MM is really the base value of the contract or not, and it’s not clear how much of that money is guaranteed, but it looks like a solid deal for the young linebacker.

Chiefs Cut Walker, Negotiating With Hali

March 6th, 2015 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

One of three NFL teams currently projected to be over the 2015 salary cap, the Chiefs will move slightly closer toward getting under the threshold by parting ways with defensive lineman Vance Walker. Agent Chad Speck confirmed today (via Twitter) that the team has told his client he’ll be released.

It didn’t take long for the Chiefs to have second thoughts about the three-year, $10MM deal they signed Walker to just under 12 months ago, as the team will be cutting him with two years left on that contract. Walker, who started 15 games for the Raiders in 2013, never became a regular contributor for the Chiefs, playing just 238 defensive snaps after appearing in nearly 800 in Oakland a year earlier.

By cutting Walker, the Chiefs will reduce his $3.75MM cap number to $2MM in dead money, creating $1.75MM in cap savings. As for the 27-year-old lineman, he actually played reasonably well in limited action last season, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required), so he should receive some interest when he officially hits the open market.

Meanwhile, Kansas City is also looking to create some cap room by negotiating a new contract with edge defender Tamba Hali. Hali confirmed today to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com that he and his agent have engaged in discussions with the team about working something out, and he’s optimistic something will get done.

“It’s not about the numbers for me,” Hali said. “It’s about whether the situation makes sense for them because I want to be there and play for the Chiefs. The general manager [John Dorsey] and coach [Andy] Reid, they know I want to be there. That’s why I say it’s a matter of how I fit into what the Chiefs want to do for the season. … They’re talking numbers so I’m optimistic I’ll still be there.

Releasing Hali would create $9MM in cap savings, easily getting the team under the cap. However, restructuring his deal could clear a sizable portion of room as well, particularly if he’s willing to take a pay cut.

Chargers Cut Reggie Walker

March 6th, 2015 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

A year after signing him to a two-year deal, the Chargers have parted ways with outside linebacker Reggie Walker, reports Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter).

Walker, 28, had a solid season for the Chargers in 2013, starting six games as a part-time player for the team. He recorded 36 tackles and three sacks that year, but saw his role reduced in 2014, and had only 12 tackles and 0.5 sacks.

The Chargers had been carrying Walker on their 2015 books for a cap hit worth $1.16MM, so cutting him will remove his $1MM base salary and leave just $160K in dead money on the cap.

Jets Re-Sign David Harris

March 6th, 2015 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite reportedly being a top target for Rex Ryan‘s new team in Buffalo, linebacker David Harris will stick with Ryan’s old team in New York. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports (Twitter links) that Harris and the Jets have reached an agreement on a three-year, $21.5MM contract that includes $15MM in fully guaranteed money.

Harris, who has spent his entire career with the Jets, played out a four-year, $36MM contract with the team and would have reached the open market next Tuesday if the club hadn’t worked out an agreement to keep him in the fold.

While an annual salary worth around $7MM isn’t exorbitant for the veteran linebacker, even as he enters his age-31 season, the fully guaranteed $15MM is a surprise. New GM Mike Maccagnan and the Jets front office may have been spurred to action by reports of Harris drawing interest from the Bills and others, along with the fact that he headed a fairly weak free agent class of linebackers.

Harris has played – and started – every single one of the Jets’ regular season games over the last six seasons, averaging about 114 tackles per year over that stretch. In 2014, he racked up 124 tackles, recorded 5.5 sacks, and forced a pair of fumbles. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated his performance as about middle-of-the-pack for inside linebackers, ranking him 29th of 60 qualified players.

Chargers To Sign Jacoby Jones

March 6th, 2015 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

12:12pm: Jones’ two-year deal with San Diego can be worth up to $5.5MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

11:53am: After being cut by the Ravens, wide receiver and return man Jacoby Jones is heading to a team that his old club beat out for a playoff spot last season. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Jones has reached an agreement on a two-year deal with the Chargers.

Jones, 30, returned kicks and punts for Baltimore in 2014, but his role on offense was significantly reduced — after being targeted 68 times and hauling in 37 passes in 2013, Jones received just 18 targets and caught nine passes in 2014. He also averaged 30.6 yards on 32 kickoff returns, and 9.2 yards on 30 punt returns.

In San Diego, Jones will give the Chargers a dynamic presence on kick and punt returns that the team has lacked in recent years. In 2014, Eddie Royal and Keenan Allen split duties on punt returns, while Chris Davis was the team’s primary kick returner. Davis didn’t have a return longer than 35 yards, and the Chargers didn’t have a kick or punt return touchdown for the season.

Prior to agreeing to terms with the Chargers, Jones also visited the Bengals and Titans.

Lions Re-Sign Kellen Moore

March 6th, 2015 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

A few days after finalizing a deal to bring back one of Matthew Stafford‘s backups, the Lions have officially locked up the other one. Per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com, the club has re-signed third-string quarterback Kellen Moore to a two-year contract.

Moore, 25, didn’t come close to appearing in a regular-season game for the Lions in 2014, and has yet to appear in a game during his three-year NFL career. However, the team was likely impressed by his performance during the preseason last year — Moore completed 35 of 51 passes for 361 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions during those exhibition games, with a passer rating of 108.4.

If Stafford were to go down with an injury, Dan Orlovsky, who inked a new deal with the Lions earlier this week, would likely be first in line to replace him. However, the club was willing to carry three quarterbacks for the entire 2014 season, so there’s no reason to think Moore doesn’t have a good chance to make the roster once again in 2015.

Moore had been eligible for restricted free agency.

NFC West Notes: Williams, Cards, 49ers

March 6th, 2015 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent cornerback Cary Williams visited the Seahawks yesterday, and was “blown away,” according to agent Harold Lewis. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) quotes Williams’ agent as saying the former Eagles was “very impressed” with Seattle’s pitch, though the corner will still continue on with his other visits, including the Jets and Titans.

As we wait to see where Williams land, let’s check in on a few other items from out of the NFC West….

Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reported earlier today that he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Falcons and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon reach an agreement on a new deal soon. However, if the two sides can’t finalize anything, expect the Cardinals to be waiting with their arms “wide open,” tweets McClure.
Besides Weatherspoon, Stefen Wisniewski and A.Q. Shipley are a couple players expected to draw interest from the Cardinals, according to Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 in Arizona (via Twitter). The Cards are looking for potential upgrades on the interior offensive line, and both Wisniewski and Shipley look poised to become unrestricted free agents.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap attempts to make sense of the motives for the 49ers and Aldon Smith, following reports of Smith’s contract restructure.