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RFA Decisions: Thursday

March 5th, 2015 at 5:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Unrestricted free agency will get most of the publicity, but UFAs aren’t the only players impacted by the beginning of the new league year on March 10. By 3pm CT on that date, clubs must decide whether to tender offers to restricted free agents — players who have exactly three years of service time. We’ll round up those decisions here, with the latest updates being added to the top…

The Colts made several moves today, announcing they’ve tendered restricted free agent linebacker Jerrell Freeman, as well as three exclusive rights free agents: running back Dan Herron, and linebackers Daniel Adongo and Cam Johnson. Freeman and Herron are the biggest names here — despite missing four games, Freeman finished with the fifth-most snaps on Indy’s defense, while Herron took over as the club’s starting running back by the end of the season.
On the other hand, the Colts won’t tender an offer to RFA center A.Q. Shipley, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. Shipley was the club’s Week 1 starter at center, and received positive marks from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), so he should find some interest on the open market.
Following their trade of LeSean McCoy, the Eagles don’t have much depth at running back, and while they plan to offer an RFA tender to RB Chris Polk, it will only be at the “right of first refusal” level, per Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. Therefore, Philadelphia will only commit about $1.5MM to Polk, and won’t receive any compensation if another club signs him away.
The Bills have decided to bring back three ERFAs, tendering offers to receivers Justin Brown and Chris Hogan, as well as defensive tackle Corbin Bryant, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Hogan, who saw the most snaps of the three, was a prominent feature of the Dolphins’ Hard Knocks season on HBO in 2012. Additionally, Buffalo did not tender an offer to ERFA kicker Jordan Gay, per Rodak (Twitter link).
The Giants have tendered exclusive rights free agent corner Chandler Fenner, tweets Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News. Fenner, 24, saw action in 11 games for New York last season.

Lance Briggs Won’t Return To Bears

March 5th, 2015 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

He won’t be released, like many other long-tenured players have been within the last week or two, but veteran linebacker Lance Briggs won’t return to the Bears for the 2015 season, reports Jen Lada of CSNChicago.com (via Twitter). Briggs is eligible for free agency, and it appears he’ll hit the open market and sign elsewhere.

Briggs, who entered the league as a third-round pick in 2003, has spent all 12 of his NFL seasons in Chicago, appearing in 173 total regular season games (170 starts) for the Bears. A Pro Bowler for seven straight seasons from 2005 to 2011, Briggs was a key piece on the defensive side of the ball for the Bears for more than a decade.

Within the last two seasons, however, the usually durable Briggs has missed 15 of 32 games, after missing just four total contests in his first 10 seasons. The veteran defender will also turn 35 this November, and the Bears – like they did with Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester in recent years – seem to have made the decision to move on.

Given the mileage he has piled up over the last 12 years, Briggs may not be viewed as a starter or a regular contributor by potential suitors this month, but I expect he’ll generate some interest as a part-time player and a source of veteran leadership. A reunion with former Bears head coach Lovie Smith in Tampa Bay is one possibility, though having played for 12 seasons, Briggs has connections to a number of other coaches around the league as well.

Panthers Extend Greg Olsen Through 2018

March 5th, 2015 at 4:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Panthers have reached an agreement with tight end Greg Olsen on a new contract extension that will keep Olsen under team control through the 2018 season, the club announced today in a press release. Olsen had been scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency a year from now.

“It’s really a dream come true,” Olsen said in a statement. “Since we’ve come to Charlotte, we very quickly realized that this is home. This community quickly embraced our family, so we put down roots here. We love it here. This is home for us. Now to have this contract that guarantees that I’ll play the rest of my career in Charlotte is a tremendous blessing. We’re just so thankful for the team believing in me and wanting me to still be a part of this. As a team, we have a lot of special times ahead of us.”

Olsen, who turns 30 next Wednesday, has been a consistent and durable part of the Panthers’ passing game since joining the team in 2011. He has increased his catch total in each of his four seasons with the team, grabbing 45 balls in 2011, followed by seasons of 69, 73, and 84 receptions. Those 84 catches this past year were a career high, to go along with his first 1,000-yard season.

On the heels of that career year, the Panthers have rewarded Olsen with a raise. The veteran tight end had been slated to earn a base salary of $5.25MM for 2015, and that part of the contract may remain intact. However, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter), the three new years on the deal are worth $22.5MM, and the agreement includes an impressive $12MM signing bonus.

Chiefs Cut Joe Mays

March 5th, 2015 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chiefs have moved closer toward getting under the cap in advance of Tuesday’s deadline, announcing today in a press release that they’ve terminated the contract of linebacker Joe Mays. There had been one season left on the two-year pact Mays signed with the team last offseason.

Mays, who turns 30 this July, was coming off a solid year with the Texans, in which he started 13 games for the club, when he signed that two-year contract with Kansas City. However, he didn’t get a chance to play much for the Chiefs in 2014, recording 20 tackles in just eight games, and spending a chunk of the season on the injured reserve list due to a wrist injury.

By releasing the run-stopping linebacker, the Chiefs will reduce his $3.7MM cap hit to just $1MM in dead money, creating $2.7MM in cap savings. After cutting Mays, the team still needs to clear about $3MM more from its cap to get under the threshold before Tuesday.

As a vested veteran, Mays won’t have to pass through waivers, and can immediately sign with any other team.

Raiders Release LaMarr Woodley

March 5th, 2015 at 3:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

THURSDAY, 3:57pm: The Raiders have officially cut Woodley, the team announced today (via Twitter).

SUNDAY, 2:09pm: The Raiders plan to release edge defender LaMarr Woodley this week, a source tells Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link). The 30-year-old Woodley was entering the final season of a two-year deal he inked with Oakland last March.

2014 was something of a lost season for Woodley, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Steelers. After playing strictly as an outside linebacker in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 scheme, Woodley moved to defensive end in Oakland’s 4-3 look, and didn’t adjust particularly well, ranking 44th out of 59 qualified 4-3 DEs per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Michigan alum played in just six games before tearing his biceps and missing the remainder of the season.

Woodley was due a $1MM roster bonus on the fifth day of the 2015 league year, meaning the Raiders presumably made this move with the intention of avoiding that payment. Woodley had no guaranteed money coming in 2015, so Oakland will clear his entire cap figure off its books, saving nearly $5.2MM. Pending further transactions, the Raiders should now be armed with nearly $61MM in cap space when the free agent period begins next week.

Always a better fit as a 3-4 OLB, Woodley could conceivably look to latch on with a team that plays that scheme. At his age, and coming off injury, he probably won’t be line for a multi-year deal or much guaranteed money. But a club like the Titans (where former Steelers coordinator Dick LeBeau is running the defense), the Cardinals, or the Colts could take a chance on Woodley, hoping that he might thrive with a return to linebacker. A reunion with Pittsburgh also wouldn’t be surprising, as the cash-strapped Steelers could use a veteran stop-gap at pass-rusher.

Woodley becomes the second high-profile Raider veteran cut in the past week, as Oakland also plans to release safety Tyvon Branch.

AFC East Rumors: Hartline, Searcy, Bills, Jets

March 5th, 2015 at 3:38pm CST by Luke Adams

We can add another team to the list of potential suitors for wide receiver Brian Hartline, and it’s a division rival of Hartline’s old team. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (via Twitter), the free agent wideout is drawing interest from the Patriots. No visit has been set up yet between the Pats and Hartline, who has already met with the Browns, Bears, and Texans, but I’d imagine the former Dolphin will at least listen to what New England has to say, since the prospect of catching balls from Tom Brady seems appealing.

Here’s more from around the AFC East:

Like Jairus Byrd a year ago, Bills safety Da’Norris Searcy will be given the chance to test free agency next week, reports John Wawrow of The Associated Press. Buffalo appears unlikely to invest in Searcy, since the team is already paying big money to its other safety, Aaron Williams. A source tells Wawrow that the Bills and Searcy haven’t spoken since the team made him an offer two weeks ago.
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com confirms that the Bills have interest in a pair of free agent targets that have already been linked to the team: offensive lineman Mike Iupati and linebacker David Harris. Iupati appears to be atop Buffalo’s free agent wish list, per La Canfora.
After visiting the Seahawks, free agent cornerback Cary Williams will meet with the Jets next, weather permitting, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). Assuming he doesn’t reach an agreement with either of those clubs, a visit with the Titans would be next up on Williams’ schedule. We heard earlier today that both of those teams were eyeing Williams, who is also receiving interest from the Steelers, tweets Wyatt.

Falcons Re-Sign Charles Godfrey

March 5th, 2015 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

2:43pm: Godfrey’s one-year deal with the Falcons is worth $1.5MM, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter). It’s not clear how much of the contract – if any – is guaranteed, but the fact that it’s worth than the minimum is a little surprising, and suggests Godfrey should have a leg up on his competition for a roster spot this summer.

2:41pm: The Falcons have signed Charles Godfrey to a contract extension, keeping him from reaching the free agent market next week, according to Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com (via Twitter). Terms of the agreement aren’t yet known, but I’d be surprised if it’s more than a minimum salary benefit contract for the veteran defensive back.

Godfrey, 29, was sidelined for most of the 2013 season after tearing his Achilles early in the year, then struggled at the beginning of the 2014 campaign, prompting the Panthers to release him. After starting all but one of his 73 games for Carolina during his first five years with the team, Godfrey began the 2014 season playing a lesser role for the Panthers, appearing in just 84 defensive snaps through four games. However, he was subsequently forced into more frequent action and struggled with the increased workload and a shift to cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). PFF’s data gave Godfrey a -0.5 grade for his play through the first four weeks, and a -9.9 mark for weeks five through seven.

After signing with the Falcons, Godfrey didn’t play a single defensive snap for the remainder of the season, which makes the team’s decision to re-sign him somewhat curious, particularly considering there’s a new coaching staff in place. I would guess that Godfrey won’t be a lock to make Atlanta’s 53-man roster in the fall.

Bucs Re-Sign Mike Jenkins, Two Others

March 5th, 2015 at 2:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers have re-signed three players from their 2014 team, the team announced today in a press release. Most notably, the club is bringing back cornerback Mike Jenkins, whose ’14 campaign came to an early end due to a pectoral injury. Luke Easterlin of DraftBreakdown.com first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides had agreed to a one-year deal.

Jenkins, who turns 30 later this month, started 15 games for the Raiders in 2013, recording 65 tackles and grabbing a pair of interceptions. He parlayed that performance into a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the Bucs and had been expected to play a major role in the team’s secondary before he went down with his season-ending injury in Week 1. This time around, he’ll likely receive a more modest salary, and will probably have to compete for a roster spot and for playing time.

As for the Bucs’ other Thursday signings, the team has also locked up linebacker Danny Lansanah and safety Bradley McDougald to new one-year contracts by extending them tender offers. Both players had been exclusive rights free agents, meaning they weren’t able to negotiate with any other teams. They’ll get minimum salary deals for 2015.

Cowboys Sign Keith Rivers

March 5th, 2015 at 1:53pm CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 1:53pm: The Cowboys have officially announced the signing of Rivers, via a press release.

WEDNESDAY, 5:45pm: The Cowboys have agreed to sign linebacker Keith Rivers to a one-year deal, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Rivers was let go by the Bills on February 17th.

Rivers, who previously spent time with the Bengals and Giants, played just 12 games for the Bills in 2014, starting three. Of his 192 defensive snaps, nearly all of them came in the first half — the former ninth overall pick played just 24 snaps on defense after Week 8. After seeing his role dwindle in the second half of the 2014 season, the Bills opted to save $1.7MM by letting him go ($500K in dead money).

Rivers, a seven-year vet, spent 2012 and 2013 with the Giants. In his time with Big Blue, Rivers started 14 games and registered 83 tackles.

Raiders Plan To Host Suh For Visit

March 5th, 2015 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

In just two days, Ndamukong Suh‘s agent will be able to speak to teams besides the Lions, and there has been no shortage of clubs with reported interest in the star defensive lineman. The Dolphins, Colts, Giants, and Washington are among the teams who have been identified as likely suitors for Suh since the Lions opted not to franchise him on Monday.

Of course, throughout the process, the Raiders have been viewed as one of Suh’s top potential suitors, given the team’s abundance of cap space and the way the defensive tackle would fit into the team’s 4-3 scheme. According to Mike Silver of the NFL Network (via Twitter), Oakland’s interest in Suh is very real — the Raiders are planning to bring the former second overall pick in for a visit next week.

If any team is poised to overpay Suh in free agency this month, it may be the Raiders. The club has the second-most cap room in the NFL, needs to increase its spending over the next two years to reach the minimum threshold, and could badly use a difference-making player like Suh. While Oakland’s defensive tackles weren’t terrible in 2014, Pat Sims, Justin Ellis, and Antonio Smith all recorded sub-par overall grades according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required).

Of course, the Lions still have a few days to work out an agreement with Suh before he’s eligible to sign with another team on Tuesday. However, having come this far, it seems unlikely that Suh wouldn’t take the opportunity to at least hear pitches from rival suitors, even if he ultimately decides to return to Detroit.