Chiefs Use Franchise Tag On Eric Berry
2:10pm: The Chiefs have officially placed the franchise tag on Berry, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
1:15pm: As anticipated, it will be the franchise tag for Berry, tweets Getlin.
12:53pm: The Chiefs intend to use a tag to retain safety Eric Berry in advance of this afternoon’s deadline, reports Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). While Getlin didn’t specify which tag Berry will get, the non-exclusive franchise tag (worth $10.806MM) seems likely. The transition tag ($9.116MM) isn’t much cheaper, and would make the Chiefs much more vulnerable to rival offer sheets.
Berry, who earned Pro Bowl nods in three of his first four NFL seasons, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2014, raising some doubts about his future in the league. However, the veteran safety was declared cancer-free in 2015 and enjoyed one of his best seasons this past year for the Chiefs.
Appearing in all 16 games for Kansas City in 2015, Berry logged 61 tackles to go along with a pair of interceptions and 10 passes defended. Pro Football Focus ranked the Tennessee product sixth among 88 qualified safeties, and the standout season earned Berry his fourth Pro Bowl berth, along with a spot on the NFL’s All-Pro first team.
The franchise tag will lock up Berry for the coming season, and perhaps longer, as Getlin notes the two sides have interest in working out a longer-term agreement. In the meantime, the Chiefs have plenty of other free agent decisions to make, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Cornerback Sean Smith, pass rusher Tamba Hali, inside linebacker Derrick Johnson, safety Tyvon Branch, and defensive lineman Jaye Howard are among the other Kansas City defenders eligible for free agency.
Berry is the ninth player who has either been tagged already, or will be tagged by 3:00pm central time. Von Miller (Broncos), Kirk Cousins (Washington), Cordy Glenn (Bills), Alshon Jeffery (Bears), Josh Norman (Panthers), Muhammad Wilkerson (Jets), Justin Tucker (Ravens), and Olivier Vernon (Dolphins) are all expect to be tagged when the dust settles, and there may be one or two more players added to that list — the Rams, for instance, are expected to tag one of their cornerbacks.
Of the players receiving tags, all but Miller (exclusive franchise) and Vernon (transition) are getting non-exclusive franchise tags. All franchised players will have until July 15th to work out multiyear extensions with their respective teams.
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Bills Cut Anthony Dixon, Won’t Re-Sign MarQueis Gray
It’s a busy Tuesday for the Bills, who have already placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on tackle Cordy Glenn and released defensive end Mario Williams along with guard Kraig Urbik. The team is apparently staying busy this afternoon, with two more Bills players announcing on Twitter that they won’t be on the roster going forward.
[RELATED: PFR previews the Bills’ offseason]
Running back Anthony Dixon tweeted a thank you message to the Bills and their fans, adding that his “time is up” in Buffalo. Dixon, who has been a Bill for the last two seasons, had a career-high 432 rushing yards on 105 carries in 2014, but wasn’t as big a part of the offense in 2015 with newcomers LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams carrying the rushing load.
Having been set to enter a contract year, Dixon had just $167K in dead money left on his contract, so the Bills will clear most of his $1.317MM cap hit from their books, creating $1.15MM in cap savings. As for the man known as “Boobie,” he’ll immediately become an unrestricted free agent without having to pass through waivers.
In other Bills news, tight end MarQueis Gray also tweeted a farewell message today. Gray technically wasn’t under contract with the club for the 2016 season, so his departure won’t create any immediate cap savings. However, he had been eligible for restricted free agency, and his tweet today signals that Buffalo won’t be offering him an RFA tender. Without that tender in hand, Gray will become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins on March 9th.
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Bills Place Franchise Tag On Cordy Glenn
11:51am: The Bills have formally filed the paperwork on Glenn’s non-exclusive franchise tag, making it official, per Jason la Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 11:32am: The Bills have informed Glenn that he’ll officially be receiving the franchise tag, per Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
SATURDAY, 3:58pm: Arguably the top free agent left tackle, Cordy Glenn may not get the chance to gauge his worth on the open market this year.
The Bills are expected to use their franchise tag on Glenn if they cannot reach a long-term extension with the fifth-year left tackle by March 1, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
A tag for Glenn would be worth $13.706MM, as all offensive linemen are grouped together under this format.
The 26-year-old Glenn’s been a quiet stalwart in Buffalo the past few seasons and has started 61 games since being selected in the second round in 2012. Glenn rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 10 overall tackle and fifth-best left-edge protector last season.
The Bills have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term extension with their four-year starter. Buffalo reworked Charles Clay‘s deal and identified Leodis McKelvin and Corey Graham as players who could also restructure their contracts to create space this week, Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News reports. But additional maneuvering could be required before the start of 2016 league year March 9 should Glenn be tagged.
Richie Incognito also looms as a free agent up front, though GM Doug Whaley has expressed confidence the team can re-sign him, along with retaining Glenn.
Glenn joins Russell Okung, Donald Penn and Kelvin Beachum as the top unrestricted free agents at the left tackle position.
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Bills Release Mario Williams, Kraig Urbik
With the Bills prepared to use their franchise tag on left tackle Cordy Glenn, the team is clearing cap room to accommodate today’s move and future offseason business. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Bills have let defensive end Mario Williams know that he has been released. Additionally veteran guard Kraig Urbik posted a farewell message to the team and its fans on Twitter, suggesting he has also been cut.
[RELATED: Bills place franchise tag on Cordy Glenn]
Williams indicated last week that he would be open to discussing a pay cut to remain with the Bills, but even when he made those comments, he hinted at some concerns about the team’s defensive scheme, suggesting that he would want the team’s coaches to meet the players halfway. The veteran defensive end struggled mightily during his first and only season under new Bills head coach Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman, and his released had long been viewed as likely.
In addition to his steep drop in his production this season – he had 19 tackles and five sacks after recording 42 and 14.5 in 2014 – Williams would have been one of the priciest defensive players in the NFL in 2016. His cap charge was set to increase to $19.9MM, which was accompanied by an $11.5MM base salary. Releasing the veteran pass rusher will save the Bills nearly $13MM in cap room, leaving the club with only $7MM in dead money on its books.
Although Williams will be entering his age-31 season in 2016, I imagine many teams will chalk up his 2015 struggles to a poor scheme fit, rather than a possible decline in talent. Given how many clubs will be in the market for pass-rushing help this offseason, Williams should be in high demand on the open market, and he’ll get a week’s head-start on the rest of this year’s pending free agents.
As for Urbik, the 30-year-old has spent his entire six-year career in Buffalo, starting 57 games over the last six years for the Bills. He’s the victim of a cap crunch in Buffalo, with the team in need of every bit of flexibility it can get. The Bills will free up $1.775MM in cap space by releasing Urbik, who wrote on Twitter that he is “excited about my next opportunity.”
Like Williams, Urbik is a vested veteran, so both players will become unrestricted free agents without having to pass through waivers.
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Panthers Use Franchise Tag On Josh Norman
11:40am: The Panthers have officially tagged Norman, per Rapoport (via Twitter).
10:17am: With no long-term contract agreement imminent, the Panthers will place the franchise tag on cornerback Josh Norman today, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport notes that the two sides will continue to talk, in the hopes of getting a multiyear deal done before the July 15th deadline for franchised players.
When the Panthers officially tag Norman, it will come as no surprise. A report from nearly a month ago – well before the window for designating franchise or transition players opened – indicated that the standout cornerback would be franchised if he didn’t have a long-term contract in place by March 1st.
The 28-year-old Norman certainly put himself in a great position for a mega-deal in his contract year, as 2015 was easily the best season of his four-year career. He was named to the All Pro first team and selected for his first Pro Bowl, and also posted solid raw statistics, producing career highs in both interceptions (four) and passes defensed (18). Norman was well-regarded by advanced metrics as well, finishing as the league’s 12th-best corner by Pro Football Focus’ grades.
Assuming Norman receives the non-exclusive franchise tag from the Panthers, he would be in line for a one-year tender worth $13.952MM. He could sign that one-year offer, guaranteeing his salary for the 2016 season, or he and his agent to explore the market to see if any teams would be willing to give him an offer sheet.
Since signing a non-exclusive free agent costs the player’s new team two first-round picks, it’s more likely that Norman will simply remain in Carolina, either on a one-year contract or a new long-term extension. As noted above, the two sides would have until July 15th to reach a multiyear agreement, whether or not Norman has signed his franchise tender by then.
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Broncos Place Exclusive Franchise Tag On Von Miller
TUESDAY, 11:17am: The Broncos have officially filed the paperwork on Miller, assigning him the exclusive franchise tag, as expected, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
SUNDAY, 7:54pm: The seldom-used exclusive franchise tag appears to be set for deployment in Denver, with the Broncos preparing to place their top protection measure on Von Miller, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports.
Pushing to become the league’s highest-paid defender, Miller will not be permitted to negotiate with other teams as he would be if the Broncos were to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on the premier pass-rushing linebacker. Under the usual non-exclusive franchise tag teams use, other teams can negotiate with these performers but would have to surrender two first-round picks if they were to sign the tagged player to an offer sheet and the tagging team doesn’t match it.
Miller would be entitled to an average of the top-five salaries at his position — once the restricted free agent signing period ends on April 22 — if designated with the exclusive tag. The non-exclusive franchise tag for linebackers has been set at $14.129MM.
However, the Broncos may actually be getting Miller, who turns 27 in March, on their cap at a cheaper rate by using the exclusive tag. Renck and Pro Football Talk report this rarely used measure is currently slated to be worth $14.04MM for linebackers.
In Miller’s case, the Broncos aren’t taking any chances, with the Super Bowl MVP’s value to a pass rush-needy team potentially worth the two first-rounders.
The Broncos will have until July 15 to sign Miller to a long-term extension that will likely approach or perhaps surpass the deal Ndamukong Suh signed with the Dolphins last March. Suh earns $19.06MM on average and signed for six years and $114.38MM, but as Mike Florio of PFT points out, Suh’s deal was built on what the free agent defensive tackle could have earned on the open market. Miller’s will have his franchise tag figures — $16.95MM in 2017 in the unlikely scenario Miller’s tagged again for a 20% raise — factored into it.
But the Broncos have signed each of the three players on which they applied the franchise tag under John Elway‘s leadership. Ryan Clady, Matt Prater and Demaryius Thomas signed long-term extensions after being slapped with the non-exclusive tag in 2012, 2013 and 2015, respectively. Miller is a two-time first-team All-Pro and holds a higher standing in the game than those talents, however.
Justin Houston, who received the non-exclusive tag from the Chiefs last year, is the game’s highest-paid linebacker after signing a six-year, $101MM deal last July. Houston received $52.5MM guaranteed in signing his extension in Kansas City, and Miller will obviously push for a greater portion of his pact to be guaranteed.
With Peyton Manning‘s $19MM salary still on the books as of Sunday night, the Broncos have just $8.4MM of cap room. The 39-year-old quarterback’s deal, however, almost certainly won’t be on the Broncos’ books for 2016, and that $19MM would go to helping the team attempt to secure its preferred free agents.
Renck also reports the Broncos are still negotiating with Malik Jackson, whose asking price now resides at $14MM per season. The Broncos have reportedly offered the fifth-year defensive end a deal worth almost $12MM per season. Renck, however, reports the Broncos’ top offer to Jackson remains less than $11MM per season.
Now that Miller looks to be given the franchise tag, Jackson looks poised to hit the market.
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Dolphins Put Transition Tag On Olivier Vernon
10:49am: The Dolphins have officially submitted the paperwork on Vernon’s transition tag, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
10:34am: The Dolphins are set to place the transition tag on defensive end Olivier Vernon in advance of this afternoon’s deadline, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). The transition tag for Vernon will be worth $12.734MM, nearly $3MM less than the non-exclusive franchise tag.
It’s a bit of a surprising decision from the Dolphins, who used the transition tag a year ago on tight end Charles Clay and ended up losing him to the Bills for nothing. While the non-exclusive franchise tag gives a team the right to two first-round picks if the player signs an offer sheet with another team, the Dolphins won’t receive any compensation if Vernon signs an offer sheet that Miami decides not to match.
The transition tag provides rival suitors some incentive to structure their offers in a way that will make it unappealing for the player’s current team to match it. That was the case a year ago for the Bills, who heavily frontloaded their offer sheet to Clay, fully guaranteeing $24.5MM of a total $38MM and including a $10MM second-year roster bonus.
Vernon, 25, is coming off a season in which he recorded 7.5 sacks to go along with 61 tackles. While his counting stats weren’t eye-popping, Vernon ranked as the league’s third-best edge defender according to Pro Football Focus’ grades, behind only Khalil Mack and Von Miller.
In his first four seasons in the NFL, Vernon has notched a total of 29 sacks, including a career-best 11.5 in 2013. Since he won’t turn 26 until October, the former third-round pick should have plenty of prime seasons left, which could make him an appealing target for some of the many NFL teams in need of pass-rush help.
While it’s possible that Vernon will simply return to the Dolphins on a one-year deal, or a multiyear extension, assigning the transition tag to him will help the club get a sense of his value on the open market. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Miami has been willing to pay Vernon about $12MM per year on a long-term contract.
If no other teams are willing to top that price by a significant margin, the defensive end could return to the Dolphins. On the other hand, teams like the Jaguars and the Giants have far more cap space than Miami, and could make Vernon an offer that the Fins are unwilling to match.
Meanwhile, with Vernon on their cap with a charge of nearly $13MM, the Dolphins will likely make a few more moves to create room in the near future. Restructuring Ndamukong Suh‘s contract is a given, but it will be interesting to see whether the club also addresses contracts like Cameron Wake‘s and Jordan Cameron‘s in the coming days.
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Bills Frustrated With Richie Incognito Talks
As the franchise-tag deadline nears and the Bills are forced to make a decision on left tackle Cordy Glenn, the team is also attempting to get something done with left guard Richie Incognito. However, a league a source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the Bills are getting frustrated with those Incognito negotiations.
As Florio explains, the cap-strapped Bills believe Incognito should be open to giving the team something of a hometown discount, since Buffalo was the club willing to give the veteran lineman a second chance last year after the Dolphins’ bullying scandal left him without a job for the entire 2014 season. However, Incognito apparently doesn’t see it that way, and his reluctance to simply take what the Bills are offering is creating some friction between the player and the team, says Florio.
Incognito, who earned a Pro Bowl nod for his strong comeback season in 2015, will turn 33 this July, so it makes sense that he’d want the opportunity to maximize what could very well be the last lucrative free agent contract of his career. While the Bills deserve some credit for rolling the dice on him last offseason, the team could have tried to lock him up to a multiyear contract at that point, rather than counting on him to give the club preferential treatment once his one-year deal expired.
With several teams around the NFL in need of interior line help, Incognito looks like a good bet to at least test the market and gauge his value during next week’s legal tampering period.
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Quinton Coples, Brice McCain Making FA Visits
A pair of free agents who hit the open market early are set to pay visits to interested teams today. Per Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link), defensive end Quinton Coples is visiting the Panthers, while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that cornerback Brice McCain is paying a visit to the Titans.
Both Coples and McCain were cut by the Dolphins at the same time last month due to their increasing cap hits and Miami’s need to clear some space. While the moves cost the two veterans their spots on the Dolphins’ roster, they were afforded the opportunity to reach unrestricted free agency nearly a month before this year’s crop of pending free agents. McCain took advantage of that opportunity by visiting the Buccaneers prior to the combine, with reports at the time suggesting the Steelers and Titans also wanted to bring him in.
McCain, 29, signed with the Dolphins last March after spending five seasons in Houston and one in Pittsburgh. The veteran corner started 10 games and played 735 defensive snaps for the Dolphins in 2015, picking up an interception to go along with 39 tackles. He would provide some veteran depth in Tennessee if he signs with the Titans, though the team probably won’t want to pencil him in as a starter right away.
As for Coples, the 16th overall pick from the 2012 draft had his best year as a pro in 2014, but even that amounted to just 35 tackles and 6.5 sacks, modest totals for a first-round pass rusher. When Todd Bowles took over as the Jets’ head coach a year ago, Coples was further marginalized in New York. Due to his poor fit in Bowles’ defense – and perhaps an alleged incident on a team flight, though Bowles denied that – the 25-year-old was waived by the club in the fall, and had a brief cup of coffee with the Dolphins before being cut again.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Coples will take a physical in Carolina today as part of his visit with the Panthers. The defending NFC champions could be in the market for some help at defensive end, with increasingly expensive veteran Charles Johnson a candidate to be released this offseason, but the club does have some depth at the position behind Johnson and fellow starter Kony Ealy.
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Jeff Fisher, Rams Discussing Extension
TUESDAY, 8:52am: The Rams are also exploring an extension for general manager Les Snead, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
MONDAY, 6:43pm: Jeff Fisher is entering the final season of the five-year contract he signed with the Rams when he became their head coach in 2012, but it doesn’t look as if he’ll be a lame duck for long. Fisher and the Rams are currently engaged in talks to extend the contracts of him and his coaching staff, reports Nick Wagoner of ESPN (Twitter link). There’s no word yet on possible length or financial compensation for Fisher, who is currently among the NFL’s highest-paid coaches at $7MM annually.
[RELATED: The latest on Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins]
Fisher is the latest NFC coach who is reportedly discussing an extension with his club, joining division rival Pete Carroll (Seahawks), the Saints’ Sean Payton and the Panthers’ Ron Rivera. There’s one obvious difference between Fisher and that trio, however: They’ve done plenty of winning during their respective tenures, while he hasn’t.
In his four years at the helm of the Rams, Fisher’s teams have compiled a 27-36-1 record and have never gone .500 or better during an individual campaign. The Rams finished 7-9 last season during their St. Louis swan song, which was the third time they’ve won seven games under Fisher.
Prior to joining the Rams, Fisher experienced success atop the Titans organization, going 142-120 in 17 years and helping lead the club to six playoff appearances and a Super Bowl XXXIV berth to conclude the 1999-2000 season. Of course, the Titans lost that game, 23-16, to Fisher’s present-day employer, the Rams.
In the event Fisher and the Rams do agree to an extension, it wouldn’t necessarily guarantee his job status beyond next season. If the team doesn’t show improvement in the first season of its return to Los Angeles, owner Stan Kroenke could go in another direction and eat whatever money Fisher has remaining on his deal.
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