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2019 NFL Free Agents

June 26th, 2019 at 6:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Pro Football Rumors’ up-to-date list of 2019 NFL free agents is below. These are players who are eligible for restricted or unrestricted free agency after the 2018 season. The player’s 2019 age is in parentheses. Players are generally sorted by the position at which they played most in ’18, or the position at which their most recent team listed them.

Players who are currently on an NFL roster but don’t have a contract for 2019 are listed below, along with a few other notable free agents who aren’t on a roster at the moment.

Players eligible for restricted free agency are marked with (R), while franchise and transition players will be marked with (F) and (T) respectively. Exclusive rights free agents are not included. All other free agents are assumed to be unrestricted.

If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us. For instant free agent updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter @pfrumors.

Updated 8-28-19 (1:03pm CT)

Quarterbacks

Matt Cassel (37)
Connor Cook (26)
David Fales (28)
Landry Jones (30)
Brock Osweiler (28)
Brandon Weeden (35)

Running Backs

Jay Ajayi (26)
Kapri Bibbs (26)
LeGarrette Blount (32)
Alex Collins (25)
Benny Cunningham (29)
D’Onta Foreman (23)
Jeremy Hill (26)
Chris Ivory (31)
Rob Kelley (27)
Daniel Lasco (26)
Stevan Ridley (30)
Robert Turbin (29)
Fozzy Whittaker (30)
Shaun Wilson (23)
Zach Zenner (28)

Fullbacks

Derrick Coleman (28)
Jalston Fowler (29)
Tre Madden (26)

Wide Receivers

Kelvin Benjamin (28)
Dez Bryant (30)
Martavis Bryant (27)
Leonte Carroo (25)
Sammie Coates (26)
Bruce Ellington (28)
Pierre Garcon (33)
Rashad Greene (26)
Maurice Harris (26)
Darrius Heyward-Bey (32)
Andre Holmes (31)
Justin Hunter (28)
Brandon LaFell (31)
Roger Lewis (25)
Ricardo Louis (25)
Brandon Marshall (35)
Rod Streater (31)
Mike Wallace (33)
Kevin White (27)
Nick Williams (28)
Terrance Williams (30)
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How The Cardinals Have Used Their No. 1 Waiver Priority

June 26th, 2019 at 5:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Since late December, when the Cardinals took over the top spot on the NFL’s waiver priority list due to their league-worst record, Arizona has had its pick of the NFL’s freely available talent. In that time, general manager Steve Keim has acquired five players via the waiver wire, many of whom have significant NFL experience.

Let’s take a look at the players the Cardinals have picked up on waivers over the past seven months and examine how each might contribute in 2019:

Pharoh Cooper, WR: Claimed from Rams on 12/19/18

The Cardinals may have gained some valuable intel from Cooper after claiming him in advance of their Week 16 matchup against the Rams, but Arizona also likely had Cooper’s potential 209 contributions in mind. A fourth-round pick out of South Carolina in 2016, Cooper earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017 as a return man. That season, the 24-year-old handled 66 combined kick and punt returns, and led the NFL in yards per kickoff return (27.4). The Cardinals now have a bevy of wide receivers on their depth chart after adding draft picks Andy Isabella and Hakeem Butler to holdovers Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk, so Cooper is unlikely to see the field as an offensive player. But he’ll compete to become Arizona’s top return man, a role that he should be able to win.

D.J. Swearinger, S: Claimed from Redskins on 12/25/18

Sometimes you can go home again. The Cardinals brought in Swearinger — who previously played in Arizona from 2015-16 — via a Christmas Day waiver claim after the veteran defensive back was cut by the Redskins for criticizing Washington’s coaching staff and play-calling decisions. Still just 27 years old and due less than $4.5MM in 2019, Swearinger was unsurprisingly a popular name on the waiver wire, as both the Raiders and Packers attempted to claim him. Viewed as one of the more physically imposing defensive backs in the league, Swearinger graded out as the NFL’s No. 13 safety a year ago, per Pro Football Focus. He’ll start alongside Budda Baker in a now Patrick Peterson-less (at least, for six games) Arizona secondary.

Tanner Vallejo, LB: Claimed from Browns on 2/5/19

Like Cooper, Vallejo is likely ticketed for a special teams-only role in 2019. Over the past two seasons with the Bills and Browns, Vallejo played only 158 total defensive snaps but appeared on more than 500 special teams snaps. In both campaigns, he finished top-three on his club in special teams plays. The Cardinals were actually relatively successful on special teams last year, ranking as a top-12 unit in both kickoffs and punts, but Vallejo will give the club more depth. Speaking of depth, Arizona doesn’t have a ton of serviceable options behind projected starting ‘backers Haason Reddick and Jordan Hicks, so a scenario exists where Vallejo sees meaningful playing time on defense.

Pita Taumoepenu, LB: Claimed from 49ers on 5/9/19

A sixth-round pick in the 2017 draft, Taumoepenu has only played in six games (21 defensive snaps, 69 special teams snaps) over two seasons. Now 25 years old, Taumoepenu will have to compete for time on special teams, as he’s unlikely to see the field as a pass-rusher behind Terrell Suggs and Brooks Reed.

Desmond Harrison, T: Claimed from Browns on 6/6/19

The Browns cut Harrison earlier this month after he reportedly missed team meetings, but the Cardinals were willing to take a chance on his talent. Harrison joined Cleveland as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and subsequently started eight games, and while his overall marks from PFF weren’t stellar, he ranked 32nd among tackles in pure pass-blocking grade (min. 50% snap percentage). He was hurt by his run-blocking limitations and his 11 penalties, the latter of which ranked ninth-most among tackles. Harrison will open the season behind starting Arizona tackles D.J. Humphries and Marcus Gilbert, but given that those two have only played a combined 26 games (out of a possible 64) over the past two seasons, Harrison stands a decent chance to make it onto the field.

Largest 2019 RB Cap Hits

June 26th, 2019 at 3:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Despite the celebrity status that many NFL running backs enjoy, the market for the position has not advanced like market for quarterbacks and wide receivers has.

[RELATED: Largest 2019 Quarterback Cap Hits]

Here’s a look at the top 10 RB cap hits for 2019, with a few notes and observations accompanying the figures:

Running backs:

  1. David Johnson (Cardinals): $9.75MM
  2. Todd Gurley (Rams): $9.2MM
  3. LeSean McCoy (Bills): $9.05MM
  4. Le’Veon Bell (Jets): $8.97MM
  5. Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys): $7.94MM
  6. Leonard Fournette (Jaguars): $7.4MM
  7. Lamar Miller (Texans): $7.2MM
  8. Saquon Barkley (Giants): $7.1MM
  9. Devonta Freeman (Falcons): $6.75MM
  10. Jerick McKinnon (49ers): $5.75MM
  • Surprised to see McKinnon at the bottom of the top 10 after he inked a lucrative free agent deal with the Niners just one year ago? The Jet still has plenty of money coming to him on his four-year, $30MM deal, but the deal was structured to give him the lowest cap hit in ’19. Next year, McKinnon’s hit will rise to $8.8MM, then elevate to $9.2MM in 2021, the final scheduled year of the contract. McKinnon is looking to bounce back from his lost 2018 season this year, but if he doesn’t, the Niners will be able to escape his contract and save $4.8MM next year against $4MM in dead money.
  • It’s a similar story for Bell, who has the second-highest paying contract of any running back in terms of overall annual value, with a relatively affordable $8.97MM cap hit for the coming year. As of this writing, he’s slated to have the second-highest hit of any RB in 2020 at a whopping $15.5MM.
  • Despite playing on a rookie contract, Barkley makes the list with a $7MM+ cap hit for his sophomore season. This, perhaps more than any other deal on this list, illustrates the gap in pay between RBs and QBs. Sam Darnold, drafted one spot behind Barkley in 2018, has the 25th highest cap hit of any QB this year.

Extension Candidate: Bengals WR A.J. Green

June 26th, 2019 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

As one of the league’s most feared wide receivers, an extension for A.J. Green should be fairly simple. Unfortunately, after yet another injury-shortened season, the negotiations figure to be a bit complicated. 

On the plus side, Bengals owner Mike Brown has indicated that he wants Green to remain in Cincinnati on a new deal.

“Oh, I think he’s a proven commodity, isn’t he?,” Brown said in March. “The price range for him will be something we can figure out, it will come together. It’s true with anyone, if they suddenly get an injury..it reduces them. Well that changes the equation, but I never plan on that happening. I like to think that won’t happen. If A.J. is healthy, he’s as good a receiver as anybody in the league.”

Ditto for Green:

“Cincinnati is home for me,” Green said recently. “I’ve been here nine years. This is home as much as South Carolina. All I know is Cincinnati. I can’t see myself playing anywhere else or playing in a different city. Hopefully I can be here for a couple more years, so we’ll see on that part.”

Will Green have himself a fat new contract before or soon after his 31st birthday in July? That may depend on his willingness to accept a bit of a hometown discount.

Green has missed 13 games due to injury over the past three seasons and the Bengals, historically, have not been big spenders. They’ve also recently extended teammates Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap, so their flexibility is somewhat limited.

Green finished out the 2018 season with just 46 catches for 694 yards and six touchdowns, but when his nine-game season is adjusted for 16 games, those numbers are right in line with his career 75/1,113/8 average. It’s also worth noting that ’18 was only Green’s second season to fall shy of the 1,000-yard mark. The only other time that happened was in 2016, when he came just 36 yards shy, despite playing in just ten games.

Ultimately, a new deal for Green should put him right around Odell Beckham Jr.’s $18MM average annual value, particularly if fellow receivers Julio Jones and Michael Thomas ink their next deals first. Of course, Green’s deal will be shorter in length than OBJs, or, at the very least, have a much lighter load of guarantees beyond Year 2.

For now, Green is set to enter the final season of his four-year, $60MM contract.

This Date In Transactions History: Julius Peppers

June 26th, 2019 at 12:00pm CST by Zachary Links

After a mysteriously quiet 2007, Julius Peppers mounted a strong comeback campaign in ’08. Then, on the heels of notching a career-high 14.5 sacks and helping the Panthers return to the playoffs, Peppers wanted out. Specifically, Peppers expressed a desire to join a team with a 3-4 scheme so that he could move from defensive end to linebacker. 

Peppers insisted that he would never sign a long-term deal with Carolina and tried hard to discourage the team from using the franchise tender on him in the 2009 offseason.

“The front office has been informed of my desire to explore opportunities with other NFL teams following the expiration of my contract next month,” Peppers said in a statement (via ESPN.com). “At this point in my NFL career, I am seeking new challenges that will allow me to grow, develop and reach my personal potential on the football field.”

The Panthers held firm, however, and applied the one-year, $16.7MM placeholder on their top defender. In theory, another team could have signed Peppers as a restricted free agent, but that would have required the forfeiture of two first-round picks on top of a mammoth contract. While he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, Peppers abstained from offseason activities. The multiple-time Pro Bowler’s absence cast a serious shadow over the Panthers’ offseason and made the football world wonder whether the Panthers would cave and trade him.

Ultimately, Peppers’ agent was unable to find a suitable deal for him. And, on June 26, 2009, Peppers inked his one-year deal with the Panthers.

Peppers earned another Pro Bowl nod in 2009, and that proved to be the final season of his first Panthers run. After the season, the Panthers declined to use the franchise tag on him, allowing him to reach unrestricted free agency and to a six-year, $91.5MM deal with the Bears. When that deal was terminated in 2014, he stayed in the NFC North and signed with the Packers.

It took a while, but Peppers ultimately came full circle. In 2017, the veteran joined the Panthers on a one-year, $3.5MM deal. A few months later, the Panthers canned GM Dave Gettleman and brought back Marty Hurney as their top football executive, but there were no hard feelings between Peppers and Hurney.

Last March, Peppers and Hurney shook hands on a new one-year, $5MM deal to keep the then 38-year-old in Carolina. Then, this past February, Peppers walked away from the game with 159.5 career sacks.

Release Candidate: Texans TE Darren Fells

June 26th, 2019 at 8:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans signed Darren Fells to a one-year deal in March, adding a proven blocking tight end to their offensive unit. However, the 33-year-old could be looking for work before the summer is through. 

Roughly six weeks after signing Fells, the Texans used a third round pick on San Diego State’s Kahale Warring, a 6’5″ tight end who has shown serious promise as a blocker. Meanwhile, the Texans also have the Jordans – 2018 rookies Jordan Akins and Jordan Thomas – on their TE depth chart. Fells faces an uphill battle, even after the Texans released Ryan Griffin in May.

Fells’ blue collar blocking skills have made him a known commodity in a league obsessed with offensively explosive tight ends, but they might not be enough to get him over the hump in Houston. It’s also worth noting that Fells, despite his rep, wasn’t all that sharp of a blocker last season. Pro Football Focus assigned Fells a 72.9 pass-blocking grade in 2018, which put him near the middle of the pack among his position group, and a 55.9 grade in the run game, a mark which ranked near the bottom of the league.

Fells’ blocking foibles weren’t just recognized by the advanced metrics. The Browns, who inked him to a three-year, $12MM deal in the 2018 offseason, released him this year and took on a dead money hit of $1.4MM.

Fells seems likely to hook on somewhere for the 2019 season, but it might not happen with the Texans, who guaranteed him just $100K on his one-year, $1.5MM deal.

Poll: Grading The Raiders’ Offseason

June 25th, 2019 at 12:30pm CST by Zachary Links

To say that this was an offseason of overhaul for the Raiders would be a drastic understatement. With the aid of new GM Mike Mayock, head coach Jon Gruden completely rebooted his team after a disappointing 4-12 finish last year. 

The renovations got underway in 2018 when the Raiders shipped out stars Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper for a combined haul of draft capital. The moves also gave the team financial flexibility this offseason, which was used to add wide receiver Antonio Brown, wide receiver Tyrell Williams, right tackle Trent Brown, and slot cornerback LaMarcus Joyner. Those four players alone account for more than $109MM in guaranteed money, signaling a clear desire to compete in 2019.

It’s hard to knock any of those additions – at least, when considering their expected value for the coming season. However, the Raiders’ draft was among the most polarizing in the NFL. After Gruden and Mayock sent their scouting department packing, they stunned every prognosticator by selecting Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell with the No. 4 overall pick. Then, at No. 24 overall, some felt that the Raiders reached again with their pick of Alabama running back Joshua Jacobs.

Other picks, such as Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram at No. 27 overall, were better received. Abram projects to be a Day 1 starter alongside Karl Joseph and, ultimately, figures to inherit his spotlight after the club turned down Joseph’s fifth-year option for the 2020 season.

Despite some clear upgrades, question marks remain for the Raiders. The club tried to upgrade its backfield with the quietly effective Isaiah Crowell, but he was quickly lost to a torn Achilles and replaced by the return of Doug Martin. There were also rumblings that they would add a new quarterback to play ahead of Derek Carr, but they elected to stick with the signal caller in hopes that he could return to his old form. It’s also fair to wonder about the status of the Raiders’ locker room – the mercurial Brown always has the potential to rock the boat and he’s now joined by longtime rival Vontaze Burfict and controversial lineman Richie Incognito.

On the whole, how would you grade the Raiders’ offseason? Click below to cast your vote (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comment section.

How do you grade the Raiders' offseason?
B 37.12% (507 votes)
C 22.25% (304 votes)
A 19.77% (270 votes)
F 9.59% (131 votes)
D 9.30% (127 votes)
E 1.98% (27 votes)
Total Votes: 1,366

Extension Candidate: Patriots QB Tom Brady

June 25th, 2019 at 11:30am CST by Zachary Links

It’s rare for an NFL player to continue his career into his 40s and even rarer for that player to be up for an extension. But, of course, most players are not like Tom Brady.

The multiple-time Super Bowl champ will be out of contract after the 2019 season after he collects on $27MM in earnings. There’s no conceivable scenario in which Brady leaves the Patriots in free agency, but it remains to be seen how the Patriots will structure Brady’s next contract or when they’ll be able to come to an accord.

Brady will turn 42 in August and the Patriots have no succession plan in place for the future Hall of Famer. Theoretically, they could cuff him with the franchise tag if no agreement can be reached, but it would come at a rate of $32.4MM for the 2020 season (a 20% increase from his current cap figure).

Historically, Brady has given the Patriots significant hometown discounts, but he might not be feeling as generous this time around. Amidst rumblings of discord in Foxboro, the Pats added $5MM in incentives to Brady’s 2018 deal. However, he did not his the statistical markers necessary to realize the full potential of the bonus package.

So, what will a new deal for Brady look like? Although Brady showed some chinks in the armor last year, he could easily make a case to join the $30MM/year club, which currently counts Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan among its members.

Meanwhile, Brady’s last deal inked in 2016 averaged out to just $20.5MM/year. Adjusted for cap inflation, that number would be somewhere around $25MM/year, which would position him as just the tenth-highest paid quarterback in terms of average annual value.

Many expect Brady to settle in at that $25MM per annum figure, but don’t be surprised if the two sides shake hands at the midway point between that number and the star’s true market value.

Release Candidate: Cardale Jones

June 25th, 2019 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

In 2015, Cardale Jones emerged as a superstar for Ohio State when quarterbacks Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett were lost to injury. After leading the Buckeyes to wins over Michigan and Wisconsin before topping Oregon in the National Championship, Jones went from a relative unknown to a bonafide NFL prospect. Although he was benched midway through the 2016 season, many still believed that big things were in store for the athletic QB when the Bills tapped him in the fourth-round of the draft. 

In 2019, Jones’ NFL career is at a crossroads. After two years with the Chargers, Jones is very much in danger of missing the 53-man cut as he sits behind star Philip Rivers and fellow ex-Bill Tyrod Taylor. The Bolts could conceivably carry three quarterbacks on the varsity squad, but they already seem well set with the far more accomplished Taylor as Rivers’ stopgap.

“The evaluation is going to come in the preseason games when you’re out there against another team and you’re having to manage a lot of different things,” Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said recently. “The trend for him has been good. He’s improving. Just seeing his command in the huddle now, opposed to what it was last year, it’s much better.”

If Jones does not impress in the preseason, it’s not a given that he’ll land an NFL contract. Last year, the Bolts cut Jones on Labor Day Weekend and were able to stash him on the practice squad. This year, he’s with the Chargers on a low-cost reserve/future contract.

There’s still reason to believe in Jones, but it’s hard to see another team carrying him on the 53-man roster as he approaches his 27th birthday in September.

This Date In Transactions History: Ricky Williams Retires

June 25th, 2019 at 9:27am CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 2004, one of the NFL’s best running backs called it quits at the age of 26. On the heels of a four-game ban for marijuana, Dolphins star Ricky Williams decided that he had enough. 

“I’m finally free,” Williams told the Miami Herald from Hawaii. “I can’t remember ever being this happy.”

Williams’ announcement sent shockwaves through the football world and also became the topic of national conversation for non-sports fans. How could Williams, who was just two years removed from leading the league with 1,853 rushing yards, walk away from millions of dollars and superstar status?

Many believed that Williams was choosing recreational marijuana over his career. However, Williams explained that he was in search of true happiness, fulfillment, and enlightenment.

“Well, why not?,” Williams said when asked about his puzzling decision. “I just don’t want to be in this business anymore. was never strong enough to not play football, but I’m strong enough now. Everyone has thrown every possible scenario at me about why I shouldn’t do this, but they’re in denial. I’m happy with my decision.”

The Dolphins’ offense was largely built around Williams and his mid-summer departure was nothing short of devastating for the club. The Dolphins invested a great deal in No. 34 – they sent four draft picks to the Saints, including two first-round picks – to acquire him in 2002, so they had little in the way of backfield reinforcements.

Later, Williams revealed that there were other factors that went into his decision. After his stellar 2002 campaign, he once again led the league in rushing attempts with 392 on the year. However, without a quality passing game to keep defenses honest, he averaged just 3.5 yards per carry. The Dolphins, meanwhile, carried over the same exact quarterback room into 2004. Knowing that Jay Fiedler, Brian Griese, and Sage Rosenfels would produce the same results, Williams elected against taking more punishment.

“I led the NFL in attempts the past two years and they really didn’t go out and get a quarterback to help me, so I knew it’s going to be all on me again,” Williams told Sports Illustrated in 2004. “I could see my mortality as a football player, that I’m not going to be able to do this much longer. It just became obvious to me that playing football for me is not going to be fun, not something I’m going to enjoy and it’s time for me to do something different.”

Williams returned to football in 2005 and managed to average 4.4 yards per tote in a suspension-shortened season. In 2006, the NFL handed Williams a one-year ban for the fourth drug policy violation of his career, prompting him to sign with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts.

After suffering a pectoral tear in his 2007 return, Williams would not play another full NFL season until 2008. The time spent away from the NFL would have been an insurmountable obstacle for most players, but there was clearly something to Williams’ holistic regimen.

From 2008-2011, Williams’ ages 31-34 seasons, the veteran managed 4.3 yards per carry for the Dolphins and Ravens. Then, after topping 10,000 career rushing yards, Williams decided to retire for good.

Today, Williams is one of several ex-NFL players involved in the formation of the Freedom Football League, which vows to provide players with “permanent and reliable holistic health and wellness support on and off the field” as well as encouragement to address “hot-button” societal issues.

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