Extra Points: Jets, McKinnon, Cardinals, Mathieu, Eagles, Foles, Acho, Bears
The latest from around the NFL:
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Running back Jerick McKinnon nearly joined Teddy Bridgewater with the Jets, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Ultimately, the 49ers came back with a big offer. The Jets pivoted at that point and instead signed running back Isaiah Crowell.
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The Cardinals were willing to go to about $9MM/year with Tyrann Mathieu before he was cut, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. Other teams believe that he is now looking to top that figure. He may or may not get that kind of coin given his past injuries and a down 2017.
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The Cardinals called the Eagles about acquiring Nick Foles this week, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, this took place right around the time of the Sam Bradford signing. With Bradford in the fold at a hefty salary, it’s unlikely that the Cards will go back to that well. Meanwhile, the Eagles seem intent on keeping the Super Bowl MVP.
Saints To Sign Patrick Robinson
Patrick Robinson is set to sign with the Saints, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a four-year deal for the nickel cornerback.
Robinson, 30, is heading back to where it all began, as he was originally selected as a first-round pick by New Orleans in 2010. He’ll return after posting drastically better results with other clubs than he ever did with the Saints. Largely considered a bust until joining the Chargers in 2015, Robinson is now coming off arguably the best season of his career.
Signed to one-year contact for the veteran’s minimum, Robinson exceeded all expectations as the Eagles’ slot cornerback in 2017. On 853 defensive snaps, Robinson graded as the league’s No. 6 CB, per Pro Football Focus.
Philadelphia was expected to re-sign Robinson, but their small amount of cap space — which has already been used on players such as Michael Bennett, Haloti Ngata, and Nigel Bradham — made keeping him difficult. However, the Eagles actually offered Robinson more total money than the Saints, who gave Robinson more guaranteed cash, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com.
Speaking of exceeding expectations, the Saints’ pass defense did just that last season. With rookie Marshon Lattimore playing like a shutdown corner, New Orleans ranked fifth in pass defense. Robinson will likely stick in his slot role with the Saints, although it’s possible they also ask him to play on the outside.
Meanwhile, free agent cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is no longer expected to visit the Saints after taking a meeting with the Redskins. That’s likely because both DRC and Robinson would have filled the same nickelback job in New Orleans.
[RELATED: Saints Depth Chart]
Buccaneers To Sign DL Beau Allen
Beau Allen has officially flown the nest. The former Eagles defensive lineman will sign with the Buccaneers, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). It’s a three-year deal worth $15MM and could be worth up to $16.5MM with incentives, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter).
Allen was being pursued heavily by both the Bucs and the Lions. The Lions lost Haloti Ngata to free agency on Tuesday when he signed with the Eagles, a move that displaced Allen. Ultimately, Tampa Bay won out.
Allen, 26, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Eagles. He was extremely durable that period, as the only game he missed during his Philadelphia tenure was a meaningless Week 17 contest last season. In 2017, Allen — a one-technique tackle — appeared on roughly 41% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps. He’s PFR’s No. 6-ranked interior defender.
The Buccaneers add Allen to a group of defensive tackles that also includes Channing Ward and Stevie Tu’ikolovatu. Sealver Siliga and Clinton McDonald are both free agents this offseason, possibly opening the door to extended playing time for Allen. Tampa Bay allowed 117.5 yards per game on the ground last season, which ranked No. 22 in the NFL.
The Eagles took Allen in the seventh round of the 2014 draft and he’s started three games in each of the last two seasons. With acquisitions such as Ngata and Michael Bennett to an already-stellar defensive line, it became pretty clear the Eagles weren’t going to be able to retain Allen’s services.
[RELATED: Buccaneers Depth Chart]
Eagles To Re-Sign LB Nigel Bradham
The Eagles will re-sign free agent linebacker Nigel Bradham to a five-year, $40MM deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Bradham was a key part of Philadelphia’s Super Bowl-winning defense a season ago, but given that the Eagles are extremely pressed for cap space, it wasn’t clear if they’d be able to re-sign the 28-year-old linebacker. They’ve somehow made it work, however, and one resulting move will entail the Eagles (once again) placing linebacker Mychal Kendricks and his $5.85MM 2018 salary on the trade block, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
A former fourth-round pick, Bradham followed defensive play-caller Jim Schwartz from Buffalo to Philadelphia prior to the 2016 campaign. He’s arguably posted the best two seasons of his career during that time, and graded as the league’s 21st-best linebacker in 2017, according to Pro Football Focus.While playing on nearly 90% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps, Bradham posted 61 tackles and one sack.
While the guarantees or structure of Bradham’s new deal have yet to be reported, he’ll now become the 12th-highest-paid off-ball linebacker in terms of annual salary. Given that Eagles’ salary cap problems, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Bradham’s pact contains a hefty signing bonus that will be spread across multiple years, while a back-loaded pact also isn’t out of the question.
Heading into free agency, Bradham ranked as PFR’s No. 1 available linebacker and the No. 22 free agent overall.
[RELATED: Eagles Depth Chart]
Eagles To Sign LB Corey Nelson
Although the Broncos were eyeing Corey Nelson as a player they would like to have retained, the linebacker will join the Eagles instead. Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets Nelson will head to Philadelphia on a one-year deal. It’s a one-year, $2.25MM pact, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Nelson is coming off a season-ending injury and has operated primarily as a reserve during his four-year career.
The former seventh-round pick did start six games for the 2016 Broncos. He’s been one of Denver’s top special-teamers. Nelson will join an Eagles team that could lose Nigel Bradham in free agency and has Jordan Hicks coming off a season-ending injury.
The Broncos could lose Todd Davis in free agency as well, but the franchise also was planning to see what it would cost to retain him. Nelson’s defection could make that a higher priority.
Eagles Release TE Brent Celek
The Eagles announced that they have released tight end Brent Celek. The veteran was scheduled to carry a $5MM cap hit for 2018. By releasing him, the Eagles will save an estimated $4MM. 
This is the latest move by the Eagles to free up cap space, following the restructuring of Lane Johnson‘s contract. With their extra cap room, the Eagles have added accomplished defensive tackle Haloti Ngata to the mix. The Eagles are also hoping to hold on to Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, though they might be willing to trade him for a substantial haul in draft compensation.
The defending champs have not rested on their laurels this week. In addition to the aforementioned Ngata signing, they have shipped wide receiver Torrey Smith to the Panthers and they have a deal in place to retain nickel cornerback Patrick Robinson.
Celek, for his part, wants to continue playing.
Eagles Sign DT Haloti Ngata
The rich get richer. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata has signed a one-year deal with Eagles, as first reported by Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Ngata’s one-year, $2.6MM deal is fully guaranteed, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. He can earn another $25K for each game he plays, bringing the maximum value of the pact to $3MM.
Ngata’s 2017 season was mostly lost to injury and he vowed in January to continue playing in order to finish on a high note:
“I think if I finished the year healthy I would have been a little closer to probably retiring, but I want to finish the season so I think I want to keep on playing. And definitely I loved being able to be here and help Detroit have more dominance in this league. We’ve had winning seasons, I just want to continue to build this franchise and get it to where it can be a dominant franchise and a great team. So I definitely want to be here, I definitely want to keep on playing, but we’ll have to see once free agency hits.”
When Ngata was on the field for the first five games of the season, the Lions allowed just 74.6 yards rushing per game. After Ngata’s injury, the Lions allowed 129.7 yards rushing per game. Ngata may not be the player he once was, but he is still a major difference maker on the defensive line.
Ngata, 34, figures to replace Beau Allen as the Eagles’ No. 3 defensive tackle. Allen departed in free agency to join up with the Bucs.
The revamped Eagles’ defensive line projects to start Michael Bennett along with Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan, and Brandon Graham with Ngata, a five-time Pro Bowler, in support.
Eagles Restructure OT Lane Johnson’s Deal
The Eagles have significantly improved their cap situation. The Eagles have created $7.5MM in cap space for 2018 by restructuring tackle Lane Johnson‘s deal, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. His new cap hit is now $4.98MM, down from $12.48MM, with Johnson also collecting a $4.192MM signing bonus. 
Johnson will now have a base salary of $790K for 2018, down from $10.25M (Twitter link). He’ll earn the same amount of money in total, so it’s a win-win for the team and player.
The Eagles entered the offseason with one of the most dire cap situations in the entire NFL. Now, they have given themselves some much-needed flexibility. In theory, the move could allow them to retain defensive end Vinny Curry, though they might look to apply their new found money elsewhere after acquiring Michael Bennett from the Seahawks.
Eagles Leaning Toward Keeping Nick Foles?
Depending on how Carson Wentz‘s rehab unfolds, Nick Foles could potentially be required to start for the defending Super Bowl champions come Week 1. And the Eagles may be proceeding accordingly.
While a previous report indicated even a 2016 Sam Bradford-type trade haul — first- and fourth-round picks — wouldn’t even be enough for a team to pry Foles from the Eagles, the team now may be leaning toward holding onto its backup.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets a first-round choice may be enough to sway the Eagles, but he adds the team does not want to trade him.
Wentz is in the middle stages of rehabbing the knee ligaments he tore in Los Angeles, and despite Foles’ value being at an all-time high after his Super Bowl MVP outing, no reports have indicated Philly is ready to cash in on that. An AFC team offered the Eagles a second-round pick for Foles, but that clearly wasn’t sufficient.
The 29-year-old quarterback is under contract for one more season and set to comprise $7.6MM of the Eagles’ cap.
Eagles Expect To Re-Sign Patrick Robinson
It seemed unlikely just a couple of weeks ago, but the Eagles believe they will have an extension hammered out with Patrick Robinson before legal tampering begins on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Robinson emerged as both a key defensive player and a locker room leader for Philadelphia in 2017. 
The Eagles don’t have a ton of cap room to work with, even after trading wide receiver Torrey Smith. The acquisition of Michael Bennett from the Seahawks has also set them back a bit, though that move will allow them to trade or release Vinny Curry before the majority of his $9MM salary becomes guaranteed for the coming year.
If Robinson isn’t retained by Philadelphia, the rival Giants will be among the teams with interest in signing him in free agency.