Contract Details: Suh, Cobb, Jackson, Graham
Here’s a round-up of a few notable details on new contracts from around the NFL:
- Ndamukong Suh, DT (Dolphins); $60MM guarantee is fully guaranteed at signing (Twitter link via Pro Football Talk).
- Randall Cobb, WR (Packers): Four years, $40MM base value. $13MM signing bonus. $3.5MM roster bonus in March 2016, $5.35MM cap hit for 2015 (Twitter links via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com).
- Kareem Jackson, CB (Texans): Four years, $34MM base value. $9MM signing bonus. $4MM roster bonus due this weekend (Twitter link via Corry).
- Brandon Graham, OLB (Eagles): Four years, $26MM base value. $4MM signing bonus. $14MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- Cary Williams, CB (Seahawks): Three years, $18MM base value. $3.5MM signing bonus. $7MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Mark Sanchez, QB (Eagles): Two years, $9MM. $2MM signing bonus. $5.5MM guaranteed. Escalators for playing time, playoffs (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Ryan Mallett, QB (Texans): Two years, $7MM base value. $1.75MM of $2.5MM 2015 salary guaranteed (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Brian Hartline, WR (Browns): Two years, $6MM base value. $1.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Tyvon Branch, S (Chiefs): One year, $2.1MM base value. $200K signing bonus. $2MM in playing-time, INT, Super Bowl incentives (Twitter links via Wilson).
Colts Expected To Sign Frank Gore, Meeting With Andre Johnson
11:25am: According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the deal Gore is expected to sign with the Colts is similar to the one he would’ve signed with the Eagles. It’s for three years, with a total value of $12MM, and $7.5MM guaranteed. However, we shouldn’t lock that in quite yet, given what happened between Gore and the Eagles — Pro Football Talk reports (via Twitter) that the veteran back hasn’t made his final decision yet.
11:13am: Both Johnson and Gore are traveling to Indianapolis today to meet with the Colts, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets.
11:06am: Frank Gore appeared ready to join Chip Kelly and the Eagles, but on Monday night he started having second thoughts. Now, he appears to be leaning heavily towards signing with the Colts instead. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, Gore got cold feet with Philly in part because he didn’t want a coach like Kelly to ride him hard at this stage in his career.
There were multiple concerns for Gore even beyond that. The tailback told friends he was more intrigued by the chance to play in the Colts’ offense than with the Eagles’ personnel. Also, the Colts’ offer to him is slightly more lucrative than the deal Philly was ready to give him. And, from a football standpoint, he was worried that the Eagles might struggle without Maclin and without a big-time receiving threat. Sources that Garafolo have spoken with are reluctant to say that he’s headed to the Colts for sure given that Gore has flip-flopped once already, but all signs are pointing that way.
Meanwhile, it sounds like the Eagles had a plan to pair Gore with a big time receiving threat before the deal fell apart. Someone close to wide receiver Andre Johnson told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com (on Twitter) that the Eagles wanted both him and Gore. Now, Johnson is on the owner’s private jet in transit to Indianapolis and after a phone conversation, both veterans have agreed to join the Colts.
However, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter) says that while Johnson may end up in Indy, three people close to him insist that he’s still working out in Miami this morning.
FA Rumors: Giants, Hardy, Ridley, Falcons
With free agency set to open in a matter of hours, the Giants are zeroing in on a running back scheduled to his the open market later today, reports Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. According to Vacchiano, the team is “very serious” about trying to sign Shane Vereen, with one source suggesting it’s possible a deal could get done shortly after the market opens at 3:00pm central time. The report echoes what we heard last night from Albert Breer of the NFL Network, who classified the Giants’ interest in Vereen as “significant.”
As we wait to see whether the Giants can get anything done with the longtime Patriot, let’s check in on a few more Tuesday morning free agency updates….
- One general manager tells Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) that at least six teams are interested in free agent pash rusher Greg Hardy. A Monday report indicated most potential suitors would like to hear what sort of discipline Hardy will face from the league following his legal issues before they make a bid.
- The Vikings have inquired on free-agent-to-be Stevan Ridley, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. However, Ridley would likely only be an option for Minnesota if Adrian Peterson doesn’t return.
- Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link) believes O’Brien Schofield is the most likely free agent to sign with the Falcons. Schofield, an outside pass rusher, played for Dan Quinn‘s defense in Seattle.
- Safety Ron Parker has been linked to a lot of teams within the past few days, so it’s no surprise that McClure says his price is getting pretty steep (Twitter link). It may be too expensive for the Falcons, who could look to re-sign Dwight Lowery instead, per McClure.
- Safety Devin McCourty is no longer a free agent, having re-signed with the Patriots, but if he had reached the open market, the Eagles were one of three teams willing to offer him more than the $9.5MM per year New England gave him, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
East Rumors: Eagles, Vereen, Giants, McCoy
Let’s take a look at the latest from the East divisions…
- With Frank Gore looking as though he might spurn Philadelphia for Indianapolis, the Eagles are taking a look at contingency plans at running back, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter link). DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, and Justin Forsett are among the available RB options.
- Meanwhile, the Giants are also on the lookout for a running back, and have kept an eye on Shane Vereen, tweets Breer. Vereen, who is said to be seeking $3.5MM annually, has also drawn interest from the Jets.
- Washington has continued to dialogue with quarterback Colt McCoy, per John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link). McCoy would presumably act as Washington’s No. 3 QB if signed, unless the club deals Robert Griffin III or Kirk Cousins.
Frank Gore Leaning Toward Colts, Not Eagles
7:09pm: Gore is “intent” on joining the Colts, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
6:28pm: Gore is speaking with Colts players to learn more about the organization, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 5:54pm: Gore is reconsidering his potential deal with the Eagles, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport suggests that the Colts could enter the mix if things don’t work out in Philly (link).
SUNDAY, 4:02pm: Gore will sign a three-year deal that will guarantee him $7.5MM in the first two seasons, tweets Schefter.
3:31pm: After trading LeSean McCoy to the Bills last week, the Eagles appear to have have found a replacement at running back, as Frank Gore has told people close to him that he will sign with Philadelphia next week, per Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) was the first to report that the Eagles had an offer out to Gore that would pay him $5MM annually, with $7MM in guarantees.
Per Getlin, the 49ers, Gore’s former team, were “bracing to lose” their longtime running back. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee tweets that San Francisco values the running back at $4MM per year, so it looks like the Eagles are set to top that figure. With McCoy out of the picture, Gore will vault to the top of the Eagles’ RB depth chart, joining Darren Sproles, Chris Polk, and Kenjon Barner. The transition from McCoy to Gore makes some sense — though Gore is five years older, he’ll cost much less, and could save Philadelphia more than $5MM in 2015 alone.
The Eagles, who are reportedly set to sign free agent corner Byron Maxwell, still need to re-sign their top offensive free agent, receiver Jeremy Maclin. The 49ers, meanwhile, will presumably turn their running back job over to second-year player Carlos Hyde, and they have work to do in free agency, as well. They’ve already added Jerome Simpson, and with Michael Crabtree not expected to return, their entire receiving corps could be revamped.
With Gore and Mark Ingram now off the board, clubs with RB needs will turn their attention to the No. 1 available running back — DeMarco Murray — while also keeping an eye on other options like Shane Vereen, Ryan Mathews, and C.J. Spiller.
Eagles To Re-Sign Brandon Graham
After some deliberations between offers from the Eagles and Giants, the decision is in. Brandon Graham has decided to remain with the Eagles, a source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). It’ll be a four-year deal worth $6.5MM per season, according to Tim McManus of 97.5 The Fanatic (on Twitter). In total, the deal gives Graham $14MM guaranteed.
Graham, 27 in April, recorded 5.5 sacks and 46 total tackles in 2014. The former first-round choice has moved around a bit in the front seven over the years, having seen time at defensive tackle, defensive end, and outside linebacker. Last season, he played the bulk of his snaps at outside linebacker and enjoyed his best season to date. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) placed him as the third best OLB in a 3-4 set last season. PFF was also high on Graham in 2013, ranking him as the 15th best outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.
It was said earlier this month that talks between the Eagles and Graham weren’t going so well, but Philly managed to turn things around and retain one of their top free agents. The Eagles carved out some extra room to keep the linebacker when they released Trent Cole earlier this month.
Graham chose a longer contract with the Eagles over the Giants, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 (on Twitter).
Brandon Graham Down To Eagles, Giants?
1:48pm: Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com tweets to “beware reports” that suggest the Eagles are still in play for Graham, hinting that the free-agent-to-be is unlikely to return to Philadelphia. That doesn’t necessarily mean Graham will end up in New York — with 24+ more hours until free agency begins, another suitor could make a play, and Mosher doesn’t entirely rule out Philadelphia as an option. But I’d probably give the Giants better odds than the Eagles at this point.
For what it’s worth, Russini doubled down on her report that Graham will eventually decide between the Giants and Eagles (Twitter link).
1:30pm: Brandon Graham has multiple offers and the linebacker appears to be deciding between the Eagles and Giants, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 (via Twitter). Earlier today we heard that Graham was leaning towards the Dolphins and Titans, but it seems the tide has turned for the Eagles free agent.
Graham, 27 in April, recorded 5.5 sacks and 46 total tackles in 2014. The former first-round choice has moved around a bit in the front seven over the years, having seen time at defensive tackle, defensive end, and outside linebacker. Last season, he played the bulk of his snaps at outside linebacker and enjoyed his best season to date. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) placed him as the third best OLB in a 3-4 set last season.
Recently, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer speculated that Graham could net a deal north of $40MM in total value and $20MM in guarantees. It was said earlier this month that talks between the Eagles and Graham weren’t going so well, but it appears that Philly has gained some ground. Now, it remains to be seen whether he’ll stay put in Philly or join up with their NFC East rivals.
FA Rumors: Sheard, Eagles, Broncos, Bears
If you’re a little confused about all the reported deals over the last couple days between free agents and new teams, you’re not alone — the three-day “legal tampering” period prior to free agency is supposed to allow teams to negotiate with agents of prospective free agents without any offers being made or agreements being reached.
Of course, teams have long ignored those guidelines, but typically they at least maintain the pretense that they’re waiting until Tuesday afternoon, with a flood of contract agreements hitting the news wire when free agency begins at 3:00pm central time on Tuesday. This year, however, noteworthy free agents Ndamukong Suh, Jeremy Maclin, and Byron Maxwell all reportedly have deals with new teams already in place.
According to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links), the NFL sent a memo to all 32 teams expressing its displeasure with the release of contract terms prior to the official start of free agency. According to Getlin’s source, the league intends to conduct an investigation to examine whether teams agreed to terms with free agents early.
Considering the leaks on new deals seem to affect so many teams around the league, it seems unlikely that the NFL would come down too hard on everyone. If anything, the situation may be the push the league needs to modify its rules for free agency. In the NBA, for instance, teams and players are allowed to reach verbal agreements during the league’s “July moratorium,” which lasts a little over a week, but those signings can’t be made official until after the moratorium lifts. A system like that could make sense for the NFL.
As we wait to see how the NFL plans to address potential free agency violations, here’s more from around the NFL on free agents and free-agents-to-be:
- The Buccaneers, Bengals, Seahawks, and Patriots are all in the running for edge defender Jabaal Sheard, according to Getlin (via Twitter). Sheard is viewed as a better fit for a 4-3 team, which could give those first three suitors an edge over the Pats.
- A source tells Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link) that the Eagles are showing “a little bit” of interest in cornerback Tramon Williams. Despite having reached a tentative agreement with Byron Maxwell, Philadelphia remains on the lookout for another corner and perhaps a safety as well.
- Speaking of those Eagles, Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link) hears that the team was “hovering just below” $10MM annually on its final offer to Jeremy Maclin, which allowed the Chiefs to make a move on the wideout. Maclin will reportedly get about $11MM per year from Kansas City.
- The Broncos have displayed interest in free agent center Chris Myers, a source tells Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (Twitter link). This comes as no surprise, considering Myers excelled in Gary Kubiak‘s zone-blocking scheme for years in Houston.
- Elsewhere on the center front, former Raider Stefen Wisniewski is on the Bears‘ radar, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. While Chicago has expressed interest in Wisniewksi, it’s not clear how serious that interest is, Biggs notes.
- The Vikings have an offer out to quarterback Shaun Hill, but it’s unclear whether he’ll accept it, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
- The Packers maintain interest in bringing back defensive tackle Letroy Guion, despite his recent legal issues, tweets Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Dunne points out that Guion, in the wake of his off-field troubles, may come cheaper than he otherwise would have.
49ers GM Denies Shopping Colin Kaepernick
8:37am: A well-placed 49ers official tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the report about the Niners looking to trade Kaepernick is “totally false — 0% truth.” Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says there’s big news on a 49ers player coming at some point today, but it doesn’t involve Kaepernick or Justin Smith (Twitter link).
7:23am: When Jim Harbaugh left the 49ers to become the new head coach at the University of Michigan, a handful of observers speculated that Colin Kaepernick‘s days in San Francisco could be numbered, now that he had been separated from the coach who initially made him the starter. At the very least, based on Harbaugh’s departure, his up-and-down 2014 performance, and the lack of guaranteed money in his contract, Kaepernick’s long-term future with the 49ers looked uncertain.
However, responding to a report last night that suggested the 49ers had put Kaepernick on the trading block, general manager Trent Baalke emphatically denied that his team is shopping its quarterback, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
“Colin is our quarterback and we are excited to have him. He is not going anywhere,” Baalke said in a statement, per Maiocco (Twitter links). “The media reports suggesting otherwise are without merit and quite frankly ridiculous.”
The “media report” Baalke is referring to originated with Jayson Braddock of KBME SportsTalk 790 in Houston (Twitter link). Braddock didn’t just report that the Niners had made Kaepernick available — he also identified the Eagles and Bears as two clubs that have spoken to San Francisco about the possibility of a deal (Twitter links).
In addition to Baalke’s denial, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported (via Twitter) that after reaching out to several teams in need of a quarterback, he had yet to hear from one who had talked to the Niners about Kaepernick. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports also tweeted that San Francisco is “not shopping” Kaepernick, though he wasn’t sure if other teams had called the 49ers to inquire.
So what can we make of all this? For one, as is often the case, it’s important to parse the specific wording used — Garafolo’s report and Baalke’s statement both say that the Niners aren’t “shopping” Kaepernick, a term that Braddock didn’t use in his initial report. “Shopping” suggests the team is actively out there looking for a deal, while Braddock’s report that the Niners put Kaepernick on the trade block could mean that the club is simply open to listening to offers, but isn’t aggressively seeking out a deal.
Given what we already knew about Kaepernick’s unsettled long-term future in San Francisco, Baalke’s history of issuing this same sort of denial during the season when discussing Harbaugh’s own uncertain future with the Niners, and the fact that Braddock has broken some major stories in the past (including Byron Maxwell‘s agreement with the Eagles yesterday), this is certainly a situation worth monitoring. For now though, nothing appears imminent.
NFC Rumors: Peterson, Hoyer, Eagles, Cards
If Adrian Peterson is able to work his way out of Minnesota, his preferred destination would be Arizona, tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, who adds that the veteran running back’s other top landing spots are the Colts, Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Chargers. For their part, the Cardinals have denied any interest in the Vikings running back, adds Robinson’s colleague Rand Getlin (via Twitter). However, Getlin does tweet that a source told him the Cards’ release of Darnell Dockett was done to clear out cap room for Peterson.
Let’s check out the latest from the NFC as free agency approaches…
- Both the Vikings and the 49ers have expressed interest in quarterback Brian Hoyer, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN (Twitter link). But with other teams like the Jets and Texans (who could potentially offer a starting role) showing interest, as well, I’d bet the Hoyer would look unfavorably upon joining Minnesota or San Francisco, where he’d be the clear backup.
- Though they’re about to add Byron Maxwell, the Eagles could still use another corner, but the club hasn’t shown interest in either Buster Skrine or Chris Culliver, tweets Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com, who adds in a separate tweet that Walter Thurmond is also not on Philly’s radar.
- Washington appears set on adding help along the defensive line — they’re intrigued by Terrance Knighton, and they’ve also expressed interest in free agents Stephen Paea and Dan Williams, per John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- After re-signing Scott Tolzien earlier today, the Packers aren’t interested in retaining fellow backup QB Matt Flynn, tweets Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- The Cardinals are interested in linebacker Brian Orakpo, per Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 (Twitter link). Arizona is also interested in Trent Cole (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN), so it looks like they’re targeting OLB help.
- The Buccaneers are looking for safety help, and there is mutual interest between the club and FA Ron Parker, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link).