- The Steelers curiously signed restricted free agent punter Jordan Berry to a one-year extension with a similar salary to the RFA tender, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com has explained the club’s rationale. Berry, a native Australian, would have been considered unemployed if he returned to his home country without an RFA tender in place, meaning his work authorization paperwork could have taken extra time. Given that he’s getting married this year, Berry didn’t want to deal with any confusion, so Pittsburgh obliged him by giving him a one-year deal, the value of which has sent been altered to match the original round tender figure of $1.907MM.
Having made seven straight Pro Bowls and appearing on the 2016 All-Pro team, Matthew Slater has been one of the most decorated pure special-teamers in NFL history. He could be changing teams.
At least, he’s considering it. The longtime Patriots specialist is visiting the Steelers on Saturday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Slater has played his entire 10-year career in New England.
The 32-year-old gunner agreed to stay with the Patriots last year on a one-year, $1.8MM deal but is now a free agent. Pittsburgh, which is limited in cap space, will not have to spend much to acquire Slater. But the Patriots, who re-signed another ST-only player earlier this week in Nate Ebner, have long valued special teams. So it would be interesting if they deemed a core member of those units expendable.
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: OL Vinston Painter
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: DL Angelo Blackson
- Re-signed: LB Brian Peters
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: OLB Garrett Sickels
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: LS John Denney
New York Giants
- Re-signed: DT Robert Thomas (ERFA)
- Signed: CB Curtis Riley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: RB Fitzgerald Toussaint
Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:
RFAs
Tendered at the second-round level ($2.914MM):
- Cowboys DE David Irving (story)
- Giants: C Brett Jones (story via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- Jets: Quincy Enunwa (story)
Tendered at original round level ($1.907MM):
- Browns: DT Jamie Meder
- Chiefs: DE Rakeem Nunez-Roches (via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM)
- Jets: OL Brent Qvale, TE Neal Sterling
- Lions: WR T.J. Jones (via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- Rams: OLB Matt Longacre (via Rapoport)
- Seahawks: DE Dion Jordan (story)
- Texans: C Greg Mancz
Non-tendered:
- Buccaneers: DE Ryan Russell (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
- Chargers: LB Josh Keyes
- Chiefs: LB Ramik Wilson (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
- Dolphins: OL Anthony Steen
- Falcons: RB Terron Ward (via D. Orlando Ledbetter)
- Jaguars: S Peyton Thompson, RB Tyler Gaffney
- Jets: DL Xavier Cooper
- Lions: RB Zach Zenner, DE Brandon Copeland, DL Zac Kerin
- Packers: LB Joe Thomas (via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Panthers: WR Kaelin Clay, CB Ladarius Gunter, TE Scott Simonson, OL David Yankey (via David Newton of ESPN.com)
- Rams: LB Cameron Lynch, T Darrell Williams
- Saints: WR Brandon Coleman, DT David Parry
- Seahawks: RB Thomas Rawls, RB Mike Davis (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
- Steelers: WR Eli Rogers (story via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
- Texans: LB Brian Peters, DE Angelo Blackson, LB Ben Heeney
- Titans: S Curtis Riley (via Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com), RB Bishop Sankey (via Chris Tomasson)
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Browns: QB Kevin Hogan
- Colts: TE Erik Swoope, G Jeremy Vujnovich, CB Christopher Milton, LS Luke Rhodes
- Dolphins: C Jake Brendel, LB Mike Hull, CB Jordan Lucas
- Giants: DT Robert Thomas (via Vacchiano)
- Jets: S Doug Middleton FB Lawrence Thomas TE Eric Tomlinson
- Lions: QB Jake Rudock, DT Christian Ringo
- Packers: WR Geronimo Allison (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
- Rams: K Sam Ficken (via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com)
- Raiders: LB/DE James Cowser, S Erik Harris, G/T Denver Kirkland
- Ravens: LB Patrick Onwuasor, WR Quincy Adeboyejo, OL Matt Skura, OL Maurquice Shakir
- Seahawks: RB J.D. McKissic, DE Quinton Jefferson, DE Branden Jackson (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
Non-tendered:
- Chiefs: DB Keith Baxter (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
- Giants: TE Ryan O’Malley, LB Curtis Grant (via Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com)
- Lions: DT Rodney Coe, P Kasey Redfern (via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- Packers: CB Herb Waters, LS Taybor Pepper (via Silverstein)
- Saints: C Jack Allen
The Steelers have released safety Robert Golden, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Pittsburgh will save nearly $1.5MM against the salary cap by parting ways with Golden. He’s not the only veteran defensive back the Steelers have released in cost-cutting moves, as William Gay and Mike Mitchell are also on their way out.
Golden, 27, has spent his entire six-year career with the Steelers. In 2017, Golden appeared in all 16 games, posting 11 tackles and one interception in that time.
While Mike Mitchell is set to test the open market, a return to Pittsburgh is still in the cards. Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert spoke to the veteran safety today and expressed interesting in bring him back in 2018. While Mitchell is planning on hitting free agency, Pelissero notes that the “door remains open.” The veteran was released by the Steelers earlier this week.
The 30-year-old has spent the past four seasons in Pittsburgh, where he’s started each of his 61 games. Mitchell appeared in 13 games this past season, finishing with 53 tackles and two passes defended. Pro Football Focus ultimately ranked him 62nd among 87 safety candidates.
Mitchell was slated to carry a $5MM salary in 2018, which was not workable for the Steelers given their limited room. The safety will have to compete with a deep free agent class and declining skills in pursuit of a new deal, but he should be able to find work as a veteran presence in the secondary. The Steelers could apparently be that team, as Mitchell would realistically be an upgrade over some of their current options, including Robert Golden and J.J. Wilcox.
The Steelers have created a bit of extra salary cap space by restructuring left tackle Alejandro Villanueva‘s contract, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Villanueva had been scheduled to collect a $3MM base salary and a $3MM roster bonus in 2018, but the majority of that money has now been converted into a signing bonus. Given that Villanueva’s roster bonus was due on Saturday, the third day of the 2018 league year, Pittsburgh had to act now to avoid that figure hitting their cap immediately. All told, the Steelers will create nearly $4MM in cap room, per Fowler.
Villanueva, who has been the Steelers’ left tackle for the better part of three seasons, inked a four-year, $24MM extension last summer, so he’s under contract through the 2020 campaign. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, had been projected to be over the cap in 2018, but they’ve since reworked Antonio Brown‘s deal and will release Mike Mitchell and William Gay in other cost-cutting measures.
Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:
RFAs
Tendered at original round level ($1.907MM):
- Cardinals: DL Xavier Williams
- Jets: S Rontez Miles (via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- Saints: WR Willie Snead (story)
- Steelers: LB Anthony Chickillo (via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Non-tendered:
- Saints: CB Delvin Breaux (story)
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Bills: TE Nick O’Leary, DE Eddie Yarbrough, TE Logan Thomas, CB Lafayette Pitts (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com)
- Browns: FB: Dan Vitale, C Austin Reiter (via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal)
- Buccaneers: RB Peyton Barber (story)
- Jaguars: WR Shane Wynn (story)
- Packers: QB Joe Callahan, T Adam Pankey (reports via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com),
- Ravens: RB Alex Collins, TE Vince Mayle, CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste (via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
Non-tendered:
- Bears: TE Daniel Brown, LB John Timu
The Steelers are applying the second-round tender to kicker Chris Boswell, as Adam Caplan of SiriusXM tweets. By applying the tender to Boswell, the Steelers have placed a one-year, $2.914MM placeholder on him for 2018.
In theory, another team can sign the restricted free agent away, but that’s unlikely to occur. An unmatched offer sheet would mean surrendering a second-round pick to the Steelers. As good as Boswell is, no kicker is truly worth that amount.
It stands to reason that the Steelers will work to hammer out a lengthier deal with Boswell from here. Last year, Boswell earned his first ever Pro Bowl nod after connecting on 35 of 38 field goal attempts. He also made all but two of his extra point tries.
The Steelers plan to release cornerback Will Gay on Wednesday, a source tells ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). Gay has also confirmed the news via his own Instagram account.
By releasing Gay, the Steelers will save $1.75MM in cap space. The 33-year-old has never missed a game during his eleven years in the league, but the Steelers are opting to spend that money elsewhere rather than retaining the durable veteran. Gay was set to enter the final year of a three-year, $7.5MM deal.
The Steelers don’t have too many key contributors due to become free agents this offseason. But they still need to figure out if they’re going to extend running back Le’Veon Bell, who they placed their franchise tag on for the second straight season. The Steelers return Joe Haden and Artie Burns as their starting cornerbacks, with Keion Adams, Brian Allen, Cameron Sutton and Antonio Crawford on the roster as well.
Gay,33, is set to enter a cornerback free-agent class led by the likes of Trumaine Johnson, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Prince Amukamara, Brent Grimes and Johnathan Joseph, among others. Richard Sherman became the first cornerback to agree to terms this offseason, agreeing to a three-year, $27.15MM deal with the 49ers, with $7MM guaranteed.
Gay was picked in the fifth round by the Steelers back in 2007. Outside of a year with the Cardinals in 2012, he’s spent his entire career in Pittsburgh, including their Super Bowl title run in 2008.