FA Notes: Moore, Jordan, Carrington, Ford
We heard earlier in the week that wide receiver Lance Moore would visit the Steelers today, but it sounds like that meeting will happen tomorrow instead, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter). Here’s more on a few free agents looking for jobs:
- Free agent linebacker Akeem Jordan visited with the Redskins today, reports Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Jordan reportedly met with the Titans last week.
- The Rams remain interested in defensive lineman Alex Carrington but have yet to set up a visit, says Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
- Speaking to Josina Anderson of ESPN (TwitLonger link), wide receiver Jacoby Ford confirmed that the Jets have expressed interest in him. “I would say they’re the team showing the most interest in me,” Ford said. “Right now we’re still in the exploration phase, weighing things out.”
- In their search for receivers, the Jets called Emmanuel Sanders‘ camp on Saturday to try to reschedule a visit for the free agent, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The Jets had originally scheduled a meeting for last week but had to back out due to a scheduling conflict, and by the time the team attempted to set up another one, it was too late.
- As the Cardinals consider cornerbacks like Mike Jenkins and Antonio Cromartie, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link) gets the sense that the club is waiting to see if anyone’s price tag drops.
- The Vikings have inquired on free agent defensive end Robert Ayers, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
Cotchery Deciding Between Steelers, Panthers
So far this month, the only two rumors we’ve heard relating to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery suggested that the Steelers want to bring him back and that he was visiting the Panthers. So it’s appropriate that, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, Cotchery’s decision on where to sign is between Pittsburgh and Carolina.
Cotchery, 31, has spent the last three seasons with the Steelers, and had his best season for the team in 2013, recording 46 receptions and 602 receiving yards. He also blew away his previous career high with a surprising 10 touchdown grabs. With Emmanuel Sanders headed to Denver, there’d likely be at least as many balls thrown Cotchery’s way in 2014 if he returned.
On the other hand, if Cotchery opted for the Panthers, he may become the team’s No. 1 receiver by default. So far this offseason, the club has released Steve Smith and seen Ted Ginn Jr., Brandon LaFell, and Domenik Hixon sign with other teams.
Cotchery, coming off a two-year, $3MM contract, left his visit with the Panthers today without a deal, which could be a sign that he’s leaning toward returning to Pittsburgh, but we’ll have to wait and see what he decides.
Jaguars Sign Tandon Doss
3:34pm: Doss’ two-year contract features base salaries worth the minimum, and includes a $65K signing bonus along with $25K annual workout bonuses, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
10:24am: The Jaguars have signed wide receiver Tandon Doss, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter). Doss had been eligible for restricted free agency this offseason, but the Ravens decided not to extend an RFA tender to him.
After seeing very limited action in his first two NFL seasons, Doss earned a bit of an expanded role in 2013. In 15 games with the Ravens, The 24-year-old grabbed 19 balls for 305 yards, and also returned 23 punts, averaging a league-best 15.6 yards per return and recording a TD.
Doss figures to provide Jacksonville some depth at receiver and could handle punt return duties as well, depending on whether the team prefers him to Ace Sanders. According to O’Halloran (via Twitter), Doss also drew interest from the Giants, Steelers, and Falcons before agreeing to terms with the Jaguars.
FA Rumors: Hester, Melton, Harrison, Mack
Longtime return specialist Devin Hester is finally making his first free agent visit of the offseason, nearly a week after free agency officially began. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the ex-Bear is in Atlanta today meeting with the Falcons. As Field Yates of ESPN.com points out (via Twitter), the Falcons were one of four NFL teams in 2013 that didn’t have a punt return of more than 25 yards or a kick return of more than 50 yards, so targeting Hester makes sense.
Here’s more on some of the free agents still on the board:
- Free agent defensive lineman Henry Melton is on his way to meet with the Rams, reports Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Melton, who left his visit in Dallas without a deal, remains in contact with the Cowboys, but plenty of teams are still in the mix. The Vikings, Raiders, Bears, and Seahawks all have some level of interest, depending on the 27-year-old’s price tag, says Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram (via Twitter).
- Appearing on the NFL Network, free agent linebacker James Harrison, who was recently released by the Bengals, indicated that “everyone knows” he’d like to return to the Steelers (link via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explores why transition-tagged center Alex Mack has yet to generate much interest, and how Mack’s agents could ensure that he becomes an unrestricted free agent a year from now.
- Running back Alfonso Smith has been informed he won’t be returning to the Cardinals, according to a tweet from the free agent himself. Smith had been eligible for restricted free agency this winter, but didn’t receive a tender offer from Arizona.
- Former Jets cornerback Aaron Berry visited the Browns yesterday, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link). As Costello notes, Berry played with Browns coach Mike Pettine in 2012 when Pettine was the Jets’ defensive coordinator.
- The Vikings have confirmed that offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse visited Minnesota (Twitter link). Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reported last week that the visit was expected to happen.
Steelers Re-Sign Guy Whimper
The Steelers have officially re-signed offensive tackle Guy Whimper to a one-year contract, according to the team (Twitter link via PR man Burt Lauten). Whimper had been an unrestricted free agent.
Since starting 15 games for the Jaguars in 2011, Whimper has evolved into a part-time player, appearing in 270 offensive snaps for the Steelers in 2013. The 30-year-old started a pair of games at guard last season, but with regulars Ramon Foster and David DeCastro set to return at guard, and Kelvin Beachum and Marcus Gilbert at the tackle positions, it looks like Whimper will remain in a reserve role for the foreseeable future.
Free Agency Notes: Visits, Jaguars, Patriots
A couple of notes from around the NFL to distract on this Selection Sunday…
- Defensive end Alex Carrington will be visiting the Raiders and the Rams, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- The Steelers will host receiver Lance Moore on Tuesday, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Moore was released by the Saints more than a week ago.
- The Jaguars still need to add an offensive lineman and are looking for depth at receiver, writes Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com.
- Having lost both Dane Fletcher and Brandon Spikes, the Patriots depth at linebacker is getting thin, opines Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com. Jerod Mayo, Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower were the only linebackers on the current roster to have played more than a single defensive snap last season and because of that, Yates thinks the team should consider bringing in more depth either through the draft or free agency.
- Michael Oher‘s new contract with the Titans is “scary,” says Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Oher signed a four-year, $20MM deal earlier this weekend.
- The Colts may need to cut a receiver after adding Hakeem Nicks, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. Wells believes the competition for the fifth receiver will be between Griff Whalen and LaVon Brazill.
FA Rumors: Fletcher, Starks, Penn
Linebacker Dane Fletcher is reportedly visiting with the Raiders, reports Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com reports that while Fletcher is interested in the Raiders, he will not be visiting them until tomorrow (via Twitter).
Here are some other free agent rumors from around the league:
- James Starks will be visiting the Steelers on Monday, reports Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel. Dunne believes that while running back is not a pressing need, the Packers would be interested in bringing Starks back.
- Donald Penn will be visiting with the Redskins on Sunday, reports John Keim of ESPN (via Twitter). The former Buccaneer was released earlier this week.
- The Raiders quarterback situation is still in flux, and Albert Breer of the NFL Network reports that the team is interested in Josh Freeman (via Twitter). The team will also look at Matt Schaub when he is released from the Texans, as expected. In a second tweet he writes that he imagines the Raiders will make a push after those two before considering Michael Vick.
Steelers Sign Cam Thomas
4:45pm: Thomas’ two-year contract with the Steelers is worth $4MM overall, with a $1MM signing bonus and base salaries of $1MM (2014) and $2MM (2015), tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
12:56pm: The Steelers have signed defensive tackle Cam Thomas to a two-year deal, according to agent David Canter (via Twitter). Thomas, an unrestricted free agent, had spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Chargers.
Making 11 starts for the Chargers in 2013, Thomas played 547 defensive snaps for the Chargers, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF graded his performance as a little below average, but he managed to log 26 tackles and 13 quarterback pressures while playing primarily at nose tackle.
For the Steelers, Thomas will help fill the void on the defensive line left by Ziggy Hood, who signed with the Jaguars earlier this week.
Extra Points: Smith, Munnerlyn, Neal
Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn told reporters, including Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter), that he wanted a three-year deal with the Vikings rather than four years so that he could get another contract before he turns 30. He added (link) that it was very tough for him to say goodbye to the Panthers, but Carolina couldn’t afford to give him the same contract. More from around the NFL..
- Steve Smith‘s visit with the Ravens is going well so far, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- The Steelers were eyeing Mike Neal in free agency before he re-signed with Green Bay, tweets Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The linebacker got a two-year, $8MM deal from the Packers with a $2.5MM signing bonus.
- Charlie Whitehurst had the same offer from the Chargers before he picked the Titans, tweets Paul Kuharsky of ESPN. The quarterback inked a two-year deal with a $4MM base with another $4MM in incentives and $2MM guaranteed.
- New 49ers addition Jonathan Martin told reporters, including Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter), that he never considered retirement.
- Former Bucs left tackle Donald Penn is flying to Oakland tonight to visit the Raiders, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Penn has been heavily linked to the Raiders since his release.
- The 49ers don’t have much salary cap space and it’s hard to see them signing both a cornerback and a wide receiver, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
- Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter) expects the market for Saints free agent center Brian de la Puente to heat up now that the first wave of free agency has come and gone.
- Henry Melton‘s possible legal trouble won’t prevent the Bears from re-signing him, but they could use it as ammunition as they try to knock his price down, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com.
Extra Points: Cousins, Hood, Graham, Saffold
A Kirk Cousins trade remains unlikely for the Redskins, write Mike Jones and Mark Maske of the Washington Post. There was talk that Washington would be open to moving the quarterback since he would like to start and he is stuck behind Robert Griffin III on the depth chart. For his part, Cousins has said that he will be professional and won’t demand a trade.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Before he agreed to sign with the Jaguars, defensive lineman Ziggy Hood received interest from the Redskins, Raiders, and Chiefs, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Meanwhile, Chris Clemons said the Raiders and Falcons reached out to him before he agreed to sign with the Jaguars, according to O’Halloran (via Twitter).
- Cornerback Corey Graham, who signed with the Bills, told reporters today that he was preparing to go to dinner with the Redskins when he got the call from his agent about Buffalo’s offer (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WGR550).
- Wide receiver Jacoby Jones had a similar story to Graham, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun details in a pair of tweets. Jones says he was in New York, about to have dinner with the Giants, when he realized he wanted to stay with the Ravens and headed for the airport instead.
- Safety Mike Mitchell is extremely happy to be with the Steelers and tells reporters, including Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter) that he wanted to come to Pittsburgh more than the club wanted him to be there.
- As expected, the Cardinals have paid Daryl Washington his option bonus, tweets Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. There was some talk that they wouldn’t pay out his bonus due to legal issues.
- Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle provides a look at the Raiders‘ perspective on why their deal with Rodger Saffold fell apart yesterday.
- Wide receiver prospect Marqise Lee is drawing significant interest from the Jets and had a private meeting with the team, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- Georgia tech outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu, a projected second- or third-round pick tells Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times (Twitter links) that six teams have shown strong interest in him. Those clubs are the Ravens, Eagles, Titans, Redskins, Chargers, and Steelers.
Zach Links contributed to this post.