HEADLINES

Quinton Jefferson

Bills Expected To Sign DE Quinton Jefferson

March 17th, 2020 at 7:28pm CST by Ben Levine

Quinton Jefferson is heading up to Buffalo. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the defensive end is signing with the Bills. It’s a two-year deal for the 26-year-old.

We learned yesterday that the Seahawks were hoping to retain the lineman. However, Jefferson’s market was described as steady, so it’s not a total shock to see him move on. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos made an offer yesterday but ultimately moved on.

The 2016 fifth-round pick joined Seattle during the 2017 season, and he quickly evolved into one of the team’s top pass rushers. Jefferson has started 12 games in each of the past two seasons, combining for 51 tackles and 6.5 sacks through those two years.

The Bills have been active in revamping their defensive line. Earlier today, they agreed to a three-year deal with defensive end Mario Addison. The two new additions should partly help to soften the blow after the Bills lost Shaq Lawson to the Dolphins.

NFC West Rumors: Cousins, 49ers, Seahawks

March 13th, 2020 at 3:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Prior to the Patriots sending Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers for merely a second-round pick, rumblings of a Kyle Shanahan–Kirk Cousins reunion occurred. Shanahan admitted Cousins was in the 49ers’ pre-Garoppolo plans. Although Garoppolo just quarterbacked the 49ers to Super Bowl LIV, the prospect of the 49ers jettisoning Garoppolo and signing Cousins in 2021 has popped up on some radars around the league, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Cousins’ fully guaranteed Vikings contract expires at season’s end, and Garoppolo’s 49ers-friendly deal contains no more guaranteed money.

Cousins played under Shanahan with the Redskins from 2012-13, though Robert Griffin III was Washington’s starter for most of that span. Cousins will turn 32 this year, and the cap-strapped Vikings are expected to explore an extension for their third-year starter soon. If no deal gets done by Week 1, the throwback Cousins-to-San Francisco plotline may gain steam.

Here is the latest from the NFC West, moving first to the defensive side of the 49ers’ depth chart:

  • DeForest Buckner‘s fifth-year option price will drop from $14.36MM to $12.38MM, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This reflects Buckner’s place as a defensive tackle, and not an end, in the 49ers’ 4-3 scheme. The 49ers hope to finalize a Buckner extension this offseason, and this adjustment figures to play into the talks. The Pro Bowl inside defender is entering a contract year.
  • Linked to being less than eager to wade into deep salary waters to retain Jadeveon Clowney, the Seahawks may be concerned with the free agent-to-be’s injury history. That could well be the reason the Seahawks are not prepared to pay Clowney north of $20MM AAV, John Clayton of 710 AM Seattle notes. A few other Clowney suitors have emerged — including the Giants, Colts and Titans — and Clayton expects the 2019 trade acquisition to leave Seattle soon.
  • Not only is Clowney a free agent, but so are D-linemen Jarran Reed, Quinton Jefferson and Ziggy Ansah. The Seahawks would like to re-sign Jefferson, but Clayton adds that the defensive tackle has generated steady interest on the market. Jefferson has 6.5 sacks over the past two seasons and, thanks to plus run defense, graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 27 interior defender in 2019.
  • The 49ers will be in the market for receiver help, but Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes (subscription required) the cap space-starved franchise’s likely goal will be for a modest Emmanuel Sanders market to entice him to re-sign. Shanahan and John Lynch may be waiting to see what teams offer the soon-to-be 33-year-old wideout, with Sanders revealing this week he and the 49ers had not engaged in an extension talks this offseason.
  • Despite the 49ers using Tevin Coleman as their RB2 in Super Bowl LIV, Raheem Mostert and Matt Breida remain low-cost options and may have better routes back to the 2020 roster. In addition to Jerick McKinnon needing to redo his lucrative deal to stay on the team, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News writes Coleman might have to do the same. It would be interesting to see Shanahan cut bait on Coleman, whom he’s now coached for two teams. Coleman is set to make $4.55MM in base salary in the final year of his deal.

Extra Points: CBA, Seahawks, Lions

January 16th, 2020 at 9:55pm CST by Ben Levine

Earlier today, union leader DeMaurice Smith reported that the owners and players have struck a tentative agreement on the players’ guaranteed portion of revenues, increases in minimum salaries, changes to the offseason, and a reduction in training-camp contact. The league was quick to throw water on that report, as a memo to teams noted that the two sides still had to tackle a number of issues (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter).

“A number of important issues remain to be resolved and we remain committed to the bargaining positions reviewed with you at the December meeting,” the memo said. “We believe that the most constructive approach is not to negotiate publicly but to continue the discussions directly and privately with the union, with the active involvement of CEC members and the supervision of the full committee.”

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…

  • Seahawks defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson suffered a standard Jones fracture during last Sunday’s loss to the Packers (via Pelissero on Twitter). Jefferson will undergo surgery, and the eight-week recovery time should have him healthy right before free agency begins. The 26-year-old had another productive season in Seattle, compiling 26 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 14 games (12 starts).
  • The Lions have a number of players who are set to hit free agency, and Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press takes some guesses at who will stay and who will go. The writer believes that wideout Danny Amendola, safety Tavon Wilson, and safety/special teamer Miles Killebrew will ultimately stick around, while defensive tackle Mike Daniels, punter Sam Martin, and cornerback Rashaan Melvin are projected to bolt.
  • Dolphins quality control coach Matt Lombardi will be taking a promotion with the Panthers, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Lombardi was hired last winter and spent one season in the role. We learned earlier this evening that the Panthers had also poached Colts defensive line coach Mike Phair.
  • The Bears officially announced a number of previously-reported coaching moves this evening: the hiring of offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, the hiring of John DeFilippo as QBs coach, and the promotion of Dave Ragone to passing game coordinator. The team also announced a handful of additional promotions, including Brian Ginn as assistant special teams coach, Chris Jackson as assistant wide receivers coach, and Shane Toub as defensive quality control coach (via The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain on Twitter).

Seahawks RB Chris Carson Won’t Require Surgery

January 13th, 2020 at 6:05pm CST by Rory Parks

Seahawks running back Chris Carson will not require surgery on his injured hip, head coach Pete Carroll recently revealed. Carson sustained the injury in the club’s Week 16 loss to Arizona, and his absence was felt in the regular season finale against San Francisco and Sunday’s divisional round loss to the Packers.

Carson finished the 2019 season with 278 carries for 1,230 yards, both career-highs, to go along with seven TDs. He also contributed 37 catches for 266 yards and two scores though the air. The 2017 seventh-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and Seattle could look to extend him this offseason, though that is just speculation at this point.

Any contract talks could be complicated by Carson’s recent injury — and the presence of Rashaad Penny — though Carson believes he will be back in time for training camp. “I’ve been through this before,” Carson said (h/t Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk). “So I know how to attack it. I know the process and how everything goes, so I’m just ready to get back.” 

Seahawks defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson, however, will require surgery, Carroll announced on Monday. Jefferson broke his foot in the playoff matchup with Green Bay, which is especially unfortunate since he is eligible for unrestricted free agency in March. Still, after serving as a capable anchor on Seattle’s D-line for the past several seasons, Jefferson should command a fairly lucrative multi-year pact.

Seahawks OT George Fant Signs RFA Tender

April 17th, 2019 at 7:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Seahawks offensive tackle George Fant has signed his second-round restricted free agent tender, while defensive end Quinton Jefferson has signed his original round RFA tender, according to the NFL’s transaction wire.

A collegiate basketball player with only one year of NCAA football experience (which came as a tight end), Fant went undrafted in 2016 but still managed to start 10 games during his rookie campaign in Seattle. A torn ACL cost Fant the 2017 season, but he rebounded to appear in all 16 games and play 35% of the Seahawks’ offensive snaps in 2018.

Fant, who will now collect a $3.095MM base salary next year, graded out well in 2018, with Pro Football Focus ranking him as the No. 26 offensive tackle among 80 qualifiers. While he won’t be locked in as a starter heading into next season, Fant could compete with former fist-round pick Germain Ifedi for playing time at right tackle.

In addition to Fant and Jefferson, the Seahawks have also re-signed the following exclusive rights free agents:

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/13/19

March 13th, 2019 at 4:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Here is the latest news involving restricted free agents and exclusive-rights free agents, with updates coming throughout the day:

ERFA

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

RFA

Tendered at second-round level: 

Tendered at original-round level:

Non-tendered: 

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/14/18

March 14th, 2018 at 4:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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):

Tendered at original round level ($1.907MM):

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

Malik McDowell Could Return This Season

October 6th, 2017 at 7:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Rookie defensive tackle Malik McDowell — who suffered a severe concussion in a July September ATV accident — could potentially return to the Seahawks this season, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.Malik McDowell (Vertical)

“He’s got some stuff coming up in the next couple of weeks, I think it’s within two weeks that he’ll get kind of reassessed and all of that just to see where we are,” Carroll said of McDowell. “There’s been some conversation from different camps kind of about where he is and how he’s doing, so the check-ups are really important, and we’ll just see. We’ve not ruled that thought out that he could come back.”

McDowell, whom the Seahawks selected out of Michigan State in the second round of the 2017 draft, had reportedly been in danger of missing his rookie campaign, but that may not be the case. He’s currently on the non-football injury list, meaning he can return to practice after Seattle’s bye in Week 6. The Seahawks would then have a three-week window during which they can decide to place him on the active roster or injured reserve.

Carroll didn’t rule out adding defensive line help this week given that Cliff Avril is sidelined with a neck injury, but as Condotta notes, the Seahawks have limited options given that Week 5 is quickly approaching. Quinton Jefferson, a former Seattle draft pick whom the club recently re-signed off the Rams’ practice squad, suffered a broken hand and is out for roughly a month, meaning the Hawks are short on depth. Branden Jackson, currently on Seattle’s practice squad, could be a candidate for promotion.

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