Chargers Re-Sign Adrian Phillips
The Chargers have re-signed safety Adrian Phillips, who was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, the club announced.
An original round RFA tender for Phillips would have been worth $1.907MM, so the Titans presumably signed him to a cheaper pact. However, RFA tenders are non-guaranteed, so players often have incentive to accept a reduced overall rate in exchange for some level of guarantees.
Phillips, 25, appeared in 15 games and more starts for Los Angeles in 2017. He will provide depth in the event fellow safety Tre Boston does not re-sign with the Bolts.
Chargers Re-Sign OT Michael Schofield
The Chargers have agreed to a two-year deal with tackle Michael Schofield, according to James Palmer of NFL.com (on Twitter). Schofield was ticketed for free agency, but he’s now under contract through the 2019 season. 
[RELATED: Chargers Depth Chart]
Schofield, 28 in November, appeared in 15 games with five starts for the Bolts last season. Before that, he started for the Broncos at right tackle in 2015 and at right guard in 2016.
The Bolts claimed him off waivers in September of last year, but they weren’t the only team after him. The Lions, Redskins, Vikings, and Saints all tried to snag him, but the Chargers won out due to their higher position in the waiver order.
Schofield graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 61 ranked tackle last year, per Pro Football Focus. His best season, by their measure, was in ’16 when he was playing on the interior.
While it’s possible Schofield could return as a starter, that’s only likely to occur if Los Angeles parts ways with right tackle Joe Barksdale. The Chargers do have other offensive line free agents, including Matt Slauson, Kenny Wiggins, and Michael Ola, so Schofield will serve as critical depth, at the least.
Sebastian Janikowski To Meet With Chargers
Former Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski is expected to visit the Chargers, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Raiders opted against re-signing Janikowski, leaving him to explore the open market.
Janikowski, who turns 40 on March 2, will leave the Raiders as one of the most well-known figures in franchise history. He also has his place in the record books with franchise records of 268 regular season games played and 1,799 points scored. Meanwhile, he has the most field goals from 50+ yards in NFL history with 55.
Los Angeles ranked 31st in special teams DVOA a season ago, and was (by far) the worst kicking team in the league. Not only did the Chargers give up 22.2 points of field position through their paltry field goal/extra point attempts, but the club’s first two losses of the season were direct results of poor kicking efforts.
The Chargers used four different kickers in 2017, and while they may have interest in re-signing at least one (Nick Novak), Janikownski could take precedence.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
New York Giants
- Re-signed: OG Jon Halapio, LB Mark Herzlich
Los Angeles Chargers
- Re-signed to two-year deals: LB Nick Dzubnar, WR Geremy Davis
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Griff Whalen
Chargers To Use 2nd-Round Tender On Tyrell Williams
Having risen from UDFA to key Philip Rivers target over the past two years, Tyrell Williams could be in position to command a lucrative contract a year from now.
But for now, the Chargers will protect him from the market. Los Angeles will place a second-round tender on Williams, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter), but it doesn’t sound like the Bolts are averse to dealing him.
The Chargers have Keenan Allen, Travis Benjamin and 2017 first-round pick Mike Williams in the fold. As Williams enters a contract year, that could make him an odd man out as Dontrelle Inman was a year ago. Schefter reports Williams has drawn trade interest. Were he to play 2018 on the tender, Williams would earn $2.914MM.
Williams, 26, caught 69 passes for 1,059 yards in a breakout 2016 campaign. That led the Bolts. With Allen back in the fold as Rivers’ top target last season, Williams hauled in 43 passes for 728 yards. He’s scored 11 touchdowns the past two years.
Chargers Sign Casey Hayward To Extension
Casey Hayward is sticking around Los Angeles for the foreseeable future. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that the Chargers have inked the cornerback to a three-year, $36MM extension. The deal includes $20MM in guaranteed money.
As Michael David Smith of ProFootballFocus.com points out, Hayward still had a year left on his contract, but the Chargers ultimately ripped up the old deal and locked their top cornerback up through 2020. Rapoport tweets that Hayward will earn $15.75MM in the first year of the contract. The Pro Bowler was set to account for a $5.1MM cap hit in 2018.
Following four seasons with the Packers, the 28-year-old has spent the past two years with the Chargers organization. After serving as a backup for most of his tenure in Green Bay, the former second-round pick has established himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the league during his time in San Diego and Los Angeles.
Since joining the organization, Hayward has earned a pair of Pro Bowl births and second-team All-Pro nods, and he’s collected 11 interceptions through two seasons. Pro Football Focus was particularly fond of Hayward’s performance in 2017, ranking him first among 120 eligible cornerbacks.
The Chargers seem relatively set at cornerback heading into next season. Besides Hayward, the team is also rostering Jason Verrett, Trevor Williams (ERFA), Michael Davis, Craig Mager, and Jeff Richards.
Antonio Cromartie Retires From NFL
Antonio Cromartie is calling it a career. The longtime NFL cornerback took to Instagram on Monday morning to announce his retirement from professional football. 
“Today is the day I knew I would eventually have to face, but one I never wanted to accept,” Cromartie wrote. “After 27 years of playing football, today I say farewell. God blessed me with the opportunity to play in the NFL for 11 years, and after much consideration and prayer, I’d like to officially announce my retirement.”
Cromartie entered the league as a first-round pick of the Chargers in 2006. He put himself on the map in the following season when he tallied a league-high ten interceptions en route to his first Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro selections. Later, he went on to spent four seasons with the Jets (2010-2013) and one with the Cardinals (2014) before returning to Gang Green (2015) and finishing out with the Colts (2016).
We haven’t heard Cromartie’s name pop up since his four-game stint in Indianapolis came to a close in October 2016, but the cornerback was apparently hoping to resurrect his career up until today. As his 34th birthday approaches in April, Cromartie will now transition to the next phase of his life.
We here at PFR wish Cromartie, an 11-year NFL veteran, the best in retirement.
Salary Cap Rollover For All 32 NFL Teams
This week, the NFLPA updated its salary cap report to include the rollover amounts for all 32 teams in the NFL. The Browns, as expected, lead the league in $58.9MM in cap space rolled over from the previous season. Here is the full rundown of each team’s rollover amounts:
After the Browns, the 49ers ($56MM), Titans ($30.3MM), Jaguars ($27.8MM), and Jets ($17.3MM) boast the highest rollover amounts in the league. The Dolphins ($69K), Saints ($287K), Giants ($365K), Eagles ($514K), and the Seahawks ($547K) have the least amount of rollover. In total, teams carried over nearly $340MM from last season, good for an average of $10.6MM per club.
Chargers Eyeing Backup RB Help
- The Chargers are seeking a complementary back to go with Melvin Gordon, Eric Williams of ESPN.com writes. But with Austin Ekeler working as a pass-catching back, Williams notes the team would want said supporting-caster to be more of a between-the-tackles bruiser who would spell Gordon.
NFL Awards Compensatory Picks To 15 Teams
The NFL has awarded 15 compensatory draft picks to teams, as directed by the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The compensatory pick system provides additional picks to teams who lose more/better qualifying free agents in the previous year than gained.
This year, the 32 comp picks were dispersed to 15 different teams. Here is the complete rundown:
Round 3
- No. 97 overall – Cardinals
- No. 98 overall – Texans
- No. 99 overall – Broncos
- No. 100 overall – Bengals
Round 4
- No. 133 overall – Packers
- No. 134 overall – Cardinals
- No. 135 overall – Giants
- No. 136 overall – Patriots
- No. 137 overall – Cowboys
Round 5
- No. 170 overall – Bengals
- No. 171 overall – Cowboys
- No. 172 overall – Packers
- No. 173 overall – Cowboys
- No. 174 overall – Packers
Round 6
- No. 207 overall – Packers
- No. 208 overall – Cowboys
- No. 209 overall – Chiefs
- No. 210 overall – Raiders
- No. 211 overall – Texans
- No. 212 overall – Raiders
- No. 213 overall – Vikings
- No. 214 overall – Texans
- No. 215 overall – Ravens
- No. 216 overall – Raiders
- No. 217 overall – Raiders
- No. 218 overall – Vikings
Round 7
- No. 251 overall – Chargers
- No. 252 overall – Bengals
- No. 253 overall – Bengals
- No. 254 overall – Cardinals
- No. 255 overall – Buccaneers
- No. 256 overall – Falcons
The Bengals, Cowboys, Packers and Raiders lead the way in comp picks this year with four. The Cardinals and Texans each snagged three, the Vikings own two, and the Falcons, Ravens, Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots, Giants, and Buccaneers each have one.