Chargers, Browns Interested In Geno Smith
The Chargers and Browns have expressed interest in free agent quarterback Geno Smith, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). The Giants are also eyeing the former Jets signal-caller, and met with Smith last week.
Los Angeles re-signed its No. 2 quarterback Kellen Clemens last week, but he only inked a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract, meaning the Chargers would incur just $80K in dead money if they decided to cut bait with the 33-year-old. Philip Rivers has been remarkably durable during tenure as the Chargers’ starter, as he hasn’t missed a start since taking over more than a decade ago. As such, Smith wouldn’t be in line for much playing time if he opted to join Los Angeles.
The Browns, meanwhile, offers a wide open quarterback position, as the club is currently employing Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan (Cleveland also has Brock Osweiler under contract, but will reportedly trade or release him before he ever plays a down for the team). While the Browns will likely add a quarterback at some point in the upcoming draft, Smith would likely have a chance to earn playing time in northeast Ohio. For what it’s worth, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link) isn’t getting the “vibe” that the Browns are interested in Smith.
Smith, 26, started one game for the Jets in 2016, but tore his ACL in that October contest and missed the remainder of the season. The former second-round pick has only attempted 56 passes over the past two years. PFR’s No. 14 free agent quarterback, Smith could still re-sign with Gang Green if the club doesn’t find a better option.
Chargers Waive Brock Hekking
- The Chargers have waived linebacker Brock Hekking, tweets Yates. Hekking joined the Chargers as an undrafted free agent out of Nevada in 2015, but has yet to appear in an NFL game.
Five Teams In On Nickell Robey-Coleman
In addition to the Vikings, the Chargers, Dolphins, Steelers, and Titans are also showing interest in defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets. Robey-Coleman has found a healthy market ever since being discarded by the Bills earlier this month. 
Last year, the slot cornerback earned a higher grade from Pro Football Focus than teammates Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby. All in all, he graded out as PFF’s No. 33 overall corner. He was set to make just $2.1MM this season, but Buffalo instead decided to cut him and save $1.65MM against the cap.
The Steelers had interest in Davon House before he signed with the Packers on Tuesday, so they are still in the market for help at corner. The Vikings are also a logical landing spot. They remain in pursuit of defensive back Lardarius Webb, but it’s possible that he could return to the Ravens on a cheaper deal.
Chargers To Release OT King Dunlap
The Chargers are releasing King Dunlap, according to a source who spoke with Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The move was expected after the team signed Russell Okung. 
Dunlap was scheduled to earn a $500K bonus on Saturday. With Okung now slated to start at left tackle, Dunlap would have been too costly as a backup. Assuming Dunlap is being released as a pre-June 1 cut, this move will save L.A. $4.875MM while leaving $3.25MM in dead money.
In four years with the Chargers, Dunlap started in in all 46 of his appearances with the club. Pro Football Focus rated him as just the 53rd best tackle in the NFL in 2016, his second straight injury-shortened campaign. In the last two years, he has missed 13 regular season contests.
For comparison, PFF ranked Okung 38th among 78 qualified tackles last year. That was considered a down year for Okung, but he is still a clear upgrade over Dunlap.
Dunlap has a pending legal case after authorities alleged that he violated a restraining order against an ex-girlfriend. If the NFL finds there is something to those charges, he may face league discipline. His attorney has chalked that up to a miscommunication, but teams may hold off on pursuing him until that situation is cleared up.
Contract Details: Britt, Wagner, Broncos
Let’s take a look at the details of some recently signed free agent contracts:
- Kenny Britt‘s four-year Browns deal will provide the ninth-year wide receiver with $10.5MM fully guaranteed at signing, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Britt will collect $17MM over the first two seasons of this deal, Caplan reports.
- The Lions‘ lavish accord for Ricky Wagner raises the right tackle ceiling, although the base salaries in this contract don’t reflect that early. Wagner will see $3MM in base salary in 2017 and ’18 before those figures spike to $9MM per year from 2019-21, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports. Wagner’s deal provides $17.5MM in true guarantees, with his 2018 salary being fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the ’18 league year, per Birkett. Wagner’s 2019 base salary is guaranteed against injury. He received a $14.5MM signing bonus, while the former Raven’s cap hits will be $5.9MM in each of the next two seasons.
- D.J. Fluker‘s one-year Giants pact is expected to be worth $3MM, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports. That’s quite a bit lower than what the Chargers would have paid him ($8.82MM) if they kept him after picking up his fifth-year option.
- Menelik Watson‘s three-year, $18.75MM Broncos accord will give the British blocker $5.375MM in fully guaranteed money at signing, Mike Klis of 9News reports. Watson received a $4MM signing bonus. The former Raider will have a $5.5MM guaranteed-against-injury salary in 2018 and is due a nonguaranteed $5.5MM amount in 2019.
- Ronald Leary‘s four-year contract with the Broncos also comes with a fully guaranteed 2018 salary, which will pay former Cowboy $7.65MM for his age-29 season, per Klis. Leary is slated to make $8.15MM in 2019 and ’20, respectively. His 2019 base salary is guaranteed against injury only, with the ’20 slate being nonguaranteed.
- Russell Shepard‘s three-year Panthers deal will be worth $10.5MM, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports. The contract includes a $2MM signing bonus and $2.5MM guaranteed. Laine notes the former Bucs wideout will make $4MM in 2017.
- Sealver Siliga‘s one-year Buccaneers deal can max out at $1.5MM, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The contract contains a $200K signing bonus and a $100K roster bonus for the nomadic defensive lineman.
Chargers Re-Sign Damion Square
The Chargers have re-signed nose tackle Damion Square, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). It’s a two-year deal.
An undrafted free agent from Alabama in 2013, Square had brief stints with the Eagles and Chiefs before joining the Chargers in 2014. He made his debut with the Bolts in 2015 and has since logged 17 appearances and eight starts. Career highs in games (11) and starts (seven) came in 2016 for Square, who played 362 defensive snaps and posted personal bests in tackles (13) and sacks (2.5). His performance last year ranked a decent 58th among Pro Football Focus’ 127 qualified interior D-linemen.
Now that he’s staying with the Chargers, the 28-year-old Square will continue to function as depth behind Brandon Mebane and Corey Liuget. His emergence last season came after Mebane suffered a biceps injury.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/10/17
Rounding up some of this week’s tender decisions:
RFAs:
Tendered:
- Chiefs: WR Albert Wilson (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk)
Non-Tendered:
- 49ers: CB Chris Davis (via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com)
- Buccaneers: LS Andrew DePaola (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
- Dolphins: TE Dominique Jones (via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald)
- Saints: DE Kasim Edebali (via Herbie Teope of the Times-Picayune)
- Vikings: WR Charles Johnson (via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com)
ERFAs:
Tendered:
- Chargers: WR Isaiah Burse, TE Asante Cleveland, WR Geremy Davis, TE Sean McGrath, S Adrian Phillips (via Jack Wang of Los Angeles Daily News)
Contract Details: Okung, Glennon, Simon
Updates on several contracts signed this week…
- There are “no tricks” in Russell Okung‘s new four-year, $53MM deal with the Chargers, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). The offensive lineman received a $10MM signing bonus, and his guaranteed money will come via his 2017 $3MM base salary and 2018 $12MM base salary.
- Mike Glennon‘s 2017 $8MM base salary with the Bears is fully guaranteed, tweets Adam Jahns of the Sun Times. Meanwhile, the quarterback’s $5MM roster bonus will kick in on the fifth day of the 2018 league year. Jahns adds that Glennon can earn an additional $2.5MM in bonuses based on playing time, wins, and individual performance. If he hits on these NLTBE incentives, his 2018 roster bonus will be voided.
- Linebacker John Simon‘s new deal with the Colts is actually worth $14MM over three years, clarifies NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). Simon will earn $6MM in guaranteed money, which will seemingly come via his 2017 salary.
- Safety Jonathan Cyprien‘s deal with the Titans includes a $3MM signing bonus, reports ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky. The veteran will earn a $2MM base salary and $1MM roster bonus in 2017. He’ll be paid $4.5MM in 2018 and $5.5MM in 2019 and 2020.
Chargers To Re-Sign Andre Williams
Free agent running back Andre Williams has agreed to re-sign with the Chargers. Williams announced the news on Instagram.
The 24-year-old Williams noted that he’ll have to earn a roster spot in Los Angeles, which isn’t surprising for a player who struggled to garner playing time last season. The Bolts claimed Williams off waivers in September, cut him three weeks later and then re-signed him as a practice squad member. He did end up appearing in one game with the club, in Week 17, and he impressed with 87 yards on 18 carries in the Chargers’ season-ending loss to the Chiefs.
A fourth-round pick out of Boston College in 2014, Williams spent the first two years of his career with the Giants. The bulk of his work came in his 16-game rookie campaign, during which he posted all seven of his career starts, scored seven rushing touchdowns and amassed 721 yards on 217 attempts. That only amounted to a 3.3 per-carry average for Williams, which matches his career mark in 323 tries.
Chargers To Sign Russell Okung
The Chargers will sign offensive tackle Russell Okung to four-year, $53MM deal, per Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). The pact contains $25MM guaranteed, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com.
Los Angeles is stealing away a division rival’s left tackle in Okung, who previously negotiated his own contract last offseason when he left Seattle for Denver. His four-year, $48MM deal with the Broncos came with an escape clause for the team after 2016 that Denver took advantage of. Okung, to his credit, posted the first 16-start season of his seven-year career with the Broncos. The 29-year-old didn’t play at an especially high level, though, as Pro Football Focus ranked his performance a middling 38th among 78 qualified tackles.
In addition to the Chargers and Broncos, Okung had also been linked to the Vikings, Jets, Giants, Rams, and Seahawks. As such, Okung was able to parlay that level of interest into a deal that appears to be larger than his option would have provided. The total value is $5MM greater, and while we’ll have to wait for exact fully guaranteed figures, Okung was only set to earn $20.5MM guaranteed in his remaining Denver years.
The addition of Okung will likely lead to the release of incumbent Chargers left tackle King Dunlap. The 31-year-old is coming off his second straight injury-shortened campaign, having combined for 19 appearances (12 last season) since 2015. A four-year Charger, Dunlap has started in all 46 of his appearances with the club. If done as as a pre-June 1 designation, cutting Dunlap would save the Bolts $4.875MM and leave with $3.25MM in dead money.