49ers Sign Shareece Wright
The 49ers agreed to terms on a one-year contract with cornerback Shareece Wright following his visit this week, Bay Area News Group’s Can Inman reports. The team made it official on its Twitter account.
It’s a one-year deal worth up to $5MM — $4MM in base salary and $1MM in incentives, notes San Diego Union-Tribune Chargers reporter Michael Gehlken on Twitter.
This comes hours after the 49ers lost Perrish Cox to the Titans. San Francisco’s other starting corner in 2014, Chris Culliver, signed in Washington on Friday.
Wright started the past two seasons for the Chargers, where the former 2011 third-round pick out of USC drew a league-high eight pass interference penalties in 2014. Turning 28 in April, Wright rated 105th out of 108 corners in Pro Football Focus’ 2014 grades (subscription required) and 103rd out of 110 graded performers the year prior.
This move merely adds depth to the 49ers’ suddenly depleted corner corps. Inman expects holdovers Tramaine Brock and Dontae Johnson to be the favorites to succeed Culliver and Cox in the starting lineup, with Jimmie Ward entering in nickel packages. Wright, however, will make more than the younger trio next season so he’ll be in the mix to start as well.
Regardless of who starts, 2015 will mark the second straight season where the 49ers deploy two new starting corners.
FA Notes: Crabtree, Parker, Dwyer
Through the first three days of free agency, we’ve seen boatloads of money handed out by front offices. According to the NFL Players Association (on Twitter), there were 85 contracts filed to the NFLPA during the first 72 hours of free agency. The value of those contracts was worth more than $1.3B dollars, including close to $590MM in guaranteed money.
As the majority of the free agent class seeks their next contract, let’s take a look at notes surrounding some notable players…
- Washington has interest in wideout Michael Crabtree, tweets ESPN.com’s John Keim. The writer notes that the Chargers appear to be a “stronger possibility.”
- The Ravens have been seeking consistency at the safety position since the retirement of Ed Reed, and Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun says free agent Ron Parker could be the team’s answer. The 27-year-old, who spent the past two seasons with the Chiefs, has received interest from the Bears and Buccaneers. Keim notes that Kansas City is also interested in retaining the former undrafted free agent.
- According to Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez (on Twitter), the NFL has indicated that free agent running back Jonathan Dwyer is free to sign with any team. However, discipline is “pending” following Dwyer pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.
Stevie Johnson Visited Chargers
It was reported Friday that the Patriots were “targeting” free agent wide receiver Stevie Johnson. If true, it appears they’ll have serious competition for the seven-year veteran’s services. Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Johnson visited the Chargers on Friday. According to Gehlken, Johnson left San Diego unsigned, but the visit was a “positive” one and he’s likely to make a decision on his future “no later than Monday.”
The 49ers released Johnson earlier this week after a disappointing season that saw the 28-year-old total a mere 35 catches in 13 games. He does have a successful track record, though, having amassed 336 catches and 31 touchdowns during his career – mostly in Buffalo – and would lend help to a receiver-needy Chargers team.
San Diego has pursued big-time targets this offseason to improve its receiving corps, only to come up empty on the likes of Andre Johnson and Eddie Royal – both of whom signed with other clubs. Royal, who was a member of the Chargers the past three seasons, finished second among Bolts wideouts in receptions (62) and yards (778) in 2014. His seven touchdowns led all San Diego receivers. In the wake of his departure, the only starting-caliber receivers left on the Chargers’ roster are Malcom Floyd and Keenan Allen. Although effective, the two have combined for just a single 1,000-yard season (Allen in 2013), while Johnson has three to his name.
Johnson’s impressive career production has come despite never having played with an elite-level quarterback, which the Chargers have in Philip Rivers. During his six years with the Bills, Johnson was mostly on the receiving end of passes from journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick, while his QB in San Francisco was Colin Kaepernick – who underwhelmed last season.
Chargers Sign Jimmy Wilson
8:23pm: Wilson’s deal is worth $4.85MM, per Salguero (Twitter link).
6:59pm: The Chargers have signed free agent defensive back Jimmy Wilson to a two-year contract, the team announced (via Twitter). Financial terms of the deal have not yet been reported.
Wilson, 28, spent the first four years of his career in Miami. As recently as Wednesday, the Dolphins were in talks with Wilson’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, in hopes of retaining him, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweeted.
Wilson appeared in 60 games as a Dolphin and intercepted four passes. He totaled just eight starts during his first three seasons before amassing a career-high 13 in 2014. Eight of those starts came at cornerback, while the other five were from the safety position. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) wasn’t impressed with Wilson’s work as a corner last year, ranking him 94th out of 108 qualifiers. However, the site rated him a far better 34th out of 87 safeties.
Wilson will add depth and versatility to a Chargers defense that finished fourth against the pass in 2014. However, San Diego has already lost safety Marcus Gilchrist to free agency this year and could also see cornerback Shareece Wright depart.
NFC Notes: Housler, Barksdale, Wright
Former Cardinals tight end Rob Housler visited the Falcons, ESPN Falcons reporter Vaughn McClure pointed out on Twitter. Although benched in favor of 2014 free agent acquisition John Carlson, Housler, with a 4.46 40-yard dash to his credit, was serviceable as a part-time starter in 2012 and 2013 and could be an upgrade in Atlanta.
The former Florida Atlantic talent would join a corps fronted by Levine Toilolo, who Pro Football Focus rated as its fourth-worst tight end last season (subscription required) in his bid to replace Tony Gonzalez.
In other news as the second wave of free agency persists …
- Bruce Arians told radio station 97.5 TheFanatic he’s excited to venture into draft preparations without any actual needs, per a tweet from ESPN Cardinals reporter Josh Weinfuss. Most notably, the Cardinals fortified their offensive front with premier guard Mike Iupati and underrated center A.Q. Shipley and brought in second-level defensive help in linebackers Sean Weatherspoon and LaMarr Woodley.
- The Rams‘ push to retain Joe Barksdale remains pertinent with some teams calling him the best right tackle left, ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets. Of course, the LSU product’s decision may linger with his wedding set for tomorrow, relays ESPN Rams beat man Adam Wagoner via Twitter.
- Lance Kendricks‘ decision to sign a second contract with the Rams, a four-year, $18.5MM accord, featured a Falcons bid reportedly higher, adds Wagoner on Twitter. This could be good news for Housler.
- After losing Chris Culliver to Washington earlier today, the 49ers are hosting Shareece Wright on a visit with “lots of mutual interest,” notes NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter. A soon-to-be 28-year-old corner coming off two seasons as a starter for the Chargers, Wright has interest from three other teams, the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Michael Gehlken reported on Twitter.
- The Texans‘ acquisition of ex-Broncos free safety Rahim Moore didn’t come without a fight from the Vikings, ESPN1500 Twin Cities reporter Darren Wolfson notes (Twitter link). Moore requested more money from the Vikings than the Texans had to bid, and Minnesota wouldn’t oblige.
FA Rumors: J. Johnson, Parker, Falcons, 49ers
Free agent safety Jeron Johnson is generating some interest around the league, and will pay a visit to Washington, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Johnson, a Boise State product, never saw any real significant playing time on defense for a Seahawks team that featured Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, but he was a solid backup and excelled on special teams.
Let’s round up a few more Friday free agent news items and rumors from around the NFL….
- The Bears would like to sign safety Ron Parker, but he left Chicago last night without a deal, a source confirms to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, who tweets that the former Chief appears to be in no rush to sign.
- Having already met with the Seahawks and Broncos, Shelley Smith will make his next visit to Atlanta to meet with the Falcons, a source tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The free agent offensive lineman is scheduled to arrive tonight and have his official visit tomorrow.
- The 49ers saw one of their free agent cornerbacks, Chris Culliver, find a deal in Washington today, but according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, they’ve spoken to another – Chris Cook – about returning (Twitter link). Still, Maiocco’s source says there have been no recent conversations between the two sides.
- Free agent center Stefen Wisniewski remains in Seattle for now, but a visit to the Rams is “very possible,” tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In addition to visiting the Seahawks, Wisniewski also met with the Bucs earlier this week.
- Offensive lineman Erik Pears, who visited the 49ers this week, is also receiving interest from the Jets and Broncos, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Pears started all 16 games for the Bills at right guard last season.
- The Chargers are continuing to eye the free agent market in search of upgrades at wide receiver, after having lost Eddie Royal to Chicago, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- Former Giants guard John Jerry is making a free agent visit to Tennessee today to meet with the Titans, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). Having waited out the first wave of free agency, the Titans have been very active today, locking up Brian Orakpo, Derrick Morgan, Ryan Succop, and Karl Klug to new contracts.
Thursday Roundup: Weddle, Peterson, Harvin
The Chargers still have over $21MM in cap space, and could look to spend that money to add to the team this offseason. Meanwhile, star safety Eric Weddle is coming into the last year of his contract and is unsure of his future with the team, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com.
“I think I’ve earned [a new deal],” Weddle said. “But it has to work both ways. They have to want it, too. And if they don’t, then we will play it out and I’ll be a free agent next year “I want to be here, but I understand the situation and what they want to do. If I’m a part of it — great. If not, then I plan on making this season a memorable one and we’ll see what happens from there.”
- The Vikings are focused on keeping Adrian Peterson, not trading him, writes Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. But Vensel’s colleague at the Star Tribune, Michael Rand, believes the stars are aligning for the Cowboys to make a trade for Peterson.
- Percy Harvin has finished his visit with the Bills, and he is mulling other possible visits, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). La Canfora adds that the Harvin situation could begin to wrap itself up as early as this weekend.
- Brian Orakpo is in Tennessee on a visit and is planning to meet with the Cardinals next. However, he might not make it to Arizona if the Titans can get a deal in place before he leaves tonight, writes John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- Shelley Smith has left Seattle without a deal and will now visit the Broncos, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post.
- Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star looks ahead to the rest of the Colts‘ offseason, noting that the team has already made its big splashes with the additions of Andre Johnson, Trent Cole, and Frank Gore. However, Holder expects Indianapolis to perhaps add a safety like Louis Delmas or Kendrick Lewis and/or an offensive lineman in the second wave of free agency, when better bargains can be had. The Colts currently have around $15-16MM in available cap space.
- 49ers GM Trent Baalke does not appear especially concerned about losing last year’s starting cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox should those two players sign elsewhere in free agency. As Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News writes, Baalke is confident that the team has capable internal options to fill the void.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
Latest On Terrance Knighton
6:04pm: Washington is closing in on a deal with Knighton, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
3:07pm: Terrance Knighton is still in the nation’s capital and negotiating with Washington, but there are five other teams still chasing him, Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports tweets. Meanwhile, a source tells Getlin (on Twitter) that it’s unlikely that Knighton will sign with anyone today. It could be a while before we learn where he lands, according to Getlin’s source.
Knighton’s first visit with Washington went well, Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post hears. The Colts, Patriots and Chargers have expressed varying degrees of interest in Knighton, Renck writes, and he also identified the Seahawks and Ravens as teams with interest yesterday.
The Raiders appeared to be nearing a deal with Pot Roast, but on Tuesday we learned that he won’t be going to Oakland or returning to Denver. When Luke Adams listed PFR’s top 50 free agents recently, he ranked Pot Roast 16th on our list. The six-year veteran was an integral part of a Broncos team that had the league’s second-best run defense in 2014, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Knighton 12th among 81 qualifying D-tackles last season. Knighton, 29 in July, recorded 33 total tackles with two sacks and three pass deflections last season.
Earlier today, a head coach told Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 that teams were afraid to sign Knighton because of his physical condition.
Contract Details: Maclin, Thomas, Hughes, Odrick
Here are a few details on some of this week’s noteworthy new contracts:
AFC deals:
- Jeremy Maclin, WR (Chiefs): Five years, $55MM. $22.5MM fully guaranteed. $12MM signing bonus (Twitter links via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com).
- Julius Thomas, TE (Jaguars): Five years, $46MM. $21MM fully guaranteed. $28.3MM in first three years (Twitter link via Albert Breer of the NFL Network).
- Jerry Hughes, DE (Bills): Five years, $45MM base value. $7MM signing bonus. $11.775MM fully guaranteed. $1MM annually in sack-based incentives (Twitter links via Corry and Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Jared Odrick, DL (Jaguars): Five years, $42.5MM. $22.5MM guaranteed. $5MM roster bonus in 2015 (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- Brandon Flowers, CB (Chargers): Four years, $36.4MM base value. $20.5MM guaranteed. $8MM signing bonus. $2.25MM first-year cap hit (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Curtis Lofton, LB (Raiders): Three years, $18MM base value. $10MM guaranteed. $6.5MM in first year, including $3.5MM roster bonus (Twitter links via Pelissero and Wilson).
- Kendall Langford, DT (Colts): Four years, $17.2MM base value. $2.5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports).
- Brian Hoyer, QB (Texans): Two years, $10.5MM base value. $3.75MM roster bonus to be paid this month. $5.25MM annual cap hits (Twitter link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).
- A.J. Hawk, LB (Bengals): Two years, $3.25MM base value. $500K guaranteed (Twitter link via Pelissero).
NFC deals:
- Torrey Smith, WR (49ers): Five years, $40MM base value. $8MM signing bonus. $8.75MM fully guaranteed. $3.6MM first-year cap hit (Twitter links via Corry).
- Bryan Bulaga, T (Packers): Five years, $33.75MM base value. $8MM signing bonus. $3.6MM first-year cap hit (Twitter links via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
- Stephen Paea, DT (Washington): Four years, $21MM. $7.85MM guaranteed. $5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Corey Peters, DT (Cardinals): Three years, $9MM base value. $5.75MM guaranteed. $2MM signing bonus (Twitter links via Wilson).
- Justin Durant, LB (Falcons): Three years, $10.8MM base value. $4.5MM in 2015. $3MM available in incentives (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Dwan Edwards, DT (Panthers): Two years, $4MM base value. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Sean Weatherspoon, LB (Cardinals): One year, $3.58MM base value. $1.25MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Major Wright, S (Buccaneers): Two years, $3MM base value (Twitter link via Pelissero).
Extra Points: Suh, Wilson, Revis
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross says he’s confident that the Dolphins did not break any rules in the lead up to the Ndamukong Suh signing, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. The Dolphins appear to have struck an agreement with the defensive tackle during the “legal tampering” period, but the league specifically asked that handshake deals not go down during that time. Of course, other teams certainly exchanged figures prior to Tuesday, but Suh was one of the most prominent free agents available. More from around the NFL..
- Seahawks GM John Schneider said the team has met with the agents for Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, though the reps for each player know Seahawks have other things to do, as well, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (Twitter links).
- A year ago, the Raiders were willing to assume all of Darrelle Revis‘ existing contract with the Buccaneers but the cornerback’s camp convinced the team that he wouldn’t report, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets.
- The Patriots dropped out of negotiations with Revis upon hearing he was seeking $16MM per year and $40MM guaranteed, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets.
- The Chargers offered Andre Johnson more money than he got from the Colts, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network tweets. It’s not known how much San Diego offered, but the Colts got Johnson for $21MM over three years.
- Tom Benson, principal owner of the Saints and the NBA’s Pelicans, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to remove all stock in the sports franchises from the trust funds that he set up for his daughter and grandchildren, Andy Grimm of The Times-Picayune writes.