Extra Points: Jets, McKinnon, Cardinals, Mathieu, Eagles, Foles, Acho, Bears
The latest from around the NFL:
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Running back Jerick McKinnon nearly joined Teddy Bridgewater with the Jets, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Ultimately, the 49ers came back with a big offer. The Jets pivoted at that point and instead signed running back Isaiah Crowell.
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The Cardinals were willing to go to about $9MM/year with Tyrann Mathieu before he was cut, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. Other teams believe that he is now looking to top that figure. He may or may not get that kind of coin given his past injuries and a down 2017.
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The Cardinals called the Eagles about acquiring Nick Foles this week, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, this took place right around the time of the Sam Bradford signing. With Bradford in the fold at a hefty salary, it’s unlikely that the Cards will go back to that well. Meanwhile, the Eagles seem intent on keeping the Super Bowl MVP.
49ers Re-Sign Brock Coyle
The 49ers have re-signed linebacker Brock Coyle, according to a team announcement. Coyle underwent offseason shoulder surgery and, presumably, the operation was a success as he is being retained for three more years. The deal is worth$11.5MM with $4.1MM guaranteed, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
It was expected that the Niners would re-up Coyle in the wake of Reuben Foster‘s domestic abuse arrest earlier this year. Coyle started ten games last season alongside Foster and while he doesn’t offer the same upside, he does have familiarity with the team.
Coyle, 28 in October, tallied 62 tackles with half a sack last year. He’ll reunite with old teammate Richard Sherman now that they’re both in San Francisco.
Falcons To Sign G Brandon Fusco
The Falcons are signing former 49ers guard Brandon Fusco to a three-year contract, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The pact is worth $12.75MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Fusco started all 16-games for the 49ers last season and performed well in the second half of the season. He’s now the second Niners free agent to depart SF, following running back Carlos Hyde.
For his career, the 29-year-old has 80 starts to his credit – most of those coming with the Vikings. He also offers the ability to play center or guard. He projects as a reserve in Atlanta (though he did grade out better than Wes Schweitzer, per Pro Football Focus), but his versatility should garner him some playing time.
The Falcons’ starting five, as shown on Roster Resource, is slated to include Jake Matthews, Andy Levitre, Alex Mack, Wes Schweitzer, and Ryan Schrader. Fusco joins Garland and Sean Harlow as the club’s reserve guards, though Garland may be more geared towards the center position. Ty Sambrailo and Austin Pasztor can also see time at guard, but they are ticketed more for work on the outside.
49ers To Sign Jerick McKinnon
The 49ers have agreed to sign running back Jerick McKinnon to a four-year deal, $30MM deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (all Twitter links). The deal includes $12MM guaranteed, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter), and he’ll get $16MM over the first two years of the deal.
The four-year Vikings ball-carrier will see $12MM come his way in the first year of this deal, with Tom Pelissero of NFL.com also reporting (via Twitter) a $3.7MM guarantee for 2019 will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee in March of next year. The fourth year of this contract will essentially serve as an option year, per Pelissero.
Although the Buccaneers had reportedly expressed interest in McKinnon, his decision ultimately came down to the Jets and 49ers, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Gang Green inked former Browns running back Isaiah Crowell to a pact on Tuesday, but it’s unclear if the Jets were deciding between the two players, or had hoped to pair the bruising Crowell with the pass-catching McKinnon.
McKinnon will now surprisingly become the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid running back at $7.5MM annually. Currently, he sits behind only the franchise-tagged Le’Veon Bell, Devonta Freeman, and LeSean McCoy. San Francisco had ample cap space to work with, but it’s still a hefty deal for a (primarily) receiving running back.
But McKinnon’s new contract speaks to the increasing value of pass-catching runners in today’s NFL. While the former Vikings back has never managed 160 carries in a season, he’s put up at least 40 receptions in each of the last two campaigns. In 2017, he set a career-high with 51 catches and 421 yards while grading as the league’s No. 8 pass-blocking back, per Pro Football Focus.
San Francisco lost former starting running back Carlos Hyde to the Browns earlier this morning, so McKinnon will now join a backfield that includes Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert, and Joe Williams.
[RELATED: 49ers Depth Chart]
DeShawn Shead To Visit Lions, 49ers
Former Seahawks cornerback DeShawn Shead is visiting the Lions on Tuesday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). If he leaves without an agreement, he’ll meet with the 49ers on Wednesday. 
Shead’s contract tolled for the 2018 season, but the Seahawks honored a promise to make him an unrestricted free agent in that event. Seattle hopes to retain Shead, but they may not get the opportunity to re-sign him given the outside interest he has and their own numbers crunch.
Shead returned from a broken leg to play in two games last season for the Seahawks, The cornerback, 30 in June, was Seattle’s full-time right cornerback opposite Richard Sherman in 2016. With Sherman and Jeremy Lane already out of the picture, it sounds like Shead could be the next Legion of Boomer to wind up elsewhere.
Several Teams Comprise Heated Lewis Market
On a player-friendly second tampering-window day, Dion Lewis has yet to make his decision. He’s going to be receiving a notable raise from his previous contract, however, when he does choose his next team.
The 27-year-old running back does not look like he will be returning to the Patriots, who were not believed to be a bidder if the price escalated to a certain point. Now that it apparently has, the Dolphins, Jets, Giants, Titans, Texans, Colts and 49ers are in on Lewis, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.
The Jets, Colts and Titans were reported suitors earlier this week, but the remaining teams are now diving into the fray.
The Giants signed previous Pats passing-down back Shane Vereen in 2015 but haven’t found much in the way of backfield success in several years, and the 49ers may well lose Carlos Hyde in free agency. The Dolphins traded away Jay Ajayi and have versatile runner Kenyan Drake. Houston, interestingly, has a Lamar Miller–D’Onta Foreman setup but is evidently eyeing big-name help.
Lewis’ asking price was rumored to be around $6MM per year, and given the events of Tuesday and the number of interested teams here, it’s quite possible the sixth-year veteran could surpass that despite having just one 100-touch season on his resume. However, that also means Lewis could have a few productive seasons left despite being set to turn 28 later this year.
49ers To Sign Weston Richburg
The 49ers will sign center Weston Richburg to a five-year deal when free agency officially opens, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the deal is worth $47.5MM, with $28.5MM in guaranteed money ($16.5MM fully guaranteed).
Richburg only appeared in four games in 2017 while dealing with a concussion, but he’s been since been medically cleared. The 26-year-old offers 50 games of experience at the pivot, but teams were reportedly considering Richburg at guard, as well. Richburg, a former second-round pick, hasn’t played guard since his rookie campaign, but any added versatility could potentially give him more value.
PFR recently ranked Richburg as the No. 34 overall free agent on the board, and he was one of the best interior lineman available. At his position, Richburg competed with the likes of Ryan Jensen, Matt Slauson, and John Sullivan for free agent dollars. Richburg had reportedly drawn early interest from the crosstown Jets, who have a glaring need at center.
The 49ers inked veteran center Daniel Kilgore to an extension earlier this offseason, so it appears either he or Richburg will move to guard. San Francisco also has Laken Tomlinson and Zane Beadles on the interior of its offensive line, while Brandon Fusco — who played well on a one-year deal in 2018 — is an unrestricted free agent.
San Francisco is expected to be active during this year’s free agent period. Even after inking quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a five-year deal that contains a $37MM cap charge in 2018, the 49ers still had about $67MM in available cap space.
Allen Robinson Confident He’ll Receive Multi-Year Deal
Despite missing the majority of the 2017 campaign due to injury, wideout Allen Robinson still believes he’ll get paid this offseason. Appearing on Mad Dog Sports Radio today, Robinson told the hosts that he doesn’t believe his ACL injury will keep him from earning a multi-year deal (via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com).
Of course, it was likely that same ACL tear that kept the Jaguars from placing the franchise tag on the wideout. As Alper points out, some around the league were wondering if Robinson would have to settle for a one-year deal in order to reestablish his value in time for 2019 free agency. However, the wideout said conversations with his agent have led him to believe that he’ll definitely “get a multi-year deal done.”
While the wideout didn’t definitively name any landing spots, Alper points out that Robinson “reacted positively” when asked about the direction of the Bears and 49ers. The receiver also noted that he could end up back in Jacksonville.
The 2014 second-round pick has spent his entire career with the Jaguars, earning himself a Pro Bowl birth. Following a breakout 2015 campaign that saw him haul in 80 catches for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns, Robinson appeared to take a step back in 2016. The receiver finished that campaign with “only” 73 catches for 883 yards and six scores. He tore his ACL during his team’s Week 1 contest against the Texans.
49ers Sign P Jeff Locke
The 49ers have signed punter Jeff Locke, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter).
Locke spent the early part of 2017 with the Lions as he filled in for Sam Martin. He was released in October when Martin made his way back to the roster and did not hook on with another team, despite auditioning for a few.
The 49ers have relied on Bradley Pinion, a former fifth-round pick, as their punter for the last three seasons. It’s not clear whether Pinion will be a part of a competition with Locke or if he will be out of the picture altogether.
Last year, Locke averaged a career-high 45.3 yards per punt in a limited sample.
Extra Points: Sherman, 49ers, Talib, 49ers, Bucs, Greco
Richard Sherman has taken some flack for his one-year deal with the 49ers, but he has no regrets about acting as his own agent.
“I don’t think any agent in the business could have done a better job of negotiating this contract,” Sherman told Peter King of The MMQB. “As long as I’m content with what I’m making, nothing else matters to me. Once I make a Pro Bowl, $8MM the next year is guaranteed for me. It gives me the ability to control my destiny. The 49ers have skin in the game. I have skin in the game. In my former contract, no matter what I did this year, nothing would be guaranteed to me next year. I couldn’t feel secure in my contract. Now, if I play the way I know I’m capable of playing, I know I’m going to get paid.”
Sherman’s deal is a three-year, $39MM pact, but a deeper look shows that the real base value is just $21.15MM with another $18MM coming in the form of bonuses. In order to earn the full $39MM, Sherman must play in every regular season game, be on the field for 90% of snaps, and earn Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors in each season. In other words, it’s unlikely that Sherman will actually see the full value of the deal. Still, Sherman is content with how things played out and intimated that he wanted the opportunity to face his old team twice per year.
- Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (on Twitter) had more on the 49ers’ proposed trade for cornerback Aqib Talib from the Broncos, which Talib rejected. The 49ers were going to send a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft in exchange for the services of the five-time Pro Bowler. In the end, the Broncos traded Talib to the Rams for a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft.
- The Buccanneers looked to shore up their kicking woes of late by attempting to land former Florida State kicker Dustin Hopkins before he re-signed with the Redskins, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine. The Bucs cut former second-round pick Roberto Aguayo prior to last season and Nick Folk was cut last month after missing a majority of last season on injured reserve with a minor-injury designation. Free-agent addition Patrick Murray hit 82.6% of his kicks with Tampa Bay last year in 23 attempts, with a long of 50 yards.
- The Giants and offensive lineman John Greco agreed to a one-year deal last month and Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter) that his salary for 2018 will be $1.02MM. Greco appeared in six games for the Giants last season after spending the previous six seasons as a mainstay within the interior of the Browns’ offensive line.