Contract Details: Taylor, Cook, Willson
The latest contract details from around the NFL:
- Tyrod Taylor, QB (Bills): Taylor earns an additional $500K if the Bills make it to the divisional round of the playoffs in 2017, which becomes $1MM if they advance to the AFC Championship, and $2MM if they advance to the Super Bowl. The same package of incentives applies to 2018 (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
- Jared Cook, TE (Raiders): Two years, $10.6MM, $1.6MM in incentives (effectively a one-year $5.3MM deal with $800K in incentives) (Twitter link via Ben Volin of The Boston Globe).
- Luke Willson, TE (Seahawks): One year, $1.8MM, $1MM in incentives (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle).
- Kayvon Webster, CB (Rams): Two years, $7.75MM. Salaries of $2.75MM (guaranteed), $3MM. $1MM 2017 roster bonus guaranteed, $500K 2018 roster bonus guaranteed. (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Sean Spence, LB (Colts): One year, $2.5MM. $750K signing bonus. $500K in incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Kendall Wright, WR (Bears): One year, $2MM. $250K signing bonus. $2MM in incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
Seahawks May Be Forced To Release Lynch
- If Marshawn Lynch decides to unretire, ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia believes the Seahawks will be forced to release the running back. Lynch would have a $9MM cap hit in 2017, which would drastically cut into their nearly $15MM in remaining cap space. The team could look to trade Lynch, but it’s uncertain whether any teams would give up anything of worth for the veteran. Plus, by opting for that route, Seattle could end up being stuck with the running back, who would join an already-crowded depth chart. The Raiders have been rumored to be eyeing the five-time Pro Bowler.
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Ricky Jean-Francois To Visit Bears
Free agent defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois informed ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he will visit the Bears on Saturday. If he leaves Chicago without a deal, his previously reported meeting with the Seahawks will take place Sunday (Twitter link).
Jean-Francois just hit the market when the Redskins released him on Wednesday. That came on the heels of a 16-appearance, seven-start season in which he racked up 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks while playing roughly 40 percent of the Redskins’ defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus ranked Jean-Francois’ performance an above-average 45th among 127 qualified interior defensive linemen.
The 30-year-old Jean-Francois remains a competent defender, clearly, and hasn’t missed a game since 2013. An adept run defender, Jean-Francois would help bolster a Chicago defense that finished just 28th in DVOA against opposing ground games last year. While the eight-year veteran indicated Thursday that he’d rather play in a 4-3 alignment than a 3-4 (the Bears utilize the latter), signing with Chicago would reunite him with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Jean-Francois previously played under Fangio from 2011-12 in San Francisco.
Seahawks Sign Oday Aboushi
A Seahawks-themed Friday continues: The team has signed free agent guard Oday Aboushi to a one-year contract, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
The 25-year-old has started in 18 of 26 appearances since the Jets used a fifth-round pick on him in 2013. He was with Gang Green through the 2014 campaign before ending up in Houston, which claimed him off waivers from the Jets in September 2015. Aboushi served a one-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy that year. He appeared in just four games last year and made three starts.
Aboushi, whom PFR’s Zach Links ranked as the seventh-best interior lineman on the market before Friday’s deal, follows Luke Joeckel as the second O-lineman the Seahawks have picked up in this year’s free agent class. The team also visited with tackles Ryan Clady and, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com, Matt McCants on Friday. Aboushi figures to serve as depth behind starting guards Germain Ifedi and Mark Glowinski.
RELATED:
- Latest On Marshawn Lynch
- Seahawks Sign DeShawn Shead And Arthur Brown
- Seahawks Meeting With Kamar Aiken
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Seahawks Sign Arthur Brown
Arthur Brown‘s visit to Seattle clearly went well. The Seahawks have signed the linebacker, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link).
A second-round pick of the Ravens in 2013, the 26-year-old Brown hasn’t found a niche as a defender and is coming off a season in which he spent time with the Ravens, Jaguars and Jets. Baltimore cut Brown before Week 1, and the special teamer went on to appear in 14 games with Jacksonville and New York. For the third straight season, though, he didn’t register a tackle on defense.
Brown, who has 15 tackles and a half-sack in his career, is the brother of former Seahawks running back Bryce Brown. Arthur Brown will take on a depth role similar to the one fellow linebacker Brock Coyle filled in Seattle over the past three years, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
Ryan Clady Visited Seahawks
Free agent offensive tackle Ryan Clady visited the Seahawks on Friday, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Is Clady the best tackle left in free agency?]
Seattle is the first reported team to show interest in the 30-year-old Clady since the Jets elected against exercising his 2017 option in mid-February. That came after Clady’s lone year in New York, where he played in only nine games (eight starts) before suffering a season-ending rotator cuff injury. Injuries have derailed the career of the four-time Pro Bowler, unfortunately, as the ex-Broncos standout has appeared in just 27 of a possible 64 regular-season games since 2013.
Last season was Clady’s first action since 2014, and he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 62nd-best tackle among 78 qualifiers. Meanwhile, the Seahawks’ left tackle, George Fant, placed dead last, so an upgrade is clearly in order. After a season in which Seattle’s O-line finished 25th in Football Outsiders’ adjusted sack rate metric and 27th in sacks allowed, the club has already added one new offensive tackle in Luke Joeckel. He hasn’t fared all that well since the Jaguars took him second overall in the 2013 draft, though, and is coming off an injury-plagued season of his own.
Latest On Marshawn Lynch
Here we go again. Marshawn Lynch, reportedly, is pondering a comeback and the Raiders are thinking about acquiring him. At the moment, however, the Seahawks are still in control of his rights. 
A few things have to go down before the long-rumored Lynch-to-Oakland rumors can come to fruition, but it all starts with the running back himself. Lynch is in a bit of a holding pattern and is still deciding whether he wants to come back, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Lynch does in fact have the itch to play though and is already in shape. Interestingly, Garafolo hears (Twitter link) that Lynch stopped by the Seahawks’ facility, but it “was more of a personal visit than anything.”
Lynch’s contract called for him to earn $9MM in 2016 and that would be his default salary for this season if he were to return. The Seahawks won’t have room for him with Eddie Lacy, C.J. Prosise, and Thomas Rawls already on the roster and it’s not clear if the Raiders will be willing to pay that salary. Oakland is looking to extend Derek Carr and Khalil Mack in the near future and that kind of addition could limit them financially.
Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Seahawks Re-Sign CB DeShawn Shead
Cornerback DeShawn Shead has re-signed with the Seahawks, according to Danny O’Neil of ESPN Seattle (on Twitter). It’s a one-year, $1.5MM deal with $1MM fully guaranteed at signing. 
Shead suffered an ACL and meniscus tear in the postseason, which probably explains why he wasn’t tendered an offer by the Seahawks as a restricted free agent. After surveying other options on the open market, Seattle has circled back to the 28-year-old (29 this summer). The lowest tender would have paid him $1.797MM, so he didn’t lose out on a ton of money.
A 15-game starter last season, Shead offers the ability to play outside, inside, or at safety. In his 1,000+ defensive snaps, Shead graded as the league’s No. 38 corner, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus.
Before re-signing with the Seahawks, Shead drew interest from several teams, including the Bills. Dallas Robinson did not place Shead on his most recent list of the league’s top free agent cornerbacks due to uncertainty about his health. If he comes back 100%, however, this should prove to be a great value for Seattle.
Colts, Seahawks Meeting With Kamar Aiken
Free agent wide receiver Kamar Aiken is visiting the Colts today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). If he doesn’t sign right away, Aiken will then travel to Seattle to meet with the Seahawks on Monday. 
Aiken, 28 in May, had only 29 receptions for the Ravens in 2016 after putting up 75 catches the year prior. Still, we had Aiken ranked as one of the 15 best available receivers heading into free agency, slotting him ahead of notables like Victor Cruz, Brian Quick, Brandon LaFell, Anquan Boldin, Ted Ginn, and Vincent Jackson. When we update the offensive positional rankings later today, Aiken will be at or near the top of the WR list.
We haven’t heard a lot about Aiken in the last week or so, but it sounds like his market is starting to pick up. Baltimore may or may not be looking to bring him back, but we do know that the team has been looking to fortify its wide receiver group. The Ravens thought they were close to a deal with Torrey Smith until he chose the Eagles instead.
The Colts wouldn’t give Aiken a clear path to playing time with T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, and Phillip Dorsett already on the roster. The Seahawks, meanwhile, have Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Paul Richardson, and Jermaine Kearse in their top four spots. Seattle could give Aiken a better opportunity to occupy a WR3 role.
Raiders To Pursue Marshawn Lynch?
Remember those flirtations between the Raiders and Marshawn Lynch from last year? Sounds like things could be picking up again. The Raiders are giving serious thought to acquiring Lynch, either through trade or by his release, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Josina Anderson.
[RELATED: Raiders To Sign Jared Cook]
“It could really happen,” one source familiar with the situation said. One source with knowledge of the situation told Mike Florio of PFT there is a “very good chance” that Lynch will return to football.
The Raiders would have to work out a trade with the Seahawks in order to get Lynch, since they still own his rights. In theory, the Seahawks could also cut Lynch as a courtesy to the tailback. The Seahawks don’t really need Lynch anyway now that they have Eddie Lacy, C.J. Prosise, and Thomas Rawls.
There’s also the matter of convincing Lynch to continue playing football. He was adamant about staying retired last year, but it’s an idea he has considered, sources say. Last September, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Lynch would consider playing during the 2016 campaign, and while that never happened, any lingering interest in returning to the league could manifest itself in 2017.
Oakland did indeed attempt to wrangle Lynch from the Seahawks via trade in 2016, and a deal nearly came together, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. However, Lynch ultimately decided to stay retired. Now that he’s taken a full year off, Lynch could potentially consider to re-enter the NFL for one more go-round with the Raiders, but those same talks — including the enticement of Lynch himself — will have to take place again.
One issue in negotiations might be the Raiders’ reluctance to send draft compensation to Seattle, as Oakland may only want to sacrifice something like a conditional seventh-rounder, per Rapoport (Twitter link). Additionally, the Raiders are trying to conserve cash and cap space in order to facilitate extensions for Derek Carr and Khalil Mack, so paying Lynch $9MM — the figure he was set to earn under his Seahawks contract — would be problematic.
Lynch wasn’t himself in 2015, as nagging injuries forced him to miss nine games. The year prior, however, Lynch was as productive as ever, as he rushed for 4.7 yards per carry and managed a career-high 13 touchdowns on the ground. Lynch is still only 30 years old.
In other Raiders running back news, Schefter and Anderson hear that Adrian Peterson also remains a possibility for Oakland. That interest still appears to be coming from the Peterson camp, however, as the ESPN scribes report Peterson would like the chance to join a talented Raiders squad.