Adrian Peterson To Visit Seahawks
The Seahawks are doing their due diligence at running back, and it turns out they do want to see what Adrian Peterson potentially has left. The defending NFC West champions will meet with the future Hall of Famer on Sunday, ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson tweets.
This comes after the team lined up visits for both Jamaal Charles, Eddie Lacy and Latavius Murray. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports was the first to report Peterson would trek to Seattle (Twitter link). But the last report coming out of Seattle regarding Peterson was not pointing to an imminent visit. Instead, Peterson will be part of a star-studded UFA tour for a Seahawks team that saw its young running backs fail to stay healthy last season.
Peterson has not seen his market take off despite being one of this generation’s greatest running backs. The soon-to-be 32-year-old back saw the Vikings predictably decline an $18MM price tag to bring him back for an 11th season in Minnesota. Since, he’s been connected to the Patriots, Raiders, Seahawks and Giants this offseason. None previously exibited much interest. Sunday’s trip to the Pacific Northwest could be critical not only for Peterson, but for the running back market.
The running back’s father said earlier this week, via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, both the Raiders and Seahawks expressed interest in his son. But no Bay Area visit has been scheduled. Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell‘s presence piqued Peterson’s interest in the Seahawks, per Tomasson. He was the Vikings’ OC during Peterson’s first four seasons. Peterson rushed for more than 1,300 yards in three of those four slates and at least 1,200 in all four. Although, he has nearly 2,500 carries on his resume now and is obviously a different player.
A three-time rushing champion, Peterson saw a torn meniscus essentially end his Vikings tenure after 10 seasons. He averaged just 1.9 yards per carry in 2016 — an off-a-cliff drop from his usual per-tote marks — behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines. Pro Football Focus, though, graded Seattle’s group as being the league’s worst last season. So, it will be interesting to see what comes out of this meeting. With so many visits with backs scheduled, it’s unlikely the Seahawks sign Peterson on sight and don’t meet with the aforementioned ball-carriers.
Christine Michael led the Seahawks in rushing last season, but the team waived him midway through the year. Thomas Rawls finished with the most ground yards (349) of any current Seahawk but averaged just 3.2 per carry and missed seven games due to injury. Passing-down back C.J. Prosise also played in just six games.
Latest On T.J. Lang
T.J. Lang has now visited two teams and may have a final answer soon. The longtime Packers guard just completed a visit with the Seahawks and plans to have an answer for them by Sunday, Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post reports (on Twitter).
Having already visited the Lions as well, the Falcons expressed interest in the 29-year-old guard as well. But Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports the Falcons no longer believe they’re in the mix for Lang’s third contract. Lang had a visit scheduled with the Broncos, but that did not end up materializing after Denver signed Ronald Leary to a four-year deal on the first day of free agency.
As of Thursday, the Packers had interest in retaining Lang as well. The last of the high-end guards left unattached, Lang would become by far Seattle’s highest-paid lineman. Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com connected him to a deal that could pay as much as $10MM per year.
No team spent less on its O-line last season than did Seattle, and the Seahawks have experienced issues up front for the past two years. Pro Football Focus ranked the Seahawks’ line last in the league. Lang finished as a top-10 guard, per PFF, last season and was PFR’s No. 2-rated UFA guard coming into free agency. Seattle added Luke Joeckel on a one-year deal earlier this week, but a Lang pact would stand to make a bigger difference based on his past performance.
The Falcons have much more committed to their line, having Ryan Schraeder signed for $6.3MM per year and Alex Mack for $9MM annually. Andy Levitre still has $12MM-plus remaining on his contract, and Jake Matthews is entering a contract year. Levitre has a $6.6MM cap number this year.
Latavius Murray To Meet With Jags, Hawks
Free agent running back Latavius Murray will meet with the Jaguars on Monday and the Seahawks on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Murray averaged 4.0 yards per carry in each of his two seasons as the Raiders’ primary starter, a post he ascended to late in the 2014 season. While he rushed for 12 touchdowns in 2016, Murray saw Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington eat into his workload. He surpassed 1,000 yards in 2015 but rushed for only 788 last season.
The Seahawks are looking for a veteran, durable running back to play alongside Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise. Jacksonville makes less sense as a potential destination, given that the club recently spent a second-round pick on T.J. Yeldon and signed Chris Ivory to a hefty free agent contract last offseason. Theoretically, the Jags could cut Ivory, but they’d incur more than $7MM in dead money by doing so.
J.J. Wilcox To Visit Seahawks
In addition to meeting with the Buccaneers, free agent safety J.J. Wilcox will visit the Seahawks, reports Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Wilcox spent the first four seasons of his career with the Cowboys, but they won’t attempt to re-sign the 26-year-old, per George.
Wilcox is now poised to become the second safety to leave Dallas in free agency this year, joining soon-to-be Jaguar Barry Church. Functioning as the Cowboys’ third safety behind Church and Byron Jones last season, Wilcox appeared in 13 games and picked off the fifth pass of his career. Wilcox only started four contests – down from 16 in 2014 and 13 in 2015 – but Pro Football Focus ranked his performance a terrific 27th among 89 qualified safeties.
The next chapter of Wilcox’s career could take him to Seattle, which boasts a highly accomplished secondary and two star safeties in Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas. Chancellor is currently scheduled to become a free agent next offseason, though, and Thomas flirted with retirement after an injury-shortened 2016.
NFC Rumors: Romo, Baker, Jeffery, Eagles
Tony Romo was “never being waived” by the Cowboys, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). We presume the source means “cut” rather than “waived” since vested veterans cannot be waived in the offseason. Word on Wednesday was that the Cowboys would release Romo, allowing him to sign with another club. Then, on Thursday, it was reported that the Cowboys were expecting to trade the quarterback to the Broncos or Texans. For now, things remain in a holding pattern for Romo.
Here’s more from around the league on Day 1 of official free agency.
- The Redskins did not end up making an offer to Chris Baker, who agreed to a deal with the Buccaneers, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. Baker joined DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon as higher-end free agents who left Washington this week.
- Alshon Jeffery looks to be a believer in Carson Wentz. The sixth-year wideout turned out a turned down a multiyear deal with greater security from the Vikings to sign with the Eagles, Ian Rapoport tweets.
- Torrey Smith‘s Eagles deal is for one year and $5MM, Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports (on Twitter), adding that the contract contains two option years. Both option years are worth $5MM apiece. Smith will collect a $500K bonus from what will be his third NFL employer.
- Chance Warmack signed with the Eagles for one year and $1.51MM, per Pelissero (on Twitter). This looks like a value-re-establishing season for the former Titans first-rounder, who will receive a $500K signing bonus.
- The Seahawks‘ Luke Joeckel deal is for one year and up to $8MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The guaranteed money here isn’t known yet, but Joeckel could do well for himself after seeing seeing the Jaguars pass on his 2017 option in 2016 and then going on IR.
- New Giants wide receiver Brandon Marshall said four teams were on his top tier in terms of giving him the best chance to win: the Giants, Patriots, Steelers and Seahawks, per Art Stapleton of The Record (on Twitter). Marshall has never made the playoffs in 11 seasons. The Giants made their first playoff berth in five years in 2016.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report.
Eddie Lacy To Visit Seahawks, Vikings
Eddie Lacy could leave the Packers but stay in the division. The running back is set to visit the Vikings, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, as well as the Seahawks. Lacy will also meet with the Packers.
The Seahawks are obviously in the market for a veteran running back as they also have meetings scheduled with Latavius Murray and Jamaal Charles. Lacy would probably represent the most attractive option of the three, though he does come with some injury and conditioning concerns.
The Vikings are without a No. 1 running back after declining Adrian Peterson‘s $18MM option, but they’re obviously quite familiar with Lacy. The 26-year-old has thus far spent his entire career with archrival Green Bay, which selected him in the second round of the 2013 draft. Lacy has since recorded a pair of 1,100-yard rushing seasons, though his production has dropped over the past two campaigns. The ex-Alabama star averaged a so-so 4.1 yards per rush and posted a career-low three touchdowns over 187 carries in 2015, and after bouncing back with a 5.1 YPC through five games last year, he landed on injured reserve in October because of an ankle issue.
Lacy, who expects to be at full health by next month, made it clear in late February that the Packers wanted him back. Green Bay was unable to keep him from hitting the market, though, and will now have to compete with other teams for his services. Lacy stands as one of the top players available in free agency.
T.J. Lang To Meet With Lions, Seahawks
Offensive guard T.J. Lang‘s first two free agent visits will be with the Lions and Seahawks, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). The reporter adds that the Packers, Lang’s former team, are still in the mix. ESPN’s Michael Rothstein adds that Lang met with the Lions today, noting that the lineman only lives 20 minutes from Allen Park. Rothstein believes the player’s physical “will be the key here.”
The 29-year-old is one of the more popular names in free agency. The three teams listed above consistently been connected to the lineman. The interest isn’t much of a surprise, as the guard has proven to be one of the Packers’ more reliable options. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2011, Lang has only missed five regular season games.
Pro Football Focus was particularly fond of his 2016 performance, despite the fact that he “only” played in 13 games. The website ranked Lang as the NFL’s eight-best guard, with his pass blocking skills being graded as elite.
Meanwhile, PFR ranked Lang as the second-best free agent interior lineman behind Kevin Zeitler. Zach Links predicted that the lineman would earn the 14th-highest contract this offseason.
Latavius Murray To Visit Seahawks
Running back Latavius Murray is set to visit the Seahawks, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Murray, 27, has spent his entire career in Oakland to date. Now, he could be an option for the Seahawks as they mull possibilities in the backfield. As reported earlier today, Jamaal Charles is also slated to meet with Seattle.
Murray averaged 4.0 yards per carry in each of his two seasons as the Raiders’ primary starter, a post he ascended to late in the 2014 season. While he rushed for 12 touchdowns in 2016, Murray saw Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington eat into his workload. He surpassed 1,000 yards in 2015 but rushed for only 788 last season.
The Raiders are interested in bringing him back as a free agent after he tests the market. Although Oakland has been connected to Adrian Peterson, the Silver and Black aren’t enamored at this point by adding the future Hall of Famer.
In other running back news, Cardinals free agent running back Chris Johnson intends to continue playing and will visit teams next week. It is unclear at this time whether a return to the Cardinals is in play.
Seahawks Sign Luke Joeckel
The Seahawks have signed former Jaguars offensive lineman Luke Joeckel to a one-year deal, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
The former second-overall pick had spent his entire four-year career with the Jaguars. The versatile offensive lineman started 30 games for the team between 2014 and 2015. However, he was limited to only four games in 2016 after undergoing knee surgery.
Joeckel’s ability to play both tackle and guard should be especially useful to Seattle. The team currently has four linemen (excluding centers) on their roster in George Fant, Mark Glowinski, Germain Ifedi, and Rees Odhiambo. Joeckel could reasonably slide in as the team’s starting right tackle.
Joeckel ranked 13th in our listing of the best available free agent interior offensive lineman.
FA Rumors: Charles, Hightower, Cutler, Bills
The latest free agency rumors from around the league:
- Jamaal Charles will visit the Seahawks next week, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. The Seahawks’ interest in Charles was first reported on Thursday morning. If he signs with Seattle, he’ll join Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise on the RB depth chart.
- A Dont’a Hightower/Patriots re-up remains on the table, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting (on Twitter) the parties remain in good communication about keeping Hightower in New England.
- The Jets‘ interest in Jay Cutler is being reciprocated by the veteran quarterback, Rapoport notes (on Twitter). The Bears released Cutler today after eight seasons.
- Malcolm Smith will receive a raise from the 49ers after his two years with the Raiders. Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets it’s a five-year, $26.5MM deal for the outside ‘backer, with $13MM guaranteed. This $5.3MM-AAV pact represents quite the bump from his $3.5MM deal in Oakland, one that didn’t come with rave reviews from the advanced metrics community.
- The Bills remain interested in retaining Lorenzo Alexander, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News tweets. The sides are continuing to work at completing a deal for the edge defender. Although the Bills are moving to a 4-3 scheme, Alexander — who thrived as a 3-4 outside ‘backer in the form of 12.5 sacks in 2016 — looks to still be part of their plans.
- It sounds like the Bills and Lions are in the lead for wide receiver Russell Shepard (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler). He could still wind up returning to the Buccaneers.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report.