WR Breshad Perriman Backs Out Of Browns Deal, Will Sign With Buccaneers
It sounds like Breshad Perriman has gotten his wish. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Browns general manager John Dorsey and agent Drew Rosenhaus “mutually agreed to not to follow through on verbal agreement.” Perriman will now sign a one-year, $4MM deal with the Buccaneers.
Perriman was set to re-sign with Cleveland on a one-year, $4MM deal. However, his role naturally changed following the Browns’s acquisition of Odell Beckham Jr., and subsequent reports indicated that the 25-year-old wanted out of his verbal commitment. The Browns apparently granted his wish, and the wideout will now be heading to Florida.
The former first-rounder disappointed during his tenure with the Ravens, but he showed some intrigue during his stint with the Browns. Perriman proceeded to play in 10 games (two starts) for Cleveland after joining the organization in October, hauling in 16 receptions for 340 yards and two touchdowns.
While targets may have been limited in Cleveland, Perriman should have an opportunity to establish a role in Tampa Bay. After trading DeSean Jackson and watching Adam Humphries sign with the Titans, the Bucs now lack depth behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
Cairo Santos To Re-Sign With Buccaneers
Cairo Santos will re-sign with the Buccaneers, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Greg Auman of The Athletic first reported that the two sides were nearing a deal, and Auman added that it is expected to be a one-year pact. (Twitter link).
The 27-year-old has bounced around the NFL since being waived by the Chiefs in 2017. Over the past year, Santos has had separate stints with the Jets, Rams, and Buccaneers. He joined Tampa in November following the release of Chandler Catanzaro, and the veteran proceeded to be a solid addition for his new squad.
In seven games, Santos connected on nine of his 12 field goal attempts, and he converted all 17 of his extra point tries. Santos completed at least 80-percent of his field goal attempts during his first three seasons in the NFL, and some stability may allow him to return to that level.
Buccaneers To Re-Sign Kevin Minter
The Buccaneers will re-sign linebacker Kevin Minter, as Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets. Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports that it’s a one-year deal for the seventh-year pro.
Minter joined the Bucs last October, and like fellow Tampa Bay signee Deone Bucannon, he will be reunited with head coach Bruce Arians. Minter played for Arians’ Cardinals from 2013-16 (Minter’s first four years in the league), and he had 175 total tackles during the 2015-16 seasons as a full-time starter.
Playing time has been more difficult to come by since then, but he may get a chance to fill the void left by Kwon Alexander, who agreed to sign with the 49ers.
Buccaneers Sign Bradley Pinion, Release Bryan Anger
The Buccaneers will release punter Bryan Anger, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Anger was the fourth highest-paid punter in the league and was due $3MM in 2019. There was no guaranteed money left on the five-year extension he signed at the end of 2016, so Tampa Bay will shave the full $3MM from its cap.
Tampa Bay will replace Anger with Bradley Pinion, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Pinion spent the first four years of his career with the 49ers after being selected by San Francisco in the fifth round of the 2015 draft.
Both Pinion and Anger were near the bottom of the league in terms of net yards per punt in 2018. Pinion was marginally more effective in pinning opponents inside their 20, but not demonstrably so. Neither player has received a Pro Bowl nod in their careers.
Buccaneers To Sign LB Deone Bucannon
Deone Bucannon and Bruce Arians will reunite in Tampa Bay. The sixth-year linebacker intends to sign with the Buccaneers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
This will be a one-year agreement, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter), which makes sense given Bucannon’s struggles during his platform year. The 2014 first-round pick finished as one of Pro Football Focus’ worst-graded linebackers last season, though he only played only 389 snaps in Steve Wilks‘ defense.
The Giants, who employ former Cardinals DC James Bettcher, showed interest in Bucannon, but the Bucs and their gang of ex-Cardinals staffers will attempt to rehabilitate Bucannon’s career.
Bucannon started his pro career as a hybrid linebacker/safety and offers strong coverage skills. Thanks in part to injury problems, he has not been able to replicate his 2015 breakout campaign, when he tallied 109 tackles, three sacks, and an interception. However, he is just 26, and he will attempt to reestablish himself in the middle of a Tampa Bay defense that is now without stalwart Kwon Alexander.
Buccaneers Re-Sign QB Ryan Griffin
While the status of Ryan Fitzpatrick is uncertain, the Buccaneers know who one of Jameis Winston‘s backups will be.
Ryan Griffin re-signed with the Bucs on a two-year deal. Griffin has been with the Bucs since the Lovie Smith regime, catching on via September 2015 waiver claim, but has yet to play a regular-season down. He will now work with Bruce Arians, his third Tampa Bay HC.
While he has not played beyond the preseason, Griffin has been on the past four Bucs active rosters. He spent time on the Saints’ active roster from 2013-14. The Bucs made Griffin their No. 2 quarterback near the end of last season, but Winston logged all the game snaps during those contests.
A Tulane product, Griffin is set to turn 30 this year. He has a chance to keep that backup job, but Arians may well prefer someone with more experience. Fitzpatrick is a free agent.
Extra Points: Mathieu, Texans, Bucs, Bennett, Bears
It sounds like the Texans tried to keep Tyrann Mathieu before he ultimately signed with the Chiefs. Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo tweets that Houston offered the safety a long-term deal that would have paid him around $9.5MM per season.
The reporter notes that the Texans and Chiefs were bidding for Mathieu until the end, and Houston’s final offer was close to Kansas City’s. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle writes that the organization was (and, presumably, is) “willing to spend liberally” on a veteran safety, and both general manager Brian Gaine and coach Bill O’Brien wanted to keep Mathieu.
The safety ended up inking a three years worth $42MM with the Chiefs. The Texans have reportedly shifted their focus to other safeties, including Earl Thomas.
Let’s take a look at some additional notes from around the NFL…
- Besides a safety, McClain notes that the Texans are also hunting for a pass-rushing “inside player.” The team could ultimately look towards the draft if nothing solidifies during free agency.
- The Buccaneers reached out to linebacker Deone Bucannon, reports Greg Auman of The Athletic (via Twitter). The 26-year-old had spent his entire career with the Cardinals, and he started all of his 41 games between 2015 and 2017. He took a bit of a step back in 2018, compiling 38 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 13 games (six starts). The linebacker played with new Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians during their stints in Arizona.
- Following the Patriots‘ acquisition of Michael Bennett, there were some rumblings that his brother, tight end Martellus Bennett, would come out of retirement and return to New England. However, the Patriots’ new acquisition poured some water on the rumors this evening, saying that the whispers of Martellus coming out of retirement were “fake news” (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). After winning a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2016, the tight end split the 2017 season between New England and Green Bay.
- The Bears are expecting a pair of defensive backs to go elsewhere this offseason. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes that safety Adrian Amos is “close to having a deal in place elsewhere,” and it sounds like the team is already eyeing potential replacements. Meanwhile, Biggs notes that cornerback Bryce Callahan won’t be back with the Bears after they signed veteran Buster Skrine.
- Before agreeing to a deal with the Broncos, safety Kareem Jackson was hoping he’d be back in Houston. However, the veteran didn’t receive a whole lot of interest from the Texans, leading to the player feeling “a little disrespected.” “They didn’t even approach me with an offer or any type of deal,” Jackson told Mark Berman of KRIV (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “Obviously, they didn’t want me back or whatever the case may be. I’m not really sure. My agent was never approached by anybody from the Texans organization, so I wasn’t offered a deal of any sort. I kind of feel a little disrespected to be honest about it. At the end of the day, no hard feelings. I had a great nine years here. This will always be home for me. I definitely appreciate all the memories and all the opportunities. I appreciate the fans and everything I was able to build here. I’ll always have love for Houston.”
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/11/19
Here are Monday’s moves involving restricted and exclusive-rights free agents:
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Packers: OLB Reggie Gilbert, WR Jake Kumerow, OL Lucas Patrick, TE Robert Tonyan (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
- Seahawks: DE Branden Jackson, S Shalom Luani, WR David Moore, LS Tyler Ott, G Jordan Simmons (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson, on Twitter)
RFAs
Tendered at second-round level:
- Colts: C Evan Boehm, S Matthias Farley (via CBS4’s Mike Chappell, on Twitter)
Tendered at original-round level:
- Texans: DL Brandon Dunn (per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, on Twitter)
Non-tendered:
- Buccaneers: CB De’Vante Harris (per Greg Auman of The Athletic, on Twitter)
- Colts: S Corey Moore (via Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star, on Twitter)
- Dolphins: C Jake Brendel (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald)
Bucs To Trade DeSean Jackson To Eagles
It looks like DeSean Jackson will return to the Eagles. They have reached an agreement with the Buccaneers to bring him back, Sirius XM’s Adam Caplan reports (on Twitter).
This comes shortly after Jackson indicated he would be headed elsewhere in 2019. The Eagles were the veteran deep threat’s return destination. The Bucs will receive a 2019 sixth-round pick for Jackson and will send the Eagles a 2020 seventh-rounder in the deal, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com.
Jackson played six seasons in Philadelphia, and it was the best stretch of his career. The 2008 second-round pick made three Pro Bowls as an Eagle, and although he performed well with the Redskins, he has not made a Pro Bowl since. This will be a major addition to the Eagles’ receiving corps, though, one that obviously looks quite different from the one he left. Zach Ertz remains, though, with a far bigger role than he had when Jackson was last in Philly.
One season remains on Jackson’s Bucs contract, at $10MM. The Eagles made several moves to create cap space in recent days, but that number is still high. It is possible an extension could bring that down, and Jeff McLane of Philly.com tweets an extension may well be in the cards.
Either way, this will be an upgrade for the Eagles, who have now acquired a new player for their deep-threat role in each of the past three offseasons, with Jackson following moves to land Torrey Smith (2017) and Mike Wallace. Even at 32, Jackson remains a more dangerous weapon than the Eagles’ recent two long-range targets.
Jackson did not click with Jameis Winston, his first Bucs season producing a career-low 13.4 yards per catch, but did do well with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Last season, D-Jax’s YPC figure ballooned back up to 18.9 — an NFL-best mark. Carson Wentz will now be throwing him passes, with the Eagles continuing to make splash moves to bolster their receiving corps.
This deprives Bruce Arians of a player he wanted back, though the Bucs are up against the cap. This trade does create $10MM in Bucs cap space. Tampa Bay still has Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate. But the team may be set to lose Adam Humphries as well. With Jackson also gone, the formidable Bucs aerial corps may need an addition at wideout after two years of having arguably the league’s deepest receiving corps.
Bucs’ DeSean Jackson Wants Out
DeSean Jackson is hoping to be traded to the Eagles or released by the Buccaneers, a source close to the wide receiver tells ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine (Twitter link). Ultimately, DJax is angling for a fresh new start.
The wide receiver also took to Instagram on Monday to bid farewell to the Tampa area:
“Tampa it was a great experience, but things didn’t work out !! Looking forward to my next destination .. 👀 👀 Stay Tuned,” Jackson wrote.
Jackson, 32, made a lot of noise about wanting out of Tampa Bay during the season and, apparently, the hiring of Bruce Arians hasn’t swayed him. As it stands, Jackson is due $10MM in 2019, but the remainder of his contract is completely non-guaranteed.
There’s no real word on whether the Eagles would welcome a DJax reunion, but it stands to reason that they will want him back in order to fill their deep threat void. Last year, Jackson averaged a league-leading 18.9 yards per reception.
The Bucs, meanwhile, intend to keep Jackson, so this saga is far from over.