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).
Bucs Release Michael Johnson
3:02pm: The Buccaneers have officially released Johnson, the team announced in a press release.
2:31pm: The Buccaneers continue to part ways with their top pickups from 2014’s free agent period. Having already cut quarterback Josh McCown and tackle Anthony Collins, the team is releasing defensive end Michael Johnson today, reports Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).
It was a year ago today that the Bucs signed Johnson to a five-year, $43.75MM contract to help solidify Tampa Bay’s defensive line. Like most Bucs, Johnson had an underwhelming 2014 campaign — he logged just four sacks, and Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s 53rd-best 4-3 defensive end, out of 59 qualified players (subscription required).
Johnson has never been a particularly dangerous pass rusher, outside of his 11.5-sack season in 2012, but even his usually strong run defense fell off last season, per PFF. By cutting him now, the Bucs will still carry $7MM in dead money, but will avoid having additional money become guaranteed. Per Over the Cap, Johnson’s guarantee would’ve increased by a total of $7MM if he had remained on the roster beyond this week. Tampa Bay clears $2MM in cap space with the move.
The Bengals, Johnson’s old team, are expected to have interest once he officially becomes available, and I expect they’ll have plenty of company. The 28-year-old will also have the opportunity to double-dip in free agency — his contract with the Bucs, which guaranteed some of his 2015 base salary, didn’t feature offsets, so he’ll receive that money on top of whatever he gets on a new deal.
East Rumors: Revis, Mariota, Washington
The Jets had a significantly higher offer on the table for cornerback Darrelle Revis than the Patriots did, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. Howe isn’t exactly sure of what the gap was, but the Pats apparently didn’t approach the five-year, $70MM pact that includes $39MM in guaranteed cash. Howe (link) was also told that the Patriots did not give Revis permission to explore his value from the competition before the official opening of free agency on Tuesday like they did with Browner. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC East..
- John Clayton of ESPN.com (on Twitter) is convinced that Washington will take quarterback Marcus Mariota if he falls to No. 5 overall.
- Sal Paolantonio of ESPN said on 97.5 The Fanatic that relative of Nick Foles relative said the quarterback is ecstatic to no longer be a member of the Eagles, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes. “I just talked to a member of Nick Foles’ family. He is absolutely pumped, overjoyed he’s out of Philly,” Paolantonio said. Foles is now a member of the Rams following Tuesday’s trade.
- New Washington defensive lineman Stephen Paea says the Lions, Broncos, and Buccaneers were also in the mix for his services, as John Keim of ESPN.com writes.
- When asked if the Bills ever considered cutting running back Fred Jackson, GM Doug Whaley flatly said “no,” Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Whaley also said that he does not have a framework of a deal with fullback Jerome Felton, Joe Buscaglia of WGR tweets.
- Earlier today, we rounded up the latest on Cowboys free agent running back DeMarco Murray.
FA Links: Forsett, Royal, Melton, Cameron
The latest free agent rumors on Day 1 …
- Justin Forsett will be Ravens‘ the primary backfield target after they cleared some cap room, Baltimore Sun reporter Aaron Wilson said via Twitter. The runner’s also drawn interest from the Falcons, Colts and Washington. The Colts’ signing Frank Gore today should limit their interest, however.
- Contrary to earlier reports, there is no agreement in place or visit scheduled between Eddie Royal and the Bears, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Michael Gehlken on Twitter.
- The Bucs set up three more visits, with the team set to bring in Henry Melton, Stefen Wisniewski and Bruce Carter, Sports Talk Florida’s Jenna Laine reports.
- The Browns remain interested in bringing Jordan Cameron back to be their tight end, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports on Twitter. But ex-Bengals veteran Jermaine Gresham‘s drawn interest from the eastern Ohio team as well. Despite not having a season like Cameron’s 80-catch, 917-yard 2013 on his resume, Gresham’s made two Pro Bowls. But he saw his yards per reception drop drastically to 7.4 last season.
- Leonard Hankerson will visit the Falcons tonight, Yahoo! Sports’ Rand Getlin tweets. Missing all but one game in 2014 to injury, Hankerson played for current Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan with Washington.
- Despite cutting Shelley Smith earlier today, the Dolphins aren’t dismissing the chance at bringing him back at a reduced cost, the Miami Herald’s Adam Beasley notes via Twitter. The Dolphins like backup tackle Billy Turner, however.
- The Cardinals will host center A.Q. Shipley, ESPN’s Adam Caplan said on Twitter. The Colts did not tender Shipley, their starting center in 2012 and 2014, a contract offer, sending him to the market.
FA Rumors: Carter, Helu, Gresham, McCain
Free agent linebacker Bruce Carter is drawing interest on the open market, and he’ll first visit the Buccaneers, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). If he doesn’t sign with Tampa, he’ll head to Houston to meet with the Texans, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Here’s more from the free agent front…
- The Buccaneers will meet with center Stefen Wisniewski, per Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). Tampa just signed center Evan Dietrich-Smith last offseason so Wisniewski could be viewed as a guard.
- Cornerback Tramon Williams will visit with the Saints tonight, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN. The veteran CB is wrighing a return to Green Bay and has also drawn other interest.
- Running back Roy Helu probably won’t be returning to Washington, per John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link), but he does have other suitors, including the Patriots, Raiders, and Jets (link).
- The Patriots are interested in another free agent running back, C.J. Spiller, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, but their interest isn’t considered serious.
- As we’ve heard earlier, the Raiders want to sign tight end Jermaine Gresham, Caplan (via Twitter) would be surprised if a deal doesn’t get done.
- The Vikings were hoping to meet with cornerback Brice McCain, but he’s meeting with a mystery team and taking a physical, reports Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
Derrick Morgan To Visit Falcons, Bucs
4:58pm: If Morgan leaves Atlanta without a contract, he’ll visit the Buccaneers next, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports.
4:26pm: With many of the big-name linebackers (including Pernell McPhee and Brandon Graham) signing new contracts, attention now switches to former first-round pick Derrick Morgan. According to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean (via Twitter), the 26-year-old is scheduled to meet with the Falcons.
The former Georgia Tech standout had his most productive season in 2014, establishing career-highs in tackles (63), sacks (6.5) and passes defended (seven). He received the second-highest rating among Titans defenders from Pro Football Focus, and he also ranked as the eighth-best 3-4 linebacker.
The Titans had reportedly been hoping to re-sign Morgan, but it was rumored that a half-dozen teams were also interested. He ranked 20th on Luke Adam’s list of the top-50 free agents.
Buccaneers Re-Sign Leonard Johnson
The Buccaneers will reportedly be keeping safety Major Wright, and it sounds like another member of the Tampa Bay secondary will be staying put. Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com reports (via Twitter) that the team will re-sign cornerback Leonard Johnson.
The former undrafted free agent out of Iowa State hasn’t missed a game since joining the Buccaneers in 2012. The 24-year-old started a career-low three games in 2014, but he still compiled 45 tackles, three passes defender and one interception. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) gave Johnson a negative rating for this performance this past season, but the cornerback still finished with a higher rating than some of his teammates, including defensive backs Johnthan Banks and Dashon Goldson.
Bucs Cut Anthony Collins
The latest example of March buyer’s remorse comes out of Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers released left tackle Anthony Collins, Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud tweets.
This comes less than a year after the Bucs signed Collins to a five-year deal worth $30MM.
Like about everything for the Bucs last year, Collins’ season there did not go well. A former fourth-round pick in 2008 and part-time starter with the Bengals, Collins missed time with injuries last year but rated as a low-end blocker when on the field, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Collins was the sixth-highest-paid player on the Bucs’ payroll and second-highest-paid offensive lineman behind only Logan Mankins. Collins’ release will cost the team $3MM in dead money while saving $3MM, according to OverTheCap.
Tender Updates: Tuesday
Today’s tender decisions:
- The Buccaneers have signed running back Bobby Rainey to a one-year tender worth $1.54MM, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs will now have right of first refusal if another club offers Rainey a deal.
- The Falcons chose not to tender an offer to restricted free agent Drew Davis, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reported. The wide receiver will now become an unrestricted free agent.
- The Packers elected not to tender new contracts to wide receiver Jarrett Boykin or running back DuJuan Harris, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Ravens didn’t tender an offer to cornerback Anthony Levine, who already has other teams interested in his services. He still might end up back in Baltimore, per Wilson.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets that the Patriots declined to make a qualifying offer to receiver Brian Tyms. He’s now a free agent. Further, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, the Pats also didn’t make an offer to Tyms’ fellow wideout Greg Orton.
- In other Pats news, Volin reports that the team made qualifying offers to fullback James Develin, defensive tackle Sealver Siliga and linebacker James Morris. All three will return to New England.
- The Texans tendered a contract to quarterback Case Keenum, according to the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain.
- The Vikings have opted to let go a pair of exclusive rights free agents, linebacker Dom DeCicco and offensive lineman Josh Samuda, per Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- Safety Michael Thomas will return to the Dolphins after signing his ERFA tender, tweets James Walker of ESPN.com.
- Green Bay issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
- The Packers have issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
- James Develin is returning to the Patriots after signing his exclusive rights tender, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets.
- The Colts announced that exclusive rights free agent outside linebacker Cam Johnson has signed his tender. Johnson was first acquired by the Colts in a trade with the 49ers in September of 2013.
- The Packers tendered RFA offensive lineman Don Barclay at the lowest level ($1.542MM), per agent Joe Linta (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
- The Vikings tendered a contract offer to restricted free agent offensive tackle Mike Harris, but their other RFA-eligible player, linebacker Dom DeCicco, didn’t get a tender, tweets Mark Craig of the Star Tribune.
Earlier updates:
- The Jaguars re-signed exclusive rights free agent tackle Austin Pasztor, tendering him a contract, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
- The Dolphins tendered defensive end Derrick Shelby with the second-round tender of $2.35MM, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. Shelby, 26, appeared in 15 games last season, recording 26 tackles and 3.0 sacks.
- The Bengals (on Twitter) extended a tender offer to cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris. Lewis-Harris, an ERFA, has appeared in 12 games for Cincy over the last three years.
- The Bengals will not extend a tender offer to defensive tackle Devon Still, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. However, the Bengals have offered Still a one-year deal and he’s mulling that over while also taking matters involving his family into account, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Packers have tendered safety Sean Richardson at the ROFR (right of first refusal rate) of one-year, $1.542MM, according to Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). That’s a sizable committment to Richardson, he adds.
FA Rumors: Orakpo, Rolle, Gilchrist, Conte
After also being linked to the Cardinals earlier today, Brian Orakpo will visit the Titans to start his first free agency foray, according to Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com on Twitter.
The Titans have more than $44MM in cap room, according to OverTheCap, and do not have much money currently allocated to their linebacking corps as free agency enters warp speed. Tennessee’s highest-paid linebacker is 3-4 inside man Wesley Woodyard, who signed with the Titans last year, with a $3.5MM number for this season.
An older first-time free agent who enters his age-29 season, Orakpo made more than triple that on the franchise tag for Washington last season before suffering a pectoral tear for the third time in his career, weakening the edge-rusher’s momentum.
In other news in the opening stage of real free agency …
- Antrel Rolle will visit the Bears, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus’ Twitter, but has no agreement in place. The Bears are the highest bidder for the 32-year-old free safety’s services, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright on Twitter.
- The player Rolle could be replacing in Chicago, 26-year-old Chris Conte, will visit the Buccaneers, ESPN Falcons reporter Vaughn McClure notes on Twitter. Conte was the fourth-worst safety Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded last year.
- More from the safety market: the Jets will host former Chargers back-line starter Marcus Gilchrist tonight, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Gilchrist started all 16 games for the Chargers the past two years.
- Kendrick Lewis and the Texans engaged in preliminary discussions on keeping the free safety in Houston, reports Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.
- Veteran defensive end Cory Redding announced (Twitter link) he intends to visit the Cardinals on Wednesday. Now 34, Redding started at least 14 games for the Colts the past three years.
- Chargers backup linebacker Andrew Gachkar has visits booked with two potential suitors, the Panthers and Vikings, notes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). The Vikings appear to be the frontrunner for Gachkar’s second contract, adds Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Twitter.