Bucs Release Donald Penn
The Buccaneers announced that they have released offensive tackle Donald Penn, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. The move will help to make way for Anthony Collins.
Penn was set to earn $7.5MM in 2014, but as Over The Cap explains, the Bucs won’t be on the hook for much over the remaining two years of the contract. Cutting ties with the soon-to-be 31-year-old will leave Tampa Bay on the hook for about $1MM in dead money.
Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter) sees the Raiders and Redskins as logical landing spots for the veteran tackle.
Bucs, Anthony Collins Agree To Five-Year Deal
9:50am: Collins’ five-year contract with the Bucs is worth $6MM annually, for a total of $30MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. $15MM of that total is guaranteed, says Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
9:39am: The Buccaneers have agreed to sign Anthony Collins, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports (via Twitter) that it’s a five-year contract. We heard yesterday that Tampa Bay was pushing hard to land the left tackle, while another report suggested that Collins had narrowed his choices down to the Bucs, Bengals, and Panthers.
Having spent his first six NFL seasons in Cincinnati, Collins has never had an extended run as a full-time player, starting no more than seven games in any season for the Bengals. However, he was excellent in his 673 offensive snaps last season, never recording a negative grade in a game, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). If he can maintain that type of performance in full-time action, he could be one of the steals in this year’s tackle market.
It has been an incredibly busy couple days for the Buccaneers, who have also signed defensive end Michael Johnson, cornerback Alterraun Verner, and former Bears quarterback Josh McCown, among others. With Collins expected to play left tackle for the team, expect the Bucs to try to move Donald Penn, according to Stroud (via Twitter).
FA Rumors: Sanders, Tillman, Britt, Osgood
Emmanuel Sanders is a hot commodity and he has a full docket for the first week of free agency. After his visit with the Jaguars, he’s headed over to Tampa Bay to visit the Buccaneers, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Here are the latest free agent rumors..
- Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that Charles Tillman is unlikely to sign with the Buccaneers. There has been a great deal of talk over the last 24 hours about Tampa Bay pairing the former Bears corner with new acquisition Alterraun Verner.
- Four or five teams have interest in free agent wide receiver Kenny Britt, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The Redskins have been linked to the troubled athlete and Florio speculates that the Patriots could be interested as well.
- The 49ers want to bring back wide receiver Kassim Osgood, but they might not do so until they sign a cornerback and determine how much cap space they have left, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
- Quarterback Charlie Whitehurst is visiting the Titans on Thursday and there’s a real scenario where he could be team’s No. 2 quarterback this fall, Jim Wyatt of The Tennesseean tweets.
- Cornerback Walter Thurmond completed his visit with the Jaguars and he’s now spending time with Seahawks officials. His next stops will be Washington to visit the Redskins and Tampa Bay to visit the Buccaneers, tweets Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com.
- Agent Eugene Parker tells Roy Cummings of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter) that Bears free agent return man Devin Hester doesn’t have any visits scheduled yet.
Bucs, Panthers, Bengals In Mix For Collins
Free agent offensive tackle Anthony Collins is choosing between the Buccaneers, Panthers, and returning to the Bengals, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. According to Auman, all three teams’ offers for Collins include comparable money.
Collins, 28, has been linked to the Buccaneers since before the free agent period officially began, and was viewed by some observers as a near-lock to sign with Tampa Bay. However, the Bengals remain in the hunt to keep their own player, and the Panthers, in search of a replacement for the retiring Jordan Gross, are a surprise contender for Collins’ services.
Having spent his first six NFL seasons in Cincinnati, Collins has never had an extended run as a full-time player, starting no more than seven games in any season for the Bengals. However, he was excellent in his 673 offensive snaps last season, never recording a negative grade in a game, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). If he can maintain that type of performance in full-time action, he could be one of the steals in this year’s tackle market.
FA Visits: Woodley, Munnerlyn, Browner
Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie and head coach Dennis Allen were out to dinner with edge defenders LaMarr Woodley and Justin Tuck Wednesday night with the Raiders, and things are moving in the right direction with both players, says Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links). Here’s more from around the NFL on free agent visits:
- While it sounds as if Woodley’s meeting with the Raiders went well, the ex-Steeler is on his way to Tennessee to meet with the Titans today, tweets Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com.
- Panthers free agent cornerback Captain Munnerlyn visited the Vikings last night and also has appointments planned with the Jets and Buccaneers, tweets Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer.
- After reaching an agreement yesterday with ex-Buc Darrelle Revis, the Patriots will host another free agent cornerback for a visit today, according to Mark Ockerbloom of Fox 25 Boston, who tweets that Brandon Browner will meet with the team.
- Defensive lineman Anthony Spencer is visiting the Redskins, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News.
- The Panthers brought free agent defensive back Roman Harper in for a visit, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
- Free agent linebacker Darryl Sharpton is meeting with the Titans today, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- The Lions are hosting free agent safety James Ihedigbo for a visit, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, who notes (via Twitter) that Ihedigbo has a history with new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.
Latest On Darrelle Revis
The Buccaneers are cleaning house and earlier today they made star cornerback Darrelle Revis walk the plank. Here’s the very latest on Revis and his future…
- The talks between Revis and the Jets (mentioned below) were initiated by the cornerback’s side in an attempt to see if there was interest, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter)
Earlier updates:
- The Jets and Revis have been in touch about a possible reunion, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. According to Mehta, the cornerback would like to play for Rex Ryan again, and that interest is believed to be mutual, but it’s unclear if the team’s management and ownership would be fully on board as well.
- Buccaneers GM Jason Licht says “it came close a couple different times” when asked about a potential trade for Revis on NFL Network, tweets Ian Rapoport.
- A member of Revis’ camp is confident that he will end up on Patriots, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “It’s going to happen,” the source told Mehta.
- Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com (on Twitter) hears from a source that the Eagles are expected to make a play for Revis. Meanwhile, Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter) says Revis to the Eagles is not going to happen. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter) doesn’t see it happening with the Eagles since their scheme doesn’t require a shutdown CB.
WR Rumors: Sanders, Edelman, Tate
Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and defensive lineman Ziggy Hood are in town visiting the Jaguars, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida-Times Union. However, Sanders has other visits scheduled this week, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter) and Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) adds that the Jets are still a possibility.
- Sanders is set to visit with the Buccaneers following his visit with the Jaguars today, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
- The Ravens remain quite interested in free agent wide receiver Julian Edelman, tweets La Canfora. Meanwhile, the Patriots want him back and other teams are also in the mix.
- Golden Tate said the Jaguars, Jets, and the incumbent Seahawks were also interested in his services, tweets Mike Rothstein of ESPN. The former Seattle receiver landed with the Lions earlier today.
Buccaneers Sign Alterraun Verner
WEDNESDAY, 3:27pm: The Buccaneers tweeted that the deal is official.
TUESDAY, 8:25pm: The Buccaneers have agreed to terms with cornerback Alterraun Verner, tweets Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The contract is a four-year deal, worth $26.5MM with $14MM in guaranteed money, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Verner was the eighth best free agent available according to PFR’s own Luke Adams, and signed a very favorable deal compared to what other cornerbacks are expected to get in this market. Sam Shields signed a contract that could be worth $39MM to stay with the Packers earlier this offseason, and Aqib Talib, Vontae Davis, and Verner were all allegedly seeking contracts in the range of $8MM-$10MM per year.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that the Jets were never serious contenders for Verner’s services (via Twitter). The Giants and Vikings were also thought to be interested in the former Titan.
Buccaneers Release Darrelle Revis
2:50pm: The Buccaneers have officially announced the release of Revis. In a statement, GM Jason Licht cited the team’s “specific ideas regarding the best way to build this defense” as motivation for the move.
2:31pm: The Buccaneers are cutting star cornerback Darrelle Revis, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Tampa Bay had tried to trade Revis this week, but seemingly couldn’t find a suitable offer. If the team had kept the veteran corner beyond 3:00pm central time today, he would have been owed a $1.5MM roster bonus, and the Bucs would have owed New York a third-round pick rather than a fourth-rounder.
After missing 2012 with a torn ACL, Revis once again ascended to the top of Pro Football Focus’ cornerback rankings. While Bucs coach Lovie Smith has stated that Revis and his fondness for playing man-to-man coverage could fit in Tampa’s Cover-2 defense, the cornerback’s contract, which included a $16MM annual cap hit, ultimately proved untenable for a Bucs team that decided to use that money to add several other players. Because none of Revis’ cap hit was tied to prorated bonuses, Tampa Bay clears the entire $16MM from its books.
While no team was willing to give up a draft pick to acquire Revis at his previous salary, plenty of clubs are expected to express interest now that he’s an unrestricted free agent. The Patriots, who lost Aqib Talib, are one suitor to watch. One member of Revis’ camp told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News this afternoon that he thinks the cornerback will eventually land with the Patriots (Twitter link). A return to the Jets has also been viewed as a possibility.
Bucs Rumors: Tillman, Ginn, Joseph
The Buccaneers aren’t done yet. Even after signing Alterraun Verner yesterday to a four-year, $26.5MM pact and landing quarterback Josh McCown, Tampa Bay is still in on free agent cornerback Charles Tillman, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Tillman figures to have plenty of suitors around the NFL but the opportunity to reunite with former coach Lovie Smith might draw him to Tampa Bay. More on the Buccaneers..
- Along with the Ravens, the Buccaneers and Raiders could be a landing spot for free agent wide receiver Steve Smith, a source tells Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). Earlier today, Smith’s agent revealed that his client has played his last snap in Carolina.
- The Buccaneers confirmed that they are hosting free agent wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., writes Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com. Ginn, the ninth-overall pick in the 2007 draft, has made a name for himself in the return game. Ginn, 29 in April, averaged 12.2 yards per punt return in 2013 and 23.8 yards per kickoff return.
- Former Buccaneers guard Davin Joseph is visiting the Rams today, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of CBS Sports (on Twitter). Joseph saw time in all 16 games for Tampa Bay last season.