Titans To Re-Sign Kevin Pamphile
The Titans are re-signing offensive lineman Kevin Pamphile, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
The 28-year-old lineman signed with Tennessee last March, but his season ended early, as he was placed on IR in September. Still, he is one year removed from being a full-time starter with the Bucs, and his ability to line up at tackle or guard does make him an appealing depth option if nothing else.
Pamphile started two games at tackle for the Titans last season before succumbing to injury.
Contract Details: Joyner, Titans, Rams, Hart
Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed contracts from around the NFL. Twitter links courtesy of Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, unless otherwise noted.
- Lamarcus Joyner, S (Raiders): Four years, $42MM. $16.7MM in full guarantees — all due next week, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- Adam Humphries, WR (Titans): Four years, $36MM. 2019 salary of $12.5MM fully guaranteed. Beyond that, it’s a pay-as-you-go structure for Tennessee. Humphries is due base salaries of $7.5MM in 2020, $7.25MM in ’21 and $8.75MM in ’22, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter).
- Dante Fowler Jr., OLB (Rams): One year, $12MM fully guaranteed. Another $2MM is available through incentives (Twitter link).
- Bobby Hart, T (Bengals): Three years, $16.15MM. $7.4MM is coming Hart’s way in the first year of the deal. With incentives and escalators, the deal can reach a max value of $21.15MM (Twitter link).
- Shamar Stephen, DT (Vikings): Three years, $12.45MM. Stephen gets $5MM in the first year of the pact (Twitter link).
Titans To Sign Rodger Saffold
Former Rams offensive lineman Rodger Saffold will sign a four-year, $44MM deal with the Titans, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The deal will include $22.5MM guaranteed. 
Earlier today, the Rams hinted that Saffold would likely be heading elsewhere. In fact, he’ll be heading to the opposite side of the country on a lucrative new deal.
A 2010 St. Louis Rams second-round pick, Saffold has played his entire career with the Rams. The Rams ideally would have liked to keep him, but they were unable to match his outside offers in a so-so market for free agent guards. For Saffold, this is a phenomenal payday as he enters his age-31 season.
Saffold indicated he wanted to stay with the Rams, but this offer is certainly much bigger than his previous organization was willing to make. Saffold was the Rams’ longest-tenured player.
He started 111 games and was one of the anchors in Sean McVay‘s cutting-edge system, one that featured back-to-back Todd Gurley first-team All-Pro showings.
The Rams will now pivot to at least two new offensive line starters, with Saffold defecting and the team not picking up John Sullivan‘s option. Andrew Whitworth said he will return, and the Rams still have Austin Blythe and Rob Havenstein under contract. Third-round tackle Joseph Noteboom could move inside and replace Saffold, per Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic (subscription required).
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/11/19
Following a busy day around the NFL, here are today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: TE Codey McElroy
Detroit Lions
- Released: LB Trevor Bates
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: RB David Fluellen
Titans To Sign Adam Humphries
The Titans have agreed to terms with receiver Adam Humphries, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The receiver market is moving quickly, with Humphries being the latest wideout to sign.
Humphries isn’t a household name, but we’ve been hearing for a while now he was about to get paid big-time. All the reporting has been that Humphries was seeking around $10MM annually, and he came pretty close. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets that the deal is worth $36MM over four years. The Titans weren’t alone in bidding for Humphries’ services, as they faced stiff competition from the Patriots, a source told Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Russini writes that the Titans were in a bidding war “all day” with the Patriots before they eventually landed him.
In fact, Doug Kyed of NESN.com tweets that the Patriots upped their offer even after Humphries agreed to sign with Tennessee, and that the offer included a higher average annual value and more guaranteed money than Humphries will get from the Titans. However, Humphries never wavered in his decision to head to Nashville.
The slot receiver has been buried behind a ton of talented skill position players in Tampa Bay, but has shown plenty of flashes the past few years.He had the best year of his career last season, catching 76 passes for 816 yards and five touchdowns. The move makes a lot of sense for the Titans, who have been starved for receiver help. Tennessee has Corey Davis, but not much of note behind him in their receiving corp.
Humphries will be a huge asset for Marcus Mariota, and as Pelissero notes in his tweet, Humphries was one of the best receivers in the league on third down last year. The Clemson product went undrafted in 2015, but quickly proved all the evaluators wrong. He should have a chance to surpass his 816 yards from last year with a larger target-share in Tennessee.
Titans To Re-Sign Kenny Vaccaro
It appears the safety market is back on track. A key member from 2018’s mysterious market will receive a big raise.
The Titans and Kenny Vaccaro have reached an agreement to keep the former first-round pick in Tennessee long-term, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s a four-year, $26MM deal, per RapSheet, who adds this will come with $11.5MM guaranteed.
Vaccaro joined Tre Boston and Eric Reid, the latter being the centerpiece of last year’s slowdown, in having to wait months to land deals in 2018. The Titans swooped in and signed Vaccaro on the cheap before training camp, and with Reid having already re-signed to stay in Carolina, Vaccaro’s second team took similar action. Vaccaro’s deal comes in just north of Reid’s.
The former Saints five-year secondary piece started 13 games with the Titans last season. The safety/slot defender will be a part of Tennessee secondaries going forward, and while Landon Collins‘ Redskins deal will grab justified headlines, the seventh-year veteran’s re-up is a good sign for this year’s safety market.
NFC East Notes: Giants, Cowboys, Eagles
The Eagles did their due diligence on Antonio Brown before their in-state rival elected to ship him to Oakland, but Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com believes Philadelphia should “absolutely” pursue Brown’s soon-to-be former teammate, Le’Veon Bell. There have been rumors linking Bell to the Eagles this offseason, and Shorr-Parks sums it up thusly: “[T]he Eagles’ biggest need is running back. Bell is the best one available. They have the money to sign him, and they have a quarterback that needs him.”
The Brown saga appears to be wrapped up, and the Bell story will have a new chapter this week, when the talented back finds a new home. As we look ahead to free agency, let’s round up a few other NFC East items:
- The slot receiver market may be among the interesting to watch when free agency opens on Wednesday, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. Teams like the Cowboys, Redskins, and Eagles, who are expected to respectively lose Cole Beasley, Jamison Crowder, and Golden Tate, shouldb be in line to target new slot options. Additionally, clubs such as the Colts, Raiders, Lions, Titans, and Bills are also searching for inside weapons, per Garfolo.
- Given all of the needs they have, and their relatively modest amount of cap room, the Giants are likely to make a few ripples in the pool of free agent talent rather than a major splash, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post opines. The team needs to fortify a few positions (like strong safety and cornerback) so that they do not have to reach for a particular position in the draft.
- Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv lauds the Giants‘ return in the recent Olivier Vernon trade, but he wonders how it will impact the rest of the team’s offseason. For instance, although free agency is loaded with quality pass rushers, Big Blue will not able to afford even a second-tier option if it wants to adequately address all of its needs, and it now becomes more possible that the Giants will take a pass rusher with the No. 6 overall pick (which would certainly upset plenty of Giants fans if Kyler Murray or Dwayne Haskins is still on the board).
Titans RB Dion Lewis Not On Roster Bubble
There’s been some speculation that Titans running back Dion Lewis could be on the roster bubble, but it sounds like the veteran isn’t going anywhere. Veteran NFL reporters Paul Kuharsky tweets that Lewis is “not on any bubble” and is “on the roster without question.”
This isn’t overly surprising news, as the Titans inked Lewis to a four-year, $20MM deal last offseason. However, the “roster bubble” speculation wasn’t completely unfounded. Lewis saw a reduced role following the late-season emergence of Derrick Henry, and the Titans could save a chunk of money by letting go of Lewis. Specifically, the team could save $3.175MM by releasing him prior to March 17th.
On the flip side, Lewis provides running back depth and some much-needed passing-catching prowess. While his 2018 stats don’t match the numbers he compiled with the Patriots in 2017, the 28-year-old was still solid during his first season in Tennessee. In 16 games (seven starts), Lewis compiled 517 rushing yards and one touchdown, and he added a career-high 59 receptions for 400 yards and another touchdown.
If the team were to move on from Lewis, they’d still be left with plenty of running back depth. Outside of Henry, the Titans are also rostering Jeremy McNichols and Dalyn Dawkins, and ERFA David Fluellen is expected to return next season.
No Hard Deadline For Antonio Brown Trade?
Although previous reports have indicated the Steelers were planning to trade Antonio Brown by Friday, the club does not have a solid deadline in place to deal its superstar wideout, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link), who adds the Steelers are still discussing Brown with multiple clubs.
As of Thursday afternoon, no team was considered the favorite to land Brown, reports Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who also disputed that Pittsburgh is demanding a first-round pick in talks. However, a number of clubs may have begun to drop out of the running. The Redskins, Saints, Titans are all thought to be out on Brown, according to Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Tennessee “seriously contemplated” a trade for Brown, per Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com, but it doesn’t appear the Titans will land him.
Reading between the lines, it’s entirely possible the Steelers aren’t receiving offers they deem acceptable. A number of teams have been mentioned as possible suitors for Brown, but given that no favorite has emerged, it’s fair to wonder if Pittsburgh will need to lower its sights. The Steelers are motivated to move Brown before March 17, when he’s due a $2.5MM roster bonus.
Titans Sign P Brett Kern To Extension
The Titans have reached a long-term extension with punter Brett Kern, the club announced today. It’s a four-year worth $12.55MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who adds Kern will receive a $2.2MM signing bonus.
Kern had already been under contract for 2019, so his extension will keep him in Tennessee through the 2023 campaign. In terms of new money, Kern will now earn roughly $3.14MM per season, a slight bump over his previous annual average of $3MM. That annual salary will keep him at sixth place among punters in yearly pay.
Kern, 33, originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2008, spending parts of two seasons in Denver before being claimed off waivers by the Titans in 2009. He’s now been in Tennessee for more than a decade, and posted his best performances in recent years, earning a second-team All-Pro nod in 2017 and Pro Bowl berths in both 2017 and 2018.
Last year, Kern ranked eighth in the league with a 41.7-yard net punting average and dropped 39 punts inside his opponents’ 20-yard line, good for second in the NFL. According to Football Outsiders’ special teams metrics, the Titans’ punt unit as a whole ranked roughly average, finishing 15th in point of field position added.