Contract Details: Texans, Weeden, Bills
A deeper look at some recent free agent deals:
- Quarterback Brandon Weeden‘s contract with the Texans is for one year at a rate of $880K. The deal includes $230K in guaranteed cash between $140K of his base being assured and a $90K signing bonus. Weeden has not seen the field since 2015 when he appeared in four games for Dallas and two for the Texans. The 34-year-old (35 in October) has a career 6-19 record.
- Linebacker Will Compton’s one-year deal with the Titans can be worth up to $2MM, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. The deal included a $250K signing bonus. As Keim notes, that’s a solid contract for Compton considering that shoulder and Lisfranc injuries held him back in 2017. With the Titans, he’ll have an opportunity to reassert himself and potentially start.
- The Bills’ contracts signed last week with cornerback Phillip Gaines and wide receiver/punt returner Kaelin Clay were both for one year at minimum salaries, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Gaines is not well regarded by the advanced metrics, but he was a pivotal reserve for Kansas City from 2014-2017 and started some games last year due to Steven Nelson‘s injury.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/3/18
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: CB C.J. Goodwin, RB Elijhaa Penny, DL Olsen Pierre, and OL John Wetzel (all ERFAs)
New York Jets
- Signed: TE Bucky Hodges
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: G Quinton Spain (RFA)
LB Will Compton Signs With Titans
Two weeks after hosting Will Compton on a visit, the Titans signed the free agent linebacker, Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline reports. It’s a one-year deal, per Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
A member of the Redskins’ linebacking corps for five seasons, Compton will now try to earn an inside spot with the Titans. Tennessee lost Avery Williamson in free agency, breaking up the longtime tandem of he and Wesley Woodyard.
Compton, who has started 33 games over the past four seasons, also visited the Bills during this free agency period. He will stay in a 3-4 defense, having played in that scheme throughout his career. The former undrafted free agent played in only nine games last season, which was cut short due to injury.
Woodyard and Williamson teamed up as starters for four seasons, so this will be a bit of an adjustment. Compton, who will be set for his age-29 season, was a full-time Redskins starter in 2016. He also started 10 games for the 2015 division champion Redskins. Shoulder and Lisfranc injuries plagued Compton in 2017, but the Titans look set to give the Nebraska product a shot at returning to a starting lineup.
Contract Details: Mathieu, Pamphile, Watson, Weeden
Some details on recent free agent deals (all links via Twitter):
- Tyrann Mathieu, S (Texans): $2MM base salary in 2018. $4.5MM signing bonus, $500K worth of per-game bonus (via Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com).
- Kevin Pamphile, OG (Titans): $1MM base salary, $400K guaranteed. $850K worth of incentives (via ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe).
- Ben Watson, TE (Saints): One year, $2MM. $645K signing bonus/guaranteed (via Nick Underhill of The Advocate).
- Marcus Sherels, CB/PR (Vikings): Worth $1.4MM, base salary $1.05MM. $250K signing bonus, $500K guaranteed, $100K workout bonus (via ESPN’s Ben Goessling).
NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero also has signing bonus/guarantee details on players who signed one-year deals: TE Levine Toilolo $400K (Lions), LB Pernell McPhee $350K (Redskins), QB Brandon Weeden $90K (Texans), CB Leon Hall $45K (Raiders).
Titans Outbid Other Suitors For Malcolm Butler
- Thanks to a video produced by Sports Illustrated, we have some insights into the offers received by cornerback Malcolm Butler before he agreed to sign with the Titans. Early on, the Bears pitched him on a three-year, $30MM deal while the Texans offered a one-year contract (value unknown). It seems that Tennessee greatly outbid the other suitors after signing him to a five-year, $61.25MM deal with $24MM fully guaranteed.
Titans Sign Xavier Su’a-Filo
The Titans announced they have signed free agent offensive guard Xavier Su’a-Filo. Sua’-Filo spent the previous four years of his NFL career with the Texans. 
[RELATED: Titans Extend GM Jon Robinson’s Contract]
Over the last two seasons, the 27-year-old has started in 31 of 32 regular seasons games for Houston. The advanced metrics have never been high on him, however, as Pro Football Focus has routinely rated him as one of the league’s lesser guards. In 2017, he was PFF’s third-worst qualified guard and ranked ahead of only Ethan Pocic (Seahawks) and Jeremy Vujnovich (Colts).
The Titans also built their offensive line depth this week by signing former Bucs lineman Kevin Pamphile. Josh Kline, Quinton Spain, Su’a-Filo, and Pamphile will all jockey for time, though Kline and Spain are the presumptive starters at guard.
Titans Extend GM Jon Robinson’s Contract
The Titans signed Mike Vrabel to a five-year deal this offseason to be their new head coach. Their GM, Jon Robinson, now has a deal to match. Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk tells Paul Kuharsky that she extended Robinson’s contract to take him through the 2022 campaign. 
“I’ve put them on schedule,” she joked.
The Titans hired Robinson in 2016 and the Titans have been on the right track since then. They have gone 18-14 under Robinson’s watch and they qualified for the playoffs in 2018, giving them their first postseason berth since 2008.
The Titans didn’t have the flashiest offseason in the NFL, but Robinson did make some moves of note. The Titans signed cornerback Malcolm Butler to a massive five-year, $61.25MM deal and also added fellow former Patriot Dion Lewis.
Titans Sign QB Blaine Gabbert
The Titans have agreed to sign quarterback Blaine Gabbert, the team announced. Terms of the deal are not yet known. 
Gabbert spent the last season with the Cardinals and wound up starting five games after injuries took Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton out of action. All in all, he completed just 55.6% of his passes for 1,006 yards with six touchdowns against six interceptions. He’ll now serve as Marcus Mariota‘s backstop in Tennessee.
The Titans released Matt Cassel earlier this month, putting them in the market for a reserve QB. Mariota has dealt with a broken leg and a hamstring issue in the last two seasons, so the Titans wanted an experienced insurance policy in the event that he goes down.
The Titans now roster three QBs in Mariota, Gabbert, and 2017 undrafted free agent Tyler Ferguson. In theory, they seem set at the position, but they could bring in some competition for the third spot on the QB depth chart between now and training camp.
Rams Are Favorites For Ndamukong Suh
The Rams are now the front-runners for free agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). While Suh has not officially ruled out the Titans or Saints, he seems to be focusing in on Los Angeles.
Suh has been linked to five clubs since being released by the Dolphins earlier this month. In addition to the Rams, Titans, and Saints, Suh also received an offer from the Jets, and that proposal was believed to have been the largest in terms of dollars. New York, however, rescinded their offer on Sunday, with owner Christopher Johnson indicating Suh “wasn’t in keeping with [the Jets’] long-term plans.” Suh was also scheduled to meet with the Raiders, but that visit was ultimately canceled.
Los Angeles uses a 3-4 scheme, meaning Suh would be moving away from a 4-3 defense for the first time in his career. The Titans and Jets also deploy 3-4 fronts, so working in a new look clearly doesn’t present an issue for Suh. With the Rams, Suh would play end opposite superstar Aaron Donald, providing the club with what would be the most feared defensive line in the NFL.
Suh is now 31 years old, but he’s still a dominant player: he managed 20.5 pressures and and 4.5 sacks from his defensive tackle position while grading as the NFL’s No. 5 interior defender in 2017, per Pro Football Focus. He’s also incredibly durable, as he hasn’t missed a single contest since 2012. Last season, Suh played a whopping 883 snaps, the second-most of any defensive tackle in the league.
At present, the Rams possess roughly $28MM in cap space, per Over the Cap, so they’ll have enough room to fit a hefty Suh salary on their 2018 books.
Mike Vrabel Works Out Houston QB Kyle Allen
- The Titans, along with the Cardinals, worked out former Houston quarterback Kyle Allen, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Wilson also reported that Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was in attendance for the workout of the former Texas A&M transfer.