Latest On Ndamukong Suh
Free agent DT Ndamukong Suh left New Orleans without a contract and met with the Titans last night, per Jordan Schultz of Yahoo! Sports, who adds that his dinner with Tennessee brass went well past midnight (Twitter links). Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets that the door is not closed on a Suh-Saints marriage, as the visit with New Orleans was always intended to be a feeling-out session rather than an all-out recruiting mission. Indeed, as Schultz notes in a separate tweet, Suh has expressed his desire to take his time and evaluate his numerous options with his family. 
Nonetheless, the fact that the Titans have parted with Karl Klug and Sylvester Williams over the past several days could be a sign that they are optimistic about landing Suh when he comes to Nashville. Of course, if Suh really does plan to take his time and visit other, as-yet-unnamed clubs — which we heard when the Tennessee visit was reported earlier this week — then it could take awhile before we know where Suh will be suiting up in 2018.
Florida Football Insiders, in a purely speculative piece, also names the Patriots as a potential landing spot for the three-time All-Pro. The Pats have a little bit of money to spend, and if they can acquire Suh on a one-year pact — much like they did with Darrelle Revis in 2014 — they may jump on the opportunity. FFI suggests that a one-year, “prove-it” contract might be in Suh’s best interest, and if he goes that route, New England could certainly get involved.
The Seahawks and Cowboys have also expressed interest in Suh, and Schultz tweets that Suh and Seattle head coach Pete Carroll have had two positive telephone conversations this week. The two men share a great deal of mutual respect, and Suh wants to visit the Seahawks.
The 31-year-old Suh may be getting older, but he’s still plenty productive. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 interior defensive lineman in the NFL in 2017, and he finished the season with 48 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Titans Release DT Sylvester Williams
Sylvester Williams‘s stint with the Titans has ended after one season. Paul Kuharsky tweets that Tennessee will release the defensive tackle. The reporter notes that the move will save the team $3.67MM while leaving $666K in dead cap.
Despite the move, Williams is still optimistic about his future in the NFL.
“I believe in myself,” Williams told ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe (Twitter link). “My best football is ahead of me.”
Williams signed a three-year deal with the Titans last offseason. The former first-round pick never lived up to his expectations during his time with the Broncos, and it was more of the same during his tenure in Tennessee. The 29-year-old finished the 2017 season with 20 tackles and zero sacks in 15 games (11 starts). Despite his underwhelming numbers, Williams was still rated as a middle-of-the-road interior defender by Pro Football Focus, ranking 67th among 122 candidates.
The move leaves the Titans with only one defensive tackle on their roster in Antwaun Woods.
AFC Notes: Kaepernick, Texans, Titans
When Colin Kaepernick‘s choice to work out in Houston this week raised some eyebrows in the football world. We now know why he was in town. Texans owner Bob McNair was deposed on Friday in Kaepernick’s collusion lawsuit against the NFL and Kaepernick sat in on the deposition, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
Kaepernick, who was ranked as one of my ten best available quarterbacks before the start of free agency, has yet to receive any bites from teams as he continues his legal proceedings against the NFL.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- The Titans are after Ndamukong Suh and that could lead to a shakeup on the defensive line, as veteran NFL reporter Paul Kuharsky notes (on Twitter). The nose tackle is set to carry a $5MM base salary in 2018 and $2.5MM of that sum becomes fully guaranteed on Sunday. Williams would not only be redundant in the event of Suh signing – he’d also be taking of cap space that may need to be allocated for the former Dolphin.
- Free agent offensive tackle Matt Tobin met with the Patriots on Friday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Broncos are working on re-signing free agent offensive lineman Billy Turner, sources tell Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter).
Titans Release DL Karl Klug
The Titans announced that they have released defensive lineman Karl Klug. Klug, one of the longest tenured players on the Titans’ roster, had been with the team since entering the league as a fifth-round pick in 2011. 
“I really appreciate all that Karl gave to this team in his seven seasons with the Titans. He is a tireless worker, and his passion for football showed in how he prepared for and played the game. I know all of us who worked with him here wish him and his family the best moving forward,” Titans GM Jon Robinson said in a press release.
Klug’s NFL career started strong with seven sacks in his rookie campaign. The production didn’t stay at that level, however, and his role on the team has fluctuated over the years. In the last four seasons, Klug has started just two games.
This year, Klug was slated to count for $2.484MM against the Titans’ cap. None of that money was guaranteed, however, so there will be no dead money for Tennessee. Klug will turn 30 on Mar. 31.
This week, the Titans re-signed a pair of their own defensive linemen in DaQuan Jones and David King. They’re also interested in signing Ndamukong Suh.
Contract Details: Lotulelei, Bradham, Lewis
Let’s take a look at the details from the latest contracts signed in the NFL:
- Star Lotulelei, DT (Bills): Five years, $50MM. $18.5MM guaranteed. $33.5MM over first three seasons (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com).
- Nigel Bradham, LB (Eagles): Five years, $40MM. $14MM guaranteed. $5MM signing bonus. Eagles have team options for 2020-22 seasons (Twitter link via Sheil Kapadia of the Athletic).
- Dion Lewis, RB (Titans): Four years, $19.8MM. $4.25MM guaranteed. $2.25MM signing bonus. Max value of $22.3MM (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe).
- Kareem Martin, LB (Giants): Three years, $15MM. $7.25MM guaranteed. $3MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Patrick Omameh, G (Giants): Three years, $15MM. $5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com).
- Keith Tandy, S (Buccaneers): Two years, $2.74MM. $600K guaranteed (Twitter link via Howard Balzer).
- Kenny Wiggins, OL (Lions): Two years, $5MM. $750K guaranteed. $750K signing bonus (story via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
- Kevin Huber, P (Bengals): Three years, $7.95MM. $1.55MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Wilson).
Titans To Meet With Ndamukong Suh
The Titans plan to host free agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). We learned earlier today that the 31-year-old was set to meet with the Saints, and Rapoport notes that Suh is expected to take more visits, as well.
Suh was released on Wednesday, clearing the way for teams to sign him. The defensive tackle was in the midst of a six-year, $114MM contract before he was let go by Miami. The free agent has already generated plenty of interest on the open market. Besides the Titans and Saints, the Cowboys and Seahawks have also expressed interested in Suh.
The 31-year-old may be getting older, but he’s still plenty productive. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 interior defensive lineman in the NFL in 2017. The 31-year-old had a another impressive campaign numbers-wise, as he finished the season with 48 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Suh would presumably slide into the team’s starting lineup, displacing projected starter Sylvester Williams. The team could use some depth at the position, as Antwaun Woods is the only other defensive tackle on the roster.
Contract Details: McCarron, Green, Jones, Bushrod, Davis
Let’s take a look at the details from the latest contracts signed in the NFL, with all links going to Twitter unless otherwise noted:
- A.J. McCarron, QB (Bills): Two years, $10MM. $3MM in 2018, $7MM in 2019. $1.1MM of ’19 salary guaranteed for injury. 2019 salary fully guaranteed on Day 5 of 2019 league year. Bills would incur $2MM dead-money charge by cutting McCarron after one season (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
- DaQuan Jones, DE (Titans): Three years, $21MM, $14MM fully guaranteed at signing. $6MM base salary for 2019 fully guaranteed (per Caplan).
- Virgil Green, TE (Chargers): Three years, $8.6MM, $5.9MM fully guaranteed, which covers the first two years of this deal (per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, on Twitter).
- Cody Davis, S (Jaguars): Two years, $5MM, $2.5MM fully guaranteed. Deal contains option bonus due 22 days before the start of the 2019 league year (via Caplan).
- Jermon Bushrod, OL (Saints): One-year deal (via Herbie Teope of NOLA.com)
Butler Was Worried SB Benching Would Impact Free Agency
- New Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler said he was worried his Super Bowl benching would hurt his value on the open market, USA Today’s Lindsay Jones tweets. Butler notoriously didn’t see the field against the Eagles in February when the Patriots allowed Nick Foles to shred their secondary. The 2015 Pro Bowl selection reached a deal with the Titans on Wednesday worth up to $61 MM over five years, with $30 MM of that being guaranteed.
[SOURCE LINK]
Titans, Dolphins Interested In QB Chad Henne
Quarterback Chad Henne is set to meet with the Titans, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The Dolphins have also expressed interest in the veteran signal-caller, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).
Signing with Miami would be a bit of a homecoming for the 32-year-old, who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Dolphins. Henne has spent the past six years with the Jaguars, where he’s started 22 games. The veteran hasn’t seen the field much recently, as he’s only appeared in six games since 2014. The last time Henne saw consistent playing time was 2013, when he completed 60.6% of his passes for 3,241 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
Both the Titans and Dolphins would presumably be eyeing Henne for a backup role. Tennessee is currently rolling with Tyler Ferguson as the backup to Marcus Mariota, while Miami is rostering Brandon Doughty behind Ryan Tannehill.
Titans To Re-Sign DL DaQuan Jones
The Titans are re-signing defensive lineman DaQuan Jones, according to Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post (on Twitter). It’s a multi-year deal, but the exact terms are not yet known.
Jones, valued for his strong run defense, was also being chased by the Jets.
The 26-year-old enjoyed the best season of his career in 2017. He totaled 31 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 12 games before suffering a season-ending biceps tear. Prior to that injury, he started 44 consecutive games over three seasons.
With Jones on the defensive front, the Titans allowed just 88.8 yards per game on the ground, the fourth-best mark in the league, and surrendered the fewest rushing touchdowns in the NFL with five.
The fourth-year defensive lineman was not the only member up front re-signed to the Titans’ defense. Earlier in the day, Tennessee signed David King to a one-year deal.
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