Titans To Re-Sign Mookie Johnson
WEDNESDAY, 4:57pm: Johnson’s two-year deal is worth $2.35MM, with a modest $175K signing bonus, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, who adds a couple more contract details via Twitter.
TUESDAY, 6:16pm: The Titans have agreed to re-sign defensive tackle Antonio “Mookie” Johnson to a two-year deal, tweets Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. It was a priority for Tennessee to lock Johnson down for 2014 and beyond and it sounds like they’ve accomplished that tonight.
Johnson, 29, was originally drafted by the Titans in the fifth round of the 2007 draft but things didn’t work out due to injuries. Last spring, Johnson signed with the Titans, reuniting him with the organization. In 16 games (six starts) last season, Johnson recorded 15 tackles and a career-high three sacks.
Marc Mariani, Titans Agree To One-Year Deal
The Titans have agreed to terms with wide receiver and return man Marc Mariani on a one-year contract, the team announced today in a press release.
Mariani, 26, missed the entire 2012 season after breaking the tibula and fibula in his left leg and spent the entire 2013 season on Tennessee’s injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury in training camp. Still, he flashed plenty of promise during his first two seasons with the club, returning two punts and one kick for touchdowns in 2010 and 2011. During his rookie season in ’10, he earned a Pro Bowl spot as a return specialist.
The Chargers hosted Mariani for a visit this week, but the Titans had always maintained interest in bringing him back. Still, it’s not clear what Mariani’s role on the 2014 roster will be, with return men Dexter McCluster and Leon Washington also under contract.
Michael Vick Rumors: Wednesday
A pair of reports shortly after free agency opened last week suggested that Michael Vick intended to be patient with the process, perhaps even waiting until after May’s draft to sign with a team. However, it appears now that the veteran signal-caller will make his decision sooner than that. Here’s the latest on Vick, arguably the top quarterback remaining on the market:
- Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean doesn’t think Vick is an option for the Titans, as he expresses pretty strongly in a tweet.
- Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) confirms that Vick’s visit with the Jets will happen on Friday. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), Vick seems to fit the bill of what the Jets brass is looking for in a No. 2 quarterback: A veteran that can push Geno Smith and is capable of winning games when called upon.
Earlier updates:
- Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter link) is getting the impression that Vick may not be exclusively seeking a starting job anymore.
- Vick plans to visit the Jets this weekend, a source tells Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. It will be his first visit, and if all goes well, it may end up being his last, as Shorr-Parks writes. The Jets may face some pressure to land a free agent after missing out on several other targets, while Vick may not be handed the starting job he seeks in New York, but would probably have a chance to compete with Geno Smith.
- According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there are indications that Vick may be moving toward making a decision. The Vikings, Jaguars, and Buccaneers are likely no longer options for Vick, having signed veteran QBs of their own. But the Jets and Bills, as well as teams with potential injury concerns like the Panthers, could be in the mix. Florio also identifies the Titans as a potential dark horse, with Jake Locker still recovering from foot surgery.
Titans Release Rob Bironas
12:28pm: The Titans have confirmed Bironas’ release (via Twitter).
12:18pm: The Titans will be releasing veteran kicker Rob Bironas today, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). According to Wyatt (via Twitter), the club wants to get younger at the position and create competition. Maikon Bonani, who signed a futures contract with the team at the end of the regular season, is among the candidates in the mix for the 2014 job.
Bironas, 36, converted 25 of 29 field goals for the Titans in 2013, along with all 41 of his extra-point tries. However, Wyatt suggests (via Twitter) that the team was concerned with his declining performance on kickoffs. Bironas’ $3.875MM cap number probably played a significant part in the decision as well, as Tennessee can reduce to that figure to just 750K in dead money by cutting him.
The longtime Titan, who racked up 1,032 points during his nine seasons with the franchise, will join an underwhelming group of free agent kickers that also includes David Akers, Rian Lindell, and Lawrence Tynes.
Contract Details: DRC, Hauschka, Edelman
We’ve got plenty more contract details to round up, so let’s dive right in….
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and Albert Breer of the NFL Network pass along several key details on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie‘s contract with the Giants, which seems to include $12MM in fully guaranteed money, and a little more in salary guaranteed for injury only. Here are the relevant Twitter links to read up on all the specifics.
- Wilson also shares the specifics on Steven Hauschka‘s three-year contract with the Seahawks (Twitter link), Walter Thurmond‘s one-year deal with the Giants (Twitter link), and Dane Fletcher‘s one-year deal with the Bucs (Twitter link).
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has been doing a great job all week getting finalized contract details up in his database, and he passed along several new entries today. Among them: The Raiders‘ two-year deals for LaMarr Woodley and Justin Tuck, the Eagles‘ extension for Darren Sproles, and the Saints‘ five-year pact with Zach Strief.
- Julian Edelman received a $5MM signing bonus from the Patriots on his new contract, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
- John Keim of ESPN.com has the details on Santana Moss‘ minimum salary benefit contract and Clifton Geathers‘ two-year deal with the Redskins.
- Although Michael Oher‘s four-year deal with the Titans was initially reported as including $9.5MM in guaranteed money, it’s actually a little less than that, and only $6MM is fully guaranteed, with another $3.35MM guaranteed for injury only. Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com has the details.
- Emmanuel Sanders‘ three-year, $15MM contract with the Broncos features $6MM in guaranteed money and cap hits of $6MM (2014), $4MM (2015), and $5MM (2016), tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
- Updating his earlier report on Charles Tillman‘s contract with the Bears, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets that the deal includes $150K in performance incentives (based on total interceptions), so it could max out at $3.4MM instead of $3.25MM.
- Frank Zombo‘s two-year deal with the Chiefs is worth $1.6MM and includes a $100K signing bonus, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. A minimum-salary deal for Zombo with a $100K bonus would work out to $1.575MM, so either that $1.6MM figure is rounded up, or the linebacker received slightly more than the minimum.
Free Agency Notes: Visits, Jaguars, Patriots
A couple of notes from around the NFL to distract on this Selection Sunday…
- Defensive end Alex Carrington will be visiting the Raiders and the Rams, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- The Steelers will host receiver Lance Moore on Tuesday, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Moore was released by the Saints more than a week ago.
- The Jaguars still need to add an offensive lineman and are looking for depth at receiver, writes Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com.
- Having lost both Dane Fletcher and Brandon Spikes, the Patriots depth at linebacker is getting thin, opines Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com. Jerod Mayo, Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower were the only linebackers on the current roster to have played more than a single defensive snap last season and because of that, Yates thinks the team should consider bringing in more depth either through the draft or free agency.
- Michael Oher‘s new contract with the Titans is “scary,” says Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Oher signed a four-year, $20MM deal earlier this weekend.
- The Colts may need to cut a receiver after adding Hakeem Nicks, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. Wells believes the competition for the fifth receiver will be between Griff Whalen and LaVon Brazill.
Titans To Sign Michael Oher
Michael Oher and the Titans have agreed to a contract that will bring the offensive tackle to Tennessee, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN. The four-year deal is worth $20MM, with $9.5MM in guaranteed money.
The former Raven was expendable after Eugene Monroe signed an extension with the team. Oher has had ups and downs in Baltimore, but has shown the ability to play both right and left tackle.
Titans Notes: Verner, Woodyard, Stewart
New Buccaneer Alterraun Verner spoke earlier about his decision to leave the Titans earlier today, saying he felt undervalued by the team, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.
“I think it’s very tough because there’s a lot of changeover, new coaches and everything like that,” Verner said. “At times, I felt that I could have been undervalued or maybe not appreciated enough.”
He said the Titans offered him a contract close to what he got in Tampa Bay, but the decision was not solely about the money.
- Details of Wesley Woodyard‘s new contract with the Titanns have been released, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). The $16MM contract includes $4.75MM in guaranteed money.
- Wyatt also reported that the team’s former right tackle David Stewart is unlikely to continue his career (via Twitter). Stewart was released earlier in the week.
- Chris Johnson has become more willing to take a pay cut if it helps the Titans to trade him, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. It is unclear if teams would be interested in the 28-year-old running back.
Titans Release Ryan Fitzpatrick
2:25pm: The Titans have officially informed Fitzpatrick he has been released, says Wyatt (via Twitter).
2:09pm: The Titans are expected to release Ryan Fitzpatrick today, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). The veteran signal-caller has a $500K roster bonus due on the fifth day of the league year, so the team figures to part ways with him before paying that bonus.
Fitzpatrick’s release had been viewed as a possibility this offseason, and his fate was likely sealed when the team agreed to sign Charlie Whitehurst this week. Whitehurst, the former Chargers backup, looks poised to enter the 2014 season as Jake Locker‘s primary backup.
As for Fitzpatrick, releasing him would create $3.25MM in cap savings for the Titans, leaving just $875K of his $4.125MM cap number on the books in dead money. He’ll immediately becoming an unrestricted free agent when the move becomes official, and given the lack of top-tier options on this year’s market, it may not take him long to find a new job — Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link) thinks Fitzpatrick could have a new deal in place within the next few days.
Wesley Woodyard To Sign With Titans
Wesley Woodyard has decided on a team, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN, who tweets that the linebacker just told her he’ll sign with the Titans. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to a four-year deal worth up to $16MM. Woodyard had met with the Patriots earlier this week before visiting the Titans.
Woodyard, who spent the first six seasons of his career in Denver, started 24 games over the course of the last two years with the Broncos. In those two seasons as a full-time player, the 27-year-old recorded a slightly below-average grade, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, but logged seven total sacks, forced three fumbles, and averaged over 100 tackles per season.
Linebacker had been an area of focus for the Titans this offseason, as the team had interest in Darryl Sharpton and LaMarr Woodley before those players agreed to sign elsewhere. Akeem Jordan is also visiting the Titans today.