Patriots Re-Sign QB Cam Newton
2:17pm: Newton’s contract marks a raise from his 2020 Patriots pact, but incentives comprise much of the deal. The former MVP passer’s accord carries a $5MM base value, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. This includes a $2MM signing bonus and $1.5MM guaranteed. The deal also contains $1.5MM in per-game roster bonuses, per Garafolo, who adds the other $9MM is tied to incentives.
9:45am: The Patriots will re-sign quarterback Cam Newton to a one-year deal, as ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The new deal could be “worth close to” $14MM, though the details of the deal are unclear. 
Newton’s new contract will not preclude the Patriots from adding another quarterback this offseason, Schefter hears. From the sound of it, Newton’s base value is rather low, making this yet another low-risk/high-reward pact for the Patriots.
Newton joined the Patriots last offseason to replace Tom Brady. Starting in 15 games, Newton threw for 2,657 yards while completing 65.8% of his throws — more accurate than most of his NFL seasons. Unfortunately, he also threw for just eight touchdowns against ten interceptions.
Newton started strong, but the former MVP dovetailed later in the year. His COVID-19 interruption didn’t help matters; nor did injuries to Julian Edelman, David Andrews, and Rex Burkhead. All in all, Newton went 7-8 as a starter and the Patriots finished 7-9.
Still, Bill Belichick reportedly loved coaching Newton. Despite concerns about his arm strength and his long-term health, the Patriots were happy to re-up Newton for another low-cost season.
Bears To Extend P Pat O’Donnell
The Bears will ensure punter continuity remains in 2021. They agreed to terms with longtime specialist Pat O’Donnell on Friday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
Unlike O’Donnell’s 2019 pact, this is a one-year deal. The Bears have retained Cairo Santos and now O’Donnell on back-to-back days.
While Chicago went through a rather publicized kicker rough patch, the team has not had similar issues at punter. O’Donnell arrived as a 2014 sixth-round pick and has maintained his job since Week 1 of his rookie season. The 45.7 yards per punt O’Donnell averaged last season marked his best since the 2017 season.
O’Donnell, now 30, played on a two-year, $3.5MM contract previously. He also signed a one-year deal that covered the 2018 season. This will be his fourth Bears accord.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/12/21
The restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decision deadline is fast approaching. Some teams are already making their calls in advance of March 17. We’ll keep tabs on the latest here:
RFAs
Non-tendered:
- Cardinals: WR Trent Sherfield
- Chargers: TE Stephen Anderson
- Seahawks: G Jordan Simmons
- Washington Football Team: CB Danny Johnson
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Chargers: T Tyree St. Louis
- 49ers: OL Daniel Brunskill
- Seahawks: DB Ryan Neal
49ers, CB Emmanuel Moseley Agree To Deal
Needing to make several moves at cornerback, the 49ers are starting that effort Friday. They reached an extension agreement to keep restricted free agent-to-be Emmanuel Moseley in the fold.
The 49ers and Moseley agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $10.1MM, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Putting off Moseley’s unrestricted free agency bid by a year, this deal will keep the former UDFA tied to San Francisco through the 2022 season.
Moseley broke through as a key player for the 49ers during their 2019 NFC championship season. He has started 17 games over the past two years, filling in for the likes of Ahkello Witherspoon and Richard Sherman. Moseley replaced Witherspoon down the stretch of San Francisco’s Super Bowl slate, starting in Super Bowl LIV. Pro Football Focus graded Moseley as a top-35 corner in 2019 but offered a worse assessment of his 2020 play, slotting him outside the top 70 at the position. But the 49ers will keep him around at a position that will see some changes going into the 2021 season.
Sherman, Witherspoon, Jason Verrett and slot corner K’Waun Williams are all on the cusp of unrestricted free agency. The 49ers are not expected to bring Sherman back.
Steelers Bring Back OL B.J. Finney
Almost a year after allowing B.J. Finney to defect to the Seahawks in free agency, the Steelers are bringing him back on a one-year deal. They reached an agreement to re-sign the veteran interior offensive lineman Friday.
Finney played the first four years of his career in Pittsburgh but bounced around in 2020. The Seahawks signed him to a two-year deal but traded him to the Bengals for Carlos Dunlap. The Bengals made him a cap casualty recently.
The Steelers acquired Finney as a UDFA previously and used him as a backup and part-time starter at center and guard from 2016-19. Finney made 13 starts for those Steelers teams and parlayed that spot duty into a two-year, $8MM Seahawks pact. He did not start any games with Seattle and Cincinnati.
Returning ahead of his age-30 season, Finney should help a Steelers team that saw 11-year center starter Maurkice Pouncey retire this offseason. That move came a year after longtime guard Ramon Foster exited the NFL. Finney profiles as a low-cost addition who could play a bigger role than he previously did in Pittsburgh.
Texans To Re-Sign Vernon Hargreaves
Vernon Hargreaves is staying put. On Friday, the Texans re-signed the cornerback to a new one-year deal (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). 
The Texans claimed Hargreaves off waivers from the Bucs last year in a low-risk move to fortify their secondary. Then, they re-signed the former first-round pick on a one-year, $1.325MM deal. He went on to start in all 16 of his games while registering 72 stops, seven passes defensed, and one interception. However, the advanced metrics weren’t fond of his work — Pro Football Focus ranked him near the bottom at cornerback, out of 126 qualified NFL corners.
After allowing ~400 yards per game and parting ways with several key veterans, the Texans still have lots of work to do. Hargreaves would probably be a better fit as a rotational piece, but the Texans’ rebuild could put him back in the starting lineup for 2021.
Chargers Release Trai Turner
The Chargers have officially released Trai Turner (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Chargers were unable to find a suitable trade for the Pro Bowl guard. Instead, they’ll release him outright to save ~$11MM against the salary cap.
The Bolts acquired Turner from the Panthers last year, in exchange for sent Russell Okung. When the Bolts acquired him, Turner was hot off of five straight Pro Bowl appearances and just graded out as the No. 31-ranked guard in the league, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. Plus, there was the hope that he could get back to his best work. In 2015 – his coming-out party – he ranked as one of the game’s very best.
Turner was set enter the final season of the four-year, $45MM pact he signed with the Panthers. The decorated blocker missed much of his Bolts debut season, playing in just nine games. Knee and groin injuries led to Turner missing most of the season’s first half.
He will join a host of talented offensive linemen as cap casualties leading up to free agency, a list that includes longtime guard starters Kevin Zeitler and Gabe Jackson. With his age-28 season still ahead, Turner should generate interest on the open market.
Featuring veteran-laden offensive line after last year’s free agency period, Los Angeles now has some key holes up front. Mike Pouncey‘s retirement and the Turner move will give the Chargers some work to do in free agency and the draft.
Bills Re-Sign Daryl Williams
The Bills have agreed to a new three-year deal with offensive tackle Daryl Williams, per a club announcement. The pact will be worth $28.2MM in total with nearly $14MM guaranteed (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
The Bills inked Williams to a one-year prove-it deal last year. He proved it. The 28-year-old started all 16 games — plus two playoff games — helping to protect Josh Allen and powering Buffalo’s offense.
Williams, 28, spent the early part of his career with the Panthers. In 2019, his final Carolina season, he moved all across front five and spent more time on the interior than on the outside. Pro Football Focus graded him 57th out of 80 qualifiers as a guard, but his best work has always been at tackle.
In 2020, the former fourth-round pick graded out as PFF’s No. 21 ranked tackle in the NFL, putting him ahead of names like Orlando Brown Jr., Jake Matthews, Laremy Tunsil, and Alejandro Villanueva. Now, the six-year vet has a lucrative new deal that will tie him to the Bills through 2023.
Jaguars Re-Sign Tre Herndon
The Jaguars have re-signed cornerback Tre Herndon, per a club announcement. Terms of the deal are not yet known. 
Herndon, a former UDFA, was set for restricted free agency. The Jaguars could have retained him for roughly $2.1MM – instead, they hashed out a new deal.
The Vanderbilt product started in 12 of his 14 games last season, bringing him to a total of 26 starts over the last two seasons. He finished out 2020 with 76 tackles and one sack while grading out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 90 ranked cornerback out of 121 qualifiers.
Now set to enter his fourth season in the NFL, Herndon is likely to be slotted as a reserve. Last year, Herndon was one of the Jags’ most penalized players with seven flags. Rookie C.J. Henderson will return as a starter, but the Jaguars will be looking to reboot the rest of their CB group. They’ll have a pretty clean slate, as corners D.J. Hayden, Sidney Jones, and Greg Mabin approach the open market.
Dolphins Sign P Michael Palardy
Michael Palardy has a new team. After getting released by the Panthers in February, the veteran punter has agreed to join up with the Dolphins (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 
Palardy started out as a journeyman, but grabbed the Panthers’ full-time punting job in 2017. He missed all of 2020 with an ACL tear, but he’s said to be healthy after seven months of post-surgery rehab. The Bills — featuring old friend Brandon Beane — hosted him on his first visit. Instead, he’ll see the Bills twice this year.
With Palardy on board, it’s likely that incumbent Matt Haack will be headed elsewhere. Haack is out of contract, so he’ll be free to sign with any team starting next week.