Cardinals Re-Sign LB Tanner Vallejo
Ahead of the start of free agency, the Cardinals are taking care of one of their own. Arizona is re-signing linebacker Tanner Vallejo, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
It’s a two-year deal worth $4.1MM, Rapsheet reports. Vallejo had been set to hit unrestricted free agency before getting locked up. It’s a nice payday for the 2017 sixth-round pick who spent his first few years in the NFL bouncing around the league. Originally drafted by Buffalo, he spent his rookie season with the Bills, the following year with the Browns, and spent time with both the Cardinals and Washington in 2019.
He appears to have finally found a home in Arizona, playing in all 16 games in 2020. A core special teamer who played around 65 percent of the special teams snaps, Vallejo also managed to crack the field on defense a handful of times. He played almost the whole game in the Cardinals’ crucial Week 17 game against the Rams, and Rapoport writes that he’ll have a real role in Vance Joseph’s defense next year.
Vikings Release Riley Reiff
Yet another big name player is getting the axe. The Vikings are releasing offensive tackle Riley Reiff, the team announced Wednesday afternoon.
We heard over the weekend that Minnesota was looking for Reiff to take a pay-cut, and obviously the two sides weren’t able to come to an agreement. The release will now save the Vikings about $11MM in cap space for 2021. Reiff had been due a $5MM roster bonus on March 19th, so there was a tight timeline here. With the move the Vikings are now officially under the salary cap as they get ready for free agency.
The cap savings are nice, but they’ll now need a new starting left tackle. Prior to Week 17 when he was placed on the COVID-19 list, Reiff hadn’t missed a snap in 2020. In his nine seasons in the league, Reiff has never played in less than 13 games, which will certainly help his cause on the open market. The Vikings did right by him and gave him a $1MM bonus back in February to make up for the playing time incentive he missed because of that COVID game, which had led to some optimism they’d be able to work something out.
The 23rd overall pick of the 2012 draft, Reiff spent his first five years in Detroit. He then signed a five-year, $58.75MM contract with the Vikings in March of 2017 and has been their left tackle ever since. Minnesota will now either look for his replacement elsewhere, or move Bryan O’Neill from right tackle to left.
Reiff will be hitting free agency again now at the age of 32. Although he’s never made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, he’s capable of being a solid starter. Plenty of squads should be interested as he joins a strong offensive line market, and a team like the Chargers make a lot of sense on paper.
Ravens Place Second-Round Tender On RB Gus Edwards
The Ravens’ ground game has been dynamic over the past couple of years, and they’re not going to let a key piece of that get away. Baltimore has placed a second-round tender on restricted free agent Gus Edwards, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The second-round tender will be worth around $3.4MM this year, so it’s a nice payday for Edwards. It also means that any team that wants to sign Edwards to an offer sheet would have to give up a second-round pick, which virtually guarantees he’ll be back with the Ravens next year. Since Edwards is a former UDFA, had they tendered him at the original-round level, opposing teams wouldn’t have had to give anything up to poach him.
That original-round tender would’ve paid about $2.1MM, so it’s a better than 50 percent increase for Edwards. The Rutgers product started off on the practice squad in 2018 but quickly moved up to the active roster and even started six games that year.
Impressively, he’s averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry in each of his three pro seasons while carrying the ball at least 133 times in each of those. This past season in 16 games and six starts, he rushed 144 times for 723 yards and six touchdowns. With Mark Ingram out of the picture now, Edwards will be back splitting carries with second-year player J.K. Dobbins in 2021.
Dolphins Cut Kyle Van Noy
3/10/21, 3:07pm: After failing to find a trade partner, the Dolphins have now officially cut Van Noy, they announced on Wednesday.
3/2/21, 1:25pm: Not so fast. This transaction is not expected to commence immediately. Miami is now expected to first attempt to trade Van Noy, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link). While Van Noy has been an effective pass rusher under Flores and Bill Belichick, moving a $12.75MM-per-year contract will be difficult in this cap climate.
12:59pm: The Dolphins are set to release linebacker Kyle Van Noy, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The linebacker joined the Dolphins on a four-year, $51MM deal just last year. 
“I am surprised and disappointed in their decision,” Van Noy said in a statement confirming the news. “As a captain, I gave my all to the team. I fought through a painful hip injury during the season, including spending a night in the hospital after a game. I was brought there to be a leader and I know my teammates looked up to and respected me. I am looking forward to making an impact o my next team, on and off the field.”
Van Noy barely played his first couple of years in the league. Then, he broke out after the Lions traded him to the Patriots. In 2019, he notched 6.5 sacks and served as a key part of the Patriots’ defense. Even though the Dolphins weren’t positioned as contenders in 2020, they saw Van Noy as a long-term cornerstone.
The veteran logged 69 tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 14 games for the Dolphins. However, he was the victim of the team’s cap crunch. Rather than carrying his $13.9MM hit, they’ll save approximately $9.78MM on the books. Van Noy’s 2021 salary would have become fully guaranteed on Day 3 of the 2021 league year.
Miami revamped its pass rush by signing Van Noy, Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah last year. The signings helped Brian Flores‘ team contend for the playoffs in one of the more competitive years in AFC history. But with the salary cap expected to be reduced for the 2021 league year, teams are being forced to shed veterans at a higher-than-usual rate. While the Dolphins did not necessarily need to make this move, having $22MM-plus in cap space coming into Tuesday, they will create considerable funds in a buyer’s market by doing so.
Giants Release Kevin Zeitler
The Giants just made a big move. New York has released guard Kevin Zeitler, the team announced on Wednesday. Zeitler becomes the latest in a string of high profile cap casualties this past week.
The move will clear about $9.6MM in cap space the Giants needed if they wanted to retain guys like defensive linemen Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson. We heard last week that New York was shopping Zeitler, but teams were expecting him to get cut so no one was willing to offer anything. That being said, now that he doesn’t come with the hefty contract, there will be plenty of interest.
Zeitler certainly hasn’t played poorly, the Giants could just no longer justify the cap charge. Some people were skeptical the team would actually cut their best O-lineman with Daniel Jones heading into a make or break year, but these are the kinds of decisions necessitated by the league-wide cap crunch.
Zeitler had been set to make a salary of $12MM, and while he won’t get that, he’ll get some significant guaranteed money on the open market. The 27th overall pick of the 2012 draft spent his first five years with the Bengals before signing a five-year, $60MM pact with the Browns in 2017.
That deal made him the highest-paid guard in the league at the time. He was then traded to New York in March of 2019 as part of the blockbuster Odell Beckham Jr. trade. He’s never made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, but has nonetheless always been a solid starter.
He’s also been reliable, starting at least 15 games in each of the past six seasons, and he’s never played less than 12. With Zeitler off the roster, Shane Lemieux and Will Hernandez now project as the Giants’ two starting guards for 2021.
Titans To Release Kenny Vaccaro
The Titans are moving on from Kenny Vaccaro. Vaccaro will be cut to save $3.9MM in cap space with $3MM in dead money remaining (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
[RELATED: Titans Cut Malcolm Butler]
The former first-round pick joined the Titans as a free agent late in the 2018 cycle. After impressing in 13 starts, he re-upped on a four-year, $26MM deal, but he won’t see the second half of that contract in Tennessee.
Vaccaro started in all 42 of his games for the Titans across three years. Last season, he finished out with 62 stops, one sack, and five passes defensed. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus — which have never been especially fond of his work — gave him a 58.8 overall grade, slotting him just 68th out of 84 qualified safeties.
The Titans are trimming dollars and remaking their secondary all at once. Just yesterday, they released veteran cornerbackMalcolm Butler to free up $10.2MM for the coming year.
Bills Release WR John Brown, DL Quinton Jefferson
The Bills have released wide receiver John Brown and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson, per a club announcement. The release of Brown will save $7.9MM against the cap with $1.6MM left in dead money. Meanwhile, Jefferson’s release will save $6.5MM with no dead money left over.
Brown started his Bills tenure with a bang, compiling 72 receptions for 1,060 receiving yards, both career highs. Last year, knee injuries, ankle issues, and a stint on the COVID-19 list limited him to just nine games. The 30-year-old (31 in April) finished 2020 with just 33 grabs for 458 yards and three touchdowns, so his release doesn’t come as a huge surprise. All in all, Brown totaled 105 catches, 1,518 receiving yards and nine TDs for Buffalo across two seasons.
Jefferson, meanwhile, was set to enter his second year with the Bills. Last year, he scored a two-year, $13.5MM deal — higher than most expected after serving as a part-time starter in Seattle. His final two years with the Seahawks saw a total of 51 tackles and 6.5 sacks. In Buffalo, he notched 23 stops, three sacks, and one forced fumble.
In a related move, defensive lineman Vernon Butler has agreed to a pay cut in order to keep his spot on the roster (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Originally, Butler was set to count for $7.8MM against the cap with $5.5MM in base pay. Terms of the new deal have not been disclosed.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/10/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Re-Signed: LS J.J. Jansen
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-Signed: WR/KR Ray-Ray McCloud
Saints Release Emmanuel Sanders
The Saints have released Emmanuel Sanders, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The wide receiver has since confirmed the news via social media. 
[RELATED: Saints Release Alexander]
Sanders joined the Saints on a two-year, $16MM deal this time last year. The veteran went on to notch 61 catches for 726 yards and five touchdowns. Even though he was productive, he was less efficient on a per-catch basis than usual. His 11.9 ypc average was among the lowest of his career and well below his finest work in Denver.
The Saints are facing a tricky cap situation, one that is compounded by Drew Brees‘ still pending retirement decision. Cutting Sanders will save $4MM on the books for 2021 with $6MM left in dead money, unless the Saints disperse the dead money hit via a post-June 1 designation. The Saints also cut Kwon Alexander earlier today so, between those two moves, they’ll free up $17MM in advance of free agency.
Sanders, a two-time Pro Bowler, drew interest from the Cowboys, Jets, Bills, and Packers in his last free agency stint.
Saints To Cut Kwon Alexander
The Saints will release linebacker Kwon Alexander in the coming days (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). With no guarantees remaining, the move will save upwards of $13MM against the cap with $0 in dead money. 
Alexander suffered an Achilles tear towards the end of the regular season, ruling him out for the Saints’ playoff run. He finished the year with 27 stops, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in seven games.
Alexander was shipped from San Francisco to New Orleans in November, fortifying the Saints’ front seven and lightening the Niners’ books a bit. The Saints assumed the last two seasons of his original four-year, $54MM deal, though the remainder was non-guaranteed.
The veteran, 27 in August, still has some work to do as he battles back from injury. The timing isn’t ideal as he seeks a new job, but he has a history of quick healing. In 2019, a torn pec threatened to end Alexander’s season in the fall. Somehow, he bounced back in a matter of weeks to join the 49ers for their playoff run. This time around, he expects to be ready for the start of training camp.