Colts To Sign Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers has agreed to a deal with the Colts on a deal that will pay him roughly $25MM per year, according to Judy Battista and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’ll be a one-year pact for the Colts and the longtime Bolts star, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) adds. 
[RELATED: Colts Trade For 49ers’ Buckner]
In February, the Chargers announced that they would not bring Rivers back for another season. Things had been trending in that direction for a while, despite all of the veteran’s accomplishments in San Diego and Los Angeles. He left the Chargers after setting more than 30 franchise records, making 224 consecutive starts, and earning eight Pro Bowl nominations.
Rivers, 38, isn’t coming off of his finest season, but the Colts believe that he’ll be a substantial upgrade over Jacoby Brissett. In 2019, Rivers was picked off 20 times against just 23 touchdowns. Historically, he’s been much much better in the TD/INT department. In 2018, for example, he threw for 32 TDs with 12 picks.
Even as he moves to a new part of the country, Rivers will be greeted by familiar faces. He has close ties to both Colts head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, both of whom are former Chargers assistants.
At $25MM per season, Rivers currently falls right around the middle of the pack in starting QB salary. He’ll likely tumble in the rankings by the end of the week, but he’s also earned lots of money over the course of his career. Besides, Rivers isn’t planning on playing until his late 40s like Tom Brady – this offseason, he indicated that he’d like to play for a couple more years. It’s possible he stays on the field for longer, but he did not go into free agency looking for a long committment.
Along the way, teams like the Buccaneers and Redskins have also been linked to Rivers, but the loudest rumblings have been coming from Indianapolis. Now, they’ve got him as their new quarterback with hopes of restoring the offense to its former glory.
Eagles Part Ways With Malcolm Jenkins
The Eagles announced that they will not exercise their 2020 option for safety Malcolm Jenkins. 
“Malcolm Jenkins has been an outstanding player for us and we are proud of everything he accomplished both on and off the field during his time in Philadelphia,” the team said in a statement. “Malcolm was a great teammate and leader, as well as one of the toughest and most reliable players to ever play in our city. After thorough discussion with Malcolm and his agent, Ben Dogra, both sides agreed on the difficult decision to turn the page on what was an incredible six-year relationship. We wish Malcolm and his family all the best as he pursues his next opportunity.”
The news comes right on the heels of the Eagles’ new agreement with safety Jalen Mills. It seems that Mills will help replace Jenkins in the starting lineup, though the team will have to draw from others when it comes to leadership.
Jenkins, 32, has been with the Eagles since 2014. He was an integral part of the team’s 2017 Super Bowl season and their fabric on the whole and expressed his desire to stay put. But, at the same time, he made it known that he would not play on his current contract.
“I won’t be back on the same deal,” Jenkins said, via Zach Berman of The Athletic (on Twitter). “That won’t happen. The market is good for safeties now. I consider myself in the top tier.”
The Eagles, meanwhile, did not want to commit major years or guaranteed dollars to the aging vet. With that, he’ll move to the open market where he’ll attract countless offers.
Before the release, Jenkins was set to play out the last season of his four-year, $35MM deal. Now, he’ll seek “top tier” money – roughly $10MM per year.
Dolphins To Sign RB Jordan Howard
Jordan Howard will play for a third team in three years. The former Bears and Eagles running back reached an agreement with the Dolphins, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The former fifth-round pick will land a two-year deal worth more than $10MM, Schefter notes. This continues a busy tampering period for the Dolphins.
Miami has added Byron Jones, Kyle Van Noy, Shaq Lawson, Ereck Flowers, Kamu Grugier-Hill and Emmanuel Ogbah since the tampering period began Monday afternoon. Howard will likely serve as the top veteran presence in the Fins’ backfield, with the team surely set to augment the position group in the draft.
Howard bounced back, to some degree, after a down 2018, posting a 4.4 yards-per-carry average. However, after a strong start upon being traded from Chicago to Philadelphia, Howard suffered a shoulder injury and was barely a factor down the stretch. In four seasons, Howard has totaled 979 touches. He posted two 1,000-yard seasons with the Bears — in 2016-17 — and has scored 32 touchdowns.
He will join a Dolphins backfield that lost Kenyan Drake and Mark Walton midway through last season, making Miami’s offense a largely one-dimensional unit. Howard will attempt to help Ryan Fitzpatrick or his to-be-determined successor in 2020.
Eagles To Re-Sign CB Jalen Mills
Linked to big-name cornerbacks, the Eagles have yet to land one. But they are bringing back one of their own. Jalen Mills agreed to a one-year deal to stay in Philadelphia, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. 
Mills will earn up to $5MM in 2020, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). The Eagles gave Ronald Darby a one-year, $5MM prove-it deal in 2019. Mills has been with the team longer, arriving as a seventh-round pick in 2016.
Anderson also notes a position change is in store for Mills. The Eagles are moving him to safety. This comes with Rodney McLeod in free agency and Malcolm Jenkins‘ place on the team uncertain. Mills has also shown himself to be a proven tackler at cornerback, compiling more than 60 tackles as a rookie and in 2017. Injuries limited him in 2018 and ’19, but he returned midway through last season and enticed the Eagles to retain him.
With his new pact, Mills can afford as many dress shirts, or snazzy vests, as he wants.
Jaguars To Sign Joe Schobert To ~$54MM Deal
The Jaguars have agreed to sign linebacker Joe Schobert to a five-year, $53.75MM deal, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The pact will pay him an average of $10.75MM per season with $22.5MM guaranteed. 
Schobert moves from the Browns to the Jaguars, where he’ll try to help the front seven fill the gap left by the Calais Campbell trade. He won’t directly boost the edge rush in Campbell’s absence, but he’ll help to anchor the LB group and work against the run.
The two sides discussed an extension in November, but things cooled off as the season wore on. There was a bit of hope for a new deal when new GM Andrew Berry replaced John Dorsey, but they still weren’t able to bridge the gap. At the combine, the Browns informed Schobert’s rep that they would not offer the “double-digit millions” he was seeking in annual salary. Schobert, clearly, was able to get that money elsewhere.
The Wisconsin product has been a solid starter since entering the league as a fourth-round in 2016. Schobert made the Pro Bowl in 2017 and started all 16 games this past year, racking up 133 tackles, four interceptions, two sacks, and nine passes defended.
Texans To Re-Sign Vernon Hargreaves
The Texans have reached agreement on a new deal with Vernon Hargreaves III, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Fiscal terms are not yet known, but he’ll come back on a fresh one-year deal. 
The Texans claimed Hargreaves off waivers from the Bucs in a low-risk move to fortify their secondary. For the most part, it worked out for them. This offseason, they had the choice to trigger his fifth-year option, since he’s a former first-round pick, but the price tag didn’t make sense given what he’s done so far.
Instead, he’ll come back on a less costly deal. The Texans, meanwhile, seem optimistic about what he can do in 2020.
“Vernon came in here, he works very hard,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said earlier this year. “Very hard worker, guy that really showed up to practice every day, learned the system. I don’t think that’s easy to be able to come in, in the middle of a season, and really later than that, and play that nickel position is not easy.
So, I give a lot of credit to Vernon. There’s a lot of things that he’s going to work hard to improve upon. We’re going to help them with that, but I think Vernon stepped into a tough situation and really made the best of it.”
Jaguars Use Second-Round Tender On Keelan Cole
The Jaguars have applied the second-round tender to wide receiver Keelan Cole, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Cole was set for restricted free agency and the Jaguars hope that the tender level will ward off suitors.
In his three pro seasons with the Jaguars, Cole has hauled in 104 catches for 1,600 yards and seven touchdowns. Teams will have interest in him, of course, but they’ll also have to think long and hard about the total price tag. If a team signs Cole to an offer sheet and the Jaguars do not match it, they’ll have to cough up a second-round pick. Given the abundance of quality receivers in this year’s draft, it seems likely that those clubs would take a pass.
Cole signed with the Jags as an undrafted free agent back in 2017. He played his college ball at a tiny D2 school Kentucky Wesleyan, and has turned into a nice success story. He only made $645K last year as part of his rookie UDFA deal, so this will be a pretty nice pay-bump for him as the second-round tender is slated to clock in at a little over $3.1MM for 2020.
The tender is somewhat surprising considering Cole’s production has actually declined a bit each year. He had 748 yards as a rookie, 491 as a sophomore, and 361 this past year. His role did increase down the stretch this past season, but he still figures to be behind at least DJ Chark, Dede Westbrook, and Chris Conley on the depth chart next year.
Steelers Place Ryan Shazier On Reserve/Retired List
The Steelers are shifting linebacker Ryan Shazier from the reserve/PUP list to the reserve/retired list Tuesday, the team announced in a release.
Shazier himself didn’t officially announce he’s giving up on a return to the field, but this would seem to indicate that his playing days are all but over. He spent the past two seasons on the PUP list. By keeping him on the roster the past couple of years he was able to earn a salary, which will likely end now. However, the Steelers announced in their release that this doesn’t mean Shazier won’t be sticking around.
“Ryan’s placement on the Reserve/Retired List serves as a matter of protocol to ensure his continued inclusion within our organization moving forward in his professional career,” said Steelers GM Kevin Colbert in a brief statement. Shazier has been a “fixture in the locker room” and helped mentor and develop rookie first-round linebacker Devin Bush last year, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com noted in a tweet.
Shazier, of course, was a Pro Bowl linebacker before a devastating spinal injury cut his career short during the 2017 season. Initially feared that he wouldn’t be able to walk again, Shazier battled his way back to being able to run and train, and has been an incredible source of inspiration along the way.
The Ohio State product has never given up on the idea of playing again, and it’s likely he never will. He’ll still be around the team in 2020, and it sounds like coaching could be in his future.
Raiders To Sign LB Cory Littleton
The Raiders are set to sign Cory Littleton, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). When the league year opens on Wednesday, Littleton will ink a three-year deal worth up to $36MM. The deal includes $22MM guaranteed, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter).
The Rams wanted to keep Littleton, but their budget was stretched. This offseason, the Rams put a greater focus on retaining players like Andrew Whitworth, Austin Blythe, Michael Brockers, and Dante Fowler, leaving little room to retain the 26-year-old (27 in November).
Littleton, a University of Washington product, went from part-timer to starter in 2018 and wound up earning his first career Pro Bowl nod. Last year, he kept up the good work – in the two seasons combined, he tallied 7.5 sacks, even though much of his attention was focused on coverage. He has graded as one of the league’s best coverage linebackers in each of the past two seasons and will profile as a three-down defender for the Raiders.
The Raiders have been on the hunt for new linebackers, especially after cutting Tahir Whitehead last week. Now, between Littleton and new addition Nick Kwiatkoski, they’re in pretty good shape.
Last year, the Raiders opted for low-cost veterans Vontaze Burfict and Brandon Marshall but saw the latter struggle with injury and end up not making the team and the former suspended for most of the season. But in Jon Gruden‘s third year, he’s leaving less to chance at the linebacker spot. Las Vegas has shelled out cash to shore up a position the franchise has not allocated much in the way of resources toward in many years.
Panthers To Sign Teddy Bridgewater
The Panthers are expected to sign Teddy Bridgewater when the league year officially kicks off on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen (on Twitter). The two sides are still ironing out the details, but it’ll be a three-year deal in the range of $60MM, Mort hears. 
On Tuesday morning, the Panthers announced that they have given Cam Newton permission to seek a trade. Interestingly, that news caught Newton off-guard – he accused the Panthers of “wordplay” to imply that he wanted out. Either way, Newton will be playing elsewhere in 2020 and Bridgewater will be the club’s starter moving forward.
Bridgewater, who is beloved by just about everyone in NFL circles, worked tirelessly to come back from what could have been a career-ending knee injury. Since moving on from the Vikings, he’s shown that he still has tons of talent to go along with his charisma and leadership.
Last year, he got five opportunities to start in Drew Brees‘ stead and he went undefeated. Now, heading into his age-28 season, the Panthers are hopeful that he can rekindle his early Minnesota magic.
Before the injury, Bridgewater averaged 3,075 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in his first two seasons. With the Saints, he sat for most of the 2018 season before leading the team to a 5-0 record in Brees’ absence last year. While Bridgewater ranked at or near the bottom in multiple Next Gen Stats focused on average air yards, he completed 67% of his passes in 2019.
This also represents an interesting move for a Panthers team that has been linked to a possible run at Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields in 2021. While Bridgewater will be tasked with taking over a team that has lost a lot of talent this year, he profiles as a quarterback talented enough to play Carolina out of the No. 1 or No. 2 draft slots — likely needed to secure Lawrence or Fields — next year.