Patrick Chung To Sign Extension With Patriots
Veteran safety Patrick Chung has agreed to terms on a one-year extension with the Patriots, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. This deal will keep the veteran safety in New England through the 2021 campaign. 
Chung signed a similar extension with the team during the 2018 offseason, keeping him with the team through the 2020 campaign. The safety has spent nine of his 10 seasons with the Patriots, appearing in five Super Bowls with the team.
The 31-year-old will keep a level of stability on a Patriots defense that has undergone several changes since they won the Super Bowl in February. Gone are several coaches, including defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who took the head coaching gig with the Dolphins shortly after the victory over the Rams. In fact, the team doesn’t have a defensive coordinator at the moment after Greg Schiano unexpectedly decided to not take the job.
In Super Bowl LIII, Chung suffered a broken arm in the third quarter of the team’s 13-3 victory over the Rams. A few days later, he underwent surgery to repair the injury. He was also set to undergo another procedure this offseason, one on his shoulder. The pair of procedures are expected to keep him out through Organized Team Activities, but he should be good to go for training camp.
In 2018, the longtime Patriots safety played in 15 games and started 14, registering one interception and 84 tackles. Still operating at a high level, he rated as the No. 30 safety according to Pro Football Focus, with an above-average grade of 72.7.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/12/19
Here are today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: Afolabi Laguda
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Daniel Brunskill
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: K Sam Ficken, LB Emmanuel Beal
Bears Sign AAF Kicker Elliott Fry
On Friday, the Bears signed kicker Elliott Fry to a three-year contract, Larry Mayer of the ChicagoBears.com writes.
A former walk-on at the University of South Carolina, Fry recently played with the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football league, which recently suspended operations. He was a steady leg with the Apollos, converting all 14 of his attempts, with a long of 44 yards.
The Bears notably had issues with their kicking game in 2018. Those issues all culminated in the NFC Wild Card round, when Cody Parkey missed a 43-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining that would have given the Bears the lead on the Eagles.
Fry becomes the third kicker the team has signed this offseason, joining Redford Jones (reserve/future contract) and Chris Blewitt.
Vikings, Adam Thielen Agree To Extension
The Vikings and star wideout Adam Thielen have agreed to a four-year, $64MM extension with a maximum value of $73MM, per Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune. He will earn $35MM in guaranteed money. We heard last month that the two sides were working on a new deal, and they were able to hammer out an agreement that pays Thielen at a rate commensurate with his abilities and recent production.
Thielen had two years and $13.5MM remaining on his present contract, so as Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network tweets, it appears as if he is now under team control for the next six seasons at a $77.5MM base value. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Thielen will receive $35MM in guaranteed money.
Of course, extensions can be difficult to come by when a player has more than one year remaining on his contract, but Thielen is not just any player. An undrafted Division II product, Thielen has put together back-to-back 1,200-plus-yard seasons, going for 1,373 and a career-high nine touchdown receptions in 2018. He watched teammate Stefon Diggs sign a five-year, $72MM extension with $40MM guaranteed last summer, and now he has leapfrogged Diggs in terms of average annual value (he is now the sixth-highest paid WR in the league in that regard).
Thielen, who will turn 29 in August, has earned Pro Bowl nods in each of the last two seasons, and he figures to be a critical part of the team’s fortunes going forward. He was due to carry an $8.1MM cap hit this season, but that will likely be reduced as a result of the extension.
His deal continues the Vikings’ trend of locking up core players before they can taste free agency. The team now has a foundation of Thielen, Diggs, Danielle Hunter, Linval Joseph, Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith, Riley Reiff, Shamar Stephen, and Mike Hughes under contract through at least 2021 (hat tip to ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter).
Thielen will address the media tomorrow.
Raiders To Sign DE Benson Mayowa
Benson Mayowa is headed back to the Raiders. On Friday, Oakland agreed to sign the defensive end to a one-year deal that could be worth upwards of $3MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. 
Mayowa, 28 in August, tallied four sacks for the Cardinals last year. While the Arizona D sagged on the whole (and the offense, for that matter), Mayowa was a bright spot, making the most of his 550 snaps. Pro Football Focus ranked Mayowa as the 29th best edge defender in the NFL last year, putting him one spot ahead of star teammate Chandler Jones.
He registered a career-high six sacks for the Cowboys in 2016, but he regressed a bit the following year, and Dallas cut ties with him last March. He garnered plenty of interest on the open market before signing a one-year, $1.6MM pact with Arizona, and he now has a chance to potentially double that salary as a result of his strong showing in the desert.
Mayowa should see plenty of playing time with Oakland, who is still in need of players who can supply pressure from the edge. The Raiders are widely expected to select at least one edge rusher in this month’s draft, and they may do so with their No. 4 overall pick, but Mayowa will get his fair share of opportunities.
Panthers Sign WR Chris Hogan
The Panthers signed former Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan to a one-year deal, according to a team announcement. Hogan will give the Panthers additional veteran experience in the WR group alongside fellow 30-year-old Torrey Smith. Mike Reiss of ESPN.com hears that Hogan will earn a $300K signing bonus and that the contract is worth a maximum of $2MM. Reiss notes that those are very modest numbers considering what Hogan was asking for in extension talks with New England last year.
Last year, Hogan hauled in 35 catches for 532 yards and three touchdowns for the Pats. Those numbers don’t exactly jump off of the page, but he did impress in 2016 when he had 680 yards and four touchdowns with a league-leading 17.9 yards per reception.
Despite the regression in production, and the shoulder injury that held him back in 2017 regular season, Hogan broke out in the Pats’ Super Bowl loss to the Eagles as he caught six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. He also made an impact in the Pats’ AFC Championship Game win over the Chiefs in January as he caught five balls for 45 yards.
We didn’t hear a whole lot of chatter about a new deal between the Pats and Hogan this offseason. However, he did draw interest from the Giants at one point in March.
Hogan will join Smith, D.J. Moore, Jarius Wright, and Curtis Samuel on the Panthers’ WR depth chart.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/11/19
Here are Thursday’s minor moves. More Alliance of American football alums are finding NFL homes.
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed off waivers from Cowboys: G Parker Ehinger
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: CB Jalen Myrick
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Henre’ Toliver (AAF)
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Daniel Brunskill
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB DeMarquis Gates (AAF)
Jets To Sign Ty Montgomery
Former Packers and Ravens running back Ty Montgomery will join the Jets’ new-look backfield. The Jets are signing Montgomery to a one-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Montgomery visited the Jets on Thursday, following Spencer Ware in doing so. The team evidently prefers Montgomery, who was scheduled to visit the Dolphins on Friday, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson (on Twitter).
The converted wide receiver is expected to be Le’Veon Bell‘s backup, Schefter writes, supplanting Eli McGuire and Trenton Cannon. While Montgomery has been prone to injuries, he will come to New York with fresh legs. While Bell has more than 1,200 career carries, Montgomery has logged 192.
While the 26-year-old Montgomery does not profile as a true RB2, the Jets’ backfield does gain some obvious pass-catching ability. He caught 44 passes for 348 yards in 2016, when the Packers moved him to running back because of injuries. Montgomery played in 15 games that season, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. The position change stuck, despite Montgomery keeping his wide receiver jersey number.
The former third-round pick fell out of favor with Green Bay last season, a fumbled kick return at the root of that ending. But the midseason castoff did average 5.5 yards per tote in Baltimore — albeit on 15 carries. McGuire posted 3.0 yards per handoff last year.
Ravens Sign Marshal Yanda To Extension
Maybe this won’t be Marshal Yanda‘s final season after all. On Thursday, the Ravens reached agreement on a one-year extension with the seven-time Pro Bowl guard that will keep him under club control through the 2020 season, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
A seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro, Yanda has long been one of the best offensive lineman in the league. The Ravens have some uncertainty at left guard and center in advance of this month’s draft, so Yanda is especially important to the club moving forward.
Yanda has dealt with some health concerns in recent years, including a broken ankle that ended his 2017 season after just two games. He is owed $7MM this year, a relative bargain. Financial terms of his new year are not yet known.
Prior to the deal, the 34-year-old (35 in September) was set to enter the final year of his four-year, $32MM contract. With the new deal, Yanda will likely finish out his career in Baltimore, unless he wants to push into his late 30s.
Recently, Ravens GM Eric DeCosta indicated that he wanted Yanda in the fold beyond 2019. With the new deal, they’ve likely accomplished that goal.
“In regards to Marshal, we love Marshal, and we’d love Marshal to continue to play for us for years,” DeCosta said earlier this month. “He’s a great player. He’s still playing at a high level. He’s a Raven. You can define a Raven and put a picture of Marshal Yanda up there, and that’s him.”
Thanks in part to Yanda, the Ravens managed 141.9 per game, good for second in the league. The Ravens hope to hit a similar mark this year as quarterback Lamar Jackson continues to make plays with his legs.
New deals for kicker Justin Tucker, outside linebacker Matthew Judon, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, inside linebacker Patrick Onwuasor, and defensive tackle Michael Pierce could be on deck for the Ravens, as ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley writes.
Raiders Re-Sign RB Jalen Richard
The Raiders have re-signed running back Jalen Richard, according to a team announcement. The Raiders cuffed Richard with a second-round tender earlier this offseason, but the new deal will supersede that placeholder. The terms of the fresh pact are not yet known. 
Last year, Richard led the team with 68 receptions and set a new high with 607 receiving yards. He also added 55 carries for 259 yards and one touchdown. This year, he figures to fill a similar role behind Isaiah Crowell and the team figures to add at least one other traditional ball carrier to the mix.
Still, Richard could see an uptick in touches – he offers a career 5.3 ypc average, albeit in a limited sample size.