Packers To Sign OLB Preston Smith
The Packers won’t stop adding to their defense. Green Bay has agreed to terms with outside linebacker Preston Smith, a source told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that it’s a four-year deal for Smith worth $52MM. He’ll get $16MM to sign with $27.5MM coming his way over the first two years of the deal, Rapoport reports. It’s been a big day for the Packers, particularly on defense, as they’ve already added safety Adrian Amos and fellow outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith. The three big signings in one day are indicative in the change of philosophy the Packers’ front office has undergone.
Under old GM Ted Thompson, the Packers were generally conservative and not very active in free agency. With team president Mark Murphy and new GM Brian Gutekunst now in charge, the team has been much more aggressive. With new coach Matt LaFleur in tow, the Packers have clearly decided to go bold.
They’ve already re-invented their defense, and will now have a very solid group of pass-rushers in both Smiths, Kenny Clark, and Mike Daniels. Smith comes to Green Bay from the Redskins, where he spent the first four years of his career. Last year he had 53 tackles, four sacks and one interception. The year before that he had eight sacks and two interceptions.
Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who LaFleur retained from Mike McCarthy’s staff, will have a lot of new pieces to work with. Paired with the returning pieces of Daniels, Clark, and the promising young cornerback duo of Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson, the Packers’ defense has the potential to be really good next year.
Texans To Sign S Tashaun Gipson
The Texans let Tyrann Mathieu walk, but they moved quickly in bringing in another safety. Houston has agreed to terms with safety Tashaun Gipson, sources told Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal is worth $22MM over three years, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
The Texans are stealing Gipson away from their division rival, as Gipson has spent the past three seasons with the Jaguars. Jacksonville released Gipson on Friday. Gipson signed a five-year, $36MM deal with the Jaguars in 2016, but was cut loose with two years still left to go on that deal.
He had been scheduled to make north of $8MM in 2019 before being released, and it’ll be very interesting to see what Houston gave him. An undrafted free agent in 2012, Gipson spent the first four years of his career with the Browns. He’s had some very good seasons, and made the Pro Bowl in 2014.
He received above average marks from Pro Football Focus last year, earning PFF’s 37th-highest grade among all safeties. He’s been very durable, starting all 48 possible games since he joined the Jaguars. His production was down last year, but in 2017 he had four interceptions. Safeties have been flying off the board early in free agency, with Mathieu, Eric Weddle, Adrian Amos, and Landon Collins all inking new deals. Earl Thomas is the last of the huge names on the market, with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Tre Boston still available as well.
Saints To Re-Sign Teddy Bridgewater
The Saints are expected to re-sign quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, according to Jane Slater of NFL.com (on Twitter). Bridgewater had a better offer from the Dolphins, Slater hears, but Bridgewater re-upped with New Orleans because he values the club’s locker room culture and the prospect of one day becoming the Saints’ starting QB.
While Slater says the Dolphins made a better offer, a source told Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald that the Dolphins “were not big players” for Bridgewater’s services (Twitter link).Bridgewater was widely considered to be the second-best quarterback available in free agency this year, behind Nick Foles.
The former first-round pick somehow managed to come back from a gruesome leg injury in 2016, return to full health, and reestablish himself as a promising talent. His last significant action came with the Vikings in 2015, his second NFL season, and he spent last season as Drew Brees‘ clipboard holder. Still, the Saints have been extremely impressed by Bridgewater’s maturity, leadership, and talent displayed on the practice field.
Bridgewater got the start for New Orleans in Week 17 last year with Brees resting for the playoffs. The results were mixed, but Bridgewater was playing without most of the starters on offense. Bridgewater signed with the Jets last offseason, and after New York drafted Sam Darnold, they decided to trade him. Bridgewater looked impressive during the preseason, and the Saints then traded for him.
They gave up a third round pick for him, so they clearly believe in his potential. Still only 26, the Saints have plenty of time to wait and develop him. With Bridgewater off the market, the free agent quarterback market is now very thin. Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Fitzpatrick are now the two biggest names available, and they may have to settle for backup roles somewhere. Taylor has been linked to Miami recently as well.
Patriots Tender Josh Gordon, Jonathan Jones
The Patriots have tendered receiver Josh Gordon a contract at the original round level, a source told Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). In a separate tweet, Volin reports the team has placed a tender at the second round level on cornerback Jonathan Jones.
The last we heard from Gordon, he was considering applying for reinstatement by the league this spring. Gordon was traded from the Browns to the Patriots last season, and had some initial success before suddenly stepping away from the team. Shortly after, it was announced that the league was suspending him indefinitely for violating the terms of his previous reinstatement.
Another report also said Gordon could be back by training camp, although that’s obviously far from a guarantee. Gordon has always been ultra-talented, but hasn’t been able to stay on the field. In 11 games with the Patriots last year, he caught 40 passes fro 720 yards and three touchdowns. The original round tender will pay Gordon $2.025MM in 2019, assuming he’s able to pay. Since he’s a former second round pick, the Patriots will get a second round pick in return if some other team decided to sign Gordon, which is very unlikely given the price.
A team would also now have to give up a second round pick to sign Jones, which more or less ensures Jones will be back in New England next year. An undrafted free agent from Auburn back in 2016, Jones will make $3.095MM net year. Jones started five games last year and played around half of the team’s defensive snaps, while also contributing on special teams.
Browns To Sign Sheldon Richardson
The Browns are signing former Vikings defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson to a three-year, $36MM deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Browns’ D-Line now looks pretty fearsome with recent pickup Olivier Vernon and Myles Garrett on the bookends and Richardson occupying a space in between. 
Richardson, a longtime Jets standout, was shipped to the Seahawks days before the start of the 2017 season. Then, last year, he signed with a one-year, $8MM deal with the Vikings.
It was a disappointing year for the Vikes, but Richardson had a solid year on an individual level. He finished out with 4.5 sacks and 49 tackles and graded out as the No. 47 ranked interior defender in the league, per Pro Football Focus.
It’s a massive upgrade for Richardson compared to the relatively small deal he settled for last offseason, and his decision to re-enter free agency in 2019 paid off handsomely. The former first round pick had some off-field issues early in his career and face questions about his motivation with the Jets, but he’s mostly put those to rest the past couple of years.
It’s the first splashy free agency signing by the Browns so far, and it likely won’t be the last with all the cap space Cleveland is sitting on.With fellow defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, the Browns now have a very solid run-stuffing duo on the interior. The Browns are looking to build on the momentum they had toward the end of last season, and are focused on building up the defense.
Packers To Sign Adrian Amos, Za’Darius Smith
This year, the Packers were serious about making noise in free agency. On Tuesday morning, they agreed to sign safety Adrian Amos, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The club also agreed to terms with former Ravens edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, according to Rapoport (Twitter link). 
Amos is getting a four-year deal worth $37MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Rapoport notes that it’ll pay him $21MM over the first two years. He was reported to have been seeking between $9-10MM annually, so he got what he wanted.
Amos, 26 in April, enjoyed the best season of his career at the perfect time. Starting in all 16 games, Amos finished out with 73 tackles, two interceptions, nine passes defensed, a fumble recovery, and a sack in 2018. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus positioned Amos as the eighth-best safety in the NFL last year, though he placed even higher in 2017.
Smith has been an object of the Packers’ affection for some time now. A few years ago, they tried to trade for the former fourth-round pick. Years later, they got him, albeit at a bit of a premium. The 26-year-old (27 in September), also timed his breakout season well. Last year, the edge rusher finished out with 8.5 sacks and 45 tackles despite starting in only eight of his 16 games.
With these two signings, the Packers have managed to close the gap between themselves and the Lions, who spent some serious coin on Monday. They also stole Amos away from the rival Bears, who were hoping to retain him. Thanks to his link to new Broncos coach Vic Fangio, Amos had been heavily linked to Denver, but ultimately it was Green Bay who won the bidding. Amos was a bit unheralded coming out of college, and was a fifth round pick out of Penn State back in 2015. He became a near immediate starter, and this is a big loss for the Bears’ elite defense.
With the signing of Buster Skrine and the expected departure of Bryce Callahan, Chicago’s secondary will look quite a bit different next year. Smith is the latest in a series of departures from the Ravens’ defense, with linebackers C.J. Mosley and Terrell Suggs, along with safety Eric Weddle, all finding new homes.
Jets To Sign C.J. Mosley
The Jets are making another big splash. Shortly after agreeing to terms with Anthony Barr, the Jets are expected to sign inside linebacker C.J. Mosley to a five-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The pact will pay Mosley a whopping $85MM, with $51MM in guaranteed money. We knew Mosley was going to cash in, but this is a truly massive number. As Tom Pelissero of NFL Network pointed out in a tweet, Luke Kuechly‘s deal with the Panthers had previously set the market for inside linebackers, with Kuechly making just over $12MM per year. Mosley will have an average salary of $17MM.
When Kwon Alexander, coming off a torn ACL, landed a four-year $54MM deal from the 49ers yesterday, it was a clear sign Mosley was about to break the bank. The acquisition of Mosley will make it easy for the Jets to move on from Darron Lee. We heard last night the Jets were looking to part ways with the 2016 first round pick.
Jets GM Mike Maccagnan has been saying for months the team was going to be aggressive in free agency, and they’ve been exactly that. Mosley’s contract is by far the biggest ever for an inside linebacker. Mosley is still only 26, and young players like him don’t hit the open market too often.
He’s made the Pro Bowl in four of his five seasons in the league, and is a great addition to New York’s rebuilding defense. New defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is remaking the defense in his image, and has added Mosley to his core of safety Jamal Adams, Barr, defensive lineman Leonard Williams, and fellow inside linebacker Avery Williamson. The Jets have another opportunity to upgrade the defense with the third overall pick in this year’s draft.
The Ravens opted not to franchise-tag Mosley, and have now lost several players from their defense. In addition to Mosley, they let linebackers Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith walk, as well as safety Eric Weddle.
Broncos To Add T Ja’Wuan James
After a quiet Monday afternoon, the Broncos are spending big as the night progresses. They have reached an agreement to bring in Ja’Wuan James, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
This will be a massive deal, with Schefter adding the five-year Dolphins blocker will become the NFL’s highest-paid right tackle. James will receive a four-year, $52MM deal, with $32MM of that being guaranteed. This comes barely an hour after the Broncos authorized a three-year, $33MM deal for Kareem Jackson.
Denver’s big move figures to stop its streak of one-and-done right tackle starters. Since Orlando Franklin was moved to guard before the 2014 season, the Broncos have used a different primary right tackle each year. This will mark the sixth straight season the Broncos will have a new Week 1 right tackle, but James has been a target for a while.
The Broncos had a trade in place to acquire James from the Dolphins, who would have gotten C.J. Anderson in the 2018 proposal, but Miami nixed the move and kept James as its right tackle starter. Although the Dolphins are taking a rebuilding approach this offseason, Chris Grier said at the Combine they wanted to retain James.
This represents a major markup at the right tackle position, with Lane Johnson previously being the only eight-figure-per-year player here. James’ $13MM-AAV deal will easily usurp the Eagles stalwart’s status ($11.25MM per year) at this spot.
Pro Football Focus has measured James, a 2014 first-round pick, as an above-average tackle. He graded as a top-35 tackle last season. The former Tennessee Volunteer, though, has encountered injury troubles. He missed eight games in 2017 and nine in 2015. Other than that, the 26-year-old blocker was Miami’s starter since Week 1 of his rookie year.
Denver pivoted from Franklin to Chris Clark to Ty Sambrailo to Michael Schofield to Donald Stephenson to Menelik Watson to Jared Veldheer. That succession will stop with James, with this contract tethering him to the Broncos for years.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/11/19
Following a busy day around the NFL, here are today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: TE Codey McElroy
Detroit Lions
- Released: LB Trevor Bates
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: RB David Fluellen
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/11/19
Here are Monday’s moves involving restricted and exclusive-rights free agents:
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Packers: OLB Reggie Gilbert, WR Jake Kumerow, OL Lucas Patrick, TE Robert Tonyan (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
- Seahawks: DE Branden Jackson, S Shalom Luani, WR David Moore, LS Tyler Ott, G Jordan Simmons (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson, on Twitter)
RFAs
Tendered at second-round level:
- Colts: C Evan Boehm, S Matthias Farley (via CBS4’s Mike Chappell, on Twitter)
Tendered at original-round level:
- Texans: DL Brandon Dunn (per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, on Twitter)
Non-tendered:
- Buccaneers: CB De’Vante Harris (per Greg Auman of The Athletic, on Twitter)
- Colts: S Corey Moore (via Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star, on Twitter)
- Dolphins: C Jake Brendel (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald)