Steelers Trade Marcus Gilbert To Cardinals
The Steelers have agreed to trade tackle Marcus Gilbert to the Cardinals, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). In return, the Steelers will receive a draft pick late in the sixth round. 
[RELATED: Steelers, Bills Nix Antonio Brown Trade]
The Steelers have been working the phone lines in an attempt to move Gilbert and they found a taker quickly after word broke on Friday. Gilbert, 31, has missed 23 regular season games over the last three years, but he can be a difference-maker for Arizona if he stays healthy and out of trouble with the league.
Since 2011, Gilbert has started in all but one of his games and he has graded out as a top 20 tackle in Pro Football Focus’ rankings in the past. Even in 2018, a down season marred by injury, Gilbert placed as PFF’s No. 41 tackle in the NFL.
The Cardinals’ offensive line was downright porous last offseason and the pocket failed to hold up around rookie quarterback Josh Rosen. Gilbert should help on that front, though the Cardinals – armed with the No. 1 overall pick – still have a ton of work ahead of them.
Jaguars To Release RT Jermey Parnell
The Jaguars’ spring cleaning is in full effect. The team will release right tackle Jermey Parnell, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Parnell was due $6MM in 2019, but none of that money was guaranteed. The Jaguars now have somewhere in the neighborhood of $30MM in cap space after their litany of cuts on Friday morning.
Before Parnell’s exit, the Jaguars also released defensive tackle Malik Jackson, running back Carlos Hyde, and safety Tashaun Gipson. At this rate, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see even more key players released by the end of the business day.
Parnell, a 2009 undrafted free agent out of Mississippi, bounced around the NFL before landing with the Cowboys in 2010. The offensive tackle established himself as one of Dallas’ key backups, and he turned that experience into a starting gig with the Jaguars. The 32-year-old spent the past four years in Jacksonville, starting each of his 57 games. He appeared in 13 games last season, with Pro Football Focus ranking him 49th among 83 eligible offensive tackles at the time of his season-ending injury in December.
Jaguars Release Tashaun Gipson
It’s a bloodbath in Jacksonville. On Friday, the Jaguars released safety Tashaun Gipson, according to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Jaguars Release Malik Jackson]
Word of Gipson’s release comes moments after the club dropped defensive tackle Malik Jackson and running back Carlos Hyde. Between the three transactions, the Jags have saved a total of $23.2MM in salary cap space for the coming year.
Heading into Friday, the Jaguars had less than $3MM in breathing room, so the trio of cuts will make a world of difference for the Jags. By the same token, the Jaguars will have to find someone to replace Gipson – a reliable starter – in the secondary.
Gipson was due upwards of $8MM in 2019 but teams still called on him prior to his release, so he figures to find a healthy market in the coming days. The 28-year-old (29 in August) started in every possible game for the Jaguars since joining the squad in 2016. In 2018, he racked up 54 tackles, one interception, and seven passes defensed playing primarily at free safety. For Gipson’s efforts last year, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 37 safety in the NFL, placing him ahead of notables like T.J. McDonald, Landon Collins, and Duron Harmon.
Lions Release T.J. Lang
On Friday, the Lions announced the release of guard T.J. Lang. The move will save the Lions $8.84MM against the cap and leave them with $2.67MM in dead money. By releasing him before March 16, they’ve also avoided having to pay him a $500K roster bonus. 
“We would like to personally thank T.J. Lang for his two seasons with the Lions. He represented everything you could want from a football player and team captain,” Lions GM Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia said in a joint statement. “We all publicly saw him perform on the field at a very high level, but what was seen in the building every day was a player who had great leadership, professionalism and passion for the game of football. It meant a lot for T.J. to play in his home city and we have the utmost respect for him as a man. We wish T.J. and his family all the best in the future.”
Indeed, Lang is regarded as one of the nicer guys in the NFL. He was also a heck of a lineman during his best years.
Lang spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Packers and started in all of his games from 2011-2016. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in his final year with the club and did the same in Year One with the Lions after signing a three-year, $28.5MM deal with the club. Unfortunately, a neck injury landed him on IR in November of 2018 and his football future remains murky.
Jaguars To Release Carlos Hyde
The Jaguars showed Malik Jackson the door, and Carlos Hyde will follow him out. The running back will be released by the Jaguars on Friday, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
The Jaguars tried to trade Jackson and Hyde, but couldn’t find a worthwhile deal. Hyde, who joined the Jaguars in a midseason trade with the Browns, had two years left on his deal but nothing in the way of guarantees. Understandably, clubs passed on trading for Hyde and taking on a $4.7MM cap hold. Hyde will now get an early crack at free agency before the market formally opens on Thursday.
Last year, Hyde ran for 189 yards and zero touchdowns in his eight games (two starts) with Jacksonville. In theory, Hyde could have returned on a lesser deal to help stopgap Leonard Fournette, but the Jags will instead look in another direction. Fournette could be backed up by T.J. Yeldon, but that would require re-signing the impending free agent.
The Jags have opened up significant cap room by dismissing Hyde and Jackson – by our calculation, they’ve gone from having $2.6MM in space to roughly $20MM by virtue of the two cuts.
Jaguars To Release Malik Jackson
The Jaguars informed defensive tackle Malik Jackson that he will be released, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Jackson still has three years to go on the six-year, $85.5MM contract he inked in 2016, but the Jags will cut him to save $11MM against $4MM in dead money. 
Jackson didn’t missed a single game during his time with the Jaguars and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017. However, he took a bit of a step back in 2018, and he was ultimately benched for Taven Bryan down the stretch. He finished the season with 32 tackles and 3.5 sacks, with Pro Football Focus ranking him just 85th among 112 interior defenders.
The Jaguars tried, and failed, to find a suitable trade for Jackson. Jackson still has value, of course, but no team gave real consideration to adding the veteran at his current salary. After his release is finalized, he’ll be free to sign elsewhere, albeit at a cheaper rate than his previous deal.
After losing his starting job in December, Jackson saw the writing on the wall.
“In my mind, if I’m third or fourth on the depth chart making $14.5MM to $15MM, I don’t see too much future for me in Jacksonville,” Jackson said. “I’m not trying to be a journeyman by any means. But it’s a business and soon as you try to forget that then it’s a rude awakening for sure.”
Giants To Trade Olivier Vernon To Browns
The Giants are trading Olivier Vernon to the Browns, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). In return, the Giants will receive guard Kevin Zeitler (Twitter link). The Giants had originally agreed to send the No. 132 pick to Cleveland, with the Browns shipping No. 155 back to New York, but the two side have since canceled that portion of the swap.
The deal gives the Browns a formidable defensive end combo between Vernon and Myles Garrett. The swap also allows the Browns to focus on other areas of need next week, rather than overpaying for valued edge rushers.
Vernon inked a massive five-year, $85MM deal with the Giants in 2016. A few years later, the Giants found themselves looking to unload him or potentially release him outright. Vernon is still productive, but he no longer profiles as one of the best edge rushers in the NFL. Even at his time of signing, his contract was a function of an inflated pass rushing market that continues to be player friendly.
Vernon is due $15.5MM in each of the two remaining years on his deal. The Browns had roughly $77MM in cap space entering Friday, but it’s not immediately clear whether the Giants will be chipping in towards what Vernon is owed. Such an arrangement is not unheard of. In the Case Keenum trade between the Broncos and Redskins, for example, the Broncos agreed to pay half of Keenum’s 2019 salary.
Vernon, 28, gave the Giants a career-high 8.5 sacks in his first season with the club. He’s continued to get to the QB with 22 sacks over the course of three years, but injuries have cost him nine games over the last two campaigns. Last year, he averaged four pressures per contest in eleven games.
The Giants, meanwhile, pick up one of the league’s best interior lineman in the trade. Zeitler was Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 ranked guard last season and is midway through a five-year, $60MM deal. The 29-year-old is set to make $10MM this season, though much of that hit will be absorbed by the Browns.
Raiders, Erik Harris Reach Extension
The Raiders and Erik Harris have reached agreement on an extension, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The safety and core special teamer will earn up to $6.5MM on a two-year deal with $2.5MM guaranteed. 
Harris was a restricted free agent this offseason and the Raiders initially cuffed him with the low-cost original round tender. Instead, Harris has received a new deal that will keep him under club control through the 2020 campaign.
Harris took the scenic route to the NFL after emerging from the California University of Pennsylvania. After a few seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL, Harris hooked on with the Saints on a futures deal. Finally, in 2017, he saw his first live action in the NFL with the Raiders. Then, last season, he impressed head coach Jon Gruden and worked his way into an important special teams role. Harris wound up playing in all 16 games with four starts in 2018. He finished out with 49 tackles, seven passes defensed, and two interceptions.
In other Raiders news, former Oakland cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie says he’s ending his brief retirement and aims to play in 2019.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/7/19
Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions:
RFAs
Non-tendered:
- Jets: TE Eric Tomlinson
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Broncos: LB Joseph Jones, WR Tim Patrick, S Dymonte Thomas, T Elijah Wilkinson
- Packers: G Justin McCray
- Raiders: LB Jason Cabinda, K Daniel Carlson
- Steelers: OL Matt Feiler, CB Mike Hilton
Non-tendered:
- Broncos: LB Jerrol Garcia-Williams
Panthers Exercise Torrey Smith’s Option
The Panthers have exercised Torrey Smith‘s option for the 2019 season, ensuring the veteran wideout will return to Carolina next season, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets.
Carolina acquired Smith, now 30 years old, from the Eagles last offseason in exchange for cornerback Daryl Worley. He’s due to collect a $5MM base salary in 2019, but the Panthers could have moved on without absorbing any dead money onto their salary cap, as Smith has no guarantees remaining in his deal. Smith will now reach free agency during the 2020 offseason.
Smith missed five games due to a knee injury last season, appearing in only 11 games while making six starts. He was targeted just 31 times on the year, hauling in 17 of those targets for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Smith has never been a volume receiver, but he hasn’t topped 12 yards per reception since 2015, and hasn’t posted more than 40 catches since 2014.
The Panthers are expected to let free agent wideout Devin Funchess walk this offseason, so Smith could be in line for more snaps. He’ll play alongside 2018 first-round pick D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel, and Jarius Wright.