Eagles, Brandon Graham Agree To Extension
Brandon Graham isn’t reaching the open market after all. On Friday, the Eagles agreed to a new three-year deal with the defensive end that will pay him $40MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
It’s a solid payday for Graham, who will bank north of $13MM per season on average. Meanwhile, he has a real chance to retire in Philadelphia. Graham will celebrate his 31st birthday in April, and the Eagles can safely focus on areas other than the pass rush later in the month.
Earlier this offseason, Graham indicated that he would probably test the open market rather than inking a new deal with Philadelphia before March. However, the Eagles came to the table with a deal that made sense for the veteran.
“I love Philly but I owe it to myself and my family to explore free agency,” Graham said in January. “I’m in the business of doing what’s best for my family. I need to explore the market.”
Graham, who’s been with the Eagles since 2010, inked a four-year deal with Philly in 2015. He’s discussed a potential extension on numerous occasions with the Eagles since then, but a fresh deal never came to fruition until now. The Eagles added extra incentives to his pact heading into the 2017 campaign, but did not otherwise amend his deal over the past four years.
Graham would have drawn serious interest in the open market, but he also would have been going up against a stacked free agent edge defenders group. Players such as Jadeveon Clowney, Frank Clark, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dee Ford, and Trey Flowers are all candidates for the franchise tag, but Graham got enough money to bypass the hassle of free agency and stay with the only NFL team he’s ever known.
Graham’s last deal paid him $6.5MM annually, so the new contract represents a substantial pay bump. While his sack total dipped to just four in 2018, Graham still managed to affect rival passers by generating 33.5 quarterback pressures and 11 quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus graded Graham as the league’s ninth-best edge defender last season, assigning him exemplary marks in both run and pass defense.
Jason Witten Signs With Cowboys
Jason Witten has decided to end his retirement and return to the Cowboys, according to a team press release. Witten walked away from the game last year to join ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast, but he has decided to put his broadcasting career on hold in order to resume his playing career. 
“The fire inside of me to compete and play this game is just burning too strong,” the 36-year-old (37 in May) said in a statement. “This team has a great group of rising young stars, and I want to help them make a run at a championship. This was completely my decision, and I am very comfortable with it. I’m looking forward to getting back in the dirt.”
With this news, Witten is now set to return for a 16th pro season. From 2003-17, Witten was among the best tight ends in the league and earned eleven Pro Bowl nominations, a Cowboys record for any offensive player.
The veteran will earn a base salary of $3.5MM with a maximum earning potential of $5MM for the coming year, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Witten will make less than he has in previous seasons, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes that this could be a bridge to a head coaching role for him.
Witten’s “unretirement” may drastically alter the Cowboys’ offseason plans. Previously, tight end was among the team’s biggest needs, but the Cowboys should be set with Witten, Blake Jarwin, Dalton Schultz, and Rico Gathers under contract. Geoff Swaim, an impending free agent, could also be re-signed to compete for a backup role.
By returning to the field, Witten leaves a void to fill in ESPN’s booth. That could help to explain the network’s interest in Greg Olsen, and the Panthers tight end could theoretically end his own career if offered one of the most prestigious jobs in sports television.
Witten has 1,152 career receptions to his credit, which ranks fourth in NFL history behind Jerry Rice, Tony Gonzalez, and Larry Fitzgerald. Meanwhile, his 12,448 receiving yards are good for second among all tight ends behind only Gonzalez (15,127).
Jaguars To Exercise Jalen Ramsey’s Fifth-Year Option
On the surface, the Jaguars making the decision to pick up Jalen Ramsey‘s fifth-year option is not surprising. They indeed plan to exercise the All-Pro cornerback’s 2020 option, Dave Caldwell said Wednesday (Twitter link).
However, with recent noise indicating an uncertain future for the standout defender in Jacksonville, it is somewhat notable. The Jags were connected to Ramsey trade talk as recently as December. The No. 5 overall pick in 2015, though, wants to stay in Jacksonville.
Ramsey is set to make $3.6MM in 2019; his salary will spike to eight-figure territory in 2020. The Jaguars are not in the best cap shape, at least compared to how they stood in recent offseasons, but Ramsey is arguably their best player. He has obviously been outspoken and received a team-imposed suspension last year. Though, he did not miss any regular-season games and has played all 48 regular-season contests since arriving in north Florida.
The former Florida State standout earned his second Pro Bowl nod this past season, intercepting three passes. In addition to Ramsey, the Jags have young defenders Myles Jack and Yannick Ngakoue in line for extensions. All three are now extension-eligible, their third seasons having concluded.
Browns Re-Sign Greg Robinson
The Browns have re-signed tackle Greg Robinson, according to his agents. It’s a one-year deal with a $7MM base value, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. With playing incentives, the deal could reach up to $9MM. 
Robinson, 27 in October, hooked on with the Browns on a low-cost, one-year deal last year. He wound up appearing in all 16 games and started every game in the second half of the year in Desmond Harrison‘s stead.
The former No. 2 overall pick has not come close to living up to that draft slot, but he did show something in the Browns’ first post-Joe Thomas season. Pro Football Focus graded Robinson as its No. 63 tackle (out of 80 full-time qualifiers) in 2018.
Robinson was on the fringes of the NFL when he signed with Cleveland, but his career may finally be getting back on track. The Browns will work with him to try to keep the penalties down (ten penalties from Week 10 onward), but they believe his size will help to protect quarterback Baker Mayfield in the pocket.
Before joining the Browns, Robinson started in 42 of his 46 games for the Rams and made six starts for the Lions in 2017 before suffering an ankle injury.
49ers Franchise Tag Robbie Gould
The 49ers placed the franchise tag on kicker Robbie Gould, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With that, the Niners become the first team to use the franchise tag this offseason. Gould will earn roughly $5MM in 2019 on the tender, unless the two sides avoid the tag with an extension. 
Gould has nailed 72 of 75 field goal attempts over the last two years with the Niners and he ranks as the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history. That’s especially impressive when considering that Gould has spent eleven of his 14 seasons kicking out of Soldier Field with the Bears.
The 49ers last used the tag in 2012 when they kept safety Dashon Goldson from exploring the open market. Last year, they considered tagging franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but they avoided that step by inking him to a colossal five-year extension.
With the tag in place, the Niners and Gould can negotiate a long-term deal between now and the summer deadline.
Colts Sign Ross Travis To Extension
The Colts signed Ross Travis to a one-year contract extension, the club announced. Travis, a 6’6″, 248-pound tight end, will earn the minimum of $720K in 2019. 
Travis was claimed by the Colts off waivers from the Chiefs in November of 2017. Unfortunately, an ACL tear in the final week of the 2018 preseason sidelined him for all of last year.
With the Chiefs in 2017, Travis appeared in eleven games (three starts) and reeled in five catches for 34 yards. He added a couple grabs of grabs with the Colts in four games, but was not frequently targeted in the offense.
Travis’ contract doesn’t grant him a ton of job security, but he’ll have an opportunity to compete for a backup tight end role behind Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle. Mo Alie-Cox and Billy Brown are also in the mix for reserve TE spots and there should be more candidates on the team’s 90-man roster this summer.
Cowboys Won’t Tender Darian Thompson
The Cowboys will not tender an offer to restricted free agent safety Darian Thompson, according to ESPN.com’s Todd Archer (Twitter link). However, the Cowboys would like to bring him back at a lower rate.
[RELATED: Jerry Jones Says Cowboys Will Pursue Safeties]
This year, the low tender is expected to cost roughly $2.045MM, which is more than Dallas is willing to spend on a role player. However, they’ll meet with agent Ron Slavin at the combine in Indianapolis and see if they can work out a cheaper deal, presumably of the one-year variety.
Thomspon, a former third round pick of the Giants, joined the Cowboys off of the Cardinals’ practice squad. He was largely in a special teams role for Dallas, though he did start all 16 games for the G-Men in 2017.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/25/19
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: WR Daniel Williams
Ravens To Release WR Michael Crabtree
The Ravens informed wide receiver Michael Crabtree that he is being released, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Crabtree will hit the open market again, just one year after signing a three-year, $21MM free agent deal with the Ravens last year. 
Crabtree didn’t live up to expectations in his first season with Baltimore and finished out with just 54 catches for 607 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with Joe Flacco at times, but his production fell off once Lamar Jackson took over as the team’s starting QB.
Without Crabtree on the roster, the Ravens will save $4.667MM against the 2019 cap. However, they’ll also carry an equivalent dead money hit.
Crabtree will turn 32 in September, so it’s unlikely that he’ll see similar money on his next deal given his so-so stat line and age. He had similar catch and yardage numbers with the Raiders in ’17, but those stats were buoyed by eight touchdown receptions.
On the plus side, this year’s free agent wide receiver crop is softer than in years past. This year’s class is headlined by the likes of Golden Tate, Jamison Crowder, and Tyrell Williams.
Panthers To Release CB Captain Munnerlyn
The Panthers are releasing nickel cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Munnerlyn, 31 in April, should have suitors given that this is an uncharacteristically soft crop for free agent slot corners. 
Munnerlyn spent the first five seasons of his career with the Panthers before hooking on with the Vikings as a free agent in 2014. After the expiration of his three-year, $14.25MM deal, he returned to Carolina on a four-year, $21MM deal in 2017. By releasing him midway through the deal, the Panthers will save $2MM against the cap while carrying $3MM in dead money.
Last year, Munnerlyn appeared in all 16 games for Carolina, including five starts. He recorded 47 total stops, two sacks, an interception, and nine passes defensed in 2018. The advanced metrics weren’t wild about him, however, as he placed as the No. 83 cornerback in the NFL out of 112 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus.
The Panthers also decided to move on from safety Mike Adams, so the Panthers are clearly looking to overhaul their secondary in 2019. Last year, the Panthers’ secondary allowed an average of 240 passing yards per game, putting them roughly in the middle of the pack, so there’s room for improvement.