The Ravens have signed their second-round pick, Florida State defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Jernigan was the 48th overall pick.
The Ravens now have six of their nine draft picks under contract. Jernigan’s contract is the standard for his slot in the draft, as he will be with the Ravens for four years and about $4.382MM. His signing bonus will be worth approximately $1.507MM.
With many rookie minicamps underway, it’s clear that a good portion of the players drafted last week have been eager to get their contract situations taken care of so they can focus solely on football. Several more draftees reached agreements or signed their deals today, so let’s round up the latest….
The Eagles have released wide receiver Arrelious Benn, the team announced today (via Twitter). The former second-round pick, who is returning from a torn ACL, had been set to earn a base salary of $1MM, so it’s not a real surprise that the club decided to cut him. However, multiple Eagles beat writers, including Zach Berman and Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links) believe the former Buccaneer could be re-signed at a lesser salary.
Here are a few more of Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
Earlier updates:
The NFL’s 2013 sack leader will be hard-pressed to defend his title in 2014, as a suspension will force Robert Mathis out of action for the first month of the upcoming season. The Colts and the NFL announced today that the standout pass rusher will have to serve a four-game suspension as a result of violating the league’s policy on prohibited substances (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan).
“Like many families, my wife and I faced fertility challenges, and I sought medical assistance,” Mathis said in a statement explaining the situation (TwitLonger link). “I specifically asked the doctor if the medication he prescribed for me would present a problem for NFL drug testing, and unfortunately, he incorrectly told me that it would not. … The union has worked very closely with me to present all of the facts and medical records for consideration of discipline that does not include a suspension because of the unique facts of my case, but the Commissioner refused the request.”
Missing the first four contests of the 2014 season means that Mathis won’t be available to chase former teammate Peyton Manning during the league’s opening game in Denver. He also won’t be available when the Colts play the Eagles, Jaguars, and Titans. In addition to sitting out for four games, Mathis will also have to forgo about $706K in base salary, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). The silver lining for Mathis and his family? His wife did indeed became pregnant shortly after Mathis took the medication.
The NFL and the Colts also released statements on the suspension (Sulia links via Caplan).
The Jets have claimed running back Daryl Richardson off waivers, a day after the back was cut by the Rams, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). We heard earlier today that the Ravens had been considering placing a claim on Richardson, but he was ultimately awarded to New York instead.
Richardson started the 2013 season as the Rams’ primary running back, but saw most of his carries usurped by Zac Stacy over the course of the year. The former seventh-round pick accumulated 690 rushing yards on 167 carries and also added 38 receptions over the course of his two seasons with the Rams. Richardson became the odd man out in St. Louis’ backfield after the club drafted Tre Mason last week.
By claiming Richardson, the Jets assume his previous contract, so if he earns a roster spot and works out well for the team, the 24-year-old could remain on his current deal through 2015.
The Bills made one of the biggest splashes during the first round of last week’s draft when they traded up to fourth overall to land wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Although the team was able to land its man at No. 4, Buffalo made efforts to move up even higher than that, as director of player personnel Jim Monos confirmed in a video on the club’s website.
“We went with Houston right off the bat,” Monos said. “We tried to go to No. 1. They weren’t having it. They knew who they wanted, so we started working our way right down.”
The video hints that the Bills also spoke to the Jaguars about the possibility of moving up to No. 3, since Jacksonville’s target at that spot was unclear. As for the Rams, Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk notes that there are strong signals Buffalo spoke to them about the No. 2 pick as well.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
We’re continuing to track which draft picks have signed their rookie contracts with their new NFL clubs. Here are the latest transactions:
Since the draft came to an end on Saturday evening, we’ve been keeping tabs on undrafted rookies signing with NFL teams, passing along the moves that have been confirmed by either a club or the league itself. Over the course of the week, all 32 clubs have made their UDFA signings official, and we’ve rounded up those announcements below, sorted by team.
In some cases, teams have added one or two extra rookie free agents to their group after announcing their initial class, so we’ve tried to keep those moves contained to the same post in which we initially passed along the team’s UDFA class, wherever possible.
Check out the list below to find your favorite team’s undrafted free agent signings:
Most of the NFL’s 32 teams will be conducting rookie minicamps this weekend, where clubs will get a first look at their draftees, and undrafted prospects and unsigned free agents will have a chance to make their case for a roster spot. Let’s check in on the latest links related to these rookie camps:
The Texans took their time in announcing their rookie free agent signings, but the team has officially done so today, revealing the names of their UDFA additions in a press release. Here’s the complete list: