2015 March - Pro Football Rumors

Patriots Sign Bradley Fletcher

March 18th, 2015 at 4:49pm CST by Zachary Links

4:49pm: The Patriots have officially signed Fletcher to a one-year deal, the club confirmed today in a press release.

9:48am: It’s a one-year, $2.5MM deal, according to Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald (on Twitter).

9:33am: The Patriots are set to sign cornerback Bradley Fletcher, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Agent Andy Simms confirmed the news to Reiss. Terms of the deal are not yet known but it wouldn’t be surprising for it to be a one-year deal to help restore Fletcher’s value.

Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Fletcher as the 92nd best cornerback last season out of 108 qualified players at the position. He was much better in 2013, however, having been ranked 44th out of 110 players at the position. The Pats are hoping that they can get Fletcher to revert to his old form and they weren’t the only team with that idea in mind. The veteran also drew interest from the Vikings before the official start of free agency.

The Patriots hosted Fletcher this week, along with fellow cornerbacks Terence Newman, Tarell Brown, and Robert McClain. After losing Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner this offseason, New England has made it a priority to reload at the cornerback position.

Patriots Re-Sign Alan Branch

March 18th, 2015 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

WEDNESDAY, 4:48pm: The Pats have formally confirmed their new deal with Branch in a team release.

SATURDAY, 6:55pm: Alan Branch will return to the Patriots, according to the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson (via Twitter). Branch’s deal is for two years and up to $6.6MM, Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo added on Twitter.

The Patriots initially added Branch to their roster last October after the now-30-year-old defensive lineman saw a DUI arrest lead to his exit from Buffalo at the beginning of last season.

Branch started two games for the Super Bowl champions last year and was a serviceable depth cog in the playoffs, playing in at least 20 snaps in each of New England’s three contests. The Bills previously signed him to two contracts, the first a one-year deal to pry Branch away from the Seahawks in 2013 and the second a three-year extension worth $8.5MM in December 2013.

A former second-round selection in 2007, Branch’s best year came in 2011 when he was the the sixth-best defensive tackle, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Branch primarily played defensive end last season.

There could be more playing time available to Branch now after Vince Wilfork‘s release.

Patriots Sign Robert McClain

March 18th, 2015 at 4:47pm CST by Zachary Links

4:47pm: The Patriots have officially signed McClain, the team announced today in a press release.

3:22pm: McClain’s one-year deal with the Pats will be worth $1.24MM, with a signing bonus of $150K and a roster bonus of $240K, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun adds (via Twitter) that the pact includes up to $760K in playing-time incentives.

12:22pm: It sounds like the Patriots have signed two cornerbacks in one day. Robert McClain announced on Twitter that he will be signing with New England:

“Thankful to have the opportunity to continue my career with the @Patriots,” McClain tweeted.

McClain played 642 snaps with the Falcons last season and the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) weren’t all that fond of his work. The veteran graded out as the No. 90 ranked cornerback out of 108 qualified players at the position.

McClain, 27 in July, has missed only one regular season game over the past three seasons with the Falcons. Last season, he registered 59 total tackles with 2 interceptions, 5 pass deflections, and a sack. He also has a history of contributing in the return game. In 2013, he returned 19 punts for 193 yards, good for an average of 10.2 yards per attempt.

Earlier today, the Pats agreed to sign fellow cornerback Bradley Fletcher to a one-year, $2.5MM pact.

Giants, Geoff Schwartz Restructure Contract

March 18th, 2015 at 4:45pm CST by Zachary Links

4:45pm: Schwartz’s new deal also includes up to $500K in playing-time incentives, so he’ll have the opportunity to earn back the full $2MM he agreed to give up, tweets Raanan.

8:34am: After what amounted to a lost season, Geoff Schwartz has agreed to restructure his deal with the Giants, as Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger writes. The offensive lineman has given up a good deal in guarantees under his reworked deal with Big Blue.

The new pact will call for Schwartz scale back his base salary from $3.675MM to $1.675MM. He’ll get a chance to earn $1.5MM back in per-game roster bonuses and he’ll have $500K of his 2016 salary guaranteed. In essence, those two figures could combine to make up for the gap. In the end, the Giants will get a cap hit of $2.845MM for Schwartz in 2015, a lesser blow than what they were slated to pay out before, giving them $2.13MM in additional cap space for this league year. The Giants could use that extra breathing room to help facilitate new deals for Jason Pierre-Paul, Prince Amukamara or Eli Manning.

Schwartz, 28, signed a four-year deal with the Giants when he hit free agency in March, but he barely played for the club in 2014. Sidelined with a toe injury, Schwartz was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return prior to Week 1. The 28-year-old returned for November contests against the Cowboys and Jaguars, but that apparently was the beginning and end of his 2014 campaign.

Schwartz was a seventh-round pick of the Panthers in 2008 and made enough of a mark there to see time in all 16 games during his rookie season, including three starts. In his sophomore campaign, he started all 16 games at right guard. He went a couple of years without another start until 2013 with KC, which he used to springboard into his lucrative deal in New York.

Contract Details: Revis, Cromartie, Spiller

March 18th, 2015 at 4:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few notable details from some of the contracts signed by free agents within the last several days:

AFC deals:

Darrelle Revis, CB (Jets): Five years, $70MM base value. $39MM fully guaranteed. Options for 2018 and 2019 (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
Antonio Cromartie, CB (Jets): Four years, $32MM base value. Can be worth up to $35MM (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
Marcus Gilchrist, S (Jets): Four years, $22MM base value. $3.5MM fully guaranteed. $3.125MM cap number in 2015 (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com).
Tramon Williams, CB (Browns): Three years, $21MM base value. $10MM fully guaranteed. $1.5MM signing bonus. $2MM roster bonus due this month (Twitter links via Wilson).
Scott Chandler, TE (Patriots): Two years, $5.3MM base value. $2MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald).
Christian Ponder, QB (Raiders): One year, $2.25MM base value. $1.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Bill Williamson of ESPN.com).

NFC deals:

C.J. Spiller, RB (Saints): Four years, $16MM. $7.3MM fully guaranteed. $2MM available in escalators. Voids after three years if Spiller makes it to two Pro Bowls (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
Rashean Mathis, CB (Lions): Two years, $3.5MM base value. $750K signing bonus (Twitter links via Wilson).
Chykie Brown, S (Giants): Two years, $1.8MM base value. $200K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
Tyrunn Walker, DT (Lions): One year, $1.75MM base value. $550K signing bonus (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).

Ravens Re-Sign Lawrence Guy

March 18th, 2015 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent defensive lineman Lawrence Guy had been scheduled to pay a visit to the Jets tomorrow, but he has canceled that trip and will stay with the Ravens, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The team confirmed today in a press release that Guy has signed a new two-year deal to remain in Baltimore.

Guy, who turned 25 yesterday, started the 2014 season with the Chargers, but was cut in September and was claimed off waivers by the Ravens. The Arizona State product appeared in 11 games for Baltimore, reocrding 17 tackles and recovering a fumble. With Haloti Ngata now in Detroit, Guy may have an opportunity to take on a great role with the team going forward.

According to Wilson (via Twitter), Guy had an offer on the table from the Jets worth the veteran’s minimum, one of many such offers New York has out there right now. It’s not clear what his new deal with the Ravens is worth, but it’s unlikely to be much more than the minimum.

FA Rumors: Moore, Rubin, Jennings, Selvie

March 18th, 2015 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

If Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News were in charge of the Cowboys, he would have tendered a contract offer to cornerback Sterling Moore. Cowboys coaches didn’t see enough from Moore in 2014 to want him back, apparently, but at a cost of $1.542MM, he could have given them inexpensive depth at the position. Moore, who visited the Steelers earlier this week, is in San Francisco today meeting with the 49ers, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Here’s more on a handful of free agents around the NFL:

The Seahawks are still in the market for defensive line help and they’ll host Browns free agent defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin today, Rapoport tweets. Back in December, Rubin said that he wanted to stay in Cleveland for life. So far, nothing like that has materialized.
Wide receiver Greg Jennings told Stephen A. Smith on Sirius XM/Mad Dog Sports Radio that he’d be open to a reunion with the Packers, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. Jennings said that he’d never “tear down” a bridge, but Demovsky notes that Jennings might have done that already with some harsh comments towards the Packers and Aaron Rodgers upon joining the Vikings.
We heard earlier this week that the Vikings have interest in defensive end George Selvie, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets that Minnesota appears to have backed off a little, while the Buccaneers are now “very much” in the mix for Selvie.
Free agent offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds is paying a visit to the Rams, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). St. Louis has holes at multiple spots on its offensive line, and Reynolds is capable of playing both guard and tackle.
Washington, the Vikings, and the Bengals are all vying to sign free agent safety Taylor Mays, writes Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. A source tells Tomasson that Cincinnati “desperately” wants to re-sign Mays, who is considering his options.
The Ravens have maintained interest in potentially re-signing defensive lineman Lawrence Guy, who is visiting the Jets tomorrow, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Former Dolphins defensive end Rakim Cox has been invited to the veterans combine, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC East Notes: Clay, Jets, Pats

March 18th, 2015 at 1:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have lost sight of value with their offer sheet to Dolphins tight end Charles Clay, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. The Bills can afford the deal under the 2015 cap and they should benefit from the projected growth of the NFL’s cap over the next several years, but it will be difficult for Clay to live up to that massive five-year, $38MM pact. Here’s more from the AFC East..

If the Bills really want Clay, they should give him the ability to void his contract in 2017 since it’d be difficult to picture the Dolphins matching that, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap tweets.
James Walker of ESPN.com says the Dolphins should just let Clay walk. Clay is good, but not elite, and Miami already has an in-house replacement ready in the newly-acquired Jordan Cameron.
Inside linebacker Jamari Lattimore is visiting with the Jets, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Lattimore, a former UDFA, has spent all four years of his career with the Packers. Over the last two seasons, Lattimore has racked up 74 tackles to go with two sacks and an interception.
Ravens free agent defensive end Lawrence Guy is scheduled to visit the Jets on Thursday, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. Guy was claimed off waivers last season after being cut by the Chargers early in the 2014 season. The 6-foot-4, 318-pounder had 16 tackles in eleven games and one start last season as he emerged as a solid rotational guy for Baltimore.
The Jets also announced that Giants free agent offensive lineman James Brewer will be visiting, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).

Ravens Release Bernard Pierce

March 18th, 2015 at 1:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens announced that they have released running back Bernard Pierce, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Pierce was charged with a DUI on Wednesday morning.

Pierce was already in an iffy spot with the team after coming off of a disappointing 2014 season. The Ravens have re-signed Justin Forsett with Lorenzo Taliaferro available to back him up. The Ravens’ recent pattern in dealing with arrested players has been to cut ties, so it’s not a big surprise to see Pierce let go.

As Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com noted, former Ravens defensive tackle Terrence Cody was cut after being charged with animal cruelty last month. Cornerback Victor Hampton was also cut earlier this month after being arrested for driving while impaired. Baltimore also acted swiftly when it came to Hampton as he was cut less than 24 hours after the incident.

Last season, Pierce appeared in 13 regular season games for Baltimore. He rushed for a career-low 366 yards off of 93 attempts with two touchdowns. Even with the Ravens’ backfield situation in flux last season, Pierce was unable to become a major part of the rushing attack. Of course, the emergence of Forsett also suppressed his role.

Bills, Percy Harvin Agree To Deal

March 18th, 2015 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 18th, 12:55pm: The Bills officially announced that they have signed Harvin, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).

MARCH 13th, 5:44pm: Harvin will land with the Bills, not the 49ers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Per Rapoport, Harvin’s deal with Buffalo will be for one year and “roughly” $6MM.

4:38pm: Nothing official has been announced yet for Harvin and the Bills, and according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington (Twitter link), the 49ers are trying to make a last-minute play for the wideout.

2:27pm: The Bills and Harvin have agreed to a one-year contract, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

2:10pm: The Bills continue to try to lock up Percy Harvin, according to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is “working toward striking [a] deal” with the free agent wideout. We heard this morning that Harvin was trying to decide whether or not to take a couple more visits or to simply accept an offer, perhaps from Buffalo.

Harvin was acquired by the Jets from the Seahawks back in October in the most surprising in-season trade of 2014. However, the veteran receiver and return man didn’t have a huge impact in New York, totaling 29 receptions for 350 yards and a touchdown in his eight games with the Jets. Harvin also averaged just 24.8 yards per kick return, with no TDs.

Having been recently released by the Jets, Harvin looks like a good bet to stick in the AFC East. If he and the Bills don’t reach an agreement, it’s possible the Patriots will make a push for him — an afternoon report suggested New England is a good bet to land a free agent like Harvin or Reggie Bush, and the Pats would make sense for Harvin, who reportedly has some interest in playing with a solid quarterback for a year to help increase his value.

While they don’t have that Pro Bowl-type quarterback that could help restore Harvin’s value, the Bills have added some interesting pieces so far this offseason. The team acquired LeSean McCoy in a deal with the Eagles, and is hoping to land tight end Charles Clay in free agency.

Of course, a team’s quarterback isn’t the only factor Harvin will consider. A source told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) earlier this week that the 26-year-old doesn’t want to be a “gadget guy” anymore and wants to play something closer to a traditional wide receiver role. Throughout his career, he has had coaches “lie” to him and tell him that he would play a typical wide receiver, only to have him involved more in unorthodox plays.