2015 March - Pro Football Rumors

Falcons To Keep Smith, Add Person

March 18th, 2015 at 12:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 18th, 12:54pm: Smith’s deal will pay him $1.4MM in total between his $1.2MM salary and $200K bonus, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).

MARCH 10th, 6:08pm: The Falcons‘ new-look backfield will still include elusive speedster Antone Smith. Atlanta re-signed the 29-year-old running back while adding practice squad veteran offensive lineman Mike Person, Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com tweets.

These signings come after the Falcons added linebackers Brooks Reed and Justin Durant earlier today. Terms of these deals have not been disclosed.

Before going down with a fractured leg in November, Smith was one of the NFL’s best yards-after-catch performers, with 17.3 per reception. A longtime special-teamer and backup to Michael Turner or Steven Jackson, Smith will suit up for the Falcons in a sixth straight season and do so as part of a revamped backfield.

The Falcons cut Jackson last month and haven’t re-signed diminutive reserve Jacquizz Rodgers yet, leaving only Smith and 2014 rookie Devonta Freeman in the backfield.

Person’s played with four different teams, but after only seeing action in one game from 2011-13, the former undrafted free agent played in 16 games with the Rams last season.

Michael Crabtree Visiting Dolphins

March 18th, 2015 at 12:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Niners free agent wide receiver Michael Crabtree is visiting with the Dolphins today, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Crabtree, he notes, would be a great addition to an otherwise young receiving corp. This marks Crabtree’s first reported visit of the offseason. On Tuesday night, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that the market for the outspoken wide receiver was rather weak.

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes that Crabtree was the No. 1 player on the Jets’ board when he came out in 2009. Now, former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum is the head decision maker in Miami, so this could be a rather perfect marriage.

In 2014, Crabtree appeared in all 16 games for the 49ers, hauling in 68 catches for 698 yards and four scores. While San Francisco was undoubtedly delighted to see Crabtree play a full season after missing the bulk of 2013, those numbers didn’t match his best production in 2012, when he had 85 grabs for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns.

Greg Hardy Likely To Sign With Cowboys

March 18th, 2015 at 12:32pm CST by Zachary Links

12:32pm: The Bucs have lost interest in Hardy and unless someone else gets involved, it sounds like he’ll be a Cowboy, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets.

Meanwhile, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) is curious to see what the deal looks like in terms of length, guarantee, and total money. La Canfora hears that Hardy is seeking upwards of $6MM for 2015.

8:19am: After meeting with the Cowboys on Tuesday, agent Drew Rosenhaus says Greg Hardy will decide between signing with them or the Buccaneers tonight, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Seahawks were also in the running for the talented defensive end, but it appears that they have fallen out of the chase.

Hardy, who had 15 sacks in 2013 for the Panthers before missing most of the 2014 season, remains on the commissioner’s exempt list as the league completes its review of his case. Hardy remains eligible to sign a new contract, even on the exempt list. There has yet to be a decision from the NFL on what kind of discipline the 26-year-old will face.

Hardy made the Pro Bowl in 2013 after he compiled a career-high 15 sacks, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him as the second-best overall defensive end in the league. He signed a $13.1MM deal for the 2014 season and wound up playing in just one game for that entire campaign.

The Cowboys have both Jeremy Mincey and DeMarcus Lawrence at defensive end but Hardy would obviously give a major boost to Dallas’ defensive line. If he comes aboard, Eatman writes that Hardy would step in at right defensive end, Lawrence would likely switch to the left side, and Mincey would serve as a roving lineman with occasional defensive tackle duties. A rush featuring Hardy and Lawrence would be absolutely terrifying on paper, but Dallas would have to take on the backlash and potential baggage that could come with signing Hardy.

The Bucs lost out on what would have been a huge upgrade to their pass rush when Derrick Morgan opted to stay put with the Titans, but signing Hardy would give them a similar or greater boost in the front seven. After releasing Michael Johnson just one year after inking a five-year, $43.75MM contract, Tampa Bay needs to find a suitable replacement somehow.

Lions To Re-Sign Rashean Mathis

March 18th, 2015 at 12:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have agreed to re-sign cornerback Rashean Mathis, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). It’ll be a two-year pact worth $3.5MM in total and he’ll earn $2MM in 2015.

Back in February, Lions GM Martin Mayhew said that he would like to retain Mathis for the 2015 season and praised Mathis’ “position versatility”. In 2014, Mathis started all 16 regular season games for the Lions, finishing with 54 total tackles, one interception for a touchdown, and two forced fumbles.

The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) placed him as the 12th best cornerback in the entire NFL last season with an overall score of 9.1. For reference, that posting put him ahead of such notables as Chris Culliver, Brandon Flowers, Aqib Talib, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Mathis earned the minimum salary last season but he’ll earn a paycheck that’s more in line with his performance in 2015. The veteran will celebrate his 35th birthday in August.

Jets Sign Marcus Gilchrist

March 18th, 2015 at 12:16pm CST by Rory Parks

MARCH 18th, 12:16pm: The Jets announced that the signing is official, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).

MARCH 12th, 10:23pm: The Jets are not done adding to their secondary, as they are finalizing a four-year deal with former Chargers safety Marcus Gilchrist, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

Gilchrist was drafted by San Diego in the second round of the 2011 draft, and he started all 16 games for the club in each of the past two seasons. He fared poorly according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) in 2014, ranking 72nd out of 87 eligible safeties. However, he graded out much better in 2013, finishing as the 20th-best safety out of 88. He has tallied five interceptions in his four-year career, so he has not been much of a playmaker despite his strong tackling abilities and mentally-sound play.

But he does further bolster a unit that has already been rejuvenated with the recent additions of Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie,and Buster Skrine. As Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork tweets, Gilchrist’s versatility is especially appealing to the Jets. Gilchrist played 401 snaps in the slot, 306 snaps at strong safety, and 201 snaps at free safety last season, and he and Calvin Pryor will team up to create a fairly strong pair of interchangeable safeties. Of course, the secondary as a whole has been transformed from an embarrassingly undermanned group to perhaps the best set of defensive backs in the league in just a couple of days.

Giants To Sign Kenrick Ellis

March 18th, 2015 at 12:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Jets defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis is signing a one-year deal with the Giants today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Ellis’ visited the Meadowlands’ other team on Tuesday.

The Jets were hoping to retain Ellis but at the outset of free agency, he was receiving a lot of outside interest with six teams inquiring on him. The rival Dolphins were among the teams also linked to him. Ellis, 27, saw time in 14 games last season, racking up 12 total tackles and one sack.

49ers Sign Erik Pears

March 18th, 2015 at 11:23am CST by Rob DiRe

WEDNESDAY, 11:23am: It’s a two-year, $4.7MM deal with $1MM fully guaranteed, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

SUNDAY, 2:28pm: The 49ers have officially signed Pears, the team announced today in a press release.

SATURDAY, 1:36pm: The 49ers have agreed to terms with free agent offensive lineman Erik Pears, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). He had visited the 49ers on Thursday. The signing was originally announced by Pears’ agent Jeff Sperbeck (via Twitter). The contract will be a two-year deal.

Pears struggled at right guard for the Bills in 2014, and had previously played offensive tackle. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com sees Pears’ his versatility as an asset, noting he could play left guard or as a swing tackle for the 49ers.

Charles Clay Signs Bills Offer Sheet

March 18th, 2015 at 11:11am CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 11:11am: The Bills formally announced that Clay has inked his offer sheet, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The Dolphins have until Sunday night to match.

TUESDAY, 6:33pm: The Bills’ offer is for five years and $38MM, according to Carucci (on Twitter). The deal includes more than $20MM guaranteed. Meanwhile, Michael Silver of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that the Dolphins’ final offer to Clay was $27MM over four years with less than $15MM guaranteed.

The Bills’ offer is structured to attack Miami’s cap in 2016, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

6:24pm: The Bills have given Charles Clay an offer sheet and the tight end has inked it, according to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (via Twitter). The Dolphins now have five days to match the offer.

On Monday, Carucci reported that the Bills were steadfast in their hopes of signing Clay to an unmatchable offer sheet. The Bills, for their part, have been confident and bordering on cocky in their pursuit of Clay. A source told Carucci that it was a 90% certainty that Buffalo would land the tight end. New head coach Rex Ryan has been pushing hard for the team to sign Clay and he knows just how hard he can be to defend from his time coaching against him in intra-divisional action.

Buffalo has been going over both their cap numbers and the Dolphins’ cap numbers in an attempt to structure a contract that Miami can’t match. Over the weekend, it was reported that the Dolphins were losing interest in retaining Clay and that’s not all that hard to believe, given the potential contract that Clay could command coupled with the presence of the newly-signed Jordan Cameron.

Rams Re-Sign Kenny Britt

March 18th, 2015 at 11:06am CST by Zachary Links

MARCH 18th: The deal is official, according to Nick Wagoner of the Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).

MARCH 13th: Britt will stay in St. Louis on a two-year deal, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The contract will be worth up to $14MM and include $4.3MM in guarantees.

MARCH 11th: The Rams are expected to re-sign Kenny Britt soon, according to Michael Silver of NFL.com (on Twitter). Earlier today it was reported that the Rams were interested in Britt as a second choice or a Plan B at wide receiver, though they had competition from other teams.

Following a tumultuous, five-year tenure with the Titans, Britt joined the Rams last offseason on a one-year, $1.4MM deal. The 26-year-old had one of the most productive seasons of his career in 2014, finishing with 48 catches for 748 yards and three touchdowns. Pro Football Focus ranked Britt 35th among 110 receiver candidates, just ahead of Torrey Smith, who received a five-year, $40MM contract from the 49ers yesterday.

Ravens To Re-Sign Chris Canty

March 18th, 2015 at 10:58am CST by Zachary Links

11:01am: Canty’s two-year deal is worth $4.65MM, according to Wilson (on Twitter). He’ll get a $1.5MM signing bonus, a $1MM base in 2015, and a $2MM salary in 2016. As previously indicated, the Ravens will hold a team option for the second year (link).

10:58am: The Ravens officially announced that Canty has been signed to a two-year deal, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).

10:40am: The Ravens will re-sign defensive lineman Chris Canty, a source tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). It’ll be a one-year deal with a team option for year two (link).

The Ravens cut Canty because of his high cap number earlier this offseason. The 32-year-old was released by the Ravens in February and has since drawn interest from other teams, including the Seahawks and Jets. Shortly after cutting Canty loose, GM Ozzie Newsome made it clear that a reunion could still be in the cards.

“We certainly would not close the door to Chris coming back to us,” Newsome said.

Canty, a 10-year veteran, joined the Ravens prior to the 2013 season, after spending his first eight years in the NFC East with the Cowboys and Giants. In two years with Baltimore, Canty started 14 of 26 games he played, registering 65 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. While he didn’t have a huge impact on the field, the veteran lineman is a good leader and has a positive locker room presence.

By cutting Canty initially, the Ravens removed his $2.66MM base salary from their books, leaving about $667K in dead money. Canty had initially been slated to count for approximately $3.327MM against the club’s 2015 cap. The exact terms of his new deal are not yet known, but it’ll provide Baltimore with more breathing room than they would have had under the old pact.

Canty was set to visit the Seahawks on Thursday, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter), but that trip has obviously been cancelled.