2015 March - Pro Football Rumors

Texans To Sign Vince Wilfork

March 16th, 2015 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

3:25pm: Wilfork’s two-year contract is worth $9MM, with $5MM in guaranteed money, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

2:33pm: After spending his entire NFL career with the Patriots, Vince Wilfork be joining another AFC team for the coming season. The veteran defensive tackle announced on Twitter today that he’ll be signing with the Texans. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), it’s a two-year deal for Wilfork and the Texans.

“We will be starting a new chapter in our lives as Houston Texans,” Wilfork said in his statement, after thanking the Kraft family and the Patriots. “The coaching staff in Houston has made his new exciting transition feel like home to us.”

Wilfork, 33, has spent all 11 years of his NFL career in New England, playing 158 regular season games for the Pats, and starting 148 of those. An anchor in the middle of the defensive line in New England for the last decade, Wilfork looked like he may be leaving the team a year ago, before the two sides worked out a new deal to keep him around for the club’s Super Bowl 2014 season. However, the Pats declined to exercise his option for the 2015 season, making him a free agent.

In Houston, Wilfork will be joining a front seven that already features J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney, which should make for an interesting defensive front in 2015. Wilfork figures to play the nose tackle position in Houston, after the team didn’t get a whole lot out of Ryan Pickett and Jerrell Powe at that spot in 2014. Second-year pro Louis Nix may be the future for the Texans at nose tackle, but Wilfork represents a very nice stopgap option until Nix is ready to assume the role.

The former Patriot will also be reuniting with a number of familiar faces in Houston. Outside of Texans head coach Bill O’Brien, Romeo Crennel and Mike Vrabel are among the other one-time members of the Patriots’ organization who are now in Houston.

Wilfork’s deal with the Texans is the second notable contract agreement today for the team. Houston is also bringing aboard free agent wideout Cecil Shorts.

Tim Tebow Worked Out For Eagles

March 16th, 2015 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

3:05pm: According to Schefter (via Twitter), Tebow’s workout in Philadelphia is over, and the team doesn’t have any plans to sign him at this point.

1:47pm: Just in case you thought things might be returning to normal for Chip Kelly and the Eagles after a wild first week of free agency, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets a nugget to dispel that notion. According to Schefter, former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow is working out for Philadelphia today.

Tebow, the former Broncos first-rounder, hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since he played for the Jets in 2012. If the Eagles were to take a flier on the 27-year-old and use one of their 90 offseason roster spots on him, he would be reunited with Mark Sanchez, whom he backed up during his stint in New York.

Of course, a tryout doesn’t mean a contract will follow, but the fact that Kelly and the Eagles are even considering a player as divisive as Tebow is just the latest twist in a month that has been full of surprising moves out of Philadelphia.

Tebow, who has been trying to continue his NFL playing career for the last several years, worked as an NCAA analyst for ESPN during Bowl season this winter.

Browns Sign Tramon Williams

March 16th, 2015 at 2:13pm CST by Zachary Links

2:13pm: The Browns have officially signed Williams, the team announced in a press release.

1:53pm: The Browns have reached agreement on a deal with cornerback Tramon Williams, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The former Packers veteran will get a three-year deal in Cleveland. The deal is worth $21MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter).

In addition to meeting with the Browns earlier this month, Williams also met with the Saints. Meanwhile, the Eagles, Titans, Vikings, and Ravens also showed varying levels of interest. The incumbent Packers also expressed interest in retaining him, but ultimately he found a home and a very healthy payday in Cleveland. Today’s agreement probably ranks as one of Williams’ happiest birthdays as he turns 32 today.

Williams started all 16 games for the Packers last season, notching three interceptions, and grading as the league’s 34th-best CB among 108 qualifiers per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He had a similar posting in the year prior, finishing out as the 39th best corner in the league with an overall score of 3.3, marking him as above average.

Greg Hardy Rumors: Monday

March 16th, 2015 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

When I ranked Greg Hardy 11th in my list of top 50 free agents of 2015, I noted that no player’s value was more difficult to pin down than Hardy’s, given his off-field troubles and his uncertain status for the start of the coming season. The market so far has reflected the difficult nature of assigning a value to Hardy — of our top 25 free agents, only the former Panthers defensive end remains unsigned.

Here’s the latest on the free agent pass rusher:

Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas (Twitter link) hears from sources that the Cowboys are in talks with Hardy about a possible deal. Hardy would be an intriguing fit for a team that only had a pair of players record more than three sacks in 2014 — Henry Melton (five) has left Dallas via free agency, and Jeremy Mincey (six) will turn 32 later this year.
The Dallas coaching staff has been in touch with Hardy’s old coaches to learn more about his character, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 Washington (Twitter link), who adds that the Cowboys like what they’ve heard so far.
After poking around the Hardy market over the weekend, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com came away with the sense that the Cowboys and Seahawks could emerge as legit suitors for the defensive end. However, despite the fact that several teams are monitoring the situation, nothing is imminent and it would be a surprise if any team reached an agreement before the NFL announces its ruling on possible discipline, says La Canfora (Twitter links).
The Jaguars are unlikely to pursue Hardy, a league source tells Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. GM David Caldwell didn’t rule out the possibility when he spoke to reporters last week, but it doesn’t look as if the team will seriously consider the 26-year-old.
Earlier today, Peter King of TheMMQB.com reported that many teams believe Hardy will be suspended by the league for the first six games of the 2015 season

Washington Signs Jeron Johnson

March 16th, 2015 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

2:00pm: Washington has officially signed Johnson, the team announced today (via Twitter).

11:54am: Washington continues to bolster its defense through free agency, with safety Jeron Johnson announcing today (via Twitter) that he reached an agreement to join the team. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), Johnson’s new deal with Washington will be for two years and is worth $4MM.

Johnson, a Boise State product, never saw any real significant playing time on defense for a Seahawks team that featured Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, but he was a solid backup and excelled on special teams. The 26-year-old recorded eight tackles on kick and punt coverage during the 2014 season.

For Washington, Johnson represents the latest free agent addition in an offseason that has featured several defensive signings so far. Washington has bolstered its defensive line by bringing aboard Terrance Knighton, Stephen Paea, and Ricky Jean-Francois, and also signed cornerback Chris Culliver to a four-year contract.

Johnson will likely get the opportunity to compete for the strong safety spot that was manned primarily by Brandon Meriweather and Phillip Thomas in 2014. Meriweather is a free agent and won’t be back in D.C., but Thomas is still around, and Duke Ihenacho, who missed most of last season with a broken heel, is also due back.

Vikings Interested In George Selvie

March 16th, 2015 at 12:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

MONDAY, 12:54pm: It looks like the Vikings will indeed get a visit lined up with Selvie this week, tweets Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.

SUNDAY, 4:45pm: After missing out on free agent Michael Johnson earlier today, the Vikings are still hopeful of improving their defensive end position. According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota has interest in George Selvie, and could meet with him later this week.

The Vikings first contacted Selvie on March 7, the first day of the legal tampering period, and have begun talking with him ever since, adds Tomasson. The 28-year-old Selvie has started 29 games for the Cowboys over the past two seasons, posting 10 sacks and 60 tackles. The former Jaguar, Panther, and Ram graded as the league’s 37th-best 4-3 DE among 59 qualifiers per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but those metrics showed a stark difference between Selvie’s run defense (where he excelled) and pass-rush (where he struggled).

Regardless, based on last year’s production, Selvie would be an improvement on Brian Robison, who’s been a starter at defensive end for the Vikings since 2011. Robison’s sack numbers have dropped in recent seasons, and he rated as the sixth-worst 4-3 DE in 2014 per PFF. I noted in my preview of Minnesota’s offseason that Robison could be a candidate for release, as the Vikings would save $2.65MM against the cap by cutting him now, or $4.65MM by designating him as a post-June 1 release.

The Vikings currently have about $12.6MM in available cap space, and given that Selvie shouldn’t command an exorbitant base salary or signing bonus, a deal should be able to get worked out, at least from a financial perspective.

AFC North Notes: Steelers, Ravens, T. Williams

March 16th, 2015 at 12:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The five-year, $99MM extension Ben Roethlisberger signed with the Steelers last week pays him more than $35MM in 2015, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who provides some details on the quarterback’s new deal. Bouchette reports that Big Ben gets a $31MM signing bonus, and could earn up to $9MM in incentives in later seasons, potentially increasing the total value of the contract to $108MM.

Here’s more from around the AFC North:

Free agent defensive back Sterling Moore, who paid a visit to the Buccaneers last week, has a meeting lined up with the Steelers this week, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. Non-tendered by the Cowboys, Moore arrives in Pittsburgh tonight and his visit with the team will continue tomorrow, per Anderson.
The Ravens ultimately signed Kendrick Lewis to address their need at safety, but the club also had interest in Ron Parker before he decided to return to Kansas City, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Speaking of Ravens’ secondary targets, Wilson reports in a separate piece for the Sun that Baltimore is currently eyeing cornerback Tramon Williams, who has also received interest from the division-rival Browns.
In a piece naming 10 of his favorite team-friendly deals of free agency so far, Grantland’s Bill Barnwell places the Ravens‘ signing of Justin Forsett atop his list.
Free agent wide receiver Cecil Shorts is paying a visit to the Texans this week, but the Ohio native doesn’t have a visit lined up with the Browns, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Earlier today, Cabot reported that the Browns attempted to trade for Larry Fitzgerald before he worked out a new contract with the Cardinals.

Browns Tried To Trade For Larry Fitzgerald

March 16th, 2015 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

Before the Cardinals worked out a restructured contract with Larry Fitzgerald last month, the Browns made an attempt to trade for the veteran receiver, a league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).

Fitzgerald’s production has fallen off a little during the last three years, as he has averaged only about 72 catches and 845 yards per season from 2012 to 2014, compared to averages of close to 93 receptions and 1,296 yards in the five-year span from 2007 to 2011. Still, he would have been an upgrade for a Browns team that will be without Josh Gordon for the coming season and hadn’t added Brian Hartline in free agency at that point.

With Fitzgerald back in Arizona on a reworked contract, the Browns are looking elsewhere for potential veteran wideouts. Dwayne Bowe has paid a visit to Cleveland, and Stevie Johnson has also been identified as a possible target for the team. While Hartline is now in the mix, the Browns also lost Jordan Cameron in free agency, so they’ll need to add pass catchers to help out Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel, or whichever quarterback might be leading the club’s offense in 2015.

Giants Re-Sign John Jerry

March 16th, 2015 at 10:41am CST by Luke Adams

The Giants have re-signed veteran guard John Jerry to a two-year deal worth $3.3MM, with $1MM in guaranteed money, tweets Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. The Giants had previously confirmed their new agreement with Jerry, via a press release.

Jerry, 28, has typically performed better as a pass blocker than a run blocker, a trend that continued in his first year with the Giants in 2014. After posting slightly below-average overall grades in each of his last two seasons in Miami at right guard, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required), Jerry ranked 66th out of 78 guards last season, almost exclusively due to a poor run blocking grade. While his pass blocking numbers were middle-of-the-pack, Jerry was the NFL’s third-worst run blocking guard, per PFF.

Still, Jerry was durable, playing more than 1,150 offensive snaps for the Giants, and at a rate of just $1.65MM per year, he certainly doesn’t need to be one of the league’s best offensive linemen to provide value. With Weston Richburg expected to shift to center for the 2015 season, Jerry and Geoff Schwartz will likely enter the year as the club’s starting guards.

Panthers Sign Kurt Coleman

March 16th, 2015 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Panthers have officially signed safety Kurt Coleman, the team announced today (via Twitter). Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer first reported (via Twitter) that Coleman was expected to sign with Carolina, while David Newton of ESPN.com tweets that it’s a two-year deal.

Coleman, 26, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Eagles, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2010 draft. Although he was the team’s starter at free safety in 2011 and 2012, he played a reduced role in 2013 before joining the Chiefs in 2014. The Ohio State product saw his defensive playing time increase once again in Kansas City, as he logged 37 tackles and grabbed three interceptions for the season.

When Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star examined Coleman’s free agency last month, he indicated that the veteran safety would be seeking a team that would give him a chance to compete for a starting job. Coleman should get that opportunity in Carolina, for a Panthers team that parted ways with Thomas DeCoud earlier this year.

Financial terms of the contract aren’t yet known, but Paylor speculated in February that Coleman would likely be seeking a salary in the range of $1.5-2MM per year.