2015 March - Pro Football Rumors

East Notes: Cowboys, Harvin, Bills, Giants

March 13th, 2015 at 9:55am CST by Luke Adams

Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports examines the situation in the Cowboys‘ front office, deducing that Stephen Jones is currently winning out on key decisions over his father Jerry Jones. According to Robinson, the Cowboys owner would have been willing to go up to at least $6-7MM per year for DeMarco Murray, while his son, the team’s executive VP, drew a line in the sand in the neighborhood of $5MM annually. Of course, the Eagles‘ final offer ultimately averaged $8MM per year, so it’s not clear if Dallas would have landed him even if Jerry made the final call.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

Percy Harvin had a two-day visit in Buffalo with the Bills and is now taking some time to plan his next move, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Per Florio, the former Seahawks and Jets wideout has a couple more visits that he could take, but he’s debating whether to continue that process or to accept an offer, perhaps from the Bills.
The Giants have missed out on a couple potential free agent targets at safety, and one source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that the team’s plans at the position are unclear. “Nobody knows what [they’re] going to do at free safety,” the source said. “They don’t have one on the roster that started an NFL game.”
Speaking to the media today, including Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link), new Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron claimed he never agreed to a deal with the Browns, despite multiple reporters confirming it yesterday. “It’s the NFL free agency for you,” Cameron said. “Talks heated up.”

Ryan Succop, Titans Reach Three-Year Deal

March 13th, 2015 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

9:51am: Succop will average $2.4MM per season on his three-year deal, tweets Wyatt.

9:05am: The Titans are bringing back their placekicker, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has reached an agreement on a three-year contract with veteran free agent Ryan Succop.

After spending five years in Kansas City with the Chiefs, Succop joined the Titans last season, replacing the late Rob Bironas. The 28-year-old converted 19 of his 22 field goal attempts, including both of his tries from 50+ yards. Succop also made all 27 of his extra-point attempts.

It’s been a busy Friday so far for the Titans, who agreed to terms with pass rushers Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan earlier today. For the team, it’s the third notable special teams signing of the month — Tennessee also locked up punter Brett Kern and long snapper Beau Brinkley to new deals within the last week.

FA Rumors: Spiller, Bowe, Falcons, Ridley

March 13th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

The rumors connecting C.J. Spiller to New Orleans continue to trickle in on Friday. After we heard on Wednesday that the Saints are “in the mix” for the former Bills running back, a Thursday report indicated that the team is “very high” on him. Today, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that strong interest is mutual.

The Saints have already re-signed Mark Ingram to a $4MM annual salary, and were cap-strapped heading into this week, but the team has made a number of cost-cutting moves, and could have more on the way. Spiller will likely command a deal in the same neighborhood as Ingram’s, so it’s possible that New Orleans will have the flexibility to complete such a deal, but nothing’s finalized yet.

Here’s more on free agency:

Following up on a Thursday report which suggested that the Browns have interest in Dwayne Bowe, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) classifies Cleveland’s interest in Bowe as “strong.” Even after adding Brian Hartline in free agency, the Browns are probably in need of at least one more starting wide receiver.
After paying a visit to the Broncos, free agent safety Darian Stewart is headed to Atlanta to visit the Falcons, source tell Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Denver had been hoping to lock up Stewart to help replace the departing Rahim Moore, but the former Raven continues to weigh his options.
D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution adds (via Twitter) that the Falcons also plan on bringing in a tight end for a visit today, though it’s not clear exactly who that player will be.
Stevan Ridley and the Cowboys could be a good match on a one-year, prove-it deal, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe adds (via Twitter) that there’s “definitely interest” on both sides, but nothing is brewing at this point. Even if the Cowboys add a veteran free agent at running back, they’ll probably plan on addressing the position in the draft.
Veteran guard Justin Blalock had a good visit with the Lions, and also continues to draw interest from the Rams and Titans, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. We heard earlier in the week that the former Falcons guard had a visit with the Rams on his docket, so perhaps he’s headed to St. Louis next.

Thursday Roundup: Weddle, Peterson, Harvin

March 12th, 2015 at 10:08pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Chargers still have over $21MM in cap space, and could look to spend that money to add to the team this offseason. Meanwhile, star safety Eric Weddle is coming into the last year of his contract and is unsure of his future with the team, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com.

“I think I’ve earned [a new deal],” Weddle said. “But it has to work both ways. They have to want it, too. And if they don’t, then we will play it out and I’ll be a free agent next year “I want to be here, but I understand the situation and what they want to do. If I’m a part of it — great. If not, then I plan on making this season a memorable one and we’ll see what happens from there.”

The Vikings are focused on keeping Adrian Peterson, not trading him, writes Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. But Vensel’s colleague at the Star Tribune, Michael Rand, believes the stars are aligning for the Cowboys to make a trade for Peterson.
Percy Harvin has finished his visit with the Bills, and he is mulling other possible visits, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). La Canfora adds that the Harvin situation could begin to wrap itself up as early as this weekend.
Brian Orakpo is in Tennessee on a visit and is planning to meet with the Cardinals next. However, he might not make it to Arizona if the Titans can get a deal in place before he leaves tonight, writes John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Shelley Smith has left Seattle without a deal and will now visit the Broncos, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post.
Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star looks ahead to the rest of the Colts‘ offseason, noting that the team has already made its big splashes with the additions of Andre Johnson, Trent Cole, and Frank Gore. However, Holder expects Indianapolis to perhaps add a safety like Louis Delmas or Kendrick Lewis and/or an offensive lineman in the second wave of free agency, when better bargains can be had. The Colts currently have around $15-16MM in available cap space.
49ers GM Trent Baalke does not appear especially concerned about losing last year’s starting cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox should those two players sign elsewhere in free agency. As Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News writes, Baalke is confident that the team has capable internal options to fill the void.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Dolphins Sign Jordan Cameron

March 12th, 2015 at 9:08pm CST by Zachary Links

9:08pm: ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that it is a two-year deal, $15MM deal.

8:08pm: After a wild couple hours, the Dolphins have officially signed Cameron to a two-year contract, the team announced (Twitter link via James Walker of ESPN.com). According to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (via Twitter), Miami continues to try to retain Clay despite locking up Cameron.

7:52pm: The Dolphins have gotten a deal done with Cameron, according to Robinson (via Twitter). With the recent chaos surrounding this signing, and with memory of the Frank Gore turnaround, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is official, but Robinson’s source tells him it is.

With Cameron ready to sign, Clay would be ready to sign with either the Bills or the Browns, according to La Canfora (via Twitter). He writes that the Bills have an offer ready.

7:38pm: Cameron has a verbal agreement with the Browns in place but has not signed it, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). He remains in Miami, where the Dolphins are attempting to get a deal done. Meanwhile, the Dolphins are still working on an extension with Clay, however the sides have yet to agree (via Twitter). Clay thinks he could be in line for a bigger deal elsewhere, either with the Browns or Bills.

Without Clay or Cameron, the Browns are afraid of being left with no one. Both Cameron and Clay are working on deals with the Dolphins, and Miami is weighing both potential deals to see which one makes more sense for the team. Mike Rodak of ESPN sees this playing out like musical chairs, with three teams with needs chasing only two tight ends (via Twitter).

At this point, the Dolphins believe they will get the Cameron deal done, reports Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

7:03pm: The Dolphins are “making progress” with Cameron, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets. A deal would likely result in removing the tag from Clay. In theory, Florio adds (link), Clay could blow the Cameron-to-Miami deal by signing the transition tender.

6:59pm: The Dolphins jumped back in once they heard about Cameron’s reported agreement with Cleveland, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). No deal was signed, so they aggressively went after the tight end.

6:53pm: Despite reports to the contrary, Jordan Cameron won’t be signing with the Browns. He’ll be joining the Dolphins, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). He adds that contract details are being finalized now.

Originally, Cameron was said have reached an agreement on a new contract with Cleveland worth $15MM for two years. Cameron reportedly was not interested in returning to the Browns, so his rumored signing with Cleveland took many by surprise. Apparently, the tight end has decided to throw us a second swerve tonight by joining up with Miami.

Cameron struggled with injuries in 2014, managing to play in 10 games but only catching 24 passes. However, he had a breakout season in 2013, when he caught 80 passes for nearly 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Raiders were another team with major interest, but the team was hesitant to commit to Cameron due to his significant concussion history, writes Bill Williamson of ESPN (via Twitter). If Cameron does indeed land in Miami, it’ll be interesting to see how that impacts Charles Clay‘s status. The Dolphins free agent tight end was said to be discussing a long-term deal with Miami, but the arrival of Cameron could throw that info flux.

Dolphins Want To Keep Charles Clay

March 12th, 2015 at 8:50pm CST by Rory Parks

Even after signing Jordan Cameron tonight, the Dolphins hope to keep Charles Clay in the fold, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. At the very least, Miami will keep the transition tag on Clay, thereby making it tougher for the Bills to sign him (Twitter links to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and ProFootballTalk).

Per Carucci, Clay returned to Miami tonight after spending the last three days in Buffalo. We heard several days ago that the Bills were planning to make a strong push for the tight end’s services, but we learned within the last few hours that Clay and the Dolphins were discussing a long-term deal that would keep Clay in Miami. The Dolphins recently cut Brian Hartline and may yet part ways with Mike Wallace, but as Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post tweets, the combination of Cameron, Clay, and Dion Sims would help to offset the team’s lack of depth at wide receiver.

But Carucci adds in a separate tweet that Buffalo is by no means out of the running for Clay. Carucci believes the Bills could either sign Clay as an unrestricted free agent, if Miami ultimately chooses to remove the transition tag, or they could present him with an offer sheet that the Dolphins would not be willing to match. The Browns, on the other hand, lost out on Cameron and are apparently no longer a threat to sign Clay either (Twitter link to Carucci).

Rams To Sign Akeem Ayers

March 12th, 2015 at 8:28pm CST by Rob DiRe

8:28pm: Ayers’ deal is for $6MM, with $3MM guaranteed, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It could reach as much as $10MM with incentives.

7:19pm: The Rams have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with linebacker Akeem Ayers, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).

The coaching staff has familiarity with the former Titan, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter). Head coach Jeff Fisher never overlapped with Ayers tenure, but Gregg Williams and Frank Bush both spent time with him in Tennessee.

Ayers experienced success in 2014 after being acquired by the Patriots via trade midseason. The team was able to move on from him without hesitation after signing Jabaal Sheard, who Ben Volin of the Boston Globe considers an upgrade at the position (via Twitter).

Lions Sign Tyrunn Walker

March 12th, 2015 at 8:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lions have agreed to a one-year contract with defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker, confirms Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. The deal is for $1.75MM, and comes with a a $750K signing bonus, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1, with a hat tip to NFL agent Sean Kiernan (via Twitter).

Walker, who turns 25 next Wednesday, played in all 16 games for the Saints in 2014, recording 19 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Although Walker went non-tendered by New Orleans, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the amount of interest the young lineman received from “smart personnel people” around the league this was was “staggering.”

In Detroit, Walker will be tasked with helping to fill the void on the line left by departing defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley.

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

Cards Restructure Carson Palmer’s Deal

March 12th, 2015 at 7:09pm CST by Dallas Robinson

MARCH 12th, 7:09pm: Palmer’s restructuring is official, according to Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). Palmer will have his $9.5MM roster bonus converted to a roster bonus and the Cardinals will pick up $7.1MM of space.

MARCH 6th, 6:31pm: Palmer has agreed to restructure his contract. He’ll convert his $9.5MM roster bonus to a signing bonus, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Weinfuss further tweeted that the restructuring of Palmer’s contract will accompany a $7.38MM cap number for next season. That’s a significant drop-off from the $14.5MM of cap room Palmer was expected to take up in 2015.

MARCH 5th, 6:36pm: In terms of cap space, the Cardinals place in the bottom half of the NFL with about $14.5MM to spend as free agency approaches, and with several free agents to re-sign and other need areas to fill, the club could be looking for some additional wiggle room. With that in mind, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports (via Twitter) that Carson Palmer is willing to restructure his contract in order to give the Cards a bit more financial flexibility.

There was a bit of confusion regarding Palmer’s agreeing to a restructure, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com tweeted earlier today that the veteran quarterback had agreed to tweak his contract a month ago. Somers clarified, however, adding that although Palmer has spoken with general manager Steve Keim and technically “agreed” to the restructure, the move won’t take place unless Keim decides the Cardinals need the space. In other words, Palmer has provided the club with a money-saving “bullet” that it can use at its discretion.

The 35-year-old Palmer signed a three-year, $50MM extension with the Cardinals last November, under the terms of which he’ll earn a $1MM base salary and a $9.5MM roster bonus in 2015 — both figures are guaranteed. As Somer notes (Twitter link), Arizona could convert Palmer’s roster bonus to a signing bonus, spreading the money out over the next few years and bringing his 2015 cap figure down from $14.5MM to $7.1MM, saving the club $7.4MM in the process.

The Cardinals have already been active this offseason, agreeing to a new deal with Larry Fitzgerald that will keep the veteran receiver in Arizona through 2016. The club might also look to retain free agents such as Antonio Cromartie and Dan Williams, and are believed to be interested in upgrading the running back position.

No Deal For Jordan Cameron, Browns

March 12th, 2015 at 6:53pm CST by Luke Adams

6:53pm: Despite having reached an agreement to re-sign with the Browns, Cameron didn’t officially sign the contract and now appears poised to join the Dolphins, according to a report.

4:57pm: Despite paying a visit to Miami, tight end Jordan Cameron is returning to the Browns, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have reached an agreement on a new contract worth $15MM for two years.

Cameron struggled with injuries in 2014, managing to play in 10 games but only catching 24 passes. However, he had a breakout season in 2013, when he caught 80 passes for nearly 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns.

This is an interesting move considering Cameron reportedly was not interested in returning to the Browns. The Dolphins were thought to be one of the frontrunners for his services, but with Cameron re-signing in Cleveland, that makes it more likely that Miami will be able to retain Charles Clay. The Bills and Dolphins will now be the two teams competing for Clay’s services, unless another team comes in late..

The Raiders were another team with major interest, but the team was hesitant to commit to Cameron due to his significant concussion history, writes Bill Williamson of ESPN (via Twitter). The Raiders had previous experience with how bad those situations can get with the handling of Nick Roach.