2015 March - Pro Football Rumors

Cardinals Sign Corey Peters

March 11th, 2015 at 11:42am CST by Dallas Robinson

WEDNESDAY, 11:42am: The Cardinals have officially announced their three-year deal for Peters, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link).

MONDAY, 9:58pm: Adding their second former Falcon in the past 24 hours, the Cardinals are expected to sign defensive tackle Corey Peters, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). While Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets that it’s a three-year $9MM deal, McClure says (via Twitter) Peters will average close to $3.5MM per year. We’ll probably learn more specifics once the contract is finalized tomorrow, but Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun adds (Twitter link) that more than half of Peters’ deal is guaranteed.

The 26-year-old Peters will join ex-Atlanta teammate Sean Weatherspoon in Arizona, with the latter having agreed to a one-year pact with the Cards earlier today. Peters didn’t draw a ton of known interest, but the Dolphins were thought to be intrigued, and the Falcons were interested in retaining him. Ultimately, he’ll head to the desert, where his signing could mean the end of free agent Dan Williams‘ tenure in Arizona.

Peters, a former third-round pick, had spent the entirety of his career with the Falcons, starting 55 games in five seasons.

Bears Sign Pernell McPhee

March 11th, 2015 at 11:36am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 11:36am: The Bears have officially announced their five-year deal with McPhee (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 8:22am: A year after adding veteran defensive ends Lamarr Houston and Jared Allen in free agency, the Bears are making another big splash on the open market in the hopes of improving their pass rush. According to Aaron Leming of BearReport.com (via Twitter), the team is in agreement on a five-year contract with Pernell McPhee that will be worth just under $40MM. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has since confirmed the deal, adding that it includes nearly $16MM in guaranteed money.

McPhee, 26, has seen his stock rise since he was drafted by the Ravens in the fifth round back in 2011. Although he only started six total regular season contests in Baltimore over the course of his rookie contract, McPhee developed into one of the league’s most dangerous pass rushers.

According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), the Mississippi State product racked up an impressive 64 total quarterback pressures – including 21 QB hits – in just 540 defensive snaps last season. PFF ranked McPhee second among all 3-4 outside linebackers, behind only NFL sack leader Justin Houston.

When I identified my top 50 free agents over the weekend, I listed McPhee eighth overall, suggesting that he could be this year’s Everson Griffen, who inked a five-year, $42.5MM deal last March as he made the transition from being a part-time contributor to his team’s primary pass rusher. McPhee’s deal looks like it’ll be in the same neighborhood as Griffen’s, and I’d expect the Bears intend to use him in a much larger role than the Ravens did.

The Colts had been viewed as a possible suitor for McPhee, given the Chuck Pagano connection and the team’s need for a pass rusher. Wilson tweets that Washington was also among the several teams that had interest in the four-year veteran. However, according to Wilson (via Twitter), McPhee was interested in playing for new Bears head coach John Fox, and was impressed by the Bears’ plans for him as a pass rusher.

With Vic Fangio taking over as defensive coordinator on Fox’s staff in Chicago, the Bears are transitioning from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 scheme, so McPhee should fit comfortably. Players like Houston and Allen make far more sense as 4-3 defensive ends than 3-4 outside linebackers, so the position was one the Bears needed to address this offseason. It’ll be interesting to see what other moves the team makes to accommodate Fangio’s system, and how the carryover players adjust to the new defense.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rahim Moore Visiting Texans

March 11th, 2015 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent safety Rahim Moore will pay a visit to Houston to meet with the Texans, reports Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter). According to Garafolo, if Moore doesn’t strike a deal with the Texans, he could take another visit immediately afterward, though his next destination isn’t yet known.

Moore, who is just 25, initially ranked as the 28th-best overall free agent and the second-best safety in this year’s class, in our estimation. However, with Devin McCourty back in New England, Moore may be the most-coveted safety on the market, so unless he gets an offer he likes in Houston, he probably won’t be in any hurry to rush into an agreement.

Two of the Texans’ top three safeties from a year ago are currently free agents, including Kendrick Lewis, the team’s starting free safety. Moore was Denver’s free safety for the majority of the last four seasons, and was very impressive in 2014, racking up 51 tackles to go along with four interceptions.

The Giants are also believed to have real interest in Moore.

Washington Signs Stephen Paea

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

WEDNESDAY, 11:16am: The deal is official, according to Washington’s official Twitter.

TUESDAY, 3:27pm: It’s a done deal between Washington and Paea, a source tells Mike Jones of the Washington Post (on Twitter). Paea chose Washington over the Cowboys, Lions, and Bucs, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

MONDAY, 12:52pm: Paea has told people that he’ll be signing with Washington, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). It’s not clear if the two sides have agreed to terms, but it looks like they’ll finalize a deal when free agency officially opens tomorrow.

12:09pm: After releasing Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen last month, Washington has been hard at work restocking its defensive line, signing Ricky Jean-Francois and pursuing Ndamukong Suh. While the team missed out on Suh, Jen Lada of CSNChicago.com (Twitter link) is hearing that Washington is closing in on a four-year deal with another noteworthy defensive tackle, Stephen Paea.

When I ranked Paea 44th on my list of this year’s top 50 free agents, I called him an underrated presence in the middle of the Bears’ defensive line, and a solid target for teams hoping to generate an interior pass rush. Only Suh and Kyle Williams had more quarterback pressures from the defensive tackle position in 2014 than Paea’s 47, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required).

If he were to finalize a deal with Washington, Paea would likely make the transition from a 4-3 defensive tackle to a 3-4 defensive end. The Cowboys and Cardinals were also mentioned earlier this week as potential suitors with interest in the 26-year-old.

Jets Acquire Ryan Fitzpatrick

March 11th, 2015 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

11;13am: The Texans will get a conditional seventh-round draft choice that could turn into a sixth-round pick depending on how much playing time the quarterback sees, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle tweets.

11:08am: Fitzpatrick confirmed to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter) that he has been traded to the Jets.

11:00am: The Texans will trade Fitzpatrick to the Jets for a late-round conditional pick, a league source confirms to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

8:49am: After having missed out on Josh McCown and Brian Hoyer, the Jets have been repeatedly linked to Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and it appears the team is moving closer to acquiring him.

According to Albert Breer and Kimberley Jones of the NFL Network (Twitter link), a trade between the Jets and Texans could be completed quickly once Houston officially locks up Hoyer. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets that the Jets are expected to send the Texans a late-round draft pick for Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick, 32, started 12 games for the Texans last season, and his performance was passable. He completed 63.1% of his passes, posted a 95.3 passer rating, and threw 17 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. However, with Hoyer heading to Houston, Ryan Mallett returning to the team, and 2014 draftee Tom Savage also in the mix, Fitzpatrick wasn’t in the Texans’ long-terms plans.

Assuming the Jets are able to finalize an agreement for Fitzpatrick, the veteran signal-caller would likely compete with Geno Smith for the team’s 2015 starting job. Having already traded away their fifth- and sixth-round picks for 2015, the Jets would likely give up a seventh-rounder in a Fitzpatrick deal, and even that pick could be conditional, depending on how much playing time he earns in New York.

With one year and $3.25MM left on his contract, Fitzpatrick would be fairly priced for the Jets, considering what the market for backup quarterbacks is like these days. The Eagles, for instance, recently sign Mark Sanchez to a two-year deal that averages $4.5MM even before incentives.

FA Rumors: Harrison, Williams, Wilson

March 11th, 2015 at 11:05am CST by Zachary Links

Many speculated that James Harrison could follow former coach Dick LeBeau to the Titans, and on Wednesday we received confirmation of that. “We are certainly interested,” agent Bill Parise said of his client’s interest in the Titans, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. “James feels very, very strongly about coach LeBeau. And I know Dick feels the same way. It’s a natural thing. I’m sure the Steelers are still in play, too. It will probably be one of those. I hope it’s one of those. We are not ruling anybody out, but the two logical fits are Tennessee and Pittsburgh. Those are the team teams that make the most sense.” More from around the league..

Former Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams is scheduled to visit the Steelers on Friday, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Safety Jimmy Wilson told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that he will be visiting the Chargers on Friday. However, agent Drew Rosenhaus is still in talks with the Dolphins, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets.
The Rams are still working on Kenny Britt, but there are other teams interested in him as a second choice or a Plan B at wide receiver, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets. Meanwhile, the Rams are thinking that they could get Joe Barksdale on the rebound, Thomas tweets. The thinking there is that the offensive tackle might be over-estimating his market value.
Former Eagles free safety Nate Allen will visit the Raiders later today, John Middlekauff of 95.7 The Game tweets.
Pass rusher Adrian Clayborn is scheduled to visit the Falcons today, a league source tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Seahawks free agent linebacker Heath Farwell, 33, says he plans to continue to play and he believes defensive tackle Kevin Williams, 34, feels the same way, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Farwell wouldn’t name any teams except to say the Vikings aren’t one that has reached out and that the Seahawks have expressed interest in bringing him back.

Jaguars Sign Sergio Brown

March 11th, 2015 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 10:56am: Brown’s signing with the Jaguars is now official, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.

TUESDAY, 3:43pm: Brown’s deal with the Jaguars is worth $9MM over three years, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). The deal could be worth up to $11MM, Garafolo adds.

12:25pm: It’ll be a three-year deal for Brown, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.

12:01pm: The Jaguars’ free agent blitz continues to roll on, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that safety Sergio Brown is expected to agree to a deal with the team later today.

Brown, 27 in May, made a career-high eight starts in 2014. All in all, the free safety recorded 34 tackles, 6 pass deflections, one fumble recovery, and one sack on the year. Last year, Brown re-signed with the Colts on a one-year deal worth $1.4MM with a $300K signing bonus.

Pro Football Focus (subscription required) was pretty impressed with Brown’s work in 2014, ranking him as the 24th best safety in the NFL with a 5.3 score.

Latest On Andre Johnson, Colts

March 11th, 2015 at 10:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts are still in hot pursuit of Andre Johnson, Mike Chappell of the Indy Star tweets. The two sides are meeting today, but Johnson is interested in several teams. Chappell feels that the Colts need to seal the deal today if they want to land the veteran wide receiver.

Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) adds that Johnson’s first visit was with the Colts, though there are a whopping seven other teams interested in his services. La Canfora hears that Johnson is taking it all one day at a time and is still sorting through things.

Johnson, who is entering his age-34 season, caught a team-high 85 balls in 2014, but that was his lowest total for a full season in about a decade. The former third overall pick also averaged just 62.4 yards per game, the third-lowest mark of his 12-year career. Houston reportedly asked Johnson to accept a reduced role in the offense going forward, which prompted discussion of a trade. Ultimately, the Texans could not find a taker for him and his contract, leading to his formal release on Monday.

Johnson was talking with fellow veteran Frank Gore about joining up with the Eagles, but when Gore 86’d his pending pact with Philly to sign with the Colts (we think), their attention shifted to Indianapolis.

Jaguars Sign Dan Skuta

March 11th, 2015 at 10:35am CST by Dallas Robinson

WEDNESDAY, 10:35am: In what has been a busy morning for the team, Skuta’s signing is the latest to be confirmed by the Jaguars (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 10:51pm: Skuta’s deal is for $20.5MM over five years, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.

9:31pm: The defection of 49ers defensive players will continue, as Adam Caplan of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that linebacker Dan Skuta will sign with the Jaguars when the free agent period begins tomorrow. We first heard of Jacksonville’s interest in Skuta earlier today, including that he’d have an expanded role on the Jags’ defense.

Skuta, 29 next month, also drew interest from the Dolphins and Eagles, the latter of whom would have a “ton of interest” in signing him had they not retained Brandon Graham, tweets Caplan. A key contributor on special teams, Skuta also saw more than 300 snaps at outside linebacker for San Francisco, racking up five sacks. He spent four seasons with the Bengals before joining the Niners in 2013.

The Jaguars have been incredibly active through the three-day negotiating window, agreeing to terms with tight end Julius Thomas, defensive tackle Jared Odrick, and offensive tackle Jermey Parnell.

Saints’ Colston, Hawthorne Take Pay Cuts

March 11th, 2015 at 10:29am CST by Zachary Links

Saints veterans Marques Colston and David Hawthorne accepted pay cuts today in order to remain with the team. Colston’s base salary will drop from $6.9MM to $1.445MM in 2015 and from $7.7MM to $2.65MM in 2016, according to Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune (via Twitter). Hawthorne base salary was cut from $2MM to $1.19MM in 2015 and from $4MM to $1.75MM in 2016, according to Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune.

Colston’s new deal with the Saints will save the team $3.2MM this year, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. Meanwhile, he’ll receive $3.8MM in salary and bonuses this year. Word of Colston restructuring his deal first came in last week. Colston caught just 59 balls for 902 yards in 2014, the lowest totals of his career if you throw out an injury-plagued 2008 campaign.

Hawthorne was widely viewed as a possible cap casualty, but today’s news means he’ll stay in the fold for 2015 and possibly beyond.