The latest out of Oakland…
MARCH 10th, 4:00pm: The Eagles announced (on Twitter) that the deal is now official.
MARCH 3rd, 6:19pm: Spiller told the NFL Network (on Twitter) that the Bills called him and thanked him for his service with the team. Unsurprisingly, the pending free agent will not be asked back after the acquisition of McCoy. Spiller then went on to intimate that he’d be interested in joining the Eagles, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. “I’m going to a team that wants me to be there…. I’m pretty sure that Chip (Kelly) has my agent’s phone number”
6:15pm: There will be no draft picks or other players involved as it’s a one-for-one deal, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). He adds that Alonso wanted out of Buffalo. La Canfora (link) expects McCoy to make noise about wanting an extension and/or declining to report and the Bills are already bracing for that possibility.
For his part, Rosenhaus (on Twitter) hears from the Eagles that there is no trade at this time. “I just spoke with the Eagles organization and there is no trade for LeSean at this time. There have been discussions but nothing finalized,” Rosenhaus tweeted.
5:46pm: The Bills have notified linebacker Kiko Alonso that he will be traded to the Eagles for running back LeSean McCoy, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The trade will become official next week.
Although McCoy was not the electrifying playmaker in 2014 that he was in 2013, he still had a very productive season in terms of traditional stats, with 1,319 rushing yards and a 4.2 YPC average. The advanced metrics, meanwhile, show a much sharper contrast between the two campaigns. In 2013, McCoy was rated as the very best tailback in football according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), racking up a 27.3 overall rating which was more than 8 points higher than the runner-up, Jamaal Charles. In 2014, however, McCoy was near the bottom of all qualified tailbacks with a fairly terrible -9.3 grade thanks in large part to his poor showing in the passing game. 
Alonso, 25 in August, didn’t see the field in 2014 after tearing his ACL in July of 2014. After being selected in the second round of the 2013 draft, Alonso finished second in voting for Defensive Rookie of the Year after totaling 87 tackles, four interceptions, and two sacks. The 23-year-old was one of only three linebackers to play 100% of his team’s snaps and many thought he should have been the choice for DROY over Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. Alonso played middle linebacker in a 3-4 defense in 2013 but was slated to be moved to the weak side in the Bills’ 4-3 scheme in 2014. PFF (subscription required) rated Alonso as the ninth-best inside linebacker in the NFL in his rookie season. Because Alonso spent the year on the NFI (non-football injury) list, he’ll only be a restricted free agent after 2016.
The shocking deal figures to have major ramifications for both clubs. The Bills will probably move on from running back C.J. Spiller this offseason after acquiring one of the league’s top backs in McCoy. Also, without Alonso, the Bills will certainly be in the hunt for a starting linebacker. That’s a position that could theoretically be filled by Rex Ryan‘s old friend David Harris and the two have been connected for months now.
Alonso has two years left on his contract at $746K and $942K while McCoy also has two years left on his contract at $6.9MM and $7.6MM. In total, McCoy will count for $10.25MM against the Bills’ cap once the deal is official. Many assumed that the Eagles would push McCoy to restructure his contract, but as of Monday those discussions had yet to take place. The tailback is the only running back with an eight-digit cap hit in 2015.
The deal reunited Alonso with former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly in Philadelphia. Kelly shared his fondness for his former pupil last year, as Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes. “I take extra pride in that I got the opportunity to coach Kiko. Extremely dedicated, driven person,” the coach said.
McCoy, for his part, didn’t hear from the Eagles about the trade and only learned of it from agent Drew Rosenhaus right around the time it broke, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Following one of the most productive seasons of his career, Joe Berger will be staying in Minnesota. ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling tweets that the offensive lineman has agreed to a two-year contract with the Vikings.
Berger made nine starts for the Vikings in 2014, the most he’s started since his 2010 campaign with the Dolphins. The 32-year-old ultimately finished with 626 snaps in 2014, the fifth-highest total among Vikings offensive lineman. The versatile lineman earned Pro Football Focus’ fifth-highest rating among members of the Vikings offense, and he finished 29th among 78 offensive guard candidates in the entire league.
The latest from around the league…
TUESDAY, 3:41pm: The Dolphins have restructured Fields’ deal, so he’ll be staying in Miami, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets.
MONDAY, 10:30am: The Dolphins plan to release punter Brandon Fields, according to Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald (on Twitter). The only way Fields won’t be cut loose, he adds, is if he agrees to a significant contract restructuring.
Fields appeared in all 16 games for Miami last season and the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) placed him as the 12 best qualified punter in the NFL. By releasing the 30-year-old (31 in May), the Dolphins would save $3.1MM in cap space. His existing deal calls for him to earn $7.18MM over 2015 and 2016.
Fields averaged 46.8 yards per punt in his eight seasons with the Dolphins. His current contract calls him to be one of the very highest paid punters in the league.
3:40pm: Daniels will get $12MM over three years, according to Mike Klis of The Denver Post (on Twitter).
3:18pm: The Broncos announced that they have signed tight end Owen Daniels to a three-year deal, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
Daniels was scheduled to visit Denver on Wednesday, but it sounds like the two sides slid the powwow up on their schedule. Now, Daniels will give Denver some reinforcements at tight end after Julius Thomas‘ reported agreement with the Jaguars. Last season, Daniels hauled in 48 catches for 527 yards and 4 touchdowns. That campaign was his most productive since his 2012 Pro Bowl season in which he had 62 catches for 716 yards and six scores.
Daniels, 31, was limited to just five games in 2013 due to a broken leg. In his previous seven NFL seasons, however, he averaged over 51 receptions per year to go along with 26 total touchdowns. Daniels was also named to two Pro Bowl teams, in 2008 and 2012. His deal with Baltimore last year was worth $1MM with $1MM in incentives.
TUESDAY, 3:37pm: It will be a five-year deal for Franklin, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (via Twitter).
MONDAY, 6:47am: Franklin has told people that he’ll leave the Broncos and sign a five-year deal with the Chargers, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links). When it gets finalized, Franklin’s deal will come in at close to $36.5MM, with $20MM guaranteed, says Schefter.
SUNDAY, 11:20pm: According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (Twitter link), the deal Franklin is expected to sign with the Chargers is worth $7.2MM per year, with $14MM in guaranteed money. Based on those figures, it sounds like it’ll be a four- or five-year pact.
4:36pm: A deal between free agent offensive lineman Orlando Franklin and the Chargers is “unofficially done,” a source tells Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). If correct, the contract would presumably be finalized on Tuesday when the new league year begins.
The 27-year-old Franklin has spent the first four years of his career with the Broncos, playing right tackle from 2011-13 before moving to left guard last season. With D.J. Fluker manning the right side in San Diego, Franklin would stay at guard, replacing either Chad Rinehart or Johnnie Troutman, both of whom struggled mightily in ’14, at either left or right guard. Franklin excelled in his positional transition, finishing as the league’s 13th-best guard according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
The Chargers have already made one move to solidify their offensive line in recent weeks, agreeing to a four-year extension with left tackle King Dunlap. Adding Franklin, PFR’s No. 25 free agent, would only improve the line even more. San Diego could probably use more help at guard, however, and center could also be upgraded, though Chris Watt was serviceable in limited playing time last year.
TUESDAY, 3:35pm: In addition to acquiring Marshall, the Jets will also be getting Chicago’s seventh-rounder, tweets Adam Schefter. The reporter confirms that New York will be sending the Bears a fifth-round pick.
FRIDAY, MARCH 6th, 4:47pm: Per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links), the Jets are tweaking Marshall’s contract as part of the deal, meaning he’ll have a chance to earn even more than the $15.8MM previously available to him over the next two seasons.
11:34am: The Jets are expected to give up a fifth-round pick in the swap, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). That makes sense, considering the team’s fourth-rounder and sixth-rounder are currently tied up in the Harvin trade.
10:08am: The Bears and Jets have reached an agreement on a trade that will send wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the Jets, pending a physical, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). News of the move, which can’t be officially completed until the new league year begins, comes a day after we learned that the Bears were exploring their trade options with regard to Marshall. The agreement was first reported by Aaron Leming of BearReport.com (via Twitter).
Marshall, who turns 31 later this month, signed a three-year contract extension with the Bears last May that locks him up through the 2017 season. However, with Marc Trestman, Phil Emery, and the old regime out of the picture in Chicago, new GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox didn’t waste much time moving in a different direction.
While it’s not clear yet what sort of compensation the Bears will receive for Marshall, the team had reportedly been seeking a mid-round draft pick, and Leming suggests the pick may end up falling in the “late” rounds. Of course, the club will also clear some cap room in the move — Marshall’s $7.5MM base salary for 2015 was due to become fully guaranteed next Thursday, and that will now be the Jets’ responsibility, rather than Chicago’s. With $5.625MM left in dead money on the Bears’ cap, the team will create nearly $4MM in cap savings.
As for the Jets, the acquisition of Marshall likely removes any of the suspense regarding the club’s decision on Percy Harvin. The team had reportedly been interested in reducing Harvin’s pay and keeping him around, but the former Seahawk didn’t seem open to that idea, and will almost certainly be released this month. Assuming the Jets cut Harvin before March 19, they’ll owe the Seahawks a sixth-round pick as compensation for the wideout, rather than a fourth-round pick.
During the 2014 season, Marshall struggled along with the rest of the Bears, totaling just 721 receiving yards and 61 catches, his worst marks since his rookie season in 2006. However, he’s only a year removed from a 100-catch season and a spot in the Pro Bowl, so if the Jets can find a quarterback to get him the ball, he should help anchor a solid receiving corps in New York, alongside Eric Decker and Jeremy Kerley.
Of course, if the Jets continue to have quarterback issues, it’s fair to wonder if the situation with Marshall could go south. The veteran wideout isn’t the type of player to quietly go about his business if things aren’t going well for him or his team. This will be the third time since 2010 that Marshall has been traded in a league where trades are rare, and his clubhouse presence has certainly played a role in a couple of those moves, if not all three of them.
Chicago, meanwhile, figures to be in the market for a wide receiver in free agency or the draft this offseason to pair with Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery is extension-eligible for the first time this winter as he heads into the final year in his contract, and I expect the Bears to seriously explore a long-term deal for him now that Marshall is out of the picture.
Schefter (Twitter link) reported earlier today that the Colts and Browns had also spoken to the Bears about Marshall.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Vikings have signed veteran quarterback Shaun Hill, according to Ross Jones of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Hill and Minnesota agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $7MM, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
Hill, 35, will take the place of Matt Cassel – whom the Vikings traded to Buffalo last week – as Teddy Bridgewater‘s backup. Hill has played for four teams, including a stint with the Vikings from 2002-05. His latest stop was in St. Louis, where he played nine games (eight starts) last year and threw eight touchdowns against seven interceptions for an 83.9 passer rating.
Former Titans quarterback Jake Locker has decided to retire, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Locker, he adds, had interest from teams this offseason. Garafolo passes along a statement from Locker (link):
“I am retiring from football after much reflection and discussion with my family. I will always be grateful for having had the opportunity to realize my childhood dream of playing in the NFL and for the lifelong relationships I developed because of that experience. Football has always played a pivotal role in my life and I love the game, but I no longer have the burning desire necessary to play the game for a living; to continue to do so would be unfair to the next organization with whom I would eventually sign. I realize this decision is surprising to many, but I know in my heart that it is the right decision and I look forward to spending more time with my family and pursuing other interests,” the statement read.
The former first-round pick has shown some flashes of talent throughout his brief career, and the 26-year-old had interest from teams, including the Eagles. The Titans, meanwhile, were not interested in a reunion. The former Tennessee playcaller never played more than 11 games in a season for Tennessee. In 2014, he was placed on IR in mid-December after suffering a shoulder injury.