2016 March - Pro Football Rumors

Month: September 2024

Bears Sign Akiem Hicks To Two-Year Deal

March 14th, 2016 at 9:23am CST by Connor J. Byrne

MONDAY, 9:23am: Hicks’ two-year contract with the Bears is worth $10MM, with $5.5MM guaranteed, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links).

Most of Hicks’ guarantee comes in the form of a $1MM signing bonus, a guaranteed $1MM base salary for 2016, and a $3MM roster bonus due later this month. The defensive lineman also has up to $700K in annual playing-time and sacks incentives, plus an annual $250K in Pro Bowl incentives.

SUNDAY, 9:12pm: The Bears and free agent defensive lineman Akiem Hicks have agreed to a two-year contract, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Financial details are not yet available.

Hicks is the third significant front seven addition the Bears have made this week, joining linebackers Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman. The four-year veteran has been a role player throughout his career (33 starts, 9.5 sacks in 61 games), but he’s coming off a breakout season with the Patriots. After the Pats acquired him from New Orleans last fall, Hicks totaled three sacks in 13 regular-season games and earned positive marks for his performance from Pro Football Focus. The site (subscription required) ranked Hicks as its 14th-best D-tackle and awarded him high grades for the pass-rushing and run-stopping abilities he displayed. The 26-year-old is likely to serve primarily as an end in Chicago, which differs from New England in running a 3-4 base defense.

Hicks entered the NFL as a third-round pick in 2012, when current Bears general manager Ryan Pace and personnel director Josh Lucas were members of the Saints’ front office. By adding Hicks, the Bears have kept him from the NFC North rival Lions – who were reportedly “working to secure” Hicks as of Friday. The 318-pounder subsequently visited the Bears, who were able to beat out Detroit for his services.

With Hicks, Trevathan and Freeman in the fold, the Bears’ defense looks much more formidable on paper than last year’s unit, which finished 14th in the league in yardage, 20th in points and a horrid 31st in DVOA during a 6-10 campaign.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Colts Sign Scott Tolzien

March 14th, 2016 at 9:20am CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 14, 9:20am: Tolzien’s two-year deal is worth $3.5MM, with a $500K signing bonus, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.

MARCH 11, 5:39pm: Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (on Twitter) that Tolzien’s deal is for two years, and Silverstein writes that he doesn’t expect Tolzien to have to fend off a prospective rookie for the Colts’ No. 2 job.

5:17pm: The Colts and Scott Tolzien have agreed to a deal, owner Jim Irsay tweets. It looks like Andrew Luck‘s backup quarterback will indeed be much younger, and Tolzien jumps from sitting behind Aaron Rodgers to a role as Luck’s understudy.

The Colts had a visit with former Dolphins backup Matt Moore scheduled for Monday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). It’s not known at this time whether they’ll keep that appointment. Former Dolphins coach Joe Philbin now resides on the Colts’ staff, but Indianapolis may already have Matt Hasselbeck‘s successor in mind.

Originally a 2011 UDFA of the 49ers’, Tolzien served as Rodgers’ backup for the past three seasons, going 0-1-1 as a starter. However, when Rodgers missed several games due to injury in 2013, Tolzien was replaced by Matt Flynn and hasn’t started a game since. The 28-year-old career reserve threw one touchdown pass and five interceptions in relief of Rodgers in 2013.

Tolzien threw one pass in the past two seasons for the Packers. Luck’s backups needed to do a lot more than that during a disappointing Colts season. Hasselbeck served as Luck’s backup for the past three seasons but retired this week to accept and ESPN analyst position.

Luck’s injury resulted in five different quarterbacks throwing at least 10 passes for the Colts last season, with late-season addition Josh Freeman starting Indianapolis’ Week 17 contest after Hasselbeck’s slew of injuries caught up with him.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Where Things Stand In NFL Free Agency

March 14th, 2016 at 8:21am CST by Luke Adams

Things move fast in NFL free agency, so it should come as no surprise that just five days after the new league year began, the majority of 2016’s top free agents have come off the board. Olivier Vernon, Malik Jackson, and Brock Osweiler – the first three players on our list of this year’s top 50 free agents – are among those that have signed new mega-deals already.

Our top 50 list was intended – at least in part – to predict which players would sign the biggest contracts of the offseason, and while we did pretty well at the top of our list, there were missteps further down. Our rankings appear to have underestimated the apprehension that teams would have for free agents with health questions. That’s why our No. 7 free agent, Jason Pierre-Paul, only managed a one-year deal, while others in our top 20, such as Russell Okung and Kelvin Beachum, remain unsigned.

Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 biggest deals signed so far, in terms of fully guaranteed money (per Over The Cap):

Olivier Vernon, DE (Giants): Five years, $85MM. $40MM fully guaranteed.
Brock Osweiler, QB (Texans): Four years, $72MM. $37MM fully guaranteed.
Malik Jackson, DE (Jaguars): Six years, $85.5MM, $31.5MM fully guaranteed.
Janoris Jenkins, CB (Giants): Five years, $62.5MM. $28.8MM fully guaranteed.
Kelechi Osemele, G/T (Raiders): Five years, $58.5MM. $25.4MM fully guaranteed.
Damon Harrison, DT (Giants): Five years, $46.2MM. $20MM fully guaranteed.
Alex Mack, C (Falcons): Five years, $45MM. $20MM fully guaranteed.
Brandon Brooks, G (Eagles): Five years, $40MM. $17MM fully guaranteed.
Mark Barron, LB (Rams): Five years, $45MM. $15MM fully guaranteed.
(tie) Sean Smith, CB (Raiders): Four years, $38MM. $15MM fully guaranteed.
(tie) Doug Martin, RB (Buccaneers): Five years, $35.7MM. $15MM fully guaranteed.

The Giants and Raiders dominate that list, combining for five players, and those two teams, plus the Jaguars, have been among the biggest free agent spenders so far.

In addition to their three signings noted above, the Giants also re-signed Pierre-Paul ($8.5MM fully guaranteed). The Raiders complemented their Osemele and Smith signings by adding Bruce Irvin ($14.5MM fully guaranteed). And the Jaguars landed Jackson, plus Tashaun Gipson ($12MM fully guaranteed), Chris Ivory ($10MM fully guaranteed), and Prince Amukamara ($3MM fully guaranteed).

Additional big spenders have included the Eagles (Brooks, Rodney McLeod, Chase Daniel), Texans (Osweiler, Lamar Miller, Jeff Allen), and Falcons (Mack, Mohamed Sanu).

While many of the big-name players have signed, there are still many players in our top 50 without deals. Some of these players, such as Eric Weddle, appear to be simply taking their time to weigh all their options, and could still land fairly lucrative deals. Others may not be generating as much interest as expected. Here’s a breakdown of those players:

Russell Okung, T (11)
Kelvin Beachum, T (15)
Eric Weddle, S (17)
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB (19)
Greg Hardy, DE (21)
Donald Penn, T (26)
Andre Smith, T (38)
Reggie Nelson, S (41)
Nick Fairley, DT (43)
Rueben Randle, WR (49)

As our list of notable remaining free agents shows, the tackle market has been somewhat slow to develop. Okung and Beachum are both coming off injuries, Penn will turn 33 next month, and Smith isn’t a left tackle, so it makes some sense that there hasn’t been a ton of action on them, but I expect that will be one position that gains steam this week.

We should also see more movement at cornerback – which features players like Brandon Boykin, Leon Hall, and Patrick Robinson – and inside linebacker, where Zach Brown and James Laurinaitis are among the veterans available. You can find our complete, up-to-date list of available free agents right here.

This week’s action won’t be quite as fast-paced as last week’s, but things will still be busy, with teams continuing to focus on the second and third waves of free agency. After next week’s owner’s meetings, draft coverage steadily begins to dominate the NFL news cycle, but we’ve still got plenty of free agent signings to track before then, so check PFR frequently for the latest.

Jaguars Sign Prince Amukamara

March 14th, 2016 at 8:07am CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 14, 8:07am: Amukamara’s one-year deal with the Jaguars has a base value of $5MM, including $3MM guaranteed, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. According to Yates, the pact has another $1MM available in bonuses and incentives.

MARCH 11, 7:03pm: The Jaguars have announced the deal, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

3:36pm: A busy week continues for the Jaguars, as the team has agreed to terms on a deal for free agent cornerback Prince Amukamara, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Schefter reports that it will be a one-year deal for Amukamara, who had been visiting Jacksonville today.

Entering free agency with the most cap room in the league, the Jaguars land one of free agency’s top cornerbacks on what looks like another audition for Amukamara in hopes of establishing his value to re-enter the market in 2017 in hopes of commanding a long-term pact.

Amukamara, the No. 3-ranked cornerback on PFR’s top 50 free agents list, has struggled with injuries throughout his five-year career. The former Giants first-rounder has started more than 11 games in a season just once, doing so in 2013, and has played in more than 13 games in a season only in ’13 as well.

The former Nebraska talent missed 13 games over the past two seasons, attaching the injury-prone label to the otherwise-solid corner. A torn pectoral muscle shelved Amukamara for five games in 2015.

Although the Giants finished with the worst pass defense in football last season, Amukamara rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 32 cornerback. The 26-year-old has just seven career interceptions, though his presence gave the Giants a strong cornerback tandem in teaming with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

DRC will pair with Janoris Jenkins in 2016 after the Giants distanced themselves from Amukamara and went with the former Rams second-rounder amid a historic spending spree.

The Jags further bolster their secondary after bringing Tashaun Gipson aboard. Jacksonville’s pass defense ranked 29th last season. Despite signing Davon House last year, the Jags’ cornerback contingent entered this offseason a thin arrangement. Both House and Aaron Colvin were mid-tier corners, per PFF, but ranked well behind Amukamara in 2015.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Extra Points: 49ers, Steelers, Vikings, Texans

March 13th, 2016 at 10:24pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Despite having the second-most spending room in the NFL ($58.84MM, per Over the Cap), the 49ers have been quiet in free agency, and Eric Branch and Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle wonder if new head coach Chip Kelly is scaring players away. Right or wrong, Kelly wasn’t exactly seen as a players’ coach in Philadelphia, and some of his methods there – e.g., daily urine tests and a fast-paced offense – could be serving as roadblocks in the 49ers’ quest to add talent, Branch and Tafur opine.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

If the league ultimately suspends Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant for next season, teammate Antonio Brown could use his absence as leverage to secure a better contract, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Brown – who has combined for 375 catches and 31 touchdowns the last three seasons – is woefully underpaid relative to his production (he’s due $14.96MM the next two years). While Florio notes that the Steelers don’t negotiate new deals with non-quarterbacks who have more than one year left on their contracts, he counters that Brown could serve as an exception to that rule.
The Vikings are in talks with two of their own free agents, linebacker Chad Greenway and cornerback Terence Newman, according to general manager Rick Spielman (link via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com). Greenway, a Viking for all of his decade-long career, said earlier this winter that he’d like to play one more year. The 33-year-old logged 12 starts last season, giving him 135 overall, and totaled 68 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception. Newman, the league’s oldest defensive back (38 in September), also wants to play another year. The 13-year veteran made 16 starts for the Vikes last season, recording 62 tackles and three picks.
While the Vikings are interested in Greenway and Newman, the same isn’t true of free agent offensive tackle Ryan Harris, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. Having met with Andre Smith on Sunday, Minnesota is clearly in the hunt for tackle help. Nonetheless, it’s not in on Harris, who will visit with Pittsburgh in the coming days.
The Texans are “monitoring” the offensive tackle market, per the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, who adds that they might add one in the draft instead of free agency (Twitter link). With Duane Brown, Derek Newton and Chris Clark in the fold, the position doesn’t exactly look like a major need for the Texans.

Contract Details: Freeman, Sims, Claiborne

March 13th, 2016 at 8:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Here are the latest contract details for players who have agreed to new deals and/or signed them in recent days. Unless otherwise specified, all links are courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle…

NFC:

Jerrell Freeman, LB (Bears): Three years, $12MM. Deal maxes out at $14.25MM with incentives/escalators. $6MM guaranteed at signing (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
Eugene Sims, DE (Rams): Three years, $10MM. $3.75MM in guarantees. $2.25MM salary for 2016 guaranteed. $750K roster bonus due this week. $500K roster bonuses due on the fifth day of the 2017 and 2018 league years. $750K annual incentives for sacks and playoffs (Twitter links).
Jon Ryan, P (Seahawks): Four years, $10MM. $3.4MM guaranteed. $2.4MM signing bonus. $1MM salary in 2016 guaranteed. $100K incentives for Pro Bowl and playoffs (Twitter link).
James Hanna, TE (Cowboys): Three years, $8.25MM. $2.25MM signing bonus (Twitter link).
Emmanuel Lamur, LB (Vikings): Two years, $5.5MM. $2MM guaranteed. $1MM roster bonus due Monday. $15,625 per-game active roster bonus in both seasons (Twitter link).
Gino Gradkowski, OL (Panthers): Three years, $3.15MM. $450K signing bonus. $25K annual workout bonus (Twitter link).
Morris Claiborne, CB (Cowboys): One year, $3MM. Deal maxes out at $3.375MM with incentives. $500K signing bonus. $1MM in per-game active bonuses (Twitter link via Pelissero).
Keenan Robinson, LB (Giants): One year, $2.6MM. $1MM roster bonus due on the 10th day of the 2016 league year. $21,500 per-game active bonus. Up to $900K in playing-time incentives (Twitter link).
Sean Weatherspoon, LB (Falcons): One year, $1.5MM. $500K in per-game active bonuses. $750K in playing-time incentives (Twitter link via Pelissero).
Travaris Cadet, RB (Saints): One year, $840K. $80K signing bonus (Twitter link)

AFC:

Eddie Pleasant, S (Texans): Two years, $2.15MM. $311K roster bonus for 2016. $36K roster bonus for 2017 (link).
Matt Cassel, QB (Titans): One year, $2MM. $750K signing bonus. $500K in incentives (Twitter link via Pelissero).
Shane Lechler, P (Texans): One year, $1.8MM. $500K signing bonus (link).
Nick Novak, K (Texans): One year, 965K. $80K roster bonus due Monday (link).

Latest Rumors: Osweiler, Broncos, A. Smith, Titans

March 13th, 2016 at 7:17pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Earlier this week, quarterback Brock Osweiler agreed to leave the Broncos for a four-year, $72MM contract with the Texans, but agent Jimmy Sexton never gave Denver a chance to match the offer, reports John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Sexton told Osweiler not to return any calls from any Broncos employees until the agent had reached a deal with either Denver or Houston. Osweiler wanted out of the Mile High City after the Broncos went back to Peyton Manning for their playoff run, a source close to Osweiler’s family told Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). If true, that obviously helped the Texans win the battle for his services.

“They wanted him in Denver, but (general manager) Rick (Smith) hung in there and got the deal consummated,” Texans owner Bob McNair said. “I couldn’t be more excited.”

Smith and head coach Bill O’Brien undoubtedly join McNair in his excitement. After watching tape of pending free agent QBs, both came to an agreement that Osweiler was atop their wish list.

“We came out of the film room agreeing that Brock Osweiler was the quarterback to lead us where we want to go,” Smith said.

However, the Texans didn’t know whether they’d have a chance to land Osweiler, as McNair stated.

“He could have signed (with Denver) and not been available. We really didn’t know, but we were still looking at him and hoping he would be available,” said McNair.

More on the Broncos and a couple other NFL teams:

With Manning and Osweiler gone, the Broncos are “exercising patience” in their search for a signal-caller, tweets The Denver Post’s Troy Renck, who lists Colin Kaepernick, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Hoyer, and draft prospects as their targets. They aren’t yet considering Robert Griffin III, per Renck.
Offensive tackle Andre Smith – who visited the Vikings on Sunday – doesn’t have any more meetings currently lined up, but his agent told him this morning there are other teams that could be interested in him (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). Smith spent 2009-15 with the Bengals after they selected him sixth overall and made 73 regular-season starts in 82 appearances. If Smith signs with the Vikings, he’d be the third starting-caliber O-lineman to do so this offseason, joining guards Alex Boone and Mike Harris.
Linebacker Terence Garvin will visit the Titans on Monday, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link). Garvin has been with the Steelers since they signed him as an undrafted free agent from West Virginia in 2012. The 25-year-old has appeared in 43 regular-season games (one start) and amassed 21 special teams tackles. Garvin met with Washington earlier this week.

OT Ryan Harris To Visit Steelers

March 13th, 2016 at 6:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

SUNDAY: Harris will visit the Steelers on Thursday, per Renck (Twitter link).

SATURDAY: The Steelers are leaving no stone unturned as they seek to upgrade their offensive line, and they’re now expected to meet with a left tackle who was part of a championship club in 2015. Former Broncos offensive lineman Ryan Harris is expected to make the trip to Pittsburgh this week, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).

The Steelers, of course, have a hole at left tackle pending the status of Kelvin Beachum, who, like Harris, is also a free agent. Beachum is coming off of a torn ACL that wiped out most of his 2015 season, but he’s been stellar in the past, and isn’t wanting for suitors around the league. The 27-year-old has already set up visits with the Jets, Jaguars, and Seahawks, while the Ravens have also expressed interest. While Pittsburgh presumably has interest in re-signing Beachum, the club is said to believe (or possibly hope) it can retain its left tackle via a one-year deal — a possibility that now seems remote given the reported level of interest from other teams.

Harris, then, might be something of a backup plan for the Steelers in the event that Beachum does move on — at the very least, a Harris visit could be used as leverage in any ongoing negotiations between Pittsburgh and Beachum. Harris, 31, started all 16 games for the Broncos last season, grading as the league’s No. 53 tackle among 77 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. It’s starting to look unlikely that he’ll return to Denver in 2016, especially after the club gave a three-year, $14MM deal to fellow tackle Donald Stephenson earlier this week. PFR ranked Harris as the No. 10 free agent offensive tackle, just behind Will Beatty and Byron Bell, and just ahead of Jake Long.

Harris isn’t the only outside option the Steelers are considering — they’ve also set up a visit with Seahawks free agent Russell Okung which is expected to take place tomorrow. Internally, Pittsburgh also acted quickly to retain one key member of its offensive line, signing guard Ramon Foster to a three-year deal earlier this week.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Watt, Bryant, Others Get Salary Guarantees

March 13th, 2016 at 6:20pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Several NFL players have contracts containing language which states that they’ll get a full or partial salary guarantees for 2016 and/or 2017 if they remained on their respective teams on Sunday, the fifth day of the league year. Let’s check in on those players (link courtesy of CBS Sports’ Joel Corry):

Ryan Tannehill, quarterback (Dolphins): $3.5MM of $17.975MM base salary for 2017 is guaranteed.
Dez Bryant, wide receiver (Cowboys): $13MM base salary for 2017 is guaranteed.
T.Y. Hilton, wide receiver (Colts): $3MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed. $6MM roster bonus now payable.
Anthony Castonzo, offensive tackle (Colts): $2.5MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed. $4.5MM roster bonus now payable.
Tyron Smith, offensive tackle (Cowboys): $10MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.
Branden Albert, offensive tackle (Dolphins): $6MM of $8.245MM base salary for 2017 is guaranteed.
Mike Pouncey, center (Dolphins): $9MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed, as is $2MM of Pouncey’s $7.95MM base salary in 2017.
Maurkice Pouncey, center (Steelers): $3.5MM roster bonus now payable.
Cameron Heyward, defensive end (Steelers): $5MM roster bonus now payable.
J.J. Watt, defensive end (Texans): $10.5MM base salaries for 2016 and 2017 are guaranteed.
Robert Quinn, defensive end (Rams): $7,777,777MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.
Lavonte David, linebacker (Buccaneers): $5MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.
Chris Harris Jr., cornerback (Broncos): $6.9MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Bills, Cowboys, Dolphins, Pats

March 13th, 2016 at 5:53pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest from the NFL’s two East divisions:

The Bills have fired defensive line coach Karl Dunbar after one year on the job, reports Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday (Twitter link). Dunbar had worked under head coach Rex Ryan with both the Jets and Bills since 2012.
The Cowboys are “intent” on decreasing cornerback Brandon Carr‘s $13.8MM cap hit, so whether he sticks with the team will hinge on his willingness to take a pay cut – something he may be open to – writes David Moore of The Dallas Morning News. Carr, who will turn 30 in May, joined the Cowboys in 2012 and has since intercepted six passes, though he hasn’t registered a pick since 2013.
The Dolphins haven’t closed the book on signing a veteran wideout at some point to replace the departed Rishard Matthews, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. As Jackson notes, available options include big names like Anquan Boldin, Marques Colston Roddy White and Percy Harvin.
The Patriots didn’t make a push to sign tight end Ben Watson before he agreed to a deal with Baltimore earlier this week, but they might have done so had he come cheaper, according to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. Watson, who got two years and $8MM from the Ravens, was the Patriots’ first-round pick in 2004. He was with the franchise through the 2009 campaign, catching 167 passes and 20 touchdowns.
Patriots guard Tre’ Jackson missed both of the team’s playoff games with a knee injury. As a result, he has undergone a knee scope within the last month, per Reiss, who adds that it’s unlikely to affect the 23-year-old’s long-term availability. Jackson, a fourth-rounder last year, appeared in 13 games and made nine starts as a rookie.

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