2016 March - Pro Football Rumors

Raiders, Chiefs, 49ers In On Sean Smith

March 9th, 2016 at 1:37pm CST by Zachary Links

1:37pm: Peter King of TheMMQB.com tweets that the Chiefs, Raiders, and 49ers are still in on Smith. If Tafur’s morning report that four teams are in the running is accurate, that leaves one unknown club, though it’s possible Smith’s list of suitors has been narrowed down since then. Oakland has been mentioned most frequently as a landing spot for the cornerback, but it doesn’t appear any deal is imminent at this point.

9:19am: Sean Smith‘s market has been whittled down to the Raiders and three other clubs, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The market is currently set at $12MM/year for the cornerback’s services, Tafur adds.

The 49ers have also been tied to Smith, but it’s not clear if they’re one of the “three other clubs” in the mix for his services. Ditto for the incumbent Chiefs, though it was reported on Monday that KC had not reached out to him during the legal tampering period. Of course, it’s possible that the two sides connected on Tuesday.

Smith was ranked as the No. 9 overall free agent by PFR and considered to be the No. 2 available cornerback, behind Janoris Jenkins. With an even 100 regular-season starts under his belt, Smith is still just 28 years old. With so many other key defensive free agents to re-sign, the Chiefs appear willing to let Smith sign elsewhere, and considering the cornerback market isn’t overly deep, the former second-round pick should have no shortage of suitors.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Seahawks Pushing To Re-Sign Russell Okung

March 9th, 2016 at 1:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks have made a strong offer to free agent tackle Russell Okung, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Okung is representing himself and, in an interesting twist, he was barred from talking with teams during the two-day legal tampering period since players cannot talk with teams. As a result, the Seahawks are the only team able to talk to Okung until 4 ET/3 CT. Okung has been vocal about his desire to stay in Seattle, though he also wants to be paid fairly.

“It’s very possible that I could stay here,” Okung said in February. “But I know my value, and I’m not going to settle for anything less than that. If it works out, great. And if it doesn’t, that’s great as well.”

In late January, Okung underwent surgery to repair his dislocated left shoulder. Still, the 28-year-old stands as the best offensive tackle on the open market. Overall, PFR ranked Okung as the No. 11 free agent in this year’s crop. Okung also says he expects to be fully cleared in a matter of months, which would put him on track to participate in training camp.

It will be interesting to see how much Okung gets on his next contract, whether it’s with the Seahawks or another team. By limiting himself during the legal tampering period, it’s quite possible that Okung has put himself at a disadvantage.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Buccaneers To Re-Sign Doug Martin

March 9th, 2016 at 1:26pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Buccaneers have agreed to re-sign running back Doug Martin, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link). It’s a five-year deal, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link), and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) says that it’s worth $35.75MM in total, with a max value of $42.5MM (Twitter link). Martin will pocket $15MM in full guarantees, per Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

Just last night, reports indicated that although Martin and Tampa Bay were close to reaching a new agreement, details still needed to be hammered out. That report pointed to a yearly value of $6.85MM for Martin, so his representatives were clearly able to negotiate a bit more money over the past twelve hours or so. Martin will average $7.15MM annually, good for eighth among running backs.

As many as six teams — including the 49ers, Raiders, and Texans — had reportedly expressed in Martin, and with reports earlier this week indicating that talks between Martin and the Bucs had broken down, it looked like Martin might be finding a new landing spot. But the two sides have come to together at the 11th hour, reaching a new deal just prior to the start of the free agent period.

Tampa Bay could have controlled Martin for the 2016 season by exercising his fifth-year option — they declined to do, so Martin hit free agency in 2016 instead of 2017. If the club wanted to use the declined option as something of a motivational tactic, it worked, as Martin enjoyed his best season since his rookie year, rushing for more than 1,400 yards, scoring six times, and adding 33 reception and another touchdown for good measure.

PFR ranked Martin as the No. 13 free agent, and the No. 1 available running back. Other RBs still on the market include Lamar Miller and Matt Forte, while Chris Ivory has already agreed to a new deal with the Jaguars.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Five Teams Interested In WR Andre Holmes

March 9th, 2016 at 1:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions, Eagles, and Bengals have all expressed interest in free agent wide receiver Andre Holmes, reports Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Earlier reports had indicated that the Vikings were also targeting Holmes, and the Raiders are also working to retain him.

Each of the newly-reported clubs presents an intriguing landing spot for Holmes. The Lions, of course, lost Calvin Johnson to retirement, but have already acted today to fill that void, agreeing to terms with Marvin Jones on a new deal. The Bengals, in turn, have lost Jones, so Holmes could make for a viable No. 2 next to A.J. Green. And finally, the Eagles have already released Riley Cooper, and are building an all-new offense under head coach Doug Pederson, one in which Holmes could potentially thrive.

Holmes will be entering his age-28 season, and is coming off a down year in Oakland — he caught 14 passes for 201 yards, and wasn’t heavily involved in the Raiders offense. Just a season ago, though, Holmes started 13 games, hauling in 47 receptions for almost 700 yards, so the potential is certainly there for Holmes to contribute to an offense.

PFR ranked Holmes as the No. 15 free agent wide receiver.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns Being Hesitant In Negotiations

March 9th, 2016 at 1:18pm CST by Zachary Links

Multiple agents are complaining that the Browns are being extremely hesitant in negotiations, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) is hearing the same thing and he says that the criticism was coming in even before center Alex Mack left for the Falcons.

Agents are not criticizing the Browns for not spending in free agency, but they take issue with the tenor of the talks that the Browns are having with the reps for available players, La Canfora tweets. The Browns also have a perception problem stemming from their negotiations with right tackle Mitchell Schwartz.

This afternoon, conflicting reports popped up regarding Schwartz’s status, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that Schwartz had a decent chance to return to the Browns for ~$7.5MM/year, while Mike Silver of NFL.com disagreed, saying the Schwartz would not return to Cleveland. The latest word is that the Browns have pulled their offer to Schwartz.

The Browns’ perception problems are serious right now and La Canfora (link) believes that even if they come out as winners in terms of football moves today, they will have some major fences to mend with players and agents.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Texans Pushing To Land Lamar Miller

March 9th, 2016 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 1:15pm: The Texans are still the “team to beat” for Miller, according to Rapoport, who tweets that the Cowboys are in the mix, but that the price tag may be too high for Dallas.

TUESDAY, 1:16pm: The Texans released Arian Foster last week, signaling the end of an era at the running back position in Houston. Could Lamar Miller become the next player to carry the load for the Texans? According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Houston is making a “strong push” to sign the free agent running back when the new league years begins on Wednesday.

Miller, who turns 25 in April, is one of the most talented running backs on the market this year. The fact that he was somewhat underused in Miami may have frustrated Dolphins fans, but it could increase his appeal to rival suitors, since his 638 career rushing attempts don’t represent a huge workload.

In 2015, Miller ran for 872 yards and eight touchdowns on just 194 carries, adding another 397 yards and two TDs through the air on 47 receptions. His lone 1,000-yard season came in 2014, when he piled up 1,099 yards on the ground, with an impressive 5.1 yards per carry average.

Reports today have suggested that the Texans have “strong interest” in Miller, and that the Dolphins are increasingly unlikely to re-sign their free agent back. Miller is reportedly seeking an annual salary of $6MM+, so if Houston decides his price tag is too high, the team could see if Chris Ivory is more affordable — Ivory’s market is competitive too though, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, who writes that seven teams inquired on the Jets running back on Monday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bears, Tracy Porter Working Towards Deal

March 9th, 2016 at 1:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears are working to retain cornerback Tracy Porter before the market opens, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). But the potential list of suitors for Porter is growing, per Rapoport, especially now that Janoris Jenkins is off the board and the Raiders are targeting Sean Smith.

Porter, 29, has a solid season in Chicago, where he rebounded from a down year in 2014 to become a full-time starter once again. He started 13 games, posting one interception and 12 passes defensed. Porter certainly isn’t a star, but he acted as a veteran presence on a Bears defense that needed all the help it could get. A former second-round pick, Porter has spent time with the Saints, Broncos, Raiders, and Washington in addition to the Bears.

The Bears can re-sign Porter at any time, but if he wants to join another club, Porter will have to wait about two more hours to officially agree to a new deal. Chicago, meanwhile is also said to be targeting offensive lineman Jeff Allen and linebacker Danny Trevathan.

Latest On Mohamed Sanu

March 9th, 2016 at 1:05pm CST by Zachary Links

There are many teams in on Bengals free agent wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter). That list of suitors includes the Giants, Patriots, Falcons, Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Washington.

The Bengals lost Marvin Jones to the Lions on Wednesday morning and it sounds like they could conceivably lose their other top wide receiver to free agency. Jones netted an average annual value of $8MM and it has been speculated that Sanu could command $5MM/year, particularly because of the lack of talent at the position in this year’s crop. In 2014, Sanu hauled in 56 catches for 790 yards and five touchdowns. Last year, however, he saw a dip in production with just 33 catches for 394 yards and no touchdowns.

Sanu earned honorable mention on PFR’s Top 50 List of NFL Free Agents. At the wide receiver position, Sanu was ranked as the No. 7 wide receiver available, behind Jones, Travis Benjamin, Rishard Matthews, Rueben Randle, Anquan Boldin, and Jermaine Kearse.

In other Bengals news, Reggie Nelson will get interest from the Vikings and Buccaneers when free agency opens, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets. Cincinnati, as it turns out, does not want the safety back at this point. The Bengals floated a two-year offer to Nelson earlier this week and the safety did not accept, sources tell Jim Owczarski of the Enquirer tweets.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Contract Details: JPP, McClain, Stanton

March 9th, 2016 at 12:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here are the latest updates on many recently agreed-upon or signed contracts from around the NFC:

NFC East:

Jason Pierre-Paul, DE (Giants): One year, $10MM. $8.5MM fully guaranteed. $4.25MM signing bonus, $4.25MM base salary. $1.2MM per-game roster bonuses. $300K incentive tied to sacks. $10.5MM max value (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
Rolando McClain, LB (Cowboys): One year, $4MM. $1MM available via incentives if McClain plays 75% of defensive snaps (Twitter link via Drew Davidson of the Star Telegram).

NFC South:

Michael Hoomanawanui, TE (Saints): Three years, $5.2MM. $1.85MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
Kyle Wilson, CB (Saints): One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
Keith Tandy, S (Buccaneers): Two years, $1.85MM. $250K roster bonus guarantees on fifth day of league year (Twitter link via Wilson).

NFC North:

Andrew Sendejo, S (Vikings): Four years, $16MM. $950K 2016 base salary (fully guaranteed). Contains option for 2019 (Twitter link via Wilson).
Lane Taylor, OL (Packers): Two years, $4.15MM. $600K signing bonus. Contains $1MM in playtime and workout incentives (Twitter links via Wilson).

NFC West:

Ahtyba Rubin, DT (Seahawks): Three years, $12MM. $5.5MM guaranteed. $4.5MM signing bonu (Twitter link via Wilson).
Drew Stanton, QB (Cardinals): Two years, $6.5MM. $4.5MM guaranteed. $2MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).

Free Agent Rumors: Massie, Mack, Vikings

March 9th, 2016 at 12:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest free agent rumors:

Cardinals free agent tackle Bobby Massie is deciding between three teams and he could remain in Arizona, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) says that Alex Mack got a quality deal from the Falcons because multiple teams including the Browns and the Chargers were “in strong” for his services. Meanwhile, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (on Twitter) says that even though the Chargers reached out, they did not “develop into a major contender.”
The Vikings are looking at free agent wide receiver Andre Holmes, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com tweets. Holmes, who was with Minnesota as a UDFA in 2011, would give Minnesota a big target.
The Eagles never had formal contract discussions with Walter Thurmond prior to Monday, Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic tweets. Thurmond is now on the open market and, one way or another, the Eagles need to add depth at the cornerback position.
Keenan Robinson appears to have posted a farewell message to Washington fans on Instagram. After re-signing Mason Foster, it seems like Washington will be moving on from their other free agent inside linebacker.