2016 March - Pro Football Rumors

Eagles Sign Leodis McKelvin

March 8th, 2016 at 9:56pm CST by Zachary Links

9:56pm: McLane offers a minor clarification, tweeting that the base value of McKelvin’s contract is actually $6.2MM.

2:46pm: McKelvin’s deal carries a max value of $6MM, which means that his base value is less than that, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter).

2:29pm: The Eagles and Leodis McKelvin have agreed to terms on a two-year contract, the team announced (on Twitter). The two-year deal is worth just over $6MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

New Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz coached McKelvin in Buffalo, so Philly has been thought to be a logical landing spot for him ever since he was released earlier this month. McKelvin was also scheduled to meet with the Cowboys, so the signing has the added benefit of beating out an NFC East rival.

McKelvin, selected 11th overall in the 2008 draft, had been preparing to enter the final year of his contract with the Bills. Recent reports had suggested the team would explore a reworked contract with McKelvin in an attempt to keep him around, but Buffalo ultimately parted ways with him instead, allowing him to hit the open market.

Despite being a first-round pick, McKelvin never developed into a shutdown corner for the Bills, or even a full-time starter — he has only started more than nine games in a season twice in his career, due to both performance and injuries. In 2015, McKelvin grabbed two interceptions to go along with 32 tackles, nine passes defended, and a fumble recovery. Pro Football Focus ranked him 83rd out of 111 qualified cornerbacks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dolphins Sign Mario Williams

March 8th, 2016 at 9:49pm CST by Zachary Links

9:49pm: The Dolphins have officially announced the signing (Twitter link). Per Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Williams’ two-year deal is worth $17MM in base value, and can be worth up to $20MM through incentives.

4:09pm: The Dolphins have agreed to sign Mario Williams to a two-year deal, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will reportedly be worth roughly $8MM per year.

Last year was an ugly campaign for Williams, who didn’t mesh well with head coach Rex Ryan and the team’s new defensive scheme, and was accused of displaying a lack of effort at times. Coming off a five-sack performance in 2015, and with a huge cap hit on the books for 2016, Williams was released last week by the Bills.

Still, Williams is only a year removed from an All-Pro season in which he piled up 14.5 sacks though, so even though he turned 31 in January, he likely still has something left in the tank. Returning to a 4-3 system that better suits his skill-set could help him bounce back in 2016.

We heard earlier today that the Dolphins, who hosted the veteran pass rusher on a visit over the weekend, were the “clear front-runners” for Williams, with a separate report suggesting that the two sides may be nearing a deal worth about $8MM annually. Assuming the Dolphins get Williams locked up, the team will have a decision to make at the defensive end position.

Currently, the Dolphins have Olivier Vernon tentatively on their 2016 books for $12.7MM+ after placing the transition tag on him. However, Vernon has not signed that transition tender, so Miami could still remove it at any time. That would mean losing the right of first refusal if Vernon gets an offer from another club, but it would allow the Dolphins to collect a compensatory draft pick for 2017 if he leaves.

If the Dolphins prefer to keep Vernon, Cameron Wake could be the odd man out. Wake and the Dolphins are reportedly trying to rework a contract that currently features a $9.8MM cap charge for 2016, but as of last Tuesday, the two sides hadn’t made a whole lot of progress.

The Dolphins have a number of moves reportedly in the works, with a trade that will see them acquire Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso from the Eagles set to be finalized on Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Texans To Re-Sign Safety Eddie Pleasant

March 8th, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Texans will re-sign safety Eddie Pleasant, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Per Wilson, Pleasant will receive a two-year deal.

Pleasant, 27, appeared in all 16 games last season, and while a lot of his action came on special teams (he played on about 45% of Houston’s special teams snaps), Pleasant also played a fair amount on defense, seeing action on 37% of snaps. On the year, Pleasant posted 18 tackles, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery.

The Texans’ defensive backfield will be one to watch, both in free agency and during the season. Andre Hal figures to start at one of the safety slots after seeing a good chunk of time last season, but Rahim Moore — a key free agent addition in 2015 0– has already been released. Quintin Demps, another ’15 signee, is a free agent, but Houston reportedly wants to retain him.

Houston has been in the news today, as they’ve re-signed offensive tackle Chris Clark but lost center Ben Jones to the Titans.

FA Rumors: RGIII, Beachum, Lamur, C. Long

March 8th, 2016 at 9:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams have not shown any interest in free agent quarterback Robert Griffin III at this point, reports Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). Ten clubs are reportedly giving Griffin a “hard look.”

Here are a few more free agent rumors from around the NFL:

Having reached a deal to bring back veteran guard Ramon Foster, the Steelers think they might be able to re-sign left tackle Kelvin Beachum on a one-year deal, tweets Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Beachum is coming off a torn ACL, which may be limiting his market.
Free agent linebacker and special-teamer Emmanuel Lamur is not expected to re-sign with the Bengals, according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer, who writes that the Lions, Vikings, and Dolphins are among the teams that have expressed interest in Lamur since the legal tampering window opened.
Former Rams defensive end Chris Long enjoyed his visit to Washington and has genuine interest in joining the club, but he has more free agent visits planned, so it doesn’t sound like any deal is imminent, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
The Raiders have already made a pair of big splashes in free agency, reaching agreements with Kelechi Osemele and Bruce Irvin. Bill Williamson of Fanrag Sports suggests (via Twitter) that cornerback Janoris Jenkins is another name to watch for Oakland.

Bears, Falcons, Titans In Hunt For Danny Trevathan

March 8th, 2016 at 9:04pm CST by Zachary Links

9:04pm: The Bears are in competition with the Falcons and Titans for Trevathan’s services, multiple sources tell Brad Biggs.

6:50pm: The Falcons have joined the Bears as strong contenders for Trevathan, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

2:33pm: The price tag for Trevathan is expected to be at – or slightly above – $7MM per year, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

1:06pm: The Bears are making a strong push for linebacker Danny Trevathan, Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets. Trevathan enjoyed a huge bounce back year for the Broncos after previously dealing with knee injuries.

Last month, Trevathan said that he was anticipating interest from Chicago. Trevathan and John Fox have history from their time together in Denver, so a reunion with the Bears would make a lot of sense.

“Coach Fox is one of the guys that gave me the opportunity to showcase I can fit within the scheme,” Trevathan said in February. “I’m sure it’ll be there, I’m sure we’ll end up talking, but right now my main focus is this game. Whatever happens, happens. This game could make or break my contracts. It’s up to me to make the most of it.”

Trevathan was Denver’s leading tackler in 2013, but he registered just 11 tackles across three games for the Broncos in 2014 thanks to a left medial tibial impaction fracture. In 2015, Trevathan has looked like his old self. In 15 regular season contests (all starts), the inside linebacker recorded 109 total tackles, six pass deflections, and two interceptions – one of which led to a defensive touchdown.

A former sixth-round pick, the linebacker earned just $660K in 2015. Needless to say, Trevathan is looking forward to a contract that matches his performance. “We’re going to get paid,” said Trevathan in January. In addition to the Bears and Broncos, the Titans have also been said to have interest in the linebacker.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eagles Favorites For Chase Daniel; Two Other Teams Interested

March 8th, 2016 at 8:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Three clubs are “heavily involved” in negotiations with free agent quarterback Chase Daniel, but the Eagles are viewed as the frontrunner, according to Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). However, cautions Russini, a deal between Daniel and Philadelphia is not yet done.

Just this afternoon, a report indicated that the Eagles could be interested in Daniel, even after agreeing to re-sign starting QB Sam Bradford to a two-year deal. Daniel, of course, has spent the past several seasons in Kansas City under former OC Doug Pederson, who is now Philadelphia’s head coach. The connection is there, but whether Daniel would want to be relegated to a backup role once again is an open question.

Daniel, entering his age-30 season, is almost all promise — he’s only attempted 77 passes in his career while backing up Drew Brees and Alex Smith. But in a league where competent quarterback play is so rare (yet so needed), it’s easy to see a club taking a chance on Daniel as its starter. He’d already been one of the backups in the NFL, earning $3.33MM annually during his time with Kansas City.

Daniel ranked as PFR’s No. 3 available quarterback, slotting in behind Brock Osweiler and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Rumors: Vernon, A. Jones, J. Freeman

March 8th, 2016 at 7:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Alex Marvex of FOX Sports is “getting strong vibes” from NFL sources that the Dolphins will rescind defensive end Olivier Vernon‘s transition tag at some point (Twitter link). Vernon could be expendable given that Miami signed Mario Williams and plans to keep Cameron Wake.

Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald agrees that the Fins could rescind the tag, and also reports that a league source expects Vernon to sign a long-term deal with another club in the next few days, and the Dolphins aren’t expected to be able to match. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also chimes in, noting that he hears Miami hasn’t made a decision on Vernon yet.

Here’s the latest on the AFC free agent scene:

The Jets are no longer in contention for free agent corner Adam Jones, a source tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
The Chiefs are “poking around” on free agent linebacker Jerrell Freeman, tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Freeman could serve as a potential replacement for Derrick Johnson, who is also a free agent.
Elsewhere in Kansas City, it looks like Chiefs corner Sean Smith will hit the open market, per Robinson (Twitter link), and the Raiders could be one potential suitor.
Despite receiving interest from other clubs, receiver Travis Benjamin is still in play for the Browns, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com believes the Titans are interested in receiver Rishard Matthews — it’s a little unclear if the ESPN scribe is reporting or speculating, but it sounds like there could be a link.
Free agent safety Tavon Wilson will not return to the Patriots, according to Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com. the former second-round pick has been in New England since 2012.

Colts Re-Sign Adam Vinatieri

March 8th, 2016 at 6:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

6:55pm: It’s a two-year, $6MM deal for Vinatieri, with another $1MM available in incentives, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. $1MM is guaranteed, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

6:23pm: The Colts announced that they’ve re-signed veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri, who will stay in Indianapolis for his age-43 season (and presumably beyond).

“We are thrilled to retain Adam as a member of the Colts family,” said Colts GM Ryan Grigson. “Adam continues to play at the highest level year in and year out and his hard work, consistency and professionalism are a credit to him being the longest tenured active player in the NFL. Adam has won multiple Super Bowls and is a future Hall of Famer. We look forward to continuing to utilize his championship-pedigree and leadership in our program.”

In 2015, Vinatieri connected on 25 of 27 field goal tries, for a 92.6% conversion rate. However, he did occasionally struggle with the longer extra point, missing three of 35 attempts. Still, there were few NFL kickers more reliable than Vinatieri, who is now third on the league’s list of all-time leading scorers. With 2,253 points, Vinatieri could make a run at Morten Andersen (2,544) and Gary Anderson (2,434) if he decides to play for longer than just one more season.

Vinatieri’s previous contract with the Colts, which he signed in March 2014, was worth $5MM over two years, with a modest $500K signing bonus. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him sign a similar pact this time around.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bucs Cut Bruce Carter, Re-Sign Keith Tandy

March 8th, 2016 at 6:11pm CST by Zachary Links

6:11pm: It’s a two-year deal for Tandy, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.

4:25pm: The Buccaneers have released one defensive notable while re-signing another. The Bucs have officially released Bruce Carter and re-signed safety Keith Tandy, as Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com writes.

Tampa Bay rarely employs signing bonuses, and because it didn’t use one when signing Carter prior to last season, the club won’t incur any dead money. Instead, the Buccaneers will not only avoid paying a $750K roster bonus, but they’ll clear Carter’s scheduled base salaries of $4.25MM over the next three seasons. Following Carter’s release, Tampa will have roughly $50MM in cap space when the free agent period begins.

Carter, 28, will last only a single season with the Buccaneers after spending the first four years of his career with the Cowboys. An outside linebacker in Dallas, Carter was expected to serve as Tampa’s middle linebacker, but quickly lost the job to rookie Kwon Alexander, and ended up playing less than 30% of the Bucs’ defensive snaps.

Tandy, an unrestricted free agent, has long been expected to return to Tampa Bay. Last season, Tandy appeared in 14 games (2 starts) and racked up 38 total tackles, 1 sack, and 1 pass deflection.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cardinals To Re-Sign Drew Stanton

March 8th, 2016 at 5:53pm CST by Zachary Links

5:53pm: Stanton agreed to a two-year, $6.5MM deal with “significant upside,” per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). That last bit seems to indicate that there are a fair amount of incentives in the deal.

5:34pm: The Cardinals have re-signed quarterback Drew Stanton, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. It was reported earlier in the week that a deal was looking less and less likely, but Arizona has gotten a deal done to keep their backup QB in place before the start of free agency.

Earlier today, in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), Stanton reiterated his fondness for Arizona.

“I feel like this is a good situation here in Arizona. Is there a better opportunity for me elsewhere? I don’t know,” Stanton said.

In 2014, injuries to Carson Palmer thrust Stanton into the starting role for an eight game stretch. While he did not look like a world-beater, Stanton did go 5-3 in that span and he showed that he is one of the league’s stronger backup QBs.

For his career, the 31-year-old Stanton has started contests, completing about 55% of his passes during that time. It’s possible that Stanton could have received offers from other clubs, hence the report yesterday that he was unlikely to return to the Cardinals. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how much Arizona was willing to pay to lock in an insurance policy at quarterback.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.