2016 March - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Rumors: Penn, Jags, Vernon, Incognito

March 8th, 2016 at 2:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Raiders free agent left tackle Donald Penn says he has not closed the door on coming back to Oakland, as Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group writes.

“I’ve been open with my plan. My plan is to be a Raider,” Penn told NFL Network. “We’re trying to figure out of the feeling is mutual. They tell me it is. They made a great signing, that’s a great pickup for Derek Carr and everybody., We’re going to see what’s going to happen. Only time is going to tell. The good thing is I’m showing interest from other teams.”

The latest from the AFC:

Could the Jaguars land the top two defensive ends in this year’s free agent class? Word around the league is that the Jaguars will still chase Olivier Vernon, plus one of the top cornerbacks available, and perhaps a safety, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. PFR’s top cornerbacks (in order) are Janoris Jenkins, Sean Smith, Prince Amukamara, Casey Hayward, and Adam Jones.
Guard Richie Incognito says he took a discount to stay with the Bills, Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News tweets. The Bills and the interior lineman agreed to a three-year, ~$15MM deal on Tuesday afternoon. Incognito says six or seven teams reached out to him, but his “goal was to come back to Buffalo,” Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets.
Jones says that he would like to play at least five more years and possibly six more years, Paul Dehner Jr. of ESPN.com tweets. Pacman believes that his years spent sitting out make him younger in football years than his age would indicate.

Vikings Release Mike Wallace

March 8th, 2016 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Vikings are releasing veteran wide receiver Mike Wallace, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). The team had reportedly hoped to keep Wallace in the fold by working out a pay cut for him, but it seems the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement on a reworked contract. The club has confirmed that the move is official.

[RELATED: Vikings re-sign LB Audie Cole]

If Wallace was playing hardball in negotiations on his potential pay cut, it was likely an easy decision for the Vikings to release him. Because they initially acquired the ex-Dolphin in a trade, the Vikes were only on the hook for Wallace’s base salary and workout bonuses, and not any prorated bonus money. That means Minnesota clears the wideout’s entire $11.5MM cap hit from the team’s 2016 cap sheet by cutting him.

During his first and only season in Minnesota, Wallace matched or set career-lows by catching just 39 balls for 473 yards and two touchdowns. The 29-year-old becomes the latest in a long line of veteran wideouts to hit the open market, joining free agents like Marques Colston, Roddy White, and Greg Jennings. The Colts are expected to release Andre Johnson as well, once the new league year begins.

The Vikings also formally waived offensive tackle Austin Wentworth today. He announced his retirement last spring due to medical issues, but Minnesota continued to pay him for the 2015 season in a “class move,” tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Colts Waive Former First-Round Pick Bjoern Werner

March 8th, 2016 at 1:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts announced that they have waived outside linebacker Bjoern Werner. Werner was taken with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2013 draft.

Werner didn’t see much playing time in 2015 and today’s news doesn’t come as a huge surprise. Had he remained on the Colts roster, Werner would have carried a $2.51MM cap number for the 2016 season. Now they will carry just $1MM in dead money while saving $1.48MM against the cap.

Werner has appeared in 38 games over the last three years for the Colts, including 16 starts. In that time, he registered 77 tackles (61 solo), 6.5 sacks, five passes defensed, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. Last year, he appeared in 10 games with 11 total tackles and one fumble recovery.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Giants Among Teams Pursuing Damon Harrison

March 8th, 2016 at 1:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants are among the teams gunning for free agent nose tackle Damon Harrison, multiple sources tell Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger. Harrison, who spent the first four years of his career with the Jets, was Pro Football Focus’ top ranked run defender in 2015.

Multiple teams are competing to host Harrison on his first visit since they know it’ll give them a leg up on the competition, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). We heard on Monday that while plenty of teams have interest, the Titans appear to be the club most willing to meet Harrison‘s asking price. The Jets would love to retain their standout nose tackle, but given all the suitors expected to be in play, the price will be high. Of course, the Jets have a few less dollars than they did last week after committing $15MM to Muhammad Wilkerson.

Harrison is ranked No. 8 on PFR’s Top 50 NFL Free Agents list for this offseason. Because he’s more of a run-stopping specialist than a pass rusher, Harrison may have a ceiling on his earning potential, but he should be at the top of the list for any team in need of interior line help.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Broncos, Massie, Daniel

March 8th, 2016 at 1:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Now that defensive lineman Malik Jackson has agreed to join the Jaguars, we can expect the Broncos to make a serious run at Cardinals free agent right tackle Bobby Massie, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter). Massie could reportedly command north of $8MM per season, so it was unlikely that Denver would have been able to afford both Jackson and the offensive tackle.

Here’s the very latest free agent news:

Even though the Eagles have re-signed Sam Bradford, the Eagles could still pursue Chiefs quarterback Chase Daniel, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Eagles coach Doug Pederson, who is the former OC in KC, is quite fond of Daniel.
The Vikings are not close on a deal with guard Mike Harris, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter). Harris’ camp has been looking for roughly $5MM on a two-year deal while the Vikings are offering $3.5MM over two. Harris is currently planning on testing the market.
The Bears are one of “multiple” teams that have expressed interest in defensive end Akiem Hicks, per Kevin Fishbain of Pro Football Weekly (on Twitter).
Four teams have expressed varying degrees of interest in linebacker Demario Davis, a source tells Seth Walder of the Daily News (on Twitter).
The Bills‘ signing of Richie Incognito means that Buffalo will not be adding free agent guard Jahri Evans, Peter Schrager of FOXSports.com (on Twitter) hears. The Bills hosted Evans on a visit on Monday. Evans has started 153 games for the Saints dating back 2006 and earned four First-Team All-Pro selections.

Bills To Re-Sign Richie Incognito

March 8th, 2016 at 1:12pm CST by Zachary Links

1:12pm: The deal is official, per the Bills (on Twitter). The three-year pact is worth $15.75MM, according to Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News (on Twitter).

12:56pm: The Bills have reached agreement on a deal that will bring Richie Incognito back to Buffalo. The guard took to Twitter to tell fans that he has a new three-year pact with the club:

“Who’s ready for 3 more years of DOMINATION in Buffalo!!!!,” Incognito tweeted.

The three-year deal is expected to fall in the range of $5MM per season, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Incognito, who earned a Pro Bowl nod for his strong comeback season in 2015, will turn 33 this July. With a three-year, $15MM deal, it seems as though he has scored a nice payday on what could be the last lucrative free agent contract of his career.

Just days ago, a new deal between Incognito and Buffalo didn’t sound all that likely. The cap-strapped Bills wanted Incognito to give the team something of a hometown discount, since Buffalo was the club willing to give the veteran lineman a second chance last year after the Dolphins’ bullying scandal left him without a job for the entire 2014 season. However, Incognito apparently didn’t see it that way, and his reluctance to take what the Bills were offering was reportedly causing friction between the player and the team. Now, it seems as though the two sides found enough middle ground to get a deal done.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Leodis McKelvin Visiting Eagles; Cowboys Next?

March 8th, 2016 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent cornerback Leodis McKelvin is paying a visit to Philadelphia today to meet with the Eagles, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). While most pending free agents can’t make visits until Wednesday, McKelvin is eligible to begin doing so now since he was released by the Bills last week.

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.

The Eagles are in the market for cornerback help after agreeing to trade Byron Maxwell to the Dolphins, and McKelvin would represent a more affordable option than many other players on the free agent market. Rapoport suggests that a deal between the two sides could “come quickly.” However, if McKelvin and the Eagles don’t work something out while he’s in Philadelphia, a visit to Dallas to meet with the Cowboys is next up on the 30-year-old’s schedule, per Rapoport.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Packers Interested In Matt Forte

March 8th, 2016 at 12:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers are expressing interest in Matt Forte, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear how serious Green Bay is about a pursuit of Forte, but he would represent an upgrade over the production they have gotten lately out of Eddie Lacy.

Forte announced last month that he wouldn’t be returning to the Bears. In his 120 regular season contests with the Bears, Forte piled up 8,602 rushing yards and another 4,116 yards through the air, to go along with 64 total touchdowns. The 30-year-old earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods, including one in 2013, when he accumulated more than 1,900 total yards and 12 touchdowns, both career highs.

While Forte still managed to gain nearly 1,300 yards from scrimmage in 2015, rookie Jeremy Langford showed that he was capable of carrying the load for the Bears in three games the veteran missed due to injury. Langford enters the offseason as the odds-on favorite to be Chicago’s top back in 2016, but the team figures to add some depth at the position, either in free agency or the draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Broncos Cut Owen Daniels, Aaron Brewer

March 8th, 2016 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The Broncos released veteran guard Louis Vasquez today, but he’s not the only player on the chopping block in Denver. According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS (via Twitter), the Broncos have also released tight end Owen Daniels. Troy Renck of the Denver Post adds (via Twitter) that long snapper Aaron Brewer has been cut as well. The team has since confirmed all three moves.

Daniels, who had two years left on his contract, would have had a cap number of $4.5MM on Denver’s books in 2016. By releasing him, the Broncos trim that figure by $2.5MM to $2MM, and avoid paying him a $500K roster bonus that had been due next week. The veteran tight end, who will turn 34 in November, caught 46 balls for 517 yards and three touchdowns during his lone season in the Mile High City.

As for Brewer, he had served as the Broncos’ long snapper since the 2012 season. Any cap savings Denver creates as a result of cutting Brewer would be extremely marginal, so it appears the team is parting ways with him for other reasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Jaguars, Bengals, Ravens

March 8th, 2016 at 12:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Jerricho Cotchery is not in the Panthers’ 2016 plans, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. Cotchery, 34 in June, hauled in 87 passes for 1,065 yards and four touchdowns over the last two seasons with Carolina. The veteran has said that he would only continue playing if it were with the Panthers, so it’s possible that the former Jet will retire this offseason. Cotchery is effectively a free agent with a contract that will automatically void tomorrow.

The latest free agent rumors:

The Jaguars are not close to done after agreeing to terms with Malik Jackson, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) hears. The Jags are still interested in top pass rushers and corners.
Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter) senses that the Bengals‘ priority guys are safety George Iloka and wide receiver Marvin Jones. Breer hears there is about $15MM budgeted for unrestricted free agents, which may not leave much room for others.
Saints free agent tight end Ben Watson is getting “strong, strong interest” from the Ravens, sources tell Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The Dolphins are in pursuit of defensive end William Hayes, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. There is a strong market for Hayes, however, so Miami will have some competition to deal with.
Running back Lamar Miller wants an annual salary in the range of $6MM or more, which is more than the Dolphins would like to offer, Jackson writes.
The Vikings have checked in on Lions free agent linebacker Tahir Whitehead, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter).
The Raiders are working to retain wide receiver Andre Holmes but the sense is that he’ll get decent interest elsewhere, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets.