2016 March - Pro Football Rumors

Colts Sign Dwayne Allen To Four-Year Deal

March 7th, 2016 at 9:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

9:12pm: Tom Pelissero of USA Today has more financial details on Allen’s contract (Twitter links). He’ll collect $17MM over the first two years if he earns $500K each season in 46-man roster bonuses. Allen got $11.5MM guaranteed at signing and is due a $2MM roster bonus in 2017.

7:16pm: The Colts have officially signed Allen, according to a team press release.

“From Jim Irsay and his family on down we are very pleased to announce the re-signing of Dwayne Allen,” said general manager Ryan Grigson. “Besides the broad skill set and overall talent level he brings, Dwayne’s tenacity and physicality has always been what has set him apart from the beginning. His genuine love for the people of this community, its fans and for the game of football is what makes him special.”

6:46pm: The Colts and tight end Dwayne Allen have agreed to a four-year, $29.4MM deal, according to Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). Allen, who was scheduled to hit free agency Wednesday, will receive a large portion of that money ($12MM, to be exact) next season, PFT adds. He’s now 13th among tight ends in total contract value.

Allen has appeared in 43 regular-season games since the Colts selected him in the third round of the 2012 draft, totaling 91 receptions, 11.5 yards per catch, and 13 touchdowns.

Other than 2013, when he played only one game, Allen is coming off the least productive season of his career. The 26-year-old racked up just 16 catches in 13 games – averaging a meager 6.8 yards per reception – and registered a mere touchdown. Allen hasn’t been able to match the production he put up during a 45-catch, 521-yard rookie season, though he did record a personal-high eight touchdowns in 2014.

Given Allen’s career numbers, such an expensive contract looks like a significant coup for him and a head-scratcher for the Colts. It should also signal the end of fellow tight end Coby Fleener‘s time in Indianapolis. Fleener, also a 2012 draft pick, has far outpaced Allen statistically to this point in their careers, having accrued 50-plus catches in three straight seasons. He’s expected to reach the open market Wednesday.

Photo courtesty of USA Today Sports Images.

Raiders, Vikings Pursuing Kelechi Osemele

March 7th, 2016 at 8:36pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

8:36pm: The Raiders aren’t alone in coveting Osemele. The Vikings are “surging” after him, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link).

8:22pm: The Raiders are the favorites in the race for arguably the best offensive lineman in this year’s free agent class, Kelechi Osemele, reports FOX Sports’ Mike Garafolo (Twitter link). Osemele is expected to garner upward of $10MM per year, Garafolo adds.

Since the Ravens selected Osemele in the second round of the 2012 draft, the 333-pounder has lined up at guard and both tackle spots, starting in all 51 of his NFL appearances (14 last season). After beginning the 2015-16 campaign at guard, the 26-year-old shifted to left tackle and ultimately graded out 18th among 77 qualifying tackles at Pro Football Focus.

A report late last month indicated that the Ravens had made an “aggressive” offer to Osemele, but their decision to move him to left tackle (the most lucrative position on the offensive line) could ultimately help lead to his departure.

The Raiders might have a vacancy at left tackle as early as Wednesday if pending free agent Donald Penn signs elsewhere. Penn, who has appeared and started in 16 games in each of the last eight regular seasons with the Bucs and Raiders, is expected to reach the open market. Whether he returns to the Raiders will impact where Osemele lines up (if he signs with Oakland), ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets. It doesn’t appear that the Raiders will have to choose between Penn and Osemele at left tackle, though, as they’re at a “stalemate” with Penn in contract talks, per CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link).

In addition to their pursuit of Osemele, we learned earlier tonight that the Raiders are also interested in Broncos defensive lineman Malik Jackson as free agency draws closer. Led by a core of talented youth, the Raiders showed encouraging signs during a 7-9 finish last season and now look poised to put their $60MM-plus of spending room to good use in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jags, Bears, Raiders Interested In Malik Jackson

March 7th, 2016 at 7:35pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

With the legal tampering period underway and free agency drawing ever closer, Broncos defensive lineman Malik Jackson is on the verge of a significant payday. It’s just a matter of which team will pony up for the 26-year-old. While the reigning Super Bowl champions are trying to retain Jackson, having offered him anywhere from $11MM to $12MM per annum as of last week, they’re certainly not the only club intrigued by the four-year veteran. In fact, the Jaguars, Bears and Raiders have “expressed serious interest” in Jackson, reports Mike Klis of 9News.

Based solely on cap space, the defense-needy Jaguars have the best chance to sign Jackson. The Jags have an NFL-high $82.24MM of spending room. Oakland, Denver’s AFC West rival, is in third at over $60MM. The Bears rank seventh at just under $47MM, while the Broncos lag well behind in the $9MM range.

The Raiders and Bears have obvious connections to Jackson through their head coaches. Oakland’s Jack Del Rio was the Broncos’ defensive coordinator during the first three years of Jackson’s career (2012-14), and the Bears’ John Fox was Denver’s head coach during that time span. Jackson logged little playing time as a fifth-round rookie while Fox and Del Rio were at the helm, but he partook in back-to-back 16 game seasons in his next two campaigns and amassed nine sacks. The 293-pounder has shown great versatility since entering the league, having thrived in two 4-3 positions (defensive tackle and end) and as a 3-4 five-technique end.

Jackson recorded a personal-best 45 tackles and five sacks during his third straight 16-game regular season in 2015-16, finishing 16th out of Pro Football Focus’ 123 qualifying interior defenders in overall performance (subscription required). PFR’s Luke Adams ranks Jackson the second-best free agent in this year’s class.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams Could Have Interest In Ryan Fitzpatrick

March 7th, 2016 at 6:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

We learned earlier today that Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is expected to reach the free agent market Wednesday. Should that happen, the team that drafted him – the Rams – could be among his suitors if the price is reasonable, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link).

Fitzpatrick, 33, looks primed to join Denver’s Brock Osweiler as one of the top two quarterbacks available in free agency this year. The 11-year veteran is coming off the best season of his career, having thrown for nearly 4,000 yards to go along with 31 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. Fitzpatrick, who has started for six different teams since the Rams took him in the seventh round of the 2005 draft, made $3.25MM last season during a 10-6 campaign for the Jets and could be in line for as much as $10MM to $15MM per annum on his next deal.

During his two seasons with the St. Louis Rams, Fitzpatrick appeared in five games and threw four TDs against eight picks. He has improved significantly since then, though, and would be an on-paper upgrade over incumbent Los Angeles signal-callers Case Keenum and Nick Foles.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jets Interested In Nick Fairley

March 7th, 2016 at 6:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have interest in Nick Fairley as a contingency plan if they lose one or more of their key pieces up front, Manish Mehta of the Daily News tweets. The Jets could possibly lose Damon Harrison when free agency opens on Wednesday, so they’re exploring their options in advance.

Fairley was expected to secure a hefty contract last offseason after a solid contract year with the Lions, but ultimately inked a one-year pact to join the Rams. The 28-year-old played in 15 games last season before being placed on IR prior to Week 17. Seeing time as a rotational lineman, Fairley was in on slightly less than 40% of the club’s defensive snaps. Still young and productive (he graded as the league’s No. 24 interior lineman per Pro Football Focus), Fairley will once again try his hand on the open market.

In addition to Harrison, the Jets have long been rumored to be willing to explore the possibility of trading Muhammad Wilkerson. Still, it’s somewhat hard to imagine that a team will cough up a first-round pick to the Jets and give Wilkerson the ~$40MM deal that he is after.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bucs Interested In Chris Ivory, Lamar Miller

March 7th, 2016 at 5:50pm CST by Zachary Links

5:50pm: You can count the Raiders as one of “a bunch of teams” with interest in Ivory, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.

5:26pm: The Buccaneers have expressed interest in Jets free agent running back Chris Ivory, according to Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). The Bucs’ want to keep Doug Martin, but if they can’t reach a deal with him, Ivory could be a potential replacement. The Bucs are also expected to make a play for Lamar Miller if they lose Martin (link).

Ivory, who will celebrate his 28th birthday in a few weeks, set career highs last season in carries (247), rushing yards (1,070), and total touchdowns (eight). If the Jets do not retain Ivory, he will stand as one of the more appealing free agent running back options of the offseason. PFR recently ranked Ivory as the fourth-best running back available this offseason, behind Martin, Miller, and Matt Forte.

Miller, 25 in April, ran for 872 yards with eight touchdowns in 2015. He is reportedly hoping to land a deal similar to DeMarco Murray‘s pact from last year, but it was reported earlier today that his market is in the $4-5MM range rather than $8MM. The Dolphins hope to re-sign Miller, but if he is insistent on Murray money, it’s not hard to envision that they will let him test the market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patriots Will Not Re-Sign Brandon Gibson

March 7th, 2016 at 5:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have informed Brandon Gibson they will not re-sign him, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter). Gibson tore his ACL in August, ending his 2015 season before it could begin. Gibson is apparently still rehabbing his knee injury, so that will be a concern for any interested team this spring.

Gibson, 28, signed a one-year, minimum-salary benefit contract with the Patriots in March, getting a $40K bonus to join the club. The torn ACL was especially unfortunate because the wide receiver was having a strong preseason for New England.

Gibson, a former sixth-round pick of the Eagles, spent four seasons with the Rams before landing with the Dolphins in 2013. In 2013, he hauled in 30 catches for 326 yards and three touchdowns in just seven games. In 2014, Gibson totaled 29 receptions for 295 yards and a TD in 14 contests.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

FA Rumors: Nelson, Falcons, Giants, Conte

March 7th, 2016 at 5:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest free agent rumors as Wednesday draws closer:

The Falcons have expressed interest in Bengals safety Reggie Nelson, according to a source who spoke with Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Nelson hauled in a league-leading eight interceptions last season.
The Giants have expressed interest in Vikings free agent guard Mike Harris, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter). Harris is currently mulling a two-year, $3.5MM offer from Minnesota.
Buccaneers safety Chris Conte is drawing interest from multiple teams, per Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Bucs want him back, but he’ll explore the market before making a commitment.
The Texans are holding discussions with cornerback A.J. Bouye about a potential new contract, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. The Texans can retain Bouye with a low tender of $1.671MM, but it sounds like they might work out a one-year deal at a lower rate instead. The 24-year-old entered the league in 2013 as a UDFA out of UCF.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) believes that free agent tight end Rob Housler will ultimately wind up back with the Bears.

Patriots To Pick Up Gronkowski’s Option Bonus

March 7th, 2016 at 5:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots will pick up the rest of Rob Gronkowski‘s $10MM option bonus before March 9th, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). So, as expected, the tight end will not reach free agency.

New England paid $4MM of that option bonus last year and paying the additional $6MM of this bonus now will trigger the rest of Gronkowski’s extension. The Patriots now have the rights to the tight end for four more seasons at $34MM. The superstar will have modest cap numbers of $6.6MM and $7MM in the next two seasons before those figures balloon to $11MM and $12MM in 2018 and ’19.

In 2015, Gronk caught 72 passes for 1,176 yards and 11 touchdowns across 15 regular season games. For yet another season, Gronkowski established himself as one of the most lethal tight ends in the game today. For his efforts, Gronk earned his third First-Team All-Pro selection and his fourth Pro Bowl nod.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

ERFA Signings & Decisions: 3/7/16

March 7th, 2016 at 5:28pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Here are today’s transactions involving exclusive rights free agents:

The Falcons have tendered safety Ricardo Allen, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Allen started in 14 of 15 appearances last season, amassing 68 tackles and three interceptions. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked his performance 46th out of 88 qualifying safeties.
Cornerback Charles James has re-signed with the Texans, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The 25-year-old appeared in nine games for the Texans last season, logged one start and totaled 19 tackles. They’ve also re-signed offensive lineman Jeff Adams, tweets Tania Ganguli of ESPN. Adams started in both of his 2015 appearances.
The Patriots will tender corner Justin Coleman, per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). Coleman made 21 tackles in 10 games (two starts) last season.
The Bengals have re-signed center T.J. Johnson, according to their official Twitter account. Johnson appeared in 12 games last season.