2016 March - Pro Football Rumors

Washington Releases Robert Griffin III

March 7th, 2016 at 3:05pm CST by Zachary Links

3:05pm: Washington has officially issued a press release announcing that Griffin has been cut. The team also confirmed several other cuts reported today, including Jason Hatcher and Jeron Johnson.

9:40am: Washington has released RG3, per Mike Jones of The Washington Post (on Twitter). A formal announcement from the team is presumably forthcoming.

9:36am: Washington will inform Robert Griffin III today of his release, sources tell Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN (on Twitter). Griffin’s salary was slated to become fully guaranteed on Wednesday.

Washington was in no rush to release Griffin since his $16.155MM salary for 2016 was to remain non-guaranteed until the start of the league year. At one time, a trade thought to be somewhat possible, but Washington apparently couldn’t find a proper deal.

In nine games in 2014, Griffin finished with 1,694 passing yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions. He added 176 yards on the ground. Last season, Griffin did not see the field as the team shifted its focus towards Kirk Cousins at quarterback. Griffin’s release has long been considered to be an inevitability.

At least two teams have talked to Washington about a trade this winter, so we can expect the Baylor product to field calls this week. Recently, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com identified the Chiefs, Eagles, 49ers, Broncos, and Cowboys as possible suitors for Griffin.

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Mitchell Schwartz Drawing Interest From Giants, Others

March 7th, 2016 at 3:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Browns right tackle Mitchell Schwartz is drawing interest from several teams, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer. The Buccaneers, Giants, Vikings, and Falcons are all expressing interest in signing the talented offensive lineman.

Cabot writes that Schwartz is in line to become the highest-paid right tackle in the league at roughly $8.5MM per year. Eagles lineman Lane Johnson presently ranks first at $11.25MM, but he’s expected to eventually shift to left tackle. Since the Browns took Schwartz in the second round of the 2012 draft, he has appeared in and started 64 straight games. For his work last season, the 26-year-old ranked sixth out of 77 qualifying tackles by Pro Football Focus’ standards (subscription required).

The Browns may or may not be willing to pay left tackle money to re-sign their right tackle, but it appears that one of these interested suitors could make that jump.

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Washington Releases Dashon Goldson

March 7th, 2016 at 3:04pm CST by Zachary Links

3:04pm: Washington has officially confirmed Goldson’s release.

12:55pm: Washington will release safety Dashon Goldson, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter). Washington had hoped to restructure Goldson’s deal, but the two sides could not come to an agreement (link). Goldson is the latest in a long line of Washington vets to receive his pink slip today.

Washington was said to value what Goldson can provide both on the field and in the locker room, but their valuation of him did not sync up with his own. Clearly, Goldson is not the same player that commanded a massive five-year contract worth $47.5MM with the Bucs prior to the 2013 season. In April of last year, the Bucs traded Goldson to Washington, where he quickly agreed to a restructured deal.

Goldson was slated to make $8MM with Washington this season, a price tag that was far too rich given the level of production he currently provides. His entire salary was non-guaranteed, meaning that it will all come off of Washington’s cap without fiscal repercussions.

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Eagles Willing To Trade Ryan Mathews

March 7th, 2016 at 2:55pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles seem eager to do away with many of the team’s “Chip Kelly guys” this offseason. In addition to DeMarco Murray, the Eagles are also willing to move running back Ryan Mathews for the right price, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

The Eagles signed Mathews roughly one year ago in an effort to bulk up their backfield after trading LeSean McCoy. At the time of signing, it was believed that Mathews would be the team’s lead back. Soon after, however, the Eagles also signed Murray to a mammoth deal. A significant portion of Mathews’ three-year deal was tied into performance incentives, so the two sides had to come back to the negotiating table afterwards to rework some of the deal’s language.

In total, Mathews ran the ball for 539 yards off of 107 carries and six TDs to go along with 20 catches for 146 yards. Mathews appeared in 13 games and battled a groin injury for much of the season.

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Cardinals Have Interest In Bruce Irvin

March 7th, 2016 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the top free agents on this year’s market, outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, has been frequently mentioned as a target for the Jaguars and Falcons, two teams who employ former Seahawks defensive coordinators. However, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), there’s at least one more team worth keeping an eye on.

Rapoport identifies the Cardinals as a club that likes Irvin, and Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic confirms (via Twitter) that the Cards have interest in the Seattle defender. It’s not clear yet how serious the team’s pursuit of Irvin will be — reports have suggested that he has a chance to exceed $10MM in annual salary on his next deal, and Arizona’s cap situation isn’t as conducive to a bidding war as a team like Jacksonville’s is.

While Irvin is one potential target for the Cardinals, he’s not the only pass rusher the team is eyeing. Somers reported earlier today that Arizona also has interest in Rams defensive end William Hayes. Improving the pass rush is a top priority this offseason for the Cardinals, whose most effective edge rusher, Dwight Freeney, just turned 36 years old and is eligible for free agency.

Irvin ranked sixth overall in PFR’s top 50 free agents list.

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Browns Give Qualifying Offer To Terrelle Pryor

March 7th, 2016 at 2:48pm CST by Zachary Links

In a pair of announcements, the Browns disclosed that they have tendered four restricted free agents and re-signed three exclusive rights free agents. The Browns extended qualifying offers to wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, defensive back Don Jones, offensive lineman Austin Pasztor, and linebacker Scott Solomon. The Browns also re-signed linebacker Tank Carder, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent. Two Exclusive rights free agents have also been retained in defensive lineman Jamie Meder and running back Raheem Mostert.

Pryor, a quarterback-turned-wide receiver, appeared in three games with two starts in 2015, notching one reception for 42 yards. In total, for his career, he has appeared in 18 career games with 12 starts. Turning the talented Pryor into a receiver was an experiment of the old Browns regime, but it appears that the new front office and new coach Hue Jackson have some interest in continuing down that road as well.

Carder is a staple on on special teams for Cleveland and has registered 34 special-teams tackles to his credit over the course of his career. The linebacker appeared in all 16 games last season and recorded ten special-teams tackles.

Pasztor, came to the Browns off waivers from the Jaguars and appeared in all 16 games last season. Jones, who came to Cleveland via waivers after the Saints left him exposed, appeared in nine games. Solomon’s season was cut short when he was placed on injured reserve (knee) on Oct. 14.

Mostert, a UDFA, bounced around between the Ravens, Dolphins, and Browns in 2015. In total, he appeared in 11 games and logged 19 kickoff returns for 530 yards.

Jaguars Close To Re-Signing Marcedes Lewis

March 7th, 2016 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jaguars are nearing an agreement on a new contract for tight end Marcedes Lewis, a league source tells Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. Lewis, whose reps can talk to other teams, has never reached unrestricted free agency.

A former first-round pick, Lewis was the Jaguars’ top tight end for several years, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2010 when he caught a career-high 58 passes and 10 touchdowns. However, in recent years, he has transitioned into more of a blocking role. In 2015, he recorded just 16 receptions, following the arrival of free agent signee Julius Thomas.

Lewis, who earned $2MM in base salary and another $400K in per-game roster bonuses in 2015, will likely be looking at a modest deal in that range this time around. GM Dave Caldwell expressed at the combine in Indianapolis last month that he wanted to lock up the veteran tight end before the new league year began, and Lewis himself has suggested that he values the fact he has spent his entire career with one team.

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Cole’s Latest: Harrison, Vernon, Mack, Ayers

March 7th, 2016 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NFL’s legal tampering period underway for 2016, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report has passed along several noteworthy free agent rumors. Let’s round up the highlights…

While plenty of teams will have interest, the Titans appear to be the club most willing to meet Damon Harrison‘s asking price, according to Cole (video link). 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. That may be an issue for the Jets, who have already committed $15MM+ to Muhammad Wilkerson.
The Dolphins may ultimately decide to pull the transition tag they placed on defensive end Olivier Vernon last week, says Cole (video link). As Cole explains, if the Dolphins decide not to match an offer sheet for Vernon, the pass rusher wouldn’t factor into the compensatory pick formula for 2017, since only departing unrestricted free agents can earn teams extra picks. So if Miami senses the bidding on Vernon will be too high, the team may surrender its right to match an offer, in order to regain the $12MM+ in cap room and line itself up for a mid-round 2017 comp pick.
Free agent center Alex Mack has generated “extensive interest” from the Falcons, per Cole (video link). Cole says the Jaguars, who signed Mack to an offer sheet in 2014, don’t have as much interest this time around, and adds that the Rams have expressed some interest, but aren’t expected to be serious contenders.
The “rumor late last week” was that defensive end Robert Ayers was looking for $10MM per year from the Giants, tweets Cole. While it’s possible that was Ayers’ starting point in negotiations, it seems extremely unlikely that he’d actually land that kind of salary. Ayers had a strong year in 2015, but it’s the first time he had more than 5.5 sacks in a season, and he’ll be turning 31 this year.
Cole confirms (video link) that the Raiders and 49ers will both be in the mix for the top cornerbacks on the free agent market, including Sean Smith and Janoris Jenkins.

Broncos Use Low RFA Tender On C.J. Anderson

March 7th, 2016 at 1:42pm CST by Zachary Links

1:42pm: The Broncos have officially assigned the low-end RFA tender to Anderson, giving them the right of first refusal, tweets Jhabvala.

10:45am: The Broncos will use a low-round tender on restricted free agent running back C.J. Anderson, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post tweets. The tender is worth $1.671MM in 2016.

If you’re surprised that Anderson was given a low-round tender instead of a second-round tender, then you’re not alone. Anderson reacted on Twitter minutes ago and he appears to be disappointed with the news (sic):

“Wow welp I’ve been here b4 jus keep grinding keep working 2 be the best 32-254-22,” Anderson wrote.

Anderson burst on the scene in 2014, with nearly 1,200 all-purpose yards (849 rushing, 324 receiving) and eight touchdowns in his first true taste of NFL playing time. In 2015, however, he took a step back and played a smaller role in Denver’s offense. In 15 games (5 starts), Anderson ran for 720 yards off of 152 carries, good for a still solid 4.7 yards per attempt. He also played a role in the passing attack, recording 25 catches for 183 yards.

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Vikings, Phil Loadholt Re-Work Contract

March 7th, 2016 at 1:23pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings have agreed to a re-worked contract with Phil Loadholt, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (on Twitter). Loadholt will earn a $2MM base in 2016 and can make up to $3.5MM through incentives. A source close to Loadholt tells Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (link) that the tackle is “betting on himself” to come back strong after having injuries in 2015, hence the one-year deal.

Loadholt missed only one game from 2009-13 but injuries have slowed him down in a major way ever since. The 343-pounder missed the final five games of the 2014 campaign because of a torn pectoral muscle and missed all of 2015 with a torn Achilles. Loadholt, 30, hasn’t played a 16-game season since 2012, but he suited up for 15 contests in 2013 and graded out as a top-five tackle by Pro Football Focus’ standards.

In other Vikings news, the team announced that they have tendered an offer to Zach Line. The team will now have first right of refusal on the fullback. Minnesota has also re-signed two ERFAs. Wide receiver Adam Thielen and tackle Carter Bykowski will be back with the club in 2016.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.