2016 March - Pro Football Rumors

Bears, Agent Working On Martellus Bennett Trade

March 4th, 2016 at 9:04am CST by Luke Adams

9:04am: There are some around the NFL who doubt that a Bennett trade will happen, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter links), who says the Bears would likely release the tight end if they can’t find a trade partner. Biggs adds that Bennett “increasingly frustrated coaches and teammates” during the 2015 season, making his looming departure from Chicago seem somewhat inevitable.

8:11am: The Bears are working with agent Kennard McGuire, the agent for tight end Martellus Bennett, to find a trade that would send Bennett to an “agreeable landing spot,” reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). If the two parties can figure something out, Chicago would likely consummate a deal at the start of the 2016 league year next week, or shortly thereafter.

Bennett, who will turn 29 next Thursday, was slowed by injuries in 2015, but still managed to haul in 53 passes for 439 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games. Previously, Bennett established new career-highs across the board in 2014 with 90 receptions, 916 yards, and six TDs, earning his first Pro Bowl nod.

In the wake of that Pro Bowl season, Bennett sought a raise and an extension, skipping the Bears’ voluntary OTAs last spring. However, Chicago, having recently hired a new head coach and GM, was unwilling to work out a new deal at that point, and it appears the team now prefers a trade to an extension.

Bennett has one year left on his current contract, and is currently set to earn a base salary of $5.085MM in 2016, with a cap hit of $6.31MM. If a team were to trade for the veteran tight end, that club would be responsible for his salary and his $100K workout bonus, leaving $1.125MM in dead money on the Bears’ cap. It’s also possible a contract extension would be part of any deal, perhaps reducing that cap hit for 2016 and giving Bennett a larger guarantee up front.

The emergence of tight end Zach Miller gives the Bears another option at the position in the event that they move Bennett. Miller had a career year in 2015, recording 34 receptions for 439 yards and five touchdowns. Although he’s a free agent, there’s a decent chance Miller will be back with the Bears, who have plenty of cap space at their disposal to sign him to a new deal.

As for Bennett’s potential destinations, there are a handful of teams that could be decent fits. One club in the market for tight end help is in Baltimore, where the Ravens have two tight ends with health concerns (Dennis Pitta and Crockett Gillmore) and one who is facing a 10-game suspension (Nick Boyle). Ravens offensive coordinator Marc Trestman was Chicago’s head coach during Bennett’s best season in 2014.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Saints Sign Josh Scobee

March 4th, 2016 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

The Saints have reached an agreement with free agent kicker Josh Scobee, signing him to a contract, as Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune writes. Scobee himself first broke word of the deal in a Facebook post.

[RELATED: Saints release Marques Colston]

“Excited to announce that I’ve signed with the New Orleans Saints!” Scobee wrote. “Pumped for this opportunity!”

Scobee, 33, served as the Jaguars’ kicker for his first 11 NFL seasons, but was traded to the Steelers prior to the 2015 campaign to replace Shaun Suisham, who tore his ACL last summer. Scobee’s time in Pittsburgh only lasted four regular-season games, during which he missed four field goals (all from between 40-49 yards) and an extra point. He was cut last October and replaced by Chris Boswell.

After dealing with a hip flexor last season, Scobee is healthy now and signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with New Orleans, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The deal comes about a month after the Saints brought in the longtime Jaguar for a workout.

While Scobee is currently the only kicker under contract with the Saints, the team has undergone plenty of changes at the position in recent years, and will likely bring in competition. One possibility is Kai Forbath, who finished the 2015 season as New Orleans’ kicker. A report earlier this week indicated that the Saints were interested in re-signing Forbath.

Photo courtest of USA Today Sports Images.

Lions Re-Sign Tyrunn Walker

March 4th, 2016 at 8:34am CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 8:34am: The Lions’ contract agreement with Walker has been finalized, with the team announcing the signing in a press release.

THURSDAY, 12:23pm: A year ago, the Lions’ signing of defensive lineman Tyrunn Walker from the Saints was viewed as one of the more solid under-the-radar moves of the offseason. However, Walker’s first year in Detroit came to an early end when he suffered a broken fibula and landed on the team’s injured reserve list in early October.

As he recovers from that injury though, Walker is prepared to sign a new contract with the Lions, According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the free agent defensive tackle is en route to Detroit today, where he will take a physical and sign a new one-year deal with the club, assuming some contractual language gets finalized.

After signing a one-year, $1.75MM pact last year, Walker will get a similar deal this time around. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Walker’s new one-year contract will be worth $1.6MM, with a chance to max out at $2.25MM. It wouldn’t be surprising if the deal features per-game roster bonuses — because the Tulsa alum only appeared in four contests in 2015, only a quarter of his per-game roster bonuses would count against the cap.

In addition to nearing a contract agreement with Walker, the Lions are in talks to bring back Haloti Ngata, and Birkett expects him to re-sign (Twitter link). As Birkett notes, retaining those two defensive tackles would give the club the flexibility to focus on other positions in free agency next week.

Speaking of free agency, Birkett also reports that the Lions have tendered contract offers to all of their exclusive-rights free agents. The following players have received ERFA tenders, per Birkett:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Vikings Submit Offer To Mike Harris

March 3rd, 2016 at 10:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

A key cog on the Vikings’ injury-stricken offensive line last season, Mike Harris received an offer from Minnesota worth $3.5MM over two seasons, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

This offer comes in a bit lower than Tomasson expected, with previous reports indicating Harris could have anticipated a two-year proposal worth $5MM.

Confirming the offer to Tomasson, Harris said it’s too early to tell whether he’ll accept it and return to the Twin Cities. The unrestricted free agent told Tomasson he’d prefer to reach an agreement to re-sign by Monday, when the legal tampering period begins for other teams to contact Harris.

The former Chargers UDFA signee earned $1.54MM last season in Minnesota, so this offer isn’t exactly a notable raise and could lead Harris to wait for other teams’ potential interest despite preferring to stay in Minnesota.

Harris started all 17 of the Vikings’ games last season after being moved from tackle to right guard. As both John Sullivan and Phil Loadholt were lost for the season before the regular season began, Harris was productive at his new spot, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ No. 23 guard for 2015.

With Loadholt and Matt Kalil uncertain to be on the Vikings’ 2016 payroll despite being under contract, Harris would represent a cheaper option to plug in at either guard or tackle.

The Vikings have four linemen — Sullivan, Loadholt, Brandon Fusco and Joe Berger — on veteran contracts, with three of that group being at least 30 years old. One of the few key Vikings free agents, Harris turns 28 in December.

They currently possess $24.8MM worth of cap room, and that’s including deals for Kalil and Mike Wallace, which are each worth just more than $11MM AAV. Cutting ties with either would save the Vikings more than $11MM.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

AFC Notes: Brady, Browns, Howard, Bolts

March 3rd, 2016 at 9:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s the latest coming out of the AFC as the legal tampering period looms.

Observing how the 2nd Circuit Court’s three-judge panel aimed its scrutiny in today’s Deflategate appeal in Manhattan, Tom Brady should be bracing for a setback in his efforts to put this 14-month-old matter behind him, Michael McCann of SI.com writes. McCann expects a 2-1 decision going in favor of the NFL. That doesn’t mean Brady will automatically miss the Patriots‘ first four games in 2016, with further appeals possible if the NFLPA loses this time, but it would bring this issue back to the forefront after a dormant several months that occurred following judge Richard Berman’s ruling in favor of Brady. The decision could take months, per McCann.
Hue Jackson wants the Browns to come away with two or three starters during free agency, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports (on Twitter). The first-year Cleveland coach acknowledges, however, attracting the top targets will be difficult. Of course, the Browns could lose two top UFAs if Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz exit. Jackson “would love” to have Mack back and told media, including Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link), “You can put [a center’s value] right up there with the QB when you have a guy like that.”
Jackson will have the final say when it comes to which quarterback the Browns select at No. 2, if they opt to go quarterback with their top pick, according to Jeff Schudel of the Lorain Morning Journal. Sashi Brown‘s executive VP title won’t supersede Jackson’s offensive experience when it comes to making this choice, Schudel notes.
The Browns hired Joe Kim as an assistant, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. His title is assistant strength and skill development coach. Kim served in the same capacity for the Bears in 2014 and Washington last season. This will be the third stint for Kim in Cleveland. A Northeast Ohio native whose served as a consultant for several NFL teams since 2001, Kim is a former national taekwando champion who’s gone on to consult defenders on pass-rush techniques.
After the Chiefs applied the franchise tag to Eric Berry, they still have six current or former Kansas City starters entering the free agent market, including improving defensive end Jaye Howard. In a radio appearance with Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez (Twitter link), Howard said his status in Kansas City was “up in the air.” The Chiefs also feature Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali and Sean Smith as players who started for their No. 7-ranked defense last season whose contracts have expired. Howard, however, is younger than the other Chiefs’ key UFA defenders in entering his age-27 season. He was Pro Football Focus’ No. 24 interior defender, a grouping that includes 3-4 defensive ends, along with all defensive tackles.
The Chargers have until March 24 to qualify a stadium measure for the crucial November ballot which will contain an item regarding the use of public funds to finance a downtown stadium. The team’s expected to release a stadium financing plan at that time, Eric Williams of ESPN.com reports.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/3/16

March 3rd, 2016 at 7:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Today’s round of minor transactions around the NFL is dominated by exclusive-rights free agents. ERFAs are players with less than three years of NFL experience, who don’t have a contract for 2016.

While these players are technically considered free agents, they don’t have any real freedom when it comes to picking their destinations — if their current teams want them back, all those clubs have to do is submit an ERFA tender (typically worth the minimum salary), which precludes those players from negotiating with any other teams.

Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:

The Bears have tendered a contract offer to ERFA wide receiver Josh Bellamy, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Bellamy saw a decent amount of playing time on offense, catching 19 passes for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and was also one of the club’s top contributors on special teams.
The Cardinals have assigned ERFA tenders to defensive tackle Josh Mauro and tight end Ifeanyi Momah, signaling that they want to bring back those players, the team announced today on its website. Momah missed the 2015 campaign with a knee injury, while Mauro was a depth piece on Arizona’s defensive line.
The Titans have re-signed ERFA running back Antonio Andrews, the club announced in a press release. The move is classified as a re-signing rather than a simple contract tender because Andrews has already signed the offer. He figures to compete for a roster spot in Tennessee in 2016.
The Buccaneers have assigned an ERFA tender to long snapper Andrew DePaola, agent Sean Stellato tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). DePaola has been Tampa Bay’s full-time long snapper since the start of the 2014 season.

Free Agent Rumors: Kearse, Brooks, Dolphins

March 3rd, 2016 at 6:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jermaine Kearse does not plan to re-sign with the Seahawks and is looking forward to finding a new home, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports (on Twitter).

The 26-year-old Lakeland, Wash., native would be one the rare instances of an actual hometown discount occurring in the NFL, only Kearse isn’t interested in taking one to remain with the Seahawks.

Seattle has much of its money tied up on its stellar defense, with three of the four Legion of Boom starters on second contracts, along with several members of its front seven.

Kearse, meanwhile, will be one of the top receivers on a market that’s not loaded with No. 1-caliber wideouts. Marvin Jones, Rishard Matthews and Rueben Randle are the other top young targets in free agency after the Bears franchise-tagged Alshon Jeffery.

Kearse has started 36 games since joining the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent and likely stands to be pursued by several teams in need of pass-catching help.

Here’s some more on the Seahawks and other teams as they plan to navigate free agency.

Bruce Irvin and Russell Okung are “almost certainly” going to join Kearse on their way out of the Pacific Northwest, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets. Okung probably resides as the left tackle market’s top option now that Cordy Glenn‘s been franchised, and the self-represented blocker will take the best offer, per Condotta (on Twitter). Irvin’s market as well could escalate beyond Seattle’s means, with the interest in pass-rushers being only surpassed by quarterbacks. We heard Wednesday that multiple teams would be thrilled to tab Irvin at $9.5MM AAV, and Condotta doesn’t envision the Seahawks surpassing eight figures annually to keep Irvin (Twitter link).
The Texans are actively trying to lock down a deal for Brandon Brooks, but no such accord is imminent for the fifth-year guard, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. Brooks’ representatives and Houston have been in contact since the Combine. Brooks rated as Pro Football Focus’ 37th-ranked guard in 2015, and he joins a crowded guard class fronted by Kelechi Osemele. The Texans re-signed right tackle Derek Newton last offseason and have $42MM+ worth of cap space this year.
Houston’s also trying to keep center Ben Jones, according to Wilson. The Houston reporter doesn’t expect Jones to be as pricey. The fourth-round pick in 2012’s started 43 games for the Texans.
Adam Jones expects interest from the Dolphins, who hired former Bengals secondary coach Vance Joseph as their DC. Talks between the Bengals and Jones broke down last season, but the maligned 32-year-old corner hasn’t closed the book on a Cincinnati return, according to Mike Garafolo of FoxSports.com. “I would think V.J. would be interested,” Jones told Garafolo. “He’s taught me a lot and he knows I know everything in the system. He knows I’m a football guy. If I’m a betting man, I would think he’d try to bring me in there.”
The Dolphins plan to move on from Matt Moore as their backup quarterback, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. Moore’s been with the Dolphins for five seasons, including his lone stint as a starter during which he went 6-6 and completed 61% of his passes. He’s thrown 30 passes total in the past four years as Ryan Tannehill‘s backup. Miami re-signed Moore to a one-year deal worth $2.6MM last year but may look to allocate less money to the spot. The 31-year-old Moore should have a market for a backup job elsewhere.
The Patriots don’t plan to tender defensive lineman Sealver Siliga, making him a free agent once the market opens, Rand Getlin of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Siliga’s played with the Patriots for the past three seasons, starting 13 regular-season games during that span.
Joel Corry expects Von Miller to sign a six-year, $120MM deal with the Broncos that includes $65MM in guaranteed money, the former agent writes for CBSSports.com. This would eclipse Ndamukong Suh‘s pact in both total and guaranteed dollars. Corry anticipates Washington paying $100MM over five years for Kirk Cousins, the Bears going five years and $75MM for Jeffery — in a deal that would eclipse those signed by Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas last summer as tagged receivers — and Muhammad Wilkerson signing for $100MM over six years.

Latest On Broncos’ Quarterbacks

March 3rd, 2016 at 5:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Brock Osweiler‘s received a substantial offer from the Broncos, James Palmer of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

Previously stating they’d wait to negotiate with arguably the top free agent quarterback left on the market, the Broncos’ talks with the 2012 second-round pick have heated up in recent days, with Peyton Manning still undecided on whether or not he wants to continue playing.

However, Osweiler and the Broncos remain far apart on terms, according to the Denver Post’s Troy Renck (via Twitter). Renck adds that the team wants the fifth-year quarterback to return to Denver.

Although terms of Denver’s offer to Osweiler aren’t known, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report hears (video link) the Broncos aren’t willing to hit the $16MM-per-year benchmark that’s become the floor for veteran quarterbacks. Twenty such signal-callers average that per year, with the majority of the starters that don’t being on their rookie contracts.

Per Cole, the Broncos aren’t planning to commit that kind of money annually to Osweiler at this point, even if it’s on a short-term deal like the one the Eagles gave Sam Bradford.

An unrestricted free agent, Osweiler can begin talking to other teams March 7 as part of the legal tampering period. The Broncos don’t believe, according to Cole, that there’s a monster offer awaiting Osweiler on the market and that their sales pitch of quarterbacking a defending Super Bowl champion, with a historically dominant defense as a safety net, will be enough.

Cole also points out the Broncos are high on third-stringer Trevor Siemian and view him as a starter down the road. Of course, the seventh-round pick’s thrown just one NFL pass.

Despite reports of Manning’s retirement announcement being imminent, the soon-to-be-40-year-old passer hasn’t notified the Broncos of his intentions yet. Manning has a $19MM base salary that can be converted into cap space for the Broncos if he retires, or Denver is forced to release him. That $19MM salary becomes guaranteed March 9.

Manning, though, still has a physical looming as part of the five-year contract he signed with the Broncos in 2012. Manning doesn’t have to take it by Friday, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), only to notify the team he’s available for it on that date.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Morris, Coughlin

March 3rd, 2016 at 4:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Having signed Sam Bradford to a two-year contract extension, the Eagles don’t necessarily plan to put the quarterback position on the back-burner for the rest of the offseason. Head coach Doug Pederson acknowledged today that he and the Eagles will look into drafting a signal-caller, though he added it would probably be later in the draft, rather than with the No. 13 overall pick (Twitter links via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer).

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman on whether the offensive line will be a priority for the club this offseason: “It’s a priority today. It’s a priority tomorrow. It’s a priority next week. It’s a priority in April” (Twitter link via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer). It sounds like that’s a yes.
Admitting that he doesn’t know what to expect as his first opportunity at free agency approaches, running back Alfred Morris says he’d be open to returning to Washington, but will have “no hard feelings” if the team doesn’t bring him back. Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com has the details and the quotes from Morris.
Former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is sending an odd message by hanging around the team’s facility and using the gym twice a week, writes Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. Myers hear that Coughlin’s “hard feelings for the Giants came through loud and clear” during his head coaching interview with the Eagles in January, and adds that it’s time for the veteran coach to move on.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will undergo surgery on his collarbone next week, sources tell David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. Romo is believed to have made his decision on what kind of procedure he’ll have, but it’s yet known which direction he’s going.

NFLPA Grilled In Latest Deflategate Appeal

March 3rd, 2016 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

NFLPA attorney Jeffery Kessler was grilled by the three-judge panel presiding over the latest step in the Deflategate saga, according to Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today.

The two sides were presenting arguments in front of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, and judges Robert Katzmann, Barrington Parker, Jr. and Denny Chin appeared to reverse course from Judge Richard Berman’s language by directing more scrutiny toward Kessler rather than NFL attorney Paul Clement.

Neither Tom Brady nor were present at the NFL’s appellate hearing.

Goodell originally suspended the Patriots quarterback for four games to start last season before Berman’s ruling vacated that ban. Should two out of these three judges determine New England’s 17-year veteran was part of a scheme to have tampered with footballs during the 2014 season, Brady would be suspended for the first four games of this season, per Tom Curran of CSNNE.com.

If this ruling goes against Brady, he can appeal again as well, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter).

Reyes describes the questioning directed toward Clement paled in comparison to the inquiries subsequently aimed at Kessler. Parker and Chin, per Reyes, took issue with Brady destroying his cellphone.

“You all had notice with the cell phone issue. Anybody within 100 yards of this case would have known that the cell phone issue elevates this merely from deflated balls to a serious issue of obstruction,” Parker said during the 1-hour, 16-minute session.

Parker also shot down Kessler’s argument for Brady’s privacy-related concerns for destroying the phone by countering, “With all due respect, Mr. Brady’s explanation made no sense whatsoever.”

The three judges will meet for a voting conference, and Katzmann, the panel’s senior judge, will appoint one to be the opinion’s author.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images