2017 February - Pro Football Rumors

Jack Doyle To Reach Free Agency

February 28th, 2017 at 4:44pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Colts lost their top pass-catching tight end from 2015, Coby Fleener, to free agency last March. It now looks as if their No. 1 receiving tight end from 2016, Jack Doyle, will follow in Fleener’s footsteps this year. The Colts have attempted to lock up Doyle, but he’ll hit the open market, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Free agency comes at a fortuitous time for the soon-to-be 27-year-old Doyle, who’s coming off easily the most productive of his four NFL seasons. After hauling in a combined 42 receptions for 209 yards and three touchdowns over his first three years, Doyle amassed 59 catches, 584 yards and five scores in 2016. Doyle also piled up 75 targets, which finished second among Colts. The 6-foot-5, 254-pounder served as an above-average run blocker, too, though his pass blocking was subpar, according to Pro Football Focus.

Along with Doyle, this year’s class of free agent tight ends is set to include Martellus Bennett, Jared Cook and Vernon Davis, among others (PFR ranks Doyle behind only Bennett and Cook). Speculatively, despite having a lesser track record, Doyle could attempt to parlay both his 2016 output and the rising salary cap into a deal similar to the lucrative pacts Fleener and Colts teammate Dwayne Allen landed a year ago. Fleener inked a five-year, $36MM contract with $14.6MM in guarantees, while Allen secured a four-year, $29MM agreement with $16MM guaranteed.

T.J. Lang Plans To Test Free Agency

February 28th, 2017 at 4:22pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

As of two weeks ago, impending free agent guard T.J. Lang hadn’t “heard a word” from the Packers about a new contract that would keep him off the open market. Lang updated his status Tuesday, telling ESPN Wisconsin’s “Wilde & Tausch” that his agent and the Packers have since had “good contact.” Nevertheless, Lang anticipates reaching free agency (via Jason Wilde of ESPN.com).

“I think every player, once they get to this point, it’s just smart business to go out and check out the market and see what you’re actually worth,” Lang said. “Because that’s the only time as a player that you get to see what your true value is — when you actually hit the open market and you get other teams letting you know what they think of you and letting you know where you rank amongst everybody else in the league.”

While Lang could leave the Packers as early as March 9, he plans on giving them a chance to match any offers he might receive as a free agent.

Continued Lang: “We told Green Bay all along that we’ll keep them updated on any other offers that come in, and really at that point it would just be, ‘Hey, this is what we’ve got sitting on the table, can you guys compete with it?’ Obviously we’re going to give them the first right of refusal. [We will] let them know, ‘Can you come close? Can you match it? This is what we’ve got, this is what the market’s set at.’

The 29-year-old Lang has spent his entire NFL career in Green Bay since it selected him in the fourth round of the 2009 draft. In 119 regular-season appearances, Lang has logged 94 starts. The last time he didn’t start a game he was healthy for came in 2010, and Lang has recorded at least 13 starts in each of the past six seasons. Lang has been a high-end blocker along the way, most recently picking up a Pro Bowl nod in 2016 after ranking eighth among Pro Football Focus’ 72 qualified guards. He now ranks as PFR’s second-best unsigned guard and figures to rake in a substantial payday in the coming weeks.

Jared Odrick Visited Patriots

February 28th, 2017 at 4:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent defensive end Jared Odrick visited Monday with the Patriots, with whom he passed a physical, reports Mike Kaye of WLTV. The Patriots now have “real” interest in signing the 29-year-old, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.

New England is the first team to publicly court Odrick since the Jaguars released him last week. In doing so, the Jaguars saved $8.5MM against the cap in 2017 and brought an end to a disappointing tenure in Jacksonville for Odrick. After signing a five-year, $42.5MM contract with the Jags in 2015, the ex-Dolphin totaled 32 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 22 games (all starts). He missed 10 contests last year with injuries, which ended a streak of five straight 16-game seasons.

The Patriots could lose a pair of established defensive ends, Jabaal Sheard and Chris Long, when free agency opens March 9. In that event, adding Odrick would give the Pats a fallback option at the position. Odrick has amassed 63 starts, 23 sacks and five forced fumbles since entering the NFL in 2010.

Browns Sign P Britton Colquitt To Extension

February 28th, 2017 at 3:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns are giving punter Britton Colquitt a four-year extension, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (on Twitter). Colquitt was slated to become a free agent on March 9. The new deal could keep him in Cleveland through the 2020 season.

Colquitt has not missed a regular season game since breaking into the league in 2010 with the Broncos. After several years with Denver, he signed a free agent pact with the Browns last offseason. Unfortunately, he was used quite a bit in 2016 as the Cleveland offense sputtered. Colquitt averaged 45.3 yards per punt last season, besting his average of the previous three seasons.

The Browns recently re-upped fellow special teamer Charley Hughlett.

Raiders To Pursue Adrian Peterson?

February 28th, 2017 at 1:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Now that the Vikings have declined Adrian Peterson‘s option for 2017, the running back is free to seek employment elsewhere. A person close to the veteran says that the Raiders could be his landing spot, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets.

The Raiders must address their running back situation this spring with Latavius Murray headed for free agency. The Raiders have decided against signing Murray to a new deal before March 9, but they could still consider a reunion once both sides have explored their options. We recently ranked Murray as the fourth-best running back eligible for free agency this year, though that was before the franchising of Le’Veon Bell and the additions of Peterson and Jamaal Charles to the group.

Peterson left the Raiders with one heck of an impression when he ran for 203 yards in Oakland in the 2015 season. Now, we’ll wait and see if they have him join forces with younger backs Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington.

Patriots Will Not Tag Dont’a Hightower

February 28th, 2017 at 1:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots informed Dont’a Hightower they will not apply the franchise tag to him, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This will allow the star linebacker to test the open market.

Hightower was willing to sign the franchise tag, but the Pats have opted against potentially paying him roughly $14.7MM for the 2017 campaign. It’s not 100% clear whether the Patriots have decided against the transition tag, but it doesn’t sound like they’ll be using that either. That tag would cost less but also wouldn’t entitle New England to draft pick compensation if Hightower signs elsewhere. Still, with plenty of cap space, the Patriots can likely match any offer Hightower scores on the open market.

Hightower clearly rates as the best linebacker available in free agency, even though non-rush linebackers typically do not get as much attention as their sack-compiling cohorts. After Hightower, Zach Brown, Kevin Minter, Perry Riley, and Lawrence Timmons represent some of the better LB options out there.

Hightower, 26, played in 13 games last season and racked up 65 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ 12th-best linebacker among 87 qualifiers.

Hightower’s reps can begin speaking with teams on March 7th, when the legal tampering period begins. Starting on March 9th, free agents are allowed to sign with clubs.

Chiefs Release RB Jamaal Charles

February 28th, 2017 at 1:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs are releasing running back Jamaal Charles, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The move has been anticipated for some time given Charles’ injury concerns and scheduled salary for 2017.

“On behalf of my family and the entire Kansas City Chiefs team, I’d like to thank Jamaal Charles for his contributions and dedication over the last nine seasons,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. “Jamaal has been one of the most prolific players in our organization’s history and I have an enormous amount of respect for what he’s accomplished. He’ll always be a part of the Chiefs family, and we’ll be ready to honor him for his outstanding playing career when the time is right.”

Charles, 30, was scheduled to count for nearly $6.2MM on Kansas City’s 2017 salary cap, a figure that included a $3.75MM base salary, $1MM in per-game roster bonuses, a $2MM reporting bonus, and a $250K workout bonus. None of that money was guaranteed, however. By dropping Charles, KC has gotten out from under all of their financial obligations to the veteran.

Charles’ season ended in early November after undergoing knee surgery. His 2016 campaign finished with just 12 carries and 40 yards in three appearances. In 2015, he played in only five games, rushing 71 times for 364 yards and four touchdowns. Charles’ cap hit was not workable given all the question marks surrounding him and it remains to be seen whether the team could bring him back at a cheaper rate.

No one knows what kind of back Charles can be in 2017, but he does have an impressive resume. His 5.5 yards per carry rate is the all-time highest in the NFL and he is said to be fully healthy. The four-time Pro Bowler won’t get paid like a top running back, but he can’t be entirely counted out as a performer.

The Chiefs can take care of their running back situation in-house, leaning primarily on Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West. The team also recently added C.J. Spiller, though he is far from a lock to make the 53-man roster.

Redskins Franchise Tag Kirk Cousins

February 28th, 2017 at 12:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins are placing the exclusive franchise tag on Kirk Cousins, the team announced. He’ll play on a one-year, $23.94MM deal, unless the two sides can agree on a longer deal between now and July.

The exclusive tag means that other clubs cannot negotiate deals with Cousins. Under the non-exclusive variation, teams would have been able to sign Cousins to an offer sheet. An unmatched offer sheet would have resulted in a deal, though it would have meant the forfeiture of two first-round picks to the Redskins. In most cases, teams do not pursue non-exclusive tagged franchise players, but Cousins would have been an exception given the lack of quality available QBs out there.

Today’s news does not preclude the Redskins from trading Cousins, which has been a rumored possibility for some time now. The 49ers have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for the QB and, depending on who you ask, that may be the only trade he’s willing to help facilitate. The Browns may also show interest in Cousins as they try to figure out their future under center. Cousins does not have a no-trade clause, but he can effectively block any deal by refusing to negotiate a long-term deal with a new team.

In his two years as a starter, Cousins has helped the Redskins to plus-.500 seasons – including a 9-7, NFC East-winning showing in 2015 – while flourishing statistically. Cousins is coming off a year in which he completed 67 percent of passes, nearly reached the 5,000-yard mark (4,917), and tossed 25 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. This past year, Pro Football Focus rated him as one of the ten best QBs in the NFL.

Chiefs, S Eric Berry Agree To Deal

February 28th, 2017 at 12:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs and safety Eric Berry are finalizing a six-year deal worth $78MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It will make him the highest paid safety in the NFL. Berry has topped the Cardinals’ Tyrann Mathieu, who previously led all back end defenders with a $12.5MM+ annual salary. The deal includes $40MM in guarantees, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter), including a $20MM signing bonus. He’ll earn $30MM over first two years of his new deal, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.

Berry, 28, said that he did not want to play under a franchise tender for a second consecutive season. Now, the two sides have successfully avoided a potentially awkward situation between the two sides. Now that Berry is taken care of in advance of the franchise deadline, KC can tag fellow free agent Dontari Poe. Poe would earn roughly $13.5MM on the tender.

Berry played a full 16 game season in 2016 and posted four interceptions, nine passes defensed, and one forced fumble. he graded ou tas the NFL’s No. 8 safety, per Pro Football Focus, which also handed Berry top marks for pass coverage.

Just this week, Berry said he wasn’t “getting [his] hopes up” about the prospects of a new deal, but his representation has worked feverishly to reach agreement on a long-term pact.

Vikings Decline Adrian Peterson’s Option

February 28th, 2017 at 11:11am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings announced that they are declining Adrian Peterson‘s option for the coming season. The move has been long expected.

Peterson’s option was worth $18MM for the 2017 season and there was no chance of the Vikings picking that up. Now that this formality is out of the way, the Vikings will work to re-sign Peterson on a cheaper deal. However, the veteran will probably first explore his options and determine his value.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would pursue Peterson if he is available. Still, AP might prefer to explore teams that are in need of a true No. 1 RB. Whether Dallas is in the cards remains to be seen, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that his strong preference will be to play alongside an established quarterback.

In 2016, Peterson suffered an unfortunate meniscus injury in Week 2 and racked up a meager 72 yards on 37 carries. In the year before that, however, he exploded for 1,485 rushing yards and eleven touchdowns. Even with questions about his age and injury concerns, Peterson remains an intriguing option for teams in need of rushing help.