Kicker Chandler Catanzaro chose not to re-sign with the Jets because he didn’t want to play in the cold, Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears. Instead of braving the elements, Catanzaro opted to join the Buccaneers this offseason on a three-year, $9.75MM deal with $3.75MM guaranteed.
It would be easy to chide Catanzaro for his weather preferences, but it’s hard to blame him for his choice after a brutal winter in the tri-state area. He also came away with a solid deal from the Buccaneers that puts him just outside of the top ten on an average annual basis at his position.
Catanzaro will look to stabilize the Bucs’ kicking after two years of struggles with Roberto Aguayo, Nick Folk, and Patrick Murray. Meanwhile,the Jets will pit newcomer Taylor Bertolet against veterans Cairo Santos and Nick Rose for their vacancy.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill remains on track in his recovery from a torn ACL, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Should Tannehill go down with another injury, head coach Adam Gase says the team will not reprise last year’s Jay Cutler situation. The Dolphins have Brock Osweiler and David Fales under contract as backups to the 29-year-old (30 in July).
- Patriots left guard Joe Thuney is set to undergo foot surgery, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Right now, the belief is that the operation will not affect his regular season availability, but it’s a situation to keep an eye on. In theory, the Pats could slide first-round offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn to the interior if they need to fill that hole.
- The Bills met with running back Kenjon Barner this week, but he signed with the Panthers on Friday morning.