HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

AFC North Notes: Ravens, Mosley, Steelers

March 20th, 2019 at 2:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a quick look at the AFC North:

  • The Jets landed linebacker C.J. Mosley in free agency, but the Ravens went as high as $14MM/year to keep him in Baltimore, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (Twitter link). Mosley’s new Jets deal, meanwhile, will pay him an average of $17MM/year with $51MM guaranteed.
  • The Steelers restructured the contract of inside linebacker Vince Williams, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The move clears $2.8MM in 2019 cap space for Pittsburgh, but Williams is still due $5.1MM for the coming year. Just last summer, Williams re-upped with the Steelers on a three-year add-on worth upwards of $20MM. In 2018, Williams finished out with 4.5 sacks, 76 tackles, and one interception.
  • Former Jaguars tight end James O’Shaughnessy visited the Steelers this week, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Steelers recently lost Jesse James in free agency, so O’Shaughnessy could be a depth option behind starter Vance McDonald. O’Shaughnessy, 27, set new career highs with 24 catches for 214 yards last season. He still only has one touchdown catch in his four NFL seasons, a 2017 TD against the 49ers.

49ers To Meet With Nick Bosa

March 20th, 2019 at 12:41pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers are set to have a dinner date with defensive end Nick Bosa on Wednesday night, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (Twitter link). With the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, the Niners may be in position to snag Bosa, who is regarded by many as the best overall talent in this year’s class. 

Of course, the Niners’ chances of having Bosa on the board hinges on the Cardinals’ plans at No. 1 . It has been widely reported that the Cardinals have set their sights on Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, though their plans could still be in flux with five weeks to go before taking the podium.

The Niners already made major upgrades to their defense by acquiring edge rusher Dee Ford and Kwon Alexander earlier this month. Putting Bosa at one of the bookends would give the 49ers a massively improved front seven and a D to be reckoned with.

Despite playing in only three games last year, Bosa looks the part of a game-changer in the NFL, similar to older brother Joey Bosa. As a sophomore, Bosa registered 8.5 sacks and 16 total tackles for a loss and was named a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection. Even in his injury-shortened junior season, Bosa managed four sacks and six tackles for a loss.

Robert Kraft To Reject Plea Deal

March 20th, 2019 at 11:57am CST by Zachary Links

This week, Florida prosecutors presented Patriots owner Robert Kraft and others implicated in the now famous sex sting with a plea deal. Kraft, however, will not accept the plea, according to CNN. 

Kraft, 77, has been accused of twice visiting the Orchids of Asia Day Spa. Authorities say they have video footage of him receiving “paid acts,” which would represent clear evidence of solicitation. However, the Patriots owner maintains his innocence, and the proposed plea deal would require Kraft to admit that he would have been proven guilty if the case went to trial. Soon after the story broke, Kraft’s camp indicated that he would not be admitting fault:

“We categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity. Because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further.”

Kraft has also filed a motion to prevent the release of the surveillance video, according to TMZ. For now, Kraft is set for a March 28 arraignment. He is being charged with second-degree misdemeanors, which generally do not carry more than a two-month sentence in county jail.

Lions Meet With Manti Te’o

March 20th, 2019 at 11:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions hosted Saints free agent linebacker Manti Te’o on a visit, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Te’o, who also recently met with the Raiders, could be set to move on from New Orleans. 

The seem fairly well set at middle linebacker with Alex Anzalone, Craig Robertson, and Darnell Sankey in the fold, so the Saints might only be willing to go so far to retain the 28-year-old Te’o. Te’o, meanwhile, would probably prefer a situation that offers more playing time.

Te’o just finished a two-year pact that he signed with the Saints in 2017 and saw action in just five contests (two starts) last year, compiling 18 total tackles. However, in 2017, he started in eleven games and played reasonably well.

For his career, Te’o has started in 47 contests, though he’s lost a good deal of time to injuries since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2013. If he signs with Detroit, he may have a path to more playing time, provided that he can stay on the field.

Colts To Re-Sign Clayton Geathers

March 20th, 2019 at 9:52am CST by Zachary Links

Clayton Geathers is finalizing a deal to return to the Colts, according to a source who spoke with Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star (on Twitter). Terms of the deal are not yet known for the 27-year-old. 

Geathers has dealt with multiple injuries throughout his four-year career in Indianapolis, but has been featured as a starter for three of those seasons. The Colts managed to reel him back in, despite interest from the Cowboys and Bucs.

Geathers played 853 snaps for the Colts last season, his most significant work sample, and ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 51 safety in the NFL. Prior to that, injuries limited the Central Florida product to 14 total games between the 2016-17 seasons.

The Colts have re-signed multiple 2018 starters — cornerback Pierre Desir, defensive lineman Margus Hunt, and guard Mark Glowinski — but each of those players was brought in by the Chris Ballard regime. Those guys may have been prioritized, but the Colts still found room for Geathers, a holdover from the Ryan Grigson era.

Raiders To Meet With George Iloka

March 20th, 2019 at 9:20am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are hosting former Vikings safety George Iloka on a visit, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Former Giants safety Curtis Riley is also en route to Oakland, Michael Gehlken of the Review-Journal (on Twitter) hears.

The Raiders already invested heavily in the secondary by signing safety Lamarcus Joyner to a four-year, $42MM deal, but they’re expected to deploy him mostly at nickel corner. That leaves a serious need at safety, and Iloka and/or Riley could help fill the gap.

Iloka, a former Bengal, has history with defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, and that same connection led to a deal between the Raiders and linebacker Vontaze Burfict earlier this week. Iloka can play free or strong safety, which could be a big plus for the Raiders’ secondary. Iloka was a starter for the bulk of his career with the Bengals, but played mostly in a reserve role with the Vikings last year. In past years, however, Iloka looked the part of an elite safety.

Riley, 27 this summer, had a breakout campaign during his first season with the Giants. After appearing in eleven games with the Titans between 2016 and 2017, the defensive back started all 16 contests last year. Riley recorded 75 tackles, five passes defended, and four interceptions, though Pro Football Focus only ranked him 79th among 93 eligible safeties. Riley visited the Packers on Monday, but left Green Bay without a deal.

Contract Details: Ingram, Suggs, Kendricks

March 19th, 2019 at 10:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest details from some agreed-upon contracts during the second wave of free agency. All links courtesy of the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, unless otherwise noted.

Bears, Jaguars Pursued Adrian Peterson

March 19th, 2019 at 9:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Adrian Peterson did not find a 2018 landing spot until mid-August, but his Redskins work last season was not the only catalyst for his contract to be finalized much earlier this year.

Both the Bears and Jaguars were in on the Peterson market, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. This likely drove up Peterson’s price. Via the two-year, $8MM deal Washington authorized, the soon-to-be 34-year-old running back is in line to make nearly four times the veteran-minimum money he earned in 2018.

Peterson played quite well in spurts for the 2017 Cardinals, who featured a bottom-tier offensive line, but scant interest came his way last year. On a 2018 Redskins team that saw their line decimated, Peterson still eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards — his eighth such season. He became only the fourth running back to exceed 1,000 yards in his age-33 season (John Henry Johnson, Franco Harris, Frank Gore). Only two — Johnson and John Riggins — have ventured into four-digit territory past age 33.

While Peterson is unlikely to replicate his 1,042-yard season, with Derrius Guice expected to be healthy by Week 1, he will still be in position to add to his Hall of Fame career.

The Bears still have Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen under contract but added Mike Davis early in free agency. The Jaguars feature a less settled running back situation, having cut Carlos Hyde and potentially in line to lose T.J. Yeldon as a free agent. Only 2018 seventh-round pick David Williams resides behind Leonard Fournette, so Jacksonville will be adding to its backfield in some way soon. But Peterson opted for familiarity by staying in Washington, as he said previously he’d hoped to do

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