2019 March - Pro Football Rumors

Five Teams Interested In C/G Brett Jones

March 19th, 2019 at 3:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Since losing interior lineman Nick Easton to the Saints, the Vikings have ramped up their efforts to re-sign center/guard Brett Jones, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press hears (on Twitter), adding that he expects a contract offer to come soon. However, the Vikings will have competition for his services.

The Seahawks, Jets, Eagles, and Chiefs are also looking at the soon-to-be 28-year-old, Tomasson hears. Jones, who earned $2.914MM under the one-year restricted free agent tender assigned to him by the Giants, is likely in line for a pay raise.

Last year, Jones appeared in 14 games and came off of the bench for eleven of those contests. His 191 snaps were not enough to qualify for a Pro Football Focus ranking, but he was a top 20 center for the Giants in 2017.

Lions Sign WR Tommylee Lewis

March 19th, 2019 at 1:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have signed wide receiver Tommylee Lewis, per a club announcement. The former Saints receiver visited the Lions late last week and, days later, they’ve inked a deal.

Lewis was non-tendered by the Saints earlier this month, making him an unrestricted free agent. The 26-year-old has 20 career receptions, but he’s spent the majority of his three-year career on special teams. Lewis averaged 22 yards on kick returns and 9.3 yards on punt returns during his stint in New Orleans.

The Lions recently added one potential returner in Danny Amendola, and they’re also rostering Jamal Agnew, who had 40 combined returns for Detroit in 2018. We’re still awaiting terms of the deal, but it sounds like Lewis may have to compete for his place on the team.

Lewis also met with the Jets before inking his deal with Detroit.

Latest On Patriots Owner Robert Kraft

March 19th, 2019 at 1:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Florida prosecutors offered a plea deal to Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other men charged with a recent sex sting operation, as Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal writes. However, the proposal calls for Kraft and 24 others to admit they would have been proven guilty at trial. Based on the statement put out by Kraft at the outset of the scandal, it’s far from a given that he’ll agree to those terms.

Also, as a part of the proposed agreement, Kraft would have to complete an education course about prostitution, perform 100 hours of community service, and undergo testing for sexually transmitted diseases. Prosecutors say this is the standard diversion program offered to first-time offenders in such matters.

The state attorney’s office says none of the 25 men in question have accepted the agreement just yet. Meanwhile, Kraft’s attorney has yet to comment on the agreement proposed by authorities.

As it stands, Kraft is set for an April 24 court date – one day before the start of the 2019 NFL Draft. However, Kraft can opt to simply have his attorney appear on his behalf.

Giants Re-Sign WR Bennie Fowler

March 19th, 2019 at 1:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants have re-signed wide receiver Bennie Fowler, according to a press release. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s likely an inexpensive short-term deal.

Fowler, a Michigan State product, joined the Giants in October after fellow receiver Cody Latimer was placed on IR. After that point, Fowler appeared in ten games and caught 16 passes for 199 yards, including a touchdown against Washington on Dec. 9. Before joining the Giants, Fowler had 56 receptions and five touchdowns in three seasons with the Broncos. He also spent time with the Bears and Patriots last year, but did not appear in games for either club.

Fowler is a part of the Giants’ new Odell Beckham-less depth chart at WR, which also includes Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, Corey Coleman, and Latimer.

Patriots To Re-Sign P Ryan Allen

March 19th, 2019 at 12:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Punter Ryan Allen and the Patriots have reached agreement on a one-year deal, a source tells Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Allen, presumably, will earn a step up from his $1.3MM salary from last year.

There was little doubt that the Patriots wanted to keep Allen, but a recent change in representation may have gummed up the works. Last week, Allen changed agents (Twitter link), so it may have taken additional time for the Pats to hammer out a deal with his new rep, Chris Gittings of OneWest Sports.

Allen has been the Patriots’ punter since 2013. Head coach Bill Belichick places a great deal of emphasis on special teams work and Allen showed the value of quality punting with some spectacular kicks in the Super Bowl. February’s Super Bowl win, by the way, marked Allen’s third ring with the Pats.

Panthers To Sign Bruce Irvin

March 19th, 2019 at 11:37am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have agreed to sign Bruce Irvin, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year, $4MM that can reach up to $5MM with incentives, a league source tells Jourdan Rodrigue of The Observer (on Twitter).

The Panthers were in desperate need of pass rush help after losing Julius Peppers to retirement. Now, Irvin will team up with Mario Addison and the rest of the group to try and generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Adding Irvin is a big step forward for Carolina, but you can expect the Panthers to scour the free agent market for further upgrades while targeting others in the draft.

Irvin split the 2018 season between the Raiders and Falcons and finished out with a combined 6.5 sacks. Irvin, 32 in November, has 43.5 sacks to his credit across seven NFL seasons with roughly half of those takedowns coming in Seattle.

Previously operating as Khalil Mack’s sidekick, Irvin registered 15 sacks between the 2016-17 seasons. But, following the Mack trade in 2018, things soured between Irvin and head coach Jon Gruden, leading to Irvin’s release in November.

Saints Interested In Robert Quinn

March 19th, 2019 at 11:19am CST by Zachary Links

The market for Dolphins defensive end Robert Quinn is starting to take shape. Quinn, who will meet with the Cowboys on Tuesday, has drawn inquiries from the Saints, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).

Quinn established himself as an elite pass rusher years ago with the Rams, but the Dolphins are eager to trade him as he enters the final year of his contract. That’s not a total indictment on his present skill level, however. Quinn’s $11.8MM base salary is on the high side and a skeptic might say that the Dolphins are looking to tank in 2019.

For the Saints, Quinn could help to form a potent three-headed rotation along with Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport. The Saints also added Mario Edwards Jr. to the mix recently, so they’re clearly focusing on edge depth. Adding Quinn would easily offset the loss of Alex Okafor, who departed in free agency to sign with the Chiefs.

The Saints have less than $20MM in cap room, according to Over The Cap, but a simple restructure or extension could allow the team to take on Quinn’s deal and maintain flexibility through the second and third waves of free agency.

Vikings Re-Sign Dan Bailey

March 19th, 2019 at 10:46am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings re-signed kicker Dan Bailey to a one-year, $1MM deal, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal can max out at $2MM with incentives, but his $250K signing bonus represents his only guarantee.

The Vikings began the 2018 season with rookie Daniel Carlson as their kicker, but the fifth-round pick was cut after he missed three kicks in Week 2. After that, Bailey took over and held the job for the remainder of the season. Results were mixed: Bailey made 21-of-28 field goal tries, giving him a 75% conversion rate. For what it’s worth, he did nail 30-of-31 on extra points.

Despite the recent hiccups, Bailey is the fifth-most accurate kicker in NFL history with a career 86.6% conversion rate. Before joining the Vikings, Bailey was actually second on the all-time chart after making more than 88% of his tries.

Cowboys Meet With Dolphins’ Robert Quinn

March 19th, 2019 at 10:26am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins are shopping Robert Quinn and it sounds like they already have one potential suitor. The defensive end is on his way to visit the Cowboys, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.

Clubs have to give their blessing before a contracted player can visit another club, so Miami has given Quinn the greenlight to talk with Jerry Jones & Co. If the two sides are comfortable with one another, this could be the precursor to a deal.

Quinn has one year remaining on the contract he initially signed with the Rams. As it stands, Quinn is set to carry an $11.8MM cap number for the upcoming season, but none of the money coming to him is guaranteed. It’s possible that the Cowboys will ask Quinn to take a pay cut in exchange for some cost certainty in 2019. An extension may also be in the cards, though that could be tricky given Quinn’s decline in production.

Quinn had just 6.5 sacks in 2018, but he did tie for 20th among DEs with 24 quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, assigned Quinn the 19th-highest pass-rush grade among 103 qualifying edge rushers. And, he’s entering his age-29 season, so he has plenty of football left.

The Cowboys tagged Demarcus Lawrence earlier this month, but the star edge defender has said in the past that he will not sign a one-year tender. Meanwhile, Randy Gregory and David Irving have both been hit with indefinite suspensions, so the Cowboys are in desperate need of help on the D-Line.

Raiders To Meet With Vontaze Burfict

March 19th, 2019 at 10:11am CST by Zachary Links

Linebacker Vontaze Burfict will meet with the Raiders on Tuesday, sources tell Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Burfict’s old defensive coordinator, Paul Guenther, is in Oakland, so this could be a natural fit.

Of course, there are some obvious barriers to a Burfict-Raiders deal, including the presence of Antonio Brown in Oakland. In 2015, Burfict leveled Brown with a hit that garnered a suspension and heavy fine. Given Brown’s temperament, the Raiders may want to ask the two men to bury the hatchet before actually signing Burfict.

From a football perspective, a deal would make sense. The Raiders are in the market for linebackers and they recently hosted free agents Manti Te’o and Aaron Lynch. Also, it’s likely that Burfict can be had on a relatively inexpensive shorter term deal, which could hold appeal for a club that has committed serious years and dollars to players this offseason.

In addition to Te’o, Lynch, and Burfict, the Raiders are also said to have interest in former Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall.