HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Ravens Interested In LB Brandon Marshall

March 18th, 2019 at 10:52pm CST by Ben Levine

We’re starting to get some clarity on Brandon Marshall‘s market. After learning today that the Raiders have interest in the veteran linebacker, Troy Renck of Denver7 reports (via Twitter) that the Ravens have also expressed interest in Marshall.

The 29-year-old was set to earn $9MM with the Broncos in 2019, but the team decided to not pick up his option. Since that time, only the Raiders have been definitively connected to the defender. However, reports indicated that five anonymous teams were interested in the veteran.

Marshall battled through injuries during the 2018 season, limiting him to 11 games. He ultimately finished the campaign with only 42 tackles, his lowest total since he became a starter during the 2014 season. Still, the former fifth-rounder proved that he can be productive when he’s at full strength, as the linebacker finished with at least 100 tackles in each of his three healthiest seasons.

The Ravens have lost a trio of linebackers this offseason in C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs, and Za’Darius Smith. The team has naturally been in the market for reinforcement at the position, and they’ve already added Ejuan Price and Matthew Thomas to their corps.

Vikings Want To Re-Sign QB Trevor Siemian

March 18th, 2019 at 10:40pm CST by Ben Levine

If the Vikings have their way, Trevor Siemian will be back in Minnesota next season. Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that the Vikings are trying to re-sign their backup quarterback. The reporter notes that head coach Mike Zimmer desires a veteran signal-caller behind Kirk Cousins.

Siemian, 27, joined the Vikings last offseason after spending the first three seasons of his career on the Broncos. The former seventh-rounder ultimately made $1.9MM to serve as Cousins’ backup, but Siemian didn’t end up seeing the field during the 2018 campaign.

Still, the quarterback does provide the experience that the Vikings are apparently seeking from their backup. In 2016, Siemian looked like a solid starting quarterback, completing 59.5-percent of his passes for 3,401 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. In total, the four-year veteran has appeared in 26 career games.

Besides Cousins, the Vikings are also currently rostering quarterback Kyle Sloter.

CB Alterraun Verner Announces Retirement

March 18th, 2019 at 10:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Alterraun Verner is calling it a career. The cornerback announced on Instagram that he’s going to retire.

“I want to officially announce my retirement from the NFL,” Verner said. “I had a great eight year run. I would not trade my experiences for the world. God has been so good to me while in the NFL. Allowing myself to compete against the best of the best. I am truly thankful I was given the opportunity that so many others were not able to achieve.”

The 2010 fourth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with the Titans, including a 2013 campaign where he made the Pro Bowl and earned a second-team All-Pro nod. Verner parlayed that performance into a four-year, $25.75MM deal with the Buccaneers, but he was released by Tampa Bay after playing three years with the organization.

He spent the 2017 season with the Dolphins, starting two of his 15 games. There was some interest in Verner for the 2018 season, as the Giants gave him an audition. However, the 30-year-old ended up sitting out the entire campaign.

Verner finishes his career having appeared in 125 games. He compiled 451 tackles, 15 interceptions, and 74 passes defended during his eight years in the NFL.

S Curtis Riley Visits Packers

March 18th, 2019 at 9:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Safety Curtis Riley met with the Packers today, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter). However, the free agent left Green Bay without a contract, and Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets that the two sides aren’t negotiating a deal.

The 26-year-old had a breakout campaign during his first season in New York. After appearing in 11 total games between 2016 and 2017, the defensive back ultimately started all 16 games last year. He ended up finishing the campaign with 75 tackles, five passes defended, and four interceptions. Despite his solid counting stats, Pro Football Focus only ranked him 79th among 93 eligible safeties.

Riley previously played cornerback, and he’s shown particular talent in coverage (while his tackling has earned the ire of some pundits). As Silverstein tweets, this is what the Packers traditionally look for in their “deep” safeties, but the team will apparently be searching elsewhere to fill that role.

The Packers have already added one safety this offseason in Adrian Amos. The team’s safety corps also includes Tramon Williams, Josh Jones, and Natrell Jamerson, among others.

Bears Re-Sign P Pat O’Donnell

March 18th, 2019 at 8:35pm CST by Ben Levine

Pat O’Donnell is returning to Chicago. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the punter will sign a two-year, $4MM deal with the Bears.

The 28-year-old has spent his entire five-year career with Chicago, missing only a single regular season game during that span. Despite finishing with a career-low 62 punts in 2018, O’Donnell still managed to tie a career-high with 28 punts inside of the 20. The former sixth-rounder’s 45-yards-per-punt was also on-par with his career numbers.

O’Donnell is now the third punter to ink a relatively lucrative deal this offseason. Bradley Pinion signed a four-year deal with the Buccaneers while Jordan Berry inked a two-year deal to stay with the Steelers.

Giants GM: “We Were Not Actively Shopping” OBJ

March 18th, 2019 at 8:11pm CST by Ben Levine

The Giants may have talked to several teams about Odell Beckham Jr. before pulling off a trade with the Browns, but general manager Dave Gettleman said he was “not actively shopping” the star wideout. Speaking to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, the executive discussed how the trade ultimately developed, noting that the receiver’s distractions (along with a hefty offer from Cleveland) made a trade more palatable.

“Obviously there’s a lot of stuff that factors in, but at the end of the day, in order for us to move Odell, the other team was going to have to knock it out of the park,’’ Gettleman said. “We were not actively shopping him.’’

The Browns apparently made an offer that grabbed the attention of the Giants, with New York receiving Cleveland’s first-round pick (No. 17 overall), third-round pick (95th overall), and young safety Jabrill Peppers. While the Giants never intended to trade Beckham when they signed him to a lucrative five-year, $95MM contract last August, the Browns’ offer was ultimately too good to refuse.

“Some have questioned why we signed Odell [last August] and then traded him,’’ Gettleman said. “We didn’t sign him to trade him but obviously things changed. Frankly, what changed is another team made an offer we couldn’t refuse. As it turned out, the fact he was signed for five more years made him very attractive and allowed us to get legitimate value.’’

Gettleman did acknowledge that he made one phone call regarding Beckham. Following the Bills’ failed pursuit of former Steelers wideout Antonio Brown, the Giants contacted Buffalo about a trade. The general managed said he also had “numerous conversations’’ with 49ers general manager John Lynch. Based on Gettleman’s assertions, we can only assume it was Lynch who contacted the Giants’ front office.

OL Josh Kline Expected To Visit Vikings

March 18th, 2019 at 7:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Josh Kline is expected to meet with the Vikings. ESPN’s Ben Goessling reports (via Twitter) that the veteran offensive guard is currently “coordinating visits with different teams,” a grouping that will presumably include Minnesota.

We learned yesterday that the Vikings had interest in Kline, whom Tennessee released several days ago. In Minnesota, the 29-year-old would compete for Minnesota’s starting right guard job, which Mike Remmers had held down since the end of the 2017 campaign. The Vikings released Remmers last week.

Kline signed a four-year, $26MM deal ($12MM guaranteed) with the Titans last offseason, but the team ended up moving on from him after Kline rejected a pay cut. The lineman started all 16 games in 2018, although the advanced metrics imply that he took a step back from his previous seasons. After rating as a fringe top-20 guard in 2017, Pro Football Focus graded Kline 50th among 77 eligible guards in 2018.

The Vikings need some reinforcement on the offensive line, and the team reportedly made a push to keep Nick Easton in Minnesota. Ultimately, the lineman signed a four-year deal with the Saints.

Jets Sign TE Daniel Brown

March 18th, 2019 at 7:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Daniel Brown is heading to New York. The former Ravens and Bears tight end is signing with the Jets, reports Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (via Twitter).

After a two-year stint with the Ravens, the former undrafted free agent had spent the past three seasons with the Bears. He was relatively productive offensively between 2016 and 2017, hauling in 29 total receptions. However, he went without a catch in 2018 despite appearing in 14 games (he also contributed on special teams). Pro Football Focus ultimately gave him adequate grades despite his low snap count.

In New York, Brown should have a chance to play a backup role behind starter Chris Herndon. The Jets are also rostering Jordan Leggett.

We heard last week that Brown had met with the Lions. That was the only reported meeting for the tight end.

Rams Sign Blake Bortles

March 18th, 2019 at 6:57pm CST by Rory Parks

After visiting with him today, the Rams have signed embattled signal-caller Blake Bortles to a one-year deal, per a team announcement. ESPN’s Jeff Darlington was the first to report that a contract was being finalized (Twitter link).

Bortles will earn just $1MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), but that doesn’t make much of a difference for the QB since his previous Jaguars contract contained offset language. The $1MM sum will eat into the $6.5MM he’s owed by the Jaguars, which results in the same income for Bortles and a bit of relief for Jacksonville.

Bortles will certainly test the theory that Rams head coach Sean McVay can make any quarterback successful, and he will serve as the backup to starter Jared Goff. This signing also likely means that Goff’s 2018 backup, Sean Mannion, will be moving on. Mannion is an unrestricted free agent.

The third overall selection in the 2014 draft, Bortles hasn’t come close to living up to his draft status. Since Bortles entered the NFL with the Jaguars, 17 quarterbacks have attempted at least 2,000 passes: among those signal-callers, Bortles ranks dead last in adjusted net yards per attempt, quarterback rating, and interception rate, and is second-to-last in touchdown rate.

Bortles has never worked with McVay, but the two do have a tangential connection. Greg Olson was Bortles’ Jacksonville offensive coordinator from 2015-16 before taking over as the Rams’ quarterbacks coach under McVay in 2017. Olson left for Oakland after one year in Los Angeles, but it’s fair to assume he’s given McVay a Bortles scouting report that McVay apparently likes well enough. Plus, Bortles’ first OC, Jedd Fisch, is an offensive assistant on the Rams’ staff.

The Jaguars will certainly be interested to see how much money the Rams will be paying Bortles. Bortles still had guaranteed salary remaining on his Jacksonville deal, but thanks to offset language, the Jags will receive a cap credit equal to the amount of Bortles’ base salary (up to $6.5MM).

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