2019 March - Pro Football Rumors

Chiefs To Sign DE Alex Okafor

March 14th, 2019 at 4:19pm CST by Rory Parks

After two major subtractions to their pass rush, the Chiefs are trying to add some reinforcements. The club is expected to sign former Saints defensive end Alex Okafor to a three-year deal, $18MM deal, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Through incentives, the pact can reach up to $24MM.

Okafor was having a strong year in 2017 before tearing his Achilles and then re-upped on a cheap deal with the Saints before the 2018 season started. Now fully healthy, Okafor is moving on to KC.

Just days ago, the Chiefs shipped Dee Ford to the Niners in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick. In need of ammo to bolster the pass rush, they’ve added Okafor, a younger and cheaper substitute. Ford’s franchise tag would have called for a $15MM+ salary in 2019. Okafor, meanwhile, stands to earn a $6MM average annual value on his new deal, sans incentives.

Okafor, 27, broke out with eight sacks in his second NFL season. Since then, he’s been productive, but has yet to revisit that mark. Last year, he put up four sacks for the Saints across 16 games (all starts), giving him 22 for his career.

Raiders Release Jordy Nelson

March 14th, 2019 at 4:05pm CST by Rory Parks

The Raiders are doing some early spring cleaning today. The club has released veteran wideout Jordy Nelson, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic (via Twitter).

The release itself isn’t that surprising after the club traded for Antonio Brown and signed top free agent wideout Tyrell Williams, but the circumstances surrounding it are a bit odd. At the end of December, head coach Jon Gruden announced that Nelson would be back in 2019 to finish out the two-year pact he signed last offseason, and they even moved up a $3.6MM roster bonus to be paid at the time of the announcement. Essentially, then, the Raiders gave Nelson $3.6MM for no real reason.

Of course, they did not know at the time that they would be adding two top wideouts to their club, and they still create some cap savings with the move. And, as Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets, the door is not closed on a Nelson return.

Nelson, though, may find a better opportunity on the free agent market. Even though he will turn 34 in May, he showed he still has a little something left in the tank in 2018, bumping his yards-per-catch average from a career-low 9.1 (in the largely Aaron Rodgers-less ’17 Packers slate) to 12.2 with Derek Carr.

He ended the 2018 season with 63 catches for 739 yards and three scores, and he played particularly well down the stretch.

Patriots To Sign Terrence Brooks

March 14th, 2019 at 3:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Free agent safety Terrence Brooks has signed a two-year deal with the Patriots, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Brooks spent the last two seasons with the rival Jets.

The Jets had Brooks under control for 2019, but opted against exercising his option for the coming year. The move helped them preserve flexibility and cap space, and while they will miss his special teams acumen, he hardly saw any time on the defensive side of the ball.

Brooks came to the Jets before the 2017 season in a trade with the Eagles that saw cornerback Dexter McDougle to go Philly. Since then, Brooks he has been a special teams staple for Gang Green. Last year, Brooks appeared in a team-high 79% of the Jets’ special teams plays while appearing in just 6% of the defensive snaps.

He will be a quality addition to New England’s special teams unit while also providing experienced depth behind Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty at the safety position.

Giants To Sign WR Golden Tate

March 14th, 2019 at 3:41pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants have agreed to sign former Eagles wide receiver Golden Tate, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Tate will receive a four-year, $37.5MM contract with $23MM fully guaranteed, according to Schefter.

Tate entered the offseason as one of the top available wide receivers, but many others agreed to deals during the legal tampering period. Alas, Tate has a home, although he’s a bit late in signing during Day 2 of the official free agency period.

The Patriots and Steelers, two teams who explored acquiring Tate from the Lions before last year’s trade deadline, were also said to be considering him. Instead, the Odell Beckham-less Giants have swooped him up in an effort to revamp their receivers group.

Between the Lions and Eagles, Tate caught 74 passes for 795 yards and four touchdowns in 2018. It was the first time he failed to crack 800 yards since the 2012 season, his first year as a starter.

A 1,000 yard receiver as recently as 2017, Tate could be in line for big numbers once again. His ceiling is obviously lower than OBJ’s, but he can help move the chains in New York. Going forward, Eli Manning will rely on Tate, Sterling Shepard, tight end Evan Engram, and running back Saquon Barkley to keep the offense moving.

Tate’s deal carries an average annual value of $9.375MM, putting him just outside of the Top 25 at the position. His AAV is roughly half of OBJ, who leads all receivers at $18MM/year.

Bengals Sign CB B.W. Webb

March 14th, 2019 at 3:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Cornerback B.W. Webb has signed with the Bengals, according to Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Bengals confirmed the news and announced that it is a three-year deal. It’s believed to be worth up to $13MM, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.

By signing with Cincinnati, he rejoins new Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, his defensive backs coach with the Giants last year. The deal brings Webb to his sixth team in six years and gives the Bengals an option at slot cornerback. He also has experience in the slot, so he could potentially replace free agent Darqueze Dennard.

Webb, 29 in May, appeared in all 16 games for the Giants last season, including 13 starts. He finished out with 59 total stops, one tackle, one forced fumble, and six passes defensed. Webb graded out as the No. 77 ranked corner in the NFL with a career-best 62.6 overall score. He wasn’t an elite CB, but the advanced metrics dropped him in the same neighborhood as Morris Claiborne, Marcus Peters, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Jimmy Smith.

Raiders Release A.J. McCarron

March 14th, 2019 at 3:27pm CST by Rory Parks

The Raiders have released backup quarterback A.J. McCarron per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The moves comes one day before McCarron was due a $3MM roster bonus, and three days before $1.1MM of his $1.8MM 2019 salary became fully guaranteed.

Just two weeks ago, the team indicated that it may keep McCarron around to serve as Derek Carr‘s backup in 2019. At the time, new GM Mike Mayock said, “I think Jon [Gruden] and I both believe that the backup quarterback is one snap away from playing. It’s important to have someone like McCarron ready to go.”

The roster bonus and salary guarantee proved too much to stomach, though the club could theoretically bring McCarron back on a new deal.

This continues a disappointing year for McCarron, who signed with the Bills last offseason with the expectation that he would become Buffalo’s starter. However, things changed in April when Buffalo drafted Josh Allen to be their QB of the future. Just before the start of the season, the Bills shipped McCarron to Oakland for a fifth-round pick.

Patriots Were In On Cole Beasley

March 14th, 2019 at 3:20pm CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots have been trying to upgrade their wide receiver corps this offseason, and they are reportedly interested in Golden Tate, who is the best free agent wideout on the market. However, the club was also in on another slot receiver, Cole Beasley, who ultimately signed with the Bills.

At his introductory press conference, Beasley said his final decision came down to the Cowboys (his original club), the Bills, and the Patriots (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW). He is the type of sure-handed, quality route-runner that has made hay in New England’s Tom Brady-led offense in the past, and he likely would have had plenty of opportunities in the club’s aerial attack in 2019. As of right now, the Pats’ wide receiver depth chart is currently topped by Julian Edelman and Bruce Ellington, who just signed today.

Phillip Dorsett, whom the club re-signed yesterday, is back in the fold but is far from a sure thing. And Beasley turned down the Pats before either Ellington or Dorsett were under contract, opting to head to upstate New York on a four-year, $29MM pact.

That will leave the Pats searching for another pass-catcher or two in free agency and/or the draft, though the team always seems to find a way to make the most out of what they have.

Patriots To Sign WR Bruce Ellington

March 14th, 2019 at 3:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Bruce Ellington is signing a one-year deal with the Patriots, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Pats met with Ellington and a few other players on Thursday morning. It did not take long for a deal to come together.

Last year, Ellington had 23 catches for 132 yards in just four games for the Lions, showing what he could do when healthy. Earlier in the season he caught eight balls for 92 yards and a touchdown in less than three full games with the Texans, before Houston waived him with an injury settlement. He latched on in Detroit, but unfortunately the hamstring injury that hampered him in Houston re-emerged while he was with the Lions, landing Ellington on IR in December.

Panthers Release LT Matt Kalil

March 14th, 2019 at 3:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Panthers veteran left tackle Matt Kalil has been released, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Panthers will cut him with a post-June 1 designation, saving the club roughly $7MM this year. After that, they’ll eat $5MM in 2019 and $9MM in 2020.

Kalil signed a higher-than-expected five-year, $55MM contract with the Panthers in 2017 and that deal still had guarantees going into 2019. The left tackle leaves Carolina after appearing in just 16 games (all in ’17).

Ultimately, this amounts to a cut-your-losses maneuver. The Panthers have a new owner in David Tepper, and the GM that authorized the Kalil contract, Dave Gettleman, is now with the Giants. Effectively, the club’s new decision makers are willing to chalk up Kalil’s deal – and the associated penalties – to a bad move by the old crowd.

Kalil has spent all of the 2018 season on injured reserve. After being taken out by the right knee injury, Chris Clark took over his spot. Next season, right tackle Taylor Moton could switch sides to man LT.

Saints Unlikely To Re-Sign Alex Okafor

March 14th, 2019 at 3:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Alex Okafor will probably be changing teams. The Saints are unlikely to re-sign the defensive end, according to a source who spoke with Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter).

Okafor has been solid for the Saints over the last two years, but the club is looking to put Marcus Davenport in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, Okafor is scheduled for free agency after the club amended his contract.

The Saints changed the language in Okafor‘s deal back in December, and the new deal language automatically voided the 2019 year of Okafor’s contract. The deal was re-worked to give Okafor a $400K bonus even though he came up one sack short of the incentive and it also guaranteed him free agency after the ’18 campaign.

Okafor was having a strong year in 2017 before tearing his Achilles and then re-upped on a cheap deal with the Saints before the 2018 season started. Now fully healthy, Okafor has a chance to cash in elsewhere.