2019 March - Pro Football Rumors

Titans To Sign Rodger Saffold

March 12th, 2019 at 3:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Rams offensive lineman Rodger Saffold will sign a four-year, $44MM deal with the Titans, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The deal will include $22.5MM guaranteed.

Earlier today, the Rams hinted that Saffold would likely be heading elsewhere. In fact, he’ll be heading to the opposite side of the country on a lucrative new deal.

A 2010 St. Louis Rams second-round pick, Saffold has played his entire career with the Rams. The Rams ideally would have liked to keep him, but they were unable to match his outside offers in a so-so market for free agent guards. For Saffold, this is a phenomenal payday as he enters his age-31 season.

Saffold indicated he wanted to stay with the Rams, but this offer is certainly much bigger than his previous organization was willing to make. Saffold was the Rams’ longest-tenured player.

He started 111 games and was one of the anchors in Sean McVay‘s cutting-edge system, one that featured back-to-back Todd Gurley first-team All-Pro showings.

The Rams will now pivot to at least two new offensive line starters, with Saffold defecting and the team not picking up John Sullivan‘s option. Andrew Whitworth said he will return, and the Rams still have Austin Blythe and Rob Havenstein under contract. Third-round tackle Joseph Noteboom could move inside and replace Saffold, per Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic (subscription required).

Giants To Sign Antoine Bethea

March 12th, 2019 at 2:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants are signing veteran safety Antoine Bethea, according to former teammate Reggie Wayne (on Twitter). The news has been confirmed by Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (Twitter link).

Bethea, entering his 14th NFL season, will be 35 by the time Giants training camp begins. He profiles as a cheap replacement for Landon Collins, whom New York declined to use its franchise tag on then watched defect to Washington.

Despite his age, Bethea was a full-time Cards starter in 2018. After starting for the 2006 Super Bowl champion Colts as a rookie, the former sixth-round pick has previously played for the Colts, 49ers, and, most recently, the Cardinals. Over the course of his career, he’s made three Pro Bowls, with the most recent one coming in 2014 with SF.

While Bethea is nearing the end of a nice career, he has produced in recent years. In 2017, his first year in Arizona, Bethea intercepted a career-high five passes. Last season, he registered a career-best three sacks. Bethea will trek to the Giants with 24 career interceptions.

The safety market was absolutely flooded this year, leading many to believe that Bethea would have to wait things out before finding a home. That wasn’t the case, as Bethea quickly found a landing spot with the G-Men. This move helps patch up a spot, but the Giants will need more help in their secondary given the current personnel.

Texans To Sign CB Bradley Roby

March 12th, 2019 at 2:41pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have agreed to sign former Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby, according to James Palmer of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal worth $10MM, a source tells Palmer.

This marks a key investment for the defending AFC South champions, who saw two key members of their 2018 secondary defect. Kareem Jackson is likely set to take Roby’s place as the Broncos’ No. 2 cornerback. Roby’s deal illustrates both the cornerback market and his uneven contract year.

Denver’s nickel man for four seasons behind Chris Harris and Aqib Talib, Roby struggled as a full-time player in 2018. He played a key role for the Broncos’ dominant Super Bowl defense and an elite pass coverage crew a year later, but the former first-round pick probably could have secured a long-term deal with a better contract year.

Houston does not have much in the way of long-term pieces at corner, having Roby on a one-year deal and Johnathan Joseph going into his age-35 season. The Texans never received a quality return on their Kevin Johnson investment and is now without Jackson, who was the longest-tenured Texan on last year’s team. Houston also benched Aaron Colvin last season, so more moves may be coming for the Texans at this position — either through free agency or the draft.

For Roby, this is a chance to re-establish his value. While a $10MM accord is a solid payday, it’s a fraction of what the soon-to-be 27-year-old defender could earn if he bounces back next season.

Saints Interested In Dez Bryant Return

March 12th, 2019 at 2:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dez Bryant‘s Saints run did not produce any game action, the former All-Pro’s New Orleans tenure including brief practice work before a torn Achilles’ tendon sent him to IR.

But the Saints are curious about what Bryant has left. They would like Bryant to return, according to NFL.com’s Jane Slater (via Pro Football Talk).

Now 30, Bryant has not played since the 2017 season. He notoriously sat out much of last season, declining multiple offers, and wanted to re-enter free agency in 2019. Although Bryant is back in free agency, his Achilles injury scuttled his plan. Another one-year deal is almost certain for the former Cowboys standout.

New Orleans has go-to wideout Michael Thomas, who is entering a contract year, but none of its other receivers solidified themselves as a reliable option last season. The Saints’ lack of an upper-echelon tight end affected their passing game as well, but the Drew Brees-led offense obviously was one of the league’s best. Bryant, if he’s healthy, could fit as a possession-based auxiliary target, however.

Buccaneers Re-Sign QB Ryan Griffin

March 12th, 2019 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the status of Ryan Fitzpatrick is uncertain, the Buccaneers know who one of Jameis Winston‘s backups will be.

Ryan Griffin re-signed with the Bucs on a two-year deal. Griffin has been with the Bucs since the Lovie Smith regime, catching on via September 2015 waiver claim, but has yet to play a regular-season down. He will now work with Bruce Arians, his third Tampa Bay HC.

While he has not played beyond the preseason, Griffin has been on the past four Bucs active rosters. He spent time on the Saints’ active roster from 2013-14. The Bucs made Griffin their No. 2 quarterback near the end of last season, but Winston logged all the game snaps during those contests.

A Tulane product, Griffin is set to turn 30 this year. He has a chance to keep that backup job, but Arians may well prefer someone with more experience. Fitzpatrick is a free agent.

Rams Tender LB Cory Littleton, Others

March 12th, 2019 at 2:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Cory Littleton established himself as a surefire Rams starter last season. He figures to be a key component of Los Angeles’ 2019 defense.

The Rams placed a second-round tender on Littleton. That will come out to a $3.1MM salary for 2019, should no extension be reached before June’s RFA signing deadline.

A fourth-year UDFA, Littleton broke out for a 125-tackle, four-sack season in 2018 — his first as a full-time starter. With so many big contracts on the Rams’ roster, it helps they can get quality production from players with rookie-deal salaries. While the $3.1MM will take Littleton to a slightly higher tax bracket, that is a manageable figure for the Rams.

In addition to Littleton, the Rams made the following moves with other restricted and exclusive-rights free agents:

RFAs tendered at original-round level: DB Blake Countess, RB Malcolm Brown, CB Troy Hill

ERFAs tendered: DE Morgan Fox, CB Dominique Hatfield, WR KhaDarel Hodge, CB Kevin Peterson, WR JoJo Natson

Lions To Re-Sign RB Zach Zenner

March 12th, 2019 at 1:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Zach Zenner is back. On Tuesday, the running back agreed to a new deal with the Lions, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets. It’s a one-year agreement, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets.

Zenner enjoyed the best season of his career in 2016 when he ran for 334 yards and four touchdowns off of 88 carries. He also added 18 catches for 196 yards. All of those numbers stand as career highs for the former UDFA out of South Dakota State.

Last year, Zenner played a much smaller role with 55 carries for 265 yards and three touchdowns. However, his yards per carry average of 4.8 yards per tote was strong and represents a career high (albeit, one with a limited sample size).

Before re-upping with Detroit, the Vikings expressed interest in the Eagan, Minn., native, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune (on Twitter). Zenner could have replaced Latavius Murray after he left for the Saints, but they’ll have to go in another direction.

Latest On Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr.

March 12th, 2019 at 1:44pm CST by Zachary Links

An AFC North team is engaged in conversations with the Giants regarding Odell Beckham Jr., according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Beckham, she hears, remains available, despite the Giants’ previous denials.

Dave Gettleman‘s consistent insistence Beckham is not available has not stopped trade buzz, which has swirled around the superstar Giant for two offseasons.

If an AFC North team is in the running, one jumps out more than the others. The Browns are the most willing of these franchises to make big-splash outside additions, with the Bengals, Ravens and Steelers being more conservative regarding outside hires. Cleveland also has its rivals outflanked in cap space, and despite Jarvis Landry‘s 2018 deal, the Browns could seemingly make Beckham’s $18MM-per-year contract work.

However, the Steelers just lost arguably the best wide receiver in franchise history and only received third- and fifth-round picks for him. Beckham would be a fascinating replacement for Antonio Brown, though it would be interesting to see the Steelers abandon the Brown drama for a mercurial talent like Beckham. Although, Beckham is generally well-liked and respected in the Giants’ locker room.

Baltimore could use receiving help, and with Lamar Jackson in the fold, the Ravens may have to draft or trade for it — given free agent pass-catchers’ potential reluctance to sign with a run-based team. But Baltimore also may not want to allocate immense resources to the receiver spot, due to the nature of its new-look offense. The Bengals have A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and John Ross under contract, refuting a report the latter was on the trade block.

Beckham, 26, has five years remaining on his extension — one signed barely six months ago. Previous reports have indicated the Giants will only deal him if they are blown away by an offer.

Giants Re-Sign FB Eli Penny

March 12th, 2019 at 1:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants have been very quiet in free agency so far, but they’re bringing back one of their own. The Giants have re-signed fullback Eli Penny, according to a team announcement. Penny was signed off the Cardinals’ practice squad in September and appeared in the team’s final 14 games of the season.

Penny was an undrafted rookie out of Idaho back in 2016. He spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad, then made the 53-man roster as a sophomore. He played a meaningful role in the offense that year, rushing for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries.

In his time with the Giants last season, Penny racked up 25 yards on seven carries and added eight receptions for 50 yards. All told, he played around 12 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. Assuming New York decides to carry a fullback on the final 53-man roster, Penny will be back to help block for Saquon Barkley next year.

Falcons Restructure Matt Ryan’s Contract

March 12th, 2019 at 1:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Khalil Mack wasn’t the only superstar to get his contract restructured today. The Falcons are tweaking Matt Ryan‘s deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Yates writes the Falcons created $7MM in cap space by converting $8.75M of Ryan’s base salary into a signing bonus. It’s a win-win for both sides, as Ryan will get more money upfront while the team will get to spread the cap charge out over the course of the rest of his contract. Ryan signed a massive five-year extension with the team last May.

The Falcons had previously had the least cap space in the entire league according to Overthecap.com’s estimations, so this was a desperately needed move. The Falcons have been pretty quiet this offseason, and the only moves they’ve made this month have been franchise-tagging defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and extending backup quarterback Matt Schaub.

The Falcons have more flexibility now, so it’s safe to assume they’re looking to add a piece or two. 2019 will be a critical year for Atlanta after they fired almost all of their assistants after last season. If they don’t progress in 2019, head coach Dan Quinn could find himself out of a job.