HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Broncos Looking To Re-Sign Matt Paradis

March 11th, 2019 at 10:44pm CST by Ben Levine

Free agent Matt Paradis is generating some interest on the open market, but a return to Denver still sounds like it’s in the cards.

Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos have restarted talks with the veteran center. However, Troy Renck of Denver7 adds that the 29-year-old snapper and the Broncos were not close in their talks earlier Monday evening.

We heard in late February that Denver was going to let Paradis hit the open market, and the Jets have been mentioned as one potential suitor for the 29-year-old. The five-year veteran is generally regarded as the top center on the market. Jason Kelce and Maurkice Pouncey recently increased the top of the center market to $11MM per year, meaning Paradis is in line for a lucrative payday.

As our own Sam Robinson wrote earlier today, given how teams have spent on offensive linemen in recent years, it is not out of the question that Paradis could exceed the deals received by Kelce and Pouncey. Ryan Jensen became the highest-paid center via 2018 free agency accord, and Paradis has a longer track record of success than Jensen. The Bills also made Mitch Morse the new highest-paid center earlier Monday, perhaps further raising Paradis’ asking price.

Having started every game with the Broncos since the start of the 2015 season, Paradis broke his fibula to end his 2018 season. But he is still likely to command a top-market contract, having been one of the NFL’s top centers since the 2016 season.

Klis tweets that the Broncos also restarted talks with offensive lineman Billy Turner today. However, it’s uncertain if the team still has interest in Turner following the signing of offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James.

New York Notes: Tannehill, Mosley, Giants

March 11th, 2019 at 10:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets made some noise on Day 1 of the legal tampering period, adding Anthony Barr, Jamison Crowder and Josh Bellamy to the mix. Their Barr deal also may not preclude them from a C.J. Mosley pact. The Jets aggressively pursued the four-time Pro Bowl linebacker on Monday, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. Other teams — including the Browns, Colts and Redskins, in addition to the Ravens — made pushes for Mosley, and those may start back up again Tuesday. The linebacker remains unsigned. The Jets still have plenty of cap room and may be set to waive Darron Lee soon, creating room for Mosley alongside Avery Williamson.

While Barr is expected to help the Jets’ edge rush, he is also viewed as someone who will play off the ball, Mehta notes, comparing the latest high-priced Gregg Williams chess piece to Jamie Collins — the Browns’ off-ball ‘backer who would rush quarterbacks as well. However, it sounds like Barr — a UCLA edge defender — will see more time in rush roles than Collins did.

Here is more from the Jets’ first day of unofficial free agency and the latest from Giants headquarters:

  • A third Josh McCown Jets season could occur, with the team maintaining some interest in the soon-to-be 40-year-old passer backing up Sam Darnold, per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. But McCown released a statement Monday night indicating he is undecided on continuing his career, which could put the Jets in the market for another backup.
  • One of those options figures to be Ryan Tannehill, given his three-year run with Adam Gase in Miami. However, the soon-to-be-released quarterback has not come up in Jets meetings about filling their QB2 role, per Mehta. Tannehill could command a higher-end backup salary, like McCown, due to his extensive run as a starter. But he has not proven he can stay healthy since his knee troubles began in 2016.
  • A Mosley backup plan may be former Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall. The Jets expressed interest in the longtime Denver starter, according to Vacchiano. This would also point to Lee not being in the team’s plans any longer.
  • A third Morris Claiborne contract will not be on the Jets’ agenda, despite their need at corner, Vacchiano adds. Claiborne’s past two free agency stays ended with Jets deals; the veteran corner will likely have to seek his latest contract elsewhere.
  • The Broncos just reset the right tackle market, with their four-year, $52MM deal for Ja’Wuan James, and that should drive up the price for Daryl Williams. The Giants are likely to express interest in the former Panthers starter, Vacchiano notes. But as was the case with former Dave Gettleman find Andrew Norwell, whom the Giants tried to sign last year, Williams probably won’t come cheap. That said, Norwell and James were coming off healthy seasons; Williams missed almost all of last season because of leg injuries.
  • Big Blue, per Vacchiano, also inquired Monday about former Redskins outside linebacker Preston Smith, who is one of this market’s top edge defenders. The Giants just traded Olivier Vernon to the Browns and have a massive need on the edge. But Smith will also be a coveted commodity on this market.

Extra Points: Mathieu, Texans, Bucs, Bennett, Bears

March 11th, 2019 at 10:31pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like the Texans tried to keep Tyrann Mathieu before he ultimately signed with the Chiefs. Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo tweets that Houston offered the safety a long-term deal that would have paid him around $9.5MM per season.

The reporter notes that the Texans and Chiefs were bidding for Mathieu until the end, and Houston’s final offer was close to Kansas City’s. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle writes that the organization was (and, presumably, is) “willing to spend liberally” on a veteran safety, and both general manager Brian Gaine and coach Bill O’Brien wanted to keep Mathieu.

The safety ended up inking a three years worth $42MM with the Chiefs. The Texans have reportedly shifted their focus to other safeties, including Earl Thomas.

Let’s take a look at some additional notes from around the NFL…

  • Besides a safety, McClain notes that the Texans are also hunting for a pass-rushing “inside player.” The team could ultimately look towards the draft if nothing solidifies during free agency.
  • The Buccaneers reached out to linebacker Deone Bucannon, reports Greg Auman of The Athletic (via Twitter). The 26-year-old had spent his entire career with the Cardinals, and he started all of his 41 games between 2015 and 2017. He took a bit of a step back in 2018, compiling 38 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 13 games (six starts). The linebacker played with new Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians during their stints in Arizona.
  • Following the Patriots‘ acquisition of Michael Bennett, there were some rumblings that his brother, tight end Martellus Bennett, would come out of retirement and return to New England. However, the Patriots’ new acquisition poured some water on the rumors this evening, saying that the whispers of Martellus coming out of retirement were “fake news” (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). After winning a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2016, the tight end split the 2017 season between New England and Green Bay.
  • The Bears are expecting a pair of defensive backs to go elsewhere this offseason. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes that safety Adrian Amos is “close to having a deal in place elsewhere,” and it sounds like the team is already eyeing potential replacements. Meanwhile, Biggs notes that cornerback Bryce Callahan won’t be back with the Bears after they signed veteran Buster Skrine.
  • Before agreeing to a deal with the Broncos, safety Kareem Jackson was hoping he’d be back in Houston. However, the veteran didn’t receive a whole lot of interest from the Texans, leading to the player feeling “a little disrespected.” “They didn’t even approach me with an offer or any type of deal,” Jackson told Mark Berman of KRIV (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “Obviously, they didn’t want me back or whatever the case may be. I’m not really sure. My agent was never approached by anybody from the Texans organization, so I wasn’t offered a deal of any sort. I kind of feel a little disrespected to be honest about it. At the end of the day, no hard feelings. I had a great nine years here. This will always be home for me. I definitely appreciate all the memories and all the opportunities. I appreciate the fans and everything I was able to build here. I’ll always have love for Houston.”

Broncos To Add T Ja’Wuan James

March 11th, 2019 at 10:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a quiet Monday afternoon, the Broncos are spending big as the night progresses. They have reached an agreement to bring in Ja’Wuan James, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

This will be a massive deal, with Schefter adding the five-year Dolphins blocker will become the NFL’s highest-paid right tackle. James will receive a four-year, $52MM deal, with $32MM of that being guaranteed. This comes barely an hour after the Broncos authorized a three-year, $33MM deal for Kareem Jackson.

Denver’s big move figures to stop its streak of one-and-done right tackle starters. Since Orlando Franklin was moved to guard before the 2014 season, the Broncos have used a different primary right tackle each year. This will mark the sixth straight season the Broncos will have a new Week 1 right tackle, but James has been a target for a while.

The Broncos had a trade in place to acquire James from the Dolphins, who would have gotten C.J. Anderson in the 2018 proposal, but Miami nixed the move and kept James as its right tackle starter. Although the Dolphins are taking a rebuilding approach this offseason, Chris Grier said at the Combine they wanted to retain James.

This represents a major markup at the right tackle position, with Lane Johnson previously being the only eight-figure-per-year player here. James’ $13MM-AAV deal will easily usurp the Eagles stalwart’s status ($11.25MM per year) at this spot.

Pro Football Focus has measured James, a 2014 first-round pick, as an above-average tackle. He graded as a top-35 tackle last season. The former Tennessee Volunteer, though, has encountered injury troubles. He missed eight games in 2017 and nine in 2015. Other than that, the 26-year-old blocker was Miami’s starter since Week 1 of his rookie year.

Denver pivoted from Franklin to Chris Clark to Ty Sambrailo to Michael Schofield to Donald Stephenson to Menelik Watson to Jared Veldheer. That succession will stop with James, with this contract tethering him to the Broncos for years.

Contract Details: Collins, Morse, Graham

March 11th, 2019 at 9:56pm CST by Ben Levine

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed contracts from around the NFL:

  • Landon Collins, S (Redskins): Six years, $84MM deal, $45MM guaranteed. $15MM signing bonus, $6MM option bonus for 2024 (exercised between first and fifth of 2020). Deal includes $32MM guaranteed over the first two seasons. $5MM of his 2021 salary is guaranteed at signing. Salaries: $1MM (2019), $10MM (2020), $12.5MM (2021), $11.5MM (2022), $12.5MM (2023), $13.5MM (2024). All Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, and ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
  • Mitch Morse, C (Bills): Four years, $44.5MM, $26.5MM guaranteed (original story). Receives $19.5MM in 2019, $28.375MM in 2020. Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero.
  • Brandon Graham, DE (Eagles): Three years, $40MM. $23.5MM guaranteed. $12.5MM signing bonus. Salary: $1MM (2019), $10MM (2020). Team option for 2021: $13MM salary and $3.5MM option bonus. Twitter link via Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic.
  • Danny Amendola, WR (Lions): One year, $4.5MM. $4.25MM fully guaranteed. $250K in per-game roster bonuses, $1.25MM in incentives. Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.
  • Tyler Kroft, TE (Bills): Three years, $18.75MM. $8.3MM guaranteed, $2.4MM signing bonus. Will earn $1.8MM salary in 2019, $4.45MM in 2020. Roster bonuses include $2.1MM (2019), $750K (2020), $750K (2021). Twitter links via Wilson and ESPN’s Mike Rodak.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/11/19

March 11th, 2019 at 9:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s moves involving restricted and exclusive-rights free agents:

ERFAs

Tendered:

RFAs

Tendered at second-round level:

Tendered at original-round level:

Non-tendered:

Raiders Expected To Sign Lamarcus Joyner

March 11th, 2019 at 9:03pm CST by Ben Levine

Lamarcus Joyner is heading to the Raiders. The team is expected to sign the former Rams safety, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez tweets that the deal is expected to pay Joyner around $10.5MM per season.

The 2014 second-rounder had spent his entire career with the Rams organization, and he continued to take on a bigger role with the team throughout his five-year tenure. Joyner started a (then) career-high 12 games in 2017, finishing with 49 tackles, nine passes defended, and three picks. This led to the Rams slapping him with the franchise tag, and the safety proceeded to play the 2018 season on a one-year, $11.28MM deal.

Joyner earned his worth last season, compiling 78 tackles, one sack, three passes defended, and one interception in 15 games. The 28-year-old also appeared in all three playoff games for Los Angeles, and he had six tackles in the Rams’ Super Bowl loss. Pro Football Focus was particularly bullish of his 2018 performance, ranking him 29th among 93 eligible safeties.

The Raiders have been busy over the past two days. After trading for Antonio Brown and trading away guard Kelechi Osemele to the Jets yesterday, the team opened free agency by signing offensive tackle Trent Brown and re-signing defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.

Jets Looking To Move On From LB Darron Lee

March 11th, 2019 at 8:46pm CST by Ben Levine

With the Jets expected to sign Anthony Barr, the team is apparently looking to move on from one of their current linebackers. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily Post reports that the team sought a linebacker upgrade “with the hope of ultimately moving on” from former first-rounder Darron Lee.

To be clear, it doesn’t necessarily sound like Barr will replace Lee in the literal sense. The free agent addition is expected to be an “off-ball” linebacker, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini (on Twitter), a role that Barr’s familiar with from his days at UCLA. As Mehta explains, new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was seeking a linebacker who would play a role that was similar to Jamie Collins‘ in Cleveland last season.

Still, the Jets are expected to team up Barr with Avery Williamson and then “explore their remaining options for Lee,” according to Mehta. The 24-year-old hasn’t emerged as a bona fide playmaker during his three seasons in the NFL. Lee did tally 94 tackles and three sacks in 2017, but he took a step back in 2018, finishing with 74 tackles and no sacks in 12 games (he did compile a career-high three interceptions).

The linebacker was suspended for the final four games of the 2018 season after violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse. Mehta writes that the suspension “triggered a forfeiture of his guaranteed money,” meaning the Jets could move on from Lee without taking a significant financial hit. The defender is set to make $1.8MM in 2019.

Eagles Expected To Retain Nelson Agholor

March 11th, 2019 at 8:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Yet another Eagles splash move at wide receiver places Nelson Agholor in a precarious position, but the fifth-year player may be set to be part of another Philadelphia receiving corps.

Despite his 2019 option price of $9.4MM, Agholor is likely to remain with the Eagles, Jeff McLane of Philly.com tweets. Agholor staying means he will join Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson on what would be quite the well-compensated wideout trio.

Jackson is expected to sign an three-year, $27MM extension, and Jeffery is tied to a four-year, $48MM deal. Agholor’s fifth-year option makes it somewhat uncertain he makes sense to return, given Philadelphia’s expenses elsewhere. But the former USC pass-catcher has been a key component of the past two Eagle passing attacks.

Last season, the Eagles brought in Golden Tate at the trade deadline, somewhat diminishing Agholor’s role. But the Eagles’ incumbent slot receiver still caught a career-high 64 passes for 736 yards and four touchdowns. With Jeffery and Jackson in the fold, a Tate return to Philly no longer makes sense.

Agholor could be a trade candidate, per McLane, so that bears monitoring. For now, however, the Eagles have a Jeffery-Jackson-Agholor trio to team with Zach Ertz.

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