2019 March - Pro Football Rumors

Saints Re-Sign Craig Robertson

March 11th, 2019 at 3:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are keeping linebacker Craig Robertson, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’ll return on a two-year deal worth more than $4MM.

Like safety Chris Banjo, Robertson is a key special teams player for New Orleans. Banjo himself received a new deal from the Saints this week, a three-year extension worth $9MM.

Robertson was not believed to be a priority for the Saints heading into this week, but they still found the room to keep him on an inexpensive deal. Moving forward, the Saints’ top priorities are expected to be at tight end, defensive tackle, and backup quarterback.

Texans Tender Ka’imi Fairbairn, Brennan Scarlett; Re-Sign Joel Heath

March 11th, 2019 at 3:02pm CST by Rory Parks

In a day full of big headlines, the Texans took care of some less conspicuous business. Per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the club tendered RFA kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn at the second-round level ($3.095MM). That was a no-brainer for Houston, as Fairbairn turned in an excellent season in 2018, nailing 88.1% of his field goals and sinking all of his attempts of less than 40 yards. He also made 39 of 41 extra point tries and led the NFL with 150 points.

The Texans also retained RFA linebacker Brennan Scarlett with a $2.025MM original round tender. Scarlett started three games for the club last year, compiling 18 tackles to go along with a forced fumble and an interception.

Houston did not tender defensive end Joel Heath, another RFA, but they did re-sign him to a one-year deal worth less than the $2.025MM original round tender. Heath appeared in five games last year but did not record a sack as he saw his usage decrease considerably from 2017.

None of these moves come as a surprise, as the Texans were expected to retain all of their restricted free agents. Houston also re-signed DE Angelo Blackson earlier today.

Bengals To Re-Sign T Bobby Hart

March 11th, 2019 at 2:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bobby Hart‘s second NFL team plans to reward him after his 16-start season. The Bengals are re-signing the fifth-year offensive lineman, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Cincinnati’s full-time starter at right tackle last season, Hart will sign for $21MM over three years, Schefter adds. This marks a major step for Hart, whom the Giants cut on Day 1 of Dave Gettleman‘s GM tenure.

Hart did not fare well in New York, and Gettleman waived him in December 2017. A former seventh-round pick during the Jerry Reese era, Hart caught on with the Bengals and started every game last season. While Pro Football Focus graded him as the No. 69 tackle last season, this is starter-level money. It appears the Bengals are showing faith in Hart continuing to man the right edge of their front.

The Bengals now have three veteran contracts along their O-line, with Hart’s deal joining the pacts on which Cordy Glenn and Clint Boling are attached. Despite his Giants performance, Hart is now tied to a deal that places him seventh among right tackles, in terms of per-year earnings.

Jets Chasing Anthony Barr

March 11th, 2019 at 2:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are stepping up their pursuit of linebacker Anthony Barr, according to a source who spoke with Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter). It’s the logical next step after the Jets missed out on Kwon Alexander, who just agreed to sign a whopping four-year, $54MM deal with the 49ers.

Barr, who turns 27 on March 18, has spent his entire five-year career with the Vikings thus far. He’s earned Pro Bowl nods in each of the last four seasons, but the Vikings passed on the opportunity to tag him for $15.9MM.

Barr was employed as a 4-3 ‘backer in Minnesota, but he was a 3-4 outside linebacker at UCLA and could refocus his efforts on the pass rush. New defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was widely expected to flip Gang Green to a 4-3 look, but he’s reportedly going to keep things consistent with a 3-4 scheme.

In college, Barr amassed 23.5 sacks in his last two years in Westwood. In the NFL, he has never tallied more than four sacks in any given season. Last year, Barr had three sacks to go along with 55 tackles across 13 games.

Bucs’ DeSean Jackson Wants Out

March 11th, 2019 at 2:38pm CST by Zachary Links

DeSean Jackson is hoping to be traded to the Eagles or released by the Buccaneers, a source close to the wide receiver tells ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine (Twitter link). Ultimately, DJax is angling for a fresh new start.

The wide receiver also took to Instagram on Monday to bid farewell to the Tampa area:

“Tampa it was a great experience, but things didn’t work out !! Looking forward to my next destination .. 👀 👀 Stay Tuned,” Jackson wrote.

Jackson, 32, made a lot of noise about wanting out of Tampa Bay during the season and, apparently, the hiring of Bruce Arians hasn’t swayed him. As it stands, Jackson is due $10MM in 2019, but the remainder of his contract is completely non-guaranteed.

There’s no real word on whether the Eagles would welcome a DJax reunion, but it stands to reason that they will want him back in order to fill their deep threat void. Last year, Jackson averaged a league-leading 18.9 yards per reception.

The Bucs, meanwhile, intend to keep Jackson, so this saga is far from over.

Lions To Sign Trey Flowers

March 11th, 2019 at 2:32pm CST by Rory Parks

The Lions have agreed to sign free agent DE Trey Flowers, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Schefter tweets that it will be a five-year pact, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that it will be worth around $16MM-$17MM per year.

The official Flowers numbers are in. It’s a five-year, $90MM deal for the former Patriots defensive end, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter), adding Flowers will receive $56MM guaranteed and $40MM fully guaranteed at signing. All of that fully guaranteed cash will come Flowers’ way by 2020, per Albert Breer of SI.com (on Twitter). Flowers will earn $28.88MM in 2019 and $54.37MM in the first three years of this deal.

This contract will bring a $28MM signing bonus, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). The first two base salaries — $805K in 2019 and $11.13MM (2020) — are fully guaranteed, per Wilson, who adds Flowers’ next two salaries will be $14.38MM (2021, with that total being guaranteed for injury only) and $10MM. The $10MM 2022 figure becomes fully guaranteed if Flowers is on the Lions’ roster on the third day of the 2021 league year.

Flowers was one of the top defenders available on the market this year, and it was reported this morning that the Bills were interested in his services. The Jets and Dolphins were also rumored to be interested in the soon-to-be former Patriot, but he instead opted to reunite with Matt Patricia in Detroit to bolster a pass rush that definitely needs some help.

Flowers won’t turn 26 until August, so he has the chance to build on an already impressive resume. Last year, he set a new career high with 7.5 sacks and continued to generate pressure against opposing QBs. He graded out as the sixth-best edge rusher in the entire NFL according to Pro Football Focus, and he posted a career-best 88.7 overall score. That mark put him below only Calais Campbell, Khalil Mack, J.J. Watt, Von Miller, and Cameron Jordan.

The Lions were expected to be active in free agency, and they have not disappointed. Flowers is the biggest addition the club has made so far, but they also signed Danny Amendola this morning and are expected to sign Justin Coleman.

Bengals Re-Sign TE C.J. Uzomah

March 11th, 2019 at 2:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Tight end C.J. Uzomah has agreed to terms on a new deal with the Bengals. The fresh pact will be a three-year deal worth upwards of $18MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Uzomah, 26, set new career highs in catches (43), yards (439), and touchdowns (3) in 2018. The Bengals aimed to keep Uzomah, especially with Tyler Eifert and Tyler Kroft also bound for free agency, and they got a deal done on the first day of the legal tampering period.

Eifert has missed an astounding 34 games since his 2015 Pro Bowl season, but the team reportedly still has some level of interest in retaining him. Kroft also lost time due to injury, but there’s reportedly a path for him to return as well.

Browns Interested In C.J. Mosley

March 11th, 2019 at 2:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

As expected, C.J. Mosley has generated immediate interest during the legal tampering period. In addition to the Jets’ and Redskins’ interest, a Ravens division rival would like to pry the linebacker away from Baltimore.

The Browns are in on the Mosley pursuit, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. They hold north of $68MM in cap space and recently released Jamie Collins, though Cleveland — which has Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey — is not desperate for a linebacker addition. Mosley, however, is far more accomplished than the Browns’ incumbents.

The four-time Pro Bowler may want to reset the market for non-rush linebackers. Collins’ $12.5MM-AAV deal is no longer the standard, and Luke Kuechly‘s $12.4MM-per-year accord tops the market. Of course, with that deal having come several years ago, it would stand to reason Mosley’s camp would want him to top that price.

With Washington having just authorized a safety-record $14MM-AAV pact for Landon Collins, it can be fairly safe to assume that will be the team’s big-money defensive deal. The Browns have far more cap space than the Redskins, but the Jets hold more than both teams. Eric DeCosta said he believed Mosley would be back in Baltimore; that will be a big test for the first-year GM, with the pursuit heating up.

Redskins To Sign Landon Collins

March 11th, 2019 at 2:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Landon Collins has agreed to sign with the Redskins (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson). It’s a whopper of a contract: Collins will receive a six-year, $84MM deal with $45MM guaranteed to be paid out over the first three years, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).

That’s an astronomical figure for a box safety and a huge change from last year’s safety market, which led to disappointing deals for big names such as Tyrann Mathieu. Many feared that the safety market would continue to stall, but things are looking up for the NFL’s last line of defense.

Up until this point, Collins spent his entire career with the rival Giants, a team that did not feel he was worthy of the franchise tag this offseason. Collins clashed with team brass over his contract and threatened to hold out, leading to his exit. The Giants ultimately preferred a shot at a 2020 third-round compensatory pick to keeping one of the game’s most talented young safeties.

Collins, a second-round pick in the 2015 draft, has been a full-time starter for the Giants since entering the league. A two-time Pro Bowler, Collins posted 96 tackles, four passes defensed, and a forced fumble in 2018 while grading as the NFL’s 39th-best safety, per Pro Football Focus.

The Redskins acquired safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix from the Packers last year, but his status is in limbo as an unrestricted free agent. Collins will solidify a group that has moved on from D.J. Swearinger and might not include Montae Nicholson.

Jets To Re-Sign CB Darryl Roberts

March 11th, 2019 at 2:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are set to re-sign cornerback Darryl Roberts, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News. Terms of the deal are not yet known.

New defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is likely planning some big changes on defense, but Roberts apparently fits his vision Last year, Roberts made ten starts and played in 65% of the team’s defensive snaps. He also played a significant role on special teams. For his career, Roberts has made 16 starts.

In other Jets cornerback news, the club has opted against retaining Morris Claiborne.