2019 March - Pro Football Rumors

Cardinals To Release Jermaine Gresham

March 11th, 2019 at 11:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals will release tight end Jermaine Gresham, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The move won’t be formally completed until Thursday, the day after the new league year begins, for cap reasons.

Gresham, 31 in June, had just nine catches for 94 yards last season. Those were the lowest totals of any season in Gresham’s nine-year pro career.

The Cardinals, who badly need a reboot, were expected to drop Gresham this offseason. The move will save them roughly $2.47MM against the 2019 cap, though they’ll be saddled with $5.75MM in dead money.

Meanwhile, Gresham’s old job will be occupied by ex-Bills TE Charles Clay, who was inked to an early free agent deal in February. The Cardinals also have youngster Ricky Seals-Jones on the depth chart.

Giants Discussing Odell Beckham Jr. Trade

March 11th, 2019 at 11:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants are still involved in trade discussions with Odell Beckham Jr., according to a source who spoke with Jeff Howe of The Athletic (on Twitter). We’ve been hearing conflicting reports on OBJ’s availability, but it appears that one of the league’s best wide receivers remains is on the block.

The Giants, we heard, would not seriously entertain offers unless they were “overwhelmed” by another club’s pitch. But, at the same time, head coach Pat Shurmur was fed up with OBJ’s antics at times last year. OBJ drew the ire of team brass in 2018 when he openly questioned Eli Manning and the club’s quarterback situation.

Dave Gettleman gave his Odell Beckham Jr. party line at the combine, but nothing can be ruled out after Antonio Brown – this generation’s most dominant wide receiver – was traded to the Raiders. Brown’s lucrative extension with the Steelers did not preclude a trade and it’s believed that the Giants will approach OBJ talks with a similar mindset.

Following an injury-plagued 2017 campaign, OBJ managed to reel in 77 catches for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games last season. If he stays healthy and has the right pieces around him, it’s not hard to imagine OBJ getting back to the exceptional form he exhibited from 2014-2016.

Texans Offered Tyrann Mathieu Over $9.5MM Per Year

March 11th, 2019 at 11:42am CST by Rory Parks

We heard last week that the Texans had made a contract offer to safety Tyrann Mathieu in the hopes that they could convince him to steer clear of the free agent market. We now know that the deal was a long-term pact worth over $9.5MM per year, as Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets. Mathieu has elected to test the market instead, though he still wants to remain in Houston.

It is a very crowded safety market, but after free agent safeties struggled to find new homes and lucrative deals last season, it appears the increased supply of safety talent this year will not further diminish the demand. To the contrary, it seems that Mathieu may have been wise to turn down Houston’s offer, as he looks to be in high demand around the league (plus, we don’t know the length of Houston’s offer or the guaranteed money it contained).

The Ravens and Buccaneers have been rumored as potential fits, with plenty of chatter linking Mathieu to Baltimore in recent days. The Honey Badger was once the highest-paid safety in football, but he was cut by the Cardinals two years into a $12.5MM/year extension and revived his career in Houston after inking a one-year, $7MM pact with the Texans last March.

In 2018, the 26-year-old (27 in May) looked much like he did when he was at his best in Arizona, starting all 16 games and recording two picks and three sacks. Pro Football Focus appreciated his efforts, grading him as the 21st-best safety in the league.

Vikings Tender Anthony Harris

March 11th, 2019 at 11:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings are tendering safety Anthony Harris at the second-round level, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The move will earmark Harris for a one-year tender, $3.095MM contract.

The decision to tender Harris comes on the heels of the club’s call to decline Andrew Sendejo‘s option. Even after losing Sendejo, the Vikings will maintain some continuity by keeping Harris in the secondary.

Over the last four seasons, Harris has appeared in 51 games for the Vikings. In 2018, he took a step up in responsibility and started nine games at safety after Sendejo was lost for the year. The Vikings’ defense improved from that point, so the decision to retain Harris was something of a no-brainer.

The call on which tender to use, however, was a bit trickier. Apparently, the Vikings did not feel comfortable with using the original round tender on the former UDFA for fear of losing him.

Eagles Re-Sign Jason Peters

March 11th, 2019 at 11:32am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have signed tackle Jason Peters to a one-year contract for the 2019 season. The Eagles did hold a team option on Peters for the 2019 season, but this is a new deal that will create some cap savings for the Eagles. Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the deal is worth up to $10MM and includes $5.5MM guaranteed.

Peters, 37, has been with the Eagles for the last ten seasons, starting in every one of his games. He lost more than half of the 2017 season to injury, but he came back strong last year to start in all 16 contests. Peters has lost a step in his old age, but he still graded out as the No. 38 ranked tackle in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus. in years past, the advanced metrics portrayed him as an elite protector.

The Eagles are already busy on this free agent week, having just signed defensive tackle Malik Jackson. They also moved defensive lineman Michael Bennett to the Patriots, giving them some additional flexibility.

Texans Re-Sign DE Angelo Blackson

March 11th, 2019 at 11:27am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans and defensive end Angelo Blackson agreed to a new three-year, $12MM deal, a source tells Adam Caplan of NFL.com (on Twitter). Blackson played in 40% of the team’s defensive snaps last season and emerged as a pleasant surprise for Houston.

Blackson first joined the Texans in 2017 after spending the previous two seasons with the Titans. He had just nine tackles across nine games in Year One with Houston, but he took on a larger role last year. Appearing in all 16 games (four starts), Blackson amassed 24 tackles, one sack, and three passes defensed. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus graded him as just the 99th ranked interior defender out of 112 qualified players.

The Texans still have lots of work to do on the defensive line. Christian Covington, Brandon Dunn, and Joel Heath (RFA) still need to have their contracts addressed.

Raiders To Sign LT Trent Brown

March 11th, 2019 at 11:17am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are making some serious noise in March. On Monday, the club agreed to sign former Patriots tackle Trent Brown to a four-year, $66MM deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The pact, which includes $36.75MM guaranteed, will make Brown the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history.

The league-wide dearth of quality offensive lineman has taken the OL market to previously unforeseen heights. Brown had an excellent platform season in his first (and only) year with the Patriots in 2018, but few expected him to break the bank in this fashion.

Last year, Brown started in all 19 regular and postseason games for New England en route to a Super Bowl championship. Pro Football Focus was bullish on his performance, ranking him 32nd among 80 eligible linemen.

The Raiders already had a left tackle in UCLA product Kolton Miller, but he’ll be shifted back over to the right side, Schefter hears (Twitter link). Miller, who many felt was a reach at No. 15 overall in last year’s draft, produced mixed results in his 16 starts last year. The youngster may have a greater comfort level on the opposite side of Brown.

Meanwhile, veteran Donald Penn is a “strong candidate for release,” according to Michael Gehlken of the Review- Journal (on Twitter). By cutting Penn, the Raiders can save $7.225MM against the 2019 cap. Due to injuries, the usually durable Penn was limited to only four games in 2018.

Vikings To Release G Mike Remmers

March 11th, 2019 at 11:13am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings are releasing starting guard Mike Remmers, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. This figures to be the first of several offensive line moves as the Vikings look to fortify their front five.

Remmers inked a five-year, $30MM deal with the Vikings in March of 2017. Releasing him will save Minnesota $4.55MM in 2019 against $1.8MM in dead money.

Remmers worked as the Panthers’ starting right tackle from 2014-16, but he moved to right guard towards the end of the ’17 campaign with the Vikings. He hasn’t necessarily lived up to his deal, but the 29-year-old (30 in April) should still draw interest as a free agent.

In other Vikings news, the club declined to pick up the option on safety Andrew Sendejo.

Vikings To Decline Andrew Sendejo’s Option

March 11th, 2019 at 10:35am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings will decline the option on safety Andrew Sendejo, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Sendejo will join an exceptionally talented safety market, which could limit his earning potential.

Sendejo, 32 in September, suffered a groin injury in Week 5 of last season and was unable to return. It may be coincidental, but the Vikings’ defense actually got better since turning to reserves Anthony Harris, George Iloka, and Jayron Kearse in his stead. In the first five weeks of the season, the Vikings surrendered 26.2 points per contest. Sendejo’s campaign ended with 27 total tackles and one pass deflection across five games.

The veteran was due a $5.5MM salary for 2019, but that sum was completely non-guaranteed. By declining Sendejo’s option, the Vikings will gain a good deal of flexibility to take care of their own free agents and make some small additions this week.

Buccaneers To Keep DeSean Jackson

March 11th, 2019 at 10:31am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers tried shopping DeSean Jackson, but they have been unable to find a suitable trade, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. So, for now, the Bucs’ plan is to keep the mercurial wide receiver, Russini hears.

Jackson, 32, made a lot of noise about wanting out of Tampa Bay during the season. But, this offseason, new head coach Bruce Arians was vocal about wanting to keep the deep threat in the fold. Arians may still want to smooth things out with DJax, but there’s still the matter of his contract. Jackson is due $10MM in 2019, but that sum is completely non-guaranteed, and that does not sit well with Jackson.

Jackson’s stat line hasn’t been much to write home about over the last two years, but he still has the ability to blow the cover off of any secondary. Last season, he had just 774 yards receiving, but he led the league with 18.9 yards per reception. They say speed is the first attribute to go after the age of 30, but Jackson still has the jets to make big plays happen.

Of course, plans tend to change quickly this time of year, so this is still a situation worth monitoring. Jackson reportedly wants to reunite with the Eagles and an outright release still feels like a possibility.