HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

Texans To Release S Tashaun Gipson

April 27th, 2020 at 2:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans are moving on from Tashaun Gipson, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The safety will be released with two years to go on his three-year, $22.5MM deal.

[RELATED: Lions Deny Backing Out Of Trade With Texans]

Gipson hooked on with Houston prior to the 2019 season, fresh off of a three-year stint with the Jaguars. The Jags also dropped him midway through a lucrative deal – he was in the midst of a five-year, $36MM pact when Jacksonville let him go.

In his final season with the Jaguars, Gipson graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 37 ranked safety in the NFL. He was also valued for his durability, having started in all 48 of his games across three seasons. Unfortunately, he suffered a transverse process fracture in his back late last year, ending his season towards the end of the calendar year.

By cutting Gipson, the Texans will save $3.2MM while carrying $4.25MM in dead money. Meanwhile, they’ll look for a new partner for Justin Reid in center field. He’s been pushing for the Texans to sign his brother, Eric Reid, which would give the Texans a formidable 1-2 brotherly duo in the secondary. Whether they bring the Reid Bros. together or not, a veteran signing is pretty much a must. The Texans did not draft a safety over the weekend and their current group doesn’t offer any shoe-in replacements for the starting lineup.

Jets To Exercise Jamal Adams’ Fifth-Year Option

April 27th, 2020 at 1:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets will exercise Jamal Adams‘ fifth-year option, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News. This, of course, won’t be the end of the Jets’ contractual dealings with the standout safety.

With the option, Adams will be slated to earn $9.86MM in 2021 – guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, he’s looking for a brand new multi-year deal that will reset the market as his position. The Jets have explored trading him in the past, but GM Joe Douglas claims that he’s staying put.

“[Adams] was a big reason I was excited about coming here,” Douglas said recently. “I feel this guy is a core player. The main goal that I’m trying to do right now is to surround him with like-minded players, because we know Jamal is a dog.”

The two-time Pro Bowler has drawn interest from the Cowboys and several other clubs, but Douglas has said that he wants Adams to be a “Jet for life.” We may soon find out whether that’s the case, though Adams’ camp has not set any sort of deadline in talks.

A new deal for Adams would likely vault him ahead of Eddie Jackson, whose recent four-year, $58.4MM deal made him the highest-paid safety in the league. His $14.6MM average annual value leads the position and his $33MM in guarantees – more than half of the deal’s total value – will be front of mind for Adams’ reps in negotiations.

Cardinals Sign 21 UDFAs

April 27th, 2020 at 1:47pm CST by Zachary Links

On Monday afternoon, the Falcons announced a larger-than-usual 20-player UDFA class. Not to be outdone, the Cardinals added 21 undrafted rookies to their offseason roster:

The Cardinals had only 18 open spots heading into this week, so they’ll have to trim a few players from the roster. Arizona GM Steve Keim went heavy on corners in this UDFA class after passing on defensive backs throughout the draft.

Ward, out of Hawaii, is among the more notable names on the list. The wide receiver put himself on the pro radar in 2018 as he averaged a DeSean Jackson-esque 17 yards per reception. But, even with the benefit of Hawaii’s run-and-shoot offense, his production dipped in 2019. The Cardinals are still curious to see whether his solid in-game speed will translate to NFL success.

Falcons Sign 20 UDFAs

April 27th, 2020 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have signed 20 undrafted free agents, per a team announcement. Between the UDFAs and their draft picks, the Falcons will be welcoming a total of 26 rookies to Atlanta. Of course, only some of those NFL neophytes will actually make the cut.

Here’s the full rundown of the Falcons’ UDFA class:

Rowland, a receiver out of FCS program Tennessee State, scored an $80K bonus on his deal, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Last year, Rowland led his squad with 57 catches for 727 yards and five touchdowns. He also showed his speed in the return game, where he averaged 13 yards per punt return. Rowland, Green, and McCleskey will push to stick in Atlanta behind Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Laquon Treadwell, and five other receivers under contract.

Giants Sign 15 Undrafted Players

April 27th, 2020 at 1:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants have agreed to sign 15 undrafted free agents, per a club announcement. They had 80 players on the roster heading into Monday morning, so five players will have to be cut in order to make room for the newcomers. Here’s the full rundown:

Dillon’s deal includes a $40K guarantee, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. That’s an indication that other clubs were keen on the LSU product. Last year, Dillon finished out with 15 catches for 202 yards and two touchdowns in Joe Burrow‘s offense.

Cookus, a quarterback out of Northern Arizona, likely would have heard his name called over the weekend if not for a pair of season-ending shoulder injuries in college. In his final season with the Lumberjacks, Cookus threw for nearly 4,100 yards and 31 touchdowns. Still, making the Giants’ 53-man roster cut will be tough as they already have Colt McCoy and Alex Tanney slotted behind starter Daniel Jones.

Patriots’ James Develin Retires From NFL

April 27th, 2020 at 12:44pm CST by Zachary Links

James Develin is calling it a career. On Monday, Develin announced his retirement from the sport via Instagram. 

[RELATED: Bill Belichick On QB Plans]

“Due to unforeseen complications with the injury that ended my season last year, I have decided it is both in my and my family’s best interest to retire from the game of football,” Develin wrote. “I’ve always maintained a believe that, in the sport, the team is much more important than myself as an individual. That belief still rings true, as I have to prioritize my team at home before anything else.”

Develin’s season ended in September after he suffered a neck injury. After thinking it over, Develin decided to move on rather than jeopardize his health further.

Develin signed his first NFL deal with the Bengals, but he has played every pro down with the Patriots. Save for the 2015 season he lost to injury, Develin appeared in every regular season game for the Pats between 2013 and 2018. In 2017, he earned his first career Pro Bowl nomination. In 2018, he inked a two-year contract extension, taking him through the 2020 season.

The 31-year-old (32 in July) didn’t see lots of targets in the Patriots’ offense, but he always provided reliable blocking. In ’17, for example, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 ranked run blocker among all qualified fullbacks and fourth amongst FBs in his blocking. Many teams have gotten away from using a fullback, but Develin bucked the trend as a throwback and an underrated part of the Pats’ game plan.

Even though Develin won’t be with the Patriots this year, he’ll be cheering them on from afar.

“Thank you to New England and Pats nation for your continued support of my team,” Develin wrote. “I look forward to continuing to support them right along with you.”

Vikings Sign 12 UDFAs

April 27th, 2020 at 11:46am CST by Zachary Links

On Monday, the Vikings formally signed a dozen undrafted free agents:

The Vikings gave Davis a $100K guarantee (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle), a sizable sum for UDFAs. Davis is coming off of solid back-to-back seasons with the Aggies and many expect him to hear his name called on Day 3. In 2019, he caught 54 passes for 616 yards and four touchdowns. Davis and Chisena will fight for a place on the WR depth chart, which also includes first-round pick Justin Jefferson and fifth-round choice K.J. Osborn.

Clarke, meanwhile, fetched a total guarantee of $115K (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press) and Aiello has $45K locked in (Twitter link via Wilson).

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/27/20

April 27th, 2020 at 11:29am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Released: QB Manny Wilkins

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

San Francisco 49ers

  • Released: S Jacob Thieneman

Browns To Exercise Options On Myles Garrett, David Njoku

April 27th, 2020 at 11:11am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns will exercise their fifth-year options on defensive end Myles Garrett and tight end David Njoku, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter). With that, both players will remain under club control through the 2021 season. 

The Browns have opted to stay the course with Garrett – the former No. 1 overall pick – despite his role in last year’s brawl against the Steelers. Now reinstated, Garrett will look to build off of the progress he made pre-suspension.The Texas A&M product managed ten sacks in just ten games last season. Had he played a full season, he likely would have shattered his previous watermark of 13.5 sacks from 2018. All in all, he’s got 30.5 sacks, the highest total of any Browns player within the first three years of their career.

Njoku’s decision was actually a tricker one for the Browns since they’ve added Austin Hooper in free agency. Njoku missed the bulk of the 2019 season thanks to a wrist injury and the fifth-year option is guaranteed for injury only (next year, that will change, thanks to the new CBA). Before that, the tight end enjoyed a breakout 2018 campaign as he recorded 56 catches for 539 yards and four touchdowns. For comparison: Hooper is a two-time Pro Bowler coming off of his best season ever.

Patriots To Release Obi Melifonwu

April 27th, 2020 at 10:58am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are cutting safety Obi Melifonwu, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The former second-round pick of the Raiders will try to get his career back on track with another team in 2020.

[RELATED: Patriots Pass On Draft QBs, Sign UDFA Brian Lewerke]

Melifonwu didn’t see much playing time in his first year with Oakland due to injury. He finished out his rookie year with seven tackles in five games and two separate IR stints. After his release and injury settlement, he worked out for the Cowboys, Chiefs, Saints, and other clubs before hooking on with the Pats. Now that the Patriots are putting him back on the curb, those other clubs could revisit the safety as a low-cost and low-risk addition to the 90-man roster.

Melifonwu spent time on the Patriots’ taxi squad last year and re-upped with the team on a futures deal in January. After the Pats used a second-round pick to select Kyle Dugger out of D-II Lenoir-Rhyne University, they didn’t have a place for the 26-year-old.

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