2021 March - Pro Football Rumors

49ers Re-Sign K’Waun Williams

March 24th, 2021 at 10:20am CST by Zachary Links

K’Waun Williams found plenty of interest on the open market, but the 49ers managed to keep him from straying. On Wednesday, the Niners agreed to a new one-year deal with the slot cornerback (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

The veteran cover man agreed to a modest contract to stay in San Francisco, rejoining the 49ers on a one-year, $2.38MM pact, Rapoport adds (via Twitter). This agreement comes after Williams’ three-year, $10MM extension expired after the 2020 season.

The Lions, Chiefs, and Jets also had their eye on Williams. The Jets were an especially logical destination, since Williams played for Robert Saleh in San Francisco.

Williams was limited to just eight games last year between his ankle injuries and knee issues. But, in the previous year, he played in 15 contests with eight starts while snagging two interceptions.

Williams, 30 in July, started his career as a Browns UDFA. Since then, he’s blossomed into one of the league’s stronger slot specialists. Now, he’ll return for another season, along with recently re-signed corners Emmanuel Moseley and Jason Verrett. Richard Sherman, meanwhile, seems destined to head elsewhere.

Bengals To Meet With Ryan Kerrigan

March 24th, 2021 at 10:14am CST by Zachary Links

Ryan Kerrigan will meet with the Bengals on Wednesday (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). If things go well, Washington’s all-time sack leader could be the latest addition to Cincinnati’s revamped defense.

The Bengals recently dropped Geno Atkins – one of their own all-time sack leaders — leaving the door open for a veteran like Kerrigan. Kerrigan’s playing time dropped considerably in 2020 — the former Pro Bowler played on just 38% of the team’s snaps and finished with 5.5 sacks. After the season, Kerrigan made it known that he wants an opportunity to start.

“I definitely want to be a starter,” Kerrigan said in January. “I mean, I think any player would say that. I don’t think anybody just wants to settle for being a role player or a reserve player…I’ve got to really be open-minded to several factors and open-minded to all teams, and that’s kind of what I plan to do. I definitely feel like I’ve still got a lot of ball in me, a lot of good productive years ahead.”

Kerrigan, 33 in August, could still return to Washington, though he’ll probably want some assurances when it comes to his role.

WFT Interested In Patriots WR N’Keal Harry

March 24th, 2021 at 10:07am CST by Zachary Links

The Washington Football Team is keeping an eye on N’Keal Harry, as John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. Harry has drawn trade interest in recent days and it has been widely speculated that the Patriots could move him.

The Pats made Harry a first-round pick in 2019, but he hasn’t lived up to expectations. In total, the Arizona State product has just 414 receiving yards and four touchdowns across 21 games. He’s had lots of setbacks, too, including an injury-riddled rookie year and the offense’s overall woes in 2020.

Despite his inconsistent performance, Keim hears that at least three other teams are in the mix. As he notes, WFT GM Martin Mayhew was with the 49ers in 2019 and they were hoping to land Harry before the Patriots scooped him up in Round 1. In Washington, Harry could fit alongside Terry McLaurin and newcomer Curtis Samuel. Meanwhile, after adding Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, the Patriots can afford to part ways with the 6’4″ pass-catcher.

Texans Re-Work Whitney Mercilus’s Deal

March 24th, 2021 at 9:57am CST by Zachary Links

Whitney Mercilus inked a four-year extension with the Texans in 2019. Now, he’s set to be a free agent after the 2021 season, thanks to a restructuring of his contract (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com).

Some believed that he’d be shipped out following the trade of inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney to the Dolphins, but the two sides managed to work things out. In terms of income, it’s a simple restructure for Mercilus as his base salary will be turned into a lump-sum bonus. The biggest change is that his 2022 and 2033 seasons are now voidable, making him eligible for free agency after this season. Meanwhile, the Texans will have an extra $4MM to work with in 2021.

Mercilus, a 2012 first-round pick, has spent his entire career with the Texans. Last year, he finished out with four sacks and 21 total tackles in 13 games. That marked a drop from 2019, when he had 7.5 sacks and 48 stops.

Buccaneers To Re-Sign Ndamukong Suh

March 24th, 2021 at 9:38am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers are on the verge of re-signing Ndamukong Suh. Once finalized, it’ll be a one-year, $9MM contract for the defensive tackle, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Through incentives, Suh’s deal could be worth up to $10MM (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

Suh joined Tampa on a similar contract in 2019. They re-upped him in 2020 for a touch less — a one–year, $8MM deal. Suh may be past his prime, but he still managed six sacks in the regular season — his highest total since 2015 — plus 27 total stops. All along, Bucs GM Jason Licht has said that he’s wanted to bring Suh back for a third year in Tampa.

“I think he’s said it, that’d he’d love to come back here,” Licht said in February. “I know that there’s mutual respect for each other, and I’ve told him that we’d like to have him back. We’re just kind of letting the dust settle here for a couple days. We’ve got some time here…We’ll have to see how it all shakes out, but he’s definitely one that we want back.”

Suh, 34, is still among the league’s better interior tackles and the Bucs have managed to keep most of their stars together post-Super Bowl. Their recent re-up of Rakeem Nunez-Roches cast some doubt on the odds of a Suh return, but the Bucs pulled it off to keep their strong run defense in tact.

Bucs To Extend Donovan Smith

March 24th, 2021 at 9:37am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers and offensive tackle Donovan Smith reached agreement on a two-year, $31.8MM deal, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. As a part of the extension, Smith will earn $30MM guaranteed over the next two years.

Between Smith’s new contract and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh‘s re-up, this has been a pretty great morning for GM Jason Licht & Co. Many wondered if the Bucs would be able to keep the band together after their Super Bowl win, but they’ve pulled it off with some clever accounting. Quarterback Tom Brady, wide receiver Chris Godwin, edge rusher Shaq Barrett, inside linebacker Lavonte David, tight end Rob Gronkowski, and kicker Ryan Succop and other core players have been re-upped, positioning the Bucs for another championship run.

Smith has never been a world-beater, but even an average blindside protector is a valuable in the NFL. In 2019, the Bucs re-signed him to a three-year, $41.25MM contract. He’s served as the Bucs’ starting left tackle since entering the league in 2015 and he’s missed only two games throughout his career (The latest one was due to COVID-19 exposure).

Patriots To Re-Sign James White

March 24th, 2021 at 9:27am CST by Zachary Links

Running back James White is expected to re-sign with the Patriots, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The versatile RB with 25 touchdown catches since 2014 back in the fold for New England.

On his latest Patriots contract, White will earn $2.5MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal. This marks White’s third deal with the Pats, who most recently signed him for three years and $12MM back in 2017. He played an essential role on each of New England’s past two Super Bowl-winning teams.

White, 29, came into the league as a fourth-round pick of the Patriots in 2014 and that’s where he’s been ever since. He’s not just a valuable third-down tailback — he’s also a longstanding team captain. After tallying 994 all-purpose yards in 2019, he saw less time in 2020. Still, White had 49 grabs for 375 yards and a touchdown to lead all Pats RBs in receiving.

The Patriots received a promising season from 2019 third-round pick Damien Harris last season; White figures to return to his role complementing the emerging back. Sony Michel is entering a contract year, though Rex Burkhead is a free agent. It would stand to reason the Pats are not done at this position this offseason.

Panthers Sign LB Frankie Luvu, Re-Sign OL John Miller

March 23rd, 2021 at 9:47pm CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers added players on both sides of the ball today. The team first announced the signing of linebacker Frankie Luvu, and they later announced that they’ve re-signed offensive lineman John Miller.

Luvu, a former undrafted free agent out of Washington State, spent the first three seasons of his career with the Jets organization, appearing in 40 total games. The 24-year-old showed signs of being a solid pass rusher throughout his stint with New York, collecting six sacks and 16 QB hits. He also finished the 2020 campaign with a career-high 25 tackles.

Miller is rejoining the Panthers on a one-year deal. The former third-rounder spent the first four seasons of his career with the Bills, starting each of his 47 appearances. He had a brief stop in Cincinnati during the 2019 campaign before joining Carolina last offseason. He proceeded to start 14 games for the Panthers in 2020 at right guard.

The Panthers have been busy adding to their offensive line this offseason. After franchising left tackle Taylor Moton, the team added a pair of free agents in Cam Erving and Pat Elflein.

Bears To Sign LB Christian Jones

March 23rd, 2021 at 9:24pm CST by Ben Levine

Christian Jones is heading back to Chicago. The free agent linebacker is signing with the Bears, the team announced on Twitter. Terms of the deal haven’t been reported.

The 2014 undrafted free agent out of Florida State spent the first four seasons of his career with the Bears, starting 31 of his 63 appearances. The linebacker eventually evolved into one of Chicago’s most reliable defenders, culminating in a 2017 campaign where he finished with career-highs in tackles (90), QB hits (three), and sacks (two).

That performance earned him a two-year, $6.35MM deal with the Lions in 2018, and he eventually added another year to the pact via an extension. In total, Jones spent three seasons in Detroit, appearing in 45 games (42 starts). He saw time in 16 games (13 starts) this past season, collecting 57 tackles and no sacks.

Now, Jones will be heading back to Chicago, and there should still be some familiar faces. For instance, defensive coordinator Sean Desai was around during Jones’ first stint with the organization, serving as the defensive quality control coach. Jones was also teammates with one of the players he’ll likely be backing up, linebacker Danny Trevathan.

Cowboys Hosting S Jayron Kearse

March 23rd, 2021 at 9:11pm CST by Ben Levine

Malik Hooker and Damontae Kazee won’t be the only two safeties visiting the Cowboys. ESPN’s Todd Archer reports (via Twitter) that Dallas will also be hosting defensive back Jayron Kearse. Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News tweets that the auditions will take place tomorrow.

The 2016 seventh-round pick had spent the first four seasons of his career with the Vikings, missing only a pair of regular season games over that span. He ultimately started five of his 62 games for the organization, compiling 79 tackles, 0.5 sacks, eight passes defended, and one interception.

Kearse signed a one-year, $2.75MM deal with the Lions last offseason. He was later suspended for the first three games of the 2020 campaign for violating the substance-abuse policy, and he ultimately saw time in 11 games (seven starts) for his new squad, compiling a career-high 59 tackles. He was waived by the Lions late in the season and spent the rest of the season on the Ravens practice squad.

Now, the 27-year-old will have an opportunity to catch on with the Cowboys. Watkins notes that the Cowboys interest in Kearse, Hooker, and Kazee (along with the signing of Keanu Neal) doesn’t mean the team is done with Donovan Wilson, who started 10 games for the Cowboys last season. Rather, the team’s just looking to improve their defensive backs corps.