The Browns will have five days to make a decision on whether or not to match the Jaguars offer sheet to center Alex Mackonce he signs. The offer sheet would make Mack the highest paid center in the league, but the structure of the contract would make it a difficult decision, even for a team with cap space.
Mack’s contract is reportedly frontloaded, worth at least $18MM over the first two years and $27MM over the first three. The total value of the contract is yet to be disclosed, but it is a five-year deal.
Mack would reportedly prefer to go to the Jaguars, but even the frontloaded offer sheet is doable for the Browns, who were prepared to pay him over $10MM under the transition tag in 2014. Even if they expect him to opt out of the contract after the second year, it would most likely still be cheaper than tagging him consecutive years.
The Titans gave running back Chris Johnson his unconditional release today, giving the three-time Pro Bowler and 2009 NFL rushing leader the freedom to choose his next team. There was speculation that Tennessee would try to trade Johnson, but a prohibitive salary and the decreased value of running backs led to a lack of substantive interest league-wide.
Now comes the streaming of rumors as to who’s in and who’s out on the Chris Johnson market, much like we saw when former Eagles receiver DeSean Jacksonbecame a free agent a week ago today. In this rumors roundup post by PFR’s Luke Adams, we see that four teams — the Jets, Bills, Dolphins and Falcons — all discussed a possible trade for Johnson, but nothing came to fruition.
In this writeup by SI.com’s Chris Burke, the writer outlines eight teams as potential landing spots for the one-time 2,000-yard back: Jets, Giants, Cowboys, Bears, Cardinals, Broncos, Rams, and Jaguars.
Will CJ2K end up with one of these eight teams? Or is there a sleeper team Burke failed to mention that could wind up utilizing Johnson’s services for the foreseeable future? Let us know in this PFR poll.
Former Eagles receiver DeSean Jacksonwas released by the club on Friday, and the rumors have since been streaming in nonstop. In fact, the PFR team had posts rounding up the rumors surrounding the former Cal standout for over a week now, including this article with a link saying the Jets have had internal discussions about adding Jackson.
Now that Jackson is a free agent and is free to choose his landing spot as he so pleases, the football world is waiting with bated breath. Rarely does a player of Jackson’s caliber make it to free agency in his prime, but in the aftermath of the Aaron Hernandez-saga and Jackson’s prohibitive salary, the Eagles simply made a business decision to move on without one of the most talented players in football.
Here are Pro Football Rumors’ most recent Jackson-related rumors roundup posts:
Now, based on the information we have presented in prior rumors posts, we want to know where you think Jackson will be spending next season (and potentially beyond). Does he stay in the NFC East with the Redskins? Does Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie bring Jackson back to the Bay Area?
There are still plenty of free agents on the market for teams looking to fortify positions of weakness, but most of the offseason’s biggest prizes came off the board earlier this month in a flurry of action. Unless Jimmy Graham or Alex Mack sign big long-term extensions with their respective teams, Jared Allen‘s deal with the Bears, which reportedly has a max value of $32MM, figures to be the largest contract signed by any remaining free agent.
Now that the free agent frenzy has died down a little, it’s time to take a look back at the month’s signings and see which teams made out better than others. Considering dozens and dozens of players inked new deals within the last two and a half weeks, there are a ton of potential bargains out there to make a case for, so we’ll limit our focus to players listed in PFR’s Top 25 Free Agents.
Of those 25 players on our list, only Mack, who was designated a transition player, remains unsigned, and most of the other 24 received more than $10MM in guaranteed money on their new deals. A notable handful of top free agents received a smaller guarantee though, including multiple players in our top 10. Examining that group of players, we’ll ask this question: Which of the following free agents represents the best bargain?
While our list of choices may be limited, feel free to weigh in below in the comments section on which players you felt were undervalued, and which deals you think flew under the radar.
The Eagles were at the center of one of the NFL’s most notable trades of the month, acquiringDarren Sproles from the Saints for a fifth-round draft pick. But with plenty of time still remaining in the offseason, it’s possible that the Eagles could still be involved in a bigger deal, trading away an offensive playmaker of their own.
DeSean Jackson has been the subject of trade speculation for the last several weeks, and the rumor mill has been heating up in recent days, with multiple reports suggesting the Eagles were willing to listen to inquires about their star receiver, even if they weren’t necessarily shopping him. Since then, the 49ers, Patriots, Jets, Raiders, and Panthers have been listed among the teams that called Philadelphia to ask about Jackson.
While it may not be news that a club would simply field calls about a player, there are signals that the Eagles are actually considering the possibility of moving Jackson, who has a cap number of $12MM+ in each of the next three seasons. The team has stayed strangely silent about the numerous reports suggesting Jackson may be available, and Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer reports today that the talks with the Panthers actually began when the Eagles “informally” reach out to gauge Carolina’s interest. While the Panthers don’t have the cap flexibility to be real suitors for Jackson, Person’s report suggests that the Eagles aren’t necessarily just sitting back and letting other teams call them.
The Eagles locked up a pair of solid receivers earlier in the offseason, re-signing Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper to new deals. Additionally, Jackson has made a few off-the-field headlines, and moving his contract would free up some cap room. Still, the explosive 27-year-old receiver is coming off a season in which he established new career-highs in receptions (82) and receiving yards (1,332), to go along with his nine touchdowns. He’d be sorely missed by the Eagles’ offense, and it may not be worth it to move him if the club can only acquire something like a third-round pick in return.
What do you think? Will Jackson still be an Eagle in Week 1 of the 2014 season, or will he be playing for another team by then?
It’s been an exciting and busy few days since the 2014 NFL league year officially opened Tuesday, and many of the top free agents have already relocated or re-signed with their respective teams. Also, marquee names released by clubs — like DeMarcus Ware and Darrelle Revis — have landed with top contenders priming for Super Bowl runs.
That being said, we’re interested in seeing who you think is the best remaining free agent. We’ll start with the players remaining from Luke Adams’ top 25 NFL free agents, then add players like Antonio Cromartie who were released by their teams and have yet to be signed.
Feel free to defend your vote in the comments section below.
February 22nd, 2014 at 9:19pm CST by Peter Sowards
With the news from The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane that the Eagles are prioritizingJeremy Maclin over Riley Cooper, we’re interested to see if you think either receiver — or possibly both — will be back next season.
Cooper’s 2013 season was well-documented, starting with video evidence of the fourth-year receiver from Florida using a racial slur at a country music concert in late July. He apologized vehemently, was accepted back by his teammates, and then went on to set career highs in receptions (47), yards (835) and touchdowns (eight). He played in all 16 games, starting 15, and totaled six receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown in Philadelphia’s 26-24 playoff loss to New Orleans.
Maclin’s season was over before it started. He suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in training camp. A first-round pick from Missouri in 2009, Maclin has put up consistently good numbers for the, hovering between 55-70 catches in each season. He has never failed to surpass 750 receiving yards, but he’s never topped 1,000, either.
What do you believe to be the fates of Maclin and Cooper? Feel free to defend your vote in the comments section below.
Earlier this weekend, our own Rob DiRe discussed the free agency of wide receiver Hakeem Nicks. In his piece, DiRe identifies three potential suitors for Nicks, all of which are likely interested in one-year deals. DiRe’s piece outlined how Nicks would provide the Detroit Lions with a weapon across from Calvin Johnson; that Nicks would be interested in returning to his hometown and play with Cam Newton for the Carolina Panthers; and that the Indianapolis Colts had also shown interest in the former Super Bowl champion.
Where do you think Nicks will sign? If you think it would make better sense for another team not discussed in the article to sign Nicks, please discuss your thoughts in the comments section below.
Rashad Jennings, who has been an understudy to both MJD and Run DMC, could conceivably find himself with a starting role in 2014, though he’d probably have to battle it out in camp first. Ben Tate has been behind Arian Foster on the depth chart for the last few years in Houston and while rib issues hampered him in 2013, he looked good enough a couple of years ago to make some observers wonder if the Texans would let Foster, then on the cusp of free agency, go elsewhere. Want a blast from the (not-too-far-in-the) past? Rashard Mendenhall and Peyton Hillis will also be free agents, though their respective stars have faded quite a bit and it’s hard to see either one starting.
There’s no shortage of star power in this year’s RB class, but there’s an equal number of question marks. If you’re an NFL GM, which of the following free agent backs do you want on your squad? (Please note that for the purposes of this poll, we’ve omitted restricted free agents such as Lions backup Joique Bell and Chris Johnson, who could wind up parting ways with the Titans) Cast your vote and weigh in through our comment section.
February 12th, 2014 at 6:16pm CST by Zachary Links
The Jets are unlikely to find a trade partner for quarterback Mark Sanchez and they’re even more unlikely to bring him back for 2014, leaving only one likely outcome. In 2009, the USC product vaulted up draft boards thanks to his maturity, poise, and game management skills. The Jets moved up to snag Sanchez and even though his rookie season was promising, he appears to have regressed over the last few years. One would have thought that Sanchez’s legacy in green would be defined by two trips AFC Championship game and possibly a Super Bowl appearance to follow but his most memorable singular moment in New York may prove to be the infamous butt fumble.
To blame Sanchez for all of the Jets’ woes, however, would be unfair. The Jets’ offensive line was less-than-solid during his time under center and the club was unable to find a way to upgrade from struggling tackle Wayne Hunter. And while there were weapons like Santonio Holmes for him to work with, the conservative playcalling of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer (2006-2011) may not have given him the best chance to succeed.
Could Sanchez get back to being a starting QB in the NFL? He may not be the best available candidate on the open market, but there are numerous clubs with openings, including the Jaguars, Texans, Browns, Vikings, Buccaneers, and Raiders. He should also come at a fairly reasonable price. General Managers tell Rich Cimini of ESPN.com that Sanchez could get a deal worth ~$3.4MM with a chance to start. It’s also not like he has particularly strong competition out there. Beyond Michael Vick, regarded by many as the best QB on the 2014 free agent market, teams will be looking at the likes of Chad Henne and Matt Cassel. Considering all of that, will Sanchez wind up as someone’s starter in 2014?