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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions Sign Marvin Jones

March 10th, 2016 at 3:41pm CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 3:41pm: The Lions have officially signed Jones, the team announced today in a press release.

WEDNESDAY, 1:58pm: It’s a five-year, $40MM deal for Jones, per Rapoport (Twitter link). $17MM is fully guaranteed ($20MM guaranteed overall), and Jones will earn $27MM through the first three years.

9:00am: Jones told Michael Silver of NFL Network (on Twitter) that it was a “stressful decision” for him, but he ultimately chose the Lions over the Bengals.

8:24am: The Lions will sign wide receiver Marvin Jones, according sources who spoke with Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Jones will give Detroit some reinforcements following the retirement of Calvin Johnson, though he probably won’t be counted on to singularly replace his production. The deal will pay Jones roughly $8MM per year, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). "<strong

It was reported earlier today that Jones was atop the Lions’ wish list, though Detroit certainly wasn’t alone in that regard. The Giants were also high on the veteran, new Browns coach Hue Jackson wanted a reunion, and the incumbent Bengals considered him to be a priority free agent.

In 13 starts last season, Jones caught 65 passes for 816 yards and four touchdowns. It was a solid bounceback for Jones after he lost the 2014 season due to an injured ankle. When considering him, the Browns were reportedly hoping that Jones could break out as a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver if he’s not playing in the shadow of star A.J. Green and one has to imagine that the Lions are thinking the same thing.

Golden Tate‘s deal with the Lions, inked one year ago, was thought to be a possible reference point for a deal. Tate signed with Detroit on a five-year deal worth $31MM, including $16MM in guaranteed cash. Based on AAV, it sounds like Jones has bested Tate.

With Jones out of the picture, the Bengals might have even more incentive to get something done with fellow free agent receiver Mohamed Sanu. Jones’ contract also pushes the market for free agent wide receivers. While PFR had Jones ranked as the No. 1 available receiver this offseason, his $8MM average annual value trumps what most projected for him. There are several receiver-needy teams this week and other top options like Travis Benjamin, Rishard Matthews, Rueben Randle, Anquan Boldin, and Jermaine Kearse could benefit from Jones’ payday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Contract Details: Vernon, Jenkins, Mack

March 9th, 2016 at 9:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are some of the latest details on many recent agreed-upon and signed contracts from out of the NFC (all links via Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post unless otherwise indicated)…

NFC East:

  • Olivier Vernon, DE (Giants): Five years, $85MM. $52.5MM guaranteed. $20MM signing bonus. $7MM roster bonus due on fifth day of 2016 league year (Twitter links).
  • Janoris Jenkins, CB (Giants): Five years, $62.5MM. $28.8MM guaranteed. $10MM signing bonus. $1.4MM base salary in 2016 (Twitter link).
  • Brandon Brooks, G (Eagles): Five years, $40MM. $21MM guaranteed. $11MM signing bonus. $1MM base salary in 2016 and $5MM base salary in 2017 fully guaranteed (Twitter link).
  • Chase Daniel, QB (Eagles): Three years, $21MM base value. $36MM max value. $3MM signing bonus. $3MM roster bonus due on March 14. $3MM base escalators in 2017 and 2018 (Twitter link).
  • Colt McCoy, QB (Washington): Three years, $9MM base value. Third year can be voided based on playing time. $1.8MM signing bonus. $1MM annually in playing-time incentives (Twitter link).
  • Ron Brooks, CB (Eagles): Three years, $5.5MM. $1.55MM guaranteed. $750K signing bonus (Twitter link).

NFC South:

NFC North:

  • Marvin Jones, WR (Lions): Five years, $40MM. $20MM guaranteed. $8MM signing bonus (Twitter link).
  • Alex Boone, G (Vikings): Four years, $26.8MM. $10MM guaranteed. Annual $100K workout bonus (Twitter link).
  • Danny Trevathan, LB (Bears): Four years, $24.5MM. $12MM guaranteed. $5MM signing bonus. $3.5MM roster bonus due on March 14 (Twitter link).
  • Michael Griffin, S (Vikings): One year, $2.5MM. $250K signing bonus. $500K of $1.65MM base salary guaranteed. Up to $500K in playing-time incentives (Twitter links).
  • Tavon Wilson, S (Lions): Two years, $2.2MM. $500K signing bonus. Up to $500K in annual playing-time incentives (Twitter link).

NFC West:

  • Mark Barron, OLB (Rams): Five years, $45MM. $20MM guaranteed. $5MM signing bonus (Twitter link).
  • William Hayes, DE (Rams): Three years, $17.5MM. $10MM guaranteed. $4MM roster bonus due on March 13 (Twitter link).
  • Tyvon Branch, S (Cardinals): Two years, $8MM. $1MM signing bonus. $1.75MM roster bonus in 2016, $1MM roster bonus in 2017 (Twitter link).
  • Tim Barnes, C (Rams): Two years, $5.6MM. $2.5MM guaranteed. $1.25MM roster bonus due in four days. $750K roster bonus due on third day of 2017 league year guaranteed for injury, skill; becomes fully guaranteed if on roster June 17. Up to $1MM in annual playing-time incentives. $250K annual Pro Bowl incentive (all Twitter links).
  • Brian Quick, WR (Rams): One year, $1.75MM. $1.5MM guaranteed ($1.25MM bas salary, $250K roster bonus due on March 15). $2MM stats incentive (Twitter link).

RFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/16

March 9th, 2016 at 9:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted free agents. We’ll round up those decisions here:

Tendered

Non-Tendered

Lions Re-Sign Haloti Ngata

March 9th, 2016 at 5:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

5:50pm: Ngata’s new two-year deal with the Lions is worth $12MM, with $6MM in fully guaranteed money, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. The veteran defender gets a $6.25MM payout in 2016.

2:32pm: The Lions have agreed to re-sign defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, his agent Mike McCartney tweets. It’ll be a two-year pact between Ngata and Detroit.Haloti Ngata (vertical)

Ngata, 32, was traded from the Ravens to the Lions on the first day of free agency in 2015. In his first season in the Motor City, Ngata started 15 games, posting 15 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Ngata said in February that intended to continue playing, and a recent report indicated that he was “increasingly likely” to be retained by the Lions.

Ngata isn’t the only defensive lineman to re-sign with the Lions in the past week, as Detroit also reached an agreement with Tyrunn Walker on March 4.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lions Sign Tavon Wilson

March 9th, 2016 at 3:24pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Lions have signed safety Tavon Wilson, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Details of Wilson’s contract aren’t yet available.

Wilson, 25, spent the first four years of his career in New England, appearing in 54 regular-season games and logging four starts. He has amassed five interceptions, four of which came during his rookie year in 2012. The Patriots drafted Wilson in the second round. New Lions general manager Bob Quinn was in the Pats’ front office at the time.

Five Teams Interested In WR Andre Holmes

March 9th, 2016 at 1:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions, Eagles, and Bengals have all expressed interest in free agent wide receiver Andre Holmes, reports Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Earlier reports had indicated that the Vikings were also targeting Holmes, and the Raiders are also working to retain him.Andre Holmes (Vertical)

Each of the newly-reported clubs presents an intriguing landing spot for Holmes. The Lions, of course, lost Calvin Johnson to retirement, but have already acted today to fill that void, agreeing to terms with Marvin Jones on a new deal. The Bengals, in turn, have lost Jones, so Holmes could make for a viable No. 2 next to A.J. Green. And finally, the Eagles have already released Riley Cooper, and are building an all-new offense under head coach Doug Pederson, one in which Holmes could potentially thrive.

Holmes will be entering his age-28 season, and is coming off a down year in Oakland — he caught 14 passes for 201 yards, and wasn’t heavily involved in the Raiders offense. Just a season ago, though, Holmes started 13 games, hauling in 47 receptions for almost 700 yards, so the potential is certainly there for Holmes to contribute to an offense.

PFR ranked Holmes as the No. 15 free agent wide receiver.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Browns, Harrison, Titans

March 9th, 2016 at 9:42am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have had a knack for stealing headlines in recent years, but that trend could come to a halt this offseason. New Browns executive vice president Sashi Brown is not looking to make a splash in free agency, various agents tell Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Browns already lost out on one significant free agent target today when Marvin Jones signed a lucrative deal with the Lions.

Here are the latest free agent rumors:

  • There’s nothing brewing right now between the Titans and free agent defensive tackle Damon Harrison, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets.
  • Safety Tashaun Gipson is a longshot for the Eagles but it’s not out of the question, Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic (on Twitter) hears.
  • The Seahawks are working to bring back Brandon Mebane, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
  • The Rams are in good position to bring back linebacker/safety Mark Barron, a league source tells Vincent Bonsignore of the Daily News (on Twitter).
  • The Jets are sniffing around the free agent tackle market and that could spell the end of Breno Giacomini in New York, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports tweets.

Latest On Bengals Free Agent WRs

March 9th, 2016 at 8:07am CST by Zachary Links

The latest out of Cincinnati:

  • There is mutual interest between the Patriots and Mohamed Sanu, according to sources who spoke with Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Howe writes that Sanu could command $5MM/year, particularly because of the lack of talent at the position in this year’s crop. In 2014, Sanu hauled in 56 catches for 790 yards and five touchdowns. Last year, he saw a dip in production with just 33 catches for 394 yards and no touchdowns.
  • The Titans are also showing interest in Sanu, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets.
  • Marvin Jones is “atop the Giants‘ wide receiver wish list,” according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter). Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press says that the Lions feel similarly about Jones (link).

FA Rumors: RGIII, Beachum, Lamur, C. Long

March 8th, 2016 at 9:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams have not shown any interest in free agent quarterback Robert Griffin III at this point, reports Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). Ten clubs are reportedly giving Griffin a “hard look.”

Here are a few more free agent rumors from around the NFL:

  • Having reached a deal to bring back veteran guard Ramon Foster, the Steelers think they might be able to re-sign left tackle Kelvin Beachum on a one-year deal, tweets Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Beachum is coming off a torn ACL, which may be limiting his market.
  • Free agent linebacker and special-teamer Emmanuel Lamur is not expected to re-sign with the Bengals, according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer, who writes that the Lions, Vikings, and Dolphins are among the teams that have expressed interest in Lamur since the legal tampering window opened.
  • Former Rams defensive end Chris Long enjoyed his visit to Washington and has genuine interest in joining the club, but he has more free agent visits planned, so it doesn’t sound like any deal is imminent, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
  • The Raiders have already made a pair of big splashes in free agency, reaching agreements with Kelechi Osemele and Bruce Irvin. Bill Williamson of Fanrag Sports suggests (via Twitter) that cornerback Janoris Jenkins is another name to watch for Oakland.

Free Agent Rumors: Jaguars, Bengals, Ravens

March 8th, 2016 at 12:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Jerricho Cotchery is not in the Panthers’ 2016 plans, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. Cotchery, 34 in June, hauled in 87 passes for 1,065 yards and four touchdowns over the last two seasons with Carolina. The veteran has said that he would only continue playing if it were with the Panthers, so it’s possible that the former Jet will retire this offseason. Cotchery is effectively a free agent with a contract that will automatically void tomorrow.

The latest free agent rumors:

  • The Jaguars are not close to done after agreeing to terms with Malik Jackson, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) hears. The Jags are still interested in top pass rushers and corners.
  • Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter) senses that the Bengals‘ priority guys are safety George Iloka and wide receiver Marvin Jones. Breer hears there is about $15MM budgeted for unrestricted free agents, which may not leave much room for others.
  • Saints free agent tight end Ben Watson is getting “strong, strong interest” from the Ravens, sources tell Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Dolphins are in pursuit of defensive end William Hayes, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. There is a strong market for Hayes, however, so Miami will have some competition to deal with.
  • Running back Lamar Miller wants an annual salary in the range of $6MM or more, which is more than the Dolphins would like to offer, Jackson writes.
  • The Vikings have checked in on Lions free agent linebacker Tahir Whitehead, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter).
  • The Raiders are working to retain wide receiver Andre Holmes but the sense is that he’ll get decent interest elsewhere, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets.
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