HEADLINES

Andrew Hawkins

AFC Rumors: Tate, McFadden, Mitchell, Dansby

March 11th, 2014 at 9:29am CST by Zachary Links

Free agent receiver Golden Tate, who tweeted last night that things are “heating up” for him, could be a target for the Jaguars, says Peter King of TheMMQB.com. The former Seahawks notable is coming off of his most productive season ever in which he hauled in 64 catches for 898 yards and five touchdowns. More out of the AFC..

  • While many free agent running backs aren’t getting much play yet, Darren McFadden is one that has drawn “significant interest,” tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter) hears from a league source that the Raiders have a one-year offer on the table for McFadden. The 26-year-old has missed 19 games over the last three seasons.
  • The Dolphins are in the mix for defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. The 26-year-old is getting a lot of attention for his versatility, athletic ability, and his high motor.
  • The Browns are likely to pursue Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby in free agency, a source tells Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio News Group. Dansby, 32, would replace D’Qwell Jackson, who signed a four-year deal with the Colts last week. The Browns were also unsatisfied with the play of inside ‘backer Craig Robertson as the 2013 season went along.
  • The Browns are aggressively pursuing slot receivers with Davone Bess out of the picture, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. Julian Edelman is a possibility as is poaching Andrew Hawkins from the Bengals.
  • Re-signing defensive tackle Antonio Johnson is a priority for the Titans, tweets Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. The club also has interest in holding on to Leon Washington, Marc Mariani, Damian Williams, and Chris Spencer.
  • Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) asked a Jets source for the best way to describe the organization’s free agency plan and he was told that the club will be “aggressive.”
  • The Broncos have discussed the likes of pursuing safety T.J. Ward and defensive end Jared Allen but they’re certainly not in the lead as some have implied, writes Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com.
  • The Jets and Patriots will each pick up nearly an extra $2MM in cap room due to various bookkeeping technicalities, as Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com explains in a series of tweets.

WR Rumors: Britt, Hawkins, Edelman, Jones

March 10th, 2014 at 10:29pm CST by Dallas Robinson

With about 17 hours left to go until the official start of free agency, here’s a look at some of the rumors regarding receivers:

  • The Redskins have interest in both Kenny Britt and Andrew Hawkins, writes Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Britt is an unrestricted free agent who has had his share of struggles both on and off the field, but he can still be a playmaker. Hawkins is a restricted free agent who was tendered at the original-pick level; because he was an undrafted free agent, the Redskins would not have to sacrifice a draft pick to sign him. Hawkins played under Redskins head coach Jay Gruden the past three seasons with the Bengals.
  • The Patriots are heavily engaged in contract talks with Julian Edelman, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Edelman was on the free agent market for over a month last offseason before re-upping with the Pats, but that would assuredly not happen were he to reach free agency tomorrow.
  • James Jones is receiving interest from both the Lions and the Jets, but a return to the Packers is not out of the question, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
  • The 49ers could be interested in Dexter McCluster, says ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson (via Twitter).

NFC Rumors: Giants, Saints, Vikings, Lions

March 10th, 2014 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

A few Monday afternoon updates on NFC teams:

  • The Giants have some level of interest in Brandon Pettigrew, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). With Jimmy Graham franchised and Dennis Pitta extended, Pettigrew may be the top unrestricted free agent tight end of the offseason.
  • Assuming Charles Tillman doesn’t re-sign with the Bears, the Panthers look like a potential destination for the veteran defensive back, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
  • The Saints brought safety Louis Delmas in for a visit after he was released by the Lions, but New Orleans doesn’t appear likely to sign Delmas, a source tells Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.
  • Adding a veteran safety doesn’t look like a top priority for the Vikings, but it could be worth keeping an eye on Ryan Clark as a possible fit, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
  • The Redskins have remained in contact with the reps for safety Mike Mitchell, says John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Keim adds that Kenny Britt and Andrew Hawkins are two potential WR targets to keep an eye on for the Redskins.
  • Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press says the Lions will definitely sign a wide receiver and a safety in free agency, but it’s not clear yet which specific players the team will land (Twitter link via Pro Football Talk).
  • As Lions GM Martin Mayhew suggested last month, while he’d like to have a new deal worked out with Ndamukong Suh by the time the 2014 league year begins tomorrow, he won’t consider it a setback if nothing is done, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. Suh, who recently hired Jimmy Sexton of CAA to negotiate his next deal, has a cap number of $22MM+ for 2014 that the Lions would like to reduce.

Bengals Tender Hawkins, Rey, Sanzenbacher

March 4th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bengals have tendered contracts to their three restricted free agents, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). According to Pelissero, wide receiver Andrew Hawkins, linebacker Vincent Rey, and wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher all received the lowest of the three possible RFA tenders from the Bengals, meaning their one-year offers are worth $1.431MM.

All three players could now choose to accept their respective contract tenders and play for the Bengals on a one-year, $1.431MM contract in 2014. They could also elect to sign an offer sheet with another suitor in free agency next week, though the Bengals will have the right to match any offer. Because Hawkins, Rey, and Sanzenbacher were all undrafted, Cincinnati wouldn’t be eligible for any compensatory picks if the club’s RFAs sign elsewhere.