HEADLINES

Antonio Smith

Wilson On Steve Smith, Cuts, Daryl Smith

March 12th, 2014 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has provided plenty of interesting tidbits on Twitter this morning, so let’s round up a few of the highlights. All links go to Wilson’s Twitter….

NFC Rumors: Allen, Rams, Tillman, Costa

March 11th, 2014 at 9:40pm CST by Zachary Links

With the Broncos shifting their focus to DeMarcus Ware, Vikings free agent defensive end Jared Allen is talking with the Bears and Seahawks, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). More out of the NFC..

  • Contrary to some reports, free agent defensive end Antonio Smith is not making a free agent visit to the Rams, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • The Rams decided not to make a tender offer to cornerback Quinton Pointer, an exclusive rights free agent, Thomas tweets.
  • Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter) would not be surprised to see the Panthers work to get in the game for free agent cornerback Charles Tillman. There was a lot of talk about Tillman reuniting with former coach Lovie Smith in Tampa Bay, but that’s probably off the table now that the Buccaneers have agreed to sign Alterraun Verner.
  • Former Cowboys veteran center Phil Costa visited the Lions today and will meet with the Patriots on Monday, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the Football Post. Costa, a 6-foot-3, 302-pounder from Maryland who has started 20 of 26 career games, started no games last season after the Cowboys drafted center Travis Frederick in the first round. For what it’s worth, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter) hears that the Pats visit took place yesterday.
  • The Buccaneers were pursuing offensive tackle Rodger Saffold last weekend, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. Had they signed him, he would have played left tackle in Tampa. Instead, Saffold is Oakland bound.

FA Rumors: McCown, Allen, Mack, Hatcher

March 11th, 2014 at 7:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Josh McCown‘s first free agent visit, which is already underway, is with the Buccaneers, and the free agent quarterback and also meetings scheduled with the Texans and Jets, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he doesn’t make it to all his scheduled visits, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Both La Canfora and Mehta suggest that a deal with the Bucs looks very possible for McCown. Here’s more on free agency:

  • Defensive end Jared Allen has narrowed down his free agent options, but may not sign all that quickly, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the Broncos are interested in Allen, but perhaps not at his current asking price. There also may not be any other serious suitors involved at that price, says Florio.
  • The transition tag hasn’t stopped teams from contacting center Alex Mack, according to Mike Garafolo of USA Today (via Twitter). However, Garafalo adds that the Browns free agent center has yet to set up any visits with clubs.
  • Defensive end Antonio Smith would like to stay with the Texans, but has visits lined up with the Redskins, Titans, Rams, and Raiders, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.
  • Jason Hatcher‘s visit with the Seahawks is the first of five meetings he has scheduled, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com.
  • Offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger is drawing interest as a potential starting guard or center, says Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
  • Free agent running back Anthony Dixon will visit with the Titans, says Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Texans Rumors: Smith, Schaub, Crennel

March 11th, 2014 at 11:25am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans want defensive end Antonio Smith back, but it has to be at a price they can afford considering their needs on the offensive line and defensive line, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. More out of Houston with all links going to McClain’s Twitter.

  • Don’t expect the Texans to spend big in free agency (link). Instead, they’ll wait out the feeding frenzy and go after “lunch-pail” types from other teams.
  • With a thin free agent quarterback market, the Texans should hang on to Matt Schaub if he’ll re-do his contract that calls for a $14.12MM cap figure with a $10MM base (link). As McClain notes, if Houston cuts Schaub, he’ll be the hottest signal caller on the open market (link).
  • To suit Romeo Crennel’s 2-gap 3-4 scheme, the Texans need to find large starters on the defensive line and at inside linebacker (link).

AFC Rumors: Jets, Howard, Titans, Steelers

March 10th, 2014 at 10:45am CST by Luke Adams

With Antonio Cromartie no longer in the mix in New York, the Jets have turned their attention to other notable free agent defensive backs. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported late last night that the Jets were eyeing safety T.J. Ward, and he hears today from a team source that the club has also inquired on several other DBs. According to Mehta (via Twitter), New York has “varying degrees of interest” in safety Chris Clemons and cornerbacks Alterraun Verner and Captain Munnerlyn. Here are a few more Monday rumors relating to AFC teams:

  • The Jets continue to negotiate with Austin Howard, but other teams have expressed interest in the free agent tackle, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post.
  • We heard earlier today that defensive lineman Antonio Smith has drawn interest from four teams, and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean thinks the Titans are probably one of those clubs (Twitter link).
  • The Steelers are among the clubs to inquire on free agent cornerback Nolan Carroll, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
  • Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter link) hears that there’s only $5.255MM of guaranteed money in Red Bryant‘s four-year contract with the Jaguars, making it a fairly low-risk move for the club.
  • Long snapper Danny Aiken‘s new one-year deal with the Patriots includes a $55K signing bonus and $25K workout bonus on top of his minimum base salary, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter).

FA Rumors: Ward, Asamoah, Mundy, Quarless

March 10th, 2014 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

The 2014 free agent period will officially get underway tomorrow, meaning Monday represents the last full day for teams to re-sign their own prospective free agents before those players are eligible to hit the open market tomorrow afternoon. With free agency looming, Andrew Cohen breaks down the salary cap situations for all 32 teams in a piece for Rotoworld and rumors on free-agents-to-be continue to swirl. Let’s round up a few of the latest overnight and morning updates:

  • Safety T.J. Ward is among the players on the Jets‘ “persons of interest” list, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Ward would be a good fit for New York’s secondary, though the team typically doesn’t invest heavily in safeties.
  • An NFL source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that it would be a “small upset” if prospective free agent Jon Asamoah doesn’t sign with the Falcons to play right guard. However, the Jets are another possibility for Asamoah, Caplan adds in a second tweet.
  • Giants free agent safety Ryan Mundy is intrigued by the opportunity to compete for a starting job with the Bears, reports Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • The Giants have inquired on free agent tight end Andrew Quarless, but they’re just one of seven teams in the mix, with the Packers trying to re-sign him, reports Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News (Twitter links).
  • Longtime Texans defensive end Antonio Smith has drawn interest from four teams and has a pair of visits lined up, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that Smith figures to sign this week.