HEADLINES

Bernard Pollard

Contract Updates: Jets, Bills, Ratliff, Titans

March 6th, 2014 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

Restricted free agent cornerback Darrin Walls agreed to a new deal with the Jets last night, and agent Jordan Woy tweets that it’s a two-year contract. Ellis Lankster, who also agreed on a new deal with the Jets, will be on a two-year, $1.63MM contract, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Lankster’s pact appears to be worth slightly more than the minimum.

With free agency looming and several players having already signed new contracts or reworked old ones, we have plenty more contract and cap updates to pass along, so let’s dive right in….

  • The Bills extended contract tenders to all four of their exclusive rights free agents, and cornerback Brandon Smith has accepted his, according to Joe Buscaglia of WGR550 (Twitter links). With Smith set to return to the team on a one-year, minimum-salary deal, offensive guard Antoine McClain, fullback Frank Summers, and wide receiver Chris Hogan will also be back in Buffalo if and when they sign their tenders.
  • Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) has the details on Jeremiah Ratliff‘s new two-year contract with the Bears. It’s worth a total of $4MM, with $600K guaranteed.
  • The cap figures on Troy Polamalu‘s new three-year contract with the Steelers are $6.387MM (2014), $8.25MM (2015), and $8MM (2016), with respective base salaries of $1.5MM, $6MM, and $5.75MM, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
  • The Browns have extended a contract tender to inside linebacker Craig Robertson, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Robertson, who was an exclusive rights free agent, will be in line for a minimum salary of $570K for 2014.
  • New one-year deals for running backs Jackie Battle (Titans) and Bobby Rainey (Bucs) are both worth the minimum, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean and Tom Pelissero of USA Today, respectively (Twitter links). Battle’s minimum salary ($855K) is a little more substantial than Rainey’s ($570K) due to his extra years of service time.
  • Wyatt also shares (via Twitter) a few more specifics on Bernard Pollard‘s two-year deal with the Titans, which has base salaries of $1.65MM in 2014 and $3.1MM in 2015.

Titans Re-Sign Bernard Pollard

March 4th, 2014 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 12:37pm: Pollard can earn up to $6.4MM on his new two-year deal, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). According to Rapoport, the contract includes an $850K signing bonus, a $500K roster bonus, and $200K in workout bonuses.

MONDAY, 4:50pm: Pollard’s new contract with the Titans is for two years, tweets Wyatt.

2:43pm: The Titans appears to have reached an agreement with prospective free agent Bernard Pollard, according to the veteran safety himself. Pollard announced via Twitter that he’ll return to Tennessee: “Thank God!!! I’ll be a Titan for the next couple years!!! TitanUp.”

Pollard, 29, inked a one-year deal worth $2MM last season and outperformed his contract, racking up 99 tackles, three interceptions, and 10 passes defended while starting all 16 games for the Titans. According to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, Pollard ranked as the league’s 21st-best safety out of 86 qualified players at the position.

With Pollard seemingly locked up, the Titans can shift their focus to other positions, including in the secondary. Tennessee didn’t use its franchise tag on Alterraun Verner today, so the team will have to either lock him up within the next week or risk having him depart via free agency later in the month. The two sides aren’t currently close to an agreement, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter).

South Rumors: Pollard, Texans, Buccaneers

March 3rd, 2014 at 8:07pm CST by Ben Levine

The Titans re-signed Bernard Pollard this afternoon and a couple interesting notes have trickled out since. According to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (via Twitter), Pollard did not use his agent and worked out the new deal himself. General manager Ruston Webster told Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean (via Twitter) that “getting this deal done today helps our overall plan for this offseason…. We still have work ahead of us trying to retain some of our other players, but we are glad to be able to get this one done.” Among the team’s other free agents are cornerback Alterraun Verner and receiver Kenny Britt.

Some more whispers from the teams down south…

Titans Rumors: Verner, Pollard, Wimbley

February 20th, 2014 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we heard from Titans general manager Ruston Webster that the team is taking its time when it comes to making a decision on Chris Johnson‘s contract, and that the front office intends to continue talking to Alterraun Verner‘s agent about a new deal. Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean has an update on the Verner front, along with a few other Titans-related items, so let’s see what he’s got for us….

  • The Titans are meeting with Verner’s agent at the combine and the hope is that the two sides can work out a new deal in the near future, according to Wyatt (via Twitter). Wyatt adds that the club is unlikely to use the franchise tag on its free agent cornerback.
  • Bernard Pollard‘s agent and the Titans have engaged in discussions about a new contract for the free agent safety, and the team would like to bring him back, tweets Wyatt.
  • Kamerion Wimbley has a $7.8MM cap number for 2014 and Wyatt can’t see him returning to the Titans at that price. However, the club believes Wimbley would be a good fit in its changing defense, and there’s still plenty of time to talk about a restructure, says Wyatt (Twitter links).
  • Tennessee is also interested in re-signing free agent defensive lineman Ropati Pitoitua and will likely speak to his agent at the combine, tweets Wyatt.