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Brent Grimes

Buccaneers Sign Brent Grimes

March 11th, 2016 at 4:14pm CST by Luke Adams

4:14pm: The Buccaneers have formally announced their deal with Grimes.

12:25pm: Grimes’ two-year deal has a base value of $13.5MM, and can be worth up to $16.5MM with playing-time and Pro Bowl incentives, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

11:51am: Brent Grimes will head over to the NFC for the 2016 season, but he’ll be staying in Florida. According to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (via Twitter), Grimes has agreed to terms with the Buccaneers on a two-year deal worth $16.5MM.Brent Grimes

Grimes, 32, is coming off his third straight Pro Bowl season, having picked off at least four passes in each of his three years in Miami. In 2015, he intercepted four passes to go along with 49 tackles, and was ranked 41st out of 111 qualified cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus.

Despite his solid performance in Miami, the Dolphins decided to move on from him earlier this week, releasing him with two years left on his contract after acquiring Byron Maxwell from the Eagles. If Grimes plays out his new deal, he should earn more over the next two seasons than he would have had he stayed with the Fins.

The veteran corner had been on track to earn $15MM in salary in 2016 and 2017 in Miami. Of course, that money was non-guaranteed, and he’ll presumably get a decent portion of his new deal guaranteed, so he’s in better financial shape going forward.

By joining the Buccaneers, Grimes will reunite with his old head coach — he played under Mike Smith, Tampa Bay’s new defensive coordinator, during his years as a Falcon. With Tampa Bay corners Sterling Moore and Mike Jenkins eligible for free agency, and Moore not expected back, the Bucs had been in the market for some help at the position.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC East Rumors: Fitzpatrick, Grimes, Patriots

March 10th, 2016 at 10:48am CST by Zachary Links

The latest from the AFC East:

  • Ryan Fitzpatrick wants to be paid in line with the salaries that starting quarterbacks seem to be getting, which begins at about $16MM per year and works its way up, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The Jets are not comfortable going that far for the veteran quarterback and Cole says that the QB needs another team to get involved in the bidding process in order to make that kind of sum a reality.
  • The Jets have made an offer to Fitzpatrick that is only a little better than what Chase Daniel got from the Eagles, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets. Daniel and the Eagles agreed to a three-year deal with a base value of $21MM on Wednesday. The pact carries a max value of $36MM with a $3MM signing bonus. That’s a far cry from what Fitzpatrick is currently seeking.
  • There isn’t acrimony between the Jets and Fitzpatrick, however, according to Breer (on Twitter). The Jets have told the veteran that they want him back as their starting QB, but they have set a price for him and they plan on sticking to it.
  • Three NFL GMs refuse to sign Brent Grimes because of his wife’s antics, per Cole (video link). Grimes’ wife continues to make news off the field and execs are worried that she can become a distraction. Grimes’ wife, Cole reports, was the main reason why the Dolphins pushed Grimes to take a pay cut for 2016. When the two sides couldn’t agree to terms, Miami simply cut the cornerback. Grimes is still considered to be a very talented player, but as long as Miko Grimes continues to make the news for all the wrong reasons, it sounds like teams will be wary of adding him.
  • Benny Cunningham is visiting the Patriots today, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

Dolphins Release Brent Grimes

March 9th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 3:00pm: The Dolphins have tweeted confirmation of Grimes’ release.

2:52pm: The Dolphins are cutting Grimes, per Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter link).

9:15am: According to Kelly (via Twitter), the Dolphins have now asked Grimes if he’d be willing to stay in Miami. With the Dolphins/Eagles trade in jeopardy, Miami is presumably exploring a contingency plan in case that deal falls through. As Kelly notes though, the “damage is done” with Grimes, so it’s hard to imagine him wearing a Dolphins uniform in 2016. We’ll see how the situation plays out.

MONDAY, 1:26pm: The Dolphins are expected to release cornerback Brent Grimes in the near future, sources tell Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. According to Kelly, the Dolphins approached Grimes about restructuring his contract, and the defensive back declined, preferring to his unrestricted free agency.Brent Grimes

While the move has not yet been made official, it seems the two sides are “past the point of no return,” Kelly writes. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com chimes in on the story as well, tweeting that the Dolphins figure to officially cut Grimes when they acquire his replacement.

[RELATED: Dolphins, Eagles discussing Byron Maxwell trade]

Of course, it was Rapoport who reported earlier today that the Dolphins have engaged in discussions with the Eagles about a possible trade for cornerback Byron Maxwell. If Maxwell heads to Miami, releasing Grimes would make sense, both in terms of creating a spot on the depth chart and freeing up some cap room to accommodate the move.

Still, it doesn’t sound like anything is done yet between the Dolphins and Eagles, and it’s possible Miami has another replacement in mind for Grimes. Pro Football Talk tweets that the decision to cut Grimes could mean that the Dolphins are confident they have a shot to land free agent cornerback Adam Jones, who played under new Miami defensive coordinator Vance Joseph in Cincinnati. Because the legal tampering window is now open, the Dolphins can engage in talks with Jones’ reps.

Grimes is coming off his third straight Pro Bowl season, so if Miami cuts him, it would be a bit of a surprise. Still, he’ll turn 33 this July, his cap hit is one of the team’s largest, and the new coaching staff may not view him as an ideal fit.

If and when Grimes’ release becomes official, the Dolphins would create $6.5MM in cap savings, or $8MM if he’s designated a post-June 1 cut. He’s currently set to count for $9.5MM against the team’s 2016 cap, with $3MM in total dead money.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Broncos, Bears, Dolphins

February 13th, 2016 at 9:54pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A look around the NFL as Saturday wraps up:

  • Whether the Broncos bring back DeMarcus Ware next season might depend on if they can get a deal done with free agent-to-be Malik Jackson, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post. Both pass rushers have been important cogs in the Broncos’ dominant defense, but the salary cap could preclude the Super Bowl champions from retaining the pair. At 26, Jackson is significantly younger than Ware, who will enter his age-34 season. Further, releasing Ware would add $10MM to the Broncos’ cap for 2016. That money could obviously be put toward re-signing Jackson. If Denver does cut ties with Ware, his two-year stint with the team will have ended with a 3.5-sack playoff run. Two of those sacks came in the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 victory over Carolina.
  • If the Bears determine that tight end Martellus Bennett is a holdout threat, they’ll start shopping him around the league next month, writes Chris Boden of CSNChicago.com. A holdout wouldn’t be unheard of for Bennett, who sat out the voluntary portion of the Bears’ offseason program last year in an effort to land a better contract. The Bears didn’t bite then, and it doesn’t sound as though they’d blink in the event of a hypothetical Bennett holdout this year. If Chicago shops the soon-to-be 29-year-old – as it did last offseason – and ends up unable to find a taker, the team could cut him and save nearly $5.2MM on its cap in 2016. Bennett’s status is one of many points touched on by PFR’s Dallas Robinson in his offseason preview of the Bears, which can be found here.
  • Regardless of whether they keep Brent Grimes, the Dolphins hope to add at least two new cornerbacks this offseason, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The team cut corner Brice McCain on Friday and could also send Jamar Taylor packing, according to Jackson. Doing so would save Miami just shy of $900,000 on its cap next season.

Extra Points: Dolphins, Bears, Vikes, Lions, Draft

January 2nd, 2016 at 9:56pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Dolphins’ front office and coaching staff apparently aren’t the only areas they’re going to overhaul during the offseason. The team will also make big changes to its 27th-ranked defense, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Miami ranks 24th in passing yards allowed and 25th in rating against (98.8), so it plans to strengthen its secondary in the coming months. That means adding two new cornerbacks, asking veteran corner Brent Grimes ($9.5MM cap hit in 2016) to restructure his contract, and finding another safety to complement Reshad Jones. Free agent-to-be Eric Weddle, a three-time Pro Bowler with San Diego, would be open to an offer from the Dolphins, Jackson writes. He and Jones would form an excellent tandem, but it will cost the Dolphins (or anyone else) a lot to land Weddle.

Along the front seven, the Dolphins want to keep end Cameron Wake, who tore his Achilles’ tendon in October. Doing so might require the soon-to-be 34-year-old to restructure his deal, as he’s set to count nearly $10MM against the club’s cap next season. The Dolphins hope to continue pairing Olivier Vernon with Wake to generate a pass rush, but Vernon is a free agent and retaining him might be unrealistic.

“I only get one shot [at free agency], so I’m not [doing] a hometown discount,” said Vernon.

Miami also needs to upgrade at linebacker, where Jackson believes the team will look to add one or two new starters. They could either cut Koa Misi or move him back to the middle if they’re unable to find a better outside solution than MLB Kelvin Sheppard.

More from around the NFL:

  • The Bears are open to a long-term deal with receiver Alshon Jeffery, CSNChicago.com reports. The 6-foot-3, 216-pounder landed on injured reserve Wednesday after totaling 54 catches, 807 yards and four touchdowns this year in just nine games. The soon-to-be 26-year-old is primed to cash in soon, be it with the Bears or someone else, having accumulated 228 receptions, well over 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns over the last three years (41 games).
  • Like Jeffery, Vikings right guard Mike Harris is also a pending free agent. His ideal scenario includes re-signing with Minnesota rather than testing the open market. “That’s the hope,” Harris said, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “It’d be wonderful. It’d be a dream come true.” The fourth-year man has made a career-best 15 starts this season and earned a positive assessment from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which ranks him 24th out of 81 qualifying guards.
  • Continuing the soon-to-be free agent theme, Lions safety Isa Abdul-Quddus is scheduled to hit the market in the offseason. That’s good timing, notes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, as Abdul-Quddus is in line for a payday thanks to a career year. Abdul-Quddus, whom PFF ranks an impressive 20th out of 87 qualifying safeties, is hoping that payday comes in Detroit. “I love it here,” the 26-year-old told Meinke. “I love the coaching staff. I love Coach (Jim) Caldwell. I love everything here man, and I’d love to come back.”
  • Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee will enter the 2016 draft, Chase Goodbread of NFL.com tweets. Lee, a redshirt sophomore, is following the same path as teammates Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott and Cardale Jones – all of whom declared for the draft earlier this week.

East Notes: Coughlin, Grimes, Eagles, Pats

December 28th, 2015 at 8:17am CST by Luke Adams

Asked after Sunday night’s embarrassing loss to the Vikings about his job security, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin insisted that he’s not worried about it, and that it’ll “take care of itself,” according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.

While Coughlin claims he’s not concerned about his future with the Giants, he probably should be, says Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, who adds that the “walls are closing in” on the team’s longtime head coach. Graziano adds that there was a strange vibe in New York’s locker room after Sunday’s game, suggesting that players seem somewhat resigned to Coughlin’s potential fate, despite the fact that most of those players still strongly support and respect the coach.

As we wait to see what the next couple weeks hold for the Giants and Coughlin, let’s check in on some other notes out of the NFL’s East divisions….

  • As Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes, members of the Dolphins‘ front office, including Mike Tannenbaum, aren’t thrilled with the attention that Brent Grimes‘ wife, Miko Grimes, brings to the organization. After being arrested before a game earlier this season, she has recently been critical of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, as well as certain local media members. Although her outspoken nature may not significantly impact Grimes’ future in Miami, it’s fair to wonder if it’ll be taken into consideration if the club explores the possibility of cutting the cornerback or asking him to take a pay cut.
  • After Jason Peters removed himself from Saturday’s game against Washington, reports surfaced that the Eagles’ veteran tackle didn’t want to risk further injury for a team that wasn’t headed to the playoffs. Confirming that story, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News explores what it might mean for Peters and Chip Kelly in 2016.
  • The Patriots took another injury hit on Sunday when starting tackle Sebastian Vollmer went down with a sprained ankle, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Vollmer has an MRI scheduled for Monday.
  • The fact that the usually-effusive Jerry Jones wasn’t even willing to talk to reporters following the Cowboys‘ latest loss is a reflection of how bad things have gotten in Dallas this season, says Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. It’ll be interesting to see whether the frustrating year results in major offseason changes, or if the Joneses will simply count on Tony Romo‘s return to reverse the team’s fortunes in 2016.

AFC Notes: S. Smith, Grimes, Yates, Chiefs

December 25th, 2015 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

A report last weekend suggested that Ravens receiver Steve Smith is expected to put off retirement plans for one more year and return to the field in 2016. However, Smith himself remains noncommittal on the issue.

As Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun details, Smith said during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio this week that he’s “been on the fence” for a while about his plans for next year. The veteran wideout isn’t letting his Achilles injury determine his decision one way or the other, adding that the main factor will be what his family thinks.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • While there has been some speculation about Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes taking a pay cut for 2016, Grimes said he hasn’t paid any attention to that conversation, but didn’t entirely rule out the possibility, notes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
  • Texans quarterback T.J. Yates, who was placed on injured reserve this week after tearing his ACL, will undergo surgery on Monday to repair that ACL, writes Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “I’m excited to get things going. I’m more annoyed than anything. I know I’ll come back. I know I’ll be fine, but it’s terrible timing for everything. I’m ready to get the process started,” Yates said, adding that he hopes to be ready to go for training camp next year.
  • Veteran defensive tackle Ziggy Hood was among the free agents to work out for the Chiefs this week, per Wilson (Twitter link). Kansas City also took a look at quarterback Dominique Davis and defensive end Glenn Foster.

AFC Notes: Dareus, Grimes, Golson, Dixon

August 21st, 2015 at 9:51pm CST by Rob DiRe

Bills’ superstar defensive tackle Marcel Dareus is unhappy about his current contract, and is itching to hit free agency and chase some of that Ndamukong Suh money. Unfortunately for him, Suh was in a much better position in terms of leverage that allowed him to reach free agency. For Dareus, he will likely be subject to the franchise tag not once but twice before he is in position to get a Suh-like game-changing contract, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Here are some notes from around the AFC:

  • Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes has decided to change agents, and will now be represented by Tom Condon of CAA, reports Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Grimes was formerly represented by Ben Dogra of Relativity Sports.
  • At the beginning of August, we learned that Steelers’ second-round pick Senquez Golson might require shoulder surgery that at the time was thought to be season ending. Golson tried to play through the injury, but ultimately decided to have the surgery this morning, reports Chris Adamski of TribLive.com. However, Golson and head coach Mike Tomlin have not announced whether or not he will miss the 2015 season.
  • The Raiders have brought in safety Ahmad Dixon for a workout, accorting to Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). Dixon was a seventh-round pick for the Cowboys in 2014.

Dolphins Re-Sign Brent Grimes

March 5th, 2014 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 11:19am: Grimes’ contract includes a $6MM signing bonus, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter links). The cap numbers on the deal are as follows: $4MM (2014), $10MM (2015), $9.525MM (2016), and $8.5MM (2017).

MONDAY, 9:17am: The Dolphins have officially re-signed Brent Grimes to a multiyear deal, the team announced today (Twitter link). Grimes’ new contract is a four-year pact, the Dolphins cornerback tells Josina Anderson of ESPN (Twitter link), and it’s worth $32MM, with $16MM in guaranteed money, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first reported that the two sides were closing in on a contract agreement.Brent Grimes

While there are a handful of notable cornerbacks eligible for unrestricted free agency this offseason, including Aqib Talib, Vontae Davis, Alterraun Verner, and Sam Shields, Grimes is arguably coming off the best season of the bunch. The former Falcon returned from an Achilles injury in 2013 to start all 16 games for the Dolphins, playing in more snaps (1132) than all but two cornerbacks in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Grimes, who earned a spot in the Pro Bowl for the second time, was the league’s second-best full-time corner last season. He finished the season with 60 tackles and four interceptions, including one for a touchdown.

Locking up Grimes prior to free agency will allow the Dolphins to focus on other areas of need, and there are plenty to address. Most notably, Miami will have to revamp its offensive line, which will be decimated by the fallout from last year’s bullying scandal. While the terms of Grimes’ deal aren’t yet known, Rapoport tweets that, last he heard, the two sides were discussing a three-year pact worth in the neighborhood of $21MM. An annual salary in the $7-8MM range would give the club plenty of cap flexibility to be active in free agency and to bolster other positions.

Before this year’s free agents hit the open market on March 11, the Dolphins could also make an effort to re-sign some of its other own free agents, such as defensive linemen Paul Soliai and Randy Starks. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports (via Twitter) that the club is also “very interested” in another defensive back, Louis Delmas, who is eligible to sign with any team right away, since he was released by the Lions last month.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Brent Grimes, Dolphins Nearing Agreement

March 2nd, 2014 at 12:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Dolphins and prospective free agent Brent Grimes are “closing in” on a new deal that would keep the standout cornerback in Miami without the team having to use its franchise tag, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). According to Rapoport, the two sides could put the finishing touches on an agreement very soon.

There are a handful of notable cornerbacks eligible for unrestricted free agency this offseason, though few, if any, are more talented than Grimes. The former Falcon returned from an Achilles injury in 2013 to start all 16 games for the Dolphins, playing in more snaps (1132) than all but two cornerbacks in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Grimes, who grabbed four interceptions, was the league’s second-best full-time cornerback last season.

Rapoport had tweeted earlier this morning that he’d be “shocked” if the Dolphins used their franchise tag on Grimes. The one-year franchise salary for a cornerback in 2014 will be about $11.8MM, so the 30-year-old’s new deal figures to pay him a lesser annual salary for multiple seasons.

This post was first published on March 3 at 9:09am CT.

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