Breshad Perriman - Pro Football Rumors

Buccaneers To Sign WR Breshad Perriman

November 9th, 2021 at 5:17pm CST by Ben Levine

Breshad Perriman has already found his next gig. The veteran wideout has cleared waivers and will sign with the Buccaneers, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Perriman will initially join the Buccaneers practice squad but is expected to be promoted to the active roster sooner than later.

This will be Perriman’s second stint in Tampa Bay. The wideout spent the 2019 season with the Buccaneers, hauling in 36 receptions for 645 yards and six touchdowns. That performance earned him a one-year, $8MM deal ($6MM guaranteed) with the Jets. He had a solid season in New York during the 2020 campaign, finishing with 511 yards from scrimmage.

The 28-year-old caught on with the Lions this offseason, but he was cut by the team at the end of the preseason. He soon signed a one-year pact with the Bears, but he was released earlier this week after having not appeared in a single snap with Chicago.

The Buccaneers and Tom Brady have had success recruiting offensive weapons to Tampa Bay. While Perriman will likely see a secondary role on the offense, he could have an increased chance at reps with Antonio Brown sidelined.

Bears Cut WR Breshad Perriman

November 7th, 2021 at 10:28am CST by Rory Parks

The Bears have released veteran wideout Breshad Perriman, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). Perriman signed with Chicago before the start of the season but did not see any game action for the club.

Now 28, Perriman was selected by the Ravens in the first round of 2015 draft. Injuries and inconsistency marred his time in Baltimore, though he produced enough in 10 games for the Browns in 2018 to earn a one-year, $4MM deal with the Bucs in 2019. In his one season in Tampa Bay, Perriman hauled in 36 catches for 645 yards and six scores, which he parlayed into a one-year, $8MM contract with the Jets last season.

In 12 games for Gang Green, the UCF product tallied 30 receptions for 505 yards and three TDs, and he signed with the Lions in March with an eye towards earning a starting role for the rebuilding outfit. Unfortunately, a hip injury limited his chances to impress head coach Dan Campbell in training camp, and Campbell did not sound particularly thrilled with what he saw when Perriman was on the field. Detroit cut Perriman at the end of August, and he quickly latched on with the division-rival Bears.

Now, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers, Perriman will try to find an employer in need of a boost to its WR corps. Perriman is a prototypical big-play threat, having posted a career 16.5 yards-per-reception average. However, he has also struggled with drops and route running, and he has caught less than 50% of the passes thrown his way (which is low even for a player who is often asked to go deep).

Still, a receiver-needy club that misses out on Odell Beckham and DeSean Jackson could look his way. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com suggests that the now Beckham-less Browns could consider a reunion with Perriman, who developed a good rapport with QB Baker Mayfield in Mayfield’s rookie season.

Bears To Sign WR Breshad Perriman

September 1st, 2021 at 11:56am CST by Sam Robinson

Not long after his Lions release, Breshad Perriman landed another deal with an NFC North squad. The Bears agreed to terms with the veteran wide receiver on a one-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

This will mark Perriman’s sixth team, though his Lions stint did not produce a regular-season cameo. Detroit cut Perriman ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, doing so despite guaranteeing him $2MM earlier this year. The former first-round pick will now try to carve out a role in Chicago.

Although Perriman did not impress the Lions, with a training camp injury impeding his Motor City progress, he has surpassed 500 receiving yards in each of the past two years — doing so with the Buccaneers and Jets.

The former Ravens draftee will join a Bears team looking for targets alongside Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney. Excepting Mooney, Chicago’s receiver room is filled with veteran presences. The team signed both Marquise Goodwin and Damiere Byrd this year, and both made the Bears’ 53-man roster.

Additionally, the Bears will bring back cornerback Artie Burns, Schefter adds (via Twitter). They created one roster spot by moving Danny Trevathan to IR, and Burns will rejoin the team’s active roster. The Bears initially signed Burns in 2020, but the former Steelers first-round pick suffered a torn ACL that led to an IR placement last summer. They re-signed him in March only to cut him Tuesday. Burns is now back with the team.

Lions Cut Breshad Perriman

August 30th, 2021 at 8:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have released wide receiver Breshad Perriman (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). This was the expected move given Perriman’s injury-riddled camp.

“There just hasn’t been enough out there,” head coach Dan Campbell said recently. “He had the hip injury and then he comes back, he was solid the other night for the plays that he had, but yet he had an OPI, which he knows better than. … I think he’ll be better coming off of this hip. But I think that room right now is still up for grabs. I think there is a heavy competition going on in that room right now.”

The move leaves the Lions with Tyrell Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Quintez Cephus, and Kalif Raymond as their top four wide receivers. There aren’t a ton of high-impact options left on the market, so the Lions will be paying close attention to the transactions wire over the next 48 hours. Another team’s discarded vet could easily step into a key role for Detroit and they still have some cap room to work with.

Perriman will leave Detroit with his $2MM guarantee in hand. Next, the 28-year-old pass catcher will try to heal up and hook on elsewhere. He could be en route to his sixth NFL team, after stints with the Ravens, Browns, Bucs, Jets, and Lions.

In his 2020 with the Jets, Perriman caught 30 passes for 505 yards and three touchdowns.

Breshad Perriman On Lions’ Roster Bubble

August 23rd, 2021 at 7:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions made Breshad Perriman and Tyrell Williams the veteran components of their post-Kenny Golladay/Marvin Jones receiving corps. But only Williams appears certain to be part of Detroit’s 2021 squad.

Perriman has moved onto the Lions’ roster bubble, Justin Rogers of the Detroit News notes. The former first-round pick has dealt with a hip injury during camp, but even when available, the journeyman wide receiver has not impressed.

“There just hasn’t been enough out there,” Dan Campbell said of Perriman’s injury-limited camp, via Rogers. “He had the hip injury and then he comes back, he was solid the other night for the plays that he had, but yet he had an OPI, which he knows better than. … I think he’ll be better coming off of this hip. But I think that room right now is still up for grabs. I think there is a heavy competition going on in that room right now.”

The rebuilding team has one of the NFL’s thinnest receiving crews, so it would be surprising if Perriman did not survive the final cuts. The Lions guaranteed the veteran deep threat $2MM as part of his one-year, $2.25MM agreement. The 28-year-old pass catcher also has played for new Lions receivers coach Antwaan Randle El previously (with the Buccaneers in 2019).

Perriman has played for four teams in the past four years, moving from Baltimore to Cleveland to Tampa to New York. With the Jets in 2020, the 6-foot-2 wideout caught 30 passes for 505 yards and three touchdowns.

Williams and fourth-round rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown appear to be the only locks to make the team, per Rogers, with the latter on track to be the Lions’ primary slot receiver. Second-year wideout Quintez Cephus and veteran Kalif Raymond are vying to start opposite Perriman, which was designed to be Perriman’s role. The Lions also have ex-Packer Geronimo Allison and former UDFA Victor Bolden on their roster, and Campbell said ex-UDFA Tom Kennedy has made a push to make the team after a strong preseason thus far.

Lions To Sign WR Breshad Perriman

March 18th, 2021 at 5:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Breshad Perriman‘s journey around the league will make a stop in Detroit. The former first-round pick agreed to a deal with the Lions, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Perriman will sign a one-year, $3MM deal with the Lions, who have also added Tyrell Williams this offseason. Detroit has said goodbye to Marvin Jones and is expected to lose Kenny Golladay soon as well.

This marks an interesting agreement. Perriman’s father, Brett, was a standout for the Lions in the mid-1990s, joining Herman Moore in becoming the first teammates to each catch 100 passes in a season in 1995. Thirty years after Brett signed with the Lions, with whom he played six seasons in a 10-year career, his son will be part of a Detroit rebuild.

The Lions will be Breshad Perriman‘s fifth NFL team. While the younger Perriman did not catch on with the Ravens, who drafted him in the 2015 first round, he has been productive elsewhere. The Browns, Buccaneers and Jets have coaxed 500-plus-yard seasons from the auxiliary wideout. Perriman averaged 17.9 yards per catch with the Bucs in 2019, coming on down the stretch, and he totaled 505 yards and three TDs in 12 games with the Jets.

This move comes after the Lions hired Antwaan Randle El to coach their wide receivers. Randle El was in Tampa during Perriman’s quality season as the Bucs’ WR3. The Browns were also interested in a potential Perriman reunion, but they have since re-signed Rashard Higgins to stay with their Jarvis Landry–Odell Beckham Jr. tandem.

Browns Interested In Lavonte David

February 27th, 2021 at 4:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Barring an extension by March 15, Lavonte David will have his first crack at free agency. After playing a key role in helping the Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV, the veteran linebacker will have a strong market.

If the Bucs let David reach free agency, the Browns should be expected to play a role in driving said market. The team has the nine-year veteran on its radar, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports.

Chris Godwin and Shaquil Barrett have been the Bucs connected to the franchise tag. While Jason Licht said the Bucs will make a strong push to retain David on a third contract, he could be eager to see what his market looks like. The Bucs have these three, along with Ndamukong Suh, Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown and Leonard Fournette, due for free agency.

David and the Bucs spent time negotiating a deal last year but could not come to terms. He then played out the final season of his $10MM-AAV contract. As of late February, the Browns have $20MM in cap space to the Bucs’ $13MM. Cleveland being in the J.J. Watt mix could deplete those funds in advance of unrestricted free agency’s outset, though Tampa Bay has a far more extensive group of internal free agents.

Although the Browns made their first playoff berth in 18 years last season, they ranked 25th in defensive DVOA. One of the NFL’s best linebackers over the past decade, David would check a key box for Cleveland. Going into his age-31 season, David should still be expected to command a lucrative deal. Pro Football Focus graded the former second-round pick as its No. 4 overall off-ball linebacker last season.

The Browns, according to Cabot, are also expected to be interested in Breshad Perriman, a former Ravens first-round pick who has since found better NFL footing with the Bucs and Jets. Another Rashard Higgins contract is also in play for the Browns, who have Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. signed through 2021. Perriman caught 30 passes for 505 yards last season, doing so after posting 645 yards in 2019 with the Bucs.

Trade Rumors: Thomas, Njoku, Watt, Jets

November 1st, 2020 at 8:50am CST by Rory Parks

Saints head coach Sean Payton has said his team has no interest in trading star receiver Michael Thomas, though Thomas’ camp was recently said to be looking for potential deals. There has been no movement towards a Thomas trade, and whether that’s because New Orleans has no interest in dealing him or because the club has not received an offer it likes, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says Thomas will stay put.

With the trade deadline two days away, let’s round up a few more rumors on players who could be on the move:

The Browns don’t want to trade tight end David Njoku, but Njoku has renewed his request to be dealt, and Rapoport says Cleveland has been fielding calls on the former first-rounder. It may take at least a fourth-round pick to get a deal done, but with Austin Hooper set to return and with the emergence of rookie Harrison Bryant, the Browns may elect to move Njoku.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the Texans are at the center of the trade market, with one executive saying Houston could move as many as five players if it wants to. Rapoport expects the Packers‘ interest in Will Fuller — which dates back to the summer — to ramp up, but it will likely take a high pick to convince the Texans to move Fuller. Fellow WR Kenny Stills has also drawn some interest, though rival clubs see the contracts for Stills and Randall Cobb as prohibitive. DE J.J. Watt may be receptive to a trade, but considering his contract and age, other teams probably don’t value him like the Texans do.
The Jets have received calls on LB Avery Williamson, OTs George Fant and Chuma Edoga, and CB Quincy Wilson, per Albert Breer of SI.com. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com says the Steelers — who recently lost Devin Bush for the season — could be in the market for Williamson, and Edoga also seems like a good bet to be dealt since he does not look like a fit with the current regime.
La Canfora says teams have also called the Jets about WR Breshad Perriman and TE Chris Herndon, though Breer notes that safety Marcus Maye has not drawn much interest.
Rapoport names Dolphins RB Jordan Howard and Seahawks TE Jacob Hollister as two other players who could be moved. And though the Bengals are shopping disgruntled wideout John Ross, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com says there hasn’t been interest in Ross (Twitter link).

AFC East Notes: Patriots, Jets, Jones

September 23rd, 2020 at 3:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots may have the top bargain at the quarterback position this season, with Cam Newton making league-minimum money (plus incentives) on his one-year deal. This reality would not be unfolding had Tom Brady come to terms with the Patriots on an extension ahead of the 2019 season. Prior to the Pats and Brady agreeing on an in-name-only extension that allowed him to become a free agent in 2020, the team made its legendary passer a two-year, $53MM extension offer, Jeff Howe of The Athletic notes (subscription required). The number here is notable, considering it would have represented a raise for Brady on a through-2021 commitment. While Brady was seeking an extension similar to the one Drew Brees had signed with the Saints in 2018, he almost certainly landed a better deal — two years, $50MM fully guaranteed — with the Buccaneers this March.

Although the Pats were prepared to consider Brady counteroffers in February and March of this year, Howe adds Brady’s camp did not make one. A previous report indicated, however, the Patriots did not make a strong effort to re-sign Brady this year — a strategy that rubbed the free agent passer the wrong way.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

Following his 397-yard passing performance against the Seahawks, Newton has firmly re-established himself as an extension candidate. Given his injury history, however, the Patriots would probably like to see if their new QB1 can hold up for a full season or at least for most of it before beginning contract talks. Newton said during a recent radio interview an extension is “literally the last of my worries,” per WEEI.com’s Ryan Hannable. The 31-year-old quarterback also indicated he did not want to become mired in a back-and-forth negotiation with the Pats when he signed in June, leading to his incentive-laden deal. Were Newton to stay healthy this season, however, a negotiation would seemingly commence and end with the former MVP signed to a deal more lucrative than his 2015 Panthers extension.
The Dolphins will be without Byron Jones against the Jaguars. Miami ruled out its high-priced free agent acquisition, who landed on the injury report with Achilles and groin issues. Jones left the Dolphins’ Week 2 game against the Bills in the first quarter. This will only be his second missed game since arriving in the NFL in 2015.
More wideout injury trouble for the Jets. They will be without Breshad Perriman for a game or two with an ankle ailment, Adam Gase said this week. Gang Green is already down Jamison Crowder and Denzel Mims. Crowder is not certain to return in Week 3, and Mims must reside on IR through Week 4.
Le’Veon Bell dropped a considerable amount of weight this offseason, coming into this season at 210 pounds. With a CBS broadcast indicating Bell lost 24 pounds, this would have placed the former All-Pro at 234 last year — above his listed playing weight. Bell’s conditioning was a concern within the organization, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes. Bell is currently on IR and almost certainly in his final season as a Jet.
The Patriots have asked second-round rookie Josh Uche to morph from college pass rusher to all-around linebacker, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Perhaps this developmental role resulted in Uche being a healthy scratch in Week 1, with the Pats having third-round linebacker Anfernee Jennings active over him. Uche has yet to play this season; he was inactive because of an ankle injury in Week 2. The ex-Michigan Wolverine, however, is off the Pats’ injury report ahead of their Week 3 game against the Raiders.

AFC East Notes: Patriots, Dolphins, Jets, Gase

July 4th, 2020 at 12:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Prior to being selected by the Patriots in the third round of the 2016 draft, quarterback Jacoby Brissett wanted nothing to do with New England.

“I honestly did not want to be there,” Brissett said on the McCourty twins’ podcast (via Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston). “When I took my visit there — my pre-draft visit — I was like, ‘Hell no. If one team drafts me, it better not be them.’

“And I’ll never forget, (offensive coordinator) Josh (McDaniels) called me on the phone on draft night and I didn’t have his number saved. That’s how bad it was. I didn’t even have his number saved in my phone. I was like, ‘Damn, man.'”

You can’t necessarily blame Brissett for feeling that way. Besides having to play behind one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Tom Brady, the rookie QB was also behind former second-rounder Jimmy Garoppolo on the depth chart. Due to suspensions and injuries to his teammates, Brissett ended up seeing time in three games (two starts) during his rookie campaign. The following year, the Patriots shipped Brissett to the Colts in exchange for wideout Phillip Dorsett.

“Honestly, that was my wake-up to the NFL, was being traded and then the next week, you’re out there in a game,” Brissett added. “It was like, ‘We don’t care how long you’ve been here. You’d better know how to play.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the AFC East…

Speaking of Patriots quarterbacks, Cam Newton is in New England to complete his physical and finalize his one-year deal, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). The reporter notes that the Patriots are confident in the quarterback’s “condition” and aren’t anticipating any issues with the physical. Injuries limited Newton to only a pair of games in 2019, forcing him to settle for a one-year, $1.75MM deal with New England.
If the Dolphins are forced to trim their training camp roster, then Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald points to a handful of undrafted rookies who could get cut, including offensive linemen Jonathan Hubbard, Nick Kaltmayer, and Donell Stanley. Jackson also opines that a handful of veterans could be sent packing, a group that includes offensive linemen Adam Pankey and Keaton Sutherland, quarterback Jake Rudock, fullback Chandler Cox, and receivers Ricardo Louis and Mack Hollins.
Connor Hughes of The Athletic did a somewhat similar exercise with the Jets, as he explored which players could be traded if New York gets off to a sluggish start. The writer points to wideout Breshad Perriman, linebacker Avery Williamson, running back Le’Veon Bell, defensive end Henry Anderson, and safety Marcus Maye as potential trade candidates.
While Hughes believes that Adam Gase has received some underserved criticism during his tenure in New York, the writer also can’t envision the Jets head coach keeping his job if the team finishes with seven or fewer wins. Of course, there are plenty of scenarios where the Jets struggle and Gase does keep his job, especially if quarterback Sam Darnold misses more time in 2020.