HEADLINES

Donald Penn

Extra Points: Smith, Munnerlyn, Neal

March 13th, 2014 at 10:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn told reporters, including Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter), that he wanted a three-year deal with the Vikings rather than four years so that he could get another contract before he turns 30. He added (link) that it was very tough for him to say goodbye to the Panthers, but Carolina couldn’t afford to give him the same contract. More from around the NFL..

  • Steve Smith‘s visit with the Ravens is going well so far, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Steelers were eyeing Mike Neal in free agency before he re-signed with Green Bay, tweets Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The linebacker got a two-year, $8MM deal from the Packers with a $2.5MM signing bonus.
  • Charlie Whitehurst had the same offer from the Chargers before he picked the Titans, tweets Paul Kuharsky of ESPN. The quarterback inked a two-year deal with a $4MM base with another $4MM in incentives and $2MM guaranteed.
  • New 49ers addition Jonathan Martin told reporters, including Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter), that he never considered retirement.
  • Former Bucs left tackle Donald Penn is flying to Oakland tonight to visit the Raiders, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Penn has been heavily linked to the Raiders since his release.
  • The 49ers don’t have much salary cap space and it’s hard to see them signing both a cornerback and a wide receiver, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
  • Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter) expects the market for Saints free agent center Brian de la Puente to heat up now that the first wave of free agency has come and gone.
  • Henry Melton‘s possible legal trouble won’t prevent the Bears from re-signing him, but they could use it as ammunition as they try to knock his price down, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com.

Bucs Release Donald Penn

March 13th, 2014 at 12:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers announced that they have released offensive tackle Donald Penn, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. The move will help to make way for Anthony Collins.

Penn was set to earn $7.5MM in 2014, but as Over The Cap explains, the Bucs won’t be on the hook for much over the remaining two years of the contract. Cutting ties with the soon-to-be 31-year-old will leave Tampa Bay on the hook for about $1MM in dead money.

Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter) sees the Raiders and Redskins as logical landing spots for the veteran tackle.

FA Roundup: Woodley, Allen, Tuck, Mack

March 10th, 2014 at 10:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The latest on the free agent front:

  • Many in the Steelers organization believe that linebacker LaMarr Woodley will end up in Tennessee, where he would be reunited with former Steelers secondary coach Ray Horton, who is now the defensive coordinator with the Titans, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
  • La Canfora also notes that those involved in the defensive end market expect Jared Allen to sign with the Broncos, and Justin Tuck to return to the Giants (Twitter link).
  • Alex Mack‘s agent tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link) that he believes he can find his client an offer sheet the Browns may not match. That’s not to say that Mack wants out of Cleveland. However, as a transition player, his best chance of a long-term payday involves signing an offer sheet, and no rival teams will spend time negotiating that offer if they expect the Browns to simply match it.
  • The Buccaneers have not yet asked left tackle Donald Penn to take a pay cut, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.
  • With Alterraun Verner expected to be out of their price range, the Giants are eyeing other cornerbacks, and have expressed interest in Corey Graham, a source tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
  • Offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz will not return to the Chiefs, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).
  • Defensive tackle Earl Mitchell will not return to the Texans, writes Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. We noted earlier today that the Chargers will pursue Mitchell.
  • The Cardinals have interest in cornerback Mike Jenkins, tweets Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910.
  • Re-signing with the Buccaneers remains a possibility for linebacker Dekoda Watson, but he’ll test the market and begin visiting other teams, starting tomorrow, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
  • The Eagles have contacted several free agents, and among them are Lamarr Houston, Graham, and Nolan Carroll, according to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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…