Dont’a Hightower - Pro Football Rumors

Dont’a Hightower Visits Titans

March 13th, 2017 at 8:58am CST by Zachary Links

Dont’a Hightower visited with the Jets this weekend and he’s spent time with Titans, but it doesn’t necessarily sound like he’ll be signing with either team. After both meetings, the Jets and Titans left convinced he’ll re-sign with the Patriots, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This jibes with an earlier report which said an unknown team in the mix for Hightower has the same impression.

At this point, it sounds like the linebacker may be looking to drum up a high-priced offer to take back to the Patriots. However, if the Titans and Jets do not believe they can lure him away, they might be unwilling to submit a formal offer.

Right now, league-wide belief is that Hightower will circle back to the Pats on a deal worth about $10MM per year. That would be less money than anticipated before March 9, but other players at the top of the market have also had to settle for less. For example, top wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Terrelle Pryor both settled for unimpressive one-year deals after rumblings of lucrative multi-year pacts.

Hightower finished the 2016 campaign with 65 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 13 games. Before the start of free agency, we listed him as the best available linebacker in our free agent positional rankings.

Dont’a Hightower Meeting With Jets

March 12th, 2017 at 7:55pm CST by Ben Levine

Linebacker Dont’a Hightower is currently visiting the Jets, reports CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (via Twitter). The meeting is expected to “wrap up” on Monday. We learned earlier today that New York was one of the two “favorites” (along with the Patriots) to sign the free agent.

We’ve been hearing throughout the offseason that the Patriots are interested in retaining Hightower, and La Canfora notes that New England is still very interested in retaining the defender. The former first-rounder finished the 2016 campaign with 65 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 13 games. We listed him as the best available linebacker in our free agent positional rankings.

The Jets have seemed to prioritize making their roster younger throughout the offseason. While Hightower, 27, isn’t a spring chicken, he’s still young enough to fit into the team’s long-term game plan. The Jets haven’t been big spenders in free agency, so they’d have plenty of money to throw at the Pro Bowler.

They’ll presumably have to offer a contract that drastically exceeds that of the Patriots, and it’s important to remember that New England is still operating with a good chunk of cap room. La Canfora notes that teams around the NFL are assuming Hightower will return to New England on a contract that pays $10MM a season.

If Hightower did sign with the Patriots’ division rival, he’d be joining a linebacker corps that currently features starters Sheldon Richardson, David Harris, Darron Lee, and Jordan Jenkins. Seth Walder of The New York Daily News writes that if the team does sign Hightower, they might move on from Harris. The veteran is a long-time member of the Jets defense, but the team could save $6.5MM against the cap by cutting him loose.

Jets, Patriots In Lead For Dont’a Hightower

March 12th, 2017 at 12:44pm CST by Rory Parks

The Jets and Patriots are currently the favorites to land free agent linebacker Dont’a Hightower, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). However, La Canfora notes that several other clubs are closely monitoring the situation.

We learned yesterday that New England was still interested in re-signing Hightower, who was named to his first Pro Bowl this season. The Alabama product finished the 2016 campaign with 65 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 13 games, and he was listed as the best available linebacker in our free agent positional rankings. Until today, however, no one other than the Patriots had been definitively connected to Hightower (although another AFC East club, the Dolphins, have been mentioned as a possible fit).

Needless to say, the Jets and Patriots are in very different places as far as their immediate championship prospects, so Gang Green may have to outbid New England by a wide margin if they want to lure Hightower away from Foxborough. The Patriots, though, still have plenty of money to spend, and none of their other options offer the type of production that Hightower does from the middle linebacker spot, so they may be inclined to match a larger offer from another club, even if they were unwilling to use the franchise or transition tag on Hightower. New England typically embraces a “next man up” philosophy, but the team may make an exception in this case.

The market is capped for a non-rush ‘backer like Hightower, but he is among the best at what he does, and he has also been lauded for his intangibles. Coming off another Super Bowl championship, he may be willing to join a rebuilding team like the Jets if the money is right. However, just yesterday we heard that one team involved in Hightower talks is convinced he will remain with the Pats.

AFC East Rumors: Cutler, Hightower, Bills

March 11th, 2017 at 9:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The team most linked to Jay Cutler now that he’s a first-time free agent, the Jets may be split on acquiring the former Broncos and Bears quarterback. Gang Green is intrigued by the 12th-year passer, and the feeling is believed to be mutual. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News notes a faction of the Jets wants the 33-year-old Cutler on the roster, linking former Broncos and Bears assistant Jeremy Bates — the Jets’ new quarterbacks coach — to being in the pro-Cutler camp. The Jets, though, aren’t presently inclined to spend much on Cutler, with Mehta noting if he were available for “a few million” the Jets’ brass would probably sign him. Cutler played three seasons of the seven-year, $126MM Bears deal he signed in 2014.

Here’s more from the Jets and some of their division rivals.

One team involved in talks with UFA linebacker Dont’a Hightower is convinced he will sign to stay with the Patriots, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets. Breer doesn’t specify the team here, but the Patriots have been connected to the sixth-year ‘backer throughout free agency despite not placing the franchise tag on him. New England has been the only known team to be pursuing Hightower. While there are surely others in the hunt for a top-level free agent, none have been revealed yet.
Lorenzo Alexander expects the two-year, $9MM contract he signed with the Bills to be his last. “I see myself walking off into the sunset and transitioning into life after football after I’m done,” the soon-to-be 34-year-old pass-rusher said, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. The Bills re-signed the 2016 wonder despite being set to shift to a 4-3 defense. Prior to last season, Alexander (12.5 sacks in ’16) had nine career sacks in nine seasons.
The Jets would be interested in acquiring Trevor Siemian from the Broncos in the event they sign or trade for Tony Romo, Mehta reports. Unloading a late-round pick for Siemian would be something the Jets would consider. Cutler might be the Jets’ backup plan behind Siemian, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reported earlier this week. But there are a lot of moving parts to this string of deals, one that became murkier when the Texans cleared eight figures in cap space via their unorthodox Brock Osweiler trade. That opens the door for Houston to pursue Romo, and it’s unlikely the team will look to move Tom Savage in that event. The Broncos, though, would have less use for Siemian if they land Romo since Paxton Lynch is still tentatively viewed as their quarterback of the future. Siemian has two years remaining on his rookie contract.
In addition to keeping Alexander, the Bills re-upped right tackle Jordan Mills on Saturday.

Latest On Dont’a Hightower, Patriots

March 11th, 2017 at 12:29pm CST by Ben Levine

We haven’t heard much on the Dont’a Hightower front over the past couple of days, but that shouldn’t be a cause for concern for Patriots fans. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets that the organization is still interested in re-signing the linebacker, noting that they’re keeping “close tabs” on the situation. This essentially echoes the various reports we’ve heard throughout the week.

Hightower was listed as the best available linebacker in our free agent positional rankings, and Zach Links predicted that he’d earn the fourth-highest contract this offseason. Despite the hype, there haven’t been many rumors surrounding the former first-rounder, with the Patriots being the lone team connected to him.

The Patriots have already made a number of moves this offseason, but they’re still armed with plenty of money, so they shouldn’t have any issues fitting Hightower into the cap. None of the team’s current linebacker options, including Rob Ninkovich, Shea McClellin, Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts, and Jonathan Freeny, provide the free agent’s production.

Hightower was named to his first Pro Bowl this season. The linebacker finished the campaign with 65 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 13 games. During his five-year career, the 26-year-old has missed a total of 13 regular season games.

Updates On Top Remaining Free Agents

March 10th, 2017 at 12:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Some big names came off the board on Wednesday and Thursday, but tons of notable free agents remain. Here’s a look at some of the notables who are still out there and where they stand:

Adrian Peterson, RB (Vikings): Poor, poor AD. As we summed up on Friday morning, there are no clear suitors for No. 28 at this time. Despite previous reports to the contrary, the Texans, Patriots, Raiders, Giants, and Seahawks are showing little to no interest in signing the veteran running back. The incumbent Vikings haven’t put an offer on the table since declining his bloated $18MM option. Peterson is one of the best running backs in NFL history, but teams are skeptical of what he can do as he looks to rebound from another serious right knee injury on the verge of his 32nd birthday. We know that there will be teams with interest in Peterson – perhaps even some of those aforementioned clubs – but Peterson is far from their Plan A and it doesn’t sound like any team wants to pay him like a top running back. Ultimately, Peterson seems likely to settle for a low-base, one-year deal with a good amount of performance incentives. His best payday, I think, would come from the Vikings. Peterson is a fan favorite and the organization would probably like to have him finish his career in purple. With all that said, Adrian’s dad publicly trashing the team probably isn’t helping matters.
Eddie Lacy, RB (Packers): The Vikings, Seahawks, and incumbent Packers seem to be the frontrunners for Lacy at this time. The Seahawks will meet with Lacy, but they also have meetings scheduled with Latavius Murray and Jamaal Charles. The Vikings, of course, are looking into Peterson replacements. Even though Lacy has had problems with consistency and conditioning over the years, he’s my top-ranked running back in this year’s FA crop.
Dont’a Hightower, LB (Patriots): Hightower, surely, has interest from a number of clubs. But, for whatever reason, leaks have been kept to a minimum. For all the speculation about the Dolphins and other clubs swarming the non-rush linebacker, we’ve only heard talk of “positive” dialogue between Hightower and the Pats. The Patriots are more unpredictable than ever, but I think the most likely outcome is that he re-signs. Bill Belichick was cocky enough to trade Jamie Collins and Chandler Jones in the same year – and it obviously worked out – but I don’t think he’s crazy enough to also let Hightower leave.
Dontari Poe, DT (Chiefs): The defensive tackle market is starting to take shape. Brandon Williams has re-upped with the Ravens on a lucrative five-year, $54MM deal that includes $27MM in guarantees. Chris Baker, considered a run below Williams and Poe, has a three-year, $15.75MM with $9MM guaranteed. We had Williams and Poe fairly close to each other on the Top 50 list and the early thinking was that they could fetch similar contracts. However, the latest word is that he may have to settle for a one-year, prove-it deal. The Falcons, 49ers, and Redskins have been linked to Poe this week, but the Redskins might not be in the market for him anymore after adding Stacy McGee.
Johnathan Hankins, DT (Giants): Hankins’ camp has been keeping things on the QT. There have been estimates that he could fetch around $7MM to $8MM per year (or more) on a multi-year deal. The Giants would love to keep the soon-to-be 25-year-old and we’re sure that other teams want him too, but there have been zero leaks from his negotiations. Hankins may not be as good as Williams right now, but the age factor could allow him to approach or top his contract. Teams also might feel better about committing years and dollars to Hankins over Poe. Of course, it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison since Hankins is a 4-3 DT and Williams and Poe are 3-4 nose tackles. They are different players and they have different groups of suitors due to their scheme fits.
T.J. Lang, G (Packers): Lang is a talented guard, but teams are concerned about his surgically-repaired hip. Right now, the Packers, Lions, and Seahawks are known to be in the mix for him, but he might not sign right away as teams go over his medical info. Teams might want to see him work out in full before committing to him. He’s ranked No. 14 overall on my Top 50 list and was second only to Kevin Zeitler on our list of free agent interior linemen.
Martellus Bennett, TE (Patriots): There’s heavy mutual interest between the Raiders and Bennett and the Giants and Bills have also been linked to him. However, after the Giants spent a good chunk of coin to add Rhett Ellison, it’s not clear if Bennett is still a consideration. Bennett is far and away the best available tight end out there and he should fetch a nice payday for himself. It’s just not clear where that might be. A Patriots return can be ruled out after the Dwayne Allen trade. The Lions are also looking into tight ends, but we haven’t specifically heard about them reaching out to Bennett.
Jared Cook, TE (Packers): The second-best tight end on the board is drawing interest from the Lions and Bills. Contract talks with the Packers have reportedly broken off, so he could very well wind up leaving.
Jabaal Sheard, DE (Patriots): The Dolphins were linked to Sheard, but I’m guessing they’re no longer interested after acquiring William Hayes in a brilliant trade with the Rams on Thursday. He’s on his way to meet with the Colts and we haven’t heard a peep about any possible Pats reunion. Towards the end of the season, the feeling was that Sheard would not be back in New England.

FA Rumors: Charles, Hightower, Cutler, Bills

March 9th, 2017 at 2:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest free agency rumors from around the league:

Jamaal Charles will visit the Seahawks next week, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. The Seahawks’ interest in Charles was first reported on Thursday morning. If he signs with Seattle, he’ll join Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise on the RB depth chart.
A Dont’a Hightower/Patriots re-up remains on the table, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting (on Twitter) the parties remain in good communication about keeping Hightower in New England.
The Jets‘ interest in Jay Cutler is being reciprocated by the veteran quarterback, Rapoport notes (on Twitter). The Bears released Cutler today after eight seasons.
Malcolm Smith will receive a raise from the 49ers after his two years with the Raiders. Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets it’s a five-year, $26.5MM deal for the outside ‘backer, with $13MM guaranteed. This $5.3MM-AAV pact represents quite the bump from his $3.5MM deal in Oakland, one that didn’t come with rave reviews from the advanced metrics community.
The Bills remain interested in retaining Lorenzo Alexander, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News tweets. The sides are continuing to work at completing a deal for the edge defender. Although the Bills are moving to a 4-3 scheme, Alexander — who thrived as a 3-4 outside ‘backer in the form of 12.5 sacks in 2016 — looks to still be part of their plans.
It sounds like the Bills and Lions are in the lead for wide receiver Russell Shepard (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler). He could still wind up returning to the Buccaneers.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report.

Latest On Dont’a Hightower

March 7th, 2017 at 8:17pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While the Patriots haven’t yet re-signed linebacker Dont’a Hightower, the pending free agent engaged in a “positive conversation” with head coach Bill Belichick last week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Hightower is open to staying in New England, but is also gauging his value on the open market, per Rapoport.

Contrary to other reports, the Patriots “didn’t even explore” the option of using the transition tag on Hightower, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (video link). The transition tender would have given New England the right of first refusal on any contract offer Hightower might received. If they didn’t consider the transition tag, it’s fair to assume the Patriots didn’t think about deploying the franchise tender (at a cost of $14.55MM).

Hightower, 26, played in 13 games last season and racked up 65 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ 12th-best linebacker among 87 qualifiers. Given that the Patriots have already traded away other key defenders such as Jamie Collins and Chandler Jones, Hightower may be the last man standing when New England decides where to spend its free agent dollars.

AFC East Rumors: Patriots, Branch, Jets

March 2nd, 2017 at 2:08pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots and Dont’a Hightower are maintaining positive, productive dialogue, Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald writes. Still, Hightower is intrigued by the idea of finding out his value on the open market, so there remains a real chance that he reaches free agency on March 9. The Pats have not extended a formal, written proposal since last summer.

Here’s a look at the latest out of the AFC East:

The Patriots believe they made a solid offer to Alan Branch this week and the two sides are deep in negotiations, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. We have Branch rated as the seventh-best interior defender among unrestricted free agents.
Jets coach Todd Bowles claims Darrelle Revis‘ recent felony arrest was not a factor in the decision to release him (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com). He also says the idea of moving him to safety was discussed, but it doesn’t sound like it was a serious consideration.
The Dolphins aren’t sure whether safety Isa Abdul-Quddus can take the field in 2017, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Last year, they signed Abdul-Quddus to a three-year deal with the hope that he could hold down the position. Unfortunately, he suffered a bad neck injury late last season.
The Jets and 49ers are said to be among the teams with interest in Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

Patriots Will Not Tag Dont’a Hightower

February 28th, 2017 at 1:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots informed Dont’a Hightower they will not apply the franchise tag to him, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This will allow the star linebacker to test the open market.

Hightower was willing to sign the franchise tag, but the Pats have opted against potentially paying him roughly $14.7MM for the 2017 campaign. It’s not 100% clear whether the Patriots have decided against the transition tag, but it doesn’t sound like they’ll be using that either. That tag would cost less but also wouldn’t entitle New England to draft pick compensation if Hightower signs elsewhere. Still, with plenty of cap space, the Patriots can likely match any offer Hightower scores on the open market.

Hightower clearly rates as the best linebacker available in free agency, even though non-rush linebackers typically do not get as much attention as their sack-compiling cohorts. After Hightower, Zach Brown, Kevin Minter, Perry Riley, and Lawrence Timmons represent some of the better LB options out there.

Hightower, 26, played in 13 games last season and racked up 65 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ 12th-best linebacker among 87 qualifiers.

Hightower’s reps can begin speaking with teams on March 7th, when the legal tampering period begins. Starting on March 9th, free agents are allowed to sign with clubs.