HEADLINES

George Selvie

Contract Details: Clay, Cromartie, Webb, Britt

March 24th, 2015 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are some specific details on a number of contracts agreed to and/or signed recently. One-year minimum salary benefit deals aren’t included.

AFC deals:

  • Charles Clay, TE (Bills): Five years, $38MM base value. $24.5MM fully guaranteed. $10MM signing bonus. $10MM roster bonus in 2016. No-trade clause for first three years (three Twitter links via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
  • Antonio Cromartie, CB (Jets): Four years, $32MM base value. $7MM guaranteed. $2MM roster bonus. No signing bonus (link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
  • Lardarius Webb, CB (Ravens): Restructured contract. Three years, $18MM base value. $5.25MM guaranteed. $3MM roster bonus in 2015 (link via Wilson).
  • Nate Irving, LB (Colts): Three years, $7.25MM base value. $1.5MM guaranteed. $750K signing bonus. Escalators in 2016, 2017 (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Karl Klug, DL (Titans): Two years, $3.75MM base value. $1MM signing bonus. $200K roster bonus in 2016. Up to $625K in annual incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • James Harrison, OLB (Steelers): Two years, $2.75MM base value. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Byron Stingily, T (Titans): Two years, $2.5MM base value. $250K signing bonus. $800K playing-time escalator (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Louis Delmas, S (Dolphins): One year, $2.25MM base value. Up to $1.25MM in incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Mitch Unrein, DT (Chargers): Two years, $1.9MM base value. $250K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).

NFC deals:

  • Kenny Britt, WR (Rams): Two years, $9.15MM base value. $4.05MM guaranteed. $1.5MM roster bonus in 2015. Potential void in 2016 based on 2015 escalator (link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
  • Jacob Tamme, TE (Falcons): Two years, $3.2MM base value. $400K signing bonus. $250K roster bonus in 2016. $1MM escalator based on performance, playing time (Twitter links via Wilson).
  • Clint Gresham, LS (Seahawks): Three years, $2.705MM base value. $300K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Ahtyba Rubin, DL (Seahawks): One year, $2.5MM base value. $1MM signing bonus. Up to $500K in playing-time incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Kenrick Ellis, DT (Giants): One year, $1.475MM base value. $500K guaranteed. $300K signing bonus (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com).
  • George Selvie, DE (Giants): One year, $1.2MM base value. $200K signing bonus. Up to $200K in incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).

Giants Sign George Selvie

March 20th, 2015 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

10:00am: The Giants have made it official, announcing the signing of Selvie in a press release.

9:42am: Former Cowboys defensive end George Selvie is making the move to another NFC East team, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that Selvie and the Giants have agreed to terms on a contract. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), it’ll be a one-year, $1.4MM contract for Selvie, with a $200K signing bonus.

Selvie, who turned 28 two weeks ago, has started 29 games for the Cowboys over the past two seasons, recording 10 sacks and 81 tackles. The former Jaguar, Panther, and Ram graded as the league’s 37th-best 4-3 DE among 59 qualifiers per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but those metrics showed a stark difference between Selvie’s run defense (where he excelled) and his pass rush (where he struggled).

While the Giants hosted Selvie for a visit this week, the team was hardly his only suitor. The Vikings were said to be interested as well, having contacted him on the first day of the legal tampering period earlier in the month. Although Minnesota’s interest waned a little this week, the Buccaneers were also very much in the mix.

In New York, Selvie looks like a good bet to assume many of the defensive snaps that Mathias Kiwanuka played last season — Kiwanuka was cut by the Giants last month. The move will also reunite Selvie with former USF teammate Jason Pierre-Paul.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

FA Notes: Dolphins, Jackson, Selvie, Newman

March 19th, 2015 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

Having decided not to match the Bills’ offer sheet for tight end Charles Clay, the Dolphins may be prepared to spend the money saved on Clay on some other free agents. According to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), in addition to hosting wide receiver Michael Crabtree, Miami is also having quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and center J.D. Walton in for visits.

Jackson, in particular, is an intriguing potential fit for the Dolphins. The team still needs a veteran backup behind Ryan Tannehill, and while Miami’s preference may be to re-sign Matt Moore, Jackson could come a little cheaper.

Here are a few more free agent notes from around the NFL:

  • Defensive end George Selvie, who has reportedly drawn interest from the Buccaneers and Vikings so far in free agency, is visiting the Giants today, according to Art Stapleton of The Record (Twitter link).
  • The Vikings and cornerback Terence Newman have discussed some contract figures, but weren’t close to a deal as of late last night, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). If the veteran corner were to join the Vikings, he’d reunite with former Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
  • Free agent offensive tackle Corey Hilliard is paying a visit to the Jets, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Hilliard, a former Lion, is a solid swing tackle when he’s healthy, but injuries have derailed his last two seasons.
  • In a piece for The Sporting News, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a look at the players who have done the best and worst so far in free agency.

FA Rumors: Moore, Rubin, Jennings, Selvie

March 18th, 2015 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

If Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News were in charge of the Cowboys, he would have tendered a contract offer to cornerback Sterling Moore. Cowboys coaches didn’t see enough from Moore in 2014 to want him back, apparently, but at a cost of $1.542MM, he could have given them inexpensive depth at the position. Moore, who visited the Steelers earlier this week, is in San Francisco today meeting with the 49ers, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Here’s more on a handful of free agents around the NFL:

  • The Seahawks are still in the market for defensive line help and they’ll host Browns free agent defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin today, Rapoport tweets. Back in December, Rubin said that he wanted to stay in Cleveland for life. So far, nothing like that has materialized.
  • Wide receiver Greg Jennings told Stephen A. Smith on Sirius XM/Mad Dog Sports Radio that he’d be open to a reunion with the Packers, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. Jennings said that he’d never “tear down” a bridge, but Demovsky notes that Jennings might have done that already with some harsh comments towards the Packers and Aaron Rodgers upon joining the Vikings.
  • We heard earlier this week that the Vikings have interest in defensive end George Selvie, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets that Minnesota appears to have backed off a little, while the Buccaneers are now “very much” in the mix for Selvie.
  • Free agent offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds is paying a visit to the Rams, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). St. Louis has holes at multiple spots on its offensive line, and Reynolds is capable of playing both guard and tackle.
  • Washington, the Vikings, and the Bengals are all vying to sign free agent safety Taylor Mays, writes Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. A source tells Tomasson that Cincinnati “desperately” wants to re-sign Mays, who is considering his options.
  • The Ravens have maintained interest in potentially re-signing defensive lineman Lawrence Guy, who is visiting the Jets tomorrow, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Former Dolphins defensive end Rakim Cox has been invited to the veterans combine, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Vikings Interested In George Selvie

March 16th, 2015 at 12:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

MONDAY, 12:54pm: It looks like the Vikings will indeed get a visit lined up with Selvie this week, tweets Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.

SUNDAY, 4:45pm: After missing out on free agent Michael Johnson earlier today, the Vikings are still hopeful of improving their defensive end position. According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota has interest in George Selvie, and could meet with him later this week.

The Vikings first contacted Selvie on March 7, the first day of the legal tampering period, and have begun talking with him ever since, adds Tomasson. The 28-year-old Selvie has started 29 games for the Cowboys over the past two seasons, posting 10 sacks and 60 tackles. The former Jaguar, Panther, and Ram graded as the league’s 37th-best 4-3 DE among 59 qualifiers per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but those metrics showed a stark difference between Selvie’s run defense (where he excelled) and pass-rush (where he struggled).

Regardless, based on last year’s production, Selvie would be an improvement on Brian Robison, who’s been a starter at defensive end for the Vikings since 2011. Robison’s sack numbers have dropped in recent seasons, and he rated as the sixth-worst 4-3 DE in 2014 per PFF. I noted in my preview of Minnesota’s offseason that Robison could be a candidate for release, as the Vikings would save $2.65MM against the cap by cutting him now, or $4.65MM by designating him as a post-June 1 release.

The Vikings currently have about $12.6MM in available cap space, and given that Selvie shouldn’t command an exorbitant base salary or signing bonus, a deal should be able to get worked out, at least from a financial perspective.

FA Rumors: Morgan, Shorts, Gresham, Texans

March 12th, 2015 at 4:43pm CST by Luke Adams

As anticipated, Derrick Morgan left his meeting in Tampa Bay today without signing with the Buccaneers, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The Cowboys are expected to be next on Morgan’s list of visits, and the Titans still want to re-sign him as well. As for the Bucs, if they decide to move on from Morgan, it’s not clear who they’d target instead. Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that the club has yet to reach out to George Selvie, who played his college ball at the University of South Florida.

Here’s more on free agency:

  • The Jets have interest in wide receiver Cecil Shorts, according to Dom Cosentino of NJ.com. Wide receiver isn’t really an area of need for New York, since the team already has Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, and Jeremy Kerley on the roster, but adding more weapons would only help whichever quarterback ends up as the Jets’ starter.
  • Tight end Jermaine Gresham paid a visit to the Raiders this week, and still could sign with the team, but nothing is imminent at the moment, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.
  • There’s “genuine mutual interest” between the Packers and free agent cornerback Tramon Williams, reports Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com (via Twitter). Having lost Davon House in free agency, Green Bay could use some depth at corner, and Williams, who has received some interest from around the league, is certainly a player the team is familiar with.
  • Despite locking up free agent safety Rahim Moore today, the Texans would still like to bring back their own free agent, Kendrick Lewis, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). As McClain notes, Houston often utilizes three safeties on defense.
  • Washington has inquired on free agent safety Taylor Mays and there’s “mutual interest” between the two sides, but it’s not clear if a visit has been scheduled yet, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. Mays was primarily a special-teamer for the Bengals last season.

Vikings FA Notes: Hill, Brinkley, Clayborn, Selvie

March 7th, 2015 at 5:06pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Vikings have a promising quarterback situation after drafting Teddy Bridgewater with the last pick of the first round last year, but lost their backup when they traded Matt Cassel to the Bills. However, they might already have their eyes on Shaun Hill as a veteran backup, writes Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.

Hill played with the Vikings between 2002 and 2005, and has experience with offensive coordinator Norv Turner from their time together with the 49ers in 2006. Hill started eight games in 2014 in relief of Sam Bradford.

Here are some more notes from the Vikings as they build their roster for 2015:

  • One player currently on the roster who wants to be back is linebacker Jasper Brinkley, writes Tomasson. Brinkley was with the team from 2009-2012 and returned to the team in 2014. “I would love to come back,’’ Brinkley said. “They gave me an opportunity and it still feels like home for me. I would love to definitely come back. Coach Zimmer is doing great things with the team, turning the culture around there and everything is on the up and up.’’
  • The Vikings’ big move last season was keeping defensive end Everson Griffen with the team, and this offseason the team could look to add a pass rusher across from their young star. Ben Goessling of ESPN reports that the team has looked into the possibility of signing Adrian Clayborn (via Twitter).
  • Another pass rusher the Vikings may be interested in is former Cowboys defensive end George Selvie, according to Goessling (via Twitter).
  • One player the team has not reached out to as of yet is division-rival Packers cornerback Davon House, according to Goessling (via Twitter). They also have not expressed interest in Tramon Williams, according to Tomasson (via Twitter). That wouldn’t rule either out as a potential target.
  • While the team has reached out to a number of players already and has been rumored to be linked to a few more, Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune warns that rumors fly this time of the year but that does not necessarily mean the Vikings will land all or any of these players.