J.R. Sweezy - Pro Football Rumors

NFC South Notes: Julio, Sweezy, Bucs, Saints

June 30th, 2016 at 5:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Julio Jones is unlikely to become the first wide receiver in NFL history to top the 2,000-yard mark, opines Jenna Laine of ESPN.com, noting that Jones was able to accrue his massive yardage total — 1,871, second-most in league history — because the Falcons didn’t have many other weapons for quarterback Matt Ryan to throw to.

Since last year, Atlanta has added fellow receiver Mohamed Sanu, signing the former Bengal to a five-year pact, and tight end Austin Hooper, selected in the third round of the draft. Plus, with center Alex Mack now on board, and running back Devonta Freeman hoping to excel again under second-year offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, the Falcons might not have to rely on the passing game quite as much.

Here’s the latest from the NFC South.

The Falcons tried to lure guard J.R. Sweezy to Atlanta during the free agent period, but the price tag on the former Seahawk eventually got too expensive, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Sweezy eventually signed with another NFC South club, inking a five-year, $32.5MM deal with the Buccaneers. The Falcons, meanwhile, will fill right guard with either veteran Chris Chester, who was re-signed over the offseason, or Mike Person.
The Buccaneers might not be done adding free agents, and Joe Kania of Buccaneers.com identifies three veterans — edge rusher Dwight Freeney, wide receiver James Jones, and guard Jahri Evans — who could be of interest to the club in the coming weeks. For what it’s worth, all three players were listed on PFR’s ranking of the best remaining free agents on offense and defense.
In their series of best and worst contracts, Pro Football Focus zeroes in on the Saints‘ backfield as having two of the five worst deals given to running backs. The analytics site rates C.J. Spiller‘s four-year, $16MM deal as its worst, with Mark Ingram‘s identical contract (in terms of length and overall value) slotting fifth. Although $4MM is cheap for a starting-caliber back, PFF argues Ingram doesn’t fit the profile yet. The site ranked the former first-round pick 33rd among running backs in 2015, a season that doubled as Spiller’s worst.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report

Contract Details: Smith, Martin, Sweezy, Thornton

March 10th, 2016 at 9:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are some of the latest details on recently agreed-upon or signed contracts from around the NFL. All Twitter links are courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle unless otherwise indicated…

Sean Smith, CB (Raiders): Four years, $38MM. $20MM guaranteed. $5MM signing bonus. 2016 $5.75MM base salary is guaranteed. 2017 $5MM salary guaranteed against injury upon signing. 2018 base: $8.25MM. 2019: $8.75MM. $500K annual Pro Bowl incentive. Smith has $4.25MM roster bonus guaranteed on third day of 2017 league year. (Twitter links). $15.25MM fully guaranteed in first 12 months of the deal, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter)
Byron Maxwell, CB (Dolphins): As part of restructure, gave back $1.5MM in cash on 2017 salary in exchange for $2MM guaranteed in ’17, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter)
Doug Martin, RB (Buccaneers): Five years, $35.75MM. $15MM guaranteed. $4MM roster bonus on March 14. Guaranteed base salaries of $4MM, $7MM in 2016, 2017. Salaries from 2018-20: $6.75MM, $7MM, $7MM. $1.44MM escalator for stats, playing time, Pro Bowls from 2017-20 (Twitter links)
J.R. Sweezy, G (Buccaneers): Five years, $32.5MM. $14.5MM guaranteed. $5MM roster bonus on March 15. Base salaries from 2016-20: $4.5MM, $2.5MM, $6.5MM, $5.75MM, $5.75MM. $2.75MM roster bonus in 2017. (Twitter link)
Cedric Thornton, DE (Cowboys): Four years, $17MM. $9MM guaranteed. $5MM signing bonus. Base salaries 2016-19: $1MM (guaranteed), $3MM (guaranteed against injury), $4MM, $4MM. (Twitter link)
Tracy Porter, CB (Bears): Three years, $12MM. $4.25MM guaranteed. $900K signing bonus. $1.6MM roster bonus on March 30. Base salaries from 2016-18: $1.5MM, $3.5MM, $3.5MM. $1MM Pro Bowl bonus in each year. (Twitter links via Wilson and Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times)
Bilal Powell, RB (Jets): Three years, $11.25MM. $250MM signing bonus. 2016 base salary of $850K, which is guaranteed. $2.5MM of $3.75MM 2017 base salary guaranteed. (Twitter link)
Tony Bergstrom, C (Texans): Two years, $5.75MM. $750K signing bonus. $1.5MM guaranteed. Base salaries in 2016-17: $1.23MM (guaranteed), $2.63MM (guaranteed against injury). $750K roster bonus April 18. (Twitter links)
Johnson Bademosi, DB (Lions): Two years, $4.5MM. $2.9MM guaranteed. Base salaries in 2016-17: $1.1MM, $1.3MM. $50K annual workout bonus. $400K Pro Bowl incentive. (Twitter link)

Buccaneers Sign J.R. Sweezy

March 10th, 2016 at 12:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

THURSDAY, 12:56pm: The Buccaneers have formally announced their deal with Sweezy, via a press release.

WEDNESDAY, 7:13pm: Sweezy’s deal is a five-year, $32.5MM accord, according to Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo (on Twitter).

4:43pm: The Buccaneers have agreed to sign guard J.R. Sweezy, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).

Sweezy will join a Tampa Bay offensive line that is now quietly full of players who are both young and talented. The club will field two sophomores in left tackle Donovan Smith and guard Ali Marpet, plus veterans Joe Hawley at center, some combination of Gosder Cherilus and Demar Dotson at right tackle, and now Sweezy at left guard.

But Sweezy won’t be replacing a scrub — no, he’ll be stepping into the shoes of veteran left guard Logan Mankins, who recently announced his retirement. Sweezy clearly isn’t the player that Mankins was, but he’s competent, and perhaps more importantly, reliable, having missed just two starts during the past three seasons.

The 26-year-old Sweezy ranked as PFR’s No. 15 free agent interior offensive lineman, and it’s a position that has seen a lot of action over the past several days. Kelechi Osemele, Alex Mack, Richie Incognito, Brandon Brooks, Jeff Allen, and others have all flown off the board.

Losing Sweezy will further hamper Seattle’s offensive line, but the club is negotiating to keep left tackle Russell Okung.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Saints, Fleener, Falcons

March 9th, 2016 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

A deal between tight end Ladarius Green and the Steelers remains imminent, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. The Saints were looking at the athletic tight end as well, but they’ll now turn their attention to Coby Fleener. Fleener is available and less likely to be retained by the Colts after they signed Dwayne Allen to a hefty new contract.

Here are the latest free agent rumors on what has been a crazy day:

After adding one of the league’s top centers in Alex Mack, Gino Gradkowski is not expected to be retained by the Falcons, according to a source who spoke with Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The Jets are exploring the market for offensive lineman, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Mehta reports that New York did its homework on tackle Donald Stephenson before he agreed to terms with the Broncos, and adds that J.R. Sweezy is worth keeping an eye on as a Jets target.
Jenna Laine of SportsTalkFlorida confirms (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers are likely moving on from cornerback Sterling Moore, as first reported by JoeBucsFan.com.
After receiving a low-end tender from the Broncos, RFA running back C.J. Anderson has generated interest from “multiple” teams, tweets Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. Denver has the right to match any offer sheet Anderson signs, but won’t receive compensation if he leaves.
The market for Ravens outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw is “not exactly wild,” tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Upshaw may ultimately return to Baltimore, though the Colts are worth monitoring — Indianapolis’ new defensive coordinator is Upshaw’s former linebackers coach, Ted Monachino.

FA Rumors: McLeod, Vernon, Steelers, Sweezy

March 9th, 2016 at 8:22am CST by Luke Adams

Safety Rodney McLeod is one of the top young safeties set to hit the market today, and Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears that the Ravens are a “strong contender” for the Rams’ free-agent-to-be.

While the Ravens could use some help at free safety, since Kendrick Lewis didn’t prove in 2015 that he’s the long-term answer and Lardarius Webb doesn’t have much experience at safety. But the idea that Baltimore would make a play for someone like McLeod is surprising, since the team typically doesn’t foray too aggressively into free agency, and doesn’t have a ton of cap flexibility.

As we wait to see if anything comes of the Ravens’ apparent interest in McLeod, let’s check in on a few other free agent rumors….

In an interesting piece for TheMMQB.com, defensive end Olivier Vernon, one of the top free agents available, acknowledges that he “probably” won’t be back with the Dolphins in 2016.
With Heath Miller having retired, the Steelers are exploring the tight end free agent market, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). According to Rapoport, Coby Fleener, Ladarius Green, and Jared Cook are names worth monitoring for Pittsburgh.
Over a half-dozen teams remain in the mix for offensive lineman J.R. Sweezy, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network, who tweets that the Broncos are worth keeping an eye on.
Offensive tackle Bobby Massie has received interest from the Bears and Giants, but his market isn’t up to $8MM per year yet, tweets Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. A Monday report indicated that Massie could end up landing a deal in that range.
The Rams are intent on trying to re-sign defensive end William Hayes, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Per La Canfora, Hayes has a “nice market,” but wouldn’t rule out a return to the Rams.
The Bears resumed negotiations on Tuesday with tight end Zach Miller, per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Miller’s reported asking price of $5MM per year, which seemed outrageous a few weeks ago, doesn’t look quite as far-fetched after Dwayne Allen got $7MM+ annually from the Colts.

Free Agent Rumors: Sean Smith, Niners, Raiders

March 7th, 2016 at 1:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The very latest free agent news:

The 49ers have discussed Chiefs free agent cornerback Sean Smith, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter). He adds that Smith has been on the Niners’ radar in the past as well. The Chiefs have not reached out to Smith since the start of the tampering period, but they have talked with his agent since the Combine, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star writes.
The Chiefs know they will have to raise the current offer to Smith in order to retain him, but it’s not clear if they will, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets. The Raiders will also be in play for his services, he adds.
The Chiefs have expressed interest in former Raiders receiver Rod Streater, Paylor writes. Streater’s best season came in 2013 when he hauled in 60 catches for 888 yards and four scores.
Seahawks free agent guard J.R. Sweezy is generating a ton of early interest with at least ten teams expressing serious interest, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. The Buccaneers, Falcons, Lions, Dolphins, Saints, 49ers, Jaguars, Bears, and Jets, have all made it known that they will be suitors (link).
Donald Penn’s agent met with the Raiders but the tackle is expected to hit the free agent market on Wednesday, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets.
The Cardinals have expressed interest in Rams free agent defensive end William Hayes, according to Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The eight year vet has racked up 21.5 sacks over the last four years.

FA Rumors: Broncos QBs, Snacks, 49ers, Hali, Mebane

February 29th, 2016 at 5:19pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A look at the latest rumors as we draw closer to free agency:

The quarterback-needy Texans are likely to go after Brock Osweiler if he doesn’t re-sign with the Broncos, per CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link).
If Peyton Manning – whom Osweiler has backed up since entering the NFL in 2012 – returns for his age-40 season and the Broncos release him, the Texans and Rams could pursue the future Hall of Famer, writes Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. Should Manning elect against retirement, Denver is expected to cut the two-time Super Bowl champion by March 8 and save $19MM on its cap. A good portion of that money would go to linebacker Von Miller, who is looking for a deal similar to what Miami gave defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh last winter (six years, $114MM, with $60MM in guarantees), reports Marvez.
It’ll take a “major reversal” for Jets defensive tackle Damon Harrison to not reach the open market, according to La Canfora (Twitter link). “Snacks” stated earlier this month that he and the Jets were making progress toward a deal, but that no longer appears to be the case. The 27-year-old was Pro Football Focus’ top-ranked interior defender against the run last season (subscription required).
Passing along what he heard at the scouting combine, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee lists several prospective free agents the 49ers are thought to be targeting. Guards Kelechi Osemele, Brandon Brooks, J.R. Sweezy, Richie Incognito and Ramon Foster; receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu; cornerbacks Sean Smith, Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins; and running back Doug Martin could all be on the club’s radar.
The Chiefs are working hard to retain linebacker Tamba Hali, whom they’ll meet with later this week, reports La Canfora (Twitter link). Hali has so far spent his entire career in Kansas City, which used a first-round pick on him in 2006. The 32-year-old has piled up 86 sacks (6.5 last season) while missing just four regular-season games in his decade-long career.
Speaking of players whose careers have been spent in one place, defensive tackle Brandon Mebane hopes to extend his nine-year tenure with the Seahawks. “I’d love to be back out there in Seattle, finish my career in Seattle,” the 2007 third-rounder told 710 ESPN. However, Mebane added that he’ll probably visit other teams. Mebane’s status is one of many issues PFR addressed in its offseason preview of the Seahawks on Sunday. Click here to read it.

Extra Points: Kuechly, Osemele, Sweezy, McCain, Geno

February 17th, 2016 at 9:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Panthers star linebacker Luke Kuechly will undergo surgery on a partially torn left labrum, David Newton of ESPN.com reports. The injury occurred in Week 17 against Tampa Bay, but it didn’t hamper Kuechly’s ability to play during the postseason. The timetable to recover from Kuechly’s injury ranges from three to six months, per Newton. Although Kuechly could miss the Panthers’ offseason workouts, the three-time first-team All-Pro will be ready for training camp in July, a source told Newton.

The latest from around the NFL…

The Ravens want to keep pending free agent offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele, but they won’t franchise tag him and will likely find him too pricey to re-sign, Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. Brown lists the Saints, Seahawks and Vikings as potential fits for the 26-year-old.
Speaking of the Seahawks, guard J.R. Sweezy – who has started 45 games over the last three seasons – will encounter “an active market” for his services if he hits free agency March 9, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link).
Cornerback Brice McCain, whom the Dolphins cut last week, will visit with two unnamed teams in the coming days, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
The Jets will try to trade Geno Smith if they pick a quarterback on the first or second day of the draft this year, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Smith carries a ~$1.6MM cap hit this year and could interest a team in need of a backup.
Offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod, who was cut by the Bears on Tuesday with a failed physical, has a tear in his shoulder that likely needs surgery, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, he’ll be ready for 2016.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Fallout From Bobby Wagner Extension

August 2nd, 2015 at 10:40am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at how Bobby Wagner‘s new four-year, $43MM deal impacts his club and several other teams with linebackers anticipating a new contract.

Seahawks

ESPN’s Andrew Brandt tweets that the Seahawks structured Russell Wilson‘s extension to give them maximum salary cap room for this season, thereby allowing them to sign Wagner to a long-term contract. As such, the team will probably need Wilson to restructure his deal a couple years from now.
Wagner made some waves on Friday when he tweeted “Can’t keep everyone.” As former NFL agent Joel Corry tweets, that message may end up applying to Seattle left tackle Russell Okung, whose contract expires at the end of this year. Bruce Irvin, who is also eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of 2015, may also be playing his last year in a Seahawks uniform.
The Wagner extension has inevitably called attention to the contract situations of Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett, who are both unhappy with their current deals (Chancellor, of course, has decided to hold out of training camp). Corry tweets that, if the Seahawks address Chancellor’s contract, it would “create an issue” with Bennett. Chancellor does have three years left on his contract, so should the Seahawks rework his deal in any way, Corry tweets that Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas will both expect the same treatment in 2016.
Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times believes the Seahawks will likely want to keep guard J.R. Sweezy, who is playing in the last year of his contract, but it is too early to say how the team will approach impending free agent punter Jon Ryan (Twitter links).

Buccaneers

Rand Getlin of the NFL Network tweets that the Wagner deal was “always going to inform the Lavonte David deal,” a sentiment shared by several other prominent scribes. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, though, is not so sure. Fitzgerald points out (via Twitter) that David and Wagner play completely different positions and that David, as a non-pass rushing outside linebacker, is likely to land around $3MM less per season than Wagner.
In any event, Getlin tweets that David and the Bucs will continue to talk over the coming days, and both sides are reportedly motivated to strike a deal.
Corry tweets that Tampa Bay prefers contracts longer than four years when it comes to extending its best players, so that may be what the team is aiming for with David.

Lions

DeAndre Levy, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of this season, saw Wagner’s deal and hopes to remain with the Lions, but he said he will leave all contract talk to his agent (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press).

2015 Proven Performance Escalator Raises

January 16th, 2015 at 8:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time in said snaps for the duration of his first three years in the league. If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s restricted free agent qualifying offer — that figure was $1.431MM last year, and will inflate commensurate with the salary cap increase. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.

Here are the players who will see their 2015 salary rise due to the PPE, courtesy of Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap.

Bengals: George Iloka, S; Mohamed Sanu, WR

Bills: Nigel Bradham, LB

Broncos: Malik Jackson, DL; Danny Trevathan, LB;

Browns: Billy Winn, DL

Cardinals: Bobby Massie, T

Chargers: Johnnie Troutman, G

Colts: Dwayne Allen, TE; T.Y. Hilton, WR

Dolphins: Lamar Miller, RB; Olivier Vernon, DE

Eagles: Brandon Boykin, CB; Nick Foles; QB

Falcons: Lamar Holmes, T

Jets: Demario Davis, LB; Antonio Allen, DB