Russell Okung - Pro Football Rumors

Russell Okung Still Considering Seahawks

March 14th, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Free agent tackle Russell Okung is still “very much” considering the Seahawks, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets. Okung, as previously reported, has offers in hand from the Steelers, Lions, and Giants. However, he’s still considering a new deal in Seattle.

As the No. 11 player on PFR’s list of 2016’s top 50 free agents, Okung is the top unrestricted free agent left on the market. Okung, entering his seventh-year in the NFL, has spent his entire career to date with the Seahawks.

The 28-year-old has two interesting wrinkles to his free agency situation. One is that Okung underwent surgery on his injured shoulder in January. The tackle is also representing himself, which is rather rare in the NFL. Okung’s decision to act as his own agent hampered him in one regard as he was barred from talking to every team except for the Seahawks during the legal tampering period.

The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Okung as the No. 31 tackle in the NFL last year with an overall grade of 72.1.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

FA Rumors: Okung, Galette, Raji, Forte

March 14th, 2016 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent offensive tackle Russell Okung has offers on the table from the Lions, Steelers, and Giants, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Okung is talking to Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak today. Meanwhile, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter link) hears that the Giants are probably an underdog for the former first-round pick, who has no other visits scheduled for now.

While La Canfora doesn’t indicate that the Seahawks have made a formal offer to Okung, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Seattle is out of it. We heard last week that the Seahawks were making a push to bring back their tackle, and it’s possible he’ll give his longtime team a chance to match offers he receives from rival suitors. Since he’s representing himself, Okung’s time on the market has lasted a little longer than it otherwise might have, but it looks like there’s a decent chance of him getting something done this week.

Let’s round up a few more free agent rumors from around the NFL…

Junior Galette remains in a holding pattern, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, who reports that the pass rusher would like a one-year deal that would pay him in the $7-9MM range. Jones writes that Washington has made one-, two-, and three-year offers to Galette, but they’re all low on base salaries and heavy on incentives.
The Panthers are in the market for players to contribute to their defensive tackle rotation, and David Newton of ESPN.com says that the team has interest in B.J. Raji. Carolina also brought in Paul Soliai for a visit over the weekend, as we previously heard.
In a conversation with reporters, including Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter links), Matt Forte said today that the Buccaneers and Cowboys were among his suitors, and the Patriots and Packers also expressed “minor interest.” Forte, who ultimately signed with the Jets, added that not receiving an offer from the Bears was a “hard pill to swallow.”
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill is the latest in a series of interior defenders to visit the Seahawks, who are looking to beef up the middle of the line in the wake of Brandon Mebane‘s departure.

FA Rumors: Okung, Soliai, Weddle, Hayward

March 13th, 2016 at 4:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent left tackle Russell Okung has an offer in hand from the Steelers, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link), while Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports (Twitter link) that Okung has no other visits planned at this time. Okung is just one of a few offensive tackles whom Pittsburgh has either met with or plans to meet with, including Ryan Harris and Chris Hairston. Kelvin Beachum, the Steelers’ left tackle for the past few seasons, remains unsigned, and is taking visits with other clubs.

Let’s dive into the latest free agent news…

Former Falcons defensive tackle Paul Soliai will visit the division-rival Panthers, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. Soliai, 32, was released by Atlanta on the first day of the free agent period after spending two years with the club. Carolina has already released defensive tackle Dwan Edwards, so Soliai could be a nice addition to the Panthers’ interior rotation.
Another free agent defensive tackle — ex-Patriot Sealver Siliga — will take a meeting with the Seahawks, according to Garafolo (Twitter link). Siliga, 26 next month, was not offered a restricted free agent tender by New England despite appearing in 13 games for the club last season.
The Seahawks will also meet with running back Lance Dunbar, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The 26-year-old Dunbar was off to a nice start with the Cowboys in 2015, catching 21 passes out of the backfield in just four games before a torn ACL knocked him out for the remainder of the season. Seattle will be the second NFC West visit for Dunbar, who’s also met with the 49ers.
Free agent guard Amini Silatolu will visit the Cardinals today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The former-second pick hasn’t been a full-time starter since his rookie season in 2012, but he’s only 26 years old, and could help fill in at guard if Arizona follows through on its proposed move of Jonathan Cooper to center.
Eric Weddle is expected to narrow his choice to two teams soon, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The veteran safety is reportedly choosing between the Ravens, Steelers, Cowboys, and Raiders.
Before agreeing to a three-year deal with the Chargers earlier today, cornerback Casey Hayward also drew interest from the Chiefs and 49ers, tweets Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Cardinals backup quarterback Drew Stanton said the Colts, Titans, Dolphins, and Cowboys all showed interest in signing him before he agreed to a new deal with Arizona, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Sunday Roundup: Okung, Lions, RGIII

March 13th, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at some notes from around the league as the second wave of free agency starts to heat up:

After meeting with Russell Okung today, the Steelers are scheduled to meet with free agent tackles Ryan Harris and Chris Hairston later this week, per a tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter (we had already heard about the Harris meeting, but the Hairston visit is a new development). Pittsburgh has a void at left tackle that it is seeking to fill, as Kelvin Beachum, who missed most of the 2015 campaign with a torn ACL, looks ready to sign elsewhere.
The Lions have already had a visit with Okung, and while all reports seem to indicate that it was a positive meeting, Detroit remains in a holding pattern with the talented but oft-injured tackle. As Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes, Detroit may have no other choice but to make a big-time offer for Okung, despite the risks, as the offensive line is in serious need of an upgrade and Okung is far and away the best talent still on the market.
Darius Slay and Sam Martin are two members of the Lions‘ terrific 2013 draft class that could sign extensions with the club in the coming months, and as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes, Theo Riddick is also open to an extension that would keep him in Detroit for the foreseeable future. No contract talks have taken place yet, but Riddick, who led all running backs with 80 receptions in 2015, could have a bigger role in the running game in 2016, and he could get a nice payday as a result.
Birkett writes in a separate piece that new Lions GM Bob Quinn has done a nice job of patching holes on his team’s roster while steering clear of overpaying for mediocre talent, a common pitfall for first-time GMs. But Birkett also observes that the Lions are no better right now than they were last year, and Quinn will have to prove that his eye for young talent in the draft matches matches his prudence in free agency.
Former NFL agent Joel Corry does not believe that the Jets have serious interest in Robert Griffin III, and he believes the team’s “pursuit” of RGIII is simply a leverage play staged for Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s benefit. If the team were to sign Griffin, Corry believes it would be a modest, one-year pact worth between $4MM-$5MM (Twitter link).
Free agent safety Rashad Johnson was set to meet with the Titans on Friday, but per ESPN’s Josina Anderson, that visit has been pushed back to tomorrow (Twitter link).
The Raiders appear to be trending upwards, and they have suddenly transformed from a last resort to a desired destination, as Jerry McDonald of InsideBayArea.com writes. Although the team lost out on Malik Jackson, who ultimately signed with the Jaguars, Oakland landed three major free agents–Kelechi Osemele, Bruce Irvin, and Sean Smith–just one year after being spurned by a number of its top free agent targets. As GM Reggie McKenzie said, “It’s good to see people call us and not always have to beg.” McDonald adds that McKenzie is not done spending–the team still has considerable cap space, after all–and the club’s free agent haul, combined with its talented young core, could propel the Raiders back to the playoffs in 2016.

Russell Okung To Visit Steelers; Several Teams Still In Mix

March 12th, 2016 at 5:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

5:57pm: Okung’s visit to Pittsburgh will take place Sunday, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

SATURDAY, 1:57pm: Okung will visit the Steelers, according to NFL.com’s Michael Silver (on Twitter). The seventh-year tackle remains high on the Lions, with the Giants, 49ers and Seahawks still in the mix, per Silver. The Steelers aren’t generally big on pursuing high-priced free agents but do have Kelvin Beachum unsigned as a UFA.

FRIDAY, 5:44pm: Finished with his Giants meeting, Okung will make the trip to Detroit and meet with the Lions’ contingent like he originally planned, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Okung’s Lions summit will take place Saturday. The Giants remain interested in signing the left tackle, per ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (on Twitter).

8:15pm: The 49ers have also reached out to Okung, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). With the veteran tackle set to visit the Giants and Lions on Friday, it doesn’t appear anything has been set up yet with San Francisco.

7:44pm: An executive from a team that spoke with the agent-less Okung said the former first-round pick was very well-prepared and professional, but his shoulder injury that forced him out of the Seahawks’ divisional-round loss to the Panthers could prevent him from securing a big payday, per Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link). Okung had surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder and already sent an email out to the 32 NFL teams pronouncing he’d be fully recovered by summer.

THURSDAY, 7:37pm: Russell Okung had to wait six years to become a free agent, and his initial foray onto the market was delayed by an NFL memo preventing self-represented players from participating in the legal tampering period.

But the seventh-year left tackle’s market is beginning to take shape. Okung will visit the Giants on Friday and the Lions potentially after that, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport adds (Twitter link) that since the Giants summit is first on the 28-year-old Okung’s itinterary, they have a chance to keep him from trekking to Detroit.

After cutting Will Beatty and Geoff Schwartz, the Giants have a need at tackle. Despite spending on mega-deals for Olivier Vernon and Janoris Jenkins, and hefty accords in terms of AAV for Damon Harrison and Jason Pierre-Paul, Big Blue still has $20.8MM in cap space, per OverTheCap.

The Giants have Ereck Flowers, who could be shuttled back to right tackle in the event an Okung accord occurs Friday.

Lions left tackle Riley Reiff will enter his fifth-year option season, but new GM Bob Quinn said recently he’d like to upgrade the position for the future.

As the No. 11 player on PFR’s list of 2016’s top 50 free agents, Okung is the top UFA remaining.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Extra Points: Manziel, Okung, Streater

March 12th, 2016 at 11:58am CST by Ben Levine

Rumors have persisted that Johnny Manziel could eventually wind up with the Cowboys. However, following the embattled quarterback’s release from the Browns, it doesn’t sound like Dallas currently has much interest.

According to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys have no intention of signing the 23-year-old once he passes waivers. However, Moore did leave the window open, noting that the organization wouldn’t pursue the signal-caller “until he gets his life back in order.”

A report in January hinted that Manziel had interest in playing for Dallas, and according to Moore, the quarterback was convinced that the interest would be mutual. For the time being, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Let’s check out some more assorted notes from around the league…

Michael Silver of Sports Illustrated believes the Lions are the favorite to sign offensive tackle Russell Okung. The writer notes that the Seahawks, 49ers, and Giants are also in the mix for the 28-year-old.
Wideout Rod Streater is set to meet with the Chiefs today, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The former Raiders receiver has also met with the Patriots and the Jets.
Defensive back Will Blackmon has received a contract offer from Washington, reports Mike Jones of The Washington Post (via Twitter). However, the 31-year-old has drawn interest from several teams, and the cornerback is currently “reviewing his options.”
The 49ers have interest in retaining defensive end Tony Jerod-Eddie, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. The team wasn’t willing to commit the $1.67MM it would have taken to make the 25-year-old a restricted free agent.

Seahawks Pushing To Re-Sign Russell Okung

March 9th, 2016 at 1:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks have made a strong offer to free agent tackle Russell Okung, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Okung is representing himself and, in an interesting twist, he was barred from talking with teams during the two-day legal tampering period since players cannot talk with teams. As a result, the Seahawks are the only team able to talk to Okung until 4 ET/3 CT. Okung has been vocal about his desire to stay in Seattle, though he also wants to be paid fairly.

“It’s very possible that I could stay here,” Okung said in February. “But I know my value, and I’m not going to settle for anything less than that. If it works out, great. And if it doesn’t, that’s great as well.”

In late January, Okung underwent surgery to repair his dislocated left shoulder. Still, the 28-year-old stands as the best offensive tackle on the open market. Overall, PFR ranked Okung as the No. 11 free agent in this year’s crop. Okung also says he expects to be fully cleared in a matter of months, which would put him on track to participate in training camp.

It will be interesting to see how much Okung gets on his next contract, whether it’s with the Seahawks or another team. By limiting himself during the legal tampering period, it’s quite possible that Okung has put himself at a disadvantage.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Wright, Tampering, Okung

March 6th, 2016 at 7:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens and Shareece Wright are nearing a deal to keep the cornerback in Baltimore, Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun reports (via Twitter).

Wright bounced back from being inactive during the first four games of last season, doing so in San Francisco despite the 49ers signing him in free agency last year. The soon-to-be 29-year-old corner played in 11 games for the Ravens, starting six, and ranked as the team’s best corner, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Ravens keeping Wright may be a matter of Wright arriving in Baltimore to take a physical and sign the deal, according to Zreibec (on Twitter).

Baltimore has Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb on its 2016 cap sheet for $9.6MM and $9.5MM, respectively, so a deal for Wright probably won’t be too costly for the Ravens, who have $11.08MM in cap space entering Monday’s legal tampering period.

Here’s more from around the league on the night before said tempering period begins.

Russell Okung will not be permitted to speak with teams during the tampering period even though he acts as his own agent, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. In a memo circulated to teams earlier this week includes language that prohibits teams from discussing contracts with self-represented players during the two-day tampering period. The seventh-year tackle acts as his own agent. This could cloud the left tackle market, one that Okung is possibly atop entering his age-29 season. Although Okung’s hired a consultant, Florio notes his market may be slow to develop since the bulk of this free agent class’ linemen have agents who are well-connected in league circles and can establish asking prices for their clients. Florio anticipates Okung not hiring an agent will cost him as he enters free agency for the first time.
The NFL will loosen constraints on the tampering period this year, Florio reports. Despite it being slashed from three days to two, this year’s soft free agency can feature teams discussing specific contract frameworks with agents as opposed to mere negotiating. Although several deals leaked early last season, most notable Ndamukong Suh‘s record Dolphins pact, teams are prohibited from executing or announcing an agreement in principle until 3 p.m. CT Wednesday. Violations of these rules can be construed as a violation of the league’s anti-tampering procedure or conduct detrimental to the league, Florio writes. The PFT reporter, though, adds deals will indeed be negotiated to their completion during the two-day window.
Vernon Davis told ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link) he wants to play for four or five more seasons. Davis did not factor in much to the Broncos’ Super Bowl championship pursuit after being benched due to drops and a failure to grasp the offense upon midseason arrival. The 32-year-old Davis struggled the past two seasons after scoring 13 touchdowns in a Pro Bowl campaign in 2013. Davis caught 20 passes with the Broncos but none came in the team’s final five games, including its three postseason conquests. He joins Antonio Gates, Coby Fleener and Ben Watson among free agent tight ends.
Already expressing interest in retaining Brandon Brooks and Ben Jones, the Texans are also interested in keeping swing tackle Chris Clark, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. Houston traded a seventh-round pick to Denver for the 30-year-old Clark, and the team’s insurance policy to a potential injury to Derek Newton or Duane Brown ended up starting four games after Brown was lost for the season.

FA Rumors: Osweiler, Okung, M. Williams

March 6th, 2016 at 12:50pm CST by Rory Parks

The big news of the day, of course, was the report that Peyton Manning will officially announce his retirement tomorrow. However, offseason business in the NFL waits for no man, and to that end, here are some notes regarding some of this year’s biggest free agents:

After Manning’s decision, and with free agency set to officially open on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Broncos‘ negotiations with Brock Osweiler will really begin to ramp up.
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that Osweiler may indeed re-sign with the Broncos, but that is far from a certainty at this point. As Schefter observes, other quarterback-needy clubs could make it difficult for Denver to retain the fifth-year signal-caller.
Even though the Seahawks are interested in retaining him, LT Russell Okung is intent on hitting the free agent market, per Rapoport (via Twitter).
Rapoport tweets that Mario Williams stayed the night in Miami after visiting the Dolphins, and while Williams has other visits lined up, Rapoport says that Miami could keep him from taking those visits.
Panthers GM Dave Gettleman does not spend big in free agency, but if he makes an exception this offseason, Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer identifies Eric Weddle and Bruce Irvin as two players that would make a great deal of sense for Carolina.
Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets that the Texans will be active in exploring the top of the free agent running back market after parting ways with Arian Foster. Wilson names Chris Ivory, Doug Martin, Lamar Miller, and Matt Forte as possibilities for Houston.
The Eagles will certainly invest free agent dollars and draft picks in their offensive line this offseason, and Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer names Jeff Allen and Brandon Brooks as realistic targets for the club.
Free agent wide receiver Anquan Boldin, unsurprisingly, wants to continue his career with a title contender, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (via Twitter).

Free Agent Rumors: Okung, Rams, V. Miller

February 26th, 2016 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Offensive tackle Russell Okung, who will be representing himself in free agency, confirmed to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com that he has had some conversations with the Seahawks about a new deal. According to Okung, the two sides have been “going back and forth” and still may “figure something out” before the veteran tackle hits the open market.

“It’s very possible that I could stay here,” Okung said. “But I know my value, and I’m not going to settle for anything less than that. If it works out, great. And if it doesn’t, that’s great as well.”

Let’s check out a few more Friday updates on pending free agents around the NFL….

The Rams have made a five-year contract offer to cornerback Janoris Jenkins, but haven’t yet formally proposed a multiyear deal to their other free agent corner, Trumaine Johnson, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the team prefers Jenkins, or won’t re-sign Johnson. Cole believes that one of the two free agent corners will get a franchise or transition tag from Los Angeles, which would allow the club to focus on negotiations with the other player.
While the secondary remains their top priority, the Rams would also like to re-sign veteran center Tim Barnes, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “The plan at center is, hey, I’ll give Tim Barnes credit, he’s one of those guys we’d like to get back,” GM Les Snead said. “At the end of the day, we didn’t think he was a weak link so we definitely want to get him back.”
According to Cole (video link), the Broncos and Von Miller‘s reps are meeting at the combine, but the expectation from Miller’s side is that the team will use its franchise tag on the star pass rusher rather than getting a long-term deal done within the next few days.
The Panthers met in Indianapolis with Josh Norman‘s agent, but didn’t make a whole lot of progress, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. Still, talks are expected to continue, and Norman is a franchise tag candidate if the two sides can’t reach an agreement by March 1st.
The Falcons met with the representatives for restricted free agent linebacker Paul Worrilow about the possibility of a contract – or at least an RFA tender – but no decisions were made, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (via Twitter).