HEADLINES

Ryan Fitzpatrick

FA Rumors: Fitzpatrick, Ihedigbo, Underwood

March 20th, 2014 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Titans released Ryan Fitzpatrick last week, there was an expectation that it wouldn’t take long for the veteran quarterback to find work. Fitzpatrick remains on the market, but at least one potential suitor has emerged. According to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link), Tennessee’s division rivals, the Texans, are hosting Fitzpatrick for a visit today.

Let’s round up a few more Thursday odds and ends related to the free agents still available….

  • According to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (via Twitter), center Brian De La Puente finished his visit in Washington and is still considering multiple options, including the Redskins and Saints.
  • Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter) that safety James Ihedigbo, repped by a new agent, has at least two other teams in the mix for him besides the Lions, who seemed to be close to signing him earlier this week. The Ravens appear to be one of those two, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun notes (via Twitter).
  • Wide receiver Tiquan Underwood is visiting the Panthers today, says Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The receiver-thin Panthers already signed Jerricho Cotchery today, and it “looks promising” that they could add Underwood as well.
  • Richie Incognito, who is aiming to return to the NFL in 2014, believes the Raiders make “a lot of sense” as a possible destination, writes Michael Silver of NFL.com.
  • Free agent defensive back Chris Owens had a visit this week with the Steelers, tweets Aaron Wilson.
  • Wilson also reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos tried out free agent safety Jordan Pugh.
  • The Bengals have confirmed (via Twitter) that Louis Murphy visited the club today, which means the wide receiver left the meeting without a deal in place.

Titans Release Ryan Fitzpatrick

March 14th, 2014 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

2:25pm: The Titans have officially informed Fitzpatrick he has been released, says Wyatt (via Twitter).

2:09pm: The Titans are expected to release Ryan Fitzpatrick today, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). The veteran signal-caller has a $500K roster bonus due on the fifth day of the league year, so the team figures to part ways with him before paying that bonus.

Fitzpatrick’s release had been viewed as a possibility this offseason, and his fate was likely sealed when the team agreed to sign Charlie Whitehurst this week. Whitehurst, the former Chargers backup, looks poised to enter the 2014 season as Jake Locker‘s primary backup.

As for Fitzpatrick, releasing him would create $3.25MM in cap savings for the Titans, leaving just $875K of his $4.125MM cap number on the books in dead money. He’ll immediately becoming an unrestricted free agent when the move becomes official, and given the lack of top-tier options on this year’s market, it may not take him long to find a new job — Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link) thinks Fitzpatrick could have a new deal in place within the next few days.

Titans Sign Whitehurst To Two-Year Deal

March 13th, 2014 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

4:55pm: Whitehurst’s two-year deal has a $4MM base value, with another $4MM in incentives, tweets Wyatt, adding that $2MM is fully guaranteed. The Titans have confirmed the signing.

4:13pm: The Titans and quarterback Charlie Whitehurst have reached an agreement on a two-year deal, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). According to Wyatt, Whitehurst’s new contract can be worth up to $8MM, and it’s expected to signal the end of Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s time in Tennessee (Twitter link).

Whitehurst, who has been Philip Rivers‘ backup in San Diego for the last two seasons, saw just 12 snaps in two games during the 2013 season, and didn’t attempt a pass. So perhaps the Titans liked what they saw of the 31-year-old during his stints as the starter in Seattle during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

While Wyatt’s initial report suggests a max value of $8MM, I’d imagine a good chunk of that amount can only be earned through playing-time and performance incentives, and if Jake Locker stays healthy and keeps his job, Whitehurst likely won’t see much action.

As for Fitzpatrick, releasing him would create $3.25MM in cap savings for the Titans, leaving just $875K of his $4.125MM cap number on the books.

AFC South Notes: Johnson, Fitzpatrick, Watt

February 23rd, 2014 at 8:05pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Titans and the representation for runningback Chris Johnson met at the NFL scouting combine, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennesseean. Johnson is scheduled to make $8MM in 2014, a price that the team is unlikely to pay. Johnson might not be willing to take a pay cut, and that could result in in the runningback’s release. The cap space the Titans would gain by releasing Johnson could help pay cornerback Alterraun Verner, who made his first Pro Bowl in 2013. Here are some other notes from around the AFC South:

  • New Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt is on record saying that he holds backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in high regard, writes Wyatt. “Fitz is a good quarterback. He is a veteran guy that has played, and he made some plays for this team last year,” Whisenhunt said. “I have a lot of respect for what he has done in this league.” General manager Ruston Webster had the same sentiment.
  • J.J. Watt is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, and the Texans are getting closer to being forced to make a decision about the star defensive lineman’s futre, writes Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. The team has the ability to pick up the team option for a fifth year, but much like the situation in Carolina with Cam Newton, it might be better for both sides to come to terms on a long-term extension. Ganguli does know that the team does not Watt to reach free agency.
  • Other players the Texans have to make decisions on are Antonio Smith, Garrett Graham, and Earl Mitchell, writes Ganguli. The original assumption was that these three might not be in the team’s long-term plans, but the new coaching staff might have different and evolving opinions of them.
  • Colts‘ general manager Ryan Grigson has put out the idea of “Don’t rule anything out” when it comes to the NFL Draft, but Mike Wells of ESPN.com is pretty close to ruling them out of moving back into the first round. He sees the depth of this draft and the many holes the Colts need to fill would make them unlikely to package multiple assets to move up.

Extra Points: Roberts, Fitzpatrick, Steelers

February 19th, 2014 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Andre Roberts doesn’t sound bullish about the possibility of returning to the Cardinals for 2014, suggesting during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio that there may not be “enough balls to go around out here” (link via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com). Roberts will be looking for a four- or five-year contract this offseason, but will be willing to sign a one-year, make-good deal, according to Weinfuss. The receiver also sounds like he’s looking forward to testing the open market.

“I’m pretty excited about the whole free-agency process,” Roberts said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what’s coming for the rest of my career.”

Here’s more from across the NFL:

  • Titans backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick could be cut this offseason if the team wants to create a little cap flexibility, but he tells John Glennon of the Tennessean that he’s not worried about that possibility.
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes there’s at least an outside chance that a grievance over Jimmy Graham’s franchise-tag position could result in the Saints star becoming an unrestricted free agent, as he explained in a piece this morning. Taking that possibility into account, Florio thinks the Saints ought to tag Graham and push for resolution sooner rather than later.
  • With a grievance over Graham’s position likely looming, Pat Kirwan of CBSSports.com takes a look at how the NFL could make franchise-tag positional designations more logical. In Kirwan’s view, the league and the NFLPA should agree on several adjustments to the system, including adding new designations for fullbacks and kick returners, and dividing offensve linemen and wide receivers into multiple groups.
  • Appearing on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert echoed comments made by team president Art Rooney II last month, suggesting that the franchise wants to re-sign Ben Roethlisberger and ensure that he remains a Steeler for the rest of his career. ESPN.com’s Scott Brown has the quotes and the details.
  • In an interesting piece for the National Football Post, Jack Bechta explains how agents help their clients prepare for the draft combine.

Panthers Tops In “Dead Money”

February 18th, 2014 at 8:36pm CST by Matt Feminis

Thanks in large part to last season’s trade of Jon Beason, the Panthers have $17.8MM in “dead money,” more than any team in the league, according to ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert (full chart here). “Dead money” is defined as cap space consumed by players no longer on the roster, whether they retired, were released or traded. The numbers will fluctuate as rosters continue to evolve, but listed below are the five teams with at least $10MM worth of “dead money” at present time, including the players accounting for most of the sunk costs:

At the other end of the spectrum, six teams have less than $1MM in “dead money”: Jets, Rams, Buccaneers, Colts, Seahawks and Bengals.