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Sylvester Williams

Contract Details: Murray, Williams, Jones

March 18th, 2017 at 9:51am CST by Ben Levine

The latest contract details from around the NFL:

  • We learned earlier this week that Latavius Murray‘s new contract with the Vikings could be voided after one season, making the running back a free agent again in 2018. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes that the player essentially has another team option for the third season of the contract. Therefore, Murray’s spot on the Vikings roster will presumably be reevaluated every offseason.
  • Nose tackle Sylvester Williams‘ deal with the Titans is worth $17.5MM over three years, reports ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky. The deal includes a $3MM signing bonus. In 2017, Williams is due a $2MM base salary and a $2MM roster bonus (which was paid last Monday), and his base salaries will eventually increase to $5MM (2018) and $5.5MM (2019). $2.5MM of his 2018 is now guaranteed for injury.
  • Linebacker Jarvis Jones‘ one-year contract with the Cardinals includes a $1MM base salary, reports Mike Jurecki of FoxSports910 in Arizona (via Twitter). The former first-rounder, who finished last season with a career-high 42 tackles, can earn additional money via incentives.

Titans To Sign Sylvester Williams

March 10th, 2017 at 9:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Titans have agreed to a three-year deal with defensive tackle Sylvester Williams, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com."<strong

Williams, 28, is a former first-round pick of the Broncos, who weren’t expected to re-sign him after declining his fifth-year option last summer. However, they did make Williams a multiyear offer before he accepted the Titans’ proposal, according to Mike Klis of 9News. Williams asked the Broncos for a one-year pact, though (Twitter link).

Although he’s never lived up to his draft status, Williams has been a contributor: he’s started 48 games during his four-year career, and appeared in 60 contests overall. Williams is a pure run-stuffer, though, as he’s posted just 5.5 career sacks and was pushed down the Pro Football Focus interior defender rankings thanks to a lackluster pass-rushing grade.

Tennessee had a need for a defensive lineman after parting ways with Al Woods earlier this week, and after targeting a big fish in the Ravens’ Brandon Williams, it decided to settle for another Williams instead. The Titans have mostly addressed their secondary so far this offseason, signing Jonathan Cyprien and Logan Ryan, but they’ve also re-upped interior rusher Karl Klug. Jurrell Casey, of course, is the star of Tennessee’s front, while DaQuan Jones and Austin Johnson also play roles.

Williams ranked as PFR’s No. 15 interior defender heading into the free agent period.

AFC Rumors: Browns, Steelers, Titans, Jets

March 7th, 2017 at 10:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering window has been relatively slow, things figure to heat up in the coming days as the new league year approaches. Two AFC North clubs stand to be in on the action, as the Browns and Steelers are both expected to be active when free agency begins, per Tony Grossi of ESPN.com (Twitter link) and Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (Twitter link). Pittsburgh will be “working the phones” more than usual, per Kinkhabwala, but that doesn’t mean the usually conservative team will be targeting more free agents than is customary.

Here’s more from the AFC:

  • Although the Titans have interest in retaining safety Rashad Johnson, he’s expected to have other suitors, tweets Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com. Johnson, 31, signed a one-year, $2MM deal with Tennessee last offseason, and proceeded to start seven games for the club in 2016, posting 38 tackles in the process. He ranks as PFR’s No. 15 free agent safety, just behind Mike Adams and Jairus Byrd.
  • The Jets are expected to pursue interior offensive lineman Brian Schwenke, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Schwenke, 26 this month, started 28 games during his four-year run with Tennessee, but lost his hold on the club’s starting center job when the Titans inked Ben Jones last offseason. Also capable of playing guard, Schwenke has also been linked to Seattle.
  • Although previous reports have indicated Sylvester Williams is not only likely to test the market, but leave the Broncos altogether, Denver does have “some interest” in retaining the former first-round defensive lineman, reports Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Williams hasn’t lived up to his draft billing, but does offer 48 games of starting experience. The Broncos declined his 2018 fifth-year option last summer.

Top 2017 Free Agents By Position 2.0: Defense

March 6th, 2017 at 10:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

NFL free agency gets underway on Thursday and while the list of free agents will change between now and then, we do have some idea of who will be available when free agency kicks off. Here is our updated outlook for each defensive and special teams position.

Listed below are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each defensive position. These rankings aren’t necessarily determined by the value of the contracts – or the amount of guaranteed money – that each player is expected to land in free agency. These are simply the players we like the most at each position, with both short- and long-term value taken into account.

Restricted and exclusive-rights free agents, as well as franchised players aren’t listed here, since the roadblocks in place to hinder another team from actually acquiring most of those players prevent them from being true free agents.

We’ll almost certainly be higher or lower on some free agents than you are, so feel free to weigh in below in our comments section to let us know which players we’ve got wrong.

Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by defensive position for this offseason:

Edge defender:

  1. Nick Perry
  2. Jabaal Sheard
  3. John Simon
  4. DeMarcus Ware
  5. Lorenzo Alexander
  6. Andre Branch
  7. Julius Peppers
  8. Charles Johnson
  9. Datone Jones
  10. Dwight Freeney
  11. Chris Long
  12. Mario Williams
  13. Paul Kruger
  14. Courtney Upshaw
  15. Jarvis Jones

Now that Chandler Jones, Melvin Ingram, and Jason Pierre-Paul have all been assigned the franchise tag, Nick Perry stands as the top edge defender on the free agent market, and is now in a position to cash in. The Packers opted against the franchise tender for the 26-year-old Perry, so he’ll hit the open market following a career year which saw him post 11 sacks."<strong

The rest of this year’s crop of free agent pass rushers is a blend of young defenders searching for their first payday and veterans on the hunt for one last contract. Among players with youth still on their side, Datone Jones figures to interest clubs thanks to his versatility, as he can vacillate between end and linebacker, while fellow former first-round pick Jarvis Jones is solid against the run. John Simon has been overlooked while playing alongside the likes of J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, and Whitney Mercilus but could represent a hidden gem, while the Dolphins are reportedly prioritizing Andre Branch.

After managing nine sacks over the first nine years of his NFL tenure, Lorenzo Alexander busted out with 12.5 quarterback takedowns in 2016, and now could be looking for a double-digit annual salary. Charles Johnson, meanwhile, looks like a good bet to return to the Panthers, but DeMarcus Ware could be something of a wild card — after missing 11 games in the past two seasons, does the 34-year-old have enough left in the tank? The same could be asked of Dwight Freeney, who at age-37 posted three sacks in a rotational role for the Falcons.

Interior defensive line:

  1. Calais Campbell
  2. Johnathan Hankins
  3. Brandon Williams
  4. Dontari Poe
  5. Chris Baker
  6. Bennie Logan
  7. Nick Fairley
  8. Alan Branch
  9. Jared Odrick
  10. Karl Klug
  11. Terrell McClain
  12. Lawrence Guy
  13. Stacy McGee
  14. Stephen Paea
  15. Sylvester Williams
    Honorable mention: Paul Soliai

Calais Campbell is the best overall player among interior defenders, and though he’s entering his age-31 season and may not cost as much as Johnathan Hankins, Brandon Williams, and Dontari Poe, Campbell will still be highly-sought after as he searches for his last substantial payday Campbell’s agent met with the Cardinals last week, but other speculative fits for the veteran defender include the Broncos, Raiders, Ravens, Colts, and Titans."<strong

Hankins is only 24 years old, and though the Giants are trying to retain him along with the rest of their defensive core, the 6’3″, 320-pound mauler should represent an attractive option to a number of clubs this offseason. Williams, too, offers a massive presence on the inside, while Poe could intrigue clubs based on his first-round pedigree and athleticism (though his play hasn’t always matched his potential). The Redskins’ Chris Baker is a solid, well-rounded defensive tackle, and could constitute a consolation prize for teams that miss out on their top targets.

The rest of the class offers an interesting mix of nose tackles (Bennie Logan), interior pass rushers (Nick Fairley, Karl Klug), and run stoppers (Alan Branch), so clubs hoping to bolster their defensive line should find no shortage of options. Jared Odrick recently hit free agency after being released by the Jaguars, while Terrell McClain, Lawrence Guy, and Stacy McGee could be underrated finds for the right team. McClain, for what it’s worth, has already been linked to the Falcons.

Read more

AFC West Rumors: Romo, Broncos, Chiefs

March 6th, 2017 at 10:47am CST by Zachary Links

Linked to numerous teams throughout the offseason, Tony Romo should still be on the Broncos‘ radar, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com said (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post). The former agent anticipates the Broncos being the winner of this unique pursuit while noting the Texans are likely the primary competition.

“I expect Romo to be a Bronco,” Corry said. “Houston may actually be his more favored destination because it’s in the state of Texas and it’s an easy transition. He wouldn’t be uprooting his family in the same way as he would with Denver. But Denver, [recent] Super Bowl champions, just a quarterback away, it makes sense.”

John Elway didn’t dismiss the Romo route last week, saying the Broncos would “look at all options,” but has praised his two incumbents, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. Corry suggests the Broncos retain Siemian even if they sign Romo. While possibly being able to fetch a late draft pick in a trade, Denver’s primary 2016 starter stands to make just $628K next season. The Broncos unloaded Mark Sanchez last year because Siemian beat him out for the starting job, wanting Lynch to see more practice reps. A Romo/Siemian/Lynch setup would potentially be a complicated scenario but provide the Broncos with depth.

Here’s more from the AFC West.

  • We have additional details on Eric Berry’s six-year, $78MM deal with the Chiefs, courtesy of Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Berry’s $20MM signing bonus is prorated through 2021, meaning the Chiefs could not save real cap room by cutting him until 2019. If that were to happen, they’d save about $4.5MM in space. As previously reported, the deal includes $40MM in guarantees, including a $20MM signing bonus. He’ll earn $30MM over the first two years of the new pact. The deal is the most lucrative ever given to a safety.
  • The Chiefs have a similar timeline on Laurent Duvernay-Tardif‘s extension, should they choose to bail on the deal, Paylor writes. Kansas City could save about $2.2MM in cap space by cutting the guard in 2019. The Canadian doctor-in-training inked his five-year, $41.25MM extension with KC late last month.
  • It seems like Broncos nose tackle Sylvester Williams and cornerback Kayvon Webster are likely to sign elsewhere, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post tweets. Webster has been vocal about his desire for more playing time and we recently ranked him as one of the Top 50 Free Agents based on his potential earning power.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Latest On Broncos’ Offseason Plans

February 19th, 2017 at 2:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Broncos will attempt to address their defensive line during the free agent period, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS. Former Dolphin Earl Mitchell is one candidate to join Denver’s front, and Klis reports Mitchell will meet with the Broncos on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Mitchell has a busy schedule, as he’ll visit the Seahawks on Monday/Tuesday, the 49ers on Tuesday/Wednesday, and the Falcons on Thursday/Friday.Earl Mitchell (Vertical)

[RELATED: Broncos Working To Re-Sign Kayvon Webster]

If Denver is able to sign Mitchell (who would play end in the Broncos’ 3-4 scheme), it will then focus on securing a replacement for nose tackle Sylvester Williams, per Klis. Williams, a former first-round pick, is expected to test the free agent waters on March 9. The Broncos are also interested in retaining defensive lineman Vance Walker, who missed the entirety of the 2016 after tearing his ACL, according to Klis.

On the offensive side of the the ball, the Broncos will target at least one lineman in free agency, reports Klis. Denver holds an expensive option on left tackle Russell Okung, right tackle Donald Stephenson is expected to be released, and the Broncos’ guards could also be upgraded. Denver’s offensive line ranked as just the league’s No. 24 unit in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus’ year-end rankings.

AFC Notes: Ravens, Jets, Hightower, Broncos

May 26th, 2016 at 7:35pm CST by Ben Levine

Following an NFL investigation into the Ravens‘ use of full pads during their rookie minicamp, ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley reports that the team has been forced to cancel a week of organized team activities. The organization was fined $343,057, while coach John Harbaugh was fined $137,223.

The team reportedly put players in pads for a single five-minute stretch. However, the league believes the organization wasn’t actually ignorant to the rule, thus explaining the hefty punishment.

Harbaugh took full responsibility for the violation earlier today:

“It’s on me,” Harbaugh said. “It’s completely me. It was my decision. That’s the situation that we’re in and we’ll adjust and we’ll adapt. We’ll still become the best football team that we can be.”

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

  • Jets owner Woody Johnson told Bob Glauber of Newsday that the team had considered Mike Holmgren for the team’s previously vacant head coach opening. “This was for coaching, just coaching,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t for general manager or anything else. That setup doesn’t work normally. You get too many jobs for one person. But I was flattered he took the call. It’s Mike Holmgren we’re talking about. He’s a legendary figure, a great coach. I enjoyed talking to him.”
  • Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower is set to be a free agent at the end of this season, but the 26-year-old isn’t anxious to discuss his contract situation. “I don’t have anything to do with any of that,” Hightower told Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “I’m just out here trying to get better with my teammates.”
  • Broncos offensive tackle Russell Okung sounds like he’s content with his decision to join the organization. When asked if he received the best deal for himself this past offseason, the veteran said he got the “best deal in the best place” (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post on Twitter).
  • After not having his fifth-year option picked up, Broncos defensive tackle Sylvester Williams views the slight as motivation. “I have to go out there and prove myself again,” he said (via Jhabvala). “I look at it as it benefited me.”

Broncos Decline Sylvester Williams’ 2017 Option

May 2nd, 2016 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Broncos will not be exercising Sylvester Williams‘s $6.757MM option for 2017, a source tells Troy Renck and Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post. As the Post duo details, GM John Elway and the Broncos like what Williams brings to the table, but are wary about committing significant money to a nose tackle.Sylvester Williams

[RELATED: Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]

Williams, 27, had perhaps his best season in 2015, starting 15 games for the Broncos and establishing new career bests in tackles (25) and sacks (2.5). Primarily a two-down player, Williams helped anchor Denver’s stout run defense, appearing in just under half of the club’s defensive snaps for the season.

As we’ve seen throughout this offseason, the Broncos have been careful about not overpaying in contract negotiations, even for players who were crucial cogs on their Super Bowl team. Brock Osweiler, Malik Jackson, and Danny Trevathan were among the players who departed in free agency, while the club has yet to work out new long-term deals with franchised pass rusher Von Miller or RFA linebacker Brandon Marshall.

In Williams’ case, the team would like to keep him around beyond the 2016 season, but didn’t want a $6.757MM cap charge on the books for him in 2017. Since the Broncos would prefer to extend him at a lesser salary, they weren’t interested in using that figure as a starting point in negotiations, as Mike Klis of 9NEWS writes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Rams, Austin, Broncos, Seahawks

April 30th, 2016 at 8:08pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Rams are expected to pick up their 2017 fifth-year option for wide receiver Tavon Austin, but Los Angeles hopes to sign Austin to a long-term extension before the ’17 season rolls around, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter link). We heard in February that the Rams are intent on extending both Austin and linebacker Alec Ogletree. Bookmark our 2017 Fifth-Year Option tracker.

The draft is still dominating today’s coverage, but life goes on the NFL world. Let’s dive into some more notes from the NFL’s two West divisions…

  • Like the Rams, the Broncos must decide on a fifth-year option — in Denver’s case, it’s for defensive tackle Sylvester Williams, who would command a $6.757MM salary in 2017. Broncos GM John Elway said he’ll make a decision on Williams on Monday, but called the $6MM+ figure a “pretty big number” (links via Troy Renck of the Denver Post and Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com).
  • Though the Broncos‘ next offseason focus will obviously be coming to terms on a long-term deal with Von Miller, Elway says the club also wants to work something out with receiver Emmanuel Sanders and linebacker Brandon Marshall, tweets Renck. Both Sanders and Marshall are both entering the final years of their respective contracts, and Sanders, for his part, recently expressed a desire to stay with Denver.
  • Former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch still hasn’t filed his retirement papers, but Pete Carroll thinks Lynch is committed to remaining retired, according to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com (Twitter link). “Your guess is as good as mine,” said GM John Schneider when asked about Lynch’s plans (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times).
  • Both Carroll and Schneider said the Seahawks are working on finding another quarterback, and are still speaking with free agent Tarvaris Jackson, tweets Condotta. For what it’s worth, the Seattle duo made those comments before reportedly agreeing to terms with former TCU QB Trevone Boykin.

AFC West Notes: Broncos, Chargers, Charles

April 16th, 2016 at 4:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Unlike C.J. Anderson, the Broncos placed a second-round tender on restricted free agent Brandon Marshall. The emerging inside linebacker has not yet signed the $2.55MM tender and is unsure he’ll attend the Broncos’ offseason workouts that begin Monday, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports.

The fifth-year ‘backer doesn’t have a lot of leverage in this case, and his situation is similar to Tashaun Gipson‘s with the Browns last year. After June 15, the Broncos can withdraw the tender and pay Marshall 110% of his 2015 salary, which was $585K. The Broncos currently carry just more than $8.2MM worth of cap space.

With the champions preoccupied in negotiating an extension for confirmed workout-skipper Von Miller and making a potential deal for a starting quarterback, it’s unlikely Marshall sees a long-term contract offer before that mid-June date. Gipson reported to the Browns before his former team could withdraw that tender last June.

Here are some notes from some of the league’s western contingent, beginning with another starter from the Super Bowl champions’ No. 1 defense.

  • The Broncos have also yet to make a decision regarding Sylvester Williams‘ fifth-year option and have until May 2 to do so. “No, I haven’t heard anything about it — still waiting,” the fourth-year defensive tackle told Renck. “Either way this will be my best year yet!” Given the starting nose job after Denver elected not to retain Terrance Knighton, Williams played better in 2015 than he did in ’14, grading out as a middle-of-the-pack performer, according to Pro Football Focus. It would cost the Broncos $6.7MM to pick up Williams’ option, and as of now, no pure 3-4 nose is set to earn close to that amount in 2017. Brandon Mebane‘s $4.5MM salary with the Chargers is the highest at this spot currently on a team’s 2017 projected books. Williams will turn 28 this season, but significant cap relief stands to come the Broncos’ way after this season — no team has more projected space than Denver’s $80MM+ in 2017 — so the team could probably manage Williams’ option should it choose to exercise it now.
  • San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer wrote a letter to the Chargers asking some difficult questions centering around the team’s downtown stadium proposal, Dan McSwain of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Faulconer told the newspaper he sent the letter, on which the Chargers declined to comment, after meeting with members of the hotel industry. One of the centerpieces to the Chargers’ stadium proposal involves a hotel tax hike. Much of the mayor’s queries also involved the design of the stadium/convention center project, McSwain reports.
  • Rehabbing from his second torn ACL in five years, Jamaal Charles carries about the only contract that the Chiefs can shed in the next two years that will save them big money. Kansas City extending both Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware also secures the team’s backups who filled in for Charles last season, and Adam Teicher of ESPN.com wonders if now is the best time to trade the 29-year-old Charles. Teicher argues the two-time All-Pro’s value will never be higher going forward, with the dynamic ball-carrier turning 30 in December, and the fact the Chiefs don’t have a third-round pick this year in light of the Jeremy Maclin tampering penalties makes a trade worth discussing. Possessing close to the least amount of cap space currently and, along with scant projected space in 2017, the Chiefs are committed to most of their high-priced talent for the next two years. But Charles has two nonguaranteed years left — at $5.3MM and $7MM, respectively.
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