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Willie Young

NFC Contract Details: Quarless, Collins, Saffold

March 13th, 2014 at 6:02pm CST by Luke Adams

We rounded up a handful of AFC contract details earlier this afternoon. Now, let’s turn our attention to the NFC:

  • Andrew Quarless‘ two-year contract with the Packers is worth $3MM in total, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. The base salaries are $800K and $1.3MM, while the remaining money is made up of a $350K signing bonus, $200K in per-game roster bonuses, and $75K in annual workout bonuses.
  • Pelissero tweets that only $9MM of Anthony Collins‘ five-year deal with the Bucs is fully guaranteed at signing, which is $6MM less than what was reported earlier. I’m guessing that $6MM is guaranteed for injury only.
  • Although Rodger Saffold‘s new five-year contract with the Rams is worth $31.7MM, it can max out at $35MM+, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
  • Willie Young‘s three-year contract with the Bears includes a $1MM roster bonus and $150K in workout bonuses, tweets Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.
  • Meanwhile, the Bears‘ signing of Ryan Mundy has the club on the hook for a two-year, $3MM contract, with $650K guaranteed, says Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (all Twitter links). That $650K guarantee comes in the form of a roster bonus, while the pact includes base salaries of $800K (2014) and $1.45MM (2015), plus workout bonuses of $50K annually.
  • Eric Wright‘s one-year contract with the 49ers sounds like a minimum salary benefit deal, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link). For a player with Wright’s experience, that’s an $855K base salary to go along with a $20K reporting bonus and another $25K if he makes the team.
  • Joe Berger‘s one-year deal with the Vikings is worth $920K, with a $65K signing bonus, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). That makes it a minimum salary benefit contract too.
  • Anthony McCoy will have a base salary of $950K on his one-year contract with the Seahawks, tweets KJR’s Curtis Crabtree.

Bears, Willie Young Agree To Three-Year Deal

March 13th, 2014 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

The Bears have reached a three-year deal with defensive lineman Willie Young, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). According to Pelissero, the contract is worth $9MM, including a $2MM signing bonus and $3.95MM in total guaranteed money. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun provides the deal’s annual base salaries in a tweet.

Young, 28, was a full-time starter for the Lions for the first time last season, and played very well for the team. While he was only credited with three sacks, he pressured the quarterback a total of 60 times and ranked 16th among 52 qualified 4-3 defensive ends, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

The Bears were forced to make Julius Peppers a cap casualty earlier this week and missed out on signing Michael Bennett, but have retooled their defensive line nicely, adding Young and Lamarr Houston.

Florida Rumors: Tillman, Watson, Young

March 11th, 2014 at 7:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest from the Sunshine State..

  • Bears free agent cornerback Charles Tillman is visiting the Buccaneers, a source tells ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). It’s possible that they could be eyeing Tillman as a Darrelle Revis replacement.
  • Linebacker Dekoda Watson is on the Dolphins‘ radar, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Nothing is imminent, however.
  • Seahawks free agent cornerback Walter Thurmond is visiting the Jaguars in the next 24 hours, Schefter tweets.
  • Lions free agent Willie Young is also visiting the Jaguars, Schefter tweets.
  • The Jaguars have a visit lined up with Watson, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Thurmond also has a visit lined up with the Buccaneers.
  • If Watson doesn’t land with the Jaguars, he’ll visit the Bills, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. But, Jacksonville could be his first and last visit.
  • The Buccaneers are active in free agency, and are meeting with linebacker Dane Fletcher tonight, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Tampa Bay is also meeting with center Evan Dietrich-Smith, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter).

NFC Rumors: Veldheer, Houston, Byrd, Hawley

March 11th, 2014 at 9:10am CST by Luke Adams

It looks like many of the top offensive tackles will fly off the shelves early when free agency gets underway at 3:00pm central time this afternoon. Branden Albert appears to be headed to Miami, while Anthony Collins will likely sign with the Bucs, and Eugene Monroe and the Ravens should work out a new deal. That leaves the Cardinals as the logical landing spot for Jared Veldheer, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com says (via Twitter) GMs and agents are essentially viewing that as a done deal, turning their attention to Rodger Saffold and other players. As we wait to see if Arizona can officially lock up the Raiders’ free-agent-to-be, let’s check out a few more updates from around the NFC….

  • The Packers were “very interested” in defensive end Lamarr Houston, but appear likely to bow out of the bidding as his price tag increases, says Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • It doesn’t sound as if things are heating up between Jairus Byrd and the Redskins at the moment, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, who hears from a source that the two sides are just having “casual conversations” (Twitter link).
  • The Lions have been in recent contact with defensive end Willie Young’s agent about a new deal, but Young looks set to hit the open market and should have a handful of suitors, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
  • The Falcons are trying to lock up center Joe Hawley to keep him from reaching the open market, but there are other teams interested in him, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, who says (via Twitter) talks might go right up to 3:00pm today.
  • Tight end Garrett Graham could be a target for the Buccaneers, tweets Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com.
  • As they did a year ago, the Eagles could strike quickly in free agency today, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

NFC Notes: Foles, Pettigrew, Young, Gerhart

March 1st, 2014 at 8:57am CST by Matt Feminis

Eagles quarterback Nick Foles is the team’s unquestioned No. 1 entering 2014, but the team has yet to publicly declare its belief in the third-year passer as the team’s long-term solution, points out Philly.com’s Jeff McLane. Some believe the team still has doubts and is leaving itself some wiggle room, acknowledging the possibility (likelihood?) Foles regresses this season. There is a business element at play, too. Because Foles’ rookie contract cannot be renegotiated until after 2014, it’s prudent for the club to hold off on making any long-term declarations.

  • In light of recent transactions, Eagles GM Howie Roseman demonstrated he paid attention to the successful and unsuccessful aspects of the Joe Banner/Andy Reid era, says Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski, who believes the previous regime undervalued the importance of veteran leadership. “[Roseman] recommitted the Eagles to rewarding homegrown talents such as Kelce and Cooper, and he’s acknowledged that certain older players are special cases.”
  • With Jimmy Graham franchise tagged and Dennis Pitta re-signed, the Lions‘ Brandon Pettigrew is potentially the most attractive free agent tight end, says ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein.
  • Meanwhile, the Lions have another free agent worth prioritizing, according to mlive.com’s Kyle Meinke, who says defensive end Willie Young‘s pending free agency “has hardly been discussed.” Plagued by inconsistency in the past, Young took a step forward in 2013, collecting 47 tackles and three sacks and ranking 16th in the league amongst 4-3 defensive ends, according to Pro Football Focus.
  • It is expected that Vikings backup running back Toby Gerhart will leave in free agency, according to ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling.