Transactions - Pro Football Rumors

Seahawks Rescind Malik Turner’s Tender

April 14th, 2020 at 5:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks have pulled their exclusive rights tender for Malik Turner, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With that, Turner has gone from the ERFA property of the Seahawks to a full-fledged free agent.

It’s rare for an ERFA to have his tender pulled, especially since those deals are inexpensive with no real guarantees, but the Seahawks apparently had second thoughts. Turner, 24, appeared in 15 games for Seattle last year. He managed 15 receptions for 245 yards and a touchdown in his second season with the club.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks re-upped a pair of their own free agents this week. Guard Mike Iupati, entering his age-33 season, will return on a one-year deal. Ditto for cornerback Neiko Thorpe, who is also looking to stay healthy after finishing the 2019 season on IR.

Seahawks To Re-Sign Mike Iupati

April 14th, 2020 at 4:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks have agreed to a brand new deal with Mike Iupati, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The veteran guard will return on a one-year deal as he looks to battle back from a neck injury.

Iupati signed with the ‘Hawks on a one-year pact last spring, bringing him to the third NFC West team of his career. The former 49ers and Rams protector stepped in to replace J.R. Sweezy and played on the first-string unit for 15 games, up until the injury bug struck late in the year. Iupati was unable to play in either one of Seattle’s playoff games and had to watch from afar as the Seahawks fell 28-23 to the Packers in the divisional round.

Iupati, 33 in May, has four Pro Bowl appearances to his credit, but injuries have hampered him over the last few seasons. At his peak, he inked a five-year, $40MM free agent deal with Arizona.

The Seahawks managed to keep Iupati, but they’ve watched offensive linemen George Fant (Jets) and Germain Ifedi (Bears) depart in free agency this season. To help replace them, they’ve added new faces in B.J. Finney and Chance Warmack. Meanwhile, Joey Hunt remains unsigned.

Chargers To Sign XFL TE Donald Parham

April 13th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Donald Parham‘s NFL career consisted of a 2019 UDFA agreement with the Lions. While he did not make the team, the 6-foot-8 tight end went on to be one of the XFL’s top targets. That will land him another NFL opportunity.

The Chargers reached an agreement to sign Parham on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (on Twitter). Parham, 22, received five other offers, per Rapoport, but will head to a Chargers team that rosters one of the league’s top tight ends.

Hunter Henry signed his franchise tender Monday, and 10th-year veteran Virgil Green remains with the Bolts. Parham profiles as an interesting addition, however, after starring for the Dallas Renegades in XFL 2.0.

Parham caught 24 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns in five XFL games. The 307 yards ranked third in the league and led all other XFL tight ends by over 150 yards. Prior to his XFL run, Parham previously saw game action as a college standout at Division I-FCS Stetson.

Chargers TE Hunter Henry To Sign Franchise Tag

April 13th, 2020 at 3:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Chargers tight end Hunter Henry will sign his franchise tag on Monday afternoon, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). With that, he’ll return to the Bolts on a one-year, ~$11MM guaranteed deal.

Last month, the Chargers made Henry the first tight end to be franchise tagged since Jimmy Graham in 2014. Despite the injury concerns, the Chargers were unwilling to leave things to chance. Now, they have Henry locked in for at least one more year and they have a few months to negotiate a long-term deal with the 25-year-old. If they’re unable to come to terms, they’ll have to wait until after the 2020 season to revisit talks.

The Chargers might not rush matters – Henry missed the entire 2018 season with a torn ACL and missed four games last year with a knee injury, so they might want to see how he looks before making a major commitment.

In just 12 games last season, Henry posted career highs in catches (55) and yards (652). If he can stay healthy for a full year alongside Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, the Chargers will project to have one of the league’s most potent offenses. Of course, it remains to be seen who will be throwing the ball to them. For now, Tyrod Taylor is set to be the man under center.

In March, the Browns made Austin Hooper the highest-paid tight end of all-time with a four-year, $42MM deal. Soon, George Kittle is expected to take over that mantle, but Henry might not be far behind if he can stay healthy and play up to expectations.

Panthers, Christian McCaffrey Agree To Record-Breaking Extension

April 13th, 2020 at 3:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Christian McCaffrey has agreed to a new four-year deal with the Panthers, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The deal, worth an eye-popping $16MM per year, will position CMC as the highest-paid running back in the history of the NFL.

McCaffrey and the Panthers have been discussing an extension for some time, even though the youngster was a long way from free agency. The new deal, worth $64MM over the course of four years, will keep McCaffrey in place for many seasons to come.

The Panthers have overhauled their team in recent months, bidding farewell to head coach Ron Rivera, tight end Greg Olsen, one-time MVP quarterback Cam Newton, and other longtime figures. McCaffrey, of course, remained as a building block of the team’s future.

In September, Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott broke the RB record with his six-year, $90MM extension. Now, CMC has beaten that $15MM AAV by a cool $1MM. More importantly, he landed his deal on a much shorter term. The Panthers standout will be eligible for free agency while still in his prime, setting him up for even greater riches on his next deal.

Because records are made to be broken – particularly when it comes to NFL contracts – McCaffrey might not hold the mantle for long either. Saints star Alvin Kamara also has youth and accolades on his side, and his camp will certainly have this deal on the radar when it comes time to talk.

McCaffrey won’t turn 24 until June and he already has a First-Team All-Pro selection on his resume. Even in a down year for Carolina, McCaffrey still managed 1,387 rushing yards off of 287 carries, giving him an average of 4.8 yards per tote. he also caught 116 passes for 1,005 yards through the air. All combined, he notched 19 touchdowns on the year.

As great as McCaffrey is, the Panthers’ offer did not come without some serious deliberation. Past market-setting deals for running backs have yielded some seriously mixed results. Todd Gurley, for example, was unable to stay healthy after inking his four-year, $60MM whopper with the Rams. The former Offensive Player of the Year was cut midway through his deal, leading him to a one-year pact with the Falcons earlier this year.

“Obviously, we’ve had internal discussions,” GM Marty Hurney said recently, perhaps understating the status of the talks. “Everybody knows what we think of Christian as a player. Other than that I can’t really say any more.”

Even with one year left of McCaffrey’s contract, plus a fifth-year option for 2021, the Panthers didn’t want to let him get anywhere near the open market. Even after two 1,000-yard campaigns and a total of 2,523 receiving yards over three seasons, the Panthers believe that the best is yet to come.

Seahawks Re-Sign CB Neiko Thorpe

April 13th, 2020 at 2:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks have re-signed cornerback Neiko Thorpe, according to a club announcement. Terms of the deal are not yet known.

Thorpe has spent the last four years with the Seahawks as a reserve, following stints with the Chiefs and Raiders. He’ll aim to make the cut and fill a similar role in Seattle this year. Although he’s not a top-tier corner, Thorpe offers depth support at the cornerback position and special teams acumen.

Last year, Thorpe re-upped with the ‘Hawks on a one-year, $1MM deal with a $100K signing bonus and a modest non-guaranteed base of $850K. He went on to appear in seven games for Seattle, before being placed on IR in December.

This year, the Seahawks will return starters Shaquill Griffin and Tre Flowers, though recent acquisition Quinton Dunbar figures to see a key role. They may also pad the CB group in the draft. In the ten drafts run by head coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider, the Seahawks have only passed on CBs once. Still, most of those corners have been taken in the fourth-round or later, and that’s likely how they’d address the position this year given their more pressing needs.

Rams To Sign K Lirim Hajrullahu

April 13th, 2020 at 2:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams have agreed to sign kicker Lirim Hajrullahu, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Hajrullahu, as Pelissero explains, comes to Los Angeles with a CFL all-star resume and an unbelievable life story.

Hajrullahu was an 8-year-old boy when the Kosovo War flared up. One year later, his family managed to escape the danger by moving to Canada. In spite of all the hardship, Hajrullahu grew up to become a two-time CFL all-star and a league champion.

Along with Hajrullahu, the Rams also announced the signing of kicker Austin MacGinnis, who most recently played with the Dallas Renegades of the XFL. In the XFL’s partial season, he nailed all ten of his field goal tries.

The Rams are on the lookout for a new leg after Greg Zuerlein joined the Cowboys late last month. Young GZ has turned in some fantastic seasons over the years, but he made only 82% of his tries last year. The Rams are looking for more consistency, and they hope to find it with either Hajrullahu or MacGinnis.

49ers Re-Sign Jason Verrett, Dontae Johnson

April 13th, 2020 at 1:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 49ers have re-signed cornerbacks Jason Verrett and Dontae Johnson to one-year deals, the club announced today.

Verrett, 28, has dealt with myriad injury issues throughout his career, and those health questions popped up again in 2019. Signed to a one-year, $1.5MM pact with San Francisco, Verrett appeared in just one game before being placed on injured reserve with an ankle ailment. Although there was some thought that he’d be able to return later in the season, Verrett remained on IR through the 49ers’ postseason run.

A first-round pick by the Chargers in the 2014 draft, Verrett has been outstanding when healthy. In 2015, for example, Verrett made 14 starts for San Diego and earned a Pro Bowl nod. However, that 2015 campaign represents the only season in which the TCU product has appeared in more six games. He’s only played in six total games since the start of the 2016 season.

Johnson, meanwhile, was Verrett’s direct replacement when the latter went on IR in 2019. San Francisco’s relationship with Johnson goes back far further than last season, however — Johnson was a fourth-round pick of the 49ers in 2014 and will now start his fourth stint with the club. He’s also spent time with the Seahawks, Bills, Cardinals, Chiefs, and Chargers. Johnson, 28, started all 16 games for San Francisco in 2017, but has largely been a special-teamer.

Steelers Sign WR Saeed Blacknall

April 13th, 2020 at 10:28am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Steelers announced that they’ve agreed to terms with wide receiver Saeed Blacknall, who formerly suited up for the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats.

Pittsburgh has shown a proclivity to sign former XFLers, and Blacknall becomes the sixth member of the now-closed league to land with the Steelers. Blacknall joins defensive end Dewayne Hendrix, linebacker Christian Kuntz, offensive tackle Jarron Jones, safety Tyree Kinnel, and defensive tackle Cavon Walker as XFL alums on Pittsburgh’s roster.

Blacknall, 24, latched on with the Raiders in 2018 after going undrafted out of Penn State. He bounced on and off Oakland’s practice squad during his rookie season, but did manage one regular season appearance on the club’s active roster.

In 2019, Blacknall spent time with the Dolphins and Cardinals, but didn’t see any game action. He was drafted by the Wildcats in November and appeared in three of the team’s five games, catching four passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

Colts Sign FB Roosevelt Nix

April 11th, 2020 at 9:42am CST by Ben Levine

The Colts are adding a former Pro Bowler. Indy is signing fullback Roosevelt Nix, according to Joel A Erickson of the Indy Star (via Twitter). ESPN’s Jordan Schultz (on Twitter) was first with the news.

The former Kent State defensive end initially switched to linebacker to boost his draft stock, but Nix still went undrafted in 2014. After joining the Falcons on a three-year deal, he switched to the offensive side of the ball, changing his position to fullback. However, he didn’t end up catching on with Atlanta, as he was released during his first preseason with the team.

Following a brief stint in the AFL, Nix signed a reserve/futures deal with the Steelers in 2015. He proceeded to appear in 60 games (11 starts) during his five seasons in Pittsburgh, serving primarily as a fullback and special teamer. He’s hauled in 12 career receptions for 69 yards and one score, and he has 34 career tackles and two forced fumbles. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017, replacing James Develin on the AFC roster.

Nix was named a Steelers captain prior to the 2019 season, but he was limited to only three games as he dealt with a knee injury. He ended up getting cut by the organization back in March.

Known mostly as a blocking fullback, Nix will be protecting the likes of Marlon Mack, Nyheim Hines, and Jordan Wilkins next season.

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