NFL Thread

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Malik Jackson deal worth up to $90 million, $42 million fully guaranteed
Posted by Josh Alper on March 8, 2016, 2:52 PM EST

Shortly after word of a deal between the Jaguars and defensive end Malik Jackson broke on Tuesday, Jackson took to Twitter to share a message.

“What a time to be alive,” Jackson wrote.

For an unrestricted free agent defensive end coming off a strong year for the Super Bowl champs, indeed it is. Mike Klis of KUSA and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media have both reported the early numbers of the deal that Jackson has agreed to and it’s a big one.

Jackson is signing a six-year deal worth $85.5 million with another $4.5 million available in playing time incentives at the back end of the contract. Of that total payout, $45 million comes in the first three years and $42 million is guaranteed with Klis reporting that the guarantees cover both skill and injury.

That $15 million a year average pushes Jackson to the top tier of defensive linemen in the NFL in terms of compensation. If he plays like a member of that tier as well, the Jaguars will have taken a big step toward their first winning record since 2007.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Bills hang onto Richie Incognito for three more years
Posted by Darin Gantt on March 8, 2016, 1:55 PM EST

The Bills might not have been crazy about Richie Incognito’s contract demands, but they apparently found a way to live with them.

According to Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News, the Bills have re-signed the veteran guard a little more than 24 hours before he could have become an unrestricted free agent.

Incognito tweeted out what appears to be confirmation of a three-year deal, though it’s unclear what the Bills dominated last year, or the last few decades.

The Bills gave him a chance when few others wanted to after the bullying scandal in Miami, and he returned the favor with a solid season, the kind of power run-blocker (and personaltity) that Rex Ryan was looking for when he took the job.

The Bills brought in veteran guard Jahri Evans for a visit recently, and that might have been enough to shake Incognito off the demands they previously thought excessive.

 

[gimmefreemusic]

Also demarco murray to titans

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Ravens adding veteran TE Ben Watson
Posted by Zac Jackson on March 8, 2016, 3:09 PM EST

Veteran tight end Ben Watson will leave the Saints and sign with the Ravens when the free agent market opens Wednesday, per multiple reports.

Watson has played 12 NFL seasons and has only missed one game in the last four. He caught a career-best 74 passes last season for the Saints and should fit the Ravens nicely both as a target for quarterback Joe Flacco and as a mentor for young tight ends Crockett Gillmore and Maxx Williams.

Watson knows the AFC North well. He played for the Browns from 2010-12 before joining the Saints.

Watson, 35, entered the league as a first-round pick of the Patriots in 2004. He has 38 career touchdown receptions and his six touchdowns last season matched his career high set in 2007 with the Patriots. For his career, Watson has 434 receptions for 4,963 yards.

 

[gimmefreemusic]

Mike wallace released from vikings

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Report: Mario Williams expected to sign with Miami Dolphins
Jeffrey Kahn - 10 minutes ago

Mario Williams is on his way to signing with the Miami Dolphins.

The former Buffalo Bills defensive end is expected to accept an $8 million per year deal that will keep him in the AFC East, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

The Dolphins have been building up quite the defensive line. Last offseason, the Dolphins dished out millions of dollars to defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh who recently restructured his deal. The Dolphins also placed the transition tag on defensive end Olivier Vernon in a moderate attempt to keep the pass rusher.

Williams was selected first overall by the Texans in the 2006 NFL Draft. After six years in Houston, Williams signed a six-year, $96 million contract with the Bills. After an underwhelming 2015 season, the Bills parted ways with Williams.

Williams has collected a total of 96 sacks and has been to the Pro Bowl four times in his career.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Vikings fill hole at safety with former Titan Michael Griffin
Posted by Darin Gantt on March 9, 2016, 6:14 PM EST

The Vikings entered free agency hoping to improve their interior offensive line and secondary, and have checked off both boxes already.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Vikings have signed former Titans safety Michael Griffin.

Many thought they’d go for a guy such as George Iloka or Reggie Nelson, who Mike Zimmer knew from their days with the Bengals. But Iloka stayed put, and they apparently preferred Griffin.

The 31-year-old Griffin was released by the Titans in February in a cap-saving move.

Earlier in the day, the Vikings signed 49ers guard Alex Boone.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Dwight Lowery lands a job in San Diego
Posted by Josh Alper on March 9, 2016, 6:19 PM EST

The Chargers defense added a player up front on Wednesday with the signing of defensive tackle Brandon Mebane and now they’ve added someone to the back end as well.

Safety Dwight Lowery has signed a three-year deal to join the Chargers after spending last season with the Colts. Indianapolis was Lowery’s fourth NFL stop after stints with the Jets, Jaguars and Falcons.

Lowery dealt with injuries during his two years with the Jaguars, but has been a fixture in the starting lineup with the Falcons and Colts the last two years. He’s made 31 starts and recorded 155 tackles while intercepting six passes and sacking the quarterback twice.

There’s a starting job for the taking in San Diego with Eric Weddle moving on from the Chargers this offseason. Jahleel Addae, who started 12 times last season, was tendered as a restricted free agent at the second-round level and the team has Darnell Stuckey and Adrian Phillips under contract at the position as well.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Giants add Olivier Vernon to free agent haul
Posted by Josh Alper on March 9, 2016, 5:06 PM EST

The Giants came into the offseason with a need for dramatic improvement on the defensive side of the ball and no one can accuse them of pinching pennies when it came to signing free agents that give them the chance to do that.

They re-signed defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and signed cornerback Janoris Jenkins and defensive tackle Damon Harrison to massive contracts to get things rolling. Now they’ve gone out and added defensive end Olivier Vernon, who saw the transition tag the Dolphins used on him removed after the team signed Mario Williams.

It’s another huge deal. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports it is a five-year contract worth up to $85 million with $52.5 million in guaranteed money, although there’s no note about structure or the nature of the guarantees at this point. That’s a bit less in total money than Malik Jackson got from the Jaguars, but the guarantee is bigger than Jackson’s and any other that a defensive end has received.

Vernon and the other new arrivals account for $114 million in guarantees, so General Manager Jerry Reese hasn’t been sitting on the pile of cap space the Giants held onto for this offseason. That puts the pieces in place for a rapid improvement on defense in New Jersey, although we’ve seen in the past that winning the offseason and winning in the regular season are very different beasts.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Report: Chiefs finalizing deal with Mitchell Schwartz
Posted by Zac Jackson on March 9, 2016, 5:30 PM EST

The Chiefs are finalizing a five-year deal with Browns right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, ESPN reported Wednesday.

Sources told PFT earlier in the day that the Browns had yanked an offer to Schwartz off the table.

A starter since he was drafted in the second round in 2012, Schwartz has never missed a game. The Chiefs acted quickly to secure his services after losing offensive linemen Donald Stephenson and Jeff Allen during an early flurry of moves on the first day of the league year and free agency period.

Stephenson played both tackle spots for the Chiefs last year and started seven games. If the Chiefs want to stick with Eric Fisher at left tackle, Schwartz gives them a solid player on the right side.

The events of Wednesday give the rebuilding Browns another area to rebuild. Longtime center Alex Mack is headed to the Falcons.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Chargers sign Brandon Mebane to three-year deal
Posted by Josh Alper on March 9, 2016, 5:26 PM EST

Defensive tackle Brandon Mebane said recently that he’d like to remain with the Seahawks, but that he’d be talking to other teams that might make an offer that proved more enticing.

It appears that’s exactly what happened. The Chargers announced Wednesday that they have signed Mebane, who anchors PFT‘s list of the top free agents, to a three-year contract.

Mebane has started the last 125 games he’s played, and has 349 tackles and 15.5 sacks to show for his nine years with the Seahawks. He’ll slot into a defensive line that’s anchored by Corey Liuget and also includes Sean Lissemore. Kendall Reyes and Ricardo Matthews became free agents on Wednesday.

The Seahawks re-signed Mebane’s partner at tackle Ahtyba Rubin this week and have Jordan Hill and A.J. Francis on the depth chart at tackle behind him at this point in the offseason.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Falcons announce agreement with Alex Mack
Posted by Mike Florio on March 9, 2016, 4:33 PM EST

Apparently, not every player who has played for offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan hates him.

Center Alex Mack, who spent 2014 with Shanahan in Cleveland, has agreed to terms to join the Shanahan and the Falcons. A three-time Pro Bowler, Mack voided his contract with the Browns two years after Cleveland matched an offer sheet extended by Jacksonville while Mack was limited by the transition tag.

In recent days, Shanahan has been criticized by former Falcons receiver Roddy White and his agent, Jonathan Feinsod, for Shanahan’s perceived role in the team’s decision to cut White.

“We knew we needed to add an established presence along our offensive line,” G.M. Thomas Dimitroff said. “Alex is a three-time pro bowler and is an ideal scheme fit for our offense. We understand the importance of solidifying the center position and we have been able to do that today. We are pleased to be able to add Alex to our roster and believe he will be an anchor to our line.”

The deal is not yet signed; it’s simply an agreement in principle. Now that the free-agency period has begun, teams are allowed to announce agreements in principle, final agreements, and anything else they want to announce regarding free agents from other teams.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Matt Schaub returns to Atlanta for another turn as a backup
Posted by Josh Alper on March 9, 2016, 4:39 PM EST

You can cross Matt Schaub off the list of potential starting quarterbacks for the Broncos.

Schaub began his NFL career as a backup quarterback for the Falcons and he may end his career that way as well. The Falcons announced Wednesday afternoon that they have signed Schaub as a free agent.

Schaub was a third-round pick by the Falcons in 2004 and spent three years with the club before being traded to the Texans before the 2007 season. Schaub would spend parts of seven seasons as a starter with the Texans and turned in some good years for Houston before his play dropped off a cliff in 2013.

He’s been a backup in Oakland and Baltimore the last two years and will now join Matt Ryan on the depth chart in Atlanta.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Titans sign Matt Cassel to back up Marcus Mariota
Posted by Darin Gantt on March 9, 2016, 4:43 PM EST

The game of backup quarterback musical chairs is happening fast, and chairs are going in a hurry.

According to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com, the Titans have signed veteran Matt Cassel to a one-year deal.

Cassel was unable to save the Cowboys from themselves last year, going 1-6 in his starts in relief of Tony Romo (and Brandon Weeden). He was eventually benched so they could play Kellen Moore, which should have been all the sign you needed.

With Matt Moore heading to visit the Cowboys, they were clearly looking for an upgrade.

Cassel slots in behind Marcus Mariota, though Zach Mettenberger remains on the roster there, giving them some experience as Mike Mularkey tries to rebuild things there. The fact they’ve never won a game with Mettenberger on the field may have led them in this direction.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Dolphins nab Isa Abdul-Quddus
Posted by Josh Alper on March 9, 2016, 4:49 PM EST

The Dolphins signed safety Louis Delmas away from the Lions as a free agent a couple of years ago and got 13 solid games from him in 2014 before he tore his ACL.

Delmas suffered the same injury last summer, causing him to miss the entire 2015 season and leaving the Dolphins in need of safety help again this offseason. They went back to the same place they found Delmas to get one.

According to multiple reports, the team has signed Isa Abdul-Quddus shortly after the league officially opened for business on Wednesday afternoon. Abdul-Quddus played in every game for the Lions over the last two seasons and started 12 times. He had 57 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble last season.

Abdul Quddus joins Reshad Jones, Walt Aikens and the re-signed Michael Thomas at safety in Miami. Jones will start at one spot, leaving the other options to compete for the job next to him in the secondary.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Three years, $21 million for Chase Daniel, who will compete for starting job
Posted by Mike Florio on March 9, 2016, 4:46 PM EST

The contract given to new Eagles quarterback Chase Daniel doesn’t scream “starter,” but that doesn’t mean Daniel won’t win the job.

ESPN reports that Daniel’s contract is worth $21 million over three years, with $12 million of it fully guaranteed. That’s $7 million per year, an annual average of more than $10 million per year lower than the two-year, $35 million contract given last week to Sam Bradford.

Although Bradford’s contract could easily be traded in the short term, since the first signing-bonus installment isn’t due until March 18, a league source tells PFT that the current plan is for Bradford and Daniel to compete for the job.

Daniel has an edge; he knows coach Doug Pederson’s offense better than Bradford does. If Daniel can translate that familiarity into production, he could end up winning the job.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Lions sign ex-Patriots defensive back Tavon Wilson
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 9, 2016, 4:29 PM EST

New Lions General Manager Bob Quinn is wasting no time in signing a player he knows well.

Quinn, who spent his entire NFL career in the Patriots’ front office before the Lions hired him this year, has just signed former Patriots defensive back Tavon Wilson.

Wilson wrote on Twitter that the deal got done right at the official start of free agency.

“Thank you to the Patriots, Mr. Kraft, Coach Belichick, my teammates and the fans for four great years,” Wilson wrote. “Excited for the next journey. I would also like to thank the rest of the Kraft family, the support staff with the Patriots and everyone involved with the organization. HEADED TO DETROIT! Look forward to meeting the Ford family, Coach Caldwell and my teammates!”

The Patriots chose Wilson out of Illinois with a second-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft. He showed a lot of promise in his rookie year, recording four interceptions, but he’s seen less playing time recently. Last year Wilson played just 83 snaps on defense, but added 155 snaps on special teams. In Detroit, he’ll bolster the special teams as well as providing depth in the secondary.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Bears signing Denver linebacker Danny Trevathan
Posted by Darin Gantt on March 9, 2016, 4:15 PM EST

The defections in Denver continue.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan is leaving for Chicago.

The soon-to-be-26-year-old linebacker is a good fit for the Bears, and well familiar to coach John Fox who had him with the Broncos. The link has been there for days, but now the deal is done.

Along with defensive end Malik Jackson and quarterback Brock Osweiler, it’s a big day of departures for the defending champions, who are learning the cost of success.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Cardinals sign Tyvon Branch to two-year deal
Posted by Zac Jackson on March 9, 2016, 4:10 PM EST

Safety Tyvon Branch is leaving the Chiefs to sign with the Cardinals, per multiple reports.

Mike Garofolo of FOX Sports reported that the deal is for two years and a maximum of $10 million with $5 million guaranteed.

The Cardinals are addressing the position because Rashad Johnson is an unrestricted free agent and Tony Jefferson is a restricted free agent. Though the Cardinals can match any offer to Jefferson, they would receive no compensation if a team signs Jefferson to a deal the Cardinals don’t feel comfortable matching.

Branch only made one start but was an important contributor in his lone season with the Chiefs after leaving the Raiders. He scored a defensive touchdown in both games against his former team.

Branch, 29, has five career interceptions and nine career sacks. He’s played in 91 career games, starting 68.

 

[ALL BOUT CHICKEN]

Texans add guard Jeff Allen to their pre-market opening haul
Posted by Darin Gantt on March 9, 2016, 3:50 PM EST

The market hasn’t even opened yet, and the Texans have already lost and replaced a starter.

According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, the Texans have signed Chiefs guard Jeff Allen to a four-year, $28 million deal, with $14 million in the first year.

That’s far less than the deal former Texans guard Brandon Brooks just took from the Eagles, a five-year, $40 million pact.

Allen has the ability to play both guard and tackle, and it’s unclear immediately what plans they have for him.

But he has an entirely new backfield to work with, as the Texans have already added quarterback Brock Osweiler and running back Lamar Miller in a busy afternoon.