Tag: 2021 Free Agency

Former Bears CB Kyle Fuller wasn’t blindsided by his release

Kyle Fuller spoke for the first time since the Bears released him, and he wasn’t one bit surprised at the decision.

Chicago Bears fans were stunned last week when news leaked that the franchise was going to release two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Kyle Fuller.

And while it took a couple of days for the move to become official — as Chicago explored trade opportunities that didn’t come to fruition — it was the last straw for a Bears fan base that was already angry with the decision to sign veteran quarterback Andy Dalton to a one-year, $10 million deal.

But once the transaction did become official on Saturday, it didn’t take long for him to find a new home with a familiar face that knows him well in Vic Fangio and the Denver Broncos.

Speaking to the media for the first time since his release from the Bears and signing with the Broncos, Fuller was asked about whether he was surprised by Chicago’s decision to part ways.

“I think I understood everything that was going on,” Fuller said Monday. “I just took it for what it was.”

While it’s a decision that still has many Bears fans shaking their heads in frustration, Chicago did have a reason for it. Fuller was due to make $20 million in 2020, and the Bears cleared up $11 million in cap space by parting ways with him.

Still, it’s the direct effect of GM Ryan Pace’s mismanagement of the salary cap over the last few years, which ultimately forced his hand to release arguably the most consistent defensive back on the roster over the last few years.

Now, the Broncos have a veteran cornerback in his prime and the Bears have a massive hole to fill alongside second-year corner Jaylon Johnson.

Chicago signed former Detroit Lions cornerback Desmond Trufant to a one-year deal, the franchise’s first attempt to fill the void left by Fuller. It wouldn’t be a surprise for the Bears to address cornerback in next month’s NFL draft.

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Cowboys announce 5 signings, could still want Aldon Smith to return

Could the Cowboys still be interested in bringing back Aldon Smith?

The Dallas Cowboys officially announced their five most recent signings on Monday. The public announcement means that all five players have not only taken and passed their physical evaluations, but also put their names on the dotted lines and are now wearers of the star. Brent Urban, Carlos Watkins and Tarell Baham join the defense, Jake McQuaide the special teams unit and Ty Nsekhe the offensive line.

Last Thursday’s signing of Basham seemed to indicate the Cowboys could be looking to move on from hybrid defensive end Aldon Smith. However Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News is reporting the Cowboys are still discussing possibly bringing Smith back.

Smith was signed by Dallas last offseason after previously being out of the NFL since the 2015 season due to multiple suspensions. However, a cryptic tweet on Sunday from former Cowboys scout and radio personality Bryan Broaddus does add some intrigue to the situation.

The former First-Team All-Pro had five sacks for the Cowboys last season. While all five came in the first eight weeks of the season, the 31-year-old could be a bargain for Dallas. Having started his career as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 racking up 42 sacks in his first 43 games, the former top 10 pick could be a potential LEO in Dan Quinn’s defensive system.

With Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory expected to be the starters at defensive end the depth behind them will include competition from Dorance Armstrong, Bradley Anae, Ron’Dell Carter and the recently signed Basham. Adding Smith to that group at a bargain deal could pay dividends for Dallas.

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Contract details for Bills OL Jon Feliciano

Buffalo Bills OL Jon Feliciano contract details in 2021 NFL free agency.

Like many of their contracts with players this offseason, the Bills pushed the ball down the road, of sorts, with offensive lineman Jon Feliciano.

According to The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia, the 29-year-old signed a three-year deal worth $14.4 million. The contract includes a $2.25M signing bonus and other various workout and game day bonuses, as well.

Most importantly, Feliciano’s salary cap hit will be the smallest in 2021.

Reportedly, his hits will be as follows:

  • 2021: $3.5M
  • 2022: $5.25M
  • 2023: $5.65M

Bills general manager Brandon Beane has structured contracts like this because the salary cap this year has dropped. Last year, it was $198.2M. Now it’s at $182.5M. The decline was because of fans not attending games amid the COVID-19 pandemic last year, which caused NFL revenues to drop.

While a sizeable drop-off, as long as fans do attend games next season, the 2022 salary cap, and future ones, will likely continue to rise.

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Bills offense won over Emmanuel Sanders last season

Buffalo Bills WR Emmanuel Sanders says he watched the offense last season while with the New Orleans Saints.

The Buffalo Bills only got wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders in the fold last week after the two sides had talked in the past. But Sanders provided an example of how actions speak louder.

Last offseason was the most-recent time the Bills and Sanders had contact. It didn’t end in a contract that time, but Sanders kept the Bills on his mind.

After Buffalo started to breakout in 2020 with quarterback Josh Allen leading the way, Sanders, like many, took notice. On Friday, he admitted via video conference that he would take time last season to peep at Bills highlights.

“I used to sit on my off days, on a Tuesday, I’d grab my iPad and I would watch the Buffalo Bills’ offense, the coaches’ film,” Sanders said. “Just watching the routes they’re running, seeing Josh run around and throw the ball 60 yards down the field, 50 yards down the field. It was just exciting to watch. It’s the reason why everybody’s starting to talk about them.”

Aside from One Bills Drive, Sanders is enjoying his quick time in Buffalo already, too. He added that the City of Good Neighbors has already won him over off the field.

“I’ve been here for 24 hours and I can tell you, I already love this city,” he said. “They’ve got down-to-earth people here, they’ve got great people here.”

Of course, on the field is what everyone is excited to see out of the 34-year-old. One would expect Sanders to come in and take over the vacancy left by John Brown, who was cut by the Bills prior to Sanders’ signing.

Sean McDermott all but confirmed that’ll be the case last week.

“You never want to lose your fastball in terms of what we were able to do last season,” McDermott said on Sanders signing in Buffalo.

But it wasn’t exactly McDermott who was the coach that won Sanders over. That guy was Brian Daboll… not only because of his plans for using Sanders, but his personality played a part. Sanders said the two spoke on the phone for about an hour and more of the conversation was just about life… only about 20 minutes worth of football. Sanders was a big fan of that.

“I love that dude already. He keeps it real, he keeps it one hundred with me,” Sanders said.

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Hooker, Kazee scheduled to visit Cowboys, who look to shift Neal to LB

After signing Pro Bowl safety Keanu Neal, Dallas continues to shop at the position with visits this week; Neal will reportedly move to LB.

The Cowboys made a bit of a free agency splash by agreeing to terms with former Falcons safety Keanu Neal over the weekend, signaling a serious upgrade at a position that has long been a weak spot on the Dallas roster.

But word is already coming in that the team won’t play the 2017 Pro Bowler at safety, leaving that hole on the defense’s back end for now as two more veteran free agent safeties are expected to visit this week.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport tweeted Monday that the Cowboys and new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn plan to use Neal at weakside linebacker, a move that many have predicted.

The shifting of Neal potentially leaves a starting safety spot still open, which makes the Hooker and Kazee visits even more intriguing.

Malik Hooker was the Colts’ first-round pick in 2017, even after being unable to participate in combine drills due to recovery from injury. The Ohio State product was nonetheless ranked the second-best safety of that draft class behind only Jamal Adams. In 35 games as a pro, Hooker has been in on 121 tackles, intercepted seven passes, and recovered two fumbles. He missed the majority of last season with a torn Achilles tendon.

Damontae Kazee is- like Neal- a known commodity to Quinn and secondary/defensive passing game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., having played for both of them in Atlanta. A fifth-round pick out of San Diego State in the same class as Hooker, Kazee went on to be the league’s co-leader in interceptions in 2018, just his second season. Over 52 games, Kazee has recorded 199 tackles, 10 picks, and three fumble recoveries. He also tore an Achilles early in the 2020 season and missed the Falcons’ final 12 contests.

Both Hooker and Kazee are expected to visit with the Cowboys within the next few days and will likely go through physical tests to gauge their respective Achilles recoveries.

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Derek Wolfe: Ravens only want ‘tough, smart, humble, hungry football players’

According to Derek Wolfe, the Baltimore Ravens are looking for tough, smart, humble, and hungry players during 2021 NFL free agency

We’re right in the middle of NFL free agency, with the first wave of players having been scooped up. While the Baltimore Ravens have been fairly quiet thus far, they have a clear picture of the type of players they’re looking for, according to defensive end Derek Wolfe.

“I think the Ravens only want people in their organization that are tough football players,” Wolfe told The Lounge podcast. “Tough, smart, humble, hungry football players.”

Wolfe has good reason to know that for a fact since Baltimore re-signed him on a three-year deal worth $12 million this offseason. Though the Ravens have focused on re-signing their own this offseason, bringing back guys like Pernell McPhee, Tyus Bowser, Justin Ellis, Gus Edwards, and Chris Board; the one outside free agent they brought in, guard Kevin Zeitler, is as perfect a fit to those characteristics as anyone.

Up against the limited salary cap this offseason, Baltimore continued its philosophy of being more conservative early in free agency. But with the 2021 NFL draft and the second wave of free agency still to go, expect the Ravens to be a little more active as they look for value options to bolster their roster. And for those trying to figure out which players Baltimore will be interested in, keep Wolfe’s description in mind.

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Grading the Bears’ signing of DL Angelo Blackson

The Bears added depth to arguably their most stable position group with the signing of DL Angelo Blackson to a two-year deal.

The Chicago Bears added depth to arguably their most stable position group with the signing of defensive lineman Angelo Blackson to a two-year deal.

A former fourth-round pick in 2015, Blackson spent his first two seasons with the Tennessee Titans before winding up with the Houston Texans in 2017. In three seasons with Houston, Blackson appeared in 40 games, including 20 starts. He started all 15 games he played in 2019, where he recorded 20 tackles.

Blackson was cut prior to the 2020 season, where he was picked up by the Arizona Cardinals. Last season, Blackson started nine games for the Cardinals, where he totaled 24 tackles and 2.5 sacks while playing in all 16 games.

Following the departures of Roy Robertson-Harris and Brent Urban in free agency, Chicago added a key defensive reserve in Blackson, who has an opportunity to find similar success, alongside the recently re-signed Mario Edwards.

Blackson surpassed expectations in Arizona last season, where he led the Cardinals’ defensive line in pressures (19) and showed up in some big games. Not unlike what we usually expect from Chicago’s reserve defensive linemen.

Now, Blackson will have a chance to do the same on a defensive line led by Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Bilal Nichols. Overall, this is a solid signing for Chicago — another productive rotational player on the defensive line who has been productive.

Grade: B

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Contract details for Bills special teamer Taiwan Jones

Buffalo Bills special teams ace Taiwan Jones contract details for 2021.

In a year where the Bills are cutting dollars against the salary cap, special teamer Taiwan Jones got a pay raise.

By the slightest of margins, though.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Bills re-signed Jones to a $1.75 million deal. His base salary is $1.1M in the contract… up from $1.05M in 2020.

Of that, the 32-year-old has $400K guaranteed, along with other various game day and workout bonuses.

Interestingly, if Bills cut him before the season, they would not be on the hook for much of anything. His dead cap hit is only $700K, according to Spotrac, so about one million in salary cap space can be found there in August if the Bills want it.

Jones is a key player on the Bills’ special teams unit, though. One shouldn’t expect him to be released unless someone else earned that job.

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Twitter reacts to Bears signing OLB Jeremiah Attaochu

Twitter had plenty of reaction to what was a solid move by the Bears in signing Jeremiah Attaochu following a disappointing offseason.

The Chicago Bears strengthened their pass rush with the signing of former Denver Broncos outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu to a two-year deal.

A former second-round pick, Attaochu has been a key rotational piece for Denver, and he’s certainly na upgrade over Barkevious Mingo.

In 2020, Attaochu appeared in 13 games with the Broncos, including five starts, and totaled 5.0 sacks, nine quarterback hits and 31 tackles, which was the second most of his career outside of his 2015 season (6.0 sacks and 55 tackles) with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Twitter had plenty of reaction to what was, low-key, a really solid move for the Bears during an ultimately disappointing offseason. Attaochu’s signing was met mostly with a bit of excitement given the upgrade at pass rush, but there were plenty of fans that refuse to celebrate any move made by GM Ryan Pace this offseason given holes at quarterback and the secondary.

Still, for the most part, it sounds like Pace appeased Bears fans for the first time since free agency began.

https://twitter.com/e_livingston430/status/1373766686474694657?s=20

https://twitter.com/melloj56/status/1373761443200434178?s=20

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Super Bowl aspiration brought Levi Wallace back to Bills

Buffalo Bills CB Levi Wallace on re-signing, Super Bowl.

Despite the Bills not tendering him as a restricted free agent, cornerback Levi Wallace still kept his eye on the prize.

Eventually he returned to Buffalo, signing a one-year deal worth $1.75 million. Simply put, the dollars weren’t a big deal to Wallace.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Wallace told his agent: “I want to be in Buffalo. We’re going to win a Super Bowl.” He also didn’t even talk to other teams when he briefly became a free agent on Wednesday.

Wallace put his money where his mouth is. He could have been upset that the Bills did not tender him at a price tag of $2.133M. He still came back.

Wallace, 25, will now get a chance to win the No. 2 cornerback job once again in 2021. Last year he split reps with Josh Norman, but as of now, Norman is a free agent. Instead, that battle will be with 2020 rookie Dane Jackson.

It sounds like it could just be those two going at it, too. Bills general manager Brandon Beane said last week that he was “very confident” in Wallace and Jackson battling to play across from Tre’Davious White.

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