Tag: free agency

Broncos sign OLB Jonathon Cooper to 4-year contract extension

The Broncos have secured Jonathon Cooper’s services with a four-year contract extension.

The Denver Broncos signed outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper to a four-year contract extension over the weekend, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The four-year deal is worth $60 million and includes $33 million in guarantees, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. He’ll earn an average of $15 million per season.

The news broke shortly after the Broncos agreed to trade fellow pass rusher Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday.

Browning and Cooper were teammates at Ohio State and they were both picked by Denver in the 2021 NFL draft — Browning in the third round and Cooper in the seventh round.

Browning struggled with injuries during his time with the Broncos and totaled 9.5 sacks in 43 career games, with no sacks this season. Cooper exceeded expectations and recorded 18.5 sacks in 56 games, including 5.5 sacks through nine starts this season.

With both players scheduled to become free agents in 2025, it’s no surprise that Denver opted to keep Cooper. He’s been healthier and more productive than his counterpart since they entered the league four years ago.

Browning will get a fresh start in Arizona and the Broncos will move forward with Cooper, Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman. Drew Sanders could also return from the physically unable to perform list later this season.

Denver still has plenty of depth at the position, and the team’s top pass rusher is now locked up through the 2028 season.

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Insider believes Najee Harris is unlikely to re-sign with Steelers

Ray Fittipaldo said that while Najee Harris’ play has been great this season, the odds of him re-signing remain low.

Najee Harris has been one of the best running backs in the NFL this season, ranking seventh in rushing yards with 592 on 4.4 yards per carry.

But in the eyes of Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo, Harris is unlikely to be back in Pittsburgh next year.

While making an appearance on “The Joe Starkey Show,” Fittipaldo was asked if Harris’ numbers were enough for Pittsburgh to re-sign the running back.

Much to the dismay of Steelers fans, Fittipaldo stated: “The guy is having a great season, but when you decline the option in May, I think, you know, eight, nine times out of 10, you’re not gonna go do business with that guy when the season ends.”

He was, of course, referencing how Pittsburgh declined to pick up Harris’ fifth-year option, which would allow him to hit free agency in 2025.

Could Harris force the Steelers to acknowledge his elite performance in his contract year, ultimately earning himself a big payday with the team? Or will Pittsburgh instead choose to re-sign the potentially cheaper option in RB Jaylen Warren?

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Commanders had interest in free-agent WR before he signed elsewhere

Are the Commanders still looking to add wide receiver depth?

The Washington Commanders could still be looking to shore up their wide receiver room ahead of the NFL trade deadline in two weeks.

Of course, Washington may not be interested in trading for a receiver, such as Tee Higgins or DeAndre Hopkins, but instead bringing in a veteran free agent.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Commanders were interested in veteran wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling before signing with the New Orleans Saints on Monday. Valdes-Scantling, 30, is an eight-year veteran who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers.

He spent the previous two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he won two Super Bowl rings. Valdes-Scantling signed with the Buffalo Bills in the offseason but was released last week once they traded for Amari Cooper.

The 6-foot-4 Valdes-Scantling appeared in three games for the Bills, catching two passes for 26 yards. For his career. Valdes-Scantling has 188 receptions for 3,181 yards and 16 touchdowns.

It’s unknown how interested Washington was in Valdes-Scantling, but he could’ve been considered depth as the Commanders appear happy with their wide receivers room. Terry McLaurin is having arguably the best start to his NFL career, while Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey, Noah Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus have all settled into productive roles for the NFC’s top offense.

Saints looking at free agent Super Bowl champ to replace injured WR

Marquez Valdes-Scantling is coming to New Orleans for a workout. The Saints have a type in their post-Davante Adams wide receiver search

The New Orleans Saints have been actively searching for a wide receiver over the last month. Rashid Shaheed’s season-ending injury makes this a much larger need, as Chris Olave is your only reliable receiver in the room.

New Orleans was aggressive in their approach for Davante Adams and have reportedly showed interest in veteran wide receiver Mike Williams.

After dabbling in the trade market, the Saints have taken a new route and are looking at free agents. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is flying into New Orleans for a workout Sunday night, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The Saints were also one of the leaders for the wide receiver in 2022 free agency before he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. Valdes-Scantling won a couple of Super Bowl rings with the Chiefs but was let go when his contract outweighed his production. He recently played for the Buffalo Bills, but they cut him after trading for Amari Cooper.

The way the season is going, the Saints will have early picks in each round of the 2025 draft. Free agency feels like the better choice opposed to departing with anything more than a late-round pick doesn’t feel the best idea.

The most notable quality Valdes-Scantling brings is the ability to stretch the field. It’s the same trait as Mike Williams. It’s the biggest trait they lost in Rashid Shaheed, and they’re clearly looking to replace it.

Former Steeler turned Raider LB eager for revenge vs. Pittsburgh

Former Steeler and current Raider, LB Robert Spillane, explained that Pittsburgh’s choice to allow him to leave left a chip on his shoulder.

It seems Robert Spillane isn’t thrilled that Pittsburgh didn’t bring him back when he entered free agency in 2023.

While Spillane was reliable for the Steelers, playing in 50 games over four seasons, his best performance came during his first season as a Raider. Through twenty-two starts in Las Vegas, Spillane has accumulated over 200 tackles and three interceptions. The former Steelers LB is also leading the NFL with 43 solo tackles, compiling his best statistical start to date in 2024.

Spillane stated that he had a chip on his shoulder, and although he was arguably upset that Pittsburgh didn’t bring him back to the ‘Steel City,’ he claimed he was grateful to be a Raider.

https://twitter.com/PGutierrezESPN/status/1844505121797046386

Can Pittsburgh’s offensive unit silence Spillane’s jealous tirade and show him that the grass isn’t always greener? Najee Harris and the underwhelming Steelers’ run game have an opportunity to put their stamp on the 2024 season when they travel to Las Vegas in Week 6.

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Broncos worked out 2 defensive backs on Thursday

The Broncos worked out defensive backs Marquise Blair and Alex Johnson on Thursday.

The Denver Broncos brought in a pair of defensive backs for workouts on Thursday, according to the NFL’s transaction wire (via KPRC-TV’s Aaron Wilson).

The Broncos hosted Marquise Blair and Alex Johnson on a tryout basis. As of the time of this writing, neither defensive back has been signed.

Blair (6-1, 196 pounds) entered the league as a second-round pick out of Utah with the Seattle Seahawks in 2019. He spent the first three years of his career in Seattle, totaling 49 tackles and three pass breakups in 22 games (three starts) from 2019-2021.

After being waived by the Seahawks in 2022, Blair played in three games with the Carolina Panthers before later joining the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. He returned to Seattle this summer and spent part of the season the Seahawks’ practice squad before being released on Sept. 24. Blair is a safety who can also play as a slot cornerback.

Johnson (6-0, 185 pounds) is a rookie out of UCLA who spent time with the New York Giants this summer. He is a nickel cornerback who spent six seasons at the college level. Johnson grabbed five interceptions and broke up three passes in his final season with the Bruins last fall.

Broncos worked out two players

  1. DB Marquise Blair (Utah)
  2. DB Alex Johnson (UCLA)

The 53-man roster and 17-player practice squad are both full, so if the Broncos add a defensive back, they will need to make room on the team with a corresponding roster move.

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Broncos signing veteran linebacker to practice squad

The Broncos are signing veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander to their practice squad.

The Denver Broncos are signing veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander to their practice squad, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday.

After playing in Florida in Week 3, the Broncos are practicing in West Virginia this week leading up to their game against the New York Jets in New Jersey on Sunday. Alexander visited the team on Tuesday and he’s now set to sign with the club.

Alexander (6-1, 227 pounds) is a tenth-year player who totaled 41 tackles and one sack in nine games with the Pittsburgh Steelers last fall before tearing his Achilles. Before that, he spent 17 games with the New York Jets in 2022, recording 69 tackles and a half sack.

Alexander, 30, played seven games with the New Orleans Saints (coached by Sean Payton at the time) in 2020 and 12 games in 2021. He has battled several injuries in recent seasons, but Alexander is a former Pro Bowler with 631 career tackles, 34 pass breakups, 13.5 sacks, 12 forced fumbles and nine interceptions on his resume.

Denver has Alex Singleton, Cody Barton, Justin Strnad and Kristian Welch on the active roster and the team will now add Alexander to a practice squad that also includes rookie linebacker Levelle Bailey.

The Broncos had room to add Alexander to the practice squad after promoting wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey to the 53-man roster over the weekend.

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Broncos host ex-Pro Bowl linebacker for workout

The Broncos brought in former Pro Bowl linebacker Kwon Alexander for a workout on Tuesday.

Story update: The Broncos are signing linebacker Kwon Alexander to their practice squad. See our original post below.

The Denver Broncos brought in former Pro Bowl linebacker Kwon Alexander for a workout on Tuesday, according to the NFL’s transaction wire (via Mike Klis and Aaron Wilson).

Alexander (6-1, 227 pounds) entered the league as a fourth-round pick out of LSU with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015. He spent the first four years of his career in Tampa. Alexander made PFWA’s All-Rookie Team in 2015, led the NFL in solo tackles in 2016 and made the Pro Bowl in 2017.

He then spent two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers before joining the New Orleans Saints (coached by Sean Payton at the time) in 2020. After two years in New Orleans, Alexander had stints with the New York Jets (2022) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2023).

Denver seems to be looking for more competition for linebacker Cody Barton. The Broncos signed Kristian Welch in late August and he started over Barton in Week 2 but it seems that he failed to impress because Welch was limited to special teams snaps in Week 3.

Alexander, 30, has totaled 631 tackles, 34 pass breakups, 13.5 sacks, 12 forced fumbles and nine interceptions in 104 career games (88 starts). He played nine games with the Steelers last fall before tearing his Achilles in November.

If he joins a team this fall, 2024 will mark Alexander’s 10th season in the NFL. Denver has an open spot on the practice squad after promoting wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey to the 53-man roster on Saturday.

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