Former Commanders kicker Joey Slye lands with Jaguars

Washington’s kicker since 2021, Slye has a new home.

Former Washington kicker Joey Slye has found a new home. On Monday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network revealed that Slye had signed a one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Slye essentially trades places with Brandon McManus, who replaced him with Washington last week. McManus spent last season with the Jaguars after nine seasons with the Denver Broncos.

The former Virginia Tech star first entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants in 2018. New York released him before the season, and the Carolina Panthers picked him up. Slye spent two seasons in Carolina before he was released in 2021.

In the season’s first two months, the Texans and 49ers had kicker injuries, each signing Slye as a replacement. He was waived in November after San Francisco kicker Robbie Gould returned.

One week later, he signed with the Commanders, where he served as the kicker for more than two seasons.

Slye has one of the NFL’s strongest legs but often battled consistency issues, particularly with extra points. Since 2019, Slye has missed 18 PATs, including eight in Washington. He has made 82.3% of his career field goals.

With Slye gone, punter Tress Way will have a new long snapper and kicker in 2024.

Ex-Titans edge rusher Trevis Gipson signs with Jaguars

Former Titans edge rusher Trevis Gipson has signed with the Jaguars.

Another one of the Tennessee Titans’ free agents has signed with a division rival.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced on Monday that they have signed edge rusher Trevis Gipson, who spent the 2023 campaign with the Titans. The contract details have yet to be revealed.

Gipson is the third Titans free agent to sign with a division rival, along with defensive end Denico Autry and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, both of whom landed with the Houston Texans.

The 26-year-old played sparingly last season, seeing just 76 defensive snaps over eight contests. His lack of playing time was one of the more puzzling things to take place last season.

I had Gipson on the radar as someone the Titans could bring back, especially after Autry, who worked at both defensive end and outside linebacker during his time in Tennessee, left for the Texans.

The Titans have yet to address either position in free agency, leaving the team very weak at defensive line, and dangerously thin at outside linebacker.

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Titans’ Calvin Ridley talks time with Jaguars, working with Will Levis

Titans WR Calvin Ridley touched on his time with the Jaguars and working with a young QB like Will Levis.

Right up until the Tennessee Titans unexpectedly signed him in free agency, it looked like wide receiver Calvin Ridley was going to return to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

During his introductory press conference on Friday, Ridley said he wanted to go back to the Jags but it simply “wasn’t working out” and he was “uncomfortable at times” with the situation.

“I was just a little uncomfortable at times,” Ridley said, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “(The Titans) showed me that they want me here for a while. They told me already that they’re going to treat me as a grown man.”

A hot topic pertaining to Ridley and his time with the Jags was his inconsistent production.

Granted, he did top 1,000 yards, but he also had eight games in which he had 40 yards or less. Some blame that on Ridley himself, but others believe the Jags simply didn’t use him properly.

Regardless, the Alabama product looks at his time in Jacksonville as a win.

“I didn’t come late to nothing. I respected (the Jaguars) and everybody in the building,” Ridley said, per Terry McCormick of the Associated Press. “I look at it as a win for me personally, when I have to think about it like that. If I don’t, I’m going to think I’m a failure when I did pretty decent with two years off, I did pretty decent. I look at it as that.”

There has been concern about Ridley getting a long-term contract at the age of 29, but the former first-round pick believes that number doesn’t really reflect how he feels and he believes his arrow is pointing up.

“I’m ready to take off,” Ridley said, while also adding “I’m 29 on paper, but I’m probably like 25 for real to be honest with you.”

It’s understandable why Ridley feels that way. After all, he’s only played four full seasons in the NFL. He appeared in just five games in 2021 and was then suspended for the entirety of the 2022 campaign.

And, knowing that context, it makes his 1,000-yard season in 2023 more impressive.

As far as quarterback Will Levis is concerned, Ridley looks forward to working with the second-year signal-caller and believes his being a veteran will make communication with the Kentucky product easier.

“What I’m most excited about is that he’s young, and I’m a vet, and I feel like when you’re in that role, it’ll be a little more easier for me to talk to him and communicate with him,” Ridley said. “I’m excited that he’s young and probably willing to learn, but I’m older and willing to learn too.”

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Former LSU, Jaguars edge K’Lavon Chaisson signs with Panthers

K’Lavon Chaisson has a new home after a disappointing four seasons in Jacksonville.

Former LSU first-round pick [autotag]K’Lavon Chaisson[/autotag] has found a new home.

The free agent who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars is signing with the Carolina Panthers on a one-year deal worth $5 million. The news was first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

A first-team All-SEC selection on LSU’s national title team in 2019, Chaisson went to Jacksonville with the 20th pick in the 2020 draft. However, his production has been limited.

He has started 11 of the 57 games he’s appeared in over his career, and he’s totaled 73 tackles and four sacks with 11 tackles for loss.

Carolina, coming off the worst finish in the league in 2023, will hope it can get more out of Chaisson than the Jaguars managed to.

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Panthers reportedly signing former Jaguars OLB K’Lavon Chaisson

The Panthers have reportedly come to terms on a one-year deal with former first-round pick K’Lavon Chaisson.

The Carolina Panthers are trying to boost their pass-rushing attack with a former first-round pick.

According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the team is signing outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million. Chaisson spent his first four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars selected the Louisiana State University Tiger with the 20th overall pick of the 2020 draft. That’s when he first crossed paths with current Panthers defensive line coach Todd Wash, who was entering his fifth and final year as Jacksonville’s defensive coordinator.

Chaisson is coming off a career-high 2.0 sacks in 2023. He also recorded 13 combined tackles and eight quarterback hits over 17 outings.

Jacksonville had used the 6-foot-3, 245-pounder sparingly on defense over the past three seasons. He played in 39.2 percent of the unit’s snaps in 2021, 18.4 percent (nine games) in 2022 and 25.4 percent this past season.

Along with Chaisson, Carolina added former Minnesota Vikings pass rusher D.J. Wonnum on a two-year, $12.5 agreement on Thursday.

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Calvin Ridley said it’s ‘chess not checkers’ in decision to sign with Titans over Jaguars

Calvin Ridley got paid, and he wasn’t afraid to defend it.

New Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley is making no apologies for agreeing to his blockbuster free agent deal on Wednesday.

While the Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly wanted to keep Ridley after he played well for them for a season, but he’ll instead head up to Nashville to join the reworked Titans under new head coach Brian Callahan and rising quarterback Will Levis to the tune of four years and $92 million.

After news of Ridley’s decision broke, the veteran wide receiver immediately took to social media to both explain his take on the deal and defend the lucrative contract that Tennessee gave him.

First, Ridley basically acknowledged how the deal played out to where he got paid handsomely by an AFC South rival after potentially re-signing with the Jaguars. “Chess not checkers,” Ridley quipped.

Second, Ridley responded to someone saying that he earned too much money on his new deal by, understandably, saying that he got the right amount.

Ridley’s agent, David Mulugheta, also shared a photo of the wide receiver celebrating the news of landing his major new contract with the Titans.

You never really know how these free agent negotiations go until the deals are agreed on between both parties, and it looks like Ridley and his team played the system like a fiddle and landed the best deal possible.

For the Jaguars, it’s a tough lesson. Sometimes, it really is chess and not checkers.

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Titans agree to terms with WR Calvin Ridley

The Titans have reportedly agreed to terms on a four-year deal with former Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley.

The Tennessee Titans have made a monster splash in free agency, with the team reportedly agreeing to terms with former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver, Calvin Ridley.

The news comes from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reports that the Titans are giving Ridley a hefty four-year, $92 million deal that includes $50 million fully guaranteed.

This is a stunning turn of events for the Titans, who as recently as earlier today were not considered one of the favorites to land Ridley, who was considered the best option at wide receiver entering free agency.

With Ridley inked, the Titans have now seriously upgraded their receivers room, giving quarterback Will Levis two bona fide No. 1 wideouts, with DeAndre Hopkins being the other.

It also makes it more likely the Titans target a left tackle with their No. 7 overall pick, although I wouldn’t say it’s impossible Tennessee goes for a receiver there, seeing as how Hopkins only has one more year left on his deal.

The $23 million annual average ranks ninth in the NFL among receivers, per Over the Cap. Of course, we can’t fully judge this deal quite yet until the total breakdown is revealed.

After missing most of the 2022 campaign because of a gambling suspension, Ridley came back in 2023 with the Jags and finished with 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns while playing in every contest.

In two games against Tennessee, Ridley broke the century mark twice, ripping off 209 yards in total and three touchdowns.

In Ridley, the Titans have a wideout who can get open at any part of the field, and he’s capable of being the deep threat Levis needs, also.

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AFC East news: Mac Jones era ends, Patriots trade away QB

The #Bills will face a new #Patriots QB in 2024:

A new era is set to begin for the New England Patriots under center.

The Patriots have traded quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The transaction was announced on Monday, the first day of the NFL’s free agency period.

New England selected Jones out of Alabama in the first-round of the 2021 NFL draft. Now Jones will serve as backup to Trevor Lawrence, who was the No. 1 overall selection in that same draft.

Jones only fetched the Pats a sixth rounder in return.

After a Pro Bowl rookie season, Jones’ career fell off a cliff under coach Bill Belichick. New England has already moved on from him as well. Jerod Mayo is now the new bench boss in New England.

Jones finished last year with 2,120 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He was eventually benched for Bailey Zappe.

The Patriots own the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft and they’ll likely use it on a quarterback.

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Report: Bears made offer to WR Gabe Davis

The Bears made a similar offer to the Jaguars for WR Gabe Davis, but he ultimately chose Jacksonville.

The Chicago Bears are in need of wide receiver help, and there are several options in free agency. The first day of the negotiation period saw just one receiver off the board — Gabe Davis.

Davis signed a three-year, $39 million deal worth up to $50 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars. But it sounds like the Bears were interested, as well.

According to FOX Sports’ Henry McKenna, Chicago made a similar offer to Davis, but he ultimately chose to go to Jacksonville.

Considering DJ Moore is the only proven option at receiver, the Bears need to add several wideouts this offseason. While the NFL draft is a good place to find a young talent, there are still plenty of notable receivers still on the free agent market.

Some potential names to watch include Calvin Ridley, Marquise Brown, Tyler Boyd, Curtis Samuel, Josh Reynolds and DJ Chark.

Mitch Morse pens heartfelt goodbye message to Buffalo Bills

Goodbye from Mitch:

Mitch Morse is no longer a member of the Buffalo Bills. Last week, he was released by the team as a salary cap casualty.

Since his departure, Morse has found a new home with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He inked a two-year deal there.

Before leaving heading and off to Jacksonville, Morse made sure to say a proper goodbye to Buffalo.

Morse posted on both Twitter (now X) and Instagram. On the latter account, the 31-year-old went deep.

“Nothing will compare to the sadness no longer being part of that locker room,” he wrote.

Morse’s messages after being released can be found below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4NuDj8AQr9/?hl=en

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