Tag: nfl free agents

Report: Chicago Bears to release former Georgia LB – what’s next for him?

Per a report, the Chicago Bears are releasing a former Georgia football LB.

There may not be any sports being played, but NFL free agency has provided some excitement during these difficult times.

Former Georgia Bulldog released:

Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that the Chicago Bears are releasing former Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd.

Floyd, who played for Georgia from 2013-15, was the No. 9 overall pick by the Bears in the 2016 NFL Draft.

The tall and lanky 27 year old out of Eastman, Georgia has played for the Bears for all four years of his professional career.

During that time, he made the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2016, he’s racked up 153 total tackles and has recorded 18.5 sacks.

Floyd became an important member of one of the league’s best linebacker units that included fellow Bulldog Roquan Smith, superstar Khalil Mack and Kentucky Wildcat legend Danny Trevathan.

What’s next for Floyd?

Floyd is still young and in the prime of his career, so there should many suitors for the 3-4 linebacker.

His ability to get to the quarterback is there, and he’s displayed that many times during his young NFL career.

One team to keep an eye on is the Seattle Seahawks, who, whether or not keep Jadeveon Clowney, need some help on the outside getting to the quarterback.

Then there’s the Atlanta Falcons, a team that could really use some help at edge rusher. Many outlets see Clowney as a good fit with the Falcons, but if that does not happen, Floyd would be a good choice as well.

And one final team to keep an eye on is the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers will be looking to add a pass rusher in free agency after finishing just 27th in the league in sacks in 2019.

49ers, Arik Armstead agree to long-term deal

The 49ers avoided the franchise tag and signed Arik Armstead to a multi-year contract.

The 49ers’ first big domino of the offseason started to fall Monday when they agreed to a 5-year $85 million deal with defensive lineman Arik Armstead according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

Armstead, 26, was a candidate for the franchise tag that would’ve paid him around $19 million fully guaranteed for one season. He and the team wound up settling on a long-term deal that saves the 49ers some money in the short term while giving Armstead some long-term security.

Last season was Armstead’s best as a pro. He led San Francisco with 10.0 sacks, which is one more than he had in his first four years combined. The 2015 first-round pick was also outstanding again as a run defender in his fifth season. If he keeps combining his run-stopping skill set with something around 10 sacks, he’ll continue to be a valuable member of the 49ers’ defensive line through the duration of his contract.

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Ravens franchise tag Matthew Judon

The 2020 NFL free agency will have one fewer pass rusher available after the Baltimore Ravens used the franchise tag on OLB Matthew Judon

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After watching C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs leave for greener pastures and bigger deals last offseason, the Baltimore Ravens don’t want a sequel this year. The Ravens have used the franchise tag on outside linebacker Matthew Judon to keep him from hitting the free-agent market.

The decision hung over Baltimore since it lost to the Tennessee Titans in the playoffs. Judon was the most prized pending free agent for the Ravens and the one most likely to earn contract offers that Baltimore couldn’t have reasonably matched.

If Judon signs the franchise tag, the Ravens will have until July 15 to work out a long-term contract extension. Of course, Judon doesn’t have to sign the tag and could decide to hold out in an effort to force Baltimore’s hand. On the flip side, the Ravens could still trade him as well.

The franchise tag for linebackers is expected to be $16.27 million, according to Over The Cap. Baltimore currently has an estimated $37.74 million in available cap space, before using the franchise tag. It should take them down to just $21.47 million remaining, according to OTC.

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Would any free agent QBs actually be upgrade for 49ers?

There aren’t many free agent quarterbacks that would be an upgrade for the 49ers over Jimmy Garoppolo.

Chatter about the 49ers’ quarterback situation hasn’t stopped since the 49ers fell to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.

The odds San Francisco moves on from a quarterback who went 13-3 in his first full season as a starter, and was one or two throws away from winning Super Bowl MVP, are something near zero.

Tom Brady’s name was the one that immediately surfaced, but he’s hardly the only free agent quarterback on the market. There are also questions about whether he would actually offer an upgrade for a 49ers team that’s championship window is still open.

If San Francisco did decide to blow up a Super Bowl contender, they’d surely only do so for a quarterback that provided a substantial upgrade at a price tag close to or below Garoppolo’s. We went through some of the free agent quarterbacks to see whether there actually is an available player who’d legitimately be a better option under center next season.

Tom Brady | Philip Rivers | Dak Prescott | Teddy Bridgewater | Jameis Winston | Ryan Tannehill | Marcus Mariota

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Josh Norman signs with Bills, helps set market for Jimmy Smith

With Josh Norman signing a one-year deal, the Baltimore Ravens have a better idea of what CB Jimmy Smith will get in NFL free agency 2020

NFL contracts can be difficult to forecast. Depending on when they enter free agency, how many teams show interest and how much money one or more of those teams have to burn, what a player ends up signing can be pretty illogical from the outside looking in. That’s why teams often let players hit the free-agent market to set their value if they can’t come to an agreement ahead of time.

The Baltimore Ravens find themselves in a similar situation with cornerback Jimmy Smith. At the NFL Scouting Combine, general manager Eric DeCosta noted the team was in talks with Smith on a contract extension to keep him in Baltimore but that he expected Smith to head to free agency to test his value.

In the case of both Smith and the Ravens, the one-year deal signed by cornerback Josh Norman before the start of free agency might make setting the terms a little easier. Norman signed a one-year contract with the Bills worth $6 million in base value, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

There, Norman will reunite with the coach that helped make him an All-Pro back in 2015 which ultimately got him a big contract from the Washington Redskins. Norman will have a legitimate shot at a starting role opposite cornerback Tre’Davious White and is likely viewed as a year-by-year investment at this point in his career. A good 2020 campaign could see him get another short-term deal while another poor showing could signal the end of his career.

Smith is in a pretty similar situation this offseason as he looks for a new contract. At his best, Smith was a Pro Bowl-caliber outside cornerback. However, Smith has struggled with injuries and suspensions over his career, missing 20 games over the last four seasons and only playing a full 16-game schedule twice in his nine-year career. He also had a pretty rough 2018 campaign coming back from a torn Achilles tendon before bouncing back somewhat last season in spite of missing six games early with a knee sprain.

Given that Smith will be 32 years old next season combined with his injury history puts him in a similar boat as Norman. They’re both stop-gap starters or higher-end backups with starting experience, which caps their value. That’s especially true for Baltimore considering they have their starters in place with Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey under contract.

Though Norman’s deal might not really change what Smith is ultimately looking for or what the Ravens are willing to pay, it makes the picture a little clearer for both sides. It seems unlikely Smith will sign for less than what Norman is getting and points to a contract worth around $8 million a year, which matches our free-agent preview prediction.

Whether Baltimore is willing to pony up that type of cash for a backup cornerback is up to them, as is the decision by Smith to accept a lesser role than he could probably get from another team. But as the Ravens head into free agency, they’ll likely have a better idea of what to expect for Smith and potentially Brandon Carr as well.

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Ravens can now use franchise tag on OLB Matthew Judon, but will they?

The Baltimore Ravens can officially slap the franchise tag on OLB Matthew Judon to keep him from free agency, but will they?

After the NFL pushed back the start date and deadline for the franchise tag by two days, we’ve finally hit the glorious day when it’s open to all 32 teams to use. The Baltimore Ravens could be among the teams using the franchise tag with outside linebacker Matthew Judon set to hit free agency when it opens on March 18.

But the question now on everyone’s mind is will they?

The Ravens have until 4:00 p.m. ET on March 12 to make that decision but according to general manager Eric DeCosta, it’s an option that remains on the table. Baltimore has still been trying to work on a long-term contract extension in an effort to not have to use the franchise tag. But as the deadline creeps closer, the pressure to retain Judon will increase.

Simply put, the Ravens cannot allow Judon to enter the free-agent market. With an estimated $30.74 million in salary-cap space, according to Over The Cap, Baltimore sits around the bottom third of the league in available funds. Much like we saw last offseason with Za’Darius Smith and C.J. Mosley, if Judon hits the open market, he’s likely going to get a massive deal the Ravens can’t afford to match. And just as we’re liable to see this offseason, the compensatory pick formula might not be a good enough return on letting Judon leave.

Yet, the franchise tag comes with a hefty cost and salary-cap hit. At an estimated $16.27 million for 2020, according to OTC, it would put a huge dent in Baltimore’s ability to be active in free agency. It would take the Ravens down to around $14.98 million available, which would rank as the eighth-least amount of cap space if no other moves are made.

If Baltimore can’t work out a long-term contract with Judon before the deadline hits, the franchise tag buys them some much-needed additional time and leverage. As I’ve covered before, if DeCosta and the Ravens believe they won’t be able to lock up Judon on a manageable long-term deal, trading him might be in their best interest, which wouldn’t be nearly as easy to pull off without using the franchise tag on him first.

With no obvious answer to replace Judon if he leaves via free agency or trade, that’s not likely a scenario Baltimore wants to see play out. But if Judon’s less-than-cryptic tweet is any indication, it seems as though he and the team are still pretty far apart in negotiations.

While the team seems eager to work out a contract extension, every day we get closer to the deadline without a deal being signed, the more likely it becomes that Baltimore uses the franchise tag to their advantage. At this point, there appear to be just two options — contract extension or franchise tag.

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GM Eric DeCosta: Ravens in talks to re-sign Jimmy Smith

Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said the team is in talks with CB Jimmy Smith but he expects him to test his value in free agency

The Baltimore Ravens are working on re-signing several of their own players ahead of the start of free agency. One such player is cornerback Jimmy Smith apparently.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said the team is in the midst of contract talks with Smith, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec. However, DeCosta noted that he felt Smith was going to test his value on the open market still.

For many fans, it seemed like Smith was definitely on his way out of Baltimore this offseason, so this news might come as a bit of a shock.

The Ravens don’t seem like Smith’s ideal situation. They already have top outside cornerbacks in Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters alongside slot cornerback Tavon Young. That would likely relegate Smith to a backup role in Baltimore. Though Smith’s extensive injury history is problematic — he’s missed 20 games over the last four years –, he’s capable of being a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback when healthy. For a team that needs a starting cornerback, Smith could be an affordable but solid option in free agency. With that role likely comes more money and a longer-term contract.

Baltimore has to make a decision on cornerback Brandon Carr this offseason, who is due a $1.5 million roster bonus on March 22, according to Over The Cap. Cutting Carr before the roster bonus would free up another $6 million on the Ravens’ salary cap this season but they’d be a little thin if Smith leaves in free agency as well.

Baltimore is set to lead the league in spending at cornerback for the 2020 NFL season, according to OTC. Though cutting Carr would push them down to the second-most money spent at cornerback, the Ravens have invested heavily at cornerback over the last few years. In addition to giving Peters a three-year extension last season, Baltimore gave Young a three-year extension prior to the 2019 season.

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49ers dream free agency signings

The 49ers can’t afford big-name free agents with their salary cap situation, but it’s fun to think about.

The 49ers’ preferred free agency route probably includes zero big-name free agents making their way to San Francisco. They have defensive lineman Arik Armstead to re-sign, along with starting free safety Jimmie Ward. They also have wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, defensive lineman Ronald Blair and several other contributors set to hit the open market.

Keeping everyone would be ideal for a team that went 13-3 and was six minutes from winning the Super Bowl. Over The Cap has the 49ers with about $13 million in cap space to work with, although there are ways to inflate that number that San Francisco will surely execute.

We went through the list of available free agents though and picked out a few names that would be fun signings for San Francisco in the event they get priced out of some of their more coveted free agents. There are a ton of names that would instantly make an impact for the 49ers, so went over some hypothetical situations where they land in Santa Clara this offseason.

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49ers make sense as destination for WR Taylor Gabriel

Taylor Gabriel is the kind of free agent the 49ers should target in the offseason.

The Chicago Bears are set to release wide receiver Taylor Gabriel and cornerback Prince Amukamara according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. With a relatively unproven receiving corps going into the 2020 offseason, Gabriel is the kind of free agent the 49ers could target in a year where they have some holes to fill and not a ton of money to spend.

The speedy wide receiver played only nine games last season while battling injuries, but prior to that had put together a few productive years in the NFL. He got his start in the pros as an undrafted free agent with the Browns in 2014 when 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator in Cleveland.

Gabriel had a strong rookie campaign in Shanahan’s offense with 36 catches for 621 yards and one touchdown. His 17.3 yards per reception was the highest mark of his career.

He didn’t see that same success in 2015, the year Shanahan left Cleveland to become the Falcons’ offensive coordinator. Gabriel caught 28 balls for 241 yards and no touchdowns in 13 games. He revitalized his career the following season by reuniting with Shanahan when the Falcons claimed Gabriel off waiver from Cleveland. In 2016, Gabriel had 35 catches for 579 yards and a career-high six touchdowns. His production again fell off the next year when Shanahan left to become the 49ers’ head coach.

Through his first four seasons, Gabriel had 71 catches for 1200 yards and seven touchdowns in two years with Shanahan, and 61 catches for 619 yards and one touchdown without him.

The Bears signed Gabriel in 2018 to a four-year deal worth $28 million. Head coach Matt Nagy got big-time production from Gabriel in their first season together. The receiver set career highs with 67 receptions and 688 yards. Injuries last season limited him to just 29 catches for 353 yards, but he did score four touchdowns in nine games.

Chicago is only working with about $18 million in cap space going into the offseason according to Over the Cap, and releasing Gabriel saved the Bears about $4.5 million in cap space.

He was due $6.5 million this season, which is in the range where the 49ers might be able to afford to add a productive receiver to their roster, assuming he commanded that same type of deal on the open market. San Francisco can clear some of that space if they release Marquise Goodwin at a savings of $3.6 million.

Gabriel offers the speed element that stretches defenses vertically, but he’s also shifty enough to create space in the short and intermediate areas of the passing game. The 49ers badly need an additional speed element in their receiving corps, and Goodwin’s last two seasons haven’t been consistent enough to rely on him for a significant role in the passing game. Gabriel’s history in Shanahan’s offense, and his strong 2018 season, provide optimism that he can step in right away and make the 49ers’ receiving corps better.

The 49ers won’t have a ton of cash to go out and spend in free agency, but smaller, prudent moves to tweak the roster are necessary, and Gabriel certainly fits that mold.

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GM Eric DeCosta saving Ravens from free-agency hell

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta’s philosophy of signing key players early is already having a major impact on the NFL free agency this offseason

The 2020 NFL free agency period begins in less than a month. But for Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, free agency is a never-ending process that can happen any day of the year.

Since taking over for Ozzie Newsome, DeCosta has gotten in the habit of re-signing players early. It’s partially to end the cycle of developing players for other teams by keeping key players from hitting the free-agent market and ultimately leaving. But a secondary effect is that Baltimore saves money by inking players to a deal at the current market value instead of in a year or two when the increasing salary cap will drive up salaries.

In the case of this offseason, DeCosta’s philosophy is already having a major impact. Though Baltimore started the offseason with 21 pending free agents, including key starters in Matthew Judon and Michael Pierce, things could have been a lot worse had DeCosta not gotten a head start.

The Ravens have signed a number of players early, including nine that would have been free agents this offseason:

Player Position
Patrick Ricard FB/DL
Willie Snead WR
Andre Smith T
Jordan Richards DB
Justin Tucker K
Marcus Peters CB
Tavon Young CB
Marshal Yanda G
L.J. Fort ILB

Just imagine the Ravens having to try to re-sign Pro Bowlers like Ricard, Peters, Tucker and Yanda, alongside Judon and Pierce. It’s very likely Baltimore would have struggled to retain even the number of guys they already had, at least not without breaking the bank and dipping further into their salary cap.

As we saw last offseason with C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith and even Terrell Suggs, plenty of other teams are more than capable of beating any offer the Ravens can throw out. In the case of those three free agents, all earned bigger contracts than expected. Even re-signing one at their current contracts would have bankrupted Baltimore’s salary cap for the near future, ultimately forcing DeCosta to watch them leave with no real plan to replace them. Hopefully, DeCosta’s current philosophy will change that practice and see fewer star players leave after their rookie contracts.

It’s a strategy that has its potential negatives, however. In the case of Young, who spent last season on injured reserve, the Ravens might have been able to get a better value on his contract had they waited until now. Still, signing players early eliminates some of the anxiety of having to work on multiple contracts at once. As long as DeCosta and Baltimore’s front office do their due diligence and have a good eye for talent, they should have far more hits than misses.

As it stands now, the Ravens head into free agency this offseason with a clearer picture of how the salary cap looks for the next few years. With just two major free agents set to hit the market, Baltimore is in far greater shape to make decisions about the future of the franchise and be aggressive in making moves as soon as free agency begins on March 18.

The Ravens will likely turn their attention to tackle Ronnie Stanley and cornerback Marlon Humphrey next in an effort to keep their two biggest pending free agents in Baltimore for the long haul.

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