Latest NFL free agent movement

[Betallsports]

TUESDAY

Report: Broncos looking to move Orton

QB Kyle Orton is headed to the trading block on the first day of the trading period, the Denver Post reported. The NFL’s trading period opened at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Orton has been clear that he does not want to serve as a backup to Tim Tebow under new head coach John Fox. He is coming off his finest two seasons as a pro, throwing 41 touchdown passes and only 21 interceptions in Denver.
Possible suitors for Orton, the Post reports, include the Vikings, Titans, Cardinals, Seahawks, Redskins, Bengals and Dolphins. Full story
Report: Johnson, Panthers agree on deal

The Carolina Panthers have taken care of their top offseason priority: Lock down defensive end Charles Johnson.
Johnson, who led Carolina with 11.5 sacks last season, has agreed to a six-year, $72 million deal according to several reports. Johnson was considered one of the top defensive free agent prospects this offseason.
Johnson was picked in the third round from the University of Georgia in 2007 and looks to flourish in new head coach Ron Rivera’s 3-4 defense.
Report: Seahawks pick up Tarvaris Jackson

After two frustrating seasons serving as Brett Favre’s backup in Minnesota, QB Tarvaris Jackson is headed to the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent signee, the Seattle Times reported (confirming an earlier report on KJR-Radio). Terms of the agreement are not known.
Under the revised NFL personnel rules put in place as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Jackson cannot sign a contract with the Seahawks until Friday. He is expected to arrive in Seattle Tuesday evening.


The move is interesting on several fronts:
*Any notion that Matt Hasselbeck would remain in Seattle is now kaput.
*Jackson reunites with former Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who left Minnesota in January and signed a two-year contract with Seattle to join Pete Carroll’s staff. Bevell is familiar with Jackson’s talent and also his shortcomings. Used sporadically as a fill-in for an injured Favre, Jackson was wildly inconsistent. The Vikings’ second-round pick in 2006,
Jackson started 20 games for Minnesota, peaking in a 2008 game against the Arizona Cardinals in which he completed 11 of 17 passes for 163 yards and four touchdowns. He flopped in the Vikings’ home playoff loss to the Eagles, however, and then-coach Brad Childress made the move to acquire Favre. -- Nancy Gay
Wiegmann returns to Chiefs

Veteran center Casey Wiegmann has agreed to return to the Kansas City Chiefs on a one-year deal, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation.
Two other NFL teams made inquiries about the center.
Wiegmann hasn't missed a snap since 2001, playing over 10,000 consecutive snaps. Full story
Is Ruud done in Tampa?

Draft picks Mason Foster and Daniel Hardy have agreed to contracts with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, kicking off what figures to be a frenzied week of player transactions.
Foster's agreement on the first day following the end of the NFL lockout increased speculation that veteran middle linebacker Barrett Ruud has played his last game for the Bucs.
Ruud is an unrestricted free agent, and general manager Mark Dominik said little to dispel the notion that the seventh-year pro no longer fits in the team's plans.
Dallas Cowboys dump big names, salaries

The Cowboys wasted little time cutting ties to some of their most expensive and least productive players in 2010. Owner Jerry Jones met with several veterans to tell them they would not be on the team this season.
*WR Roy Williams: Disappointing, overpaid player whom Dallas acquired via trade for a first- and third-round pick to Detroit. Told by Cowboys not to report to camp, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
*RB Marion Barber: No surprise here. Contract made him expendable, as did his 374 yards rushing in 2010. Got $16 million guaranteed from Dallas; Barber’s release saves the team $4.75 million in 2011.
*G Leonard Davis: Cap casualty; Davis was due $6 million in base salary this season. He may return if he agrees to a reduced contract.
*K Kris Brown: Also told not to report, probably due to his $910,000 base salary this season. Signed two days before the season finale against Philadelphia, Dallas signed a cheaper replacement, Oklahoma State kicker Dan Bailey.
*OT Marc Colombo: The Star-Telegram reports Colombo met Tuesday with Jones about his future with the team and that the longtime tackle “was very vague” when asked whether he’ll remain with the Cowboys.

 

[Betallsports]

Giants ax two offensive linemen


New York has told center and player representative Shaun O'Hara and guard Rich Seubert that they will be released.
A source close to each veteran told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the team told the players they would be cut on Thursday in what are salary-cap moves.
The Giants are roughly $10 million over the NFL's new $120.4 million salary cap. The releases of O'Hara ($3.45 million in 2011) and Seubert ($2.25 million) will reduce the problem by roughly $6 million.
Raiders agree to deal with Moss

Although he appeared in only five games for the Oakland Raiders in 2010, the club apparently saw enough of former first-round defensive end Jarvis Moss to want him back, and Len Pasquarelli has learned that the two sides on Tuesday reached a one-year agreement.
The unrestricted free agent will return to the Raiders for $1.25 million. The contract, agreed to in the opening hours of free agent negotiations under the provisions of the new collective bargaining agreement, can be officially signed on Friday after 6 p.m.
Moss, 26, was a first-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2007, the 17th choice overall in that year's draft. The former University of Florida star was released by the Broncos last November, and signed with Oakland six days later.
Vikings cut veteran defensive lineman

DT Jimmy Kennedy was nformed by the team on Tuesday that he will be let go, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The veteran lineman played in 13 games as a reserve last season; his departure saves the team $2.5 million.
Banta-Cain done in New England

Veteran LB Tully Banta-Cain’s days with the Patriots are over, ESPN reported. The team told Banta-Cain he will be released on Thursday. Banta-Cain played in 15 games in 2010, starting six and posting five sacks.
Herzlich signs with Giants

Mark Herzlich, the Boston College linebacker who survived cancer, has signed with the New York Giants as a free agent.
Herzlich announced his decision Tuesday morning in a tweet.
''Decision is made,'' he tweeted, adding that he's happy to be a Giant and can't wait to get to New York. Full story
Barnett won't return to Packers

It looks like linebacker Nick Barnett is done in Green Bay.
Barnett was among the first Packers players to return to Lambeau Field on Tuesday morning. He left without talking with reporters, but tweeted that he had met with team officials and then thanked everyone ''for the great 8 years.''
Barnett says he was happy to be part of the team's run to the Super Bowl championship last season and Green Bay will always be special to him.




Bengals won't deal Palmer

The Bengals say they won't trade quarterback Carson Palmer, who wants to leave one of the NFL's least-successful franchises.
Owner Mike Brown said on Tuesday that he won't satisfy the quarterback's request for a trade. Brown says that a trade would reward Palmer for failing to play out the rest of his contract. Instead, they'll let him go ahead with his plan to retire rather than play for the Bengals.
Brown indicated that the team will look for another veteran quarterback in free agency, but plans to move ahead with second-round draft pick Andy Dalton as the possible starter. Full story


Report: Hasselbeck done in Seattle

The Seattle Seahawks will not re-sign veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, The Seattle Times reported Tuesday.
Hasselbeck, an unrestricted free agent, has been with the Seahawks for 10 seasons.
According to The Times, the Seahawks attempted to re-sign the 35-year-old prior to the NFL lockout, but the team has reportedly struck a deal with another quarterback a day after the league's work stoppage came to end. Full story
Ravens cut McGahee, Heap

The Baltimore Ravens have told running back Willis McGahee and former Pro Bowl tight end Todd Heap they will be cut.
Wide receiver Derrick Mason and nose tackle Kelly Gregg also were told their contracts will be terminated.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who welcomed several players to the team's training complex on Tuesday, confirmed the cuts. The moves won't become official until Thursday. Full story

 

[gskiman]

NcNabb to Vikings.
Hasselbeck to Titans.

If the Cardinals are smart they will pursue Orton over Kolb. Orton a proven starting QB winner in Chicago and Denver.
Kolb, 7 career starts and he probably costs more than Orton.

 

[2PLAYSMAX]

NcNabb to Vikings.
Hasselbeck to Titans.

If the Cardinals are smart they will pursue Orton over Kolb. Orton a proven starting QB winner in Chicago and Denver.
Kolb, 7 career starts and he probably costs more than Orton.

I agree %100. That's my take on it. I think he and Fitz could be a crazy tandem.

 

[Mlink]

i think plax will be a giant by the end of the day

 

[Betallsports]

i think plax will be a giant by the end of the day

:nono5:

 

[gmenknicks]

i think plax will be a giant by the end of the day

I will promise to boycott the Giants if they sign Burress...I will of course break aforementioned boycott but will still be extremely mad and disappointed..

 

[douglas]

I will promise to boycott the Giants if they sign Burress...I will of course break aforementioned boycott but will still be extremely mad and disappointed..

Why ........the guy carried them ( and had the winning catch ) to the Super Bowl

 

[Betallsports]

The hopes of quarterback Aaron Rodgers aside, the Green Bay Packers' top post-lockout priority has always appeared to be ensuring the return of place-kicker Mason Crosby. In the end, that's exactly how it worked out.

Overnight, the Packers agreed to terms on a five-year contract with Crosby. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the deal is worth $14.75 million, including $3 million guaranteed. Those are some eye-popping numbers, but keep in mind that the Oakland Raiders busted up the place-kicker market last year by re-signing Sebastian Janikowski to a four-year deal worth $16 million, including $9 million in guarantees.

Some of you would suggest that Crosby and Janikowski don't belong in the same sentence, and it's true that Crosby hasn't put up the kind of accuracy numbers you would hope to see from an elite kicker. In fact, he has the lowest conversion rate (78.1) among all place-kickers with 100 attempts since he entered the league in 2007, according to the database at pro-football-reference.com.

But the Packers have tended to grade Crosby on a curve for two reasons. First, his strong leg has prompted 21 attempts from 50 yards or longer. He has missed 11 of them. Subtract those attempts, and his career conversion percentage is 83.6.

Second, coach Mike McCarthy has placed value in the institutional knowledge Crosby has gained from kicking at Lambeau Field for four seasons. It isn't the worst conditions in the NFL, but it's unpredictable and potentially extreme and can certainly have a psychological impact on kickers.

I don't think the Packers could have done better if they opened up the job this summer. I've seen it with my own eyes: A palatable unease can settle on a training camp that opens without a proven place-kicker on the roster. McCarthy might encounter some headaches this summer, but this decision means they aren't likely to come from the kicking game.

 

[Betallsports]

Texans start by keeping some of their own

The Texans started out free agency by agreeing to terms that mean they hold on to receiver Jacoby Jones and reserve offensive tackle Rashad Butler.

Here’s John McClain’s report, which says Jones will get a three-year contract worth $10.5 million, with $3.5 million guaranteed, while Butler is in line for two years worth $3.8 million, with a $1.25 million signing bonus.

The focus now should be on fullback Vonta Leach, though it’s unclear what sort of market there is for the fullback beyond Houston.

It’s unclear whom the Texans have inquired about or may be talking to among outside free agents. They are expected to make a splash with at least one big addition for the secondary.

Coach Gary Kubiak said during the lockout that he was happy with Kevin Walter and Jones splitting up the work as the second receiver opposite Andre Johnson. Jones can be a dynamic receiver and returner, but is very inconsistent.

Butler player four mediocre games when left tackle Duane Brown was suspended last year, but is regarded by the club as a quality third tackle.

Leach was a huge part of Arian Foster’s giant year, when the running back led the league in rushing. If they lose him, it appears they’d look to versatile tight end James Casey to fill the spot. While I don’t doubt the effort they’d get from Casey, he’s simply not the same kind of guy and the run game would likely suffer.

Fullbacks don’t generally fare particularly well on the open market, but indications are there are five teams that could be players if the Texans don't get something done soon.