2012 Free Agent Watch

[woodbuck27]

Cowboys strike three-year deal with Kyle Orton

Posted by Evan Silva on March 14, 2012, 1:28 PM EDT
Getty Images

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Cowboys have struck a three-year agreement with quarterback Kyle Orton.

Along with free agent cornerback Brandon Carr, Orton was visiting Cowboys headquarters as of Tuesday. Carr is expected to sign with the team eventually. The Orton deal is done.

Orton replaces Jon Kitna as Tony Romo’s primary clipboard holder. Orton, 29, has a 35-34 career record as a starter and an 80:57 touchdown-to-interception ratio entering his seventh season in the league.

[woodbuck27]

Red Bryant stays in Seattle

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 13, 2012, 6:29 PM EDT
Getty Images
The Seattle Seahawks will not lose defensive lineman Red Bryant in free agency.

Bryant, who started all 16 games and had an excellent season in Seattle last season, has re-signed with the team, according to NFL Network.

There was talk early this month that the Seahawks would use the franchise tag to keep Bryant, but they ultimately decided to let him test the market. Apparently all Bryant needed was an hour or two of freedom to decide that the best place for him was Seattle. And so the Seahawks are keeping one of their top defensive players.

Bryant is No. 45 on our Free Agency Hot 100.

[woodbuck27]

Chargers sign linebacker Jarret Johnson for four years

Posted by Evan Silva on March 14, 2012, 2:08 PM EDT
Getty Images
The San Diego Chargers announced Wednesday that they have signed linebacker Jarret Johnson to a four-year contract.

Johnson isn’t a dynamic pass rusher, but he’s long been one of the better edge-setting, run-defending outside linebackers in the game. Johnson can play several linebacker positions.

If the Chargers are seeking a sack specialist, however, they will need to turn to April’s draft. Johnson turns 31 this summer and has never recorded more than six sacks in a season.

He only has four sacks over the past two years, a 32-game stretch.

[woodbuck27]

Pierre Garcon: “I will be signing with the Washington Redskins”

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 13, 2012, 4:49 PM EDT
AP
Pierre Garcon says it’s official: He’s signing with the Washington Redskins.

Garcon, the free agent wide receiver who has spent the last four years with the Colts, wrote on Facebook les than an hour after free agency began that for him, free agency has already ended: He liked the offer the Redskins gave him so much that he signed it on the spot.

“I wanted you all to hear it from me 1st before u saw it on the news,” Garcon wrote. “I will be signing with the Washington Redskins and I’m very excited about the opportunity in front of me. I want to thank all Colts fans from the bottom of my heart for all the love and support you’ve shown me the past 4 years and I hope that at some level u will still follow my career, as I will continue to share my life with you on here.”

Garcon is a speedy receiver who at age 25 should have plenty of good years ahead of him. The Redskins will hope he spends those good years catching a lot of passes from Robert Griffin III.

[woodbuck27]

Redskins, Josh Morgan strike a deal

Posted by Mike Florio on March 13, 2012, 6:50 PM EDT
Getty Images
By late April, the Redskins will have a quarterback. And they’re now rounding up receivers.

Not long after signing Pierre Garçon from the Colts, the Redskins have struck a deal with former 49ers receiver Josh Morgan, a league source tells PFT.

It’s a five-year deal that, based on the language, will void to two years. The device was used to push 80 percent of the cap hit for the signing bonus into 2013, given the Redskins’ unexpected loss of $18 million in 2012 cap space.

The two-year deal is worth up to $12 million, with $7.5 million guaranteed. (It’s unclear at this point how much of it is “fully” guaranteed or guaranteed for injury only.)

The four-year veteran grew up in D.C. He had a career-high 698 receiving yards in 2010.

[woodbuck27]

Jason Campbell is Jay Cutler’s new backup in Chicago

Posted by Evan Silva on March 13, 2012, 8:34 PM EDT
AP
The Chicago Bears announced Tuesday that they have reached an agreement with quarterback Jason Campbell on a one-year deal.

Florio reported earlier in the day that the sides were in “deep negotiations,” and the contract was finalized late Tuesday evening.

Campbell, undoubtedly a big upgrade on Jay Cutler backups of yesteryear Todd Collins and Caleb Hanie, is still only 30 years old. He holds a career touchdown-to-interception ratio of 74:50 and has completed 60.8 percent of his career passes.

The one-year contract means Campbell will likely reach unrestricted free agency again in 2013.

[woodbuck27]

Cory Redding follows Pagano to Indianapolis

Posted by Evan Silva on March 14, 2012, 12:32 PM EDT
Reuters
ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports that the Colts have signed defensive end Cory Redding to a three-year contract. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the deal is worth $10.5 million over three seasons.

The Redding deal is another sign Dwight Freeney’s time in Indianapolis is close to expiration.

Redding, 31, is a 3-4 defensive end and played for new Colts head coach Chuck Pagano in Indianapolis. Primarily a run stopper at this stage of his career, Redding goes 6-foot-4 and about 300 pounds. He recorded 4.5 sacks and 43 tackles last season.

Freeney, who is on the trade block, recently hired an agent in anticipation of a move out of Indy.

[woodbuck27]

Giants sign Martellus Bennett to one-year, $2.5 million deal

Posted by Evan Silva on March 14, 2012, 3:52 PM EDT
Getty Images
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Giants have come to terms with tight end Martellus Bennett, formerly of the division-rival Cowboys.
Per Schefter, the deal for one year and is worth $2.5 million.

Though he’s already been in the league for four seasons, Bennett is still only 25 years old. He learned to block as the No. 2 tight end in Dallas, and offers plenty of untapped potential as a pass catcher.

The Bennett signing bolsters a very weak position in New York. The Giants lost Travis Beckum and Jake Ballard to torn ACLs in Super Bowl XLVI.

[woodbuck27]

Tim Jennings signs two-year deal to stay with Bears

Posted by Evan Silva on March 13, 2012, 3:21 PM EDT
Reuters
The Chicago Bears announced Tuesday that they have re-signed cornerback Tim Jennings. Jennings and the Bears reached a two-year deal.

Though he was benched temporarily late last season and is undersized at 5-foot-8, 185, Jennings is a physical, feisty cornerback. He’s started 28 games over the past two years, securing three interceptions and forcing two fumbles.

In PFT’s Free Agency Hot 100 list, Jennings was the 87th-ranked player overall.

He should open the 2012 season as the Bears’ starting left cornerback, across from veteran right corner Charles Tillman.

[woodbuck27]

Vikings do five-year, $25 million deal with John Carlson

Posted by Evan Silva on March 14, 2012, 1:04 PM EDT


The Minnesota Vikings hosted tight end John Carlson for a free agent meeting on Wednesday, and they didn’t let him get out of town.

Adam Caplan of TheSidelineView.com reports that Carlson has agreed to terms with the Vikings on a five-year, $25 million contract. The deal reportedly contains $11 million in guaranteed money.

Per Caplan, the Chiefs wanted to sign Carlson “badly” on Tuesday, but the Vikings swooped in and blew him away with Wednesday’s offer. It’s a lot of money for a tight end who underwhelmed before 2011, and then missed all of last season with a shoulder injury.

Look for Carlson to play alongside fellow Notre Dame alum Kyle Rudolph in Minnesota’s two-tight end sets.

[woodbuck27]

Cardinals announce five-year deal with Adam Snyder

Posted by Evan Silva on March 14, 2012, 6:08 PM EDT
Reuters
The Arizona Cardinals announced Wednesday that they have agreed on a five-year contract with offensive lineman Adam Snyder, formerly of the division-rival 49ers.

Snyder is a 30-year-old journeyman kind of player, though he’s spent his entire career in San Francisco to this point. He’s started games at both tackle and guard, and was the 49ers’ starting right guard in 2011.

Arizona is desperate for offensive line help, as usual, and they will need to continue to add to it.

Snyder did not make the PFT Hot 100 list.

[woodbuck27]

Jaguars give Laurent Robinson five-year, $32.5 million contract

Posted by Evan Silva on March 14, 2012, 6:49 PM EDT
Getty Images

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Jaguars have signed wide receiver Laurent Robinson to a five-year, $32.5 million contract.
Per Sirius NFL Radio’s Adam Caplan, the deal contains $14 million guaranteed.

Robinson has always been long on ability, but incredibly short on durability and consistency. He enjoyed a breakout season during his fifth year in the league in 2011, catching 54 passes for 858 yards and 11 touchdowns. Robinson fully capitalized on the opportunity to start when Miles Austin and Dez Bryant went down with various injuries in Dallas.

But Robinson had never cleared 500 receiving yards entering 2011, and he’s now going to a team that very arguably has the NFL’s worst quarterback play.
You’re probably not going to want Robinson back on your fantasy team this year.

Caplan also reports that the Jaguars have re-signed defensive lineman C.J. Mosley to a three-year, $7.5 million contract with $2 million guaranteed.

[woodbuck27]

Dolphins keep Paul Soliai on two-year deal



Posted by Evan Silva on March 14, 2012, 5:53 PM EDT
Getty Images

Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post reports that the Dolphins have re-signed defensive tackle Paul Soliai.

While it was commonly believed Soliai would exit Miami because he isn’t quite as good a system fit for the club’s new 4-3 defense as the old 3-4, the Fins still valued Soliai’s run-stopping ability.
And they got him at a price they liked. Per Volin, Soliai’s deal is for $12 million over two seasons, with $6 million guaranteed. Soliai will reenter free agency when the NFL’s new TV money kicks in, in 2014.

Soliai’s return to South Beach takes the top pure nose tackle off the free agent market. Aubrayo Franklin is a distant No. 2, coming off a subpar season in New Orleans and set to turn 32 this summer.

The Dolphins could still use an explosive left end, but they have some quality pieces in place to execute new coordinator Kevin Coyle’s defense up front. Soliai, Jared Odrick, top pass rusher Cameron Wake, and active defensive tackle Randy Starks form an impressive nucleus. They will be very difficult to run against.

[woodbuck27]

Cowboys sign two more: Guard Bernadeau, fullback Vickers

Posted by Evan Silva on March 14, 2012, 4:51 PM EDT
Getty Images
The Cowboys landed a top-ten free agent on Wednesday when cornerback Brandon Carr signed a five-year, $50.1 million contract to play in Dallas.

Jerry Jones’ club hasn’t stopped there.

The team announced Wednesday that fullback Lawrence Vickers has agreed to a two-year deal. Vickers figures to replace incumbent lead blocker Tony Fiammetta, who was not tendered as a restricted free agent.

A source also told ESPN Dallas’ Todd Archer that the Cowboys have agreed to a deal with interior offensive lineman Mackenzy Bernadeau. Bernadeau, primarily a guard, is 26 years old and will likely provide depth in Dallas.

[woodbuck27]

DeSean Jackson agrees to five-year deal with Eagles

Posted by Mike Florio on March 14, 2012, 4:37 PM EDT
Getty Images
It was believed that Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson would soon sign a one-year contract with the team. He will sign a contract, but it won’t cover one year. It will cover five.
A source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that Jackson has agreed to a five-year deal with a base value of $47 million. Jackson also gets $15 million fully guaranteed.
He gets $10 million to sign, along with a $750,000 base salary and a $250,000 workout bonus in 2012.

In 2013, Jackson receives a $6.75 million base salary, $4 million of which is fully guaranteed. The other $2.75 million is guaranteed for injury only. He also will receive a $250,000 workout bonus, which increases the two-year take to $18 million.

In 2014, Jackson will receive a base salary of $10.25 million, $250,000 of which is fully guaranteed and $250,000 of it is guaranteed for injury only. (Those guarantees go
away if he receives the workout bonus in 2012 and 2013.) He also will be eligible for a $250,000 workout bonus.

In 2015, the base salary will be $9.75 million, with a $250,000 workout bonus.

And in 2016, the base salary will be $8.25 million, with a $250,000 workout bonus.

Jackson also could earn up to $4 million in escalators, with $250,000 per year from 2012 through 2015 for making the Pro Bowl, $250,000 per year from 2012 through 2015 for 1,300 or more receiving yards, $250,000 per year from 2012 through 2015 for 10 or more receiving touchdowns, and $250,000 per year from 2012 through 2015 for Super Bowl wins.

With the potential escalators, the total package is worth up to $51 million over five years.

In the end, Jackson swapped a one-year, $9.4 million guaranteed franchise tender in exchange for another $5.6 million in fully guaranteed money — and $3 million more in money guaranteed for injury only.

The deal allows him to stop obsessing over his long-term financial security, which should get him back to playing the kind of football we saw from him in 2009 and 2010, not in 2011, when he seemed to be more concerned about staying healthy in order to get paid and not playing at a high level. And it represents a calculated risk by the Eagles, who had every reason to let it ride for 2012 and see if Jackson would behave like he did for much of 2011.

Could Jackson have settled for the $9.4 million in 2012 and rolled the dice on getting a better deal in 2013? Sure. But with the extra guaranteed money on the table now, it made sense for Jackson to squeeze the bird in the hand, and to get back to playing the kind of football he’s capable of playing when he isn’t worried about how much money he could be or should be making.

UPDATE 5:16 p.m. ET: The Eagles have announced the deal.