2017 Free agency

[richpjr]

Concentrating on putting weight? I see why he hasn't been active. He's just getting over his injury.

It's been 14 months since his knee injury, so I'm not sure how much that has to do with it or not. He played around 285 at USC, so I can see why he wants to put on some weight - that is a light center.

[Fleet]

USA Today's Tom Pelissero reports teams were informed on Tuesday that the salary cap is expected to rise to between $166-170 million in 2017.
The salary cap this season is $155.27 million, so it's roughly a $10-15 million increase. The cap has been steadily rising for years with the league just rolling in the money. With more cap space, contracts will keep getting bigger.

[Formula 21]

USA Today's Tom Pelissero reports teams were informed on Tuesday that the salary cap is expected to rise to between $166-170 million in 2017.
The salary cap this season is $155.27 million, so it's roughly a $10-15 million increase. The cap has been steadily rising for years with the league just rolling in the money. With more cap space, contracts will keep getting bigger.

Hello Ingram.

[richpjr]

The increase in cap space might mitigate some of the cuts that should happen, though I hope the bolded part about Barksdale isn't true:

[Steve]

To me some of the cuts aren't about saving money. I think we have plenty of money, because I don't want them to spend money on high priced FA.

Guys like Franklin need to go because they are not playing well. Cut them is really better for everyone. THe player can go on and maybe will ge tthe wakeup call. And the team gets to have a FA or younger players compete for the job. Save the money and spend it on extensions for players develop.

[Formula 21]

If they are June 1 cuts, at least the players can show their committment to the team and that they'll regain their form in an attempt to stay.

[Formula 21]

Hold on to your shorts.

Le'Veon Bell, Eric Berry head top 25 free agents of 2017

By Gregg Rosenthal
Around The NFL Editor
Published: Jan. 12, 2017 at 12:54 p.m.
Updated: Jan. 17, 2017 at 05:26 p.m.


NFL free agency always winds up looking drastically different in March than it does in January.

Most of the top players on my first crack at the "best of" list of pending free agents below will be re-signed or retained with the franchise tag before the new league year officially starts on March 9. The list of available players will also swell with veterans released for performance or salary reasons.

In short: Expect a much different set of rankings by the time Chris Wesseling and I post our annual Top 99 Free Agents list in late February. In the meantime, here's a quick first look at the upcoming market. The players are ranked by their ability to impact a team for the next two to three years -- this does not necessarily reflect who will make the most money.
Top 25 2017 Unrestricted Free Agents

1) Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers running back: NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports that the Steelers will use the franchise tag on Bell, the author of an entirely unique style of running. A one-year deal is ideal for the Steelers, considering Bell's previous suspensions and injuries, but it could lead to offseason friction between the running back and team.

2) Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs safety: Berry checks every conceivable box. He's a superstar at a scarce position (practically every team is looking for a safety). He's a locker-room leader and squarely in his prime at 28 years old. Retained with a franchise tag that created acrimony before the 2016 season, it's time for the Chiefs to pay up.

3) Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins quarterback: In his "prove it" season, Cousins proved he's a mid-level starting quarterback. That's worth a lot in today's NFL. The Redskins would likely use the franchise tag on Cousins for a second consecutive season if they can't reach a long-term deal.

4) Kawann Short, Carolina Panthers defensive tackle: General manager Dave Gettleman unceremoniously booted cornerback Josh Norman last offseason, in theory because the team needed room to retain Short. Now it's time to pay up.

5) Chandler Jones, Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker: After being traded to Arizona, Jones did a better job than his former teammate Patriots Jamie Collins of proving he can thrive in any defensive system. Cardinals coach Bruce Arians already declared the team will retain Jones with the franchise tag if it can't sign him long-term.

6) Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears wide receiver: Jeffery could wind up No. 1 on this list by March 9 because he's the most likely player ranked in the top eight to hit free agency. Injuries marred his 2015 campaign, and his suspension in 2016 is a concern, but there's no denying his ball skills or production. True No. 1 receivers don't become available too often.

7) Melvin Ingram, Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker: Don't just look at the sack total. Ingram slowly evolved into one of football's most disruptive, complete outside linebackers in 2016. His profile isn't so different from that of Olivier Vernon, who scored big in free agency last season.

8) Calais Campbell, Arizona Cardinals defensive end: There's no other player quite like Campbell, as thoughtful and savvy as he is physically overwhelming at 6-foot-8, 282 pounds. He would make a great "get over the hump" piece for a team looking for a title.

9) Brandon Williams, Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle: Williams is a one-man solution to your favorite team's run-stopping problems. Damon Harrison paved the way last season for nose tackles to get paid like pass rushers.

10) Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants defensive end: Before his recent sports hernia surgery, Pierre-Paul's incredible stamina and snap-to-snap effort was a calling card. He proved this season he can still finish plays despite having an amputated index finger. Just don't offer him a one-year contract.

11) Jamie Collins, Cleveland Browns outside linebacker: The hardest free agent to rank on the list. The Browns will be highly motivated to retain Collins after dealing a compensatory third-round pick for him. His time in Cleveland was unremarkable, and New England's willingness to trade him is a red flag for interested teams. While his production does not match his skill set or reputation, Collins should not fear. He may not get top-tier money as hoped, but any player this versatile will get paid somewhere.

12) Kevin Zeitler, Cincinnati Bengals guard: After earning second-team honors on Pro Football Focus' 2016 All-Pro team at 26 years old, Zeitler is set to make a lot more money than many players with a lot more name-brand value.

13) Stephon Gilmore, Buffalo Bills cornerback: He has weeks, even months, on film where he looks like a true No. 1 cornerback. He had other weeks in 2016 where he looked lost, perhaps fearful of getting hurt in a contract year. If he makes it to the open market, some team will believe it can make him a star because of his skill set, although I suspect the Bills will use the franchise tag on him.

14) A.J. Bouye, Houston Texans cornerback: No player has made himself more money this season. While there is undeniable risk in signing a player with only 19 career starts, Bouye has played like a borderline Pro Bowler in his first full season as a starter. He looks the part of a former first-round pick, not a former undrafted player.

15) Dont'a Hightower, New England Patriots linebacker: After Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins were traded, the conventional wisdom in New England held that Hightower would be re-signed. Bill Belichick has talked up Hightower's leadership in the past, but Belichick rarely does what fans and writers expect.

16) Dontari Poe, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle: The Chiefs may have to choose between Poe and Berry, resulting in Poe hitting the market. Though he's a solid starter, his career hasn't taken off as I expected after his terrific rookie season in 2012.

17) Martellus Bennett, New England Patriots tight end: He'd worn out his welcome with three different organizations before finding a home in New England. Bill Belichick should do what he can to retain the best Gronk insurance possible.

18) DeSean Jackson, Washington Redskins receiver: There is some risk that Jackson's explosive but limited skill set will erode now that he's 30, but it's hard to detect on the field. Few players can take the top off a defense better, and teams know to pay Jackson as a great puzzle piece, not a No. 1 threat.

19) Terrelle Pryor, Cleveland Browns receiver: Well, here's a ranking that would have looked ridiculous at this time a year ago. Maturity questions linger, but Pryor's 1,000-yard season hinted at an even higher ceiling ahead for the converted quarterback.

20) T.J. Lang, Green Bay Packers guard: A "criminally underrated" starter may have to leave Green Bay at age 29 to get his fair market value.

21) Nick Perry, Green Bay Packers outside linebacker: General manager Ted Thompson brought Perry back on a one-year, $5 million contract last offseason after a boffo playoff run. Perry will cost a lot more after collecting a team-high 11 sacks.

22) Trumaine Johnson, Los Angeles Rams cornerback: Given the franchise tag last season, Johnson turned in a relatively unremarkable campaign as a starter in coordinator Gregg Williams' system. Don't be surprised if Williams' new team, the Browns, go after Johnson.

23) Tony Jefferson, Arizona Cardinals safety: Was he a product of the Cardinals' aggressive system? Jefferson can make plays all over the field if he finds a coach who knows how to deploy him.

24) Ricky Wagner, Baltimore Ravens tackle: Consistent, quality play from a starting right tackle could be worth north of $10 million per season in this market.

25) Barry Church, Dallas Cowboys safety: As Conor Orr mentioned in his great piece this week, Church can up his value with a big playoff run. Church is a steady, tough, run-stopping constant in a Dallas secondary that overachieved this season. He's a glue guy.

Notable omissions: Eddie Lacy, RB, Green Bay Packers; Riley Reiff, T, Detroit Lions; Kenny Britt, WR, Los Angeles Rams; Johnathan Hankins, DT, New York Giants; Mike Glennon, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Andrew Whitworth, T, Cincinnati Bengals; Chris Baker, DE, Washington Redskins; Larry Warford, G, Detroit Lions; DeMarcus Ware, OLB, Denver Broncos; Jabaal Sheard, DE, New England Patriots; LeGarrette Blount, RB, New England Patriots; T.J. McDonald, SS, Los Angeles Rams.

O

livier Vernon to sign $85 million deal with Giants

By Dan Hanzus NFL.com
End Around Writer
Published: March 9, 2016 at 05:01 p.m.
Updated: March 10, 2016 at 12:38 a.m.



The contract is a monster. Rapoport reported Vernon's new deal is worth $85 million over five years with a whopping $52.5 million in guarantees. Vernon tops freshly minted defensive tackle Malik Jackson, who got $42 million in guarantees in his deal with the Jaguars.

The Giants won out in a bidding war with those Jaguars for the services of Vernon, who had his transition tag rescinded by the Dolphins earlier Wednesday. Vernon had 7.5 sacks in 16 starts with the Dolphins last season and was ranked by analytics site ProFootballFocus.com as the top 4-3 defensive end in football.

The Giants have a suddenly formidable front four. Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul (re-signed Tuesday) will rush at the edges with huge tackles Damon Harrison (lured away from the Jets) and holdover Johnathan Hankins clogging up the middle. Earlier Wednesday, the Giants upgraded the back end of their defense with the signing of Janoris Jenkins, who is now the NFL's second-highest paid cornerback.

Did the Giants overpay for Vernon? Probably. The guaranteed money is a tick above what all-world defensive end J.J. Watt is getting in his current contract from the Texans. But the Giants were desperate to upgrade their terrible defense.

In the last 24 hours, they certainly have -- on paper anyway.

[Fleet]

Id like to get a guy like Ron Leary. He knows the zone scheme. If we stick with that. Id also bring in a guy like Whitworth. Solid vet at LT. Cut Barksdale and Franklin and replace them with those 2. Draft another OL but only if its a great value.

[CTrout]

I like Leary also. Theres going to be a good group of RTs available. Riley Reiff, Menelik Watson, Ricky Wagner and Jordan Mills (from Buffalo, Lynn connection?).
I wouldn't mind seeing them spend most of their cap space on the OL.

[Fleet]

I think we have to get Ingram under contract. Go Leo(Pass Rush) in the 1st or 2nd. If Hooker or Adams is gone look for a guy like Thomas or Barnett. Maybe Garrett drops. Ingram will be a SAM LB in Bradleys D. Bosa, Ingram and Thomas would be a deadly pass rush. As well as stout run defending front. I think Hooker and Adams could be gone so that would be my plan B. Go FS round 2. Unless there is good value OT there. I can think of 3. If we do draft S in the 1st id look to add a guy like Taco Charlton in the 2nd. He may even be able to move inside in 4 man down fronts. We may need more speed at the Leo position however. I do expect guys like Charlton and Thomas to time slow though. For how deep this draft is defensively there isnt going to be many speed rushers. This is a power draft on the DL. McKinnley will time well. Some of the smaller OLB prospects.

10 yard split and 3 cone will tell alot about these bigger DE's. Bosa was amazing.

Pass on Jordan Mills from Buffalo. Mills surrendered eight sacks and 57 total QB pressures over 596 pass-blocking snaps this season, fourth-most of any tackle in the game.

[Bearded14YourPleasure]

I really think/hope FA is where TT looks to make an improvement along the OL this offseason. TJ Lang (assuming his injury wasn't anything major), Riley Reiff, and Larry Warford are all guys to kick the tires on.

[Fleet]

With the Super Bowl the only remaining NFL game left in the 2016 season, it’s time to begin turning our attention towards the offseason, and in particular, free agency.

At this time of year, the list of prospective free agents always looks mouth-watering, with names like Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell, Chiefs S Eric Berry, Panthers DT Kawann Short and Redskins QB Kirk Cousins among those slated to hit the open market, but a large portion of the top-end talent will either be re-signed or franchise tagged, keeping them with their current teams and away from the clutches of potential rivals.

Instead, let’s take a look at 10 of the best players that are more likely to be available once free agency officially opens:

1. Melvin Ingram, EDGE, Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers will likely try and keep Ingram around, but they don’t have a huge amount of cap space and have a second stud edge rusher in 2016 rookie Joey Bosa. After a slow start to his career, Ingram has developed into a dominant edge rusher, posting 72 total QB pressures in 2016 after recording just 83 over the previous two seasons. He was PFF’s sixth-ranked edge rusher overall this past season, slotting in just behind Bosa. Ingram posted solid grades in every facet of the game PFF measures, and his pass rush, in particular, has been improving year over year since his disappointing sophomore season that saw him play just 241 snaps. Ingram would upgrade most team’s pass-rush unit immediately.

2. Alshon Jeffery, WR, Chicago Bears
The Bears will likely part ways with Jeffery this offseason, having been toying with the idea of locking him down long-term over the past few seasons. Jeffery has missed too much time for the team to be able to confidently rely on him as their No. 1 target long-term, and his elite play has been too fleeting over the past few seasons. In 2016, he recorded more than five catches just twice, and had only one 100-yard plus game (in the first week of the season). Jeffery has shown big-time ability, but the Bears will likely let somebody else roll the dice on the big contract it will take to see it in the future.

3. Jason Pierre-Paul, EDGE, New York Giants
Jason Pierre-Paul played well in 2016, his first full season after his gruesome hand injury sustained in a fireworks accident on July 4, 2015. JPP finished this season as PFF’s 13th-ranked edge defender with a grade of 86.2, just ahead of teammate Olivier Vernon. The Giants already have big money tied up in that defensive line, though, with Vernon and defensive tackle Damon Harrison both getting hefty contracts a year ago. Pierre-Paul was good this past season, but not so good that the team has no choice but to re-sign him. He notched 54 total QB pressures in 498 pass-rushing snaps before being lost to injury late in the season.

4. Ronald Leary, G, Dallas Cowboys
Ronald Leary regained his starting guard spot this season after La’el Collins went down hurt, and reminded everybody that he was a pretty good starting guard before Collins landed in the Cowboys’ lap. He finished the season as PFF’s 25th-ranked guard (80.4), and didn’t allow a sack all season, totaling 21 pressures surrendered over the year. Leary’s best trait was his run blocking, though, and he was 13th league-wide at guard in that area. He would be a solid starting option for many teams once Dallas presumably hands the job back to Collins.

5. DeSean Jackson, WR, Washington Redskins
It sounds like DeSean Jackson is on his way out of Washington, and much of the talk seems to surround a return to Philadelphia, the team he departed for the Redskins. Other teams could certainly be in the mix for a player that still has blazing speed and the ability to make big plays for a passing offense. Jackson averaged 17.9 yards per reception, with 4.9 of those coming after the catch this past season. When throwing Jackson’s way in 2016, Kirk Cousins had a passer rating of 107.2—better than Matt Ryan’s passer rating when targeting Falcons WR Julio Jones.

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 24: Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) fends off Chicago Bears inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman (50) during second at Soldier Field in Chicago, Il on December 24, 2016. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

6. A.J. Bouye, CB, Houston Texans
A.J. Bouye was one of the breakout performers of 2016, and sustained his high level of play throughout the season and even into the playoffs. Including the postseason, Bouye allowed just 51.1 percent of passes thrown his way to be caught (seventh-best) for a passer rating of 59.5 (sixth-best), and was beat for only 10.0 yards per catch (16th-best) while intercepting or breaking up 16 of the 92 passes thrown his way. In the playoffs alone, Bouye allowed a passer rating of 5.6 when targeted.

7. Trumaine Johnson, CB, Los Angeles Rams
Trumaine Johnson was kept around by the Rams a year ago in preference to tying down cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who put together an excellent debut season with the New York Giants. Johnson wasn’t bad this season, but he didn’t take a step further or suggest that he is really worth elite money for the position. He allowed 60.7 percent of passes thrown his way to be caught and surrendered four touchdowns, up from just two over the previous two seasons combined. At 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds, Johnson has the size and measurables that a lot of NFL teams covet at the minute, but his play is still more potential than actual proven production five years into his career.

8. Morris Claiborne, CB, Dallas Cowboys
A season ago, Claiborne looked like a draft bust for the Cowboys, but this year, he was a different player, finishing the season as PFF’s 12th-ranked CB with an overall grade of 84.7. Claiborne only played half of the 2016 season before going down hurt, but in that half of a year, he looked like a different player than in previous seasons. When targeted, the completion percentage he allowed dropped 10 percent from the best previous year of his career to 51.9, and he gave up a passer rating of 63.0, more than 30 points better than any other year. When beaten, he was even giving up smaller plays, averaging just 8.9 yards per catch this past year—his previous career average was 14.4.

9. Tony Jefferson, S, Arizona Cardinals
Tony Jefferson is another player who took a big step forward this season, ending the year ranked No.5 overall in PFF’s safety rankings with a grade of 88.6. Jefferson’s run grade was stellar this season (98.0), as he notched 35 defensive stops (tied for third among safeties), but his coverage was also solid as a strong safety for the Cardinals. Jefferson played in the box 59.1 percent of the time for Arizona this season and was used in underneath coverage often, where he averaged just 7.1 yards per reception allowed when acting as the primary coverage defender. One-season wonders will always make teams a little concerned come free-agency time, but Jefferson’s play this year was excellent.

10. Dontari Poe, NT, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City has some choices to make this offseason, with both safety Eric Berry and nose tackle Dontari Poe slated to hit the open market. My hunch is that they will choose to retain Berry and let Poe walk, given his regression from being one of the game’s top nose tackles back in 2013. At 346 pounds, his pass-rush has never been much of a factor, but the Chiefs have consistently kept him on the field for 74 percent of defensive snaps or more over his career. His run defense has been good in two of the past four seasons, but entirely average in two others. In order to be worth the kind of big-money contract Damon Harrison got from the Giants a season ago, Poe needs to show that he is a guaranteed monster in that area, and he hasn’t been to this point in his career.