Official 2017 NFL Free Agency Thread

King P

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Combine Report 2/28: Free Agency Rumors

While most of the media will focus on forty times, vertical jumps and bench press tallies over the next few days in Indianapolis, the combine is also the unofficial start of free agency. Here’s what I’ve heard over the past week.

Even before the Minnesota Vikings officially cut ties with running back Adrian Peterson several sources told me the team was showing a good deal of interest in Latavius Murray of the Oakland Raiders. In the past 24-hours Oakland announced they will let Murray test the free agent waters. The former sixth round pick from Central Florida rushed for 788-yards and 12 touchdowns last season after 1066 yards and six scores the prior year. Added to that total were 95 receptions.

While most are focusing on which receiver the Washington Redskins will re-sign, DeSean Jackson or Pierre Garcon, I’m told it’s a goal of the franchise to re-sign Chris Baker during the combine. A sixteen game starter last season, Baker finished with 47 tackles and 3.5 sacks.The two sides are expected to meet during the combine and if a deal can’t be worked out and Baker hits the ope n market, there are several teams waiting in the wings to scoop him up.

The possibility of DeSean Jackson returning to the Philadelphia Eagles has captured most of the headlines but I’m told the team would also be content with Pierre Garcon if Jackson resigns with the Redskins or his price tag is out of reach. The bottom line is Philadelphia wants to come out of free agency and the draft with weapons for Carson Wentz.

Eyebrows were raised when the New York Jets signed Brian Winters to a four year extension at an average of $7.25 million per annum. That contract will help set the market for the rest of the guards in free agency and many are expecting big money.

I’m told Kevin Zeitler of the Bengals is likely to sign a deal close to $10 million a year if not slightly over that amount. Most I’ve spoken with believe Cincinnati won’t re-sign Zeitler as that’s out of the range they are willing to pay for a guard.

The deal for free agent Larry Warford of the Detroit Lions is expected to broach $9 million annually.
 

King P

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Broncos Will Intently Pursue Romo

Sources say that new Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph has looked at the two young quarterbacks on the Broncos roster and has decided the team needs a veteran signal caller for the immediate future. As a result, sources say Denver plans on pursuing Dallas Cowboys Tony Romo intently.

Joseph wants to win now and Romo could buy them more time to develop 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch. Team sources say Broncos general manager John Elway is not pushing Lynch on Joseph, and is agreeable to making a run at Romo.

Denver has a lot to offer Romo in terms of a team ready to win now. After all, the Broncos were celebrating a Super Bowl victory just one year ago. They have an elite defense, and talented wide receivers to appeal to Romo for making another January run. Sources say if the Broncos are able to add Romo, they would move on from young veteran Trevor Siemian.
 

King P

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Texans Seek to Extend Hopkins, Will Pick Up Clowney Option

Once again, the Houston Texans will have an interesting offseason. The Texans are interested in Tony Romo at the right price, while owner Bob McNair has suggested they will look to draft a quarterback in the early rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft. Those moves could prompt the team to jettison Brock Osweiler after one season.

While the quarterback position will be a big focus of the media and fans, sources tell WalterFootball.com that the team will work hard to sign star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to a long-term extension this offseason. They also plan to pick up the fifth-year option on the contract of defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with a view beyond that.

Hopkins is entering the final season of his rookie contract. The Texans took Hopkins with the 27th-overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft. Hopkins has turned into one of the best players from that draft class with many busted picks going ahead of Houston's pro bowl wide receiver. Hopkins totaled 1,210 yards in 2014 and 1,521 yards in 2015 before Osweiler's struggles limited Hopkins to 954 yards last season. Because he was vastly underpaid compared to other top wideouts in the NFL, Hopkins had a brief holdout to start training camp in 2016 before returning to the team.

During the 2016 season, the New England Patriots tried to trade for Hopkins and Houston told them they weren't interested. Sources say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reached out to the Texans about trading for Hopkins during training camp. That also was quickly turned down by Houston. The Texans view Hopkins as a long-term building block and will seek to get him signed to a lucrative long-term contract.

After two seasons robbed by injuries, Clowney had a breakout 2016 season for Houston, leading its No. 1 ranked defense en route to a Pro Bowl season. The Texans will exercise their fifth-year option on Clowney's contract, but that may not be the only moves they make with their young star defensive end. After getting Hopkins re-signed, a long-term contract extension for Clowney will be under consideration even though Clowney has two more years under contract.

Texans general manager Rick Smith made a brilliant move to extend J.J. Watt in 2014 when Watt still had two years remaining on his contract. Before long lesser players like Mario Williams, Malik Jackson, and Olivier Vernon signed comparable deals to Watt's while other defenders like Von Miller, Ndamukong Suh, Muhammed Wilkerson, and Fletcher Cox had bigger contracts last season than Watt did. Even with Watt missing most of last season with a back injury, that contract has turned into a bargain with how Watt played as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Smith could echo that move by getting Clowney locked up long-term as he is entering his prime and becoming one of the top edge defenders in the NFL. Signing Clowney this offseason could save the Texans money in the long term compared to waiting until 2018 if Clowney builds off or even maintains the dominant level of play he showcased at the end of the 2016 season.

While the Texans will be looking to get better at quarterback, the team also is planning to lock up some long-term building blocks in Hopkins and Clowney.
 

315

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Have no idea what the Bills are gonna do. Thinking safety. They aren't franchising Gilmore so that could mean he's hitting the market.
I think they'll let him walk. Robert Woods too
 

Killah Ray

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We have interest in Matt Khalil apparently, could be a good pickup since we need a tackle something serious
 

mrken12

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Jay Gruden won’t blink if DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon leave

Free agency has the potential to radically alter the look of Jay Gruden’s offense in Washington.

Wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon are both set to become free agents on March 9, which means the Redskins run the risk of saying goodbye to 135 catches, 2,046 yards and seven touchdowns from last season. Gruden said that the players would be “hard to replace” if they left, but that the team has plans in the event it happens.

“I’d love to have both back, I’d love to have one back. If we’re unfortunate to lose them both, I’m not going to blink,” Gruden said, via ESPN.com. “I feel good about Jamison Crowder, Ryan Grant and Josh Doctson. I love the fact that Mo Harris got a lot of work in. He’s going to develop.”

Doctson is a key to any plans that don’t involve Jackson and Garcon. The 2016 first-round pick barely played as a rookie due to an Achilles injury, but has made some progress in his rehab of late to raise hopes that things will play out more smoothly in Year Two.

Even if it does, there’s a lot of hope involved as Grant, Doctson and Harris caught 19 passes between them last season. That may have the Redskins in the market for a veteran addition if they are moving forward without Garcon and Jackson in a week or so.

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Losing both of them would be :francis: .
 
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