Category: NFL (Page 1154 of 1282)

Scout.com is reporting the Browns have traded RB Ruben Droughns to the Giants in exchange for wide receiver Tim Carter. By acquiring Jamal Lewis on Wednesday coupled with the option of possibly drafting Adrian Peterson next month, Droughns became dispensable to the Browns. They’ll avoid paying him a $1.75 million roster bonus, which was due near the end of the month.

The real question is: Did Giants’ GM Jerry Reese panic? With Cleveland highly unlikely to pay Droughns’s roster bonus and presumably set to release him if it couldn’t trade him, why did the Giants feel that they had to make this right now? Shouldn’t they have waited until he was released?

Actually when you think about it, this wasn’t a terrible move by Reese. Several backs that New York had been targeting – including Lewis, Dominic Rhodes, Willis McGahee and Ahman Green – are now off the market. And unless the Giants traded up for Peterson or Marshawn Lynch, Droughns is a better option right now than the rest of the rookie class set to come out. So they give up a wide receiver in Lewis that they’ve been disappointed with and get a back to complement Brandon Jacobs. I’m sure he wasn’t the first choice, but given the options, he isn’t Curtis Enis either. Plus, who knows what Droughns would have commanded if he was released and able to test the market, especially considering how overpriced everything is right now. New York can see what it has for a year and reevaluate next offseason.

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting the Raiders have struck a deal with free agent running back Dominic Rhodes. The former Colt signed a two-year contract worth $7.5 million that also includes a signing bonus of $1 million.

That’s a great deal for Oakland, who not five days ago retained Lamont Jordan at a discounted price. The team now has a running back duo that isn’t spectacular, but certainly isn’t ineffective either.

In other free agent news, the Seahawks continued their busy offseason by inking former Jaguars’ safety Deon Grant. Unlike the Rhodes deal, however, Seattle vastly overpaid for Grant’s services. The Seahawks signed Grant to a six-year deal that could be worth up to $30 million. He also received a signing bonus of over $11.1 million, making him the third-highest paid safety in the NFL. Only Roy Williams (Cowboys) and Ed Reed (Ravens) are making more than Grant at the safety position.

I know this is the offseason craze this year – that is, to overspend because cap room is aplenty – but come on. The third-highest paid safety in the league? Grant is a great leader, has outstanding smarts and certainly will help in coverage, but he’s not sniffing the league’s third-best safety. Off the top of my head: Reed, Troy Polamalu, Brian Dawkins, Bob Sanders and Sean Taylor are better all-around safeties. Hell, I’d even throw in Kerry Rhodes and Sean Jones based on their age and upside. But hey, this is the way it’s going to be this offseason with teams shelling out boo-co bucks for above average talent. Grant will help, especially after the team lost Ken Hamlin, but not $11.1-million-signing-bonus-help.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Ahman Green and Travis Henry had found new homes, Jamal Lewis, Dominic Rhodes and Corey Dillon are still looking for new homes, and Willis McGahee may soon not have a home.

Green jettisoned Green Bay to sign a four-year deal with Houston while Henry, after being released by Tennessee, caught on with Denver. Lewis has a “take it or leave it” offer from the Ravens on the table, but is scheduled to meet with the Browns today and is not expected to re-sign in Baltimore. At one point, Rhodes appeared to be heading to New York to become a Giant, but instead is talking with Buffalo. Dillon also has a meeting set up with the Bills, which means McGahee’s days in Buffalo are likely offer.

The Bills have actively shopped McGahee since the start of free agency with Denver, Green Bay and Baltimore among teams interested. Before anyone wonders why Buffalo is willing to give up such a young talent in McGahee, let me highlight some points that I made on a previous post:

– He’s been slapped with three paternity suits from multiple women
– He has chosen not to take part in Buffalo’s offseason workout program
– He has often made noise about his contract
– Told Penthouse magazine that he thought the team should move to Toronto
– He’s had various nagging injuries that have limited him in games.
– Despite chewing up the yardage, hasn’t averaged over 4.0 YPC since ’04, when he was exactly at 4.0.

BUYER BEWARE.