Tag: NFL free agency rumors (Page 3 of 4)

      Patriots trade Cassel and Vrabel to Chiefs for second round pick

      February 28, 2009 /

      Scott Pioli is quickly turning the Kansas City Chiefs into the Patriots of the AFC West after he was able to acquire quarterback Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel from New England in exchange for a second round pick (No. 34 overall).

      NFL.com’s Adam Schefter, who first reported the story, claims that the two teams have agreed on the compensation, but details are not yet available. Rotoworld.com, however, confirms that the compensation for Cassel and Vrabel is a second round pick, which seems incredibly light for a starting quarterback and linebacker.

      Did Bill Belichick do his old buddy Pioli a favor by only letting Cassel go for only a second rounder? Did Pioli have incriminating photos of New England front office members and was set to release them unless they agreed to trade Cassel for as little as possible? How they hell could the Pats only get a second rounder for Cassel and Vrabel?

      Three years ago, the Falcons traded backup quarterback Matt Schaub to the Texans for two second round picks and the teams also swapped first rounders (Atlanta got the 8th overall pick, while Houston got the 10th). How did the Falcons get two second round picks and jump up two spots in the first round for Schaub, yet the Patriots were only able to muster a second rounder from the Chiefs for Cassel, who is coming off a full season as a starter?

      Obviously New England was petrified of having Cassel’s cap number on their books for the 2009 season and decided to jump when KC offered up a second round pick. Vrabel only saves the Pats $3 million in cap space, so it’s still unclear why he was part of the deal, although maybe this is where the aforementioned favor comes in. Vrabel was set to take a lesser role next year in New England, but in KC, he’ll be a starter and a mentor in the Chiefs’ new 3-4 defensive front.

      This was a nice move by the Chiefs. Cassel already has a season under his belt as a starter and now gets to work in a pass-happy situation in KC under new head coach Todd Haley. He also has Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez (if he’s not traded) to throw to, as well as Larry Johnson (if he stops bitching about wanting to be traded) to take some pressure off him in the offense. The Chiefs still have to sign Cassel to a long-term deal, but their questions at quarterback have finally been answered.

      As for the Patriots, they’ll clear a ton of cap space off their books, but it’s shocking how little they received for Cassel in the end. He may never pan out in Kansas City, but his value had to be more than a second rounder, right?

      NFL

      Patriots trade Vrabel to Chiefs – will Cassel and Peppers eventually be part of the deal?

      February 27, 2009 /

      In a surprising move, the Patriots traded veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs for an undisclosed draft pick. Vrabel was expected to take a lesser role with New England next year, so this move allows him to start in KC and be a mentor for a young Chiefs team.

      On a related note, Patriots beat writer Mike Reiss is speculating that the Vrabel-to-KC-trade could be part of a bigger trade involving quarterback Matt Cassel.

      2) Could this be part of a larger deal with the Chiefs that might involve Matt Cassel? The 33-year-old Vrabel was entering the final year of his contract in 2009. He was due to earn $2.2 million in base salary, would receive a $1 million roster bonus, and count $4.3 million against the salary cap.
      Given Vrabel’s contributions to the Patriots — on the field and in the locker room — that doesn’t seem like much to digest.

      So why make the deal?

      From a Chiefs perspective, they had one of the youngest rosters in the NFL last season, and new general manager Scott Pioli understands the importance of veteran leadership in the locker room. Vrabel will provide that in Kansas City, likely as a team captain.

      The question is why the Patriots would trade Vrabel.

      Well, the Pats only save $3 mil in cap space with this move, so it couldn’t have just been about money. New England might have been toying with the idea of cutting Vrabel, so once they found a trade partner they jumped. At least they get compensation.

      If you want to get really frisky, here’s a trade possibility that will no doubt make the ass hairs stand up for Patriot fans:

      Chiefs trade the No. 3 overall pick to the Patriots for Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel.

      The Patriots then turn around and trade the No. 3 overall pick to the Panthers for Julius Peppers, who they just made room for in their 3-4 scheme by trading Vrabel.

      A Peppers-to-Patriots deal has been rumored for about a week now – is it time to jump on the speculation train?

      NFL

      Report: Jets deal with Scott not official, Ravens back in mix

      February 27, 2009 /

      According to the Baltimore Sun, the Jets’ deal with free agent linebacker Bart Scott is not official as initially reported, and now the Ravens are apparently offering him a five-year contract worth $42 million.

      Bart ScottRavens inside linebacker Bart Scott is in New York, but continues to still negotiate with both the Ravens and Jets.

      There is speculation that the Ravens have offered Scott a five-year contract worth $42 million, and Scott also wants assurances that he will become the center piece of the defense in Baltimore, much like Ray Lewis was during the last decade.

      Jets head coach Rex Ryan, the Ravens’ former defensive coordinator, keeps increasing the ante as the Ravens go up.

      Several sources reported that the Jets’ deal for Scott was already completed, but apparently it was just an offer. It’s easy to see why Scott would sign with the Jets considering Rex Ryan is now New York’s new head coach, but apparently the Ravens are still very much in play.

      Ray Lewis might walk, so losing Scott would be a huge blow to the Ravens’ linebacker corps. It’ll be interesting to see how this thing plays out.

      NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      Falcons to sign free agent TE L.J. Smith?

      February 27, 2009 /

      According to a report by the National Football Post, the Falcons have set their eyes on free agent L.J. Smith (Eagles), who became the best tight end on the market after the Titans placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Bo Scaife.

      The Falcons brought in several run-blocking tight ends last offseason, but need to give quarterback Matt Ryan a better pass-catching target at the position. Smith has been unable to stay healthy the past two years, but he certainly has the size, speed and hands to upgrade the tight end spot and as long as the Falcons don’t overpay, he could be a quality signing.

      One notion surrounding Atlanta’s interest in Smith is that Oklahoma State’s Brandon Pettigrew, who is arguably the best tight end prospect in the draft and a player many mocks have the Falcons taking at No. 24, hurt his stock when he only ran a 4.8-forty at the scouting combine. But the more realistic idea is that the Falcons want to shore up their need for a pass-catching tight end before the draft, so then in April they can turn their sole attention to the multiple holes they have on defense.

      The Falcons have decided not to re-sign safety Lawyer Milloy and outside linebacker Keith Brooking. They might allow outside linebacker Michael Boley to walk in free agency and might not be able to re-sign cornerback Domonique Foxworth, leaving them with holes at both linebacker spots, safety and cornerback.

      Atlanta was able to re-sign Coy Wire, who replaced Boley towards the end of the 2008 season, but he’s more of a two-down ‘backer and was often replaced in passing situations. The team is also expected to give second-year player Stephen Nicholas a shot to earn one of the starting outside linebacker spots, but even with him and Wire, the Falcons are awfully thin at the position.

      If the Falcons are able to wrangle Smith off the open market, there’s a great chance they’ll address one of their defensive needs in the first round, and could even fill defensive needs in the first three rounds. USC linebacker Brian Cushing, Ole’ Miss defensive tackle Peria Jerry, Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith and Western Michigan safety Louis Delmas are all possibilities for the Falcons in the first round.

      NFL

      Redskins cut Shawn Springs – more coming?

      February 27, 2009 /

      In an effort to create cap space after signing free agent defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth to a seven-year, $100 million contract and cornerback DeAngelo Hall to a six-year, $55 million deal, the Redskins are set to release Shawn Springs.

      Washington was reportedly shopping Springs, but obviously found no takers for the 34-year old corner. The Skins save $6 million in cap space with this move, which is vital because they were $1 mil under the cap when free agency began. When healthy, Springs was a quality corner for the Skins. But he couldn’t stay healthy and the cap charge was just too much.

      More cuts have to be on the horizon for Washington, but it’s hard to speculate who will get the axe at this point. Players like Jason Taylor could restructure their contracts, too, although nothing of that ilk has been reported yet.

      Surprisingly, the Baltimore Sun reports that the Redskins are currently the front-runners to sign free agent center Jason Brown. He would no doubt be an upgrade on Washington’s offensive line, but where would they get the cap space in order to make another big signing like Brown? Either Vinny Cerrato and Dan Snyder are geniuses and have some master plan that hasn’t unfolded yet or are completely screwing the Redskins for years to come.

      NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑