2008 Off Season (Official Thread)

[MD Buckeye]

NFL Transactions Report

Transactions for March 13th, 2008
Miami Dolphins- Signed K Dave Rayner
Washington Redskins- Re-Signed DT Ryan Boschetti
Oakland Raiders- Signed WR Drew Carter

Transactions for March 14th, 2008
Cincinnati Bengals- Signed TE Ben Utecht
Detroit Lions- Cut S Kenoy Kennedy
Miami Dolphins- Signed CB Nathan Jones
Oakland Raiders- Signed DT William Joseph
Houston Texans- Signed RB Chris Brown & LB Chaun Thompson
Atlanta Falcons- Signed TE Jason Rader
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Signed CB Eugene Wilson
New York Giants- Re-Signed RB Derrick Ward
Minnesota Vikings- Signed LB Derrick Pope
New England Patriots- Re-Signed DT Mike Wright

Transactions for March 15th, 2008
New Orleans Saints- Signed QB Mark Brunell
San Francisco 49ers- Cut WR Darrell Jackson

Transactions for March 16th, 2008
Minnesota Vikings- Re-Signed WR Robert Ferguson
Miami Dolphins- Signed WR Tab Perry

Transactions for March 17th, 2008
Minnesota Vikings- Signed DT Ellis Wyms & LB Dallas Sartz
San Francisco 49ers- Signed T Qasim Mitchell
Washington Redskins- Cut WR Steven Harris & WR Mike Espy, Signed DT Matthias Askew
Detroit Lions- Signed DE Corey Smith
Houston Texans- Traded C Chris Meyers (for 6th round draft choice)
Philadelphia Eagles-Signed DT Dan Klecko
Carolina Panthers- Signed WR D.J. Hackett
New York Jets- Signed TE Bubba Franks

 

[MD Buckeye]

ESPN - Reports: Carter chooses Bucs over Raiders - NFL

Reports: Carter chooses Bucs over Raiders

Defensive end Kevin Carter has reportedly decided to re-sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rather than sign with the Oakland Raiders.

The Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times are reporting that Carter agreed to a one-year deal to return to Tampa Bay, spurning a two-year offer from Oakland. He reportedly will make less than what he was paid last year before the Bucs cut him last month in a salary cap move to avoid paying a roster bonus.

"It was big money he turned down, but he went with his heart rather than the pocket," Carter's agent, Harold Lewis, told the Tampa Tribune. "A lot of people would have taken the wallet. Taken more money and the guarantees to go to another city. Kevin has been playing for a long time, he's 34 years old, saved a lot of money and found a place he and his family would like to call home for the next 34 years."

Contd...

 

[MD Buckeye]

Byron Leftwich, National Football League - CBSSports.com

Leftwich's sudden fall, unemployment hard to figure

It's been one of the fastest and weirdest falls by a quarterback in NFL history. Twelve months ago, Byron Leftwich was the starting quarterback for a Jacksonville Jaguars team many pegged as a 2007 playoff team.

Today he is looking for a job, with nothing in the works. He is an NFL hobo, searching for a place to call home.

It's so bad that Quinn Gray, the man who was third team behind Leftwich in Jacksonville, is visiting teams, while Leftwich just hopes for a shot.

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[MD Buckeye]

ESPN - Tatupu agrees to six-year extension worth more than $40 million - NFL

Tatupu agrees to six-year extension worth more than $40 million

Seattle Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell took some criticism in 2005 for trading up in the second-round for USC middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who was considered slightly undersized and a little slow.

Three Pro Bowls and one trip to the Super Bowl later, Tatupu has emerged as the leader of the Seahawks' defense. The leadership was rewarded with a six-year contract extension for $42 million which includes more than $18 million in guarantees.

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[MD Buckeye]

ESPN - Falcons agree to terms with kicker Elam - NFL

Falcons agree to terms with kicker Elam

The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to terms with record-setting kicker Jason Elam, who is leaving Denver after 15 seasons with the Broncos.

A person familiar with the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been officially announced, said the 37-year-old Elam would be joining the Falcons.

The NFL Network reported that Elam settled on a four-year, $9 million contract that includes $3.3 million in guaranteed money.

Contd...

 

[MD Buckeye]

ESPN - Browns get help at linebacker, with Orr agreeing to 1-year deal - NFL

Browns get help at linebacker, with Orr agreeing to 1-year deal

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns have agreed to terms with free agent linebacker Shantee Orr on a one-year contract.

Orr played for Houston and Jacksonville last season. The 6-foot-1, 246-pounder will give the Browns depth and fill a spot opened when outside linebacker Chaun Thompson signed a two-year contract last week with the Houston Texans.

The 26-year-old Orr began last season with the Texans and made two starts before being waived after six games. He was signed by the Jaguars in December and played in three games.

Orr entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Michigan in 2003. He had his best season in 2005, when he made 12 starts and recorded a career-high seven sacks.

 

[MD Buckeye]

ESPN - 49ers maintain CB depth, re-sign Strickland to one-year deal - NFL

49ers maintain CB depth, re-sign Strickland to one-year deal

The 49ers maintained their cornerback depth Friday by reaching a one-year, $800,000 deal with Donald Strickland.

The 27-year-old Strickland, a former third-round choice of the Colts, will be entering his third season with the 49ers. He started seven games over the past two years in San Francisco.

He spent three years in Indianapolis, one year in Philadelphia and three seasons with the 49ers.

 

[MD Buckeye]

ESPN - Packers sign safety Bigby to 1-year contract - NFL

Packers sign safety Bigby to 1-year contract

MILWAUKEE -- The Green Bay Packers have signed safety Atari Bigby to a one-year contract as an exclusive rights free agent, a source familiar with the situation said Friday.

The signing, which was first reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on its Web site, was confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Packers did not plan to make an official announcement.

Bigby, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound safety out of Central Florida, made his debut for the Packers on Christmas Day 2006 against Chicago. He beat out Marquand Manuel for the starting position in training camp last year and gained a reputation as a hard hitter in the Packers' defensive secondary.

 

[MD Buckeye]

Panthers ink safety Holt to one-year deal

Panthers ink safety Holt to one-year deal

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers have signed free-agent safety Terrence Holt to a one-year deal.

Holt has been a starter at free safety the past three seasons with Detroit and Arizona. He'll compete for the open starting free safety job with the Panthers, a spot held last season by Deke Cooper.

Holt was released by the Cardinals last month after starting all 16 games in 2007. He had 75 tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

It's a homecoming for Holt, who grew up in Gibsonville and played at North Carolina State.

 

[MD Buckeye]

Patriots continue to rebuild secondary, sign CB Bryant

Patriots continue to rebuild secondary, sign CB Bryant

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots signed free agent cornerback Fernando Bryant, a former first-round draft pick who has played nine years with Jacksonville and Detroit.

"Adding a cornerback with Fernando's experience and production is a good opportunity for us," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.

Bryant, 30, started every game for the Lions last year and had 76 tackles - the most since his rookie season - while tying a career-high with a pair of interceptions. The 5-foot-10, 184-pound cornerback from Alabama has seven interceptions, seven fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles in his career.

The Patriots lost two of their top free cornerbacks last season to free agency: Asante Samuel to Philadelphia and Randall Gay to New Orleans. Ellis Hobbs is the only one remaining from that group.

 

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ESPN - Packers sign safety Bigby to 1-year contract - NFL

[/size]

Sweet Atari signed....I guess Nintendo is next

 

[MD Buckeye]

Broncos agree to two-year deal with Wiegmann

Broncos agree to two-year deal with Wiegmann

The Denver Broncos reached agreement with free-agent center Casey Wiegmann on a two-year contract Thursday, NFL Network's Adam Schefter is reporting.

In 12 seasons, Wiegmann has started 136 games, including an active streak of 111 straight over the past seven seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The 6-foot-2, 285-pounder has also spent time with the Chicago Bears, New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts.

 

[MD Buckeye]

ESPN - Colts decline to match Bengals' offer for TE Utecht - NFL

Colts decline to match Bengals' offer for TE Utecht

Tight end Ben Utecht officially became a Bengal Saturday when the Indianapolis Colts failed to match the offer sheet Cincinnati gave the restricted free agent.

Under the right of first refusal, the Colts had seven days to match.

Financial contract terms were not disclosed for Utecht, who made $440,160 last year.

The 6-foot-6, 251-pounder from Minnesota played 41 games with 30 starts for the Colts. He has five postseason starts, including the Colts' Super Bowl victory last year. Utecht played in 14 games last season, with 31 catches for 364 yards and one touchdown.

The Bengals said Friday they wouldn't be required to compensate Indianapolis with a draft choice for Utecht, who entered the NFL as a college free agent.

 

[MD Buckeye]

Don't believe the hype - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

Don?t believe the hype

A quarter billion in potential contract dollars hasn?t bought the Oakland Raiders respect.

Despite an astronomical potential payout of more than $250 million in offseason deals, the Raiders are still bogged down in the bottom third of the league rankings. This despite adding a quartet of key players via trade and free agency ? DeAngelo Hall (at a potential $70 million), Javon Walker ($55 million), Gibril Wilson ($39 million) and Kwame Harris ($14 million) ? and retaining their own talent in Tommy Kelly ($50.5 million), Justin Fargas ($12 million) and Nnamdi Asomugha ($9.8 million via exclusive franchise tag).

In reality, those seven players won?t collect anything near that quarter billion in possible earnings (a sum that rivals the Gross Domestic Product of Micronesia). The lack of guaranteed dollars at the back end of NFL contracts will translate into a number maybe half that size. But at the very least, the mythical money bought the Raiders headlines.

But hype doesn?t translate when it comes to the offseason power rankings. With that in mind, this is where the league?s 32 teams stand going into the NFL draft.

1. Indianapolis Colts (13-3) ? No major defections. Forget Peyton Manning and company for a moment. If healthy next year, this should be a very, very good young defensive team.

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6. Cleveland Browns (10-6) ? The additions of Shaun Rogers, Corey Williams, Donte Stallworth and Rex Hadnot should make the Browns far better. Anything less than competing at the top of the AFC is a disappointment.

 

[MD Buckeye]

ESPN - Trufant agrees with Seahawks on long-term deal - NFL

Trufant agrees with Seahawks on long-term deal

With his wedding set for Saturday, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant was ready to add to his long-term commitments.

Trufant reached a six-year, $50.2 million deal with the Seahawks on Wednesday that includes $20 million in guarantees. In the first three years of the contract, he will make $28 million.

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