News & Info/Headlines
And while we'll obviously also be posting official signings and other transactions there as they happen, we'll still continue the practice of posting this Roster-Move Roundup -- daily as long as movement is brisk enough -- to help those unable to keep up with the minute-by-minute stuff play catch up or review a simple, and (mostly) chronological way to do so.
Because the initial moments of this year's signing period provided no major developments, tonight's edition will focus primarily on moves made in advance of the deadline. That means we can still look forward to resolution on the status of such high-profile free agents Kurt Warner, Kerry Collins, Derrick Ward and T.J. Houshmandzadeh in coming days.
So buckle up boys and girls; we'll get the first installment of this year's Roundup rolling in Minnesota, where the Vikings apparently believe they've addressed one of their biggest off-season needs by looking in a familiar direction.
A year after failing to obtain Sage Rosenfels from Houston, Minnesota added the veteran quarterback in a trade that sends a fourth round draft pick to the Texans in exchange for his services.
The Houston Chronicle first reported the deal on its web site Monday.
An announcement of the deal had not been made as of late Thursday by either the Vikings or Texans but Rosenfels was wined and dined by Vikings' officials in Minneapolis and took a physical at team headquarters.
Reached by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune at his hotel early in the evening, Rosenfels said he expects the Vikings will introduce him to the media Friday but declined to comment beyond that.
Rosenfels has a year remaining on his contract, but the Vikings have offered him a $9 million, three-year extension, according to Sports Radio 610 in Houston.
According to the Star-Tribune, Rosenfels, who will turn 31 on March 6, will vie for the starting job with Tarvaris Jackson. Head coach Brad Childress said Friday that he wanted Jackson to have competition and indicated that veteran Gus Frerotte could return and attempt to win the job.
However, the trade for Rosenfels likely leaves Frerotte as the odd man out.
Frerotte went 8-3 after Jackson was benched last season, but he lost his job after suffering a back injury. Frerotte, due a $250,000 roster bonus in March, expressed frustration following the season over how the situation played out and said he wasn't sure whether he would be back.
Coincidentally, Rosenfels served as Frerotte's backup with Miami in 2005. Vikings Vice President of Player Personnel Rick Spielman was a Dolphins executive when they acquired Rosenfels from Washington for a seventh-rounder in 2002.
The Vikings offered Houston a third-round pick for Rosenfels last February, but the Texans asked for a second-rounder.
According to Star-Tribune staffers Judd Zulgad and Chip Scoggins, Vikings executives appeared to have spent extensive time attempting to address their quarterback situation at the NFL Scouting Combine -- including meetings with the agent for Patriots franchise-tagged QB Matt Cassel.
Clearly, price was an issue. ...
Rosenfels spent the past three seasons with Houston and went 2-3 in five starts in an up-and-down 2008. He finished with 1,431 yards passing (116-for-174, 66.7 percent) with six TDs, 10 interceptions and a 79.5 rating in six games, with five of those games coming after Houston starter Matt Schaub injured his knee against the Vikings on Nov. 2.
Coming in against the Vikings after halftime, Rosenfels completed 21 of 29 passes for 224 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in a 28-21 loss.
ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck, a former NFL quarterback, said he believes Rosenfels would be an upgrade on Jackson. Hasselbeck said he doesn't think Jackson "is a top-32 quarterback in the NFL," adding, "I'm not so sure he's a top-42 quarterback in the NFL."
Rosenfels, who went 4-1 as a starter in 2007, would have one advantage coming to the Vikings. The Texans, like the Vikings, run a version of the West Coast offense.
Meanwhile, as Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio noted, Childress has coached the Vikings for three years. The outcome has been largely disappointing -- one playoff appearance, no postseason victories and an uninspiring brand of "keep it close" football fueled by what Florio characterizes as a "dink-and-dunk West Coast offense and a cover-2 zone defense that encourages opponents to dink and dunk, too."
With two years left on his contract, the team's performance in 2009 likely will determine whether Childress gets a new contract or a pink slip.
And while Childress has built the NFL's best run offense and the NFL's best run defense, the lack of a consistent passing game has left him on the brink of failure.
Now, by acquiring Rosenfels, Florio points out the coach is hitching his wagon to a journeyman who has thrown nearly as many interceptions (29) as touchdown passes (30) in eight NFL seasons. ...
In New York. ... Brandon Jacobs got the payday he was seeking from the Giants. The team on Wednesday agreed to terms on a four-year, $25 million contract with their bruising running back just 12 days after slapping the franchise tag on him.
While agent Justin Schulman declined to reveal specifics of the contract, Newark Star-Ledger staffer Mike Garafolo reported that more than half the money is guaranteed.
"Brandon is ecstatic to continue his career with the New York Giants," Schulman said. "We appreciate the Giants' investment in Brandon. ... We're excited to keep Brandon in Giants blue for years to come."
Worth noting: Florio wrote on Thursday that his initial reaction to Jacobs' deal was that is seemed kind of light. And Florio added, a league source agreed with him -- and then some.
"It's a joke," the source told Florio.
Florio went on to explain that Jacobs was guaranteed to make $6.621 million in 2009 under the non-exclusive franchise tag. Even though he would have been a restricted free agent next year at this time, the tender would have been 110 percent of this 2009 pay, which equates to $7.28 million.
That's $13.9 million over two years. And then Jacobs would have been free again, in an environment that potentially will have no salary cap on an ongoing basis.
And if the Giants had decided after the coming season not to pay Jacobs $7.28 million for 2010, fine. He would become an unrestricted free agent in an uncapped year.
So why take $15 million over two years and then commit to two more beyond that at an average of $5 million each?
After four more years of banging and getting banged, Jacobs' value will plummet.
It's a good point. But for now, both sides seem pleased enough.
"This team is full of young talent," Jacobs said. "We brought some great talent in here the last two years and those guys are still learning and getting better. Our offensive line is great and will continue to be great. There are a lot of young guys on our team that are still playing great, great football. I'm looking for big things out of our football team next year."
"Both parties are happy to get a long-term deal done," general manager Jerry Reese said. "Now Brandon can totally concentrate on the offseason program and get himself ready to go this fall."
Jacobs just completed his fourth season with the Giants. He posted his second straight 1,000-yard season -- both coming as a starter -- and rushed for 15 touchdowns. The 6-4, 265-pounder has averaged 5.0 yards per carry in his two seasons as a starter.
Jacobs told reporters on Thursday that his knee, which caused him to miss three games last season, is fine. The 26-year-old who is entering his fifth season said he hopes to play another six years. ...
In Tampa Bay. ... In a sweeping move designed to give their younger players a chance to play, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday released a number of high-profile veterans including linebacker Derrick Brooks.
Also let go were wide receivers Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard and running back Warrick Dunn.
"We did this with the idea of giving our younger players a chance to play,' Bucs G.M. Mark Dominik said in announcing the moves.
Galloway, 37, is the only receiver in Bucs history to have three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons but he spent most of last year watching from the sideline as Antonio Bryant emerged as the team's top receiver. Hilliard, 32, has been one of the Bucs most consistent pass catchers over the last four seasons.
Dunn, 34, returned to the Bucs last season after a six-year stay in Atlanta but he struggled when he was forced to fill the role of the starter after Earnest Graham went down.
Galloway and Hilliard have both expressed their desire to play again in 2009; Galloway told Sirius NFL Radio Wednesday that he "absolutely" intends to play football in 2009.
"I feel great," he said. "I've started working out, preparing myself. I'm looking forward to the new challenge."
I'm assuming that will be the case with Dunn, too. ...
In Dallas. ... The Cowboys, as expected, parted ways with quarterback Brad Johnson on Thursday. The move freed up $1.5 million in cap space.
Johnson was a ninth-round pick in 1992 of the Vikings, and he has played for several different teams. With Johnson cut and Brooks Bollinger becoming a free agent, the Cowboys will need to find a new backup to starter Tony Romo.
The list of potential candidates includes Dan Orlovsky, Rex Grossman, Chris Simms, Kyle Boller, Patrick Ramsey and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Oh yeah. ... And Jeff Garcia.
As Fort Worth Star-Telegram staffer Randy Galloway recently reminded readers, there's some rather juicy history between Garcia and one Terrell Owens.
Indeed, when Garcia and Owens were 49ers teammates, Owens complained constantly that Garcia didn't throw his way enough.
Once Owens left the 49ers for the Eagles, he did an interview in which he suggested Garcia lived an alternative male lifestyle. In fact, Owens called him gay despite copious (and very attractive female) evidence to the contrary -- including Garcia's spouse, 2004 Playboy Playmate of the Year, Carmella DeCesare.
Putting Owens and Garcia in the same locker room would make an interesting place much more so. Probably too much so, even for Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones. ...
In New York. ... The Jets released Brandon Moore, a starter at offensive guard for the past five seasons. The release on Thursday, designed to help give the team salary cap space, came a day after the team agreed to release starting wide receiver Laveranues Coles.
Coles, who was scheduled to earn a guaranteed $6 million salary for the 2009-10 season, wanted a long-term deal with the team. But when the two sides could not reach an agreement, they reached a compromise, giving Coles the right to find his own deal on the open market on the eve of free agency.
"We didn't leave on bad terms," Coles told the Star-Ledger. "It's not out of the question that I could come back."
The Jets also cut running back Noah Herron on Thursday and re-signed fullback Tony Richardson, who helped Thomas Jones rack up an AFC-high 1,312 rushing yards and a franchise-record 13 touchdowns last season.
Richardson came to the Jets last season after spending two years with the Vikings and 11 years with the Chiefs. He hasn’t scored a touchdown in the last three seasons, leaving that to the running backs for whom he blocks. ...
In Kansas City. ... The Chiefs cut ties with three prominent veterans Tuesday, releasing Damon Huard, cornerback Patrick Surtain and linebacker Donnie Edwards.
The Chiefs also waived tight end Michael Merritt.
They are the first major moves by new general manager Scott Pioli, who is revamping a team that finished 2-14 last season -- the worst mark in the 49-year history of the franchise.
Huard, who started 21 total games the last three seasons, was deemed expendable after rookie Tyler Thigpen's emergence in 2008. Huard's best season in Kansas City came in 2006, when he threw 11 touchdown passes and only one interception in 10 games, eight of them starts.
Huard has also stated his intention to play again in 2009. ...
In St. Louis. ... The Rams released Trent Green, who was one year into his second tour of duty with the team on Wednesday in a move that saved the team $1.3 million of salary cap space.
The team also released receiver Drew Bennett, saving another $50,000 in cap space.
Green, 38, has told his agent, Jim Steiner, that he wants to keep playing. When Green looks around the league, he sees plenty of older quarterbacks performing well.
"Kurt [Warner] and Kerry Collins, those are just two examples," Green said.
The departure of Green, a two-time Pro Bowler who also hopes to find a new team this year, means the Rams will have a new No. 2 quarterback in 2009.
According to St. Louis Post-Dispatch staffer Jim Thomas, one possibility is Garcia, who played for Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur in Philadelphia in 2006.
Bennett, meanwhile, had been a major disappointment since signing a $30 million free-agent contract two years ago. ...
For what it's worth, Thomas reported earlier this week the possibility of the Rams restructuring the contracts of either Torry Holt or offensive tackle Orlando Pace now appear unlikely.
And if that's the case, it's looking more and more as if Holt and Pace will not be with the Rams in 2009.
Holt is in the final year of his contract and is scheduled to count $10.2 million against the salary cap. Releasing or trading Holt would save the Rams $8 million in salary cap space. Doing the same with Pace would save the team $6 million.
But, as Thomas noted, the Rams can't wait too long on Holt because he's due a $1.25 million roster bonus in mid-March. Stay tuned. ...
In Buffalo. ... The Bills released tight end Robert Royal Thursday. Earlier, they let go of guard Derrick Dockery.
Tight end has been a longstanding weakness for the Bills. Last season, the position accounted for 58 catches, led by Royal's 33. More than 10 tight ends in the league caught 50-plus passes by themselves.
The Bills desperately need to address this spot. ...
Meanwhile, ESPN.com's Tim Graham reports the Bills re-signed fullback Corey McIntyre to a two-year contract extension. Financial terms aren't yet known.
McIntyre, a pure backfield blocker and special-teamer, would have become an unrestricted free agent earlier tonight.
The Bills signed McIntyre prior to Week 5, cutting Darian Barnes to make room. McIntyre played 11 games. He had zero carries and two receptions for minus-1 yard.
His value was in clearing holes for Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch and backup Fred Jackson.
In Carolina. ... The Panthers on Wednesday released receiver D.J. Hackett, running back Nick Goings and offensive lineman Jeremy Bridges.
Hackett lasted just one season with the Panthers.
Expected to be a key contributor after signing as a free agent, he managed just 13 receptions for 181 yards in an injury-plagued season. He spent his three previous seasons with Seattle.
Goings has seen minimal playing time the past two seasons, rushing just 20 times for 62 yards. His best season came in 2004, when he churned out five 100-yard games after the team's top three running backs went on injured reserve. ...
In Atlanta. ... The Falcons agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent tight end Justin Peelle on Thursday, their agents told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Wide receiver Brian Finneran had his contract restructured, according to his agent. ...
One last note here. ... Colts star center Jeff Saturday, a three-time Pro Bowler, agreed to a three-year deal to remain in Indianapolis on Thursday. Saturday's agent, Ralph Cindrich, confirmed the deal to the Associated Press on Thursday night.
He didn't disclose financial details, but said the deal will make Saturday one of the highest-paid centers in the NFL. ...
That's it for this installment. ... Once again, I'll remind those interested in following along more closely to keep an eye on the News & Views and ESPN News Feed sections of the site.
And of course, I'll remind you to check here in the Headline News section for more details stories and in-depth analysis -- including the Weekly Fantasy Notebook -- throughout the offseason.