Whisenhunt gets second interview with Browns

Reuters

Former Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt seems to have made an impression on the Browns.

According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Whisenhunt is in Cleveland today for a second interview.

While Whisenhunt’s 45-51 regular season record won’t inspire much passion from casual fans, the guy went to a Super Bowl in Arizona, which is far from a given. He looked far smarter when he had Kurt Warner, and far of a coach when he had John Skelton, Ryan Lindley and Brian Hoyer.

The Browns have cast a wide net, but a second interview with Whisenhunt could indicate things are narrowing a bit.

AP

The most complete defensive end in the free-agent class (according to his agent) may be completing his career in New York, after all. Or at least continuing it.

Per a league source, Tuck’s exploration of the market currently is causing him to lean toward remaining with the Giants.

One team, we’re told, was willing to pay Tuck $3 million per year.  For that amount elsewhere, Tuck is inclined to stay in New York.

The question becomes whether anyone else would pay Tuck more.  Sure, he turns 31 this month.  But he had 11.0 sacks last season.  With the market nudging toward $9 million per year, it’s hard to imaging Tuck not getting more than a third of that.

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The Lions are poised to sign one the top prospective restricted free agents of 2014 to a new contract.

Adam Caplan of ESPN reports running back Joique Bell has come to terms on a two-year, $7 million contract with Detroit.

The deal contains $4.3 million in guarantees, Caplan reports.

Bell’s versatility has suited him well in a pass-happy Detroit offense. The 27-year-old Wayne State product rushed for 650 yards and eight TDs on 166 carries and added 53 receptions for 547 yards in 2013.

Bell and Reggie Bush look likely to again be the Lions’ top tailbacks in 2014.

AP

Every year, free agents emerge and sign quickly who weren’t necessarily in the middle of radar screen in the days before the process opened.

This year, one guy who’s not getting a lot of attention will be popping up with a new team within 24 hours after the light goes green: Buccaneers linebacker Dekoda Watson. Per a league source, Watson is expected to sign a contract with a team other than Tampa soon after the free-agency frenzy launches.

A seventh-round pick in 2010, he has appeared in 60 career games with six starts. The Bucs would like to keep him, but not at the numbers he’s likely to get elsewhere.

And here’s where we usually mention a guy’s spot on the PFT Free Agent Hot 100. The only problem? Watson didn’t make the cut.

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The Patriots have held the door open for free agent linebacker Brandon Spikes, and his potential replacement could be on his way in.

Via Tom Curran of CSNNE.com, Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard is scheduled to visit the Patriots.

(Of course, now that word’s out, there’s always the chance he won’t make it.)

Woodyard is undersized but fast, and would definitely give the Patriots a different dynamic at the position than Spikes.

He had 15 tackles and a forced fumble against the Patriots in the regular season, and clearly made an impression.

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Giants punter Steve Weatherford has reportedly had his salary cut for 2014.

Weatherford, who was due $2.025 million in salary next season, will instead draw a salary of $900,000, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.

Weatherford can recapture $1.125 million in incentives, Vacchiano reported.

According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, Weatherford’s had his pay reduced by $950,000, though Weatherford can make $350,000 in incentives in 2014.

Weatherford, 31, posted a 38.2-yard net average in 2013. Opponents returned 48 of Weatherford’s 91 punts racking up 655 yards and three TDs. All three punt-return scores came in the Giants’ first seven games.

AP

He might not get the full treatment his friend Jordan Gross got earlier this offseason, but the Panthers lost another longtime blocker to retirement.

According to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer, free agent guard Geoff Hangartner has decided to retire after nine seasons.

The former fifth-round pick was a smart and capable blocker, but was out of work when the call came to rejoin his old pals Gross and Travelle Wharton. 

“I’ve known for a while I was going to retire,” I knew when I came back this was going to be my last year. It was a good way for me to end because I got to come back and play for a team I loved playing for and finish out with my buddies. Luckily we had some success, which made it even more fun. It was a fitting way for me to end my career.”

Hangartner started 85 games in his career (including a stint when he left the Panthers to sign with the Bills), and came back as part of the Panthers right guard by committee/Spinal Tap drummer search this year.

AP

The Buccaneers are expected to cut Darrelle Revis tomorrow, unless they can find a trading partner. So where will they find a trading partner?

Perhaps in Cleveland, where Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the Browns are considering trading for Revis.

Why trade for Revis when he’s about to be on the free market anyway? One reason could be that the Browns think Revis can command even more money on the free market than the $16 million a year he makes on his current contract. Another could be that the Browns think that if Revis were to become a free agent, he wouldn’t want to play for the Browns.

Browns coach Mike Pettine knows Revis well: Pettine was the defensive coordinator of the Jets from 2009 to 2012, and Revis was a first-team All-Pro in all three of his healthy seasons playing in Pettine’s defense.

Revis is one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks, and the Browns have the cap space to afford him. Revis in a Browns uniform sounds farfetched, but it could happen.

Reuters

As new Texans head coach Bill O’Brien remakes his team, he’s clearly going to be moving some parts from last year’s 2-14 bunch.

But in a bit of a surprise, one of the first moves was away from a guy who was productive when they were still good.

According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans are releasing tight end Owen Daniels.

The move clears $4.5 million worth of cap room, but Daniels had been willing to restructure. He missed 11 games last year after breaking his tibial plateau, but was coming off a 62-catch, six-touchdown season in 2012.

The 31-year-old Daniels should still draw a good market if he’s well. Considering former Texans coach Gary Kubiak is now with the Ravens, that becomes one of the first potential landing spots.

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Not everyone celebrates New Year’s Day on January 1.  For the NFL, it’s a day in March that is determined at some point before March.

This year, today’s the day.  So Merry New Year!

As of 4:00 p.m. ET, the NFL’s 2014 year officially begins.  At that point, every team must be in compliance with the salary cap.  At that point, trades may happen.

At that point, free agents may actually receive offers and reach agreements and make travel plans and otherwise hit the market.

The official start of the new league years comes after three-plus days of illogical negotiations that can’t become a consensus.  And as we get closer to 4:00 p.m. ET, it’s becoming harder to keep the non-deal deals under wraps.

If the NFL is serious about its rules, the NFL will investigate every report of a premature agreements and/or travel plans made before 4:00 p.m. ET.  While it could be hard to get reporters to name their sources, some of the reports are coming from the NFL’s house band, which makes it (in theory) a lot easier to compel cooperation, if the NFL is truly serious about enforcing its bizarre negotiate-but-don’t-agree tampering window.

Don’t count on that happening.  The league simply wants to keep the deals under wraps until 4:00 p.m. ET, in the hopes of eventually crafting a college football-style signing day, where players will announce in 15 minute intervals their next destinations, live on NFL Network.

For now, it’s a free for all.  And you can follow all of it right here — for free — through the rest of the day and all night and into Wednesday and beyond.

Beyond a constant stream of posts, we’ll be talking free agency on PFT Live at noon ET and on Pro Football Talk on NBCSN at 5:30 p.m. ET.

See you there.  See you here.  See you wherever.

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We’re hours away from the official start of free agency, although there’s been plenty of chatter already about deals that are set to be signed when the clock strikes 4 p.m. ET.

We’ve heard about Miami locking up tackle Branden Albert, Tampa landing defensive end Michael Johnson and several other deals that we’ll run down during the show. Mike Florio will have the latest on other expected moves as well as we edge even closer to the feeding frenzy that is NFL free agency.

Florio will be welcoming fellow PFTers MDS and Darin Gantt to the show to help set the stage. He’ll be talking to Gantt about the apparent end of the road for wide receiver Steve Smith in Carolina and what else the Panthers might have in the works for the first stage of free agency.

It all gets started at noon ET and you can watch it all live by clicking right here.

AP

Technically, NFL teams aren’t allowed to reach an agreement on a contract with an unrestricted free agent until unrestricted free agency officially opens today at 4 p.m. Eastern. In reality, teams and agents have been negotiating for the last three days, and in some cases the agreements are already done.

In the case of the Buccaneers and free agent defensive end Michael Johnson, Josina Anderson of ESPN reports that they’ve already agreed to a five-year, $43.75 million deal, with $24 million guaranteed. The deal can’t be announced until free agency officially opens in five hours, but that doesn’t stop the two sides from having an understanding.

If the Bucs have already come to an agreement with a free agent, they’ve technically broken the rules. But the rules just aren’t realistic. The whole point of team executives and agents talking right now is to try to reach an agreement on a contract.

In this case, the Bucs and Johnson have apparently reached an agreement a little early. Johnson should be a good fit in Lovie Smith’s defense, even if Smith still has to wait five more hours before he can officially say so.

AP

The Texans did a little housekeeping on Tuesday morning to open up more cap space for them to put to use on Tuesday afternoon and beyond.

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports that the team waived cornerback Brice McCain. McCain signed a three-year, $5.25 million deal withHouston before last season, but struggled badly last season in pass coverage.

McCain joined the Texans as a sixth-round pick in 2009 and played in 72 games for them over the last five seasons. Most of his work came in sub packages and McCain leaves the team with five interceptions over the course of his time in Houston.

The move saves the Texans $900,000, which they could use toward addressing the need for better cornerback depth that existed even before McCain was sent packing. According to McClain, however, the team is expected to do that in the draft more than free agency.

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The Bengals biggest free agent name of the year probably won’t return, but at least their return man will.

According to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports, Bengals wide receiver Brandon Tate has re-signed with the team.

Tate has yet to make much of a dent on offense, either with the Patriots or the Bengals, but was a solid return man, averaging 26.1 yards per kickoff and 9.3 yards per punt last year.

With the Bengals expected to lose free agent defensive end Michael Johnson, likely to the Buccaneers, they need to keep as many existing pieces in place as they can.

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Reports on Monday had linebacker Perry Riley agreeing to a contract that would keep him in Washington.

The Redskins made it official on Tuesday, announcing that Riley has re-signed with the team. The team offered no details about the terms of the deal, but Dianna Russini of NBC News 4 in Washington, D.C., who reported Riley’s return, reports that it is a three-year deal worth $13 million.

Riley has started every game for the Redskins over the last two seasons and 40 straight overall, all of them alongside London Fletcher. With Fletcher almost certainly retired, the team will have to find the right partner for Riley going forward. Riley’s on the small side for an inside linebacker, so it wouldn’t hurt for the team to pair him with a bigger player who does strong work against the run.

The Redskins used their franchise tag on linebacker Brian Orakpo, so they’ve now assured the return of two defensive starters to a unit that has a lot of room for improvement over last season’s efforts.

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AP

A year ago, the last thing we’d expect to be writing on the first day of free agency is a story titled “McCown wants to get a deal done quickly.”

Even then, it would have more likely applied to Luke than Josh.

As it stands, the 34-year-old Josh McCown has become a hot name in a fairly cold quarterback market.  Appearing Tuesday on SiriusXM NFL Radio, McCown said that he hopes to get a new deal with a new team done quickly.

McCown also said his list of potential teams is down to one or two.

He scoffed at the idea that he’s too old to be a starter, calling himself a “young 34.”  McCown pointed out that, because he hasn’t played as much as other 30-something starters, he has taken less hits.

Here’s another important point — plenty of quarterbacks are playing at a high level in their 30s.  From Peyton Manning to Tom Brady to Drew Brees to Ben Roethlisberger to Philip Rivers to Tony Romo to Carson Palmer to Aaron Rodgers to Jay Cutler to Eli Manning, many high-end NFL quarterbacks have an age higher than 29.

For McCown, whose eight appearances and five starts in 2013 were his most since starting and playing in nine games for the Raiders in 2007, the question becomes whether he’ll be able to duplicate last year’s performance in a new system.  From a 66.5-percent completion percentage to 8.2 yards per attempt to 13 touchdowns to only one interception, McCown hit a level with Bears coach Marc Trestman that McCown has never before seen.

Still, in a league with more teams than competent quarterbacks, someone will be taking a chance on McCown.  And there’s a chance that a guy whose reward for winning the NFC offensive player of the week award was to be sent back to the bench could have three or four more years of quality play before calling it quits.

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