Entries Tagged 'Free Agency' ↓

The Miami Herald reports that St. Louis coach Stott Linehan is interested in Ricky Williams. The Dolphins might not be interested in Williams, who is awaiting reinstatement.

After some troubles, punter Todd Sauerbrun has been declared a free agent, free to sign with whoever he wants. Most likely, that means Denver, who he has already expressed interest in.

He was released from Denver in October while serving a suspension for using a banned substance (see: steroids) and was signed by New England. A grievance was heard on Tuesday as to whether or not New England had rights of first refusal. The NFLPA argued that New England had not handled everything correctly in his contract and chose not to inform him that they did not have rights of first refusal.

“He is free,” said attorney Jeff Kessler, the outside counsel for the NFL Players’ Association who argued the case. “I assume a team he might sign with is Denver but that is between him and the Broncos. Todd is completely unrestricted.”

With the Chiefs and Dolphins getting closer — and yet farther away — to wrapping up the Trent Green trade, Daunte Culpepper’s tenure with the team is coming to a close. After high expectations for 2006, Culpepper began the season as the most sacked quarterback in the league before an injury sidelined him. Surgery (4 months ago) continues to leave him riding the stationary bike while his teammates practice in minicamps.

However, the Dolphins may wish to wait until the Green trade is complete before letting Culpepper loose. While he may still be injured, he acts as leverage in the trade by making the Dolphins seem less desperate. Not having a quarterback on the roster who can start in 2007 would allow the Chiefs to push up the price on Green or leave it where it is at — a 2nd round draft pick. Miami does not want to pay that much for Green, though a 3rd rounder or two mid-late rounders is not impossible.

Boston.com reports a deal that will send Cincinnati corner Tory James to New England for one season. The Patriots have been rumored to be seeking the veteran’s services for some time now. The Green Bay Packers were also rumored to be seeking James.

This deal effectively gives New England a durable starting defensive back (he’s started every game for the past four seasons), although his age is of some concern. However, being a 34 year old, it’s no surprise the Patriots didn’t want to sign him past one season. Expect Belichick to make the most of the veteran’s abilities, especially with Asante Samuel’s future in New England on the edge.

The Tennessean reports that there may not be a trade to send San Diego’s Michael Turner anywhere.

“As of right now, it looks like Michael is going to be in San Diego,” Turner’s agent Bus Cook said.

This is news that has direct implications on both the draft and Corey Dillon’s stock. The latter has been waiting for Turner to find a deal before making a move, but this news is going to make suitors that much more desperate to land a running back before the draft. Not that it won’t be Turner; it’s still possible a team will make an offer that the Chargers will not refuse. But for the moment, let’s assume a Turner deal isn’t made.

The Miami Herald reports that quarterback Daunte Culpepper’s future in Miami is not set in stone. Culpepper is still nursing from a knee surgery and has now revealed that it could take at least 2 more months before his recovery nears its end.

Unfortunately for the team, however, Daunte Culpepper is the only quarterback on the team — at this point — qualified to start when the season begins. Last season’s starter more most of the season, Joey Harrington, has left for Atlanta where he will begin next season backing up Michael Vick.

SportsYA reports that Oakland has come to terms with ex-Denver guard Cooper Carlisle. The deal will reportedly keep the offensive lineman in Oakland for the next two years.

The reasoning behind the signing is obvious –the Raiders offensive line last season managed to let enough defenders slip through the cracks of the line and sack the quarterback a league leading 72 times. 72 times over the course of one season — about 4.5 times per game — was definitely enough to keep Oakland from seeing any successes. After all, the offense was what held the team back last season.

The Denver Post reports that the Broncos intend to release linebacker Al Wilson later today. Wilson, who has been the team’s defensive captain and emotional leader for since his entrance into the league in 1999, will be missed by fans, teammates, and coaches.

Safety John Lynch will assume many of the leadership duties, his personality making him a good fit for that position.

The Broncos’ reasoning behind letting Wilson go is simple and is the way of the NFL as a business. Because of Wilson’s injury concerns and a hefty contract, Denver is merely performing this release in a business sense. Wilson has done nothing to let down the staff or his teammates, quite the opposite, in fact.

After losing veteran leader Joe Horn to the Atlanta Falcons earlier this offseason, the team has found a receiver to add depth to the position and just maybe make an impact. According to Metronews, New Orleans signed wide receiver David Patten to a one year contract.

Patten helped the Patriots during their three Super Bowl wins, but left for Washington following the third. He played in only 14 games during the 2005-06 seasons combined. In fact, he has not made a start since 2005, and he caught only one pass last season.

An AP report says that Denver has signed free agent wide receiver David Terrell to a one year deal. The Broncos released Terrell, 28, last season and he began voluntarily campaigning for presidential hopeful Barrack Obama.

“I have so much respect for the man,” Terrell said. “And I want to do what I can to help.”

But now that he is back in Denver, it means that the Broncos have added even more depth and strength to the receiving corps. Earlier this offseason Denver landed ex-Colt Brandon Stokley, meaning the team now has four veteran wide receivers: Stokley, Terrell, Rod Smith, and Javon Walker.