For the first time in many weeks, we have multiple transactions to discuss. Four moves are discussed below and, as always, the rest of the moves are down below with some of the more significant ones highlighted in red.
Oakland Raiders re-sign WR Michael Crabtree
Since drafting quarterback Derek Carr in 2014, the Raiders have made a point to build around their young quarterback.
The biggest move was drafting wide receiver Amari Cooper in the first round, and the latest move is signing Crabtree to a contract extension.
The 28-year-old joined Oakland this past offseason after six years in San Francisco, signing a one-year prove it contract. Now, he will be in Oakland for years to come, signing a four-year contract extension worth $34 million with $19 million guaranteed. This average of $8.5 million per season makes him the one of the 20 highest paid wide receivers in the NFL, per Over The Cap.
In 2012, the former first round pick broke out, catching 85 passes for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns, and the 49ers made it all the way to the Super Bowl.
After that standout year, he suffered a torn Achilles, which caused him to miss most of 2013, and he never looked quite right in 2014.
Through 12 games this year, he already has 66 receptions for 760 yards and seven touchdowns, and has developed a good rapport with Carr.
Cooper and Crabtree have provided the Raiders with much needed playmaking talent on offense. The development of an excellent passing attack is one of the reasons Oakland is a team on the rise.
Cleveland Browns re-sign TE Gary Barnidge
As the only 2-10 team in the NFL, Cleveland is in the middle of another disappointing season and are the leaders for the No. 1 selection in the upcoming draft.
One of the few bright spots in this forgettable season has been the performance of tight end Gary Barnidge, who the Browns signed to a three-year contract extension worth about $12 million.
Breakout seasons usually come from players in their mid-20s, who are finally coming into their own. However, Barnidge had his a major breakout this season at the age of 30.
So far he has caught 60 passes for 817 yards and seven touchdowns. In an eight game stretch he caught all seven of his touchdowns and topped 100 yards three times.
Prior to this season, he had a career high of 13 receptions (2013 and 2014), 242 yards (2009) and two touchdowns (2013).
He spent the first five years of his career in Carolina, the team who draft him in the fifth round of the 2008 draft.
Without a doubt, he has been one of the best tight ends in the NFL this season, and Cleveland isn’t spending too much money on re-signing him.
Arizona Cardinals re-sign CB Justin Bethel
Arizona’s secondary contain’s two of the most well-known defenders in the league, Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu. While these two are high-level defenders, they aren’t the only players in the Cardinals’ secondary.
An emerging talent next to these two is Bethel, a 25-year-old cornerback who was a sixth-round pick in 2012 out of Presbyterian.
Set to become a free agent at the end of the season, he inked a three-year contract extension worth $15 million with $9 million guaranteed, $3 million of which is a signing bonus.
At the beginning of his career, he received very little playing time on defense (13 snaps in 2012, none in 2013 and 104 in 2014, per Pro Football Focus), but became a core special teams player, recording 49 tackles in three seasons, including 20 in 2013.
This special teams prowess earned him two Pro Bowl berths (2013 and 2014) and one All-Pro nomination (2013).
This year, he has been just as effective on special teams (10 tackles), but has seen his role on defense increase. He has played 262 snaps and started the first two games of his career (weeks eight and 13).
Only 39.5 percent of passes thrown his way have been completed, the best number for cornerbacks (minimum 25 percent of snaps played).
With Bethel emerging as a rising cornerback, and continuing his elite special teams play, Arizona moved to lock him up for the future.
Seattle Seahawks cut CB Cary Williams
On the flip side of the cornerback spectrum, the Seahawks released Williams, who they signed during the offseason.
After Philadelphia released Williams in March, Seattle quickly added him on a three-year contract worth $18 million with $7 million guaranteed. This move was done with the intent to have him replace the departed Bryon Maxwell as the Seahawks’ No. 2 cornerback.
The 30-year-old Williams started the first 10 games of the season and recorded 46 tackles, four passes defensed, one sack and one forced fumble. In weeks 12 and 13 he was a healthy inactive, which was a sign of things to come.
He struggled in coverage, allowing 64.1 percent of passes to be completed, and opposing quarterback had a rating of 120.6 when targeting receivers covered by Williams.
Pro Football Focus has him graded as the 11th-worst cornerback in coverage so far this season (out of 116 qualifiers).
With nine years of NFL experience and 75 career starts, Williams is a known commodity at cornerback. Teams are always looking to upgrade the cornerback position, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Williams quickly found a new team.
Other Moves:
The Arizona Cardinals sign S D.J. Swearinger.
The Baltimore Ravens sign TE Richard Gordon.
The Baltimore Ravens sign TE Konrad Reuland.
The Baltimore Ravens release CB Cassius Vaughn.
The Buffalo Bills sign RB Mike Gillislee.
The Buffalo Bills waive C Gabe Ikard.
The Buffalo Bills sign TE Nick O’Leary.
The Buffalo Bills release TE Matthew Mulligan.
the Buffalo Bills sign LB A.J. Tarpley.
The Chicago Bears sign TE Rob Housler.
The Cincinnati Bengals sign CB Troy Hill.
The Cincinnati Bengals waive CB Chris Lewis-Harris.
The Cleveland Browns sign WR Darius Jennings.
The Cleveland Browns waive OT Darrian Miller.
The Cleveland Browns claim C Gabe Ikard off waivers.
The Cleveland Browns sign OT Darrian Miller.
The Denver Broncos cut QB Christian Ponder.
The Denver Broncos sign S Shiloh Keo.
The Indianapolis Colts sign LB Armalo Herrera.
The Indianapolis Colts sign CB Jalil Brown.
The Indianapolis Colts cut CB Josh Thomas.
The Jacksonville Jaguars sign WR Rashad Lawrence.
The Jacksonville Jaguars sign LB Joplo Bartu.
The Kansas City Chiefs sign OL Jarrod Pugsley.
The Kansas City Chiefs cut C Daniel Munyer
The Miami Dolphins sign DE Jordan Williams.
The Miami Dolphins release TE Brandon Williams.
The Miami Dolphins sign TE Brandon Williams.
The Miami Dolphins cut S Jordan Kovacs.
The Minnesota Vikings sign S Anthony Harris.
The Minnesota Vikings sign S Shaun Prater.
The Minnesota Vikings cut DE Justin Trattou.
The New England Patriots waive CB Rashaan Melvin.
The New England Patriots sign CB Leonard Johnson.
The New England Patriots waive RB Trey Williams.
The New Orleans Saints sign FB Austin Johnson.
The New York Giants sign LB James Morris.
The New York Giants waive CB Leon McFadden.
The New York Giants sign LS Danny Aiken.
The New York Giants sign CB Tramain Jacobs.
The New York Jets sign S Ronald Martin.
The Oakland Raiders sign FB Jamize Olawale to a three-year contract extension.
The Philadelphia Eagles cut WR Miles Austin.
The Philadelphia Eagles sign LB Steven Means.
The San Diego Chargers sign WR Vincent Brown.
The San Diego Chargers waive S Adrian Phillips.
The San Francisco 49ers waive LB Shayne Skov.
The San Francisco 49ers sign LB Shayne Skov.
The Seattle Seahawks sign RB DuJuan Harris.
The Seattle Seahawks waive TE Chase Coffman.
The Seattle Seahawks sign S Akeem Davis.
The Seattle Seahawks sign TE Anthony McCoy.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign LB Orie Lemon.
The Washington Redskins waive-injured S Trenton Robinson.
The Washington Redskins sign LB Carlos Fields.
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