Fullback Vitale leaves Packers for Patriots
The Green Bay Packers have one less guy in their backfield and are now on the lookout for a fullback.
Danny Vitale, the team’s fullback and a core special teams player, is headed to the New England Patriots, according to his agent, Chris Cabott.
The Packers had discussions with Cabott about Vitale, who underwent knee surgery after the season and has not been able to meet with the Patriots because of the ban on player travel the NFL has instituted due to the coronavirus.
Vitale wasn’t a high priority on the Packers’ free-agent list. He only played 174 plays from scrimmage or 15.7% of the offensive snaps. He played far more on special teams with 193 snaps or 44.7% of the plays.
Vitale is the fifth Packers unrestricted free agent to leave the team, joining linebackers Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell (Giants), tackle Bryan Bulaga (Chargers) and linebacker B.J. Goodson (Browns).
In other moves:
❚ The Denver Broncos continued an impressive offseason haul Friday by agreeing to a two-year deal with former Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon.
A person with knowledge of the deal said that it’s worth $16 million with all but $2.5 million guaranteed.
Although that’s less than the $10 million annually that the former Wisconsin star turned down from the Chargers during an unsuccessful holdout for a long-term extension last season, it does allow him the opportunity to face his old team twice a year and to hit free agency again in 2022 at age 28.
His $8 million annual salary also ranks fourth in the NFL among running backs.
Gordon’s arrival bolsters a Denver offense that has stagnated in recent years and which produced just 17.6 points a game in 2019.
Gordon held out through the first three weeks of the regular season last year and scored nine touchdowns in his return.
❚ Six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, saying he is embarking on a “new football journey.”
The 42-year-old quarterback who spent the first 20 years of his career with the New England Patriots announced his decision Friday in an Instagram post and thanked the Bucs for the opportunity.
The deal is worth $30 million per season.
The signing comes three days after Brady announced on social media that he would not return to New England, ending his historic run with the Patriots.
❚ The Atlanta Falcons agreed to a one-year deal with three-time Pro Bowl running back Todd Gurley.
The agreement with the 25-year-old Gurley comes less than a week after the Falcons released running back Devonta Freeman. Atlanta ranked only 30th in the NFL in rushing in 2019.
Gurley was released by the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, minutes before $10.5 million in his contract became fully guaranteed.
Gurley has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in three of his five seasons with the Rams. He ran for a career-low 857 yards with the Rams last season. His average of 3.8 yards per carry was the second-lowest of his career.
❚ The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a deal with safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, adding a familiar name for new coach Mike McCarthy.
The 27-year-old’s addition comes at a position the Cowboys have largely ignored in free agency and the draft in recent years.
McCarthy was the coach in Green Bay when the Packers drafted ClintonDix 21st overall in 2014.
He had 14 of his 16 career interceptions with Green Bay, including a career-high five in 2016. The Packers traded him to Washington during the 2018 season, and Clinton-Dix spent last year in Chicago.