GILMORE, WALLER ON MOVE
Stephon Gilmore is on the move again, Darren Waller is getting traded from the Raiders less than two weeks after marrying Las Vegas Aces star (and La Jolla Country Day grad) Kelsey Plum, and James Bradberry is staying in Philadelphia.
Those were among the biggest moves on the eve of free agency Tuesday, the second day in which teams were allowed to negotiate with unrestricted free agents.
The deals couldn’t be announced until the start of the league year today and therefore were confirmed by people speaking on condition of anonymity.
In other notable decisions, the Colts will release longtime NFL quarterback Matt Ryan in a cost-cutting move today and the Panthers, who own the top pick in the NFL Draft next month and are targeting a quarterback, found their stopgap QB when they agreed to a two-year, $10 million contract with unrestricted free agent Andy Dalton.
While no teams spent as the Denver Broncos did on Day 1, when they committed a whopping $219.25 million in salaries to a half-dozen players, there was plenty of action leading up to the official start of the league year at 1 p.m. today.
The Broncos’ new WaltonPenner ownership group, by far the richest in the league, continued its spending spree Tuesday by agreeing to a two-year, $7.5 million deal with former Bengals running back Samaje Perine.
The Raiders also were busy again Tuesday, agreeing to a three-year, $33 million deal with former Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who reunites with Raiders coach Josh McDaniels, his former offensive coordinator in New England.
Meyers, who has averaged 70 catches and 800 receiving yards over the past three seasons, was involved in one of the worst gaffes in NFL history when he attempted an unnecessary lateral across the field to quarterback Mac Jones on the final play of a tie game that turned into a touchdown to give the Raiders a win over the Patriots.
The Raiders’ acquisition of Meyers helped make Waller expendable. They agreed to send Waller to the New York Giants for a 2023 third-round draft pick.
Waller, who made the Pro Bowl in 2020, gives Giants quarterback Daniel Jones a major playmaker and an upgrade at tight end. Last year’s starter, Daniel Bellinger, caught 30 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns.
The trade for Waller, 30, is an effort to boost the Giants’ offensive talent around Jones, who agreed to a four-year, $160 million extension this offseason.
Now the Raiders’ offense includes quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, running back Josh Jacobs and receivers Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow and Meyers.
In the NFC, the Cowboys acquired veteran cornerback Gilmore from the Colts for a fifth-round draft pick. The addition of the five-time Pro Bowl selection came on the same day
Dallas re-signed safety Donovan Wilson.
The Cowboys will give up a compensatory fifth-round pick in this year’s draft. It will be the third team in three seasons for Gilmore, the 2019 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year when he was with New England.
The 32-year-old Gilmore played 16 games for the Colts last season, finishing with two interceptions and 11 pass breakups as a four-year Pro Bowl run ended.
The Cowboys also continued a trend of preferring their own free agents, agreeing to contracts to keep leading tackler Wilson (three years, $24 million) and linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (two years, $11 million) in Dallas.
The NFC champion Eagles agreed to a three-year, $38 million contract to keep Bradberry, a second-team All-Pro cornerback, in Philadelphia.
More QB news
The Vikings reached an agreement with quarterback Kirk Cousins to change bonus language in his existing contract that cleared $16 million from their salary cap for 2023.
Cousins will enter his sixth season with the Vikings, currently without a commitment from the club beyond that. His base salary this year is $10 million. His cap charge will now be $20.25 million.
He had a $20 million roster bonus due next week, but this conversion and the accompanying addition of two more void years allowed the Vikings to spread that money evenly on their cap at $4 million annually over five years.
• Setting up a competition at quarterback, the Falcons agreed to terms with Taylor Heinicke on a two-year contract worth up to $20 million.
Heinicke was born in Lawrenceville and played at Collins Hills High School in suburban Atlanta.
Now, after starting 24 games over two seasons with the Commanders, he will compete for a starting job with Desmond Ridder.
Notable
New Orleans Saints receiver
Michael Thomas has agreed to a new one-year, incentive-laden contract worth between $10 million and $15 million for the 2023 season.
• The Texans agreed to send the Buccaneers a sixth-round draft pick for guard Shaq Mason and a seventh-round pick.
Mason started 18 games for the Buccaneers at right guard last season after his first seven years in New England.
• The 49ers agreed to a fouryear contract extension with starting center Jake Brendel
before he could hit the market.
• Backup safety and top special-teams player Andrew Wingard re-signed with the Jaguars on a three-year, $9.6 million contract.
• The Eagles agreed on a contract with running back
Rashaad Penny, a first-round pick by Seattle in 2018 who was limited to six games last season because of a broken fibula.
• The Commanders fired offensive line coach John Matsko
in another change on Ron Rivera’s staff since hiring Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach.