Business year begins with flurry of activity
All those promises worth millions upon millions to free agents turned into paydays Wednesday when the NFL’s business year began.
Of course, teams needed to clear salary-cap space or rejigger their ledgers to make it work.
While the likes of Drew Brees, Malcolm Butler and Andrew Norwell cashed in big-time, having reached agreements in the previous two days before everything became official, some value entered the marketplace.
Arizona released safety Tyrann Mathieu when it couldn’t rework his deal. On Tuesday, the Cardinals let running back Adrian Peterson go.
Baltimore cut receiver Jeremy Maclin. Detroit said goodbye to tight end Eric Ebron. Pittsburgh tore up a secondary that often was torn up by opposing quarterbacks, releasing Mike Mitchell, Robert Golden and William Gay.
Carolina had more success with one of its own, completing a one-year deal with defensive end Julius Peppers.
The 38-year-old, who contemplated retirement after 17 pro seasons, remains with the Panthers for $5 million, with $2.5 million guaranteed.
Cleveland, meanwhile, did nothing more than listen to one of its greatest players, tackle Joe Thomas, announce his retirement. The Browns save his $10.3 million salary for 2018 and a $3 million bonus but lose their best player and leader in the expansion era (1999-present), a 10time Pro Bowler.
“This was an extremely difficult decision, but the right one for me and my family,” Thomas said. “Playing in the NFL has taken a toll on my body and I can no longer physically compete at the level I need to.”
Highlights from Day 1:
Cardinals: Mathieu was due for $18.75 million of his contract to be guaranteed when the league year officially began. By cutting him, Arizona will save close to $5 million in cap space.
Mathieu thrived in the Arizona secondary after being selected in the third round of the 2013 draft out of LSU. He was an All-Pro in 2015, when he had five interceptions and 17 passes defensed. He also, though, has been plagued by injuries and only last season did Mathieu appear in all 16 games.
Ravens: Baltimore frees up an estimated $5 million in salarycap space by releasing Maclin, who signed as a free agent in June. Maclin missed two games with a shoulder injury, two more with knee issues, and finished with only 40 catches for 440 yards and three touchdowns.
The Ravens agreed to deals with receivers John Brown and Ryan Grant. Brown, 27, spent four years in Arizona and is a deep threat. He also can return kicks. Grant, also 27, was with Washington for four seasons.
Giants: New York agreed with offensive tackle Nate Solder, late of the Patriots, to become its starter on the left side. Solder, 29, will get a four-year contract worth about $62 million.
Titans: Tennessee kept right guard Josh Kline and defensive end David King with new contracts after making a splash in free agency by getting Butler for $60 million over five years ($30 million guaranteed) and also taking running back Dion Lewis from New England.
Bills: Buffalo restocked its quarterback position by agreeing to a two-year contract with AJ McCarron, five days after the Bills traded three-year starter Tyrod Taylor to Cleveland. McCarron, 27, spent the past four seasons backing up Andy Dalton in Cincinnati.
The Bills also added defensive end Trent Murphy from Washington. The Stanford alum had 15 sacks in 47 games, including nine in 2016, then sat out last season after tearing two ligaments in his left knee in a preseason game.
Dolphins: Five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh officially was released, when the trades to acquire defensive end Robert Quinn and send Jarvis Landry to the Browns were formalized.
Miami also released tight end Julius Thomas, but decided to keep right tackle Ja’Wuan James, which guarantees him $9.34 million in 2018.
Chargers: Tight end Virgil Green got a three-year contract and safety Adrian Phillips re-signed with a one-year deal. Green spent the past seven seasons with the Broncos, starting all 16 games last season.
Jets: New York signed linebacker Avery Williamson to a threeyear contract worth $22.5 million. Williamson spent his first four NFL seasons with Tennessee and led the Titans in tackles in two of those years.