nfl free agency 2013

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Last week, when the Jets pressed “pause” on the Darrelle Revis trade talks, some thought that another team or two could try to jump into the fray.

It didn’t happen.

In fact, it never happened. Per a source with knowledge of the process, it was always Tampa — and only Tampa.

That reality kept the Jets from getting more than a first-round pick in 2013 and a fourth-round pick in 2014 (which will become a third-round pick if he’s on the Tampa Bay offseason roster next year). It also kept Revis from getting anything more finite than a pay-as-you-go contract that promises him annual compensation of $16 million, with nothing guaranteed.

In the end, it was the best deal the Jets and Revis could get, because it was the only deal they could get.

“If we had the luxury of time, if we had the luxury of Darrelle not having been injured, not having gone through rehab, then I think things would be a lot clearer both from our standpoint and in the case of potential trade suitors,” G.M. John Idzik told reporters on Sunday.

He’s right. Only one team was willing to give up a first-round pick plus a 2014 selection for the hope that Revis will be back to his old self after ACL replacement. Only one team was willing to commit $16 million to him for 2013. (Though it’s not actually guaranteed, there’s no way he’ll be cut before Week One, when his $13 million base salary becomes guaranteed as a practical matter by the labor deal.)

Perhaps most importantly, only one team was willing to do a deal that, if Revis goes back to being Revis, will necessitate an adjustment or risk his third career holdout.

The thinking was that the next contract for Revis would have to carry enough guaranteed money to make him or his agents never complain again about his compensation. The Bucs instead have created a situation in which it’s highly unlikely that both sides consistently will be content with Revis earning total compensation that equates to $1 million per game.

If he plays poorly, the Buccaneers eventually will have to explore paying him less, or possibly moving on. If he plays well, the Bucs will have to brace for Revis wanting more.

Still, after blowing a first-round pick in 2008 on Aqib Talib and a third-round pick in 2010 on Myron Lewis, the Bucs will now gamble those same two picks on the chance that Revis will get back to form. If he does, and if he wants more money because of that, it’ll be a very good problem for the Buccaneers to have.

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The Bills hosted veteran linebacker Karlos Dansby earlier this week for a visit that ended without a contract offer.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be a contract offer in the future, however. General Manager Buddy Nix gave an update about Dansby’s visit on Thursday and said that the team would continue to be in touch with Dansby in the coming days.

“He had a good visit,” Nix said, via the Bills website. “We liked him. It’s still ongoing. It’s not dead, but it’s not done either.”

With the draft about to start, there’s not much reason for the Bills to pull the trigger on Dansby immediately. There isn’t anyone else in hot pursuit now that the Bengals have signed James Harrison and the draft may bring them a linebacker they want more than they want Dansby.

There’s obviously a flip side to that where Dansby’s experience makes him an appealing addition regardless of how the next three days play out for Buffalo.

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The Vikings rolled the dice on a member of the Carter family with a shaky reputation in 1990 and it paid off with a Hall of Fame wide receiver.

They’re trying a version of the same gamble again this year. Cris Carter told Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that his son Duron, who is also a wide receiver, will sign with the team as an undrafted free agent.

It’s not the first time the younger Carter has tried to follow in his father’s footsteps. He started his collegiate career at Ohio State, Cris Carter’s alma mater, before transferring to junior college because of academic problems. He went on to transfer to both Alabama and Florida Atlantic, but didn’t play at either school because of continued problems in the classroom. Earlier this month, his father told Mike Garafolo of USA Today that his son has the ability to play in the NFL and wasn’t a problematic kid outside of the fact that he just “hates” school.

He’ll get his shot to prove that assessment right with the Vikings this summer. The Vikings added Cordarrelle Patterson in the first round of the draft, but their depth chart at receiver is fairly unsettled behind Greg Jennings and Patterson. It’s still a long shot, but it could pay off to make a big summer even better for the Carter family.

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Running back LaDainian Tomlinson did not have a good relationship with former Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith, something that helped preclude a last hurrah with the team before Tomlinson retired last year.

There’s a new regime in San Diego now and it apparently comes with a more open mind about Tomlinson wearing a lightning bolt on his helmet. Tomlinson told Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports that the team contacted him about pausing his retirement for a return to the Chargers for the 2013 season.

“I met [General Manager] Tom Telesco and [coach] Mike McCoy at the combine, and they asked me to come back and play,” Tomlinson said. “I saw [executive vice president] John Spanos at a restaurant in Indy, and he introduced me to them, and they brought it up. At first I thought they weren’t really serious, but they kept talking about it, and I realized it was real. They said, ‘You can come back and carry it 10 or 12 times a game. We’d like to have you here.’”

Tomlinson appreciated the offer, but decided to pass on the chance to get back on the football field.

“No, because when I made the decision to walk away, I wrestled with it long and hard, and I knew it was final. Once I retired, that was it. My mind is in a different place. Mentally, going back would have been too hard.”

A desire to give the 33-year-old Tomlinson 10-12 touches a game suggests that the Chargers would like to lessen Ryan Mathews‘ workload. They signed Danny Woodhead as a free agent, but didn’t add any other help at running back with their six selections in the draft.

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Collin Klein put together a stellar collegiate career as a quarterback at Kansas State, culminating in a trip to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist last year.

It wasn’t enough to get him drafted, however. Klein’s name wasn’t called during the seven rounds of the 2013 NFL Draft, leaving him to sign with a team as an undrafted free agent.

Klein’s made that choice and he’ll try to make the Texans this summer. Klein announced the signing on Twitter on Saturday night and now we’ll see if he makes his bid for the roster as a quarterback.

Klein was asked to work out at tight end at the combine, but chose to make his case for a shot as a quarterback. His awkward throwing motion and limited upside as a passer made that a losing bet in the draft and it is hard to imagine the run-first Klein making the team in that role. The Texans currently have T.J. Yates, Case Keenum and Stephen McGee on the depth chart behind starter Matt Schaub.

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No one was willing to take a chance on picking wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers, but it didn’t take him long after the draft to find a home, signing with the Bills.

The one-time teammate of Cordarrelle Patterson (first round, Vikings) and Justin Hunter (second round, Titans) at Tennessee, he was kicked out last August after failing multiple drug tests, and finished up at Tennessee Tech.

“He’s the most polished of those three Tennessee receivers in my opinion in terms of route running and all that,” Bills scout Tom Roth said, via the team’s official website. “He reminds me physically of Eric Moulds, that body type. That’s what I thought when I saw him. A big, physical, muscular guy. Explosive. He had a 39-inch vertical. He ran a 4.48 at the Combine. He’s got all the physical stuff.”

As a sophomore in 2011, Rogers was All-SEC, catching 67 passes for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns. But for whatever reason, the off-field concerns were significant enough to cause him to slide beyond the draft, in a way that didn’t impact Tyrann Mathieu’s status, despite a similar storyline.

If the problems are behind him, they might have found a steal. If not, he’ll be discarded with most of the rest of the slappies who are signed after the draft, wasting a promising talent.

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The Jaguars were considered a team likely to draft a quarterback this year and they did select a guy who made a name for himself at the position in college.

Denard Robinson isn’t going to be playing quarterback in the NFL, however, and the seventh round ended without the Jaguars adding any competition for Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne. That changed once the team started signing undrafted players to contracts.

The Jaguars signed quarterbacks Jordan Rodgers and Matt Scott as free agents, adding two more arms to the mix that will compete this summer. Rodgers started at Vanderbilt for the last two years and showed steady improvement over that time, although the fact that he went undrafted didn’t come as much of a surprise. Rodgers, who announced his signing on Twitter, will be trying to earn a contract that pays significantly less than the one his brother Aaron just got from the Packers.

Scott also broke the word about joining the Jags on Twitter and his drop to the undrafted ranks was a bit more unexpected. The Arizona product visited a lot of teams during the weeks before the draft and his ability to use his feet as well as his arm had some people talking about him as a middle-round pick. Like most quarterbacks in this draft, though, Scott found a soft market for his services.

With the new Jaguars regime less than sold on Gabbert and Henne, Jacksonville’s not a bad place for an undrafted quarterback to land. Rodgers and Scott should get more than cursory looks to see if they can help the offense.

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The Chargers have reached deals with 20 undrafted rookie free agents, the team said Saturday night.

Georgia nose tackle Kwame Geathers, who is trying to join brothers Robert and Clifton on NFL rosters, is among the Chargers’ post-draft additions. Robert Geathers is entering his 10th season with the Bengals, while Clifton Geathers has appeared in 15 NFL games since 2010.

Luke Tasker, a Cornell wide receiver and the son of former Bills wide receiver and current CBS analyst Steve Tasker, will also vie to make the Chargers.

The Chargers’ other undrafted free agents are Central Michigan defensive back Jahleel Addae, Virginia Tech offensive tackle Nick Becton, Towson linebacker Frank Beltre, Kansas defensive back Greg Brown, Nebraska tight end Ben Cotton, Wisconsin cornerback Marcus Cromartie, Sierra College (Calif.) Courtney Gardner, Missouri Western running back Michael Hill, South Carolina nose tackle Byron Jerideau, Purdue defensive back Josh Johnson, Vanderbilt punter Richard Kent, Oklahoma defensive end Jamarkus McFarland, Toledo linebacker Daniel Molls, Texas defensive end Brandon Moore, Wake Forest defensive back Kenny Okoro, Missouri State offensive tackle Randy Richards, Utah tight end David Rolf and Southeastern Louisiana linebacker Devan Walker.

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The draft is over, which means teams are signing undrafted players.

And then they’re announcing the names of the players they’ve signed.

And then we’re listing them here.

The Broncos have announced a 15-man class of undrafted free agents, including Cal running back C.J. Anderson, New Mexico State receiver Kemonte’ Bateman, Kansas State punter Ryan Doerr, Kansas State guard Manase Foketi, UCLA cornerback Aaron Hester, San Diego State quarterback Ryan Katz, BYU linebacker Uona Kaveinga, Baylor defensive end Gary Mason Jr., Central Florida receiver Quincy McDuffie, Florida linebacker Lerentee McCray, Arkansas safety Ross Rasner, New Mexico tight end Lucas Reed, Colorado linebacker Doug Rippy, New Mexico receiver Lamaar Thomas, and Temple defensive end John Youboty.

Teams can have 90 players on the roster throughout the offseason and into training camp.

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The moment the draft ends, the land rush for undrafted free agents commences.

The Steelers already have closed the deal with 15 of them.

They are Northwestern defensive end Brian Arnfelt, Northern Illinois linebacker Alan Baxter, San Diego State guard Nik Embernate, Utah wide receiver Reggie Dunn, Penn State offensive tackle Mike Farrell, Notre Dame offensive tackle Mike Golic, Jr., Louisiana-Lafayette defensive end Cordian Hagans, UAB guard Chris Hubbard, Florida defensive tackle Omar Hunter, Hawaii long snapper Luke Ingram , West Virginia center Joe Madsen, USC running back Curtis McNeal, Baylor center Ivory Wade, Michigan State defensive tackle Anthony Rashad White, and West Virginia wide receiver J.D. Woods.

Golic is the son of former NFL player and ESPN Radio personality Mike Golic.

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The rich keep getting richer.

Lawrence Okoye, a British Olympian with no football experience but impressive physical skills, went undrafted this weekend. He has chosen the NFC champion 49ers as his first football destination.

Okoye made the announcement on his Twitter page, via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.

The 21-year-old Okoye holds the British record for throwing a discus. A former Rugby player as well, Okoye never has played football.

The 49ers will now teach him to football.

With so many great players already in place, the Niners can afford to roll the dice with a periodic project. At six feet, six inches and capable of running a sub-4.8-second 40, Okoye will become a defensive end in San Fran.

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The bad news is that Ryan Griffin wasn’t drafted. The good news is that he won’t have to worry about finding a new place to live.

The former Tulane quarterback has agreed to terms with the Saints as an undrafted free agent, according to Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times Picayune.

Griffin, regarded by some as the incoming quarterback with the highest potential to be a sleeper, played for former Saints receivers coach Curtis Johnson at Tulane. The Green Wave run the same offensive system as the Saints.

Another former Tulane quarterback likely approves of the outcome. Shaun King, an analyst on NBC Sports Network’s Pro Football Talk, was hoping that Griffin would go undrafted in lieu of being taken in round six or seven, so that he could pick his next destination.

Griffin now has a chance to become the next Chase Daniel in New Orleans — a multi-year understudy to Drew Brees and then, eventually, a $3 million per year backup somewhere else.

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Former Chiefs and Texans offensive tackle Eric Winston will have a workout with the Dolphins on Wednesday, a league source told PFT’s Mike Florio.

Winston, 29, has started 103 consecutive regular-season games. He has played right tackle on the NFL level after playing left tackle at Miami (Fla.).

Jake Long, the Dolphins’ starting left tackle since 2008, departed in free agency, and his replacement remains unclear.

The Dolphins’ primary starting right tackle from a season, Jonathan Martin, is an option on the left side if Miami adds a veteran right tackle like Winston.

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After becoming the fifth overall pick of the Jaguars in 2012 but before signing his rookie contract, Justin Blackmon was arrested for DUI.

The timing was not good, because it gave the Jaguars extensive leverage in their contract talks with Blackmon, who had a DUI at Oklahoma State, too. The Jags parlayed that leverage into a contract that deferred 40 percent of his signing bonus into future roster bonuses. As of right now, roughly $4 million has not been paid.

Blackmon’s future guarantees will void based on a standard provision in all guaranteed rookie contracts that wipes out the guarantees in the event of a suspension. This means that the Jags can now pull the plug on Blackmon’s deal and owe him nothing more, even though top five players otherwise get fully guaranteed contracts for four seasons.

Throw in a new G.M. who may have had no desire to pick Blackmon in the first place, and Blackmon could be gone. If the Jaguars are willing to accept the fact that Blackmon will have received roughly $8.5 million for one year, they can move on by asking Blackmon to move out.

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The Jets paid $1 million to trade Darrelle Revis. They’ve now paid $1.53 million to cut Tim Tebow.

As expected (and as MDS pointed out) no one made a waivers claim for the remnants of quarterback Tim Tebow’s rookie contract.

This lack of a waivers claim means that the Jets remain on the hook to pay back to the Broncos $1.53 million in salary that was advanced to Tebow in 2011.

And so one of the worst personnel moves in recent history gets even worse for the Jets. Woody Johnson will be contributing $1.53 million to Pat Bowlen’s bank account.