Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Written by Allie Fontana

Free-Agent Signings, Trades, and Cuts

The Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins agreed to terms late Tuesday night for a trade involving QB Donovan McNabb.  Washington will give Minnesota a sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2013. McNabb has to reach certain performance milestones for the Skins to give up the 2013 pick. The teams can’t finalize the deal until and unless McNabb agrees to a restructured contract. He’s due $14.75M (including a $10M roster bonus on September 12) in 2011, too steep a price for the Vikings in what is expected to be a one-year deal.

McNabb wants a shot at redemption after his “annus horribilis” (horrible year) in Washington. The six-time Pro Bowler signed with Redskins in April 2010 amid much fanfare and high expectations. While McNabb had the respect of his teammates, his relationship with head coach Mike Shanahan and especially offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan took a wrong turn and couldn’t be salvaged. It would be a huge surprise if McNabb didn’t agree to rework his contract and get out of an unfavorable situation.

QB Matt Hasselbeck days as the face of the Seattle Seahawks are officially over.

Although Hasselbeck’s departure doesn’t come as a complete surprise, many thought he’d return for an 11th season with the Seahawks. It’s more likely that Hasselbeck will sign a deal with Tennessee Titans.

 
The Seattle Seahawks agreed to terms with former Minnesota Vikings backup QB Tarvaris Jackson. Contract terms are not yet available. The Seahawks are said to be in talks with QB Matt Leinart about a one-year deal.

Jackson has a ties to Seattle’s new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who he worked with in Minnesota and Leinart played under head coach Peter Carroll at USC. Jackson’s familiarity with Bevell’s playbook could give him a slight edge over five-year veteran Charlie Whitehurst, Leinart and any other quarterbacks during training camp.  Coaching connections aside, the quarterback trio of Whitehurst, Jackson and Leinart fails to inspire confidence. How soon is too soon to write off the Seahawks ‘ 2011 season?

The San Francisco 49ers signed QB Alex Smith to a one-year contract worth $5M.

While the majority of 49er fan are less than thrilled with the decision to bring back Smith a.k.a. the Bay Area Bust  for another season, the writing has been all the wall for months. New head coach Jim Harbaugh reached out to Smith before the lockout and Smith organized players’ workouts during the offseason. Retaining Smith makes sense given his familiarity with the West Coast system and the limited time the Niners have to prepare for the new season. The much-maligned Smith gets a very nice (some would say undeserved) payday and another opportunity to start, something that wouldn’t have happened had he signed with another team.

 
The Cincinnati Bengals and veteran QB Carson Palmer are at an impasse. Cincinnati’s team president Mike Brown said that Palmer is under contract and they won’t trade him, therefore if Palmer wants out, then he has to retire.

While there is merit to Brown’s position, it makes no sense for the Bengals to force Palmer’s retirement when he still has value to the team on the open market. Given the number of holes the Bengals have to fill, not to mention how many clubs around the league are looking for veteran quarterback help, playing hardball with Palmer at the expense of the team’s future is just plain dumb. Shop Palmer for draft picks and see what you can get. 

 
The Buffalo Bills agreed to terms with former Miami Dolphins backup QB Tyler Thigpen for a three-year contract. No financial terms have been disclosed. The move reunites Thigpen with Buffalo’s head coach Chan Gailey who was the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator in 2008 when Thigpen had his most productive season as a pro.

Gailey has said that Ryan Fitzpatrick is the team’s starter, however it’ll be interesting to see whether Thigpen will challenge Ryan Fitzpatrickfor the No. 1 role. It’s more likely that he’s an upgraded insurance policy over current backup QB Brian Brohm.

QB Kevin Kolb is still a member of the Philadelphia Eagles as of Wednesday morning.

It appears there’s an asking price standoff between Kolb’s primary suitor, the Arizona Cardinals and the Eagles.  The only certainty at this point is that the Seattle Seahawks are no longer in the mix for Kolb’s services.

The Denver Broncos made it official on Tuesday and put QB Kyle Orton on the trading block.

Denver’s willingness to trade Orton gives a clear indication that they’re confident in second-year QB Tim Tebow’s ability to lead the team.  Orton is considered a Plan B for the Arizona Cardinals if the price for Kevin Kolb proves to be too steep. The Miami Dolphins are also said to have a strong interest in bringing Orton on board to compete with Chad Henne for the starting job.

The Dallas Cowboys cut ties with several veterans to free close to $17M in cap space. RB Marion Barber, WR Roy Williams, G Leonard Davis, and K Kris Brown were told they weren’t part of the team’s 2011 plans. 

The writing was on the wall for Barber when the Cowboys drafted DeMarco Murray in Round 3. Likewise, Williams never delivered the return on investment Dallas expected when they signed him from the Detroit Lions in 2008. There’s an outside shot that Williams re-signs with the Cowboys for a one-year deal at significantly less money than the 5.1M he was due this season. Brown’s departure leaves K Dave Buehler without competition, at least for now. 

 

The Baltimore Ravens parted ways with several veterans: RB Willis McGahee, WR Derrick Mason, TE Todd Heap and DT Kelley Gregg.  The move freed up close to $18M in cap space.

McGahee’s departure was expected, Mason and Heap – not so much. Four or five teams are said to be interested in McGahee, most notably, the Denver Broncos. Mason and Heap could re-sign with the Ravens for one-year contracts at significantly less money. A new deal for Mason is more of a sure-thing than one for Heap. If Heap has indeed played his last down in Baltimore, then it’s time to put second year TEs Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson on your fantasy football watch list.   

The Washington Redskins and veteran WR Santana Moss agreed to a three-year, $15M contact extension. Moss gets a $5M signing bonus and $6M in guarantees.

Looks like a “win-win” for the Skins and Moss, who stated publicly that he wanted to stay with the team.  Moss should continue to be productive out of the slot regardless of who’s tossing the rock for Washington this season. From a fantasy perspective, Moss grades out as a WR3 in 12-team leagues, with slightly better value in PPR.

The Minnesota Vikings agreed to a one-year deal with WR Devin Aromashodu. The journeyman wideout most recently spent three seasons with the Chicago Bears.

After flashing potential in 2009, Aromashodu was expected to break out last season in the pass-happy offense of Chicago head coach Mike Martz. Instead, Aromashodu found himself in Martz’s doghouse and spent most of the year on the bench. The Vikings’ wide receiver corps is in flux, with star free agent Sidney Rice testing the waters and veteran Bernard Berrian’s status uncertain. Aromashodu will compete for a roster spot alongside veterans Greg Camarillo, Greg Lewis  and a big group of unknowns. He’s fantasy irrelevant at this point.

The San Diego Chargers re-signed TE Randy McMichael to a one-year deal at the 10-plus year veteran’s minimum. McMichael caught 20 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns in 2010, his first season with San Diego. 

The Carolina Panthers re-signed DE Charles Johnson to a six-year, $72M contract extension. Christmas came early for Johnson who scored an incredible payday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and LB Paul Posluszny agreed to terms on a six-year, $45M deal, with $15M in guarantees.

Posluszny’s former team, the Buffalo Billsreportedly made a competitive offer to keep him. While he considered staying in Buffalo, the Jags offered Posluszny the chance to play middle linebacker in a 4-3 defense, something that appealed to him. He’s expected to replace veteran Kirk Morrison who failed to impress during his one season in Jacksonville.

The San Diego Chargers agreed to terms on a three-year contract with free agent LB Takeo Spikes. Financial terms have not been released.

The 13-year veteran served as the San Francisco 49ers’ player representative during the NFL labor negotiations. The move Spikes reunites Spikes with Greg Manusky, the former 49ers defensive coordinator who now serves in that role for the Chargers.

DE Adrian Clayborn signed his rookie contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, becoming the first Round 1 pick of the 2011 NFL Draft to ink his deal.