Robert Griffin III appears to be heading to the Redskins

Posted by Mike Florio on March 9, 2012, 10:29 PM EST

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The Dolphins would be wise to offer Peyton Manning more money, because their Plan B has now evaporated.

Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports that the Rams and the Redskins have agreed to terms on a deal that will send the second overall pick in the 2012 draft to Washington.  The Redskins undoubtedly will pick quarterback Robert Griffin III.  (Or, at the very worst, Andrew Luck.)

Glazer says that the teams will swap first-round picks in 2012, with St. Louis taking the No. 6 pick.  The Rams also get two future first-round picks and additional selections, one of which is believed to be a second-rounder.

The trade can’t be finalized until the new league year begins on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. ET.

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Peyton Manning to meet Broncos tonight in Denver

Posted by Mike Florio on March 9, 2012, 1:46 PM EST

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A few years ago, when we’d catch wind of a tip that we trusted, we’d just use it.  Now that we’re mainstream (sort of) and legitimate (partially), we have to be a little more careful.

And so, sometimes, we’ll drop hints about something we’ve heard but can’t yet report.  Like last night, when suggesting that it would be a good idea to keep an eye on Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Jahri Evans restructures deal, saves Saints cap space

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 9, 2012, 2:02 PM EST

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The Saints have freed up a little bit of much-needed salary cap space.

Guard Jahri Evans, who signed a seven-year, $56.7 million contract in 2010 that made him the highest-paid guard in the league at the time, has restructured his deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The restructuring saves the Saints $2 million in salary cap space.

New Orleans is still not in great cap shape, especially considering how much money they’re going to need to free up to sign free agent quarterback Drew Brees to a new deal.

And, of course, they’ve got some bounty-related problems to deal with at the moment as well.

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Nike to unveil new NFL uniforms April 3rd

Posted by Mike Florio on March 9, 2012, 1:35 PM EST

As the opening credits rolled for Friday’s PFT Live, I posted a short and sweet tweet regarding the unveiling of the new NFL Nike uniforms.

The considerably-less-than-140-character message drew plenty of attention, so I figured it made sense to mention it here.

On April 3, Nike and the NFL officially will launch their partnership at an event in New York.

Nike’s intentions regarding the NFL uniforms remain unclear.  An executive promised “dramatic” changes when the deal was struck in 2010.  The NFL more recently has explained that the changes will primarily be reflected in the construction of the jersey.

Most recently, Nike CEO and president Mark Parker said that the company will “have some fun” while “respecting the traditions” of the teams.

We’ll all get something slightly more definitive on April 3.

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Justin Blackmon runs in the 4.4s at Pro Day

Posted by Evan Silva on March 9, 2012, 12:38 PM EST

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ESPN’s Josina Anderson is live in Stillwater for Friday’s Oklahoma State Pro Day. Wide receiver Justin Blackmonfinished running two forty-yard dashes just minutes ago.

According to Anderson, Blackmon was clocked in the 4.45-4.50 range on his first forty attempt. His second run brought better results, with Blackmon timing between 4.41 and 4.46.

The forty times are impressive for Blackmon on paper, though it should be noted Oklahoma State has a notoriously fast track and NFL teams will adjust accordingly. As much as a full tenth of a second could be tacked onto Blackmon’s Pro Day time.

Other results from Blackmon’s Pro Day included a 35-inch vertical and a 10-foot, 4-inch broad jump, according to SI.com draft analyst Tony Pauline.

Blackmon stood on his 14 bench press reps from the Combine.

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Report: Chiefs have made an offer to Peyton Manning

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 9, 2012, 10:18 AM EST

Reuters

Amid talk that some NFL teams will court Peyton Manning so aggressively that they’re willing to sign him without watching him throw, now comes a radio report saying the Kansas City Chiefs have already offered Manning a contract.

Radio host Brandon Spano reports that the Chiefs were the first team to formally offer Manning a contract, making him the offer on Thursday, the day after his release from the Colts became official.

Colts are shopping Freeney

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 9, 2012, 10:54 AM EST

AP

Dwight Freeney said this week that he plans to stay in Indianapolis. But that may not be in the cards.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Colts are fielding calls from teams interested in trading for Freeney.

The Colts just signed defensive end Robert Mathis to a new contract that pays him $17 million this year, and it might not make sense for them to also keep Freeney on his current deal, which pays him a base salary of more than $14 million. So it’s not surprising that a trade is an option.

Falcons work out Lofa Tatupu

Posted by Evan Silva on March 9, 2012, 11:49 AM EST

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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that theFalcons worked out free agent linebacker Lofa Tatupu on Friday morning.

Tatupu has been a middle linebacker throughout his NFL career, and Atlanta has a possible hole inside with Curtis Lofton on the brink of unrestricted free agency. Tatupu has been plagued by medical concerns, however, and did not play football last season. It’s hard to imagine that the Falcons would view him as a viable candidate to step right in and start.

Tatupu, 29, has also drawn interest from the Saints since the season ended. Reports linked him to the Bears and Raiders last summer, although Chicago and Oakland have experienced front office overhauls this year.

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Lynch and Foster's guaranteed money

Posted by Mike Florio on March 9, 2012, 7:03 AM EST

Reuters

Somewhere, Matt Forte and Ray Rice are feeling pretty good right now.

On consecutive days this week, Seahawks running backMarshawn Lynch and Texans running back Arian Foster received new contracts carrying large chunks of fully, non-phony guaranteed money.  Lynch got $17 million fully guaranteed on a four-year deal, and Foster (per a source with knowledge of the contract) will pocket $20.75 million fully guaranteed on a five-year contract.

Lloyd would take less money to play in New England

Posted by Evan Silva on March 8, 2012, 11:26 PM EST

Free agent wideout Brandon Lloyd told PFT Live in February that he’d “like to entertain” the possibility of playing for the New England Patriots. Lloyd has an obvious tie to new Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who helped resurrect Lloyd’s career in Denver.

Lloyd took it a step further in an interview with Tom Curran of Comcast SportsNet New England this week. Lloyd said he’s “very interested” in the Patriots with just five days left before the market opens.

Raiders restructure Palmer's contract

Posted by Mike Florio on March 8, 2012, 9:46 PM EST

Getty Images

As the Raiders continue to chop away at a cap surplus as high as $25 million, they’ve taken another chunk out of their excess.

The team has announced that quarterback Carson Palmer restructured his contract.

NFLPA records do not yet reveal any reduction in Palmer’s base salary of $12.5 million.  Since Palmer’s contract runs through 2014, he could create as much as $7.71 million in cap space by dropping his salary to the 10-year league minimum of $925,000 and converting the rest into a signing bonus.