Brandon Marshall to be reunited with Cutler and Bates in Chicago

Posted by Mike Florio on March 13, 2012, 3:59 PM EDT

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And we’re off.  In a major way.

The new league year is open, and the Dolphins have fired the first shot.  Jay Glazer of FOX reports that they have traded receiverBrandon Marshall to the Bears for a 2012 third-round pick and a 2013 third-round pick.

The move reunites Marshall with quarterbackJay Cutler.  The spent three years together in Denver.

Report: Bills expect to land Mario Williams and Robert Meachem

Posted by Mike Florio on March 13, 2012, 9:06 PM EDT

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The Bills planned to make a big splash in free agency.  If they get their way, they’ll do a Ted Washington cannonball from the high dive.

Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 in Buffalo reports that the Bills “fully expect” to sign Texans defensive end Mario Williams and Saints receiver Robert Meachem within the next 24 hours.

Williams, the first overall pick in the 2006 draft, would be the biggest free agent since Reggie White, but for the presence of Peyton Manning on the market.  Choosing Buffalo would breathe life and legitimacy into a franchise that long has been ignored.

Meachem, who started slowly in New Orleans after joining the team via round one of the 2007 draft, would be paired with Stevie Johnson, giving quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick another weapon.

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Chargers release Marcus McNeil

Posted by Evan Silva on March 13, 2012, 1:31 PM EDT

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The agent for longtime Chargers left tackle Marcus McNeill has confirmed to Michael Gehlken of the Union-Tribune San Diego that his client will be released before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. signing period gets underway.

This move has been expected for months. The Chargers are hoping to re-sign free agent Jared Gaither to be McNeill’s replacement after a strong finish to last season, when McNeill was nursing a neck injury.

While McNeill immediately becomes a top name on a thin offensive tackle market, medical concerns may prevent him from getting a big paycheck. McNeill has been unable to pass the Chargers’ team physical.

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Saints lock in Colston with 5 year deal

Posted by Evan Silva on March 13, 2012, 12:52 PM EDT

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Marques Colston, the No. 18 overall player on PFT’s Hot 100 Free Agency list, won’t be hitting the market after all.

FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reports that the Saints and Colston have agreed to terms on a five-year contract that will keep Colston in New Orleans through 2016.

Florio mentioned late last night that New Orleans was working “feverishly” to get Colston re-signed despite a limited amount of salary cap space. They executed.

Despite knee injuries, Giants sign Thomas to $28 million deal

Posted by Evan Silva on March 13, 2012, 1:20 PM EDT

AP

The Giants took care of some major in-house businesswhen they re-upped cornerback Terrell Thomas to a contract early Tuesday morning.

But he didn’t come cheap.

Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that Thomas’ deal is for four years and $28 million. (Florio has separately confirmed those numbers are legit.) Thomas personally told Adam Schein of Sirius XM Radio that the contract contains $11 million guaranteed.

That’s some serious coin for a defensive back who didn’t play a down in 2011. The Giants are rolling the dice that Thomas will recover fully from his second career right ACL tear, and bounce back as a starter in 2012.

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N.F.L. Strips Cowboys and Redskins of Salary Cap Room

JUDY BATTISTA- NYTimes.com

Published: March 13, 2012
The Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins will both be docked millions of dollars in salary cap space — $36 million in the Redskins’ case, $10 million for the Cowboys — because they dumped salaries in 2010, when the N.F.L. operated without a salary cap after the collective bargaining agreement expired. According to a person briefed on the situation, teams had been warned by the league not to dump salaries or front-load contracts to take advantage of the uncapped year, although there was nothing in writing mandating it.

The cap has been set at $120.6 million in salary for 2012, a very slight increase over 2011. The Cowboys and the Redskins are allowed to divide the cap hit over the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The money taken from them will be divided among 28 other teams, an additional $1.6 million in cap space per team. The Saints, who could hear this week about discipline in the bounty scandal, and the Raiders were determined to have violated the unwritten rules to a lesser degree, and will not receive the additional cap room.

Bills big splash plan for free agency

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 13, 2012, 10:44 AM EDT

AP

The Buffalo Bills won’t be patient in free agency.

Bills General Manager Buddy Nix said this morning that the team is planning to make waves with a free agent signing or two that makes the league take notice, and that once those big deals are done, the Bills will be done and moving on to preparing for the draft.

“We’d like to be out of the business by Friday. The big splash for us could be over in a week,” Nix said on WGR 550, via the Bills’ official Twitter.

Tracker: Top 100 Free Agents

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Williams and Flynn could be on Seahawks radar

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 13, 2012, 7:08 AM EDT

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With plenty of cap space and a wealthy owner who wants to win, the Seahawks can be major players in free agency. So they could be looking to target two of the biggest names on the free agent market.

Danny O’Neill of the Seattle Times writes thatthere’s a strong buzz about the Seahawks going after Mario Williams. It’s becoming clear that Williams is going to break the bank, possibly getting close to $50 million guaranteed on a long-term deal, and whether the Seahawks end up signing him or not, the fact that they’re in the hunt is good news for the Williams camp.

Billick on Tebow: "They don't want him, why should I?"

Posted by Mike Florio on March 12, 2012, 11:07 PM EDT

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Former Ravens coach Brian Billick and FOX and NFL Network contributor joined PFT Liveon Monday for a wide-ranging discussion regarding the biggest stories in the NFL.

As to the biggest of them all — the Peyton chase — I asked Billick whether, if he were coaching in the NFL, he’d be interested in acquiring Tim Tebow if/when the Broncos land Manning.

Wallace and Webb receive first round tenders

Posted by Evan Silva on March 12, 2012, 8:14 PM EDT

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Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb and Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace are the top remaining unsigned players left on the restricted free agent market. Baltimore and Pittsburgh did their best to secure the rights to each player on Monday by extending Webb and Wallace first-round tenders.

The value of the first-round tender is $2.742 million.

“Predator” teams may still have interest in Wallace and Webb, assuming they are willing to fork over a first-round pick as compensation, in addition to a hefty contract Baltimore or Pittsburgh is unwilling to match.

Webb, 26, finished last season with five interceptions, a pick six, and one forced fumble in 15 starts.

Wallace, 25, racked up a career-best 72 receptions for 1,193 yards, and eight touchdowns.

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Randy Moss signs 1 year deal with 49ers

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 12, 2012, 9:50 PM EDT

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Randy Moss is joining the San Francisco 49ers.

Moss, who had a workout with 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh today, has reached an agreement on a one-year deal with the team, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. No financial terms of the contract have been disclosed.

For Moss, the deal means that one of the most exciting, explosive playmakers ever to play the wide receiver position is officially back in the NFL after a year away. If Moss is anything like the great player he once was, this is a big deal for the 49ers.