D’Qwell Jackson has barely been a free agent 48 hours, but already his phone has been ringing off the hook.
It was reported Thursday that one-quarter of NFL teams had an interest in the inside linebacker, including the Tennessee Titans, and we can add the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos to that long list of potential suitors. Jackson is visiting with Tennessee on Friday and will head over the Denver on Monday, according to ESPN. He’ll try to make a stop in the desert some time next, too.
Former Browns LB D’Qwell Jackson is visiting with Tennessee Titans today and then is scheduled to visit with Denver Broncos on Monday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 28, 2014
Add Arizona to teams interested in former Browns LB D’Qwell Jackson. Cards contacted Jackson’s agent, are trying to line up visit next week.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 28, 2014
Arguably the top defensive free agent in the entire crop is Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy. Should Hardy fail to come to terms with the Panthers, he’s expected to have a sizable market for his services. But Carolina is making a strong push to retain him.
According to the Charlotte Observer, talks between the two sides are ongoing, with Carolina still holding onto the possibility of slapping Hardy with the franchise tag before Monday’s 4 p.m. deadline. That is expected to cost the team about $13 million.
The Panthers restructured the contacts of center Ryan Kalil, running back Jonathan Steward, and linebacker Thomas Davis, which cleared up $7.25 million in cap space to put the team about $21 million below the cap. While Hardy is surely the team’s top priority, it’s believed Carolina would also like to try and re-sign other impending free agents such as wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and safety Mike Mitchell.
Fellow NFC South rival New Orleans must be careful with how it spends its money in free agency, you know, with a Jimmy Graham deal looming over the team’s head. In order to clear up space for Graham, the team parted with safety Roman Harper and needs to fill that void in the secondary opposite Kenny Vaccaro.
Louis Delmas has surfaced as a candidate, according to Pro Football Talk. Delmas was released by the Detroit Lions earlier in the month and has since visited with Denver and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Louis Delmas is visiting the Saints today, per league source.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 27, 2014
Golden Tate’s future remains in limbo, as the Seattle Seahawks have tried to clear up space to re-sign defensive lineman Michael Bennett but have been quiet on the Tate front. The wide receiver stated his interest in returning to Seattle on Thursday.
“Hopefully, I can call Seattle home for a few more years. But we’ll see,” Tate told the Seattle Times. “I know that coach (Pete) Carroll has expressed that he would like to have me on the team, and I have expressed that I would like to stay on this team because I see this team winning for a long time. But we will see. Only time will tell.’’
Wideout Riley Cooper signed a five-year, $25 million deal to remain with the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday, but despite similar numbers in 2013, Tate denied he’s looking for comparable compensation. “I’m not in any way comparing my situation to his because they are very, very different,” he said.
