The Miami Dolphins continued spending money on Saturday, locking up the top cornerback left on the market. Miami has been one of the most active teams in free agency this offseason, locking up Mike Wallace, Dannell Ellerbe and Brandon Gibson in an effort to dethrone the New England Patriots as AFC East champions.
NFL free agent tracker: Brent Grimes lands in Miami; Matt Flynn, Carson Palmer trade rumors swirl
The Miami Dolphins signed another free agent on Saturday, and trade rumors heated up between the Raiders, Seahawks and Cardinals.
Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE
Though major free agent signings and news has slowed down in recent weeks, plenty of impact players are still available. Here’s a rundown of what’s happened so far on Saturday throughout the NFL.
Brent Grimes won't have to move too far. The former Atlanta Falcons cornerback signed a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins, helping bolster a Dolphins secondary that lost Sean Smith through free agency.
Grimes is coming off of a torn Achilles’ tendon, but still landed a $5.5 million contract. If Grimes proves to be healthy, he’ll be a solid pickup for the Dolphins -- but with a fairly steep price. Luckily for the Dolphins, it’s only a one-year pact, so if Grimes plays poorly in 2013, they won’t be committed for the future.
In an offseason where the cornerback market is depressed, $5.5 million for a player coming off of a major injury is questionable. If Grimes is healthy, he’s proven he can play at a very high level -- and the Dolphins are banking on a return-to-form for Grimes.
Free agent cornerback Mike Jenkins will visit both the Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders in the coming days, as the former Cowboys corner entertains offers from cornerback-needy teams throughout the league.
Jenkins already visited the Jacksonville Jaguars, and has an offer on the table from Jacksonville. Jenkins continues to shop around for a better deal, and could find one in either Oakland or Buffalo.
With the Bills and Raiders forced to face off against Tom Brady and Peyton Manning twice a year, improving the secondary is a sound course of action and should be prioritized.
Terence Newman made the announcement himself -- he's returning to Cincinnati. Newman and the Bengals reportedly agreed on a two-year deal, which will keep the cornerback in Mike Zimmer's defense.
Newman had an offer from the Raiders worth more money than what he signed for, but opted for familiarity and the chance to win over money. Details of what the Raiders offered are unknown, but Ian Rapoport reported that Newman’s deal with Cincinnati is worth $5 million over two seasons.
While the Raiders whiffed on Newman, it appears that Oakland is poised to at least land a new starting quarterback. The Raiders are engaged in trade talks with the Seahawks for Seattle backup quarterback, Matt Flynn. Seattle signed Flynn last offseason with the intention of using him as the team's starting quarterback, but Russell Wilson won the starting job in Seattle.
One year later, it appears that Seattle is ready to trade Flynn, as Wilson is entrenched as the starting quarterback.
Oakland is expected to either trade or release Carson Palmer. The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly interested in trading for Palmer. If Arizona acquires Palmer, he'll instantly become the team's best quarterback, and a likely Week 1 starter.
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