2015 NFL free agency: Grades, news, rumors and signings from around the league

Vick, 34, has struggled with injuries for much of his career, but particularly in recent seasons when he has had concussion, hamstring, rib, quadriceps and hand injuries. There was some thought that he wouldn’t be signed by a new team at all, though interest picked up following May 12, when free agent signings no longer counted towards the compensatory pick selection.

In 12 NFL seasons, Vick has managed to rack up 22,093 passing yards with 131 touchdowns and 87 interceptions, but he will forever be synonymous with his ability to make plays with his legs. With 6,010 career rushing yards and 36 touchdowns on the ground, Vick is the all-time leading rusher among quarterbacks.

Offensive lineman Evan Mathis has signed a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The move bolsters a Broncos offensive line that’s been the team’s top concern through the offseason.

Mathis’ contract with the Broncos could pay him as much as $4 million this season, if he hits all the incentives built into the deal, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Rapoport added that Mathis turned down a deal with another team worth $5.5 million because he wanted to play for a contender.

The 2010 first-round pick out of Oklahoma has been one of the more consistent and durable tight ends in the league. Gresham has played in 74 of 80 possible regular season games during his career, and has at least 450 receiving yards in each of his five seasons. The 26-year-old enjoyed his best season in 2012, when he was named to the Pro Bowl after setting career-highs in both receiving yards (737) and receptions (64).

Despite his general durability, Gresham sustained a back injury and had to get surgery in March. That kept him on the open market far beyond the length a player of his skill would usually remain. Still, his recovery went well and Gresham started taking visits with teams in late July, with the New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers among the interested teams.

A new deal for Thomas came just before the Wednesday deadline for franchise-tagged players, despite reports earlier in the day that the two sides weren’t close to a contract. If he and the Broncos hadn’t agreed on a new contract before the deadline, Thomas would have been forced to play the 2015 season on a one-year franchise tender worth $12.823 million and wait instead for the 2016 season to get some long-term security.

Thomas’ deal is nearly identical to the deal signed by Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, who was in a similar situation as a franchise-tagged player with the deadline approaching. Bryant signed a five-year deal worth $70 million with $45 million guaranteed. The timing and similarity of the deals is interesting, given that the NFL Players Association threatened a collusion charge against both teams regarding the pair of receivers, but the Broncos thoroughly denied the claim.

UPDATE: The Eagles officially announced the signing Monday. Although contract terms were not disclosed, the one-year deal is reportedly worth a league minimum with no guaranteed money, despite offers from other teams like the Houston Texans:

The Eagles had an opening along their offensive line after they cut ties with Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis when the two sides couldn’t resolve their contract dispute.

Bryant’s agent, Tom Condon, told ESPN he would not comment on the situation.

“Our goal is still to get something done on a long-term basis by the deadline,” Condon added.

Free agent wide receiver Greg Jennings is signing with the Miami Dolphins, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Rand Getlin. Jennings will be reunited with his former offensive coordinator Joe Philbin.

A former second-round pick out of Western Michigan in the 2006 NFL Draft, Jennings played his first seven seasons in Green Bay, where he caught 425 passes for 6,537 yards and 53 touchdowns.

The Eagles haven’t shied away from big moves this offseason, trading running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills and quarterback Nick Foles to the St. Louis Rams in March. In the deal that jettisoned Foles, the Eagles acquired signal caller Sam Bradford, who is the projected starter for the team in 2015.

Tebow has an 8-6 career record as a starter, but completed only 47.9 percent of his passes in the NFL with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Following his release from the Patriots, Tebow worked with quarterback coach Tom House and has reportedly made improvements to his throwing motion.

Wisniewski was the best player remaining in free agency, but was on the open market for so long due to offseason surgery on his shoulder. He’s one of the better centers in the league, and a one-year deal is essentially an opportunity for him to prove that his shoulder is good to go.

Provided Wisniewski recovers from his injury and returns to form, he should have no issues landing a multi-year contract sooner rather than later.

When you’re a public figure, you often have to deal with trolls on the Internet. When you’re a professional athlete who just switched teams, you pretty much always have to deal with trolls on the Internet. Darrelle Revis has had enough of his haters:

Apparently trolls know the way to Revis Island.

Going into the offseason, the Bengals had the most cap space of the three playoff teams but were not expected to be overly active. The Ravens and Steelers were both fairly crippled by the cap, having to make some moves in order to restock without hurting the long-term future. Cleveland had ample money to make whatever moves it wanted, and the Browns brought in some players on both sides of the ball.

So, did anybody do enough to topple Pittsburgh? Well, considering the Steelers won the AFC North by only a game in 2014, it seems plausible the Steelers could lose it without much, if any, change. One thing for all four fan bases to keep in mind is the upcoming schedule. Last year, the AFC North faced a cupcake slate that featured the AFC South and the horrific NFC South. This time? The NFC and AFC West divisions.

If Moore can get back to his previous form, he is an excellent pickup as a secondary weapon outside the numbers. With the Bengals, Moore would be the fourth receiver on the field if he makes the roster, coming on after A.J. Green, Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones. Moore has great speed and ability to go up and get the football, and could flourish in a role in which he’s not going against the top cornerbacks in the league.

With Moore’s signing, the wide receiver market is pretty tapped out as far as free agency is concerned. Michael Crabtree is still available, and he’s drawn interest from the Miami Dolphins and Raiders. Crabtree has been the top receiver on the market for some time, and it’s unclear why he hasn’t caught on with a new team at this point.

McClain also had a bevy of off-the-field problems, including a Dec. 2011 arrest for menacing, third-degree assault, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm within the city limits of Decatur, Ala., per Jerry McDonald of the Contra Costa Times. He was found guilty on all charges. McClain was arrested two more times over the following two years, for various crimes.

SB Nation presents: A breakdown of our latest mock draft

Martin was coached by Jim Harbaugh at Stanford, which is likely a big reason why San Francisco traded a seventh-round pick for him when it looked like the Dolphins would release him. Harbaugh has since moved on to coach at Michigan, so it wasn’t surprising to see Martin released despite the fact that he was a contributor and an important backup in 2014.

With the Niners, Martin played a total of 661 snaps and has started 32 out of the 38 games he’s appeared in during his three-year career. Moving forward, a fresh start with a new coaching staff could help him find footing as a viable NFL player.

So how have things changed for the four clubs since the start of free agency? Here’s how the NFC South looks today.

For the first time in several years, the Panthers actually entered the offseason with some cap space. The club had previously been hamstrung by the series of bad contracts handed out by former general manager Marty Hurney, including multiple long-term deals to running backs. Hurney’s replacement Dave Gettleman said the team would no longer be “shopping at the dollar store.”

Through Tuesday morning, 153 players have officially signed new deals for a total contract value of $1,802,821,620. That’s $1.802 billion. Guaranteed money for those contracts comes in at $788,491,999 in total. That’s a massive number, but the NFLPA broke it down further.

Ninety-seven of the players who signed did so with new teams, and those deals were worth $1.413 billion, while 56 players re-signed with current teams for a total value of $389 million. The players signing with new teams got $644 million guaranteed, while players re-signing with current teams got $144 million guaranteed.

In 11 games in 2014, Harrison totaled 45 tackles and helped key the Steelers’ pass rush with 5.5 sacks. He won two Super Bowls in his time in Pittsburgh and was also the NFL Defensive Player on the Year in 2008.

So much of Seattle’s success is predicated on their hot streak of great draft classes as well as the miniscule sum the team has paid star quarterback Russell Wilson. Those advantages have allowed the Seahawks to round out their roster in ways most teams can’t. While that ability will dissipate once Wilson receives his next contract, they should remain a viable title contender for the foreseeable future.

That doesn’t necessarily preclude another team in the division from overtaking Seattle. Here’s how the NFC West looks at this point in the offseason.

Face it, your bracket is busted. You tried, but it’s just too late now. Thanks a lot Georgia State. That’s fine. Sit back, enjoy the games and get back to following everything that’s going on in the NFL on this fine first day of spring.

And what better place to start than with the very first ever Onside Kick Family Hour, SB Nation’s NFL podcast featuring retired NFL defensive end Stephen White and NFL writer Danny Kelly. This week, we talked all about free agency’s biggest surprises, who really helped themselves with all the dealmaking, a little draft previewing and when we got to Chris Borland, Stephen told an outstanding story about one moment in his career when the game gave him pause.

Cleveland has a hole to fill at the wide receiver position this year. Josh Gordon will be out for the 2015 season while serving an indefinite suspension.

The 30-year-old was taken by the Chiefs in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft and immediately established himself as one of the team’s top targets. He put together three 1,000-yard campaigns in his first five seasons, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2010 when he led the NFL with 15 touchdown receptions.

Miami slapped the transition tag on Clay back on March 2, the deadline to tag your own player. Per NFL rules, the transition tag gives the tagged player a salary which equals the average of the top 10 salaries at his position. Clay was terrific in 2013, bursting onto the scene in his third year with 69 catches and 759 yards, along with six touchdowns. Last year, Clay recorded 58 receptions for 605 yards and three scores.

Clay was a little more expendable for the Dolphins after the team signed former Cleveland Browns tight end Jordan Cameron, who will presumably fill the void left by Clay’s departure.

Miami had the right to match any offer given to Clay after it gave him the transition tag at the beginning of the month. The tag gives the player a salary that equals the average of the top 10 salaries at his position, but allows any team to sign the player without having to give up compensation, as is the case for franchise tagged players. However, any offer given to a tagged player can be matched by the original team.

Gresham only discovered the injury during free agency, explaining why it took until Thursday for him to get surgery. With the injury and subsequent rehab looming, it is likely Gresham will not land a deal until the summer, if not later, depending on his recovery.

In 2014, Gresham was slowed by a litany of injuries but managed to play 15 games and catch 62 passes for 460 yards and five touchdowns. Gresham, the Bengals’ first-round pick in 2010 out of the University of Oklahoma, has 24 career touchdowns and 2,722 yards. His major downside is fumbling, with 11 in Cincinnati. In his five-year career, Gresham has been durable, only missing six games total.

NFL free agency is an exciting time when most of the league’s teams bid against one another for the services of one or another talented football player. The prize for signing a big name is not only the supposed impact on the field, but also the introductory press conference. Every owner wants to stand next to their new, superhuman employee for pictures and questions.

While it’s often difficult to evaluate free agent signings so shortly after they occur, some of the contracts stand out as particularly great values or poor investments. Let’s dive into the best and worst of the 2015 free agent period.

All of which is to say that while the NFC North has belonged to Green Bay, the margin for error has proved razor thin. With free agency altering the complexion of the teams, how has that gap changed since the teams last took the field?

Green Bay Packers