NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Welcome to the 2010-2011 National Football League season.

The pre-Draft hysteria is well underway and, with the clocks hitting midnight Eastern last night, free agency began.  Less than a day into free agency the Seahawks are already hurting.

According to a report by ESPN’s John Clayton, wide receiver Nate Burleson signed a five-year, $25 million deal with the Detroit Lions.

The move is especially damaging for Seattle because, aside from first-year wide receiver Deon Butler, the Seahawks don’t have a threat for the deep strike down field.  Making things worse is that there really isn’t a player of that mold left in free agency.  Yes, Terrell Owens is available, but an aging, slowing and moody Owens is not what an already older Seattle team needs. 

What this means is that the team will most likely have to spend a draft selection, probably a high one, on a quality wide receiver that can stretch the field.  While bringing in a Dez Bryant or an Arrelious Benn would be ideal, this would clearly eat into Seattle’s chances of filling needs at any of the following: offensive line, running back or quarterback.  

On the other hand, don’t be so quick to ignore Mike Williams.  Seattle could pick up the former Syracuse Orange with a third-round choice or maybe even a fourth-round one.  Williams does have serious character issues, but, with a coach like Pete Carroll and a veteran role model like TJ Houshmandzadeh, Williams’ rough corners could be rounded out.  Do I think this will happen?  Not really, but there is a chance.

The Dolphins have been busy so far tonight, working on contracts for several players. Find out the details below:

Pennington Deal At A Fork In The Road:

• Once believed to be all but a certainty coming back to Miami, Chad Pennington is asking for a no trade clause in his contract now, to assure him that he will not have to move his young family from his home in Miami. Pennington and the Dolphins are close to signing a 1 year, $2.5 million deal, but CP10 is pushing for the clause that appears to be the last remaining road block on the road to re-signing Pennington.

Nate Jones To Visit Denver:

• According to Omar Kelly’s Twitter page, Dolphins free agent cornerback Nate Jones has a visit to Denver set up to meet with the Broncos staff at some point this weekend. The Dolphins and Jones have not been talking  a contract since the deal broke down a couple weeks ago. The Dolphins, and myself would like to see Jones back in a Dolphins uniform next year, but they will not break the bank for this guy, who is no more than a nickel back who can play special teams.

Antrel Rolle Talks Heating Up:

• Antrel Rolle was in Miami tonight, watching the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers game. At this same time, his agent was negotiating a deal with the Chicago Bears, and was fielding a 5 year offer from the Dolphins. This offer though is believed to be below the $8 million that Rolle wants in his new deal.
• Rolle has gone public, saying that he wants to be in Miami, but will he take a deal that is generously lower than what he wants, and was asking for?

Dansby Sweepstakes Taking a Turn For the Best:

• In a turn for the best tonight, Karlos Dansby has gone on record saying that he will be boarding a plane on Friday to come down to Miami, to see “how he fits in”.
• The Dolphins have already offered Dansby a deal, and this is the chief reason why he is hopping a plane today.
• Dansby had this to say on his free agent experience so far, and who he is favoring at this point:

“But Washington is definitely a place I’m looking at. My gate is wide open right now. I’m going to take every visit. I’m going in to every team to see what type of the piece of the puzzle will I be. I want to fit in just right. I want to be in a perfect situation and do my part. That’s what I’m looking for in these organizations. I’m still waiting on my agent to text me back about [visits] as we speak, but Miami is definitely one of ‘em right now. I’m going to go down there to see how I would fit in Miami.”

• The Dolphins are Dansby’s first visit, and I think that they will not let him leave without a multi-year deal, which is what NFL.com’s Steve Wyche believes as well. Dansby would be a perfect fit in the Dolphins 3-4 at ILB. Does he really think that he can fit in on the Redskins, who have named Dansby as their fallback plan, if they fail to sign Julius Peppers to a deal? I would be insulted if I were Dansby, and this may be the final factor in Dansby potentially getting a deal done with Miami.
• Yet another factor in the complicated equation of signing Dansby is the Redskins and Julius Peppers. There are reports out that state that the Peppers sweepstakes is the Chicago Bears to lose. I mentioned earlier that the Redskins fallback option is Dansby, and if the Bears were to sign Peppers relatively quickly, that would direct their attention to Dansby, and complicate things. The Dolphins need to feel a sense of urgency here, and get the deal done with Karlos, pronto!

This is all for now, there will be more throughout the day as the news comes in.

Here is a list of Free agent outside linebackers that are available come Friday when teams are allowed to start inking players:

Jon Alston / Oakland / RFA
James Anderson / Carolina / RFA
Tully Banta-Cain / New England / UFA
Antwan Barnes / Baltimore / RFA
Ahmad Brooks / San Francisco / RFA
Ricky Brown / Oakland / RFA
Keith Bulluck / Tennessee / UFA
Derrick Burgess / New England / UFA
Prescott Burgess / Baltimore / RFA
Danny Clark / N.Y. Giants / UFA
Angelo Crowell / Tampa Bay / UFA
Thomas Davis / Carolina / RFA
Chris Draft / Buffalo / UFA
Elvis Dumervil / Denver / RFA
Keith Ellison / Buffalo / RFA
Scott Fujita / New Orleans / UFA
Omar Gaither / Philadelphia / RFA
Chris Gocong / Philadelphia / RFA
Nick Greisen / Denver / UFA
Tyjuan Hagler / Indianapolis / RFA
Marques Harris / San Diego / RFA
Thomas Howard / Oakland / RFA
Clint Ingram / Jacksonville / RFA
Rashad Jeanty / Cincinnati / RFA
Brandon Johnson / Cincinnati / RFA
Akeem Jordan / Philadelphia / RFA
Aaron Kampman / Green Bay / UFA
Freddy Keiaho / Indianapolis / RFA
Paris Lenon / St. Louis / UFA
D.D. Lewis / Seattle / UFA
Darrell McClover / Chicago / UFA
Matt McCoy / Tampa Bay / RFA
Rocky McIntosh / Washington / RFA
Shawne Merriman / San Diego / RFA
Chike Okeafor / Arizona / UFA
Nick Roach / Chicago / RFA
Matt Roth / Cleveland / RFA
Junior Seau / New England / UFA
Cody Spencer / Detroit / RFA
Josh Stamer / Buffalo / UFA
Jason Taylor / Miami / UFA
Chaun Thompson / Houston / UFA
Pisa Tinoisamoa / Chicago / UFA
Jason Trusnik / Cleveland / RFA
Mike Vrabel / Kansas City / UFA
Tracy White / Philadelphia / UFA
Gerris Wilkinson / N.Y. Giants / RFA
Jamar Williams / Chicago / RFA
Sam Williams / Oakland / UFA
Chris Wilson / Washington / RFA
Rod Wilson / Tampa Bay / RFA
Pierre Woods / New England / RFA

Julius Peppers isn’t the only name free agent that will be at Halas Hall on Friday, as running back Chester Taylor will visit the team also.

Running back Chester Taylor is expected to visit with the Bears Friday, according to a league source. Taylor would seem an ideal fit to complement Matt Forte in Mike Martz’s offense, which highlights the running back position. Taylor has served as a valuable backup to Adrian Peterson, particularly on third downs because of his ability to block, run and catch the ball.

To ink Taylor would also hurt the Vikings, which means it’s an even better move for the Bears, who would not only make their team better, but hurt the team that won the division as well.

Cardinals free agent linebacker Karlos Dansby wants to get paid, and it appears that the Dolphins might be the team to give him what he wants. The Dolphins want Dansby, and he’ll be in town to talk to the team on the first day of free agency:

Speaking on NFL Live, Arizona Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby – considered the team's No. 1 target – he planned to visit South Florida Friday to meet the Dolphins.

Dansby reportedly seeks $30 million in guaranteed money, but Bill Parcells has had his eye on Dansby for some time.

During last year's Super Bowl in Tampa, Dansby recalled when Parcells was the coach of the Cowboys and told Dansby he wanted to get him on his team one day.

Dansby is also being sought after by a couple of NFC East teams, as reports say the Giants and Redskins also have their eyes on him.

The Bears have reportedly been hot to trot to try and land Panthers free agent DE Julius Peppers, and they have at the least landed a visit from Peppers, who will be in town Friday.

Defensive end Julius Peppers, the top agent on the market, has agreed to visit the Bears Friday, agent Carl Carey told the Tribune as free agency began Thursday night. No team was allowed to have contact with Peppers until the free-agent period officially began at 11:01 p.m., but Peppers had a strong interest in joining Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Tommie Harris on the Bears’ defense. The Bears were the first team to call Carey and extended a “substantial offer” that was good enough to get Peppers on the plane.

Peppers arrival could mean a shift in the Bears defense, as reports have been that Tommie Harris’ job could be at risk with the Bears spending so much on Peppers, who didn’t get the franchise tag again this year from the Panthers.

Two years ago the Carolina Panthers won the NFC South and were well on their way to making a splash in the playoffs. Then disaster struck when QB Jake Delhomme had one of the worst games of his career in that playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Despite that, he got a huge deal that offseason, only this past year to have his worst career as the Panthers QB, and as free agency starts, the season has cost him his spot on the teams roster. The Panthers have released Delhomme, opening the door to either go after a QB or to give the starting job to young QB Matt Moore.

Delhomme’s agent, Rick Smith, confirmed the move and said Delhomme would wait until Friday to talk to reporters. General manager Marty Hurney didn’t respond to numerous messages seeking comment. Entering the 2009 season, the Panthers committed to Delhomme giving him a new deal in which he’s still owed more than $12.5 million in guaranteed money.

Delhomme had no legitimate competition in training camp, but then had a miserable 2009 season. After throwing a career-high 18 interceptions, Delhomme was sidelined with a broken finger.

Now the 35-year-old Delhomme is out of work, ending his career in Carolina with a 58-40 record as a starter that included a trip to the Super Bowl and an appearance in the NFC championship game after the 2005 season.

The Browns have kicked off free agency with a trade, as the team has agreed to send DT Corey Williams to the Lions for a late round draft choice in the 2010 NFL Draft. Williams fell out of favor with the Browns last season, this after they had worked hard two years ago to acquire him from the Green Bay Packers.

Williams is scheduled to take a physical on Friday to finalize the Browns and Lions trade. Detroit is expected to be very active in free agency, as reports say they will also go after Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, who once played for coach Jim Schwartz.

The move for the Browns means they will now have 12 picks in the April draft. Sources say though they have been very active in discussions with other teams regarding potential trades and free agency signings. They are on the lookout for a QB, and reports say that even Shaun Rogers is up for a deal if a team wants him.

The first trade of the free agency period has taken place, as reports are the Jets have reached an agreement in principle with the Chargers to acquire cornerback Antonio Cromartie. The Jets confirmed the deal Thursday night, but didn’t release specifics – although it is believed to include a draft pick in 2011 going to the Chargers.

Cromartie was an All-Pro in 2007 and will team with Darrelle Revis in the Jets’ secondary, making them possibly the best cornerback tandem in the NFL. Cromartie replaces Lito Sheppard, who was released earlier in the day after one disappointing season.

Despite 15 interceptions in four seasons, the Chargers were dissatisfied with Cromartie’s performance late last season and in the playoffs. General manager A.J. Smith made it clear he would try to trade him.

There are a couple teams that are in the running for former Cardinal safety Antrel Rolle, and now another NFC team is in the mix, as the NY Daily News reports that the Giants also have their eyes on Rolle.

The Giants got a jump on the free-agent market tonight by getting in the race for safety Antrel Rolle.

Rolle was released by the Arizona Cardinals Thursday, which freed the 27-year-old Pro Bowler to negotiate with teams even before the free-agent market opens at midnight. The Giants were one of the first to call, according to a source, joining a race that reportedly includes the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins and Cards.

The Bears, however, appear to be the prohibitive favorites. They are reportedly deep in negotiations with his agent and hadn’t balked at his enormous price tag, with some reports out of Chicago suggesting a deal could happen overnight.

Even if it doesn’t, the Giants are likely long shots because Rolle’s asking price is large. He has already turned down a reported six-year, $38.6 million offer from the Cards, who released him rather than pay him a $4 million roster bonus he’s due next week. Rolle, who was due $8.1 million in salary in 2010 and he’s rumored to be looking for $8 million per year.

Rolle had four picks last season, and while the article above mentions the Bears, the Cards themselves appear to be the front-runner to getting him back.