NFL free agency news: Sam Bradford lands in Arizona, Kirk Cousins will visit with the Vikings
The NFL’s free agency period doesn’t start until Wednesday at 1 p.m. PDT, but some of the biggest names in this year’s class have already started coming off the market.
Quarterback Sam Bradford will sign with the Arizona Cardinals, according to multiple media reports. His deal is said to be for one year and $20 million, with a player option for a second year at $20 million.
Bradford is an eight-year veteran who spent the last two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. In 2016, he completed 71.66% of his passes while throwing for 3,877 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He missed much of last season with a knee injury.
He will replace longtime Cardinals starter Carson Palmer, who retired at the end of last season.
Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints have reached a two-year, $50-million deal with $27 million guaranteed, according to multiple media reports. NFL Network was the first to report the deal.
The 39-year-old quarterback has been calling the signals for the Saints since 2006 and led them to a Super Bowl victory in 2010. He’s passed for more than 4,300 yards in each of his seasons in New Orleans and topped the 5,000-yard mark four times (his 5,476 yards in 2011 were one shy of the all-time league record).
It’s no surprise Brees is staying with the Saints, although negotiations took so long that the Vikings reportedly called his agent Monday to check on the veteran quarterback’s availability.
Speaking of the Vikings’ quarterback situation, the one who led that team into the NFC championship game last season appears to have found a new home. Case Keenum is expected to sign with the Denver Broncos, according to multiple media reports. ESPN was the first to report the deal.
In his sixth NFL season, Keenum had a breakthrough year in 2017, passing for 3,547 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
With the Broncos now out of the hunt for a quarterback, the Vikings, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals are considered the top three teams in the running for the services of Kirk Cousins, who became available when the Washington Redskins agreed to trade for former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith earlier in the offseason.
Cousins has spent the last three seasons as the Redskins’ full-time starter and has passed for more than 4,000 yards, completed more than 64% of his passes and thrown at least 25 touchdowns in each of them.
Cousins will visit with the Vikings on Wednesday, his agent Mike McCartney said, but hasn’t made any final decisions.
After trading Smith, the Chiefs are turning to second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes — and it looks like they’re providing him with a new target in former Rams receiver Sammy Watkins, who has agreed to a three-year, $48-million deal with $30 million guaranteed, according to multiple media reports.
The Chiefs are also planning on signing linebacker Anthony Hitchens, according to multiple media reports.
Receiver Danny Amendola will sign with the Miami Dolphins after spending the last five seasons with the New England Patriots, according to NFL Network.
Twitter: @chewkiii
UPDATES:
12:30 p.m.: This article was updated with information on Sam Bradford and Danny Amendola.
This article was originally published at 8:25 a.m.
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