LDN - Sports

NFL notebook: Titans plan to release RB Murray

[March 09, 2018] Running back DeMarco Murray will be released by the Tennessee Titans after two seasons in Nashville.

The Titans informed Murray of the decision on Thursday, a move that clears the way for third-year back Derrick Henry to step into a starting role under new head coach Mike Vrabel. Tennessee will save $6.5 million against the cap without incurring a dead-money charge.

Murray joined the Titans prior to the 2016 season in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles and ran for 659 yards and six touchdowns last season on 184 carries. He missed the final two games of the season and the playoffs due to a knee injury.

The seven-year pro carried the ball 293 times for 1,287 yards and nine touchdowns in 2016. He spent four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before joining the Eagles as a free agent in 2015.

--The San Francisco 49ers signed wide receiver Marquise Goodwin to a three-year contract extension, the team announced.

Terms of the deal were not announced, but according to multiple reports, it will be worth $20.3 million with $10 million guaranteed.

Goodwin, 27, started all 16 games in 2017 and exceeded the production from his first four NFL seasons combined by tallying 56 catches and 962 yards. That included 36 catches and 613 yards over the final eight games of the campaign.

--Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry signed his non-exclusive franchise tender, according to multiple reports.

The move assigns Landry a salary of about $16 million for 2018 and clears the way for a potential trade to another team. It also officially assigns that salary to Miami's cap, which the Dolphins are currently estimated to be exceeding by about $18.5 million.

There had been speculation that the Dolphins -- who added a cap hit of $11.4 million by acquiring linebacker Robert Quinn from the Los Angeles Rams last week -- might rescind Landry's tag if they could not find a palatable trade before the official start of the league year next Wednesday. That can no longer happen.

--Ryan Fitzpatrick is returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his 14th NFL season.

According to longtime Buccaneers beat reporter Rick Stroud, Fitzpatrick agreed to a contract with the team for 2018. The deal is expected to be completed before March 12, when Fitzpatrick would have been able to negotiate with other clubs as an unrestricted free agent.

Fitzpatrick, 35, finished with seven touchdowns and three interceptions in 2017 as the backup to Jameis Winston.

--Longtime Green Bay Packer and former Pro Bowl cornerback Sam Shields signed with the Los Angeles Rams, the team announced.

Shields, 30, did not play at all in 2017 and missed all but one game in 2016 after suffering at least the fifth known concussion of his career in Week 1.

A former undrafted free agent out of Miami, Shields collected 18 interceptions and 67 passes defensed across 79 games (61 starts) over his first six NFL seasons. He made the Pro Bowl following the 2014 campaign.

--The Houston Texans re-signed punter Shane Lechler to a one-year, $2 million deal with a $600,000 signing bonus, according to a report from the Houston Chronicle.

[to top of second column]

Lechler, 41, was second in the league last season with a 49-yard gross average on his punts, and he tied for ninth with a net average of 41.3 yards. He pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 32 times (tied for fifth) and had five touchbacks.

Lechler has been with the Texans the past five seasons of his 18-year NFL career. He was with the Oakland Raiders from 2000-12.

--Former Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart visited the Seattle Seahawks, according to a report from NFL Network. Stewart was released by Carolina last week.

Stewart, who will turn 31 later this month, ran for 680 yards on a career-low 3.4 yards per attempt in 2017, scoring six touchdowns on the ground. He holds the Panthers' franchise records for career rushing yards (7,318) and carries (1,699) across 10 seasons.

Stewart reached 800 yards rushing in each of his previous three seasons and was named a Pro Bowler in 2015.

--Atlanta Falcons guard Andy Levitre accepted a $2.5 million pay cut for 2018, according multiple reports.

Per ESPN, Levitre can earn back up to $1.5 million in incentives. His base salary of $3.5 million is now fully guaranteed, essentially ensuring the nine-year veteran will remain with the Falcons this season.

Meanwhile, Falcons linebacker Brooks Reed agreed to a restructured contract and also will remain with the team, according to an NFL Network report.

--Longtime special teams ace Josh Cribbs rejoined the Cleveland Browns, for whom he played eight NFL seasons, as a special teams intern, the team announced Thursday.

Cribbs, 34, has been on the job a little over a month after reaching out to head coach Hue Jackson and applying for the assistant special teams position. That job went to former NFL safety Sam Shade, who has eight years of college coaching experience, but Jackson still wanted to offer Cribbs an opportunity.

"His reputation precedes itself," Jackson said. "He was one of the best return guys in pro football. Plus he's a Cleveland Brown. He's one of our own. He told me over a phone call that he had a tremendous passion to get the organization back to winning and that means something to me."

--Former NFL offensive lineman Jonathan Martin had a loaded shotgun, a large knife and an ax with him when he was detained by police Feb. 23 after posting a cryptic and threatening photo on Instagram, according to a TMZ report.

A pair of Harvard-Westlake High School campuses in Los Angeles suburbs were closed after a threat posted on Martin's Instagram page showed an image of a shotgun and shells, along with the message, "When you're a bully victim & a coward, your options are suicide, or revenge."

A former student of the school, Martin was detained by police and the school filed a workplace violence restraining order against him the following week, requiring him to stay 150 yards away from school property and facilities, as well as 150 yards from the school president.

--Field Level Media

Back to top