Free agency roundup: Falcons signing WR Darnell Mooney

 

[March 13, 2024]  The Atlanta Falcons added a playmaker for new quarterback Kirk Cousins on Tuesday, agreeing to a three-year, $39 million deal with wide receiver Darnell Mooney, NFL Network reported.

Mooney's deal includes $26 million guaranteed. He caught 31 passes for 414 yards and one touchdown in 15 games (14 starts) with the Chicago Bears last season.

Mooney, 26, had 213 receptions for 2,593 yards and 11 scores in 60 games (49 starts) with the Bears, who picked him in the fifth round in 2020.

--Carolina continued reconstructing its offensive line with a four-year, $53 million contract agreement with guard Damien Lewis, and began remodeling the defensive front, too.

Multiple outlets reported Lewis received $26.2 million in guarantees to pair with another free agent, Robert Hunt, who agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract with the Panthers on Monday. Hunt played guard and tackle for the Miami Dolphins.

The Panthers struck a three-year, $22.5 million deal with defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson, according to multiple reports. Robinson is a formidable run-stuffer who would pair with game-changing defensive tackle Derrick Brown while reuniting with coordinator Ejiro Evero. Evero was with the Rams when Robinson played for Los Angeles.

And Carolina is reportedly first on the list of scheduled visits for defensive end Chase Young. NFL Network reported Young, 24, scheduled a visit with the Saints after a sitdown with the Panthers on Wednesday. The 2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year ended last season with the 49ers.

Lewis, who turns 27 later this month, was a third-round pick of the Seahawks from LSU in 2020 and has 61 starts in four seasons.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales was on the Seattle coaching staff in each of Lewis' first three years in the NFL.

--The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bringing back another important piece of their roster from a season ago, agreeing to terms on a one-year contract with linebacker Lavonte David, according to ESPN.

The agreement is for $9 million, with a maximum value of $10 million, per the report. The 34-year-old David has been a captain for the last 10 seasons. He will be playing his 13th season with Tampa Bay.

David has started all 181 games he has played, posting 1,480 tackles, 33.5 sacks, 12 interceptions, 28 forced fumbles and 18 fumble recoveries.

David held the distinction last season of being the only player with at least 100 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Earlier in the offseason, Tampa Bay re-signed starting quarterback Baker Mayfield and standout wide receiver Mike Evans.

--Safety Jordan Poyer is staying in the AFC East, moving to the Miami Dolphins on a one-year contract, ESPN reported.

A captain with the Buffalo Bills who was cut last week as the team needed to free up payroll space, the 32-year-old Poyer is coming off a down season that saw him surrender pass completions 73 percent of the time, up from 49 percent over the previous two seasons. He was an All-Pro in 2021 and a Pro Bowler in 2022.

Poyer started all 16 games in which he appeared in last season. He has started 117 of 155 games he has played over 11 seasons with the Cleveland Browns (2013, 2014-16) Philadelphia Eagles (2013) and Bills (2017-23). He has 24 career interceptions, 54 passes defensed and 806 tackles.

--Free agent Jeremy Chinn agreed to join the Washington Commanders on a one-year deal, according to multiple reports, ending his four-year run with the Panthers as a hybrid safety/linebacker.

The Commanders also agreed to terms with defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Ferrell, 26, made 17 starts for the San Francisco 49ers last season and registered 28 tackles, 13 quarterback hits and 3.5 sacks.

He has recorded 133 tackles and 13.5 sacks in 75 games (47 starts) with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2019-22) and 49ers.

Chinn scored two defensive touchdowns and had 12 tackles for loss in his career with Carolina.

ESPN reported his deal is worth $5.1 million for 2024.

--The New York Giants are set to add quarterback Drew Lock on a one-year, $5 million deal, ESPN reported.

Lock, 27, was a second-round draft pick by the Broncos in 2019 and had extended playing time in 2020 when he started 13 games for Denver while throwing for 2,933 yards with 16 touchdowns and a league-high 15 interceptions.

Lock played in four games and went 1-1 in two starts for the Seattle Seahawks last season, throwing for 543 yards and three TDs with three interceptions.

--The Eagles agreed to terms on one-year deals with wide receiver DeVante Parker and offensive lineman Matt Hennessy and are bringing back punter Braden Mann on a two-year, $4.2 million deal, per reports.

Parker was released by the New England Patriots, who informed the 31-year-old former first-round pick he would be let go officially on Wednesday. The Patriots permitted Parker to discuss a contract with new teams before the move was finalized.

Parker has 402 receptions for 5,660 yards and 27 touchdowns since being drafted by the Miami Dolphins 14th overall in 2015.

Hennessy, 26, can play multiple interior offensive line positions. He started 22 total games for the Falcons from 2020-22 before sitting out last season with a knee injury. Atlanta selected Hennessy in the third round out of Philadelphia's Temple University in 2020.

Mann, 26, gets $2.775 million in guaranteed money after averaging a career-high 49.8 yards per punt with the Eagles in 2023. He spent his first three seasons with the New York Jets.

--Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones re-signed with Buffalo on Tuesday.

Jones, 32, joined the Bills as a free agent in 2022 after spending his first seven seasons in the NFL with the Titans and 2021 with the Carolina Panthers.

He had 16 tackles and 2.5 sacks in seven regular-season starts last season.

--The Patriots are re-signing wide receiver Jalen Reagor to a one-year, $1.3 million deal with $442,500 guaranteed, NFL Network reported.

A first-round pick by the Eagles in 2020, Reagor caught seven passes for 138 yards in 11 games (one start) with New England last season. He averaged 31.6 yards on seven kickoff returns, including a 98-yard touchdown at Buffalo in Week 17.

Reagor, 25, has 79 catches for 937 yards and four TDs in 56 games (25 starts) with Philadelphia (2020-21), the Minnesota Vikings (2022) and the Patriots.

--Tight end Mike Gesicki is joining the Cincinnati Bengals on a one-year deal for $3.5 million, NFL Network and ESPN reported.

Gesicki, 28, caught 29 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games (10 starts) for the Patriots in 2023.

He played his first five seasons with the Miami Dolphins, who drafted him in the second round in 2018. Gesicki has 260 receptions for 2,861 yards and 20 scores in 98 career games (41 starts).

--The Kansas City Chiefs are signing tight end Irv Smith Jr. and retaining safety Deon Bush, both on one-year deals, ESPN reported.

Smith, 25, had 18 catches for 115 yards and one touchdown in 12 games (six starts) for the Bengals last season.

He spent his first three seasons with Vikings, who picked him in the second round in 2019. His career totals include 109 receptions for 973 yards and 10 scores in 49 games (21 starts).

Bush, 30, played in just six games last season, but has helped the Chiefs to consecutive titles with 18 tackles over the past two seasons while playing mostly on special teams. No financial terms of his deal were reported. Bush has 107 tackles and three interceptions in eight seasons with the Chicago Bears and Chiefs.

--The Indianapolis Colts are set to bring back cornerback Kenny Moore on a three-year, $30 million deal, multiple outlets reported.

Punter Rigoberto Sanchez, 29, also is returning to the Colts on a three-year deal, according to multiple outlets. Financial terms were not yet available.

Moore, 28, returned two of his three interceptions last season for touchdowns and also had six passes defended with 93 tackles in 16 games (all starts). In seven seasons with the Colts, the 2021 Pro Bowler has 17 interceptions, 55 passes defended and 516 tackles over 103 games (89 starts).

Sanchez signed with the Colts in 2017 as an undrafted free agent and has played in 96 games. He averaged 48.3 yards and 42.8 net yards -- both career highs -- on 68 punts over 17 games in the 2023 season.

--Field Level Media

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