NFL Rumors: Latest On Adrian Peterson, Brandin Cooks, DeSean Jackson, And More
NFL rumors are in full swing as the Free Agency begins on March 8. Brandin Cooks, Adrian Peterson, DeSean Jackson, and Alshon Jeffery are the latest names on the rumor mill. Check out the latest below.
Brandin Cooks
NFL Notes: Brandin Cooks, Chiefs, Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins https://t.co/I7AcYNY0Lf #NFL pic.twitter.com/pTmU0OZ6xq
— NFLTradeRumors.co (@nfltrade_rumors) March 5, 2017
New Orleans Saints receiver Brandin Cooks has had his name circle in NFL trade rumors. According to Bleacher Report, the New England Patriots already offered the No. 32 overall pick for Cooks.
New Orleans turned down the offer for their receiver because they are hoping to receive a pick in the middle of the first-round. It was previously reported that Cooks was in trade discussions with the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles.
Head coach Sean Payton said Cooks has been everything the Saints hoped for. However, they will listen to calls from other teams. New Orleans needs help on their defense and that could mean moving Cooks.
Cooks, 23, had 1,173 receiving yards and eight touchdowns last season. His cap hit is $2.6 million for next season, so he could be a bargain for New England.
DeSean Jackson
The New England Patriots also have rumors about their interest in soon-to-be free agent DeSean Jackson.
Earlier this week, Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman wrote that the Patriots could target Jackson in Free Agency. Freeman listed Dallas and New England as possible landing spots for Jackson, but he said the Patriots are the more likely candidate.
New England has $59.67 million in cap space. Jackson, age 30, has a $7.6 million average salary value, per Spotrac. Therefore, New England could afford the former Washington receiver.
Otherwise, Jackson finished 2016 with 1,005 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 56 catches. He has also been connected to the Eagles, Rams, and every other receiver-needy team.
Alshon Jeffery
Bears, Alshon Jeffery reportedly open to new deal. https://t.co/hZH44IhbG2 pic.twitter.com/bC2wHewqwD
— theScore (@theScore) March 4, 2017
Speaking of available wide receivers, pending free agent receiver Alshon Jeffery is open to returning to the Chicago Bears.
Bleacher Report shares that the Bears and Jeffrey have a mutual interest in a reunion. The Bears and Jeffery’s agent had a positive on Saturday. Chicago opted not to designate Jeffery as their franchise player, despite him playing under the one-year tender in 2016.
Jeffery, 27, said he had no hard feelings towards the Bears. However, he wants to put himself in a position to a championship.
In 2016, Jeffery missed four games and had suspect quarterback play. Still, he registered 821 receiving yards.
The pending unrestricted free agent is in rumors for the Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans, and San Francisco 49ers. Spotrac gives him a $12.2 million average annual salary for his next contract via the calculated value.
Adrian Peterson
.@AdrianPeterson?
@jcharles25?
@Campbell93?Top 101 Free Agents of 2017: https://t.co/oYlNk3oaOo pic.twitter.com/pMH4uTlTnW
— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2017
Former Vikings runner Adrian Peterson has also been amidst NFL rumors this week. Sports Illustrated’s Michael Shapiro linked the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, and Oakland Raiders as intriguing fits for the former Viking.
Peterson named the Giants and Raiders as a fit for him. Giants head coach Ben McAdoo said the team would look at the four-time All-Pro, earlier this week. However, a recent report indicates that the Giants will not sign the 32-year-old runner.
Meanwhile, Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said he did not want to tamper with the former Vikings’ runner. However, he did say that Peterson’s interest in Oakland signaled a culture change for the Raiders. Now, they are a legitimate threat for marquee free agents.
Last season, Peterson rushed for 72 yards on 37 carries. He has a $4.5 million average salary via Spotrac’s calculated value.
It remains to be seen where Adrian Peterson, Alshon Jeffery, Brandin Cooks, or DeSean Jackson lands for 2017. We will find out when NFL Free Agency unofficially opens on March 7. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents at that time, but they can not make official deals until March 9.
[Featured Image by Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Images]
