Bud Dupree agrees deal with Tennessee Titans; Yannick Ngakoue heading to Las Vegas Raiders; Leonard Floyd gets his pay day with Los Angeles Rams; Trey Hendrickson agrees terms with Cincinnati Bengals; Carl Lawson joins up with New York Jets.
Tuesday 16 March 2021 13:17, UK
Bud Dupree was a headline mover on a busy day for free agent pass rushers as he agreed a five-year, $85m deal with the Tennessee Titans.
Dupree is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered 11 games into the 2020 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he played on the franchise tag following an 11.5-sack season in 2019.
The former first-round pick can officially sign Wednesday, and his deal includes $35m guaranteed, per NFL Network.
Dupree turned 28 in February. He had 19.5 sacks in his final 27 regular-season games - and 39.5 in his career - with the Steelers and joins a Titans defense that had only 19 sacks in total last season.
Tennessee didn't get much of an impact from their top defensive free agent last season, Jadeveon Clowney, who is entering free agency after one season and zero sacks with the team in 2020.
The Las Vegas Raiders meanwhile agreed to a two-year, $26m deal with defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, according to multiple reports.
Ngakoue, who turns 26 on March 31, has 45.5 sacks and 18 forced fumbles in 78 games (70 starts) over five NFL seasons.
He spent his first four campaigns with the Jacksonville Jaguars and received the franchise tag from the club last offseason, a decision he publicly disputed.
Shortly before the 2020 season began, Jacksonville traded him to Minnesota and the Vikings signed Ngakoue to a one-year, $12m deal.
After having five sacks in six games for Minnesota, Ngakoue was traded to the Baltimore Ravens on October 2. He had three sacks in nine games for the Ravens.
Ngakoue was a Pro Bowl selection for the Jaguars in 2017 when he had 12 sacks and a league-best six forced fumbles.
Pass-rushing specialist Trey Hendrickson bid farewell to the New Orleans Saints as he agreed to a four-year, $60m contract with the Cincinnati Bengals, according to reports.
Hendrickson had a career-high 13.5 sacks and 25 quarterback hits in 15 starts with the Saints last season. In his previous three seasons with New Orleans he logged a total of 6.5 sacks and 18 QB hits in 30 games (three starts).
NFL Network and ESPN reported Hendrickson's contract would be worth $32m in the first two years of the deal.
The New York Jets added support for star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams by agreeing a three-year, $45m contract with former Bengals defensive end Carl Lawson.
In 2020 Lawson registered 36 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 32 quarterbacks and two forced fumbles, his career-high in sacks coming in his rookie season when he produced 8.5 after being selected in the fourth round of the 2017 Draft.
The Jets ranked 24th overall on defense last season, coming in at 28th against the pass, 12th against the run and 26th in scoring.
Robert Saleh's outfit also agreed a deal with former Detroit Lions linebacker Jarrad Davis, who had 46 tackles and 0.5 sacks last year.
The Los Angeles Rams rewarded Leonard Floyd for a career-high season as the two agreed to a four-year, $64m deal to prevent him from becoming a free agent.
Floyd racked up a career-best 10.5 sacks, as well as forcing one fumble and recovering two in 16 games, having landed in LA on the back of his release from the Chicago Bears.
The 28-year-old had spent four seasons in Chicago after being selected out of Georgia with the ninth overall pick at the 2016 NFL Draft.
In 70 career games (all starts), Floyd has 29 sacks, two forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. He also has three sacks in three career playoff games.
