NFL Free Agency 2018: Jordy Nelson, Doug Martin Highlight Day's Reported Deals

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

While many of the top names in NFL free agency have already signed new contracts or their agreements leaked during the league's legal tampering period, Thursday was hardly a quiet day. A number of reported deals made the rounds, and we'll review them below.

            

Jordy Nelson and Doug Martin Reportedly Sign with Oakland

Former Green Bay Packers star wideout Jordy Nelson reportedly signed with the Oakland Raiders on Thursday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN and Vic Tafur of The Athletic, with Tafur adding that the Raiders will release Michael Crabtree.

James Jones of the NFL Network added that Nelson agreed to a two-year, $15 million contract, with $13 million of that guaranteed.

The Raiders also bolstered their running back depth on Thursday, reportedly signing Doug Martin, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.       

Martin, 29, was once considered one of the bright young backfield stars in the NFL, rushing for 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns in his rookie season. Two disappointing years followed, though he rebounded in 2015, rushing for 1,402 yards and six scores.

But he was suspended four games for violating the NFL's drug policy in 2016 and over the past two seasons has rushed for just 827 yards and six scores.

Suffice to say, Martin's career has been marked by inconsistency, though at his best he's been a playmaker in the backfield. Oakland will be hoping that player reemerges. 

As for how his signing affects the future of Marshawn Lynch with the Raiders, well, it reportedly doesn't at all, according to Mike Silver of NFL.com:

Michael Silver@MikeSilver

Yes, Doug Martin is coming to Oakland... but the Raiders have no plans to part ways with Marshawn Lynch. Carry on.

Rather, the Raiders—who also reportedly signed fullback Keith Smith to a two-year deal on Thursday, per Rapoport—are simply stocking up in the backfield to satisfy Jon Gruden's old-school approach on offense:

Mike Clay@MikeClayNFL

The Raiders have signed Doug Martin, a second full back and two blocking tight ends. Jon Gruden wasn't joking when he said he wants to "throw the game back to 1998" https://t.co/MWfwavBq1R

Suffice to say, Oakland's offense is going to have a new look in 2018. In Nelson and Martin, the Raiders have added two more playmakers to Derek Carr's arsenal.

           

Kirk Cousins Reportedly Comes to Terms with Vikings

Mark Lennihan/Associated Press

It's been rumored for days, but the Minnesota Vikings and Kirk Cousins have reportedly agreed to a fully guaranteed contract, per Rapoport:

Ian Rapoport@RapSheet

The #Vikings and QB Kirk Cousins have agreed to terms, per @MikeMcCartney7. He is signing a 3-year, $84-million contract that is fully guaranteed, sources say. On a per-year basis, it’s the biggest contract in NFL history. The top free agent has found a home.

Ian Rapoport@RapSheet

For Kirk Cousins and the #Vikings, this historic contract includes multi-faceted Super Bowl-related incentives that can push the deal to be worth $90 million over three seasons. He gets a $3M signing bonus and a base salary of $22.5 million in 2018.

The move arguably makes the Vikings the biggest threat to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC, as Cousins represents an upgrade over Case Keenum. In Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota has the foundation of a very good offense to complement an excellent defense.

           

Other Thursday Deals

The Cincinnati Bengals won't be losing tight end Tyler Eifert in free agency, instead reportedly signing him to a one-year deal, per Schefter.

Eifert, 27, has already missed 41 games in his five-year career due to injuries, though when he's been on the field he's provided the Bengals with a solid red-zone threat who scored 13 touchdowns in 13 games in the 2015 campaign. 

A healthy Eifert, alongside A.J. Green, gives Andy Dalton a nice one-two punch in the passing game. His signing now leaves Eric Ebron as the top tight end on the market.

Now, for the lightning round.

The Miami Dolphins reportedly signed guard Josh Sitton to a two-year, $18 million deal, per Rapoport, on the same day they traded for center Daniel Kilgore and and are expected to cut center Mike Pouncey after he requested to be released, according to Chris Wesseling of NFL.com.

Got all that? Big changes keep on coming in Miami.

The Philadelphia Eagles continued their pursuit of the NFL's deepest, most versatile defensive line, reportedly signing Haloti Ngata to a one-year, $3 million deal, per Rapoport. Add him to a mix that already includes Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Timmy Jernigan, Michael Bennett, Derek Barnett, Chris Long (if he's retained) and Vinny Curry (though his future in Philadelphia remains murky).

Additionally, the Houston Texans re-upped veteran cornerback Jonathan Joseph to a two-year deal, according to Rapoport. He's spent the past seven seasons with the Texans and registered two interceptions in 2017.

Finally, it isn't free agency news, but the McCourty twins have been reunited in New England after the Cleveland Browns announced they traded Jason McCourty and a seventh-round pick to the Patriots for a sixth-rounder.

It was expected McCourty would be cut and hit free agency before the Browns sent him to play with his brother instead. It's a bit of brotherly love for the Patriots team that lost to the City of Brotherly Love in this year's Super Bowl and provides them with more depth in the secondary following the departure of Malcolm Butler.

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