• Legwold adds that Walton is expected to miss the entire season.

Walton, 26, suffered a fractured and dislocated ankle back in September last year. Legwold mentions that the Broncos are somewhat optimistic that Walton could return to practice midway through the season.

Denver is dealing with a few injuries on their offensive line, so it would make sense for them to bring in some additional depth. Koppen, 33, filled in for Walton last year after he suffered his ankle injury, but Manny Ramirez has been working at center during minicamp, so we’ll have to see if they prefer to move forward with him.

The post Broncos May Consider Re-Signing C Dan Koppen appeared first on NFL Trade Rumors -.

San Francisco also signed DT Justin Smith to an extension on Wednesday as well.

Roman deserves a lot of credit for the 49ers offensive production in the past few years. While this extension is clearly an attempt to their coaching staff in place, Roman figures to still be a candidate for a head coaching job next year.

The post Report: 49ers Sign OC Greg Roman To A Two-Year Extension appeared first on NFL Trade Rumors -.

According to Cimini, Winslow receives a one-year deal worth $840,000, which includes no guaranteed money. In fact, Winslow didn’t even receive a signing bonus. He’ll count $555,000 against the team’s salary cap for the 2013 season.

Despite having an obvious need at tight end, it makes sense that the Jets would be cautious with Winslow, considering that he’s had numerous procedures performed on his knees. While he was able to impress the Jets coaching staff during his tryout, the real test will come once the pads are put on.

The post Kellen Winslow Contract Details appeared first on NFL Trade Rumors -.

“Justin’s All-Pro contributions on the field, as well as his leadership on and off the field, are integral to our success,” said GM Trent Baalke.

Smith, 33, will now be under team control through the 2015 season. He was entering the final year of his current contract and was set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2013 season in which he’s set to make $7.5 million.

His overall impact on the 49ers defense has been significant and it wouldn’t be easy for San Francisco to find an adequate replacement, so it makes sense to address his contract now.

We had Smith listed as the No. 29 player in our Top 50 – 2014 Free Agents list.

The post 49ers Sign DT Justin Smith To A Two-Year Extension appeared first on NFL Trade Rumors -.

Florio adds that ”casual talks” have taken place in recent weeks, so there’s at least some dialogue between the two sides.

Ryan, 28, is in the final year of his rookie contract and stands to make $10 million for the upcoming season. As of now, he counts $12 million against the team’s salary cap and as Florio notes, it’s unlikely that this number will be reduced even after a long-term extension is reached.

Ryan figures to come close to and possibly surpass the annual average of Aaron Rodgers, so it seems reasonable to assume that his next contract will pay him $18-20 million per year.

We have Ryan listed as the No. 1 player in our Top 50 – 2014 Free Agents list.

The post Report: Contract Talks Between Falcons & Matt Ryan To Pick Up In The Coming Weeks appeared first on NFL Trade Rumors -.

Ian Rapoport reports that free agent ILB Desmond Bishop is visiting with the Vikings Tuesday and is expected to meet with the Chiefs on Thursday.

• Pro Football Talk reports that the Jaguars also an option for Bishop.
• Ryan O’Halloran reports that Jaguars are “exploring” the idea of signing Bishop, but have yet to schedule a visit.

The Vikings appear to be the favorites to sign Bishop, but as Tom Pelissero points out, his physical will be key in determining whether or not they sign him.

Ty Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted that Bishop recently suffered a muscle strain on the inside of his injured hamstring that prevented him from participating in organized team activities and minicamp.

The Chiefs could use some depth at inside linebacker and new GM John Dorsey comes from Green Bay, so he’s plenty familiar with Bishop as a player.

Other speculative options for Bishop include: the  Colts, Browns, Texans, Raiders and Bills.

We have him already listed as No. 1 player in our Best Available Free Agents list.

————-

Ty Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Packers will release ILB Desmond Bishop today. 

The Packers have since confirmed the transaction.

• Wes Hodkiewicz reports that Bishop’s first visit following his release is expected to be with the Minnesota Vikings.
• Bill Huber reports that the Vikings are expected to make a “strong run” at signing Bishop.
• Jason Wilde confirms that Bishop will meet with Minnesota on Tuesday.
• Adam Caplan lists the Vikings, Chiefs, Colts, Browns, Texans and Bills as the teams most in need of help at inside linebacker.
• Steve Corkran adds that the Raiders could be an option for Bishop as well.

Bishop, 28, reportedly was unwilling to accept a pay cut as he was set to make $3.464 million for the upcoming season after signing a four-year deal worth $19.05 million back in 2011.

Bishop is coming off of a pretty serious hamstring injury and the Packers retained Brad Jones during the offseason, so it appears as though Green Bay is comfortable moving forward with Jones and A.J. Hawk at inside linebacker.

The Vikings could really use some depth at inside linebacker and have been no stranger to signing players from the Packers or other teams within the NFC North.

Bishop should find plenty of interest on the open market.

—————

Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin is reporting that barring a trade or an agreement on a restructured contract the Packers will release ILB Desmond Bishop.

Reports surfaced during this year’s draft that Green Bay was shopping Bishop around the league, but there must not have been a lot of interest.

The post Desmond Bishop Visiting Vikings Tuesday & Chiefs Thursday, Jaguars Also An Option appeared first on NFL Trade Rumors -.

La Canfora adds that he expected to see more progress towards an agreement given that the Bears defense is aging.

Chicago managed to get RB Matt Forte locked up just before the deadline last year, so there’s always a chance that talks could heat up as the July 15th deadline nears.

Melton, 26, has quickly become of the best interior pass rushers in the league and would have plenty of options if he’s allowed to test the open market next season.

We have Melton listed as the No. 6 player in our Top 50 – 2014 Free Agents list.

The post No Sense Of Urgency Between The Bears & Henry Melton Regarding A Contract Extension appeared first on NFL Trade Rumors -.

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, a ”chasm” exists between the Bengals and DT Geno Atkins regarding a long-term extension.

La Canfora adds that there’s some “skepticism as about how deep the Bengals will dig to keep talent.“

Atkins, 25, set to make a very reasonable $1.4 million for the 2013 season and Cincinnati is sitting on a pile of cash - $19.96 million in cap space to be exact.

There’s no question that Atkins is already among the best interior defensive lineman in the game, so he’s in a great position to secure a huge contract at some point in the near. It’s hard to imagine the Bengals allowing someone this talented to get away, so he’s a prime candidate for the franchise next year.

We have Atkins listed as the No. 2 player in our Top 50 – 2014 Free Agents list.

Michael Johnson

Jason La Canfora reports that ”there doesn’t seem to be much optimism” that a long-term extension for Bengals DE Michael Johnson will be reached at any point in the near future.

La Canfora adds that the two sides haven’t been able to agree on Johnson’s market value and the fact that Atkins is also set to become an unrestricted free agent makes it all the more likely that Cincinnati will allow him to test the open market.

Johnson, 26, was franchised back in February and will make $11.2 million for the upcoming season. If he’s able to produce similar numbers to what he put up last year, he figures to be one of the hottest free agents come next March.

We have Johnson listed as the No. 17 player in our Top 50 – 2014 Free Agents list.

The post Bengals Notes: Geno Atkins & Michael Johnson appeared first on NFL Trade Rumors -.

La Canfora expects to see the negotiations to go ”right to the deadline.“

Denver’s previous offer was reportedly “not in line with what a top-five tackle will earn these days.” Clady is not only considered to be a top-five tackle in the league, but the position has to be a priority for the Broncos, considering that Peyton Manning remains their quarterback.

Clady, 26, was franchised back in February and is believed to be seeking a similar contract to that of Joe Thomas - eight-years, $92 million deal and $44 million guaranteed. Clady stands to make $9.828 million under his franchise tender, but applying the designation to him again in 2014 would run the Broncos close to $12 million after the additional 20 percent is factored in.

We have Spencer listed as the No. 3 player in our Top 50 – 2014 Free Agents list.

The post “Some Sense” That Broncos Could Reach An Agreement With LT Ryan Clady appeared first on NFL Trade Rumors -.

A report from last month indicated that the two sides were $2 million apart in terms of annually salary. All indications are that Byrd is unwilling to offer the Bills a hometown discount and despite having close to $20 million in cap space to work with, Buffalo has remained cautious throughout the offseason.

Byrd, 26, is already among the best safeties in the game and is in line to secure a huge contract on the open market next season, assuming of course that the Bills don’t use their franchise tag on him again.

“You don’t overspend like mad on Mario Williams only to let your homegrown talent depart, and franchising again Byrd in 2013 would just be more expensive,” explains La Canfora. “It also isn’t exactly the way for a new coaching and front office regime to engender positive vibes in the locker room.”

We have Spencer listed as the No. 5 player in our Top 50 – 2014 Free Agents list.

The post No Progress Between The Bills & S Jairus Byrd appeared first on NFL Trade Rumors -.