Grüße und Vorstellung » recent years was 2016

All those promises worth millions upon millions to free agents turned into paydays Wednesday when the NFL’s business year began.

Of course Taron Johnson Jersey , teams needed to clear salary cap space or rejigger their ledgers to make it work, and they’ll still be doing so for months.

While the likes of Drew Brees, Malcolm Butler and Andrew Norwell cashed in bigtime, having reached agreements in the past two days before everything became official, some value entered the marketplace.

Arizona released safety Tyrann Mathieu when it couldn’t rework his deal. On Tuesday, the Cardinals let running back Adrian Peterson go.

Baltimore cut receiver Jeremy Maclin. Detroit said goodbye to tight end Eric Ebron. Pittsburgh tore up a secondary that often was torn up by opposing quarterbacks, releasing Mike Mitchell, Robert Golden and William Gay.

But Carolina had more success with a veteran, completing a one-year deal with defensive end Julius Peppers.

The 38-year-old Peppers, who contemplated retirement after 17 pro seasons, remains with the Panthers for $5 million, with $2.5 million guaranteed, a person familiar with the situation said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the team does not release financial terms of contracts.

”I am fired up to have him back,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. ”It was amazing to have him as part of what we are trying to build and I think he can help us get to the next level.”

Cleveland Andre Holmes Jersey , meanwhile, did nothing more than listen to one of its greatest players, tackle Joe Thomas , announce his retirement. The Browns save his $10.3 million salary for 2018 and a $3 million bonus but lose their best player and leader in the expansion era (1999-present), a 10-time Pro Bowler.

”This was an extremely difficult decision, but the right one for me and my family,” Thomas said. ”Playing in the NFL has taken a toll on my body and I can no longer physically compete at the level I need to.”

CARDINALS

Mathieu was due for $18.75 million of his contract to be guaranteed when the league year officially begins. By cutting him, Arizona will save close to $5 million in cap space.

Mathieu became a star in the Arizona secondary after being selected in the third round of the 2013 draft following a troubled college career at LSU. He was an All-Pro in 2015, when he had five interceptions and 17 passes defensed.

But he also has been plagued by injuries and only last season did Mathieu appear in all 16 games.

RAVENS

Baltimore frees up an estimated $5 million in salary cap space by releasing Maclin, who signed on as a free agent in June. But Maclin missed two games with a shoulder injury, two more with knee issues, and finished with only 40 catches for 440 yards and three touchdowns. The 84 receptions he had over the past two seasons (2016 with Kansas City) are three fewer than he had with the Chiefs in 2015.

Then the Ravens agreed to deals with receivers John Brown and Ryan Grant.

Brown, 27, spent four years in Arizona and is a speedy deep threat Jack Youngblood Jersey , something Baltimore desperately needs. He can also return kicks.

Grant, also 27, was with Washington for four seasons.

49ERS

San Francisco agreed to a four-year contract with running back Jerick McKinnon and a five-year deal with center-guard Weston Richburg. McKinnon replaces departing starter Carlos Hyde and Richburg could start anywhere in the interior line.

”We see Weston as one of the top young interior offensive linemen in the NFL,” GM John Lynch said. ”His athleticism, intelligence and attitude are a perfect fit for our scheme. Jerick has proven to be an extremely versatile football player whose speed, elusiveness and tackle-breaking ability make him a very difficult matchup for defenses. We can’t wait to get them on the field with their teammates and coaches later this spring.”

GIANTS

New York agreed with offensive tackle Nate Solder, late of the Patriots, to become its starter on the left side. Solder, 29, will get a four-year contract worth about $62 million.

The Giants can move 2015 first-round draft pick Ereck Flowers to the right side as they rebuild a line that has struggled for years.

TITANS

Tennessee kept right guard Josh Kline and defensive end David King with new contracts after making a splash in free agency by getting Butler for $60 million over five years ($30 million guaranteed) and also taking running back Dion Lewis away from New England.

BILLS

The Bills restocked their quarterback position by agreeing to a two-year contract with AJ McCarron.

The 27-year-old spent the past four seasons backing up Andy Dalton in Cincinnati after being selected by the Bengals in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.

McCarron’s signing came five days after Buffalo traded three-year starter Tyrod Taylor to Cleveland. The trade left 2017 fifth-round pick Nathan Peterman as the only quarterback on Buffalo’s roster.

Buffalo also added defensive end Trent Murphy from Washington and got a needed pass rusher, albeit a player coming off a major injury.

Murphy had 15 sacks in 47 games, including nine in 2016, then sat out last season after tearing two ligaments in his left knee in a preseason game.

The Bills finished tied for 30th in the NFL with just 27 sacks last season.

The Bills added defensive backfield depth by agreeing with safety Rafael Bush on a two-year contract, and got linebacker Julian Stanford on a two-year contract.

FALCONS

The Falcons addressed a need by signing offensive guard Brandon Fusco Sam Martin Jersey , who started 16 games for San Francisco last season, to a three-ye San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch felt like he had filled a hole at middle linebacker when he drafted Reuben Foster in the first round a year ago.

Now with Foster facing legal trouble and possible league punishment following three felony charges in a domestic violence case, Lynch heads into this year's draft knowing he can't count on Foster to play this season.

"You have to think about those things," he said. "You have to take that into account. You would be foolish not to.

"So having said that, we grade all the players. We look at every position. I think with the improvements we've made on our roster last year, one of the things we're excited about, does every team have needs? Of course they do. But we filled a lot of those."

They might need to fill the one at linebacker again and could have options with the ninth overall pick where Georgia's Roquan Smith or Virginia Tech's Tremaine Edmunds could be possibilities.

Foster delivered on the field as rookie after being taken 31st overall a year ago, ranking second on the team with 72 tackles in 10 games and looking like a key part of San Francisco's defensive future.

But he was charged with felony domestic violence on April 12 after being accused by authorities of dragging his girlfriend and punching her in the head, leaving her with a ruptured eardrum.

Foster is not participating in the team's offseason program and Lynch said he will be cut if it's proven that he hit a woman. He also faces a potential suspension, leaving his status in doubt.

Here are some other things to watch in the draft:

WATCHING QBS

The 49ers filled their glaring hole at quarterback by trading for Jimmy Garoppolo at last year's trade deadline and giving him a five-year contract this offseason. But how things play out with the quarterbacks will impact San Francisco's draft.

With Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield all projected as high picks, a quality player at another spot could fall to No. 9 or San Francisco could deal that pick if one of those four QBs is still on the board.

"I do think not needing a quarterback and all those quarterbacks likely being up there, it will push some really good football players back there Daryl Williams Jersey ," Lynch said. "You can't just fall in love with one guy, because who knows how it will break."

TRADER JOHN

Lynch was aggressive in his first draft, making six trades. He moved down from No. 2 to No. 3 overall to get more picks and then moved up from the second round to the end of the first to select Foster at No. 31. There were four more deals as Lynch was willing to move up to grab a player he coveted or down to get more picks when there wasn't an obvious selection.

"You better have multiple answers because multiple things could happen," Lynch said. "We're going to be aggressive in finding the guys that we like."

DAY 3

Lynch filled several holes on day 3 of the draft a year ago, with fifth-rounders TE George Kittle and WR Trent Taylor, sixth-round DT D.J. Jones and seventh-round S Adrian Colbert all playing big roles as rookies.

"Everyone focuses on the work up top with No. 9, but we really try to take a holistic look at this thing and pride ourselves on being real strong on the back end of the draft," Lynch said.

HITS, MISSES AND BARGAINS

The team's most productive draft pick in recent years was 2016 first-round defense lineman DeForest Buckner, who is an anchor for the defense. Former GM Trent Baalke had far more misses in his final years, leading to his firing following the 2016 season. Baalke used seven picks from 2013-16 on players coming off serious knee injuries and none of those gambles paid off. All seven players are gone and only Tank Carradine and Keith Reaser played more than two games with San Francisco. Lynch had a strong first draft class with several key contributors coming in the late rounds, including Taylor and Colbert.

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