CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Former Raiders linebacker Tahir Whitehead has signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Carolina Panthers, a league source confirmed to ESPN.
He has a $1.05 million salary, the league minimum for players with seven-plus years of experience, and a $1.45 million signing bonus, a source told ESPN.
Whitehead, who turns 30 on April 2, adds veteran experience to a linebacker corps that lost Pro Bowler Luke Kuechly to retirement after the season.
Whitehead was a fifth-round pick by the Detroit Lions out of Temple in 2012, when new Panthers coach Matt Rhule was an assistant for the Owls. Rhule went on to become the head coach at Temple from 2013 to 2016.
TEMPE, Ariz. — Running back Kenyan Drake signed his one-year tender with the Arizona Cardinals, his agency announced Saturday.
Drake was tendered Monday, which meant he could negotiate a long-term deal with other teams but Arizona would have the right of first refusal. The tender is worth $8,483,000 for the 2020 season.
Drake, 26, was traded to the Cardinals from the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 28 and played in his first game just three days later, rushing for 110 yards and a touchdown, and catching four passes for 52 yards. From there, he established himself as Arizona’s starting running back.
The New Orleans Saints have agreed to re-sign offensive lineman Andrus Peat to a five-year contract, the team announced Friday.
The deal is worth $57.5 million, with $33 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN, confirming a report by NFL Network.
Peat, who turned 26 in November, is a former first-round draft pick and a two-time Pro Bowler after being selected as an alternate in each of the past two seasons.
Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Andrew Billings has agreed to a contract with the Cleveland Browns, SportsTrust Advisors, the agency that represents him, announced Thursday.
Billings, 25, developed into one of the Bengals’ most reliable interior linemen over the past three seasons, missing just one game over that span.
“Excited for this next chapter @Browns!” Billings wrote on Twitter.
In 2019, he made 14 starts and tallied 35 tackles, with four of them coming behind the line of scrimmage. Despite his presence, the Bengals struggled against the run in 2019, finishing last in the league in rushing defense.