Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 3-15-16 Edition

Sports
Buccaneers Sign CB
Johnny Manziel Clears Waivers After Browns Cut Him
JOHNNY MANZIEL
Johnny Manziel, a free- wheeling quarterback once thought to be the savior of Browns football in Cleveland, but who ended up succumbing to a litany of off-the-field problems that doomed his short tenure in the AFC North, was officially cut by the Browns on Friday before clear- ing waivers Saturday.
Manziel released the fol- lowing statement after he was cut:
“I’d like to thank the Browns for the opportunity they gave me — nearly two years ago, we all hoped that we were building what could be a championship team for Cleve- land. I will always remember the support I received from the organization, my team- mates and especially the fans.”
Rams Re-Sign DE Eugene Sims To A 3-Year, $10M Deal
EUGENE SIMS
The Los Angeles Rams hung onto another defensive line- man.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports the Rams re-signed defensive end Eu- gene Sims to a three-year deal worth $10 million. The contract includes $3.75 mil- lion in guarantees.
The Rams drafted Sims in the sixth round in 2010. He’s compiled 9.5 sacks and 92 tackles in his six seasons. The soon-to-be 30-year-old de- fender made nine starts in 2015, earning 1.5 sacks as a ro- tational player.
Last week the Rams locked down fellow defensive end William Hayes, giving Los Angeles solid depth at the po- sition alongside Robert Quinn.
Keeping Hayes and Sims became a priority after the team released Chris Long before the start of free agency.
Dolphins’ Offer Sheet To Broncos
Brent Grimes, DE Robert Ayers Jr.
RB C.J. Anderson Includes
BRENT GRIMES
For more than a decade, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have engaged in a never- ending search for a dynamic edge pass rusher.
Robert Ayers, Jr. is the latest candidate, agreeing to a three-year, $21 million contract in free agency after posting a career-best 9 1-2 sacks with the New York Gi- ants last season.
“Robert is a versatile pass rusher who can play a variety of positions along the defensive line and has been successful both from the in- terior as well as the edge,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said Friday.
“He has posted 20 sacks over the past three years, is coming off the best season of his career, and is an ideal fit for our 4-3 defensive sys- tem,” Licht added. “Experi- enced pass rushers who can provide consistent pressure and disrupt an opponent’s passing game are critical to our defensive success, and Robert will do all those
ROBERT AYERS JR.
things, along with providing veteran leadership.”
The Bucs didn’t settle for just bolstering an inconsis- tent rush. They also signed four-time Pro Bowl corner- back Brent Grimes to a two-year, $13.5 million con- tract.
The moves addressed a need to improve every level of a defense that allowed op- posing quarterbacks to com- plete 70 percent of their passes and throw for 31 touchdowns last season.
Grimes spent the past three seasons with the Miami Dolphins. In nine NFL seasons, he has 26 in- terceptions, two forced fum- bles and one fumble recovery.
“Brent is the kind of play- making defensive back that will make an immediate im- pact in our secondary. ... His familiarity with our defen- sive system, combined with his aggressive style of play, makes him an ideal fit for us.”
DENVER — All the Denver Broncos have to do is decide whether to make C.J. An- derson the NFL’s third- highest paid running back.
Whether it’s the Miami Dolphins or Broncos that pay it, Anderson will get $6 mil- lion that will tie him with the Tennessee Titans’ DeMarco Murray on the positional pay scale.
Only Adrian Peterson, who will draw $11 million from the Minnesota Vikings, and the Tampa Bay Bucca- neers’ Doug Martin, who just got a new contract that will pay $8 million this year, will make more than Ander-
C. J. ANDERSON
son. (Marshawn Lynch was to draw $9 million, but he recently retired).
And neither Peterson or Martin will get a $5.25 mil- lion signing bonus March 31, as Anderson will thanks to a front-loaded offer sheet he signed with the Dolphins on Thursday.
$5.25 Bonus Due March 31
Clearwater’s Thurman vs. Porter Has New Fight Date
The long-awaited Keith Thurman-Shawn Porter bout has a new date at last.
The WBA welterweight title bout will now take place on June 25 in the main event of a CBS prime-time card, Showtime announced. The co-feature will pit WBA feath- erweight champion Jesus Cuellar against Abner Mares. The site has yet to be determined.
Thurman-Porter was scheduled for March 12 at Mohegan Sun in Conn., but Thurman was involved in a car accident and suffered whiplash. Doctors recom- mended he rest for six to eight weeks, but he is now
KEITH THURMAN And SHAWN PORTER
clear to resume activities. But the real attraction here is Thurman-Porter, a fight in the works since the latter defeated Adrien Broner in June. It’s an even-money matchup on paper and fea- tures Boxing Junkie’s No. 10 pound-for-pound fighter in Thurman, an undefeated puncher from Clearwater,
Fla.
Broncos Restructure Demarcus Ware’s Contract
Derek Jeter To Join MLB For Historic Trip To Cuba
The Denver Broncos have already lost several key play- ers from last year’s Super Bowl-winning team, but De- Marcus Ware will be back.
The veteran pass rusher has finalized a revised con- tract with the Broncos, a per- son with knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on Saturday.
The person spoke on con- dition of anonymity because it has not been announced. Ware, 33, had been due $10 million in 2016 and was in line for a pay cut.
Exact details on Ware’s new deal weren’t immedi- ately available.
Ware had 71⁄2 sacks last season for the Broncos, plus
DEMARCUS WARE
31⁄2 more in the playoffs, in- cluding a pair in their Super Bowl 50 win over the Car- olina Panthers.
Among others, linebacker
Danny Trevathan
(Chicago) and defensive end Malik Jackson (Jack- sonville) have been lost from last year’s No. 1-ranked de- fense.
Derek Jeter will join Cuban baseball greats Luis Tiant and Jose Cardenal as part of Major League Base- ball’s first exhibition game in Cuba since 1999, the league announced on Friday.
This will mark Jeter’s first major appearance since he re- tired from the New York Yan- kees after 20 seasons in 2014. The trip will feature a Tampa Bay Rays exhibition against Cuban national team in Ha- vana on March 22, a game President Obama is ex- pected to attend.
To fuel speculation, Jeter has made it clear that he wants to be an owner in MLB someday. Jeter, who owns a mansion in St. Petersburg, Fla., is a curious link.
The Baltimore Orioles were the last team to play in Cuba, a contest 17 years ago that also pitted major leaguers against Cuba’s national team.
President Obama an-
DEREK JETER
nounced in December 2014 that U.S. and Cuba would re- store diplomatic ties, the first step toward ending a travel and trade prohibition that began more than 50 years ago. The U.S. and Cuba have reopened their embassies and U.S. officials announced in February that commercial flights between the countries would resume.
Hall of Fame player and manager Joe Torre, MLB’s chief baseball officer, will also attend the exhibition. Torre was part of a goodwill tour of the country organized by MLB and the MLB Players Association in December.
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