Page 14 - 3-10-15 Tuesday's Edition

Sports
Marshawn Lynch
McCourty Re-Ups With Patriots
DEVIN MCCOURTY
The New England Patriots managed to keep one of their top two much-coveted defen- sive backs from hitting the free-agent market Sunday when free safety Devin Mc- Courty agreed to re-sign with the team.
McCourty confirmed the agreement Sunday night.
A first-round draft choice of the Patriots in 2010, se- lected 27th overall out of Rut- gers, McCourty is a four-time team captain who quickly be- came one of the team's foun- dation players after signing a five-year, $10 million pact as a rookie.
Maclin Headed To Kansas City
JEREMY MACLIN
Philadelphia Eagles re- ceiver Jeremy Maclin plans to reunite with former coach Andy Reid in Kansas City once free agency officially be- gins Tuesday.
The Chiefs will need to clear salary-cap space to sign Maclin, whose new contract will be worth $11 million per season. That's in the range of what Randall Cobb received to stay with the Green Bay Packers at $10 million per year. Unlike Cobb, who chose to remain with his team, Maclin is prepared to depart Philadelphia coming off his best season in which he had 85 catches for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. He played on a one-year, $5.25 million con- tract in 2014 after missing 2013 with an ACL injury.
Reid was the head coach when the Eagles drafted Maclin in 2009 out of Mis- souri. Maclin will turn 27 on May 11.
Source: Suh Signing With Dolphins For $114M
Signs Two-Year Extension
The Seattle Seahawks plan to keep Marshawn Lynch around for the long haul.
The team announced Fri- day that Lynch signed a two- year extension, keeping the hard-charging running back in Seattle through the 2017 season.
The contract is worth $24 million in new money and pays $31 million over the next three years.
If Lynch plays all three years, he will earn $12 million in 2015, $9 million in 2016
MARSHAWN LYNCH
and $10 million in 2017. That's a big "if." There's still a chance Lynch will col- lect only his $12 million in
guarantees for next season.
Barring a breakdown in formal contract negotiations, Ndamukong Suh will sign with the Miami Dolphins after the new league year be- gins Tuesday for a deal that will pay him approximately $114 million with $60 million in guaranteed money.
The Dolphins and Suh's agent Jimmy Sexton dis- cussed those six-year para- meters once the 72-hour window opened Saturday for dialogue between teams and unrestricted free agents, sources confirmed.
While Suh's former team, the Detroit Lions, were among the teams making competitive proposals, the Dolphins' parameters far ex- ceeded the rest of the clubs interested in the defensive
NDAMUKONG SUH
tackle.
The official proposal and
contract, which would make Suh one of the NFL's high- est-paid players, must be ne- gotiated when the market opens at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Based off the parameters, Suh will get $60 million in the first three years on a con- tract that is expected to aver- age $19 million over the six years of the deal, sources said.
Ted Ginn To Return To Panthers
Frank Gore To Sign With Eagles
Wide receiver Ted Ginn has reached an agreement on a contract with the Carolina Panthers.
With the deal, Ginn will return, where he played in 2013 and caught a career-best five touchdown passes.
The Arizona Cardinals re- leased Ginn last month, free- ing $2.5 million of cap space.
Ginn, who turns 30 in April, had an underwhelming 2014 as Arizona's punt and kick returner and its fifth re- ceiver. His highlight came in Week 2, when he returned a punt 71 yards for a touch-
Ted Ginn, who was re- leased by the Cardinals last month, will play for the Pan- thers in 2014.
down against the New York Giants. Beyond that, Ginn struggled with deciding whether to bring kickoffs out of the end zone.
Free-agent running back Frank Gore has told people he will sign this week with the Philadelphia Eagles, accord- ing to league sources.
Barring a breakdown in talks, Gore is expected to sign a three-year deal in which $7.5 million in the first two years is guaranteed.
Gore's decision will end an impressive 10-year run with the San Francisco 49ers.
The final price tag, which the two sides still have to ne- gotiate, is expected to come in at less than half of former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, who is signing a new deal this week with the Buf-
FRANK GORE
falo Bills. But the Eagles plan to hand their starting job to Gore, and he has informed other teams that he has made his decision, sources said.
Free-agent cornerback Byron Maxwell stated he will sign with the Eagles when free agency begins Tuesday.
Vikings G.M. And Coach
Meet With Adrian
Peterson At His Home
Departing WR Smith Thanks Ravens
Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman spent more than four hours at Adrian Peterson's home outside Houston on Wednes- day afternoon, meeting with the 2012 NFL MVP to discuss his feelings about returning to the Vikings next season.
Peterson, who missed 15 games in 2014 after he was indicted Sept. 12 on child in- jury charges for disciplining his 4-year-old son, said last month he was "still uneasy" about returning to the Vikings, adding that he was unsure how much support he had from the team.
Peterson pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reck- less injury Nov. 4, and on Dec. 12 he was suspended until April 15. On Thursday, however, a federal judge or- dered the NFL to vacate Pe- terson's suspension; the league appealed the decision
ADRIAN PETERSON
The Vikings coach and G.M. leaving Peterson’s
home on Wednesday.
and put Peterson back on the exempt list. The change in his status did allow the Vikings to communicate di- rectly with Peterson for the first time since September.
Minnesota can officially trade Peterson once the new league year starts Tuesday. The Vikings can release him or ask him to restructure his contract at any time. Peter- son, who turns 30 on March 21, is scheduled to make $12.75 million in 2015.
Free-agent wide receiver Torrey Smith acknow- ledged in an online post Sun- day night that he will not be playing with the Baltimore Ravens in 2015.
In a classy and heartfelt goodbye to the organization and city of Baltimore, Smith thanked members of the Ravens, from owner Steve Bisciotti to his position coaches to his teammates. He also talked about how tough it will be to leave a city that he now calls home.
"I will be playing for a dif- ferent organization, but I will remain committed to the City of Baltimore," Smith wrote. "I will continue to give back and help build a better future for our young men and
TORREY SMITH
women. MY COMMITMENT TO THE CITY IS FOR LIFE. This isn't a goodbye because I will still be around, and Bal- timore will continue to be my home in the offseason and when my career is done. I'm on to the next chapter of my life and football career, but I will see you guys later."
PAGE 14 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015