Dean Michaels

Patriots add more weapons in WR's Brandon Lloyd, Anthony Gonzalez

The New England Patriots signed free agent wide receiver Brandon Lloyd and former Colts wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez Saturday.

Lloyd signed a three-year, $12 million contract according to reports.

"I'm ready for work," Lloyd told CSN New England on Saturday night. "The time for talking is done. I couldn't be more excited."

Lloyd was traded by Denver to St. Louis last season and caught 51 passes for 638 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games for the Rams.

In 2010 Lloyd led the league with 1,448 yards receiving and will be reunited with Josh McDaniels, who was the Broncos coach then and now is the Patriots' offensive coordinator.

Gonzalez, 27, spent five seasons with the Colts and had 99 receptions for 1,307 yards and seven touchdowns. Plagued by injuries throughout his career, Gonzalez has been active for only 11 games since the 2008 season.

49ers continue to improve receiving corps with addition of Manningham

The San Francisco 49ers continued to bolster their receiving corps Saturday as they reportedly reached an agreement on a two-year contract with free agent wide receiver Mario Manningham.

According to various reports Manningham is leaving the Super Bowl champion New York Giants to join the 49ers, who have also added seven-time Pro Bowler Randy Moss this offseason.

Manningham, 25, caught 39 passes for 523 yards and four touchdowns last season for the New York Giants.

"It's going down. Mario Manningham signs with 49ers. This is a sick WR squad. It's going to be crazy on the Offensive side of the ball," 49ers defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois tweeted.

The only question that remains is who will be throwing the ball to Manningham, Moss and Michael Crabtree, who had 72 receptions for 874 yards and four touchdowns last season.

Last year's starter, Alex Smith, is a free agent and is reportedly ready to visit with the Miami Dolphins as San Francisco pursues free agent Peyton Manning.

Smith threw for 3,144 yards and 17 touchdowns last season and showed improvement but the 49ers still ranked 29th in the NFL in passing at 183.1 yards per game.

Manning meets with Titans in latest free agency tour stop

Peyton Manning met with officials of the Tennessee Titans for nearly seven hours Wednesday in the latest stop of his whirlwind free agency tour.

Manning has now met with four teams following his release by the Indianapolis Colts and his free agency is the biggest story of the NFL offseason. Manning has already had meetings with the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins.

Tennessee coach Mike Munchak, general manager Ruston Webster and chief operating officer Mike Reinfeldt were among those who met with Manning.

Titans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer was also at the meeting and prepared a playbook to show Manning how the offense would operate with him under center.

Team owner Bud Adams has made no secret that Manning, a four-time NFL MVP who played collegiately at the University of Tennessee, is his top priority.

"He is the man I want. Period," Adams said. "And the people that work for me understand that. They know who I want. I want Mr. Manning with the Titans and I will be disappointed if it doesn't happen."

Bucs expect to bolster offense with wideout Vincent Jackson

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened free agency with one of the boldest moves in franchise history Wednesday when they signed free agent wide receiver Vincent Jackson to a five-year deal worth more than $55 million.

It is expected to address one of the holes and problematic positions for the Bucs last year.

Jackson, who had spent his entire seven-year career with the San Diego Chargers after being drafted in the second round of the 2005 draft, was brought in via a contract worth $55.5 million and $13 million in each of his first two years.

It makes the 29-year-old former San Diego receiver the second highest paid player on the team behind defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

Jackson, a 6-foot-5 and 230-pounder, is more than just a big receiver. His size and impressive skills should compliment quarterback Josh Freeman, who struggled in his third year.

Jackson, considered the best wide receiver of the 2012 free agent class, has shown incredible speed throughout his career. He has also shown ability to get open down the field, which other Tampa Bay receivers have failed to do last season.

The arrival of Jackson, who averaged 18.4 yards per catch last year, could alter the approach of opposing defenses.

He had 60 catches for 1,106 yards and nine scores last season.

It marked the third 1,000-yard season in the last four years for Jackson, with exception of the 2010 season in which he missed all but five games after sitting out due to a contract dispute.

Jackson has 272 career receptions for 4,754 yards and 37 TDs in 91 career games with 75 starts.

Last season, the Buccaneers' receiving corps recorded a combined 14 catches for 459 yards and four TD on throws of 21 or more yards.

Eagles sign wideout DeSean Jackson to five-year, $51M contract

The Philadelphia Eagles signed wide receiver DeSean Jackson to a five-year, $51 million deal Wednesday.

The move surprised some observers as Jackson's coming off a season where he held out in training camp, missed a meeting and was benched for poor play vs. the Patriots.

"We are thrilled to be able to keep one of the NFL's top playmakers in Philadelphia," Andy Reid said in a news release. "DeSean is a game breaker, he has the speed and ability to score from anywhere on the field, and he has proven himself to be a big threat for our offense."

Jackson is scheduled to meet with reporters Thursday afternoon, and Reid looks forward to Jackson being back on the field next season.

"Signing our own players was a big priority for us this offseason and DeSean was certainly high on our list," Reid said. "We are very excited about his future as an Eagle."

New Bears wide receiver Marshall accused of punching woman in face

A woman has accused Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall of punching her in the face at a nightclub.

According to New York City police the alleged incident occurred at 3:50 a.m. ET Sunday outside the Manhattan club Marquee.

Marshall was traded to Chicago on Tuesday for a pair of third-round draft picks.

"Both the Bears and Dolphins were aware of what occurred over the weekend. We decided to move forward with the trade. We have high expectations for Brandon as a Bear," Bears general manager Phil Emery said in a statement.

Marshall's attorney, Harvey Steinberg, denied that Marshall and his friends were involved in the incident.

"Brandon Marshall was the key note speaker at a charitable event in New York. After the event was over he, his wife and close friends attended a function at a local club. While at the function a fight broke out NOT involving Mr. Marshall or his friends," Steinberg said.

The receiver has been arrested for disorderly conduct, drunk driving, and numerous incidents of alleged domestic violence since 2006.

Dolphins trade wideout Brandon Marshall to Bears

The Miami Dolphins traded wideout Brandon Marshall to the Chicago Bears Tuesday.

Speculation is the Dolphins could try to sign Reggie Wayne in an effort to lure his ex-Colts teammate Peyton Manning to South Beach.

Dolphins players were surpised at the move, however, as Miami received the Bears third-round pick in 2012 and 2013 in exchange.

"Hate to see my boy B Marshall go," running back Reggie Bush tweeted. "That's the league for you, one day your hear next day your gone. Chicago is getting one hell of a player!"

"Brandon Marshall out of Miami?" center Mike Pouncey tweeted. "Tell me this ain't true..."

Marshall, a Pro Bowler, had 81 receptions for 1,214 yards and six touchdowns.

Saints retain wideout Marques Colston with five-year contract

The New Orleans Saints hung on to wide receiver Marques Colston Tuesday, inking him to a five-year contract.

Colston snared 80 catches for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He will rake in $19 million guaranteed and up to $40 million in all.

"This was important to me, to be back with this team in this situation," Colston said in a statement released by the Saints. "I was not looking to chase free agency; it was more important for me to be back in our program, a program we have been building and a program I believe in. The Saints have been loyal to me from the beginning and I want to thank my agent Joel Segal and Saints GM Mickey Loomis for getting this deal done before free agency. Now it is time to get back to work and win some more rings."

Loomis said he's pleased to retain Colston's services.

"Since we drafted Marques in 2006, he's been everything that we are looking for in a New Orleans Saint as a player and a person," Loomis said in the statement. "His combination of production, work ethic and reliability speaks for itself. He has proudly represented our team both on the field and in the community. Credit goes to Marques for wanting to get this deal done before free agency started. He's been a major part of our success and we're excited that he will continue to be an integral part of our team for years to come."

Broncos players sue NFL over suspensions

Denver Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams and defensive tackle Ryan McBean have filed a lawsuit against the NFL over their suspensions for violating the league's policy against the use of performance-enhancing substances according to reports.

The NFL announced Friday that Williams and McBean are suspended without pay for Denver's first six games of the 2012 season. Denver tight end Virgil Green, who was suspended for four games, is not part of the lawsuit.

The Denver Post and ProFootballTalk.com reported that the players filed a suit Monday in which they allege that Harold Henderson, the hearing officer who ruled against the players' appeals, overstepped his powers.

The players also allege chain-of-custody procedural errors and that NFL attorney Jeff Pash contacted Henderson after their appeals hearings without their lawyers present.

The NFL Players Association released a statement Tuesday calling for independent arbitrators as part of any future drug testing policy.

"The NFLPA is disappointed by the decisions in the cases of Ryan McBean and D.J. Williams. Despite substantial evidence of breaches in the collection protocol and other procedural irregularities, the NFL decided to punish these players without judicious review of the facts. The League-appointed hearing officer then affirmed the discipline, even though the specimen collector was fired by his agency for not following procedures. The NFL also failed to produce the sample collector as a witness during the players' appeals hearing.

"The NFLPA and NFL have been negotiating a new and comprehensive Substances of Abuse and Steroids policies. The facts in these two cases, and in recent cases in other sports, dramatically underscore the players' insistence to have independent, neutral arbitrators as part of any future policy. We will continue to fight for a fair, clean and safe game."

Wideout Randy Moss agrees to five-year contract with Niners

Wideout Randy Moss has agreed to a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers.

Moss, 35, will be the oldest position player on his new team though he is one of the game's all-time great receivers.

"The thing about me being here is they've done their research on me," Moss said on a conference call. "And I think when it comes to the worldwide sports media, that I've gotten a bad rap. They've done their homework on me or they wouldn't have brought me in here ... One thing I would like the sports world to understand is the love and the passion that I have for the game of football."

Moss said he still has the tools necessary to be a success.

"I still love the game," said Moss, who has 153 receiving touchdowns, tied for second all-time. "I still think I can play at a high level. I'm very passionate about the game of football."

Jets sign defensive tackle Sione Pouha to three-year contract

The New York Jets signed defensive tackle Sione Pouha to a three-year deal, the team announced Monday.

Financial terms of the pact were not released for the player who led Jets linemen with 58 tackles last season.

"I have the utmost respect for every single guy in that locker room," Pouha said Monday on a conference call, adding, "I'm excited to get back and start banging the weights and hitting the turf and working out with these guys. Other than the things that happened, I'm more excited for what's going to happen this year."

Pouha sad he was pleased the team also locked up quarterback Mark Sanchez to a three-year deal last week.

"I was excited for him when I heard he was going to get that extension," Pouha said. "And I was way more excited when I found out I'd be playing with him for the next three years."

NFL 2012 Free Agent Signings and Trades - March Update