Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; New England Patriots middle linebacker Dont’a Hightower (54) reacts after a tackle in the third quarter during Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium. Photo Credit: Dan Powers-USA TODAY Sports
New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower agreed to a four-year, $43.5 million deal, his agent announced Wednesday.
The contract also includes $19 million in guaranteed money, Hightower’s agency, Sports Trust Advisors, posted on Twitter.
Hightower was being coveted during free agency by multiple other teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets, before the Patriots picked up the fifth-year option of the five-year contract he had signed as a rookie.
The 27-year-old Hightower, who was named a captain for New England in 2016, made $7.751 million during his fifth NFL season.
Hightower’s fourth-quarter strip sack of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in Super Bowl LI was one of the game’s biggest plays as the Patriots rallied from a 25-point comeback to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
–A Pittsburgh judge dropped all charges against former New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis stemming from an alleged aggravated assault incident last month.
Revis, 31, faced five criminal charges — four of them felonies — in relation to a street altercation in Pittsburgh on Feb. 12 that also left him injured.
At Wednesday’s court hearing in Allegheny County, Rashawn Bolton, Revis’ high school teammate, testified that he delivered the knockout punches to the two men, according to NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala.
The two men, ages 21 and 22, told police that they were punched and knocked out amid a verbal altercation with Revis, but they did not know who hit them. Revis is a free agent after the Jets opted not to re-sign him after the 2016 season.
–The Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms with cornerback Terence Newman and wide receiver Adam Thielen.
Newman, who turns 39 in September, returns for his 15th NFL season and third year with the Vikings on a reported one-year deal.
Minnesota initially gave Thielen a second-round tender as a restricted free agent to increase its chances of holding onto him in the offseason. The Vikings elected to give him a three-year contract on Wednesday, multiple outlets reported.
Newman has the second-most career interceptions (41) among active NFL players. He has appeared in 31 games (26 starts) with the Vikings and is just two starts shy of reaching 200 for his career.
This will be Newman’s ninth season playing for Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. Newman previously played for Zimmer in Dallas (2003-06) and in Cincinnati (2012-13) while Zimmer was defensive coordinator.
–The San Francisco 49ers acquired Pro Bowl center Jeremy Zuttah from the Baltimore Ravens in a deal that also saw the clubs exchange sixth-round picks in the 2017 draft.
The trade allows Baltimore to move up 12 picks in the sixth round, ascending from No. 198 overall to 186.
Zuttah, who started in all 16 games for the Ravens last season, was set to make a $3.5 million base salary in 2017. The 30-year-old appeared in 131 contests during his nine-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Ravens.
“(Coach Kyle Shanahan) and I are firm believers that competition brings out the best in everyone,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said.
–New York Jets tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has been suspended two games by the league for violating its substance abuse policy.
The move stems from Seferian-Jenkins’ DUI arrest in September while he was playing for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers promptly cut the 24-year-old and he was claimed on waivers by the Jets.
Seferian-Jenkins was sentenced to one year of probation and 50 hours of community service after entering a plea of no contest on a reckless driving charge last month. The 24-year-old will also pay a fine and attend a DUI prevention class to satisfy the terms of the deal.
Seferian-Jenkins reeled in 10 receptions for 110 yards while playing in seven games with the Jets last season.
–The Pittsburgh Steelers added depth to their receiving corps by agreeing to a one-year contract with wide receiver Justin Hunter, multiple outlets reported.
Hunter, who visited the Steelers on Monday, saw four of his 10 catches go for touchdowns and had 189 receiving yards in 12 games with the Buffalo Bills last season.
The 25-year-old Hunter has 78 career receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns since being selected by the Tennessee Titans with a second-round pick in the 2013 draft.
Hunter, who is listed at 6-foot-4, is expected to give Pittsburgh some size in the red zone behind star wideout Antonio Brown. Martavis Bryant, who missed last season while serving a suspension, likely will battle Hunter, Sammie Coates, Eli Rogers and possibly Darrius Heyward-Bey for catches in 2017.
–The Indianapolis Colts re-signed running back Robert Turbin.
The reported two-year deal is worth up to $4.1 million. “Couldn’t be more excited to be headed back to Indy!” the 27-year-old Turbin posted on his Instagram account.
The 5-foot-10, 225-pound Turbin signed with Indianapolis as an unrestricted free agent on March 16, 2016. He appeared in 73 career games (three starts) and totaled 328 carries for 1,291 yards and eight touchdowns. In addition, Turbin caught 76 passes for 629 yards and three touchdowns with the Colts (2016), Dallas Cowboys (2015), Cleveland Browns (2015) and Seattle Seahawks (2012-14).
In 2016, Turbin played in 15 games with 47 carries for 164 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns. He also had career highs in receptions (26) and receiving yards (179) while catching one touchdown. His seven rushing touchdowns led the Colts while his eight total TDs tied for the team lead.
–The Washington Redskins named Bill Callahan as an assistant head coach.
Callahan, who has served as the team’s offensive line coach for the last two seasons, has also been the head coach of the Oakland Raiders and the University of Nebraska.
Callahan’s added job title comes on the heels of former offensive coordinator Sean McVay leaving to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams. Matt Cavanaugh is now the offensive coordinator for the Redskins.
Washington also announced Chad Grimm will be the outside linebackers coach after spending the last two years as defensive quality control coach. He is the son of former Redskins great and Pro Football Hall of Famer Russ Grimm.
–The Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed to terms with center Joe Hawley on a two-year contract.
Hawley started 15 games in 2016 and 29 of the 30 he played in two seasons with the Buccaneers.
Hawley, 28, played in 57 games over five seasons with Atlanta after being selected by the Falcons in the fourth round of the 2010 draft out of UNLV.
–The Detroit Lions re-signed long snapper Don Muhlbach.
Muhlbach returns to Detroit on a one-year deal while entering his 14th NFL season, all with the Lions. By playing in all 16 games in 2016, he moved his career games total to 196 to rank fourth on the Lions’ all-time list for career games played.
The 35-year-old Muhlbach is just the fifth player in franchise history to play in at least 190 games for the Lions and currently trails linebacker Wayne Walker (200) for third place.
