Here's a look at some of the top rumors for Monday, March 7:
Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel believes the Miami Dolphins are passed the point of no return with corner Brent Grimes. Kelly has learned from sources that Miami approached Grimes about restructuring his four-year, $32 million contract, but the veteran declined. Miami could save $6.5 million in cap space by cutting Grimes, but that would leave the Dolphins with a major hole in their secondary. That's why NFL.com's Ian Rapoport chimed in on Twitter that the Dolphins won't cut ties with Grimes and his $8 million price tag until they have his replacement in place, and they might already have an option in mind. Rapoport is reporting that Miami is in talks with the Philadelphia Eagles on a trade that would send corner Byron Maxwell to the Dolphins. ESPN's Phil Sheridan doesn't think the Eagles would need to get much in return for Maxwell; just gaining the cap flexibility for this year and beyond would be an incentive enough to ship off one of their prized acquisitions from last offseason. UPDATE -- The Dolphins and Eagles have finalized the deal sending Maxwell, along with linebacker Kiko Alonso, from Philadelphia to Miami, a league source tells ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
In a bit of more expected news, Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot has heard from league sources that the Cleveland Browns will pursue former Cincinnati Bengals receiver Marvin Jones. The WR played under Hue Jackson the last two seasons, and the Browns have a clear need at receiver, so Jones has been tied to Cleveland in forecasts since the end of the season by many pundits, including ESPN's Pat McManamon. This free-agent class of wideouts is not overwhelming, so Jones will certainly draw plenty of attention across the league. Cabot proposes Golden Tate's five-year, $31 million deal with the Detroit Lions as a benchmark for what Jones might get as a solid No. 2 option on the market.
Meanwhile, fellow Cincinnati free agent George Iloka has already received serious interest from five franchises, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer's Jim Owczarski. Owczarski listed the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Bengals as the teams with "serious interest" in the 25-year-old's services. Iloka is one of the top safeties on the market this offseason, so interest from all of these teams is right in line with expectations. Detroit's own Isa Abdul-Quddus and James Ihedigbo are set to be free agents, so Kyle Meinke of Michigan Live sees Detroit slotting Iloka right into the vacant spot alongside free safety Glover Quin if it wants to spend the money. The Falcons released strong safety William Moore in early February, leaving an opening for Iloka if Atlanta isn't completely confident in Kemal Ishmael at that spot moving forward. The Giants need help in their secondary to take some pressure off of second-year player Landon Collins. Minnesota seems a little less likely, according to 1500 ESPN Twin Cities' Judd Zulgad, because of its decision to retain 2015 starter Andrew Sendejo with a four-year, $16 million deal. And a return to the Bengals should not be ruled out given their tendency to try and retain talent instead of importing outside players through free agency.
The Kansas City Star's Terez A. Paylor is hearing that the Kansas City Chiefs are interested in former Oakland Raiders receiver Rod Streater. Streater has been nearly nonexistent over the past two seasons, amassing just 10 catches in four games over both campaigns while dealing with a fractured foot and then a coaching change. While Streater fell behind the likes of Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and Seth Roberts in Oakland, Paylor thinks Streater could compete with Albert Wilson and Chris Conley for the No. 2 receiver spot with the Chiefs. ESPN's Mike Reiss listed Streater as an under-the-radar free agent that would be a fit for the New England Patriots, so there seems to be a small market forming for the five-year veteran, despite his recent lack of production.
Paylor also offers an update on cornerback Sean Smith, whose time with Kansas City appears to be coming to an end. "No surprise here, but I’m hearing cornerback Sean Smith is already garnering significant interest on the market, and that multiple teams — but not the Chiefs — have already expressed interest since the tampering period began," Paylor writes. The Chiefs reached out to Smith about a contract at the combine, but Paylor believes things are shaping up for the corner to receive a nice contract on the open market. It looks like the wild ride is just getting started for Kansas City.