Panthers bring back Peppers, Munnerlynl

The Carolina Panthers officially signed unrestricted free agent defensive end Julius Peppers to a one-year contract on Saturday.

The Panthers also announced the signing of free agent cornerback Captain Munnerlyn to a four-year contract as they return both players to where their careers started.

Both deals were reached on Friday. Peppers will receive $3.5 million with incentives that could pay up to $4.25 million, according to ESPN. Munnerlyn’s deal is worth a reported $21 million, with $10.5 million guaranteed, including a $6 million signing bonus.

The 6-foot-7, 285-pound Peppers began his career with the Panthers, playing eight seasons (2002-09) with the team after being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft out of North Carolina. The 37-year-old Peppers returns to the Panthers after playing four seasons (2010-13) with the Chicago Bears and three (2014-16) with the Green Bay Packers.

The 5-9, 195-pound Munnerlyn also returns to the Panthers after spending the last three seasons (2014-16) with the Minnesota Vikings.

Munnerlyn, 28, began his career with the Panthers, playing five seasons (2009-13) with the team after being drafted in the seventh round in 2009 out of South Carolina. He holds the Panthers’ career interception return touchdowns record with five and is tied for the club single-season record with two, a feat he achieved in 2012 and in 2013. In 2016, Munnerlyn played in 15 games with nine starts for Minnesota, recording 38 tackles, one forced fumble and three passes defensed.

Washington CB Jones injured during Pro Day

University of Washington cornerback Sidney Jones, a projected first-round pick and the No. 22 overall rated player on NFLDraftScout.com’s board, suffered a lower left leg injury during his Pro Day workout Saturday and had to be carted out of the Huskies’ Dempsey Center.

The 6-0, 187-pound cornerback was finishing up his positional workout, alternating with fellow high-ranking NFL prospects Budda Baker and Kevin King, when he tumbled to the turf. Sitting up, Jones immediately lifted his left leg into the air, with Baker and Washington head coach Chris Petersen hurrying toward him.

Jones was helped to his feet and leaned upon his coach to shuffle off the field toward a trainer’s cart, drawing a hush from the crowd of media, family members and an estimated 50 NFL talent evaluators as he was driven out of the facility.

Jones had eight interceptions in three seasons with Washington, including a career-high four in 2015.

Cowboys still working to trade QB Tony Romo

The Dallas Cowboys still want a trade partner for veteran Tony Romo, but thus far are not finding any teams willing to take on the 36-year-old quarterback’s contract.

League sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Dallas won’t trade Romo to a city in which he does not want to play and teams interested in him believe the Cowboys will eventually release the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns.

Nothing is expected to happen this weekend and a league source told David Moore of the Dallas Morning News that “it’s optimistic” to believe the situation will be resolved within the next week.

Romo’s 2017 salary cap number of $24.7 million stands as the highest of any quarterback in the NFL next season. A new contract would be part of any trade negotiation with Romo, including his current base salary of $14 million.

The Cowboys intend to release Romo if a trade partner isn’t found after owner Jerry Jones informed Romo of the team’s plans in a meeting on Wednesday.

Cowboys’ Free retires

The Cowboys lost their second offensive lineman in as many days with the announcement that right tackle Doug Free plans to retire.

Multiple media outlets reported that Free told the team he is calling it quits, a move that came one day after guard Ronald Leary signed with the Denver Broncos as a free agent.

Free, 33, has been an ironman for the Cowboys, starting all 16 games in six of the last seven seasons.

A fourth-round selection by Dallas in the 2007 draft, the Northern Illinois product appeared in all 16 games in the 2009 season, making seven starts. He sat out five games during the 2014 campaign — the only ones he missed since moving into the starting lineup in 2010.

Browns don’t plan to keep QB Brock Oswiler

The Cleveland Browns may have traded for quarterback Brock Osweiler with his $16 million guaranteed salary on the first day of free agency, but he is expected to be dealt again or released.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported the Browns are shopping the 26-year-old Osweiler after they acquired him Thursday in a trade with the Houston Texans, along with a 2018 second-round pick and a 2017 sixth-rounder (188).

In exchange, the Browns gave up their fourth-round compensatory pick in this year’s draft (No. 142 overall) and took Osweiler’s guaranteed contract off the Texans’ books.

Osweiler is not in the Browns’ plans and he will be gone before long, sources told the newspaper. The Browns are willing to send Osweiler and a fifth-round pick for a third-round pick, according to the report.

The Browns would be willing to absorb a portion of Osweiler’s $16 million contract, as much as half, sources told the newspaper.

Patriots sign

DL Lawrence Guy

The New England Patriots continued their offseason retooling, signing defensive lineman Lawrence Guy to a four-year contract, according to reports.

Guy, who is five days shy of his 27th birthday, signed a deal worth a reported $20 million, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

The 6-4, 305-pound Guy spent the majority of the last three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, appearing in all 16 games in each of the past two years and starting a career-high 10 in 2016.

Bills sign Alexander

to two-year deal

Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, who had a breakout season with the Buffalo Bills in 2016 at the age of 33, was rewarded by the team with a two-year, $9-million contract.

ESPN reported that $4.1 million of the deal is guaranteed and that the new contract comes after he made $885,000 last season.

The 10-year-veteran, who was expected to be a backup but won the job in training camp, led the Bills with 12.5 sacks last season after recording a total of nine sacks in his first nine NFL seasons.