NFL notebook: Lions' Ansah top-paid DE

Ezekiel Ansah became the NFL's highest-paid defensive end when he signed his franchise tender, the Detroit Lions announced Tuesday. The 28-year-old Ansah will be guaranteed a salary of $17.14 million for the 2018 season. The Lions designated Ansah as their franchise player at the end of February and have until July 16 to work out a long-term deal with the former first-round draft pick. Otherwise, he will become an unrestricted free agent after next season and be guaranteed a 20 percent bump in salary. Ansah recorded a team-high 12 sacks, 44 total tackles (39 solo), one forced fumble and one fumble recovery last season despite missing two games with a back injury. Set to enter his sixth season with Detroit, Ansah has registered 44 sacks over his first five seasons, including 14.5 sacks in 2015, but he had just two sacks the following year while being bothered by a high ankle sprain that limited him to 13 games. --Odell Beckham Jr. will remain with the New York Giants for at least another season, according to fellow wide receiver and former LSU roommate Jarvis Landry. Landry reportedly lobbied his new team, the Cleveland Browns, to pursue Beckham when the Giants were listening to trade offers on the three-time Pro Bowl selection. "Well you know what? I think that period is over and, you know, he's going to be a Giant for another year," Landry said, per the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Outside of that, I'm just so focused on this team, I'm so focused on what we've got going with the guys we have now and the guys we'll add in a couple weeks." Beckham hasn't spoken publicly on the matter, but he did show up with his New York teammates for the start of offseason workouts last week. --The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have picked up the fifth-year option on quarterback Jameis Winston for the 2019 season, multiple media outlets reported. Winston, who was the top overall pick of the 2015 draft, will earn $20.922 million. The deadline for teams to declare the fifth-year option for players in that draft class is May 3. Winston became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 4,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. He was hampered by a shoulder injury in 2017, limiting him to a career-worst 3,504 passing yards with 19 touchdowns in 13 games. The 24-year-old Winston has completed 939 of 1,544 passes for 11,636 yards with 69 touchdowns and 44 interceptions in 45 career games with the Buccaneers. He has also rushed for 513 yards with eight scores. --Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz took another step forward in his recovery from knee surgery when he began his running program. Wentz said that he does not have a definitive timetable for his rehab but "the goal" remains to be under center for Week 1, according to nj.com. "I'm not going into specifics. We've started running and all those things. I feel good about where I'm at and I'm trying to stay the course," Wentz said at a media briefing. "I feel very good. I started the running progression. However, many weeks ago I was throwing. Just to start being able to do all of those things is a good sign." Wentz underwent surgery on Dec. 13 after suffering a torn ACL and LCL against the Los Angeles Rams. He was considered the front-runner for league Most Valuable Player honors before the injury and had to watch backup Nick Foles guide the Eagles to a Super Bowl championship. --Wide receiver Dez Bryant made his intentions known that he'd like to play in the NFC East shortly after being released by the Dallas Cowboys last week. Well, the New York Giants play in that division, and Bryant was asked about that club during an interview with Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. "The Giants," Bryant said, "got a hell of a defense, they're going to pay OBJ (Odell Beckham Jr.), so coming back. Playing with him, Sterling (Shepard), the tight end (Evan Engram), (quarterback Eli) Manning? Crazy. ... draft (Penn State running back Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick)? That'd be crazy!" Bryant told the NFL Network on Friday that signing with another NFC East team is "something that I want." He repeated that sentiment to 247Sports, saying that he would "like to play the Cowboys twice." --Baltimore Ravens safety Eric Weddle threw his hat in the ring in a bid to recruit free-agent wide receiver Dez Bryant. Weddle told reporters that he reached out to Bryant, who was released by the Dallas Cowboys last week. Weddle did not divulge if the three-time Pro Bowl wideout responded to his overture. "Dez is an amazing player, passionate, competitive, everything you want in a teammate," Weddle said. "For a guy like that who just came off a tough situation, you just want what's best for him and where he feels comfortable. If we have a shot at him, we'll see what happens." Weddle is no stranger to the recruiting game. Last season, the 33-year-old lured fellow safety Tony Jefferson and running back Danny Woodhead to Baltimore. Quarterback Joe Flacco embraced the idea of adding Bryant to a wide receiver mix that has seen the additions of Michael Crabtree and John Brown in free agency. --Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers did his best to clear the air after a report surfaced that he has grown frustrated with the organization over a perceived lack of communication following a pair of offseason personnel moves. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported that Rodgers was not in favor of the team replacing quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt and releasing a close friend in wide receiver Jordy Nelson. "Both of those decisions were made without him," an unnamed source close to Rodgers told Robinson. "In both situations, he had no influence with (the front office) before anything went down." Rodgers acknowledged that while some departures are personally tough for him, "those are team decisions," per the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "This process works, and it has worked for (head coach) Mike (McCarthy) for a number of years," the two-time NFL MVP and six-time Pro Bowl selection said. "Obviously, that's why he's still here in his 13th season. We've had a lot of success here, and just got to trust the process." --Joe Staley agreed to terms on a restructured contract that will give the San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle a raise over the next two seasons, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Staley, who will receive $17.4 million in the deal, will net a raise from $5.5 million to $8.72 million this season, per the report. While the move does little in terms of the 49ers' salary cap, it could be construed as a show of good faith while influencing the 33-year-old Staley to stick around with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the next two years instead of contemplating retirement. --The Chicago Bears signed defensive back Bryce Callahan to his restricted free agent tender, the team announced. Callahan appeared in a career-high 12 games, including six starts, last season for the Bears and recorded 25 tackles, six pass-breakups, one sack and two interceptions. An undrafted free agent who was signed by Chicago in 2015, the 26-year-old Callahan also returned a punt 59 yards for a touchdown in the regular-season finale and brought back an interception 51 yards in an overtime win at Baltimore. --Amid speculation that his tenure with the team could be nearing an end, Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas was a no-show for the start of offseason workouts. Thomas, the subject of multiple trade rumors during the offseason, has suggested he would hold out for a new contract. Seattle general manager John Schneider has acknowledged listening to offers for the three-time All-Pro safety. While the offseason workouts are voluntary, the Seahawks already have made a slew of roster moves, parting ways with star cornerback Richard Sherman, defensive end Sheldon Richardson, wide receiver Paul Richardson, tight end Jimmy Graham and defensive end Michael Bennett. Thomas, who is set to make $8.5 million in base salary in 2018, told a radio station last month that he planned to be "rich and happy regardless ... whether I'm in Seattle or anywhere else." --Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard apparently is no longer on the trade market. Howard said his agent, Adisa Bakari, was told by the Bears that he will be staying in the Windy City, the Chicago Tribune reported. "They told my agent they had no plans to trade me or anything like that," Howard told the newspaper. "So that's comforting." The 23-year-old Howard has rushed for more 1,100 yards in each of his first two seasons and scored 15 touchdowns on the ground. He also had 52 receptions and a score in that span. --The Atlanta Falcons signed three defensive players, including former Seattle Seahawks tackle Garrison Smith, the team announced. Defensive back Tyson Graham and defensive tackles Justin Zimmer, neither of who have played in the NFL, also signed with the Falcons. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Smith has appeared in 11 games with the Seahawks over the past two seasons. He played in eight games in 2017 and recorded nine tackles. Graham was an undrafted free agent out of South Dakota a year ago. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colt and released before the start of the regular season. Zimmer was signed by the Buffalo Bills in 2016 and released prior to the start of the season. He also spent time with the New Orleans Saints in training camp last year and saw time with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes. --Former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel hopes his showing at the recently concluded Spring League will help him make it back to the NFL. However, Manziel will not be the first Spring League player to sign with the NFL. That honor went to tight end Beau Sandland, who signed a contract with the Arizona Cardinals, the team announced. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Sandland has familiarity with new Cardinals coach Steve Wilks. He was a seventh-round draft pick of Carolina in 2016 and spent the season on the practice squads of the Panthers and Green Bay Packers. Wilks was the defensive coordinator of the Panthers before replacing the retired Bruce Arians as Arizona's head coach. --Wisconsin cornerback Nick Nelson received good news on that medical front that could boost his stock for the upcoming NFL draft. Nelson underwent successful surgery to repair the meniscus in his knee and the damage was not as bad as initially feared, the NFL Network reported. The procedure required renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews to trim and clean up the meniscus rather than an extensive repair, reducing Nelson's recovery time from three to four months to six weeks. Such a timeline would guarantee that Nelson will be available for training camp and send him into the NFL Draft as a much more reliable option. He was injured during a private workout for the Detroit Lions. --Nick Mangold has played his last snap in the NFL. A seven-time Pro Bowl center, Mangold announced that he'll sign a one-day contract with the New York Jets next week so he can retire as a member of the organization. "I DECLARE RETIREMENNNTTTTTTT!" Mangold wrote on Twitter. "... Thank you to all! J! E! T! S! Jets! Jets! Jets!" The 34-year-old Mangold was selected by the Jets with the 29th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft and played 11 seasons with the team. He sat out last season after being released by the Jets in February 2017. --The Buffalo Bills released defensive end Cap Capi, one day after the start of the team's offseason program. Capi was signed to Buffalo's practice squad in November and was elevated to the active roster for the team's final four regular-season games. The 25-year-old registered five tackles, one sack and a forced fumble in those contests and also had a tackle in the Bills' wild-card game loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.