HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

AFC Notes: Broncos, Ravens, Flacco

June 27th, 2018 at 3:09pm CST by Zachary Links

Sad news out of Denver as Annabel Bowlen, the wife of longtime Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, announced that she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

“I recently learned that I’ve joined my husband Pat and the millions of others who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease,’’ Annabel said in a statement to Mike Klis of 9NEWS. “Since Pat’s diagnosis, I have gained a vivid understanding of this disease’s progression and its effect on those living with it as well as their families. My family and I have been—and will remain—dedicated supporters of Alzheimer’s awareness, treatment and research funding.’’

News that both Annabel and Pat Bowlen have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is devastating to the Broncos community, but Klis hears that it will have no effect on how the franchise is run or on Pat’s long-standing succession plan. Joe Ellis, the team’s president and CEO, has been acting as the controlling owner delegee of the Broncos since Bowlen relinquished day-to-day responsibilities following the 2013 season and will continue to do so.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is entering a pivotal season, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com writes. If Lamar Jackson is indeed the future in Baltimore, then Flacco should approach this season as an audition for the rest of the league, in Corry’s opinion. In 2019, the Ravens can save $10.5MM against the cap by releasing Flacco, with $16MM left in dead money. If Flacco can stave him off for another year, he’ll carry a $28.25MM cap number in 2020, though the Ravens could also cut ties to save $20.25MM against just $8MM in dead money.
  • More from Corry, who notes that Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett can change his fortunes with a big year in 2018. Knee issues have limited Verrett to four games over the last two seasons, but he earned Pro-Bowl honors in 2015, his only healthy season. Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller, a fellow first-round pick in ’14, stepped up after the Bears declined his fifth-year option and earned a four-year, $56MM deal from Chicago. Verrett, who is entering his walk year, could boost his stock in similar fashion with a quality showing this year.
  • Former Chiefs great Tamba Hali sounds like he’s ready to retire.

Colts Sign Second-Round Pick Braden Smith

June 27th, 2018 at 2:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have signed second round pick Braden Smith, according to a team announcement. With that signing, the Colts have now formally inked ten of their eleven draft picks. 

Smith, a 6’6″ guard, was taken with the No. 37 overall pick. The Auburn product earned All-America honors in each of his final two seasons and won the 2017 SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given to the conference’s best blocker.

Smith projects to start at right guard on the Colts’ new look offensive line. Fellow rookie Quenton Nelson will start at left guard and free agent Austin Howard projects to start at right tackle with holdovers Anthony Castonzo (left tackle) and Ryan Kelly (center) rounding out the front five.

Second round pick Darius Leonard stands as the Colts’ last straggler in this year’s class. Although the deal is taking a while, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (on Twitter) has not received word of any major holdup. Leonard and 49ers wide receiver Dante Pettis stand as the final two unsigned second-round picks in the NFL.

Tamba Hali Likely To Retire

June 27th, 2018 at 1:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali sounds like he’s ready to retire. In an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio (Twitter link), Hali indicated that he might be ready to move on. 

[RELATED – Poll: Who Is Patriots’ Biggest AFC Threat?]

“I just need to continue to work out and do my music,” Hali said. “I don’t want to focus too much on football. I don’t see myself getting back into football. I see myself being involved with the Chiefs somehow, maybe as a specialist being able to teach the guys. I don’t want to lie to myself. I think the time has come.”

Hali has not finalized his decision and admitted that he wants to continue playing “at times.” However, at other times, he has found himself far more interested in his family and his other hobbies.

The Chiefs released Hali in March after a season that began on the PUP list and ended with little playing time overall. Hali appeared in just five games, starting none, and did not record a sack.

Hali left the Chiefs as the team’s No. 2 all-time sacker — behind only Derrick Thomas. The former 2006 first-round pick re-signed twice with the Chiefs and earned five straight Pro Bowl invites, from 2011-15, recording 89.5 sacks after his 11th season. He finished with three double-digit sack seasons, the last of which coming in 2013. Unfortunately, injuries plagued him for years and he has not been in top form for a while.

Hali confessed that he would like to rack up another 10.5 sacks to hit 100 for his career, but he is also content knowing that he gave it his all over 12 NFL seasons.

Reactions To Danielle Hunter’s Extension

June 27th, 2018 at 1:19pm CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday, the Vikings and Danielle Hunter agreed to a five-year, $72MM extension. The new deal, which will keep Hunter in place through 2023, is said to include $40MM in guarantees, giving the 23-year-old plenty of financial security. Still, many are wondering whether Hunter should have waited in order to get more out of the Vikings.

Here’s a look at some of the reactions to Hunter’s brand new deal:

  • The deal is a team-friendly “steal” for the Vikings, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap (via Twitter links) opines. Hunter, he feels, could have targeted Olivier Vernon‘s five-year, $85MM deal had he notched about ten sacks this year and entered the free agent market in ’19. Hunter’s deal gives him nearly as much as teammate Everson Griffen, but Hunter is significantly younger and is on his way to being equally productive. At minimum, Fitzgerald feels that Hunter would have been better served by waiting for the market to reset at $20MM/year when Khalil Mack and others sign their next deals.
  • Hunter didn’t top Vernon, but Cowboys star DeMarcus Lawrence should blow right past him, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets. As Corry notes, Lawrence and Vernon are both represented agent by David Canter.
  • With Hunter locked up, Vikings GM Rick Spielman indicated that wide receiver Stefon Diggs and linebacker Anthony Barr may be next up for extensions (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin). “We want to keep all of our guys and we’ll try to see if there’s a way that we can do that because not only, those guys are very important to us and would love to get them locked up as well,” the GM said.

Vikings, Danielle Hunter Agree To Extension

June 27th, 2018 at 9:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings have agreed to terms on a contract extension with pass rusher Danielle Hunter, sources tell Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a five-year deal worth $72MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

The deal includes $40MM in guarantees, Rapoport hears, though it’s not immediately clear whether that represents the contract’s full guarantee at signing. Hunter’s deal includes a $15MM signing bonus, so his full guarantee is worth no less than that amount.

Hunter will earn $48MM over the first three years of his deal, Rapoport tweets. He can also earn another $6MM in incentives, which could push the maximum value of the deal to $78M.

Hunter’s new deal gives him a $14.4MM average annual value, which gives him just a bit less than that of teammate Everson Griffen. Last summer, Griffin inked a four-year, $58MM extension with $18.8MM fully guaranteed at signing. That pact gave Griffen an AAV of $14.5MM.

The Vikings have been aggressive in locking up their core players, but there’s still more work to be done in that area. They’ll have to address linebacker Anthony Barr‘s contract, since he is set for free agency after he plays out his fifth-year option this year. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs is also slated to hit the open market when his rookie deal expires at the end of the 2018 season.

Hunter, a third-round pick in 2015, has registered 25.5 sacks in three NFL seasons. That stat ranks first among all players who entered the league in 2015, which is to say that he has outperformed Vic Beasley, Leonard Williams, and other notables who were taken ahead of him. In that span, Hunter and Griffen have combined for 57 combined sacks, the second most of any duo in the league from 2015-17. Only Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap of the Bengals (58) have had more over that stretch.

Hunter, who graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 29 ranked edge defender in the NFL last year, may have been able to earn even more on the open market next year. However, the 23-year-old (24 in October) has opted for security over upside. It’s hard to find fault with Hunter playing it safe here, however, given the aggressive cash flow he has secured in the early part of the contract.

The Vikings now have most of their most important players locked up through at least 2020. Quarterback Kirk Cousins, running back Dalvin Cook, wide receiver Adam Thielen, offensive tackle Riley Reiff, center Pat Elflein, linebacker Erik Kendricks, safety Harrison Smith, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, Griffen, and Hunter are all under contract for the next three seasons or more.

Hunter is represented by agent Zeke Sandhu, who will turn his attention to extension talks for Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. next.

PFR Glossary: NFL Supplemental Draft

June 27th, 2018 at 9:34am CST by Zachary Links

The supplemental draft allows NFL teams to select players who, for one reason or another, were barred from entering the regular draft in the spring. When a team selects a player in the supplemental draft, they forfeit the corresponding pick in the regular draft next year. For example, if a team selects a player in the sixth round of the supplemental draft this year, they will have to give up their 2019 sixth round selection.

There have been no players taken in the supplemental draft in the past two years, but that is likely to change this year thanks to Sam Beal. Draft prognosticators had the former Western Michigan cornerback pegged as an early pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and it is believed that he’ll be taken somewhere in the first three rounds this year. Mississippi State defensive back Brandon Bryant and Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander are also drawing serious interest and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them selected in the later rounds. Earlier this week, Oregon State linebacker Bright Ugwoegbu became the latest player to throw his hat in the ring.

In the past, teams have found gems in the supplemental draft. In 2011, the Raiders selected Ohio State quarterback and future standout NFL receiver Terrelle Pryor. In 2012, the Browns used a second round pick to take the talented and troubled Josh Gordon. Other supplemental draft alums include quarterback Bernie Kosar (Browns, 1985), wide receiver Cris Carter (Eagles, 1987), running back Bobby Humphrey (Broncos, 1989), wide receiver Rob Moore (Jets, 1990), nose tackle Jamal Williams (Chargers, 1998), and linebacker Ahmad Brooks (Bengals, 2006).

This year’s supplemental draft has been set for July 11 and, unlike the last couple of years, it figures to hold some intrigue.

Note: This is a PFR Glossary entry. Our glossary posts explain specific rules relating to free agency, trades, or other aspects of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. 

Extra Points: Cards, Jags, Packers, Raiders

June 26th, 2018 at 9:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The baseline extension for Cardinals running back David Johnson should be three years, $30.85MM, reasons Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). That figure represents the combined value of Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson‘s contracts with the Browns, and Arizona would surely rather have Johnson on its roster than the Cleveland duo. Johnson, 26, managed more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage in 2017 before missing nearly the entire 2018 campaign, and he didn’t attend the Cardinals’ mandatory minicamp in something of a holdout, but Arizona is reportedly progressing on a deal with its best offensive player. For what it’s worth, a $10.28MM annual salary would make Johnson the league’s highest-paid running back on a multi-year deal, and place him only behind the franchise-tagged Le’Veon Bell in per annum salary. As Corry notes, both Johnson and Rams runner Todd Gurley are presumably hoping Bell signs a record-breaking extension in the near future, resetting the running back market just in time for each to receive new deals.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • Like Johnson, Jaguars pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr. is entering the final season of his rookie deal after Jacksonville opted not to exercise his 2019 fifth-year option, but the former third overall pick could be facing a health concern as the year gets underway, writes Hays Carlyon of 1010XL 92.5 FM. Fowler had been recovering from an unspecified upper body injury, and Carlyon reports Fowler has clearly lost “sizable muscle mass” over the past several weeks. That’s certainly not a positive for a player who relies on his edge-bending abilities, especially one like Fowler who faces an uncertain contractual future. Fowler, who posted eight sacks a season ago, would have earned $14.2MM had the Jaguars picked up his fifth-year option, but he’ll now head to the open market next spring barring an extension.
  • Speaking of preseason injuries, Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb is currently sporting a walking boot on his right foot, tweets Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. While Cobb wouldn’t reveal whether he’d undergone surgery, Cohen indicates Cobb is dealing with an ankle injury that is not expected to to force him to miss any regular season action. Although Cobb hasn’t come close to matching his outstanding 2014 season over the past few years, he did manage to top 60 receptions in both 2016 and 2017. Jordy Nelson is no longer in Green Bay, but that won’t necessarily affect Cobb’s role, as he spends most of his time in the slot.
  • Nelson is now with the Raiders, where he’ll be joined in Oakland’s wide receiver corps by trade acquisition Ryan Switzer, whom the Raiders picked up from the Cowboys in exchange for defensive lineman Jihad Ward. “Ryan Switzer has really caught my eye,” head coach Jon Gruden said, per Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Switzer has come in here and not only been a punt returner, kick returner, he’s come in and been a force as a slot receiver. He’s really done well.” Switzer, who put up only 41 receiving yards during his rookie season in 2017, will compete for time with Nelson, Amari Cooper, Martavis Bryant, and Seth Roberts, among others.

Latest On Unsigned First-Round Picks

June 26th, 2018 at 8:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Only six percent of 2018 NFL draft picks remain unsigned, and 71% (12-of-17) of those contract-less selections are first-rounders. For a certain slice of those unsigned first-round picks, especially those selected near the back end of Day 1, Seahawks rookie running back Rashaad Penny‘s contract is playing a role in negotiations, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains.

While the three players selected at pick Nos. 23-25 (Patriots offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn, Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore, and Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst) each garnered significant fourth season base salary guarantees, Penny — who was chosen with the 27th overall pick — actually saw his fourth season salary guarantee percentage decrease when compared to 2017’s No. 27 selection, Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White, per Florio.

The NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement implemented slotted rookie contracts which make negotiations a breeze, but there’s a still a bit of wiggle room. First-rounders selected near the end of the first round won’t often get the entirety of their fourth season base salary guaranteed, but that’s an area where agents can press for a bit extra in talks. Penny’s representatives, clearly, didn’t do so, which could now lead other teams with unsigned first-round picks to withhold guarantees.

Here are the unsigned first-round picks chosen after No. 20 overall:

Overall, the amount of fourth season guarantees shouldn’t stand in the way of getting deals for the above players done, as the dollar amounts in question are in the thousands, not millions. But the lack of signed contracts does speak to the small area of available negotiation still left in rookie pacts, and is something to watch as the offseason progresses.

Details On Ron Parker’s Falcons Contract

June 26th, 2018 at 6:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The free agent safety market finally budged Monday when veteran Ron Parker agreed to a one-year deal with the Falcons, but as Field Yates of ESPN.com notes (Twitter link), the details of Parker’s contract indicate the remaining crop of free agent defensive backs could have trouble garnering any significant money before the regular season gets underway.

Parker, who had been earning $5MM annually with the Chiefs before being released earlier this year, inked a minimum salary benefit pact with Atlanta, per Yates. Minimum salary benefit contracts, or MSBs, allow teams to sign veteran players at a cheaper salary cap cost, while still allowing the player to collect the minimum salary for his years of NFL service. Parker, for example, will earn a base salary of $915K in 2018, but he’ll only count for $630K on the Falcons’ cap.

Pro Football Rumors has examined the minimum salary benefit in the past, but in its simplest form, the rule is designed to favor veteran players. The rule is especially effective at this time of year, when clubs are attempting to fill in the back end of their respective rosters. If two prospective additions are comparable players, a team might prefer to sign the free agent with fewer years of NFL experience (who will in turn require a cheaper minimum salary). But thanks to the MSB rule, veterans such as Parker are able to collect their rightful paycheck while not overly affecting a club’s salary cap.

The macro effect of Parker’s deal with the Falcons on the safety market isn’t yet clear, but his low salary is far from good news for remaining free agent defensive backs such as Eric Reid, Tre Boston, and Kenny Vaccaro. However, Parker is older than all three of those players, graded worse than Reid and Boston in Pro Football Focus‘ positional rankings, and placed below all three safeties in Pro Football Rumors’ early March free agent breakdown.

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