2020 July - Pro Football Rumors

Regarding The PFR Comment Section

July 15th, 2020 at 3:51pm CST by Tim Dierkes

As Pro Football Rumors has grown, so too has our commenting community. I have dropped the ball on keeping up with the necessary comment moderation. We’re now putting the required resources toward maintaining respectful discussion here at PFR. It won’t be perfect, but it will be better.

Here’s how you can help:

Review our commenting policy, which was recently updated. One addition: unnecessary political discussion is not allowed.
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Browns Give Myles Garrett Record Extension

July 15th, 2020 at 3:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns and Myles Garrett agreed to a deal Tuesday that would make the Pro Bowl pass rusher the league’s highest-paid defensive player. Garrett signed the contract Wednesday.

The deal will make Garrett the NFL’s highest-paid defender. It will be worth $125MM over five years, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). This comes in $1.5MM north of the NFL’s previous highest-paid defender, Khalil Mack.

Cleveland will guarantee Garrett $100MM — $50MM at signing — and has its top defender signed through 2026, Rapoport tweets. The $100MM figure will surpass Mack as well, though the Bears edge rusher’s $60MM fully guaranteed will still lead all defenders.

Despite the ugly end to Garrett’s 2019 season, this process has moved fast. The Browns began extension talks with their star defensive end barely a month ago, and the team with the most cap space appears on the verge of resetting the defender market. This would give the league two new market-topping deals in two weeks, with Patrick Mahomes agreeing to a $45MM-per-year pact July 6.

Although Cleveland has a new GM, Andrew Berry was with the team when Garrett went No. 1 overall in 2017. Berry has been active this offseason, authorizing big-money payments to Jack Conklin and Austin Hooper. Garrett’s deal, though, would be the foundational piece of a Browns defense that largely consists of rookie contracts. Garrett is signed through 2021, after the Browns picked up his fifth-year option.

Garrett’s resume is not on Mack’s level just yet, but he’s nearly five years younger — at 24 — and has become one of the game’s best pass rushers. The former Texas A&M standout registered 13.5 sacks and 29 QB knockdowns in 2018. He was on his way to a better statistical season last year, recording 10 sacks in 10 games. But the NFL suspended Garrett for the rest of 2019 after he struck Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph with a helmet. Roger Goodell reinstated Garrett earlier this year.

Prior to Garrett, the Browns had squandered several first-round investments — from Johnny Manziel to Justin Gilbert to Corey Coleman — in recent drafts. This massive extension coming to pass would represent a tide change for a Cleveland team that has not seen many homegrown players come through worthy of such an accord in the modern era.

Titans Sign Derrick Henry To Extension

July 15th, 2020 at 3:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

With less than an hour remaining until this year’s deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign extensions, the Titans appear to have a deal done. They have agreed to terms with Derrick Henry on a long-term contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Titans announced the extension.

This has been a historically quiet tag deadline, due largely to the financial uncertainty the pandemic has caused. And as recently as Tuesday, the Titans and Henry were believed to be too far apart. But they stayed in contact and have finalized an agreement. It’s a four-year pact, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports (on Twitter).

The Titans and Henry worked on a deal for months. The final result: a four-year, $50MM agreement, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweeting $25.5MM will be guaranteed. This $12.5MM-per-year pact comes in fifth among active backs, but with two years being essentially guaranteed, it will give the reigning rushing champion security at a position that largely lacks it.

Per Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the deal includes a $12MM signing bonus and a first-year cash flow of $15MM, a nice increase from the $10.278MM Henry was due to earn on the franchise tender. It also creates over $4MM of cap space this year for the Titans, giving them more than $24MM to spend. Tennessee could opt to roll most of that money over into 2021 to guard against a salary cap drop, but the club clearly has the ability to add more talent (see: Jadeveon Clowney).

The running back market spike from 2018-19, for the most part, did not reward teams who authorized the big-money deals. And the loaded 2017 running back draft class may be set to make the 2021 free agency class a buyer’s market, especially considering the cap implications COVID-19 could cause. But the Titans moved forward anyway and will now have Henry and Ryan Tannehill signed to long-term deals, rewarding the duo most responsible for the team’s first AFC championship game berth in 17 years.

Henry is coming off one of the better contract years in recent memory, following up his rushing title with dominant performances in Titans upset wins over the Patriots and Ravens in the playoffs. The former Heisman winner and second-round pick has been one of the league’s best backs over the past season and change, beginning his breakout late in the 2018 campaign.

Adding to the intrigue behind this deal: Henry’s throwback skill set offers little in the passing game, separating him from the recent group of backs — Todd Gurley, David Johnson, Le’Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliott — to sign market-reshaping contracts. The most recent recipient of a monster running back extension — Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey — is perhaps the game’s premier dual-threat option. Tennessee, however, has built a run-oriented offense around its top back. And Henry, despite his bulldozing style, has only totaled 804 carries. That ranks eighth among backs since 2016.

Despite 15 players being tagged this offseason, Henry is only the second to sign an extension. He follows the Chiefs’ Chris Jones. The other teams who have used the tag are a half-hour away from carrying the tag salaries on their respective payrolls this season. The NFL moved the start of the league year back multiple times because of the CBA ratification process, but the league keeping the tag deadline in place has likely caused most teams to stand down amid the uncertainty the coronavirus has injected into the NFL’s future.

Justin Simmons To Play Season On Tag

July 15th, 2020 at 2:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

After going 4-for-4 in extensions for franchise-tagged players during his GM tenure, John Elway will not finalize an agreement with the Broncos’ most recent tag recipient. This was the expectation. The sides are not believed to have been close on terms since they exchanged offers in April.

The Broncos and Justin Simmons amicably agreed to disagree Wednesday, per Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). Simmons will play the season on his $11.4MM tag price, joining Vikings safety Anthony Harris in that regard.

Denver had previously extended Matt Prater, Ryan Clady, Demaryius Thomas and Von Miller. While the team had not used the tag since Miller’s 2016 deadline-day deal, Elway identified Simmons as the team’s top in-house priority this offseason. Simmons has signed his tender and is on track to be at training camp for the Broncos.

Simmons, who graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 overall safety last season (behind Harris), emerged as the top player to come out of the Broncos’ 2016 draft class. Last season, the former third-round pick led all safeties with 15 passes defensed and intercepted a career-high four passes. The Broncos will now have two $11MM-per-year safeties, with Kareem Jackson entering the second season of his three-year, $33MM pact. Simmons stands to cost more. It is believed he wants to be paid north of $14MM per year. That is the new going rate for top safeties.

Minutes away from the tag deadline, only Chris Jones has finalized a deal. Derrick Henry and the Titans are on the doorstep, however. That will send the other 12 franchise-tagged players into the season on one-year deals.

Vikings’ Anthony Harris To Play On One-Year Deal

July 15th, 2020 at 2:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Vikings safety Anthony Harris will play out his one-year tender, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The sides are still talking, but the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson notes a deal is a “long shot” as the deadline nears (Twitter link). Per the franchise tag rules, the two sides will have to wait until next year before resuming extension talks.

Harris took his time, but he eventually signed his one-year, $11.4MM tag. There was never a real threat of a holdout, though Harris was eager for a pay bump.

The advanced metrics position Harris as one of the league’s very best safeties and the market has advanced significantly in recent years. He graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1-ranked safety last season, a campaign during which he intercepted six passes. A long-term extension for Harris would likely pay him upwards of $14MM per year, in line with the position’s salary leaders.

Minnesota will carry Harris’ lofty tag figure and Harrison Smith‘s $10.75MM cap number on its books this season. With Smith remaining the centerpiece of the Vikings’ secondary, it seems likely the Vikings will need to address his deal — which has fallen from first to 11th over the past four years. It remains to be seen if the Vikings will revisit extension talks with Harris next year. This will be the breakout performer turned 29 in June, so his next negotiations — with the Vikings or another team — will come just ahead of his age-30 slate.

Jaguars Receive Multiple Trade Offers For Yannick Ngakoue

July 15th, 2020 at 1:43pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have received multiple offers for Yannick Ngakoue, including one package that included a Pro Bowler, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, none of those offers have been to the Jaguars’ liking. Meanwhile, Pelissero hears that the unknown Pro Bowler wasn’t a fit for the Jaguars’ system.

Ngakoue’s camp is willing to table extension talks for any team that’s able to pull off a trade. Right now, a trade doesn’t seem likely. The Jaguars have been in a game of chicken with the 25-year-old edge rusher for months, and they have yet to blink.

As of this writing, Ngakoue is set to play out the 2020 season for a salary of $17.788MM. When the 4pm ET/3pm CT deadline passes, both sides will be formally barred from hammering out an extension until next year. In Ngakoue’s case, that’s strictly a formality – he has zero interest in staying in Jacksonville.

However, the two parties aren’t necessarily stuck with each other through the end of the season. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) points out, the Texans waited until August 31 of last year before shipping Jadeveon Clowney to the Texans. At last check, the Jaguars were seeking a first-round pick – plus more – for Ngakoue. But, over time, their asking price could come back down to earth. A 2021 third-round pick, for example, would be a slight upgrade over the 2022 third-round choice they’d get next year, via the compensatory pick formula.

NFL, Players Still At Odds Over Preseason

July 15th, 2020 at 1:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The preseason, in theory, is just weeks away. However, the NFL still has a major gap to bridge with its players. The league is still pushing for a two-game preseason while the NFLPA is countering with zero games (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com).

Of course, that’s just one piece of the complicated puzzle. Players have also expressed concern about testing frequency, protections for players who might contract the coronavirus during the year, and related issues. The clock is ticking, but there could be some progress by the end of the week – NFL owners are set to huddle up via conference call on Friday. Meanwhile, the CBA dictates that the league’s rookies can report to their teams as early as Tuesday.

“We still don’t have answers,” one union source told Pelissero.

The NFLPA also wants higher-risk players to have the ability to opt out of their deals and still receive their salaries. In addition, they’ve requested an extra accrued season towards free agency for players with at-risk family members. The league is unlikely to cave on either issue and, for the most part, the league believes that it has the legal right to make these decisions, without the permission of the NFLPA.

Bengals’ A.J. Green Unlikely To Receive Extension

July 15th, 2020 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

No surprise here. With hours to go before the franchise tag extension deadline, there’s little optimism that the Bengals and A.J. Green will come to an accord, as ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Green has yet to formally sign his franchise tag, but the expectation is that he will play on it. There will be no holdout, and there will be no extension for the wide receiver – at least, until sometime after the 2020 season.

All along, Green has made it clear that he’ll show up for work, no matter what. That doesn’t mean he’ll be a happy camper, however.

“I have no problem with the franchise (tag). I don’t like it, but I’m not a guy that’s going to sit out the whole year,” Green said late last year. “But at the end of the day, that shows me they’re not committed to me. That’s fine. They have a business they have to run. As the player I have my own business, so if you do that I have to protect myself.”

“If you’re not committed to me long-term, I understand. There are no hard feelings. You have a business to run. All great businesses face difficult decisions. I understand that. For me, I have to make a big decision as well.”

Green, who will turn 32 at the end of the month, missed all of last season and roughly half of his 2018 campaign to injury. Before that, he was a Pro Bowler in each of his first seven NFL seasons. And, in every season in which he’s played at least 13 games, he’s topped 1,000 yards receiving.

Despite his age and injury history, the Bengals applied the one-year, ~$18MM tag to Green to keep him from reaching free agency. Green, meanwhile, wants long-term security at a rate that reflects his past accomplishments. Green didn’t get far in talks with the Bengals this year, but he is “fully healthy” and eager to reassert himself as one of the game’s premier offensive players.

No Progress For Patriots, Joe Thuney

July 15th, 2020 at 10:38am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots aren’t expected to hammer out an extension with Joe Thuney before this afternoon’s deadline, according to Ian Rapoport and Michael Giardi of NFL.com (on Twitter). With that, the offensive guard is set to play on a one-year, $14.78MM deal.

The Patriots caught everyone off guard in March when they applied the franchise tag to Thuney. Even after that point, many believed that the tag was Step One towards a tag-and-trade. Instead, the Patriots tagged Thuney with the intention of keeping him and they had some talks with his camp about a multi-year arrangement.

Lately, there hasn’t been much momentum on that front. Frankly, it would be off-brand for the Patriots to pay top dollar for players as they approach free agency, and the current climate doesn’t help matters.

Thuney, 28 in November, has started in all 64 of his games for the Pats over the last three seasons. And, over the last two seasons, he’s graded out as one of the league’s five best offensive guards in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.

Yannick Ngakoue Willing To Play On Tag, If Traded

July 15th, 2020 at 9:49am CST by Zachary Links

Desperate times call for desperate measures. If another team is able to work out a trade with the Jaguars, Yannick Ngakoue is willing to drop his demand for a long-term extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears.

Ngakoue’s push for a lucrative multi-year deal was long believed to be a barrier for a trade. Ngakoue’s willingness to play out 2020 on his one-year, $17.788MM tender may help matters, but the Jaguars are still resistant to actually move him. At last check, the Jaguars were asking for a first-round pick, and then some. It was hard to imagine another team coughing up that kind of draft capital and giving Ngakoue a monster deal. Still, giving up a first-round pick for what could be a one-year rental is also a tough sell.

With at least eight sacks in each of his four NFL seasons – including 12.5 sacks in 2017 – the former third-round pick has outperformed expectations by every measure. Still, the advanced metrics indicate that his sack numbers might be a fluke. Meanwhile, there are still plenty of proven veteran edge rushers available on the open market, all of whom would cost less than Ngakoue in 2020. Of course, Jadeveon Clowney is seeking a deal in the range of Ngakoue’s $17.78MM, but it’s likely that he’ll wind up settling for a little less.

The Eagles, Seahawks, and Browns would make varying degrees of sense for Ngakoue, but none of those teams are as desperate to land the defensive end as he is to get out of Jacksonville.