2021 March - Pro Football Rumors

Patriots Re-Sign Justin Bethel

March 12th, 2021 at 10:31am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have agreed to a brand new deal with special teams standout Justin Bethel (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss). The new three-year, $6MM deal will tie Bethel to the Pats through 2023.

Early in his career, Bethel made a name for himself with the Cardinals. He made the Pro Bowl every year from 2013-2015 and stayed with the club through ’17. Then, he moved around a bit, spending time with the Falcons and Ravens before finding his place with the Patriots.

Roughly one year ago today, Bethel had surgery to repair a shoulder issue that had been hindering him. Fortunately, he was able to bounce back for the start of the season and appear in all 16 games for New England in 2020.

Cardinals Re-Sign Robert Alford

March 12th, 2021 at 10:24am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals are bringing back Robert Alford (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Alford was released by the team earlier this week, but he’s agreed to return on a cheaper contract.

Alford signed a three-year, $22.5MM deal with the Cardinals in 2019, but never suited up for them. First, he fractured a tibia in August of 2019, leaving him on injured reserve for the season. Then, in August of 2020, he suffered a season-ending pec tear. As Rapoport says, he has “unfinished business” in the desert.

Alford entered the league as a second-round pick of the Falcons in 2013 and spent his first six pro seasons with Atlanta. The 32-year-old (33 in October) is now a few years removed from his best work. Alford started 15 games in 2018 but it the worst campaign of his pro career. Pro Football Focus graded him as a bottom-10 cornerback league-wide that year. He also ranked dead last in Football Outsiders’ yards per pass allowed and success rate in 2018.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/21

March 12th, 2021 at 10:16am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Atlanta Falcons

Re-signed: TE Jaeden Graham

Green Bay Packers

Waived: FB John Lovett

Jacksonville Jaguars

Re-signed: OL Tyler Shatley

Los Angeles Chargers

Released: LB Malik Jefferson

New York Giants

Re-signed: WR C.J. Board

Ravens Restructure Marcus Peters’ Contract

March 12th, 2021 at 10:15am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have restructured Marcus Peters‘ contract (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Ravens will now have $3.5MM in additional cash this offseason. The cornerback was initially set to collect $11.5MM in base pay with a $13.5MM cap hit. Now, he’ll get $10MM in base salary and count for $10MM on the books.

Peters re-upped with the Ravens towards the end of 2019 on a three-year, $42MM deal with $32MM guaranteed. Twice traded, the deal gave Peters both financial and football security. Given his talent, the $14MM/year deal was a clear win for the Ravens. Together with Marlon Humphrey, he’s given Baltimore one of the best CB duos in the NFL.

This past year, Peters notched 52 tackles, four interceptions (plus one in the playoffs), four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Since entering the league in 2015, Peters has notched 31 interceptions, more than any other player in the league over the last six years.

Saints Restructure Michael Thomas’ Contract

March 12th, 2021 at 10:06am CST by Zachary Links

Michael Thomas, in all likelihood, is staying put. The star wide receiver has agreed to a restructure that will save the Saints $8.7MM in cap space (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

The Saints have been restructuring players left and right as they work to get under the ~$182MM salary cap. In recent days, safety Malcolm Jenkins, defensive end Cam Jordan, linebacker Demario Davis, and guard Andrus Peat have done their part by agreeing to similar arrangements. Others, like cornerback Janoris Jenkins and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, were released outright. It’s not clear if those vets were approached about potential pay cuts first.

Entering 2020, Thomas had missed just two contests in his pro career. Then, Thomas suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 1. He was limited to just seven games in 2020. He repeatedly clashed Saints brass, leading to trade speculation before the fall deadline.

To recap: The Saints handed Thomas a one-game suspension for striking a teammate. Then, he missed time with a hamstring injury. All in all, Thomas finished out the regular season with just 40 catches for 438 yards. He did manage to catch five passes for 73 yards and one score in the Saints’ playoff win over the Bears, however.

The Saints would have to be especially miserable with Thomas in order to cut ties. His massive five-year, $100MM extension from 2019 means that a divorce would be mighty expensive. Instead, they’ll try to mend fences, because Thomas is one of the game’s most dangerous threats when he’s healthy.

Texans To Sign Christian Kirksey

March 12th, 2021 at 9:58am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have added Christian Kirksey to their front seven. The former Browns and Packers linebacker will join on a one-year deal with maximum value of $4.5MM (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).

The Packers released Kirksey and Rick Wagner earlier this month to free up $10MM+ in cap room. Kirksey was cut with a failed-physical designation, but the Texans saw this as a value opportunity. It’s not clear what Kirksey is dealing with, but the Texans are aware of it and willing to take a small gamble given the reasonable cost of his contract.

Kirksey, a third-round pick of the Browns in 2014, began his career as a high-end cog on bad Cleveland teams. His early work prompted the Browns to give him a deal worth north of $10MM. However, Kirksey struggled with injuries in 2018 and ’19. Ditto for 2020, though his 11-game campaign saw 77 tackles and two sacks It was his most extensive work sample in years, a dual showcase of his ability and fragility. Now, in advance of his 29th birthday, he’ll have a chance to shine on a largely remodeled Texans defense.

Buccaneers, Tom Brady Agree To Extension

March 12th, 2021 at 9:29am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers will sign Tom Brady to a one-year extension (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The new deal will keep Brady in place through 2022.

Technically speaking, the new add-on is actually a four-year contract extension, as ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. However, those final years are voidable, making this a one-year extension that ties him to Tampa for just one additional year.

Exact terms of the contract are not yet known. But, the revised deal will provide the Bucs with approximately $19MM in cap room this year (Twitter link via Schefter). As of last week, the Bucs were said to have only $11MM available. Meanwhile, Brady’s presence should help the Super Bowl champs keep the band together. In the coming days, the Buccaneers will work to keep top free agents such as tight end Rob Gronkowski, edge rusher Shaquil Barrett, and wide receiver Antonio Brown.

The future Hall of Famer was initially on the books for $28.4MM in 2021. Coming off a rather successful age-43 season, Brady says he’s open to playing past age 45. Brady will turn 44 in August, so the two sides could be talking extension again in March of 2022.

The Bucs’ bid to keep the band together is already off to a solid start. In recent days, they’ve assigned the franchise tag to Chris Godwin and re-upped linebacker Lavonte David ahead of free agency.

Saints To Release Malcom Brown

March 12th, 2021 at 9:24am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints plan to release defensive tackle Malcom Brown, according t0 Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The former Patriots first-round pick was set to enter the third season of his three-year deal.

By cutting Brown, the Saints will save nearly $5MM in cap space with about $1.5MM in dead money. It’s just the latest move to get under the limit, following this week’s cuts of cornerback Janoris Jenkins, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, linebacker Kwon Alexander, and other veterans.

Brown, 27, served as a starter in each of his two Saints seasons, often ahead of ex-first-rounder Sheldon Rankins. Last year, he notched 27 tackles and a sack.

Falcons Re-Sign K Younghoe Koo

March 11th, 2021 at 9:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Re-signed: WR Christian Blake, CB Tyler Hall, K Younghoe Koo, DT Jacob Tuioti-Mariner

Koo is obviously the most notable name on the list, especially after the 26-year-old earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2020. The kicker was an exclusive rights free agent. Koo joined the Falcons for the second-half of the 2019 campaign, and he retained the starting gig in 2020. He ultimately finished the year having appeared in 15 games, connecting on a league-leading and franchise-record 37 field goals (on 39 attempts). Koo also became the first player in Falcons history to connect on at least eight field goals of 50 yards or more without a miss.

Blake joined the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2018, and after not seeing the field during his rookie campaign, he’s appeared in 25 games for the Falcons over the past two years. The 24-year-old has hauled in 24 career receptions for 232 yards.

Tuioti-Mariner also joined the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2018, and he didn’t get into a game until the 2019 campaign. The 24-year-old appeared in all 16 games this past season, compiling 31 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble.

Hall went undrafted during last year’s draft, and he proceeded to spend the majority of the 2020 season with the Falcons organization. He finished the game having appeared in nine games, collecting six tackles.

Lions Release TE Jesse James

March 11th, 2021 at 8:56pm CST by Ben Levine

Jesse James‘ two-year stint in Detroit has come to an end. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Lions have released the veteran tight end. The move will save the team more than $6MM over the next two years.

The tight end initially joined the Lions on a four-year, $22.6MM deal back in 2019, but he hasn’t come close to matching the (limited) production he displayed during his time with the Steelers. In 32 games (18 starts) over the past two years, James has hauled in 30 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns. The 26-year-old had cap hits of $6.4MM in 2021 and $7.1MM in 2022, and the Lions will be left with dead cap hits of $4.2MM in 2021 and $5.7MM in 2022.

The 2015 fifth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with Pittsburgh, starting 36 totals games. His best season came in 2018 when he hauled in 30 receptions for 423 yards and two scores.

T.J. Hockenson obviously sits atop the Lions tight ends depth chart, but the team will surely be looking for some reinforcement behind him. Hunter Bryant is the only other tight end under contract for the 2021 campaign.