We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Re-Signed: LS J.J. Jansen
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-Signed: WR/KR Ray-Ray McCloud
The Saints have released Emmanuel Sanders, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The wide receiver has since confirmed the news via social media. 
[RELATED: Saints Release Alexander]
Sanders joined the Saints on a two-year, $16MM deal this time last year. The veteran went on to notch 61 catches for 726 yards and five touchdowns. Even though he was productive, he was less efficient on a per-catch basis than usual. His 11.9 ypc average was among the lowest of his career and well below his finest work in Denver.
The Saints are facing a tricky cap situation, one that is compounded by Drew Brees‘ still pending retirement decision. Cutting Sanders will save $4MM on the books for 2021 with $6MM left in dead money, unless the Saints disperse the dead money hit via a post-June 1 designation. The Saints also cut Kwon Alexander earlier today so, between those two moves, they’ll free up $17MM in advance of free agency.
Sanders, a two-time Pro Bowler, drew interest from the Cowboys, Jets, Bills, and Packers in his last free agency stint.
The Saints will release linebacker Kwon Alexander in the coming days (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). With no guarantees remaining, the move will save upwards of $13MM against the cap with $0 in dead money. 
Alexander suffered an Achilles tear towards the end of the regular season, ruling him out for the Saints’ playoff run. He finished the year with 27 stops, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in seven games.
Alexander was shipped from San Francisco to New Orleans in November, fortifying the Saints’ front seven and lightening the Niners’ books a bit. The Saints assumed the last two seasons of his original four-year, $54MM deal, though the remainder was non-guaranteed.
The veteran, 27 in August, still has some work to do as he battles back from injury. The timing isn’t ideal as he seeks a new job, but he has a history of quick healing. In 2019, a torn pec threatened to end Alexander’s season in the fall. Somehow, he bounced back in a matter of weeks to join the 49ers for their playoff run. This time around, he expects to be ready for the start of training camp.
Melvin Gordon‘s DUI charges have been dismissed (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News). Gordon entered a guilty plea for reckless driving/ excessive speeding, which will put eight points on his license. However, he will not face the more serious charges stemming from his October arrest. 
[RELATED: Von Miller Will Not Face Charges]
A guilty verdict could have put his Broncos future in jeopardy, canceling his $4.5MM guarantee for 2021. His guilty plea won’t impact his guaranteed cash, though it may trigger a fine or suspension from the league office. But, ultimately, it won’t allow the Broncos to escape their commitment to Gordon.
Gordon ran for 966 yards in his first Broncos season, good for tenth in the league. He also inched back towards his ~2018 efficiency and scoring rate, averaging 4.6 yard per tote and notching nine touchdowns. Even if the Broncos had the opportunity to release Gordon without cap consequences, it’s not a given that they would have done so. But, a change to his contract could have given them leverage to renegotiate.
Deetz on some of the more recent deals in the NFL, via Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter):
- Texans C Justin Britt: One-year, $3.2MM deal. $500K to sign, $1.5MM salary, $1.2MM in per game roster bonuses, $5MM maximum value.
- Vikings DE Stephen Weatherly: One-year, $2MM deal. $500K to sign, $2M salary
- 49ers TE Ross Dwelley: One-year, $920K deal. $480K to sign, $920K salary, $200K in per game roster bonuses
Britt missed the 2020 season but seems to have a solid opportunity ahead of him in Houston. The Texans just released Nick Martin last week, opening up playing time at the center position.
The Saints have re-signed running back Dwayne Washington, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. 
[RELATED: Saints Franchise Tag S Marcus Williams]
Washington, 27, entered the league as a seventh round pick of the Lions in 2016. When he was pushed off of the roster by the Lions’ crowded running back depth chart in 2018, he joined up with the Saints’ practice squad. For the last three years, he’s served as a backup and special teams player in New Orleans. Now, he’s back for No. 4 to support Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray alongside the recently re-signed Ty Montgomery.
Washington finished the regular season on a strong note, notching 108 rushing yards in Week 17. All in all, he finished out with 229 yards off of 43 carries.
The NFL salary cap has been set at $182.5MM, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). This marks a sizable (though expected) drop from last year’s $198.2MM limit.
Teams will not be allowed to borrow cap room from future years, per the CBA, so teams are basically stuck with the hard cap and difficult choices ahead. However, teams do have other ways to navigate the cap, including rollover from 2020, post-June 1 cuts, and contract restructuring.
With the new salary cap, the league has also determined the values of this year’s franchise tag tenders (Twitter link):
- Quarterback $25.104MM
- Running Back $8.655MM
- Tight End $9.601MM
- Offensive Lineman $13.754MM
- Defensive End $16.069MM
- Defensive Tackle $13.888M
- Linebacker $14.791M
- Cornerback $15.06MM
- Kicker/Punter $4.482MM
Here’s the full rundown of this year’s franchise tags, including players on repeat tags who receive a 20% increase:
- Giants DL Leonard Williams $19.35MM
- Washington G Brandon Scherff $18.03MM
- Bears WR Allen Robinson $18MM
- Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin $15.98MM
- Jaguars OT Cam Robinson $13.75MM
- Panthers OT Taylor Moton $13.75MM
- Broncos S Justin Simmons $13.73MM
- Jets S Marcus Maye $10.61MM
- Saints S Marcus Williams $10.61MM
Despite some whispers of a potential delay, the deadline for teams to place franchise tags on impending free agents was today at 5 p.m. CT. While a handful of players learned that they were slapped with the tag, a number of players naturally learned that they’ll be entering unrestricted free agency. We collected some of those notable players below:
- The Steelers decided to not tag Bud Dupree, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The linebacker was hit with the tag last offseason. The former first rounder had another strong season for Pittsburgh, compiling eight sacks in only 11 games.
- A pair of popular Seahawks players didn’t get franchised: running back Chris Carson (per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter) and cornerback Shaquill Griffin (per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter). The team is planning to (at least) make a pursuit at retaining Griffin, per Rapoport.
- The Bengals didn’t franchise pass rusher Carl Lawson, per Rapoport (on Twitter). The former fourth rounder has collected 10.5 sacks over the past two seasons, with Rapoport opining that the lineman is “one of the NFL’s most underrated players” heading into free agency.
- The Lions decided to not franchise Romeo Okwara, according to Rapoport (via Twitter). The 25-year-old had a breakout season in Detroit, setting career-highs in tackles (44) and sacks (10).
- Despite leading the Cardinals with 12.5 sacks last season, Arizona didn’t franchise linebacker Haason Reddick (according to Schefter on Twitter). The former first-rounder also set career-highs in QB hits (16) and tackles for loss (15).
- The Titans didn’t franchise tight end Jonnu Smith, per Schefter on Twitter. The 25-year-old has shown flashes during his brief NFL career, including a 2020 campaign where he set career-highs in receptions (41), receiving yards (448), and touchdowns (eight).
As a reminder, here are the players who have reportedly been tagged over the past 48 hours:
- Bears: WR Allen Robinson (story)
- Buccaneers: WR Chris Godwin (story)
- Giants: DL Leonard Williams (story)
- Jaguars: OT Cam Robinson (story)
- Jets: S Marcus Maye (story)
- Panthers: OT Taylor Moton (story)
- Saints: S Marcus Williams (story)
- Washington: G Brandon Scherff (story)
A handful of teams handed out free agent tenders today, and we’ve collected each of them below:
- The Cowboys are holding on to defensive lineman Ron’Dell Carter, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). The 2020 undrafted free agent out of James Madison initially got $145K in guaranteed money from Dallas last summer (per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com), but the team briefly let him get away from their practice squad when he was signed by the Colts early in the season. He was ultimately cut by Indy and landed back in Dallas via waivers. He appeared in three games as a rookie, collecting one tackle.
- The Broncos informed three exclusive rights free agents that they’ll be tendered, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter), a grouping that includes wideout/returner Diontae Spencer, offensive lineman Calvin Anderson, and safety Trey Marshall. Spencer, 28, has spent the past two seasons in Denver, compiling 82 yards from scrimmage on 15 touches. He’s also played a role on special teams, returning 42 punt for 461 yards and one touchdown and 30 kicks for 717 yards. After spending much of the 2019 season on Denver’s practice squad, Anderson managed to appear in all 16 games (including two starts) for the Broncos in 2020. Marshall has appeared in 30 games over the past three seasons with the Broncos, including a 2019 campaign where he finished with 25 tackles and one forced fumble.
- The Buccaneers tendered three exclusive rights free agents today: tight end Tanner Hudson, defensive lineman Jeremiah Ledbetter, and defensive lineman Pat O’Connor. Hudson has spent the past three years with Tampa Bay, and he hauled in three receptions in 11 games this past season. O’Connor appeared in 16 games for the Buccaneers this year, collecting four tackles and one sack. Ledbetter has been around the NFL since 2017, and he compiled one sack in three games with Tampa in 2020.
As a reminder, the deadline to place tenders on restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent is March 17.
Brandon Allen is sticking around Cincinnati. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the quarterback is re-signing with the Bengals. It’ll be a one-year pact for the 28-year-old.
As Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets, the Bengals were pleased with Allen’s performance both on and off the field last season, especially following the season-ending injury to starter Joe Burrow. Allen started five of Cincy’s final six games last season, and while the Bengals went only 1-4 in those contests, the quarterback managed to complete 63.4-percent of his passes for 925 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions. Allen initially signed a deal with the Bengals last offseason, and he landed on the practice squad after being cut at the end of the preseason.
The former sixth-round pick out of Arkansas had stints with the Jaguars and Rams before landing with the Broncos in 2019. He started three games that season, completing 46.4-percent of his passes for 515 yards, three touchdowns, and two picks.
Allen will likely serve as Burrow’s primary backup in 2021. The team also has former fourth-rounder Ryan Finley under contract.