2021 March - Pro Football Rumors

Browns Release DE Adrian Clayborn

March 9th, 2021 at 2:14pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The cap casualties just keep on rolling in. This time it’s the Browns getting in on the action, with Cleveland announcing they’ve released veteran defensive end Adrian Clayborn.

The team will save about $3MM in cap space for 2021 with the move. The 20th overall pick of the 2011 draft, Clayborn had just spent his first season with the Browns. He signed a two-year, $6MM contract with Cleveland in April of last year. He started two games and appeared in 15 in 2020, racking up 3.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

Clayborn started his career with the Bucs, then went to Atlanta in 2015. He had his best season with the Falcons in 2017, when he had 9.5 sacks. He went to New England the following year, and won Super Bowl LIII with the team, before returning to Atlanta in 2019.

The Browns obviously have Myles Garrett, but they’ve indicated their looking to upgrade their pass-rush opposite him, most recently showing interest in J.J. Watt. We heard last month they were likely to sign a big name pass-rusher in free agency, and the release of Clayborn is helping clear the way for that.

Clayborn is set to turn 33 in July and hasn’t been overly productive the past few years, but should be able latch on somewhere on a cheap deal with a team in need of edge rushing help.

Falcons To Release OL James Carpenter

March 9th, 2021 at 1:24pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Another long-time veteran is hitting the free agent market. The Falcons will be releasing offensive lineman James Carpenter, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets.

Carpenter came into the league as a tackle when he was drafted in the first-round by the Seahawks way back in 2011, but was quickly switched to guard. He started 13 games for Atlanta this past season, and 11 the year before. The Alabama product spent his first four years in Seattle, then signed a four-year deal with the Jets in 2015.

He completed that deal and started all 16 games for New York in three of those seasons. He signed a four-year, $21MM deal with Atlanta in 2019, but obviously only made it halfway through that pact. The Falcons will save a little over $4MM in 2021 cap space by cutting him.

The Super Bowl XLVIII champion has never made the Pro Bowl, but with 121 career starts under his belt, should draw plenty of interest from teams looking for veteran O-line help. He’s joining a now crowded guard market, but won’t have much trouble finding a new home.

OL Kyle Long To Return To NFL

March 9th, 2021 at 1:14pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

On a busy day full of trades and franchise tag news, we’ve also got a player coming out of retirement. Offensive lineman Kyle Long is planning on returning to the NFL and has signed with an agent, his brother Chris Long confirmed on Twitter.

Long retired from the league in January of 2020, then admitted in July that he missed the game, but ultimately sat out the season. That one season away was apparently enough for him to feel re-fueled. The 20th pick of the 2013 draft, Long spent each of his seven seasons in the NFL with the Bears. He had immediate success, starting at least 15 games in each of his first three seasons and making the Pro Bowl in all of those years.

Injuries soon caused things to unravel, and over the following four seasons he never appeared in more than ten games. Still only 32 and capable of playing at a high level, Long should have no problem finding a home assuming he’s healthy. Hopefully the year off was enough to get his body right.

He’s mostly played guard, but also started 16 games and made the Pro Bowl at right tackle in 2015.

Chargers Won’t Franchise Tag Hunter Henry

March 9th, 2021 at 12:59pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Another big name is officially hitting free agency. The Chargers will not be franchise tagging Hunter Henry, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Los Angeles tagged Henry last offseason, and although they apparently got close at one point on an extension last spring, nothing happened over the summer and he played 2020 under the tag. This one is a bit of a surprise, as many expected the Chargers to tag the young tight end again this time around. It’s not too often that a player like Henry hits the open market at the age of 26.

He should have no shortage of suitors, and will likely become one of the league’s highest-paid players at his position. The 2016 second-round pick broke out right away as a rookie, scoring eight touchdowns in his first season. This past season he had 60 catches for 613 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games.

Henry missed the entire 2018 campaign with a torn ACL, and although he’s played at least 12 games in his other four seasons, he’s also never played a full 16. This tag decision certainly doesn’t rule out a return to the Chargers, it just means the team didn’t want to be on the hook for the nearly $13MM cap hit from the tag.

If the Chargers do let him walk, they’ll immediately be in the market for a new tight end for Justin Herbert. Perhaps they were one of the teams calling on Zach Ertz recently.

Bears Franchise Tag Allen Robinson

March 9th, 2021 at 12:48pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

One of the big dominoes has now officially dropped. The Bears have placed the franchise tag on star receiver Allen Robinson, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

This news was expected, as Chicago has insisted all along they aren’t going to let Robinson walk. This is the second consecutive year the team has tagged Robinson. There’s been some strife between the franchise and the player, and although Robinson has said he isn’t opposed to continuing to play for the Bears, he’s also made it clear he didn’t want to be tagged. Robinson now joins Chris Godwin as top receivers getting tagged, while the Lions are letting Kenny Golladay hit the open market.

We heard a few weeks ago that the two sides hadn’t had any talks about an extension since way back in September, so they’re at a bit of a stalemate. Robinson, who is reportedly seeking top of the receiver market money on any long-term deal, was liking tweets encouraging him to skip town late in the year.

This doesn’t guarantee Robinson will be back in Chicago in 2021, as it’s been reported that a tag and trade scenario is a strong possibility. The Bears could realize they’re never going to pay Robinson what he wants on a massive contract and decide to get something out of him while they can. The tag is slated to pay him around $18MM if he plays under it this coming year.

The Penn State product has been incredibly consistent over the years considering the inconsistent quarterbacks he’s been paired with. He’s put up at least 1,147 yards and six touchdowns in each of the past two years.

Lions Won’t Franchise Tag Kenny Golladay

March 9th, 2021 at 12:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have gone on record to say that they want to keep Kenny Golladay. However, they won’t automatically keep him from the open market. The Lions have decided against using the franchise tag on their star wide receiver, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Now, the Lions have less than a week to keep Golladay on a new deal, before he can start chatting with other teams. From a financial perspective, it would behoove Golladay to wait. After the latest round of franchise tags and recent extensions, Golladay now profiles as one of the very best players on the open market.

Hamstring and hip injuries limited Golladay to just five games last year. All in all, he finished with 20 receptions for 338 yards and two touchdowns. It was hardly the platform year he wanted and, apparently, it wasn’t enough for the Lions to give him a top-5 salary at his position.

“We want to make the best decision for the Lions, and sometimes those decisions take a little bit longer,” GM Brad Holmes said recently. “We’re not gonna rush it, so whether it is a franchise tag on a [Romeo Okwara] or Kenny or whoever it is, we’ll definitely have a process in place that we believe in that we’re trusting … and we’re sticking to it and [making] sure it meets the Detroit Lions’ timeline and that’s really the thing that matters the most.”

The Lions now have the tag available for Okwara, but it’s not a given that they’ll cuff the edge rusher. It’s also not a given that Golladay is a goner, of course, though the Lions’ WR group is due for a reset no matter what. Veterans Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola, and Mohamed Sanu are also out of contract, leaving youngster Quintez Cephus as the last one left.

Jaguars Tag Cam Robinson

March 9th, 2021 at 10:49am CST by Zachary Links

Now, a surprise tag. The Jaguars will use the franchise tag on offensive tackle Cam Robinson (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

Robinson was set to be one of the top tackles available this offseason and the Jaguars were expected to let him test the open waters. Instead, they’ll retain him at the top-five average for his position, which should come out to roughly $14MM for 2021.

You’d be hard-pressed to find any evaluator that would rank Robinson in the top five at tackle. In fact, Pro Football Focus assigned him an overall grade of 61.7, which placed him in a tie for 59th in the NFL. Still, Robinson is only 25 (26 in October) and young left tackles tend to get paid. Replacing Robinson this year or next year would have been costly, so the Jags opted for the tag. The decision may raise some eyebrows, but a sub-$14MM deal isn’t all that much for youth at a premium position.

Robinson will likely be protecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick. He’ll have until the summer to hash out a long-term deal with the Jaguars, which would allow the team to smooth out his cap hit. A long-term pact could provide Robinson with security, though he’d also have to trade in multiple prime seasons.

Buccaneers Franchise Tag Chris Godwin

March 9th, 2021 at 10:38am CST by Zachary Links

Chris Godwin isn’t going anywhere. On Tuesday, the Buccaneers assigned the franchise tag to the standout wide receiver, yanking him from the open market.

Godwin will get a considerable pay raise, going from $4.65MM in the final year of his rookie contract to $16MM+. The tag is likely being deployed as a placeholder for a multi-year deal and will allow the two sides to negotiate between now and the middle of July. Players often bristle at the franchise tag, but Godwin is an exception.

“Yeah, I mean, the way I look at it, similar to like a lot of guys,” Godwin said to MJ Acosta of NFL.com (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “Obviously, we all want to have long-term security; we all want to be able to take care of the people that we love. So that’s the ideal situation. But, you know, a franchise tag is not something that I can control. If that’s what keeps me here, then that’s what it is. And I’ll play on it and go back to war with my guys. Like I said, I love it here in in Tampa. I love what we have building, and I would love to stay.”

Godwin, a former third-round pick, broke out in 2019 with 86 receptions for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl nod. The stage was set for an even bigger year in 2020 — especially with Tom Brady on board — but he was also joined by a cavalcade of new stars, including Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown. The 24-year-old ultimately finished with 65 catches for 840 yards and seven scores in 12 games. In four postseason contests, Godwin added another 16 grabs for 232 yards and one TD.

Godwin wasn’t the Buccaneers’ only candidate for the tag. Teams can only cuff one player per offseason, which means that edge rusher Shaq Barrett and inside linebacker Lavonte David are now scheduled to be free agents.

Panthers To Franchise Tag Taylor Moton

March 9th, 2021 at 9:31am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers will use the franchise tag on tackle Taylor Moton, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This was the expected move, though a long-term deal remains possible.

Moton, a 2017 second-round pick, has started 48 straight games at right tackle. The Panthers weren’t about to let him walk. Instead, they’ll tag him for the coming year for a yet-to-be-determined amount. In all likelihood, it’ll put him at around $15MM.

Pro Football Focus has graded Moton as a top-20 tackle in each of the past three years. He came in as a top-five right tackle in 2020, providing all the more reason for the Panthers to retain him. Now, the two sides will have until mid-July to hammer out a multi-year deal.

As a reminder: Offensive linemen are grouped together under the franchise tag formula, meaning that tagged guards often outperform their market. Tags for interior linemen are becoming more and more common, however — Brandon Scherff, for example, just scored his second straight.

Patriots Won’t Tag Joe Thuney

March 9th, 2021 at 8:46am CST by Zachary Links

After taking on Trent Brown, the Patriots have decided against using the franchise tag on Joe Thuney (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). As a second-time tag, the offensive lineman would have been in line for about $17.7MM.

[RELATED: Raiders Trade Trent Brown To Patriots]

The Patriots stunned everyone last year by tagging Thuney. Historically, the Patriots have been comfortable with allowing high-priced free agents to walk and the league, for some reason, puts guards and tackles in the same category for the franchise tag. Still, they were willing to give Thuney “tackle money” on a one-year, ~$14.8MM deal.

Thuney, 29 in November, has started in all 80 of his games for the Pats over the last four seasons. In 2018 and 2019, he graded out as one of the five best offensive guards in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He slipped ever so slightly this past season, placing him at No. 10. With Thuney out of the picture, the Patriots will likely use Trent Brown at left tackle while shifting Isaiah Wynn to left guard.

On the open market, Thuney will likely seek something in the range of $14MM per annum. A five-year, $70MM deal would position him as the highest-paid left guard in the NFL, topping Andrew Norwell‘s $66.5MM deal.