2021 April - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Extension Talks Between Browns, QB Baker Mayfield

April 28th, 2021 at 6:36pm CST by Ben Levine

The Browns have yet to engage in negotiations with Baker Mayfield on a long-term deal. However, owner Jimmy Haslam made it clear that it’s more a matter of when, not if, Mayfield will sign an extension.

“We’re are all pleased to see the growth in Baker last year both as a player and as a leader,’’ Haslam said during a recent press conference (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “We all understand how important quarterback is in the NFL. We were delighted to see that.

“Baker deserves a fifth-year option, and he and Andrew [Berry] have both addressed the possibility of things after that. We’ll leave that up to Andrew to decide when that happens, but we’re well pleased with where Baker is.”

It’s a bit refreshing to see an owner defer to his general manager, but Haslam seems to be hinting that Mayfield would stick around Cleveland for the foreseeable future. There’s no real rush for the two sides to agree on a long-term pact, and it makes some sense for both sides to exercise patience. For the Browns, they can continue to evaluate the progress of the former first-overall pick, especially following a career year where Mayfield led the Browns to the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

For Mayfield, it makes sense to wait for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson , who could easily land a five-year deal in excess of $210MM, putting him just behind Patrick Mahomes‘ league-leading average annual value. Mayfield would command less than the Ravens QB, but Jackson’s deal could push Mayfield’s ask above $35MM/year.

For what it’s worth, Mayfield isn’t all that worried about a lack of extension, with the 26-year-old noting that he has greater priorities at the moment.

“Whatever happens, happens, but it really is out of my control at this point,” Mayfield said (via Cabot). “The fifth-year option just happened so a long-term deal is a little bit on the back burner for me. I am not worried about it. I want to go out and win games. I think everything happens for a reason so we will see what happens.”

Giants Pick Up RB Saquon Barkley’s Fifth-Year Option

April 28th, 2021 at 4:50pm CST by Ben Levine

As we all expected, Saquon Barkley will be sticking around New York through at least the 2022 season. The Giants have picked up the star running back’s fifth-year option, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

Barkley will earn a guaranteed base salary of $7.217MM during that 2022 campaign. As things currently stand, Barkley would have the ninth-highest cap hit at his position that season.

Considering the modest salary, it’s hardly a surprise that the Giants have made this move. Since he was selected with the second-overall pick in the 2018 draft, Barkley has establish himself as one of the top running backs in the NFL. He had a historic rookie campaign where he compiled 2,028 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns in 16 games. He had an equally impressive 5.4 yards per touch in 2019, but he missed three games thanks to a high ankle sprain.

Most of us are familiar with Barkley’s 2020 campaign. The 24-year-old only saw time in two games before succumbing to a torn ACL. The injury ultimately ended his season, although Schefter reported earlier today that the running back is on track to be ready for the start of the 2021 season. Considering the short shelf life of running backs, it’s a good sign that Barkley is seemingly recovering well from the injury.

Following the recent trend of teams dumping first-round running backs following their rookie contracts, there have been some questions about whether Barkley would stick around New York long term. While Giants owner John Mara previously stated that the organization wasn’t in any rush to extend the Pro Bowler, he also made it clear that he wants Barkley to stick around New York.

“We’re not in any hurry to do that,” Mara said at the time. “We fully expect him to be as good as new. … We hope he’s going to be a Giant for life. At the appropriate time, we’ll start those discussions.”

Patriots Looking To Trade Up For QB Justin Fields?

April 28th, 2021 at 4:47pm CST by Ben Levine

Bill Belichick has a well-known affinity for trading back in the draft, but it sounds like New England could buck the trend and trade up. Jeff Howe of The Athletic writes that the Patriots have spoken with the Falcons about a trade for the fourth-overall pick.

If the Patriots are planning on spending assets to move up from No. 15, they presumably have a target in mind. Howe believes that these trade discussions are a strong sign that the Patriots have “found conviction” in at least one prospect, and he opines that the player is Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported a similar sentiment earlier this week (Twitter link), noting that the Patriots were sniffing around at a trade with the hope of landing Fields. Pelissero’s report indicated that New England had spoken with the Lions at No. 7 and the Panthers at No. 8.

If Belichick and the Patriots do decide to cash in on a quarterback prospect, it’d be a surprising development. The Patriots haven’t used a first-round pick on a quarterback during Belichick’s tenure with the team (although that was easy to do with Tom Brady under center), but they’ve also generally been wary of trading up during the first day of the draft. Belichick has only traded up in the first round on three ocassions during his time in New England, and only one of those trades saw him acquire a top-15 pick (Ty Warren at No. 13 in 2003).

For a team that likes to retain their draft capital, the Patriots would have to give up a bounty to acquire the No. 4 pick. The 49ers had to give up No. 12, two future first-rounders, and a third-round pick to get up to No. 3; the Falcons would presumably ask for a similar haul if New England wanted to jump from No. 15 to No. 4. It wouldn’t be as pricey to move from No. 15 to either No. 7 or No. 8, with Pelissero estimating that it’d cost at least a second-rounder.

Of course, it’s still uncertain if Fields will even be around at No. 4, much less No. 7 or No. 8. The 49ers could still very well select the Ohio State product with the third-overall pick.

Lions Exercise Frank Ragnow’s Fifth-Year Option

April 28th, 2021 at 2:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have triggered Frank Ragnow‘s fifth-year option for 2022 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Now, the interior lineman is set to collect $12.657MM in 2022.

Ragnow has been first-string for the Lions ever since he was taken with the No. 20 overall pick in 2018. At first, the Lions used the Arkansas product at left guard. In 2019, they shifted him to the middle. He’s started in every game since, save for three missed contests due to injury.

So far, ten players from the 2018 draft class have had their options exercised. In years past, fifth-year option decisions were fairly easy for teams — the additional year was always fairly low risk, because it was only guaranteed in the event of an injury. Now, those extra seasons are fully guaranteed and a little pricier, thanks to performance escalators.

Keeping Ragnow for an extra year, however, was still an easy call for the Lions. Quality young lineman are hard to come by and the Lions want to keep their starting center for the long haul.

Broncos Restructure Teddy Bridgewater’s Deal

April 28th, 2021 at 2:19pm CST by Zachary Links

In order to facilitate his trade to the Broncos, Teddy Bridgewater agreed to restructure his contract (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News). Now, Bridgewater has just one year remaining on his deal, rather than two.

By truncating the three-year, $63MM deal he signed last year, Bridgewater has given the Broncos extra flexibility beyond 2021. Meanwhile, the Broncos also got the Panthers to pick up $7MM of his $10MM guarantee. Between the remaining $3MM and Bridgewater’s forthcoming $1.5MM salary, they’ll be paying him just $4.5MM — a reasonable price for a backup quarterback who may wind up supplanting Drew Lock as the starter. As Klis notes, it’s a fraction of what Andy Dalton got ($10.5MM) from the Bears earlier this year.

Bridgewater struggled in his first year with the Panthers, but he was one of the league’s hottest free agents just ~14 months ago. In 2019, Bridgewater went 5-0 as the Saints’ starter, filling in for Brees while he was sidelined. And, of course, he was one of the NFL’s brightest young stars before his devastating injury in Minnesota.

The Louisville alum started 28 games for the Vikings from 2014-15, averaging 3,075 yards, 14 touchdowns, and ten interceptions per season. Among the 30 QBs who attempted at least 500 passes in those two seasons, Bridgewater ranked 22nd in passer rating, 25th in adjusted net yards per attempt, and 29th in touchdown percentage.

Panthers Trade Teddy Bridgewater To Broncos

April 28th, 2021 at 1:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Teddy Bridgewater is going to the Broncos. The Panthers have agreed to send the quarterback to Denver in exchange for a sixth-round pick, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

As a part of the deal, the Panthers will pay out $7MM of Bridgewater’s salary for the coming year. The Broncos will only take on a fraction of his pay, at $3MM. With the Panthers eating the lion’s share of what’s owed to Bridgewater, the Broncos remain open to quarterbacks in the first-round of Thursday’s draft, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears.

Bridgwater represents new competition for Drew Lock, who was already facing the possibility of competing with rookie QB selected with the No. 9 pick. Last year, Lock’s QBR put him near the bottom of the league. In turn, the Broncos tried to swing a deal for Matthew Stafford, but the Rams beat him to the punch. The Broncos didn’t see Carson Wentz or Sam Darnold as worthwhile upgrades, but Lock’s seat has stayed hot throughout the offseason.

Broncos GM George Paton had an up close look at Bridgewater during his salad days with the Vikings. Paton was with the team when they selected the Louisville product in the first round of the 2014 draft. That familiarity likely put Bridgewater ahead of Gardner Minshew, Jimmy Garoppolo, and other available passers on their wish list.

Bridgewater has two seasons left on the three-year, $63MM deal he inked with Carolina. The 28-year-old (29 in November) completed 69% of his passes in 2020 with just 15 touchdown throws. While the Panthers chose Darnold’s upside over another year with the veteran, he still profiles as a solid alternative to Lock.

The Panthers now own the No. 191 overall pick, but the real upside comes in the form of financial relief. Now, GM Scott Fitterer has a few more dollars to work with, plus a substantially lighter cap for 2022. Meanwhile, Darnold may have a little more confidence moving forward as he looks to reboot his career in the NFC South.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/28/21

April 28th, 2021 at 11:32am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Indianapolis Colts

Waived: OT Elijah Nkansah, P Austin Rehkow, OT Casey Tucker

San Francisco 49ers

Re-Signed: OL Tom Compton

Buccaneers Rework Cameron Brate’s Contract

April 28th, 2021 at 10:37am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have Antonio Brown back in the fold, thanks to a little bit of help from Cameron Brate. On Wednesday, the tight end agreed to revise his existing contract with a portion of his salary being converted to a signing bonus (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Field Yates).

The Buccaneers wiped $4.69MM from the books by converting $2.425MM of Brate’s pay to a bonus. Meanwhile, his listed salary has been reduced down to a modest $1.075MM. The remainder of Brate’s contract remains untouched — he still has base salaries of $6.8MM and $7.5MM for 2022 and 2023, respectively. However, those seasons are completely non-guaranteed, so the Buccaneers can release him with zero dead money left over.

Brate, an eighth-year pro, inked a six-year, $41MM deal with the Bucs in March 2018. At the time, he was hot off of two solid seasons with an average of 52 catches for 625 yards and seven touchdowns. Unfortunately, the 2018-19 campaigns were not as kind to him — his average dipped to 33/300/5 in those two years as he struggled through a hip injury.

Now, Brate finds himself playing second fiddle to Rob Gronkowski. In 2020, he put up some of the lowest numbers of his career — 28 receptions for 282 yards and two TDs. However, the 29-year-old (30 in July) saw a more significant role in the playoffs, culminating in Brate’s first ever ring.

Steelers Eyeing Zaven Collins, Najee Harris?

April 28th, 2021 at 10:23am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers are keeping their fingers crossed for linebacker Zaven Collins and running back Najee Harris, according to a source who spoke with Mike Florio of PFT. However, according to many prognosticators, both players are likely to be off the board by the time the Steelers make their pick at No. 24 overall.

Earlier this week, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert threw cold water on the notion that the Steelers will trade up from their original first-round choice. Of course, things can always change, especially if the Steelers are truly locked in on Harris and Collins.

Harris is widely regarded as the best running back in this year’s draft. Initially buried on the depth chart, the Alabama product emerged as a junior with an average of 5.9 yards per tote. Then, he passed on the draft to turn in an even more impressive 2020 season. Harris helped the Tide capture yet another National Championship while racking up 1,466 yards on the ground with similar efficiency (5.8 ypc). Those totals, coupled with 43 grabs for 425 yards and 30 total touchdowns, positioned Harris as one of the strongest prospects in the ’21 class.

Unfortunately for the Steelers, both Harris and Collins have caught the attention of the Cardinals at No. 16. Collins, a Tulsa product, has been lauded for his versatility. In just eight games last year, Collins managed four sacks, 54 total stops, and 7.5 tackles for loss. With the ability to play as a pass rusher or pure linebacker, he’s been quietly moving up boards in recent weeks. On Thursday, we’ll find out if he’s out of the Steelers’ reach.

Bengals Decline Billy Price’s Option

April 28th, 2021 at 10:01am CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals will not exercise Billy Price‘s fifth-year option (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). With that, the 2018 first-round draft pick is now on track to reach free agency after the 2021 season.

Price, the No. 21 overall pick in the ’18 draft, struggled as a rookie. The Ohio State product played in just ten games due to a lower leg injury and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-worst full-time center. When he healed up in 2019, he lost his spot to veteran Trey Hopkins, a one-time UDFA.

This past season, Price was healthy and able to dress for all 16 games, but he started just once. The Bengals’ decision was no surprise — keeping Price for 2022 would have cost the Bengals $10.41MM. And, thanks to the latest collective bargaining agreement, that sum would have been fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only.

NFL teams have until May 3 to pick up their options on 2018 first-rounders. In addition to full guarantees, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a new formula which accounts for the player’s position, initial draft placement, accolades, and playing time.