In case you missed it, here’s a look back at some of our recent originals from this past week:
- Ryan Ramczyk‘s five-year, $96.2MM Saints extension moved him to the top of the right tackle salary list. He joins Trent Williams, Joe Thuney and Frank Ragnow as the highest-paid players at each offensive line position. I took a look at the other positions’ highest-paid performers, as of July.
- Mentioned as likely to leave Philadelphia, Zach Ertz remains with the Eagles months after those rumors emerged. Here is a look at the top teams that would make sense as fits to acquire the three-time Pro Bowl tight end. What other teams would make sense for Ertz?
- While three 2021 franchise tag recipients have signed extensions, seven remain on the tag. Chris Godwin, Allen Robinson and Brandon Scherff are three of those seven. I looked into where things stand with these respective negotiations.
- We updated our This Date in Transactions History page with a few entries, spanning five decades.
- A year ago this week, the Patriots brought in Cam Newton to serve as their starting quarterback. Ben Levine looked at how a hotter-than-usual quarterback market moved a year ago and assesses Newton’s place with the Patriots going forward.
- Three Junes ago, Tamba Hali opted to hang up his cleats after 12 seasons with the Chiefs. Zach Links takes a look at the former Kansas City first-round pick’s career and his decision to focus on other endeavors — including a music career. Hali finished his NFL career as the Chiefs’ No. 2 all-time sacker — behind only Derrick Thomas.
- In 2017, the Raiders locked up both Derek Carr and Gabe Jackson. Ben looked at the latter’s five-year extension. Jackson ultimately headed to the Seahawks over the course that deal and has since signed another contract. But the veteran guard provided the Raiders with four more seasons as a starter after signing the eight-figure-per-year accord.
- The Bills and Kyle Williams enjoyed a 13-year partnership. In 2008, Buffalo gave the standout defensive tackle his first extension. The team did so despite Williams having played just two years on his rookie contract. I looked at Williams’ initial extension putting him on a path toward becoming one of this era’s top backfield disruptors.
- Thirteen years earlier, the 49ers had a decision to make at wide receiver. They had just engineered a costly first-round trade-up for J.J. Stokes, but the team opted to bring back Jerry Rice‘s longtime sidekick — John Taylor — for one more contract. I looked at that 1995 decision and how the 49ers transitioned from their successful Rice-Taylor era.
- The NFL’s supplemental draft has not taken place since 2019, and the event has lacked the impact it once had. I examined one of the July draft’s signature sequences, when Bernie Kosar maneuvered his way to his hometown Browns — in a complicated saga that involved a blockbuster trade with the Bills for a supplemental draft slot — and made NFL history in doing so. Cleveland’s 1985 trade ended up paying dividends for the next several seasons.