2021 August - Pro Football Rumors

Contract Details: Allen, Alexander, McCoy, Barkley

August 11th, 2021 at 6:47pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Let’s catch up on the details of some of the high-profile contracts given out recently:

Josh Allen grabbed all the headlines by inking his mega-extension with the Bills. In an interesting piece, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com breaks down how it compares to the huge deal Patrick Mahomes recently signed with the Chiefs. For starters, Allen got a $16.5MM signing bonus, while Mahomes only got $10MM. Further, “the early cash flow for Allen is vastly superior to the Mahomes contract,” Florio writes. That’s because Mahomes’ deal is more back-loaded, while Allen is for example due $47MM in the second year of the pact. Mahomes’ contract is still worth more annually, but only because of the extra years at the end that his has. Through the first eight seasons of their respective deals, the compensation is nearly identical. Allen will clear $284.55MM through eight years, while Mahomes will get $285.33MM through the first eight years of his.
Last week the Saints agreed to terms on a one-year deal with linebacker Kwon Alexander, and now we have all the financials. We heard at the time it was worth “up to” $3MM. It turns out to have a base value of only $1.127MM, not too much above the minimum for a player with his service time, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football tweets. He got $387.5K in guaranteed money. Alexander will get another $200K if he plays 50% of the snaps in 13 games, another $300K for 15 games, and another $400K for 17 games. He also has another $972K in other unspecified playing time incentives. New Orleans cut him back in March to save $13MM in cap space, so even if Alexander hits all his incentives he’ll have taken a fairly hefty pay-cut. That’s unfortunately what happens when you’re coming off an Achilles tear like Alexander is. He started all seven games that he played for the Saints last year before going down.
Alexander wasn’t the only big name defensive player to sign last week, as defensive tackle Gerald McCoy also latched on with the Raiders. His one-year deal with Las Vegas is worth up to $2MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. He got a signing bonus of $150K and also has incentives worth $750K. The six-time Pro Bowler missed all of 2020 with a torn quad. Once one of the best interior linemen in the league, he turned 33 back in February.
Matt Barkley resurfaced with the Titans to give them some insurance behind Ryan Tannehill, and he got $1.1MM on a one-year deal, Rapoport notes in the same tweet. Rapsheet didn’t specify, but it seems unlikely that much if any of it was guaranteed. Tennessee apparently wasn’t happy with only having Logan Woodside behind Tannehill. Shortly after signing Barkley, they released Deshone Kizer. Woodside and Barkley will now battle it out for clipboard-holding duties.

Titans To Sign Tedric Thompson

August 11th, 2021 at 6:08pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Another veteran defender is getting signed. Free agent safety Tedric Thompson has agreed to terms on a deal with the Titans, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

A fourth-round pick of the Seahawks back in 2017, Thompson spent his first three years in Seattle. He became a starter for them in his second season, and started 10 games in 2018. He entered 2019 as a starter, but missed over half the season after going down with a shoulder injury after six games.

Despite starting 16 games over those two seasons, Thompson was cut in March of 2020 after they failed to find a trade partner. For what it’s worth, he received very poor marks from Pro Football Focus during that 2019 campaign, and the team’s secondary improved after he left the lineup.

Thompson latched on with the Chiefs, but was cut after appearing in eight games with no starts. He then had brief stints with the Browns and Broncos, who cut him over the weekend. It didn’t take him too long to land on his feet. The secondary was a weakness for Tennessee last season, and they made overhauling it a priority.

They added high profile corners like Janoris Jenkins and first-rounder Caleb Farley, and are now adding a depth piece at safety. Thompson turned 26 in January.

Latest On Dolphins’ WRs

August 11th, 2021 at 4:59pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

For years the Dolphins have lacked quality receivers, but now they actually have an abundance of depth at the position. It’s a good problem to have, but it also means that some solid players could be on the outside looking in when we get to roster cut-downs.

There’s a lot of uncertainty at the position and a lot to sort through, and fortunately Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald just broke it all down. Albert Wilson flashed a ton of potential during his first season with the Dolphins in 2018, but injuries hampered him then and in 2019. He then opted out of the 2020 season, leading many to believe he’d be on the roster bubble this time around. However, it appears that he’s safe. Wilson is “going to be on the team,” Jackson writes, noting he’s been the most consistent receiver in camp.

The same can’t be said for 2020 third-round pick Lynn Bowden. The Kentucky product has “gone from slight front-runner to make the team to very much on the bubble with an underwhelming camp,” despite being the 80th overall pick just last year. In 10 games and four starts last year, Bowden had 28 catches for 211 yards.

Meanwhile, there’s some bad news on Preston Williams. The 2019 UDFA has looked like a diamond in the rough find the past couple years, but he apparently isn’t over the Lisfranc foot injury that cut his 2020 short. Although the team “originally was optimistic that Williams would be fine to start the season,” the Colorado State product now “appears iffy at best” for Week 1.

Jackson writes that Williams is a candidate to start the year on the PUP list, which would sideline him for the first six games. He also says the “odds are against” veteran Allen Hurns making the 53, even though Hurns has $1.2MM in guaranteed money coming his way.

Jackson also expects the Dolphins to be open to a potential trade of Jakeem Grant if a team in need of a returner is willing to part with a late-round pick. In addition to all these guys, Miami still has Will Fuller, DeVante Parker, and rookie first-rounder Jaylen Waddle at the top of the depth chart.

Chiefs’ Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Out 4-6 Weeks

August 11th, 2021 at 4:28pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Chiefs are the latest team to suffer a significant injury in training camp. Guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif broke a bone in his hand during practice and is out 4-6 weeks, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

The good news, as Rapsheet notes, is that the injury won’t require surgery, “which means the opener is a very real possibility.” This injury also might’ve been a bigger deal had Kansas City not dramatically upgraded their offensive line this offseason. After watching Patrick Mahomes run for his life in the Super Bowl against the Bucs’ ferocious pass-rush, the team made it a priority to overhaul his O-line.

They traded for tackle Orlando Brown Jr., drafted center Creed Humphrey in the second-round, and signed veteran guards Austin Blythe and Kyle Long. LDT, of course, is perhaps most notable for being a doctor when he’s not battling it out in the NFL trenches, and he opted out of the 2020 season to help fight COVID-19.

Although he was a full-time starter for the Chiefs from 2015-19, Duvernay-Tardif wasn’t guaranteed his old job back even if he was fully healthy. We heard last month that he was battling it out with sixth-round rookie Trey Smith for a starting spot. This injury would seem to give Smith a pretty big leg up in that competition, so it’s highly possible Duvernay-Tardif starts the season as depth.

Latest On Ravens’ Rashod Bateman

August 11th, 2021 at 3:33pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We heard yesterday that Ravens rookie receiver Rashod Bateman was going to miss some time, and now we have a bit more info. For starters, the thought is that Bateman has a “significant groin pull,” Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets.

Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh then announced Wednesday that his young wideout would miss “a number of weeks,” although he did declare “it’s not going to be months.” When asked if Bateman would be ready for Week 1 Harbaugh said he was “hopeful,” but didn’t sound overly optimistic.

At this point it seems like Bateman missing some regular season time is a distinct possibility. It’s a tough blow for a Ravens offense that has caught a lot of flak for not equipping Lamar Jackson with the best weapons in the passing game. The drafting of Bateman 27th overall back in April was supposed to go a long way toward solving those issues.

Bateman had missed a few practices earlier in camp with a groin issue, so it sounds like this latest injury was an aggravation of that. The Ravens also added Sammy Watkins this offseason, and of course still have Marquise Brown (also dinged up with a hamstring injury) on the depth chart.

We’ll keep you posted when we hear more about Bateman’s status. The Minnesota product had 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019, his last full college season.

49ers To Sign Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

August 11th, 2021 at 2:27pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Veteran safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix auditioned for the 49ers yesterday, and it apparently went well. He’ll be signing a deal with San Francisco, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Clinton-Dix also had a workout with the Colts last week, and tried out for the Panthers back in June. Now with training camps well underway, he finally found a home. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan “did not sound optimistic” when discussing the health of fellow safety Jaquiski Tartt yesterday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports tweets, which could help explain this signing.

Tartt is still recovering from a turf toe injury he suffered last season. The 21st overall pick of the 2014 draft, Clinton-Dix spent his first five pro seasons in Green Bay. He made the Pro Bowl, and was a second-team All-Pro, with the Packers in 2016. Traded to Washington midway through the 2018 campaign for a fourth-round pick, he then was with Chicago in 2019 where he started all 16 games.

Even though he had started 16 games for five straight seasons he didn’t have a super hot market last offseason, eventually signing a one-year, $3.75MM deal with Dallas. Despite having a couple million in guarantees the Cowboys cut him right before the start of the season and he spent the rest of the year out of football.

Clinton-Dix is still only 28, so he should be in good shape physically. It’s not a bad depth signing at this stage in the process for the 49ers.

49ers Cut Kevin White, Sign Donald Payne

August 11th, 2021 at 1:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers have released wide receiver Kevin White, per a club announcement. In a corresponding move, they’ve added linebacker Donald Payne to their offseason roster.

White, a former No. 7 overall pick by the Bears, came out of West Virginia in 2015 with tons of hype. Unfortunately, injuries have limited him to just 17 games since then. Even though the Niners were decimated by injuries last year, White was jockeyed on and off the roster last year. He appeared in three games for SF in 2020 without recording an official statistic. For his career, White has 25 catches for 285 yards and zero touchdowns.

The 49ers will move ahead with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel as their leading receivers, plus support from Trent Sherfield, Mohamed Sanu, Jauan Jennings, and others vying for the final WR spots on the depth chart. White was near the bottom of the team’s ~12 WR hopefuls in camp, so his release doesn’t come as a huge surprise.

Payne, meanwhile, has not seen live action since he was with the Jaguars in 2019. That year, he recorded 61 total tackles with one sack, one pass defensed, and one fumble recovery.

Panthers Sign LB Josh Bynes

August 11th, 2021 at 11:17am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have signed linebacker Josh Bynes, per a club announcement. To make room on the roster, the Panthers released safety Lano Hill.

Bynes was one of a handful of veterans the Ravens added to their defense in the middle of the 2019 season. In 2019, he recorded 46 tackles, a sack, and two interceptions, and Pro Football Focus gave him high marks for his coverage and run-stopping abilities.

After helping to stabilize Baltimore’s front seven, the Bengals picked him up last year and made him a first-stringer for all 16 games. Bynes finished out 2020 with some of the best numbers of his career — 99 tackles, a sack, and two passes defensed.

Bynes, 32 later this month, isn’t an elite stopper, but he could provide valuable veteran experience for the Panthers. He’s got 117 career appearances under his belt and a championship ring on his finger after securing the final tackle of Super Bowl XLVII.

Seahawks Cut Aldon Smith

August 11th, 2021 at 11:08am CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks have released defensive end Aldon Smith (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). He’ll be a full fledged free agent this week, but his off-the-field situation and conditioning might keep him off the field for a while.

Smith joined the Seahawks in April but was booked on a battery charge just days later. On top of that, Smith wasn’t in good enough shape to participate in minicamp this summer. The Seahawks were disappointed to say the least – Smith could have been a valuable addition to the front seven at a reasonable rate. His one-year deal was worth only $1.12MM with just $137K guaranteed.

With the former All-Pro edge defender out of the picture, the Seahawks will move forward with Carlos Dunlap, Benson Mayowa, and former 49er Kerry Hyder. They’ve also got former first-round pick L.J. Collier to help at defensive end.

Smith seemed to be on the right track after starting in all 16 games for the Cowboys last season. After missing full four years due to suspension, he finished out with five sacks, two fumble recoveries, and 14 quarterback hits.