HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Latest On Seahawks’ Jamal Adams, Duane Brown Plans

August 8th, 2021 at 5:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two of the Seahawks’ best players are not participating in training camp. Both Jamal Adams and Duane Brown are staging hold-ins, being at Seahawks practices but not working out. The team continues to discuss an extension with Adams, and that appears to be holding up matters on the Brown front.

The perception around Seahawks camp points to the team prioritizing an Adams extension before addressing Brown’s situation, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. While both sides expressed optimism an Adams deal could happen this week, the All-Pro safety remains unsigned going into the third week of Seattle’s training camp.

[RELATED: Seahawks, Adams Not Close At All On Extension]

Interestingly, Pete Carroll called the Adams negotiations “amicable,” but refused to comment on Brown’s situation. Seattle’s 35-year-old left tackle is going into the final year of his contract. His desire for another Seahawks extension has been known for months, but a recent report brought that issue back to the forefront. Brown, 35, is set to earn $10MM in base salary this season. While he will not be a candidate to exceed Trent Williams‘ market-topping extension, Brown has stabilized the Seahawks’ left tackle position and would make sense as a short- or medium-length extension candidate.

Unlike Adams, Brown will play in a new scheme this season. The Seahawks still have Ken Norton Jr. in place as their defensive coordinator, but Shane Waldron is now running the team’s offense. Having Brown back soon would help the Seahawks, whose offensive line drew scrutiny from Russell Wilson this offseason. Regarding Brown’s contract, Wilson said Sunday the team has “got to figure that out,” via Condotta (on Twitter). Wilson’s endorsement here certainly helps Brown’s pursuit.

Neither Brown nor Adams participated in Seattle’s minicamp or training camp. Carroll added Brown will also not play in any of the Seahawks’ preseason games, Condotta tweets. Adams is also recovering from offseason surgery on his hands and one shoulder, per Carroll, who said the fifth-year defender likely would not done too much by this stage of camp anyway.

The Seahawks are on board with making Adams the NFL’s highest-paid safety, but they are aiming to keep Bobby Wagner‘s $18MM-per-year deal as their top defensive contract. This creates a range between that and Justin Simmons‘ $15.25MM-AAV Broncos pact, which currently tops all safeties. Adams is seeking an extension well north of Simmons’; this goal has likely caused the delay in the Seahawks finalizing an extension. Adams is attached to a $9.86MM fifth-year option. While the Seahawks have their 2022 franchise tag to use on Adams, Condotta adds the team began planning a summer 2021 extension upon acquiring the All-Pro safety last year.

Cardinals Sign RB Ito Smith

August 8th, 2021 at 4:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

A second member of the Falcons’ 2020 running back trio has found a home. The Cardinals agreed to a deal with Ito Smith, whom the Falcons waived in April.

Smith joins Brian Hill in securing a landing spot, with Hill catching on with the Titans in May. Todd Gurley remains a free agent. Smith will join a team transitioning in the backfield. A year after trading David Johnson to the Texans, the Cardinals allowed Kenyan Drake to defect to the Raiders in free agency.

Arizona has Chase Edmonds and James Conner in place as its top running backs. The team appears set to give each considerable work this year. With Conner having struggled with injuries throughout his career, Smith profiles as veteran insurance.

A 2018 fourth-round pick out of Southern Miss, Smith has accumulated just 175 career carries. Sixty-three of those came in 2020, when the Falcons diminished Gurley’s workload down the stretch. Smith averaged 4.3 yards per carry last season, totaling 268 rushing yards and a touchdown. He has six career TDs, with four of those coming as a rookie — a season that featured Devonta Freeman barely see the field due to injury. Smith finished his college career with back-to-back 1,400-yard rushing seasons.

Arizona waived running back Khalfani Muhammad and safety Lorenzo Burns as well. Burns spent most of the past two weeks on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list.

Cowboys Not Planning To Extend Any Impending Free Agents Before 2022

August 8th, 2021 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones recently expressed regret for the way the team handled Dak Prescott‘s extension, which became a three-offseason saga. The quarterback’s $40MM-per-year contract will now have some effects on the way the Cowboys do business.

Although the Cowboys might circle back to extension talks for the likes of Michael Gallup, Randy Gregory or Leighton Vander Esch, the team will not discuss deals for the free agents-to-be in 2021, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News notes. The team has closed up shop on extension talks with its impending free agents, a group that also includes guard Connor Williams and tight end Dalton Schultz.

Gallup, Gregory and Vander Esch profile as the team’s top three 2022 free agents. Each could be elsewhere next season, depending on their respective performances this year. Dallas’ upcoming free agent crop does not bring the kind of high-stakes drama of recent offseasons, when the team either doled out big-ticket extensions (in the cases of Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper and DeMarcus Lawrence) or stood down (in the case of Prescott). But Gallup and Gregory could enhance their value with quality contract-year performances, making the Cowboys pay more come 2022 — if they view the starters as long-term pieces.

Cooper’s status will affect Gallup’s. It appears the team recognizes there is only room for one of the two on its 2022 squad, with Gehlken adding that the team expects Gallup to see a big market as a free agent. Cooper’s $20MM-AAV contract becomes easy to shed next year, with the Cowboys saving $16MM in cap space and taking just a $6MM dead-money hit if they cut the former trade acquisition. Cooper, 27, is two years older than Gallup. An either/or scenario creates an interesting subplot for the Cowboys’ passing attack this season.

The Cowboys making Gregory prove it is logical, though they did extend the talented defensive end through 2021 despite his persistent off-field issues. Gregory will be 29 by the time his contract expires, and the former second-round pick has been suspended four times during his career. He is, however, set to be a full-time starter for the first time. This season stands to make a major impact on Gregory’s value ahead of what could be his only notable contract agreement.

Dallas may enter an either/or situation at linebacker soon. The team is set to deploy first-round pick Micah Parsons this year, potentially leaving Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith to vie for a slot alongside him in 2022. The Cowboys did not pick up Vander Esch’s fifth-year option, due to his injury troubles. Shedding Smith’s deal next year would saddle the Cowboys with $6.8MM in dead money. How Vander Esch performs this year, and his health status exiting the season, will largely determine his free agency value.

Jacob Eason Remains Atop Colts’ QB Depth Chart

August 8th, 2021 at 12:40pm CST by Rory Parks

For now, the Colts are not planning to trade for a quarterback to fill in for the injured Carson Wentz. Similarly, the club is not planning to shake up its QB depth chart, currently topped by 2020 fourth-rounder Jacob Eason.

According to Stephen Holder of The Athletic, sixth-round rookie Sam Ehlinger has performed better than Eason in training camp, prompting reporters to ask head coach Frank Reich if he might consider elevating Ehlinger to QB1 status.

“Fair question, because [Ehlinger] has looked good,” Reich said. “But, right now, our plan is to put Jacob in the driver’s seat. Sam is getting a lot of reps. They’ll keep competing. This is a competition. … Jacob is making good progress as well.”

Holder concedes that Eason has demonstrated improvement, but he says Ehlinger has generally looked like the stronger passer, especially when it comes to throwing with anticipation. And while Eason has the arm strength and size that Ehlinger lacks, Ehlinger’s athleticism is superior to that of his counterpart (which might prove critical given that the Colts’ O-line is presently without several starters).

Indianapolis’ preseason opener is set for August 15, and it sounds as if Eason will keep working with the first-team offense up to and through that game. But if Ehlinger continues to play better, Reich could be forced to make a switch.

This is a prime opportunity for both young passers. The Colts, who went into the summer with championship aspirations, hope one of Eason or Ehlinger can at least keep the club afloat until Wentz returns.

Indianapolis is also rostering Brett Hundley, but the former Packers draftee is not a candidate to be Wentz’s replacement.

T.J. Watt Staging Hold-In

August 8th, 2021 at 12:06pm CST by Rory Parks

Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt is staging a hold-in. Although Watt has been in attendance at training camp since it opened, he is not participating in any hitting or team drills. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler confirmed that is because Watt is waiting on a contract extension.

“I don’t blame him for [sitting out] because you don’t want to get hurt when you are trying to get your contract done; then you lose some sort of flexibility in terms of what you can sign,” Butler said (via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic). “I hope they get it done.”

The Steelers do not like to engage in contract negotiations once a season begins, which means that the club’s Week 1 matchup with the Bills on September 12 would be the deadline for finalizing a Watt extension this year. But while head coach Mike Tomlin generally eases his top players into the grind of training camp, the team still wants Watt to get involved in team activities well before the regular season opener.

Regardless of when it happens, the Steelers will need to dole out a ton of cash to keep Watt in the fold for the long haul. Kaboly expects the Wisconsin product to become the highest-paid defensive player in league history, which would mean an AAV of over $27MM with roughly $80MM in full guarantees. 

Watt’s performance to date justifies that type of expenditure. Stout against the run and pass, the 26-year-old (27 in October) graded out as Pro Football Focus’ third-best edge player last season out of 108 qualifiers. He is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro, and he has averaged about 14 sacks a year since his sophomore campaign. Even though Pittsburgh is entering something of an organizational crossroads due to its quarterback situation, retaining Watt seems like an absolute must.

The club did add a little pass rushing support for Watt when it signed Melvin Ingram last month. Pittsburgh was also in on Justin Houston, who ultimately signed with the division-rival Ravens. Houston himself said he was very close to signing with the Steelers, but that Baltimore was his first choice (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic). Ingram, like Houston, is a complementary piece at this stage of his career, and his presence doesn’t necessarily give Pittsburgh any more leverage in Watt negotiations.

Latest On Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward

August 8th, 2021 at 11:04am CST by Rory Parks

We heard at the end of June that the Browns were “working on” an extension for cornerback Denzel Ward, and it sounds like that has become the top item on the team’s agenda. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Cleveland and Ward are actively discussing a new deal now that RB Nick Chubb has put pen to paper on an extension of his own. 

Ward, a 2018 first-round choice, saw his fifth-year option for 2022 exercised earlier this year, so player and team do have some time to hash things out. Of course, the Browns have Ward’s draftmate, quarterback Baker Mayfield, looking for a new contract as well, and it sounds as if Cleveland is at least trying to get everything else off its plate before digging in on the inherently more complex QB negotiations.

Indeed, Fowler adds that talks with Mayfield have not yet heated up. As soon as Josh Allen signed his mega-deal with the Bills, the NFL world turned its attention to Mayfield and the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, but Cleveland GM Andrew Berry downplayed the impact that Allen’s contract would have on Mayfield’s situation.

“I think for really any player or any positional market, we’re always aware of the deals that have been done over the past couple years and certainly any deals that come up over the next couple weeks because we realize that impacts the market to some degree,” Berry said (via Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of the Akron Beacon Journal). “But at the same time with any player that we’re considering extending, we really deal with it on a case-by-case and individual level. We really operate within the parameters that we think make sense for our organization and our team, and that’s what we’ll continue to do really across positions.”

That’s generally what one would expect a GM to say, but we also heard back in June that, if Allen and Jackson landed contracts paying them north of $40MM per year — and now that Allen is sitting at a $43MM AAV, Jackson will certainly get something in that neighborhood — Mayfield would not “settle” for a yearly rate of $35MM (his current market value per Spotrac). So once the Browns open Mayfield negotiations in earnest, it will be interesting to see how much of a gap there is between the two sides.

Ward, meanwhile, currently has a market value of $18.5MM per year, which would position him near the top of the league’s CBs. Despite being forced into more zone coverage than he probably would have liked in 2020, Ward finished as Pro Football Focus’ 23rd-best corner out of 121 qualifiers. Though he has missed at least three games due to injury in each of his first three professional seasons, his performance between the lines has been everything the Browns could have hoped for. He earned Pro Bowl honors in his rookie season, and he has tallied 40 passes defensed and seven interceptions — including one pick-six — in his young career.

Given the value of top-flight boundary corners, expect Berry to make a strong push to get a deal finalized. It’s presently unclear where things stand with guard Wyatt Teller, yet another extension candidate.

Steelers’ James Washington Requests Trade?

August 8th, 2021 at 9:54am CST by Zachary Links

Aug. 8: Head coach Mike Tomlin says that Washington has not requested a trade or expressed dissatisfaction with his role on the team, as Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. “Those unnamed sources, we don’t react to or respond to,” Tomlin said. “James has been great here, working, and having a good camp.”

Canada expressed similar sentiments, adding that Washington has a “good role” in the offense.

Aug. 6: Steelers wide receiver James Washington has asked for a trade (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). It’s not immediately clear whether the Steelers will accommodate the request.

Washington, a 2018 second-round pick, saw a jump from 38 targets as a rookie to 80 looks in 2019. Last year, however, the ball was thrown in his direction just 56 times. And, so far in training camp, Washington hasn’t been getting the kind of reps he wants.

Washington’s best year as a pro came in ’19 when he caught 44 passes for 735 yards and three touchdowns. Last year, he posted 30 grabs for 392 yards and five scores. His yards per catch average also dropped, going from 16.7 to 13.1. He’s hoping for a fresh start elsewhere, allowing him to reestablish himself as a quality deep threat.

Despite the request, recently promoted offensive coordinator Matt Canada would probably prefer to keep him in Pittsburgh. However, if the front office trades the 25-year-old, he’ll be able to move forward with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool, and Diontae Johnson as his top options.

Dolphins, Xavien Howard Agree To Reworked Contract

August 8th, 2021 at 8:51am CST by Rory Parks

Xavien Howard is staying in Miami. The Dolphins and their star cornerback have agreed to a restructured deal that gives Howard more earning power, as Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network was first to report (via Twitter).

This was the expected outcome after we learned yesterday that Howard had returned to practice. And while this transaction is believed to mark the first time in league history that a player with four years remaining on his contract has received new money and guarantees — without a full-blown extension, at least — it doesn’t seem like a particularly onerous commitment from Miami’s perspective.

The Dolphins fully guaranteed Howard’s 2021 salary of $12.785MM and added $3.5MM in incentives tied to playing time and a Pro Bowl or All-Pro appearance, as veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson details (Twitter link). Plus, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com report, Howard will see $6.775MM of his $12.975MM 2022 pay fully-guaranteed right away. The remainder is guaranteed for injury for now and will become fully-guaranteed on the first day of the 2022 league year (Twitter links). Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network tweets that the club is also waiving the $93K of fines that Howard incurred for holding out of minicamp.

Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that the Dolphins have assured Howard that they will return to the negotiating table in February or March of 2022 (Twitter link via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald). Of course, Howard will need to stay healthy and continue to perform at a high level, and one hopes that player and team are aligned on the potential outcomes of a renegotiation next year. For instance, if Howard believes the team is open to an extension but the team is thinking more along the lines of another restructure, the relationship could sour quickly.

When Howard signed his current deal in 2019, he was the highest-paid corner in the league. But his current $15MM/year average now ranks just sixth at the position, and as he led the NFL with 10 interceptions last year and graded out as the second-best CB in the league per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, he was pushing for a pay bump and requested a trade to force the issue.

Ultimately, the fact that he was still under club control for four years limited what the Dolphins were willing to do, but the team is certainly happy to have its top defender back on the field and at peace with his contract status. The adjustments Miami made to Howard’s deal seem like a small price to pay for that.

Dolphins’ Xavien Howard Returns To Practice

August 7th, 2021 at 4:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Things seem to be moving in the right direction for the Dolphins and Xavien Howard. The star cornerback returned to the practice field on Saturday (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport), which likely means he’s reached a compromise with the team on his contract. 

Howard, who’s frustrated with his now under-market deal, requested a trade late last month. However, the Dolphins have rebuffed all requests for the All-Pro corner.

“We don’t want to trade X. Write that down. He’s a very good player. He’s a big part of the team. We don’t want to trade him,” Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said on Friday. “Talks are progressing. You take from that what you want. As long as everyone is willing to compromise, we can get something done.”

Howard led the league with ten interceptions last year and graded out as the second-best CB in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. However, his current $15MM/year average ranks just sixth at the position. At the time of signing in 2019, Howard was the highest paid corner in NFL history.

Now, just a couple of years later, he regrets putting pen to paper. Or, in his words, he’s no longer “comfortable” with the arrangement. Soon, Howard should have a new deal to push him back towards the top. At the very least, it should be a reworked pact to put him on a par with teammate Byron Jones.

Patriots’ Raekwon McMillan Tears ACL

August 7th, 2021 at 1:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Patriots linebacker Raekwon McMillan tore his ACL while practicing earlier this week (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). That marks the second ACL tear of McMillan’s career and the end of his 2021 season. is the second torn ACL for the former #Dolphins 2nd round pick, but this time on the other knee. 

This time around, it’s McMillan’s other knee. It’s another frustrating setback for the former Dolphins second-round pick who was once ticketed for a sizable role in Miami’s front seven.

McMillan spent the early part of his career with the Dolphins before being shipped to the Raiders in August of 2020. He came off the bench in most games, finishing the year with 27 stops and one forced fumble.

Before that, he flashed at times in South Beach and even ranked as the Dolphins’ best defensive player in 2019, per to Pro Football Focus. The Dolphins considered a long-term extension for him at one point but, ultimately, they were unwilling to commit, especially at the height of the pandemic.

Despite his ups, downs, and suspect pass coverage, the Patriots were excited to add him on a one-year deal earlier this year. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to join fellow newcomer Matt Judon in the LB group – at least, not until 2022.

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