Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Rams: QB John Wolford
Signed:
- Commanders: DE Bunmi Rotimi
There was one point in the offseason where it sounded like Danielle Hunter might not stick around Minnesota. Now, the defensive end is apparently being considered for an extension. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told reporters that extending Hunter remains an option for the franchise.
“We feel great where we are with Danielle,” Adofo-Mensah said (via Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com). “Obviously, that roster bonus was a call to come to the table and get in conversation, dialogue, and we had great conversation with Danielle, his representation Zeke (Sandhu), all members of this organization, and I can say we’re all in a great place. (Hunter) called me from vacation (in Europe) the other day. … You can hear the urgency, the motivation in his voice to kind of resume where he is as one of the elite players in this league, and we’re excited to have back.”
There were rumors that the Vikings weren’t eager to pick up Hunter’s $18MM roster bonus, and as a result, the defensive end found himself on the trading block. Hunter was working against a new regime, a change in defensive schemes, and a lofty $25.8MM cap hit. Ultimately, the organization picked up the bonus and reworked the veteran’s contract, creating more than $13MM in cap space.
Hunter had 14.5 sacks in both 2018 and 2019, and despite missing 2020 due to neck surgery, he still possessed his pass-rushing prowess following his return to the field. In seven games this past season, the 27-year-old collected six sacks and 10 QB hits. He missed the final 10 games of the season thanks to a torn pectoral muscle. Fortunately, Hunter told reporters that he’s back to full health.
“I feel great,” the player said (via Tomasson). “The last two years were pretty unfortunate but I just got to stay positive and have positive people around me. My family’s been there, coaches have been there. So I’m ready to go this season.”
Prior to the Browns coming in with their stunning offer, Deshaun Watson was speaking with veteran free agents about teaming up with the Falcons. Watson spoke with Leonard Fournette and Jarvis Landry about playing with him in Atlanta, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes (ESPN+ link). By the evening of March 17, the Falcons believed they had won the Watson sweepstakes, Fowler adds, and the quarterback was attempting to upgrade the team’s pass-catching corps. Cleveland’s fully guaranteed $230MM proposal changed everything, and Landry is now a possibility to return to the Browns. The eight-year veteran wide receiver visited the Falcons previously, but the team’s outlook has changed considerably since. Fournette re-signed with the Bucs this week.
Watson is a Brown, and Matt Ryan is now a Colt, leaving the Falcons with a record dead-money total and a rebuild to orchestrate. “We’re taking it on the chin this year,” Falcons GM Terry Fontenot said of the $40MM Ryan cap hit (via ESPN’s Michael Rothstein, on Twitter), but noted that the outlook will brighten in 2023. Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- Despite the Buccaneers bringing back William Gholston, Ndamukong Suh is likely still on the team’s radar. Suh has discussed a Tampa return with Bucs coaches, Fowler adds, viewing another year with the team as a good way to strengthen his Hall of Fame resume. The All-Decade defensive tackle has played with the Bucs for the past three seasons. Suh re-signed with Tampa Bay on March 24, 2021, and played for $9MM last season. The Bucs now have Vita Vea signed to a more lucrative deal, but the team is likely amenable to keeping Suh around, as it has continued to re-sign key vets.
- Logan Ryan spent the bulk of his pre-New York days as a cornerback, but Jason Licht said (via The Athletic’s Greg Auman, on Twitter) he will play safety for the Bucs. Licht said the Bucs pursued Ryan during his lengthy free agency bid in 2020; the Giants signed him late that summer and extended him before the 2020 season ended. Ryan became a Giants cap casualty earlier this month and will join a Bucs team that lost starting safety Jordan Whitehead to the Jets.
- The Panthers have struggled for years to lock down their left tackle position. They are still pursuing an answer here, per Fowler, who adds Carolina looked into Trent Brown‘s market. It does not appear Carolina wants to spent too much at the O-line’s most expensive position, with Fowler also noting the team viewed $10-$12MM per year as too rich for Brown, who re-signed with the Patriots for a deal that did not hit that price range. Brown’s deal is worth $6.5MM a year (base value). Panthers target Duane Brown remains on the market.
- The Falcons hosted former Bengals, Bills and Jets tight end Tyler Kroft on a visit recently, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Not known for his receiving prowess, Kroft has topped 200 receiving yards in just one of his seven seasons. The Falcons lost Kyle Pitts complement Hayden Hurst to the Bengals last week.
- Former QB T.J. Yates will shift from Falcons passing-game specialist to their wide receivers coach, while Mario Jeberaeel is the team’s new assistant offensive line coach. Formerly an Abilene Christian assistant, Jeberaeel joined the Falcons as an intern in 2021. Former Bengals cornerbacks coach Steve Jackson will join the Falcons and make an interesting transition, signing on as a senior offensive assistant. An ex-NFL cornerback, Jackson has coached in the NFL for 21 years but has done so consistently on the defensive side.
If things go as planned, Jameis Winston should be good to go for Saints training camp. Winston should be fully recovered from his torn ACL by the time training camp rolls around “if everything continues to go smoothly with his rehab,” a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
Winston tore his ACL in late October, sidelining him for the rest of the 2021 season. Prior to that, Winston was playing some of the most efficient football of his career. While he was completing only 59 percent of his passes, the QB tossed 14 touchdowns vs. only three interceptions. The Saints also went 5-2 in Winston’s seven starts.
We learned yesterday that the Saints were giving the former No. 1 overall pick a two-year deal worth $28MM, including $21MM guaranteed. The Saints were connected to Winston before and after the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, and with the QB carousel starting to slow down, the Saints decided to commit to their initial 2021 starter.
The former high-variance Bucs starter will face an interesting transition this year, with Sean Payton having retired. The team is retaining longtime OC Pete Carmichael, who is in line to call plays post-Payton. Assuming Winston is good to go for next season, the quarterback should slide atop the depth chart ahead of Taysom Hill, Ian Book, and Blake Bortles.
While the Browns hope to unload Baker Mayfield soon, the 49ers are content to slow-play a Jimmy Garoppolo trade. San Francisco is prepared to go through free agency with Garoppolo’s $26.9MM cap number on its books, with Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com noting the veteran QB’s market has not taken off.
The 49ers holding onto Garoppolo for several more weeks could give them a chance to further assess Trey Lance‘s readiness to take the reins for a contending team. But it does not appear the team views Garoppolo as a 2022 insurance plan. Lance has been given the impression he will take over as San Francisco’s full-time starter next season, Fowler adds, with the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch also noting Garoppolo will almost certainly be gone by Week 1.
Garoppolo, 30, joins Mayfield in having seen several QB1 slots filled by long-term options or bridge players. Teams are also concerned about Garoppolo’s shoulder surgery, which is set to sideline him until the summer. The Colts did not engage in particularly serious Garoppolo discussions, Fowler adds. Indianapolis was linked to Jameis Winston and, to some degree, Mayfield before moving to Matt Ryan.
This report seems to contradict a Tuesday indication the 49ers have received an offer of two second-round picks for Garoppolo. That haul, which would match the one the Chiefs gave the 49ers for Alex Smith in 2013, would likely satisfy San Francisco. A Mayfield-to-Carolina path has all but closed, while the Seahawks are still on the radar for the supplanted Cleveland starter. The Seahawks are unlikely to acquire Garoppolo, being an NFC West team.
San Francisco holds less than $4MM in cap space, so a Garoppolo trade would benefit the franchise, which already cleared nearly $20MM in space to allow for prior deals to be finalized. The team’s plans to extend Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa would also come into focus post-Garoppolo, with Lance tied to his rookie deal through 2024.
The 49ers are bringing back two key defenders. The 49ers have re-signed defensive lineman Jordan Willis and defensive back Dontae Johnson.
[RELATED: 49ers Re-Sign RB Jeff Wilson]
Willis made a name for himself in the playoffs, blocking a key punt that was returned for a game-tying touchdown in the 49ers’ playoff win over the Packers. Prior to that, the 26-year-old found himself in 10 regular season games, collecting 15 tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble. He was suspended for the first six games of the season after violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Johnson has had two long stints with the 49ers, with his latest run beginning in the 2019. The former fourth-round pick also spent the first four seasons of his career in San Francisco. Johnson has appeared in 103 games (28 starts), including a 2021 campaign where he collected 30 tackles and one forced fumble in 16 games (three starts).
Earlier today, the 49ers re-signed running back Jeff Wilson to a one-year deal.
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Detroit Lions
- Released from NFI list: TE Jordan Thomas
Houston Texans
- Waived: LB Josh Watson
New York Jets
- Re-Signed: FB Nick Bawden
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Olasunkanmi Adeniyi, LB Dylan Cole
Washington Commanders
- Re-signed: CB Danny Johnson
Kevin Byard has helped the Titans open up a chunk of cap space. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the All-Pro safety has agreed to a restructured contract.
Specifically, the Titans converted $10.96MM of Byard’s salary into a signing bonus. This move ended up opening $8.7MM in cap space.
Byard reestablished himself as one of the league’s top safeties in 2021, earning his second career All-Pro and Pro Bowl nod. In 17 games, the 28-year-old finished with 88 tackles, 13 passes defended, and five interceptions. Byard has 23 interceptions in 97 games (88 starts), all with the Titans. He was a third-round pick by the organization in 2016.
The safety inked a five-year, $70.5MM deal ($31MM guaranteed) with the Titans in 2019. He restructured his deal last offseason to save the Titans some extra money, and for the second year in a row, Byard has helped Tennessee open some space.
Could Odell Beckham Jr. return to Cleveland? According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, OBJ “is open to the possibility” of signing with the Browns. However, it’s uncertain if the Browns would have interest in a reunion.
Yesterday, Beckham responded to a tweet asking about his interest in joining the Browns, stating “that’s an interesting one.” Per Cabot, OBJ only wanted to move on from the Browns once his relationship with quarterback Baker Mayfield “reached the point of no return,” and the veteran “loved his teammates and Browns fans.” As Cabot notes, OBJ does have fans in owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, and he still “has the full support of his former Browns teammates.”
In a world where OBJ does return to Cleveland, he’d be re-joining a completely revamped offense. Deshaun Watson is now under center, and while Jarvis Landry won’t be back, the Browns upgraded to Amari Cooper. Beckham would surely have a significant role in the Cleveland offense despite his inconsistent two-plus seasons with the organization.
OBJ joined the Rams after getting let go by the Browns, and he proceeded to haul in 27 receptions for 305 yards and five touchdowns in eight games (seven starts) down the stretch. He hauled in another two touchdowns in the playoffs before suffering a knee injury during the Super Bowl.
6:54pm: Like Adams’ Raiders contract, Hill’s deal being backloaded inflated the AAV. A nonguaranteed $43.9MM salary in 2026 bumped this contract over $30MM per year, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. Hill’s Miami extension is closer to a three-year deal worth $75MM. The Dolphins are giving Hill $52.5MM fully guaranteed at signing, and another $19.7MM — his 2024 base salary — will be guaranteed in March 2023. Like his lofty 2026 salary, Hill’s 2025 base ($21.8MM) is nonguaranteed. Even at $25MM per year, Hill’s contract compares favorably to Adams and Hopkins’ pacts for short-term value.
11:37am: It’s happening. On Wednesday, the Chiefs agreed to trade Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The deal will send a first-round pick and more to Kansas City, bringing one of the league’s most dynamic playmakers to Miami. 
The Dolphins will send a 2022 first-round pick, 2022 second-round pick, 2022 fourth-round pick, 2023 fourth-round pick, and a 2023 sixth-round pick to Kansas City in the deal (Twitter link via PFT). It’s a haul that’s somewhat similar to the trade that moved Davante Adams to the Raiders.
Hill will also ink a contract extension that will position him as the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver, ahead of Adams, as agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Once finalized, it’ll be a four-year, $120MM megadeal with $72.2MM guaranteed (Twitter link). SI’s Albert Breer adds (on Twitter) that extension talks between Hill and the Chiefs broke down because he wanted to top Adams’ deal, something that Kansas City “balked at”.
The ink has barely dried on Adams’ contract, a five-year, $140MM whopper that gave him $28MM/year, $22.75MM guaranteed at signing, and $42.9MM in effective guarantees. DeAndre Hopkins previously held the mantle at $27MM/year, Adams topped Hopkins at $28MM, and Hill is now the king of the mountain with $30MM per annum.
The Dolphins are now armed with Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Cedrick Wilson, Devante Parker, and Trent Sherfield at wide receiver, giving them one of the most talented WR units in the NFL. That should be plenty to keep defenses honest against quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and open up more running opportunities for Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, and Myles Gaskin.
The Jets were also in talks to acquire Hill this week, and they were willing to give up the No. 10 overall pick in a package for him (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY). The Jets were also willing to give Hill a top-level extension, but, ultimately, the Dolphins had the winning bid. Schefter adds that New York made an offer of picks 35, 38 and 69 in exchange for Hill and No. 103 (Twitter link). He also states that the Chiefs were willing to accept it, had New York been Hill’s preferred destinaiton.
Kansas City, meanwhile, now has a massive hole to fill in their offense. Without the speed of Hill to serve as a compliment to Travis Kelce, their wide receiver room is in need of an addition. To that end, they already signed JuJu Smith-Schuster earlier in free agency, but his skillset is much different than Hill’s. Expected to target a wideout in this April’s draft as early as the first round (where the Chiefs now hold the 29th and 30th overall selections) before this trade, Kansas City now faces even more pressure to do so if they are to maintain their highly-productive passing game.