HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

AFC Rumors: Colbert, Browning, Broncos

March 27th, 2022 at 9:39pm CST by Ely Allen

Current Steelers’ general manager Kevin Colbert, who will be stepping down from his role after the 2022 NFL Draft, held a conference call with reporters today that produced quite a few nuggets of information.

Colbert expounded a bit on their moves to replace longtime quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He explained that Pittsburgh didn’t want to sacrifice draft capital in order to add a veteran quarterback, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. This led them to target Mitchell Trubisky, who they were able to sign in free agency for a very reasonable price. Pryor reported that he went on to say that signing Trubisky does not preclude them from taking a quarterback in the Draft.

Colbert claimed they have starters at every position except for strong safety, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, while failing to mention any specific targets to fill the role. Kaboly did note that Colbert said they’ve focused on targeting “young veteran players” in free agency.

Commenting on his eventual replacement, Colbert said they’ve completed the first round of interviews with 16 candidates and that they intend to start the second round of interviews after the Draft, according to Pryor.

Here are a few other rumors from the AFC, these concerning the Broncos of Mile High:

  • With the addition of linebacker Alex Singleton, the Broncos will give linebacker Baron Browning a look at outside linebacker, according to Mike Klis of 9News. Browning went back and forth a bit between the positions at Ohio State, so he should be able to make the switch without too many issues. He’ll work with new outside linebackers coach Bert Watts.
  • Klis also reported that new Broncos’ quarterback Russell Wilson will have a say in the tailoring of the new offense. Wilson’s lack of agency in Seattle was a great frustration for the veteran quarterback and new Broncos’ head coach Nathaniel Hackett will make sure that isn’t the case in Denver.

AFC Coaching Notes: Titans, Jets, Bills, Steelers, Raiders, Patriots

March 27th, 2022 at 8:15pm CST by Ely Allen

After parting ways with the Panthers early this year, former NFL linebacker Chase Blackburn has joined the Titans as the team’s assistant special teams coach. After playing ten years in the NFL for the Giants and Panthers, Blackburn transitioned into the coaching world working his way up to the role of the Panthers’ special teams coordinator, a position he held for four seasons.

Panthers’ head coach Matt Rhule initially retained Blackburn from former head coach Ron Rivera‘s staff, but fired him this January. He finds second life with fellow former NFL linebacker and current Titans’ head coach Mike Vrabel. Additionally, after season-long tryouts, the Titans have promoted Clint McMillan (defensive line assistant) and Kylan Butler (offensive assistant) to full time positions.

Here are a few other coaching updates from around the AFC:

  • The Jets announced a series of assistant coach hirings including Ben Wilkerson and Dan Shamash. Wilkerson moves from one New York team to another, taking the same position as assistant offensive line coach on head coach Robert Saleh‘s staff. Shamash is a New York native that returns to the tri-state area after five seasons as the Chargers’ assistant tight ends coach to become the Jets’ situational football/game management coordinator. He’s worked with Saleh before in Jacksonville.
  • Elsewhere in New York, the Bills announced that they’ve added Mike Shula as a senior offensive assistant. The former college head coach and NFL offensive coordinator spent the past two seasons in Denver as the Broncos’ quarterbacks coach. They also announced the promotion of Eric Washington. The Bills’ defensive line coach of the past two seasons will have the title of senior defensive assistant added to his billing.
  • The Steelers announced the hiring of their new assistant line coach earlier this month. Isaac Williams joins the NFL coaching ranks after years in college football. Williams has been the offensive line coach at North Carolina Central University (2021), Morgan State (2018-20), and Northern Colorado (2016-17).
  • Las Vegas has hired former college coaching assistant Frederick Walker as a new offensive assistant assigned to work with quarterbacks, according to Myles Simmons of NBC Sports. Walker most recently worked as the quarterbacks coach for the UMass Minutemen. His time in the college ranks saw him working with Giants’ quarterback Daniel Jones at Duke University as well as Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott during his time at Mississippi State. He’ll work underneath new head coach Josh McDaniels and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi to assist Derek Carr and company on their road back to consecutive playoff seasons.
  • After being passed up by Matt Groh for the director of player personnel promotion, Eliot Wolf was announced as the Patriots’ new director of scouting on Friday, a promotion from his previous title of front office consultant. According to Wilson, the team also announced that Camren Williams would be named college scouting director.

Contract Details: Seals-Jones, Williams, Tomlinson, Jones, Montgomery, Gardeck, Singleton, Carter

March 27th, 2022 at 6:27pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the latest details from contracts recently agreed to across the league:

  • Ricky Seals-Jones, TE (Giants): One-year, $1.19MM. The deal, tweeted out by Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, has a $352,500 amount guaranteed at signing. The guaranteed amount includes a signing bonus of $152,500 and $200,000 of his salary worth $1.04MM.
  • Maxx Williams, TE (Cardinals): One-year, $1.27MM. The deal has a salary of $1.12MM, according to Wilson. Regardless of whether or not he is active, he’ll receive a $15,000 bonus for any game for which he is on the roster. If he is active for any game, he’ll receive an additional $52,500 roster bonus. He’ll also receive a per game active bonus of $5,000 for a potential season total of $85,000.
  • Eric Tomlinson, TE (Broncos): One-year, $1.44MM. The deal has an amount of $1MM guaranteed at signing, according to Wilson. The guaranteed amount includes a $400,000 signing bonus and $600,000 of his salary worth $1.04MM.
  • DaQuan Jones, DT (Bills): Two-year, $14MM. The deal has an amount of $10.63MM guaranteed at signing, according to Wilson. The guaranteed amount consists of a $5.5MM signing bonus, the full first-year salary of $1.75MM, and $3.38MM of the second-year salary, which is set at $6.75MM. The contract includes a voidable year for 2024 that voids automatically 23 days before the 2024 league year begins.
  • Ty Montgomery, RB (Patriots): Two-year, $3.6MM. The deal has an average annual salary of $1.8MM with an amount of $300,000 guaranteed consisting entirely of the dual-position player’s signing bonus, according to Wilson. Included in that AAV of $1.8MM are a first-year salary of $1.16MM, a second-year salary of $1.36MM, roster bonuses of $280,000 in year one and $340,000 in year two, and workout bonuses of $50,000 in each year. The former wide receiver will earn a per game active bonus of $20,000 for a potential season total of $340,000. The deal holds an annual playtime incentive of up to $300,000. The deal also holds a potential out after the 2022 NFL season that would leave a dead cap number of $150,000.
  • Dennis Gardeck, LB (Cardinals): Three-year, $10MM. The deal has a guaranteed amount of $3.75MM, according to Wilson. $3.25MM of that amount is guaranteed at signing with a $2MM signing bonus and the first-year salary of $1.25MM being fully guaranteed. $500,000 of the second-year salary, worth $3.27MM, guarantees on the fifth league day of the 2023 season (injury guaranteed at signing). The third-year salary is worth $2.46MM. Gardeck will also receive a per game active bonus of $20,000 for a potential season total of $340,000. The deal includes an annual playtime incentive of $250,000 and an escalator based on sack total that can be worth up to $625,000. A potential out after the 2022 season would leave a dead cap number of $1.33MM.
  • Alex Singleton, LB (Broncos): One-year, $1.12MM. The deal has a salary of $965,000 with a guaranteed amount of $150,000 fully consisting of Singleton’s signing bonus, according to Mike Klis of 9News. Singleton will have a playtime incentive based on snap-percentage. At the end of the year, if he has played 65% of the team’s defensive snaps, he’ll receive $250,000, $500,000 if he plays 70%, and $750,000 if he plays 75%.
  • Lorenzo Carter, OLB (Falcons): One-year, $3.5MM. The deal has a salary of $1.5MM with a guaranteed amount of $2MM fully consisting of Carter’s signing bonus, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN. The deal includes a 2023 dummy year that will be voided 23 days before the 2023 league year. It will leave the Falcons with a dead cap number of $1M for Carter.

Aaron Rodgers’ Last Season In Green Bay?

March 27th, 2022 at 4:17pm CST by Ely Allen

When Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed his historic extension about two weeks ago, the general consensus was that Rodgers was expected to retire after the 2024 NFL season. Well, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, former Packers’ executive Andrew Brandt, along with another source close to the situation, believes the contract is essentially a one-year deal for $42MM. 

A quick reminder, Rodgers’ contract is classified as a three-year, $150.82MM deal that is completely guaranteed. While the contract technically covers the next five seasons, the 2025 and 2026 years of the contract are considered to be dummy years assisting the Packers with cap management. The deal provided “new money” to Rodgers in the amount of $123.52MM over the two new additional years of 2023 and 2024.

In defense of his opinion, Brandt wrote, “Next year there are two guaranteed option bonuses, but these bonuses 1) have to be exercised by the Packers, and 2) would travel to a new team upon any trade. And with this option bonus structure, the dead money actually goes up the longer the contract goes on.”

If Rodgers retires or is traded before next year’s option, the Packers would be left with about $40MM of dead money with an essentially off-setting $59MM in nonexercised bonuses. Brandt explains, “if he were to play again for the Packers (in 2023), the dead money would rise to never-before-seen proportions.” Also supporting Brandt’s opinion is the cap effect of the extension. While the extension does decrease Rodgers’ cap hit by $18.2MM for the 2022 season, his cap hit for 2023 increases approximately $23.9MM from a previously voidable year and his 2024 cap number will total $40.7MM.

In Brandt’s eyes, all these numbers were not only visible to the Packers and Rodgers’ agent, they were negotiated that way. He sees it as an intentional manipulation of the numbers to make the veteran quarterback happy for a year and then move on. This would give back up quarterback Jordan Love a third year of development before he takes the reins. Coincidentally, that would be the same amount of time Rodgers waited before taking over for Brett Favre 15 years ago.

Bills Not Concerned Over Stefon Diggs’ Contract

March 27th, 2022 at 2:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bills’ wide receiver room has seen some turnover this offseason, but the player at the top of the depth chart remains in place. Stefon Diggs has two years remaining on his current contract, the relative value of which has changed dramatically given the recent extensions handed out to the likes of Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill. 

As noted by Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith, however, Bills general manager Brandon Beane isn’t concerned with the 28-year-old’s financial status. Diggs signed a five-year, $72MM extension with the Vikings ahead of the 2018 season, good for an annual average of $14.4MM per season. Especially considering his production since being traded to Buffalo in 2020 (230 catches, 2,760 yards, 18 touchdowns), that figure pales in comparison to those of other receivers at the top of the position’s market.

Diggs’ current deal places him 21st in the league in terms of compensation per annum. The new contracts signed by not only Adams and Hill, but also the likes of D.J. Moore, Chris Godwin and Allen Robinson have drastically elevated the value of All-Pro receivers such as Diggs. As Smith notes, however, Beane “doesn’t believe there’s any concern that Diggs is unhappy” regarding a potential new deal.

“At the right time we’ll work with his reps and see if there’s something to be done that works for him”, Beane said. “He’s all in on winning and, sure, everybody wants to be paid but he wants to be on a winning team. I think he’s been the best version of himself. So I don’t see that being an issue.”

Another reason Diggs may be in line for an extension soon is the difference between his salary and cap hit. As a result of a restructure from last year, he is scheduled to count roughly $18MM against the cap for the two remaining years on his deal. In any event, there doesn’t appear to be much urgency or cause for concern to prolong his stay in Buffalo.

Latest On Melvin Gordon, Kareem Jackson

March 27th, 2022 at 2:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

Running back Melvin Gordon and safety Kareem Jackson remain two of the top remaining free agents from the 2021 Broncos. Not surprisingly, general manager George Paton recently reiterated his desire to keep both veterans, as noted by Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper. 

Earlier this month it became known that there was mutual interest between Gordon and the team for a new deal to reached. The 28-year-old has spent the past two seasons in Denver, after five with the Chargers. The one-time Pro Bowler seemed to be on the way out given the emergence of 2021 second rounder Javonte Williams, but Gordon remained productive working in a time-share last season. He recorded 1,131 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns, which is almost identical to his numbers from 2020.

Gordon’s dialogue with the Broncos has made it clear that he understands re-signing with Denver would not involve an every-down role as the undisputed starter. As Denver7’s Troy Renck reports (on Twitter), he is “open to returning and sharing” the workload with Williams, who had a highly efficient rookie campaign. With that said, Renck adds that the Broncos are one of “multiple teams interested” in adding Gordon.

As for Jackson, there has been a similar desire shared between player and club to strike a new deal. The corner-turned-safety will be 34 by the start of the season. The former Texan has already shown a willingness to accommodate a re-worked deal with Denver, as he signed a one-year contract last offseason following his release from a more lucrative pact. The former first rounder has started all 44 of his games as a Bronco, recording 177 tackles and four interceptions.

When asked about negotiations with both players, Paton said, “we’ve spoken to both their agents. It’s ongoing. We’d love to bring everyone back, but we just can’t do it. We’re still talking with those two — really good players”. The Broncos currently have just over $16MM in cap space remaining, so finding the room for at least one should be relatively straightforward. Both of them suiting up for Denver again in 2022 is still a distinct possibility, though.

Packers Made Late Push For Marquez Valdes-Scantling

March 27th, 2022 at 12:59pm CST by Rory Parks

The Packers, who entered the offseason with one of the worst salary cap situations in the league, were expecting to lose free agent WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling to another team. But after the Davante Adams trade opened up cap room and created a glaring need for receiving talent, Green Bay made a late push to re-sign MVS, as Tom Silverstein of of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. This jibes with an earlier report that the Packers were hoping to convince the four-year pro to stay.

Ultimately, the Chiefs — who had a receiver need of their own after trading Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins — landed Valdes-Scantling on a three-year, $30MM contract ($18MM guaranteed). It’s unclear if that was a more lucrative deal than what Green Bay was offering, or if Valdes-Scantling simply decided that Kansas City represented a better opportunity.

One way or another, it seems that the 27-year-old deep threat fared better on the open market than he was expecting. Per Silverstein, MVS was aiming for a one-year pact worth between $7MM-$10MM when free agency opened, though he believed that such a contract would include void years for cap purposes. But in addition to the Chiefs and Packers, the Saints were also in the running, as Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network tweets, and having a number of interested clubs helped to drive up the asking price.

Valdes-Scantling is obviously not a perfect replacement for Hill, one of the game’s most talented receivers. Still, MVS’ big-play abilities — he boasts a career 17.5 YPR average — should nicely complement the skill-sets of fellow wideout Mecole Hardman, TE Travis Kelce, and new slot receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and after dropping seven passes in 2020, he muffed just one in 2021.

The Packers and Saints, meanwhile, will continue to search for upgrades. Green Bay may be interested in free agents like Will Fuller and Odell Beckham, while New Orleans has been connected to Jarvis Landry. Both clubs could also turn to the draft, which is deep in WR talent.

Rosenhaus: Tyreek Hill To Jets Was “Almost A Done Deal”

March 27th, 2022 at 12:16pm CST by Rory Parks

Shortly after the shocking trade that sent star receiver Tyreek Hill from the Chiefs to the Dolphins, Hill himself suggested that the Jets were not a viable destination for him.

“How close was I? Who? The Jets?… I knew I was going to pick Miami no matter what because I’m basically from here, I’m here all the time,” Hill said. “This is home for me, for us.”

Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, paints a bit of a different picture. Hill was obviously under contract with the Chiefs and did not have a no-trade clause, but Rosenhaus was given permission to speak with interested teams about a new deal for his prized client. Rosenhaus recently told reporters, including Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, that as of Monday, the Jets were the only team that had offered Kansas City satisfactory trade compensation, and that a new contract with Gang Green was “almost a done deal.”

At that point, however, Rosenhaus reached out to other clubs to let them know the status of his talks with the Jets, and that led to the Dolphins jumping into the fray. Following an all-night negotiation session, Miami put together the winning trade package and contract.

It seems clear that the Dolphins were Hill’s top choice all along if the money was right and if the ‘Fins and the Chiefs could agree to trade terms, and Cimini’s previous reports indicated that New York knew that adding Hill was a long shot. It could be that Rosenhaus was merely using the Jets as leverage to drive up Hill’s price elsewhere, and of course, the veteran agent isn’t about to say if that’s the case.

Still, Cimini says that GM Joe Douglas was “very interested” in swinging a trade, which highlights his desire to upgrade his WR corps. But unless another top-flight starter unexpectedly becomes available, look for Douglas to address his receiver need in a draft that — luckily for him — is deep at the position.

Eagles Made “Competitive Offer” For Marcus Williams; Latest On WR, QB Pursuits

March 27th, 2022 at 11:40am CST by Rory Parks

The Eagles have signed edge defender Haason Reddick and wide receiver Zach Pascal this offseason and otherwise have been mostly quiet in terms of adding outside talent. But that hasn’t been for lack of trying.

As Tim McManus of ESPN.com (subscription required) writes, Philadelphia made an effort to sign former Saints safety Marcus Williams. Per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required), the Eagles made a competitive offer to Williams, who ultimately signed a five-year, $70MM contract with the Ravens.

GM Howie Roseman also took some big swings at other positions. We already knew that the club nearly completed a trade for Falcons wideout Calvin Ridley before news of his gambling suspension surfaced, and according to McLane, the Eagles also had interest in WR Robert Woods. Woods was under contract with the Rams and was recently traded to the Titans, but Los Angeles gave him a say in his next destination, and he chose Tennessee over Philadelphia.

Precipitating the Rams’ trade of Woods was the club’s acquisition of Allen Robinson, whom Roseman also pursued. But Robinson, like Woods and most other notable players changing teams this offseason, elected to go elsewhere.

As McLane writes, the Eagles’ status as an also-ran when it comes to this year’s open market talent pool is perhaps a function of how players outside the organization view Philadelphia’s chances to compete in 2022. And, of course, a team’s chances to compete are inextricably linked to that team’s QB.

While it is unfair to exclusively blame incumbent signal-caller Jalen Hurts for the Eagles’ inability to make more FA or trade acquisitions thus far in 2022, McLane confirms that the Eagles were interested in Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson, and he believes that Roseman will continue to do everything he can to find an upgrade over Hurts.

That could mean using one of his three first-round picks in next month’s draft on a passer, though McLane thinks that Roseman will not do so and will instead trade one of those picks to enhance his draft capital in 2023, when the QB prospects are expected to be better than this year’s crop. And assuming that the Eagles do not draft a quarterback this year, and do not view a trade candidate like Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield as a worthy investment, then Hurts will get another chance to prove his long-term value.

Colts CB Brandon Facyson To Compete For Starting Role

March 27th, 2022 at 10:32am CST by Rory Parks

The one-year deal that cornerback Brandon Facyson signed with the Colts earlier this month is worth $3.84MM, per Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. That is roughly the same money that Indy gave Xavier Rhodes in 2020 — a season in which Rhodes would start all 16 games — and it cements Facyson as a legitimate threat to win a starting job as a boundary CB.

Further underscoring the Colts’ faith in Facyson is the fact that, one day after acquiring him, GM Chris Ballard traded fellow corner Rock Ya-Sin to the Raiders in exchange for edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue. As Erickson writes, Facyson will indeed have a chance to replace Ya-Sin in Indianapolis’ starting lineup.

Ballard was not the only GM interested in Facyson’s services. According to Erickson, the Raiders — with whom Facyson made a name for himself last season after three nondescript years with the Chargers — were pursuing a re-up, and another club was also in the mix. However, Facyson elected to follow defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and DB coach Ron Milus from Las Vegas to Indianapolis. Facyson has worked under Bradley and Milus exclusively during his four professional seasons, first with the Chargers and then with the Raiders, and when the Colts hired both men this offseason, Facyson had largely made up his mind.

“I ultimately had like three teams really come after me, but in my head, I always kind of knew where I wanted to be,” Facyson said. “I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to play with Gus and Milo. … It definitely was a big impact on me coming to Indianapolis.”

In 12 games (nine starts) for Las Vegas in 2021, Facyson racked up 55 tackles and 13 passes defensed, along with his first career interception. Pro Football Focus was not high on his work, giving him a subpar 51.7 overall grade, but he did limit opponents to a 59.1% completion percentage and 7.2 yards per attempt, both of which are solid enough numbers. And, given the interest he attracted on the open market, it’s clear that evaluators of defensive talent — particularly Bradley and Milus — believe there is more potential to be unlocked.

Of course, Facyson is not assured of a starting job. The Colts do not have much depth behind him, Kenny Moore, and Isaiah Rodgers at this point, so there will be another addition or two, which could push the Virginia Tech product down the pecking order.

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