HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Saints To Retain WR Michael Thomas

March 14th, 2023 at 12:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints and Michael Thomas will, in fact, stick together for an eighth season. Viewed as being on the way out of New Orleans after an offseason restructure, Thomas is now on track to stay.

Thomas agreed to a reworked one-year deal to stay with the Saints on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It will be an incentive-laden deal, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com adds the Saints are giving the former All-Pro wideout $10MM in base value (Twitter link). The deal can spike to $15MM through the aforementioned incentives.

Following the Saints’ Derek Carr signing, Thomas sent out a few tweets praising the move. The Saints had been in negotiations with Thomas over the weekend, and the progress has led to another agreement. This is a far cry from the five-year, $96.25MM extension Thomas was attached to before a January restructure, but the former All-Pro has run into consistent injury trouble that has sidetracked his career.

New Orleans put faith in Thomas again last year, despite his 2020 injury trouble and full-season 2021 absence, but another round of health setbacks ensued. Thomas played in three games last season, with a lingering toe injury sending him to IR. The Saints have missed their former No. 1 wideout over the past three seasons, and his return would now seemingly put him behind Chris Olave in the team’s wideout pecking order.

Thomas, 30, will enter the coming season four years removed from his historic 2019 campaign. That year, he set the all-time NFL record for receptions in a season (149), and led the league in yards with 1,725. That came immediately after a year in which he posted a 125-1404-9 statline, and confirmed his status as one of the league’s top offensive players at any position when healthy.

The frequency with which he has been sidelined since then, though, has led to speculation about his Saints future, and, to no surprise, this new, relatively modest deal. A bounce-back season would not only help Olave (who topped 1,000 yards as a rookie last year) and the rest of the team perform with more consistency in the passing game, but also allow Thomas to rebuild his own value. With a new quarterback and now a (potentially) high-end wideout in place for 2023, the Saints could be in line for a notable step forward on offense.

Aaron Rodgers’ Jets Free Agency Wish List Includes Odell Beckham Jr., Marcedes Lewis

March 14th, 2023 at 12:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers loaded up their roster with Tom Brady-approved acquisitions in 2020, adding the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Leonard Fournette and Antonio Brown. Of course, those players became Buccaneers after Brady committed. The Jets may be dealing with a different situation.

Aaron Rodgers has given the Jets a free agency wish list that includes a few ex-Packers — Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Marcedes Lewis — but Dianni Russini of ESPN.com reports the future Hall of Fame quarterback also wants the team to acquire Odell Beckham Jr. (Twitter link). Both the Jets and Raiders are believed to be interested in Lewis, despite the tight end going into an age-39 season, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

It should not be assumed Rodgers will only commit to the Jets if they land all these targets, but the team has been connected to each of the ex-Packers already. The Packers were interested in OBJ back in 2021 as well, though the team stood down and let him sign with the Rams. This marks the first known Beckham-Jets connection, with his previous return-to-New York rumors involving his former team. The Giants, along with the Cowboys, Rams and others, are still believed to be interested in Beckham. Given the QB circumstances at play, the Jets should be counted among the talented but injury-prone wideout’s suitors.

The Jets and Packers have discussed a Rodgers trade for a while, and while it is not known if the parties have agreed to all terms, the holdup here is believed to be Rodgers’ interest in becoming a Jet. The four-time MVP has still not committed to playing a 19th season, despite a round of Jets players sending out celebratory tweets Monday. Putting out a free agency wish list, however, does point to Rodgers being prepared to suit up again.

Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson is obviously not going anywhere, but the Jets’ receiver room could look quite different soon — depending on how many of Rodgers’ guys the team acquires. The Jets have Corey Davis under contract for one more season, but with $10MM-plus in savings attached to cutting him, that should be considered a possible outcome. Elijah Moore and Denzel Mims also remain on Gang Green’s roster, each attached to rookie contracts. Both were in trade rumors last year; the Jets shopped Mims but did not honor Moore’s trade request.

Even as the Jets have made a run of overtures to Rodgers, the team rearranging its skill-position depth chart before he agrees to join them would be a notable development. Rodgers committing and then the team making an effort to add his preferred weaponry would be more in line with how Brady played it three years ago. While this might be a LeBron James-style effort to apply extra pressure to a team to acquire his preferred weaponry, he also may already be committed to the Jets. The latter scenario would make this list easier to understand, compared to an ultimatum.

As for Beckham, this represents another opportunity for him to maximize his value. It is unknown if he is interested in teaming up with Rodgers, but the 30-year-old wideout is once again seeking money seemingly well out of step with his value. Beckham was connected to a $20MM-per-year ask during his December free agency sweepstakes; that number has come up once again. While OBJ is extraordinarily unlikely to approach that price point, given his two ACL tears and missed season, this Rodgers tie could help him on the market.

Lewis was with the Packers throughout new Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett‘s Green Bay stay. He could profile as a third tight end for a team that already employs C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin. A longtime Rodgers ally, Cobb has played 10 of his 12 NFL seasons with the all-time QB great. Rodgers drove the Packers, calling off his trade request, to reacquire him in 2021.

Eagles, C Jason Kelce Agree To New Deal

March 14th, 2023 at 12:35pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jason Kelce announced on Monday that he will suit up for the Eagles in 2023. A new contract is now in place to ensure that he will remain the league’s highest-paid player at his position.

A team announcement confirmed that the 35-year-old is on the books for 2023 at a different figure than what he was set for while he was mulling retirement. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the one-year pact has a value of $14.25MM, and can reach $14.75MM with incentives. That represents a slight pay increase from what he received last season.

The future Hall of Famer’s playing future was in doubt leading up to the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss, but his high level of play continuing through 2022 suggests that he will be able to remain the anchor of the team’s offensive line for at least one more campaign. It thus comes as little surprise that the NFC champions moved quickly to get a new contract in place with him.

Kelce’s cap number could be manipulated with the usage of void years, something which the team has used in recent years in particular. That will help the Eagles in their bid to keep as many core players from the 2022 season as possible, something which so far has seen multiple significant departures. Philadelphia’s offensive line figures to once again be a strength of the team in 2023, however, especially with Kelce in place for a 13th Eagles season.

The five-time All-Pro helped the Eagles rank top-10 in both passing and rushing offense in 2022, as their balance and efficiency on that side of the ball was on full display throughout the season. Kelce earned a PFF grade above 80 for the seventh time last season, so a repeat of that performance will go a long way in ensuring the Eagles remain competitive after likely losing several more key players in the near future.

Chargers Grant Austin Ekeler Permission To Seek Trade

March 14th, 2023 at 12:21pm CST by Adam La Rose

MARCH 14: The Bolts will allow their dynamic back to see if a trade market forms. They will let Ekeler explore a trade, according to his agent (Twitter link). Running backs’ diminished value aside, the NFL’s two-time reigning touchdown kingpin is now tied to the league’s 15th-most lucrative deal at the position. Rising from UDFA status to a top-tier performer at the position, Ekeler has outplayed his contract. Will another team reward him while giving the Chargers compensation?

MARCH 13: The next few days will be dominated by free agents finding new homes, but trades are also part of this portion of the NFL offseason. One involving Chargers running back Austin Ekeler could be taking place soon, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that he has requested permission to seek a trade.

The trade request follows unsuccessful preliminary discussions with the organization regarding a contract extension. The running back is entering the final season of a four-year, $24.5MM deal and is set to earn $6.25MM in 2023. According to ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry, the latest negotiations “failed to progress,” leading to today’s development.

The Chargers may have a tough time affording Ekeler’s next deal. The team recently had to rework the contracts of receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and edge rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack in order to be cap compliant. The front office is also eyeing a significant contract extension for quarterback Justin Herbert, meaning they’ll surely have to make tough decisions elsewhere on the roster.

The 27-year-old running back has transformed from an undrafted free agent into one of the most dominant offensive players in the NFL. Ekeler has topped 900 yards from scrimmage in each of the past five seasons, but he’s taken it to another level over the past two years. In 33 games between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Ekeler has compiled 3,195 yards from scrimmage and 38 touchdowns.

Ekeler would certainly be an upgrade on most of the free agent running backs, although any suitor would obviously have to give up compensation to acquire the Chargers RB. With Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard all getting slapped with the franchise tag, the top of the RB market includes the likes of Miles Sanders, David Montgomery, and Damien Harris.

The Chargers could theoretically be the in the market for a running back if they end up moving Ekeler. The team is also rostering a pair of unproven RBs in Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller.

Jets Aiming To Re-Sign DT Sheldon Rankins

March 14th, 2023 at 12:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

We still do not have word as to what the most lucrative contract on the Jets’ payroll will look like, but as the team waits on Aaron Rodgers, it is planning to bolster its roster at other positions.

The Jets want to bring back Sheldon Rankins, according to ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini. The veteran defensive tackle is drawing interest from other teams (Twitter link), but the Jets want to re-sign the former first-round pick.

Comparing Rankins to David Onyemata, who received a three-year deal worth $35MM to rejoin Ryan Nielsen in Atlanta, Cimini points to a raise being likely for Rankins to stay in New York. Rankins, 28, has not produced the numbers Onyemata has in recent years, totaling three sacks in each of his two Jets seasons. Absent the sack stats, which only really stood out during an eight-sack 2018 slate, Rankins has still been a key contributor alongside Quinnen Williams. He started 15 games last season, helping the Jets make a massive improvement on defense.

Rankins graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 22 overall interior defensive lineman last season; the 6-foot-2 pass rusher totaled 14 QB hits between the 2021 and ’22 campaigns. The Jets may have a price point here, considering Williams is on the radar for a monster extension and the team hopes to no longer be only working with a rookie-QB contract on the payroll.

Daron Payne‘s deal bridged part of the gap between Aaron Donald and the field at D-tackle, though at $22.5MM per year, Payne’s Commanders extension still leaves a gargantuan chasm between Donald and his top contemporaries. Williams will be a candidate to further narrow that gulf, joining Chris Jones and Jeffery Simmons on that front.

It took just a two-year, $11MM deal for the Jets to bring Rankins over from New Orleans in 2021. Williams was locked into his rookie contract at that point. Going too much higher might be difficult for a Jets team that also has Carl Lawson and John Franklin-Myers signed to veteran deals, though the team is trying to keep its D-line together.

Jaguars To Re-Sign S Andrew Wingard

March 14th, 2023 at 11:32am CST by Adam La Rose

The Jaguars are retaining an experienced member of their secondary. Safety Andrew Wingard has agreed to terms on a new deal worth $9.6MM over three years, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Rapoport adds that the contract includes $6MM in guaranteed money, and has a maximum value of $13.8MM. Those figures comfortably exceed what he has earned to date, and demonstrate his importance to the Jaguars moving forward.

The 26-year-old has spent all four seasons of his career in Duval County. He has logged 24 starts over that span, including 15 in 2021. His playing time has fluctuated over time, and his defensive snap share dropped to 19% last season, though he remained a key special teamer. Wingard totaled 37 tackles and one interception in his limited action.

The former UDFA played on his restricted free agent tender in 2022, but will now have security for multiple years with this new deal. He is in line to continue in a rotational, depth role moving forward, with fellow safeties Rayshawn Jenkins and Andre Cisco both under contract through 2024. Wingard will be able to step into a starting role if necessary, given his experience in doing so and the team’s investment in him with this contract.

Jacksonville took a major step forward overall on defense in 2022, but their passing defense led plenty of room for improvement. The Jaguars allowed over 238 yards per game through the air, so investments in the secondary could be coming this offseason. In general, though, the team has been connected to retaining key internal free agents as opposed to their spending spree of 2022. Re-signing Wingard is evidence of that approach, and will give the team a familiar face in the secondary for years to come.

Texans To Sign WR Noah Brown

March 14th, 2023 at 11:02am CST by Sam Robinson

The Texans signed Robert Woods just before the legal tampering period began, and they are continuing to add to their receiver room. Noah Brown is heading to Houston, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets.

This will be an intrastate relocation for the seventh-year veteran, who has spent his entire career with the Cowboys. Brown will leave Dallas for a one-year contract in Houston. The 225-pound wideout is coming off a career year and will be part of an evolving Texans wide receiver puzzle, one that is unlikely to include enduring trade candidate Brandin Cooks.

As the Cowboys waited on Michael Gallup and James Washington to return from injuries, and attempted to develop third-round pick Jalen Tolbert, Brown served as their top CeeDee Lamb complement for an extended stretch. Brown finished the season with 43 catches for 555 yards and three touchdowns. That number was second-best, by a wide margin, for Cowboys wide receivers last season. Brown had previously never topped the 200-yard mark in a season, and the Texans will pay a bit to see if Brown can replicate his performance.

Serving as one of the Cowboys’ top special-teamers over the past six seasons, Brown saw his responsibilities diminish here as his receiving role expanded. Brown, 26, saw action on at least 47% of the Cowboys’ special teams plays from 2018-21. His three receiving TDs last season were the first of his career.

This will likely be a low- to mid-level accord with the Texans, who are still sorting out their receiver situation. Cooks has held a standing trade request since before last year’s trade deadline, though that went on hold for a few months with trades not part of the late-season equation, and the Texans are planning to accommodate him. Cooks and DeAndre Hopkins remain the top wideout trade chips, though it is worth monitoring the Broncos’ receiver situation.

The Texans now have Woods, Brown and Nico Collins in place as experienced receivers. They also are readying for 2022 second-round pick John Metchie‘s debut. The Alabama product is expected to play for the Texans this season, after seeing his would-be rookie year interrupted by a leukemia diagnosis.

Seahawks To Release DL Quinton Jefferson

March 14th, 2023 at 10:55am CST by Sam Robinson

Quinton Jefferson‘s second Seahawks stint is coming to an end. The team plans to release the veteran defensive lineman, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

A Seahawks draftee in 2016, Jefferson made his way back to the Pacific Northwest last year and played mostly a rotational role with the team. But the Seahawks can create $4.5MM in cap space by releasing the seventh-year D-lineman.

The Seahawks just notified Jefferson of this decision, per CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson (on Twitter), and it comes hours after the team paid up to win the Dre’Mont Jones sweepstakes. The Seahawks are giving the former Broncos starter a three-year, $51MM deal. This has led to some rearranging, with Shelby Harris — Jones’ teammate in Denver for three seasons — also on the way out.

Jefferson, who will turn 30 later this month, played in all 18 Seahawks games last season and started three of those. With the former Bills and Raiders cog registering a career-high 5.5 sacks, it would seem he will have the option of continuing his career elsewhere. Jefferson intends to keep playing, per Anderson, and he will bring some versatility to his next team — whomever that may be.

Teams have used Jefferson as both a defensive tackle and defensive end, both in 4-3 and 3-4 schemes, making the former fifth-round pick a valuable rotational presence. Jefferson, who also added a career-best six tackles for loss in 2022, started 17 games with the Raiders in 2021 and has 48 starts on his resume.

Seattle will be retooling up front, with Poona Ford also unsigned at this point. But the team still has nose tackle Al Woods and veteran Bryan Mone under contract. Jones will be the centerpiece of the Seahawks’ updated D-tackle situation, however, with the Seahawks making a late appearance in that competition to bring the ascending interior rusher to the NFC West.

Jets Working To Sign WR Allen Lazard; Randall Cobb On Radar

March 14th, 2023 at 10:26am CST by Sam Robinson

10:26am: The Jets are closing in on a Lazard deal, per Schefter, who adds they are also expected to pursue Randall Cobb. The latter target should be a clearer indicator they believe Rodgers is coming. Cobb has played 12 NFL seasons; 10 of those came with Rodgers in Green Bay. When Rodgers dropped his 2021 trade request, he drove Packers brass to reacquire Cobb from the Texans via trade. Cobb joins Lazard as a free agent, having played out a reworked contract in 2022.

Cobb is going into his age-33 season and would make for an atypical No. 4 wide receiver, but considering the Jets’ quarterback pursuit, the veteran slot target certainly sits as a logical candidate here. The Jets would be Cobb’s fourth team; he played with the Cowboys in 2019 and Texans in 2020. The Jets are taking Rodgers’ input regarding free agency targets, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets. The Cobb connection certainly makes that clear.

The team, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini (on Twitter), remains optimistic Rodgers will indeed follow in Brett Favre‘s footsteps, 15 years later. All signs still point toward a trade, per Cimini, but this has become quite the drawn-out courtship. The Packers appear onboard with starting the Jordan Love era. The Jets will need to know if Rodgers is in or out soon, as teams’ budgets are changing rapidly as barely 24 hours remain until the 2023 league year.

10:15am: As the football world still awaits an Aaron Rodgers decision, reasonable dot-connecting can commence regarding the Jets’ wide receiver plans. They are working to reach an agreement with Allen Lazard, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

At least one other team is trying to add the Packers wide receiver-turned-free agent, but the Jets are attempting to reunite him with Nathaniel Hackett (and, if they can finally push this saga past the goal line, Rodgers). Lazard has spent the past four seasons with the Packers, consistently earning praise from Rodgers along the way.

The Jets appear to be in the lead for Lazard, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who notes the other team in on Lazard may not be an aggressive pursuer at this point (video link). This package deal now has a better chance of coming to pass, though Lazard still seemingly resides as the second domino here. The receiver market began to move Tuesday morning, via Jakobi Meyers‘ Raiders agreement. Lazard resides as one of the second-tier options available on what is viewed as a mediocre free agency wideout crop.

The Packers conjured up an unsuccessful plan — for 2022, anyway — to increase Lazard’s role after trading Davante Adams and letting Marquez Valdes-Scantling walk in free agency. This blueprint helped lead to Green Bay’s disappointing 9-8 season, but Lazard did amass a career-high 60 receptions (on 100 targets — 40 more than his previous single-season standard) and 788 yards. Lazard, 27, has 14 touchdown receptions over the past two seasons.

The 6-foot-5 pass catcher is also one of the league’s best run-blocking wide receivers. The Jets would be asking Lazard to play a role more in line with his skillset as well, given Garrett Wilson‘s presence. The team has Corey Davis going into the final year of his contract and Elijah Moore coming off a down sophomore season. Davis has been rumored as a potential cap casualty; were the Jets to take this route, they would save $10.5MM. That would help in their ongoing effort to add Rodgers’ salary, be it a reworked number or not, to their cap sheet.

Hackett was with the Packers when they clamed Lazard via waivers in 2019. It would be interesting to see if Gang Green planned to push for that reunion were Rodgers ultimately not ticketed for the Big Apple, but as it stands now, multiple connections tie Lazard to the team.

Dolphins To Re-Sign RB Raheem Mostert, LB Duke Riley

March 14th, 2023 at 10:12am CST by Adam La Rose

The Dolphins faced plenty of uncertainty at the running back position entering the offseason, but at least one member of the tandem which was in place to finish the 2022 season will return. Raheem Mostert has agreed to terms on a two-year, $5.6MM contract with $2.2MM in guarantees (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that incentives push the maximum value of the deal to $7.6MM.

The 30-year-old was set to hit the open market as one of several veteran running backs in this year’s class. His production could have generated a few outside suitors, but the Dolphins made it clear that they wanted to keep either Mostert or Jeff Wilson (with the door remaining open to both being brought back).

Mostert signed with the Dolphins last offseason to continue working with head coach Mike McDaniel, after the pair spent considerable time together in San Francisco. His arrival came as part of the team’s desire to rebuild their RB room after they struggled mightily on the ground in previous seasons. Mostert earned just over $3.1MM on that pact, and will now see a slight raise from that figure if he is able to reach the full value of this new deal.

The former UDFA set a new career-high in rushing attempts and yards in 2022, recording 891 on the ground. He also topped the 1,000 mark for scrimmage yards (1,093) for the first time. His 4.9 yards per carry average was slightly below his career mark, but still sufficient to demonstrate his effectiveness in a starting role. Mostert added 502 kick return yards as he remained a key special teamer in his debut Miami season.

Wilson was acquired via trade from the 49ers after they landed Christian McCaffrey. While the former saw similar usage in Miami as he had in San Francisco to start the season, he was slightly less effective in his new home. As a whole, the Dolphins ranked only 25th in rushing yards, averaging 99 per game. That could point to an outside addition being brought in to compete for snaps with Mostert, but the latter will nevertheless remain in place in the team’s backfield.

In other Dolphins news, the team is set to linebacker Duke Riley, per Schefter (Twitter link). The 28-year-old is signing a two-year deal, which will allow him to maintain his role which has primarily consisted of special teams duties. In two seasons in Miami, Riley has totaled 71 tackles and one sack.

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