HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Giants, Daniel Jones Agree To Deal; Team To Use Franchise Tag On Saquon Barkley

March 7th, 2023 at 2:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Minutes before the franchise tag deadline, the Giants have reached an agreement on a Daniel Jones extension. The sides have a deal in place, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports (on Twitter).

This should allow the team to use its franchise tag on Saquon Barkley, and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes that will happen (Twitter link). Jones agreed to a four-year, $160MM extension, Garafolo and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport report. The sides are finalizing the deal, which Rapoport notes can increase by $35MM via incentives (Twitter link).

The Giants had until 3pm CT today to avoid a situation in which Jones was tagged — the team’s plan absent an extension — and Barkley headed toward the open market. Now, the Giants will have both players back in 2023. Barkley’s tag is worth $10.1MM, and he joins Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard among running backs tagged this year. Jones’ extension will make that number easier for the Giants to fit onto their cap. Tagging Jones would have placed a $32.4MM cap hold on New York’s payroll.

Jones had the Giants up against a deadline that could have meant losing Barkley, pointing to the former first-round pick doing well on the guarantee front. The 25-year-old quarterback will collect $82MM over the deal’s first two years, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets, with SI.com’s Albert Breer noting this does cover Jones’ guarantees (Twitter link). Four years had been the expectation here, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com adds (on Twitter). The Giants are essentially making a two-year bet on Jones ascending.

This represents a staggering financial leap for Jones, who piloted the Giants to the playoffs despite the team’s receiver blueprint changing for the worse early in the season. Jones displayed his best work in terms of efficiency, leading the NFL in interception percentage, and used his legs far more than he had over his first three seasons (810 rushing yards between the regular season and playoffs). Still, the Giants greenlighting a $40MM-per-year extension — the deal’s structure matches Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford‘s accords — for a QB who threw 15 touchdown passes in his contract year is certainly a notable development in recent transaction history.

Prescott and Stafford agreed to their respective four-year, $160MM extensions on lower salary caps; the cap ballooning past $224MM aided Jones and the Giants. Jones, Prescott and Stafford are all tied for seventh in terms of QB AAV. Though, the money coming for Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts — and possibly Lamar Jackson, as that saga is heating up in Year 3 — stands to bump the NFC trio down a bit this offseason. For now, however, Jones has secured top-10 quarterback money less than a year after the Giants passed on a $22.4MM fifth-year option.

The Giants entered their extension talks with Jones hoping the price would not hit $35MM per year, but the tag deadline worked in Jones’ favor. As Jones hired new representation, the $45MM-AAV number emerged. That figure floated for multiple weeks, with a report late last week indicating Eli Manning‘s successor was asking for a deal north of that number. The Giants negotiated with Jones’ camp daily at the Combine, and the sides agreed on what could be a nice compromise. Jones will have a chance to work in Brian Daboll‘s offense for the long haul, and the team is expected to pursue receiver upgrades to help its passer.

A neck injury ended Jones’ 2021 season after 11 games. Although the Duke product’s 24 touchdown passes as a rookie — in just 13 games — remain a top-10 all-time mark for first-year passers, he did not show much in the way of development during the 2020 and ’21 seasons. In 14 starts in 2020, Jones threw just 11 TD passes. Considering the 2020 CBA made fifth-year options fully guaranteed, the Giants predictably passed on Jones’. But the dual-threat QB showed long-elusive progress in his contract year. The Giants are making a bet superior weaponry will further unlock the Dave Gettleman-era draftee’s capabilities.

As for Barkley, it will be interesting to see how he responds. The former No. 2 overall pick congratulated Jones on his extension (Twitter link), but he is now attached to a $10.1MM salary after turning down an extension in the $12.5MM-per-year range. The guarantees included in the Giants’ proposal are not known, but it has long been assumed GM Joe Schoen is not expected to offer Barkley a deal in the Christian McCaffrey neighborhood ($16MM AAV). That will create another notable deadline for the Giants, who have until July 17 to extend Barkley. Otherwise, the sides cannot discuss a deal until 2024. A compromise of $14MM per year emerged weeks ago, but the Giants and Barkley are still not believed to be close.

Barkley, 26, is obviously a superior NFL player to Jones. Positional value led the Giants to understandably prioritize the less accomplished player. Barkley’s hot start to the 2022 season — one that ended with the Penn State product totaling 1,650 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns, completing a comeback from an injury-plagued three seasons — earned him an early negotiation slot with Schoen. Like Jones, the new regime was not completely sold on Barkley coming into the year. Trade buzz circulated early during the 2022 offseason, but both Gettleman-era investments earned the new regime’s trust.

The Giants negotiated with Barkley, and not Jones, during their bye week last season. They did not come close on terms, and although Barkley talks resumed before Jones’ negotiations began this offseason, no compromise is imminent. Fortunately, the team had the tag at its disposal to ensure its cornerstone tandem returned. Considering only one player has skipped the season after being tagged since 1998 (Le’Veon Bell, 2018), it is a good bet Barkley will be in uniform for the Giants in 2023.

The Giants entered Tuesday with more than $36MM in cap space. Today’s transactions will eat into that total considerably, with Fowler adding (via Twitter) Jones’ 2023 cap number should come in around $19MM. But the team’s plan to pursue wideouts and potentially bring back Julian Love should not be entirely nixed because of this afternoon’s high-profile transactions.

Chiefs Release DE Frank Clark

March 7th, 2023 at 2:29pm CST by Ely Allen

MARCH 7: In a tweet thanking Clark for his contributions over the past four seasons, the Chiefs announced the separation Tuesday. Clark will have a head start on finding a new home in free agency.

MARCH 6: The Chiefs and Erik Burkhardt, current agent for defensive end Frank Clark, were reportedly unable to work out an extension heading into the final year of Clark’s current two-year contract, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. With no new deal getting done to lessen the financial burden on Kansas City, and with Clark set to have a cap hit in 2023 of $28.68MM, the expectation is that the Chiefs will release Clark.

The two parties have been attempting to work out a cheaper way forward with one of their defensive stars who is third all-time in postseason sacks, but this year’s Super Bowl run gave them a delayed start in negotiations. Having failed to reach any common ground in efforts towards a renegotiated deal, Kansas City will not want to be responsible for the entirety of Clark’s massive cap hit. Releasing Clark will result in $21MM of cap savings and only $7.68MM in dead money.

If the Chiefs go that route, Clark will join this year’s free agent class. With a previous annual average value of $15.09MM, Clark was the league’s fifth highest paid defensive end. He likely becomes the top free agent option alongside fellow Super Bowl LVII participants Robert Quinn and Brandon Graham. Yannick Ngakoue and Jadeveon Clowney will also be top signing options this offseason.

Though the Chiefs and Clark may be parting ways, it may not be the end of Clark’s time in Kansas City. The 29-year-old may find, after testing the waters, that what the Chiefs have to offer is the best fit for him. Regardless, he’ll have that opportunity to test his market value if the Chiefs move forward with these plans.

Cardinals Have DeAndre Hopkins Trade Parameters In Place?

March 7th, 2023 at 2:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

This year’s wide receiver free agent class has not generated much buzz, and the Bengals and Chargers have respectively indicated Tee Higgins and Keenan Allen are not available. This stands to elevate the markets for the receivers teams do put on the trade block. This will affect the Cardinals.

Arizona may be far down the road on a Hopkins trade. The Cards have the parameters of a trade in place, according to veteran NFL reporter Mike Jurecki (on Twitter). The Cards should be expected to receive a second-round pick and either a conditional draft choice in an unspecified round or an additional player, Jurecki adds.

Hopkins, 30, has been rumored to be on the move for a bit now. The Cardinals have gone through with a staff overhaul, hiring a new GM (Monti Ossenfort) and head coach (Jonathan Gannon). Ossenfort has spoken with Hopkins, and trade interest has begun to re-emerge. The Cards have fielded calls on their top wideout. Gannon stopped short of guaranteeing Hopkins would be a Cardinal in 2023. Hopkins and Brandin Cooks are viewed as the top trade pieces at the receiver position for the time being, but last year illustrated the market can certainly change.

The six-game PED suspension Hopkins incurred last year voided the no-trade clause in his Cardinals extension. Two years remain on that contract, which was agreed to shortly after the Cards acquired Hopkins from the Texans in 2020. Although the Cards rebuffed inquiries about Hopkins’ availability ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, the 10-year veteran’s name has been on the block since January.

A team that acquires Hopkins may well need to complete another contract. He is set to earn $19.45MM in base salary. While the former All-Pro’s current cap number ($30.75MM) would not transfer over to his next team in its entirety, the base salary would be the acquiring team’s responsibility. Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams and A.J. Brown agreed to new deals upon being traded last year, and the Browns restructured Amari Cooper‘s contract not long after landing him.

Hopkins ripped off three straight first-team All-Pro seasons in the late 2010s. Despite the most recent one coming in 2019, the Texans traded him to the Cards in March 2020 — in a widely panned deal that did not send Houston a first-round pick. It would, then, be interesting if the Cardinals managed to fetch a second for Hopkins given the downward trend of the past two seasons. Hopkins suffered multiple injuries that ended his 2021 campaign early, and after the PED ban sidetracked his 2022 slate, the former first-rounder suffered a minor injury that shut him down near the end of Arizona’s dreadful campaign.

But a wideout market topped by the likes of Jakobi Meyers and JuJu Smith-Schuster, along with Odell Beckham Jr. coming off a missed season, should create opportunities for the Cardinals and Texans regarding Hopkins and Cooks. Although Hopkins only played in nine games last season, his 79.2-yard per-game average far outpaced his 2021 number. He posted a 1,407-yard season in 2020, when he played 16 games.

Hopkins’ stock has dropped, but it is not hard to imagine a receiver-needy team betting on him to bounce back. The move would help a Cardinals squad that looks to be begrudgingly, after extending both Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim a year ago, committing to a rebuild.

Ravens Place Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag On Lamar Jackson

March 7th, 2023 at 2:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

Many around the league have been waiting to see the Ravens’ decision with Lamar Jackson. A long-term deal will not be finalized in time for today’s deadline, though. ESPN’s Kimberley Martin reports (via Twitter) that Baltimore is using the non-exclusive franchise tag. A team announcement confirms that the less expensive tag option is their chosen route with the former MVP.

With contract talks resulting in an impasse between the two sides, it comes as little surprise at this point that the tag has been used. Over the course of the weekend, reports emerged that the Ravens were leaning towards going the no-exclusive route, something which carries potential financial benefits from the team’s perspective but also a great deal of risk.

The non-exclusive tag carries a value of $32.4MM, a figure which is far lower than the roughly $45MM the exclusive version would have cost. In that regard, the former option was the most logical one with respect to Baltimore’s cap situation. However, other teams will now be eligible to send the 26-year-old an offer sheet, which would not have been possible had the Ravens used the exclusive tag. One team frequently linked to Jackson via an offer sheet or tag-and-trade scenario is the Falcons. However, Atlanta will not pursue such a move, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini (Twitter link).

Baltimore would have the option to match any offer sheet which Jackson signs. If they elect not to, they will receive two first-round picks as compensation from Jackson’s new team. The fact that not every squad currently owns Day 1 selections in each of the next two years slightly shrinks the list of potential suitors for him, but competition could quickly ramp up. Jackson, a two-time Pro Bowler, would constitute a significant upgrade over many other incumbent QBs.

The Louisville product has been eligible for a new deal from the Ravens since 2020, but at no point has one seemed to be particularly close. Annual compensation is not thought to be a sticking point from the Ravens’ side, even though any multi-year extension would have surely been the most lucrative in franchise (perhaps league) history. Rather, the matter of guarantees has long been the most pressing issue. Jackson is reportedly seeking a fully-guaranteed pact, a desire seemingly made more plausible after Deshaun Watson‘s historic deal signed with the Browns last offseason.

The Ravens – led by owner Steve Bisciotti – have publicly spoken out against the possibility of making such a commitment to Jackson (and, by extension, a number of other young QBs around the league when they sign second contracts). New deals for Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson signed in 2022 pointed to the Watson accord being an outlier, rather than a new benchmark. That presumably gave the Ravens some leverage in negotiations, but a compromise has not been found.

By going the non-exclusive route, Baltimore is banking on the rest of the league agreeing that full guarantees are too great of a risk for Jackson. The All-Pro has missed five regular season games in each of the past two seasons, including the Ravens’ wild-card loss in 2022. The nature of his PCL injury increasingly became a point of contention as his absence continued deeper into the year, and tension is thought to have increased during the direct negotiations between Jackson himself and GM Eric DeCosta.

Injury problems could scare off other teams to the point where they don’t make an offer to Jackson, or at least one which the Ravens don’t feel comfortable matching. The earliest that teams can submit an offer sheet is the start of the new league year on March 15. Another factor to keep in mind is the possibility of a tag-and-trade situation, where Baltimore could deal him anywhere for any package of trade compensation. That would only be possible, however, after he signed the franchise tender – something he is under no obligation to do until much later in the offseason.

Jackson is the eighth player in franchise history to receive the tag, a move which has more often than not resulted in a long-term deal being agreed upon before the July deadline. Attention will continue to be placed on the two sides in this situation, as negotiations will continue in the hopes of a mega-deal being finalized before the possibility of Jackson skipping portions of the offseason becomes more likely.

A statement from DeCosta reads in part, “We will continue to negotiate in good faith with Lamar, and we are hopeful that we can strike a long-term deal that is fair to both Lamar and the Ravens. Our ultimate goal is to build a championship team with Lamar Jackson leading the way for many years to come.”

Jackson’s importance to the Ravens – from his numerous all-time NFL records to his overall winning percentage of .707% since 2019 – is clear for any observer. The degree to which it is seen and acted upon by any other team (and if so, Baltimore’s willingness to keep him in place for the long-term future) will be a major storyline as the QB landscape takes shape.

Aaron Rodgers To Meet With Jets

March 7th, 2023 at 1:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

1:49pm: Jets team officials are flying to meet with Rodgers today, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets. Jets brass will use Woody Johnson‘s private plane to meet with the four-time MVP in California, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter). Rodgers has an offseason home in California. The Packers have greenlit this meeting, another sign a trade is a very real possibility. All key parties are in attendance, with NFL Network’s Peter Schrager noting Johnson, HC Robert Saleh, OC Nathaniel Hackett and GM Joe Douglas are meeting with Rodgers (Twitter link).

10:03am: Throughout the offseason, Aaron Rodgers has been closely connected to the Jets as speculation regarding his playing future continues to swirl. Another development pointing toward a Green-Bay-to-New-York move has taken place.

Rodgers had discussions with the Jets about a potential move there yesterday, as first noted (on Twitter) by veteran reporter Trey Wingo and since corroborated by multiple reports. Wingo adds that Rodgers is “open to the idea” of playing in New York, something which would of course be required for trade talks between the Packers and Jets to become serious. Since Rodgers is still under contract with Green Bay, the Packers needed to grant the Jets permission to speak with him to avoid tampering.

The fact that they did comes as no surprise at this point. The Jets have been outspoken about their intentions of making a significant addition under center this offseason, and their top target has at all times been Rodgers. The two sides were speculatively linked to one another when New York hired Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator, who developed a strong bond with the four-time MVP during their time spent together in Green Bay.

Rodgers’ talks with the are set to continue throughout Tuesday, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes. While the increasingly outspoken all-time great has not indicated he plans to play a 19th season, his discussions with another team certainly point to this third offseason of trade drama producing a separation. The Packers plan to accommodate Rodgers if he prefers the Jets, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link). While Rapoport adds the Pack would also accommodate Rodgers if he wants to stay, the past few weeks have painted a picture of that scenario producing some complications.

Plan B for the Jets was former Raider Derek Carr, whose early release gave him a head start on free agency. After positive meetings with the AFC East outfit, many expected him to wind up in New York in the event they were unable to trade for Rodgers. Instead, he chose the Saints yesterday in a move which landed him a lucrative deal before Rodgers’ future was decided one way or the other, and before other pending free agents officially hit the open market.

One of those is Jimmy Garoppolo, whose tenure with the 49ers is – for the second straight offseason – expected to come to an end. Before New York’s front office keyed in on Carr, many in the building supported Garoppolo as an option, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini (Twitter link). With Carr no longer available, it will be worth monitoring how much attention the Jets pay to Garoppolo, who will no doubt have a number of suitors especially if Rodgers retires or chooses to remain in Green Bay.

The latter outcome has not been the expected one, however, since a report emerged last month claiming that the Packers were fully prepared to move on from Rodgers and turn the offense over to Jordan Love. Gutekunst has publicly praised the latter, while deferring to Rodgers in terms of deciding on his playing future and where, if at all, he would accept a trade. Few talks have taken place between Gutekunst and the 39-year-old since his darkness retreat ended.

On the matter of a potential Packers-Jets trade, compensation could present a notable obstacle. Rodgers’ contract calls for a $58.3MM bonus to be paid at some point in 2023; that, coupled with the uncertainty of how much longer he will continue playing could lessen the trade cost the Jets would be willing to pay. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel notes that many around the league expect the Packers to receive a smaller package of draft picks than they initially wanted due to the financial burden Rodgers represents. Green Bay may be required to retain part of his compensation to facilitate a deal, and a contract restructure upon arrival in New York would come as little surprise.

A decision from Rodgers with respect to his future is expected soon. Once it is made, the Jets could come even more strongly to the forefront in their bid to acquire him in what would be one of the blockbuster moves of the 2023 offseason.

Dolphins Undecided On Tua Tagovailoa’s Fifth-Year Option

March 7th, 2023 at 1:39pm CST by Adam La Rose

After making a number of sizeable moves last offseason, the Dolphins are unlikely to be active with respect to outside additions in 2023. The team does face a crucial internal decision with respect to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, however, and nothing has been committed to at this point.

As a first-round pick in 2020, Miami must decide on picking up Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option this year. The deadline for doing so is May 1, but the team may wait until very near that point to to pick up or decline it. When speaking about the subject publicly, head coach Mike McDaniel indicated that the Dolphins would be well-served to consider every option, though he did add that “both parties want him to play at a high level for a very long time for the Miami Dolphins” (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe).

Picking up Tagovailoa’s option would carry a cost of $23.17MM for the 2024 campaign. That figure would represent a bargain for starting-caliber QB play, especially considering the step forward the 25-year-old took under McDaniel this past season. Tagovailoa set career-highs across several categories in 2022, and led the league in passer rating and yards per attempt. Keeping him in place for at least the next two years would seem like a simple decision based on his production alone.

The Dolphins must keep in mind, of course, Tagovailoa’s injury history, something which complicates the situation. The Alabama product suffered at least two (potentially three) concussions in the 2022 season, which kept him sidelined for team’s postseason push and wild-card round loss to the Bills. He had a lengthy stay in the league’s concussion protocol after the Dolphins had been eliminated, something which has left some to seriously doubt his long-term playing future. Tagovailoa has since publicly praised the team’s decision to force him to sit out as a precaution, and is planning on taking new steps to better protect himself in the future.

Given his availability concerns, Miami would be wise to at least explore possible alternatives, and Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reports that the team is doing just that (video link). One of several options being weighed, she states, includes “potentially moving in a different direction” than Tagovailoa, something which would mark a highly underwhelming development given the recent draft capital invested in him.

Miami added veteran Teddy Bridgewater as a backup last offseason, but he dealt with multiple injuries of his own over the course of the year. Seventh-round rookie Skylar Thompson was called into action for two regular season games and the postseason contest, but a long-term starting option would need to be found in the absence of Tagovailoa next season. The Dolphins’ 2023 draft capital – hindered by last year’s tampering scandal – would not be sufficient to land one the class’ top passers as a developmental QB, which could point to Tagovailoa’s option being the safest option in the near-term to build off of 2022’s success.

Buccaneers To Release LT Donovan Smith

March 7th, 2023 at 1:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Donovan Smith‘s lengthy Buccaneers tenure looks to be wrapping after eight seasons. The Bucs are planning to release the veteran left tackle, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.

Tampa Bay’s left tackle starter since 2015, Smith had one season remaining on his contract. The Bucs entered Tuesday more than $40MM over the cap. The team needs to spring into action to become cap-compliant, and this Smith cut will help on that front. The Bucs will save more than $9MM by releasing Smith. Designating Smith as a post-June 1 release would save the Bucs more money, but the team needs the savings now, which will likely take that move off the table.

This transaction will help the Bucs along the way to moving under the 2023 cap, but it will also create a blindside void for whomever will be playing quarterback in Tampa next season. Smith had started all 124 games he had played with the Bucs, who selected him in the 2015 second round. Going into his age-30 season, the Super Bowl-winning edge protector will have a chance to bounce back elsewhere.

Jones has offered tremendous durability as well, having only missed more than one game in one season. That came in 2022, however, with an elbow injury sidetracking the experienced blocker. Smith missed four games, adding to a nightmare season for Tampa Bay’s offensive front. The Bucs saw Ryan Jensen make a surprising return for their wild-card matchup, after having torn multiple knee ligaments in training camp. But they missed longtime guard starters Alex Cappa and Ali Marpet. With Smith’s release, only two of Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl blocking bastions are left: Jensen and right tackle Tristan Wirfs.

Pro Football Focus, long skeptical about Smith’s performance level, slotted the Penn State alum as a top-15 tackle in 2021. But he fell out of the top 60 at the position, per the advanced metrics site, in 2022. Todd Bowles considered benching Smith, who now stands to join Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency. The Chiefs are not franchise-tagging Brown for a second time. That plan and the Bucs’ Smith release will add two experienced left tackles to the market, one that did not look to house much in the way of quality heading into the week.

The Bucs had previously given Smith two extensions — a three-year deal ahead of free agency in 2019 and a two-year re-up in 2021 — with the most recent being worth $15.5MM per year. The Bucs will still be more than $40MM over the cap, even after releasing Smith, Leonard Fournette and Cameron Brate. Created largely by Tom Brady‘s restructures, this bill will test the Bucs in the days leading up to the 2023 league year. More cuts are coming.

Eagles Not Expected To Use Franchise Tag

March 7th, 2023 at 1:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

A substantial number of Eagles starters are headed for free agency. Many of them resided on Philadelphia’s defense. The Eagles want to retain at least one of them, having traded for C.J. Gardner-Johnson just before last season. But the defending NFC champs will not use the franchise tag to do so.

Gardner-Johnson is not expected to receive the tag, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets, noting the Eagles are not on track to tag Javon Hargrave, either. Philly is not planning to tag anyone this year. Although extensions between now and Monday (the start of the legal tampering period) could commence, many talented Eagles will be expected to test free agency. Teams have until 3pm CT today to use the tag.

Gardner-Johnson resides as a priority for the Eagles, but they are close to needing to compete with other teams to retain the slot cornerback-turned-safety. The Saints traded CJGJ to the Eagles for two Day 3 draft choices last year, and the brash cover man intercepted a league-leading six passes despite missing five games. The safety tag would have cost the Eagles $14.5MM.

Beyond Gardner-Johnson, the Eagles have Hargrave and James Bradberry as defenders set to cash in soon. Both are heading into their respective age-30 seasons, however. While that will impact each’s earning potential, both delivered in their contract years in Pennsylvania. Hargrave’s 11.5 sacks helped the Eagles threaten the 1984 Bears’ single-season sack record, while Bradberry teamed with Darius Slay and bounced back after being a Giants cap casualty. The Giants cut Bradberry after the draft last year, limiting him on the open market. The former Panthers draftee reaching free agency on time this year will give him a better shot of commanding a solid guarantee number. This would be Bradberry’s third time hitting the market; it would represent Hargrave’s second crack at free agency.

The Eagles also have T.J. Edwards, Marcus Epps, Kyzir White, Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox set to be available from their defense. Jason Kelce, Isaac Seumalo and Miles Sanders are UFAs-to-be from Philly’s offense. Sanders has been expected to hit the market for a bit now.

Buccaneers Unlikely To Use Franchise Tag On CB Jamel Dean

March 7th, 2023 at 11:54am CST by Adam La Rose

The Buccaneers have made good use of the franchise tag in recent years but it does not appear to be part of their 2023 plans. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports that cornerback Jamel Dean is not expected to be tagged ahead of this afternoon’s deadline. Jamel Dean (vertical)

Dean is the top pending free agent on a Buccaneers roster which won the NFC South in 2022, but is set to undergo at least a few major changes. One of those will be under center, but keeping the team’s secondary intact will be a key priority. Meeting that goal would include coming to terms on a long-term deal with Dean, but declining to tag him will all-but guarantee his ability to test the open market.

The 26-year-old has taken on an increased role over the course of his four-year tenure in Tampa Bay. He logged 23 starts across his first three seasons, but was a full-time starter for the first time in 2022. He saw a 90% snap share this year, operating as a key member of the Bucs’ secondary. The former third-rounder recorded two interceptions, eight pass deflections and 67 total tackles. His strong coverage numbers (including a 55.4% completion percentage allowed) continued from the previous year in particular.

That has Dean well-positioned to cash in on a new contract from the Buccaneers or another team. The franchise tag for corners is set at $18.3MM this year, a figure which would be hard to swallow up front for Tampa Bay given their current financial situation. The Buccaneers are more than $58MM over the salary cap at the moment, and need to become cap compliant by next week, when the new league year begins. A multi-year deal with Dean would allow the team to manipulate his 2023 cap hit to a lower figure as they try to retain as many core players as possible.

Dean is sure to be a priority, but the same is true of other key defenders like linebacker Lavonte David and safety Mike Edwards. By declining to use the tag, Tampa Bay will let those players and several other notable free agents test the market in free agency, a departure from their decisions with edge rusher Shaquil Barrett in 2020 and receiver Chris Godwin in each of the past two years. Both players spent one season on the tag before ultimately signing new deals.

Dean is likely to command a sizeable market for himself, as one of the youngest corners in this year’s free agent class. Veterans like James Bradberry and Marcus Peters have longer track records of ball production, but Dean’s coverage abilities could see him land a lucrative deal which Tampa Bay cannot afford to match. Should he depart, the Bucs would need to find a starting-caliber replacement amidst their other financial challenges.

Latest On Contract Talks Between Giants, Daniel Jones

March 7th, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Adam La Rose

MARCH 7: Negotiations continued deep into Monday night, Garafolo notes, but nothing is currently considered imminent (Twitter link). As is the case with the Ravens and Lamar Jackson, talks could come right down to the 3pm CT deadline for a resolution. Adding further to the continued uncertainty, ESPN’s Dianna Russini tweets that it is “50-50” whether or not a multi-year deal gets over the finish line in time between the Giants and Jones. She adds that talks with Barkley have “stalled,” pointing further to him reaching free agency if New York is forced to tag Jones.

MARCH 6: One major domino has fallen with respect to the 2023 QB market already, but plenty of attention remains focused on the Giants and Daniel Jones. Talks at the Combine didn’t result in a contract being finalized, but a breakthrough could still be possible in the very near future.

Less than 24 hours remain until the franchise tag deadline, meaning the Giants continue to face pressure to ink Jones to a multi-year deal (and by doing so, give themselves the option of using the franchise tag on running back Saquon Barkley). Failing that, Jones will receive the tag to lengthen the negotiating window for both sides, but also ensure that he will be in New York for at least the 2023 campaign.

Jones’ decision to change agents and subsequent increase in contract demands has dominated the storyline in this situation. His asking price (roughly $45MM-per-year) is not believed to be a point to which the Giants are willing to go, though, and the 25-year-old’s performances through 2021 made it an easy decision for the team’s previous regime to decline his fifth-year option. That has left the two parties at something of an impasse, though optimism was said to exist following the weekend’s negotiations.

On that point, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that Jones’ representatives have travelled to New Jersey today to continue talks in person with the Giants. That will at least keep open the possibility of a deal being finalized at the eleventh hour. The framework of a possible contract will still likely be heftier than what the team had been hoping for, though.

In an update on where things stand as of the weekend, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano report that Jones’ deal could be four years in length and carry a value of over $160MM. That would be very similar to the one which Derek Carr signed with the Saints earlier today, though a number of differences exist in the two passers’ respective situations. Jones doesn’t have the pedigree of Carr, a four-time Pro Bowler, but the Duke alum is six years younger and took a significant step forward in play last year, the first with Brian Daboll in place as head coach.

Fowler notes that many around the league have been surprised by the degree to which the Giants remain “comfortable” in giving Jones a major second contract. They still have the franchise tag option (which would cost $32.4MM) as a failsafe, of course, but using it would allow Barkley to hit free agency as the top RB on the market. Whether today’s talks produced any progress will go a long way in determining the Giants’ next moves in the coming days.

Load More Posts