HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Jets To Sign OL Billy Turner

May 1st, 2023 at 5:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

5:55pm: The Turner-Hackett partnership will continue to a third city. After today’s meeting, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter) the Jets are signing the veteran tackle. Turner agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $3.15MM. These are roughly the same terms as Turner’s 2022 Broncos deal. With Turner believed to be healthy after a knee injury last season, he will supply the Jets with a scheme-familiar option at tackle.

4:16pm: Billy Turner followed Nathaniel Hackett from Green Bay to Denver in 2022. With the Broncos moving in a different direction at right tackle, the veteran may have an opportunity land with Hackett’s next team.

The Jets are meeting with Turner on Monday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Turner has played the past four seasons under Hackett and is obviously familiar with the system the new Jets OC will use. While the Jets were connected to first-round tackles ahead of the draft, other teams pouncing on the class’ top blockers led to the AFC East team making other plans at the position.

The Cardinals (Paris Johnson), Bears (Darnell Wright) and Titans (Peter Skoronski) made O-line choices between the Nos. 6 and 11 overall picks, and the Patriots dealt No. 14 overall to the Steelers, who brought in Broderick Jones. The Jets had held the No. 13 overall pick until last week but moved back two spots in the Aaron Rodgers trade. As a result, the team just missed out on Round 1 tackle real estate. Rather than take Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison, whom the Jaguars ended up choosing later in Round 1, the Jets drafted Iowa State edge rusher Will McDonald.

Although the Jets did address their tackle spot later — via a fourth-round pickup of Carter Warren — they exited the draft with similar questions. The team has 2020 first-rounder Mekhi Becton under contract, but the once-promising blocker has only played one game over the past two years. Duane Brown is coming off surgery and going into his age-38 season, while 2022 fourth-round pick Max Mitchell saw a blood-clot issue shut him down late last season. Mitchell is back in the fold, but the Jets have uncertainty at both tackle spots. Veteran Cedric Ogbuehi, one of the Jets’ emergency options during an injury-riddled season at this position last season, also re-signed last month.

While the Packers cut bait on Turner’s four-year deal in 2022, Hackett brought him back to Denver on a one-year contract. The multi-stint Broncos starter battled injury trouble last season, being one of a few Denver O-linemen to go down, but was viewed as the team’s optimal right tackle starter. Favored to win the job out of training camp, Turner instead needed more recovery time and did not make his first-string debut until Week 7. Another knee injury sidelined Turner in November and limited him to eight games (seven starts) last season. Pro Football Focus rated Turner as a top-50 option at tackle in each of his three Packers slates but did not view his injury-limited Broncos season as well, slotting the North Dakota State alum 70th at the position last season.

The Broncos, who have battled rampant right tackle issues over the past decade, signed Mike McGlinchey to a big-ticket deal. Turner is not in the team’s plans but said last month he is 100%. Turner, 31, played both tackle spots and worked at guard during his three-year Green Bay run. The former Dolphins third-round pick has made 61 starts over the past four seasons. Given his ties to Hackett, Turner reuniting with he and Rodgers would make sense for the Jets. Three-year Jets starter George Fant remains a free agent.

Jaguars Decline K’Lavon Chaisson’s Fifth-Year Option

May 1st, 2023 at 5:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

K’Lavon Chaisson has been unable to justify his draft slot with the Jaguars. Unsurprisingly, the Jags will make 2023 a contract year for the former first-round pick.

Jacksonville is passing on Chaisson’s fifth-year option, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Because of his declining participation rate, the edge rusher’s option checked in on the bottom tier of the option structure; for defensive ends, that number is $12.14MM. Given Chaisson’s fit in Mike Caldwell‘s defense, that is still a lofty number.

[RELATED: 2024 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]

The Jags took Chaisson 20th overall in 2020, selecting him 11 spots after C.J. Henderson. Although Henderson’s option became the Panthers’ responsibility, the Jags did not fare well with their two first-round picks — the latter of which obtained in the Jalen Ramsey trade — in 2020. (The Panthers declined Henderson’s fifth-year option Monday.) The Jags took Chaisson despite having selected Josh Allen in the 2019 first round. They have since chosen another first-round edge, in 2022 No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker.

Chaisson, 23, has just three sacks across three seasons. After being benched in 2021, Chaisson played just 109 defensive snaps during Caldwell’s first year running the Jags’ defense. A meniscus injury sidelined Chaisson for a stretch last year, and the Jags did use one of their eight IR-return spots on the three-year veteran. Chaisson played in both Jacksonville’s playoff games, and despite the team losing Dawuane Smoot for the season in Week 16, the former first-rounder only totaled 11 defensive snaps in the postseason.

Generating roster-bubble rumors last summer, Chaisson remains part of the Jags’ edge-rushing contingent. The team has not re-signed Smoot and let Arden Key walk in free agency. The Jags also waited until the fifth round (Louisville’s Yasir Abdullah) to address the position in this year’s draft. The team has Allen and Walker as its top edge defenders, but it remains to be seen how the AFC South favorites will structure their rotational pass-rushing corps.

While Chaisson has not lived up to expectations, the Jags did land Travis Etienne with the other first-round pick from the Ramsey haul. Etienne’s fifth-year option decision is due in 2024.

Panthers Pick Up Derrick Brown’s Fifth-Year Option, Decline C.J. Henderson’s

May 1st, 2023 at 4:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

A 2021 trade made the Panthers responsible for two fifth-year option decisions ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. The team will only pick up Derrick Brown‘s option, passing on C.J. Henderson‘s.

This was the expected call for the Panthers, who have rebuffed trade inquiries on Brown since the Matt Rhule firing opened the floodgates on that front last year. The Bears inquired about the former top-10 pick in this year’s talks about the No. 1 overall selection, but the sides ended up reaching a deal that included D.J. Moore. Brown is now under contract for two more years.

Since Brown has been a regular starter but one without a Pro Bowl on his resume, he qualifies for the third tier of the fifth-year option structure. That comes out to a manageable $11.67MM fully guaranteed salary for Brown in 2024. Even as Henderson’s playing time drops him to Tier 4 of the option hierarchy ($11.51MM for cornerbacks), the Panthers are passing. Henderson is now in a contract year.

Brown, who turned 25 last month, has continued to elevate his game. Pro Football Focus ranked the former No. 7 overall pick as the game’s seventh-best interior D-lineman last season. The advanced metrics site slotted Brown third overall among interior D-linemen against the run. The Auburn product finished last season with just one sack but batted down seven passes and totaled 17 pressures. That number ranked in the top 15 among pure interior defenders last season.

When the Panthers axed Rhule in October 2022, they fielded calls on a few players. Christian McCaffrey ended up being dealt, but the Panthers hung onto Moore, Brown and Brian Burns. The Panthers relented on Moore when other teams’ interest in the No. 1 overall pick required them to up their offer to the Bears, but Brown and Burns are extension candidates. The Panthers have Burns going into his fifth-year option season, but they have continued to plan for an extension. Brown became extension-eligible in January, but seeing as Monday’s option call locks him down through 2024, it would not be surprising if the team huddled up on a Brown deal next year.

Henderson has not delivered what the Panthers had hoped upon trading for him early during the 2021 season. The Jaguars bailed on the former No. 9 overall draftee early, with Urban Meyer signing off on the September 2021 trade. After going down with an injury midway through his rookie season, Henderson has not become a reliable starter. PFF ranked the Florida alum outside the top 100 at corner in 2021 and ’22.

The Panthers also have potential extension payments coming to Jeremy Chinn and Jaycee Horn; both of whom came up amid the post-Rhule fallout last year. Donte Jackson and Vonn Bell are tied to veteran deals. Up front, no big contracts reside on the Panthers’ payroll. But Burns will likely change that soon. By next summer, both Burns and Brown could be signed to long-term accords. But Monday’s decision bought the Panthers additional time on Brown.

Saints Decline Cesar Ruiz’s Fifth-Year Option

May 1st, 2023 at 3:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

While not a Pro Bowler, Cesar Ruiz has been a starter for most of his Saints career. That places the fourth-year guard on the third tier of the CBA’s fifth-year option structure. As a result, the Saints are passing on Ruiz’s 2024 option, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Had New Orleans followed through with the option pickup, Ruiz would have made $14.18MM in 2024. The NFL’s franchise and transition tag formula is used to calculate options, and it still places all offensive linemen under one umbrella. With tackle contracts inflating this price annually, interior O-linemen’s fifth-year options become more onerous — seeing as the 2020 CBA made them fully guaranteed — for teams.

The Saints passing on Ruiz’s option does not mean this partnership will end after four seasons, but the Michigan alum is now set for a contract year. Ruiz will earn $2.34MM in base salary this season and is tied to a cap number just north of $4MM. The Saints are positioned rely on the former No. 24 overall pick as their right guard again in 2023.

Primarily a center with the Wolverines, Ruiz has played guard as a pro. Erik McCoy‘s center entrenchment slid Ruiz to guard as a rookie, and despite not having played the position since his freshman year of college, Ruiz has started 40 games for the Saints. Pro Football Focus has not viewed Ruiz as an upper-echelon guard in any of his three seasons, slotting him just outside the top 50 at the position from 2020-22, and the 6-foot-4 blocker is coming off an injury-shortened season. A foot injury ended Ruiz’s 2022 slate after 14 games.

Ruiz, 23, played every snap for the Saints in 2021 and logged a 100% snap rate in the 14 games before being shut down last season. The Saints have McCoy, left guard Andrus Peat and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk signed to long-term extensions. The team has continued to make big investments in its O-line, drafting left tackle Trevor Penning in last year’s first round. Assuming Penning becomes a full-time starter in his second season, he makes it five homegrown first- or second-round picks comprising New Orleans’ O-line.

With a 2024 franchise tag not realistic for Ruiz, the Saints will have a decision to make on him before next year’s legal tampering period begins in March. The team did trade up to No. 103 to start Saturday’s fourth round, selecting Old Dominion O-lineman Nick Saldiveri. While Saldiveri worked as Old Dominion’s primary right tackle in recent years, he repped as an interior blocker at the Senior Bowl.

Jaguars Sign 11 UDFAs

May 1st, 2023 at 2:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jacksonville announced their class of undrafted rookie free agents on Monday. Here is a breakdown of the prospects who will compete to fill out their roster this summer:

Jacksonville had 13 picks in this year’s draft in addition to the above names, so they will have plenty of rookies on hand to add to last year’s successful team. The group includes a number of intriguing names, though no reports have emerged yet with respect to sizeable guarantees in any of their respective contracts.

Ademilola and Coleman are heading into the NFL after very different college journeys, but they each posted notable production. The former totaled seven sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons, and could find a role for himself as a rotational pass-rusher on the interior after a lengthy career with the Fighting Irish. The latter only played at Ole Miss for one season, but he recorded 4.5 sacks, 8.5 TFLs and three forced fumbles in that time, which could help earn him an extended look.

Of the three receivers signed, Cooks is the largest (6-4, 215 pounds) and most productive of the bunch in terms of 2022 statistics. After five years at Nevada, he transferred to San Jose State and had a career-year. Cooks totaled 1,076 yards on 69 receptions, and led the Mountain West Conference with 10 touchdowns. Those figures far outpaced what he had in all but one of his previous seasons, and could point to potential at the NFL level as a depth option.

Ravens To Decline LB Patrick Queen’s Fifth-Year Option

May 1st, 2023 at 1:35pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens have made one major financial commitment to a member of the linebacking corps, but a second will not be coming. Patrick Queen‘s fifth-year option will not be exercised, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Queen would have been due a 2024 salary of $12.72MM has the Ravens picked up the option. Instead, the 23-year-old will now enter a contract year while facing an uncertain future. Signs pointing to this decision emerged in the middle of the 2022 campaign, and continued during last weekend’s draft.

Baltimore traded for Roquan Smith at the deadline, sending the Bears a package including a second-round pick in exchange. Given that price, many assumed a long-term deal would soon follow, and it did. Smith signed a five-year, $100MM contract in January, making him the highest-paid linebacker in league history. His arrival led to a tangible uptick in Queen’s level of play down the stretch.

The latter finished the 2022 season with 117 tackles, five sacks, a pair of interceptions and six pass deflections. Those stats were reflected in a sizeable jump in PFF rating; the LSU product’s overall grade jumped to 70 last season after checking in at 43.5 the year before. Still, the Smith deal would have made it particularly difficult for the Ravens to absorb another eight-figure cap charge at the position.

Baltimore raised some eyebrows with the selection of linebacker Trenton Simpson in the third round of the draft. Queen himself reacted on social media in a way which hinted he felt the decision hurt his chances of remaining with the team beyond next season. Simpson boasts one of the more unique skillsets in this year’s class, showcasing an ability to play on the inside but also as an edge rusher and even a slot corner at times.

While he thus wouldn’t represent a direct replacement for Queen, Simpson could be viewed as a succession plan to an extent. Even before the draft, the former was mentioned as a potential trade candidate, and it will be worth monitoring if any developments on that front take place given today’s news. Even if there aren’t any, Queen’s next season in Baltimore could be his last.

Broncos Pick Up WR Jerry Jeudy’s Fifth-Year Option

May 1st, 2023 at 12:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

After his future in Denver appeared to be in doubt, Jerry Jeudy will remain with the Broncos through the next two seasons. The receiver will have his fifth-year option picked up, as confirmed by a team announcement. Doing so will set him for a $14.12MM cap hit in 2024.

Jeudy, 24, was the second receiver off the board in 2020, going 15th overall and entering the Mile High City with considerable expectations. By and large, he has yet to live up to them, failing to eclipse the 1,000-yard threshold in any of his three seasons with the team. During a strong showing to close out the 2022 campaign, however, he began to flash the potential he showed coming out of college.

The Alabama product finished the season with new career highs in catches (67), yards (972) and touchdowns (six), a relatively impressive statline considering the challenges the Broncos’ offense suffered throughout the campaign. Those totals also led to several inquiries around the league regarding Jeudy’s availability (along with that of fellow wideout Courtland Sutton).

On multiple occasions, Broncos decision-makers have insisted Jeudy in particular is part of the team’s long-term plans. This move proves that sentiment, and will allow him to continue his career ascent while Denver looks to take a much-needed step forward on offense to begin the Sean Payton era. Their passing game will have a new element following their approach to the draft.

The Broncos traded up in the second round to select Oklahoma wideout Marvin Mims, giving them a vertical threat and another young option at the position. He, along with Jeudy, is in line to serve in a leading role for at least the short-term future on offense. How willing Denver is to commit to a multi-year deal with the latter (this offseason or next) will now become an interesting storyline to monitor.

Packers Undecided On QB Jordan Love’s Fifth-Year Option

May 1st, 2023 at 10:54am CST by Adam La Rose

Three of the four quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2020 draft have, to no surprise, had their fifth-year options picked up. The Packers are the only team yet to make their decision on that front, despite the fast-approaching deadline to do so.

Jordan Love is officially in place as Green Bay’s QB1, with the Aaron Rodgers trade having been finalized last week. His fifth-year option would cost $20.27MM next season if the team were to exercise it, a move which would represent at least a short-term commitment. Since the team has already made one by trading Rodgers, it would come as little surprise if they picked up Love’s option. A firm decision has yet to be made, however.

“Yeah, I’ve got to figure that out by Tuesday, I guess,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said on the subject of Love’s option. “We’re kind of still working through that. We’ve been so focused on the draft. We’ve had some preliminary conversations, but we’ll get to that before Tuesday. It’s a lot of money for a guy who hasn’t played. But at the same time, obviously, we’re moving forward with him. So, we’ll figure that out by Tuesday” (h/t Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk).

Indeed, plenty of questions remain with respect to Love’s preparedness for an NFL starting job despite being three years removed from his rookie campaign. The 24-year-old has made 10 appearances, and only one start, during his time in Green Bay. The team has been consistent in their praise for the Utah State product, though, and a strong 2023 campaign could establish his worth as a legitimate starter.

If that were to happen, a price tag slightly over $20MM would be a relative bargain, considering the heights the QB market has reached in recent years. On the other hand, declining the option to turn this coming season into a make-or-break year for Love would make it easier to move on from him if he were to fail to progress in the way the team expects him to.

The Packers added a fifth-round quarterback during the draft, but also two tight ends and three receivers to give Love a plethora of new pass catchers for his first season at the helm. Before he begins that new phase of his career, though, more clarity will have emerged with respect to his financial future.

Browns To Exercise LT Jedrick Wills’ Fifth-Year Option

May 1st, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Adam La Rose

With tomorrow’s deadline for fifth-year option decisions approaching, more teams continue to commit to one extra year with their 2020 first-round picks. In the Browns’ case, that process has led to a long-anticipated move becoming official.

[RELATED: 2024 Fifth-Year Option Tracker]

Cleveland will pick up the option for left tackle Jedrick Wills, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link). Doing so will lock him into a 2024 salary of $14.175MM, since he has yet to receive a Pro Bowl nod. The Alabama product has been a mainstay on the blindside to begin his career, and that will continue for at least the next two seasons.

Wills, 23, made the interesting transition from right tackle (blocking for the left-handed Tua Tagovailoa) at the college level to left tackle in the NFL. He has started all 45 games he has appeared in, though his career has not been viewed favorably to date by PFF. Wills’ best overall grade has been 66.1, and he has ranked no higher than 52nd amongst qualifying tackles in any of his three seasons.

Nevertheless, Wills has been a key member of the Browns’ highly-rated offensive front, a unit which helped the team rank sixth in rushing yards per game last season. Development in run blocking could go a long way to earning Wills a long-term contract given his comparative strength as a pass protector, but both sides will now have an extended period to negotiate an extension.

This decision will make Wills the third offensive tackle from the 2020 class to have his option picked up (joining Tampa Bay’s Tristan Wirfs and the Giants’ Andrew Thomas, the latter of whom has long been expected to sign a multi-year extension at some point in the near future). The Browns added a right tackle prospect (fourth-rounder Dawand Jones) during the draft with veteran Jack Conklin‘s future beyond 2024 potentially in doubt. On the left side of the line, though, continuity will be had for at least two more years.