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Month: January 2025

Rams, Cooper Kupp Agree On Restructured Contract

June 18th, 2023 at 6:03pm CST by Ely Allen

The Rams were able to free up some cap space on Wednesday by restructuring wide receiver Cooper Kupp‘s contract, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The team has a number of options for how to use that money, and we should see it spent in the coming weeks.

Kupp signed a three-year, $80.1MM contract extension almost exactly a year prior after winning the 2021 Offensive Player of the Year Award. The Eastern Washington product earned the award for leading the league in all major receiving categories with 145 receptions for 1,947 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns.

The restructured deal converted $13.92MM of Kupp’s base salary into a signing bonus. The move opened up $10.44MM in cap space for Los Angeles. While Kupp’s cap hit for this year reduced by that amount, it still looms large at $17.36MM, and his future cap hits each increased by $3.48MM apiece.

The cap relief leaves the Rams with approximately $10.75MM of cap space for the 2023 season. While many LA fans held hopes that the move to open up space was a signal that the team was gearing up for a run at free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, they’ll likely end up disappointed. The more likely scenario is that the Rams need that money for players already in-house.

The Rams have a massive 40-man rookie class on their roster this summer. 26 of those rookies were signed as undrafted free agents, but the remaining 14 were draft picks. So far, Los Angeles has only signed four of those draft picks, leaving 10 rookies who still need to sign their initial four-year contracts. After getting those 10 rookies under contract, the team likely won’t have much of that cap space left over.

After missing eight games in 2022, Kupp will attempt a strong comeback in the coming season to live up to his massive contract. In the meantime, the cap space opened up by his restructured deal has some potential in-house responsibilities before the team can go shopping.

5 Key Stories: 6/11/23 – 6/18/23

June 18th, 2023 at 4:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

With minicamps having concluded, the NFL calendar is set to slow down before training camps open in July. There are still a number of storylines to keep track of around the league, though. In case you missed anything from the past week, here’s a quick recap:

  • Jets Fear ACL Tear For Clark: The Jets’ secondary took a blow when safety Chuck Clark suffered a knee injury which is feared to be an ACL tear. New York paid a modest price to trade for the 28-year-old this offseason since his starting days with the Ravens appeared to be numbered. A first-team spot awaited him with the Jets, however, and Clark was thus expected to be a key figure on the team’s defense, a unit facing signficant expectations this season. Given what should be a lengthy absence, the Jets reacted by signing Adrian Amos, another veteran who will provide them with an experienced contributor on the backend. For Clark, attention will turn to his return timeline and the beginning of the rehab process from the first major injury of his career.
  • Supplemental Draft To Return: For the first time since 2019, the NFL will conduct a supplemental draft. The event will take place July 11, and provide players deemed ineligible for the regular entry draft with an avenue to joining the league. In recent years in particular, few notable names have been selected in the summer draft, but several high-end players have taken this route over the course of its history. Only one player has been deemed eligible for the 2023 supplemental draft so far, but it will be interesting to watch how many others become available and how much interest they generate amongst NFL teams still eyeing additions to their rosters.
  • Chiefs, Jones In Extension Talks: One of the most signficant developments of the 2023 offseason has been the eruption in value for high-end defensive tackles. Several big-ticket extensions have been signed already, and another could be coming soon for Chris Jones. The four-time Pro Bowler is aiming for a new deal which will move him into second in the pecking order at the position (behind only Aaron Donald), something he can make a legitimate claim for given his continued production. The 28-year-old earned an All-Pro nod in 2022 and was a central part in Kansas City’s latest Super Bowl win. General manager Brett Veach indicated no timeline is in place for an extension, but he expressed optimism that a deal will get done allowing Jones to remain in Kansas City as one of the league’s highest-paid defenders.
  • Mutual Interest Between Hopkins, Patriots? DeAndre Hopkins concluded his two-day visit with the Patriots without signing a contract, but one appears to remain very much in play. New England hosted the 31-year-old wideout not long after Tennessee did the same, and mutual interest reportedly exists between player and team in the Patriots’ case. Hopkins would reunite with offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien in the event he inked a deal with the AFC East outfit, something which would lead to questions about their relationship after the latter dealt him away from the Texans in 2020. Doubts have been quelled on that front, though, and Hopkins would represent a signficant addition to New England’s WR room. He is in no hurry to sign, so it may take several days or weeks to learn if the recruiting pitch on the part of current Patriots pays off.
  • Texans Extend Collins: Houston has once again made a multi-year commitment to Maliek Collins, having inked the veteran defensive tackle to another two-year extension. This latest pact contains an impressive $20MM in guranteed money, along with a notable raise in terms of annual compensation compared to his previous pact. The 28-year-old has been a full-time starter during his two seasons in Houston, racking up six sacks and 18 tackles for loss during that span. He will once again be depended upon as a central figure in a Texans defensive front which is expected to take a step forward in 2023 under new head coach DeMeco Ryans. Continued strong play against the pass in particular could also put Collins in line for another sizeable contract down the road.

Saints’ Taysom Hill Content With Current Role

June 18th, 2023 at 3:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Saints’ offense will have a new look under center this year with Derek Carr in place. The process of tailoring the unit to the free agent addition has been an important one for New Orleans, but the team has once again been tasked with finding the right balance of alignments and playing time for Taysom Hill.

The veteran Swiss Army knife was, as expected, not used as a long-term option as a quarterback last season. Instead, he transitioned to more of a hybrid tight end role (albeit one which involved only nine receptions on 13 targets) last season. Hill’s most effective usage was on the ground, as usual. The 32-year-old registered 575 yards and seven touchdowns on a career-high 96 carries. More of the same in that regard is expecting heading into the coming campaign.

“I feel like we’re starting to figure out what is normal again,” Hill said, via John DeShazler of the team’s website. “I felt like ’20 and ’21 were so abnormal that I don’t know what that is now. We’ve had a lot of change here the last few years, and I feel like being here the last few days with the guys and the team, I feel like everyone is gelling really well… I think we’re trying to find this happy medium and happy balance of like, hey, let’s be realistic with what we’re going to ask you do to this season and make sure that you’re getting the time and the reps on those things.”

The Saints have Carr on the books through 2026 after making a splash in free agency to acquire him in March, and the team retained Jameis Winston as well. With those two comfortably atop the QB depth chart, Hill and the team’s coaching staff can turn their attention to his usage as a rusher and pass-catcher. More emphasis in the latter department would suit Hill as he looks to keep adapting his game, though.

“I think that’s kind of stuff that hasn’t been explored a ton with me here,” he added. “I think running routes and catching balls, that was a foreign thing for me and I also think because of that, we haven’t done a ton of it and I think there’s some opportunities there that we just haven’t explored yet. As I look at next season, I think the hope and the expectation is that that expands a little bit.”

New Orleans has a crowded TE room with Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson each set to take up signficant snaps and targets. Hill will compete with those two for playing time in a pass-catching role during training camp, but his abilities on the ground as well as special teams figure to allow him to remain a key player in the Saints’ overall success. His restructured contract runs through 2025, so he should be in place in his current role for years to come.

Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith Addresses Extension Talks

June 18th, 2023 at 2:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

One of the top remaining offseason priorities for the Steelers is finalizing an extension with pass rusher Alex Highsmith, something which will no doubt require a lucrative long-term commitment. Efforts on that front are already underway, and his latest remarks on the subject are optimistic in nature.

“That would be awesome,” Highsmith said, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, when asked about the possibility of having a deal in place by training camp. “We’ll see what happens. I’m confident with the way things are going… Right now, I just want to focus on ball.”

Contract negotiations have been taking place since May, a logical step from the Steelers’ perspective considering Highsmith’s value to the team’s pass rush. The 25-year-old has taken a signficant step forward in sack production during each of his three years in the league, and he registered 14.5 in 2022. That further proved his effectiveness as a compliment to All-Pro T.J. Watt, but a downturn in effectiveness during the latter’s missed time could cloud his value in the team’s eyes.

Highsmith should be in line for a signficant raise as early as this summer, as general manager Omar Khan acknowledged last month. Should talks stall over the effect Watt has on the former third-rounder’s production (not to mention the team’s substantial investment in Watt), though, Highsmith’s performance in 2023 would increasingly be worth watching. Requiring Pittsburgh to use the franchise tag or risk him hitting the open market would mark a troubling and unexpected turn of events in his case.

If each party gets their way, however, a multi-year extension may very well be in place by the time training camp opens next month. A long-term Watt-Highsmith combination would be costly for the Steelers, of course, but keeping the tandem in place would allow the team to remain elite in the pass-rush department for years to come. Working out the details of a second contract for the latter figures to be high on the agenda for Pittsburgh in the coming weeks.

Latest On Negotiations Between Dolphins, DT Christian Wilkins

June 18th, 2023 at 12:16pm CST by Rory Parks

It does not sound as if the Dolphins and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins have made much progress on an extension. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says that while both sides remain motivated to get a deal done, an agreement remains elusive.

Notably, Jackson does not suggest that player and team are any closer to an accord now than they were when negotiations commenced several months ago. Jackson has noted previously that guaranteed money could prove to be a sticking point in contract talks, which is often the case when the player in question plays a highly-compensated position.

If the ‘Fins were to allow Wilkins to play out the 2023 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal — which will pay him $10.7MM — they could simply hit him with the franchise tag in 2024. Jackson writes that Wilkins, predictably, would be unhappy with that course of action, though the tag for DTs is estimated to be worth $20.8MM. A second tag in 2025 would check in at roughly $25MM, so Wilkins may be targeting guaranteed money at least equal to the sum of those two figures, or $45.8MM (though that is just my speculation).

To date, nine interior defenders are playing on contracts featuring $45MM in guarantees, and six of those players enjoy AAVs over $20MM. Spotrac suggests that Wilkins — whose importance to Miami’s defense was underscored by his career-high 84% snap share and his stellar 82.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2022 — merits a four-year deal with an annual average just shy of $20MM.

Whether the Dolphins are willing to go to those lengths to retain Wilkins, who does not offer as much in the pass rush department as some of his peers, remains to be seen. Further complicating the matter is the fact that Wilkins’ defensive line bookend, Zach Sieler, is also pushing for a new deal as he enters his platform year.

Sieler’s next contract will not be as valuable as Wilkins’, but he could still be in line for an eight-figure yearly average. GM Chris Grier will therefore need to decide how much he wants to invest in his D-line, which he did not supplement with any free agent signings or draft picks this year. He also has to contend with a less-than-rosy financial outlook, as the Dolphins are projected to be $31.7MM over the 2024 cap as of the time of this writing.

Both Wilkins and Sieler are Drew Rosenhaus clients, and as Jackson points out, the ‘Fins generally take care of talent that the super-agent represents. Rosenhaus recently said that he would not be making any public comments on the contractual situations of either player.

Panthers Likely To Add Pass Rusher?

June 18th, 2023 at 11:03am CST by Rory Parks

Earlier this month, we heard that the Panthers were presently disinclined to authorize a notable contract for a free agent pass rusher, and that fourth-year pro Yetur Gross-Matos would have a chance to retain his starting job opposite Brian Burns. We did note that GM Scott Fitterer would continue to monitor the edge defender market, and Joseph Person of The Athletic says he does, in fact, expect Carolina to add a pass rusher before the regular season opener (subscription required).

Person does not hazard a guess as to a specific player that Fitterer might target. Of course, there will always be cuts from other clubs that will quickly find a new home, but a top-flight pass rusher is highly unlikely to hit the market in the summer. And the existing market has thinned in the last several weeks, as Leonard Floyd (Bills) and Frank Clark (Broncos) have come off the board.

That still leaves plenty of worthwhile defenders available, including players like Yannick Ngakoue, Jadeveon Clowney, Robert Quinn, and Melvin Ingram. While some of those talents may be too rich for Fitterer’s liking — Ngakoue, for instance, was targeting a contract paying him $8MM-$10MM per year as of May — the Panthers will almost certainly be able to add an experienced edge player for an affordable price at some point in the next couple of months.

In the meantime, Gross-Matos, Marquis Haynes, and third-round rookie D.J. Johnson will continue to make their case for a starter’s role. According to Person, Haynes was particularly impressive during Carolina’s three-day mandatory minicamp last week, frequently getting into the offensive backfield and in the face of rookie quarterback Bryce Young.

Haynes, who has been used in a rotational capacity since the Panthers selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, did see a career-high 41% snap share in 2022, and he produced five sacks (also a career best). Neither he nor Gross-Matos fared well in the eyes of Pro Football Focus’ metrics, but it is at least notable that he doubled Gross-Matos’ sack production and had three more QB hits while playing nearly 400 fewer snaps.

Person says that Haynes, who is entering a platform year and who is due just $1.4MM in 2023, may be better-suited to a stand-up OLB role in DC Ejiro Evero‘s 3-4 scheme than he was to a 4-3 look. He has certainly caught Young’s attention.

“He’s been great,” Young said. “There’s a lot of great competition here, so you see him in the backfield. It’s good on good. It’s elite guys going up against each other. It’s tough when you have to go up against him every day in practice. But on Sundays, it’s great knowing that you have a guy like that out there.”

Vikings Eyeing Extension For T.J. Hockenson

June 18th, 2023 at 9:45am CST by Rory Parks

The Vikings have several talented pass catchers in line for lucrative extensions. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson is understandably dominating the headlines in that regard, and according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, the Jefferson negotiations are occupying the bulk of Minnesota’s attention at the moment (subscription required). Nonetheless, Seifert says that GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah plans to address tight end T.J. Hockenson‘s deal as well, even if that does not happen until later in the summer.

The Vikes acquired Hockenson via an intra-divisional swap with the Lions in advance of the 2022 trade deadline. In 10 regular season games in Minnesota, Hockenson posted 60 catches for 519 yards and three scores. His 8.7 yards per reception rate was somewhat disappointing in light of the 11.1 YPR average he enjoyed over 3+ years in Detroit, but that could be a result of small sample size noise and could improve with a full offseason of work in the Vikings’ offense. Hockenson demonstrated how explosive he can be in the club’s wildcard round loss to the Giants, racking up 10 catches (on 11 targets) for 129 yards.

Hockenson, who will turn 26 next month, is under club control through 2023 since Detroit exercised the fifth-year option of his rookie deal last April. He is due to earn $9.4MM for the upcoming season, which would represent something of a bargain given the current state of the TE market.

At present, 11 TEs are averaging $10MM or more per season, though that list includes Saints’ all-purpose weapon Taysom Hill. Spotrac estimates that Hockenson could score a contract with a $14.4MM AAV on the open market, a figure that would place him behind only the Giants’ Darren Waller and the 49ers’ George Kittle. Waller’s Raiders-constructed deal is comparatively light on guarantees, however, and Hockenson will likely be shooting for between $30MM-$40MM in guaranteed money (Kittle, the Ravens’ Mark Andrews, the Eagles’ Dallas Goedert, and the Bills’ Dawson Knox are the tight ends on non-rookie deals that feature guarantees in that range).

Pro Football Focus’ metrics considered Hockenson the 10th-best tight end in the league in 2022 despite subpar blocking grades. The Vikings did give Josh Oliver a notable free agent deal in March, and he offers plenty of blocking acumen. Plus, as Seifert writes, head coach Kevin O’Connell believes that pairing Hockenson and Oliver will allow his offense to live up to its full potential, and it does not appear that the Oliver signing impacts Hockenson’s future with the club in any way.

In related news, Craig Peters of the Vikings’ official website reports that recently-retired tight end Ben Ellefson will join the team’s staff in a hybrid role that will allow the Minnesota native to “explore coaching, scouting and player development opportunities.”

Mike Evans, Bucs Discussing Extension

June 17th, 2023 at 10:14pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers offense will look a whole lot different moving forward, but the front office is looking to maintain some continuity at receiver. According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the Buccaneers and wide receiver Mike Evans have already started discussions on an extension.

Stroud adds that there’s “a willingness on both sides to get something done this summer.” Evans inked a five-year, $82.5MM extension with the Buccaneers back in 2018, and he’s set to earn more than $23.6MM in the final year of the pact in 2023.

With Tom Brady out of the picture and the Buccaneers facing an uncertain future at quarterback, it’s not a surprise that the organization wants to transition to the next offensive era with their all-time receiving leader. Evans has hauled in at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his nine NFL seasons, and through the first four years of his current contract, he’s averaged 72 catches for 1,080 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns per season.

The Buccaneers signed Chris Godwin to a three-year, $60MM extension ($40MM guaranteed) last offseason. Considering the money that’s being thrown around at the position, Evans would surely top a $20MM average annual value. As CBS Sports’ Joel Corry points out on Twitter, that type of contract would mean the Buccaneers would join the Chargers as the only teams to be paying two wide receivers more than $20MM/yr.

Stroud points to the five-year, $140MM deal that Davante Adams signed with the Raiders as a potential landing spot for Evans’ next deal. It sounds like Evans is motivated to stick around Tampa, and that could lead to a slight hometown discount when all is said and done (although that’s just speculation on my part).

“Mike loves Tampa,” Evans’ agent, Deryk Gilmore, told Stroud. “I know the feeling is mutual. His production is the best of all the guys out there. … The Bucs’ ownership has to love that Mike isn’t even an off-the-field conversation but an on-the-field terror. I’ve got to think they would like to lock him up to a third deal.”

Latest On DE Yannick Ngakoue

June 17th, 2023 at 9:36pm CST by Adam La Rose

The veteran edge market thinned out recently with deals being signed by Leonard Floyd and Frank Clark, but other pass rushers are still available at this point. One of those is Yannick Ngakoue, who figures to be a target for several teams still eyeing additions to their defensive fronts.

The 28-year-old has one of the league’s best track records with respect to sack production, something he has maintained during his nomadic time following his trade away from the Jaguars in 2020. Ngakoue is still angling for a multi-year deal from his newest team in a bid to find some career stability, and he acknowledged his preference for joining a contender earlier this offseason.

With respect to finances, the former second-rounder’s asking price is likely the primary obstacle to a deal getting finalized. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports that Ngakoue was seeking between $8MM and $10MM as of May. The base value of Floyd’s pact with the Bills ($7MM) as well as Clark’s with the Broncos ($5.5MM) check in below that rate, though each one-year contract includes incentives. Attaining a longer investment, especially at a higher rate, would be a tall order at this point in the offseason for Ngakoue.

The Maryland product should still have suitors, especially if his contract terms come down. Biggs names the Bears as a team which would be well-suited to add Ngakoue, who has accumulated 65 sacks in his career and registered no fewer than eight in any given season. Chicago was relatively quiet in free agency and the team eyed the draft as an avenue for bolstering its pass rush. While three defensive tackles were added in April, no true edge rushers were drafted. A move amongst the remaining free agents would come as little surprise.

In Chicago or elsewhere, Ngakoue should be able to land a notable role as a sack artist this offseason. He recently changed agents to help achieve that goal, though teams may not need to proceed with much urgency during the break before training camps open in July. Especially if his asking price remains higher than the current market likely values him at, he may find himself in search of a new deal for the foreseeable future.

Ron Rivera Confirms Sam Howell As Commanders’ Training Camp Starter

June 17th, 2023 at 8:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

Since the end of the 2022 season, Sam Howell has been in the driver’s seat to begin the coming campaign as the Commanders’ starting quarterback. The team’s stance in that regard did not change through minicamp, and the same is true with respect to next month’s training camp.

Head coach Ron Rivera said both before and after the hiring of new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy that Howell would sit atop the depth chart heading into the new league year. Free agency did not, as expected, involve a serious pursuit of the top signal-callers available via signings or trades, but a veteran presence was indeed added. Jacoby Brissett was inked to a one-year deal in March, opening the door to a potential offseason competition.

When Rivera addressed the situation before this past week’s mandatory minicamp, he said Brissett had “shown us some things that have really gotten people’s attention,” adding that the team “talks about Jacoby almost as much as we talk about Sam” (h/t Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports). With minicamp having come and gone, Washington has had another chance (albeit under very limited circumstances given the nature of June practices) to evaluate Howell with the first-team offense. The latter preformed well enough to maintain his title of QB1 for the time being.

“He’s much shown us what we want to see,” Rivera said, via ESPN’s John Keim. “He’s young, we know he is young. There was a lot of room for growth, and we know that, but he’s got a good skillset. He’s mobile, he’s got good foot movement, he’s got quick twitch to him, good decision maker. He is still learning to make those decisions, but he’s also got the arm talent and that’s the thing that that excites us.”

Howell, a 2022 fifth-rounder, made just one start in his rookie season. The Commanders’ Carson Wentz experiment did not pay off, leading to his release this offseason. Rather than making another pricey move under center, the keys have tentatively been handed over to Howell, whose career at North Carolina made him one of several less-than-highly-touted member of last year’s quarterback class.

A strong showing in training camp would be enough for Howell to remain in pole position for the Week 1 starting position, though the Brissett deal includes a high proportion of guranteed money along with incentives. The latter has logged 17 starts across his one-year stints in Miami and Cleveland over the past two years, and could provide Bieniemy’s unit with a stable floor if Howell delivers an underwhelming performance in July and August. Such a development will be needed for a change to the depth chart at this point, though.

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