HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

Packers Sign QB Alex McGough

July 18th, 2023 at 8:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

8:25pm: The Packers have officially signed the quarterback, according to Wilson (on Twitter).

12:30pm: Initially a 2018 Seahawks draftee, Alex McGough was unable to see any game action during his first NFL go-round. But after a successful run in the USFL, he will have another chance.

McGough worked out for the Packers on Tuesday, and Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes the NFC North team intends to add him to its 90-man roster (Twitter links). The 6-foot-3 quarterback had drawn interest from a number of teams, but the Packers will give him another NFL opportunity.

Spending two seasons in the rebooted USFL, McGough used Year 2 to assemble a decent launching pad back to the NFL. The Florida International product earned USFL MVP honors and led the Birmingham Stallions to the league championship. McGough finished the season with 20 touchdown passes and five interceptions to go with 2,105 passing yards and a 67.4% completion rate. Displaying some versatility, McGough added 403 rushing yards and five TDs.

McGough, 27, spent time with the Seahawks, Jaguars and Texans from 2018-21, enjoying multiple stints with Seattle. None of these opportunities led to game action, though the veteran arm has joined a Packers team that lost considerable experience at quarterback.

Following their Aaron Rodgers trade, the Packers did not add a veteran backup. Fifth-round rookie Sean Clifford (Penn State) resides as the top name on the Pack’s depth chart behind Jordan Love. Danny Etling, a UDFA who joined McGough in entering the NFL in 2018, is the third QB on Green Bay’s roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/18/23

July 18th, 2023 at 7:35pm CST by Ben Levine

As teams welcomed in rookies for camp this week, they began to reorganize their rosters. Today’s minor moves:

Miami Dolphins

  • Placed on NFI: CB Ethan Bonner
  • Placed on IR: LB Zeke Vandenburgh

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Vandenburgh, an undrafted rookie out of Illinois State, suffered an injury while training this offseason, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). His placement on IR means he won’t be able to play for the Dolphins in 2023, but he could work his way onto the field with another squad. Bonner, meanwhile, is dealing with a minor illness and should be good to go later this week.

Miller, a third-round pick by the Saints, is still recovering from a meniscus injury that kept him off the field for TCU’s National Championship game. The Saints were always planning to ease in the running back during training camp, and it sounds like he’s still expected to be a full-go by the time the regular season comes around.

Latest On Bills’ DeAndre Hopkins Pursuit

July 18th, 2023 at 6:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

After discussing trade terms with the Cardinals, the Bills were initially one of the frontrunners to land DeAndre Hopkins as a free agent. GM Brandon Beane spoke with the veteran wide receiver, but for the most part, Buffalo stayed out of these summer sweepstakes.

Hopkins opted for a two-year, $26MM Titans deal that can max out at $32MM. By all accounts, the Bills were not planning to go near the base price here. The Patriots and Chiefs also stood down, though it sounds like both these teams were bigger players for the 11th-year veteran than the Bills ended up being.

The Bills surfaced early as Hopkins suitors and joined the Chiefs as being the only known teams to discuss a swap with the Cardinals. The Ravens’ Odell Beckham Jr.  contract squashed the talks between the Cards and the AFC powers, and Hopkins — after hoping teams would drive up the market — looks to have gotten his wish. That said, we have not learned the guarantees yet.

The makeup of Buffalo’s pass-catching corps may also have contributed to the team staying away here. Hopkins averaged 10 targets per game in 2020 and 10.7 per contest last season, and Albert Breer of SI.com notes the high-profile free agent being a volume-type receiver is believed to have impacted the Bills, who have one of the best — in Stefon Diggs — atop their receiving hierarchy. The Bills using a first-round pick on Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid, whom Breer adds is expected to play the slot role the team was likely targeting Hopkins to man, also may have affected its desire to add Hopkins.

Joining the Chiefs near the bottom of the NFL in cap space for several weeks, the Bills also were believed to have a firm price point. They also have seen Diggs generate early drama, being sent home from the team’s first minicamp day. While Sean McDermott and Josh Allen have submitted strong “Nothing to see here; please disperse” routines regarding Diggs, the star wideout has yet to discuss his issues with the team publicly. Adding Hopkins to this equation would have introduced another complication, though it would have probably upgraded the defending AFC East champions’ arsenal. Bills brass also had good conversations with Hopkins, per Breer, but Gabe Davis remains in place as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver.

Other teams in this mix did feel Hopkins would have taken less money from the Chiefs or another high-level contender had the money not moved to OBJ-level territory, Breer adds. With the the receiver-needy Titans ponying up, Hopkins will be back in the AFC South and in a No. 1-type role again.

NFC South Notes: Falcons, Saints, Shenault

July 18th, 2023 at 5:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

A 16-game starter as a rookie in 2021, Jalen Mayfield missed all of last season due to injury. The Falcons designated the former third-round pick for return but let his practice period expire without an activation. Prior to the injury, Mayfield lost a competition for the team’s left guard gig last summer. They have since moved in another direction at guard, both sliding ex-center starter Matt Hennessy to that post and drafting Syracuse’s Matthew Bergeron in Round 2. As a result, Mayfield spent this offseason primarily at tackle, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes.

Mayfield started 15 of the 18 games he played at Michigan at right tackle. He struggled at guard as a rookie; Pro Football Focus rated him as one of the NFL’s worst O-linemen that year. Guard does not appear to be in Mayfield’s past, however, with Arthur Smith suggesting a swing backup role is likely. The Falcons re-signed right tackle Kaleb McGary this offseason and look to have a fairly set O-line, with Chris Lindstrom, longtime left tackle Jake Matthews and center Drew Dalman rounding out the unit.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

  • Calais Campbell is expected to play a true edge role in Atlanta, to the point Ledbetter slots the 300-pound defender as an outside linebacker in the Falcons’ defense. It should not be expected Campbell will spend much time in a standup position outside, but it is interesting the career-long D-lineman is even mentioned as a candidate to do so. Campbell is aiming to play around 60% of the Falcons’ defensive snaps, per Ledbetter. That would be in line with the veteran’s Ravens role; he respectively logged 64% and 62% snap rates over the past two seasons. Campbell, who signed a one-year deal worth $7MM, will turn 37 in September.
  • On the topic of positional adjustments, the Panthers are giving Jordan Thomas a shot as an edge rusher. Formerly a sixth-round Texans pick in 2018, Thomas was a tight end during his previous NFL run. He caught 20 passes as a Houston rookie. Thomas, however, saw some time as an edge rusher in the XFL, and Joe Person of The Athletic notes he will attempt to make the Panthers’ 53-man roster as an outside linebacker (subscription required). This is a somewhat unusual transition, as Thomas still primarily played tight end in the XFL. He caught three TD passes this season.
  • Through two seasons, the Saints have not seen much from first-round pick Payton Turner. The 2021 draftee should not be considered a lock to make New Orleans’ 53-man roster, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football writes. While Turner will be expected to make the team, due to his draft status and contract, the defensive end has three sacks in two seasons and was a healthy scratch at points last year. The Saints used a second-round pick on a D-end (Isaiah Foskey) and re-signed Tanoh Kpassagnon, but the team also let Marcus Davenport leave in free agency. The Saints would eat $3.2MM in dead money by waiving Turner; the Houston alum showing belated development would obviously be the best-case scenario for the team.
  • New Orleans also did not re-sign Jarvis Landry this offseason, leaving some competition for the receiver spots alongside Chris Olave and Michael Thomas. James Washington is not a lock to make the Saints’ roster, but Underhill adds the ex-Steelers second-rounder impressed during the offseason program and will be in the mix to snag one of the backup jobs. The Saints signed Washington to a league-minimum deal with nothing guaranteed.
  • The Panthers are still determining the best way to deploy Laviska Shenault, but Person notes a bigger run-game role will likely be in the cards. A fourth-year wide receiver, Shenault totaled nine carries last season. One of them went for a 41-yard touchdown. The former second-round pick worked in a hybrid capacity at points in Jacksonville as well and has logged 38 career carries.

Giants Place LB Jarrad Davis On IR

July 18th, 2023 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The knee surgery Jarrad Davis underwent will prevent him from playing for the Giants this season. The team placed the veteran linebacker on IR on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Davis missed minicamp due to an unspecified knee injury and underwent surgery to repair the problem. Players have been able to return from IR for over a decade now, but they must be carried over to the 53-man roster in order to do so. Davis landing on IR more than a month before rosters are set removes him from that equation.

An injury settlement that removes Davis from the Giants’ IR list would be the only way the former first-round pick can play in 2023. He would do so for another team in this scenario. Of course, it is not known if Davis will be healthy enough to play this year. It does not look like he will be, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter noting the injury Davis sustained at OTAs is season-ending (Twitter link). Davis re-signed with the team on a one-year deal worth $1.18MM. None of the money is guaranteed.

The Giants signed Davis off the Lions’ practice squad in December, and the Florida alum started both Big Blue’s playoff games at inside linebacker. Although New York added Bobby Okereke on a $10MM-per-year deal, Davis was the favorite to start alongside him. The team will need to look in another direction. It already started doing so recently, working out Joe Giles-Harris and Kyahva Tezino.

Davis did not work out with the Lions, being benched late in his initial stint with the team. But the former No. 21 overall pick has made 51 career starts. His absence will leave an experience void on the Giants’ defensive second level. For the time being, second-year ILBs Darrian Beavers and Micah McFadden will vie for the job alongside Okereke. Beavers, a sixth-round pick, missed all of his rookie year with an ACL tear. Chosen in Round 5 last year, McFadden started seven games as a rookie.

Lions Sign Round 2 S Brian Branch, Wrap Draft Class Contracts

July 18th, 2023 at 3:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions are the latest team to finalize their draft class agreements, signing second-round pick Brian Branch to his four-year rookie deal. This agreement also should help other teams in finalizing second-rounders’ deals.

A defensive back out of Alabama, Branch went to the Lions at No. 45 overall. Entering Tuesday, no one chosen between Nos. 40 and 49 had signed their respective rookie contracts. The Lions striking a deal with a player in the middle of that glut should break some of the ice regarding guaranteed money.

[RELATED: Lions Ink First-Round RB Jahmyr Gibbs]

Carolina gave No. 39 overall pick Jonathan Mingo three years fully guaranteed with a partial Year 4 guarantee. That has held up the players chosen immediately after Mingo. It will be interesting to see the terms Branch agreed to, seeing as second-rounders continue to make strides on the guarantee front — so much so this year’s top second-round picks (Joey Porter Jr., Will Levis) are undoubtedly angling for fully guaranteed rookie contracts.

Branch saw extensive time at safety and in the slot for the Crimson Tide; he joins a team that has committed significant resources to improving its secondary. The Lions have added corners Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley along with safeties Branch and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The latter two are each experienced in the slot, and Gardner-Johnson — a former New Orleans disciple of current Detroit DC Aaron Glenn — is expected to see more time inside compared to his Philadelphia role at safety. That could impact Branch’s rookie-year contributions, but CJGJ is signed to a one-year deal.

Branch will be under contract through 2026. The SEC standout was on the radar to be a first-round pick, reaching that level after being the only Division I-FBS player to total at least 90 tackles, 14 TFLs and two interceptions in 2022. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. ranked Branch as this year’s 30th-best prospect. He figures to be a key factor for the Lions in the long term, but with Kerby Joseph and Tracy Walker in place at safety, it is uncertain what the versatile DB’s role will be in 2023.

Here is the Lions’ 2023 draft class:

Round 1, No. 12 (from Browns through Texans and Cardinals): Jahmyr Gibbs, RB (Alabama) (signed)
Round 1, No. 18: Jack Campbell, LB (Iowa) (signed)
Round 2, No. 34 (from Cardinals): Sam LaPorta, TE (Iowa) (signed)
Round 2, No. 45 (from Packers): Brian Branch, DB (Alabama) (signed)
Round 3, No. 68 (from Broncos): Hendon Hooker, QB (Tennessee) (signed)
Round 3, No. 96 (from Cardinals): Brodric Martin, DT (Western Kentucky) (signed)
Round 5, No. 152: Colby Sorsdal, OT (William & Mary) (signed)
Round 7, No. 219 (from Texans through Vikings and Eagles): Antoine Green, WR (North Carolina) (signed)

Cowboys Eyeing CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs, Terence Steele Extensions In 2023

July 18th, 2023 at 1:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys’ top extension candidates have come up on multiple occasions this year. While the team has options with each beyond this year, the goal looks to be new deals before heading into the 2024 offseason.

CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs and Terence Steele remain on Dallas’ extension radar, and ESPN.com’s Todd Archer notes the team will look to use training camp to hammer out deals with each. Lamb’s contract runs through 2024, via the recently exercised fifth-year option, while Diggs is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Steele is tied to a second-round RFA tender.

This will not be an easy mission. Diggs’ reputation as a boom-or-bust gambler in coverage notwithstanding, the former second-round pick has a first-team All-Pro nod on his resume — for an 11-interception season — and does not have an extensive injury history. Diggs has missed one game over the past two years. Going into his age-25 season, Diggs will certainly want his second contract to land in the top cornerback tax bracket.

With three corners earning at least $20MM per year and five attached to contracts worth at least $19MM on average, the Cowboys have a high bar to clear. Dallas passed on going into the $16MM-AAV range for Byron Jones three years ago, drafting Diggs shortly after letting its previous top corner walk (for a record-setting Dolphins deal) in free agency. If Diggs is unsigned going into the ’24 offseason, he will likely be positioned as the Cowboys’ top franchise tag candidate.

The Cowboys have a history of extending core performers despite two years remaining on their rookie deals. They did this with Tyron Smith in 2014, with Travis Frederick in 2016 and Ezekiel Elliott in 2019. That said, no team — in the fifth-year option era, that is — has extended a wide receiver with two years left on his rookie contract. Justin Jefferson is also a candidate to become the first wideout since the 2011 CBA to be extended with two years remaining on his rookie deal, though the Vikings are not certain to proceed down this path. That could force Jefferson to contemplate a hold-in effort, and Lamb might be fine waiting until Jefferson raises the booming receiver market further before committing to a second contract. Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones mentioned players’ willingness to wait earlier this offseason.

Lamb, 24, may not be a threat to eclipse Tyreek Hill‘s $30MM-per-year pact now, but if Jefferson raises the positional ceiling and the top Cowboys wideout builds on his 1,359-yard season, the price in 2024 stands to come in higher than it likely does now. Ely Allen assessed Lamb’s extension value last month. The Cowboys cut bait on Amari Cooper‘s five-year, $100MM extension after two seasons; as the salary cap keeps rising, Lamb’s value will be much higher.

Steele is still rehabbing the ACL tear that ended his season early, and his being an extension candidate would point to the Cowboys planning an O-line configuration that keeps him as the starting right tackle. Jerry Jones mentioned the prospect of Steele being a swingman behind Tyron Smith and Tyler Smith, but the notion of the younger Smith sliding to left guard — which he did late in the season — and having the All-Decade blocker back at left tackle (and Steele at right tackle) has also surfaced. How the Cowboys proceed would have a big impact on Steele’s value.

A former UDFA, Steele, 26, can certainly enhance his market by putting together a strong contract year post-injury. Nine years after signing what has become the NFL’s longest-running active contract, Tyron Smith is due for free agency in 2024 as well. Steele’s status would seemingly factor into the Hall of Fame candidate’s Dallas future. Center Tyler Biadasz also could land on the Cowboys’ extension radar, Archer adds, though the fourth-year blocker is likely behind the above-referenced players in the queue.

The Cowboys’ ability to extend Diggs and Steele this year could affect Tony Pollard‘s future with the team. The Cowboys not entering into serious negotiations with the Pro Bowl back led to him joining Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs in being tied to the $10.1MM franchise tag this season. Because of this, Archer adds it is “highly likely” this season will be it for Pollard in Dallas. The Cowboys can tag Pollard again in 2024 — at 120% of his current tag number — but higher-end tag options could be in place by then.

That raises the stakes for prospective Diggs negotiations this summer, though the increasingly grim running back market may also allow the Cowboys to re-sign Pollard if no extension is reached before the 2024 legal tampering period.

Jets, DT Quinnen Williams Agree To Extension

July 18th, 2023 at 12:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

JULY 18: Williams’ deal includes $47.835MM guaranteed at signing, according to OverTheCap. That number certainly looks to have been based on the Simmons deal, which included $47.830MM locked in. Williams’ full guarantees now top the defensive tackle market.

The guarantees cover a $24.5MM signing bonus and Williams’ 2023 and ’24 base salaries, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. Part of Williams’ 2025 base salary ($15.65MM) is fully guaranteed, with Florio adding $6.24MM of that total is already locked in. The rest of that money, however, does not become guaranteed until March 2025. At that point, $5MM of Williams’ $20.75MM salary for 2026 becomes guaranteed as well. The rest of Williams’ 2026 base and his full 2027 base are nonguaranteed.

JULY 13: Talks between the Jets and their emerging defensive star have, as foreshadowed yesterday, yielded a deal. Quinnen Williams has agreed to terms on an extension, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The Jets have since announced the agreement.

Williams, 25, will earn $96MM over four years, making this the NFL’s second-largest contract handed out to a defensive tackle. The mega-contract includes $66MM in guaranteed money, Pelissero adds. One of the key points in contract talks was length, rather than financial terms, per SNY’s Connor Hughes, who tweets that Williams got his preferred four- (rather than five-) year pact.

The 2023 offseason has seen the DT market erupt, and it comes as no surprise that Williams has become the latest to cash in. The former No. 3 pick enjoyed a career-year in 2022, recording 12 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles and 28 QB hits. Those figures helped earn him Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods, and gave him considerable leverage at the negotiating table.

Williams made it clear that he intended to have an extension worked out by April, under the threat of skipping out on voluntary OTAs. In the time that has passed since, then, other young producers along the defensive interior have inked deals of their own. Jeffery Simmons (Titans), Daron Payne (Commanders), Dexter Lawrence (Giants) and Ed Oliver (Bills) are among the beneficiaries of the new, lucrative market, and Williams has now surpassed each of them with this pact.

The Alabama product will earn $24MM per season on his second contract, just ahead of Simmons’ $23.5MM AAV but still well short of Aaron Donald‘s $31.67MM figure. Williams was already on the books for this season via the fifth-year option (valued at $9.6MM), so his time in the Big Apple will run through the 2027 campaign at a far more lucrative rate.

By securing this deal, the Jets have retained a homegrown high-impact player for the first time in the Joe Douglas era. Williams is the first Jets first-rounder to secure a second contract with the team since 2011 draftee Muhammad Wilkerson. A number of other young players Douglas has added will likely receive extensions of their own in the intermediate future, but today’s is a signficant sign of progress for the win-now franchise.

New York inked linebacker Quincy Williams to a three-year extension earlier this offseason, so he and his brother now have a shared future with the Jets. From a league-wide perspective, it will be interesting to see how much of an impact today’s news has on negotiations between the Chiefs and Chris Jones. The latter has been angling for a deal which will place him in the No. 2 spot amongst defensive tackle compensation, and a report from earlier this week indicated a agreement could be imminent. Kansas City may have to up their offer to satisfy Jones’ goal of surpassing all DTs behind Donald in the pecking order.

Given their acquisition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, 2023 (and, perhaps, a season or so beyond that) is a campaign holding considerable expectations for the Jets. While the future Hall of Famer should elevate the team’s offense, its defense will still be counted on to perform at the elite level it showcased last season. Williams will be at the heart of that effort now and for many years in future.

DE Yannick Ngakoue Not Prioritizing Contenders?

July 18th, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

All the attention around the NFL was understandably focused on the running back market yesterday, but a number of veterans at other positions have been done little favors during the 2023 offseason. The edge rush market has remained stagnant through to the onset of training camps.

That has left Yannick Ngakoue on the open market despite a track record of performances as a sack artist. The 28-year-old has played for five different teams during his seven-year career, spending the 2022 campaign with the Colts. He led the team with 9.5 sacks, but it has been known for some time that another move will be required when he joins his next club.

Ngakoue had previously stated an intention of signing a multi-year deal with a contending team. Doing so would allow the former second-rounder to find some stability during his NFL career, while also providing an established pass-rushing contribution in the process. Ngakoue has recorded at least eight sacks every year in his career to date. His stance on his next destination appears to have shifted, however.

“Any team in the NFL is an ideal landing spot for me,” the Maryland product said during an appearance on the Jim Rome Show (video link). “It’s a blessing to be able to work any job in the NFL. Being able to go and practice with a team, go through walk-throughs, go through film study, it’s a blessing. It doesn’t matter what organization in particular.”

A report from last month indicated Ngakoue was seeking between $8 and $10MM per season on his next contract, a figure he is unlikely to be able to reach. The one-year pacts signed by fellow veteran edge rushers Leonard Floyd and Frank Clark checked in at $7MM and $5.5MM, respectively, in terms of base compensation. Those marks are likely more realistic for Ngakoue and other free agents like Justin Houston, Robert Quinn and Jadeveon Clowney with training camps just around the corner.

Movement on the edge market can be expected soon, given the depth of options still available and the degree to which contributors can thus be had on relatively inexpensive deals. Ngakoue will be a name to watch in that regard, especially if he is willing to consider essentially any potential destination.

Josh Jacobs, Raiders Made Considerable Progress In Extension Talks

July 17th, 2023 at 10:20pm CST by Ben Levine

When the Raiders and running back Josh Jacobs failed to agree to an extension by today’s deadline, it was assumed that the two sides couldn’t overcome a significant gap in pay. However, it sounds like the Raiders and the running back were actually close, and that fact should provide some optimism heading into next offseason.

[RELATED: Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard Fail To Reach Extension Agreements]

According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Journal-Review, “the two sides made considerable progress in the closing hours” leading up to the deadline. Meanwhile, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets that Jacobs was literally sitting in the parking lot of the Raiders facility in the minutes leading up to the deadline, ready to sign an extension.

Since Jacobs hasn’t signed his franchise tag, he won’t face any fines for skipping practices. As a result, it sounds like there’s little chance the running back shows up on time to training camp. Jacobs could also threaten to sit out regular season games in an attempt to avoid injury and preserve his market value for next year. However, he’d also be sacrificing a prorated part of his $10.09MM franchise value, and there’s no guarantee that a lucrative offer is waiting for him on the other side.

However, the fact that the two sides were zeroing in on a final number provides a glimmer of hope that Jacobs will stick in Las Vegas long term, according to Bonsignore. The writer notes that there is now “a starting point and framework in place” for when the two sides are allowed to go back to the negotiating table in 2024. Thanks to the progress (albeit fruitless) during today’s negotiations, Bonsignore tweets that “it would be a mistake to presume this is the end of the line” for Jacobs and the Raiders.

So what was Jacobs looking for in his next pact? We’re not sure of the exact numbers, but the running back tweeted that he wasn’t looking to “reset the market” at the position and was simply looking for “security.” We can assume the 25-year-old wasn’t seeking a deal that paid him close to Christian McCaffrey‘s $16MM AAV or Alvin Kamara‘s $15MM AAV, and he may have joined Saquon Barkley in pursuing a contract similar to Derrick Henry ($12.5MM) and Nick Chubb ($12.2MM).

Jacobs is in a trickier situation than Barkley; while the Giants star has earned close to $40MM in his career, the Raiders RB has only pocketed around $11MM via his rookie contract. If Jacobs decided to sit out games, he’d also be giving up $560K per contest. Both running backs can make the argument that they want to save miles while threatening to sit out games, but Jacobs’ career earnings means he’ll probably still make the most of his $10MM guaranteed salary in 2023.

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