2023 July - Pro Football Rumors

Month: December 2024

Barkley Fallout: Holdout, Guarantees, CBA

July 17th, 2023 at 10:05pm CST by Ben Levine

The Giants didn’t agree to an extension with franchise-tagged running back Saquon Barkley by today’s deadline, meaning the two sides must table talks until 2024. While Barkley can effectively no longer force the Giants’ hand with threats of a holdout, he may do so anyway.

After hearing earlier today that the RB wouldn’t be reporting to training camp on time, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post tweets his belief that Barkley could also sit out some regular season games. Dunleavy notes that he never thought this scenario was possible considering “winning, teammates and stats/legacy mean so much to” the player, but after conversations today, the writer is beginning to think a regular-season holdout could be a possibility.

Since Barkley has yet to ink his franchise tag, he wouldn’t be subject to fines for missing practices and/or games. Barkley’s true logic for sitting out games would be to preserve his miles before his one-year tag expires. Of course, players like Le’Veon Bell haven’t fared all that well when they followed a similar tactic, so it would be a significant risk for Barkley to give up the guaranteed money.

As The Athletic’s Dan Duggan writes, Barkley could also use the threat of a holdout to force the Giants into some concessions. Specifically, Duggan could say he’d only sign the franchise tag if the organization “includes a clause prohibiting the team from tagging him again next offseason.”

While a regular-season holdout is just conjecture at this point, it sounds pretty definitive that Barkley will miss some of training camp. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan writes that “there is no way” Barkley shows up for training camp and risks injury.

More notes out of New York…

Barkley was seeking a contract that would pay him a similar average annual value as Derrick Henry ($12.5MM) and Nick Chubb ($12.2MM), and he wasn’t seeking a deal that approached the top-end of the market (like Christian McCaffrey‘s $16MM AAV or Alvin Kamara‘s $15MM AAV), per Pat Leonard of the New York Post. The writer seems to imply that the Giants may have been willing to give him those kind of numbers on paper, but the RB was ultimately seeking more guaranteed money.
As Leonard notes in the same piece, the public leaks surrounding the negotiations may have also played a role in the two sides not agreeing to a deal. Barkley previously said he was frustrated with the “misleading” and “untruthful” reports, noting that the leaks “tried to make me look like I’m greedy.” “We say ‘family business is family business’ in that facility, … and then sources come out and stories get leaked, and it didn’t come from me,” Barkley said. “It’s all about respect. That’s really what it is.” Despite it all, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets that “everyone” (including Barkley, GM Joe Schoen, and head coach Brian Daboll) wanted to get a deal done.
Barkley wasn’t the only franchise-tagged RB to not get a long-term deal today, as Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard didn’t ink new contracts. Breer points to two specific changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2011 that may have led to today’s results (Twitter link). First, the CBA made it so no player could earn a contract until after their third year in the NFL. Second, the league “strengthened penalties” for holdouts dissuaded players from sitting out. Combined, these two rule changes ended up preventing RBs from taking “a hard line when their value is highest,” per Breer.

Offseason In Review: Jacksonville Jaguars

July 17th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the second time in franchise history, the Jaguars overcame a 2-6 start to make the playoffs. The last time the team did so (1996), a run of playoff appearances followed. This Jaguars nucleus has similar ingredients in place compared to the Mark Brunell-fronted teams of the late ’90s. At the center is Trevor Lawrence, the former No. 1 overall pick who shook off a rough rookie season to emerge as a factor in the QB-rich AFC. The Jags’ 27-point playoff rally past the Chargers and competitive effort against the eventual champion Chiefs would seemingly depict a clear team on the rise.

The organization proceeded accordingly this offseason, not doing much to tamper with the roster it assembled during the 2022 free agency period. The Jags enter the season as favorites in what appears to be the AFC’s weakest division. How much more of a level jump can the 2023 edition make?

Extensions and restructures:

Reached three-year, $41.25MM agreement with TE Evan Engram ($24MM guaranteed)
Extended DL DaVon Hamilton on a three-year, $34.5MM deal ($20MM guaranteed)
Agreed to three-year, $30MM extension with DL Roy Robertson-Harris ($14.4MM guaranteed)
Restructured WR Zay Jones, LB Foyesade Oluokun, G Brandon Scherff‘s contracts to create $36MM-plus in cap space
Converted $7.38MM of DT Folorunso Fatukasi‘s base salary into signing bonus, creating $5.9MM in cap space
Reworked S Rayshawn Jenkins‘ contract, creating $5MM-plus in cap space

The Jaguars look to have made several strong investments in 2022. While the rest of the A- and B-listers from that pricey lot received multiyear deals, Engram needed to prove his value after an inconsistent Giants run. The former first-round pick did that, establishing a new Jaguars single-season best for tight end receiving yardage (766) last season. Although the Jaguars also had right tackle Jawaan Taylor looming as a free agent, they slapped a less expensive franchise tag ($11.35MM) on Engram. After both sides expressed interest in a long-term partnership, an agreement emerged barely 24 hours before this year’s deadline for tagged players to sign extensions.

As the tight end position remains undervalued relative to its best players’ contributions, Engram and contract-year Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson represented this year’s needle-movers on the financial front. But Engram is both going into his age-29 season and has not been a reliable pass catcher from a year-to-year perspective. As such, he and the Jags reached common ground short of the $17MM-per-year positional ceiling Darren Waller established in September 2022. At $13.75MM per year, Engram is now the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid tight end.

It is a bit surprising Engram could not clear the $14MM-AAV barrier, seeing as the salary cap is back on its steady rise after a 2021 reduction. Both Mark Andrews and Dallas Goedert signed $14MM-per-year deals in 2021, and Engram’s 2022 season featured better production than either of Waller’s past two slates. The Ole Miss alum became one of Lawrence’s go-to targets, adding 12 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown during Jacksonville’s two playoff games. In terms of guarantees, Engram did slightly better. The $24MM, which covers this year’s franchise tag and the tag amount had Engram been cuffed in 2024 as well, checks in fifth at the position.

While Travis Etienne is tied to a rookie contract, Lawrence’s top four pass catchers are all either tied to veteran deals or a fifth-year option (Calvin Ridley). Lawrence’s eventual extension will likely be a record-setting accord, but the Jaguars can backload that deal to make the cap numbers to best line up with those of Engram and Christian Kirk. Zay Jones‘ $8MM-per-year pact runs through 2024, while Ridley should be an extension candidate, provided he bounces back from 1 1/2-season absence.

Engram could not become a reliable difference-maker in New York, but he did surpass 700 receiving yards as a rookie (2017) and earn a Pro Bowl bid during a 2020 season in which alternates were not part of the equation (due to the game not actually being played). In his three other Giants years, the 6-foot-3 target underwhelmed. This included a 408-yard 2021 showing, but the Giants were not exactly giving their pass catchers much of an opportunity during this period, which bottomed out following Daniel Jones‘ neck injury in November 2021. Engram showed enough in Jacksonville last season, and a team that has struggled for years to generate notable work from the tight end position rewarded him.

After bouncing back from the Urban Meyer debacle, the Jaguars made a concerted effort to retain talent this offseason. This was particularly a point of emphasis along their defensive front. One year remained on Hamilton’s rookie contract, with Robertson-Harris’ three-year deal also running through 2023. The Jaguars drafted Hamilton in the 2020 third round, when former GM Dave Caldwell was still running the show, and added Robertson-Harris during Meyer’s short span in charge. GM Trent Baalke, however, was with the organization when both arrived. The Baalke-Doug Pederson regime prioritized both as D-line supporting-casters.

A part-timer on his rookie contract with the Bears, Robertson-Harris has now fetched two three-year deals from the Jags. His $14.4MM guarantee is nearly identical to the one that brought him to Duval County — $14MM — two years ago. Robertson-Harris is primed to continue his run as a starter. The former UDFA has started 30 games with the Jags — nearly triple his Bears first-string work — and is coming off his most productive season. In 2022, Robertson-Harris equaled his 2021 sack total (three) but offered career-best marks in tackles for loss (seven) and QB hits (12). Going into his age-30 season, Robertson-Harris opted to stay in Jacksonville rather than aim for a bigger deal in free agency next March.

Hamilton, 26, emerged as a full-time starter last year. Pro Football Focus rated the Ohio State alum as a top-30 interior D-lineman in 2022, giving the Jags an ascending player alongside veterans Fatukasi and Robertson-Harris up front. Playing a career-high 610 defensive snaps last season, Hamilton has helped the Jags compensate for missing on 2018 first-rounder Taven Bryan. Hamilton also looks to be an under-the-radar draft win for the Jags, who reached their franchise nadir in the first two years of this decade.

With Hamilton also bypassing a chance at a free agency payday in 2024, the team has an interesting trio complementing its pair of ex-top-10 draftees on the edge.

Free agency additions:

Brandon McManus, K: One year, $2MM ($1.25MM guaranteed)
D’Ernest Johnson, RB: One year, $1.23MM ($250K guaranteed)
Josh Wells, T: One year, $1.32MM ($150K guaranteed)
Chandler Brewer, OL: One year, $1.11MM ($150K guaranteed)

Last year, the Jags signed Kirk, Scherff, Oluokun, Engram, Fatukasi, Jones and Darious Williams; five of those contracts were worth at least eight figures per year. Baalke said this would be a quieter free agency, and the third-year Jags GM did not deviate from that plan. Johnson, Brewer and Wells profile as backups, while McManus’ latest contract is worth far less than his most recent Broncos agreement.

Working behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in Cleveland, Johnson did rise to the Browns’ RB2 when one of the stalwarts was hurt. This led to the former Alliance of American Football performer rushing for 534 yards in 2021. In Johnson’s three games as the Browns’ primary running back that year, he gained 146, 99 and 123 rushing yards. The South Florida alum is already 27, but he only has 141 career carries. The Jags, who are planning to reduce Etienne’s workload by a touch, figure to give their RB2 a change-of-pace workload to spell their clear-cut starter. Third-rounder Tank Bigsby will likely push Johnson for the backup role, but the free agency addition also has steady special teams experience to bring value as a third-string option.

McManus, 31, spent the past nine seasons as the Broncos’ kicker. Last year, which began eventfully via the Nathaniel Hackett-ordered 64-yard game-winning try in Week 1, was not the veteran’s best work. McManus made just 77.8% of his field goal tries — his worst accuracy rate since 2017 — but did connect on 8 of the 12 50-plus-yard tries he attempted after that bizarre Week 1 scene in Seattle.

The Broncos used the McManus post-June 1 cut money to add Frank Clark. As Sean Payton‘s team zeroed in on the veteran edge rusher, McManus contacted the Jaguars about a gig. The push worked, and the Jags will aim for kicker stability after years adrift at the position. Eight kickers had seen time in Jacksonville from 2020-22, with last year’s option — Riley Patterson — after training camp had concluded.

Re-signings:

Andrew Wingard, S: Three years, $9.6MM ($4.1MM guaranteed)
Tre Herndon, CB: One year, $2.58MM ($2.58MM guaranteed)
C.J. Beathard, QB: Two years, $4.5MM ($2MM guaranteed)
Adam Gotsis, DL: Two years, $2.88MM ($1.25MM guaranteed)
JaMycal Hasty, RB: One year, $1.45MM ($300K guaranteed)
Tevaughn Campbell, CB: One year, $1.23MM ($100K guaranteed)

Bigger money went to players on the Jags’ extension radar, but the team also retained multiple regulars on defense. Wingard made 24 starts over his rookie contract, including 15 during the dismal 2021 season. Last year, he settled in as a third safety behind starters Rayshawn Jenkins and Andre Cisco. PFF has viewed Wingard’s work well, ranking him as a top-35 safety during his 2021 starter year and slotting him in the top 10 — albeit on just 223 defensive snaps — last year. Wingard’s ability around the line of scrimmage and work on special teams has allowed him to become a UDFA success story out of Wyoming, and the Jags’ retention mission included a pay bump from rookie-deal money for the 26-year-old defender.

This is the third straight offseason in which Jacksonville kept Herndon via a one-year contract. Re-signing in March 2021 and ’22, Herndon has been in the Jags’ good graces regardless of the defensive system. Hip and back injuries sidelined Griffin last year, and the team plugged Herndon back into the slot to pair with Williams and Tyson Campbell. PFF and Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics did not view Herndon’s age-26 season favorably, but the $2.58MM represents the ex-Jalen Ramsey/A.J. Bouye sidekick his largest guarantee with the team to date.

The Jags did add two sixth-round rookie corners this year, providing some competition for a position group that did not see any notable veteran additions. Still, in keeping Wingard and Herndon, the Jags will run it back with their entire starting 11 from 2022 and multiple key bench players in familiar roles. This will be both players’ first time in the same defensive system in consecutive offseasons since Todd Wash‘s final two years (2019-20) with the team.

DVOA ranked Mike Caldwell‘s first Jaguars defense 26th, while they ranked 12th (points) and 24th (yards) in terms of traditional numbers. Does the core the Jaguars have built on this side of the ball justify the inaction regarding outside investments?

Lawrence is 36-for-36 in starts as a pro, keeping Beathard parked on the bench. Beathard’s senior year at Iowa occurred during Baalke’s final year as 49ers GM (2016), and after the 49ers ended up drafting him in Round 3 post-Baalke, the backup quarterback found his way to Jacksonville weeks after Baalke’s appointment as GM. Beathard, 29, has attempted all of 13 passes with the Jags.

Notable losses:

Dan Arnold, TE
Shaquill Griffin, CB (released)
Marvin Jones, WR
Arden Key, DE
Chris Manhertz, TE
Corey Peters, DT (retired)
Dawuane Smoot, DE
Jawaan Taylor, RT

No pure right tackle has been franchise-tagged since the Bengals cuffed Stacy Andrews back in 2008. All offensive linemen being grouped together on the tag makes it difficult for teams to tag right tackles, but Taylor’s free agent market helped bridge the divide between the blindside blockers and their less heralded bookend partners.

Despite Taylor being in a training camp competition with Walker Little last year, the Chiefs gave the former second-round pick a four-year, $80MM deal. At the time, it appeared Kansas City would move Taylor — primarily a right tackle at Florida — to the left side. But the defending champions’ post-draft Donovan Smith accord cleared that up; Taylor will stick at his usual position.

One of a few experienced right tackles hitting the market, Taylor scored big in the form of a $40MM guarantee. Offering a bit more pass-protecting security compared to Mike McGlinchey, who scored a $52.5MM practical guarantee from the Broncos, Taylor is now the NFL’s second-highest-paid right tackle (behind Lane Johnson‘s new Eagles extension). The 2019 draftee has never missed a game, and although PFF has never given him high marks, a bidding war ensued for the 25-year-old blocker’s services. The Jaguars have left tackle Cam Robinson signed long term. With the Jags letting Taylor walk, the Broncos are the only team with two tackles tied to top-10 AAVs at their respective positions.

Although his production fell short of his Lions best, Marvin Jones did deliver some memorable moments as a Jaguar. He scored fourth-quarter touchdowns in 2022 comeback wins over the Ravens and Cowboys and added another score in the playoff rally past the Chargers. But the Jags brought in Calvin Ridley, whose contract did not hit their books until his March 6 reinstatement. Barely three weeks later, Jones rejoined the Lions. Jones, 33, only signed a one-year, $3MM Detroit deal; the Jags will effectively replace him with Ridley.

It might be premature to suggest Smoot is a surefire Jags departure, as he remains unsigned. But the veteran edge defender has been a free agent for more than four months. A six-year Jaguar who became the team’s longest-tenured defender following Myles Jack‘s March 2022 exit, Smoot saw a December Achilles tear torpedo his free agency value. The former third-round pick worked well as a supplementary rusher for the Jags, collecting 22.5 sacks over the past four years. Following the quick breakup of its “Sackonville” D-line, the Jags relied on Smoot for steady production.

With the team not addressing the position until Round 5 this year, Smoot coming back on a value-reestablishing deal should not be ruled out. For now, though, the Jags are somewhat thin on rotational outside linebackers.

Also among the reasons Smoot — or another of the veteran edges still available — could be in the Jaguars’ plans: Key’s departure for the rival Titans. The former Raiders draftee-turned-49ers contributor registered 4.5 sacks, bringing his total to 11 over the past two seasons. He added 15 QB hits. The Titans gave Key $13MM guaranteed on a three-year, $21MM pact. Key wound up collecting more guaranteed than Clark or Leonard Floyd did in free agency.

Draft:

Round 1, No. 27 (from Bills): Anton Harrison, T (Oklahoma) (signed)
Round 2, No. 61 (from Panthers through 49ers and Bears): Brenton Strange, TE (Penn State) (signed)
Round 3, No. 88: Tank Bigsby, RB (Auburn) (signed)
Round 4, No. 121 (from Buccaneers): Ventrell Miller, LB (Florida) (signed)
Round 4, No. 130 (from Bills): Tyler Lacy, DE (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 5, No. 136 (from Bears): Yasir Abdullah, LB (Louisville) (signed)
Round 5, No. 160 (from Giants): Antonio Johnson, S (Texas A&M) (signed)
Round 6, No. 185 (from Jets): Parker Washington, WR (Penn State) (signed)
Round 6, No. 202: Christian Braswell, CB (Rutgers) (signed)
Round 6, No. 208 (from Eagles): Erick Hallett, DB (Pittsburgh) (signed)
Round 7, No. 226 (from Panthers): Cooper Hodges, T (Appalachian State) (signed)
Round 7, No. 227 (from Saints): Raymond Vohasek, DT (North Carolina) (signed)
Round 7, No. 240 (from Giants through Ravens): Derek Parish, FB (Houston) (signed)

After four years of deploying Robinson and Taylor as their starting tackles, the Jags will begin this season with a new direction. With Robinson suspended and Taylor in Missouri, Harrison will likely to be needed from the jump. The Jags intend to keep Little at left tackle, where he finished last season in place of an injured Robinson, and begin Harrison on the right side. Seeing as right tackle serves as the long-term need in Jacksonville, stationing Harrison there makes sense.

How Jacksonville proceeded in Round 1 provides a good indicator of the team’s hopes for the Oklahoma product. Baalke made two trades down the draft board but made both his trade partners — the Giants and Bills — assure him they were not taking a tackle.

While NFL teams moving college left tackles to the right side is nothing new, Harrison does face a learning curve. He made 23 of his 24 college starts at left tackle. Only allowing one sack last season, the Sooner blind-sider earned first-team All-Big 12 acclaim. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. slotted Harrison 55th overall, but the Jags had identified him as a Taylor successor. The Jags had not taken a first-round tackle since selecting Luke Joeckel second overall in 2013, but the team did use Nos. 34 and 35 picks, respectively, on Robinson and Taylor. The Harrison move represents a similar investment.

Strange wrapped the second-round run on tight ends. Five went from No. 33 to No. 61. Now that Engram is signed through 2025, a TE2 ceiling is in place for Strange for the foreseeable future. The 253-pound pass catcher totaled 32 receptions for 362 yards and five touchdowns last season, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors for his senior-year work. While Engram’s skillset is closer to that of a wide receiver, Strange displayed effective blocking traits with the Nittany Lions. With Jacksonville’s receiving tight end spot locked down for a bit, blocking could be Strange’s niche as he begins his NFL foray.

Dissatisfied with his Combine 40-yard dash time (4.56 seconds), Bigsby trained to improve upon that clocking at Auburn’s pro day. The school event produced a 4.45 time, helping the three-year Tigers contributor lock in Day 2 value. Etienne’s rookie contract runs through 2024, with the fifth-year option in place in the event the Jags want to push it to 2025, so Bigsby could be a long-term backup. With only D’Ernest Johnson in his way right now, the 210-pound back will enter training camp with an opportunity. Bigsby exceeded 800 rushing yards in each of his three college seasons, topping out at 1,099 in 2021. Auburn did not use Bigsby much in the passing game.

Trades:

Dealt K Riley Patterson to Lions for conditional 2026 seventh-round pick

Other:

NFL reinstates WR Calvin Ridley from season-long gambling suspension
LT Cam Robinson handed four-game PED ban
Team held trade talks with Bengals on T Jonah Williams
Declined DE K’Lavon Chaisson‘s $12.14MM fifth-year option
Colts hired pass-game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter as offensive coordinator
Signed 11 undrafted free agents

The first in what turned out to be a wave of gambling suspensions over the past year and change, Ridley’s officially ended in March. The Jags’ top 2023 addition happened in 2022, when the team bought low on the suspended Falcon. Pederson and Co. limited Ridley during the team’s offseason program, bringing the former first-rounder along slowly given his recent past. Ridley has not played since October 2021, when mental health issues prompted Atlanta’s then-No. 1 receiver to leave the team. The Falcons were close to trading Ridley to the Eagles before his suspension surfaced in March 2022, but the Jags will now be the team that bets on the ex-Matt Ryan weapon.

Ridley played alongside a healthy Julio Jones for his first two seasons, showing promise in back-to-back 800-plus-yard years. Jones’ chronically troublesome hamstring sidelined him for much of the 2020 season, and Ridley broke out. The Alabama alum totaled 90 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns that year. Overall, the 6-1 receiver has 28 TD catches as a pro. Ridley also played through a significant foot injury in 2020, indicating he received a belated diagnosis of a broken foot — an issue that led to his 2021 hiatus. A healthy Ridley figures to enhance Lawrence’s capabilities, though this also represents a gamble by the Jags.

Jacksonville is taking on an $11.12MM fifth-year option salary for someone who has not played in consecutive games since Weeks 3 and 4 of the 2021 season. Ridley also turned 28 during his suspension; his contract tolling makes an extension more complicated. The Jaguars already paid the Falcons a 2023 fifth-round pick; if they re-sign Ridley before the 2024 draft, they owe Atlanta a ’24 second-rounder.

With Ridley turning 29 during this season, the Jags will have plenty to think about as the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native begins his run with the team. But the prospect of Ridley, Kirk, Engram and Zay Jones as Lawrence’s top four weapons certainly supplies intrigue.

Lawrence protection will be another matter. Little has gone from backup to entrenched starter to open this season, and with Harrison inexperienced at right tackle, the team’s foundation suddenly looks faulty after the Robinson-Taylor tandem offered relative security during Lawrence’s first two years. Pre-draft talks with the Bengals on Jonah Williams did not appear to progress, leading to the team’s Harrison commitment. Previously unhappy about the Bengals moving him to right tackle, Williams appears to have accepted the change.

While Robinson’s PED ban will allow an extra month to ensure his meniscus tear is fully repaired, the Jags will face the Chiefs (Week 2) without their seventh-year tackle. PFF rated Little as last season’s 58th-best tackle. The suspension also voided the remaining guarantees on Robinson’s three-year, $52.75MM extension.

Cooter served as the Jaguars’ pass-game coordinator for one season. After his Indianapolis departure, Jacksonville will turn to 2022 UNLV offensive coordinator Nick Holz in this role. Holz had been a Raiders assistant from 2012-21, mostly working as a low-level staffer before finishing his tenure as the team’s assistant wide receivers coach. Pederson and OC Press Taylor will still run the show, but Holz will have some input.

Top 10 cap charges for 2023:

Cam Robinson, LT: $18.24MM
Darious Williams, CB: $12.5MM
Christian Kirk, WR: $11.46MM
Calvin Ridley, WR: $11.12MM
Josh Allen, DE: $10.89MM
Brandon Scherff, G: $10.13MM
Trevor Lawrence, QB: $10.03MM
Foyesade Oluokun, LB: $8.83MM
Travon Walker, DE: $8.49MM
Folorunso Fatukasi, DT: $6.81MM

An Allen extension still looms on the Jaguars’ radar, though scant buzz has circulated this offseason about a re-up for the Dave Caldwell/Tom Coughlin-era draftee. Struggling around the trade deadline, the Jags received interest on Allen. The organization’s decision to stand pat looks smart given the events that followed. And Allen (seven sacks, 22 QB hits last season) could be a key part of the team’s long-term future. The Jags have used their franchise tag in each of the past three years. No extension being reached this year would put that option on the table for Allen in 2024.

A depleted Titans team still pushed the Jaguars to the brink in Week 18, injecting some uncertainty regarding this nucleus’ 2023 viability. Lawrence taking another step forward would in turn elevate the Jags, who suddenly look to have a major advantage over their divisional rivals at quarterback. With the Texans still rebuilding and the Colts attempting to mix their Frank Reich-era veterans with a QB wild card (Anthony Richardson), another Jags-Titans divisional race appears on tap. With the Titans changing GMs and sending their cornerstone offensive pieces (Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill) into contract years, the organization appears less sold on its 2023 team’s prospects compared to the Jaguars.

How high can this Jags iteration climb in the AFC hierarchy following a 9-8 season? After a post-AFC championship game descent turned into a bottoming-out effort, the Jaguars (one 10-win season in the past 15 years) look to have recovered. But Lawrence is set to become extension-eligible in January. This looms as a big season on the franchise’s timeline.

Giants Work Out Two Linebackers

July 17th, 2023 at 9:36pm CST by Ben Levine

While the Giants front office was busy negotiating an unsuccessful extension with running back Saquon Barkley today, the coaching staff was getting a look at some depth on both sides of the ball. According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter), the team auditioned linebackers Joe Giles-Harris and Kyahva Tezino. The Giants also worked out running back Mark Thompson.

Giles-Harris is the lone player on the list with any NFL experience, as the linebacker saw time in 17 games between 2019 and 2022. His best season came with the Jaguars in 2020 when he compiled 20 tackles, one sack, and five QB hits in nine games (three starts). Since then, he’s seen time in three regular season games across two seasons with the Bills.

Tezino was a former SDSU standout who later had brief stints with the Patriots and Panthers. He was most recently one of the best defenders in the USFL, finishing second in the league in tackles (94) and tackles for loss (nine) while also chipping in two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

The linebacker workouts follow news that projected starting middle linebacker Jarrad Davis is expected to miss a chunk of time after undergoing knee surgery. The veteran was only slated to start while second-year linebacker Darrian Beavers continues to recover from a torn ACL, and Davis’ absence will only force the team to dig deeper into their LB depth.

The Giants also gave a look at a USFL standout on the other side of the ball. Thompson earned the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award this past season after totaling 14 touchdowns on the ground. The running back was undrafted in 2018 and later had stints with the Ravens, Jets, Lions, and Raiders.

The Giants don’t have a whole lot of experienced RB depth behind Barkley, with Matt Breida representing the team’s only veteran backup at the position. Thompson could provide the coaching staff with another look outside of rookie fifth-round pick Eric Gray, former sixth rounder Gary Brightwell, and 2022 UDFA Jashaun Corbin.

USFL QBs Alex McGough, De’Andre Johnson Drawing NFL Interest

July 17th, 2023 at 9:05pm CST by Ben Levine

A pair of USFL quarterbacks are drawing significant interest around the NFL. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 (via Twitter), Alex McGough has “multiple upcoming NFL workouts” and has “drawn interest from roughly a third of the league.” Meanwhile, De’Andre Johnson is also drawing interest from teams, including the Browns and Texans, per Wilson (on Twitter).

McGough was a 2018 seventh-round pick by the Seahawks, but he spent the majority of his rookie campaign on the practice squad. The FIU product later had stints with the Jaguars and Texans before returning to Seattle in late 2020.

The quarterback was later the sixth-overall pick in the 2022 USFL Draft. He didn’t play a whole lot during his first season in the league, but his 2023 campaign clearly helped put him back on the NFL radar. McGough won the league’s MVP and guided his Birmingham Stallions to the league championship, completing 67.4 percent of his passes for 2,105 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He added another 403 yards and five scores on the ground.

Johnson’s collegiate career saw him join East Mississippi’s “Last Chance U” after getting dismissed from Florida State. He later moved on to Texas Southern before going undrafted in 2020. Since then, he spent time in The Spring League before joining the USFL for the 2022 campaign. Through two season in the league, the quarterback has thrown for only 1,712 yards, but he’s added 671 rushing yards (to go along with six rushing touchdowns).

Considering the dual-threat nature of these two players, there’s a chance they’re drawing NFL interest for positions other than quarterback. The Browns don’t seem to have a major need for a quarterback; behind Deshaun Watson, they have a grouping that includes veteran Joshua Dobbs, rookie fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and former third-round pick Kellen Mond. The same goes for the Falcons, who seem to have a set depth chart in Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, and Logan Woodside.

WR DeSean Jackson Not Retiring

July 17th, 2023 at 4:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

JULY 17: Jackson took to Instagram to confirm he, in fact, is not retiring. The 15-year veteran, who has played for four teams over the past three seasons, confirmed, “y’all will know” when he definitively decides to hang up his cleats.

JULY 16: One of the greatest deep threats in NFL history may be ready to retire. In an Instagram post this morning, free agent wide receiver DeSean Jackson wrote, “Did it my way 15 years strong!! Neva anotha like it!” (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). He has not yet officially announced his retirement, though the tone of his post suggests that such an announcement could be forthcoming.

Jackson, 36, flirted with retirement last year, but he ultimately signed with the receiver-needy Ravens in October and appeared in seven games with the club. Though he played sparingly, his 17.0 yards-per-catch rate showed that he was still capable of burning defenses deep on occasion.

Of course, Jackson is best-known for his time as a member of the Eagles, with whom he spent the first six years of his career after entering the league as a second-round draft pick in 2008. During that time, he earned all three of his Pro Bowl nods and established himself as a premier home run hitter, averaging roughly 60 catches and 1,020 yards per season (good for a 17.2 YPC rate). He also excelled as a punt returner over his first three professional seasons, taking back four punt returns for touchdowns and leading the league with a 15.2 yards-per-return average in 2009.

The Cal product made an intra-divisional move to Washington in 2014, which set up a three-year stint in the nation’s capital. He remained a full-time starter during that span, but it preceded a series of moves around the NFL to close out his career. Jackson’s last stint in a starter’s role (in terms of snap share) came during his Buccaneers campaigns in 2017 and ’18.

Jackson was traded back to Philadelphia in 2019, but he only played eight games across two years during that span. Injuries helped inform the Eagles’ decision to release him in 2021, a move which saw him continue to bounce around the NFL. The Long Beach, California native began the season with the Rams, but upon having his request for a release granted, finished the campaign with the Raiders. His brief stay with the Ravens followed, but that will apparently not lead to another audition in the fall.

Jackson will hang up his cleats sitting 37th in NFL history with 11,263 yards and 39th in yards per reception average (17.6). Only two active wideouts – Julio Jones and DeAndre Hopkins – have more yards than him, and few members of the current generation of players can contend with his abilities as a deep threat during his prime. Now, Jackson will turn his attention to his post-playing days.

The 5-10, 175-pounder received more than $91MM in earnings over the course of his career, including four contracts worth at least $24MM at the time of signing. He will exit the NFL with 64 total touchdowns (regular and postseason combined) and, having temporarily been a member of the Rams’ title-winning 2021 team, a Super Bowl ring.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Lions Sign RB Jahmyr Gibbs To Rookie Deal

July 17th, 2023 at 4:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Monday afternoon’s news paints an ugly picture of the present running back position, two teams used top-12 picks on backs in April. The second of those, Jahmyr Gibbs, is now signed.

Shortly after Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard did not come to terms on extensions, tying them to franchise tag salaries this year, the Lions announced they signed Gibbs to his four-year rookie contract. Gibbs does not have to worry about future negotiations at this point, even as his position’s value plunged off another cliff this offseason. The rookie Lions back is signed through 2026, with a fifth-year option that could push the deal through 2027. His contract is fully guaranteed.

The Lions view Gibbs as a weapon capable of making impactful contributions as a runner and receiver. The Alabama product combined for 904 receiving yards from 2021-22, with this skill rocketing him up the draft board. While it seemed Bijan Robinson would be drafted well before any other back, late buzz during the pre-draft cycle pointed to Gibbs joining the Texas phenom in the first round. Not only did Gibbs do so, he heard his name called 12th overall in Kansas City.

Position-based criticism came the Lions’ way for how they proceeded in Round 1, which ended with Detroit selecting Gibbs and off-ball linebacker Jack Campbell. GM Brad Holmes remarked he probably could have nabbed the Iowa linebacker later had he traded down, but the Lions were prepared to grab Gibbs earlier than they did. The Lions were close to selecting Gibbs sixth overall — over Robinson — before the Cardinals offered them a trade to move back to No. 12.

Two days after drafting Gibbs, the Lions traded their dual-threat incumbent — 2020 second-rounder D’Andre Swift — to the Eagles. That deal included a seventh-round pick swap and a 2025 fourth-rounder coming Detroit’s way. Swift was a Bob Quinn-era investment; this offseason brought two notable Holmes pickups at the position. In addition to the Lions taking Gibbs at 12, they gave ex-Bears starter David Montgomery a three-year, $18MM deal ($8.75MM guaranteed).

After this Gibbs agreement, the Lions have just one unsigned draftee — second-rounder Brian Branch. Chosen 45th overall, Branch is part of a glut of unsigned Round 2 picks. Guaranteed money stands as the main issue keeping a batch of second-rounders unsigned.

Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard Fail To Reach Extension Agreements

July 17th, 2023 at 3:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the running back market resides as a shell of its form of even a few months ago, the franchise tag deadline has come and gone without any of the three tagged backs reaching extension agreements.

After multiple reports suggested Tony Pollard was not close on a deal with the Cowboys, the Giants and Raiders will not come to terms with Saquon Barkley or Josh Jacobs on respective extensions, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo report (Twitter links). All three backs will be tied to the $10.1MM franchise tag.

The Giants and Barkley looked to be the closest on terms, and the sides had engaged in extension talks since last November. But guaranteed money loomed as a sticking point for the Giants, who will not be seeing their tagged back for a while. As should be expected, Barkley will not report to training camp on time, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Likewise, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur notes Jacobs will not be rejoining the Raiders for a while (Twitter link). All extension talks between the backs and their respective teams must be tabled to 2024.

Both Barkley and Jacobs have been connected to potentially skipping regular-season time; Pollard signing his franchise tender in late March will not allow him to miss training camp work without fines coming his way. Barkley and Jacobs have not signed their tenders and cannot be fined for missing camp workouts. While Pollard will be expected to report to the Cowboys on time, it will almost definitely be a while before Barkley and Jacobs — both of whom having voiced frustration during this process — show up.

Considering the damage done to the RB market this offseason, it is unsurprising the tag deadline played out this way. Jacobs and the Raiders were never believed to be close on terms, while the Cowboys and Pollard may not have engaged in substantive talks.

The 2023 backfield market crash involved four of the eight-figure-per-year players at the position either being released (Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook) or forced into pay cuts (Aaron Jones, Joe Mixon). It would be easier at this point to mention the top-market backs whose contracts were not reduced or shed. For what it’s worth, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb did not see any pay reductions this year. Austin Ekeler, however, requested a trade and was given permission to seek a relocation; the Chargers back — he of 38 touchdowns over the past two seasons — did not generate much interest. The Cowboys, Giants and Raiders kept their backs off the market; no back who did hit free agency signed a deal averaging even $6.5MM per year.

The Giants and Barkley attempted to come to terms today, with ESPN’s Dianna Russini noting negotiations ran up until the deadline (Twitter link). No deal commenced. After the Giants were believed to have climbed a bit on guarantees, their final offer was also lower on average annual value. New York had previously offered Barkley a deal averaging in the $13MM-per-year neighborhood — a proposal the team made during the parties’ winter negotiations — and included around $19MM in guarantees. The team came up on guarantees earlier today, with that number rising toward $22MM. None of it ended up mattering, as Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano adds neither side moved “nearly enough” to finalize an extension (Twitter link).

No terms are known in the Jacobs talks, which provided a fairly clear indication a deal was not especially close. Like the Giants, the Raiders appeared fine carrying their starting running back’s $10.1MM tag number on their cap sheet. Of course, it will be worth wondering when both players show up.

Jacobs has earned barely $11MM — via his rookie contract — during his career, while Barkley has pocketed almost $40MM. The Giants back would be in a better position to exercise the Le’Veon Bell nuclear option — skipping games in protest of the tag. Barkley listed the Bell boycott as a potential option, but that also likely was a leverage ploy. It would be interesting to see if Barkley would be willing to use his money earned to punish the Giants here, but that has never loomed as a realistic scenario. Barkley and Jacobs will cost themselves $560K for each game missed. To be fair, Bell still found a willing buyer — the Jets, who gave him a four-year, $52.5MM deal — in free agency after sitting out a season for preservation purposes. It would not seem such a suitor would exist, given the present state of the position, if Barkley or Jacobs took this route.

The last eight-figure-AAV running back contract to be authorized came in July 2021 — the Browns’ three-year, $36.6MM Chubb extension. While Chubb, Jones, Henry, Cook and, to an extent, Kamara and McCaffrey have played well on their big-ticket extensions — McCaffrey doing so after being traded to the 49ers — teams are shifting in the other direction at this position. Barkley and Colts extension candidate Jonathan Taylor sent out ominous tweets regarding their position’s state Monday afternoon. Taylor’s rookie deal expires after this season. Seeing as the running back tag has gone down from the time Bell was twice tagged — for $12.12MM (2017) and $14.54MM (2018) — a Taylor tag certainly will be a logical next step for the Colts.

As for Pollard, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer indicates the Cowboys did submit a proposal to their tagged back. But it does not sound like the sides went too deep on contract talks (Twitter link). Pollard has been fine playing on the tag, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill (on Twitter). Unlike Barkley and Jacobs, however, Pollard may not be a strong candidate to be retagged in 2024. Trevon Diggs is also set to play on an expiring contract this year.

Latest On Patriots’, Chiefs’ DeAndre Hopkins Offers

July 17th, 2023 at 2:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

DeAndre Hopkins made his free agent decision on Sunday, inking a $26MM deal with the Titans. He turned down offers from other AFC suitors in the process, opting for the contract which included the most guaranteed money available.

The Patriots were long considered a serious contender to land the All-Pro wideout, having been the only team other than the Titans to host him on a free agent visit. New England, like Tennessee, submitted an offer to Hopkins, but a report from yesterday indicated the Patriots one he turned down was significantly lower than that of the Titans. Further details on that front have emerged.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported during an appearance on NBC Sports Boston’s Sports Sunday program (h/t Darren Hartwell) that New England was willing to offer Hopkins a maximum of $15MM in 2023, but the majority of that figure was represented by incentives. The Titans, by contrast, guaranteed the five-time Pro Bowler $12MM with the potential for another $3MM via incentives.

The Patriots currently sit 10th in the NFL in cap space, with over $17.7MM in available funds heading into training camp. That means they could have afforded to match the Titans’ offer, but instead elected to hold firm with a more risk-averse approach to the 31-year-old, who has missed notable time during each of the past two seasons due to injury and suspension. They will now move forward with an in-house collection of receivers which is led by the recently-extended DeVante Parker, free agent addition JuJu Smith-Schuster, 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton and veteran Kendrick Bourne.

Breer also provided insight into the Chiefs’ pursuit of Hopkins. The defending Super Bowl champions were long mentioned as a potential destination, in spite of their cap constraints. Before the draft, Breer notes, Kansas City offered a base salary of $4MM with incentives pushing the contract’s maximum value to $10MM. Hopkins was thought to be waiting for the Chiefs to free up money via a Chris Jones extension, but his Tennessee agreement has come before any developments on that front. Even with manufactured cap space for this season, Kansas City likely would not have realistically been able to outbid Tennessee.

Hopkins secured a lofty base package, along with a tall task in terms of reaching the maximum value of the pact through incentives. By choosing the Titans, though, he has added considerably to the team’s chances of reclaiming the AFC South title while ensuring better compensation compared to what the Patriots and Chiefs were willing to provide.

Jaguars, TE Evan Engram Agree To Deal

July 17th, 2023 at 1:24pm CST by Rory Parks

JULY 17: Further details on the Engram pact are in, courtesy of Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. The 28-year-old’s two-year base earnings will fall just short of what he would have made by playing on consecutive franchise tags this season and next, thanks to the fully-guaranteed $24MM. Incentives could push his two-year compensation slightly past that point, however, making the deal a market value one from both a team and player perspective.

As for 2025, Engram will see $1.5MM of his $14.75MM base salary vest just ahead of the league year that offseason, giving him further insurance if he remains with the Jaguars through that point. Doing so should not be in doubt given his performance last season and the resultant commitment Jacksonville has given him.

JULY 16: Franchise-tagged tight end Evan Engram has agreed to a three-year deal with the Jaguars. His agent, Mike McCartney, was the first to report the news (via Twitter), which has since been confirmed by multiple outlets.

The contract is worth $41.25MM and includes $24MM in guarantees, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). Given that the franchise tag would have paid Engram roughly $11.35MM in 2023, Engram essentially landed a two-year “extension” of about $30MM. His average annual value of $13.75MM across all three years of the pact is the fifth-highest figure among the league’s tight ends, though the $14.95MM AAV for the 2024-25 “extension” seasons is the third-highest mark, behind only Darren Waller and George Kittle. The $24MM of guaranteed money reported by Rapoport and Pelissero is fully-guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and it qualifies as the fifth-highest amount of full guarantees ever given to a TE.

After an up-and-down five-year tenure with the Giants to begin his career, Engram inked a one-year, $9MM contract with the Jaguars in March 2022, which turned out to be a savvy investment for a club that has historically had difficulty getting high-end production from the tight end position. In his first year in Duval, Engram set Jacksonville’s single-season tight end records with 73 catches and 766 receiving yards, and he was instrumental in the growth that quarterback Trevor Lawrence displayed in his second pro season. Engram caught 74.5% of his regular season targets, which was a personal best, and he added 12 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown in the Jags’ two playoff contests.

With Engram having signed a multiyear pact, the Jaguars have a strong core of skill-position talent under club control through at least 2025, a group that also includes Lawrence, running backs Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, and wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. Plus, wideout Calvin Ridley will return to the field this season after serving a one-year gambling suspension, so there is every reason to think that the Doug Pederson-led offense can remain productive for the foreseeable future.

Tagged players have until 3pm CT on Monday to ink multiyear deals, and of the four tag recipients who were still in contract talks with their respective clubs, Engram was seen as the likeliest to come to terms on a long-term accord. On Friday, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network suggested that there was a roughly 50-50 chance that Engram and the Jags would strike a deal, while the prognosis is not nearly as good for the Giants-Saquon Barkley and Raiders-Josh Jacobs negotiations.

Updates on Tony Pollard‘s discussions with the Cowboys have been scarce, but unlike his RB peers, Pollard has signed his franchise tender and may be content to play out the 2023 season on the tag. While tight ends might be undervalued, the fact that Engram has secured a new deal while the three tagged RBs have not reinforces the notion that running back is presently the league’s most devalued position.

No Substantive Talks Occurring Between Cowboys, Tony Pollard?

July 17th, 2023 at 12:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Jaguars extending Evan Engram on Sunday, this year’s franchise tag period is now down to the three running backs. Of those three situations, Tony Pollard‘s Cowboys negotiations have generated the fewest headlines. There might be a good reason for that.

Pollard remains expected to play this season on the $10.1MM tag. He and the Cowboys have until 3pm CT to hammer out an agreement, but the team may not have been all that serious about an extension at this time. Talks between Pollard and the Cowboys are not believed to have been substantive this offseason, NFL.com’s Jane Slater tweets.

Whereas Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs have been starters throughout their respective careers, Pollard has operated as a high-end change-of-pace option in Dallas. The dual-threat back did earn his first Pro Bowl nod last season, but Ezekiel Elliott still hovered as the team’s starter. Both players scored 12 touchdowns, though Pollard has been the Cowboys’ more explosive back for some time. Still, Elliott is in play to return on a lower-cost deal. The Cowboys also may want to see how Pollard responds to a heavier workload before making a multiyear commitment.

The team has not been shy about leaving franchise tag numbers on its payroll past the mid-July deadline. DeMarcus Lawrence played on the tag in 2018, with Dak Prescott following suit in 2020. Dalton Schultz played on the tag last year, while defensive end Anthony Spencer played two seasons on the tag (2012 and 2013) before re-signing with the team the following year. With the running back tag checking in as this year’s second-lowest number — above just the kicker/punter figure — Pollard playing at $10.1MM will not be as damaging as Prescott’s tag number staying on the Cowboys’ cap sheet three years ago.

The Cowboys waded into the deep waters of the RB market in 2019, extending Elliott despite two years of team control left. Elliott’s six-year, $90MM extension did not work out for the Cowboys, who saw their bellcow back decline while attached to the league’s second-most lucrative running back deal. This opened the door for Pollard, a fourth-round find. Pollard has logged just 510 carries since the Cowboys drafted him out of Memphis; Elliott had totaled 868 in just three seasons. Of the three franchise-tagged backs this year, Pollard’s workload points to him remaining in his prime the longest.

Pollard signed his franchise tender in late March; this money represents a nice payday for a player who has spent much of his career as a backup. The 26-year-old back, however, is missing out on a key offseason to cash in. Running back value has endured several hits this offseason, and Pollard could certainly have scored more than $10.1MM guaranteed were he permitted to hit the open market in March. The fifth-year back is also rehabbing a broken leg and high ankle sprain suffered in the Cowboys’ divisional-round loss.

This sets up a critical season for the Day 3 success story. The Cowboys took care of Lawrence and Prescott in the years after their seasons on the tag. With running back careers shorter compared to standouts at other positions, a season on the tag stands to affect Pollard’s earning potential more than it did Lawrence or Prescott’s. But teams have had the option of keeping their top free agent off the market via the tag since 1993. Pollard will not be the first player to see his earning power affected by it.

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