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Month: November 2024

2025 Fifth-Year Option Salaries Revealed

February 23rd, 2024 at 2:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Friday’s salary cap reveal ($255.4MM) both cements the franchise tag tender amounts and sets the fifth-year option prices for the 2021 first-round class. The record-setting spike represents good news for the latter contingent.

This will be the fourth offseason for the tiered fifth-year option format. The NFL’s 2020 CBA changed the option structure for first-round picks, fully guaranteeing the options but doing so based on performance and usage rate. The 2011 CBA gave teams flexibility by making the options guaranteed for injury only, allowing franchises to cut players free of charge as long as they passed March physicals. The 2018, ’19, ’20 and ’21 draft classes have now gained access to fully guaranteed options.

Players who have been original invitees to two or more Pro Bowls (original ballot only) reside on the top tier. Micah Parsons, Patrick Surtain and Ja’Marr Chase check in here. Matching the 2024 franchise tag prices, here is how those numbers will look in 2024 (courtesy of NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero):

  • Quarterback: $38.3MM
  • Running back: $11.95MM
  • Wide receiver: $21.82MM
  • Tight end: $12.69MM
  • Offensive line: $20.99MM
  • Defensive end: $21.32MM
  • Defensive tackle: $22.1MM
  • Linebacker: $24MM
  • Cornerback: $19.8MM
  • Safety: $17.12MM
  • Kicker/punter: $5.98MM

Tier 2 on the option structure covers players who have been selected to one Pro Bowl as non-alternates. Penei Sewell, Rashawn Slater and Kyle Pitts‘ option prices come in here. This tier matches the 2024 transition tag values.

  • Quarterback: $34.37MM
  • Running back: $9.77MM
  • Wide receiver: $19.77MM
  • Tight end: $10.88MM
  • Offensive line: $19MM
  • Defensive end: $19.1MM
  • Defensive tackle: $18.49MM
  • Linebacker: $19.97MM
  • Cornerback: $17.22MM
  • Safety: $13.82MM
  • Kicker/punter: $5.43MM

Participation impacts the final two tiers. Players who achieve any of the following will get the average of the third-20th highest salaries at their position. Tier 3 consists of players who played at least 75% in two of their first three seasons, those who averaged at least a 75% snap share through three seasons or those who crossed the 50% snap barrier in each of their initial three slates. Trevor Lawrence, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle and Christian Darrisaw are among the players whose options will come in on Tier 3.

  • Quarterback: $25.66MM
  • Running back: $6.79MM
  • Wide receiver: $15.59MM
  • Tight end: $7.96MM
  • Offensive line: $16.04MM
  • Defensive end: $14.58MM
  • Defensive tackle: $13.1MM
  • Linebacker: $14.48MM
  • Cornerback: $13.38MM
  • Safety: $9.51MM
  • Kicker/punter: $4.39MM

The fourth and final tier consists of players who failed to reach those participation rates:

  • Quarterback: $22.41MM
  • Running back: $6.14MM
  • Wide receiver: $14.35MM
  • Tight end: $7.21MM
  • Offensive line: $13.31MM
  • Defensive end: $13.39MM
  • Defensive tackle: $11.75MM
  • Linebacker: $13.25MM
  • Cornerback: $12.47MM
  • Safety: $8.65MM
  • Kicker/punter: $4.1MM

Dolphins To Release DE Emmanuel Ogbah

February 23rd, 2024 at 1:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Seeing his playing time reduced last season, Emmanuel Ogbah became needed as the Dolphins saw their top edge rushers go down with major injuries. With Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips expected back before or during the 2024 season, Miami will make an expected cap-driven move.

The Dolphins intend to release Emmanuel Ogbah, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Although Ogbah was a regular presence before Vic Fangio‘s one-and-done season as Dolphins DC, the former starter’s demotion made him a release candidate.

Friday’s $255.4MM salary cap reveal brought good news for cap-strapped teams, but the Dolphins still have plenty of work to do. Before this Ogbah move is calculated, Miami sits more than $38MM over the 2024 cap. Releasing Ogbah will $13.7MM in cap space for the Dolphins. Ogbah was attached to a four-year, $65.4MM deal agreed to in 2022; he was set to carry a $14.93MM base salary next season. Considering his Miami trajectory, that proved unrealistic for the team.

Ogbah, 30, had been a productive pass rusher for the Dolphins on his previous contract. The Dolphins re-signed the former Browns second-round pick in free agency two years ago, but a torn triceps sustained midway through that season — a development that came shortly after the team traded a first-round pick for Chubb at the trade deadline — changed the previous starter’s trajectory.

Between the 2020 and ’21 seasons, Ogbah cemented his case for a significant raise by registering nine sacks in each season. He totaled 45 quarterback hits in that span. After the Dolphins had Ogbah on a two-year, $15MM deal, the raise did not go as planned. Ogbah will hit free agency on a downturn, and while he could still profile as a rotational rusher somewhere else, the veteran is unlikely to fetch much on the open market given his minimal production over the past two years.

The Chiefs used Ogbah primarily as a rotational player during their 2019 Super Bowl-winning team, acquiring him that year via trade from the Browns. But a torn pectoral muscle shelved him midway through that season. Ogbah did not play during that playoff run, and after missing Miami’s 2022 wild-card game due to injury as well, his only postseason contest came back at Arrowhead Stadium on a frigid night — a 26-7 Dolphins loss. Ogbah only started because of the injuries to Phillips, Chubb and Andrew Van Ginkel. The Dolphins had brought in veterans Melvin Ingram, Bruce Irvin and Justin Houston to help Ogbah in that emergency circumstance, but Chubb and Phillips will be expected to anchor new DC Anthony Weaver‘s edge-rushing corps next season.

Miami has Chubb signed through 2026, and should the team pick up Phillips’ fifth-year option by May 2, he will be locked down through 2025. Van Ginkel is on track for free agency, seeing his contract expire shortly after an injury. Following Phillips’ Achilles tear and Chubb’s ACL setback, Van Ginkel suffered a foot injury in Miami’s regular-season game.

2024 Franchise/Transition Tag Numbers

February 23rd, 2024 at 12:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Friday afternoon’s unveiling of the 2024 salary cap brings clarity to the franchise tag scene. Already in this year’s window to apply tags, teams now know officially what it will cost to do so.

This marks the 32nd offseason in which NFL teams could use franchise or transition tags, a player-retention tool brought on along with the emergence of full-fledged free agency in 1993. Teams can use either the franchise or transition tag during an offseason, but not both. While Xavier McKinney has already come up as a transition tag candidate, only four players have been slapped with that designation over the past 10 years. Handfuls of players are franchise-tagged each year, however.

A number of candidates are on the radar to be tagged, though no team has designated a franchise player yet this year. Here are the 2024 non-exclusive tag numbers by position, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero:

  • Quarterback: $38.3MM
  • Running back: $11.95MM
  • Wide receiver: $21.82MM
  • Tight end: $12.69MM
  • Offensive line: $20.99MM
  • Defensive end: $21.32MM
  • Defensive tackle: $22.1MM
  • Linebacker: $24MM
  • Cornerback: $19.8MM
  • Safety: $17.12MM
  • Kicker/punter: $5.98MM

This does not apply to all franchise tag candidates. Players who were tagged in 2023 would be tied to a number that comes in 120% north of their 2023 salary. This previously established the tag prices of Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard. None of those running backs are a lock to be tagged this year, and due to the cap growth, Barkley’s tag figure of barely $12MM is roughly the same as what it will cost a team to tag a running back for the first time this year.

Chris Jones‘ situation also differs, due to the star Chiefs defensive tackle being tagged in 2020. A Jones tag would cost the Chiefs 120% of his pre-restructure 2023 salary. That number coming in beyond $32MM makes the eight-year veteran prohibitive to tag. Jones’ camp received some good news via the $255.4MM cap reveal, which gives teams more money to spend this offseason.

Only one other player — Lamar Jackson — has been tagged for beyond $30MM. That move cost the Ravens $32.4MM last year; it will now cost teams $38.3MM to tag a quarterback. No QBs are on the radar to be tagged this year, with Friday’s cap reveal all but slamming the door shut on the Buccaneers tagging Baker Mayfield. While teams can enjoy more flexibility in making final preparations for their free agency budgets, tagging players will be a bit costlier than clubs expected.

The exclusive tag, which prevents players from speaking with other teams, is rarely used due to the increased costs and the non-exclusive tag being an effective deterrent at keeping players off the market. The non-exclusive tag mandates a team that signs a player to an unmatched offer sheet send two first-round picks to the player’s previous club. The transition tag, however, entitles a team to no compensation if it fails to match an offer sheet for a player.

Here are the 2024 transition tag numbers:

  • Quarterback: $34.37MM
  • Running back: $9.77MM
  • Wide receiver: $19.77MM
  • Tight end: $10.88MM
  • Offensive line: $19MM
  • Defensive end: $19.1MM
  • Defensive tackle: $18.49MM
  • Linebacker: $19.97MM
  • Cornerback: $17.22MM
  • Safety: $13.82MM
  • Kicker/punter: $5.43MM

Chiefs Sign P Matt Araiza

February 23rd, 2024 at 10:22am CST by Adam La Rose

FEBRUARY 23: Araiza’s Chiefs deal is worth the league minimum and it includes an injury split, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network notes. As a result, Kansas City is not absorbing any financial risk while taking a flier on the once-celebrated prospect.

FEBRUARY 22: Matt Araiza is on course for an NFL return. The former Bills punter agreed to a one-year deal with the Chiefs on Thursday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Araiza’s agency has confirmed the move.

The Bills waived the 2022 sixth-round pick in August 2022, after it was alleged he was involved in a gang rape of a minor. Araiza, 23, has since been cleared of criminal charges, and an investigation into the 2021 incident on the San Diego State campus did not produce a connection involving Araiza, who has also been dropped from a lawsuit pertaining to the matter. He has periodically surfaced on the NFL radar as a result, but the former All-American had not previously caught on with a team since his controversial Buffalo exit.

Araiza visited the Jets in May 2023; the meeting did not produce an agreement. Araiza was out of the league last season. Although Araiza was cleared of wrongdoing by authorities, the prospect of teams not wanting to bother a second chance for a punter who generated the headlines he did loomed. But Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network reports another team showed interest recently. Now, Araiza will look to earn the punting gig with the two-time defending champions.

The Chiefs’ punter of the past four seasons, Tommy Townsend, played out his rookie contract. He is set to be a free agent soon. A 2020 UDFA, Townsend earned first-team All-Pro honors for his work in 2022. He punted in three Super Bowls, collecting two rings as part of the team’s past two championship-winning efforts.

After averaging 50.4 yards per punt last season — by far a franchise single-season record — the Florida alum checked in with a 47.1-yard average in 2023. Townsend, 27, holds the top three single-season punting averages in Chiefs history, providing a strong replacement for longtime Kansas City punter Dustin Colquitt. Araiza averaged 51.2 yards per boot during his final San Diego State season.

The Araiza accuser’s civil suit alleged he had sex with the her at an off-campus party and brought her into a bedroom where “a group” of men raped her. The woman, who was 17 at the time of the October 2021 party, said she told friends immediately after she had been raped; she reported it to the San Diego Police Department the next day. During a 10-month criminal investigation into Araiza and two other members of the San Diego State football team, however, a witness said Araiza was no longer at the party at the time the alleged rape took place. Araiza had said any sexual contact between he and the accuser was consensual. Although the woman was 17 at the time of the alleged rape, Araiza has said he believed she was 18.

During Araiza’s quest to resume his career, the punter’s agent sent 20 teams a recording of a December 2022 meeting between a San Diego County prosecutor, the accuser and her attorney. The recording included a series of video clips showing the teen’s sexual encounters at the party; none showed Araiza, who declined an offer to settle the case for $50K.

This Araiza flier of sorts comes years after the Chiefs kicked the tires on first-round washouts Deandre Baker and Damon Arnette. Kansas City picked up both after off-field developments respectively led the corners out of New York and Las Vegas. Those partnerships did not last long, and it will be interesting to see if Araiza can rebound and begin his career two years later.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Saints’ Jameis Winston Eyeing Starting Role

February 23rd, 2024 at 9:35am CST by Adam La Rose

Jameis Winston has been in New Orleans since 2020, and his desire to remain with the team has been made clear this offseason. A new Saints contract would tie him to a backup role, however, something which the veteran quarterback has become familiar with in recent years.

In spite of that, Winston still has his eyes on a No. 1 gig. New Orleans has Derek Carr on the books through 2026, although the team could move on after next season with relative ease. Carr will be in line for the starting role in 2024 at a minimum, so Winston’s intention of re-signing with the Saints will need to be weighed against his desire to lead an offense. He recently spoke about his situation with free agency not far away.

“My goal is to be, and my desire is to be, a Super Bowl-winning starting quarterback in this league,” the former No. 1 pick said in an interview with Kyle Mosley of Saints News Network. “Right now, that doesn’t look like a very clear picture with the New Orleans Saints.”

Winston is a pending free agent after he agreed to a one-year pact last offseason in a move which allowed him to stay in New Orleans. That contract has been restructured, leaving him on track to reach the open market while leaving the Saints with dead cap charges regardless of if he is re-signed or allowed to depart. While Winston’s remarks suggest he would interested in exploring outside opportunities, it would be a surprise if he managed to generate a notable market as a No. 1 option this spring.

The 30-year-old has not played a full season as a starter since 2019, the year of his infamous 33-touchdown, 30-interception campaign with the Buccaneers. Winston would join a host of other veteran signal-callers available as bridge options for teams in the QB market this offseason, many of which are likely to add at the position via the draft in April. New Orleans has Carr as well as 2023 fourth-rounder Jake Haener on the QB depth chart, and the latter could ascend to the backup role if Winston were to depart. It will be interesting to see how willing Winston is to test the market if a clearer path to a starting opportunity presents itself outside of New Orleans.

Cardinals Part Ways With Dru Grigson

February 23rd, 2024 at 8:49am CST by Adam La Rose

Changes continue to take place in Arizona’s front office. Player personnel director Dru Grigson has parted ways with the team, ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss reports.

Grigson began his Cardinals tenure in 2008 after spending time with both the Eagles and the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes in the scouting department. He worked as a scout in Arizona through 2012 before being promoted to scouting director the following season, holding that title for five years.

Grigson’s ascent through the ranks continued when he spent the 2019 and ’20 seasons as assistant player personnel director. That was followed by a single campaign as director of college scouting before taking charge of the player personnel department. After three years in that capacity, Grigson is now out of the organization.

The arrival of general manager Monti Ossenfort last offseason led to the expectation that changes could soon follow in the front office. Indeed, Quentin Harris – who had most recently served as VP of player personnel – is now out as well. He and Grigson began their Cardinals tenures at the same time, and their departures have now taken place within the same week.

While the former has drawn general manager interest in the past, the same is not true of the latter during the past two hiring cycles. As Ossenfort prepares for Year 2 of his time at the helm of the franchise, the Cardinals will have at least a few new faces in the personnel department. Harris and Grigson, meanwhile, will search for new opportunities elsewhere in the NFL.

Browns Not Planning RB Addition; Latest On Nick Chubb

February 22nd, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the new league year not far away, many teams around the NFL have begun restructures and cost-shedding releases to become cap compliant. In the case of the Browns, many have pointed to running back Nick Chubb as a potential cap casualty.

Chubb has one year remaining on his deal, and he is due a non-guaranteed base salary of $11.78MM for 2024. The four-time Pro Bowler will carry a cap hit of $15.83MM, though, which has resulted in speculation he could be let go in a cost-cutting move. His recovery from a major knee injury is a factor in the Browns’ decision, but Chubb should be expected to remain with the organization.

The team will engage in preliminary discussions on a Chubb extension, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveand.com notes. Talks could commence as soon as the upcoming Combine, she adds, although both sides will no doubt await clarity on his rehab before entering into a multi-year agreement. The Browns expect the 28-year-old back at some point in 2024, and a new deal would ensure he remained in place as a focal point of the offense when healthy.

Given the signs pointing to Chubb being retained, Cabot unsurprisingly adds the Browns will not be in the market for a high-priced RB addition this offseason. A number of intriguing backs are set to hit the market, including Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Austin Ekeler and Tony Pollard. Rather than investing in one of them as Chubb insurance, though, Cleveland will lean on internal options. The Browns have Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong in place as candidates for a significant workload in Chubb’s absence if he misses the beginning of the campaign.

Both the Ravens and Texans have been connected to a running back pursuit this offseason, and they will have several choices given the number of backs set to be available. Another veteran in that category is Kareem Hunt, who has spent the past five seasons in Cleveland. Cabot confirms the Browns are not interested in another deal for the former Pro Bowler, though, meaning he could be in store for another lengthy wait on the open market.

The Browns are currently over the cap by a margin of nearly $20MM, though the team has a number of restructure candidates to carve out financial breathing space. Chubb could be one of them, but an extension would lower his 2024 cap hit while marking a sign of confidence from Cleveland that a full recovery is expected. It will be interesting to see how much urgency exists from team and player when talks begin.

Seahawks Restructure Geno Smith’s Deal

February 22nd, 2024 at 8:46pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s been seeming increasingly likely that the Seahawks would hold on to Geno Smith for the 2024 campaign. Thanks to today’s cap machinations, the organization all but confirmed that notion.

[RELATED: Seahawks Plan On Retaining Geno Smith?]

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Seahawks have restructured Smith’s deal, converting $9.6MM of his roster bonus into a signing bonus. The move will save the Seahawks around $4.8MM in 2024 cap space, and Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times adds that the move reduces Smith’s cap hit from $31.2MM to $26.4MM. Smith’s $12.7MM base salary shifted from an injury guarantee to fully guaranteed last week, further increasing the chances that he’d be sticking around for at least 2024.

That $9.6MM roster bonus wasn’t set to vest until March 18, a deadline that could have bought the team some extra time to figure out a trade for the veteran QB. While the Seahawks compromised their flexibility by making today’s move, there were also benefits. Condotta notes that the restructuring allowed the front office to spread the cap hit across two seasons, and Smith obviously won’t complain about getting that money sooner.

Following his breakout 2022 campaign, the Seahawks signed Smith to a three-year, $75MM extension. Still, that contract was heavy on incentives and performance escalators, meaning the Seahawks effectively had the opportunity to take it year-by-year. Assuming the Seahawks don’t make an unexpected trade, the organization will likely face the same decision next year. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com writes, the Seahawks will now be left with $13.5MM in dead money if they cut Smith in 2025.

By carving out that extra $4.8MM in cap room, the Seahawks are now just about at the estimated cap for the 2024 campaign. The organization can still rework Smith’s base salary in an attempt to open more breathing room, but there’s less urgency on that front.

Lavonte David Only Considering Re-Signing With Buccaneers Or Retiring

February 22nd, 2024 at 8:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Last offseason, Lavonte David was interested in testing free agency before ultimately re-signing with the Buccaneers. This time around, it sounds like the veteran linebacker isn’t as eager to stretch out his free-agent process.

During an appearance on The Ronnie & TKras Show on WDAE, the impending free agent acknowledged that he’s only considering re-signing with the Buccaneers or calling it a career.

“I would want to stay a Buc for the rest of my career as long as I play,” David said (h/t Cory Woodroof of For the Win). “I do want to retire a Buc, but, y’know, it’s just got to be a mutual thing.”

After flirting with the idea of playing elsewhere last offseason, the 12-year veteran played out the 2023 campaign on a one-year, $4.5MM contract with the Buccaneers. Despite 2023 marking his age-33 season, David proceeded to have one of the most productive seasons of his career. He finished the year having compiled 134 tackles and 4.5 sacks, with Pro Football Focus rating him as the No. 28 overall linebacker.

Following his underwhelming free agency experience, David is now making it clear that it’s Tampa-or-bust heading into this offseason. The former second-round pick certainly deserves to finish his career with the Buccaneers, as it’s the only team he’s played for since entering the NFL in 2012. He ranks second in franchise history in total tackles (1,480, behind Derrick Brooks‘ 1,713), and he’s top-10 in the majority of the franchise’s other defensive categories (including first in forced fumbles).

The Buccaneers have good reason to get clarity on David’s situation as soon as possible. If the organization does not re-sign David before the start of the 2024 league year on March 13, they will be hit with a $2.67MM dead-money charge. Of course, the team’s financial hurdles aren’t nearly as troubling this year; after carrying more than $70MM in dead money this past year, the Bucs are projected to hold more than $37MM in cap space heading into the offseason.

Even with those previous monetary limitations, the Buccaneers have done an admirable job of retaining many of their top free agents. So, the front office probably won’t think twice about bringing David back for at least another season.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/22/24

February 22nd, 2024 at 6:33pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s reserve/futures contract:

Kansas City Chiefs

Gillespie was a fourth-round pick by the Raiders in 2021, but after getting into 11 games as a rookie, he’s bounced around the NFL. Over the past two-plus seasons, he’s spent time with the Titans, Jaguars, Texans, and Chiefs. The defensive back caught on with Kansas City towards the end of this past season but didn’t make an appearance with the big-league club.

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