Month: January 2025

Jags Restructure G Brandon Scherff’s Contract; LB Caleb Johnson To Reach Free Agency

The Jaguars will have stability along the offensive line in 2024. Right guard Brandon Scherff‘s deal has been restructured, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. News of the sides working on an adjusted deal was first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

[RELATED: Jaguars Re-Sign Ezra Cleveland]

Scherff was set to count nearly $24MM against the cap this season, leaving some to label him a potential release candidate. Instead, this agreement will ensure he remains in Duval County for at least one more year. Schefter notes the five-time Pro Bowler will receive a fully-guaranteed salary of $15MM for 2024 with a $5MM lower cap hit than he previously had. Three void years already existed on the deal after next season, and that will remain the case.

The former Commanders All-Pro re-worked his deal last offseason, creating the likelihood of a repeat taking place in 2024. Scherff will play out the final campaign of his three-year Jags pact given today’s move, though, setting him up for an interesting walk year. The 32-year-old has not replicated his level of play from his Washington tenure so far in Jacksonville, with his PFF evaluations over the past two years (59, 67.3) marking the worst of his career.

While Scherff will remain in place moving forward, the same may not be true of linebacker and special teamer Caleb JohnsonTeam and player could not reach agreement on a new deal in the latter’s case, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Johnson was on track to be a restricted free agent, meaning Jacksonville’s inability to work out a deal is also a sign no tender will be coming his way. The right of first refusal tender would have cost $2.99MM, more than Johnson’s career earnings to date.

The 25-year-old has bounced around to a number of teams, but he has spent the past two seasons in Jacksonville. He has not missed a game during that span, playing exclusively on special teams. Safety Daniel Thomas is also best known for his third phase work, and he has been re-upped on a two-year deal. With Thomas remaining in the fold, Johnson will be able to join a new team once the new league year begins on Wednesday.

LS Casey Kreiter Re-Signing With Giants

The Giants haven’t necessarily had consistency at the kicker and punter positions of their special teams unit in the past several years, but long snapper remains a pillar in New York. ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan reports that the team is re-signing long snapper Casey Kreiter to return for his fifth season as a Giant.

Originally an undrafted free agent out of Iowa in 2014, Kreiter signed with the Cowboys. He was unable to surpass the team’s long-time starter at the position, L.P. Ladouceur, so eventually he found his way to Denver in 2016. Kreiter replaced the departing Aaron Brewer as the Broncos’ long snapper before suffering a season-ending calf injury during a practice in December. He was re-signed and able to retain his starting job, making his first and only Pro Bowl in 2018 with Denver.

Two years later, Kreiter departed from Colorado to New York in order to compete with Zak DeOssie, the Giants long snapper for 13 years from 2007-19. After Kreiter won out in the preseason, DeOssie retired, setting the stage for Kreiter’s current run as the new mainstay on special teams. Kreiter was reportedly expected to receive outside interest from around the league, but New York holds on to retain some consistency in their special teams group.

Chargers Open To Trading OLBs Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack

MARCH 10: Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated confirms the Chargers have had “exploratory trade talks” concerning not only Bosa and Mack, but also both members of the Allen-Williams receiver tandem. Of those, Breer unsurprisingly notes Allen is the likeliest to stay, something which matches the veteran’s comments on his future. Still, a cost-shedding move of some kind could be coming soon on Los Angeles’ part.

MARCH 9: According to OverTheCap.com, the Chargers have the second-least amount of cap space in the NFL with only the Dolphins exceeding the salary cap by more than Los Angeles. They’re currently $21.14MM over the salary cap and are set to eat $27.31MM of dead money in 2024, also second-most in the NFL.

As a result, it appears the Chargers are exploring options to clear some cap space while potentially bringing in a bit of draft capital, as well. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports that the team is currently “open to trade offers for many veteran players including Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.”

Mack and Bosa currently make up the team’s largest two cap hits at $38.52MM and $36.61MM, respectively. Trading those two players alone, the team would be able to clear out $23.25MM (Mack) and $14.39MM (Bosa) of cap savings, though the team would be eating $15.27MM (Mack) and $22.22MM (Bosa) of dead money in the deals. The report from Russini also says “many veteran players,” though, and the next three biggest cap hits on the roster are veteran receivers Keenan Allen ($34.72MM) and Mike Williams ($32.46MM) and safety Derwin James ($19.86MM).

Would the Chargers really get rid of quarterback Justin Herbert‘s top two targets? Allen has been one of the league’s more consistent producers since 2017, as long as he stays on the field. Over that time, Allen has averaged around 75 yards per game and can usually deliver six to eight touchdowns. He’s missed 40 of a possible 179 career games, including 11 in the past two seasons, but despite four missed games in 2023, Allen averaged a career-high 95.6 yards per game and scored seven touchdowns at 31 years old.

Williams has also missed his fair share of games (27 of a possible 115), including 14 games missed with a torn ACL in 2023. When healthy, Williams has established himself as a strong WR2, twice surpassing 1,000 receiving yards and twice surpassing nine receiving touchdowns. Williams struggles to provide the same consistency as Allen but is still a strong contributor. If traded, Allen would provide $23.1MM of cap savings and result in $11.62MM of dead money, while a trade of Williams could provide $20MM of cap savings and result in $12.46MM of dead money.

James is yet another high-cost player who has struggled to stay on the field in his career. After appearing in every game as a rookie, James has missed 33 of a possible 83 games since. Despite leading the team in tackles this year, James had the worst NFL season of his career, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), grading out as the 71st best safety out of 95 graded players. Before this season, James hadn’t graded out worse than 12th. He showed decent pass rush and run defense in 2023, but graded out poorly in coverage. A James-trade would need to be a post-June 1 transaction. If traded pre-June 1, James would still cost the Chargers $1.46MM of cap space, while a post-June 1 designation would save the team $12.75MM of cap space.

Those players are all question marks, but Mack and Bosa have been blatantly named. Bosa started his career as one of the league’s most electric pass rushers with 23.0 sacks in his first two years, despite missing four games his rookie year. While he still threatens to put up double-digit sacks each year, he has to stay on the field in order to do so, and he has missed half the season three times in his career, including the most recent two seasons. If his physical shows the potential for a full return to form, he could fetch a high price in trade talks.

Los Angeles will try to sell high on Mack, who had a career year at 32 years old. Mack was a world-beater early in his career, racking up 40.5 sacks and a Defensive Player of the Year award with the Raiders. Though his production dipped a bit after getting traded to Chicago, Mack still made three straight Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams as a Bear. Mack was traded once again to the Chargers in 2022, and after a decent first season in LA, Mack delivered a career-high 17.0 sacks in 2023, his first time delivering double-digit sacks since his first year in Chicago in 2018.

It’s unclear just how much Los Angeles is willing to part with this spring. Clearly, “many veteran players” have been advertised as available, including Mack and Bosa, but it’s hard to say just how many of those high-cap players will be shipped out. There are other ways to try and lower the players’ cap impacts, like restructures to current deals, but the easiest way may be to clear them off your books (for the most part) and get something in return. It will be interesting to see how much the Chargers are willing to give up in order to rebuild around Herbert.

Raiders Re-Sign C Andre James

Andre James was on track to be one of the top centers available in free agency. Instead, he will remain in place with the Raiders, as his agency announced on Sunday.

Providing further details, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report that James will receive $24MM on a three-year agreement. Of that figure, $16MM is guaranteed. As a result, the 26-year-old will move into seventh in terms of annual compensation amongst centers.

James was certainly due a raise after his third year as a starter. In a contract year, James delivered a career-year, grading out as the league’s ninth-best center, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He displayed a well-rounded game, grading out as the eighth-best pass blocking center and the 11th-best run blocking center. He has had injuries force him to miss a game or two in the past two seasons, but for the most part, James has been extremely reliable.

Getting this deal worked out before free agency will allow the Raiders to maintain stability at a critical spot on the O-line. The move also notably means Dylan Parham will remain at guard moving forward, after he faced uncertainty about his future usage. James and Parham will be major factors in Vegas’ ability to deliver a strong season up front in 2024 and beyond.

James, Parham, and starting right guard Greg Van Roten anchored an offensive line that saw improvement last year but still has a ways to go. Van Roten and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor still find themselves headed towards free agency, but with Thayer Munford showing an ability to step up and start at times this season, James was the clear priority. With James now under a new deal, the Raiders can now shift focus to remaining free agents.

Ely Allen contributed to this post. 

Packers To Release LB De’Vondre Campbell

Once free agency officially begins, De’Vondre Campbell will see his Packers tenure come to an end. The veteran linebacker will be released on the first day of the new league year, Tom Sliverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

By waiting until the start of the league year, Green Bay will be able to designate Campbell a post-June 1 release. That route will yield just over $10.5MM in savings, a far higher figure than if he were to be let go now. However, the Packers will not see that added cap space until June 2. Moving on from Campbell will produce a dead money charge of $3.66MM.

The 30-year-old had a late breakout during his debut campaign with the Packers. Playing on a one-year deal in 2021, he posted 146 tackles, two interceptions and a pair of sacks en route to receiving first-team All-Pro honors. Campbell was rewarded with a five-year, $50MM deal in 2022. Expectations went through the roof as a result, but the former fourth-rounder saw a downturn in production over the past two seasons. Still, his release will create the need for a new starter at the LB spot this offseason.

Campbell played through a shoulder injury in 2022, and he was limited to 11 games last year. Green Bay will be looking for more stability on the health front with an outside addition or the retention of an in-house replacement candidate. Silverstein notes special teamer Eric Wilson is on the Packers’ list of players the team would like to re-sign. Wilson last saw a heavy defensive workload in 2020 with the Vikings, though, so he will likely retain his third phase responsibilities while Green Bay re-shapes its starting defense under new DC Jeff Haffley.

Kristian Welch (a fellow special teams ace) is a pending free agent like Wilson. As a result, the only sure thing at the LB spot for the time being is 2022 first-rounder Quay Walker. The Georgia alum has started all but one of his games in Green Bay to date, posting at least 118 tackles each season. He will be counted on heavily moving forward, but it will be interesting to see who he will be paired with in 2024. The Packers presently have $13.6MM in cap space, a figure which will grow well after the first few waves of free agency have taken place via Campbell’s release. It will be interesting to see how much of a market develops for him once he becomes available.

Texans To Sign DT Foley Fatukasi

Named as a suitor for the top defensive tackle set to hit free agency, the Texans will make a lower-end addition at the position. Foley Fatukasi has agreed to a one-year deal with Houston, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports.

Fatukasi was released by the Jaguars last week in a move which ended his two-year run with the team. Suitors emerged rather quickly, though, and the Texans were among those which hosted him on a visit. The run-stop specialist did not need to wait until free agency to land a deal, and he has found a new home in short order.

After a four-year run with the Jets on his rookie deal, the 29-year-old landed a $30MM pact with Jacksonville. Fatukasi did not develop into an impact pass-rusher during his time as a Jaguar, though, leading to the team’s decision to move on with one year left on his pact. He will now aim to maintain a starting role as part of Houston’s defensive line, a unit which has been the source of speculation related to a major addition.

The Texans loom as a potential suitor for Dolphins DT Christian Wilkins. With Chris Jones having landed a monster re-up with the Chiefs, Wilkins comfortably sits atop the list of the best interior defenders who will reach the open market this week. Houston could still be aggressive in pursuing a deal with the former first-rounder, but if that falls short the team will have an experienced rotational option at a minimum in the form of Fatukasi.

Houston entered Sunday with almost $63MM in cap space, so a (presumably) low-cost Fatukasi deal will not tangibly limit the team’s spending power at the position. The Texans will not have Sheldon Rankins in place next season, something which will limit them from an interior pass-rushing perspective as things stand. Fatukasi will help in the run defense department, though, as he makes an intra-divisional move.

Seahawks, Nick Bellore To Part Ways

Another veteran member of the Pete Carrol-era Seahawks will not be in place for 2024. Seattle and special teamer Nick Bellore will part ways on Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

One year remained on Bellore’s latest Seahawks contract; he was due to count $4MM against the cap. Seattle will see $2.85MM in cap savings by releasing him just ahead of free agency. Monday marks the beginning of the legal tampering window, and the 34-year-old will be free to discuss a new deal with teams before signing one as early as Wednesday.

The former UDFA served as a starting linebacker with the 49ers in 2016, but throughout the rest of his career he has seen most of his playing time on special teams. Bellore has notably seen usage both at linebacker and fullback, although he only had six offensive touches during his five seasons in the Emerald City. He earned a second career Pro Bowl nod in 2023 after logging an 83% snap share on special teams. In spite of that, the team will move on.

Bellore joins a long list of veterans which have been (or will be) released as part of a financial reset this offseason. Safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, along with tight end Will Dissly and defensive tackle Bryan Mone will not return in 2024. Bellore’s absence will not be acutely felt on offense or defense, but his third phase contributions on a Seahawks team which ranked eight in special teams DVOA last season will be missed.

The Central Michigan product has experience with the Jets, 49ers and Lions in addition to his time as a Seahawk. Bellore has played in 200 regular season games (as well as four in the postseason), and Pelissero notes he intends to continue his career. It will be interesting to see how much of a market develops for him in the near future.

Bears, S Kevin Byard Agree To Deal

Kevin Byard saw his brief Eagles tenure come to an end recently, but he has not needed to wait until the new league year to find his next home. The veteran safety has agreed to a two-year deal with the Bears, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reports.

This contract will carry a base value of $15MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds. Byard was set to visit a non-Chicago suitor today, per a previous Rapoport report. Instead, he has an agreement in place which will send him to the Windy City. Like all players released prior to free agency, he was free to sign with a team at any time.

Considering the Bears (a team which had nearly $63MM in cap space as of Sunday) hosted Byard yesterday, this news comes as little surprise. The 30-year-old was one of several decorated safeties on the open market after a large number of them were let go in the build-up to the new league year. The Eagles traded for Byard at the deadline in 2023, but they cut him earlier this month as part of a notable re-shaping of their secondary.

Prior to his Philadelphia stint, the former third-rounder had a productive tenure with the Titans from 2016 through to this fall. Byard earned a Pro Bowl nod as well as first-team All-Pro honors in the 2017 and 2021 seasons, and he has remained a full-time starter for the past seven years. He will be expected to provide experience and high-end production in Chicago given the terms of his new deal.

The Bears released Eddie Jackson this offseason, marking an end to his seven-year run with the franchise. Byard will take on Jackson’s starting role alongside Jaquan Brisker on the backend. Given the latter’s play to begin his career, along with the other young pieces in place in the Bears’ secondary, the team could be well-positioned to improve on its 25th place finish against the pass from 2023.

Standout corner Jaylon Johnson will be a major part of that effort, as he landed a lucrative extension shortly after receiving the franchise tag. Johnson had a breakout campaign in terms of ball production in particular last season, and continued play in that regard will go a long way to ensuring defensive success for Chicago. Byard will aim to play a central role in that regard as well.

The latter notched one interception and three pass breakups in his Eagles tenure; when taking his time with the Titans into account, Byard recorded over 100 tackles for the third time in the past four seasons. This pact represents a step back financially compared to his Titans extensions (averaging $14.1MM, then $12.55MM per season), but it comes during what could be a buyer’s market at the S position. Byard’s deal will likely be used as a barometer as other safeties find new teams over the course of free agency.

Jets To Sign CB Isaiah Oliver

The Jets have agreed to terms with cornerback Isaiah Oliver on a one-year deal, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. Oliver, who spent the 2023 campaign with the 49ers after a five-year run with the Falcons, was released by San Francisco last month.

This is the second move to fortify the defensive backfield that New York has made today, as reports on the club’s one-year agreement with safety Chuck Clark surfaced a little over an hour before the Oliver news. As The Athletic’s Matt Barrow observes, New York is adding the latter with the intention of also using him at safety. Oliver spent time practicing at that spot toward the end of his 49ers tenure.

The 27-year-old was brought to San Francisco to man the slot corner role, but things did not go according to plan in that regard. Oliver allowed a completion percentage of 84% and a passer rating of 101 as the nearest defender in 2023. He also surrendered three touchdowns in coverage, and those factors no doubt informed San Francisco’s decision to move on. Oliver will be reunited with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich with this move, after the pair worked together in Atlanta.

The Jets have Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed in place as cornerback starters; rather than joining that tandem in the slot, Oliver will aim to carve out a role on the backend. Clark’s new deal will provide the Jets with a first-team option at one safety spot, and Oliver could compete for the other one. Jordan Whitehead – who started all 17 games in each of the past two seasons after signing with New York in 2022 – is a pending free agent.

New York entered Sunday with nearly $21MM in cap space, flexibility which will be useful this week once the legal tampering begins and free agency opens two days later. It will be interesting to see if Whitehead is retained given the Oliver acquisition, but the latter could serve as experienced depth if another starter is also brought in. In any case, Oliver will aim to rebuild his value in 2024 after a disappointing one-and-done tenure in the Bay Area.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Panthers To Release C Bradley Bozeman

Bradley Bozeman‘s tenure in Charlotte has come to an end. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Panthers will release the veteran center at the start of the league year on Wednesday. Bozeman was due a $1.5MM roster bonus on March 16, so Carolina will avoid that payment.

Bozeman began his career with the Ravens, seeing first-team playing time at both guard and center. It was in the latter role that he finished his rookie contract in 2021, remaining a full-time starter over the course of that campaign. In his first trip to free agency, the former sixth-rounder headed to Charlotte on a one-year pact. Bozeman made 17 appearances (and 11 starts) in that time.

A mutual interest existed between team and player to work out a new arrangement, and that was indeed the case last March. Bozeman inked a three-year, $18MM deal to remain with the Panthers. After only one year on that pact, however, Carolina – now led by general manager Dan Morgan – will cut bait and begin to search out a replacement. Joe Person of The Athletic notes Bozeman declined to take a pay cut to remain with the team. By timing the release after the new league year begins, the Panthers will have the option of designating this move a post-June 1 cut. That route would yield $2MM in cap savings and $5.64MM in dead money.

Bozeman earned a PFF grade of 62.2 in 2023, a figure which falls roughly in line with most of his past performances . Strong play as a run blocker was overshadowed by shortcomings in terms of pass protection; the 29-year-old was charged with eight sacks allowed as part of a Panthers’ O-line which struggled to keep quarterback Bryce Young upright. Major changes up front will be a top priority for Morgan and Co. in free agency and/or the draft.

The 2024 free agent class already featured a few center options for teams to choose from, but Bozeman will be a notable addition to the group. Highly regarded for his work off the field, the Alabama product has earned the Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination in both Baltimore and Carolina. He will be hard-pressed to land another pact averaging $6MM as he did last offseason, but he should manage to find a new home in relatively short order.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.