2024 March - Pro Football Rumors

Month: January 2025

Packers Aiming To Reduce Aaron Jones’ Cap Number, Not Expected To Re-Sign AJ Dillon

March 1st, 2024 at 5:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Just more than a year ago, the Packers helped lay the groundwork for a rough running back year. They reached a pay-cut agreement with Aaron Jones, ensuring he would stay for the 2023 season. That pact paid off, with Jones helping drive the team to the divisional round.

GM Brian Gutekunst said earlier this offseason the team planned to retain Jones, who is going into his age-29 season. But the Packers are interested in lowering Jones’ $17MM 2024 cap number. With this being the final year of the talented running back’s contract, such a reduction is a trickier matter.

Packers brass and Jones’ agent met Friday about making the change, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein. It is unclear how the sides plan to accomplish this goal. Also unclear: how motivated Green Bay is to make the move. An all-or-nothing effort on this front would naturally put Jones’ roster spot in jeopardy. An extension would help here, as going deeper into the void years well would increase dead money associated with the contract-year RB.

Jones accepted a $5MM reduction in exchange for an $8.52MM signing bonus last February. The void years from that adjustment run through 2027. Were Jones to depart as a free agent next year, the Pack would be hit with $6.6MM in dead money. Should Green Bay release the productive back now, a post-June 1 designation would probably be necessary. That would only leave the team with $5.7MM in 2024 dead money, while bringing more than $11MM in cap savings. That said, Jones remains a valuable piece and the only veteran presence among the team’s skill-position corps.

A four-year Packer contributor, AJ Dillon is on track for free agency. The between-the-tackles bulldozer is not expected to be re-signed, Silverstein adds. Although Jones battled hamstring and knee injuries in 2023, he returned and ripped off a borderline-dominant stretch to help the Packers make a late-season charge that ended with the team putting a scare into the eventual NFC champion 49ers in Round 2. Jones put together for five consecutive 100-plus-yard rushing games to close the season. Dillon did not fare as well in a contract year.

The former second-round pick averaged a career-low 3.4 yards per carry, scoring just two touchdowns. The Packers leaned on their experienced RBs last season, deploying a WR-TE contingent consisting entirely of first- or second-year players. Dillon totaled 1,573 rushing yards and 12 TDs between the 2021 and ’22 seasons, becoming a popular presence in Green Bay despite a limited pass-game skillset.

Jones is one of the game’s best dual-threat backs, and the Packers would certainly miss the former fifth-round pick if he was jettisoned. That said, a host of options will be available to RB-needy teams in free agency. That spells trouble for Dillon, who joins Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Austin Ekeler, Derrick Henry, Tony Pollard, D’Andre Swift and Gus Edwards as notable backs set to hit the market. The Bengals may add Joe Mixon to this list soon as well. This would help the team with Jones, who is due an $11.1MM base salary next season. Though, it is unclear if the Packers are planning another pay-cut ultimatum.

The Packers recently created some cap space by restructuring the contracts of Preston Smith and Rashan Gary, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The moves created more than $7MM in cap space together. Green Bay, which is also likely to release David Bakhtiari, currently holds just more than $14MM in cap room.

Commanders To Cut C Nick Gates

March 1st, 2024 at 3:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Another Commanders offensive starter will be moved off the team’s roster Friday. Following the releases of Charles Leno and Logan Thomas, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports Nick Gates will join the duo in being cut.

This may be a post-June 1 designation. Gates signed a three-year, $16.5MM deal in 2023, and Schefter adds Washington will not release the veteran interior lineman until the new league year begins. A post-June 1 cut would make more sense here, with a Gates move not moving the needle much financially otherwise.

A post-June 1 Gates release will create $2MM in cap space for the team this year, though it will keep that contract on the books through 2025. If Washington does not use the post-June 1 designation, it will only save $333K and be tagged with more dead money. Rather than pay Gates’ $2.89MM base salary next season, the Commanders will be hit with — in the event of a post-June 1 move — $3.7MM in dead money.

Rehabbing a broken leg sustained in September 2021 during a Giants game in Washington, Gates returned in 2022 to re-establish his value. The Commanders signed both he and Andrew Wylie in free agency, attempting to provide their O-line with more midlevel solutions. With Leno gone as well, Washington is cleaning out the veteran branch. Wylie’s contract remains on the books, however. After Eric Bieniemy‘s exit, Wylie’s status will be worth monitoring.

The Gates decision was not too hard to forecast. The Commanders benched the ex-Giants starter midway through the season, moving Tyler Larsen back into the lineup. A Larsen injury, however, led Gates back into the fray. He started the final three games for the team last season. With Larsen also a free agent, the Commanders have some holes to fill up front. They will have the necessary funds to do so.

Gates, 28, was once a Giants extension recipient, re-signing with New York after early success at center. The 2021 injury threw that contract off course, as Big Blue’s center carousel spun. Gates made it back midway through the 2022 season, working as a guard and helping the Giants to a surprise playoff run. He started eight games that season, but it did not lead to a sustained role in Washington.

Unlike Leno and Thomas, Gates will not have a chance to shop around for another destination immediately. Due to the likelihood this is a post-June 1 cut, Gates will have to wait until the March 13 start of the 2024 league year before entering free agency. It will be interesting if the Giants, who are in need at guard once again, give thought to a reunion. They wanted to re-sign Gates in 2022 but passed and moved to other options.

Patriots Release CB J.C. Jackson

March 1st, 2024 at 3:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Seeing the Chargers foot most of their J.C. Jackson bill, the Patriots will again separate from the veteran cornerback. They announced Jackson’s release Friday.

Due to the nature of last season’s trade, the Pats will pick up considerable cap room via this transaction. No guarantees remained on Jackson’s deal. Thus, no dead money is on tap; New England will gain $14.38MM in cap space.

Considering the Patriots already led the league in cap space, this will be a notable move. It stands to push their available funds past $100MM. Jackson was due $2MM on March 15, per the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin.

Given Jackson’s rocky 2023 season and the arrangement between the Bolts and Pats, it is unsurprising the AFC East team is moving on. Jackson will head back to free agency, but his stock has tanked two years after signing a top-10 cornerback pact. The Chargers gave Jackson a five-year, $82.5MM deal in 2022. They gave the former UDFA $40MM guaranteed; via the 2023 trade, that will turn into $20.8MM in dead money on the Bolts’ 2024 books.

Bill Belichick did move Jackson back into his starting lineup — weeks after Christian Gonzalez‘s season-ending injury. Although Jackson started six games back in New England, his hurdle-filled 2023 continued. The Pats did not take Jackson to Germany for their Colts matchup, with a curfew violation behind that. They also shut down Jackson early to close the season, citing mental health as the reasoning behind the latter decision.

Jackson did spend much of 2023 rehabbing the ruptured patellar tendon he sustained midway through the 2022 slate in Los Angeles. Jackson’s L.A. debut was not going well, however, and Brandon Staley demoted the high-priced corner early last season. Being a healthy scratch for an early-season Vikings matchup, Jackson was soon traded. He did add one interception to his impressive career total, which now sits at 26, but the 28-year-old defender’s career is at a crossroads.

Showing considerable promise during his first Patriots stint, Jackson went from UDFA — after a turbulent college career that involved some off-field trouble — to regular on the 2018 Patriots’ Super Bowl-winning team. Jackson then totaled 17 interceptions between the 2020 and ’21 seasons. Regularly letting corners walk for bigger paydays elsewhere during Belichick’s tenure, the Pats both passed on a franchise tag and a second contract in 2022. After circling back to Jackson in a borderline emergency circumstance last year, New England is moving on once again.

49ers Interview Raiders’ Gerald Alexander For DC

March 1st, 2024 at 3:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

A fifth candidate for the 49ers’ defensive coordinator job has emerged. After identifying Chiefs DBs coach David Merritt as an option, the NFC champions are eyeing another AFC West assistant.

The 49ers met with Raiders safeties coach Gerald Alexander on Friday, according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows. Alexander has been an NFL DBs coach since 2020, spending time in Miami, Pittsburgh and Las Vegas. Alexander took the job in Las Vegas this offseason; he was with the Steelers in 2023.

The Raiders just announced Alexander as part of their finalized coaching staff last week, bringing him aboard to work under retained DC Patrick Graham. This is not Alexander’s first shot at a DC job, however. He interviewed for the Jaguars’ post in 2022.

Alexander, 39, spent the past two years as the Steelers’ assistant defensive backs coach. An ex-Dolphins assistant under Brian Flores, Alexander followed his former boss to Pittsburgh in 2022. Flores stopped through Pennsylvania as linebackers coach that year, coming over after filing a discrimination lawsuit. Flores moved on and became the Vikings’ DC, but Alexander stayed on Mike Tomlin‘s staff. Unless the 49ers hire him, Alexander will work under Graham in Vegas.

A former NFL DB who started for the Lions and Jaguars, Alexander spent the 2010s coaching in the college ranks. That period ended with a three-year stay in the Bay Area, when he served as Cal’s DBs coach. Via PFR’s Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker, here is how the 49ers’ pursuit of a Steve Wilks replacement looks:

Gerald Alexander, safeties coach (Raiders): Interviewed 3/1
Daniel Bullocks, defensive backs coach (49ers): Interviewed 2/28
David Merritt, defensive backs coach (Chiefs): To interview
Nick Sorensen, defensive passing game specialist (49ers): Interviewed
Brandon Staley, former head coach (Chargers): Interviewed

Commanders Release LT Charles Leno

March 1st, 2024 at 1:18pm CST by Adam La Rose

Cost-cutting season continues around the NFL. Left tackle Charles Leno has been told by the Commanders that he is being released, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The team has since announced the move.

As Rapoport notes, Leno is set to undergo hip surgery next week. That procedure will no doubt be a factor in determining his free agent value, just as it played a role in today’s move. The 32-year-old was limited to 13 games this season (his fewest since his rookie season), and he ended the year on injured reserve due to a calf injury.

Leno began his career with a seven-year Bears stint. He initially came to the nation’s capital on a one-year pact, but he had been attached to a three-year, $37.5MM extension inked in 2022. One year remained on that contract, and he was due $12MM in 2024. With none of his base salary guaranteed, however, Leno profiled as a release candidate for this offseason.

Releasing the former Pro Bowler now will generate $7.28MM in cap space while incurring a dead cap charge of $8.25MM. Designating Leno a post-June 1 cut, by contrast, would yield $11.78MM in savings and a much smaller dead money figure. Washington would not see that added flexibility until June, though, well after the initial waves of free agency. Already armed with considerable cap space, the team will be able to handle an immediate release and remain in position to spend big on the open market.

Leno remained a consistent performer along the blindside during his Commanders tenure. He earned a PFF grade of at least 71.6 in each campaign with the team, drawing strong marks for pass protection in particular. That remained the case in 2023, when he ranked 28th overall out of 81 qualifying tackles. With the former seventh-rounder now out of the picture, though, the LT spot could see notable turnover in Washington this offseason.

Fellow veteran Cornelius Lucas – who filled in as a starter to close out the season after Leno was shut down – is a pending free agent. Both he and Leno could thus be playing elsewhere next season, leaving the Commanders in search of replacements along the blindside. Improvement up front will be a major priority for the offseason, after quarterback Sam Howell was sacked a league-leading 65 times in 2023.

The Commanders have former UDFAs Julian Good-Jones and Alex Akingbulu under contract for next season. The same is also true of Braeden Daniels, who was drafted in the fourth round last April but spent his entire rookie campaign on injured reserve. Washington will have the cap space to pursue a veteran O-lineman or two to supplement the team’s in-house options, as well as draft capital to make a long-term investment up front. Meanwhile, Leno will turn his attention to his operation and, following that, his free agent market.

Eagles To Release S Kevin Byard

March 1st, 2024 at 10:46am CST by Adam La Rose

Kevin Byard joined the Eagles as a trade acquisition in 2023, but his time with the franchise has proven to be quite short. The veteran safety is being released, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Byard enjoyed a productive seven-plus seasons with the Titans, but his future in the organization faced questions entering the 2023 campaign. He wound up beginning the year in Tennessee, but he was dealt to the Eagles not long before the trade deadline. The move allowed the Titans to continue moving on from veteran contracts while providing Philadelphia an experienced option in the secondary. One year remained on Byard’s pact, but instead he will now hit the open market.

The 30-year-old was due $14.1MM in 2024, but very little of it was guaranteed. Today’s move will generate just over $13MM in cap savings for the Eagles and a dead cap charge of only $1.39MM. As the Eagles look to rebuild a defense which struggled down the stretch in particular last season, that added financial flexibility will be welcomed in advance of free agency.

Byard remained a full-time starter in the regular season with the Eagles, as was the case during the team’s wild-card loss. He recorded one interception, three pass deflections and 80 total tackles in that span, production which could allow him to land a short-term deal as a veteran contributor. The two-time All-Pro has nevertheless seen his ball production decline in recent years, something which will hurt his market value as he joins a number of veteran safeties in search of a new home.

Eddie Jackson, Tracy Walker and Marcus Maye have each been released by their respective teams in cost-shedding moves. The same is now true of Byard, meaning several experienced options will be available in free agency (compared to relatively few young producers at the safety spot, particularly if Antoine Winfield Jr. is franchise-tagged by the Buccaneers). After including Terrell Edmunds in the package to acquire Byard, meanwhile, the Eagles will be a team to watch with respect to an addition at the position.

Philadelphia only has Sydney Brown and Reed Blankenship under contract for 2024 at the moment. Justin Evans is a pending free agent, and he could join Byard in finding a new team in the near future. Today’s move will leave the Eagles with roughly $42MM in cap space, which will allow them the flexibility to pursue an upgrade on the backend. For Byard, it will be interesting to see how strong of a market develops as he prepares to likely join a third team in his career.

Latest On Patriots’ QB Plans

March 1st, 2024 at 10:29am CST by Adam La Rose

MARCH 1: Providing a rebuttal to the MassLive report, Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald write that no multi-step plan has been agreed upon and communicated throughout the Patriots’ organization. Nevertheless, they corroborate the overwhelming expectation around the league that New England will keep the No. 3 pick and use it on a quarterback of the future. The team’s actions aside from taking that route will of course be interesting to follow.

FEBRUARY 29: With a new regime in place and the opportunity to add a franchise passer in the draft, the Patriots will be a team to watch closely as the offseason unfolds. Trading out of the No. 3 slot remains a possibility, of course, but New England could favor remaining near the top of the board and adding one of the top signal-callers in the 2024 class.

The Patriots have “explored their options” with respect to free agent quarterbacks, Chad Graff and Jeff Howe of The Athletic report (subscription required). It remains the team’s preference, however, to make a long-term investment at the position through the draft, they add. Caleb Williams is likely to go first overall (provided the Bears move on from Justin Fields), which will leave the Commanders and Patriots with Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels to choose from in the second and third slots.

The Athletic report confirms Eliot Wolf – now in charge of roster decisions – values QB traits which align with Maye and Daniels. It adds that the second tier of passers in this year’s class (J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr.) could each be off the board by the next time New England picks at 34th overall. That could provide further incentive to remain at No. 3 and take the top available signal-caller.

Providing further detail on the subject, MassLive’s Karen Guregian and Chris Mason report the Patriots have a three-step plan in place at the QB spot. They corroborate that the first of those steps is selecting a passer third overall, although the second phase involves signing a veteran in free agency. The addition of a bridge option like Gardner Minshew, Jacoby Brissett or Ryan Tannehill would allow the newly-drafted rookie to begin his career on the sidelines. The Packers (with whom Wolf spent considerable time prior to his Patriots tenure) have allowed first-round quarterbacks to sit behind established starters in the case of both Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love, though New England’s situation will of course be different if an experienced option arrives via free agency.

With respect to Mac Jones, the Athletic report confirms a trade is seen around the league as something which would represent the best outcome for both team and player. The former first-rounder has struggled over the past two seasons, and moving on would allow him to attempt to re-build his value in a new environment. Guregian and Mason note a Jones trade is indeed the final step in the Patriots’ plan for the offseason.

After bottoming out during Bill Belichick‘s final season at the helm of the franchise, the Patriots have a number of other roster holes to consider filling in free agency and the draft. Seen as being much more than one quarterback away from contention, a move down the board would yield extra draft capital and likely allow for an addition at the receiver or tackle spot. If the team’s evaluation of Maye and Daniels checks out in the coming weeks, though, it would come as no surprise if one of them ultimately became New England’s top option.

Belichick’s evaluation of the 2024 class produced an affinity for Daniels, NFL Network’s Bridget Condon reports (video link). While that is essentially a moot point with Wolf and new head coach Jerod Mayo now tasked with overseeing New England’s rebuild, it will be interesting to see if their examination of the top prospects yields a similar conclusion. In any case, the Patriots remain on track to have at least one new face in the QB room in 2024.

Giants, Saquon Barkley Resume Contract Talks

March 1st, 2024 at 9:43am CST by Adam La Rose

For the time being, Saquon Barkley remains on track for free agency. He would be be one of several veterans available on the open market, but a Giants agreement is still a possibility.

Player and team resumed contract talks earlier this week during the Combine, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reports. That falls in line with the previously-established plan for both sides in particular and common practice in general around the NFL when it comes to negotiations with pending free agents. Anderson adds that the meeting is believed to have gone well.

Upon the opening of the franchise tag window, the expectation was New York would steer clear of placing the one-year tender on Barkley for a second straight season. When speaking on the subject at the Combine, however, Giants general manager Joe Schoen confirmed that all options – including a second tag – were still on the table. As a result, Barkley may not join a slew of other veteran backs (a list which also features 2023 tag recipients Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard) in reaching the open market later this month.

The Giants have until March 5 to apply a second tag, which would cost $12.1MM. With the 2024 salary cap checking in at a higher figure than teams anticipated, absorbing an eight-figure commitment at the RB position would be less cumbersome that New York first thought. The team has a number of other offseason matters to sort out, though, including an agreement with safety Xavier McKinney. A transition tag has been floated as a possibility in the latter’s case, but using it would prevent the Giants from being able to tag Barkley.

The Texans have emerged as a team to watch on the running back market this offseason, and Barkley reportedly has his eyes on a deal sending him to Houston. Such a move will not be possible if a Giants agreement is reached or the franchise tag winds up being used once again, though. New York’s efforts to retain the two-time Pro Bowler will remain a key storyline in the coming days, and the tag would create an extended window to continue negotiating well into the summer. That wound up being the case last offseason with no accord being struck; it will be interesting to see if 2024 produces a different outcome.

Cowboys To Retain Trey Lance In 2024; Team Will Not Pick Up QB’s Fifth-Year Option

March 1st, 2024 at 8:54am CST by Adam La Rose

Most of the attention concerning the Cowboys’ quarterback situation is of course focused on starter Dak Prescott. His contract status will be worth watching this offseason, but clarity has emerged regarding Trey Lance.

The latter will remain with the team through the 2024 campaign, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports. The Cowboys will therefore pay out a $4.25MM roster bonus which is due five days after the start of training camp. In all, Dallas will owe the former No. 3 pick $5.31MM, a figure which notably dwarfs the compensation backup Cooper Rush is set to receive ($2.25MM).

Lance entered the league with considerable expectations given the trade haul spent by the 49ers to move up and select him in 2021. He entered his second campaign atop the depth chart, but a season-ending injury limited him to just a pair of games. Brock Purdy‘s performance after that point made Lance expendable, and he was dealt to the Cowboys in August. Acquired for only a fourth-round pick, the 23-year-old received a fresh start in the process, although he did not see any regular season action.

Today’s news means Lance will be in place for the coming campaign, but Watkins unsurprisingly adds the Cowboys will not exercise his 2025 fifth-year option. Doing so would have locked the team into a $22.41MM salary that season, far more than he will be worth presuming he remains on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. Lance can nevertheless turn his attention to an offseason competition with Rush for the QB2 spot while Dallas continues to work out a deal keeping Prescott in place for years to come.

Rush is on track for free agency in 2025. The former UDFA has made 26 appearances and six starts during his Cowboys tenure, which dates back to 2017. Lance will join him in a similar capacity from a financial standpoint after spending a season as a developmental third option on the QB depth chart. It will be interesting to see if Dallas will again keep three passers on the active roster and if so, which one will earn the backup job during training camp and the preseason. Especially if he wins the No. 2 gig, Lance will have the opportunity to continue the Cowboys chapter of his career through 2024.