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Offseason In Review: Kansas City Chiefs

July 11th, 2024 at 9:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Going 50 years in between Super Bowl appearances, the Chiefs have now trekked to four (and won three) in the past five seasons. Kansas City’s walk-off Super Bowl LVIII triumph marked the ninth instance of back-to-back Super Bowl wins. However, the Chiefs joined only the Broncos (1997-98) and Patriots (2003-04) as teams in the salary cap era to repeat.

The franchise’s 2017 trade-up for Patrick Mahomes has become one of the most important acquisitions in NFL history, with the two-time MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP already among the all-time quarterback greats. While Mahomes has ground to cover to match some of the game’s long-running legends, he has authored the best six-season stretch to open a career in the position’s history. The Chiefs continue to ride with their formidable Mahomes-Andy Reid partnership, and a retention-heavy offseason featured their defensive pillar re-signing and more weaponry coming after a choppy regular season through the air.

Re-signings:

Mahomes and Travis Kelce are tied to team-friendly contracts. After the Chiefs attempted to extend Jones at a below-market rate last year, he held out. But the dominant defensive tackle, following a season that may well have secured Hall of Fame credentials, displayed his value — for a Chiefs team suddenly unreliable on offense — and secured whopping terms just before free agency. Using Aaron Donald‘s Rams deal as a template, Jones reset the DT market on a deal well outside the ballpark of where the sides resided during their 2023 negotiations.

From Charvarius Ward to Tyrann Mathieu to Frank Clark to L’Jarius Sneed, the Chiefs have continually moved on from defensive pieces during the Mahomes era. Jones has been the exception, and while Donald’s presence may have left the 2016 second-round pick as perennially underrated, the Chiefs’ No. 2 defensive ranking last season left no doubt as to who is the NFL’s current DT kingpin. Jones, 30, now has the contract to prove it.

The Chiefs were hesitant about approaching Donald territory for Jones last year; they wanted to pay Jones in the $22-$25MM-per-year neighborhood — a second tier established by the Quinnen Williams, Jeffery Simmons, Dexter Lawrence and Daron Payne deals — while the All-Pro understandably wanted numbers closer to Donald’s. The Rams had given the all-time great a landmark three-year, $95MM deal that doubled as a straight raise. No team had come close to Donald’s $31.7MM AAV for a D-tackle; Jones capitalized on circumstances to become the NFL’s highest-paid DT.

Entering 2024, Williams’ $66MM guarantee number topped the DT market. The Chiefs’ interior dynamo upped that to $95MM. While Jones’ $60MM full guarantee also leads the way, he is almost certain to see the full $95MM number. If Jones is on Kansas City’s roster on Day 3 of the 2025 league year, his 2026 base salary ($19MM) and a $16MM roster bonus become guaranteed.

Headlines around the Chiefs have focused on their threepeat bid and off-field issues, but Jones scoring this contract after the team held firm on its price point last year represents a major win for the club’s defensive centerpiece. The cap’s record-setting spike and the Chiefs passing on a second franchise tag (after the team tagged him in 2020) due to the 120% rule pushing a 2024 tag’s cost past $31MM, the AFC West powerhouse caved two days before Jones would have hit free agency.

As the Chiefs gear up for the NFL’s first threepeat bid in nearly 20 years, retaining Jones is obviously a vital component. Jones ripped off a 10.5-sack season, which closed with the eight-year vet’s crucial pressure of Brock Purdy that forced the 49ers QB into a rushed throw near the Chiefs’ goal line. That led to a San Francisco field goal and Kansas City’s OT walk-off. Jones trailed only Donald (a familiar position) in pass rush win rate last season, and his 35 sacks over the past three years lead all DTs. He has followed Mahomes and Kelce in using this run of Super Bowl berths to craft a Hall of Fame-caliber resume.

Kansas City’s D-line will look similar this season, with the team also re-upping Nnadi, Pennel, Wharton and Danna. A 2020 fifth-round pick, Danna helped fill the Clark void last season. Showing an ability to operate inside and outside, Danna totaled a career-high 6.5 sacks. Despite the Chiefs having used consecutive first-round picks on defensive ends (George Karlaftis, Felix Anudike-Uzomah), the $13MM Danna guarantee shows their view of the versatile pass rusher. Plugged in as a regular starter opposite Karlaftis last season, Danna has 23 QB hits over the past two years. While Anudike-Uzomah will need to play more to justify the team’s draft investment, the Danna-Karlaftis combo remains in front of the local product.

Tranquill did not match Willie Gay‘s snap rate last season, but the Chiefs chose the ex-Charger over their longtime Nick Bolton sidekick. Tranquill cashed in after his one-year, $3MM Chiefs contract led to a regular role. With Bolton now extension-eligible, the Chiefs are making a commitment to a more experienced player. Considering the cost cuts the team has made in recent years, it will be interesting to see how Bolton talks — which figure to feature the three-down LB seeking an eight-figure-per-year price — shape up. Tranquill, who shined in his Chargers walk year, secured a bigger guarantee at signing compared to three-down cogs Quincy Williams and Logan Wilson.

Playing 57% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps, Tranquill combined 78 tackles with 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. The Notre Dame alum made eight tackles in the Chiefs’ 17-10 AFC clincher in Baltimore. The Chiefs figure to deploy Tranquill, 29 in August, as a three-down player in 2024. Tranquill posted 146 tackles and five sacks in 2022) the last time he held that role (2022).

Edwards-Helaire represents a misstep for GM Brett Veach, who chose the 5-foot-7 running back 32nd overall in 2020. Seventh-rounder Isiah Pacheco supplanted Edwards-Helaire in 2022, ending an injury-plagued stay atop the depth chart. The LSU alum will vie to be Pacheco’s top backup this season, as the Chiefs have not reached their annual one-year agreement with Jerick McKinnon. The Chiefs hosted J.K. Dobbins on a visit the same day they recommitted to CEH; Dobbins soon joined the Chargers.

Trades:

Giving Jones a market-setting payday effectively ensured Sneed would need to find his second contract elsewhere, even though he expressed interest in staying. The Chiefs bet on a trade market forming upon applying a $19.8MM tag on the blossoming cornerback. Kansas City’s bet paid off, to a degree. The team only collected a 2025 third-rounder for a player who was one of last season’s best corners, illustrating the reduced compensation associated with the pricey extension to come. This will continue Kansas City’s CB assembly line under Steve Spagnuolo.

As Trent McDuffie‘s representation has surely noticed, the Chiefs have not made a notable CB payment in over a decade. They traded Marcus Peters in 2018, and after hiring Spagnuolo a year later, the team let Steven Nelson (2019), Kendall Fuller (2020) and Charvarius Ward (2022) walk in free agency. The Chiefs continue to generate solid play from rookie-contract performers.

With McDuffie, Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson each 2022 draftees and Chamarri Conner — a fourth-rounder who appears set for a bigger role post-Sneed — arriving in 2023, the Chiefs do not have to worry about one of their expected regulars departing in 2025. This sets up some development time for McDuffie’s potential sidekicks, with more reps coming after Sneed logged 94%, 96% and 99% snap rates from 2021-23.

A fourth-round find out of Louisiana Tech, Sneed flashed as a slot defender early in his career but settled as a boundary stopper for the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl-winning teams. Last season, Sneed dominated by holding opposing QBs to a 56.2 passer rating (as the closest defender) and allowing only a 51% completion rate.

Some buyer-beware exists here, as Sneed’s 2023 coverage numbers are far better than his 2021 and ’22 stats. The Titans nevertheless paid up, adding both Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie. Sneed scored a cornerback-high $51.5MM guarantee at signing. That checks in $7.5MM above the next-highest CB deal, increasing expectations for a player the Chiefs counted on last year. While many teams looked into Sneed, a package centered around a 2025 third suggests a tepid market ultimately formed.

As the Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill trade reduced their offensive firepower, Spagnuolo’s defense stepped in — particularly last season — to keep the team on the NFL’s top tier. Sneed played a central role in this support effort, not allowing a touchdown in 781 regular-season coverage snaps. It will be a challenge for the Chiefs to stay on that level without Sneed, but their corner development should not be doubted at this point.

Free agency additions:

The Chiefs were among the teams preparing a Mike Evans pitch, but the dependable target re-signed with the Buccaneers before the market opened. Tyler Boyd also loomed on Kansas City’s radar. A surprisingly cheap Brown pact instead became the solution, and the diminutive target will transition from two run-oriented quarterbacks to the game’s current aerial ace.

Tied to the NFL’s most run-based QB1 and being traded to a team that rostered another dual threat, Brown may well have some untapped potential. The Ravens centering their offense around Lamar Jackson‘s skillset prompted Brown to seek a trade in 2022, and his reunion with Oklahoma teammate Kyler Murray featured both parties suffering injuries to limit time together.

After producing just one 800-yard season through five years, Brown will try his luck with Mahomes. While technically a dual threat, Mahomes is obviously better known for his passing prowess. This presents an interesting opportunity for Brown to re-establish his value and the Chiefs to upgrade a wildly inconsistent receiving corps.

Brown totaled 1,008 yards during his final Ravens season, despite Jackson missing time to close out the year, but the 5-foot-9 pass catcher has been inconsistent as a pro. The 2019 first-rounder did combine for 15 touchdown receptions over his first two seasons, even with Jackson not as reliable on throws outside the hashes. After a durable Baltimore run, Brown missed eight games in his two Arizona slates. Foot and heel injuries, respectively, limited the trade acquisition during that time.

Brown also spent much of last season tied to Josh Dobbs, as Murray rehabbed his ACL tear. After the Cardinals discussed an extension last year, they did not opt to match the Chiefs’ modest free agency offer. With Rashee Rice expected to miss a chunk of the season — assuming a suspension is not tabled to 2025 — Brown may move into a WR1 role for a two-time reigning Super Bowl champion.

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Community Tailgate: The Cowboys’ Contract Dilemma

July 10th, 2024 at 10:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 2019 Cowboys offseason featured several extension candidates. The team ended up paying most of them, giving extensions to Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, La’el Collins and Jaylon Smith. Dallas eventually re-signed Amari Cooper, though he hit free agency before that deal was finalized. Byron Jones departed for Miami shortly before the Cooper agreement.

Although one of the extensions — Prescott’s — affects where the Cowboys are now, this offseason’s dilemma dwarfs where Dallas stood five years ago. Three players — Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons — are either in contract years or eligible for an extension. Each member of the trio can make a case to become the highest-paid player at his position. For Lamb and Parsons, that means the highest-paid non-QB. Prescott has unique leverage to force the issue into not only becoming the NFL’s highest-paid player but creating a gap between himself and No. 2 on that list.

The Cowboys are not believed to want to set markets, but they may not have a choice. This qualifies as a good problem, given the talent Parsons and Lamb have displayed on their rookie deals. Prescott has not proven himself to be as good at his position compared to the younger Cowboys stars, but as an upper-echelon quarterback, he would carry significant leverage even if his contract situation veered toward a standard place.

But Dak’s circumstances are far from standard. The former Day 3 sensation bucked the trend by playing out his fourth season, for fourth-round money, and waiting on an extension. This meant a year on the franchise tag. Despite that 2020 season being cut short by an ankle injury that still impacts him today, Prescott secured a four-year, $160MM deal just before the March 2021 deadline to apply franchise tags. Prescott became the outlier Cowboy standout, signing for less than five years, and his leverage-maximization tactics led to a procedural franchise tag and a no-trade clause. Part one of that effort looms large years later.

It is hard to overstate how much leverage the Cowboys have given their ninth-year quarterback. Not only can Prescott not be tagged or traded, an offseason restructure placed a $40.13MM dead money figure in play for 2025. That penalty would hit Dallas’ 2025 cap sheet if Prescott is not re-signed before the start of the 2025 league year. The Vikings are taking this medicine after Kirk Cousins departed in March, though Minnesota’s dead cap hit from that defection is $28.5MM.

Prescott is also tied to what would be a record-setting 2024 cap number ($55.13MM) — Dak, Deshaun Watson and Daniel Jones would each set that record barring changes to their contracts — but the void years on his contract threaten a future penalty. A Zack Martin restructure would also give Dallas a $26.5MM dead cap hit if he is not re-signed before the ’25 league year. Prescott, 30, securing a deal in the $60MM-per-year ballpark should be considered in play based on the ammo he carries.

While the 49ers have seen their Brandon Aiyuk talks impacted by another receiver market boom, the Cowboys are more directly affected by what took place in Minnesota last month. The Vikings gave Justin Jefferson a $35MM-per-year deal that includes record-smashing guarantees ($110MM in total, $88.7MM at signing). The latter figure hovers a staggering $36MM north of the next-closest wideout. Aiyuk has been tied to wanting a guarantee north of $80MM; Lamb — a two-time Pro Bowler and 2023 first-team All-Pro — has proven more and can make a stronger case for Jefferson-level terms.

As they prepare to make a strong Prescott offer, the Cowboys may well have their QB in place as a higher priority compared to their top pass catcher. Lamb can be tagged in 2025, and while the team has used its franchise tag in six of the past seven years, a cap hold near $25MM would be an issue. Though, the Cowboys — albeit without Prescott, Martin and Lamb signed for 2025 — are projected to hold more than $64MM in cap space next year. They would have an easier time tagging Lamb than the 49ers would cuffing Aiyuk. For 2024, a Lamb holdout looms. Martin succeeded down this path last year, but Lamb’s matter is different due to the WR seeking a monster extension instead of more security on an existing contract.

Expecting to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-QB, Parsons has said waiting until 2025 for his payday would be acceptable. Another cap jump and another dominant season would put him on track to command close to $40MM per year, though the Cowboys do not expect next year’s cap spike to match this year’s $30.6MM jump. If the Cowboys do finalize extensions for Prescott and Lamb this year, will three top-market contracts be a workable scenario?

Of the three, Parsons is probably the best overall player. The three-time All-Pro is tied to a 2025 fifth-year option and could be tagged in 2026, separating this matter from the near-future Prescott and Lamb deadlines. But the Cowboys will certainly need to factor in a Parsons payday as they navigate talks for their QB-WR combo.

The team would have saved money by extending Prescott or Lamb last year, but the team checked off other boxes — re-ups for Trevon Diggs and Terence Steele — as these expensive matters lingered. Time is running out for Jerry Jones and Co. to begin enacting solutions before training camp.

How will the team end up resolving this quandary? As costs rise, will trade rumors emerge surrounding one of the standouts? Weigh in with your thoughts on the Cowboys’ situation in PFR’s latest Community Tailgate.

The NFL’s Longest-Tenured GMs

July 10th, 2024 at 10:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s general manager ranks featured some key shakeups this offseason. One of the longest-tenured pure GMs in the game, Tom Telesco, lost his Chargers seat 11 years in. The Raiders, however, gave Telesco a second chance. He now controls the Las Vegas roster. Only Telesco and the Jaguars’ Trent Baalke reside as second-chance GMs currently.

Two long-serving personnel bosses also exited this offseason. The Patriots’ decision to move on from 24-year HC Bill Belichick gave Jerod Mayo a head coaching opportunity but also resulted in Eliot Wolf belatedly rising to the top of the team’s front office hierarchy. A former Packers and Browns exec, Wolf held decision-making power through the draft and kept it on an official basis soon after. While John Schneider arrived in Seattle with Pete Carroll in 2010, the latter held final say. Following Carroll’s ouster after 14 seasons, Schneider has full control.

[RELATED: The NFL’s Longest-Tenured Head Coaches]

The Commanders changed GMs this offseason, hiring ex-San Francisco staffer Adam Peters, but Martin Mayhew received merely a demotion. The three-year Washington GM, who worked alongside Peters with the 49ers, is now in place as a senior personnel exec advising Peters. Rather than look outside the organization, Panthers owner David Tepper replaced Scott Fitterer with Dan Morgan, who had previously worked as the team’s assistant GM.

Going into his 23rd season running the Saints, Mickey Loomis remains the NFL’s longest-serving pure GM. This will mark the veteran exec’s third season without Sean Payton. An eight-year gap now exists between Loomis and the NFL’s second-longest-tenured pure GM.

As the offseason winds down, here is how the league’s 32 GM jobs look:

  1. Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys): April 18, 1989[1]
  2. Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals): August 5, 1991[2]
  3. Mickey Loomis (New Orleans Saints): May 14, 2002
  4. John Schneider (Seattle Seahawks): January 19, 2010; signed extension in 2021
  5. Howie Roseman (Philadelphia Eagles): January 29, 2010[3]; signed extension in 2022
  6. Les Snead (Los Angeles Rams): February 10, 2012; signed extension in 2022
  7. Jason Licht (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 21, 2014; signed extension in 2021
  8. Chris Grier (Miami Dolphins): January 4, 2016[4]
  9. John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers): January 29, 2017; signed extension in 2023
  10. Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts): January 30, 2017; signed extension in 2021
  11. Brandon Beane (Buffalo Bills): May 9, 2017; signed extension in 2023
  12. Brett Veach (Kansas City Chiefs): July 11, 2017; signed extension in 2024
  13. Brian Gutekunst (Green Bay Packers): January 7, 2018; agreed to extension in 2022
  14. Eric DeCosta (Baltimore Ravens): January 7, 2019
  15. Joe Douglas (New York Jets): June 7, 2019
  16. Andrew Berry (Cleveland Browns): January 27, 2020: signed extension in 2024
  17. Nick Caserio (Houston Texans): January 5, 2021
  18. George Paton (Denver Broncos): January 13, 2021
  19. Brad Holmes (Detroit Lions): January 14, 2021: agreed to extension in 2024
  20. Terry Fontenot (Atlanta Falcons): January 19, 2021
  21. Trent Baalke (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 21, 2021
  22. Joe Schoen (New York Giants): January 21, 2022
  23. Ryan Poles (Chicago Bears): January 25, 2022
  24. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Minnesota Vikings): January 26, 2022
  25. Omar Khan (Pittsburgh Steelers): May 24, 2022
  26. Monti Ossenfort (Arizona Cardinals): January 16, 2023
  27. Ran Carthon (Tennessee Titans): January 17, 2023
  28. Adam Peters (Washington Commanders): January 12, 2024
  29. Dan Morgan (Carolina Panthers): January 22, 2024
  30. Tom Telesco (Las Vegas Raiders): January 23, 2024
  31. Joe Hortiz (Los Angeles Chargers): January 29, 2024
  32. Eliot Wolf (New England Patriots): May 11, 2024

Footnotes:

  1. Jones has been the Cowboys’ de facto general manager since former GM Tex Schramm resigned in April 1989.
  2. Brown has been the Bengals’ de facto GM since taking over as the team’s owner in August 1991.
  3. The Eagles bumped Roseman from the top decision-making post in 2015, giving Chip Kelly personnel power. Roseman was reinstated upon Kelly’s December 2015 firing.
  4. Although Grier was hired in 2016, he became the Dolphins’ top football exec on Dec. 31, 2018

Offseason In Review: Las Vegas Raiders

July 9th, 2024 at 9:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mark Davis expressed regret for not elevating Rich Bisaccia to the full-time head coach position in 2022. The owner, who remains tied to Jon Gruden‘s 10-year contract, signed off on paying three HCs last fall by firing Josh McDaniels. Antonio Pierce‘s better-than-expected showing as interim HC prompted Davis to take an unexplored route. The Raiders became the first team in seven years to bump an interim leader to the full-time post, and Pierce becomes one of the least experienced HCs in modern NFL history.

The former Super Bowl-winning linebacker’s promotion defined the Raiders’ offseason, one that also featured the Tom Telesco GM hire and a splashy Christian Wilkins signing. How the Raiders proceeded at quarterback came a close second in terms of offseason storylines. Between choosing Pierce and not taking a big swing for a QB, the Raiders took the road less traveled this offseason.

Coaching/front office:

Player support for Pierce reached the point Maxx Crosby threatened a trade request had Davis not broken with recent NFL tradition and elevated his interim HC. Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams also stumped for Pierce, who received interview requests from the Falcons and Titans. The Raiders made an early decision to pass on a true coaching searching, only interviewing two other candidates (Leslie Frazier and Kris Richard). The search process that ended with Pierce reminded of the plan that produced Gruden, with the team only clearing the Rooney Rule bar before choosing a coach. Pierce being Black, of course, separates this Raiders search from a typical Rooney Rule issue. But this still represents one of the most daring HC hires in decades.

Of the 160 men hired to be head coaches this century, only eight have moved up without previous NFL HC experience, at least one season as a coordinator (or time as a de facto coordinator, in the cases of coaching candidates under the title-phobic Bill Belichick) in the league or time as a college HC. Here is that list:

  • Antonio Pierce, Raiders (2024)
  • Jerod Mayo, Patriots (2024)
  • Jim Tomsula, 49ers (2015)
  • Mike Munchak, Titans (2011)
  • Raheem Morris, Buccaneers (2009)
  • Tom Cable, Raiders (2008)
  • Mike Singletary, 49ers (2008)
  • Lane Kiffin, Raiders (2007)

The Raiders had swerved off this route after Al Davis Cable’s interim tag, hiring veterans like Gruden, McDaniels and Jack Del Rio. Pierce went 5-4 as an interim HC, with the Raiders’ one-sided road win over the Chiefs beginning his charge in earnest for the full-time gig. Still, Pierce’s only full-time coaching positions are Raiders linebackers coach, Arizona State defensive coordinator, Sun Devils LBs coach and Long Beach Poly High HC.

Although Pierce’s nine NFL seasons took up time, he did not enter full-time coaching for nearly five years after his retirement. He also resigned from Arizona State during an NCAA recruiting investigation, but the leadership the ex-Washington and New York linebacker displayed — along with his knowledge of the Raiders’ culture — impressed players and ownership.

Al Davis pulled the trigger on the Kiffin and Cable moves, but Mark Davis is still trying to make a successful hire. The Raiders have two playoff berths since Super Bowl XXXVII, with the franchise tumbling off the contender radar quickly after that blowout. Last season did bring signs of improvement, but teams generally steer clear of promoting interims. Mark Davis passing on a true HC search to keep Pierce based largely on his players’ wishes could represent another of the owner’s shortcomings, but this will be a fascinating experiment.

A report of mutual interest between the Raiders and Jim Harbaugh, who began his coaching career as Bill Callahan‘s QBs coach in 2002, surfaced but did not precede much else of note tying the team to a big-ticket candidate. The Raiders did reach out to Harbaugh’s agent, however, before the Pierce hire. Pierce, 45, and Harbaugh will soon be matching up twice a year. The Raiders did not pursue Mike Vrabel, and Belichick connections proved fleeting. They will hope to keep the Pierce-centered momentum going. The Jaguars (Doug Marrone) were the most recent team to take this route; Marrone lasted four seasons in the full-time chair.

Interim GM Kelly sat in on Raiders HC interviews, but the Raiders were not committed to keeping Dave Ziegler‘s former assistant GM atop the front office. Davis instead chose to pair Pierce with one of the NFL’s most experienced GMs. Telesco spent 11 seasons running the Chargers, and although the team’s underachievement reputation grew to define it during this span, Davis was sufficiently impressed with the Bolts’ roster strength to look beyond their 3-for-11 playoff rate under Telesco. Not counting the Eagles having reinstalled Howie Roseman atop their FO pyramid, Telesco is only the second current GM to be given a second chance, joining Trent Baalke (Jaguars).

Telesco, 51, spent more than a decade working under Hall of Fame GM Bill Polian, being present for the Colts’ Super Bowl XLI win and their Super Bowl berth four years later. As Chargers GM, Telesco hammered out a Philip Rivers extension and later showed an ability to locate a franchise quarterback by drafting Justin Herbert sixth overall in 2020. The Chargers extended their Pro Bowl passer in Telesco’s final months on the job, but an inability to turn franchise QBs and offseason hype into Super Bowl pushes have plagued the Chargers for years.

Pierce’s team walloping the Chargers 63-21 on national TV led to Telesco and Brandon Staley‘s ousters. It is, then, rather interesting Telesco resurfaced alongside Pierce in Las Vegas. The Raiders gave Telesco roster control, which he also held in California. Telesco brought former Chargers exec-turned-interim GM Wooden with him, but he is working primarily with two staffers — Pierce and Kelly — he did not hire. With Kelly having interviewed for the Raiders’ GM job in 2022 and ’24, this forced partnership will be a notable AFC West storyline.

The Telesco-Pierce partnership hit an early snag when its top OC choice reneged on his commitment to join the Commanders. Kingsbury, who re-emerged as a coveted staffer after a year as USC’s QBs coach, was believed to have sought a three-year contract whereas the Raiders only offered a two-year deal. A report soon indicated new Commanders minority owner Magic Johnson helped sway Kingsbury. The Raiders then pivoted to Getsy, whom the Bears had fired weeks earlier.

Getsy, 40, has followed up a run as Aaron Rodgers‘ position coach to two gigs with below-average passers. The young coordinator certainly runs the risk of seeing his play-calling opportunities dry up early, but with many NFL OC gigs not coming with play-calling duties, Getsy has also managed to secure that role twice already.

The Bears ranked 23rd and 18th in scoring offense during Getsy’s two seasons in Illinois, numbers that appear out of line when considering Justin Fields‘ minimal trade value. Getsy took criticism for Fields’ struggles as a passer, but the ex-first-rounder showed some improvement in 2023. This came after Getsy utilized his starter’s prodigious run-game skills en route to Lamar Jackson‘s single-season QB rushing mark nearly falling in 2022.

While Getsy will work with a different genre of QB in Las Vegas, Graham is staying after the Raiders finally showed promise defensively. Graham’s first Raiders defense continued an extended run of futility in 2022, but the unit ranked ninth in scoring last season. This was the first time a Raider defense has ranked in the top half in scoring defense since 2002. Ending that unfathomable streak boosted Graham’s stock, and while he drew more HC interest, the Raiders blocked their defensive play-caller from interviewing for other DC positions.

Pierce’s former Giants HC, Tom Coughlin, helped him prepare during his interim gig and assisted his former pupil in assembling his first Raiders staff. The staff includes Lewis, who returns to the NFL five years after his Bengals firing. Lewis, 65, worked as Arizona State’s co-DC with Pierce in 2020 and stayed on the Sun Devils’ staff as Pierce took on the full-time role in 2021.

The 16-year Bengals HC will work with Graham and Pierce on defense, while Philbin — and not ex-Raider HC Hue Jackson, a rumored target — is in place as a former NFL leader helping out on offense. These senior assistants could be more important on this particular staff due to Pierce’s inexperience.

Free agency additions:

Wilkins joined Chris Jones and Justin Madubuike as defensive tackles who scored market-changing deals this offseason, with the two more experienced players doing better due to unique circumstances. The Dolphins’ cap situation, which required multiple high-profile cuts and longtime starters departing in free agency, made a Wilkins franchise tag difficult. As a result, the five-year Miami starter followed Jones in scoring a monster guarantee.

After it became clear the Dolphins’ efforts to keep Wilkins off the market would fail, the Texans and Vikings surfaced as suitors. But the Raiders swooped in to add an impact piece to their Crosby-centric pass rush. Madubuike already raised the DT guarantee ceiling to $75.5MM upon being franchise-tagged and extended. Jones upped it to a staggering $95MM. Wilkins then secured $82.75MM in total guarantees ($57.5MM at signing).

To put these numbers in perspective, the top DT guarantee stood at $66MM (Quinnen Williams) entering 2024. Jones and Wilkins avoiding the tag, as the salary cap spiked by $30.6MM, keyed a market shift that will affect future teams’ negotiations with talented DTs.

Months-long Dolphins-Wilkins talks included an offer that would have made the 2019 first-rounder a top-10 highest-paid DT, with guarantees surpassing $40MM. Wilkins’ Raiders pact surpassing $80MM guaranteed highlights both favorable circumstances and the Clemson alum’s improvement as a pass rusher.

The Dolphins were hesitant to pay Wilkins on the level of the new DT market that formed — via the 2023 deals for first-rounders Williams, Daron Payne, Jeffery Simmons and Dexter Lawrence — due to his limited production as a pass rusher. After displaying top-notch skills against the run, Wilkins broke through with nine sacks and 23 QB hits (his previous career-highs stood at 4.5 and 13 in these categories) in 2023. Wilkins finished 13th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric last season. This came after he ranked first and second, respectively, in run stop win rate in 2021 and ’22.

PFR’s No. 4 free agent, Wilkins saw Nos. 2 and 3 on that list (Baker Mayfield and Jones) cash in before the legal tampering period. Jones’ deal took an elite option off the market, clearing the runway for Wilkins’ windfall. The Raiders, who have kept costs low on their D-line for a bit, changed course and will aim for the 28-year-old DT changing the equation up front.

A herd of bridge- or backup-level quarterbacks hit free agency. As the Raiders acknowledged their miss on Jimmy Garoppolo, they made the biggest investment via Minshew’s $15MM. This contract rewards the spot starter after he took a $3.5MM deal to become insurance for the QB the Colts would draft. Indianapolis’ Anthony Richardson decision translated to 13 Minshew starts. The Colts went 7-6 in those games, coming close to a surprise AFC South title.

Minshew’s $15MM total guarantee topped the next-closest free agent QB (Sam Darnold) by more than $6MM, illustrating the market for the former Jaguars sixth-rounder. The Raiders gave Garoppolo $33.75MM guaranteed and dropped him after six starts. Minshew’s contract would generate a maximum of $7.6MM in dead money if dropped in 2025.

The Raiders agreeing to pay out Minshew’s 2025 base salary ($11.84MM) will depend on the competition between he and 2023 fourth-rounder Aidan O’Connell. With the Raiders’ primary 2023 starter believed to hold an early lead, Minshew will need to summon the moxie he showed in Jacksonville and Indianapolis.

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Poll: Who Will Win Raiders’ QB Competition?

July 9th, 2024 at 9:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

Training camp and the preseason in 2024 will decide plenty of position battles around the NFL. With respect to quarterbacks, though, few starting gigs are truly unaccounted for this offseason. The Raiders represent an exception.

Vegas’ 2023 Jimmy Garoppolo investment did not pay off as hoped, and he was released after one injury-shortened campaign with the team. Garoppolo’s injury opened the door for Aidan O’Connell to see game action over the second half of the campaign, one in which Josh McDaniels was replaced by Antonio Pierce. The latter was given the full-time gig this spring, and that decision left a fan of O’Connell’s in the building.

Pierce said in March the 2023 fourth-rounder would open any QB competition in pole position. The Raiders were subsequently linked to adding a passer in the first round of the draft, with Pierce appearing to be more on board with a move up the order than new general manager Tom Telesco. In the end, Vegas remained in place on Day 1 and as a result did not add further competition to O’Connell and free agent signing Gardner Minshew.

The latter inked a two-year, $25MM deal in March to join the Raiders. That agreement – a rather lucrative one for a backup – put to rest consideration of a potential Justin Fields acquisition but did not ensure Minshew a first-team role. The 28-year-old was instead viewed as an insurance policy for any rookie the team added as an eventual starter. With such a move not coming to fruition, O’Connell and Minshew will compete for the Week 1 nod this summer.

O’Connell, 25, struggled with turnovers early in his time at the helm before settling down in that regard. Over the course of his final six games, he posted a 9:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Vegas relied on a ground-heavy attack during that time, but the Purdue alum offered enough to suggest he could develop into a starting-caliber option. Increasing his 202 passing yards per game average to an extent would be necessary to achieve that, of course.

Minshew, by contrast, is much more of a known commodity. The former Jaguar and Eagle joined the Colts last offseason to reunite with Shane Steichen. That move proved to be an important one for team and player with much of Anthony Richardson‘s rookie campaign spent on the sidelines due to injury. Minshew logged 13 starts and threw for a career-high 3,305 yards last season, nearly leading Indianapolis to a postseason berth and earning a Pro Bowl invite.

The most recent update on the competition noted that O’Connell may have a slight edge on Minshew entering training camp as the team’s familiar QB option. The Raiders have a different offensive coordinator (Luke Getsy) in place for 2024, though, something which should level the playing field in that respect from Minshew’s perspective. The depth chart will be finalized based on each passer’s performances in the summer, which will consist of split training camp reps and could involve both getting significant preseason playing time.

In the end, who do you feel will win out and earn the starting gig? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and give your thoughts in the comments section below:

Extension Candidate: Matt Judon

July 8th, 2024 at 9:20pm CST by Ben Levine

Matt Judon is set to enter the final season of the four-year, $56MM contract he signed with the Patriots back in 2021. The four-time Pro Bowler has undoubtedly lived up to his contract in New England (at least through the first two seasons), but there have been conflicting reports surrounding the progress of extension talks. That’s led some pundits to wonder if 2024 could end up being Judon’s final season with the organization.

Judon himself provided a discouraging update last week. The veteran posted on X that he doesn’t think an extension is “about to happen” (per Dakota Randall of ProFootballNetwork.com). Further, Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard said that “there are a couple of big contract issues” that may stem from the front office’s decision to hand Christian Barmore a new $92MM deal, with Bedard seemingly pointing the finger at Judon (via Randall).

On the flip side, Mike Jurecki of Arizona Football Daily recently hinted that Judon could sign the league’s “next big contract.” The four-time Pro Bowler has also continued to express interest in continuing his career in New England, and the 31-year-old has been an active free agent recruiter on social media.

In other words, it doesn’t seem like anyone has any idea how this will play out. At the very least, Judon doesn’t intend to make his contract status a distraction. Last year, the player staged a hold-in before coming to a temporary resolution with the Patriots, but the player has since admitted that his negotiation tactic was “trash.” With the impending free agent hinting that he won’t follow a similar path this year, the Patriots could simply let Judon play out his contract before revisiting a long-term deal next offseason.

Of course, this could be the perfect time for the organization to pounce. After compiling 28 sacks through his first two seasons with the Patriots, Judon was limited to four sacks in four games before suffering a season-ending bicep injury in 2023. With the 2024 campaign representing Judon’s age-32 season, the Patriots could cite the player’s age and recent injury as a reason for a discounted extension. Plus, while Judon is only set to earn $7.5MM in 2024, he’s connected to a $14.6MM cap charge, so any extension could help the organization reduce that number for the upcoming season.

Beyond the simple decision to extend Judon, the two sides would obviously have to settle on a value. Judon would probably be hard pressed to garner a $22MM average annual value, a mark that would push him into the top-10 among pass rushers. Von Miller got a $20MM AAV from the Bills ahead of his age-33 season, but Judon is still unlikely to generate that type of money and term (six years). DeMarcus Lawrence‘s three-year, $40MM deal with the Cowboys or Cameron Jordan‘s two-year, $27.5MM deal with the Saints may be better benchmarks. Considering the Patriots are armed with plenty of future cap space, this shouldn’t be a prohibitive move for the front office.

There would probably be plenty of teams willing to give Judon at least $13MM per year, and those hypothetical suitors would probably give the player a better chance at winning. The projected franchise tag for Judon is likely untenable (between $24MM and $25MM, per OverTheCap.com), so the Patriots could risk the player walking for nothing if they can’t agree to an extension now.

As the team’s defensive and emotional leader, the Patriots can’t afford to move on from Judon in 2024. It remains to be seen if the organization is willing to pay up to keep him on the roster for 2025 and beyond.

PFR Originals: Bolts, WRs, Cardinals, Vikings

July 7th, 2024 at 10:03pm CST by Ely Allen

Here’s a rundown of recent PFR originals:

  • With the initial rushes of free agency coming to a close, Ben Levine took a look at where each team ranks in projected salary cap space for the 2025 season with the help of OvertheCap.com. A few teams at the bottom of their divisions like the Patriots, Cardinals, and Commanders are all projected to have the ability to be big spenders in the next offseason.
  • Sam Robinson continued our Offseason in Review series with a look at the offseason activities of the Chargers. Now led by college football’s most recent national championship-winning head coach Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles will field a new-look offense coached by new offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Roman’s new-look offense will be without recent offensive staples Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Ekeler but adds some former Roman associates in Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins.
  • I continued our work on the Offseason in Review series with a dive into the Cardinals’ activities for the past few months. After some losses in the trenches and in the receiving corps, Arizona made moves to reinforce those areas of loss with a number of free agency signings on both the offensive and defensive lines. The team also made two serious investments for quarterback Kyler Murray, drafting legacy wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4 overall and trading for backup quarterback Desmond Ridder as an upgrade in case Murray misses any more time.
  • Sam followed this up with the Offseason in Review series’ edition of the Vikings’ offseason activities. Third-year general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah‘s main focus this offseason was the big-money extension for star wide receiver Justin Jefferson, while other key offensive contributors like Kirk Cousins, Alexander Mattison, and K.J. Osborn found themselves headed to free agency. Minnesota will hope that their two first-round picks, J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, will help offset some of the losses, but the team’s third pick in the draft, Khyree Jackson, tragically lost his life in a car accident days ago.
  • We’ve seen a number of star veteran cornerbacks push the market in recent offseasons and some young players set a slightly lower market for some of the best, young corners in the game. The latest of those players vying for a new deal is former first-round pick AJ Terrell for the Falcons. Ben laid out the case for Terrell to get a big, new contract extension before “negotiations get tense.”
  • There are several key wide receivers pushing their clubs for new contracts this offseason. New deals for players like Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, Calvin Ridley, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, and others have made things even tougher for receivers like Brandon Aiyuk, Amari Cooper, Tee Higgins, Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, and Courtland Sutton, all of whom are looking for some kind of update to their current situation, as Sam detailed here.
  • Carolina passer Bryce Young had a rocky rookie season as Adam Thielen was the only receiver to truly contribute to the offense in a big way in 2023. I broke down what the upcoming season will look like for the Panthers’ wide receiving corps with the additions of Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette, and Daewood Davis.
  • After watching Bill Belichick part ways with the Patriots this offseason, the top of the list of the NFL’s longest-tenured head coaches looks slightly different, with Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin and Baltimore’s John Harbaugh sitting alone atop the list now. Sam ran through the entire list, noting when each coach was hired and for how much longer they’re going to be under contract.
  • Lastly, Ben noted that it was three years ago yesterday that wide receiver N’Keal Harry requested a trade from the Patriots. Harry’s struggles on the field continued that season and, after having his fifth-year option declined, he saw his trade-request fulfilled as New England shipped him off to Chicago. Now with the Vikings and making a transition to tight end, Harry is still working to make his impact on the NFL.

5 Key Stories: 6/30/24 – 7/7/24

July 7th, 2024 at 4:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

The past few days have seen several key developments take place around the NFL. In case you missed any of the top stories from this week, here is a quick recap:

  • Vikings’ Jackson Dies At 24: Vikings rookie cornerback Khyree Jackson was involved in a car accident which resulted in his death as well as that of two of his former high school teammates. Jackson was 24. The car he was a passenger in collided with another during an incident early Saturday morning, and investigators believe alcohol was a “contributing circumstance” in the accident. A third vehicle was also involved, but no other injuries were suffered. Jackson spent time at community college before playing at Alabama and ultimately transferring to Oregon. He earned first-team All-Pac 12 honors in 2023 and was selected by Minnesota in the fourth round of April’s draft.
  • Jaguars Finalize 30-Year Jacksonville Lease: The future of the Jaguars has been a talking point in the past, but the team’s long-term outlook will keep it in Duval County. Jacksonville City Council approved a 30-year lease with the Jags, something which will put to rest questions about potential relocation. The team’s EverBank Stadium will be renovated as part of the long-term project which will ensure stability from an organizational standpoint. The Jaguars have played regular season games in London dating back to 2013, and their formal international arrangement is set to continue for years to come. With nothing imminent regarding European expansion, though, midseason games at Wembley Stadium are set to remain the only instances of Jacksonville playing overseas.
  • Patriots, Tavai Reach Extension Agreement: After three seasons in New England (including two as a starter), linebacker Jahlani Tavai agreed to a deal constituting a notable raise. The pending free agent worked out a three-year Patriots extension with a base value of $15MM. The pact can max out at $21MM, but in any event this deal is worth far more per season than the $1.88MM Tavai was due to earn in 2024. The 27-year-old made a career-high 110 tackles last season while remaining a core special teams contributor. Tavai is one of many in-house players Eliot Wolf and the Patriots have kept in the fold via new deals or extensions this offseason, and he figures to remain a key role player for years to come.
  • Hill Seeking Dolphins Extension: Confirming previous reports on the matter, Tyreek Hill publicly confirmed he is aiming for a Dolphins extension. The five-time All-Pro once led the way in terms of AAV amongst receivers at $30MM. That figure (which is artificially inflated by the non-guaranteed $43.9MM base salary due in the final year of the pact) has since been surpassed during the most recent wave of monster extensions at the position. Miami has taken part in that process, retaining Jaylen Waddle on a $28.25MM-per-year pact which will keep him in place for years to come. Hill, 30, is under contract for three more years, including two with guaranteed compensation. How the team proceeds knowing that term remains will be interesting to monitor.
  • Gipson Issued Six-Game Suspension: Tashaun Gipson is one of many veteran defensive backs who is still unsigned, but his free agent status is different than that of his peers. The 33-year-old was issued a six-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy. Gipson’s playing future was already in doubt this offseason, with the 49ers remaining patient and allowing him to determine if he wished to continue his 12-year career. San Francisco used Gipson as a full-time starter over each of the past two years, but if anything the team will no doubt be less likely to entertain a new deal knowing he will miss the opening of the 2024 campaign. Opportunities from other suitors could likewise be few and far between until the fall.

This Date In Transactions History: Patriots WR N’Keal Harry Requests Trade

July 6th, 2024 at 10:19am CST by Ben Levine

On this date in 2021, one of the more egregious public trade requests crossed the Twitter/X timeline. Former Patriots first-round wideout N’Keal Harry asked out of New England on July 6, 2021.

“For the past several months, I have been working in cooperation with the Patriots behind the scenes to put a plan in place to allow N’Keal to thrive in New England,” Harry’s agent, Jamal Tooson, wrote in a statement. “Through two seasons, he has 86 targets, which obviously hasn’t met the expectations the Patriots and N’Keal had when they drafted a dominant downfield threat who was virtually unstoppable at the point of attack in college. Following numerous conversations with the Patriots, I believe it’s time for a fresh start and best for both parties if N’Keal moves on before the start of training camp. That is why I have informed the Patriots today I am formally requesting a trade on behalf of my client.”

While the agent’s statement was filled with hyperbole, he wasn’t entirely wrong about Harry’s collegiate production. The Arizona State product earned a pair of first-team All-Pac-12 honors after compiling 175 catches, 2,305 yards from scrimmage, and 18 touchdowns between the 2017 and 2018 seasons. That two-year performance helped put him firmly on the NFL map, and he was ultimately the second wideout off the board during the 2019 draft (behind Marquise Brown and ahead of the likes of Deebo Samuel and A.J. Brown, who were the next two receivers taken).

The Patriots broke their tradition by selecting Harry with the No. 32 pick. Bill Belichick had never selected a first-round WR during his time in New England, and Harry was the organization’s first Round 1 receiver since Terry Glenn in 1996. So, it goes without saying that expectations were high for Harry.

Unfortunately for both the player and the organization, those expectations were never met. Tom Brady often looked off rookie wideouts during his illustrious career, and Harry wasn’t an exception. Despite the Patriots offense being without Rob Gronkowski (retirement) and Josh Gordon (injury), Harry only finished the 2019 campaign with 12 catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Things got a bit better with Cam Newton under center for the 2020 season, but Harry still struggled to match his first-round pedigree. The wideout finished his sophomore season with 33 catches for 309 yards, with both marks still representing career-highs.

With two underwhelming seasons under his belt, Harry and his camp decided he’d be best served to rehabilitate his career elsewhere. Unsurprisingly, there weren’t any teams willing to give up significant draft capital to acquire the wideout, leading to rumors that the Patriots could just outright cut the impending third-year player. Instead, Harry ended up sticking on the roster, although a shoulder injury kept him off the field for the first month of the season. When he returned, he once again struggled to make a connection with his quarterback, a position that was now manned by rookie Mac Jones. Harry finished the 2021 season with 12 catches for 184 yards.

Naturally, the Patriots declined Harry’s fifth-year option during the 2022 offseason, and the team eventually honored the player’s trade request. Harry was ultimately traded to the Bears for a seventh-round pick (a selection they eventually used on tight end Jaheim Bell). Harry didn’t do a whole lot during his cameo in Chicago, finishing with only seven catches. He spent most of the 2023 campaign in Minnesota, going catchless in 23 offensive snaps. After inking a reserve/futures contract with the Vikings this offseason, it was revealed that the six-foot-four, 225-pound athlete will be attempting to make Minnesota’s roster as a tight end in 2024.

When Harry’s camp made the trade request on this date three years ago, it was hinted that the player’s landing spot was to blame for the lack of production. Really, everyone involved deserves some responsibility for the disappointing results. The Patriots should have done a better job assuring that Harry would be a fit with Brady and the technical New England offense, especially after the organization had struck out on so many young WRs over the years. On the flip side, Harry was hoping to simply capitalize on his physical talents, a factor that his college coach, Herm Edwards, confirmed when he noted that rookies need “to have work ethic” and have “to focus in on football.”

As the Patriots undergo another significant offensive change in 2024, it’s hard not to imagine how things would look if Harry actually worked out in New England.

Offseason In Review: Minnesota Vikings

July 5th, 2024 at 10:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had gone two seasons with the quarterback his predecessor signed, but after Kirk Cousins‘ fourth set of Vikings extension talks did not produce a deal in 2023, the current Minnesota GM finally cut the cord. Cousins’ departure headlined an eventful Vikings offseason, one that later included a market-setting wide receiver contract.

As the Vikings transition at quarterback, they will use some of the money freed up by Cousins’ departure — following a not insignificant dead money total stemming from void years — on one of their Rick Spielman-era acquisitions. While Minnesota’s offseason featured notable moves at several positions, the decisions made at quarterback and wideout defined it.

Extensions and restructures:

Negotiations between the Vikings and Jefferson ran up to Week 1 last year. At that point, no team in the fifth-year option era (2011-present) had extended a first-round wide receiver with two years of rookie-deal control remaining. Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb were in that boat last year, and while extension rumors surfaced, no deals came to pass. The Vikings submitted an offer worth more than $28MM per year before the 2023 season started. With that proposal not topping Tyreek Hill‘s position-record AAV number, Jefferson predictably declined to set the stage for a 2024 reconvening. The superstar wideout was proven right by waiting.

Even though Jefferson sustained a hamstring injury that sidelined him for seven games, he still managed a 1,000-yard season. Jefferson, 25, had already shattered Randy Moss‘ NFL record for receiving yardage through three seasons, accumulating 4,825. Jefferson’s age, his monster production, the Vikings moving off a proven QB’s contract and the receiver market shifting — following a record cap spike — beyond the $30MM place worked in the fifth-year pass catcher’s favor. Jefferson secured whopping terms and returned to work to begin establishing a rapport with Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy.

Skipping the start of Vikings OTAs in an effort to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback, Jefferson succeeded by passing Nick Bosa‘s $34MM-per-year contract. Also possessing leverage stemming from the Vikings’ natural interest in having their top player at workouts to begin training alongside its new QBs, the LSU alum pounced. Jefferson secured record-smashing guarantee figures, prevented the Vikings from backloading his deal the way Hill and Davante Adams‘ contracts are structured and managed this on a four-year agreement — one shorter than the Vikes initially sought.

The fifth wide receiver chosen in a memorable 2020 first round, Jefferson has set guarantee bars that are complicating the Cowboys and 49ers’ negotiations with their 2020 first-round wideouts. His total guarantees ($110MM) checked in $26MM north of A.J. Brown‘s new mark at the position. More importantly, the full guarantees ($88.7MM) are $36MM higher than the next-closest wideout. The WR investment business is booming, and the guarantees the Vikings authorized may give teams pause.

Rumblings about teams considering two-first-rounder trade offers for Jefferson emerged, with the Vikings loosely linked to a trade-up for LSU’s Malik Nabers. Little in terms of concrete info — unlike the Vikes and Giants’ Drake Maye trade-up offers — came out, however. No wide receiver has fetched two first-round picks in a trade since the 2000 offseason saw it happen twice — for Joey Galloway (Seahawks to Cowboys) and Keyshawn Johnson (Jets to Buccaneers) — but after Hill and Adams fetched first- and second-round picks in 2022 swaps, Jefferson’s age and the exploding WR market would have made him a clear candidate to end this drought.

The Vikings have a history of extending receivers and then trading them, having taken this route with Moss (2005) and Stefon Diggs (2020). Minnesota also unloaded Percy Harvin (2013) rather than extend him, but the Adofo-Mensah regime finished the Jefferson process with a commitment.

As it stands, the Vikings will pair Jefferson’s megadeal with McCarthy and Jordan Addison‘s rookie contracts. Although Minnesota now has the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver and tight end (T.J. Hockenson), getting off Cousins’ contract will help the club afford the market-setting accords.

For a second straight year, the Vikings gave Smith a pay cut. The safety market’s inconsistency over the past two offseasons has impacted accomplished veterans. Smith signed two extensions that placed him atop the position’s market — in 2016 and 2021 — but Adofo-Mensah has led the way in back-to-back contract reworkings.

Smith, 35, is the Vikings’ longest-tenured player by a wide margin. He had agreed to a four-year, $64MM extension in August 2021, but after a 2022 restructure, the veteran Pro Bowler agreed to a $7MM pay cut in 2023 and again reduced his deal in March. Smith’s 2021 extension ran through 2025; it now expires a year early, via void years which have become a thorny subject during the Adofo-Mensah regime. Smith reduced a $15.3MM base salary to $9MM, with a $7MM signing bonus representing a solid guarantee for a 13th-year veteran at an unstable position.

Pro Football Focus ranked Smith, whose 176 career games are tied for fifth among defenders in Vikings history, 34th among safeties last season. If Smith is not re-signed before the 2025 league year, the Vikings will be tagged with $9.5MM in dead money. This would remind of Dalvin Tomlinson‘s 2023 exit.

Free agency additions:

Not traded for one another, Greenard and Danielle Hunter — PFR’s Nos. 5 and 6 free agents this year — will nevertheless move into each other’s 2023 roles. The Vikings added Greenard early in free agency, doing so before Hunter committed to the Texans. Minnesota showed interest in Bryce Huff but paid more for Greenard. The new Vikings edge rusher’s age (27) works in his favor; he is three years younger than Hunter. The latter has delivered better work, but the Vikings are betting on Greenard’s best NFL stretch being ahead.

Drafted in Round 3 before Nick Caserio took over as GM, Greenard excelled under both Lovie Smith and then DeMeco Ryans. Greenard had tallied an eight-sack season (in 2021) before an injury-plagued 2022 stalled his early-career momentum. Last season brought new production territory. Ranking 20th with 33 quarterback pressures, Greenard led the Texans in sacks (12.5) despite Will Anderson Jr. winning Defensive Rookie of the Year acclaim and smashed his career-high with 22 QB hits. Greenard ranked sixth among edge rushers in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric in 2023.

Starting over at OLB, the Vikings need this pace to continue. They still managed to land a 27-year-old edge defender at an upper-mid-market rate. Greenard’s $19MM AAV ranks 15th among edges, though his $38MM guarantee at signing sits eighth. He could certainly reward the Vikings on this deal, especially as the pass rush market — likely via Micah Parsons and a third Myles Garrett contract — moves toward $40MM per year.

A year after moving off the Dalvin Cook contract, the Vikings made a short-term bet on another 2017 RB draftee. Jones does not have the rushing numbers Cook compiled in Minneapolis, but the seven-year Packer is a slightly better receiving option who certainly showed more gas in the tank last season. The Vikings are quite familiar with the versatile back, who closed last season with five straight 100-yard rushing games to propel the Pack to the divisional round, and their interest emerged soon after Green Bay cut bait.

The Packers added a younger back (Josh Jacobs) but one that has not shown what Jones has as an outlet option. After reducing Jones’ pay in 2023, the Packers aimed to cut his wages once again. The sides could not agree on common ground, and the team dropped Jones shortly after the Jacobs deal was finalized. Jones’ Vikings guarantee surpasses Alexander Mattison‘s 2023 number, though not by too much, as the Vikes have one of this era’s best RBs at a midlevel rate.

The team will bet on the aging (by RB standards) talent having juice left. The 1-A back in timeshares with Jamaal Williams and AJ Dillon in his career, Jones has logged 1,449 career touches. That ranks ninth among active RBs, though the number is close to where Cook’s count stood (1,503) when the Vikings dropped him.

Jones rounds out an impressive skill-position cadre that includes Jefferson, Addison and Hockenson. This array of weaponry will be available to McCarthy in the long term, but it also could represent (by far) the best options Darnold has worked with as a pro. Brock Purdy enjoyed the 49ers’ unmatched arsenal during Darnold’s San Francisco year; his Jets and Panthers arrays, with Christian McCaffrey largely injured, do not rival what the Vikings possess. Although Darnold has been given plenty of time (56 starts) to show he is a mediocre quarterback, the former No. 3 overall pick chose an interesting opportunity in Minnesota.

Also tied to the Broncos and Commanders, Darnold chose the Vikings. Denver did not make a firm offer, and it is unknown where Washington went. Regardless, Darnold is poised to enter training camp as Minnesota’s starter. Darnold has flashed at points, but for the most part, the USC alum has struggled as a pro. The 27-year-old QB has never ranked higher than 25th in QBR, but he did not have enough snaps to qualify during an intriguing 2022 season in which he helped lead the Panthers back into the playoff race. Granted, this was due to a terrible NFC South, but Darnold averaged 8.2 yards per attempt with a limited Carolina skill corps that season.

It would not surprise to see the Vikings slow-play McCarthy’s climb; this would give Darnold a window to show better form and create a potential starter market for himself in 2025.

In addition to rebooting on the edge, the Vikes spent midlevel cash to add linebacking help. Van Ginkel can be classified as a hybrid player, having experience on the edge and off the ball. He helped the Dolphins as a rotational rusher and emergency OLB starter last season, compiling six sacks and 19 QB hits.

The Dolphins drafted Van Ginkel during Brian Flores‘ time in Miami, and he reached 20 QB hits in the current Vikings DC’s South Florida finale (2021). This made the Vikings’ interest unsurprising, and the team’s Cashman move points Van Ginkel to the edge. A rumored Flores-Christian Wilkins reunion did not happen, but the Vikes did not leave free agency without adding one of their DC’s ex-charges.

Cashman will join emerging UDFA Ivan Pace in the Twin Cities, and this payday marks the culmination of a journey that had the ex-Jet as a special-teamer not long ago. Strictly a special-teamer from 2020-21, Cashman still only played 14% of the Texans’ defensive snaps in 2022. But Ryans gave him steady work last year, using him at a 71% snap rate. Cashman notched 106 tackles to eclipse his career-best number by a cool 66, adding nine tackles for loss en route to PFF ranking him as a top-10 ILB regular. The Vikings are giving the Minnesota alum a chance to come home as well, as Cashman grew up in nearby Eden Prairie.

Mentioned as one of the many suitors for franchise-tagged Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, the Vikings only exited free agency with Griffin. While Griffin has 79 starts on his resume, two teams — the Jaguars and Texans — cut the soon-to-be 29-year-old CB in 2023. PFF still rated Griffin as a top-50 corner last season, but the former Seahawks mainstay qualifies as more stopgap than difference-maker. As it stands, Griffin has a path to a starting role. The Vikings, as should be expected, are still being tied to seeking CB help.

Re-signings:

Even as the guard market produced five eight-figure-per-year UFA agreements this offseason, Risner is having a tough time convincing teams he is near that level. A Broncos starter for four seasons, the former second-round pick had not exactly received poor marks from the advanced metrics providers. But Risner has now struck out twice in free agency, waiting into the 2023 season before landing a gig and sitting on this year’s open market until May. Now heading into his age-29 season, the veteran guard is running out of time to cash in. He is sitting on 73 career starts, 11 coming with the Vikings last year.

Risner made his way into Minnesota’s starting lineup in October 2023, eventually replacing the traded Ezra Cleveland. PFF assigned Risner a mid-pack rating (46th), though ESPN’s pass block win rate metric slotted him ninth among all interior linemen. He will battle Brandel for the Vikes’ left guard gig. Despite having just five starts and just 503 offensive snaps on his NFL resume, Brandel commanded more money than Risner this offseason.

Notable losses:

The contracts Cousins and Hunter played out made the Vikings a historical outlier regarding an ability to retain top talent. Minnesota could not use its franchise tag on Hunter due to the parties’ August 2023 reworking, and Washington having tagged Cousins twice made a third tag — which no team has applied since the 2006 CBA made doing so prohibitive — a non-starter. This led to a nine-year Vikings sack ace and the team’s six-year quarterback heading south.

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