Nearly two months have passed since Baker Mayfield made his trade request. The Browns engaged in trade talks with the Panthers during the draft, but the sides did not come particularly close to a deal. As the team begins its Deshaun Watson era, its previous starter waits to learn his next NFL destination.
The Browns wanted to wanted to trade their four-year starter quickly, but the quarterback market soon featured few potential takers. It became clear a low-level return was to be expected, and to even recoup that, the Browns will have to eat a chunk of Mayfield’s $18.9MM fifth-year option salary. This has caused Cleveland to hold tight, and The Athletic’s Zac Jackson notes the Browns are prepared to ride this out to potentially wait to see if an injury forces a team to reconsider Mayfield in an emergency circumstance (subscription required). The Browns will excuse Mayfield from their June minicamp, if necessary, allowing the QB to satisfy his attendance requirements toward his 2022 salary.
Cutting Mayfield now would benefit him. He is locked into that $18.9MM salary, which would become Browns dead money, and have his pick of teams — perhaps as a chance to prove himself ahead of an intriguing 2023 free agency bid — from which to choose. The longer this impasse goes, the more Mayfield will be limited regarding assimilation with his next team. If the Browns are truly intent on waiting for a training camp injury to change the equation — a la Teddy Bridgewater in 2016 or Ryan Tannehill in 2017 — that will not go over well with Mayfield’s camp.
The Panthers have a fifth-year option salary on their quarterback depth chart, in Sam Darnold, but Mayfield has outperformed his draft classmate. Carolina would probably pounce if Mayfield hit free agency, but the team wanted Cleveland to pick up most of Mayfield’s salary to facilitate a trade. The Panthers then traded up for Matt Corral in Round 3. Mayfield, who led the Browns to their first playoff win since 1994, would undoubtedly give the 2022 Panthers a better chance to win compared to Darnold or Corral — Robby Anderson‘s thoughts on the matter notwithstanding — and USA Today’s Josina Anderson tweets the Panthers have not closed the book here. Carolina also holds the league’s most cap space, at $29MM-plus.
Mentioned as a Mayfield suitor earlier this offseason, the Seahawks are holding a Drew Lock–Geno Smith competition. Seattle, which also resisted selecting a QB in the draft, is not planning to trade for a passer. This is also a team that would certainly take a hard look at Mayfield in free agency, but if Pete Carroll‘s persistent Lock praise is to be believed, the Seahawks’ post-Russell Wilson plan is to let two 2021 backups vie for the job.
The Texans loom as Mayfield monitors. They did not draft a quarterback and have 2021 third-rounder Davis Mills positioned to start. While Watson’s ex-employer was not interested in taking Mayfield as part of that trade, the prospect of the Browns eating much of his 2022 salary changed the equation. Mayfield’s arrival would throw a wrench into Mills’ development, and Houston does not appear prepared to compete for a playoff spot in a stacked AFC. But the disgruntled vet, once healthy, would represent an upgrade opportunity. Of course, so would fellow trade-block resident Jimmy Garoppolo, who has close ties to GM Nick Caserio from their New England days.
The rebuilding Falcons used a third-round pick on Desmond Ridder but have only Marcus Mariota as a placeholder. If Daniel Jones fails to impress the new Giants regime this offseason, would they look into Mayfield? Barring injuries, are there other teams that would make sense? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Barely a year ago, Chris Carson re-signed with the Seahawks. That deal and Rashaad Penny beginning another season sidelined kept Carson locked into his starting role in Seattle’s backfield.
Carson’s early-season injury changed the team’s plans. The neck issue the longtime Seattle starter encountered in October lingered for weeks and eventually prompted the five-year veteran to undergo surgery. The Seahawks have since re-signed Penny, after he delivered the best stretch of his career to finish last season, and drafted Kenneth Walker in the second round. Carson’s contract runs through 2022, but the Seahawks are not yet sure when he will be ready to return.
“We don’t have updates yet on Chris and we won’t know for some time, so there’s a little bit of uncertainty that we’re waiting on,” Pete Carroll said recently, via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson.
Usually optimistic on his injured players, Carroll providing this assessment is a cause for concern. The Seahawks have seen multiple key contributors — Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril — suffer career-ending neck injuries in recent years. It is not certain that is where Carson is headed, but the team using a No. 41 overall pick on a running back points to a new-look backfield. Carson and Penny’s injury histories point to Walker having a shot to contribute early.
Carson, who had bounced back from a broken leg to be the Seahawks’ starter from 2018-20 and to begin last season, missed 13 games last year because of his neck problem. The two-time 1,000-yard rusher collected $5.5MM fully guaranteed as part of his two-year, $10.4MM deal. He is due a $4.5MM base salary this season.
49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel helped push the narrative that his relationship with San Francisco was deteriorating in early April when he unfollowed the 49ers and removed all references to the team from his social media. Well, according to Michael David Smith of NBC Sports, Samuel has signaled that things may be trending in a better direction lately.
Smith points out that Samuel refollowed the 49ers on Instagram and liked a post that showed general manager John Lynch saying that the issues between the two parties can be worked out.
Samuel is headed into the final year of his rookie contract and is looking for a nice, new payday. Smith makes a good point that new deals to Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, and Stefon Diggs are going to make a new deal for Samuel fairly costly for the 49ers.
Here are a few other rumors from around the NFC West, starting with another note from the Bay Area:
Jake Hutchinson, the 49ers beat writer for KNBR, released some quotes from an interview with Lynch. Lynch commented on the progress of the team’s efforts to trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, saying, “I felt we were close in some discussions, and then the decision was made to have surgery and it brought things to a screeching halt.” Lynch continued, “We either want to have Jimmy playing for us, which we’re alright with, or we want him to get the value.”
During a press conference with Seahawks general manager and executive vice president John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll after the Draft, ESPN’s Brady Henderson released a video containing some of their thoughts on the No. 9 overall pick, Mississippi State tackle Charles Cross. In it, the two specify that they see Cross on the blindside, playing left tackle. They don’t have concerns about him transitioning from Mike Leach‘s spread offense at Mississippi State due to Cross’s athleticism. They also felt very fortunate to have had Cross fall to them at 9, noting that there were opportunities to move up or down.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic wrote an article going over the results of the 49ers’ 2022 Draft. He notes that the two Day 3-additions of UTSA tackle Spencer Burford and Fordham tackle Nick Zakelj both played tackle in college, but project as NFL guards, similar to past draft picks Colton McKivitz and Jaylon Moore. While slightly problematic that none of these linemen specialize at guard or tackle, it’s extremely problematic that none of them have experience at center. With current center Alex Mack sitting at 36 and contemplating retirement, it’s important that San Francisco begins to look at options beyond Mack to play center.
In a rundown of the Rams’ 2022 Draft, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic unveiled an interesting rumor about how highly Los Angeles valued their third-round draft pick, Wisconsin guard Logan Bruss. With plenty of time before their selection arrived, the Rams knew Bruss was the player they wanted to target at No. 104 overall. Upon the suggestion of now-retired left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who was in the Rams’ draft room, Los Angeles made a few efforts to move up to select Bruss earlier. Unfortunately for them, the teams they called declined. Fortunately for them, though, Bruss found his way to Southern California despite their inability to move up.
Here are some details on deals recently reached around the NFL:
Grady Jarrett, DT (Falcons): Three-year, $50.47MM. The contract, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, includes a guaranteed amount of $34.47MM consisting of a $16.5MM signing bonus and the full amounts of the 2022 and 2023 base salaries worth $1.47MM and $16.5MM, respectively. The deal includes roster bonuses of $1MM each due on the fifth day of the 2024 league year and the 2025 league year. Jarrett’s base salary for the 2024 and 2025 seasons will see an increase of $500,000 each if he makes the Pro Bowl in the 2023 or 2024 seasons, respectively.
Jordan Akins, TE (Giants): One-year, $1.09MM. The deal, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, is composed of a base salary of $1.04MM with a signing bonus $50,000. Under the veteran salary benefit, Akins will only have a salary cap hit of $945,000.
Rasheem Green, DE (Texans): One-year, $3.25MM. The contract, according to Wilson, includes a guaranteed amount of $1MM consisting of a $500,000 signing bonus and $500,000 of the base salary worth $1.5MM total. Green will receive a $500,000 workout bonus and a per game active bonus of $44,177 for a potential season total of $750,000.
Jason Verrett, CB (49ers): One-year, $1.04MM. Verrett’s deal has an injury waiver which leaves none of the money guaranteed for the 30-year old who has spent his fair share of time on the injured reserve during his career. Under the veteran salary benefit, Verrett will only have a salary cap hit of $895,000.
Geno Smith, QB (Seahawks): Refiled one-year, $3.5MM. Original details posted here. The deal, according to Wilson, has a signing bonus of $500,000 and a base salary of $1.26MM. The contract lists a roster bonus of $1.69MM and a workout bonus of $50,000. Additionally there is a Week 1 roster bonus of $585,000 due to Smith on September 15. Smith will receive a per game bonus of $30,000 whether active or inactive with that bonus increasing to $65,000 if Smith is active for a low season total of $510,000 and a potential season total of $1.12MM if Smith spends the entire season on the active roster. We mentioned Smith’s $3.5MM worth of potential incentives in the first post, but Wilson details that those incentives will be based on playtime, playoffs, passing yards, and whether or not Smith is voted to the Pro Bowl.
Mitchell Trubisky, QB (Steelers): Incentive details for two-year, $14.29MM contract. Original details posted here. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the incentives are as follows: in 2022, Trubisky is due $1MM if he hits 60% of the team’s playtime, $1.5MM if he hits 70%, $2MM if he hits 80%, $2.5MM if he hits 70% and the Steelers make the playoffs, and $4MM if he hits 80% and the team makes the playoffs. He’ll earn an additional $250,000 if he makes the Pro Bowl. If Trubisky hits the 60% mark of playtime in 2022, he’ll earn a roster bonus in March of 2023 worth $1MM. That roster bonus elevates to $4MM if he triggers the 70% bonus from 2022. The same playtime, playoff, and Pro Bowl incentives will be in place for the 2023 season, as well, just without the following year roster bonus.
To the surprise of most, the Seahawks have stood pat at quarterback since trading Russell Wilson. They did re-sign Geno Smith, who has been a backup for seven years, and are prepared to give him a legitimate shot to succeed Wilson.
Lock, who went 42nd overall to the Broncos in 2019, is entering a contract year. He has largely struggled as a starter, and while the ex-Mizzou prospect did play in two offensive systems in his first two years, Teddy Bridgewater beat him out for Denver’s QB1 job last year and held him off throughout the Broncos’ time in playoff contention. Lock replaced an injured Bridgewater in a close Week 15 game against the Bengals; the Broncos lost that game and their final three to finish 7-10. This came after the strong-armed passer tied for the 2020 interception lead, with 15, despite missing three-plus games.
Seattle also has ex-Indianapolis draftee Jacob Eason on its roster, but Lock-Smith appears to be the battle. Refusing to capitalize on the non-Kenny PickettQB prospects’ collective freefall, the Seahawks did not select a QB with their nine draft picks. A player they were connected to, Malik Willis, did not appeal to them. Seattle did not view the Liberty prospect as close to NFL-ready, Henderson adds. Seattle passed on Willis, Desmond Ridder and Matt Corral three times on Day 2.
Smith, 31, has made five starts over the past seven seasons. Three of those came last season, his third with the Seahawks. The former second-round pick did show some promise, completing 68% of his passes on 7.4 yards per attempt — numbers superior to his Jets-era work, albeit in a small sample size — and finishing with a 5-to-1 TD-INT ratio. But he has been a backup on four teams since 2015.
If the Browns end up releasingBaker Mayfield, the Seahawks will surely look into adding him to this mix. They were connected to the four-year starter earlier this offseason, and he would seemingly give the team a better chance to win this season. For now, however, Lock has a legitimate opportunity to snag another starting gig.
After adding 9 rookies to the team through the NFL Draft, Seattle announced the signing of 14 undrafted free agents today that they’ll add to their 2022 class:
After trading away quarterback Russell Wilson and failing to address the position in the Draft, Seattle signed Lewis out of Louisiana-Lafayette. Over a career that saw him start four out of five seasons, Lewis broke a Ragin’ Cajuns record throwing 74 touchdowns against 18 interceptions while amassing a 35-7 record as a starter.
The Seahawks also wanted to add some depth behind starting safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams. They added 17 career college interceptions to the roster through Blount (9), Williams (6), Nelson (4), and Bolden (2).
Seattle brought in an interesting receiver prospect, as well, in Robertson. After signing to California as a 5-star recruit, Robertson was a Freshman All-American for the Golden Bears before eventually transferring and bouncing around from Georgia to Auburn.
In the weeks leading up to the draft, chatter was heard that Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf may be available for a price. After trading away quarterbackRussell Wilson, many began to assume that the Seahawks were in sell-mode. While Seattle hasn’t looked to actively move the former second-rounder, they have fielded calls regarding a potential trade. It was reported in the build-up to the draft that the Jets were willing to part ways with the 10th overall pick, though nothing materialized on that front.
In a radio interview, according to Brady Henderson of ESPN, head coach Pete Carroll spoke on the situation. “We want him to be here. He wants to be here,” Carroll said. “We’ll figure it out. It’ll just take us some time, but we’ll get it done.”
This is the second extremely encouraging statement made this week hinting that Metcalf will return to Seattle, after Metcalf commented recently saying, “At the end of the day, once you sit down and make a grown-man decision, yeah, I want to be in Seattle.”
With Metcalf looking to remain a Seahawk, he could be in line for a similar deal to the one signed byA.J. Brown, his former Ole Miss teammate, with whom he shares an agent.
To accommodate such a lucrative extension, the Seahawks could use some of the cap relief they will be seeing next month. Given that Carlos Dunlap was released with a post-June 1 designation, the team will gain just over $5MM in space after that date, which should make a deal feasible from a financial perspective, provided all parties still wish to get a deal done at that time. Both Carroll and Metcalf’s remarks point to that being a strong possibility.
Free agent linebacker K.J. Wrightspent a season in a city other than Seattle for the first time in his NFL career last year, but he wants to avoid a repeat of that in 2022. When speaking with Pro Football Network’s Trey Wingo, the veteran expressed his desire to return to the Seahawks (video link).
“I just want to go back home” he said when asked about his ideal scenario for the upcoming campaign. “I think it’s that simple. Seattle knows that I want to come back. They know how much they mean to me.”
Wright, 32, was a fourth round pick of the Seahawks in 2011. He went on to play 144 games with the team across 10 seasons, playing a part in the ‘Legion of Boom’ defense. Forming a tandem with Bobby Wagner in the middle of the unit, he provided consistent production, topping 100 tackles five times. In 2016, he earned his lone Pro Bowl appearance after totalling 126 stops and a career-high four sacks.
Last offseason, however, his time on the open market dragged into September. Wright maintained throughout the spring that he wished to remain in the Emerald City, but it became clear that the team was prepared to move on. As a result, the Mississippi State alum signed with the Raiders weeks after visiting the team. In Vegas, he took on a much smaller role in terms of playing time than he was used to, starting only eight of 17 games.
Now, Wright is again hoping to sign another deal with the Seahawks. The team released Wagner and didn’t draft a linebacker last weekend, but it remains to be seen if they would be interested in a reunion. If not, Wright may be willing to hang up his cleats for good.
“My family didn’t come with me [to Vegas]” he said. “I’m not doing that again. I don’t think I’m going to move my family anywhere across the country. If it’s not Seattle again, I’ll be happy. I’ll be content.”
