Transactions News & Rumors

Broncos To Move On From WR Tim Patrick

August 26th, 2024 at 4:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

In addition to running back Samaje Perine, Tim Patrick is no longer in the Broncos’ offensive plans. The veteran receiver will be released if no trade agreement can be worked out, Mike Klis of 9News reports.

Denver is looking to find a trade partner for Patrick, which comes as little surprise. He had struggled with season-ending injuries over the past two summers, however, a factor which should limit interest showed by outside teams. The Broncos’ depth at wideout will lead to Patrick finding a new home in any case.

Patrick, 30, missed the Broncos’ entire Russell Wilson era. He suffered a torn ACL during training camp in 2022 and went down with an Achilles tear last summer. The resilient veteran returned, however, and took a substantial pay cut to stay in Denver. The Broncos used him frequently in their second preseason game, showcasing the recovered pass catcher. Patrick worked as a Bo Nix underneath target against the Packers and scored a touchdown. But the team has made some moves since Patrick was last healthy entering a season.

Part of the Broncos’ Courtland Sutton– and Jerry Jeudy-fronted receiving corps for years, Patrick eclipsed 700 receiving yards by working as a reliable option in an injury-prone position group. Patrick ironically became the most injury-prone of this contingent, and Payton has since traded Jeudy and added other auxiliary options. The Broncos traded up for Marvin Mims in last year’s second round, and they signed Josh Reynolds (two years, $9MM) this offseason. Denver also used fourth- and seventh-round picks on receivers in this draft. Troy Franklin, a Nix college teammate, fell to Round 4; seventh-rounder Devaughn Vele also impressed during camp.

Patrick did well to sign an extension (three years, $30MM) before his injury trouble began. The longest-tenured member of the Broncos’ skill-position corps, Patrick arrived as a practice squad performer during John Elway‘s GM tenure and signed the extension during George Paton‘s first GM year. Paton remains, but Sean Payton effectively calls the shots now in Denver. Only Sutton remains as a Denver receiver acquired before the HC’s arrival.

It would cost the Broncos $6.1MM in dead money — spread over two years — to trade Patrick. The team will only save $1.1MM by making the move. This ratio, and Patrick’s potential to help Nix, illustrates the team’s current optimism surrounding its young receiving corps. It will be interesting to see if a team bites on the veteran following his two missed seasons. An acquiring team would only be tied to a $1.1MM base salary.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Lions To Release WR Donovan Peoples-Jones

August 26th, 2024 at 3:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh Reynolds‘ free agency exit created some questions about the Lions’ No. 3 wide receiver spot, with Jameson Williams expected to play a bigger role this season. Donovan Peoples-Jones loomed as a contender, but he will fall well short of winning the gig.

The Lions, who traded for Peoples-Jones last year, are planning to release him, veteran reporter Jordan Schultz tweets. Peoples-Jones had loomed on Detroit’s roster bubble, per the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett, and he will pass straight to free agency as a vested veteran.

Detroit re-signed Peoples-Jones this offseason (one year, $1.3MM) but only guaranteed the former Cleveland sixth-rounder $125K. The latter figure will turn into a small dead money hit for the Lions, who were unable to coax much from the Michigan alum. In eight games last season, Peoples-Jones caught only five passes for 58 yards.

A Detroit native, Peoples-Jones became a solid option for a multiyear period in Cleveland. After a 597-yard 2021 season, he played well during the 2022 slate by racking up 839 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. The Browns added Elijah Moore via trade in 2023, and Peoples-Jones’ production declined. He only caught eight passes during his Browns contract year, and Cleveland moved on by collecting a 2025 sixth-round pick at the deadline.

While the Browns’ receiving corps changed from its Odell Beckham Jr.–Jarvis Landry makeup to an Amari Cooper-fronted group during Peoples-Jones’ tenure, the Lions are not making many changes this offseason. Amon-Ra St. Brown signed a monster extension, and the team is ready to see if Williams can finally take a step forward as a No. 2 option. The team has veteran Kalif Raymond as a lead WR3 candidate, though Dan Campbell said early in camp the Lions were in need of someone to step up as the clear-cut WR3.

Raymond appears the best bet to fill that role, Birkett adds, but the Lions have some questions beyond that. While Peoples-Jones would be eligible to return as a practice squad option, no indications have emerged that will be in play for the Lions.

Broncos To Waive P Trenton Gill

August 26th, 2024 at 2:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Trenton Gill impressed in the Broncos’ punter-friendly confines, but he did not do enough to win the team’s punting competition. Riley Dixon has prevailed, which will lead to a roster move.

Denver is waiving Gill, according to 9News’ Mike Klis. The Broncos become the second team this year to cut Gill. The Bears did so after drafting Tory Taylor in the fourth round.

The Bears’ punter from 2022-23, Gill fared well during the preseason. He led the NFL with a 53.6-yard preseason average, but the Broncos will hold onto Dixon’s two-year contract. Dixon did not have any guarantees remaining on his deal; it would have cost the Broncos only $300K to release the more experienced option.

Dixon, who turned 31 on Saturday, was part of the Broncos’ 2016 draft class but was eventually traded to the Giants to clear a spot for Marquette King. The King deal did not lead to a long-term partnership, and the Broncos could not settle on a punter in the years that followed. Dixon punted for the Giants for four years and then served as the Rams’ punter in 2022, eventually coming back to Denver during Sean Payton‘s first season at the helm.

Gill averaged more than 46 yards per punt in each of his two Bears seasons; Dixon came in at 46.3 last season. Gill placed 26.3% of his punts inside the 20-yard line last year, while Dixon’s inside-the-20 number checked in at 34.2%. Gill is not yet a vested veteran, so a team considering a punter move could look to the former Chicago seventh-round pick via waivers.

Vikings To Place G Dalton Risner On IR

August 26th, 2024 at 2:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Vikings will be shorthanded along the offensive line to begin the season. Veteran guard Dalton Risner is set to land on injured reserve, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

As a result of the move, Risner will be unavailable for the first four weeks of the campaign. The 29-year-old made 15 appearances in 2023, his first in Minnesota. That stretch included 11 starts, so being without him for a notable stretch will deal a blow to the team’s O-line.

Risner had a lengthy free agent spell last offseason, landing a one-year pact from the Vikings. He had been angling for a long-term commitment again this spring, but his first-team role did not generate as large of a market as he expected. In the end, the Kansas State product inked a one-year, $2.41MM contract to again compete for a starting gig with the Vikings.

Blake Brandel was the other top option in the training camp competition for the left guard role. Today’s news means he will take on first-team duties at least until Risner returns to full health. The time at which that takes place will be key for the former Broncos draftee, since playing time incentives are present in his contract. His 2025 market value will take a hit in the wake of his absence, but for now attention will be placed on a return to the field.

Center Garrett Bradbury and right tackle Brian O’Neill remain in place as full-time starters up front for Minnesota, and left tackle Christian Darrisaw landed a big-ticket extension this offseason. That trio is set to be joined by Ed Ingram at right guard in 2024, having served as a first-team option during each of his first two seasons in the league. The left guard spot could see competition once Risner is back in the fold, but that will not take place until at least Week 5.

Buccaneers To Release WR Sterling Shepard

August 26th, 2024 at 12:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sterling Shepard‘s reunion with Baker Mayfield is on hold. The Buccaneers are releasing the veteran wide receiver, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. This is unlikely to be the end of the line for the injury-prone wide receiver, however.

As a vested veteran, Shepard will pass straight to free agency. The Bucs have an emergency role in mind for the longtime Giant, with Rapoport adding the team is holding a practice squad spot. Shepard, who played with Mayfield at Oklahoma, could join the team’s P-squad Wednesday.

Shepard, 31, signed with the Bucs in June, doing so after his 2023 Giants season featured few opportunities. The Giants brought Shepard back after another major injury — an Achilles tear sustained midway through the 2022 season — but used him as a backup. Even that overstates how much Shepard played in his eighth Giants season. Shepard logged just 142 offensive snaps in 15 games last season, catching 10 passes for 57 yards and a touchdown.

Tampa Bay will run back its Mike Evans–Chris Godwin tandem for an eighth season, re-signing the perennial 1,000-yard receiver just before free agency. The team also returns 2023 draftee Trey Palmer and used a third-round pick on Washington’s Jalen McMillan. Shepard will join Rakim Jarrett in being left off the 53-man roster; the second-year receiver is expected to be placed on IR to open the year.

Formerly an Odell Beckham Jr. sidekick in New York, Shepard received an extension and logged several more seasons after the team traded the once-dynamic wideout. Shepard has not topped 700 receiving yards in a season since 2018, though he did reach 656 in 2020. The veteran slot player teamed with Mayfield in 2015 at Oklahoma and was in communication with his former college quarterback this offseason, leading to this Bucs agreement.

Shepard will soon be tied to a lower-cost deal with Tampa Bay, should he want to accept a deal to join a P-squad. This would be a first for the former second-round pick, but given his injury history (35 missed games since 2019), a Tampa taxi squad stay might be his only option to remain in the NFL.

Lions To Place CB Emmanuel Moseley On IR

August 26th, 2024 at 11:11am CST by Sam Robinson

Emmanuel Moseley sustained a major injury in a third straight year. The veteran cornerback, who suffered ACL tears in 2022 and ’23, went down with a torn pectoral muscle early in Lions training camp. But his season is not yet over.

The Lions look to be planning to try out the NFL’s new IR wrinkle. They are placing Moseley on IR, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, who adds this transaction is aimed at the injury-prone cover man being eligible to return later this year. This would mean Detroit is planning to make Moseley an IR-return player, which the league is now allowing before roster-cutdown day.

In prior years, a team placing a player on IR before setting its initial 53-man roster meant that player was out of the picture for the season. IR-return players had needed to be carried through to 53-man rosters before being placed on IR. The league is now allowing teams to move up to two players to IR before the season. If the Lions designate Moseley an IR-return player immediately, he will count toward the team’s eight-activation limit whether he returns this season or not.

Detroit saw C.J. Gardner-Johnson return from a torn pec last year. Gardner-Johnson went down in Week 2 and made it back off IR by Week 18. That said, Moseley missed almost all of last season and has two major knee surgeries on his NFL medical sheet. It would then be interesting to see the Lions use one of their IR activations on him so early, but the team has shown some faith in the former 49ers starter by signing him in back-to-back offseasons.

The Lions did, however, made significant adjustments at corner this offseason. They traded for Carlton Davis, signed Amik Robertson and used first- and second-round picks on Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw. The team also re-signed Kindle Vildor, though he is not a lock to make the roster Tuesday. It took CJGJ roughly 3 1/2 months to recover from his pec tear. That timetable would leave make Moseley a candidate to return by late November, though that should not be considered a firm recovery period.

Moseley, 28, played only two defensive snaps last season. Part of the Lions’ 2023 CB overhaul, the 33-game starter was tied to a one-year, $6MM deal at that point. Following his second ACL tear, Moseley still commanded a $1MM guarantee. He is tied to a $2.88MM salary.

The Lions are also planning to move guard Christian Mahogany to the reserve/NFI list, Schefter adds. The Lions drafted Mahogany in the sixth round this year. The Boston College product is dealing with an undisclosed illness. Mahogany would be eligible to return after four games.

49ers To Release RB Matt Breida

August 26th, 2024 at 10:22am CST by Adam La Rose

Matt Breida‘s second 49ers stint will not see him make the 53-man roster. The veteran running back is being released, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.

Breida began his career in San Francisco, averaging five yards per carry and scoring 10 total touchdowns from 2017-19. That spell was followed by one-year stints in Miami and Buffalo where he logged a special teams workload in addition to backup offensive duties. The former UDFA spent the past two seasons with the Giants before returning to the Bay Area as a free agent earlier this month.

That signing came as fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo was dealing with a hamstring injury. Today’s move is a positive sign Guerendo is in better shape from a health perspective, though, and he will be one of many backup options available to the 49ers at the start of the campaign. Christian McCaffrey is set atop the depth chart, and the likes of Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason are also in place as depth.

Breida, 29, has never logged more than 153 carries in a season, and that figure dates back to 2018. He has nevertheless proven himself to be a solid depth contributor in several backfields, so he could draw interest in free agency. On the other hand, a number of players at all positions will available over the coming days, and several running backs with a notable track record will no doubt be let go.

As a vested veteran, Breida will not need to hit the waiver wire upon being let go. That will give him a slight head start on finding a new team, but it would come as a surprise if teams showed immediate interest before sorting out their own depth charts this week. Of course, the Georgia Southern alum will be a candidate for the practice squad if San Francisco elects to keep him in the fold and no outside suitors offer him a 53-man roster spot in the next few days.

Browns To Activate Jack Conklin, Greg Newsome; Jedrick Wills Activation Expected

August 26th, 2024 at 10:21am CST by Sam Robinson

Slow-playing Nick Chubb‘s recovery as expected, the Browns will give the Pro Bowl running back’s collection of backups some help to start the season. Jack Conklin is coming off the team’s active/PUP list Monday, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reports. Jedrick Wills is expected to follow soon after.

Conklin will practice Tuesday, per Kevin Stefanski, while Wills is not yet ready. The Browns needed to activate both tackles to avoid each beginning the season on the reserve/PUP list, which would have knocked both out for at least four games to open the season. Each has been rehabbing knee injuries. Conklin suffered ACL and MCL tears in Week 1 of last season; Wills underwent MCL surgery late last year.

Cleveland is also not planning to have Greg Newsome on the NFI list to start the season, while Stefanski said (via the Akron Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling) Dalvin Tomlinson will join the recovering cornerback at practice Tuesday. Stefanski added (via TheLandOnDemand.com’s Tony Grossi) Nyheim Hines is not yet off Cleveland’s active/NFI list but could practice later this week. It seems the Browns are also preparing to move Hines, who is still on the mend from the ACL tear sustained in a jet-ski accident last year, off an injured list in an effort to have him return during the season’s first four weeks.

The Browns finished last season without their top three tackles, with Dawand Jones suffering a major injury as well. Cleveland’s would-be swing tackle did not start camp on the PUP list, representing a rare positive injury development for the AFC North team. Conklin had hoped to return by training camp, but he did not come particularly close. Nevertheless, he will be an option for Week 1. Conklin should probably be expected to line up at his usual right tackle spot, with Stefanski (via The Athletic’s Zac Jackson) stopping short of indicating he would be an option at LT while Wills completes his recovery.

Conklin coming back after his second ACL tear gives the Browns a boost, but Wills needing this much time to return from an MCL issue is obviously a concern. The Browns have used Wills and Conklin as their LT-RT combo since 2020. Wills enters a crucial season, as his rookie contract expires after the 2024 campaign. These issues all come as Deshaun Watson completed a recovery from a shoulder surgery, which kept him off the field during preseason play.

Additionally, Stefanski said Jordan Hicks will return to practice Tuesday. The recent free agency acquisition missed most of this month with an undisclosed injury. Teams do not need to disclose injuries until game week, but the veteran linebacker has a decent chance of debuting for his new team in Week 1.

Dolphins Release QB Mike White

August 25th, 2024 at 11:06pm CST by Rory Parks

The Dolphins have a winner in their QB2 battle. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report, Miami is releasing Mike White, which leaves Skylar Thompson as Tua Tagovailoa‘s backup.

Last year, it was White who prevailed over Thompson in the war to serve as Tagovailoa’s clipboard holder. At the time, that seemed to be a significant development, as Tagovailoa had yet to play a full season and was coming off a concussion-riddled 2022 campaign. Fortunately for the Dolphins and their top passer, Tagovailoa suited up for all 17 of the club’s regular season games and one playoff contest last year, so White only appeared in garbage time.

Thompson, a seventh-round pick of the Dolphins in 2022, made two regular season starts as a rookie in relief of Tagovailoa, and he nearly led the team to a playoff win over the Bills that year. That performance was not enough to stop the ‘Fins from adding White as competition in March 2023, inking the former Cowboy and Jet to a two-year deal worth up to $16MM.

Given that financial commitment, it is not surprising that White beat out Thompson for the backup job in 2023, but as ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques points out, neither candidate separated himself over the course of this year’s training camp. Thompson saw the bulk of the action in the club’s preseason finale against the Bucs on Friday, completing 19 of 27 passes for 190 yards, two TDs, and an interception (good for a QB rating of 99.3). White, meanwhile, completed five of nine passes for 37 yards.

Although Thompson was drafted four years after White, the players are just two years apart in age (Thompson is 27, White is 29). Thompson, though, is under club control through 2025 and will make just $985K this season. White was due a $3.5MM salary, and as Adam Beasley of Pro Football Network observes, his release will net the Dolphins $2.5MM in cap savings.

As they start working their way towards a 53-man roster, the Dolphins have also cut TE Jody Fortson, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.

NFL Restructures: Thomas, Holcomb, Vikes

August 25th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

Andrew Thomas landed a lucrative investment from the Giants last summer, and his extension has him on the books through 2029. A recent adjustment made to the pact freed up short-term spending power.

New York converted $4.18MM in 2024 base salary into a signing bonus, ESPN’s Field Yates notes. That move created $3.34MM in cap space available to be used during the final roster-building moves of the offseason or breathing space for during the year. The Giants were already in better cap shape than many teams, however, and the move leaves them with nearly $17MM in available funds – more than what will be needed for any one-year, low-cost deals given to free agents in the coming days.

As Dan Duggan of The Athletic notes, New York had the option of converting another $10MM into a signing bonus (and thus freeing up even more room). Teams often carve out the maximum breathing room possible when executing restructures, although such moves are generally made around free agency. Thomas’ cap number is set to jump to $19.92MM next year, but that figure will remain relatively flat throughout the rest of the pact.

Here are details on some other recent NFL restructures:

The Steelers reworked the contract of linebacker Cole Holcomb earlier this month. Pittsburgh added $3.1MM in guaranteed compensation, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. The contract includes a split, a provision which allows teams to lower the base pay of players if they land on IR or PUP. Holcomb, 28, went down with a knee injury midway through his debut Steelers campaign and is in danger of missing considerable time again in 2024. This move provides him with added locked in compensation should he manage to remain healthy this season, though. Holcomb’s original Pittsburgh pact, signed last spring, runs through 2025.
Josh Metellus has negotiated adjustments to his Vikings pact, as detailed by Wilson. Three void years (2026-28) were added to the contract, along with incentives totaling $5MM over the next two years – although $3.5MM of that figure has been deemed not likely to be earned. None of the 26-year-old’s overall pay (ranging from $1.23MM to $3.78MM) or cap figures ($2.01MM to $4.76MM) have changed as a result of this arrangement, though. As a result, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune predicts further restructuring could take place in the future.

Load More Posts