Mike Hughes - Pro Football Rumors

Falcons’ Mike Hughes Lands Starting CB Spot

August 25th, 2024 at 4:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

A.J. Terrell is in place as the Falcons’ top corner for 2024 and beyond, but the question of who would line up as the team’s other perimeter corner was an unanswered question until the close of the preseason. Head coach Raheem Morris confirmed Mike Hughes will open the campaign handling first-team duties.

The veteran is set to take part in his second Falcons season, and he made 15 appearances last year. That included four starts and an uptick in playing time later in the campaign as Jeff Okudah saw his usage decline. Okudah is no longer in the fold, and Hughes spent the offseason competing for the CB2 spot with Clark Phillips III.

“That’s probably a Mike Hughes question, because I can only answer for what I’ve seen and what he’s done since I’ve been here,” Morris said when speaking about Hughes’ struggles in landing a permanent home in the NFL (via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). “I know as a former first-rounder that’s been in a lot of places that had a lot of high hopes for and love for throughout the draft process, and then getting a chance to come here and work with him.

“So, I can’t tell you what’s held him back, but I can tell you what he’s doing now – showing up in ball productivity, being around the ball and being in the right position… He’s done a nice job of doing a lot of things here.”

Hughes, 27, spent his first three seasons with the Vikings before being traded to Kansas City. His time with the Chiefs included a healthy campaign but it was not enough to land him an extended stay with the team. After a one-year spell with the Lions, the UCF product inked a $7MM Falcons pact in 2023. Hughes saw less playing time on defense than Phillips last season, but he will get the nod to begin the coming campaign.

Of course, Hughes has experience in the slot, and Morris confirmed he is an option to see extended time on the inside in 2024. That alignment would allow Phillips, a 2023 fourth-rounder, to be used on the perimeter. The presence of Dee Alford should keep Hughes primarily on the outside, though, and his performance this year will inform his value on a new Falcons pact or one sending him to another new team in the spring.

Latest On Falcons’ CB2 Competition

June 30th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Rory Parks

The Falcons have AJ Terrell entrenched as their top starting cornerback outside the numbers, but the competition for Atlanta’s other starting boundary CB job was one of the club’s key storylines in the spring. That battle will continue into training camp, as Josh Kendall of The Athletic details (subscription required).

One of the two primary combatants is Clark Phillips III, a 2023 fourth-rounder who flashed in his rookie campaign but who also dealt with the growing pains generally expected of a Day 3 rookie. In 11 games (five starts), Phillips yielded a fairly low QB rating of 88.8 and recorded five passes defensed, but Pro Football Focus assigned him a mediocre overall grade of 59.0, making him the 85th-best CB out of 127 qualified players. Kendall observes that Phillips’ struggles are at least partly due to his 5-9 stature, which does work against him in his efforts to earn a boundary gig.

Mike Hughes, meanwhile, is a former first-round pick of the Vikings who has never quite lived up to his draft status. He signed a two-year contract with the Falcons last March, making Atlanta his fourth team since turning pro in 2018. His first year with the club did not go particularly well, and he actually finished 21 spots below Phillips in terms of PFF grades. Most of his action came at the nickel, but with Dee Alford having impressed with his more extensive slot work last season, it seems that Hughes will have to return to a boundary role to maintain significant playing time.

Of course, the Falcons could still make an addition to the CB room, which Kendall does not rule out. He does not say that the team is actively looking to make such a move, though perhaps that will change if neither Hughes nor Phillips get out to a good start in training camp. Stephon Gilmore is one of the players who remains available on the free agent market.

Phillips got plenty of first-team reps during OTAs as Terrell dealt with a hamstring issue. As Amna Subhan of the Falcons’ official website writes, both Phillips and Hughes saw time with the starting defense during mandatory minicamp.

Hughes, now 27, is in a platform season and could position himself nicely for another multi-year deal if he can beat out his younger counterpart and perform well for what could be a playoff-bound club in 2024.

NFC South Rumors: Alford, Mays, Saints

July 1st, 2023 at 5:55pm CST by Ely Allen

In January 2022, the Falcons signed cornerback Dee Alford out of the Canadian Football League to a reserve/futures contract. A year and a half later, Alford could be pushing for a starting role, according to ESPN’s Michael Rothstein.

After going undrafted out of Tusculum, Alford signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL in 2020 but didn’t get to play after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the season. When the team returned in 2021, Alford won a starting job and helped lead the Bombers to their second consecutive Grey Cup title.

Following his signing in the offseason, Alford defied the odds by making the 53-man roster. Alford served as a depth piece in the Falcons secondary for much of the year but did come up with a few big plays. In a Week 2 loss to the Rams, Alford gained his team two points with a safety. Two weeks later, he recorded a game-clinching interception over the Browns.

According to Rothstein, Alford has been rising in the offseason for Atlanta. In spring practices, Alford reportedly “took the vast majority of first-team reps at slot (cornerback).” Mike Hughes was the presumed starter at nickelback heading into the offseason, but Alford is making himself hard to ignore as he pushes for a starting role.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of the NFC South:

A sixth-round pick for the Panthers last year, Cade Mays may find himself in a bit of a larger role than last year to start the 2023 season, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic. With starting right guard Austin Corbett still recovering from an ACL repair surgery, Mays has reportedly stepped up this offseason. While his rookie year saw him block out of the backfield in short-yardage situations, Mays is in line to begin the season as a starter at right guard for Carolina.
The Saints are no strangers to injuries in the past few years. They are feeling it the worst this season in the wide receiving corps, where we got some recent updates from Terrin Waack of nola.com. Michael Thomas‘s woes continued thanks to toe surgery that landed him on injured reserve last year. He’s “slowly but surely” working his way back but is, reportedly, “still not full-go.” Last year’s rookie sensation Chris Olave missed the end of minicamp with an inflamed Achilles tendon but is expected to be okay. The other rookie from last year, Rashid Shaheed, suffered a groin injury in organized team activities that held him out of minicamp. He’s also expected to be fine by the time camp rolls around.

Falcons’ Avery Williams To Miss Season

June 7th, 2023 at 10:48am CST by Sam Robinson

Avery Williams has served as the primary kick- and punt-return option for the Falcons over the past two seasons. The team looks likely to need other contributors in these roles in 2023.

An injury sustained during the Falcons’ offseason program is set to sideline Williams — probably for the season. Arthur Smith said Wednesday that Williams will undergo ACL surgery. While the third-year HC did not specify if the ligament was fully torn, ACL surgery obviously threatens Williams’ third NFL season. It is, in fact, an ACL tear, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The noncontact injury occurred during a Falcons OTA practice last week; Williams’ surgery is scheduled for Thursday.

Smith said Josh Ali, offseason addition Mike Hughes and perhaps wide receiver Penny Hart are candidates to take over as Atlanta’s punt returner, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter (on Twitter). Williams logged 38 punt returns over the past two seasons. All-Decade kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson obviously looms as a candidate to handle the kick-return role, especially considering the Falcons’ Bijan Robinson draft choice. But Patterson has been used mostly as a running back in Atlanta.

Williams stepped in as Atlanta’s main kick returner following Patterson’s early-season knee injury last year. The former fifth-round pick has logged 41 kick returns during his two-season run. Williams, whom the Falcons converted from cornerback to running back in 2022, also played a role as a reserve on offense last season. After not seeing time on defense as a rookie, Williams’ position change led to 22 carries (for 109 yards) and 13 receptions (for 61) in 2022. Williams’ 292 punt-return yards ranked 10th last season.

The Falcons are fairly deep at running back, minimizing this injury on that front. The team added Robinson to a group housing 1,000-yard rusher Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley. The return game figures to be more impacted by this offseason setback. It will certainly be interesting if the Falcons utilize Patterson, 32, as a full-time kick returner. While not used much as a punt returner during his 10-year career, the four-time All-Pro is one of the best kick returners in NFL history. He led the NFL with 35 kick returns with the Bears in 2020 but has not topped 18 in either of his Falcons seasons.

Contract Details: Hughes, Hollins, Anderson, Scott, Johnson, Evans, Morstead, Ham

April 1st, 2023 at 12:48pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on more deals signed recently around the NFL:

C.J. Ham, FB (Vikings): Two years, $8.65MM. The extension, according to Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, has a guaranteed amount of $4.4MM composed of a $2.3MM signing bonus, Ham’s 2023 base salary of $1.1MM, and $1MM of his 2024 base salary (worth a total of $2.4MM. The 2025 base salary is worth $2.55MM. Ham is set to earn $100,000 workout bonuses in each year of the newly extended deal.
Mike Hughes, CB (Falcons): Two years, $7MM. The deal, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, has a guaranteed amount of $3.24MM consisting of a $1.5MM signing bonus, Hughes’s first year base salary of $1.08MM, and his 2023 roster bonus of $660,000. The second year base salary is worth $2.57MM. The contract includes an annual per game active roster bonus of $35,000 for a potential season total of $595,000.
Trenton Scott, G (Commanders): Two years, $3.02MM. The contract, according to Wilson, has a guaranteed amount of $655,000 consisting of a $305,000 signing bonus and $350,000 of Scott’s first year base salary (worth a total of $1.08MM). The second year base salary is worth $1.13MM. The contract includes an annual per game active roster bonus of $15,000 for a potential season total of $255,000. Scott can earn an additional $500,000 through an incentive based on playing time.
Justin Evans, S (Eagles): One year, $1.59MM. The contract, according to Wilson, has a guaranteed amount of $600,000 composed of a $250,000 signing bonus and $350,000 of Evans’ base salary (worth a total of $1.08MM). The deal includes a per game active roster bonus of $15,294 for a potential season total of $260,000. Evans can earn an additional $1.25MM through incentives based on playing time and a Pro Bowl selection.
Henry Anderson, DE (Panthers): One year, $1.32MM. The deal, according to Wilson, has a guaranteed amount of $152,500 consisting of Anderson’s signing bonus. His base salary is worth $1.17MM.
Thomas Morstead, P (Jets): One year, $1.32MM. The deal, according to Wilson, has a guaranteed amount of $1.09MM consisting of a $152,500 signing bonus and $940,000 of Morstead’s base salary (worth a total of $1.17MM).
Justin Hollins, OLB (Packers): One year, $1.28MM. The contract, according to Wilson, has a guaranteed amount of $155,000 consisting of Hollins’s signing bonus. The base salary is worth $1.08MM. The deal includes a workout bonus of $45,000, and Hollins can earn an additional $350,000 through an incentive based on playing time.
Ty Johnson, RB (Jets): One year, $1.23MM. The deal, according to Wilson, has a guaranteed amount of $250,000 consisting of a $75,000 signing bonus and $175,000 of Johnson’s base salary (worth a total of $1.08MM). Johnson can earn a $77,500 roster bonus if he’s active in New York’s Week 1 matchup.

Falcons Expected To Sign CB Mike Hughes

March 20th, 2023 at 6:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 20: This visit is expected to lead to an agreement, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Falcons have bolstered their defense on all three levels this offseason. Hughes and Bates are joining the secondary, while Kaden Elliss is coming over at linebacker. Fellow ex-Saint David Onyemata will also follow new DC Ryan Nielsen from New Orleans. Hughes plans to sign a two-year contract with the Falcons, Fowler tweets.

MARCH 17: Mike Hughes may have a few potential destinations for 2023, though the former first-round pick is likely to play for a fourth team in four seasons. The Falcons are on the radar to be that team, with Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reporting (via Twitter) they will host Hughes this weekend.

Although Hughes is taking a visit after a number of cornerbacks have reached agreements, he is not only on the Falcons’ radar. Other teams are interested, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets, adding that Wilson’s Atlanta visit will begin Friday.

Jerry Gray‘s presence on Atlanta’s staff could lead Hughes to Georgia. The veteran secondary coach was on Mike Zimmer‘s staff for six seasons; this span included Hughes’ first two NFL slates. Gray spent the past three seasons in Green Bay but joined Arthur Smith‘s assistant cadre this offseason.

Going into his age-26 season, Hughes has both bounced around in recent years and played regular roles while doing so. The Vikings traded the former No. 30 overall pick to the Chiefs in 2021. Following a bounce-back season in Kansas City, Hughes caught on with the Lions via a one-year, $2.25MM deal.

Hughes has experience both outside and in the slot, playing the latter role well with the Chiefs. Pro Football Focus rated Hughes as a top-30 corner during his Chiefs one-off. Last season did not go as well; Hughes allowed a 73.2% completion rate, was charged with giving up four touchdowns and permitting 9.2 yards per target. Those numbers resembled his 2020 season in Minnesota, which led the Vikings to bail on him in a late-round pick-swap trade.

The Falcons lost five-year contributor Isaiah Oliver to the 49ers, and 2022 pickup Casey Hayward is both coming off an injury-shortened season and heading into an age-34 campaign. He should not be considered a lock to be back. The team was linked to big-name corners ahead of free agency but decided to allocate resources elsewhere — most notably Jessie Bates‘ four-year, $64MM deal — thus far.

Even if Hughes ends up elsewhere, the Falcons will need to make at least one notable addition their AJ Terrell-fronted position group. Atlanta ranked 25th against the pass last season. Marcus Peters, Shaquill Griffin, Rock Ya-Sin, Anthony Brown and Bryce Callahan are some of the other notable corners still available.

Lions Sign CB Mike Hughes

March 21st, 2022 at 6:57pm CST by Ben Levine

Despite having a career year with the Chiefs, Mike Hughes has had to settle for a modest one-year deal. According to Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus (on Twitter), the cornerback is signing with the Lions. The one-year pact is worth $3.5MM.

After being traded from Minnesota last May, Hughes suited up for all 17 games with Kansas City – the first time in his four-year career he was available for a full campaign. He notched one interception, adding six pass breakups and four forced fumbles.

2021 was also Hughes’ best season with regards to coverage statistics. He allowed a completion percentage under 60% for the first time, and surrendered an average of seven yards per target. All of that added up to a PFF grade of 72.9, also a career mark.

Given his age (25), 2021 production, and first-round pedigree, Hughes was expected to be “popular” in free agency. Remaining with the Chiefs was also on the table. While Hughes managed to have a career season, his extensive injury history probably contributed to the short-term deal; a torn ACL followed by multiple neck issues limited him to a total of 24 games played across three seasons with the Vikings.

Latest On CB Mike Hughes

March 2nd, 2022 at 12:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

Mike Hughes found himself in a new home last offseason, and that may be the case again soon. After a career year with the Chiefs, he is now a pending free agent. As PFF’s Doug Kyed reports, the corner has generated a healthy market for himself.

Specifically, Kyed writes that Hughes “is expected to be popular” in free agency later this month. The main reason for that, of course, is his play in Kansas City in 2021. After being traded there from Minnesota last May, he suited up for all 17 games – the first time in his four-year career he was available for a full campaign. He notched one interception, adding six pass breakups and four forced fumbles.

2021 was also Hughes’ best season with regards to coverage statistics. He allowed a completion percentage under 60% for the first time, and surrendered an average of seven yards per target. All of that added up to a PFF grade of 72.9, also a career mark. Given his age (25), and first-round pedigree, a productive season like the one he just had could earn him a number of suitors on the open market.

Of course, any team interested in Hughes will need to be aware of his injury history. A torn ACL, followed by multiple neck issues limited him to a total of 24 games played across three seasons with the Vikings. That lack of availability principally drove the team to decline his fifth year option, before they ultimately dealt him to Kansas City. Of note, Kyed adds that Hughes remining with the Chiefs is an option which is “still on the table”. While the team has more pressing offseason priorities, bringing Hughes back could prove to be a useful move in the secondary.

DB Notes: Hughes, Surtain, Bears, Cowboys

May 16th, 2021 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings punted on Mike Hughes‘ contract year, sending the former first-round cornerback to the Chiefs in a pick-swap trade involving late-round selections. They felt comfortable doing so because of their additions at the position this offseason.

“Mike is a terrific kid; he’s been injured an awful lot,” Mike Zimmer said, via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin (Twitter links). “With the way that everything is now, we were fortunate to get a couple corners last year in the draft, we signed Patrick Peterson in free agency, so I think that gave us the opportunity to make the trade.”

Minnesota signed Peterson to a one-year, $10MM deal and reunited with former second-round pick Mackensie Alexander on a one-year pact. The Vikings drafted two corners high last year — first-rounder Jeff Gladney and third-rounder Cameron Dantzler — but a Gladney arrest earlier this year could affect his NFL future. Taken 30th overall in 2018, Hughes has only played 24 regular-season games during his career. The Chiefs have now taken fliers on two recent first-round corners — Hughes and DeAndre Baker — at low-cost rates.

Here is the latest news surrounding NFL secondaries:

Despite Justin Fields remaining on the board, the Broncos selected Patrick Surtain II at No. 9 overall. After seeing the last of their Super Bowl-winning No Fly Zone cogs depart in 2020 (Chris Harris) and Bryce Callahan encounter another injury, the Broncos moved aggressively at corner this offseason. Surtain, Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller now join Callahan. With the three veterans perhaps in line to be Denver’s top corners in Week 1, Surtain may be eased in gradually. However, he is viewed as an impact prospect who should be expected to help in 2021. Vic Fangio said the Broncos will train the 6-foot-2 cover man on the outside and in the slot, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post.
Formerly possessing a high-end cornerback contingent, the Bears have seen two of those cogs — Callahan and Fuller — rejoin Fangio in Colorado. The Bears cut Fuller this year after releasing slot man Buster Skrine. They signed Desmond Trufant, but the former Falcons Pro Bowler has missed 17 games over the past two years. Chicago has Jaylon Johnson locked in as a starter but did not draft a corner until Round 6 this year (Thomas Graham Jr.). Nevertheless, new Bears DC Sean Desai does not believe the team needs outside help here. “We’ve got enough depth where we’ll be able to solve that problem,” Desai said, via Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. Desai mentioned 2020 fifth-rounder Kindle Vildor, who played 135 defensive snaps last season, as a player who could be elevated into regular duty — either outside or in the slot. The Bears have, however, checked in on Steven Nelson, joining several other teams in doing so.
Although the Cowboys signed former first-round safety Keanu Neal, they are planning a hybrid role for the standout tackler. At safety, the team may well be set to turn to the other ex-Falcon cover man they signed this offseason. Damontae Kazee and Donovan Wilson look like the favorites to start at safety, per Jon Machota of The Athletic (subscription required). A 2019 sixth-round pick, Wilson started 10 Cowboys games last season. Kazee replaced Neal as a full-time starter in 2018 and ’19, when Neal suffered early-season injuries. But the former fifth-round pick is coming off an Achilles tear himself, which could impact his path to the starting lineup.

Vikings Trade Mike Hughes To Chiefs

May 13th, 2021 at 4:13pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s been a busy afternoon with lots of draft pick signings, and now we’ve got a trade! Minnesota is sending cornerback Mike Hughes to the Chiefs, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Kansas City is sending their sixth-round pick in 2022 and getting back Hughes and a 2022 seventh-rounder, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. In essence, the Chiefs are getting Hughes for practically nothing to take on the final year of his rookie deal. The 30th overall pick of the 2018 draft, Hughes just recently had his fifth-year option declined by the Vikings. To say Kansas City GM Brett Veach has been aggressive this offseason would be a big understatement.

His latest acquisition is the young cornerback from UCF who has had a really tough time with injuries in his brief career. First, Hughes tore an ACL a little over a month into his rookie season. Then he missed a couple of games with a neck injury in 2019, before a neck issue limited him to only four games this past year.

Through three pro campaigns he’s appeared in only 24 games, making seven starts. In those games he’s recorded 80 tackles, three forced fumbles, 13 passes defended, and two interceptions. The Vikings added Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander this offseason, leaving Hughes with an uncertain role in their secondary.

The Chiefs have yet to re-sign Bashaud Breeland this offseason, so the could use some cornerback depth behind L’Jarius Sneed and Charvarius Ward. Hughes only turned 24 in February, so he’s still got some theoretical upside.