NFL Draft Notes: Harrison, LSU, Texas, DeJean, Bowers
We truly are starting to see a new era of pre-draft football in the NFL. On a day in which we saw every quarterback in the first group of passers except for Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman opt out of running the 40-yard dash, we continue to report on prospects who are seeing the NFL’s scouting combine as less and less of a priority.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, star Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will not be participating in any of the testing at the combine. It doesn’t stop there, though, as Harrison has made the decision to not even train for those types of drills in the runup to the draft. Harrison will continue to work on pure football drills, allowing his tape to do the talking.
Players like Harrison have the luxury of this approach. For the last two years, Harrison has widely been considered the top wide receiver prospect in this year’s crop. He only solidified that status with a second straight stellar season with the Buckeyes. He has a fairly good idea of where he’s going to fall in the draft, so he doesn’t feel the need to display his full set of abilities in an attempt to up his draft stock. Instead, he will focus on team interviews and preparing for the more practical aspects of NFL readiness. Breer also informs us that Harrison will head to the league without an agent, joining another recent trend.
The combine and pro days remain a crucial part of the pre-draft process for many of the mid- to late-round prospects, but for top players, workouts like these are beginning to become more and more superfluous.
Here are a few other draft rumors as the combine continues:
- On the topic of non-participants, LSU Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels and his wide receiver Malik Nabers have both opted out of their workouts in Indianapolis, choosing to work out at their pro day, instead. Today we found out that both players are also skipping the measurements portion of the combine, as well, per ESPN’s Field Yates. The two Tigers will submit to measurements at their pro day before workouts.
- One name that’s been climbing draft boards of late is Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy. Murphy’s versatility across the line has scouts excited and makes him a fit for pretty much every squad. Reflecting this, Murphy reportedly had 25 official interviews set up at the combine, according to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda. Pauline also reports that the Raiders, Colts, Seahawks, and Vikings have all scheduled to bring him in for an official-30 visit. The list of suitors for the Longhorn defender likely won’t stop there.
- Another top Texas prospect, running back Jonathon Brooks continues to make his way back from ACL surgery that ended his final season in Austin. The top rusher on both ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s and Dane Brugler of The Athletic’s boards, Brooks is reportedly “healing well and as expected,” per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. While he obviously won’t be participating in any pre-draft workouts, he’s expected to be cleared for training camp.
- Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean‘s leg injury continues to hold him out of football activities in the leadup to the draft. After already learning that he wouldn’t be available to workout at the combine, Greg Auman of FOX Sports informs us that DeJean will also not participate in physical activities at Iowa’s pro day. DeJean claims to be fully cleared from the fracture in his lower leg and that he will work out at some point before the draft, but it looks like scouts will have to make personal trips out to Iowa City in order to workout DeJean.
- Finally, one more top draft prospect made the decision not to workout at the combine this year. Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, the top prospect at his position per both Kiper and Brugler and a likely top-10 pick, will not work out in Indianapolis. Scouts interested in seeing this Bulldog in action will have to make their way out to Georgia’s pro day.
Vikings To Release RB Alexander Mattison
Re-signed during Dalvin Cook‘s extended goodbye last year, Alexander Mattison will join his former teammate in free agency. The Vikings are planning to release Mattison.
The team has informed its primary 2023 starting running back he will be cut, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Minnesota gave Mattison a two-year, $7MM deal that came nearly fully guaranteed. As a result, this will bring a bit of dead money for the Vikings.
Mattison has been with the Vikings for five seasons, moving up on the depth chart last year after spending most of his career as Cook’s backup. Minnesota saw some promising signs from Ty Chandler late last season, and the 2022 draftee’s rookie deal runs through 2025. A year after they moved Cook’s pricey extension off their payroll, the Vikings will shed Mattison’s lower-end contract.
Although it was reported at the time that the Vikings fully guaranteed Mattison $6.35MM, they only locked in $3.6MM at signing. A $2.75MM guarantee was set to vest March 15, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling. That means this release will provide the team with $3.35MM in cap savings. Rather than pay Mattison a $3.3MM base salary in 2024, the Vikes will eat $1.25MM in dead money.
Averaging just 3.9 yards per carry in his first extended run as a starter, Mattison did not tally a rushing touchdown last season. He did total 700 rushing yards, adding three receiving TDs. Still, it represented a fairly disappointing run from a player the Vikings hoped would replace Cook at a fraction of the cost. Mattison, 25, had said he did not expect to re-sign with the Vikings. But his path changed when it became clear the team was done with Cook.
Cutting Cook after he had surpassed 1,100 rushing yards in four straight seasons, the Vikings ranked 29th in rushing last year. Granted, Cook struggled in New York, but Minnesota did not fare well on the ground without its longtime starter.
The Vikings traded for Cam Akers in October. After the ex-Rams back began to eat into Mattison’s workload, he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear. A fifth-round pick who played at Tennessee and North Carolina, Chandler finished with 461 rushing yards and a 4.5-yard average. Chandler is also 25, despite entering the league three years after Mattison. Chandler, however, has logged only 108 NFL carries. He should be a bit fresher, though that may not be a primary concern here; Mattison has only totaled 584 career totes. Regardless, the Vikings are moving on from their primary RB1 for a second straight year.
Mattison missed a late-season game due to an ankle sprain and worked as Chandler’s backup in the Vikings’ final three contests; the Boise State alum did well to score the guarantee he did last year. As 2023 showed up until the Jonathan Taylor extension, the market is not pretty for veteran running backs. Mattison now heads to free agency during the same year in which Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Austin Ekeler, Tony Pollard, Derrick Henry, Devin Singletary, Gus Edwards and D’Andre Swift are set to be available.
Latest On Vikings, QB Kirk Cousins
The Vikings’ latest negotiations with Kirk Cousins are coming down to the wire. The team’s exclusive negotiating rights with the veteran passer expire March 11, with March 13 serving as a more significant date due to dead money. Communication continues.
Kevin O’Connell indicated during an interview with KFAN radio (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy) he has spoken with Cousins several times this offseason, with the underlying theme of those talks being the team’s interest in reaching another deal with its six-year starter. The team continues to search for a middle ground with the third-longest-tenured starting quarterback in franchise history.
“We have our interests; he has his, get to the table and see if we can figure out a creative solution of how to meet in the middle,” third-year Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said, via Dunleavy. “What we do know is we have a really good quarterback, great leader and somebody we think we can win the ultimate prize with.”
Cousins, 35, has only appeared in the divisional round once during his years in Minnesota and Washington. What his resume lacks in postseason success it compensates for (and then some) in earnings. Last season pushed Cousins past $231MM for his career. Being close to testing the market again, the proven starter seems a lock to move past $300MM in the near future. Will it be with the Vikings?
If Minnesota cannot re-sign Cousins by the start of the 2024 league year (3pm CT March 13), the team will eat $28.5MM in dead money. That would not prevent a Cousins re-signing, though a deal after that date would cut into the team’s ability to build a roster around its longtime QB. The legal tampering period, which begins at 11am CT on March 11, could serve as the key window here. Cousins will be allowed to shop his services to interested buyers, while the Vikings still have a bit of breathing room until the QB’s void years hit their 2024 cap.
Guarantees figure to be at the heart of Adofo-Mensah’s middle-ground comment. The Vikings were uncomfortable with guarantees going into Year 3 on a Cousins extension last year, leading to talks breaking down and only a restructure coming to pass. A year later, guarantees are again an issue. Minnesota famously guaranteed Cousins’ first contract (three years, $84MM), putting the team on its heels against the leverage maestro in the years that followed. Cousins signed extensions in 2020 (two years, $66MM) and 2022 (one year, $35MM). Neither of the latter two deals was fully guaranteed, but even coming off an Achilles tear ahead of an age-36 season, Cousins will be in good shape due to his consistency, a few teams’ QB needs and the salary cap spiking to $255.4MM.
The Falcons, Broncos and Raiders figure to join the Vikes as interested parties. Though, Cousins has said on several occasions he wants to stay in Minnesota. Denver, which bowed out of a Cousins pursuit six years ago (leading to a Case Keenum signing), is about to take on a record-smashing dead-money sum ($85MM over two years, via a post-June 1 cut) after separating from Russell Wilson. That will obviously hinder a Cousins pursuit. Atlanta may be the clubhouse leader in Justin Fields connections, while Las Vegas has been more closely tied to rookie passers thus far.
As the Vikings pledge to retain Justin Jefferson, the All-Pro wide receiver is understandably interested in knowing if Cousins will be throwing him passes in 2024. That answer will come soon. If Cousins departs, the Vikings — who hold the No. 11 overall pick — will need to scramble to make another QB plan.
Vikings Hire Josh McCown As QBs Coach
Known for making a few team jumps during his lengthy quarterback career, Josh McCown has landed a second gig as a quarterbacks coach in as many years.
The Vikings hired McCown as their quarterbacks coach, the team announced Tuesday. This comes months after the Panthers fired him in the wake of Frank Reich‘s early dismissal. Minnesota is among the cities McCown, 44, did not stop through as a player, but he will get to work under third-year HC Kevin O’Connell.
A candidate to become the Texans’ head coach in two offseasons, McCown did not land that job. Such an appointment would have come as controversial given his inexperience coaching. Following interviews for the Houston job in consecutive years, McCown landed in Carolina. That became a mistake.
In an attempt to assemble an all-star staff around Reich, David Tepper allowed a complex Bryce Young developmental effort to commence. This included marrying concepts from Reich and OC Thomas Brown, with McCown having an influence in the offense’s direction as well. The experiment faceplanted, and after Jim Caldwell and interim HC Chris Tabor orchestrated McCown’s firing, the Panthers have a new staff in place.
McCown played 18 NFL seasons, skipping the 2010 campaign while playing in the original United Football League, and bounced around the league. While the journeyman has no prior history in Minnesota, he did throw a rather important pass in Vikings annals. McCown’s final-seconds toss to Nate Poole produced a game-winning Cardinals touchdown that knocked the Vikings out of the 2003 playoffs. That was McCown’s second season; he will now aim to use the Vikings as a bounce-back opportunity in his second coaching season.
The Vikings are moving Chris O’Hara from QBs coach to pass-game specialist. O’Hara has been on O’Connell’s staff throughout the latter’s Twin Cities tenure. He came over from the Rams along with O’Connell and OC Wes Phillips.
NFC Coaching Updates: Falcons, Vikings, Garcia, Glenn
As the offseason chugs along, teams continue to reconstruct their coaching staffs. The Falcons made a number of moves just before the weekend, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN. The staff continues to take shape under new head coach Raheem Morris.
On offense, two announcements were made on assistants looking to hold over from Arthur Smith‘s staff last year. Rothstein reports that assistant offensive line coach Shawn Flaherty and offensive assistant Patrick Kramer, who each came to Atlanta last offseason, will be retained in their previous positions.
A new hire was announced, as well, with the team naming Jacquies Smith as their new outside linebackers coach. Formerly a seven-year NFL defensive end, the former undrafted player out of Missouri will now accept his first NFL coaching position. After disappearing from the NFL-world for a spell and making an appearance in the XFL, Smith worked with draft-eligible players in pre-draft training. He most recently spent the 2023 season as an assistant edge coach for the Texas Longhorns.
In the front office, the team announced the hires of John Griffin as director of player performance and Rob Dadona as manager of coaching operations. Griffin follows Morris after spending the past three years with the Rams. Dadona replaces Brian Griffin, who departed to serve as Chief of Staff at the University of Maryland. Dadona spent the past five seasons with the Jets, serving as assistant to the head coach for the last three.
Here are a few other staff updates from around the NFC, starting with a couple out of Minneapolis:
- The Vikings announced two staff additions this weekend, naming assistant offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett and assistant to the head coach Henry Schneider IV. Sarrett replaces Justin Rascati, who departed for Los Angeles to serve as the Chargers pass-game coordinator. The two essentially swapped places, as Sarrett spent the past three years in the assistant offensive line coaching role with the Chargers. Schneider spent the last five years with the Raiders, most recently as the manager of coaching operations.
- The Cowboys added a hot, young name out of Washington to their defensive staff this weekend. Cristian Garcia, who spent part of last year as the Commanders interim defensive backs coach, will head to Dallas as a defensive quality control coach, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. Garcia was a name that former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera turned to for leadership after firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Now he’ll join the NFC East rival.
- Washington added their own coaching assistant last week. According to ESPN’s John Keim, John Glenn will join the staff as the Commanders’ new assistant special teams coach. Glenn replaces Ben Jacobs, who had served in the same role since following Rivera from Carolina in 2020 but was not retained by the new staff. Glenn changes roles a bit after spending the past six seasons as the Seahawks linebackers coach.
2024 NFL Cap Space, By Team
The NFL provided clarity to its teams on Friday by setting the salary cap ceiling ($255.4MM). Franchise tag figures have been locked in as well, and clubs can now proceed with their offseason planning knowing exactly where they stand with respect to financial flexibility. Courtesy of Over the Cap, here is the current landscape in terms of salary cap space:
- Washington Commanders: $79.61MM
- Tennessee Titans: $78.66MM
- Chicago Bears: $78.34MM
- New England Patriots: $77.96MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $72.34MM
- Houston Texans: $67.58MM
- Detroit Lions: $57.61MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $51.1MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $50.67MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $43.68MM
- Los Angles Rams: $43.11MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $42.94MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $35.81MM
- Carolina Panthers: $34.57MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $33MM
- New York Giants: $30.8MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $27.35MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $24.68MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $18.19MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $16.63MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $12.97MM
- New York Jets: $12.76MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $9MM
- Green Bay Packers: $2.3MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $5.07MM over the cap
- Cleveland Browns: $7.76MM over
- Dallas Cowboys: $9.86MM over
- Denver Broncos: $16.81MM over
- Los Angeles Chargers: $25.61MM over
- Miami Dolphins: $27.92MM over
- New Orleans Saints: $42.11MM over
- Buffalo Bills: $43.82MM over
All teams must be cap compliant by the start of the new league year, but it will of course be more than just those currently over the limit which will make cost-shedding moves in the near future. Cuts, restructures and extensions are available as tools to carve out space in advance of free agency. Several have already taken place around the league.
That includes the Dolphins’ release of defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah and the planned cut of Xavien Howard. The latter cannot be designated a post-June 1 release until free agency begins but once it happens, Miami will move much closer to cap compliance. The Saints have moved considerable commitments into the future via restructures (as usual), but more transactions on that front will be required even with the cap seeing an historic single-season jump.
The roughly $30MM spike from 2023 will provide unforeseen spending power for teams already set to lead the pack in cap space while also making the task of those at the bottom of the list easier. Spending more on backloaded contracts this offseason at the expense of future space obviously carries risk, however. Still, the news of a higher-than-expected ceiling will add further intrigue to each team’s financial planning.
With Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson each set to carry record-breaking cap hits for 2024, the Cowboys and Browns will be among the teams most in need of working out a deal to lower those figures. In Dallas’ case in particular, an extension would provide immediate breathing room in addition to clarity on his future beyond the coming season. For Cleveland, Watson’s fully-guaranteed deal has already been restructured once and will need to be again to avoid consecutive years of a $64MM cap charge over its remaining term.
If the Commanders and Patriots add a quarterback with the second and third picks in this year’s draft, each team currently in the top six in space will enjoy the benefits of having a signal-caller on their rookie contracts. That would allow for an aggressive approach to free agency, although the Chiefs’ success after Patrick Mahomes signed (and re-worked) his monster extension has proven it is possible to win Super Bowl titles with a substantial QB investment on the books.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/21/24
Today’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: OL Dieter Eiselen, CB D’Angelo Ross
Minnesota Vikings
- Re-signed: S Theo Jackson
The Texans made sure to retain Ross, a special-teams gunner, and Eiselen, a special-teams blocker. In fact, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston passes along that Eiselen received a two-year deal from the Texans worth $2.095MM (including a $10K signing bonus).
Latest On Vikings, Kirk Cousins
Today marks the opening of the franchise tag window, but Kirk Cousins‘ contract is not set to expire until after the deadline for teams to apply the tag. He is therefore on track for free agency unless another Vikings agreement can be worked out. 
Cousins looms as one of the key figures in the 2024 free agent class as the most accomplished passer set to reach the open market. A new Minnesota deal could be forthcoming, as a mutual interest exists for a contract to be hammered out. However, SI’s Albert Breer notes the current Vikings regime is not prepared to guarantee Cousins’ next deal in full as its previous one was.
That serves as confirmation of a report from last month which detailed the four-time Pro Bowler’s efforts to receive guaranteed compensation through 2025 during summer extension talks. Minnesota – led in the front office by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah for the past two years – authorized a three-year, $84MM deal in 2018 under Rick Spielman as well as a $66MM extension followed by last year’s restructured pact. The latter agreement set up the team’s current situation, one which will dictate the rest of Minnesota’s offseason and represent a major domino in free agency around the league.
Both Cousins and the Vikings have expressed a desire to continue their six-year relationship on a new deal. Efforts to negotiate one will likely depend in large part on the guarantee figure, as a short-term arrangement should be expected. Cousins is entering his age-36 season and is rehabbing an Achilles tear. That injury put an stop to a promising 2023 campaign, where the former fourth-rounder posted the third highest passer rating (103.8) of his career.
The Vikings do not have an heir apparent under center, and the team has financial considerations such as a new Danielle Hunter contract and a Justin Jefferson mega-extension to take into account if free agency is used to find a Cousins replacement. Breer does add that the sides have spoken recently, and an open line of communication obviously offers the potential of a deal being struck before the new league year begins on March 13.
With the potential exception of Baker Mayfield, Cousins should be able to land the NFL’s largest QB deal amongst veterans this offseason. Minnesota will remain a team to watch closely as talks continue, but it will be interesting to see how strong of a market emerges if financial terms remain a sticking point. The upper limit of Cousins’ guarantee ask will be a key storyline in the coming weeks.
Latest On Vikings’ Edge Rush Situation
With a Kirk Cousins free agency spell looming, the Vikings are among the teams to watch over the coming days and weeks. Minnesota’s defense faces a number of question marks as well, though, particularly in the edge rush department. 
Danielle Hunter is also on track for free agency, and he could command a lucrative market. After agreeing to a fully-guaranteed one-year Vikings pact last offseason, Hunter enjoyed a healthy and productive campaign. He set a new career high in sacks with 16.5, earning him a fourth Pro Bowl invite. Minnesota’s direction with respect to retaining Hunter will of course depend in large part on what happens with Cousins, but Minnesota has another pass rusher to consider re-signing.
D.J. Wonnum is set to see his rookie contract expire, but his performances when given a starting role could help his market value. Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network reports Wonnum could be an under-the-radar free agent, and he could be worth watching as an element of Minnesota’s offseason plans. Caplan notes the Vikings should be expected to pursue a new deal with at least one of Hunter or Wonnum.
The latter matched his career high with eight sacks in 2023, having posted the same total when he handled first-team duties in 2021. Wonnum, 26, recorded 62 tackles, 15 QB hits and 21 pressures. The former fourth-rounder is thus in line for a notable raise on his second contract, whether that comes from the Vikings or a team better positioned to make a lucrative long-term commitment.
Fellow edge rusher Marcus Davenport was set to have his contract void today, falling in line with a number of other players around the NFL in that regard. However, the void date on Davenport’s pact has now been moved to March 13 (lining it up with Cousins and Hunter), per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. Instead of creating a dead money charge for 2024 today, Davenport and the Vikings will now have more time to negotiate a deal.
The former Saints first-rounder came to Minnesota last offseason on a one-year deal worth $10MM guaranteed. Four void years were included in the deal, though, and Davenport is set to carry a $6.8MM cap hit in 2024 even if he departs. An ankle injury limited him to just four games in his debut Vikings season. Whether he is retained alongside one or both of Hunter and Wonnum or replaced with a new group of edge rushers will be an intriguing storyline for the team.
Vikings S Harrison Smith Likely Facing Pay Cut In 2024
Harrison Smith has played his entire 12-year career with the Vikings, and he remains under contract with the team. If he elects to continue his career, though, he will likely need to do so at a reduced rate. 
Smith was in a similar situation last offseason. He ultimately agreed to a restructure which resulted in a pay cut while guaranteeing much of his base salary. Two more years remain on the 35-year-old’s contract, and he is set to carry cap hits of $19.22MM and $22.02MM, respectively, if no further alterations are made.
As Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes, Smith declined to offer a firm stance with respect to his playing future once the Vikings’ season came to an end. The six-time Pro Bowler racked up 93 tackles, three sacks and a trio of forced fumbles in 2023. He did not allow a touchdown in coverage, and he is one year removed from a five-interception campaign. While he would remain a productive player if he elected to play in 2024, Goessling writes that Smith would likely be required to agree to another pay cut to remain in Minnesota.
The former All-Pro is due $15.3MM next year, but the Vikings would see considerable cap savings via a trade or release (particularly if they were to designate Smith a post-June 1 cut). A restructure, by contrast, would allow Minnesota to retain him while creating $6.67MM in cap space. Given the major financial decisions the team has to make in the near future, any added flexibility would be welcomed.
The Vikings need to work out a new deal with Kirk Cousins or find a replacement starting quarterback. The team is also set to resume negotiations on a mega-extension with wideout Justin Jefferson. The latter does not appear poised to offer a hometown discount, although he is already on the books for 2024 via his fifth-year option. Clarity on the Cousins and Jefferson fronts will inform moves with other key veterans, such as pending free agent edge rusher Danielle Hunter.
Goessling notes that both head coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores want to have Smith back for next season. His desire to continue playing remains the key question in this situation; if he elects against hanging up his cleats, however, it will be interesting to see if he is willing to take a pay cut for the second year in a row.