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The NFL’s Longest-Tenured Head Coaches

July 5th, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following 2023’s five-team coaching carousel, this offseason featured a quarter of the jobs becoming available. One HC-needy team (New England) did not put its position on the market, promoting Jerod Mayo, but the rest did. The Patriots’ decision also produced the first shakeup among the league’s longest-tenured head coach list since 2013.

Since the Eagles fired Andy Reid, Bill Belichick‘s Patriots HC stint had run the longest. After a 4-13 season, the six-time Super Bowl-winning leader was moved out of the picture. No team hired Belichick, generating a wave of rumors, and only one (Atlanta) brought him in for an official interview. While Belichick should be expected to take at least one more run at a third-chance HC gig, Mike Tomlin rises into the top spot on this list.

Tomlin is going into his 18th season with the Steelers, and while he has surpassed Bill Cowher for longevity, the steady leader still has a ways to go to reach Chuck Noll‘s 23-season Pittsburgh benchmark. Tomlin, 52, enters the 2024 season 17-for-17 in non-losing seasons, separating himself from his predecessors in that regard.

Belichick’s ouster brought far more attention, but his Patriots predecessor also slid out of the HC ranks after a 14-year Seattle stay. Pete Carroll‘s third HC shot elevated the Seahawks to their franchise peak. No Hawks HC comes close to Carroll’s duration, and while the Super Bowl winner was interested in remaining a head coach, no team interviewed the 72-year-old sideline staple.

Belichick and Carroll’s exits leave only Tomlin, John Harbaugh and Reid as coaches who have been in place at least 10 years. With Mike Vrabel also booted this offseason, only eight HCs have held their current jobs since the 2010s. A few 2017 hires, however, stand out; Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay and Sean McDermott have now each signed multiple extensions. Now riding back-to-back Super Bowl wins, Reid joined Tomlin in signing an offseason extension.

Here is how the 32 HC jobs look for the 2024 season:

  1. Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers): January 27, 2007; extended through 2027
  2. John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens): January 19, 2008; extended through 2025
  3. Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs): January 4, 2013; extended through 2029
  4. Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills): January 11, 2017; extended through 2027
  5. Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams): January 12, 2017; extended through 2027
  6. Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers): February 6, 2017; extended through 2027
  7. Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers): January 8, 2019: signed extension in July 2022
  8. Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals): February 4, 2019; extended through 2026
  9. Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys): January 7, 2020
  10. Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns): January 13, 2020; signed offseason extension
  11. Robert Saleh (New York Jets): January 15, 2021
  12. Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions): January 20, 2021; extended through 2027
  13. Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles): January 21, 2021
  14. Matt Eberflus (Chicago Bears): January 27, 2022
  15. Brian Daboll (New York Giants): January 28, 2022
  16. Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings): February 2, 2022
  17. Doug Pederson (Jacksonville Jaguars): February 3, 2022
  18. Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins): February 6, 2022
  19. Dennis Allen (New Orleans Saints): February 7, 2022
  20. Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): March 30, 2022
  21. Sean Payton (Denver Broncos): January 31, 2023
  22. DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans): January 31, 2023
  23. Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts): February 14, 2023
  24. Jonathan Gannon (Arizona Cardinals): February 14, 2023
  25. Jerod Mayo (New England Patriots): January 12, 2024
  26. Antonio Pierce (Las Vegas Raiders): January 19, 2024
  27. Brian Callahan (Tennessee Titans): January 22, 2024
  28. Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers): January 24, 2024
  29. Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers): January 25, 2024
  30. Raheem Morris (Atlanta Falcons): January 25, 2024
  31. Mike Macdonald (Seattle Seahawks): January 31, 2024
  32. Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders): February 1, 2024

2025 Salary Cap Projections For All 32 Teams

June 29th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Ben Levine

While a number of big-name veterans remain unsigned, 2024 free agency is effectively over. In addition to settling on 53-man rosters ahead of the 2024 campaign, NFL front offices will also use the next few months to sign their extension-eligible players to long-term pacts.

These extensions are obviously intended to keep players locked to their respective teams for the foreseeable future. However, these extensions can also help front offices clean their books as they prepare for future offseasons. With that in mind, here’s a look at where teams currently stand in regards to 2025 cap space (h/t to OverTheCap.com):

  1. New England Patriots $91.93MM
  2. Arizona Cardinals $77.42MM
  3. Washington Commanders $69.51MM
  4. Pittsburgh Steelers $67.98MM
  5. Dallas Cowboys $64.82MM
  6. Chicago Bears $58.81MM
  7. New York Jets $58.28MM
  8. Minnesota Vikings $54.52MM
  9. Green Bay Packers $47.45MM
  10. Detroit Lions $43.68MM
  11. Los Angeles Chargers $42.92MM
  12. Cincinnati Bengals $37.87MM
  13. Denver Broncos $34.35MM
  14. Los Angeles Rams $34.22MM
  15. Tennessee Titans $27.51MM
  16. Jacksonville Jaguars $27.36MM
  17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers $25.74MM
  18. Las Vegas Raiders $22.53MM
  19. New York Giants $17.15MM
  20. Carolina Panthers $16.42MM
  21. Indianapolis Colts $14.23MM
  22. Kansas City Chiefs $11.67MM
  23. Philadelphia Eagles $6.40MM
  24. Atlanta Falcons $130K
  25. Baltimore Ravens -$3.58MM
  26. Buffalo Bills -$3.71MM
  27. Houston Texans -$5.68MM
  28. Miami Dolphins -$9.36MM
  29. Seattle Seahawks -$20.48MM
  30. San Francisco 49ers -$38.91MM
  31. Cleveland Browns -$42.85MM
  32. New Orleans Saints -$88.15MM

The numbers above reflect “effective cap space,” meaning they account for the top-51 players and projected rookie classes. This list is based on a projected salary cap of $260MM.

It’s not a huge surprise to see the Patriots atop the list, as the organization is currently sitting with the most amount of cap room heading into the 2024 campaign. With hopeful franchise QB Drake Maye locked into an affordable rookie contract, the organization will surely be looking to capitalize on their cap flexibility. The Patriots were traditionally fiscally responsible under Bill Belichick‘s leadership, so it will be interesting to see how the organization proceeds with Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf now running the show. The Patriots aren’t far removed from a 2021 offseason where they spent a then-record $160MM in guaranteed money on free agents, so owner Robert Kraft certainly isn’t shy about opening the checkbook when the opportunity arises.

Some of these teams will surely see their totals dry up as they sign players to extensions. This is especially relevant for the Cowboys, who are eyeing lucrative extensions for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Most of the team’s upcoming moves will likely be made with the Dak/CeeDee extensions in mind, and once those deals come to fruition, there’s a good chance the Cowboys end up falling towards the bottom of this list.

On the other side of the list, the Saints will be eyeing some significant cost-cutting moves heading into the 2025 offseason. The team could free up some significant space via extensions with Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill, as the duo is currently slated to count for a combined $44.7MM against the cap in 2025. Marshon Lattimore‘s $31.4MM cap hit is another notable roadblock that will need to be resolved, although the organization has less flexibility when it comes to Derek Carr‘s impending 2025 cap hit of $51.4MM.

Saints To Sign S Roderic Teamer

June 20th, 2024 at 11:01am CST by Adam La Rose

Roderic Teamer‘s Saints audition has proven to be a success. The veteran safety has a deal in place with his hometown team, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football reports.

Teamer joined wideout Russell Gage in working out with the Saints last week. The latter remains unsigned at this point, but the former will now have the opportunity to carve out a depth role during training camp and the preseason. Teamer has 40 games and 11 starts to his name dating back to his time with the Chargers and Raiders.

The Tulane alum saw part-time defensive duties with Vegas in 2021 and ’22, and he matched his career high with 40 tackles during the former campaign. Last season, he made six appearances before a DUI arrest led to his release. Teamer was previously suspended four games for a substance-abuse policy violation in 2020.

Since his single season with the Bolts, the former UDFA has primarily seen the field on special teams. That will likely be the case in New Orleans if Teamer manages to survive roster cutdowns. The Saints have Tyrann Mathieu in place to reprise his starting duties in 2024, although the team released Marcus Maye in February. That has paved the way for Jordan Howden to take on an increased workload, but a depth spot could be available for Teamer.

The Saints have a number of options in place regarding special teams contributors, including J.T. Gray and Jonathan Abram. Teamer’s third phase performance over the summer will thus be a critical in determining whether or not he lands a roster spot. New Orleans entered Thursday with just over $12MM in cap space, so this deal (which will no doubt be worth the veteran’s minimum) should not drastically impact the team’s financial outlook.

RB Alvin Kamara Open To Restructured Saints Deal

June 17th, 2024 at 1:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

Alvin Kamara departed the Saints’ final day of minicamp early as a result of the unsettled nature of his contract. Two years remain on his current deal, but he is in essence a pending free agent.

Kamara’s scheduled 2025 compensation is $25MM, and it consists of a non-guaranteed base salary of $22.4MM. That final year has long been viewed as one which will not be played out along those lines, and an extension or restructure will all-but assuredly be needed to keep him in the fold beyond this season. The latter route is something Kamara appears to be amenable to.

Reported to be angling for an extension, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted during a recent SportsCenter appearance that the 28-year-old is also open to a restructure (video link). Such an agreement could increase his 2024 earnings (currently slated at $11.8MM) while providing assurances for next year. Unlike many other pacts, though, Kamara’s deal has not been adjusted this offseason by the Saints.

Talks on a resolution have taken place this offseason, but as Fowler confirms the sides are not close to an agreement. The nature of negotiations during the coming weeks will therefore be worth watching closely, as a training camp holdout would leave Kamara subject to $50K in daily fines were he to hold out. The five-time Pro Bowler recorded 1,160 scrimmage yards in 13 games last season, the lowest figure of his career but still a sign of his two-way skillset when on the field.

Lucrative contracts for veteran running backs have generally been a rare occurrence in recent years, although teams acted quickly during the 2024 offseason to make notable backfield additions. Christian McCaffrey also landed a raise on his new 49ers pact, and Kamara could be among those who benefits from a potential domino effect. It will be interesting to see if New Orleans pursues a new round of negotiations on either an extension or a restructure in the near future and how Kamara responds either way.

Saints Rework Taysom Hill’s Contract, Expand His Offensive Role

June 16th, 2024 at 12:46pm CST by Rory Parks

The Saints went back to a familiar well to carve out some cap space for the 2024 season. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com reports, New Orleans converted just under $9MM of Taysom Hill‘s base salary into a signing bonus, thereby creating $6.59MM of cap room. Hill is under contract through 2025, and he now has $9.7MM of void year charges if he is not extended before 2026.

This marks the third time in three years that the Saints have reworked Hill’s pact, and it increases his chances of remaining with the club through the end of his current deal or landing another contract. If he were to be released as a non-June 1 cut next year, the Saints would incur $17.7MM of dead money.

Of course, the Saints likely have no desire to move on from their jack-of-all-trades weapon, who racked up 114 total receiving and rushing touches and 692 yards in 2023, both of which were career bests. He also completed six of 11 passes for 83 yards and accounted for seven total touchdowns.

Under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, Hill’s role could expand even further, as Matthew Paras of The Advocate details. During OTAs, Hill lined up as a running back — most of his career runs have come when taking the snap as a quarterback — and at fullback. His work at fullback naturally entailed his putting his hand in the dirt in a three-point stance and serving as a lead blocker. Just 29 of Hill’s 426 offensive snaps in 2023 came out of the backfield, and it sounds as if that might change in a big way in 2024.

Hill, who is entering his age-34 season, welcomes the new opportunities. “It’s been a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s weird to say after seven years of doing what I’ve been doing that I’m being asked to do things I’ve never done before. That is exciting to me and it’s challenging, and I love to be challenged like that. I’m grateful for those guys creating unique and fun opportunities for me.”

Kubiak & Co. will likely still give Hill a number of chances as a receiver, and it would be fair to expect him to get his customary handful of passing attempts as well. As always, training camp will shed more light on exactly what the team has in mind.

“Taysom has been phenomenal here early,” Kubiak said during rookie minicamp. “We’ve been kind of moving him in a lot of spots as he has his entire career. He’s a really intelligent guy, and we’re looking forward to giving him a lot of volume early. And then we’ll start narrowing it down as we get closer to the season.”

The Saints are now $12MM under the cap and have their entire 2024 draft class under contract, so they have plenty of room to operate (although they do have a contractual dispute with RB Alvin Kamara that will need to be resolved in some way).

Latest On Chase Young’s Recovery From Neck Surgery

June 15th, 2024 at 9:01am CST by Ben Levine

Chase Young got a positive update on his recovery from neck surgery. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Saints defensive end “received a positive report” during a check-up with “renowned neck specialist” Dr. Robert Watkins.

[RELATED: Chase Young’s Neck Injury Affected 2023 Trade Market]

The plan is for Young to undergo more tests in about six weeks, which would bring us to the end of July/the beginning of August. Fowler notes that Young intends to participate in Saints training camp, which opens in California on July 24.

Young’s neck issues date back to last year’s preseason, when the former second-overall pick suffered a stinger that ultimately forced him to miss the regular-season opener. Young didn’t miss another game for the rest of the 2023 campaign, although the lingering injury reportedly affected his trade market. The impending free agent was eventually traded from the Commanders to the 49ers for a third-round pick, with Young getting into 12 games (including postseason) for his new squad. The player went under the knife after the season.

The Saints ended up snagging the edge rusher in free agency, giving him a one-year deal that could be worth up to $13MM if the free agent acquisition can stay healthy. Of course, that’s easier said than done. After earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, Young suffered a knee injury that derailed his 2021 and 2022 seasons. He rebounded nicely in 2023, finishing with 7.5 sacks, but it doesn’t sound like the veteran is completely past his injury struggles.

While the Saints were clearly banking on Young’s upside, the acquisition will surely test the team’s depth. Saints stalwart Cameron Jordan underwent surgery earlier this year to address a significant ankle injury, although the veteran was able to participate a bit in this week’s practices. The team does still have Carl Granderson on the edge, with the former UDFA coming off a career season. 2021 first-round pick Payton Turner and 2023 second-round pick Isaiah Foskey are also competing for depth spots.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/14/24

June 14th, 2024 at 6:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s minor NFL transactions:

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: WR Praise Olatoke

New Orleans Saints

Olatake joins the Chargers offense as a member of the league’s International Player Pathway Program. Born in Nigeria, Olatoke was raised in Scotland before attending Ohio State as a sprinter in track and field. Olatoke clearly possesses next level speed, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors while posting a 10.27-second 100-meter dash time, but doesn’t have much competitive football experience. In fact, the Olatoke’s only experience playing football was on the Ohio State club team. Truly an inspiration for club players everywhere.

Brewer lands on injured reserve but does so without an injury designation. If Brewer plans to play in the backup role he held last year, he’ll now need to reach an injury settlement with the team in order to do so.

TE Jimmy Graham’s Retirement Decision Dependent On Saints’ Plans

June 14th, 2024 at 10:28am CST by Adam La Rose

Jimmy Graham returned to NFL action last season, doing so where his decorated career began. Another Saints season is a possibility for the veteran tight end, but whether he plays or retires in 2024 will depend on how the team proceeds.

The 37-year-old made 13 appearances last season, his sixth in New Orleans and first since 2014. Graham saw a career-low snap percentage (19%s), though, and he made only six catches during the year. While four of those were touchdowns, a similar workload would likely await him if he elected to continue playing in 2024.

Graham posted what appeared to be a farewell message to the Saints in March. That stopped short of a retirement announcement, however, and nothing has appeared to change on that front. The five-time Pro Bowler has plans for the offseason – including being a member of a team attempting to break the world record for the fastest time rowing across the Arctic Ocean – but he is still open to playing another year in New Orleans.

“I’m gonna reach out to the Saints and figure out what’s best, and then make the decision on when it’s best for me to retire,” Graham said (via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell). “I don’t have any expectations. I just want to make sure when I retire, it’s as a Saint, and it’s when they want me to. I’ll just make sure I give them a call and see exactly when they want me to retire and then I’ll end up doing it.”

While those comments point even further to Graham’s playing days being done, New Orleans could be shorthanded at the tight end position to begin the season. Juwan Johnson is facing a multi-week absence following foot surgery, and his Week 1 availability is now in question. The Saints have other replacement options on the books, but Graham could provide the team with an experienced red zone threat if they were open to a new deal.

If no such agreement is reached, though, Graham’s career will end with top-10 rankings amongst tight ends in a number of all-time statistical categories. He has amassed over $82MM in earnings, but it remains to be seen if that total will increase in 2024.

Contract Issue Prompts Alvin Kamara To Leave Saints Minicamp

June 13th, 2024 at 9:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s restructure kingpins, the Saints have not touched Alvin Kamara‘s contract this offseason. Although the team has used the deal for cap savings in the past, the structure of the Pro Bowl running back’s deal points to 2024 serving as his de facto contract year.

Kamara’s five-year, $75MM extension runs through 2025, but the ’25 season features a nonguaranteed $22.4MM base salary that almost definitely will not be paid out. This situation brought a notable development Thursday. Kamara left the Saints’ facility before the team’s minicamp practice, per NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport confirms the exit came about because of a contract issue.

The sides have engaged in discussions about the deal this offseason, according to Underhill, but they have not made progress toward a solution. The eighth-year back is indeed seeking an extension, NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan adds. Kamara, who will turn 29 next month, is attached to a $10.2MM base salary for the 2024 season.

During a rather bleak period for running back value, Kamara became one of the winners. The versatile back locked down a $15MM-per-year deal — albeit with a dummy final year in place to inflate the AAV — just before the 2020 season. In terms of per-year value, that contract matched Ezekiel Elliott‘s for second — behind Christian McCaffrey‘s Panthers-constructed extension — among running backs. Kamara has done well to remain on the pact, but he is now the only NFL RB still attached to a deal he signed in 2020.

The NFL’s eight-figure-per-year RB club sustained hits in recent years. Before bringing back Elliott this offseason, the Cowboys jettisoned his six-year, $90MM deal. The Vikings moved Dalvin Cook‘s five-year, $63MM contract off the books in May 2023. These cuts came during an offseason in which the Packers and Bengals, respectively, gave Aaron Jones and Joe Mixon pay cuts. Following a major knee injury, Nick Chubb accepted a Browns pay cut. Jones, Mixon and Derrick Henry relocated this year and are tied to lower-level deals; though, Mixon still secured eight figures guaranteed on his multiyear Texans pact.

The RB landscape has changed during Kamara’s contract, but unlike the wide receiver market, no value spike has taken place. Kamara’s AAV still sits second — behind McCaffrey’s new two-year, $38MM 49ers extension — though Jonathan Taylor has since signed a three-year, $42MM deal that does not feature a phony final-season number. Only five RBs are now tied to eight-figure AAVs, with one of those deals — Josh Jacobs‘ — containing only $12.5MM guaranteed at signing. Kamara has done well on this contract, though it is not difficult to envision the Saints shedding it from their payroll in 2025.

Kamara, who served a three-game suspension in connection with an assault incident, finished with a career-low 1,160 scrimmage yards last season. Kamara’s minus-99 rushing yards over expected represented the fourth-worst number, per Next Gen Stats, last season. Kamara also ranked in the bottom 10 in RYOE in 2022, when he scored just four touchdowns and fumbled four times. While Kamara served as a central part of the Saints’ success over Drew Brees‘ final four seasons, he has not stood out in the two years since Sean Payton‘s departure.

The Saints can create $25MM in cap savings next year by designating Kamara as a post-June 1 cut, with Duncan adding there is “no way” the Saints keep Kamara on this contract beyond 2024. Going into this season with a Saints-high $18.6MM cap number, Kamara is tied to $29.1MM figure in 2025. The five-time Pro Bowler faces a $17K fine for skipping today’s workout. The focus will now turn toward training camp, as Kamara would face $50K fines for each day missed.

Saints TE Juwan Johnson To Undergo Foot Surgery

June 13th, 2024 at 9:30am CST by Adam La Rose

Juwan Johnson suffered an injury during the Saints’ minicamp, as first reported by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. The veteran tight end is facing notable absence as a result.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the ailment – a foot injury – will require surgery. Both Schefter and Underhill add the team is hopeful Johnson will be available by the start of the regular season, but at a minimum he will be sidelined for the bulk of training camp. His procedure will take place next week.

New Orleans’ tight end depth chart would be dealt a blow if Johnson were forced to miss time in September. The 27-year-old has received 124 targets in the two seasons following his transition from receiver to tight end. He has totaled 876 yards and 11 touchdowns during that span, and a notable offensive role should await him when he is healthy.

Johnson signed a two-year extension worth just over $12MM last offseason. That move took away the need for an RFA tender and included $8.5MM in guarantees. Another $2MM is available via incentives, but missed time would obviously hurt the former UDFA’s chances of earning them. As a pending free agent, Johnson’s value could also be affected depending on the length of his recovery and his production when back on the field.

The Saints have Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau as other options the tight end spot. The former is in line to once again serve in a unique offensive role in 2024, whereas the latter could see an increased workload if Johnson is unavailable for Week 1. ESPN’s Katherine Terrell notes Moreau (who played in 15 games last year following a successful bout with cancer) was used heavily during minicamp practice yesterday with Johnson sidelined.

New Orleans has other, less experienced options in the fold. That group includes rookie Dallin Holker, who received one of the league’s largest guarantees ($235K) amongst this year’s UDFAs. As New Orleans proceeds with a shorthanded tight end group through the summer, Johnson’s recovery will be worth monitoring.

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