Newsstand News & Rumors

Chiefs Fear ACL Tear For WR Rashee Rice

September 29th, 2024 at 10:30pm CST by Ely Allen

The Chiefs have enjoyed a hot start to the season from wide receiver Rashee Rice. The team’s top wideout exited today’s game after an ugly-looking knee injury, and according to James Palmer of Bleacher Report, there’s concern that he suffered a season-ending ACL tear. The 24-year-old will undergo an MRI Monday to find out the severity of his injury.

Rice is in his second season as a pro out of SMU. As a second-round rookie, Rice caught 79 balls for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. His reception and yardage numbers were second on the team, while he led Kansas City in receiving touchdowns.

So far, in 2024, Rice has dominated the receiving numbers in Kansas City. Through three games, Rice has 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns, all best on the team. The next closest player on the team is rookie first-rounder Xavier Worthy who has nine catches for 154 yards and two sccores. Rice has been so good through three weeks, in fact, that he came into Week 4 with the second-most receiving yards in the NFL behind only Nico Collins of the Texans.

With a Super Bowl ring as the result of his rookie season, it would seem that the transition has been an easy one for Rice. The real learning experiences for him have come off the field. Three separate events this offseason made it appear as though Kansas City may have been in danger of starting the season without Rice.

It started with Rice’s involvement in a hit-and-run incident that resulted in eight felony charges. He was believed to have been driving 119mph and fled the scene following a six-car accident. Soon after, a report emerged indicating Rice, or a member of his party, fired gunshots into an empty car belonging to an SMU basketball player. That incident occurred while Rice was still at SMU. But the NFL can factor it into its investigation. Finally, in May, Rice was accused of punching a photographer in the face at a Dallas nightclub, though the accuser asked police not to file charges.

Initially, the Chiefs were bracing for a league suspension for Rice, but as the regular season approached, it began to seem as though any decisions on a suspension would be delayed as the league made the decision to wait for “the conclusion of the legal process.” Ultimately, it became clear that Rice was not expected to serve any suspension in 2024.

Rice’s injury today was the result of a turnover. When Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton intercepted Patrick Mahomes and began returning the ball downfield, Rice pursued the defender. When attempting to knock the ball out of Fulton’s hands, Rice was cut down at the knees by Mahomes, who was attempting to tackle Fulton.

Losing Rice is a big blow to the Chiefs offense. Without Rice for the game, tight end Travis Kelce had a resurgent performance after a slow start to the year. If Rice joins free agent addition Marquise Brown on injured reserve, Mahomes will be targeting a group of weapons that consists of Worthy, Justin Watson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore, and Mecole Hardman. While none of those names jump off the page as scary x-factors, Mahomes has won Super Bowls with similar receiving corps.

If it is confirmed with tomorrow’s MRI that Rice is out for the year with an ACL tear, his absence may be extended even past his recovery. With plenty of time before Rice will potentially play again, the legal process for Rice’s offseason trouble will have time to play out. If the NFL decides to levy a suspension as a result, Rice’s absence could be extended by three to six games or more.

Dolphins To Place Tua Tagovailoa On IR

September 17th, 2024 at 10:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tua Tagovailoa is not planning to reconsider retirement, but the Dolphins are planning to give their starting quarterback plenty of time to recover from the latest concussion he sustained.

Miami is placing Tagovailoa on IR, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report. With Miami’s bye occurring during this window, the earliest the fifth-year QB can return will be Week 8. This is not especially surprising, but it does represent a change from how the Dolphins handled their quarterback during his concussion-marred 2022 season.

The Dolphins did not use IR during Tagovailoa’s concerning ’22 slate, which featured two confirmed concussions and most likely three head injuries. Tua rehabbed on Miami’s active roster that year, though the team did shut him down after his Week 16 injury. The player who spent most of the time replacing Tagovailoa at QB that season — former seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson — is now in position to start for the Dolphins. The team, though, did bring in Tyler Huntley this week.

This plan certainly changes the equation for the Dolphins, who had seen Tagovailoa submit a quality 2023 season — a 17-game campaign devoid of concussion recurrences — and earn a four-year, $212.4MM extension this offseason. Tagovailoa received $93.2MM guaranteed at signing and is protected in the event he is not cleared from his latest head injury. Tua will need to return to action, however, if cleared in order to collect the bulk of the money from his lucrative extension.

A collision with Bills safety Damar Hamlin brought instant concerns from Dolphins and Bills players, and Miami confirmed its fifth-year starter sustained a concussion soon after. This sequence came just less than two years after the handling of a potential Tua concussion — one the team did not end up confirming, leading to an immediate return in a Week 3 win over the Bills — changed the NFL’s protocol. Players regularly return from concussions soon after the injuries, even with the enhanced protocols, but the Dolphins have their passer’s past and future to consider. This is a significant step, as it will undoubtedly have a major impact on the team’s 2024 season.

Tagovailoa has not been on IR since 2021, when a rib injury led him out of the mix. He did miss five regular-season games and the team’s wild-card tilt in 2022. (Tua also suffered a concussion at Alabama.) In addition to the initial review of the Dolphins’ handling of Tua’s injury against the Bills in September 2022, the team was the subject of another probe due to leaving Tagovailoa in a Packers matchup in which he sustained another concussion. Tua did not report symptoms until the following day, and the second investigation soon cleared the Dolphins. But they are back in familiar territory nearly two years later.

Thompson, 27, saw action in 2022 due to Teddy Bridgewater suffering multiple injuries — including a concussion — as well. He completed just 57.1% of his regular-season passes — at a mere 5.1 yards per attempt — but gave the favored Bills a scare in the wild-card round. Thompson beat out 2023 Tua backup Mike White this summer and will be given the first chance to lead an explosive Dolphins offense.

Huntley has far more experience, starting nine games in place of Lamar Jackson from 2021-23. Huntley, however, did not draw extensive free agency interest. The Browns ended up cutting the four-year Ravens backup, who made his way back to Baltimore — on a practice squad deal — before the season. Because the Dolphins signed Huntley off the Ravens’ P-squad, he must remain on Miami’s active roster for at least three weeks. This could set up a QB competition, but for now, it will be Thompson at the controls.

Big picture-wise, the Dolphins’ immediate QB plans are not especially important. The team has Tagovailoa signed through 2028, and his recovery will be monitored closely. The left-hander’s eventual reinsertion into Miami’s starting lineup will prompt natural outside concerns about his future, and Tua did consider retirement following that 2022 season. But he secured a big-ticket extension after staying healthy in 2023. The Dolphins are planning to have their starter back at some point, and it will be interesting to see when he is cleared from this latest concerning injury.

Panthers To Start Andy Dalton In Week 3

September 16th, 2024 at 10:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

In the wake of another poor showing by Bryce Young, Panthers head coach Dave Canales offered a public vote of confidence in the 2023 first overall pick. A very quick reversal has been made regarding the team’s quarterback depth chart, however.

Carolina will in fact go with Andy Dalton in Week 3, Tom Pelissero reports. The veteran made one start last season while Young was injured, and he will now take charge of an offense desperately in need of improvement. Dating back to end of the 2023 campaign, the Panthers have scored just 13 points in their past four games. This decision was driven by Canales along with general manager Dan Morgan and EVP Brandt Tillis, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds.

Young himself is not solely responsible for the team’s underwhelming production, obviously, but the 23-year-old struggled throughout his rookie campaign and has not shown signs of improvement early in the 2024 season. Young’s 8.9 QBR ranks dead last in the NFL through two weeks. Dalton should offer a degree of stability over at least the short term while Canales aims to develop Carolina’s offense.

Of course, the former Buccaneers OC was hired as head coach in large part for his potential in helping Young rebound from his rookie campaign. The Alabama product will now spend time on the sidelines as part of that process while Dalton, 36, receives a second look during his Carolina tenure. The longtime Bengals starter became a journeyman backup starting in 2020 when he joined the Cowboys.

That one-year stint was followed by one in Chicago of the same length. With the Bears turning to Justin Fields as their starter midway through the 2021 season, it came as no surprise Dalton once again found himself on the move in short order. The TCU product next joined the Saints, and he started all 14 of his appearances in 2022. Dalton completed two thirds of his pass attempts that season while posting a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 18:9.

The Saints added Derek Carr last offseason, but Dalton remained in the NFC South by taking a two-year deal including $8MM guaranteed. That investment came with the knowledge Carolina would be taking a signal-caller in the draft, something which was cemented by the team’s blockbuster trade to acquire the No. 1 pick. Young has – to put it lightly – not justified the price paid by then-general manager Scott Fitterer so far in his career. Today’s move marks a notable turning point in his brief NFL tenure, but the team will no doubt re-insert him into the lineup at some point and in doing so give him another opportunity to make progress.

Dalton’s 164th career start will come against the Raiders, and his ability to lead the offense to a better showing will be worth watching. Should he remain atop the depth chart for at least one more week, he would be in line for a matchup against the Bengals.

49ers To Place RB Christian McCaffrey On IR

September 14th, 2024 at 10:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Christian McCaffrey is officially out for at least the next month. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the 49ers are placing their star running back on injured reserve.

NFL Network Ian Rapoport says the team is hoping McCaffrey will be ready to play when first eligible in Week 6. That October 10th showdown with the Seahawks could end up marking the running back’s season debut, although ESPN’s Nick Wagoner cautions that it’s “no guarantee” that McCaffrey is ready by that date, and Rapoport added that CMC could be sidelined for six weeks, and possibly longer (video link).

McCaffrey was limited with calf issues during the preseason and the practices preceding Week 1, leading to him being a sudden inactive for the team’s season opener. It’s since been revealed that the RB is dealing with a serious case of Achilles tendinitis, although both the player and the team expressed some optimism that the star would be back for Week 2. At the very least, there was optimism that McCaffrey would only have to miss one more game.

However, the organization’s tone changed over the past 24 hours. Yesterday, coach Kyle Shanahan definitively ruled out McCaffrey for Week 2 while also admitting that an IR stint was a real possibility. Now, the team will be rolling without their top offensive weapon for at least the next four games.

Jordan Mason had a breakout performance while filling in for his star teammate. The running back finished Week 1 with 152 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown, and it sounds like the third-year back will continue to lead the depth chart.

The team actually didn’t give any carries to backups Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor, with wideout Deebo Samuel getting eight rushing attempts of his own. When asked about the receiver’s usage in the running game, Shanahan said it would be a “game by game proposition” (per Wagoner). The head coach also expressed trust in Guerendo and Taylor, so perhaps we’ll see more of the duo in the coming weeks.

Cowboys, Dak Prescott Agree To Extension

September 8th, 2024 at 10:25pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott have finally pushed their negotiations past the finish line. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report, Dallas and Prescott have agreed to a stunning four-year, $240MM extension that will make Prescott the highest-paid player in NFL history.

Schefter notes that all but $9MM of Prescott’s deal is guaranteed, which speaks to the inordinate amount of leverage that the three-time Pro Bowler wielded in this process. His $231MM in guaranteed money is $1MM more than Deshaun Watson received in his highly controversial deal with the Browns several years ago. And, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com observes, Prescott’s guarantees — which include a record $80MM signing bonus — are $60MM higher than the next highest sum of guaranteed money ever handed out on a four-year contract.

Throughout the offseason, questions lingered about whether or not the Cowboys would be able to work out deals with Prescott, wideout CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons while saving the cap flexibility to make other moves. An otherwise quiet offseason revolved around negotiations on the Prescott and Lamb fronts in particular. The latter wound up cashing in on a $34MM-per-year extension which (like the former) will keep him in Dallas through 2028. Lamb did not reach the top of the receiver market, but Prescott has taken his position to new financial heights.

A $60MM AAV has long been a possibility, especially given the nature of the quarterback mega-deals worked out over the past two years and the position Prescott found himself in. No-tag and no-trade clauses were included in his previous pact, and Dallas was set to deal with a $55MM cap charge in 2024 in the absence of an extension coming into play. That was also the case for the dead money charge (roughly $40MM) in 2025 which would have been on the team’s cap sheet had Prescott departed in free agency next spring.

Both the 31-year-old himself and owner Jerry Jones made a number of public remarks in the build-up to today’s news. Continuing this relationship well past 2024 was a mutual goal, although Prescott hinted at testing the market on more than one occasion. Jones indicated in the spring he preferred to let the QB and WR markets take further shape before serious negotiations with Prescott and Lamb’s camps took place. That approach has yielded agreements for both, albeit along a less-than-ideal timeline given the missed time from training camp in one case and the run up to an artificial Week 1 deadline in the other.

Jones stated he would be on board with Prescott negotiations continuing into the regular season, but a late push by all parties involved yielded progress. That left the door open to an eleventh-hour agreement, although with Saturday night coming and going it appeared one would no longer be possible. In the end, however, Prescott is now on the books for the foreseeable future as he tries once again to guide the Cowboys to deep playoff run.

Dallas has posted a 12-5 record in each of the past three years, failing to convert that into postseason success in every instance. Head coach Mike McCarthy is entering a lame-duck year in no small part due to the Cowboys’ underwhelming defeat to the Packers during the wild-card round last season. Jones has routinely praised the former Green Bay Super Bowl winner, hinting he could be retained past the coming campaign depending on how things go. Prescott – who led the league in touchdown passes during McCarthy’s first year as offensive play-caller – will be expected to duplicate his success from 2023 for several more seasons.

Parsons (whose resume includes two first-team All-Pro honors, one second-team nod and three Pro Bowl invites) no doubt would have been a higher organizational priority if not for Prescott and Lamb entering the offseason as pending free agents. With both of their pacts now taken care of, attention will turn to Parsons’ level of play in his fourth campaign. The 25-year-old will set himself up for a major payday with another productive campaign in 2024, but Dallas’ cap outlook has of course been considerably altered in recent weeks.

Today’s deal (and, more specifically, the massive guarantee commitment) confirms Prescott will remain a Cowboy for most, if not all, of his career. His legacy remains linked to the franchise’s ongoing Super Bowl drought, but the next several years will offer an opportunity to break through in the postseason. It will be interesting to see, meanwhile, how the quarterback market shakes out in the near future with the top of the pecking order changing once again.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Dolphins Extend CB Jalen Ramsey

September 6th, 2024 at 10:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

In advance of his second Dolphins season, Jalen Ramsey has agreed to another big-ticket deal. The All-Pro corner has worked out a three-year, $72.3MM extension, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Cameron Wolfe. Head coach Mike McDaniel has since confirmed the news.

This pact will include $55.3MM guaranteed, Rapoport adds. Ramsey and the Dolphins worked out the agreement a few days ago, but the news has now broken in preparation for his return to the practice field. Ramsey is a candidate to suit up for Week 1 on Sunday with the title of the league’s highest-paid corner.

Patrick Surtain moved the top of the position’s market forward earlier this week when he agreed to a Broncos extension averaging $24MM per season. Ramsey’s deal checks in at $24.1MM annually. The 31-year-old had two years remaining on his existing pact (the five-year, $100MM extension he inked in 2020), one which was restructured this spring to clear 2024 cap space. No guaranteed salary was in place for 2025, but that will no doubt change in the wake of today’s news.

Acquired via trade with the Rams last offseason, Ramsey was limited to 10 games in his debut Miami campaign due to a knee injury. He recorded three interceptions and five pass deflections during that span, though, and returned in time for the team’s wild-card game. The former No. 6 pick earned his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl nod in 2023, setting himself up another notable payday. Ramsey rose to the top of the pecking order on his 2020 deal, and he has now managed to replicate that feat four years later.

The Dolphins moved on from Xavien Howard this offseason, one in which Kendall Fuller was added in free agency. The Ramsey-Fuller tandem will be counted on to anchor the team’s secondary as Miami has a number of inexperienced options on the depth chart, although it remains to be seen if they will both be on the field for Week 1. McDaniel- who himself recently landed a multi-year extension – noted during his Thursday press availability that he is unsure if Ramsey will get enough practice time in between now and the season opener to be able to play (h/t Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).

Miami has qualified for the postseason in each of the past two years, bowing out in the wild-card round both times. The team will be expected to improve in that regard in 2024, with many key players on offense (quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in particular) landing sizable new contracts to remain in place for the foreseeable future. The Dolphins ranked 15th against the pass last year, so taking a step forward in that regard will be a goal for the coming campaign. Ramsey is positioned to handle a central role in that effort through the 2028 campaign.

Just like the Surtain deal, this pact will represent a target for extension-eligible corners next offseason. The likes of Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley and Jaycee Horn will be in line for new deals in the spring. The previous high point for the position in terms of AAV was $21MM, but a new benchmark has been established. It will be interesting to see how the market takes shape once the next wave of monster extensions comes about in 2025.

Steelers, Pat Freiermuth Agree To Extension

September 6th, 2024 at 12:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

To little surprise, a deal is now in place for Pat Freiermuth. The Steelers’ push for an extension in time for the start of the season has resulted in a long-term accord.

Team and player reached agreement on a four-year extension Friday, per his agency (via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network). Freiermuth will collect $48.4MM on his new deal. He was attached to the final year of his rookie contract for the coming campaign, so he will now be on the books through 2028. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette adds the pact includes $23.38MM guaranteed.

A report from earlier Friday pointed to the sides making progress toward a deal. As a result, this news comes as little surprise. Freiermuth played a key role in the Steelers’ offense during his first two seasons in the league, notching back-to-back years with 60 receptions. He scored nine touchdowns during that span, though his production took a step back in an injury-shortened 2023 campaign. At the age of 25, however, Freiermuth has emerged as a key figure in Pittsburgh’s long-term offensive planning.

The former second-rounder’s $12.1MM AAV ranks ninth at the position, in between Cole Kmet and Dalton Schultz. The top of the position’s market remains set with Travis Kelce, T.J. Hockenson and George Kittle leading the way, but Freiermuth was never expected to reach those heights on his second contract. He will nevertheless become one of the team’s top earners on the offensive side of the ball.

The Steelers have Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in place as an inexpensive quarterback tandem. Running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are on their rookie contracts, as are three starters on the offensive line. With Diontae Johnson no longer in the fold, George Pickens (who will not be eligible for an extension until next year) is in place as the team’s top receiver. Freiermuth’s cap charge will likely not spike to a cumbersome figure with this extension, but he will take up a larger piece of the allocated resources when general manager Omar Khan evaluates the offense in the future.

Questions linger entering the season about Pittsburgh’s depth in the receiving corps. Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Scotty Miller and third-round rookie Roman Wilson will be counted on to complement Pickens after a trade agreement with the 49ers over Brandon Aiyuk did not result in a swap taking place. Aiyuk inked a San Francisco extension, leaving future cap resources available to Freiermuth and others. He will be expected to deliver a rebound in 2024 and beyond while playing out a lucrative new contract.

Broncos, Patrick Surtain Agree On Extension

September 5th, 2024 at 11:15am CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 5: Surtain will receive a $15MM signing bonus, as detailed by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. His compensation for 2024 and ’25 is fully locked in at signing, and his earnings for two seasons after that is set to vest one year early. That includes a $10MM option bonus in 2026, his $7.63MM base salary for that season and a $17MM 2027 salary.

Partial guarantees (for injury at signing, and a full guarantee down the road) are in place concerning Surtain’s 2028 base salary, which totals $19.49MM. His compensation beyond that point – including a $23.49 salary in 2029 – is not locked in, but he will have seen considerable cashflow by that point.

SEPTEMBER 4: After two years of gridlock, the NFL’s cornerback market will see substantial movement. The Broncos have a deal in place with Patrick Surtain, according to veteran NFL reporter Jordan Schultz. As could be expected, a sizable gap will soon exist between Denver’s dominant corner and the field.

Surtain agreed to a four-year, $96MM extension. This makes the 2021 top-10 pick the NFL’s highest-paid corner by a $3MM margin — in terms of AAV. This agreement includes $77.5MM guaranteed, Schultz adds. The deal bridges the gap between the CB and WR markets, and even though a sizable gulf still exists, Surtain began the process of narrowing it.

Because the Broncos picked up Surtain’s $19.8MM fifth-year option in April, this deal will tie the All-Pro defender to the team through the 2029 season. Although clubs made offers for Surtain at the 2023 deadline and trade rumors emerged ahead of this draft, the Broncos had viewed the second-generation NFL corner as a building block for the Sean Payton era. They will back up that talk with this extension.

Denver could have kept the former No. 9 overall pick on his rookie deal into 2025; his first-round contract called for a $1.1MM base salary this year. Surtain secured this megadeal early, and it will give the Broncos cost certainty with their top player. Negotiations intensified over the weekend, per Schultz, who adds the deal was finalized Tuesday night.

Considering Surtain’s age (24) and his performance level, this could certainly be viewed as a bargain for the team. It ties Surtain to Denver through his age-29 season, and the AAV still comes in $11MM south of where Justin Jefferson moved the wide receiver market this offseason. Though, Surtain wanting to lock in a veteran contract early makes sense as well. The deal gives him a $3MM lead on the field, with Jaire Alexander having held the title as the NFL’s highest-paid corner since May 2022. Alexander’s deal had stood as the top CB payment long enough the NFL’s highest-paid safety — the Buccaneers’ Antoine Winfield Jr. — eclipsed it this offseason.

In terms of guarantees, Surtain’s number also created separation between he and the cornerback field. Though, perhaps not as much as should have been expected. The Broncos will receive four additional years of control in exchange for moving the CB guarantee ceiling up by $6.5MM from Denzel Ward‘s previous league-leading mark ($71.25MM). Jalen Ramsey‘s Dolphins rework also passed $71MM in total guarantees.

The gap between CBs and WRs has expanded over the past decade. At this point nine years ago, the cornerback ceiling (Patrick Peterson‘s $14MM-per-year number on his Cardinals extension) matched the deals given to Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant at the 2015 franchise tag deadline. Since that point, however, teams began valuing wideouts at a higher rate. The 2022 and ’24 offseasons have separated the two positions significantly. While Surtain did well to move CB money north of where it had resided for years, 12 WRs still out-earn the Denver defender.

Denver received criticism for drafting Surtain over Justin Fields in 2021, but GM George Paton was proven right for making that move. Surtain is a two-time Pro Bowler who earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in 2022. A panel of NFL staffers (via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler) named the fourth-year defender as the NFL’s top corner this offseason. While the Broncos have questions about their No. 2 cornerback spot, they have enjoyed the luxury of an elite stopper anchoring this position group for a bit.

Paton has now signed two members of his first draft class to lucrative extensions, with Surtain following right guard Quinn Meinerz in agreeing to terms on extensions. Meinerz and Surtain join Javonte Williams, Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper as starters from Denver’s ’21 draft class. This group has given Payton some pieces to build around, but the Broncos’ issues finding a quarterback have continued to interrupt its young position players from making a considerable difference in the win column. As the team is set to begin a Bo Nix-centered plan this season, the long-term vision is coming into focus.

Payton admitted he participated in a smokescreen effort around the Broncos’ first-round pick this offseason. The draft run-up featured rumors about Surtain being used as a trade chip to move the Broncos up the board from No. 12 overall. Surtain, who said he did not expect to be traded, also generated extensive interest at last year’s deadline.

Denver set a two-first-rounder asking price — what Ramsey fetched in 2019 — to start a conversation on Surtain. Although at least three offers came, none were on that level. Surtain helped the team vault from 1-5 into the playoff race following the deadline. He will be the Broncos’ clear DB anchor post-Justin Simmons.

Surtain’s timeline differs from Marshon Lattimore‘s, as Payton authorized a fifth-year payday for the 2017 Saints first-rounder. But the Broncos will act early with their top performer. This doubles the first time the Broncos have extended a rookie-deal player with two years of control remaining. While Russell Wilson‘s dead money prevents the Broncos from capitalizing fully on Nix’s rookie deal, the team taking on the lion’s share of the penalty in 2024 will start to open up opportunities beginning in 2025. The Surtain and Meinerz extensions reflect that.

Surtain’s price will set a high bar for 2022 draftees Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley, but it should be expected those defenders will use this as a springboard to move the CB market closer to where WR salaries have gone. Both Gardner and Stingley become extension-eligible in 2025.

49ers, Trent Williams Agree To Rework

September 3rd, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

Not long after ending Brandon Aiyuk‘s hold-in with an extension, the 49ers have a resolution in place with Trent Williams. The All-Pro left tackle returned to San Francisco on Tuesday to finalize a new agreement, his agency announced.

A few minor details are still to be ironed out, as noted by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, but once signed this new pact will finish the team’s last major piece of financial business for the offseason. Three years remained on Williams’ contract prior to today’s news, but no guaranteed compensation was in place. To no surprise, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that is now expected to change.

Indeed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adds Williams will receive $48MM at signing. Overall, this is a three-year, $82.66MM agreement, with the $48MM serving as a signing bonus. The 49ers will be able to spread that amount into the future, though this deal does not add any years to Williams’ deal, which still runs through 2026.

Among non-quarterbacks beyond age 35, the $48MM guarantee is an NFL-record sum. As a massive talent gap exists between Williams and the rest of San Francisco’s O-line cogs, the team certainly needed him back to open the season. Talks intensified Sunday night, per Fowler, and Williams will have a week of practices with his team to prepare for the 49ers’ opener against the Jets. Williams effectively maximized his leverage, with Wilson adding he will collect $27.65MM in 2024.

Williams was absent from the start of training camp, adding another layer to the financial challenges the 49ers dealt with over the summer. Trade talk persisted in Aiyuk’s case, with a trade agreement being worked out with the Steelers. That wound up being a moot point after the parties agreed to a four-year, $120MM contract which will keep Aiyuk in the Bay Area for the foreseeable future, though. The same will now be true for Williams, whose deal ran through 2026 before the adjustments which will be finalized today.

The 11-time Pro Bowler was due $20.9MM in 2024 under the terms of the previous contract, one which carried an AAV of just over $23MM. Williams’ efforts to land an upgraded pact had come during an offseason in which the top of the tackle market has reached new heights with Tristan Wirfs, Penei Sewell and Christian Darrisaw landing big-ticket extensions. Each of those agreements are for second contracts, though, making them notably different than Williams’ case.

The 36-year-old has previously been linked to retirement, although one year ago he made public his intention of playing until age 40. Williams has landed first-team All-Pro nod in each of the past three years, serving as the anchor of the 49ers’ offensive line during that span. That longevity helped give him leverage to angle for a new arrangement, but it will certainly be interesting to see if the 49ers have added any new years to the pact given Williams’ age.

In 2019, Williams sat out the entire campaign while attempting to land a new deal at the end of his tenure in Washington. That was eventually ended by the trade which sent him to San Francisco the following offseason (and, later, the six-year accord he had been playing on), but it illustrated how willing the Oklahoma product was to extend a holdout into the regular season. A chance of that tactic being repeated loomed throughout the summer, though a recent update pointed to the parties making progress on contract talks. Regardless of what the new deal looks like, today’s news means San Francisco’s offense will be at full strength in time for Week 1.

As a vested veteran, the daily fines Williams accumulated for his training camp holdout cannot be waived. Due to missed camp time ($2.05MM) and three missed preseason games ($3.34MM), Williams incurred $5.39MM in fines to secure this rework, CBS Sports’ Joel Corry tweets. With over $171MM in career earnings, that fact did not dissuade him, but the threat of a regular season absence is no longer in place.

Steelers, DT Cameron Heyward Agree To Extension

September 3rd, 2024 at 9:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Steelers’ latest extension efforts with Cameron Heyward have produced a deal. The All-Pro defensive lineman has an agreement in place on a another lucrative extension, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. The move is now official, per an announcement from his agency.

Heyward is now attached to a three-year, $45MM deal, Fowler adds. The pact includes $29MM in new money along with $16MM in guarantees (nearly $15MM of which is comprised of a signing bonus). These terms will allow Heyward to reach his stated goal of finishing his career as a Steeler.

One year remained on the 35-year-old’s pact, but he made it clear this offseason he was seeking a two-year extension. Today’s news means he will be in place through 2026 as he intended and put to rest the possibility of a free agent departure next spring. Heyward has spent his entire 13 years in the NFL with Pittsburgh, and his decorated tenure will all-but certainly conclude in the city.

Arriving with the Steelers as a first-round pick in 2011, Heyward did not see any starts during his first two seasons with the team. Since then, he has been a stalwart along the defensive line, regularly providing a high-end pass rush presence in the interior. He earned a Pro Bowl nod every year from 2017 to ’22, posting double-digit sacks three times during that span.

Heyward landed a five-year extension in 2015, and a four-year re-up in 2020. He has proven to be a sound investment both times from the Steelers’ perspective, but last year saw him miss time due to a groin injury. Heyward was limited to just two sacks in 2023, and while he is now healthy questions were raised in the offseason about his long-term outlook. As Fowler notes, this is believed to be the largest commitment ever made to a defender at age 35 or older. Suffice it to say, the Steelers are banking on Heyward regaining his previous form.

With four All-Pro nods on his resume (three first-team, one second-team), the Ohio State alum could remain a key member of Pittsburgh’s highly-compensated defense if he manages to put together a healthy campaign. He was due $16MM in 2024 under the terms of his old deal, one which will be replaced by this new accord. Heyward’s scheduled cap hit of $22.41MM will be lowered by this agreement Specifically, his 2024 salary has been converted into a signing bonus; that will save the Steelers over $9MM in cap space (h/t Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

It was learned earlier this week that Heyward – who floated the idea of joining a new team in free agency without a deal in place – had recently re-engaged with the Steelers on contract talks. Pittsburgh has a strict policy against negotiating in-season, creating Week 1 as a deadline for both parties to hammer out an agreement. That has now proven to be the case, and general manager Omar Khan has one less piece of business to attend to over the coming days.

Pittsburgh is also eyeing a deal with tight end Pat Freiermuth. 2024 marks the final year of his rookie contract, so getting an extension worked out on that front would prevent the potential of a March 2025 departure on the open market. Regardless of how that process plays out, Heyward will remain in the fold for the foreseeable future.

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