HEADLINES

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.

Patriots Sign Round 2 WR Ja’Lynn Polk, Complete Rookie Deals

June 14th, 2024 at 8:51am CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots have signed receiver Ja’Lynn Polk to his rookie deal, per a team announcement. As a result, each member of the team’s draft class has been signed ahead of the break leading up to training camp. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 adds this pact includes a $3.87MM signing bonus.

To no surprise, New England used the No. 3 pick to add a potential franchise quarterback. Drake Maye is in line to handle starting duties at some point relatively soon, but the caliber of the pass-catching options around him has drawn questions. Free agency saw the Patriots pursue Calvin Ridley, but the team’s most notable addition was K.J. Osborn.

The former Viking will be joined by veterans JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kendrick Bourne in New England’s receiver corps. That unit also features recent draftees Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas, and Polk will look to carve out an early role. The latter began his college career at Texas Tech before transferring to Washington in 2021. He had a limited impact during his first Huskies season, but his production jumped considerably after that.

In 2022, Polk posted a 41-694-6 statline, establishing himself as an impactful member of the team’s deep receiver room. That continued this past season while he played alongside Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan as the Huskies went to the national title game. Polk recorded 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns on 69 catches, proving himself to be a sure-handed option in the intermediate game in particular. The 6-1, 203-pounder came off the board early on Day 2, joining Odunze (first round, Bears) and McMillan (third round, Buccaneers) as Washington products who will face high expectations upon entry into the NFL.

New England struggled in a number of offensive categories last year, ranking 28th in passing yards. The addition of Polk and fellow rookie Javon Baker could give the team new options in an offense which has seen a number of moves made on the field and the sidelines this offseason as all parties aim to take a needed step forward in 2024.

Here is a full breakdown of the Patriots’ draft class:

Falcons Docked 2025 Fifth-Round Pick For Tampering Violation

June 13th, 2024 at 10:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles will not face punishment following the NFL’s investigation into the Saquon Barkley signing. In the case of the Falcons, however, discipline has been handed down.

The league announced on Thursday that the team has been docked its 2025 fifth-round pick as result of improper communication with quarterback Kirk Cousins, wideout Darnell Mooney and tight end Charlie Woerner. The Falcons have also been fined $250K and general manager Terry Fontenot will pay a $50K fine.

“While the [Anti-Tampering] policy permits clubs to engage with and negotiate all aspects of an NFL player contract with the certified agent of any prospective unrestricted free agent during the two-day negotiating period, any direct contact between the player and an employee or representative of the club is prohibited,” a league statement reads (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).

“This includes discussion of travel arrangements or other logistical matters, which the club acknowledges took place with regard to these three players.”

Indeed, Rapoport’s colleague Tom Pelissero notes communication related to travel took place within the two-day negotiating window for the three players in question. They had already legally agreed to terms by that point, a key factor in the league’s decision to issue a penalty which is lighter than those previously imposed in other circumstances. Still, the fact Atlanta has been disciplined while the Eagles have not falls in line with the previous expectation on the outcome of their respective investigations.

Cousins has publicly stated he spoke with Falcons medical personnel before his deal was official; he also acknowledged that he offered to help recruit Mooney prior to his contract being on the books. Cousins ultimately signed a four-year $180MM contract while Mooney inked a $39MM pact covering the next three seasons. Both players will be key figures in Atlanta’s offense moving forward.

“We are pleased the review is complete,” a Falcons statement reads. “We cooperated fully with the league and its review, and appreciate the NFL’s thoroughness. As we do with every process, we will review how we operate and look for ways to improve.”

As a result of today’s decision, Atlanta will move forward with five 2025 draft picks. The team has its own selection in each of the first four rounds, as well as a seventh-round pick from the Rams. The Falcons are not currently projected to receive any compensatory picks.

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.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/13/24

June 13th, 2024 at 9:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Tennessee Titans

  • Waived/injured: OL X’Zauvea Gadlin

Gubner comes to the Chiefs after winning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year honors at Montana last season. Spending six years at the Division I-FCS program, Gubner totaled 28.5 tackles for loss during his college career. The Chiefs also have cleared the runway for Matt Araiza‘s second chance. The recently added specialist is now the only punter on Kansas City’s roster, with Rehkow signing as a UDFA in May.

A former fifth-round Panthers pick, Nixon played 14 games with his original team but did see any game action in 2023. Both the Panthers and Seahawks waived Nixon in 2022. After Nixon had spent last season out of football, the Dolphins signed him in March.

Bears To Sign WR DeAndre Carter

June 13th, 2024 at 9:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

DeAndre Carter spent some time with the Bears during the 2020 season. A new coaching staff and front office will invite the veteran wide receiver/return man back for a second go-round.

After spending the 2023 season in Las Vegas, Carter is coming back to Chicago, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz. Carter has spent time with 10 NFL teams and has now completed two reunion agreements, having signed with the Raiders seven years after a short Oakland stop.

The Ryan Pace-Matt Nagy regime initially brought in Carter in 2020, claiming the 5-foot-8 wideout off waivers from the Texans and keeping him through season’s end. Carter, 31, played in four Chicago games that season but then trekked to Washington for the 2021 campaign. Carter visited the Bears early in the Ryan Poles-Matt Eberflus regime’s run but played the 2022 season with the Chargers. He has not played for the same team in consecutive seasons since spending parts of the 2019 and ’20 slates in Houston.

Formerly a 2015 Ravens UDFA, Carter has a 538-yard receiving season on his resume — a 2022 showing in a year that featured Keenan Allen and Mike Williams injuries — but has been a special teams fixture during the 2020s. A handful of teams have made the return game a priority following the NFL greenlighting a trial run of the XFL kickoff; the Bears are following suit.

Carter operated as the primary return man in Washington, L.A. and Vegas over the past three seasons. Also seeing return-game work for the Texans and Bears in 2020, Carter notched a kick-return touchdown with Washington in 2021. Being the Raiders’ preferred option to return both kickoffs and punts in 2023, Carter averaged 23.8 yards per kick return and 9.7 per punt return. Carter ranked 12th in the latter category last season.

It will be kick returns that generate more attention this season, and Carter follows the likes of Cordarrelle Patterson, Laviska Shenault and ex-Bear Tarik Cohen among returners signed following the rule change. The Bears used Velus Jones Jr. as their primary kick returner last year; he averaged 27.2 yards per return. Trent Taylor worked as Chicago’s primary punt returner; Taylor has since returned to the 49ers.

Broncos Sign LB Andre Smith

June 13th, 2024 at 8:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Andre Smith has established a steady career as a special-teamer, moving around the country as a backup linebacker who primarily contributes on fourth downs and kickoffs. The veteran found another gig Thursday.

A day after the Broncos concluded their minicamp, they reached an agreement to add Smith. The team announced the signing, and Smith will replace tight end Dylan Leonard on the team’s roster. The Broncos, whom 9News’ Mike Klis notes auditioned Smith at minicamp this week, waived Leonard with an injury settlement.

Smith, 27, joins the Broncos after a year with the Falcons. Denver will be Smith’s fourth NFL destination in four seasons and fifth team overall. A former Panthers seventh-round pick, Smith became one of many in the Carolina-to-Buffalo pipeline in recent years by being traded to the Bills in 2020. After two years in Buffalo, Smith stopped through Tennessee in 2022.

With the Falcons last season, Smith played 11 games and made his first career start at linebacker. While the former Carolina draftee logged a career-high 112 defensive snaps in 2023, the bulk of his work still came on special teams. Smith played 211 ST snaps, marking the fourth time during his career he has surpassed 200 plays in that phase.

The Broncos lost six-year linebacker Josey Jewell to the Panthers in free agency but signed Cody Barton as an option alongside Alex Singleton. The team also extended backup and special-teamer Jonas Griffith in February but lost hybrid LB Drew Sanders to an offseason Achilles tear. A 2023 third-round pick, Sanders was on the field for 297 special teams plays as a rookie.

Buccaneers Sign Round 1 C Graham Barton, Conclude Rookie Deals

June 13th, 2024 at 8:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

While Graham Barton technically qualified as part of this draft’s run on first-round tackles, the Duke blocker is shifting to center in Tampa. The Buccaneers have first-string plans for Barton in 2024, and the sides have checked one item off their Year 1 to-do list.

Barton signed his rookie contract Thursday, the Bucs announced. The No. 26 overall pick will be tied to a four-year, fully guaranteed contract that includes a 2028 fifth-year option. The Bucs now have all their 2024 draftees signed.

Tampa Bay fared remarkably well with its last first-round O-line swing, as Tristan Wirfs is now firmly in play to sign an extension that establishes the new benchmark for tackles. The team had not, however, used a first-round pick on an interior blocker since guard Davin Joseph back in 2006. That makes Barton a Jason Licht-era first. Unsurprisingly, the team is likely to plug the Duke prospect into its starting lineup in Week 1.

The Bucs saw their center plan drift off course during training camp in 2022. Re-signed to pair again with an unretired Tom Brady, Ryan Jensen suffered a severe knee injury that kept him off the field for nearly the season’s entirety. While Jensen returned in time for the Bucs’ wild-card game against the Cowboys, he missed all of last season and has since retired.

Tampa Bay used Robert Hainsey as its center for the past two seasons. The former third-round pick displayed durability by going 34-for-34 in starts, but Pro Football Focus graded him 32nd at the position last season. Now in contract year, Hainsey will still have a shot to win the Bucs’ left guard role. But Barton is on track to work as Tampa Bay’s pivot.

Although Barton spent the past three seasons as Duke’s starting left tackle, he played center as a freshman. Teams were eyeing the experienced Blue Devils blocker for an interior role. The Steelers were believed to have shown interest, but they went with tackle Troy Fautanu in Round 1. This left Barton, a first-team All-ACC tackle in 2022 and ’23, for the Bucs. Barton, who also drew All-American acclaim last season, only made five college starts at center. But the Bucs will bank on the first-rounder providing a big upgrade inside.

Jensen started 65 games for the Bucs, operating as the team’s center starter for six years. The Bucs will hope Barton can become a true long-term answer. Here is how Tampa Bay’s draft class breaks down:

Dolphins Sign First-Round DE Chop Robinson, Finish Draft Class Deals

June 13th, 2024 at 4:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

By the time the Dolphins donned their cold-weather gear for the wild-card game in Kansas City, their edge-rushing contingent included multiple emergency free agent pickups. As both Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips continued their rehab efforts months later, Miami used its first-round pick to bolster this position.

The Dolphins, who lost Andrew Van Ginkel in free agency, chose Chop Robinson 21st overall. With Phillips going down with an Achilles tear in late November and Chubb sustaining an ACL tear (the second of his pro career) on New Year’s Eve, the Dolphins have both their top edges rehabbing this offseason. Robinson, who will join Shaq Barrett as an offseason Dolphins reinforcement, will be tasked with providing immediate aid while developing as a pro.

Robinson signed his first-round rookie deal Thursday, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson noting it will be a $14.98MM deal. That contract, which will run through 2027 and feature a fifth-year option, comes fully guaranteed.

Impressing at the Combine, Robinson would be positioned to play behind Chubb and Phillips once the duo returns to full strength. With Chubb a candidate for the reserve/PUP list — especially considering the former top-five pick has now sustained two ACL tears since the 2019 season — Robinson stands to be an important part of Miami’s defense early this season.

Robinson followed up his Penn State career by blazing to a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. The edge rusher put himself on the NFL map following a solid 2022 campaign where he finished with 5.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. His numbers were not as strong in 2023 (four sacks, 7.5 TFLs). Still, Robinson managed to stick in the first round.

The Dolphins are set to have three first-rounders and a former single-season sack leader manning its edge positions. Once Chubb and Phillips recover, Anthony Weaver’s defense will have some interesting options to pressure quarterbacks. The Dolphins have Phillips signed for two more seasons, via the fifth-year option, and have Chubb — via the five-year deal he agreed to following the 2022 trade with the Broncos — signed through 2027.

Here is how Miami’s 2024 draft class wrapped up:

Packers Sign Round 1 OL Jordan Morgan, Finalize Draft Class

June 13th, 2024 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

After David Bakhtiari‘s knee trouble led to another near-full-season absence, the Packers moved on via release and soon deviated from a defense-based strategy atop the draft. Jordan Morgan is now in place as an heir apparent.

The Packers, who had chosen one offensive player in the first round from 2012-23 (Jordan Love), went with Morgan at No. 25 this year. The team now has a deal in place with the former Arizona tackle, who will be tied to fully guaranteed money through 2027. Assuming Morgan remains on Green Bay’s roster come 2027, Green Bay will eventually have a fifth-year option decision to make.

Bakhtiari’s ACL tear during a New Year’s Eve 2020 practice created considerable trouble for the Packers, who spent most of the next three seasons without their All-Pro left tackle. Morgan also has an ACL tear in his recent past, suffering the injury in November 2022. The Pac-12 standout bounced back this past season, solidifying his value as a first-round-caliber prospect. The Commanders had attempted to trade back into Round 1 for Morgan, but the Packers pounced with their top pick.

Morgan shook off the major injury to become a first-round pick despite this draft oozing tackle options for teams. A three-year starter at Arizona, Morgan started 37 games at left tackle. His post-ACL journey included a first-team All-Pac-12 nod last season. Morgan played in parts of five seasons with the Wildcats, working almost exclusively at left tackle.

Former seventh-round pick Rasheed Walker replaced Bakhtiari at left tackle last season, while Zach Tom worked at RT. Tom is currently rehabbing a torn pectoral muscle, but the young blocker is expected to return before training camp or at some point before the regular season. The Pack view Morgan as a left tackle, which would point Walker to an eventual swing role once the rookie is ready to take over. Walker and Tom are each signed for two more seasons. The Packers, who played 42 regular-season games without Bakhtiari since 2020, also added Andre Dillard as potential depth this offseason.

As the Packers head toward training camp, here is how their draft class breaks down:

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