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Jets Not Closing Door On Haason Reddick Extension

June 12th, 2024 at 5:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Aaron Rodgers‘ surprise — to most — no-show for Jets minicamp has generated more attention this week, but Haason Reddick‘s situation qualifies as the more newsworthy story. Unlike Rodgers, Reddick did not show for the entirety of New York’s offseason program.

Seeking a new contract since the end of his Eagles run, Reddick stayed away from OTAs and this week’s minicamp. The sides do not appear on the same page regarding the team’s plan, which may well be to let the trade acquisition play out his contract and reassess after the season. Given Reddick’s age (30 in September), it is not too surprising he is attempting to force the issue in a contract year.

The Jets indeed look to prefer waiting on a Reddick extension, per ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini, but the veteran reporter adds the team has not ruled out the prospect of a new deal for the recently acquired edge rusher. Although the Jets remain confident Reddick will resurface and enjoy a productive season, this is certainly not a good start to the relationship.

Teams who trade for impact players disgruntled with their contracts often have new deals ready. That makes this Jets situation tricky, especially as the Eagles signed four-year Jet contributor Bryce Huff to replace Reddick weeks before the trade was finalized. The Eagles also reached a resolution with Josh Sweat, effectively ensuring Reddick would be traded. New York sent Philadelphia a third-round pick for Reddick in late March, but he and Robert Saleh had not spoken until this past weekend. Saleh confirmed (via Cimini) he reached out to the eighth-year vet.

Upon agreeing to take on Reddick’s three-year, $45MM contract, GM Joe Douglas deemed John Franklin-Myers as too expensive to retain. The Jets sent the dependable D-lineman to the Broncos, who then reworked his deal. (Franklin-Myers turned down a Jets pay-cut proposal, one that did not approach the numbers he is now tied to in Denver.)

Reddick has shown a much higher ceiling by comparison, stringing together four straight double-digit sack seasons — with three different teams — after being miscast as an off-ball linebacker early in his career. Reddick proved his legitimacy in Philly, spearheading a dominant 2022 pass rush en route to Super Bowl LVII, but has seen his $15MM-AAV deal become an upper-middle-class (at best) edge rusher accord. After the Huff, Danielle Hunter, Jonathan Greenard, Brian Burns and Josh Allen accords were finalized this offseason, Reddick’s deal has fallen into a tie for 19th among edge defenders.

Reddick’s 50.5 sacks since 2020 rank fourth in the NFL. The former first-round pick agreed to the Eagles deal ahead of his sixth season, however, as it took him some time to prove his 2020 Cardinals contract year was not fluky. This timeline may be costing the Temple alum here, with Cimini adding Douglas generally prefers not to extend players 29 and older or those acquired via trade. Reddick checks both boxes, adding another complication to this offseason saga.

After deploying Huff as a pass-rushing specialist, the Jets are expecting Reddick to play an every-down role. Unless Reddick wants to rack up $50K-per-day fines in training camp, he will report for his new team’s workouts next month. It will be interesting, then, to see if the trade pickup opts for the increasingly popular hold-in strategy — even though it is unclear if the team is planning any contract talks — come July.

Commanders Sign Second-Round DT Johnny Newton

June 12th, 2024 at 3:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Commanders, perhaps against the previous regime’s wishes, retooled at defensive end at last year’s trade deadline. But the team kept its veteran defensive tackles and continues to devote early-round picks to this position. Another piece joined the team in this year’s second round.

Washington hoarded Day 2 draft capital via trades, but its first second-round choice — Illinois DT Johnny Newton — came with the team’s own draft slot (No. 36 overall). The Commanders now have Newton signed to a four-year rookie deal, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson indicating the contract comes 86% guaranteed.

Newton’s first three years are fully guaranteed; the 2023 All-American will see $800K of his Year 4 base salary ($2.13MM) guaranteed as well, Wilson adds. Last year’s No. 36 overall pick, Rams O-lineman Steve Avila, received a $201K guarantee of his Year 4 base salary. As Newton has some security, he is currently going through a second round of foot rehab this year.

After undergoing a procedure to repair an injury to his right foot in January, the Commanders defensive tackle needed another foot procedure — the second one on his left foot. Newton sustained a fracture at an unknown point of Washington’s offseason program and underwent surgery in early May. The team is optimistic about Newton returning by Week 1, but it is safe to say a stay on the active/PUP list to begin training camp will take place.

Newton sustained a partial foot fracture that led to the January procedure; this operation caused a weekslong delay in Newton’s pre-draft preparation. He did not participate in Combine workouts but did recover in time to hold a belated pro day in mid-April. He played through the previous foot issue during part of last season to cement a first-team All-American showing, which included 7.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. Newton totaled 14.5 TFLs for the Fighting Illini in 2022. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. rated Newton as this year’s No. 21 overall prospect; the foot trouble helped knock him out of the first round.

The Commanders still roster Jonathan Allen, despite intermittent trade rumors, and gave Daron Payne an extension last year. The Ron Rivera regime also used a 2022 second-round pick on another Alabama DT (Phidarian Mathis), but he has not yet found his footing. Mathis will now compete with Newton for playing time, as the latter comes in attached to the Adam Peters-Dan Quinn partnership.

WR Diontae Johnson Interested In Panthers Extension

June 12th, 2024 at 2:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers and Panthers agreed to swap contract-year players. The higher-profile piece included in the March trade went to Carolina, which acquired Diontae Johnson. Donte Jackson is now in Pittsburgh, joining Johnson as a walk-year player on a new team.

Carolina has now paired Johnson’s Pittsburgh-constructed contract with Bryce Young‘s rookie deal. Johnson and Adam Thielen join rookie-contract wideouts Jonathan Mingo and Xavier Legette. After inking a two-year, $36.75MM deal before the 2022 season, Johnson may not need to see how this season goes before determining Charlotte could work for him long term.

“Just gotta stay relaxed, just keep being humble, make my plays,” Johnson said, via Panthers Wire’s Anthony Rizzuti. “Help the team win the best way I can and my game will speak for itself. And if they feel like they want to extend me, then I’m all for it.”

Johnson’s contract timeline has proven interesting. He initially strolled into a walk year as the Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams contracts began a sea change in the receiver market. The Jaguars’ four-year, $72MM Christian Kirk proposal changed the market’s second tier as well, and a slew of Day 2 draftees in 2019 — Johnson, A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, D.K. Metcalf — landed extensions. Johnson’s checked in between Kirk’s pact and the Brown-Metcalf-Samuel-McLaurin tier, averaging $18.35MM per year. He is now going into a contract year as the WR market is changing again.

Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Justin Jefferson have surpassed Hill’s $30MM-per-year accord, and Hill joins CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk in angling for a top-market contract. Courtland Sutton resides near the second tier; the Broncos’ top wideout is pushing for an adjustment as well. Johnson, who will turn 28 next month, can certainly aim for a contract north of $20MM per year. He might need to deliver a bounce-back season in Carolina to up his market.

Johnson has been tied to a slew of QBs during his career. Although Ben Roethlisberger will be a Hall of Famer, he was not at his best during Johnson’s Pittsburgh stay. Big Ben’s 2019 elbow injury ushered in a season of Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges, and Roethlisberger’s retirement brought in Kenny Pickett. The latter failed to justify the Steelers’ No. 20 overall investment, leading to a trade. Johnson has made do, with his crafty route running (with a drop penchant admittedly mixed in) aiding this lot of QBs. Sandwiching an 1,161-yard 2021 showing in Roethlisberger’s finale, Johnson totaled 923 yards (2020) and 881 (2022). The former third-round pick bettered his 2022 per-game average, notching 55.2 per contest — and catching five TD passes after famously being kept out of the end zone in 2022 — after returning from a hamstring injury last season.

The Panthers added Johnson and Legette to help round out Young’s aerial cast, which was thin beyond Thielen last season. Thielen’s three-year, $25MM contract features a guaranteed 2024 salary. The soon-to-be 34-year-old receiver’s 2025 money is nonguaranteed, giving the Panthers options. Another Johnson deal would align with Young’s rookie deal on a roster largely devoid of big-ticket contracts.

Carolina hired Dan Morgan as its GM this offseason. While Morgan did not have final say on the D.J. Moore and Robbie Chosen extensions earlier this decade, he was on staff when the Panthers authorized them. It will certainly be interesting to see if the Panthers move to extend Johnson before or during his contract campaign.

Giants To Add CB Tre Herndon

June 12th, 2024 at 12:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following a string of one-year deals with the Jaguars, Tre Herndon will head elsewhere for the first time in his pro career. The Giants are signing the veteran cornerback Wednesday, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.

Herndon spent the past six seasons with the Jaguars, working as the team’s slot corner in recent years. The Jags changed defensive coordinators this offseason and did not re-sign the experienced cover man. The Giants will add another slot piece to a team that has a few in the fold already.

The Giants had used Cor’Dale Flott in the slot for much of the 2022 and ’23 seasons, but they are planning to shift him to an outside role opposite Deonte Banks. The team drafted Andru Phillips in Round 3 with an eye on installing him in the slot, and Darnay Holmes remains in the mix after re-signing in March. Given the team’s slot-heavy CB outlook as of mid-June, Herndon represents an interesting addition.

Herndon, 28, signed one-year Jaguars deals in each of the past three offseasons. After the Jags did not bring Herndon back this year, he booked a tryout at the Giants’ minicamp this week, via the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard. That performance sold the team’s coaching staff, which includes a new DC (Shane Bowen), on giving Herndon a chance.

A Jaguar dating back to team’s Jalen Ramsey–A.J. Bouye days, Herndon lasted through a few coaching staffs. Signed as a UDFA during Tom Coughlin‘s executive VP tenure, Herndon re-signed during Urban Meyer‘s year in charge and then stayed on during the Doug Pederson-Trent Baalke regime. As the team shifts to Ryan Nielsen as its defensive play-caller, a few pieces — from Ronald Darby to Darnell Savage to third-round pick Jarrian Jones — entered the fray. This left Herndon searching for a new home. The seventh-year CB will attempt to land a role with the Giants, who made a notable change at the position this offseason.

The Giants did not re-sign Adoree’ Jackson, who remains a free agent, and are confident Banks can fill his shoes as the top corner. As prices rise on New York’s payroll following deals for Daniel Jones, Dexter Lawrence, Andrew Thomas and Brian Burns, the team has an all-rookie-deal secondary in place. For the time being, that is expected to include Flott as the other outside CB starter. During OTAs, Phillips was viewed as a live candidate to commandeer Flott’s former slot role. Holmes represented insurance; Herndon adds a more proven presence.

Herndon played 481 defensive snaps last season — his most since a 1,016-snap 2020 — and Pro Football Focus rated him as a top-40 corner, with a poor run-defense grade affecting that placement. This marked a career-best showing, in PFF’s view, for the Vanderbilt alum. Though, the Jaguars reduced Herndon’s playing time over the season’s final six weeks, making it fairly predictable he would need to relocate to continue his career.

The 5-foot-11 defender played a regular role for the Jags’ 2022 playoff team and was viewed as an every-down player in the wake of Ramsey’s in-season 2019 departure. The Jags used Herndon as a frequent sub-package performer under Meyer and Pederson, and he now becomes the Giants’ most experienced DB.

Titans To Sign OL Geron Christian

June 12th, 2024 at 12:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans devoted a top-10 pick to the tackle position, drafting an O-lineman (JC Latham) in Round 1 for a second straight year. Tennessee will still add another veteran to help fortify the spot, however.

Geron Christian agreed to terms with the Titans on Wednesday, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports. Christian spent last season with the Browns and Texans, being a nine-game Cleveland starter during a season in which the AFC North club lost both its starting tackles. This will reunite Christian with former Browns O-line coach Bill Callahan.

Christian marks the second former Callahan Cleveland charge to join the Titans this offseason. The team acquired Leroy Watson from the Browns in April. A former third-round pick, Christian has made 25 career starts. The former Washington draftee closed last season as Cleveland’s starting left tackle, with Jedrick Wills joining Jack Conklin and rookie RT fill-in Dawand Jones as sustaining a season-ending injury.

Christian, who went to training camp with the Dolphins before failing to make their 53-man roster, started the Browns’ final nine games and their wild-card outing in Houston. Pro Football Focus did not view Christian’s 2023 work fondly, though given how far down the depth chart the Browns needed to look at tackle last year, it is not exactly surprising their final LT option was inconsistent.

The Browns signed Christian after the Texans had released him from their practice squad in October. The Louisville alum combined for 14 starts from 2020-21, playing with Washington and Houston, initially changing teams after being waived in 2021. A rebuilding Texans team used the 320-pound blocker as a regular starter moving forward; the Chiefs slotted Christian as a backup in 2022.

Regarded as perhaps the NFL’s premier O-line coach, Callahan now has two of his recent pieces to help in Nashville. The Titans are expected to use Latham, 2023 first-rounder Peter Skoronski, free agent signing Lloyd Cushenberry and 2023 UFA pickup Daniel Brunskill as starters. Petit-Frere remains on his rookie contract, with fill-in starter Jaelyn Duncan also stands to be a right tackle option. Christian technically gives the Titans another option, but he has played left tackle for most of his NFL career. Still, the six-year veteran profiles as a candidate for a swing role in Brian Callahan‘s offense.

Kirk Cousins Expects To Be Full-Go ‘Well Before’ Week 1; Grady Jarrett Eyeing Training Camp Return

June 12th, 2024 at 10:43am CST by Sam Robinson

Thrust into an unusual situation following the Falcons’ scrutinized decision to draft Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall, Kirk Cousins is also in the final stages of rehab from his first significant NFL injury. The high-priced Atlanta QB is not quite recovered from his Achilles setback.

Cousins is close, however, and the 13th-year veteran said (via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall) he expects to be operating at full speed well before Week 1. In the meantime, the new Falcons passer has taken every snap with the team’s first-stringers during the offseason program.

The Falcons gave Cousins a four-year, $180MM deal that includes $100MM in practical guarantees. While they then made the unexpected move to draft Penix, no doubts about the team’s 2024 starter have surfaced. Cousins, who will turn 36 in August, is locked into that role. Although Penix took third-team reps — behind Taylor Heinicke — during the Falcons’ Tuesday minicamp practice, Kendall notes the Falcons expect the rookie to be the backup this season. Heinicke accepted a pay cut to remain with his hometown team, doing so before the team picked Penix.

The Vikings lost Cousins for the season on Oct. 29. While the durable QB had missed two starts during his Minnesota tenure, they came due to COVID-19 or the team resting starters in a season finale. The Falcons are betting on the immobile passer’s track record before he went down, and Cousins has called himself ahead of schedule; he previously did not expect to participate in OTAs or minicamp. Training camp will begin nearly nine months after the injury.

Cousins is the Falcons’ highest-profile player rehabbing an injury, but the team’s longtime defensive line anchor is also coming back from a season-ending malady. Grady Jarrett sustained an ACL tear on same day Cousins went down, missing the final nine games of Atlanta’s season. Unlike Cousins, Jarrett is not participating in Atlanta’s minicamp. Going into his 10th NFL season, Jarrett said he is targeting a return by training camp.

“That’s my goal,” Jarrett said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Gabriel Burns. “Obviously with training camp, there’s always a ramp-up period. Mine might look a little different, but the bulk of it, my goal is to have most of my reps in and not too much special treatment on the side. That’s what I’m working for.”

It would certainly not surprise to see Jarrett begin camp on Atlanta’s active/PUP list, a designation that keeps players sidelined until they are ready to practice. A stay on the reserve/PUP list — a regular-season designation that costs players at least four games — appears unlikely. ACL tears affect players differently, and it has not been uncommon to see some midseason knee injuries lead to early-season absences the following year. But more than 10 months will have passed between Jarrett’s injury and the Falcons’ Week 1 game. It should be expected the veteran D-lineman will be available for Atlanta’s opener.

Jarrett, 31, is working in a third defensive system in three years. After Dean Pees‘ retirement, the Falcons moving on from Arthur Smith effectively ensured DC Ryan Nielsen would be a one-and-done in Georgia. Raheem Morris and fellow ex-Rams assistant Jimmy Lake are now running the show. Two seasons remain on Jarrett’s three-year, $49.5MM extension.

TE Marcedes Lewis Re-Signs With Bears

June 12th, 2024 at 8:50am CST by Ely Allen

JUNE 12: Lewis agreed to a one-year, $2MM deal, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. These terms match Lewis’ 2023 Bears agreement. The Bears are guaranteeing the 40-year-old tight end $1MM, with part of that sum a $400K signing bonus.

JUNE 9: There are lots of new faces coming to the Bears offense in 2024 with running back D’Andre Swift, wide receiver Keenan Allen, and center Coleman Shelton joining last year’s veteran addition of D.J. Moore. There’s also plenty of youth being infused as top-10 picks Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze arrive in Chicago, as well. With so much change in the locker room, the coaching staff will be happy to see veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis return in 2024.

Lewis informed Jay Glazer of FOX Sports he will meet with the Bears on Monday with the intention to re-sign in Chicago. On the same day that we see Darren Waller retire after nine years in the league, the NFL’s second-longest-tenured player announces that he intends to return for Year 19. With Lewis being a first-round pick out of UCLA in 2006, only Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (drafted in 2005) has been in the NFL longer than he.

Lewis spent the majority of his career in Jacksonville, playing 12 years with the Jaguars. He would finally leave Duval for Green Bay, signing three one-year contracts followed by a two-year deal in five seasons with the Packers. Lewis waited until the final month before the season in 2023 to sign with the Bears, breaking the record for most seasons played by a tight end in NFL history. He’ll presumably continue to expand that legacy in 2024.

Lewis has never been a relatively productive tight end. Including a Pro Bowl season in 2010 that saw Lewis record career-highs in catches (58), yards (700), and touchdowns (10), Lewis has only broken the 500-yard receiving mark three times and caught more than four touchdowns twice. Since 2012, he hasn’t recorded over 400 yards in a season, and since leaving Jacksonville, his highest yardage total in a season has been 214.

None of that is to say that Lewis is not a strong contributor, even as he enters his age-40 season. Just last year saw Lewis grade out as the league’s fifth-best tight end, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), thanks to some stellar blocking grades, something for which Lewis has been known throughout his career. Despite his dwindling receiving contributions in the last several years, Lewis has remained a starter in most seasons. After starting four games in his first season with the Packers, Lewis became a full-time starter for the next three and a half years.

Lewis started four games in Chicago while appearing in every contest last year. He saw minimal targets, catching fewer than 10 passes for the second straight season but still saw significant snaps as TE2 for the Bears behind Cole Kmet. With Kmet as a premier receiving tight end, finishing ninth in receiving yards for the position last year, the Bears don’t need Lewis to be the every-down tight end he once was in his career. But his vast years of experience have clearly made him an asset in the locker room as he continues to get contracts in the NFL.

Jets Aiming To Let Haason Reddick Play Out Contract; Parties No Longer On Same Page?

June 11th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets-Haason Reddick partnership has certainly featured a rocky start. The recent trade acquisition has not shown for the team’s offseason program, and after Robert Saleh said he expected the veteran edge rusher at minicamp, Tuesday brought an unexcused absence from the mandatory workouts.

It is not surprising to see Reddick test his new team, seeing as his below-market contract led to the separation from the Eagles, but the Jets look to have seen the former first-round pick change his stance as the offseason progressed.

Reddick, who will turn 30 in September, is in the final season of a three-year, $45MM contract. After what is believed to have been a productive spring visit before the trade came to pass, the parties do not appear on the same page regarding this issue. A previous Jets-Reddick meeting, however, suggested they were.

The Jets had communicated to the former Cardinals, Panthers and Eagles sack artist they would not extend him this year, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes, with the sides believed to be in agreement Reddick would play out his deal and see about receiving his money from the Jets — or another team — in 2025. Reddick was believed to be on board with the plan, per Hughes, who notes the former Super Bowl starter had told Jets staffers he would attend both OTAs and minicamp. It appears the parties are no longer in lockstep on a plan.

While the Jets communicated to Reddick adjustments could be made to his current contract — potentially via incentives — Hughes adds they indicated no extension was coming this year. This is an interesting stance for the team, which gave up a third-round pick for the Pro Bowler, as it has two rookie-contract edge players (Jermaine Johnson, Will McDonald) and traded its other veteran piece (John Franklin-Myers) in an April salary dump.

It is understandable why Reddick would opt to force the issue; his contract is out of step with his production, which now includes four straight double-digit sack seasons. His dominant 2022 showing (19.5 total sacks, 3.5 coming in the playoffs) helped the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII and had them on the cusp of breaking the 1984 Bears’ single-season sack record. Reddick did not fare quite as well last season, but he still totaled 11 sacks. He has also seen his contract — already a below-market deal upon signing — further shift toward a team-friendly classification. Offseason extensions for Brian Burns and Josh Allen have bumped Reddick down to the NFL’s 19th-highest-paid edge defender.

Reddick is both subject to a $104K fine by skipping minicamp, and he forfeited a $250K workout bonus as well. The eighth-year vet could force the issue by continuing his holdout into training camp, but teams must fine non-rookie-contract players $50K per day for each training camp workout missed. That has largely removed holdouts from the equation, though Chris Jones and Zack Martin both succeeded — Martin via an immediate agreement, Jones via a monster 2024 payday — after holding out. A Reddick hold-in effort could be the next step here.

The Jets effectively swapped out Bryce Huff for Reddick, with the younger player now with the Eagles on a three-year, $51.1MM deal to place the four-year Jet among the handful of edge rushers now paid more than Reddick.

It would look odd if the Jets turned around and paid Reddick a market-value contract, seeing as Huff is four years younger. Though, the Jets are planning a three-down role for Reddick after having used Huff as a designated pass rusher of sorts. Reddick may well attempt to use the Jets’ plan against them; training camp represents the next stage of this developing saga.

Browns, Amari Cooper Discussing Contract; WR Not Present At Minicamp

June 11th, 2024 at 9:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

When Amari Cooper signed his five-year, $100MM contract in March 2020, he stood as the NFL’s second-highest-paid wide receiver. Multiple market booms have changed his status, and the Browns veteran has tumbled well down the list at his position.

Cooper has joined the list of disgruntled wideouts opting to avoid mandatory minicamp. Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday (via NFL.com’s Nick Shook) the Pro Bowl receiver is away from the team with an unexcused absence. This follows CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk‘s decisions to steer clear of their teams’ minicamps. Cooper will face a $102K fine by avoiding the Browns’ mandatory June workouts.

It is unsurprising to see Cooper staying away. Set to turn 30 next week, the former top-five pick is going into a contract year. Cooper has been Cleveland’s No. 1 wide receiver over the past two seasons, helping the Browns navigate an unstable quarterback situation. After the WR market boom of 2022 and this offseason’s developments, the perennial 1,000-yard target now sits as the NFL’s 20th-highest-paid wideout.

Stefanski confirmed the Browns have engaged in some dialogue regarding Cooper’s contract. GM Andrew Berry suggested earlier this offseason the 2022 trade pickup was on the extension radar. A new deal would both reward Cooper for his contributions since being acquired from the Cowboys and reduce his 2024 cap hit from its $23.78MM place. It would also help the Browns avoid a near-$8MM dead money sum stemming from void years. The team still has time on that front, as that penalty would only come if Cooper is not re-signed before the start of the 2025 league year.

Cooper totaled 1,160 receiving yards in 2022, boosting a Browns team that did not have Deshaun Watson for 11 games due to a suspension. He totaled a career-high 1,250 yards last season, aiding a squad that did not see Watson much and lost its top three tackles along with Nick Chubb. Cooper played a central role in Joe Flacco earning Comeback Player of the Year honors. Last year’s 1,000-yard showing marked the ex-Raider draftee’s seventh as a pro.

The Browns recently extended trade acquisition Jerry Jeudy, and while the ex-Bronco first-rounder’s AAV ($17.5MM) checks in south of Cooper’s number, the zero-time 1,000-yard receiver’s $41MM guarantee at signing sits sixth at the position. The Cowboys guaranteed Cooper $40MM up front when re-signing him in 2020, and that number looked better at the time. But the team passed on paying Cooper’s 2022 salary, sending him to the Browns before a salary guarantee vested. Dallas was prepared to cut Cooper absent a trade, but the Alabama alum has continued to produce.

Daily fines would come into play if Cooper were to consider a holdout. Teams cannot waive the fines of non-rookie-contract players who hold out, and although Chris Jones and Zack Martin staged holdouts last year, this has been a highly uncommon 2020s occurrence due to the CBA including language designed to curb the practice. Cooper holding in, a common route players have taken amid negotiations, would stand to be on the table.

The team still has time to take action on this front, though Cooper’s age offers a slight complication. He joins Tyreek Hill as WRs nearing their age-30 season angling for a contract adjustment. While the Dolphins have the future Hall of Famer tied to a deal that runs through 2026, Cooper entering a contract year makes this a more urgent matter for the Browns.

Broncos, WR Courtland Sutton At Stalemate

June 11th, 2024 at 9:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Courtland Sutton reported for the Broncos’ minicamp Tuesday. This will allow him to avoid a $102K fine, separating this situation from the CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aiyuk and Amari Cooper matters. But Sutton continues to pursue a contract adjustment.

Nothing is imminent for the Broncos’ top wide receiver, who said (via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson) his talks with the team — more than a month after this contract issue became known — are at a stalemate. Sutton’s four-year, $60MM contract runs through 2025. Only $2MM of the seventh-year veteran’s $13MM 2024 base salary is guaranteed; the rest of the money would become locked in shortly before Week 1.

The 6-foot-4 pass catcher, who underwent offseason ankle surgery, mostly watched during Denver’s first minicamp workout, per 9News’Mike Klis. Sutton, 28, said (via Tomasson) he gave brief consideration to skipping Denver’s minicamp but remains committed to the team, eyeing a hopeful ring of fame induction down the road. The Broncos drafted Sutton in the 2018 second round, and he has produced at points despite the the quarterback inconsistency that has come to define this franchise post-Peyton Manning.

“It was definitely something that was considered,” Sutton said (via Klis) of the prospect of missing minicamp. “Obviously, I’m here. I wanted to make sure it was known, yeah, I was upset about how the contract went about, how the conversation went about. How the stalemate has persisted. But I also wanted it to be know that I love ball.”

Sutton is believed to be angling for a raise, and while the Broncos accommodated Chris Harris with a pay bump to resolve an issue back in 2019, the latter had proven far more than his former practice adversary has. Harris, who made the 2010s’ All-Decade team, was also going into the final year of his contract when the Broncos gave him a raise. Sutton, whose lone 1,000-yard season came that year, having two years remaining on his deal complicates matters. As does the fact Sean Payton was not in Denver when the team extended him during the 2021 season.

Denver has resisted trade interest for Sutton, though the team finally gave in on Jerry Jeudy and unloaded the former first-rounder for fifth- and sixth-round picks. Teams called about the Broncos’ 2023 leading receiver before the draft, but Sutton remains the team’s receiver centerpiece. Under Payton, however, the team has added a few pieces — from 2023 second-rounder Marvin Mims, 2024 fourth-rounder Troy Franklin and free agent Josh Reynolds. Sutton and Tim Patrick are the only John Elway-era cogs left in the Broncos’ skill-position group.

The Broncos set a second-round asking price on Sutton last year, and while that was never likely to be met, the team has the SMU alum on a fairly favorable deal considering where the wide receiver market has gone since this deal was finalized. Sutton’s $15MM AAV now sits 26th at the position. Jeudy signed a Browns extension that checked in north of Sutton for AAV and included far more guarantees at signing ($41.6MM).

Several wide receiver contract situations remain unresolved as the offseason enters its final weeks. Sutton’s may qualify as a second-tier matter, but the Broncos are likely aiming to have him help Bo Nix during the first-rounder’s rookie year. Training camp will represent the next stage of this impasse.

“We are at a stalemate in a sense, but I have confidence and faith that the right thing will be done,” Sutton said, via Klis. “I hope that I am part of the bigger picture. I’ve been told that’s what the game plan is. I’ve also been told some other things. We’ll see what happens. I hope that I’m part of the game plan.“

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