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Offseason In Review: Arizona Cardinals

August 11th, 2023 at 9:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Kyler Murray homework clause showed signs the team’s recommitment to its previous nucleus may not work out, but it was difficult to predict just how far the Cardinals would fall. Murray struggled through his worst season, one that ended with an ACL tear, and the Cardinals bailed on the Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim extensions less than a year after authorizing them. While the Titans joined the Cards in ditching a GM they had extended earlier in 2022, Arizona pulled the plug on its head coach as well. As a result, this franchise appears to be transitioning into a clear rebuild.

Coaching/Front Office:

Keim’s tenure produced high points, one of them including the only 13-win season in Cardinals history (2015). The team could not follow up that Carson Palmer-led effort, and the QB’s retirement preceded a 3-13 campaign. Bidwill still gave Keim the opportunity to hire a third head coach (Kingsbury). Draft misses plagued Keim in Arizona, but despite those and the extreme DUI arrest in 2018, the GM lasted 10 years and secured an extension following the Cards’ 2021 playoff berth. The organization is still on the hook for Keim money through 2027, with the longtime exec out of football, but it altered its blueprint by making an outside hire to replace him.

The Cardinals promoted Keim from within in 2013 and elevated his predecessor, Rod Graves, from in-house in 2003. Coming into this offseason, Bob Ferguson (hired in 1996) represented the franchise’s last outside addition for the GM role. With the Cardinals being unable to sustain success under Graves or Keim, the objective became an outside hire. Ossenfort beat out Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham for the position, but a report also indicated Cunningham turned down the job. Regardless of how Ossenfort reached this post, it will be on him to attempt to revive the Cardinals.

The latest ex-Bill Belichick staffer given a chance to lead a team, Ossenfort indeed spent the bulk of his professional career in New England. The Minnesota native worked his way up from the personnel assistant level to the Patriots’ director of college scouting by the time his 17-year Foxborough run ended in 2019. The Titans hired Ossenfort as their player personnel director, under fellow ex-Pats staffer Jon Robinson. Ossenfort, 45, interviewed for five GM jobs from 2020-23, receiving interest as the Titans continued to voyage to the playoffs while lacking a top-tier quarterback. After spending his career helping the Patriots extend their dynasty and keeping the Titans on the contender tier, Ossenfort has taken over a fixer-upper in Arizona.

Bidwill and Keim’s Kingsbury hire drew criticism in the moment, with the team firing a Black coach (Steve Wilks) to hire someone recently fired from a college HC job. Kingsbury drove the bus for Murray (over Nick Bosa), even with the Cardinals choosing Josh Rosen 10th overall in 2018. Murray turned out to be a good investment at the time, zooming to two Pro Bowls and giving the Cardinals their most exciting homegrown QB in team history. Kingsbury had the Cards at 10-2 in 2021, winning multiple games with Colt McCoy at the helm that year, but the team’s second-half downturn and wild-card blowout loss proved indicative of its direction. While Kingsbury expressed shock upon being fired months after signing a through-2027 extension, rumors about his shaky job security — amid reported clashes with Murray — lingered for months. Kingsbury, 44, is now back at USC.

Ossenfort conducted a lengthy search to replace Kingsbury. The process involved Sean Payton, but the Super Bowl-winning HC chose the Broncos. After Payton’s Denver pledge, Dan Quinn removing himself from HC searches and DeMeco Ryans canceling his Cardinals interview, Brian Flores — an Ossenfort Patriots coworker for over a decade — pulled out of the process. In late January, the Cardinals added more names to their search. Lou Anarumo, Brian Callahan and Mike Kafka interviewed, but the Cards waited even longer to speak officially with their preferred candidate.

Gannon’s Arizona path caused some issues for the Cardinals and Eagles. The two-year Philadelphia DC spoke with Ossenfort following the NFC championship game, which violated the NFL’s tampering rules. Bidwill then announced he wanted to postpone a hire until after Super Bowl LVII, suggesting one of the Eagles’ coordinators was on his radar. The Gannon interview did not officially take place until after the game, but a report during the Eagles’ 38-35 loss indicated Gannon was all but certain to land the job. The tampering violation led to the Cardinals’ third-round pick dropping 28 slots in the draft, but Gannon — hired nearly six weeks after the regular season’s conclusion — became the choice.

Reminding of Matt Patricia‘s final act in his first Patriots stint, Gannon’s defense was ineffective in the Super Bowl. Two Chiefs goal-line plays befuddled the Eagles, with no one within several feet of Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore on walk-in touchdowns that helped Kansas City prevail in a shootout. The Cards’ improper Gannon pursuit also affected Vic Fangio‘s Philly status.

But the Eagles did make considerable strides under Gannon, who coached enjoyed top-flight personnel last season. DVOA viewed Gannon’s first Eagles offering as a step down, with the unit going from 15th in 2020 to 25th in 2021. Last season, which featured the Eagles fall two sacks shy (70) of the 1984 Bears’ single-season record, brought a sixth-place ranking. As Shane Steichen parlayed Jalen Hurts‘ improvement into the Colts’ HC job, Gannon — who also interviewed for the Texans’ job — rode Philly’s defensive improvement into the Cardinals’ top sideline job.

Separating with Joseph, the Cardinals hired the league’s youngest defensive coordinator to replace him. Rallis turned 30 this offseason. While Gannon, 40, has a defensive background, he is giving Rallis the play-calling reins. Rallis spent two seasons with the Eagles, moving from the quality control level (on Mike Zimmer‘s Vikings staffs). The Joseph-to-Rallis play-calling transition will mark a steep experience downgrade. Although the Cardinals’ defense regressed last season, Joseph turned in two top-10 DVOA showings (2020 and ’21) during his tenure.

Gannon, who coached Vikings DBs for four years under Zimmer, did not overlap with Rallis in Minneapolis. But he did with Petzing, who spent six seasons on Zimmer’s staff. The Kingsbury-to-Petzing transition will be more important, with the ex-Browns assistant now the top offensive coach on the Cardinals’ staff. Petzing, 36, coached tight ends in Cleveland during Kevin Stefanski‘s first two seasons and shifted to the more appealing (for coordinator searches) QBs position last year. Jacoby Brissett‘s bounce-back effort undoubtedly helped Petzing, who withstood Deshaun Watson‘s shaky debut to land this job. Gannon will also entrust Woolfork, who spent the past two seasons on coaching fellowships in Cleveland, to be Murray’s position coach. The Cardinals will be light on staff experience this season.

Free agency additions:

For the time being, the Cardinals have both Froholdt and Wilkinson in place as starters. A Week 1 starting assignment would be new territory for Froholdt, who boasts connections to Ossenfort (as a 2019 Patriots draftee) and Petzing (as a two-year Browns blocker). Froholdt made six starts with Cleveland last season. Wilkinson (36 career starts) has tackle and guard starter experience. The Broncos turned to Wilkinson after Ja’Wuan James‘ Week 1 injury in 2019; the former made 12 right tackle starts that year. Wilkinson also opened last season as the Falcons’ left guard, but a knee injury limited him to nine games. The Cardinals have Wilkinson stationed as their left guard starter.

The Panthers released Elflein two seasons into a three-year contract. Elflein, 29, started at center and guard in Carolina. A hip injury ended his 2022 season after six games. The Panthers did not have a first-unit opening for the ex-Vikings draftee this year, but the Cardinals could probably use his services. And Petzing and Gannon were in Minnesota when he was drafted. Even if Elflein (64 starts) usurps Wilkinson or Froholdt, the Cardinals will be rolling with low-cost veterans at three of their five starting O-line posts.

Gannon and Rallis brought White over from Philly, and his contract is in line with how the non-Tremaine Edmunds–Bobby Okereke linebacker market played out. After signing a one-year, $3MM Eagles deal, the converted safety operated as a full-time linebacker for the Eagles’ NFC champion outfit. Teaming with T.J. Edwards, White totaled 110 tackles and seven passes defensed. The Eagles used the ex-Chargers draftee on 75% of their defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus slotted White, 27, as a top-35 off-ball linebacker in 2021 and ’22.

Considering Isaiah Simmons is now a full-time DB and Zaven Collins has shifted to the edge, White figures to see even more playing time in Arizona. He and Barnes, a 23-game Packers starter from 2020-21, emerged as the first-string ILBs on Gannon’s first Cardinals defense. The Cardinals do not have much in the way of draft picks or dollars invested at the off-ball linebacker spots, making White the clear centerpiece. Barnes, 25, sustained an ankle injury in Week 1 of last season. That halted his run as a Packers starter, but it looks like the Cardinals are readying to give the former UDFA another first-string run.

Pascal, 28, was with Gannon in Philly and Indianapolis. While the frequent T.Y. Hilton sub could not beat out Quez Watkins for a regular Eagles role, he does have two 600-yard receiving seasons on his resume. The Cards are planning to use more two-tight end sets to capitalize on their Zach Ertz–Trey McBride duo, but beyond Marquise Brown, this is a thin receiving depth chart. Pascal should have a better chance to carve out a steady role than he did on an Eagles team rostering A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Re-signings:

Stationed at right guard, Hernandez has a clear role on the latest Cardinals O-line; Beachum does not. As Rodney Hudson, D.J. Humphries and Justin Pugh went down with major injuries last year, Beachum started all 17 games. The Ossenfort-Gannon regime brought Beachum back, but he is currently slotted as a swing tackle. Beachum’s contract does align with that role, and mentoring first-rounder Paris Johnson Jr. while representing veteran depth may suit the 34-year-old blocker well at this point in his career. That said, if a team like the Jets or Patriots called the Cardinals about the recently re-signed tackle, he would likely be available given the NFC West team’s present state. Beachum has started 147 games over the course of his 11-year career.

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Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Chargers

August 10th, 2023 at 8:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Only the 1992 Oilers and 2013 Chiefs surpass the Chargers’ 27-point collapse in Jacksonville. While Sean Payton loomed as a potential HC candidate, GM Tom Telesco elected to give Brandon Staley a third season. The Bolts did overcome more major injury trouble to return to the postseason.

The offseason buzz that annually follows the Chargers has been somewhat muted this year, but once again, the oft-hyped team promises to be a factor in a deep AFC. The Bolts have two new coordinators and made a splashy addition to their skill-position corps in the draft. They also completed a long-rumored extension for their latest star quarterback — this one moving into a new NFL salary bracket compared to the deals handed out to Philip Rivers.

Extensions and restructures:

A longtime Colts exec, Telesco was on-hand to observe how Indianapolis built its rosters around Peyton Manning‘s 2004 extension. Whereas that deal checked in at seven years and $98MM and the Telesco-constructed Rivers extension at four years and $84MM (2015), Herbert’s reflected the cap spikes and the swiftly shifting QB market. Herbert followed Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson by agreeing to a deal with a record-setting AAV this offseason.

The Packers have received the most attention for forming a transition between two Hall of Fame-caliber passers, with the Brett Favre–Aaron Rodgers run lasting 31 seasons. But the Chargers have rostered three such QBs since 2001. Unlike Drew Brees, Rivers may not be a lock to enter Canton. But he gave the Bolts upper-echelon play during most of his 14 seasons as their starter. Without any gap years, the Chargers have gone from Brees to Rivers to Herbert. That has not resulted in MVPs like the Packers duo brought (seven) or Super Bowl berths (three), but Herbert still has plenty of time on these fronts. And the Bolts now have their latest set-it/forget-it QB signed through 2029.

Jackson’s long-running Ravens talks, which began back in 2021, produced a true five-year deal. With Hurts’ second-round rookie contract not including a fifth-year option, the Eagles’ latest QB extension gives them control for six seasons. Herbert signed off on the Chargers having seven, signing a five-year extension after the team made the automatic call to exercise his option. Only Patrick Mahomes (through 2031) has a contract that extends farther into the future. This structure will help the Chargers build around the $52.5MM AAV, minimizing cap hits along the way.

The Chargers could not accomplish much during Herbert’s three rookie-deal seasons, advancing to one playoff bracket and enduring a brutal loss when there. But the strong-armed passer presented immediate franchise-QB signs and, other than a dip following a September 2022 rib fracture, has charted a historic course. Only Dan Marino‘s 98 touchdown passes better Herbert’s through-three-years number (94), illustrating how prodigious the Dolphins legend was for his era; no one tops Herbert’s 14,089 passing yards through Year 3. Herbert followed his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign with a Pro Bowl starting nod. His numbers took a hit last season, as the rib issue and both his top receivers (and left tackle Rashawn Slater) missing extended time hurt the Bolts’ cause. But this extension was always on the team’s docket.

The Chargers did not attach any void years to this contract (yet), but running it through 2029 will keep Herbert’s cap numbers south of $38MM until 2026. As the Chiefs have done on multiple occasions with Mahomes’ deal, the Chargers can go to the restructure well once faced with a $46.35MM cap hit in 2026. The team managed to give Herbert that record-setting AAV while keeping the cap hits low enough that rostering two $20MM-per-year receivers (Keenan Allen, Mike Williams) along with two $23MM-plus edge rushers (Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack) is manageable.

Herbert’s $133.7MM guarantee number trails only Deshaun Watson‘s deal — a contract this year’s QB extension candidates helped cement as an outlier — and Jackson’s $135MM number. For total guarantees, Herbert’s $193.7MM figure leads the non-Watson field by more than $12MM.

Doubling as one of the many flashpoint moments at the running back position this offseason, the Chargers refused to give Ekeler a raise more in line with his contributions. The dual-threat back led the league in touchdowns in 2021 and ’22, totaling 38. Ekeler offers top-shelf receiving ability which helped compensate for the injuries elsewhere on offense last season. The Chargers let their UDFA find seek a trade, but as RB value decreased yet again, no serious talks commenced. Ekeler remains tied to the four-year, $24.5MM contract — one given in 2020, as the Bolts said goodbye to Melvin Gordon — he has outplayed.

Ekeler, 28, has not been shy about addressing the value of the modern running back. Unlike some of the other backs to voice frustration about where the market has gone, Ekeler provides a clear passing-game dimension that has made his $6.13MM-per-year deal age incredibly well for the Bolts. Los Angeles was able to ink Ekeler to that extension due in large part to finding him as a UDFA out of a Division II school. Even after this year’s market shakeup — which included high-profile releases, two notable pay-cut moves, no free agency deal topping $6.5MM AAV and three franchise-tagged backs not being extended — Ekeler’s AAV sits 11th at the position.

The Chargers threw Ekeler a bone in the form of the $1.6MM incentive package, which is based on his scrimmage yards, touchdowns and the elusive Pro Bowl berth. The yardage incentive begins at 1,125 and tops out at 1,639. The TD section ranges from 10-16. He can earn up to $600K in this area. While Ekeler stands to generate interest on next year’s market, he is set to join Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, Derrick Henry, D’Andre Swift, J.K. Dobbins and Antonio Gibson as free agents-to-be. Another crowded market will likely suppress backs’ value once again, and the Bolts will also have the franchise tag available.

Free agency additions:

The Vikings reached agreements to keep their other two remaining Mike Zimmer-era defensive cornerstones — Harrison Smith, Danielle Hunter — this offseason, but Kendricks was an early cap casualty. Taking advantage of what became — beyond the Tremaine Edmunds and Bobby Okereke deals — a buyer’s off-ball linebacker market, the Chargers will give the ninth-year veteran a chance to bounce back. A UCLA alum, Kendricks has 113 starts under his belt and will provide considerable experience from a Bolts team that has not been able to rely on 2020 first-rounder Kenneth Murray.

A former second-round pick, Kendricks ascended to the All-Pro level in the late 2010s. Pro Football Focus rated the ex-Minnesota middle ‘backer as a top-three off-ball LB in 2019 and ’20 but viewed the veteran as sliding a bit over the past two seasons. PFF slotted him 50th at the position in 2022. Still, Kendricks totaled 16 tackles for loss from 2021-22 and topped 135 total stops in each of those seasons. He also finished with 10 passes defensed and six sacks, providing some versatility, in that span.

Re-signings:

The Chargers’ Bryan Bulaga bet backfired, and Storm Norton proved a substandard option in 2021. While Pipkins did not impress early in his career, either, he made some well-timed improvements and landed a nice mid-tier contract as a result. PFF still did not think too much of Pipkins’ performance — particularly as a run blocker — slotting him outside the top 60 at tackle last season, but the Bolts disagreed. After seeing the former third-round pick make strides during the ’22 offseason, the team’s above-referenced restructures cleared cap space to keep the young right tackle off the market.

Heading into his age-27 season, Pipkins presents the Chargers with rare RT continuity. The team has not deployed the same primary right tackle since Sam Tevi manned the spot during the 2018 and ’19 seasons. Pipkins’ return also gives the Bolts the potential to deploy one of the NFL’s best O-lines. Pro Bowlers Slater and Corey Linsley anchor the group, with 2022 first-rounder Zion Johnson set to move from right to left guard to make room for converted tackle Jamaree Salyer, who fared well as Slater’s injury substitute last season. With Pipkins now re-signed, each of L.A.’s starters is signed for at least two more seasons. Slater’s rookie deal can (and almost certainly will) be extended through 2025 via the fifth-year option.

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Offseason In Review: Pittsburgh Steelers

August 6th, 2023 at 10:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

Last season marked the beginning of the post-Ben Roethlisberger era in Pittsburgh, as well as Omar Khan’s first year in the general manager role. A slow start seemed to threaten an end to the team’s 19-year streak of non-losing seasons, but a strong stretch after the bye week resulted in a 9-8 record. That was insufficient to qualify for the playoffs, but it presented reasons for optimism moving forward.

The free agent period and draft presented plenty of opportunities for Khan to retool the Steelers’ offensive line, secondary and linebacking corps in particular. New faces in those positions, and others, should give quarterback Kenny Pickett a stronger supporting cast ahead of his first full season as a starter, one where offensive improvement will be required for a return to the postseason.  

Trades:

Pittsburgh already boasted an intriguing receiver tandem of Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, and the organization has a well-earned reputation for developing its own at the position. The Rams were active in dumping several veteran contracts during the offseason, however, and they were more than willing to move on from Robinson after only one season in Los Angeles. The soon-to-be 30-year-old was limited to 10 games last season, and he posted underwhelming totals (33 catches, 339 yards, three touchdowns) for the second consecutive season.

Guaranteed money is only present in 2023 on Robinson’s restructured contract, making this essentially a low-cost, one-year rental for the Steelers. A move to the slot could help player and team in this instance, with a complementary role available while Johnson, Pickens and tight end Pat Freiermuth serve as focal points in the passing game. A veteran presence alongside those three could help what is otherwise a young offense as it looks to become more productive and consistent through the air. A return to the earlier form in his career could allow Robinson to benefit from the recent surges in the WR market, either with an extended look in Pittsburgh or another new beginning.

Free agency additions:

The new league year brought about a full-scale renovation of Pittsburgh’s inside linebacker corps, but it also comes as little surprise that the interior O-line and cornerback spots received the largest financial commitments. Seumalo represents a sizable guard investment for the second straight offseason, after James Daniels was added in 2022. Seumalo proved his worth across career 60 starts with the Eagles, including a fully healthy campaign last season (having been limited to just 12 total contests between the two previous years). He continued his strong showings in terms of PFF evaluations while helping Philadelphia’s elite offensive front guide the team to the Super Bowl, leading to his intrastate move.

The 29-year-old, as expected, earned a more lucrative three-year pact in free agency than his previous one. Carrying over his consistent high-level performances will bolster the Steelers’ O-line, something which will in turn pave the way for a continued heavy reliance on workhorse running back Najee Harris. If Seumalo’s injury issues return, ex-Eagles teammate Herbig should be able to provide quality fill-in play. In any event, a needed step forward in terms of play along the interior should be expected in 2023.

Peterson will be counted on to remain a significant contributor deep into his career, after starting all 31 of his Vikings games. The 2010s All-Decade member racked up five interceptions (the second-highest single-season total of his career) last year, but he also allowed the same number of touchdowns in coverage on a leaky Minnesota defense. Peterson, 33, should rarely leave the field in his third NFL home, though he may no longer exclusively see time as a boundary corner. He and Tomlin have discussed the possibility of being used at multiple spots in the secondary, including safety.

The three-time All-Pro will join a defense featuring a vaunted pass rush, but a backend which has room for improvement. The Steelers ranked 19th against the pass in 2022, and improvement in that regard will be needed to contend in an AFC loaded in quarterback talent. Like Peterson, Neal will provide versatility to the Steelers’ new-look secondary after joining a new team for the third straight offseason. The 28-year-old has seen time at safety and linebacker across his time with the Falcons, Cowboys and Buccaneers, and the absence of Terrell Edmunds and each of the starting ‘backers from last season leaves plenty of opportunities for him to find a role.

Holcomb will lead the new LB room, after a highly productive stint in Washington. He started all but two of his games with the team that drafted him, grading out as a top-25 linebacker from PFF in 2020 and logging over 1,000 snaps the following year. His market was not hindered by the injuries which limited him to seven games in 2022, allowing the former fifth-rounder to price himself out of the nation’s capital. Production similar to that of fellow Steelers target Leighton Vander Esch would prove Pittsburgh’s investment in Holcomb to be worthwhile.

Roberts will look to build off his career year in Miami last season, while holding down a full-time starting role for the first time. He has never logged a snap share above 59%, but his production with the Dolphins in 2022 showed the impact he is capable of making against the run and pass. Topping the 100-tackle mark for the first time last campaign, the ex-Patriot also set a new personal best with 4.5 sacks. At 29, Roberts does not possess the upside that incumbent Mark Robinson (23) has, but that pair will be given considerable opportunity to provide consistent play at the second level for a defense seeking just that.

Alexander, Kwiatkowski and Muse represent experienced fill-in options should the new starters miss time or underperform. Altogether, the new LB corps will spend the buildup to the season aiming to establish a firm pecking order in the middle. Successfully doing do could foreshadow needed improvement at the position during the campaign.

Re-signings:

Ogunjobi was set to play in Chicago last season, but his Bears deal fell through and allowed him to remain in the AFC North. The former Brown and Bengal played on a one-year contract and earned himself an extended look in Pittsburgh. He took a significant step back in terms of sacks (1.5, compared to a career-best 7.0 in 2021) but was credited with 30 total pressures by PFF. That led to an overall grade of 61.7, the highest since his rookie campaign. Ogunjobi, who missed only one game last year, will thus remain in place alongside Cam Heyward at the heart of Pittsburgh’s defensive front moving forward. The structure of the 29-year-old’s deal does leave open the possibility of the Steelers cutting bait after this season, though, so his play will be worth watching closely in his second Pittsburgh campaign.

At least one change to the QB depth chart seemed inevitable this offseason for the Steelers, but Rudolph’s free agent period was very brief. The third-string passer was mentioned in trade talks last summer and fielded offers from other teams to sign this spring, but he ultimately decided to remain in his only NFL home. The former third-rounder has made only two starts since the 2019 campaign and did not see any game action last year. A lack of opportunities to unseat fellow veteran Mitch Trubisky for the No. 2 role seen in 2022 is likely to be repeated this year, so plenty would need to take place for Rudolph, 28, to see the field. If he does, though, his market could look much different come next March.

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Offseason In Review: Tennessee Titans

August 3rd, 2023 at 10:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The AFC’s No. 1 seed in 2021, the Titans took a step back after another injury-riddled season. As numerous starters moved from Tennessee’s two-deep to IR, ownership reversed course on an extension it had just authorized months earlier. Like the Cardinals, the Titans fired a GM (Jon Robinson) they had extended earlier in the year. Robinson’s decision to trade A.J. Brown also brought disastrous effects, and the Titans enter 2023 with their longtime offensive pillars — Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill — in contract years.

Rookie GM Ran Carthon made several lineup changes this offseason, and the Titans do play in what has been the AFC’s worst division for the better part of the past decade. Will the high floor Mike Vrabel has helped provide be there for this reconstructed team?

Extensions and restructures:

This Robinson bet on an injured prospect paid off for the Titans, who have one of the NFL’s best interior defensive linemen. And Simmons has been durable since debuting midway through his rookie season post-ACL tear. Notching back-to-back second-team All-Pro seasons, Simmons has totaled 16 sacks and 21 tackles for loss from 2021-22. His three sacks drove a ferocious pass rush that nearly dragged the Titans to a divisional-round win over the Bengals. The Titans now have the two anchors of that rush — Simmons and Harold Landry — signed long term.

During an offseason in which the NFL’s top non-Aaron Donald tier of D-tackle contract became firmly established, Simmons exited with more guaranteed money than the Rams legend. Although Carthon did not draft Simmons, the former 49ers exec made a point to hammer out the deal before the offseason program began.

Simmons, 26, had staged a hold-in at the Titans’ 2022 minicamp, but with non-quarterback extensions for players with two years of control remaining still fairly rare, the DT-rich 2019 first round needed to wait. With the Commanders franchise-tagging 2018 first-rounder Daron Payne, it created a glut of D-tackles aiming to bridge the mammoth gap between Donald and the field.

In a league in which Patrick Mahomes‘ contract — which stood $10MM north of the second-highest NFL AAV when finalized — has been passed over many times, it is notable none of the 20-something D-tackles came especially close to Donald’s $31.7MM average salary. Simmons has a case to be labeled the league’s third-best inside D-lineman — behind Donald and Chris Jones — and his AAV landed at $23.5MM. Teams were not willing to go near the price the Rams set for their historically talented pass rusher, but Simmons securing the $47.8MM guarantee number obviously proved crucial for his camp. While the Jones-Chiefs talks have not produced a resolution, Simmons trails only Quinnen Williams in fully guaranteed money at the position.

The Byard saga did produce an agreement, but the Carthon era has not started off ideally for the veteran safety. A reliable performer on one of the NFL’s most injury-prone teams, Byard is two seasons removed from a first-team All-Pro nod. The seven-year veteran has never missed a game, giving the Titans vital security as injury trouble has impacted the roster at key points. Pro Football Focus has also graded Byard as a top-10 safety in five of the past six seasons. Byard, who will turn 30 before the season, admitted he did not expect Carthon to hit him with a pay-cut request.

No trade drama ensued, but Carthon did trim money from Byard’s 2023 base salary. This is not a true restructure, as the transaction shaved nearly $3MM off Byard’s 2023 base salary. Incentives can move the number back to the $13.6MM place at which it previously stood, but the Titans also gave Byard $7MM in additional guarantees — on a contract that had seen its guarantees elapse — to agree to this. As a result, the team created more than $7MM in 2023 cap space with this adjustment. After two previous restructures, Byard’s cap number had ballooned to $19.6MM.

Free agency additions:

The Ravens’ Odell Beckham Jr. contract shook up Hopkins trade talks, eventually opening the door for the Titans. As Hopkins’ free agency played out, it seemed fitting the Titans ended up playing the Ravens role as they competed against true AFC contenders. Tennessee ended up outflanking other suitors — perhaps by a decent margin — to sign Hopkins. Considering the performance of the Titans’ receiving corps last season and the state this year’s group resided post-draft, Hopkins represented a vital upgrade.

Dealing Brown immediately burned the Titans, who may have misread the market. Although the Ravens traded Marquise Brown, the other four teams with decisions on 2019 receiver draftees — the Commanders (Terry McLaurin), Seahawks (D.K. Metcalf), 49ers (Deebo Samuel) and Steelers (Diontae Johnson) — reached extension agreements, with the pacts being based on the one the Eagles gave Brown. While first-rounder Treylon Burks — effectively Brown’s replacement — showed flashes, Tennessee’s receiving corps produced just one 500-yard showing. And that came from a declining Robert Woods, who totaled 527 yards as this passing attack cratered.

Hopkins, 31, is not where he was when traded from the Texans to the Cardinals, but of the suitors, no team needed him more. The contract the Titans shelled out reflected that. Had the Ravens’ similar receiver need not driven them to give Beckham $15MM guaranteed, the long-rumored Bills-Chiefs bidding war might have taken place on the trade market.

Hopkins was apparently ready to accept a reduction to facilitate a trade away from the rebuilding Cards, but once OBJ (zero first-team All-Pro nods) landed the Baltimore deal after not playing in 2022, Hopkins naturally did not believe he needed to make a big sacrifice ahead of his 11th season. Rather than becoming a major chip in the arms race taking place atop the AFC, Hopkins will take some pressure off Burks in Nashville.

This move does remind of Tennessee’s Julio Jones pickup two years ago. Jones was also a three-time first-team All-Pro coming off an injury-limited season in his early 30s. But the Titans needed to fork over a second-round pick for the ex-Falcon great. The Hopkins contract details reveal an easy out after one year. The Titans designating Hopkins as a post-June 1 cut next year would come with just $1.96MM in dead money (and $14MM-plus in savings). Hopkins is due a $4.1MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2024 league year, providing an early decision date — unlike this offseason.

Bailing on another accomplished wideout with a post-June 1 release designation would not be optimal for Tennessee, which still has $8.4MM in Jones dead money on its 2023 cap sheet. But even though it looked like the team needed to offer several million more than Kansas City or New England did in guarantees, thus topping the incentive-laden deals each proposed, the Titans are not pot-committed for 2024.

In Hopkins’ last full season, he totaled a career-high 115 receptions for 1,407 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Hamstring issues and a torn MCL halted Hopkins’ momentum in 2021, bringing about the first injury-plagued stretch of the former first-round pick’s career. A PED ban and a minor knee issue emerged last year. Hopkins has missed 15 games over the past two seasons. But he has a history with Vrabel and new OC Tim Kelly, who were each in Houston during part of his seven-season stay.

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Offseason In Review: New York Giants

July 30th, 2023 at 9:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Joe Schoen regime’s first offseason did not feature splash moves, with cap issues limiting the GM last year. After a surprise voyage to the NFC’s divisional round, the Giants became far more active this year in making moves that will shape their long-term future. For the most part, the team’s core players are now locked down. Though, more headlines came the team’s way because of the pillar that exited the offseason without an extension.

Re-signings:

Faced with one of the more fascinating decisions in the franchise tag era, the Giants made no secret of their stance adjustment on Jones. Schoen passed on the Dave Gettleman-era draftee’s $22.4MM fifth-year option in 2022. Picking that up would have brought an easier route for the Giants, but the former No. 6 overall pick was coming off an injury-limited season and had not justified such an investment at that point. With Jones becoming the first quarterback to re-sign with a team that had declined his fifth-year option, he exerted the leverage the March franchise tag deadline gave him. At the end of that journey: a payday that would have been unimaginable a year ago.

By not picking up Jones’ option and letting Barkley play out his, the Giants entered March with both unsigned. They ended up navigating this scenario in the same way the 2020 Titans did, re-signing the quarterback and tagging the running back. But the Ryan Tannehill–Derrick Henry situation did not produce half the headlines the Giants’ Jones-Barkley proceedings did.

In the fall, the team first identified Barkley as an extension candidate, beginning bye-week negotiations and offering an extension worth more than $12MM per year. No Jones negotiations took place at that point, with the new Big Blue regime wanting to see more. After Jones piloted a Giants offense stripped of non-Barkley skill-position talent to the franchise’s first playoff win since Super Bowl XLVI, Schoen and Co. changed course. Jones became the priority and was set to receive an expensive franchise tag ($32.4MM). Barkley’s superior talent notwithstanding, the two-time Pro Bowl running back’s positional value dropped him in the team’s queue. This set up a high-stakes stretch leading up to the March 7 deadline to tag players.

Rumored to be aiming for a deal south of $40MM per year, the Giants saw their quarterback change agents and come in with a $47MM-AAV ask once talks heated up in the winter. After a lack of progress in the days leading up to the deadline, the Giants talked Jones down to $40MM per year. Beating the deadline buzzer on this extension allowed them to tag Barkley, completing step one of a seminal offseason itinerary. While that set off another high-profile negotiation that would play out in the coming months, Jones successfully negotiated the same contract parameters Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott received and did so coming off a season in which he threw only 15 touchdown passes.

The Eli Manning heir apparent transforming his value to this degree made for one of the most interesting contractual sagas in recent memory. Jones, 26, had shown promise as a rookie under Pat Shurmur. His 24 TD passes — in a 12-start season — still rank fifth for a rookie. But Joe Judge‘s tenure, which largely placed Jason Garrett at the controls on offense, ended up setting Jones back. The Duke product combined for 21 TD passes in 25 starts from 2020-21, and his midseason neck injury in the latter season led to one of the worst stretches in Giants history. Although the team’s 9-7-1 response to that benefited Jones more than anyone, the Giants are making a reasonable bet on a player they were seemingly ready to discard at this time last year.

Factoring in rushing impact, QBR viewed Jones as having made tremendous strides under Brian Daboll. Despite increasing receiver limitations and a basement-level tight end situation, Jones ranked sixth in that metric. His 708 rushing yards boosted a team in need of viable non-Barkley help moving the chains, and it will be interesting to see how Jones performs in Daboll’s offense with an improved pass-catching corps.

This contract also gives the Giants a reasonable out after two years. They would be on the hook for barely $9MM in dead money if they designated Jones a post-June 1 cut in 2025. And the subsequent deals for Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert did bump the Jones contract down to 11th at the position. Still, Jones is a bit on this deal is a different than having him on rookie money. While it would have been interesting to see if another team would have been willing to give him $40MM per year on the open market, the Giants did not wish to chance that.

Barkley’s tag became one of many events in a crushing offseason for the running back position. The throughline from Mike Shanahan‘s brigade of post-Terrell Davis 1,000-yard backs to the gridlock atop the market following Christian McCaffrey‘s 2020 agreement has led to an overdue spotlight shining on this position’s place in the modern game. At the end of 2023’s carnage, the RB position is at maybe its most unstable point in history.

The Giants not coming to an agreement with Barkley certainly puts this relationship at risk of falling apart after 2023. But the team will have a chance to use the most talented back in its near-100-year history for at least one more season. The Giants will have a chance to tag Barkley again, at barely $12MM, in 2024. Will the 26-year-old RB remain in the picture by that point?

After shaking off a three-year stretch of injuries, Barkley provided great value on a $7.22MM fifth-year option salary by powering the Giants to the playoffs. While the Giants have not been able to utilize Barkley’s pass-game talents on the level his rookie year brought, he gained a career-high 1,312 rushing yards and was by far the most talented Giants skill player. Barkley stayed healthy throughout the season, but after the fall talks did not come close to producing a deal, the Giants ended up pulling their second offer — worth roughly $13MM per year — after tagging him. Four months later, Barkley will play the season for the $10.1MM tag salary (feat. a small incentive package with lofty benchmarks).

Barkley blasted the Giants for leaks that made him look greedy, when the fall and winter offers included low guarantees. Once the team finally moved up to the $22MM guarantee level that represented the cost of two franchise tags, the backfield staple was annoyed that increase came with an AAV decrease south of $12MM. Despite the parties being close to a deal, the Giants making the late move to reduce the AAV led to Barkley passing. Barkley’s No. 2 overall draft slot and fifth-year option money moved his career earnings past $38MM, which would have given him interesting leverage to use a Le’Veon Bell-like absence as evidence — on a Giants team still bereft of dependable skill players elsewhere — of RB value while preserving his body for what could be a last-chance free agency run in 2024. Barkley’s bluff on this front did not translate to even a training camp holdout, illustrating the power the tag gave the Giants.

With the Giants free to use Barkley as they please, this tag season could tank his stock — through either an injury or a third 350-plus-touch year — and leave him in a tough spot on what looks like another crowded free agent market. That is, if the Giants let Barkley reach free agency in 2024. With Miles Sanders receiving $13MM guaranteed from the Panthers, Barkley will bet on himself this year in hopes a reasonable guarantee figure will await him on the market in 2024.

Shepard is the Giants’ longest-tenured player, but his injury history and having re-signed for no guaranteed money makes the Slayton transaction more pertinent for the 2023 Giants. Although Jones and Barkley zoomed into this regime’s good graces after down 2021 offerings, Slayton’s turnaround with the organization may have been more surprising.

The Giants buried Slayton on their depth chart going into his contract year and then slashed his pay, stripping away the proven performance escalator money he earned, before the season. But the slew of issues to affect the team’s receiver cadre — Shepard and Wan’Dale Robinson‘s ACL tears, Kadarius Toney‘s repeat injuries and then a give-up trade, and Kenny Golladay cementing himself as a historic free agency bust — led to Slayton climbing back into a starting role and leading the team in receiving (724 yards). The Giants are deeper at wide receiver this year, but with Robinson not a lock to begin the season on time, Slayton (three 700-yard years) could still find himself opening the season as Jones’ top wideout.

Trades:

In betting Jones will grow with better pass catchers, the Giants are wagering Waller will shake off the injury trouble that plagued him in Las Vegas. Waller, who will turn 31 in September, missed 14 games over the past two years. The Pro Bowl tight end’s injuries eventually caused the Raiders to cut bait. For a Giants team that has not employed a difference-making tight end in maybe 16 years (Jeremy Shockey?), this is a bet worth making. The pick obtained for Toney is a reasonable price to pay for a dynamic player like Waller.

Unlike Shockey, Waller has delivered a 1,000-yard season. In fact, the ex-Ravens wide receiver is one of just eight tight ends with two 1,100-yard years. Waller saved the Raiders when their Antonio Brown trade preceded a spectacular combustion, going from Jon Gruden-era flier to cornerstone piece in Derek Carr‘s final stretch with the franchise. In his most recent healthy season, Waller ripped off 107-catch, 1,196-yard, nine-TD performance.

Of course, that came three years ago. Since, Waller has dealt with ankle, IT band and hamstring problems. Waller missing eight games due to a hamstring issue — weeks after the Raiders made him the NFL’s highest-paid tight end, at $17MM per year — last year frustrated some in the organization. But he has a clear opportunity in New York. The Raiders had transitioned to a Davante Adams-centered aerial attack. While the Giants took a quantity-based approach at receiver, no No. 1-type wideout — at least, no known commodity — exists on this depth chart. Waller will enter the year as the most likely passing-game centerpiece.

Waller’s 2022 extension did not feature lofty guarantees, which gave the Raiders an easy out. The Giants will only be tagged with $2.5MM in dead money if they designate Waller a post-June 1 cut in 2024. This is a relatively low-risk proposition for Big Blue. Waller did show flashes after coming back from his hamstring issue in December; when healthy, he presents the capability to give the Giants a weapon that would accelerate Jones’ development.

Extensions and restructures:

In an offseason that has placed Barkley in a late-’90s George Costanza-like position, when the Susan Ross Foundation continued to unveil other financial plans regarding her estate, Thomas and Lawrence have joined Jones in receiving windfalls. How the Giants proceeded this year doubles as a decent encapsulation for positional value in the NFL. Beyond the reality of the Giants taking care of higher-value players and letting their running back stay on the tag, two more Gettleman-years breakthrough players are under contract for at least five more seasons. Thomas’ deal, in particular, could age very well for the team.

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Offseason In Review: Philadelphia Eagles

July 26th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Like Doug Pederson, Nick Sirianni led the Eagles to a Super Bowl in his sophomore HC effort. The endings proved different, as Philadelphia’s defense could not stop Patrick Mahomes in a shootout, but the Eagles went from 9-8 in 2021 to the NFC’s best team. While this represents considerable progress after the team did not tumble onto the rebuilding tier — as many expected — in 2021, this offseason featured defections from both starters and staffers.

Two new coordinators and five new defensive starters will be in place this season. The Eagles, however, hover as the NFC favorites. Their roster blueprint has also changed. The quarterback they once drafted as Carson Wentz insurance is now signed to a monster extension.

Extensions and restructures:

Hurts has completed one of the most remarkable ascents in modern quarterback history. Eagles brass was split on the ex-Alabama and Oklahoma passer, with some in the organization wanting the team to take safety Jeremy Chinn in the 2020 second round. The Eagles defied traditional roster-building measures by selecting Hurts in Round 2, doing so less than a year after giving Wentz a $32MM-per-year extension. They took on a then-record dead-money hit ($33.8MM) by trading Wentz in 2021, but even after Hurts spent a full season as a starter, Philly was not fully committed to him.

Jeffrey Lurie expressed hope the Eagles would not bring in a quarterback to compete with Hurts in 2021, but during the season, the owner was still believed to be higher on the then-accuracy-challenged QB than Howie Roseman. In turn, the Eagles looked into higher-profile trade options in 2022. But neither Russell Wilson nor Deshaun Watson would waive their respective no-trade clauses to join the Eagles. Philly did not end up a finalist for Watson. Although the Eagles had wanted Wilson in the 2012 draft and were prepared to make a substantial trade offer to the Seahawks 10 years later, the perennial Pro Bowler steered his way to the Broncos. Wilson’s no-trade clause now looms as a significant Eagles “what if?” scenario, as Hurts removed much of the doubt about his future last season.

The Eagles went 16-2 in games Hurts started last year, and the stout quarterback went toe-to-toe with Mahomes in Super Bowl LVII. Hurts’ completion rate (66.5%), yards per attempt (8.0), passer rating (101.5) and QBR (66.4 — fourth overall) took substantial leaps last season. Philadelphia’s decision to trade for A.J. Brown paid off in more ways than one, with the ex-Titans wideout breaking the Eagles’ single-season receiving record and aiding Hurts in the process. Philly’s years-long commitment to beefing up its offensive line boosted Hurts as well, as his nearly unstoppable QB sneak — which the NFL considered outlawing before standing down this offseason — became a tremendous drive-extending or drive-finishing tactic that benefited the Eagles (and fantasy GMs) in key spots.

Hurts going from an uncertain piece in the Eagles’ big-picture puzzle to surefire extension candidate could have made talks complicated, especially with the Eagles having a 2024 franchise tag at their disposal. But the soon-to-be 25-year-old QB signed in April. Just as they had done in 2019 with Wentz, the Eagles went first on a QB extension. This paved the way for the Ravens to end their years-long impasse with Lamar Jackson, which led to the Chargers’ Justin Herbert deal and will set up Joe Burrow to finish this round of market reshaping.

Hurts did not flirt with Watson-like guarantees, with the deals for he, Jackson and Herbert successfully pegging the Browns contract as an outlier. The Eagles gave Hurts $110MM guaranteed — a cool $120MM south of Watson’s monstrous figure — and used a startling seven void years to spread out the cap hit. As a result, Hurts will not even count $40MM on the Eagles’ cap until 2027. By then, the salary cap could be close to $300MM. Of course, Hurts will need to continue on the path he started in 2022 to justify this expense. The Eagles were not shy about recommitting to a quarterback, despite Wentz rapidly fading from franchise centerpiece to supplanted starter. And while the team let a number of key defenders walk in free agency, most of the same pieces remain in place for Hurts to succeed going forward.

One of those is Johnson, who has been the Eagles’ right tackle since Michael Vick‘s final season with the team. This is the former No. 4 overall pick’s fourth contract with the Eagles, who previously extended him in 2016 and 2019. This contract only tacked on a year to Johnson’s deal but rewarded the cornerstone lineman with $30MM in additional guarantees. Johnson played through an adductor tear in the playoffs, putting off surgery. If Johnson plays out this contract, he could pass Tra Thomas for the most starts by a tackle in Eagles history. As of now, Johnson (127 starts) sits fourth on that list. But he has been an indispensable cog for the Eagles.

On the Hall of Fame radar as a three-time All-Pro, Johnson aided LeSean McCoy to a rushing title and helped the Eagles lead the league in rushing in 2021. Wentz and Hurts have benefited tremendously from the 10-year veteran, and while the Eagles have a replacement for Jason Kelce in place, they have not made plans to succeed Johnson just yet. This will be Johnson’s age-33 season; Pro Football Focus has ranked the Wisconsin product as a top-10 tackle during each of Hurts’ full seasons as a starter. The extension, which includes three void years, dropped Johnson’s 2023 cap hit by more than $9MM.

Johnson’s status with the Eagles was not in question, but Slay’s was during an eventful March span. In less than a week’s time, the decorated cornerback went from discussing an Eagles extension to being granted permission to seek a trade to moving close to a post-June 1 cut designation to making it back to the extension radar and finalizing a deal. The Eagles had talked terms with Slay, who was going into the final season of a three-year, $50MM contract. After those discussions — which may or may not have included a pay-cut request — did not progress, the Eagles allowed him to talk trades. The Ravens and even the Cowboys came up as suitors, but the Eagles and Slay found a resolution.

This did make for an interesting turn of events, as Slay turned 32 in January. Yet the Eagles will guarantee him $23MM — not bad for a player who has now signed three extensions and already pocketed nearly $87MM during a 10-year career. The Eagles made a modest bet on Slay in 2020, prying him from the Lions for third- and fifth-round picks. The former third-rounder has provided considerable ROI, making two Pro Bowls as an Eagle. PFF slotted Slay as a top-25 corner in both years, and while teams do not make a habit of giving 30-something corners big-money deals, this pact will keep Slay’s cap hits below $12MM in 2023 and ’24.

This deal will keep Darius Slay–Darius Slayton matchups coming for at least another year, thanks to the latter’s Giants re-signing, and because of the four void years attached, Slay would bring at least $9MM in dead money if cut at any point before 2026.

Trades:

Swiftly becoming expendable after the Lions chose multipurpose back Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12, the former Detroit second-round pick generated interest from multiple teams. The oft-RB-inquiring Dolphins emerged on the radar, but the Eagles pulled the trigger on a deal. A much brighter future could exist for Swift in Philadelphia. Being phased out in Detroit, the Georgia product has a chance to start for a team that just booked a Super Bowl berth.

Injuries have impeded Swift for much of his NFL career, but the pass-catching back has never missed more than three games in a season. Swift totaled 25 touchdowns in Detroit, amassing 2,878 scrimmage yards over his first three seasons. Swift has never taken more than 151 handoffs in a season. His 364 career carries certainly could appeal to the Eagles, who let Miles Sanders (739 career totes) walk in free agency.

The Eagles are open to a Swift extension, but it will likely depend on how he performs in a contract year. This is not a good time for RB value, but Swift’s receiving prowess could help him. That said, the Eagles have not been big on involving their backs in the passing game since Hurts’ debut. Sanders totaled 20 catches for 78 yards last season, while Kenneth Gainwell led Philly backs with 169 receiving yards. It is possible the Eagles will explore this dimension further with a better receiving RB, but early returns with Hurts do not bode well for the 24-year-old’s aerial skills to be utilized properly.

Re-signings:

Three of the Eagles’ core four along their lines played on expiring deals last season. Despite each player having at least 11 years’ experience, the batch of 30-somethings is back for at least one more go-round. Kelce again considered retirement, but the All-Pro center/podcast host/SNL special guest re-signed for a 13th season. The longest-tenured Eagle, Graham is back for a 14th year. Although Philly has now drafted defensive tackles from Georgia in each of the past two years, Cox remains in the team’s plans ahead of his 12th season. Graham, Kelce and Cox all arrived during Roseman’s first three years as GM; they join Johnson as part of a storied quartet in Eagles history.

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5 Key Stories: 7/16/23 – 7/23/23

July 23rd, 2023 at 4:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

The opening of some NFL training camps capped off a busy seven-day period around the league. In case you missed any of the top developments from the past week, here’s a quick recap:

  • Commanders Sale Goes Through: The long-awaited purchase of the Commanders by Josh Harris was ratified during a special league meeting, and the sale went through the following day. That marked an end to the Dan Snyder era in Washington, with the embattled ex-owner being issued a $60MM fine stemming from the results of the Mary Jo White report. Her probe into Snyder and the Commanders found evidence of sexual harassment on Snyder’s part, and of revenue being withheld from the league by the team. Harris – already the owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils – will now look to take the team in a direction far away from the 24-year one it had under Snyder, marked by scandals and a lack of postseason success. The $6.05 billion price tag represents another North American record for franchise sales, comfortably topping Rob Walton’s winning bid ($4.65 billion) for the Broncos from last year.
  • No Deadline Deals For Franchise-Tagged RBs: Monday represented the final day for franchise tag recipients to sign a long-term deal. No such agreement came to fruition for Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs or Tony Pollard, however, putting them on track to earn $10.1MM on the one-year tender in 2023. The Giants came much closer to a deal with Barkley than the Raiders did with Jacobs, but the key question in both cases now is how much time they will spend away from their teams. Both backs have stated a willingness to sit out regular season games – missing out on $561K per week in the process – amidst their frustrations with the RB market. Pollard, by contrast, is obligated to attend Cowboys training camp having already signed his franchise tag.
  • Titans Win Hopkins Sweepstakes: Tennessee emerged as DeAndre Hopkins‘ destination when the parties agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $32MM. High performance thresholds are in place via incentives, but the $12MM in guaranteed compensation for this season helped convince the All-Pro wideout to join the Titans rather than teams such as the Patriots, Chiefs and Bills. Those clubs were unwilling to offer as much up front as Tennessee was, so Hopkins’ return to the AFC South will give them a signficant boost in the passing game. The 31-year-old will aim to put his injury- and suspension-related absences of the recent past behind him, while helping the Titans’ offense in the process. Doing so could lead to further individual accolades for the five-time Pro Bowler and help his new team return to the postseason.
  • Steelers Extend Highsmith: After a busy offseason seeing several additions, the top remaining priority for the Steelers was finalizing a second contract for Alex Highsmith. They did just that by signing him to a four-year, $68MM extension which includes $27.7MM in guaranteed money. Pittsburgh already has the league’s most expensive edge rusher (in terms of AAV) with T.J. Watt, but his sack partner is now on the books through 2027. Highsmith, a former third-round pick, has taken a step forward in production during each of his three seasons, putting him firmly on the radar for a new deal. Both he and the team expressed a desire to work out an extension before training camp, and with that business settled Highsmith can now turn his attention to continued progression and what would be a second consecutive double-digit sack campaign.
  • Engram Avoids Tag With New Jaguars Deal: Unlike his running back counterparts, tight end Evan Engram was able to land a multi-year contract to take the place of the franchise tag. The Jaguars signed him to a three-year, $41.25MM deal. The guarantees in the pact ($24MM) are roughly the value of what he would have earned by playing on consecutive tags, but incentives could allow him to slightly outpace that mark. The 28-year-old turned his prove-it Jacksonville contract into a career year with 766 yards last season, an impressive showing after an up-and-down Giants tenure. Engram is well-positioned to continue his success for the intermediate term and he should remain a key member of the Jaguars’ offense as they look to repeat their playoff run from 2022.

Offseason In Review: Jacksonville Jaguars

July 17th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the second time in franchise history, the Jaguars overcame a 2-6 start to make the playoffs. The last time the team did so (1996), a run of playoff appearances followed. This Jaguars nucleus has similar ingredients in place compared to the Mark Brunell-fronted teams of the late ’90s. At the center is Trevor Lawrence, the former No. 1 overall pick who shook off a rough rookie season to emerge as a factor in the QB-rich AFC. The Jags’ 27-point playoff rally past the Chargers and competitive effort against the eventual champion Chiefs would seemingly depict a clear team on the rise.

The organization proceeded accordingly this offseason, not doing much to tamper with the roster it assembled during the 2022 free agency period. The Jags enter the season as favorites in what appears to be the AFC’s weakest division. How much more of a level jump can the 2023 edition make?

Extensions and restructures:

The Jaguars look to have made several strong investments in 2022. While the rest of the A- and B-listers from that pricey lot received multiyear deals, Engram needed to prove his value after an inconsistent Giants run. The former first-round pick did that, establishing a new Jaguars single-season best for tight end receiving yardage (766) last season. Although the Jaguars also had right tackle Jawaan Taylor looming as a free agent, they slapped a less expensive franchise tag ($11.35MM) on Engram. After both sides expressed interest in a long-term partnership, an agreement emerged barely 24 hours before this year’s deadline for tagged players to sign extensions.

As the tight end position remains undervalued relative to its best players’ contributions, Engram and contract-year Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson represented this year’s needle-movers on the financial front. But Engram is both going into his age-29 season and has not been a reliable pass catcher from a year-to-year perspective. As such, he and the Jags reached common ground short of the $17MM-per-year positional ceiling Darren Waller established in September 2022. At $13.75MM per year, Engram is now the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid tight end.

It is a bit surprising Engram could not clear the $14MM-AAV barrier, seeing as the salary cap is back on its steady rise after a 2021 reduction. Both Mark Andrews and Dallas Goedert signed $14MM-per-year deals in 2021, and Engram’s 2022 season featured better production than either of Waller’s past two slates. The Ole Miss alum became one of Lawrence’s go-to targets, adding 12 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown during Jacksonville’s two playoff games. In terms of guarantees, Engram did slightly better. The $24MM, which covers this year’s franchise tag and the tag amount had Engram been cuffed in 2024 as well, checks in fifth at the position.

While Travis Etienne is tied to a rookie contract, Lawrence’s top four pass catchers are all either tied to veteran deals or a fifth-year option (Calvin Ridley). Lawrence’s eventual extension will likely be a record-setting accord, but the Jaguars can backload that deal to make the cap numbers to best line up with those of Engram and Christian Kirk. Zay Jones‘ $8MM-per-year pact runs through 2024, while Ridley should be an extension candidate, provided he bounces back from 1 1/2-season absence.

Engram could not become a reliable difference-maker in New York, but he did surpass 700 receiving yards as a rookie (2017) and earn a Pro Bowl bid during a 2020 season in which alternates were not part of the equation (due to the game not actually being played). In his three other Giants years, the 6-foot-3 target underwhelmed. This included a 408-yard 2021 showing, but the Giants were not exactly giving their pass catchers much of an opportunity during this period, which bottomed out following Daniel Jones‘ neck injury in November 2021. Engram showed enough in Jacksonville last season, and a team that has struggled for years to generate notable work from the tight end position rewarded him.

After bouncing back from the Urban Meyer debacle, the Jaguars made a concerted effort to retain talent this offseason. This was particularly a point of emphasis along their defensive front. One year remained on Hamilton’s rookie contract, with Robertson-Harris’ three-year deal also running through 2023. The Jaguars drafted Hamilton in the 2020 third round, when former GM Dave Caldwell was still running the show, and added Robertson-Harris during Meyer’s short span in charge. GM Trent Baalke, however, was with the organization when both arrived. The Baalke-Doug Pederson regime prioritized both as D-line supporting-casters.

A part-timer on his rookie contract with the Bears, Robertson-Harris has now fetched two three-year deals from the Jags. His $14.4MM guarantee is nearly identical to the one that brought him to Duval County — $14MM — two years ago. Robertson-Harris is primed to continue his run as a starter. The former UDFA has started 30 games with the Jags — nearly triple his Bears first-string work — and is coming off his most productive season. In 2022, Robertson-Harris equaled his 2021 sack total (three) but offered career-best marks in tackles for loss (seven) and QB hits (12). Going into his age-30 season, Robertson-Harris opted to stay in Jacksonville rather than aim for a bigger deal in free agency next March.

Hamilton, 26, emerged as a full-time starter last year. Pro Football Focus rated the Ohio State alum as a top-30 interior D-lineman in 2022, giving the Jags an ascending player alongside veterans Fatukasi and Robertson-Harris up front. Playing a career-high 610 defensive snaps last season, Hamilton has helped the Jags compensate for missing on 2018 first-rounder Taven Bryan. Hamilton also looks to be an under-the-radar draft win for the Jags, who reached their franchise nadir in the first two years of this decade.

With Hamilton also bypassing a chance at a free agency payday in 2024, the team has an interesting trio complementing its pair of ex-top-10 draftees on the edge.

Free agency additions:

Last year, the Jags signed Kirk, Scherff, Oluokun, Engram, Fatukasi, Jones and Darious Williams; five of those contracts were worth at least eight figures per year. Baalke said this would be a quieter free agency, and the third-year Jags GM did not deviate from that plan. Johnson, Brewer and Wells profile as backups, while McManus’ latest contract is worth far less than his most recent Broncos agreement.

Working behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in Cleveland, Johnson did rise to the Browns’ RB2 when one of the stalwarts was hurt. This led to the former Alliance of American Football performer rushing for 534 yards in 2021. In Johnson’s three games as the Browns’ primary running back that year, he gained 146, 99 and 123 rushing yards. The South Florida alum is already 27, but he only has 141 career carries. The Jags, who are planning to reduce Etienne’s workload by a touch, figure to give their RB2 a change-of-pace workload to spell their clear-cut starter. Third-rounder Tank Bigsby will likely push Johnson for the backup role, but the free agency addition also has steady special teams experience to bring value as a third-string option.

McManus, 31, spent the past nine seasons as the Broncos’ kicker. Last year, which began eventfully via the Nathaniel Hackett-ordered 64-yard game-winning try in Week 1, was not the veteran’s best work. McManus made just 77.8% of his field goal tries — his worst accuracy rate since 2017 — but did connect on 8 of the 12 50-plus-yard tries he attempted after that bizarre Week 1 scene in Seattle.

The Broncos used the McManus post-June 1 cut money to add Frank Clark. As Sean Payton‘s team zeroed in on the veteran edge rusher, McManus contacted the Jaguars about a gig. The push worked, and the Jags will aim for kicker stability after years adrift at the position. Eight kickers had seen time in Jacksonville from 2020-22, with last year’s option — Riley Patterson — after training camp had concluded.

Re-signings:

Bigger money went to players on the Jags’ extension radar, but the team also retained multiple regulars on defense. Wingard made 24 starts over his rookie contract, including 15 during the dismal 2021 season. Last year, he settled in as a third safety behind starters Rayshawn Jenkins and Andre Cisco. PFF has viewed Wingard’s work well, ranking him as a top-35 safety during his 2021 starter year and slotting him in the top 10 — albeit on just 223 defensive snaps — last year. Wingard’s ability around the line of scrimmage and work on special teams has allowed him to become a UDFA success story out of Wyoming, and the Jags’ retention mission included a pay bump from rookie-deal money for the 26-year-old defender.

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This Date In Transactions History: Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas Sign Extensions

July 15th, 2023 at 9:39am CST by Ben Levine

With the deadline looming for extension-eligible players, two of the league’s top wideouts signed lucrative extensions with their organizations on this day eight years ago. On July 15, 2015, Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant and Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas signed new deals with their squads.

The two 2010 first-round WRs were slapped with the franchise tag before they could hit unrestricted free agency, and negotiations with their respective teams hadn’t necessarily gone smoothly. In fact, the NFL Players Association threatened to file a collusion complaint against the Cowboys and Broncos over the lack of extension progress, and both Bryant and Thomas began teased holdouts as the July 15 deadline approached.

Ultimately, both players ended up getting their desired pacts from their new squads, with the duo seeking deals that approached Calvin Johnson‘s $16.21MM average annual salary. Bryant and Thomas ultimately signed similar five-year, $70MM deals; the two players were previously attached to franchise tags worth $12.8MM.

At that point of his career, Bryant had established himself as one of the league’s elite wideouts. At the time of his signing, Bryant hadn’t missed a game in three seasons, and he was coming off his third-straight campaign with at least 88 catches and 12 touchdowns. He took it to another level during his contract year, hauling in a career-high 16 touchdowns while tying a career-best 15.0 yards-per-catch mark.

Unfortunately for the receiver and the Cowboys, that 2014 campaign that preceded his extension was the last time Bryant would earn an All-Pro selection in his career. His 2015 season was limited to only eight games while he dealt with a lingering foot injury, although he did return to Pro Bowl status in 2016 after finishing with 50 catches and eight touchdowns in 13 games. Bryant managed to revert to his durable self during the 2017 season, appearing in all 16 games. However, his 12.1 yards-per-reception mark set a new career-low, and with two years remaining on his deal, the Cowboys moved on from the wideout.

Bryant joined the Saints for the 2018 season, but he ended up missing the year thanks to a torn Achilles. He sat out the 2019 season while seeking a new job before catching on with the Ravens in 2020. He caught six passes in six games for Baltimore, and he hasn’t earned an NFL contract since that gig.

The Broncos got a bit more production out of their extension with Thomas. Prior to signing his new deal, the receiver was coming off a three-year stretch where he averaged 99 receptions, 1,494 receiving yards, and close to 12 touchdowns per season (he added another five scores in five playoff games). While Thomas would never hit those numbers again, his first season under his new deal was still plenty productive. The wideout finished the year with 1,304 receiving yards and six touchdowns before earning his lone Super Bowl championship.

Thomas would only have one more 1,000-yard season after 2015. Despite losing Peyton Manning under center for the 2016 season, the receiver still earned a Pro Bowl nod after compiling 1,083 yards. Inconsistent QB play led to Thomas finishing with only 949 receiving yards in 2017, and with the Broncos eyeing a rebuild in 2018, Thomas was traded to the Texans. Following a brief stint with the Patriots during the 2019 preseason, Thomas caught on with the Jets, hauling in 36 receptions in 11 games. After not playing during the 2020 season, Thomas announced his retirement.

Teams are naturally cautious when it comes to handing out big-money extensions. You can’t blame the Cowboys nor the Broncos for extending their star wideouts, but it also shouldn’t have come as a huge surprise that neither player ended up completing their deals with their respective teams.

2023 NFL Dead Money, By Team

July 14th, 2023 at 4:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Accounting for players who appear on teams’ cap sheets but not on their rosters, dead money is a factor for all 32 teams. This year, dead money comprises more than 20% of five teams’ payrolls. Two teams who followed through (successfully) with all-in missions in recent years — the Buccaneers and Rams — each have more than 30% of their payrolls devoted to dead-cap hits.

Going into training camp, here is how dead money factors into each team’s cap sheet:

  1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $75.32MM
  2. Los Angeles Rams: $74.23MM
  3. Green Bay Packers: $57.14MM
  4. Philadelphia Eagles: $54.73MM
  5. Carolina Panthers: $51.54MM
  6. Arizona Cardinals: $36.96MM
  7. Tennessee Titans: $36.56MM
  8. Minnesota Vikings: $35.54MM
  9. Houston Texans: $31.72MM
  10. Las Vegas Raiders: $29.95MM
  11. Indianapolis Colts: $24.89MM
  12. New Orleans Saints: $24.58MM
  13. Chicago Bears: $23.52MM
  14. Washington Commanders: $23.01MM
  15. New York Giants: $22.74MM
  16. New England Patriots: $21.82MM
  17. Atlanta Falcons: $18.78MM
  18. Detroit Lions: $18.69MM
  19. Seattle Seahawks: $17.91MM
  20. San Francisco 49ers: $17.16MM
  21. Cleveland Browns: $16MM
  22. Dallas Cowboys: $14.64MM
  23. Pittsburgh Steelers: $13.26MM
  24. Baltimore Ravens: $10.78MM
  25. Denver Broncos: $9.72MM
  26. Miami Dolphins: $8.43MM
  27. New York Jets: $7.95MM
  28. Kansas City Chiefs: $7.65MM
  29. Buffalo Bills: $5.23MM
  30. Jacksonville Jaguars: $4.7MM
  31. Los Angeles Chargers: $2.19MM
  32. Cincinnati Bengals: $593K

No team broke the Falcons’ record for dead money devoted to a single player. The Falcons’ Matt Ryan trade left them with $40.52MM last year. But the Bucs and Rams incurred some dead money collectively this offseason.

Tom Brady‘s Tampa Bay exit created much of the Bucs’ issue here. Brady not signing another Bucs deal, instead retiring for a second time, accelerated $35.1MM in dead money onto the Bucs’ 2023 cap sheet. The team had used void years increasingly during Brady’s tenure, and his second restructure created the $35.1MM figure. The Bucs will swallow the post-Brady pill this year, with no dead money related to that contract on their books in 2024.

Three ex-Rams combine to take up $55MM of their dead-money haul. The Rams traded Allen Robinson to the Steelers earlier this year, but that three-year, $46.5MM deal Los Angeles authorized in 2022 will result in Robinson’s former team carrying a $21.5MM dead-money hit in 2023. The Rams are eating $19.6MM of Jalen Ramsey‘s contract, and bailing on Leonard Floyd‘s four-year, $64MM extension after two seasons moved $19MM in dead money to L.A.’s 2023 payroll. The Rams did not use the post-June 1 designation to release Floyd, keeping the dead money on that deal tied to 2023 only.

The Packers did come close to breaking the Falcons’ record for dead money on a single contract. Green Bay following through on the Aaron Rodgers trade left $40.31MM in dead money on this year’s Packers cap. Because the Packers traded Rodgers before June 1, that hit will be entirely absorbed this year. It also took a Rodgers restructure on his way out to move the cap damage down to $40MM. The Panthers trading Christian McCaffrey after June 1 last year left the second chunk of dead money ($18.35MM) to be carried on this year’s cap. It also cost Carolina $14.63MM in dead cap to trade D.J. Moore to the Bears.

The Bears used both their post-June 1 cut designations last year (Tarik Cohen, Danny Trevathan) and also have a $13.23MM Robert Quinn cap hold. The Cardinals had already used their two allotted post-June 1 cut designations this offseason. As result, DeAndre Hopkins is on Arizona’s books at $21.1MM this year. Because they cut the All-Pro wide receiver before June 1, the Cards will be free of Hopkins obligations after this year.

While the Raiders built in the escape hatch in Derek Carr‘s 2022 extension, keeping the dead money on their nine-year QB’s contract low, Cory Littleton — a 2022 post-June 1 cut — still counts nearly $10MM on their cap sheet. Fellow 2022 post-June 1 release Julio Jones still counts more than $8MM on the Titans’ payroll. The Cowboys went to the post-June 1 well with Ezekiel Elliott this year, but their 2022 designation (La’el Collins) leads the way with $8.2MM on this year’s Dallas payroll.

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