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This Date In Transactions History: Patrick Mahomes Signs Massive Extension

July 6th, 2021 at 6:16pm CST by Ben Levine

On this date last year, Patrick Mahomes became a very, very, very rich man. On July 6, 2020, the former MVP signed a historic 10-year extension with the Chiefs.

The massive deal was worth $477MM, with potential bonuses bumping the contract to a max value of $503MM. The deal marked the first time that an NFL player held the title of “highest-paid player in American sports history.” Mahomes’ $477MM in “guarantee mechanisms” exceeded the 12-year, $426.5MM deal that Mike Trout signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2019, and the $50.3MM average annual value topped Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard‘s $49MM AAV (part of a four-year, $196MM deal that will begin in 2021).

Worldwide, Mahomes’ contract value only trailed Lionel Messi’s head-spinning four-year deal worth around $674MM. With Messi’s contract recently expiring, the Chiefs QB could soon hold the title for largest contract in all of sports.

From an NFL standpoint, both the $477MM value and $140MM in guaranteed money shattered NFL records. Mahomes’ ~$50MM-per-year price tag was a staggering $10MM increase on Russell Wilson‘s $35MM-AAV deal that previously resided as the NFL salary benchmark. As far as guarantees go, Mahomes’ bests the previous leader — Jared Goff‘s 2019 re-up — by $30MM.

It wasn’t a huge surprise that Mahomes was able to garner such a deal, and it wasn’t a huge surprise that the Chiefs were willing to make such a commitment to the franchise quarterback. After all, few players have managed to accomplish all Mahomes had through their first two seasons as a starter. Fortunately, Mahomes continued to back up the organization’s faith in 2020. The 25-year-old had another standout campaign, completing a career-high 66.3-percent of his passes for 38 touchdowns vs. only six interceptions. Mahomes also guided the Chiefs to their second-straight Super Bowl appearance, where they ultimately lost to the Buccaneers.

Unsurprisingly, we’ve already seen Mahomes work with the Chiefs to save the organization some cash. We learned earlier this offseason that the quarterback had restructured his contract, providing the team with an extra $17MM in cap space by moving much of Mahomes’ $21.7MM roster bonus into a prorated signing bonus. Language in Mahomes’ deal allows the Chiefs to automatically restructure it to create cap space, and since the quarterback is inked through the 2031 season, this surely won’t be the last time we see both sides agree to a reworked deal.

The 10-year deal that was signed one year ago today was practically unprecedented. Considering Mahomes’ standing as the best young QB in the NFL, it will probably be a while before we see another franchise commit half-a-billion dollars to a player.

Extension Candidate: Wyatt Teller

July 5th, 2021 at 10:09pm CST by Rory Parks

Just before the start of the 2019 season, the Browns acquired guard Wyatt Teller from Buffalo. The Bills had selected Teller in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, but they deemed him expendable just a year later. Cleveland was in need of offensive line depth, so for the fairly modest price of a fifth- and sixth-round draft pick, the John Dorsey-led Browns acquired the Virginia Tech product, who in 2020 emerged from relative obscurity to become the best guard in the league per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. Dorsey might be gone, but he did leave the Browns with a few lovely parting gifts.

With three years of service time under his belt, Teller is now extension-eligible, and we recently heard that current GM Andrew Berry has a new contract for the 26-year-old on the agenda. Of course, long-term deals for quarterback Baker Mayfield, running back Nick Chubb, and cornerback Denzel Ward are also on the docket, so it’s uncertain when (or even if) a Teller deal might get done.

As with virtually all big-money contracts, as Teller’s promises to be, there are a couple of issues that need to be resolved. For one, Teller was not particularly impressive in 2019, his first year in Cleveland. To be fair, the offense as a whole underperformed under the stewardship of since-deposed head coach Freddie Kitchens, so Teller’s excellence in new HC Kevin Stefanski’s wide-zone scheme is probably a better indicator of how he will fare moving forward.

Another potential sticking point is the fact that, as good as he was in 2020, Teller missed five full contests and most of a sixth due to injury. Berry & Co. might want to see Teller sustain a certain level of performance for at least a full season’s worth of games before authorizing a massive extension (which is also rumored to be the front office’s mindset with respect to Mayfield). It is also fair to wonder whether the presence of center J.C. Tretter (PFF’s second-best pivot in 2020) to Teller’s left and right tackle Jack Conklin (PFF’s 10th-best tackle) to his right makes Teller look better than he actually is.

As of today, Spotrac estimates Teller’s market value to be roughly $12MM per year. That would position him as the fifth-highest-paid guard in football, behind Joe Thuney, Brandon Brooks, Zack Martin, and Andrew Norwell. For purposes of this exercise, we’re excluding Washington’s Brandon Scherff, who is presently attached to his second franchise tender and whose $18MM+ salary for 2021 might be a bit of an outlier. However, if Scherff and the WFT were to agree to an extension, it would almost certainly come with an AAV at least as high as Thuney’s $16MM, thereby making Teller’s estimated market value of $12MM/year the sixth-highest mark in the league.

In light of the above-referenced concerns, Berry could, with a straight face, offer a four-year deal to Teller worth around $48MM and including about $30MM in practical guarantees. But if Teller is anything like his quarterback, he will be willing to bet on himself and will demand something that puts him closer to the top of the guard market.

And it would not be surprising to see the Browns go there. After all, though Mayfield may be good enough to bring a championship to Cleveland with the right pieces around him, he does not appear to be the type of passer that can overcome the deficiencies of a weak O-line. Right now, the Browns have arguably the best offensive front in the league, and Berry would surely be loathe to let one of that unit’s best assets walk away. That is especially true when considering how a good line can make the two-headed rushing tandem of Chubb and Kareem Hunt even more imposing than it already is, and given that Teller is especially adept at run-blocking.

Just yesterday, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com confirmed that the Browns will try to extend Teller, although she did not offer any indication that contract talks had advanced particularly far. With so many other high-profile talents in line for lucrative extensions, it’s hard to determine exactly how Berry is triaging the situation, but Teller is certainly a player that other clubs are hoping makes it to free agency in 2022. 

PFR Originals: Tags, Contracts, Cam, Ertz, Browns

July 4th, 2021 at 3:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

In case you missed it, here’s a look back at some of our recent originals from this past week:

  • Ryan Ramczyk‘s five-year, $96.2MM Saints extension moved him to the top of the right tackle salary list. He joins Trent Williams, Joe Thuney and Frank Ragnow as the highest-paid players at each offensive line position. I took a look at the other positions’ highest-paid performers, as of July.
  • Mentioned as likely to leave Philadelphia, Zach Ertz remains with the Eagles months after those rumors emerged. Here is a look at the top teams that would make sense as fits to acquire the three-time Pro Bowl tight end. What other teams would make sense for Ertz?
  • While three 2021 franchise tag recipients have signed extensions, seven remain on the tag. Chris Godwin, Allen Robinson and Brandon Scherff are three of those seven. I looked into where things stand with these respective negotiations.
  • We updated our This Date in Transactions History page with a few entries, spanning five decades.
    • A year ago this week, the Patriots brought in Cam Newton to serve as their starting quarterback. Ben Levine looked at how a hotter-than-usual quarterback market moved a year ago and assesses Newton’s place with the Patriots going forward.
    • Three Junes ago, Tamba Hali opted to hang up his cleats after 12 seasons with the Chiefs. Zach Links takes a look at the former Kansas City first-round pick’s career and his decision to focus on other endeavors — including a music career. Hali finished his NFL career as the Chiefs’ No. 2 all-time sacker — behind only Derrick Thomas.
    • In 2017, the Raiders locked up both Derek Carr and Gabe Jackson. Ben looked at the latter’s five-year extension. Jackson ultimately headed to the Seahawks over the course that deal and has since signed another contract. But the veteran guard provided the Raiders with four more seasons as a starter after signing the eight-figure-per-year accord.
    • The Bills and Kyle Williams enjoyed a 13-year partnership. In 2008, Buffalo gave the standout defensive tackle his first extension. The team did so despite Williams having played just two years on his rookie contract. I looked at Williams’ initial extension putting him on a path toward becoming one of this era’s top backfield disruptors.
    • Thirteen years earlier, the 49ers had a decision to make at wide receiver. They had just engineered a costly first-round trade-up for J.J. Stokes, but the team opted to bring back Jerry Rice‘s longtime sidekick — John Taylor — for one more contract. I looked at that 1995 decision and how the 49ers transitioned from their successful Rice-Taylor era.
    • The NFL’s supplemental draft has not taken place since 2019, and the event has lacked the impact it once had. I examined one of the July draft’s signature sequences, when Bernie Kosar maneuvered his way to his hometown Browns — in a complicated saga that involved a blockbuster trade with the Bills for a supplemental draft slot — and made NFL history in doing so. Cleveland’s 1985 trade ended up paying dividends for the next several seasons.

5 Key Stories: 6/27/21 – 7/4/21

July 4th, 2021 at 3:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Been busy? Let’s get you caught up with a look back at some of the NFL’s biggest stories from the past week:

Dan Snyder status with WFT uncertain: This week’s $10MM fine levied against the Washington Football Team as a result of a problematic workplace culture, which stemmed from 2020’s sexual harassment allegations, has led to a change at the top of the franchise’s power structure — for the time being. Dan Snyder is no longer running the day-to-day matters for the franchise, ceding that control to his wife (co-CEO Tanya Snyder). Tanya will represent the WFT at league meetings for the foreseeable future. Dan Snyder, however, may be prepared to contest whether Roger Goodell must approve his return to full-fledged responsibilities.

Lamar’s negotiations raising eyebrows: Lamar Jackson continues to negotiate a potential record-breaking extension without an agent. His negotiating team, to some degree, includes his mother. Jackson’s mother played a key role in negotiating his admittedly less complex rookie contract. While advisers are also involved, the NFLPA has attempted to intervene to help the former MVP quarterback. Thus far, Jackson has resisted the union’s efforts. This has tripped alarms in the agent community.

Broncos sale becoming real possibility: A key trial pitting the Pat Bowlen Trust and two of the late owner’s daughters — Amie Klemmer and Beth Bowlen Wallace — has been delayed indefinitely, leading to expectations a Broncos sale is moving closer to reality. Prospective buyers have surfaced, with the trustees receiving offers — or, indications true offers will come if the franchise is put up for sale — over the past few months. NFL intervention may impede a potential sale, but the Broncos may be on the verge of changing hands for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Saints lock up Ryan Ramczyk: The right tackle market moved this week, with the Saints giving their All-Pro starter a five-year extension that averages $19.2MM per season. One of two Saints who previously were attached to the fifth-year option, joining Marshon Lattimore, Ramczyk is now signed through 2026. His future position may be uncertain, with this contract including an interesting clause that would provide a raise if Ramczyk becomes an All-Pro at left tackle. Longtime New Orleans left tackle Terron Armstead is going into a contract year.

No 2021 opt-outs expected: The NFLPA secured the right for players to opt out due to COVID-19 concerns for a second straight year. While the opt-out only pertains to players deemed high risk for developing coronavirus complications, the deadline for players to notify teams came and went without any news. With the vaccines changing the virus landscape, nothing has surfaced on any players opting out. However, official word on opt-outs is not due until Tuesday.

This Date In Transactions History: Bills Extend DT Kyle Williams

July 3rd, 2021 at 6:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the 2011 collective bargaining agreement prohibited teams from extending their draft picks until they had played at least three seasons, as does the 2020 agreement, the 2006 CBA did not do so. The Bills took advantage of this to lock up one of the top draft finds in franchise history.

The Bills and defensive tackle Kyle Williams came to a few extension agreements during his 13-year tenure with the team; the first of those transpired on July 3, 2008. Less than two years after the former fifth-round pick signed his rookie contract, he came to terms on a three-year, $14.4MM extension. This through-2012 deal came with $5.2MM guaranteed and became a bargain for the Bills.

Despite arriving as a late-round pick, albeit one who played a role on LSU’s national championship-winning 2003 team, Williams broke into Buffalo’s starting lineup as a rookie. His first Pro Bowl, however, came during this initial extension. Williams ended up making five more Pro Bowls during what became a historically long stay in the Bills’ starting lineup. In the franchise’s 61-year history, only Hall of Famers Andre Reed and Bruce Smith and offensive lineman Joe Devlin made more starts for the team than Williams’ 178.

The 300-plus-pound defender played three seasons on his 2008 extension and emerged as one of the NFL’s top D-tackles. From 2009-10, he combined to tally 30 tackles for loss. His 16-TFL/5.5-sack 2010 season led to a Pro Bowl nod and preceded the biggest extension of Williams’ career. For the second time, the Bills extended Williams with two years remaining on his previous contract. In August 2011, they gave him a six-year, $39MM extension.

Teaming with 2011 first-round pick Marcell Dareus to form one of the league’s top D-tackle duos, Williams made three Pro Bowls from 2012-14 and peaked with a 10.5-sack season in 2013. Williams ended up outlasting Dareus in Buffalo. The Bills traded the former top-three pick to the Jaguars during the 2017 season.

Although team success eluded the Bills during most of Williams’ career, he was on the fourth of his five Bills deals when they snapped their 17-season drought and made the 2017 AFC playoff field. Williams retired after the 2018 season, playing only with Buffalo. He finished with a Bills-most 103 tackles for loss in the 21st century. Among pure interior D-linemen in this span, that total ranks behind only Aaron Donald and Kevin Williams.

Status Of 7 Remaining Franchise-Tagged Players

July 3rd, 2021 at 5:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ten players comprised this year’s franchise tag contingent — down from 14 in 2020. However, the Broncos, Cowboys and Giants reached extension agreements with their tagged players — Justin Simmons, Dak Prescott and Leonard Williams, respectively — to leave seven tag recipients unsigned entering July.

With the July 15 deadline to extend franchise-tagged players less than two weeks away, here is where things stand with the remaining members of the group:

WR Chris Godwin, Buccaneers

Rather than tag Shaquil Barrett for a second straight year, the Bucs cuffed Godwin at $15.9MM. The defending Super Bowl champions found room for Barrett and every other notable free agent they had this offseason, going into overdrive in their effort to defend their second championship. Like every other franchise-tagged player this year, Godwin has signed his tender. The former third-round pick has said he wants to stay in Tampa long-term. The Bucs have Mike Evans signed to a now-below-market deal ($16.5MM per year), so it will be interesting to see how they navigate negotiations with his less accomplished (but three years younger, at 25) sidekick.

S Marcus Maye, Jets

Tagged months after the Jets traded Jamal Adams, Maye has not exactly enjoyed a smooth negotiating process. Just before the Jets tagged Maye, his agent slammed the team for a lackluster effort to extend the four-year starter beforehand. The Jets have carried on negotiations since applying the tag and are believed to have been steadfast in this approach, but this has not necessarily translated to progress. These talks are expected to go down to the wire. Maye, 28, not signing an extension by July 15 would keep the Mike Maccagnan-era draft choice on the $10.6MM tag.

OT Taylor Moton, Panthers

While the Panthers’ left tackle position has been one of the toughest to fill over the past decade, Moton has locked down the team’s right tackle post. A 2017 second-round pick, Moton has not missed a game since debuting in Carolina’s lineup in Week 1 of the 2018 season. The Panthers have a new regime in place, but the Matt Rhule–Scott Fitterer duo hopes to extend Moton.

The right tackle market moved this week, with Ryan Ramczyk agreeing to a $19.2MM-per-year extension. Moton, 26, is not a candidate to top that, but he may be primed to fill the gap between the top tier (Ramczyk and $18MM-AAV Lane Johnson) and Jack Conklin‘s $14MM-AAV deal. Moton is attached to a $13.8MM franchise tender.

WR Allen Robinson, Bears

Tagged at a higher price ($17.98MM) than Godwin because of his previous contract, Robinson has been the Bears’ No. 1 option on offense for the past three years. This has not translated to harmony between he and the team. Robinson has expressed frustration with the Bears’ tactics during his lengthy extension talks, which date back to last year, and he at one point surfaced in trade rumors.

This will be the eighth-year veteran’s age-28 season. A long-term Robinson deal would pair well with Justin Fields‘ rookie contract, with no other Bears receiver making even midlevel money, but the former third-round pick did not sound especially confident a deal will be finalized by the deadline.

OT Cam Robinson, Jaguars

This might be the closest to a “prove it” tag in this year’s lot. The former second-round pick has recovered from the ACL tear that cost him 14 games in 2018, starting 30 over the past two seasons. But Robinson, 25, has yet to show he is among the better players at the left tackle position. Without a viable replacement lined up, the Jaguars tagged the Alabama alum at $13.8MM. It would make sense for the Urban Meyer regime to gauge Robinson’s contract-year performance and reassess the matter next year. Holding the most cap space in the NFL ($38MM), the Jags can afford to carry Robinson’s tag figure this season.

G Brandon Scherff, Washington

Washington and its top offensive lineman have been at this for a while. A 2015 first-round pick, Scherff has been eligible for an extension since the 2017 season ended. Instead, Washington has seen another tag situation near the point of no return. The four-time Pro Bowl guard has played on the fifth-year option and the franchise tag, pushing this year’s tag price to $18MM. A third tag is unrealistic, as the Kirk Cousins standoff showed, and no deal this month would push Scherff toward free agency in 2022. The team wants to extend the 29-year-old blocker, but it will almost certainly take a guard-record agreement to do so. Joe Thuney raised the position’s ceiling with a $16MM-AAV deal in March.

S Marcus Williams, Saints

The Saints’ salary cap tightrope walk included a $10.6MM Williams tag, completing an odyssey that began with the team $100MM-plus over this year’s reduced cap. With New Orleans already doing the rare fifth-year option restructure with Marshon Lattimore, a Williams extension would be the easiest way to create more cap room. The team checked the top item off its offeseason to-do list, the Ramcyzk extension, but it may well have either a Lattimore or Williams re-up in its near-future plans.

Part of New Orleans’ impact 2017 draft class, the 24-year-old safety has been a starter from Day 1. Even though Lattimore may be a higher extension priority, the team coming all the way back from $100MM over the cap to use a franchise tag illustrates its view of Williams’ work.

Finding A Zach Ertz Destination

July 2nd, 2021 at 10:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Months after Zach Ertz‘s name popped up in trade rumors, he remains with the Eagles. The three-time Pro Bowl tight end is not viewed as likely to be part of this year’s Philly team and did not report for the team’s offseason program. Despite a lengthy delay in this saga, a separation still feels imminent.

Ertz has one season left on the five-year, $42.5MM extension he signed way back in January 2016. The veteran lobbied for a new deal last year, but he and the Eagles could not agree on terms. Those disagreements became rather noticeable as well. Even if some suitors cannot presently afford Ertz’s $12.7MM cap number, which could cause the Eagles to finally release him, the team will likely try to work a trade for a bit longer.

Where will the 30-year-old pass catcher be come Week 1? Here are a few candidates:

Arizona Cardinals

This franchise has not shown a strong interest in bolstering this position in many years, and Kliff Kingsbury — with A.J. Green and Rondale Moore joining DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk — may well opt to deploy more four-receiver sets. That said, the Cardinals’ additions of Green, J.J. Watt, Rodney Hudson, Brian Winters and Malcolm Butler illustrate a commitment to adding veterans to help the cause in a loaded NFC West. The Cards, who have Maxx Williams (304 yards in two Arizona seasons) as their top tight end, have not had a tight end surpass 600 yards in a season since moving to Arizona in 1988.

Buffalo Bills

The team most closely connected to Ertz this offseason, Buffalo has not received much from the tight end position in recent years. And the defending AFC East champions have lacked a higher-end receiving threat at this spot for much of its existence. Five Ertz receiving totals would eclipse the best tight end showing (726 yards) in the Bills’ 61-season history. While the Bills’ Stefon Diggs–Emmanuel Sanders–Cole Beasley–Gabriel Davis quartet leaves it well-stocked for aerial targets at present, the tight end position has come up as one the franchise would not mind bolstering.

Dawson Knox led Buffalo tight ends with 288 yards last season; the team lost Tyler Kroft in free agency and has second-year player Tommy Sweeney coming off a season in which he encountered severe COVID-19 issues. With the Bills in position to aim for a Super Bowl berth again, another weapon makes sense.

Indianapolis Colts

With Doug Pederson out of the NFL at the moment, the Colts serve as the reunion spot for Ertz. Carson Wentz played with Ertz for five seasons and helped him set a tight end record with 116 catches in 2018. Frank Reich coached Ertz the previous two years, and the Colts could certainly use another viable weapon — even if they figure to lean heavily on the run game.

Indianapolis re-signed T.Y. Hilton and has 2020 second-rounder Michael Pittman Jr. coming off a promising finish to his rookie season, but the team has not been able to keep injury-prone ex-second-rounder Parris Campbell on the field. Ninth-year tight end Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox combined for just 645 yards last season. The Wentz trade, assuming he stays healthy for most of this season, will cost Indianapolis a first-round pick in 2022. Bringing in his former top target at a low cost would enhance the relocated QB’s comfort level and help justify the lofty investment.

Jacksonville Jaguars

This spot differs from the rest mentioned here, with the Jaguars coming off a 1-15 season and in clear rebuild mode. But Jacksonville drafted Trevor Lawrence and has no proven tight end to pair with him. The team leads the NFL in cap space ($38MM) as well.

Exiting draft weekend, Urban Meyer expressed concern about his team’s tight end depth chart. The Jags drafted Ohio State’s Luke Farrell in Round 5 and did go on to sign Tim Tebow. While this would seemingly not be a desirable spot for Ertz as a free agent, the Jags could make sense as an unorthodox trade destination.

Tennessee Titans

Ertz trade compensation would not approach what the Titans paid for Julio Jones, and even after acquiring the all-time Falcons great, the team was on the lookout for tight end assistance. The Titans lost Jonnu Smith and did not add a notable replacement. The Jones trade shows the Titans are committed to contending this season, even after losing Smith and Corey Davis. Even after a disappointing 2020 season, Ertz would provide a substantial upgrade over Anthony Firkser.

This Date In Transactions History: Browns Select Bernie Kosar In Supplemental Draft

July 2nd, 2021 at 6:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL has not held a supplemental draft since 2019; the league canceled the 2021 summer event this week. The July draft has not been especially consequential in a long time, but in the 1980s, it brought some big-name players into the league.

A Browns move 36 years ago today began that run. On July 2, 1985, the Browns ended one of the more intriguing college-to-NFL sagas by selecting Bernie Kosar with the first overall pick in the supplemental draft. The eventful stretch that led the acclaimed quarterback back to Ohio involved a few teams, and it ended up elevating the Browns into an AFC power for the rest of the ’80s.

After their “Kardiac Kids” 1980 season, the Browns regressed for a period. By 1985, they were coming off three sub-.500 seasons in four years. But, in a situation more complex than the ping-pong ball-induced sequence that brought LeBron James to Cleveland in 2003, a northeast Ohioan helped steer the Browns back to contention.

A two-year starter at Miami, Kosar opted for the supplemental draft over the April standard draft. The QB who started on the Hurricanes’ first national champion team was a Cleveland-area native and sought to play for the Browns. But players on the heels of their sophomore seasons, as Kosar was in 1985, were not yet allowed to enter the NFL draft. A summer graduation, however, exposed a loophole in this system. Kosar ended up bypassing the April draft in order to land in Cleveland via the lower-profile supplemental event.

To obtain the first pick in the supplemental draft, the Browns swung a deal with the Bills. On April 9, 1985, the AFC teams agreed on a trade that sent Buffalo’s first overall supplemental pick to Cleveland for the No. 7 overall selection in 1985, a 1986 first-rounder, along with third- and sixth-round choices. The Bills held the top supplemental pick due to their 2-14 1984 season, a record that also gave them Bruce Smith first overall in the April draft. (Possessing then-USFL QB Jim Kelly‘s rights, the Bills were not in play for Kosar.)

The Vikings and Oilers — the teams picking second and third in the regular draft — protested this arrangement, but the NFL let Kosar decide which draft he entered. Kosar did visit the Vikings, who traded up from No. 3 to No. 2 with the Oilers to be in better position to land that year’s top QB prospect, but communicated to them he wanted to play for his hometown team. Minnesota ended up trading back down, to No. 4 overall, and selecting Hall of Fame defensive end Chris Doleman in the April draft. The Browns chose Kosar in July.

Kosar quarterbacked the Browns to the playoffs four times, including his rookie season, taking over Cleveland’s QB1 role that year before breaking through as a full-season starter in 1986. The Browns earned the No. 1 seed in ’86 and rode their stationary quarterback’s 489-yard performance to a divisional-round comeback win over the Jets. John Elway‘s “The Drive” ended the Browns’ run a week later, and a Kosar- and Earnest Byner-led comeback bid in Denver in the 1987 AFC championship game concluded with Byner’s infamous fumble. The Browns lost to the Broncos in the 1989 AFC title game as well and failed to make it back to the playoffs with their popular passer.

The then-Bill Belichick-led Browns released Kosar midway through the 1993 season. He caught on with the Cowboys, filling in for Troy Aikman on multiple occasions en route to Dallas’ Super Bowl XXVIII championship. Kosar retired after the 1996 season. The supplemental draft produced linebacker Brian Bosworth, Hall of Fame wideout Cris Carter, Pro Bowl running back Bobby Humphrey and Pro Bowl receiver Rob Moore in the five years after Kosar’s move.

This Date In Transactions History: 49ers Re-Sign John Taylor

June 30th, 2021 at 2:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Wednesday’s Ryan Ramczyk extension notwithstanding, June 30 is not typically a hotbed of NFL activity. But, amid a notable period for the 49ers’ wide receiving corps, one of the better No. 2 wideouts in NFL history inked his final contract on this day 26 years ago.

On June 30, 1995, the 49ers brought back John Taylor. The 49ers previously released Taylor — a move that helped them sign first-round receiver J.J. Stokes — but reached an agreement to re-sign Jerry Rice‘s longtime sidekick two days later. Taylor signed a two-year deal to stay in San Francisco. The then-33-year-old receiver agreed to an incentive-laden pact that included a $300K 1995 salary and a $1.3MM payout in 1996.

Taylor arrived in San Francisco as a third-round pick in 1986, when Dwight Clark was winding down his career alongside Rice. As Rice made his historic ascent, Taylor — a 1980s All-Decade punt returner — became a full-time starter as well. Although he is best known for making a game-winning touchdown reception in the final minute of Super Bowl XXIII, Taylor was not a primary starter during that 1988 season. The Delaware State alum became a first-stringer a year later, when he compiled a 1,000-yard season for a 49ers team that repeated as Super Bowl champs, and remained in this role through the 1994 season — when the 49ers won Super Bowl XXIX. San Francisco changed up its receiver equation in 1995, however.

The 49ers had re-signed Taylor in 1992, after the second of his two 1,000-yard seasons, but saw him dip under 600 receiving yards in 1994. The franchise then traded up 20 spots in the ’95 draft to select Stokes 10th overall. Taylor still started 12 games in 1995 but caught just 29 passes for 387 yards in first-year OC Marc Trestman‘s offense. Stokes outproduced that total as a rookie, though Rice’s then-NFL-record 1,848 yards overshadowed everything else about San Francisco’s offense that season.

The 49ers cut bait on the Taylor contract in 1996, and the Division I-AA success story opted to retire. San Francisco’s post-Taylor plan became complicated after a 1996 Stokes injury. Terrell Owens (Round 3, 1996) seized Taylor’s former gig as Rice’s top wingman; the two played five seasons together. T.O. had a rather notable career in the years that followed as well. Taylor remains in the top 10 in career catches, yards and touchdown receptions in 49ers history.

Top NFL Contracts By Position

June 30th, 2021 at 1:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ryan Ramczyk‘s five-year, $96.2MM Saints extension moved the market for right tackles. Jamal Adams appears in line to do the same at safety. With the franchise tag deadline just more than two weeks away, here are the league’s top contracts — by average annual value — at each position:

Quarterback

  • Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs. Ten years, $450MM. Although Dak Prescott joined Mahomes in the NFL’s $40MM-per-year club and signed for $95MM fully guaranteed — compared to Mahomes’ $63MM — the Super Bowl LIV MVP’s uniquely structured contract still tops the league at $45MM on average.

Running back

Fullback

  • Kyle Juszczyk, 49ers. Five years, $27MM. Like he did on his previous San Francisco deal, Juszczyk resides on his own tier for fullback money. His $5.4MM AAV tops everyone else at this position by at least $2MM.

Wide receiver

  • DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals. Two years, $54.5MM. Hopkins’ 2020 Arizona add-on leads all wideouts’ AAVs by more than $5MM. He is signed through 2024.

Tight end

  • George Kittle, 49ers. Five years, $75MM. Kittle’s $40MM in total guarantees tops this position by a wide margin, but Kyle Pitts‘ rookie contract (four years, $32.9MM) now leads all tight ends in full guarantees.

Left tackle

Guard

  • Joe Thuney, Chiefs. Five years, $80MM. The Chiefs’ aggressive offseason on the O-line involved a guard-record pact for the five-year Patriot blocker. While Thuney’s deal tops all guards inked to long-term contracts, Washington’s Brandon Scherff is attached to an $18MM franchise tag.

Center

  • Frank Ragnow, Lions. Four years, $54MM. Ragnow’s $13.5MM-per-year pact topped Corey Linsley‘s recently agreed-upon deal at center. Since his rookie contract ran through 2022, Ragnow is under Lions control through 2026.

Right tackle

  • Ryan Ramczyk, Saints. Five years, $96MM. The fourth-year blocker has inched the right tackle market closer to $20MM. This deal ($19.2MM per year) and Lane Johnson‘s ($18MM) are the only right tackle accords worth more than $14MM annually.

Edge defender

  • Joey Bosa, Chargers. Five years, $135MM. Bosa’s $27MM-AAV deal eclipsed Myles Garrett‘s $25MM-per-year extension. Bosa’s $78MM fully guaranteed figure, however, tops the edge rusher market by $18MM.

Interior defender

  • Aaron Donald, Rams. Six years, $135MM. Donald’s 2018 extension is the oldest deal on this list. The future Hall of Famer is signed through 2024.

Linebacker

  • Bobby Wagner, Seahawks. Three years, $54MM. Wagner’s 2019 re-up can be directly traced to C.J. Mosley‘s Jets deal. Mosley’s $17MM-per-year accord earlier in 2019 changed the off-ball linebacker market. Mosley’s guarantees still lead the league at this position.

Cornerback

Safety

  • Justin Simmons, Broncos. Four years, $61MM. The Broncos locked up Simmons after franchise-tagging him twice.

Kicker

  • Justin Tucker, Ravens. Four years, $20MM. Tucker agreed to his latest Baltimore extension in April 2019.

Punter

Long snapper

  • Reid Ferguson, Bills. Three years, $4MM. Snappers’ stability notwithstanding, teams do not devote much more than league-minimum money to this niche position.
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