Andrew Luck

Colts Extend Andrew Luck Through 2021

June 29th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have announced the signing of quarterback Andrew Luck to a six-year, $140MM contract extension that will keep him in Indianapolis through at least the 2021 season. The deal – which pays Luck $75MM over its first three years – is the richest in NFL history and includes $87MM in guarantees and $44MM guaranteed at signing.

Before Wednesday, Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Chargers signal-caller Philip Rivers tied for the record in total guarantees at $65MM. Going by both total and yearly average ($23.3MM), Luck now has the crown. That AAV tops the Ravens’ Joe Flacco ($22.1MM), the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers ($22MM), the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson ($21.9MM), the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger ($21.85MM), Manning ($21MM) and Rivers ($20.8MM).

Without a deal for Luck – who was entering his fifth-year option season – the Colts could have retained the passer with the exclusive franchise tags in 2017 and 2018 at estimated salaries of $25MM and $35MM. Given those numbers, a three-year, $76MM figure was long expected to serve as the basis for negotiations.

Luck, whom the Colts chose No. 1 overall out of Stanford in the 2012 draft, completed just 55.3% of his passes and logged 15 touchdowns against 12 interceptions in his injury-riddled, seven-game fourth season. Prior to that, however, he led the league with 40 touchdown passes in 2014 and helped guide the Colts to an AFC title game berth. After going 2-14 in the bridge year between the Peyton Manning era and Luck’s tenure, the Colts posted three consecutive 11-5 seasons from 2012-2014. With Luck on the sideline for most of last season, Indy finished 8-8 and failed to make the playoffs.

Luck’s new contract ends one year after the CBA expires and a year before the current TV deals are done. Although Luck will be 32 then, he could be in line for a much larger deal on the other side of this lucrative extension.

Back in March, Colts owner Jim Irsay mentioned July 4 as a target date for getting an extension done with Luck. Now, the two sides have struck a deal well in advance of the holiday weekend.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the extension. Contract details courtesy of Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Reactions To Andrew Luck’s Extension

June 29th, 2016 at 6:37pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Colts owner Jim Irsay said in February that Andrew Luck‘s extension – which he signed Wednesday – would be “shocking.” Now that it’s official, though, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk disagrees, arguing that the only true surprise is that Luck fell short of $25MM per year and accepted $23.3MM annually through 2021. Even though Luck’s contract is now the richest in NFL history, Florio contends that the signal-caller could have held out for more money, perhaps by going year to year under the franchise tag. Instead, as Florio tweets, the soon-to-be 27-year-old settled for a team-friendly pact.

Here’s more on Luck’s deal and what it means for the league:

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com is in lockstep with Florio, noting that Luck’s guaranteed-at-signing total ($44MM) is significantly less than the $60MM Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh received as a free agent in 2015 and adding that pushing $27MM in guarantees into the third and fourth years of the deal carries too much risk for Luck. Although the cap has risen 26.2 percent since Aaron Rodgers signed for $22MM per year in 2013, the top QB salary has gone up by only 5.9 percent, observes Graziano, who adds that Luck’s accord should be a letdown for other passers – including the Redskins’ Kirk Cousins.
Conversely, CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Rich Tandler opines that Luck’s extension likely has Cousins smiling, writing that Cousins’ agent can now use Luck’s deal as a ceiling and Brock Osweiler‘s $18MM AAV as a floor for his franchise-tagged client. Cousins, a fourth-rounder in the 2012 draft (Luck was the No. 1 overall pick that year), will rake in $19.95MM this season if he and the Redskins don’t reach a long-term accord by the July 15 deadline. As of last week, the 27-year-old Cousins and the Redskins hadn’t made progress in contract talks.
Both Luck and the Colts fell well short of expectations during an 8-8 campaign in 2015. After leading the league with 40 touchdown passes in 2014, Luck missed nine games because of injuries and was underwhelming on the field, completing just 55.3 percent of throws on 6.42 yards per attempt and adding 15 TDs against 12 interceptions. Nevertheless, that didn’t faze Irsay, who fully expected to make Luck the highest-paid player in the league. “You look at the total body of work,” he said (via Mike Wells of ESPN). Prior to 2015, Luck started 52 straight games (playoffs included), led the Colts to three consecutive double-digit-win outputs, and threw for 86 scores and nearly 13,000 yards in the regular season.
Luck is now one of five important members of the Colts’ offense under team control through at least 2019, as Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star points out (on Twitter). Left tackle Anthony Castonzo, first-round center Ryan Kelly and tight end Dwayne Allen are all locked up until the end of the 2019 season, while Indy has No. 1 receiver T.Y. Hilton in its grasp through 2020. With a fifth-year option in his contract, Kelly’s deal could also take him through the conclusion of the 2020 campaign.

Contract Details: Andrew Luck, Doug Baldwin

June 29th, 2016 at 5:29pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Both Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin have landed big-money contract extensions since Tuesday. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the details on the two deals:

Luck’s contract includes:

$44MM in guarantees, including a $32MM signing bonus. Luck will receive the majority of that signing bonus ($18MM, to be exact) in the next 10 days, while the Colts will pay out the remaining $14MM on March 31, 2017.
A $3MM roster bonus effective on the fifth day of the 2017 league year and guaranteed for skill and injury. The Colts will pay that on March 20, 2017.
Luck’s $12MM base salary for 2016 is fully guaranteed at signing. His base salaries for 2017 and 2018 ($7MM and $12MM, respectively) are guaranteed only for injury at signing and fully guaranteed on the fifth day of their respective league years. His 2019-2021 base salaries ($9.125MM, $11MM and $11MM) are non-guaranteed.
A $3MM roster bonus on the fifth day of the 2018 league year that’s guaranteed only for injury at signing. Luck will receive the bonus on March 20, 2018.
A guaranteed-for-injury $6MM roster bonus due on the fifth day of the 2019 league year and paid on March 18, 2019. That becomes fully guarantees on the fifth day of the 2018 league year.
A $6MM roster bonus for 2019 that’s guaranteed for injury at signing and earned on the fifth day of the 2019 league year. Payment date: Sept. 17, 2019.
An $11MM roster bonus due on Day 3 of the 2020 league year. Half will be paid on Sept. 20, 2020, with the other half coming Dec. 15 of that year.
A $10MM roster bonus due on the fifth day of the 2021 league year (half paid on Dec. 14. 2020, and the other half on Sept. 14, 2021).
Luck will average $23.1875MM per year (six years, $139.125MM) and rake in $24.954MM in “new money.”
Cap numbers: $17.3MM in 2016; $18.33MM in 2017; $23.33MM in 2018; $26.45MM in 2019; $27.33MM in 2020; and $26.33MM in 2021.

Baldwin’s contract includes:

$12MM fully guaranteed at signing and another $12.25MM guaranteed for injury at signing.
A $7MM signing bonus due April 1, 2017.
A $4MM roster bonus earned this Monday. Half will be paid by July 11, with the other half by Aug. 15.
A fully guaranteed $1MM salary in 2016 and a $7.75MM base salary for 2017. The ’17 salary is guaranteed for injury at signing, becoming fully guaranteed on the fifth day of that year’s waiver period.
$4.5MM of Balwin’s $8.25MM salary for 2018 is guaranteed for injury at signing. That total will become fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2018 waiver period.
Non-guaranteed base salaries of $9.25MM in 2018 and $10.25MM in 2019.
Per-game roster bonuses totaling $500K in both 2016 and 2017; and $750K in both 2018 and 2019. Those bonuses could take the value of the deal from $47.5MM over five years to $50MM.
A “new money” average of $10.675MM per year.

South Notes: Bucs, Colts, Luck, Saints

June 9th, 2016 at 7:13pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

In a bit of voluntary OTA drama on Thursday, first-year Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter sent Austin Seferian-Jenkins off the field because the tight end “didn’t know what he was doing” (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times). “I did send him off,” Koetter said afterward. “That’s between me and him. … You guys are making more of it than you need to.” Seferian-Jenkins ended up taking to Twitter right after leaving the field and posting some fired-up messages (click for links) while his teammates were still practicing, though it doesn’t appear that anything else will come of the situation.

Here’s more from the NFL’s South divisions:

With the salary cap rising each year, players who are in line for long-term deals should request specific percentages of the cap, not specific salaries, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football. One such player is Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who’s headed toward an extension and can maximize his value by focusing on the cap. As Florio points out, if Luck signs for $25MM per year under a $155.3MM cap, he’d take up 16.1 percent of the Colts’ spending ability. If the number rises to $200MM in the coming years, as it realistically could, Luck’s 16.1 percent would set him up to make $32.2MM. Agents are currently trying to make pay based on cap percentage a reality, though teams aren’t thrilled about it, multiple sources have told Florio. It isn’t a brand-new idea, per Florio, who writes that cornerback Darrelle Revis wanted a cap percentage contract from the Jets when he was holding out in 2010.
Earlier today, Saints coach Sean Payton seemed to hint that Roman Harper will make the team when he spoke about the newly signed safety, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport notes that the veteran’s contract supports that notion, as he has a signing bonus worth $80K and $150K more in the way of guarantees.
The Colts are focused on developing their younger players, but they won’t rule out a veteran signing under certain circumstances, ESPN.com’s Mike Wells writes. “We’re going to look and see if anyone comes on the wire and is someone coach [Chuck Pagano] and I feel can help us, but they have to meet certain parameters,” general manager Ryan Grigson said. “Age, money and things like that. We got Mike Adams. He was still able to participate in mandatory minicamp.” The Colts added Adams in June 2014 and he went on to make Pro Bowls in 2014 and 2015.
The status of guard Garrett Gilkey, who hasn’t been with Buccaneers as he recovers from knee surgery, remains murky. “I don’t know,” Koetter said when asked about Gilkey (Twitter link via Auman).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Latest On Colts, Andrew Luck

June 8th, 2016 at 7:23pm CST by Zachary Links

7:23pm: Irsay would be “surprised” if Luck’s extension is not completed by the start of training camp, as Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes. Wells further reports that Irsay still believes the deal could be consummated as early as July 4.

12:05pm: The Colts and quarterback Andrew Luck are on track to complete a massive multi-year extension at some point in July, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The two sides have been talking since February about a deal that would likely make Luck the highest-paid player in NFL history.

Right now, Joe Flacco currently holds that distinction with a deal that pays him $22.13MM/year. Rapoport surmises that Luck’s deal could reach the $25MM/year mark, an expectation shared by others in football. As of this writing, Luck is slated to make $16.155MM if he plays out his fifth-year option in 2016. If no deal is reached, the Colts could retain luck with the exclusive franchise tags in 2017 and 2018 at estimated salaries of $25MM and $35MM. With those numbers in mind, Rapoport suggests that a three-year, $76MM figure may serve as the basis for negotiations.

In a surprising twist, Rapoport hears that Colts owner Jim Irsay originally wanted Luck under contract for ten years, which would effectively be a lifetime contract. However, the organization has since backed down from that timeframe and settled on a more realistic five-or-six-year offer.

The former No. 1 overall pick completed just 55% of his passes in his fourth season. Prior to that, however, Luck led the NFL with 40 touchdown passes in 2014. Since going 2-14 in the bridge year between Manning and Luck, the Colts posted three consecutive 11-5 seasons between 2012 and 2014. In 2015, the Colts went 8-8 as Luck spent much of the year on the sidelines.

In March, Irsay mentioned July 4 as a target date for getting a contract extension done with his star quarterback.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Jets, Luck, Mebane, Hayne

May 17th, 2016 at 8:21pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Jets receiver Eric Decker told SiriusXM NFL on Tuesday afternoon that, right now, the Jets “have to move on without” free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. However, as a guest on NFL Total Access on Tuesday evening, he expressed confidence that the Jets and Fitzpatrick will ultimately get a deal done, writes Dan Hanzus of NFL.com.

“Something is going to happen. It might be before training camp, the day or two before, but I believe that he’ll be back on the team come this fall,” Decker said, though he did acknowledge that the two sides “are so far off” from each other when it comes to the quarterback’s dollar value.

In other NFL news…

It looks as if Colts quarterback Andrew Luck‘s injury-plagued 2015 campaign is behind him. The four-year veteran is participating in Colts workouts with “no limitations,” he said Tuesday (via Mike Wells of ESPN.com). After appearing in all of the Colts’ games during his first three seasons, Luck missed nine contests last year with injuries to his kidney, ribs and shoulder, and experienced a precipitous statistical decline while on the field. Now, Luck “looks really good,” according to head coach Chuck Pagano. As of late April, the Colts were focusing on an extension for Luck, whose deal expires at the end of the upcoming season. It’s likely a new contract for the 26-year-old would make him one of the league’s highest-paid players.
Chargers defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, who signed with the Bolts in free agency, spoke effusively about the team’s defensive personnel Monday (per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune). “I was telling guys, there’s more talent on this defense than in Seattle. If you look at the draft, you’ve got four first-round draft picks. You’ve got five second-round draft picks, all total on defense. In Seattle, we only had two first rounders and one second rounder. Everybody else was pretty much down in the draft or undrafted.” Mebane is quite familiar with the Seahawks’ defense, of course, having spent the first nine years of his career in Seattle. Regardless of draft pedigree, however, the Seahawks has been among the NFL’s defensive elite over the past several years, whereas the Chargers’ stop unit was toward the bottom of the league in all notable categories last season. With Mebane and third overall pick Joey Bosa now aboard, at least some improvement should be in order this year.
Chip Kelly understood Jarryd Hayne‘s decision to retire in light of a potential Olympic rugby opportunity, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. On the subject of Hayne, the NFL’s drug-testing protocol may keep him out of the Olympics despite American football having no presence in the Games. Prospective Olympic athletes must be in a World Anti-Doping Agency-compliant pool for at least six months, Jamie Marcuson of the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The NFL does not fall under the WADA umbrella, and former Australian Anti-Doping Agency chief Richard Ings told Marcuson that Hayne has “no chance” of playing for his native Fiji this August as a result. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if Hayne’s exit strategy stemmed instead from the fact he didn’t have much of a chance to make the 49ers‘ 53-man roster.
Titans safety Rashad Johnson told SiriusXM (Twitter link) that the Cardinals expressed some interest in having him back, but did not make an offer.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC Notes: A. Brown, D. Walker, Tunsil

May 12th, 2016 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert doesn’t sound like a man who is in a rush to discuss a contract extension with star Antonio Brown.

“He does have two years left and we expect that to be honored without any issue,” the Steelers GM told Mike Florio of Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “Again, Antonio’s a unique player. We understand that and he understands our policies. I don’t ever see that changing as long as we still have the mindset that it’s been good for the organization. Again we understand that he’s a special player and we’re glad we have him for two more years anyway.”

As Florio notes, Steelers usually don’t extend players with more than two years to go on their deals, unless those players are quarterbacks. However, one has to imagine that an exception could be made for Brown given his status as one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players.

Here are a few more odds and ends from across the AFC:

Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link) has some additional details on Delanie Walker‘s new contract with the Titans. The tight end dropped his base salary in 2016 from $4.275MM to $2.7MM. He’ll have base salaries of $4.2MM in 2017 and $5.4MM in 2018.
Mark Schlabach and Nicole Noren of ESPN’s Outside the Lines have provided an update on the draft-night hacks to Dolphins offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil‘s social media accounts. The duo reports that Ole Miss officials have determined that a text message conversation published to Tunsil’s Instagram was legit — the conversation included Tunsil asking Ole Miss assistant athletic director John Miller for money to pay his rent and his mother’s utility bill.
Mike Tanier of Bleacher Report argues that the Colts should act now to lock up quarterback Andrew Luck for the long term, even if it means making him the league’s highest-paid player after a disappointing, injury-plagued 2015 season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/10/16

May 10th, 2016 at 4:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Fullback Toben Opurum was claimed by the Broncos after he was waived by the Saints, Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune writes. Opurum, 25, has been with the Saints since the end of the 2014 season. In a related move, the Broncos have waived tight end Anthony Norris, Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets.
The Bills have claimed running back Dri Archer off waivers from the Jets, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. Rodak notes that Archer owns the second-fastest 40-yard dash time (4.26 seconds) in NFL history. Bills wide receiver Marquise Goodwin holds the third-fastest time.
The Colts have claimed quarterback Josh Woodrum off waivers from the Giants, as Mike Wells of ESPN.com tweets. In a related move, the Colts waived-injured tight end Mike McFarland. McFarland will go on the Colts’ IR if he clears waivers. As for Woodrum, he becomes the team’s fourth QB on the depth chart after Andrew Luck, Scott Tolzien, and Stephen Morris.
The Rams released wide receiver Isiah Ferguson, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). To replace him, the Rams have inked wide receiver J.J. Worton (link).
The Vikings announced that they have waived safety Johnny Lowdermilk. The arrival of Lowdermilk will make room for the addition of running back C.J. Ham, whose signing was reported on Monday. Ham, a Duluth native, rushed for 1,097 yards and 16 touchdowns in his final season at Augustana University.
The Texans waived outside linebacker Eric Lee, who had signed as undrafted free agent from South Florida, John McClain of The Houston Chronicle tweets. Lee was making the transition to outside linebacker from college defensive end, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle notes (on Twitter).
The Packers announced the signing of safety Marwin Evans. Evans, 23, finished his collegiate career at Utah State. The Milwaukee native started 13 of 27 games played for the Aggies, recording 83 tackles (36 solo), 10 tackles for a loss, two sacks, an interception he returned 90 yards for a touchdown, three forced fumbles and five pass breakups.
The Giants‘ signing of Matt Smalley will wait until the Lafayette cornerback is done with his finals, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News (on Twitter). That will give Big Blue time before they have to release someone from the 90-man roster.
The Giants released linebacker Uani Unga (Twitter link via SiriusXM).
The Rams signed former Auburn wide receiver Duke Williams after his recent tryout, Vincent Bonsignore of the Daily News tweets.

AFC Rumors: Luck, Raiders, Taylor, Gilmore

May 8th, 2016 at 6:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Andrew Luck currently attached to a $16.155MM salary due to the Colts exercising their quarterback’s fifth-year option in 2014, the negotiation’s for Luck’s second contract will be the most interesting in the league this summer. In surveying almost 10 NFL personnel sources, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler said the consensus for Luck’s per-year total is between $23-$25MM.

Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers are the league’s only $22MM-AAV players, but it’s expected Indianapolis’ 26-year-old passer will surpass this mark and set a new standard for NFL salaries. Jim Irsay has already boasted about the number this contract will produce, and the owner remains committed to finishing this extension before the season starts.

Considering the supply-and-demand issue affecting the quarterback market right now, Fowler notes Luck has the leverage in this negotiation despite coming off his worst season as a pro.

Here’s the latest from around the AFC.

Rookie UDFA linebacker Curt Maggitt chose the Colts over other suitors because of their need at the position and a rapport with outside linebackers coach Brad White at the Combine, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star reports. The former Tennessee ‘backer has veterans nearing the end in front of him in Robert Mathis and Trent Cole, along with Erik Walden and seventh-round rookie Trevor Bates. Maggitt finished the 2014 season with 11 sacks for the Vols, but injury issues limited him to two games last season.
Not exactly known as a savvy drafting organization at the dawn of this decade, the Raiders were apparently ahead of the curve on the player who may be the best offensive talent in the game today. An Oakland scout called Rob Gronkowski the “best all-around player” in that draft class, as a Reddit user, /u/Mattyuh, obtained the Raiders’ 2010 draft binder (h/t USAToday.com). The Raiders, who don’t have anyone left from a draft that included Rolando McClain, Lamarr Houston and Jared Veldheer, took McClain in the first round but saw the then-injury-prone Arizona tight end go to the Patriots at No. 42 — two spots before their selected Houston. The Raiders’ scouting reports on Dez Bryant, Earl Thomas and Demaryius Thomas are also included in this interesting unearthing.
After signing Cordy Glenn to a long-term deal earlier this week, Tyrod Taylor and Stephon Gilmore are next in the Bills‘ extension queue. Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News writes that the Bills want to sign their bargain-buy quarterback and standout corner to keep them in Buffalo. Glenn’s extension brought his cap number down to $6.2MM for 2016, leaving the Bills with more than $13.7MM in cap space. The No. 10 pick in 2012, Gilmore’s $11.08MM salary for ’16 is considerably higher than Taylor’s ($3.13MM cap hold). Taylor, who Carucci thinks should hold out for Brock Osweiler money ($18MM AAV) in the forthcoming negotiations, will be a free agent after this season.
Although the Bills‘ financial attention is now on new deals for Gilmore and Taylor, they would look to add help at wide receiver more than any other position in the late stages of free agency, Carucci writes. Percy Harvin‘s retirement and the Patriots signing Chris Hogan to an offer sheet that went unmatched leave the Bills thin behind Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods. Marquise Goodwin may miss some of training camp should he qualify for the Rio Summer Olympic Games in the long jump — the top three long jumpers at the U.S. Trials advance — and the Bills only drafted Kolby Listenbee in the sixth round. Beyond the obvious veterans available — Marques Colston, Roddy White — James Jones and Jason Avant loom as slightly younger veteran alternatives.

Colts Working On Andrew Luck Extension

April 30th, 2016 at 4:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Now that the draft is winding down, the primary piece of business for the Colts this offseason will be whether or not they can come to a long-term agreement with Andrew Luck.

While that accord looks like a matter of when, not if, Jim Irsay confirmed the sides have been engaged in “serious” discussions, Mike Chappell of IndySportsCentral.com reports (on Twitter). Indianpolis’ owner added that he sees no reason the Colts and Luck can’t reach an accord before training camp.

We heard last month the Colts wanted to sign Luck to an extension by July 4. That arbitrary date doesn’t hold much significance, though, as Irsay confirmed today, via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (on Twitter).

Although Luck is coming off his worst season as a pro after injuries limited him to seven starts for a Colts team that slunk out of the playoff race largely as a result of their quarterback play, a extension for the former Stanford signal-caller is expected to either become the new standard for quarterback salaries or close to it. Right now, Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers represent the NFL’s $22MM-per-year club, with Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning — who each agreed to extensions last year — being the $21MM-per-year group.

The 2012 No. 1 pick, Luck completed 55% of his passes in his fourth season, one that featured the Colts come into the season with Super Bowl expectations after qualifying for the AFC championship in 2014. Prior to that, however, Luck led the NFL in touchdown passes with 40 in 2014, the Colts’ third straight 11-5 season after they went 2-14 in the year between the Peyton Manning and Luck eras.

As of now, Luck is under contract for his fifth season on a fifth-year option worth $16.155MM. He won’t be eligible for a franchise tag until 2017.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

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