Dont’a Hightower - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Raiders, Steelers, Jeffery

March 24th, 2017 at 10:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

The city of Oakland is attempting a last-ditch effort to keep the Raiders in advance of what promises to be a seminal vote Monday at the owners’ meetings. But this latest $1.3 billion proposal may not be enough to stop the owners from green-lighting a Las Vegas move. Oakland’s updated pitch “did not move the chains forward” with the NFL, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News reports (on Twitter). The league is reviewing the proposal, but Bonsignore adds (Twitter link) the core issues at the root of the NFL’s reluctance regarding this project are not resolved. Bonsignore does not estimate the project can move forward (Twitter link) as presently constructed, setting the stage for a possible third Raiders relocation. This belief would stand to continue the league’s pessimism on the Oakland front.

Here’s the latest from Oakland and the rest of the NFL.

The Fortress Investment Group’s involvement in this project may not be a plus investment for the Raiders, who would “have to be in desperate straits” to sign up for an arrangement in which the team wouldn’t have much stake in its own stadium, Stanford economics professor Roger Noll said, via J.K. Dineen of the San Francisco Chronicle. “Even if Las Vegas doesn’t work out, the Raiders could get a better deal in San Diego or St. Louis,” Noll said. “There has never been a major league sports team that has had a deal like this where a third party is the main financier of the stadium and the main beneficiary of the revenue it generates.” The project would in large part be financed by a Fortress loan of $600MM, along with another $500MM loan backed by seat licensing fees, Dineen reports.
Dont’a Hightower agreed to take less money from the Patriots than he would have gotten from the Jets as a UFA, but the Steelers also offered the linebacker a better deal, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. Pittsburgh offered the sixth-year linebacker a deal that would have paid him more then $9MM per year. He signed to stay with the Patriots for $8.7MM AAV. However, both the Steelers and Jets were concerned with Hightower’s health. This led to the Jets pulling their offer after Hightower’s physical. La Canfora adds the Jets and Steelers felt they were being used as leverage during this process.
Mark Sanchez‘s one-year Bears deal is worth $2MM, with $1MM guaranteed, Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports (on Twitter). The journeyman backup can earn another $2MM in incentives.
A thorough piece on Adam Schefter — by TheMMQB.com’s Tim Rohan — revealed a phone conversation ESPN’s chief NFL reporter had with Alshon Jeffery during the first day of free agency. Rohan reports Jeffery called Schefter asking him how much money the other UFA wide receivers were going to sign for. “It’s all about the guarantee, Alshon,” Schefter said, per Rohan, who noted players sometimes call the longtime NFL reporter with similar queries. “It’s all about the guarantee … Your average per year could be $100 million. It doesn’t matter. If they’re going to guarantee you the majority of the contract, that’s what you want.” Jeffery, who signed with the Eagles, does not remember the events unfolding like this. “I NEVER sought advice from media before I decided to sign my contract with the Eagles,” Jeffery tweeted. The wideout who is attempting to shake off an injury- and suspension-marred past two years signed with Philadelphia for one year and $9.5MM ($8.75MM guaranteed).

Extra Points: Hightower, Steelers, Fins, Clady

March 19th, 2017 at 10:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets‘ decision to withdraw their mammoth Dont’a Hightower offer after the linebacker’s physical may not represent an isolated view of where the linebacker is at in his career. Entering his sixth season, Hightower is viewed as a risk physically, and Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com notes his Patriots contract illustrates this (video link via CSNNE.com). Breer notes the four-year, $35.5MM (base value) contract contains more per-game roster bonuses than any other Patriot performer’s while also including sizable incentives based on playing time and potential Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors. He adds the Steelers shared the Jets’ concern about Hightower’s health, with Gang Green worrying Hightower wouldn’t last three or four more seasons. Hightower has missed 11 regular-season games the past three years.

Here’s the latest from around the league.

Defensive tackle will be on the Dolphins‘ agenda this week, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. The team hosted Dontari Poe on a visit and eventually saw the nose tackle agree to terms with the Falcons, but the Dolphins may have halted their pursuit because of budgetary concerns. Miami is looking for an interior defender at a cheaper rate, with Jackson noting the Dolphins would like to sign a player for around $2-$3MM per year. Miami has both Ndamukong Suh and Jordan Phillips slated to start in 2017 but wants to further bolster this position. The Dolphins could pursue mid-tier players like Jonathan Babineaux, Tyrunn Walker, Vance Walker or Sen’Derrick Marks, Jackson writes. Miami has just more than $16MM in cap space but may be prepared to use a substantial portion of that on a Jarvis Landry extension.
Despite agreeing to terms with Ted Larsen, the Dolphins still intend to look for a guard in the draft, Jackson notes, adding the team is content to start Jermon Bushrod and Larsen at what have been its trouble spots up front. But the Fins want to seek additional guard enhancements.
The Seahawks saw one player shuttle out of their facility without a contract on Sunday. Ryan Clady left Seahawks headquarters without a contract, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets, keeping the 10th-year left tackle unattached as he continues to search for a third NFL employer. The Seahawks have been the only team connected to Clady thus far since the Jets opted not to exercise his 2017 option. Although the Broncos are in need of a left tackle after declining Russell Okung‘s option, they have not expressed interest in a Clady reunion.
The Bengals reached an agreement to sign Kevin Minter, bolstering their defensive second level.

Latest On Jets’ Offer To Dont’a Hightower

March 17th, 2017 at 12:08pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets offered linebacker Dont’a Hightower a deal with a maximum value of $62.5MM over five years, but grew reticent after seeing the results of Hightower’s physical, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

While New York didn’t officially drop out of the running for Hightower after the physical was concluded, it essentially ceded negotiations to the Patriots, who re-signed Hightower on a four-year pact worth $35.5MM. For what it’s worth, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link) says the Jets did in fact pull their offer to Hightower after his examination.

The base value of the Jets’ proposal was $55MM, reports Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, while the max value could have only been attained had Hightower played in every game and made the Pro Bowl in every year of the duration of the deal. At present, it’s not clear exactly what details of Hightower’s physical bothered the Jets, but as Cimini details, Hightower has dealt with recent knee and shoulder injuries.

Ultimately, Hightower’s Patriots contract will pay him roughly $1.25MM less per year than would the Jets’ offer.

Details On Dont’a Hightower’s Deal

March 16th, 2017 at 10:46am CST by Zachary Links

Sometimes, when agents are the first to leak details to the press, the initial reported value of free agent deals winds up being a bit inflated. It’s a natural part of the NFL these days but, fortunately, the truth quickly comes to light.

With that in mind, we’ve learned today that Dont’a Hightower‘s four-year, $43.5MM deal is actually worth less than that (via Albert Breer of The MMQB on Twitter). The true base value of the deal is $32MM. In each season, there are $875K worth of per-game roster bonuses, so $3.5MM of the deal will be contingent on Hightower’s health. Then, to satisfy the remaining $8MM gap and reach the full $43.5MM, Hightower would have to nail all of his playtime, Pro Bowl, and First-Team All-Pro incentives each year.

After word of sincere interest from the Jets and Steelers, it sounds like Hightower took a hometown discount to remain with the Patriots. Hightower entered March with hopes of fetching $12MM per year or more. Instead, he has a deal that is really worth somewhere between $8MM-$9MM on average with the potential to exceed $10MM, but only if he is recognized by the league as a megastar.

As a non-rush linebacker, Hightower doesn’t get the sacks and, in turn, doesn’t get the glory. Despite being an elite player for years, Hightower just received his first Pro Bowl nod in 2016 and has never been given First-Team All-Pro honors. Hightower could certainly hit those markers multiple times over the next four seasons, but he’s at a bit of a disadvantage. The $43.5MM value can’t be classified as “not likely to be earned,” but it’s also far from a slam dunk.

Patriots Re-Sign LB Dont’a Hightower

March 15th, 2017 at 12:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Dont’a Hightower isn’t going anywhere. He’s re-signing with the Patriots, according to his agents (on Twitter). It’s a four-year, $43.5MM deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The pact includes $19MM guaranteed.

Hightower also had offers from the Steelers and Jets. The Jets, at one point, reportedly offered upwards of $12MM per year, but Hightower actually rejected that offer two days ago and never considered signing there (via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald on Twitter). As I tweeted earlier today, that’s not a surprise. Few expected Hightower to ultimately leave the defending champs and all of his suitors seemed dubious about his openness to sign elsewhere.

Hightower was reportedly seeking around $12MM per year and the Patriots were rumored to be offering something in the $10MM/year range for the last few weeks. Based on what we know, it sounds like the Pats more or less met him in the middle – he gets an average annual value of $10.875MM with a decent amount in guarantees. Of course, we won’t have a full understanding of the deal until we know what the cashflow is like. If the majority of the guaranteed cash comes to the linebacker in the first two seasons, then we’ll chalk this up as a solid deal for Hightower and his agents at SportsTrust.

Regardless of the payout, Hightower automatically wins on two fronts. First, he re-signed with the Patriots and they were far and away his preferred landing spot. Secondly, he only signed for four years, so he’ll still be able to hit free agency before his age-31 season. If he continues to hold his position as the best non-rush linebacker in the NFL, he should be able to cash in again before the 2021 campaign.

Hightower finished the 2016 campaign with 65 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 13 games. Before the start of free agency, we listed him as the best available linebacker in our free agent positional rankings. After the first wave of free agency saw cornerback A.J. Bouye and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery come off the board, Hightower was far and away the best player left on the open market.

Hightower is now the second-highest paid true linebacker in the NFL, based on AAV. Only Luke Kuechly of the Panthers ($12.4MM) earns more than him per year.

Latest On Dont’a Hightower

March 15th, 2017 at 9:06am CST by Zachary Links

Linebacker Dont’a Hightower is slated to choose between three offers today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He’s deciding between the Steelers, Jets, and Patriots, though that’s not necessarily in order. Those close to the situation still believe he’ll remain in New England.

The Jets, apparently, have offered “far and away” more money than anyone else. Still, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, he doesn’t seem inclined to accept Gang Green’s offer. The Jets have offered more than $12MM per season, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report hears (on Twitter).

The Steelers reportedly told Hightower their offer to him would disappear if he left town without signing on the dotted line. Hightower, it seems, is either still in Pittsburgh, or the Steelers were making an empty threat to coax him into signing.

All along, the expectation has been that Hightower would circle back to the defending champs. Still, money talks and this will probably be the largest deal the 27-year-old ever signs. Soon, we’ll know the verdict.

Jets Have Largest Offer To Dont’a Hightower

March 14th, 2017 at 9:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets are likely offering the largest contract to free agent linebacker Dont’a Hightower, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, who says Hightower will sign with New York if he’s “looking for the biggest financial score.” Gang Green is willing to hand Hightower a “blockbuster contract,” per Cimini, while Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets the Jets have “far and away the most money on the table.”

Still, Hightower “doesn’t seem inclined” to accept the Jets’ offer, per La Canfora (Twitter link), which would jibe with reports indicating rival clubs expect Hightower to re-sign with the Patriots. If Hightower does sign with New York, the Jets would likely release long-time middle linebacker David Harris, paving the way for Hightower and 2016 first-round pick Darron Lee to play together in the club’s 3-4 scheme.

The Steelers are also involved in the Hightower sweepstakes, but Pittsburgh reportedly told Hightower its offer to him would disappear if he leaves town without signing on a dotted line. Hightower’s meeting with the Steelers has concluded, but it’s not readily clear if he’s left Pittsburgh, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link) Hightower is still in talks with the Steelers, Jets, and Patriots.

The Titans, meanwhile, are out on Hightower, as general manager Jon Robinson says his club never even met with Hightower.

Latest On Steelers, Dont’a Hightower

March 14th, 2017 at 4:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have made an offer to free agent linebacker Dont’a Hightower, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, they don’t want Hightower to use their proposal for leverage with the Patriots. He has been told that if he gets on the plane to leave Pittsburgh without agreeing to terms, the offer will be off the table.

Hightower has been making the free agent rounds, but it certainly sounds like his goal is to return to the Patriots. After Hightower spoke with the Jets and Titans, both teams were skeptical about his willingness to actually leave New England, though the Jets still sound quite interested. The Jets may be willing to drive up the price on the rival Patriots, but the Steelers want no part of that game. They’ve made their offer to Hightower and if he does not quickly accept, they’ll redirect that cap space in another direction.

Adding a superstar like Hightower would certainly lessen the blow of Lawrence Timmons leaving for the Dolphins. Soon, we should know whether Hightower will shock everyone and join up with Pittsburgh.

Titans Out On Dont’a Hightower

March 13th, 2017 at 2:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans aren’t buying the notion that Dont’a Hightower is serious about leaving the Patriots. So, they have taken the logical step of removing themselves from the Hightower sweepstakes, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. Things can always change, but right now they are planning on putting their energy, focus, and money in a different direction. Meanwhile, GM Jon Robinson says that Hightower never even visited the team (Twitter link via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com).

Non-rush linebackers don’t typically cash in on the open market, but Hightower is excellent at what he does and figures to be an exception. Although the Pats declined to give him a franchise tender worth roughly $14.7MM for one-year, he could still get eight figures per season on a multi-year deal.

In order to get that kind of money from New England, he’ll first have to get a similar offer from another team. Right now, the Titans and Jets don’t believe he’s sincere about leaving the defending champs. He’s now slated to visit with the Steelers, however, and that’s a team that would be of interest to any player serious about winning.

The Titans, meanwhile, will continue to roll with Avery Williamson and Wesley Woodyard as inside linebackers in their 3-4 scheme. Both defenders graded as top-50 ‘backers in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, and Tennessee reportedly holds the 25-year-old Williamson in especially high regard.

Dont’a Hightower To Visit Steelers

March 13th, 2017 at 10:11am CST by Zachary Links

Patriots free agent linebacker Dont’a Hightower is scheduled to visit the Steelers, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This will mark Hightower’s third free agent visit.

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Hightower has been making the free agent rounds in recent days, but the Jets and Titans don’t believe he’s serious about leaving New England. The Titans aren’t prime contenders for 2017 and the Jets’ odds of winning this year seem very slim, but the Steelers could hold appeal for Hightower if he is focused on winning another Super Bowl ring. At minimum, this meeting could be enough to scare the Patriots into increasing their offer.

The Steelers are currently projected to start Bud Dupree, Ryan Shazier, Vince Williams, and James Harrison at linebacker. Needless to say, room could be made for a star like Hightower.

The Steelers are down one linebacker after veteran Lawrence Timmons signed on with the Dolphins.