HEADLINES

James Carpenter

Falcons To Release OL James Carpenter

March 9th, 2021 at 1:24pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Another long-time veteran is hitting the free agent market. The Falcons will be releasing offensive lineman James Carpenter, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets.

Carpenter came into the league as a tackle when he was drafted in the first-round by the Seahawks way back in 2011, but was quickly switched to guard. He started 13 games for Atlanta this past season, and 11 the year before. The Alabama product spent his first four years in Seattle, then signed a four-year deal with the Jets in 2015.

He completed that deal and started all 16 games for New York in three of those seasons. He signed a four-year, $21MM deal with Atlanta in 2019, but obviously only made it halfway through that pact. The Falcons will save a little over $4MM in 2021 cap space by cutting him.

The Super Bowl XLVIII champion has never made the Pro Bowl, but with 121 career starts under his belt, should draw plenty of interest from teams looking for veteran O-line help. He’s joining a now crowded guard market, but won’t have much trouble finding a new home.

Falcons Place G James Carpenter On IR

December 20th, 2019 at 2:03pm CST by Rory Parks

The Falcons have placed guard James Carpenter on IR, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (via Twitter). Carpenter has missed the team’s last two contests with a concussion, and Atlanta has decided to play it safe with the 30-year-old vet.

Carpenter, a former first-round pick of the Seahawks, spent the first four years of his career in Seattle and the next four with the Jets. He hooked on with the Falcons shortly after free agency opened this past March, signing a four-year, $21MM pact with the club.

As that contract suggests, Carpenter has generally been a serviceable player, but not a great one. The Alabama product started all 11 games in which he appeared this year before succumbing to the concussion, but he has yielded four sacks (tied for 13th-most in the league) and has committed seven penalties (tied for sixth-most). Advanced metrics are also not fond of his work this year.

However, he has started 108 out of a possible 114 games in his career with three different teams, so he must be doing something right. The Falcons focused heavily on their O-line in the draft this year, and since they wouldn’t save a ton of money against the cap by cutting Carpenter, it seems as though he’ll be back in 2020 while Atlanta addresses areas of more pressing concern.

In a corresponding move, the Falcons signed OL Sean Harlow.

Contract Details: Amos, Patterson, Carpenter, Brown

March 13th, 2019 at 11:50am CST by Zachary Links

Let’s take a look at the details of a few freshly-signed contracts:

Falcons To Sign G James Carpenter

March 12th, 2019 at 3:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Jets left guard James Carpenter will sign a four-year deal with the Falcons, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Carpenter will celebrate his 30th birthday later this month, so the four-year pact could take him through the end of his career.

Carpenter first entered the league as a first-round pick of the Seahawks in 2011. After finishing out his original four-year rookie deal, he hooked on wiht the Jets, where he spent the last four years. Carpenter stayed healthy between 2013-2017, but his 58-game starting streak ended in November when he underwent shoulder surgery.

Carpenter’s anchored the Jets’ offensive line following the departures of stalwarts D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold. With Atlanta, he’ll help open up running lates for Devonta Freeman and protect quarterback Matt Ryan, who just restructured his deal to free up cap space for the team.

Jets To Place G James Carpenter On IR

November 28th, 2018 at 12:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Signing with the Jets in 2015, James Carpenter started 58 straight games. A shoulder injury caused Carpenter’s streak to stop there last week and will end his season.

The veteran guard will undergo surgery on an injured shoulder, leading to the Jets placing him on IR, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports (on Twitter). Offensive lineman Ben Braden is on the practice field for the Jets, with the New York Post’s Brian Costello tweeting he’s up from the practice squad.

This comes at a bad time for the 29-year-old blocker. He is scheduled to be a free agent in 2019. Carpenter has played through shoulder pain for much of this season but could no longer effectively fight through it, per Mehta.

The Jets moved free agent addition Spencer Long from center to Carpenter’s left guard slot last week, and Mehta notes that arrangement could be how Gang Green proceeds the rest of the way. Jonotthan Harrison started at center in Week 12.

Carpenter’s anchored the Jets’ offensive line following the departures of stalwarts D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold. Carpenter reaching free agency would make for an interesting equation come March. Ramon Foster, Andy Levitre, Rodger Saffold and Mike Iupati are all playing on expiring contracts, leading to a unique set of elder-statesmen linemen representing most of the top free agent guards, barring extensions or pre-free agency re-ups.

AFC Notes: Jets, Carpenter, Browns, Supplemental Draft, Titans, Colts, Nelson

July 7th, 2018 at 8:47pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

James Carpenter has been the starting left guard for the Jets for the past three seasons, but 2018 is likely to be his last with the team, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Carpenter is heading into the final year of the four-year $19MM deal he signed with New York back in 2015. Carpenter’s play declined significantly last season, and as he ages Costello thinks the team will let him walk.

He’s been remarkably durable, never missing a game due to injury during his time with the Jets. Costello thinks the Jets will use the “boatload of salary cap space in 2019” that they’ll have to upgrade the offensive line and find Carpenter’s replacement. He thinks “revamping the offensive line” will be a “top priority” in next year’s free agency.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal took a look at this year’s Supplemental Draft and whether the Browns would make a move. He came away thinking that GM John Dorsey‘s “aggressive” approach may lead him to use a selection on one of the cornerbacks available in the draft despite the Browns’ recent upgrades to their secondary.
  • If an undrafted player makes the Titans, it’s likely to be a receiver according to Jim Wyatt of Titansonline.com. Due to uncertainty on the receiver depth chart behind Corey Davis, Wyatt thinks there could be a three way battle between undrafted receivers Jordan Veasy, Deontay Burnett, and Devin Ross for a roster spot.
  • Number six overall pick Quenton Nelson appears to be adjusting to the NFL quickly, and the Colts are taking notice. “His impeccable technique and ability to quickly pick up schemes turned the heads of many of his teammates and the coaching staff while working with the first unit throughout offseason workouts” writes Mike Wells of ESPN.

Jets Restructure James Carpenter’s Contract

March 23rd, 2016 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Jets have completed a simple restructure on James Carpenter‘s contract, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com, who tweets that the team converted a portion of the veteran guard’s 2016 salary into a signing bonus. The move had been necessary to create room for the addition of nose tackle Steve McLendon.James Carpenter

Carpenter’s $4.45MM base salary had already been partially guaranteed, but the Jets assured the lineman of a little more of that money up front by turning $3.69MM of it into a signing bonus, leaving a minimum salary of $760K. For cap purposes, that signing bonus prorates over the next three seasons, meaning it reduces Carpenter’s 2016 cap charge by $2.46MM, and increases his 2017 and 2018 charges by $1.23MM apiece.

According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), the Jets’ new deal with McLendon features a cap number of $2.5MM for 2016, including a $1.75MM base salary and a prorated portion of his $2.25MM signing bonus. In other words, the reduction of Carpenter’s cap hit gives the team almost the exact amount it needed to accommodate McLendon’s contract.

Further restructures, cuts, or trades will be required for the Jets in the coming weeks, as OverTheCap.com had the team at just $2.282MM in cap space prior to the Carpenter and McLendon transactions. Of course, adding a player like Ryan Fitzpatrick to the club’s books will require a few million dollars in cap room. At the very least, New York will need to create the space necessary to sign its rookie class and to allow for a little in-season flexibility.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Contract Details: Maxwell, Murray, McPhee

March 12th, 2015 at 3:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are some key details on some of the notable contracts agreed to or signed around the NFL this week:

NFC deals:

  • Byron Maxwell, CB (Eagles): Six years, $63MM base value. $25MM fully guaranteed. $6MM signing bonus (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of USA Today and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
  • DeMarco Murray, RB (Eagles): Five years, $40MM base value. $42MM max value. $18MM fully guaranteed (Twitter link via Albert Breer of the NFL Network).
  • Pernell McPhee, OLB (Bears): Five years, $38.75MM base value. $8.675MM fully guaranteed (Twitter link via Pelissero).
  • Antrel Rolle, S (Bears): Three years, $11.25MM base value. $4.9MM guaranteed. $3.9MM roster bonus in 2015 (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Tom Johnson, DT (Vikings): Three years, $7MM base value. $2.75MM guaranteed. $1.5MM roster bonus in 2015 (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Matt Prater, K (Lions): Two years, $4.55MM base value. Third-year team option for 2017 (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).

AFC deals:

Jets Sign James Carpenter

March 11th, 2015 at 7:26pm CST by Dallas Robinson

WEDNESDAY, 7:26pm: The Jets have officially signed Carpenter, the team announced in a press release.

TUESDAY, 9:18am: Carpenter will sign a four-year contract with the Jets worth in the ballpark of $4.75MM per season, a source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

6:49am: Although Middlekauf backtracked a little on his own report overnight, tweeting that he was “premature” and that talks with Carpenter are still ongoing, Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports has also reported (via Twitter) that the Jets will sign the offensive lineman. So barring a last minute change of plans on either side, it should get done.

MONDAY, 11:14pm: With interior offensive line help near the top of their offseason to-do list, the Jets have made a move to aid their front five, agreeing to terms with guard James Carpenter, according to John Middlekauf of 95.7 The Game (Twitter link). The transaction can be made official when the new league year begins tomorrow.

Carpenter, who will turn 26 later this month, was selected by the Seahawks in the first round of the 2011 draft, and has spent the past four years in Seattle. The Seahawks declined Carpenter’s fifth-year option, allowing him to hit free agency a year earlier than many other first-round draftees. Drafted as a tackle, Carpenter has settled in at guard, but he hasn’t been very effective, rating as the league’s No. 65 guard among 81 qualifiers in 2014, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

The Jets had reportedly been hotly pursuing Mike Iupati, who was considered the top free agent guard on the market, but the former Niner reportedly agreed to terms with the Cardinals earlier today. Orlando Franklin, another reported target for New York, appears headed to San Diego, leaving the Jets to shift their focus second-tier alternatives.

While Carpenter may not be quite as reliable or effective a presence in the middle a a veteran like Iupati and Franklin would be, he shouldn’t be nearly as expensive either, though financial terms of the tentative agreement aren’t yet known.

Seahawks Decline Option On James Carpenter

May 2nd, 2014 at 6:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Seahawks won’t pick up their fifth-year option on offensive lineman James Carpenter, the team announced today. The move had been expected, with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reporting last week that the team was leaning against exercising the 2015 option.

Carpenter, 25, struggled with injuries during the first two years of his career, but appeared in all 16 of the Seahawks’ regular-season games in 2013, starting 10 of them. The former 25th overall pick also started at left guard for the club in the conference championship and Super Bowl. Still, Carpenter ranked just 65th out of 81 qualified guards, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required), and his 2015 option would have been worth $7.438MM, so it’s not a surprise that Seattle was reluctant to exercise it.

As our fifth-year option tracker shows, most of the 2015 options decisions have been made in advance of tonight’s deadline. The only unannounced decision that could plausibly still go either way is the Vikings’ call on Christian Ponder, though Minnesota figures to pass on that option.

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