Roy Robertson-Harris

Trade Notes: 49ers, Chiefs, Ravens, Hawks

With the 49ers dealing with a number of injuries at the receiver spot – punctuated by Brandon Aiyuk‘s ACL tear – the team has been floated as a potential buyer in terms of pass-catching help. General manager John Lynch is confident in San Francisco’s incumbent options, though.

“I wouldn’t say that specifically,” Lynch said when asked about pursuing a receiver trade (via David Bonilla of 49ersWebZone.com). “I mean, we look into every situation to see if it can help us at every position. It’s a lot harder to do than people realize. People aren’t into giving up players that can really help you.”

When the unit is at full strength, the 49ers’ WR corps will consist of Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Chris Conley, Jacob Cowing, Ronnie Bell and first-round rookie Ricky Pearsall. The latter has made two appearances since recovering from his offseason gunshot wound, totaling seven catches for 59 yards. Pearsall emerging as a dependable contributor would certainly soften the blow of losing Aiyuk. San Francisco has been connected to a reunion with Kendrick Bourne, but the veteran prefers to remain in New England.

Here are some other trade-related notes from around the NFL:

  • DeAndre Hopkins made his Chiefs debut on Sunday, recording a pair of catches. The three-time All-Pro recently became the latest receiver to be dealt ahead of the November 5 deadline, and his presence will help a Kansas City team which will be without Rashee Rice or Marquise Brown for the rest of the season and which is currently missing Skyy Moore. On the other side of the ball, another move could be in store. Dianna Russini of The Athletic notes the defending champions could be in the market for a cornerback (subscription required). Jaylen Watson‘s fractured ankle makes it unlikely he will return in 2024, so the Chiefs could stand to make a move at the CB spot.
  • During their Week 8 loss to the Browns, the Ravens struggled once again on the defensive side of the ball. Baltimore currently sits 26th in scoring defense, owing in large part to a league-worst 291 passing yards allowed per game. To little surprise, then, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec writes the Ravens would likely prefer to add a defender ahead of the deadline (subscription required). The team has already been connected to pursuing edge rush help, but the decision to bench safety Marcus Williams could also be an indication a safety is on the radar. The Ravens currently have $4.36MM in cap space, enough for a modest midseason acquisition.
  • The 2024 trading period began when the Seahawks acquired Roy Robertson-Harris from the Jaguars. The move gave Seattle an experienced presence along the defensive interior, something which was a priority for the team. As Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes, injuries were not a factor in the deal. Rather, the Seahawks have used Robertson-Harris as a rotational member of their D-line amidst their younger incumbent options. The 31-year-old has made seven tackles during his two Seattle appearances.

Jaguars Trade DL Roy Robertson-Harris To Seahawks

The terms of the first midseason trade of 2024 are in place. Jacksonville is sending defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris to the Seahawks, Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report. The Jaguars will receive a 2026 sixth-round pick in return.

Robertson-Harris spent his first four seasons with the Bears, logging a notable role during the 2019 and ’20 seasons in particular. His play during that span helped his market value considerably, and the Jaguars handed him a three-year, $24.4MM deal on the open market. That led to high expectations for the former UDFA, and he served as a full-time starter during his three full campaigns in Jacksonville.

After posting three sacks in each of his first two Jaguars seasons, Robertson-Harris landed a three-year, $21.6MM extension. As a result, he remains under contract through 2026, something which does not make this deal a rental agreement as many trades worked out shortly before the deadline are. With that said, no guaranteed salary exists on the final two years of the UTEP product’s deal, so Seattle is not necessarily making a long-term commitment with this swap.

Robertson-Harris is due to see his cap hits jump to $8.9MM and $9.1MM over the next two years barring any kind of adjustments to his contract. For now, though, the Seahawks will only be responsible for the remainder of his $1.7MM 2024 base salary. This low-cost acquisition will provide depth along the defensive front for a Seattle team which is need of improvement against the run.

The Seahawks currently rank 10th in terms of passing yards allowed per game, but only 27th on the ground. Upgrades along the D-line could help in defending the run, something which has been central to Robertson-Harris’ skillset throughout his career. The 31-year-old has totaled between 30 and 45 tackles in each of his past four healthy seasons, and he will be tasked with chipping in on early downs on his new team.

The Jaguars were not initially interested in adopting a sellers’ standpoint in the build-up to the trade deadline. After another loss dropped the team to 1-5, however, it will be interesting to see if that mindset changes. Jacksonville owner Shad Khan offered an endorsement of general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson ahead of Sunday’s game, but today’s deal could be the first of multiple trades sending veteran players to new teams over the coming weeks.

Jaguars Extend DL Roy Robertson-Harris

The Jaguars have been busy in recent days, but they have followed up their earlier work with a significant investment on their defense. Jacksonville has agreed to terms on a three-year, $30MM extension with defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (Twitter link). A team announcement has confirmed the move.

The veteran has been with the Jaguars since 2021, and enjoyed a productive stint in Duval County. He has been a full-time starter in his two seasons in Jacksonville, setting new career highs in a number of categories in each of those campaigns. He was already under contract through the 2023 season, but he will now be on the books for what will likely be a competitive stretch for the team.

The 29-year-old served in a mostly rotational role with the Bears to begin his career. The potential he showed there led to a three-year, $24.4MM deal in the 2021 offseason as a free agent. Expectations were raised for the former UDFA after that, and he has delivered to date. Robertson-Harris registered 37 tackles and three sacks in 2021, matching the latter total this past season. He made 45 total stops in 2022, adding 12 QB hits and four pass deflections. His strong play continued into the postseason, where he totaled 14 stops, one sack and five TFLs across two playoff games.

His production was indicative of the overall success enjoyed by Jacksonville’s defensive front during their run to an AFC South title and wild card victory. The team spent last offseason complimenting Robertson-Harris with the signing of Folorunso Fatukasi and selection of Travon Walker with the first overall pick in the draft. As a team, the Jaguars ranked 12th in the NFL in terms of rushing yards allowed per game – a stark improvement compared to years past.

Roberstson-Harris set new personal marks over the past two campaigns in terms of playing time. He logged snap shares of 60% and 61%, respectively, and this deal sets him up to remain a starter for the foreseeable future. This extension carries an average value essentially identical to what his 2023 cap hit was going to be ($10.1MM). It also represents the latest piece of accounting the Jaguars have taken care of in advance of free agency, something which will not see as many notable moves as 2022. Retaining in-house players will be their priority, so this move comes as an example of achieving that goal.

Roberstson-Harris is now in line for a slight uptick in compensation over the next few years relative to his first Jaguars contract. That investment proved to be a fruitful one, and his play suggests this latest one could be as well.

Jaguars To Sign Roy Robertson-Harris

The Jaguars have agreed to a three-year, $24.4MM deal with Roy Robertson-Harris (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The defensive tackle will receive $14MM in guarantees as a part of the deal. 

Robertson-Harris started six of the Bears’ eight games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. His specialty is run-stuffing, so he played on roughly 50% of Chicago’s snaps. He’s also shown glimpses as a pass-rusher too, notching 2.5 sacks in 2019 and three the year prior. An UDFA from UTEP back in 2016, he’s already carved out a nice career for himself, despite injuries. He also missed his entire rookie season, spending it on the the NFI list.

The Bears kept Robertson-Harris with a second-round tender last year, but they couldn’t keep him for anything close to that one-year, $3.2MM deal. Instead, he’ll join up with Urban Meyer & Co., potentially with safety John Johnson.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/12/20

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Indianapolis Colts

New York Jets

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Travis Ross

Tennessee Titans

Bears’ Roy Robertson-Harris Done For The Year

The Bears have slipped up the past few weeks with three straight losses as the offense has been unable to get going, and now their defense is taking a blow. Defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris will have season-ending shoulder surgery, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Robertson-Harris has started six of eight games so far this season, and usually plays around half the snaps as a run-stuffer. He’s also shown a bit as a pass-rusher the last couple years, notching 2.5 sacks last season and three the year before. An UDFA from UTEP back in 2016, he’s already carved out a nice career for himself. He missed his entire rookie season on the NFI list, but became an immediate contributor as a sophomore.

The team thought highly enough of him to place a second-round tender on the restricted free agent this past offseason to prevent teams from poaching him. That paid him a little over $3.2MM for this season. The big fella will hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent this March, and Rapoport writes that he’s headed toward a “nice payday in free agency.”

Roy Robertson-Harris Signs Bears Tender

Bears defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris signed his second-round tender, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). With that, he’ll return for another season in Chicago while earning just over $3.2MM. 

Robertson-Harris was set for restricted free agency, but the Bears didn’t want to let him get away. The $3.2MM+ tender was enough to scare off any possible suitors – any team that signed him to an unmatched offer sheet would have had to pay a steep tax in draft capital. Since he entered the league as an undrafted free agent, there would’ve been no compensation for the Bears had they tendered and lost him at the original-round level.

The UTEP product spent his entire 2016 rookie season on the reserve/NFI list, but earned his spot on the team in 2017. Ever since, he’s been getting more and more time on the field. Last year, he appeared in 15 games and started seven, racking up 30 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three passes defended from the interior. All together, he played on more than 50 percent of Chicago’s defensive snaps.

Bears Place Second-Round Tender On DL Roy Robertson-Harris

The Bears are looking to keep Roy Robertson-Harris in the fold. The team tendered a contract to the impending restricted free agent, they announced in a release, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that it’s a second-round tender to help ensure no team poaches him away.

Robertson-Harris will still be free to sign an offer sheet with another team when free agency opens, but the Bears will have the opportunity to match. Should they decline to match, that team would have to give the Bears their second-round pick. Since Robertson-Harris certainly isn’t a star player, it virtually guarantees that no other team will present him with an offer and risk giving up the pick.

Since he entered the league as an undrafted free agent back in 2016, there would’ve been no compensation for the Bears had they tendered him at the original-round level and he walked in free agency. It represents a nice pay bump for the UTEP product, as the second-round tender projects to clock in at a little above $3.2MM for 2020.

He spent his entire rookie season on the reserve/NFI list but made the team in 2017, and his role has slowly grown in each of the past three seasons. He played his biggest part yet this past season when he appeared in 15 games and started seven, racking up 30 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three passes defended from the interior. All told, he played a hair over 50 percent of the defensive snaps.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/17/19

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: OL Brant Weiss (Alliance of American Football)

Chicago Bears

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

Oakland Raiders

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/13/19

Here is the latest news involving restricted free agents and exclusive-rights free agents, with updates coming throughout the day:

ERFA

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

RFA

Tendered at second-round level: 

Tendered at original-round level:

Non-tendered: