Russell Okung

AFC Notes: Ravens, Jets, Hightower, Broncos

May 26th, 2016 at 7:35pm CST by Ben Levine

Following an NFL investigation into the Ravens‘ use of full pads during their rookie minicamp, ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley reports that the team has been forced to cancel a week of organized team activities. The organization was fined $343,057, while coach John Harbaugh was fined $137,223.

The team reportedly put players in pads for a single five-minute stretch. However, the league believes the organization wasn’t actually ignorant to the rule, thus explaining the hefty punishment.

Harbaugh took full responsibility for the violation earlier today:

“It’s on me,” Harbaugh said. “It’s completely me. It was my decision. That’s the situation that we’re in and we’ll adjust and we’ll adapt. We’ll still become the best football team that we can be.”

Let’s check out some more notes from around the AFC…

Jets owner Woody Johnson told Bob Glauber of Newsday that the team had considered Mike Holmgren for the team’s previously vacant head coach opening. “This was for coaching, just coaching,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t for general manager or anything else. That setup doesn’t work normally. You get too many jobs for one person. But I was flattered he took the call. It’s Mike Holmgren we’re talking about. He’s a legendary figure, a great coach. I enjoyed talking to him.”
Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower is set to be a free agent at the end of this season, but the 26-year-old isn’t anxious to discuss his contract situation. “I don’t have anything to do with any of that,” Hightower told Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “I’m just out here trying to get better with my teammates.”
Broncos offensive tackle Russell Okung sounds like he’s content with his decision to join the organization. When asked if he received the best deal for himself this past offseason, the veteran said he got the “best deal in the best place” (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post on Twitter).
After not having his fifth-year option picked up, Broncos defensive tackle Sylvester Williams views the slight as motivation. “I have to go out there and prove myself again,” he said (via Jhabvala). “I look at it as it benefited me.”

West Rumors: Browner, Broncos, Cards, Allen

April 17th, 2016 at 8:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks and the newly reacquired Brandon Browner set in motion Sunday’s signing with a back-and-forth negotiation that lasted “a while,” Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports.

Seattle entered Sunday with $5.6MM in cap space, although terms of Browner’s deal with the Seahawks haven’t been disclosed. Browner’s agent tells Condotta the Seahawks were priced out of Browner’s negotiations after their Super Bowl XLVIII victory, and the veteran went on to spend 2014 with the Patriots and 2015 with the Saints.

“That was more of a (salary) cap issue,” Peter Schaffer told Condotta. “Brandon was going to get more money then they had. … it wasn’t like ‘we don’t want him back’ but like ‘shoot, if you are going to get that kind of money there’s no way we can afford him.”

The Pats ended up signing Browner, who will turn 32 in August, to a three-year, $12.35MM contract. This one-year pact with the Seahawks won’t be as pricey, especially after the Saints released Browner earlier this offseason. Pro Football Focus’ worst full-time corner in 2015, Browner revealed last month he’d played last season on a torn meniscus. Schaffer said Browner will be healthy for the ’16 season, and the Seahawks saw value in a healthy Browner coming off a down year.

Here’s some more from the teams out west, beginning with an unlikely pre-draft visit.

The Cardinals recently met with University of Calgary cornerback Elie Bouka, Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star reports. Chiefs officials also contacted the corner, who plans to work out for other teams as the draft approaches. The 6-foot-1 Bouka missed the 2015 season with a torn left Achilles. Bouka initially signed with Weber State on 2011 national signing day but backed out after a coaching change.
Duke wideout Max McCaffrey worked out for the Broncos on Tuesday at the team’s local pro day, as did Colorado State receiver Joe Hansley, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post reports. McCaffrey was eligible for the Super Bowl champions’ showcase for local prospects due to residing in the Denver area. The son of former Broncos wideout Ed McCaffrey and older brother of Heisman Trophy finalist and likely 2017 draft prospect Christian McCaffrey, Max ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the Blue Devils’ pro day last month.
Denver plans to give 2015 second-round pick Ty Sambrailo a long look at guard, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports. Sambrailo started three games as the Broncos’ left tackle last season after moving from the right-edge post he was supposed to occupy just after Ryan Clady was lost for the season. Pro Football Focus tabbed Sambrailo as a low-end tackle in his three starts, but the Super Bowl champions have an opening at guard after losing Evan Mathis to the Cardinals and cutting Louis Vasquez.
Russell Okung won’t participate in these workouts, per Renck, as he rehabs from offseason shoulder surgery. Okung signed a nonguaranteed contract with the Broncos in March, a deal that includes a $1MM workout bonus. Okung doesn’t have to participate fully in the Broncos’ workouts to collect that sum, only do report and do what he’s able to.
Keenan Allen will be full-go when the Chargers open their offseason workouts Monday after missing eight games last season with a lacerated kidney, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The fourth-year player also plans to shed some weight coming into the season, hoping to move down to around 200 pounds.

FA Rumors: J. Jones, A. Smith, Dansby, Randle

March 21st, 2016 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Packers have informed Frank Bauer, the agent for wide receiver James Jones, that they don’t currently have interest in re-signing Jones, writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “They’re going to go with the young guys,” Bauer said. Davante Adams, Ty Montgomery, Jeff Janis, and Jared Abbrederis are expected to complement top targets Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb in Green Bay.

Here are a few more free agent updates from across the NFL:

Asked about outside linebacker Aldon Smith, who will be suspended until at least mid-November, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com that “conversations have been good.” Oakland – or another team – could sign Smith immediately, but McKenzie and the Raiders are more likely to be patient to ensure that the veteran pass rusher continues to make good off-field decisions.
Following his release last week, veteran linebacker Karlos Dansby suggested that he wouldn’t mind heading to Arizona, Cincinnati, or Green Bay. However, Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 in Arizona (Twitter link) hears that the Cardinals haven’t reached out to Dansby. The division-rival Seahawks have shown some interest though.
After paying a visit to the Jets last week, Saints RFA tight end Josh Hill is meeting with the Bears today, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New Orleans would have the opportunity to match any offer sheet Hill signs with another team.
Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that the Rams are unlikely to add wide receiver Rueben Randle to their roster, despite hosting him for a visit earlier in March.
Before he signed with the Broncos, free agent tackle Russell Okung drew interest from other teams on a traditional multiyear deal, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Okung was seeking $10-11MM per year though, which was too rich for clubs, given his injury history, says Pelissero.

Examining Russell Okung’s Self-Negotiated Contract

March 19th, 2016 at 7:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Russell Okung‘s new five-year deal with the Broncos has been one of the most-discussed free agent contracts during the second week of the 2016 league year, and there are a number of reasons why it has been such a topic of interest.

If Okung plays out the entire contract, it would be worth well over $50MM, making it one of the most valuable overall deals in 2016 free agency, and we rarely see contracts that big signed more than a week into the league year. Additionally, the structure is somewhat unique, since it’s essentially a one-year pact with a four-year option.

Ultimately though, the interest in Okung’s deal comes down to two factors:

It features no guaranteed money.
He negotiated it himself.

It’s easy to conclude that those two factors are related, and suggest that Okung’s lack of an agent – and his lack of experience in contract negotiations – resulted in him agreeing to a team-friendly deal. That’s a point that’s hard to refute. Very few free agents who have signed contracts within the last week and a half have inked fully non-guaranteed deals — even minimum-salary players often receive guaranteed $80K signing bonuses.

Although he retained former NFL team cap analyst Jimmy Halsell, Okung was unable to talk to teams during the 52-hour legal tampering period before free agency officially begun. As many agents agreed to deals for their players during those two days, Okung was forced to wait, putting him behind the eight-ball from the start. Throw in the fact that he had never negotiated a contract for himself before, the odds of Okung landing a player-friendly deal weren’t great.

But just how unfavorable is Okung’s new deal? Let’s take a closer look. Based on various reports to date, here’s what the breakdown of the contract should look like:

2016:

$1MM workout bonus
$2MM base salary
$2MM roster bonus if he spends one game on the 53-man roster
Up to $3MM in playing-time incentives ($1.5MM for 80% of snaps, $3MM for 90% of snaps)

$1MM option that must be exercised before the first day of the 2017 league year. If exercised:

2017:

$2MM base salary (fully guaranteed)
$8MM roster bonus (fully guaranteed)
Up to $1.5MM in per-game roster bonuses

2018:

$9.5MM base salary (fully guaranteed)
Up to $1.5MM in per-game roster bonuses

2019:

$8.5MM base salary
$2MM roster bonus
Up to $1.5MM in per-game roster bonuses

2020:

$9MM base salary
$2MM roster bonus
Up to $1.5MM in per-game roster bonuses

This breakdown may not be entirely comprehensive, but it’s a pretty close approximation of what Okung’s deal looks like, and it shows how significantly he’s betting on his health. In January, the longtime Seahawks lineman contacted teams to let them know he was undergoing surgery to repair his dislocated left shoulder, an injury he suffered during Seattle’s divisional-round loss to Carolina. Okung said in his message that he expected to be fully cleared in five months, which would put him on track to participate in training camp.

While Okung may be on track to fully participate in training camp, he likely won’t be healthy in time to do the same for offseason workouts this spring, which makes the $1MM workout bonus in his contract somewhat interesting. Injured players can still collect workout bonuses as long as they report for duty and participate in whatever activities they’re able to, so the only way Okung won’t earn that $1MM is if the Broncos are so discouraged by his recovery process that they cut him before – or during – their offseason workouts. The odds of that happening seem slim, unless Okung suffers a major setback in the next several weeks. If Denver was that concerned about his health, it’s unlikely the team would have signed him at all.

The real test for Okung will come in training camp and the preseason. If the Broncos don’t like what they see at that point, it would make sense for the team to cut its losses and avoid paying the left tackle $4MM in salary and bonus money. That total would become fully guaranteed if he’s on the roster for Week 1.

Being released during preseason roster cutdowns would probably represent the worst-case scenario for Okung on this deal. He’d only collect his $1MM workout bonus, and would be looking for work around the time when most teams already have their rosters set for the season. It’s possible – even likely – that there would be other teams desperate enough for a starting tackle that they’d roll the dice on Okung, despite Denver’s unwillingness to pay him, but he’d probably have to settle for a one-year deal at that point.

If that’s the worst-case scenario for Okung, what does the best-case scenario look like? Well, there’s a possibility that this deal could work out pretty well for him if he fully recovers from shoulder surgery and plays well in 2016.

Let’s say he makes the Broncos’ roster, and stays healthy all season, collecting an extra $3MM in incentives for playing 90% of Denver’s snaps. At that point, he’ll have earned $8MM in 2016, and the Broncos will be faced with a tough decision to make — do they commit to Okung for at least two more seasons, fully guaranteeing him another $20MM or so? If they choose to decline his option, he’ll have the opportunity to hit the market again, and a year removed from his shoulder injury, he could land a much better contract than he did in 2016.

Okung’s new deal certainly isn’t one of the most player-friendly agreements we’ve seen this month, but it’s not necessarily a total disaster. Considering he’s not even healthy at the moment, it’s not a huge surprise that Okung’s contract doesn’t look a little better. After all, Kelvin Beachum, another left tackle coming off a major injury (ACL tear in October), agreed to a similar contract with the Jaguars — it’s reportedly a one-year, $4.5MM deal with a four-year, $40MM option. The full details on Beachum’s pact haven’t been reported, and – unlike Okung’s – it probably includes some guaranteed money, but those guarantees are unlikely to be significant.

As was the case when he decided to hit the open market without an agent, Okung is betting on himself with this contract. In this case, he’s betting on his ability to get healthy and to return to his previous form. Given what we know about the 28-year-old’s injury history – he has never played a full 16-game season – it’s a move that could easily backfire, and won’t give him much of a security blanket if it does. If he has a strong 2016 season though, Okung will be in a position to earn a huge chunk of guaranteed money a year from now, when most of his fellow 2016 free agents will start to see the guarantees on their new contracts dwindling.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC East Notes: Fitzpatrick, Wilkerson, Blount

March 19th, 2016 at 10:49am CST by Ben Levine

The Jets made it clear earlier this week that their goal is to sign free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, but general manager Mike Maccagnan is still realistic about his team’s chances to retain the 33-year-old.

“We like Ryan — we’d like to have Ryan back — but at the end of the day, it’s free agency,” the Jets executive said (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini). “You go through it. At some point in time, hopefully, we can find a middle ground we’re both happy with.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the AFC East…

As Jets Pro Bowler Muhammad Wilkerson continues to recover from a broken leg, agent Chad Wiestling tweets that the defensive lineman will be playing for “someone” during the 2016 season.
Considering his age and price tag, it would make sense for the Jets to trade for Broncos offensive lineman Ryan Clady to replace incumbent D’Brickashaw Ferguson. However, if the team was truly looking for a Ferguson replacement, Cimini believes the team would have been better off pursuing Russell Okung, who signed with the Broncos earlier this week.
ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss doesn’t believe the Donald Brown signing would prevent LeGarrette Blount from returning to the Patriots. Even if the team does bring back the veteran, the writer still envisions the Patriots selecting a running back in the draft.
Before signing with the Patriots, linebacker Shea McClellin also met with the Seahawks, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

AFC Contract Details: Okung, Penn, Pacman

March 18th, 2016 at 5:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are several of the latest contract details on deals which were agreed upon or signed within the last week. All links are courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle unless otherwise indicated.

AFC West:

Russell Okung, T (Broncos): Five years, $53MM. No guaranteed money. Option after year one. $2MM base salary, $1MM workout bonus, and $2MM Week 1 roster bonus for 2016. Up to $3MM in incentives available in 2016 ($1.5MM for 80% of snaps, $3MM for 90% of snaps). Option must be exercised between fifth day after Super Bowl and first day of 2017 league year. If option is exercised, $2MM salary for 2017 and $9.5MM salary for 2018 become fully guaranteed, and an $8MM roster bonus is paid out (links via Pro Football Talk, ESPN’s Josina Anderson, Tom Pelissero of USA Today, and Wilson)
Donald Penn, T (Raiders): Two years, $11.9MM, $5.5MM guaranteed. $2MM roster bonus due 20th day of 2016 league year. $300K in annual weigh bonuses (six weigh-ins worth $50K each). Up to $750K in annual playing-time, Pro Bowl, and playoff incentives (Twitter links).
Andre Holmes, WR (Raiders): One year, $2MM. $750K guaranteed. $500K signing bonus. $250K of $1.25MM base salary guaranteed. $250K workout bonus. Up to $1MM in catch, yardage incentives (Twitter links).

AFC North:

Adam Jones, CB (Bengals): Three years, $22MM. $6MM guaranteed. $2MM signing bonus. $4MM roster bonus due March 18. $500K in annual per-game active roster bonuses. $500K playing-time escalator for 2017. $750K playing-time escalator for 2018. $200K punt return average incentive for 2018. 2018 option to be exercised by last day of 2017 league year. (Twitter links).
Demario Davis, LB (Browns): Two years, $8MM. $4.1MM guaranteed. $2MM signing bonus. Annual $100K workout bonus (Twitter link).
Ryan Harris, T (Steelers): Two years, $3.9MM. $675K signing bonus (Twitter link).
Pat Sims, DT (Bengals): Two years, $2.3MM. $250K guaranteed roster bonus due March 18. $200K in annual playing-time incentives. $200K playing-time escalator for 2017 (Twitter links via Wilson and Pelissero).

AFC East:

Andre Branch, DE (Dolphins): One year, $2.75MM. $2.5MM guaranteed base salary. $250K in per-game active roster bonuses. Up to $250K in incentives (Twitter link).
Nate Ebner, S (Patriots): Two years, $2.4MM. $500K guaranteed. $125K in annual per-game roster bonuses. $250K first-day camp reporting bonus. Up to $500K in playing-time, Pro Bowl incentives (Twitter links via Wilson and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com).
Frank Kearse, DT (Patriots): One year, minimum salary benefit. $30K signing bonus. $30K first-day camp reporting bonus. $20K in per-game active roster bonuses (Twitter link).
Robert Blanton, S (Bills): One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K signing bonus (Twitter link via Pelissero).

AFC South:

Antwon Blake, CB (Titans): One year, $1.5MM. $200K signing bonus. Up to $750K in playing-time incentives (Twitter link).

Broncos Sign Russell Okung

March 17th, 2016 at 4:24pm CST by Zachary Links

4:24pm: The Broncos have officially announced the signing.

4:17pm: Okung’s deal with Denver is essentially two contracts in one, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. For 2016, he’ll get $5MM guaranteed in 2016 with a chance to make up to $8MM in incentives. Then, after that (link), Denver has a window after the season in which they can pick up an option for a four-year deal worth $12MM per year with $20.5MM guaranteed.

Overall, the deal can be worth up to $10.6MM per year if he can stay healthy, La Canfora tweets. He adds that Okung also had a one-year offer on the table from the Lions.

The Seahawks did not have an offer out to Okung at the end of his negotiations, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets.

3:13pm: Teams are interested in a deal for Clady, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets.

3:03pm: The Broncos have reached agreement on a deal with Russell Okung, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The two sides are finalizing a five-year pact that will pay the standout tackle $10.6MM per year. The deal could pay up to $12MM/year, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Recently, it was reported that Okung had offers in hand from the Steelers, Lions, and Giants. When the Steelers agreed to sign Ryan Harris, that trimmed down the veteran’s market somewhat. However, that signing left the Broncos with a little extra cash and a desire to reinforce their offensive line, leading them to the Okung deal today.

As Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes, the signing of Okung could allow the Broncos to trade fellow tackle Ryan Clady. The team has been attempting to negotiate a pay cut with Clady, who missed the entire 2015 campaign due to injury. Now, Denver can conceivably roll with Okung and rid themselves of Clady’s deal, while taking back something in the way of compensation.

The 28-year-old had two interesting wrinkles to his free agency situation. One is that Okung underwent surgery on his injured shoulder in January. The tackle was also representing himself, which is rather rare in the NFL. Okung’s decision to act as his own agent hampered him in at least one regard as he was barred from talking to every team except for the Seahawks during the legal tampering period. At the end of the day, however, he has scored himself a sizable deal.

The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Okung as the No. 31 tackle in the NFL last year with an overall grade of 72.1.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Broncos To Host Russell Okung For Visit

March 16th, 2016 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

A new team has entered the Russell Okung sweepstakes, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, who tweets that the free agent left tackle is traveling today to visit the Broncos. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports first reported (via Twitter) that Okung was expected to head to Denver to meet with the Super Bowl champs.

Okung, the highest-ranked player still available from our list of this year’s top free agents, has also received interest from the Giants and Lions, and is still mulling a return to the Seahawks. The former first-round pick had drawn interest from the Steelers as well, but Pittsburgh removed itself from the running for Okung by agreeing to sign free agent tackle Ryan Harris.

Of course, Harris was Denver’s left tackle a year ago, which is one reason the Broncos are potentially in the market for help at the position. The team has been attempting to negotiate a pay cut with veteran tackle Ryan Clady, who missed the entire 2015 campaign due to injury. Okung’s visit could provide the Broncos with additional leverage in talks with Clady, and may give the club a Plan B if a deal can’t be reached with Clady.

Okung has two interesting wrinkles to his free agency situation. The 28-year-old underwent surgery on his injured shoulder in January, and is also representing himself, which is rather rare in the NFL. Okung’s decision to act as his own agent meant that he was barred from talking to every team except for the Seahawks during the legal tampering period, which is likely one reason why he has been on the market longer than anticipated.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Okung, Givens, Jets

March 15th, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) opines that Russell Okung needs to shoot for a short-term contract with a lot of incentives. The veteran tackle, who is representing himself, saw his field of suitors go from four to three on Tuesday when the Steelers signed Ryan Harris. Now, Okung’s market is likely down to the Seahawks, Lions, and Giants, and that could hurt his bottom line when all is said and done.

Here are the latest free agent rumors:

Wide receiver Chris Givens visited the Jets today, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Givens, a fourth-round pick in 2012, had his best season as a rookie, compiling 42 catches for 698 yards and three touchdowns. In October, he was traded from the Rams to the Ravens.
Free agent linebacker Sean Spence visited the Jaguars today, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter). The 2012 third-round pick spent the first four years of his career in Pittsburgh, with which he amassed 90 tackles and two sacks in 31 regular-season appearances (13 starts).
Free agent defensive end Jason Hatcher is visiting the Saints tonight, sources tell Kristian Garic of WWL (on Twitter). Hatcher was slated to count against Washington’s cap for $8.7MM in 2016 before his release earlier this month.

FA Rumors: Okung, Kerley, Bruton, Allen

March 15th, 2016 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that they’ve agreed to sign offensive tackle Ryan Harris, the Steelers are out of the running for free agent tackle Russell Okung, a source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). It’s not clear if the Steelers are also out on Kelvin Beachum – since he’s their own free agent, they may be more willing to bring him back – but it seems clear that they’re willing to let him walk if he gets a better offer elsewhere.

With the Steelers no longer in contention for Okung, that likely reduces the field of suitors for the former first-round pick to three teams — the Seahawks, Lions, and Giants. Harris almost certainly won’t earn as much on his new deal as guys like Okung and Beachum will on theirs, but his signing may have given the tackle market the push it needs to get other players signed. Stay tuned.

Let’s round up a few more free agent rumors and updates from across the league….

After losing one of their wideouts – Chris Hogan – to the division-rival Patriots, the Bills are taking a look at another free agent receiver from the AFC East. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that Buffalo is bringing in ex-Jet Jeremy Kerley for a visit. Having recently been cut by New York, Kerley would likely compete for the No. 3 receiver spot and punt-return duties if he were to sign with the Bills.
Washington hosted safety David Bruton on a free agent visit on Tuesday, a source tells John Keim of ESPN.com. Bruton, a special-teamer who held his own when forced into action on defense for the Broncos, recently told Arran Anderson of KMGH-TV (Twitter link) that Denver had expressed interest in re-signing him, but he wanted to explore the market if the price wasn’t right.
Free agent defensive back Antonio Allen, who missed the 2015 season due to an Achilles injury, is visiting the Texans, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Allen made 18 starts in the Jets’ secondary from 2012 to 2014.
Linebacker Shea McClellin is making a visit with the Seahawks, per Caplan (via Twitter). The Bears recently signed Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan, signaling that McClellin’s time in Chicago has likely come to an end.
Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram confirms (via Twitter) that the Cowboys‘ previously-reported visits with cornerback Leon Hall and defensive end Chris Long will both take place on Wednesday.

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