Here are Friday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon.
Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals
Minnesota Vikings
Seattle Seahawks
Free agent tight end Luke Stocker is expected to rejoin the Falcons, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Stocker took a visit with the club earlier this week.
The 32-year-old spent the first 6+ years of his career with the Bucs, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2011 draft. During that time, he played under Dirk Koetter, the former Tampa head coach who became the Falcons’ offensive coordinator in 2019, which may be what brought Stocker to Atlanta on a two-year deal last offseason.
But the Falcons released Stocker in March, right before the team completed a trade with the Ravens for fellow TE Hayden Hurst. Hurst sits atop the team’s depth chart now that Austin Hooper has moved on to the Browns, but aside from the Hurst deal, Atlanta did not do much to add to the tight end position, so it circled back to a familiar face.
Stocker has always been more of a blocker than a receiver, and he has also spent time at fullback. He caught just eight passes for 53 yards last year, and with Hurst slated to get the targets that went Hooper’s way, it’s unlikely that he will see much of an uptick in the receiving game. But he provides experience and depth that the Falcons are lacking at tight end, so it’s a good fit for both sides.
Hours after the 49ers and tight end George Kittle agreed to a record-breaking extension, the Chiefs agreed to a new deal with their own stud TE, Travis Kelce. It’s a four-year, $57.25MM deal with $28MM guaranteed, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). On Friday morning, the Chiefs officially announced Kelce’s new contract.
Kelce was already under club control through 2021, and the extension will be added onto that pact, keeping the five-time Pro Bowler with Kansas City through 2025, his age-36 season. He will not take home any new money this year, as Albert Breer of SI.com tweets, but he will be due a sizable guaranteed roster bonus early next year. The Chiefs, of course, authorized a historic ten-year contract for QB Patrick Mahomes just last month, so the league’s premier QB-TE combo will have a chance to bring home several more Lombardi Trophies before their time together is up.
Selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 draft, Kelce began to make his mark in his sophomore campaign, recording 67 catches for 862 yards and five scores. He followed that up with a similarly productive 2015 season, which culminated in his first Pro Bowl appearance. KC rewarded him with a five-year, $46MM extension that today’s deal builds on, and that’s when Kelce really took off.
He has recorded four consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards, the first tight end to ever accomplish that feat, and he has earned two First Team All-Pro nods during that time. He and Mahomes have been nothing short of dominant, and with Kelce creating mismatches down the seams and over the middle, speed merchants like wide receiver Tyreek Hill have had even more room to run.
Though the Chiefs suffered a difficult loss in the AFC Championship Game following the 2018 season, they won it all last year, with Kelce catching 19 balls for 207 yards and four TDs in the team’s three-game postseason jaunt through the Super Bowl. If they go back-to-back in 2020, as many are predicting, Kelce will be a big reason why.
The Cincinnati product did not quite match Kittle’s $15MM AAV, but he is also four years older than Kittle, is not called upon to block as much, and has already earned a boatload of money in his playing career. At this point, he is just trying to add more to his Hall of Fame resume, and he is in a great spot to do just that.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first reported that Kelce and the Chiefs were on the verge of a long-term accord (Twitter link).
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
Houston Texans
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New York Giants
San Francisco 49ers
Tennessee Titans
The Bills and left tackle Dion Dawkins have agreed to terms on a four-year, $60MM extension, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the pact includes $34MM in guaranteed money.
Dawkins was under club control through 2020, the last year of his rookie contract, and as Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic notes, the extension will be tacked onto the preexisting deal (Twitter link). So the 2017 second-rounder is now tethered to Buffalo through the 2024 season.
In a recent full-length piece, Buscaglia mentioned Dawkins as a potential franchise tag candidate next offseason, so the Bills will be happy to avoid the protracted negotiations and salary cap uncertainty that discussions with tagged players often engender. And while Dawkins has yet to make a Pro Bowl, he is already a solid starter with room to grow, so the $15MM AAV — which is presently the fifth-highest figure on the LT market — feels like a reasonable price.
The Temple product is often lauded for his athleticism, which makes him an especially valuable protector for QB Josh Allen, whose mobility is one of his defining characteristics. Dawkins graded out as a top-30 tackle in 2019 per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, which praised his pass-blocking ability but indicated that he has a little work to do with his run-blocking. On the other hand, his receiving skills are first-rate for a big man, as he has two receiving TDs to his credit.
Dawkins is a member of the first draft class for HC Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane, and he is the first player from that class to sign an extension. With his deal in the books, the club may start exploring new contracts for other 2021 free agents, like linebacker Matt Milano.
McDermott, of course, just signed an extension of his own yesterday, and Beane is in line for one soon. Those two have built a strong foundation in western New York, and Dawkins is a big part of it.
The Texans are signing defensive tackle P.J. Hall, per NFL insider Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Hall took a visit with Houston several days ago.
The 2018 second-round choice of the Raiders had an interesting odyssey on the league transaction wire earlier this month. Las Vegas was prepared to cut Hall, but then the Vikings swooped in with a trade offer, agreeing to send a conditional seventh-round choice to the Raiders in exchange for the Sam Houston State product. But Hall subsequently failed his physical with the Vikings, so he reverted to the Raiders, who promptly waived him.
Apparently, Houston has evaluated Hall and has given him a clean bill of health. The team lost D.J. Reader via free agency and replaced him with second-round rookie Ross Blacklock, so a little more DL depth can’t hurt, especially when it comes via a young player with a good draft pedigree like Hall.
Hall started in 12 of his 16 games last year, finishing out with 26 tackles and 1.5 sacks from the interior. He was pushed out of the Raiders’ starting lineup by the addition of Maliek Collins.
The 49ers and tight end George Kittle are in agreement on a five-year, $75MM extension, as Ian Rapoport and Michael Silver of NFL.com report (via Twitter). Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that $30MM is guaranteed at signing — including an $18MM signing bonus — and there are $40MM in total guarantees (Twitter link).
We had been hearing that this deal was expected to come together shortly, and that it would completely reset the tight end market. And it has done just that, as Kittle’s $15MM average annual value far outpaces the $10.5MM figure that Austin Hooper received just this year from the Browns. It also represents something of a halfway point between the former top of the TE market and the top of the WR market.
Still, given Kittle’s dominance as a receiver and blocker, there was plenty of speculation that his payday would come in a little higher. Indeed, some were projecting a six-year pact worth close to $100MM, but the 49ers managed to give out a historic contract while staying in their comfort zone. Kittle’s deal places him 12th among all pass catchers, as Matt Barrows of The Athletic observes (via Twitter), though the guaranteed money is definitely a win for Kittle.
Since 2017, Kittle has recorded 2,945 receiving yards, the most of any tight end in his first three seasons. And, since 2018, Kittle’s had 1,464 yards after the catch, more than any other player in the league not named Christian McCaffrey. He earned his second straight Pro Bowl bid in 2019 and his first (but probably not only) First Team All-Pro selection. The advanced metrics love him just as much, as the Iowa product graded out as Pro Football Focus’ highest-rated player at any position last year.
In short, the 26-year-old (27 in October) has established himself as one of the best offensive weapons in the game, and with WR1 Deebo Samuel expected to miss time with a foot injury, San Francisco may be leaning on Kittle even more heavily to start the 2020 season. The team may now turn its attention to other 2021 free agents like Kyle Juszczyk and Richard Sherman.
Not long after the NFL lifted its ban on free agent tryouts, the Cowboys landed one of the biggest names left on the market. As the NFL.com crew of Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Jane Slater were first to report (via Twitter), Dallas is signing longtime Vikings edge defender Everson Griffen.
It will be a one-year deal for Griffen worth up to $6MM. According to Kimberly A. Martin of ESPN.com (via Twitter), $3MM will come in the form of a base salary, and the remaining $3MM is comprised of roster bonuses. There are no performance-based incentives, but if Griffen suits up for all 16 games, he will pocket $6MM.
The Cowboys have loaded up on defensive firepower this offseason, adding Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe, and Aldon Smith to the front seven. The team did see Robert Quinn defect to the Bears via free agency, but Griffen will replace Quinn for a fraction of the $70MM that the latter will receive over a five-year term with Chicago. Griffen makes an excellent bookend to fellow DE DeMarcus Lawrence, and his presence will allow Dallas to be less reliant on Smith — who hasn’t played since 2015 — and Randy Gregory, who is still seeking reinstatement. The Cowboys seem likely to remain in a 4-3 scheme, with Lawrence and Griffen sandwiching Poe and McCoy as part of a stout, veteran-laden front.
Though we heard back in March that the Cowboys were unlikely to sign Griffen, that was not long after free agency opened, and it could be that Griffen’s price has come down considerably since then. Indeed, Todd Archer of ESPN.com says Dallas has had Griffen on the radar most of the offseason, and Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com thinks the salary cap space created by Dallas’ COVID-19 opt-outs may have made the team more willing to pull the trigger (Twitter link).
Griffen, 32, boasts 74.5 sacks over his ten seasons with the Vikings, to go along with four Pro Bowl bids. He earned one of those Pro Bowl trips last season in an eight-sack campaign that proved he still has plenty left in the tank.
Minnesota did not do much to bolster its pass rush this offseason, and it was beginning to look like the team would ultimately reunite with Griffen, whose market was seemingly slow to develop. Indeed, Rapoport tweets that the Vikings and the Seahawks were vying for Griffen’s services, but both lost out to Dallas, whose interest had not been publicly reported at all.
Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune confirms that Minnesota was making a push to re-sign Griffen in recent days, with head coach Mike Zimmer spearheading the sales pitch (Twitter link). The Vikings hoped that Griffen’s familiarity with the only pro team he has ever known, as well as the fact that his permanent home is in Minnesota, would tip the scales in their favor. Though he doesn’t have exact numbers, Darren Wolfson of KSTP says (via Twitter) the Vikes made a competitive offer, but Griffen has elected to start the next chapter of his career in Jerry World.
The Raiders will give former first-round pick Datone Jones an avenue back to the NFL. The veteran defensive lineman agreed to terms to join the Raiders in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Although Jones has played in just one game over the past two seasons, he has seen several teams express interest. The Raiders were among them. They worked out Jones last October.
The 30-year-old defender spent some time with new Raiders D-line coach Rod Marinelli, playing in five Cowboys games from 2017-18. Jones, however, has not enjoyed a regular role since his four-year Packers tenure ended after the 2016 season. The Packers passed on Jones’ fifth-year option, and he spent time with the Cowboys and 49ers in 2017.
For his career, the UCLA product has only amassed 10 sacks and made nine starts. But he will have another chance to crack a D-line rotation with the Raiders, who recently agreed to terms with another player who had seen action in just one game over the past two seasons. Their Jeremy Hill deal did not last long, however. Jones’ most recent stay came with the Jaguars in 2019. He could not make the team out of camp, though.
Two months after Timmy Jernigan and the Texans agreed to terms, the veteran defensive tackle looks to have another deal in place. Jernigan visited the Jaguars and is expected to sign with the team soon, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
The free agent defensive tackle’s Houston contract fell through in early June. He looks set to join one of the Texans’ top rivals instead. The former second-round pick went to high school in north Florida and sought a Jaguars deal over other options, per Garafolo (on Twitter).
Free agents have spent much of 2020 in limbo, with the coronavirus pandemic prompting the NFL to restrict teams from meeting with players or working them out. But the league gave the green light for teams to conduct visits and workouts Tuesday, and the Jags will add some depth to their D-line.
Jernigan, 27, lingered in free agency until June and returned to the market following his nixed Houston agreement. The Jags will mark the seventh-year defensive lineman’s third NFL team. Jernigan spent the first three years of his career with the Ravens before playing with the Eagles from 2017-19.
Traded from Baltimore to Philadelphia in 2017, Jernigan was a full-time starter for the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning team. He signed a four-year, $48MM extension to stay with Philly long-term, but the Eagles cut him in 2019. However, Jernigan re-signed with the Eagles for less money shortly after. He started nine games last season, playing 306 snaps and rating as a middle-of-the-pack interior defender, per Pro Football Focus.