Transactions - Pro Football Rumors

Giants’ Leonard Williams To Play On Tag

July 13th, 2020 at 11:41am CST by Zachary Links

Giants defensive end Leonard Williams will play out the 2020 season on his one-year franchise tender, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The two sides technically have until Wednesday to hammer out a deal, but they’re both comfortable with playing things by ear.

The Giants tagged Williams earlier this year with a one-year franchise tender. Previously classified as a defensive tackle, Williams was set to file a grievance to be tagged as a defensive end. This year, the DT tag pays $16.1MM while the defensive end tag is priced at $17.9MM. It’s possible that Williams has found middle ground with the G-Men with a deal that pays him ~$17MM for the upcoming year.

Giants GM Dave Gettleman was widely criticized for the acquisition of Williams and equally panned for his decision to tag him. The one-time No. 6 overall pick of the Jets has not met expectations in terms of sacks, but it’s worth noting that his 101 quarterback hits since 2015 rank 12th in the NFL. Williams registered zero sacks in seven Giants games last year, but Gettleman believes that he can turn the corner.

The Giants are comfortable with waiting until next year to revisit talks and the same goes for Williams. If Williams can up his sack totals across a full and productive season with the Giants, he could be in for much greater riches next March.

Lions, Jeff Okudah Agree To Deal

July 13th, 2020 at 11:08am CST by Zachary Links

No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah has agreed to terms with the Lions on his rookie deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Per the terms of his slot, the cornerback will earn just over $33.5MM over the course of his four-year deal with a $21.9MM signing bonus.

The Lions’ affection for Okudah was hardly a secret in the build up to the draft. After all, the Ohio State product filled the team’s greatest need, after they shipped Darius Slay to the Eagles. There were other draft crushes on the board, like Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown and Clemson standout Isaiah Simmons, but they couldn’t let Okudah pass them by.

“I would put Okudah down as the safest [defensive player in this draft],” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said before the draft. “I know exactly what position he plays, I’ve seen him play that position against elite competition and I’ve seen him play at a very high, consistent level. To me, Okudah is the safest.”

There aren’t many knocks on Okudah, and the experts say that his ceiling is sky high. In the long run, he has the tools to become one of the league’s better cornerbacks. He also figures to shore up the Lions’ D right out of the gate, with support from Desmond Trufant, Justin Coleman, and Darryl Roberts.

Here’s the full rundown of the Lions’ draft, via PFR’s tracker:

1-3: Jeffrey Okudah, CB (Ohio State): Signed
2-35: D’Andre Swift, RB (Georgia): Signed
3-67: Julian Okwara, OLB (Notre Dame): Signed
3-75: Jonah Jackson, G (Ohio State): Signed
4-121: Logan Stenberg, OL (Kentucky): Signed
5-166: Quintez Cephus, WR (Wisconsin): Signed
5-172: Jason Huntley, RB (New Mexico State): Signed
6-197: John Penisini, DT (Utah): Signed
7-235: Jason Cornell, DE (Ohio State)

Patriots Open Cap Space After Settling Grievances

July 11th, 2020 at 11:52am CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots have opened up a chunk of cap space after settling compensation grievances concerning a pair of former players. ESPN’s Mike Reiss (via Twitter) and Field Yates report that settlements regarding Antonio Brown ($4MM) and Aaron Hernandez ($2.55MM) have opened up around $6.5MM in cap space.

Brown filed a grievance against the Patriots back in September after the team refused to pay him a $10MM signing bonus following his release. New England was also left with $4.5MM in dead money from the Brown debacle.

While Hernandez was released by the Patriots seven years ago, the NFL Players Association was still fighting on the behalf of his estate regarding a $3.25MM guaranteed signing bonus that was previously withheld by the team. Following Hernandez’s arrest (and prior to his eventual conviction for first-degree murder), the player gave up $19.3MM in non-guaranteed money while the organization voided the rest of his guaranteed money. The team also looked to recoup some of the bonus money that had already been paid out.

As Yates notes on Twitter, the Patriots started the week with less than $500K in cap space. Following today’s news and the Rex Burkhead restructuring from earlier this week, New England now has close to $7.8MM in space.

As Sports Illustrated’s Devon Clements pointed out back in February, the Patriots also had a pair of active grievances with defensive lineman David Parry ($179K) and offensive lineman Cole Croston ($163K). The status of those grievances hasn’t been reported.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 7/11/20

July 11th, 2020 at 10:59am CST by Ben Levine

We’ll keep track of today’s mid- to late-round draft pick signings here:

The Jaguars have signed fourth-round offensive tackle Ben Bartch. The six-foot-six, 305-pound rookie spent four seasons at Division III St. John’s University in Minnesota, including his first two as a tight end. He transitioned to offensive tackle before his junior season, and he earned first-team All-MIAC nod during his senior year. When Jacksonville used pick No. 116 on Bartch, he became the first Division III player to be drafted in five years, and he was the first St. John’s player to be drafted since 1974. Also, as if you didn’t like him already, Bartch previously relied on a, uh, unique smoothie of eggs, cottage cheese, grits, peanut butter, banana, and Gatorade to put on weight as an offensive lineman, thus leading to the nickname “Smoothie King.”
The Packers have signed center Jake Hanson to his rookie deal. The Oregon product was selected with pick No. 208, one of three offensive lineman selected by Green Bay in the sixth round (along with John Runyan Jr. (No. 192) and Simon Stepaniak (No. 209)). Hanson didn’t allow a sack through his first three seasons with the Ducks, and he ultimately started 49 games during his four-year career. The lineman earned a pair of AP second team all-Pac-12 selections during his time at Oregon. Third-round tight end Josiah Deguara is now the Packers’ only unsigned rookie.

Chiefs To Waive QB Shea Patterson

July 10th, 2020 at 3:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after the Chiefs brought back Matt Moore, they are moving on from Shea Patterson. The defending Super Bowl champions will waive the rookie UDFA quarterback, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Kansas City signed the former Michigan Wolverines starter shortly after the draft, doing so following their addition of XFL passer Jordan Ta’amu. The Chiefs will drop from five quarterbacks to four with this move, going forward with Chad Henne, Moore and Ta’amu behind Patrick Mahomes.

Patterson loomed as a possible early-entry candidate ahead of the 2019 draft and was rumored as a later-round pick this year. Neither scenario transpired for the former Big Ten standout. Patterson combined for 45 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions over the past two seasons.

With the COVID-19 pandemic nixing teams’ onsite offseason work, rookies are set for uphill battles going into training camps. Quarterbacks’ learning curves being what they are, the UDFA passers teams signed will be in for more hurdles than normal once training camps start — if they are to begin on time.

The Chiefs will go with one of the most experienced backup quarterback groups in recent memory. Moore and Henne came into the league in 2007 and ’08, respectively. Ta’amu profiles as a practice squad candidate.

Chiefs To Re-Sign Matt Moore

July 10th, 2020 at 1:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Matt Moore has re-signed with the Chiefs, as Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports tweets. Financial terms are not yet known, but the quarterback will return on a one-year deal to serve as Patrick Mahomes‘ backup.

It’s safe to assume that Moore’s deal will come at a fraction of Mahomes’ brand new ten-year extension that could come out to more than $500MM. That’s probably alright by Moore, who captured a Super Bowl ring last year as the Chiefs’ QB2.

Moore was called into action in October, when Mahomes suffered a knee injury against the Broncos. At the time, it seemed like Mahomes’ entire season was in jeopardy. Instead, Mahomes exceeded all expectations for his recovery, leaving Moore with just two starts. Moore came out of those games with a split win/loss record, beating the Vikings 26-23 in Week 9. In total, he suited up six times and completed 59 of 91 throws with four touchdowns against zero interceptions.

The Chiefs initially signed Moore to replace Chad Henne on the depth chart. Henne inked a new deal with KC earlier this year, but the return of Moore could force him out. Jordan Ta’amu and Shea Patterson are also on the offseason roster – ultimately, there will be room for no more than two passers behind Mahomes.

Broncos’ Justin Simmons To Sign Tender

July 10th, 2020 at 12:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Broncos safety Justin Simmons has accepted his franchise tender, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Simmons will make it all official this weekend, ensuring that he’ll be back in Denver this season.

Simmons previously indicated that he wouldn’t skip Broncos activities and he ultimately kept his word. There was some speculation that agent Todd France would talk him into playing hardball, but that never came to fruition. Now, Simmons is set to play out the season on a one-year, $12.7MM deal.

Bears standout Eddie Jackson stands as the league’s highest-paid safety at $14.6MM per year, and Simmons would like to top that figure. The belief is that Simmons wants a deal that pays him ~$14MM annually, but the Broncos already have his partner Kareem Jackson on a three-year, $33MM deal. There’s clear mutual interest in a longer arrangement, but it’s an expensive proposition.

Simmons, 27 in November, graded out as the 2nd best safety in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus. The traditional stats also positioned him as a stud – four interceptions, 15 passes defended, and 93 tackles, tied for the second-highest tally on the team.

With Simmons’ contract squared away, there are four stragglers left in the NFL. Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green, Buccaneers edge rusher Shaquil Barrett, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, and Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue remain unsigned, and at least one of those players seems destined for a holdout (we’re looking at you, Yannick). Teams have until July 15th to hammer out long-term deals with each of those franchise-tagged players. If not, the two sides will have to wait until next year to resume talks.

Jaguars Sign Laviska Shenault

July 9th, 2020 at 4:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jaguars have agreed to terms with second-round wide receiver Laviska Shenault, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Shenault’s explosive abilities were often on display during his three seasons at Colorado, and Joe Marino of The Draft Network points to Shenault’s run-after-the-catch talent as his most promising trait. Sub-par quarterback play at Colorado meant that Shenault didn’t always post eye-catching numbers, but he did top the 1,000-yard mark in 2018 (before falling back to just 764 yards a season ago).

In Jacksonville, D.J. Chark and Dede Westbrook are virtually assured of commanding two of the Jaguars’ starting receiver roles in three-wide sets. Shenault, then, will likely compete with the likes of Chris Conley and Keelan Cole to become Jacksonville’s third pass-catcher.

As the 42nd overall pick, Shenault’s four-year contract will be worth something in the neighborhood of $7.696MM, according to Over the Cap. He should receive a signing bonus of $3.157MM and have a 2020 cap charge of $1.399MM.

Jacksonville now has five members of its 12-man draft class under contract. Here’s the full list:

1-9: C.J. Henderson, CB (Florida)
1-20: K’Lavon Chaisson, DE (LSU)
2-42: Laviska Shenault, WR (Colorado): Signed
3-73: Davon Hamilton, DT (Ohio State): Signed
4-116: Ben Bartch, OT (St. John’s (MN))
4-137: Josiah Scott, CB (Michigan State)
4-140: Shaquille Quarterman, ILB (Miami): Signed
5-157: Daniel Thomas, S (Auburn)
5-165: Collin Johnson, WR (Texas): Signed
6-189: Jake Luton, QB (Oregon State)
6-206: Tyler Davis, TE (Georgia Tech): Signed
7-223: Chris Claybrooks, CB (Memphis)

Jets Sign La’Mical Perine

July 9th, 2020 at 2:35pm CST by Rory Parks

The Jets have agreed to terms with fourth-round draft choice La’Mical Perine, the team announced. The former Florida running back is the fourth member of the club’s nine-man rookie class to sign his first professional contract.

Perine is presently staring up at two big names ahead of him on the Jets’ RB depth chart, which is topped by Le’Veon Bell and Frank Gore. But Bell could be a trade candidate if New York is a trade deadline seller, and even if he makes it through the season, it’s far from a sure thing that he’ll be back with Gang Green in 2021. Gore, meanwhile, is on the tail end of a Hall of Fame career and may retire at the end of the 2020 campaign.

So Perine will do battle with players like Kenneth Dixon and Josh Adams in an effort to secure a spot in the current RB rotation while showcasing his talents for a larger role down the line. His college numbers aren’t especially flashy, but a 5.0 yards-per-carry average over a four-year stint against SEC defenses isn’t too shabby, and he displayed some receiving ability in his senior season, catching 40 passes for 262 yards and five TDs.

Per the terms of his draft slot, Perine will earn $4MM over the life of his four-year deal, which includes a $745K signing bonus. Here’s the full rundown of the Jets’ draft class as it presently stands, via PFR’s tracker:

1-11: Mekhi Becton, T (Louisville)
2-59: Denzel Mims, WR (Baylor): Signed
3-68: Ashtyn Davis, S (California)
3-79: Jabari Zuniga, DE (Florida)
4-120: Lamical Perine, RB (Florida): Signed
4-125: James Morgan, QB (Florida International)
4-129: Cameron Clark, OT (Charlotte): Signed
5-158: Bryce Hall, CB (Virginia): Signed
6-191: Braden Mann, P (Texas A&M)

Lions Sign Jason Huntley

July 9th, 2020 at 10:21am CST by Rory Parks

As it turns out, the Lions signed two 2020 draftees yesterday. In addition to getting fifth-round wide receiver Quintez Cephus under contract, the club inked its other fifth-round choice, New Mexico State running back Jason Huntley. Huntley posted a picture of himself signing his rookie deal on Instagram.

Huntley may struggle for playing time early in his Lions tenure, as Detroit is also rostering Kerryon Johnson and used a second-round choice this season on talented Georgia back D’Andre Swift, whom some considered to be the best RB in the class. On the other hand, Johnson has dealt with injuries over the first two years of his pro career, and another ailment could push Huntley up the depth chart. In the meantime, he will be competing with the likes of Ty Johnson and Bo Scarbrough for reps as the club’s RB3. He could also push Jamal Agnew for the kickoff returner job.

Huntley exploded in his final collegiate season, racking up 1,090 yards on 154 totes, good for a whopping 7.1 YPC average. He is also a capable receiver out of the backfield, with plenty of speed to burn.

With that, the Lions are just missing the bookends of their 2020 class. No. 3 overall pick Jeffrey Okudah and seventh-round choice Jason Cornell are the only two of Detroit’s nine drafted rookies who have yet to sign. Here’s the full list, courtesy of PFR’s Tracker:

1-3: Jeffrey Okudah, CB (Ohio State)
2-35: D’Andre Swift, RB (Georgia): Signed
3-67: Julian Okwara, OLB (Notre Dame): Signed
3-75: Jonah Jackson, G (Ohio State): Signed
4-121: Logan Stenberg, OL (Kentucky): Signed
5-166: Quintez Cephus, WR (Wisconsin): Signed
5-172: Jason Huntley, RB (New Mexico State): Signed
6-197: John Penisini, DT (Utah): Signed
7-235: Jason Cornell, DE (Ohio State)

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