Minor NFL Transactions: 6/9/17
Friday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Jets have waived linebacker Randell Johnson, whom they originally signed off the Rams’ practice squad last December. Johnson only played one game last year, which came with the Jets, after appearing in 10 and starting one as a Bill in 2015. In 16 games dating back to 2014, Johnson’s first year, he has just one tackle.
- The Chiefs have signed cornerback Keith Baxter and waived a pair of defenders, tackle T.J. Barnes and safety Damariay Drew, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Barnes is the only one of three with NFL experience, having appeared in 21 games (one start) since debuting in 2014. Last season was the only year in Kansas City for Barnes, and the former Jet and Bill saw action in five games. Baxter went undrafted out of Marshall last year and spent some time with the Vikings and Packers as a rookie. Drew, undrafted from Cal this year, lasted just over a week with the Chiefs, who signed him June 1.
- The Texans have added center Erik Austell and waived guard Jake Simonich. Both players went undrafted this year, with Austell coming from Charleston Southern and Simonich out of Utah State.
- The 49ers have inked offensive lineman Andrew Lauderdale to a deal and cut safety Malik Golden. Lauderdale, undrafted out of New Hampshire, had a brief stint with the Saints earlier this spring. Golden, another UDFA (from Penn State), joined the 49ers on May 4.
Derek Carr Could Get $25MM Per Year
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr won’t negotiate a contract extension once training camp starts, but that could end up being a moot point. The Raiders and Carr have been engaging in “good faith” negotiations in an effort to get a deal done by the camp deadline, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). If the two sides do reach an agreement, it’s “very possible” Carr will set a new benchmark and become the NFL’s first $25MM-per-year player, according to Rapoport.
Both the league’s ever-rising salary cap and Carr’s performance since entering the pros as a second-round pick in 2014 have him poised to land elite money. Carr is coming off his best season, albeit one that ended early with a broken fibula, as he tossed 28 touchdowns against six interceptions and helped the Raiders to 12 wins and their first playoff berth since 2002.
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck fell just shy of the $25MM mark on the extension he signed last summer, when he inked a five-year, $122.97MM pact that includes a record $87MM in guarantees. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report noted last month that the 26-year-old Carr’s next deal could surpass Luck’s, which jibes with the latest from Rapoport. And Rapoport adds that Kirk Cousins‘ talks with the Redskins could affect Carr’s discussions with the Raiders. In the event Washington extends Cousins for a record amount before Oakland locks up Carr, the latter might have to go back to the drawing board in negotiations, Rapoport suggests, which could be problematic if it happens close to the start of camp.
Without an extension, Carr would play 2017 for a relative pittance and presumably either re-sign with the Raiders or get the $22MM-plus franchise tag next offseason. The Raiders would rather not have to resort to deploying the tag, as Cole reported, so it would behoove them to re-up Carr over the next month-plus.
Taylor Decker Out 4-6 Months
The shoulder injury that Lions left tackle Taylor Decker incurred during organized team activities seems worse than initially feared. The 22-year-old suffered a torn labrum and will sit out four to six months, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Conor Orr of NFL.com). Decker now looks like a candidate to begin 2017 on the physically unable to perform list, which would cost the second-year man at least the first six weeks of the regular season.
Decker was the sturdiest member of Detroit’s O-line during his rookie season, starting each of the Lions’ games and joining quarterback Matthew Stafford as their only offensive players to line up for all 1,037 of the unit’s snaps. The first-round pick out of Ohio State was quite effective during that action, as Pro Football Focus assigned his performance the 23rd-highest grade out of 78 qualified tackles.
Not having Decker for the foreseeable future could force the Lions to shift right tackle Ricky Wagner to the left side and/or scour free agency for another viable option. The club did sign Tony Hills on Thursday, but the 32-year-old has just one start on his resume. Before adding Hills, Detroit visited with Cyrus Kouandjio, one of the top bookends on the market, though there’s no word on whether it’s interested in signing him. Other experienced free agents include Ryan Clady, King Dunlap, Austin Pasztor and Will Beatty. On the other hand, if the Lions stay in house to find their starter opposite Wagner, their choices are Hills, Cornelius Lucas and Joe Dahl. Those three have just seven starts among them.
49ers Sign Rookie Reuben Foster
Reuben Foster is officially a member of the 49ers. The team announced on Friday that the linebacker has inked his rookie contract. 
The Niners kicked off their draft night by trading down from No. 2 to No. 3 and selecting Solomon Thomas. Later on, they traded back into the first round to select Foster. Foster appeared in 51 games (24 starts) during his four-year career at Alabama and registered 222 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. In 2016, he was named First-Team All-America by the Associated Press and won the Butkus Award, the trophy given to the nation’s best linebacker.
Foster was believed to be a top ten candidate heading into draft week, but concerns about his character and injured shoulder hurt his stock. As he slid down the board, the Niners worked the phones hard to try and take the standout inside linebacker. At one point, the Niners were ready to trade into the middle of the first round for Foster, but they were able to get him several picks later and give up a lot less for the privilege. SF traded its No. 34 and No. 111 overall picks to Seattle to move up to No. 31 and nab Foster, who was reportedly the third-ranked player on its board.
With the signing, the 49ers now have eight of ten draft picks under contract. Thomas and C.J. Beathard are the only two unsigned rookies.
Jets Interested In LB Erik Walden
Finally, things could be picking up for free agent Erik Walden. The Jets have had talks with the linebacker in recent weeks, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link). Costello adds that he is a name to keep an eye on for Gang Green. 
Walden had 11.0 sacks for the Colts last year and few expected him to still be available in June. But, for one reason or another, the market has moved like molasses for the 31-year-old (32 in August). Walden fired agent Todd France at the tail end of March when he wasn’t getting enough bites and hired Michael and Jason Katz of CSE Talent as his new representation. His only known visit of the spring came with the Titans after the Colts informed him he wouldn’t be retained.
The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus might help to explain the lack of interest Walden has generated this offseason. Despite his 11 quarterback takedowns last year, he still graded out as one of the six worst edge defenders in the league.
Walden may or may not be a high-impact player for 2017, but he would represent a cheap linebacker addition in the wake of David Harris‘ release. At minimum, a signing like this Jets can help make a case to fans that they’re trying to win, even though the team is clearly in a rebuilding phase.
Browns Cut Tyvis Powell
The Browns have waived defensive back Tyvis Powell, according to a team announcement. Powell came to the Browns in February when he was claimed off waivers from the Seahawks. 
Powell appeared in eight games as rookie with Seattle last season and tallied three tackles. He did not make it into the postseason with the Seahawks, however. Seattle dropped him from the roster just prior to the playoffs in order to clear a spot for Devin Hester.
Powell will now hit the waiver wire, giving the league’s other 31 teams an opportunity to grab him in the next 24 hours. If he clears waivers, he will be a free agent and permitted to sign with any team. If the Seahawks want to reunite with the 6’2″, 211 pound defensive back, this may be their opportunity.
Branden Albert To Report To Jaguars
Finally, the Jaguars will get to see their starting left tackle in action. Jaguars coach Doug Marrone told reporters that Branden Albert has informed him he’ll be at mandatory minicamp next week (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). 
The Jaguars acquired Albert via trade earlier this offseason from the Dolphins, but the tackle has been distant from the team in an effort to renegotiate his contract. With two years to go and little in the way of leverage, the Jaguars have held firm and refused to open talks with the veteran. Albert, it seems, is accepting that he will have to play out the deal that he inked with Miami. He’s scheduled to play out the 2017 season at an $8.9MM cap number. Next year, that figure jumps to $9.6MM.
Unfortunately for Albert, there is zero guaranteed money left on his contract. And even though he’s no longer considered an elite tackle, he feels that he should have a better deal, particularly when considering the way the tackle market exploded this spring.
Last year, Albert registered a career-worst 42.2 overall score on Pro Football Focus. He also missed four games due to injury. In his healthier years, however, he vacillated between above average to very good.
Lions’ Golden Tate Wants Extension?
There’s plenty of time left on his current deal, but Golden Tate could be getting ahead of the game. The Lions wide receiver took to Twitter last night with what is an apparent request for a new deal. 
“I hope I’m one of the next ones to get extended,” Tate wrote. “Big plays can come in all shapes and forms, huh?”
Tate, 29 in August, has two years to go on the five-year, $31MM deal he signed with the Lions back in 2014. Tate’s tweet came moments after Julian Edelman agreed to an extension with the Patriots, but there are some key differences between the two situations, namely that Edelman is entering his contract year. Teams are typically reluctant to enter extension talks with players that have two years to go for fear of setting a precedent with others.
Tate was the Lions’ top receiver in 2016 as he hauled in 91 catches for 1,077 yards and four touchdowns. His current deal pays him an average of $6.2MM per season and places him just 26th among receivers, so it’s not hard to see why he would want a pay bump. But, unless he’s willing to drum up some leverage by skipping out on minicamp, it’s not likely that he’ll get what he’s searching for this summer.
If Tate can reprise his 2016 performance, he should be in line for the extension he’s seeking next summer. The Lions inked cornerback Darius Slay, running back Theo Riddick, and punter Sam Martin to new deals when they were one year out from expiration and defensive back Don Carey got a new deal in the midst of his final season under contract.
Jets Sign LB Spencer Paysinger
The Jets have signed linebacker Spencer Paysinger, according to a team announcement. Paysinger will help fill in for the recently released David Harris. 
[RELATED: Jay Cutler, Jets Couldn’t Line Up Visit]
Paysinger, 29 later this month, has spent his entire career to date with Jets rivals. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Giants in 2011. In 2015, he joined up with the Dolphins and has spent the last two seasons in Miami. Last year, Paysinger made 15 appearances (three starts) for Miami, tallying 52 tackles, three passes defensed, and two fumble recoveries.
The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus rated Paysinger as the 51st best linebacker in the league last year out of 87 qualified players. His 68.4 overall score wasn’t earth-shattering, but it was better than that of the recently re-acquired Demario Davis (58.4) and 2016 first-round pick Darron Lee (38.3).
Jay Cutler, Jets Couldn’t Line Up Visit
Jay Cutler is going from the field to the broadcast booth this year, but before announcing his retirement, Cutler explored his options. The Jets were among the clubs to reach out to Cutler after he was released by the Bears, but timing was ultimately an issue and the two sides never wound up meeting, the quarterback tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (audio link). 
[RELATED: Jets Notes: Eric Decker, Robby Anderson]
“The stars didn’t really align for me to get out there,” Cutler said (transcript via PFT). “By the time I was scheduled to get out there, my buddy Josh ]McCown] had taken a visit and they worked something out with him. It all worked out. I’m happy for him.”
When the Jets reached out to Cutler, the quarterback was up front with the team and said that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue playing. While Cutler was on the fence, the Jets shifted focus to McCown. Reading between the lines, it sounds like Cutler might have continued playing in 2017 had things timed out better between him and Gang Green.
Cutler reportedly also had “strong” interest in joining the Texans, but things didn’t work out on that front either. For now, Cutler’s playing days are in the rear view mirror as he gears up for his new career with FOX, but it’s clear that the QB still has some desire to play. If the right opportunity comes along for Cutler in the next year or two, it seems possible that he’ll listen.