HEADLINES

Month: March 2020

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/15/20

March 15th, 2020 at 8:20pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Today’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions will be posted below:

RFAs

Non-tendered:

Tendered:

Eluemunor was a fifth-round pick of the Ravens back in 2017, so the Patriots would get a fifth-round pick in return should any team poach him away with an offer sheet in free agency. The original round tender projects to clock in at a little over $2.1MM for 2020.

The Broncos aren’t willing to pay that much for Jones, but Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports that Denver might still bring him back at a lower price (Twitter link). Jones, a 2017 UDFA from Northwestern, played only six defensive snaps last year but played 64 percent of the snaps on special teams. Eluemunor was a reserve interior lineman for New England last year.

Texans Notes: Fairbairn, Taylor, Carter

March 15th, 2020 at 7:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Texans have been busy recently and they kept up the activity Sunday, inking cornerback Bradley Roby to a new three-year deal. They signed kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn to an extension last week, and now we have the details on that agreement. Fairbairn got $9MM guaranteed in his four-year, $17.65MM deal, and he got a $3MM signing bonus, sources told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. He has a fully guaranteed $4MM salary for 2020 with a $4.75MM cap hit. In 2021 he has a base salary of $4MM as well, with $2MM of it being guaranteed. His base salaries in 2022 and 2023 are $3.55MM and $3.65MM respectively, with both of those years being non-guaranteed.

Here’s more from Houston:

  • The Texans were slated to workout former Broncos receiver Jordan Taylor but that has now been scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilson tweets. It’s a tough blow for Taylor, who has been fighting to regain his footing in the league since a hip injury ended his time with Denver. After spending 2018 on the Broncos’ PUP list, he was with the Vikings last preseason. Nicknamed ‘Sunshine’, Taylor became a fan favorite during his time in Denver.
  • We also have the financial details on another recent Texans extension, returner-receiver DeAndre Carter. Wilson tweets that Carter’s one-year deal is worth $660K. A 2015 UDFA from Sacramento State, Carter finally broke through with Houston in 2018 after spending years bouncing around various practice squads. He returned punts and kicks for the Texans this past year while also contributing a little on offense, catching 11 passes for 162 yards. His season ended on a low note, as Carter had a crucial lost fumble on a kickoff return during the Texans’ playoff loss to the Chiefs.

Patriots Re-Sign S Devin McCourty

March 15th, 2020 at 6:26pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Patriots are re-signing a veteran team leader… but it’s not Tom Brady. New England is bringing back safety Devin McCourty on a two-year deal worth $23MM, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Rapsheet adds that McCourty will get $17MM guaranteed with his new pact. Way back in January of 2019 McCourty announced that he was considering retirement, but he obviously ended up playing the 2019 season and said recently that he intended to play in 2020 as well. As Rapoport points out this will likely allow McCourty to finish his career with the Patriots as well as alongside his identical twin brother Jason McCourty, a cornerback with the Patriots.

McCourty, 32, entered the league as a first-round pick of the Patriots back in 2010 and has been with the team ever since. He’s won three Super Bowls with them, and is an important voice in the locker room. He’s also been an incredibly consistent presence on the field, starting at least 14 games in all 10 of his pro seasons.

His performance has always ranged from good to great, and he racked up five interceptions this past year, his most since 2012. He’s been named a second-team All-Pro selection on three occasions. We had heard a couple of weeks ago that the Dolphins were going to be interested in him had he hit the open market. Jason is under contract for 2020 after the Pats recently picked up his option.

League Year Won’t Be Delayed

March 15th, 2020 at 5:51pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s going to be a very unusual process, with teams not allowed to host players on visits and other restrictions, but it sounds like free agency is going to happen as originally planned. A source told Josina Anderson of ESPN that the league year will officially not be pushed back (Twitter link).

In a tweet, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com provided more insight into the thinking behind the scenes. A source told Schefter that the NFL says the NFLPA was unwilling to to push back the league year. The NFLPA’s reasoning was that everything could be done remotely and that the COVID-19 crisis could get worse before it gets better, so it made the most sense to do free agency now.

Leading up to the weekend it began to look like things would be pushed back, with Saints head coach Sean Payton saying as much. The NFLPA then voted to approve the new CBA, which appears to have shifted the momentum back in the opposite direction. It looks like everything will start on time, although it’s possible things move slower than usual as teams might be a little more cautious with their spending given the uncertain circumstances.

Some teams had raised concerns about handing out long-term contracts without their medical staffs being able to examine players in person. Had the league year been pushed it would’ve had a significant impact on players, and not just on those slated to become free agents. Many players have roster bonuses in their contract tied to the start of the new league year, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network pointed out in a tweet.

Those guys would’ve had to wait perhaps indefinitely to get paid, and as Pelissero notes in his thread, some payments are north of $10MM. For example, Rams quarterback Jared Goff is due a whopping $21MM in the first week of the 2020 league year, so obviously this is good news for him.

Texans Re-Sign Bradley Roby

March 15th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Texans have come to terms on a new deal with impending free-agent cornerback Bradley Roby, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26. Roby was set to be one of the better cornerbacks available on the free-agent market. Instead, Houston will bring him back on a deal that Mike Garafolo reports spans for three years and is worth up to $36MM. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle added that sources tell him the deal includes roughly $17MM in guaranteed money.

Wilson had Tweeted earlier today that sides were expected to get a deal done but had nothing set at that point. Now the Texans can go into free agency, which appears set to start on schedule, with one less position of uncertainty. Houston traded most of their draft capital before the season began to acquire left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills from the Dolphins and would have been left scrambling to fill another hole through free agency.

Roby has never been considered an elite player but has remained a consistent contributor since entering the league in 2014. Cornerback was set to be one of the deeper positions entering free agency with Roby alongside the Panthers’ James Bradberry and elite Cowboys corner Byron Jones, but one fewer option will now be available to teams in search of cornerback depth. That’s a blow to teams like the Eagles, who are reportedly set to target corners in free agency.

Falcons Give Tyeler Davison Three-Year Extension

March 15th, 2020 at 4:57pm CST by Marc Delucchi

UPDATE, 5:53pm: We’ve now got the terms for the deal. Davison is getting a three-year, $12MM pact with $4.5MM guaranteed, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. Considering he made only $895K last year, this is a pretty nice pay-raise for the 27-year-old Fresno State product.

4:57pm: A source tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, the Falcons are close a three-year contract extension with defensive tackle Tyeler Davison. Davison signed a one-year contract with Atlanta last offseason and proved to be a productive member of their defense.

Originally a fifth-round pick by the Saints in 2015, Davison quickly earned playing time as a rotational interior lineman capable of manning the nose tackle position. Over the first four years of his career in New Orleans, Davison became a starting interior lineman for the Saints, starting 43 games from 2016-2018. Like most nose tackles, Davison is most effective against the run game, only contributing 3.5 sacks over his time with the Saints.

In his lone season with the Falcons, Davison continued his trend of being a healthy contributor along the Falcons front, recording a career-high 55 tackles, tying his career-best mark of 4 tackles for loss, and adding a sack as well.

49ers Out On Tom Brady?

March 15th, 2020 at 3:57pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Sources have told NBC Sports’ Chris Simms that the 49ers are not going to sign quarterback Tom Brady. The Patriots legend, obviously, is entering free agency for the first time in his career and has been tied to San Francisco for some time. Brady grew up in the Bay Area and following Jimmy Garoppolo‘s struggles in the Super Bowl, many people were connecting the two.

While Simms noted he was unclear if anything had changed over the past few days, he stated that the 49ers were Brady’s preferred destination, but the organization plans to stick with Garoppolo. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports added in the aftermath of Simms’ report that the Titans and 49ers interest was “always more smoke than fire.”

Simms is a longtime friend of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and this may be the most public way San Francisco chooses to rebuke the rumors that have tied Brady to the Niners. Reading between the lines, if the 49ers were indeed Brady’s favorite destination, the rumors could have been entirely driven by his camp, while San Francisco never necessarily considered a change at quarterback.

Assuming Simms’ report is accurate after the Titans extended Ryan Tannehill earlier this afternoon, two of Brady’s most appealing options seem to be off the table. At this point, a return to New England seems like the only avenue available to Brady if he wants to be a contender, otherwise, teams like the Chargers, Buccaneers, or Raiders pose the largest threat to sign him away.

Ravens Finalize New Deal With Calais Campbell

March 15th, 2020 at 2:22pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Ravens have a new two-year deal worth up to $27MM, including $20MM guaranteed, with recently acquired defensive lineman Calais Campbell, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Baltimore acquired Campbell for a fifth-round pick from the Jaguars earlier Sunday. Unloading the $15MM cap hit on Campbell’s contract seemed to be the only plausible motive for Jacksonville to move a player of Campbell’s caliber for such a minuscule return. However, the Ravens appear to be lowering that cap number in exchange for some longer-term guarantees.

Campbell has consistently ranked among the best defensive lineman in football over his 12-year career. While Campbell will turn 34 in September, he has yet to show his age much on the field. In fact, Campbell ranked as the second-highest graded edge defender by Pro Football Focus out of the 107 qualified players. Per more traditional metrics, Campbell recorded 56 combined tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks.

Not only has Baltimore acquired a difference-maker for their defensive front without sacrificing much draft capital, they now have secured his services for an additional season.

Ryan Tannehill Agrees To Extension With Titans

March 15th, 2020 at 1:35pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Titans have agreed to terms on a contract extension with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. A source informed Jeff Darlington of ESPN that the contract extension spans four years and worth a maximum of $118MM. The deal reportedly includes $62MM in fully guaranteed money and $91MM in partial guarantees.

This extension not only frees up Tennessee to use the Titans on another free agent (like running back Derrick Henry), it also takes them out of the running for impending free agent Tom Brady. Obviously, Brady’s free agency has been the largest storyline of the offseason and the many ties between the Titans regime and the Patriots only furthered those rumors.

Per Darlington’s report, Tannehill’s new contract makes for the sixth-highest full guarantee of any quarterback and would rank as the seventh most valuable contract for a quarterback by average per year value (slotting behind Matt Ryan and ahead of Kirk Cousins). Darlington added in a later tweet that Tannehill’s contract includes $17.5MM in full guarantees in 2020, $24.5MM in full guarantees in 2021, $29MM guaranteed for injury (that converts to full guarantees on the fifth day of the previous league year), and a $27.5MM base salary in 2022.

Tannehill followed a unique path to his nine-figure contract. After stalling out in Miami the Dolphins traded him to the Titans last offseason alongside a 2019 sixth-round pick for a 2019 seventh-round pick and 2020 fourth-round pick in a relatively underreported move. Tannehill entered the season as the team’s backup to Marcus Mariota, but as Mariota failed to take another step forward, Tannehill stepped in and led Tennessee on a late-season charge into the postseason where they upset the Patriots and nearly upset the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

In just 12 regular-season games (10 starts), Tannehill completed 70.3 percent of his passes and led the league in quarterback rating and nearly every yards per attempt statistic. Most valuably for Tennessee, his strong play out of play-action paired perfectly with their bruising running game (led by Henry). While Henry is still set for free agency, the Titans have gained new leverage now that their franchise tag is no longer necesarry for their quarterback.

Colts Re-Sign LT Anthony Castonzo

March 15th, 2020 at 12:37pm CST by Rory Parks

The Colts and left tackle Anthony Castonzo have agreed to terms on a new contract, the team announced. Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports that it’s a two-year, $33MM deal (Twitter link).

Indianapolis’ offensive line is perhaps the team’s biggest strength, thanks in no small part to Castonzo, who has anchored the blindside for Colts signal-callers since his rookie year in 2011. As ESPN’s Field Yates observes (via Twitter), Indy was the only team to start the same five offensive linemen in every game in 2019, and the current unit will remain intact for the third consecutive year in 2020.

Though Castonzo has never made the Pro Bowl, he’s started in all 132 of his games with consistently strong play. Last year, the Boston College product graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 7 ranked tackle in the entire NFL. His 81.3 overall score was even stronger than his 2017 and 2018 showings, proving that he still has plenty of football left in the tank.

His previous four-year, $43.8MM deal expired at the end of the 2019 season, and he was reportedly considering retirement earlier this year. However, he recently announced that he would continue his playing career, and he made it clear that he would not consider signing with a club other than the Colts.

Though that statement didn’t do much to help his leverage, it turns out he didn’t need it. The $16.5MM AAV he will see under his new contract puts him at the top of the left tackle market.

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