2021 September - Pro Football Rumors

Contract Details: Smith, Amendola, Trufant

September 11th, 2021 at 3:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest details on some of the notable contracts recently signed around the NFL:

Harrison Smith, S (Vikings): Four years, $64MM. The deal includes $14.2MM fully guaranteed, but Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com notes $26.4MM will be guaranteed by March 22 (Twitter link). Smith’s 2021 cap hit only comes in at $6.99MM. However, the veteran safety’s salary spikes from $2.95MM in 2022 to $14.7MM in 2023. His 2024 and ’25 base salaries ($14.45MM, $17MM) are not guaranteed.
Danny Amendola, WR (Texans): One year, $2.5MM. Deal includes a $1.25MM base salary and a $250K signing bonus, Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Amendola’s pact features $300K in per-game roster bonuses, with an additional $700K available through incentives.
Desmond Trufant, CB (Saints): One year, $1.075MM, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets. Trufant’s deal qualifies for the minimum-salary benefit, putting his cap hit at just $850K.

Titans Promote K Michael Badgley, S Bradley McDougald; Sam Ficken Lands On IR

September 11th, 2021 at 3:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Like the Texans, the Titans will need their recently added practice squad kicker to contribute immediately. Tennessee placed Sam Ficken on IR on Saturday and promoted Michael Badgley.

The Titans signed Badgley to their practice squad Friday. The former Chargers specialist will suit up against the Cardinals in Week 1. Ficken will not be eligible to begin his season until Week 4. The Titans added their top kicker to their injury report Friday; a groin injury will sideline Ficken to start the year.

This move complicates the Titans’ kicker situation yet again. After a Ryan Succop injury led to a host of kickers suiting up for the Titans in 2019, leading to a historically bad 8-for-18 collective make rate, the Titans signed Stephen Gostkowski last year. The ex-Patriot made just 69% of his field goal tries. The Titans also added Randy Bullock, who worked out for the team Friday, to their practice squad. The Lions cut Bullock, a longtime Bengals kicker, last month.

Badgley kicked in 34 Chargers games over the past three years but could not beat out a younger competitor, Tristan Vizcaino, in training camp. The Texans promoted recent P-squad addition Joey Slye to their active roster Saturday as well, with Ka’imi Fairbairn also on IR with a groin ailment. Badgley auditioned for the Texans, but they went with Slye.

Additionally, the Titans promoted Bradley McDougald and MyCole Pruitt to their active roster. Tennessee signed McDougald earlier this summer but demoted the veteran safety to its P-squad earlier this week. Pruitt is back with the Titans after the 49ers released him on cutdown day.

Bears To Promote DL Damion Square

September 11th, 2021 at 2:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

It looks like Damion Square will be set for a ninth NFL season. The veteran defensive lineman caught on with the Bears earlier this week, via a practice squad deal, but will be on Chicago’s active roster Sunday night.

The Bears are promoting Square from their taxi squad, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Starting nose tackle Eddie Goldman will not make the trip to Los Angeles, having been ruled out for Week 1 with a knee injury, putting Square in position to be a depth piece for his new team.

The Saints released Square on roster cutdown day. A week later, the Bears brought the former Charger in for a workout and added him to their 16-man practice squad. While Square is not a lock to dress against the Rams, Goldman’s injury and the Bears’ thin defensive line depth chart would seemingly ensure the ninth-year vet plays. Chicago has three backup D-linemen on its roster — Square, Angelo Blackson and seventh-round rookie Khyiris Tonga — but one of them will need to start for Goldman.

Square, 32, played six seasons with the Chargers and started 24 games — including 11 during the Bolts’ 2018 playoff season. He played 252 defensive snaps with Los Angeles last season, tallying a sack two QB hits. The Bears are Square’s third team this year. The Browns signed him in May but cut him in mid-August, leading the Saints to take a flier. But Square’s ninth season will begin with Chicago.

Additionally, the Bears are elevating linebacker Josh Woods from their practice squad. The 2020 CBA allows teams to bump up two players from P-squads on game days and dress 48 instead of 46.

Vikings Promote QB Sean Mannion

September 11th, 2021 at 1:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Vikings featured different passers during their training camp competition at backup quarterback, their 2021 plan will likely end up being the same as it was in the past two seasons. They are promoting Sean Mannion to their active roster, Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson tweets.

Kirk Cousins‘ backup in 2019 and ’20, Mannion was linked to the Vikings early in the offseason but ended up signing with the Seahawks. After Seattle released the veteran last week, Minnesota circled back for a reunion. Despite Mannion’s reunion coming via the practice squad, the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson notes the team’s plan all along was for Mannion to be Cousins’ top backup to start the season (Twitter link).

The Vikings drafted Kellen Mond in Round 3 and pitted him against Jake Browning for the QB2 job during camp. Mond obviously made Minnesota’s 53-man roster, as a possible Cousins heir apparent. After two years on the Vikings’ practice squad, Browning is now with the Bengals on a P-squad deal.

A seventh-year veteran, Mannion has managed to remain a viable backup despite having never made a start in a game of consequence. The Rams used him as a reserve for four seasons, and the Oregon State alum only started in a 2017 Week 17 game in which Sean McVay sat his starters. Mannion’s lone Vikings start, in Week 17 of the 2019 season, came under similar circumstances. But he is set to provide veteran insurance behind Cousins to start the season.

Minnesota also bumped Ameer Abdullah up to its active roster, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. While the former second-round pick did not work out as a running back solution with the Lions, he has established himself as a key Vikings backup and special-teamer. Abdullah played in each Vikings game over the past two seasons. This will be his fourth season in Minnesota.

Lions To Place LT Taylor Decker On IR

September 11th, 2021 at 12:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Taylor Decker‘s absence will last more than one week. The Lions are placing their left tackle on the injured reserve, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).

We learned yesterday that the offensive lineman had suffered a hand injury, but the team only initially ruled him out for Week 1. According to Rapoport, Decker has since undergone finger surgery, with the reporter estimating that the lineman will be back in about a month. At the very least, today’s move guarantees that Decker will miss the team’s first three games.

The 2016 first-round pick has been especially durable in recent years, only missing a single game over the past three seasons. The 28-year-old started all 16 games in 2020, appearing on all 1,046 of the team’s offensive snaps.

With Decker sidelined, the team will shuffle their offensive line a bit, with No. 7 overall pick Penei Sewell movingto left tackle. The rookie was to transition to a right tackle role with the Lions, despite having lined up on the left side at Oregon, but the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett notes Sewell has primarily worked as the team’s first-string left tackle in practice since Decker’s injury (Twitter link). The team is not planning a long-term switch, with Decker expected to retake his usual job once he returns to full strength.

Eagles Sign LT Jordan Mailata To Four-Year Extension

September 11th, 2021 at 12:12pm CST by Ben Levine

The Eagles are signing their left tackle to an extension. The team has agreed to a four-year, $64MM extension with offensive lineman Jordan Mailata, reports Adam Caplan SiriusXM (via Twitter).

The contract could be worth up to $80MM and includes $40.85MM in guaranteed money. The extension was signed right before Mailata and his teammates flew to Atlanta for their season opener (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter).

Mailata has one of the better NFL stories, as the 6-foot-8, 380-pound lineman didn’t start playing football until just three years ago. The former rugby player was a 2018 seventh-round pick by the Eagles, and he effectively red shirted his first two years in the NFL. Mailata became Jason Peters‘ primary replacement last season, and the lineman ultimately started 10 games.

The 24-year-old was set to make $850K in the final year of his rookie contract. While this is a big-money extension for a player with only 10 career starts, it could end up being a steal if Mailata hits his potential. Pro Football Focus graded him as a middle-of-the-pack tackle last year, but he was ranked as a top-seven offensive tackle from Weeks 12 to 16 (per Brad Spielberger of PFF on Twitter). The Eagles are clearly banking on Mailata carrying that momentum into 2021.

Packers Rework CB Chandon Sullivan’s Contract

September 11th, 2021 at 9:47am CST by Ben Levine

The Packers opened a chunk of cap space today by reworking Chandon Sullivan‘s contract. Per ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), Green Bay converted $1.213MM of the cornerback’s salary into a signing bonus.

The move added four void years to Sullivan’s deal while opening about $970K against the cap. The Packers are now operating with around $8MM in cap space (h/t to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky on Twitter).

Sullivan went undrafted out of Georgia State in 2018, and following a quiet rookie season with the Eagles, the defensive back found a home in Green Bay before the 2019 campaign. The cornerback has spent the past two years with the Packers, seeing time in all 32 regular season contests. This includes a 2020 campaign where Sullivan started 10 of his 16 games en route to 41 tackles, six passes defended, and one interception. He also started two playoff games for Green Bay, collecting 13 tackles.

While the Packers are doing some work to open cap space, that extra financial flexibility won’t be used to re-sign Davante Adams. The wideout said there’s “no chance” he signs an extension before the season opener, and with Green Bay’s game only about 24 hours away, it’s looking like Adams was probably right.

Bills Rework S Jordan Poyer’s Contract

September 11th, 2021 at 9:27am CST by Ben Levine

The Bills opened up some cap space today by reworking one of their veteran’s contracts. The team converted $5.2MM of safety Jordan Poyer‘s base salary into a signing bonus, according to ESPN Field Yates (via Twitter). The move will save Buffalo $2.6MM against the cap.

Thanks to the move, the organization has a bit more financial breathing room with about $4MM in cap space. Poyer’s cap hit will be reduced for the 2021 season, but it will jump from around $7.7MM to $10.3MM in 2022.

Poyer has spent the past four seasons in Buffalo, starting each of his 63 games. The former seventh-round pick signed a two-year extension with the organization in 2020, keeping him in Buffalo through at least the 2022 season.

The 30-year-old had one of his most productive NFL season in 2020. In 16 starts, the safety finished with a career-high 124 tackles to go along with two sacks, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions. Poyer also started each of Buffalo’s three playoff games, collecting another 20 stops.

Texans To Promote K Joey Slye From Practice Squad

September 11th, 2021 at 9:11am CST by Ben Levine

Joey Slye is the Texans starting kicker … at least for the time being. The team will elevate the kicker from their practice squad today, reports Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).

Slye joined Houston’s practice squad earlier this week, and today’s move seemed all but inevitable when starting kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn landed on injured reserve. Per Wilson, Slye secured his spot as the Week 1 starter following a good week at practice, and the 25-year-old established a good rapport with long snapper Jon Weeks and holder Cameron Johnston.

Slye succeeded Graham Gano as the Panthers starting kicker in 2019, and he kept the gig through the 2020 season. The kicker improved a bit during his second full season, connecting on 29 of his 36 field goal attempts and 33 of his 36 extra point tries. After Carolina added Gano’s Giants camp competitor (Ryan Santoso) via trade, Slye landed on the waiver wire in late August and went unclaimed.

While Slye will temporarily hold the starting gig, he doesn’t have a firm grasp on the job. The organization signed Fairbairn to a four-year extension in 2020, and he’ll likely reclaim his gig once he recovers from a pulled muscle. The team also recently worked out ex-Chargers kicker Michael Badgley, so they have at least one backup plan if Slye struggles while Fairbairn is sidelined.

Cam Newton Off Backup QB Radar?

September 10th, 2021 at 10:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the first time in 11 years, an NFL season began without Cam Newton on a roster. His free agent status might not change soon, either.

No team has given serious consideration to adding Newton as a backup, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. The 10-year veteran quarterback confirmed Friday he is not considering retirement, but it might take an injury to bring about a Newton re-emergence.

Newton, 32, said he was “absolutely” surprised the Patriots cut him but said the team would have made the same decision had he not been forced to spend five days away from New England’s facility due to what the organization called a COVID-19-related misunderstanding. Rather than give the higher-profile passer their backup gig, the Pats released Newton, who said Friday he would have agreed to stay on as Mac Jones‘ backup.

“If they would have asked me, ‘Cam, we’re going to give the team to Mac, you’re going to be second string; we expect you to be everything and some to guide him throughout this tenure,’ I would have said, ‘Absolutely,’” Newton said during a YouTube Live video, via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss. “But listen, the truth of the matter is this: [Jones] would have been uncomfortable.

“… Mac Jones didn’t beat me out. But I would have been a distraction. If they would have gave him the starting role, they knew the perception that it would have had if the success didn’t come.”

Although Newton has never been an NFL backup, he struggled in 2020 and signed for backup-level money earlier this year. The former MVP ranked 29th in cumulative QBR from 2016-19 as well. The Cowboys and Washington said last week they were not interested in Newton, and no team has been linked to the former Pro Bowler yet.

Newton is also unvaccinated, providing another complication for any team interested in adding him as a backup. While NFL protocols for unvaccinated players meant a five-day period away from the Pats, Newton explained his side of the misunderstanding that thrust Jones into first-team practice work late last month. Newton’s out-of-town medical appointment was for a second opinion on the Lisfranc injury that ended his 2019 season and required surgery in December of that year.

“This had nothing to do with no vaccination. They gave me clearance to go. I’m owed a second opinion. This was the last time I felt that I was going to have an opportunity to get a second opinion,” Newton said of the foot issue. “Not to say the personnel with the Patriots wasn’t coherent to telling me everything I needed to know, but having four eyes on it is better than having two eyes on it, in my opinion. It wasn’t that I was having any issues or pain. I just wanted to do a checkup with the person who, in essence, diagnosed me with the Lisfranc. I felt obligated to kind of check back in with a six-month review.

“I crossed all the lines; I checked all the boxes; I dotted all my ‘I’s,’ and then to find out that I had to sit out, that’s when I kind of felt like bamboozled because ‘Y’all told me to go.’ It wasn’t like [the Patriots said], ‘Cam, you know if you go, you’re taking it on your risk.”

Regardless of how Newton’s Pats tenure wrapped, he has seen his stock drop considerably in recent years. The former Heisman winner is running out of time to get his career back on track. But in confirming retirement was not on the table, Newton will surely surface when quarterback injuries occur this season.