2022 March - Pro Football Rumors

Bills Sign QB Matt Barkley

March 21st, 2022 at 4:30pm CST by Ben Levine

After spending the 2021 season playing elsewhere, Matt Barkley has landed back in Buffalo. The Bills announced that they’ve signed the quarterback to a one-year contract.

The journeyman had his longest career stint with the Bills, spending two-plus seasons with the organization. He saw time in eight games (one start) during his time in Buffalo, completing 54.6 percent of his passes for 788 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions.

He signed a two-year contract with the Titans last offseason but didn’t make it to the regular season, and he later spent the 2021 campaign with the Panthers and Falcons. Barkley previously spent time with the Eagles, Cardinals (two stints), Bears, 49ers, and Bengals.

The Bills have Josh Allen sitting atop their depth chart, and they acquired veteran Case Keenum from the Browns last week. However, as Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic tweeted at the time, a Barkley move was anticipated even when the organization acquired Keenum. In other words, it sounds like the two acquisitions will be fighting it out to replace Mitchell Trubisky as the No. 2 QB in Buffalo next season.

Latest On Jimmy Garoppolo

March 21st, 2022 at 3:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

With Matt Ryan being traded to the Colts, the list of potential landing spots for Jimmy Garoppolo has gotten smaller. The move will likely have an impact on his trade value, although the 49ers reportedly have a relatively strong market for Garoppolo already.

[RELATED: Falcons Sign Mariota]

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, 49ers general manager John Lynch “is telling interested teams that he has an offer in hand of two second round picks” for the outgoing quarterback. That would constitute twice the price San Francisco paid to acquire him from the Patriots in 2017. More notably, it would outstrip the compensation from the Ryan and Carson Wentz deals.

It has been thought the 49ers would move on from Garoppolo, 30, once they drafted Trey Lance third overall last year. Not surprisingly, then, they were reportedly fielding trade calls on him earlier this month. Any move would be complicated not only by the rest of the market, but also Garoppolo’s recent surgery as well as his contract status. He carries a cap hit of just under $27MM for one more season on his current deal.

Florio lists the Seahawks as a potential trade destination. The Colts were long thought to be interested in the former Patriot, but the acquisition of Ryan eliminates them from contention. With the Falcons and Saints signing Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, respectively, they are likewise doubtful to be interested. Seattle added Drew Lock in the Russell Wilson deal, but the NFC West squad is one of a dwindling number of teams – another potentially being the Panthers – facing questions about its starting QB.

If the 49ers do indeed have a noteworthy offer available to them, one of the last dominoes in this year’s QB market could fall in the near future.

Broncos To Meet With T Brandon Shell

March 21st, 2022 at 3:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Russell Wilson‘s most recent right tackle in Seattle will head to Denver for a visit. The Broncos plan to meet with Brandon Shell on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets.

The Broncos have not had right tackle stability since Orlando Franklin‘s early-2010s tenure, having started a different player at this position from 2013-2021. With Bobby Massie unlikely to return, that streak should reach 10 years come September. Denver signed Tom Compton as a possible option, but the team is still looking for help here.

A former Jets draftee, Shell signed with the Seahawks in 2020 — on a two-year, $9MM deal — and made 21 starts for the team. Pro Football Focus gave Shell a middling 2021 grade, but he has 61 career starts on his resume. Shell, who saw injuries limit him in both Seattle seasons, is going into his age-30 season. Compton graded higher than Shell last year, filling in for Mike McGlinchey after the latter’s season-ending injury, but he will turn 33 soon and has seen action for six teams since entering the league in 2013.

Denver traded its first- and second-round picks for Wilson but still holds a second-round choice (the Rams’ No. 64 pick, obtained in the Von Miller trade) and two third-rounders. While the team has filled some of its need spots, its near-decade-long drought for right tackle stability remains.

Contract Details: Watson, Adams, Stafford, Jones, Maye, Reed, Joseph-Day, Bozeman

March 21st, 2022 at 3:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest details from contracts recently agreed to across the league, starting with the Browns’ fully guaranteed deal for their new quarterback.

Deshaun Watson, QB (Browns): Five years, fully guaranteed $230MM. Everything else about Watson’s Cleveland arrival is complicated; his contract is not. Following the 2022 season, in which the Browns reduced his salary to $1MM due to the likely forthcoming suspension, Watson is set to make $46MM in base salary from 2023-26, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes.
Matthew Stafford, QB (Rams): Four years, $160MM. The Rams are keeping Stafford’s base salaries down in the near future; they reside at $1.5MM for both 2022 and ’23, per OverTheCap. The team gave its quarterback a $60MM signing bonus, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. There are no void years on this deal, which includes $49.5MM, $50.5MM and $49.5MM cap numbers from 2024-26.
Davante Adams, WR (Raiders): Five years, $140MM. Adams’ deal surpasses DeAndre Hopkins‘ $27MM-per-year pact, but it is essentially a three-year, $67.5MM accord, Florio notes. Only $22.75MM is guaranteed at signing, but by early 2023, $42.9MM in injury guarantees shift to full guarantees. The Raiders have Adams tied to a $3.5MM 2022 base salary, helping for cap purposes, with a $20MM roster bonus representing part of that $42.9MM guarantee in 2023. Adams’ 2023 salary is set to be $6MM. His 2025 and ’26 salaries — $35.6MM apiece — are nonguaranteed.
Chandler Jones, OLB (Raiders): Three years, $51MM. The Raiders guaranteed Jones $32MM, with SI.com’s Howard Balzer noting the deal includes an $8.5MM roster bonus (Twitter link). The Raiders, who have Jones tied to base salaries of $4MM in 2022 and $7.5MM in 2023, tacked on two void years for cap purposes.
D.J. Reed, CB (Jets): Three years, $33MM. Reed collected $10.5MM guaranteed at signing and will count just $4.6MM against the Jets’ cap this year, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. Reed is set to count $14.2MM against the Jets’ 2023 and ’24 caps.
Marcus Maye, S (Saints): Three years, $22.5MM. Originally reported as three years and $28.5MM, Maye’s deal does include $14.5MM guaranteed, per Spotrac (on Twitter). Maye’s 2022 cap hit is just $2.6MM, and the Saints included two void years. Maye’s cap hits for 2023 and ’24 are $8.6MM and $8.7MM, respectively.
Sebastian Joseph-Day, DT (Chargers). Three years, $24MM. Joseph-Day will receive $16.5MM guaranteed, which is up from initial reporting here. His 2022 and ’23 base salaries — $2.5MM and $6.5MM — are guaranteed, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets.
Bradley Bozeman, OL (Panthers): One year, $2.8MM. Bozeman will receive a $1MM signing bonus and a $1MM base salary, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets.

Eagles Sign Zach Pascal

March 21st, 2022 at 3:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles are set to add to their wide receiver room. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Philadelphia is signing Zach Pascal to a one-year contract (Twitter link). The team has confirmed the move. The one-year pact is worth $1.5MM, with all of it guaranteed, per Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus (on Twitter).

Pascal, 27, spent the first four years of his career with the Colts, after joining them as a UDFA in 2018. He started 44 of 64 games in Indianapolis, playing at least three-quarters of the team’s snaps in all but his rookie campaign. His most productive season came in 2020, where he posted 44 catches for 629 yards and five touchdowns.

The deal represents a reunion for Pascal with Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. The latter’s time as the offensive coordinator of the Colts overlapped with the first three seasons of Pascal’s career. The Old Dominion alum will be joining a new team, resuming work with a familiar face.

In Philadelphia, Pascal joins a WR corps headed by 2021 first rounder DeVonta Smith. While the former Heisman winner had a productive rookie season, the Eagles have long been thought to be in need of additions to their pass-catching corps. At six-foo-two, 214 pounds, Pascal also represents a bigger target than Smith and underwhelming 2020 first-rounder Jalen Reagor.

With Pascal in the fold, the Eagles have added a proven complimentary piece to their WR room. Given the length of the deal, along with Pascal’s history as a secondary option, though, the team could still be active in adding another wideout. The free agent market has mostly dried up, but the team has three first round picks at their disposal for this April’s draft, where many feel they will add at the position.

Bengals Release CB Trae Waynes

March 21st, 2022 at 2:56pm CST by Rory Parks

MARCH 21: The Bengals waited a while, but they have made the Waynes move. This cut will add more than $10MM to Cincinnati’s cap space. Waynes did not play any defensive snaps during the team’s four playoff games, wrapping a disappointing run for the ex-Vikings first-rounder in Cincinnati.

This transaction stands to bump the AFC champions’ cap space north of $23MM. The Bengals brought back Eli Apple, keeping their top three corners from 2021 — Apple, Awuzie and Hilton — together. Unfortunately, Waynes could not avoid more injury trouble, which ended up defining his Bengals tenure.

FEB. 27: This is hardly a surprise, but the Bengals are expected to cut cornerback Trae Waynes, per Jay Morrison of The Athletic (subscription required). Waynes signed a three-year, $42MM contract with Cincinnati in March 2020, and in Morrison’s estimation, he is the biggest free agency bust in club history.

It would be difficult to quibble with that assessment. Waynes missed the entire 2020 season with a pectoral injury, and he ultimately played in just five regular season games in 2021 due to a hamstring ailment. Although he appeared in all four of the Bengals’ postseason contests, he saw just 13 total snaps, and all of them came on special teams.

The reigning AFC champs are in a pretty good place in terms of the salary cap. As Morrison writes in a separate piece (subscription required), Cincinnati should have upwards of $70MM in cap space this offseason, including the $10.9MM the club will realize from the Waynes release. Of course, a good chunk of that money is likely to be invested in an offensive line that yielded a whopping 70 sacks throughout the regular season and playoffs.

But some of it will need to be reinvested into the secondary as well. In addition to a franchise tag or extension for safety Jessie Bates, the Bengals will need to sign a No. 2 corner. Indeed, other than Waynes, Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton, no cornerback who played a snap in 2021 is under contract for 2022.

For his part, Waynes will likely need to settle for a veteran minimum deal somewhere. His contract with the Bengals was inflated due to the premium that teams often have to pay for cornerbacks in free agency, as his 3+ years as a starter with the Vikings were solid enough, but never spectacular. Couple that with his recent injury history, and it stands to reason that he will be looking for a prove-it contract in 2022.

Falcons, QB Marcus Mariota Agree To Deal

March 21st, 2022 at 2:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not long after Marcus Mariota-to-Atlanta smoke emerged, the former No. 2 overall pick has agreed to reunite with Arthur Smith. Mariota agreed to a two-year Falcons deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the two-year pact is worth $18.75MM. The Falcons have already announced the deal.

The Falcons traded Matt Ryan to the Colts earlier Monday, giving them a quarterback need for the first time since 2008. Mariota is certainly not a lock to be a long-term starter in Atlanta, but the former Tennessee draftee has experience with Smith and looks set to be Ryan’s immediate successor.

Smith was with the Titans throughout Mariota’s five-year Nashville tenure, but he coached the team’s tight ends for the bulk of Mariota’s run. During Smith’s first offensive coordinator season, he benched Mariota for Ryan Tannehill. The Titans then let Mariota join the Raiders in free agency in 2020. The former Heisman Trophy winner did not supplant Derek Carr in Las Vegas, but he has a clear path to being Atlanta’s starter next season.

A broken leg sustained on Christmas Eve 2016 altered Mariota’s Titans trajectory. The ex-Oregon phenom was coming off a season in which he threw 26 touchdown passes compared to just nine interceptions, while adding 349 rushing yards and two TDs. He did not reach 26 TD passes combined from 2017-18, as the Titans shifted to a more run-oriented attack. Mariota did guide Tennessee to the 2017 playoffs, where they upset the Chiefs after erasing a three-score deficit, but injuries in 2018 provided more hurdles. Elbow trouble led to Mariota missing time in 2018, and he was ineffective for the 2019 Titans, who surged to the playoffs behind Tannehill.

Mariota, 28, did not make any starts with the Raiders but did provide off-the-bench production as an injury replacement or a gadget running option behind Carr. Smith’s former pupil will give the Falcons a dual-threat option they did not have with Ryan. Of course, it remains to be seen how much Smith can coax from Mariota through the air.

Giants Sign Matt Breida

March 21st, 2022 at 2:27pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Giants have added a veteran to their running back room. The team announced the signing of Matt Breida on Monday.

[RELATED: Giants Cut RB Booker]

Breida, 27, started his career with the 49ers as a UDFA. He spent three seasons there, with his best campaign coming in 2018. He totalled 814 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, along with 261 yards and two more scores in the passing game.

San Francisco then traded him to the Dolphins as part of a draft-day deal. In his lone season in Miami, he started only one of 12 games played, recording 350 scrimmage yards. He then signed with the Bills one year ago, though again he was simply a depth piece. He played only 81 snaps, meaning it doesn’t come as a surprise he is on the move for the third consecutive offseason. Given the presence of Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll in New York, though, Breida will be a familiar face for his new employers.

There are plenty of question marks surrounding the Giants’ RB room at the moment. The most important storyline with regards to the position – if not the team as a whole – is the future of Saquon Barkley. While a trade of the former No. 2 overall pick isn’t imminent, it is still a possibility. Regardless of whether or not Barkley stays in the Big Apple, there should be playing time available for Breida given the recent release of fellow veteran Devontae Booker. The speedster will look to improve a Giants offense which averaged less than 100 yards per game on the ground in 2022.

Jaguars Re-Sign WR Laquon Treadwell

March 21st, 2022 at 2:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the few positive developments to come out of the Jaguars’ 2021 season: a career-high receiving total from Laquon Treadwell. While the former first-round pick has never lived up to that billing, he is now signed to play a seventh NFL season.

Treadwell will return to the Jaguars on a one-year deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. He will be part of a new-look wideout group, with the Jags having signed Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. The Jags have announced the Treadwell signing.

The 6-foot-2 possession receiver caught 33 passes for 434 yards and a touchdown in his first Jacksonville campaign. A former Vikings first-rounder, Treadwell had bounced on and off rosters since Minnesota cut him in 2019. Treadwell, 26, caught just 15 passes from 2019-20 but will have another opportunity to be a role player with the Jaguars.

Jacksonville will transition to Doug Pederson‘s offense and do so with mostly new pass catchers. Kirk is set to slide in as Trevor Lawrence‘s new WR1, while Jones and Evan Engram will play key roles as well. The team still has Marvin Jones under contract, and Laviska Shenault also remains on the team. D.J. Chark defected to the Lions in free agency. The Jags may not be done at the receiver position, with the draft looming as an obvious augmentation opportunity for the rebuilding team. But they have done extensive work on the position in free agency.

Falcons Eyeing Marcus Mariota?

March 21st, 2022 at 1:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

One of the domino effects of the Matt Ryan trade may already be taking shape. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Falcons are “expected to pursue” free agent quarterback Marcus Mariota (Twitter link).

Mariota, 29, played under Falcons head coach Arthur Smith when he was the offensive coordinator of the Titans. A No. 2 pick of Tennessee in 2015, Mariota spent the first five years of his career there. He compiled a 29-32 record in Nashville, with his best passing season coming in 2016 (3,426 yards, 26 touchdowns).

While the former Oregon Duck was consistent as a Titan, he never developed into the franchise signal-caller he was drafted to become. His days became numbered when Ryan Tannehill took over as the starter midway through the 2019 season. The former Dolphin was a Pro Bowler that season, and has a 30-13 overall record with the Titans.

In 2020, Mariota signed with the Raiders on a two-year deal. He didn’t register a start in his time there, coming onto the field for a total of 89 snaps while the team remained committed to Derek Carr as the starter. With an opening in Atlanta, Mariota would have a clear path back to being a starter.

At present, the Falcons’ QB room consists of Josh Rosen and Feleipe Franks. The former has bounced around to various backup and practice squad roles, while the latter joined the team last year as a UDFA. Mariota would in all likelihood join the team at the top of the depth chart if he were to sign. As a result of trading away Ryan, the team incurred an NFL-record $40.5MM in dead money, but nevertheless created just over $9MM in savings. Those funds could go towards a temporary option such as Mariota, though the team is a strong candidate to use their first round pick (eighth overall) on a quarterback.