HEADLINES

Month: March 2022

Bears Nix Larry Ogunjobi Deal

March 18th, 2022 at 11:02am CST by Zachary Links

The Bears announced that they have called off their agreement with defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi. Per the club’s press release, Ogunjobi failed his physical. 

“As I said before, Larry Ogunjobi embodies everything we are looking for in a Bear,” GM Ryan Poles said in a statement. “He is a special person and player. During the league’s negotiating window earlier this week, we agreed to terms with him, subject to him passing a physical here. After a standard and thorough physical and medical review with Larry yesterday afternoon, our medical team deemed him to have failed his physical and, therefore, unfortunately, we are not signing him today. This is difficult and it is emotional for everyone involved, but ultimately is what is in the best interest of protecting the Chicago Bears.”

The contract was set to be worth $40.5MM over three years, with $26.35MM guaranteed. It was to be a huge pay bump for the 27-year-old (28 in June), but he’ll now have to find his next contract elsewhere.

Ogunjobi spent his first four seasons with the Browns before moving on to the Bengals last year. In 2021, he notched 49 tackles and seven sacks in 16 games. The investment in Ogunjobi – along with the likes of Trey Hendrickson and Chidobe Awuzie – paid off as the Bengals won the AFC North for the first time since 2015.

Unfortunately, his season was brought to a halt with a right foot injury before the divisional round. That same foot injury seems to have cost him his contract with Chicago.

With the ex-Bengal ruled out, the Bears have agreed to sign former Chargers defensive tackle Justin Jones (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). Jones, who graded out as a top-40 interior defensive lineman in 2020 per Pro Football Focus, will join the Bears on a two-year deal.

Cowboys To Re-Sign Leighton Vander Esch

March 18th, 2022 at 10:16am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys are keeping Leighton Vander Esch. On Friday, the linebacker agreed to a brand new one-year deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). It’s a one-year, $2MM pact, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets.

[RELATED: Cowboys Re-Sign Armstrong]

LVE was a first-round pick of the Cowboys in 2018, but they declined to pick up his fifth-year option. That put him on course for free agency this week, though the Cowboys were still interested in bringing him back — just at a lower rate.

Vander Esch made the Pro Bowl and the second-team All-Pro team as a rookie in 2018. That year, the No. 19 overall pick notched 140 tackles, seven passes defended, and two interceptions. But, in 2020, he finished with just 60 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and zero passes defended in ten contests. This past season, he notched 77 stops, one sack, and one interception, showing that he still has something to offer as a coverage linebacker.

This year, LVE will try to reassert himself in the Cowboys’ pecking order. After playing on more than 75% of the snaps in his first two years, Vander Esch dropped to 67% in 2020 and just 58% of snaps in 2021.

Vikings Restructure Adam Thielen’s Deal

March 18th, 2022 at 9:37am CST by Zachary Links

Adam Thielen is staying put. On Friday, the wide receiver agreed to restructure his deal in order to remain with the Vikings, according to a tweet from his agency.

The Vikings entered the offseason with one of the worst cap situations in the league and Thielen was viewed as a potential cap casualty. The two-time Pro Bowler was set to carry a $16.8MM cap hit this year. The Vikings could have released him to save $5.7MM against $11.1MM in dead money, or spread that dead money hit over the next two seasons via the post-June 1 designation. Ultimately, the Vikings wanted to keep the wide receiver – they just needed a little bit of cooperation on his part.

Thielen, 32 in August, registered 67 receptions for 726 yards and ten touchdowns in just 13 games last year. While it was a solid showing, it was something of a down year by his standards. Between his 2017 and 2018 Pro Bowl campaigns, Thielen averaged upwards of 1,300 yards per slate.

Thielen’s restructured contract includes $18MM guaranteed with a raise to $14.4MM in 2022 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Meanwhile, for salary cap purposes, a void year has been added to the deal.

While Thielen is staying in Minnesota, the same can’t be said for cornerback Mackensie Alexander.

Minor NFL Transactions:  3/18/22

March 18th, 2022 at 8:49am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals 

  • Re-Signed: LB Ezekiel Turner

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Bucs To Sign Logan Ryan

March 18th, 2022 at 8:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers are rolling out the pewter carpet for Tom Brady. On Friday, the Bucs agreed to sign defensive back and former Brady teammate Logan Ryan, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 

Ryan was released by the Giants on Thursday, bringing his three-year, $31MM deal to an early end. The 31-year-old wasn’t a fit for the new regime, but he was still productive last year as he notched 117 tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and eight passes defensed across 15 games.

The veteran first made his name in New England, where he spent four seasons with Brady and the Pats. Along the way, he won two Super Bowls and positioned himself for a three-year, $30MM deal with the Titans. He enjoyed one of his most productive seasons in 2019, setting career-highs in tackles (113), passes defended (18), sacks (4.5), and forced fumbles (four), but the Titans didn’t want him back. That led him to the Giants, where he switched to safety and notched 200+ tackles over two seasons.

The terms of the deal are not yet known, but Ryan is still set to collect $5.5MM from the Giants this year, so the Bucs probably didn’t have to break the bank for him.

Rams Receiving Calls On WR Robert Woods

March 17th, 2022 at 10:57pm CST by Ben Levine

Could Robert Woods be on the trade block? The Rams have received calls about the receiver’s availability, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

[RELATED: Rams To Sign Allen Robinson]

The Super Bowl champs shocked many when they inked Allen Robinson to a deal, and subsequent reports indicated that the team was still interested in re-signing Odell Beckham Jr.. Cooper Kupp obviously isn’t going anywhere, and Van Jefferson was productive during his sophomore season. While the Rams have a high-flying offense, something was clearly going to give.

It could end up being Woods, who hauled in 45 receptions for 556 yards and four touchdowns before tearing his ACL in practice. That injury happened in November, and while we’ve seen some miraculous recoveries in recent years, Woods would be hard pressed to be ready for the start of the 2022 season.

When healthy, Woods has been one of the most productive receivers in the NFL. He topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage each season between 2018 and 2020, and inquiring teams are surely counting on Woods returning to form. Woods inked a four-year, $65MM extension with the Rams in 2020, and he’s attached to $15MM+ cap hits for the next four seasons.

Seahawks Re-Sign DT Al Woods

March 17th, 2022 at 10:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Al Woods is returning to Seattle. The Seahawks announced that they have re-signed the veteran defensive tackle.

The former fourth-round pick has been able to stick around the NFL for more than a decade. After serving as mostly a backup, special teamer, or roster fodder in stops with the Saints, Steelers (two stints), Buccaneers, Seahawks (first stint), and Titans, Woods finally got a chance to start full-time with the Colts in 2017. He spent two seasons in Indy before returning to Seattle in 2019.

Woods saw time in 14 games that season, but he missed a handful of games while serving a suspension for performance-enhancing substances. He joined the Jaguars for the 2020 season but opted out, and the team released him from his contract last offseason. He joined the Seahawks for his third stint with the organization and had one of the best seasons of his career.

Woods started all 16 of his games last season, collecting a career-high 50 tackles to go with 1.5 sacks and five QB hits.

49ers Sign WR/PR Ray-Ray McCloud

March 17th, 2022 at 9:49pm CST by Ben Levine

The 49ers are adding a special teams ace. San Francisco is signing wide receiver/return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud to a two-year deal, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter). The deal is worth up to $10.4MM, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).

The former sixth-round pick bounced around the NFL during his first two years in the league, but he found a home in Pittsburgh over the past two saeasons. He got into 16 games during his first year with the Steelers, but he took a significant step forward in 2021.

McCloud made a name for himself on special teams, leading the NFL in punt return yardage at 367. He also returned 35 kickoffs for 776 yards. He wasn’t a scrub on offense, either; he hauled in 39 receptions for 277 yards, and he added another 15 yards on two carries.

Now, the 25-year-old is off to San Francisco. The Steelers made an effort to retain McCloud but the 49ers made a “stronger commitment,” according to Fowler (on Twitter).

Panthers Out In Deshaun Watson Sweepstakes

March 17th, 2022 at 8:16pm CST by Ben Levine

And it’s down to two. The Panthers have been informed that they’re out in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). That leaves the Falcons and Saints as the final remaining suitors for the Texans QB.

[RELATED: Browns Out Of Contention For Deshaun Watson]

Carolina had been connected to Watson for the better part of a year, and they were one of the four teams to meet with the QB. We learned earlier today that the Browns were the first loser of the Watson sweepstakes, and now we can include the Panthers to the list.

While the Browns find themselves in a messy situation following the fallout from Watson’s decision, the Panthers won’t really have to deal with those kind of issues, and they’ll still probably be in the hunt for a QB. Sam Darnold struggled during his first season in Carolina, with Cam Newton and P.J. Walker also getting looks in 2021.

So when will we get a resolution on the Watson trade? We may have to wait through the weekend, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com. The reporter writes that the QB “will take some time to think things over,” and he could use the weekend to make his decision. The Falcons bought themselves some extra time earlier tonight when they delayed Matt Ryan‘s impending roster bonus. Meanwhile, the cap-strapped Saints have continued to carve out some space for a potential trade.

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