HEADLINES

Month: March 2022

Dolphins To Re-Sign LB Sam Eguavoen

March 15th, 2022 at 7:58pm CST by Ben Levine

Sam Eguavoen is staying with the Dolphins. The linebacker is inking a new one-year deal with Miami, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).

The one year pact will pay Eguavoen $2MM, with $800K of the deal fully guaranteed.

The Texas Tech product had to settle for a CFL gig after going undrafted in 2015, and he ended up spending three seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He got a chance with the Dolphins in 2019, and he’s made the most of his opportunity, appearing in all 49 games for Miami over the past three years.

That includes a 2021 campaign where Eguavoen collected 16 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and a fumble-return touchdown in 17 games. While Eguavoen spent some time on defense, he had a particularly large role on special teams.

Latest On FA OL Terron Armstead

March 15th, 2022 at 7:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Terron Armstead should earn himself a nice pay day this offseason, but it sounds like he’d consider taking a discount with the Saints depending on their QB situation. According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter), Armstead is waiting to see if Deshaun Watson lands in New Orleans before figuring out his next step.

While Armstead is a free agent, he’s presumably among the Saints players actively recruiting Watson to New Orleans, according to Wilson.

Armstead is among the top free agents remaining on the board. The veteran has spent his entire career with the Saints, earning three-straight Pro Bowl nods between 2018 and 2020. The lineman has seen time in 97 career games (93 starts).

The 30-year-old started each of his eight games in 2021. He missed a handful of games with a knee injury, and he’ll reportedly need offseason surgery to repair the ailment.

Falcons To Meet With Deshaun Watson

March 15th, 2022 at 7:18pm CST by Zachary Links

7:18pm: Watson will meet with the Falcons on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. The 26-year-old quarterback is a Georgia native, heading to Clemson from Gainesville, Ga., and once worked as a Falcons ball boy. Watson and the Browns finished their meeting Tuesday.

We might be moving close to a trade resolution here, though that is obviously only part of this saga. The Texans appear to have approved trade compensation from the Browns, Panthers and Saints, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. The Watson meetings were contingent upon it. This would point to the Falcons having made a satisfactory offer as well. Watson reached out to the Falcons about a meeting, Russini adds (on Twitter).

10:55am: The Falcons have emerged as a sleeper team to trade for Deshaun Watson, according to league sources who spoke with Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link). With that, they join the Panthers, Saints, and Browns on the known list of clubs in pursuit of the Texans quarterback. 

Watson is set to meet with the Browns today. As of this writing, the Saints and Panthers are the only clubs reported to have made an offer. Still, the Browns have done plenty of research on Watson – both before trading that fateful draft pick to the Texans and after.

Matt Ryan completed 67% of his passes for 3,968 yards and 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last year. Those numbers are more or less in line with his career averages, though the Falcons are now years removed from their last Super Bowl appearance.

The Falcons could see Watson as the solution, though Ryan just agreed to restructure his contract last week. It’s also possible that the Falcons are simply doing their due diligence and/or looking to raise the asking price for their NFC South rivals. The Panthers and Saints are both keenly interested in the embattled QB — even if the Falcons don’t trade for him, they could help to chip away at their draft capital.

Thanks to Ryan’s restructuring, the Falcons opened up an additional $12MM on their 2022 books. On the heels of that move, they hammered out a brand new $50MM+ extension with veteran lineman Jake Matthews.

Colts To Re-Sign DL Tyquan Lewis

March 15th, 2022 at 7:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the Colts’ four second-round picks in the 2018 draft, Tyquan Lewis will stay with Indianapolis beyond his rookie contract. The Colts are re-signing the veteran defensive lineman, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Lewis agreed to stay on a one-year deal worth $3MM. This contract certainly suggests the Colts plan to keep Lewis in a rotational role.

The Ohio State product is one of a few Colts defensive ends who entered the tampering period unattached. Fellow 2018 second-rounder Kemoko Turay, veteran Al-Quadin Muhammad and Isaac Rochell are unsigned. The Colts used first- and second-round picks on defensive ends last year, in Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo.

Lewis, 27, has started 12 games over his four-year Colts career. While he has not been able to establish himself as a consistent first-string presence, Lewis has recorded 6.5 sacks over the past two seasons. The 2.5 he accumulated last year came before a patellar tendon tear sustained on Halloween. This represents one of the toughest injuries to surmount, but the Colts would like to see Lewis continue his career with them.

Jets To Re-Sign DT Nathan Shepherd

March 15th, 2022 at 7:09pm CST by Ben Levine

Nathan Shepherd is sticking around New York. The Jets are re-signing the defensive tackle, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).

Shepherd was a third-round pick by the Jets in 2018, and while he’s never developed into a consistent starter with the organization, he’s still carved out a role on defense.

In four seasons with the team, Shepherd has seen time in 56 games (nine starts). That includes a 2021 campaign where he saw time in all 17 games for the Jets (one start), collecting 28 tackles and eight QB hits.

He saw time on 42 percent of his team’s defensive snaps and 30 percent of the Jets’ special teams snaps.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/15/22

March 15th, 2022 at 6:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:

RFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Contract Details: Crosby, Gregory, Campbell, Conner, Jensen, Dissly, Glowinski

March 15th, 2022 at 6:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the details from the latest agreed-upon contracts around the league:

  • Maxx Crosby, DE (Raiders): Four years, $94MM. The Raiders gave Crosby a $13MM signing bonus and have fully guaranteed his 2022 and ’23 base salaries ($3.5MM, $10MM), Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. Crosby’s 2024 base ($19MM) will become fully guaranteed in 2023. Crosby’s 2025 and ’26 salaries ($21MM apiece) are nonguaranteed. There are $200K-per-year incentives included for All-Pro nods as well.
  • Randy Gregory, OLB (Broncos): Five years, $70MM. Denver is giving Gregory a $10MM signing bonus and has the pass rusher attached to $4MM and $14MM base salaries in 2022 and ’23, respectively, per Brad Spielberger and Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus (on Twitter). Both years are fully guaranteed, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Gregory’s deal includes $1MM roster bonuses in 2025 and ’26.
  • De’Vondre Campbell, LB (Packers): Five years, $50MM. Green Bay is giving Campbell a $15MM signing bonus and has backloaded the base salaries. Campbell’s first two salaries check in at $1.1MM and $1.45MM, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. They spike to just north of $7MM by 2024. A $3MM roster bonus is also due on Day 3 of the 2023 league year, with a $2.9MM roster bonus due at the same point on the 2024 calendar.
  • Ryan Jensen, C (Buccaneers): Three years, $39MM. Jensen will see $23MM fully guaranteed, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets. His 2022 breakdown goes $1.5MM base salary and $12.5MM roster bonus. $9MM of Jensen’s $12.5MM 2023 base salary is fully guaranteed, and the other $3.5MM shifts to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2023 league year.
  • Will Dissly, TE (Seahawks): Three years, $24MM (max value). The deal includes a $9.3MM signing bonus but is light on guaranteed salary. Dissly’s $1MM 2022 salary is fully guaranteed, while Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets the 2023 base ($5.64MM) is guaranteed for injury. The injury-prone tight end’s 2024 base ($6.49MM) is nonguaranteed.
  • James Conner, RB (Cardinals): Three years, $21MM. Conner’s deal includes $13.5MM guaranteed, per Kyed and Spielberger (on Twitter). Conner’s 2022 and ’23 base salaries ($1.75MM and $5.75MM) are fully guaranteed.
  • Mark Glowinski, G (Giants): Three years, $18.3MM. The Giants included a $4.5MM signing bonus, and Glowinski will have cap figures of $3.35MM (2022), $7.75MM (2023) and $7.2MM (’24). Glowinski is due a $1MM roster bonus in 2023 (Twitter links via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan).

Latest On Aaron Rodgers’ Extension With Packers

March 15th, 2022 at 6:47pm CST by Ben Levine

Aaron Rodgers has officially signed his record-breaking extension with the Packers, and we’re getting more clarity on the mind-numbing numbers.

Rodgers will earn $150.815MM over the next three years ($42MM in ’22, $59.5MM in ’23, $49.3MM in ’24), with the next two years fully guaranteed (per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter). As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets, the expectation is that Rodgers would retire after that 2024 campaign. If he decides to continue playing, the final two years of the deal (stemming from the four-year extension, five years total) would need to be reworked.

As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes, Rodgers will see $123.52MM in “new money” on the extension, translating to a “new money average” of $61.7MM (considering the additions of 2023 and 2024, coupled with the 2025 and 2026 dummy years). As Florio points out, that’s a significant jump from the previous-high of $45MM per year.

Meanwhile, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweeted out a helpful guide on how Rodgers’ extension will impact the Packers’ cap over the next three years:

  • 2022: $28.5MM cap number (down from $46.7MM)
  • 2023: $31.6MM cap number (up from $7.7MM on a previously voidable year)
  • 2024: $40.7MM cap number

DL Eddie Goldman To Meet With Ravens

March 15th, 2022 at 6:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Eddie Goldman‘s first free agent visit will be in Baltimore. The veteran defensive lineman is expected to meet with the Ravens on Friday, reports Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (via Twitter).

The Bears cut Goldman last week after they couldn’t work out a trade for the veteran defensive lineman. Two years remained on Goldman’s $10.5MM-per-year deal, and cutting the veteran saved the Bears more than $6MM in cap space.

Goldman, 28, returned to the Bears after opting out of the 2020 season. He started 10 games, upping his total to 73 as a pro. The Bears gave him an extension worth $42MM in 2018, but because his contract tolled after he passed on the 2020 season, Goldman was signed through 2023.

The Ravens have revamped their defense a bit over the past week. After releasing cornerback Tavon Young last week, the team inked safety Marcus Williams to a whopping five-year, $70MM deal. Goldman would be another notable addition to new DC Mike Macdonald‘s defense.

Colts To Re-Sign OL Matt Pryor

March 15th, 2022 at 6:12pm CST by Ben Levine

The Colts are bringing back Matt Pryor. The team is re-signing the offensive tackle, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). It’s a one-year deal worth $5.5MM with $6MM upside.

The 2018 sixth-round pick spent the first three seasons of his career with the Eagles, starting 10 of his 27 games. The lineman was traded to Indy (along with a seventh-round pick) for a sixth-round pick prior to the 2021 season.

During his lone season with the Colts, the 27-year-old saw time in all 17 games, starting five. He saw time on 40 percent of his team’s offensive snaps and 19 percent of their special teams snaps.

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