2022 March - Pro Football Rumors

Texans To Re-Sign DB Desmond King

March 15th, 2022 at 4:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Desmond King is returning to Houston. The defensive back is re-signing with the Texans, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

King will be signing a two-year deal worth $7MM, per Schefter. The deal contains $3.5MM in guaranteed money.

The defensive back spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers, including a 2018 campaign where he earned a Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod as a cornerback and returner. However, he found himself in and out of the lineup during the 2019 season, and he was ultimately traded to the Titans midway through the 2020 season.

Tennessee let him walk at the end of the year, and King ultimately landed a one-year deal with Houston. He ended up starting a career-high 12 games for the Texans, compiling 93 tackles, six passes defended, and three interceptions.

Latest On Baker Mayfield’s Future With Browns

March 15th, 2022 at 4:16pm CST by Ben Levine

Deshaun Watson could potentially land in Cleveland, but that doesn’t mean Baker Mayfield would be sent to Houston. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Mayfield isn’t a part of the Browns’ trade offer to the Texans.

The Texans are focused on acquiring picks, including a handful of firsts. The Browns’ offer is presumably based on draft capital, and that’s fine with Mayfield…per Cabot, Houston “likely wouldn’t be his top choice for a landing spot.”

If the Browns do somehow acquire Watson, Mayfield would obviously be sent packing in a separate trade, and Cabot notes that the losers of the Watson sweepstakes could pivot to the former first-overall pick. In this hypothetical, the Panthers and Saints would be among the “losers,” and Cabot also mentions the Colts and Seahawks as potential suitors for Mayfield.

In fact, considering the optics of the Watson pursuit, Mayfield might find himself traded even if Cleveland doesn’t complete a deal with Houston. As Cabot writes, Mayfield “would undoubtedly find it awkward to return to Cleveland in 2022 and start for a team that took the Haslams private jet to Houston on Tuesday afternoon to woo his possible replacement.” Mayfield was also critical of Kevin Stefanski’s playcalling last season, and the QB famously hasn’t inked an extension. Mayfield’s future with the organization always seemed like it was on thin ice, but his exit from Cleveland could come sooner than expected.

There’s always a chance that the Browns don’t land Watson, and the organization and Mayfield kiss and make up. However, as Cabot notes, “the visit with Watson seems like a dealbreaker.”

Steelers To Sign CB Levi Wallace

March 15th, 2022 at 3:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Levi Wallace is moving from Buffalo to Pittsburgh. The Steelers are adding the four-year veteran cornerback on a two-year deal worth $8MM, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz tweets.

This stands to aid a Steelers team that has Joe Haden unattached. While the Steelers gave Haden a second contract, the former first-round pick has now made it to free agency. It is somewhat interesting the Bills are letting Wallace walk for this price. The team will need to replace a four-year starter.

Despite entering the NFL as a UDFA, Wallace worked as a Bills first-stringer throughout his career. He played in all 19 Buffalo games this past season. The Alabama product should be expected to start for the Steelers next season. The Steelers reupped Cameron Sutton last year and used him as a full-time starter. He and Wallace represent a low-cost tandem, by 2022 cornerback standards.

Wallace, 26, has six career interceptions. More became asked of him last season, when Tre’Davious White suffered a season-ending injury on Thanksgiving night. While Buffalo’s secondary did not hold up well to close out the team’s infamous loss in Kansas City, the Bills did rank first defensively in the regular season. The 6-foot Wallace finished the regular season with his lowest figure for passer rating against (72.6).

Not typically big on unrestricted free agency, the Steelers have been fairly active this week. In addition to the Mitchell Trubisky addition, Pittsburgh has agreed to terms with James Daniels and now with Wallace. The Steelers also re-signed tackle Chukwuma Okorafor for nearly eight figures per year.

Falcons Release Tyeler Davison

March 15th, 2022 at 3:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Falcons have made a cost-cutting move along the defensive front. The team announced that they have released defensive tackle Tyeler Davison.

The move incurs a dead cap charge of roughly $1.2MM, but creates just under $3.7MM in savings. The 29-year-old was a fifth round pick of the Saints in 2015. He spent his first four seasons in New Orleans, then went to the rival Falcons on a one-year deal in 2019.

That contract was followed up by a three-year, $12MM deal with Atlanta one season later. He accepted a pay cut in year two of the pact, a sign that the team may have been willing to cut ties, as they have now done. In 2021, he registered 30 tackles in 12 games.

Most notably for Davison, his playing time decreased significantly as the year wore on. He was on the field for a career-low 358 snaps, which represented just 43% of the team’s defensive plays. Playing time was opened up for Anthony Rush at the position.

The move is the second such one for the Falcons’ front seven, as last month, the team parted ways with edge rusher Dante Fowler. Neither move should be considered surprising, given the fact that Atlanta ranked 27 in the league against the run (132 yards per game) and last in sacks (17).

Jets Open To Bringing Back Marcus Maye?

March 15th, 2022 at 3:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Long expected to part ways with Marcus Maye, the Jets may be keen on salvaging this relationship. The veteran safety remains on the team’s radar, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets.

Another Maye agreement coming to fruition would crowd things at safety for the Jets, who have re-signed Lamarcus Joyner and agreed to terms with ex-Bucs back-line defender Jordan Whitehead. Former third-round pick Ashtyn Davis remains under contract as well.

Maye’s 2021 did not go especially well. A DUI arrest came shortly after tense negotiations with the Jets, who did not finalize a long-term extension by the July deadline. Maye played the season on the franchise tag but suffered an Achilles tear. Despite this, Maye still has several fans in the building, Connor Hughes of The Athletic notes (on Twitter).

This would be an interesting move for the Jets, with Maye not only predating the Robert Saleh staff but going back to Todd Bowles‘ Jets stay. The former Jamal Adams tandem partner has started 60 games with the Jets, playing especially well in 2020, when Pro Football Focus graded Maye as the No. 5 overall safety.

Chargers To Release T Bryan Bulaga

March 15th, 2022 at 3:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bryan Bulaga did not hold up for long with the Chargers last season, playing in just one game. He is now back in free agency. The Bolts are releasing the veteran tackle, via ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter).

This move will save $10.7MM for the Chargers, who entered free agency among the leaders in cap space. The Bolts have already been busy bolstering their defense, headlined by the additions of Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson. The team’s cap-space figure bumps back up beyond $20MM with the news of the Bulaga release.

The longtime Packers right tackle signed a three-year, $30MM contract with the Chargers in 2020 to be their right-edge protector. He ended up missing six games in 2020 and 16 last season, making this cut widely expected.

The Chargers used Storm Norton as their replacement right tackle. Norton remains under contract, but it would not surprise if Los Angeles attempted to upgrade. The team also has a hole at right guard, where Oday Aboushi and Michael Schofield are free agents.

Bulaga’s career is at a crossroads after this Bolts decision. He will turn 33 next week and has now missed more than 10 games in three seasons — 2013, 2017 and 2021. The former first-round pick underwent core muscle surgery in October. The Iowa product has made 122 career starts, breaking in for Green Bay’s Super Bowl-winning team as a rookie in 2010 and signing an extension to stay with the Packers in 2015.

Texans To Re-Sign TE Pharaoh Brown

March 15th, 2022 at 3:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Texans continue to bring back some of their in-house players. The team is re-signing tight end Pharaoh Brown on a one-year deal worth up to $4MM (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).

Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson adds that $3MM of the total is fully guaranteed, while playing time incentives give the deal its potential value of $4MM (Twitter link). If Brown can reach the maximum, he would double his earnings from last season.

The 27-year-old joined the Raiders as a UDFA in 2017. He then spent one season with his hometown Cleveland Browns, though he recorded just two catches. He has spent the last two years in Houston, where his production has seen a notable increase.

In 28 games with the Texans (including 21 starts), Brown has posted 37 receptions for 334 yards and two touchdowns. By keeping him in the fold, the Texans are obviously pleased with the steps forward he has taken during his time with them.

Houston should still have enough cap room to make more moves, either by way of retaining more of their promising players from last season, or outside additions such as that of M.J. Stewart made earlier today.

Bucs To Acquire Patriots G Shaq Mason

March 15th, 2022 at 3:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of Tom Brady‘s Patriots blockers is set to fill one of the Buccaneers’ open spots at guard. The Pats are trading Shaq Mason to the Bucs, Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com report (via Twitter).

Two years remain on Mason’s contract, which contains base salaries of just $6.5MM and $7.5MM. Mason has been with New England throughout his career; he was a starter on the final three Pats teams Brady piloted to the Super Bowl.

The Bucs are sending a fifth-round pick to the Pats for the veteran guard, Mike Giardi of NFL.com tweets. It is a 2022 fifth, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

The compensation is similar to the Bucs-Pats’ Rob Gronkowski transaction two years ago. Tampa Bay sent a fourth to New England for Gronk, reuniting him with Brady. After a retirement that did not even last two months, Brady’s return appears to have keyed some aggressive Bucs maneuvers. Ryan Jensen is back at center, and the team is re-signing top cornerback Carlton Davis. It should be expected Gronk will return as well.

Tampa Bay has seen its guard tandem of the past four years — Ali Marpet–Alex Cappa — splinter, with Marpet retiring and Cappa committing to the Bengals. Mason has been regarded as one of the league’s better guards, making this compensation appear rather light given the low salaries tied to his deal.

A fourth-round pick in 2015, Mason moved into the Patriots’ starting lineup quickly. He started 98 games for the Pats over the past seven seasons. Mason signed a five-year, $45MM extension with the Pats in 2018. Given where the guard market has gone, that deal looks team-friendly now. It would not surprise if the Bucs addressed the contract at some point. This will be Mason’s age-29 season; his age-28 campaign ended with Pro Football Focus grading him fourth overall among guards.

The Pats have now seen their longtime Mason-Joe Thuney guard duo disband, with Thuney defecting to the Chiefs in March 2021. The two played together for five seasons. New England will create just more than $7MM in cap space by trading Mason. Trent Brown, New England’s right tackle in 2021, is also unattached presently. Michael Onwenu would make sense as a starter in 2022, given the departures of Mason and Ted Karras (Bengals). But the Pats have work to do up front.

Saints Restructure Marcus Davenport’s Deal

March 15th, 2022 at 3:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints’ journey to cap compliance is complete. They have moved under the $208MM cap, restructuring Marcus Davenport‘s deal to do so.

More than $8MM of Davenport’s 2022 $9.6MM base salary is now a signing bonus, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). This created more than $6MM of cap space for the Saints, who are perhaps in pole position to add a rather hefty contract to their payroll.

New Orleans and Carolina have been mentioned as the lead suitors for Deshaun Watson, who thus far has only been willing to waive his no-trade clause for these NFC South teams. However, a Browns meeting is also on Watson’s agenda. The Falcons have entered the fray as well. Watson does not sound especially thrilled about a Panthers fit. Fitting Watson’s contract onto their payroll will be tricky, but the Saints have navigated winter cap issues for years. They cleared more than $100MM off their payroll to move under the 2021 cap.

Watson’s contract calls for a $35MM base salary in 2022; that amount is guaranteed. The Saints are clearly confident they can create sufficient space for the embattled quarterback, whose civil cases have yet to be resolved.

New Orleans completed a restructure similar to Davenport’s last year, moving much of Marshon Lattimore‘s fifth-year option salary into a bonus. Lattimore has since signed a long-term extension. Davenport’s deal expires after the 2022 season.

Colts To Re-Sign LB Zaire Franklin

March 15th, 2022 at 2:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Colts have plenty of cap space to work with, but a number of holes to fill on their roster. They took a step towards keeping part of their defense intact today, however. The team is re-signing linebacker Zaire Franklin on a three-year, $12MM deal (Twitter link via PFF’s Doug Kyed). The contract includes $4MM in guaranteed money.

Franklin, 25, was drafted in the seventh round by the Colts in 2018. He made it onto the roster right away, establishing himself as a core special teamer. His role in the third phase has grown since then, as he has played 80% of ST snaps in the past three campaigns.

Defensively, the Syracuse product took on a bigger workload in 2021. He played a career-high 200 defensive snaps, and started 11 of the 17 games in appeared in. He totalled 4o tackles, one interception and two pass breakups. Seen as an ascending talent, he was in line for a healthy raise compared to the earnings from his rookie contract.

With a value of $4MM per year on average, Franklin will rank second on the team in terms of annual compensation amongst the team’s linebackers, behind only Darius Leonard. With the likes of Bobby Okereke and Malik Jefferson facing free agency next year, having Franklin under contract for the medium-term future is significant for the team.