HEADLINES

Month: March 2022

Buccaneers Rework Vita Vea’s Contract

March 12th, 2022 at 8:51am CST by Ben Levine

The restructures keep coming, and this time it’s the Buccaneers opening up a chunk of cap. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the Buccaneers have restructured the contract of nose tackle Vita Vea.

[RELATED: Buccaneers Place Franchise Tag On Chris Godwin]

Specifically, the team restructured the veteran’s base salary, opening up $7.64MM worth of cap space. Greg Auman of The Athletic has more details (via Twitter), noting that the organization reduced Vea’s salary from $10.6MM to $1.12MM, leading to the player getting a $9.46MM bonus.

The Buccaneers barely had any breathing room over the cap heading into the offseason, and that was before they slapped wideout Chris Godwin with the franchise tag. The team will surely have more cap-saving transactions, but they’ll still be hard pressed to afford all of their impending free agents, a group that includes Carlton Davis.

Vea has spent his entire four-year career in Tampa Bay, and the former first-round pick signed a four-year, $73MM extension with the Buccaneers back in January. He made his first Pro Bowl in 2021 after finishing with 33 tackles, four sacks, and 12 QB hits.

Saints Restructure CB Marshon Lattimore’s Contract

March 12th, 2022 at 8:42am CST by Ben Levine

The Saints entered the offseason with one of the worst cap situations in the NFL, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the Saints opened up a significant chunk of cap space after restructuring cornerback Marshon Lattimore‘s contract.

Specifically, the team converted Lattimore’s base salary into a signing bonus, opening up a whopping $18.45MM in cap space. Per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football (on Twitter), the Saints are now about $5MM over the cap.

It’s another step forward for the cap-crunched Saints, who previously reworked the deals of defensive ends Cameron Jordan and Tanoh Kpassagnon. The team also restructured Alvin Kamara‘s deal yesterday, opening up another $8MM in space. Once the team manages to get the under the cap, they’ll have some interesting questions to answer, including a resolution on a potential long-term deal for standout safety Marcus Williams.

It hasn’t even been a year since Lattimore signed a lucrative five-year, $97.6MM extension with New Orleans. He earned another Pro Bowl nod (his fourth) in 2021 after finishing with 68 tackles, 19 passes defended, and three interceptions in 16 starts.

Bills Rework P Matt Haack’s Contract

March 12th, 2022 at 8:34am CST by Ben Levine

The Bills have reworked their punter’s contract. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter), the Bills have signed Matt Haack to a revised contract.

The deal will reduce Haack’s 2022 salary to $1.135MM, and it will also void the final year of his contract. As a result, the punter will hit free agency next offseason.

According to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic (on Twitter), the Bills also removed the $1MM base salary that would have been guaranteed on March 18. As a result, the Bills can set themselves up for a punting competition if they so desire.

Haack spent the first four seasons of his career with the Dolphins before inking a three-year deal with the Bills last offseason. His averages went down during his first season in Buffalo, as he averaged only 42.9 yards on his punts (with his previous career-low being at 44.5). While he wasn’t called on all that much during the postseason, he did see that average jump to 43.8 yards on four punts.

Panthers Preparing “Aggressive” Offer For Deshaun Watson

March 12th, 2022 at 8:24am CST by Ben Levine

As expected, the Panthers will make a run at Deshaun Watson. According to ESPN’s David Newton, the Panthers are planning to make an “aggressive” trade offer for the Texans quarterback.

[RELATED: No Criminal Charges For Deshaun Watson]

Of course, the Panthers’ offer would be contingent on Watson being willing to waive his no-trade clause. When the Panthers tried to negotiate a trade before the trade deadline, they were told that Watson was focused on Miami and wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause for Carolina. However, Newton says the clause isn’t anticipated to be an issue, and The Athletic’s Joseph Person writes that the Dolphins’ decision to close the door on a Watson trade has renewed belief within the Panthers organization that Watson will reconsider his no-trade stance. Person also adds that Panthers owner David Tepper “has arguably been the driving force behind the team’s interest in Watson.”

The Panthers were prepared to make a major push for Watson last year, and after initially backing off after the off-field trouble surfaced, they were believed to have made the Texans an offer. Carolina’s quarterback situation moved Matt Rhule to the edge of a hot seat last year, and the team has not had stability at the position since Cam Newton‘s injuries began to pile up. The Panthers still have Sam Darnold‘s fully guaranteed $18.8MM salary on their payroll, but for a player like Watson, the QB-desperate team likely would not view that as a hindrance.

After yesterday’s update to Deshaun Watson‘s legal situation, it is expected his trade market will intensify very quickly. A number of teams have long been known to be interested in the Pro Bowler, with the Panthers, Buccaneers, Browns, and Seahawks already mentioned as potential suitors. As Person points out on Twitter, there’s be an interesting side-story if both Carolina and Seattle ultimately emerge as preferred destinations: Panthers GM Scott Fitterer would be bidding against his former bosses in Seattle, John Schneider and Pete Carroll.

Blake Martinez Takes Pay Cut To Stay With Giants

March 11th, 2022 at 10:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

The negotiations between the Giants and linebacker Blake Martinez have resulted in a new deal. Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports that the veteran will be staying with the team, but at a reduced salary. 

Earlier this week, the two sides discussed a re-working of his deal, as part of the wider need for the Giants to shed 2022 expenses. Martinez was due to make $8.525MM (the amount the team would save with a release), but carry a cap hit of just over $14MM. That led to the possibility he could be let go, but now he will stay in the Big Apple – unlike a number of veterans who have been cut in recent days.

The 28-year-old joined the Giants in 2020 after four seasons in Green Bay, including three as a starter. Between 2017 and 2019, the former fourth rounder totalled 443 tackles, nine sacks and a pair of interceptions. He delivered a similar performance in his first campaign in New York with 151 stops, two forced fumbles and five pass deflections.

Unfortunately, a torn ACL limited Martinez to just three games in 2021. His absence was felt on a Giants defense that allowed 129 rushing yards per game, which ranked 25th in the league. With him still in the fold, however, much of the cap gymnastics general manager Joe Shoen faced upon his arrival has taken place. The biggest remaining question on the roster now pertains to James Bradberry. Given the team’s need to cut costs, the highly regarded cornerback has been the subject of trade interest from a number of teams. Much of what Schoen does in free agency will depend on the organization’s handling of Bradberry’s contract.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/11/22

March 11th, 2022 at 9:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are today’s minor roster moves around the NFL:

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Browns Continuing “Homework” On Deshaun Watson

March 11th, 2022 at 7:37pm CST by Adam La Rose

After today’s update to Deshaun Watson‘s legal situation, it is expected his trade market will intensify very quickly. A number of teams have long been known to be interested in the Pro Bowler, but another name to add to that list is the Browns. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the team has “done [its] homework” on Watson, and will continue to keep an eye on his availability. 

[RELATED: No Criminal Charges For Watson]

While Cabot is quick to note that “it remains to be seen if they’ll try to trade for him”, the fact they have done their due diligence on the matter is noteworthy. The Browns have Baker Mayfield under contract for one more year – the fully guaranteed fifth-year option, valued at $18.8MM – and have publicly backed him as their starter for at least 2022.

Cabot also recalls that the Browns were among the teams who rated Mitch Trubisky over Watson amongst QBs in the 2017 draft, in which the team selected Myles Garrett first overall. Cleveland also owned pick No. 12 that year, but traded it to Houston, who then landed one of the league’s best young signal-callers. Trading for Watson (who has a no-trade clause and a scheduled cap hit of over $40MM for next year) could, then, represent the righting of an organizational wrong in a sense.

Still, the Browns would face competition from the likes of the Buccaneers, Panthers and Seahawks to land Watson. Their stated priority with respect to upgrading the offense – the primary cause of 2021’s disappointing performance – has been to add to the wide receiver room. Between the “soul-searching” Cabot notes the team would do before executing any deal, as well as the acquisition cost of a trade, Cleveland therefore may well find itself among the clubs bowing out of serious consideration. Nevertheless, they could become another team to keep an eye on regarding one of the league’s top storylines.

Saints LB Craig Robertson Retires

March 11th, 2022 at 6:43pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Saints will be without a well-respected part of their defense and locker room once again for the 2022 season. The team announced on Friday that veteran linebacker Craig Robertson has retired.

The 34-year-old played nine seasons in the NFL, beginning with four years in Cleveland. He topped 85 tackles in each of the first three seasons in that stretch, showing a knack for generating takeaways as well. After one more year with the Browns, he signed in New Orleans in 2016. That year was the one in which he set a new career-high in tackles (115), adding two fumble recoveries and an interception.

His play earned him a second deal with the Saints, where he brought his career total in games played up to 136, including 65 starts. His defensive playing time declines, as he transitioned into primarily a special teamer. After not suiting up in 2021, the former UDFA is hanging up his cleats for good. Robertson described his time in the league as “a blessing”.

“Craig was a fantastic player, leader and a consummate professional throughout his time with the New Orleans Saints”, general manager Mickey Loomis said. “It was a pleasure watching Craig’s passion, toughness and leadership ability on the field, in our locker room and in our community”.

New head coach – and Robertson’s defensive coordinator during his time there – Dennis Allen added, “Craig was everything that you look for in a player, smart, hard-working and versatile… I congratulate Craig for what he achieved in his NFL playing career and thank him for his contributions to the New Orleans Saints”.

Without Robertson, the Saints will carry on with the likes of Demario Davis, Pete Werner and Zack Baun in their middle linebacking corps. Both on and off the field, though, they will certainly miss his presence.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/11/22

March 11th, 2022 at 5:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The deadline for teams to extend tender offers to their restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents looms next week. We’ll keep tabs on the latest here:

RFAs

Tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

Steelers Place RFA Tender On Dwayne Haskins

March 11th, 2022 at 5:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Steelers are in the market for a new starting quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger‘s two backups from 2021 are both under contract. Pittsburgh gave Dwayne Haskins a restricted free agent tender Friday.

The Steelers placed an original-round tender on Haskins, Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed tweets. Although the original-round tender sits third on the RFA salary hierarchy — behind first- and second-round tenders — it does effectively ensure Haskins will be a Steeler going into training camp. A team would have to give up a first-round pick to poach him, since Haskins was a first-round pick three years ago. The Ohio State product will be tied to a $2.54MM salary in 2022, barring an extension.

Haskins and Mason Rudolph‘s deals now run through the 2022 season, giving the team options — or depth, at least — under center. (Rudolph is set to earn $3MM in base salary next season.) The Steelers took a flier on Haskins following his quick Washington exit, and last season became a developmental year. After starting 13 games with Washington from 2019-20, the former high-end prospect did not play in 2021.

Pittsburgh has been linked to giving Rudolph a legitimate opportunity to succeed Roethlisberger. This would surely not go over well with the team’s fanbase, with the former third-round pick not impressing much in his starting chances thus far. Haskins has made more starts than Rudolph but played behind the longtime Steeler last year. The team has also been connected to Teddy Bridgewater, Jameis Winston and Mitchell Trubisky, while it is believed to be high on Malik Willis. A Willis investment might take a trade-up for the Steelers, who hold the No. 20 overall pick.

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