Jaguars To Release Carlos Hyde
The list of veteran cuts continues to grow. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jaguars are releasing running back Carlos Hyde (Twitter link). 
The 31-year-old had one season remaining on the contract he signed almost exactly one year ago. His scheduled cap hit was just under $2.4MM, and the move save Jacksonville nearly $2MM. Already in one of the best situations in the league from a financial perspective, the Jaguars will now have roughly $40MM in cap space.
A second round pick of the 49ers in 2014, Hyde started taking on a significant role in 2016 and 2017, receiving over 200 carries in each of those seasons. He topped 1,100 scrimmage yards both times, earning him plenty of outside interest as a free agent. That offseason began a stretch which saw him land in Cleveland, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Houston, Seattle and, most recently, a second trip to Duval County. A 1,000-yard rushing campaign with the Texans in 2019 showed he was still capable of producing as a No.1 back. Since then, however, he has started only three games and totalled less than 800 yards.
Hyde will now look to get a head-start on free agency to find a new home. The Jaguars, meanwhile, will move forward with James Robinson and 2021 first-rounder Travis Etienne at the top of the backfield depth chart.
Bears To Release Danny Trevathan
The Bears are expected to release Danny Trevathan, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. His release clear upwards of $5MM from this year’s books but those savings would be negated by a $8.9MM dead money charge. 
[RELATED: Bears To Release Cohen]
Trevathan, soon to be 32, has been with the Bears since 2016. A training camp knee injury camp sidelined him to start 2021, but he returned after missing the first four games. His presence alongside Roquan Smith figured to strengthen Chicago’s defense, but he wound up back on IR in November. Appearing mostly as a reserve, Trevathan registered just 19 tackles across five games and appeared in roughly one-quarter of Chicago’s snaps. That’s a big drop from 2020 when Trevathan turned in a full slate, registered 113 stops, and helped bring the Bears to the playoffs.
New Bears GM Ryan Poles has made a point to clear out many of Ryan Pace’s high-priced veterans, so this is on-brand with his overall offseason plan. Already, he’s released longtime running back Tarik Cohen and traded star edge rusher Khalil Mack to the Chargers. That deal netted him a 2022 second-round pick, a 2023 sixth-round selection, and more flexibility to spend in free agency.
Trevathan, meanwhile, should be able to land a new deal elsewhere if he’s healthy and wants to continue playing.
Bears To Cut Tarik Cohen
The Bears are cutting running back Tarik Cohen (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Cohen has been unable to pass a physical on his knee injury, so the move will come with an injury designation. 
[RELATED: Latest On Bears’ Grant]
The Bears will save $2.25MM in cap room by releasing Cohen, the sure-handed running back who starred in Chicago’s offense for years. Unfortunately, injuries have taken his career off track — he’s missed 30 straight games since his torn ACL.
Cohen, a 2017 fourth-round pick, spent his entire career in Chicago up until this point. Some of his finest work came in 2018, when he finished with 1,169 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. On top of that, he was a beast in the return game with a league-leading 411 punt return yards. That showing earned him both All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods.
He later started a career-high eleven games in 2019, but he was limited to just 669 all-purpose yards. Now, the Bears’ new regime led by Ryan Poles is moving on from the rest of his three-year, $17.25MM deal.
The Bears’ return game is now led by Jakeem Grant, an impending free agent who is expected to have a “robust” market next week. Grant, acquired by the Bears midway through the season, totaled 309 punt return years between Miami and Chicago.
Raheem Mostert Expected To Recover For 2022
There is positive news on the injury front for Raheem Mostert. As reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the veteran is “making a full recovery” and should be available by the start of the 2022 season (Twitter link). 
Mostert, soon to be 30, suffered a serious knee injury in September. Chipped cartilage limited him to a single game in 2021, his sixth campaign spent in San Francisco. Before that, he had established himself as a full-time, starting-caliber tailback following special team stints on four different teams. In 24 games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons, the former UDFA totalled 1,629 scrimmage yards and 13 total touchdowns. He averaged 5.6, then 5.0 yards per carry in those campaigns.
The encouraging update came from test results courtesy of Dr. Dan Cooper, who “said that in six years of doing this procedure on NFL players, this is the best recovery he’s seen and there’s no reason to believe Raheem won’t be fully healthy and ready to go”, as relayed by his agent. The timing couldn’t be better, as Mostert is set to be a free agent.
The 49ers have been in talks with the veteran in the hope of keeping him. His play prior to this latest injury made the three-year, $8.65MM deal he was on seem like a relative bargain. However, the team ranked seventh in the league in rushing yards, averaging over 127 per game in his absence. That, coupled with the injury, could cool his market. Further complicating matters is the fact that San Francisco is currently more than $6MM over the cap with less than a week to go before free agency.
Regardless of where he suits up in 2022, Mostert is on track to be fully recovered and continue his surprising mid-career emergence as an impact player.
Texans Re-Sign Christian Kirksey
The Texans have agreed to a brand new deal with linebacker Christian Kirksey (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network). Financial terms are not yet known, but it’ll be a two-year pact to keep him under contract through the 2023 season. 
[RELATED: Steelers Don’t Want Watson]
Kirksey, 30 in August, joined the Texans on a low-cost one-year deal last year. He went on to suit up for 13 games with 12 starts, emerging as one of the more productive defenders in Houston. In total, Kirksey finished 2021 with 93 stops, eight passes defensed, two quarterback hits, and a pair of fumble recoveries. The Texans were said to be prioritizing him and that was indeed the case — his deal is done before the start of free agency next week.
Kirksey came into the league as a 2014 third-round pick of the Browns. He went on to play a key role on some otherwise bad Browns teams, earning a fat extension worth upwards of $10MM/year. Unfortunately, injuries derailed him in 2018 and 2019, leading to his release. His eleven-game 2020 with the Packers — which featured 77 tackles and two sacks — was an improvement, but not in line with his early work. Now, Kirksey seems to have found a home in Houston.
Saints Restructure Alvin Kamara’s Deal
The Saints have restructured Alvin Kamara‘s contract (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). The revision will shift $10.465MM of the running back’s 2022 salary into a signing bonus, carving out another $8.372MM in cap space for New Orleans. Per Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the club also tacked on a void year to the end of Kamara’s deal.
[RELATED: Saints Re-Sign Granderson]
It’s another step forward for the cap-crunched Saints, who previously reworked the deals of defensive ends Cameron Jordan and Tanoh Kpassagnon. All together, that’s another $22MM in breathing room for New Orleans, though they still have roughly $10MM to go between now and the start of the league year.
Kamara led the NFL with 21 touchdowns in 2020, helping the Saints stay afloat while Michael Thomas was out. Last year, as Thomas missed the entire year, Kamara’s production slipped. In 13 games, Kamara rushed for just 898 yards and four touchdowns off of 240 carries, resulting in a career-low 3.7 yards per tote average. He also added 47 catches for 439 yards and five touchdowns — a significant drop from his past four years.
The Saints still have some more cap magic on the agenda, as well as a potential long-term deal for standout safety Marcus Williams. They’re also said to be interested in big-ticket free agent Tyrann Mathieu, but it’s not clear if they’ll be able to afford him.
Eagles’ Fletcher Cox Drawing Interest
The Eagles are getting calls on defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Pro Bowler, who was nearly dealt before the fall deadline, is a name to watch as the trade market continues to heat up. 
The Steelers were among those with interest last time around, though they ultimately warded off by the Eagles’ asking price of a third-round pick.
“There were some teams interested in me, and the most important part of it was they wanted me here, and I wanted to be here and I’m happy to be here,” Cox said in early November.
The 31-year-old (32 in December) might not be in the Birds’ plans for 2022. As it stands, he’s set to carry a $14.9MM cap figure on the 2022 books, followed by $12.7MM in 2023. Under the current contract, a release isn’t a viable option, because it’d leave a whopping $40.9MM dead money hit. Even in a trade scenario, another restructure may be in order.
Cox, a six-time Pro Bowler, finished 2021 with 35 stops, 3.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. For his career, the 310-pound lineman has 58 sacks and 443 tackles to his credit, all with the Eagles.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/10/22
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
Non-tendered:
- Commandeers: QB Kyle Allen
- Cowboys: LB Francis Bernard, OL Mitch Hyatt
- Raiders: FB Alec Ingold
- Rams: LB Troy Reeder
- Ravens: CB Khalil Dorsey
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/10/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: WR Jake Kumerow
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: LB Rashod Berry, C Ryan McCollum
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OL Brandon Murphy
New York Jets
- Re-signed: S Will Parks
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: DL Kevin Givens, RB JaMycal Hasty, DL Maurice Hurst, OL Colton McKivitz
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: LS Morgan Cox
- Released: RB Darrynton Evans
49ers Re-Sign QB Nate Sudfeld
While much of the focus in San Francisco is on the status of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers have locked up another signal-caller for the 2022 season. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the 49ers have re-signed Nate Sudfeld.
It’s a one-year deal worth up to $3MM, with $2MM in guaranteed money. Per Schefter, Sudfeld had interest from two other teams, with those organizations believing the 28-year-old has “starter potential in the league.”
Sudfeld was a sixth-round pick by Washington in 2016, and after getting waived, he caught on with the Eagles in 2017. He’d go on to spend four seasons in Philly, seeing time in four games. He won a Super Bowl with the Eagles during his first season with the organization.
The quarterback caught on with the 49ers last offseason, and he ended up spending the 2021 season alternating between the active roster and practice squad. With Garoppolo and third-overall pick Trey Lance on the roster, Sudfeld didn’t see the field for his new team, but he’ll likely be the primary backup to Lance during the 2022 campaign.