2022 March - Pro Football Rumors

Jamison Crowder Likely To Hit Free Agency

March 8th, 2022 at 12:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jets have plenty of room for improvement on offense, but one of their most experienced players on that side of the ball could very well be on the way out. According to DJ Bien-Aime II of The New York Daily News, wideout Jamison Crowder is expected to hit the open market.

The 28-year-old’s contract is set to expire next week. He signed a three-year, $28.5MM deal with New York in 2019, after four solid seasons in Washington. His first year with the Jets was his most productive, as he posted 78 catches for 833 yards and six touchdowns. Since then, however, injuries have become an issue for the veteran.

Between five missed games, and the team making investments in Corey Davis and Elijah Moore via free agency and the draft, respectively, Crowder’s production fell off in 2021. Before the start of the campaign, he agreed to take a pay cut, an early sign that his days in the Big Apple may have been numbered. With Moore under contract for at least three more seasons on his rookie deal, the team is in capable hands with regards to the slot receiver position.

In Crowder’s absence, the Jets could be in the market for another starting-caliber wideout, though they are thought to be on the lookout for a pass-catching tight end as well. In any event, Crowder would represent an experienced, consistent producer on the open market for teams looking to add depth at the position.

Saints Interested In Tyrann Mathieu

March 8th, 2022 at 12:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are interested in signing Tyrann Mathieu, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Furthermore, the feeling is mutual for the former LSU star.

Mathieu, 30 in May, is on course for free agency after his three-year, $42MM deal officially wraps. The nine-year vet has spend the last three seasons helping to bolster a once bottom-tier defense and, even though he’s a little older, he should be in line for another massive contract.

The Saints’ interest in Mathieu is understandable – they can use the help in their secondary and it’s not every day that a three-time first-team All-Pro becomes available. Meanwhile, the incumbent Chiefs seem ready to put their resources into other areas, especially given Juan Thornhill‘s emergence at safety.

Mathieu finished the regular season with 76 tackles, two tackles for loss, three interceptions, and six pass deflections last season. He also notched a pick six against the Ravens for the third defensive touchdown of his career. The Ravens — Wilson notes — would also love to have Mathieu, though he doesn’t appear to be a high priority for them.

Giants, Blake Martinez In Talks

March 8th, 2022 at 12:17pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants want to keep Blake Martinez, but there’s still some business to discuss. The two sides are in talks to rework his contract for 2022 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo) and, if they can’t come to terms, they may wind up parting ways.

As it currently stands, Martinez is due $8.525MM this season with a sizable cap number of $14.025MM. Those are the terms of the three-year, $30.75MM deal he inked with the Giants back in 2020, but they have some doubts after Martinez’s lost season. The veteran ‘backer tore his ACL in late September of 2021, limiting him to just three games and 23 stops on the year.

Of course, the Giants also know what Martinez is capable of while healthy. As the Giants’ left inside linebacker in his debut year, he tallied 151 tackles, three sacks, five passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and one interception.

Martinez, 28, could be released to save $8.525MM with $5.5MM in dead money. Meanwhile, they could free up additional room by trading other Dave Gettleman holdovers like cornerback James Bradberry and running back Saquon Barkley. Both have been rumored possibilities, though a Bradberry deal seems far more likely than a Barkley blockbuster.

Cowboys Rework Prescott, Martin Deals

March 8th, 2022 at 11:31am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have restructured quarterback Dak Prescott‘s contract to create roughly $15MM in cap space, per a club announcement. Meanwhile, they’ve also reworked the contract of guard Zack Martin to free up an extra ~$7MM in room. Between the two moves, the Cowboys have an additional $22MM to work with in advance of free agency.

This appears to be a simple restructuring — one that converts 2022 base salary into a signing bonus. Prescott has done this before, agreeing to tweak his contract last year to give Dallas an extra $5MM in space.

Injuries limited Prescott to just five games in 2020, but he managed to play in 16 games last year. He finished the year with an 11-5 record in his starts with 4,449 yards and 37 touchdowns against ten interceptions. That marked the best TD% of his career to date (6.2). Statistically, that’s what the Cowboys were hoping for when they inked him to a four-year, $160MM extension in March of ’21. His contract — which made him the league’s second-ever $40MM/year player — remains largely the same after today’s adjustment.

Martin, a seven-time Pro Bowler, missed six regular season games in 2020 with a calf injury. In 2021, he bounced back strong with 16 starts and yet another All-Pro nod.

Lions Sign WR Josh Reynolds To Extension

March 8th, 2022 at 11:28am CST by Adam La Rose

More news continues to come out of the NFC North. The Lions are signing Josh Reynolds to a two-year contract, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Garafolo adds that the deal is worth up to $12MM. That’s quite the pay raise from the one-year, $1.75MM he signed for last offseason with the Titans. There was plenty optimism surrounding the former fourth rounder at that point, as he was coming off a career year (52 catches, 618 yards, two touchdowns) during his final season with the Rams.

Instead, Reynolds only played five games in Nashville, recording just 10 catches. Stuck behind not only A.J. Brown but also fellow offseason acquisition Julio Jones on the depth chart, he asked to be released to find a new home for the rest of the campaign. That request was granted, and he was claimed off waivers by the Lions.

Reunited with quarterback Jared Goff, his play took off. In seven contests, he averaged 16 yards per catch, totalling 306 yards and two touchdowns. On a team lacking pass-catching options besides T.J. Hockenson and breakout rookie WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, the 27-year-old could fill in comfortably as at least least a reliable secondary option.

Garafolo also notes that the Lions were eager to get this deal done before the start of free agency next week. With Reynolds in place, another notable piece of business has been taken care of.

Packers Expected To Tag Davante Adams

March 8th, 2022 at 10:51am CST by Zachary Links

One down, one to go. Now that Aaron Rodgers has a new deal, the Packers are expected to apply the franchise tag to Davante Adams (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

2:30PM: Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Packers have now officially applied the tag (Twitter link).

Rodgers has himself a new four-year, $200MM contract, making him the highest paid player in NFL history. Despite the sum – which includes $153MM guaranteed — his cap number will decrease for the coming year. That gives the previously cash-strapped Packers some much needed flexibility, and they’ll parlay much of that money into Adams’ tag.

Adams will be happy to reunite with Rodgers, but he won’t be thrilled about the tag. After today, the Packers will have until the middle of the summer to reach a multi-year compromise with their star wide receiver.

The Packers haven’t used their tag since 2010, but this is a fairly easy decision. There was no way they’d let their All-Pro wide receiver reach the open market this spring, so they’ll buy themselves some time instead. For what it’s worth, Adams and the Packers haven’t discussed an extension since the Packers’ 2021 season ended.

Last time they talked, Adams pushed for a megadeal to top DeAndre Hopkins‘ $27MM/year contract. No matter how this plays out for Adams, it’s safe to say that he’ll get a massive bump over his last four-year, $58MM re-up, signed in December of 2017.

Cowboys Re-Sign Noah Brown

March 8th, 2022 at 10:49am CST by Zachary Links

Noah Brown is still in the building. On Tuesday, the Cowboys re-signed the wide receiver to a fresh one-year deal, per a club announcement.

Brown, a 2017 seventh-round draft pick, has been a special teams regular for Dallas. Last year, however, he reeled in 16 catches for 184 yards while playing on 302 snaps. That accounts for roughly half of his career production — 39 catches and 425 yards.

It’s possible that Brown will see more offensive action going forward, especially since Amari Cooper is on his way out. The Cowboys are set to either trade or release their one-time star, though the trade market is looking fairly soft at the moment. Cutting Cooper would save the Cowboys $16MM in cap room while adding a four-time Pro Bowler to this year’s free agent class. Despite this year’s hiccups, he’s not far removed from his strong 2019 (79 catches for 1,189 receiving yards and eight touchdowns) or his still solid follow-up in 2020 (92 grabs, 1,114 yards, and five scores).

Meanwhile, the Cowboys are keeping tight end via the tag and working to re-up wide receiver Michael Gallup in advance of free agency.

Panthers Listening On Christian McCaffrey Trade Calls

March 8th, 2022 at 9:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers aren’t necessarily shopping Christian McCaffrey, but they’re at least willing to listen. As the calls keep coming in, the Panthers are open to the right offer, according to league sources who spoke with David Newton of ESPN.com.

Newton hears that another team could pry the star running back away for a quality package, one that includes a first-round pick and a cap-friendly player. From a football perspective, that’s not a monumental ask. However, when considering CMC’s contract, that could be easier said than done.

McCaffrey’s contract furnishes him with $16MM/year on average, an all-time record for running backs. And, as the years go on, that cap hit escalates. This year, it’ll be a $14.3MM figure. In 2023 and 2024, he’s in line for cap hits of $17.7MM. The Panthers — currently projected to have $26.5MM in space — can afford to keep him, but they may prefer draft capital and flexibility instead.

McCaffrey, 26 in June, has played just ten games over the past two seasons. Before the ankle and hamstring injuries, CMC was a 2019 All-Pro with an NFL-leading 2,392 scrimmage yards.

Bears Won’t Tag Allen Robinson

March 8th, 2022 at 9:25am CST by Zachary Links

The Bears will allow Allen Robinson to reach free agency without a franchise tag (Twitter link via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com). The Bears cuffed the wide receiver last year at a rate of $17.9MM, but they’ll pass on the chance to do it again with a 20% bump.

Poles has told reporters that he wants to “be selective in free agency” — apparently, that means moving on from Robinson, a talented wide receiver that has clashed with team brass throughout the years. His dissatisfaction with Matt Nagy was apparent last year and his production was nowhere near his once stellar work. In 2021, Robinson tallied 38 catches for 410 yards and one touchdown, down from his 1,100-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020.

Now, Robinson has a chance at a fresh start and an opportunity to pick his next quarterback. He’s unlikely to get something in the range of $20MM — the would-be value of his 2022 tag — but he should still be able to land somewhere around $15MM/year on average. Despite his challenging 2021, a three-year, $45MM deal doesn’t seem out of reach for Robinson given his overall track record.

Meanwhile, the rest of the wide receiver market is starting to take shape. The Buccaneers are still working on a long-term deal with Chris Godwin, but they plan to franchise tag him if that doesn’t come to fruition. Meanwhile, the Packers are prepared to do the same for Davante Adams, though we might not know for sure until the 4pm ET/3pm CT deadline today.

Cowboys Tag Dalton Schultz

March 8th, 2022 at 9:25am CST by Adam La Rose

The third and final tight end thought to be receiving the franchise tag this offseason has indeed been franchised. Dalton Schultz will be staying in Dallas for at least one more campaign (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).

Not long before today’s deadline, the 25-year-old was seen as one of the team’s top tag candidates – the other being defensive end Randy Gregory. Not surprisingly, it is the former being franchised at a cost of $10.93MM. In the last two seasons, Schultz has emerged as one of quarterback Dak Prescott‘s favorite and most dependable targets. He had a career year in 2021, posting 78 catches for 808 yards and eight touchdowns.

Rapoport’s colleague Mike Garafolo adds that the Cowboys have been eyeing a long-term deal with the former fourth rounder, and were hopeful it could have gotten done before today’s tag deadline (Twitter link). Instead, the team will at least tempoariliy work with a figure just under $11MM for one of the few known commodities in their pass-catching corps, given the expected release of Amari Cooper and the ongoing talks with Michael Gallup. Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News tweets that there is still “strong interest” from both team and player to get an extension done, which would likely lower is 2021 cap hit.

As for Gregory, free agency has now become all-but guaranteed. However, the Cowboys have made it clear they wish to retain the edge rusher, given the highly productive trio he formed in 2021 alongside DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons. In any event, the team’s passing attack will be retaining one of its most important pieces.