2022 April - Pro Football Rumors

Month: April 2022

Wade Phillips, Rod Woodson, Hines Ward Among XFL HCs

April 13th, 2022 at 6:47pm CST by Ben Levine

Out of the NFL since the 2019 season, Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will resurface in the latest XFL iteration. The longtime NFL coach will be one of XFL 3.0’s eight HCs, the rebooting league announced Wednesday.

Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, former Pro Bowler Hines Ward, and ex-Oklahoma national championship HC Bob Stoops will join Phillips. Former Saints and Rams HC Jim Haslett will also lead an XFL team. The league’s third round of HCs also includes former NFLers Terrell Buckley, Anthony Becht and Reggie Barlow.

“Our head coaches are a diverse group of leaders, champions and hall of famers with experience competing and coaching at the highest level in football. Not only will they be mentors to our players, but they are also ambassadors of the XFL as we work together to build tomorrow’s league,” said Dany Garcia, Co-Owner and Chairwoman of the XFL. “What is most exciting about our talented coaches is that they all share our vision for the XFL and are committed to advancing the game of football for players and making it into a must-watch program for fans. The XFL is anchored in the belief of opportunity, and, just like our players, these football legends will drive the future of the game.”

Head coach or interim HC for four teams, Phillips was on the sideline for the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 win and coached in Super Bowls XXIV and LIII as Denver and Los Angeles DC. The veteran coach also had a long career as a defensive coordinator, with his most recent gig coming with the Rams between 2017 and 2019. The last we heard from Phillips, he was discussing a potential role on the Browns staff in 2020. Phillips will be 75 when he takes the field in February.

Haslett, the 2000 AP NFL Coach of the Year, served as the Titans inside linebackers coach over the past two seasons, but he wasn’t retained following the 2021 campaign. He last served as a HC in 2008, going 2-10 as the interim head coach with the Rams. In six seasons with the Saints, the team went 45-51 with only one playoff appearance.

Woodson has some experience coaching in the NFL. He had two stints as the Raiders cornerbacks coach, and he also had coaching jobs with the Bengals and Broncos. Similarly, Ward had a two-year coaching stint with the Jets before spending the 2021 campaign as Florida Atlantic’s wide receivers coach.

Lions, S DeShon Elliott Agree To Deal

April 13th, 2022 at 5:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

DeShon Elliott visited the Lions on Wednesday; the meeting produced an agreement. The former Ravens safety will join the Lions on a one-year contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Elliott’s deal could max out at $3.65MM, USA Today’s Josina Anderson tweets.

A sixth-round 2018 draftee, Elliott became a full-time starter after the Ravens’ Earl Thomas experiment went south before the 2020 season. Elliott started 22 games with Baltimore beginning with that 2020 slate, a 16-start year for the ex-Texas Longhorn. Elliott will join a Lions team that recently re-signed Tracy Walker.

Elliott made 80 tackles, recorded 2.5 sacks and forced two fumbles during the 2020 season. He is coming off an injury-marred 2021 slate. The soon-to-be 25-year-old defender suffered pectoral and bicep tears midway through last season, shutting him down for the year. This continued an injury-riddled slate for a Ravens secondary that also lost Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey. Elliott also spent his entire rookie season on IR.

Baltimore signaled it was moving on from Elliott with its latest big-ticket safety signing — a five-year deal with Marcus Williams. Not typically a big-spending team in free agency, the Ravens have made exceptions at safety. Williams follows Thomas, Tony Jefferson and Eric Weddle as Raven signings at the position since 2016. The Elliott-Chuck Clark pairing represented a deviation from the organization’s big-name strategy at safety.

This Elliott agreement may also mean the Lions’ visit with Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton will not lead to a rare top-two safety investment in the draft. The Lions scheduled a visit with Hamilton for this week, though the former Fighting Irish defender is not viewed as likely to be chosen second overall. Detroit now has Elliott, Walker and 17-game 2021 starter Will Harris under contract at safety.

Raiders, Derek Carr Agree To $121MM+ Deal

April 13th, 2022 at 5:12pm CST by Zachary Links

5:12pm: Carr’s contract contains a $65.5MM injury guarantee, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer, and the deal will give the ninth-year veteran a $5.2MM raise in 2022 (Twitter link). Carr will make $24.9MM fully guaranteed in 2022, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes.

A key date comes after Super Bowl LVII. Three days after the Super Bowl, Carr will see $40.5MM — his $33MM 2023 salary and $7.5MM of his 2024 pay — become fully guaranteed, Breer tweets. This would give the Raiders a small window to work out a trade in 2023, but Carr’s no-trade clause gives him final say on any potential escape-hatch deal for the team.

9:33am: The Raiders and Derek Carr have agreed to terms on a three-year extension worth $121.5MM (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). With that, the Raiders’ star quarterback will remain in place through the 2025 season.

Carr’s deal includes a no-trade clause (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo), a rarity in the NFL enjoyed by only about a dozen players. All together, Carr is set to earn $141.3MM over the next four years, with $100MM of it coming in the next three seasons, per Garafolo. That’s player-friendly cashflow for Carr, who was fighting for his Raiders future just a couple of years ago.

It’s the latest splash in the Raiders’ busy offseason, following their acquisition of wide receiver Davante Adams. Ultimately, GM Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels have kept much of the core in tact while revamping the team after a tumultuous 2021.

Carr’s $40.5MM new-money average puts him fifth among all quarterbacks and, as noted by NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link), he’s now the seventh member of the league’s $40MM/year club, joining Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott.

Carr, who just turned 31, had one year to go on his old deal with a cap hit of $19.8MM. After he notched a career-high 4,804 passing yards en route to his first ever playoff appearance, the Raiders were unwilling to risk losing him. Now, Carr’s got a fat new contract and an old friend in Adams, his former teammate at Fresno State.

“Derek’s fit on the team, as a player, is obviously what we’re looking for and what we’re trying to build around,” McDaniels said recently. “[When it comes to the contract,] you try and do what’s best for the team. When we get into those conversations with Derek, Derek’s going to have to make decisions about what’s best for him… There will be a sweet spot in there hopefully for everybody, and we’ll be excited to go forward like that.”

Today, the Raiders are undoubtedly excited as they’ve locked up their three-time Pro Bowler for years to come.

Jags’ Cam Robinson Signs Franchise Tender

April 13th, 2022 at 4:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Cam Robinson is back in the fold for the Jaguars. The team kicked off its first offseason program under Doug Pederson this week, and Robinson is on track to participate in team activities moving forward.

Despite the Jags having tagged their left tackle in back-to-back years, this situation is hardly contentious. Robinson became a somewhat surprising tag recipient in 2021 and is now attached to a fully guaranteed $16.7MM salary. The next three months will be pivotal for the former second-round pick’s future in Jacksonville.

The Jags have until July 15 to work out an extension with Robinson, who has a new O-line mate that navigated a similar situation. Although Brandon Scherff is a much higher-regarded blocker than Robinson, the latter plays a premium position. Scherff made it to free agency after being tagged twice, failing to reach an extension agreement in Washington this year and heading to Jacksonville. A third Robinson tag would check in at 144% of his 2022 salary, an untenable figure for the Jags. While Robinson’s status (zero Pro Bowls in five seasons) might not make a Jags extension unrealistic in 2023, the best bet for the Alabama alum to stay would be a deal by the July deadline.

Drafted during Tom Coughlin‘s run atop the front office, Robinson has now been tagged by two different regimes — Urban Meyer‘s brief operation and the Pederson-Trent Baalke setup. The sixth-year blocker is still just 26 and has made it back from a 2018 ACL tear to be a steady presence in Jacksonville’s lineup over the past three years.

The Jaguars’ second Robinson tag has led to understandable speculation they will not use the No. 1 overall pick on a tackle. They were previously linked to NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu, but Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is now the odds-on favorite to be the pick.

Colts Meet With CB Stephon Gilmore

April 13th, 2022 at 3:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Holding the second-most cap space in the NFL, the Colts are interested in one of the top free agents. They brought Stephon Gilmore in for a visit Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The Colts have a need at cornerback, having sent starter Rock Ya-Sin to the Raiders for Yannick Ngakoue at the start of free agency, and Gilmore is one of the more accomplished cover men over the past several years. According to Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star (on Twitter), today’s visit was more than the organization kicking the tires…the Colts have legitimate interest in Gilmore.

Gilmore, 31, has been connected to multiple contending teams. The Rams, Chiefs and Raiders have pursued the former Defensive Player of the Year. The Colts’ $21MM in cap space surpasses this trio, though the Chiefs are not far behind ($18MM-plus). The 10-year veteran has been patient, but his market did not take off early in free agency. Gilmore joins a few high-profile defenders in being unattached in mid-April.

Indianapolis still rosters standout slot defender Kenny Moore, but its 2021 outside starters (Ya-Sin and Xavier Rhodes) are not in the picture. This will be an area the Colts address in the draft, but Jim Irsay recently said the team was pursuing a big-name free agent. The 2019 Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time All-Pro while with New England, Gilmore has that pedigree.

The former first-round pick played just nine games last season, beginning the year late after a holdout and injury hiatus — stemming from his 2020 quadriceps injury and subsequent surgery — preceded a trade to the Panthers. Gilmore intercepted two passes with Carolina and went to the Pro Bowl as an alternate, but he allowed 68% of the passes thrown his way to be completed — well north of his two All-Pro Pats seasons. Still, the five-time Pro Bowler would be a starter-caliber addition to just about every secondary and potentially provide an impact on a short-term deal.

Rams, Steelers Interested In Tyrann Mathieu

April 13th, 2022 at 3:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nearly a month into free agency, Tyrann Mathieu‘s market continues to move slowly. But the three-time All-Pro has now seen several suitors emerge since the calendar turned to April. Two more revealed themselves recently.

The Rams and Steelers are interested in the veteran cover man, who has already met with the Saints and Eagles. Mathieu, understandably, is also believed to be interested in joining the defending champions, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano said during a recent SportsCenter appearance (via 247sports.com). As of Wednesday, the Steelers hold just more than $13MM in cap space; the Rams sit at $7MM.

Mathieu (30 in May) and the Rams have been in contact recently, though Graziano noted a deal might not come together until after the draft. That post-draft juncture could become relevant. Shortly after the draft, free agents added no longer count toward the league’s compensatory formula. That early-May date annually triggers more free agency activity, with teams free to pursue players without additions affecting their 2023 draft ledgers.

The Steelers were connected to Mathieu in March, and interest remains, per Bob Labriola of the team’s website. It does not sound like Pittsburgh is willing to pay Mathieu at a rate similar to his most recent Kansas City deal (three years, $42MM), but the team has been unusually active on the market this year. Beyond Mitchell Trubisky, the Steelers added a few starters in Myles Jack, Levi Wallace and James Daniels. Four-year safety starter Terrell Edmunds remains unsigned. A Mathieu arrival would commence at an interesting point, with Minkah Fitzpatrick on the cusp of a monster extension.

Lucrative deals headline the Rams’ defensive depth chart, leading to another March role-player exodus. The Rams let Darious Williams, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Austin Corbett walk in free agency before trading Robert Woods. They found room for Bobby Wagner, however. Mathieu, who was 3-for-3 in Pro Bowl nods as a Chief, would represent a fourth player with multiple All-Pro honors on Los Angeles’ defense. At safety, the Rams have their 2021 starters (Jordan Fuller and Taylor Rapp) under contract. Each is coming off a season-ending injury.

Deebo Samuel Eyeing $25MM Per Year?

April 13th, 2022 at 1:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers have major extensions looming for their top two picks in the 2019 draft. The second of those selections, Deebo Samuel, has generated plenty of storylines recently with regard to his next contract.

On that point, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network reports that Samuel “will be looking for a contract in the range of about $25MM per year”. That figure would place him amongst the highest-paid wideouts in the league, as the market at the position has been reset this offseason through deals signed by Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams and Stefon Diggs.

An average at or near $25MM-per-season would also fall in line with what had recently been reported Samuel’s next contract would look like. Anything above $21MM would rank him ahead of other recently re-signed receivers D.J. Moore, Chris Godwin and Mike Williams.

In three seasons in San Francisco, the South Carolina product has established himself as one of not only the most productive, but also the most unique players in the league. He has made 167 catches for 2,598 yards and 10 touchdowns, but added a significant element to the team’s rushing attack. He has totalled 550 yards and 11 scores on the ground, most of which came this season. His emergence as a ‘wide-back’ earned him Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors for the first time in his career in 2021.

As Pauline notes, there doesn’t appear to be any concern over the 49ers’ willingness to accommodate that sizeable of a contract request. Moving on from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would free up more than $25MM in 2022 cap space to make a deal possible in the immediate future; more generally, the organization has publicly stated that long-term extensions for both Samuel and Nick Bosa have been “budgeted for“.

This figure being reported was preceded, of course, by Samuel removing all mention of the 49ers from his social media profiles. If the two sides can agree on a new contract, which seem to be a strong possibility at this point, though, he will likely be able to move forward as a pillar of the team’s offense.

Seahawks Hosting QB Desmond Ridder

April 13th, 2022 at 12:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

Widely believed to be one of the few teams with at least some question marks surrounding their immediate quarterback future, the Seahawks are hosting their first draft prospect at the position. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (on Twitter) that Seattle is meeting with former Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder.

It came out earlier this week that Ridder would be visiting the Seahawks as part of a busy schedule in that regard. He has already met with the Steelers and Panthers, two teams which have made their desire for a new signal-caller well known. He is the only QB prospect, Pelissero notes though, who is known to have sat down with Seattle.

The Seahawks have Drew Lock as their starter at present, after acquiring him in the Russell Wilson trade. While head coach Pete Carroll has publicly backed the former second-rounder, he has also made clear the team’s desire to bring back veteran backup Geno Smith.

Ridder is coming off an historic four-year career with the Bearcats. He complied a 44-6 record, leading the program to the College Football Playoff for the first time in its history. His production and contribution to the team’s success has ranked him amongst the top passers in this year’s draft class. While the ninth overall pick (which the team added during the Wilson trade) is seen as too rich for Ridder, their next selection at No. 40 would likely represent solid value if he were to remain on the board that long.

Much of Ridder’s ultimate destination will be determined, of course, by the urgency with which teams select the likes of Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett and Sam Howell. If the Seahawks have the opportunity to select him, they will have done their due diligence in the build-up to this month’s draft.

Texans To Sign Steven Nelson

April 13th, 2022 at 11:03am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have agreed to sign Steven Nelson, as Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network tweets. Once finalized, it’ll be a two-year, $10MM deal for the veteran cornerback.

A free agent in April for the second straight year, Nelson took a trip to Houston earlier this week. He’ll now join up with the Texans, moving on from a one-year stint with the Eagles. Previous to that, Nelson spent the early part of his career with the Chiefs (four seasons) and the Steelers (two seasons).

The former third-round pick worked as a starter with Philadelphia last season, just as he has for most of his career. To date, Nelson’s got 84 starts out of 98 total games.

The Texans re-signed Desmond King this offseason and they’ve also got Lonnie Johnson going into his walk year. Nelson, 29, will probably serve as a short-term answer at corner.

Nelson isn’t a world-beater, but he’s reliable — he hasn’t missed more than one game in any given season since 2017. His best recent work came in 2019 with the Steelers when he allowed a 50% completion rate and notched a 65.8 passer rating on plays where he was the closest defender. That year, his first in Pittsburgh, he ceded zero touchdowns. However, between 2020 and 2021, Nelson allowed 12 TDs.

This Date In Transactions History: Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey Signs Record-Breaking Deal

April 13th, 2022 at 9:15am CST by Zachary Links

Today marks the two-year anniversary of Christian McCaffrey‘s four-year, $64MM extension with the Panthers. The deal included $36MM guaranteed, $30MM fully guaranteed, and made CMC the highest-paid running back in NFL history.

[RELATED: CMC To Remain At RB]

McCaffrey and the Panthers had been discussing an extension for some time, even though the youngster was a long way from free agency. Elsewhere, the Panthers were in the midst of an overhaul, having bid farewell to head coach Ron Rivera, tight end Greg Olsen, one-time MVP quarterback Cam Newton, and other longtime figures. McCaffrey, of course, remained as a building block of the team’s future.

In September of 2019, Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott broke the RB record with a six-year, $90MM extension. CMC beat that $15MM AAV by a cool $1MM. More importantly, he landed his deal on a much shorter term. The Panthers standout would secure the bag in the near term and be able to do it all again in his prime.

Saints star Alvin Kamara would later threaten his mantle, but fall just short at $15MM per annum. McCaffrey, meanwhile, went on to play in a combined ten games over the next two seasons. That was a bummer for CMC, who had previously earned a First-Team All-Pro selection. And, even in a “down” ’19, McCaffrey still managed 1,387 rushing yards off of 287 carries for an average of 4.8 yards per tote. He also caught 116 passes for 1,005 yards through the air to finish the year with 19 total touchdowns.

The injuries even prompted the Panthers to consider a position change for their franchise RB. But, just a few weeks ago, head coach Matt Rhule confirmed that McCaffrey will remain in the backfield.

“We can always move him around and utilize him, but at the end of the day, he’s a back”, Rhule said. “You can do a lot of things with Christian, but to take him out of the backfield, to me, is taking him out of what he does best. We’ll keep him at tailback.”

As great as McCaffrey is, the Panthers’ offer was panned by many. Market-setting deals for running backs, like the four-year, $60MM deal Todd Gurley once had with the Rams, often go south. Gurley couldn’t stay healthy after putting pen to paper, and neither has CMC. At least, that’s been the case so far.

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