Contract Details: Koo, Armstrong, Whitehead, McKissic, Seahawks, Gladney
Here are the details from the latest agreed-upon contracts around the league:
- Younghoe Koo, K (Falcons): Five years, $24.25MM. Koo received a $6.25MM signing bonus and will earn a fully guaranteed $1.75MM 2022 base salary, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets. The final three years of Koo’s deal are nonguaranteed; none of Koo’s cap hits exceed $6MM.
- Jordan Whitehead, S (Jets): Two years, $14.5MM. The Jets fully guaranteed Whitehead $7MM and, according to OverTheCap.com, the veteran safety’s cap hits will be $4.2MM and $10.2MM.
- Austin Johnson, DL (Chargers): Two years, $14MM. Initially reported as having a max value of $14MM, Johnson’s deal carries a base value of that amount. It comes with $10.6MM guaranteed, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets.
- Dorance Armstrong, DE (Cowboys): Two years, $12MM. The Cowboys fully guaranteed Armstrong $6MM, and Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets his 2022 cap figure checks in at $3.38MM. The deal also features a $1MM sack incentive.
- Quinton Jefferson, DL (Seahawks): Two years, $9.5MM. The Seahawks guaranteed Jefferson $5.2MM to return. This includes a $1.2MM 2022 base salary, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets.
- J.D. McKissic, RB (Commanders): Two years, $7MM. Enticing him to renege on a Bills agreement, the Commanders guaranteed McKissic $3.6MM. The deal includes $1.5MM in performance incentives for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets.
- Jeff Gladney, CB (Cardinals): Two years, $6.5MM. The former first-round pick will receive $4MM guaranteed, SI.com’s Howard Balzer tweets. In addition to his $2MM signing bonus, the Cards guaranteed Gladney’s 2022 base salary ($1.5MM) and $500K of his 2023 base ($2.5MM). Gladney will count just $2.5MM against Arizona’s cap this year.
- Rashaad Penny, RB (Seahawks): One year, $5.75MM. To keep Penny, the Seahawks guaranteed him $5.07MM. Penny will carry a $5.51MM cap number, Henderson tweets. Incentives for rushing yards, receiving yards and touchdowns could take the deal to $6.5MM.
Watson Aimed To Recruit Landry, Fournette To Atlanta
Prior to the Browns coming in with their stunning offer, Deshaun Watson was speaking with veteran free agents about teaming up with the Falcons. Watson spoke with Leonard Fournette and Jarvis Landry about playing with him in Atlanta, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes (ESPN+ link). By the evening of March 17, the Falcons believed they had won the Watson sweepstakes, Fowler adds, and the quarterback was attempting to upgrade the team’s pass-catching corps. Cleveland’s fully guaranteed $230MM proposal changed everything, and Landry is now a possibility to return to the Browns. The eight-year veteran wide receiver visited the Falcons previously, but the team’s outlook has changed considerably since. Fournette re-signed with the Bucs this week.
Watson is a Brown, and Matt Ryan is now a Colt, leaving the Falcons with a record dead-money total and a rebuild to orchestrate. “We’re taking it on the chin this year,” Falcons GM Terry Fontenot said of the $40MM Ryan cap hit (via ESPN’s Michael Rothstein, on Twitter), but noted that the outlook will brighten in 2023. Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- The Falcons hosted former Bengals, Bills and Jets tight end Tyler Kroft on a visit recently, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Not known for his receiving prowess, Kroft has topped 200 receiving yards in just one of his seven seasons. The Falcons lost Kyle Pitts complement Hayden Hurst to the Bengals last week.
- Former QB T.J. Yates will shift from Falcons passing-game specialist to their wide receivers coach, while Mario Jeberaeel is the team’s new assistant offensive line coach. Formerly an Abilene Christian assistant, Jeberaeel joined the Falcons as an intern in 2021. Former Bengals cornerbacks coach Steve Jackson will join the Falcons and make an interesting transition, signing on as a senior offensive assistant. An ex-NFL cornerback, Jackson has coached in the NFL for 21 years but has done so consistently on the defensive side.
Falcons Re-Sign DB Erik Harris
Erik Harris is returning to Atlanta for another season. The safety is re-signing with the Falcons, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Harris is inking a one-year deal.
Harris signed a one-year deal with the Falcons last offseason and ended up starting all 12 of his games. Harris ended up collecting 64 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and eight passes defended while appearing in 84 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. The 31-year-old’s season ended early after he suffered a torn pectoral.
Following a brief stint with the Saints to start his NFL career, Harris had a four-year stint with the Raiders, starting 30 games. He had five interceptions between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
The Falcons have been busy dealing with their secondary this offseason. The team has already signed Casey Hayward and re-signed Isaiah Oliver.
Latest On Colts, QB Matt Ryan
The Falcons and Colts stole headlines yesterday when Atlanta shipped quarterback Matt Ryan to Indianapolis. While it was still a bit jarring to see the Falcons trade their long-time QB, the deal didn’t come as a complete surprise. After all, the Falcons pursued Deshaun Watson before he landed with the Browns, and Ryan’s name was on the trade block even before this offseason.
Ryan spoke with reporters today and admitted that the constant trade chatter did get to him a bit.
“I didn’t like everything I heard but you don’t always like what you hear sometimes,” Ryan said (via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo on Twitter). “But [the Falcons] were professional and handled it well. I knew at some point I was going to have to make a decision on whether or not I would stay.”
Ryan also said that Indy was the only destination he wanted to go to if he didn’t end up back in Atlanta (per Garafolo on Twitter).
Some more notes regarding yesterday’s trade:
- Ryan met with the Colts on Saturday night, requesting to explore his options elsewhere after the Watson developments, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That meeting ended up swaying him to join the organization vs. staying with the Falcons, per Garafolo (on Twitter). “The time was just right for me and I felt I needed to do it,” Ryan said of his decision to move on.
- The Colts picked up Ryan’s $7.5MM roster bonus and added guarantees to the entirety of his two-year deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The deal still has nearly $54MM remaining.
- OverTheCap.com has provided some insight on what those next two years will look like for Indy’s cap sheet. Ryan will have a $24.7MM cap hit this upcoming season and a $29.2MM cap hit in 2023. Meanwhile, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets that the Falcons will carry $40.52MM in dead cap this season thanks to the trade. Incredibly, that’s $9MM in savings for the organization.
Contract Details: Miller, Robinson, Reddick, Mariota, Jensen, Collins, Brown, Norwell
Here are the latest details from contracts recently agreed to across the league, starting with the Bills’ big-ticket deal for a future Hall of Fame edge rusher:
- Von Miller, LB (Bills): Six years, $120MM. Miller’s deal includes $51.44MM guaranteed. The Bills will keep Miller’s early base salaries low; he is tied to $1.1MM (2022) and $1.3MM (’23) salaries, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Miller has a $13.34MM roster bonus due in 2023, and Albert Breer of SI.com tweets his deal includes $50MM over the first two years. His $17.1MM, $19.6MM and $29.6MM salaries from 2025-27 are nonguaranteed.
- Allen Robinson, WR (Rams): Three years, $46.5MM. Robinson is attached to guaranteed base salaries of $1.5MM and $10MM in 2022 and ’23, respectively, per Wilson (on Twitter). The contract includes a $5.75MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2024 league year. If Robinson surpasses 2,200 receiving yards in the regular season and playoffs during the 2022 or ’23 seasons, Wilson adds his 2024 year will void (Twitter link). Only Cooper Kupp has accomplished that feat in a season.
- Haason Reddick, DE (Eagles): Three years, $45MM. Reddick, who is guaranteed $30MM, is tethered to base salaries of just $1MM and $1.1MM in 2022 and 2023, per Wilson (on Twitter). His $13.75MM 2024 salary is nonguaranteed. The Eagles tacked three void years onto the deal for cap purposes. Reddick will collect a $13.7MM roster bonus in 2023.
- Ryan Jensen, C (Buccaneers): Three years, $39MM. Jensen’s deal includes $26.5MM guaranteed. The Bucs center is tied to a $1.5MM base salary in 2022 and a $12.5MM base in 2023, Wilson tweets. Jensen’s 2023 salary is partially guaranteed at signing; it will become fully guaranteed if he is on Tampa Bay’s roster by Day 5 of the 2023 league year. A $1.5MM 2024 roster bonus resides in this deal as well. The Bucs included two void years here for cap purposes.
- La’el Collins, T (Bengals): Three years, $30MM. The contract is closer to a two-year, $20MM pact, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, with Year 3 being included for cap purposes (Twitter link). It appears Cincinnati has dipped into the void-year realm, though is not clear just yet how this contract is structured.
- Marcus Mariota, QB (Falcons): Two years, $18.75MM. This deal veers closer to a one-year pact. Mariota is due $6.75MM in 2022, but NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero notes (on Twitter) a $12MM 2023 option is included in this contract. A key point for Mariota’s Atlanta future will arrive on Day 5 of the 2023 league year, when a $3MM roster bonus is due.
- Trent Brown, T (Patriots): Two years, $13MM. Brown will see $4MM guaranteed, Pelissero tweets. The veteran right tackle can earn up to $22MM on the contract.
- Andrew Norwell, G (Commanders): Two years, $10MM. Norwell will collect $5.7MM guaranteed, Wilson tweets. He is set to earn $1.2MM and $3.54MM in base salary, with Wilson adding Washington added three void years onto this deal.
Panthers Not Interested In Baker Mayfield?
Already attempting to replace one member of the 2018 quarterback class, the Panthers would make sense as a suitor for another. They have been linked to a few quarterbacks as Sam Darnold upgrades, but Baker Mayfield may not appeal to the QB-needy franchise.
Carolina is not believed to be interested in trading for Mayfield, David Newton of ESPN.com tweets. Mayfield’s camp did engage in discussions with the Panthers recently, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, but it does not sound like anything is brewing (subscription required).
For what it’s worth, Mayfield is also uninterested in being traded to the Panthers, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes. But with the Colts trading for Matt Ryan and other teams having previously checked off their QB needs, options for the Browns on Mayfield are dwindling.
Like Darnold, Mayfield is attached to a fully guaranteed fifth-year option salary. Both QBs check in at $18.9MM for 2022. Mayfield sought a trade to the Colts, but they were not as interested. The Seahawks have loomed as an interested party, but if the Panthers are not pursuing him as well, the Browns’ trade compensation will be limited. The Panthers sent second-, fourth- and sixth-round picks to the Jets for Darnold last year. Despite Mayfield having enjoyed a better start to his career than his 2018 classmate, the former No. 1 overall draft choice is unlikely to fetch that kind of return for the Browns.
The Broncos, Steelers, Commanders, Colts, Saints and Falcons have joined the Browns in making moves to acquire a long-term starter or a bridge QB this offseason. The Buccaneers saw their legendary passer quickly unretire. All this limits the market for Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo. The Seahawks make less sense for Garoppolo. Intra-divisional QB trades have happened, in the cases of Drew Bledsoe and Donovan McNabb earlier this century, but are very rare. The Panthers would be a better fit for Garoppolo, but if they do not view he or Mayfield as sufficient upgrades, this is a clear team to monitor in the draft.
Matt Rhule, GM Scott Fitterer and new OC Ben McAdoo went to Kenny Pickett‘s pro day Monday and were at Malik Willis‘ Tuesday, Newton notes. The Panthers have been linked to both players. Mike Tomlin, Steelers OC Matt Canada and front office personnel trekked to Willis’ pro day, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. Atlanta and Washington had front office staffers there as well. Holding the No. 6 overall pick — behind the Jaguars, Lions, Texans, Jets and Giants — the Panthers are in good position to be able to select this draft’s top QB there. Formerly a higher-profile prospect than either Willis or Pickett, Mayfield remains in limbo after the Browns replaced him with Deshaun Watson.
Falcons, QB Marcus Mariota Agree To Deal
Not long after Marcus Mariota-to-Atlanta smoke emerged, the former No. 2 overall pick has agreed to reunite with Arthur Smith. Mariota agreed to a two-year Falcons deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the two-year pact is worth $18.75MM. The Falcons have already announced the deal.
The Falcons traded Matt Ryan to the Colts earlier Monday, giving them a quarterback need for the first time since 2008. Mariota is certainly not a lock to be a long-term starter in Atlanta, but the former Tennessee draftee has experience with Smith and looks set to be Ryan’s immediate successor.
Smith was with the Titans throughout Mariota’s five-year Nashville tenure, but he coached the team’s tight ends for the bulk of Mariota’s run. During Smith’s first offensive coordinator season, he benched Mariota for Ryan Tannehill. The Titans then let Mariota join the Raiders in free agency in 2020. The former Heisman Trophy winner did not supplant Derek Carr in Las Vegas, but he has a clear path to being Atlanta’s starter next season.
A broken leg sustained on Christmas Eve 2016 altered Mariota’s Titans trajectory. The ex-Oregon phenom was coming off a season in which he threw 26 touchdown passes compared to just nine interceptions, while adding 349 rushing yards and two TDs. He did not reach 26 TD passes combined from 2017-18, as the Titans shifted to a more run-oriented attack. Mariota did guide Tennessee to the 2017 playoffs, where they upset the Chiefs after erasing a three-score deficit, but injuries in 2018 provided more hurdles. Elbow trouble led to Mariota missing time in 2018, and he was ineffective for the 2019 Titans, who surged to the playoffs behind Tannehill.
Mariota, 28, did not make any starts with the Raiders but did provide off-the-bench production as an injury replacement or a gadget running option behind Carr. Smith’s former pupil will give the Falcons a dual-threat option they did not have with Ryan. Of course, it remains to be seen how much Smith can coax from Mariota through the air.
Falcons Eyeing Marcus Mariota?
One of the domino effects of the Matt Ryan trade may already be taking shape. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Falcons are “expected to pursue” free agent quarterback Marcus Mariota (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Colts, Falcons Complete Ryan Trade]
Mariota, 29, played under Falcons head coach Arthur Smith when he was the offensive coordinator of the Titans. A No. 2 pick of Tennessee in 2015, Mariota spent the first five years of his career there. He compiled a 29-32 record in Nashville, with his best passing season coming in 2016 (3,426 yards, 26 touchdowns).
While the former Oregon Duck was consistent as a Titan, he never developed into the franchise signal-caller he was drafted to become. His days became numbered when Ryan Tannehill took over as the starter midway through the 2019 season. The former Dolphin was a Pro Bowler that season, and has a 30-13 overall record with the Titans.
In 2020, Mariota signed with the Raiders on a two-year deal. He didn’t register a start in his time there, coming onto the field for a total of 89 snaps while the team remained committed to Derek Carr as the starter. With an opening in Atlanta, Mariota would have a clear path back to being a starter.
At present, the Falcons’ QB room consists of Josh Rosen and Feleipe Franks. The former has bounced around to various backup and practice squad roles, while the latter joined the team last year as a UDFA. Mariota would in all likelihood join the team at the top of the depth chart if he were to sign. As a result of trading away Ryan, the team incurred an NFL-record $40.5MM in dead money, but nevertheless created just over $9MM in savings. Those funds could go towards a temporary option such as Mariota, though the team is a strong candidate to use their first round pick (eighth overall) on a quarterback.
Colts, Falcons Complete Matt Ryan Trade
The Matt Ryan talks have produced an agreement. The Falcons are sending their 14-year starting quarterback to the Colts in exchange for a third-round pick, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
It is a 2022 third-rounder, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter). Rather than send the Falcons the Commanders’ third-round pick, the Colts included their own Round 3 choice (No. 82 in the upcoming draft) in this swap, ESPN’s Field Yates clarifies (on Twitter). This trade will arm the Colts with yet another quarterback solution, with the deal coming not long after Indianapolis shipped its latest one-and-done starter — Carson Wentz — to Washington.
While word of a Ryan-to-Indianapolis deal leaked Monday, Pelissero adds the sides had been discussing it since before Deshaun Watson was dealt to Cleveland (Twitter link). The Falcons met with Watson and were prepared to trade for him, but Schefter notes (on Twitter) Ryan did not ask for a new contract after Atlanta came up short in that pursuit. That could be in the works with the Colts, but Ryan is still tied to the five-year, $150MM deal he signed in 2018. That extension runs through 2023.
Ryan, 36, will follow Watson, Wentz and Russell Wilson in being traded over the past two weeks. The quarterback market led to a major domino in Watson, who chose the Browns after they made an unprecedented extension offer. The fallout from that transaction will also give the Falcons and Colts new starting quarterbacks, with Baker Mayfield set to move soon as well.
The Falcons will take on an NFL-record $40.5MM in dead money by trading Ryan now, but they are sending the former MVP to the Colts before paying him a $7.5MM roster bonus. Atlanta delayed Ryan’s bonus to 3pm CT today, and Indianapolis is now responsible for it. The Colts, however, cleared more than $20MM in salary by trading Wentz. Despite Ryan entering March with what would have been a record-setting $48.7MM salary cap hit, he is tied to only this bonus and a $17.2MM base salary for the 2022 season.
Since 2017, the Colts have used five different Week 1 starting quarterbacks — Scott Tolzien, Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers and Wentz. Ryan will join this succession and strip Indianapolis of another draft asset. But the Wentz drama left the Colts with a glaring QB need. Mayfield wanted to fill it, but Ryan — despite being nearly 10 years older than the disgruntled Browns QB — will have that opportunity. The Colts sent seven players to the Pro Bowl last year but failed to make the playoffs, combusting with ugly losses to the Raiders and Jaguars to close the season. They will count on Ryan to avoid such a fate next season.
Indianapolis lost its 2022 first-rounder by trading for Wentz but picked up two additional thirds — one of which could be upgraded to a second depending on Wentz’s Washington playing time. That gave the team some flexibility regarding its next QB move. The Colts will still have second- and third-rounders in the 2022 draft.
Ryan arrived in Atlanta as the 2008 No. 3 overall pick — Thomas Dimitroff‘s first draft choice as Falcons GM — and quickly filled the hole Michael Vick‘s prison sentence created. Ryan took the Falcons to six playoff berths, with his Georgia run peaking with a 2016 MVP campaign and a slot in Super Bowl LI. The Falcons’ historic collapse that night keyed a downhill slide. Although Atlanta made the playoffs the following year, the team has produced four consecutive losing seasons since. Ryan seemed out of place on the current Falcons, who are launching a rebuild behind new GM Terry Fontenot. HC Arthur Smith said shortly after the 2021 season’s conclusion he wanted Ryan back, but the team is going in a different direction.
Ryan has not made a Pro Bowl since that MVP season, and he ranked 21st in QBR last season — 12 spots behind Wentz. The Boston College alum, of course, is far more accomplished than the previous Colts passer; he ranked 14th and 16th in QBR in 2019 and ’20, respectively. The Colts have work to do at wide receiver, but they still feature one of the NFL’s better offensive lines and just added Yannick Ngakoue to a solid defense.
Falcons, Colts Discussing Matt Ryan
The Falcons being unwilling to move into a newly formed guaranteed money stratosphere led Deshaun Watson to the Browns. Atlanta may be preparing to deal away its 14-year starter soon after.
Matt Ryan has a $7.5MM roster bonus due at 3pm CT, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports the Colts have engaged in discussions about a trade (video link). A trade could commence soon. The Falcons would want to move Ryan before paying him the bonus, and Rapoport adds (via Twitter) the sides have made progress.
Atlanta and Indianapolis have engaged in Ryan talks for a few days now, per Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, who adds this has reached the point the teams are trying to finalize an agreement (Twitter links). It is unclear if talks began before or after Watson’s decision, but the Colts’ interest in Ryan looks like it might produce a fourth major quarterback trade of the offseason. This process has reached the point where many in the league would be surprised if Ryan is not a Colt soon, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
Ryan’s contract calls for just a $17.2MM base salary, along with this roster bonus. The Colts cleared more than $20MM off their payroll by trading Carson Wentz. Despite being linked to Baker Mayfield as well, Ryan appears to be the team’s preference. Mayfield has expressed interest in being traded to the Colts, but it does not look like that will happen.
Ryan, 36, would be the Colts’ sixth Week 1 starter in the past six years. The Colts have not shied away from aging QBs during their post-Andrew Luck stretch, with the team having signed Philip Rivers in 2020. Rivers’ retirement led the team to Wentz, a partnership that skidded off the rails quickly. The Colts bolting on Wentz so soon left them in QB limbo, but the fallout from the Watson sweepstakes has produced intriguing options for Indy.
The Falcons would take on more than $30MM in dead money by trading Ryan before June 1. With the team in clear rebuild mode, however, that does not seem to be an impediment for second-year GM Terry Fontenot. Thomas Dimitroff‘s successor was against restructuring Ryan’s contract last year. That restructure made jettisoning Ryan more financially punishing. Ryan’s contract runs through 2023. The Falcons delayed Ryan’s roster bonus this year and were believed to be the Watson runners-up. This has left Ryan’s path uncertain, but the former MVP could soon be headed to a team in better position to contend in 2022. The AFC, of course, has seen its share of teams improve over the past two weeks. The Colts bolstering their QB situation would only further strengthen the conference.