Saints Restructure Contracts Of Michael Thomas, Terron Armstead
The Saints are clearing up some cap space. New Orleans has restructured the contracts of receiver Michael Thomas and offensive tackle Terron Armstead, a source told Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football (Twitter link).
Underhill adds that they haven’t restructured Janoris Jenkins‘ deal yet, but that it’s a possibility moving forward. The Saints are clearly going all in on 2020 and one or two last rides with Drew Brees, and they’re trying to maximize this window. We just heard that almost all of the money going to Brees this year is a signing bonus in order to reduce his 2020 cap hit, and now they’re getting even more flexibility.
It’s unclear exactly what financial tweaks were made to Thomas and Armstead’s deals, although it’s likely they just had 2020 salary converted to signing bonus money to spread out the cap hits over the duration of their respective contracts. Thomas signed a massive five-year, $100MM extension last July that made him the highest-paid receiver of all time.
The record-breaking wideout is under contract through the 2024 season, and will be in New Orleans long after Brees finally hangs up his cleats. Armstead signed a five-year, $65MM extension back in 2016, and is signed through the 2021 campaign. He had $10.2MM in salary converted to a signing bonus in November of 2018 to create the cap space to sign Dez Bryant.
The Saints added another veteran player earlier today in safety Malcolm Jenkins, giving them more ammo for their 2020 run. With Tom Brady now in the division, the NFC South is about to get a lot tougher.
Redskins To Sign Sean Davis
The Redskins continue to add to their defense. Washington has agreed to terms with linebackers Thomas Davis and Kevin Pierre-Louis as well as cornerback Kendall Fuller over the past couple of days, and now they’re adding a safety.
The ‘Skins will sign Sean Davis to a one-year deal worth $5MM, his agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New Washington coach Ron Rivera is a defensive-minded coach, so it’s not a surprise that he’s making revamping that side of the ball a priority.
The Steelers drafted Davis 58th overall in 2016, and he became a solid starter for the team. He started 31 games from 2017-18, racking up 172 tackles, 15 passes defended, and four interceptions in those two years. Unfortunately his 2019 campaign was ended after just one game due to a serious shoulder injury.
Davis played closer to the line of scrimmage his first couple of years in the league, but moved to free safety in 2018. The Redskins have had a lot of talent on paper on defense the past couple of years, but it never really materialized. They’re hoping that with Rivera and new DC Jack Del Rio’s presence, as well as these additions, the unit can finally take a big step forward.
Raiders Agree To Terms With CB Eli Apple
The Raiders continue to spend money revamping their defense. Las Vegas has agreed to terms with free agent cornerback Eli Apple, Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune tweets.
Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have been handing out big contracts left and right to defenders, already signing defensive end Carl Nassib, linebacker Cory Littleton, defensive tackle Maliek Collins, and safety Jeff Heath. We also heard that the Raiders offered more money for corner Byron Jones than the Dolphins did before Miami signed him to his record-breaking contract, so they’ve certainly been bold.
The Raiders have been low on talent on that side of the ball during Gruden’s first two years back coaching the team, but this flurry of activity is still wild. They’ve now essentially added a player at every defensive position, and Paul Guenther’s unit is going to look entirely different when they take the field at their new stadium for the first time.
Apple was drafted tenth overall by the Giants back in 2016, and things didn’t go smoothly in New York. Although he flashed talent his tenure there was strained from the start, and he frequently clashed with teammates and coaches over a perceived lack of effort on his end. Eventually he was traded to the Saints for fourth and seventh-round picks midway through the 2018 campaign.
The change of scenery seemed to do him some good, and he developed into a somewhat consistent starter opposite Marshon Lattimore in New Orleans. Apple was only 20 when he was drafted and is still only 24, so he should have more room to grow. He’ll now be a key piece of a very young and intriguing Raiders secondary that includes last year’s early picks Trayvon Mullen and Johnathan Abram.
Rams To Re-Sign Austin Blythe
The Rams have seen a mass exodus of players on defense in recent days, but they’re keeping a crucial offensive piece around. The team has agreed to terms on a new one-year deal with interior lineman Austin Blythe, they announced in a release.
Blythe provides some nice versatility for the Rams, as he has started at both guard and center over the last couple of seasons. Originally a seventh-round pick of the Colts in 2016, Blythe got the axe after just one year in Indianapolis. The Rams quickly scooped him off waivers, and he’s turned into a nice find for general manager Les Snead. After serving as a reserve in 2017, Blythe started all 16 games the following year.
Jamon Brown was suspended for the first two games of 2018 so Blythe took over his starting spot at right guard, and played well enough to keep the gig even after Brown returned. He missed one game this past season with an ankle injury, but started the other 15. He started last year at guard but moved to center when Brian Allen went down with an injury. Terms of his new deal weren’t immediately available.
Rams Sign OLB Leonard Floyd
The Rams are making their first big splash of free agency. Los Angeles is signing outside linebacker Leonard Floyd to a one-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
It’s a $10MM deal that can be worth up to $13MM, Schefter reports. Floyd was cut by the Bears yesterday when Chicago signed fellow outside linebacker Robert Quinn, and it didn’t take him very long to find a new home. We heard word that the Giants were interested in Floyd, so Rams GM Les Snead likely had competition for his services. Floyd would’ve earned $13.2MM in 2020 under his fifth-year option had the Bears kept him, so his release won’t end up hurting him too much financially if at all.
The ninth overall pick back in 2016 Floyd was a bit of a disappointment in Chicago, but he’ll now get the chance to prove himself and re-enter unrestricted free agency at this time next year. The Georgia product became a starter as a rookie and showed plenty of flashes, racking up seven sacks in 12 games in his first year as a pro.
Unfortunately he never really progressed from that point, and his sack totals actually declined in each of the past three years. Still only 27, he has a lot of theoretical talent. He’ll slide in more or less as the replacement for Dante Fowler Jr., who just left the Rams to sign a three-year, $48MM deal with the Falcons less than an hour ago.
When the Rams next take the field looking to put their disappointing 2019 season behind them, their defense is going to look quite a bit different. Not only did they trade away cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib midway through last year, they’ve now seen a string of departures in free agency.
Safety Eric Weddle retired; Cory Littleton, Michael Brockers, and Fowler Jr. have now all departed in free agency, and the team just declined their option on usual slot corner Nickell Robey-Coleman. They’ve also replaced defensive coordinator Wade Phillips with Brandon Staley, so it’s safe to say that side of the ball is getting a complete makeover after Sean McVay’s dissatisfaction with the previous structure became evident.
Ravens Sign Sam Koch To Extension
Sam Koch isn’t going anywhere. The punter is staying put in Baltimore with a two-year extension, the Ravens announced in a tweet.
Koch still had a year left on his previous deal, so Baltimore was being proactive here. The Ravens have been aggressive the past few days, landing Calais Campbell in a surprising trade with the Jaguars and doling out big money to free agent defensive lineman Michael Brockers. Koch might get overshadowed by Baltimore’s other specialist, league-best kicker Justin Tucker, but he’s been a reliable option himself.
A sixth-round pick all the way back in 2006, Koch has been with the team for the past 14 seasons. He’s never reached elite status but has been solid the entire time, earning the only Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods of his career in 2015. Terms of the deal weren’t immediately available, but we’ll pass those along to you as soon as we get them. The Nebraska product will turn 38 in August, and it’s possible this extension takes him right into retirement.
Jets Re-Sign Brian Poole
The Jets will retain one of their own. New York is re-signing cornerback Brian Poole on a one-year fully guaranteed deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Poole will be getting $5MM for the 2020 season, he reports. Poole signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent back in 2016, and quickly made a name for himself in Atlanta. He started nine games in his first pro season, and he signed with the Jets on a one-year contract worth $3.5MM after his initial rookie deal expired.
Poole appeared in 14 games for the Jets this past season and made ten starts, racking up 59 tackles, five passes defended, and a pick-six he got off Derek Carr in a blowout win over the Raiders. Poole played pretty well for Gregg Williams’ defense last season, earning strong marks from Pro Football Focus, and the Jets have some solid pieces in their secondary. Despite being on his third contract now, the Florida product is still only 27.
Chiefs Rework Frank Clark’s Deal
The Chiefs are clearing up some cap space. Kansas City is restructuring defensive end Frank Clark‘s contract to convert $5MM of his base salary into a signing bonus, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The move will give the Chiefs some extra wiggle room with cap flexibility as the cap hit will now be spread over the course of the contract rather than all being charged for this year. Kansas City currently has very little cap space, and this move was necessary just to get them under the cap. Not surprisingly, they’ve been very quiet in free agency as a result.
The only move the defending Super Bowl champions have made so far is re-signing backup quarterback Chad Henne, and they’ve had to watch as some of their own guys like Kendall Fuller walk out the door and sign big deals elsewhere. This likely isn’t where the maneuvering will end, as the Chiefs have to clear up even more space for some possible extensions, like the one they want to give Patrick Mahomes.
For example, they’ve confirmed that they want Sammy Watkins to take a paycut if he’s going to come back to the team in 2020. Kansas City gave up first and second-round picks to acquire Clark last offseason, and he finished with eight sacks in 14 games. After the trade he signed a five-year deal worth a whopping $105.5MM, and he’s locked up through the 2023 season.
Raiders Offered More Money For Byron Jones
Byron Jones just became the league’s highest-paid cornerback when the Dolphins agreed to pay him $82.5MM over five years, and he actually turned down even more money.
The Raiders offered more money annually than Miami did, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). However, the Dolphins bested them in one crucial aspect, the front-loaded nature of the contract. Garafolo reports that Vegas’ deal was more spread out, while Miami’s will give Jones $40MM just within the first two years.
As he points out, both teams will be playing in states with no state income tax, putting even more cash in Jones’ pocket. It’s often speculated that Raiders owner Mark Davis doesn’t have quite as much cash on hand as other NFL owners, and it’s worth wondering if that played a role in the team’s reluctance to front-load a deal.
The Raiders have been perhaps the moost aggressive team in free agency overall, signing a whole bunch of guys including Nick Kwiatkoski, Cory Littleton, Marcus Mariota, Jason Witten, Jeff Heath, Maliek Collins, and Carl Nassib. Jones had a very active market, and was the consensus top corner available.
Panthers To Re-Sign Tre Boston
Tre Boston is staying in Carolina, and he’s finally getting the multi-year deal he’s been seeking. The Panthers are giving the safety a three-year deal worth $18MM, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Schefter notes that Boston will get a whopping $9.5MM in the first year of the contract. Boston has been a solid starting safety for a while now, but since he isn’t considered to be in the top-tier, it’s been tough for him to get a long-term commitment. Last offseason he waited until July to sign with the Panthers on a one-year, $3MM deal after he was unsatisfied with the initial offers he got.
The year before he did the same thing, waiting until July to sign with the Cardinals on a one-year, $1.5MM deal. He’s had to bet on himself, and it finally paid off. This past year he started all 16 games for the Panthers, racking up 11 passes defended and three interceptions, helping to turn around a suddenly resurgent secondary.
Boston started his career in Carolina, so it’s fitting they’re the ones who ultimately rewarded him. A fourth-round pick of the Panthers back in 2014, he spent three years with them before being waived and latching on with the Chargers. He started 15 games for the Chargers and had five interceptions, but still failed to generate much of a market.