Packers, Jordan Love Hoping To Complete Extension Before Training Camp
Jordan Love‘s first season as a starter couldn’t have gone much better, but the former first-round pick only has a year remaining on his contract. Predictably, both Love and the Packers are interested in a long-term arrangement, and it sounds like both sides are motivated to complete a deal sooner than later.
[RELATED: Packers Begin Jordan Love Extension Talks]
During an appearance on 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst acknowledged that the two sides are aiming for speedy negotiations.
“We’re in those conversations right now,” Gutekunst said. “I think the nice part about this is none of these things are easy or fast, but both parties want the same thing. We’d like to get this thing done before training camp, for sure, and both parties want to get a contract extension done. I think that stability at that position really allows you to have some security with the way we build our team. We’re looking forward to getting that done, but it never goes fast.”
The Packers and Love have just under two months to complete a deal before their first scheduled training camp practice on July 22. Of course, there’s no technical deadline and no real urgency to get a deal done that soon. On the flip side, even if training camp is an artificial deadline, the two sides surely don’t want the impending free agent QB to enter the regular season with lame-duck status.
While Love doesn’t have an extended track record, his 2023 campaign may be enough to rocket him towards the top of the QB market. We heard last month that Love’s next contract could end up “in [Joe] Burrow territory,” which comes in at a league-leading $55MM average annual value. Four quarterbacks reset the market last offseason (Burrow, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts), and Jared Goff recently joined them in the $50MM AAV club. Once the likes of Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, and Dak Prescott ink their next deals, Love’s expected contract will look a bit more natural.
Last offseason, the Packers ripped up Love’s fifth-year option and replaced it with a one-year contract that offers a higher ceiling (and lower floor). If the QB continues his play from 2023, that arrangement should work out in his favor. Love finished his first season as a starter with 32 touchdowns vs. 11 interceptions, and he helped guide the Packers to their first playoff win since 2020.
Titans Sign DT T’Vondre Sweat, Complete Rookie Signings
The Titans have officially signed their entire draft class. The team announced today that they’ve inked second-round defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat to his four-year rookie contract.
Sweat gradually took on a larger role during his time at Texas, culminating in a 2023 campaign where he earned the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award, a unanimous All-American nod, and the Outland Trophy, awarded to the best college interior defensive lineman. That performance (which included eight tackles for loss and two sacks) played a role in him being the fourth defensive tackle off the board during the 2024 draft.
Chosen 38th overall, Sweat will see his rookie deal almost entirely guaranteed. Sweat’s first three seasons are locked in at signing, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who indicates the Texas DT also received $472K of his 2027 base salary guaranteed. This is well north of the 2023 No. 38 pick’s Year 4 guarantee; Falcons O-lineman Matthew Bergeron received $10K of his final-year salary locked in. Sweat’s deal continues the run of success this year’s second-rounders are having with guarantees.
The Titans lost some defensive line depth this offseason in Denico Autry and Teair Tart, so the rookie should have plenty of opportunities for a significant role. He’s currently penciled in as the team’s starting nose tackle ahead of the likes of Keondre Coburn, Marlon Davidson, and Quinton Bohanna.
Sweat was the final member of Tennessee’s 2024 draft class to ink a rookie pact. The rest of the team’s draft class includes:
- Round 1, No. 7: JC Latham (T, Alabama) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 106: Cedric Gray (LB, North Carolina) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 146 (from Vikings through Eagles): Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (CB, Louisville) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 182 (reacquired through Eagles): Jha’Quan Jackson (WR, Tulane) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 242 (from Eagles): James Williams (S, Miami) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 252 (from Chiefs): Jaylen Harrell (EDGE, Michigan) (signed)
Latest On Raiders’ QB Situation
While the Raiders ended up leaving the draft without a quarterback, the team considered rookie signal-callers up until the buzzer. In fact, the team’s previous offseason moves helped set them up for whatever the draft threw their way.
[RELATED: Raiders To Hold QB Competition Between O’Connell, Minshew]
As Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes, the Raiders’ signing of Gardner Minshew was effectively “insurance” in case they couldn’t land one of the draft’s top QB prospects. Considering free agency comes a few months before the draft, the organization added Minshew with the understanding that the veteran could be a seat warmer for a first-round QB or he could be their full-time starter in 2024.
It ended up being the latter. As Bonsignore notes, the Raiders were eager to move up in the draft, but they only had their eyes on the projected top-three picks (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye). The Bears, Commanders, and Patriots were unwilling to budge, and the Raiders front office believed they’d be reaching for the second-tier of QBs at No. 13.
Of course, the Raiders didn’t even have the opportunity to consider a reach, as Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy, and Bo Nix all flew off the board before it was the Raiders’ turn to pick. Penix may have been the wildcard in this grouping. While Bonsignore notes that no one knows how the front office would have proceeded if the Washington product was there at No. 13, the Raiders never considered moving up the board to acquire the QB.
So, with the organization opting against a rookie QB, the team will be temporarily handing the reigns to either Minshew or Aidan O’Connell. Minshew’s two-year contract includes $15MM guaranteed on a deal worth $25MM. That value may be a bit high for a backup, but it certainly wouldn’t be enough to stop the Raiders from considering other options. O’Connell had a chance to start at the end of the 2023 campaign, with the former fourth-rounder posting a passer rating of 83.9 while registering a 12:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals Extension Talks In “Holding Pattern”
As the Bengals navigate the Tee Higgins situation, they have another star wideout who’s awaiting some financial security. Ja’Marr Chase is now eligible for an extension, and when the Bengals opened their organized team activities on Tuesday, the receiver was not in attendance.
[RELATED: WR Ja’Marr Chase Not At Bengals’ OTAs]
While Chase’s absence is surely connected to his contract situation, it sounds like Cincy’s hands are currently tied. As ESPN’s Ben Baby points out, Chase and the Bengals are “in a holding pattern” while both sides await Justin Jefferson‘s inevitable extension with the Vikings. As Baby notes, even before Chase was eligible for an extension, the wideout was pointing to Jefferson’s impending deal. The Bengals have continued to make it clear that signing Chase is a priority for the organization, so it’s more a matter of when than if Chase signs a deal.
There isn’t as much urgency in Cincinnati as there is in Minnesota. Jefferson is heading into the final season of his rookie deal, so the Vikings would have to play the franchise-tag game if the two sides can’t hammer out an extension. After predictably having his fifth-year option picked up, Chase still has two years remaining on his rookie contract, so he has the luxury of seeing how negotiations unfold with his former LSU teammate.
Chase, Jefferson, and Cowboys star receiver CeeDee Lamb will be looking to reset the wide receiver market. Amon-Ra St. Brown and A.J. Brown‘s recent extensions pushed that value past a $30MM average annual value. Brown currently paces the position in AAV ($32MM) and total guarantees ($84MM), two marks that will surely be pushed down the list once that aforementioned trio inks their next contracts.
Considering the front office’s commitment to Joe Burrow, Chase’s next deal will further limit the organization’s ability to spend. We’re already seeing this upcoming extension’s influence on the Bengals’ handling of Higgins, so some cost certainty could go a long way for the front office.
Broncos Sign WR Troy Franklin, Complete Draft Class Signings
The Broncos have officially completed their draft pick signings. According to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver, the Broncos have signed Troy Franklin to his rookie deal.
The wideout’s four-year rookie contract is worth $4.875MM and includes an $854K signing bonus. Franklin was Denver’s only remaining unsigned draft pick.
After barely missing out on a 900-yard campaign in 2022, Franklin easily topped that mark in 2023. The Oregon product finished the season with 81 receptions for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns, earning him first-team All-Pac-12 honors and a second-team All-American nod.
Franklin landed in an ideal situation, as he’ll team up with his college QB Bo Nix, who was Denver’s first-round pick. While the Broncos moved on from Jerry Jeudy this offseason, the team is still rostering Courtland Sutton. The veteran will be joined by former second-round pick Marvin Mims Jr. and new addition Josh Reynolds atop the depth chart, but Franklin should have an easy path to the WR4 role ahead of Tim Patrick and rookie seventh-round pick Devaughn Vele.
The Broncos’ seven-man draft class is officially signed. The grouping includes:
- Round 1, No. 12: Bo Nix (QB, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 76: Jonah Elliss (EDGE, Utah) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 102 (from Commanders through Seahawks): Troy Franklin (WR, Oregon)
- Round 5, No. 145 (from Jets): Kris Abrams-Draine (CB, Missouri) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 147: Audric Estime (RB, Notre Dame) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 235 (from Seahawks): Devaughn Vele (WR, Utah) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 256 (from Jets): Nick Gargiulo (C, South Carolina) (signed)
Latest On Josh Jacobs’ Role With Packers
While the Packers are set to have plenty of continuity on offense next season, the team will be welcoming in a new starting running back in Josh Jacobs. As Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journals writes, Jacobs was limited through the first few weeks of team workouts thanks to a hamstring injury. However, the veteran was able to recently participate in his first 11-on-11 drills of the offseason, and Jacobs believes he’s just about back to 100 percent health.
After spending the first five seasons of his career with the Raiders, Jacobs is trying to quickly get acclimated to his new environment in Green Bay. There’s the added pressure of replacing long-time RB Aaron Jones atop the depth chart, so the newest acquisition is hoping to hit the ground running.
“The guys on the team make it real easy from that standpoint. They’re like, ‘Man, we’ve played against you, we’ve watched you, we know what you can do, we know who you are,’” Jacobs said. “(But) for me, it’s big to be able to show and prove myself to the team. I think that’s important no matter what you’ve done in the past. I think it’s important for the guys to see that so they can respect it.
“That’s the only thing where I’m like, ‘I’m ready to go!’”
Jacobs established himself as one of the NFL’s prolific rushers during his time with the Raiders, but he saw an inconsistent role in the passing game. During his most productive seasons, Jacobs topped 50 receptions per season, but he’s coming off a 2023 campaign where he was limited to 37 catches. Pro Football Focus didn’t put that entirely on the Raiders’ QB play, as they graded Jacobs as a bottom-10 pass catcher at his position.
Still, as Wilde notes, Packer head coach Matt LaFleur, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, and running backs coach Ben Sirmans are hoping to get Jacobs more involved in the passing game than he was in Las Vegas.
“I think the biggest thing with him is he’s an explosive player,” Sirmans said. “Obviously, he’s big, he’s physical, he’ll be able to break tackles. He’ll be able to give us a lot of production in different ways than Aaron did.”
Colts Haven’t Discussed Extension With Kwity Paye
Despite coming off a breakout 2023 campaign, Kwity Paye probably won’t see an extension offer this offseason. According to ESPN’s Stephen Holder, the Colts are “not believed” to have engaged Paye’s camp in extension talks. Further, Holder believes the Colts will use the 2024 campaign to evaluate whether the defensive lineman is an extension-worthy piece.
Even though Paye is eligible for an extension, there isn’t any urgency on the Colts’ part. The team already committed to the pass rusher’s fifth-year option, meaning Paye will be locked in through at least the 2025 campaign. As of right now, the 25-year-old is set to hit free agency during the 2026 offseason.
The 21st pick in the 2021 draft, Paye has had a relatively consistent role on Indy’s defense in recent years. He earned All-Rookie team honors after finishing with four sacks in 2021, and despite only appearing in 12 games as a sophomore, Paye managed to add another six sacks to his resume.
The third-year player took it to another level in 2023, finishing with career-highs in tackles (52), sacks (8.5), and forced fumbles (two). For his efforts, Paye was ranked 36th among 112 qualifying edge defenders in Pro Football Focus’ rankings, including one of the best positional grades for his run defense.
After appearing in around 66 percent of his team’s defensive snaps through his first three NFL seasons, the Colts will surely be hoping that the defensive lineman can take on an even larger role before they hand him a lucrative extension. If Paye can’t put up the same numbers next season, the Colts have already prepared for the future by selecting UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu with the 15th-overall pick in this year’s draft.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/30/24
Two draft pick signings to pass along:
Arizona Cardinals
- S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (fourth round, Texas Tech)
Atlanta Falcons
- DE Brandon Dorlus (fourth round, Oregon)
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson had a standout career at Texas Tech, collecting 238 tackles and 10 interceptions in 58 games. That included a 2023 campaign where he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors after finishing with four interceptions and eight passes defended. In Arizona, the rookie will serve as a significant backup to Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson.
Brandon Dorlus‘s Oregon career saw him earn three All-Pac-12 recognitions. Between the 2021 and 2023 campaign, the defensive lineman compiled 27 tackles for loss and 12 sacks, putting him firmly on the NFL radar. With Bud Dupree and Calais Campbell off the roster, the rookie should be Zach Harrison‘s main competition for playing time at defensive end.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/30/24
Today’s minor moves:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DE Malik Herring
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Elijah Riley
- Waived/injured: RB Gary Brightwell
Malik Herring was an exclusive rights free agent, meaning he was all but destined to return to Kansas City. The former UDFA has spent the past two seasons with the organization, compiling 16 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 14 games. Herring also got into all four playoff games this past season.
Elijah Riley joins the Giants after having appeared in 30 games with the Eagles, Jets, and Steelers. He got into a career-high 13 games with Pittsburgh this past season, finishing with 12 tackles while earning the majority of his snaps on special teams. Gary Brightwell was a sixth-round pick by the Giants in 2021, but he struggled to carve out a role behind Saquon Barkley. Brightwell’s tenure in New York will end with the RB having collected 256 yards from scrimmage.
Buccaneers Waive/Injured WR Deven Thompkins
The Buccaneers will have a new primary returner in 2024. The team has waived Deven Thompkins with an injury designation, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine.
Thompkins joined Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent out of Utah State in 2022. After playing sparingly on offense as a rookie, the wideout got into close to one fourth of his team’s offensive snaps in 2023. He ultimately finished the campaign with 17 catches for 83 yards and one touchdown.
The 24-year-old really showed out on special teams this past season. He finished the year with 16 kick returns for 327 yards (20.4 yards per return) and 25 punt returns for 234 yards (9.4 yards per return). He was especially active in the postseason, returning another three punts and one kickoff in two games.
As Greg Auman of FOX Sports points out, the NFL’s new kickoff rules should result in more returns and more contact. This means the league may be shifting away from the “smaller, shifty receivers” as their primary kick and punt returners. Thompkins is listed at 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds; Auman suggests Tampa Bay’s new options could be fourth-round RB Bucky Irving (5-foot-9, 192 pounds) and third-round WR Jalen McMillan (6-foot-1, 197 pounds).
On offense, Thompkins’ exit shouldn’t shake up the depth chart. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will continue to soak up the majority of the targets, with McMillan and Trey Palmer sliding in behind that duo. The Buccaneers are also rostering a long list of former UDFAs (including Rakim Jarrett) and current UDFAs (including Tanner Knue, Latreal Jones, and Kameron Johnson).