Panthers To Re-Sign Marquis Haynes
Marquis Haynes will be sticking with the Panthers. Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports (via Twitter) that the Panthers have re-signed the linebacker/defensive end. It’s a two-year deal for Haynes.
Haynes was a fourth-round pick by the Panthers back in 2018, and he’s carved out a role for himself on defense in recent years. While he still doesn’t have a start to his name, Haynes has still appeared in 47 career games, including 32 over the past two seasons.
After finishing with four sacks in 2020, the 28-year-old collected another three sacks to go along with 20 tackles in 2021.
His ability to play both linebacker and defensive end make hims a versatile piece in the Panthers 3-4 defense. He’ll likely continue to play that role in 2022.
49ers DE Dee Ford Reworks Contract
The 49ers have opened up a chunk of cap space. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the 49ers have restructured the contract of defensive end Dee Ford.
Following a trade in 2019, the 49ers inked the pass rusher to a five-year, $87.5MM deal. Last March, he agreed to scale it down to a two-year pact worth $24MM. Today’s move will create $4.96MM in 2022 cap space.
The 49ers traded for Ford during the 2019 offseason and saw him play a key role in their Super Bowl LIV run as a part-timer. Unfortunately, he’s been limited to just 18 regular season games in SF over the last two seasons and change.
The 30-year-old got into six games in 2021, collecting three sacks and four QB hits. However, his season ended on injured reserve with back and neck injuries.
Colts To Sign CB Brandon Facyson
Gus Bradley is the Colts new defensive coordinator, but he’s also helping the front office by recruiting some former players. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter), the Colts have signed former Raiders cornerback Brandon Facyson. It’s a one-year deal for the defensive back.
Following three somewhat anonymous seasons with the Chargers, he caught on with the Raiders practice squad in 2021. He ended up transforming into one of the most dependable members of Bradley’s defense, compiling 55 tackles, 13 passes defended, and one pick in 12 games (nine starts).
Xavier Rhodes remains unsigned, but one of Facyson or Kenny Moore could pick up the slack (alongside Rock Ya-Sin) in the Colts’ secondary.
Texans To Re-Sign DB Desmond King
Desmond King is returning to Houston. The defensive back is re-signing with the Texans, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
King will be signing a two-year deal worth $7MM, per Schefter. The deal contains $3.5MM in guaranteed money.
The defensive back spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers, including a 2018 campaign where he earned a Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod as a cornerback and returner. However, he found himself in and out of the lineup during the 2019 season, and he was ultimately traded to the Titans midway through the 2020 season.
Tennessee let him walk at the end of the year, and King ultimately landed a one-year deal with Houston. He ended up starting a career-high 12 games for the Texans, compiling 93 tackles, six passes defended, and three interceptions.
Latest On Baker Mayfield’s Future With Browns
Deshaun Watson could potentially land in Cleveland, but that doesn’t mean Baker Mayfield would be sent to Houston. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Mayfield isn’t a part of the Browns’ trade offer to the Texans.
The Texans are focused on acquiring picks, including a handful of firsts. The Browns’ offer is presumably based on draft capital, and that’s fine with Mayfield…per Cabot, Houston “likely wouldn’t be his top choice for a landing spot.”
If the Browns do somehow acquire Watson, Mayfield would obviously be sent packing in a separate trade, and Cabot notes that the losers of the Watson sweepstakes could pivot to the former first-overall pick. In this hypothetical, the Panthers and Saints would be among the “losers,” and Cabot also mentions the Colts and Seahawks as potential suitors for Mayfield.
In fact, considering the optics of the Watson pursuit, Mayfield might find himself traded even if Cleveland doesn’t complete a deal with Houston. As Cabot writes, Mayfield “would undoubtedly find it awkward to return to Cleveland in 2022 and start for a team that took the Haslams private jet to Houston on Tuesday afternoon to woo his possible replacement.” Mayfield was also critical of Kevin Stefanski’s playcalling last season, and the QB famously hasn’t inked an extension. Mayfield’s future with the organization always seemed like it was on thin ice, but his exit from Cleveland could come sooner than expected.
There’s always a chance that the Browns don’t land Watson, and the organization and Mayfield kiss and make up. However, as Cabot notes, “the visit with Watson seems like a dealbreaker.”
49ers To Sign CB Charvarius Ward
Charvarius Ward is signing with the 49ers, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The cornerback confirmed the news on Twitter.
It’s a three-year deal worth $42MM, including $26.7MM in guaranteed money.
Ward joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee in 2018. After seeing time in 13 games as a rookie, Ward ended up starting 16 games in 2019 for the eventual Super Bowl champs. Ward finished that season with 74 tackles, ten passes defended, and two interceptions. He also added another nine tackles in three postseason games.
The 25-year-old started 13 of his 14 games in 2020, finishing the year with 51 tackles, one sack, and six passes defended. Then, he started in each of Kansas City’s three playoff games, collecting 18 tackles. He ended up inking his second-round tender with the organization last offseason, and he proceeded to start 12 of his 13 games in 2021, collecting 67 tackles, 10 passes defended, and two interceptions. He also got into all three playoff games.
Patriots To Re-Sign K Nick Folk
Nick Folk is sticking around New England. The Patriots are re-signing the veteran kicker, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
Folk signed a two-year extension worth $5MM, including $2.19MM in guaranteed money. The deal can max out at $5.6MM with incentives.
After spending 2018 out of the NFL, Folk caught on with the Patriots for a brief stint in 2019. He ended up sticking around for the 2020 season, and he’s appeared in each of New England’s games since that time. During his two-plus seasons with the organization, Folk has connected on 90.5 percent of his field goals and 91.3 percent of his extra point tries.
Folk started his career with the Cowboys, earning a Pro Bowl trip as a rookie in 2007. He had a seven-year stint with the Jets before a dreadful 2017 campaign with the Buccaneers.
Vikings To Release DT Michael Pierce
Michael Pierce‘s stint with the Vikings is about to come to an end. Minnesota is planning to cut the the veteran defensive tackle, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
According to the reporter, the Vikings tried to convince Pierce to take a “moderate pay cut,” but the player clearly refused. The team also tried working out a trade, but despite “some feelers,” a deal never materialized. While the wording of Rapoport’s tweet seems to indicate that the Vikings are holding out hope for a deal, a release still seems imminent.
Pierce signed a three-year, $27MM deal with the Vikings in 2020, but that deal was pushed to 2021 after Pierce opted out of the 2020 campaign. The 29-year-old was attached to a $10.5MM cap hit in 2022, and his release will leave behind $4MM in dead cap.
Pierce made his Vikings debut in 2021, collecting 20 tackles and three sacks in eight starts. He suffered an elbow injury that forced him to miss the middle chunk of the season. The Stanford product spent the first four seasons of his career with the Ravens, starting 30 of his 60 games.
Frank Clark Reworks Contract, Staying With Chiefs
Frank Clark will be sticking around Kansas City after all. The Chiefs have reworked the defensive end’s contract to keep him in Kansas City, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
Clark inked a new two-year pact worth $29MM with upside of $36MM. This will greatly reduce Clark’s cap numbers, which were set at $26MM in 2022 and $27MM in 2023.
Considering those pricey charges, Clark was mentioned as a cut candidate heading into the offseason. Cutting Clark before June 1st would have saved the Chiefs $12.7MM, and that number would have climbed to $19.5MM after that date. Instead, Clark was willing to take a significant pay cut to stick with the team.
Clark has earned three Pro Bowl nods during his three seasons in Kansas City, but his numbers have continued to decline. After totaling eight sacks during his first season with the Chiefs, he’s collected 10.5 sacks over his past two seasons (29 games).
Chiefs To Sign S Justin Reid
Justin Reid is leaving Houston. The veteran safety is signing with the Chiefs, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). It’s a three-year deal worth $31.5MM, including $20MM in guaranteed money (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter).
The younger brother of Eric Reid, Justin Reid was a third-round pick out of Stanford in 2018. He spent his entire four year career with the Texans, snagging seven interceptions and collecting 23 passes defended. This included a 2021 campaign where Reid started all 13 games and collected 66 tackles and two picks.
Both Reid and the Texans were interested in a reunion, but it sounds like Reid may have ultimately priced himself out of Houston. We heard previously that the market for Reid could be so robust that it’d be “financially inadvisable” for the player to stick around Houston, indicating that the Texans had a limit to what they’d offer.
In addition to the Texans, the Bears, Eagles, and Ravens were mentioned as potential suitors. Instead, the 25-year-old will be heading to one of the top teams in the AFC. This move would seemingly confirm that Tyrann Mathieu will indeed be playing elsewhere in 2022.