Eagles DE Josh Sweat Signs Three-Year Extension
For the second-straight week, the Eagles have extended a member of their 2018 draft class. The team announced this morning (via Twitter) that they’ve agreed to a three-year extension with defensive end Josh Sweat.
[RELATED: Eagles Sign LT Jordan Mailata To Four-Year Extension]
The three-year deal is worth $40MM and includes $26.9MM in guaranteed money, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Sweat received a $10MM signing bonus as part of the deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The deal contains $2MM in incentives “based on consecutive years of 7 sacks,” boosting the maximum value to $42MM (per Rapoport). The extension will keep the 24-year-old in Philly through at least the 2024 season.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adds some additional details, reporting that Sweat will earn base salaries of $920K, $1.035MM, $12MM, and $13.75MM over the life of the deal from 2021-24. In addition to the $10MM signing bonus, the first two years of salary are fully guaranteed at signing, as is a $2.965MM option bonus for 2022. $9MM of Sweat’s $12MM salary for 2023 becomes fully guaranteed in March 2022, and the remaining $3MM becomes fully guaranteed in early 2023.
With respect to the sack escalator that Rapoport referenced, Florio says that Sweat can earn an extra $2MM in 2024 by posting at least seven sacks in each of the next three years, nine sacks in two of the next three years, or 11 sacks in any individual year.
Sweat was a fourth-round pick by the Eagles in 2018, and after barely playing during his rookie season, he found a role in Philly over the past two seasons. Sweat appeared in 30 games (three starts) for the Eagles over the past two years, collecting 59 tackles, 10 sacks, 22 QB hits, 16 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles. Those numbers were collected despite the fact that Sweat only played on 35 percent of his team’s defensive snaps in 2019 and 38 percent of the defensive snaps in 2020.
The pass rusher appeared in more than 50 percent of his team’s defensive snaps during their Week 1 win over the Falcons, collecting six total tackles.
Last Saturday, the Eagles agreed to a four-year, $64MM extension with offensive lineman Jordan Mailata, a 2018 seventh-round pick.
Saints Open Up Extra Cap Space
The Saints have found a couple of ways to open extra cap space in recent weeks. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the organization reworked the contracts of cornerback Bradley Roby and defensive end Marcus Davenport.
[RELATED: Texans Trade Bradley Roby To Saints]
Roby’s restructuring comes on the heels of his trade to New Orleans earlier this month. After the Saints sent a 2022 third-round pick and a conditional 2023 choice to the Texans, they converted $847K of the player’s salary into a bonus. This move created a bit more than $677K in cap space. Per Aaron Wilson (on Twitter), this transaction was possible thanks to the Texans’ willingness to cover $7.58M of Roby’s salary and roster bonus.
The veteran’s cap hold in 2021 is now $1.18MM, but it’s a whopping $10.169MM in 2022. Roby also now has void years in 2023, 2024, 2025 at $25MM per year. The 29-year-old’s suspension ended earlier this week, meaning he should make his season debut this weekend.
Davenport also helped his team open some extra cap by converting $1.35MM of his salary into a bonus. Similar to Roby, the defensive end will also get three void years tacked on to the end of his contract. The move opens up about $1.08MM in cap space. Davenport started New Orleans’ season opener, collecting three tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack. He was placed on IR this week after suffering a shoulder injury.
Patriots Sign QB Brian Hoyer To New One-Year Deal
Brian Hoyer is back on the Patriots active roster. The team signed the veteran quarterback to a one-year deal this morning, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). This deal could end up locking Hoyer to the active roster for the rest of the season, but there’s always a chance the team continues to shuffle him on and off their squad.
Hoyer was one of four quarterbacks in Patriots camp, but following the release of Cam Newton and the injury to Jarrett Stidham, the veteran found himself as the primary backup to rookie Mac Jones. However, that still didn’t secure Hoyer a roster spot about the preseason. The team ended up cutting the 35-year-old, although he later landed on the Patriots practice squad in what proved to be a formality. Hoyer was promoted for New England’s Week 1 loss to the Dolphins.
The veteran passer is now on his third stint with the Patriots and will be tasked with mentoring a promising rookie. Hoyer got one start for the Patriots in 2020, when he completed 15 of his 24 passes in a loss to the Chiefs. The quarterback had an interception and a fumble in the game.
This development is probably good news for Garrett Gilbert, who was one of two quarterbacks on the Patriots practice squad. While the team has seemingly settled on Hoyer as the definitive backup, Gilbert probably has a solid hold on his practice squad spot.
Giants OL Nick Gates Suffers Lower Leg Fracture
Giants offensive lineman Nick Gates left tonight’s game following a brutal leg injury. According to the team, Gates suffered a lower leg fracture (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter).
The injury occurred in the first quarter. Gates was tossed to the ground, and teammate Daron Payne accidentally rolled over the lineman’s ankle. Gates’ leg was placed in an air cast before he was carted off the field. The broadcast refused to show a replay considering the gruesome nature of the injury.
Gates was an undrafted free agent in 2018, but he’s transformed into one of the Giants’ most reliable offensive lineman. The 25-year-old started all 16 games for New York in 2020, and he was named a team captain prior to the 2021 campaign. He appeared in all 61 of the Giants’ offensive snaps during their Week 1 loss.
After playing center in 2020, the Giants shifted Gates to left guard this week following an injury to Shane Lemieux. This allowed recent acquisition Billy Price to slide into the center spot. Ben Bredeson replaced Gates following the injury, per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com.
Ravens CB Chris Westry Suffers Torn Meniscus
The injuries keep coming for the Ravens. Cornerback Chris Westry is expected to miss at least a month after suffering a torn lateral meniscus, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (and passed along by ESPN’s Jamison Hensley).
Westry, a former undrafted free agent, ended up playing the third-most snaps among Ravens cornerbacks on Sunday, collecting three tackles. The team was already relying on the bottom of their depth chart after losing cornerback Marcus Peters to a season-ending injury, and Westry’s latest injury is only going to make matters worse.
Thanks to their depleted cornerbacks depth, the team is naturally looking for reinforcement at the position. Earlier this week, Hensley tweets that the Ravens worked out four cornerbacks, including Buster Skrine, Daryl Worley, Winston Rose, and Grant Haley. That’s a mix of experience and youth, and the team will presumably add one cornerback to their active roster sooner than later (the organization already added Kevon Seymour to their practice squad).
While this latest injury is certainly frustrating, Ravens fans have probably come to expect it by now. Per Hensley, the Ravens have already placed 15 players on IR this year, including nine players over the past 24 days.
This Date In Transactions History: Jalen Ramsey Requests Trade
The Jalen Ramsey saga in Jacksonville started in earnest on this date in 2019. On September 16, 2019, the Jaguars star cornerback requested a trade.
Before we discuss the trade demand, let’s review a bit. The fifth-overall selection in the 2016 draft quickly emerged as a star in Jacksonville. Following a rookie campaign that saw him earn PFWA All-Rookie Team honors, Ramsey took it to another level in 2017, earning a first-team All-Pro nod after finishing with 63 tackles, 17 passes defended, and four interceptions. Ramsey made his second-straight Pro Bowl in 2018, cementing himself as one of the league’s top defensive backs.
However, things weren’t especially rosy in Jacksonville. First, there was the 2018 team-imposed suspension. Then, following that 2018 campaign, the two sides started firing shots regarding an extension; Ramsey said he wanted a new deal, the Jaguars said “nah, not right now,” and then Ramsey warned that he wasn’t going to give any future discounts. While the cornerback was locked in through 2020 after the Jaguars picked up his fifth-year option, the cornerback started floating out potential suitors as early as August 2019.
Then came the bombshell. On September 16, 2019, Ramsey officially requested a trade from the Jaguars. While the defensive back was still upset about his lack of an extension, he apparently focused his anger on the coaching staff. Tensions reportedly boiled over between Ramsey and head coach Doug Marrone, as the player wanted to play man-to-man vs. the Jaguars’ preferred zone scheme. So, with Ramsey playing in an undesirable system on a rookie contract, he decided to ask out.
It sounded like a trade wouldn’t take too long to pull off. The Jaguars were open to trading their star defensive back, although they were requesting a bounty in return. A number of teams were naturally connected to Ramsey, with one report literally indicating that every team was interested.
There was little progress the week following the trade request. And there was little progress after that. At one point, Jaguars owner Shad Khan revealed that he was willing to give Ramsey a record-breaking contract, which was either a last-ditch effort to keep the player in Jacksonville or a last-ditch effort to save face. Ramsey temporarily continued playing for Jacksonville, but he eventually left the team to attend the birth of his daughter. Ramsey wouldn’t play for the Jaguars again. The team continued to hold out hope that Ramsey would change his mind, and the 
cornerback did eventually return to practice, but the organization finally found a trade partner for the disgruntled star.
On October 15, almost a month following the request, the Jaguars shipped Ramsey to the Rams. In exchange, Jacksonville received a 2020 first-round pick, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2021 fourth-round pick.
Things ended up working out for Ramsey. He eventually got a hefty five-year, $105MM extension ($71.2MM guaranteed) from the Rams, and he earned a Pro Bowl nod and a first-team All-Pro selection during his first full season in Los Angeles.
It remains to be seen if the deal will work out for the Jaguars. 2020 first-round pick K’Lavon Chaisson had an underwhelming rookie campaign while 2021 first-round pick Travis Etienne will miss his entire rookie season thanks to injury. The front office used that fourth-round pick in a trade that netted the draft picks that turned into defensive end Jordan Smith and wideout Jalen Camp (who’s already been waived).
At one point in time, it looked like Ramsey could go down as one of the best players in Jaguars history. However, the cornerback drastically changed the course of his career on this day in 2019.
This Date In Transactions History: Saints Extend HC Sean Payton
On this date in 2019, Sean Payton got a significant pay bump and commitment from the New Orleans Saints. On September 15, 2019, the head coach inked a new five-year deal with the organization.
Payton, a former QB-turned-coach, spent a few years as Giants offensive coordinator and Cowboys assistant head coach before securing the head coaching job in New Orleans in 2006. Payton’s first three years at the helm left a bit to be desired; the Saints had only one playoff appearance and went 25-23 between the three campaigns. However, the Saints finally broke through in 2009, winning 13 games en route to a Super Bowl championship.
The Saints remained a contender through 2013 (although Payton wasn’t with them in 2012 thanks to a suspension). While the team underwhelmed and went 7-9 each season between 2014 and 2016, Payton and the team managed to rehabilitate their image and rejoin the class of the NFC. The Saints won 24 games between 2017 and 2018, leading to Payton’s extension in 2019.
While Payton’s previous deal paid him around $9MM per season, this new extension was estimated to be worth up to a whopping $13MM annually, making the Saints leader one of the highest-paid head coaches in professional sports history. Payton’s deal was originally set to end following the 2020 season, but the extension (which ripped up the final year of the former deal) kept the head coach in New Orleans through at least 2024.
Perhaps more importantly, the extension kept Payton away from one of the Saints’ NFC foes. Since Payton joined the Saints, the Cowboys made multiple attempts to recruit the coach back to Dallas. Even then, the extension didn’t do much to stop them; the Cowboys reportedly reached out to Payton about their head coaching vacancy in 2019 (which VP Stephen Jones later denied).
While the Saints have been unable to return to the Super Bowl, Payton has still managed to keep the organization relevant. After inking his extension, the head coach guided his team to a 13-3 record in 2019 and a 12-4 record in 2020. There’s some uncertainty about the organization’s ability to compete in the post-Drew Brees era. However, thanks in part to the extension signed on this date in 2019, the Saints brass can rest easy knowing that they have one organizational pillar signed long term.
FA OL D.J. Fluker Suspended Six Weeks
If D.J. Fluker hopes to see the field this season, his debut won’t come until at least early October. The free agent offensive lineman has been suspended for the first six weeks of the season, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).
This development doesn’t necessarily doom Fluker’s chances of catching on with a team. After all, he was already expected to miss at least a month while recovering from recent meniscus surgery, although it’s a bit telling that the Dolphins weren’t willing to keep him around while he got healthy.
After inking a one-year deal with the Dolphins during the offseason, Fluker was expected to provide the Dolphins with a veteran presence on their offensive line. However, he was placed on IR before the conclusion of the preseason, assuring he wouldn’t play for Miami in 2021. The team released him with an injury settlement shortly thereafter, allowing him to sign elsewhere.
Fluker, 30, spent last season with the Ravens, with whom he started eight games. Prior to that, Fluker spent two years as a Seahawks guard starter. He previously played with the Giants and Chargers, who chose him in the 2013 first round. His latest injury and suspension (couple with reports about his underwhelming conditioning) certainly doesn’t bode well for the 30-year-old. However, with 96 career regular season starts on his resume, the offensive lineman will surely find another gig once he’s healthy.
Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence Suffers Broken Foot, Out Indefinitely
DeMarcus Lawrence is out indefinitely. The Cowboys defensive end suffered a broken foot at practice and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). The news was first reported by Joe Trahan of WFAA (on Twitter).
It’s uncertain if the injury will end Lawrence’s season, reports Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus notes (on Twitter) that “there’s optimism it’s not season-ending,” while one source tells NFL Network’s Jane Slater that Lawrence will be sidelined for six to eight weeks (Twitter link). Rapoport has clarified that Lawrence broke the fifth-metatarsal in his foot and will need surgery, but if everything goes well, the pass rusher could be back by November.
This is a tough break for the Cowboys and their depleted pass rush, especially since Randy Gregory could also miss this weekend’s game after testing positive for COVID-19. Dallas was one of only two teams without a sack in Week 1, and their pass-rushing hopes will now depend on the likes of journeyman Tarell Basham.
Lawrence earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods in 2017 and 2018 after combining for 25 sacks between the two seasons. He hasn’t come close to matching that production since, but he was still productive in 2019 and 2020, collecting 11.5 sacks and 26 QB hits in 32 games (31 starts). The veteran started the offseason on PUP as he recovered from back surgery, but he still got back in time to appear in Week 1. He collected five tackles and one forced fumble in that contest.
It’s been a rough few days for the Cowboys after losing their season-opener to the Buccaneers. Lawrence fractured his foot, Gregory tested positive, right tackle La’el Collins was suspended, and receiver Michael Gallup was sidelined for at least the next month.
FA WR/TE Kelvin Benjamin Suspended Two Games
Kelvin Benjamin is currently sitting without a team, but the veteran was still slapped with a ban today. The NFL suspended the free agent wide receiver for the first two games of the season, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).
Based on the wording of the tweet, it sounds like Benjamin’s suspension will last only one more week. It’s uncertain why the former Panthers receiver was hit with the ban.
Benjamin joined up with the G-Men earlier this year in an effort to reboot his career as a tight end. At 6’5″ and 245 pounds, Benjamin has the bulk to play the position, but the Giants apparently thought otherwise. The 30-year-old was cut by the Giants in late July.
In his first pro season, Benjamin had 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns. After missing 2015 with a torn ACL, he had 941 yards and seven touchdowns in 2016. He was traded to the Bills midway through the 2017 season, and his career went downhill quickly after that. Benjamin got into 15 games with the Bills and Chiefs in 2018, but he finished with only 380 receiving yards. He hasn’t seen the field for an NFL game since the conclusion of that 2018 campaign.