Falcons Re-Sign K Younghoe Koo
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Re-signed: WR Christian Blake, CB Tyler Hall, K Younghoe Koo, DT Jacob Tuioti-Mariner
Koo is obviously the most notable name on the list, especially after the 26-year-old earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2020. The kicker was an exclusive rights free agent. Koo joined the Falcons for the second-half of the 2019 campaign, and he retained the starting gig in 2020. He ultimately finished the 
year having appeared in 15 games, connecting on a league-leading and franchise-record 37 field goals (on 39 attempts). Koo also became the first player in Falcons history to connect on at least eight field goals of 50 yards or more without a miss.
Blake joined the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2018, and after not seeing the field during his rookie campaign, he’s appeared in 25 games for the Falcons over the past two years. The 24-year-old has hauled in 24 career receptions for 232 yards.
Tuioti-Mariner also joined the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2018, and he didn’t get into a game until the 2019 campaign. The 24-year-old appeared in all 16 games this past season, compiling 31 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble.
Hall went undrafted during last year’s draft, and he proceeded to spend the majority of the 2020 season with the Falcons organization. He finished the game having appeared in nine games, collecting six tackles.
Lions Release TE Jesse James
Jesse James‘ two-year stint in Detroit has come to an end. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Lions have released the veteran tight end. The move will save the team more than $6MM over the next two years.
The tight end initially joined the Lions on a four-year, $22.6MM deal back in 2019, but he hasn’t come close to matching the (limited) production he displayed during his time with the Steelers. In 32 games (18 starts) over the past two years, James has hauled in 30 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns. The 26-year-old had cap hits of $6.4MM in 2021 and $7.1MM in 2022, and the Lions will be left with dead cap hits of $4.2MM in 2021 and $5.7MM in 2022.
The 2015 fifth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with Pittsburgh, starting 36 totals games. His best season came in 2018 when he hauled in 30 receptions for 423 yards and two scores.
T.J. Hockenson obviously sits atop the Lions tight ends depth chart, but the team will surely be looking for some reinforcement behind him. Hunter Bryant is the only other tight end under contract for the 2021 campaign.
Lions GM Discusses QB Position, Draft
Following the Jared Goff/Matthew Stafford trade, the Lions quarterback depth chart is already going to look a whole lot different in 2021. Based on some recent comments from general manager Brad Holmes, it might not just be the top of the depth chart that’ll see changes. During an appearance on the Huddle and Flow podcast, the executive noted that the team will definitely consider drafting a quarterback, even with the seventh-overall pick.
“I don’t think when you’re picking this high that you can be ‘out’ on any position,” Holmes said. “But obviously, quarterback is such an important position and I just think it’s good drafting business, always, to be very, very thorough on that quarterback class – regardless of what your situation is. When I was with the Rams, I always said, regardless of what you have at quarterback [you have to be thorough], and especially now, it’s the same approach. It is a good crop coming out this year, but it’s definitely not a position that will be ignored by us by any means.”
This isn’t a massive surprise. After all, Goff has underwhelmed over the past two seasons, and the quarterback obviously wasn’t the main asset acquired in the Stafford deal (that honor belongs to the pair of future first-rounders). However, the team still has at least two (pricey) years of Goff, so they can take a patient approach at the position knowing Goff will probably be under center for at least 2021.
We leaned earlier this week that even the Lions’ backup quarterbacks aren’t safe. The front office has reportedly had trade discussions with teams about backup Chase Daniel.
S Damontae Kazee Not Expected To Re-Sign With Falcons
It sounds like Damontae Kazee‘s stint in Atlanta has come to an end. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the safety isn’t expected to re-sign with the Falcons.
Fortunately, the 27-year-old has recovered from the torn Achilles’ tendon he suffered during Week 4 of this past season. Rapoport notes that Kazee is expected to be cleared by training camp, meaning he’ll have plenty of time to acclimate with his new squad.
The 2017 fifth-round has spent his entire career with the Falcons. He had a standout campaign during the 2018 season, compiling 82 tackles, 10 passes defended, and a league-leading seven interceptions in 16 games (15 starts), and he collected another three interceptions in 16 games (14 starts) during the 2019 season. Prior to his season-ending injury this past year, Kazee had compiled 20 tackles and one pass defended.
The Falcons’ secondary is going to look a bit different in 2021. The team already cut Ricardo Allen, and Keanu Neal could end up skipping town via free agency. The organization is currently rostering only a pair of safeties in Jaylinn Hawkins and T.J. Green.
Bears Re-Sign K Cairo Santos
Cairo Santos is sticking around Chicago. The Bears have signed the impending free agent kicker to a new five-year deal, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
The deal is worth $16MM and has a maximum value of $17.5MM, according to Biggs. However, the final two years of the deal are voidable, effectively making it a three-year, $9MM deal (with a max value of $11MM). The entire deal includes $4.575MM in guaranteed money, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).
Santos initially joined the Bears last offseason, but he was cut at the end of preseason. He quickly rejoined the team when kicker Eddy Pineiro landed on IR, and Santos proceeded to put forth one of the best kicking seasons in franchise history. The 29-year-old connected on 3o of his 32 field goal attempts, leading to a franchise-best field goal percentage (93.8). He also set the franchise mark in consecutive field goals made, connecting on 27-straight during the 2020 campaign.
Santos spent the first three-plus seasons of his career with the Chiefs, but he’s bounced around the NFL since getting dumped during the 2017 season. He had a previous stint with the Bears to finish his 2017 campaign, and he’s since spent time with the Jets, Rams, Buccaneers, and Titans. The kicker’s recent inconsistency (he made only 68.8% of his kicks between the 2017 and 2019 seasons) explains why he hasn’t been able to find a steady gig, but it sounds like he’s found a home in Chicago. Similarly, the Bears have finally found an answer at kicker, at least for the next few seasons. As Biggs writes, the Bears have had a carousel at the position since letting go of Robbie Gould in 2016.
Franchise Tag Roundup: Dupree, Seahawks, Bengals
Despite some whispers of a potential delay, the deadline for teams to place franchise tags on impending free agents was today at 5 p.m. CT. While a handful of players learned that they were slapped with the tag, a number of players naturally learned that they’ll be entering unrestricted free agency. We collected some of those notable players below:
- The Steelers decided to not tag Bud Dupree, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The linebacker was hit with the tag last offseason. The former first rounder had another strong season for Pittsburgh, compiling eight sacks in only 11 games.
- A pair of popular Seahawks players didn’t get franchised: running back Chris Carson (per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter) and cornerback Shaquill Griffin (per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter). The team is planning to (at least) make a pursuit at retaining Griffin, per Rapoport.
- The Bengals didn’t franchise pass rusher Carl Lawson, per Rapoport (on Twitter). The former fourth rounder has collected 10.5 sacks over the past two seasons, with Rapoport opining that the lineman is “one of the NFL’s most underrated players” heading into free agency.
- The Lions decided to not franchise Romeo Okwara, according to Rapoport (via Twitter). The 25-year-old had a breakout season in Detroit, setting career-highs in tackles (44) and sacks (10).
- Despite leading the Cardinals with 12.5 sacks last season, Arizona didn’t franchise linebacker Haason Reddick (according to Schefter on Twitter). The former first-rounder also set career-highs in QB hits (16) and tackles for loss (15).
- The Titans didn’t franchise tight end Jonnu Smith, per Schefter on Twitter. The 25-year-old has shown flashes during his brief NFL career, including a 2020 campaign where he set career-highs in receptions (41), receiving yards (448), and touchdowns (eight).
As a reminder, here are the players who have reportedly been tagged over the past 48 hours:
- Bears: WR Allen Robinson (story)
- Buccaneers: WR Chris Godwin (story)
- Giants: DL Leonard Williams (story)
- Jaguars: OT Cam Robinson (story)
- Jets: S Marcus Maye (story)
- Panthers: OT Taylor Moton (story)
- Saints: S Marcus Williams (story)
- Washington: G Brandon Scherff (story)
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/21
A handful of teams handed out free agent tenders today, and we’ve collected each of them below:
- The Cowboys are holding on to defensive lineman Ron’Dell Carter, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). The 2020 undrafted free agent out of James Madison initially got $145K in guaranteed money from Dallas last summer (per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com), but the team briefly let him get away from their practice squad when he was signed by the Colts early in the season. He was ultimately cut by Indy and landed back in Dallas via waivers. He appeared in three games as a rookie, collecting one tackle.
- The Broncos informed three exclusive rights free agents that they’ll be tendered, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter), a grouping that includes wideout/returner Diontae Spencer, offensive lineman Calvin Anderson, and safety Trey Marshall. Spencer, 28, has spent the past two seasons in Denver, compiling 82 yards from scrimmage on 15 touches. He’s also played a role on special teams, returning 42 punt for 461 yards and one touchdown and 30 kicks for 717 yards. After spending much of the 2019 season on Denver’s practice squad, Anderson managed to appear in all 16 games (including two starts) for the Broncos in 2020. Marshall has appeared in 30 games over the past three seasons with the Broncos, including a 2019 campaign where he finished with 25 tackles and one forced fumble.
- The Buccaneers tendered three exclusive rights free agents today: tight end Tanner Hudson, defensive lineman Jeremiah Ledbetter, and defensive lineman Pat O’Connor. Hudson has spent the past three years with Tampa Bay, and he hauled in three receptions in 11 games this past season. O’Connor appeared in 16 games for the Buccaneers this year, collecting four tackles and one sack. Ledbetter has been around the NFL since 2017, and he compiled one sack in three games with Tampa in 2020.
As a reminder, the deadline to place tenders on restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent is March 17.
Bengals Re-Sign QB Brandon Allen
Brandon Allen is sticking around Cincinnati. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the quarterback is re-signing with the Bengals. It’ll be a one-year pact for the 28-year-old.
As Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets, the Bengals were pleased with Allen’s performance both on and off the field last season, especially following the season-ending injury to starter Joe Burrow. Allen started five of Cincy’s final six games last season, and while the Bengals went only 1-4 in those contests, the quarterback managed to complete 63.4-percent of his passes for 925 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions. Allen initially signed a deal with the Bengals last offseason, and he landed on the practice squad after being cut at the end of the preseason.
The former sixth-round pick out of Arkansas had stints with the Jaguars and Rams before landing with the Broncos in 2019. He started three games that season, completing 46.4-percent of his passes for 515 yards, three touchdowns, and two picks.
Allen will likely serve as Burrow’s primary backup in 2021. The team also has former fourth-rounder Ryan Finley under contract.
This Date In Transactions History: Browns Release Jamie Collins
In January of 2017, the Browns made Jamie Collins one of the highest-paid linebackers in the NFL. Two years later, the organization moved on from the Pro Bowler. On March 6, 2019, Cleveland released the veteran linebacker.
Collins, of course, spent the first three-plus seasons of his career with the Patriots, earning a Super Bowl ring and a Pro Bowl appearance. Despite his production, New England wasn’t too eager to hand the impending free agent the sizable contract he desired. So, in October of 2016, the Patriots traded Collins off to Cleveland. In return, New England received a third-round pick, a selection that’d ultimately pair with a first-rounder to acquire Brandin Cooks (and a fourth-rounder, which was ultimately forfeited due to Deflategate) from the Saints.
Collins continued producing down the stretch of the 2016 season, and the Browns decided to open their check book for him during the following offseason. Cleveland inked the linebacker to a lucrative four-year, $50MM pact, including $26.4MM in guaranteed money, making him the highest-paid traditional linebacker in the NFL. Collins struggled with injuries during his first full season with the Browns, appearing in only six games. However, he managed to appear in every game during the 2018 campaign, finishing with 104 tackles, four sacks, and one forced fumble. Despite the solid numbers, Collins graded out as just the No. 58 ranked LB in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.
The Browns apparently recognized that Collins wasn’t living up to his lofty contract. The team was reportedly looking to move him during the 2018 trade deadline, and they spent the early parts of the 2019 offseason shopping him around. The front office couldn’t find a taker, forcing them to cut bait with the veteran. The move ultimately saved the organization $9.25MM in cap room versus just $2.5MM in dead money.
Predictably, Collins ended up landing back in New England for the 2019 season, starting 15 games and finishing with a career-high seven sacks. That performance earned him a three-year, $30MM contract with the Lions, where he reunited with former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. The 31-year-old started all 14 of his games in 2020, finishing with 101 tackles, one sack, and three forced fumbles.
Is there a lesson to be learned from all this? Eh, maybe, but it wouldn’t be some new revelation. If a team’s so willing to move on from a Pro Bowler at the end of their rookie deal, that’s probably an indication that the team doesn’t believe the player will be worth his second contract. There were already reports that Collins was freelancing on defense during his final half-season in New England, leading to questions about the player’s commitment to winning.
The Browns not only ponied up financially for Collins, but they also gave up assets to acquire his half-season before free agency. Sure, Cleveland’s probably not kicking themselves over a lost third-rounder (a pick that eventually turned into Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson), and the organization is two front offices removed from that 2016 administration. Still, if the organization could receive a mulligan on the trade and contract, they’d probably take it.
Vikings Want LT Riley Reiff To Take Pay Cut
If Riley Reiff wants to stick around Minnesota, it sounds like he’ll have to take a pay cut. Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com writes that the Vikings lineman “likely would need to take a pay cut for the second straight year to remain with the team.” In a separate tweet, Tomasson notes that the organization is “hoping to restructure” the veteran’s contract.
The Vikings left tackle is set to have a salary cap number of $14.95MM in 2021, and Tomasson believes some decision will be made before he’s owed a guaranteed $5MM roster bonus on March 19. If the organization decides to release him prior to that date, they can save a total of $11.75MM between his roster bonus, workout bonus, and $6.55MM base salary. On the books, they’d be left with just $2.2MM in dead money, the sum of his prorated bonus.
The 2012 first-round pick out of Iowa spent the first five seasons of his career with the Lions. He joined the Vikings on a massive five-year, $58.75MM deal prior to the 2017 season, and he’s been a consistent presence on the offensive line over the past four seasons. He’s missed six total regular season games over that span, and he would have appeared in 100-percent of his team’s offensive snaps in 2020 if not for a stint on the COVID-19 list to end the 2020 campaign.
If the Vikings were to move on from Reiff, they’d have some options to replace him. As Tomasson writes, right guard Ezra Cleveland played left tackle during his time at Boise State, or the team could look to move right tackle Brian O’Neill. With the latter, the front office will have to be wary of an impending extension, as a move to left tackle could boost O’Neill’s earnings.