Panthers Rework OT Matt Kalil’s Contract
The Panthers have reworked the contract of offensive tackle Matt Kalil by converting his $10MM option bonus into a signing bonus, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
As Yates indicates, converting an option bonus into a signing bonus doesn’t change much about Kalil’s contract, except to ensure that he receives the $10MM immediately. Additionally, while the Panthers could not recoup any portion of an option bonus were Kalil to retire or be suspended, the club could recover Kalil’s signing bonus if need be.
There was never any doubt that Kalil would be part of Carolina’s 2018 roster, as the five-year, $55.5MM contract he inked last offseason will likely keep him in the Panthers’ plans for at least two more years. Carolina would incur $20.6MM in dead money by releasing Kalil now, and $14.7MM if they wait until 2019. In both seasons, it would actually cost the Panthers more to cut Kalil than it would to retain him.
The 28-year-old Kalil is the 11th-highest-paid left tackle in the NFL on an annual basis, but he didn’t live up to that salary in 2017, as Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 55 tackle among 81 qualifiers. Kalil has started all 16 games in five of six NFL seasons, but he hasn’t received an above-average grade from PFF since his rookie campaign in 2012.
Jaguars Trying To Re-Sign Allen Robinson
The Jaguars were busy last week, as they not only extended quarterback Blake Bortles through 2020, but locked up decision-makers Tom Coughlin, Dave Caldwell, and Doug Marrone through the 2021 campaign. With those moves out of the way, Jacksonville will now try to hammer out an agreement with free agent wide receiver Allen Robinson, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
As Rapoport notes, the Jaguars freed up cap space by extending Bortles and releasing running back Chris Ivory, bringing the club’s total amount of projected cap room to $30MM+. As such, Jacksonville has ample funds if it decides to use the franchise tag — at a cost north of $16MM — on Robinson, a possibility PFR’s Rory Parks examined on Sunday. The Jaguars have indicated a willingness to deploy the tender, but would presumably prefer a long-term deal with Robinson.
Robinson, who missed all but three snaps of the 2017 season after suffering a torn ACL, figures to be one of the most-coveted wideouts on the open market if he reaches free agency. Fellow pass-catcher Jarvis Landry has already been franchise-tagged by the Dolphins, while Rams wide receiver Sammy Watkins could also be restricted by such a tender. Paul Richardson, Mike Wallace, and Marqise Lee round out the best available wide receivers who will hit the market next month.
Robinson broke out during the 2015 campaign (his second in the NFL) by posting 80 receptions, 1,400 yards, and a league-leading 14 touchdowns. The next year was something of a down season, although he still managed 73 catches.
Free Agent TE Tyler Eifert Medically Cleared
Bengals tight end — and pending free agent — Tyler Eifert has been medically cleared to participate in organized team activities and play during the 2018 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Earning a clean bill of health is incredibly significant for Eifert, who has only been able to appear in 49% (39 of 80) of his possible games during a five-year career. In 2017, Eifert appeared in just two contests before undergoing back surgery for the second consecutive season. While being healthy in February represents no guarantee Eifert will be available for the entirety of the 2018 campaign, interested clubs can now be assured they aren’t signing a damaged player.
A former first-round pick, Eifert enters free agency as one of the better tight ends on the market despite his health questions. Eifert’s best season came in 2015, when he posted 52 receptions for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns, and the memory of that output will likely earn the now 27-year-old several offers next month.
Whether the Bengals have any chance at re-signing the dynamic Eifert remains unclear. Last week, Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweeted that Cincinnati remains unlikely to bring back Eifert, noting the club would only be interested in an incentive-laden deal. However, other teams will likely be willing to ink Eifert to even more attractive pacts, and the Bengals don’t intend to get into a bidding war.
If and when Eifert hits the open market, he’ll join a free agent tight end class that also includes Jimmy Graham, Trey Burton, and Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
Trade Deadline Day At Pro Hockey Rumors
The 2018 NHL Trade Deadline is today at 2pm CT, and our sister site Pro Hockey Rumors will be busy bringing you breaking news and analysis. Make sure to jump into the conversation during their special live chat, or just follow along with all the trade talk throughout the day. Will Erik Karlsson actually be traded today? Do the New York Rangers continue their fire sale and send Ryan McDonagh to a contender? Is Evander Kane going to land a big package for the Buffalo Sabres?
Visit Pro Hockey Rumors and be sure to follow on Twitter @prohockeyrumors.
Chiefs Considered Trading Steven Nelson?
The Chiefs traded away top cornerback Marcus Peters last week, but the club also considered dealing another defensive back in Steven Nelson, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).
It’s unclear if Kansas City was choosing between a Peters or a Nelson trade, or if a deal involving Nelson could still come to fruition. The Chiefs had been shopping Peters for more than three weeks, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star, so the club could have been discussing Nelson swaps during that period, as well.
Whether or not Nelson is dealt, the Chiefs’ defensive backfield figures to undergo significant change this offseason. Peters and Darrelle Revis (who was recently released) won’t be back in 2017, while Terrance Mitchell, Phillip Gaines, and Kenneth Acker all are scheduled for unrestricted free agency. It hasn’t been all subtractions for Kansas City’s secondary, however, as the club did acquire cornerback Kendall Fuller as part of the Alex Smith trade and ink ex-Raiders cornerback David Amerson to a one-year deal.
Nelson, 25, has been an above-average corner for the majority of his three-year career. In 2017, Nelson didn’t come off injured reserve until October while dealing with a core muscle ailment, but became a starter immediately upon his activation and graded as the league’s No. 62 corner among 121 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. The year prior, Nelson finished 36th among 84 cornerbacks in Football Outsiders’ success rate.
A third-round pick out of Oregon State in 2015, Nelson has one season left on his rookie contract. Thanks to the NFL’s proven performance escalator program, Nelson will earn a base salary of $1.908MM during the upcoming campaign.
5 Key NFL Stories: 2/18/18 – 2/25/18
Rams land a shutdown corner. Following days of chatter, the Chiefs shipped cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams last week. Terms of the deal are currently unknown — although Kansas City is expected to receive a “package” of draft picks — and the swap can’t become official until the new league year begins on March 14, but the trade has wide-ranging ramifications for both teams involved. Los Angeles now seems unlikely to retain free agent defensive back Trumaine Johnson, while the Chiefs could be entering something of a mini-rebuild.
Blake Bortles gets a new deal. After serving as offensive caretaker for a Jaguars club that reached the AFC Championship Game, Bortles has landed an extension through the 2020 campaign. Already under contract for $19MM in 2017, Bortles will receive $54MM over the next three years on a pact that includes $26.5MM guaranteed. Reports had indicated Jacksonville was exploring potential upgrades under center, but Bortles now appears to be the team’s quarterback choice for at least one more season. Bortles’ 2017 cap charge is now reduced to just $10MM, and the Jaguars can still exit the contract with relative ease following the upcoming campaign.
Franchise tag season is underway. NFL teams could begin deploying the franchise tag beginning last Tuesday, and can continue to do so through March 6. The Dolphins became the first team to officially use the tender by assigning it to wide receiver Jarvis Landry (whom they are still attempting to trade), while the Cowboys confirmed they will use the tag if a long-term deal isn’t reached with defensive end Demarcus Lawrence. Other candidates for the franchise tender could include Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson, and Panthers kicker Graham Gano. The Seahawks, meanwhile, won’t tag defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson.
Panthers (sort of) have a new GM. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss, as Carolina announced interim general manager Marty Hurney has been named to the full-time position. Hurney, who previously served as the Panthers’ GM from 2002-12, took over again last summer when the club fired Dave Gettleman. Before appointing Hurney, Carolina also interviewed Bills assistant director of college scouting Lake Dawson, 49ers senior personnel executive Martin Mayhew, and Texans vice president of player personnel Jimmy Raye III.
NFL announces compensatory draft picks. The league formally announced 2018’s compensatory draft picks, awarding extra selections to 15 teams. The Bengals, Cowboys, Packers, and Raiders each received four picks, the maximum one club can earn. Arizona, Houston, Denver, and Cincinnati each gained an extra third-rounder, the earliest possible compensatory selection. As a reminder, the NFL’s compensatory pick process is based on the prior year’s free agent process and revolves around a complicated cancellation chart which factors free agents signed/lost, annual salary, and playing time.
Bills Tried To Trade For Martavis Bryant In 2017
Although the Bills ultimately acquired wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin at the 2017 trade deadline, they were also targeting another pass-catcher last season. Buffalo attempted to “get involved” in talks for Steelers wideout Martavis Bryant, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.
Given their level of interest last year, it’s conceivable the Bills could circle back and try to initiate talks with the Steelers again this year. However, it’s unclear whether Pittsburgh has any intention of trading Bryant, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. While Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com recently reported the Steelers aren’t shopping Bryant, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com indicated Pittsburgh is listening to offers and will likely discuss the 26-year-old pass-catcher at the combine.
Bryant has caused conflicting reports in the past, especially when it comes to his trade value and availability: last year, for example, Bryant may or may not have requested a Pittsburgh exit. But after the season, Bryant said he wanted to return to the Steelers in 2018.
Buffalo, meanwhile, still boasts one of the NFL’s least inspiring wide receiver units even after picking up Benjamin last season. Benjamin isn’t guaranteed his 2017 salary and could still be released, but if he returns, he’ll join last year’s second-round pick, Zay Jones, as the Bills’ top two wideouts. Buffalo also has five pass-catchers — including Deonte Thompson and Jordan Matthews — scheduled to hit free agency next month.
Last year, Bryant matched a career-high with 50 receptions, although he only managed 12.1 yards per reception (he’d posted 17.3 yards per catch during his first two years with the Steelers). Bryant was above-average in terms of efficiency, however, as Football Outsiders ranked him 37th among 86 qualifiers in DVOA, which measures value on a per-play basis.
PFR Originals: 2/18/18 – 2/25/18
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- It’s franchise tag season! NFL teams began deploying the tender last Tuesday, and have until March 6 to do so:
- In our latest PFR glossary entry, Zach Links re-examined the specifics of the franchise and transition tags, noting the salary implications of each.
- Zach also took an overview of the franchise tag candidates around the league, detailing which players are virtual locks to receive the tender while also analyzing fringe candidates.
- Micah Powell scrutinized the possibility of the Rams using the franchise tag on wide receiver Sammy Watkins, whom Los Angeles acquired in exchange for a second-round pick and cornerback E.J. Gaines in 2017.
- Similarly, Rory Parks considered a franchise tag for Jaguars Allen Robinson, who missed the 2017 campaign with a torn ACL but is still expected to garner significant interest on the free agent market.
- As the offseason progresses, PFR will assess each team by examining the top three needs on each respective NFL roster. We covered three organizations last week:
Buccaneers Won’t Tender Adarius Glanton, Jude Adjei-Barimah
The Buccaneers will not tender offers to a pair of restricted free agents — linebacker Adarius Glanton and cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah — according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). As such, both players will become unrestricted free agents on the 2018 league year begins on March 14.
Glanton had appeared in 35 games for the Buccaneers over the past three seasons, and started four contests in 2017. During that time, Glanton managed 19 tackles and one sack while playing nearly as many snaps on special teams (213) as he did on defense (284). Pro Football Focus was down on Glanton’s play, assigning him poor grades of 47.4 in run defense and 48.6 in pass coverage. Now entering his age-28 season, Glanton spent the final two weeks of 2017 on injured reserve after suffering a broken leg.
Barimah, 25, missed the entire 2017 campaign with a knee injury but has since been medically cleared. The former undrafted free agent appeared in 23 games with Tampa Bay from 2015-16 and averaged 53% playtime on defense. Adjei-Barimiah was also a key contributor on special teams, as he played on roughly a third of the Buccaneers’ ST snaps during those two seasons.
Per Over the Cap, an original rounder tender — which wouldn’t have netted Tampa Bay any compensation had Adjei-Barimah or Glanton left via an offer sheet from another club — is projected to be worth $1.908MM.
Chargers Will Let Nick Novak Test Free Agency
While the Chargers are open to re-signing kicker Nick Novak, they intend to let him hit the free agent market first, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
As I wrote earlier this month when assessing Los Angeles’ top offseason needs, the Chargers desperately need to upgrade their special teams unit in 2018. LA ranked 31st in special teams DVOA a season ago, and was (by far) the worst kicking team in the league. Not only did the Chargers give up 22.2 points through their paltry field goal/extra point attempts, but the club’s first two losses of the season were direct results of poor kicking efforts.
Unfortunately for the Chargers, what looked to be a robust kicker market has already begun thinning this week. The Titans inked Ryan Succop to a five-year extension, the Colts agreed to a one-year deal with Adam Vinatieri, the Panthers are reportedly considering deploying the franchise tag on Graham Gano, and the Falcons have opened contract talks with Matt Bryant. Other kickers set to hit free agency include Sebastian Janikowski, Kai Forbath, Nick Folk, Blair Walsh, Chandler Catanzaro, and Dustin Hopkins.
Novak, for his part, has enjoyed two separate stints with the Chargers: he first kicked for the club from 20111-14 before reuniting for a nine-game stretch in 2017. One of four kickers to appear in a game for Los Angeles last season, Novak converted only 9-of-13 field goal attempts and also missed an extra point.