Minor NFL Transactions: 6/21/17
Today’s minor moves:
- The Rams have waived defensive back Brian Randolph, the club announced today. Randolph, 24, went undrafted out of Tennessee in 2016 following a collegiate career that saw him play the most games (53) in Volunteers history. One of 19 undrafted free agents signed by the Rams last May, Randolph suffered a torn ACL during the club’s first preseason contest and was waived/injured. After clearing waivers, Randolph spent the entirety of his rookie campaign on injured reserve.
Only 12 NFL Draft Picks Remain Unsigned
The NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement’s language on draft pick contracts ensures that rookie signings are a breeze, so it’s no surprise that most clubs have already locked up their 2017 class. In fact, only 12 of 253 draft choices (roughly 4.7%) are still without a contract. Here’s a look at those players who remain unsigned:
First Round
- 1-2: Mitch Trubisky, QB (Bears)
- 1-3: Solomon Thomas, DL (49ers)
- 1-5: Corey Davis, WR (Titans)
- 1-6: Jamal Adams, S (Jets)
- 1-10: Patrick Mahomes, QB (Chiefs)
- 1-24: Gareon Conley, CB (Raiders)
- 1-25: Jabrill Peppers, S (Browns)
- 1-32: Ryan Ramczyk, T (Saints)
Second Round
- 2-56: Obi Melifonwu, S (Raiders)
Third Round
- 3-88: Eddie Vanderdoes, DT (Raiders)
- 3-92: Jourdan Lewis, CB (Cowboys)
- 3-93: Montravius Adams, DT (Packers)
Unsurprisingly, the majority of the unsigned draft picks are first-rounders. Players chosen within the top 32 selections, and especially those selected in the top 10, can often exert more leverage in negotiations in order to extricate more favorable terms. Offset language (or lack thereof) or the timing of signing bonus payment — the issue that held up Joey Bosa‘s talks with the Chargers in 2016 — could be on the table.
Other issues could be holding up negotiations between certain players. The Raiders, for example, haven’t signed any of their top three picks, which could indicate a specific contract sticking point that needs to be worked out. Saints offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk, meanwhile, is battling a hip issue, and New Orleans wants him to pass a physical before signing. Cornerbacks Gareon Conley (Raiders) and Jourdan Lewis (Cowboys) are each facing legal situations which could be holding up talks.
Panthers’ Greg Olsen Not Ruling Out Holdout
Panthers tight end Greg Olsen has already indicated his desire for a new contract, and during today’s appearance on Adam Schefter’s Know Them From Adam podcast, Olsen didn’t rule out the idea of skipping training camp in an effort to land a reworked deal.
“I think it’s early right now,” Olsen said regarding a training camp holdout. “As the summer goes on and we get some feedback from the organization on how they feel, we’ll make the best decision we can. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that we feel very strongly about where we should be in that totem pole of top tight ends. I’d be hard pressed to find anybody who could make a reasonable argument to the contrary.
“This is not a negative environment,” Olsen added. “I’ve gone to all the OTAs, to all the minicamps. This is not by any means a toxic environment or a situation where the two sides seem fighting or anything like that. Has nothing to do with that. It’s just strictly, business should reflect productivity, in our opinion.”
Olsen, 32, agreed to a three-year, $22.5MM extension prior to the 2015 campaign, and since that time has continued to produce as one of the NFL’s best tight ends. During that two-year span, Olsen has ranked first among tight ends in receiving yards and approximate value while finishing a close second in receptions. He’s topped 1,000 yards receiving in each of the past two years, and has maintained his status as the most reliable weapon in Carolina’s offense.
Olsen’s $7.5MM annual average salary currently places him seventh among tight ends, just behind the likes of Charles Clay and Zach Ertz, while the Seahawks’ Jimmy Graham leads the way at $10MM/year. Olsen is scheduled to earn base salaries of $6.5MM from 2017-18 while counting for $10.35MM and $9.75MM on the Panthers’ salary cap in those respective ye
Jets LB Lorenzo Mauldin Arrested For Assault
Jets linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin turned himself into Manhattan authorities after being charged with misdemeanor assault stemming from an incident in a New York club in early April, according to a report from TMZ.
Jean Lopez accuses Mauldin of punching him after he spilled champagne on the Gang Green defender, reports Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Lopez, who claims to have suffered several broken bones in his face, also filed a civil suit against Mauldin earlier this month. Both Mauldin and his lawyer have denied the charges, but Mauldin could face up to a year in prison if convicted.
Mauldin, a third-round pick in 2015, could be subject to a league-imposed suspension (even if he’s not found guilty of assault). The 24-year-old hasn’t registered much production thus far in his NFL career, as he’s managed only 6.5 sacks as a backup in two seasons. Mauldin is signed through the 2018 campaign with cap charges below $900K in each season.
Jaguars Claim C Demetrius Rhaney
The Jaguars have claimed center Demetrius Rhaney off waivers from the Rams, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter link). In a corresponding move, Jacksonville has waived offensive lineman Parker Collins.
Rhaney, who turns 25 this week, gives the Jaguars yet another interior offensive line option who will compete for a reserve role throughout the summer. Jacksonville has already targeted guard/center this offseason, spending a second-round pick on Cam Robinson — who figures to slide to guard now that veteran left tackle Branden Albert has reported to Jaguars camp — and signing free agent Earl Watford. With Robinson, center Brandon Linder, and right guard A.J. Cann entrenched in starting roles, Rhaney’s best chance to make Jacksonville’s roster is to beat out Watford, Patrick Omameh, Jeremiah Poutasi, and others for a backup job.
A seventh-round pick in 2014, Rhaney had appeared in all 32 games for the Rams over the past two seasons. However, most of Rhaney’s work has come on special teams, where he’d played 237 snaps from 2015-16. Rhaney did start one contest in 2015 (and played 123 offensive snaps that year).
Extra Points: 49ers, Buckner, Texans, Moore
Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner played more than 1,000 snaps during his rookie campaign with the 49ers last year, a figure that new defensive coordinator Robert Saleh calls “criminal,” as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee writes. Not only will San Francisco be transitioning to a 4-3 front in 2017, but the club will look to run a rotation along the defensive line in an effort to keep individual players fresh. 2015 first-round pick Arik Armstead should see his snaps increase during the upcoming season, while the additions of No. 3 overall selection Solomon Thomas and free agent signees Earl Mitchell and Elvis Dumervil will also give the 49ers more options up front. San Francisco ranked 20th in adjusted sack rate and 29th in adjusted line yards.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- The Texans recently added a pair of depth veterans in offensive tackle Breno Giacomini and linebacker Sio Moore, but neither player will take up much cap room in 2017, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links). Giacomini, who’s expected to help fill in at right tackle for the injured Derek Newton, will receive a $750K signing bonus, a non-guaranteed base salary of $1MM, and can earn up to $1MM in gameday active roster bonuses. Moore, meanwhile, will come even cheaper, as he’s on a minimum salary benefit deal. As such, he can earn $775K while only counting for $615K on the Texans’ cap.
- While running back contracts are on the fiscal decline, deals for backs are increasingly reliant on incentive-based pay, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com explains. Recent pacts for veterans such as Latavius Murray, Marshawn Lynch, and Adrian Peterson all contain some sort of performance-based money, whether through bonuses or escalators. Those clauses can often artificially inflate the value of contracts — in the case of Peterson, for example, more than 50% of his deal’s maximum value comes in the form of incentives.
- While it’s a strategy that could be viewed as dangerous to the integrity of the game or a smart tactic in order to rebuild, “tanking” has afflicted the NFL in the past few seasons in the forms of the Browns and (certainly in 2017) the Jets. If the league wants to force teams to be competitive, it could institute an NBA-esque lottery system for the draft, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk opines. By giving each of the 20 non-playoff teams the same chance to earn the No. 1 overall pick, the NFL could dissuade clubs from failing to put forth a full effort.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/20/17
Today’s minor moves:
- After waiving him with an injury designation last month, the Seahawks have cut fullback Malcolm Johnson from injured reserve, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Johnson, 24, was originally a sixth-round draft choice of the Browns in 2015. He managed nine receptions in 19 games with Cleveland before joining Seattle’s practice squad last year.
Rams Waive OL Demetrius Rhaney
The Rams announced that they’ve waived WR Marquez North, LB Reggie Northrup, C Demetrius Rhaney, and LB Teidrick Smith, while the club has also signed offensive linemen Michael Dunn and Alex Kozan, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Of the players involved in Los Angeles’ transactions, only Rhaney has any NFL game experience. A seventh-round pick in 2014, Rhaney had appeared in all 32 games for the Rams over the past two seasons. However, most of Rhaney’s work has come on special teams, where he’d played 237 snaps from 2015-16. Rhaney, who turns 25 this week, did start one contest in 2015 (and played 123 offensive snaps that year).
Kozan, an Auburn product, has already had one stint with Los Angeles earlier this year, as he’d signed with the club during minicamp before being waived in May. Dunn, meanwhile, hadn’t yet latched on with a team since going undrafted out of Maryland.
Details On Eric Decker’s Titans Contract
New Titans wide receiver Eric Decker‘s one-year contract can be worth as much as $5.35MM, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). Decker will receive a $2.5MM signing bonus, a $1.35MM base salary, and up to $1.5MM incentives, per Pelissero.
Decker, 30, had been scheduled to earn a $6.5MM base salary with the Jets in 2017, so while he won’t be able to match that figure with Tennessee, he’ll have the opportunity to come close if he meets all his incentives. While it’s unclear exactly what totals Decker needs to reach in order to unlock his incentives, the bonuses are likely tied to receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and/or the Titans team performance. Because Decker only managed nine receptions for 194 yards last year, any incentives are probably considered “not likely to be earned.”
Decker’s contract stands in contrast to fellow receiver Jeremy Maclin, who received a two-year, $11MM deal from the Ravens. Maclin, 29, is expected to earn $6MM in 2017, and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reported that Maclin’s pact doesn’t contain much “funny money.”
Rams Sign Five Rookies, Wrap Up Draft Class
The Rams have become the latest club to lock up their 2017 draft class, as the team announced they’ve agreed to terms with fourth-round wide receiver Josh Reynolds, fourth-round linebacker Samson Ebukam, sixth-round defensive tackle Tanzel Smart, sixth-round fullback Sam Rogers, and seventh-round linebacker Ejuan Price.
Reynolds, who posted 1,039 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns during his final season at Texas A&M, figures to see the most playing time of the rookies signed today. The 6’3″, 195-pounder — whom Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compares to NFLer Marvin Jones — will compete with fellow rookie Cooper Kupp for playing time behind Robert Woods and Tavon Austin.
Here’s a complete overview of the Rams’ 2017 rookie crop:
- 2-44: Gerald Everett, TE (South Alabama)
- 3-69: Cooper Kupp, WR (Eastern Washington)
- 3-91: John Johnson, S (Boston College)
- 4-117: Josh Reynolds, WR (Texas A&M)
- 4-125: Samson Ebukam, LB (Eastern Washington)
- 6-189: Tanzel Smart, DT (Tulane)
- 6-206: Sam Rogers, FB (Virginia Tech)
- 7-234: Ejuan Price, DE (Pitt)