Draft Rumors: Panthers, Penning, Commanders
Throughout the offseason, the Panthers have been linked to either drafting an offensive tackle or a quarterback. Carolina’s draft position is intriguing as they hold the sixth overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft and then, barring any trades, won’t make another selection until the 137th pick at the end of the fourth round.
While the options are plentiful in this year’s Draft, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports that other teams in the league are convinced that Carolina will select a quarterback this Thursday. Breer thinks the Panthers would prefer to trade down, exchanging their high pick for some draft capital to close the gap to their second pick, but points out that teams just don’t seem to be dying to trade up for any position or player this year.
Here are a few more rumors leading up to the Draft this Thursday, starting with a prospect out of Cedar Falls:
- Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning visited with the Titans this week, according to Matt Miller of ESPN. Tennessee has been rumored to be looking at addressing the offensive line this upcoming Thursday. The Titans return Ben Jones at center, Nate Davis at guard, Taylor Lewan at tackle, and brought in Jamarco Jones from Seattle to fill in at the other guard position. They also return backups in Dillon Radunz, Corey Levin, and Aaron Brewer. Radunz is probably who they hope will fill in opposite Lewan at tackle, but he failed to catch on in a rookie year that presented him with plenty of opportunities. Drafting Penning will either light a fire under Radunz and kick him into gear or provide the Titans with a secondary option to start at tackle.
- In the article linked above, Breer addressed the Commanders’ approach to their 11th overall pick and pointed out that Washington has diligently done their homework on the wide receivers in this year’s class. After star receiver Terry McLaurin, Washington’s top receivers were running backs J.D. McKissic and Antonio Gibson, followed by now free agent wide receiver Adam Humphries. Pairing another talented pass-catcher with McLaurin is a must if they want newly acquired quarterback Carson Wentz to succeed in DC. So who does Breer predict the Commanders will select to place opposite McLaurin: none other than McLaurin’s former Ohio State teammate, Chris Olave.
NFC Rumors: Toney, Packers, Hainsey, Ragnow
With the news early this morning that Giants wide receiver Kadarius Toney is on the trading block after only one season in New York, questions have arisen about the value Toney commands. According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, interest in Toney covers the gamut across the NFL.
Howe reports that some teams have absolutely no interest, while other teams believe that giving him a chance to develop in their system will allow his talent and ability to shine. Toney showed explosive ability in college at Florida, scoring on big plays and showing elite ability after the catch. The Giants looked past several off-field concerns during his time in Gainesville when drafting Toney at 20th overall. Unfortunately for New York, Toney’s off-field issues continued into Year One of his NFL career.
Howe thinks that New York has potentially been trying to move Toney for a while now with little success. He posits that the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft will create some urgency either for receiver-needy teams looking for a young boost to their pass-catching group or for New York to accept a lesser price to get any value out of their failed first-round experiment from 2021.
Here are some other rumors from around the NFC, starting with a new name in Green Bay:
- According to the Packers’ website, Green Bay finalized their staff this week with the addition of John Donovan as a senior analyst. After 19 years in college football culminating in offensive coordinator jobs at Vanderbilt and Penn State, Donovan first entered the NFL as an offensive quality control coach for the Jaguars. He left Jacksonville to return to college for the offensive coordinator job at the University of Washington. After two years in that role, Donovan will give the NFL another try, this time in Green Bay.
- Former third-round pick Robert Hainsey played offensive tackle at Notre Dame before working through his rookie year in Tampa Bay at center. Greg Auman of The Athletic believes Hainsey could split the difference and compete for a starting job at guard this year. With Ali Marpet retiring and Alex Cappa signing in the offseason with the Bengals, the Buccaneers will need to replace both spots. They addressed one position, signing former-Patriots guard Shaq Mason to slot in at right guard. They also re-signed Aaron Stinnie who has been a reliable backup in Tampa Bay, but has only started one game in his four-year career. Expect Hainsey to get a chance to compete for the starting spot this offseason.
- After suffering a season-ending toe injury in a Week 4 loss to the Bears last season, the Lions have reported that Frank Ragnow is feeling strong, healthy, and ready to return to his role as a leader in the middle of the Lions’ offensive line. The Lions will look forward to getting Ragnow back to lead an impressive-sounding group that includes Jonah Jackson, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Taylor Decker, and Penei Sewell.
No Teams Calling About No. 1 Pick
For the first time since maybe 2013, there is no consensus on who will be the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft. There is such a lack of certainty on who the best available player of the 2022 NFL Draft is that Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke told the media that not one NFL team has “called directly to trade for the No.1 overall pick,” according to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network.
2021 was “Tank for Trevor.” 2020 saw Joe Burrow set the football world on fire. There were certainly doubts, but Kyler Murray was expected to join Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona almost two months before the Draft. In 2018, everyone knew the Browns needed a quarterback and it became clearer and clearer as the Draft approached that Baker Mayfield was their man. Myles Garrett was far and away the best available according to analysts in 2017. 2016 saw the Rams and Eagles trade into the 1 & 2 spots to draft Jared Goff and Carson Wentz. The Buccaneers famously tanked in 2015 for Jameis Winston, with Marcus Mariota as the clear No. 2. Finally, Jadeveon Clowney was an easy selection for the Texans in 2014.
2013, though, had most analysts thinking the Chiefs, who desperately needed offensive tackle help, would take Texas A&M star Luke Joeckel. Instead the Chiefs went with the tackle out of Central Michigan, making Eric Fisher the first MAC player ever to be drafted No. 1 overall. Nine years ago, analysts held very little certainty of even what position the Chiefs would select, with most thinking one of the two offensive tackles, some thinking defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, some thinking linebacker Alec Ogletree, and some even entertaining the possibility that Kansas City might bring in West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith to compete with the newly acquired Alex Smith.
This is the first offseason since then that we’ve seen true cluelessness across the board less than a week out from the Draft. This Draft lacks something that all of those previous Drafts had: a clear player of need that at least one team in the NFL is willing to go all out to get. Many names have been mentioned at number one overall from Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux in the preseason to Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson post-Ohio-State-game to Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker post-Combine. The Draft’s two best offensive linemen, Alabama’s Evan Neal and NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu, both have heard rumors around their names at some point in the pre-Draft process. Baalke, himself, told the media that they were considering four players, leading to speculation that Hutchinson, Walker, Neal, and Ekwonu are the four in question.
That’s what makes this Draft so interesting. Charles Davis of NFL Network called this year’s Draft “even more unpredictable than usual.” Not only is there no team willing to pound the table and jump up to select a player they can’t live without, but even the team that is stuck at number one needs a four-sided coin to flip. The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft airs at 8 p.m. ET this upcoming Thursday, April 28th.
AFC North Rumors: Johnson, Cleveland, Pittsburgh
Heading into a contract year, Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson is rumored to want to stay in Pittsburgh long-term, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The fourth-year player out of Toledo has improved every year. Johnson’s reception-yardage-touchdown totals have increased from 59-680-5 in 2019 to 88-923-7 in 2020 to 107-1161-8 in 2021, and he received Pro Bowl honors in his last year with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback.
According to Fowler, Johnson appears to be willing to play out the end of his contract, believing he can once again improve his play in his fourth year and prove he can be a top NFL wide receiver.
Here are a few more rumors from around the AFC North, starting with some Draft rumors for the Browns:
- After trading the 13th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Texans in the Deshaun Watson-trade, Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry says it’s “unlikely” that the team will trade back up into the first round, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Berry claims they haven’t ruled it out completely, but, for the most part, the Browns seem comfortable allowing Watson to act as their first round addition and waiting until the 44th overall pick to make their first official selection of the Draft.
- Not a rumor, but more of an AFC North note, the Steelers made an addition to their coaching staff this week. According to the team’s website, David Corley was named the Steelers’ assistant quarterbacks coach. Corley played quarterback in college, choosing to attend William & Mary despite being recruited by Clemson, South Carolina, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech. He also had short playing stints in the Canadian and Arena Football Leagues. Corley began his coaching career at C.A. Johnson Prep as the team’s quarterbacks coach. He alternated between position coaching gigs at his alma mater and NFL internships over the next couple of years going from the Tribe’s running backs coach to the Steelers to the Tribe’s quarterbacks coach to the Panthers and back to William & Mary as the receivers coach. Corley then took a job at UConn where he rose through the ranks from running backs coach to wide receivers/special teams coach to offensive coordinator/special teams coach. After stints at Army and Penn State as a wide receivers coach, Corley returned to the NFL taking an internship for the Texans. After spending a season each as the wide receivers coach at South Carolina State and running backs coach at Richmond, Corley took an internship with the Panthers. Despite the lengthy resume, this will be Corley’s first official NFL coaching job. He will be tasked with assisting new quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan in guiding the Steelers through the post-Roethlisberger era. Following the tragic death of former-Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins, Corley’s position room currently holds only Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky. Whether drafted or otherwise, the Steelers will almost certainly add another young name to the room for Corley and Sullivan to start molding.
Draft Rumors: Stingley, Jaguars, Alabama, Cine, Burks
According to Matt Miller of ESPN, Derek Stingley, Jr. is the hottest name in the 2022 NFL Draft right now. The LSU cornerback has long been considered one of the top-two cornerback prospects available, along with Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner. Miller claims that Stingley is trending as high as the top-three with the Lions or Texans rumored to be interested in him at No. 2 or 3 overall.
After a stellar freshman season, Stingley was easily viewed as the best cornerback that would be available by the 2022 Draft. But, after a subpar 2020 season and only appearing in three games last year, combined with another stellar season from Gardner, NFL teams have allowed a bit of room for Gardner to challenge as the best corner on the board. The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has Gardner ranked as the third-best prospect overall with Stingley at 15th, while Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Gardner at fifth overall with Stingley at 14th. Miller, though, seems to think Stingley won’t make it past the Seahawks at 9th overall on Thursday night.
Here are a few more notes for the upcoming Draft, starting with some speculation down in Duval:
- Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke let it be known on Friday that Jacksonville is considering four players for their number one overall draft pick this Thursday, according to Charean Williams of NBC Sports. Many mock drafts have them going with Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson or Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker, but they’ve also had their name attached to Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal and NC State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu. It’s hard to imagine any other names entering the conversation for Jacksonville’s top pick.
- On their postseason run last year, college football powerhouse Alabama lost two of their top pass catchers in two of the biggest games of their season. John Metchie tore his ACL in the team’s SEC Championship victory over Georgia on December 4th. A little over a month later, Jameson Williams tore his ACL in the team’s National Championship game loss to Georgia on January 10th. According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the two are progressing impressively in their recoveries, with that opinion being echoed by the NFL teams who have looked into their medical information. They may both be on track to play in the upcoming season, depending on how conservative of a team they end up with. The important thing, though, is that, while their stock may have been affected a bit by injury, they are both fully expected to hear their names called next week.
- Georgie safety Lewis Cine visited with the Buccaneers this week, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN. Cine led the Bulldogs in tackles and passes broken up for the season last year en route to being named the defensive MVP of the team’s National Championship victory over Alabama. According to Laine, when asked if signing Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal precluded them from drafting a safety, Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht simply replied, “No.”
- According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks added two more teams to his list of visits earlier this week. Burks met with the Bears and Cardinals as he continues to trend in the first round. Read more about Burks in his NFL Draft Prospect Profile here.
New York Jets Notes: Receivers, Mims, Trades, Harris
After losing the team-leader in receptions, Jamison Crowder, to free agency, the Jets have been looking to improve their wide receiver room this offseason. The Jets’ top five receivers’ season totals were within 107 yards of each other. Unfortunately for New York, their top receiver, Elijah Moore, totaled only 538 yards last year, followed by Corey Davis with 492 yards, Keelan Cole with 449 yards, Crowder with 447 yards, and Braxton Berrios with 431 yards. With Cole being a free agent, the Jets return a top-three group of Moore, Davis, and Berrios.
Many suspected that New York would address the position through free agency, but, while they were linked to essentially every available wide receiver, the only move they made was re-signing All-Pro return man Berrios. ESPN’s Rich Cimini posits that this may be a vote of confidence in third-year receiver Denzel Mims. In two years in the league, Mims has caught 31 balls for 490 yards, but Mims has cut his body fat to 8% this season and Jets’ coaches are liking what they’re hearing about the 24-year-old this offseason.
Veteran free agents are still available with the likes of Odell Beckham Jr., Julio Jones, Jarvis Landry, and even Antonio Brown still sitting on the open market. More likely would be the Jets addressing the position using the 2022 NFL Draft. The Jets have been linked to names like USC’s Drake London and Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson, but they’ve also expressed interest in trading one of their two top-ten picks for a veteran receiver. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, Jets general manager Joe Douglas doubled down on that interest, claiming that conversations with other general managers about draft trades have been heating up. Douglas didn’t go into specifics, but, according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic, in response to the news that Deebo Samuel is seeking a trade, Douglas said, “My job is to get the team better. If the opportunity presents itself, we are going to be aggressive.”
One other note concerning the Jets’ new addition to the defense, Marcell Harris:
- The Jets added the former 49ers safety yesterday with Harris joining cornerback D.J. Reed and head coach Robert Saleh as the latest to make the move from San Francisco to New Jersey. According to a tweet from Cimini, the Jets plan to use Harris as a linebacker. New York must be confident with their options at safety as they return Lamarcus Joyner (who missed most of the 2021 NFL season with an injury), Ashtyn Davis, Elijah Riley, and Will Parks. At linebacker, Harris adds depth to a group that is led by C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams. He’ll compete for snaps with fellow safety-to-linebacker converts Jamien Sherwood and Hamsah Nasirildeen.
NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux
Long considered the favorite to be chosen No. 1 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux is feeling some momentum behind his name again, according to ESPN’s Matt Miller. The 21-year-old, who Miller said is the first or second defensive end on most teams’ boards, will travel to Vegas next week with expectations of hearing his name early into the night. 
Thibodeaux was a consensus five-star recruit coming out of Oaks Christian HS just outside of Los Angeles. Considered by many as the second-best defensive end in the class at the time, Thibodeaux reserved his time for only the best, taking official visits to Alabama, Oregon, Florida, and Florida State, with FSU getting a little help from then-head coach Willie Taggart, who recruited Thibodeaux during his time at Oregon. Thibodeaux signed and enrolled early at Oregon, becoming the gem of a top-ten recruiting class for the Ducks.
In three years in Eugene, Thibodeaux did exactly as he was recruited to do, leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss all three seasons. He finished his career with 19.0 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss, only failing to amass double-digit TFLs in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, when he had 9.5 through seven games. He also added 14 quarterback hurries over his career, leading the team last year with 8.
In early February, Thibodeaux started to see his draft stock affected in a way not uncommon to Oregon alumni. In an interview with Bleacher Report, as reported by Paul Kasabian, ESPN’s Todd McShay spouted his opinions on the top prospect saying, “I heard a lot about Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, including concerns that he just doesn’t play with the same fire as some other top prospects…it wouldn’t shock me if Thibodeaux fell out of the top five.”
These questions of effort and maturity are concerns that were draped on former Oregon draft picks Justin Herbert (Bleacher Report’s Michael Weinreb) and Penei Sewell (James Crepea of The Oregonian) as they were preparing to enter the league, as well. Whether warranted or not, those concerns didn’t stop Herbert or Sewell from becoming top-ten draft picks who have excelled so far in their young NFL careers.
Thibodeaux’s success has a ton to do with his power and strength. He moves off the snap with ferocity, usually granting him the advantage in setting the edge on run plays or bull-rushing on pass plays. He makes quick, decisive moves at the line of scrimmage and shows an impressive pursuit speed, both attributes that contributed to his impressive tackle for loss numbers. His speed and strength off the ball certainly help give him good pass-rushing tools, but he needs to improve his technique to become a consistent threat to the quarterback. If he can develop and incorporate some hand usage and bend into his arsenal, Thibodeaux could be dominant at the next level. For now, his punch-and-extend, bull-rush, and shoulder-dip moves should be plenty serviceable against NFL tackles.
His fall down draft boards was reflected in the analyst rankings with Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network ranking Thibodeaux as the 10th best overall prospect and Dane Brugler of The Athletic slotting him in at 8th overall. Both analysts have Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson ranked above him at 1st overall. Hutchinson’s dominant performance against Ohio State late in the season was a large component in supplanting Thibodeaux as the Draft’s top prospect. They also have Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker slotted above Thibodeaux, but Walker doesn’t necessarily play the same role on the defensive line as Thibodeaux. Jeremiah also puts Walker’s former teammate, Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson II, over Thibodeaux, while Brugler slots Johnson II a few spots behind the Oregon defender.
As the Draft draws ever nearer, predictions have become murkier and murkier. Once hailed as a future No.1 draft pick, some mock drafts have Thibodeaux falling deeper into the top ten. Miller’s tweet at the beginning of this article seems to indicate that teams are coming back around on the Oregon Duck with his name being grouped in the top five with Hutchinson, Walker, Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal, and NC State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu. Regardless, it seems almost guaranteed that we’ll hear the commissioner call Thibodeaux’s name, position, and school within the first ten picks on Thursday night.
Iowa State RB Breece Hall Getting Looks
While many analysts don’t predict a running back to go in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Iowa State’s Breece Hall has perhaps the best chance of any to do so. Hall has been making the rounds during the pre-draft process, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, spending time with the Texans, Bills, Giants, and Commanders.
Hall and Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker are the consensus top-two running back prospects in the Draft, with Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller usually coming in as a slightly distant third. Most analysts have Walker and Hall extremely close, as well, with Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranking Walker at 35th and Hall at 41st and Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network slotting Hall at 29th and Walker at 31st. The two differ a bit in body-type and playing styles with Walker being a stockier, more compact back with speed and power, whereas Hall is a big-bodied back with a smooth, elusive running style. 
In terms of depth chart, the Bills, Giants, and Commanders all have, at least, a semi-solid two-deep. The Commanders return Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic. Both have had some issues with health, but, for the most part, should be a reliable 1-2 punch. The Giants have Saquon Barkley and recently acquired Matt Breida. Breida hasn’t quite looked the same since leaving San Francisco and New York might be losing patience with Barkley as his name surfaced as a potential trade candidate last month. The Bills house Devin Singletary and Zack Moss. They also recently signed Duke Johnson, who will be a huge contributor in the passing game. While both Singletary and Moss have been solid in their roles, neither have been game changers with Singletary failing to top 900 yards in each of his three seasons and Moss’s career-high topping out at 481 yards. Both are smaller backs, as well, which might make Hall an attractive option.
The Texans probably have the biggest need here. They currently are rostering Marlon Mack, Royce Freeman, Rex Burkhead, Dare Ogunbowale, Darius Anderson, and Scottie Phillips. Mack is probably the favorite to lead the group in touches with Freeman spelling him and Burkhead a potential pass-catching back, but by no means should this be considered a strong position group.
In terms of draft position, a few options make sense here. The Giants and Texans aren’t likely to use any of their multiple early first-round picks on a running back, but both have early picks in the second round, as well, that might have Hall’s name written all over it. If any team were going to use a first-round pick on a running back, I could see the Bills sitting at 25 as a real option. A more likely scenario would probably see the Bills allowing a team to trade back into the first round and hoping to still land Hall in the second. The Commanders would benefit from seeing the running backs fall down the board a bit, as their second-round pick doesn’t come up until 47th overall.
It’s a bit of a crap-shoot to try and predict how the NFL will value a top college running back in any given year. Last year saw Najee Harris and Travis Etienne go back-to-back in the first round. The year before that saw Clyde Edwards-Helaire taken with the final pick of the first round. Though teams are often advised against it, you’d have to go back to the 2014 NFL Draft to find the last time no running backs were taken in the first round, when Bishop Sankey and Jeremy Hill were taken back-to-back in the second round, followed closely by Carlos Hyde.
Will Hall or Walker be able to keep the streak alive? Or will we see the streak of first-round running backs end at 7 years? Both players will have eight more days to make their case.
Georgia LB Quay Walker Visits Lions
The Lions are looking into possibilities to fill a position of need, bringing in Georgia linebacker Quay Walker yesterday for a visit, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The question of importance, though, is: will he still be there at the end of the first round? 
Detroit holds the No. 2 overall pick, but will have to use it on one of the 2022 NFL Draft’s top talents. They will have their pick of whoever is left out of Aidan Hutchinson, Travon Walker, Evan Neal, and Ikem Ekwonu, among others. They do have a second first-round pick, with the Matthew Stafford–Jared Goff trade giving them the Super Bowl-winning Rams’ 32nd overall pick.
After seeing Jalen Reeves-Maybin depart in free agency last month, the Lions certainly have a hole to fill at linebacker. They do return contributors in Alex Anzalone and Josh Woods. They also brought back Jarrad Davis after he spent a year with the Jets. Walker would fill an important role in the middle that could help solidify Detroit’s front seven.
Walker is seen by many as the third-best linebacker prospect in the Draft behind Utah’s Devin Lloyd and teammate Nakobe Dean. In the rankings provided by Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Walker slots in as the 31st overall prospect, with Dean at 29th and Lloyd at 9th.
Brugler certainly lines it up to be a close call in determining if Walker will make it to Detroit at 32, but it largely depends on when the first linebackers get taken. If Lloyd finds himself in the top ten picks, a run could ensue with linebacker-hungry teams jumping from their seats to select one of the Bulldogs. If no linebackers are drafted till the middle of the round, the Lions might find themselves lucking into a solid new starter in the middle.
Contract Details: Gilmore, Cooks, Nelson, Smith, Bynes, Watkins
Here are some details on deals recently signed around the NFL:
- Stephon Gilmore, CB (Colts): Two-year, $20MM. The deal includes $10.51MM guaranteed at signing and $14MM in overall guarantees. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Gilmore’s Year 1 payout will total $10.02MM.
- Brandin Cooks, WR (Texans): Two-year, $39.76MM. The deal includes $36MM guaranteed at signing consisting of the $16MM signing bonus (applied over three years) and the first two years of base salary ($2MM in 2022 and $18MM in 2023), according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Cooks will have a per game active bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500,000 and will receive a roster bonus in 2024 of $3MM.
- Steven Nelson, CB (Texans): Two-year, $9MM. The deal is worth up to $10MM, according to Wilson. It includes $4.5MM guaranteed at signing consisting of a $2MM signing bonus, the 2022 base salary of $1.75MM, and $750,000 of the 2023 base salary. Nelson will have a 2022 per game active bonus of $44,117 for a potential season total of $750,000 and a 2023 per game active bonus of $58,832 for a potential season total of $1MM. The deal includes an unspecified incentive worth $250,000 for the 2022 season.
- Geno Smith, QB (Seahawks): One-year, $3.5MM. The deal is worth up to $7MM, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, with up to $3.5MM worth of incentives likely triggerable if he wins the starting job. The deal includes a guaranteed amount of $500,000.
- Josh Bynes, LB (Ravens): One-year, $1.27MM. According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, the deal includes $600,000 of guaranteed money consisting of the signing bonus worth $152,500 and $447,500 of the base salary (worth $1.12MM total).
- Sammy Watkins, WR (Packers): One-year, $1.85MM. The deal includes a signing bonus of $350,000 and is worth up to $4MM, according to USA Today’s Ryan Wood, with incentives for playtime, catches, yards, and touchdowns. Watkins can earn an extra $150,000, $350,000, or $525,000 if he plays a snap count percentage of 55%, 60%, or 65%, respectively. He can earn an extra $150,000, $350,000, or $525,000 if he records a receptions total of 50, 60, or 70 catches, respectively. He can earn an extra $150,000, $350,000, or $525,000 if he has yardage totals of 550, 650, or 700, respectively. Lastly, Watkins can earn an extra $150,000, $350,000, or $575,000 if he catches 7, 8, or 9 touchdowns, respectively.