No Contract Talks For Brian Hoyer, Browns
Johnny Manziel will undoubtedly make more headlines, but it’s Brian Hoyer who enters the summer as the Browns’ No. 1 quarterback. Still, with Hoyer entering the final year of his contract, there haven’t been any real talks between agent Joe Linta and the Browns about a new deal, as Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com writes.
“Nothing of substance,” Linta said. “It’s too hard of a deal to do. I think (Browns GM) Ray Farmer realizes it’s too hard of a deal to do, too. The best thing for both sides is let the water seeks its own level. I can do a deal much better in September than I can do now. I can do a better deal in January.”
As Linta suggests, an extension for Hoyer is tricky since it’s not clear what his role will be for the Browns a year from now. The team didn’t draft Manziel to sit on the bench indefinitely, but there’s no guarantee he’ll have established himself as a productive starter by the end of the 2014 season either. Even if Hoyer isn’t Cleveland’s quarterback of the future, if he starts and plays well for much of the ’14 season, he’ll certainly be in line for a significant raise on his current two-year, $1.965MM pact. On the other hand, if Manziel wins the starting job sooner rather than later, Hoyer’s next contract may only be slightly larger than his current deal.
One point of comparison for Hoyer may be Chad Henne in Jacksonville. Henne posted respectable numbers during his stint as the Jaguars’ starter in 2013, and while Blake Bortles was drafted to be the team’s future starter, Henne still landed a two-year, $8MM extension in March. That sort of contract is inexpensive enough that even if Henne ultimately slides into the backup role, his salary won’t break the bank.
For what it’s worth, Linta says Hoyer “definitely” wants to remain with the Browns, his hometown team, for the long term. However, if the signal-caller reaches free agency in 2015 and receives an offer to start somewhere else while Cleveland is only offering a backup role, that would alter the equation.
“I think if it’s backup to backup, I think he would (want to stay),” Linta said. “If you’re comparing apples to apples, it’s always Cleveland. If it’s backup in Cleveland vs. starter somewhere else, I’m sure he’d like to start.”
Steve Smith Had Planned To Retire As Panther After 2014
Shortly after Carolina was eliminated from the postseason by the 49ers in January, wide receiver Steve Smith decided that 2014 would be his last season with the Panthers and as an NFL player, according to Don Banks of SI.com. Smith planned to play one more year, then retire as a Panther, the veteran confirmed.
“I finally decided and made the commitment to my family,” Smith said. “I told them, ‘I’m done. I don’t think I can do it much longer.’ My knee was sore and I knew all the work I had put into my career and what it would take. I came to terms with it, that this year was going to be my last year ever playing football.”
However, when he was released by the Panthers in the offseason, Smith received an unexpected jolt, and is now motivated to continue his career beyond the coming season. The 35-year-old signed a three-year pact with the Ravens and hopes to play out that contract before retiring.
“After this contract with the Baltimore Ravens, I am done,” Smith said. “I’m going to be stay-at-home dad, and I’m going to get on with the rest of my life’s work. I know sometimes there are people saying, ‘Oh, he needs to just let it go.’ Believe me, I will. I’m going to let it go. But I’m going to take a few people down with me. Not in spite, but just fun. I’m going to enjoy playing ball again. I’m going to have fun here.”
Of course, the modest $3.5MM signing bonus on Smith’s deal means that the Ravens could create cap savings by cutting ties with Smith in 2015 or 2016 if the new marriage doesn’t work out as well as anticipated. For now though, it appears a newly-motivated Smith is committed to playing multiple seasons before calling it a career.
Raiders Sign Three Players, Cut Three
The Raiders have made a handful of roster moves today, signing three players and cutting three to make room, the team announced in a press release. The new additions are wide receiver David Gilreath, whose signing was reported earlier today, as well as wide receiver Rahsaan Vaughn and kicker/punter Michael Palardy. To clear spots on the roster, Oakland waived wide receivers Jared Green and Noel Grigsby, along with punter Daniel Zychlinski.
Like the Raiders’ longtime kicker Sebastian Janikowski, Palardy is a lefty, and played as both a kicker and punter at the University of Tennessee before going undrafted last month. Meanwhile, Vaughn signed as a rookie free agent with the Jets in 2013 out of Oregon, and spent a little time on the club’s practice squad during the season.
All three players cut by the Raiders will have to pass unclaimed through waivers before becoming unrestricted free agents.
NFC Notes: Goodwin, Saints, 49ers, Giants
The Saints may have landed their new starting center in free agency this week, and it’s a familiar face — Jonathan Goodwin, who is back for his second stint with the club, recognizes that it’s rare to return to a team later down the line, but had always hoped to retire as a Saint, tweets Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. According to Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link), head coach Sean Payton confirmed that the Saints waited until June to sign Goodwin in order to avoid him being linked to future draft pick compensation.
Here’s a little more on Goodwin, as well as several other updates from around the NFC:
- Goodwin’s one-year deal with the Saints is a minimum salary benefit contract, but it includes $125K in guaranteed money, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Goodwin received a $65K signing bonus in addition to $60K in guaranteed money on his base salary.
- Before he signed a contract extension to remain in New Orleans, Pierre Thomas thought his days with the Saints were coming to an end, as he admits to Christopher Dabe of the Times-Picayune.
- Investing heavily in Colin Kaepernick would’ve reduced the 49ers‘ leverage in contract negotiations with coach Jim Harbaugh, since the head coach played such a significant role in picking and developing Kaepernick, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. However, since San Francisco has some flexibility to get out of Kaepernick’s deal if need be, that should give the club some flexibility in regard to Harbaugh too.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a closer look at Kaepernick’s extension and wonders if Robert Griffin III could eventually ink a similar contract, since the two signal-callers play a somewhat similar style of quarterback.
- The latest Read Option column from Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report includes several interesting tidbits, including items on Greg Robinson‘s current and future position with the Rams and the Packers‘ reasoning for selecting Davante Adams in the second round over other available wideouts.
- Addressing the team’s decision to cut safety Will Hill following his latest suspension, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters, including Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link), “When you run a business you have to be able to rely on people to be there when you need them.”
AFC Notes: Kirksey, Ridley, Pats, Gilreath
With few, if any, impact free agents left on the board and the draft behind us, most rosters around the league are starting to resemble what we’ll see during the 2014 regular season, at least once teams have made their cuts. But that doesn’t mean that those rosters aren’t without their holes. In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Tom Gower of Football Outsiders breaks down the AFC West, looking at the remaining needs for the Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, and Raiders. Those most notable holes are on the offensive side of the ball for the Chiefs (pass-catcher) and Raiders (offensive lineman), and on defense for the Broncos (middle linebacker) and Chargers (cornerback).
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Browns have agreed to terms with third-round linebacker Christian Kirksey, the team confirmed today (via Twitter). The agreement, which includes a signing bonus worth about $663K was first reported by Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
- Patriots running back Stevan Ridley is entering the final year of his rookie deal, but he told reporters today, including Albert Breer of the NFL Network, that he’s focused on playing “mistake-free” football rather than on his contract situation (Twitter link).
- Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com has the details on James Anderson‘s minimum salary benefit contract with the Patriots, which includes a $15K signing bonus and a $50K roster bonus if he makes the team.
- The Raiders have signed former Wisconsin wideout David Gilreath, agent Sean Stellato tells Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link). Gilreath recorded his first and only career NFL reception during the 2012 season for the Steelers.
Poll: Andrew Luck Vs. Russell Wilson
Earlier today, we learned that buzz around the NFL suggests that Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson will be in line for annual salaries of $24-25MM when they’re eligible to extend their rookie contracts. Whether either player will ink an extension as soon as they’re eligible is debatable. Considering teams now hold fifth-year options on first-round picks, the Colts will have a little leverage if they want to wait on Luck. In any case, for now we’re not considering the timeline for the quarterbacks’ new deals — we’re examining which one deserves to be paid more.
As I noted in that previous post when comparing Luck and Wilson, not only does the Seattle signal-caller have more postseason success, but he has also posted better regular-season numbers in many key categories. In their two years in the NFL, Wilson has completed a higher percentage of passes (63.6% to 57.0%), tossed more TDs (52 to 46), and thrown fewer interceptions (19 to 27) than Luck. The Seahawks star also has a higher career passer rating (100.6 to 81.5), more yards per attempts (8.1 to 6.8), and more rushing yards (1,028 to 632).
Those statistics, combined with Wilson’s Super Bowl win, would suggest that he has significantly more value than Luck, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Wilson has been aided by a Seahawks defense that not only played a huge part in the team’s Super Bowl run but also consistently puts the team’s offense in good scoring position. Additionally, Seattle’s offense often takes a run-first approach led by Marshawn Lynch, allowing Wilson to pick and choose his spots more carefully, whereas a subpar running game has forced the Colts to lean more heavily on Luck to accumulate first downs and points over the last two years.
A former first overall pick, Luck is also a year younger than Wilson, and when the two players sign their next contracts, they won’t just be paid for what they’ve already accomplished — their teams will be paying for the continued development and growth they expect in the coming years. And if you asked people around football which quarterback will be the league’s best five years from now, I imagine you’d hear Luck’s name mentioned often.
What do you think? Which franchise quarterback do you think deserves to be paid more on his next contract?
Luck, Wilson On Track For $24MM+ Per Year?
While Colin Kaepernick‘s new contract has the potential to be massive, its average of $21MM per year didn’t set a new standard. The high water mark for quarterbacks’ annual salaries still belongs to Aaron Rodgers and his $22MM per year figure. Nonetheless, it may just be a matter of time before a new wave of young signal-callers tops that amount. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), word around the NFL suggests that when Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson sign extensions, their new deals will come in at around $24-25MM per year.
As Joe Flacco‘s long-term contract with the Ravens exhibited, Super Bowl victories typically give a notable bump to a quarterback’s value, so it’s no surprise that Wilson, coming off a championship, would be eyeing such a mega-deal. However, his regular-season numbers also stack up quite well against Luck’s — the Indianapolis QB has piled up more yardage, but in their two years in the league, Wilson has completed a higher percentage of passes (63.6% to 57.0%), tossed more TDs (52 to 46), and thrown fewer interceptions (19 to 27) than Luck.
That isn’t to say that Luck won’t also be deserving of a $24MM+ annual salary, particularly with the salary cap on the rise. The former first overall pick showed plenty of improvement in 2013 even after one of his top weapons (Reggie Wayne) went down with a season-ending injury, and more is expected of him on offense than of Wilson, who plays in a more run-heavy system in Seattle. Further growth is expected for Luck in 2014, and the Colts will do everything they can to lock up their franchise quarterback. Still, barring a drastic turn this season, Wilson may actually have a stronger case to become the highest-paid QB in football.
Cam Newton, Nick Foles, and Robert Griffin III are among the other talented young quarterbacks who also figure to engage their respective teams in talks on long-term extensions sometime within the next year or so.
Details On Colin Kaepernick’s Extension
When word first broke yesterday that the 49ers had extended Colin Kaepernick‘s contract, huge numbers were being cited for his future earnings. The deal was said to be worth up to $126MM, with $61MM in guaranteed money, which would be a new record. However, as I cautioned at the time, those initial figures are generally coming from the player’s side, often from a source like his agent. So it was fair to wonder if they were artificially inflated.
As it turns out, that was indeed the case. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has passed along several details on the contract, which is much more team-friendly than initially believed. Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap has attempted to distill the reported figures into chart form, but we’ll break down a few pertinent details below:
- At the time of signing, only $13.073MM is fully guaranteed — a $12.328MM signing bonus, a 2014 base salary of $645K, and a ’14 workout bonus of $100K. Additionally, the ’14 base salary and workout bonus were already on Kaepernick’s previous deal, so the signing bonus is really the only part of the new contract that’s fully guaranteed.
- For now, Kaepernick’s base salaries in 2015, 2016, 2017, and part of 2018 are guaranteed for injury only. They become fully guaranteed if the quarterback remains on the team’s roster beyond April 1 of each year. Those base salaries are as follows:
- 2015: $12.4MM
- 2016: $13.9MM
- 2017: $16.9MM
- 2018: $17MM ($5.2MM currently guaranteed for injury only)
- Kaepernick’s 2019 and 2020 base salaries are fully non-guaranteed. They amount to $18.8MM and $21MM, respectively.
- In each year from 2015 to 2020, the overall value of the contract is set to de-escalate by $2MM, up to a total of $12MM. Kaepernick can halt this de-escalation at any time by taking 80% of the team’s snaps and either appearing in the Super Bowl or being named the first- or second-team All-Pro quarterback. If Kaepernick were to meet these criteria in 2014, that entire $12MM would remain. However, if, for instance, he doesn’t meet the criteria and stop the de-escalator until the 2017 season, he’d lose $6MM in overall value – $2MM for each of the three previous seasons.
- Beginning in 2015, the contract includes a massive $2MM per year in per-game roster bonuses, meaning Kaepernick would miss out on $125K for each regular season game he didn’t play.
- Starting in 2015, the deal also includes $400K in annual workout bonuses.
- The contract required Kaepernick to buy a disability policy that pays the Niners $20MM if he suffers a career-ending injury.
- In total then, the value of the new money in the extension is $126.328MM. However, given the modest signing bonus and the absence of a lot of fully guaranteed money, the 49ers essentially have the ability to go year to year on the deal without risking too much dead money acceleration.
49ers Extend Colin Kaepernick Through 2020
6:04pm: The deal has a $12MM signing bonus where has most big deals for quarterbacks have bonuses of $24-$40MM, notes Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). He adds (link) that Kaepernick specifically requested that his extension allow the club enough flexibility to negotiate extensions with players such as Crabtree. The contract includes obtainable incentives – including some linked to the postseason – that could boost the average annual value to $21MM per year, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
3:22pm: The 49ers have officially confirmed Kaepernick’s extension, making it official (via Twitter).
3:12pm: Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) clarifies that the $61MM figure includes “rolling guarantees.” That means some of the money is likely guaranteed for injury only for now, and will become fully guaranteed if Kaepernick remains on the roster past certain dates.
3:09pm: Kaepernick’s new contract includes $61MM in guaranteed money, making it the largest guarantee in NFL history, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. At this point, that salary information is typically coming from the player’s agent, meaning the number could be a little artificially inflated. As I noted below, we’ll have to wait to see if that $61MM is all fully guaranteed money, or if a portion of it is guaranteed for injury only. Either way, Kaepernick seems to have made out very well for himself in the deal.
2:57pm: The 49ers and Colin Kaepernick have agreed to terms on a contract extension that will keep the quarterback under team control through the 2020 season, a club source tells Steve Berman of BayAreaSportsGuy.com. The new deal may ultimately eclipse $20MM per year, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, adding that it can be worth up to $126MM, with $60MM in guaranteed money (Twitter links).
We heard yesterday that the Niners and Kaepernick’s representatives resumed contract talks for the quarterback this week, as Kaepernick prepared to enter the final year of his rookie deal. The club had expressed optimism about getting a new agreement in place by the time training camp opened, and after a face-to-face meeting yesterday, it seems the two sides didn’t waste any time hammering out a deal.
Jay Cutler‘s $126MM+ contract, which averages more than $18MM per year, had been the most recent huge-money deal for a starting quarterback, and likely provided a baseline for Kaepernick’s negotiations. Although Cutler has more NFL experience than the Niners signal-caller, and has certainly racked up more impressive yardage and touchdown totals, Kaepernick is several years younger, and already has several postseason victories, including an appearance in the Super Bowl.
A report in March indicated that Kaepernick would be looking to exceed the long-term pacts signed by Cutler and Tony Romo (also $18MM per year), and that he’d be seeking a salary in the neighborhood of $20MM+ annually. We’ll have to wait for the exact figures on the extension’s base value, which figures to be a little smaller than its reported $126MM max value. But even if that $60MM isn’t all fully guaranteed, it seems Kaepernick’s new contract will put him right there with the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks.
In his first full season as the starter in San Francisco, Kaepernick completed 58.4% of his passes in 2013, racking up 3,197 passing yards and 21 passing touchdowns against just eight interceptions. He also scored four TDs on the ground. Although the 26-year-old only has 23 career regular-season starts to his name, he has compiled a 4-2 record in playoff contests, falling just short of beating the Ravens to win the Super Bowl following the 2012 season.
With Kaepernick locked up, the 49ers can shift their focus to several other potential extension candidates on the roster. Offensive lineman Alex Boone and tight end Vernon Davis weren’t in attendance at the club’s OTAs, in the hopes of negotiating new deals. The contracts of wide receiver Michael Crabtree and offensive lineman Mike Iupati will also need to be addressed soon.
Meanwhile, several quarterbacks will be keeping a close eye on the details of Kaepernick’s detail as they emerge. Alex Smith, Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, Russell Wilson, and Nick Foles are among the other QBs around the league who could ink extensions of their own within the next year or so.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC Notes: Orakpo, Hosley, Packers, Ponder
Although he refuses to hold out, Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo still hopes to get a multiyear contract worked out with the team this summer, as Jason Reid of the Washington Post writes. The two sides have discussed the parameters of a deal, but Orakpo deferred to GM Bruce Allen when asked if there had been progress toward an agreement.
“You’ve got to ask Bruce about that,” Orakpo said. “You’ve got to ask them boys (senior Redskins management) about that. Money talks.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- The suspensions just keep on coming for the Giants, who announced today that cornerback Jayron Hosley will miss the first four games of the season due to a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. News of Hosley’s suspension comes on the heels of a six-game ban for safety Will Hill, who was subsequently waived by the club. As Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweets, assuming he doesn’t meet the same fate as Hill and find himself looking for a new team, Hosley’s four-game suspension will cost him about $134K of his $570K salary.
- Lori Nickel and Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explore whether Packers receivers Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson are both in line for new contract extensions.
- Addressing for the first time the Vikings‘ decision not to exercise his fifth-year option, Christian Ponder said he wasn’t surprised at all by the decision, as Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press details. “It gives me an opportunity,” Ponder said of not having a contract beyond 2014. “It has my options open after the season whether I have leverage to stay here or go somewhere else, whether there’s a better place for me to play.”
- Vernon Davis, who is reportedly seeking a new contract, tells Maggie Gray on SI Now that he’s keeping a close eye on Jimmy Graham‘s positional grievance, even though Davis considers himself a tight end and not a receiver. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee has the quotes from the 49ers tight end.
- New Buccaneers offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford isn’t saying much about what his plan will be for this upcoming season, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. One thing Tedford did tip, however, is that he’s a fan of a running back by committee approach.
- Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post passes along Reed Doughty‘s Instagram farewell message to the Redskins and their fans, suggesting the unrestricted free agent won’t be re-signing with the team.
Zach Links contributed to this post.