Bonus Proration For Opt-Outs Will Not Count Against 2020 Cap
An important development on the salary cap front. Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports that signing bonus proration for players who opt out will not count against a team’s 2020 cap (Twitter link). Previously, it was believed that only unearned salary and bonuses would be removed from the cap.
So as Pelissero observes, teams with big-money players who opt out will have considerably more cap room to work with in 2020 than they thought. For instance, Broncos right tackle Ja’Wuan James announced yesterday that he will opt out of the 2020 season, and his $10MM salary was set to toll until 2021. But now, his $3MM signing bonus proration will also toll, leaving Denver with $13MM in additional cap space.
Of course, the Broncos will almost certainly want James back in 2021, just as the Jets will want C.J. Mosley back. And, since the 2021 salary cap is going to drop considerably, teams are unlikely to spend their newfound money and will simply look to roll it over into next season. That is especially true since we’re now in August and there are very few free agents worth signing to expensive deals.
Players have until 4pm ET/3pm CT on Thursday to opt out.
Latest On Joe Mixon, Bengals
Back in May, Bengals player personnel director Duke Tobin said that the team was interested in extending RB Joe Mixon, and unsurprisingly, his stance has not changed.
“[Mixon] is an important part of our team,” Tobin said, via Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “He’s a piece that we’d like to get extended and have around here a long time. Typically, our extensions have gotten done during camp at some point.”
As Dragon observes, Tobin’s statement that the team usually extends players during training camp is noteworthy, as it suggests that the team could finalize something with Mixon in the coming weeks. Indeed, WR Tyler Boyd signed his extension shortly before camp opened last year, and Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap got new deals in August 2018.
For now, Mixon is set to play out the 2020 season on the final year of his rookie deal, which would pay him a salary of just $1.2MM. Given his importance to the team and his performance to date, that would be a major underpay.
However, the 24-year-old is not necessarily trying to break the bank. Per Dragon’s sources, Mixon is hoping his next deal will land him among the eight highest-paid running backs in the league. That would mean an average annual value of at least $8MM, which seems like a reasonable ask.
At present, the Bengals have about $24MM of cap room, but with the salary cap set to drop significantly in 2021, any rollover money would be helpful. Still, the team’s cap situation shouldn’t be an obstacle to a Mixon extension.
Mixon’s YPC average dropped to 4.1 last season after a very strong 4.9 mark in 2018, but he didn’t have much talent around him. With A.J. Green back in the fold and Joe Burrow under center, Mixon — who has posted back-to-back seasons with over 1,100 rushing yards — could be in for a big year.
NFC West Notes: Adams, Gordon, 49ers
New Seahawks safety Jamal Adams has told the team that he is content to play out the 2020 season on his current contract, which is one of the reasons why Seattle felt comfortable sending a king’s ransom to the Jets in exchange for the star defender. And as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets, Adams says the plan is to spend his entire career with the ‘Hawks. He is confident that his contract situation will work itself out, and it seems likely that the two sides will commence negotiations after the season.
Now for more out of the NFC West:
- The Seahawks are said to be interested in a reunion with WR Josh Gordon, and apparently the interest is mutual. Gordon recently posted a picture of the Seattle skyline to social media, saying, “Ima [j]uss leave this here and be quiet” (h/t Field Yates of ESPN.com on Twitter). The club is also monitoring Antonio Brown.
- The Ravens and Patriots are reportedly interested in TE Delanie Walker, and Matt Barrows of The Athletic thinks the 49ers — who drafted Walker in 2006 and employed him through 2012 — would also be a great fit. However, Barrows has not heard anything on that front lately.
- In the same piece linked above, Barrows says there is a good chance the 49ers use their first-round pick in 2021 on a CB and that the team could also invest some free agent dollars into the position. That could mean re-signing Richard Sherman or bringing in an outside FA.
- The 49ers recently worked out DL Damontre Moore, per veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (via Twitter). Moore has bounced around quite a bit since he entered the league as a third-round pick of the Giants in 2013, and he appeared in two games for San Francisco last year before landing on IR.
- In case you missed it, Cardinals OT Marcus Gilbert has opted out of the 2020 season.
NFL Players Launch Coordinated Social Media Blitz
Training camp for all 32 teams is still scheduled to start on July 28, and rookies, QBs, and injured players are slated to report this week. However, unanswered questions remain regarding, among other things, preseason length, opt-out rules, and economics, and a number of prominent players launched a social media blitz today to highlight their concerns.
Using the hashtag #WeWantToPlay, players were very blunt. Saints QB Drew Brees said, “We need Football! We need sports! We need hope! The NFL’s unwillingness to follow the recommendations of their own medical experts will prevent that. If the NFL doesn’t do their part to keep players healthy there is no football in 2020. It’s that simple. Get it done @NFL“
49ers CB Richard Sherman said, “The NFL has ignored the safety recommendations from the experts that THEY hired. We all love this game and want to go out and compete with our brothers. The NFL needs to provide a safe work environment for us to do that.”
Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network notes (via Twitter) that the tweets are primarily aimed at disputes over the acclimation period and preseason schedule. The joint medical committee recommended a 21-day acclimation period, and the NFL originally proposed early report dates to accommodate that. The union rejected that, but they do not have the right to reject the originally-scheduled training camp start date of July 28. And, as of now, the plan remains for there to be two preseason games, which the NFLPA has opposed for some time.
Pelissero says in a separate tweet that the players could file an unsafe work environment grievance, and today’s social media blitz suggests that they are considering exactly that. Union president J.C. Tretter joined the barrage with the following tweet: “What you are seeing today is our guys standing up for each other and for the work their union leadership has done to keep everyone as safe as possible. The NFL needs to listen to our union and adopt the experts’ recommendations.”
For all practical purposes, the league and the union need to get safety matters resolved tonight, as Dan Graziano of ESPN.com opines (via Twitter). With Texans and Chiefs rookies and QBs scheduled to report to their respective teams tomorrow, Graziano says a grievance could certainly be in the works if the union has not approved all safety protocols.
Extension Candidate: Kenny Golladay
Top Lions wideout Kenny Golladay is due to make $2.133MM in 2020, the final season of his rookie contract. Considering his importance to the team, his overall abilities, and the fact that he is starting to look like one of the better receivers in the league, that represents a terrific value for Detroit.
It stands to reason that the Lions would like to extend Golladay before he is eligible to hit the open market next offseason, and both sides are interested in a new deal. But as of March 30, no contract talks had commenced, and it’s highly unlikely that anything will change in that regard until there is more clarity on future salary caps.
Indeed, big-money extensions have been rare in the current climate, and Golladay’s next contract will undoubtedly be a hefty one. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com believes the Northern Illinois product will land a deal with an average annual value of at least $17MM (Twitter link), and a review of the receiver market shows that estimate might actually be on the low end. While Golladay may not be on the level of the Saints’ Mike Thomas, it can certainly be argued that he is at least as good as the Cowboys’ Amari Cooper, who just inked a five-year, $100MM contract ($60MM guaranteed) this offseason.
Golladay could stand to improve his consistency, as he put up a couple duds in 2019 even before QB Matthew Stafford was lost for the season. But when Stafford was under center last year, Golladay posted four 100-yard efforts, and he was a TD machine throughout the season, hitting paydirt 11 times. For what it’s worth, Golladay graded out as a top-10 receiver in terms of Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement, and he also made the first Pro Bowl of his career.
In all, he tallied 1,190 yards to go along with those 11 TDs, both career-highs. And though his career catch rate is a little on the low side (57.6%), that often comes with the territory for a big-play threat. After all, Golladay posted a whopping 18.3 yards-per-reception last year, good for fourth in the league.
He has been on an upward trajectory over his first three professional seasons, and it would be fair to expect another step forward in 2020, assuming Stafford stays healthy. As soon as the team gets a better understanding of its future financial picture, it seems likely that it will start negotiations in earnest.
Redskins To Face League Discipline?
TODAY: Any punishment the Redskins face is likely to be limited to fines, Maske writes in a full-length story. Because Snyder himself was not directly involved in any harassment, this situation is different from the one that culminated in former Panthers owner Jerry Richardson selling his team several years ago. It’s also why the league is likely to defer to Wilkinson’s findings rather than conduct a separate investigation.
So unless there are new developments with respect to Snyder’s role, it seems he will keep his team and his draft picks. Snyder and his wife, Tanya, emailed an apology letter to every member of the organization on Friday night (via Schefter on Twitter).
JULY 17: The much-ballyhooed story concerning the Redskins’ organizational culture broke last night via a Washington Post article that details sexual abuse allegations made by 15 former female employees of the team. As a preemptive strike, the club hired DC-based attorney Beth Wilkinson to conduct a thorough review of its protocols, and depending on what Wilkinson finds, the Redskins could be subject to league discipline.
The NFL released the following statement in response to the story (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com on Twitter):
“These matters as reported are serious, disturbing and contrary to the NFL’s values. Everyone in the NFL has the right to work in an environment free from any and all forms of harassment. Washington has engaged outside counsel to conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations. The club has pledged that it will give its full cooperation to the investigator and we expect the club and all employees to do so. We will meet with the attorneys upon the conclusion of their investigation and take any action based on the findings.”
So it certainly sounds as if a fine and/or draft pick forfeiture could be in the cards. And while owner Dan Snyder was not accused of harassment himself, this report will doubtlessly intensify the already loud cries for him to sell the team.
It will also be interesting to see if the NFL undertakes its own investigation once Wilkinson’s is complete. After all, the Redskins are Wilkinson’s client, so her duty is to them. As Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv suggests, it would be a bad look for the league to allow the organizational review to be handled exclusively by a person hand-picked by the organization (Twitter link). Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has also called on commissioner Roger Goodell to get to the bottom of the matter, as Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets.
Snyder, meanwhile, issued the following statement (via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com on Twitter):
“The behavior described in yesterday’s Washington Post article has no place in our franchise or society. This story has strengthened my commitment to setting a new culture and standard for our team, a process that began with the hiring of Coach [Ron] Rivera earlier this year. Beth Wilkinson and her firm are empowered to do a full, unbiased investigation and make any and all requisite recommendations. Upon completion of her work, we will institute new policies and procedures and strengthen our human resources infrastructure to not only avoid these issues in the future but most importantly create a team culture that is respectful and inclusive of all.”
In other Redskins news, the team announced that it has promoted Jeff Scott to the role of assistant director of pro scouting/advance coordinator. Scott will oversee advance scouting of opponents and evaluate potential talent in NFL free agency and all other pro leagues. He will still assist with the evaluation of trade scenarios during the draft (Twitter links via NFL Insider Adam Caplan).
Andrew Whitworth Tested Positive For COVID-19
Union chief DeMaurice Smith and president J.C. Tretter held a conference call with media members on Friday, and Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth joined the call. Whitworth revealed that he recently tested positive for COVID-19, and his story is a troubling one (h/t Howard Balzer of SI.com).
Whitworth explained that a family member went to lunch with a friend. Several days later, that family member started to feel ill when she was traveling with Whitworth, his wife and children, and his wife’s parents. She subsequently tested positive, and Whitworth and every other person on that trip tested positive shortly thereafter.
Luckily, it appears as if everyone involved has recovered, but it does underscore how dangerous the virus is. And as Tretter pointed out during the call, there are still important unanswered questions concerning the spread of the virus. Although it may be possible to have socially distant huddles, offensive and defensive linemen have to be in contact with each other and players on the opposing line on every play, so if one of them tests positive, how will the league determine how many people to quarantine, and for how long?
For now, the league is forging ahead with its plans to start training camp on July 28, with rookies, QBs, and injured players reporting to their clubs this week. As of July 10, 72 players league-wide had tested positive for COVID-19, and that number will almost certainly increase when testing becomes mandatory. How the league responds to positive tests will be the most important factor in starting and completing the 2020 season.
Whitworth, 38, has contemplated retirement recently, but he signed a new three-year contract this offseason that will theoretically keep him with Los Angeles though his age-40 season. He was a First-Team All-Pro in 2017, his first year with the Rams, and though he is unlikely to reach those heights again, he remains a good LT and a key component of the club’s O-line.
De Smith, J.C. Tretter On COVID-19 Latest
Union chief DeMaurice Smith and president J.C. Tretter held a conference call with media members today, during which they discussed various COVID-19 issues.
Starting on the financial side of things, Smith told reporters that the salary cap could decrease by as much as $70MM in 2021, unless the union and league come up with a solution to spread out that damage over several years (Twitter link via Dan Graziano of ESPN.com). Obviously, the union would prefer the latter option, and it has summarily rejected the NFL’s most recent economic proposals. Smith said he does not want players to bear the brunt of the financial burden when they are also the ones exposing themselves to the virus (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area).
Of course, the league has made the decision to start training camp on time, and Smith concedes that the union has no ability to fight that. Instead, the NFLPA’s objective is to ensure that the players are as safe as possible (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). To that end, the union has been in touch with team doctors, who have said, with a couple of reservations, that it is safe to open camp as planned (Twitter link via Condotta).
Indeed, a source familiar with talks between the NFL and NFLPA told Mark Maske of the Washington Post that those discussions were moving in the right direction and that there was reason to believe training camp could start on time (Twitter link). As Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets, the Chiefs are telling players that camp is a go, with rookies and QBs to report for COVID-19 testing on Monday, July 20, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter) says Texans players were told the same (the Texans and Chiefs play each other in the regular season opener). The full team is scheduled to report on July 25, and Pelissero adds in a separate tweet that multiple clubs have been sending tentative reporting dates to players.
Needless to say, there is plenty that still needs to be resolved. For instance, Texans star J.J. Watt, who has been involved in player calls, said yesterday (via Twitter) that players had yet to receive a single valid Infectious Disease Emergency Response (IDER) plan, and as Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets, players aren’t supposed to report to camp until IDER plans have been approved. Per Graziano, “some teams” began sending to those plans to the union last night, which the union will need to review to ensure that they are in compliance with the negotiated protocols (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, Tretter says that the union has consulted with team doctors in hotspot markets to discuss how to report to camp safely (Twitter link via Graziano). It’s unclear what, if any, additional protocols will be put in place for such regions, and Tretter also brought up another point that has largely been overlooked (via Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk). He said, as a center, he is in close contact with every player in the offensive huddle and every defensive lineman during practice. If he tests positive, how would the league determine how many people to quarantine, and for how long?
That is one critical unanswered question, and Smith conceded there is no firm answer as to how many positive tests it would take to force an entire team to shut down. He did emphasize that the union continues to push for daily testing, which the league is still opposing.
Smith also said he is unaware of any players who have elected to opt out of the 2020 season (Twitter link via Condotta). We covered the most recent updates on the opt-out situation earlier this week.
Latest On Quinton Dunbar-Deandre Baker Case
Amidst allegations that he facilitated a payoff of victims in an effort to convince them to change their stories, Michael Grieco, defense attorney for Seahawks CB Quinton Dunbar, has withdrawn his appearance, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets. Dunbar will move forward with the counsel he hired last week, Michael D. Weinstein.
Grieco offered the following statement: “We agreed that new counsel would allow for continued advocacy of Mr. Dunbar’s innocence without any collateral distractions.” Indeed, Grieco was under criminal investigation for his role in the alleged payoff as of June, though it’s unclear whether that investigation is still ongoing.
Given these new developments, it does not sound as if the cases against Dunbar and Giants CB Deandre Baker are going away anytime soon. And John Clayton of 710 ESPN Seattle hears from one of the Miami Herald reporters who is covering the story, David Ovalle, that courts in the region are so backed up due to coronavirus closures that it could take until 2021 or 2022 for the matter to proceed to court.
Clayton’s story does not reference how courts are handling criminal defendants’ speedy trial rights in the wake of COVID-19, but assuming that the cases for Baker and Dunbar do indeed get pushed back that far, their immediate NFL futures become even more difficult to predict (not to mention their long-term futures as free member of society). In ordinary circumstances, the league might put them on the commissioner’s exempt list until there is a resolution — which Clayton suggests could still happen — but our COVID-19 reality is anything but ordinary. And while the league could suspend the players, it would have to be an indefinite suspension that could last several years.
So, for now, it seems as if Dunbar and Baker are free to play, assuming their respective teams allow them to do so. Clayton confirms earlier rumors that the Giants are considering cutting Baker, but we have not yet heard that Seattle plans to move on from Dunbar.
A.J. Green Signs Franchise Tender
Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green has signed his franchise tender, the team announced. With that, the soon-to-be 32-year-old will report to training camp on-time later this month.
It seemed unlikely that the two sides would agree to a long-term deal prior to Wednesday’s deadline given Green’s age and his recent injury history. But Cincinnati was not about to let him walk in free agency this year, so the club slapped the seven-time Pro Bowler with the franchise tag.
Green had previously expressed that he was not a big fan of the tag, but he also said he would not hold out if he did not get the multi-year pact that he was seeking. However, the fact that he signed the tender is still notable. Prior to signing it, he could have skipped training camp and the preseason and still earned his full salary, and there was recent speculation that the Bengals might consider rescinding the tag because of how much it costs (roughly $18MM) and the current financial climate. Considering Green’s abilities and the fact that the team will have rookie QB Joe Burrow under center, rescinding the tag never felt like a real possibility, but now both sides know they will be together from training camp forward.
Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic says the Bengals still want to sign Green long-term (Twitter link). While they of course cannot negotiate again until after the 2020 campaign, Dehner expects the team to make a “hard push” for a new deal at season’s end if Green looks anything like his old self.
And the interest, apparently, is mutual. Green said he wants to play for another four seasons and retire as a Bengal (Twitter link via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com). If he does, Green will surpass Chad Johnson to become the team’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving TDs. He is currently trailing Johnson in all three categories, but not by much.