Buccaneers Sign OLB Randy Gregory
APRIL 4: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Gregory’s deal has a base value of $3MM, and it can be worth up to $5MM. Re-establishing himself as a starter with a healthy season would thus help not only Gregory’s 2025 free agent prospects but notably add to his career earnings.
APRIL 3: Randy Gregory will head to a third team in eight months. The Buccaneers are bringing in the veteran edge rusher, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets.
The 49ers used Gregory as a rotational rusher last season, acquiring him from the Broncos before the deadline. The former Cowboys starter will turn 32 later this year. It is a one-year deal for Gregory, per Fox Sports’ Greg Auman. The Bucs have since announced the signing.
Seeking an edge rusher to replace Shaq Barrett, the Bucs are reuniting Gregory with ex-Cowboys assistant George Edwards. The two worked together in Dallas from 2020-21, when Edwards served as a senior defensive assistant. After his Cowboys exit, Edwards joined Todd Bowles‘ staff as outside linebackers coach in 2023. While the Seahawks (who employ ex-Cowboys D-line coach Aden Durde as DC) showed interest, Gregory will link up with another familiar face in Tampa.
Gregory’s market pales in comparison to where it was two years ago. The Broncos gave the former suspension mainstay a five-year, $70MM. While that would have represented good value — based on where the edge rusher market has gone in the 2020s — had Gregory stayed healthy. He did not, missing most of his first Denver season. Upon returning, Gregory fell out of favor with Sean Payton. The Broncos’ new HC was willing to take on almost all of Gregory’s 2023 salary balance to move on, doing so for only a late-round pick swap.
As the Broncos committed to using their younger OLBs, Gregory became a Nick Bosa supporting-caster alongside Chase Young and Clelin Ferrell. The 49ers have retooled on the edge, seeing all three players depart. Gregory stayed healthy last season, totaling 3.5 sacks between his Denver and San Francisco stays. Gregory did not start any games with the 49ers; he played 27 defensive snaps in Super Bowl LVIII.
Still better known for his Cowboys tenure, Gregory has flashed better form in the recent past. He commanded that 2022 offer — one the Broncos made and the Cowboys matched, only to see a contract clause torpedo the deal — Gregory registered six sacks and 17 QB hits in 2021. He did so despite missing five games due to injury. Gregory, who missed extensive time due to a knee injury in 2022, also totaled six sacks in 2018. A suspension knocked him out of the ’19 season.
The fact that Gregory is still playing in the NFL reflects positively on his commitment, as he incurred four substance-abuse suspensions in the 2010s, and the NFL changing its policy toward a more lenient stance on recreational drugs. While he has moved past this chapter of his career, the former second-round pick will need to show he can remain healthy.
Gregory will join a Bucs edge-rushing crew now spearheaded by younger talent, with Barrett — a vital part of the team’s Super Bowl LV-winning season and a former NFL sack king — becoming a cap casualty earlier this year. Barrett signed with the Dolphins soon after. The Bucs still roster Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, 2023 draftee YaYa Diaby and sixth-year rotational cog Anthony Nelson. Diaby, who moved into the starting lineup midway through last season in place of Tryon-Shoyinka, led the 2023 Bucs with 7.5 sacks. It still seems like the Bucs may add another piece on the edge — perhaps in the draft — but they will give Gregory a shot.
Bills Trade WR Stefon Diggs To Texans
The Stefon Diggs era in Buffalo will end after four seasons. The AFC East champions are trading the star wide receiver to the Texans, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports. Both teams have since announced the trade.
The Bills will receive a 2025 second-round pick, according to Schefter, who adds the Texans will pick up Diggs, a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth. This will bring a decorated but mercurial period to a close for the Bills and Diggs. The 2025 second-rounder originally belonged to the Vikings, who packaged it in a deal to acquire the Texans’ No. 23 overall pick this year.
[RELATED: Texans’ Offer Changed Bills’ Stefon Diggs Plan]
It will also arm C.J. Stroud with a high-end weapon. With Stroud on a rookie contract, the Texans are bringing in one of the NFL’s most lucrative receiver deals. This move comes after the Texans had considered trading for Keenan Allen. Both high-end wideouts have six 1,000-yard seasons on their respective resumes, but Diggs — at 30 — is more than a year younger.
This, of course, marks the second time Diggs has been dealt in his career. The first such trade changed the Bills’ trajectory. Josh Allen‘s path to stardom reached a clear pivot point when the Bills acquired Diggs during the 2020 offseason. They landed the five-year Vikings wideout for a package headlined by a first-round selection. With Diggs set to turn 31 later this year and tied to a big-ticket contract, his price tag dropped.
Buffalo kept Diggs on his Minnesota-constructed contract for two seasons but handed out a four-year, $96MM deal during the 2022 offseason. Four years remain on that contract. While Diggs’ deal sits fifth in terms of wide receiver AAV, the Texans do not have too much money allocated to their skill positions. Diggs’ contract will overlap with Tank Dell and Nico Collins‘ rookie pacts. In clear rebuilding mode to start Nick Caserio‘s GM tenure, the Texans went into last year without any payment north of $7MM at the skill positions. They have now re-signed Dalton Schultz (three years, $36MM) and signed up to add Diggs, who will join Joe Mixon as a trade pickup in Houston.
For Buffalo, this will certainly mark a sea change. Diggs ripped off four straight 1,100-plus-yard seasons with the Bills. That included two 1,400-yard years. The elite route runner gave the Bills a bona fide No. 1 target after they had lacked one for the better part of the 21st century. The addition rocketed Allen onto the superstar tier. The Bills ventured to the AFC championship game in Diggs’ first year in New York, winning their first playoff games since 1995. Diggs, of course, was not the sole reason for Buffalo’s resurgence. But he played one of the central roles.
While the Texans are set to roll out a Diggs-Dell-Collins receiver trio, the Bills have now lost Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason. Buffalo did add Curtis Samuel and saw Khalil Shakir make key contributions down the stretch, but it appears likely the AFC power will need to come out of the draft with a major WR pickup. Fortunately, this year brings another deep crop at the position. Considering their Super Bowl window ahead of Allen’s age-28 season, this trade certainly ramps up the pressure on the Sean McDermott–Brandon Beane duo.
Diggs’ Bills relationship both traversed rocky terrain and ended on a low note. A confusing situation developed at minicamp last year, with Diggs leaving the team’s facility unexpectedly. McDermott referred to the exit as an excused absence, but he also called the Diggs situation “very concerning.” Allen attempted to downplay the matter, and Diggs soon said he wanted to finish his career in Buffalo. This all came after Diggs stormed out of the Bills’ locker room and needed to be brought back following the team’s divisional-round loss to the Bengals last year. A report indicated Diggs was frustrated by his role in Buffalo’s offense, one that had consistently featured him as the lead weapon. Diggs later denied that was the case.
As last season progressed, Diggs also became a lesser part of the Bills’ offense. As the team regrouped following a 5-5 start — one that led to Ken Dorsey‘s firing and Joe Brady‘s elevation to OC — Diggs did not offer WR1-level production. Allen needed to rely on Shakir and a James Cook-powered run game to drag the Bills to their fourth straight AFC East title. Diggs finished with 1,183 yards but only eclipsed 50 in two of Buffalo’s final seven games. Diggs added a crucial drop late in the Bills’ narrow divisional-round loss to the Chiefs; he caught just three passes for 21 yards in that 27-24 defeat.
This move will also be financially punitive for the Bills. Due to signing bonus proration, the team will be hit with more than $31MM in dead money. While the second-round pick being acquired will be important, Buffalo will see this money accelerate onto its 2024 salary cap due to the deal being finalized before June 1. In terms of single-season dead cap hits, Diggs’ ranks fifth in NFL history (h/t Spotrac). For non-QBs, the $31MM hit sets a record.
Rather than restructure Diggs’ deal to create cap space, the Bills are taking on considerable pain now. That will increase an uphill battle for a Bills team that has also moved on from Mitch Morse, Jordan Poyer and Tre’Davious White this offseason. Diggs’ $18.5MM 2024 base salary is guaranteed. Beyond that, Houston has some flexibility.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Texans are spending in a way they have not under Caserio. The Bill Belichick disciple has greenlit this Diggs deal following the Schultz re-up, Mixon trade and a few defensive augmentations — headlined by the near-fully guaranteed Danielle Hunter accord. With Stroud and Will Anderson tied to rookie deals through at least 2025, the Texans are operating with urgency.
As this represents a risk for a Bills team attempting to stay near the AFC’s top tier, the dead money here certainly suggests the organization believed this relationship had run its course. The Texans are not giving up too much for the 10th-year veteran, but they are acquiring a player with some baggage — Diggs clashed with Vikings brass during his final Minnesota year as well — and one coming off an unremarkable finish to last season. Still, Diggs brings an impressive pedigree to Houston. He will now join younger brother Trevon Diggs in Texas; the Texans play both the Bills and Cowboys in 2024.
Vikings Ownership Pushing For Long-Term Quarterback Move?
It certainly is no longer a secret the Vikings are interested in moving up for a quarterback. Linked to such a climb before their pivotal trade with the Texans, that deal made other QB-needy teams well aware the Vikes are serious about replacing Kirk Cousins with a potential first in franchise history.
From Fran Tarkenton to Tommy Kramer to Daunte Culpepper to Christian Ponder, the Vikings have never used a top-10 pick on a quarterback (though, Culpepper and Ponder were each top-12 choices). This year may well bring that elusive investment. Vikings ownership may have a hand in this as well.
[RELATED: Vikings Work Out Michael Penix Jr.]
Although GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is running point on this operation, the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora notes ownership has “made it clear” a long-term quarterback solution — after the first two years of the Adofo-Mensah era featured short-term Cousins-based fixes — will be sought. The Vikings hold the Nos. 11 and 23 overall picks. While a passer like Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix could potentially be available at 23, the Vikings are probably setting their sights higher.
The Vikings sent their 2024 and 2025 second-rounders — the latter of which the Texans just dealt to the Bills for Stefon Diggs — and a 2024 sixth to move up to No. 23. The expectation around the league is for Minnesota to trade up for a quarterback. Many around the NFL have mentioned J.J. McCarthy as Minnesota’s most likely target. With the Michigan alum in play to go No. 2 overall to the Commanders — after an impressive pro day — the Vikings may need to set their sights on another passer. Considering the prospect statuses of Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels compared to McCarthy entering 2024, it would be strange if the Vikes had a chance at one of them while the once-lower-regarded QB was unavailable.
Daniels has since come up as a Vikings target, with the Raiders’ interest in reuniting the 2023 Heisman winner with one of his ex-college coaches (Antonio Pierce) not a secret. It could require the Vikings to part with two first-round picks and change to move from No. 11 into the top four. But the Patriots, Cardinals and Chargers — particularly the latter two clubs — have been connected to a willingness to trade down. It cost the 49ers two future firsts to climb from No. 12 to No. 3 for Trey Lance. New England, Arizona and Los Angeles will likely seek a similar haul. The Vikings having a second first-round pick this year might change the equation slightly, but it will still be quite costly to climb up that far.
Sam Darnold is in place as a stopgap option, and while the former top-three pick has an interesting opportunity ahead due to the skill-position cadre the Vikings possess, owner Zygi Wilf desiring a long-term QB be desired this year would solidify Darnold’s role as a placeholder. Additionally, La Canfora suggests Adofo-Mensah may be feeling some heat going into his third season.
Minnesota’s GM being on the hot seat already would be quite the development, considering the team’s 13-4 season in 2022. While that season did bring the worst point differential in NFL history for a 13-win team, the Vikings were not expected to finish in that realm that year. Minnesota took a step back last season, with Cousins’ injury derailing a nice midseason stretch. But the team did not implode without its starting passer. Adofo-Mensah ultimately opting to move on from a QB Kevin O’Connell endorsed many times over, bringing a $28.5MM dead money bill due to a 2023 void years decision, could confirm rumblings of friction between the team’s top two decision-makers.
For now, the two power brokers are working together to land a Cousins replacement. Armed with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones and T.J. Hockenson (along with young left tackle Christian Darrisaw), Minnesota represents a solid destination for a young passer. It will be interesting to see which one the Vikes end up with, as it seems highly improbable they will leave the first round without their hopeful long-term option.
Lions Match 49ers’ Brock Wright RFA Offer Sheet
The Lions will not let Brock Wright leave for California. Detroit is matching San Francisco’s three-year, $12MM RFA offer sheet, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The Lions have announced their decision to retain the fourth-year veteran.
Wednesday marked the deadline for the Lions to keep Wright on the 49ers’ terms or pass. Despite rostering breakout tight end Sam LaPorta, the Lions view Wright as a key auxiliary component of their offense. By virtue of the 49ers‘ offer sheet, Wright is no longer going year to year. Rather than playing out a rookie contract, he is now signed through 2026 with Detroit.
San Francisco lost top George Kittle backup Charlie Woerner, who joined the Falcons on a three-year, $12MM deal. That set the market for Wright, who became the rare RFA to receive an offer sheet. The 49ers included $6MM guaranteed in an attempt to prevent their most recent NFC championship game opponent from matching, but the Lions will do so anyway.
While this decision will extend the 49ers’ search for a No. 2 tight end, the Lions will end up paying Wright more than they had planned. They had given the former UDFA the low-end RFA tender, which called for a $2.99MM salary in 2024. The LaPorta sidekick will instead see a nice guarantee and see some security rather than playing out a contract year as a backup. Used frequently as a run-blocking presence in Detroit, the Notre Dame alum will continue developing in OC Ben Johnson‘s system rather than transitioning to Kyle Shanahan‘s.
Wright, 25, played 44% of Detroit’s offensive snaps last season. In 2022, that number came in at 52%. The 6-foot-5 pass catcher totaled 18 receptions for 216 yards and four touchdowns in 2022. This included a 51-yard game-winner against the Jets. With LaPorta in the fold last season, Wright totaled just 13 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. Pro Football Focus did not rate Wright well as a run blocker last season, grading him in the bottom quartile at the position. Still, 263 of Wright’s 423 offensive snaps came on run plays.
The 49ers will join the Dolphins and Bears as recent teams to submit an RFA offer sheet only to see it matched. The Broncos matched the Fins’ C.J. Anderson offer sheet in 2016, while the Bills kept Ryan Bates (before sending the O-lineman to the Bears earlier this year). San Francisco used a third-round pick on tight end Cameron Latu last year, but he suffered a torn ACL during the preseason. The 49ers viewed Latu as more of a developmental player, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, explaining their Wright move.
NFC Contract Details: Bucs, Mayfield, Eagles, Sweat, Parker, Rams, Garoppolo, Saints
Here are the details from some of the recently agreed-upon contracts around the NFC:
- Baker Mayfield, QB (Buccaneers). Three years, $100MM. Of the $50MM in Mayfield guarantees, $40MM is fully guaranteed. The other $10MM will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2025 league year. Mayfield can also earn $5MM per year via incentives, Fox Sports’ Greg Auman notes. Half of those are stat-based incentives. If Mayfield finishes in the top 10 in the NFL (or top five in the NFC) in passer rating, TD passes, yards, yards per attempt or completion percentage in any of the three years, he would earn $500K per category, Auman adds. The other $2.5MM per year comes through playoff incentives. Mayfield would earn $500K for a Bucs wild-card win, $750K for a divisional-round conquest and $500K for an NFC championship game win. If the Bucs are to win a Super Bowl with Mayfield at the helm, he would collect another $750K.
- Darious Williams, CB (Rams). Three years, $22.5MM. Only $7MM of Williams’ $15MM guarantee is locked in at signing, per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. This contract’s key date will come on Day 5 of the 2025 league year, when the remaining $8MM will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee. Barring injury, this effectively makes 2024 a “prove it” year for the now-two-time Rams CB.
- Josh Sweat, DE (Eagles). One year, $10MM. The Eagles’ Sweat rework will bring $9.5MM guaranteed for the veteran defensive end, per OverTheCap. Philly used four void years to spread out the cap hit, which sits at $8.1MM for 2024. If Sweat signs elsewhere before this contract’s March 2025 expiration, the Eagles will be tagged with $16.4MM in dead money.
- Cedrick Wilson, WR (Saints). Two years, $5.75MM. The Saints are guaranteeing Wilson $2.85MM, ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell notes. The second-generation NFL wideout will be due a $200K roster bonus in 2025; none of Wilson’s ’25 salary ($2.7MM) is guaranteed.
- Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (Rams). One year, $3.18MM. Previously reported as including $4.5MM in base value, the Rams’ Garoppolo contract (via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe) contains $3.18MM in base pay.
- Ben Bredeson, G (Buccaneers). One year, $3MM. Bredeson’s Bucs pact includes $1.75MM guaranteed, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets.
- DeVante Parker, WR (Eagles). One year, $1.21MM. The Patriots are paying most of Parker’s deal, with $3.19MM guaranteed remaining on his 2023 extension. The Eagles are not guaranteeing the former first-rounder anything, Volin tweets. The Pats will receive a $1.98MM cap credit if Parker plays the whole 2024 season.
Texans’ Offer Changed Bills’ Stefon Diggs Plan
Cutting the cord on a productive but stressful Stefon Diggs period, the Bills are eating the most dead money ever brought on by a wide receiver. They accepted a Texans offer centered around a 2025 second-round pick, effectively resetting at wide receiver during an offseason that had already seen the AFC power part with a few veteran pieces.
The Bills, however, were believed to be planning to keep Diggs for the 2024 season. Despite the headaches the talented wideout had been known to cause, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia and Dianna Russini indicate GM Brandon Beane had Diggs in his plans — as he had said previously this offseason (subscription required). While decision-makers often backtrack on such statements via subsequent trades, the Bills were still aiming to retain Diggs as his extension years started.
Given the $31.1MM in dead money hitting Buffalo’s 2024 cap sheet, it makes sense the team was moving forward with the perennial Pro Bowler. But the Texans called about the nine-year veteran Tuesday, per The Athletic, and the Bills discussed the deal to the point ownership was brought in on the matter. Buffalo agreed to the terms this morning, sending Diggs to Houston to team with Nico Collins and Tank Dell around C.J. Stroud‘s rookie contract. As the Texans load up around a rookie contract, the Bills are retooling around their veteran QB accord.
While the structure of Diggs’ 2022 extension will put the Bills in a tough spot this year, the team looks to have viewed a future second-rounder — initially a Vikings pick obtained by the Texans last month — as sufficient value for a player who would have been less likely to fetch such an asset as he aged. Diggs will turn 31 this season. Considering Keenan Allen commanded only a fourth-rounder last month, Diggs bringing back a second-round choice — one tied to a Minnesota team that just lost Kirk Cousins — brought decent value for a player who struggled down the stretch of his age-30 season.
Beane said (via the Buffalo News’ Ryan O’Halloran) the Bills are “by no means” taking a step back, but the four-time reigning division champs have moved on from several longtime starters this offseason. They released seven-year safety starter Jordan Poyer, five-year center bastion Mitch Morse and injury-prone All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White. Buffalo also has Micah Hyde, who joined Poyer in being part of Sean McDermott‘s first free agency class, unsigned. The team has a new safety plan, and David Edwards is poised to take over at center. But wide receiver has gone from a top need to a glaring deficiency.
Other Diggs inquiries have come in, Beane said (via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg), but the Bills — who parted with a package fronted by a 2020 first-round pick — viewed this one as enough to move on. The calls on Diggs date back to last year, with Beane declining to confirm (via the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi) if the wide receiver requested a trade. The eighth-year GM informed Josh Allen about the prospect of a trade before it was finalized, Getzenberg adds.
This move guts Allen’s receiving corps. Although the Bills saw promising early returns from 2023 first-round tight end Dalton Kincaid, Diggs and Gabe Davis operated as Allen’s Nos. 1 and 2 wideouts for the past two seasons. That came after Davis’ four-TD game in the 2021 divisional round. Diggs delivered two 1,400-plus-yard seasons as a Bill, leading the NFL in receiving yards upon being acquired in 2020. A notable slump took place to close last season.
Diggs did not score a touchdown over the Bills’ final seven regular-season games and averaged just 41.0 yards per game in that span. He closed the year with a three-catch, 21-yard showing against the Chiefs — a game Davis missed — and dropped a well-placed Allen pass on a potential game-winning drive. This may well have convinced Bills management their top wide receiver was no longer worth the trouble.
Diggs’ antics in the past wore on the Bills, per The Athletic’s Tim Graham, who adds the team’s power brokers were ready to move on. Diggs’ various social media posts were an issue in Minnesota as well; hours before the trade, he also fired off a tweet questioning Allen’s value compared to his own. The mercurial receiver has been seen griping on the sideline, and after he stormed out of the team’s locker room following the Bills’ upset loss to the Bengals in last year’s divisional round, a still-unsolved minicamp controversy surfaced after Diggs left the team’s facility last June. That required some careful management from McDermott, Beane and Allen.
Still, the Bills lost a No. 1 target and cap space. Before the savings from the White post-June 1 cut hit, the Bills are down below $4MM in cap space. The team holds the No. 28 overall pick in this year’s draft. After using its top draft asset to acquire Diggs four years ago, the team will almost definitely dive into another WR-heavy draft to address the position with a cheap contract to align with Allen’s $43MM-AAV deal.
Vikings, Commanders Schedule Michael Penix Meetings; Seahawks In Play For QB?
Not mentioned among the quarterbacks projected to land in the top five, Michael Penix Jr. still profiles as a player who could certainly go off the draft board in Round 1. A number of teams are doing their homework on the recent national championship game starter.
Penix scheduled visits with the Giants, Falcons, Broncos, Raiders and Steelers recently. The Vikings and Commanders can now be added to the Washington alum’s list. Penix worked out for the Vikings recently, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, who adds the Commanders will also host the southpaw QB on a “30” visit. Penix has begun his run of “30” meetings, stopping through Denver on Tuesday and Las Vegas today.
[RELATED: Assessing Michael Penix Jr’s Draft Stock]
The Commanders should not be expected to entertain taking Penix at No. 2 overall, but Dan Quinn did not commit to the team staying in that slot. The new Washington HC only said the Commanders are likely to leave the draft with a quarterback. Still, it would be fairly surprising to see a team that just hired a new GM and HC — and one with an owner who took over less than a year ago — pass on adding an impact QB prospect without needing to trade up.
The Vikings acquiring the Texans’ No. 27 overall pick has brought consistent rumors about the team trading up. Penix, however, could be available with Minnesota’s first pick (No. 11 overall). The Vikings have never chosen a quarterback in the top 10, but since acquiring that second first-rounder, they have been consistently predicted to break that streak. It would not seem Penix would require such a move, but Minnesota is doing due diligence on a passer with an extensive injury history and a strong finish to his college career.
Transferring from Indiana, Penix dominated at Washington and piloted the Huskies to the CFP title game. Working with top-flight WR Rome Odunze, Penix posted back-to-back 4,600-yard passing seasons. Last year, he closed with 36 TD passes and averaged 8.8 yards per attempt. Two torn ACLs and two shoulder injuries have brought understandable concerns, despite Penix’s strong finish. One GM mentioned to the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora it cleared Penix medically.
While the Penix-Odunze connection proved to be one of the college game’s most dangerous in many years, the QB’s past with Ryan Grubb should also warrant close inspection. The Seahawks, who hired the former Washington OC to call plays, are again being linked to Grubb’s former pupil. Some around the league believe the NFC West team, with Penix having played in Seattle and under Grubb, could in play to land the ex-Pac-12 star at No. 16, La Canfora adds.
Closely tied to Anthony Richardson last year, the Seahawks saw the Colts select the Florida talent one spot before them. Pete Carroll said the Seahawks would have considered drafting Richardson, whom they met with last year, at No. 5. They instead kept Geno Smith as the unquestioned QB1. Thus far in Mike Macdonald‘s first weeks on the job, Smith remains unchallenged for the gig. The 33-year-old QB saw a $12.7MM chunk of his 2024 base salary shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee in February, and Macdonald recently named the veteran his starter. But Smith’s three-year, $75MM deal is fairly Seahawks-friendly; the team could escape it easily in 2025. The Grubb-Penix connection should certainly be monitored ahead of the draft. Smith will turn 34 in October.
With J.J. McCarthy looking likely to be drafted closer to the Caleb Williams–Jayden Daniels–Drake Maye tier, Penix joins Bo Nix as the passers who could become mid- or late-first-round selections. Both Pac-12 transfers will require significant pre-draft examination, but one team will roll the dice on the Washington product with plans to become a future starter.
Texans Re-Sign DE Derek Barnett
APRIL 3: The Texans’ Barnett deal will come in at $2MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. This will represent a step down for Barnett, who will see $1MM guaranteed at signing.
MARCH 20: Finding more playing time after becoming a Texans waiver claim last year, Derek Barnett will stick around. Houston is keeping the veteran defensive end, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets.
The parties agreed to keep this partnership going on a one-year deal. After not seeing much playing time with the Eagles to start last season, Barnett logged four starts in Houston. He finished his Texans portion of the season with 3.5 sacks, counting a playoff drop of Joe Flacco in the team’s wild-card win.
Houston has swapped out Jonathan Greenard for Danielle Hunter opposite Will Anderson Jr.; Barnett will be back in the fold to operate as a rotational rusher. The 2017 first-round pick had spent his entire career in Philadelphia, but after the Eagles made him available, they waived him when nothing materialized by last year’s deadline. In Houston, Barnett received the playing time he sought after being buried on Philly’s depth chart.
Despite going into his eighth season, Barnett will not turn 28 until this summer. The Texans will also bet on better form in 2024, as Barnett entered last season coming off an ACL tear. Barnett started the final four Texans regular-season games last season, recording 2.5 sacks in their Titans series in that span. Playing 66% of the Texans’ defensive snaps in their wild-card win, Barnett dropped Flacco once and registered two QB hits in what became a blowout.
The Tennessee alum also notched 11 QB hits despite playing in only six Houston games; while never a high-volume sack artist, Barnett has proven disruptive often. Save for his one-game 2022 season, Barnett has reached 11 QB hits in every year of his NFL career. Notching at least 16 QB hits on three occasions, Barnett topped out with 22 in 2019.
Only tallying two sacks in 15 starts in 2021, Barnett still managed a two-year, $14MM Eagles deal in 2022. Best known for his fourth-quarter fumble recovery that set up the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII win, Barnett has 24 career sacks. Lost in the shuffle in Philly due to the presences of Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox and Josh Sweat (and then Haason Reddick), Barnett has three five-plus-sack seasons on his resume. He will attempt to add a fourth in Houston.
The Texans have been busy rearranging parts along their D-line this offseason. Anderson remains in place as the group’s anchor, but Hunter will bring a far more extensive track record compared to Greenard. The team has also swapped out Maliek Collins and Sheldon Rankins for Denico Autry, Mario Edwards and Tim Settle inside, with Folorunso Fatukasi set to play a run-stopping role.
Lions Re-Sign CB Kindle Vildor
Kindle Vildor spent 2023 with four teams. The last of those will see if he can maintain a role. The Lions re-signed the veteran cornerback on Wednesday, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.
Adding Vildor on a practice squad agreement late last season, the Lions will now reunite him with one of his former position coaches. It is a one-year deal. The team hired Deshea Townsend as DBs coach this offseason; the former NFL corner coached Vildor in Chicago.
The Lions are likely still looking for more help at corner, following the release of Cameron Sutton. The former $11MM-per-year defender turned himself in on a domestic battery charge Sunday night. Detroit acquired Carlton Davis from Tampa Bay and re-signed Emmanuel Moseley, but the Sutton development leaves the defending NFC North champions — who already experienced issues at corner last year — vulnerable at the position.
These issues led to the Lions turning to Vildor as a starter opposite Sutton during last season’s final five games. Despite three teams — the Bears, Eagles and Titans — cutting Vildor earlier in 2023, the former fifth-round pick found himself starting and staying on the field for nearly every Lions defensive snap during their most successful playoff run since the 1950s. This did include a memorable play in which a Brock Purdy pass ricocheted off Vildor’s hands and into Brandon Aiyuk‘s arms, setting up a second-half 49ers touchdown during the hosts’ comeback win in the NFC championship game. But the Lions will give the fifth-year vet another opportunity.
Vildor, 26, played under Townsend from 2020-21 with the Bears. The latter year featured a promotion into Chicago’s starting lineup. The Georgia Southern alum was unable to stick as a starter throughout that season, and the Bears’ Ryan Poles-led regime added second-round cornerbacks (Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson) in each of the previous two offseasons. This led to the Bears waiving Vildor on roster-cutdown day last year. Townsend was no longer with Chicago at that point; he spent the past two years in Jacksonville.
The Lions did not tender Jerry Jacobs, whom Vildor ended up replacing as a boundary starter, as an RFA. but they did add ex-Raider Amik Robertson last month. Robertson offers a background as a slot defender and outside corner, giving a Lions team that also lost safety/slot cog C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency. Another move is likely coming, but Vildor will have a chance to compete for a Detroit depth role soon.
Seahawks To Meet With G Greg Van Roten
Losing Damien Lewis to the Panthers, the Seahawks have placed guard as a priority. A few veteran starters remain available. One of them is heading to Seattle for a visit.
The Seahawks are meeting with Greg Van Roten today, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets. While the team has been connected to potential interest in Laken Tomlinson and Cody Whitehair, Van Roten joins this duo in having extensive starting experience. Despite joining the Raiders in late May last year, he worked as a 17-game starter last year in Las Vegas.
Representing the only notable Raiders O-line addition last year, Van Roten commandeered the starting right guard job and played there throughout the season. The veteran offered Las Vegas some stability, logging 1,024 snaps at the position in 2023. Lauding Van Roten’s pass-blocking work, Pro Football Focus rated the journeyman guard seventh at the position last season. That certainly brought good value for the Raiders, who had him on a one-year, $1.6MM deal.
Last year’s Raiders work ran Van Roten’s start count to 71. Prior to his Nevada stay, the former UDFA spent time with the Packers, Panthers, Jets and Bills. Not all of these seasons brought regular starter work, but a few of them did. The Panthers and Jets used Van Roten as a frequent starter from 2018-21. The Bills deployed the veteran primarily as a backup in 2022, but the Raiders demoted Alex Bars ahead of last season and stuck with Van Roten throughout.
Turning 34 earlier this offseason, Van Roten is on the older side and certainly would profile as a rental for the Seahawks. But the team passed on paying Lewis, who signed a four-year Panthers deal worth $52MM, and have not re-signed right guard starter Phil Haynes. The team may need to turn to a stopgap blocker in Ryan Grubb‘s first year as OC, and Van Roten profiles as one of the top names available on this year’s market.