Steelers To Release WR Allen Robinson
A year after the Rams agreed to pay much of Allen Robinson‘s salary to land minor compensation from the Steelers, the veteran wide receiver will be cut. Pittsburgh is moving on from Robinson, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets.
No guarantees remained on the 10-year veteran’s deal, giving the Steelers $10MM in cap space via this cut. Robinson’s stock has been trending downward since his 2021 franchise tag season in Chicago, though he did hold an auxiliary role in Pittsburgh last season. The Steelers will only be on the hook for $1.9MM in prorated signing bonus.
Robinson’s yardage output trailed his disappointing totals from 2021 and 2022; the ex-Jaguars draftee caught 34 passes for 280 yards and no touchdowns as a Steeler. The team has Diontae Johnson and George Pickens entrenched as starters, though it will be interesting to see how the team rounds out its receiving corps under Arthur Smith. Johnson and Pickens also trudged through inconsistent seasons. Pickens, however, caught fire late to help Pittsburgh back into the playoffs. Two years remain on the former second-rounder’s rookie contract, while Johnson is going into a walk year.
All the Rams could muster in the Robinson trade was a 17-spot jump in last year’s seventh round. The NFC West team also picked up some of the Robinson tab to entice the Steelers to take on the contract. The Rams had signed Robinson to a three-year, $46.5MM deal in 2022, but the big-bodied receiver could not bounce back after showing concerning form on the tag with the Bears.
This marks a third notable Steelers cut in two days. The team released Keanu Neal on Thursday and moved on from Patrick Peterson earlier today. Between the moves, the team has picked up more than $18MM in cap room.
Like Peterson, Robinson suited up for every Steelers game last year. But the three-time 1,000-yard receiver has lost much of the separation ability he once possessed. Serving as the Bears’ No. 1 wideout for three seasons, Robinson posted just 410 yards on the tag in 2021. He still did well to land the contract he did from the Rams, picking up significant guaranteed cash. The Bears were once rewarded for gambling on Robinson after a 2017 ACL tear, and while he is only 30 despite having been in the NFL 10 seasons, the end of the line appears near for the Penn State product.
NFL Announces 2024 Compensatory Picks
The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks for teams in the 2024 draft. Based on an add/subtract formula that covers the 2023 free agency period, comp picks span from Round 3 to Round 7. The higher picks go to the teams that endured the most significant free agent losses.
This year, the NFL awarded 34 comp picks. The comp pick formula assigns picks to franchises who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks. The CBA limits the total compensatory number to 32, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, who notes the Cowboys, Jaguars and Packers qualified for an additional comp pick based on the net loss formula.
The updated NFL format also rewards third-round comp picks to teams that saw a minority assistant coach land a head coaching job or a minority front office exec become a GM. Teams receive two third-round picks for losing an assistant or FO staffer to a top job, but the picks do not come in the same draft. The 49ers’ pipeline here is still flowing and will continue to do so into the 2025 draft, with Ran Carthon landing the Titans’ GM job last year and DeMeco Ryans becoming the Texans’ HC. The Rams collected the first of their two third-rounders for the Falcons’ Raheem Morris hire. The Buccaneers do not receive a comp pick for Dave Canales‘ Panthers move due to the Latino staffer being Tampa Bay’s OC for just one season.
Sorted by round and by team, here are the league’s 2024 compensatory selections.
By round:
Round 3: Jaguars (No. 96 overall), Eagles (No. 97), Rams (No. 98)*, 49ers (No. 99)*
Round 4: 49ers (No. 132), Bills (No. 133), Ravens (No. 134)
Round 5: Saints (No. 167), Packers (No. 168), Saints (No. 169), Eagles (No. 170), Eagles (No. 171), Chiefs (No. 172), Cowboys (No. 173), Saints (No. 174), 49ers (No. 175)
Round 6: Bengals (No. 208), Rams (No. 209), Eagles (No. 210), 49ers (No. 211), Jaguars (No. 212), Rams (No. 213), Bengals (No. 214), 49ers (No. 215), Cowboys (No. 216), Rams (No. 217), Jets (No. 218), Packers (No. 219), Buccaneers (No. 220)
Round 7: Chargers (No. 253), Rams (No. 254), Packers (No. 255), Jets (No. 256), Jets (No. 257)
* = special compensatory selection
By team:
- Los Angeles Rams: 5
- San Francisco 49ers: 5
- Philadelphia Eagles: 4
- Green Bay Packers: 3
- New Orleans Saints: 3
- New York Jets: 3
- Cincinnati Bengals: 2
- Dallas Cowboys: 2
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 2
- Baltimore Ravens: 1
- Buffalo Bills: 1
- Kansas City Chiefs: 1
- Los Angeles Chargers: 1
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1
Teams Inquiring On Patriots’ Mac Jones
Mentioned at multiple offseason junctures as a live scenario, the prospect of a Mac Jones trade may be moving closer to reality. Although the Patriots may not be certain to stay at No. 3 and select a quarterback, their three-year starter is unlikely part of the 2024 plan.
On that note, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicates teams have been calling the Patriots as they work on gathering Jones intel this offseason. The Patriots sound receptive to the prospect of moving the former No. 15 overall pick. Trade compensation may be tricky, especially as a host of veteran options are available, but Jones’ 2024 rookie-deal salary will help on this front.
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Jones is tied to a $2.79MM base salary for 2024. That is all an acquiring team would need to pick up if it decided to take a flier on the Alabama alum, who profiles as one of this year’s top players in need of a scenery change. A trade is seen around the NFL as the best option for Jones, and a February report pointed to the Pats being likely to seek a trade partner to unload the young quarterback.
Benched to close last season, Jones did not enjoy an optimal relationship with Bill Belichick. Despite Belichick’s exit, the Pats have a new offensive staff in place. They are expected to strongly consider a quarterback at No. 3 overall while being seen as likely to sign a veteran as well. This equation would not stand to leave a place for Jones, who could be appealing as a backup option elsewhere.
Jones is heading into his age-26 season and doing so on the heels of two down campaigns. The Patriots not replacing Josh McDaniels with a true offensive coordinator drew extensive scrutiny, and Jones — the Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up to Ja’Marr Chase — was unable to put the pieces back together under Bill O’Brien last year. Jones closed the season on the bench, serving as New England’s third-stringer in Belichick’s finale.
The Jets are also trying to unload their underwhelming 2021 first-rounder, Zach Wilson, though that year’s No. 2 overall choice is tied to a pricier salary. The Patriots should have an easier time finding a Jones taker, but the return promises to be minimal considering how the past two years unfolded.
Dolphins Unlikely To Retain G Robert Hunt, DT Christian Wilkins; CB Xavien Howard Will Not Return
As of Friday afternoon, the Dolphins are still $20MM over the cap. They will not pick up any savings from the Xavien Howard post-June 1 cut for months, meaning more moves will need to transpire for the team to move under the 2024 salary ceiling.
This will affect how the Dolphins proceed with their top two free agents. Barring an 11th-hour change, both Robert Hunt and Christian Wilkins look to be headed out the door. Each will be a candidate to land a near-top-market deal at their respective positions, and it does not look like the Dolphins will be prepared to match such an offer.
[RELATED: 2024 NFL Top 50 Free Agents]
Hunt’s return looks unlikely due to the salary he will command, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. Kevin Dotson‘s $16MM-per-year Rams deal (feat. $32MM guaranteed) may set the floor for Hunt, who has been a more consistent player. The Dolphins have maintained a good relationship with Hunt’s camp during this process, Jackson adds, but the market will probably push them out of the bidding. The parties discussed an extension months ago, but with the Dolphins paying Austin Jackson along with Terron Armstead, Hunt is probably on his way out.
Moved from right tackle to right guard in 2021, the former second-round pick has played well inside. As injuries and position changes (along with an O-line coach carousel) continued to take place over the past three years in Miami, Hunt was probably the team’s most reliable O-lineman. But with a top-10 guard contract likely, the Dolphins will face the prospect of replacing both their starting guards and starting center. Connor Williams is also a UFA-to-be, and while he is coming off a December ACL tear, he played well on a two-year Dolphins deal and should garner extensive interest regardless.
The Dolphins are believed to still be trying to keep Wilkins, effectively revealing a priority queue with Hunt at No. 2, but the price point will presumably move them out of the running. Wilkins should be expected to command an average salary in the $24-$25MM range, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said recently. The Dolphins offered the 2019 first-round pick top-10 DT money last year, before the sides broke off talks ahead of the season, but Jackson adds the team has not shown it is comfortable going to the $25MM-AAV place to retain Wilkins.
ESPN’s run stop win rate ranked Wilkins in the top two in 2021 and ’22, and after the Dolphins were hesitant to go to the Quinnen Williams–Dexter Lawrence–Daron Payne–Jeffery Simmons level with their offer due to Wilkins’ modest sack production (11.5 from 2019-22), the Clemson alum ripped off a nine-sack contract year. He is set to cash in, with teams like the Texans and Vikings expected to be in on the bidding. In that likely event, the Dolphins will be tasked with replacing a five-year starter.
Elsewhere on Miami’s depth chart, no Dolphins-Howard reunion — one GM Chris Grier floated as a possibility — will come to pass. Regarding a return to Miami at a reduced rate, the former All-Pro cornerback said (during a 560 WQAM interview) “that door is closed.” Howard expressed a similar sentiment earlier this offseason when asked if he would take a pay cut to stay. That said, the soon-to-be 31-year-old corner will need to play the 2024 season at a lower rate compared to the big-ticket deal — which included $50.6MM in new money — the Dolphins gave him after the Byron Jones deal prompted the ballhawk to gripe about his own contract in the early 2020s.
Raiders To Release QB Brian Hoyer
Brought to Las Vegas after considering retirement last year, Brian Hoyer took a backseat after Josh McDaniels’ midseason firing. As the Raiders attempt to revamp their quarterback room, it will no longer include the veteran backup.
The Raiders are releasing Hoyer, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. This will precede Jimmy Garoppolo‘s upcoming release, severing ties with the ex-Patriots wing of the Raiders’ QB room. Aidan O’Connell will remain with the team, as three years remain on the fourth-rounder’s rookie contract.
[RELATED: Raiders Eyeing Aggressive Draft QB Move?]
A complex Raiders QB year featured some notable Hoyer cameos. Despite being brought aboard in April, Hoyer needed to work as the team’s first-stringer during much of the offseason program due to Garoppolo’s foot surgery. Garoppolo was not initially believed to have needed surgery, but McDaniels announced the operation last May. This led to the then-37-year-old Hoyer taking reps as Garoppolo rehabbed.
Garoppolo missed two games due to injury during his starter portion of the season. While McDaniels initially summoned O’Connell as the replacement, the coach changed course when Garoppolo missed another game and started Hoyer. The former McDaniels Patriots charge was ineffective in an ugly loss to the Bears, though he did replace Garoppolo the previous week and help the Raiders hold off the Patriots. Hoyer did not play again after the Raiders’ 30-12 loss to the Bears.
The Raiders guaranteed most of Hoyer’s two-year, $4.5MM contract; that will bring some dead money for the now-Antonio Pierce-led team. Las Vegas will take on $2.6MM in dead cap due to the Hoyer release. This could conceivably wrap a long-running career for Hoyer, who served as the starter for the Browns and Texans during a productive mid-2010s stretch. For the most part, Hoyer has been a backup during his career.
Prior to coming to the Raiders, the Cleveland-area native missed much of the 2022 season due to a concussion. Hoyer also was part of the Bill Belichick-Mac Jones back-and-forth that year, expressing frustration at the team’s widely panned decision to give Matt Patricia play-calling duties. At 38, Hoyer is the second-oldest active quarterback; only Aaron Rodgers (40) is older. Hoyer has been in the NFL since coming into the league as a 2009 UDFA.
NFLPA Elects LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin As President
Recently re-signed by the Lions, Jalen Reeves-Maybin will take on a high-profile off-field post as well. The NFLPA elected the veteran linebacker to be its next president.
NFLPA presidents are elected by the board of player reps; Reeves-Maybin will succeed former center J.C. Tretter in the role. Tretter held the job for four years, being elected in March 2020. Reeves-Maybin had previously served as NFLPA vice president.
While Tretter’s appointment came just after players ratified the current CBA, the former Packers and Browns blocker was in place as COVID-19 changed the NFL for a stretch. That brought a host of challenges in multiple seasons, most notably a 2020 campaign that featured a radically adjusted offseason program and many venues without fans due to the pandemic. Reeves-Maybin will enter his union presidency on smoother terrain.
Tretter’s four-year term follows Eric Winston‘s six-year duration in the role. Reeves-Maybin will be the first Black NFLPA chief since Domonique Foxworth held the job from 2012-14. Reeves-Maybin, 29, has seven years of NFL experience — all but one of those seasons coming with the Lions. Primarily working as a backup and special-teamer, Reeves-Maybin signed with the Texans in 2022 but returned to Detroit last year. After earning second-team All-Pro acclaim for special teams work in 2023, Reeves-Maybin agreed to a two-year, $7.5MM deal to stay earlier this offseason.
No CBA talks will be in the offing in the immediate future, with the current agreement not expiring until 2031. A Tennessee alum who arrived in Detroit as a 2017 fourth-round pick, Reeves-Maybin will be working alongside new NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell.
49ers To Extend RT Colton McKivitz
Letting five-year right tackle starter Mike McGlinchey walk in free agency last year, the 49ers went through with a low-cost replacement plan by promoting Colton McKivitz. The defending NFC champions appear satisfied with the first-year regular’s performance.
The 49ers are giving McKivitz a one-year extension that keeps him under contract through the 2025 season, according to his agency. McKivitz started all 20 49ers games last season. This deal will be worth $7MM, per the agency, which indicates 65% of the contract is fully guaranteed.
While it would not surprise to see the 49ers make a bigger investment at guard this offseason, they are set to return their tackles and center. Trent Williams ended suspense about a potential retirement early, indicating he is coming back for at 15th season. The 49ers also re-signed Jake Brendel in 2023. McKivitz, 27, is on track to stay in place up front for Kyle Shanahan‘s team.
It is a bit interesting McKivitz would take himself out of the 2025 free agency equation without getting more security. But the West Virginia alum has worked his way up from a fifth-round pick who spent his first three seasons as a backup. This marks a similar path to Brendel, who spent most of his career on the bench before Alex Mack‘s retirement produced a promotion.
With Williams on a high-end tackle deal, the 49ers let McGlinchey leave for a Broncos accord that included $52.5MM guaranteed — third-most among right tackles. Previously in place as San Francisco’s swing tackle, McKivitz had agreed to a two-year, $4.65MM 49ers re-up just before McGlinchey’s defection.
Pro Football Focus graded McKivitz as a mid-pack tackle, slotting him 47th last season. Excelling more on the ground compared to his pass protection, McKivitz held up for a full season. Chris Jones‘ crucial overtime pressure on Brock Purdy during Super Bowl LVIII came against McKivitz, though guard Jon Feliciano came out in defense of the young RT by seemingly placing the blame on his injury replacement (Spencer Burford).
The 49ers are exploring re-signing Feliciano and are looking into a Laken Tomlinson reunion, but while the San Francisco guard situation is unsettled, this McKivitz pact solidifies the other spots up front.
Bears, Jaylon Johnson Agree On Extension
MARCH 8: The Bears’ successful effort to convince Johnson to accept an AAV below the franchise tag number came because of the frontloaded offer they presented. The contract will pay Johnson $28MM in 2024, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, with another $16MM in 2025. That two-year total is just north of where two tags would have gotten the four-year veteran ($43.56MM) and helps explain how the Bears locked him down days after applying the tag.
MARCH 7: After resuming extension talks with Jaylon Johnson recently, the Bears are set to remove that $19.8MM cap hold from their 2024 payroll. They have agreed to terms on an extension with the franchise-tagged cornerback, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets.
The sides are believed to have agreed to a four-year, $76MM extension that comes with $54.4MM guaranteed. This will give the Bears more cap space as they prepare to begin, in all likelihood, the Caleb Williams era. It also provides Johnson with a landmark raise considering his status going into last season.
This brings a choppy process to a conclusion; it also represents the culmination of a breakthrough year for the former second-round pick. After initial negotiations did not lead to the parties being on the same page, the Bears let Johnson seek a trade just before the deadline. The 49ers and Bills showed interest, but the Bears held out for a first- or second-round pick. After the deadline, both the Bears and Johnson expressed interest in regrouping and working on a deal. They have done so, and Johnson is now one of the NFL’s highest-paid corners.
Thursday’s extension gives the Bears a big-ticket contract on all three defensive levels; each has been agreed to over the past year. The Bears signed Tremaine Edmunds in free agency and acquired Montez Sweat via trade, extending him soon after that deal came to pass. Johnson gives Chicago a high-end DB payment. After Ryan Poles moved the last of Ryan Pace‘s high-end defender contracts (Eddie Jackson‘s) off the books this offseason, the third-year GM has reshaped Chicago’s defense.
Oftentimes, the franchise tag number serves as the floor for players regarding extensions. The Bears, despite the salary cap’s recent surge, have managed to lock down Johnson at an AAV slightly under his tag price. The $19MM-per-year salary only makes Johnson the NFL’s seventh-highest-paid CB, but it doubles as a windfall for a player who was not viewed as worthy of this type of contract going into last season. It also may set the market for L’Jarius Sneed, whom the Chiefs tagged and are believed to be OK with trading.
As far as guarantees go, Johnson’s $54.4MM figure will check in fifth at the position. ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds $43.8MM is believed to be fully guaranteed, and $28MM will come Johnson’s way in Year 1. That more important number ranks third among corners. Although Johnson came into the offseason expressing hope he could become the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, a frontloaded Bears offer likely swayed him from coming especially close to betting on himself again. Johnson, 25, will receive $60MM over the deal’s first three years, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports.
Johnson said last summer he wanted to sign a second contract with the Bears; the negotiations changed course after the season the former Pace draftee put together. Pro Football Focus graded Johnson first overall among corners, and Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics backed that up. After allowing passer ratings (as the closest defender) north of 94.0 from 2020-22, Johnson checked in with a 50.9 number this season — a four-INT slate that produced a second-team All-Pro honor.
Also voted a Pro Bowler, Johnson had not received recognition coming into last season. This well-timed breakout reminds of Josh Norman‘s in 2015, but the ex-Panther needed to find his payday elsewhere after the team rescinded the contract-year wonder’s franchise tag, leading to a Washington landing. The Bears are instead investing in their late bloomer.
With Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson still on rookie contracts, Johnson will be the expensive piece at the position for the foreseeable future. The Bears may well be planning more moves to bolster their roster, with Williams’ rookie deal on track to reset the team’s contract clock at the position after three Justin Fields seasons.
Dolphins To Re-Sign P Jake Bailey
Part of a punter carousel that saw two intra-AFC East changes last year, Jake Bailey will be set for a more stable offseason in 2024. The Dolphins are re-signing the five-year veteran.
The Dolphins will give Bailey a two-year, $4.2MM accord to stick around as their punter, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets. Bailey spent the previous four seasons with the Patriots. He replaced Thomas Morstead with the Dolphins.
Bailey bounced back following a down 2022, averaging 45.7 yards per punt — after he posted just 42.1 yards per boot during an injury-plagued Pats finale — during his South Florida debut. The Patriots had extended Bailey in 2022, but the team cut bait following the season.
A 2020 first-team All-Pro after averaging 48.7 yards per punt as a Patriot, Bailey saw an injury and a team-imposed suspension lead him out of Foxborough. Issues between the Pats and Bailey regarding rehab from his 2022 injury led to the suspension. This preceded the team bailing on the four-year, $13.5MM extension it authorized during the 2022 offseason. The Patriots had drafted Bailey in the 2019 fifth round.
Morstead, who soon signed with the Jets, had been the Dolphins’ punter for just one season. They want Bailey, 26, to stick around for longer. Though, with this being a punter contract, little security should be expected.
Coaching Notes: Lombardi, 49ers, Shula, Bills, Broncos, Titans, Saints, Wilkins
Mick Lombardi will resurface in San Francisco. The 49ers are hiring the former Raiders offensive coordinator, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. This marks a return trip for the second-generation NFL staffer. Lombardi worked on the 49ers’ staff from 2013-16, rising up to the quality control level during his first NFL gig. This came before Kyle Shanahan‘s arrival. Lombardi, 35, worked under Josh McDaniels in New England before being brought to Las Vegas as OC. Hours after the Raiders fired McDaniels, they canned Lombardi at the midseason point. Lombardi, who coached wide receivers and QBs in New England, does not have a specific title yet in San Francisco.
Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:
- The Bills are not retaining Mike Shula for their 2024 staff. The veteran coach’s contract expired, per WGR 550’s Sal Capaccio, who adds the Bills will not renew the deal. Shula had served as a senior offensive assistant on the past two Buffalo staffs. Shula, 58, had previously served as OC for the Panthers and Giants. The Carolina OC years overlapped with Cam Newton‘s MVP season and the team’s Super Bowl 50 trek. Son of Don Shula, Mike has been an NFL assistant since 1988. Prior to coming to Buffalo, he was in Denver for two seasons as QBs coach under Pat Shurmur.
- On the subject of the Broncos, they will replace defensive line coach Marcus Dixon with an in-house promotion. Denver will bump Jamar Cain up to D-line coach. A former college and high school staffer, Cain worked as a pass rush specialist last season, joining the team shortly after the Sean Payton trade.
- The Titans have a special teams coordinator in place now. Colt Anderson is in place here. A former Eagles, Colts and Bills special-teamer in the 2010s, Anderson previously coached with Brian Callahan in Cincinnati, serving most recently as the Bengals’ assistant ST coach. The Titans also hired Scott Fuchs as assistant O-line coach and Steve Donatell as a defensive assistant. Donatell spent last season in Miami under Vic Fangio, who had worked with Steve’s father (Ed) for many years. Fuchs comes up from the college ranks, having spent 31 seasons at that level. He spent the past three years at Kansas, serving as the Jayhawks’ O-line coach.
- The Saints promoted Jordan Traylor to assistant quarterbacks coach and have hired Keith Williams to coach wide receivers. Despite the Saints hiring Klint Kubiak as OC, they will retain a previous staffer in Traylor for this role. Traylor, 30, was a Payton hire who has been with the team five years. Williams spent the past three seasons with the Ravens, his first NFL gig.
- Kevin Wilkins, whom the Giants fired just before the simmering Don Martindale-Brian Daboll feud boiled over, is following the former New York DC to Michigan, 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz tweets. Brothers Kevin and Drew Wilkins each worked under Martindale with the Giants and Ravens. Drew landed a job with the Patriots last month; Kevin will work as a defensive analyst at Michigan.