2024 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates
A valuable tool for teams to keep top free agents off the market, the franchise tag has been in existence since 1993. This week brought the opening of the 2024 tag window. Clubs have until 3pm CT on March 5 to apply tags. As the Giants’ situation showed last year, most of the tag-related business comes near the close of this window. Teams will continue to work toward re-signing their respective tag candidates, thus preventing a lofty franchise tender from hitting their cap sheet.
The legal tampering period opens March 11, with the new league year (and official free agency) starting March 13. Once a player is tagged, he has until July 15 to sign an extension with his respective team. Absent an extension agreement by that date, the player must play the 2023 season on the tag (or go the Le’Veon Bell/Dan Williams/Sean Gilbert route, passing on guaranteed money and skipping the season).
High-profile free agents remain weeks away from hitting the market. As PFR’s tag recipients list shows, a handful of players are prevented from taking their services to free agency each year. This year looks to present a few more tag candidates compared to 2023. With a handful of teams determining if they will need to use the tag to prevent a free agency path, here are the players who figure to be tagged or at least generate conversations about being franchised ahead of the March 5 deadline:
Locks
Josh Allen, OLB (Jaguars)
Tag cost: $24MM
GM Trent Baalke did not leave much suspense when he addressed Allen’s future last month. The veteran exec said the 2019 first-round pick will be a Jaguar in 2024, indicating the team would use its franchise tag if necessary. The Jaguars do have Calvin Ridley as a free agent, but the team would owe the Falcons a 2024 second-round pick if it extended the wide receiver’s contract before the start of the league year. The second pick sent to Atlanta will only be a third-rounder if Jacksonville lets Ridley hit free agency. It makes more sense for Jacksonville to circle back to Ridley after allowing him to test the market. An Allen tag effectively ensures that will happen.
Timing his sack breakthrough well, Allen registered a Jags-record 17.5 during his contract year. The five-year Jaguar has combined for 55 QB hits over the past two seasons and ranks top 10 in pressures over the past three. The tag regularly keeps top edge rushers from hitting free agency, and the 26-year-old pass rusher — while obviously wanting to be paid what he’s worth — expressed a desire to stay in Jacksonville long term.
The Jags have regularly unholstered their tag during the 2020s, cuffing Yannick Ngakoue in 2020 and then keeping Cam Robinson off the 2021 and ’22 markets. The team kept Evan Engram out of free agency last year. Robinson signed an extension in 2022, and the Jags re-upped Engram last July. The Ngakoue situation could be notable, as the edge rusher became disgruntled with the Jags and was eventually traded to the Vikings that summer. No signs of that level of trouble are brewing with Allen yet.
Jaylon Johnson, CB (Bears)
Tag cost: $19.8MM
Johnson is likely to become the first franchise-tagged cornerback since the Rams kept Trumaine Johnson off the 2017 market. The Bears are the most recent team to tag a corner, using the transition tag to cuff Kyle Fuller in 2018. They will almost definitely follow suit with Johnson, who has been rumored to be tagged for several weeks. A Ryan Pace-era draftee, Johnson expressed his desire to stay with the Bears ahead of his contract year. With that platform campaign producing some twists and turns, that price has gone up significantly.
After unsuccessful in-season extension talks, the Bears gave Johnson an 11th-hour opportunity to gauge his trade value. The Bears did not alert teams Johnson, 24, was available until the night before the Oct. 31 deadline. Although the Bills and 49ers engaged in talks about a trade, the Bears held out for a first- or second-round pick. Nothing materialized, which will likely come up during the team’s talks with Johnson. The Bears then extended trade pickup Montez Sweat, leaving Johnson in limbo. But the former second-round pick stuck the landing on an impact season. He is firmly in the Bears’ plans, and the team holds more than $66MM in cap space — plenty to squeeze in a tag onto the payroll.
Pro Football Focus’ top-graded corner in 2023, Johnson displayed a new gear that has made him worthy of a tag. Finishing with four interceptions and allowing just a 50.9 passer rating as the closest defender, the Utah alum soared to second-team All-Pro status. The Bears, who last used the tag on Allen Robinson in 2021, made no secret of their interest in retaining Johnson and will have a few more months to negotiate with him as a result of the tag.
Likely tag recipients
Brian Burns, OLB (Panthers)
Projected tag cost: $24MM
The Panthers hiring a new GM and head coach classifies this as just short of a lock, but familiar faces remain. Carolina promoted assistant general manager Dan Morgan to GM and blocked DC Ejiro Evero from departing. Burns has been viewed as a likely tag recipient since last season, after negotiations broke down. The Panthers have not offered a negotiating masterclass here, as Burns has been extension-eligible since the 2022 offseason. Since-fired GM Scott Fitterer had viewed Burns as a re-up candidate for two offseasons, but multiple rounds of trade talks boosted the 2019 first-rounder’s leverage.
In what looks like a mistake, the Panthers passed on a Rams offer that included two first-rounders and a third for Burns at the 2022 trade deadline. Carolina then kept Burns out of 2023 trade talks with Chicago about the No. 1 pick, ultimately sending D.J. Moore to the Windy City for the Bryce Young draft slot. Carolina also kept Burns at the 2023 deadline, as teams looked into the top pass rusher on the NFL’s worst team. Burns also saw his position’s market change via Nick Bosa‘s record-setting extension ($34MM per year). The 49ers’ landmark accord came to pass after Burns had set a $30MM-AAV price point, complicating Morgan’s upcoming assignment.
Burns, 25, has registered at least 7.5 sacks in each of his five seasons. While he has only topped nine in a season once (2022), the two-time Pro Bowler is one of the league’s better edge rushers. Given the Panthers’ history with Burns, it would be borderline shocking to see the team allow the Florida State alum to leave in exchange for merely a third-round compensatory pick.
Burns has said he wants to stay with the Panthers; he is unlikely to have a choice this year. The Panthers last used the tag to keep right tackle Taylor Moton off the market in 2021; the sides agreed to an extension that offseason.
Tee Higgins, WR (Bengals)
Tag cost: $21.82MM
Seeing their hopes of capitalizing on the final year of Higgins’ rookie contract dashed due to Joe Burrow‘s season-ending injury, the Bengals look to be giving strong consideration to keeping the Burrow-Higgins-Ja’Marr Chase trio together for one last ride of sorts. The Bengals hold $59.4MM in cap space — fifth-most currently — and structured Burrow’s extension in a way that makes a Higgins tag palatable. Burrow’s deal does not spike into historic cap territory until 2025.
While a future in which Chase and Higgins are signed long term is more difficult to foresee, the Bengals still carry one of the AFC’s best rosters. It is likely Burrow’s top two weapons remain in the fold for at least one more year. Higgins, 25, did not come close to posting a third straight 1,000-yard season. Burrow’s injury had plenty to do with that, though the former second-round pick started slowly. A Bengals 2023 extension offer underwhelmed Higgins, but the Bengals kept him out of trades. A tag will give Cincinnati the option to rent him for 2024. A tag-and-trade transaction is viewed as unlikely, as the Bengals load up again.
How the organization proceeds beyond 2024 will be a key storyline, but the Bengals — who kept Jessie Bates in similar fashion in 2022 — are positioned well to run back perhaps the NFL’s best receiving tandem. While director of player personnel Duke Tobin stopped short of guaranteeing Higgins will be a Bengal in 2024, signs point to it.
Justin Madubuike, DL (Ravens)
Tag cost: $22.1MM
Seeing their defensive coordinator depart and once again facing questions at outside linebacker, the Ravens have the option of keeping their top 2023 pass rusher off the market. They are probably going to take that route. Madubuike raised his price considerably during an impact contract year, leading the Ravens with 13 sacks. While Mike Macdonald was able to coax surprising seasons from late additions Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy, Madubuike drove Baltimore’s defensive engine and will likely be guaranteed a high salary by signing his franchise tender.
Perennially interested in hoarding compensatory picks, the Ravens have regularly let breakthrough pass rushers walk in free agency. This dates back to the likes of Paul Kruger and Pernell McPhee and subsequently included Za’Darius Smith and Matt Judon. The Ravens have only been able to replace Judon with stopgap options — from Clowney to Van Noy to Justin Houston — and again must figure out a solution alongside Odafe Oweh on the edge. Madubuike, 26, proved too good to let walk; the former third-round pick will once again be expected to anchor Baltimore’s pass rush in 2024.
Antoine Winfield Jr., S (Buccaneers)
Tag cost: $17.12MM
We mentioned Winfield as the Bucs’ most likely tag recipient around the midseason point, and signs now point to that reality coming to pass. The Bucs want to re-sign Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans. The bounce-back quarterback’s tender price would check in at nearly $36MM, and because Evans was attached to a veteran contract, his tag number would come in well north of Higgins’ — at beyond $28MM. As such, the Bucs cuffing Winfield has always made the most sense, and after the second-generation NFL DB’s dominant contract year, it would be stunning to see the team let him walk.
The Bucs have let their recent top free agents test free agency, only to re-sign Shaquil Barrett (2021), Carlton Davis (2022) and Jamel Dean (2023). Winfield may be on a higher plane, having secured first-team All-Pro acclaim last season. Davis and Dean have never made a Pro Bowl; Winfield’s productive and well-regarded 2023 stands to separate him. Winfield, 25, tallied six sacks and three interceptions while forcing an NFL-leading six fumbles. This included a pivotal strip of DJ Chark in the Bucs’ Week 18 win over the Panthers, which clinched them the NFC South title.
Winfield will undoubtedly be eyeing a top-market safety extension. Derwin James established the current standard, $19MM per year, just before the 2022 season. Last year’s safety market did not feature big-ticket prices, for the most part, but the Falcons made Jessie Bates (four years, $64MM) an exception. If Winfield were to reach free agency, he would be expected to eclipse that.
The Bucs, who have used the tag three times in the 2020s, should not be considered likely to let Winfield follow Davis and Dean’s path by speaking with other teams. Tampa Bay has used the tag three times in the 2020s, cuffing Barrett in 2020 and tagging Chris Godwin twice. The team eventually re-signed both, and while the statuses of Mayfield and Evans (and All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs) create a crowded contract queue, the Bucs will certainly be interested in re-upping Winfield.
On tag radar
Saquon Barkley, RB (Giants)
Tag cost: $12MM
Barkley has said he wants to finish his career with the Giants, and the team will meet with the Pro Bowl running back’s camp at the Combine. But a recent report indicated the team is highly unlikely to tag the six-year veteran a second time. The Giants should not be ruled out from reversing course and keeping Barkley, given his importance to an otherwise low-octane offense, but it appears they are prepared to move on if the talented RB does not accept their extension offer this time around. A host of talented backs await in free agency, though Barkley would likely be the top prize were he to reach the market.
Bears Gauging Justin Fields’ Trade Value, Expected To Finalize QB Plan By Combine
Ryan Poles broke with tradition by moving the No. 1 overall pick before free agency last year. The Bears and Panthers finalized their swap involving the 2023 top selection on March 10. It does not look like Chicago will delay its latest decision involving a No. 1 choice much longer.
Both Poles and president Kevin Warren have described this as a unique situation, and while the Bears have offered praise for their three-year starting quarterback, the likelihood of a reset around Caleb Williams remains. The Bears are meeting about their QB situation, and SI.com’s Albert Breer indicates the expectation is a plan is expected to emerge by the time clubs gather at the Combine next week.
[RELATED: Bears Would Seek ‘Historic Haul’ For No. 1 Pick]
The Bears received inquiries on Justin Fields at the Senior Bowl last month, Breer adds, and while the team has not shopped its three-year starter, those discussions in Mobile helped shape the Chicago incumbent QB’s trade value. A late-season report pegged Fields as being worth at least a Day 2 pick, probably more.
A handful of teams will send reps to Indianapolis knowing a quarterback pickup resides as the centerpiece of their respective offseason plans. It is likely one such club — presumably a team that does not hold a top-three draft choice that could address a deficiency without trading up — will end up with Fields. That team will, then, need to make a decision on the 2021 No. 11 overall pick’s fifth-year option by May 2. An acquiring team could still have Fields tied to a $6MM cap number in 2024, providing some additional evaluation time.
This situation still reminds of a higher-profile version of the Jets’ 2021 outlook. The Jets did not, however, pull the trigger on moving Sam Darnold until April 5, 2021. While some in the organization backed a plan in which the team would keep Darnold, Zach Wilson became the team’s eventual preference. That swap involved a No. 2 overall pick, as the Jaguars held the top choice that year (Trevor Lawrence). The Bears having the No. 1 pick and Williams access further decreases the likelihood they will stick with a QB that still carries significant questions regarding his future as a passer.
Moving Fields before free agency would stand to boost the trade return, as more teams will need passers by then compared to the Bears following the Jets’ 2021 timetable. New York’s plan obviously backfired, though Darnold has not shown himself to be a long-term starter option elsewhere. But Chicago has the rare opportunity to add an impact talent at No. 1, pick up assets for its starter and use the No. 9 overall pick to bolster its roster around Williams. The 2022 Heisman winner will be tied to a rookie contract until at least 2026, giving the Bears some interesting opportunities — should they go this route as expected. Poles passing on the 2023 and ’24 QB classes to stick with Fields could certainly threaten his job security, should the Ryan Pace-era draftee fail to match the likes of Williams and C.J. Stroud.
Customary in situations involving uncertainty about a player’s future with a team, Fields has unfollowed the Bears on Instagram (h/t the New York Post). Such developments barely qualify as newsworthy anymore, given the rate at which disgruntled players go to this well. But it is certainly possible Fields is dealt before the legal tampering period begins March 11. That will give at least one team QB clarity ahead of a market that may well feature Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield respectively re-sign with the Vikings and Buccaneers.
The Falcons, Raiders and Steelers profile as teams who would make sense as Fields suitors. Atlanta has already been connected to the Georgia native, despite passing on him for Kyle Pitts at No. 4 overall three years ago. Mike Tomlin has been mentioned as a Fields fan, though a recent report indicated Pittsburgh is not likely to target a passer who would displace Kenny Pickett atop the depth chart. The team is eyeing a competition between Pickett and a veteran. The Raiders now have Luke Getsy in place as OC, and the two-year Bears play-caller has praised Fields. But Antonio Pierce‘s team also has been closely tied to Jayden Daniels, due to the new Las Vegas HC’s past at Arizona State with the 2023 Heisman winner.
With concerns about the 2025 QB draft class emerging, a team removing itself from that future pursuit — via a Fields trade — makes sense. So long as the acquiring club is convinced Fields’ 2023 development is a sign he can be a long-term option. That mystery team may reveal itself soon.
Broncos, LB Josey Jewell To Discuss Deal
Lloyd Cushenberry probably profiles as the Broncos’ top UFA-to-be, but multiple starting defenders are weeks from free agency as well. One of the team’s defensive regulars is on the radar to stay.
Although Josey Jewell arrived back in 2018, he is more closely connected to the current Denver regime than many of his teammates. Jewell and Justin Simmons were present when Vance Joseph was in place as head coach. With Joseph back as DC, the two cogs brought in to play in his system have maintained value. Denver has Simmons under contract, and the team is also interested in another Jewell deal.
The Broncos are expected to meet with Jewell’s camp at the Combine, according to 9News’ Mike Klis. Jewell played out a two-year, $11MM deal this past season, working as a regular starter alongside Alex Singleton. Jewell, Simmons and Courtland Sutton are the only players remaining from Joseph’s HC stay. The Combine runs from Feb. 26-March 4. The Broncos retain exclusive negotiating rights with Jewell until the legal tampering period starts March 11.
[RELATED: Broncos Likely To Adjust Justin Simmons’ Deal]
Denver has received solid play from its linebackers since the Jewell-Singleton tandem formed in 2022. Pro Football Focus has viewed Jewell as more consistent than Singleton, despite the latter’s whopping tackle count. Jewell delivered a versatile season to help the Broncos’ defense rally after a woeful start, totaling 108 tackles, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. PFF slotted Jewell just outside the top 40, rating Singleton — whose 177 tackles were the seventh-most any player has accumulated in a season during the 21st century — outside the top 55. Singleton is tied to a three-year, $18MM deal.
Taking advantage of what has become a modest market at ILB, the Broncos had Jewell and Singleton on manageable contracts last season. Given the volume of linebackers who signed contracts worth between $5-$8MM per year in 2023, it would surprise if Jewell, 29, commanded a far more lucrative pact this time around. The former fourth-round pick should still have some value as a dependable starter.
As the Broncos moved on from mainstays Brandon Marshall and Alexander Johnson during Jewell’s run, they have kept the Iowa alum as a starter. Denver drafted Drew Sanders in the 2023 third round, identifying him as a hybrid player also capable of edge support, so it will be interesting to see how serious the team is about retaining Jewell. The Broncos also have nose tackle Mike Purcell and safety P.J. Locke, who emerged as a productive starter during his contract year, headed for free agency.
Sean Payton was obviously not averse to restructuring deals to create cap space in New Orleans; his new team will probably head down that path soon. The Broncos are more than $24MM over the projected 2024 cap; they will not gain any space by cutting Russell Wilson, with his $35.4MM base salary already guaranteed.
On the contract front, ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold adds $2MM of Sutton’s 2024 base ($13MM) becomes guaranteed on March 17. This gives the Broncos a window to look into a move.
While the 28-year-old wide receiver was by far the team’s most productive pass catcher last season, his through-2025 contract is currently nonguaranteed. Jerry Jeudy‘s $12.99MM fifth-year option, conversely, is fully guaranteed. Rumored to be considering moving one of their top two wideouts, the Broncos also have Tim Patrick‘s $10MM-per-year deal as a tool to create cap room. Patrick, who has missed the past two seasons due to injury, is due a nonguaranteed $9.5MM base salary this year.
Seahawks To Add Josh Bynes To Staff; Chargers, Ravens Showed Interest
Josh Bynes announced his retirement in December; he already has a coaching gig lined up. Bynes will bypass the quality control level as well and join former coach Mike Macdonald in Seattle.
Enjoying three stints as a Raven, Bynes will reunite with his former defensive coordinator soon. He accepted an offer to join the Seahawks’ staff, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. This came after an interesting derby for the veteran linebacker. It is unclear if other teams extended the former linebacker offers, but Wilson adds the Chargers and Ravens interviewed Bynes this offseason.
Bynes, 34, will step in as the Seahawks’ assistant linebackers coach. He will join fellow recent linebacker retiree Daren Bates on Macdonald’s first Seattle staff. Known for his special teams work, Bates is onboard as the Seahawks’ assistant ST coach. Given Bynes’ background with Macdonald, he should be quite familiar with the system the Seahawks plan to run.
Initially a Ravens UDFA back in 2011, Bynes returned to Baltimore in 2019. Macdonald was his position coach during that stint, working as the Ravens’ LBs instructor under Don Martindale from 2018-20. When Bynes came back for his final tour of duty in Maryland — from 2021-22 — Macdonald had ascended to the defensive coordinator role. Bynes made that season his last in the league.
Despite Bynes’ journeyman status, he remained a Ravens starter to open the 2022 season. The team turned to the veteran alongside Patrick Queen for the season’s first seven games, keeping that arrangement in place until trading for Roquan Smith before the 2022 deadline. Bynes did not play following that trade, though he remained with the Ravens on a practice squad deal. Following the likes of NaVorro Bowman and Dont’a Hightower, Bynes will transition from linebacker duty straight onto an NFL staff. Bynes will also be working under DC Aden Durde and senior assistant Leslie Frazier.
The Seahawks are also expected to hire Jeff Howard as their defensive backs coach, per 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Howard worked as an assistant under Frazier in Minnesota. He served as pass-game coordinator under Joe Woods in Cleveland from 2020-22, coaching the Browns’ DBs, and stopped in as the Chargers’ linebackers coach last season.
Giants Unlikely To Tag Saquon Barkley
This year’s window for teams to use the franchise tag to keep players out of free agency opened Monday, though action on this front generally takes place toward the window’s close. The Giants’ actions in 2023 showed that, but the tag deadline in New York might be quieter this year.
The Giants tagged Saquon Barkley minutes before the March 2023 deadline, reaching a long-term agreement with Daniel Jones to keep the option open of cuffing their Pro Bowl running back. Barkley was productive again in 2023, despite an early-season injury, but the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz indicates the team is “highly, highly unlikely” to give the six-year Giant a second tag. The Giants still plan to make Barkley a worthwhile offer, Schwartz adds, but they are not planning to make a tag part of the process this time around.
[RELATED: Giants To Meet With Barkley’s Camp At Combine]
Even though the Giants tagging Barkley in 2023 inflates his 2024 tender price, it still would cost them only $12MM to keep Barkley off the market. Only the kicker/punter tag checks in south of the running back number, which is projected to come in around $11.3MM for first-time RB tag recipients. The Raiders and Giants have been connected to potential second tags, and even while Josh Jacobs‘ tag number is higher due to the terms the Raiders agreed to just before last season, it appears Barkley will be given the chance to test the market.
The Giants did Barkley a disservice by tagging him last year. The former Offensive Rookie of the Year had bounced back after three injury-plagued seasons, powering an undermanned Giants offense to the playoffs. While Barkley is certainly in fine financial shape due to playing out a fully guaranteed rookie deal and following up a fifth-year option season by playing on a $10.1MM tag, his best chance to capitalize on the open market has likely passed. That does not mean Barkley would not generate a strong market this year, but the nature of the RB position puts the New Jersey native on the downside of his career.
This aspect will play into the Giants’ thinking, Schwartz adds, noting the Giants have conducted studies that have shown age 27 represents a running back cliff. Barkley, who turned 27 earlier this month, averaged just 3.9 yards per carry in 2023 and suffered another notable injury — a high ankle sprain — early on. The talented RB was forced to carry another poor offense — a trend throughout the Penn State alum’s New York tenure — and still finished the season strong. Barkley totaled 1,242 scrimmage yards in 14 games, doing so on an offense missing key O-linemen and aerial weaponry — and one without Jones for much of the season.
Both sides were interested in an extension as of November, but time is running out. Barkley has said on several occasions he wants to finish his career with the Giants, who still have exclusive negotiating rights with the Dave Gettleman-era draftee until the legal tampering period opens March 11. GM Joe Schoen spoke with Barkley shortly after the season, but Schwartz adds little came of that. Schoen has shown no hesitancy in re-upping Gettleman acquisitions, extending Dexter Lawrence and Andrew Thomas following the Jones $40MM-AAV payday. Barkley’s position, naturally, is hurting his cause.
Barkley would probably be the top RB available this year, surpassing the likes of Jacobs, Austin Ekeler, Tony Pollard and D’Andre Swift. But he does have 1,201 carries on his odometer — which actually trails Jacobs’ count by more than 100, despite the latter being a year younger — and some injury baggage in his past. Barkley is three-plus years removed from the ACL tear that ended his 2020 season early, but ankle trouble has been a factor in the years since.
Barkley has pocketed more than $48MM in the NFL, and he will be in position to cash in again soon. It will be interesting to see if the Giants, who passed on trading him at the deadline to keep the door open for a potential post-2023 future, make a lucrative offer to retain him or move on to a cheaper back.
If the Giants lose Barkley, they will need to either draft a replacement or sign one. After the events of last year, it will also be interesting to see if Barkley can come close to the roughly $22MM guarantee total the Giants offered — while decreasing the proposal’s AAV at the last minute — just before last July’s tag extension deadline. This situation produced countless headlines last year, but it appears we will have a resolution much sooner this offseason. Should the Giants pay Barkley as a free agent or finally let him walk?
Lions To Release S Tracy Walker
C.J. Gardner-Johnson‘s injury led Tracy Walker back into the Lions’ starting lineup, but the veteran did not hold down the job. Detroit will now move on from Walker’s second contract.
Walker re-signed with the Lions on a three-year, $25MM deal in 2022, but an injury hampered him on that deal. The Lions are cutting bait Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Walker had bid farewell to Detroit on social media recently, and the 29-year-old defender will look for a new team soon.
An Achilles tear sustained in September 2022 altered Walker’s run in Detroit. The former third-round pick had started 37 games with the Lions before that injury. Although he returned to action as the Lions dealt with multiple injuries in their secondary last season, DC Aaron Glenn did not keep the Louisiana alum in his starting secondary. That makes this release unsurprising, as the Lions have some big payments to make in the near future.
Walker started 15 games in 2021, commanding a nice contract in free agency. The Lions reinvested despite Walker being a Bob Quinn-era draftee. The Brad Holmes regime showed faith in the young defender, but the Achilles injury occurring three games into that deal’s life prompted the team to make other plans. Gardner-Johnson signed a one-year, $6.5MM pact in 2023.
Walker did return in time for Week 1 and suited up for every Lions regular-season game, but he lost his job midway through. Pro Football Focus graded Walker outside the top 60 among safeties this season, and Glenn benched him in early December. Returning to a starting role following Gardner-Johnson’s Week 2 pectoral tear, Walker started six games and logged at least 69% of Detroit’s defensive snaps in four more. Over the Lions’ final five regular-season games, however, Walker played all of four defensive snaps. He did not suit up in the playoffs.
The Lions overhauled their secondary in 2023, adding Gardner-Johnson, Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and Brian Branch to the equation. Branch became Detroit’s slot cornerback, while CJGJ stuck at safety. Gardner-Johnson and Kerby Joseph served as Detroit’s Week 1 safeties, and after giving Walker another shot, Glenn used Ifeatu Melifonwu alongside Joseph down the stretch. One season remains on the 2021 third-round pick’s rookie deal. Playing out a one-year deal marred by injury, Gardner-Johnson is due to be a free agent again next month.
If the Lions do not designate Walker as a post-June 1 cut, they will be charged with $7.3MM in dead money. The team used a void year to spread out Walker’s cap hit; that helped balloon the dead cap here. Detroit will pick up $5.5MM in cap savings by making this move, assuming a June 1 distinction is not part of the equation.
Raiders To Add Joe Philbin To Staff
Antonio Pierce has made a point to surround himself with experience on staff. The inexperienced Raiders HC has already hired Marvin Lewis as an assistant. Another former NFL leader will head to Las Vegas to join the recently elevated coach.
The Raiders plan to hire Joe Philbin as a senior offensive assistant, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The Dolphins’ HC from 2012-15, Philbin was most recently an analyst with Ohio State. He served as the Cowboys’ offensive line coach from 2020-22. Like Lewis, Philbin is a former HC with extensive experience in the NFL.
Philbin has put in 19 years as an NFL staffer, being a coordinator and a head coach. The Packers also installed Philbin as their interim HC following Mike McCarthy‘s 2018 firing. Pierce, who has also relied on former Giants HC Tom Coughlin as an advisor since replacing Josh McDaniels last year, is certainly making a point to load up on veteran staffers. While Lewis is a defensive-minded coach, Philbin’s career has come on the offensive side.
Taking a chance on an atypical HC hire in Pierce, the Raiders will backstop him with veteran presences in Lewis and Philbin. The latter does not quite match Lewis’ 27 years of experience, but he has been in the league more recently. Lewis, 65, has not held a full-time NFL job since the Bengals fired him following the 2018 season. Philbin, 62, ventured to Dallas following his second Green Bay stint. The Cowboys fired him after the 2022 season; the venture to Ohio State marked Philbin’s first work at the college level since 2002.
Philbin, of course, is best known for his Miami tenure. The Dolphins went 26-30 under the mild-mannered HC, firing him (and naming Dan Campbell interim HC) early in the 2015 season. Philbin’s Miami time overlapped with Ryan Tannehill‘s first years in the NFL, but the former became an HC candidate following a run as OC during Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre‘s QB1 periods in Wisconsin. As OC under McCarthy from 2007-11, Philbin collected a Super Bowl ring. He was on Green Bay’s staff for Favre’s bounce-back season that ended in an overtime loss — to Coughlin’s Giants — in the NFC championship game and was in place as Rodgers took over, serving as the Pack’s OC during the first of the future Hall of Famer’s four MVP seasons.
Both Philbin and OC Luke Getsy have Packers pasts, but they did not work together in Green Bay. Getsy arrived in Wisconsin during Philbin’s Miami years and was Mississippi State’s OC during Philbin’s Packers return in 2018. Regardless, the Getsy and Philbin additions certainly does give Pierce’s first Las Vegas offense a Green Bay vibe.
The Raiders have also been connected to Hue Jackson, and they had been expected to add the former Oakland HC to Pierce’s staff. But the hire is not yet official. A senior assistant job would have made sense for Jackson, but it is possible that is no longer be in the cards thanks to this Philbin addition. Jackson, who has not coached in the NFL since his infamous Browns HC stay, was the Raiders’ HC in 2011.
Packers Expected To Cut LT David Bakhtiari
David Bakhtiari‘s time with the Packers is almost definitely winding down. Post-Aaron Rodgers and Mason Crosby, the 2013 draftee is the team’s longest-tenured player. But the knee injury sustained in a late-season practice in 2020 sidetracked the All-Pro’s career.
That seminal setback has led to five surgeries on the same knee; counting playoff opportunities, Bakhtiari has missed 45 games since the December 2020 injury. He was on the field for one contest last season, and although the longtime Green Bay left tackle did not put retirement in play when he went down last season, he will soon no longer be attached to the lucrative extension signed midway through the 2020 campaign.
The Packers are expected to release Bakhtiari soon, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman notes (subscription required). Labeling the matter a formality, the Green Bay Press Gazette’s Ryan Wood also points to this release transpiring.
The Packers can save nearly $21MM by cutting the 11-year veteran. He is set to count a team-high $40MM against the Packers’ cap this year. One season remains on Bakhtiari’s contract. None of his remaining salary is guaranteed, though the Packers have more than $19MM in deferred signing bonus set to represent dead money if/when the former fourth-round pick is cut.
Prior to Bakhtiari going down with the ACL tear, the Packers gave him a four-year, $92MM extension. That deal came to pass six weeks before the injury, representing important timing on Bakhtiari’s part. While both the tackles who signed record-setting extensions during that 2020 season — Bakhtiari, Ronnie Stanley — have run into recurring injury trouble since, the elder of the two blockers has been unable to string together a steady batch of starts since going down.
A reasonable “what if?” exists surrounding Bakhtiari’s injury. The Packers obtained the NFC’s No. 1 seed in 2020 but saw Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul tee off on their tackles in a narrow NFC championship game loss. The Barrett-JPP second-half sack spree protected Tom Brady, who threw three second-half INTs in the narrow Buccaneers win. While it is reasonable to suggest the Packers venture to Super Bowl LV if Bakhtiari was available, that quickly devolved into a missed opportunity. By the point the five-time All-Pro was ready to play regularly again, the Packers were no longer at that level. They finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs during the 2022 slate, which featured 11 Bakhtiari outings.
Bakhtiari played well when on the field in 2022, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ No. 12 overall tackle. More knee trouble and an appendectomy sidelined him for six contests that season, which came after a 2021 campaign included only 27 Bakhtiari snaps. Last season, the 32-year-old blocker played in Week 1 but soon needed the above-referenced fifth knee procedure. Matt LaFleur said Bakhtiari experienced swelling in his surgically repaired knee before Week 2, and ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky indicates training camp remains the goal for the injury-prone veteran.
After Elgton Jenkins suffered a torn ACL when filling in for Bakhtiari at left tackle in 2021, the team settled on seventh-round pick Rasheed Walker as the veteran’s primary replacement last season. The 2022 draftee made 15 starts and was the team’s blind-sider in both playoff games. Barring an offseason upgrade effort, Walker would go into the ’24 season as one of the many rookie-contract starters on Green Bay’s offense.
As for Bakhtiari, the Jets being the team to give him a bounce-back opportunity seems logical. Rodgers wields considerable influence with the AFC East club, and the four-time MVP has been connected to wanting to bring his longtime LT to the Big Apple. The Jets would probably prefer a more stable option, given Mekhi Becton‘s injury-plagued tenure. The team is not viewed as overly interested in re-signing Becton, however, and Rodgers certainly drove personnel moves last year. It will be interesting to see if Rodgers pushes hard for the Jets to sign Bakhtiari at a significantly reduced rate — compared to his Packers deal, at least — once his Wisconsin tenure wraps.
Daniel Jones Progressing Post-Surgery; First-Round QB Pick On Radar
Of the teams lurking outside the top three who have been connected to a quarterback upgrade attempt, the Giants sit in the best spot. They hold the No. 6 overall pick, the same slot they were in when Daniel Jones became the Eli Manning heir apparent in 2019. Five years later, Jones’ status creates a complicated situation for the team.
Coming off a November ACL tear, Jones is progressing well during his rehab process. The five-year veteran expects to be ready to go by training camp, and GM Joe Schoen indicated (via the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard) he will be expected to return as the team’s starter should that happen by camp. Confirming a quarterback will be under consideration at No. 6 overall, Schoen remains connected to making his own investment at the position.
[RELATED: Giants Interested In First-Round QB Investment]
Although Schoen and Brian Daboll were in place when the Giants re-signed Jones on a four-year, $160MM deal, this regime did not draft him. Seeing Jones’ injury help drag the Giants down to the No. 6 draft slot, an opportunity may present itself to upgrade on the oft-criticized passer, who was not off to a good start before suffering the ACL tear. While Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline has the Giants taking LSU wideout Malik Nabers in his latest mock draft, he indicates the team would love a scenario in which one of the top quarterbacks fell to 6. The Giants should also be considered in play to trade up, Pauline adds, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo listing Big Blue as a team to monitor regarding a move up the board for a passer.
The Giants cannot realistically move off the Jones contract in 2024. They guaranteed their starter $81MM; that includes a $36MM guarantee for 2024. Jones is not going anywhere this year, but if the Giants are to come out of the first round with a passer, the Dave Gettleman-era draftee probably will not be part of the 2025 team. The Giants can escape this contract in 2025 by taking on only $11MM in dead money — in the event of a post-June 1 cut.
Schoen has said since shortly after Jones’ injury the team needs to address its QB spot. That could mean another veteran backup type, with UFA-to-be Tyrod Taylor expected to move on. Tommy DeVito remains under contract, but after being benched, the popular rookie is not a realistic candidate to become a long-term starter in New York. A number of veterans will be available as Jones insurance, if the Giants show enough faith in their starter — or the board does not align with a QB swing — to avoid acquiring a true replacement option this offseason. Whether Big Blue goes with a rookie that will be expected to supplant Jones or merely a backup option represents one of this offseason’s top storylines.
When connected to either taking a QB at 6 or moving up for one, the Giants would seemingly be tied to interest in Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. Maye’s stock has held fairly steady despite a less statistically impressive 2023 compared to his first starter season, while Daniels’ spiked during his Heisman year. It would be unlikely to see the Commanders consider giving the Giants the No. 2 pick. The Patriots (No. 3), Cardinals (4) and Chargers (5) represent avenues for the Giants to climb up the board.
Of course, other teams — including the Falcons, Vikings, Broncos and Raiders — will undoubtedly be eyeing that stretch as a trade-up window as well. The Raiders have been connected to Daniels already. With the 2025 QB class not generating much buzz — though, it is obviously early on that front — teams have been connected to trade-up efforts this year.
Jones has now suffered major injuries in two of the past three seasons. Neck trouble ended his 2021 season, leading to surgery, and sidelined him for a brief span last year before the ACL tear. Regarding the knee malady, Jones told Leonard he has progressed to running on a treadmill. But the injury risk the 26-year-old QB now presents will also factor into how aggressive the Giants are to acquire a replacement this year.
Jones’ goal of a camp return could be themed around the Manning successor retaking the Giants’ reins. After DeVito and Taylor combined to produce four wins following Jones’ injury, the Giants’ draft slot slid out of the top three. That naturally will make a Jones replacement effort harder to complete. But if the team selects a QB in Round 1, Jones’ rehab process suddenly looks like it would turn into an awkward audition for a starting job elsewhere come 2025. These disparate paths make the Giants one of this offseason’s most interesting teams.
NFC East Notes: Commanders, QBs, Bieniemy, Cowboys, Smith, Saban, Giants
The Commanders centered their 2023 offseason on Sam Howell, who had played all of one game as a rookie. While the second-year passer showed some encouraging signs, the team was prepared to bench him for Jacoby Brissett late in the season. Howell did become the first Washington quarterback to go wire to wire as the starter since Kirk Cousins in 2017, but the team lost eight straight games to end the season. It remains likely the Commanders draft a QB at No. 2 overall rather than turn to Howell and perhaps another Brissett-level vet as competition, ESPN.com’s John Keim writes.
Washington held the No. 2 overall pick in 2020 but had just taken Dwayne Haskins in the 2019 first round. This effectively took them out of the Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert sweepstakes, joining the Giants (who had chosen Daniel Jones in 2019) in that regard. Washington then took Chase Young. Timing was an issue for the team then, but Howell’s presence — especially with a new owner, HC and football ops boss in town — is unlikely to represent a sufficient deterrent to impede a QB investment this year. Two years remain on Howell’s rookie contract.
Here is the latest from the NFC East:
- With the Commanders being the seventh team to hire a head coach, and not doing so until Feb. 1, Eric Bieniemy received confirmation he was out late during this year’s hiring period. The one-and-done Commanders OC signed a multiyear deal in 2023, and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the former HC interview mainstay could well take a year off — as money will continue to come in from Washington — and regroup for a 2025 return to the sideline. Bieniemy, 54, may be off the HC radar; but the longtime Chiefs assistant could well resurface as an OC candidate — particularly given this position’s turnover rate in recent years — in 2025. The possibility the Chiefs bring him back, as they did Matt Nagy, also should not be discounted.
- Over the past decade and change, the Cowboys have generally done well in the first round. They have landed a number of All-Pros — from Tyron Smith to Travis Frederick to Zack Martin to CeeDee Lamb to Micah Parsons — and a few other regular starters. Mazi Smith‘s trajectory is less certain to produce an impact player. Last year’s No. 26 overall pick played 304 defensive snaps as a rookie and logged only four in Dallas’ wild-card loss. Pro Football Focus rated the Michigan alum as one of the worst D-tackle regulars last season. The Cowboys were displeased Smith dropped around 20 pounds from his Combine weight (323) at points last season, per the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken. Drafted as a player who could potentially anchor the Cowboys’ interior D-line, Smith has work to do. The Cowboys also have starter Johnathan Hankins due for free agency in a few weeks.
- This can be field in the “what if?” department, but as the Giants interviewed Louis Riddick for their GM job — during the cycle that produced the Dave Gettleman hire — the ESPN talent/ex-NFL exec said (h/t Empire Sports Media’s Anthony Rivardo) he reached out to Nick Saban to gauge his interest in becoming the team’s head coach. The Giants interviewed Riddick in December 2017; the ex-Monday Night Football analyst had been up for a few GM jobs around that point. Riddick was also a defensive back during Saban’s tenure under Bill Belichick in Cleveland in the early 1990s. (Saban was the Browns’ DC from 1991-94.) The Alabama icon, who retired last month, was loosely connected to the Giants’ coaching job during the cycle that produced the Ben McAdoo promotion. Saban, who coached the Dolphins for two years (2005-06) before leaving for Tuscaloosa, was not interested in the Giants’ job during the cycle that ended with the Pat Shurmur hire in 2018.