Gap Remains Between Chiefs, Chris Jones
SEPTEMBER 11: With the Chiefs’ Week 1 loss in the books, they are no closer to working out an agreement with Jones, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports notes (video link). The All-Pro is in line to continue missing $1.1MM in game checks for every week which he remains absent, which will progressively lessen his financial gain if/when an extension is signed. However, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones adds that the two-time Super Bowl winner is aiming for a figure close to Donald in its own right, not to simply sit second in the DT pecking order. With no progress being made, the parties appear likely to remain at an impasse.
SEPTEMBER 7: Hours from the Chiefs’ opener, they face the prospect of their second- and third-best players not being on the field. Travis Kelce is dealing with a knee hyperextension and bone bruise, and Chris Jones‘ holdout is well into its second month.
Jones may be at Arrowhead Stadium tonight, but NFL.com’s James Palmer notes the All-Pro defensive tackle would be stationed in a suite — to watch the Chiefs raise a third Super Bowl banner — as his teammates suit up to face the Lions. While an interesting development given Jones’ current circumstances, the Chiefs are believed to be OK with the D-tackle holdout being present for the pregame ceremony.
The seven-year veteran said Wednesday (via The Athletic’s Nate Taylor) he could suit up tonight were a deal agreed to, but both NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo indicate nothing is close (video links). This refrain has persisted for weeks, leading to this undesired outcome. Jones will miss Kansas City’s first game, and while a 10-day gap resides between now and the team’s Week 2 trip to Jacksonville, Nick Bosa‘s five-year, $170MM extension introduced a new complication into these proceedings.
The Chiefs had attempted to treat Aaron Donald‘s $31.7MM-per-year Rams pact as an outlier, aiming to have Jones’ third contract come in closer to the recently formed second tier Quinnen Williams currently tops (at $24MM AAV). Jones was connected to a $30MM-per-year ask earlier this summer but was recently tied to a $28MM-AAV aspiration. The Chiefs, in turn, are believed to have offered a $24.7MM extension. With Bosa now at $34MM per year, that could lead to another snag here.
Donald has held the top D-tackle salary since he signed a six-year Rams extension just before the 2018 season; the Rams authorized a landmark raise (with no new years added) after a retirement threat. While Donald’s 2022 update still leads the pack at D-tackle by a wide margin, Bosa’s new AAV affects the pass rusher market on the whole. With Jones being the only pure defensive tackle in the sack era (1982-present) with two 15-sack seasons, the Chiefs cornerstone may adjust his argument after seeing Bosa’s holdout alter the pass-rushing salary landscape.
Indicating he did not want to be a distraction to his teammates as a hold-in, Jones confirmed (via Taylor) he is seeking a raise ahead of the final season of a four-year, $80MM contract. Jones wants more money upfront in his next deal, Garafolo adds. Williams’ $47.8MM guarantee at signing tops all defensive tackles. T.J. Watt‘s $80MM had led the way for all defenders, but Bosa’s not-yet-known full guarantee number almost definitely surpasses it. Jones, 29, is likely seeking a guarantee well north of Williams’ number.
This holdout happening entirely to avoid distracting his teammates would be quite the expensive gesture on Jones’ part. The former second-round pick has racked up $2MM-plus in nonwaivable fines. The 49ers were able to waive Bosa’s due to his holdout occurring on a rookie contract. Floating out the possibility his return may not happen until the Week 8 deadline for a player to report and earn an accrued season toward free agency, Jones is the last holdout standing. Rumors this impasse would be resolved before training camp once circulated. He will soon follow in Donald’s footsteps by missing Week 1 on a holdout. Would Jones really be prepared to sacrifice more than $10MM in total by showing up around the midseason point?
The Chiefs will go into Week 1 with recently re-signed DTs Derrick Nnadi and Tershawn Wharton in place. The team also made a rare trade with the Raiders, obtaining 2022 sixth-rounder Neil Farrell to go with rookie sixth-rounder Keondre Coburn. For a Chiefs team that moved on from Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap and has UFA pickup Charles Omenihu starting a six-game suspension, losing Jones will severely restrict its pass rush. Kansas City has first-round defensive ends George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah as its top edge investments.
Commanders Add WR Jamison Crowder To Active Roster
SEPTEMBER 11: After playing in the Commanders’ Week 1 win and operating as their punt returner, Crowder will remain in the fold moving forward. The veteran has been signed to the team’s 53-man roster, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
SEPTEMBER 6: Crowder is indeed coming back to Washington. The former Jay Gruden-era pass catcher will join Rivera’s team on a practice squad deal.
SEPTEMBER 5: Although many teams released vested veterans upon cutting their rosters down to 53 and then brought them back — via an active-roster deal after an IR move took place elsewhere on the roster or via a practice squad invite — soon after. The Giants did not prioritize Jamison Crowder after cutting him, however.
Even as Wan’Dale Robinson finishes up his recovery from an ACL tear and Cole Beasley battles an injury that led to him going on the practice squad injured list, the Giants did not bring back Crowder. Back in free agency, Crowder is beginning to receive interest. The Commanders brought in Crowder for a Tuesday visit, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Crowder, of course, began his career in Washington. Plenty has changed since — from the staff to the quarterback to the team name — but the Ron Rivera–Martin Mayhew regime is interested in the 30-year-old slot receiver. Crowder is coming off an abbreviated season, when a fractured ankle stopped his Bills campaign after four games. But the 5-foot-9 wideout was previously a productive player with Washington and the Jets, compiling 600-plus yards in five seasons since being a 2015 fourth-round pick.
Beginning his career as the inside option in Kirk Cousins-led attacks, Crowder rose in the team’s pass-game pecking order after the free agency exits of Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson in 2017. Crowder led the 2017 Washington edition in receiving, though his career-high yardage total remains the 847 — to go with a career-best seven TD receptions — he totaled in 2016 alongside Jackson and Garcon. The Jets gave Crowder a three-year, $28.5MM contract in 2019.
Sam Darnold‘s steadiest target, Crowder combined to score 12 TDs during the former No. 3 overall pick’s final two Jets seasons. The Jets reduced Crowder’s pay in 2021, upon hiring Robert Saleh and OC Mike LaFleur, and he averaged a career-worst 8.8 yards per reception in Zach Wilson‘s rookie season. Crowder joined the Bills on a one-year, $2MM deal and only received $28K guaranteed from the Giants this offseason.
The Commanders have a key injury issue at receiver entering the season. Terry McLaurin has rested for over a week now with turf toe. The longtime No. 1 target, who arrived a month after Crowder left, is uncertain for Week 1. Washington has used extensive resources in recent years upgrading McLaurin’s supporting cast, using a first-round pick on Jahan Dotson in 2022 — a year after giving Curtis Samuel a three-year, $34.5MM deal. In addition to the three starters, the Commanders have four more receivers rostered. Ex-Eric Bieniemy Chiefs cog Byron Pringle joins 2021 third-rounder Dyami Brown, 2021 seventh-rounder Dax Milne and rookie UDFA Mitchell Tinsley at the position.
McLaurin is not out of the mix for Week 1 just yet, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, who notes the team has hope for its top target to be ready in time.
Bills’ Von Miller Uncertain To Return In Week 5
SEPTEMBER 10: Miller says that his knee was cleared even before the decision was made to put him on the PUP list (via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg). However, Miller still has “steps to take” before he is football-ready, and per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, it is unclear if the second-year Bill will suit up when he is first eligible in Week 5.
AUGUST 29: The Bills will play it safe with Von Miller. Finishing up a rehab effort from a second ACL tear, the future Hall of Famer is not slated to come off Buffalo’s PUP list before today’s deadline.
Miller will move from the Bills’ active/PUP list to the reserve/PUP, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. This will sideline Miller for at least four games. Miller has expressed confidence in his early-season readiness, and GM Brandon Beane said it was possible the dominant pass rusher suited up in Week 1. But the Bills will play the long game with their top pass rusher.
Considering the Bills’ path with Tre’Davious White, this Miller transaction certainly does not surprise. White suffered a torn ACL during the Bills’ Thanksgiving game in 2021; he did not make his 2022 debut until the team’s Thanksgiving contest in Detroit. That marked the only time White and Miller have played together, with the defensive end going down during the holiday tilt. Miller, 34, should not be expected to be out as long as White. But he will not be back until at least October.
This marks a different post-ACL path for Miller, who returned for Week 1 of the 2014 season despite suffering his first tear in December 2013. Miller returned to play in 16 games and finish with 14 sacks that year, but the circumstances are a bit different this time. Miller is going into his 13th season and already has a full-season absence (2020, due to an ankle malady) on his resume. The Bills also made an important adjustment to their pass-rushing group, signing ex-Miller Rams teammate Leonard Floyd.
Floyd, 30, agreed to a one-year, $7MM deal with the Bills in June. While Beane said the Bills targeted Floyd regardless of Miller’s status, the former top-10 pick also represented an insurance addition. Floyd and Gregory Rousseau will lead the way for the Bills to start the season, with A.J. Epenesa and Shaq Lawson in place as backups. Epenesa has drawn trade interest, but after the Bills sent Boogie Basham to the Giants earlier Tuesday, it should be expected the Iowa alum will stay put.
Miller is going into the second season of a six-year, $120MM extension. The All-Decade defender chose the Bills over the Cowboys and Rams last year and notched eight sacks to start his Buffalo tenure. Miller will miss games against the Jets, Raiders, Commanders and Dolphins. He can begin practicing ahead of Week 3 but cannot be activated until Week 5.
2023 Offseason In Review Series
Quarterback acquisitions generated top headlines this offseason, while the slew of developments affecting the running back market moved that position’s value to a precarious point. On that note, our latest Offseason In Review series is in the books. Here are the PFR staff’s looks at how teams assembled their 2023 rosters:
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
Offseason In Review: San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have managed to field top-flight rosters — outside of the quarterback position — over the past two seasons. That talent, along with Kyle Shanahan‘s play-calling acumen, powered San Francisco to consecutive NFC championship games. Neither going the 49ers’ way applies some pressure for the otherwise well-built team to come up with a viable quarterback solution. For the time being, that is Brock Purdy, who has recovered from UCL surgery.
Undoubtedly affected by the Trey Lance miss, the 49ers have used Purdy as a partial makeup call. Will the 2022 Mr. Irrelevant’s form last? If not, the 49ers have Sam Darnold as a new option. Either Purdy or Darnold would step into an offense housing four first-team All-Pros, and with Javon Hargrave in the fold, the 49ers are prepared to throw a better defensive front at opponents this season. Will this be the year Shanahan’s bunch takes the final step and wins the organization’s sixth title?
Extensions and restructures:
- Agreed to five-year, $170MM extension with DE Nick Bosa
- Restructured TE George Kittle, LT Trent Williams‘ contracts, creating $23MM in cap space
- Restructured LB Fred Warner‘s deal, creating nearly $9MM in cap space
- Reworked RB Christian McCaffrey‘s contract, creating $8.58MM in cap space
Days before Week 1, contingency plans were in place in the event the Bosa contract was not finalized. Fortunately for the 49ers, they will have the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in uniform Sunday. Holdout is technically the correct term to use, but Bosa’s effort differed from those waged by Chris Jones and Zack Martin. With the 49ers having worked on this contract for weeks and having planned it for over a year, they surely expected Bosa to either hold in or hold out. That differs from the Martin and Jones holdouts, somewhat contentious in nature. With the 49ers allowed to waive Bosa’s fines due to this being a rookie-contract holdout, Bosa’s absence barely qualifies as a speedbump. And, like Martin, the holdout benefited Bosa.
The question throughout this holdout centered around how much longer Aaron Donald‘s $31.7MM-per-year contract — one the Chiefs have attempted to treat as an outlier — would reside atop the defensive salary pecking order. Donald used a retirement threat and generational dominance to secure those terms without any new years added to his deal. Six years younger than Donald, Bosa used his importance to a loaded 49ers team — but one that depends on its top player to stay on the Super Bowl-contending level — to secure a true market reset.
T.J. Watt‘s $28MM-AAV deal topped the edge defender market for two years, and the Steelers OLB locked down his game-changing second contract three days before the 2021 season. Bosa nearly matched that, accepting the 49ers’ offer four days before his team’s Week 1 trip to Pittsburgh. Watt’s contract only topped Joey Bosa‘s AAV by $1MM, making the 49ers’ Nick Bosa re-up’s result an eye-popping conclusion.
The guarantee-at-signing figure is not yet in place, and the number through three years will need to be measured as well to fully evaluate this contract. The 49ers also made Trent Williams the highest-paid tackle by inflating the AAV with a lofty final-year number. On the surface, however, Nick Bosa’s contract reshapes the edge rusher market. The $122.5MM total guarantee amount checks in more than $20MM north of Joey Bosa’s previous defender record.
This contract may create some difficulties for the Chiefs and Jones to cross the finish line, as it weakens Kansas City’s effort to classify Donald’s contract as an outlier, and cause trouble for the Cowboys and Micah Parsons down the road. Nick Bosa has more than demonstrated his value in San Francisco. Along with Jimmy Garoppolo‘s return to health, Bosa’s 2019 arrival catalyzed the 49ers’ transformation from 4-12 team to Super Bowl LIV entrant. Bosa sat out much of his final Ohio State season, readying for the NFL, and ended up in San Francisco largely because of Garoppolo’s injury ruining the 2018 team’s season.
The rare third-generation NFLer, Bosa put himself back on track for this contract by returning from a September 2020 ACL tear to play all 20 49ers games in 2021. Bosa led the league in tackles for loss that year and posted a career-high 18.5 sacks last season. His 48 QB hits in 2022 broke up a J.J. Watt sweep atop that list. While the recently retired superstar still holds four of the top five figures since QB hits became charted, Bosa’s 48 hits now sit third on that list. The 49ers will bet on the younger of this generation’s NFL Bosas anchoring their defense for the long haul.
Free agency additions:
- Javon Hargrave, DT: Four years, $81MM ($40MM guaranteed)
- Sam Darnold, QB: One year, $4.5MM ($3.5MM guaranteed)
- Isaiah Oliver, CB: Two years, $6.75MM ($2.91MM guaranteed)
- Jon Feliciano, OL: One year, $2.25MM ($2.25MM guaranteed)
- Clelin Ferrell, DE: One year, $2.5MM ($1.24MM guaranteed)
- Brandon Allen, QB: One year, $1.23MM ($200K guaranteed)
- Matt Pryor, OL: One year, $1.3MM
Among San Francisco’s signings, Hargrave’s contract obviously jumps out. Not long after Garoppolo’s contract came off their books, the 49ers sprang into action and allocated that cash to strengthen a strength. After the Bosa signing, the 49ers now have three defensive linemen making more than $17MM per year. The 49ers’ decision to trade DeForest Buckner, extend Arik Armstead and replace Buckner with Javon Kinlaw backfired. But they faced an either/or proposition with Buckner and Armstead at the time. Hargrave comes in as a fearsome hired gun, an arrangement made possible by Purdy’s seventh-round rookie contract.
The Eagles rolled out an embarrassment of riches on their D-line last season, threatening the 1984 Bears’ sack record. While Philadelphia (70 sacks) fell two short of the 46 defense’s longstanding mark, the team produced four double-digit sack totals. Hargrave was among those, tallying a career-high 11 sacks. This is a big commitment for a D-tackle going into his age-30 season, but Hargrave used his Eagles contract to confirm he is among the league’s best inside rushers. After toiling as an unearthed gem of sorts alongside Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt in Pittsburgh, Hargrave broke through in Philly.
Buckner and Bosa only overlapped for one season, which happened to produce a Super Bowl berth, so it will be interesting to see what well-regarded D-line coach Kris Kocurek can do with a Bosa-Armstead-Hargrave troika. Missing only three games in seven seasons, Hargrave also offers durability the 49ers have lacked from Armstead and Kinlaw. This certainly looks like the 49ers’ best defensive line since that 2019 unit.
Kocurek reviving Ferrell’s career would further highlight his potential for a defensive coordinator post. The Raiders surprised most by taking Ferrell fourth overall in 2019, but the Mike Mayock–Jon Gruden pick did not live up to his draft slot. During his final two years with the Raiders, the Clemson product had drifted to the backup level. Ferrell totaled just 5.5 sacks over the past three seasons, lowering his price in free agency. Had Bosa extended his holdout past Week 1, however, Ferrell was in place to start alongside 2022 second-rounder Drake Jackson. The fifth-year edge rusher looms as a wild card in Steve Wilks‘ defense.
The 49ers targeted Oliver as a nickel who could match up with bigger slot receivers, following Jimmie Ward in that regard. The Falcons moved Oliver inside later in his run with the team, and Pro Football Focus rated him as a top-10 corner last year. That said, the 210-pound cover man did not impress in the preseason. It will be interesting to see if he can stick as the slot option for the 49ers, who have Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir camped on the boundaries.
Shanahan has shown tremendous confidence in Purdy, who completed his rehab and shed limitations earlier than expected. But Darnold came into the NFL undeniably more talented. And the former No. 3 overall pick impressed during his first offseason in San Francisco. Shanahan has spoken highly of the former Jets and Panthers starter, and while Darnold has enjoyed plenty of opportunities to showcase his skill (55 starts), it is difficult to compare his New York and Charlotte setups to Shanahan’s infrastructure. Darnold, 26, joined the 49ers largely because of Shanahan and their array of skill-position talent.
Darnold has also shown himself to be an unremarkable pro QB through five seasons, and he has battled availability issues in each of his seasons. But it did not seem to be much of a contest between he and Trey Lance for the 49ers’ backup job, even as Lance carried experience in Shanahan’s system. Darnold QB2 buzz circulated in the spring and intensified before camp.
The 49ers had targeted a veteran QB due mostly to Purdy and Lance’s injury issues, but Darnold has the pedigree to potentially challenge Purdy, should the former Iowa State starter struggle coming off elbow surgery. Brutal QB injury fortune has hounded the Shanahan-era 49ers. While Darnold is only tied to a $4.5MM salary, he could become an important figure in the NFC’s Super Bowl chase.
Re-signings:
- Jake Brendel, C: Four years, $16.5MM ($5MM guaranteed)
- Tashaun Gipson, S: One year, $2.9MM ($2.17MM guaranteed)
- Kevin Givens, DT: One year, $2MM ($2MM guaranteed)
- Colton McKivitz, T: Two years, $4.56MM ($1.87MM guaranteed)
- Taybor Pepper, LS: Three years, $3.96MM ($1.5MM guaranteed)
- Ross Dwelley, TE: One year, $1.7MM ($700K guaranteed)
- Kerry Hyder, DE: One year, $1.1MM
Center retention was not particularly costly around the league this offseason. Five teams — the 49ers, Browns, Jets, Panthers and Vikings — preferred continuity over installing an outsider at the pivot. The Brendel, Ethan Pocic, Connor McGovern, Bradley Bozeman and Garrett Bradbury deals all came in at less than $6MM. For Brendel, that represented a reward for capitalizing on a surprising opportunity.
The 49ers brought in ex-Shanahan Falcons cog Alex Mack for what turned out to be a one-off in 2021, installing him over Brendel. Rather than chase a veteran last year, the team promoted Brendel, who came into the season with 250 offensive snaps in six seasons. The confidence paid off for the 49ers, who received 20 total starts from Brendel. The former UDFA, who will turn 31 on Sunday, graded fifth in ESPN’s run block win rate metric during his starter audition.
Overall, the 49ers should be better positioned on their interior O-line due to the experience first-time starters Brendel, Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford gained last season. Feliciano, who shifted back to guard this offseason, started for the Giants at center throughout last season. He makes for a nice swing backup and potential Burford platoon partner. But right tackle does present a question.
Bucs Not Planning To Extend Mike Evans
September 9: Confirming the expectations set up yesterday afternoon, Adam Schefter of ESPN has reported that the Buccaneers will officially not be meeting Evans’ player-imposed deadline for a contract extension. Several reports, including those of ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, indicate that Tampa Bay is not expected to trade Evans and will let him play out his contract year and head for free agency in the offseason.
Even at age 31, Evans is set to be a priority free agent after topping 1,000 yards receiving in every single season of his nine-year career in Tampa Bay. If he can deliver another strong outing catching passes from the arms of Mayfield and, potentially, Kyle Trask, it should secure at least one more strong contract for the Bucs’ all-time leading receiver.
September 8: Mike Evans gave the Buccaneers a Saturday deadline to finalize an extension, but after a multiyear stretch without a known offer coming the Pro Bowl wide receiver’s way, it never looked like the team would meet that deadline. It does not appear the Bucs will.
The team does not have plans to extend Evans at this time, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweets. This could bring a quicker-than-expected end to Evans’ tenure with the franchise. While Evans has expressed hope of staying in Tampa throughout his career, the Bucs’ all-time leading receiver certainly could become a trade candidate. It would be unlikely the team would cuff him with the franchise tag ahead of his age-31 season.
[RELATED: Evans Addresses Buccaneers Future]
Although Russini notes the Bucs still value Evans — their all-time receiving leader by a wide margin — the team would have until October 31 to unload him in a trade. The Bucs will use Evans to see if Baker Mayfield can bounce back from two forgettable seasons, but his name seems all but certain to come up in trade rumors. Evans is going into his age-30 season and holds a record no one else has approached. Evans’ nine 1,000-yard seasons are two more than any other pass catcher has ripped off to start a career. Evans’ consistency aside, it does not look like he will collect a third contract from the Bucs.
Tampa Bay extended Evans on a five-year, $82.5MM deal in 2018; the receiver market has changed substantially since that point. Evans’ AAV came in behind only Antonio Brown‘s second Steelers extension at the time of signing; it has dropped to 17th. Far less accomplished receivers have passed Evans, including his own teammate. The Bucs extended Chris Godwin on a three-year, $60MM deal in 2022, doing so after applying a second franchise tag. At 27, Godwin is three years younger than Evans. While Godwin’s long-term place with the post-Tom Brady Bucs is uncertain as well, he is a much better bet to be back in 2024 compared to Evans.
Prior to landing Evans with the No. 7 overall pick, the Bucs had not had much luck finding a long-term wide receiver staple. Veterans like Vincent Jackson, Keenan McCardell and Joey Galloway helped the cause during stretches earlier this century, but Evans checked in as a reliable outside target from the jump. Brady and Jameis Winston utilized Evans as a go-to target, and the Texas A&M alum will enter this season with 10,425 receiving yards. No one else has topped 6,000 as a Buccaneer.
Evans stands to be a big name in free agency, potentially on his way to the market after this year featured a modest class. A team that trades for Evans would have exclusive negotiating rights until next year’s legal tampering period. Despite GM Jason Licht saying he wanted Evans around long term earlier this summer, the Bucs’ exclusive negotiating rights have not produced an agreement. The Bucs also lost Russell Gage, moving sixth-round rookie Trey Palmer into a more prominent spot. UDFAs Rakim Jarrett and Deven Thompkins are the only other wideouts on Tampa Bay’s roster.
The Jets could make sense as an Evans suitor, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes. New York losing Corey Davis to a mid-training camp retirement and having some questions behind WR1 Garrett Wilson could make them an interested party. Other teams will surely call the Bucs as well in what could be one of the more interesting receiver trade markets in recent memory.
Offseason In Review: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sticking with their all-in approach around Tom Brady a year too long, the Buccaneers still benefited considerably from their 2020 free agency coup. The franchise added a second Super Bowl title and saw Brady display better form in 2021. Brady’s unretirement helped the Bucs stay atop the NFC South, but it took a historically terrible division for that to happen. The Bruce Arians-to-Todd Bowles transition did not go well, and the latter’s seat may already be warm.
The Bucs’ round of early-2020s restructures — Brady’s chief among them — led to cap trouble this year and did not allow for the team to make splashy outside upgrades. As a result, the Bucs are not receiving much attention going into their first post-Brady season.
Free agency additions:
- Baker Mayfield, QB: One year, $4MM ($4MM guaranteed)
- Greg Gaines, DT: One year, $3.5MM ($3.5MM guaranteed)
- Matt Feiler, G: One year, $2.5MM ($1.29MM guaranteed)
- Ryan Neal, S: One year, $1.23MM ($1.1MM guaranteed)
- Chase Edmonds, RB: One year, $1.23MM ($153K guaranteed)
- Chase McLaughlin, K: One year, $1.13MM ($100K guaranteed)
Mayfield will soon take snaps for a fourth team in barely 20 months. The Ravens also discussed terms with Mayfield, though those talks were framed around the former No. 1 overall pick becoming a QB2 upgrade. The Bucs carried an obvious quarterback need following Brady’s second retirement, but the $35.1MM void-years bill kept the team out of the Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo markets. While the Bucs also considered Jacoby Brissett, he ended up with the Commanders for twice the money Mayfield scored. With the Bucs mandating a low-cost veteran, the former No. 1 overall pick has what likely profiles as a last chance to prove himself as a starter.
With the exception of rookie-contract players, Mayfield’s $4MM AAV is miles below every other Week 1 QB. The $4MM base value make it more in line with the backup tier, and many QB2 options — Brissett, Andy Dalton, Taylor Heinicke, Marcus Mariota, Jarrett Stidham — landed more than the player who was in talks with the Browns about a lucrative extension in 2021.
It is difficult to overstate the tumble Mayfield’s stock has taken since he was at the heart of the Browns snapping a 17-season playoff drought. A shoulder injury keyed a 2021 dip, but Mayfield did not bounce back in Carolina. Instead, his Panthers tenure ended with the team waiving him — as he sat dead last in QBR — despite having clawed back into the dreadful NFC South race. Illustrating how bad Mayfield was in Carolina, his memorable Los Angeles stay — which included the two-days-notice 98-yard game-winning drive to stun the Raiders — did not pull him out of last place. Mayfield played well against the Broncos on Christmas Day but still finished miles behind the second-worst signal-caller in 2022 QBR.
Bucs were willing to take what amounted to a flier on the 2017 Heisman winner, and instead of drafting another passer, they only pitted two-year third-stringer Kyle Trask against Mayfield. It took all three preseason games for Mayfield to beat out the 2021 second-rounder. Mayfield finished the 2020 season with 26 touchdown passes, eight interceptions and a 10th-place QBR finish. That represents his most recent healthy season, one that powered Kevin Stefanski to Coach of the Year honors and involved the Browns embarrassing the Steelers in Round 1 despite Stefanski home with COVID-19.
The Bucs will hope a stable Mayfield offseason leads to this form resurfacing, but while Tampa Bay may have that Cleveland team outflanked for receiver talent, an elite Browns O-line aided the 6-foot-1 QB that year. New Tampa Bay OC Dave Canales coaching under ex-Sean McVay assistant Shane Waldon in Seattle stands to help Mayfield, who is going into his age-28 season. But it will certainly not surprise to see Trask receive an extended look. Barring a Mayfield turnaround few expect, the Bucs look likely to enter the 2024 offseason with a dire QB need.
For the second time in four years, McLaughlin and Rodrigo Blankenship battled for a kicker job. After Blankenship beat out McLaughlin to succeed Adam Vinatieri in Indianapolis in 2020, the latter won the relocated rematch. While McLaughlin has enjoyed some extended work — in being a full-time option in Cleveland and Indianapolis over the past two years — the Bucs will be the 2019 UDFA’s seventh NFL team.
Both Feiler and Gaines served as multiyear starters in Los Angeles — Feiler at right guard for the Chargers, Gaines as a defensive tackle for the Rams — and their price tags aligned with the Bucs’ offseason itinerary. Purging more veterans than the Bucs did this year, the Rams let both Aaron Donald‘s recent wingmen — Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson — walk. Gaines, 27, started for the past two seasons and totaled 8.5 sacks and 19 QB hits in that span. With Calijah Kancey arriving in Round 1, it looks like Gaines will return to a bench role.
Feiler, 31, has been a starter for the past five seasons — for the Steelers and Bolts — and Pro Football Focus rated him as a top-20 guard in 2019 and ’21. The Bucs have the former UDFA at a discount because of a down 2022, when PFF slotted him outside the top 60 at the position. Given the Bucs’ rampant injury issues up front last season, Feiler offers short-term stability. He has missed just four games over the past four years. The Feiler addition will allow the Bucs to move 2022 second-rounder Luke Goedeke to right tackle, his primary college position.
Edmonds joins Mayfield in coming off a rough 2022. After his Cardinals work led to a two-year, $12MM Dolphins pact, Edmonds proved a poor fit in Mike McDaniel‘s offense. The Dolphins included the underwhelming satellite back as salary filler in the Bradley Chubb trade. The Broncos then cut him in March. In a bad year to be a free agent running back, Edmonds did score another opportunity and will slide in as the team’s passing-down back complementing Rachaad White. Edmonds, 27, did excel in a similar role alongside Kenyan Drake in 2020 but saw James Conner‘s re-emergence overshadow him the following year.
Re-signings:
- Jamel Dean, CB: Four years, $52MM ($21.5MM guaranteed)
- Anthony Nelson, OLB: Two years, $10MM ($5.5MM guaranteed)
- Lavonte David, ILB: One year, $4.5MM ($4.5MM guaranteed)
- William Gholston, DL: One year, $2.67MM ($1.32MM guaranteed)
- Aaron Stinnie, OL: One year, $1.4MM
- Nick Leverett, OL: One year, $940K
In Saints-like fashion, the Bucs managed to move from $55MM-plus over the cap upon Brady’s February 1 retirement to a place where they could make a viable offer to retain Dean. The Bucs followed their Carlton Davis blueprint with Dean. A year after they let Davis test free agency and then signed him to a three-year, $44.5MM deal, the Bucs reeled Dean back in early during the legal tampering period. Neither Davis nor Dean landed top-10 cornerback money, but both contract sit in the top 15 among AAV at the position.
Excelling in press coverage, Dean played a major role for the 2020 Super Bowl champion Bucs iteration and overtook Sean Murphy-Bunting last season. Dean did perform better in 2021 compared to 2022, allowing no touchdowns and limiting QBs to a collective 50.0 passer rating; those numbers shot up to four and 86.0 last season. But Dean also played more snaps last year, going from 685 in 2021 to 885. PFF rated Dean as last season’s 10th-best corner, and the former third-round pick will stay with the team that drafted him.
One of the best players in franchise history, David is back with the Bucs on a fourth contract. For a bit, it looked like the linebacker stalwart would leave Tampa after 11 seasons. David, 33, signed a lucrative five-year deal in 2015 and then, as the Bucs completed a historic talent-retention effort to retain the entire core of their Super Bowl LV-winning team, reupped on a two-year deal in 2021. This contract will bring a pay reduction for one of this era’s best off-ball linebackers, but as the Bucs transition to their post-Brady period, keeping David and Dean ensures continuity from their Super Bowl squad.
The former second-round pick totaled 124 tackles last season and has 10-plus TFLs in four of the past five seasons. David’s three sacks last season quietly ran his total to 29 over the course of his career. With Devin White generating criticism for inconsistency, the Bucs have continued to rely on David. The Nebraska product has seen his consistency pay off. After the Bucs ended a playoff drought that had covered David’s first eight seasons, he became a vital piece for two strong teams to start the 2020s.
Shaq Barrett‘s return from a midseason Achilles tear should move Nelson back to a rotational role — behind Barrett and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka — but the former fourth-round pick does have 10.5 sacks over the past two seasons. Barrett coming back will give the Bucs an interesting two-deep at outside linebacker, with third-rounder Yaya Diaby joining Nelson, who forced three fumbles last season as the Bucs attempted to get by without their top sack artist.
Notable losses:
- Genard Avery, LB
- Giovani Bernard (retired)
- Tom Brady, QB (retired)
- Cameron Brate, TE (released)
- Mike Edwards, S
- Leonard Fournette, RB (released)
- Blaine Gabbert, QB
- Akiem Hicks, DL
- Julio Jones, WR
- Scotty Miller, WR
- Sean Murphy-Bunting, CB
- Carl Nassib, OLB
- Keanu Neal, S
- Rakeem Nunez-Roches
- Breshad Perriman, WR
- Kyle Rudolph, TE (retired)
- Logan Ryan, S
- Donovan Smith, LT (released)
- Ryan Succop, K (released)
- Josh Wells, OL
Brady’s Bucs period added a key separation between he and Bill Belichick‘s legacies, and while the tenure did not necessarily end well, the QB icon reaching seven Super Bowl titles and ending a 12-year Tampa Bay playoff drought classifies the 2020 signing as an undisputed win for the franchise. Brady’s preposterously long prime lasted through the 2021 season, and although he showed flashes (in the form of some wild comebacks) as the 2022 Bucs broke down, the unretirement year brought clear decline signs. Brady used last season to fulfill his longtime goal of playing through age 45, and that feat allowed him to become the only regular QB to go through a season at that age.
Bengals, Tee Higgins Not Close On Extension
In reaching a record-shattering Joe Burrow extension, the Bengals finally completed their top contractual goal for 2023. They also extended Logan Wilson, reaching team-friendly terms with their top linebacker. Tee Higgins, however, remains unsigned. And the team’s No. 2 wide receiver looks set to enter a contract year.
The Bengals are not close on an extension with Higgins, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports, adding the sides have never gotten especially close on terms. Not much movement has occurred in recent weeks, per ESPN.com’s Ben Baby. Higgins is expected to remain a core piece for the Bengals this season, but his future is uncertain.
Burrow’s extension — a $55MM-per-year accord that creates distance between himself and the field — will complicate matters for Cincinnati, which used the star QB’s rookie contract to load up their roster. That said, the cap numbers for the quarterback’s landmark re-up are not yet known. It is possible the Bengals could maneuver their way to carving out room for a Higgins franchise tag.
This year’s round of QB re-ups have included lower cap hits in the first two years. Justin Herbert‘s first two years go $8.5MM and $19.3MM, while Lamar Jackson‘s sit at $22.15MM and $32.4MM. Jalen Hurts: $6.2MM, $13.6MM. Though, the Ravens and Eagles used void years for cap purposes from the start. The Bengals operate in a more traditional fashion, which could make them reluctant to include the increasingly popular space-creating mechanism this early in Burrow’s deal. But Burrow’s 2024 cap hit will be pertinent regarding the prospect of a Higgins franchise tag.
A 2024 Higgins tag will run the Bengals more than $20MM, and while Ja’Marr Chase is a clear-cut candidate to become the NFL’s highest-paid receiver in the not-too-distant future, the star wideout can be kept on his rookie deal through 2025 (via the fifth-year option). While the Vikings are working on a deal with Justin Jefferson, no team has signed a first-round wide receiver with two years of control remaining on his rookie contract in the fifth-year option era (2014-present). With Chase attached to a $9.8MM cap hit in 2024, a lower Burrow cap hit opens the door to the Bengals keeping their Chase-Higgins setup going for at least one more year. But that is not a lock, Conway adds, writing a Higgins tag would be unlikely.
That said, Bengals VP of player personnel Duke Tobin emphatically shut down Higgins trade inquiries at the Combine. It would seem the Bengals will have a tough time parting with their ascending WR2 next year, though a tag-and-trade scenario would also be an option. If Higgins reaches free agency, he would become one of the most coveted options available. While we are a ways away from knowing which receivers will hit the market, Higgins and Mike Evans — whom the Bucs are not planning to extend — would mark a considerable improvement from this year’s class. Tyler Boyd, who is almost certain to play out his Bengals deal and hit free agency in 2024, will likely fare decently as a first-time UFA as well.
“I have no clue,” Higgins said (via Baby) about his extension status. “My job is to come in every day and do what I do best — work and catch the ball from No. 9.”
Higgins said he has work to do and looks forward to bolstering his resume, which he added is “not as good as the greats,” via the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith. The former second-round pick sits as one of the NFL’s top No. 2 options, topping 900 receiving yards in each of his three seasons and eclipsing 1,000 in 2021 and ’22.
Raiders To Place CB Brandon Facyson On IR
Although Chandler Jones will miss Sunday’s game due to the events of this week, the Raiders carry a thin injury report into their season opener. Only two players carried injury designations into Friday, but one of them — Brandon Facyson — will be moved off the roster for the time being.
Facyson is dealing with a shin injury, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore notes the veteran cornerback will head to IR. This will sideline Facyson for at least four games while opening a roster spot for Josh Jacobs. For a second straight year, teams have eight IR activations to use over the course of a season.
The Raiders reunited with Facyson this offseason, signing the Gus Bradley favorite to a two-year deal worth $6.5MM. Facyson, who turns 29 today, has only played for Bradley over his first five NFL seasons. He spent the first three years of his career with the Chargers but made his way to the Raiders in 2021, doing so after the team hired Bradley as its DC. The Colts hired Bradley to run their defense in 2022, and a Facyson signing commenced. Facyson’s first tour of duty without Bradley calling the signals will be on hold.
Facyson started nine games with the Raiders in 2021. He Joined Marcus Peters, David Long and Duke Shelley as Raiders UFA corner pickups this offseason. But the former UDFA did not win a starting job out of training camp. Fourth-round rookie Jakorian Bennett is set to start alongside Peters and Hobbs. The Raiders did not keep Shelley, who is now with the Rams. Long remains on Las Vegas’ roster as a backup.
Last season, the Colts used both Facyson and Isaiah Rodgers as boundary defenders opposite Stephon Gilmore. Facyson only made four starts but played on defense throughout the season. Prior to his gambling suspension, Rodgers was in Indianapolis’ plans to stay a starter. But he is now gone (with the Eagles), joining Gilmore and Facyson in exiting. Bradley’s Indy unit features some young options alongside Kenny Moore.
Giants, K Graham Gano Agree On Extension
Graham Gano‘s New York stay will extend beyond this season. The veteran kicker signed an extension to stay with the Giants, who now have him under contract through 2026.
The Giants will bet on Gano holding his form into his late 30s, as he is going into his age-36 season. It is a $16.5MM deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets, adding the agreement also includes $11.3MM fully guaranteed. An additional $2MM in injury guarantees are also part of this deal. Gano had been attached to a three-year, $14MM pact.
Formerly with Washington and Carolina, Gano has been the Giants’ kicker since 2020. Though, this marks the experienced specialist’s third contract with the Giants. After signing him to a one-year deal in 2020, Big Blue extended him during his first season with the team. Gano has now signed extensions with both the Dave Gettleman and Joe Schoen regimes. Considering his performance and Schoen’s willingness to bet on Gettleman-era acquisitions, this latest agreement is unsurprising.
Gano made 90.6% of his field goal tries last season and connected on 96.7% of them in his first year with the Giants. Even in an unideal kicking environment, Gano hit almost 88% of his tries in 2021. The Giants gave Gano the opportunity to relaunch his career after a missed 2019. Gano, who once hit a 63-yard game-winner to beat the Giants in 2018, suffered a fractured femur late in the 2018 season. Carolina doctors are believed to have initially misdiagnosed that injury. The malady led to him missing all of the 2019 campaign as well. Matt Rhule‘s 2020 Carolina arrival led to Gano being cut, and he soon found a new home in New York.
With Mason Crosby, Robbie Gould and Ryan Succop not on rosters, Gano enters this season as the NFL’s third-oldest active kicker. Only Matt Prater (39) and Nick Folk (37) surpass him in that category. But Gano connected on 8 of 9 attempts from 50-plus yards last season; he was a combined 12-for-16 from 50-plus from 2020-21. It is understandable the Giants were interested in extending this partnership.
This marks Schoen’s fourth major agreement with a Gettleman-era acquisition this year. It follows the Daniel Jones, Dexter Lawrence and Andrew Thomas re-ups. While Gano’s checks in on a lower-profile level, this contract will give him an opportunity to approach the 20-season mark.