Latest On 49ers, DE Nick Bosa
Chris Jones and Zack Martin‘s holdouts qualified as more contentious than Nick Bosa‘s, but like the Chiefs interior defensive line standout, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is close to missing regular-season time.
Bosa still has a few more days to sign an extension and end his holdout, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes the 49ers have moved past one hurdle as they attempt to finalize this deal. As expected, Bosa will soon become the NFL’s highest-paid edge defender. The 49ers have offered Bosa at least $30MM per year, as we heard late last week. T.J. Watt‘s $28MM-AAV deal has paced the edge rusher market since September 2021.
The issue of Bosa passing Aaron Donald‘s defender-record deal, which averages $31.7MM per year, still looms. More specifically, the topic of the $5MM roster bonus the Rams gave Donald as part of his guarantee package is part of the Bosa-49ers equation, Rapoport adds. This would seem a small barrier to negotiate, but the parties are running short on time to have Bosa in uniform for the San Francisco-Pittsburgh opener.
If Bosa is not uniform for the 49ers against the Steelers, they are prepared to start free agency pickup Clelin Ferrell and 2022 second-rounder Drake Jackson, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows tweets. This would mark a dramatic change for Ferrell, a bust with the Raiders after being the No. 4 overall pick in 2019. The 49ers have done well to coax quality play from discarded veteran D-linemen in recent years, and it will be interesting to see what D-line coach Kris Kocurek generates from Ferrell, a healthy scratch at points last year in Las Vegas. Ferrell signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal in March.
Bosa’s presence has helped the revolving cast of veteran defensive ends operate, however, and the 49ers have let this matter run up against the regular season. They are still expected to waive Bosa fines for skipping training camp, which the CBA permits for holdouts on rookie contracts, separating this from the Chiefs-Jones impasse. The 49ers have budgeted for a Bosa extension for years, but this journey’s completion is proving difficult.
The guarantees on Bosa’s contract will most likely dwarf Donald’s, as those were part of a three-year deal. The Steelers gave Watt a defender-most $80MM guaranteed at signing; Joey Bosa received $78MM locked in from the Chargers back in 2020. It will be interesting to see if Nick Bosa ends up on a lengthy contract like Trent Williams, who signed a six-year deal in 2021, or a medium-term pact like Deebo Samuel (three years).
Donald staged a holdout ahead of his fourth season and missed the first two games of the Rams’ 2017 season. The circumstances behind that differed, though the Rams did waive Donald’s fines and paid him for Week 1. That holdout came in Sean McVay‘s first season, when little was expected of a retooling Rams team. The 49ers are again a Super Bowl contender, a status Bosa helped restore after he missed most of a down 2020 season with an ACL tear. Not having the 25-year-old standout in a road game against the Steelers may well impact the NFC’s home-field advantage chase four months from now.
Travis Kelce Dealing With Knee Injury; Kadarius Toney On Track For Week 1
SEPTEMBER 6: While Kelce is dealing with significant swelling, Rapoport indicates he suffered a bone bruise. Considering the range of outcomes possible in the wake of this knee injury, the Chiefs appear to have dodged a bullet here.
SEPTEMBER 5, 3:48pm: Kelce remains uncertain to play in Week 1, per Rapoport and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, but this is not believed to be a serious knee injury. The Chiefs plan to wait for the swelling in the injured knee to subside before making a decision. Kelce’s ACL is intact, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds. While it would not surprise to see the Chiefs exercise caution here given Kelce’s importance to the offense, it does not look like a long-term absence would be in the cards. Indeed, SI.com’s Albert Breer adds it is unlikely Kelce plays Thursday.
1:13pm: After missing nearly his entire rookie season due to a knee injury, Travis Kelce has become one of the NFL’s most durable players. But his status for Week 1 is suddenly in question.
Kelce suffered a hyperextended knee, per Andy Reid, and is not a lock to play in the Chiefs’ season opener. The injury occurred at practice Tuesday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The perennial All-Pro tight end has not missed a game due to injury since his 2013 rookie season.
On a better note for the defending Super Bowl champions, Kadarius Toney is practicing. Reid expects the injury-prone receiver to play against the Lions, ESPN’s Ed Werder tweets. Toney, who has battled a number of maladies since entering the league in 2021, missed several weeks after suffering a torn meniscus minutes into training camp. The Chiefs listed Toney and Kelce as limited practice participants.
Moving into Hall of Fame lock territory since pairing with Patrick Mahomes, Kelce did not truly begin his career until his age-25 season due to undergoing microfracture surgery during his rookie year. Unlike Jadeveon Clowney, who underwent the same procedure a year later, Kelce has not battled knee trouble in the seasons since. He has only missed three regular-season games — two due to Reid sitting starters in season finales, one due to COVID-19 — since returning in time for the 2014 opener.
Going into his age-34 season, Kelce has become one of the NFL’s all-time greats at tight end. He is riding a seven-year streak of 1,000-yard seasons; no other tight end has tallied more than four 1,000-yard years in total. The Chiefs relied on Kelce last season, trading Tyreek Hill and using a cast of lesser wide receivers, and got by in large part due to the receiving tight end’s consistency. Kelce set a new career high with 110 receptions, and his 1,338 yards approached his tight end-record 1,416 from 2020. It would obviously be quite the adjustment for the Chiefs to play without Kelce, considering their receiver makeup.
Toney represents a key part of that receiving group, but the Chiefs may look to limit the shifty wideout. Lower-body injuries have followed Toney from New York to Kansas City. Ankle, quad, oblique and knee trouble has plagued Toney, with an onslaught of hamstring issues – which at one point saw the talented youngster sidelined because of injuries to both legs – impeding his 2022 efforts. While Toney still recovered in time to make key contributions in Super Bowl LVII, his track record has reached the point he might not be able to handle a full receiver workload.
The Chiefs kept seven wide receivers on their active roster, adding to the uncertainty at the position following the free agency exits of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the only proven option left at receiver for the Chiefs, though GM Brett Veach said 2022 second-rounder Skyy Moore is set for an every-down role after showing improvement this offseason. Kansas City also rosters second-round rookie Rashee Rice, free agent slot pickup Richie James, veteran backup Justin Watson and second-year UDFA Justyn Ross.
Additionally, the daily Chris Jones update does not bring good news for the Chiefs. Still no progress in negotiations, per Reid. Both Kelce and Jones played all 20 Chiefs contests last season. While Jones has been trending toward missing this game for a bit now, the eighth-year defensive tackle is close to missing a $1.1MM game check.
Aaron Donald skipped Week 1 while holding out in 2017, but he was attached to a rookie contract and the Rams ended up waiving his fines and paying him for the game week missed. The current CBA prevents the Chiefs from waiving the fines Jones incurred for missing training camp; that number has surpassed $2MM. Jones continues to target a deal closer to Donald’s $31.7MM AAV than the D-tackle’s second salary tier. Rumblings about a $28MM-per-year middle ground have surfaced, but Jones remains unsigned.
Jerry Jones Addresses Dak Prescott Contract; No Extension Talks Yet
The Cowboys restructuring Dak Prescott‘s contract this offseason gives their longtime quarterback some ammo. The reworking created a whopping $59.5MM Prescott cap number in 2024, the final year of his current deal. Already limited by the events of 2021 with Dak, the Cowboys have some work to do going forward.
Taking parts of three offseasons to agree to an extension, Prescott ended up playing his hand well. His price rose from 2019-21, and talks ended up coming down to the March 2021 deadline for teams to apply franchise tags. With Prescott having already been tagged in 2020, the 2021 number would have brought a cap sheet-clogging $37MM hit. As that deadline approached, the Cowboys hammered out a four-year, $160MM extension with the former Offensive Rookie of the Year. The fallout from that extension affects the team today.
Because the Cowboys applied a procedural tag on Prescott in 2021, it would be untenable for them to tag him a third time in 2025. While two years remain on Prescott’s deal, the 2024 cap number and the tag being out of play will equip him with considerable leverage. For now, however, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill notes the Cowboys and Dak have not linked up on extension talks. An extension would allow the team to reduce Prescott’s monster 2024 cap number.
The topic of a second Prescott extension surfaced this offseason, but the Cowboys had more pressing matters to address. They have taken care of those, giving Zack Martin a raise and adding more than $35MM guaranteed to end his holdout. They also extended Trevon Diggs, Terence Steele and Malik Hooker to prevent them from going into contract years. CeeDee Lamb looms as an extension priority as well, but he is signed through 2024. Micah Parsons certainly will be, too. The all-world pass rusher becomes extension-eligible in January but can be kept on his rookie deal through 2025 due to the fifth-year option the Cowboys will exercise by May.
Dallas also made a surprising trade for Trey Lance, with Hill adding Jerry Jones pulled the trigger without consulting Prescott or Mike McCarthy. Jones said the Lance trade did not come to pass because of a potential leverage ploy against Prescott, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota (subscription required), and added he wants the current starter in Dallas for a long time. Prescott, 30, declined to comment on prospective contract talks, via the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins, adding he was not surprised by the Lance acquisition. The former No. 3 overall pick is not expected to play this season, with Hill adding Lance could compete with the recently re-signed Cooper Rush for that job in 2024. Rush is now on a two-year deal.
While Lance counts only $940K on Dallas’ cap sheet this year, that number spikes to $5.31MM in 2024. Prescott’s 2024 number will need to be addressed, as no player has entered a season with a cap hit higher than $45MM. The Browns are in the same boat, though theirs is a bit trickier due to Deshaun Watson‘s 2024-26 cap numbers (all at $63.97MM) part of a fully guaranteed contract. Two void years are on Prescott’s deal. It would cost the Cowboys $36.5MM were they to not extend Prescott before the start of the 2025 league year.
Gun Charges Against Patriots CB Jack Jones Dropped
Patriots cornerback Jack Jones faced several gun-related charges stemming from a July arrest at Boston Logan International Airport. Jones had tried to bring two loaded firearms onto a plane. Shortly before the Patriots’ regular-season opener, Jones is in the clear on the legal front.
Appearing Tuesday in Boston Municipal Court, the second-year defender agreed to a deal with prosecutors that led to the gun charges being dropped, Chris Mason of MassLive.com reports. Jones, 25, agreed to a year of pre-trial probation and 48 hours of community service.
He had faced a number of charges — possessing a concealed weapon in a secure area of an airport, possessing ammunition without a firearm identification card, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm and possession of a large-capacity feeding device — in connection with the July arrest.
This news does not clear Jones from a potential NFL suspension. The league’s personal conduct policy does not require a conviction for a ban to be levied, but this certainly helps Jones, who was facing potential prison time after the arrest. Jones is set to be in uniform for the Patriots against the Eagles on Sunday.
This was not the first bout of legal trouble Jones has encountered. While at Moorpark (Calif.) College, Jones was arrested following an incident at a Panda Express, and he served 45 days of house arrest after pleading guilty to commercial burglary, which is a second-degree misdemeanor. The former USC recruit, however, managed rehabilitate his draft stock after transferring to Arizona State. The Patriots selected Jones in the 2022 fourth round and saw immediate promise. Pro Football Focus graded Jones as a top-20 corner last season. Despite starting only two games last season, Jones intercepted two passes — one of them resulting in a pick-six — and forced a fumble.
The Pats have Jack Jones positioned as a starting outside cornerback. He will join Jonathan Jones, who is now on his third Pats contract, and first-round pick Christian Gonzalez in comprising the top corner trio on Bill Belichick‘s 24th Patriots defense.
Buccaneers, Mike Evans Not Progressing On Extension; WR Sets Deadline On Talks
SEPTEMBER 5: Jordan Schultz of the Score reports that no talks have transpired in the past few days, pointing further to the impending deadline passing without an agreement being reached. He adds, however, that the Bucs will make a final attempt to hammer out a deal later this week. Unless that effort produces an eleventh-hour resolution, Evans will begin the campaign without being on the books beyond 2023.
SEPTEMBER 1: Earlier this month, GM Jason Licht expressed a desire for Mike Evans to stay in Tampa on another long-term commitment. Suddenly, the Buccaneers are facing a deadline to make that happen.
The sides have not made progress on an extension, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. In the wake of this report, Evans’ agent has set a Week 1 deadline regarding Bucs extension talks (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). The agent-released statement indicates the Bucs have not made Evans an offer. The 2014 first-round pick said earlier this month he would like to finish his career with the Bucs, but his statement indicates this extension effort has transpired over multiple years.
Evans, 30, is going into the final season of a five-year, $82.5MM contract. At the time of signing (March 2018), this deal made Evans the league’s second-highest-paid receiver (behind only Antonio Brown‘s third Steelers contract). Days later, the Chiefs added Sammy Watkins on a $16MM-per-year deal. That scrutinized contract catalyzed the receiver market, and the eventful 2022 offseason — which included another notable Bucs wideout payment — led to Evans’ deal being passed many times over. Evans’ $16.5MM AAV has dropped to 17th at the position. Evans’ less accomplished teammate, Chris Godwin, is among the players who passed him. The Bucs gave Godwin a three-year, $60MM extension in March 2022.
The only player in NFL history to start his career with nine 1,000-yard seasons (no one else moved past seven to begin a career), Evans provided considerable aid to the likes of Jameis Winston and Tom Brady. The 10th-year pass catcher is now believed to be seeking a deal in line with the one the Rams gave Cooper Kupp last year, Stroud adds. Los Angeles reupped Kupp on a three-year, $80.1MM deal that came with $75MM guaranteed. This came after Kupp’s triple-crown season. Evans has not produced a season on that level, though his body of work eclipses Kupp’s.
Evans has created some distance between himself and the second-best pass catcher in Bucs history, sitting first on the franchise’s all-time receiving list (10,045 yards). Only Godwin and Vinny Testaverde-era weapon Mark Carrier accumulated more than 5,000 as Bucs; Godwin sits second with 5,666. Godwin, 27, is three years younger than Evans and more likely to be on the 2024 roster. The Bucs are not as interested in big-ticket payments for veterans in Evans’ age range post-Brady, Stroud notes.
Although this deadline indicates Evans is prepared to change teams in 2024, it does not exactly mean the end of the line for his Bucs partnership. The team could conceivably use the franchise tag to keep him. But the past two teams to unholster the tag to keep veteran wideouts — the Bengals in 2020 (A.J. Green) and Bears in 2021 (Allen Robinson) — have regretted it. The Bucs also have Antoine Winfield Jr. as a more logical tag candidate; the fourth-year safety is going into a contract year. Devin White requested a trade this offseason but later returned to the team. The fifth-year linebacker is not a tag candidate but also represents a key 2024 Bucs free agent.
Evans’ agent told Stroud it “sickens” the veteran wideout to see holdout players be rewarded as he has continued to produce. Evans represents a key part of the Bucs’ 2023 equation, which centers around Baker Mayfield replacing Brady. But if this bit of orchestrated pressure does not lead to an extension in the next nine days, Evans could become a trade candidate. Should the Bucs start slowly, ESPN’s Dan Graziano notes both Evans and Godwin should be expected to land in trade rumors. Two years remain on Godwin’s deal.
Offseason In Review: Carolina Panthers
After expressing quick regret on his initial hire as Panthers owner, David Tepper reversed course and prioritized NFL experience. Carolina bailed midway through Year 3 on Matt Rhule‘s seven-year contract, and despite Steve Wilks‘ admirable job moving the team back into the mix for a division title (albeit in a historically bad NFC South), Frank Reich became the pick.
That move sets the tone for Carolina’s mid-2020s, but the decision Reich, Tepper and GM Scott Fitterer made barely a month later should have a longer-term impact. After a quarterback carousel spun in Charlotte for several seasons, the team did its best to address one of the NFL’s most glaring needs.
Trades:
- Sent Bears WR D.J. Moore, Nos. 9 and 61, along with 2024 first-, 2025 second-round pick for No. 1 overall pick
Cam Newton‘s MVP 2015 season turned out to be an aberration; the talented dual-threat option gradually trended down in the years following Carolina’s Super Bowl 50 loss. Toward the end of that late-2010s period, Newton began to break down. Shoulder and foot injuries led to the Panthers cutting bait on his 2015 extension in 2020, but the three-year, $63MM Teddy Bridgewater contract became one of a few stopgap measures that destabilized the team.
Rhule traded Bridgewater in 2021, and the Panthers offered a top-10 pick and their 2020 QB1 for Matthew Stafford in 2021. The Panthers believed they had secured a Stafford trade that winter (though, the then-Lions QB was not too keen on such a move), but the Rams swooping in led to a subsequent trade for Sam Darnold. An injury-plagued Darnold year keyed the Rhule-directed Baker Mayfield push. The Mayfield move only came about after Tepper’s two-offseason pursuit of Deshaun Watson failed. Watson was not big on the Panthers, and they joined the Falcons and Saints in balking at matching the Browns’ fully guaranteed extension offer. Since Newton’s 2018 shoulder injury shut him down, the Panthers have started seven QBs.
This offseason did not turn into a Bryce Young-centric effort immediately. The Panthers pursued Derek Carr, meeting with the nine-year Raiders passer at the Combine — shortly after Carr wielded his no-trade clause to finalize a release. And they were still in those sweepstakes days before going in another direction. But the team shied away from Carr’s $35MM-per-year asking price, clearing the way for the Saints to meet it.
Initially, the Bears were looking at moving from No. 1 to No. 2 to No. 9 — a complex trade that would have given the Texans the top pick and the Panthers the second overall choice. But Houston drifted out of the picture, leading to direct Chicago-Carolina negotiations. Bears GM Ryan Poles asked about Brian Burns and Derrick Brown, but after Fitterer kept the young front-seven pieces out of the trade, Chicago insisted Moore be part of the package. Despite Moore anchoring the Panthers’ receiving corps for most of his five-year Charlotte run, that did not prove a dealbreaker. The Panthers had extended Moore — on a three-year, $61.8MM deal — in March 2022; that contract is now on the Bears’ payroll.
The Panthers needed to include Moore to separate themselves from the other suitors for the pick, making the reluctant decision despite previously turning down a first-rounder (in different trade talks) for their No. 1 wide receiver. Moore, 26, joins Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad as the only three-time 1,100-yard receivers in franchise history. Smith and Muhammad enjoyed better QB stability than Moore, who did not begin his 1,100-yard string until Kyle Allen took over for Newton in 2019.
Carolina also preferred to retain the higher of its two 2023 second-round picks. Rather than move their own choice (No. 38), the Panthers gave the Bears the pick obtained in the Christian McCaffrey deal (No. 61) and a 2025 second. It can be argued the Panthers overprotected their own 2023 second-rounder (which became wideout Jonathan Mingo), keeping it and instead trading No. 61 and a 2025 second.
Regardless of how they stuck the landing, the Panthers made a true QB commitment for the first time since extending Newton in 2015. As a result, Young and Justin Fields‘ careers will be tied together for a while. With Poles and Fitterer boldly completing this trade before free agency, the Panthers carried more certainty going into the market compared to the Bears, who had traded a No. 1 overall pick earlier in an offseason than anyone since the draft moved to April in 1976. It did not take too long before the Panthers’ Young preference circulated.
Free agency additions:
- Adam Thielen, WR: Three years, $25MM ($14MM guaranteed)
- Miles Sanders, RB: Four years, $25.4MM ($13MM guaranteed)
- Hayden Hurst, TE: Three years, $21.75MM ($13MM guaranteed)
- Shy Tuttle, DT: Three years, $19.5MM ($13MM guaranteed)
- Andy Dalton, QB: Two years, $10MM ($8MM guaranteed)
- Vonn Bell, S: Three years, $22.5MM ($7.5MM guaranteed)
- Justin Houston, OLB: One year, $6MM ($6MM guaranteed)
- D.J. Chark, WR: One year, $5MM ($5MM guaranteed)
- DeShawn Williams, DL: One year, $1.75MM ($1.75MM guaranteed)
- Kamu Grugier-Hill, LB: One year, $1.32MM ($153K guaranteed)
- Troy Hill, CB: One year, $1.27MM ($50K guaranteed)
The Moore trade keyed a receiver reboot in Carolina. After Moore and the then-Robbie Anderson began the past three seasons as the Panthers’ top wideouts, both ended up in trades. The team’s ensuing plan injects more risk into the equation, with Thielen going into his age-33 season and Chark missing sizable chunks of the past two slates due to injuries.
Parting with a number of core contributors to improve their cap situation, the Vikings ditched Thielen after 10 years. The Division II product-turned-rookie-camp body made a stunning ascent to join Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Anthony Carter near the top of all-time Vikings receiving lists, and the Minnesota native enjoyed a market upon being cut. The Broncos and Cowboys were among the teams to pursue Thielen, but the 11th-year pass catcher signed with the Panthers after a visit. The Panthers provided a quality parachute for Thielen, who collected nearly as much guaranteed money as top 2023 receiver UFAs Jakobi Meyers and JuJu Smith-Schuster ($16MM apiece) despite being seven years older than both.
Thielen, whose 30 touchdown receptions since 2020 trail only Davante Adams, Mike Evans and Tyreek Hill. Granted, Thielen benefited extensively from Justin Jefferson‘s meteoric rise. But the veteran possession receiver should still aid Young as he acclimates to the NFL. This is a true multiyear commitment. In a non-post-June 1 capacity, cutting Thielen would not save the Panthers any money in 2024. Reich and Co. are betting on two solid years from Thielen.
The Lions attempted to re-sign Chark, but he will be part of a third team in three years. The ex-Jaguars second-rounder posted a 1,000-yard season with Gardner Minshew primarily at the controls (2019) and did some field-stretching work for the Lions when available last year. But Chark missed 13 games because of a fractured ankle in 2021 and saw more ankle trouble lead him to IR last season. Chark still averaged 16.7 yards per reception in his Lions one-off — the second-highest total of his career — but the $5MM contract reflects teams’ hesitancy on the injury front. Chark underwent another ankle surgery this offseason; this second “prove it” deal will be pivotal for the LSU alum’s earning power.
Both Mike Gesicki and Dalton Schultz received the franchise tag last season and have been superior receivers to Hurst during their careers. Hurst, 30, is also two years older than Gesicki and three years older than Schultz. The Panthers nevertheless made another true multiyear commitment. Hurst has one career 500-yard receiving season — a 571-yard showing with the 2020 Falcons — and is coming off a 414-yard slate in Cincinnati. PFF also rated Schultz as a far superior run blocker last season. With the Bengals and Falcons over the past two seasons, Hurst did not exceed nine yards per reception.
The Panthers have not effectively replaced Greg Olsen since his foot trouble keyed a late-2010s decline. They will be making an interesting bet on Hurst doing so, but he and Thielen represent pivotal parts of Young’s first NFL attack.
As you may have heard, the NFL collectively updated its view of running backs. On that note, Sanders was fairly fortunate to land the deal he did. The four-year Eagles starter collected the most guaranteed money of any RB this offseason, though his AAV checked in south of James Conner and Leonard Fournette‘s 2022 pacts. Although Sanders will reunite with ex-Eagles RBs coach Duce Staley, who helped steer him to the Panthers, he is going from perhaps the NFL’s best offensive line to a middling unit. Saquon Barkley‘s Penn State successor is coming off a career-best (by a wide margin) 1,269 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He also has not totaled more than 200 receiving yards in a season since 2019. But there should be some pass-catching upside for the Panthers to explore.
Patriots Looked Into Trade For Texans QB Case Keenum
As the Patriots made the surprising decision to waive Bailey Zappe, they spent a multi-day period with one active-roster quarterback. With versatile UDFA Malik Cunningham also cut, Mac Jones resided alone on the depth chart until the Matt Corral pickup.
While the Pats have Corral positioned behind Jones (technically), Zappe remains in the mix to be the backup. But the team had also targeted a more experienced option to help mentor its third-year starter. In addition to Colt McCoy being on the Patriots’ radar, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes the team looked into acquiring Case Keenum from the Texans.
The Texans brought Keenum back to Houston, after the ex-Cougars standout embarked on a journeyman career upon leaving his original NFL team in 2015, on a two-year deal worth $6.25MM ($4MM guaranteed). This looked to be a sign GM Nick Caserio, who hired a third coaching staff in three years, would look to move two-year starter Davis Mills. But Mills, despite multiple rounds of trade rumors, remains in Houston as C.J. Stroud‘s backup. Keenum sits as the team’s third-stringer.
A report last week indicated the Texans’ backups were generating trade interest, and with the Pats targeting a veteran and Caserio having spent nearly 20 years with the franchise, the dots certainly connect here.
Keenum, 35, has completed a four-time zone journey by stopping through St. Louis, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Denver, Washington, Cleveland and Buffalo since 2015. While Keenum’s post-Vikings career effectively made his 2017 season — which featured a No. 1 QB DVOA ranking, a 13-3 Vikes record and an NFC championship game berth — an outlier, the former UDFA has remained coveted as a backup. Keenum quarterbacked the Browns to two wins during the 2021 season; those two starts ran his career total to 64.
Once Corral became available, however, Breer adds the Patriots regrouped and scrapped their previous plan of a veteran QB2. Patriots senior personnel advisor Pat Stewart, an offseason hire, was with the Panthers as their VP of player personnel from 2020-22. That tenure included the Panthers’ trade-up with the Patriots for Corral, a raw prospect out of Ole Miss. The Pats had explored Corral via trade as well, per Breer, who adds Bill O’Brien‘s good relationship with Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin also led to the decision to submit the claim.
Three years remain on Corral’s rookie contract; he missed all of last season with a Lisfranc injury. It will be interesting to see if the second-year passer’s form prompts the Patriots to circle back to their interest in a veteran backup before the Halloween trade deadline. After Brian Hoyer went down last season, Bill Belichick stuck with Zappe. But the former record-setting Western Kentucky QB struggled in O’Brien’s offense this year. For now, Zappe represents the most logical Jones backup to start the season. But this situation is clearly not settled entering the year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/4/23
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: LS Aaron Brewer
Denver Broncos
- Released from IR via injury settlement: OLB Christopher Allen
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released from IR: WR Jaray Jenkins
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released from IR: WR Chris Lacy
Los Angeles Rams
- Released from IR: S Rashad Torrence
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: G Ben Brown
- Placed on IR: WR Dareke Young
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released from IR: TE Dominique Dafney, S Kedrick Whitehead
Tennessee Titans
- Released from IR: TE Alize Mack
The injury settlements will sever ties between these players and their respective teams. While IR designations ahead of roster-cutdown day make these players ineligible for in-season activations, these settlements open the door to the players playing elsewhere this season. Young heading to IR in-season means he will be sidelined for at least four games. The Seahawks can use one of their eight allotted activations to bring the 2022 seventh-round pick off IR this season.
Brewer has been the Cardinals’ long snapper since 2016. He re-signed with the team in June. The Cardinals placed another long snapper, Matt Hembrough, on IR before cutdown day. Although Brewer was left off Arizona’s 53-man roster, teams often make this move with marginal vested veterans, who do not have to pass through waivers. This allows clubs to protect younger players from the waiver wire. Only left tackle D.J. Humphries has been with the team longer than Brewer, who is going into his age-33 season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/4/23
Here are Monday’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Quavian White
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Tae Hayes
- Released: QB Anthony Brown
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: G Arlington Hambright
- Released: T Dan Skipper
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DL Ross Blacklock
- Released: DL Tommy Togiai
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: OL Hroniss Grasu
- Released: OL Vitaliy Gurman
New England Patriots
- Signed: DL Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: TE Tommy Hudson
- Released: OL Mark Evans
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Cam Sims
- Placed on practice squad injured list: WR Cole Beasley
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Nicholas Morrow, OL Tyre Phillips
- Released: LB Kyron Johnson, CB Tiawan Mullen
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: FB Zander Horvath
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: RB Brian Hill
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: QB Holton Ahlers, S Brady Breeze
- Released: RB Bryant Koback
The Giants are not certain to have Wan’Dale Robinson available in Week 1. The 2022 second-round pick just came off the team’s active/PUP list, a sign the team believes he can return at some point during the season’s first four weeks. Beasley did not make the Giants’ 53-man roster but resided as a possible P-squad elevation option as Robinson protection. This moves nixes that path, as Beasley cannot play until Week 5.
Morrow has gone from potential Eagles starting linebacker to a player who did not make the defending NFC champions’ active roster. But the team still has the former Raiders and Bears starter in its plans. Morrow, who had signed a one-year deal worth the league minimum this offseason, is now positioned as a depth piece who could be elevated ahead of Week 1. Teams can use two P-squad elevations each week, in addition to standard promotions — which require corresponding roster moves — ahead of the Saturday-afternoon deadline.
Better known as the player chosen with the second-round pick obtained for DeAndre Hopkins, Blacklock moved from Houston to Minnesota via trade in August 2022. But he did not make the Vikings’ 53-man roster this year. The fourth-year D-lineman will be a depth option for the Jaguars.
Latest On Panthers, Brian Burns
Extension-eligible since January 2022, Brian Burns has decided to ramp up the pressure on the Panthers. The fifth-year pass rusher has shifted to a hold-in strategy, Joe Person of The Athletic notes (subscription required).
Burns attended training camp and practiced throughout, but with the sides still far apart on the long-rumored extension, a course change took place. The 2019 first-round pick is going into his fifth-year option season, slotting his cap number at a Panthers-high $16MM. That number could come into play for a different reason soon. The Panthers made an early-summer offer to Burns and have eyed an extension for over a year now.
This marks an unusual switch, though this summer has seen a few twists regarding attendance. Zack Martin, Chris Jones and Nick Bosa staged holdouts. Martin’s ended with the Cowboys giving their All-Pro guard a substantial raise and guaranteeing his 2023 and 2024 salaries. The Chiefs have not caved on Jones, though the sides are talking. The least contentious of these holdouts, Bosa’s would not need to bring financial penalties for camp absences due to the reigning Defensive Player of the Year remaining on his rookie contract. But Bosa would begin to miss game checks if he does not suit up for Week 1.
Burns would soon find himself in that boat. If the Pro Bowl edge defender’s hold-in effort moves to games missed, he would lose out on an $890K check per game. Burns just said he would not miss any time. That stance would obviously point to him not missing Week 1, undercutting his hold-in leverage. Frank Reich said Burns missed Monday’s practice because of a personal matter but added he was not sure his top sack artist would begin the season without a new deal in hand.
When T.J. Watt secured an edge rusher-record $28MM per year, he staged a hold-in that did not end until three days before Week 1. T.J. Hockenson‘s hold-in, which featured excuses of ear and back issues covering for missed practices, ended last week with a tight end-record AAV. That would have been a more consistent measure for Burns to try, but shifting from practicing to a hold-in just before the season marks a new chapter in 2020s negotiations. It also signals Burns becoming serious about locking in this deal after being eligible for one for two offseasons.
Previously connected to wanting top-five edge rusher money, Burns now may be eyeing a contract closer to the one Bosa is pursuing. Burns, 25, is indeed eyeing “Bosa-type money,” per Person, who adds the Panthers would be more comfortable with the deal coming in around Maxx Crosby territory. Crosby scored a $23.5MM-per-year deal from the Raiders in March 2022; that sits fifth among edge rushers. Bosa’s pact will soon bump it to sixth. Guarantees here will obviously be critical. Watt received a defender-record $80MM fully guaranteed. While Joey Bosa is at $78MM and Nick Bosa figures to secure guarantees on this level, no other edge rusher received more than $60MM locked in at signing.
It is understandable the Panthers do not want Burns in the $30MM-per-year neighborhood — contract terrain that has yet to form, as Nick Bosa’s holdout persists — as Burns has not proven himself to be on Watt or Nick Bosa’s level yet. He has one double-digit sack season (12.5 in 2022) on his resume. But the player has leverage here. The Panthers turned down a two-first-rounder Rams proposal for Burns before last year’s deadline, and they kept him out of trade talks with the Bears — which led to D.J. Moore becoming mandatory for Chicago — in March. The Panthers are also set to build around Bryce Young‘s rookie contract, which will give them roster flexibility elsewhere.
It will be interesting to see if Burns’ about-face works here. It could provide a blueprint for other contract-seeking players who see talks fail to progress ahead of the season. The Raiders and Colts’ extensions for Darren Waller and Quenton Nelson, respectively, showed how close to the season negotiations can run. Both players agreed to re-ups the Saturday before their teams’ Week 1 games. Burns talks may push up against the Panthers’ season opener as well.