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.
Patriots Place T Riley Reiff On IR
Riley Reiff made it through last season unscathed, but the veteran tackle will spend time on IR for the second time in three years. The Patriots shifted Reiff to IR on Monday and promoted tight end Pharaoh Brown from the practice squad.
The 12th-year blocker suffered a right leg injury in the Pats’ preseason finale. Although Reiff’s timetable is not known, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes the issue is not believed to be one that will end the veteran’s season. Still, this stands to affect the Patriots’ offensive line configuration to start the season.
Both tackle spots loomed as concerns for the Patriots this offseason, with perennial injury risk Trent Brown having missed time earlier this year. New England had also experienced issues at guard, with Michael Onwenu coming off the active/PUP list in late August. Cole Strange has also missed notable preseason time. Reiff now must miss at least four games. He will factor into the Pats’ IR-return mix; teams have eight such activations available in-season.
Reiff has only played tackle in games as a pro, but the former first-round pick was working at guard — a position he slid to at points in practice for the then-guard-limited Pats — when the injury occurred, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald notes. Reiff signed a one-year, $5MM deal in March, coming over after spending 2022 in Chicago. A Bears backup to start last season, Reiff eventually replaced Larry Borom in the 3-14 team’s lineup and started 10 games.
The well-traveled blocker has not run into substantial injury problems over the course of his career, only missing more than four games in a season once. That came in 2021, when an ankle injury sidelined him for the Bengals’ final five games. Working as Cincinnati’s starting right tackle that year, Reiff did not return for the team’s Super Bowl LVI run. Reiff, 34, will begin this season having started 149 career games.
This development creates uncertainty for the Pats, who were connected to a bigger investment at the position than the ones they eventually made. Rumored to be eyeing one of the top right tackles, the Pats instead added Reiff and ex-Broncos swing tackle Calvin Anderson. The team has rookie Sidy Sow as an option, and Kyed notes Onwenu moving back to tackle — a position he played earlier in his career with the Patriots — could be an emergency avenue. That would create a right guard vacancy.
New England also has Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and recent trade acquisition Vederian Lowe on its 53-man roster. Wheatley has yet to suit up for an NFL game; Lowe played in four as a Vikings backup last season. Sow arrived this year as a fourth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan. Anderson is the most experienced Patriots backup tackle. The Broncos’ tackle issues led to Anderson starting a career-high seven games last season. He has made 12 career starts but spent much of training camp on the active/non-football illness list.
Dolphins To Retain WR Robbie Chosen Via Practice Squad
SEPTEMBER 4: As is the case with a number of players recently let go by their respective teams, Anderson has remained with the Dolphins by signing to their practice squad, ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques notes. The veteran will thus be eligible to be elevated from the practice squad for gamedays or to work his way onto the active roster depending on Miami’s depth at the WR spot. To make room on the taxi squad, defensive end Randy Charlton was released.
AUGUST 29: With his third team and on his third name in the past three years, Robbie Chosen received word he did not make the Dolphins’ 53-man roster. Miami is releasing the veteran wide receiver, Jordan Schultz of The Score tweets. 
The former Robby Anderson/Robbie Anderson/Chosen Anderson had moved from the Panthers to the Cardinals to the Dolphins since the 2022 trade deadline. He signed a one-year, $1.32MM deal with Miami this offseason. The Dolphins guaranteed the former Jets starter just $153K.
Anderson, 30, had reached out to the Dolphins about a deal in the spring. During an offseason in which Miami also brought in Braxton Berrios, the team worked out a deal. But Anderson will not be part of a veteran-laden receiving corps. Berrios joins Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson Jr. as receivers on veteran deals in Miami. Two years remain on Jaylen Waddle‘s rookie contract. River Cracraft and 2022 fourth-round pick Erik Ezukanma remain with the team as well.
After a strong showing with the Jets over the course of his own rookie pact, Anderson landed a multi-year free agent deal with the Panthers. His time there began as planned, as he recorded a career-best 95 catches for 1,095 yards. That performance offered reason for optimism moving forward, but things took a turn for the worse starting in 2021. The former UDFA saw a notable drop in production despite an uptick in playing time that year.
Dissatisfaction with his usage led to increasing tension with then-head coach Steve Wilks this past campaign. An episode on the sidelines resulted in Anderson being removed from the game, and his trade to the Cardinals took place one day later. The Temple product was unable to lock down a spot in Arizona or Miami. He will thus join the group of veterans eligible to sign with a new team if sufficient interest exists. He could also be a practice squad candidate to start the year if he winds up remaining with the Dolphins.
Offseason In Review: Dallas Cowboys
Even after back-to-back 12-5 seasons, Mike McCarthy faces pressure going into his fourth year as Cowboys HC. The former Packers leader’s second-chance tenure has proven successful; he is the first Cowboys coach to guide the team to back-to-back playoff berths since Chan Gailey (1998-99). McCarthy will assume greater ownership of the team in Year 4 as well, taking over the play-calling reins after a split with OC Kellen Moore.
The Cowboys’ modest run of 21st-century postseason accomplishments is well known, turning up some heat on this rather popular team’s latest sideline boss. But Dallas’ latest roster does not present many weaknesses. The team addressed deficiencies via trades for accomplished veterans and is poised to enter this season healthier than it did in 2022. With the NFC again looking like the weaker conference (potentially by a wide margin), there are not many teams that outflank the Cowboys. That raises the stakes for McCarthy’s team to put it together in January.
Extensions and restructures:
- Reached fully guaranteed two-year, $36.85MM deal with G Zack Martin
- Extended CB Trevon Diggs on five-year, $97.5MM contract ($33.3MM guaranteed)
- Came to five-year, $86.8MM extension agreement with RT Terence Steele
- Gave S Malik Hooker three-year, $21MM extension ($11MM guaranteed)
- Restructured QB Dak Prescott‘s deal, creating $23MM in cap space
- Reworked T Tyron Smith‘s contract, creating $5MM in cap space
- Restructured WR Michael Gallup, DE DeMarcus Lawrence‘s contracts, creating $16MM in cap space
Joining Chris Jones in testing his team with a holdout, Martin incurred more than $1MM in nonwaivable fines (the 49ers’ Nick Bosa holdout differs, as teams can still waive fines for rookie-contract players). But the future Hall of Fame guard made the absence worthwhile. The Cowboys caved, and Martin cashed in despite two seasons having remained on his contract.
The Cowboys’ preference for five- or six-year extensions has led to a number of stalwarts playing out their primes and seeing peers elsewhere sign shorter-term contracts, allowing for a potential second big payday, and ultimately come out better. Dallas’ penchant for lengthy extensions reminds of how contracts were structured in previous eras, and coming into this year, only Dak Prescott earned a notable victory (via his four-year, $160MM extension) over management on this front.
Martin entered the offseason tied to a six-year, $84MM deal. Agreed to in 2018, Martin’s contract set a guard record at the time. Given how NFL business works, lesser guards passed Martin. Chris Lindstrom, who does not have an All-Pro nod on his resume, joined Quenton Nelson in the $20MM-AAV guard club. This may or may not have been the last straw for Martin, who had fallen to the ninth-highest-paid guard following the Lindstrom pact.
Dallas’ 32-year-old O-line anchor did not skip minicamp but expressed disappointment in his contract before training camp and followed through on a rare holdout. The 2020 CBA deterred holdouts over its first three years, preventing teams from waiving fines for veterans who miss camp without excused absences. Although Jerry Jones‘ comments suggested a hardline stance, Martin ended up with an $8MM raise over two years and walked away with those final two seasons fully guaranteed. Martin had played out the guarantees on his previous deal.
For the All-Decade blocker to secure this package pointed to the value he brings the team. With Tyron Smith perennially injured and Travis Frederick retiring years ago, Martin represents the last link to the Tony Romo-era O-line core. Still in his prime protecting Prescott, the right guard struck a rare blow against the Cowboys’ contract M.O.
The Cowboys came into camp prioritizing younger players’ contracts over Martin’s, with Diggs being one of the central priorities. Known for his aggressiveness, the former second-round pick produced a historic 2021 season (11 INTs — territory no one had reached since Everson Walls got there as a Cowboys rookie in 1981) that ended with first-team All-Pro acclaim. Diggs’ passer rating against and completion percentage allowed figures skyrocketed in 2022, however. Citing the corner’s yards yielded in coverage, Pro Football Focus has yet to rank Diggs as a top-40 player at the position. The Cowboys are convinced in Diggs, for the foreseeable future at least, giving the former second-round pick an upper-crust extension.
Like Amari Cooper‘s 2020 contract, the Diggs deal has a clear out after two years. The Cowboys would be hit with just $4MM in dead money by designating Diggs as a post-June 1 cut in 2025 or trading him after that date. The team certainly will hope for a better outcome on this accord, but it is fairly protected in the event Diggs’ gambling habit catches up to him on this big-ticket accord. The player the Cowboys drafted to replace Byron Jones ended up cashing in on the type of extension neither Jones nor former top-10 pick Morris Claiborne could score with the team.
Hooker’s extension gives the Cowboys three safeties signed in the $5-$7MM-per-year range, completing an interesting middle-class-veteran-based plan at a position the team struggled to staff for years. Joining Jayron Kearse and Donovan Wilson in a formidable three-safety set including a former sixth-round pick and two outside hires, Hooker is now on his third Cowboys contract. The former Colts first-rounder has gone from earning $920K per year in his first Cowboys season (2021) to a $3.5MM AAV (2022) to this deal. Hooker has shaken off the injury issues that plagued him in Indianapolis, missing only three games as a Cowboy, and, at 27, is squarely in his prime.
Although dozens of restructures took place this offseason, few carried greater ramifications than Prescott’s. The Cowboys saved plenty by moving money around on their top contract, but it arms the veteran quarterback with plenty of leverage once again. Prescott scored his monster extension, after three offseasons of negotiations, because of the trouble a second franchise tag would have caused for the Cowboys in 2021. Dak’s latest restructure spikes his 2024 cap number to $59.5MM. That is an untenable figure for the Cowboys, considering no one has ever played a season with a cap number higher than $45MM.
The Cowboys cannot tag Prescott in 2025, due to the whopping figure that could come about because of the two tags used previously (the second being for procedural purposes to prevent a 2025 tag), and the void years they tacked onto the deal would result in a $36.4MM dead-money hit were Dak to walk as a 2025 free agent. Although Prescott struggled for stretches last season, he is equipped for a bounce-back year — one that should vault him into the newly created $50MM-per-year salary club. Few players are in more advantageous financial situations.
Smith has finally reached the end of the NFL’s longest-running active contract. The All-Decade tackle did not exactly do poorly for earnings in his career, but signing an eight-year, $97.6MM extension in 2014 walled off his path to a lucrative third contract. Smith, who came into the league at 20, is still just 32. Had Smith signed even a five-year deal when first eligible, he would have been positioned to score another one more in line with the market changes (the cap rested at $133MM in 2014; it hit $224.8MM this year). Being attached to a $12.2MM-per-year extension, Smith would have been the NFL’s 27th-highest-paid tackle this year. The likely Hall of Famer’s injuries (45 missed games since 2016) led to the Cowboys effectively mandating a pay cut, but he will still beat the odds and finish out this contract.
Trades:
- Sent Texans 2023 fifth-round pick, 2024 sixth-rounder for WR Brandin Cooks
- Dealt 2024 fourth-round pick to 49ers for QB Trey Lance
- Acquired CB Stephon Gilmore from Colts for 2023 fifth-round pick
- Traded CB Kelvin Joseph to Dolphins for CB Noah Igbinoghene
The Cowboys’ public courtship of Odell Beckham Jr. produced nothing, as the former star ended up sitting out the 2022 season altogether. Prior to the Beckham push, however, the Cowboys discussed Cooks with the Texans. At that point, Houston was believed to want a second-round pick (Cooks’ cost back in 2020, when the Texans acquired him from the Rams). Dallas did not bite, and months later, it did not take anything on that level to pry the veteran away from the rebuilding team. While the Cowboys inquired on Jerry Jeudy and Adam Thielen, Cooks became their pick to upgrade the receiving corps.
Michael Gallup did not deliver plus WR2 work last season, and the Cowboys missed Cooper alongside CeeDee Lamb. With Gallup nearly two years removed from his ACL tear, Cooks gives the team another nice three-WR set. Joining Brandon Marshall in accumulating 1,000-yard receiving seasons for four different teams, Cooks saw his numbers dip last season. He served as less of a deep threat in Houston, seeing his average depth of target drop under 11 in each of the past two seasons. Going into his age-30 season, Cooks should still have something left. Will the veteran speedster be able to threaten defenses deep consistently with a better quarterback?
Dallas restructured Cooks’ contract, dropping his cap hit to $6MM this season through the use of void years. Should the 10th-year wide receiver be a post-prime commodity, the team can escape this contract — originally a two-year, $39MM Texans extension — for just $2MM in dead money in 2024 (as a post-June 1 cut). Considering the 2022 Cowboys only featured one 600-yard receiver — in a year in which they cycled through some options, including in-season addition T.Y. Hilton — sending the Texans two late-round picks for one of the league’s steadiest options was a move worth making.
Another move to indicate how the Cowboys view their championship window occurred just before the Cooks strike. Dallas will complement Diggs with Gilmore, giving the defense five players who have received first- or second-team All-Pro acclaim (along with Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and Leighton Vander Esch). After an abbreviated 2021 season that involved a contract dispute and an eventual trade out of New England, the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year showed he still had gas in the tank in Indianapolis. The Colts’ coaching and QB performance obscured their other players’ work, and Gilmore graded as PFF’s No. 9 overall corner. Gilmore’s passer rating-against and completion percentage allowed numbers came in much better, despite the Colts’ struggles, than his 2021 output.
Texans Place G Kenyon Green On IR
SEPTEMBER 3: Kenyon Green and the Texans knew as early as May that Green may need surgery, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. It seems as if Houston wanted to see if its young blocker could play through the pain, and as Brandon Scott of Chron.com observes, Green was operating with the first team during the first two games of the preseason despite having his reps carefully managed in OTAs and training camp. Unfortunately, he aggravated the shoulder injury during the preseason finale, and it became clear he would need to be shut down.
“To his credit, he worked through it and I’d say did the best he could with the situation that he was given,” Caserio said. “In the end, we just felt for the betterment of the team and the player, that [surgery] was the best decision.”
AUGUST 29: Kenyon Green‘s injury will lead the Texans to take a drastic step. They placed the 2022 first-round pick on IR. This move will sideline the young guard for the season.
The Texans traded for Steelers interior O-lineman Kendrick Green earlier today, and they have center Juice Scruggs facing the possibility of a trip to in-season IR. That move would only knock out Scruggs for four games. By putting Kenyon Green on IR now, the Texans will lose him for the year.
This represents a tough blow to Kenyon Green‘s career and to the Texans’ O-line. A shoulder injury is one of multiple issues plaguing the Texas A&M product, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets, adding that the second-year lineman will undergo shoulder surgery. Green has already undergone two knee surgeries since joining the Texans.
Although injury trouble hampered Green during his first training camp, the 22-year-old blocker still played in 15 games (14 starts) as a rookie. But the ex-Aggie’s season did not go well. Pro Football Focus graded Green as the worst full-time guard in 2022. This year would have been an opportunity for a quick bounce back for last year’s first guard selected, but Green will have to wait until 2024 to turn his career around.
Chosen 15th overall last year, Green earned consensus All-American honors for his work in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The Texans made major investments in their offensive front over the past two offseasons. Following their Green pick, they extended Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard and traded for Shaq Mason. The ex-Patriots and Buccaneers guard — acquired by New England during Nick Caserio‘s time with the team — also signed an extension this offseason.
The Texans then used a second-round pick on Scruggs, but it will be a while before Houston can deploy its preferred O-line. Scruggs’ hamstring strain is expected to keep him out two to four weeks. The Texans have acquired both Kendrick Green and Josh Jones via trade in the past week. Both could be put to work early.
It may be a bit before the team unveils an O-line configuration featuring even three of its starting five. Rehabbing a hand injury, Howard is not viewed as a lock to start the season on time. This run of setbacks comes as the Texans prepare to begin No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud‘s starter run.
Dolphins GM: WR Jaylen Waddle Not Available; Team Content With RB Room
While the Packers entered the fray for Jonathan Taylor, the Dolphins loomed as the most aggressive suitor. In on just about every available or potentially available running back this year, the Dolphins were connected to Taylor interest within minutes of the Colts greenlighting trade talks.
For now, Taylor remains on the Colts, set to begin the season on the reserve/PUP list. But the trade deadline is nearly two months away (October 31). That gives the Dolphins more time. One player the Colts asked about will almost certainly not be on the table if/when the sides huddle up on talks again. GM Chris Grier laughed upon indicating (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques) Jaylen Waddle would not be available in a trade, “no matter who they’re calling about.”
The Colts are believed to have asked about Waddle during Taylor talks that included a back-and-forth featuring players and picks. Despite the Dolphins being tied to Taylor for nearly two weeks now, Grier said no offers emerged from either side. A recent report indicated at least two teams made offers, and it is a bit difficult to imagine the Dolphins were not one of those. But Grier said the Dolphins “feel good about their running back room,” per Louis-Jacques.
Miami has been connected to inquiring on Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, D’Andre Swift and Dalvin Cook over the past five-plus months. The team pursued Cook in both a trade, coming close to a deal with the Vikings, and in free agency. But the Jets landed the Miami native on a one-year, $7MM deal. The Dolphins then cut Myles Gaskin, whom they re-signed this offseason, and placed Jeff Wilson on IR. This leaves Raheem Mostert, Salvon Ahmed, third-rounder Devon Achane and rookie UDFA Chris Brooks as Miami’s available RBs. Achane is also nursing a shoulder injury.
While Mike McDaniel said he would not be surprised if Wilson returns this season, the running back’s agent — Drew Rosenhaus — said (via WSVN’s Josh Moser) his client is dealing with rib and pinkie finger injuries and should not be sidelined for long after the mandatory four-game absence requirement ends. Acquired just before last year’s trade deadline and re-signing with the Dolphins this offseason, Wilson also missed the start of the 2021 season due to a summer foot injury.
On Waddle, it is unsurprising the Dolphins would scoff at including him in a deal for Taylor. The former No. 6 overall pick is one of the NFL’s best young wide receivers. While he is the No. 2 target on the Dolphins behind Tyreek Hill, the Alabama alum zoomed to a 1,356-yard, eight-touchdown season and led the NFL in yards per reception (18.1). Waddle can be kept on his rookie deal through 2025, once the Dolphins exercise his fifth-year option by May 2024.
Waddle being included in the talks for Taylor, during a period in which wideout value has soared well past that of running backs, makes it worth wondering how serious the Colts are about dealing the 2021 rushing champion. Immediately after Taylor’s trade request became public, Jim Irsay shot down the notion the disgruntled back would be moved. Rumblings about some among the Colts warming up to the idea surfaced, but this situation is on pause for the foreseeable future.
Dolphins To Extend FB Alec Ingold
SEPTEMBER 2: Taking away incentives, ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques notes the deal is believed to be worth $12.2MM. This would average $4.1MM per season. This bumps Ingold ahead of the Ravens’ Patrick Ricard as the league’s second-highest-paid fullback. As expected when this pact was announced, Juszczyk remains the NFL’s highest-paid player at the position.
AUGUST 31: Dolphins running back rumors have circulated for most of the year, but no splash transaction has occurred. However, the team will make a notable payment to its fullback. Alec Ingold is now locked down through the 2026 season.
Miami is extending Ingold on a three-year deal worth up to $17.2MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. This makes Ingold the league’s second-highest-paid fullback — behind only San Francisco’s Kyle Juszczyk. Mike McDaniel having coached both Juszczyk and Ingold represents the relevant tie here, with this offensive scheme valuing the long-downward-trending position.
This represents a nice turnaround for Ingold, whom the Raiders nontendered as a restricted free agent last year. In McDaniel’s first months on the job, the Dolphins scooped up the Wisconsin alum on a two-year, $6.5MM deal. The fifth-year fullback is no longer going into a contract year.
Ingold is now making more money than every Dolphins running back. Neither Raheem Mostert nor Jeff Wilson signed for more than $3MM per year this offseason. Illustrating the state of the running back, Ingold was already making more than the recently re-signed Miami backs. But the system Mike McDaniel uses has continued to use fullbacks regularly.
The Dolphins had already illustrated their commitment to this position last year; Ingold was previously the league’s third-highest-paid fullback. It should be expected Juszczyk’s $5.4MM-per-year deal will remain the NFL standard, with incentives likely part of Ingold’s pact. But the 26-year-old will be tied to top-end fullback money for the foreseeable future.
Debuting in McDaniel’s offense, Ingold caught a career-high 15 passes last season. He has scored a receiving touchdown in each of his four seasons. As the Raiders shifted to Josh McDaniels’ offense, they went in another direction — ex-McDaniels Patriots charge Jakob Johnson — at the position. The Dolphins used Ingold on 418 snaps last season, a mark that nearly doubled his previous career high. After authorizing this contract, it is safe to assume Ingold will be a regular part of McDaniel’s offense in the long run.
Shanahan: 49ers Not Trading Nick Bosa
6:15pm: Adding further to the belief that Bosa is attempting to eclipse Donald as the league’s highest-earning defensive player, Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda reports that the 49ers are offering a deal in the range of $30MM to $31MM per season. However, he also quotes a source stating that San Francisco “won’t break the bank” on the former No. 2 pick. With time running out before the start of the season, it will be interesting to see how much farther the team is willing to go to get these negotiations over the finish line.
10:06am: Nick Bosa‘s holdout dragging into September has the 49ers in the same boat with the Chiefs, whose top defensive player (Chris Jones) is also in pursuit of a monster extension. While the current CBA largely curbed holdouts over its first three seasons, Bosa, Jones and Zack Martin have tested their respective teams this summer.
The Cowboys reached a resolution with Martin, giving the All-Pro guard a raise and fully guaranteeing his money through the end of his through-2024 contract. Martin still incurred nonwaivable fines, with Jones barreling toward $2MM in such penalties. But the CBA allows the 49ers to waive Bosa fines — due to the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year being tied to a rookie contract. That component makes this a less contentious negotiation.
But the 49ers are less than 10 days from potentially opening the season without Bosa. Kyle Shanahan expected a contract agreement to be reached around this time, and when asked if the absence of an extension opens the door to Bosa being traded, the seventh-year HC responded in the negative. John Lynch was more direct, flatly indicating (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner) Bosa would not be moved amid these long-running negotiations.
“I thought it would come probably at this time, just looking at the history of those things,” Shanahan said of a Bosa deal. “And I’m really hoping it gets done. I know they’re working tirelessly at it … but hopefully we can get him in here sooner than later.”
Bosa’s importance to the 49ers ahead of his age-26 season made the subject of a trade almost immaterial, at least compared to the Chiefs’ Jones impasse. The 49ers have budgeted a Bosa extension for a while, with Lynch indicating last year 2023 would be the window when the star defensive end would cash in. Although the 49ers extended Deebo Samuel and George Kittle late in the summer, Bosa’s talks are pushing up against the regular season. Samuel agreed to his extension on July 31 of last year; Kittle locked in on August 13, 2020.
Lynch expressed disappointment this situation produced a lengthy holdout but said Bosa will land a “special contract.” Bosa’s camp is almost definitely gunning to top Aaron Donald‘s defender-record number ($31.7MM per year). With T.J. Watt setting the edge defender market in September 2021, the 49ers should be expected to top the Rams’ Donald payment. Bosa does not turn 26 until October and established himself as a franchise-changing presence immediately. The salary cap being back on the rise also boosts Bosa’s cause. Bosa is tied to a $17.86MM fifth-year option number; the 49ers stand to gain cap room with this extension.
In what should probably go without saying, new 49ers DC Steve Wilks doubts Bosa will be limited when he returns to work, per the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman. Watt agreed to his $28MM-AAV extension (with a defender-record $80MM fully guaranteed) three days before the Steelers’ 2021 opener, though the Steelers star had staged a hold-in effort while tied to a fifth-year option salary. The 49ers open the regular season on Sept. 10 in Pittsburgh.
DL Notes: Donald, Jones, Young, Cowboys
The Rams moving on from a wave of defensive starters this offseason could soon call Aaron Donald‘s status into question. No notable Donald trade noise has circulated just yet, but with the Rams retooling, those would not surprise. Donald’s landmark extension runs through 2024, but the guarantees on that $31.7MM-per-year deal end this year. Donald’s contract includes a no-trade clause, but it does not look like he will prioritize his hometown Steelers — either via trade or a potential free agency run. While the Pittsburgh alum may not necessarily rule out a stint with his hometown team, NBC Sports’ Peter King notes the all-time great does not have such a move as a priority. The Rams must decide on Donald’s 2024 status by Day 5 of the 2024 league year, when $30MM becomes guaranteed.
Donald, 32, threatened to retire last year but secured a landmark raise. The 10th-year veteran was not closely connected to retirement plans this offseason. Here is the latest from the D-line scene:
- Chase Young is on the verge of returning to full-time duty, after a 2021 ACL tear and patellar tendon rupture sidetracked the former Defensive Rookie of the Year’s career. But the fourth-year Commanders defensive end is recovering from another issue. As a result of a stinger sustained in the first preseason game, The Athletic’s Ben Standig notes Young has not received full clearance to return and is not a lock to be available in Week 1 (subscription required). Young has not practiced fully in more than two weeks; he was expected to meet with a doctor this week. The Commanders declined Young’s fifth-year option in May, putting him in a contract year along with Montez Sweat.
- Chris Jones‘ holdout has extended past the one-month mark, and while fines have piled up, the disgruntled D-tackle has indicated he would be willing to push this hiatus toward the midseason point. Jones reporting only to pick up an accrued season would certainly harm the Chiefs, who have relied on their dominant interior D-lineman for years. On that note, GM Brett Veach said (via Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams) the sides have increased communication this week. Jones would accumulate nearly $10MM in total fines — from training camp fines and missed game checks — were he to sit out until Week 8. Andy Reid said Friday he has not been given any indication Jones will be back in time for Kansas City’s Thursday-night opener. Jones wants Donald-level money; the Chiefs are looking to pay him closer to the second tier of DT deals that formed this offseason. Quinnen Williams‘ $24MM-AAV deal tops that contingent.
- The Cowboys appear to be planning to work in first-round Mazi Smith slowly. The Michigan product is expected to be a rotational player to begin his career, with The Athletic’s Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf noting Johnathan Hankins and Osa Odighizuwa are likely to be team’s defensive tackle starters in Week 1. Smith, however, will obviously be expected to move into the starting lineup early in his career.
- Joseph Ossai‘s status for the Bengals‘ opener is up in the air due to a high ankle sprain, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes. The third-year defensive end is unlikely to suit up against the Browns, per Conway. While Ossai has shown some promise, injuries have continued to intervene. The 2021 third-round pick missed his entire rookie year and, after playing through a torn labrum late last year, underwent offseason surgery. The Bengals are deeper at D-end now, having drafted Myles Murphy in Round 1 to join Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard.
Jamal Adams To Miss Regular-Season Time
Jamal Adams is off the Seahawks’ PUP list, pointing to an early-season return. But that will not come to pass in Week 1. Pete Carroll ruled out the former All-Pro for Seattle’s opener.
The former top-10 pick is on the homestretch of a recovery from a torn quadriceps tendon sustained in the Seahawks’ 2022 season opener. Generally optimistic on the injury front, Carroll said the Seahawks would give the former big-ticket trade acquisition more time. The 14th-year Seattle HC said during a KJR interview Adams could be sidelined multiple games.
On-field preparations for the Seahawks’ opener against the Rams did not include Adams, who is going into his age-28 season. Adams has only participated in walkthroughs since being activated off the active/PUP list on August 24. The former Jets standout has missed 25 games as a Seahawk. The team added insurance, in the form of Julian Love, at the position in free agency. Love joins Adams and Quandre Diggs in comprising the NFL’s most expensive set of safeties.
The Seahawks are hoping to use Adams more near the line of scrimmage, his specialty, while Diggs and Love operate in more traditional safety roles. The team has Diggs tied to a three-year, $39MM accord; Love signed a two-year, $12MM deal in March. Adams’ record-setting deal ($17.5MM AAV) still sits third at the position, two years after it was finalized. The Seahawks have $40.9MM allocated to their safety position on their 2023 cap sheet. No other team’s number crosses $25MM at this position.
Giving up two first-round picks and a 2021 third-rounder in the 2020 Adams swap, the Seahawks have ended up on the losing end of this deal. The Jets used the first-rounders on Alijah Vera-Tucker (via trade-up) and Garrett Wilson. The Seahawks would be hit with $9MM-plus in dead money by designating Adams as a post-June 1 cut in 2024; Adams’ $18.1MM cap hold tops the team’s 2023 payroll. For now, the team will hope to see the seventh-year veteran recapture old form.
Additionally, Carroll said first-round pick Devon Witherspoon is unlikely to begin the season on time, per the Tacoma News-Tribune’s Gregg Bell. The No. 5 overall pick is nursing a hamstring injury. While Carroll ruled out Adams for the opener, he stopped short of confirming the rookie cornerback would be sidelined. Witherspoon is by far the highest corner draftee of the Carroll-John Schneider era. The team had previously never used a first- or second-round pick on that position.