Jets To Sign S Adrian Amos
Months after acquiring Chuck Clark via trade, the Jets are adding another safety to the mix. Adrian Amos intends to sign with the team, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.
Linked to the Ravens after visiting earlier this offseason, the Baltimore native will instead follow Clark to New York. The Jets are set to add the ex-Bears and Packers safety on a one-year deal worth up to $4MM.
Amos continues the chain of ex-Packers to join the Jets, following Aaron Rodgers, Allen Lazard, Billy Turner and Randall Cobb. Amos, 30, spent the past four seasons in Green Bay and has worked exclusively as a starter throughout his eight-year career. Following the draft, the Packers had not closed the door on re-signing Amos. But they will let another free agent join Rodgers in the Big Apple.
Prior to this Jets agreement, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec notes the Ravens brought in Amos for a second visit (Twitter link) Monday. Amos met with the Ravens in March as well. Despite steady interest from the Ravens, the Baltimore native received a better offer from the Jets during his New York visit.
While a Packers team with a more glaring need at safety did not show urgency to re-sign Amos this offseason, the veteran defender’s only major connections were to teams with two safety starters in place. The Ravens discussed a deal with Amos, but they already have Marcus Williams and 2022 first-round pick Kyle Hamilton on the back line. The Jets added Clark to a safety corps including Jordan Whitehead. The former Buccaneer, a 2022 free agency addition, started 17 Jets games last season.
Pro Football Focus graded Amos as one of the NFL’s worst safety regulars last season, but he drew a top-30 mark at the position in every other year of his career. Amos also made a career-high 102 tackles in 2022, registering a career-most seven tackles for loss as well. This signing gives the Jets interesting depth, at the very least. It will be interesting to see how the Jets use Amos and if he can recapture the form he showed prior to a 2022 step back.
Amos landed a four-year, $36MM Packers deal during the 2019 offseason. This came just after he started for a No. 1-ranked Bears defense, which powered the team to an NFC North title in Vic Fangio‘s final year at the controls. The former Bears fifth-rounder then helped the Packers to three straight division crowns. Green Bay still rosters ex-first-rounder Darnell Savage, but the team reduced his playing time last season. With Amos now gone, the Packers have a host of less proven players — Rudy Ford, Jonathan Owens and Tarvarius Moore among them — vying for the spot alongside Savage.
As for the Ravens, they remain in strong shape at safety even after dealing Clark and missing out on Amos. They moved Brandon Stephens back to safety, after he played cornerback in 2022, and retained Geno Stone via RFA tender this offseason. While Williams missed a chunk of last season due to injury, he and Hamilton are positioned as entrenched starters going forward. Williams is signed through 2026; Hamilton can be kept on his rookie deal through then via the fifth-year option.
Vikings Release RB Dalvin Cook; Dolphins, Broncos On Radar
JUNE 9: As expected, no trade suitors emerged for Cook as teams knew that he would soon hit the open market. The release is now official, per a team announcement, meaning he will be free to sign with a new team any time after 3:00pm Central today.
“I hold Dalvin in the highest regard and am grateful for his contributions on and off the field,” a statement from head coach Kevin O’Connell reads in part. “Dalvin’s approach to the game and his commitment to sportsmanship is clearly respected across the league. We appreciate Dalvin’s positivity, energy and leadership and will be pulling for him in the future.”
Adofo-Mensah likewise praised Cook for his time with the Vikings, which has come to a close after four straight Pro Bowl campaigns. It will be interesting to monitor how his free agent market takes shape.
JUNE 8: After months of trade rumors, the Vikings plan to conclude the offseason Dalvin Cook saga with a release. Minnesota now intends to cut its six-year starting running back, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
The Vikings intend to follow through with this long-rumored separation Friday, Pelissero tweets. While this potentially opens the door to a last-ditch trade effort, Minnesota has dangled Cook in deals for several weeks now. No takers have emerged. Cook is a vested veteran and will move straight to free agency if/when cut. The Vikes, as should be expected here, will make a final effort to trade Cook, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets.
As for potential suitors, Schefter names the Dolphins — who discussed Cook with the Vikings earlier this offseason — and Broncos (Twitter link). Denver has a clear tie, with GM George Paton being in Minnesota when the Vikes drafted Cook in 2017 second round, but the team also signed Samaje Perine and has starter Javonte Williams already participating in offseason work despite tearing an ACL in October.
The Broncos are highly unlikely to make an 11th-hour trade offer for Cook, per 9News’ Mike Klis, who adds they should not be considered a lock to pursue him in free agency. But Schefter notes the team has been monitoring the talented back for weeks. The Dolphins hold nearly $14MM in cap space; the Broncos sit at just more than $10MM. Other suitors are believed to be in the mix once Cook officially becomes available at 3pm CT Friday, but these are the two known candidates at this point.
Cook’s positional value and $10.4MM base salary have almost definitely impeded strong trade offers from emerging. A release will save the Vikings $9MM, though the Pro Bowler’s dead money would be spread over two offseasons. Cook has $2MM in guaranteed salary owed; that will bump his career earnings past $34MM. His next contract will not come close to the five-year, $63MM contract the Vikings authorized before the 2020 season, but an interesting free agency sweepstakes looks likely to launch soon.
As a South Florida native who played at Florida State, Cook is believed to have interest in heading to Miami. The Dolphins are expected to make an offer, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. This would come after the team made several moves at running back this offseason. Miami re-signed Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson and Myles Gaskin, though the trio’s combined guarantees do not top $6MM, and used a third-round pick on Texas A&M speedster Devon Achane.
With Tyreek Hill‘s $30MM-per-year contract the only notable pact attached to a Dolphins quarterback or skill-position player, Miami makes sense here. Cook, who is going into his age-28 season, could slide in as a hired gun. The Broncos, conversely, have Russell Wilson tied to a monster extension and Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick on eight-figure-per-year deals. That said, Denver did well to sign both receivers before Hill and Co. transformed that market in 2022. Unlike the Dolphins, the Broncos did not draft a running back this year.
Cook’s Florida ties could seemingly prompt the Broncos or an unknown suitor to make a trade offer before the release processes, as to keep the back from joining the Dolphins. The Vikings kept Za’Darius Smith on their roster for months, despite the edge rusher lobbying for a release in March, before agreeing to a low-level trade with the Browns. It would be interesting to see how much of Cook’s base salary the Vikings would be willing to eat to facilitate a trade. As of Thursday morning, Cook remains under contract through 2025.
Passing Chuck Foreman for third place in Vikings rushing yardage last season, Cook has reeled off four straight 1,100-plus-yard years. Despite nagging injuries that have emerged since his rookie-year ACL tear, Cook has proven fairly durable. He has only missed more than two games in a season once over the past four years (in 2021) and played all 18 Vikings contests in 2022. Cook did undergo shoulder surgery earlier this offseason, however. Only Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb have accumulated more rushing yards than Cook (5,024) since 2019.
The Vikings moving on from Cook this week will keep him away from their mandatory minicamp, where longtime backup Alexander Mattison‘s ascent is now set to take place in earnest. The Vikings re-signed Mattison to a two-year deal worth just $7MM — in line with the Dolphins’ low-level RB pacts and others on the buyer’s market that expectedly formed this offseason — but nearly all of it is fully guaranteed. With Cook in limbo, Mattison — a former third-round pick who has occupied Minnesota’s RB2 slot for four years — is set to begin his age-25 season as Minnesota’s starter.
Despite the Vikings going 13-4 in 2022 (albeit one with a negative point differential), second-year GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has already parted with Vikings mainstays Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks this offseason. This Cook move will leave Harrison Smith, Danielle Hunter and Brian O’Neill as the final ties to the homegrown core Rick Spielman built during the 2010s. The Vikings agreed to terms to retain Smith on a pay cut this offseason but have taken calls on Hunter, whose contract has been an issue for most of its duration.
Latest On Dolphins, Dalvin Cook
The runaway leaders in terms of mentions as a Dalvin Cook suitor this offseason, the Dolphins may soon have their opportunity to add the Pro Bowler in free agency. The Vikings are planning to release Cook on Friday, barring an 11th-hour trade agreement.
If Cook reaches free agency, Miami should probably be considered the favorite. After a report last week indicated the Dolphins will be expected to pursue Cook if he ends up in free agency, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes (via Twitter) the South Florida native is believed to be “very much intrigued” by playing for his hometown team.
Cook, who will turn 28 later this summer, posted an image of him leaving Hard Rock Stadium (during a 2022 Vikings-Dolphins game) on Instagram today. No team has appeared willing to take on Cook’s $10.4MM salary, but seeing as the Florida State alum appears to be quite interested in a Dolphins deal, the Vikings seeing if any of the other suitors come forward with a last-ditch trade proposal seems like something to monitor.
The Dolphins discussed Cook with the Vikings in March, were still believed to be in the mix before the draft and, despite selecting Devon Achane in Round 3, remain on the radar. Miami gave modest guarantees to re-signed backs Jeff Wilson and Raheem Mostert, both of whom having pasts with Mike McDaniel in San Francisco, and re-signed Myles Gaskin. The Gaskin deal does not include any guarantees. But Mostert, Wilson and Achane still represent a fairly full running back room. Cook, the league’s only back to rush for at least 1,100 yards in each of the past four seasons, would likely bolster that situation further.
Even if the Dolphins do make Cook an offer, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson does not see it being something close to the deal the Vikings are about to remove from their payroll (Twitter link). That said, Jackson confirms the Dolphins remain interested. While a few suitors would naturally be better for the four-time Pro Bowler’s market, he probably should not count on anything on the level of the $12.6MM-per-year deal he inked with Minnesota just before the 2020 season. Three years remain on that contract.
The Broncos are believed to have monitored Cook for a bit now, though they have Samaje Perine in place as a Javonte Williams committee partner. Williams has also made strides in his return from ACL and LCL tears this offseason. Denver also just authorized a $5.5MM guarantee for Frank Clark, cutting into its cap space.
Extension Candidate: Quinnen Williams
A few of the contractual dominoes at the defensive tackle position have already fallen this offseason. Daron Payne, Jeffery Simmons and Dexter Lawrence agreed to terms on extensions, with two of those players — Payne and Lawrence — moving forward with teams that already had a big-ticket D-tackle contract on their books.
As the Commanders and Giants added monster Payne and Lawrence extensions, respectively, to payrolls that already included high-end deals for Jonathan Allen and Leonard Williams, the Jets have been in the on-deck circle for a bit now with Quinnen Williams. This negotiation — one already tabled by the team picking up Williams’ fifth-year option in May 2022 — has dragged for a bit.
Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas have expressed confidence about a Williams extension being finalized, even after the former No. 3 overall pick went through the standard operating procedure for disgruntled contract-year players. Despite Williams scrubbing his social media of Jets references, the sides are believed to have made some recent progress.
“I speak for everyone — I probably speak for Quinnen — in that we all want get done sooner rather than later,” Saleh said, via ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “I’ll let the business guys handle all that stuff, but it’s going to get done. He’ll be here for camp. He’ll be ready to roll and once he is, I’m sure it’ll be the same guy who was here.”
The parameters for a Williams extension, as our Rory Parks noted recently, should be largely in place thanks to the three other D-tackle deals completed this offseason. Payne, Lawrence and Simmons all signed four-year contracts worth between $90MM and $94MM. A narrow gap between each’s fully guaranteed sum exists as well, with the three now joining Aaron Donald in the top four at this position for locked-in money. Ranging from $46MM to $47.8MM (Simmons, who topped Donald for the top spot here) in full guarantees, these contracts create a clear road map for the Jets and Williams.
Williams, 25, benefited from the Jets delaying talks until this year. The Mike Maccagnan-era draftee is coming off a dominant season and leads a suddenly relevant Jets defense — thanks to its dramatic 2022 improvement and its place on a now-Aaron Rodgers-led team — ahead of a key period in franchise history. The Alabama product posted 12 sacks, smashing his career-high mark, and trailed only Lawrence and Chris Jones among D-tackles in QB pressures (32). Williams’ 28 QB hits also doubled his previous career-best number. He and Sauce Gardner served as the driving forces for a Jets defense that rocketed from last (in both points and yards allowed) in 2021 to fourth in both categories last season.
Although Douglas is not responsible for all of the team’s recent history regarding first-rounders going one-and-done on contracts, the Jets have seen a high number of Round 1 draftees leave during or after a rookie deal. Leonard Williams, Sheldon Richardson and Jamal Adams left via trade; Douglas did pull the trigger on two of those moves (Williams, Adams). The Adams process became contentious, though the deal has worked out for New York. A few Jets first-round picks over the past decade and change have produced busts, but Muhammad Wilkerson — extended just before the 2016 franchise tag deadline — has been the only Jet first-rounder re-upped since 2007 top choice Darrelle Revis re-signed in September 2010. The Quinnen Williams situation gives the Jets a chance to make a key update here.
It seems Williams is holding out for more guaranteed money than Simmons received. The top Titans pass rusher has Williams beat in original-ballot Pro Bowl nods (2-1), but Williams holds the only first-team All-Pro nod among the young tackles who spent this offseason on the extension grid. (Simmons has earned second-team All-Pro acclaim in each of the past two seasons, however.) The Jets have the leverage of franchise-tagging Williams next year, but letting this situation drag into training camp would remind of the organization’s stalled pipeline regarding first-rounders and second contracts.
While Payne, Lawrence and Simmons have bridged the gap between Donald’s average annual value (a non-quarterback-high $31.7MM) and the field, a substantial gulf remains. The earlier batch of extensions suggests Williams will have trouble coming too close to the Rams icon. Jones represents a better bet of approach that place, as he is still just 28 and has become one of this era’s most dominant interior pass rushers. It could be possible Williams and Jones are seeing who will blink first, but we have not heard much on the Chiefs’ efforts with their four-time Pro Bowler.
Williams will be an essential piece for the Jets in their first Rodgers season, and seeing as Gardner is years away from an extension, the team has a clear window to lock down its top front-seven piece. Considering Williams’ value to the Jets at this pivotal point, he should be able to do very well. Should this deal be finalized before a third Jones-Chiefs agreement, the Kansas City star defender will assuredly use it to his advantage. It will be interesting to see how close the divide between Donald and the field is by Week 1, should these two contracts be completed by then.
Lions G Jonah Jackson Expects Extension Talks To Start Soon
A quick study with the Lions, Jonah Jackson is going into his fourth season as a starter. The young guard comprises part of one of the NFL’s top offensive lines, and an extension is now a worthwhile discussion topic.
Jackson became extension-eligible in January, and his rookie contract expires after the season. The former third-round pick has expressed a desire to stay in Detroit for the long haul, but no extension talks have begun yet. But Jackson, 26, expects that to change, indicating (via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett) contract discussions “probably” will begin after the team wraps up OTAs.
Teams often hammer out extensions between minicamp and the regular-season opener. The previous Lions front office agreed to terms with left tackle Taylor Decker in September 2020, while the Brad Holmes-led regime reupped center Frank Ragnow in May 2021. Although the current regime has authorized re-signings of Alex Anzalone and John Cominsky, the Ragnow move represents the only big-ticket extension agreed to since Holmes and Co. took over in 2021. Jackson seems poised to be another candidate.
Pro Football Focus has rated Jackson as a top-30 guard in each of the past two seasons, and he earned a Pro Bowl alternate nod in 2021. The Bob Quinn-era draftee has done well to help Detroit form a high-end offensive front. That group helped fellow extension candidate Jared Goff finish fifth in QBR last season — his highest career mark — and boosted Jamaal Williams to an NFL-most 16 rushing touchdowns in 2022.
While the Lions have Halapoulivaati Vaitai signed to a veteran contract, the former Eagles blocker accepted a pay cut after missing all of 2022. Vaitai’s restructure removed the 2024 season from his contract, giving the Lions a fairly clean investment ledger at guard. A few guards did well in free agency this year, with two — Ben Powers, Nate Davis — securing eight-figure-per-year deals. A big contract year could certainly boost Jackson’s prospects of joining the eight-figure-AAV guard club (currently 13 members), potentially giving the Rutgers product a decision ahead of the season. As he did in January, however, Jackson (via Birkett) expressed his fondness for Detroit.
It is also unknown how seriously the Lions will pursue an extension, as they also have Penei Sewell on track for a second contract in either 2024 or 2025. A big Goff raise would affect the Lions’ planning, with Amon-Ra St. Brown clearly on the extension radar as well.
The nine months between now and free agency will feature big-picture guard choices from several teams. Jackson joins Robert Hunt (Dolphins), Ezra Cleveland (Vikings), Michael Onwenu (Patriots), Damien Lewis (Seahawks), Jon Runyan Jr. (Packers) and Kevin Dotson (Steelers) as rookie-contract guards going into their walk years.
Rams To Sign WR Demarcus Robinson
The Rams had made a recent habit of taking swings on wide receivers in recent offseasons. From the Brandin Cooks trade to the second-round picks of Van Jefferson and Tutu Atwell to the Allen Robinson signing, Los Angeles has continually made big moves to staff this position. Not so much this year.
Amid the cost-cutting decisions the Rams have made this offseason, they will still circle back to an auxiliary option for their Cooper Kupp-led receiving corps. Demarcus Robinson intends to sign with the team, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Being a role player in the Chiefs’ Alex Smith– and Patrick Mahomes-quarterbacked offenses, Robinson left Kansas City for Baltimore in 2022. After a 48-catch season, the 28-year-old wideout will join the likes of Jefferson, Atwell, Ben Skowronek and Lance McCutcheon as Kupp supporting-casters.
A former fourth-round pick out of Florida, Robinson spent six seasons in Kansas City. He signed two one-year deals with the Chiefs after his rookie contract expired and caught on with the Raiders in March of last year. But Las Vegas cut the veteran target, leading him to Baltimore just before last season. As the Ravens lost both Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay to foot injuries, the team turned to Robinson as one of its top receiving options as it cinched up a playoff berth without Lamar Jackson. While consistency eluded Robinson, he finished with 458 receiving yards and two touchdowns during his Ravens campaign. He added 49 and a score in Baltimore’s narrow playoff loss to Cincinnati.
Last season effectively proved Robinson could produce outside of Andy Reid‘s system, though he was sporadically effective as one of Tyreek Hill‘s wingmen in K.C. Robinson surpassed 400 receiving yards during the Chiefs’ 2019 and ’20 seasons, each ending in Super Bowl berths, though he was never especially close to being a prime option for Mahomes. While the Chiefs had that territory covered, Robinson’s Ravens season proves more interesting due to the lack of talent and depth Baltimore carried at the position last year.
The Rams ate some of Robinson’s salary to move his contract to the Steelers, and they have not seen much from Atwell yet. Jefferson is positioned as Los Angeles’ top Kupp complement, though the team did draft Puka Nacua (BYU) in Round 5 this year.
49ers Likely To Carry Three QBs; Brock Purdy Ramps Up Throwing Program
The 49ers closed last season with only Josh Johnson backing up Brock Purdy, moving to that two-quarterback setup after Jimmy Garoppolo‘s foot injury. That approach’s conclusion ended up leading to the NFL changing the rules regarding QB availability.
Going into this year, the 49ers will likely take a more conventional approach. They are prepared to carry three quarterbacks on their active roster, Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes (subscription required).
San Francisco’s offseason roster houses four quarterbacks — Purdy, Trey Lance, Sam Darnold, Brandon Allen — and the team just worked out recent XFL arm Jack Coan (along with four-year veteran wide receiver Jason Moore), KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. With a four-QB arrangement rarely used during the regular season, one of the team’s current four passers will not be on the active roster once the team sets it August 29. This does invite questions regarding Lance and Darnold coexisting, but Allen could make sense as a practice squad option.
Despite Allen spending the past three years as Joe Burrow‘s Bengals backup, he landed with the 49ers midway through the offseason. Allen would pass straight to free agency if cut in late August, opening the door for a spot on San Francisco’s 16-man P-squad. It is possible another team would view the veteran backup as a second- or third-string candidate, however. In the event the 49ers do pull the trigger on a Lance trade — a rumored scenario earlier this offseason, though John Lynch has veered in the other direction as of late — Allen makes sense as their third-stringer.
“He’s obviously not just a camp arm around this league,” Shanahan said of Allen. “He’s been a backup for a while.”
Allen, 30, is going into his eighth NFL season. For now, Lance and Darnold are splitting first-team reps while Purdy recovers. But after the events of last season, the 49ers could carry three QBs on their active roster and have an insurance option on the P-squad.
Lance went down in Week 2 of last season and underwent two ankle surgeries, while Garoppolo’s Bay Area run coming to an end in early December. The latter issue led to a March surgery, which has affected the Raiders’ 2023 plans. Purdy’s UCL tear did not lead to Tommy John surgery, but it has still thrust the 49ers into another offseason headlined by post-surgery rehab. Garoppolo came back from shoulder surgery last year, moving off the trade block and into the role of Lance’s backup. Johnson, signed off the Broncos’ practice squad after Garoppolo’s injury, suffered a concussion that brought a severely compromised Purdy back into the NFC championship game. Last month, the NFL approved the return of the emergency QB rule, which allows for teams to designate a non-active-roster passer as its game-day emergency option — only in the event its top two QBs go down.
This scenario opens the door to the strange proposition of Lance or Darnold not dressing but being an emergency option. Purdy continues to look like he will not need a stay on the reserve/PUP list to start the season. Although the second-year passer’s rehab timetable may still threaten his regular-season availability, the 49ers will likely play it week to week and keep Purdy on their 53-man roster in that case. Not long after beginning to throw post-surgery, Purdy has ramped up his throwing program to three times per week, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News notes.
Considered ahead of schedule in his recovery from an internal brace procedure, Purdy remains in the driver’s seat to start for the 49ers. Training camp will provide a better indication of Darnold or Lance’s capabilities at unseating last year’s Mr. Irrelevant, but for the time being, Purdy’s grip on the job remains firm.
CB Jaylon Johnson Targeting Bears Extension
Although the Bears are coming off a three-win season and changed regimes in 2022, members of their 2020 draft class may be on the extension radar. Cole Kmet and Darnell Mooney figure to warrant conversations about second Chicago contracts. Jaylon Johnson would like to join that conversation as well.
A starting cornerback throughout his Bears tenure, the former second-round pick said he is “100%” targeting a deal that will allow him to stay in the Windy City. Johnson, Kmet and Mooney each became eligible to sign an extension in January. Since none of the trio entered the NFL as first-rounders, with the Bears not having a 2020 first due to the Khalil Mack trade, the fifth-year option was not in Chicago’s equation this offseason.
Johnson, 24, said he plans to hire an agent to handle these talks soon, per the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, who adds the Utah product is not pushing for a new deal before training camp. (Mooney hired a new agent this offseason as well.) The Bears punted on a Roquan Smith extension last year, but the team’s Ryan Poles-led front office would not need to consider a top-market contract for any of its newly extension-eligible cogs.
Being charged with five touchdown passes allowed in each of his first two seasons, Johnson cut that number down to one last year. Then again, the Bears did not play with many leads during a 3-14 season, and Johnson was targeted just 51 times — down from 70-plus during the 2020 and ’21 seasons. Pro Football Focus viewed Johnson as a mid-pack cornerback last year, slotting him just outside the top 65 at the position. Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics measured Johnson similarly, though those did credit the 6-foot defender with the lowest passer rating-against figure of his career (94.6).
The Bears do not have much in the way of long-term commitments on their books. They picked up the Panthers’ D.J. Moore contract via trade and signed Tremaine Edmunds and Nate Davis to big-ticket free agency deals. As far as homegrown players, Eddie Jackson represents the only notable defender extension on Chicago’s payroll. Cody Whitehair sits as the team’s lone in-house extension of note on offense. The Bears lead the NFL in cap space presently, with more than $32MM, and are projected to hold more than $96MM in 2024.
At corner, however, Chicago has used second-round picks on Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson, potentially opening the door to the team being patient regarding a Johnson payment. But the clock is ticking. While players like Justin Fields and Teven Jenkins figure to be on the Bears’ extension radar down the road, the team will need to decide on its 2020 draftees’ futures soon.
DeAndre Hopkins To Visit Titans
Since the Cardinals released DeAndre Hopkins, the former All-Pro has been linked to several teams. Visits are now on the veteran wide receiver’s docket. Well, one visit is thus far.
The Titans have secured a meeting with Hopkins, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who notes the visit will take place Sunday (Twitter link). Mike Vrabel spent four seasons in Houston, serving as a Texans assistant ahead of his 2018 move to Nashville. New Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly also coached Hopkins with the Texans. Kelly was on Bill O’Brien‘s staff for six of Hopkins’ seven seasons in Houston, spending the final year (2019) as the team’s OC.
Other teams remain in on Hopkins, Pelissero tweets, but the Titans landing the first visit should be considered important here. Tennessee has been in need at the receiver position essentially since trading A.J. Brown during the 2022 draft. The Brown trade — among other factors — preceded a rough season for the Titans’ aerial attack, and the team did not address the position much this offseason. Linked to wideouts during the draft, Tennessee did not select one until Round 7 (Colton Dowell).
At least six other AFC teams — the Bills, Browns, Chiefs, Patriots, Ravens and Texans — have been connected to Hopkins, whom the Cardinals officially released May 31. The Bills and Chiefs discussed Hopkins trade terms with the Cardinals but saw the Ravens’ $15MM Odell Beckham Jr. guarantee alter those respective negotiations. The Pats have come up on multiple occasions, with the O’Brien component not being viewed as a non-starter, while Deshaun Watson has lobbied the Browns to pull the trigger on a reunion. The Cards cutting the 10-year veteran led to a run of rumors, but this visit development represents the most significant piece of Hopkins news since he became a free agent.
Tennessee chose Treylon Burks in Round 1 shortly after trading Brown to Philadelphia, and the team added UCLA slot player Kyle Philips in the 2022 fifth round. Both players missed time due to injury in 2022, with Philips missing the bulk of his rookie season. Both are back and expected to be key contributors — Burks especially — this season, but the Titans do not have much in the way of proven talent at the wideout spots. They added veteran role player Chris Moore and still roster Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Racey McMath. But as of the minicamp sector of the NFL calendar, this is one of the league’s worst receiving groups.
The Titans let Corey Davis walk in free agency two years ago, and Brown set the Eagles’ single-season receiving yardage record last year. Both were instrumental in Ryan Tannehill‘s mid-career resurgence, which helped the Titans move to three straight AFC playoff brackets. Last season’s plan careened off the rails quickly. Tennessee did not see a pass catcher eclipse 550 yards, and the team released its leading receiver from last year — Robert Woods, who has since joined the Texans. No one currently on Tennessee’s roster has totaled more than 500 receiving yards in a season.
Hopkins, who turned 31 on Tuesday, has dropped off the All-Pro tier over the past two years. Injuries and a six-game PED suspension changed Hopkins’ Arizona trajectory. After the Clemson product flirted with a fourth first-team All-Pro nod in 2020 (115 catches, 1,408 yards, six touchdowns), he did not surpass 800 receiving yards in 2021 or ’22. Hopkins missed 15 games over the past two seasons. While productive when available, Hopkins has seen recent absences undoubtedly affect his market.
Although Hopkins mentioned Buffalo and Kansas City as prime landing spots at multiple offseason junctures and named other non-Titans QBs as those he would most like to play with, he is still seeking Beckham-level money. That might be tougher to come by in June. Although the Titans cleared out plenty of cap space by cutting Woods and others before free agency, they hold just less than $8MM. It would not surprise if Hopkins took more visits, but the Titans will see if a match can be made this weekend.
Teams Calling Vikings On Danielle Hunter
The Vikings exited the draft with both Dalvin Cook and Za’Darius Smith in uncertain territory regarding their Minnesota futures. After trading Smith, the Vikings look to have another impact player in this boat.
Teams have called the Vikes on veteran pass rusher Danielle Hunter, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link). The trade interest that has formed for Hunter is “pretty serious,” per Rapoport. Hunter’s contract has come up many times since the Vikings extended him back in 2018; one year remains on the deal. Hunter opted to skip voluntary Vikes activities this offseason.
Hunter trade talks took place before a March 2022 roster bonus became due, but the Vikings stood down and paired their longtime edge defender with Smith. The team has since signed Marcus Davenport, who looks to be Smith’s replacement. It would be harder to replace Hunter, seeing as the draft has come and gone. But a number of starter-level edges are available, even after Leonard Floyd‘s Bills deal.
The regime that authorized the Hunter extension is no longer in power, and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has not been shy about making sweeping changes this offseason. The second-year GM held onto Smith for months, despite persistent trade and release rumors, and unloaded him in a late-round pick-swap deal with the Browns. Health has also been an issue for Hunter, though he has produced in big spots for the Vikings over the course of his career.
During the 2018 offseason, Hunter signed a deal that was viewed as a team-friendly pact at the time. When Hunter has been on the field, he has outplayed that five-year, $72MM accord. Becoming the youngest player in NFL history to reach 50 sacks, Hunter helped the 2019 Vikings edition to the divisional round. But he missed most of the next two seasons, seeing a neck injury sideline him for all of the 2020 campaign and a torn pec end his ’21 slate after seven games. But Hunter re-emerged as an upper-echelon pass rusher last season, playing all 17 games and registering 10.5 sacks. The three-time Pro Bowler’s 22 QB hits matched a career-high mark as well.
The Vikings have reworked Hunter’s contract on three occasions. The second of those — a June 2021 restructure — moved $5.6MM into a signing bonus and created the $18MM roster bonus that was due in March 2022. The Adofo-Mensah-led front office converted that $18MM roster bonus into a signing bonus, spreading out Hunter’s cap hit through void years. Hunter is only tied to a $4.9MM base salary, attracting interest from teams.
Hunter being disgruntled about his deal has invited the calls, though Rapoport adds the Vikings have attempted to come up with a solution that better compensates their top pass rusher for this season. Despite Hunter going into his ninth season, he is just 28. The early-2020s injuries aside, the former third-round pick has posted four double-digit sack seasons. Hunter would stand to fetch the Vikings more in a trade than Smith did, but the team’s pass rush would also be weakened. The Vikings could save $5.5MM against this year’s cap by trading Hunter.
Minnesota did not draft an edge player this year and has Davenport signed for just one season, with void years present in the ex-Saint’s deal as well. The team will need a resolution regarding Hunter soon, but its mid-2020s edge defender plans are up in the air.