Latest On Giants’ Offensive Line
The Giants selecting John Michael Schmitz in Round 2, making the Minnesota product the first pure center drafted this year, points to four positions along their offensive line being solidified. Schmitz earning the starting snapper gig would mean he accompanies Andrew Thomas, Evan Neal and Mark Glowinski on New York’s O-line.
With Glowinski stationed at right guard, left guard would seem the unit’s only question. That is, if Brian Daboll‘s draft-weekend assessment of Schmitz’s instant-starter capabilities turns out to be accurate. But the Giants are sending veteran Ben Bredeson into two position competitions, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy.
The 2021 trade acquisition is vying for both the left guard and center positions, with Dunleavy adding the ex-Raven should probably be considered the favorite at the LG spot. The Giants used a rotation at that position last season, platooning Bredeson and Nick Gates. Washington signed Gates in free agency, clearing a path for Bredeson to earn the job outright in a contract year. Bredeson is going against fellow contract-year blocker Shane Lemieux and 2022 third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu, per Dunleavy.
Lemieux held a starting job during the second half of the 2020 season, replacing Will Hernandez and taking over after the former starter recovered, but suffered a patellar tendon tear in September 2021. That career-stalling injury delayed Lemieux’s return until late November of last year, and the former fifth-round pick only suited up for one game last season. A toe injury added to Lemieux’s early-career health issues. Ezeudu, one of two ex-North Carolina guards the Giants drafted last year (along with fifth-rounder Marcus McKethan), played 290 offensive snaps as a rookie.
Pro Football Focus graded Glowinski, a longtime Colts starter, as a top-30 guard last season. It slotted Bredeson as the best of the rest, ranking him just outside the top 50. Bredson, a former fourth-round pick, has played guard more than center and should probably be considered a long shot to beat out Schmitz at the latter spot. With Bredeson, Lemieux, Ezeudu and McKethan rostered, along with ex-Steelers center J.C. Hassenauer and 2022 second-stringer Jack Anderson, the Giants will have some decisions to make when setting their final 53. McKethan did not play last year, suffering an ACL tear during the preseason.
None of these interior blockers is in the mix to be the team’s top tackle off the bench, with Matt Peart, Korey Cunningham and Tyre Phillips are battling for the swing gig behind Thomas and Neal. Phillips, claimed off waivers from the Ravens last year, made five starts in 2022 but worked behind the other two to start OTAs. Peart and Cunningham each have six career starts, though neither has seen much time since their respective rookie years. An outside addition to work behind Thomas and Neal should not be ruled out, per Dunleavy.
These O-line competitions will not heat up until training camp, obviously, as pads do not come on until August. Despite losing Gates and 2022 center starter Jon Feliciano in free agency, the Giants have a few options along their offensive front.
P Brett Kern Announces Retirement
One of this era’s most experienced punters, Brett Kern will wrap his career after 15 seasons. The former Broncos, Titans and Eagles specialist announced Thursday he is retiring.
Best known for his Tennessee tenure, Kern punted in 197 games with the AFC South team. Although Oilers legends Bruce Matthews and Elvin Bethea have that number beat for the franchise, Kern has logged the most games — by a considerable margin — during the organization’s Tennessee period. Punters occupy the top two spots on the Tennessee section of that list, with Kern surpassing the player he replaced (Craig Hentrich).
Kern, 37, finished his 13-year Titans career with three Pro Bowl nods and a first-team All-Pro honor. The Titans gave promising UDFA Ryan Stonehouse the job out of training camp last year, and while Kern spent most of the season away from the game, he finished his career by helping the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII. Kern replaced an injured Arryn Siposs in December for the Eagles, punting in six games. Though, Siposs’ recovery from a December injury ended up booting Kern off Philly’s active roster just ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.
The Titans acquired Kern in 2009, claiming him a day after the Broncos waived him in-season. Kern signed three Titans extensions, including two deals that paid him at least $3MM per season. The most recent — a $12.65MM deal — came during the 2019 offseason. Despite playing the NFL’s second-lowest-paid regular position (ahead of long snapper), Kern earned more than $29MM during his career.
Kern led the NFL with 49.7 yards per punt in 2017 and finished four other seasons north of 47 years per boot. Following his three-year Pro Bowl run, Kern placed a career-high 59.5% of his punts inside the 20-yard line in 2020. He placed a career-high 39 punts inside the 20 in 2018.
Colts Sign DE Genard Avery
The Colts will add some pass-rushing depth, bringing in veteran Genard Avery. The team announced the signing, which will send the sixth-year defender to a fourth team.
Avery, who played last season as a Buccaneers backup, will attempt to catch on in Indianapolis after spending 2022 with two teams. The Steelers signed him in March 2022 but moved on before cutdown day in August, leading to the Bucs taking a flier. Tampa Bay did not re-sign Avery this offseason. In a corresponding move, Indianapolis waived running back Darius Hagans.
A former Browns fifth-round pick, Avery has played both on the edge and as an off-ball linebacker. The Eagles used the 2018 fifth-round pick in the latter capacity in 2021, running him out as a 12-game starter. The Memphis product played 358 defensive snaps that season, making 43 tackles (four for loss) and registering a sack. Pro Football Focus ranked Avery 56th among regular linebackers in ’21.
In 2022, the Bucs reduced Avery’s workload (72 defensive snaps) but deployed him as a regular special-teamer. In just nine games, Avery logged 164 ST snaps. He finished last season on IR due to an abdominal injury. Avery, 28, picked up 4.5 of his career 8.5 sacks during his 2018 rookie year in Cleveland. During their Freddie Kitchens season, the Browns traded him to the Eagles.
Indianapolis has not re-signed Gus Bradley favorite Yannick Ngakoue, who led the team with 9.5 sacks last season. Ngakoue resides as one of the top free agents still available, but the Colts — as of now, at least — are prepared to give their young pass rushers more run. Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo are heading into their third seasons. Free agent acquisition Samson Ebukam, who worked as one of Nick Bosa‘s 49ers sidekicks last year, brings a cheaper veteran presence compared to Ngakoue. Avery will attempt to join this rotation.
Aaron Rodgers Addresses Packers Exit
Aaron Rodgers‘ Green Bay departure would have been far messier had it occurred in 2021, when he requested to be moved. But the divorce, coming after a prolonged trade negotiation, has still produced a stream of headlines. The new Jets quarterback attempted to set the record straight regarding a few key 2020s Packers plotlines.
Shortly after the Packers traded up for Jordan Love in 2020, Rodgers said he no longer knew finishing his career in Green Bay was realistic. Before the 2021 trade request, Rodgers earned his third MVP honor despite the Packers using their first-round pick on a backup quarterback. While the Love choice did not directly impede Green Bay in 2020, the team suffered another narrow NFC championship defeat — at home against Tampa Bay — as its first-round pick did not contribute. That loss began an annual run of Rodgers-driven offseason uncertainty in Green Bay.
“Did I wanna, years down the line, go, ‘Well, what if we had just taken somebody who could impact our team because we had just gone to the NFC championship?’ Yeah, of course,” Rodgers said (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman; subscription required) of the Packers’ decision to draft Love. “I don’t think any other competitor would say anything different.
“… We didn’t win the Super Bowl. [The Packers] had their guy in waiting. I knew that [the team going with Love] was always a possibility, that they would wanna go, ‘You know what? We tried hard. We tried to win a championship. We had a good team, but now it might be time to go with Jordan, move some contract stuff around and do that.'”
The organization made that decision two years after Rodgers requested a trade. The Packers could have obtained more for Rodgers in 2021, given his age and MVP form, but they rebuffed trade overtures during that offseason. Rodgers’ agent is believed to have made a blunt request to Packers president Mark Murphy at that time: trade Rodgers or fire GM Brian Gutekunst. The Rodgers-Gutekunst feud simmered throughout the ’21 offseason, and this ultimatum surfaced that summer. Wednesday’s report lends more support to the Rodgers-or-Gutekunst rumors. The 18-year veteran told Schneidman communication between he and Green Bay management improved once he returned to the team, but it still pales in comparison to the talks he has held with Jets management in the weeks since he arrived.
Although Rodgers re-signed with the Packers — on a three-year, $150.8MM deal the Jets are now in the process of restructuring — in March 2022, team brass has revealed dissatisfaction with the future Hall of Famer’s commitment level last year. The Packers viewed Rodgers skipping OTAs last year as detrimental to Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs‘ rookie-year development, Albert Breer of SI.com notes, and Schneidman adds the team was dissatisfied with Rodgers’ day-to-day commitment throughout last season. The four-time MVP, who has been at Jets OTAs this offseason, disputed the notion his 2022 absence hindered the Packers.
“When I’m in, I’m all in, and you wanna ride with offseason workouts?” Rodgers said. “I won MVP without doing offseason workouts. Like, was my commitment any less then? I’d say not at all. The way that I come back to work, not just physically in good shape but mentally refreshed, is the best thing for me to have the season I wanted to have during those in Green Bay. I think that’s just a cop-out written to try and find something to disparage me about that, honestly, when you know what offseason workouts are really about, it’s completely ridiculous.”
The key difference between Rodgers’ 2021 OTAs absence and his 2022 no-show: receiving talent. Green Bay dealt Davante Adams to Las Vegas and let Marquez Valdes-Scantling leave for Kansas City in free agency last March. Adams has said the Packers’ final offer surpassed the Raiders’ deal (five years, $140MM) and that he wanted to leave Green Bay. But the sides also went through failed negotiations during the 2021 offseason. Adams sought to be the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver during the summer ’21 talks; Rodgers said the Packers’ initial offer was nowhere close, indicating it checked in below $20MM per year.
Adams broke off talks with the Packers ahead of last season and played out the $14.5MM-per-year extension he had signed in 2017. Although the Packers upped their offer before franchise-tagging him in 2022, Rodgers wonders if the team’s early hesitancy affected the All-Pro wideout’s desire to stay.
“They offered him less money than Christian Kirk and [Adams] is going, ‘Are you serious right now? I’m the best receiver in the league, and you’re gonna offer me less than Christian Kirk?’” Rodgers said of the Pack’s offer compared to Kirk’s $18MM-AAV Jaguars deal. “With all due respect, he’s not on Davante’s level.
“I’m sure that the team will say that’s just the business of negotiation — it’s like, yeah, but you’re also sending a message to that guy, and a lot of times it can stick with guys and make them a little sour on things. … That goes back to the first offer that they made, and I don’t think [the Packers] had the foresight — obviously didn’t have the foresight.”
Rodgers’ numbers suffered without Adams and Valdes-Scantling, with Doubs and Watson — the latter’s late-season surge notwithstanding — not measuring up to the veterans’ contributions. Gutekunst deferred to Rodgers’ MVP awards when asked in January if the veteran starter or Love gave the Packers a better chance to win. Three-plus months later, Rodgers became a Jet. Gutekunst did not believe he could sit Love for a fourth season, per ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky and Rich Cimini; the sixth-year GM had said many times this offseason the fourth-year backup was ready to play.
Gutekunst and Rodgers did not meet this offseason; scheduling conflicts have been cited. The Packers have also accused Rodgers of rebuffing efforts to meet, per ESPN.com. Rodgers said he reached out to Packers management regarding a meeting with the front office and Matt LaFleur before he trekked to the darkness retreat, but after he referenced the Pack’s lack of communication, a desire to play for the Jets — rather than retire — emerged post-darkness. As Brett Favre did 15 years ago, Rodgers will now attempt to prove the Packers wrong.
“Did Brian text me more than I texted him? Yeah, but did I ghost him? No,” Rodgers said, via Schneidman. “I texted him back. There was back-and-forths that we had and so this is the story you wanna go with? You’re gonna stand on this hill of austerity and say that arguably in the conversation of the best player in your franchise history, you’re gonna say I couldn’t get a hold of him and that’s why we had to move on?
“Like, come on, man. Just tell the truth; you wanted to move on. You didn’t like the fact that we didn’t communicate all the time. Like, listen, I talk to the people that I like.”
Six Teams To Gain Cap Space From Post-June 1 Cut Designations
With the annual June 1 date — a pivotal salary point on the NFL’s calendar for decades — looming, a handful of teams will see their cap-space figures rise this week. This year, six teams took advantage of the post-June 1 cut designation the league allows for cost-defraying purposes.
Teams are permitted to designate two players per offseason as post-June 1 cuts. This transaction allows a team to spread out a dead-money hit over a two-year period, as opposed to absorbing all the cost in one offseason. The Cardinals did not take this path with DeAndre Hopkins, finalized a standard release Tuesday. Arizona is one of the six teams to have used the post-June 1 cut tactic this offseason, however.
Here are the teams who will pick up cap room Friday, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter):
- Miami Dolphins: $13.6MM
- Cleveland Browns: $10.92MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $10.9MM
- Washington Commanders: $4MM
- Denver Broncos: $3.75MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $3.22MM
With $1.3MM in cap space, the Dolphins sit 30th as May winds down. They will rise to the league’s top half thanks to the funds from their Byron Jones cut emerging. Jones missed all of last season due to injury, seeing what was believed to be a routine surgery — one not expected to even force him to miss training camp time — leave his career in jeopardy. Three years after the Dolphins gave Jones a then-record-setting cornerback contract, the former Cowboys Pro Bowler expressed doubt about playing again.
The Browns’ John Johnson release will balloon their cap space to $15.9MM. Cleveland gave Johnson a three-year, $33MM deal in 2021 but cut bait with a year to go. The Browns were believed to be interested in Jessie Bates, but the Falcons’ monster offer (four years, $64MM) won out. Cleveland instead signed ex-Kansas City starter Juan Thornhill. The Browns used their second post-June 1 designation on Jadeveon Clowney, doing so despite signing the former No. 1 overall pick to a one-year deal in 2022. Released for procedural purposes after a tumultuous year, Clowney is no longer in the Browns’ plans. The team, which has been mentioned as a Hopkins dark horse, now sits in the top 10 for cap space.
Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott cut will lead to a cap-space figure north of $21MM soon; that will place the team in the top eight. The team would have faced an $11.8MM dead-money charge had the post-June 1 designation not been used. Elliott remains in the mix to return to the Cowboys, but the two-time rushing champion would do so at a significantly reduced rate. The team had signed him to a six-year, $90MM extension ahead of the 2019 season, but the former No. 4 overall pick’s best work came on his rookie contract. The Cowboys still have Tony Pollard tied to a $10.1MM franchise tag.
Chase Roullier represents the source of the Commanders’ belated savings. Washington cut its former starting center earlier this month, doing so after signing veteran Nick Gates and drafting interior O-lineman Ricky Stromberg in Round 3. Roullier signed a Washington extension in January 2021 but missed 24 games over the past two seasons. The 2017 draftee, who played just two games last season due to a knee injury, remains unsigned. The Roullier-generated money will bump Washington’s cap-space total past $8MM.
Denver parting ways with longtime kicker Brandon McManus will lead to its slight funding increase, which will boost the team’s cap space past $10MM. McManus served as the Broncos’ kicker for nine seasons, taking over after Matt Prater‘s substance-abuse suspension in 2014. McManus signed two extensions to stay in Denver, the most recent in 2020. But the Broncos have another round of new special teams coaches. Sean Payton cited cost savings when addressing McManus’ release, and the veteran kicker already has a new gig — in Jacksonville.
The Cardinals will add a few million because of their Rodney Hudson release and J.J. Watt‘s retirement. Hudson, who has been closely tied to retirement, spent the past two seasons in Arizona. The Cards acquired the former Raiders and Chiefs center via 2021 trade. Hudson then signed a three-year, $30MM extension that ran through the 2024 season. Injuries doomed the former Pro Bowler in Arizona. After missing five games in 2021, Hudson missed 13 last season. Although Watt retired, the Cards created nearly $1.2MM in 2023 cap space by processing the move as a post-June 1 exit.
Because the Cardinals had used the post-June 1 designation on Hudson and Watt, they could not apply the cost-spreading measure to the Hopkins release. With the Hudson and Watt moves set to lift the Cardinals past the $27MM mark for cap space, only the Bears will reside ahead of them in available funds.
Broncos To Sign K Elliott Fry
The Broncos jettisoned their nine-year kicker last week, moving on from the final link to their Super Bowl 50 roster. In place of Brandon McManus, the team will bring in a far less experienced option.
Denver is adding Elliott Fry on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The McManus cut left no kickers on the Broncos’ roster. Fry will step in. The well-traveled kicker has played three NFL games. It is a one-year deal, 9News’ Mike Klis adds (on Twitter).
Fry, 28, took part in a three-kicker workout last week in Denver. He joined Brett Maher and Parker White in auditioning for the team. Of that trio, Maher brings by far the most NFL experience. He also served as the final kicker during Sean Payton‘s Saints tenure, being the team’s most successful Wil Lutz fill-in during the 2021 season. But Maher also endured one of the worst kicking days in playoff history, missing four extra points during the Cowboys’ wild-card win over the Buccaneers. He also missed a PAT the following week in San Francisco.
As for Fry, he has attempted six field goals in his career, making five. He is 5-for-7 on extra points. The former South Carolina kicker played one game apiece with the Falcons, Bengals and Chiefs from 2020-21. He did not kick in a regular-season game last year.
The kicker the Jaguars traded to make room for McManus, Riley Patterson, ended up as the team’s kicker via waiver claim last year. That transaction came shortly after the team booted Fry. The Jags cut Fry with an injury settlement in August 2022, leading to a return to the Chiefs (via a practice squad deal) and a Cardinals reserve/futures contract. Arizona waived Fry in March.
Fry’s workout ledger is extensive. He has regularly made trips to auditions over the past few years, remaining a coveted option when kicking competitions emerge. Initially entering the NFL as a Bears UDFA in 2019 — after a run in the short-lived Alliance of American Football — Fry resided on nine teams’ rosters or P-squads from 2019-23. The Broncos will make it 10 for the nomadic specialist, who likely will not be handed the Denver job. It would be surprising if the Broncos did not add a camp competitor at kicker, but for now, Fry is the team’s McManus replacement choice.
Latest On Jon Gruden’s Saints Meeting
Embroiled in litigation against the NFL and Roger Goodell stemming from his October 2021 forced resignation, Jon Gruden has hovered well off the league’s coaching radar since his Raiders departure. The Super Bowl-winning HC’s recent Saints visit brought him back onto the grid.
The Saints met with Gruden over a four-day period last week, seeking his input regarding Derek Carr‘s strengths and weaknesses. Gruden coached Carr for three-plus seasons, and while that tenure ended badly, the two-time Raiders HC helped the passer rebound from a down mid-career stretch.
“In Jon, we have a resource here that is football through and through,” Saints HC Dennis Allen said, via SI.com’s Albert Breer. “And he’s had an opportunity to work with Derek Carr. “So what better [way to use that] resource than to just get some thoughts and ideas on how he worked with Derek and what he thought worked well with Derek?”
Gruden visited Saints OTA sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, per Breer, doing so after having dinner with GM Mickey Loomis on Tuesday night in New Orleans. While Gruden supplied the Saints’ staff with a number of ideas on how best to use Carr, Breer adds Allen made a point to inform 15th-year Saints OC Pete Carmichael the team would not be running the Gruden offense. Even as it will still be Carmichael calling plays for a second straight season, some of Gruden’s concepts will be added to the mix via various tweaks.
Gruden spent a season working with Sean Payton in Philadelphia; the Eagles employed Payton as QBs coach under then-OC Gruden in 1997. Although considerable time has passed since that point, that link added an element of familiarity for Gruden regarding the offense Carmichael is running in New Orleans.
Payton ran the show on offense for the Saints throughout his 15-year run on the sidelines, though Carmichael served as their play-caller during the now-Broncos HC’s 2012 Bountygate suspension. Carmichael received another chance to call plays last season, after Payton stepped down from his post. The Saints improved from 28th to 19th in total offense from 2021-22 but scored fewer points compared to Payton’s final year, falling from 19th to 22nd in that area. The team then handed Carr a four-year, $150MM contract (featuring a $100MM practical guarantee) to stop the post-Drew Brees QB carousel.
After Carr’s third-place MVP finish in 2016, his QBR dropped to 20th (2017) and then 27th (2018). The ’18 result came in Gruden’s first year, a season in which the Raiders traded Amari Cooper. Despite the Raiders’ Antonio Brown trade failing to produce any regular-season snaps in 2019, Carr began his bounce-back effort in Gruden’s offense. He ranked 10th in QBR in 2019, 11th in 2020 and 14th during the 2021 season that ended with OC Greg Olson calling the shots. Carr did not prove a fit in Josh McDaniels‘ offense, and the Raiders released him after nine seasons.
Gruden’s lawsuit against the league is ongoing, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adds the Saints did not receive negative feedback for their meeting. The Saints had even planned to bring in Gruden earlier, per Breer, but schedules did not align. Gruden, 59, has expressed a desire to coach again. A fourth HC opportunity seems highly unlikely, but the Saints appear serious about using some of Gruden’s concepts this season.
Broncos To Re-Sign T Cameron Fleming
MAY 31: Fleming will be tied to a deal worth $2.1MM in base value, 9News’ Mike Klis notes, adding that the veteran tackle’s third Broncos contract will include $850K guaranteed (Twitter link). Fleming will count $2.35MM on Denver’s 2023 cap sheet.
MAY 23: Right tackle continuity has eluded the Broncos for over a decade, and they will have a different Week 1 starter (Mike McGlinchey, barring an injury) for an 11th straight season. But a steady option at that position is on his way back to town.
Denver is re-signing Cameron Fleming, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The sides agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $4MM on Tuesday. Fleming has made 19 starts for the Broncos over the past two years. With McGlinchey in the fold, the well-traveled veteran will be positioned to be Denver’s swingman. Fleming met with both the Jaguars and Dolphins in April, but each team made moves during or after the draft.
McGlinchey signed a five-year, $87.5MM deal to stop the Broncos’ revolving door at right tackle. With the practical guarantees on the ex-49er’s deal surpassing $52MM, the former first-round pick is on track to be Denver’s right-side starter for the foreseeable future. But the team entered the week without four of its tackle regulars from 2022. Billy Turner signed with the Jets, while Calvin Anderson joined the Patriots. Tom Compton, who saw injuries allow him little time as a Bronco, is a free agent. Fleming’s return certainly gives the Broncos better depth.
Fleming played both right and left tackle for the Broncos, who lost longtime left tackle Garett Bolles to a broken leg in Week 5. Injuries besieged the Broncos’ Russell Wilson protection crew last season, with Bolles, Turner, Compton and center Lloyd Cushenberry missing large chunks of the campaign. This made Fleming valuable. He suited up for 15 games and started all 15. Tuesday’s agreement will give the journeyman an opportunity to play a 10th NFL season.
The Broncos initially signed Fleming once well-paid right tackle Ja’Wuan James suffered an offsite injury during the 2021 offseason, when the NFLPA lobbied to nix voluntary workouts at team facilities. As a result, the Broncos cut James with a non-football injury designation. Fleming lost the right tackle competition to Bobby Massie, but the latter was not retained last season. Denver brought in ex-Nathaniel Hackett Packers charge Turner, but he missed nine games due to injury.
Pro Football Focus viewed Fleming as a solid option last season, ranking him just inside the top 30 at tackle. His work at both positions last season makes for an ideal swing option. Fleming has played the swing role previously, working in that capacity for the Patriots and Cowboys. He operated as a full-time Giants right tackle starter in 2020, leading to the Broncos accord. The former fourth-round Pats pick has 61 starts on his resume.
Fleming, 30, stands to bridge the gap between Denver’s experienced Bolles-McGlinchey starter tandem and a cast of unseasoned backups. Isaiah Prince, who missed all of the 2020 and ’22 seasons, and Christian DiLauro (five career games) reside as the other swing options in Denver.
Tyler Boyd Addresses Contract Situation
In February, Tyler Boyd wondered about his status on the 2023 Bengals. Three months later, the wide receiver can rest easier. He remains on Cincinnati’s roster, with the team preparing to run it back — perhaps for the final time — with its elite wideout trio.
Boyd is heading into the final season of his four-year, $43MM contract. With Tee Higgins now extension-eligible and both Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase on paths toward position-record contracts, Boyd may soon become a luxury the franchise can no longer afford. While the veteran slot receiver is open to a deal that keeps him in Cincinnati beyond 2023, he is far from certain that will come to pass.
“This is my home for now. I’m not going to worry about the unexpected. I’m here to finish this year out, and whatever happens, happens,” Boyd said, via The Athletic’s Jay Morrison (subscription required). “But I know we have a very, very high chance of making the Super Bowl and even winning, and this is where I want to be. Whether I come up with a new deal or not, I got to just go out there, and I’m gonna be me.
“I am very appreciative of them still wanting me to be around and knowing that they don’t want to trade me and things like that. I might not be here forever. But I’ve always loved this franchise, and I’m always going to be a Bengal.”
Bengals VP of player personnel Duke Tobin emphatically shot down Higgins trade rumors at the Combine, and Burrow extension talks have begun. Chase is not yet eligible for a new deal, and the Bengals can potentially delay those talks until 2025 due to the fifth-year option that will be exercised next May. With even Higgins not a lock to be extended, as that will come at a high price, Boyd’s place in line might dictate he secures his third contract elsewhere.
The Bengals extended Boyd before the arrivals of Burrow, Higgins and Chase, locking him down ahead of Zac Taylor‘s first season as HC in 2019. The former second-round pick has not missed more than one game in a season since signing his extension — though, the thigh bruise that knocked him out early in the AFC championship game proved costly for the Bengals — and has ripped off five straight 700-plus-yard receiving seasons. He wrapped 2022 with 762 yards and five touchdown receptions. Boyd will turn 29 later this year and would stand to be in line for a nice third contract, which seems more likely than not to come in free agency.
Next year’s receiver UFA class may be more crowded than this year’s moderately talented crop, but Boyd could benefit from other teams keeping starters off the market. Mike Evans is entering a contract year, while Calvin Ridley and Marquise Brown are tied to fifth-year options. The Broncos, Cowboys and 49ers took their 2020 first-rounders (Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aiyuk) out of the equation by exercising their respective 2024 options; the Bengals nabbing Higgins in Round 2 did not give them that transaction choice. Higgins could become next year’s top receiver free agent, though the Bengals would have the franchise tag at their disposal. They want to extend the ex-Clemson standout, but no known talks have commenced.
The team retained A.J. Green via the tag in 2020, months after extending Boyd. A backloaded Burrow contract and Chase playing 2024 on his rookie deal keeps the door open for a Higgins 2024 tag — one likely north of $20MM. The Bengals’ fourth-round selection of slot receiver Charlie Jones in Round 4 adds another impediment toward a Boyd extension. Boyd does not expect the Bengals to consider another deal for him until the Higgins matter is resolved.
“I know we’ve got to get deals done with important players like Joe and Tee,” Boyd said. “I’m good with money. I just want to see the guys that deserve it get paid. What happens in the future — hopefully, it works out for me.”
From a big-picture standpoint, a compelling stretch lies ahead for the Bengals’ receiving group. For now, however, they are set to enter another season with the Chase-Higgins-Boyd trio surrounding Burrow. Other teams will undoubtedly be interested in how the franchise proceeds with its Nos. 2 and 3 targets.
Saints GM: Cameron Jordan Will Finish Career In New Orleans
The Saints have begun extension talks with Cameron Jordan. This would mark a rare three-extension career for a non-quarterback, but Jordan — the Saints’ all-time sack leader — has continued to display durability and quality production into his mid-30s.
Although no deal is done, it does not sound like the Saints will chance letting Jordan come close to hitting free agency in 2024. The contract-year pass rusher remains firmly in the organization’s plans, with GM Mickey Loomis indicating Jordan will be a one-team player.
“He’s meant so much, not just to the organization, but the community and how he embraced New Orleans. He’ll definitely be with us for the duration of his career,” Loomis said during a Sirius XM Radio interview (Twitter links via NOLA.com’s Rod Walker). “He’s going to be able to play for us as long as he wants to and as long as he can.”
Jordan, 34 in July, is finishing up a three-year, $52.5MM deal he inked in 2019. One more year will match Saints Hall of Fame pass rusher Rickey Jackson, the franchise’s sack leader if unofficial totals before the sack era are included, but Jordan (115.5 career sacks) appears to be eyeing a move past Year 13. The 2011 first-round pick has missed just two games throughout his career, totaling an astounding 16 games played in all 12 of his NFL seasons.
New Orleans’ defensive line anchor totaled eight sacks last season but saw his quarterback-hit number drop from 22 (in 2021) to 13. The Saints lost five-year Jordan sidekick Marcus Davenport in free agency but have 2021 first-round pick Payton Turner and 2023 second-rounder Isaiah Foskey in place as wingmen going forward. The team also let longtime D-tackle starter David Onyemata walk in free agency; first-rounder Bryan Bresee will be charged with replacing him.
In the years since Jordan’s third Saints contract, T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Joey Bosa, Maxx Crosby and Bradley Chubb have signed deals at or north of $20MM per year. Jordan did not become the NFL’s highest-paid edge rusher in 2019 and will not threaten that place this year, especially with Nick Bosa ticketed for a contract north of $30MM per year. But Jordan remains a top-10 highest-paid D-end. A lucrative short-term deal that will help on the void-years front the Saints regularly navigate would stand to be mutually beneficial. Jordan’s current contract, which the team restructured again this offseason, contains a $23.3MM void charge. That puts the onus on the Saints to extend him before the 2024 league year. It sounds like they are ready to do so.
Only Jackson and Drew Brees have started more games than Jordan (191) with the Saints. Given his lack of an injury past, Jordan should be expected to cruise into second place on this list this season. He would need to play into the 2025 season in New Orleans to surpass Brees (228). That might not be out of the question.