Jets, Carl Lawson Agree To Reworked Deal
A Carl Lawson contract adjustment will create considerable cap space for the Jets. Going into the final year of his deal, the veteran defensive end will now be tied to a partially incentivized structure in 2023.
The Jets will create $12.7MM in cap space by reworking Lawson’s contract, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Previously due a nonguaranteed $15MM in base salary, Lawson will now be tied to a $9MM paragraph 5 number. But $8MM of the new total is guaranteed, Yates adds.
Although this represents a salary reduction, Lawson can make $3MM back via incentives. The Jets signed the former Bengals fourth-rounder to a three-year, $45MM deal in 2021. Thursday’s move bumps the Jets to nearly $19MM in cap space. Lawson’s cap number will now check in at $3MM, with ESPN’s Rich Cimini adding (via Twitter) the contract now contains void years. Four void years are now present, SNY’s Connor Hughes tweets. This would stick the Jets with a dead-money cost if they do not re-sign Lawson before the 2024 league year.
This marks a bit of an interesting call, considering Lawson’s status as the Jets’ most proven edge rusher. The team’s D-line setup hinges on the seventh-year veteran, who anchors an edge group now featuring two recent first-round picks in Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald. Lawson finished with seven sacks last season, adding 24 quarterback hits in his first year back from a summer 2021 Achilles tear.
Robert Saleh indicated earlier this offseason Lawson’s status was secure, despite the $15.4MM in cap savings the Jets would have collected by moving on a year early. Given Lawson’s production, he did not seem in danger of not earning the $15MM in base pay — a number that would have been guaranteed once he landed on the Jets’ 53-man roster for Week 1 — but Cimini notes the Jets deemed the $15.7MM cap number too high (Twitter link). Rather than push the team to an impasse, Lawson will collect come guaranteed dough early.
Lawson led Jets edge players in sacks last season, though Quinnen Williams‘ 12 paced the team overall. Lawson’s return made a considerable difference in the Jets vaulting from last defensively in 2021 to fourth place last year. The 27-year-old pass rusher has yet to produce a 10-plus-sack season as a pro, but he has compiled four seasons of at least 20 QB hits. He stands to be one of the top edges available in free agency next year, should the Jets not come back to the table regarding an extension before the 2024 legal tampering period begins.
Thursday’s move also lays some groundwork for Aaron Rodgers‘ expected restructure, one that will increase the future Hall of Famer’s 2023 cap number. The recently acquired quarterback is tied to just a $1.2MM cap hit this year and a monstrous $107.6MM number in 2024. The Packers restructured Rodgers’ deal on his way out, and Jets GM Joe Douglas was surprised by how that came to pass. The team will hope Rodgers comes back for a 20th season next year, but an obvious contract adjustment will need to take place before that happens.
Poll: Which Team Has Improved Most This Offseason?
Although several starter-caliber veterans remain unsigned, NFL teams have largely taken their big swings this offseason. Be it through free agency, the trade market or the draft, franchises have updated their rosters in hopes of improving in 2023.
Any conversation of 2023 improvement efforts probably needs to start with the Jets. Thanks to the Sacramento Kings’ playoff advancement, the Jets hold major North American sports’ longest postseason drought — at 12 years. After missing on a few rookie-contract QBs in the time since their last playoff run, the Jets now have Aaron Rodgers. The six nationally televised games on Gang Green’s docket illustrate Rodgers’ impact on the team’s perception, and although the four-time MVP will turn 40 before year’s end, he has made the Jets a free agency destination of sorts. The team added ex-Rodgers Packer wideouts Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, with those moves coming after the addition of safety Chuck Clark via trade.
As the Jets stands to be a factor in the one of the deepest conferences in recent memory, the Dolphins added Jalen Ramsey via trade and will pay Vic Fangio upwards of $4.5MM to run their defense. Miami will bank on Tua Tagovailoa health and showed faith in the oft-scrutinized passer by picking up his fifth-year option two months early.
The Ravens took their biggest steps yet — in the Lamar Jackson era, at least — to strengthen their receiving corps, keeping Odell Beckham Jr. from a Big Apple return (via a $15MM guarantee) and drafting Zay Flowers in the first round. The Browns bolstered their receiving corps as well, trading for Elijah Moore and drafting Cedric Tillman in Round 3. Cleveland also has now added two edge rushers — with Jadeveon Clowney not expected back — in Za’Darius Smith and Obo Okoronkwo to complement Myles Garrett. Cincinnati may have made the biggest outside addition in the AFC North, signing Orlando Brown Jr., though the team did lose both starting safeties (Jessie Bates, Vonn Bell) in free agency. The Steelers added two likely O-line starters, in Broderick Jones and Isaac Seumalo, and made changes at cornerback by signing Patrick Peterson and drafting Joey Porter Jr.
The returns from this year’s top AFC South headlines likely will not emerge until the mid-2020s, but the Texans, Colts and Titans drafted hopeful long-term QBs (C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis). Houston also gave up a bounty to move back into the top three for Will Anderson Jr.
Making Nathaniel Hackett just the third HC since the 1970 merger to be fired before his first season ended, the Broncos paid up — both in terms of draft capital and salary — to add Sean Payton. They also spent heavily to better protect Russell Wilson, signing Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey. The latter will be Denver’s 11th Week 1 right tackle in 11 years. The Raiders added Tyree Wilson in Round 1, but the team’s Derek Carr-to-Jimmy Garoppolo transition injects considerably more injury risk into their equation.
Darren Waller going from Las Vegas to New York provided the centerpiece of the Giants’ hopeful pass-game upgrade, which includes a few midlevel wide receiver investments. The team added likely starters in cornerback Deonte Banks and center John Michael Schmitz. Dallas brought in Pro Bowlers Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore via trade, and Mike McCarthy will dust off his play-calling chops after Moore’s Chargers exit. The Eagles drafted two more Georgia defenders (Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith) in Round 1 but lost Javon Hargrave and both coordinators.
Few position groups received more attention than the Lions’ secondary. The rising team added Cameron Sutton, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Emmanuel Moseley and second-rounder Brian Branch. This came after Jameson Williams‘ six-game gambling ban and after two first-round picks (Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell) receiving positional value-based criticism. While the Bears collected future assets from the Panthers in the Bryce Young swap, they pried D.J. Moore from Carolina and added two likely O-line starters in Nate Davis and Darnell Wright.
Carolina stopped its QB carousel with the Young move, and Frank Reich will be tasked with developing the atypical prospect. The Panthers also lured Ejiro Evero from the Broncos, despite Denver’s interest in retaining its DC. Though, the team’s receiving situation — now featuring Adam Thielen and DJ Chark — may take multiple years to fix post-Moore. The rest of the NFC South will also include new Week 1 starting QBs. The Saints made the second-most notable veteran quarterback addition this year — in giving Carr what amounts to a three-year, $100MM deal — and will hope this brings the QB stability Drew Brees‘ retirement stripped away two years ago.
While the 49ers lost another coordinator (DeMeco Ryans) to a head coaching job, they gave new DC Steve Wilks superior D-line talent via Hargrave’s $20MM-AAV deal. With the Colts taking Richardson at No. 4, the Seahawks doubled down on the recently re-signed Geno Smith by beginning this year’s receiver run with Jaxon Smith-Njigba at No. 20. Seattle also zagged from its Pete Carroll–John Schneider M.O. by taking cornerback Devon Witherspoon at 5. This and the Dre’Mont Jones contract headlined a big year for Seahawks defensive investments.
What other teams deserve mention here? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Broncos Sign Third-Round LB Drew Sanders, Wrap Draft Class Deals
The Broncos did not have many draft choices this year, but they will have all their picks under contract before OTAs begin. Third-round linebacker Drew Sanders agreed to terms on his rookie deal Wednesday, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.
After Denver traded into the back of the second round for Oklahoma wideout Marvin Mims, the team stuck with its No. 67 draft slot — obtained in a 2022 deal with the Colts, who traded up for safety Nick Cross — to select Sanders. The Arkansas prospect will be tied to a four-year deal worth approximately $5.7MM.
Sanders transferred from Alabama to Arkansas in 2022 and came through with strong sack production — especially for an off-ball linebacker. The 6-foot-4 defender totaled 9.5 sacks as a junior last year, pairing that eye-catching number with 103 tackles. Sanders skipped the Razorbacks’ Liberty Bowl game to prepare for the draft and will be expected to carve out a key role on Sean Payton‘s first Broncos team.
After cutting ties with Super Bowl 50 ILB starter Brandon Marshall in 2019, the Broncos have not devoted much in the way of resources to the off-ball linebacker spots. They do have both their starters from last season — Josey Jewell, Alex Singleton — attached to similar contracts. Tied to a two-year, $11MM pact, Jewell — a former fourth-round pick — is going into a walk year. The Broncos re-signed Singleton (three years, $18MM), but the former UDFA is heading into his age-30 season.
The Broncos have not made a notable edge defender investment this offseason; the team released 2022 trade acquisition Jacob Martin last week. Randy Gregory, Baron Browning and 2022 second-rounder Nik Bonitto remain in place as Denver’s top OLBs. With Gregory missing much of last season, the Broncos may be in the market for one of the many veteran edge defenders still available. The team’s situation also opens up a potential hybrid role for Sanders, who forced three fumbles last year.
Here is how the Broncos’ draft class turned out:
- Round 2, No. 63 (from Chiefs through Lions): Marvin Mims, WR (Oklahoma) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 67 (from Colts): Drew Sanders, LB (Arkansas) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 83 (from Seahawks): Riley Moss, CB (Iowa) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 183 (from Lions): JL Skinner, S (Boise State) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 257 (from Saints): Alex Forsyth, C (Oregon) (signed)
QB Carson Wentz Generating Interest
Traded in each of the past two offseasons, Carson Wentz has now been in free agency for almost three months. The former Eagles, Colts and Commanders quarterback will likely land another opportunity, and he is preparing for that path.
Wentz is training in Los Angeles, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, who adds the seven-year veteran is generating interest (Twitter link). A starter for most of his career, Wentz is open to continuing his career as a backup. It would seem, barring an injury shaking up a team’s depth chart, that is his only option at this point.
It seems Wentz might try to wait out a potential injury, with Fowler adding the former No. 2 overall pick may well wait longer into the offseason before committing. Wentz, 30, is more accomplished than just about every backup quarterback on a roster. But three teams have jettisoned him over the past three years. One of the few franchises Wentz could conceivably serve as a starter upgrade — the Commanders — just cut him, moving on from the Eagles-constructed extension the one-time MVP candidate had played on since 2019.
The Commanders have continued to praise 2022 fifth-round pick Sam Howell, and they signed Jacoby Brissett as competition. One of the many other teams that passed on pursuing a franchise-tagged Lamar Jackson, the Falcons signed ex-Wentz teammate Taylor Heinicke to be Desmond Ridder‘s backup. While neither of these situations check off long-term boxes at the sport’s marquee position, Wentz does not appear a candidate to be a starter again for a bit. A summer injury — something Jimmy Garoppolo unsuccessfully waited for during his time on the trade block last year — would likely need to happen in order for that avenue to open up.
The Raiders make sense as a potential Wentz suitor, given Garoppolo’s health history. The Silver and Black signed ex-Josh McDaniels charge Brian Hoyer, who is going into his age-38 season, and used a fifth-round pick on Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell. Should Garoppolo suffer another injury, the Raiders would be a logical spot for Wentz or Teddy Bridgewater. Unless the team plans on stashing O’Connell on its practice squad as a QB4, however, Garoppolo remaining healthy does not leave much room for either unemployed veteran.
Arizona is not expected to have Kyler Murray available to start the season. Colt McCoy‘s health, after a concussion ended his season, would determine whether the Cardinals — who drafted Houston’s Clayton Tune in Round 5 — pivot toward adding one of the few bridge-type options left available. Cards HC Jonathan Gannon was in his first weeks on the Eagles’ DC job when the NFC East team traded Wentz in 2021. Only fifth-round rookie Sean Clifford resides behind Jordan Love in Green Bay, while Wentz’s North Dakota State successor — Easton Stick (one career pass attempt) — is Justin Herbert‘s top Chargers backup. Chase Daniel is no longer with the Bolts.
After Wentz started 17 Colts games in 2021, Jim Irsay instructed his front office to unload the quarterback. While that ended up causing more problems for the Colts, Wentz could not stick as the Commanders’ starter last year. Heinicke kept the starting job despite Wentz recovering from his finger injury, and while Ron Rivera reinserted his initial 2022 starter late in the season, Howell finished out the campaign. Now, the well-traveled veteran awaits a move to a fourth NFL employer.
WR Rumors: Ravens, Chiefs, Giants, Mooney, Lockett, Chargers, Falcons
Although the Ravens gave Lamar Jackson the biggest contract in NFL history — in terms of average annual value — their top two outside investments this offseason have gone to wide receivers. Following their Odell Beckham Jr. signing, the Ravens chose Zay Flowers 22nd overall. Baltimore took calls from teams during the first round, and GM Eric DeCosta indicated teams wanted to move up. Leery of losing their chance to add a first-round-caliber wideout, the Ravens passed on offers.
“We had gotten some calls from some teams behind us. It didn’t take a rocket scientist … to tell me that they were coming up for receivers,” DeCosta said during The Lounge podcast (via BaltimoreRavens.com). “We decided to stand pat at that point because we knew there was a legitimate risk that we were going to lose the guys that we coveted. The Giants being one of those teams. The Chiefs were behind us as well.”
Both teams showed interest in wideouts, with the Chiefs being connected to moving up for Jordan Addison. The Giants made an effort to trade up for a receiver — with their target believed to be Flowers — but after the Vikings chose Addison at No. 23, Big Blue moved up one spot (to No. 24) for cornerback Deonte Banks. DeCosta also expected the Chargers to pass on Flowers at No. 21, indicating the Bolts generally like “the bigger receivers, the route runners.” The biggest of this year’s first-round receiver lot, 208-pound Quentin Johnston, went to the Chargers. The Ravens have added Beckham, Flowers and Nelson Agholor to their receiver group, one previously headlined by Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay. Both holdovers are coming off season-ending foot injuries.
Here is the latest receiver news from around the NFL:
- Darnell Mooney missed the final five games of the Bears‘ 3-14 season due to an ankle injury. The three-year starter underwent surgery, with NFL.com reporting he had sustained ligament tears. But Mooney is on track to return to football work fairly soon. The contract-year wideout has a chance to be cleared before the end of Chicago’s offseason program, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Should that benchmark not be met, Mooney will be expected to be full-go by training camp. Mooney totaled 1,055 receiving yards in 2021 and will be expected to join D.J. Moore as Justin Fields‘ top targets this season, one that will potentially set him up for a lucrative extension or free agency accord.
- The Chargers did not retain DeAndre Carter this offseason; the veteran returner/auxiliary wideout signed with the Raiders. They are expecting the other TCU wideout they drafted — fourth-rounder Derius Davis — to pick up the slack in the return game, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com notes. Davis posted the second-fastest wide receiver 40-yard dash time (4.36 seconds) at the Combine and tallied six return touchdowns (five on punts) with the Horned Frogs from 2018-22. While Brandon Staley is not limiting the 5-foot-8 rookie to return duty, the Bolts did draft Johnston and are also still rostering Josh Palmer and Jalen Guyton as Keenan Allen–Mike Williams backups.
- The Seahawks created some cap space recently by restructuring Tyler Lockett‘s contract. By converting $8.5MM of Lockett’s base salary into a signing bonus, the Seahawks created $5.7MM in space (per ESPN’s Field Yates). As Lockett’s 2023 cap hit drops to $11MM, his 2024 and ’25 numbers balloon to $26.7MM apiece. Lockett is tied to his third Seahawks contract, a four-year, $69MM deal agreed to in April 2021.
- Former Eagles second-round pick JJ Arcega-Whiteside received a tryout opportunity at the Falcons‘ recent rookie minicamp, according to Fox Sports’ Greg Auman (on Twitter). Arcega-Whiteside has been unable to establish himself as a pro, being tried at tight end and then traded to the Seahawks before last season. The Seahawks cut the Stanford product in November. He remains unsigned.
Vikings Sign Round 1 WR Jordan Addison
This year’s draft set a record with four consecutive wide receivers picked in the first round. The last of those picks, Jordan Addison, is now under contract. The Vikings agreed to terms with Addison on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
The No. 23 overall pick, Addison is now under contract through 2026. The former Pitt and USC wideout’s deal includes a fifth-year option for 2027. Minnesota made the automatic call to pick up Justin Jefferson‘s fifth-year option, and Addison’s rookie contract will become part of the team’s changing wide receiver cost structure.
As Jefferson has become a superstar pass catcher, the Vikings separated from their other well-paid wideout. They dropped Adam Thielen this offseason, leading the Minnesota native to Charlotte. Addison is now locked into a rookie contract through at least 2026, and with teams reluctant to extend non-first-round QBs before their contract years, it is a good bet the first-rounder will be tied to his rookie-scale deal for the next four seasons. The Vikings also have complementary wideout K.J. Osborn heading into a contract year. Addison’s arrival also represents insurance against a 2024 Osborn free agency exit.
Addison broke through as a first-round talent during his 2021 sophomore season, helping Kenny Pickett solidify himself as a first-rounder. The 5-foot-11 receiver caught 100 passes for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns during his second season at Pitt, but he transferred to USC following that season. His Trojans slate did not feature similar dominance, ending with 875 yards and eight TDs. But the quality route runner helped Lincoln Riley’s offense produce a third Heisman-winning quarterback (Caleb Williams) over the past six years.
Addison also emerged on the Giants, Chiefs and Saints’ radars. But the Vikings beat other teams to the punch to pause the receiver run last month. Being opposite Jefferson, Addison figures to draw favorable matchups on his rookie contract. With Addison signed, 13 of the 31 first-rounders in this year’s class are under contract. Of the four wideouts chosen from Nos. 20-23, all but the Ravens’ Zay Flowers (No. 22) are signed.
Emmanuel Ogbah Receives Full Clearance
Emmanuel Ogbah reeled off back-to-back nine-sack seasons to start the 2020s; those showings earned the veteran pass rusher a second Dolphins contract. Year 1 of Ogbah’s new deal did not go well, and it ended early due to a torn triceps injury.
The former Browns and Chiefs edge defender tallied just one sack in 2022 and suffered the season-ending injury in mid-November, shortly after Miami acquired Bradley Chubb at the trade deadline. Ogbah is aiming to rebound, and he will now have a chance to play alongside Chubb for a full season.
Although the Dolphins are not rushing Ogbah back to full work, the eighth-year sack artist said (via the Miami Herald’s Daniel Oyefusi) he has received full clearance for football activities. The Dolphins are not quite as deep as they were at the point when Ogbah went down, when Melvin Ingram was in the fold along with Chubb and 2021 first-rounder Jaelan Phillips. But the Chubb-Phillips-Ogbah-Christian Wilkins pass rush presents promise ahead of Vic Fangio‘s first season running Miami’s defense. While Ingram remains a free agent, ex-Fangio Broncos pupil Malik Reed is also now with the Dolphins.
Fangio ran into bad luck in terms of pass rusher availability during his HC stay in Denver. Chubb missed nearly all of the 2019 season — Fangio’s first as Broncos HC — and much of 2021 due to injury. Von Miller missed all of 2020 and was off the Broncos’ roster, via the deadline deal with the Rams, by the time Chubb returned to action late in the 2021 season. Miller and Chubb finished just three games together in Fangio’s three-season tenure. The Dolphins are paying up — in the neighborhood of $4.5MM per year — for Fangio’s bounce-back opportunity and will outfit the well-regarded defensive coach with an interesting D-line contingent.
The Dolphins gave Ogbah a four-year, $65.4MM deal in 2022. This provided the former second-round pick a nice raise from his initial Miami terms (two years, $15MM). Coming off a season as Frank Clark‘s bookend for the Super Bowl LIV-winning Chiefs outfit, Ogbah totaled 45 QB hits from 2020-21. The Dolphins reduced Ogbah’s workload in 2022, however, and he will now begin work under another DC.
Had the Dolphins upset the Bills in the wild-card round, Ogbah was readying for a potential return at less than 100% in the playoffs. It did not come to that, but he will attempt to re-establish himself under Fangio this season.
Packers Audition WR Keke Coutee
A year after the Packers traded Davante Adams and let Marquez Valdes-Scantling walk in free agency, the team has seen Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb rejoin Aaron Rodgers. Following the Jets’ receiver moves, the Packers are sporting a pass-catching corps far less experienced than the one that generated scrutiny last offseason.
Matt LaFleur did not indicate a veteran addition was on the horizon, but the Packers are still looking. They brought in Keke Coutee for a workout, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Coutee worked as an auxiliary wide receiver for the Texans, but the former fourth-round pick has not contributed much as a receiver over the past two years.
No signing is imminent, though Wilson adds (on Twitter) the Packers like the five-year veteran’s versatility. Coutee, who has experience as a punt returner, could be an option once the Packers determine how their receiver room looks coming out of their offseason program. The Pack begin their OTA sessions next week and will wrap their offseason work in mid-June at minicamp.
Coutee served as a regular punt returner with the Colts last season. That represents his most notable work since leaving Houston. During Deshaun Watson‘s final season as an active Texans quarterback (2020), Coutee finished with a career-high 400 receiving yards and three touchdowns. While the Texans assembled a deep receiving corps that year — one housing Cobb, Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller — Coutee carved out a role. The Texans waived the slot player on roster-cutdown day in August 2021, leading him to Indianapolis.
Post-Cobb and Lazard, the Packers have a wideout room full of rookie-contract players. Second-round pick Jayden Reed joins 2022 second-rounder Christian Watson and 2022 fourth-rounder Romeo Doubs. Green Bay, as it did in 2022 and 2018, added three wideouts in the draft last month. Fifth-rounder Dontayvion Wicks and seventh-rounder Grant Dubose are also in the fold. The Packers’ pass-catching contingent — one also moving on from Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis — carries two rookie tight ends (Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft).
A veteran presence certainly could be of use here, though Coutee is not the best available target. Jarvis Landry resides in free agency, but the receiver group thins out behind the former Pro Bowler. Kenny Golladay is coming off a woeful Giants tenure, while T.Y. Hilton and Julio Jones are at or near the end of their great careers. Fuller, who did not play last season, joins Breshad Perriman, Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle as other available wideouts.
Steelers Re-Sign QB Mason Rudolph
MAY 17: Rudolph is officially back with the Steelers on a third contract. The sixth-year veteran put pen to paper Wednesday and will rejoin Pickett and Trubisky in Pittsburgh’s quarterback room.
MAY 15: Not only are the Steelers retaining supplanted starter Mitch Trubisky, they are set to bring back Mason Rudolph as well. The longtime Ben Roethlisberger backup is expected to re-sign with the team, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com tweets.
Rumored to be headed elsewhere earlier this offseason, Rudolph is on track to play a sixth season in Pittsburgh. The former third-round pick drifted to the Steelers’ third-string option after Kenny Pickett‘s early emergence, but the team still values the veteran’s presence.
This deal may not be across the goal line yet, with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler indicating (via Twitter) it will be contingent on boxes being checked on an upcoming visit. The signing is still expected, however. Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan first reported the Rudolph-Steelers agreement (Twitter link). Rudolph’s visit is scheduled for Tuesday, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets, noting the longtime Steeler intends to re-sign at that point.
While a January rumor pointed to Rudolph aiming to land elsewhere — likely with the goal of returning to a QB2 role — the Steelers kept him on their radar. The Oklahoma State product is settling for another year as a third-stringer. Trubisky began last season as Pittsburgh’s starter but was quickly usurped by Pickett, who is now the team’s unquestioned QB1. Rudolph hovered in the background as this process played out, finishing a contract he signed when the team’s depth chart remained Roethlisberger-Rudolph.
The Steelers extended Rudolph during the 2021 offseason, pushing his contract through 2022. Trade rumors encircled Rudolph ahead of Pickett’s first season, but the Steelers hung onto their veteran reserve arm. While Tua Tagovailoa‘s concussions overshadowed other QBs’ head injuries last year, Pickett sustained two as a rookie. Ensuring multiple veterans are in place makes sense for the Steelers, though Trubisky’s status may be worth monitoring as well.
Trubisky signed a two-year deal worth $14.3MM in 2022. The contract carries a second-year cap hit of $10.6MM. GM Omar Khan said the team wants to have Trubisky around for the long haul, but it should be expected the former No. 2 overall pick will want to at least attempt to become a bridge-starter option elsewhere. An injury to a team’s starter or backup could prompt trade inquiries, should the Steelers follow through with this Rudolph reunion. Trubisky is set to earn $8MM in base salary this season. The Steelers also have rookie UDFA Tanner Morgan on the roster, but the Minnesota alum now profiles as a camp arm/potential practice squad body.
Rudolph, 27, served as Roethlisberger’s backup during the final years of the future Hall of Famer’s career. When Big Ben’s elbow injury knocked him out in Week 2 of the 2019 season, Rudolph stepped in as Pittsburgh’s primary starter. That stretch did not go particularly well, with Devlin Hodges also earning starts, and involved the infamous Myles Garrett helmet strike. Rudolph remained in the organization’s plans once Roethlisberger re-emerged in 2020 and started a game apiece during the 2020 and ’21 seasons. Overall, Rudolph has 10 starts on his NFL resume. He is a career 61.5% passer (6.2 yards per attempt) who holds a 16-11 TD-INT ratio.
49ers Planning To Use Jon Feliciano At G
The 49ers fielded an inexperienced interior offensive line group last season, but the group stayed healthy and helped on another journey to the NFC championship game. As of now, that Aaron Banks–Jake Brendel–Spencer Burford trio is on track to reprise their roles.
But the 49ers also carried Daniel Brunskill as an insurance policy last year. The former starter mixed in frequently at guard. Brunskill signed a two-year, $5.5MM deal with the Titans in March; he has a clearer path toward a starting job in Nashville, where ex-49ers exec Ran Carthon now runs the show. The 49ers replaced Brunskill with Jon Feliciano, the Giants’ starting center throughout last season.
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During an offseason in which a few starting centers re-signed with their respective teams, San Francisco retained Brendel on a four-year, $16.5MM contract. Feliciano joined the team on a one-year, $2.25MM pact. That does not point to starter money, but the Giants used Feliciano as a first-stringer for $3.25MM last year. And the 49ers are not viewing the veteran as a depth-only cog. Feliciano will compete with Burford for the team’s starting right guard gig, David Lombardi of The Athletic notes (subscription required).
The 49ers listed Brunskill as a backup but used their former right guard starter on 519 offensive plays; he primarily platooned with Burford. The 2022 fourth-round pick played 745 snaps. Brunskill’s exit opens the door for Feliciano, a former Raiders backup who became a starter upon joining the Bills in 2019. Feliciano started 16 games at guard for the Bills that year, and while injuries hounded him in 2020 and ’21, ex-Bills staffers Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll made a successful bet on him. Feliciano started 15 games for the Giants last season.
Pro Football Focus graded Feliciano 31st overall among centers in 2022, and the Giants are handing the reins to second-round pick John Michael Schmitz. But the 31-year-old blocker appears a key part of the 49ers’ plans up front.
“Jon is a guy who has started a lot of games here in the last few years,” GM John Lynch said. “I think he gives us tremendous versatility at guard and center. Around the league, it’s kind of known he’s one of those glue guys, one of those guys you want in your room. He became a priority for us in free agency. I felt very fortunate that we were able to come out of free agency with Jon a part of our team, especially once we lost Danny.”
Banks, Brendel and Burford combined to miss just two games last season. Odds are against that collective health repeating. Should Feliciano (54 career starts) lose the RG job to Burford, he will be positioned as an experienced interior swingman. For the other swing spot, Lombardi adds UFA addition Matt Pryor — the Colts’ Week 1 left tackle starter last season — will vie for the OT3 role with third-year blocker Jaylon Moore. Moore started two games last season. Although the Colts demoted Pryor during a disastrous year for their O-line, he has 24 career starts — at both tackle and guard — on his resume.