Patriots Sign Christian Barmore
The Patriots have inked defensive tackle Christian Barmore, per a club announcement. As the No. 38 overall pick, Barmore will earn $8.5MM on his four-year contract. 
Barmore skipped two years of Alabama eligibility to go pro, joining fellow underclassmen Jaylen Waddle, Patrick Surtain II, and Mac Jones in the 2021 NFL Draft pool. After taking Jones in Round 1, the Pats shipped pick Nos. 46, 122 and 139 to the Bengals for No. 38, where they grabbed Barmore.
Barmore, the defensive MVP of the National Championship Game, notched 37 tackles, eight sacks, and three forced fumbles last year. He finished 2020 as Pro Football Focus’ top-ranked interior lineman in college and seemed to be on track for the first round. For one reason or another, he slipped, leading him to Bill Belichick & Co. in the second round.
With Barmore in the fold, the Patriots now have their entire 2021 draft class signed. Here’s the full breakdown:
- Round 1: No. 15 Mac Jones, QB (Alabama)
- Round 2: No. 38 (from Bengals) Christian Barmore, DT (Alabama)
- Round 3: No. 96 Ronnie Perkins, DE (Oklahoma)
- Round 4: No. 120 (from Cardinals through Texans) Rhamondre Stevenson, RB (Oklahoma)
- Round 5: No. 177 Cameron McGrone, LB (Michigan)
- Round 6: No. 188 (from Texans) Joshuah Bledsoe, S (Missouri)
- Round 6. No. 197 William Sherman, OT (Colorado)
- Round 7: No. 242 Tre Nixon, WR (Central Florida)
49ers, Fred Warner Agree To Record-Breaking Extension
The 49ers have agreed to a five-year, $95MM extension with All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The new deal will lock him up through 2026 and make him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history. 
Warner, a former third-round pick from BYU, was previously set to hit the open market next spring. The Niners refused to let him get away, giving him a whopping new deal to top Bobby Wagner as the league’s highest-paid ILB. At least, that’s the mantle he has right now — Colts star Darius Leonard may top him in the coming weeks.
“I want to get it done personally,” said head coach Kyle Shanahan in May when asked about a new deal for Warner. “I kind of feel like I’d say the same about him as I did about [George] Kittle when we were talking about it [last year]. I just see that kind of as a matter of time.
“I know he’s not going into his free agent year or anything like that, so that’s why it’s not always on my mind. But Fred’s a guy that I plan on being here forever and who has earned that. I’d be surprised if that doesn’t start sooner than later.”
Wagner has a perfect attendance record as a pro, playing 95% of the team’s snaps over the last three years. He earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in 2020, notching 125 tackles and grading as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 off-ball linebacker (by far).
All along, Warner has said that he wants to be a “Niner for life.” Now, at minimum, he has a deal to cover much of his NFL prime.
Cowboys Sign Chauncey Golston, Wrap Draft Class
The Cowboys have agreed to terms with third-round defensive end Chauncey Golston (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). With Golston signed, the Cowboys now have all eleven picks in the fold.
Golston was grabbed with the 84th overall pick, shortly after the Cowboys selected UCLA defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. Together, the two rookies will work to bolster the defensive line depth. Golston will support starters DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory, provided that he can outrank options like Tarell Basham, Dorance Armstrong, and Bradlee Anae. He could also see time on the interior, like he did at Iowa.
“At the end of the day, it’s just football,” Golston said earlier this year. “As long as you’re preparing the right way and you’re not — if I was to just train on the left side, then playing on the right side would be hard. But I’m trying to be as versatile as possible. So, I train on both sides.”
Now that Golston and cornerback Nahshon Wright have agreed to terms, the Cowboys have all of their rookie paperwork squared away. Here’s the full rundown of their 2021 draft class:
- Round 1: No. 12 (from 49ers through Dolphins through Eagles) Micah Parsons, LB (Penn State)
- Round 2: No. 44 Kelvin Joseph, CB (Kentucky)
- Round 3: No. 75 Osa Odighizuwa, DT (UCLA)
- Round 3: No. 84 (from Colts through Eagles) Chauncey Golston, DE (Iowa)
- Round 3: No. 99 Nahshon Wright, CB (Oregon State)
- Round 4: No. 115 Jabril Cox, LB (North Dakota State, LSU)
- Round 4: No. 138 Josh Ball, OT (Marshall)
- Round 5: No. 179 Simi Fehoko, WR (Stanford)
- Round 6: No. 192 (from Lions) Quinton Bohanna, DT (Kentucky)
- Round 6: No. 227 Israel Mukuamu, CB (South Carolina)
- Round 7: No. 238 Matt Farniok, G (Nebraska)
Cowboys Sign Nahshon Wright
The Cowboys have officially signed third-round cornerback Nahshon Wright, per a club announcement. The Oregon State product will earn $4.8MM over the course of his four-year deal, in accordance with his slot.
Wright, taken No. 99 overall, notched 64 tackles, five interceptions, one sack, and one forced fumble over the course of his collegiate career. He started out at Laney College, a community college in Oakland, CA, before transferring to Oregon State in 2019. Between his late arrival to the Beavers and the pandemic, he’s seen just one year of Division-I action.
Many analysts didn’t have Wright as a third-round prospect, but Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn saw him as a perfect fit for his scheme. Standing at 6’4″, he definitely has the length to cover taller receivers at the pro level. Now, he’ll try to carve out a role behind Jourdan Lewis, Trevon Diggs, and second-round pick Kelvin Joseph.
With Wright in the fold, defensive end Chauncey Golston stands as the last straggler. However, that deal should be just around the corner, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
Chiefs Re-Sign Alex Okafor
Free agent edge rusher Alex Okafor has agreed to return to the Chiefs (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Financial terms are not yet known, but it’ll be a one-year deal to bring him back for a third KC season.
Okafor joined the Chiefs prior to the 2019 season, suffering a torn pec after just ten games. He re-upped on another one year deal, notching three sacks a tackle for loss, and ten quarterback hits in eleven games. Unfortunately, he also lost time in 2020 — this time, due to a hamstring issue.
All in all, the ninth-year pro has 30 career sacks, 34 tackles for loss, and 67 QB hits to his credit. His best work came in Year Two, when he notched eight sacks. Since then, he’s been productive, but has yet to revisit that mark.
Okafor isn’t quite a sure thing, due to his injury history, but his new deal probably didn’t cost KC all that much. At last check, the Chiefs had about $8MM in cap room for the coming year.
Kawann Short Gets Medical Clearance
Free agent Kawann Short has been cleared for football activity (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). That’s great news for the defensive tackle, who was sidetracked by shoulder surgery last year. 
Schefter adds that the ex-Panther and two-time Pro Bowler is already is in discussions with a handful of teams. We haven’t heard much about him since he was released in February, but he has heard from clubs with interest in one-year deals. New Panthers GM Scott Fitterer also told Short he’d be open to a reunion, though it’s not clear if that’s still a possibility.
Short, 32, has played in just five games over the past two seasons. He’s torn both of his rotator cuffs in that span, preventing him from doing his usual fine work. Before all of that, Short was a key pillar of the Panthers’ defense. His first nod came in 2015 when he registered eleven sacks. In 2017, he turned in a 7.5-sack season. And, just two years ago, he earned his second Pro Bowl nod.
The veteran won’t match his previous $16MM AAV, but plenty of teams should be willing to put a deal on the table. The Bills, led by old friends Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott, could make some sense, though they’re already well set up front.
Rams Won’t Pursue FA RBs
The Rams have lost Cam Akers for the season, but they’re not about to go shopping for veteran help. On Tuesday, head coach Sean McVay told reporters that he’ll explore his in-house options before approaching the free agent running back market. 
“We’ve got some young backs on our roster that I’m intrigued about seeing how they handle this opportunity,” McVay told ESPN Los Angeles (Twitter link). “I don’t know that the veteran route is something that we’d rule out, but it’s not something we’re immediately looking to address right now.”
For now, that means drawing from a group headlined by Darrell Henderson and backed by Xavier Jones, Raymond Calais, late-round rookie Jake Funk, and undrafted free agent Otis Anderson. But, if that group doesn’t cut it in camp, the Rams could open things up to bigger names. Devonta Freeman, LeSean McCoy, Adrian Peterson, Le’Veon Bell, and Frank Gore are still on the market. And, although it seems unlikely, Todd Gurley is available as well.
Akers, 21, led the Rams with 625 rushing yards last year. Henderson, the de facto starter, came three feet shy of the top spot with 624 yards.
Torn Achilles For Rams’ Cam Akers
Rams running back Cam Akers has suffered a torn Achilles (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The injury will likely rule him out for the entire 2021 season. 
Akers was the Rams’ leading rusher last year, notching 625 yards and two scores on 145 carries. He also caught eleven passes for 123 yards and one TD. Now, Darrell Henderson stands as the Rams’ top RB with support backs like Xavier Jones, Raymond Calais, Day 3 pick Jake Funk, and UDFA Otis Anderson also in the mix.
For what it’s worth, Akers outrushed Henderson by just a single yard in 2020. Henderson finished with 624 yards on the ground and five TDs off of 138 carries. The veteran also caught 16 passes for 159 yards and a score — a virtually identical stat line to Akers’. Still, the Rams were counting on having both players in the lineup and Henderson has injury history of his own.
It’s a bad blow for the Rams, who may seek veteran support in the backfield. Old friend Todd Gurley is still available, but it’s hard to imagine a return to L.A. under head coach Sean McVay. Other stars still on the market include Adrian Peterson, Le’Veon Bell, Frank Gore, and LeSean McCoy.
Aaron Rodgers Declines Packers’ Offer
The Packers offered Aaron Rodgers a two-year extension that would have tied him to Green Bay for five more seasons (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The deal would have made him the highest-paid player in the league, Schefter hears, but Rodgers declined. 
Of course, there are a million ways to measure contracts in the NFL — guarantees and cash flow are the things that really matter. That’s especially true when it comes to the Packers, who like to put the bulk of a player’s guarantees in the signing bonus.
For now, Rodgers is signed through 2023, but the Packers could theoretically cut him next offseason and save $22.7MM against the cap. They’d be left with $17.2MM in dead money, but that wouldn’t cripple them cap-wise, especially since the cap is set to increase next year. Jordan Love, with multiple years to go on his original rookie deal, would be significantly cheaper.
With training camp just one week away, it doesn’t sound like the Packers will have their MVP quarterback on the field. Rodgers, 37, continues to insist on a trade and a fresh start elsewhere. The Packers, meanwhile, have refused to budge.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/20/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OT Chaz Green
- Released: OT Jarron Jones, LB Calvin Bundage