AFC East Notes: Patriots, Gronk, Cannon, Jets
Of all of the Patriots‘ team-friendly deals, their pact with Rob Gronkowski stands as their best contract, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap writes. Gronk is currently in the middle of a six-year, $54MM deal with just $13.2MM guaranteed. That contract looks better and better for the Patriots as the star tight end continues to dominate and lesser tight ends cash in elsewhere. The Pats extended Gronk under the old Collective Bargaining Agreement in which you could lengthen a rookie’s deal after just his second season in the NFL. The Patriots realized that they had a star in the making in the University of Arizona product and pounced at a time when he was willing to trade in upside for security. Now, the Patriots have Gronkowski at a below-market price as they control him until the age of 30.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- More from Fitzgerald, who writes that the Patriots‘ worst contract is the one belonging to offensive tackle Marcus Cannon. The 28-year-old is a versatile player, but Fitzgerald doesn’t understand why New England felt the need to give him a two-year, $8.5MM deal with $3.2MM guaranteed. On the plus side, the Pats only guaranteed Cannon’s signing bonus, so they can cut him after one year and move on, if necessary.
- Guard Brian Winters has to prove a lot this season if he wants to have a future with the Jets beyond 2016, Brian Costello of the New York Post writes. Winters, who was ranked just No. 62 among qualified guards last year by Pro Football Focus, is slated to open the year as the starting right guard without any real competition pushing him for the job. However, this is the final year of his rookie deal and his return is far from guaranteed if he does not excel.
- Earlier today, we learned that the Dolphins still have two veteran safeties on speed dial in case things go south with Reshad Jones again.
- On Tuesday, Bills ownership spoke out about the league’s push for a new stadium and Marcell Dareus offered up some contract advice for teammate Stephon Gilmore.
NFC East Notes: Foster, Redskins, Giants
Rich Tandler of RealRedskins.com pondered whether the Redskins should look into signing free agent running back Arian Foster. The tailback is reportedly expected to be healthy in time for training camp and three teams have expressed interest in him this offseason, though it’s unclear if the Redskins are among those teams.
Currently, the Redskins have Matt Jones, Chris Thompson, rookie Keith Marshall, Mack Brown, Kelsey Young, and Rob Kelley on their running back depth chart, as shown on Roster Resource. Tandler believes that the Redskins should do their due diligence when it comes to Foster, though he expresses concern about the veteran’s price tag. Personally, however, I don’t see Foster’s asking price being all that high given the injury issues which limited him to four games in 2015 and just 25 games across the last three seasons.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- Is the Giants‘ defense something to be feared again now that free agent acquisitions like defensive end Olivier Vernon, nose tackle Damon Harrison, and cornerback Janoris Jenkins are in the fold? ESPN.com’s Todd Archer argues that while the defense is certainly improved, the unit as a whole is not as fearsome as it was in 2007 or 2011. Vernon’s sack total is cause for concern, he feels, and he also says that Jenkins takes too many chances at cornerback. Ultimately, though, he approves of the Harrison signing since he can help shut down the run.
- Kyshoen Jarrett‘s status with the Redskins appears to be as murky as ever. Recently, Jay Gruden dodged questions about the former Virginia Tech standout’s long-term future with the team, and that makes it seem like he’s a longshot to contribute in 2016, CSNMidAtlantic.com’s Tarik El-Bashir writes. As a result, El-Bashir doesn’t project Jarrett to make the 53-man roster. Instead, he sees Washington going into 2016 with Will Blackmon, David Bruton, Su’a Cravens (who may play more at linebacker), DeAngelo Hall, and Duke Ihenacho at the safety spots.
- Will the Redskins and Kirk Cousins hammer out an extension before July 15th? Click here for the latest.
Shaun Suisham Cut By Steelers, Will Retire
10:06am: It sounds as though Suisham is retiring following his release today. In a statement to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link), Suisham reflected on his career and discussed life after football:
“Unfortunately, the injury I sustained in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game last preseason was catastrophic and has proven to be critical to continuing my career. My journey in the NFL has come to a crossroads. I was raised in Wallaceburg, Ontario, as a hockey player and have been on an improbable 16-year journey as a kicker, competing at the highest level. The absolute nature of my position has given me the opportunity to test my resolve, and I have grown both professionally and as a man. Undoubtedly, I will miss the challenge of game day and the preparation that is required. Change is hard, but I’m comfortable with where I am in life as a husband and father.”
9:20am: The Steelers announced that they have released kicker Shaun Suisham with a failed physical designation. According to the team’s announcement, Suisham suffered a setback in his recovery from an ACL tear.
“Unfortunately Shaun incurred a setback in his recovery from knee surgery that won’t allow him to compete in a timely manner,” Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement. “Shaun has played a significant role in our success during his time in Pittsburgh. He has been the consummate professional on the field and in our community. We wish he and his family all the best in the future.”
Suisham recently admitted that he wasn’t sure if he would be ready for training camp at the end of July.
“Any sort of a battle is not an issue with me right now because I am not healthy,” Suisham said. “I will continue to work to get there, but I don’t know when that will be. I don’t have a time frame. Hopefully, it is for training camp.”
Suisham signed a four-year, $12.5MM extension in 2014, making him one of the top 10 highest-paid kickers in the NFL. Now, by releasing him, the Steelers will save $2.4MM against the cap. Chris Boswell, who appears to have won the kicker battle that never really got underway, makes the NFL minimum $525K.
Suisham spent the 2015 season on IR and Boswell sank 29 of 32 field goal tries while he was sidelined. Even though Boswell did enough in the eyes of many to win the kicking job for 2016, the Steelers still wanted to give Suisham every opportunity to try and claim the role for the coming year. Unfortunately, the 34-year-old was not able to heal up in time.
Over the course of his ten-year career (excluding his lost 2015 campaign), Suisham has suited up for the Cowboys, Redskins, and Steelers. In his last five years with Pittsburgh, Suisham has nailed 84.1% of his field goal attempts and 99.3% of his extra point tries.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dolphins Notes: Rolle, Tunsil, Tannehill, Gase
The Dolphins continue to have free agents Antrel Rolle and Louis Delmas on a list of safety options should they have an injury at the position or if Reshad Jones should reverse course and holdout during the season, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. Rolle, 33, is listed as PFR’s eighth-best defensive free agent still on the market. Delmas, meanwhile, has familiarity on his side as he has been with Miami for each of the past two seasons.
If Jones surprises everyone and has a change of heart after reporting to minicamp earlier this month, he still might not have much in the way of leverage. Even a person close to Jones conceded to Jackson that Miami doesn’t have any incentive to re-do the current deal, which pays Jones $7.2MM and $7.1MM over the next two seasons.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Rookie Laremy Tunsil is not guaranteed a starting spot on the Dolphins’ offensive line, as Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post writes. However, it would be a stunner if Dallas Thomas, Pro Football Focus’ worst-rated NFL guard last year, manages to beat him out. Meanwhile, Tunsil says that the adjustment from guard to tackle hasn’t been a difficult one. Coach Adam Gase agrees, noting that the transition isn’t a tough one since he is staying on the same side of the line. “When you put a guy on the left side, he’s playing the two positions that really they’re making the calls together whether it be in the run game or the pass game,” Gase said. “So it’s not like he’s learning something completely different.”
- Can the offensive-minded Gase succeed in the defense-heavy AFC East? The new Dolphins coach will have to get Ryan Tannehill to elevate his play by a good margin in order to succeed, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. Since his rookie year in 2012, Tannehill has gone 8-16 against AFC East foes with 30 touchdown passes against 25 interceptions and 75 sacks, all adding up to a dismal 35.5 Total QBR.
- Defensive end Dion Jordan says that he’s drug-free as he seeks reinstatement, but Albert Breer of The MMQB hears that they should be worried about more than Jordan’s off-field issues.
Reggie Bush Says Two Teams Have Interest
Free agent running back Reggie Bush says that he has received calls from two interested NFL teams this offseason (Twitter link via SiriusXM NFL Radio), though he did not specify which teams have inquired on him. Bush added that he is taking his time in the process and wants to do things “the right way,” which likely means that no deal is imminent for the 31-year-old. 
[RELATED: 49ers Bullish On Blaine Gabbert]
Bush announced in February that he is intent on playing in 2016, though it was unclear at the time whether that feeling was being reciprocated back from any of the league’s 32 teams. Now, if Bush is to be believed, there are at least a pair of clubs that would be interested in having him aboard.
The Lions cut Bush prior to the 2015 season to save money after he missed much of the previous campaign with ankle injuries. Bush went on to sign the 49ers, but he played just five games before tearing his left ACL on the concrete at the Edwards Jones Dome in St. Louis. Bush later sued the St. Louis Regional Convention and Stadium Authority over his injury, which capped his season’s statline at a grand total of 28 yards. Now, Bush says he has recovered from his ACL tear.
“I feel healthy and can make an impact on the field,” Bush told SiriusXM (Twitter link). “I think I’ve benefited from playing in different offenses.”
Despite getting heavy run as the lead back in Miami and Detroit between 2011 and 2013, he probably would only carry value as a third-down specialty back if he returns for the 2016 season. Any deal he signs will likely be light on guarantees.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Kirk Cousins, Redskins
With roughly three weeks until the extension deadline, the assumption is that Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins will play out the 2016 season on his $19.95MM franchise tender, sources from both sides tell Albert Breer of The MMQB. While talks are “amicable” between both sides, Breer hears that they are basically going nowhere. 
[RELATED: Redskins Won’t Extend Chris Baker This Summer]
Cousins’ reps are negotiating on the premise that Cousins can earn roughly $44MM over the next two years if he is tagged for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The Redskins, meanwhile, are reluctant to meet those numbers in the first two years of a contract (and, presumably, reflect those salaries beyond 2017) since they want to see Cousins prove himself all over again. As Breer notes, the Redskins may be playing a dangerous game with their QB. If, as expected, Andrew Luck signs a record-breaking extension and Cousins turns in another strong year, then their quarterback’s asking price will skyrocket.
Another factor to consider is the impact of the Josh Norman signing on the Redskins’ salary cap. The cornerback’s massive deal will carry a $20MM cap hit in 2017. Therefore, if Washington were to exercise the franchise tag on Cousins next season at $24MM, more than 25% of its cap space would be dedicated to two players, and that’s a pie chart that no NFL team wants to be facing.
Cousins, 27, became Washington’s full-time starting quarterback for the first time last season, earning 16 of his 25 career starts in 2015. The four-year veteran finished the regular season on a tear, completing 74% of his passes for nearly 1,200 yards, 12 touchdowns, and a 134.0 quarterback rating over the final four weeks of the year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Curtis Lofton Hopes To Continue Playing
Free agent linebacker Curtis Lofton is without a team as we head into July, but he hopes that will change by August. In an interview on 92.9 The Game, Lofton explained he underwent offseason ankle and knee surgeries, but intends to continue playing in 2016 (Twitter link via Alex Marvez of FOX Sports). 
[RELATED: 2016 NFL Free Agents]
Lofton, 30, was released in a cap-saving move by the Raiders in March. The Oklahoma product joined the Raiders for the 2015 season after spending his previous seven NFL seasons in Atlanta and New Orleans. Unfortunately, inking a three-year, $18MM deal with Oakland, Lofton failed to make a real impact for the team, starting just nine games and struggling to produce. Pro Football Focus ranked him 94th out of 97 qualified linebackers.
Lofton’s contract stipulated that $3.5MM of his $5.35MM base salary for 2016 would become guaranteed in February, less than a week after the Super Bowl. Reportedly, the Raiders couldn’t cut the linebacker prior to that date because he was unable to pass a physical due to an arm injury and they ultimately wound up waiving him with a failed physical designation.
Now that Lofton has copped to having serious ankle and knee issues in addition to his arm surgery, it seems unlikely that he’ll net a deal with much in the way of guarantees. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team bring him in on a low-risk, one-year deal while there are expanded rosters. After all, Lofton can provide valuable experience for someone’s linebacking corps after playing in a starting role across his eight-year career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC South Notes: Newton, Panthers, Short
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is a household name and widely considered to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today. But how do his divisional foes regard him? Jenna Laine of ESPN.com spoke with a few Buccaneers players who say that they respect him overall with one player admitting that tackling him is a “chore.” As for his touchdown celebrations, Tampa players don’t seem to be nearly as irked by his dancing as some of the country’s talking heads are.
Here’s more out of the NFC South:
- Was firing Lovie Smith and hiring Dirk Koetter the right move for the Buccaneers? Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com doesn’t think that Smith was given enough time to fix what was broken in Tampa for a long time. Although Smith was criticized for pushing the Tampa 2 scheme to hard in his two years with the Bucs, McClure hears that Gerald McCoy‘s work ethic was suspect, and that may have been the culprit of some D-Line issues. Meanwhile, Koetter got a lot of credit for turning around the Bucs’ offense, but McClure notes that the team also emphasized offense with 12 of 13 draft picks coming on offense during the 2014 and 2015 drafts, which surely helped. Smith may have been behind the 8-ball from the start as one source told McClure that he inherited a team “in disarray” in Tampa with “a lot of guys who didn’t love football.”
- Bill Voth of Black And Blue Review wondered whether Panthers GM Dave Gettleman was thinking about Kawann Short‘s contract situation when he drafted Vernon Butler with the No. 30 overall pick. When asked about his overall philosophy on that, Gettleman didn’t specifically say whether he consider contracts of current players when prepping his boards. However, he did make it clear that he sees a difference-maker in Butler and was willing to take him even though he didn’t fill a need position-wise. “Looking at the roster, did we need another defensive tackle?” Gettleman asked rhetorically. “People can argue ‘no.’ But you know how much I believe in the front. You know how much I believe it’s a big man’s game and [coach] Ron [Rivera] is right there with me.”
- There are a lot of people in the NFL who are breathing a sigh of relief now that the Saints ownership battle appears to be settled, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
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Offset Language
Since the NFL’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement has made rookie contracts fairly regimented, negotiations between teams and draft picks have become smoother than ever, with few – if any – players expected to be unsigned by the time training camp gets underway. Still, eleven players have yet to ink their rookie deals, including four first-rounders: Joey Bosa (Chargers, No. 3), Darron Lee (Jets, No. 20), Will Fuller (Texans, No. 21), and Joshua Garnett (49ers, No. 28). 
Although we don’t know for sure what the holdup is with those four players, one factor that continues to play a role in contracts for first-round picks relates to offset language. Over the last several years, only a handful of players in each year have managed to avoid having offsets language written into their deals. Last year, Marcus Mariota‘s camp haggled with the Titans until the two sides finally reached an accord with partial offset language, a compromise that was not consummated until late July. In most cases, a lack of offsets for a player simply relies on which team drafted him — clubs like the Rams and Jaguars traditionally haven’t pushed to include offsets in contracts for their top picks, even in an era where most other teams around the league do.
Offset language relates to what happens to a player’s salary if he’s cut during the first four years of his career, while he’s still playing on his rookie contract. For the top 15 to 20 picks in the draft, those four-year salaries will be fully guaranteed, even if a player is waived at some point during those four seasons. For example, if a player has $4MM in guaranteed money remaining on his contract and is cut, he’ll still be owed that $4MM.
However, if a team has written offset language into the contract, that club can save some money if and when the player signs with a new team. For example, if that player who had $4MM in guaranteed money left on his contract signs with a new club on a $1MM deal, his old team would only be on the hook for $3MM, with the new team making up the difference. If there’s no offset language on that first deal, the old team would continue to be on the hook for the full $4MM, and the player would simply earn an additional $1MM from his new club.
Although the negotiation of offset language might potentially delay a rookie’s signing, the offsets rarely come into play, since few top picks flame out badly enough that they’re released during their first four seasons. And even in those rare instances, if a player has performed poorly enough to be cut in his first few years, he likely won’t sign a lucrative deal elsewhere, so offset language wouldn’t help his old club recover more than perhaps the league minimum.
Note: This is a PFR Glossary entry, modified from an earlier post by PFR editor emeritus Luke Adams. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to free agency, trades, or other aspects of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Information from OverTheCap.com was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.