This Date In Transactions History: Bears Sign Victor Cruz
On this date in 2017, Victor Cruz joined the Bears on a one-year deal. With that, the longtime Giants wide receiver was set to start his next chapter. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out as expected. 
Cruz was a logical fit for the Bears after they lost Alshon Jeffery in free agency. With their WR1 gone, they were left with Cameron Meredith, the injury-prone Kevin White, veteran Kendall Wright, Daniel Braverman, and Markus Wheaton as their top targets. Cruz was not a one-for-one replacement for Jeffery at this stage of his career, but there was a clear path to the 53-man roster. Then, in the preseason, he suffered a knee injury that took him out of the equation.
From 2011 through 2013, Cruz averaged 80 receptions, 1,209 yards, and eight end zone salsas per season for the Giants. Cruz, a former undrafted free agent out of UMass, came out of nowhere and captivated the NFL . Later, the Giants locked Cruz down with a five-year extension worth up to $43MM. Cruz could have gambled by staying on track for free agency after the 2013 season. With hindsight, Cruz was pretty happy about his decision, which yielded nearly $16MM in guaranteed cash.
Things started to come apart in 2014, thanks to a torn patellar tendon, followed by a calf injury. By ’18, Cruz was still just 31, but also years removed from live action. So, after unsuccessfully lobbying the Giants to bring him back, Cruz called it a career. His final NFL contract came from the Bears, but he left the game having only played for the G-Men.
Texans Sign QB Davis Mills
The Texans have officially signed rookie quarterback Davis Mills (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Field Yates). Per the terms of his slot, Davis will earn $5.2MM+ over the course of his four-year deal. 
Davis was a third-round pick, but he was the first player taken by the Texans this year. Ideally, the Texans would like to ease the Stanford product into the pro game. But, with continued uncertainty surrounding Deshaun Watson, there’s no telling how Mills will be deployed. For what it’s worth, new head coach David Culley is high on him.
“Davis Mills, I thought [GM Nick Caserio‘s] staff did a great job of all of a sudden earmarking a guy that fit what a quarterback in the NFL is all about,” Culley said earlier this month. “Obviously he didn’t play as much football as some of the other guys because of the COVID situation in the Pac-12, but we really love what he’s all about. We love all of the intangibles he has. He’s a pro-type NFL quarterback and we feel good to have him. He’s smart. He can make all the throws and we feel good and feel fortunate that we’re able to get him when we got him.”
If Watson doesn’t return to the Texans this year, Mills will likely start the year as the No. 2 QB behind team veteran Tyrod Taylor. Well-traveled QB Jeff Driskel is also in the mix, having leapfrogged Ryan Finley, who was recently cut.
As a two-year starter, Mills threw for 3,468 yards, 18 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing 65.5% of his throws. Now, he’ll look to make his mark in the pros along with the rest of the Texans’ rookie class. Mills was the first one picked and the last one to sign, meaning that the Texans’ entire class has now been wrapped up.
Details On Antonio Brown’s New Buccaneers Deal
It took a little longer than expected, but Antonio Brown has finally re-signed with the Buccaneers. Now, courtesy of ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter link) we have the details on the deal. 
As previously reported, Brown can make up to $6.25MM in 2021. He received a $2MM signing bonus plus $1.1MM in base salary, which effectively guarantees $3.1MM. Beyond that, he can make a total of $900K in per-game bonuses, plus incentives.
Brown can collect an additional $334K for each of the following plateaus: 50 catches, 70 catches, 600 receiving yards, 800 receiving yards, five touchdowns, and seven touchdowns. Plus, if he reaches 45% playing time and is active for a (second) Super Bowl victory, he’ll see another $250K.
Often times, NFL incentives are hard to reach. Sometimes, they’re formally designated as such (NLTBE — Not Likely To Be Earned). In this case, it’s not hard to imagine AB maxing out his contract. In eight regular season games last year, Brown notched 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns. Extrapolated for a full 16-game slate, that’s 90 catches, 966 yards, and eight touchdowns. If Brown can do that in 2021, he’ll hit every milestone and then some.
Packers Restructure Dean Lowry’s Deal
The Packers have restructured the contract of defensive lineman Dean Lowry (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Field Yates). Lowry will have $3.11 million of his $4.1MM salary converted into a signing bonus, giving Green Bay an additional $2.5MM in cap room. That’s a welcome break for Brian Gutekunst, who was sweating Lowry’s scheduled $6.3MM cap hit.
[RELATED: Aaron Rodgers Won’t Attend Packers’ OTAs]
The move provides the Packers with some extra space to add to the roster between now and Week 1. In theory, the extra dollars could be allocated towards a big splash, like trading for Falcons star Julio Jones, but they’ll need more than a few mil to make that happen. Jones will earn a guaranteed $15.3MM this year and already has ~$2MM of his 2022 salary ($15.5MM) locked in.
Lowry, a 2016 fourth-round pick out of Northwestern, inked a three-year, $20.325MM extension towards the end of his rookie deal. He broke out as a part-time starter in 2018 with 57 tackles (seven for loss), three sacks, three passes defensed, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two QB hits, and 14 QB pressures. Last year, he delivered three sacks and 36 total stops while starting in all 16 contests.
NFL Draft Signings: 5/25/21
We’ll keep track of today’s late-round signings here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Victor Dimukeje, LB (sixth round; Duke)
Signed: CB Tay Gowan (sixth round; Central Florida)
New York Giants
- Signed: DE Elerson Smith (fourth round; Northern Iowa)
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/25/21
We’ll keep tabs on today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Ross Travis
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: Kamaal Seymour
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Willie Henry
- Waived: LB Joe Bachie
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Cam Sutton
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Dee Delaney
Latest On Falcons, Julio Jones
It might not have been intentional, but Julio Jones told the world that he’s basically done with the Falcons. Meanwhile, head coach Arthur Smith is keeping mum on the matter. 
[RELATED: Julio Jones Says “I’m Out Of There”]
“[Players] should speak for themselves,” Smith said (Twitter link via Zach Klein of WSB). “I’m not going to comment, it doesn’t change anything for us. We understand what our plan is moving forward. We have multiple private conversations with our players and those are conversations that are going to stay private on my end.”
Apparently, those conversations have been going on for some time. Jones requested a trade a few months ago and the Falcons agreed to listen. Reportedly, they want a first-rounder for the multiple-time Pro Bowler, but they’ve had no takers so far. Jones has been one of the game’s most dominant wide receivers for years. But, at the age of 32, few teams want to cough up that kind of draft capital and pay out the remainder of his contract.
That’s not to say that the Falcons haven’t gotten some decent offers. Before the draft, the Falcons had the opportunity to trade Jones, and shed his contract, for a second-round pick (via PFT). Now, most of the potential suitors have addressed their needs, which means even longer odds of the Falcons securing the first-round pick they want.
Buccaneers Re-Sign Antonio Brown
It’s officially official. On Tuesday, Antonio Brown formally signed his brand new contract with the Buccaneers, per a club announcement. 
[RELATED: Julian Edelman On Bucs Rumors]
In late April, Brown agreed to a new one-year deal with the defending champs. However, the deal was still pending a physical following a recent knee procedure. Head coach Bruce Arians termed the operation as “getting his knee cleaned out” — in other words, a minor surgery. Still, it’s not clear why Brown waited until the spring to get it done.
“We wanted AB back,” Arians said. “He was a model citizen the whole time he’s been here. We wanted him back and he’s never had surgery in his life. It’s just a matter of physical done. I wanted him back the whole time.”
Assuming the terms have not changed, Brown will have the chance to earn up to $6.25MM with $3.1MM fully guaranteed and a $2MM signing bonus. The remaining half could be achieved via incentives.
In eight regular season games last year, Brown notched 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns. In theory, that’s 90 catches, 966 yards, and eight touchdowns when extrapolated for a full season. If Brown can do that in 2021, the Bucs will be over the moon.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/24/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Johnnie Dixon
Detroit Lions
- Signed: T Darrin Paulo
Green Bay Packers
- Released: CB KeiVarae Russell
Minnesota Vikings
- Claimed (from Texans): OL Cohl Cabral
Aaron Rodgers Won’t Attend Packers’ OTAs
The Packers kicked off their organized team activities on Monday. As expected, Aaron Rodgers was not among those in attendance (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky). 
Historically, Rodgers has been on hand for voluntary work. But, in recent weeks, he’s told those close to him that he wants out. For their part, the Packers say he’s staying put.
“We still obviously feel the same way,” head coach Matt LaFleur said earlier this month. “We want him back in the worst way. I know he knows that. And we’ll continue to work at it each and every day.”
They can try, but Rodgers seems to be sticking to his position. The Broncos and other clubs have been keeping a watchful eye on the situation with the hope that the Packers’ asking price will come down a bit. It’s been speculated that the Packers want at least two first-round picks, a second-rounder, and perhaps even a quality young quarterback.
Offseason work goes from voluntary to mandatory on June 8th, with minicamp running through June 10th. Rodgers has already lost out on $500K in bonuses by staying home — that number will quickly top $1MM if he abstains from minicamp and training camp.
For cap purposes, a Rodgers deal would need to be a post-June 1st thing anyway. With mandatory activities rapidly approaching, we should know a lot more soon.