HEADLINES

Author: Zachary Links

Eagles’ Fletcher Cox Drawing Interest

March 11th, 2022 at 8:45am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles are getting calls on defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Pro Bowler, who was nearly dealt before the fall deadline, is a name to watch as the trade market continues to heat up. 

The Steelers were among those with interest last time around, though they ultimately warded off by the Eagles’ asking price of a third-round pick.

“There were some teams interested in me, and the most important part of it was they wanted me here, and I wanted to be here and I’m happy to be here,” Cox said in early November.

The 31-year-old (32 in December) might not be in the Birds’ plans for 2022. As it stands, he’s set to carry a $14.9MM cap figure on the 2022 books, followed by $12.7MM in 2023. Under the current contract, a release isn’t a viable option, because it’d leave a whopping $40.9MM dead money hit. Even in a trade scenario, another restructure may be in order.

Cox, a six-time Pro Bowler, finished 2021 with 35 stops, 3.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. For his career, the 310-pound lineman has 58 sacks and 443 tackles to his credit, all with the Eagles.

Saints Re-Sign Carl Granderson 

March 10th, 2022 at 2:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints easily could have kept Carl Granderson on a low-cost, one-year deal. Instead, they’ve re-signed the exclusive rights free agent to a brand new two-year pact worth upwards of $5MM (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). 

[RELATED: Saints Carve Out $12MM+ In Cap Room]

The first half of the pact will pay Granderson $965K, the same as his would-be ERFA salary. But, after that, the defensive end will earn $4.3MM in 2023. That’s roughly in line with what the second-round restricted free agent tender should be next offseason.

The deal, which also includes a $240K signing bonus, shows how much the Saints value the young edge rusher. Still only 25 (26 in December), Granderson has managed eight sacks between the last two seasons, despite playing mostly as a reserve.

The Wyoming product went undrafted in 2019 following criminal charges. Recognizing his talent, the Saints rolled the dice and signed him to their expanded 90-man roster. So far, that’s all paid off as Granderson has played a key role in the edge rotation. That role may expand even further now — even after today’s cap magic, the Saints are still $30MM+ over the cap, which means that some high-priced defenders will have to be traded or released.

Cowboys Discussing La’el Collins Trade

March 10th, 2022 at 1:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys are engaged in active trade talks involving tackle La’el Collins (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Collins, who is due $10MM in 2022, has drawn interest from multiple teams, RapSheet hears. 

[RELATED: Latest On Cowboys’ Lawrence]

Pro Football Focus graded Collins as one of the NFL’s best right tackles in 2019. After that, he missed 21 of his next 22 possible games. First came the hip injury which wiped out his 2020 season. Then, in 2021, Collins missed time with a neck injury and a five-game suspension. According to the NFL, Collins attempted to bribe a drug test official last year.

Collins came back in the fall, first as a left guard before moving back to the outside. From a football perspective, Collins’ contract is a bargain — he’s locked in through 2024 at $10MM/year. The going rate for tackles of his caliber and age group (29) is significantly higher.

On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys are hoping that DeMarcus Lawrence will agree to a pay cut. Currently, the edge rusher is scheduled to earn $17MM in base salary for 2022. If they drop the rest of his five-year, $100MM+ extension and use the post-June 1 designation, they can carve out $19MM in cap room for the coming year.

Lions To Release Trey Flowers

March 10th, 2022 at 12:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions are set to release outside linebacker Trey Flowers, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). The Lions first tried to trade the veteran (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport), but they ultimately weren’t able to find a suitable deal.

With his outright release, Flowers will be a full-fledged unrestricted free agent and able to sign with any team. However, that won’t become official until the first day of the league year (next week), as noted by Birkett. In theory, Flowers could still be traded between now and then, though his contract will probably be a blocker.

Flowers came up with the Patriots, where he missed all but one game in his rookie year. After that, he tallied 21 sacks and 25 tackles for loss across three full seasons. The Lions snagged him in the 2019 offseason, inking the edge rusher to a five-year, $90MM deal. His first year went well with seven sacks and eight total tackles for loss. Unfortunately, injuries have hampered him the last two years — he suited up in just 14 total games between 2020 and 2021.

By releasing the edge rusher, the Lions can save $10.4MM against $12.85MM in dead money. They can also spread out that dead money hit with the post-June 1 designation, which would kick roughly half of it to the 2023 books.

Flowers, 29 in August, had just 1.5 sacks in his partial season. Still, he has youth on his side, ample starting experience, and a career tally of 31.5 sacks.

49ers, Rams, Cards Interested In Bobby Wagner

March 10th, 2022 at 12:14pm CST by Zachary Links

It sounds like Bobby Wagner won’t be out of work for long. The 49ers, Rams, and Cardinals are interested in the longtime Seahawks linebacker, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 

[RELATED: Seahawks Trade Wilson To Broncos]

Those NFC West teams are already familiar with what Wagner brings to the table, especially since they’ve each faced him twice per regular season. Of course, they still have to consider the finances. In the case of the star-studded Rams, there’s no room to give Wagner the type of deal he was playing under before. They won’t approach his old $16MM/year contract, but Jourdan Rodrigue of TheAthletic.com hears that they are willing to go into the $4MM-$5MM range. That may or may not work for Wagner, who would also have to cede snaps to youngster Ernest Jones.

Wagner, 32 in June, spent his entire career in Seattle, up until yesterday’s release. The 2012 second-round pick was a pillar of the Seahawks’ D from the jump, starting 15 games as a rookie and 150 games to date. His tenure also saw 16 playoff starts, including the post-2013 campaign which ended in a Super Bowl.

All together, Wagner leaves the Seahawks as an eight-time All Pro and the franchise’s’ all-time leader in total tackles. Now, the Seahawks could be on the verge of seeing him at least twice in 2022.

Commanders To Cut Landon Collins

March 10th, 2022 at 10:12am CST by Zachary Links

The Commanders are set to release Landon Collins (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The two sides tried to come to terms on a pay cut, but the safety preferred to try his luck on the open market.

The old regime gave Collins a six-year, $84MM deal in 2019. That pact made him the first safety in league history to crack the $14MM/year mark. Now, midway through the megadeal, the Commanders are going to bid farewell to the 28-year-old. Releasing Collins will save $6.6MM against roughly $10MM in dead money for 2022.

By all accounts, the Commanders would have been happy to keep Collins — just not at his $16.1MM cap figure. To his credit, Collins was mostly healthy in 2021, appearing in 13 games as a linebacker/safety. Plenty of teams will have interest in the veteran, though he won’t match his previous deal. This year’s safety market — headlined by the likes of Marcus Williams, Tyrann Mathieu, and Jessie Bates III – offers more bang for the buck elsewhere.

Collins finished 2021 with 81 tackles, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and three sacks across 13 games. Now, he’ll look to reassert himself elsewhere when free agency opens on March 16.

Saints Restructure Jordan, Kpassagnon

March 10th, 2022 at 9:14am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints restructured the contracts of defensive ends Cameron Jordan and Tanoh Kpassagnon, creating $12.45MM in cap room (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Meanwhile, the Saints have also re-signed a pair of would-be ERFAs in defensive end Carl Granderson and defensive tackle Jalen Dalton. 

[RELATED: Saints Interested In Mathieu]

That’ll help the Saints tamp down their payroll, but they still have lots of work to do. Heading into today, the Saints were projected to be $45.2MM over the salary cap, so they still have a franchise quarterback’s worth of dollars to carve out.

Jordan still has two to go on his deal, thanks to the three-year, $52.5MM add-on he signed in 2019. Jordan has spent his entire career in New Orleans, turning in near-perfect attendance and 175 total starts. This past year, Jordan notched his fifth-straight Pro Bowl nod with 12.5 sacks, 59 tackles, six passes defensed, and two forced fumbles.

Kpassagnon, meanwhile, notched four sacks in eight games (five starts) last year. The 6’7″, 289-pound edge rusher still has one year to go on his deal — his contract will remain largely unchanged via the simple restructure.

Raiders’ Kolton Miller, Kenyan Drake Rework Deals

March 10th, 2022 at 8:29am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have restructured the contracts of left tackle Kolton Miller and running back Kenyan Drake (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Between the two moves, the Raiders have carved out an additional $14.525MM in cap space for this offseason. 

[RELATED: Raiders, Crosby In Talks]

Drake joined the Raiders last year on a two-year, $11MM deal. Serving as the Raiders’ second-leading rusher behind starter Josh Jacobs, Drake tallied 254 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and a solid 4.3 yards per carry average last year. He also added 29 grabs for 283 receiving yards and one TD through the air. Unfortunately, his season ended in December with an ankle fracture suffered against Washington.

Around that same time, Miller agreed to a three-year extension worth upwards of $18MM per year. At that time, the advanced metrics were only so-so on his play. But, last year, Miller graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 ranked tackle (86.3 overall score) in the NFL. By all accounts and measures, the UCLA product has steadily improved with every season. Miller has played on every snap for the last three seasons and, in 2021, he allowed just 35 total pressures.

The Raiders will direct some of this cash to free agency, though they’re also looking to lock up standout defensive end Maxx Crosby.

Titans To Release Kendall Lamm

March 10th, 2022 at 8:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Titans are releasing offensive tackle Kendall Lamm, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (Twitter link). Lamm had one more year to go on his contract, but the Titans opted for extra cap space instead.

[RELATED: Titans, Landry Agree On Extension]

Lamm joined the Titans on a two-year pact worth $8.5MM last spring. Up until that point, the undrafted free agent out of Appalachian State spent the first four seasons of his career with the Texans, followed by two years with the Browns. Lamm was limited to just four games during his first season in Cleveland, but he got into 15 games (one start) for the Browns in 2020, appearing on 116 offensive snaps and 68 special teams snaps.

His Titans run was spent mostly as a reserve with one start out of 12 appearances. All in all, the 29-year-old (30 in June) has 86 games on his resume and 28 starts.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/22

March 9th, 2022 at 7:49pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

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