Tyson Alualu Nixes Jaguars Deal, Re-Joins Steelers
After agreeing to join Jaguars, Tyson Alualu had a change of heart. The veteran defensive end has instead re-signed with the Steelers on a two-year deal, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). 
The Jaguars verbally agreed to a two-year, $6MM deal with Alualu on March 16. The 33-year-old (34 in May) planned to make it all official on a trip to Jacksonville, but a positive test for COVID-19 forced him to postpone the trip. While quarantining in his Pittsburgh home for ten days, the veteran edge rusher reconsidered his decision.
Alualu was the 10th overall pick of the Jags way back in 2010, and although he’s been a solid player, he never really lived up to his draft status. He has had a bit of a late career resurgence in Pittsburgh, including some quality work with the Steelers last year. He played on ~44% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps in 2020 and finished with 38 tackles, two sacks, and five passes defended. He received very strong marks from Pro Football Focus for his work as a run defender.
Now, the big fella will return to one of the league’s best defenses. Meanwhile, Urban Meyer will have to look elsewhere for interior line help.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/26/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Brandon Powell
Washington Football Team
- Signed: CB Darryl Roberts
Seahawks Release Jarran Reed
The Seahawks have released defensive tackle Jarran Reed. As NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link) noted this afternoon, this was the expected move after the club was unable to find a suitable trade. 
By cutting Reed, the Seahawks will gain $8.5MM in cap space with a $5MM dead cap hit. The Seahawks signed Kerry Hyder earlier this month and brought back Benson Mayowa along with defensive end Carlos Dunlap. Seattle also re-signed defensive tackle Poona Ford this month.
Ultimately, there wasn’t enough room for Reed, and the league’s other 31 teams recognized that. Although no one was willing to give up draft capital while taking on Reed’s old contract, plenty of clubs will be interested in adding him as a free agent.
This move comes just a year after the Seahawks retained Reed via two-year, $23MM extension. The former second-round pick broke out in 2018, registering 10.5 sacks and 24 quarterback hits, but saw a suspension derail his 2019 season. Reed missed the first six games of the ’19 campaign, which ended with him collecting just two sacks and eight QB hits. Last season, Reed bounced back with 6.5 sacks to help the Seahawks to their third straight playoff berth.
At 28, and having been a starter since his rookie season, Reed should generate interest on the market — even if no trade materialized. Given the juncture of his Seattle departure and the salary cap reduction, Reed may need to accept a one-year deal at a lower rate and aim for a subsequent extension with his new team or a 2022 free agency payday.
Bears Re-Sign Artie Burns
The Bears have re-signed Artie Burns on a one-year deal, per a club announcement. The cornerback joined Chicago last year, but never made it to the field. 
Burns, 26 in May, spent his first four NFL seasons with the Steelers. Expectations were high for the first-round pick, but his role in the Steelers’ defense dwindled over time. With 32 starts to his credit, he joined the Bears last year, but wound up tearing his ACL in August.
Burns played on just 6% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps in 2019, so he’s really two years removed from standard safety play. He’ll look to bounce back this year and add to his career totals of 149 tackles, four interceptions and 27 pass breakups. Playing alongside old University of Miami pal Deon Bush may help as he gets reacquainted.
Raiders Sign Willie Snead
The Raiders have agreed to sign Willie Snead (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The free agent wide receiver visited Las Vegas earlier this week and landed his deal soon after.
[RELATED: Ravens Express Interest In Sammy Watkins]
The Raiders will add Snead to their new-look WR group, one without Tyrell Williams and Nelson Agholor. Snead will join John Brown and the newly re-signed Zay Jones, but the Raiders will likely continue to scour the market and the draft for more receivers.
The Ravens didn’t show much interest in re-signing Snead. He spent the past three years in Baltimore, but his role has dwindled somewhat over the last two. The former UDFA kicked off his Ravens tenure with 62 grabs for 651 yards and a touchdown in 2018. But, between 2019 and 2020, he has a combined 64 catches and 771 yards. On the other hand, he does have eight touchdowns between the two seasons.
Dolphins Trade No. 3 Pick To 49ers, Send No. 12 To Eagles
The Dolphins have agreed to trade the No. 3 overall pick to the 49ers for the No. 12 pick, a 2021 third-rounder, and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The Niners may use the choice to select their next quarterback, though sources tell Schefter that Jimmy Garoppolo will be staying put. 
Meanwhile, the Dolphins quickly pivoted towards another blockbuster of their own, dealing that No. 12 overall choice, No. 123, and a 2022 first-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for Nos. 6 and 156. In effect, the Dolphins secured future first-round ammo in exchange for moving from No. 3 to No. 6. From here, the can use their bevy of picks to build around Tua Tagovailoa — or swing another blockbuster for a veteran QB.
The 49ers are moving to No. 3 with the expectation that the Jaguars will take Trevor Lawrence first overall. At No. 2, many believe the Jets will go QB as well — perhaps BYU’s Zach Wilson or Ohio State’s Justin Fields. After that, the Niners would have their pick of the litter. Even if Garoppolo remains, they could weigh Wilson or Fields (depending on which is still available), North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, or Alabama’s Mac Jones.
At No. 12, the Eagles are unlikely to have most of those QBs on the table. By dropping six spots, it appears that the Eagles are ready to move forward with Jalen Hurts in 2021. They also have a 2022 first-round pick — the Dolphins’ original choice – that they can use to fill other gaps. The Birds have been connected to Wilson for a while. But, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport explains (Twitter link), GM Howie Roseman ultimately felt that adding a future first-rounder would be better for the team in the long run.
Buccaneers Re-Sign Leonard Fournette
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: The Buccaneers are keeping the band together. On Friday, GM Jason Licht struck a new one-year deal with running back Leonard Fournette (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Fournette is set to earn $3.25MM with the chance to reach $4MM via incentives. Apparently, that was enough for Fournette to say no to the Seahawks and other suitors.
The former No. 4 overall pick found his way to the Bucs after the Jaguars dropped him last summer. Serving as Ronald Jones‘ backup for much of the year, Fournette shined as the starter from Week 15 onward. In the regular season, Fournette averaged 3.8 yards per carry in 13 games. He also reeled in 36 passes for 233 yards, giving him 600 all-purpose yards for the year. He saved his best for the playoffs, collecting four touchdowns and 448 yards from scrimmage in four games.
The Buccaneers’ high-powered passing offense certainly had something to do with his resurgence. With the Jaguars’, Fournette faced stacked boxes on 39% of his carries from 2017-19. In Tampa, he’s got tons of offensive weapons around him to keep defenses honest.
Some wondered if the Buccaneers would be able to keep their core in tact after their Super Bowl victory. But, in the last month, they’ve held on to Fournette, Chris Godwin, Shaquil Barrett, Lavonte David, Rob Gronkowski, Ndamukong Suh, and other key pieces. Next, the Bucs will look to re-sign wide receiver Antonio Brown.
T.J. Carrie To Meet With Saints
Colts cornerback T.J. Carrie is set to meet with the Saints (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM). The Saints have been looking for corners to support Marshon Lattimore and Carrie could fit the bill.
Carrie spent 2020 with the Colts and finished the year with two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and two touchdowns. His first TD came off of a pick six against the Jets in Week 3. Then, against the Titans in Week 10, he scored again off of a punt return.
Carrie was mostly used as a reserve last year, but he was first-string for much of his early Raiders tenure. There’s a chance that Carrie could fight his way into the starting lineup if he’s signed, though he’s more likely to fill Justin Hardee‘s shoes as a reserve and special teams ace.
The Saints previously considered corners like Chidobe Awuzie, who landed a three-year deal worth ~$22MM with the Bengals. They’re also said to be interested in multiple-time Pro Bowler Richard Sherman. Carrie would represent a cheaper solution at cornerback — one that wouldn’t limit them from a splashier acquisition later this year.
Steelers Aiming For T.J. Watt Extension
No surprise here, but Steelers owner Art Rooney says he wants to keep T.J. Watt for the long haul (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor). As it stands, the outside linebacker is scheduled to reach free agency after the 2021 season.
[RELATED: Steelers Release Steven Nelson]
“We’re certainly going to try,” Rooney said. “We certainly look at T.J. as a key player in the future. I can assure you we’ll do everything we can to keep T.J. on our roster beyond this year. That’s the goal.”
The Steelers exercised Watt’s fifth-year option to give him a $10.089MM salary in 2021. Historically, the Steelers have made it a point to extend key players when they’re a year away from free agency (and, by the same token, they’ve done their best to avoid those talks when stars are two years out). The Steelers could get ahead of the game by locking up the Pro Bowler this summer.
Watt, 27 in October, is coming off of his second straight All-Pro season and third consecutive Pro Bowl nod. Last year, he led the league with 15 sacks to bring his career tally to 49.5. A new deal won’t come cheap, but he’s the type of player the Steelers can’t afford to lose. Assuming the 2022 salary cap bounces back towards its usual max, Rooney should be able to get a deal done.
Latest On Jaguars’ Gardner Minshew, C.J. Beathard
C.J. Beathard‘s new Jaguars deal includes $2.75MM in guaranteed money, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. As Rapoport notes, it’s a strong indicator that the quarterback will make the Jaguars’ final 53-man cut. By the same token, it’s a sign that one-time rising star Gardner Minshew won’t be on the roster. 
Of course, the Jaguars are expected to draft Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick. Up until the Beathard signing, there was at least a chance of Minshew staying on board as the bridge/QB2 for the Clemson star. That spot now seems reserved for Beathard, so the Jaguars will probably start taking those Minshew trade inquiries seriously. Just last week, head coach Urban Meyer said that he wasn’t looking to move the Washington State product.
“At this point, no,” Meyer said. “At this point, I know Gardner a little bit. He came in yesterday. We had a good visit. That’s the second time I’ve spent time with him. This is all kind of new to me. I’m used to spending about five, six hours a day with our quarterbacks — that’s January, February, to get your quarterback ready to go, and you can’t do that in the NFL.”
Despite 2020’s struggles, Minshew is just one year removed from setting franchise records in yards (3,271) and touchdowns (21) for rookie QBs. He’s still on that rookie deal, so any team acquiring him would have him at bargain-basement salaries of $850K and $965K.