Zachary Links | Pro Football Rumors

Raiders, Maxx Crosby Working On Deal

March 6th, 2022 at 1:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders and defensive end Maxx Crosby are working on a new contract that would make him one of the highest-paid defensive players in the NFL, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic. Meanwhile, they’re prioritizing Crosby’s deal over an extension for quarterback Derek Carr.

Crosby, a 2019 fourth-round pick, has blossomed into one of the Raiders’ most impactful defenders. The Eastern Michigan product still has one more year to go on his deal, but new Raiders GM Dave Ziegler doesn’t want to let him get anywhere near the open market. Ziegler doesn’t want to show his hand or come on too strong, but he’s hinted that a Crosby contract is on the agenda.

“As we’re kind of going through free agency and getting to the draft, there are going to be some of those organic conversations you’re going to have. I wouldn’t say we’re there yet,” Ziegler said. “I know it’s a curious question and I get that, but we’re just trying to take so many small bites right now. In due time, we’ll look at all those things. But it’s always good to have good players.”

Crosby, 24, earned his trip to the Pro Bowl in 2021 with eight sacks, 30 quarterback hits, 13 tackles for loss, and a league-leading 92 pressures. All in all, he’s got 25 sacks to his credit with perfect attendance throughout his young career. Tafur believes that Crosby could land in the second tier of edge rushers, somewhere behind T.J. Watt ($28MM/year), Joey Bosa ($27MM/year), and Myles Garrett ($25MM/year). A deal similar to that of Chiefs DE Frank Clark (five years, $105.5MM) could make sense, Tafur writes, though it’s worth noting that Clark inked his deal in 2019, before the market really picked up. Crosby also has stronger numbers than Clark, so there’s a case for a higher AAV.

Carr, meanwhile, set a new personal watermark in passing yards (4,804) with 23 touchdowns against 14 interceptions and a 68%+ completion rate. He also brought the Raiders to the playoffs, but the new regime may still prefer to start fresh.

Giants’ James Bradberry Drawing Trade Interest

March 4th, 2022 at 1:55pm CST by Zachary Links

James Bradberry is garnering trade interest around the league (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The high-priced cornerback was a favorite of GM Dave Gettleman, but the Giants’ new regime may be open to moving him.

The Giants signed Bradberry to a three-year, $45MM deal ($32MM guaranteed) in 2020. At the time, he was one of the top free agents on the market. Teams were high on him, even though the analytics weren’t quite as fond. Bradberry, a multi-year starter for the Panthers, was ranked as a middle-of-the-road defender by Pro Football Focus in his walk year.

Bradberry earned a Pro Bowl nod in his first Giants season but he didn’t play up to his contract in 2021. Now on the verge of his 29th birthday in August, the Giants may opt to trade him for draft capital while taking much of his $21.8MM cap hit off of the books. And, as Rapoport notes, a Bradberry deal seems much more likely that a trade of star running back Saquon Barkley.

Despite the down year, Bradberry should still hold interest for cornerback-needy teams. He’s not too far removed from that Pro Bowl 2020, when he posted the lowest passer rating of any CB in the league, per PFF.

Bills Permit Cole Beasley To Seek Trade

March 4th, 2022 at 12:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Cole Beasley could be on his way out of Buffalo. The Bills have granted the wide receiver permission to seek a new club (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo), paving the way for a potential trade.

Neither side has offered further comment on the matter, though Beasley and the team reportedly clashed throughout the year. Beasley, who will turn 33 on April 26th, was still productive in 2021 with 82 catches for 693 yards and one touchdown. He also managed 82 catches in 2020, though that was a more efficient campaign — his 82/967 line averaged out to a career-high 11.8 yards per grab. Last year, he had just 8.5 yards per reception, tying his career low.

Beasley has one year to go on his four-year, $29MM pact. As it stands, he’s set to count for $7.6MM against the Bills’ books, but a trade or release would leave the team with just $1.5MM in dead money versus $6.1MM in savings.

That’s a decent chunk of change, one that could be put towards larger expenditures like Rob Gronkowski. The Bills are reportedly interested in signing the 32-year-old as a free agent and he may be open to a move following Tom Brady‘s retirement. It also helps that Gronk is a Buffalo-area native who grew up as a Bills fan. Gronkowski, 32, managed 55 catches for 802 yards last year despite missing five games while injured.

Seahawks Want To Re-Sign Geno Smith

March 4th, 2022 at 11:41am CST by Zachary Links

In a matter of days, Geno Smith will be eligible to sign with any team in the NFL. Still, head coach Pete Carroll hopes that the quarterback will stay put (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times).

Smith was arrested on suspicion of DUI in January, a potential roadblock to his future prospects. The quarterback has yet to be charged in connection with that incident, however, which may help his standing in Seattle.

“Being arrested brings a taint onto the reputation that is impossible to undo, no matter what really happened,” Smith said in a tweet following the arrest. “I’m asking all of you to hold back on judging me the same as you would do for a friend or family member. I’ll have more to say down the road & ask that you [bear] with me.”

Smith has spent the past two seasons as the backup in Seattle. In 2021, he made four appearances while Russell Wilson was sidelined with a broken finger. Smith was victorious just once in three starts, but he did throw for 702 yards and five touchdowns against just one interception, a major upgrade over his early pro work.

Giants Open To Saquon Barkley Trade

March 4th, 2022 at 11:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants’ new regime could be making some serious changes this offseason. When asked about the possibility of trading Saquon Barkley, GM Joe Schoen wouldn’t rule it out.

“I’m open to anything. … I’m not going to say yes to every deal, but I’m going to listen,” Schoen said (Twitter link via Adam Beasley of Pro Football Network).

Barkley was once untouchable. Now, after a string of injuries, the Giants are at least open to dealing him. After being selected No. 2 overall in 2018, Barkley was nothing short of stellar — his historic rookie campaign included 2,028 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns in a full 16-game slate. He had an equally impressive 5.4 yards per touch in 2019, but he missed three games thanks to a high ankle sprain.

Then, in 2020, he was limited to just two games before succumbing to a torn ACL. Barkley managed to play in 13 games this past year, but clearly wasn’t at 100%. He finished with just 593 yards off of 162 carries, good for just 3.7 yards per attempt.

The Giants have already exercised Barkley’s fifth-year option for 2022, but they may prefer to put those dollars elsewhere and target younger options in the draft. Meanwhile, they may be able to save money elsewhere by negotiating a new deal with wide receiver Sterling Shepard.

Colts GM Chris Ballard On Carson Wentz

March 4th, 2022 at 11:19am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts are “still working through” their quarterback situation, GM Chris Ballard says (Twitter link via Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star).
With that in mind, Ballard says that he’ll make a decision on “what’s best for the team” in the next ten days along with head coach Frank Reich and owner Jim Irsay.

Wentz was widely panned for his Week 18 performance against the Jaguars, the loss that cost the Colts a playoff berth. He also clashed with team brass throughout the year and even rankled Irsay. Ballard has yet to give Wentz a vote of confidence, a sign that they could be ready to move on.

“When we made the decision, after Philip [Rivers] retired and we made the decision to make a move on Carson, at the time of the decision we felt good about it and I still don’t regret the decision at the time,” Ballard said in January. “Sitting here today, just so y’all know, I won’t make a comment on who is going to be here next year and who is not going to be here next year. That’s not fair to any player.”

Still, the Colts are projected to have upwards of $37MM in cap room this year — good for seventh in the league — and that’s with Wentz on the books. It’s also worth noting that he managed to finish ninth in QBR, despite so-so production from his wide receivers. Given Wentz’s solid 27-7 TD-INT ratio in 2021, the Colts still have reason to keep him. But, if they don’t, Wentz could fetch at least some draft capital in a trade.

Releasing Wentz would save the Colts another $13MM, if they do so by March 19. If he stays, he’ll be under contract with a $28MM cap number for the coming year.

Browns Unlikely To Re-Sign Rashard Higgins

March 4th, 2022 at 11:06am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns are expected to part ways with wide receiver Rashard Higgins, according to sources who spoke with Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Nothing’s official yet, but that’s the likely outcome as the Browns look ahead to free agency later this month. Cabot also hears that defensive tackle Malik McDowell is trending towards a non-tender.

The 2016 fifth-round pick has spent his entire career in Cleveland, appearing in 82 regular season games in parts of six seasons. The wideout had one of his best seasons in 2020, hauling in 37 receptions for 599 yards and four touchdowns. In 2021, he finished with just 24 grabs for 275 yards and one touchdown in 15 games. All in all, the 27-year-old has collected 137 career receptions for 1,890 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Higgins re-upped with the Browns last year on a one-year, $2.37MM deal. He likely could have fetched a similar contract in 2021 but, this time around, he’d be looking at a much softer market.

Just a year ago, the Browns figured their receiving corps was set for years to come with Higgins backing top targets Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. Now, OBJ is in Los Angeles following a messy divorce and Landry profiles as a potential release candidate. The five-time Pro Bowler has one year left on his deal with a 2022 cap hit of $16.4MM — cutting him would clear the bulk of it with just $1.5MM in dead money remaining. A restructuring is also possible, though they’d have to furnish Landry with more in the way of guarantees.

In other Browns news, the team is reportedly willing to keep tight end David Njoku off the market with a ~$10MM/year deal.

Cowboys Likely To Cut Amari Cooper

March 4th, 2022 at 9:55am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys are “likely” to release wide receiver Amari Cooper by the start of the league year, according to league sources who spoke with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The move would spare Dallas from a fully-guaranteed $20MM payout, due on March 20th.

Cutting Cooper would save the Cowboys $16MM in cap room for 2022. This was unthinkable just a couple of years ago, when the wide receiver inked his five-year, $100MM extension. Back then, he was fresh off of his fourth career Pro Bowl nod and had just reeled in 79 catches for 1,189 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He delivered another solid — though less efficient — season in 2020 with 92 grabs, 1,114 yards, and five scores.

In 2021, however, he had his least productive full season as a Cowboy. His 68 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns were still okay for fantasy owners, but his overall performance wasn’t in line with his best work.
Without the former fourth overall pick, the Cowboys may look to completely overhaul their WR unit. Both Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson are scheduled for free agency, leaving CeeDee Lamb as the only pillar of the group under contract.

A Cooper release would provide breathing room for the long run as well. By dropping the remainder of his five-year, $100MM deal, the Cowboys would escape $22MM cap hits in each of the next three seasons. Cooper, meanwhile, would profile as one of the top free agents available. Despite his down 2021, Cooper has five 1,000-yard seasons on his resume and won’t turn 28 until June.

Cardinals Extend Kliff Kingsbury, Steve Keim

March 2nd, 2022 at 10:11am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have agreed to brand new deals with head coach Kliff Kingsbury and GM Steve Keim (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Per the team’s official announcement Keim and Kingsbury are now signed through the 2027 season.

“The leadership of both Steve and Kliff have been key factors in the team’s turnaround over the last three seasons,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said. “We are all looking forward to continuing that progress and recognize these two individuals will be a big part of achieving our long-term goals as an organization.”

Under their leadership, the Cardinals reached the postseason for the first time since 2015. Of course, it wasn’t all roses in 2021 either. The Cardinals went 9-2 in the first eleven games of the season, but went on to lose five of its final seven contests, including the playoffs. For what it’s worth, Kingsbury’s collegiate and pro teams have gone a combined 42-20-1 record in the first seven games of a season, and 17-45 from Game 8 onward.

For his part, Bidwill believes that DeAndre Hopkins‘ late-season absence played a huge role in the Cardinals’ collapse.

“I think [the struggles are] a combination of things, certainly (Hopkins’) impact on the field and off the field is huge,” Bidwill said (via Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network). “And losing him from not only a football Xs and Os standpoint, but also from an emotional standpoint was big.”

Now, the Cardinals can turn their attention to other offseason matters, including the future of quarterback Kyler Murray. The former No. 1 overall pick missed three games due to a high ankle sprain and didn’t look the same afterwards. Then came the playoff game against the Rams, his worst showing of the season.

“The window has just opened for a contract extension. Certainly he’s part of our long-term plan,” Bidwill said recently. “Most of the big ones are done further down the road, I think Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen were done in the summer time. Others were done in the summer time. So we’ve got time, but they’re complicated.”

Giants To Release Kyle Rudolph

March 2nd, 2022 at 9:58am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants are parting ways with Kyle Rudolph. After just one year in New York, the G-Men are releasing the tight end, according to Rudolph himself.

“Fans, thanks for taking me and my family in this past year!,” Rudolph tweeted. “Certainly not the year any of us expected, but a year we will never forget. We’re appreciative of the Mara and Tisch families for giving us the opportunity to be [Giants]….Thanks to everyone in the building who took in and helped this old guy who needed to relearn everything about a new organization. And, finally my teammates. In my eleven years in this league, I’m not sure I’ve been around a closer group of guys!”

The veteran also said that he’s “looking forward to what’s next,” a possible indication that he’ll continue his career elsewhere. Indeed, the 32-year-old veteran is not looking to retire just yet, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The longtime Vikings starter has played 156 games over 11 seasons and has started 145 of those — including 13 with the Giants.

The Giants inked Rudolph to a two-year, $12MM deal in March of 2021. By releasing him, they’ll save $5MM in cap space while eating $2.41MM in dead money. Rudolph had 26 catches for 357 yards and one touchdown in his lone Giants season. That was roughly in line with his 2020 Vikings numbers, though he played in just 12 games that year versus 16 this past season.

While he’s never been a star, Rudolph has been a reliable option throughout much of his career. He also secured Pro Bowl selections twice, in 2012 and 2017. Despite the down years, it won’t be hard for Rudolph to find work elsewhere. The Giants, meanwhile, will evaluate their own TE group as Evan Engram inches towards free agency.