Bucs Hope To Re-Sign Ndamukong Suh
Ndamukong Suh will be free to sign with any team in March. Buccaneers GM Jason Licht hopes that the defensive lineman will stay put. 
“I think he’s said it, that’d he’d love to come back here,” Licht said (via Mark Cook of Pewter Report). “I know that there’s mutual respect for each other, and I’ve told him that we’d like to have him back. We’re just kind of letting the dust settle here for a couple days. We’ve got some time here. You never hit utopia, I guess, unless you win the Super Bowl, but a lot of things we want to try to do, I’m hoping we can do. We’ll have to see how it all shakes out, but he’s definitely one that we want back.”
Suh joined Tampa on a one-year, $9.25MM deal in 2019. They re-upped him last year for a touch less — a one–year, $8MM deal. Suh may be past his prime, but he still garnered the interest of teams, including the Cowboys, last time around. Suh responded with six sacks — his highest total since 2015 — and 27 total stops in the regular season.
Of course, the Bucs will have to weigh their affinity for Suh against their all around numbers crunch, Fellow front seven cast members Shaquil Barrett and Lavonte David are also set for free agency, and Barrett wants to break the bank. On the other side of the ball, Rob Gronkowski, Leonard Fournette, Chris Godwin, and Antonio Brown are all slated to hit the open market.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/11/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: CB Robert Jackson
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DT Isaiah Mack
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Alize Mack
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: S Kai Nacua
This Date In Transactions History: Colts Hire Frank Reich
Three years ago today, the Colts wrapped up one of the strangest sagas in league history. Earlier in the offseason, the Colts agreed to hire Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their new head coach. Then, soon after they announced McDaniels’ arrival, he left them at the altar. 
[RELATED: Colts Pursuing Carson Wentz]
The Colts were forced to restart their head coaching search in a hurry. Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell and Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier were among those considered in the second act, but general manager Chris Ballard ultimately chose Frank Reich, the Eagles offensive coordinator who helped guide the franchise to its first ever Super Bowl championship. Reich had previously interviewed for the Bills’ and Jets’ head coaching vacancies in 2015, but went a few years without HC buzz.
It wasn’t an ideal situation, but the Colts felt that Reich could help them salvage things. In addition to the SB ring on his resume, Reich’s offense had just placed third in scoring, seventh in total yards, and eighth in DVOA. Not bad for a last minute scramble.
Under Reich’s watch, the Colts have reached the playoffs twice in three years. His 11-5 record in 2020 was his best to date, though they were stopped by the Bills in the opening round. Reich will now look to build on that with yet another quarterback running his offense — and it just might be old pal Carson Wentz.
Patriots, Joe Thuney Were Never Close To Extension
The Patriots surprised everyone last year when they used the franchise tag on Joe Thuney. Often times, the tag is used as a bridge towards an extension. But, in this case, the two sides have yet to make real progress. The Patriots have never been close on a multi-year deal with the standout guard, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic. 
Thuney is set to reach the open market in March and Howe anticipates that he’ll seek something in the range of $14MM per year. A five-year, $70MM deal would position him as the highest-paid left guard in the NFL, besting Andrew Norwell‘s $66.5MM contract. Following the tag, Thuney played on one-year, $14.78MM deal in 2020.
Ideally, the Patriots would like to keep Thuney, but the numbers crunch might not allow for it. And, historically, the Patriots have been willing to let key free agents walk when the price gets too rich. They have a solid track record for drafting interior linemen, so they could theoretically let Thuney leave, boost their compensatory draft pick calculation, and replace him with someone younger/cheaper.
Thuney, 29 in November, has started in all 80 of his games for the Pats over the last four seasons. In 2018 and 2019, he graded out as one of the five best offensive guards in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He slipped ever so slightly this past season, placing him at No. 10.
Seahawks “Not Happy” With Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson is frustrated with the Seahawks. Apparently, the feeling is mutual. Seahawks officials are “not happy” with Wilson taking his grievances public, sources tell radio host Dan Patrick (Twitter link via Rob Staton of BBC Sports). 
Earlier this week, Wilson went on Patrick’s show and expressed frustration with the Seahawks’ inability to protect him. Over the course of his career, Wilson has been sacked 394 times with 40+ sacks in each season since his rookie year.
“I’ve definitely been hit. I’ve been sacked almost 400 times. We got to get better,” Wilson said. “I got to find ways to get better, too. Just continue to try and find that. As we continue to go along the process and I think about my career wand what I want to be able to do, it always starts up front, offensively and defensively.”
The Seahawks gave Wilson a brand new deal less than two years ago. With an average annual value of $35MM/year, he’s the third-highest paid player in the NFL. So far, the Seahawks have rejected trade inquiries and, unlike the Texans, they’ve included their franchise quarterback in staffing decisions.
It’s still hard to imagine the Seahawks parting ways with Wilson but, given this year’s quarterback carousel, anything is possible.
Raiders Interested In JuJu Smith-Schuster
The Raiders are “very interested” in signing JuJu Smith-Schuster, according to John Clayton of 710 ESPN (Twitter link). The Steelers wide receiver is currently on track to reach the open market in March. 
Smith-Schuster, 25 in November, seemed on track for superstardom just a few years ago. As a rookie, Smith-Schuster caught 58 passes for 917 yards and seven touchdowns in just 14 games. In his last regular season game as an NFL frosh, he took a 96-yard kickoff all the way to the house and became the youngest player in NFL history to record more than 1,o00 all-purpose yards in a season.
Then came the true breakout year — 111 grabs for 1,426 yards and seven TDs and a Pro Bowl selection, helping the Steelers make up for the absence of Le’Veon Bell. The following year, Antonio Brown was shipped out, which should have set the stage for Smith-Schuster to have an even bigger season. Instead, his 2019 was marred by a knee injury and played without the services of Ben Roethlisberger.
Smith-Schuster was healthier in 2020 and bounced back somewhat, finishing with a 97/831/9 stat line. If the Raiders don’t retain Nelson Agholor, Smith-Schuster could have appeal. Of course, between Brown and Martavis Bryant, the Raiders haven’t had the best of luck with ex-Steelers WRs.
Vikings Give Riley Reiff $1MM Bonus
The Vikings renegotiated Riley Reiff’s contract to furnish him with a $1MM signing bonus, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The left tackle would have reached a $1MM playtime incentive had he played in the final game of the year, but he had to sit out while on the COVID-19 list. 
Reiff didn’t miss a snap up until his absence and would have comfortably reached the required ~94% snap threshold had he played in Week 17. Next, the Vikings will have to make a decision on Reiff’s future in Minnesota. The tackle has a $5MM roster bonus due on March 19th. If they release him previous to that date, they can save a total of $11.75MM between his roster bonus, workout bonus, and $6.55MM base salary. On the books, they’d be left with just $2.2MM in dead money, the sum of his prorated bonus.
Reiff has started in 58 games across four years with the Vikings. The 32-year-old was a rumored cap casualty last year, but they ultimately chose to stick with his veteran experience rather than thrusting second-round pick Ezra Cleveland into the starting lineup.
The NFL’s Post-June 1 Cuts, Explained
NFL teams will often use contract bonuses as a way to spread out a cap hit that might otherwise be exorbitant. For example, if a player’s four-year deal includes a $8MM signing bonus, that money can be paid immediately but spread out over four years for cap purposes. This way, the cap charge for the bonus amounts to $2MM per year for cap purposes, rather than $8MM in year one.
There’s an obvious benefit to kicking the can down the road, but it can also hurt teams if they want to terminate that deal. If a team in the above scenario wanted to release the player in Year 2 of his contract, it would still have to account for remaining prorated bonus money. Rather than counting against the cap as $2MM/year for two seasons, that dead money “accelerates,” and applies to the cap for the league year in which the player is released. In other words, the remaining $4MM in prorated bonus money immediately counts against the cap.
Although these rules apply to many cuts, a different set of rules is in place for players released after June 1. In that case, a team can spread the cap hit across two seasons rather than one — for the current season, the prorated bonus figure stays at its original amount, with the remaining bonus balance accelerating onto the following season. Referring again to the above scenario, that means the player would count against the cap for $2MM in the league year in which he was cut, with the remaining $4MM applying to the following league year.
The guidelines for pre-June 1 and post-June 1 cuts are fairly straightforward, but things become a little more complicated when we take into account that teams are allowed to designate up to two players as post-June 1 cuts even if those players are released before June. Last offseason, we saw a handful of players designated as post-June 1 cuts, including cornerback Trumaine Johnson (Jets) and running back Todd Gurley (Rams).
In the case of Johnson, the Jets were initially slated to pay him $11MM in base salary for 2020. Under typical circumstances, the release would have left Gang Green with a $12MM dead money obligation. However, through the post-June 1 designation, they unlocked $11MM in cap space with just $4MM in dead money for the coming year. In 2021, they’ll pay the remaining $8MM charge.
Typically, by June, most of the big-name free agents are off the board. However, cutting a player in the spring and designating him a post-June 1 cut can be mutually beneficial for both parties. The player gets to hit the market while potential suitors still have cap room and vacancies. The team, meanwhile, gets to spread out the cap charge without having to actually wait until June 1 to release him. Otherwise, waiting until that point usually means paying roster or workout bonuses in the interim.
Vikings To Hire Paul Guenther
The Vikings are set to hire Paul Guenther as a senior defensive assistant (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero). After being fired as the Raiders’ defensive coordinator, Guenther now has a job lined up for the 2021 season.
Guenther worked for Mike Zimmer in Cincinnati for six years, then took over his role as DC when Zimmer moved on to the Vikings in 2014. He’s held high-profile jobs ever since, though his reputation took a hit as the Raiders’ defense sagged in 2020.
The Raiders gave Guenther the heave-ho after an ugly Sunday night loss to the Colts. The 44-27 defeat saw the Raiders surrender 456 total yards, including 212 yards on the ground. It was the team’s second straight game with 200+ rushing yards surrendered. They were also in the league’s cellar for sacks and allowed 28.4 points per game under Guenther’s guidance.
Gus Bradley has since assumed Guenther’s old job in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Guenther will get reacquainted with his winter wardrobe in Minnesota.
Ravens’ Orlando Brown Requests Trade
Ravens offensive tackle Orlando Brown wants out (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Brown recently went public with his desire to play left tackle, and he now says that he’ll only play for a team that will let him play his preferred position. 
Brown did a solid job filling in for Ronnie Stanley in 2020, reaffirming his desire to stay at LT. For most of his career, Brown has played on the opposite side, but he says that his father — former NFL player Orlando Brown — always wanted him to be stationed on the left.
“It’s never been about the money,” Brown wrote. “I’m so appreciative for this organization and all my teammates. I couldn’t thank [GM Eric] DeCosta enough, he’s an incredible football mind and one the best men I know. I want to live out the dream my dad had for me.”
The Ravens furnished Stanley with a five-year, $98.8MM extension in October, so there’s no real room for Brown to get his way in Baltimore. Plenty of teams would be happy to appease the 2018 third-round pick, however. Brown has made the Pro Bowl in each of his last two seasons and, at 6’8″ and 345 pounds, he doesn’t back down from anyone on the edge.
Even with Brown in the picture, the Ravens still need help up front. If the Ravens move the 24-year-old for draft picks, it’s safe to assume that some of that capital will go towards OL reinforcements.