Lions, Kenny Golladay Nearing Deal?
Now that Taylor Decker‘s contract is squared away, the Lions are turning their attention to Kenny Golladay. The Lions are nearing agreement with the wide receiver on a brand new extension, according to a league source who spoke with PFT’s Mike Florio. However, there’s conflicting word from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link) who hears that nothing is imminent. 
[RELATED: Lions, LT Taylor Decker Agree On Extension]
Earlier this year, it was believed that Golladay would actually be prioritized ahead of Decker, so it stands to reason that there’s some momentum on that front as the season draws near. Currently set to make $2.133MM in 2020, Golladay is clearly due for a pay bump. Mega extensions have been rare in the current climate, but Golladay could see an average annual value of at least $17MM. On the higher end, he could command something similar to what the Cowboys gave to Amari Cooper – a five-year, $100MM contract with $60MM guaranteed.
When Matthew Stafford was on the field, things were clicking for Golladay. He finished out with eleven touchdown and 1,190 yards, numbers that would have been stronger had Stafford been healthy throughout the year. Golladay also averaged 18.3 yards per catch, a new career best that ranked fourth in the NFL.
Cardinals Rework D.J. Humphries’ Contract
The Cardinals converted $10.59MM of D.J. Humphries’ base salary into a signing bonus, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The move will free up more than $7MM in cap room, giving Arizona some much-needed flexibility in advance of Saturday’s roster deadline. When valuable vets become cap casualties, the Cardinals will have enough space to get involved.
Humphries, 26, agreed to a three-year, $45MM extension in February, making him the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid tackle at the time of signing. The deal gave Humphries some long-term security instead of playing on a one-year franchise tender at a similar ~$15MM rate. There isn’t much that changes for the former first-round pick – he’ll still receive $30MM over the first two years of the deal, a pact that contains more than 50% guaranteed cash.
Humphries has been battered, but the Cardinals are sold on him as Kyler Murray‘s blind-side protector for years to come. The Cardinals had not seen Humphries play 16 games until this past season. From 2017-18, he played five and nine, respectively. Knee issues sidelined Humphries during those slates, which came after a 2015 rookie season in which he was inactive throughout. Still, he stands as one of the most talented young tackles in the game, and one of Steve Keim‘s rare quality first-round picks.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/1/20
Today’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Claimed (from Texans): DT Albert Huggins
- Released: WR Geremy Davis
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released from IR via injury settlement: TE Charles Jones
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: FB Roosevelt Nix
- Released from IR via injury settlement: TE Ian Bunting, OL Andrew Donnal
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived/failed-physical: CB Nick Nelson
Miami Dolphins
- Released: WR Ricardo Louis, WR Chester Rogers
- Waived: S Jeremiah Dinson, DE Avery Moss, CB Deatrick Nichols
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived/left-squad: DL James Lockhart
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: K Elliott Fry
Bengals, Joe Mixon Agree To $48MM Deal
The Bengals and Joe Mixon have agreed to a four-year deal worth $48MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). With that, the Bengals now have their primary running back under contract through 2025. 
Mixon, 24, has been pushing for a new deal throughout the summer. The Bengals remained adamant about wanting to extend him, but talks were slow to progress. Last week, Mixon said that he was unable to practice due to migraines, and that may have helped to speed things up. Now, Mixon will earn an average of $12MM/year starting in 2021, after he finishes out his rookie deal, which pays $1.2MM.
“He’s in a year that he can be extended, and he is a guy that we visited with,” Bengals player personnel director Duke Tobin said earlier this summer. “We’ll go through those discussions and see if there is a fit or a match for a long-term contract with him, obviously a guy we value quite a bit. The great thing about Joe is he goes about it the right way… He’s the type of guy you want to lock up to a long-term deal.”
Mixon managed a respectable 4.1 yards per carry average last year, despite the Bengals’ sagging offense. This year, he’ll look to reprise his 2018 performance which included a 4.9 YPC mark.
Mixon’s deal, as expected, falls short of Christian McCaffrey‘s $16MM/year mega-deal, but also exceeds some of the projections we heard earlier this year. At one point, it was reported that Mixon was gunning to be one of the eight highest-paid RBs in the league, which would have required just $8MM/year. His actual figure, $12MM per annum, seems more in line with Mixon’s talent level.
The complete details of the deal will give us a better picture of how Mixon stacks up against the league’s other top-earning rushers. That info will also inform ongoing talks for other standouts like Alvin Kamara and Dalvin Cook.
Rams’ Travin Howard Done For Year
Travin Howard will miss the 2020 season with a torn meniscus, as Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic tweets. The Rams will make it official this week by placing the linebacker on injured reserve. 
[RELATED: Rams, Ramsey Not Close On Extension]
Howard, a 2018 seventh-round pick, spent the early part of his career as a practice squad and special teams player. In 2019, he made the most of his opportunity and closed strong with 13 tackles and three pass breakups over the final five weeks of the season. This summer, he was in the midst of an impressive camp and potentially in the conversation to start. Now, he’ll have to wait until 2021 to potentially take his next big leap forward.
Even before the injury, the Rams were concerned about their lack of depth at inside linebacker. Troy Reeder – who is hardly a household name – leads the team’s ILBs in career starts with eight. Former Raven Kenny Young stands as the only other ILB on the roster with starting experience.
Vikings, Riley Reiff Agree To New Deal
Riley Reiff is staying put. The Vikings are on the verge of finalizing a restructured contract that will keep the starting left tackle in Minnesota, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. 
Earlier this week, we heard that Reiff was expecting to be released by the cap-crunched Vikings. Thanks to the recent addition of Yannick Ngakoue, the Vikes were skittish about paying Reiff his scheduled $10.9MM in base pay and thinking about dropping him for $8.8MM in cap space. Heading into Tuesday morning, the Vikings had just $1.2MM in cap room, the lowest total in the league. The Vikings asked Reiff to decide on whether to take a pay cut or be cut by today, and he’s rendered his verdict.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Reiff has agreed to drop his salary from $10.9MM to $6MM (Twitter link). He can earn $2MM of that back via playing time incentives, with Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network tweeting that Reiff will earn an additional $1MM if he plays in 86% of the team’s snaps in 2020 and another $1MM if he plays in 93.75% of snaps. Reiff was on the field of 85.7% of Minnesota’s offensive snaps in 2019, so the incentives are reachable but will be considered not likely to be earned for cap purposes, meaning that they will not count as a cap charge.
Reiff, 31, signed with the Vikings in 2017. Since then, he’s made 43 regular season starts at left tackle, though the Vikings were once thinking about moving him to the interior. In April, the Vikes tapped versatile lineman Ezra Cleveland in the second round, but they believe that he’s still too green for significant playing time. With quality tackles in short supply, the Vikings are glad to have struck middle ground with Reiff.
Jaguars To Meet With Kayvon Webster
The Jaguars are set to meet with cornerback Kayvon Webster on Wednesday, according to a source who spoke with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Webster, who was released by Washington in March, has spent most of the offseason looking for work. 
Webster originally signed on with the Saints last year, but narrowly missed the cut. He garnered buzz early in his career as a talented cornerback with the Broncos who was buried on the depth chart behind more established names. Many expected him to break out upon signing with the Rams in 2017 and reuniting with Wade Phillips, but he didn’t do much in his injury-shortened season. In 2018, injuries hampered him yet again as he tried to reestablish himself with the Texans.
Now, at the age of 29, Webster is looking to prove himself all over again. He may have a good chance to shine in Jacksonville’s reformed secondary, a unit that parted ways with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye in a short span. This year, they brought in Rashaan Melvin to start opposite of D.J. Hayden, but his opt out has left them with a major gap to fill. If signed, Webster will push for a spot behind Hayden and promising first-round rookie C.J. Henderson.
Chiefs To Sign Andy Reid, Brett Veach To Six-Year Deals
The Chiefs are nearing new six-year deals with head coach Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Once finalized, the Chiefs will have their chief architects under contract through the 2025 season. 
[RELATED: Chiefs’ Mike Pennel Suspended 2 Games]
The Chiefs dazzled the league last year en route to capturing the championship trophy. Reid and Veach have been laying the groundwork ever since they joined the organization in 2013. Reid has led to the Chiefs to the postseason in six of his seven seasons on the sideline and Veach has been a key part of the front office for that entire stretch. Starting out as a scout, Veach climbed the ranks to GM in 2017.
There’s no guarantee that Reid, 62, will finish out his new contract, though he says that he has no immediate plans to retire. He’s gone 77-35 across seven seasons with the Chiefs and another seven wins this season would move him past Paul Brown for sixth on the all-time wins list. Reid is currently the NFL’s fifth-oldest active HC — behind Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick, Bruce Arians and Mike Zimmer. This will be Reid’s 22nd season as a head coach, and it won’t be his last.
Buccaneers Sign Ryan Succop
The Buccaneers have signed Ryan Succop, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. To make room, they’ve dropped fellow kicker Elliott Fry. 
Succop will now compete with incumbent Matt Gay for the top (and only) placekicking job. As a rookie, Gay struggled from close range, something that frustrated head coach Bruce Arians.
“Competition is the baseline of the NFL,” Arians said recently. “Everybody’s fighting for a job, and if you don’t perform, someone’s right there ready behind you, ready to take your spot. It’s no news to me that guys are in here competing for a shot and they’re going to bring competition in. Competition is going to breed success, and I think the potential of our team this year is super-high, and I think the kicking position is very important.”
Succop made just 1 of 6 field goals in his final Titans season, which began and ended on IR. But, before that, Succop played in every game for the Titans from 2014-18 and made at least 83% of his field goals in each of those seasons.
Chargers’ Derwin James Out For Year
Derwin James‘ season is over. The Chargers safety will need 6-8 months of recovery time following meniscus surgery, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. On Wednesday morning, the Chargers made it official by placing James on injured reserve.
[RELATED: Chargers Not Pursuing Earl Thomas]
James went down with a knee injury during Sunday’s practice and the Bolts knew immediately that it was serious. There was some hope that James could have gotten by with a trim of the meniscus, which would have kept him out until October. Unfortunately, he’ll require a full repair, which will necessitate a full season on the sidelines.
James, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2018 draft, registered three interceptions, 13 passes defensed, and 3.5 sacks as a rookie in 2018. Since that debut – which earned him a First-Team All-Pro nod – James has been plagued by injuries. Last year, a stress fracture to the fifth metatarsal of his right foot limited him to just five games. Now, James has lost his entire would-be third season.
The Chargers will now evaluate their in-house options to replace James, a group that includes Desmond King, Alohi Gilman, and 2019 second-round pick Nasir Adderly. Naturally, the Bolts were instantly connected to free agent Earl Thomas on Sunday afternoon, but head coach Anthony Lynn says he’s not interested. On the plus side, the Chargers still have plenty of talent in their secondary thanks to Casey Hayward, Desmond King, and new arrival Chris Harris.