Patriots’ Matt LaCosse Opts Out
Matt LaCosse has decided not to play in 2020, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. With that, the tight end becomes the eighth Patriots player to opt out.
LaCosse was supposed to provide veteran help at the position while guiding Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene in their rookie seasons. Instead, the Pats are left with the third-rounders, plus Ryan Izzo and a handful of other options at tight end. LaCosse’s contract will toll into 2021, when he’ll be set to return and earn $1MM in base salary.
The Patriots are now heading into the season without inside linebacker Dont’a Hightower, safety Patrick Chung, right tackle Marcus Cannon, and new wide receiver Marqise Lee. Running back Brandon Bolden, fullback Danny Vitale, offensive lineman Najee Toran, and LaCosse round out the eight opt-outs, and the list could grow larger from here. The official deadline is still TBD, but it’s at least a few days away.
After joining the Patriots last year, LaCosse recorded 13 catches for 131 yards and one touchdown. For his career, LaCosse has notched 40 grabs for 403 yards and two scores for the Pats, Giants, and Broncos.
Colts Place T.Y. Hilton On NFI List; Release 7 Players
The Colts announced a slew of roster moves on Sunday. The most notable of the bunch: Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton has been moved to the active/non-football injury list. . 
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Hilton suffered a mild hamstring injury while working out on his own earlier this summer, as Mike Wells of ESPN.com tweets. Per the rules of the Active/NFI list, Hilton can return to the roster at any point. The real decision for these players comes at the final roster cutdown date. A player on the NFI list does not count towards the 53-man roster max, but he also cannot play in the first eight games of the season. Given that this is a mild hamstring pull, Hilton probably will not be on the NFI list to start the season.
Meanwhile, the Colts have released running back Darius Jackson. Wide receiver Rodney Adams, defensive end Jegs Jegede, tackle Cedrick Lang, cornerback Picasso Nelson., tackle Travis Vornkahl, and linebacker Brandon Wellington were waived. Because Jackson was released outright, he’ll be free to hook on with any club immediately. The other six players will be subject to the waiver wire – if they are not claimed within the 24-hour window, they will be full-fledged free agents.
There’s one year left on Hilton’s deal, set to count for $14.5MM against the salary cap. Colts GM Chris Ballard, ideally, would like to nudge that number down with a reworked deal. We haven’t heard much on that front lately, but an extension still seems possible. That deal, Hilton says, will be his last in the NFL, regardless of length.
Latest On Texans, Deshaun Watson
Predictably, Deshaun Watson‘s desire to stay with the Texans has not wavered. However, there’s nothing imminent in extension talks between the team and the star quarterback. 
“I’m here,” Watson said. “I love the organization. I love the McNairs. I love the city. I love the fan base. I’m a Houston Texan. I’m locked in on being a Texan.”
The fourth-year pro is said to be seeking a short-term deal, one that would allow him to cash in again while he’s still in his prime. The Texans, meanwhile, would like him to be “locked in” for a longer period. Obviously, it’s much more complicated than that. Between the economic climate and the $503MM contract recently inked by Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes, there’s a bit of a bridge to gap.
Watson’s camp won’t seek to top Mahomes’ deal, but the ceiling has been raised, and that should bode well for Watson. For now, Watson is set to make just $1.177MM in base salary for 2020. Ultimately, the 24-year-old (25 in September) should top Russell Wilson‘s $35MM AAV – the league-leader before Mahomes inked his mega-deal.
The Texans don’t necessarily have to rush things. In April, they made the slam dunk decision to pick up Watson’s fifth-year option, which will pay upwards of $17MM in 2021. That’s still a bargain basement rate, roughly half of what the MVP contender could command.
Over the past two years, Watson has made 31 starts, connecting on 67.8% of his passes. In that span, he’s averaged 4,008 passing yards and 26 touchdowns against 10.5 interceptions. He’s also continued to be productive on the ground, rushing for 12 touchdowns between 2018 and 2019.
Jaguars Sign Adam Gotsis
The Jaguars have signed Adam Gotsis, per a club announcement. The defensive end spent the last four years with the Broncos and spent much of the offseason rehabbing from ACL surgery.
[RELATED: Jaguars DT Al Woods Opts Out]
Gotsis just recently got clearance to start running and had to wait a while before he could take an in-person exam with team doctors. Still, he was confident that a deal would come together before the start of the season.
“I’m thinking in a hopeful way that come July, August some teams are like, ‘Well shoot, we need to bring in a D-lineman that can pick up a playbook and has played a lot of snaps and is a smart guy that can just pick up the system in a week,’” Gotsis said in June. “Whereas some of these rookies, in OTAs and stuff is where they really get the chance to get their feet wet with a lot of the NFL vets and then all of a sudden it’s training camp, and they really haven’t had any time working against pro guys. In a way, I think it might be an advantage to me as well in that I can come back healthy and rehabbed.”
Gotsis made 12 starts in 2018 and registered three sacks, but he looked out of place in Vic Fangio‘s defense last year. Then, the ACL tear shut him down for the final stretch of the season. With 28 career starts under his belt, he’ll look to reassert himself as a rotational player in Jacksonville. If he makes the final cut, he’ll spell Josh Allen and (theoretically) Yannick Ngakoue as a reserve. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be ready to go for Week 1.
Bills’ E.J. Gaines Opts Out Of 2020 Season
E.J. Gaines has opted out of the 2020 season, according to Bills GM Brandon Beane (Twitter link via Kim Jones of NFL.com). Gaines was set to play on his third Buffalo contract after rejoining the team in March. Now, the cornerback will have to wait until 2021 to make his return.
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Gaines first hooked on with the Bills in 2017 and showed serious promise. He finished out as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 12 ranked cornerback and placed ninth in Football Outsiders’ success rate, despite being limited to just eleven games. He moved on to the Bills and, once again, he was bitten by the injury bug, seeing time in just six games in 2018. Gaines went back to Buffalo in 2019, only to reach an injury settlement with the team in August. Gaines has been in the league since 2014, but he’s appeared in just 43 games across four seasons.
This year, the 28-year-old was set to backstop Josh Norman and Tre’Davious White. Now, the Bills could use another CB, hence their recent meeting with former Seahawks defensive back Akeem King.
Upwards of 30 players have chosen to opt out of the 2020 season, as shown in PFR’s tracker. Meanwhile, the deadline date remains TBD.
Giants, Nick Gates Agree To Extension
The Giants have agreed to a two-year extension with offensive lineman Nick Gates, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The new deal carries a base value of $6.825MM with the potential to reach $10.325MM via incentives and bonuses.
It’s a nice pay bump for the former undrafted free agent, especially considering that he spent his would-be 2018 rookie season on IR. Last year, Gates turned in a perfect attendance card including three starts.
This year, Gates figures to reprise his role as a backup tackle. The Giants will be counting on him a little bit more than anticipated – starting tackle Nate Solder has exercised his right to opt out of the 2020 season, leaving the Giants with first-round pick Andrew Thomas and third-rounder Matt Peart as their projected starting tackles.
At Nebraska, Gates made 25 consecutive starts at left tackle. With the Giants, he’s moved between right guard and right tackle, and he’ll likely bounce between the interior and exterior line once again this year. The Giants have retooled their offensive line, but they see Gates as a keeper and, potentially, a future cog.
Jets Have No Interest In Jadeveon Clowney
New Jets safety Bradley McDougald says he’s love to have former teammate Jadeveon Clowney join him in New Jersey. Unfortunately for the ex-Seahawks, the Jets aren’t interested in reuniting them, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
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This isn’t the first time that the Jets have been linked to the former No. 1 overall pick. In April, Clowney indicated that he’d like to join up with Gang Green. The Jets have yet to reciprocate those warm feelings, even though they could certainly use an upgrade on the edge.
One could argue that the Jets have even bigger fish to fry than the edge rush unit, including their cornerback situation. They could have enough cap space to sign Clowney and address their other holes, but Jets ownership reportedly asked GM Joe Douglas to tamp down costs earlier this year. That mandate came before the pandemic, so there’s even less wiggle room for Douglas to work with now. The trade that brought McDougald to the Jets and shipped star Jamal Adams to the Seahawks further underscores their approach to spending.
Clowney’s asking price has dropped since the start of free agency, and it could fall a bit further as September draws near. Still, the Jets have no plans to get involved. As it stands, the Jets project to start Quinnen Williams and Henry Anderson on the bookends with Harvey Langi and Jordan Jenkins at the outside linebacker spots.
Patriots’ Marqise Lee To Opt Out
Patriots wide receiver Marqise Lee will opt out of the 2020 season, according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). Lee is now the seventh Pats player to make this decision, leaving lots of holes to fill in New England. 
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker]
“We just feel like it wasn’t smart for us to go out and play this year,” said Lee, who became a first-time father earlier this year.
Lee joined the Patriots in April on a one-year deal for the veteran minimum. The 28-year-old (29 in November) was expected to support a wide receiver group led by Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, and N’Keal Harry. It was a low-risk and potentially high-reward pickup for the Patriots. Lee totaled 1,551 receiving yards between 2016-17 as the Jaguars’ top receiver. He parlayed that performance into a four-year, $38MM deal, but he was derailed by a knee injury in 2018, plus ankle and shoulder trouble last year.
The April signing of Lee allowed the Patriots to focus on other positions in the draft. They went defense with their first three picks before snagging two tight ends (Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene) in the third round. They didn’t use any of their choices on wide receiver, and that’s good news for their incumbents. Damiere Byrd, special teams ace Matthew Slater, Jakobi Meyers, Gunner Olszewski, and Quincy Adeboyejo are among those jostling for roster spots and WR snaps.
Here’s the full rundown of the Patriots’ opt out list, via PFR’s tracker:
- RB Brandon Bolden (story)
- T Marcus Cannon (story)
- S Patrick Chung (story)
- LB Dont’a Hightower (story)
- WR Marqise Lee
- OL Najee Toran
- FB Danny Vitale (story)
Jaguars’ Al Woods Opts Out
Jaguars defensive tackle Al Woods has opted out of playing in 2020, per an announcement released from the team. Woods had at least another week to make the call, but he didn’t need time to think it over. 
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker]
“While I was excited to join the Jaguars, I have made the tough decision, given the current status of COVID-19, to opt out for the 2020 season,” Woods said. “The health and safety of my family has always been the most important thing in my life. I love the game of football and will be rooting hard for my teammates this season, and I look forward to re-joining the Jaguars in 2021.”
Woods joined the Jaguars on a one-year, $1.5MM deal earlier this offseason. His contract will toll, meaning that he’ll play under the same terms in 2021.
Woods, 33, is coming off of one of his best seasons ever. In his tenth pro season, he appeared in 14 games for the Seahawks (including five starts) and played the second-most defensive snaps (450) of his NFL tenure. He was especially sharp against the run – Pro Football Focus ranked him 12th among interior defenders in run defense grade.
Bengals’ DT Josh Tupou Opts Out
Bengals nose tackle Josh Tupou will opt out of the 2020 season, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). On the other side of the ball, offensive tackle Isaiah Prince has also chosen to sit out, per a club announcement.
Tupou appeared in all 16 of the Bengals’ games last year, including seven starts. This year, the Bengals were counting on him to once again serve as a key rotation piece behind defensive tackles Geno Atkins and D.J. Reader. They’re looking thin without him, especially after releasing Ryan Glasgow earlier this week. Tupou was set to earn $2.133MM in 2020. Now, that salary will be pushed into 2021 as his contract tolls.
Tupou and Prince are the first Bengals players to opt out of the season. In total, 30+ players have decided against playing, and many of those players are linemen. Given their body mass and the higher risk factor, that’s not a huge surprise. On the defensive side, Tupou joins a list that includes Eddie Goldman, Michael Pierce, Star Lotulelei, Kyle Peko, Eddie Vanderdoes, and John Atkins.