Latest On 49ers, George Kittle
The 49ers and George Kittle have kicked off extension talks, but there’s still a major gap to bridge, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). As it stands, the league’s best tight end is set to enter the final year of his contract with just $2.133MM in base pay. 
Since 2017, Kittle has recorded 2,945 receiving yards, the most of any tight end in their first three seasons – and that’s just in the regular season. And, since 2018, Kittle’s had 1,464 yards after the catch, more than any other player in the league not named Christian McCaffrey. With that in mind Kittle’s agent says that he’s not viewing the current tight end market as the comp for his client. Instead, he’s taking a page from McCaffrey’s camp – he wants a deal that reflects Kittle’s value as the NFL’s No. 1 TE, plus a little extra. In essence, Kittle puts up numbers like a supreme tight end and a WR2, all wrapped into one.
Last year, the 49ers watched Raheem Mostert enjoy a breakout season, thanks in part to Kittle’s blocking and looming aerial threat. Mostert led the team with 772 rushing yards and paced all running backs with 5.6 per carry, numbers that lifted him to a short-term pay bump earlier this week. In Kittle’s 14 games last year, SF averaged 4.83 yards per carry and tallied 23 rushing touchdowns. In the two games he missed, 49ers running backs averaged just 2.63 yards per attempt with zero scores.
We’ve seen fewer big-money deals than usual this offseason, but Kittle’s camp won’t necessarily take the pandemic as an excuse. In the last two weeks, Joey Bosa and Myles Garrett have inked eight-figure deals, so the pressure is on John Lynch & Co. to get something done. Kittle’s asking price is believed to be much higher than Austin Hooper‘s $10.5MM/year watermark; possibly in the $18MM/year range.
Chargers Sign Joey Bosa To Five-Year, $135MM Deal
It’s officially official. On Tuesday night, the Chargers announced their brand new deal with Joey Bosa to keep him under contract for the next six seasons. The five-year add-on will pay the defensive end $135MM, including $78MM guaranteed at signing and $102MM in overall guarantees, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Bosa’s deal is an absolute record smasher. His full guarantees and overall guarantees are the highest of any defensive player in NFL history. On the whole, it’s the largest contract the Chargers have ever given to a player in the history of their franchise. Before the Bosa extension, no Chargers player had reached $100MM.
It’s even more of a jaw-dropper when considering the current economic climate and the possibility of a sharply reduced cap in 2021. Still, as GM Tom Telesco has pointed out, the Chargers have more flexibility for next year’s books than most teams. The deal is an outlier for this offseason, but not an anomaly. Just a couple weeks ago, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett signed five-year, $125MM deal with $100MM in total guarantees.
Bosa’s deal has leapfrogged Garrett, Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack, and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald in every category. Previously, Mack was the financial kingpin of the defensive end group with Mack $23.5MM per year, followed by DeMarcus Lawrence of the Cowboys ($21MM/year) and Frank Clark of the Chiefs ($20.8MM/year).
In his first two pro seasons, Bosa racked up a combined 23 sacks and 111 tackles. In 2019, Bosa missed the bulk of the season with a bone bruise, but still managed 5.5 sacks and 23 tackles in seven games. Last year, he turned in a complete 16-game season, and he met every lofty expectation – 11.5 sacks, 67 stops, and a forced fumble en route to his second career Pro Bowl nod.
NFL Players Have Until Tuesday, Or Later, To Opt Out
The deadline for players to opt out of the 2020 season will fall no earlier than Tuesday, Aug. 4, multiple sources tell Mike Florio of PFT. The deadline could also fall later, depending on how fast the NFL and the NFLPA complete their paperwork.
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker]
The NFL and the NFLPA verbally agreed to the opt out provision, but they have yet to fully execute the side agreement. Per their deal, the deadline will fall seven days after everything is formally signed. If the deal is executed today, the deadline will be set for next Tuesday. If execution occurs on Wednesday, the deadline will be next Wednesday, Aug. 5 (and so on).
Upwards of 25 players have opted out, with many of those players making the call earlier today. Once the decision is submitted in writing, it is final and irrevocable, so other players on the fence may choose to wait a few more days.
Among the more notable opt outs: linebacker Dont’a Hightower (Patriots), safety Patrick Chung (Patriots), tackle Marcus Cannon (Patriots), guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (Chiefs), guard Larry Warford (free agent), nose tackle Michael Pierce (Vikings), defensive tackle Star Lotulelei (Bills), and defensive tackle Eddie Goldman (Bears).
Bengals, Joe Burrow Agree To Deal
At long last, the Bengals have reached agreement with No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow on his rookie deal (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Per the terms of his slot, the LSU quarterback will receive $36.1MM over the course of four years, including a $23.88MM signing bonus. 
Like the league’s other 31 clubs, the Bengals were skittish about forking over millions of dollars in the midst of economic uncertainty. Ultimately, Burrow got the payout structure he wanted – he’ll get 100% of his signing bonus within 15 days of the contract being executed, per Schefter. The deal will be formally signed later this week, after Burrow takes his physical.
Burrow joined Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield as consecutive Heisman winners to be drafted No. 1 overall. The Bengals’ Burrow infatuation was the league’s worst-kept secret. After a 2-14 finish to the 2019 season, they’re hoping that Burrow will help right the ship and put them in contention in the not-too-distant future.
An Ohio native, Burrow posted arguably the greatest quarterback season in the history of college football in 2019, completing 76.3% of his passes for 60 touchdowns. That TD total is an NCAA record, and he did it while throwing only six picks. Fresh off of a National Championship, the LSU star is now weeks away from his pro debut.
Vikings’ Michael Pierce Opts Out
Vikings nose tackle Michael Pierce is opting out of the 2020 season, according to Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). the Vikings signed Pierce in March to shore up their defensive front – without him, they’re left thin on the interior with weeks to go before the start of the season. 
Pierce inked a three-year, $27MM deal to help replace Linval Joseph, following his departure to the Chargers. The 6-foot, 340-pound defensive lineman was slated to start, but he’ll sit out the year after assessing the risk. Pierce has a history of respiratory trouble, meaning that the coronavirus could put him in serious jeopardy.
In 2019, with the Ravens, Pierce logged 35 tackles (two for loss) in 14 starts. Previous to that, Pierce graded as one of the top interior defenders in football in 2017 and ’18, per Pro Football Focus, before dipping to a middle-of-the-pack spot in his contract year.
Pierce is just the latest NFL notable to opt out of the upcoming season. The full and ever-growing list can be found here, on PFR’s 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker.
Steelers Sign RB Wendell Smallwood
The Steelers have signed running back Wendell Smallwood, per a club announcement. Smallwood, at the time of this writing, is the seventh running back on the club’s roster.
Amidst a flurry of opt outs around the league, Smallwood is enlisting himself to play in 2020. It’s possible that the Steelers are simply looking into new backfield options in advance of camp, but it’s also possible that the Steelers are bracing for more opt outs. Starter James Conner – who found his way back to the game after a battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – will in fact play this year, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The status of the club’s other RBs remains to be seen.
Smallwood, who spent his early NFL seasons with the Eagles, joined Washington last year. In 15 games, he registered 22 carries for 81 yards, good for a 3.7 yards per tote average.
Bills’ Star Lotulelei Opts Out
The hits just keep on coming. Bills defensive tackle Star Lotulelei will opt out of the 2020 season, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Lotulelei has been in the Bills’ starting lineup for each of the past two seasons. Pro Football Focus hasn’t been high on the veteran, but he was set to return as a first-stringer in 2020. In 2019, Lotulelei was on the field for 516 snaps and recorded two sacks from the interior.
The former Panthers first-round pick may be swapped out for another ex-Panther. Vernon Butler, who joined the club earlier this year, could be the next man up. There’s also former Seahawks lineman Quinton Jefferson on hand – one of those two players may wind up as Ed Oliver‘s partner in the middle.
Upwards of 20 NFL players have opted out of the 2020 season, as of this writing. The Patriots have arguably been hit the hardest, with six opt outs including linebacker Dont’a Hightower, offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, and safety Patrick Chung.
Patriots’ Patrick Chung Opts Out
Patriots safety Patrick Chung will opt out of the 2020 season, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter). That makes Chung the sixth Patriots player to opt out, a list that also includes middle linebacker Dont’a Hightower and right tackle Marcus Cannon. 
[RELATED: Patriots’ Hightower, Cannon Opt Out]
The Patriots selected Chung in the second round of the 2009 draft, and he has spent all but one year of his career with New England. In that time, he’s started in 112 regular season games and collected three Super Bowl rings. Unlike Hightower, he’s never been selected for a Pro Bowl, but he’s an important member of the Patriots’ D nonetheless.
In May, the Patriots re-upped Chung on an extension that would allow him to earn up to $12.8MM over the next four seasons. Now, he’s effectively under club control for five years. Chung’s contract will toll for 2020 and resume in 2021.
Last year, Chung appeared in 13 games and recorded 51 tackles, three passes defended, and one tackle for loss.
Latest On Vikings, Dalvin Cook
It sounds like the Vikings and Dalvin Cook are on better terms than they were a few weeks ago. The star running back has indicated that he will not hold out from the team, according to head coach Mike Zimmer, who adds that he is going to make him a team captain in 2020 (via PFT). 
[RELATED: Cook Seeking $15MM/Year?]
Cook is set to make $1.331MM in his walk year. Meanwhile, he’s been angling for a long-term deal that will make him one of the league’s highest-paid running backs. That’s a difficult proposition for a number of reasons. First, there’s the current economic climate. There’s also the matter of Cook’s track record – he was stellar in 2019, but often injured in his previous seasons.
Cook averaged almost 5.0 ypc in his first four games as a pro, before going down with an ACL tear. In 2018, a nagging hamstring capped him at just eleven games, though he did manage 4.6 yards per tote, plus 40 catches for 305 yards. Last year, he put up career highs left and right –250 carries, 1,135 rushing yards (4.5 YPC), and 13 touchdowns, along with 53 receptions for 519 yards. Those totals would have been even gaudier, if not for a late-season chest injury.
Christian McCaffrey blew the lid off of the RB market earlier this year, perhaps paving the way for Cook to secure an even larger bag. Eventually, Cook could get the eight-figure-per-year salary he wants, but it probably won’t happen this week. The COVID-19 opt out option is Cook’s last real piece of leverage, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll take advantage of that threat.
Bears’ Eddie Goldman Opts Out
Bears defensive tackle Eddie Goldman will opt out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 health concerns (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Goldman’s decision leaves the Bears with a major void to fill up front, with just over a month to go before the scheduled start of the season. 
[RELATED: Patriots’ Hightower Opts Out Of 2020 Season]
Goldman was set to continue on the four-year, $42MM+ extension he signed in the fall of 2018. Now, his $4.75MM in guaranteed salary will toll into 2021 and his full contract will run through 2023.
Last year, Goldman suited up for 15 games, notching 29 tackles and a sack. As a big man in the middle, his true value isn’t really captured by the traditional stats. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus framed him as the 35th best interior defender in the league out of 118 qualified players, thanks in part to his work against the run. For Goldman, that was actually a down year, and he’s provided steady pressure against quarterbacks over the last two seasons.
The opt outs are piling up quickly, and there are surely more on the way. NFL players have until Friday to formally make the call.