Ravens’ Andre Smith Opts Out Of 2020 NFL Season
Ravens offensive lineman Andre Smith has opted out of the 2020 season, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). More than a dozen players have opted out as of this writing and that number figures to grow larger between now and the Aug. 1 deadline.
[RELATED: Patriots’ Hightower Opts Out]
Smith, 33, hooked on with the Ravens at the end of the 2020 season to bolster their blocking unit in the playoffs. A former top-10 pick, Smith was once one of the game’s better protectors. He’s way past his prime, but the Ravens were hoping to have him around for depth. In total, Smith has appeared in 116 regular season games during his career, but he’s been somewhat limited since 2016 thanks to multiple injured reserve trips. He hasn’t earned a quality score from PFF since 2014.
Smith, who boasts 90 career starts and tons of earnings over the years, probably didn’t need the money this year. That’s especially true since his contract was at, or near, the veteran’s minimum.
Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower To Opt Out Of 2020 Season
Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower will opt out of the 2020 season, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hightower wrestled with the decision, but ultimately decided to skip the season in order to protect his 2-week-old son. 
“Me and my fiancée are just more concerned with the health of our family than football — especially the new addition to our family,” Hightower explained.
With that, Hightower becomes the fifth Patriots player to opt out. Running back Brandon Bolden, right tackle Marcus Cannon, fullback Danny Vitale, and guard Najee Toran have also decided against playing. Hightower is the highest profile player of the Pats bunch, and one of the more notable players league-wide to opt out.
Hightower was slated to make $8MM in base salary before reaching free agency in March. Now, his contract will toll, with that final year being moved to 2021. With Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, and Elandon Roberts out of the picture, the Patriots were counting on Hightower to hold down the fort at linebacker. There aren’t a ton of impact off-ball linebackers left on the open market, so the Patriots will likely have to work with what they have on hand.
Hightower, 30, has been a staple in the Patriots’ starting lineup since entering the league in 2012. Injuries aside – including a mostly lost 2017 – he’s served as the club’s locker room leader and the point guard of the defense. Last year, Hightower earned his second Pro Bowl trip and even managed 5.5 sacks from the middle.
Hightower’s opt-out falls under the “voluntary” label, meaning that he’s entitled to a $150K salary advance (likely negated by his 2020 earnings to date). Cannon, meanwhile, is “higher risk,” which means he’ll get a $350K stipend (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Cannon had two years to go on his current deal with a total of $9.5MM in base pay. His contract will also toll, with his 2020 season being bumped up to 2021.
15 NFL Players Land On NFL’s Reserve/COVID-19 List
The Dolphins, Browns, Ravens, Bengals, Steelers, Jaguars, Chiefs, Cowboys and Buccaneers have placed players on the newly created reserve/COVID-19 list. Here’s the full rundown, per the league’s transactions wire:
Baltimore Ravens
Cleveland Browns
Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys
Jacksonville Jaguars
- CB Luq Barcoo, DT DaVon Hamilton, CB Josiah Scott, OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms
Kansas City Chiefs
- WR Aleva Hifo
Miami Dolphins
- LS Blake Ferguson, DT Benito Jones, CB Cordrea Tankersley
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The reserve/COVID-19 designation is for players who have tested positive for the coronavirus or are in quarantine for potential exposure. In turn, these players are removed from the roster and allowed to return after three weeks.
Latest On Deandre Baker, Quinton Dunbar
Giants cornerback Deandre Baker has been placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt list, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Baker, of course, is facing several charges for his alleged role in an armed robbery. Dunbar has landed on the list as well, Rapoport adds (via Twitter). Both players will appeal this placement, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links).
The Exempt list means that Baker and Dunbar will be barred from playing or practicing, though they will be paid while they wait in limbo with the league office. Effectively, the Exempt list is used to give the NFL time to wait things out while legal matters and the league’s own investigation plays out. Earlier this year, the Giants asked Baker to stay home and focus on his off-the-field matters. The Seahawks, however, were including Dunbar in their virtual offseason.
Baker is facing eight felony charges stemming from his alleged involvement in an armed robbery that took place in May. Dunbar faces four. Last month, Baker was reported to be involved in an attempt to pay off witnesses to recant their statements related to the robbery. Dunbar’s former attorney, Michael Grieco, was allegedly involved in this scheme as well. Baker’s attorney denies this occurred and said his client has passed a lie detector test.
Prior to Monday’s news, the Giants had not informed Baker to stay away from camp. The second-year cornerback was planning on attending, per Schwartz. The Giants traded back into the first round to draft Baker in 2019. He represents their biggest draft investment in a cornerback since they used a top-10 pick on Eli Apple four years ago. Baker struggled in coverage as a rookie but was expected to remain a starter under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham this season. Monday’s news will stall such plans and may well force the Giants to look at possible replacement options — at least for the time being.
Seattle sent a fifth-round pick to Washington for Dunbar, whom Pro Football Focus graded as one of the NFL’s best corners in a breakout, four-interception 2019 season. The sixth-year defender landing on the Exempt list, however, will force the Seahawks to play other corners in his place. Seattle’s 2019 starters, Shaquill Griffin and Tre Flowers, remain on the roster.
49ers, Raheem Mostert Agree To New Deal
The 49ers have smoothed things out with Raheem Mostert. The two sides have agreed to a restructuring to keep the running back in the fold this year, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
[RELATED: 49ers Sign CB Jamar Taylor]
Mostert demanded a trade earlier this summer when extension talks stalled. The running back wanted a deal to reflect his 2019 performance, by way of a contract that would match Tevin Coleman‘s. Coleman is set to enter the backend of his two-year, $8.5MM deal. The Niners, predictably, pushed back – Mostert still had two seasons left on his three-year, $8.7MM pact. Ultimately, they met somewhere in the middle. Mostert’s existing deal will continue, but he’ll get a little more in the way of current year comp to stay satisfied and productive.
“Happy we got things worked out and looking forward to him having another great season there,” said Mostert’s agent, Brett Tessler. “Thanks to the organization for taking care of him.”
The new deal will pay Mostert $2.575MM in base salary this year, with a $300K bonus, per Schefter. He’ll also be able to earn up to an additional $2.75MM through incentives and bonuses.
Mostert, 28, bounced around the league for a while before landing with the 49ers in 2016. The former UDFA is the team’s longest-tenured running back, but, up until 2018, he barely saw any work in the backfield. Mostert averaged 7.7 yards per carry (on 34 totes) in 2018. Then, he broke out in 2019, leading the 49ers with 772 rushing yards and pacing all running backs with 5.6 per carry. He then set a conference championship game record with four rushing touchdowns.
With Mostert firmly in the fold, the Niners are set to feature a solid stable of Mostert, Coleman, Jerick McKinnon, and Jeff Wilson.
Seahawks Sign First-Round Pick Jordyn Brooks
Another first-round pick in the books. On Monday, the Seahawks announced that they have agreed to terms with linebacker Jordyn Brooks. Per the terms of his slot, his four-year deal will pay $12.35MM in total, including a $6.458MM signing bonus. After that, the Seahawks will hold a fifth-year option to keep him in the fold through 2024. 
Brooks wasn’t projected to be a first-round pick, but he was pleasantly surprised when he heard from the Seahawks at No. 27. Most analysts pegged Brooks as a second- or third-round pick, but Seahawks GM John Schneider didn’t want to take any chances.
“When people aren’t talking about players, that’s when you get pretty nervous,” Schneider said in a press conference following the first night of the draft. “And Jordyn was clearly one of those players. At the combine, I totally stayed away from him. I didn’t talk to him at the combine. I just evaluated all the different interviews.”
Brooks, lauded for his grit and work ethic, projects to start as the Seahawks’ strongside linebacker, joining Bruce Irvin, Bobby Wagner, and K.J. Wright in the first-string group. With the Texas Tech product now in the fold, there are now just a handful of first-rounders in the NFL left unsigned.
Washington’s Alex Smith To Take Physical
Washington’s Alex Smith will take a physical exam on Monday and he’s expected to begin camp on the club’s active/PUP list, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). This doesn’t necessarily mean that Smith will be able to play in 2020, but it’s an encouraging step forward for the quarterback. 
[RELATED: Washington Signs Chase Young]
Smith, 36, has said that he feels “very much lucky to be alive” after his horrific injury and ensuing sepsis infection. Smith’s wife, and others, have expressed concern about the QB’s plans to return. He’s already made more money than he can ever spend, but he badly wants to retake the field.
“When I think about Alex returning to football, there’s part of me that wants him to do whatever he has the inner drive to do,” Smith’s wife, Elizabeth Smith, said earlier this year. “If that means stepping back on the football field and throwing on those pads, then I want him to prove that to himself. But obviously there’s part of me asking, “‘Is it worth ever doing that again? Do you know what we just went through?’”
Smith’s contract calls for him to count for $21.4MM against Washington’s cap this year, with his $16MM base salary fully guaranteed. If he is ultimately cleared to play, he’ll join Dwayne Haskins and Kyle Allen on the QB depth chart.
Seahawks Cut Joey Hunt, Branden Jackson
The Seahawks have dropped nine players from their roster, including a couple of surprise releases. Center Joey Hunt and defensive end Branden Jackson were let go in an apparent effort to trim salary. Between Hunt and Jackson, the Seahawks have saved $4.26MM against the cap. All in all, they have roughly $18.7MM in space now, money that may or may not be used to bring Jadeveon Clowney back to Seattle. 
Hunt, a 2016 sixth-round pick, has appeared in 34 games for the Seahawks, including eleven starts. The Seahawks leaned on him last year after starter Justin Britt went down with an ACL tear. Without Hunt, it seems that Ethan Pocic has secured the Seahawks’ starting center job. Jackson, meanwhile, has appeared in 36 games across the last three seasons.
The Seahawks also cut running back Patrick Carr, receiver Seth Dawkins, offensive guard Kahlil McKenzie, defensive back Josh Norwood, offensive guard Jordan Roos, linebacker Sutton Smith, and tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson. Their roster now stands at 81 – they’ll likely look to get down to 80 before the August deadline, allowing them to have everyone practice at a single site.
Texans, Senio Kelemete Agree To Extension
The Texans have reached agreement on a one-year extension with guard Senio Kelemete, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The new deal will keep the veteran under contract through the 2021 season. 
Kelemete, 30, has spent the last two years with the Texans, though the 2019 season was basically wiped out by a wrist injury. He joined Houston in 2018 on a three-year free agent deal and served as the team’s go-t0 left guard that year.
Kelemete won’t necessarily be in the starting lineup this year – he may wind up supporting Max Scharping on the left side and Zach Fulton on the right side.
The move created a bit of cap space for the Texans, as Wilson reports in a full-length piece that Kelemete’s cap number dropped from $3.5MM to $2.3MM. He agreed to reduce his 2020 base salary from $2.75MM to $1.3MM, though he did receive a $500K signing bonus and can earn up to $200K in per-game active roster bonuses, so his 2020 pay will max out at $2MM. It sounds as if Houston may have been prepared to cut him, so he elected for a bit of a decrease in exchange for some security.
In 2021, he is scheduled to earn a base salary of $1.3MM, though he can rack up $4.2MM in per-game active roster bonuses.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/20
Teams are trimming players earlier than usual this year, thanks to the NFL’s recommendation for an 80-man roster max. We’ll keep track of the latest minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: LB Vontarrious Dora, QB Drew Anderson, DE T.J. Carter, OL Jackson Dennis, OL Drew Dickinson, TE Parker Houston, WR Shane Leatherbury, WR Devin Phelps, CB Jarren Williams, CB Bejour Wilson
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: G Evan Adams, G Daishawn Dixon, T R.J. Prince, K Nick Vogel
Buffalo Bills
- Waived: WR Ray-Ray McCloud, OL Garrett McGhin
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: CB Isiah Swann
Denver Broncos
- Released: DT Joel Heath
- Waived: LB Tre’ Crawford, QB Riley Neal, WR Kelvin McKnight, RB Khalfani Muhammad, S Kahani Smith, CB Shakial Taylor, C Nico Falah
Houston Texans
- Claimed off waivers (from Eagles) DT Albert Huggins
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived/Injured: DB Javaris Davis, WR Cody White
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers (from Chiefs): CB Javaris Davis
- Waived: DE Avery Moss, LB Trent Harris
- Waived/NFI: TE Michael Roberts
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: WR Shelton Gibson, WR Marcus Green, DE Daeshon Hall, DT Albert Huggins, and CB Tremon Smith
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: DL Amani Bledsoe, LB Nigel Harris, TE Cole Herdman, WR Trevion Thompson, G Zac Kerin
- Waived/Injured: RB Shaun Wilson