NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/23/20
We’ll keep track of today’s futures deals here:
Las Vegas Raiders
- DB Ken Crawley
- DE Kendal Vickers
Tennessee Titans
Raiders Sign Nevin Lawson To Extension
The Raiders have signed cornerback Nevin Lawson to a one-year extension, worth $3.29MM, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The new deal will keep him in the fold through the 2020 season, allowing him to build off of a solid second half in which he joined the starting lineup. 
[RELATED: Raiders GM Mike Mayock On Antonio Brown, Jon Gruden, Derek Carr]
Lawson was originally drafted by the Lions in the fourth round back in 2014. He spent the first five years of his career there, and became a full-time starter in Detroit for the last three. The Utah State product has started 50 games over the past four years and is still only 28, so he still offers upside.
Earlier this month, Lawson was hit with a one-game suspension for using his helmet as a weapon in the season finale against the Broncos. Therefore, he won’t be on the field when the Raiders play their first game as the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020.
Last year, Lawson earned a subpar 60.8 overall score from Pro Football Focus. He didn’t have enough snaps (301) to qualify for a ranking at his position, but in larger sample size, that would have placed him somewhere around the No. 70 CB in the NFL.
Giants Won’t Place Eli Manning On Reserve/Retired List
Giants legend Eli Manning is retiring from football, but he won’t formally be placed on the league’s list of retired players, as PFT’s Mike Florio explains. It’s a small, but important distinction that could be factor should the quarterback consider coming out of retirement in 2020.
[RELATED: Eli Manning Retires From The NFL]
Manning’s contract will formally expire in March, which means the Giants cannot place Manning on the reserve/retired list, per league rules. Players on the reserve/retired list who decide to unretire after the trade deadline must go on the waiver wire first.
Manning retired, in large part, because he would not have had an opportunity to start for the Giants or any other club in 2020. But, hypothetically, a midseason injury to Daniel Jones or another QB1 could open the door for someone like Manning.
If Manning was on the list and the Giants wanted him back, they’d be subject to the same potential barriers as Rob Gronkowski. In 2019, Gronk would have had to return by Week 13 if he wanted to suit up for the Giants, because he was officially designated as a retired player. Meanwhile, Marshawn Lynch was not on the list, which paved the way for his late-season Seahawks reunion. If Manning wants to come back, he’ll have no obstacles in his way, just like Beast Mode.
Vikings Hire Gary Kubiak As OC
The Vikings are bumping Gary Kubiak up to the offensive coordinator position, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Last year, Kubiak served as an assistant head coach and offensive advisor. 
Kubiak will take over for Kevin Stefanski, who left to become the Browns’ head coach earlier this offseason. During Stefanski’s first full season at the helm, the Vikings ranked as a top-10 offense in points. With ample experience and knowhow, Kubiak will look to build on that.
Kubiak hooked on with the Vikes in January of last year, bringing him back to the sidelines as something other than a head coach since 2014, when he was the Ravens’ OC. Prior to that, he was in talks to return to Denver as their offensive coordinator, before those discussions went sideways.
As a head coach, Kubiak had a career 82-75 mark, including a 21-11 record across his two seasons with the Broncos. In his first year as the Broncos’ HC, Denver won Super Bowl 50 with a memorable win over the Panthers.
The Vikings fell short of their Super Bowl goal in 2019, but Kubiak will have plenty to work with on the offensive side of the ball. The team’s backfield trio of Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, and Mike Boone finished in the top six in rushing yards and touchdowns last year. Meanwhile, quarterback Kirk Cousins enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career. Kubiak was a big part of that strategy and in 2020 he’ll have a chance to do everything his way while maintaining consistency.
Dolphins Expect Ryan Fitzpatrick Return
The Dolphins “fully expect” to see quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick back on the field in 2020, GM Chris Grier told reporters this week. This jibes with previous comments from the GM, who earlier this month said that the plan “right now” is for FitzMagic and Josh Rosen to stay in the fold. 
The Dolphins will almost certainly select their QB of their future early in the draft, but in any circumstance, they’d love to have the veteran back. In 2019, Fitzpatrick was a bright spot for the Fins in an otherwise rocky year. The 37-year-old would be the perfect bridge for a young QB and his $8MM salary for 2020 would not be cost-prohibitive – particularly since the Dolphins have ample cap room heading into March.
Fitzpatrick has indicated that it would be difficult for him to walk away from football this year and his bond with the organization is evident. It all adds up to an obvious match, though the same can’t be said for Rosen, a former first-round pick who has yet to make a dent at the pro level.
Last year, Fitz threw for 3,529 passing yards with 20 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. He also helped the club end the year on a high note with back-to-back wins over the Bengals and Patriots.
The Dolphins will go into the draft with an absolute stockpile of draft capital, giving them the ability to move up for a signal caller that might not be available at No. 5 overall. However the QB room shakes out, we know this much – the offense will be guided by Chan Gailey, who was hired to replace Chad O’Shea on New Year’s Eve.
Dolphins Prepared To Move Up In Draft?
If the Dolphins want to move up to the No. 1 pick for LSU’s Joe Burrow – or to another pick for any other player – they’ll have the ammunition to get a deal done. This week, GM Chris Grier, who has a bevy of picks this year, publicly acknowledged the potential for a big jump on the board. 
At the same time, Grier pointed out what we all know – around this time of year, teams are eager to spread information that benefits them in order to drum up leverage. In other words, the Dolphins almost certainly want to come away with their quarterback of the future in this year’s draft, but their eagerness to land Burrow or any of this year’s other signal callers might be overstated.
Alabama star Tua Tagovailoa is among the prized QBs in this year’s crop and many have connected the dots between him and the Fins. For what it’s worth, Grier says he doesn’t feel pressured to roll the dice on the one-time consensus top prospect who has serious question marks due to his hip injury.
“We’ll evaluate him just like every player,” Grier said. “When people were talking about [us taking him], we said we weren’t tanking. We were trying to win and build. And so to say one player was attached to us, you can’t control what fans and people in the media say. So there’s no pressure for us. The pressure for us is to find the right guy to be the quarterback for the Dolphins, whether it’s him or someone else. That’s the pressure. Finding the right guy to lead the organization.”
For now, the Dolphins are slated to pick at No. 5 where Tagovailoa and other top QBs besides Burrow will be available. After that, they’re up again at Nos. 18 and 26.
Browns Might Not Hire OC
The Browns are without an offensive coordinator, and it might stay that way. This week, new head coach Kevin Stefanski said it “remains to be seen” whether they’ll hire an OC for the 2020 season. 
“I’m committed to adding the right people to our building,” Stefanski said (via Ben Axelrod of WKYC.com). “That remains to be seen. We’re definitely looking at all avenues as we try to put a really good staff together.”
The Browns have spoken to former Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, but it’s not clear if he’s being looked at for the OC role. Meanwhile, Stefanski might want to control the headset himself, and he has the experience of new offensive line coach Bill Callahan to advise him during his first season at the helm. In light of that, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Stefanski go without an OC.
On the other side of the ball, the Browns are expected to hire 49ers defensive backs coach Joe Woods after the Super Bowl.
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward Eyeing Extension
With one year to go on his deal, Cameron Heyward is ready to talk turkey. The Steelers defensive end says he’d be “more than happy to facilitate” contract extensions with the club, as Mark Kaboly of TheAthletic.com writes. 
“I would love to be a Pittsburgh Steeler the rest of my life,” Heyward said as he motioned toward his wife and three young children standing by his side. “It is what I call home and my family loves it. We are very thankful to be here. We will see what happens. I have no control over it. If they reach out, I will be more than happy to facilitate.”
The Steelers would like to keep Heyward for the long run, especially since he has emerged as a leader in the locker room. A new deal could also help their tight cap situation – Heyward is currently slated to count for $13.2MM against the 2020 payroll.
Heyward expects to meet with the Steelers in “June or July” but would also be open to getting “something done earlier.” If his desire to stay in Pittsburgh means a willingness to take a hometown discount, that should help to move things along.
“They’ve done right by me so far, and I want to continue to do them right,” Heyward said.
“That’s what I love about Pittsburgh — you have to earn your way. If I play well and they show me love, I want to show love back. I want to make sure as them being my employer and them being my family, you always want to make sure that you represent your family well.”
In 2019, Heyward earned a First-Team All-Pro nod, despite playing most of the year without Stephon Tuitt on the opposite side. He finished out with nine sacks and set a new career high with 83 tackles.
Patriots’ Joejuan Williams Arrested
Patriots cornerback Joejuan Williams was arrested for drug possession on Friday night, according to CBS4 in Boston. Per Michael Giardi of the NFL Network (citing the Tennessean), police found acetaminophen hydrocodone prescription pills, valacyclovir hydrocodone pills, a large amount of marijuana, hand-rolled marijuana cigarettes, and illegal paraphernalia inside Williams’ SUV (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Kraft: Patriots “Plan To” Keep Tom Brady]
Williams, who just turned 22 in December, was selected out of Vanderbilt in the second round of last year’s draft. The Patriots and other clubs were tantalized by his combination of size (he stands at 6’4″) and tough playing style in the lead-up to April. In his first pro season, he was used sparingly, appearing in just nine games with four tackles in total, with more snaps on special teams than on defense.
And, given the variety and nature of the drugs found in Williams’ possession, he will almost certainly face a suspension from the league. When the new collective bargaining agreement is finalized, it is expected to be more lenient on marijuana use, and that could be a factor when the NFL doles out punishment. But if Williams did not have a prescription for the pills, that could be a bigger problem for him.
Williams’ arrest comes shortly after word of Julian Edelman‘s run-in with the law. The wide receiver was arrested earlier this month after allegedly jumping on the hood of someone else’s Mercedes. Both players could be subject to league discipline once their legal matters are wrapped up.
Eli Manning To Retire
Giants icon Eli Manning will hold a news conference on Friday to announce his retirement, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jordan Raanan (Twitter link). Unwilling to finish his career as a backup, Manning will walk away from the sport and focus on new endeavors. 
Manning, 39, got the hook from the Giants on multiple occasions. The first time around, in 2017, he was briefly benched for one game in favor of Geno Smith. This year, he lost his job to rookie Daniel Jones and never regained his footing. The Giants’ struggles continued throughout the season, but it was an easy call for the G-Men to anoint Jones as their starter moving forward.
Things didn’t end the way Manning envisioned, but he leaves the sport after a storied NFL career that will surely land him in Canton, once he’s eligible. Manning had lots of highs across his 16-year career (and, some lows), but he’ll forever be remembered as a two-time Super Bowl winner and MVP. He’s also etched in the record books – he’s seventh all-time in passing yards, touchdowns, and completions. Another impressive feat – Manning never once missed a start due to injury.
Manning has long ranked as one of the league’s highest-paid players, too. He’s earned more than a quarter-billion dollars in football, not including endorsement money.
Manning entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 draft. The Ole Miss star famously refused to play for the Chargers and forced a trade to the Giants, where he established himself as a global superstar and stepped out of his older brother’s shadow. He’s foiled the Patriots twice, sold countless jerseys in the tri-state area, and forged a legacy that will last for decades.
“For 16 seasons, Eli Manning defined what it is to be a New York Giant both on and off the field,” John Mara, the Giants’ president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Eli is our only two-time Super Bowl MVP and one of the very best players in our franchise’s history. He represented our franchise as a consummate professional with dignity and accountability. It meant something to Eli to be the Giants quarterback, and it meant even more to us. We are beyond grateful for his contributions to our organization and look forward to celebrating his induction into the Giants Ring of Honor in the near future.”
It remains to be seen whether Manning will stay involved in football. The Giants have expressed interest in giving Manning a non-playing role, but that would likely come in the form of a front office position – Manning has indicated that he is not interested in a coaching career.
“I learned very early that you evaluate quarterbacks on their ability to win championships, and to do it late in a game when the game is on the line, that they’re able to take a team down the field and into the end zone to win a title,” said longtime Giants GM Ernie Accorsi said. “The second thing is to know that over a period of years, he’s always going to be there. Those kinds of quarterbacks always give you a chance to win, and for 16 years, he did that for this franchise. He won championships and he was always there giving us a chance to win. I don’t know how you can ask more from a quarterback.”