NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/22/20
We’ll keep track of today’s reserve/futures deals here:
Dallas Cowboys
Police Investigating Antonio Brown
8:30pm: Despite Brown not being charged, he remains part of the Hollywood, Fla., police’s investigation, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports. Brown refused to speak with police officers, locking himself inside his home.
6:50pm: This investigation stems from a moving truck driver accusing Brown and trainer Glen Holt of battery, Wolfe reports. Holt was arrested on one count of burglary with battery. Brown is not in custody and has not been charged. The NFL is monitoring this situation, and Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com notes it will be folded into the league’s ongoing investigation of the former All-Pro wide receiver (Twitter link).
3:40pm: More potential trouble for troubled free agent Antonio Brown. Florida police are investigating Brown for possible battery at his home on Tuesday, ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe (on Twitter) hears. 
[RELATED: Raiders GM Mike Mayock On Antonio Brown]
Details are still trickling in, but as of this writing, Brown has not been arrested at his Hollywood, Florida home. Wolfe hears that it is not a domestic violence situation, though it is a possible battery that warranted police attention.
Brown has been out of the NFL since being dropped by the Patriots midway through the 2019 season, but he’s been in the news at least twice per week, and the updates have hardly been positive. Most recently, Brown broadcasted a profanity-laced argument with police officers and the mother of one of his children. Soon after, longtime agent and ally Drew Rosenhaus dropped him and said that he would only resume the relationship if Brown made wholesale changes to his life.
Despite the erratic behavior towards the end of his Steelers tenure, the Raiders rolled the dice by trading for Brown and giving him a whopping new contract. At the time, it seemed like a savvy move to breathe life into the offense. Today, GM Mike Mayock wishes he could undo it all.
“I put that on me,” Mayock said. “My anticipation was that he was coming off a situation in Pittsburgh where he wants to prove everybody wrong and he wants to ride into the Hall of Fame. That he was going to come in with Jon Gruden and Derek Carr and our offense and lead the way. … I really thought we were going to get the best out of Antonio Brown and we didn’t.”
Even after Brown’s practice blowups and retirement threats, the Patriots were willing to gamble. They bailed, but for different reasons – Brown was accused of sexual assault by multiple women.
Talent tends to prevail in the NFL, but Brown has likely exhausted any chance of another opportunity. The Saints auditioned Brown late in the season, but opted to hold off and wait for the NFL’s investigation to conclude. At this point, the league wants nothing to do with Brown, who once ranked as one of the game’s brightest stars. Brown won’t be cleared to play by 345 Park Ave. anytime soon, and even if Roger Goodell allows him back at some point, he could be categorized as untouchable by all 32 clubs.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/21/20
We’ll keep track of today’s reserve/futures deals here:
Green Bay Packers
- TE Evan Baylis
- T Cody Conway
- RB Damarea Crockett
- CB Kabion Ento
- TE James Looney
- LB Randy Ramsey
- WR Darrius Shepherd
- WR Malik Taylor
- QB Manny Wilkins
- LB Tim Williams
Minnesota Vikings
Tennessee Titans
- DE Amani Bledsoe
- RB Dalyn Dawkins
- LB Nigel Harris
- TE Parker Hesse
- C Daniel Munyer
- DB Kareem Orr
- OL David Quessenberry
- LB Josh Smith
- WR Trevion Thompson
- RB Shaun Wilson
- QB Logan Woodside
Poll: Will Patrick Mahomes Get $40MM/Year?
Patrick Mahomes is Super Bowl bound. He’s also in line for a monumental payday. 
Last year, at the age of 23-and-a-third, Mahomes became the league’s youngest MVP since Dan Marino won the award in 1984. He didn’t disappoint in his encore, either. The grizzled 24-year-old threw for for 4,031 yards with 26 touchdowns against just five interceptions in 2019. He also threw in some dazzling running plays, for good measure, resulting in two more scores and 15 first downs.
His incomparable skillset and early accomplishments point to a historic contract. The NFL’s all-time average annual value (AAV) record is made to be broken and routinely shattered each year, sometimes by quarterbacks who are not considered to be among the league’s very best. Mahomes’ case is decidedly different – he’s simply from another planet, and some execs think he’ll cross the $40MM/year threshold.
“I think he’s gonna get $40MM [per year], either over four or five years,” one NFC personnel evaluator told ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler.
Another NFC exec with negotiating experience mostly echoed that sentiment:”If Russell Wilson is at $35MM, then probably $37.5MM.”
Wilson’s deal with the Seahawks calls for $140MM across four years. Rams QB Jared Goff isn’t far behind with $134MM over the same stretch, with a whopping $110MM in guaranteed cash. Carson Wentz fell just shy with his four-year, $128MM Eagles extension. There will be new additions to this tier – including Cowboys QB Dak Prescott – but Mahomes is poised to top Prescott’s deal (whenever that happens) and set a watermark that won’t be approached for a while.
Mahomes’ rookie deal runs through 2020 and the Chiefs hold his fifth-year option to take him through 2021. Still, league officials say time is of the essence for KC.
“If I were [the Chiefs], I would be as proactive as humanly possible,” one exec told Fowler. “If Jared Goff can get no offset language in his entire contract after three years in the league, then this specific player has all the leverage. I think $40MM would be Mahomes selling himself short.”
Will Mahomes net $40MM per year, or more, on his next deal? Cast your vote below (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comment section.
NFC North Notes: Lions, Stafford, Packers
Will the Lions select a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick? Many have pondered the possibility, but GM Bob Quinn says he’s “totally comfortable and happy Matthew Stafford‘s our quarterback,” (Twitter link via SiriusXM).
“He’s going to be in full health once the offseason program starts its course, he’s pretty much in full health right now,” Quinn said. “To see him in coach mode has been pretty cool because he really cares about, not only our team, but his teammates and helping those other young quarterbacks. I feel great about Matthew he’s going to come back strong and we’re ready to go for next year.”
The Lions, at least publicly, are committed to Stafford as their Week 1 starter. That won’t stop speculation about an early QB selection, however. Stafford, in theory, could be tasked with going into “coach mode” for one of this year’s top signal callers – every QB not named Joe Burrow should be there for Detroit to consider.
Here’s more from the NFC North:
- Packers tight end Marcedes Lewis says he wants to continue playing next year. “I felt like I got into a groove with my role in this offense,” said the 35-year-old (via Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel). “It was really fun. I love the game. I knew I still had more football to give. Being in this offense and having [Matt] LaFleur and conceptually what he wanted and then having (former Jaguars offensive coordinator) [Nathaniel] Hackett here, it all went hand in hand. I just think it was a good situation. Mentally, you were coming to a place where guys cared about you, you know?” Lewis, who played in every regular season game, is ticketed for unrestricted free agency in March.
- Ditto for Packes tackle Bryan Bulaga, who is ticketed to reach free agency just before his 31st birthday in March. The 6’5″ bulldozer says he plans to continue playing in 2020, regardless of how the offseason shakes out.
Chiefs To Retain Mike Kafka
Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka isn’t going anywhere. Kafka will stick on Andy Reid’s coaching staff in 2020, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter), which means that he won’t be leaving for the Eagles’ offensive coordinator vacancy or any other club.
The Eagles had interest in Kafka as an OC candidate, but they’ve been informed that Reid won’t let him stray. It’s possible that Kafka could receive a new title to stay in KC, but nothing has been made official on that front. Eric Bieniemy did not land a head coaching job in this cycle, so a bump up to OC is off the table.
With that, the Eagles have lost out on yet another OC option. USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell was on the radar, but earlier this week, he opted to return to the Trojans. Before that, Ravens quarterbacks coach James Urban declined their request for an interview and ex-Redskins OC Kevin O’Connell accept the Rams’ OC job.
The Eagles drafted Kafka in the fourth round of the 2010 draft, and the Northwestern product spent his first two seasons in the league as Philly’s backup/third-string signal-caller. After that, he parlayed his football IQ into a successful coaching career. After serving as the Chiefs’ offensive quality control coach in 2017, he was elevated to QB coach in 2018, the same year Patrick Mahomes took the league by storm.
Redskins’ Case Keenum Doesn’t Expect To Return
Case Keenum is headed towards free agency and he believes he is headed elsewhere in 2020. 
“I have no idea. I would say probably not,” Keenum said (via NBC Sports’ JP Finlay). “I can’t tell the future though.”
The Redskins, in all likelihood, will move forward with 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins as their starting quarterback. One-time starter Alex Smith‘s status is up in the air, but his contract will remain on the books regardless. That leaves little available cash or playing time potential for Keenum.
“I feel like I played really good football. I know the wins and losses didn’t show it,” said Keenum, who went 1-7 in eight starts. “I’d love another shot to play in this league. So if there’s another chance, another opportunity out there, I’m not sure where that might be, I don’t take these things lightly. I’m going to go compete and make myself better this offseason and hopefully and be ready for whatever team might come calling.”
Keenum, who has suited up for seven different teams in eight different years, will likely add another jersey to his collection this year.
Bengals On Possibility Of Trading No. 1 Pick
The Bengals, according to one report, will not trade the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, regardless of what they’re offered. Even though all signs continue to point to LSU’s Joe Burrow, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin says no decision has been made with regard to who they’ll pick, or whether they’d be willing to trade down. 
“I don’t know that any decision has been made for what we’re going to do in April,” Tobin told the team website. “We’re early in the process. We certainly haven’t had any meetings to determine that at this point. Those will be meetings we’ll have as we go through the process.”
Burrow might not be the best overall talent in this year’s class (that designation has been widely bestowed on Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young), but he is viewed as the very best quarterback in this year’s crop and the Bengals’ need for a signal caller is glaring. It would be a shock to see the Bengals take anyone other than Burrow, or sacrifice their chance at the LSU star, but Tobin is playing it cool.
“We’ll have a lot of opportunity to get to know him through the process,” Tobin told Bengals.com. “We feel very comfortable by the time we have to make a decision in the draft on him and the other players as well.”
If the Bengals keep their minds and phone lines open, they may find the Panthers among several interested trading partners.
Albert Breer On Panthers, Rivers, Jets
The Panthers, for now, seem intent on keeping GM Marty Hurney in his current role. But they’re likely eyeing VP of football ops candidates like Andrew Berry as eventual replacements for him, Albert Breer of The MMQB writes.
Berry, it seems, has been passed over for the Browns’ GM vacancy. But, even if George Paton is the hire in Cleveland, the Panthers will still have to secure the blessing of the Eagles, who have – so far – been unwilling to let him walk for a position that doesn’t include authority over the 53-man roster.
Here’s more from Breer:
- The Chargers’ decision to keep Shane Steichen as offensive coordinator could be a factor in Philip Rivers‘ future, Breer notes. The two are very close and that could lead both sides to a reunion. But, at the same time, Rivers has “permanently” moved his family from California to Florida and the Bolts also have a potential replacement in Tyrod Taylor.
- Will the Jets be willing to eat a portion of Le’Veon Bell‘s contract in order to move on from the mercurial running back and increase their draft stockpile? Breer, speculatively, thinks it’s a possibility, and the Jets may see this as their chance to take advantage of whatever value the 28-year-old has left. Bell, coming off of a disappointing year, is due an $8.5MM base in 2020 with a $4.5MM roster bonus split between payments in March and October, plus $500K in per-game roster bonuses. In theory, the Jets could agree to pay the roster bonus, dangle him at $9MM to other teams, and eat $4.5MM.
- In line with what we’ve been hearing elsewhere, Breer does not expect the Patriots to retain linebacker Kyle Van Noy or guard Joe Thuney. Speaking of the Pats – we’re hearing that Tom Brady is unlikely to re-sign with the club before the start of free agency.
Steelers’ Owner On JuJu Smith-Schuster
Things didn’t go according to plan for the Steelers or JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2019. After parting ways with Antonio Brown, the wide receiver seemed poised for a monster season and a brand new contract to reflect his expected status as one of the league’s premier wide receivers. That didn’t happen and Steelers owner Art Rooney II says he isn’t in any rush to talk extension. 
“Well again, it was a tough season to evaluate with the different quarterbacks and some of JuJu’s injuries so it’s a tough season to evaluate from a lot of different standpoints,” Rooney said (via Jacob Klinger of PennLive.com). “Obviously we still think highly of JuJu and still think he’s going to be an outstanding player in the league moving forward and we will address the contract situation when it’s appropriate.”
In 2019, Smith-Schuster caught just 42 passes for 552 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games. Smith-Schuster’s rookie deal is set to expire after the 2020 season and he might have to wait until then to discuss a new deal with the Steelers.
Of course, the loss of Ben Roethlisberger early in the season held back Smith-Schuster and the Steelers offense on the whole. That is to say, the drop-off in his production is not entirely his fault. Still, the Steelers seem open to a wait-and-see approach with the 23-year-old (24 in November).
When the Steelers have Big Ben back in action next season, they’ll hope to see Smith-Schuster return to form. In 2018, the former second-round pick broke out with 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance.