HEADLINES

Author: Zachary Links

Buccaneers Restructure Mike Evans’ Deal

March 17th, 2022 at 11:48am CST by Zachary Links

Mike Evans has agreed to restructure his contract with the Buccaneers (Twitter link via Greg Auman of The Athletic). The wide receiver has done this several times before, enabling the Bucs to have more cap flexibility.

[RELATED: Buccaneers Sign Godwin To Three-Year Extension]

Evans’ last recent restructure came in September of 2021, bailing out the Bucs at a time when they had just $200K in breathing room. This time around, he was scheduled to count for $20.62MM against the cap. Now, Tampa will have an extra $10.3MM to work with.

This is likely a simple restructure, one that converts much of Evans’ base salary into a bonus. Assuming that’s the case, the crux of his deal will remain unchanged. As it stands, Evans is signed through the 2023 season, plus some void years for extra salary cap magic.

Evans, 28, notched 74 receptions for 1,035 yards and 14 touchdowns last year. He’ll look to top those totals this year alongside Chris Godwin (who has a shiny new deal), Breshad Perriman, and newcomer Russell Gage.

Falcons To Sign Casey Hayward

March 17th, 2022 at 11:37am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have agreed to sign Casey Hayward (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The veteran cornerback will receive a two-year, $11MM deal, keeping him under club control through the 2023 season. 

[RELATED: Falcons, Saints Chasing Watson]

Hayward spent the past five seasons with the Chargers, up until he was released in 2021. At the time, the move came as a surprise. Hayward’s first deal with the Bolts — three years, $15.3MM — produced two Pro Bowls and a second-team All-Pro nod. Ultimately, they bailed on the rest of his three-year, $34.25MM re-up, leading him to the rival Raiders.

Hayward, 33 in September, led the NFL with seven INTs in 2016. He’s slowed down a bit in recent years, though he did start in all 17 of his Raiders games last year, notching 46 tackles, one interception, three tackles for loss, nine passes defensed, and a safety.

The move will help to fortify the Falcons’ secondary, though Heyward is likely ticketed for a supporting role. The Falcons are still expected to target CB help in the draft next month, where they could use the No. 8 overall pick to take a top-ranked cover man like Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner.

Steelers Cut Joe Schobert

March 17th, 2022 at 10:41am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have released Joe Schobert, per an official team press release. With free agency underway, the inside linebacker is now free to sign with any club in the NFL.

[RELATED: Steelers To Sign M. Jack]

Schobert — a.k.a. Joe-bert or Joe The Show — worked as a Browns starter for three seasons. He led the NFL with 144 tackles in 2017, earning him a Pro Bowl nod, and he led the Browns in stops in 2018 and ’19 as well. Then, he signed with the Jaguars in 2020 on a five-year, $53.75MM deal. The veteran ‘backer paced the Jags in tackles in 2020 (141 stops), but the effort came for a historically dreadful team. So, in August of 2021, the Jags shipped him to the Steelers for a 2022 sixth-rounder.

Schobert saw time in 16 games last year for the Steelers, including 15 starts. He notched 112 tackles, one interception, and six passes defensed, but the Steelers didn’t think he was worth his contract. They’ll save $7.8MM by releasing him with a modest $1.88MM in dead money left over.

There wasn’t much room for the 28-year-old (29 in November) following the addition of Myles Jack. Jack also comes at a cheaper rate with a two-year, $16MM deal.

Saints, Deshaun Watson Meet Again

March 17th, 2022 at 9:15am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints met with Deshaun Watson for a second time on Wednesday night, according to Nick Underhill (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (Twitter link) hears that the decision is ultimately expected to come down to the Saints and Falcons.

Watson holds a no-trade clause and, therefore, effectively holds the cards. Wilson hears that the Saints have been working hard to get the Texans quarterback on board and they may be on the verge of getting the go-ahead.

Last night, we heard that Watson was “incredibly torn” about his decision after meeting with all four clubs. In addition to the Falcons and Saints, the Panthers and Browns have also been in trade talks with Texans GM Nick Caserio.

It’s also worth noting that the Saints have restructured the contracts of quarterback Taysom Hill, cornerback Bradley Roby, linebacker DeMario Davis and safety Malcolm Jenkins, as Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes. Between those moves and other restructures, the Saints now have roughly $30MM in cap room, which would be enough to absorb Watson’s contract.

Texans To Re-Sign Royce Freeman

March 17th, 2022 at 8:10am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans are re-signing Royce Freeman (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). It’ll be a one-year deal for the veteran running back, who returns for his fifth pro season. 

[RELATED: Texans Sign D. Ogunbowale]

Freeman got into seven games for Houston last year, notching 92 yards off of 35 totes. He also added seven grabs for 62 yards, showing a little bit of the pass-catching skills he exhibited in 2019.

Freeman totaled 297 career carries for 1,187 yards and eight touchdowns with the Broncos. On the whole, the Oregon product has struggled with consistency, but he’s still only 26 and can offer solid support for the Texans’ RB group.

As of this writing, the Texans have four RBs under contract in Freeman, Rex Burkhead, Darius Anderson, Scottie Phillips, and Dare Ogunbowale. Ogunbowale, formerly of the Jaguars, agreed to join Houston last night on a two-year, $3.3MM deal.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/17/22

March 17th, 2022 at 7:56am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Jets To Sign Jacob Martin

March 17th, 2022 at 7:54am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are signing edge rusher Jacob Martin (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Martin will head to New York a three-year, $13.5MM deal with $6MM guaranteed and the potential to earn even more via incentives. 

Martin, a sixth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2018, was part of the trade that sent Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle. Over his three years in Houston, Martin quietly turned himself into a key defensive cog. The Texans wanted to keep him, but the Jets ultimately came away with the highest bid.

In 2021, Martin made 14 starts and appeared in 61% of the Texans’ defensive snaps, both of which were new personal watermarks. While he posted only four sacks, Martin’s peripherals suggest that there was consistent pressure with room for continued growth.

Part of his success came from playing as a true 4-3 DE and Jets head coach Robert Saleh will keep him on that same track. Martin might not be as accomplished as other edge rushers they were chasing (like Chandler Jones), but he still offers lots of upside for Gang Green.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/22

March 16th, 2022 at 8:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/16/22

March 16th, 2022 at 2:39pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:

RFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Commanders Cut Ereck Flowers

March 16th, 2022 at 11:45am CST by Zachary Links

The Commanders have released offensive lineman Ereck Flowers, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The move will allow Flowers to sign with any club, starting at 4pm ET/3pm CT today.

[RELATED: Commanders To Cut Matt Ioannidis]

Flowers came to Washington last year via trade with the Dolphins. It was effectively a cap dump for the ‘Fins, as the deal was completed with a simple swap of late-round picks. For Flowers, it was a reunion and an opportunity to reprise some of his best career work in 2019. Playing as Washington’s left guard, Flowers excelled and parlayed his strong showing into a three-year, $30MM contract with Miami.

Flowers earned decent marks from Pro Football Focus while in South Beach. His 65.9 overall score had him tied as the No. 32 guard in the NFL in 2020. This past year, Flowers was up-and-down, allowing six sacks on the year. On the plus side, he ceded only two sacks.

Similar to his last foray into free agency, Flowers has an opportunity to cash in given the dearth of quality interior linemen across the league. While this year’s guard crop was stronger than most, many of this year’s biggest names have already come off of the board.

By cutting Flowers, Washington will clear an additional $10MM from their books.

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