Contract Details: Lawson, Trufant, Shelton, Witten,
Kyler Fackrell (Giants), One year, $4.6MM, $3.5MM guaranteed, base salary 2020: $2.6MM, $2MM roster bonus, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.
Antonio Hamilton (Chiefs), One year, $1.047MM, $887.5k guaranteed, $137.5k signing bonus; salary 2020: $910k ($750k guaranteed), according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Shaq Lawson (Dolphins), Three years, $30MM, $21MM guaranteed, $4MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $6.4MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $7.9MM (fully guaranteed), 2022: $8.9MM; $2.5MM fully guaranteed roster bonus in 2020, $100k workout bonus in 2020-2021, potential $2MM in annual incentives, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
John Miller (Panthers), One year, $4MM, $2MM guaranteed, $2MM signing bonus; salary 2020: $1.79MM; $160k in per-game roster bonuses, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Danny Shelton (Lions), Two years, $8MM, $4MM guaranteed, $2.5MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $1.5MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $4MM, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.
Desmond Trufant (Lions), Two years, $20MM, $14MM guaranteed, $5MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $4.5MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $9.5MM ($4.5MM guaranteed for injury at signing); $500k in annual per-game roster bonuses, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Jihad Ward (Ravens), One year, $1.047MM, $637.5k guaranteed, $137.5k signing bonus; salary 2020: $910,000 ($500,000 guaranteed), according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Jaylen Watkins (Texans), Two years, $3MM, $300k guaranteed, $300k guaranteed; salaries 2020: $1.1MM, 2021: $1.4MM; 200k first-game roster bonus in 2020, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Jason Witten (Raiders), One year, $4MM, $3.5MM guaranteed; salary 2020: $3.5MM (fully guaranteed); $500k in per-game roster bonuses, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.
Ravens Resume Talks With LB Patrick Onwuasor
If the Ravens have their way, Patrick Onwuasor will be back in Baltimore next season. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets that the organization has resumed talks with the linebacker.
As the reporter notes, it appeared that Onwuasor was “was ready for change of scenery last year.” The linebacker saw reduced playing time as the season went on, culminating in a “heated conversation” with head coach John Harbaugh during a December practice (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com).
Still, it’s not surprising that the organization values Onwuasor’s familiarity with the defense. The 27-year-old has spent his entire four-year career with the Ravens, and he combined for 25 starts between the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
Onwuasor was slapped with a second-round restricted free agent tender last offseason, but he was limited to only six starts in 14 games. He ultimately finished the season having compiled 64 tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble.
Ravens To Trade Chris Wormley To Steelers
We have yet another trade in the NFL. The latest swap is an intra-divisional one: The Steelers will send a 2021 fifth-round pick to the Ravens for defensive lineman Chris Wormley and a 2021 seventh-rounder, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Wormley, a third-round pick in 2017, was tapped to be a younger replacement for Timmy Jernigan after he was shipped to the Eagles. He didn’t pan out exactly as hoped, but he did provide the Ravens with 39 appearances, including 15 starts, over the course of three seasons.
Along the way, Wormley managed 2.5 sacks from the interior. Last year, he saw 482 snaps with a roughly even split between passing and running plays. Pro Football Focus assigned him a 65.6 overall score, slotting him as the No. 63 ranked defensive tackle in the NFL. A repeat performance would make him a great value for Pittsburgh, as he still has one year to go on his original rookie deal.
Ravens Sign Sam Koch To Extension
Sam Koch isn’t going anywhere. The punter is staying put in Baltimore with a two-year extension, the Ravens announced in a tweet.
Koch still had a year left on his previous deal, so Baltimore was being proactive here. The Ravens have been aggressive the past few days, landing Calais Campbell in a surprising trade with the Jaguars and doling out big money to free agent defensive lineman Michael Brockers. Koch might get overshadowed by Baltimore’s other specialist, league-best kicker Justin Tucker, but he’s been a reliable option himself.
A sixth-round pick all the way back in 2006, Koch has been with the team for the past 14 seasons. He’s never reached elite status but has been solid the entire time, earning the only Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods of his career in 2015. Terms of the deal weren’t immediately available, but we’ll pass those along to you as soon as we get them. The Nebraska product will turn 38 in August, and it’s possible this extension takes him right into retirement.
North Notes: Steelers, Ravens, Hurst
Steelers tight end Vance McDonald has restructured his contract, reports SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). The veteran will see his $5.5MM base salary converted into a signing bonus.
The 29-year-old joined the Steelers back in 2017, and he’s turned into a solid receiving threat in Pittsburgh. After finishing with a 50/610/4 receiving line in 2018, he followed that up with 38 receptions for 273 yards and three scores this past year.
McDonald joins a number of Steelers veterans who have reworked their deals to provide the organization with more cap space. That grouping includes quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who restructured his deal earlier today. With all of the Steelers moves (including cut players), they’ve opened up an estimated $35MM in cap space.
Let’s check out some more notes from the league’s northern divisions:
- Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic looks at the who the Ravens could turn to as they look to replace retired lineman Marshal Yanda. While the team is rostering several internal options, the writer dives into the potential options in the draft and free agency. Zrebiec notes that the organization has had some luck finding starting linemen on Day 2 of the draft, and he passes along that general manager Eric DeCosta “all but guaranteed” that the organization will draft at least a pair of linemen.
- The fourth-rounder that the Ravens sent the Falcons in the Hayden Hurst deal is their compensatory pick, tweets Jason La Canfora. Baltimore ended up receiving a second- and fifth-round pick in the deal. The Ravens drafted Hurst in the first-round in 2018, but he immediately took a backseat behind Mark Andrews, who Baltimore took in the third round of that same draft. With Austin Hooper leaving Atlanta, the Falcons had a major need at the position.
- The Bears had interest in lineman Alex Lewis before he re-signed with the Jets, reports Caplan (via Twitter). Chicago has been looking to shake up their offense a bit, as they’re in the market for a quarterback to battle with Mitch Trubisky. The organization has also added veteran tight end Jimmy Graham.
Ravens To Bring Back Justin Ellis
The Ravens will re-sign Justin Ellis on a one-year deal, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). A late-season addition, Ellis made a good impression on the team in a short sample.
[RELATED: Ravens To Decline Carr’s Option]
Ellis found a nice free agent payday in 2018 when he signed a three-year, $15MM with the Raiders. Unfortunately, injuries kept him out of action and his Oakland tenure ended with an injury settlement/release. In November of last year, the Ravens picked him up and he rewarded them with solid run defense in a handful of games.
To date, Ellis has appeared in 70 career games with 42 starts.
Ravens Expected To Decline CB Brandon Carr’s Option
Yet another cornerback is going to hit the open market. The Ravens are expected to decline Brandon Carr’s option and send him to free agency, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
We had heard the Ravens were unlikely to retain Carr if they brought back fellow corner Jimmy Smith, and now it sounds like Carr will be moving on even if Smith isn’t back. Carr will turn 34 in May, but he started all 16 games for Baltimore this past season. Carr has been remarkably durable, never missing a game or start in his 12-year career. Originally a fifth-round pick out of tiny D2 school Grand Valley State back in 2008, Carr has carved out quite the career for himself.
He’s never been elite or made the Pro Bowl, but has been a solid starter for many years. He spent the first four years of his career with the Chiefs and then five with the Cowboys, before signing a four-year, $23.5MM pact with the Ravens in 2017. With Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, who they acquired in a trade last season, both under contract, Carr became more expendable.
His playing time was reduced after the Peters trade, and it’s clear the Ravens want to get younger at the position. Humphrey is 23 and Peters is 27. All eyes will now turn to Smith, and the last we heard is that he’s planning on testing the open market while the two sides are both still interested in a potential reunion.
Ravens To Sign Michael Brockers
The Ravens are bolstering their defensive front. Baltimore is signing free agent defensive lineman Michael Brockers, his agent told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
It’s a big deal for Brockers, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that he’ll be getting $30MM over three years. $21MM of it is fully guaranteed, Garafolo noted in a follow-up tweet. The Ravens will now have one of the most imposing defensive lines in the league, as they just landed Calais Campbell in a trade with the Jaguars on Sunday. They’ve already got Brandon Williams on the interior, so this is a unit that’s going to be hard to block in 2020.
The Rams drafted Brockers in the first-round all the way back in 2012, and he’s been with them his entire career until now. He’s been very sturdy and reliable, starting all 16 games in six of his eight seasons. In the other two, he appeared in at least 13 games. He’s never quite been an elite player, but he’s always been solid.
This past season playing next to Aaron Donald he had 63 tackles and three sacks. The Rams are stretched pretty thin financially, so it would’ve been very hard for them to match an offer like this. The Ravens were one of the league’s breakout teams last season, and they’ve been very bold this offseason after their disappointing divisional round exit in the playoffs. They also added a second-round pick by shipping out tight end Hayden Hurst earlier today.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/16/20
Monday’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions will be posted below. Deals will be updated throughout the day.
RFAs
Tendered at original-round level:
- Bengals: TE Cethan Carter, G Alex Redmond, DT Josh Tupou, S Brandon Wilson
- Broncos: WR Tim Patrick
- Dolphins: LB Vince Biegel, P Matt Haack
- Raiders: QB Nathan Peterman, LB Nicholas Morrow
- Seahawks: WR David Moore, C Joey Hunt, DE Branden Jackson
Non-tendered:
- Bills: WR Isaiah McKenzie
- Dolphins: S Adrian Colbert, LB Deon Lacey
- Eagles: RB Corey Clement
- Giants: C Jon Halapio
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Broncos: S Trey Marshall, WR Diontae Spencer, CB Shakial Taylor
- Browns: Pharaoh Brown, RB Dontrell Hilliard, WR KhaDarel Hodge
- Chiefs: G Andrew Wylie
- Colts: DB Rolan Milligan
- Lions: CB Dee Virgin
- Ravens: RB Gus Edwards
Non-tendered:
- Chiefs: TE David Wells
Ravens Cut OT James Hurst
The Ravens have released offensive tackle James Hurst, as ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley tweets. Hurst was suspended for the first four games of the 2020 season. Now, he’ll try to hook on elsewhere.
Hurst appeared in all 16 games for the Ravens in 2019 and made a pair of starts. In February, he went from on-the-bubble to a likely goner when the league handed him a one-month ban for performance-enhancing substances.
Hurst was set to count for a $5.25MM cap hit in 2020. Instead, the Ravens will shed his deal to save $2.75MM against $2.5MM in dead money.
The 28-year-old former UDFA has been with the Ravens since 2014. He appeared in 90 games over that span and started all of his games in 2017 and 2018.