Contract Details: JPP, Cousins, Weatherly
Deals are coming in quickly, so we’ve compiled some important contract details below:
- DE Jason Pierre-Paul, Buccaneers: two years. Deal is worth $25MM, and could be worth up to $26MM ($12.5MM/season, up to $1MM in incentives). Via The Athletic’s Greg Auman on Twitter.
- DE Stephen Weatherly, Panthers: two years, $12.5MM. Deal includes $6.25MM guaranteed, $4MM signing bonus. Annual per-game active roster bonus up to $100K, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- QB Kirk Cousins, Vikings: two-year, $66MM extension. Effectively now three-year, $96MM deal. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com observes, this gives Cousins the highest AAV at his position ($32MM, bumping Russell Wilson‘s $31.4MM).
- DE Arik Armstead, 49ers: five-year, $85MM extension. Includes voidable sixth year, allowing team to lower cap number. $6MM cap number in first year, $12.5MM in second year, $20MM+ in 2022 through 2024. All via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner on Twitter.
- QB A.J. McCarron, Texans: re-signed. One-year, $4MM deal, including $3.75MM guaranteed. Via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter.
- DE Mario Addison, Bills: three years. Worth $30.45MM, including $15.25MM guaranteed. $14MM in first year of deal. Via Pelissero on Twitter.
- QB Nate Sudfeld, Eagles: re-signed. One-year, $2MM deal, including $500K guaranteed. Another $1MM in incentives. Via Pelissero on Twitter.
- TE Blake Jarwin, Cowboys: three years, $24.25MM. Includes $4MM signing bonus. Base salaries: $2.25MM (2020), $3.5MM (2021), $4.5MM (2022), $5.5MM (2023). From 2021 through 2023, there are active roster bonuses totaling $750K and escalators maxing out at $750K per season. Via ESPN’s Todd Archer on Twitter.
Panthers To Sign Teddy Bridgewater
The Panthers are expected to sign Teddy Bridgewater when the league year officially kicks off on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen (on Twitter). The two sides are still ironing out the details, but it’ll be a three-year deal in the range of $60MM, Mort hears. 
On Tuesday morning, the Panthers announced that they have given Cam Newton permission to seek a trade. Interestingly, that news caught Newton off-guard – he accused the Panthers of “wordplay” to imply that he wanted out. Either way, Newton will be playing elsewhere in 2020 and Bridgewater will be the club’s starter moving forward.
Bridgewater, who is beloved by just about everyone in NFL circles, worked tirelessly to come back from what could have been a career-ending knee injury. Since moving on from the Vikings, he’s shown that he still has tons of talent to go along with his charisma and leadership.
Last year, he got five opportunities to start in Drew Brees‘ stead and he went undefeated. Now, heading into his age-28 season, the Panthers are hopeful that he can rekindle his early Minnesota magic.
Before the injury, Bridgewater averaged 3,075 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in his first two seasons. With the Saints, he sat for most of the 2018 season before leading the team to a 5-0 record in Brees’ absence last year. While Bridgewater ranked at or near the bottom in multiple Next Gen Stats focused on average air yards, he completed 67% of his passes in 2019.
This also represents an interesting move for a Panthers team that has been linked to a possible run at Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields in 2021. While Bridgewater will be tasked with taking over a team that has lost a lot of talent this year, he profiles as a quarterback talented enough to play Carolina out of the No. 1 or No. 2 draft slots — likely needed to secure Lawrence or Fields — next year.
Cam Newton: I “Never Asked” For Panthers To Trade Me
The Panthers have granted Cam Newton permission to seek a trade. Newton, meanwhile, says he never requested one.
“Stop with the word play! I never asked for it,” Newton wrote in an Instagram reply to the Panthers in his signature mangled text. “There is no dodging this one: I love the Panthers to death and will always love you guys! Please do not try and play me, or manipulate the narrative and act like I wanted this. You forced me into this!”
Like it or not, Newton probably won’t be left with much choice. It sounds like the Panthers are already eyeing potential replacements, as the organization has been connected to veteran Teddy Bridgewater. If the front office misses out on a quarterback in free agency, they could turn their focus to the draft, where they own the seventh-overall pick.
While injuries have derailed Newton’s production in recent years, he’s still a former MVP, and he also led the Panthers to the Super Bowl. He’s slated to make just $18.6MM this season, making him a fairly affordable bridge option for a QB-needy team.
Newton was limited to only two games in 2019, but he did make 14 starts in 2018. That season, he connected on a career-high 67.9-percent of his passes for 3,395 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. While he’s not nearly as prolific in the running game as he once was, he still managed to compile 488 rushing yards and four scores on 101 attempts.
Panthers Give Cam Newton Permission To Seek Trade
The Panthers may be moving on from Cam Newton. On Tuesday, the club announced that they have granted their star quarterback permission to seek a trade.
“One of the distinct pleasures of my career was selecting Cam with the first pick in the 2011 draft,” GM Marty Hurney said in a statement. “Every year difficult decisions are made and they are never easy. We have been working with Cam and his agent to find the best fit for him moving forward and he will always be a Carolina Panther in our hearts.”
Newton, 31 in May, captured the NFL’s MVP trophy in 2015 and led the team to the Super Bowl. He also owns just about every franchise record for QBs.
Unfortunately, injuries have taken his career in a different direction as of late. The three-time Pro Bowler has gone under the knife multiple times, including surgeries to his throwing shoulder and left foot.
Newton may have lost some of his luster, but he should still hold appeal for teams in need of QB help. He’s slated to make just $18.6MM this season, making him a fairly affordable bridge option.
Any interested clubs will want to take a close look at his aforementioned maladies. At last check, we heard that Newton could ready to throw sometime this month, though the Panthers were planning to be cautious with him and delay some of his work until later in the spring.
Meanwhile, the Panthers are showing very strong interest in quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, sources tell Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). They’ll have competition for Teddy Two-Gloves, however – the Bears have shown interest (though they seem ready to pivot towards other passers) and the Bucs also see him as a strong fallback if they’re unable to land Tom Brady.
If the Panthers don’t go for Bridgewater, or another one of this year’s high-profile free agent QBs, they could consider a passer in the first round of the draft. The Panthers own the No. 7 overall pick, putting them in good position for most of this year’s top signal callers.
Panthers Sign S Juston Burris
Juston Burris is heading to Carolina. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the free agent safety is signing a two-year, $8MM deal with the Panthers.
The former fourth-rounder has bounced around the league a bit after spending the first two-plus seasons of his career with the Jets. He was waived by the Browns at the end of the 2019 preseason, and after briefly catching on with the Raiders, he was cut again.
He re-signed with Cleveland in late September, and he proceeded to have the best season of his career in 2019. He finished the campaign having compiled 32 tackles, one sack, seven passes defended, two picks, and one forced fumble. In total, the 26-year-old has seen time in 52 career games.
DE Stephen Weatherly Signs With Panthers
Defensive end Stephen Weatherly has signed a two-year, $12.5MM deal with the Panthers, agent Blake Baratz announced on Twitter.
Weatherly had spent his entire career with the Vikings after being selected in the seventh round of the 2016 draft. The 25-year-old appeared in all 32 regular season games for Minnesota over the past two years, collecting three sacks each season. Weatherly also had a sack during the Vikings Divisional Round loss to the 49ers this past year.
It’s been a relatively quiet day in Carolina. The Panthers only other move came when they released special teams captain Colin Jones earlier this afternoon.
Panthers Release Colin Jones
The Panthers have released Colin Jones, according to Joe Person of The Athletic (on Twitter). The safety and special teams captain requested his release as he did not want to be a part of the team’s rebuilding effort. They’ve granted that request.
Jones, a nine-year pro, has spent eight seasons with the Panthers. He’s hardly missed time over that stretch, including perfect attendance in each of the last three seasons.
At the age of 32 (33 in October), Jones is eager to win. Given his track record, he shouldn’t have a hard time finding work.
Panthers Sign Kyle Allen To Extension
Kyle Allen, in all likelihood, wasn’t going anywhere. Now, it’s official. On Tuesday, the Panthers announced a one-year extension for the quarterback. 
Allen was slated to become an exclusive rights free agent, which is to say that he wasn’t truly on course for free agency. Instead of exercising their right to keep Allen for another low-cast year, the Panthers have given him a fresh contract, one that might include a small bump in compensation.
Allen, 24, started in 12 games in Cam Newton‘s stead last year. Early on, he looked sharp – the Panthers rattled off four wins in his first four starts. After that, things got bumpy, though the blame couldn’t be entirely placed on his shoulder pads. The Panthers went 1-7 in Allen’s next eight starts as they tumbled out of playoff contention. The youngster finished out the year with 17 touchdowns against 16 interceptions and seven lost fumbles, a stat reflective of their offensive line issues.
Allen, a former UDFA, is slated to hold the clipboard for Newton once again this year. The Panthers reportedly plan to stick with the former MVP as their starter, but nothing is certain at this stage of the offseason.
Draft Notes: Lawrence, Saints, LBs
Carolina may end up losing Luke Kuechly, Greg Olsen, Trai Turner, Dontari Poe, James Bradberry, Mario Addison and perhaps Cam Newton this offseason. Rebuild vibes are certainly coming out of Panthers headquarters, and many around the league expect this to be the team that times its rebuild/tanks for Trevor Lawrence, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report notes. The Clemson phenom has been on NFL radars pretty much since he debuted as a true freshman in 2018, and the much-hyped quarterback will be eligible for the 2021 draft. The Panthers are already believed to be high on Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields — passers who could go Nos. 1-2 next year — and have Matt Rhule signed to a seven-year contract. This would add up to a rebuild commencing, which will make Carolina’s decision at No. 7 this year overall more interesting.
Here is the latest from the draft world, shifting first to the Saints:
- Since Michael Thomas has emerged as an All-Pro talent, the Saints have been unable to generate much consistency from any of his supporting-cast receivers. A “strong campaign” has emerged within the organization to find a complementary wideout to pair with Thomas, Miller adds. Considering the Saints’ cap situation — barely $9MM in space before the latest Drew Brees re-up — said addition would likely come in the early rounds of this loaded receiver draft. Miller’s latest mock has the Saints taking Clemson deep threat Tee Higgins, but a number of wideouts could be in play for New Orleans at No. 24.
- A shaky Combine showing has defensive end A.J. Epenesa‘s stock declining, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets. Some teams have expressed concern about the Iowa product’s showing, which included a 5.04-second 40-yard dash — at 275 pounds — and limited athleticism during the drills. Epenesa declared for the draft after his junior year with the Hawkeyes, and he recorded double-digit sacks in back-to-back seasons. ESPN’s Todd McShay still has Epenesa as a late-first-round pick, citing his run-defending ability and potential as a power rusher.
- Linebackers Kenneth Murray and Patrick Queen suffered injuries at the Combine, but both appear on track to recover fairly soon. Both ‘backers sustained the setbacks during their respective second 40 attempts. Queen suffered merely a tweaked hamstring, while Murray also appears to have dodged a serious hamstring injury (Twitter links via Miller and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Queen and Murray are expected to be first- or second-round selections.
Panthers Interested In Re-Signing Addison
Mario Addison has already signed one extension to stay in Carolina, and the Panthers are interested in retaining him on another one. However, the defensive end would like to see what’s out there.
The 32-year-old edge defender wants to test free agency, according to David Newton of ESPN.com, who adds the Panthers have shown interest in bringing Addison back. Addison has played with the Panthers since the 2012 season.
In 2017, Addison opted to re-sign with the Panthers before free agency began. He inked a three-year, $22.5MM extension with the then-Dave Gettleman-run franchise. That quickly became a bargain deal for the Panthers, who saw Addison post 29.5 sacks over the course of that contract.
Addison’s 39 sacks over the past four years rank 11th in the league; his $7.5MM-per-year contract ranked 31st among edge defenders. Despite the team-friendly contract, Addison did not hold out during his most recent Carolina pact. But it appears he will see how he stacks up on this latest edge defender market, which, per usual, will see several marquee pass rushers removed from consideration via franchise tag.
Carolina has lost multiple cornerstone players this offseason, cutting Greg Olsen after Luke Kuechly‘s retirement. The Panthers did not pick up Dontari Poe‘s option, and Cam Newton‘s status is not yet certain. James Bradberry is also likely to depart in free agency. This would signal a rebuild is brewing in Carolina, with Matt Rhule receiving a six-year contract. But the team at least will explore retaining Addison.
A UDFA out of Troy, Addison is now the team’s longest-tenured defender and would stay on as 2019 first-rounder Brian Burns‘ edge counterpart if retained. Addison’s 55 sacks as a Panther rank fourth in franchise history, a half-sack behind Mike Rucker for third.