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Jaguars, Josh Allen Agree To Extension

April 10th, 2024 at 12:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

12:37pm: The Burns contract’s influence on the Allen deal extends to the fully guaranteed number as well. Allen secured $76.5MM locked in at signing, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes. That is $500K north of Burns’ number, slotting in at third among edge defenders. Like Burns’ deal, Allen’s also falls short of the $30MM-per-year-mark. In terms of base value, the Jaguars pass rusher is tied to a $28.25MM-AAV accord. Yes, that narrowly eclipses Burns’ true number ($28.2MM).

After fully guaranteeing Allen’s 2024 and ’25 base salaries, the Jags guaranteed $10.5MM of his 2026 base ($22MM) at signing. The remainder becomes fully guaranteed in March 2026. Allen’s 2027 and ’28 base salaries ($23.75MM, $24.5MM) are nonguaranteed.

8:04am: This year’s July franchise tag extension deadline may not produce much in the way of fireworks. Teams are making deals early. The Jaguars are the latest, reaching an extension agreement with Josh Allen, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.

After a big contract year, the 2019 first-round pick will cash in on a five-year extension worth $150MM, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. The veteran edge defender will receive $88MM guaranteed. This will move Allen’s $24MM franchise tag off Jacksonville’s books, replacing it with a through-2028 contract.

Allen, who had gone through a three-year dry spell without a 10-plus-sack season, surged for a Jaguars-record 17.5 sacks in 2023. That was not enough to lift Jacksonville back to the playoffs. But it is enough to make him the NFL’s second $30MM-per-year edge rusher. Allen’s $30MM-AAV contract checks in behind only Nick Bosa‘s $34MM-per-year pact at the position. This contract doubles as a Jaguars franchise record.

The Giants’ Brian Burns extension looks to have played a key role in the Allen negotiations moving across the goal line. Upon trading for the five-year Panthers pass rusher, the Giants gave him a five-year, $141MM deal with $87.5MM guaranteed. (While Burns’ deal was initially reported to be worth $150MM, incentives cover $9MM in the accord.) Allen, who went off the board nine picks earlier than Burns in 2019, will come in just north of those marks to split the difference between Bosa and the field.

In terms of total guarantees — the full guarantees, always the more important number, are not yet known — Allen’s deal comes in behind only Bosa and Myles Garrett among edge players.

Allen’s extension marks the sixth given to a franchise-tagged player this year, and it comes three days after the Patriots became the first team in over a decade to extend a transition-tagged player (Kyle Dugger). Of the nine players who received a tag in March, seven are now extended. Only Tee Higgins and Antoine Winfield Jr. remain tagged.

Teams had inquired about Allen at the 2022 trade deadline, but the Jaguars held onto the Kentucky alum despite unremarkable numbers. Allen produced 7.5 sacks on just 14 QB hits in 2021, and while his number of QB hits ballooned to 22 in 2022, the sack count closed at seven. Last season, Allen erupted for 33 hits. His 17.5 sacks broke Calais Campbell‘s single-season Jags record (14.5) set in 2017. Allen’s 46 QB pressured ranked fourth in 2023. This was not enough to save DC Mike Caldwell‘s job, but as the Jags make changes up front, they prioritized Allen — so much so it meant losing Calvin Ridley to the Titans.

GM Trent Baalke said after the season the Jags viewed Allen as their top priority, and the tag ensured he would not reach the market. This is standard practice with high-end young edge rushers, and it made sense on multiple fronts for the Jags to tag Allen (27 in July) over the 29-year-old Ridley. The trade terms with the Falcons — mandating the Jags lose their second-round 2024 pick if they extended Ridley — made it difficult for the Jags to reach a contract agreement with Ridley before the new league year started. The Jags still tried to re-sign the 2022 trade acquisition, but the Titans ended up blowing both their AFC South rivals and the Patriots out of the water. While Ridley is gone, Allen is now locked in long term.

The Jags have used the tag in each year in the 2020s; Allen marks the third player extended, following Cam Robinson and Evan Engram. Jacksonville used the tag on Yannick Ngakoue in 2020, but the situation simmered to the point a late-summer trade (with the Vikings) came about. No real drama surfaced here, with Allen agreeing to terms more than three months before the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign extensions. Baalke has now hammered out three deals for franchise tag recipients as GM, despite not being with the Jags when any of those players were drafted.

Allen’s deal aligns with Travon Walker‘s rookie contract, to a degree, with the 2022 No. 1 overall pick signed through 2025. He can be kept through 2026 via the fifth-year option, though the Georgia alum — chosen over Aidan Hutchinson — has not shown just yet that will be an easy decision for the Jags. This Allen contract, however, will most likely be paired with a monster Trevor Lawrence extension. The Jags have begun negotiations with their quarterback on what promises to be the top contract in franchise history, and although the former No. 1 pick could be kept on his rookie contract until 2025 via the option, teams generally extend QBs after Year 3.

Big deals for Allen and Lawrence on the payroll will bring mark a new roster-building phase for the Jaguars. With Allen agreeing to a landmark extension, part one of that blueprint is complete.

Panthers, Derrick Brown Agree To Extension

April 5th, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

Ascending defensive tackles around the league continue to receive monster second contracts. The Panthers have worked out a four-year, $96MM extension with Derrick Brown, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The team has announced the move.

Schefter adds this deal includes just over $63MM in guaranteed money, which is in line with many other DT mega-deals worked out over the past two offseasons. Brown was set to play out the final season of his rookie contract in 2024 via the fifth-year option (valued at $11.66MM). He will secure a major raise up front while being on the books through 2028 as a result of this pact.

The contract includes $41.2MM fully guaranteed, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. While the total guarantee number ranks sixth among D-tackles, the full guarantee sits ninth. However, Breer adds $49MM comes Brown’s way over the extension’s first two years, with more than $13MM of his 2026 salary shifting to a full guarantee by 2025.

Talks on a Brown extension have been underway for some time now, so it comes as little surprise an agreement has been reached. Carolina had the option of waiting several months to hammer out a deal with the former No. 7 pick under contract for 2024, but the DT market has continued to surge. Especially with edge rusher Brian Burns no longer in place, the team had the funds available to make a steep investment such as this one.

Brown will now match Quinnen Williams in terms of AAV ($24MM) on this pact. That figure ranks fourth in the league amongst active players, and each of the three ahead of them on the list – Chris Jones, Christian Wilkins, Justin Madubuike – inked new deals this offseason. Brown will remain a central figure in the Panthers’ defense for years to come while joining the league’s highest-paid producers at the position.

The soon-to-be 26-year-old earned his first career Pro Bowl nod in 2024. Brown broke the NFL’s all-time record for tackles by a defensive lineman (103), bringing his career total in that respect to 245. He has added eight sacks in that span while serving as a full-time starter and remaining durable (one missed game, in 2021). Carolina made it clear Brown was untouchable during negotiations with the Bears over the blockbuster trade involving last year’s No. 1 pick. The Panthers ultimately agreed to move on from wideout D.J. Moore to help finalize that deal.

Since then, general manager Scott Fitterer has been fired. His internal replacement, Dan Morgan, has nevertheless carried on with making Brown a top priority. Keeping the Auburn product in the fold beyond his rookie pact would have become a challenge if the team had met Burns’ asking price, something which appeared to be increasingly unlikely to happen through the 2023 season. After turning down major trade interest in recent years, Carolina shipped Burns to the Giants and cleared the way for Brown to become the financial core of the Panthers’ defense.

Without the likes of Burns, Frankie Luvu or Jeremy Chinn in place anymore, questions have been raised about Carolina’s prospects on that side of the ball in 2024 and beyond. Brown will nonetheless be counted on to continue his production from the past two seasons in particular as a foundational member of the team’s core. His ability to do so will play a vital role in Carolina’s development over the coming years.

Eagles To Extend LT Jordan Mailata

April 4th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Howie Roseman-era Eagles have been known to act early on offensive line contracts. This offseason has brought more work in that direction. After a record-setting Landon Dickerson extension, the team has an agreement in place with Jordan Mailata.

Already signed to an extension, Mailata now has a more lucrative deal coming his way. The Eagles are giving their veteran left tackle a three-year, $66MM deal, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports. Mailata’s new contract will include $48MM guaranteed. This continues one of the NFL’s more remarkable success stories, as Mailata is a former seventh-round pick who transitioned from rugby.

This provides a nice raise for Mailata, who was tied to a four-year, $64MM extension signed back in 2021. This new pact places Mailata in the top five among earners at his position. In terms of AAV, only Laremy Tunsil, Andrew Thomas and Trent Williams surpass this contract. Considering the Eagles have Dickerson at a now-guard-record $21MM per year, this marks a tremendous commitment on a line that still houses stalwart right tackle Lane Johnson.

The Eagles extended Dickerson early in his first year of eligibility, but Mailata had two seasons left on his previous contract. That deal no longer included any guarantees, and the Eagles have seen Mailata become a high-level left tackle since giving him the blindside job. Pro Football Focus graded Mailata as the No. 3 overall tackle last season, viewing his pass- and run-blocking numbers as among the best. Over the past three years, Mailata has landed in the advanced metrics site’s top 10 at the position.

In each of the past two seasons, ESPN’s run block win rate metric has ranked Mailata second. Last year, the Eagles’ tackles ranked first and second in this area. Although Jason Kelce‘s retirement brings a new challenge for the Eagles, their offensive line will present Saquon Barkley with a wildly improved setup compared to the lines he ran behind as a Giant. The Eagles are paying up for it as well and doing so despite having Jalen Hurts in the $50MM-AAV club.

Mailata’s ascent doubles as one of the most unlikely in NFL history. The Eagles took a flier on the 6-foot-8 Australian in the 2018 seventh round, and the rugby convert sat for two full seasons developing behind Jason Peters. While the team traded up to make Andre Dillard their Jason Peters heir apparent in the 2019 first round, Mailata instead proved readier for the gig. The 365-pound tackle did not play in 2018 or ’19, spending the latter season on IR. When Peters went down early during the 2020 season, Mailata stepped in and began his climb to this point. The Eagles turned Dillard into a swing tackle and let him walk in 2023.

Despite being in the NFL for six seasons, Mailata only turned 27 last month. The ascending tackle should have a chunk of his prime remaining on this third contract. The Eagles now have three blockers tied to $20MM-AAV deals, representing new territory for O-line investments. Johnson remains attached to a $20MM-per-year extension he agreed to in 2023. The Eagles are proponents of void years, using four on Mailata’s previous deal. It would seem likely, given the team’s expenses on an offense that also includes upper-crust deals for A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert — that more voids are present in this contract.

Having seen the likes of Peters, Kelce, Isaac Seumalo and Brandon Brooks depart, the Eagles have successfully reloaded. While Johnson remains the senior presence up front, the Eagles finding Mailata and Dickerson has been integral to their Hurts-era success. Beyond Johnson, Mailata is the Eagles’ oldest O-line starter.

Bills Trade WR Stefon Diggs To Texans

April 3rd, 2024 at 10:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Stefon Diggs era in Buffalo will end after four seasons. The AFC East champions are trading the star wide receiver to the Texans, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports. Both teams have since announced the trade.

The Bills will receive a 2025 second-round pick, according to Schefter, who adds the Texans will pick up Diggs, a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth. This will bring a decorated but mercurial period to a close for the Bills and Diggs. The 2025 second-rounder originally belonged to the Vikings, who packaged it in a deal to acquire the Texans’ No. 23 overall pick this year.

It will also arm C.J. Stroud with a high-end weapon. With Stroud on a rookie contract, the Texans are bringing in one of the NFL’s most lucrative receiver deals. This move comes after the Texans had considered trading for Keenan Allen. Both high-end wideouts have six 1,000-yard seasons on their respective resumes, but Diggs — at 30 — is more than a year younger.

This, of course, marks the second time Diggs has been dealt in his career. The first such trade changed the Bills’ trajectory. Josh Allen‘s path to stardom reached a clear pivot point when the Bills acquired Diggs during the 2020 offseason. They landed the five-year Vikings wideout for a package headlined by a first-round selection. With Diggs set to turn 31 later this year and tied to a big-ticket contract, his price tag dropped.

Buffalo kept Diggs on his Minnesota-constructed contract for two seasons but handed out a four-year, $96MM deal during the 2022 offseason. Four years remain on that contract. While Diggs’ deal sits fifth in terms of wide receiver AAV, the Texans do not have too much money allocated to their skill positions. Diggs’ contract will overlap with Tank Dell and Nico Collins‘ rookie pacts. In clear rebuilding mode to start Nick Caserio‘s GM tenure, the Texans went into last year without any payment north of $7MM at the skill positions. They have now re-signed Dalton Schultz (three years, $36MM) and signed up to add Diggs, who will join Joe Mixon as a trade pickup in Houston.

For Buffalo, this will certainly mark a sea change. Diggs ripped off four straight 1,100-plus-yard seasons with the Bills. That included two 1,400-yard years. The elite route runner gave the Bills a bona fide No. 1 target after they had lacked one for the better part of the 21st century. The addition rocketed Allen onto the superstar tier. The Bills ventured to the AFC championship game in Diggs’ first year in New York, winning their first playoff games since 1995. Diggs, of course, was not the sole reason for Buffalo’s resurgence. But he played one of the central roles.

While the Texans are set to roll out a Diggs-Dell-Collins receiver trio, the Bills have now lost Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason. Buffalo did add Curtis Samuel and saw Khalil Shakir make key contributions down the stretch, but it appears likely the AFC power will need to come out of the draft with a major WR pickup. Fortunately, this year brings another deep crop at the position. Considering their Super Bowl window ahead of Allen’s age-28 season, this trade certainly ramps up the pressure on the Sean McDermott–Brandon Beane duo.

Diggs’ Bills relationship both traversed rocky terrain and ended on a low note. A confusing situation developed at minicamp last year, with Diggs leaving the team’s facility unexpectedly. McDermott referred to the exit as an excused absence, but he also called the Diggs situation “very concerning.” Allen attempted to downplay the matter, and Diggs soon said he wanted to finish his career in Buffalo. This all came after Diggs stormed out of the Bills’ locker room and needed to be brought back following the team’s divisional-round loss to the Bengals last year. A report indicated Diggs was frustrated by his role in Buffalo’s offense, one that had consistently featured him as the lead weapon. Diggs later denied that was the case.

As last season progressed, Diggs also became a lesser part of the Bills’ offense. As the team regrouped following a 5-5 start — one that led to Ken Dorsey‘s firing and Joe Brady‘s elevation to OC — Diggs did not offer WR1-level production. Allen needed to rely on Shakir and a James Cook-powered run game to drag the Bills to their fourth straight AFC East title. Diggs finished with 1,183 yards but only eclipsed 50 in two of Buffalo’s final seven games. Diggs added a crucial drop late in the Bills’ narrow divisional-round loss to the Chiefs; he caught just three passes for 21 yards in that 27-24 defeat.

This move will also be financially punitive for the Bills. Due to signing bonus proration, the team will be hit with more than $31MM in dead money. While the second-round pick being acquired will be important, Buffalo will see this money accelerate onto its 2024 salary cap due to the deal being finalized before June 1. In terms of single-season dead cap hits, Diggs’ ranks fifth in NFL history (h/t Spotrac). For non-QBs, the $31MM hit sets a record.

Rather than restructure Diggs’ deal to create cap space, the Bills are taking on considerable pain now. That will increase an uphill battle for a Bills team that has also moved on from Mitch Morse, Jordan Poyer and Tre’Davious White this offseason. Diggs’ $18.5MM 2024 base salary is guaranteed. Beyond that, Houston has some flexibility.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Texans are spending in a way they have not under Caserio. The Bill Belichick disciple has greenlit this Diggs deal following the Schultz re-up, Mixon trade and a few defensive augmentations — headlined by the near-fully guaranteed Danielle Hunter accord. With Stroud and Will Anderson tied to rookie deals through at least 2025, the Texans are operating with urgency.

As this represents a risk for a Bills team attempting to stay near the AFC’s top tier, the dead money here certainly suggests the organization believed this relationship had run its course. The Texans are not giving up too much for the 10th-year veteran, but they are acquiring a player with some baggage — Diggs clashed with Vikings brass during his final Minnesota year as well — and one coming off an unremarkable finish to last season. Still, Diggs brings an impressive pedigree to Houston. He will now join younger brother Trevon Diggs in Texas; the Texans play both the Bills and Cowboys in 2024.

Eagles Trade Haason Reddick To Jets

March 29th, 2024 at 11:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

The uncertainty surrounding Haason Reddick‘s future has come to an end. The Pro Bowl edge rusher is being traded from the Eagles to the Jets, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal is now official.

With respect to compensation, Schefter notes New York will send Philadelphia a conditional 2026 third-round pick. The selection will become a second-rounder if Reddick plays at least 67.5% of defensive snaps this season and records at least 10 sacks.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo notes New York will take on $14.5MM of Reddick’s compensation. The Eagles, meanwhile, could also be off the hook for a $1MM roster bonus which was due to be paid out earlier this month but was delayed to April 1. 2024 marks the final year of the 29-year-old’s deal, but Garafolo’s colleague Ian Rapoport reports he is expected to land a new contract in the wake of this trade.

Reddick has drawn attention this offseason with it being known the Eagles were willing to move on from him. While he made it clear he did not request a trade, signs pointed to another lucrative Philadelphia agreement not being in the cards. That seemed to be confirmed when the Eagles landed ex-Jet Bryce Huff early in free agency, a move which added a noted sack artist to the mix. The team has also has Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham on the books for 2024, while New York was left in need of an edge addition prior to today.

Huff seemed destined to depart the latter team after a strong contract season. The Jets were one of the interested suitors in Jadeveon Clowney, but no deal materialized. Not long after seeing Clowney sign a deal with the Panthers, New York has pivoted to Reddick. Expectations will be high for the team’s edge contingent heading into the 2024 campaign as a result.

Reddick has posted at least 11 sacks in each of the past four seasons, a stretch split between his time in Carolina and Philadelphia. The former Cardinals first-rounder was a Pro Bowler in each of his two Eagles seasons, proving to be a valuable free agent addition. He is attached to a deal worth $15MM per year, but a new agreement will no doubt check in at a figure closer to the top of the market. Reddick’s 27 sacks and 76 pressures during the past two years will help his bargaining position with his new team.

New York’s two most frequently used edge rushers from last year – Jermaine Johnson and John Franklin-Myers – are each on the books for another two years on their respective contracts. The latter enjoyed a breakout season last year with 7.5 sacks, while the latter remained a consistent secondary producer in that regard. Adding Reddick to the fold will help offset the loss of Huff and give the team another sack artist to work with.

It will be interesting to see how urgently the Jets pursue a Reddick extension to keep him in the fold for the intermediate term and avoid a potential free agent departure next offseason. 12 edge rushers currently average over $20MM per year, and Reddick could aim to join that group in New York. At a minimum, the Jets’ front seven will still have a strong rotation next season even with Huff no longer in the picture.

Jags, LB Foye Oluokun Agree On Extension

March 29th, 2024 at 10:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the NFL’s top tacklers has a new deal in place. Foye Oluokun, a Jaguars free agency pickup in 2022, has agreed to terms on a new four-year extension, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports.

Oluokun’s second Jaguars contract will lock him down through the 2028 season; the deal is worth $45MM and includes $22.5MM fully guaranteed. The ex-Falcons linebacker has led the NFL in solo tackles in each of the past two seasons. The contract can max out at $48MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The team has since announced the extension.

AAV-wise, this agreement checks in a bit south of Oluokun’s first Jags contract. The Yale alum had signed a three-year, $45MM deal to join the Jags; that average salary ranked fourth at the position entering Friday. Oluokun received $28MM guaranteed at signing two years ago, but the contract did not feature any guarantees for the upcoming season. Oluokun now has additional security.

Oluokun, 28, has rewarded the Jags on their initial investment, starting 17 games in each of the past two seasons. He reached 128 solo stops in 2022 and 111 last season. The former sixth-round pick has made at least 173 tackles in each of the past three seasons, leading the league in total tackles twice in that span.

Oluokun’s 192 stops in his final Falcons slate are the most any NFLer has accumulated in the 21st century. That created a big market for him in 2022, and although the Jags have jettisoned multiple free agents they signed to help on defense that year (Foley Fatukasi, Darious Williams), they are doubling down on their prolific tackler.

This agreement will drop Oluokun’s cap number from its present $21.75MM place, providing cap relief for a Jags team that has made multiple big investments in free agency. The team signed Gabe Davis and Arik Armstead to eight-figure-per-year deals this month. The Jags have also begun negotiations with Trevor Lawrence. Although the team will have Lawrence locked up through 2025 due to the soon-to-be-exercised fifth-year option, many first-round quarterbacks since the 2011 CBA changed the rookie salary landscape have agreed to new deals before Year 4.

No one else this century has even eclipsed Oluokun’s second-best tackle season (184); Pro Football Focus has viewed the former Falcons De’Vondre Campbell successor as a top-30 linebacker in each of his two Jaguars seasons. After letting Campbell walk in 2020, the Falcons received tremendous production from Oluokun. The Jaguars have certainly benefited as well; the ex-Ivy Leaguer has tallied 20 tackles for loss over his two Jaguars slates.

With Deion Jones‘ extension still on the payroll in March 2022, Atlanta let Oluokun walk. But the team soon traded Jones, starting over at linebacker. Oluokun has topped both Jones and Campbell on his third contract, with his guarantees almost definitely set to run through at least the 2025 season.

Panthers Sign OLB Jadeveon Clowney

March 27th, 2024 at 10:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

After five seasons on one-year agreements, Jadeveon Clowney will land a deal that covers more than one season. The Panthers will provide it, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.

Carolina is giving Clowney a two-year deal worth $20MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The contract can max out at $24MM. The Panthers have announced the signing, one that will send Clowney back to the region where he grew up. The Rock Hill, South Carolina, native — who became a No. 1 overall pick after a standout career with the Gamecocks — will be tasked with helping a Panthers team that is starting over at edge rusher.

The Jets and Ravens were in on Clowney as well, but the Panthers may well have edged the AFC squads out with a better offer. Clowney will collect a far better deal compared to his 2023 Ravens pact — a one-year, $2.5MM agreement that came to pass during training camp — and has scored his first multiyear agreement since his Texans rookie contract back in 2014.

Panthers GM Dan Morgan said this week the Panthers had not given up on Clowney, despite a report of aggressive Jets interest. The 31-year-old edge defender will join D.J. Wonnum and K’Lavon Chaisson as Carolina free agency pickups in the wake of the Brian Burns trade. While none of these players is a Burns-level pass rusher, Clowney is coming off a 9.5-sack season — more than Burns totaled in 2023 — and has been productive for multiple teams.

Although Clowney is not a lock to play for the Panthers beyond 2024, this agreement will end his string of one-year accords that stretches back to his 2019 franchise tag season. The Texans tagged Clowney but traded him to the Seahawks, with the trade terms preventing Seattle from tagging the former South Carolina phenom a second time. That did not turn out to be an issue, as Clowney has never checked in as a high-level pass rusher. He then signed a one-year deal with the Titans, two one-year pacts with the Browns and landed with the Ravens on a low-cost accord just before last season.

Not exactly a consistent pass rusher, Clowney has offered plus run defense at points and has been a player capable of providing pressure inside. In addition to coming off a career-high sack total, Clowney posted 19 QB hits and forced two fumbles to help the Ravens lead the NFL in scoring defense. The Ravens were interested in keeping the 6-foot-5 defender, with Clowney’s wife (via CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson) confirming he had spoken with the AFC North team about another deal. Baltimore was probably not as interested at that price. Baltimore is still interested in re-signing Kyle Van Noy, who nearly matched Clowney by reaching nine sacks despite joining the team in late September.

Clowney has battled injuries, with knee trouble a particular issue in Houston. He missed eight games for the Titans, completing a sackless season, and clashed with Browns coaches during his second Cleveland season — a two-sack campaign. Opposite Myles Garrett in 2021, however, Clowney reached nine sacks. Despite Clowney’s low sack total in 2022, Pro Football Focus graded him 27th among edge rushers — ahead of an 18th-place assessment last season. PFF ranked Clowney as a top-20 run defender in 2023 as well. While Clowney’s three Pro Bowl nods all came during his Texans tenure, he has remained a productive performer into his early 30s.

Two of the three edges that trekked to Charlotte on a visit early in free agency have signed. Chase Young did not, opting for a Saints deal amid neck concerns, but Clowney and Wonnum will be key parts of Ejiro Evero‘s defense in 2024. Burns anchored Carolina’s edge rush for five seasons, with Yetur Gross-Matos — who landed a 49ers deal early in free agency — providing inconsistent supplemental work. Hybrid pass rusher Frankie Luvu also left, joining the Commanders.

The Panthers probably are not done staffing their edge positions, with a draft choice seemingly prudent considering the free agency-heavy makeup at the position. But Clowney gives the team a versatile piece to deploy as it attempts to recover from last season’s 2-15 debacle.

Chiefs To Trade CB L’Jarius Sneed To Titans

March 26th, 2024 at 12:14pm CST by Ely Allen

MARCH 26: Sneed will end up with a bit more on his second contract, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noting it will be a $76.4MM deal for the former Chiefs standout. The $19.1MM AAV will place Sneed sixth among cornerbacks. A $20MM signing bonus will comprise part of Sneed’s guarantee package; the Titans can spread that figure over the life of the contract.

MARCH 22: Despite recent reports that a previous trade agreement fell through after the Titans were unable to reach an extension agreement for Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the deal will come to pass.

Tennessee is finalizing a trade that will send Kansas City a 2025 third-round pick and will swap the teams’ seventh-round picks in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft in order to acquire the 27-year-old defender.

The Chiefs had applied the franchise tag to Sneed in order to avoid him hitting unrestricted free agency following the expiration of his rookie deal. Despite the move to keep him under contract, Kansas City didn’t display much of a desire to keep Sneed on the roster in 2024. The team is extremely familiar with the tag-and-trade maneuver having used it to send Dee Ford to San Francisco and acquiring Frank Clark from Seattle under similar circumstances.

Kansas City was unwilling to meet the salary desires that Sneed had for an extension, so it made it clear to the rest of the league that its star cornerback was available for the right price. The Vikings, Colts, Patriots, Lions, Falcons, Jaguars, and Dolphins were all reported as teams to show an initial interest, though several sought other options or simply opted to cease communication with the Chiefs about a deal.

Tennessee took advantage of having the third-most salary cap space in the league, signing Sneed to what Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report reports will be a four-year, $76MM extension. If those terms are correct, his new deal would match recently extended Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson‘s in length and overall value. The main difference that Schultz gives us is that while Johnson’s deal included $51.4MM of guarantees, Sneed’s will have $55MM of guaranteed money.

The Titans were reportedly the only team that got close enough, reaching a point at which a deal was essentially ready to go last week, but without being able to reach an agreement on an extended contract from Sneed, the deal seemingly fell through. Following their failed efforts to acquire Sneed, the Titans pivoted, signing free agent cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and using the money set aside for a Sneed extension to sign wide receiver Calvin Ridley.

Sneed comes to Tennessee as the obvious new starter alongside Roger McCreary and Awuzie, replacing Sean Murphy-Bunting, who signed a three-year, $25.5MM deal that sent him to Arizona. The Titans also lost their other outside cornerback when Kristian Fulton signed a one-year contract with the Chargers. Sneed and Awuzie should take over roles as the main outside corners, allowing McCreary to continue to excel in the slot.

As for the Chiefs, while they’ll certainly miss having a playmaker like Sneed in their secondary, they have to feel pretty good about their position moving forward. Once the trade goes through, the totality of Sneed’s $19.8MM franchise tag salary will come of their salary cap, granting much needed cap space to a team that ranked 28th in the NFL before the deal.

As for the draft capital return, in addition to the seventh-round swap, the team will be gauging the success of their trade on how poorly Tennessee performs in 2024. The 2025 third-rounder will obviously come before the late-third-round compensatory pick that Sneed was likely to return as an unrestricted free agent. If the Titans have a poor showing next season, though, they could return an early-third-round pick as a result of today’s deal.

Without Sneed, Kansas City still has to feel pretty good about its talent at cornerback. Three third-year players will return to lead the position room in 2024. In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Chiefs selected Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie in the first round, Fayetteville State cornerback Joshua Williams in the fourth round, and Washington State cornerback Jaylen Watson in the seventh. Today, it views all three as starting-caliber players in their third year.

Specializing in the slot, McDuffie ranked as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-best cornerback in the NFL in 2023. Williams wasn’t far behind as the 26th-best, and Watson graded out at 46th. Including those three and Sneed, the team touts an impressive record evaluating draft-eligible cornerbacks. If they feel the need to add bodies to the room, look to the draft as the likely source of their next great cornerback.

WR Mike Williams To Sign With Jets

March 23rd, 2024 at 11:10am CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 23: Williams’ deal will ultimately be listed as a one-year, $10MM pact with up to $5MM via incentives, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB. Coming off an ACL tear, Williams earned a $3.3MM signing bonus and will get $8.3MM in guaranteed money.

MARCH 19: Mike Williams‘ Tuesday New York trip will end his free agency tour. The former Chargers starter has agreed to join the Jets on a one-year deal worth up to $15MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.

The veteran wide receiver had booked meetings with the Panthers and Steelers, but after the Jets saw their Odell Beckham Jr. visit nixed, they will not let Williams leave the building without a contract. The team has been on the hunt for a big-name wide receiver since before last year’s trade deadline, and while more pieces may be coming, Williams represents a key part of the puzzle around WR1 Garrett Wilson.

Released by the Chargers just before the 2024 league year began, the 29-year-old receiver set up meetings with the Jets, Panthers and Steelers. His Charlotte and Pittsburgh trips were to follow this one. Williams has only played with Pro Bowl-caliber quarterbacks during his career. The former Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert target will not take a step back in quality — assuming another major injury does not occur, of course — with Aaron Rodgers set to target the former first-round pick next season.

Not dissimilar to 2022, the Jets had been connected to a slew of receiving options since they acquired Rodgers. Efforts to trade for Davante Adams, Tee Higgins and Mike Evans did not pan out, though the team was still exploring the trade market as of Sunday.

Its 2023 Beckham pursuit ended when the veteran wideout canceled his New York trip following a Baltimore agreement. Beckham remained on the Jets’ radar as of Tuesday afternoon, and while that may still be the case due to his relationship with Rodgers, Williams will give a team starved for a WR2-level target an option after its 2023 setup — largely hamstrung by QB issues following Rodgers’ Achilles tear — failed to deliver much of consequence.

The Chargers needed to trim more than $25MM from their payroll to move under the salary cap last week; Williams became the first domino to fall. The Bolts released the seven-year veteran months after his ACL tear. While the base value of Williams’ Jets deal is not known, he still generated a market despite finishing his past two seasons sidelined. A back fracture wrapped Williams’ 2022 season early, stripping Herbert of a key weapon ahead of a disastrous wild-card outing in Jacksonville.

While injuries have nagged Williams for most of his career, he has not been taken out of action too often. From 2018-21, Williams missed only three games in total. In 2022, a sprained ankle forced him out of action weeks before the back injury — sustained in a meaningless Week 18 game that became a lighting rod around Brandon Staley — ended his season. Williams suffered the ACL tear in Week 3, giving him more time to build up ahead of the 2024 season. The Jets will bet on the 6-foot-4 target, who has been one of this period’s best deep threats.

Chosen seventh overall in 2017, Williams has two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume. The Clemson alum led the NFL with 20.4 yards per catch in Rivers’ final Los Angeles season, and he reached a career-high 1,146 yards in 2021, helping Herbert become the AFC’s Pro Bowl starter. The Chargers did well to make Williams more than a long-range threat that year, with OC Joe Lombardi incorporating him more as a midrange weapon alongside Keenan Allen.

The Chargers had not ruled out re-signing Williams, but after seven years of the Williams-Allen tandem, the Bolts are moving on from both. They sent Allen to the Bears for a fourth-round pick last week. The Jets guaranteed Allen Lazard $22MM at signing, keeping the ex-Packer in the picture, but they traded Mecole Hardman — to wrap what turned out to be a messy tenure — and have Randall Cobb unsigned. While the Jets had Tyler Boyd on their radar, Williams represents a higher-ceiling prize at this rather crucial point on the team’s timeline.

Lions Release CB Cameron Sutton

March 21st, 2024 at 10:47pm CST by Adam La Rose

One day after it was learned an arrest warrant is out for Cameron Sutton, his Lions tenure has come to end. The veteran corner has been released, per a team announcement. ESPN’s Field Yates notes this will come with a post-June 1 designation, creating $1.5MM in cap space beginning June 2.

A report from Wednesday detailed how a warrant for Sutton’s arrest has been in place for nearly two weeks. Police currently cannot locate the 29-year-old, who is facing a charge of domestic battery by strangulation. In advance of potential legal and NFL punishments, his Lions contract has now been terminated.

The former third-rounder is wanted in connection with an incident which took place in Lutz, Florida. Sutton is alleged to have been involved in a domestic incident with a woman, with evidence of wounds found on the victim’s body. He fled the scene at the time of the incident, and Yates’ colleague Eric Woodward reports Sutton has still yet to surrender himself to police.

The Lions signed Sutton to a three-year, $33MM contract last offseason. That deal called for $10.5MM in base salary in 2024, $9MM of which was guaranteed. NFL suspensions void guaranteed compensation, however, and while it is too early in this case to know if it will be relevant or not, convictions are not necessary for league bans to be imposed. Detroit could also attempt to recoup the outstanding $8.72MM of Sutton’s $10.9MM signing bonus which has not already been paid out on the cap.

The Lions made Sutton a central part of their efforts to add in the secondary in 2023, and the former Steeler was a full-time starter in his debut campaign with Detroit. The team once again prioritized CB moves with respect to free agency this offseason, and that resulted in the trade acquisition of Carlton Davis from the Buccaneers. Amik Robertson was also added on a two-year deal, and those arrivals will be joined by returnee Emmanuel Moseley in 2024.

With Sutton no longer in the picture, cornerback will be a position of focus for the Lions ahead of next month’s draft. For Sutton himself, meanwhile, today’s news puts his NFL future in jeopardy.

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