Browns Lead NFL In Salary Cap Carryover
Earlier today, the NFL Players Association announced (via Twitter) the salary cap carryover amounts for all 32 NFL teams for the 2021 season. Effectively, teams are able to rollover their unused cap from the previous season. So, when the 2021 salary cap numbers become official, they can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that individual club’s official cap for 2021.
This follows news from earlier today that the NFL has raised its salary cap floor to $180MM for 2021. This total could clue us in to the salary cap maximum, which could end up landing north of $190MM. The salary cap was $198.2MM for the 2020 campaign.
As the NFLPA detailed, the league will rollover $315.1MM from the 2020 season, an average of $9.8MM per team. The Browns lead the league with a whopping $30.4MM, and they’re the only team in the top-five to make the playoffs. The NFC East ($68.8MM) and AFC East ($65.3MM) are the two divisions will the largest carryover amounts.
The full list is below:
- Cleveland Browns: $30.4MM
- New York Jets: $26.7MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $25.4MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $23.5MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $22.8MM
- New England Patriots: $19.6MM
- Denver Broncos: $17.8MM
- Washington Football Team: $15.8MM
- Miami Dolphins: $15.2MM
- Detroit Lions: $12.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $10.8MM
- Houston Texans: $9.2MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $8.3MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $8.1MM
- Chicago Bears: $7MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $5.7MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $5.1MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $5MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $5MM
- New York Giants: $4.8MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $4.6MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $4.5MM
- Carolina Panthers: $4.3MM
- New Orleans Saints: $4.1MM
- Buffalo Bills: $3.8MM
- Green Bay Packers: $3.7MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $3.6MM
- Tennessee Titans: $2.3MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $1.9MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $1.8MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $956K
- Baltimore Ravens: $587K
Raiders Bring Back DL David Irving
David Irving booked multiple visits to other teams early this offseason, but the veteran defensive lineman will make his way back to Las Vegas.
The Raiders and Irving agreed on a deal that will keep this partnership going for a second year. The team announced the move. After the NFL reinstated him midway through last season, Irving signed with the Raiders. He will stick around and hope to see more playing time.
Known mostly for his work in Dallas and issues with the NFL’s drug policies, Irving made visits to Detroit and Indianapolis this year. But he opted for a second season with Raiders D-line coach Rod Marinelli, who was previously his defensive coordinator in Dallas. Irving will work in a new system, however, with Gus Bradley now overseeing Las Vegas’ defense.
While Irving landed with the Raiders in October of last year, he played in just two games with the team and saw action on just 40 total defensive snaps in his initial Vegas season. A former Chiefs UDFA, Irving has shown flashes previously. He registered seven sacks in eight games with the 2017 Cowboys, moving to primarily an inside-rushing role. However, issues with the league’s substance-abuse policy led to Irving missing the 2019 season. Irving has incurred four suspensions since entering the league in 2015.
The 27-year-old defender has not had a full offseason with a team since 2018. A suspension and an off-field issue interrupted Irving’s 2018. Back in the NFL’s good graces, Irving will attempt to rebound this year.
This Date In Transactions History: Raiders Release Sebastian Janikowski
Three years ago today, Sebastian Janikowski‘s 18-year Raiders run came to an end. The kicker was out-of-contract but, this time around, the Raiders informed him that he would not be re-signed. 
Janikowski’s Raiders tenure was nearly capped one year earlier. In 2017, he initially rebuffed the team’s request for a pay cut — he later caved to keep his place on the roster. Unfortunately, a preseason back injury would sideline him for the rest of the entire season.
Seabass was synonymous with the organization. After being selected in the first round of the 2000 draft, Janikowski appeared in 268 games for the Raiders, a franchise high. And, before 2017, he had only missed a total of four games throughout his career.
Despite his long-running history with team, the Raiders had concerns about his age and possible decline. In 2016, Janikowski sank 82.9% of his field goals and 37-of-39 extra point attempts. He has not cleared the 83% mark on field goals since 2014. At this time, he was on the cusp of his 40th birthday. It’s possible that the Raiders would have cut him in ’17, if it weren’t for the bad PR that would have come along with it. After announcing the move to Las Vegas, losing Janikowski would have made things especially ugly in Oakland.
With Janikowski out of the picture, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was left as the only player from the 2000 Draft to remain with his original team. The kicker moved on to the Seahawks, unseated Jason Myers, and made 81.5% of his regular season kicks. His final play would come in the Wild Card game against the Cowboys — Janikowski missed a 57-yard field goal and suffered a hamstring injury. In April of 2019, Janikowski announced his retirement, capping his NFL career after 19 seasons.
AFC East Rumors: Watson, Mariota, Allen
Add veteran NFL reporter Tyler Dunne of GoLongTD.com to the list of writers who have heard that Texans QB Deshaun Watson is not budging on his desire to be traded, and that he continues to ignore every call from Houston brass. Of course, Watson has a no-trade clause that he could use to help dictate where he goes — assuming the Texans give in and deal him, which they have insisted they are not going to do — and we recently heard that the 49ers and Broncos are on his destination list.
Dunne’s source indicates that the Dolphins — who have been considered one of the frontrunners for Watson since trade speculation started to swirl — and the Niners are Watson’s top two preferred clubs. In Dunne’s view, a trade to Miami makes too much sense to not happen, and he believes the ‘Fins and Texans could line up on a deal that sends Watson to South Beach in exchange for the No. 3 and No. 18 overall picks in this year’s draft along with Miami’s 2022 first-rounder.
Now for more rumors from the AFC East:
- Recent reports have indicated that Raiders QB Marcus Mariota is generating legitimate trade interest, and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com believes the Patriots could be in the mix. New England obviously needs a quarterback, and Mariota is attached to a reasonable $10.6MM salary for 2021 and would not cost much to acquire in terms of draft capital. Although he could demand a raise if he is being acquired to serve as a starter, his current salary would not preclude the Pats from continuing to explore other options, like Jimmy Garoppolo — if the the 49ers land a different QB and release Garoppolo — or a collegiate passer.
- Reiss does not expect the Patriots to make a deal with the division-rival Jets for Gang Green QB Sam Darnold, though what the Jets do with Darnold could certainly have a major impact on New England (for instance, if New York trades Darnold to San Francisco, Garoppolo could become available).
- The Jets have among the most cap space in the league at just shy of $70MM, and they can easily create even more flexibility, thereby giving them a huge advantage in what could be a buyer’s market given the decreased salary cap. Connor Hughes of The Athletic believes New York will release DE Henry Anderson, which jibes with a report from December. That move will save the club $8.2MM in cap space, and Hughes suggests that guards Greg Van Roten and Alex Lewis might be goners as well (their releases would save $3.4MM and $5.1MM, respectively).
- Meanwhile the Jets don’t have too many of their own free agents that must be retained. Hughes expects safety Marcus Maye to be re-signed, and he also says OL Pat Elflein — who played well in 2020 after being claimed off waivers from the Vikings — is a logical candidate to return, especially if the team moves on from Van Roten and/or Lewis.
- Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News does not foresee the Bills laying out major free agent dollars this offseason. Instead, he expects the club to use the majority of its cash on an extension for QB Josh Allen, which means that the Bills will likely allow LB Matt Milano to test the open market — contrary to GM Brandon Beane‘s assertion that a franchise tag could be in play — and will not be in the running for a top pass rusher like Shaquil Barrett or Bud Dupree.
Raiders To Cut Lamarcus Joyner?
The Raiders narrowly missed the playoffs in 2020, and their defense was largely to blame for that. The unit finished near the bottom of the league in terms of total defense and points per game, and Vegas hopes that new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and an influx of new talent will lead to an improved showing in 2021.
As Vic Tafur of The Athletic writes, the Raiders can free up about $48MM of cap room with a series of cuts that shouldn’t be too difficult to make — they already plan to release WR Tyrell Williams — and they can allocate some of those funds (along with the No. 17 overall pick, perhaps) to the defensive side of the ball. One of the players that is expected be let go is defensive back Lamarcus Joyner.
Indeed, Tafur says “there is no way” that Joyner, 30, will return to the team on his 2021 salary of $9.6MM. Releasing him would save Vegas about $8.7MM in cap space, and when one considers the value of that space versus Joyner’s performance over his first two years in the Silver-and-Black, it stands to reason that the Raiders would want to part ways.
GM Mike Mayock signed Joyner as an unrestricted free agent in March 2019, giving the former Ram a four-year, $42MM contract. That did not turn out to be one of Mayock’s better decisions, as Joyner — who primarily played safety with the Rams but who has become Vegas’ top nickel corner — has generally struggled. As Tafur candidly remarks, Joyner has “made like five plays in two seasons,” and Pro Football Focus is not much higher on him. The advanced metrics ranked the Florida State product as the 89th-best CB in the league in 2020, out of 121 qualified players. While player and team could theoretically come to terms on a pay cut, Tafur says that doesn’t seem overly likely either.
In Tafur’s estimation, Mayock should use the No. 17 overall selection on one of this year’s top collegiate pass rushers while using some of his free agent dollars on an established safety like Denver’s Justin Simmons.
Raiders Release Tyrell Williams
Tyrell Williams spent the 2020 season on the Raiders’ IR list. The parties will part ways ahead of the 2021 slate. The Raiders plan to release the veteran wide receiver at the start of the 2021 league year in March, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
With a Williams release saving the Raiders more than $10MM in cap space, this has long been the expected course of action for a team that further revamped its wide receiver group last year. This move will create $11.6MM in additional funds for the Raiders, who had already paid out Williams’ guarantees.
The Raiders signed Williams in 2019. While that deal only contained a season’s worth of guarantees, the Raiders kept Williams around last year. But a torn shoulder labrum ended his season before it started.
Williams’ Raiders fit was off from the start. The team planned on having the ex-Charger as its No. 2 wideout in 2019, having traded for Antonio Brown. When the latter proved to be a monumental distraction ahead of his release, Williams was asked to be a go-to target. In 2020, Las Vegas drafted Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards — both of whom figure to feature heavily in the Silver and Black’s 2021 passing attack. Nelson Agholor, a fellow 2020 arrival, is a free agent.
Williams caught 42 passes for 651 yards and six touchdowns in 2019 — numbers nearly identical to his 2018 Bolts work — and has a 1,000-yard season (2016) on his resume. The former UDFA is on the verge of returning to full strength, with Pelissero noting that is expected within the next month, and is still south of 30. Williams will turn 29 on Friday.
That said, the longtime AFC West contributor will enter what could well be a buyer’s receiver market. Numerous starters are on track for free agency, and Williams will head to the market after missing a full season. With the cap expected to drop by nearly $20MM, this is a bad combination for the six-year veteran. Former Chargers assistants have dispersed throughout the league, however, and Williams would represent a buy-low option for the likes of Frank Reich (Indianapolis), Nick Sirianni and Shane Steichen (Philadelphia) or Anthony Lynn (Detroit). All three teams are in need at wide receiver.
Raiders Interested In JuJu Smith-Schuster
The Raiders are “very interested” in signing JuJu Smith-Schuster, according to John Clayton of 710 ESPN (Twitter link). The Steelers wide receiver is currently on track to reach the open market in March. 
Smith-Schuster, 25 in November, seemed on track for superstardom just a few years ago. As a rookie, Smith-Schuster caught 58 passes for 917 yards and seven touchdowns in just 14 games. In his last regular season game as an NFL frosh, he took a 96-yard kickoff all the way to the house and became the youngest player in NFL history to record more than 1,o00 all-purpose yards in a season.
Then came the true breakout year — 111 grabs for 1,426 yards and seven TDs and a Pro Bowl selection, helping the Steelers make up for the absence of Le’Veon Bell. The following year, Antonio Brown was shipped out, which should have set the stage for Smith-Schuster to have an even bigger season. Instead, his 2019 was marred by a knee injury and played without the services of Ben Roethlisberger.
Smith-Schuster was healthier in 2020 and bounced back somewhat, finishing with a 97/831/9 stat line. If the Raiders don’t retain Nelson Agholor, Smith-Schuster could have appeal. Of course, between Brown and Martavis Bryant, the Raiders haven’t had the best of luck with ex-Steelers WRs.
Raiders QB Marcus Mariota Generating Trade Interest
Derek Carr isn’t the only Raiders quarterback who’s generating trade interest. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that teams have “legitimate and real” trade interest in backup Marcus Mariota.
[RELATED: Raiders Open To Derek Carr Trade?]
Mariota joined the Raiders last offseason on a two-year, $17.6MM deal. He had an IR stint in September and October, and he didn’t leave the bench until the Raiders’ Week 15 loss to the Chargers. Mariota completed 17 of his 28 pass attempts for 226 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in that game, and he added another score and 88 yards on the ground. Rapoport says that singular performance caught the eyes of other teams, with some organizations believing that Mariota could have a similar career path as Ryan Tannehill (who, of course, resuscitated his career after replacing Mariota in Tennessee).
Mariota showed glimpses of promise during his five seasons in Tennessee, but he obviously disappointed considering his second-overall-pick pedigree. The quarterback went 18-16 during his final three seasons with the Titans, but he also had only 31 touchdowns vs 25 interceptions.
We learned earlier this week that teams had inquired on Carr, and reports indicated that the Raiders were willing to listen to offers on their starting quarterback. Rapoport clarifies that while the Raiders wouldn’t hang up the phone on any team, they’re not eager to move on from the 29-year-old, and a deal for Carr would be “incredibly expensive.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/9/21
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: G Malcolm Pridgeon
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: G Lester Cotton Sr.
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: RB Austin Walter
Details On Raiders' Peterman Extension
- Speaking of relatively minor contracts, Yates also tweeted the details for the recent extensions for Raiders quarterback Nathan Peterman and 49ers long snapper Taybor Pepper. Peterman got a guaranteed $1MM base salary on his one-year deal, a $25K workout bonus, and a max value of $2.775MM with incentives. Pepper got two-years, $2.08MM with an $80K signing bonus and $220K of his $920K salary for 2021 guaranteed. It’s pretty eyebrow-raising to see Peterman get his $1MM guaranteed considering he’s thrown all of five passes the past two seasons, but Jon Gruden clearly loves the guy. This would suggest he’s got a good shot to hold the clipboard for Derek Carr, or whoever is the Raiders’ starter next year.