Minor NFL Transactions: 4/27/21
Dolphins Trade Ereck Flowers To WFT
The Dolphins have agreed to trade Ereck Flowers to the Washington Football Team (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The guard will head to D.C. in a swap of late-round picks. 
The deal frees up cap room for the Dolphins, who will have to allocate lots of dollars to their oversized draft class. On Thursday, they’ll start things off with two first-round choices at No. 6 and No. 18 overall.
Meanwhile, Washington gets to reunite with a familiar face. Flowers couldn’t hack it as an offensive tackle in the NFL, but he has reinvented himself as a guard. In 2019, he parlayed a strong showing as Washington’s LG into a three-year, $30MM contract with the Dolphins last year. It was more money than anyone expected for Flowers, though there weren’t many quality lineman on the board. After the Redskins locked down Brandon Scherff and the Patriots took Joe Thuney off of the market with a surprise franchise tag, Flowers was looking better than ever to teams in need of interior help.
Flowers stayed on the interior in Miami, serving as their starting LG in all 14 of his games. He earned decent marks from Pro Football Focus — his 65.9 overall score had him tied as the No. 32 guard in the NFL.
With two years to go on his deal, the former first-round pick is set to earn $9MM in 2021.
Packers To Pick Up CB Jaire Alexander’s Fifth-Year Option
No surprise on this one. The Packers are expected to pick up the fifth-year option on cornerback Jaire Alexander, general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters (via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky on Twitter).
As the reporter notes, the only question is if the team can sign their All-Pro to a contract extension. Alexander’s fifth-year option is valued at $13.294MM thanks to him making the Pro Bowl in 2020, and the defensive back will surely see a pay raise (along with long-term security) in any extension.
Alexander, the 18th-overall pick in the 2018 draft, was more than solid through his first two years in the NFL, including a 2018 campaign where he received All-Rookie team honors. The cornerback started earning some league-wide accolades in 2020, including a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro recognition. The 24-year-old ultimately finished the campaign having compiled 51 tackles, 13 passes defended, one interception, one sack, and one forced fumble in 15 starts. He also came up big during the postseason, snagging a pair of interceptions in two games.
The Packers have been busy retaining their cornerbacks corps this offseaosn. They re-signed starter Kevin King, and they also brought back restricted free agent Chandon Sullivan. This trio will join former second-rounder Josh Jackson and perhaps a rookie on the Packers depth chart.
Washington Exercises DT Daron Payne’s Fifth-Year Option
Washington is committing to Daron Payne for the 2022 season. The team has exercised the fifth-year option on the defensive tackle, reports Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post (via Twitter). The option is valued at $8.529MM.
The former 13th-overall pick started all 16 games and earned All-Rookie Team honors in 2018, but he had an up-and-down sophomore campaign in 2019, starting only nine of his 15 contests. He rebounded this past year, starting all 16 games and finishing with 54 tackles, three sacks, and three forced fumbles. Payne was also a standout during Washington’s playoff loss to the Buccaneers, finishing with a pair of sacks and a forced fumble.
In total, the 23-year-old (24 in May) has collected 166 tackles, 10 sacks, and 20 QB hits in 47 career game (41 starts).
Washington has been busy adding to their defensive line in recent years; they’ve used a first-round pick on a defensive lineman in each of the past four drafts. Payne will start alongside 2017 first-round pick Jonathan Allen, with the likes of Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle competing for backup reps.
49ers To Pick Up OT Mike McGlinchey’s Fifth-Year Option
Mike McGlinchey will be sticking around San Francisco through at least the 2022 season. The 49ers will be picking up the offensive tackle’s fifth year option, confirmed general manager John Lynch (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). This will lock McGlinchey into a guaranteed $10.88MM salary for the 2022 campaign.
[RELATED: NFL’s Fifth-Year Option Salaries For 2021]
Following a standout career at Notre Dame, Mike McGlinchey was selected by the 49ers with the No. 9 pick in the 2018 draft. The lineman contributed right away, starting all 16 games en route an All-Rookie Team nod. He was limited to only 12 games due to a knee injury in 2019, but he returned to appear in 100-percent of his team’s offensive snaps in 2020.
As Maiocco writes, McGlinchey earned high marks this past season for his run-blocking prowess, and Pro Football Focus was fond of his overall performance. However, the lineman also had the worst pass-protection grade of his career.
With this move, the 49ers have locked in their offensive tackles for at least the next two years. The team re-signed Trent Williams to a massive six-year extension earlier this offseason.
Buccaneers Pick Up Vita Vea’s Option
It’s officially official. On Monday, the Bucs announced that they have exercised defensive tackle Vita Vea’s fifth-year option. 
Vea was a huge part of the Buccaneers’ defense before going down with a serious ankle injury. Even though he was limited to just five games, the Buccaneers did not want to leave him exposed to free agency in 2022. Thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, Vea’s 2022 season will now be fully guaranteed, as opposed to being guaranteed for injury-only. That’s just fine for the Buccaneers, who watched Vea start all 16 games in 2019 for 35 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three passes defended.
Originally believed to be lost for the season, Vea managed to return in time for the NFC Championship Game and the Bucs’ Super Bowl victory. The 12th overall pick of the 2018 draft should be fully healthy for 2021, allowing him to make his case for a lucrative long-term deal. In the meantime, Tevita Tuli’aki’ono Tuipulotu Mosese Va’hae Fehoko Faletau Vea is locked in for an additional season at around $7.64MM.
Cardinals’ Marcus Gilbert Retires From NFL
Cardinals tackle Marcus Gilbert has retired from the NFL (Twitter link). The veteran joined the Cards in 2019, but never actually played a down for them. 
The Cardinals acquired Gilbert from the Steelers via trade in 2019, with the intention of installing him as their starting right tackle. Unfortunately, a knee injury forced Gilbert to injured reserve in the first month of that season. Then, last year, Gilbert opted out due to the pandemic.
Before all of that, Gilbert started in 87 of his 88 game for the Steelers across eight seasons. Towards the end of that run, he was limited by injuries, appearing in just 12 total games from 2017-18 — his last full slate came in 2015.
With Gilbert out of the picture, the Cardinals will look for new blockers to back starters D.J. Humphries and Kelvin Beachum. That’ll factor into their draft plans this week, along with needs at cornerback, wide receiver, tight end, and the defensive line.
Cowboys’ Sean Lee Retires From NFL
Sean Lee is calling it a career. The longtime Cowboys linebacker tells ESPN.com’s Todd Archer (on Twitter) that he will retire after eleven seasons in the NFL. 
As recently as late March, Lee was said to be in talks with the Cowboys for a return. Even though the oft-injured ‘backer is long removed from his days as an elite defender, he still could have been a solid rotational option for Dallas. Lee played in just nine games in 2020, but had perfect attendance (including 13 starts) in 2019, including two double-digit tackle games down the stretch. All in all, he had 86 stops, a sack, an interception, and four passes defensed in ’19, leading to a one-year, $4.5MM re-up for 2020.
Unfortunately, last year’s sports hernia surgery wiped out the early part of his season. Between that, his early career ACL tear, and other injuries, Lee felt that it would be best to move on from football. Without Lee, the Cowboys will move forward with Leighton Vander Esch, Jaylon Smith, and recently acquired safety/LB Keanu Neal in the group.
Despite all of the injuries, Lee was a two-time Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro selection in 2016. And, throughout his tenure, Lee was regarded as the leader of the Dallas’ defense. We here at PFR wish Lee a happy and healthy retirement.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/23/21
Ravens Trade Orlando Brown To Chiefs
The Ravens have agreed to trade Orlando Brown to the Chiefs (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). As a part of the deal, the Ravens will receive the Chiefs’ No. 31 overall choice in next week’s draft while sending their No. 58 pick to KC along with Brown. 
Chiefs Receive:
- OT Orlando Brown
- 2021 second-round pick (No. 58 overall)
- 2022 sixth-round pick
Ravens Receive:
- 2021 first-round pick (No. 31 overall)
- 2021 third-round pick (No. 94 overall)
- 2021 fourth-round pick (No. 136 overall)
- 2022 fifth-round pick
Brown, a 2018 third-round choice, moved from right tackle to left tackle last year to fill in for Ronnie Stanley. After turning in a strong year at LT, Brown told the Ravens that he didn’t want to go back to the other side. The Ravens have kept mum on the situation, but they’ve been listening on offers for the last few months.
The difference between left tackle and right tackle can amount to tens of millions of dollars over the long run. However, the Oklahoma product says his preference stemmed from his late father’s wishes.
“He always told me, ‘Don’t settle for playing right tackle. Make sure that when it comes time and you get to every level, you’re playing left,” the younger Brown said recently.
It’s not immediately clear whether the Oklahoma product will receive a new contract from the Chiefs straight away. For now, he has one more year to go on his rookie deal. After that, the Chiefs will have the option of using the franchise tag to cuff him for 2022.
The Ravens are now armed with two first round picks — their original No. 27 plus the No. 31 pick. That should give them ample ammo to trade for a new tackle, though they may circle back to Alejandro Villanueva instead, allowing them to address other needs late in the first round. Ultimately, the Ravens were facing two major issues with Brown. 1. They couldn’t unseat Stanley to put him on the left side and 2. A top-of-the market deal for him would have created a serious numbers crunch down the road, especially with Lamar Jackson‘s upcoming payday.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs have scored a top-flight young blocker — one that’s far better than any of this year’s Tier 2 options. Brown will help to fill the void left by the departures of starting tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher, who were released for financial and health reasons. Now, the Chiefs project to have Brown, Joe Thuney, Kyle Long, Austin Blythe, and the returning Laurent Duvernay-Tardif up front.
Pro Football Focus has viewed Brown as a top-25 tackle in each of the past two seasons, so he’ll be seeking a contract to match. Stanley, Trent Williams, David Bakhtiari and Laremy Tunsil have all elevated the left tackle market, which means that Brown could aim for something just shy of $22MM annually. At minimum, Brown’s camp will likely open talks by asking for $18MM per annum — that’s how much leading right tackle Lane Johnson makes per year.