Panthers, Derrick Brown Agree To Extension
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.
Giants Sign South Carolina RB Dante Miller
The first college athlete has been signed to an NFL contract, still weeks away from the 2024 NFL Draft. The Giants announced the signing of South Carolina running back Dante Miller today, marking the start of his NFL career following an absurd college journey.
Less than a month ago, Miller was participating in the Gamecocks’ 2024 pro day, hoping to land on the league’s radar as a late-round draft pick or, perhaps, earn an opportunity at a rookie tryout out during minicamps. Instead, it was discovered that Miller did not qualify for the 2024 draft. In fact, he had qualified for both the 2023 NFL Draft and the supplemental draft that followed it, making him a signable free agent.
Miller spent the first four years of his collegiate career at Columbia. Ivy League schools don’t allow for redshirt seasons, giving players only four years to fulfill their four seasons of eligibility. Unfortunately for Miller and all Ivy Leaguers, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the loss of the 2020 season and, as a result, the loss of a year of eligibility. They had two options, accept the end of their collegiate careers or transfer outside of the Ivy League, where they would still have eligibility.
So, Miller transferred to South Carolina, moving from Columbia University to Columbia, SC. It was reportedly communicated to the Gamecocks that Miller would have two seasons of eligibility at South Carolina: his unused redshirt year and the extra year of eligibility allotted to college players because of COVID.
With budding rusher Marshawn Lloyd entering the year as the starter, Miller was happy to fill in as a depth and special teams player, thinking he would be able to earn a bigger role in 2023. Unfortunately, six games into the 2022 season, South Carolina’s officials realized they had made a mistake. Miller was only granted his redshirt year, meaning he didn’t have three years to play two seasons, he only had two years to play one.
In college football, you can only play in four games if you intend to redshirt a year. The school tried to appeal, pointing out that Miller had only played three snaps in his fifth game and two snaps in his sixth. Miller chose to sit out the remainder of the season, counting on the university’s appeal to come through. A lengthy review process ruled that five snaps were too many, leading to NCAA to refuse Miller another year of eligibility, despite the deadline to enter the NFL draft having long passed at the time of their decision.
So, Miller set his focus on the following year’s draft. He went to the Gamecocks’ pro day and put up a 4.27-second 40-yard dash, a time that would’ve bested any running back who ran at the combine. His 28 bench press reps of 225 pounds would’ve topped the combine’s best performance by a running back by one, as well.
Suffice it to say that Miller leapt onto the radar of every scout there who had intended to watch wide receiver Xavier Legette and quarterback Spencer Rattler. One scout went so far as to research Miller’s eligibility history and ask Miller’s agent if he was even draft eligible, per Andy Staples of On3. The NFL reported back that, no, he should’ve been eligible for the prior year’s draft. Miller was granted free agency. He was given the ability to sign with any team he wanted and would be able to negotiate a salary outside of the draft’s slotted salaries.
Miller visited the Giants this week, and they immediately offered him a deal. He had other visits scheduled, but returning to New York, where he had earned his college degree, was too enticing. As a result, he signed with the Giants and will head to the team facilities much earlier than anticipated.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/5/24
Friday’s only minor NFL move:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: G D.J. Fluker
Fluker, at one point in time a reliable NFL starter, has not appeared in the NFL since 2020. Now 33 years old, Fluker has spent the past three seasons either on a practice squad or not on an active roster at all. Most recently, after sitting out the 2022 NFL season, Fluker signed with Las Vegas near the end of 2023, rejoining the NFL after an eleven-month hiatus. He signed a reserve/futures contract following the regular season but now returns to the free agent market.
Chiefs To Re-Sign DE Mike Danna
Mike Danna spent more than three weeks in free agency, but he will circle back to the team that drafted him. The Chiefs have a deal in place to keep the young defensive end, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets.
A former fifth-round pick who became a starter after the Chiefs cut Frank Clark, Danna has totaled 11.5 sacks over the past two seasons (6.5 in 2023). The Chiefs are keeping him on a three-year deal. The Chiefs gave Chris Jones a monster deal to stay, and they will retain another core D-lineman as well.
Included among PFR’s top 50 free agents (43rd), Danna certainly took his time before finding a deal. Rather than agreeing on a “prove it” pact — which is often the case once April hits — the former Michigan and Central Michigan pass rusher received a multiyear commitment. The deal is worth $24MM, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who adds $13MM is guaranteed. Considering we are in early April, that represents a nice accord for the contract-year starter.
Although the Chiefs gave Charles Omenihu a two-year, $16MM contract in 2023, they kept Danna in their starting lineup opposite George Karlaftis once Omenihu returned from his domestic violence suspension. Omenihu played a regular role, but the veteran operated as a rotational cog behind Danna. The Chiefs have used Danna, 26, as an inside rusher as well. He will stick around with the two-time reigning champions, who also brought back defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi this offseason.
During Clark’s stay, Danna mostly worked as a backup. Between the 2021 and ’22 seasons, however, the former MAC recruit forced four combined fumbles. Danna’s 21 QB pressures ranked just outside the top 60 last season, though his 13 QB hits were a career high. The 6-foot-2 pass rusher started all four Chiefs playoff games, logging 58 snaps in Kansas City’s Super Bowl LVIII overtime triumph.
Omenihu suffered a torn ACL during the AFC championship game, amplifying Danna’s importance, and the suspension he incurred voids future guarantees. That would give the Chiefs an out on that contract, which calls for a $6.74MM base salary in 2024. The team also used a first-round pick on Felix Anudike-Uzomah, but the local product did not play much as a rookie. With Karlaftis, Danna, Omenihu and Anudike-Uzomah, the Chiefs are nearly set to run it back at D-end in 2024.
Texans Remove Final Three Seasons From Stefon Diggs’ Contract
APRIL 5: One benefit from this unexpected move will come in the form of 2024 cap space. The Texans replaced the Diggs years with three void years, adding a fourth to spread out the wide receiver’s cap hit through 2027. Diggs’ 2024 cap number has dropped to $5.88MM, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. A restructure could have created this cap space as well, and the Texans now have a $16.64MM dead money number — in the event Diggs does not sign an extension before the 2025 league year — staring at them.
APRIL 4: A day after trading for Stefon Diggs, the Texans are making an interesting adjustment to the Pro Bowl wide receiver’s contract. Diggs’ Bills-constructed deal ran through 2027; that is no longer the case.
The Texans are removing the 2025, 2026 and 2027 season from the contract, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports. Diggs is now set to become a free agent in 2025. The Texans moved $3.5MM in 2025 guarantees up to 2024, running that amount to $22.52MM. This was a mutual decision, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweets.
[RELATED: Texans’ Offer Changed Bills’ Stefon Diggs Plan]
Teams do not exactly make a habit of ceding contractual control, so nixing three years of a high-profile player’s contract represents an unusual development. The Texans will certainly ensure Diggs is motivated to succeed in 2024, as a fourth contract would stand to await him next year. But they now run the risk of losing the six-time 1,000-yard receiver after one season.
Houston does, however, hold exclusive negotiating rights with Diggs until March 2025. The parties could work out another deal. Unless something is already in place, the team has introduced a unnecessary risk into this equation. As SI.com’s Albert Breer notes, Diggs checking in with a $22.5MM cap number would spike his 2025 franchise tag figure north of $27MM. That would make a tag prohibitive for Houston. Because the Texans adjusted Diggs’ deal, they would not be entitled to a compensatory pick if he departs in 2025.
The Bears did not adjust Keenan Allen‘s contract upon trading for the longtime Chargers WR, who drew interest from the Texans. While teams have made trade-and-extend moves for wideouts in the recent past — Tyreek Hill, A.J. Brown, Davante Adams each signed new deals upon being moved in 2022 — those players all had one season left on their previous contracts or, in Adams’ case, were franchise-tagged. Diggs was tied to a four-year, $96MM deal that featured four remaining years, separating this decision from those early-2020s calls.
When the Bills acquired Diggs from the Vikings in 2020, he remained on his Minnesota contract — a $14.4MM-per-year deal that ran through the 2024 season — over his first two Buffalo seasons. The Bills and Diggs huddled up on the above-referenced $24MM-per-year deal in 2022, and the extension years were just set to begin. Diggs, 30, now has an unexpected opportunity to become a first-time free agent next year.
At the time of the trade Wednesday morning, it appears the Texans would have Diggs’ $24MM-AAV contract aligned with C.J. Stroud‘s remaining rookie-deal seasons. Stroud must be kept on a rookie contract through at least 2025. The Texans had the ability to easily escape from Diggs’ deal after the 2024 season. While removing these years could reignite Diggs — who offered a low-wattage conclusion to his 2023 season — a rebound season would also stand to up his value ahead of free agency. That would work against Houston, even if Stroud presents a nice drawing card for the nine-year veteran.
As it stands, the Texans certainly appear confident they will be able to retain Diggs beyond 2024. If not, they sent a Vikings-obtained second-round pick to Buffalo for one year of Diggs, who will turn 31 in November.
Dolphins To Sign DT Teair Tart
Losing two defensive tackles in free agency last month, the Dolphins are in need of some assistance here. While the draft could certainly be an avenue the team chooses to improve post-Christian Wilkins, one reinforcement is en route.
Miami is bringing in D-tackle Teair Tart, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz. Tart spent most of his rookie contract with the Titans, though he went from a player who commanded a second-round RFA tender last year to being waived months later. Tart closed out his rookie deal with the Texans.
Although the Dolphins extended Zach Sieler last year, they were not able to come to terms with Wilkins in 2023. That proved costly, with the team’s cap situation impeding a Wilkins tag. Wilkins’ Raiders AAV ($27.5MM) came in $5MM higher than the DT tag price. The Dolphins also lost starter Raekwon Davis, who joined the Colts. The Dolphins have made some low-cost additions to help out Sieler up front; Tart promises to be another.
Tart, 27, will join former Cowboy Neville Gallimore and ex-Bronco Jonathan Harris as UFA pickups along the Dolphins’ D-line. It would certainly seem more will be done in the draft, but Tart brings 36 starts to the table. Operating as Tennessee’s primary nose tackle on a Jeffery Simmons-led D-line, Tart ranked as a top-25 interior D-lineman (per Pro Football Focus) in 2022.
Tart added a career-high eight tackles for loss (in just 11 games) last season, though PFF saw his play slip overall, ranking the run stopper 85th at the position. Over the past two years, PFF also rated Tart as a better pass rusher than run stopper. The Florida International alum, however, is primarily a run defender; 1.5 sacks represent his single-season best.
The Titans made the decision to cut Tart in mid-December, and off-field matters impacted the AFC South team’s call. Season-long issues are believed to have reached a breaking point late last year, Tart was ruled out of the Titans’ Week 15 game for personal reasons. The Texans then claimed the former fifth-round pick, using him as a backup in two games. Tart joined Derek Barnett as a waiver claim aiding Houston’s D-line down the stretch, though the former was inactive for Houston’s two playoff games. The Bengals and Browns submitted claims for Tart in December, but his market did not produce an immediate signing as a free agent.
Saints To Sign LB Khaleke Hudson
APRIL 5: Hudson said (via Matthew Paras of the Times-Picayune) the Commanders did not offer him a contract, with Quinn informing him the team was eyeing a different profile amongst its linebackers. Hudson added, to little surprise, he chose to join the Saints as a result of the opportunity to see defensive playing time it will afford him.
APRIL 4: A special teams mainstay in Washington, Khaleke Hudson enjoyed his biggest opportunity on defense last season. This will lead to another opportunity.
With the Commanders retooling in Dan Quinn‘s first offseason — one that has brought many of the new HC’s former charges to Washington — Hudson will leave for a chance with the Saints. New Orleans is adding the veteran linebacker on a one-year deal, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets.
This agreement comes not long after Hudson visited the Steelers. It is not known if the Steelers — who have another ex-Washington linebacker, Cole Holcomb, on their payroll — extended an offer, but Hudson will end up in the NFC South. The Saints are adding a veteran special-teamer and a player who logged eight starts in 2023.
Hudson, 26, is a Michigan alum who started just four games during his first three seasons. The former fifth-round pick played at least 77% of Washington’s ST snaps in each of those years but moved into the starting lineup in the Ron Rivera–Jack Del Rio tandem’s final season. Although this opportunity came for a team careening into last place defensively, Hudson made 74 tackles (five for loss), recorded a sack and broke up two passes.
Pro Football Focus slotted Hudson 51st overall at the position, a mid-pack placement. Following Jamin Davis‘ season-ending injury, Hudson started the Commanders’ final five games, closing with a three-TFL showing in Week 18.
The Saints gave ageless starter Demario Davis another extension last month, and they also added four-year Chiefs starter Willie Gay. With Pete Werner going into a contract year, it would seem Hudson has a backup ceiling as a Saint barring injury. But his run of ST work stands to bolster New Orleans’ third-phase options ahead of Dennis Allen‘s third season in charge.
Eagles To Extend LT Jordan Mailata
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.
Falcons Sign CB Antonio Hamilton
Antonio Hamilton worked his way from career backup into a starting opportunity, and when a kitchen accident threatened that chance with the Cardinals, the veteran cornerback rebounded and reclaimed a first-string role. Despite being north of 30 at a position largely unkind to aging talent, Hamilton has secured another gig.
The Falcons signed Hamilton on Thursday, adding the recent Cardinals starter to their AJ Terrell-fronted corner group. With Jeff Okudah departing in free agency, the Falcons still appear to have some work left to do at this position. But Hamilton will attempt to carve out a role with Raheem Morris‘ team.
Hamilton’s career has not overlapped with Morris, DC Jimmy Lake or the Falcons’ secondary coaches. But Morris did have a chance to observe the former UDFA for three seasons as Rams DC. Hamilton, 31, spent the past three years with the Cardinals. He started 14 games over the past two, keeping a first-string gig despite Arizona changing coaching staffs last year.
Probably best known for sustaining a severe burn on his foot in a cooking accident before the 2022 season, Hamilton also made some cameos on that year’s in-season Hard Knocks edition. Hamilton only needed around a month to recover, moving off the NFI list in October 2022. He started five games for the Cardinals and re-signed with the team — on a one-year, $1.5MM deal — in March 2023. Jonathan Gannon‘s defense deployed Hamilton as a nine-game starter last season.
Hamilton began last season as a seldom-used backup but returned to regular duty midway through the season, playing at least 70% of Arizona’s defensive snaps in every game he played from Week 5 onward. This included the veteran playing every defensive snap in the Cardinals’ final four games. Hamilton broke up a career-high 11 passes and improved in some coverage metrics; the 6-foot cover man allowing a 59.2% completion rate as the closest defender. Pro Football Focus assigned the South Carolina State alum a mid-pack grade, placing him 61st at the position in 2023.
Okudah, who started nine games for last year’s Falcons, signed with the Texans. The Falcons still roster 2023 fourth-rounder Clark Phillips as an outside option opposite Terrell, but Hamilton will factor into that mix. This is the sixth career stop for Hamilton, who has been with the Raiders, Giants, Chiefs, Buccaneers and Cardinals since 2016.
Steelers To Sign TE MyCole Pruitt
MyCole Pruitt certainly has a backer in Arthur Smith. After playing for the veteran play-caller in Tennessee and Atlanta, the nine-year tight end is set to rejoin Smith once again.
The Steelers are signing Pruitt, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Although Pittsburgh rosters Pat Freiermuth, Connor Heyward and 2023 third-rounder Darnell Washington, Pruitt has extensive experience in Smith’s system. The blocking tight end will join a crowded tight end room.
The Falcons found room for Pruitt despite rostering Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith last season. Pitts and Smith became one of the league’s top receiving tandems, with Pruitt contributing just nine catches for 110 yards as a third option. The Falcons have now moved on from Smith, via release, and Pruitt.
Now 32, Pruitt has played in a Smith-directed offense in four of the past five years. Pro Football Focus did view the 245-pound tight end as a rather efficient receiver, slotting him toward the top in terms of receiving grades during his two Falcons slates. In 2022, Pruitt tallied four touchdowns as an ancillary cog in Atlanta. The Steelers will give the Southern Illinois alum a chance to play a 10th NFL season.
PFF did not view Pruitt as a particularly effective run blocker last season, ranking him toward the bottom in that area. But the Falcons used him in the run game on 247 of his 401 snaps last season. Atlanta also turned to Pruitt as an extra pass protector, giving him 86 snaps in pass protection. This left only 68 snaps as a receiver, providing a preview of sorts of what could be expected in Pittsburgh.
Smith also served as Pruitt’s position coach in 2018, as the Titans employed the former as their TEs instructor in Mike Vrabel‘s first year (with Matt LaFleur as OC). A former Vikings draftee who later played with the Bears and Texans, Pruitt did not see much stability until he landed in Smith’s offense. Pruitt played four seasons with the Titans and two with the Falcons.
Arthur Smith is certainly no stranger to bringing in ex-Titan tight ends for assistance, having added Jonnu Smith and Anthony Firkser at points during his Atlanta stay. Like Pitts, Freiermuth should still be expected to operate as the lead TE in Arthur Smith’s attack. But some competition is coming in for a backup job.
Pruitt will take the roster spot of recently waived running back Alfonzo Graham. The Steelers cut Graham earlier Thursday.