Rams Waive LB Travin Howard
It’s been a busy day in Los Angeles. Tucked under the headline of Cooper Kupp‘s extension includes a transaction that saw the Rams moving on from one of their defenders. The team announced earlier today that they have waived linebacker Travin Howard. The linebacker was set to earn $2.5MM next season.
[RELATED: Rams, WR Cooper Kupp Agree To Extension]
Following a collegiate career at LSU that saw him earn two-straight first-team All-Big 12 honors and Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP, Howard was selected by the Rams in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. The linebacker appeared in all 16 games as a rookie, collecting 22 tackles while mostly playing on special teams.
He landed on IR prior to the 2020 campaign, wiping out his season. He returned for 2021 and got into 12 games (tw0 starts), finishing with 21 tackles and an interception. He added another 10 tackles in four postseason games (two starts), and he hauled in the game-clinching interception during the Rams NFC Championship Game victory.
Howard only his starts when rookie Ernest Jones was injured, and the organization also brought in Bobby Wagner at the linebacker position. As a result, Howard was already destined to be a backup at best in 2022, and it sounds like the organization will pivot to a younger option to round out their linebackers corps.
Rams, WR Cooper Kupp Agree To Extension
And like that, the Rams have extended another star player. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp has signed a three-year extension with the Rams, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
The three-year extension will be added to the remaining two years on Kupp’s current deal, locking the Super Bowl MVP into what’s essentially a five-year, $110MM deal. That’s about $80MM in new money, as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Schefter clarifies on Twitter that Kupp will earn a new $75MM in guaranteed money. Earlier this evening, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport estimated that Kupp and the Rams were zeroing on a three-year deal.
Kupp wasn’t looking to reset the market with his new deal, and while he earned a handsome pay day, it still doesn’t crack the top-five at the position in terms of average annual value. The five-year, $110MM puts Kupp’s AAV at $22MM; that ranks sixth at wide receiver behind Tyreek Hill ($30MM/yr), Davante Adams ($28MM), DeAndre Hopkins ($27.25MM), A.J. Brown ($25MM), and Stefon Diggs ($24MM). In terms of total value, the five upcoming years for Kupp is only rivaled by Adams ($140MM) and Hill ($120MM).
Following an incredible 2021 campaign that saw Kupp lead the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), and receiving touchdowns (16) before earning a championship and the Super Bowl MVP, it always seemed inevitable that Kupp would ink a new deal. The team made it clear throughout the offseason that a Kupp extension was a priority, but the team was in no rush to ink the deal with several priorities (including a new contract for Aaron Donald) still unresolved.
Indeed, the organization only inked Donald to a new deal days ago, and they’ve now completed a new contract for Kupp. In only a matter of days, the Rams have committed $205MM to the two players, and while the front office has done an admirable job of getting creative with their cap machinations, there’s no denying the future money the organization has committed to in pursuit of another Super Bowl win. Besides Donald and Kupp, the organization has also handed out a sizable extension to quarterback Matthew Stafford (four years, $160MM) while also signing linebacker Bobby Wagner (five years, $50MM) and wideout Allen Robinson (three years, $46.5MM).
The new deal will keep Kupp in Los Angeles through the 2026 season. This is already Kupp’s third contract, and as Albert Breer of TheMMQB points out on Twitter, this is a good case study in support of shorter extensions being more beneficial for players. Kupp inked a three-year, $48MM extension with the Rams in 2020. The East Washington product entered the NFL as a third-round pick in in 2017.
Kupp was productive as a rookie, but he missed half of his sophomore campaign. The receiver topped 1,000 receiving yards in 2019, and while he exceeded 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 2020, the numbers were still a step down from the previous campaign. Then, with Stafford joining the Rams, Kupp exploded, achieving the NFL’s receiving triple crown. His performance in 2021 earned him a number of accolades, including Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Pro.
Texans Waive WR DaeSean Hamilton, Sign WR Chad Beebe
DaeSean Hamilton‘s rough run of injury luck will result in a second team waiving him with an injury designation. The Texans jettisoned the former Broncos draft pick Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
To fill Hamilton’s spot, Houston is signing wideout Chad Beebe. The second-generation NFLer made some contributions for the 2020 Vikings, working as the team’s No. 3 wideout behind Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. But Beebe suffered a preseason injury and did not play last season.
This represents another tough break for Hamilton, who suffered a non-contact knee injury in practice this week. This injury is not an ACL tear, however, and it is not expected to sideline the Penn State product for the season. It will leave Hamilton without a job, though. Hamilton is attempting to come off a missed 2021 season. The young slot receiver suffered an ACL tear during the 2021 offseason, and the Broncos — who were on the verge of trading Hamilton to the 49ers — cut bait soon after. The Texans picked him up earlier this year.
If unclaimed, Hamilton will revert to the Texans’ IR list. An injury settlement, which would send the three-year veteran to free agency, could follow in that case. Beebe caught 20 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns for the Vikings two years ago. A foot injury sidelined him in 2021.
Beebe, 28, would represent a fringe candidate to make Houston’s roster as a backup while also posing as a practice squad candidate. The team may have more room on its Week 1 roster, however, with second-round pick John Metchie not expected to be ready from the ACL tear he suffered late in Alabama’s season. The Texans roster the likes of Chris Conley, 2021 third-rounder Nico Collins, Chris Moore and Phillip Dorsett as auxiliary options behind Brandin Cooks.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/7/22
Today’s minor move:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: TE Jesper Horsted
Horsted spent the first three seasons of his career with the Bears after going undrafted out of Princeton in 2019. He saw time in 13 games during his three seasons with Chicago, hauling in 10 receptions for 108 yards and three touchdowns. He was waived by the Bears earlier this month after failing a physical. He’ll be joining a depth chart that already includes six other tight ends.
Ravens Sign First-Round Pick Kyle Hamilton
The Ravens have signed their top pick. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Baltimore has inked Kyle Hamilton to his rookie deal.
The defensive back signed a four-year pact worth a fully guaranteed $16.225MM, and he’ll earn a signing bonus worth a tad more than $9MM. As Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun points out, this is one of the largest rookie deals in franchise history, rivaling Ronnie Stanley‘s four-year, $20.5MM deal in 2018 and Joe Flacco‘s five-year, $11.9MM deal (plus another $18MM in incentives) in 2008.
Hamilton had a highly productive three-year career at Notre Dame, collecting 138 tackles and eight interceptions. His ability to play multiple positions at a high level led to him being a projected top-five pick, but his testing numbers, season-ending knee injury, and subpar athletic profile ultimately led to him dropping to Baltimore at No. 15. Still, his versatility (Hamilton played both safety and linebacker in college) makes him an ideal fit for Baltimore’s defense.
The Ravens lost safety DeShon Elliott but replaced him with former-Saints safety Marcus Williams, so there’s a chance Hamilton ends up lining up at linebacker as a rookie. Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald recently described the rookie “as advertised,” with the coach noting that the young player was up for any challenge.
Hamilton wasn’t the only Ravens rookie to sign a contract today. The team also inked cornerback Damarion Williams to his rookie pact (via the team on Twitter). The Houston product appeared in 13 games during his senior season, compiling 53 tackles and one interception.
As our 2022 NFL team-by-team draft results show, Williams and Hamilton are now the fifth and sixth rookie to ink a contract with the Ravens. Second-round linebacker David Ojabo (Michigan) is the highest-drafted player who remains unsigned.
Giants Sign WRs Isaiah Ford, Keelan Doss
Already rostering one of the NFL’s more interesting receiver stables, the Giants added some depth to that group Tuesday. They signed wideouts Isaiah Ford and Keelan Doss, according to NorthJersey.com’s Art Stapleton (on Twitter).
Both have been mostly backups or practice squad performers since coming into the league, though Ford has seen some run as a Dolphins auxiliary target. A former Dolphins seventh-round pick, Ford was traded to the Patriots just before the 2020 deadline. But the Pats never deployed him in a game and waived him not long after the deal, leading Ford back to the Dolphins via free agency barely a month later. He closed his second Miami stint last season.
A Virginia Tech product, Ford has 63 receptions for 681 yards and two touchdowns (both of which coming last season) over the past three years. Doss, a former UDFA out of California-Davis, enjoyed some Hard Knocks fame during the Raiders’ 2019 training camp but did not make an impact with his then-hometown team. Doss caught 11 passes for 133 yards as a rookie. He spent last season on the Falcons and Jets’ practice squads.
The Giants agreed to a reworked contract with Sterling Shepard, keeping the veteran slot receiver ahead of his seventh season. Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton and Kadarius Toney are also back. The latter two have each been mentioned in trade rumors, though Slayton — a three-year contributor going into a contract year — profiles as the more logical trade candidate. New York’s new regime selected slot player Wan’Dale Robinson in Round 2 this year, crowding the team’s receiver room for the time being.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/6/22
Players who signed their rookie contracts today:
Baltimore Ravens
- TE Isaiah Likely (fourth round, Coastal Carolina)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- WR Calvin Austin III (fourth round, Memphis)
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/6/22
Here are today’s minor moves to start the week:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Keith Kirkwood
- Waived: WR Talolo Limu-Jones
Houston Texans
- Signed: OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed: OL Carson Green (from Houston)
- Waived: OL Derwin Gray
Rams Give Aaron Donald Record-Setting Raise
Aaron Donald will be back with the Rams in 2022 and likely into the mid-2020s. The team gave the perennial All-Pro defensive tackle a raise. While no new years were added to Donald’s through-2024 deal, he will receive considerably more cash than he would have under the terms of his 2018 extension.
Donald, who has discussed retirement for months, is now set to earn a whopping $95MM by 2024, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The 31-year-old pass rusher will collect a $40MM raise on his old deal, Rapoport tweets, and again become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the game — a title the future Hall of Famer held for a few days prior to Khalil Mack topping him four years ago.
The eight-year veteran is returning to his place anchoring the Rams’ defense. The seven-time All-Pro is set to collect $65MM over the next two years of his contract, per Rapoport. It will be interesting to see if the Rams added void years to spread out the cap hits. The Rams have announced Donald’s return; he reported to the team’s facility Monday ahead of minicamp.
As far as guarantees go, Donald will receive a $25MM signing bonus and $6.5MM in additional 2022 guarantees, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. His $13.5MM 2023 base salary shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2023 league year. A $5MM roster bonus also will come Donald’s way if he is a Ram on Day 2 of the ’23 league year. Donald can collect the final $30MM if he remains a Ram on Day 5 of the 2024 league year. If Donald intends to play in 2024, the Rams would pay him a $20MM option bonus and $10MM base salary, Florio adds. No offset language is present.
This allows the team some flexibility beyond 2023, but Donald has been one of the NFL’s most durable players throughout his career. Donald would not reach free agency until the offseason ahead of his age-34 campaign. Still, the all-world defender’s through-2024 sum and his not being forced to add any new years to the deal illustrates both his value and the seriousness of his retirement threat. Donald’s previous contract carried a $23.5MM 2023 cap charge. The biggest difference of the pre- and post-raise cap hits will be a $38MM cap charge next year, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com estimates. Void years are indeed present here, per SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter).
Retirement rumors emerged shortly before Super Bowl LVI’s kickoff, and while Donald seemed to backtrack at the team’s parade, he still mentioned leaving the game after eight seasons last week. Sean McVay and Les Snead insisted throughout the offseason the team would take care of Donald, with McVay expressing confidence last week. It is fairly clear now why that was the case.
Money always hovered at the forefront here. Although no interior D-linemen passed up Donald in earnings over the course of his second NFL contract, several edge players did. T.J. Watt‘s $28MM-per-year pact topped the defender market entering the week. Tied to what amounts to a three-year, $95MM deal, Donald is the first non-quarterback to secure a contract north of $30MM per year.
Wide receivers made inroads toward the $30MM-per-year mark this offseason, but it took inflated figures in the final years of Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill‘s deals to balloon those contracts to their $28MM-AAV and $30MM-AAV marks. By not adding any new years on Donald’s contract, the Rams have moved into new territory with Monday’s deal. Given Donald’s resume and impact in the Rams’ second Super Bowl win, it is tough to argue he did not deserve a significant raise.
Since going 13th overall in the 2014 draft, Donald has become one of the greatest players in NFL history. Only Donald, J.J. Watt and Lawrence Taylor have won Defensive Player of the Year acclaim three times. The Pitt alum has maintained top form into his 30s, as evidenced by his Super Bowl-sealing takedown of Joe Burrow, which punctuated a dominant performance. Donald is the only active player to be named a first-team All-Pro seven times. The player with the second-most such honors among active performers, Bobby Wagner (six), will join him in L.A. this season. Donald has only missed two games in his career — both due to a 2017 holdout.
The Rams have taken care of their offensive and defensive pillars this offseason, with the Donald deal following their Matthew Stafford extension. The team remains at work on augmenting Cooper Kupp‘s contract, following his stratospheric 2021 season.
Buccaneers Sign Round 2 G Luke Goedeke
The Buccaneers trotted out their Ali Marpet–Alex Cappa guard tandem for the past three seasons, seeing the duo play a steady role on the team’s Super Bowl LV journey. Both players’ offseason exits — Marpet to retirement and Cappa to Cincinnati in free agency — created a rare glaring need for the Bucs during their Tom Brady period.
After trading for Shaq Mason, the Bucs invested again at the position by drafting Luke Goedeke in the second round. The Bucs signed the Central Michigan product to his four-year rookie contract Monday. Tampa Bay traded up three spots to nab the converted tight end at No. 57.
The second of two second-round picks the Bucs made, Goedeke will move from right tackle to guard. This should be an easier transition, position-wise at least, than the one the 6-foot-5 blocker made in college. Goedeke played tight end at Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He converted to right tackle at Central Michigan, playing there throughout 2019 and remaining an O-line fixture in 2021. Goedeke redshirted in 2018 and missed all of 2020 due to injury, but he finished as a first-team All-MAC blocker last season.
Mason is locked in at right guard, leaving Goedeke to vie for the other guard post with veterans. The Bucs re-signed backup Aaron Stinnie this offseason and have 2021 third-rounder Robert Hainsey representing competition as well. The losers of this battle would represent depth for the reigning NFC South champions.
Stinnie started the Bucs’ final three games in their Super Bowl-winning season, replacing an injured Cappa. Hainsey spent his final season in college at tackle and developed at center as an NFL rookie. He is now striving for a first-string guard role, though the cross-training would also stand to help him as a swing backup.