Contract Details: Jones, Taylor, Branch, D-Jax, Bitonio, Davis
Here’s the latest on some of the latest contracts agreed to this week.
- Chandler Jones‘ five-year Cardinals extension will pay him $16.5MM per year, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets. Jones will make $53MM in guaranteed money from his second NFL contract, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports adds (on Twitter).
- Tyrod Taylor‘s restructured Bills deal is a two-year, $30.5MM pact, La Canfora reports (on Twitter), adding that the rest of it voids after 2018. Taylor will make $15.5MM in guarantees as a result of the re-done pact and $14.5MM in 2017. La Canfora adds the quarterback stands to collect $16MM in ’18.
- Andre Branch‘s three-year Dolphins deal is worth $24MM, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). Volin adds the contract includes two fully guaranteed years– at $17MM — for the 27-year-old pass-rusher. Volin adds that Branch could see $3.75MM more via incentives. Branch will receive a $6MM signing bonus, make $2.9MM in base salary in 2017, $7.9MM in ’18 and $6.9MM in ’19, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
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DeSean Jackson‘s Buccaneers pact will be worth approximately $11MM per year, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
- Joel Bitonio‘s five-year Browns extension will pay out $47.5MM in base salary, Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com tweets, adding $23MM in guarantees are included. The new deal kicks in after Bitonio’s 2017 season, so he’s under contract in Cleveland through 2022.
- Vernon Davis‘ second Redskins contract will include a $4MM signing bonus and $7.5MM guaranteed, Wilson tweets. His base salaries from 2017-19, respectively, are $2MM, $3.75MM and $4.75MM.
- Courtney Upshaw re-signing with the Falcons on a one-year deal will result in $1.15MM coming his way in 2017, Wilson tweets. The defender gets a $125K signing bonus and will make $775K in base salary this season.
Browns To Sign J.C. Tretter
The Browns have agreed to sign former Packers offensive lineman J.C. Tretter, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). Tretter offers versatility along the line, but he will indeed serve as Cleveland’s center, per Garafolo.
It’s a three-year, $16.75MM deal for Tretter, who will see $10MM in guarantees, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This has been just a portion of a busy day for Browns offensive linemen.
Cleveland is investing heavy resources on its front five on the first official day of free agency, as the club has already agreed to a long-term extension with left guard Joel Bitonio. They also signed Kevin Zeitler to a guard-record $12MM-AAV deal.
Tretter’s signing will have more wide-ranging implications for the rest of the offensive line, and could specifically signal a displeasure with former first-round pick Cameron Erving. Erving struggled during his first season as a full-time starter at the pivot, and while he could potentially move to another position (right tackle or guard), he may simply shift to the bench.
Tretter was never a permanent member of Green Bay’s offensive line during his time there, but he exceeded expectations when asked to start. In 2016, the 26-year-old graded as the No. 9 center in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and started nine games while filling in for Corey Linsley. Linsley is expected to return as the Packers’ center in 2017, leaving the club little room to play Tretter.
Tretter, a former fourth-round draft choice, ranked as PFR’s No. 6 free agent interior offensive lineman.
Browns Still In On Terrelle Pryor?
Although the Browns have already agreed to sign wide receiver Kenny Britt, they’re not completely out of the race for fellow pass-catcher Terrelle Pryor, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. It still appears “unlikely” that Cleveland will re-sign Pryor, however. Mike Garafolo of NFL.com echoes this sentiment, pointing toward a future that sees Pryor depart northeast Ohio (Twitter link).
The Browns opted not to use the franchise nor the transition tag on Pryor, instead allowing him to become a free agent despite possessing gobs of cap space. While reports have indicated Pryor is looking for $12MM on the open market, it’s unclear if any club is actually willing to meet that demand — indeed, his ceiling may be in the $10MM range. So far, he’s been linked to the Steelers, Giants, 49ers, Eagles, and Titans.
As a 27-year-old who possesses size (6-foot-4, 223 pounds) and speed, Pryor is one of the most attractive free agent receivers on the market. Despite having to work with five quarterbacks in 2016, most of whom were mediocre or worse, Pryor (an ex-QB himself) piled up 77 receptions, 1,007 yards and four touchdowns on 140 targets in his first serious action as a receiver.
Browns, G Joel Bitonio Agree To Extension
The Browns are signing guard Joel Bitonio to a “monster” extension, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Bitonio doesn’t turn 26 until October and he is among the league’s most talented interior linemen when healthy.
Schefter reports Bitonio’s deal is for five years and worth $51MM (Twitter link), meaning the NFL now has four guards who make $10MM per year. That list is expected to expand soon once Kevin Zeitler makes a decision on his landing spot. Bitonio’s contract will include $23MM in guaranteed money. The 25-year-old Bitonio will join Kelechi Osemele, Kyle Long and David DeCastro in the eight-figure-AAV guard club.
Last year, Bitonio appeared in only five games due to injury. In the year prior, he played in only 10 contests. However, in his rookie year, he was present for all 16 games and finished out with a strong 87.8 overall score on Pro Football Focus. This year, that mark would have placed him in the top five amongst all guards, ahead of Osemele, Richie Incognito, Zeitler, T.J. Lang, DeCastro, and other notables.
Bitonio helped the Browns compensate for the departures of standout free agents Mitchell Schwartz and Alex Mack last season, and although Cleveland went 1-15, its offensive front wasn’t devoid of talent. The Browns over the past several years have been able to develop quality blockers, and they’ve decided to invest in Bitonio to team with Joe Thomas in his NFL twilight years. The former second-round pick had one year left on his rookie contract.
This could impact the Browns’ pursuit of Zeitler, although they could use both at guard and could afford each. Veteran John Greco started at right guard last season, but he also ventured to IR to end the 2016 slate. Cleveland and New Orleans are believed to be the Zeitler finalists.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report.
Jaguars Out On Kevin Zeitler; Down To Saints, Browns
The Jaguars are out of the running for guard Kevin Zeitler, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. That means the interior lineman is likely down to two teams: the Saints and Browns. Zeitler’s AFC South destinations, with the Colts being involved as well, appear to be out.
Viewed as not only the top guard on the market but the top offensive lineman, Zeitler represents a key domino in free agency in terms of setting the market. The Browns, of course, possess more cap room here, entering Thursday with more than $100MM. Although they agreed to a deal with Kenny Britt, the Browns obviously can afford Zeitler and several other marquee free agents if they so choose. Zeitler’s price tag could run past $12MM AAV, which would be a guard record.
The Saints have prioritized this position for years in order to preserve Drew Brees‘ pocket. They have former perennial All-Pro Jahri Evans back in unrestricted free agency. New Orleans finished last season tops in total offense in 2016 and could stand to improve if it adds a lineman of Zeitler’s caliber. The Saints have more money to spend than they usually do at this time of year, but the $27MM-plus pales in comparison to the Browns’ warchest.
Once Zeitler signs, it will complete a rough defection day for the Bengals, who just saw Andrew Whitworth agree to a deal with the Rams.
Browns To Sign WR Kenny Britt
They’re really starting to fly off the board now. The Browns are expected to sign wide receiver Kenny Britt, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Once finalized, Britt’s deal is expected to be a four-year, $32.5MM pact with $17MM guaranteed. 
The signing could mean that Terrelle Pryor will end up elsewhere. There was strong mutual interest in a return, but it’s not likely that there is room for both receivers. It’s possible that agent Drew Rosenhaus overplayed his hand, but we won’t know until Pryor lands and his contract terms are made public.
Britt managed to turn in his first career 1,000+ yard campaign in 2016, despite playing in the NFL’s worst offense. A skeptic might wonder why Britt waited until his contract year to break out in this fashion. Before last season, Britt’s previous watermark was 775 yards receiving (in 2010).
I predicted Britt would fetch the fourth-highest deal of any receiver on the open market and also had him as the fourth-best receiver in free agency based on ability. Britt made just a shade over $4MM in 2016, so his new deal represents a significant pay bump.
The 49ers, Cowboys, and Giants were among the teams with Britt on the radar, but he’ll be going to Cleveland instead.
Ravens To Sign Tony Jefferson
A year after signing safety Eric Weddle, the Ravens are set to make another splash at the position in free agency. The club will sign Tony Jefferson, report Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini of ESPN (Twitter link).
Jefferson is the second big-name defender who has agreed to depart the Cardinals this evening, joining soon-to-be Jaguar Calais Campbell. The safety’s decision to sign with the Ravens came in spite of a better offer from the AFC North rival Browns, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The Jets also had interest in Jefferson, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link), but Weddle helped convince him to head to Baltimore, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Twitter).
Jefferson hit clubs’ radars in the wake of a season in which he logged career bests in tackles (92), starts (14) and sacks (two). Although Jefferson failed to intercept a pass last year, and has recorded only two picks in four NFL seasons, he’s known for his line-of-scrimmage prowess and managed to rank an outstanding fifth in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 89 qualified safeties. He also rated as our 11th-best free agent and top safety.
The addition of an in-his-prime Jefferson, 25, is a boon for the Ravens, but not for one of their other safeties, Lardarius Webb. The team is now primed to release him and pick up $5.5MM in cap room, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Interestingly, PFF liked the 15th-ranked Webb’s play nearly as much as it did Jefferson’s last season. However, at 31, Webb is the far older of the two. To this point, he has spent his entire eight-year career in Baltimore, where he has amassed 111 appearances, 82 starts and 13 interceptions. Webb started all 16 of the Ravens’ games last year.
Contract Details: Gholston, Colquitt, Doyle, Davis
Updates on the contracts signed over the past couple of days, mostly via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle…
- Buccaneers defensive end William Gholston‘s contract includes $13.5MM in guaranteed money, as well as a guaranteed base salary of $3MM for the 2017 season (via Twitter). The 25-year-old’s $6.5MM 2018 salary becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2017 league year.
- Defensive tackle Khyri Thornton‘s deal with the Lions is worth $3.3MM with a $325K bonus (Twitter). Thornton will make $700K in 2017, followed by a $1.325MM salary in 2018. He can earn another $12.5K via annual per game active roster bonus, as well as $225K via a weight bonus.
- Punter Britton Colquitt‘s new deal with the Browns is worth $11.2MM and $4.5MM guaranteed (via Twitter). The former fourth-rounder will earn $1.65MM in 2017, followed by salaries of $2.55MM (2018), $2.7MM (2019), and $2.8M (2020).
- Colts tight end Jack Doyle will earn $18.9MM on his next contract (via Twitter). Doyle will earn a guaranteed $1MM next season, followed by a $3.5MM salary in 2018 (guaranteed fifth day of league year) and $5.15MM salary in 2019. The tight end will also earn a $6.5MM roster bonus on March 10th.
- Fullback James Develin earned a $2.45MM contract from the Patriots along with a $300K signing bonus, reports Wilson (Twitter). Develin will earn $800K each year, with a guaranteed $200K base salary for 2017. He can earn another $12.5K via a per-game active annual roster bonus.
- ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets that tight end Vernon Davis will receive $15MM ($7.5MM guaranteed) from the Redskins. The veteran will make $6MM in the first year of the three-year deal.
- Punter Shane Lechler‘s new deal with the Texans is for one-year and $2MM ($1MM guaranteed), reports Caplan (via Twitter).
Browns Have High Bid On Tony Jefferson
The Browns are in on Tony Jefferson and their offer is currently the most lucrative one on the table, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The Ravens, he adds, are also involved.
This week, I ranked Jefferson No. 11 on my Top 50 Free Agents List, which lists players in order of earning power. I estimated a $10MM+/year salary for Jefferson, particularly since Eric Berry is now off of the market. Jefferson is far and away the best strong safety in this year’s free agent crop.
The Cardinals want to keep Jefferson, but they expect to lose him. The Buccaneers, Redskins, Titans, and Panthers would all make varying degrees of sense for him, but it’s not clear if they are serious bidders.
One notable safety came off the market on Wednesday when Barry Church agreed to terms with the Jaguars. Duron Harmon, Jonathan Cyprien, T.J. McDonald, and Micah Hyde remain on the board. Darius Butler could also play safety, if asked.
Will Teams Pay Pryor Plus-$10MM?
- The Jets, Browns, Ravens and Redskins are among the main teams seeking help at safety. Tony Jefferson is atop our list of the top available safeties, followed by Duron Harmon.
- The writer isn’t convinced that there’s a team besides the Browns that would be willing to pay receiver Terrelle Pryor more than $10MM a season.
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