NFL Restructures: Okwara, Allen, Fatukasi
Here are a few details on recent contract restructures around the league:
- Lions edge rusher Romeo Okwara came to an agreement to restructure his contract at the beginning of the week. According to Field Yates of ESPN, the renegotiated contract reduces his cap hit in 2023 from $14.5MM to $5.65MM.
- After center Brian Allen reportedly agreed to a renegotiated deal, the Rams benefitted from a bit of cap relief. According to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, Allen’s restructured contract saved approximately $3.2MM in cap space for Los Angeles.
- The Jaguars were able to reach an agreement on a restructured contract with defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi recently. The team converted $7.38MM of Fatukasi’s base salary into a signing bonus and added three void years. The moves resulted in about $5.9MM of additional cap space in 2023.
Lions Re-Sign QB Nate Sudfeld
The Lions picked up Nate Sudfeld after he failed to beat out Brock Purdy for the 49ers’ third-string job last summer, and the NFC North team will stay the course behind Jared Goff.
Detroit agreed to terms to bring back Sudfeld for a second season, the team announced Friday. Sudfeld is back in position to be Goff’s primary backup.
Sudfeld losing a job to Purdy no longer looks strange, given the rise of last year’s Mr. Irrelevant, and the ex-Eagles third-stringer backed into some job security after missing out on a 49ers third-string gig. The Lions cut David Blough to make room for Sudfeld last summer, and both Tim Boyle finished last season with the Bears. The Lions also brought in Josh Dobbs for a bit but let the Titans poach him off their practice squad. Dobbs is now back in Cleveland, while Boyle is unsigned.
Goff has missed just four games due to injury over his seven-year career. Three of those came during the 2021 season. Boyle replaced Goff for those games — all losses — but the resurgent starter played all 17 Lions contests last season. Sudfeld, however, remained on the roster throughout the year.
Perhaps best known for being the player at the heart of the Eagles’ much-discussed decision that may well have decided the 2020 NFC East title, Sudfeld is now heading into his eighth NFL season. Since Doug Pederson benched Jalen Hurts for Sudfeld in that Week 17 game two seasons ago, Sudfeld spent a year in San Francisco and a year in Detroit. Sudfeld played behind Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance in 2021.
Sudfeld, 29, operated as Nick Foles‘ backup during the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl LII run and in the following playoffs, after the team lost Carson Wentz to injury in both years. The Indiana alum spent four years in Philadelphia. The former Washington sixth-round pick has thrown just 37 regular-season passes, completing 25, in his pro career. He has one career touchdown pass.
Long thought to be preparing to draft a quarterback in 2022 or this year, the Lions are no longer believed to be strongly considering using one of their two first-round picks on a passer. This does not mean Detroit will punt on the position throughout the draft, but even if the team does select a later-round QB, Sudfeld would seemingly be in position as a mentor-type player in that scenario.
Lions OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai Agrees To Pay Cut, Removes 2024 Season From Deal
Although the Lions featured one of the NFL’s better offensive lines last season, they were missing one of their starters throughout. Rather than make Halapoulivaati Vaitai a cap casualty, the team will see if the former starter can contribute in 2023.
The Lions reached a pay-cut agreement with Vaitai, Justin Rogers of the Detroit News tweets. Vaitai has also agreed to trim the 2024 season off his contract, making him a free agent after this coming year. Vaitai was attached to a five-year, $45MM deal — one signed in 2020 — but after he missed all of last season, he agreed to a reduction that will create cap space for the Lions.
[RELATED: Lions, Panthers Pursuing DJ Chark]
Vaitai’s base salary will drop from $9.4MM to $3MM in 2023, per OverTheCap, with 2024 now being a void year. Vaitai’s 2023 cap hit will be reduced from $12.45MM to $5.1MM. As of Thursday morning, the Lions hold $26.1MM in cap space — third-most in the NFL. The void component here would add $3.8MM in dead money onto Detroit’s 2024 cap if Vaitai is not re-signed before the 2024 league year.
A September back surgery sidelined Vaitai last year, leading Evan Brown to replace him as the Lions’ primary right guard. Vaitai, 29, had worked as Detroit’s starter there from 2020-21, having come over from Philadelphia. Brown, who was Frank Ragnow‘s injury replacement in 2021, has since signed with the Seahawks. The Lions, however, have brought back Graham Glasgow as a potential guard option.
Formerly an Eagles tackle fill-in, Vaitai collected $20MM guaranteed as part of his 2020 agreement. He already reworked that deal in 2021 to create cap space. The Lions will see if they can get more out of that deal, and rather than refuse a pay cut and head into free agency coming off an injury-erased season, Vaitai will aim to return to form in Detroit. The Lions still have all five of their O-line starters in place from 2021, with Ragnow, Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson and Penei Sewell under contract.
Glasgow’s cap figure will check in at $2.68MM, Rogers adds (on Twitter). The Lions also used a void year to finalize this reunion, though only $1.47MM would accelerate onto Detroit’s 2024 cap were Glasgow not re-signed before the start of the next league year. Glasgow, 30, wanted to return to Detroit but said (via Rogers) the 49ers and Panthers showed interest as well. The 49ers have since added Jon Feliciano as an interior swingman. Glasgow could wind up with a bigger role in Detroit, looking like the top replacement for Vaitai. Should Vaitai be unable to return to full strength, Glasgow has a clear path to becoming a Lions starter again.
Lions Sign LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin is headed back to the 313. After spending the first five years of his career in Detroit, Reeves-Maybin will return to the Lions after a one-year stint in Houston, according to his agent Brian McLaughlin’s Twitter account. 
When the 28-year-old was last in Detroit, he left an up-and-down tenure with the team as a starter. He failed to continue that role in Houston, as he was mainly relegated to special teams duty with the Texans. Reeves-Maybin found himself playing fewer defensive snaps than starters Christian Kirksey and Christian Harris. After that, linebackers Kamu Grugier-Hill, Jake Hansen, Blake Cashman, and Garret Wallow all finished with more defensive playing time than Reeves-Maybin.
Reeves-Maybin was released to little surprise. The two-year, $7.5MM contract that he earned after his strong year with the Lions became much too cumbersome to the Texans for a special teamer. Reeves-Maybin was due for a $4.25MM cap hit in 2023, and Houston was willing to eat $2MM in dead money for the $2.25MM in cap savings it got from cutting him.
Reeves-Maybin should be excited about the move back up north, as should his new and former head coach Dan Campbell, who had this to say about Reeves-Maybin following his initial departure from Detroit, “I know he missed a couple of games here due to injury, but when he’s been out there on defense and on special teams, he just, he makes plays. He’s a football player, and that doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Both parties should be happy as they’re both receiving some benefit out of the reunion. Campbell was able to retain his top linebacker from 2022, Alex Anzalone, under a new three-year deal and returns rookie starter Malcolm Rodriguez, as well, but the team lost Chris Board in free agency to New England. Board played a similar role in Detroit to what Reeves-Maybin did in Houston, playing sparingly on defense but contributing largely on special teams. With Reeves-Maybin, Campbell has the hard-working, reliable linebacker on special teams that he lost in Board.
Reeves-Maybin benefits by moving back to the last team and head coach who gave him an extended starting opportunity. If Campbell’s last impression of Reeves-Maybin still holds true, Reeves-Maybin may find himself solidifying the third linebacker position behind Anzalone and Rodriguez.
Lions, Panthers Still Interested In DJ Chark
Two DJ Chark suitors have made their intentions known this offseason. The Lions said they were interested in re-signing the former second-round pick back in January, while the Panthers met him last week. While we are nearly a week into the 2023 league year, Chark still has a market — but perhaps not quite on the level he expected.
Panthers GM Scott Fitterer said Monday (via Panthers.com’s Darin Gantt) that, despite Adam Thielen agreeing to terms on a three-year deal worth $25MM, the team is still talking with Chark. The Lions have also kept tabs on Chark, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo, who notes (via Twitter) the team has discussed a Detroit return with the sixth-year wide receiver over the past week.
The Lions took a higher-end flier on Chark last year, giving him $10MM to join Amon-Ra St. Brown in a retooling receiving corps. Chark, 26, battled more ankle trouble — after a broken ankle ended his 2021 Jaguars finale — but re-emerged to become a key weapon for Jared Goff as the team made a late playoff push. Averaging a career-high 16.4 yards per reception, the 6-foot-4 target totaled 502 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.
Lions GM Brad Holmes said he wanted to re-sign Chark, and the ex-Jaguars 1,000-yard receiver indicated he wanted to stay as well. St. Brown is in Year 3 of his rookie contract; he cannot negotiate an extension until 2024. Jameson Williams can be kept on his rookie deal through 2026. The Panthers became a player here following their trade-up for the No. 1 overall pick, which cost them D.J. Moore. Chark joined Thielen in meeting with the team last week, but even with the longtime Viking in the fold, the Panthers still have a need. They traded Chosen Anderson to the Cardinals last season; Terrace Marshall (490 yards) is Carolina’s top returning pass catcher.
Carolina will soon be building around a rookie-quarterback contract, leaving room to spend in other areas. Chark, however, will not likely qualify as a significant expense. As expected, this year’s receiver market is not producing windfalls. This FA class was not believed to be driving too much interest, and the deals handed out to its top prizes reflect that. Jakobi Meyers landed an $11MM-per-year pact, while JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s Patriots accord came in just south of $9MM per year. Neither AAV is among the top 25 at the position. Odell Beckham Jr. denied his long-rumored $20MM-per-year ask is rooted in reality, but he should not be expected to do too well, either.
Thielen did do fairly well, all things considered. The 10-year Viking was a cap casualty who is going into his age-33 season. His Panthers deal includes a $2MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2024 league year, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets, but the $14MM guaranteed could point to the Division II product playing two seasons in Charlotte. The Panthers could get out of the contract after one year, but even in a post-June 1 cut scenario, releasing Thielen in 2024 would still tag the team with $6.2MM in dead money.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/19/23
We will keep track of today’s minor moves right here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Re-signed: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
Cleveland Browns
- Re-signed: LB Jordan Kunaszyk
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LS Jake McQuaide
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: LS Trent Sieg
Washington Commanders
- Retired: TE Eli Wolf
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/23
Today’s minor moves around the league:
Atlanta Falcons
- Re-signed: CB Cornell Armstrong
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: S C.J. Moore
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: DE Adam Gotsis
Las Vegas Raiders
- Re-signed: LB Curtis Bolton, OL Hroniss Grasu, FB Jakob Johnson
- Signed: LS Jacob Bobenmoyer
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: S Cody Davis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: OLB Cam Gill, DL Pat O’Connor
Armstrong saw by far the largest workload of his career in 2022, his first season with the Falcons. Starting four of the nine games he appeared in, he logged a 57% snap share on defense. The 27-year-old had offers from other teams, per his agent (on Twitter), but he will instead remain in Atlanta on a one-year contract (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2).
Moore is one of several core special teamers earning new deals in recent days. His new Lions pact is two years in length, and has a base value of $4.5MM, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Moore will earn $3MM guaranteed, and could add a further $1.25MM in incentives.
K Michael Badgley Re-Signing With Lions
The Lions have their placekicker going into next season, reportedly agreeing to terms with Michael Badgley, according to Badgley’s agent Brian McLaughlin (Twitter). Badgley made the Lions his fifth team in as many years last season and impressed the team enough down the stretch to earn a new contract for 2023. 
Badgley initially signed with the Colts in 2018 as an undrafted free agent out of Miami (FL), leaving Coral Gables as the Hurricanes’ all-time leader in points scored and field goals made. After failing to make the initial 53-man roster, Badgley eventually signed with the Chargers. He struggled to stay on the field in his first two seasons but impressed as a rookie converting 15 of his 16 attempted field goals and 27 of 28 extra point attempts while earning the nickname of Money Badger. His sophomore season was nearly as impressive as he only missed three field goals and made all of his extra points.
A rough 2020 season that would see him miss nine field goals and three extra points would lead to a position battle in camp. The Chargers waived the young kicker after he failed to beat out Tristan Vizcaino in a camp kicking competition. Vizcaino wouldn’t last long in Los Angeles after missing five extra points the next season. Badgley would rebound, signing to the Titans’ practice squad and appearing in one game for Tennessee.
After getting waived by Tennessee, Badgley would win a kicking competition in Indianapolis, beating out Brett Maher, Aldrick Rosas, and Riley Patterson for a backup position behind an injured Rodrigo Blankenship. He would finish the season for the Colts after Blankenship was placed on injured reserve, missing only three field goals and making all 39 of his extra point attempts.
Badgley started 2022 as a free agent and eventually signed with the Bears as Cairo Santos was away from the team for personal reasons. He would only play one game for Chicago but would make all four field goals he would attempt in the game. Badgley was released the following week but quickly picked up by the Lions.
With Austin Seibert battling a groin injury and backup kicker Dominik Eberle struggling, Badgley took hold of the kicking job. He finished the year for the Lions, converting 24 of 28 field goal attempts and making all 33 of his extra points.
Since the departure of long-time kicker Matt Prater, the Lions kicking position has been in flux. The team will hope that Badgley can add a touch of stability to a position that has lacked it in the last few years.
OL Graham Glasgow To Return To Lions
Three years after losing Graham Glasgow in free agency, the Lions intend to bring him back. The veteran interior offensive lineman is signing with his former team Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The Lions drafted Glasgow in the 2016 third round but lost him to the Broncos’ four-year, $44MM deal in 2020. Detroit is planning to sign Glasgow to a one-year deal worth up to $4.5MM. The Broncos made Glasgow a cap casualty late last week.
Detroit features one of the league’s better O-lines this time around. Ex-Glasgow teammates Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow remain in place, while 2020 third-rounder Jonah Jackson joins them as a locked-in starter. Penei Sewell is also a cornerstone piece up front for Detroit. Evan Brown, who has played both guard and center, is a free agent. And Halapoulivaati Vaitai missed most of last season, clouding his future with the team.
This contract would point to Glasgow reprising the role he began last season with: inside swingman. The Broncos used Glasgow as a Week 1 starter in 2021 and ’22, but Quinn Meinerz — Glasgow’s 2021 injury replacement — kept Denver’s first-string right guard gig this year. Glasgow, however, saw extensive run in replacing both Meinerz and center Lloyd Cushenberry. Glasgow, 30, ended up starting 13 games for the Broncos last season. Pro Football Focus rated Glasgow as the No. 27 overall center last season
In Detroit, Glasgow worked as a four-year starter. The Lions mostly used him at guard but played him at center during stretches of his rookie-contract run as well. The Lions can save $6.5MM by releasing Vaitai, who missed all of last season due to injury. That number rises a bit if Vaitai is designated as a post-June 1 cut.
Glasgow started 58 games for the Lions from 2016-19, creating a nice market. After the Broncos shed that deal from their payroll ahead of its final year, the Michigan alum will try and carve out a spot for his first NFL team.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/15/23
Today’s tender decisions from around the NFL:
RFAs
Tendered:
- Bills: CB Dane Jackson
- Patriots: CB Myles Bryant, OT Yodny Cajuste
Non-tendered:
- 49ers: LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
- Lions: OL Tommy Kraemer, DB Bobby Price
- Panthers: QB P.J. Walker
- Rams: QB Bryce Perkins
- Ravens: C-G Trystan Colon-Castillo, LS Nick Moore, LB Del’Shawn Phillips, S Geno Stone, ILB Kristian Welch
- Saints: WR Marquez Callaway
- Seahawks: LB Tanner Muse
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Buccaneers: CB Dee Delaney
- Rams: DT Michael Hoecht, CB Shaun Jolly, LB Christian Rozeboom
- Titans: DT Naquan Jones