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Browns Lead NFL In Salary Cap Carryover

February 18th, 2021 at 10:19pm CST by Ben Levine

Earlier today, the NFL Players Association announced (via Twitter) the salary cap carryover amounts for all 32 NFL teams for the 2021 season. Effectively, teams are able to rollover their unused cap from the previous season. So, when the 2021 salary cap numbers become official, they can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that individual club’s official cap for 2021.

This follows news from earlier today that the NFL has raised its salary cap floor to $180MM for 2021. This total could clue us in to the salary cap maximum, which could end up landing north of $190MM. The salary cap was $198.2MM for the 2020 campaign.

As the NFLPA detailed, the league will rollover $315.1MM from the 2020 season, an average of $9.8MM per team. The Browns lead the league with a whopping $30.4MM, and they’re the only team in the top-five to make the playoffs. The NFC East ($68.8MM) and AFC East ($65.3MM) are the two divisions will the largest carryover amounts.

The full list is below:

  • Cleveland Browns: $30.4MM
  • New York Jets: $26.7MM
  • Dallas Cowboys: $25.4MM
  • Jacksonville Jaguars: $23.5MM
  • Philadelphia Eagles: $22.8MM
  • New England Patriots: $19.6MM
  • Denver Broncos: $17.8MM
  • Washington Football Team: $15.8MM
  • Miami Dolphins: $15.2MM
  • Detroit Lions: $12.8MM
  • Cincinnati Bengals: $10.8MM
  • Houston Texans: $9.2MM
  • Indianapolis Colts: $8.3MM
  • Los Angeles Chargers: $8.1MM
  • Chicago Bears: $7MM
  • Los Angeles Rams: $5.7MM
  • Kansas City Chiefs: $5.1MM
  • Arizona Cardinals: $5MM
  • Pittsburgh Steelers: $5MM
  • New York Giants: $4.8MM
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $4.6MM
  • Minnesota Vikings: $4.5MM
  • Carolina Panthers: $4.3MM
  • New Orleans Saints: $4.1MM
  • Buffalo Bills: $3.8MM
  • Green Bay Packers: $3.7MM
  • Las Vegas Raiders: $3.6MM
  • Tennessee Titans: $2.3MM
  • San Francisco 49ers: $1.9MM
  • Atlanta Falcons: $1.8MM
  • Seattle Seahawks: $956K
  • Baltimore Ravens: $587K

Giants Interested In Kenny Golladay?

February 18th, 2021 at 8:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants have their top three receivers from the past two seasons — Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate and Darius Slayton — under contract for 2021, but they are expected to show interest in a higher-profile pass catcher.

Should the Lions let Kenny Golladay hit the market, many around the league expect the Giants to pursue the Pro Bowl target, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv notes. The Giants discussed Golladay with the Lions before last year’s trade deadline, despite having just one win at the time, but the Lions held onto their No. 1 receiver. Golladay, however, missed most of the season due to injury.

Golladay’s availability will obviously factor into any team’s pursuit. A franchise tag for the four-year veteran is firmly on the table, despite the Lions having traded Matthew Stafford and overhauled their front office and coaching staff this offseason. The former third-round pick missed 11 games last season because of hamstring and hip injuries but averaged an NFL-high 18.3 yards per catch in 2019, doing so with Stafford missing half that season.

The Giants are expected to part ways with Tate at some point soon. No guaranteed money remains on the veteran’s deal, which calls for a $10.9MM cap number. Tate’s former Lions teammate would be a target to monitor, though the two-time 1,000-yard receiver may only be available through a tag-and-trade scenario. A receiver tag is expected to cost north of $16MM.

As of mid-February, the Giants are less than $1MM under the projected $180MM cap. They have Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson on track for free agency, with the former set to command big money after a breakthrough season in his first full year with the Giants. The team also has an edge rusher need yet again. But the Giants’ offense regressed to 31st in points scored last season, and its Daniel Jones plan may require more help for the young quarterback.

Should Golladay not hit the market, several other big-name receivers will. Former Dave Gettleman Panthers draftee Curtis Samuel is a free agent-to-be. Even if Chris Godwin and Allen Robinson are tagged, the likes of Will Fuller, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Corey Davis, T.Y. Hilton, Marvin Jones and A.J. Green are some of the names set to be free agents. The 2021 draft is also expected to be heavy on wideout talent, continuing a recent trend.

Lions Expected To Franchise WR Kenny Golladay?

February 16th, 2021 at 6:55pm CST by Ben Levine

You could make a good argument that Kenny Golladay is the top free agent wideout, but there’s a chance he won’t even make it that far. Multiple sources have told CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora that the Lions will ultimately slap Golladay with the franchise tag.

It would make sense for the Lions to follow that route, especially from a financial perspective. As La Canfora notes, the going rate for a player of Golladay’s caliber is probably around $19MM. The franchise tag is expected to come in around $16MM, which is a significant discount on a Pro Bowler. Plus, if the Lions commit to a full rebuild and clear house, franchising and subsequently trading Golladay would garner the front office some extra draft assets.

On the flip side, Golladay probably won’t be too thrilled about having to settle for the franchise tag, especially after he was unable to work out an extension with the organization during the 2020 season. The Lions have also hired a new coaching staff, revamped their front office, and traded franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford, an indication that they may be bottoming out before becoming contenders. While Golladay hasn’t been a headache during his tenure in Detroit (he even said that he’d welcome a return), the wideout would have non-financial reasons to not be thrilled with his situation.

The 2017 third-round burst onto the scene during his sophomore campaign, and he followed that up with a Pro Bowl campaign in 2019, hauling in 65 receptions for 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns. Injuries limited Golladay to only five games in 2020, with the 27-year-old compiling 20 receptions for 338 yards and two scores.

Anthony Lynn Would Prefer A Rookie QB Sits

February 15th, 2021 at 10:26pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Lions got Jared Goff back in the blockbuster Matthew Stafford trade, but with all their newfound draft capital they very well may take another passer early. They’ve got the seventh overall pick in April, plus two future first-rounders from the Rams now. Even if they do draft a young quarterback, it sounds like new offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn would prefer Goff to play initially. After acknowledging that if there were a dramatic difference in training camp he would have to play the better player to keep the locker room, Lynn explained his belief that a rookie quarterback should sit at first, via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press.

“I’d love to see that rookie sit and watch for a little while. If he could watch for half the season or watch for the first year like Patrick Mahomes did (behind Alex Smith), I believe he can learn so much from the right veteran quarterback because a lot of rookies come into this league and they’re not ready,” the Lions’ new offensive play-caller said. “The speed of the game is twice as fast as it was in college and they don’t have success. And in today’s environment with social media things get out of whack and some of these guys lose their confidence and, hell, they never get it back. So if I can sit a rookie, I will. If I can.”

Of course, Lynn was the head coach of the Chargers this past year when they initially started Tyrod Taylor over first-round pick Justin Herbert. An injury knocked out Taylor after only one game, and Herbert took the job and never looked back.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • Many teams lost full-time starters due to COVID-19 opt outs for 2020, including the Bears with defensive tackle Eddie Goldman. Goldman started at least 15 games at nose tackle in each of the three previous seasons for Chicago before sitting out this past year. Fortunately for the Bears, new defensive coordinator Sean Desai said Monday that the team believes they’ll have him back in 2021, per Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com. Due to the league’s opt-out rules, Goldman’s contract, which owes him $4.75MM next year, tolled to 2021 automatically.
  • Cardinals outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck had a breakout 2020 season when he recorded seven sacks, but unfortunately it ended in injury. He was placed on injured reserve with a couple of games left to go, but we didn’t know at the time how severe it was. In an Instagram post last month, Gardeck revealed it was a torn ACL that he suffered. An UDFA in 2018 out of D2 school Sioux Falls, he was just a special teamer his first two years. He still was only getting limited snaps this past year but made the most of them, racking up the seven sacks despite playing less than ten percent of the defensive snaps. He had three multi-sack games. Unfortunately due to how late his ACL tear came, he should be considered questionable for Week 1 right now.
  • In case you missed it, the 49ers are reportedly either going to take a ‘big swing’, or stick with Jimmy Garoppolo.

Matthew Stafford: There Were Teams I Didn’t Want To Play For

February 14th, 2021 at 6:39pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

A few days ago we heard Matthew Stafford dish on his trade process, including about how he knew a move was possible prior to the 2020 season, and offer insights into a few of the potential destinations before the Rams eventually stepped up. Now Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press (subscription required) has published the second part of their interview, and there are more interesting nuggets to pore over.

There was a report that Stafford didn’t want to go to the Patriots, perhaps due to the presence of Matt Patricia. Albom asked him about that and while he didn’t specifically name New England, he did admit that there were certain teams he didn’t want to play for.

“Well, what’s accurate is — and this is an incredible thing by them — I asked to go to a team that was ready to win a championship. And, you know, there were a few teams on that list. There were a few teams that were not on that list. And they were respectful of that and understood completely. I had thoughts and reasons for each one of them,” Stafford said while raving about how the Lions handled the situation.

It sounds like he saw New England struggle to field a competitive team in 2020, and wanted no part of it. Stafford also acknowledged that the Rams would’ve been his top choice all along, which was rumored to be the case. He did try to tamp down the speculation by speaking highly of Patricia.

“He and I had a good relationship, no matter what anybody wants to say. I could go into his office and talk to him, he could get me on the phone whenever he needed to. I think we both grew in that relationship. I have a lot of respect for him and who he is, as a football coach and an unbelievable mind,” Stafford said of his former coach.

Matthew Stafford Addresses Lions Exit, Trade Options, Injuries

February 11th, 2021 at 6:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

A week after Matthew Stafford‘s January trade request surfaced, the Rams made a deal to acquire him for Jared Goff and three draft picks. But a Detroit departure was on the 12-year veteran’s mind ahead of the 2020 season as well.

Rumors circulated about a Stafford trade last year, when he was coming off an injury-abbreviated 2019 season, but those quickly fizzled. Stafford played 16 Lions games last season, but the team’s 5-11 record led to a regime change and the official trade request. Now set for a rebuild, the Lions hired ex-Rams exec Brad Holmes as GM and Dan Campbell as head coach.

“To be honest, Kelly and I probably started talking about it before last season,” Stafford said of he and his wife’s discussions about a possible Detroit exit (via Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press). “It was one of those things where, you know, we were hoping that, golly, let’s go, I hope this thing takes off and we play great. But if it doesn’t, you just knew what was going to happen. They were going to tear it down and rebuild.

“And anytime you switch GMs and a head coach, you know that they’re going to want to bring their own people in, and that’s going to take time. And I, frankly, didn’t feel like I was the appropriate person to oversee that time.”

Stafford, who turned 33 last week, generated trade inquiries or offers from nearly half the league. The Panthers offered their first-round pick (No. 8 overall) and Teddy Bridgewater for him; Washington offered its No. 19 overall choice and more as well. The Broncos’ offer did not come in on that level, but they joined the Colts, 49ers, Bears and Patriots as other suitors. Stafford was believed to be against a New England trade.

“I thought all the places that everybody else thought. Indianapolis. San Francisco — although you didn’t know what was gonna happen with Jimmy (Garoppolo),” Stafford said. “Washington, but we obviously didn’t know what was gonna happen there. I just didn’t know how (the Rams) would ever be able to (execute a trade). I’m not a salary cap guru. It kind of got to a point where I’m like, OK, I can’t sit there and go crazy. I just tried to let it happen, and L.A. aggressively jumped into it.”

Between 2013-18, the Lions won between six and nine games in five seasons. Stafford will head to a Rams team that has made three of the past four playoff brackets, after missing the previous 12.

“I’ve always wanted to play in those big games; I feel like I will excel in those situations. I wanted to shoot my shot,” Stafford said, via Albom. “… In my mind, I felt like I was going to be able to help us go win six, seven, eight games, because I wasn’t gonna let us lose more than that, you know? But I probably wasn’t good enough (by myself) to help us win more than that. And maybe we don’t ever get those top picks that we needed.

Although the Rams are set to upgrade at quarterback, they will acquire a player coming off some recent injuries. Back trouble caused Stafford to miss eight games in 2019, and he said he suffered a torn UCL in his left elbow during Detroit’s Thanksgiving game. Stafford also told Albom he suffered a partial UCL tear in his right thumb and a broken rib and encountered multiple leg issues this past season. The former No. 1 overall pick, however, has only missed eight games in the past 10 years.

Lions To Add Antwaan Randle El To Staff

February 9th, 2021 at 4:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Antwaan Randle El made his initial foray into NFL coaching with the Buccaneers, and the former wide receiver will collect a Super Bowl ring for his role on Bruce Arians‘ staff. He will also land another opportunity.

The former Steelers and Washington wideout will join Dan Campbell‘s staff as Lions receivers coach, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Randle El, 41, spent two seasons as a Bucs offensive assistant after previously coaching high school basketball in Virginia.

Randle El will join a Lions staff that houses longtime NFLers Campbell, OC Anthony Lynn, DC Aaron Glenn, QBs coach Mark Brunell and running backs coach Duce Staley. This will be Randle El’s first NFL position coaching gig.

A standout quarterback at Indiana, Randle El spent his first four NFL seasons with the Steelers. His signature NFL moment took place in Detroit. Randle El threw a pinpoint 43-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward in the Steelers’ victory over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. After four seasons in Washington, Randle El returned to Pittsburgh and closed out his career on a Steelers team that journeyed to Super Bowl XLV.

More Fallout From Matthew Stafford Trade

February 7th, 2021 at 12:53pm CST by Rory Parks

It’s been a week since the Rams and Lions completed the Matthew Stafford trade, but the fallout from that deal is ongoing. Here’s the latest:

  • We previously heard that the Panthers offered their No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, plus a later pick, for Stafford. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), that later selection was a fifth-rounder, and Carolina also included Teddy Bridgewater in the proposal, so the Lions would at least have had a veteran signal-caller to take Stafford’s place while they groomed a younger QB. Plus, Detroit would have had the No. 7 and No. 8 overall picks in the draft, so it would have had a terrific chance to land a top collegiate passer and another elite prospect, or at least enough ammo to trade up for a top QB prospect.
  • What’s more, Bridgewater’s contract is much less onerous than that of Jared Goff, who ended up going to the Lions in the swap. But as Peter Schrager of the NFL Network tweets, the Lions didn’t just take on Goff’s contract in order to squeeze more draft picks out of the Rams. They actually wanted Goff and believe he can regain the form he displayed in the 2017-18 seasons, which is a key factor in evaluating Detroit’s return.
  • When negotiations with the Rams commenced, though, the Lions were interested in another high-profile LA player. As Schefter reports in a separate tweet, Detroit first requested DT Aaron Donald, a request that the Rams summarily dismissed. Donald just landed his third Defensive Player of the Year award, and he obviously would have gone a long way towards the Lions’ much-needed defensive rebuild.
  • Stafford’s presence is attracting free agents to the Rams, as Schefter writes. Already, players have reached out to Stafford to express their interest in teaming up with him in Los Angeles, and Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones — who is eligible for free agency — is one such player. However, the Rams are projected to be well over the new salary cap of $180.5MM, so it’s unclear how active they will be in the free agent market.
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