Here are some details on a deal recently reached in Houston:
Jerry Hughes, DT (Texans): Two-year, $10MM. The deal , reported by ESPN’s Field Yates, has a guaranteed amount of $4.5MM comprised of a $2.5MM signing bonus and Hughes’s 2022 base salary of $2MM. The contract has two different per game active bonuses for each year. In 2022, Hughes will receive a per game active bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500,000. In 2023, Hughes will receive a per game active bonus of $58,823 for a potential season total of $1MM.
Here’s an interesting detail in the contract of the 2022 NFL Draft’s No. 1 overall pick:
Defensive end Travon Walker‘s first NFL contract currently has a detail that no other rookie contract from this year holds: the deal contains no offset language, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Offset language usually pertains to what will happen to a player’s salary if he should be cut in his first four seasons (the duration of each drafted rookie’s contract). Breer reports that it’s currently the only such deal this year. He also points out that it only occurred with two players from last year’s Draft: Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Jaguars running back Travis Etienne. Jacksonville has clearly started a trend of being uniquely generous to their first-round picks.
Here are some details from a contract recently restructured in Baltimore:
Nick Boyle, TE (Ravens): Two-year, $13MM. According to Yates, Boyle agreed to rework his contract, lowering his 2022 salary from $5MM to $1.12MM with a signing bonus of $2.63MM and possible incentives of $1.25MM. His 2023 salary was lowered $1MM with that money being converted to a roster bonus for that year. The deal creates $2.57MM of new cap space for the Ravens to work with.
DL Adedayo Odeleye, International Player Pathway Program (story)
Green could have a chance to contribute on a shallow tight ends depth chart. After transferring from Minnesota to Houston, Green saw a larger role on offense, hauling in 13 receptions for 157 yards and three touchdowns. He’ll likely compete with rookie fifth-round pick Teagan Quitoriano for reps alongside Brevin Jordan.
The top cornerback in this past draft is officially joining the Texans. Houston has agreed to terms with Derek Stingley Jr., per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The Texans raised some eyebrows by selecting the LSU alum third overall, making him the first defensive back to be taken off the board. A top-three draft slot wouldn’t have come as a surprise, of course, had he been able to maintain his level of play throughout all three seasons he spent with the Tigers.
Stingley burst onto the scene during his freshman season in 2019. He made 38 tackles, adding six interceptions and 15 pass breakups as a key part of the team’s run to the national title. His performance had him squarely on the first-round radar, but staying on the field became an issue from then on. The six-foot-one, 195-pounder only played 10 games between his sophomore and junior campaigns, failing to record another pick during that span.
That led many to believe he could still be worth a high Day 1 pick, but that Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner would be the first corner to hear his name called. Just before the draft, though, it came out the Texans were seriously considering Stingley at No. 3, as they had him rated above Gardner, the eventual fourth overall selection by the Jets. Risky as the pick has been labelled by some, the team has the potential to reap the rewards if Stingley can stay healthy in the NFL.
Stingley will receive a $22.385MM signing bonus, per Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). Overall his four-year rookie deal carries a total value of $34.6MM; the team will also, of course, have the fifth-year option available.
We’ve compiled some updated numbers on recent NFL signings:
Mario Addison, DE (Texans): two-year deal. Contract has a $7.7MM base value, including a $2MM signing bonus, per ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter.
Bryce Callahan, CB (Chargers): signed. It’s a one-year deal worth $1.27MM, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (via Twitter). The deal has a cap hit of $1.04MM thanks to the veteran salary benefit. Callahan will earn a base salary of $1.12MM and a signing bonus worth $152.5K.
Mike Davis, RB (Ravens): signed. It’s a one-year deal for the veteran running back, per Yates (on Twitter). The deal is worth a bit more than $1.20MM, meaning Davis’s cap hit will qualify for the veteran salary benefit contract.
E.J. Perry, QB (Jaguars): signed. The UDFA received $230K in guaranteed money from Jacksonville, including a $23K signing bonus and a guaranteed $207K salary, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).
Kyle Van Noy, LB (Chargers): one-year deal. The contract’s base value and cap hit are worth $2.25MM. Includes $1.5MM base salary and $750K signing bonus, per Yates on Twitter.
The Texans signed the first of their two second-round picks — safety Jalen Pitre — to his four-year rookie contract Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Pitre’s $8.95MM deal includes three years fully guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano (on Twitter). This marks a step forward under the current slot system, with the No. 34 overall pick being last year’s cutoff line for full guarantees. Pitre went off the board 37th overall.
Houston later traded up for Alabama wideout John Metchie in Round 2 but used its own pick to nab Pitre, who played both linebacker and safety at Baylor. The Bears moved Pitre to safety in 2020, when he became a regular on their defense. Pitre returned both of his interceptions that season for touchdowns. He forced three fumbles during his 2021 senior season, en route to first-team All-America acclaim. Despite the move from linebacker, Pitre weighed just 198 pounds at the Combine.
Longtime Texans safety starter Justin Reid departed early in free agency, signing with the Chiefs as a Tyrann Mathieu replacement. This clears a path for Pitre to be an instant starter in Houston, should the in-state product prove ready.
Nearly two months have passed since Baker Mayfield made his trade request. The Browns engaged in trade talks with the Panthers during the draft, but the sides did not come particularly close to a deal. As the team begins its Deshaun Watson era, its previous starter waits to learn his next NFL destination.
The Browns wanted to wanted to trade their four-year starter quickly, but the quarterback market soon featured few potential takers. It became clear a low-level return was to be expected, and to even recoup that, the Browns will have to eat a chunk of Mayfield’s $18.9MM fifth-year option salary. This has caused Cleveland to hold tight, and The Athletic’s Zac Jackson notes the Browns are prepared to ride this out to potentially wait to see if an injury forces a team to reconsider Mayfield in an emergency circumstance (subscription required). The Browns will excuse Mayfield from their June minicamp, if necessary, allowing the QB to satisfy his attendance requirements toward his 2022 salary.
Cutting Mayfield now would benefit him. He is locked into that $18.9MM salary, which would become Browns dead money, and have his pick of teams — perhaps as a chance to prove himself ahead of an intriguing 2023 free agency bid — from which to choose. The longer this impasse goes, the more Mayfield will be limited regarding assimilation with his next team. If the Browns are truly intent on waiting for a training camp injury to change the equation — a la Teddy Bridgewater in 2016 or Ryan Tannehill in 2017 — that will not go over well with Mayfield’s camp.
The Panthers have a fifth-year option salary on their quarterback depth chart, in Sam Darnold, but Mayfield has outperformed his draft classmate. Carolina would probably pounce if Mayfield hit free agency, but the team wanted Cleveland to pick up most of Mayfield’s salary to facilitate a trade. The Panthers then traded up for Matt Corral in Round 3. Mayfield, who led the Browns to their first playoff win since 1994, would undoubtedly give the 2022 Panthers a better chance to win compared to Darnold or Corral — Robby Anderson‘s thoughts on the matter notwithstanding — and USA Today’s Josina Anderson tweets the Panthers have not closed the book here. Carolina also holds the league’s most cap space, at $29MM-plus.
Mentioned as a Mayfield suitor earlier this offseason, the Seahawks are holding a Drew Lock–Geno Smith competition. Seattle, which also resisted selecting a QB in the draft, is not planning to trade for a passer. This is also a team that would certainly take a hard look at Mayfield in free agency, but if Pete Carroll‘s persistent Lock praise is to be believed, the Seahawks’ post-Russell Wilson plan is to let two 2021 backups vie for the job.
The Texans loom as Mayfield monitors. They did not draft a quarterback and have 2021 third-rounder Davis Mills positioned to start. While Watson’s ex-employer was not interested in taking Mayfield as part of that trade, the prospect of the Browns eating much of his 2022 salary changed the equation. Mayfield’s arrival would throw a wrench into Mills’ development, and Houston does not appear prepared to compete for a playoff spot in a stacked AFC. But the disgruntled vet, once healthy, would represent an upgrade opportunity. Of course, so would fellow trade-block resident Jimmy Garoppolo, who has close ties to GM Nick Caserio from their New England days.
The rebuilding Falcons used a third-round pick on Desmond Ridder but have only Marcus Mariota as a placeholder. If Daniel Jones fails to impress the new Giants regime this offseason, would they look into Mayfield? Barring injuries, are there other teams that would make sense? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
After seeing assistant general manager Joe Schoen become the Giants’ GM, the Bills recently lost exec Dennis Hickeyto the Giants as well. Amid the subtractions, Buffalo added to its front office this week.
The Bills are hiring Texans co-assistant director of player personnel Matt Bazirgan, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter). Bazirgan spent four years with the Texans; he will join the Bills as a senior personnel exec. He will reunite with ex-Texans GM Brian Gaine, who has worked on Brandon Beane‘s Bills staff since 2019.
A Jets exec for nearly 15 years, Bazirgan joined the Texans’ front office shortly after the 2018 draft. This move came ahead of a turbulent period for the Texans, who soon pivoted to a Bill O’Brien– and Jack Easterby-led operation. The Texans fired Gaine barely a year into his GM tenure, and while Bazirgan stayed on under current GM Nick Caserio for over a year, he will rejoin his former boss in Buffalo.
Bazirgan, who interviewed for the Texans’ GM job late in 2020, worked as Gaine’s right-hand man during the latter’s short GM tenure and also provided a leadership presence with the team’s college and pro scouting departments. He worked with the Jets for 14 years and rose to a college scouting director post with the AFC East franchise.
One of the top remaining edge rushers is off the market. Jerry Hughesis signing with the Texans, as first reported by Jordan Schultz and confirmed (on Twitter) by Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson.
Hughes, 33, began his career in Indianapolis in 2010. He played a reserve role for the first two seasons of his career, but took on a much larger workload the following year. He started six games, totalling 41 tackles and four sacks. During the subsequent offseason, though, he was traded to the Bills.
It was in Buffalo that he enjoyed the bulk of his success. Starting 127 of 144 games with the Bills, Hughes put up back-to-back seasons with 10 sacks in 2013 and 2014. Since then, he has remained a consistent presence on the edge of the Bills’ defense. His level of play earned him a two-year extension in 2019, though the 2021 campaign saw him put up the lowest totals of his tenure in western New York (18 tackles, two sacks).
This offseason, the Bills have made changes in the edge room, including, most notably, the signing of Von Miller. In large part because of that deal, Hughes and Mario Addisonwere forced to find new homes. The latter has already signed in Houston, making him one of a few notable faces for Hughes. Another is defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire, who previously worked on the Bills’ staff.
As a Sugar Land native and TCU alum, this deal also marks a homecoming for Hughes. Even if he isn’t able to replicate his best years, he should have a notable role to play on what could be a much-improved Texans defense in 2022.
