Julius Thomas Drawing Trade Interest
Even though they’re unlikely to acquire Julius Thomas for left tackle Branden Albert, the Dolphins are interested in trading for the Jaguars tight end. But Miami’s going to face competition if it attempts to land Thomas in a separate deal, as Mike Kaye of WTLV reports that multiple teams are eyeing a possible trade for the 28-year-old.
Aside from the Dolphins, it’s unclear which clubs are targeting Thomas, but the Broncos, Cardinals, Packers, Giants and Jets are among the teams that either got little production from tight ends in 2016 or could lose their No. 1 option to free agency. Thomas has already played in Denver, where he put up back-to-back 12-touchdown seasons from 2013-14. He parlayed that two-year stretch into a $46MM contract with Jacksonville in 2015, but the deal hasn’t gone according to plan for the franchise.
Thomas has missed 11 of 32 games as a Jaguar and averaged under 10.0 yards per catch with them. On the other hand, he has combined for respectable reception and touchdown totals since leaving Denver, having amassed 76 grabs and nine scores.
Any team that acquires the 6-foot-4, 251-pound Thomas would take on a sizable financial commitment, though a contract restructuring would be a possibility. For now, Thomas is due base salaries between $7MM and $9MM over the final three years of his deal, which also carries cap hits ranging from $8.3MM to $10.3MM through 2019.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jaguars To Release Jared Odrick
The Jaguars are releasing defensive end Jared Odrick, his agency, DEC Management, announced (Twitter link). The move will save the team Odrick’s entire cap number – $8.5MM – for 2017.
Having to cut ties with Odrick at this point clearly wasn’t what the Jaguars had in mind when they inked the ex-Dolphin to a five-year, $42.5MM contract in 2015. But he’s now coming off a season in which he missed 10 games because of injuries. Odrick had been an eminently durable defender from 2011-15, when he didn’t miss a single game, and he led the Jags in sacks (5.5) in his first year with the club.
Odrick, who has amassed 63 starts, 23 sacks and five forced fumbles since entering the NFL in 2010, will now head back to the open market. The Jags, meanwhile, will add a sizable amount to their already lofty cap space total.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dolphins, Jaguars Working To Swap Branden Albert, Julius Thomas
The Dolphins are discussing a trade that would send left tackle Branden Albert to the Jaguars in exchange for tight end Julius Thomas, according to Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel. Albert was first linked to Jacksonville last week by Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, who speculated Thomas could be a target for the Dolphins.
[RELATED: Dolphins Extend Cameron Wake]
Miami, of course, was close to releasing Albert last week, but trade talks materialized before the Fins officially made the move. The Jaguars, who recently declined their option bonus on left tackle Kelvin Beachum, were immediately viewed as the “primary destination” for Albert. While Albert and/or Thomas may need to restructure their contracts in order to finalize a deal, “all parties are willing participants” in negotiations, per Kelly.
“Why ruffle feathers when you don’t have to?” Albert said when asked about the trade. “It’s the business of the game. I honestly believe where I’m going to go is the right fit. It is going to be a surprise when [the terms] comes out.”
Albert, 32, has two years left on his current deal, with cap charges north of $10MM in each season. Miami would incur $3.4MM in dead money by dealing Albert to Jacksonville. Albert will visit the Jaguars today, and they could sweeten his deal in order to facilitate a trade, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The 28-year-old Thomas, meanwhile, is signed through 2019, and $3MM of his $7MM 2017 base salary has already become guaranteed, though he might accept a small pay cut, per Rapoport (Twitter link). Regardless, his salary would become the responsibility of the Dolphins in a trade, while the Jaguars would incur $3.6MM in dead money.
While Albert would take over the left tackle spot in Jacksonville, Thomas would also represent a solid fit for Miami. Incumbent Dolphins tight ends Jordan Cameron and Dion Sims are each pending free agents, and while Miami has interest in re-signing Sims, the club could certainly use a more established option. While Thomas has struggled during his time with the Jags, he did catch 24 touchdowns over two seasons in Denver while current Dolphins head coach Adam Gase served as offensive coordinator.
Thomas-For-Albert Swap Has Hangups
- A possible contractual hangup stands in the way of a Dolphins–Jaguars Branden Albert-for-Julius Thomas swap, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Albert, 32, has two years remaining on his five-year, $47MM deal. Thomas, 28, has three remaining on a five-year, $46.5MM accord. Both teams are in need of upgrades, the Jaguars at left tackle and Dolphins at tight end. Neither player has proven he can stay healthy throughout a season, however. With Albert being set to make $4MM more than Kelvin Beachum did last year at $9MM, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap wonders (Twitter links) if the hesitation is on the Jags’ end. Thomas is scheduled to make $7.1MM; Miami paid Jordan Cameron $6MM in 2016 for little production. Mike Garafolo of NFL.com expects the deal to be finalized by the time the new league year opens, however.
Coach: Ramsey and Bouye Would Be "Lethal"
- The Jaguars believe former first-rounder Jalen Ramsey is capable of being a top cornerback, but will that prevent the organization from pursuing another defensive back? Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com suggests that Texans cornerback A.J. Bouye could be an option, and one opposing coach believes the duo would form a “lethal” combination. Of course, the writer notes that the hypothetical would be moot if the team re-signs Prince Amukamara.
[SOURCE LINK]
Abry Jones, Chad Henne Contract Details
- Defensive tackle Abry Jones‘ four-year, $16MM deal with the Jaguars contains $6.5MM in guarantees, which are comprised of a $2.5MM 2017 base salary, a $1MM roster bonus due next March, and $3MM 2018 base salary, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, backup quarterback Chad Henne‘s new one-year contract is worth $3.5MM, reports Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link), and contains a $500K signing bonus, a $750K roster bonus due on September 7, and $2.5MM available via incentives.
Jaguars Re-Sign OL Josh Wells
The Jaguars announced that they’ve re-signed offensive lineman Josh Wells, who was set to become a restricted free agent this offseason. Terms of the deal were not announced.
[RELATED: Jaguars Nearing Trade For Branden Albert]
Given that he that he hasn’t accrued four NFL seasons, Wells could have simply been retained via an RFA tender, which means the Jaguars likely signed Wells for a cost cheaper than the original round level value (worth roughly $1.75MM). Hindered by thumb injuries during the past two seasons, Wells has only managed to appear in only five games since 2015. Last year, the 26-year-old played on just 26 total snaps — 11 on offense, 15 on special teams.
Jacksonville has been relatively active this week, as they’ve re-signed defensive tackle Abry Jones and wide receiver Arrelious Benn, restructured the contract of quarterback Chad Henne, declined left tackle Kelvin Beachum‘s option, and are close to a trade for veteran offensive lineman Branden Albert.
Dolphins, Jags Nearing Branden Albert Trade
On Thursday, the Dolphins decided to release tackle Branden Albert. That is, until at least one team phoned them with trade interest. For now, Albert remains on the roster as the Dolphins explore trade possibilities. Apparently, it didn’t take long for serious talks to materialize. The Jaguars and Dolphins have talked trade, according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald. A source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) that the Jaguars are the “primary destination” for Albert at this time. 
The Jaguars are in need of a starting left tackle after declining Kelvin Beachum‘s contract option on Thursday. At this time, Salguero writes that the Jaguars could be the only team to have expressed interest in an Albert trade. In addition to an agreement of terms between the two Florida teams, the Jaguars will presumably want the blessing of Albert. Albert may not have explicit no-trade rights, but there’s little sense in bringing him on board if he does not want to be there. Albert will turn 33 in November and he might not be gung-ho about joining a team that went 3-13 in 2016.
The Dolphins want draft compensation, though it won’t necessarily have to be an early pick, Salguero writes. Miami will want a pick in the 2017 draft but Jacksonville might push it to be a conditional 2018 pick based on Albert’s performance. If they can’t agree on proper draft considerations, Salguero writes that the two teams might move on to players.
One player who might not figure into the Jags’ plans for 2017 is tight end Julius Thomas and Salguero raises him as a trade candidate, though it’s not clear whether that is speculative or based on direct knowledge. The versatile Thomas would fill a need for Miami and a trade would allow the Jags to get off the hook for the remaining three years of his deal, including his guaranteed base salary. The Dolphins willingly absorbed Byron Maxwell’s contract this time last year, but I’m skeptical as to whether they’d do the same with Thomas after two disappointing years.
Jaguars Decline LT Kelvin Beachum’s Option
The Jaguars have declined their option on left tackle Kelvin Beachum, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. Beachum will become a free agent on March 9.
[RELATED: Chad Henne, Jaguars Rework Contract]
Last offseason, Jacksonville signed Beachum to a unique contract which included a $5MM option bonus for 2017-2020. The option, which would have fully guaranteed Beachum an additional $13MM in base salary, had to be exercised or declined 22 days prior to the start of the new league year, which meant the Jaguars had to make a decision by today.
Beachum, 27, was an elite left tackle during the 2014 with the Steelers, but an ACL injury during the 2015 campaign ended his season and torpedoed his free agent value. Like fellow injury-affected left tackle Russell Okung, Beachum agreed to an oddly-structured contract that fully guaranteed him only $1.5MM, but contained the aforementioned option bonus, option years, and $11MM in incentives and escalators.
Perhaps still recovering from his knee injury, Beachum struggled in 2016, grading as the league’s No. 63 tackle among 78 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, the same organization that rated him as the NFL’s fifth-best OT in 2014. As such, it’s fair to wonder how much the ACL is/was still bothering Beachum, even though he was able to remain on the field for 15 games.
The Jaguars could attempt to re-sign Beachum at a lower price, but if they fail, the club will essentially have to start over at the left tackle position. The free agent market includes Andrew Whitworth, Riley Reiff, Ryan Clady, and not much else, while the draft doesn’t feature any prospects that would make sense at the top of the first round.
Chad Henne, Jaguars Restructure Deal
Last year, Chad Henne agreed to a two-year, $8MM deal to stay in Jacksonville. The Jaguars wanted to keep Henne on the roster for 2017, but that price was apparently too rich for their blood. Today, the Jaguars and Henne agreed to a restructured deal for the coming season, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets. The team has since confirmed the deal via press release.
Under the terms of his previous deal, Henne was slated to carry a $3.25MM cap number in ’17. Terms of the new deal have not yet been disclosed, but it will almost certainly be at a lower number. The QB’s previous deal also included incentives and it’s not clear if the new deal will grant him extra cash for playing time. Regardless, he’s slated to once again hold the clipboard for starter Blake Bortles.
In other Jaguars news, the team has also re-signed wide receiver Arrelious Benn.