WR John Ross Retires
John Ross delivered a memorable performance at the Combine, but his pro career is coming to an end after an inability to translate his skillset to the NFL. The former top-1o was placed on the reserved/retired list by the Chiefs on Wednesday, per the wire.
The 27-year-old entered the league with substantial expectations after he ran a record-setting 4.22 second 40-yard dash at the Combine in 2017. His speed helped make him the ninth overall selection in that year’s draft, with the Bengals selecting him ahead of a group of other prospects headlined by Patrick Mahomes. Ross was the third and final receiver taken in that year’s first round (behind Corey Davis and Mike Williams).
Ross battled injuries through much of his Cincinnati tenure, and he played only 27 games with the Bengals. The Washington alum’s best season came in 2019, when he recorded 506 yards and three touchdowns despite only getting into eight games. The rest of his Bengals stint saw him haul in only 23 catches for 227 yards in 19 games across three campaigns, although he did score a career-high seven touchdowns in 2018.
Following a 2020 season where he was limited to only three games thanks in part to a foot injury, Ross hit free agency. He ended up catching on with the Giants on a one-year deal, catching 11 passes in 10 games for his new squad.
After not getting into a game during the 2022 season, Ross signed a futures contract with the Chiefs back in January. He was set to compete for a roster spot before his sudden decision to retire.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney Undergoes Knee Surgery
On the first day of training camp, Kadarius Toney suffered a knee injury which puts his availability for the beginning of the regular season in doubt. The Chiefs wideout underwent surgery to address the issue, head coach Andy Reid said on Tuesday. 
Toney suffered the injury while returning a kick on Sunday before practice began. His resultant procedure was aimed at cleaning up cartilage in his knee, Reid added (Twitter link via Nate Taylor of The Athletic). The news represents the latest in a string of injury setbacks for the 24-year-old, who was acquired via trade last year in a disappointing end to his Giants tenure.
The former first-rounder played only 12 games in New York, battling hamstring issues along the way. Those followed him to Kansas City, and an ankle injury threatened to keep him out of Super Bowl LVII. The Florida product was able to suit up, though, and he played a pivotal role in the championship game. Toney scored one fourth-quarter touchdown and set up another with a long punt return. Now, however, his Week 1 availability is in doubt.
“There’s a chance for the first game,” Reid said when detailing Toney’s situation. “We’ll just have to see how the recovery goes with him. But I mean he’s bound and determined he’s going to be there for the first game. We’ll see how it goes” (h/t ESPN’s Adam Teicher).
The Chiefs lost JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman to the Patriots and Jets, respectively, during the offseason. That has led to increased expectations for Toney in his first full season in a Kansas City offense known for amplifying the strengths of its pass-catchers (especially those with the kind of speed the latter posses). This week’s setback will limit (if not eliminate) his ability to practice during the summer, however, which could impact his effectiveness upon his return.
Chiefs’ Chris Jones Seeking $30MM Per Season?
The contractual status of Chris Jones is the top talking point for the Chiefs at the start of training camp. The All-Pro defensive tackle is holding out while attempting to secure a new deal, one which would move him back up the pecking order in terms of annual compensation at the position. 
Jones has one year remaining on his four-year, $80MM deal but an extension has been on Kansas City’s radar for some time now. To little surprise, the expectation remains that the 29-year-old is aiming to be the league’s second-highest paid D-tackle, behind only Aaron Donald. The gap between the two would shrink considerably if Jones were to get his way.
The four-time Pro Bowler is seeking an annual average salary of $30MM, writes Nate Taylor of The Athletic (subscription required). The reworking of Donald’s Rams deal from last year upped his AAV to 31.67MM, so a raise for Jones allowing him to essentially draw even with him would be quite noteworthy. It would also complicate the cap situation for the defending champions, who have premised their financial moves on retaining stars such as Jones, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce without making them the highest-paid at their respective positions.
“We really don’t think about it in the context of, ‘Who is the highest-paid player?” Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt said when asked about the Jones situation. “We think about it in the context of the Chiefs — and what’s best for the organization, not only this year but as we go forward. One of the challenges is the salary cap. It makes it tough to keep a championship team together.”
The DT market has seen a dramatic shift this offseason, with young performers in particular landing lucrative second contracts from their respective teams. Quinnen Williams (Jets), Jeffery Simmons (Titans), Dexter Lawrence (Giants) and Daron Payne (Commanders) have all inked extensions worth between $22.5MM and $24MM per season. Jones – who matched his career high with 15.5 sacks in 2022 and played a central role in the Chiefs’ latest Super Bowl victory – has shown a willingness to miss out on team activities in an attempt to retake the No. 2 spot ahead of that group.
The Mississippi State alum skipped Kansas City’s mandatory minicamp in the spring, subjecting himself to fines in the process. He will also incur a mandatory $50K fine for each training camp day which he misses amidst his contract dispute. A resolution may remain elusive if he intends to hold firm on his asking price, and if the Chiefs (who would likely see a notable increase in 2023 cap space by working out an extension) maintain their stance on Jones’ valuation.
Chiefs DT Chris Jones Begins Camp Hold-Out
Following a season in which he ranked as the league’s top interior defensive lineman, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Chris Jones has been seeking a new, top contract from the Chiefs. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Jones “did not report with the rest of the team to training camp” today as “the two sides remain ‘far apart’ on a new deal.” 
A former second-round pick out of Mississippi State, Jones set himself up beautifully coming out of his rookie deal by delivering two strong seasons in 2018 and 2019. Kansas City resorted to a franchise tag before eventually agreeing to extend Jones on a four-year, $80MM contract. Once again, the Chiefs began exploring the option of an extension early in the offseason this year. Jones hasn’t made it any easier for the team as, once again, he’s delivered one of the best performances of his career the season before a contract year.
In the years since Jones’s second contract, the defensive tackle market has markedly improved. In anticipation of an eventual negotiation, Jones skipped the team’s mandatory minicamp, costing himself approximately $100K in fines. At that point, it became clear that Jones was willing to pay to make his point, but a hold-out of training camp still seemed a long way away, considering the options limited by the 2020 CBA. The most drastic measure expected at the time was a potential hold-in, wherein Jones would attend training camp but not participate to his full ability.
Jones’s expectations weren’t unrealistic. Despite being ranked as the best, he wasn’t necessarily seeking to out-earn Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Donald’s contract is leaps and bounds ahead of the next-closest competition, so Jones sought to, at least, become the league’s second highest-paid defensive tackle. An interview with general manager Brett Veach made it sound like conversations were going well, indicating that things would likely get done “right before (or) right during the first start of camp,” a sentiment echoed by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington who thought it “likely” that the two sides would reach an agreement before camp.
Apparently, Jones agrees with the “start of camp” as a time to get things done. Holding out of training camp shows just how serious Jones is about not playing out the last year of his contract. According to Field Yates of ESPN, each day that Jones misses will leave him subject to almost $50K of fines.
Perhaps, if the Chiefs and Jones were closer in their negotiations, Jones wouldn’t be taking such drastic measures, but a camp hold-out truly emphasizes how far apart the two sides are. If Jones is going to incur daily fines, he’s going to expect a deal that makes those fines inconsequential.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco Expects To Be Healthy By Week 1
Isiah Pacheco entered his rookie season with tempered expectations, but by the Super Bowl he was the Chiefs’ lead early-down running back. His health status has thus been one to watch over the course of the offseason. 
Pacheco missed minicamp and OTAs while recovering from shoulder and hand surgeries, after being able to play through those ailments without missing any regular or postseason game action. The seventh-rounder has not yet been cleared to return to full practice, but he is optimistic he will be at 100% in time for the start of the regular season.
“I trust the staff and we were able to work out a plan,” the 24-year-old said about his current recovery situation. “I’m feeling great right now. It’s just a process and that takes time” (h/t ESPN’s Adam Teicher).
Pacheco took part in a limited capacity in a minicamp held by the Chiefs ahead of training camp, doing so while wearing a non-contact uniform. He thus has a long way to go before being cleared in full to return to the lineup, but it will be a welcomed development for Kansas City when that takes place. The Rutgers product is in line for another heavy workload in Year 2.
With former first-rounder Clyde Edwards-Helaire missing seven games during the regular season and being made a healthy scratch for the Super Bowl, both Pacheco and pass-catching veteran Jerick McKinnon saw an uptick in usage. The latter scored 10 total touchdowns (including nine through the air), earning him a third Kansas City contract. The former ran for 830 yards and five touchdowns during the regular season, on an average 4.9 yards per carry. The latter figure rose to 5.1 during the postseason.
The Chiefs elected not to sign or draft another back this offseason, but they declined Edwards-Helaire’s fifth-year option. That will make his 2023 performance one to watch closely as he approaches free agency and the team looks to find the ideal balance of snap shares between their three contributors. Pacheco will no doubt have a signficant role come the fall, though, especially since he is likely to be healed in full by that point.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/19/23
The roster updates following the opening of camp for rookies continued today:
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on NFI: G Andrew Vorhees
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: OL DJ Scaife
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on PUP: DL Tershawn Wharton
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on NFI: WR Pokey Wilson
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: CB John Reid
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: RB Charles McClelland
The news on Vorhees is no surprise. The lineman’s rookie year will operate as a redshirt season as he continues to work his way back from the torn ACL he suffered at the NFL Combine.
Wharton is also making his way back from a torn ACL. The rotation lineman suffered the season-ending injury in Week 5 of last season. He’s been working out with the team, but Wharton is not yet ready to be a full participant in practice.
Reid has started at least one game for each of the three teams for which he’s played in his three seasons of play. He’ll now look to find his seventh NFL team going into his fourth season.
Latest On Bills’ DeAndre Hopkins Pursuit
After discussing trade terms with the Cardinals, the Bills were initially one of the frontrunners to land DeAndre Hopkins as a free agent. GM Brandon Beane spoke with the veteran wide receiver, but for the most part, Buffalo stayed out of these summer sweepstakes.
Hopkins opted for a two-year, $26MM Titans deal that can max out at $32MM. By all accounts, the Bills were not planning to go near the base price here. The Patriots and Chiefs also stood down, though it sounds like both these teams were bigger players for the 11th-year veteran than the Bills ended up being.
The Bills surfaced early as Hopkins suitors and joined the Chiefs as being the only known teams to discuss a swap with the Cardinals. The Ravens’ Odell Beckham Jr. contract squashed the talks between the Cards and the AFC powers, and Hopkins — after hoping teams would drive up the market — looks to have gotten his wish. That said, we have not learned the guarantees yet.
The makeup of Buffalo’s pass-catching corps may also have contributed to the team staying away here. Hopkins averaged 10 targets per game in 2020 and 10.7 per contest last season, and Albert Breer of SI.com notes the high-profile free agent being a volume-type receiver is believed to have impacted the Bills, who have one of the best — in Stefon Diggs — atop their receiving hierarchy. The Bills using a first-round pick on Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid, whom Breer adds is expected to play the slot role the team was likely targeting Hopkins to man, also may have affected its desire to add Hopkins.
Joining the Chiefs near the bottom of the NFL in cap space for several weeks, the Bills also were believed to have a firm price point. They also have seen Diggs generate early drama, being sent home from the team’s first minicamp day. While Sean McDermott and Josh Allen have submitted strong “Nothing to see here; please disperse” routines regarding Diggs, the star wideout has yet to discuss his issues with the team publicly. Adding Hopkins to this equation would have introduced another complication, though it would have probably upgraded the defending AFC East champions’ arsenal. Bills brass also had good conversations with Hopkins, per Breer, but Gabe Davis remains in place as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver.
Other teams in this mix did feel Hopkins would have taken less money from the Chiefs or another high-level contender had the money not moved to OBJ-level territory, Breer adds. With the the receiver-needy Titans ponying up, Hopkins will be back in the AFC South and in a No. 1-type role again.
Latest On Patriots’, Chiefs’ DeAndre Hopkins Offers
DeAndre Hopkins made his free agent decision on Sunday, inking a $26MM deal with the Titans. He turned down offers from other AFC suitors in the process, opting for the contract which included the most guaranteed money available. 
The Patriots were long considered a serious contender to land the All-Pro wideout, having been the only team other than the Titans to host him on a free agent visit. New England, like Tennessee, submitted an offer to Hopkins, but a report from yesterday indicated the Patriots one he turned down was significantly lower than that of the Titans. Further details on that front have emerged.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported during an appearance on NBC Sports Boston’s Sports Sunday program (h/t Darren Hartwell) that New England was willing to offer Hopkins a maximum of $15MM in 2023, but the majority of that figure was represented by incentives. The Titans, by contrast, guaranteed the five-time Pro Bowler $12MM with the potential for another $3MM via incentives.
The Patriots currently sit 10th in the NFL in cap space, with over $17.7MM in available funds heading into training camp. That means they could have afforded to match the Titans’ offer, but instead elected to hold firm with a more risk-averse approach to the 31-year-old, who has missed notable time during each of the past two seasons due to injury and suspension. They will now move forward with an in-house collection of receivers which is led by the recently-extended DeVante Parker, free agent addition JuJu Smith-Schuster, 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton and veteran Kendrick Bourne.
Breer also provided insight into the Chiefs’ pursuit of Hopkins. The defending Super Bowl champions were long mentioned as a potential destination, in spite of their cap constraints. Before the draft, Breer notes, Kansas City offered a base salary of $4MM with incentives pushing the contract’s maximum value to $10MM. Hopkins was thought to be waiting for the Chiefs to free up money via a Chris Jones extension, but his Tennessee agreement has come before any developments on that front. Even with manufactured cap space for this season, Kansas City likely would not have realistically been able to outbid Tennessee.
Hopkins secured a lofty base package, along with a tall task in terms of reaching the maximum value of the pact through incentives. By choosing the Titans, though, he has added considerably to the team’s chances of reclaiming the AFC South title while ensuring better compensation compared to what the Patriots and Chiefs were willing to provide.
NFL Staff Updates: Cowboys, Falcons, Ravens, Lions, Chiefs, 49ers, Saints, Caminiti
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has made analytics a focus since joining the staff three years ago. That trend has continued into 2023 as Dallas made three hires this week, all of them in the analytics department. The Cowboys even took a page out of another sport’s book, as baseball has taken the lead in analytics over the past several years.
Bryant Davis will join the team as a strategic football analyst, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. For the last four years, Davis has been a research and development analyst for the Tampa Bay Rays of the MLB. Even in a sport that’s already more analytical than football, the Rays are one of the more advanced teams in their use of analytics.
Joining Davis as a strategic football analyst, according to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, is William Britt, a former Steelers staffer. Britt spent the past two seasons as a data analyst in Pittsburgh. Along with Davis and Sarah Mallepalle, this is the third person the Cowboys have hired to that role this offseason.
Finally, Dallas has convinced Max Lyons to return to the NFL in the role of football data engineer, according to Marcus Mosher of Pro Football Focus. Lyons has been out of the league for about ten years, founding and maintaining the website Gridiron Rank over that period. After working with the Eagles and Jaguars all the way back in 2012, he finally makes his return to the league.
Here are some other staff updates from around the NFL:
- After joining the Falcons as a scouting assistant a year ago, Hakeem Smith has been promoted to assistant pro scout, according to Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. Before coming to the NFL, Smith had spent three years working in the Pittsburgh Panthers recruiting department. Another scouting assistant hired last summer out of the college ranks, James McClintock has been promoted to a BLESTO scout for Atlanta, according to Stratton. McClintock’s time in the collegiate ranks was spent at Auburn, North Carolina, and Liberty.
- The Ravens are also reportedly hiring out of the college arena. According to Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports, Baltimore is expected to hire Adam Neuman as chief of staff and special advisor to the president. Not to be confused with Adam Neumann, the founder of WeWork, Neuman has served the last four years as chief of staff for strategy and operations for college football’s Big Ten conference.
- There’s been a promotion in the Lions‘ analytics department, according to Seth Walder of ESPN. After joining the team in 2020 as an analytics assistant, Caio Brighenti will now be in the role of football information manager. Brighenti has served as football information analyst for Detroit since March 2021.
- Chiefs‘ staffer Anthony McGee has finally climbed the ranks to become a pro scout, according to Stratton. After interning for the team in different roles from 2018 to 2021, McGee was hired in the personnel department as a player personnel assistant. Two years later, he’ll get his chance at a scouting role.
- A personnel staffer who got his chance as a pro scout last year, J.P. Crowley Hanlon of the 49ers has been promoted to West Coast area scout, according to Stratton. Crowley Hanlon joined San Francisco after gaining some experience with the Eagles and a sports agency.
- The Saints poached an analytics staffer from the Jets this week, according to Walder. After serving in New York as football analytics coordinator since 2020, Zach Stuart will head south to New Orleans as director of analytics.
- Lastly, the Patriots will lose a scout this summer, according to Stratton. Chris Caminiti will be departing for a role to head the Disruptive Sports firm’s coaching representation division. Caminiti has been an area scout for New England since 2021 after serving in operations and coaching roles previously with the Browns, Chiefs, and Chargers.
2023 NFL Dead Money, By Team
Accounting for players who appear on teams’ cap sheets but not on their rosters, dead money is a factor for all 32 teams. This year, dead money comprises more than 20% of five teams’ payrolls. Two teams who followed through (successfully) with all-in missions in recent years — the Buccaneers and Rams — each have more than 30% of their payrolls devoted to dead-cap hits.
Going into training camp, here is how dead money factors into each team’s cap sheet:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $75.32MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $74.23MM
- Green Bay Packers: $57.14MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $54.73MM
- Carolina Panthers: $51.54MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $36.96MM
- Tennessee Titans: $36.56MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $35.54MM
- Houston Texans: $31.72MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $29.95MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $24.89MM
- New Orleans Saints: $24.58MM
- Chicago Bears: $23.52MM
- Washington Commanders: $23.01MM
- New York Giants: $22.74MM
- New England Patriots: $21.82MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $18.78MM
- Detroit Lions: $18.69MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $17.91MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $17.16MM
- Cleveland Browns: $16MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $14.64MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $13.26MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $10.78MM
- Denver Broncos: $9.72MM
- Miami Dolphins: $8.43MM
- New York Jets: $7.95MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $7.65MM
- Buffalo Bills: $5.23MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $4.7MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $2.19MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $593K
No team broke the Falcons’ record for dead money devoted to a single player. The Falcons’ Matt Ryan trade left them with $40.52MM last year. But the Bucs and Rams incurred some dead money collectively this offseason.
Tom Brady‘s Tampa Bay exit created much of the Bucs’ issue here. Brady not signing another Bucs deal, instead retiring for a second time, accelerated $35.1MM in dead money onto the Bucs’ 2023 cap sheet. The team had used void years increasingly during Brady’s tenure, and his second restructure created the $35.1MM figure. The Bucs will swallow the post-Brady pill this year, with no dead money related to that contract on their books in 2024.
Three ex-Rams combine to take up $55MM of their dead-money haul. The Rams traded Allen Robinson to the Steelers earlier this year, but that three-year, $46.5MM deal Los Angeles authorized in 2022 will result in Robinson’s former team carrying a $21.5MM dead-money hit in 2023. The Rams are eating $19.6MM of Jalen Ramsey‘s contract, and bailing on Leonard Floyd‘s four-year, $64MM extension after two seasons moved $19MM in dead money to L.A.’s 2023 payroll. The Rams did not use the post-June 1 designation to release Floyd, keeping the dead money on that deal tied to 2023 only.
The Packers did come close to breaking the Falcons’ record for dead money on a single contract. Green Bay following through on the Aaron Rodgers trade left $40.31MM in dead money on this year’s Packers cap. Because the Packers traded Rodgers before June 1, that hit will be entirely absorbed this year. It also took a Rodgers restructure on his way out to move the cap damage down to $40MM. The Panthers trading Christian McCaffrey after June 1 last year left the second chunk of dead money ($18.35MM) to be carried on this year’s cap. It also cost Carolina $14.63MM in dead cap to trade D.J. Moore to the Bears.
The Bears used both their post-June 1 cut designations last year (Tarik Cohen, Danny Trevathan) and also have a $13.23MM Robert Quinn cap hold. The Cardinals had already used their two allotted post-June 1 cut designations this offseason. As result, DeAndre Hopkins is on Arizona’s books at $21.1MM this year. Because they cut the All-Pro wide receiver before June 1, the Cards will be free of Hopkins obligations after this year.
While the Raiders built in the escape hatch in Derek Carr‘s 2022 extension, keeping the dead money on their nine-year QB’s contract low, Cory Littleton — a 2022 post-June 1 cut — still counts nearly $10MM on their cap sheet. Fellow 2022 post-June 1 release Julio Jones still counts more than $8MM on the Titans’ payroll. The Cowboys went to the post-June 1 well with Ezekiel Elliott this year, but their 2022 designation (La’el Collins) leads the way with $8.2MM on this year’s Dallas payroll.