HEADLINES

Mike Pouncey

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/23

March 9th, 2023 at 8:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league:

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Stewart was a mainstay on the Texans’ special teams units in 2022, his debut season in Houston. His play has earned him a two-year, $6MM deal with a maximum value of $7.5MM, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 (Twitter link). The 27-year-old made 41 tackles (the second-highest total of his career) in 2022, adding a pair of fumble recoveries.

Pouncey signed a one-day contract to officially retire as a member of the Dolphins, the team which drafted him in 2011. The 33-year-old is two years removed from his joint retirement with brother Maurkice. Pouncey earned three of his Pro Bowl nods during his seven-year stint in Miami, before spending a pair of seasons with the Chargers. The former first rounder reflected on the controversy surrounding his career, via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.

“If I thought how I think now, I’d still be with the Dolphins,” he said. “I look back at it like… if I was just a little bit more mature when I was playing… I have no regret of what I did here. Very proud of my career that I had here. Now, I just try to be looked at in a different light.”

Ferentz’s new deal has a value of $1.215MM, and includes $200K in guarantees, per Wilson (on Twitter). Another $30K in incentives are in place, though the 33-year-old will only account for $1.02MM on the cap by qualifying for the veteran salary benefit. Ferentz has been in New England for the past five years, starting nine games amongst his 39 appearances.

Steelers’ Maurkice Pouncey, Chargers’ Mike Pouncey, Retire From NFL

February 12th, 2021 at 10:02am CST by Zachary Links

Maurkice Pouncey and Mike Pouncey have retired from football. The Pouncey twins made the announcement on Friday, via Maurkice’s longtime teammate Ramon Foster (Twitter link).

“It’s my honor that my brothers from another asked me to announce the next stage in their life. After over a decade Maurkice Pouncey and Mike Pouncey are retiring from the NFL,” Foster tweeted.

They came into the world together and they’re leaving the NFL together, but they actually turned pro in separate years. Maurkice entered the league in 2010 when the Steelers drafted him No. 18 overall. In 2011, the Dolphins tapped Mike with the No. 15 selection. They both went on to enjoy long careers as starting interior linemen, playing predominantly in the middle.

Maurkice spent his whole 11-year career with the Steelers and earned a reputation as one of the game’s best centers. He leaves the sport with nine Pro Bowl nods and two first-team All-Pro selections. Mike, meanwhile, was limited to nine seasons by injury, but still managed five Pro Bowl appearances.

“We began this journey at 6 years old and now, at 31, we will close this chapter of our lives.” Mike wrote. “I am thankful for everything football has taught me and everywhere it has taken me! Dream big, kids, because [dreams] do come true..Never be afraid to make a mistake, learn from them, and fix it!“

Chargers C Mike Pouncey Out For Season

September 17th, 2020 at 3:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chargers will be without their veteran center for the entirety of the 2020 season. GM Tom Telesco announced Thursday Mike Pouncey plans to undergo surgery to repair a hip injury.

Pouncey will go under the knife at some point in September, and the procedure will prevent him from playing this season. The Bolts will place Pouncey on IR and promote fullback Gabe Nabers to their 53-man roster.

For arguably the NFL’s most injury-prone team, this represents a major setback. Both Pouncey and Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner missed the Chargers’ opener, and Pouncey joins All-Pro safety Derwin James in being out for the season. Starting linebacker Drue Tranquill also suffered a broken ankle against the Bengals.

For Pouncey, it looks like a crossroads moment. The former Dolphins starter missed 11 games last season due to a neck injury last season. He was medically cleared to return this summer, but the hip troubles that the Florida alum experienced with the Dolphins continue to plague him. During the 2017 season, Pouncey said he will at some point early in his post-playing life he will need a hip replacement.

Still, the former first-round pick rebounded in his first Bolts season to make the Pro Bowl. The Chargers then signed Pouncey to a one-year extension, but his contract expires after the 2020 slate. Pouncey, 31, stands to head into free agency a major question mark.

Los Angeles moved guard Dan Feeney to center against Cincinnati, sliding contract-year lineman Forrest Lamp back into its lineup at guard. Lamp has failed to live up to his second-round billing thus far but may now have a key opportunity in a contract year.

Chargers’ Mike Pouncey To Miss Time?

September 11th, 2020 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Chargers center Mike Pouncey missed practice this week with a hip injury, and he’s likely to also miss the season opener against the Bengals, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The severity of the injury isn’t immediately clear, but history suggests that this could be another long recovery for the four-time Pro Bowler. 

[RELATED: Chargers, Keenan Allen Agree On Extension]

Pouncey’s hip limited him to just five games in 2016 and clearly hindered him in 2017, his final year with the Dolphins. In 2018, his first year with the Chargers, he was back to his usual self. Starting in all 16 games, Pouncey was named to his first career Pro Bowl. Then, last year, a neck injury shut him down after just five games.

At one point, doctors advised Pouncey that he would eventually need hip replacement surgery. Hopefully, that day never comes. At minimum, Pouncey is hoping to stave off anything major until later in life. Last year, Pouncey re-upped with the Chargers on a one-year, $9MM extension. After 2020, he’ll be out of contract and eligible for free agency.

The Bolts are already without star safety Derwin James, so they’ll have to get by without some of their best talent on both sides of the ball. After passing on interior offensive lineman in this year’s draft, the Chargers may look to slide Dan Feeney from left guard to center.

Chargers’ Mike Pouncey Medically Cleared

May 13th, 2020 at 11:38am CST by Zachary Links

Chargers center Mike Pouncey, who missed most of the 2019 season with a neck injury, has been medically cleared, as Pouncey himself told reporters this morning (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). In April, GM Tom Telesco provided a positive status report (Twitter link via Fernando Ramirez of NBC Sports), and Pouncey has now taken the last step in his recovery.

[RELATED: Chargers Interested In Jason Peters?] 

Pouncey, a four-time Pro Bowler, suffered the neck injury in an early October game and was forced to undergo surgery. It was just one of several injuries for the Bolts in 2019, but this one was serious enough to have lifelong ramifications. Fortunately, Pouncey appears to have dodged a major bullet.

Pouncey spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Dolphins before his release in 2018. The Chargers gladly picked him up off the pile and he turned in a Pro Bowl performance for his new team. Then, before the start of last season, he inked a one-year, $9MM deal to extend his stay through 2020.

When Pouncey went down last year, the Chargers moved Dan Feeney from left guard to the middle to replace Pouncey, and plugged Forrest Lamp into Feeney’s spot. They also used 2018 fifth-round pick Scott Quessenberry to help fill the void. Of course, they will be much better off with the 30-year-old (31 in July) on the field.

The Bolts did not select an interior offensive lineman in this year’s draft, which is perhaps indicative of their faith in Pouncey’s successful return.

Latest On Chargers’ Mike Pouncey, QB Situation

April 2nd, 2020 at 9:50am CST by Rory Parks

Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn spoke at length with reporters yesterday, and two of the most significant topics he covered were the team’s quarterback situation and center Mike Pouncey‘s status.

Pouncey, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Dolphins, was released by Miami in March 2018 and quickly caught on with the Chargers. The pickup proved to be a savvy one for the Bolts, as Pouncey rewarded the team with a Pro Bowl performance and agreed to a one-year extension prior to the 2019 campaign that kept him under club control through 2020.

Unfortunately, the 2019 season did not go as planned for Pouncey or the Chargers. Pouncey landed on IR with a neck injury that required surgery, and as Lynn observed, the 30-year-old pivot has not yet been cleared for football activities (Twitter link via Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times). However, Lynn does expect Pouncey to be cleared by the time players reconvene — whenever that is — and he suggested that he is comfortable with the club’s other options in the event Pouncey is not ready to go. Dan Feeney, currently penciled in at left guard, and 2018 fifth-rounder Scott Quessenberry combined to fill the void left by Pouncey, but neither player performed particularly well in that role.

As for the team’s QB situation, Lynn confirmed that Tyrod Taylor is the team’s starter for now, as Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com writes. That is not at all surprising given that the only other signal-caller currently on the roster is 2019 fifth-rounder Easton Stick, but Lynn did create a little intrigue. Per Thiry, Lynn was asked specifically about the Chargers’ interest in Cam Newton, and after initially avoiding a similar question, Lynn said, “[w]e’re looking at everybody. I want to turn over every single rock, so yeah, we’re looking at everybody.”

More likely than not, that statement is basic coach-speak. After all, we heard just a couple of weeks ago that the Chargers have no intention of acquiring another veteran QB to compete with Taylor, and it seems more plausible that the club will select a QB with the No. 6 overall pick and roll into the 2020 season with Taylor and the rookie passer at the top of the depth chart. On the other hand, Los Angeles is built to win now, and its offseason moves were clearly made with an eye towards competing in 2020. If healthy, Newton is a dramatic upgrade over Taylor — whose release would free up $5MM of cap space — so it stands to reason that Lynn would at least consider that option.

Chargers Place C Mike Pouncey On IR

October 9th, 2019 at 2:31pm CST by Zachary Links

That’s a wrap on Mike Pouncey‘s season. On Wednesday, the Bolts placed the center on injured reserve, per a club announcement. 

Pouncey, a four-time Pro Bowler, exited the Chargers’ loss early on Sunday with a neck injury that required surgery. That will rule him out for the year and, potentially, could impact his ability to play beyond 2019.

The Chargers moved Dan Feeney from left guard to center to replace Pouncey, and plugged Forrest Lamp into Feeney’s spot. That’ll likely be the game plan going forward, but the club has yet to announce anything on that front.

To help fill the void, the Chargers signed center/guard Ryan Groy. Groy spent the last four seasons with the Bills and spent this past offseason with the Saints. He has 55 career appearances, including 17 starts, to his credit, with most of his time spent at center.

It’s another bad blow for the Bolts, who have already placed safeties Derwin James and Adrian Phillips on IR this year. On the offensive line, they’ve been without left tackle Russell Okung.

Pouncey‘s recent one-year, $9MM extension with the Chargers takes him through the 2020 season and guarantees him $5MM in new money.

Restructured Contract Details: Flacco, Solder, Panthers

September 7th, 2019 at 10:06am CST by Ben Levine

With the majority of the NFL beginning their 2019 campaigns tomorrow, a number of teams have slightly tweaked contracts in an effort to open some extra cap space. We’ve compiled some of the notable restructured contracts from this morning, along with some details on some recently-completed deals.

  •  The Broncos converted $17MM of Joe Flacco‘s base salary into a signing bonus, reports NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). The front office also added a pair of voidable years to the contract, thus opening around $13.6MM in 2019 cap space. The veteran quarterback is still on the books for $20.25MM in 2020 and $24.25MM in 2021.
  • The Giants made a similar move with offensive tackle Nate Solder, according to Pelissero (on Twitter). The front office converted $7.5MM of the veteran’s base salary to a fully-guaranteed roster bonus, opening up $5MM in cap space. Solder will still earn the same amount of money over the next two years ($13MM in 2019, $14MM in 2020).
  • One more from Pelissero (via Twitter): the Panthers restructured the contracts of defensive tackle Kawann Short and offensive lineman Trai Turner, opening $13MM in cap space. While the team could use that open money for extensions, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets that the transaction is “more about taking cap space into next year.” Linebacker Shaq Thompson and cornerback James Bradberry are impending free agents, while running back Christian McCaffrey and quarterback Cam Newton could be eyeing lucrative extensions.
  • The Rams converted $2.25MM of punter Johnny Hekker‘s base salary into a bonus, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter). The move opens up around $1.69MM in cap space, allowing the team is better accommodate the recent extensions for quarterback Jared Goff and tight end Tyler Higbee.
  • Center Mike Pouncey‘s one-year, $9MM extension with the Chargers will guarantee him $5MM in new money, tweets ESPN’s Dan Graziano (via Twitter). The guarantees include a $2.5MM signing bonus and $2.5MM guaranteed salary in 2020 (the full base salary is $6MM). The veteran’s cap number is now $10MM in 2019 and $7.75MM in 2020.
  • Jacoby Brissett‘s two-year, $30MM extension with the Colts includes an $11MM signing bonus, reports Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). The quarterback has a $2MM salary for 2019, $2MM in per-game roster bonuses (for both years), and a $7MM roster bonus that’s guaranteed in March. As Volin notes, the 26-year-old will likely earn around $13MM to $15MM this season before renegotiating next offseason.
  • Josh Doctson‘s deal with the Vikings is for one year at the league minimum of $720K, reports Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). The deal includes no guaranteed money. Following the signing of the wideout and punter Britton Colquitt, Minnesota is now sitting with around $1.17MM in cap space.

AFC Notes: Colts, Pouncey, Marshall, Calitro

September 4th, 2019 at 8:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts confirmed Jim Irsay received a $3.2 billion offer to sell the team, the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson and Nat Newell report. A Colts spokesperson informed the newspaper’s duo the team is not for sale. Still, that reported offer came in far north of what it cost for David Tepper to acquire the Panthers last year ($2.3 billion). It would have been a record price for an NFL franchise. Forbes’ most recent valuation of NFL teams placed the Colts 20th at $2.65 billion — up 11% from last year’s figure. The Irsay family has owned the Colts since 1972.

Moving back to on-field matters, here is the latest out of the AFC:

  • Mike Pouncey asked his agent, Joel Segal, to pursue a new deal with the Chargers, Eric Williams of ESPN.com notes. The Pro Bowl center signed a one-year, $9MM re-up; the 30-year-old blocker wanted to stay with a team he felt had Super Bowl aspirations rather than try to maximize his value on the open market. “At this point of my career, this team gives me the best chance to win,” Pouncey said, via Williams. “For me to want to leave here in Year 10 and go somewhere else, it didn’t make any sense to me, no matter what the number was in salary. I felt like whenever we got done with training camp and the offer was there, we jumped on it.” Pouncey, who did not play in a playoff game in seven Dolphins seasons, started 16 games for the Bolts last year.
  • Brandon Marshall worked out for the Texans this week but was not signed. The former Super Bowl starter and recent Raiders cut mentioned to ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson the Texans informed him a signing could take place after Week 1 (Twitter link). Marshall spent much of the offseason rehabbing a knee injury that helped lead to his Broncos departure, mentioning on Hard Knocks he was in pain for much of that time. However, the soon-to-be 30-year-old off-ball linebacker said during the HBO series finale he has returned to full health — albeit too late to make the Raiders. The Texans feature Benardrick McKinney and Zach Cunningham as their starting inside ‘backers but are much less proven behind them.
  • The Jaguars claimed linebacker Austin Calitro off waivers from Seattle, but other AFC teams wanted to add the recently cut defender. Both the Broncos and Bengals submitted claims for Calitro, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. But the Jags’ higher waiver priority, No. 7, won out. Both Denver and Cincinnati are thin at inside ‘backer presently.
  • Myles Jack‘s recent Jags extension secured him the NFL’s second-highest guarantee figure.
  • The Dolphins’ inexperienced defensive line became even less seasoned, with the team cutting Nate Orchard.

Chargers, Mike Pouncey Agree To Extension

September 3rd, 2019 at 9:26am CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers are signing center Mike Pouncey to a one-year, $9MM extension that ties him to the team through the 2020 season, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Pouncey, one of the best centers in the game, was originally set to reach free agency after the 2019 campaign. 

The Bolts picked up Pouncey in March of 2018 with a two-year, $15MM deal that included $10MM fully guaranteed. Pouncey earned his fourth Pro Bowl nod last year and the deal proved to be a brilliant one for LA. This time around, Pouncey gets a pay bump, but it’s still a worthwhile investment for GM Tom Telesco & Co.

Even though the club worked something out with their center, they’re still refusing to talk with star Melvin Gordon about a possible extension.

In other Bolts news – the club was forced to place safety Derwin James on injured reserve over the weekend. Fortunately, James is expected to recover in time to return in the middle of the season.

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