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Contract Notes: Bucs, Rodgers, Rudolph, Pats

May 11th, 2021 at 1:07pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ve got a handful of interesting notes on contracts to pass along, including for several quarterbacks:

  • The Buccaneers’ quarterbacks room is a bit crowded now with Kyle Trask getting drafted in the second-round. One of Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin will be the odd man out, since Bruce Arians won’t be keeping four signal-callers. “Their new contracts tell you who’s ahead” in the competition to hold Tom Brady‘s clipboard in 2021, Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets. Auman reports that Gabbert got $1.5MM in guaranteed money, $750K in base salary and a $750K signing bonus. On the other hand, Griffin only got a $75K signing bonus guaranteed. Gabbert has always been Bruce Arians’ guy, while Tampa’s front office has loved Griffin enough to keep him around since 2015. If these financial figures tell us anything, and they usually do, it’s that Gabbert will be back for the title defense while Griffin won’t be.
  • The language of Aaron Rodgers‘ contract is going to get a lot of attention if his current beef with the Packers turns into a real holdout. Rodgers earned a $6.8MM roster bonus on the third day of the league year, but he hasn’t actually received that money yet since it’s to be “paid concurrently with his 2021 base salary,” former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry tweets. Corry notes that Green Bay has “the right to take fines & any recapture of signing bonus due to a training camp holdout from this money.” There was talk of Rodgers having to pay back that $6.8MM, but it turns out he hasn’t even gotten it yet. The Packers can start chipping away at that the moment he doesn’t show up for mandatory practices.
  • One last quarterback note. Mason Rudolph recently got a one-year contract extension from the Steelers to keep him under team control through 2022, and it turns out the team gave him some real money. Rudolph’s new pact with Pittsburgh is worth $5MM for the 2022 season, which included a $2MM signing bonus, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic tweets. As Kaboly points out, Rudolph is the only passer the team has under contract for 2022. Rudolph hasn’t exactly looked like a franchise quarterback in his nine career starts, but with Ben Roethlisberger‘s status more than uncertain beyond this year, it makes since why the Steelers would want to make sure they have someone at least somewhat competent under center just in case.
  • When Trent Brown got traded from the Raiders back to the Patriots, he reworked his contract from having two years and $29.5MM left to a one-year pact for $11MM. Turns out that new one-year deal has some interesting details. The massive offensive tackle’s contract has a series of weight-based incentives, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes. The 6’8 behemoth will have earned $150K if he weighed “385 pounds or less on the first day of the offseason program (April 19).” Brown will have an opportunity to earn another $150K if he clocks in at or below 375 pounds on June 1, and another $200K for 365 pounds on July 15. That’s a total of a half million bucks in weight-based incentives. Brown was with the Patriots for one season back in 2018, and won Super Bowl LIII with the team.

Patriots’ Cameron McGrone To Miss Season?

May 11th, 2021 at 9:25am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots might not see fifth-round pick Cameron McGrone on the field until next year. Due to the torn ACL he suffered late last year, the Michigan linebacker may have to shift his focus to 2022, according to head coach Bill Belichick.

“We’re not really sure what the expectation of availability is for him, but we’re prepared certainly to not have him available this year,” Belichick said (via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com). “There are no false expectations here. He should have a good recovery and be a good player; we’ll just have to see what the timing is on that.”

The Patriots tapped McGrone with the knowledge that his rehab could take a while. They’ve also backstopped their LB group by signing Harvey Langi, so they’re prepared to wait, if necessary. As Reiss notes, the Patriots have drafted injured players in the past and some have panned out pretty well. That includes 1995 third-rounder Curtis Martin, who would later amass a Hall of Fame career with the Jets.

McGrone, the No. 177 overall pick, played in just 16 total games for the Wolverines. Up until his knee injury against Rutgers, he recorded 91 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble between 2019 and 2020.

Patriots To Sign Harvey Langi

May 10th, 2021 at 12:51pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Patriots are bringing in a familiar face for some defensive depth. New England has agreed to terms with free agent linebacker Harvey Langi, his agent Kenny Zuckerman tweets.

Pats fans may remember Langi, since the team signed him as an undrafted free agent back in 2017. At the time he was arguably the most sought after undrafted free agent of the class, as the Patriots gave him over $100K guaranteed to sign with them. He ended up only appearing in one game as a rookie, and spent most of the year on the NFI list as the result of a car crash.

He was waived at final cuts the following year, and quickly scooped up by the Jets. After spending 2018 on New York’s practice squad, he began to make a real impact in 2019. Langi played in 30 games with the Jets the past two years, starting nine.

In 2020 he started six games, finishing with 60 tackles. Despite playing 45 percent of the defensive snaps, the Jets elected not to tender him as a restricted free agent this offseason. Now, he’s getting another chance to impress Bill Belichick.

Patriots Sign UDFA K Quinn Nordin

May 6th, 2021 at 8:35pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots have finally added an undrafted free agent. The team announced today that they’ve signed rookie kicker Quinn Nordin.

Nordin appeared in 37 games during his four years at Michigan, connecting on 42 of his 58 field goal attempts and 119 of his 124 extra point attempts. This included a 2017 campaign where he led the Big Ten in field goals made (19) while finishing fifth in points (92). Nordin didn’t have many opportunities to show off his skills in 2020, as he was limited to only four games. He connected on two of his five field goal attempts this past year, although he did convert each of his 12 extra point tries.

The Patriots were already rostering a pair of kickers, including incumbent Nick Folk. The team also picked up former second-round pick Roberto Aguayo late last season. The team used a fifth-round pick last season on Justin Rohrwasser, but he was waived by the team back in March.

For a front office that seems to love their hidden gems, it’s a bit of a surprise that the Patriots have been so inactive following the draft. However, ESPN’s Mike Reiss provides a potential explanation, noting that the team could still be operating on 2020 rules as they await final word on 2021 rules. Specifically, teams were allowed to carry up to 90 players if they went with the “split-squad set-up” in 2020, but they were only allowed to keep 80 players if they went with the full-team route. The Patriots fell into the latter category, and as a result, the Patriots were forced to cut bait with a handful of undrafted free agents (including some with guaranteed money) to get to the limit. The team is currently rostering 83 players (including Nordin), so the team may be awaiting clarity on rules before they add a handful of players.

Reiss also wonders if a shallow group of UDFAs could be an explanation for the lack of moves, and the reporter also notes that Bill Belichick and co. may be more interested in bringing in players on a tryout basis.

If precedent tells us anything, the Patriots will probably add at least a couple more UDFAs. If any of them (or Nodin) make the active roster, it will be the 18th straight season that an undrafted free agent has made the team, the third-longest streak in the NFL behind the Chargers and Colts (per Reiss).

Front Office Notes: Panthers, Kuechly, Texans

May 3rd, 2021 at 10:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Scott Fitterer is looking to add to his staff. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Panthers have requested permission to interview Bills director of player personnel Dan Morgan for their assistant GM job. The organization has also reached out to the Eagles about interviewing director of player personnel Ian Cunningham for the assistant GM gig, via Rapoport on Twitter.

Morgan, of course, was a first-round pick by the Panthers back in 2001. The linebacker spent the first seven seasons of his career with Carolina, including a 2004 campaign where he made his lone Pro Bowl appearance. Following his playing career, Morgan joined the Seahawks front office, and he’s been in his current role with Buffalo since 2018.

Cunningham’s front office career started in Baltimore, and he joined the Eagles organization as director of college scouting in 2017. The executive was promoted to his current gig in 2019. As Eagles reporter Geoff Mosher points out (on Twitter), Panthers director of player personnel Patrick Stewart previously served as Philly’s national scout, so the front office has a connection to the Eagles.

Let’s check out some more front office notes from around the NFL…

  • While the Panthers are looking to add to their front office, the team has also lost a valuable (and very popular scout). Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Panthers legend Luke Kuechly resigned from his role as pro scout. The former Defensive Player of the Year took on the role after retiring as a player last offseason. Panthers reporter Joe Person tweets that Kuechly wants to spend more time with his family before deciding the next steps of his career.
  • The Texans and director of pro personnel Rob Kisiel have mutually decided to part ways, according to Albert Breet of TheMMQB (via Twitter). Kisiel had been with the organization since the beginning, first serving as a scout before eventually making his way up to director of pro personnel.
  • Speaking of the Texans, the front office hired former Patriots pro scout Ronnie McGill prior to the draft, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Houston GM Nick Caserio has had a habit of stealing talent from New England, and it makes sense that he’d have his eyes on McGill. The former college running back had been with the Patriots organization since 2010.

Patriots Pick Up Isaiah Wynn’s Option

May 3rd, 2021 at 1:58pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

As we continue to inch closer to the deadline, another player just locked in a big payday for 2022. The Patriots are picking up the fifth-year option on Isaiah Wynn‘s contract, a source told Albert Breer of SI.com (Twitter link).

Wynn will now earn a guaranteed $10.413MM in 2022. Wynn is the 22nd player from the 2018 draft class to get his option picked up, Breer tweets. Interestingly, many assumed that fewer options would get picked up since they’re fully guaranteed for the first time under the new CBA, but that hasn’t been the case. Breer writes that 22 is the second-most that have been picked up since the option system went into place.

Wynn was the 23rd overall pick in that draft out of Georgia. He devastatingly tore an Achilles in his first preseason and missed his entire rookie campaign, and has also struggled with injuries the past two seasons. He’s never played in more than 10 games, but those health issues weren’t enough to scare Bill Belichick away.

Wynn has played well when on the field, starting all 18 games that he’s appeared in. He’s mostly played left tackle but has also played a bit of guard.

The injury issues are concerning, but $10.413MM isn’t all that much for a quality starting left tackle if he can stay healthy.

2021 NFL Draft Results By Round

May 1st, 2021 at 5:57pm CST by Zachary Links

The 2021 NFL Draft is here! We’ll be keeping tabs here, from pick No. 1 through No. 259:

Round 1

1) Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB (Clemson)
2) New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB (BYU)
3) San Francisco 49ers (from Texans via Dolphins): Trey Lance, QB (North Dakota State)
4) Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts, TE (Florida)
5) Cincinnati Bengals: Ja’Marr Chase, WR (LSU)
6) Miami Dolphins (from Eagles): Jaylen Waddle, WR (Alabama)
7) Detroit Lions: Penei Sewell, OT (Oregon)
8) Carolina Panthers: Jaycee Horn, CB (South Carolina)
9) Denver Broncos: Patrick Surtain II, CB (Alabama)
10) Philadelphia Eagles (from Cowboys): DeVonta Smith, WR (Alabama)
11) Chicago Bears (from Giants): Justin Fields, QB (Ohio State)
12) Dallas Cowboys (from 49ers via Dolphins via Eagles): Micah Parsons, LB (Penn State)
13) Los Angeles Chargers: Rashawn Slater, OT (Northwestern)
14) New York Jets (from Vikings): Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL (USC)
15) New England Patriots: Mac Jones, QB (Alabama)
16) Arizona Cardinals: Zaven Collins, LB (Tulsa)
17) Las Vegas Raiders: Alex Leatherwood, OL (Alabama)
18) Miami Dolphins: Jaelan Phillips, DL (Miami)
19) Washington Football Team: Jamin Davis, LB (Kentucky)
20) New York Giants (from Bears): Kadarius Toney, WR (Florida)
21) Indianapolis Colts: Kwity Paye, DL (Michigan)
22) Tennessee Titans: Caleb Farley, CB (Virginia Tech)
23) Minnesota Vikings (from Seahawks via Jets): Christian Darrisaw, OT (Virginia Tech)
24) Pittsburgh Steelers: Najee Harris, RB (Alabama)
25) Jacksonville Jaguars (from Rams): Travis Etienne, RB (Clemson)
26) Cleveland Browns: Greg Newsome II, CB (Northwestern)
27) Baltimore Ravens: Rashod Bateman, WR (Minnes0ta)
28) New Orleans Saints: Payton Turner, DE (Houston)
29) Green Bay Packers: Eric Stokes, CB (Georgia)
30) Buffalo Bills: Gregory Rousseau, DL (Miami)
31) Baltimore Ravens (from Chiefs): Jayson Oweh, DE (Penn State)
32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Joe Tryon, LB (Washington)

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2021 NFL Draft Results: Team By Team

May 1st, 2021 at 4:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The 2021 NFL Draft has arrived! As the picks come in, we’ll keep track of each team’s haul right here:

[RELATED: 2021 NFL Draft Order By Round]

Arizona Cardinals

Round 1: No. 16 Zaven Collins, LB (Tulsa) (signed)
Round 2: No. 49 Rondale Moore, WR (Purdue) (signed)
Round 4: No. 136 (from Ravens) Marco Wilson, CB (Florida) (signed)
Round 6: No. 210 (from Ravens) Victor Dimukeje, LB (Duke) (signed)
Round 6: No. 223 (from Vikings) Tay Gowan, CB (Central Florida) (signed)
Round 7: No. 243 James Wiggins, S (Cincinnati) (signed)
Round 7: No. 247 (from Bears through Raiders) Michal Menet, C (Penn State) (signed)

Atlanta Falcons

Round 1: No. 4 Kyle Pitts, TE (Florida) (signed)
Round 2: No. 40 (from Broncos) S Richie Grant (Central Florida)
Round 3: No. 68 Jalen Mayfield, OT (Michigan) (signed)
Round 4: No. 108: Darren Hall, CB (SDSU) (signed)
Round 4: No. 114 (from Broncos) Drew Dalman, C (Stanford) (signed)
Round 5: No. 148 Ta’Quon Graham, DT (Texas) (signed)
Round 5: No. 182 Adetokunbo Ogundeji, DE (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 5: No. 183 Avery Williams, CB (Boise State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 187 Frank Darby, WR (Arizona State) (signed)

Baltimore Ravens

Round 1: No. 27 Rashod Bateman, WR (Minnesota) (signed)
Round 1: No. 31 (from Chiefs) Jayson Oweh, DE (Penn State)
Round 3: No. 94 (from Chiefs) Ben Cleveland, G (Georgia)
Round 3: No. 104 Brandon Stephens, CB (SMU)
Round 4: No. 131 Tylan Wallace, WR (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 160 (from Cardinals) Shaun Wade, CB (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 171 Daelin Hayes, LB (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 5: No. 184 Ben Mason, FB (Michigan) (signed)

Buffalo Bills

Round 1: No. 30 Gregory Rousseau, DL (Miami) (signed)
Round 2: No. 61 Carlos Basham Jr., DE (Wake Forest) (signed)
Round 3: No. 93 Spencer Brown, OT (Northern Iowa)
Round 5: No. 161 (from Raiders) Tommy Doyle, OT (Miami (Ohio) (signed)
Round 6: No. 203 Marquez Stevenson, WR (Houston) (signed)
Round 6: No. 212 (from Saints via Texans) Damar Hamlin, S (Pittsburgh) (signed)
Round 6: No. 213 Rachad Wildgoose, CB (Wisconsin) (signed)
Round 7: No. 236 (from Panthers) Jack Anderson, G (Texas Tech) (signed)

Carolina Panthers

Round 1: No. 8 Jaycee Horn, CB (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 2: No. 59 (from Browns) Terrace Marshall Jr., WR (LSU)
Round 3: No. 70 (from Eagles) Brady Christensen, OT (BYU) (signed)
Round 3: No. 83 (from Bears) Tommy Tremble, TE (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 4: No. 113 Chuba Hubbard, RB (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 158 Daviyon Nixon, DT (Iowa) (signed)
Round 5: No. 166 (from Titans) Keith Taylor, CB (Washington) (signed)
Round 6: No. 204 (from Bears) Shi Smith, WR (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 6: No. 222 Thomas Fletcher, LS (Alabama) (signed)
Round 7: No. 232 (from Titans) Phil Hoskins, DT (Kentucky) (signed)

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Patriots Select Alabama QB Mac Jones With No. 15 Pick

April 29th, 2021 at 9:16pm CST by Ben Levine

Bill Belichick has finally added a first-round quarterback. The Patriots have selected Alabama quarterback Mac Jones with the No. 15 pick.

The Patriots naturally struggled to replace Tom Brady in 2020. When the team re-signed Cam Newton earlier this offseason, there was plenty of speculation that the team could still pivot to the draft (or the trade market) to find their future QB. There were even rumblings that New England would climb up the draft board in pursuit of the signal caller. Ultimately, one of the top-five quarterbacks fell into their lap without requiring any moves.

Jones naturally lands in a great spot, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Alabama product is a bit disappointed about his slide down the board. Jones wasn’t expected to leap Trevor Lawrence or Zach Wilson, but there were whispers that the 49ers were considering Jones all the way back at the No. 3 pick. Ultimately, San Francisco opted for Trey Lance, and Jones also got leaped by Justin Fields, who went to the Bears at No. 11.

Although Jones was the least mobile of this year’s top QB prospects, he piloted another dominant Alabama team to an unbeaten season and a national championship. The 6-foot-2, 217-pound quarterback threw 41 touchdown passes, compared to four interceptions, and averaged 11.2 yards per attempt. He received the same advantages Tagovailoa did, in throwing to multiple first-round receiver talents. Both those wideouts — DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle — said they preferred Jones to Tua.

Barring a time machine from Newton (or a miraculous turnaround from Jarrett Stidham), Jones will presumably be the Patriots starter by the end of the 2021 campaign. New England has loaded up their offense with targets, including tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith and wideouts Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne. While the Patriots never really had a reason to select a first-round QB with Brady under center, it will now be fascinating to see how Belichick deals with such a high-profile prospect.

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