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NFL Contract Details: Fuller, Ford, Barr, Pats

March 26th, 2021 at 9:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

As free agency’s second wave continues, here are the latest contract details from around the league:

  • 49ers DE Dee Ford: Two years, $24MM. $11.6MM guaranteed, with $4.6MM of that sum due in 2022, David Lombardi and Matt Barrows of The Athletic note (subscription required). Ford’s 2021 guarantees ($7MM) include a $4MM base salary. Ford’s contract also includes a void year (2023).
  • Dolphins WR Will Fuller: One year, $10.63MM. Contract maxes out at $13.63MM, with $3MM available in performance-based incentives, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Fuller will receive a $9.6MM signing bonus and is due a $990K base salary.
  • Vikings LB Anthony Barr: One year, fully guaranteed $9.4MM. $8.4MM signing bonus, $1MM base salary. Barr’s cap number will drop to $6.1MM. Contract includes $3MM in sack-based incentives and features two void years, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling (all Twitter links).
  • Patriots T Trent Brown: Fully guaranteed $6.5MM base salary, up to $2MM in per-game roster bonuses, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Contract can climb to $11MM based on the roster bonuses, $1MM for 90% playing time, $1MM for a Pro Bowl nod and $500K in weight incentives. Brown must stay under 380 pounds, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets.
  • Bills DE Mario Addison: $4.1MM base salary in 2021, $3.25MM of that is guaranteed, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic tweets. Addison is also due a $1.9MM roster bonus. His contract will now void after 2021.
  • Colts T Sam Tevi: One year, $2.51MM. $1MM guaranteed, $1.5MM base salary. The deal also includes $1MM in playing-time incentives, Wilson tweets.

Patriots Re-Sign FB Jakob Johnson

March 25th, 2021 at 6:31pm CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots have re-signed exclusive rights free agent Jakob Johnson, per a team announcement. As an ERFA, Johnson could not negotiate with any other club, so this was mostly a foregone conclusion.

Johnson, a fullback, joined New England via the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program in April 2019. He saw action in four games during the 2019 campaign, but he played in every game in 2020, appearing in 37% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps. He caught eight passes for 35 yards and a score and also served as a significant special teams contributor.

With this re-signing and yesterday’s James White re-up, the Pats will now return most of their 2020 backfield. Damien Harris and Sony Michel are also under contract, but Rex Burkhead — who sustained an ACL tear in November — remains a free agent.

Patriots, DL Lawrence Guy Agree To Deal

March 24th, 2021 at 3:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots will have a host of new starters next season, but they are finalizing an agreement to keep one of their own first-stringers. Lawrence Guy and the Pats are closing in on a new four-year deal, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.

Guy’s second Pats contract is worth $11.5MM over four years, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This represents a discount from the sides’ 2017 agreement, and it will keep Guy in New England — where he will join a brigade of incoming talent acquired over the past two weeks.

Guy visited the Dolphins on Monday, but it does not look like ex-Patriots assistant Brian Flores will be able to lure the veteran defensive tackle to Miami. A staple on the Pats’ defensive line, Guy has been with New England for the past four seasons.

A role player who bounced around prior to joining the Patriots in 2017, Guy started for each of New England’s most recent Super Bowl-qualifying teams and has been a steady first-stringer on each of the Pats’ past four squads. Guy, 31, has started 60 of the 62 games he has played with the Pats.

Flores did bring ex-Patriots defensive tackle Adam Butler to Miami, leaving the Pats thinner on their defensive front. However, the Pats — quite busy in this free agency period — have added on their D-line as well. New England signed Henry Anderson, Davon Godchaux, Montravius Adams and Carl Davis to help up front.

A 2011 Packers seventh-round pick, Guy has played a similar role on each of the Patriot teams on which he has played. He has logged between 50-55% of New England’s defensive snaps from 2017-20. The Pats gave Guy a four-year, $20MM deal in 2017 and agreed to a slight pay bump ahead of his 2020 contract year. It appears the sides are set to continue this partnership, with Guy set to be joined by numerous new faces on the 2021 Pats.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/24/21

March 24th, 2021 at 10:21am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Seattle Seahawks

WFT Interested In Patriots WR N’Keal Harry

March 24th, 2021 at 10:07am CST by Zachary Links

The Washington Football Team is keeping an eye on N’Keal Harry, as John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. Harry has drawn trade interest in recent days and it has been widely speculated that the Patriots could move him. 

The Pats made Harry a first-round pick in 2019, but he hasn’t lived up to expectations. In total, the Arizona State product has just 414 receiving yards and four touchdowns across 21 games. He’s had lots of setbacks, too, including an injury-riddled rookie year and the offense’s overall woes in 2020.

Despite his inconsistent performance, Keim hears that at least three other teams are in the mix. As he notes, WFT GM Martin Mayhew was with the 49ers in 2019 and they were hoping to land Harry before the Patriots scooped him up in Round 1. In Washington, Harry could fit alongside Terry McLaurin and newcomer Curtis Samuel. Meanwhile, after adding Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, the Patriots can afford to part ways with the 6’4″ pass-catcher.

Patriots To Re-Sign James White

March 24th, 2021 at 9:27am CST by Zachary Links

Running back James White is expected to re-sign with the Patriots, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The versatile RB with 25 touchdown catches since 2014 back in the fold for New England.

On his latest Patriots contract, White will earn $2.5MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal. This marks White’s third deal with the Pats, who most recently signed him for three years and $12MM back in 2017. He played an essential role on each of New England’s past two Super Bowl-winning teams.

White, 29, came into the league as a fourth-round pick of the Patriots in 2014 and that’s where he’s been ever since. He’s not just a valuable third-down tailback — he’s also a longstanding team captain. After tallying 994 all-purpose yards in 2019, he saw less time in 2020. Still, White had 49 grabs for 375 yards and a touchdown to lead all Pats RBs in receiving.

The Patriots received a promising season from 2019 third-round pick Damien Harris last season; White figures to return to his role complementing the emerging back. Sony Michel is entering a contract year, though Rex Burkhead is a free agent. It would stand to reason the Pats are not done at this position this offseason.

Patriots To Waive K Justin Rohrwasser

March 23rd, 2021 at 4:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots will end Justin Rohrwasser‘s tenure after one year. New England is waiving the 2020 fifth-round pick, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.

A standout college kicker, Rohrwasser did not kick in a game for the Patriots. The team used Nick Folk as its kicker last season, its first without Stephen Gostkowski since 2005, and re-signed Folk last week.

Ex-second-round pick Roberto Aguayo also resides on the Patriots’ roster, leaving little room for Rohrwasser. New England initially added Folk just before Week 1 last year, cutting Rohrwasser. However, the team brought him back via practice squad deal and retained the younger specialist on a reserve/futures contract. As of Tuesday afternoon, he is back on the waiver wire.

Folk, 36, made 93% of his field goal tries last season — a career-best mark — and received some guaranteed money to stay on as the Pats’ kicker.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/23/21

March 23rd, 2021 at 10:34am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

Houston Texans

  • Re-Signed: LS Jon Weeks
  • Released: LS Anthony Kukwa

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Football Team

Contract Details: Trubisky, Andrews, Carson, Jones, Reiff, Joyner

March 21st, 2021 at 6:57pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Let’s catch up on the latest contract details from around the league:

  • QB Mitchell Trubisky, Bills: One-year, $2MM base salary with $1.5MM guaranteed, $500K signing bonus, and $2MM available in incentives. Via Field Yates of ESPN on Twitter.
  • C David Andrews, Patriots: Four-years, $19 MM, with $6.5MM fully guaranteed. More money available in play-time incentives. Via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network on Twitter.
  • RB Chris Carson, Seahawks: Two-years, $10.425MM, $4.5MM signing bonus and $1MM guaranteed salary for 2021. $4.5MM non-guaranteed 2022 salary and $450K in per-game roster bonuses in ‘22. Up to $1.4MM in incentives in both years. Via Dan Graziano of ESPN on Twitter.
  • RB Aaron Jones, Packers: Four-years, $48MM. The $13MM signing bonus is the only fully guaranteed money in the contract. A $3.5MM roster bonus is due on the first day of next league year. For 2023, a $7MM roster bonus is due on the third day of the league year. You can read the full breakdown of each year of the contract via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
  • OL Riley Reiff, Bengals: One-year, $7.5MM. $5.5MM guaranteed. We hadn’t known the terms of this contract yet, and $7.5MM is a pretty decent price for the Bengals for a solid starting tackle. Via Yates on Twitter.
  • S Lamarcus Joyner, Jets: One-year, up to $4.5MM. $2.5MM is guaranteed, with a $1MM signing bonus and $1.5MM base salary. Up to $500K in per game active roster bonuses and $1.5MM in playing time and interception incentives. Via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.

Draft Pick Updates: Vikings, Saints, Raiders, Patriots

March 20th, 2021 at 8:10am CST by Ben Levine

The Vikings are down a draft pick. Per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (on Twitter), the Vikings have forfeited a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft (No. 242).

“A mistake was made, we take responsibility and we respect the league’s decision and will move forward,” general manager Rick Spielman said in a statement.

Per Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com, the punishment is regarding an infraction from 2019. There was some kind of violation of a practice squad player’s contract, but it’s uncertain who the player was or what the violation was.

Three Vikings executives were also fined $10K each, per Smith.

Some more draft notes from around the NFL:

  • Neither the Saints nor Raiders will lose a draft due to violations of the COVID-19 policies, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. “They are not forfeiting them,” McCarthy said. “Neither team will lose those picks.” According to the reporter, there were rumblings that New Orleans would lose a seventh-round pick following a “mask-less locker room celebration,” and the Raiders were expected to lose a sixth-rounder due to multiple violations. While the NFL didn’t provide any context on their decision, Florio assumes both organizations appealed their penalties and were successful.
  • When the NFL announced the compensatory picks for the 2021 draft, the Patriots did not have a fifth-round pick. However, a source confirmed to PFT that New England had indeed received a fifth-rounder in the upcoming draft. According to Smith, the NFL “realized a mistake in its calculation of the complex formula for determining compensatory picks,” leading to the extra Patriots selection.
  • Thanks to the aforementioned compensatory-pick audit by the NFL, the Falcons are also moving two slots in the fifth round, according to Smith. Further, while the NFL only allows the addition of 32 compensatory picks each year, they’ve made an exception this time around. Thanks to the additional Patriots draft pick, the Bears normally wouldn’t have received that final compensatory pick; the NFL and NFL Players Association allowed Chicago to ultimately keep that selection.
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