NFL Contract Details: Bolts, Griffin, Broncos
With the tampering period in full swing, here are some of the latest contract details to emerge:
- Chargers C Corey Linsley: Five years, $62.5MM. $26MM guaranteed, $13MM signing bonus. Linsley is due $26MM through 2022, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. Linsley’s 2021 base salary ($4MM) is fully guaranteed. His 2022 base salary ($9MM) is guaranteed for injury at signing; it becomes fully guaranteed if he is on the Bolts’ roster on Day 2 of the 2022 league year, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
- Jaguars CB Shaquill Griffin: Three years, $40MM. $23.5MM fully guaranteed, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. $12MM signing bonus, base salaries of $1MM, $11.5MM and $11.5MM. Griffin is due a $1MM roster bonus in 2023, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
- Lions DE Romeo Okwara: Three years, $39MM. $14MM signing bonus, $20MM fully guaranteed. Another $5MM will be guaranteed by next March, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).
- Broncos DL Shelby Harris: Three years, $27MM. $9MM signing bonus. Harris’ $1MM 2021 base salary and $5.5MM of his $7.5MM 2022 base are guaranteed, Wilson tweets.
- Patriots DB Jalen Mills: Four years, $24MM. $2.5MM signing bonus, $3MM base salary in 2021, $4.5MM in ’22. Williams will have $3.5MM of his 2022 base salary fully guaranteed, Breer tweets.
- Panthers OL Cameron Erving: Two years, $10MM. This contract includes base salaries of $990K and $2.01MM, with Wilson tweeting a March 2022 roster bonus of $2.5MM is guaranteed.
- 49ers CB Jason Verrett: One year, $5.5MM. $2MM signing bonus, $2.5MM base salary, $1MM in per-game roster bonuses. Another $1MM is available via incentives, Yates tweets.
Patriots To Sign Hunter Henry
The Patriots will sign tight end Hunter Henry to a three-year, $37.5MM deal, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The former Chargers tight end will receive $25MM guaranteed as a part of the deal. 
Henry will join the newly-acquired Jonnu Smith, giving the Patriots the top two tight ends in free agency. Together, they’ll help to fill the long-standing void left by Rob Gronkowski‘s departure.
Henry missed the entire 2018 campaign with a torn ACL, and although he’s played at least 12 games in his other four seasons, he’s also never played a full 16. Still, the Chargers’ decision to let Henry test the open market came as a surprise. This past season he had 60 catches for 613 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games. The tag would have cost them ~$13MM for one year.
The Patriots revamped offense will also feature former 49ers receiver Kendrick Bourne and ex-Raiders WR Nelson Agholor.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/21
Today’s “minor” moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: P Andy Lee
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: LB Tyler Matakevich
Carolina Panthers
- Released: DT Zach Kerr
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: WR Noah Brown
Houston Texans
- Signed: S Terrence Brooks, G Justin McCray, DT Vincent Taylor, CB Tremon Smith
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: S Rudy Ford
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: DT Carl Davis
New York Giants
- Re-signed: DT Austin Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Re-signed: Rashod Hill
Patriots To Sign DL Henry Anderson
The Patriots have made another addition to their defensive line. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Patriots have signed defensive lineman Henry Anderson. It will be a two-year deal worth $7MM, and it has a max value of $11MM based on achievable playtime incentives, per Rapoport (on Twitter).
Following three seasons with the Colts, Anderson was traded to the Jets in 2018 for a seventh-round pick. He proceeded to have a career year during his first season in New York, compiling seven sacks. That performance earned him a new three-year, $25MM extension from the organization, but he had a tough time living up to that contract. Despite appearing in 29 games (21 starts) for the Jets between 2019 and 2020, Anderson collected only 1.5 sacks.
Thanks in part to the reduced production, it always seemed unlikely that Anderson would stick around for the entirety of his contract. The Jets ultimately moved on from the defensive lineman earlier this month, saving the organization more than $8MM.
The Patriots have been busy adding to their defense today, signing linebacker Matt Judon, defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, and defensive back Jalen Mills. The team also brought back defensive end Deatrich Wise and defensive tackle Carl Davis.
Patriots To Sign Kendrick Bourne
5:58pm: The Pats have a deal with Bourne. They are signing the former 49ers receiver to a three-year, $22.5MM pact, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. While Bourne and Nelson Agholor are not on the top tier of available wideouts, they are off the market as part of New England’s receiver-retooling effort.
4:16pm: Usually fairly restrained early in free agency periods, the Patriots have been active on Day 1 of the legal tampering period. They are now moving toward a deal with 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.
Multiple teams have made offers to Bourne, per Fowler, but he and the Pats are discussing terms at this juncture. Bourne would represent a notable add to a receiver room in dire need of 2021 contributors.
New England has given either Cam Newton (or a to-be-determined QB1) Jonnu Smith and added Matt Judon and Jalen Mills to its defense. Bourne would be the team’s first wideout addition this offseason. The Pats have been in transition at this spot for multiple seasons, so Bourne would be a welcome signing.
Despite missing time because of COVID-19 last season and the 49ers having lost Jimmy Garoppolo for much of the slate, Bourne emerged with his most productive year. He caught 49 passes for 667 yards and two touchdowns. During San Francisco’s 2019 NFC championship season, Bourne played a key role but took a backseat to the likes of George Kittle, Emmanuel Sanders and Deebo Samuel in the 49ers’ aerial hierarchy.
Patriots To Sign Nelson Agholor
Nelson Agholor is parlaying his quality Raiders season into a deal with the Patriots. New England is expected to land the former first-round pick in free agency, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Once finalized, it’ll be a two-year deal worth up to $26MM, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
This news comes after the report indicating the Pats were discussing a deal with Kendrick Bourne. As of now, it is uncertain if the Pats will add both. But they are signing Agholor, with Rapoport tweeting the deal is done. Agholor’s base value will be $11MM per year, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Incentives could move it up to the aforementioned $13MM-AAV price.
Nelson Agholor and the Raiders agreed to a deal, Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group tweets. The former first-round pick played out his five-year rookie contract with the Eagles and will follow Jason Witten in moving from the NFC East to the Raiders’ first Las Vegas pass-catching contingent. Agholor’s pact is for one year, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Agholor was inconsistent during his Eagles tenure, but the former first-round pick proved essential during Philadelphia’s Super Bowl LII march. And, in 2020, he enjoyed a solid season with the Raiders, tallying 48 grabs for 896 yards and eight touchdowns. It was opportune timing for Agholor, who erased memories of a 2019 slate marred by a knee injury.
Patriots To Re-Sign Deatrich Wise
The Patriots have been the most aggressive team in the league so far, signing free agents left and right, and now they’re bringing back one of their own. New England has agreed to terms on a new deal to bring back defensive lineman Deatrich Wise, a source told Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
A fourth-round pick out of Arkansas back in 2017, Wise just wrapped up his initial rookie contract. He’s been a consistent role player during his four years in New England, starting at least three games each season but never more than seven. He had five sacks as a rookie and then 4.5 as a sophomore.
He started seven games this past year and appeared in all 16, playing around 55 percent of the defensive snaps. He finished with only 2.5 sacks this time as the Patriots’ pass-rush struggled as a whole.
The team has been making moves to upgrade the defensive front by adding defensive tackle Davon Godchaux and pass-rusher Matt Judon, but they clearly didn’t feel like that made Wise expendable.
Patriots To Sign Jalen Mills
The Patriots just won’t stop. After signing Jonnu Smith, Davon Godchaux, and Matt Judon to big deals already, New England is adding another high profile player.
The Pats are signing defensive back Jalen Mills, agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Interestingly, Rosenhaus also represents both Smith and Godchaux, so clearly he and Bill Belichick have a good relationship. It’s a four-year deal for Mills, worth $24MM with $9MM of that guaranteed. The Patriots have been the most active team so far, and it isn’t even close.
New England entered free agency with a lot of cap space, and they weren’t about to let it go to waste. A seventh-round pick of the Eagles in 2016, Mills quickly established himself as a starter and was a huge part of the team that beat the Patriots in Super Bowl LII as he started 15 games that year.
Known for his versatility, Mills has extensive experience at both cornerback and safety. Foot injuries limited him to only eight and nine games in 2018 and 2019, but he again started 15 in 2020. This past year he finished with 74 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three passes defended, and an interception.
Patriots To Sign Matt Judon
UPDATE, 2:00pm: It’s official now, Judon is going to be a Patriot. The deal has been finalized, Rapoport tweets. It’s a four-year, $56MM pact with $32MM guaranteed in the first two years, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
1:36pm: The Patriots’ free agent spending spree might only be getting started. New England has already agreed to terms on big deals with tight end Jonnu Smith and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux on Monday, and they have a new big name player firmly in their sights.
The Patriots are making a “major push” to sign Ravens pass-rusher Matt Judon, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. The Pats feel they are “close” to signing Judon, a source told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Everything we’ve heard recently this offseason has indicated Baltimore would likely be letting Judon walk. The Ravens franchise tagged him last cycle, but it would’ve been prohibitively expensive to do so a second time and they never worked out a long-term deal.
A fifth-round pick out of Grand Valley State in 2016, Judon broke out in 2017 and has kept improving. He’s been a Pro Bowler in each of the past two seasons, with six sacks in 14 games in 2020 and 9.5 sacks the year before.
With Godchaux and now potentially Judon in the fold, the Patriots’ defensive front will be a lot more imposing in 2021. The Pats had only 24 sacks as a team in 2020, the sixth-fewest in the league.
Patriots To Sign DT Davon Godchaux
The Patriots stormed out of the gates by signing Jonnu Smith to a massive deal, and they didn’t stop there. Bill Belichick continue his aggressive start to free agency by agreeing to terms with defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Rosenhaus also reps Smith, for what it’s worth. Godchaux didn’t get quite as much money to sign, but he’s still getting a sizable two-year, $16MM deal that has $9MM in guaranteed money. It’s a great payday for a player drafted 178th overall by the Dolphins back in 2017. He spent each of his first four seasons in Miami, and quickly blossomed into a full-time starter in his sophomore season.
Interior defensive line, like tight end, was a weakness for the Patriots last season. Godchaux only played in five games last year due to biceps surgery, but it was the first major injury of his career and he had played in at least 15 games in each of the three prior seasons.
In his last full campaign in 2019, Godchaux had 75 tackles, four for a loss, two sacks, and one pass defended. He should immediately upgrade the run defense in New England.