Michael Bennett Retires From NFL
Michael Bennett is calling it a career. After eleven years in the NFL, the longtime Seahawks defensive end announced his retirement on Instagram. 
“Retiring feels a little like death of self, but I’m looking forward to the rebirth — the opportunity to reimagine my purpose,” Bennett wrote. “I would like to thank my wife and children, who have sacrificed so much for me to succeed. I’m looking forward to supporting them the same way they have me these past 11 years. I have never been more at peace in my life.”
Bennett, 34, went undrafted in 2009 after an up-and-down tenure at Texas A&M. His first deal technically came with the Seahawks, but he didn’t make the final cut, so he moved on to the Buccaneers. In 2013, he returned to Seattle as a free agent, and that’s where he really came into his own. The ’13 Seahawks won the Super Bowl and boasted the league’s best D, thanks in large part to Bennett. With the Seahawks, Bennett went on to rack up three straight Pro Bowl appearances and 39 total sacks across five seasons.
Bennett spent time with the Eagles, Cowboys, and Patriots across the last two seasons and was still solidly productive – he had 15.5 sacks between 2018 and 2019. Still, Bennett was mulling retirement even before the pandemic, and quarantining with the family reminded him of everything he had missed off of the field. With that, Bennett is walking away from the game with 359 tackles, 69.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, and a Super Bowl ring.
Antonio Brown Retires (Again)
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. On Monday, Antonio Brown announces his retirement from the NFL. This marks at least the third time Brown has publicly called it quits since September of last year. 
[RELATED: Patriots, AB Settle Grievance]
“At this point, the risk is greater than the reward,” Brown tweeted. “Thank you [to] everyone who [has] been a part of this journey. I sincerely thank you for everything!”
Brown, of course, isn’t the only player who is concerned about the risk involved with playing this season. Still, it remains to be seen whether his latest farewell will stick. Less than three weeks ago, Brown was lobbying the Seahawks to pair him with friend and workout partner Russell Wilson. There were also rumblings of AB and Tom Brady getting together in Tampa Bay, but the Buccaneers weren’t interested in the drama that comes with the controversial wide receiver.
Brown, 32, remains under NFL investigation for multiple incidents, including two alleged acts of sexual misconduct. His own safety concerns aside, there was little guarantee that a team would take on the risk of signing him. Brown’s availability for the coming year was also highly questionable.
If this is truly a wrap for Brown, he leaves the game with a complicated legacy. Over the course of his ten-year career, Brown tallied 841 receptions for 11,253 yards and seven Pro Bowl appearances. Before things turned ugly, Brown was a surefire Hall of Famer and regarded as one of the game’s most dangerous offensive talents. Now, (we think), he’ll focus on other endeavors, while untangling some of his off-the-field matters.
Release Candidate: Patriots QB Brian Hoyer
When the Patriots signed Brian Hoyer back in March, many expected him to wind up as the Patriots’ new starter to replace Tom Brady. A few months later, things have changed dramatically. Between the addition of Cam Newton and the presence of youngster Jarrett Stidham, Hoyer may wind up back on the curb this summer.
Hoyer started out with the Patriots way back in 2008. Since then, the one-time undrafted free agent out of Michigan State has been a practice field favorite. This year would mark his third go ’round with Bill Belichick, so he knows the schemes and terminology inside and out.
He’s also signed to a very reasonable one-year, $2MM deal, and it’s fully guaranteed. Financially speaking, the Patriots would gain nothing by releasing the 34-year-old (35 in October).
Since 2010, the Patriots have generally rolled with two QBs on the depth chart, a savvy move to increase flexibility in other areas. Of course, they’re in a very different situation without Brady under center. At one point, in Brady’s rookie year, the Patriots housed four passers on the roster. If they don’t feel the need to backstop Newton and Stidham with their proven – and already paid – signal caller, the Patriots could drop him and create an extra spot for an edge rusher like Shilique Calhoun or a tenth offensive lineman.
No Progress For Patriots, Joe Thuney
The Patriots aren’t expected to hammer out an extension with Joe Thuney before this afternoon’s deadline, according to Ian Rapoport and Michael Giardi of NFL.com (on Twitter). With that, the offensive guard is set to play on a one-year, $14.78MM deal. 
[RELATED: Patriots Open Cap Space After Settling Grievances]
The Patriots caught everyone off guard in March when they applied the franchise tag to Thuney. Even after that point, many believed that the tag was Step One towards a tag-and-trade. Instead, the Patriots tagged Thuney with the intention of keeping him and they had some talks with his camp about a multi-year arrangement.
Lately, there hasn’t been much momentum on that front. Frankly, it would be off-brand for the Patriots to pay top dollar for players as they approach free agency, and the current climate doesn’t help matters.
Thuney, 28 in November, has started in all 64 of his games for the Pats over the last three seasons. And, over the last two seasons, he’s graded out as one of the league’s five best offensive guards in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.
Poll: How Many Tagged Players Will Land Extensions?
A day away from the deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign extensions, the NFL finally saw a player from this year’s group do so. The Chiefs’ Chris Jones extension represents the outlier move thus far. Discounting Jones’ deal, how many more tagged players will sign by the 3pm CT deadline Wednesday?
The 14 remaining tagged players reside in limbo for various reasons — from uncertainties about their career trajectories to the pandemic clouding the NFL’s financial future. There could be plenty of players going through the 2020 season on guaranteed one-year deals, which would both table key negotiations for several months and add to the 2021 free agent market.
Here is how everything looks with the tagged group as of Tuesday afternoon:
Already Signed Tag
- LB Shaquil Barrett, Buccaneers: Sides are not believed to be close on terms (7/10)
- RB Kenyan Drake*, Cardinals: Engaged in talks with organization (4/15)
- LB Bud Dupree, Steelers: Sides are not close on terms; Dupree filed grievance (7/10)
- S Anthony Harris, Vikings: No reports, will let agent and Vikings do the work (5/17)
- RB Derrick Henry, Titans: Expected to play season on tag (7/14)
- TE Hunter Henry, Chargers: Sides “were close” to extension (4/29); now not so much (7/11)
- LB Matt Judon, Ravens: Content playing on franchise tag (6/16)
- QB Dak Prescott, Cowboys: After disagreement on deal length, no talks scheduled (7/13)
- OG Brandon Scherff, Washington: No longer expected to sign extension (7/14)
- S Justin Simmons, Broncos: Talks unlikely to produce extension (7/14)
- OG Joe Thuney, Patriots: Engaged in talks with organization (3/17)
- DT Leonard Williams, Giants: Will play 2020 season on franchise tag (7/13)
*Received transition tag (vs. franchise tag)
Hasn’t Signed Tag, Won’t Hold Out
- WR A.J. Green, Bengals: Not much optimism exists for extension (7/12)
Hasn’t Signed Tag, Threatening Holdout
More players were tagged this year than in 2018 and ’19 combined. This represents the largest contingent of tagged performers since 2012, when 19 were tagged. That also came in an era when of salary cap stagnancy. After steady cap growth since 2014, the league’s best hope may be for the 2021 cap to plateau. The coronavirus has threatened to keep fans out of stadiums, with limited capacity being the likely best-case scenario. That will cost the league upwards of $3 billion, and the NFL-NFLPA talks about how to manage this have transpired for several weeks without a resolution.
But deadlines, per the cliche, incite action. Will this year be the exception? Are teams willing to carry big tag salaries on their books? Or will they prefer that to signing off on long-term extensions before the cap reality clears up? Vote in PFR’s latest poll (link for app users) and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Of the 14 players still attached to tags, how many will sign extensions?
-
1-2 45% (238)
-
3-5 36% (194)
-
4-7 13% (71)
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More than 8 6% (31)
Total votes: 534
Many Patriots Players Set To Quarantine Ahead Of Training Camp
However, Patriots players will need to arrive sooner. Massachusetts is not working with the aforementioned three states, and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes that with Pats camp still set to open July 28, players who reside out of state must arrive by Tuesday and quarantine for 14 days. Massachusetts requires all non-essential travelers from non-New England states, or New York and New Jersey, to go through with post-arrival quarantines. This will affect many Patriot players.
- Cam Newton has a 13% playing-time incentive in his Patriots contract. The former Panthers quarterback will earn $250K if he hits that threshold. This does not count toward New England’s cap, however, with Reiss indicating that since Newton played just 12% of Carolina’s 2019 snaps the Pats were permitted to categorize this seemingly easy-to-obtain incentive as “not likely to be earned.”
Terrelle Pryor Attempting Comeback
Things have not gone well for Terrelle Pryor lately. Following a terrific 2016 campaign with the Browns — his first full season as a wide receiver after converting from the quarterback position — Pryor badly misjudged the free agent market for his services. He was hoping for a long-term deal worth about $15MM per season, but when that didn’t materialize, he eschewed the multi-year offers he did have to take a one-year, $8MM contract with the Redskins.
He hoped that, if he built on his breakout effort in Cleveland and proved that it wasn’t a fluke, he would land a $15MM/year deal the following offseason. But his one year in Washington didn’t go as planned, as he played in just nine games (two starts) and caught 20 passes for 240 yards and a TD. He was hampered by an ankle injury for most of the season and ultimately landed on IR.
So instead of getting the massive payday he was seeking in the 2018 offseason, he settled for a one-year, $4.5MM pact with the Jets. He lasted just six games with Gang Green, catching 14 passes for 235 yards and two TDs. A groin injury slowed him a bit, and he was released in October 2018. The division-rival Bills scooped him up shortly thereafter, but he played just two games for Buffalo before being cut again.
Pryor signed with the Jaguars in May 2019, but he never played a regular season game for them. He was put on IR during final cutdowns and released several days later.
In November, Pryor was stabbed in the shoulder and chest by a woman in an incident that saw both parties criminally charged. Pryor, though, tells TMZ Sports that he is fully healthy and is ready for a chance to resume his NFL career.
He says he has been in contact with five teams, including the Patriots, about a potential contract. We don’t know who the other four teams are, but Pryor indicated he would also like to play for his hometown Steelers.
New England, though, seems like a better fit. Pryor’s abilities as a deep threat — assuming he still has them — would complement the rest of the Pats’ pass catchers nicely, and on paper it looks like New England needs more receiving help than Pittsburgh.
Regardless, it will take only a minimum commitment for any team to bring Pryor into the fold. Given his recent history, though, the 31-year-old may need to wait until COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted so he can prove to interested clubs that he’s ready to go.
Patriots Open Cap Space After Settling Grievances
The Patriots have opened up a chunk of cap space after settling compensation grievances concerning a pair of former players. ESPN’s Mike Reiss (via Twitter) and Field Yates report that settlements regarding Antonio Brown ($4MM) and Aaron Hernandez ($2.55MM) have opened up around $6.5MM in cap space.
Brown filed a grievance against the Patriots back in September after the team refused to pay him a $10MM signing bonus following his release. New England was also left with $4.5MM in dead money from the Brown debacle.
While Hernandez was released by the Patriots seven years ago, the NFL Players Association was still fighting on the behalf of his estate regarding a $3.25MM guaranteed signing bonus that was previously withheld by the team. Following Hernandez’s arrest (and prior to his eventual conviction for first-degree murder), the player gave up $19.3MM in non-guaranteed money while the organization voided the rest of his guaranteed money. The team also looked to recoup some of the bonus money that had already been paid out.
As Yates notes on Twitter, the Patriots started the week with less than $500K in cap space. Following today’s news and the Rex Burkhead restructuring from earlier this week, New England now has close to $7.8MM in space.
As Sports Illustrated’s Devon Clements pointed out back in February, the Patriots also had a pair of active grievances with defensive lineman David Parry ($179K) and offensive lineman Cole Croston ($163K). The status of those grievances hasn’t been reported.
Breakdown Of Cam Newton’s Contract With Patriots
Cam Newton was connected to the Patriots all offseason, and though New England long insisted it was comfortable going into the 2020 season with second-year pro Jarrett Stidham under center, the club ultimately could not resist adding the 2015 MVP on a modest one-year pact.
It has been reported that the deal has a base value of just $1.05MM ($550K guaranteed), with $6.45MM in available incentives that could push the total to $7.5MM. Of those incentives, we knew that $700K came in the form of per-game roster bonuses. Field Yates of ESPN.com passes along the full breakdown, via Twitter:
- $43,750 per game in which Newton is active, up to $700K, as noted above;
- 13% of team snaps: $250K; 20%: $500K; 30%: $750K; 40%: $1MM; 50%: $1.25MM; 60%: $1.5MM (increases to $1.75MM if Patriots qualify for playoffs); 70%: $1.75MM ($2.25MM with playoffs); 80%: $2MM ($3MM with playoffs); 90%: $2.25MM ($3.75MM with playoffs);
- Pro Bowl bonus: $500K;
- All-Pro bonus: $500K;
- $250K for each playoff win in which Newton plays at least 50% of the team’s snaps, up to a maximum of $1MM
So if Newton is healthy, a 2020 payout of about $4MM or so seems well within reach, and a healthy Newton will make the Pats a strong candidate to make the playoffs, so he could bump that number a bit higher with a postseason run. But it will take a lot of work to max out the contract’s value, and as Ben Volin of the Boston Globe observes (via Twitter), all of Newton’s incentives are tied to staying healthy and team performance. There are no individual stat incentives like those that appeared in Tom Brady’s contract in recent years.
Still, the Patriots are probably the best landing spot that Newton could have asked for to revive his career. The defense is strong, the division is winnable, and while the skill position talent could be better, it should be enough for Newton to work with. He can still be hit with the franchise tag in 2021 if he performs well, but a franchise tender would be a nice raise over what he’s getting this year, and a hefty multi-year extension would be in play as well.
AFC Notes: Patriots, Waynes, Conner
Prior to signing a six-year, $54MM deal with the Redskins prior to the 2009 campaign, three-time Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall had the opportunity to join the Patriots. The defensive back ultimately opted for the more lucrative deal, a decision he’s now regretting.
“When I signed to play half the season with Washington in 2008, there was a line in my contract that said the team could not franchise tag me that next season. I remember negotiations for a new deal with Washington weren’t going well, and there were other teams in the picture, including New England,” Hall said (via NFL.com). “At that time, players didn’t take short-term deals, but Randy Moss had just signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Patriots. I couldn’t believe it.
“In my own contract discussions with the Pats, I recall Bill Belichick telling me they couldn’t give me the contract Moss signed. Being a young and greedy knucklehead, I chose to stay in Washington on a long-term deal, which ultimately had me making the same per-year salary as Moss. Over a few million, I could’ve changed my legacy by being part of that dynasty. That was on the table for me, and I wish I would’ve made the decision to take less money and play for Belichick.”
Hall ended up sticking with the Redskins through the 2017 season. The Redskins ultimately won 56 games between the 2009 and 2017 seasons, earning a pair of playoff appearances. The Patriots won 112 games and made four Super Bowls during that same span.
Let’s check out some more notes from around the AFC…
- Earlier this offseason, cornerback Trae Waynes signed a four-year, $42MM deal with the Bengals, including a $15MM signing bonus. However, as SI.com’s Albert Breer details, the former first-rounder still hasn’t received any of that money, and this is an ongoing theme throughout the NFL. One agent told Breer that executives are wary of finalizing any deals over fears of a cancelled season, and organizations are “within their rights to leave deals undone as a result of not wanting to do off-campus physicals.”
- Breer adds that Waynes is “pretty sensitive to how his concern over a $15 million payment might come off, understanding the job situation in our country right now.” Meanwhile, the Bengals have explained their side of the story. “The Bengals are very excited about adding Trae to the roster and are confident that he will be a good player here, but unfortunately issues relating to coronavirus have made contract execution matters harder than anyone wishes,” said Bengals vice president Troy Blackburn. “Hopefully agreements can be reached soon between the NFL and the NFLPA that allow the season to get underway, at which point these issues go away.”
- Ed Bouchette of The Athletic can’t envision running back James Conner inking an extension with the Steelers. The writer notes that the 25-year-old has only had one good season, and he’s battled injuries throughout his career. Following a breakout 2018 campaign, Conner finished the 2019 season with an underwhelming 715 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns.