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Contract Details: Vaccaro, Callahan, Okafor

By | at March 21, 2019 10:20 pm

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed NFL contracts, with all links going to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle’s Twitter account:

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Patriots, Stephen Gostkowski Working On New Deal

By | at March 21, 2019 6:24 pm

Free agent kicker Stephen Gostkowski is working towards a new deal with the Patriots after receiving interest from other teams, according to Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston.

Gostkowski, 35, was selected by New England in the fourth round of the 2006 draft and has been the club’s kicker for 13 seasons. Last year, Gostkowski made 27 of his 32 field goal attempts, good for an 84.4% conversion rate that ranked 20th in the NFL. He missed only a single extra point, and the Patriots ranked 17th in Football Outsiders‘ field goal/extra point metric.

As Curran notes, this is Gostkowski’s first trip through unrestricted free agency. The Patriots used the franchise tag on Gostkowski in 2015 but subsequently inked him to a four-year, $17.2MM extension. That $4.3MM annual value would still rank second among kickers, but Gostkowski may be looking for a pay increase. New England declined to franchise Gostkowski this season, as the tender would have cost $4.971MM.

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Patriots Pay White, Guy Missed Bonuses

By | at March 20, 2019 10:44 pm

  • Running back James White and defensive tackle Lawrence Guy each missed out on playtime/performance bonus thresholds in 2018, but the Patriots have decided to pay each player his bonus anyway, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. White will collect a $250K bonus, which he would have earned by reaching 1,200 total yards (he managed 1,176), per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Meanwhile, Guy needed to play 50% of New England’s defensive snaps for his own $250K bonus, but fell three snaps short. Together, the bonuses will add $500K to the Patriots’ salary cap, but New England can feel secure in rewarding its players. The Pats did the same thing for Guy in 2018 when he barely failed to earn a $500K bonus.
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Contract Details: Nsekhe, Anderson, Dorsett

By | at March 20, 2019 10:01 pm

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed NFL contracts:

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Robert Kraft To Reject Plea Deal

By | at March 20, 2019 11:57 am

This week, Florida prosecutors presented Patriots owner Robert Kraft and others implicated in the now famous sex sting with a plea deal. Kraft, however, will not accept the plea, according to CNN. 

Kraft, 77, has been accused of twice visiting the Orchids of Asia Day Spa. Authorities say they have video footage of him receiving “paid acts,” which would represent clear evidence of solicitation. However, the Patriots owner maintains his innocence, and the proposed plea deal would require Kraft to admit that he would have been proven guilty if the case went to trial. Soon after the story broke, Kraft’s camp indicated that he would not be admitting fault:

“We categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity. Because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further.”

Kraft has also filed a motion to prevent the release of the surveillance video, according to TMZ. For now, Kraft is set for a March 28 arraignment. He is being charged with second-degree misdemeanors, which generally do not carry more than a two-month sentence in county jail.

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Latest On Patriots Owner Robert Kraft

By | at March 19, 2019 1:48 pm

Florida prosecutors offered a plea deal to Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other men charged with a recent sex sting operation, as Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal writes. However, the proposal calls for Kraft and 24 others to admit they would have been proven guilty at trial. Based on the statement put out by Kraft at the outset of the scandal, it’s far from a given that he’ll agree to those terms. 

Also, as a part of the proposed agreement, Kraft would have to complete an education course about prostitution, perform 100 hours of community service, and undergo testing for sexually transmitted diseases. Prosecutors say this is the standard diversion program offered to first-time offenders in such matters.

The state attorney’s office says none of the 25 men in question have accepted the agreement just yet. Meanwhile, Kraft’s attorney has yet to comment on the agreement proposed by authorities.

As it stands, Kraft is set for an April 24 court date – one day before the start of the 2019 NFL Draft. However, Kraft can opt to simply have his attorney appear on his behalf.

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Patriots To Re-Sign P Ryan Allen

By | at March 19, 2019 12:46 pm

Punter Ryan Allen and the Patriots have reached agreement on a one-year deal, a source tells Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Allen, presumably, will earn a step up from his $1.3MM salary from last year. 

There was little doubt that the Patriots wanted to keep Allen, but a recent change in representation may have gummed up the works. Last week, Allen changed agents (Twitter link), so it may have taken additional time for the Pats to hammer out a deal with his new rep, Chris Gittings of OneWest Sports.

Allen has been the Patriots’ punter since 2013. Head coach Bill Belichick places a great deal of emphasis on special teams work and Allen showed the value of quality punting with some spectacular kicks in the Super Bowl. February’s Super Bowl win, by the way, marked Allen’s third ring with the Pats.

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Seahawks To Meet With Jordy Nelson

By | at March 18, 2019 10:14 am

Jordy Nelson‘s free agent tour is underway. The former Raiders and Packers receiver is set to visit the Seahawks on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 

Aside from the Seahawks, Nelson has also drawn interest from the Patriots, Titans, and Chiefs, according to Schefter. The Raiders, who released Nelson last week, may also have interest in bringing him back on a lesser deal.

Nelson, 34 in May, wasn’t in top form last season, but he did show that he can still play. Last year, he averaged 12.2 yards per reception while catching balls from Derek Carr. That was a step up from 2017, when he averaged a career-low 9.1 yards per reception when he was mostly catching passes from quarterbacks that were not named Aaron Rodgers. All in all, Nelson had 63 grabs for 739 yards and three touchdowns last season.

The former second-round pick and Super Bowl hero caught 97 passes for 1,257 yards and 14 TDs during his last full season with Rodgers.

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Latest On Brady, Gronkowski Contracts

By | at March 17, 2019 8:16 pm

  • Prior to LaAdrian Waddle signing with the Bills, the Patriots conveyed interest in bringing him back, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes. The Pats kept an open dialogue with their swing tackle but were not willing to match the Bills’ offer, Reiss adds.
  • Rob Gronkowski has not given the Patriots his decision on if he will continue his career in 2019, but if the future Hall of Famer wants an extension, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes this cannot happen until August 30 — a year after his previous contract adjustment, per an NFL rule. Long dissatisfied with a contract he agreed to in 2012, Gronkowski would be entering the final year of that deal if he returned for 2019. The Patriots could approach Gronk about a pay cut, however, at any point this offseason, per Volin. Gronkowski is due a $10MM salary and to count $11.86MM on the Patriots’ cap. The latest word on Gronk’s status is a return for a 10th season is more likely than a retirement.
  • Conversely, a Tom Brady extension can happen at any point this offseason. Since the Patriots did not adjust their quarterback’s cap number via the unmet incentives last year, Volin notes they can extend his contract before the 12-month mark from when the team included those incentives. Brady’s deal appears likely to be adjusted, with the 41-year-old passer’s contract-year cap figure sitting at $27MM.
  • Prior to LaAdrian Waddle signing with the Bills, the Patriots conveyed interest in bringing him back, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes. The Pats kept an open dialogue with their swing tackle but were not willing to match the Bills’ offer, Reiss adds.
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Contract Details: Foles, Tate, Crowder, Desir

By | at March 15, 2019 9:38 pm

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed NFL contracts:

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