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NFL Announces Compensatory Picks For 2022 Draft

March 15th, 2022 at 5:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks for teams in the 2022 draft. These picks are awarded to the teams that suffered the most significant free agent losses during the 2021 offseason.

This year, the NFL awarded 39 comp picks. The comp pick formula assigns picks to franchises who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks.

This year’s formula also includes the changes made last year, when teams began receiving third-round comp picks due to the hiring of minority head coaches and general managers. Seven such picks were awarded this year. The 49ers landed two additional third-rounders this year, obtaining the extra selections for the Jets’ 2021 Robert Saleh hire and the Dolphins hiring Mike McDaniel this year. Miami’s McDaniel hire will give San Francisco another third-rounder in 2023.

The Chiefs obtained a third-rounder for the Bears’ Ryan Poles GM hire, while the Browns landed a third because of the Vikings’ Kwesi Adofo-Mensah GM hire. The Ravens collected their second third-round for the Texans’ 2021 David Culley hire; Culley has since been fired. The Saints and Rams obtained one apiece after seeing the Falcons and Lions hire minority execs Terry Fontenot and Brad Holmes as GMs in 2021. New Orleans and Detroit also landed thirds because of players given high-value contacts last year (Trey Hendrickson and Kenny Golladay, respectively).

Here is the full list of 2022 compensatory selections:

By round:

Round 3: Lions (No. 97 overall), Saints (98), Browns (99)*, Ravens (100)*, Saints (101)*, 49ers (102)*, Chiefs (103)*, Rams (104)*, 49ers (105)*

Round 4: Steelers (No. 138), Ravens (139), Packers (140), Ravens (141), Rams (142), Titans (143)

Round 5: Cowboys (No. 176), Lions (177), Cowboys (178), Colts (179)

Round 6: Rams (No. 211), Rams (212), Falcons (213), Chargers (214), Cardinals (215), Colts (216), Lions (217), Rams (218), Titans (219), 49ers (220), 49ers (221)

Round 7: Chargers (No. 254), Chargers (255), Cardinals (256), Cardinals (257), Packers (258), Chiefs (259), Chargers (260), Buccaneers (261), 49ers (262)

By team:

San Francisco 49ers (5)
Los Angeles Rams (5)
Los Angeles Chargers (4)
Arizona Cardinals (3)
Baltimore Ravens (3)
Detroit Lions (3)
Dallas Cowboys (2)
Green Bay Packers (2)
Indianapolis Colts (2)
Kansas City Chiefs (2)
New Orleans Saints (2)
Tennessee Titans (2)
Atlanta Falcons (1)
Cleveland Browns (1)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1)

* = special compensatory selection

Saints Restructure Marcus Davenport’s Deal

March 15th, 2022 at 3:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints’ journey to cap compliance is complete. They have moved under the $208MM cap, restructuring Marcus Davenport‘s deal to do so.

More than $8MM of Davenport’s 2022 $9.6MM base salary is now a signing bonus, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). This created more than $6MM of cap space for the Saints, who are perhaps in pole position to add a rather hefty contract to their payroll.

New Orleans and Carolina have been mentioned as the lead suitors for Deshaun Watson, who thus far has only been willing to waive his no-trade clause for these NFC South teams. However, a Browns meeting is also on Watson’s agenda. The Falcons have entered the fray as well. Watson does not sound especially thrilled about a Panthers fit. Fitting Watson’s contract onto their payroll will be tricky, but the Saints have navigated winter cap issues for years. They cleared more than $100MM off their payroll to move under the 2021 cap.

Watson’s contract calls for a $35MM base salary in 2022; that amount is guaranteed. The Saints are clearly confident they can create sufficient space for the embattled quarterback, whose civil cases have yet to be resolved.

New Orleans completed a restructure similar to Davenport’s last year, moving much of Marshon Lattimore‘s fifth-year option salary into a bonus. Lattimore has since signed a long-term extension. Davenport’s deal expires after the 2022 season.

RFA Tender Decisions: 3/14/22

March 14th, 2022 at 9:28pm CST by Ben Levine

The deadline for teams to extend tender offers to their restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents looms next week. We’ll keep tabs on the latest here:

RFAs

Tendered:

Chiefs, Saints Showing Most Interest In WR Jarvis Landry

March 14th, 2022 at 7:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Jarvis Landry earned his walking papers from the Browns earlier today, and the veteran wideout is already generating interest. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the Chiefs and the Saints are the two teams that have shown the most interest in Landry.

[RELATED: Browns Release Jarvis Landry]

Despite a high-flying offense that’s led by receiving threats Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, the Chiefs have been mentioned as a suitor for wideouts this offseason. The team was previously connected to Mike Williams before he re-signed with the Chargers. Now, they’re eyeing a veteran slot receiver. Both Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson are free agents, so the Chiefs could easily slide Landry into their depth chart.

The Saints are currently in the mix for Deshaun Watson, but no matter who is under center, they’re looking to provide their future QB with another talented target outside of Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara. Tre’Quan Smith and Ty Montgomery are both set to hit free agency for New Orleans.

Landry, 30 in November, agreed to a five-year, $75.5MM extension with the Browns after they traded for him in 2018. He delivered two Pro Bowl seasons in Cleveland and served as Baker Mayfield‘s most consistent target. However, the veteran averaged just 47.5 receiving yards per game last season and missed five weeks of action.

Deshaun Watson To Meet With Panthers, Saints

March 14th, 2022 at 4:34pm CST by Zachary Links

4:34pm: It may be an NFC South duel for Watson. The three-time Pro Bowler, as of Monday afternoon, is not willing to waive his no-trade clause for anyone but Carolina or New Orleans, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle said during an appearance on WFNZ (Twitter link). The Saints may have a slight lead in this race, with CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora noting Watson is “lukewarm at best” about the Panthers (Twitter link). While it has been reported Watson would waive his no-trade clause for the Panthers, this may not be his preferred outcome.

Watson has rejected the Seahawks, McClain adds (Twitter link). The Colts, as should be expected, are not in this mix. Though, they may or may not have tried. The Texans denied their AFC South rivals permission to speak with Watson, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Seahawks, reported as an interested party over the weekend, are not planning to meet with Watson, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini (on Twitter).

More teams are interested, but it certainly appears these two rivals are in the lead. Watson will meet with each team Monday night in Houston, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Watson is also planning to meet with other teams Tuesday, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets. This saga could include a trade soon, despite Watson’s civil suits not yet being resolved.

10:17am: Deshaun Watson is expected to meet with the Panthers and Saints in the next couple of days (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). On top of that, Watson will also chat with other interested clubs between now and Wednesday. 

The Texans have granted Watson permission to meet with other clubs, which may help to advance the trade talks. Watson holds a no-trade clause, so the Texans have to get his sign-off before completing any deal.

On that note, Watson has not turned down a potential trade to the Panthers (Twitter link via David Newton of ESPN.com). It was long reported that Watson only OK’d a trade to the Dolphins, but Newton hears that’s not the case — at least, when it comes to Carolina. With that in mind, it’s possible that Watson could go along with a trade to the Saints or one of the other interested teams.

The details are not yet known, but the Saints and Panthers have made offers for Watson recently. Meanwhile, the Texans’ asking price has not budged. Houston GM Nick Caserio still says that he wants three first-round picks plus more assets in exchange for the embattled QB. The Panthers, who own the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 draft, could make a compelling offer for the Texans. The Saints, who sit at No. 18, would have to offer more in their package to top their bid.

QB Rumors: Trubisky, Winston, Taylor, Lock

March 13th, 2022 at 4:47pm CST by Ely Allen

The Giants’ new head coach, Brian Daboll, worked with free agent quarterback Mitchell Trubisky when they were both with the Bills last year (Daboll as offensive coordinator). Well, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN, Daboll has interest in luring Trubisky to join him in New York.

There’s been some interest in bringing Trubisky to Pittsburgh, as well, where a path to starting is much more clear. If Daboll’s familiarity with the sixth-year quarterback is able to attract him to the Giants, though, the head coach sees the potential for him to mirror the results of Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee. A quick refresher: Tannehill arrived in Nashville in 2019 in a trade with the Dolphins. Tannehill started the season in the role of back up quarterback to the incumbent starter Marcus Mariota. After a 2-4 start to the season, Mariota was benched in favor of Tannehill, who went 7-3 for the rest of the year and led the Titans to the AFC Championship Game.

Daboll holds hope that, while Daniel Jones may retain the starting job in New York, if the need presents itself, Trubisky could provide the same effect as Tannehill.

Some other notes concerning quarterbacks around the league:

  • Another option the Steelers could be looking into, Jameis Winston is looking like the most likely starting quarterback for the Saints in 2022, according to Graziano. With Teddy Bridgewater headed to free agency, a return to New Orleans could be possible, and Winston may see some opportunities in testing the free agent market, himself. But Winston is a locker room favorite that saw success on the Saints before tearing his ACL midseason last year.
  • Tyrod Taylor lost the starting job in Houston last year to rookie quarterback Davis Mills. With Mills expected to return to the starting position next year, the Texans do have interest in bringing Taylor back in the role of back up quarterback, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Taylor has chased starting jobs throughout his career and has seen some success at times. He may search for a new opportunity to start, but, if not, Taylor has shown professionalism several times in back up roles mentoring young quarterbacks.
  • After receiving Drew Lock in the Russell Wilson-trade with the Broncos, Seattle is considering the elements to Lock’s lack of success in Denver, according to Fowler. Some believe that the revolving door of offensive coordinators contributed to his struggles. Seattle is analyzing whether they believe in Pete Carroll‘s ability to develop Lock, who showed glimpses of promise in his early appearances as a Bronco, or whether they need to make moves for Deshaun Watson to win now.

Saints, Panthers Make Offers For Deshaun Watson

March 13th, 2022 at 11:10am CST by Rory Parks

The Saints and Panthers have extended trade offers to the Texans for QB Deshaun Watson, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). Watson, who wants to make a fully-informed decision before waiving his no-trade clause, will meet with both teams in the near future (Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets that Houston will grant permission for those meetings).

After a grand jury decided against indicting Watson on Friday, trade rumors predictably picked up in a big way. Carolina has been seen as something of a frontrunner for the three-time Pro Bowler since the Dolphins bowed out of the race, but there are now up to 10 teams involved in the bidding.

So while the details of the Saints’ and Panthers’ offers are not yet known, Pelissero says Houston’s asking price — three first-round picks and more — has not changed, and multiple teams are now willing to pay that price. New Orleans and Carolina both have one first-round pick in the 2022 draft, with the Panthers’ No. 6 overall selection obviously quite a bit more valuable than the Saints’ No. 18 selection.

We have known that Panthers owner David Tepper has been willing to pull the trigger on a Watson deal despite the inevitable PR backlash, and Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com says the same is true of Saints ownership (Twitter link). That probably goes without saying in light of the fact that New Orleans has extended a trade offer, but it’s worth noting that, according to Duncan, the franchise has done “extensive background checks” on Watson and is comfortable with its findings.

With free agency opening this week, there is a sense of urgency to these proceedings, at least for some teams. While the Panthers have not been connected to any free agent passers or second-tier trade targets and may pivot to the draft if their Watson pursuit is unsuccessful, New Orleans is interested in re-signing Jameis Winston and doubtlessly wants to get some clarity on where things stand with Watson before Winston is eligible to sign elsewhere. But since Watson wants to take his time and meet with interested clubs, it looks like the process will take a little longer than certain organizations would like.

Texans GM Nick Caserio has been very methodical with respect to the Watson situation, and he is not going to rush things now that he has so much leverage. Soon enough, his patience will pay off in the form of a massive influx of draft capital to accelerate Houston’s rebuilding efforts.

Saints, Vikings Join List Of Deshaun Watson Suitors; Latest On QB’s Market

March 12th, 2022 at 2:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Deshaun Watson being cleared of criminal charges Friday will not prevent an NFL suspension, and the Texans quarterback still must navigate the 22 civil cases that emerged from allegations of sexual assault and/or sexual misconduct. But several teams are interested in the Pro Bowl passer, pointing toward a big trade haul for Houston.

In addition to the Panthers, Seahawks, Buccaneers and Browns, the Saints and Vikings have emerged as Watson suitors, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports. They join a suddenly robust market, one that does not include the Dolphins, who moved on despite being runaway favorites for Watson last year. The Texans have sought a trade package fronted by three first-rounders. With Friday’s lack of a grand jury indictment a “game-changer” in this pursuit, per Wilson, Houston might land its desired haul or something close to it.

The Browns are “incredibly interested,” Wilson notes, adding that up to 10 teams are monitoring the embattled QB. The Saints paid close attention to Friday’s developments, NFL.com’s Jane Slater tweets, though they have a tricky cap situation. New Orleans has reached out to Houston, however. The Vikings are in on Watson “for the right price,” Wilson adds. Watson was said to be interested in Minnesota and Tampa Bay as destinations last month.

Minnesota has a rather expensive quarterback in Kirk Cousins, who is tied to a fully guaranteed $35MM base salary. Cousins would obviously need to be moved in a Watson-to-Minnesota scenario, and that may mean the Vikings eating some of his contract. That could be tricky, given Watson’s $39MM-per-year deal. Watson is also due a $35MM base salary in 2022. Sitting $15MM-plus over the cap, the Vikings are actually in slightly worse shape than the long-cap-strapped Saints ($6MM over) as of Saturday afternoon.

Still in on Watson, after emerging as a suitor in early 2021, the Panthers are preparing an aggressive offer. David Tepper hired an investigator to look into Watson’s legal matters, Wilson notes, adding that the Texans still want draft assets in addition to the three first-rounders and at least one player for their quarterback. Jameis Winston extension talks have been on the Saints’ radar, and that would better fit New Orleans’ cap situation. But the team has never been shy about executing winter cap gymnastics. Watson would be a considerable upgrade on Winston for the Saints, whose passing game took a major hit after Drew Brees‘ retirement.

This market’s new additions notwithstanding, the Panthers and Seahawks are still viewed as the likely favorites, Wilson tweets. Seattle has a quarterback need for the first time in 10 years and now has three first-round picks over the next two drafts, including this year’s No. 9 overall choice. The Seahawks’ Watson interest surfaced not long after Tuesday’s Russell Wilson trade.

The Eagles are no longer believed to be a key player here. Watson has not shown interest in Philadelphia as a destination, with Wilson adding he has never waived his no-trade clause for the Eagles. The Steelers and Giants also remain pointed in other directions, but many offers could still come the Texans’ way in the coming days.

Saints Restructure CB Marshon Lattimore’s Contract

March 12th, 2022 at 8:42am CST by Ben Levine

The Saints entered the offseason with one of the worst cap situations in the NFL, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the Saints opened up a significant chunk of cap space after restructuring cornerback Marshon Lattimore‘s contract.

Specifically, the team converted Lattimore’s base salary into a signing bonus, opening up a whopping $18.45MM in cap space. Per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football (on Twitter), the Saints are now about $5MM over the cap.

It’s another step forward for the cap-crunched Saints, who previously reworked the deals of defensive ends Cameron Jordan and Tanoh Kpassagnon. The team also restructured Alvin Kamara‘s deal yesterday, opening up another $8MM in space. Once the team manages to get the under the cap, they’ll have some interesting questions to answer, including a resolution on a potential long-term deal for standout safety Marcus Williams.

It hasn’t even been a year since Lattimore signed a lucrative five-year, $97.6MM extension with New Orleans. He earned another Pro Bowl nod (his fourth) in 2021 after finishing with 68 tackles, 19 passes defended, and three interceptions in 16 starts.

Saints LB Craig Robertson Retires

March 11th, 2022 at 6:43pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Saints will be without a well-respected part of their defense and locker room once again for the 2022 season. The team announced on Friday that veteran linebacker Craig Robertson has retired.

The 34-year-old played nine seasons in the NFL, beginning with four years in Cleveland. He topped 85 tackles in each of the first three seasons in that stretch, showing a knack for generating takeaways as well. After one more year with the Browns, he signed in New Orleans in 2016. That year was the one in which he set a new career-high in tackles (115), adding two fumble recoveries and an interception.

His play earned him a second deal with the Saints, where he brought his career total in games played up to 136, including 65 starts. His defensive playing time declines, as he transitioned into primarily a special teamer. After not suiting up in 2021, the former UDFA is hanging up his cleats for good. Robertson described his time in the league as “a blessing”.

“Craig was a fantastic player, leader and a consummate professional throughout his time with the New Orleans Saints”, general manager Mickey Loomis said. “It was a pleasure watching Craig’s passion, toughness and leadership ability on the field, in our locker room and in our community”.

New head coach – and Robertson’s defensive coordinator during his time there – Dennis Allen added, “Craig was everything that you look for in a player, smart, hard-working and versatile… I congratulate Craig for what he achieved in his NFL playing career and thank him for his contributions to the New Orleans Saints”.

Without Robertson, the Saints will carry on with the likes of Demario Davis, Pete Werner and Zack Baun in their middle linebacking corps. Both on and off the field, though, they will certainly miss his presence.

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