NFL Contract Details: Jones, Floyd, Williams, QBs
Some assorted contract details from around the NFL:
- RB Aaron Jones, Packers: Four years, $48MM, including $20MM over first two years. $7MM roster bonus in 2023. Owed $16MM in 2023 and $12MM in 2024. Via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter.
- LB Leonard Floyd, Rams: Four years, $64MM, including $32.5MM guaranteed. $14MM signing bonus. Salaries: $2MM (2021, fully guaranteed), $16.5MM (2022, fully guaranteed), $15.5MM (2023), $16MM (2024). Via Pelissero on Twitter.
- DE Leonard Williams, Giants: Three years, $63MM, including $45MM. $22.5MM signing bonus. Salaries: $3.5MM (2021, fully guaranteed), $19MM (2022, fully guaranteed), $18MM (2023). Cap charges: $11MM (2021), $26.5MM (2022), $25.5MM (2023). Via Manish Mehta on Twitter.
- QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington: One year, $10MM, including $6MM guaranteed. Max value of $12MM. $6MM signing bonus. $3MM base salary, $1MM per-game roster bonuses. Up to $2MM in incentives. Via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post on Twitter.
- QB Jacoby Brissett, Dolphins: One year, $5MM, including $2.5MM guaranteed. $2.5MM signing bonus, up to $2.5MM in incentives. Via Pelissero on Twitter.
- QB Andy Dalton, Bears: One year, $10MM. $7MM signing bonus, $3MM base salary, up to $3MM in incentives. Via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.
- LB Carl Lawson, Jets: Three years, $45MM, including $30MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus. Salaries: $6.2MM (2021, plus $7.8MM roster bonus), $15MM (2022), $15MM (2023). Cap charges: $14.3MM (2021), $15.3MM (2022), $15.3MM (2023). Up to $800K in sack incentives each year. Via Mehta on Twitter.
LB Brandon Copeland To Visit Falcons, Giants
Despite suffering a torn pectoral muscle last season, Brandon Copeland has generated some interest as a free agent. The veteran linebacker plans to meet with the Falcons and Giants, per Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan and ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein (Twitter links).
The Giants visit occurred Thursday, per Caplan, who adds the Falcons meeting will also occur this week (Twitter link). Copeland suffered the chest injury in late October, ending his Patriots season after six games.
A former Lions and Jets contributor, Copeland signed with the Patriots last year. The Pats, who both lost multiple key linebackers in free agency and saw Dont’a Hightower opt out of last season, used Copeland as a starter in four games. Pro Football Focus viewed the five-year vet’s abbreviated work well, slotting him near the top of its 2020 linebacker hierarchy.
The Lions used Copeland as a backup from 2016-17, but he broke into the 2018 Jets’ starting lineup. Copeland worked as a pass rusher that season, recording five sacks and 14 quarterback hits. That marked the veteran linebacker’s only season with more than two sacks. The 2021 season will be Copeland’s age-30 slate.
Mutual Interest Between Giants, Golladay
THURSDAY: Golladay will visit the Giants today, according to veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson (on Twitter). The sides will meet this afternoon, with Anderson noting the summit is expected to take some time. Golladay clashed with the Lions’ Matt Patricia-led coaching staff, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (video link), so it will be interesting to see how ex-Patricia coworker Joe Judge will proceed.
WEDNESDAY: The Giants have one of the top free agents in their sights. They are expected to bring Kenny Golladay in for a visit, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
While the Giants were rumored to be Golladay suitors ahead of the franchise tag deadline, Rapoport adds the former Lions standout is also interested in a New York pact.
Golladay’s impending visit reminds of previous NFL eras, when big-ticket free agents would make trips to teams’ facilities before signing. Golladay’s reputation would put him above the current caliber of player who would need to make a visit before seeing a high-end offer, but the four-year Lions wideout saw multiple injuries limit him to just five games last season.
The receiver market has not moved considerably yet, and the players who have made commitments have not received monster offers. Golladay, JuJu Smith-Schuster, T.Y. Hilton and Will Fuller remain unattached. Though street free agents like Emmanuel Sanders and John Brown agreed to terms with teams, as did UFAs Corey Davis, Marvin Jones and A.J. Green, key receiver dominoes have yet to fall. Among wideouts, only Davis has signed for more than $10MM per year thus far this year.
To the surprise of some, the Lions passed on using their franchise tag on Golladay. Given this visit development, perhaps the team was leery about potential compensation for the former third-round pick. The Giants and Dolphins have been the teams linked to Golladay thus far, but not much has emerged on this front this week.
The 6-foot-4 boundary wideout has two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, and his Pro Bowl year (2019) came when Matthew Stafford missed half the season due to injury. The Giants cut ex-Golladay teammate Golden Tate but still have complementary-type receivers Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton under contract. They also are taking a flier on disappointing Bengals top-10 pick John Ross. If healthy, Golladay would fit as the leader of this corps. But it remains to be seen which other teams will make plays for the 27-year-old target.
Giants To Sign Kyle Rudolph
The Giants are adding a pass-catcher from the NFC North. No, it’s not Kenny Golladay (sorry Giants fans), but the team has come to terms on an agreement with tight end Kyle Rudolph, his agency Athletes First announced on Instagram (via Will Brinson of CBS Sports on Twitter).
The deal is expected to be for two years with a max value around $14MM, Mika Garafolo of NFL Network tweets. Rudolph was released by the Vikings a couple weeks ago after spending the first ten years of his career in Minnesota. We heard after his release that he was interested in joining the Patriots, but New England opted to sign Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry instead. If you can’t join ’em, why not go to the team that’s beat them in the Super Bowl twice?
It’s been a busy day for tight end news, with trades, releases, and signings. The Chargers signing Jared Cook could turn out to have a domino effect on the rest of the market as the remaining quality options are getting snatched up. A Zach Ertz trade could be the next piece to fall into place.
Rudolph has never been a star but has always been a reliable option, and made the Pro Bowl in 2012 and 2017. He’s 31 now and coming off a couple down years, but had 634 yards in 2018. Evan Engram is still in the picture, and Daniel Jones will now have a very solid tight end duo at his disposal.
Giants To Sign QB Mike Glennon
The Giants have signed veteran quarterback Mike Glennon. A pal of Glennon’s, Brandon Bishop, first broke the news on Twitter. It has since been confirmed by several reporters, including NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). It’s a one-year deal worth $1.35MM, including $425K guaranteed, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic (on Twitter).
Glennon has started in just nine games since 2016, but remains a highly respected backup and mentor. In New York, he’ll backstop and quasi-coach youngster Daniel Jones who will look to rekindle his rookie year magic.
Glennon, 31, projects to replace Colt McCoy, who failed to impress last year. Meanwhile, Glennon’s five starts in Jacksonville didn’t go so great, either. All in all, he completed 62% of his throws for 1,072 yards and seven touchdowns against five interceptions.
Terms of Glennon’s deal are not yet known, but it’ll pale in comparison to the three-year, $45MM deal he inked with the Bears in 2017. In total, Glennon has earned roughly $30MM across his pro career.
Giants To Sign DL Ifeadi Odenigbo
Ifeadi Odenigbo is heading to the Big Apple. The defensive lineman is signing with the Giants, according to his agency on Twitter. It’s a one-year pact for Odenigbo. The deal is worth $2.5MM, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).
After bouncing around the NFL a bit to start his career, Odenigbo broke onto the scene in 2019 with the Vikings. The defensive lineman ultimately finished the campaign having compiled 23 tackles, seven sacks, and one forced fumble despite appearing in only 34 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.
The 26-year-old took on a starting role in 2020, compiling 35 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 15 games (15 starts). Despite his starting role, he was non-tendered by Minnesota earlier this week.
Now, Odenigbo will enjoy a bit of a homecoming with his new squad. The defensive lineman was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, about a 20-minute drive from MetLife Stadium.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/17/21
Today’s the deadline for teams to extend tender offers to their restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents. We’ll keep tabs on the latest here:
RFAs
Tendered:
- Bills: G Ike Boettger
- Chiefs: WR Byron Pringle
- Texans: DE P.J. Hall, S A.J. Moore
Non-Tendered:
- Bears: K Eddy Pineiro
- Giants: LB Devante Downs
- Texans: S Geno Stone
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Chiefs: TE Nick Keizer
- Jets: WR Jeff Smith
Non-Tendered:
- .
Giants To Sign John Ross
The Giants were rumored to be looking for another receiver this offseason, and now they’ve found one. New York has agreed to terms on a deal with receiver John Ross, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
It’s a one-year, $2.5MM deal that includes $1MM in guaranteed money, Garafolo reports. The move isn’t necessarily the big splash many Giants fans have been waiting for, but it’s a nice low-risk flyer with significant upside. Ross is well known for being the ninth overall pick in 2017, as well as his legendary NFL Combine 40-time of 4.22.
Things didn’t go as planned with the Bengals nearly immediately, and his four years in Cincinnati were an abject disaster. He struggled with injuries, playing in three, 13, eight, and three games during his four seasons there. He finished his run with 51 catches for 733 yards and ten touchdowns, a pitiful sum for a top ten pick.
Needless to say, the team didn’t exercise his fifth-year option and returning to Cincy was never in the cards. He’s obviously got game-breaking speed, and showed plenty of flashes during the 2019 season when he had 506 yards in only eight games, so the potential is there.
After releasing Golden Tate the Giants don’t have much at all at receiver beyond Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard, as Ross has a realistic path to some playing time in 2021. Keep an eye on this one.
Giants, Leonard Williams Agree To Extension
The Giants will free up some cap space and lock down one of their top players. Given the franchise tag for the second straight year, Leonard Williams reached an agreement on an extension Tuesday.
Williams will sign a three-year, $63MM accord to stay with the Giants, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. While Dalvin Tomlinson departed for Minnesota, the Giants will retain their top defensive line playmaker. Williams did incredibly well on this $21MM-per-year deal; $45MM of the pact is fully guaranteed, per Rapoport.
GM Dave Gettleman confused most by acquiring Williams at the 2019 trade deadline, and the former Jets first-round pick did not impress in his first half-season as a Giant. After a sackless first eight games, however, Williams broke through after being tagged last year. The former top-10 draftee produced his best season, registering 11.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 30 quarterback hits.
This deal both locks Williams into a price he was not especially close to as a Jet and will allow him a chance to approach free agency again while in his prime. The Giants and Williams were not close on a deal last year, and he played the season at the $16.1MM defensive tackle tag price. Going into last year’s franchise tag deadline, the Giants were not ready to give Williams an extension that averaged what that tag paid. A year later, the 26-year-old defender acquired tremendous leverage and used it to cash in.
Although the Giants did a few Eli Manning deals and constructed Odell Beckham Jr.‘s current contract, Joel Corry of CBS Sports notes this is the most fully guaranteed money they have handed out (Twitter link). Tuesday’s agreement will vault Williams onto the top tier of D-line contracts. After his breakthrough Giants contract year, the USC alum matches DeForest Buckner as the second-highest-paid interior defender. Only Aaron Donald ($22.5MM AAV) comes in above Williams now. And Williams’ $45MM full guarantee surpasses Buckner’s mark.
The Giants entered the tampering period with Williams tethered to a $19.4MM tag, so this should free up some much-needed cap space for the team to pursue free agents. Despite losing Tomlinson, the Giants have a talented defensive line core still in place. Both Dexter Lawrence and B.J. Hill remain on their rookie deals, with Austin Johnson agreeing to return on a low-cost accord Monday.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/21
We’ll keep track of the latest “minor” moves here:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: S Brandon Wilson
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Chris Moore
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: TE/FB Cethan Carter
New York Giants
- Re-Signed: DT Austin Johnson
- Signed: FB FB Cullen Gillaspia
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Justin Hardee
Tennessee Titans
- Re-Signed: TE Geoff Swaim