Falcons Trade Julio Jones To Titans
The Julio Jones saga has reached a conclusion. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Falcons have agreed to trade Jones to the Titans in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick (Twitter link). Atlanta will also get the Titans’ fourth-round pick in 2023, though it will need to send its 2023 sixth-round choice to Tennessee. Both clubs subsequently announced the trade.
Once it became clear that Jones was going to be dealt, Tennessee always seemed like one of the most logical landing spots. The club lost WR Corey Davis and TE Jonnu Smith in free agency, and while the Titans’ offense will continue to flow through running back Derrick Henry, it seemed imperative for GM Jon Robinson to add another pass catcher.
Now, Jones will team with A.J. Brown to form a potentially dynamic 1-2 punch at the wide receiver position. And the Titans will not have to give up a ton to make that a reality. Though the Falcons were said to have an offer in hand that included a first-round pick, subsequent reports expressed skepticism that Atlanta would be able to get that type of compensation unless the hypothetical first-rounder was part of a pick-swap, similar to the return that the Ravens received from the Chiefs in the Orlando Brown Jr. trade.
Jones’ age (32) and sizable contract limited the Falcons’ leverage, as did the fact that Atlanta’s dire cap situation — the club had $446K in cap space before the trade and has yet to sign its draft picks — essentially compelled the team to rid itself of Jones’ salary. Plus, the seven-time Pro Bowler is coming off an injury-marred 2020 campaign in which he appeared in only nine games.
However, the Falcons were able to convince the Titans to assume the entirety of Jones’ contract. As Albert Breer of SI.com tweets, Atlanta is not absorbing any of Jones’ $15.3MM base salary for 2021, so Robinson will have some work to do to get Jones on the books. That could include a new contract for the newest Titan, which was rumored as a possibility last week. Indeed, Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com reports that Jones and the Titans are presently discussing contract alterations (Twitter link).
Robinson could also approach quarterback Ryan Tannehill about a restructure. We heard just two days ago that Tannehill and the team had not discussed such a possibility, but it seems that the QB would be receptive to a reworked contract that converts some of his base salary into a signing bonus, especially since it would help facilitate Jones’ arrival.
Assuming he’s fully healthy, Jones should fit nicely into the Titans’ play-action-heavy offense. As Brown’s primary foil, he could thrive on in-breaking routes, and he still has enough straight-line speed to keep defenses honest. His presence makes Tennessee’s aerial attack a formidable one, though the club will have to demonstrate a marked improvement on the defensive side of the ball to have a legitimate chance at a title.
For the Falcons, this move represents the end of an era. One of the greatest receivers of his generation, Jones now holds franchise records in receptions (848) and receiving yards (12,896), and his 60 receiving TDs trail only Roddy White‘s 63. Those receiving yards currently rank 20th on the NFL’s all-time list, but Jones could catapult into the top-5 with several solid seasons in Tennessee.
Atlanta opted against drafting a successor for aging QB Matt Ryan, instead using its No. 4 selection on Florida TE Kyle Pitts, presumably in the hopes of making one final run at glory with Ryan under center. Between Pitts and Calvin Ridley, Ryan will still have several quality receiving options at his disposal, but losing Jones will put a major damper on any hopes the Falcons had for competing in 2021.
Dianna Russini of ESPN.com first reported that the Falcons and Titans were expected to finalize a trade that would send Jones to Tennessee within the next 24-48 hours (Twitter link). Adam Schefter of ESPN.com added (via Twitter) that the two clubs were still discussing whether the trade package would include a second- and fifth-rounder going back to Atlanta, or if the Falcons would get a second-rounder and swap other picks with the Titans.
Adam Vinatieri To Retire From NFL
3:36pm: The NFL’s all-time scoring leader confirmed he will hang up his cleats. Vinatieri acknowledged during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (video link) he will not attempt to play a 25th season. An official announcement should follow soon, and the longtime Patriots and Colts kicker should be expected to land in Canton at some point.
9:28am: Ideally, Adam Vinatieri would like to play through his 49th birthday in December. But, at this stage, the longtime NFL kicker doesn’t see it happening.
“I haven’t officially retired, but I’m probably on that way,” Vinatieri said in a recent interview with Morten Andersen (via the Indy Star). “Like I said, I’m continuing to do stuff to try and get there. It’s just not … there might be a time to officially do that here in the near future.”
Vinatieri’s contract with the Colts expired at the end of the 2019 season, making him an unrestricted free agent. The veteran planned on returning to the field in 2020, but quarantine life hampered the rehabilitation of his surgically-repaired knee. Meanwhile, the Colts moved on to undrafted rookie kicker Rodrigo Blankenship.
On the whole, Vinatieri’s career has been legendary. Over the course of 24 seasons, he captured four Super Bowl rings, three First Team All-Pro nods, and countless clutch kicks. His late-year injury resulted in his first missed game since Super Bowl XLIV. And, with the Colts, he had perfect attendance dating back to 2010.
With that said, Vinatieri did show some signs of slowing down in 2019. He made just 17 of his 25 field goal tries and 22 of his 28 extra points. The Colts had issues beyond the special teams unit, of course, but those misses did not help matters as they dropped out of playoff contention.
“When you get to be our age, and you’ve kicked as many balls as we have, things start to wear out a little bit,” Vinatieri said. “Unfortunately, it was a little bit more than we were hoping. We knew we had some stuff in (the knee) that needed to be fixed. But when our surgeon went in there, he said, ‘I’m not giving you the 40,000-mile overhaul; it looked like we gave you the 80,000-mile overhaul.’”
If Vinatieri returns for another NFL season, it’ll be a historic feat. Currently, quarterback/kicker George Blanda holds the league’s all-time record on that front having played at the age of 48 in the 1975 season.
Julio Jones On Falcons: “I’m Out Of There”
Earlier today, FS1 host Shannon Sharpe called up Julio Jones and asked him about his status in Atlanta. The Falcons wide receiver, who might not have known that he was on air, told Sharpe that he’s “out of there” (Twitter link). 
Sharpe also asked Jones if he would be interested in going to Dallas, since he was recently spotted in Cowboys gear. To that, Jones said, “I ain’t going to Dallas, I never thought of going to Dallas.” Then, sometime after that, Sharpe informed Jones that he was live on national television.
Jones requested a trade a few months ago, sources confirmed to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). The Falcons subsequently agreed to listen to offers. As it stands, the asking price is a first-round pick (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). So far, they haven’t gotten an offer to their liking and execs around the NFL league doubt they’ll get it, Schefter hears.
Jones’ contract has three years to go. This year, he’ll earn a guaranteed $15.3MM. Beyond that, he’s set to make $15.5MM in 2022, with a couple million already locked in, followed by another $11.5MM in 2023. Even though Jones is a perennial All-Pro, that’s a lot of coin for a 32-year-old coming off of a partial season.
The Falcons could net more in the way of draft compensation by eating a portion of Jones’ deal. Still, even if they eat the lion’s share, they might not be able to get a Round 1 pick for the veteran. Meanwhile, they’ve got a numbers crunch of their own to deal with, so they can’t necessarily afford to pay out the bulk of the contract.
Vikings Trade Mike Hughes To Chiefs
It’s been a busy afternoon with lots of draft pick signings, and now we’ve got a trade! Minnesota is sending cornerback Mike Hughes to the Chiefs, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Kansas City is sending their sixth-round pick in 2022 and getting back Hughes and a 2022 seventh-rounder, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. In essence, the Chiefs are getting Hughes for practically nothing to take on the final year of his rookie deal. The 30th overall pick of the 2018 draft, Hughes just recently had his fifth-year option declined by the Vikings. To say Kansas City GM Brett Veach has been aggressive this offseason would be a big understatement.
His latest acquisition is the young cornerback from UCF who has had a really tough time with injuries in his brief career. First, Hughes tore an ACL a little over a month into his rookie season. Then he missed a couple of games with a neck injury in 2019, before a neck issue limited him to only four games this past year.
Through three pro campaigns he’s appeared in only 24 games, making seven starts. In those games he’s recorded 80 tackles, three forced fumbles, 13 passes defended, and two interceptions. The Vikings added Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander this offseason, leaving Hughes with an uncertain role in their secondary.
The Chiefs have yet to re-sign Bashaud Breeland this offseason, so the could use some cornerback depth behind L’Jarius Sneed and Charvarius Ward. Hughes only turned 24 in February, so he’s still got some theoretical upside.
Jaguars Planning To Sign Tim Tebow
Well, it’s pretty much official now. The Jaguars are “planning to” sign Tim Tebow as the former star quarterback makes his NFL return as a tight end, sources told Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Rapsheet writes that the deal “could be official in the next week or so.” He also reports it’ll be a one-year contract, unsurprisingly. Things have been trending in this direction for a while, with Tony Khan (son of Jaguars owner Shad Khan) recently saying Urban Meyer wanted him on the team.
Meyer, of course, coached Tebow during their glory days together at Florida. Pelissero tweets that Tebow is still “a long shot to make the team,” but it sounds like he’ll have his chance at training camp. It’s not like the Jaguars have a ton at tight end right now, as Meyer recently highlighted when discussing the team’s interest.
Tebow hasn’t played in a real NFL game since the 2012 season. His last pro football stint was with the Eagles during the 2015 preseason. He’s since attempted a pro baseball career, spending time in the minor leagues with the Mets, which he just recently retired from.
If nothing else, you’ve got to admire his resiliency and work ethic. Teams had wanted Tebow to try out at tight end in the past, but he always refused. Turning 34 in August, it’s unclear how much he’ll have left in the tank physically, but it’ll be a fun storyline to monitor this summer no matter what
Lions, Frank Ragnow Agree To Record Extension
Lions center Frank Ragnow has agreed to a brand new four-year deal (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The extension will position Ragnow as the highest-paid center in NFL history and keep the young center in Detroit through 2026. 
On average, Ragnow will make $13.5MM per year (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). In total, the deal is worth approximately $70MM with $25.5MM fully guaranteed and $42MM in total guarantees. That’s not chump change, but new Lions GM Brad Holmes has long said that he’d be willing to pay the price.
“It’s extremely important. We already view him as a long-term piece and he is a foundational piece because Frank is a guy that plays the game the right way,” Holmes said (via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com). “He’s everything that we look for and what we want as a Lion. I’ll never forget when it first got announced that I got the job, Frank reached out immediately. I told him, ‘Man, huge fan of you and you play the game the right way.’ So, very important to get it done. Not going to comment on timetable right now — that would be a little bit premature — but we’re not sitting back and waiting on that one.”
Ragnow has been first-string for the Lions ever since he was taken with the No. 20 overall pick in 2018. At first, the Lions used the Arkansas product at left guard. In 2019, they shifted him to the middle. He’s started in every game since, save for three missed contests due to injury.
Earlier this spring, the Lions made the easy call to pick up Ragnow’s fifth year for $12.657MM. Now, Ragnow has a fresh deal to top Chargers center Corey Linsley for the richest contract at the position.
Broncos T Ja’Wuan James Tears Achilles
8:31pm: James might not miss the entire season, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk). Doctors have told James that they are hopeful he can return at some point this season, though doctors will have a better idea of his prognosis when he undergoes surgery later this week.
Mike Klis of 9News.com confirms that the Broncos are indeed actively making calls in search of a new RT as they await word on James (Twitter link).
4:13pm: The Broncos are set to go another season without their high-priced right tackle. Ja’Wuan James suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
James was training away from the team’s facility, which will put his $10MM base salary in jeopardy. The veteran right tackle signed a big-ticket deal with the Broncos in 2019, but he missed almost all of that season and opted out in 2020. Now, it looks like the 29-year-old blocker will miss the entire 2021 season as well.
Denver has been unable to fill its right tackle post for the better part of a decade. Moving three-year right tackle starter Orlando Franklin to guard in 2014, the Broncos have used a different Week 1 right tackle in each of the past eight seasons. This instability led to the team giving James a four-year, $51MM contract two years ago. However, that streak will reach nine in 2021. Elijah Wilkinson, the Broncos’ primary right tackle of the past two years, signed with the Bears this offseason.
Knee injuries kept James off the field for all but 63 snaps in 2019. The former Dolphins first-rounder opened that season as the Broncos’ right tackle starter but went down in Week 1 and endured setbacks as he attempted to come back. While Wilkinson and Demar Dotson worked as James fill-ins last season, Calvin Anderson is set to play that role now. The Broncos tendered Anderson as an ERFA in March. A UDFA out of Texas, Anderson played in 16 games last season and started two of those.
This is a tough blow for both parties. The Broncos passed on Northwestern tackle Rashawn Slater, despite rampant issues at right tackle, presumably in large part because of James’ impending return. James’ injury certainly provides a bad look for the NFLPA, which advised its workforce to boycott OTAs. James’ 2020 numbers tolled to 2021, because of his opt-out, but this development may well end his Broncos career at just 63 snaps.
The Broncos will look to the veteran market, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. They did so last year, signing Dotson. Several notable options remain available. Dotson joins former Chiefs All-Pro right tackle Mitchell Schwartz in free agency. The latter is coming off back surgery, however. Ex-Bears tackles Bobby Massie and now Charles Leno are free agents, with Chicago releasing both this offseason. Cameron Fleming, Dennis Kelly and Ricky Wagner are also unattached. All were right tackle starters in 2020. However, Wagner — a Packers cap casualty — is considering retirement. Jason Peters has played left tackle for most of his NFL life, but the perennial Pro Bowler agreed to play guard last offseason and hopes to play in 2021.
Raiders To Sign CB Casey Hayward
Casey Hayward will stay in the AFC West. The former Chargers Pro Bowler intends to sign with the Raiders, veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson tweets. It’s a one-year deal worth up to $4MM, Anderson adds (on Twitter).
The Bolts cut Hayward this offseason, ending a five-year tenure. The veteran cornerback will link up with former Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, whom the Raiders hired this offseason. Hayward met with Raiders coaches Tuesday, Anderson adds (via Twitter). He will also reunite with secondary coach Ron Milus, whom the Raiders brought over with Bradley. Milus was the Chargers’ DBs coach throughout Hayward’s tenure.
Corner has resided as a perennial Raiders need, and they have extensive experience going against Hayward to judge his credentials. Experience in Bradley’s system will benefit the nine-year veteran as well. This move, however, likely will send Richard Sherman elsewhere. The former All-Pro spoke with the Raiders about a deal this offseason, but Hayward’s impending Las Vegas stay likely will point Sherman to another team.
Hayward, 32 in September, operated as one of the league’s better corners for a while. He signed what turned out to be a bargain deal for the Chargers in 2016, coming over from the Packers, and made the Pro Bowl that season and under Bradley in 2017. Hayward intercepted 11 passes between the 2016-17 seasons. This led the Bolts to reward him with a $12MM-per-year extension. While 2020 can be classified as a down year for Hayward, he is not far removed from elite work. Pro Football Focus graded the former second-round pick as a top-five corner in 2019.
Las Vegas drafted a corner this year — Nate Hobbs — but not until the fifth round. The team still has highly drafted cogs Damon Arnette and Trayvon Mullen; Hayward will provide veteran support for these young defenders. Arnette missed much of last season due to injury.
Cowboys Decline Leighton Vander Esch’s Option
Another big name player is getting his option turned down. The Cowboys have informed Leighton Vander Esch‘s agent that they won’t be picking up the fifth-year option on the linebacker, Jane Slater of NFL Network tweets.
That means Vander Esch is now set to be a free agent after this season. What it doesn’t mean however is that the Cowboys no longer view the Boise State product in their future plans. Instead, Slater writes that the decision was “due to ongoing salary-cap uncertainty” and that the Cowboys “instead hope to sign Leighton to a contract extension before his current deal expires.”
Picking up the option would’ve fully guaranteed LVE $9.145MM for 2022, a steep price considering he’s missed 13 games due to injury the past two seasons. Dallas drafting Micah Parsons in the first-round this past week provided the writing on the wall for this decision, even if the team insists they still want to keep Vander Esch around.
Vander Esch was the 19th overall pick of the 2018 draft. He made the Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro as a rookie, but his last two seasons have been disappointing.
As a rookie, he had 140 tackles, seven passes defended, and two interceptions. In 2020 he had only 60 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and no passes defended in 10 games. He only turned 25 in February, and will have the chance to secure an even bigger payday if he can have a strong 2021 campaign.
Jaguars Work Out Tim Tebow
May 2: The Jaguars’ TE depth chart is very thin. The club just drafted Luke Farrell in the fifth round, but he is viewed as more of a blocking-first type of player. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, Meyer conceded that he is concerned about the state of the position.
“There’s some great quality, quantity wasn’t there in the draft this year, and that’s a concern right now,” he said. “That’s a concern right now. . . . We just didn’t hit that today.”
That might be good news for Tebow. Meyer said he did not stay for the entirety of Tebow’s recent workout, but he did say that the team will explore the possibility of signing Tebow in the near future.
Apr. 29: Off the NFL radar for years, Tim Tebow has resurfaced with his former college coach. The Jaguars worked out the former quarterback recently, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Tebow, however, worked out as a tight end, according to Rapoport. Inaccurate as a passer, Tebow resisted previous overtures to move to another position. Having ended his baseball run earlier this year, the 33-year-old TV analyst appears to have changed his mind on playing tight end. The former Broncos first-round pick requested to work out at the position, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
This does not appear to be a case of Urban Meyer offering a courtesy workout to his former Heisman-winning Florida Gators superstar; the sides have discussed a deal, Rapoport adds. This would certainly be a major development, despite Tebow’s lengthy NFL absence. Tebow worked as a three-year starter for Meyer at Florida and played a key role as a freshman. The pair won two national championships together.
It is worth wondering how viable Tebow’s path back to the league is. He has not played a regular-season game since 2012, when he worked as a Jets backup. The popular southpaw passer caught on with the Patriots and Eagles in subsequent offseasons but could not land game-day gigs with either. Tebow spent the past few years in the New York Mets’ farm system. The quarterback-turned-outfielder showed considerable progress, considering he had not played baseball competitively since high school, and logged nearly 300 Triple-A at-bats in 2019. He fell just short of the majors. For what it’s worth, the Mets listed the 6-foot-3 Tebow at a tight end-capable 245 pounds.
The Jags have needed help at tight end for a while now. While Tebow would be a flier at best, it is not like the team is set at this position. Jacksonville should be expected to add a tight end at least by the middle rounds this week.