Panthers Release Cam Newton
The Panthers’ efforts to trade Cam Newton evidently did not take off. They are expected to release the former MVP as soon as Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Carolina made the move official Tuesday afternoon.
While the Panthers attempted to deal Newton to the Bears and Chargers, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, they could not find a taker. Newton had one season remaining on a deal he signed back in 2015. He was set to earn $18.6MM in 2020 base salary; Carolina will take on just $2MM in dead money for releasing Newton but clear $19.1MM in cap space. The Bears subsequently traded for Nick Foles instead, and the Chargers appear focused on the draft. After pursuing Tom Brady, the Bolts no longer intend to add a veteran quarterback.
A Newton release was the expected outcome, given the unique complications this offseason presents for the Panthers to trade their three-time Pro Bowl passer. This will end a nine-year run for Newton in Charlotte. The move also comes less than a month after Matt Rhule indicated he wanted to keep Newton for the 2020 season. Carolina moved swiftly in another direction after that pronouncement.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2011, Newton fairly quickly solidified himself as the best quarterback in Panthers history. He helped the Panthers to four playoff berths in a five-season span and piloted them to Super Bowl 50 in 2015. However, injuries intervened in the late 2010s and will lead the former superstar to the open market for the first time.
Newton, 30, is recovering from the Lisfanc surgery he underwent in December. The NFL’s all-time QB rushing-touchdown king has not been fully healthy since early in the 2018 season, when he suffered a shoulder injury. Newton is not expected to be game-ready for months.
Considering the changes the COVID-19 pandemic has made to this NFL offseason, Newton could be in limbo. Teams are not permitted to host free agents on visits, and while third-party doctors can still examine players, any franchise signing off on a Newton contract would probably want to put its medical staff to work on the injury-prone passer.
Because of this strange scenario, the Panthers were able to pry a fifth-rounder from the Redskins for Kyle Allen on Monday and will be forced to release Newton. Carolina’s quarterback depth chart now sits at Teddy Bridgewater–P.J. Walker–Will Grier. The Panthers officially signed Walker on Tuesday morning. Bridgewater signed his three-year, $63MM deal Monday night, and David Newton of ESPN.com notes the Panthers will not carry both Bridgewater and Newton’s salaries. The Newton-to-Bridgewater transition will begin Tuesday.
Newton had regressed considerably since the Panthers’ Super Bowl 50 loss, ranking 30th in QBR since 2016, but the nine-year veteran showed promise in Norv Turner‘s offense early in 2018 certainly would have brought back a trade package of some sort in a normal NFL offseason. The former Heisman winner now must continue his rehab on his own and do so in one of the most uncertain times to go about a rehab effort. The NFL may well end up canceling all offseason activities due to conoravirus-related uncertainty, so it might be difficult for Newton to land a noteworthy contract for the 2020 season.
Carolina will have parted ways with Newton, Greg Olsen, Luke Kuechly, Trai Turner and Mario Addison this offseason. Rhule’s team will certainly look different when the Panthers are permitted to reconvene under their new coach.
Cowboys’ Travis Frederick Announces Retirement
Cowboys center Travis Frederick, who missed the entire 2018 season while dealing with Guillain–Barré syndrome before returning for the 2019 campaign, has announced his retirement from the NFL.
“[2019] was a difficult year for me,” Frederick said in a statement released on Twitter. “Each day I faced a struggle: I could no longer perform at my highest level. Playing “well” is not what I expect of myself and is not what my teammates deserve.”
Selected by the Cowboys with the 31st overall pick in the 2013 draft, Frederick is arguably the greatest center of his generation. In his six healthy NFL seasons, Frederick started all 96 possible games, and routinely graded at the top of Pro Football Focus’ center rankings.
Still only 29 years old, Frederick was a key cog in a Dallas offensive line that was the NFL’s best for most of the 2010s. A five-time Pro Bowler (including in 2019), Frederick also earned a first-team All-Pro nod in 2016 and second-team berths in 2014 and 2015.
The loss of Frederick creates a massive hole in the middle of the Cowboys’ front five. Veteran Joe Looney, re-signed to a new contract last week, could take over at the pivot, as could 2019 third-rounder Connor McGovern. Alternatively, Dallas could look to the free agent market (where the options are slim), explore a trade for a center, or spend another draft pick on the position.
Clearly, Frederick’s long-term health is the most important factor in his hanging up his cleats, but his retirement will have an effect on the Cowboys’ salary cap. Dallas will incur a dead money charge of $11.04MM in 2020 due to Frederick’s retirement, while the move opens up just $935K in cap space.
Ravens To Re-Sign CB Jimmy Smith
The Ravens have agreed to re-sign cornerback Jimmy Smith, as Smith himself tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Smith will ink a one-year deal worth $3.5MM, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who adds Smith can earn another $2.5MM via playtime incentives.
Smith had spent his entire career in Baltimore since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2011, but it was unclear if he’d be sticking with the Ravens going forward. Baltimore allowed the veteran defensive back to reach the free agent market, but he’s now returning on a relatively team-friendly deal.
Smith made the fewest starts of his career (five) in 2019, thanks in large part to a knee injury that sidelined him for much of the season. Health questions have historically been a problem for Smith, who has only played a full 16-game slate twice in nine NFL seasons.
Baltimore ranked fourth in the league in pass defense DVOA, and the club will now return almost all of its cornerbacks — save for Brandon Carr — in 2020. Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, and Tavon Young comprise the Ravens’ starting corner package, leaving Smith as a well-compensated, highly-experienced dime defensive back.
Seahawks To Acquire CB Quinton Dunbar
The Seahawks have agreed to acquire cornerback Quinton Dunbar from the Redskins, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Seattle will ship a fifth-round pick to Washington in exchange for Dunbar, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.
Unhappy with the extension he signed with the Redskins in 2018, Dunbar has been attempting to orchestrate a trade or release since February. Further reports indicated that Dunbar had been open to working out a “reasonable” restructure of his contract with the Redskins, but the club reportedly had no interest in doing so.
Dunbar, 27, arguably has every reason to be displeased with the three-year, $10.5MM deal he inked two years ago, as he’s largely outplayed the pact. The former undrafted free agent played the most snaps of his NFL tenure in 2019 and posted a career-high four interceptions. Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, graded Dunbar as the league’s second-best cornerback behind only Richard Sherman.
Now heading into the final year of his contract, Dunbar will surely ask the Seahawks for an extension at something closer to market value. On the field, he’ll compete with Tre Flowers — who took a large step back in his second NFL campaign — to play opposite Shaquill Griffin.
Washington, meanwhile, is losing yet another member of its defensive backfield after parting ways with Josh Norman earlier this offseason. The Redskins brought back Kendall Fuller on a four-year deal last week, but the club’s secondary depth behind him is largely barren.
Patriots To Release Stephen Gostkowski
The longest-tenured kicker in Patriots history will need to head elsewhere to continue his career. The Pats are releasing Stephen Gostkowski, Jim McBride of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
Gostkowski signed a two-year deal to stay with the Patriots in 2019 but is coming off an injury-marred season. He has been New England’s kicker since 2006, taking over after the Pats let Adam Vinatieri walk in free agency. A Gostkowski release will save the Pats nearly $3.5MM. They entered Monday with less than $5MM in cap space.
Gostkowski spent a few days as the Patriots’ longest-tenured player, rising to that position after Tom Brady defected to the Buccaneers. That distinction now belongs to 12th-year special-teamer Matthew Slater. Gostkowski’s 204 regular-season games played ranks fourth in Patriots history. When postseason contests are included, his games-played total ranks only behind Brady’s.
New England used four kickers last season, with Kai Forbath, Nick Folk and Mike Nugent taking turns replacing the injured Gostkowski. While Folk finished the season as the Pats’ kicker, he is currently a free agent. Gostkowski, 36, is coming off hip surgery. This marks another big change for the Pats, who last week saw the most decorated player in franchise history opt to leave.
A four-time Pro Bowler, Gostkowski resides as one of this era’s best kickers. He landed on the 2008 and 2015 All-Pro first teams as well. The former fourth-round pick’s 87.4% career field goal success rate ranks fifth in NFL history, and his 39 career playoff field goals rank behind only Vinatieri’s 56 in playoff history.
Latest On 2020 Draft
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no draft-related events of any kind in Las Vegas next month. Although the draft remains scheduled for April 23-25, Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times reports that the selections will be broadcast from a studio setting with cut-ins from the headquarters of the teams on the clock.
We heard last week that the league had canceled public events in Las Vegas, but it was unclear whether the draft would still proceed in some smaller scale fashion in Sin City. We speculated that the process would take place remotely via video conferencing, and that now seems to be the case.
Of course, one of the most exciting parts of the draft, for players and fans alike, is commissioner Roger Goodell‘s announcement of each first-round selection, followed by that player’s walk to the stage — assuming that player was invited to the event and elected to attend — to greet Goodell and receive his new jersey. As no one knows what travel restrictions will look like next month, it remains to be seen if the league will attempt to bring in this year’s top prospects in an effort to simulate the usual pomp and circumstance.
Farmer obtained a memo from Goodell to league employees with respect to the decision, which reads in part as follows:
“Planning for the Draft is a good example of how we need to think differently, embrace technology and collaborate. We will also use the Draft to help support fans and those people impacted in our communities. While there have been changes to the way we work and some of our plans, we have an unwavering commitment to upholding the NFL’s legacy of unifying and lifting the spirit of America, and bringing out the best in our fans and in our communities around the world. You’ll hear more from us in the days and weeks ahead about how we intend to demonstrate that commitment well beyond our fields.”
Seahawks, Jadeveon Clowney “Moving Toward a New Deal”
Jadeveon Clowney may end up back in Seattle after all. ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio is hearing that the two sides are “moving toward a new deal” (Twitter link).
The pass rusher was initially seeking $20MM per season, and he was reportedly disappointed at the lack of suitors. The 27-year-old has since changed his asking price to a more palatable one- or two-year deal, and he’s presumably had to lower his financial demands, as well.
The Seahawks have continually been linked to the pass-rusher, and there were whispers that the organization had extended a contract offer. That deal didn’t match Clowney’s requirements for salary or length, and the player was seeking another suitor with the hope of driving up the price.
We later learned that the Cowboys were one of the teams that wouldn’t be pursuing the defensive end. Earlier this month, the Giants and Colts were both said to have interest in Clowney, but they’ve since addressed their needs.
Clowney posted just three sacks in 2019, but he was still effective against opposing passers and running backs. For his work, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 20th best edge defender in the NFL.
Saints To Sign Emmanuel Sanders
The Saints are making a big move. New Orleans has agreed to sign free agent Emmanuel Sanders to a two-year deal, the receiver told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal has a base value of $16MM and can be worth up to $19MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The receiver market has been slow to develop outside of a couple of signings, and this could help get the ball rolling. We heard last week that the 49ers were hoping Sanders would have a poor market so they could re-sign him cheaply, but obviously that didn’t happen. Even after they re-signed Amari Cooper, we heard that Dallas was interested in adding Sanders.
The Jets were also interested in reuniting Sanders with Adam Gase, a source told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link), so it sounds like his market ended up being relatively strong. Schefter also tweeted that he spoke with the Packers as well. It’s a nice pickup for the Saints, who struggled for consistent options behind Michael Thomas last season. Thomas was obviously setting records, but Drew Brees was often throwing to a rotating cast of formerly undrafted guys beyond him.
They now have a consistent number two option, even though Sanders is getting up there in age. The SMU product turned 33 earlier this week, but he remained productive last year. Playing in 17 regular season games because of a mid-season trade from the Broncos to San Francisco, Sanders had 66 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns.
He had a couple of huge blowup games with the 49ers, but overall didn’t seem to have the best connection with Jimmy Garoppolo. Sanders put up some gaudy numbers with Peyton Manning, and won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos. He tore his Achilles late in the 2018 season which many thought would slow him down physically, but he bounced back admirably well.
The Saints are going all in on one last championship run with Brees, so this move makes a lot of sense and shores up one of their few weaknesses. With Sanders off the market, Robby Anderson is probably the top receiver still available. Guys like Breshad Perriman, Phillip Dorsett, Devin Funchess, and Nelson Agholor are also left.
Broncos To Sign Melvin Gordon
The Broncos have agreed to sign running back Melvin Gordon, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The former Bolts standout will receive a two-year deal worth $16MM, with $13.5MM of that sum being guaranteed. 
Gordon made headlines for his prolonged holdout with the Chargers. When he finally returned to the field, he delivered mixed results.
In 12 games, Gordon averaged 3.8 yards per carry, a far cry from the 5.1 yards per tote that gave him so much leverage in 2018. The two-time Pro Bowler made a name for himself as a touchdown machine, but he didn’t find paydirt all that often – he had eight rushing TDs and one receiving TD, a big dropoff from the previous year’s total of 14 total scores.
There were bright spots, however, giving the Broncos and other teams plenty of reason to still believe in his ability. In Week 9, for example, he torched the Raiders for 108 yards. He also gave the Broncos an up-close look at what he can do in Week 12 – he came one yard shy of the century mark in Denver.
Last year, Phillip Lindsay became the first UDFA in league history to open his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. While he fights for a pay day of his own, the Broncos will add one of the league’s most notable tailbacks.
Falcons To Sign Todd Gurley
That didn’t take long. On Friday, the Falcons formally announced the signing of running back Todd Gurley. 
Gurley has agreed to a one-year deal with Atlanta, less than 24 hours after being let go by the Rams. One important thing to note: Gurley, who has been plagued by injuries, may still need to undergo a physical with the team before the deal is all legal eagle. Of course, that’s not possible at the moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the league’s restrictions on travel.
Soon after Gurley was cut loose, we heard that Gurley was interested in joining the Falcons or Dolphins. The Falcons were the perfect fit for Gurley, a University of Georgia product who can occupy the role once filled by Devonta Freeman. Backed by Ito Smith and Brian Hill, Gurley will try to get back to his old form in familiar surroundings.
Gurley was an NFL megastar just a couple of years ago. Between 2017 and 2018, Gurley racked up 40 touchdowns and roughly 4,000 yards from scrimmage. And, in 2018, he signed a four-year, $57.5MM extension with the Rams that rebooted the running back market.
Here’s the breakdown of his new deal, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Gurley will earn $11MM in total with $7.5MM coming from the Rams, $6MM on the Falcons’ books, and a $2.5MM offset. It all adds up to a one-year deal that keeps Gurley as one of the NFL’s three highest-paid running backs.
Unfortunately, the knee injury he suffered near the end of the ’18 campaign changed things and hasn’t looked like the same player since. Father Time is not kind to running backs; nor is the injury bug. Still, no one would be surprised if Gurley thrives with the Falcons in his age-26 season.