Packers To Sign LB Christian Kirksey
Christian Kirksey made his decision early Monday morning. After visiting three teams last week, the free agent linebacker will sign with the Packers, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
Kirksey agreed to a two-year, $16MM deal with Green Bay, per Garafolo. The six-year veteran will reunite with Mike Pettine, the Packers’ DC who drafted him when he was the Browns’ head coach back in 2014.
This marks a notable move for a Packers team that does not usually devote much funding to off-ball linebackers. The team is expected to let top tackler Blake Martinez hit the market and find his second contract elsewhere. Now, the team has an $8MM-AAV contract at this position. Kirksey also adds to a suddenly expensive linebacking corps, with Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith each earning north of $13MM annually.
It represents another deviation under GM Brian Gutekunst, who has shown a greater willingness to spend in free agency than predecessor Ted Thompson. However, this signing — since Kirksey was a street free agent — will not affect the Packers’ compensatory formula.
The 27-year-old linebacker visited the Raiders and Bills while also communicating with the Ravens. Despite coming off two injury-marred seasons, the recently released defender landed a contract that pays him nearly what his previous Browns deal did. Cleveland signed Kirksey to a $9.5MM-per-year extension and saw the former third-round pick total 286 tackles between the 2016-17 seasons. He will now have a chance to revive his career in a familiar system.
Giants To Franchise Leonard Williams
The Giants surprised most by trading for Leonard Williams at last year’s deadline, and the team will not let the former top-10 pick hit free agency. Big Blue is expected to use its franchise tag on Williams, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
While this qualifies as one of the more interesting tag decisions in recent years, this will allow the Giants to minimize the trade haul they will send to the Jets. The Giants only have to deal third- and fourth-round picks to the Jets if they extend Williams by the start of the new league year. A Giants franchise tag, instead, means Gang Green will only receive third- and fifth-rounders, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY confirms (via Twitter).
Williams has a Pro Bowl on his resume, but the 2015 No. 6 overall pick has not lived up to expectations. He registered merely a half-sack in 2019 and posted just two tackles for loss in his season with both New York teams. This move will either cost the Giants $17.8MM — if Williams is tagged as a defensive end — or $16.1MM (the defensive tackle price).
A Williams tag also may impact the Giants’ prospects at landing one of the top non-tagged outside linebackers on the market. They are rumored to be interested in Jadeveon Clowney but reportedly not willing to authorize a top-market contract for the former No. 1 overall pick.
Colts Re-Sign LT Anthony Castonzo
The Colts and left tackle Anthony Castonzo have agreed to terms on a new contract, the team announced. Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports that it’s a two-year, $33MM deal (Twitter link).
Indianapolis’ offensive line is perhaps the team’s biggest strength, thanks in no small part to Castonzo, who has anchored the blindside for Colts signal-callers since his rookie year in 2011. As ESPN’s Field Yates observes (via Twitter), Indy was the only team to start the same five offensive linemen in every game in 2019, and the current unit will remain intact for the third consecutive year in 2020.
Though Castonzo has never made the Pro Bowl, he’s started in all 132 of his games with consistently strong play. Last year, the Boston College product graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 7 ranked tackle in the entire NFL. His 81.3 overall score was even stronger than his 2017 and 2018 showings, proving that he still has plenty of football left in the tank.
His previous four-year, $43.8MM deal expired at the end of the 2019 season, and he was reportedly considering retirement earlier this year. However, he recently announced that he would continue his playing career, and he made it clear that he would not consider signing with a club other than the Colts.
Though that statement didn’t do much to help his leverage, it turns out he didn’t need it. The $16.5MM AAV he will see under his new contract puts him at the top of the left tackle market.
Jaguars To Trade Calais Campbell To Ravens
The Jaguars and Ravens have agreed to a trade that will send veteran DE Calais Campbell from Jacksonville to Baltimore in exchange for a fifth-round pick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The Ravens will try to work out an extension with Campbell.
The extension aspect of this is critical, as Baltimore does not have a ton of cap space, and Pro Football Talk tweets that the Ravens will be taking on the full $15MM owed to Campbell in 2020. An extension for the 33-year-old will obviously help to spread out Campbell’s cap charge, as would a long-term deal for the recently franchised Matt Judon.
From an on-field perspective, the trade makes plenty of sense for Baltimore. Pass rusher was perhaps the top item on the team’s offseason priority list, but almost all of this year’s top edge defenders who are eligible for free agency are expected to remain with their current teams. So GM Eric DeCosta got creative, and while the Ravens will be left without a fifth-rounder in the 2020 draft, they still have two third-rounders and three fourth-rounders to work with.
Campbell, the reigning Walter Payton Man of the Year, earned Pro Bowl nods in each of his three seasons with the Jags, and though his sack total dipped to 6.5 in 2019 after posting double-digits in 2017 and 2018, he still graded out as the third-best edge defender in the league last year, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He is stout against the pass and run, and his ability to collapse the pocket should only create more opportunities for Judon and promising second-year talent Jaylon Ferguson.
The Jags, meanwhile, have recently parted with two formerly prized FA acquisitions in Campbell and corner A.J. Bouye. Both players were key members of Jacksonville’s run to the AFC Championship Game in 2017, but the Jags are clearly in rebuild mode. In addition to the $15MM of cap space created by this move, Jacksonville now has 11 draft picks in 2020 and nine in 2021, including two first-rounders.
Titans Not Interested In Tom Brady
Scratch the Titans off the list of Tom Brady suitors. Per Dianna Russini of ESPN.com, Tennessee is no longer interested in Brady and is focused on getting a deal done with incumbent Ryan Tannehill (Twitter link). Indeed, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com hears that Tannehill and the Titans are “on the verge” of a multi-year extension (Twitter link).
Earlier this month, there were reports that the Titans were confident they could beat out the Patriots for Brady’s services. Tennessee made a surprising run to the AFC Championship Game thanks in large part to Tannehill’s 2019 renaissance, but his uneven track record and the high price tag that goes hand-in-hand with his performance last season made it a possibility that the Titans could go in another direction.
The Titans were one of a handful of clubs that had a legitimate chance to use a franchise and transition tag this offseason, as Tannehill, RB Derrick Henry, and RT Jack Conklin are all eligible for free agency and would be at or near the top of the market for their respective positions. But now that a new CBA is in place and teams can only use one tag, the need to get at least one of those players under contract immediately is magnified.
After all, if the Titans had put all their eggs in the Brady basket, Tannehill could have gotten away and Tennessee could have been left scrambling for a replacement signal-caller. Henry will almost certainly be tagged, and it seems as if Conklin will hit the open market.
Meanwhile, the new CBA does allow for more flexibility for teams like the Patriots, who can spread out dead money hits for cut players and cap charges for free agent signees over multiple years. As Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes, that could help New England in a competitive-bidding situation for Brady, and having one major competitor bow out of the race obviously increases the chances that Brady will return to Foxborough.
Players Approve Collective Bargaining Agreement
The votes are in. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), NFL players have ratified the proposed collective bargaining agreement, signaling another era of labor peace between the union and the league. The new CBA will run through the 2030 season.
The final count was incredibly close. About 80% of dues-paying players made their voices heard — which, as Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com tweets, was more than many expected — and 1,019 players voted to approve against 959 votes to reject. The prospect of playing out the 2020 season under the old CBA was very real, and that could have resulted in a work stoppage in 2021.
There is plenty to unpack here, but we have been covering the CBA negotiations from Day 1, so by clicking the “Collective Bargaining Agreement” tag at the bottom of this article, you can read through all of our CBA-related posts to see exactly what this agreement means for the league. However, we would be remiss if we didn’t point out a few highlights:
- The playoffs will expand to seven teams per conference in 2020;
- We will see a 17-game season at some point in the near future, perhaps as early as 2021;
- There will be an increase in minimum salaries;
- Players will obtain a bigger share of the league’s total revenue (48-48.5%);
- Rosters will expand from 53 to 55 players (with active rosters increasing from 46 to 48 players). However, the two extra players will be practice squad players;
- Practice squads will expand from 10 to 14 players;
- Fifth-year options for first-round picks from 2018 forward will be fully-guaranteed (not guaranteed for injury only), will be based on performance, and can be as high as the franchise tag number for the player’s position;
- All pension amounts increase by 10%;
- There will be no marijuana-related suspensions.
This also means that teams who would have been permitted to use the franchise and transition tags in 2020 (namely, the Cowboys and Titans) will now only be able to use one of those tags. On the flip-side, cap-strapped teams like the Saints can release players and spread their dead money hit over two seasons by designating such players as post-June 1 cuts. Likewise, it will be much easier for teams to spend cash in free agency now, because they can push cap charges into future years.
Furthermore, the league has now set the 2020 salary cap at $198.2MM. That is lower than what some expected, but still a $10MM increase over the 2019 figure. Larger jumps are expected in 2021 and beyond, and now the league can focus on securing new TV deals, which will only increase the total pie.
The complicating factor in all of this, of course, is the coronavirus pandemic that has had a wide-reaching impact throughout the sports world. The league did not want to make any changes to its schedule prior to the CBA vote, but now that the CBA has been approved, the league and union will discuss delaying the start of free agency. As of right now, the legal tampering period is slated to open tomorrow, March 16, with free agency set to open on Wednesday, March 18.
The NFLPA’s statement on the vote can be found here. Commissioner Roger Goodell‘s statement can be found here. Dan Graziano of ESPN.com also does an excellent job of analyzing the key points of the new CBA.
Redskins To Franchise G Brandon Scherff
Two days before the twice-moved tag deadline, the Redskins will not take any chances with Brandon Scherff. As a result, the NFL will have its first franchise-tagged guard since 2011. This year’s O-line tag comes in at $14.8MM.
The Redskins will use their top tag on Scherff, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). This was the expectation, but it still marks a notable change of sorts for the guard position. This will take a three-time Pro Bowler off the market. Scherff joins Matt Judon, Yannick Ngakoue, Hunter Henry and Justin Simmons among this year’s franchise-tagged contingent.
Washington will use the exclusive franchise tag on Scherff, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This is in dispute, however, with Rapoport and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero indicating it’s the non-exclusive tag (Twitter links). The latter scenario would make more sense, given the implausibility of a team trading two first-round picks for a guard.
While Scherff has battled injuries in recent years, he would have been a strong candidate to become the NFL’s highest-paid guard had the Redskins let him hit the market. The sides’ negotiations did not produce a deal. They will have until July 15 to finalize an extension, or Scherff will play on the tag.
No team has franchised a guard since the Patriots kept Logan Mankins off the market nine years ago. The tag system groups all offensive linemen together. A guard tag being worth the same as a tackle tag has undoubtedly influenced teams’ thinking in recent years, thus allowing several high-end guards to hit free agency.
Washington drafted Scherff at No. 5 overall and immediately moved the Iowa tackle to guard. Scherff, 28, has started all 65 games in which he’s played. He only missed two games from 2015-17 but has been absent for 13 over the past two years. Shoulder and elbow injuries shut Scherff down in 2019; a torn pectoral muscle ended his 2018 season. When on the field, however, Scherff has been one of the NFL’s best offensive linemen.
Jaguars Franchise DE Yannick Ngakoue
Another long-rumored franchise tag candidate received that designation Friday. The Jaguars will apply their top tag to Yannick Ngakoue, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Teams have until 10:59am CT to apply tags.
Ngakoue profiles as this year’s most logical tag-and-trade candidate, however. Ngakoue has said he no longer wants to play in Jacksonville. But for now, the would-have-been free agent defensive end will be tagged at $17.8MM.
Ngakoue skipped the Jags’ offseason program last year while angling for a new contract but reported for training camp. Of the edge rushers who have been tagged or are expected to be tagged, the soon-to-be 25-year-old edge rusher has displayed the most consistency. The 2016 third-round pick has posted at least eight sacks in all four of his seasons, topping out with 12 to go with six forced fumbles in the Jags’ 2017 “Sacksonville” season.
“The Jaguars are aware I no longer have interest in signing a long term contract in Jacksonville,” Ngakoue tweeted. “Duval, I love you and gave you guys everything I got. I’m thankful for the journey and look forward to continuing my career elsewhere.”
Should the Jags entertain the prospect of trading another of their acclaimed 2016 draftees, interest will surely emerge. The Seahawks have already surfaced as a potential Ngakoue suitor, and they executed two tag-and-trade deals in 2019. Ngakoue joins Matt Judon and Bud Dupree as this year’s crop of edge rushers who could be tagged and then dealt.
Lions Release T Ricky Wagner
The Lions will make a major change along their offensive line. They are releasing veteran right tackle Ricky Wagner.
Wagner spent three seasons in this role with Detroit, but his release will provide the Lions with $6.1MM in cap space. Going into his eighth season, Wagner was set to make $9MM. Two years remained on Wagner’s Detroit deal.
Detroit signed Wagner to a five-year, $47.5MM deal in 2017. He started all 40 games in which he appeared and, over the first two years of the contract, produced a positive Pro Football Focus review. This past season, however, the 30-year-old blocker graded as PFF’s No. 61 overall tackle. This will mean the Lions are set to lose two starters from their past three O-lines, with guard Graham Glasgow on track to be a coveted free agent.
With this move, the Lions will move back north of $50MM in cap space. They stand to possess at least $53MM, though other cuts could surely follow the Wagner decision. Wagner now heads to a marketplace that will feature a few newly available tackles, including Jason Peters, Trent Williams and Cordy Glenn.
NFL Cancels Pre-Draft Visits
After the other major American sports made historic changes to their schedules this week, the NFL will follow suit. The league canceled further pre-draft visits, per an announcement.
Teams are no longer permitted to host prospects at their facilities or on campus sites. This will halt teams from venturing to prospects’ pro days leading up to the 2020 draft. That process had barely begun, with few reported visits and workouts having taken place. But teams now must make major adjustments.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, NFL teams were steadily taking coaches and scouts off the road. More than 20 did so by Friday afternoon. The Dolphins, however, hosted Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins at their facility and brought in Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in for a last-minute visit well, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Just as the Dolphins moved up their Dobbins summit by a month, they moved up Love’s visit.
These will be the last meetings of this sort leading up to this draft, as the NFL becomes the latest major sports league to make coronavirus-related changes.
Teams will still be permitted to speak with prospects, but they must do so via phone calls and video conferences. These calls cannot last more than an hour, and no team can contact a prospect more than three times in one week. Violations of this rule change will be subject to league discipline.
This will obviously transform the pre-draft process. As of now, the draft remains scheduled to start April 23 in Las Vegas. But the league is considering changes. Given that hundreds of thousands of fans have flocked to this event since it was moved out of Radio City Music Hall and into other NFL markets, such an environment taking place this year may be a non-starter. But no firm announcement has been made regarding the draft or a delay to the free agency window. However, the league is considering adjusting that part of its calendar as well.