Lions To Sign Mike Daniels
UPDATE, 4:55pm: Daniels’ deal is worth $9.1MM, with $7.8MM of it being fully guaranteed, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That’s a great payday for Daniels to get this time of year, and he might end up making more than if the Packers hadn’t released him in the first place. Daniels had been set to earn $8.1MM in the final year of his deal with Green Bay.
UPDATE, 4:23pm: It’s a one-year deal for Daniels, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
3:22pm: The Lions will sign defensive lineman Mike Daniels, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The two sides are finalizing things now, but the deal should be completed soon. 
The Packers extended Daniels via four-year, $41MM contract during the 2015 season. For the most part, the deal has paid off. Daniels earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017, though he was less productive in 2018 before ultimately landing on IR in December with a foot injury.
In his Pro Bowl campaign, Daniels notched five sacks and 49 tackles across 14 games. Last year, he had two sacks and 18 tackles in ten contests.
With the Lions, he’ll join fellow D-Line newcomers Trey Flowers, Darius Kilgo, Austin Bryant, and P.J. Johnson. Flowers is currently on the PUP list while Kilgo and Damon Harrison are on NFI, so Daniels will be especially valued in the near term.
Many expected the former Packers lineman to land with the Browns, but it was not meant to be. John Dorsey and fellow team execs Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf were in Green Bay when Daniels was drafted in the 2012 fourth round, but the Lions possibly had the greater need and the higher offer.
Daniels reportedly wanted to land with a Super Bowl contender so he must believe in the Lions’ potential, even though they are not one of Vegas’ odds-on leaders for the 2019 season.
Jets Sign Quinnen Williams
There are officially no stragglers left. Shortly after the 49ers inked draft picks Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel, the Jets announced the signing of No. 3 overall pick Quinnen Williams.
Williams, a defensive tackle out of Alabama, did not report to training camp with his fellow Jets rookies because of issues related to his signing bonus payout structure. Ultimately, it was a difference of $100K that prevented the Jets from signing Williams sooner.
The Jets and Williams reached a compromise on that matter, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears. The defensive lineman will have a 25% signing bonus deferment to Year Two, but he’ll get the other 75% at signing. With that out of the way, Williams should be on the field with the Jets on Friday.
Here’s the full rundown of the Jets’ draft:
- 1-3: Quinnen Williams, DT (Alabama): Signed
- 3-68: Jachai Polite, LB (Florida): Signed
- 3-92: Chuma Edoga, T (USC): Signed
- 4-121: Trevon Wesco, TE (West Virginia): Signed
- 5-157: Blake Cashman, LB (Minnesota): Signed
- 6-196: Blessuan Austin. CB (Rutgers): Signed
49ers Sign Nick Bosa
Done deal. On Thursday, the 49ers reached agreement with No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The club also inked second-round pick Deebo Samuel, a wide receiver out of South Carolina.
With that, the 49ers have avoided unnecessary drama and another Bosa holdout in the NFL. Per the terms of his slot, the Ohio State defensive end will earn $33.55MM over the course of his four-year deal. After that, the Niners will hold a fifth-year option on his deal, since Bosa is a first-round pick.
Bosa might have been one of the safest best bets in this draft. The 49ers have not had an edge rusher record a seven sacks in a season since Aldon Smith in 2013, but they now have a strong pass rush featuring Bosa, Dee Ford and three first-round interior rushers in Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas.
Here’s the full rundown of the Niners’ draft, via PFR’s tracker:
- 1-2: Nick Bosa, DE (Ohio State)
- 2-36: Deebo Samuel, WR (South Carolina)
- 3-67: Jalen Hurd, WR (Baylor): Signed
- 4-110: Mitch Wishnowsky, P (Utah): Signed
- 5-148: Dre Greenlaw, LB (Arkansas): Signed
- 6-176: Kaden Smith, TE (Stanford): Signed
- 6-183: Justin Skule, T (Vanderbilt): Signed
- 6-198: Tim Harris, CB (Virginia): Signed
Titans, Kevin Byard Agree To Extension
Kevin Byard is now the highest-paid safety in NFL history. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that the Titans and Byard have agreed to a five-year, $70.5MM deal that includes $31MM in guaranteed money (Twitter link).
The $14.1MM AAV edges out the $14MM/year pacts signed by Landon Collins and Tyrann Mathieu earlier this year, but no one is faulting Tennessee for throwing a lot of money at Byard. A product of Middle Tennessee State, Byard wasn’t invited to the combine in 2016, and at least one prominent NFL talent evaluator gave him a sixth- to seventh-round grade. Now, however, he is widely regarded as one of the best safeties in the game, and he has been paid accordingly.
The Titans went against the grain by selecting Byard with the first pick in the third round of the 2016 draft, and he became a starter midway though his rookie campaign. He hasn’t looked back, as he earned a First Team All-Pro bid in his second professional season — which featured a league-leading eight interceptions — and was excellent again in 2018. Though he did not make it back to the Pro Bowl last year, the advanced metrics were still quite fond of his work and lauded him for his coverage as well as his run defense. He added another four picks, two sacks, and 90 tackles to his resume.
Byard was set to become a free agent at the end of the season, and he would have headlined a fairly weak FA safety class. In theory, the Titans could have put the franchise tag on him if they did not agree with Byard’s asking price, but they (probably rightly) elected to avoid the drama and take care of business.
Interestingly, Byard has the same agent (David Mulugheta) as Collins and Earl Thomas, who signed a hefty deal of his own back in March. Mulugheta has been instrumental in helping to rekindle a formerly stagnant safety market, and perhaps other safeties who have struggled to find jobs/market value contracts may be inclined to give him a call.
Our own Dallas Robinson profiled Byard as an extension candidate just two weeks ago, and he hit the nail on the head in terms of predicted AAV and guaranteed money.
Packers Release Mike Daniels
The Packers have released Mike Daniels, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Given his Pro Bowl resume, the move comes as a total surprise.
Daniels was due $8.1MM this season in base salary and roster bonuses, which was apparently too rich for Green Bay’s blood. By cutting Daniels, the Packers will save $8.3MM versus $2.4MM in dead money.
The Packers explored a Daniels trade, but couldn’t find a suitable deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Garafolo suggests that the Browns, with all their former Packers connections, are likely to take a look at Daniels after trying, and failing, to sign Gerald McCoy earlier this year.
The Packers extended Daniels via four-year, $41MM contract during the 2015 season. For the most part, the deal has paid off. Daniels earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017, though he was less productive in 2018 before ultimately landing on IR in December with a foot injury.
In his Pro Bowl campaign, Daniels notched five sacks and 49 tackles across 14 games. Last year, he had two sacks and 18 tackles in ten contests.
Daniels is now free to sign with any club. His preference is to sign with a Super Bowl contender, Schefter hears (on Twitter).
Seahawks’ Jarran Reed Suspended
Seahawks defensive lineman Jarran Reed has been suspended for the first six games of the 2019 season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The ban stems from a 2017 violation of the personal conduct policy.
As Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes, the Bellevue Police Department recommended that Reed be charged with fourth-degree assault in connection with a domestic violence incident that occurred in April 2017, but the city’s prosecuting office did not believe there was sufficient evidence to prove the crime occurred, so it declined to pursue the matter. As such, Reed was never arrested or charged
According to the police report, Reed and his girlfriend got into an argument at Reed’s home, and Reed allegedly grabbed the woman’s throat and pulled her into the bathroom. Shortly thereafter, the woman claimed that Reed grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her across a bedroom floor and then down several stairs before she broke free.
The NFL did its own investigation and opted to suspend Reed 27 months after the incident. The league also denied Reed an appeal.
Of course, this will lead to obvious questions as to why Reed was suspended — and why it took so long to do it — when the Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill escaped league discipline. The NFL did not respond to the Seattle Times’ request for further comment on the matter.
Reed underwent sports hernia surgery in April but was on track to participate in training camp. Now, he’ll have to wait until at least October to see live action.
The Seahawks were banking on a big season from Reed, who is coming off of a season with 10.5 sacks as a starter. He was also an extension candidate, but those plans may now be put on hold.
The Seahawks will have to generate pass pressure from elsewhere, and that won’t be an easy task after the trade of Frank Clark. Poona Ford and first-round pick L.J. Collier will have to carry much of the load, unless the team is able to find help elsewhere.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
Bengals, Tyler Boyd Agree To Extension
The Bengals are signing wide receiver Tyler Boyd to a four-year, $43MM extension, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Boyd now will be under contract through the 2023 season. 
Prior to the deal, Boyd was set to play out the 2019 season before reaching free agency. Under the new pact, the Bengals have added four more years while Boyd has put himself in the top 20 at his position, in terms of new money average annual value. Furthermore, he’s now one of the league’s highest-paid slot receivers.
Following a pair of underwhelming seasons to begin his career, Boyd had a breakout campaign in 2018, hauling in 76 receptions for 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games. Part of his production could be attributed to the fact that A.J. Green missed seven games, placing Boyd atop the depth chart. On the flip side, the receiver also established a career-high catch percentage and yards-per-target.
The deal is similar that of Sterling Shepard‘s contract with the Giants, which was a four-year deal worth $41MM ($21.3MM guaranteed), a watermark that Boyd personally said he had in mind. We’re still waiting on the full details, but the contract may also mirror the one Tyrell Williams signed with the Raiders (four years, $44MM ($22MM guaranteed)).
As our own Dallas Robinson previously pointed out, Boyd topped Shepard in every offensive category this past season, and he finished higher than the Giants wideout in both Pro Football Focus‘ positional grades and Football Outsiders’ receiving metrics. Boyd’s 2019 season was comparable to Williams’ 2016 campaign, although Williams was older and coming off a pair of subpar seasons when he signed his recent deal with Oakland.
With Boyd’s contract addressed, the Bengals’ focus now must shift to Green, who has one year to go on his deal. Despite Green’s recent injury trouble, both sides have expressed a strong desire to get something done.
Eagles Re-Sign Darren Sproles
Darren Sproles is coming back for at least one more year. The veteran is signing a one-year deal with the Eagles, the team announced on Twitter. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the deal has a base value of $1.03MM and includes a $300K signing bonus. Plus, $600K of his base pay is guaranteed.
We heard back in May that Sproles was interested in returning for one more year, but that he wanted to play with one of the teams he already had familiarity with, meaning the Chargers, Saints, and Eagles. After Sproles only played in three games due to a broken arm and torn ACL in the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning season, he said 2018 would be his last year in the league. But injuries ruined last year for him too, and he missed ten games.
All the health issues left a bad taste in his mouth, and he didn’t want to go out like that. “That’s my whole thing,” Sproles said recently when speaking to Dr. David Chao of the Pro Football Doc podcast. “I want a full year. I want to get up to top-four or top-five in all-purpose yards, like ever. Right now, I’m number six. If I would have played a full year last year, I’d be number four right now.”
Sproles will now be joining a crowded backfield in Philadelphia, with Miles Sanders, Jordan Howard, Corey Clement, and Josh Adams (among others) already in tow. In a tweet, Tim McManus of ESPN.com writes that the “coaching staff had been keeping door open for [Sproles].” He might not play quite as big of a role as he did in the past, but Sproles will still be a valuable change-of-pace back who can catch passes well out of the backfield, and he’ll be a nice veteran presence in a mostly young group.
Now Sproles will get the chance to go out with the full 16-game season that he wants, as well as to climb the all-purpose yards leaderboards. He’s 36 now, but he’s still been pretty good when he’s been healthy the last couple of years. Last year, Sproles carried the ball 29 times for 120 yards and a touchdown, and he dded 15 receptions for 160 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned ten punts for 83 yards.
No Suspension For Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill
The NFL will not suspend Chiefs star Tyreek Hill after its investigation into allegations of child abuse. Here is the league’s statement, in full: 
Over the past four months, we have conducted a comprehensive investigation of allegations regarding Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Throughout this investigation, the NFL’s primary concern has been the well-being of the child. Our understanding is that the child is safe and that the child’s ongoing care is being directed and monitored by the Johnson County District Court and the Johnson County Department for Children and Families.
In conducting our investigation, we have taken great care to ensure that we do not interfere with the county’s proceedings or compromise the privacy or welfare of the child in any way. The information developed in the court proceeding is confidential and has not been shared with us, and the court has sealed all law enforcement records. Local law enforcement authorities have publicly advised that the available evidence does not permit them to determine who caused the child’s injuries.
Similarly, based on the evidence presently available, the NFL cannot conclude that Mr. Hill violated the Personal Conduct Policy. Accordingly, he may attend Kansas City’s training camp and participate in all club activities. He has been and will continue to be subject to conditions set forth by the District Court, Commissioner Goodell, and the Chiefs, which include clinical evaluation and therapeutic intervention.
If further information becomes available through law enforcement, the pending court proceeding, or other sources, we will promptly consider it and take all appropriate steps at that time.
With that, Hill should be a full participant in training camp and on the field for Week 1 of the 2019 season. From a football perspective, it’s a huge win for the Chiefs – last year, Hill nearly reached 1,500 yards receiving, averaged 17.0 yards per grab, and gave opposing defensive coordinators nightmares.
Falcons, Deion Jones Agree To Extension
Part 2 of the Falcons’ major midsummer contracts can soon be removed from the franchise’s checklist. The Wednesday negotiations between Drew Rosenhaus and the Falcons apparently went quite well, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reporting (on Twitter) Deion Jones agreed to a four-year, $57MM extension.
The fourth-year linebacker will receive $34MM guaranteed, Schefter adds, with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reporting (via Twitter) part of that guarantee will be an $11MM signing bonus. The $34MM figure will also include $25.8MM fully guaranteed at signing, Florio tweets. Jones will receive $35.5MM in the first three years of this re-up, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. The Falcons and Rosenhaus met today in Atlanta to finalize the deal.
This extension falls in between C.J. Mosley‘s lofty Jets pact and the field, with the $14.25MM average making Jones the league’s second-highest-paid off-ball linebacker. It comes in nearly $1MM north of Anthony Barr‘s Vikings deal, in terms of AAV. Regarding fully guaranteed money, this pact trails only Mosley’s $43MM figure and Luke Kuechly‘s $27MM amount.
Two days after the Falcons locked up Grady Jarrett through 2022, they have their middle linebacker signed through 2023. Now, the focus will shift to the team’s highest-profile player. Julio Jones and the Falcons have been working on a new deal, one that will almost certainly make the All-Pro the league’s highest-paid wide receiver, for months. Arthur Blank‘s “Falcons for life” trio is two-thirds extended, but Julio Jones will end up with the biggest contract out of this triumvirate.
Although Deion Jones missed 10 games due to injury last season, the 2016 second-round pick has anchored Atlanta’s linebacking corps since his rookie season. Pro Football Focus graded Jones as its No. 14 linebacker last season; his placement was even higher during a 2017 Pro Bowl slate. The 24-year-old ‘backer has recorded 297 tackles, eight interceptions and three pick-6s in his 37-game career.