Colts, Kenny Moore Agree To Extension
The Colts and cornerback Kenny Moore have agreed to terms on a four-year extension, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal will make him the highest paid slot cornerback in NFL history in terms of new money. 
Before the add-on, Moore had one year remaining on his contract. The Colts also had the option of keeping Moore via the restricted free agency tag beyond 2019, but the new deal will provide the Colts with long-term cost certainty and give security to the former undrafted free agent.
After earning his scheduled $645K salary in 2019, Moore will earn $30MM in new money between 2020 and 2023, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Through incentives and bonuses, he can earn up to $36MM over the course of the extension.
The Colts claimed Moore off waivers from the Patriots just prior to the 2017 season. He made the cut as the team’s No. 5 cornerback, but proved to be much more valuable than that late in the season when he took over for the injured Rashaan Melvin later in the season.
In 2018, Moore won a starting role and truly took off. He graded out as the No. 32 ranked corner in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, and finished out with three interceptions and 77 tackles.
Outside of Darius Leonard, Moore was probably the Colts’ most effective defensive playmaker last year. The Colts didn’t necessarily have to extend Moore, who was still under club control for two more years, but they had the cap room to get a deal done after a quiet offseason.
Patriots Accuse Texans Of Tampering
On Wednesday, the Patriots filed tampering charges against the Texans for their attempted hire of Nick Caserio as their next GM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The NFL is now expected to gather relevant informant to open its investigation against the Texans.
Soon after the Texans’ surprise firing of GM Brian Gaine, the club was immediately linked to Caserio, the Patriots’ VP of player personnel. Initially, the belief was that the Patriots could not block Gaine from taking the job since it would be a clear elevation in titles and responsibility. But the Patriots, who are intent on keeping Caserio, may have found another way to ward off Houston.
The NFL’s anti-tampering policy states that “any interference by a member club with the employer-employee relationship of another club or any attempt by a club to impermissibly induce a person to seek employment with that club or with the NFL” is impermissible. Reading between the lines, it sounds as though the Patriots believe the Texans engaged in direct talks with Caserio before getting the green light from New England.
The Texans firing of Gaine the night after the Patriots’ ring ceremony set off some alarm bells in New England, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Now, the league office must make a ruling before the Texans proceed with their planned hire of Caserio.
Saints, Cameron Jordan Agree To Extension
The Saints and defensive end Cameron Jordan have agreed to terms on a brand new contract, according to Adam Shafter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The new pact will add three years to his existing deal, tying him to the team through the 2023 season. 
It’s a three-year, $52.5MM extension for Jordan, giving him five years and a maximum of $74.5MM left on his commitment to the team. With Jordan under contract through the 2023 season, the club can turn its attention to a new deal for wide receiver Michael Thomas and other pressing matters.
Jordan, 30 in July, had another outstanding year for the Saints as he notched 12 sacks and 49 tackles. He now has 71.5 sacks dating back to his rookie season in 2011, all with the Saints.
Last year, Jordan ranked as the fifth-best edge defender in the NFL, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. PFF’s stats have bestowed elite grades on Jordan for each of the past three seasons with particularly strong marks for his run defense.
While the Saints D has had its ups and downs over the years, Jordan has been a consistent terror for opposing defenses. He has four Pro Bowl nods to his credit, notching at least ten sacks in each of those campaigns. He also earned his first career First-Team All-Pro selection in 2017 with a career high 13 sacks.
Vikings, Kyle Rudolph Agree To Extension
The Vikings are giving veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph a four-year, $36MM extension, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Rudolph’s contract made it seem as though the two sides were headed for certain divorce, but the new deal will smooth out the tight end’s cap hit in the interim while presumably giving him guarantees beyond the 2019 season. 
Rudolph’s deal will pay him $9M this year, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune (on Twitter). His 2019 salary is fully guaranteed, and his 2020 salary is guaranteed for injury. He’ll get $1.625MM added to his $7.625MM base for this year, giving him $9MM guaranteed in ’19 and $16.025MM in total guarantees (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). After 2020, Rudolph will effectively be on a year-to-year deal until its conclusion in 2023.
All along, Rudolph has said that he wanted to stay with the Vikings, though he was unwilling to take a pay cut. After achieving both goals, it’s clear that Rudolph is happy about the new deal.
“Just under a decade ago, I received a phone call that would change my life. On that day, all I knew is that I would be playing in the NFL, realizing my childhood dream. What I didn’t know was the role in the state of Minnesota would play in my life,” Rudolph wrote (on Twitter). “Marrying my wife and established our home..in Minnesota. Experiencing the birth of my three beautiful children…in Minnesota. Starting a journey to better the lives of children dealing with a disease that doesn’t discriminate…in Minnesota. Giving everything I can possibly give, professionally and personally, to the greatest sports franchise and its fans…in Minnesota. And I am honored beyond words to say that my home, our home, will always be…in Minnesota!”
Before the pact, the Vikings had just $612K in cap room. Rudolph will now return to the Vikings where he’ll serve as the team’s No. 1 tight end and mentor to rookie Irv Smith Jr.
Jets Hire Joe Douglas As General Manager
The favorite ended up winning out. On one of the most action-packed June Fridays in recent NFL history, the Jets named Joe Douglas their next general manager. While Douglas beat out three other candidates, he was the frontrunner from the start. The Jets will make a six-year commitment to Douglas, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Howie Roseman will lose one of his top lieutenants, with Douglas having served as the Eagles’ VP of player personnel since 2016. Adam Gase has been believed to have preferred Douglas since Mike Maccagnan‘s ouster. The two worked together with the 2015 Bears, when Douglas served as their college scouting director while Gase was Chicago’s OC. Prior to that, Douglas spent 15 years in the Ravens’ personnel department.
Gase, who served as Jets interim GM, will cede 53-man roster control to Douglas, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. Both will report to CEO Christopher Johnson.
This comes at an interesting time. The Texans fired Brian Gaine on Friday afternoon, and with the team having attempted to interview Douglas for that post last year, it stood to reason the AFC South franchise would try again. The Jets and Douglas were believed to be apart on salary, with CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora tweeting a chasm of around $1MM per year existed. But we now have a June day featuring two GM moves, an obviously uncommon NFL occurrence.
Douglas, 42, becomes the Jets’ fourth GM in the past eight years, following Maccagnan (2015-19), John Idzik (2013-14) and Mike Tannenbaum (2006-12).
Douglas certainly appears to have resisted the Jets’ initial overtures, with Schefter reporting (via Twitter) he repeatedly turned the team down. But the Jets continued their aggressive pursuit. This comes a few days after a report surfaced about some candidates being leery of the Jets’ atypical ownership situation. Christopher Johnson is working as CEO while Jets owner Woody Johnson serves as an ambassador in the Trump administration. A six-year deal would cover any amount of time the president would serve in office, though as the Texans showed earlier today by cutting bait on Gaine’s five-year deal after one season, long-term pacts are tenuous. But the team appears to have made an effort to help assuage any concerns about its ownership status.
Breaking into the NFL as a scout for the Super Bowl champion 2000 Ravens, Douglas also played a key role in helping the franchise win its second Lombardi trophy. He brought Joe Flacco‘s name to Ozzie Newsome, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Douglas has been part of three Super Bowl champions.
The Jets have not been to a Super Bowl in 51 years and have missed the past seven AFC playoff brackets. They are the only team to have failed to win six games in each of the past three seasons. Their most recent coach-GM experiment deteriorated rapidly. Gase and Maccagnan differed on some 2019 decisions, most notably the Le’Veon Bell contract, and that led to an awkward draft. But the first-year Jets HC will likely have more confidence in Douglas. Interestingly, with Douglas now signed up, he, Gase and Sam Darnold share an agent (Jimmy Sexton).
Texans Fire GM Brian Gaine
The Texans GM job is again vacant. The team announced Friday Brian Gaine will no longer serve in that capacity. Gaine began running Houston’s front office in January 2018.
Gaine signed a five-year contract with the Texans, so to see them move on at this juncture — and after the 2018 team compiled the second-most wins in franchise history — is stunning. Senior VP of football administration Chris Olsen will take over in the interim. The Texans went 11-5 and won the AFC South in 2018. They will now join the Jets in conducting a mid-offseason GM search, potentially set to meet with some of the same candidates.
Despite the short duration of Gaine’s tenure, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets no one incident is believed to have prompted this.
Prior to Gaine’s hiring, the Texans dealt with frequent friction in their front office. Reports of Rick Smith, who stepped away after the 2017 season to tend to his ailing wife, and Bill O’Brien butting heads emerged often. O’Brien signed a five-year deal when Gaine was hired and was believed to have a close relationship with him. O’Brien served on the search committee that produced the Gaine hire.
Prior to a 2017 stay in Buffalo as Bills player personnel director, Gaine spent three years with the Texans. Smith promoted from director of pro personnel to director of player personnel in 2015, but he left to take a job under Brandon Beane. Considering Smith received 12 years Texans GM — his first five seasons ending shy of the playoffs — this decision figures to have considerable fallout.
Gaine only oversaw two drafts as Houston’s top front office bastion, and thanks to Texans trades in 2017, the first did not involve first- or second-round picks. This year, Gaine used the Texans’ first-rounder on small-school tackle prospect Tytus Howard. This came after Deshaun Watson was sacked 62 times in 2018 — the most any quarterback has been dropped in a season since Jon Kitna in 2006.
Last year, the Texans sought interviews with seven candidates but ended up meeting with just two — Gaine and assistant GM Jimmy Raye III. Among those on Houston’s 2018 list: Joe Douglas, who is currently the favorite to become the next Jets GM. The Eagles denied the Texans permission to speak with Douglas last year, and the Patriots exercised the same action regarding execs Nick Caserio and Monti Ossenfort.
Before Smith vacated this post last year, the Texans had not had a GM vacancy since the Charley Casserly-to-Smith changeover in 2006.
Eagles, Carson Wentz Agree To Extension
The Eagles did not waste much time. They have come to terms on a four-year extension with Carson Wentz, the team announcing the deal. Negotiations commenced for at least a few weeks, and the 26-year-old quarterback is now committed to the Eagles through the 2024 season.
Wentz’s new-money figures: four years, $128MM, with more than $107MM in total guarantees and $66MM guaranteed at signing, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The contract can escalate to $144MM in new money, Schefter tweets. Two years remained on Wentz’s rookie deal, so in totality, this is a six-year, $154MM pact. While Wentz did not reach Russell Wilson‘s $35MM-per-year agreement — though, he did eclipse Wilson and all others in total guarantees — he comes in just below Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers in average annual value.
As a 2016 draftee, Wentz only became extension-eligible in January and has dealt with season-ending injuries in each of the past two years. But the Eagles continue to show tremendous faith in their centerpiece player. Wentz no longer has any limitations from the back injury that halted his 2018 season, but a player who also missed much of his senior season at North Dakota State due to injury (broken wrist) obviously brings risk to extend at a top-end price.
Torn knee ligaments ended Wentz’s bid to become the 2017 MVP, and Nick Foles proceeded to play so well in the playoffs a statue of he and Doug Pederson now stands outside of Lincoln Financial Field. Foles, whose late-season work keyed another Philadelphia playoff berth last season, is now in Jacksonville. The Eagles are clearly confident Wentz is their future. He will be 32 when this deal expires.
The Eagles gave the Browns plenty in trading up to the 2016 No. 2 slot to select a Division I-FCS quarterback, but his 2017 revealed immense potential. Wentz threw 33 touchdown passes in 13 games, and his 78.5 Total QBR ranked second that season. Last year, Wentz’s touchdown percentage predictably regressed — going from 7.5 to 5.2 — but his yards-per-attempt and completion percentages figures went up (7.7 yards and 69.6 percent, respectively). He finished an abbreviated 2018 season with 21 touchdown passes and seven interceptions, but the Eagles were just 5-6 in his starts (and 4-1 in Foles regular-season outings).
Howie Roseman has done well to keep the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII core in place long-term, having finalized 2019 deals with Brandon Graham and Jason Kelce as well. Key members of the championship team now signed through at least 2021: Wentz, Graham, Kelce, Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffery, Lane Johnson and Fletcher Cox.
A promising young passer now signed long-term, this agreement will certainly change the quarterback market. It will provide a clearer road map for fellow 2016 draftees Jared Goff and Dak Prescott, the latter being a 2020 free agent, along with Patrick Mahomes when that time comes.
49ers, Joe Staley Agree To Extension
Joe Staley is no longer in a contract year. The longtime 49ers left tackle agreed to a two-year extension to stay with the team through 2021, the 49ers announced Wednesday night.
Back in April, the six-time Pro Bowler had not yet decided about playing beyond the 2019 season. Evidently, he now has. This new deal will tether Staley to the 49ers through his age-37 season. At the 49ers’ state of the franchise event, Staley indicated a desire to play for only one NFL team (video link via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area).
Staley’s two-year extension includes $27.6MM in new money, a source tells ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). With the add-on, the veteran can now make $36.15MM total over the next three years.
The 34-year-old lineman has started all 174 regular-season games he’s played since being a 2007 first-round pick. He sits 13th on the 49ers’ all-time games-played list and is on the cusp of climbing into the top 10. Staley playing out this extension would give him a chance to trail only Jerry Rice on this list. Among non-quarterbacks currently on NFL rosters, only Larry Fitzgerald has started more games (232) for the team that drafted him than Staley.
Despite being in his 12th season in 2018, Staley graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 overall tackle. And that lofty grade represented a slight dip from his performances for most of this decade. The 49ers are clearly comfortable beginning their full-fledged Jimmy Garoppolo era with their longest-tenured player serving as his top protector.
The 49ers now have Staley, right tackle Mike McGlinchey, guards Laken Tomlinson and Mike Person, and center Weston Richburg signed through at least 2021. Staley was set to count $10.95MM against the 49ers’ cap this season; that number can be expected to go down due to this extension.
NaVorro Bowman To Retire
Longtime NFL linebacker NaVorro Bowman will retire as a member of the 49ers, San Francisco announced today. Bowman spent seven-plus seasons with the 49ers, but didn’t play in the NFL last year.
Bowman, now 31 years old, was a third-round selection in the 2010 draft. After serving primarily as a special-teamer during his rookie campaign, Bowman became a starter in 2011 and didn’t look back. Pairing with Patrick Willis to create the league’s best linebacker tandem, Bowman earned first-team All-Pro honors 2011-13, posting at least 140 combined tackles in each season.
Unfortunately, in what likely became the defining moment of his career, Bowman suffered a brutal knee injury in the 2013 NFC Championship Game, tearing both his ACL and MCL in the process. The Penn State product missed the entirety of the 2014 season, and while he returned in 2015 and was again named first-team All-Pro, he never quite regained his pre-injury form.
A torn Achilles tendon prematurely ended Bowman’s 2016 season, and spelled the near end of his 49ers career. Five games into the 2017 campaign, San Francisco released Bowman after he voiced displeasure at a nearly-completed trade to the Saints. Bowman latched on with the Raiders, and put up 89 tackles over the final 10 games of the year.
Bowman was expected to draw interest during the 2018 offseason, and PFR had him ranked as the second-best off-ball linebacker on the market. The Packers reportedly considered adding Bowman following an injury to their linebacker corps, and he scheduled a workout with the Browns in October 2018, but no deal was ever reached.
Bowman will end his career with more than $44MM in earnings. PFR wishes him well as he enters retirement.
Patriots To Release Austin Seferian-Jenkins
The Patriots will release tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). ASJ plans to step away from football for a month for personal issues, Rapoport hears, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll circle back to the Patriots. 
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Seferian-Jenkins is no stranger to off-the-field hiccups. Substance abuse issues sidetracked him in Tampa, leading him to the Jets, where he enjoyed a productive season in 2017. Last year, he parlayed that success into a two-year, $10MM deal with the Jaguars, but that deal was terminated after he suited up for just five games.
ASJ seemed prime for another comeback with the Rob Gronkowski-less Patriots, but his personal problems have put him in a holding pattern for now. Without the former second-round pick, the Pats will move forward with tight ends Ben Watson, Matt LaCosse, Ryan Izzo, Stephen Anderson, and Andrew Beck. Watson, of course, will miss the first four games of the season due to his PED suspension.