No Charges Filed Against Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill
The Johnson County District Attorney’s offense has declined to file charges in the investigation involving Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, DA Stephen Howe announced on Wednesday. However, Howe is far from convinced that there was no wrongdoing. 
“We believe the a crime has occurred,” Howe said, before adding, “The evidence does not conclusively establish who commit the crime.”
On Thursday, Hill issued a statement through his attorneys, though he did not speak specifically to the case:
“I love and support my family above anything. My son’s health and happiness is my number one priority. I want to thank the Kansas City Chiefs, my attorneys, my agent and my union for supporting me through this. My focus remains on working hard to be the best person for my family and our community I can be and the best player to help our team win.”
Authorities say Hill’s three-year old son suffered injuries, including a broken arm, at Hill’s home. At one time, authorities were also looking into Hill’s involvement in another incident where officers were called to Hill’s home to investigate a different instance of “child abuse or neglect.”
All of the accusations are troubling, especially in light of Hill’s pre-NFL history with domestic violence. And, given the way the NFL has operated in recent years, Hill is certainly not out of the woods when it comes to league discipline.
So far, Howe says his office has not spoken to the league or the Chiefs about Hill’s case.
Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger Agree To Extension
The Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger have agreed to a three-year contract extension, according to Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette (on Twitter). The new pact will keep Big Ben in place through the 2021 season. 
Once finalized, the deal will pay well north of $30MM per year for 2020-21, placing him in the top-three highest paid quarterbacks for those two years, a source tells ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). In total, he gets a $63MM base value on his two new years, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Prior to the new deal, 2019 was set to be the walk year for Big Ben. Now, he has a contract that should take him through the end of his career.
Whether Roethlisberger is a good teammate or not has been a hot topic of late, but his on-field production continues to be top-notch, as he set career-highs in completions (452), pass attempts (675), passing yards (5,129), and touchdowns (34) this past season.
Big Ben started all 16 games last year, the first time he had done that since the 2014 season. The Steelers had a down season as a team and didn’t make the playoffs, but Roethlisberger led the league in passing yards. On the flip side, he also led the league with 16 interceptions.
Advanced metrics lauded Roethlisberger’s work as well, as he finished fourth in Total QBR and eighth in adjusted net yards per attempt. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger ranked fifth in Football Outsiders‘ DYAR, which measures value over a replacement level player, and eighth in DVOA, meaning he was effective on a per-play basis. His status in the locker room, whatever it might be, was not a factor in contract talks.
The Steelers, of course, narrowly missed the playoffs in 2018 despite Big Ben’s impressive statistics, and the team is now without Antonio Brown. But Pittsburgh has never had a losing season with Roethlisberger at quarterback, and despite the trade of Brown, the club should once again compete for the AFC North crown.
Roethlisberger was set to carry a cap charge of $23.2MM this season. The extension should lower that figure and give the Steelers a little more breathing room heading into the draft and the later stages of free agency.
Marshawn Lynch Retires From NFL
Marshawn Lynch has retired. Again. 
After returning from his first retirement to play for the Raiders, the running back is not planning to take the field again, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.
Lynch, who just turned 33, leaves the game with a legacy as an exciting fan favorite. Beast Mode earned five Pro Bowl nods throughout his career and even secured a 2012 First-Team All-Pro selection when he tallied 1,590 yards and eleven touchdowns. He also led the league in rushing touchdowns on multiple occasions and racked up 1,200 yards or more in each season from 2011 through 2014.
With the Raiders, Lynch was effective, though not super consistent. Lynch rushed for 1,267 yards on 297 carries in his 21 games for Oakland, giving him an average of 4.3 yards per attempt in silver and black. Last year, Lynch lost the bulk of the season to a groin injury and was unable to return down the stretch.
Without Lynch, the Raiders will move forward with a backfield headlined by Isaiah Crowell, Jalen Richard, DeAndre Washington, and Chris Warren. They may also look to bolster the group in the draft.
PFR wishes Lynch the best in retirement.
Broncos CB Chris Harris Jr. Requests New Contract Or Trade
Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr., who has not reported to minicamp, has formally requested a new contract or trade, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). Mike Klis of 9News.com classifies this report as an “ominous turn,” and he adds that Harris is seeking a contract that will pay him at least $15MM per year (Twitter link).
Reports last week indicated that Harris would not be attending this week’s minicamp, which was not much of a surprise given that Harris also skipped voluntary workouts earlier in the month. It has been clear for some time that Harris, who is entering the final year of his current contract, is pushing for a new deal.
Denver is open to giving him one, but the $15MM/year figure would make Harris the highest-paid CB in the league on an AAV basis (the Redskins’ Josh Norman is also earning $15MM per year). But he does have leverage, as he has become one of the best corners in the league and is the heart and soul of the Broncos’ secondary.
Perhaps he is hoping that he can pressure the Broncos into giving into his demands so that they do not feel obligated to select a CB during this week’s draft, but if that was his plan, he should have made the request more than two days prior to the draft. Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post tweets that it was a misplay for Harris’ camp to make the request at this point, and Klis says in a separate tweet that a trade may be the best option for Harris and Denver.
After all, as good as Harris is, Klis says Broncos GM John Elway is highly unlikely to hand him a $15MM/year deal. Harris is nearly 30 and is coming off a fractured fibula, though considering the value of quality corners in today’s league, it would not be altogether surprising to see some team swinging a trade and at least coming close to meeting Harris’ demands.
Suddenly, the Harris situation has become one to pay close attention to, though Elway has made it clear that he is not going to address Harris’ contract until after the draft is over (Twitter link via Troy Renck of Denver7). He also indicated that a new contract might not get done, which is notable since most GMs in this situation will at least offer lip service suggesting that they expect the player in question to be with the team for the long haul.
Steelers Want To Extend Ben Roethlisberger Before Draft
The Steelers are working hard to extend quarterback Ben Roethlisberger prior to the draft on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Big Ben has one year left on his current deal, but the club wants to keep him “well beyond” the 2019 season. And, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter), contract talks are moving in the right direction.
We recently heard that Roethlisberger was not necessarily pushing for a new contract, but that discussions between player and team were ongoing. The two sides have been discussing a re-up at least since January, and given that Roethlisberger could earn upwards of $60MM in the 2020-21 campaigns if the team used the franchise tag on him, that figure could be a primary benchmark in negotiations.
Whether Roethlisberger is a good teammate or not has been a hot topic of late, but his on-field production continues to be top-notch, as he set career-highs in completions (452), pass attempts (675), passing yards (5,129), and touchdowns (34) this past season. Advanced metrics lauded Roethlisberger’s work as well, as he finished fourth in Total QBR and eighth in adjusted net yards per attempt. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger ranked fifth in Football Outsiders‘ DYAR, which measures value over a replacement level player, and eighth in DVOA, meaning he was effective on a per-play basis. His status in the locker room, whatever it might be, does not figure to be a factor in contract talks.
The Steelers, of course, narrowly missed the playoffs in 2018 despite Big Ben’s impressive statistics, and the team is now without Antonio Brown. But Pittsburgh has never had a losing season with Roethlisberger at quarterback, and despite the trade of Brown, the club should once again compete for the AFC North crown.
Roethlisberger is set to carry a cap charge of $23.2MM this season, and an extension would lower that figure and give the Steelers a little more breathing room.
Seahawks Trade Frank Clark To Chiefs
On Tuesday, the Seahawks agreed to trade Frank Clark to the Chiefs. When finalized, the deal will send Clark and a third-round choice (No. 84 overall) to the Seahawks for their first-round pick (No. 29), third-round pick (No. 92), and the lower of the Chiefs’ 2020 second-rounders. 
The Seahawks originally cuffed Clark with a franchise tag for 2019, but the defensive end said he was unwilling to play under the terms of the one-year tender. Ultimately, Clark got his way with a massive long-term extension. The Chiefs have agreed to sign Clark to a five-year, $105.5MM deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The pact includes $63.5MM guaranteed and gives him a potentially larger total intake than Cowboys standout Demarcus Lawrence. Joel Corry of CBS Sports tweets that the $105.5MM figure is a maximum value, and that the actual contract is a five-year, $104MM pact. The additional $1.5MM stems from $300K incentives that Clark could earn in each year of the deal for posting 11.5 sacks or more.
However, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets that Clark may have been unwilling to ink that same deal with the Seahawks if Seattle had extended it to him. Instead, he was, despite his statements to the contrary, willing to hold out until September and then sign his franchise tender before the regular season started.
In a perfect world, the Seahawks would have liked to keep Clark for the long haul. However, after making Russell Wilson the highest-paid player in NFL history, space was rather limited. But now, as Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets, the team can shift its focus to extending Bobby Wagner this offseason, and if the Seahawks can’t get a deal done, they will have enough cap space in 2020 to put the franchise tag on Wagner if it so chooses.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs have made another major change to their defense. After ranking 31st in yards allowed in 2018, they’ve swapped defensive coordinator Bob Sutton for Steve Spagnuolo, moved to a 4-3 scheme, traded Dee Ford, and released Justin Houston and Eric Berry. Now, it’s out with the old and in with the new for KC. The Chiefs have landed one of the game’s best young edge rushers in clark, bringing him to a front seven that also includes new pickups Alex Okafor, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Damien Wilson.
Clark, 26 in June, entered the league as a second-round pick in 2015, but truly broke out as an NFL sophomore with ten sacks in 2016. After a nine-sack effort in 2017, he exploded for 13 sacks last year, his first full season as a starter.
Clearly, the Chiefs are all-in on fixing their defense, but it has come at the expense of draft capital and future flexibility. The Chiefs no longer have a first-round pick for Thursday, nor do they have a ton of wiggle room in future years after locking up Clark through his prime seasons.
Chiefs, Colts Interested In Frank Clark
The Frank Clark sweepstakes is heating up. The Chiefs and Colts have shown interest in the Seahawks’ edge rusher and a deal could come together early this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). Rapoport also heard rumblings of the Jets being interested in Clark, but Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears that’s not the case.
A pre-draft deal would make sense for all parties involved and the Seahawks would probably prefer to have their ducks in a row well in advance of Thursday. It’s also still possible that the Seahawks will move forward with Clark, though the franchise-tagged player has indicated that he will not report to training camp without a new deal. The two sides made progress on that front in early March, but it’s not clear if things have advanced since then.
Recently, Cowboys star DeMarcus Lawrence agreed to a new $21MM/year deal, which could embolden Clark’s camp to ask for even more. The Seahawks, ideally, would like to bring Clark back after he registered 13 sacks in 2018, but the opportunity to free up cap space and net a first-round pick for his services could be too good to pass up.
After moving on from Dee Ford and Justin Houston, Clark would make plenty of sense for the Chiefs. However, his off-the-field history could give KC some hesitation given the ongoing Tyreek Hill situation. There’s also the matter of forking over a top-of-the-market deal, which should give the Colts similar pause.
2020 Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker
Teams across the NFL have until May 3 to officially pick up their 2020 options on players who are entering the final year of their rookie contracts. These fifth-year options can only be exercised on first-round picks, and the salaries are determined by where players were drafted and what position they play.
If a player has his option exercised, his rookie contract will be extended by one year and he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2021, after the conclusion of the 2020 season. If a player’s option is declined, he’ll be eligible to hit the open market a year earlier. Of course, if a 2016 first-rounder is no longer on his rookie contract, there will be no option to exercise or decline. We explained the intricacies of the fifth-year option in a PFR Glossary post, so you can read up on the specific details there.
Soon, we’ll learn the official salary figures for all 2020 fifth-year options. What we do know is that the option salaries for top 10 picks is equal to the transition tender at the player’s position during his fourth season. So, because the transition tag for quarterbacks this year was $22.783MM, we already know that Jared Goff and Carson Wentz‘s fifth-year option will be worth that amount.
With next month’s deadline looming, we’ll use the space below to track all the option decisions from around the league based on various reports and official announcements. Here are this season’s fifth-year option decisions so far:
- Jared Goff, QB, $22.783MM (Rams): Exercised
- Carson Wentz, QB, $22.783MM (Eagles): Exercised
- Joey Bosa, DE, $14.360MM (Chargers): Exercised
- Ezekiel Elliott, RB, $9.099MM (Cowboys): Exercised
- Jalen Ramsey, CB, $13.703MM (Jaguars): Exercised
- Ronnie Stanley, T, $12.866MM (Ravens): Exercised
- DeForest Buckner, DT, $12.378MM (49ers): Exercised
- Jack Conklin, T, $12.866MM (Titans): Declined
- Leonard Floyd, LB, $13.222MM (Bears): Exercised
- Eli Apple, CB, $13.703MM (Saints): Declined
- Vernon Hargreaves, CB, $9.954MM (Buccaneers): Exercised
- Sheldon Rankins, DT, $7.690MM (Saints): Exercised
- Laremy Tunsil, T, $10.350MM (Dolphins): Exercised
- Karl Joseph, S, $6.466MM (Raiders): Declined
- Corey Coleman, WR, $10.162MM (Giants): Not applicable due to release
- Taylor Decker, T, $10.350MM (Lions): Exercised
- Keanu Neal, S, $6.466MM (Falcons): Exercised
- Ryan Kelly, C, $10.350MM (Colts): Exercised
- Shaq Lawson, DE, $9.451MM (Bills): Declined
- Darron Lee, LB, $9.501MM (Jets): Declined
- Will Fuller, WR, $10.162MM (Texans): Exercised
- Josh Doctson, WR, $10.162MM (Redskins): Declined
- Laquon Treadwell, WR, $10.162MM (Vikings): Declined
- William Jackson, CB, $9.954MM (Bengals): Exercised
- Artie Burns, CB, $9.954MM (Steelers): Declined
- Paxton Lynch, QB, $15.693MM (Seahawks): Not applicable due to release
- Kenny Clark, DT, $7.690MM (Packers): Exercised
- Joshua Garnett, G, $10.350MM (49ers): Declined
- Patriots forfeited pick as result of Deflategate scandal
- Robert Nkemdiche, DT, $7.690MM (Cardinals): Declined
- Vernon Butler, DT, $7.690MM (Panthers): Declined
- Germain Ifedi, T, $10.350MM (Seahawks): Declined
Redskins, DE Matt Ioannidis Agree To Extension
The Redskins and DE Matt Ioannidis have agreed to a three-year, $21.75MM extension, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (via Twitter). The former fifth-round pick out of Temple can earn another $3MM in incentives, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Ioannidis will receive $14MM in guaranteed money.
Ioannidis has quietly turned himself into a quality member of Washington’s defensive line rotation, and he’s gotten better with each year. He would have been eligible for free agency for the first time in 2020, but the Redskins made sure that didn’t happen. Instead, they locked him up on a relatively modest deal that still gives Ioannidis a nice influx of cash. He will now be under club control through 2022.
Ioannidis had something of an inauspicious start to his professional career, as the Redskins waived him during final cutdowns in September 2016 but re-signed him to the practice squad immediately thereafter. He was promoted to the active roster several weeks into the season and ultimately suited up for 10 games in his rookie campaign.
He cracked the starting lineup in 2017, and although his snap count actually decreased a bit in 2018, his sack totals went up, from 4.5 in 2017 to 7.5 in 2018. There is still room for him to grow, but the Redskins are clearly confident in his ability to continue developing his game as they continue to utilize his pass-rushing skills.
In 2018, Ioannidis graded out as an above-average player at his position per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.
Patriots To Sign Demaryius Thomas
The Patriots are signing longtime Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was the Broncos head coach when the team drafted Thomas in the first round in 2010, and there’s a belief in New England that Thomas can turn back the clock.
It’s a one-year deal worth up to $6MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. While this is obviously a steep pay cut from Thomas’ previous five-year, $70MM deal, the 31-year-old wideout will have a chance to rebound after a down season — one that ended with his Achilles tear. 
The Pats reportedly expressed interest in acquiring Thomas from Denver before he was dealt to Houston last year. Months later, he arrives in New England at a time when they need offensive help following the loss of Rob Gronkowski, Cordarrelle Patterson, Chris Hogan, and the uncertain status of Josh Gordon.
Thomas gives the Patriots another option on their wide receiver depth chart, but he’s certainly not the threat he once was. While splitting time between Denver and Houston in 2018, Thomas posted only 59 receptions for 677 yards, his lowest totals since 2011 (before he was a full-time starter). It’s also worth noting that Thomas tore his Achilles in December and it’s not clear when he’ll be able to return to the field.
It is possible Thomas will be ready for training camp, with NFL.com’s James Palmer tweeting the veteran talent is expected to be back sooner than people anticipate.
Although Thomas was not as productive last season, he will be moving to a system in which he has some experience (albeit many years ago) and with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Tom Brady. A younger Thomas thrived with Peyton Manning, making the Pro Bowl from 2012-14 and surpassing 1,300 yards during Manning’s less effective final season. Despite being the No. 1 target in Trevor Siemian– and Brock Osweiler-led offenses in 2016-17, Thomas still surpassed 900 yards in each. He made the Pro Bowl in 2016 as well.
It’s worth noting the Patriots ended up cutting ties with several veteran receivers before the start of last season — from Kenny Britt, to Jordan Matthews, to former Thomas wing man Eric Decker — so it cannot be considered a lock the 10th-year veteran will be with the 2019 Pats. But they are in greater need of aerial weaponry this offseason, and Thomas has been a better receiver than the players who were cut last year.