Lions Release RB Theo Riddick
The Lions have moved on from one of their longest-tenured players. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the team has released running back Theo Riddick. His roster spot will be taken by defensive lineman Mike Daniels, who signed with Detroit yesterday.
The Notre Dame product has been with the Lions since he was drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 draft. The running back soon became one of Matthew Stafford‘s favorite targets, as Riddick has finished with at least 50 receptions per season since 2015. Actually, as our own Dallas Robinson pointed out, the 28-year-old has garnered more pass targets than rush attempts in half of his NFL seasons, and his career 3.6-yards-per-carry indicates that he’s much more dangerous in the passing game.
Despite his production, there was some speculation that the Lions could move on from the veteran. Riddick agreed to a three-year, $11.5MM extension with Detroit back in 2016, and he was set to count for $4.625MM on the team’s 2019 salary cap. Now, the Lions will only be left with ~$963K in dead cap.
Furthermore, the running back had one of his worst NFL seasons from a statistical standpoint, and the Lions added veteran C.J. Anderson and rookie Ty Johnson to pair with Kerryon Johnson and Zach Zenner. While none of those players possess the pass-catching prowess of Riddick, it was clear that the veteran was the odd man out.
Riddick is still relatively young, and plenty of teams could use a top-notch third-down back. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the running back quickly catch on with a brand-new organization.
Seahawks Extend LB Bobby Wagner
The Seahawks have locked up one of the best defensive players in football. Seattle is signing linebacker Bobby Wagner to a three-year extension worth $54MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
In a follow-up tweet, Rapoport notes that Wagner will get $40.2MM in guaranteed money. At $18MM annually, Wagner is now the highest-paid inside linebacker in the game, eclipsing the $17MM that C.J. Mosley got from the Jets earlier this offseason. Wagner made it clear a few days ago he would attend training camp on time even though he didn’t have the new deal he wanted yet, as he wanted to be a good leader and locker room presence.
Wagner has been standing off to the side and observing practice at the first few days of camp, clearly waiting for this deal to get done. The Utah State product had been set to enter the final year of a four-year, $43MM extension he signed back in 2015. There’s now a huge gap between Wagner and Mosley at the top and the rest of the inside linebackers. Deion Jones is in third place with the extension he recently signed with the Falcons, which will pay him a tick over $14MM annually.
Wagner originally entered the league as a second-round pick back in 2012. He’s since firmly established himself as the league’s best off-ball linebacker, making the Pro Bowl in each of the last five seasons and being named a first-team All-Pro in each of the last three. One of the last remaining pieces of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl winning defense, Wagner is the team’s next most important player after Russell Wilson. He’s been a rock for them, starting at least 15 games in each of the past four seasons.
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.