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Buccaneers To Bring Back Lavonte David

March 15th, 2023 at 1:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Lavonte David intends to sign another Buccaneers contract. The 10-year Tampa Bay starter is coming back on a one-year deal, according to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson (on Twitter).

This will be David’s fourth Bucs contract. He stayed with the team in 2021, as part of the defending champions’ historic talent-retention effort, and will join Jamel Dean and Anthony Nelson in returning to the squad for the 2023 season. Despite the Bucs coming into March nearly $60MM over the cap, they have done well to retain some core defenders. They have also agreed to bring in Baker Mayfield.

David wanted to stay with the Bucs and test the market; he has now accomplished both offseason goals.The 12th-year defender will be back for $7MM, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report (on Twitter). The deal is guaranteed.

David joined Bobby Wagner as linebacker stalwarts going into age-33 seasons. While David’s All-Pro count does not approach Wagner’s historic number, he has been one of the greatest defenders in Bucs history. David’s 166 starts are top five in franchise history, trailing only Hall of Famers Ronde Barber Brooks and Derrick Brooks and longtime left tackle Paul Gruber.

The void years included on David’s previous Bucs contract would have led to the team carrying nearly $7MM on its 2023 cap sheet even if he was on another team. Reaching this deal before the 2023 league year begins will help the Bucs, who will now have David on their cap sheet to play. Considering David’s production to this point, the Bucs will be counting on him to deliver another season for a team that still houses a number of starters from Super Bowl LV.

Tampa Bay received an 18-game season from David, who tallied 124 tackles — his most since 2015 — and three sacks. The former second-round pick has been one of this era’s best linebackers, despite lacking in Pro Bowl nods. The Pro Bowl formula has worked against David for much of his career, with 4-3 outside linebackers — David’s official position until the Bucs switched to a 3-4 look under Todd Bowles in 2019 — grouped together with 3-4 pass rushers. Pro Football Focus has rated David as a top-five off-ball ‘backer in three of the past four seasons, slotting him third overall in 2022.

While Tom Brady‘s retirement figures to lower the Bucs’ profile in 2023, they are still bringing back six starters from Super Bowl LV on defense. Their offense still carries four first-stringers from that game, with Mayfield potentially stepping into Brady’s role in piloting it. That will do the most in defining how the Bucs respond after a 2022 letdown, but David continuing his partnership with Devin White — who is likely on the verge of a top-market extension — will go a long way toward giving the Bucs’ offense a sturdy safety net.

Buccaneers Finalizing Baker Mayfield Deal

March 15th, 2023 at 10:51am CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield interest will lead to a free agency agreement. The former No. 1 overall pick is wrapping up a deal with Tampa Bay, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Mayfield loomed as an option for the Bucs, who were not linked to being big spenders at quarterback this offseason. The sides are set to agree on a one-year deal worth $8.5MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That looks to be the max value here, with Albert Breer of SI.com adding the base value will come in at $4MM (Twitter link).

This will provide Mayfield with another bounce-back opportunity and give the Bucs a veteran option to potentially succeed Tom Brady. While the Bucs are planning to give former second-round pick Kyle Trask a chance to win the starting job, Mayfield (69 starts) obviously laps the third-year passer in experience. Though, Mayfield has seen his stock dip dramatically since he was connected to a lucrative Browns extension in 2021.

Tampa will be Mayfield’s fourth home since July 2022. The Browns traded their four-year starter, after a drawn-out negotiation, to the Panthers last July. Proving a bad fit in Carolina, Mayfield ended up with the Rams to close out his fifth-year option season. Following an injury-plagued 2021 and an uneven Charlotte stay, Mayfield showed signs of life in Los Angeles. The Bucs will provide another opportunity for the 2017 Heisman winner.

Even as he did provide a spark to a depleted Rams offense down the stretch, Mayfield still finished last season with a league-worst 24.5 QBR figure. In Carolina, the 6-foot quarterback completed just 57.8% of his passes — at 6.4 yards per toss — and ended up benched for a Panthers team that started three QBs last year. Sam Darnold, who has since committed to the 49ers, ended up outplaying Mayfield in Carolina, despite the latter having won the training camp competition.

The Panthers waived Mayfield in December, and the Rams turned to the 27-year-old passer immediately after acquiring him. Two days after making the waiver claim, the Rams threw Mayfield into action early during a Thursday-night Raiders matchup. Mayfield struggled with his new team early in that game but reeled off one of the most shocking comebacks in recent NFL history, guiding his new team on a 98-yard game-winning drive — despite the Rams playing with a patchwork offensive line and without Cooper Kupp or Allen Robinson. Mayfield finished his Rams run, which also included a 24-for-28 showing against an upper-echelon Broncos defense, with a 63.6% completion rate and a passer rating well north of his Panthers sample.

Trask has made one career appearance — a Week 18 cameo in Atlanta — but has drawn praise from some Bucs players. He will be thrust into a competition with Mayfield, who is taking a steep pay cut from a fifth-year option salary he already reduced (to $15.4MM) to facilitate a trade out of Cleveland. The outspoken QB led the Browns to their first playoff berth in 18 years two seasons ago, coming back from a disastrous sophomore season under Freddie Kitchens. Mayfield ranked 10th in QBR in 2020 under Kevin Stefanski, throwing 26 TD passes compared to eight INTs, but he is far removed from that productive campaign.

The Bucs will see if new OC Dave Canales can harness some of what Stefanski did three seasons ago. The sixth-year veteran would seem to match up better with a Bucs team still housing several starters from Super Bowl LV. But after Mayfield’s struggles in his 2022 platform season led to a mediocre market, another uninspiring slate will likely take him off the QB1 radar for the foreseeable future.

Raiders To Trade Darren Waller To Giants

March 14th, 2023 at 11:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

In need of a few pass catchers, the Giants have struck a deal to land a former Pro Bowler. The Raiders are sending Waller to New York, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).

The Giants are sending the No. 100 overall pick to the Raiders for the veteran tight end, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This is the third-round compensatory pick the Giants obtained in the Kadarius Toney trade with the Chiefs. The Giants had been eyeing tight ends, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy, and they will make their move via trade.

This comes less than a year after Waller agreed to an extension with the Raiders. That $17MM-per-year contract will now be the Giants’ responsibility. Hours after their Jakobi Meyers acquisition, the AFC West team is shipping out one of its veteran playmakers. For a bit, the Raiders had five skill-position players tied to eight-figure-per-year contracts or a franchise tag (Waller, Meyers, Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Josh Jacobs). That number will drop back to four.

The Packers made an offer for Waller at last year’s deadline, but the Raiders stood pat. And, as of two weeks ago, they were not viewed as eager to move on from Waller. That said, a report last season indicated some in the organization were frustrated with his slow-progressing return from a hamstring injury.

Although the Giants effectively opted not to replace Evan Engram last season, they are acting on that front now. Fewer than 10 tight ends in NFL history have strung together back-to-back 1,100-yard receiving seasons; Waller is among them. Even with Jeremy Shockey excelling in the 2000s, no Giants tight end has ever reached the 1,100-yard plateau in a season. That achievement occurred from 2019-20; Waller has battled some injuries in the seasons since.

The Raiders had given Waller three contracts, including two extensions, as he became their No. 1 option in the wake of the Antonio Brown deal combusting before he played a game in Oakland. A former Ravens wide receiver who nearly flamed out of the league due to substance-abuse issues, Waller launched a comeback with the Raiders. The Jon Gruden-era pickup led the team in receiving in 2019 and ’20, earning Pro Bowl acclaim for his work in the latter slate.

Engram also earned Pro Bowl honors during 2020, when the game not being played led to no alternates distorting the accomplishment, but Waller’s numbers dwarfed the ex-Giants first-rounder’s production. The Giants let Engram walk in free agency last year, tiring of the receiving tight end’s inconsistency. They will now make Waller a centerpiece player in their passing attack, one that still needs more pieces despite Sterling Shepard agreeing to come back. Waller and Saquon Barkley will represent the initial cornerstones of Daniel Jones‘ fifth Giants attack.

This year’s wide receiver market does not house many impact players, and while the Giants have been connected to receiver pursuits, they will take on Waller’s $11MM 2023 base salary. He is signed through 2026 at a reasonable rate — salaries of $10.5MM, $11.5MM and $13.5MM are also on the deal — despite the $17MM AAV breaking George Kittle‘s tight end record last year. The Giants will determine Waller’s fit in Brian Daboll’s offense; the $8.25MM guaranteed this year represent the last of Waller’s locked-in money.

Josh McDaniels has now shipped out the Raiders’ passing-game pillars from the Gruden period, cutting Derek Carr and now unloading Waller’s deal. The Raiders now have a need at tight end, with Foster Moreau also a free agent. The 2023 draft class is believed to be deep at the position, so the Raiders should be considered candidates to nab one of the top prospects. This trade also will not tag Las Vegas for dead money much. They will save $11.38MM as a result of the move.

Jets Finalizing Allen Lazard Deal

March 14th, 2023 at 10:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Allen Lazard is on the cusp of being a well-paid Jets wideout. The team is signing Lazard to a four-year, $44MM deal, per The Score’s Jordan Schultz (on Twitter). The parties are finalizing the agreement, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets.

With Aaron Rodgers placing Lazard on his Jets free agency wish list, it should be assumed the AFC East team is acting accordingly. Lazard will also reunite with ex-Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett. The Jets spent much of Tuesday working on adding Lazard, undoubtedly eyeing the bigger prize likely attached to this deal.

This figure being accurate will mean two wide receivers in this free agent class received eight-figure AAVs, and Schultz adds the Jets are preparing to guarantee $22MM of Lazard’s contract. That is in step with Jakobi Meyers‘ deal, which includes $21MM in total guarantees. The Raiders are guaranteeing Meyers $16MM on a three-year pact; it is not yet known how much of Lazard’s contract will be guaranteed at signing.

On the surface, these look like great terms for Lazard, who exited the 2021 season as Green Bay’s No. 3 wideout. In 2022, however, the Packers placed him at the center of a bold plan that involved trading Davante Adams and letting Marquez Valdes-Scantling join the Chiefs in free agency. A year later, all three are gone. The Packers look to have found a promising player in second-round pick Christian Watson, and fourth-round rookie Romeo Doubs showed early signs of being a long-term contributor. But the team is losing Lazard on the heels of his best season.

Lazard’s capabilities aside, the Iowa State alum’s involvement here checks in a bit lower for interest compared to his longtime quarterback’s status. No, Rodgers still has not committed to playing for the Jets — or for anyone — in 2023. That is believed to be the final domino here, though it would be an interesting chapter in the superstar quarterback’s increasingly odd NFL journey were he to insist on the Jets signing each of the players on his free agency wish list before confirming he would join the team.

Fellow ex-Packers Randall Cobb and Marcedes Lewis are also believed to be on this list. Adding those two should not be a problem for the Jets, but the other player included here — Odell Beckham Jr. — brings more complications. Lazard also could bring changes for Gang Green’s receiving corps.

Lazard, 27, is coming off career-high numbers in receptions (60), receiving yards (788) and targets (100 — a cool 40 more than he received in 2021). The 6-foot-5 target is known as a high-end run-blocking wideout. That and his 14 touchdown catches over the past two years move the needle, though it is obviously worth wondering if Lazard would be on the Jets’ radar were Rodgers not in the picture. Setting aside Garrett Wilson, who is not going anywhere, the Jets still have Corey Davis, Elijah Moore and Denzel Mims under contract. The team released Braxton Berrios last week, and while Mims has somehow remained on New York’s roster despite years of trade rumors, Davis’ contract may be worth inspecting in light of Lazard’s agreement.

It remains to be seen what Rodgers’ deal will look like; unchanged, the Jets would have him at barely $15MM on their 2023 cap. Rodgers has said he would need to adjust his deal, to enable the Packers to trade him without historic dead money coming, but he will still bring a lofty contract to a Jets team accustomed to rookie-QB salaries. Davis, who signed ahead of Zach Wilson‘s rookie year, can be cut nearly free of charge. The Jets could save $10.5MM by releasing Davis, who would likely find a new home quickly on this receiver market.

Panthers Expected To Sign Andy Dalton

March 14th, 2023 at 4:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints have moved on to Derek Carr, and although Jameis Winston is staying in New Orleans, the team’s primary 2022 starter will not. The Panthers are bringing in Andy Dalton.

Dalton will sign with the Panthers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who notes (on Twitter) the agreement is for two years and $10MM. The 13th-year passer will receive $8MM fully guaranteed on a deal that can max out at $17MM.

On a crowded market for stopgap- and backup-type QBs, Dalton fared better than he did last year. The Saints gave him a one-year, $3.5MM deal and turned their eyes to Carr this offseason. It appears Carolina is preparing a quarterback plan that includes Dalton as the bridge passer and its No. 1 overall pick — whomever that may be — as the project. While that leaves an uncertain runway for the veteran, Dalton’s fully guaranteed money should reveal some faith he may once again earn a Week 1 starting gig.

Dalton, 35, has been a Week 1 starter in 10 of his prior 12 NFL seasons. The one-time Carson Palmer heir apparent, amid the latter’s trade demand/retirement, started nine straight opening days with the Bengals and opened the 2021 campaign as the Bears’ first-stringer. Dalton did not emerge for the Cowboys until Dak Prescott‘s ankle injury midway through the 2020 season, and Winston started for the Saints last September. But Dalton quickly replaced Winston and did not give up the job, starting 14 games in 2022.

QBR placed Dalton 21st last season, though Pro Football Focus slotted the unlikely 14-game starter seventh overall at the position. The Red Rifle completed a career-high 66.7% of his passes — at 7.6 yards per attempt, the TCU product’s highest average since 2015 — for a Saints team that again saw Michael Thomas fade quickly from its aerial equation. Dalton still helped Chris Olave to a solid rookie season, but injuries often left him with little to work with outside Olave and emerging tight end Juwan Johnson.

The Panthers traded up from No. 9 to No. 1, parting with D.J. Moore in order to solve their years-long QB issue. While they now have a need at receiver, their quarterback plan is coming into focus. Carolina has trotted out a few veteran retreads — from Teddy Bridgewater to Sam Darnold to Baker Mayfield — since Cam Newton‘s injuries piled up ahead of his 2020 release. With Dalton set up as a stopgap, the team looks to have a clearer vision to start Reich’s tenure. Though, identifying which quarterback to draft will be rather important next month.

Eagles Agree To Terms With James Bradberry

March 14th, 2023 at 4:36pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles have, as expected, seen a number of departures on defense so far in free agency. They have managed to retain a major part of their secondary, however. Cornerback James Bradberry is re-signing on a three-year, $38MM deal (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). $20MM is guaranteed, and incentives can push the maximum value to $44MM.

The 29-year-old found himself on the open market last offseason when he was released by the Giants as part of their several cost-cutting moves. That immediately made him a key target for teams looking to add to their secondary, including an Eagles team which added a number of high-quality veterans. His one-year deal signed with Philadelphia proved to be a highly effective one.

Bradberry started all 20 games this season for the Eagles, and played a key role in their success on defense. He notched three interceptions and 17 pass breakups, adding strong coverage numbers as well. The former second-rounder allowed an opposing passer rating of just 51.6, the best such figure of his career. That made him one of the top options on the open market at his position.

It comes as little surprise that the Eagles – who were upfront about their understanding that numerous starters on defense were likely to head elsewhere – have prioritized a multi-year accord with Bradberry. His play throughout the season provided the NFC champions with one of the league’s best corner tandems alongside Darius Slay. The latter is under contract for one more year at a cap figure of over $26MM, so it will be interesting to see if this Bradberry investment will necessitate some financial maneuvering with Slay.

Bradberry did confirm he received better offers from other teams, according to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson (on Twitter), he said the Eagles entered his price range. The seven-year veteran prioritized his fit in Philly compared to starting over somewhere else, even though he has started fresh three times since being a Panthers second-round pick.

After earning $7.25MM in 2022 on his first Eagles pact, Bradberry has managed to secure a contract nearly identical to the three-year, $45MM one he landed with the Giants in 2020. By earning second-team All-Pro honors last season, the Samford product proved he can still be among the top cover men in the league, and his performances (at least up until the dying moments of the Super Bowl) has given the Eagles an important degree of continuity.

Philadelphia ranked N0. 1 in the league in passing defense in 2022, allowing an average of less than 180 yards per game. They also notched 17 interceptions, which placed them fourth in the NFL. Bradberry’s contributions to those totals has obviously been recognized, and his retention will at least soften the blow of the departures which have already reportedly taken place on defense and those which are likely to follow.

Colts To Trade Stephon Gilmore To Cowboys

March 14th, 2023 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys plan to pick up the second year of Stephon Gilmore‘s Colts-constructed contract. Indianapolis has agreed on a trade that will send the former Defensive Player of the Year to Dallas, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

In exchange, the Colts will receive a fifth-round Cowboys compensatory pick in this year’s draft. Gilmore is going into his age-33 season, but he played well in 2022. He will pair with Trevon Diggs in Dallas, which lost multiple cornerback regulars last season.

While Gilmore went through two rocky years following his dominant 2019 campaign, he bounced back with the Colts. Despite Indy’s chaotic season, Gilmore again proved to be a reliable defender. Pro Football Focus ranked the 6-foot-1 defender ninth among corners, and he allowed a 56.2% completion rate and 74.0 passer rating as the closest defender — both his best marks since that 2019 DPOY performance.

This will give the Cowboys a veteran boundary complement to Diggs, who lacked reliable presences opposite the risk-taking All-Pro to close last season. Both Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis suffered season-ending injuries, limiting the Cowboys’ upper-echelon defense in coverage. The team still has Lewis under contract, though Brown is a free agent, and plans to re-sign safety Donovan Wilson. Adding Gilmore will give the Cowboys a veteran-laden secondary without a top-tier contract on the books.

Gilmore angled for a new Patriots contract in 2021, doing so after the Pats gave him a one-year pay bump in 2020. But after the quadriceps injury that ended his ’20 campaign early, New England stood down. Gilmore landed on the Pats’ reserve/PUP list to start that season and never played another game with New England, which traded the former first-round pick to Carolina for a late-round selection. Gilmore underwent meniscus surgery during the 2022 offseason, Rapoport adds (on Twitter), and he looked closer to his peak form with the Colts.

Few modern corners have enjoyed seasons on the level of Gilmore’s 2019. The then-30-year-old outside corner rolled to Defensive Player of the Year acclaim during a season in which he intercepted six passes and limited quarterbacks to a collective 44.1 passer rating while in coverage. Gilmore enhanced his reputation considerably in New England, earning two first-team All-Pro nods and helping the team to its sixth Super Bowl title. The Cowboys will call on him to help them negotiate this decades-long hurdle.

After losing yet another divisional-round game, the Cowboys went to work creating cap space by restructuring the deals of Dak Prescott and Zack Martin. The Prescott restructure will provide the veteran QB with more leverage down the road, but it also equipped Jerry Jones’ team with more than $30MM in additional cap space.

One season remains on Gilmore’s two-year, $20MM deal. The Cowboys will take on the former Bills draftee’s $7.96MM salary, and they will count on the 12th-year veteran displaying the form he showed as a Colt last year. The Colts will take on $2MM in dead money by making this trade. They have moved on from multiple starting corners in recent years, trading Rock Ya-Sin to the Raiders in 2022 and now unloading the player they acquired to replace him. Slot staple Kenny Moore remains as Indianapolis’ top cornerback, but the team will need replacements on the outside.

Chargers Grant Austin Ekeler Permission To Seek Trade

March 14th, 2023 at 12:21pm CST by Adam La Rose

MARCH 14: The Bolts will allow their dynamic back to see if a trade market forms. They will let Ekeler explore a trade, according to his agent (Twitter link). Running backs’ diminished value aside, the NFL’s two-time reigning touchdown kingpin is now tied to the league’s 15th-most lucrative deal at the position. Rising from UDFA status to a top-tier performer at the position, Ekeler has outplayed his contract. Will another team reward him while giving the Chargers compensation?

MARCH 13: The next few days will be dominated by free agents finding new homes, but trades are also part of this portion of the NFL offseason. One involving Chargers running back Austin Ekeler could be taking place soon, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that he has requested permission to seek a trade.

The trade request follows unsuccessful preliminary discussions with the organization regarding a contract extension. The running back is entering the final season of a four-year, $24.5MM deal and is set to earn $6.25MM in 2023. According to ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry, the latest negotiations “failed to progress,” leading to today’s development.

The Chargers may have a tough time affording Ekeler’s next deal. The team recently had to rework the contracts of receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and edge rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack in order to be cap compliant. The front office is also eyeing a significant contract extension for quarterback Justin Herbert, meaning they’ll surely have to make tough decisions elsewhere on the roster.

The 27-year-old running back has transformed from an undrafted free agent into one of the most dominant offensive players in the NFL. Ekeler has topped 900 yards from scrimmage in each of the past five seasons, but he’s taken it to another level over the past two years. In 33 games between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Ekeler has compiled 3,195 yards from scrimmage and 38 touchdowns.

Ekeler would certainly be an upgrade on most of the free agent running backs, although any suitor would obviously have to give up compensation to acquire the Chargers RB. With Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard all getting slapped with the franchise tag, the top of the RB market includes the likes of Miles Sanders, David Montgomery, and Damien Harris.

The Chargers could theoretically be the in the market for a running back if they end up moving Ekeler. The team is also rostering a pair of unproven RBs in Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller.

Raiders, WR Jakobi Meyers Agree To Deal

March 14th, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Adam La Rose

The first major wide receiver domino of the free agent period has fallen. Jakobi Meyers is set to sign with the Raiders on a three-year, $33MM contract (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).

The pact includes $21MM guaranteed, and will give Vegas another notable new piece on offense. The Raiders agreed to terms yesterday on a deal with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He, just like Meyers, will be reunited with head coach Josh McDaniels after working alongside the latter in New England when he served as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator.

Las Vegas’ Meyers accord contains $16MM fully guaranteed, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets, with the remaining $5MM being an injury guarantee. Meyers has the final $5.5MM in guarantees coming to him in 2024, via a roster bonus. Like Garoppolo, the team could escape this contract — with a bit of dead money — next year. Beyond the fully guaranteed roster bonus, $5MM shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2024 league year, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Meyers, 26, enjoyed a noteworthy career ascension across his four seasons spent in New England. The former UDFA became a starter by his second season, and has been one of the few constants in the Patriots’ underwhelming passing attack in recent years. Meyers comfortably led the team in receiving yards (804) in 2022, and was expected to headline a less-than stellar class of free agent wideouts this offseason.

The $11MM AAV of this pact falls short of what some reports indicated he could receive on the open market. Meyers has put up consistent totals in a number of categories over the past three seasons, but his yards-per-catch average sits at 11.7 for his career. That figure pegs him as a high-end complimentary wideout in an ideal role, something which will be possible with the Raiders.

Vegas already has Davante Adams atop their WR depth chart, and highly-regarded slot man Hunter Renfrow on the books after he signed a new deal last offseason. The Raiders also have Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller, so Meyers represents the latest addition to a multi-faceted pass-catching corps. He will have the opportunity to continue his steady production with a familiar scheme.

For the Patriots, this news marks the second straight day of a pass-catcher departing. New England traded away tight end Jonnu Smith yesterday, and will now have a hole to fill at wideout with Meyers defecting. That position was already a weak one even with Meyers and fellow veteran Nelson Agholor, who is reportedly expected to leave in free agency as well. New England will have considerable work to do to upgrade their passing efficiency, but the Raiders will have another impact playmaker in place when they look to rebound in 2023 with a new-look offense.

Raiders, Jimmy Garoppolo Finalizing Deal

March 13th, 2023 at 11:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Minutes after a report indicated mutual interest existed between the Raiders and Jimmy Garoppolo, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports the team is closing in on a deal with the ex-Patriots and 49ers passer.

The Raiders had shown some interest, and The Athletic’s Jeff Howe noted Garoppolo had become receptive to rejoining Josh McDaniels. It now looks like the Raiders will replace Derek Carr with McDaniels’ former Pats pupil. This signing is happening, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini.

Las Vegas is landing Garoppolo at a reasonable rate. He is signing a three-year, $67.5MM deal, Schefter reports. While this pact includes $34MM guaranteed, the AAV puts Garoppolo squarely in between the franchise-QB tier and backup money. Tom Pelissero of NFL.com places the base value higher, indicating (via Twitter) it comes in at $72.75MM.

An $11.25MM bonus on Day 3 of the 2024 league year is also guaranteed, per Pelissero, and ESPN’s Field Yates adds Garoppoplo will carry base salaries of $11.25MM in both 2023 and ’24 (Twitter link). Annual incentives of $1.5MM are also present in the deal. Garoppolo stands to be locked in with the Raiders through 2024, with Pelissero noting the guarantees effectively cover the 2023 and ’24 campaigns. The deal includes $45MM in total guarantees and $22.5MM guaranteed at signing, per OverTheCap.

Garoppolo’s 2023 base salary and 2024 roster bonus are guaranteed at signing, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. No other full guarantees are present, his 2024 salary — guaranteed for injury at signing — shifts to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the ’24 league year. The deal’s 2025 base salary ($22.5MM) is nonguaranteed. It also includes $1.53MM in per-game roster bonuses per year. Garoppolo being healthy next March does open the door to this being a one-off pact for the Raiders, who just exercised a Carr escape hatch after a 2022 extension.

The Raiders cut Carr instead of recommitting via a $40.4MM guarantee, which was to vest Feb. 15, and the Saints picked up the 10th-year veteran. Garoppolo (and Tom Brady) were on Las Vegas’ radar weeks before Carr’s release. It took $60MM fully guaranteed for New Orleans to land Carr, while the Raiders needed to guarantee barely a third of that total to sign Garoppolo. Carr only missed three games due to injury in his career; Garoppolo has missed 30 for health reasons since his 2018 ACL tear.

Garoppolo, 31, spent three-plus seasons in McDaniels’ offense in New England, backing up Brady throughout that time (save for the Deflategate stretch). But Garoppolo showed in San Francisco he could be an effective starter. Although a top-tier defense backed him up, Garoppolo piloted the 49ers to Super Bowl LIV and the 2021 NFC championship game.

Carr provides more security than Garoppolo, with the latter suffering injuries during the 2018, 2020, ’21 and ’22 campaigns. But McDaniels did not end up viewing the nine-year Raiders starter as a good fit for his offense. It will now be Garoppolo tasked with distributing the ball to Davante Adams, Darren Waller and Co. This contract also gives the Raiders some flexibility regarding a quarterback draft choice. Holding the No. 7 overall pick, the Raiders have been connected to using it on a quarterback. That still should be a situation to monitor, though it will be interesting to see how McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler — who was also in New England during Garoppolo’s stay — categorize this signing.

QBR placed Garoppolo 16th last season; he has ranked higher — including in his 2019 Super Bowl-bound year — but injuries did well to sidetrack his run with the 49ers. He battled multiple maladies by the time he reached the NFC title game in Los Angeles during the 2021 season, and a broken foot brought in Brock Purdy last season.

The Raiders had been linked to Aaron Rodgers, though far more loosely compared to the Jets, but they will go with a younger option that will not cost them any draft capital. Garoppolo could be positioned as a multiyear bridge, depending on how the Raiders view this QB class. The team has not used a first-round pick on a passer since the disastrous JaMarcus Russell choice in 2007.

For the Jets, this raises the Rodgers stakes. The team was interested in Carr, bringing him in for a visit, but communicated to the longtime Raider he was their second choice. Some in the Jets’ organization viewed Garoppolo as a better fit compared to Carr, but both are now unavailable. If Rodgers ends up turning down a chance to join the Jets, the team’s long-expressed plan to acquire a major veteran upgrade will be thrown off axis.

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