Texans, RT Tytus Howard Agree On Extension
The Texans’ batch of 2023 offensive line extensions now includes right tackle Tytus Howard. Following Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason, Houston’s right tackle is cashing in.
Howard agreed to a three-year, $56MM extension Wednesday morning, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). This $18.67MM-per-year agreement will give the 2019 first-round pick $36.5MM guaranteed. An $18MM signing bonus comprises part of that guarantee, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adds.
It is unclear if Howard that guarantee total represents Thomas’ locked-in number at signing, but after an inconsistent start to his career, the Division I-FCS product will be part of a suddenly expensive Houston offensive line. As the Texans prepare to give C.J. Stroud the reins, they are fortifying his protection corps.
Tunsil agreed to a three-year, $75MM extension, while Mason landed a three-year, $36MM contract shortly thereafter. Texans GM Nick Caserio has shown a willingness to offer short-term extensions, as he also did for defensive tackle Maliek Collins this offseason. Expensive medium-term contacts now flood his O-line. But the Texans’ front previously featured a big-ticket Tunsil contract and a host of lower-cost agreements. No more. In terms of average annual value, Tunsil and Howard double as the NFL’s highest-paid tackle tandem.
Howard, 27, had been going into his fifth-year option season. This extension will allow the Texans to reduce that $13.2MM cap hit for 2023, and they now have their right tackle signed through 2026.
Neither Tunsil nor Howard were Caserio-era pickups. Howard arrived first, joining the team as a first-round pick during a Brian Gaine-run draft. The Texans fired Gaine shortly after that 2019 draft, leading to the eventful Bill O’Brien period in charge. O’Brien signed off on the monster Tunsil trade package months later and greenlit a record-setting extension for the left tackle in 2020. Tunsil scored big again under Caserio this offseason. The Texans acquired Mason, a Patriots draftee during Caserio’s lengthy New England run, from the Buccaneers in March.
Wednesday’s deal makes Howard the league’s fourth-highest-paid right tackle, checking in just ahead of Brian O’Neill but behind the new accords given to Lane Johnson and Jawaan Taylor. The Saints’ Ryan Ramczyk deal also checks in above Howard’s. Considering Ramczyk and Johnson are All-Pros, Howard being in this neighborhood represents a substantial win. While Howard has not achieved what those two right-siders have, the Texans had begun to view him as a long-term piece recently.
Howard had spent time at guard and replaced Tunsil at left tackle down the stretch in 2021. With Tunsil healthy last year, Howard returned to his right tackle post and started all 17 games. While 2022 brought another dismal Texans performance as a whole, Howard excelled. ESPN’s pass block win rate metric placed the Alabama State alum sixth among tackles. Pro Football Focus was less bullish, slotting Howard 41st. But the Texans are rolling with the Tunsil-Howard tandem for the foreseeable future.
With Stroud’s rookie contract on the books, the Texans will be able to make big investments at other positions. The team has not acquired much talent worthy of said re-ups at other spots just yet, having gone multiple years — due to the Tunsil trade — without first- or second-round picks. But plenty will be expected of Houston’s O-line in Stroud’s first season.
Cowboys, Trevon Diggs Agree To Extension
5:10pm: Providing an update to the max value of the pact, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets that is it actually $100MM, rather than $104MM. While that lowers Diggs’ ceiling slightly, he is still assured of a signficant windfall through this deal. ESPN’s Todd Archer notes that the extension includes $43.2MM in guaranteed money (Twitter link).
2:28pm: The Cowboys have taken care of an important piece of business with one of their top young players. Cornerback Trevon Diggs has agreed to terms on a five-year, $97MM extension (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). 
Pelissero adds that the contract has a maximum value of $104MM, and that Diggs will receive a signing bonus of $21.25MM. The 24-year-old is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract, so today’s deal means he will now be on the books through 2028 as one of the league’s highest-paid corners.
The $19.4MM annual base value of the pact matches that of the Saints’ Marshon Lattimore. By reaching incentives, Diggs will be able to join the three-member CB group which averages over $20MM in annual compensation. His three-year tenure in Dallas has established himself as one of the league’s top ballhawks, and the team has recognized that with this deal.
Diggs has racked up 17 interceptions in his career, including a league-leading 11 in 2021. His ball production has resulted in 49 pass deflections as well, making him an obvious candidate for a lucrative pact. The Alabama product earned a second straight Pro Bowl nod last season, despite his coverage statistics taking a step back from what they were in his first two years.
The former second-rounder was named as one of the up-and-coming producers the Cowboys intended to extend ahead of training camp. To no surprise, they have worked out a deal just in time for camp to open up, and Diggs can be penciled in for a continued starting role opposite trade acquisition Stephon Gilmore in the short-term, and as an anchor of Dallas’ secondary for years beyond that.
Wideout CeeDee Lamb and right tackle Terence Steele are also names to watch with respect to new deals being worked out in the near future. The former is on the books through next season via the fifth-year option, which likely helps explain why Diggs’ deal has been worked out first. The team’s corner room has its leader in place for the long-term future as a result. While the Cowboys have a more complicated situation on their hands with one of their veteran leaders, a member of the team’s young core has been rewarded with multi-year stability.
Giants, Saquon Barkley Agree To Deal
In a surprise twist, the franchise tag-induced situation between Saquon Barkley and the Giants has been resolved. The two sides agreed on a one-year deal worth up to $11MM, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link).
The guaranteed base value of the contract is $10.1MM – the same as the franchise tag Barkley was set to play on during the 2023 season. $900K in incentives are in place to give him the opportunity to slightly outpace the earnings he would have seen on the tender. Rushing yards, touchdowns and receptions will yield added compensation, but only if the Giants make the postseason (Twitter links via ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post). Rapoport adds that the 26-year-old will receive a $2MM signing bonus, while his colleague Mike Garafolo notes that New York will still be able to use the tag next year if they so desire (Twitter link). 
Barkley was one of three running backs who were unable to reach agreement on a long-term deal ahead of last week’s deadline for franchise tag recipients. Negotiations on that front are not allowed to re-commence until January, but NFL rules allow for one-year deals to be signed in place of the tag, even if they are worked out after the deadline. Such instances are rare, but in this case the provision has allowed for a compromise which will see the Giants’ offensive catalyst work out his contractual status (for this season) in time for training camp.
Barkley and the Giants came within roughly $2MM on both annual value and guaranteed compensation during their eleventh-hour negotiations, marking notable progress but leading to questions about why a deal could not be worked out. The team’s last offer included an increase in AAV in exchange for a lesser guaranteed figure, and it was only right up against the deadline that New York was willing to reach the $22MM mark in the latter category. That represents the amount Barkley (along with Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard) would earn on consecutive tags, which are fully guaranteed. Offers including assurances above $22MM on a multi-year contract would therefore be needed for those backs to see them as an improvement on playing out two tags.
After the deadline passed, Barkley spoke publicly about his frustrations with leaked information regarding extension talks. He also expanded on the previously-reported possibility that he would not only hold out from training camp, but skip out regular season games as well. Doing so would have resulted in $560K in lost salary per week, and left the team without the focal point of their ground game. That scenario is now off the table, though, and both parties can move forward with preparations for the season.
Having not signed his tag, Barkley would not have been subject to fines for missing camp. Now that he will be under contract, his attendance will be mandatory. His return to the team will be a welcomed development, as he looks to build off his career-best 1,312 rushing yards from last season, which helped propel to Giants to a surprise run to the divisional round of the playoffs. The financial element of his 2023 performance will still be worth watching closely, however, since today’s news leaves him eligible to be tagged for a second time after the campaign.
With Barkley’s situation now resolved and Pollard having already signed his tag, attention will now turn to Jacobs. The latter began his hold out of Raiders training camp yesterday, and he has also acknowledged the threat of missing regular season games. Whether or not this Giants-Barkley compromise provides a blueprint for a solution between Jacobs and the Raiders will be worth watching closely.
Titans Sign DeAndre Hopkins
JULY 24: The Hopkins deal is now official, per a team announcement. Attention will turn to his individual performances given the threshold for his incentives, and his role in elevating Tennessee’s passing attack in their bid to become more productive through the air.
JULY 16, 3:24pm: Details of Hopkins’ incentives have come in, via Rapoport (Twitter link). The veteran will earn the maximum $3MM available in each of the two seasons of the pact if he records at least 95 catches, 1,050 yards and 10 touchdowns. Six-figure incentives are available at lower thresholds in all three of those categories, giving Hopkins plenty of reasons to attempt a return to his All-Pro form.
1:04pm: The lengthy free agent process for DeAndre Hopkins is set to come to an end soon. The All-Pro wideout has agreed to a deal with the Titans, as first reported by Doug Kyed of A to Z Sports (Twitter link). Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that it is a two-year, $26MM deal with a maximum value of $32MM. He will earn a base salary of $12MM this year, with the potential to see $3MM more via incentives.
Kyed adds that the deal is expected to be finalized in the coming days. Presuming that takes place without issue, the Titans will have completed a signficant addition to their receiving corps as they look to take a needed step forward in the passing game in 2023. Hopkins (who was thought to be seeking the $15MM per year Odell Beckham Jr. received from the Ravens this offseason) had been on the open market since his release from the Cardinals in late May, setting up a high-profile summer free agency. 
The 31-year-old floated the names of a number of young quarterbacks he would be interested in playing with even before his time in Arizona officially came to an end, and AFC powers Buffalo and Kansas City were frequently linked to him. Hopkins was reportedly waiting for the Chiefs to free up cap space via a Chris Jones extension, while the Bills remained on the radar. It was clear the latter team would not be willing to engage in a bidding war to land him, however. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes (via Twitter) that Kansas City remained in touch, but their limited cap space made them a non-player in this situation.
Hopkins ultimately visited only two teams – the Patriots and Titans – before patiently waiting to see how his market developed. Both New England and Tennessee represented somewhat surprising destinations given his public affinity for quarterbacks other than Mac Jones and Ryan Tannehill, but each team was sufficiently impressed after his visits to make an offer. As of earlier this month, the Titans remained confident in their ability to acquire the five-time Pro Bowler.
The news marks a return to the AFC South for Hopkins, who spent the first seven years of his career in Houston. He recorded five 1,000-yard seasons during that span, but managed to replicate that feat only once in his three Cardinals campaigns. Injuries and a PED suspension cost him time over the past two seasons, but his production (64 catches, 717 yards) in nine games last season demonstrated his continued ability to operate as a N0. 1 receiver. He will look to assume that role in Tennessee, a team which lacks proven contributors elsewhere in its pass-catching corps.
2022 first-rounder Treylon Burks had a lackluster rookie season as the Titans struggled to find production through the air at the start of the post A.J. Brown era. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Kyle Phillips and Chris Moore represent the other main options on the WR depth chart, one which now has far more pedigree with Hopkins in place. His presence should help Tannehill in a 2023 season filled with questions about his future with the team.
Hopkins will also be reunited with offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, after the pair spent time together with the Texans. Expectations will be high for the former given his decision to accept the most lucrative offer made, and for the Titans as they look to return to the postseason. New general manager Ran Carthon‘s first major move on the open market has certainly boosted the team’s chances of doing so.
Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo Passes Physical
Although a report last month indicated that Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was expected to be medically cleared in time for training camp, there are no sure things when it comes to Garoppolo and his health concerns. Fortunately for Las Vegas and its new signal-caller, Garoppolo has passed his physical and will be on the field when camp opens this week (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).
Garoppolo, who was in the midst of a strong 2022 season for the 49ers, suffered a foot fracture in a Week 13 victory over the Dolphins in December. He had attempted non-surgical rehab so that he could be ready in the event that San Francisco made a deep playoff run (which it did), but that attempt was unsuccessful. Ultimately, Garoppolo went under the knife shortly after he signed a three-year, $72.75MM contract with Vegas in March.
In order to protect themselves financially, the Raiders later amended Garoppolo’s deal by converting a roster bonus of $11.25MM, which would have become due on Day 3 of the 2024 league year, into base salary. The other $22.5MM of Garoppolo’s $33.75MM in guarantees came in the form of 2023 salary, and under the amended contract, that money would only be payable if Garoppolo passed a physical. Now that he has, Garoppolo will secure the $22.5MM payout.
Counting the 49ers’ three playoff contests in January, the 31-year-old passer has missed 33 games due to injury since suffering an ACL tear in September 2018. Garoppolo played every game for the Super Bowl LIV-bound Niners a year later but suffered an ankle injury that shortened his 2020 season to six games. San Francisco’s starter battled calf, thumb, and shoulder maladies in 2021, and he ultimately required two surgeries after that season.
When he is healthy, though, Garoppolo is a quality player, and the Raiders clearly believe that he will be an upgrade over longtime starter Derek Carr, who was released in February. Garoppolo will take the reins of an offense that has a fair amount of skill-position talent in wideouts Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, and Hunter Renfrow, running back Josh Jacobs (assuming he ultimately signs his franchise tender), and tight ends Austin Hooper and Michael Mayer.
The Raiders did finish as a top-12 offense in 2022 in terms of both yards-per-game and points-per-game. However, Carr’s completion percentage and yards-per-attempt rate dropped considerably in his first (and only) year in Josh McDaniels‘ offense, and Garoppolo — who began his career in New England as a McDaniels protege — is viewed as a better fit.
Las Vegas did host the top five QB prospects in this year’s draft and even had trade talks with the Bears regarding the No. 1 overall pick. Ultimately, the club did not select a collegiate signal-caller until the fourth round (Aidan O’Connell), and the only other quarterbacks on the roster are Brian Hoyer, who is entering his age-38 season, and former UDFA Chase Garbers. As such, if he can stay healthy and productive, Garoppolo stands a good chance of remaining with the Silver-and-Black in 2024, and perhaps beyond.
Garoppolo led the 49ers to a 7-3 record as a starter in 2022, completing 67.2% of his passes for 16 TDs against just four interceptions. That amounted to a quarterback rating of 103.0.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler first reported that Garoppolo was expected to pass his physical (Twitter link).
NFL Approves Josh Harris As Commanders Owner
JULY 21: The sale has gone through, as first reported by Ben Fischer of the Sports Business Journal (on Twitter). Harris is now in place to move forward with his latest venture as a new era dawns for the Commanders.
JULY 20: The Commanders’ sale process has officially reached its conclusion. NFL owners approved the purchase of the franchise by Josh Harris during their special league meeting on Thursday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link).
To no surprise, the vote amongst the owners was unanimous, something which has been expected throughout this process and which was recommended by the finance committee earlier this week. Today’s news marks a turning point for a franchise which has been plagued by scandals and poor on-field performances, while adding a highly-experienced member to the ownership ranks. Harris will acquire his hometown team for a record-shattering price of $6.05 billion. 
Outgoing owner Dan Snyder had insisted on multiple occasions before the 2022 season that he would never sell the Commanders. That mindset began to shift in the fall, however, when reports indicated he had gathered dirt on other owners and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell with the aim of protecting himself against potential removal from his position. Colts owner Jim Irsay was particularly vocal about the desire on the part of at least some of his peers to explore what would have been an unprecedented step in voting to ouster Snyder.
Instead, Snyder began the process of exploring a sale and, soon after, bids began to come in. Harris – the runner-up to Rob Walton when the Broncos were sold last summer – quickly emerged as a serious contender to purchase the Commanders. Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta also submitted bids, though many expected Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to be the favorite in this process. Instead, the latter was officially out of the running as of April.
Snyder and Harris (who also owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils, and had been a minority owner in the Steelers) entered into a signed, exclusive sales agreement in May. That began the vetting process for Harris and his large group of investors – one which includes NBA legend Magic Johnson, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Danaher Corporation co-founder Mitchell Rales. The size of Harris’ investment group, along with issues related to financing the bid, emerged as matters which needed to be smoothed out.
As that process took place, attention turned to Snyder’s status as the subject of an ongoing investigation into the Commanders’ workplace culture and allegations of financial wrongdoing. Revelations on that front further soured other owners’ opinions of Snyder, and the matter of indemnification soon emerged as a key talking point. The 58-year-old sought legal protection from the fallout of league investigator Mary Jo White’s final report. Negotiations took place through to last week, with a potential roadblock emerging to the sale going through.
Harris has indeed been rubber-stamped as owner, though, leaving Snyder with a hefty financial penalty on his way out of the league. The latter has been fined $60MM in the wake of White’s full report being made public, as Goodell repeatedly insisted would be the case (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). Snyder was found to have withheld $11MM in revenue from the league’s other teams, and to have sexually harassed a team employee, Schefter tweets.
“The conduct substantiated in Ms. White’s findings has no place in the NFL,” Goodell said in a statement (via Pelissero’s colleague Mike Garafolo, on Twitter). “We strive for workplaces that are safe, respectful and professional. What [former Commanders staffer] Ms. Johnston experienced is inappropriate and contrary to the NFL’s values.”
Snyder’s fine will resolve all outstanding issues with the NFL, putting an end to his 24-year ownership tenure. Harris will be tasked with turning the page for one of the league’s most historic teams, one which has seen little in the way of regular or postseason success in the past quarter-century. He should be in place as owner in time for the opening of training camp next week, though he is not expected to make signficant front office or coaching changes immediately upon arrival in his new position.
Thursday’s news marks a new high-mark in terms of franchise valuation, and has seen the league go to unprecedented lengths in terms of discipline of an owner. This lengthy saga has now crossed the finish line, however, with cause for optimism in place in the nation’s capital moving forward.
“From day one, it is our top priority to deliver you a championship caliber team, and we will strive every day to ensure that we are a franchise you can be proud of,” a statement from Harris reads in part. “To Commanders fans everywhere, our promise is simple: we will do the work, create the culture and make the investment needed to deliver for this team and for Washington.”
Steelers Extend OLB Alex Highsmith
The Steelers are authorizing another big-ticket extension on their defense. Alex Highsmith is no longer going into a contract year, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reporting he and the Steelers have agreed on a four-year extension (Twitter link). The Steelers are working fast here, having announced the contract.
Long rumored to be an extension candidate in Pittsburgh, the young edge rusher agreed to terms on a four-year deal worth $68MM. This will lock down the T.J. Watt sidekick through the 2027 season. Highsmith, who is coming off a career-best season, will collect $27.7MM guaranteed and earn $38MM over the deal’s first two seasons, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Highsmith will turn 26 next month.
Both team and player had conveyed optimism about this deal being done for months. Back in December of last year, an extension for the former third-round pick became a likelihood. The Steelers prefer to hammer out deals with their extension candidates the summer before their contract years, which always made this the likeliest window for the Highsmith accord to transpire.
“I know I am a Pittsburgh Steeler through and through, and just to be a part of this amazing organization for four more years means the world to me, to my wife, to my whole family,” Highsmith said, via Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. “This is where I want to be. This is where I want to play ball.”
Pittsburgh came into the week with Watt’s $28MM-per-year deal topping the edge defender market and Minkah Fitzpatrick tied to the No. 2 safety contract. With Cameron Heyward still on a lucrative extension, the Steelers continue to make major investments in their defense. No longer carrying a franchise-QB contract, the Steelers are taking advantage of Kenny Pickett‘s slot deal. They have agreed to extensions with Highsmith, Fitzpatrick and Diontae Johnson over the past year.
The Steelers franchise-tagged Bud Dupree in 2020, keeping him for a sixth season, but began to develop his successor by using a Day 2 pick on Highsmith that year. Highsmith began his career behind the 2015 first-rounder but replaced him alongside Watt after a November ACL tear. Dupree left for the Titans in 2021, and Highsmith began a steady ascent. That climb crested last year, when the Charlotte alum produced a 14.5-sack season that included an NFL-leading five forced fumbles. Highsmith has 22.5 career sacks.
This agreement marks a bit of a throwback move for the Steelers, who are now one of just two teams carrying two top-10 edge rusher contracts (along with the Chargers). Pittsburgh had followed the traditional setup of rostering one highly paid edge in recent years, but the organization does have experience in this territory. Pittsburgh had both James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley on veteran extensions in the early 2010s, with Harrison signing his first extension in 2009 and Woodley joining him in 2011. This arrangement lasted three seasons (2011-13) before the team parted ways with both players (Harrison later returned to the team, while Woodley did not).
Eleven of Highsmith’s 14.5 sacks last season came when Watt was active; the younger pass rusher was slightly less effective during the All-Pro’s time rehabbing a partial pectoral tear. But the Steelers have come to view Highsmith as a core player as well. Watt has also avoided notable injuries aside from his September 2022 setback. This contract, which matches Shaquil Barrett and Chandler Jones for the 10th-most lucrative (AAV-wise) pact among outside rushers, confirms that commitment and could represent value for the team.
Barrett and Jones signed those deals in 2021. Highsmith could have taken his chances with a strong contract year that moved him past the $20MM-AAV barrier as a 2024 free agent. But the Steelers would have had the franchise tag at their disposal as well. With Highsmith committing to the team long term, the Steelers have two prime-years edge rushers locked in for many seasons.
Cowboys G Zack Martin Unhappy With Contract
As the guard market has topped the $20MM-per-year mark, one of this era’s premier performers has seen his contract surpassed many times over. As a result, the Cowboys may have a Zack Martin issue to navigate.
Martin remains tied to a $14MM-AAV agreement he signed back in 2018. The Cowboys have traditionally preferred long-term extensions, and players signing those run the risk of watching the market change rapidly during the contract’s lifespan. At the time of its completion, Martin’s extension set a guard record. Five years later, Martin is now the league’s eighth-highest-paid guard.
This has become a problem, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the perennial All-Pro believes he is “woefully underpaid relative to the market” (Twitter link). The future Hall of Famer is considering not reporting to Cowboys camp, per Schefter. A holdout would be a drastic step for Martin, seeing as the 2020 CBA prevents teams from waiving fines for players who avoid training camp. Two years remain on Martin’s contract. The Cowboys and Martin engaged in brief discussions at the Combine, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets, but it is clear those did not progress.
While Schefter notes the Cowboys have not shown an eagerness to restructure Martin’s deal, the sides did agree on a restructure in March and have done so several times over the past few years. But these transactions did not add any new money to the contract. With two seasons remaining on the six-year accord, it is not too surprising the Cowboys are not ready to redo the deal.
With the Cowboys long aiming to extend CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs and Terence Steele, Martin appears to want a place near the front of the line. Martin is going into his age-33 season and running short on time to capitalize again on the elite form he has displayed. Martin’s reps have submitted a proposal that would not affect his 2023 and ’24 cap hits much, per the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins. He is on Dallas’ books at $11MM and $23.3MM, respectively, over the next two years.
While Martin remains tied to the deal he agreed to back in 2018, Quenton Nelson and Chris Lindstrom moved the guard market past $20MM per year. Nelson agreed to terms on a position-record extension just before last season; that deal moved the needle considerably for guards. But the Falcons blocker has already surpassed the multi-time All-Pro Colt, signing a five-year, 102.5MM accord in March. Martin ran his All-Pro count to a historic place last season, and it is unsurprising he no longer views his Cowboys terms as satisfactory.
Among pure guards, only Hall of Famers John Hannah and Randall McDaniel earned more first-team All-Pro honors (seven apiece) than Martin (six). Bouncing back after an injury-abbreviated 2020 season, Martin collected All-Pro accolades in each of the past two years. While Travis Frederick retired early and Tyron Smith has annually seen injuries slow him over the past several years, Martin has been the Cowboys’ cornerstone blocker during the Dak Prescott era.
The Cowboys can fine Martin $50K per day for each practice he misses. This penalty has made the holdout a thing of the past, with hold-in measures now en vogue. The Notre Dame product may consider the latter avenue as well.
The Cowboys moving on from their starting left guard in each of the past two offseasons; Connor Williams signed with the Dolphins and Connor McGovern joined the Bills. Martin has been Dallas’ interior constant, but five summers after he gave the team six additional years of control, it appears the organization will have another key contractual matter to consider during what shapes up as an interesting training camp through this lens.
Jets, DT Quinnen Williams Agree To Extension
JULY 18: Williams’ deal includes $47.835MM guaranteed at signing, according to OverTheCap. That number certainly looks to have been based on the Simmons deal, which included $47.830MM locked in. Williams’ full guarantees now top the defensive tackle market.
The guarantees cover a $24.5MM signing bonus and Williams’ 2023 and ’24 base salaries, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. Part of Williams’ 2025 base salary ($15.65MM) is fully guaranteed, with Florio adding $6.24MM of that total is already locked in. The rest of that money, however, does not become guaranteed until March 2025. At that point, $5MM of Williams’ $20.75MM salary for 2026 becomes guaranteed as well. The rest of Williams’ 2026 base and his full 2027 base are nonguaranteed.
JULY 13: Talks between the Jets and their emerging defensive star have, as foreshadowed yesterday, yielded a deal. Quinnen Williams has agreed to terms on an extension, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The Jets have since announced the agreement.
Williams, 25, will earn $96MM over four years, making this the NFL’s second-largest contract handed out to a defensive tackle. The mega-contract includes $66MM in guaranteed money, Pelissero adds. One of the key points in contract talks was length, rather than financial terms, per SNY’s Connor Hughes, who tweets that Williams got his preferred four- (rather than five-) year pact. 
The 2023 offseason has seen the DT market erupt, and it comes as no surprise that Williams has become the latest to cash in. The former No. 3 pick enjoyed a career-year in 2022, recording 12 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles and 28 QB hits. Those figures helped earn him Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods, and gave him considerable leverage at the negotiating table.
Williams made it clear that he intended to have an extension worked out by April, under the threat of skipping out on voluntary OTAs. In the time that has passed since, then, other young producers along the defensive interior have inked deals of their own. Jeffery Simmons (Titans), Daron Payne (Commanders), Dexter Lawrence (Giants) and Ed Oliver (Bills) are among the beneficiaries of the new, lucrative market, and Williams has now surpassed each of them with this pact.
The Alabama product will earn $24MM per season on his second contract, just ahead of Simmons’ $23.5MM AAV but still well short of Aaron Donald‘s $31.67MM figure. Williams was already on the books for this season via the fifth-year option (valued at $9.6MM), so his time in the Big Apple will run through the 2027 campaign at a far more lucrative rate.
By securing this deal, the Jets have retained a homegrown high-impact player for the first time in the Joe Douglas era. Williams is the first Jets first-rounder to secure a second contract with the team since 2011 draftee Muhammad Wilkerson. A number of other young players Douglas has added will likely receive extensions of their own in the intermediate future, but today’s is a signficant sign of progress for the win-now franchise.
New York inked linebacker Quincy Williams to a three-year extension earlier this offseason, so he and his brother now have a shared future with the Jets. From a league-wide perspective, it will be interesting to see how much of an impact today’s news has on negotiations between the Chiefs and Chris Jones. The latter has been angling for a deal which will place him in the No. 2 spot amongst defensive tackle compensation, and a report from earlier this week indicated a agreement could be imminent. Kansas City may have to up their offer to satisfy Jones’ goal of surpassing all DTs behind Donald in the pecking order.
Given their acquisition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, 2023 (and, perhaps, a season or so beyond that) is a campaign holding considerable expectations for the Jets. While the future Hall of Famer should elevate the team’s offense, its defense will still be counted on to perform at the elite level it showcased last season. Williams will be at the heart of that effort now and for many years in future.
Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard Fail To Reach Extension Agreements
As the running back market resides as a shell of its form of even a few months ago, the franchise tag deadline has come and gone without any of the three tagged backs reaching extension agreements.
After multiple reports suggested Tony Pollard was not close on a deal with the Cowboys, the Giants and Raiders will not come to terms with Saquon Barkley or Josh Jacobs on respective extensions, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo report (Twitter links). All three backs will be tied to the $10.1MM franchise tag.
[RELATED: Franchise Tag Recipients Since 2013]
The Giants and Barkley looked to be the closest on terms, and the sides had engaged in extension talks since last November. But guaranteed money loomed as a sticking point for the Giants, who will not be seeing their tagged back for a while. As should be expected, Barkley will not report to training camp on time, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Likewise, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur notes Jacobs will not be rejoining the Raiders for a while (Twitter link). All extension talks between the backs and their respective teams must be tabled to 2024.
Both Barkley and Jacobs have been connected to potentially skipping regular-season time; Pollard signing his franchise tender in late March will not allow him to miss training camp work without fines coming his way. Barkley and Jacobs have not signed their tenders and cannot be fined for missing camp workouts. While Pollard will be expected to report to the Cowboys on time, it will almost definitely be a while before Barkley and Jacobs — both of whom having voiced frustration during this process — show up.
Considering the damage done to the RB market this offseason, it is unsurprising the tag deadline played out this way. Jacobs and the Raiders were never believed to be close on terms, while the Cowboys and Pollard may not have engaged in substantive talks.
The 2023 backfield market crash involved four of the eight-figure-per-year players at the position either being released (Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook) or forced into pay cuts (Aaron Jones, Joe Mixon). It would be easier at this point to mention the top-market backs whose contracts were not reduced or shed. For what it’s worth, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb did not see any pay reductions this year. Austin Ekeler, however, requested a trade and was given permission to seek a relocation; the Chargers back — he of 38 touchdowns over the past two seasons — did not generate much interest. The Cowboys, Giants and Raiders kept their backs off the market; no back who did hit free agency signed a deal averaging even $6.5MM per year.
The Giants and Barkley attempted to come to terms today, with ESPN’s Dianna Russini noting negotiations ran up until the deadline (Twitter link). No deal commenced. After the Giants were believed to have climbed a bit on guarantees, their final offer was also lower on average annual value. New York had previously offered Barkley a deal averaging in the $13MM-per-year neighborhood — a proposal the team made during the parties’ winter negotiations — and included around $19MM in guarantees. The team came up on guarantees earlier today, with that number rising toward $22MM. None of it ended up mattering, as Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano adds neither side moved “nearly enough” to finalize an extension (Twitter link).
No terms are known in the Jacobs talks, which provided a fairly clear indication a deal was not especially close. Like the Giants, the Raiders appeared fine carrying their starting running back’s $10.1MM tag number on their cap sheet. Of course, it will be worth wondering when both players show up.
Jacobs has earned barely $11MM — via his rookie contract — during his career, while Barkley has pocketed almost $40MM. The Giants back would be in a better position to exercise the Le’Veon Bell nuclear option — skipping games in protest of the tag. Barkley listed the Bell boycott as a potential option, but that also likely was a leverage ploy. It would be interesting to see if Barkley would be willing to use his money earned to punish the Giants here, but that has never loomed as a realistic scenario. Barkley and Jacobs will cost themselves $560K for each game missed. To be fair, Bell still found a willing buyer — the Jets, who gave him a four-year, $52.5MM deal — in free agency after sitting out a season for preservation purposes. It would not seem such a suitor would exist, given the present state of the position, if Barkley or Jacobs took this route.
The last eight-figure-AAV running back contract to be authorized came in July 2021 — the Browns’ three-year, $36.6MM Chubb extension. While Chubb, Jones, Henry, Cook and, to an extent, Kamara and McCaffrey have played well on their big-ticket extensions — McCaffrey doing so after being traded to the 49ers — teams are shifting in the other direction at this position. Barkley and Colts extension candidate Jonathan Taylor sent out ominous tweets regarding their position’s state Monday afternoon. Taylor’s rookie deal expires after this season. Seeing as the running back tag has gone down from the time Bell was twice tagged — for $12.12MM (2017) and $14.54MM (2018) — a Taylor tag certainly will be a logical next step for the Colts.
As for Pollard, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer indicates the Cowboys did submit a proposal to their tagged back. But it does not sound like the sides went too deep on contract talks (Twitter link). Pollard has been fine playing on the tag, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill (on Twitter). Unlike Barkley and Jacobs, however, Pollard may not be a strong candidate to be retagged in 2024. Trevon Diggs is also set to play on an expiring contract this year.