Cardinals Release DeAndre Hopkins
MAY 30: Hopkins’ release is now official, per the NFL’s transaction wire. Officially a free agent as of Tuesday afternoon, the 10-year veteran wide receiver — who has since hired a certified agent — is free to sign with another team.
MAY 26: The DeAndre Hopkins situation has come to an abrupt and unexpected end. The Cardinals have released the veteran receiver, per a team announcement.
The move proves that trade talks never progressed as far as Arizona would have liked, with his contract representing a major impediment to teams becoming willing to part with assets to acquire the three-time All-Pro. As a result, they will now move on from him without receiving anything in return. The Cardinals will save $8.9MM in cap space in 2023 via this release, while generating a dead money charge of $21.1MM. He will be off the books entirely in 2024. 
The 30-year-old was due $19.45MM in salary this season, the second-to-last of his current contract. That figure would have been relatively reasonable given the current nature of the WR market, but Hopkins’ scheduled cap hit was a far more burdensome $29.99MM in 2023, and $25.5MM in 2024. That led interested teams to ask the Cardinals to eat a portion of his contract to facilitate a trade, but not much progress was made on that front. Now, Hopkins is free to explore his options amongst the teams he has mentioned as potential destinations this offseason.
That list includes a number of AFC contenders, such as the Chiefs and Bills. The Ravens – who have already made signficant WR additions in the form of free agent signing Odell Beckham Jr. and first-round rookie Zay Flowers – have also been linked to a Hopkins move this offseason. In the NFC, the Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts have been floated as a possibility by Hopkins himself and others.
From Arizona’s perspective, this move marks a staunch about-face with respect to the public remarks made by new general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon on their intentions of retaining Hopkins for at least one more year. The former said around the draft that they planned to move forward with the five-time Pro Bowler for 2023, but this season is expected to be a rebuilding one in Arizona, so trade talks were logical.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic notes (on Twitter) that the Cardinals actively tried to move Hopkins, rather than simply listening to offers from potential suitors. As expected, though, Howe adds that his compensation, along with age and missed time due to injuries and suspension weighed down Hopkins’ trade market. The former Texans first-rounder played a full season in 2020, his first year in the desert, but has suited up for just 19 contests in two years since then.
In his time on the field last year, Hopkins remained a productive element of the Cardinals’ passing attack with 717 yards and three touchdowns on 64 receptions. His 1,407-yard campaign in 2020 marked the sixth time in 10 seasons that he eclipsed the 1,000 yard plateau. If he is able to do so again in 2023, a deal from any interested team will be worthwhile.
Today’s news leaves Arizona with Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore, Zach Pascal, Greg Dortch and third-round rookie Michael Wilson on their WR depth chart, They will be leaned on during a transition year for the Cardinals, while Hopkins embarks on free agency for the first time in his decorated career. Where he lands on the open market will be no doubt a major storyline to follow.
Hall Of Fame RB Jim Brown Dies At 87
Jim Brown, one of football’s all-time greats, has died. He was 87. Brown’s wife, Monique, announced his passing in an Instagram post Friday.
The Hall of Fame running back dominated his era like no other ball carrier, blazing an unparalleled trail during his career at Syracuse and with the Browns. Brown’s wife revealed the legendary figure passed peacefully Thursday at his Los Angeles home.
“To the world he was an activist, actor, and football star,” Monique Brown’s post stated. “To our family he was a loving and wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. Our hearts are broken...”
From an NFL perspective, it is difficult to overstate Brown’s towering presence. The bruising back played nine seasons; he won eight rushing titles. No one else has more than four. Brown stands as one of the few with a claim to the greatest player in NFL history. A sublime blend of power and speed, the No. 6 overall pick in the 1957 draft held four of the league’s top five rushing seasons when he retired after the 1965 campaign.
While Walter Payton broke Brown’s career rushing record in 1984, the Cleveland legend retired with a 2,600-yard lead on the field. Brown’s three MVP awards place him behind only Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers in NFL history. In the Associated Press MVP award’s existence (1957-present), Brown is the only non-quarterback to win the honor more than once.
Lettering in football, lacrosse, track and basketball at Syracuse, Jim Brown joined Paul Brown‘s team which had struggled in its first post-Otto Graham season (1956). Brown ripped off five straight All-Pro seasons, soon teaming with a fellow future Hall of Famer — halfback Bobby Mitchell, who later finished his career as a Washington wide receiver — in Cleveland’s offense.
Brown won MVP honors as a rookie, but his second season provided a better statistical illustration of the gap between Cleveland’s back and his peers. He amassed a record-breaking 1,527 rushing yards that year; the second-place finisher in that 12-game season totaled 791. The 230-plus-pound back finished with a career-high 1,863 yards in 1963. The Browns’ most recent championship came a year later; Brown finished that 1964 finale — a 27-0 shutout over the Colts — with 151 yards from scrimmage. Brown then powered Cleveland to the 1965 NFL championship game — a loss to Green Bay in the last NFL title game during the pre-Super Bowl era — before retiring ahead of the 1966 season. Brown finished his career having never missed a game.
“It’s impossible to describe the profound love and and gratitude we feel for having the opportunity to be a small piece of Jim’s incredible life and legacy,” the Browns said in a statement. “We mourn his passing, but celebrate the indelible light he brought to the world.”
An emerging actor by the mid-1960s, Brown had not intended to wrap his career following the 1965 season. But a dispute with owner Art Modell from the set of the movie The Dirty Dozen led to the icon hanging up his cleats just before the ’66 campaign. As the film’s production ran long, Modell had vowed to fine Brown $100 for every day he was not at training camp. Rather than return to the team, as he had planned to for at least one more season, Brown sent Modell a letter apologizing for the circumstances. In that message, the then-30-year-old back informed the Browns he would retire to devote time to social issues and his movie career. Brown’s film and television credits surpassed 50.
While still active as a player, Brown helped found what later became known as the Black Economic Union. That self-help organization for Black athletes became the backdrop for “The Cleveland Summit,” which gathered a contingent of socially conscious Black athletes from multiple sports — including Bill Russell and Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) — to discuss then-heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali’s stance against serving in Vietnam.
A celebrated figure, Brown did leave a complicated legacy. He was arrested multiple times on charges of striking women and spent months in jail in 2000 for a refusal to attend counseling after being convicted for vandalizing his wife’s car.
On the field, Brown’s imprint is unassailable. A 2010 ranking conducted by coaches, players, executives and media members slotted Brown as the second-best player in NFL history — behind only Jerry Rice. ESPN’s ranking of the top 150 college football players placed Brown at No. 1. Brown’s 126 touchdowns and 12,312 rushing yards now sit 10th and 11th, respectively, on those all-time lists. Brown reached these totals in fewer games than the backs who eclipsed him; he played four seasons in the NFL’s 12-game era and his final five when the regular season consisted of 14 games. The nine-year veteran remains the only player to average more than 100 rushing yards per game for his career, topping that list (with 104.3) by nearly five yards.
Vikings Trade Za’Darius Smith To Browns
MAY 16: Further details on Smith’s re-worked contract are in, as noted (on Twitter) by ESPN’s Field Yates. The Vikings will be on the hook for the $1.177MM signing bonus included in his deal. As for the Browns, they will see a cap charge of only $3.032M this season before Smith hits the open market. He will be able to earn a maximum of nearly $13MM in cashflow, however, meaning this swap could still prove to be a rather lucrative one.
With Smith having passed a physical, both teams have announced that the trade is now official.
MAY 12: The Vikings have come to an agreement with the Browns that will send pass rusher Za’Darius Smith to Cleveland, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The deal finally happens for Smith after he requested his release two months ago. The Browns will receive Smith, a 2025 sixth-round pick, and a 2025 seventh-round pick, while the Vikings will receive a 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick. 
Originally, Smith was under a three-year, $42MM contract through the 2024 season. He had a base salary this year of $9.45MM with only $5MM of it guaranteed. After changing agents and requesting a release, Smith was able to get a reworked deal that would guarantee him $11.75MM in 2023 and allow him to hit free agency a year earlier, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
The new deal presumably made Smith a bit easier to trade, negating the cap hits of $15.49MM in 2023 and $21.67MM in 2024. The Browns should inherit this new contract from Minnesota, giving Smith a one-year tryout in Cleveland. The former Ravens and Packers edge defender will turn 31 just before the season begins.
In Smith, the Browns are obtaining a productive pass rusher to pair with Myles Garrett. The Browns tied for 27th in the league in sacks last year after failing to find any pressure outside of what Garrett provided. Garrett had his usual strong outing, matching his career-high of 16 sacks in 2022. The team’s second-leading pass rusher was defensive tackle Taven Bryan, who tallied only three.
Smith provides that missing fire support. Since leaving Baltimore as a prime free agent in 2019, Smith has had double-digit sack seasons in any year in which he started multiple games (he only made one appearance in 2021 due to a back injury), making the Pro Bowl in each of those seasons. In those four years (essentially three seasons), Smith has 36 sacks, 44 tackles for loss, and 84 quarterback hits, forcing six forced fumbles and deflecting seven passes for good measure.
Smith immediately stands to slot in as a starter opposite Garrett, though the Browns also signed free agent edge rusher Ogbonnia Okoronkwo from the Texans. He, Garrett and Smith will present an interesting trio. The Browns used Jadeveon Clowney as Garrett’s top sidekick for the past two years, but clashes with the coaching staff will almost definitely nix a third Garrett-Browns contract agreement. As for the Vikings, they signed one of this year’s top defensive free agents — Marcus Davenport — and the former Cameron Jordan Saints wingman now has a clear path to start opposite Danielle Hunter.
The Browns have all they can handle facing Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson twice a year. With Smith meeting Garrett at the quarterback, Cleveland has retooled itself, setting it up well for the challenges ahead while not needing to give up too much draft capital to do so.
Dan Snyder, Josh Harris Reach Commanders Sale Agreement
Josh Harris‘ push to acquire the Washington Commanders is nearing the goal line. The Philadelphia 76ers owner reached a sale agreement with Dan Snyder on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
The parties unveiled a joint announcement on the sale. Harris submitted a record-shattering bid for the franchise in late March. After Harris raised his bid to $6.05 billion in April, the NFL began reviewing it. This is an exclusive sale agreement, Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post report, walling off the Harris competitors that previously lurked in these proceedings. The parties’ previous deal had kept that window open for others, but Harris had remained the frontrunner to make the deal.
Although some hiccups emerged, it does not appear they will deter the NFL from greenlighting this sale. Once NFL owners approve of the sale — as they have long been expected to — the Commanders will be transferred to Harris’ ownership group. The next owners’ meetings are set for May 22-23 in Minneapolis. This would represent the first opportunity for the owners to approve Harris, though the vetting of Harris’ large investment group is unlikely to be completed by that point.
Since his 2022 ownership group finished second in the Broncos sweepstakes, Harris has been vetted by the league. Reaching the necessary 24-vote threshold is not believed to be an issue here. Friday’s announcement makes it all but certain the Commanders will have a new owner by the start of the 2023 season, but Maske adds (via Twitter) it might take months before a ratification vote is held (Twitter link).
After the NFL finance committee met this week, issues involving Harris meeting certain requirements — this ownership group’s number of limited investors and the amount and source of the debt involved in the deal — emerged. Harris, the lead investor here, must have at least a 30% equity stake in the franchise. With the NFL eager to see Snyder moved out of the picture, concerns surrounding the multisport owner’s group have not been viewed as enough to derail an agreement.
Harris’ ownership group, which includes NBA legend Magic Johnson and billionaire Mitchell Rales, needed to outflank a bid from Canadian billionaire real estate developer Steve Apostolopoulos and another from Houston Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta. The late-emerging bid from ex-Duke basketball player Brian Davis, which raised a number of questions, never looked to be seriously considered. Harris is a Washington D.C.-area native.
“Growing up in Chevy Chase (Maryland), I experienced first-hand the excitement around the team, including its three Super Bowl victories and long-term winning culture,” Harris said. “We look forward to the formal approval of our ownership by the NFL in the months ahead and to having the honor to serve as responsible and accountable stewards of the Commanders franchise moving forward.”
While Harris’ arrival will generate intrigue, considering he also owns the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and Premier League’s Crystal Palace, Snyder’s exit will be embraced by the league. The outgoing owner’s increasingly scandal-clouded tenure — one that has also seen Washington’s on-field performance suffer throughout the unpopular leader’s run — has represented a black mark on the NFL. The House Oversight Committee recently concluded its investigation into Snyder and the Commanders, finding financial impropriety and rampant workplace misconduct, and the NFL’s second probe into the embattled owner is near completion.
An ESPN report surfaced Friday indicating Snyder seeks to prevent the NFL’s Mary Jo White-led investigation from producing a full report. The NFL’s decision to nix a written report coming out of its previous probe — one that led to a $10MM Snyder fine and a de facto suspension — brought sweeping criticism and prompted the Oversight Committee investigation and this White-run inquiry. Snyder did not cooperate with White’s investigation, and Don Van Natta and Seth Wickersham report the outgoing owner has aimed to limit the findings released to the public. But White’s report has long expected to be released. Snyder reaching a sale agreement is not known to be contingent on White’s report or protection for Snyder against future litigation.
The ESPN report that accused Snyder of gathering dirt on several owners and Roger Goodell — for leverage purposes — began the chain of events that produced this sale agreement. Snyder, who had previously said he would never sell the team, soon hired a firm to explore a sale. Although Snyder sought a reported $7 billion, he will still fetch a record-shattering price. When the Rob Walton-fronted ownership group bought the Broncos for $4.65 billion last summer, no previous NFL franchise had even sold for $3 billion. Harris’ purchase will more than double what David Tepper paid for the Panthers in 2018.
Snyder bought this franchise in 1999 for barely $800MM. Snyder’s reputation has absorbed numerous blows, and while he remains engulfed in multiple investigations, this sale obviously represents a tremendous return on investment. The NFL has never voted out an owner, and the sale will prevent the league from a serious push in this direction. Assuming the NFL OKs Harris’ purchase, he will get to work on repairing a downtrodden organization, one that has not seen consecutive playoff berths since the early 1990s.
Texans, G Shaq Mason Finalizing Extension
Acquired via trade in March, Shaq Mason is set to sign a long-term deal with the Texans. The veteran guard is finalizing a three-year extension with Houston, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports (on Twitter).
The deal is worth $36MM, with Wilson adding $22MM will be guaranteed in total. This represents another nice payday for Mason, who played his 2022 Buccaneers season on his Patriots-constructed contract. That deal was set to expire after the 2023 season, but the Texans are eyeing a longer-term partnership. As part of that guarantee, Mason will collect a $10MM signing bonus.
Previously attached to a $9MM-per-year contract, Mason will do better on his third NFL deal despite readying for his age-30 season. At $12MM per annum, Mason’s new contract will check in 11th among guards. While his Patriots pact from 2018 landed higher on the guard hierarchy, the $22MM guarantee will bring solid security in his third NFL city.
Mason, who will soon be signed through the 2026 season, landed in Houston in a pick-swap trade. The Bucs only pried a 2023 sixth-round pick for the veteran blocker, who has been traded twice in two years. New England fetched a fifth-rounder from Tampa Bay in 2022. During a turbulent season for the Bucs’ offensive line, Mason started all 17 games. He will be expected to anchor Houston’s interior O-line going forward.
Texans GM Nick Caserio was with the Patriots when they drafted Mason in the 2015 fourth round, and he remained with the AFC East franchise when Mason signed his initial extension. The Texans used a first-round pick on guard Kenyon Green last year; the Texas A&M product will be set to team with Mason on a line that includes three first-rounders. The Texans have extended one of those this offseason — left tackle Laremy Tunsil — while right tackle Tytus Howard is heading into his fifth-year option season. Houston gave Tunsil another market-resetting contract. Although Mason’s is an upper-middle-class deal, the Texans will complement C.J. Stroud‘s rookie contract with two eight-figure-per-year accords.
Despite being a Day 3 pick, Mason has become one of this era’s best guards. He started for each of the Patriots’ three late-2010s Super Bowl teams, lining up as a Tom Brady protector in each of those Super Bowls. Pro Football Focus ranked Mason as a top-10 guard in each season from 2016-21, with the Georgia Tech alum playing a key role in the Pats’ Mac Jones-piloted 2021 playoff season as well. As they did with Rob Gronkowski, the Pats shipped Mason to the Bucs for a Day 3 choice. The Bucs had lost longtime guards Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa and saw center Ryan Jensen suffer a severe knee injury in training camp. Mason joined Tristan Wirfs in anchoring Tampa Bay’s O-line last season, and PFF slotted the former just outside the top 20 at guard amid the Tampa chaos.
While the Texans have hovered far off the playoff radar over the past three seasons, they have assembled an intriguing O-line. Wednesday’s agreement will position Mason to join Tunsil and Green as long-term Stroud blockers.
Saints Sign TE Foster Moreau
Foster Moreau‘s Saints visit revealed a concerning health matter for the tight end, but barely a month after his cancer diagnosis, the veteran tight end looks set to resume his career. He is signing with the Saints, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
The Saints are giving Moreau a three-year, $12MM deal, per Fowler, who adds the contract also includes $3MM in incentives. This represents a remarkable comeback for the former Raiders tight end, whose career encountered a brief hiatus after the Hodgkin’s lymphoma discovery earlier this year. The deal includes $8MM fully guaranteed, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter adds (on Twitter).
Moreau’s trip to New Orleans for a free agency meeting in March led to the Hodgkin’s lymphoma finding — revealed during a routine physical — and the four-year veteran stepped away from football as a result. Last month, Moreau said the cancer had spread from its initial location but still indicated positive momentum. Given the timeframe between Moreau’s cancer discovery and this agreement, this marks a stunning turnaround for the former fourth-round pick.
Moreau, who turned 26 last week, has indeed received clearance and expects to play in 2023, Schefter tweets. He is still receiving treatment, according to NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill, who adds the free agency addition will be brought along slowly. But Moreau received a positive diagnosis and is not expected to have limitations upon return (Twitter link).
This will present a homecoming for Moreau, a New Orleans native who caught teams’ attention while playing at LSU, and a reunion with Derek Carr. In between Moreau’s cancer being found and this signing, the Saints traded former third-round pick Adam Trautman to the Broncos. The fourth-year veteran had requested the move. Moreau will join the recently extended Juwan Johnson in the Saints’ tight end room.
Darren Waller served as the Raiders’ starting tight end throughout Moreau’s time with the team, but the younger pass catcher became needed as Waller injuries piled up over the past two seasons. Moreau combined to catch 63 passes for 793 yards and five touchdowns over the past two seasons, stepping in as Waller missed extensive time in that span. Moreau made 34 starts during his Raiders tenure. Pro Football Focus also graded Moreau as a top-15 pass blocker — among tight ends — last season.
Also meeting with the Bengals before his cancer became known, Moreau will join a Saints team that is largely running it back at the pass-catching positions. The team re-signed Michael Thomas and extended Johnson. New Orleans still rosters Tre’Quan Smith and returns Rashid Shaheed as a Chris Olave complement. The team drafted wideout A.T. Perry with the pick obtained in the Trautman deal and signed ex-Raiders receiver Bryan Edwards. This Moreau signing, however, represents the team’s biggest outside addition at a pass-catching spot this offseason.
Giants, Dexter Lawrence Agree To Extension
MAY 9: The Giants are giving Lawrence $46.5MM guaranteed at signing, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports the fifth-year defensive tackle will see that number climb to $55.8MM in 2025. Among D-tackles, Lawrence’s contract matches Aaron Donald‘s for the second-most fully guaranteed money. (Though, Donald got there on only a three-year deal.) Only Simmons’ $47.8MM guaranteed at signing tops the highly paid Giant’s number at the position. In addition to $6.2MM of Lawrence’s 2025 base salary being fully guaranteed, Florio adds the deal includes a $3.2MM injury guarantee for 2026.
MAY 4: Another high-profile extension amongst the league’s top young defensive tackles has come to fruition. The Giants are signing Dexter Lawrence to a four-year deal, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the pact is worth $90MM and includes $60MM in guarantees.
It comes as no surprise that Lawrence has landed a massive deal, given his emergence as one of the anchors of New York’s defense. The 25-year-old was already on the books for 2023 on the fifth-year option ($12.41MM), so he will now be tied to the team through the 2027 campaign. 
Lawrence’s average of $22.5MM per season in new money places him in a tie for third in the league amongst defensive tackles with Daron Payne, whom the Commanders inked to a mega-deal of his own in March. The terms of that pact are identical to the ones Lawrence will receive to remain in the Big Apple for the foreseeable future. The latter took a sizeable step forward in 2022, notching career-highs across the board.
That performance yielded a statline of 68 tackles (including seven for loss), 7.5 sacks, 28 QB hits. three pass deflections and a pair of forced fumbles. Lawrence earned Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors this season, making him an obvious extension candidate. Signs started pointing to a deal getting done in March, and general manager Joe Schoen recently confirmed talks were ongoing with the Clemson product.
Selected with the No. 17 pick in the 2019 draft (part of the package sent by the Browns to the Giants in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade), Lawrence has proven to be an effective addition for New York and can be expected to remain one of the league’s top performers at his position. The DT market has seen a number of sizeable contracts, including the ones signed by Javon Hargrave and Jeffery Simmons earlier this offseason. Lawrence will slot in at the spot many projected him to land in.
It will be interesting to monitor how much of an effect this Lawrence extension will have on the Giants’ spending along the defensive interior. Veteran Leonard Williams is set to carry a cap hit of $32.3MM in 2023, and the team understandably wishes to re-work his pact to lower that figure. With cost certainty now in place with respect to Lawrence, New York could now be better positioned to determine Williams’ future.
On a broader level, this marks another major DT extension signed by a 2019 draftee. Simmons, and now Lawrence, have their second contracts in place, but the same is not yet true of Jets star Quinnen Williams. Attention will turn to his talks with the other New York franchise, and also to Chris Jones‘ efforts to leverage the position’s new market into a renegotiated Chiefs accord. Regardless of what develops on that front, the Giants have a foundational piece of their defense in place for years to come.
Lamar Jackson Signs Ravens Extension
MAY 4: The NFL’s new top salary is now official. A week after agreeing to terms, Jackson signed his Ravens extension Thursday. This pact is worth $52MM on average. While the full details have yet to emerge, the Ravens — after a two-plus-year negotiating journey — have the former MVP signed through 2027.
APRIL 27: All eyes are on this weekend’s draft at the moment, but the situation between the Ravens and Lamar Jackson remains one of interest. A breakthrough on an extension for the quarterback could be on the horizon; Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports (via Twitter) that “major progress” has been made on talks for a new deal. Per multiple reports, a deal is, in fact, in place.
The Ravens have confirmed that a five-year extension has been agreed to, while Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds that it has a value of $260MM (Twitter link). That will make Jackson the league’s highest-paid player. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets that the pact includes $185MM guaranteed.
The latter number is believed to be the total guarantee, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec (on Twitter). For total guarantees, Jackson now sits in second — behind only Deshaun Watson. The Browns quarterback’s fully guaranteed deal remains an outlier, an outcome the Ravens — and other teams — have pushed for since it happened. In terms of per-year average, however, Jackson’s $52MM now leads the league.
This news comes shortly after ESPN’s Jamison Hensley tweeted that he had been told “good news [is] on the way for the Ravens,” which can now be presumed to be a reference to Jackson negotiations. The process of arriving at a long-term pact has been a long and arduous one, but inking the former MVP will of course mark a major milestone for the franchise.
Jackson, 26, has been eligible for a new deal since January 2021, but one has not appeared to be close at any given time. Guaranteed money — especially in the wake of Cleveland’s 2022 Watson contract — has often been mentioned as a sticking point in Jackson’s situation. The latter has turned down several offers, including one with a reported $175MM in guarantees. That September proposal, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), included a $50MM-per-year average, which would have tied Aaron Rodgers‘ league lead at the time.
Jackson has been linked to wanting more than the $230MM in fully guaranteed compensation that Watson received in his historic deal. That became a nonstarter for the Ravens and everyone else. However, the QB market has seen a number of sizable pacts signed since Watson’s; each included far less than 100% in guarantees. The most recent of those is the extension signed by Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, which averages an unprecedented $51MM in annual compensation. Rapoport tweets that once the Hurts pact was in place, the Ravens upped their offer to Jackson; that effort has brought talks across the finish line.
Jackson will now be tied to the Ravens through the 2027 season, as this megadeal will take the place of his franchise tag. The Ravens’ decision to place the non-exclusive tender on him last month put them in position to have him on a much less expensive price tag in 2023 ($32.4MM compared to $45MM). However, it opened the door to other teams being able to negotiate an offer sheet or a tag-and-trade agreement, moves which would have been franchise-defining for Baltimore and an acquiring team.
Despite Jackson’s age and statistical success, no suitors emerged to pry him away from the Ravens. Injuries in each of the past two seasons and his unique skillset (which relies heavily on the run game) represented red flags for teams, along with the enormity of any deal which would be necessary to acquire him. Most teams which would have been in the running to sign the Louisville alum have the potential to add a rookie passer tonight, which will give them a cost-controlled signal-caller for years to come.
As a result, the expectation has remained that Jackson would end up signing a deal of some kind in Baltimore. The addition of wideout Odell Beckham Jr. — whom Jackson helped recruit — pointed further in that direction. As some have speculated, the nature of the latter’s deal could even open up the possibility of the Ravens pursuing DeAndre Hopkins, someone the team has frequently been linked to both before and after signing Beckham. The Ravens also discussed Courtland Sutton with the Broncos. In any case, the passing game in Baltimore should have more upside than it has in recent years.
After Joe Flacco helped lead the Ravens to their Super Bowl XLVII victory, he was rewarded with a franchise-record extension. The same has now taken place with Jackson, as he and the team will look to avoid the controversy which emerged later into the Flacco pact regarding his standing amongst the league’s highest-paid QBs. The stage is now set, meanwhile, for other young signal-callers (namely Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert) to continue negotiating monster deals of their own this offseason.
Titans Obtain No. 33 From Cardinals, Select QB Will Levis
While the Steelers rebuffed trade offers, the Cardinals are making their third trade of the draft thus far. Arizona will send No. 33 to Tennessee, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. With the pick, the Titans are taking Will Levis.
Levis visited the Titans during the pre-draft process. While the Kentucky quarterback did not opt to attend the draft tonight — after his full-night green room stay last night — he will go off the board quickly in Round 2.
The Titans are sending the Cardinals Nos. 41 and 72 this year for Levis; the Cardinals will also pick up a 2024 third-rounder in this swap, Rapoport tweets. The Cards will send the Titans No. 81 this year as well. This will move a first-round-caliber quarterback onto the Titans’ roster. One season remains on Ryan Tannehill‘s four-year contract.
A cannon-armed talent, Levis both brought questions regarding injury (a late-emerging big toe concern) and performance. Levis fared better in 2021, breaking into the mix as a first-round-caliber player. With Wan’Dale Robinson and OC Liam Coen leaving for the NFL in 2022, Levis regressed. But he was not believed to have fallen too far. Oddsmakers slotted him as a good bet to be drafted in the top 10. After the Colts took Anthony Richardson, Levis slipped out of the first round.
Levis won 10 games for the Wildcats in 2021, completing 66.01% of his passes for 2,826 yards and 24 touchdowns. Levis also displayed an ability to run the ball that year, producing 376 yards and nine touchdowns. In 2022, injuries and the loss of his top targets led to a down year in which Levis completed 65.37% of his passes for 2,406 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, all without displaying the rushing ability of prior years.
This pick comes a year after the Titans chose Malik Willis in the third round. The Liberty product did not appear ready as a rookie, and the Titans canned the GM — Jon Robinson — who selected him. The Titans are believed to have soured on Willis, and the Levis investment certainly reflects it. Now, Ran Carthon has a potential long-term option under center. The new Titans GM also trekked to Levis’ pro day last month.
It will be interesting to see if the Titans make an attempt to move on from Tannehill early. The team dangled its four-year starter in trades earlier this year. Finding a destination might depend on where the rest of this draft’s QBs are dispersed. That said, Tannehill is a proven starter who has piloted the Titans to three playoff berths. He is coming off an injury-shortened season, one in which the team traded away his top receiver (A.J. Brown), and would be far readier to step in next season compared to Levis. But the writing appears on the wall for Tannehill in Tennessee.
Commanders Will Not Exercise Chase Young’s Fifth-Year Option
Rumored to be on the fence about Chase Young‘s fifth-year option, the Commanders look set to put the former No. 2 overall pick in a contract year. They are not planning to pick up Young’s option, Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter).
Because Young is a one-time Pro Bowler, his 2024 option would cost Washington $17.45MM. Since that rookie-year honor, however, Young ran into a complicated ACL injury that sidetracked his career. Young returned to action late last season, but more uncertainty exists regarding the former Defensive Rookie of the Year’s trajectory compared to where it stood after the 2020 campaign.
[RELATED: 2024 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
This will set up one of the more interesting contract years in recent memory. Young finished second in the 2019 Heisman balloting and was viewed as the consensus best non-quarterback in the 2020 draft. Young lived up to that billing as a rookie, helping lead Washington to an unexpected division title — albeit at 7-9 — by anchoring a defensive line loaded with first-round picks. But Young has since missed 22 games.
Young, who turned 24 this month, is believed to have suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in addition to an ACL tear in November 2021. This turn of events led to the Commanders holding off on redeploying him until Week 16 of last season. While other players who suffered ACL tears during the 2021 season debuted in Week 1 or early last year, Young lost nearly 1 1/2 seasons because of his setback. The injury and lengthy rehab process will force Young to prove his value in 2023.
Although Young registered 7.5 sacks and four forced fumbles as a rookie, he tallied just 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hits in nine games before suffering his seminal injury in 2021. Last season, Young logged 115 defensive snaps and one QB hit. Expected to be much healthier in 2023, Young is on track to be full-go in Week 1. That said, it is understandable the organization is expressing some caution regarding a $17MM-plus Young guarantee.
The Commanders are expected to be sold soon, but it is not yet known who will be the new owner. Josh Harris remains in the lead, as the NFL has reviewed the 76ers owner’s bid. But at least one other buyer remains in the mix. That uncertainty may well have affected Young, given the expense here. Had Young not been voted to the 2020 Pro Bowl (when COVID-19 nixed the actual game), his limited participation in the 2021 and ’22 seasons would have knocked him down to the fourth tier of the option structure ($12.14MM). The higher cost coupled with ownership instability may have impacted the team’s thinking here.
This decision will mean Washington will have picked up the fifth-year options for Montez Sweat, Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen but not Young. Given Young’s draft status compared to his D-line mates, it is fascinating he has a chance to hit free agency a year earlier. The Commanders extended Allen and did not let Payne hit the market this year, franchise-tagging him after a breakthrough fifth-year option season. Sweat is heading into his option year, which sits at $11.5MM. Young’s fourth-year cap number checks in at $10.99MM.
Allen and Payne are attached to big-ticket extensions — at $18MM and $22.5MM per year, respectively — but the team suddenly does not have long-term plans at defensive end. Sweat and Young going into contract years at the same time may put the franchise to an either/or call, with only one franchise tag available in 2024. Barring an extension before that point, one of the Commanders’ two D-end starters could be auditioning for another team this season.