Seahawks’ Jamal Adams To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
The quadriceps injury Jamal Adams suffered early in Week 1 will end his season. The veteran safety plans to undergo surgery to repair a torn quad tendon, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
Adams sought additional opinions from doctors this week, but the conclusion will bring a quick end to the former All-Pro defender’s sixth NFL season. The Seahawks will move Adams to IR, and Rapoport adds they are signing cornerback Teez Tabor off the Falcons’ practice squad (Twitter link).
This deals the Seahawks’ defense a major blow, and it continues a string of Adams unavailability since he was traded to Seattle in 2020. Adams, however, only missed four and five games, respectively, during the 2020 and ’21 seasons. This will be new territory. He played 15 snaps against the Broncos. Adams only missed two games during his three-season Jets tenure.
With Jets contract negotiations not progressing, the Seahawks stepped in with a monster trade offer to acquire the former top-10 pick. The Seahawks sent two first-round choices, a third-rounder and veteran safety Bradley McDougald to the Jets for Adams. After playing a fourth season on his rookie contract, Adams cashed in last year. The Seahawks’ decision to trade for the acclaimed blitzer and give him a then-market-topping extension has backfired to this point.
Adams’ $17.5MM extension last summer topped the safety market by more than $2MM (AAV-wise). Although Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James have since surpassed that deal, Adams is the highest-paid defender on Seattle’s defense and — post-Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner — the second-highest-paid player on the team. Seattle re-signed Quandre Diggs this offseason, giving the franchise two of the league’s top-10 highest-paid safeties. Diggs will have to go it alone for the season’s remainder.
While Adams is not regarded as a high-quality cover man, the Seahawks put him to work as a hybrid player over his first two seasons. After a 6.5-sack 2019 season with the Jets — an All-Pro campaign — Adams set a safety record with 9.5 sacks in his first Seahawks season, helping the team to the playoffs. Adams did not record a sack in 2021. Injuries have dogged him for much of his Pacific Northwest stay, however. Two shoulder surgeries have occurred since Adams arrived in Seattle, and he underwent multiple finger operations this offseason. The LSU alum’s finger issues have left him no longer able to make a fist with his left hand, and Adams said his shoulder trouble had him playing “with one arm for damn near two years.”
The Adams contract runs through 2025. He is due an $11MM base salary in 2023 and is in line to count $18.1MM on Seattle’s cap next year. Adams, 26, counts just $9.1MM this year. His 2024 and ’25 cap numbers come in at $23.6MM and $24.6MM, respectively.
Dak Prescott Undergoes Thumb Surgery
5:27pm: Prescott has undergone the thumb surgery, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). The operation was successful, but the wait begins. Rather than acquire another quarterback, the Cowboys are sticking with Rush. The former UDFA has been Dallas’ primary backup since Tony Romo‘s 2017 retirement. Prescott is expected to attend the now-Rush-centered position meetings as he rehabs.
8:51am: The Cowboys suffered a significant loss on the scoreboard and the depth chart last night, as quarterback Dak Prescott left the game with a thumb injury. He will undergo surgery to address the issue, which ESPN’s Todd Archer reports is expected to keep him sidelined for six to eight weeks. As a result, Archer adds, Prescott will likely be placed on IR. 
During postgame availability, head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed that the injury is “significant.” Prescott, meanwhile, offered a somewhat encouraging update by saying that the fracture in his throwing hand “was much cleaner than it could have been.”
Nevertheless, the injury is a crushing blow for the Cowboys, whose offense already faced plenty of questions heading into last night. Left tackle Tyron Smith will be sidelined until at least December due to a torn hamstring, and the injuries to wideouts Michael Gallup and James Washington leave the team with few established pass-catchers. Overcoming those absences will be significantly more difficult without Prescott, who will be on the shelf for the second time in the past three seasons after an injury-free start to his career.
The two-time Pro Bowler was limited to five games by an ankle injury in 2020, but still landed a $40MM-per-year deal the following offseason. He played in 16 games last year, posting an 11-5 record while throwing for 4,449 yards and 37 touchdowns. Expectations were high for he and the team again in 2022, but things have changed dramatically in the span of one night.
“It’s very disappointing,” Prescott said, via Bobby Kownack of NFL.com. “But injuries happen. You can’t necessarily control it. It’s just unfortunate… but I’ll do what I’ve always done any time adversity comes. Take it on headfirst, give it my best, and I’m sure I’ll come out of this thing better.”
Cooper Rush will now take over as Dallas’ starting QB; the former UDFA had made 11 appearances with the Cowboys before filling in for Prescott last night (but only one start). He, along with Will Grier, were temporarily let go of during roster cutdowns, but the team fully intended to keep both of them in the fold. Grier will likely be signed to the active roster from the practice squad, unless the Cowboys search for outside options to replace their signal-caller for the intermediate future.
Lamar Jackson Rejected Six-Year, $290MM+ Offer
One of the most prevalent NFL storylines this offseason has been the Ravens’ extension negotiations with star quarterback Lamar Jackson, and we learned on Friday that the two sides had not come to terms. As such, it is likely that contract talks will be tabled until the offseason.
We now have more details on Baltimore’s most recent offer. Per ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, the Ravens proposed a six-year deal worth over $290MM, which included $133MM guaranteed at signing (Twitter link). The full guarantees and the average annual value would have eclipsed the figures included in the recent contracts signed by Denver’s Russell Wilson ($124MM fully guaranteed, $48.5MM AAV) and Arizona’s Kyler Murray ($103.3MM fully guaranteed, $46.5MM AAV). Indeed, Mortensen says that Wilson’s pact — which was signed just 10 days ago — prompted the Ravens to up their offer.
As has become increasingly clear, Jackson wants his entire contract to be fully guaranteed, just like the one the Browns gave to Deshaun Watson. Of course, clubs are trying to treat the Watson accord as an outlier, and Wilson and Murray clearly did not object to that approach. According to veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson, Baltimore was frustrated that Jackson, unlike Wilson and Murray, did not accept that unique circumstances precipitated Watson’s deal (Twitter links).
Anderson adds that helping elite quarterbacks land fully guaranteed contracts in the future is important to Jackson (links to Twitter). One wonders if the NFLPA — which, as Mortensen tweets, counseled the agentless Jackson — might have influenced the 2019 MVP in that regard, though there is presently nothing to suggest that is the case.
If Jackson continues to bet on himself and takes the “Kirk Cousins approach” to the situation — i.e., forcing the Ravens to put the franchise tag on him in 2023 and ’24 — he would earn around $100MM in guaranteed money over those two seasons, along with the $23MM he is earning in 2022. In 2025, when the cap charge of a third franchise tag becomes untenable, Jackson could theoretically have the leverage to get the fully guaranteed deal he desires from Baltimore or another franchise.
That obviously assumes that his play remains at a high level and that he does not suffer a career-altering injury, though Anderson hears that Jackson is essentially bullet-proof; no matter what happens to him (barring something completely catastrophic), sources expect him to ultimately get what he wants (Twitter links). That may or may not be true, but it is clearly a risk Jackson is willing to take.
We heard previously that the negotiations have not led to any acrimony between Jackson and the Ravens, and for what it’s worth, the union believes the team has negotiated in good faith (Twitter link via Mortensen). Baltimore did include $2.5MM “de-escalator” clauses if Jackson did not attend a certain percentage of offseason workouts, though it’s unlikely that particular provision had much of an impact in talks.
For now, the Ravens and Jackson will turn their attention to Sunday’s opener against the Jets, the start of another campaign in which expectations are high for player and team.
Raiders, TE Darren Waller Agree To Extension
SEPTEMBER 11: Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network offers some insight on Waller’s new deal (Twitter link). Waller will earn roughly $10MM more over the next two years than he would have under his old contract, which jibes with OverTheCap.com’s breakdown. Per OTC, Waller will earn $11MM in base pay in 2022 and ’23, a $4MM raise over the $7MM payouts he was previously scheduled to take home in those two seasons. Combine that base salary with the $1.275MM in per-game roster bonuses that Waller can earn, and we arrive at the $10MM increase that Pelissero references.
The new contract also comes with $250K Pro Bowl incentives in each year of the deal.
SEPTEMBER 10: The long-anticipated new deal between the Raiders and tight end Darren Waller has been finalized. Waller is signing a three-year extension which includes $51MM in new money, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The team has since confirmed the deal. 
The Pro Bowler had two years remaining on his existing deal, but for months has been considered a prime extension candidate. He was set to earn $7MM in non-guaranteed money this season and next, and will likely now have considerable security. In all, he is tied to the Raiders for the next five years at a total cost of $66.25MM.
That $13.25MM-per-year overall average will move Waller into sixth in the league in terms of overall compensation at the position. The tight end market was altered this offseason by David Njoku‘s deal with the Browns, one which Waller was expected to eclipse in value. His age (30 next week) and injury history, on the other hand, represented a potential disincentive on the Raiders’ part to make a commitment such as this.
The possibility of Las Vegas – now led by general manager Dave Ziegler – waiting one more year to finalize an extension seemed quite real earlier this summer. That would have come as a notable decision, given the team’s substantial investments made earlier this offseason in Derek Carr, Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow. Things began to change once Waller took steps to accelerate the negotiating process.
The former sixth-rounder changed agents recently, taking on Drew Rosenhaus as his new representative. Not long after that move, it was reported that an extension could be just days away. Now, on the eve of the season, both sides have indeed finished this important business.
“This was one of the most challenging negotiations I’ve encountered,” Rosenhaus said. “It is very rare for a 30-year old player with two years left on his contract to get a new deal” (Twitter link via Schefter).
With his long-term future no longer in doubt, Waller will look to return to his 1,000-yard form after being limited to 11 contests in 2021. He will face significant competition for targets after the arrival of Adams, but he has shown himself capable of being the focal point of the Raiders’ passing attack. The former Raven has gone from a failed receiving prospect met with multiple suspensions — one for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, one for violating the PED policy — to one of the league’s highest-paid tight ends.
Ravens Fail To Agree On Contract Extension With Lamar Jackson
Today was considered the deadline for the Ravens to finalize an extension with quarterback Lamar Jackson, after he named today as the last negotiating window before turning his attention to the 2022 campaign. The team confirmed that a deal will not be coming in time for the start of the season. 
“Despite best efforts on both sides, we were unable to reach a contract extension with Lamar Jackson,” general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “We greatly appreciate how he has handled this process and we are excited about our team with Lamar leading the way.”
The news comes as little surprise at this point; a mega-deal like several others signed this offseason was reported as being unlikely earlier this week. The matter of guaranteed money has long been seen as the sticking point between team and player, as Jackson is believed to be seeking a deal which is fully guaranteed, just as Deshaun Watson‘s historic Browns contract is.
The Ravens have not, at any point during negotiations, been willing to go that far, including when they reportedly increased their offer to the 25-year-old. The same has been true of the Cardinals and Broncos, who have extended Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson, respectively, on deals which outstrip the $46MM-per-year average of Watson’s pact, though they fall well short in terms of guaranteed compensation.
That has led to the growing sense around the league that the Watson deal is an outlier. Baltimore is among the teams concurring with that view, as confirmed by Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson. He adds, however, that the Ravens are “believed to be willing to guarantee a large portion” of any Jackson extension, even eclipsing Wilson’s $165MM figure and at least approaching Murray’s $189.5MM mark.
Wilson also cites sources emphasizing that negotiations between DeCosta and Jackson (who does not have an agent) have not resulted in an “acrimonious situation.” Nevertheless, this is a disappointing development for the team, and one which leaves Jackson months away from unrestricted free agency.
Assuming he holds true to his aversion to in-season talks, Jackson will play out his rookie contract in 2022 and become subject to a franchise tag in March. The one-year pacts will represent a significant raise from the $23MM Jackson will earn this season, regardless of whether an exclusive or non-exclusive tag is used. The former would place a massive burden on the team’s 2023 cap structure, while the latter would leave open the possibility of an offer sheet.
“We will continue to work towards a long-term contract after the season,” DeCosta’s statement concludes, “but for now we are looking forward to a successful 2022 campaign.” The Ravens open the season on Sunday against the Jets, but this storyline will hang over the franchise for the duration.
Rams Extend GM Les Snead
Throughout the offseason, new deals were expected to be finalized for Rams head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead. Per a team announcement on Thursday, both are indeed set to remain with the team for years to come. 
McVay had already confirmed his new deal one month ago, and he made it clear at that time that an announcement regarding Snead would be forthcoming. With the Rams’ title defense beginning in a matter of hours, many expected that announcement to come today. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the pair are now on the books through the 2026 season.
To no surprise, both McVay and Snead are now thought to be among the league’s highest-paid at their respective positions. The Rams have seen consistent success during their time guiding the franchise, including last season’s Super Bowl win. That has come during Snead’s increasing reliance on his unorthodox roster-building strategy of forgoing premium draft picks in return for proven commodities at important positions (including, most notably, quarterback Matthew Stafford).
Los Angeles has not made a first-round selection since 2016, and does not own one until 2024. Still, the effectiveness of the 51-year-old’s actions led to joint extensions for both he and McVay in 2019. Another set of deals keeping them together was widely expected to be the team’s preference, and became possible once the latter confirmed that he would continue coaching in lieu of a broadcasting career.
Snead has held his current title since 2012, ranking him in the top-10 with respect to the NFL’s longest-tenured GMs. He will look to continue climbing the ladder in that regard, while seeking continuity on the roster he has molded into a champion. Much of that has already been taken care of, with new deals being signed in recent months by Stafford, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and receiver Cooper Kupp.
The long-term future of the organization has been questioned by some given the ‘all-in’ nature of Snead’s moves. Further titles remain possible for at least the next few years, however, and he will still be at the helm if/when the team’s Super Bowl window closes given today’s news.
Cowboys To Sign T Jason Peters
Days after Jason Peters‘ Cowboys visit, the parties agreed to terms. The 40-year-old left tackle will continue his career in Dallas, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
The former Bears, Eagles and Bills blocker will aim to fill the void left by Tyron Smith‘s injury. This will be Peters’ 19th NFL season. The Cowboys came into Labor Day holding the fourth-most cap space in the league (just more than $14MM). Some of it will go to Peters, who stands to play an important role in helping the Cowboys defend their NFC East title. Peters grew up in northeast Texas, making this a homecoming of sorts to potentially cap off a Hall of Fame career.
Not much of Dallas’ cap space, it turns out, will be needed for the time being. The team is giving Peters a ramp-up period, with CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson adding (via Twitter) Monday’s deal is a practice squad agreement. Since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the NFL to expand practice squads to 16 players, teams have increasingly used it as a way to add veterans ahead of promotions to the active roster. The Cowboys will be the latest team to take this route.
This transaction marks the third straight year in which Peters found a deal after waiting in free agency for months. He re-signed with the Eagles in July 2020 and joined the Bears in August of last year. The longtime Philly mainstay will now get to work on helping the Cowboys hold off an Eagles team that saw Smith’s injury strengthen its chances of winning the division.
This week’s vested veteran guarantee is a factor here as well. Vets’ salaries become guaranteed if on a 53-man roster this week, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes the Cowboys had not planned to add a free agent tackle until Week 2 (Twitter link). It opens the door to an unusual scenario in which the Cowboys start a rookie at left tackle in Week 1 before promoting Peters to play there.
Smith’s avulsion fracture, which he sustained August 24, is expected to sideline him until at least December. The 12th-year tackle has undergone surgery. With it being possible the perennial Pro Bowler will miss the season, the Cowboys were left scrambling. They had been belatedly preparing first-round pick Tyler Smith to begin his run as Tyron’s blindside heir apparent early. Jerry Jones said last week it was “safe to say” the Tulsa-developed rookie would start at left tackle, via Jon Machota of The Athletic (on Twitter). Peters either gives the Cowboys high-profile insurance, or a scenario in which the first-rounder moves back to left guard once Peters is ready emerges.
Peters does not represent the safest of bets here; injuries have cropped up fairly frequently during the latter half of the acclaimed performer’s career. He missed eight games in 2020 and only played in seven during the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII-winning season. But he is coming off a 15-game season in Chicago. The Bears added Peters in the wake of Teven Jenkins‘ back injury, and the veteran produced what Pro Football Focus graded as a top-25 tackle season. While this did not draw too much attention, as the Bears struggled in 2021, it showed Peters remained a viable left tackle option for a contending team. Peters indicated this offseason he wanted to play an age-40 season, and the Cowboys’ need looks to have created that opportunity.
The Eagles had Peters tied to high-end contracts for most of his 12-year stay with the franchise, but the UDFA success story played last season on a one-year, $1.75MM deal. It will be interesting to see how much Cowboys wind up paying him, once this P-squad agreement translates to an active-roster promotion. Duane Brown signed a two-year, $20MM deal to be Mekhi Becton‘s emergency fill-in. Becton’s avulsion fracture is expected to sideline him for the season. Brown is also a decorated left tackle and is three years younger than Peters, but the latter is a nine-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro.
As the Cowboys currently employ two All-Decade tackles and All-Decade guard Zack Martin, they have Terence Steele ready to take over for La’el Collins on the right side and Connor McGovern prepared to start at left guard. Peters (218 career starts) moving into Dallas’ lineup would likely bump McGovern down to a swing player.
If/when Peters moves up to Dallas’ 53-man roster and suits up for a game, he would join only three other tackles to play an age-40 season. Andrew Whitworth, who turned 40 late in his final season, joins only Ray Brown and Hall of Famer Jackie Slater in accomplishing this rare feat.
Cowboys “Working Towards Deal” With Jason Peters
SEPTEMBER 4: The Cowboys and Peters are “working towards a deal,” as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). Rapoport says Peters’ Dallas visit was a positive one, and he adds that there is mutual interest in getting a contract hammered out. An agreement could be in place by tomorrow.
AUGUST 31: One of the top free agents will meet with the Cowboys about their sudden left tackle issue. Jason Peters is scheduled to visit with the team, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets.
The Cowboys are set to be without All-Pro Tyron Smith for months — perhaps the season — after he suffered a severe leg injury last week. Smith is now on Dallas’ in-season IR. Peters would be an interesting replacement, given his accomplishments and age. The Cowboys have been viewed as hesitant to trade for a Smith replacement.
Although Peters turned 40 earlier this year, he expressed a desire to keep playing. Should the former Eagles All-Pro land a gig for 2022, it will be his 19th NFL season.
Peters has lingered in free agency for several months in each of the past three offseasons. In 2020, he made a belated return to the Eagles to play guard. But their tackle depth chart soon changed, leading the team to ask Peters to return to his old position. Last year, Peters signed with the Bears after Teven Jenkins‘ summer back injury.
That Chicago commitment did not generate too much publicity, given the Bears’ 2021 struggles, but Peters played 15 games. Pro Football Focus also rated him as a top-25 tackle. Considering Peters’ age and injury history, that participation rate and performance level is quite an accomplishment. It also has kept him on the radar for tackle-needy teams.
Dallas has the option of kicking rookie Tyler Smith outside. That is the organization’s long-term plan, but the first-round pick was slated to begin his career alongside Tyron Smith at left guard. Tyler Smith battled Connor McGovern for the guard gig during training camp. While the younger player should be expected to see time, Mike McCarthy said at the time of Tyron’s injury McGovern was leading the competition. And left tackle on short notice would be a big ask for the rookie, though situations like this have impacted teams’ plans for young O-linemen in the past. That said, McCarthy confirmed the younger Smith will get extensive left tackle work before Week 1, via Archer (on Twitter).
The Cowboys could also move right tackle Terence Steele to the left side, but that would create a right-edge void. Peters coming in and playing opposite Steele — who is the Cowboys’ preferred La’el Collins successor — and alongside either McGovern or Tyler Smith could be Dallas’ best option. It just depends on how much the former Eagles stalwart has left.
And, given what Duane Brown signed for with the Jets, money will likely be a factor here, too. In the wake of Mekhi Becton‘s avulsion fracture — the injury Tyron Smith has since encountered as well — the Jets signed Brown to a two-year, $20MM deal with $9MM guaranteed. Although Peters has a more decorated resume than the former Texans and Seahawks left tackle, he is also three years older. Peters did sign with the Bears for one year and $1.75MM, but it would surprise if he accepted something on that level now, as he is coming off a mostly healthy season and the Cowboys are in need. Dallas’ $18.7MM in cap space ranks third in the NFL.
Titans OLB Harold Landry Tears ACL
SEPTEMBER 2: The Titans placed Landry on IR Friday and claimed Derrek Tuszka off waivers from the Steelers. A former Broncos seventh-round pick in 2020, Tuszka spent last season with the Steelers. He worked as a backup and notched two sacks in his Pittsburgh debut. The Steelers, who since traded for frequent Broncos fill-in starter Malik Reed this week, waived Tuszka on Thursday.
SEPTEMBER 1: Months after re-signing with the Titans, Harold Landry does not look like he will suit up for the team this season. The veteran edge rusher went down with a torn ACL in practice, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Landry sustained the injury Wednesday. This is obviously a crushing blow for the Titans, who have relied on Landry as their top outside linebacker for years.
Tennessee has gone through extensive efforts to fortify its edge-rushing corps under GM Jon Robinson, but several of the moves have not worked out. Landry, however, has helped the team get by. After putting together a strong contract year (12 sacks, 22 QB hits) — one that finished with the Boston College product recording 1.5 of the Titans’ nine sacks of Joe Burrow in their divisional-round loss — Landry signed a five-year, $87.5MM extension in March.
Both of the Titans’ top outside ‘backers have now sustained ACL tears as pros. Bud Dupree, who signed with Tennessee on a five-year deal worth $82.5MM in March 2021, was coming off a late-season ACL setback when he arrived in Nashville. Wednesday’s development hijacks the Titans’ plans to pair Landry with what could be a better Dupree version this season.
This 11th-hour injury certainly illustrates the importance of guaranteed money. The Titans passed on franchise-tagging Landry but managed to hammer out a deal with the former second-round pick to keep him off the market. Landry, 26, received $35.25MM guaranteed at signing.
Chosen 41st overall in 2018, Landry has 31 career sacks and is coming off his first Pro Bowl. He has helped the Titans withstand the likes of Jadeveon Clowney, Vic Beasley and Cameron Wake being free agency disappointments over the past three seasons. Dupree, 29, also has yet to deliver on the contract he signed, recording just three sacks and eight QB hits in his first season post-ACL tear. The Kentucky alum also missed six games, despite starting the season on time after his rehab effort. The team will need more from the former first-round Steelers draftee this season.
This has not been the smoothest Titans offseason. The team said goodbye to its top wide receiver — A.J. Brown — after early extension talks revealed a substantial gap between the parties, and first-round wideout Treylon Burks has not proven to be a plug-and-play replacement. Of course, it is still early for the Arkansas product. But, with Robert Woods coming off a November ACL tear, Burks’ readiness is fairly important for a Titans team that survived a spate of injuries to book the AFC’s No. 1 seed last season.
The Titans are also thin on edge defenders beyond their starters, rostering 2021 fourth-rounder Rashad Weaver (12 defensive snaps last season) and former UDFA Ola Adeniyi (2.5 sacks in 2021 as a rotational cog) as backups. Several veteran edges — from Melvin Ingram to Justin Houston to Carlos Dunlap to Trey Flowers — came off the free agency board over the past several weeks. Jason Pierre-Paul remains available, as does Everson Griffen. JPP is coming off a down season, however, and Griffen is 34. Ex-Beasley Falcons teammate Takk McKinley, 26, is available as well. The former first-rounder took multiple visits this summer, but he is coming off a late-season Achilles tear.
Broncos, Russell Wilson Agree On Extension
Connected to waiting until next year for a Russell Wilson extension, the Broncos instead are committing long-term to their new franchise quarterback now. The team reached an extension agreement with its recently acquired passer Thursday morning, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Wilson is signing a five-year, $245MM deal that includes a whopping $165MM guaranteed. Despite his two Seahawks extensions coming ahead of his contract years, Wilson is committing with two years remaining on his previous deal. He is now signed through the 2028 season.
Earlier this summer, second-year Broncos GM George Paton did not indicate extension talks were taking place, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets the sides had been talking not too long after the blockbuster trade. The sides paused the talks as the Broncos’ sale became finalized this summer, 9News’ Mike Klis adds, noting Wilson agreed to this contract Wednesday night after attending a dinner with many of his new teammates. With the team’s ownership matter finally resolved, Wilson is now locked in through his age-40 season.
The deal will pay Wilson $124MM over the first three years, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. Wilson’s 2022 cashflow will spike from $24MM to $57MM, and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds (via Twitter) he will collect $85MM by 2023 — up from $51MM. This three-year payout looks to benefit the Broncos, who will have Wilson tied to nonguaranteed salaries from 2025-28. Of course, Wilson succeeding early on this contract could certainly prompt the sides to renegotiate down the line.
Although the guarantee figure is not believed to be what will be locked in at signing, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter), Wilson is now the league’s second-highest-paid QB. This $49MM-per-year deal places the 11th-year veteran behind only Aaron Rodgers for AAV ($50.3MM). It marks a slightly bigger jump from Wilson’s previous pact ($35MM per annum) compared to the raise he received in April 2019, illustrating where the QB market has gone and the Broncos’ desire to have this rather important position solidified.
The Broncos acquired Wilson via one of the top trade packages in NFL history in March, sending the Seahawks two first-rounders and change to land the 33-year-old star. In the time since, Deshaun Watson and Kyler Murray signed monster extensions with their respective teams — respectively worth $46MM and $46.1MM on average. The Broncos also came under new ownership in the time since acquiring Wilson, and Rob Walton being by far the NFL’s richest owner almost certainly came into play here. Wilson’s extension is miles beyond where the Broncos have gone for a player previously. Their previous top QB commitment was five years and $96MM — for Peyton Manning in 2012.
Manning played four years on that deal, but in the years since the all-time great’s retirement, the Broncos saw their inability to land a successor move them well off the competitive plane upon which they resided with Manning. Denver has missed the playoffs for six straight seasons and has not enjoyed a winning year since 2016. The team has started 11 quarterbacks since Super Bowl 50, including a different Week 1 passer from 2017-21 (Trevor Siemian, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater). The Broncos have not ranked in the top 16 in total offense since Manning’s penultimate season (2014), either. This pattern, the trade capital the team sacrificed, the new QB market and Walton’s arrival — after shattering the American sports record with a $4.65 billion bid — all worked in Wilson’s favor.
These factors could also have pushed Wilson to leverage the Broncos for a player-friendly deal that placed him atop the NFL salary hierarchy once again. His total guarantees do not approach Watson’s, but they do surpass Murray’s ($160MM). Murray and Wilson’s extensions are moving the NFL away from the fully guaranteed agreement Watson signed with the Browns. Wilson’s pact also ties him to the Broncos for longer than Watson’s Browns accord or Rodgers’ latest deal with Green Bay.
Unique circumstances surrounded Cleveland’s decision to give Watson $230MM guaranteed at signing — a last-ditch heave to leapfrog NFC South teams in a complex trade derby — and teams are doing their best to make that contract an outlier. The structures of Wilson and Murray’s contracts will play into the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson negotiations. The Bengals and Chargers, who have their respective standout QBs set to become extension-eligible in 2023, will undoubtedly take notice as well.
The Broncos’ commitment, of course, comes before Wilson has played in a game with his new team. The nine-time Pro Bowler sat out the preseason, joining most of the team’s starters under new HC Nathaniel Hackett, and is coming off his first season in which an injury forced him to miss time. Wilson ruptured a tendon in his right middle finger, sidelining him for three games, in October 2021. After not looking himself in the games immediately following his return, Wilson played better down the stretch. The Seahawks still opted to reboot at season’s end, concluding the most promising QB partnership in franchise history. Geno Smith is now in position to start against Wilson in Week 1, beating out Lock for the gig.
Part of the reason the Seahawks moved on after 10 seasons was a leeriness about going through more extension talks with Wilson. His 2015 ($21.9MM per year) and 2019 extensions came after weeks of back-and-forth. That contrasts from the low-key nature of Wilson’s Broncos talks, but Denver is now the franchise paying the new market price. Seattle, after passing on deals for Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo, will likely be linked to first-round passers come 2023.
Connected to a possible trade early during the 2021 offseason, Wilson did not include the Broncos on his initial destination list. The Bears, Cowboys, Saints and Raiders were on it. But Denver quietly surfaced as a potential landing spot late last year. And while other teams pursued Wilson this offseason — the Browns, Commanders, Eagles and Panthers, to name four — the two-time Super Bowl starter only ended up waiving his no-trade clause for the Broncos. Wilson has said he wants to play well into his 40s. He will now attempt to craft a memorable second act; the contract parameters are in place for him to do so.