West Notes: M. Jones, Seahawks, Clinton-Dix
It has been looking increasingly likely that the 49ers will draft Alabama passer Mac Jones with the No. 3 overall pick of this year’s draft, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter said just yesterday that Jones would be the Niners’ pick. But Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network isn’t as convinced. On a recent PFN Draft Insiders podcast (link), Pauline said he is hearing that whether San Francisco goes with Jones or one of Justin Fields or Trey Lance is a 50-50 proposition.
Of course, this time of year is notorious for false leaks and misinformation, but the Niners are at least doing their due diligence on Fields. The Ohio State QB will hold a second pro day, and 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch are expected to attend.
Now for a few more West-related items:
- The 49ers have hosted DL Ronald Blair on a visit, as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. Blair, whom the Niners selected in the fifth round of the 2016 draft, was a useful piece of the team’s pass rush rotation during his first few years in the league, but he suffered a torn ACL in November 2019, and it was later revealed that the ensuing surgery was not successful. Though he re-upped with San Francisco on a one-year deal last March, he did not play in a single game in 2020.
- Cornerback Quinton Dunbar recently signed with the Lions, but the Seahawks wanted to retain him, per Brady Henderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Seattle has lost both Dunbar and Shaquill Griffin in free agency, and though the club did bring Ahkello Witherspoon aboard, CB is still an area of need.
- The Seahawks continue to seek offensive line depth. According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, Seattle visited with guard Cody Wichmann today (Twitter link). Wichmann, a sixth-round pick of the Rams in 2015, has managed to land a couple of reserve/futures contracts and a spot on the Cowboys’ practice squad in 2018, but he hasn’t played in a regular season game since 2016. He has 18 career starts to his credit.
- After the first few weeks of the new league year, the Raiders still have a glaring need at safety, but they don’t seem too worried about it. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the only FA safety Vegas was in on early was Rayshawn Jenkins, who inked a four-year, $35MM deal with the Jaguars. Players like Kenny Vaccaro, Duron Harmon, and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix remain available, and the Raiders actually had Clinton-Dix in for a visit in March. Tafur suggests that the 28-year-old may have an offer in hand from Vegas and could be waiting for the market to pick back up before agreeing to a deal.
Jon Gruden Wanted Kenyan Drake In 2020
- Prior to the Cardinals using the transition tag on Kenyan Drake, Jon Gruden was interested in signing the running back last year, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic (subscription required). The Raiders showed significantly more interest in Drake than anyone else this offseason, per Drake, whom Gruden plans using in the backfield and at wide receiver. Drake’s two-year, $11MM deal includes just $3MM guaranteed in 2021, per Tafur, but carries $5.5MM in guarantees in 2022. Drake totaled just 127 receiving yards with the Cardinals last season, but the former third-round pick should be expected to play a bigger role in the passing game in Las Vegas.
- The Raiders considered cutting their losses on Carl Nassib‘s three-year, $25MM contract, Tafur adds, but the team instead decided to keep the rotational pass rusher on a restructured deal (subscription required). The team added three void years to Nassib’s contract, spreading out the cap hit through 2025. Nassib is on the Raiders’ cap sheet at just $4.9MM this year; that number rises to $9.2MM in 2022. Releasing Nassib next year would tag the Raiders with a $4.6MM dead-money hit.
- Drafted third overall as a defensive end four years ago, Solomon Thomas will primarily work as a three-technique tackle with the Raiders, according to Tafur. Thomas is in line to replace Maliek Collins, who defected to the Texans in free agency. A four-year 49ers contributor, Thomas has not come close to living up to his top-five draft status. The Raiders gave him a one-year deal worth $3.25MM.
NFL Suspends Raiders’ Nevin Lawson
Nevin Lawson re-signed with the Raiders late last month, but the veteran defender will not be available at the season’s outset. The NFL handed Lawson a two-game suspension on Friday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
This will mark the second straight season in which a suspension has sidelined Lawson. He received a one-game ban for an on-field infraction in 2020. This suspension is for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, Jerry McDonald of the San Jose Mercury News tweets.
The Raiders brought back Lawson on a one-year, $1.1MM deal. Should he reside on the team’s 53-man roster once his suspension ends, this will be the soon-to-be 30-year-old cornerback’s third season with the Silver and Black.
A former Lions draftee who played five years in Detroit, Lawson has become a key Raiders cog during much of Jon Gruden‘s second stay with the franchise. He started nine games last season, making a career-high 61 tackles, and five in 2019.
Raiders, Kolton Miller Agree To Extension
The Raiders have made some major changes on their offensive line, but they will make sure their left tackle will not be going anywhere for a while. They agreed to terms with Kolton Miller on an extension Tuesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Miller agreed to a three-year deal worth more than $18MM annually, per Fowler, who adds the three-year veteran will receive more than $42.6MM fully guaranteed. The contract will end up averaging just north of $18MM per year, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The agreement locks in Miller through the 2025 season. Miller’s rookie contract, including the fifth-year option, ran through 2022.
This marks the first extension handed out to a member of the 2018 draft class, which became extension-eligible in January. The Raiders had a Miller extension in mind for a bit now, and they will take care of their first draft pick of the second Jon Gruden era. After trading down with the Cardinals in a deal that sent them ex-UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, the Raiders took Rosen’s blindside Bruins protector at No. 15 overall. The Raiders’ pick worked out, with Miller having started 46 games in three seasons.
Las Vegas’ Miller decision comes after the team surprised most by gutting its offensive line. The Raiders traded Pro Bowlers Rodney Hudson and Trent Brown and also dealt its longest-tenured O-lineman, Gabe Jackson. While the team still opted to bring back Richie Incognito and Denzelle Good, Miller is now this O-line’s unquestioned anchor.
Pro Football Focus has not viewed Miller as a high-end tackle just yet, though it did assign the 25-year-old blocker his best grade last season. He ranked a career-best 34th among tackles in 2020. While Miller has helped Josh Jacobs to back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons and been present for consecutive Derek Carr top-11 QBR campaigns, this extension marks a bet in further Miller development.
At $18MM annually, Miller’s new deal comes in fifth among left tackles. It will land just below the recently established top tier at the position. However, the $42.6MM fully guaranteed comes in second at the position. That is a significant win for Miller, considering this is a three-year deal. Even Laremy Tunsil‘s market-reshaping three-year extension did not include this much in fully guaranteed money. While the Raiders bailed on their previous monster tackle accord, shipping Brown to the Patriots after two seasons, they will bet big on Miller.
Raiders Sign Willie Snead
The Raiders have agreed to sign Willie Snead (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The free agent wide receiver visited Las Vegas earlier this week and landed his deal soon after.
[RELATED: Ravens Express Interest In Sammy Watkins]
The Raiders will add Snead to their new-look WR group, one without Tyrell Williams and Nelson Agholor. Snead will join John Brown and the newly re-signed Zay Jones, but the Raiders will likely continue to scour the market and the draft for more receivers.
The Ravens didn’t show much interest in re-signing Snead. He spent the past three years in Baltimore, but his role has dwindled somewhat over the last two. The former UDFA kicked off his Ravens tenure with 62 grabs for 651 yards and a touchdown in 2018. But, between 2019 and 2020, he has a combined 64 catches and 771 yards. On the other hand, he does have eight touchdowns between the two seasons.
Raiders Meet With Willie Snead
The Raiders hosted free agent wide receiver Willie Snead on Thursday (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). If all goes well, Snead could be the latest addition to Las Vegas’ new-look WR group.
[RELATED: Ravens Express Interest In Sammy Watkins]
The Ravens have been searching for solutions at receiver, but they have not expressed much — or any – interest in retaining Snead. Snead, who has spent the last three years in Baltimore, kicked off his tenure with 62 catches for 651 yards and a touchdown in 2018. However, his targets and production have roughly been cut in half ever since. Between the last two years, he has a combined stat line of 64/771, though he does have eight touchdowns to his credit in that span.
Snead started his career with the Saints and made his name as a slot receiver. He’d be an interesting fit for the Raiders, who have lost Tyrell Williams and Nelson Agholor. To help fill the void, they’ve signed John Brown and re-upped Zay Jones.
Marcus Mariota Has No-Trade Clause In New Raiders Deal
Marcus Mariota took a pay cut in order to stay with the Raiders. But, in exchange, the backup quarterback received a no-trade clause, according to a league source who spoke with Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal (on Twitter).
Mariota was originally set to earn $10.725MM, a hefty price for a QB2. Rather than getting released or traded, he agreed to lower his salary to $3.5MM. Of course, Mariota’s new deal makes him much more attractive to teams in need of QB support, so Mariota insisted on maintaining some control over his future.
No-trade clauses are pretty rare in the NFL. As of late February, these were the only nine players in the NFL with veto power in their contracts:
- Drew Brees, QB (Saints)
- Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, OL (Chiefs)
- Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (49ers
- Jimmy Graham, TE (Bears)
- DeAndre Hopkins, WR (Cardinals)
- Patrick Mahomes, QB (Chiefs)
- Deshaun Watson, QB (Texans)
- J.J. Watt, DL (Cardinals)
- Russell Wilson, QB (Seahawks)
Now, Mariota is an unexpected member of the club, so any teams with interest in the former second overall pick may have to look elsewhere.
Marcus Mariota To Take Pay-Cut, Stay With Raiders
It looks like Marcus Mariota will be staying with the Raiders after all. The quarterback is expected to sign a reworked deal with Las Vegas that will drop his salary to $3.5MM, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
We heard last week that the team was going to “move on” if he refused to cut his compensation, either through a trade or release, and that a divorce was “likely.” It was reported at the time that Mariota was reluctant to cut his deal because he felt like he had options on the market, but perhaps seeing a few more quarterbacks get signed made him less confident in having those options. Now, he’ll sign a one-year deal worth $3.5MM that can be worth up to $8MM with inceentives.
Rapsheet writes that “it was up and down the last few weeks, but he recently made the call to stick around.” In a follow-up tweet, Rapoport notes the original pay-cut offer was for $3MM, and that Mariota negotiated up and got himself some upside. He had previously been scheduled to take home $10.725MM, a hefty price for a backup to Derek Carr.
Mariota appeared in one game in place of an injured Carr last season and showed fairly well against the Chargers on national TV, completing 17 of 28 passes for 226 yards a touchdown and an interception. He also added 88 yards and another score rushing.
Mariota is now on a very trade-friendly contract should a team come calling. We heard around the Super Bowl that there was legit interest in the former second overall pick, but then that interest reportedly cooled significantly.
Mariota spent his first five years in the league as Tennessee’s starter, but was benched by the Titans in favor of Ryan Tannehill midway through the 2019 season. Jon Gruden added him as his high-level clipboard holder last offseason. The 27-year-old will enter free agency next spring.
Raiders To Sign Darius Philon
Las Vegas continues to add depth to their defensive line, and their latest signing is an interesting one. The Raiders have agreed to terms on a deal with Darius Philon, the team announced on Twitter.
This one came a bit out of left field, because Philon hasn’t suited up since the 2018 season. He was originally drafted by the Chargers in 2015, and spent the next four years with the team. He flashed plenty of potential during his last couple seasons there, and started 13 games in 2018. He had 33 tackles, seven for a loss, four sacks, and a forced fumble that year.
That earned him a two-year, $10MM deal from the Cardinals in 2019, but he never played a down for the team. That’s because he was arrested that August for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and cut shortly thereafter. We haven’t heard much from him since then, as he didn’t play that season or in 2020.
He’s apparently ready to make a comeback now, and is still only 27. Presumably signed very cheaply, he could be a decent low-risk flyer for a Raiders team in need of help along the defensive front.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/22/21
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Released: K Lirim Hajrullahu
Los Angeles Chargers
- Re-signed: TE Stephen Anderson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DL Matt Dickerson
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR/QB: Kai Locksley
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Ola Adeniyi