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PFR Glossary: NFL Supplemental Draft

June 27th, 2018 at 9:34am CST by Zachary Links

The supplemental draft allows NFL teams to select players who, for one reason or another, were barred from entering the regular draft in the spring. When a team selects a player in the supplemental draft, they forfeit the corresponding pick in the regular draft next year. For example, if a team selects a player in the sixth round of the supplemental draft this year, they will have to give up their 2019 sixth round selection.

There have been no players taken in the supplemental draft in the past two years, but that is likely to change this year thanks to Sam Beal. Draft prognosticators had the former Western Michigan cornerback pegged as an early pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and it is believed that he’ll be taken somewhere in the first three rounds this year. Mississippi State defensive back Brandon Bryant and Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander are also drawing serious interest and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them selected in the later rounds. Earlier this week, Oregon State linebacker Bright Ugwoegbu became the latest player to throw his hat in the ring.

In the past, teams have found gems in the supplemental draft. In 2011, the Raiders selected Ohio State quarterback and future standout NFL receiver Terrelle Pryor. In 2012, the Browns used a second round pick to take the talented and troubled Josh Gordon. Other supplemental draft alums include quarterback Bernie Kosar (Browns, 1985), wide receiver Cris Carter (Eagles, 1987), running back Bobby Humphrey (Broncos, 1989), wide receiver Rob Moore (Jets, 1990), nose tackle Jamal Williams (Chargers, 1998), and linebacker Ahmad Brooks (Bengals, 2006).

This year’s supplemental draft has been set for July 11 and, unlike the last couple of years, it figures to hold some intrigue.

Note: This is a PFR Glossary entry. Our glossary posts explain specific rules relating to free agency, trades, or other aspects of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. 

Extension Candidate: Taylor Lewan

June 26th, 2018 at 3:49pm CST by Zachary Links

This year, Taylor Lewan was one of several 2014 first-round picks to skip mandatory June workouts. Titans GM Jon Robinson has indicated that the two sides are discussing a new deal, but we haven’t heard much lately as the tackle gets set to enter his fifth-year option season. 

For now, Lewan is set to earn $9.341MM and is scheduled to reach free agency in 2019. After that, the Titans have the option of using the franchise tag on him, but that would be a costly move, as CBSSports.com’s Joel Corry recently noted.

Next year’s franchise tag for offensive linemen could be worth nearly $15MM. When factoring in the 20% increase of a second franchise tag, controlling Lewan in 2020 could cost somewhere between $17.5MM and $18MM. Technically, the Titans can kick the can down the road for a while, but it would cost them roughly $32.5MM in the interim. Then, after that, Lewan would hold all the cards as a third straight tag would be completely untenable.

So, all parties involved would like to hammer out a long-term deal this offseason. Unfortunately for the Titans, Lewan’s camp is likely to use Nate Solder’s four-year, $62MM contract ($34.8MM guaranteed) with the Giants as a guiding point in talks. It’s not apples-to-apples since Solder scored his deal on the open market, but Lewan is three years younger and arguably performed better than Solder in 2017.

The Titans aren’t necessarily eager to reset the tackle market here – particularly with Marcus Mariota scheduled for free agency after the 2019 season – but it may be their only choice given the dearth of quality tackles in the NFL. A multi-year extension for Lewan is sure to be costly, but it beats paying big bucks for less appealing free agent tackles, as many teams have been forced to do in recent years.

Poll: Which Top 10 NFL Draft Pick Will Make Biggest Impact In 2018?

June 26th, 2018 at 1:10pm CST by Zachary Links

This year’s NFL Draft was one of the most entertaining in recent memory and chock full of polarizing prospects. With no true consensus on this year’s top talent, we want to know which top ten pick you expect to make the biggest impact right out of the gate. 

Early on in the draft process, few expected Baker Mayfield to be in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick. As it turns out, the Browns were laser-focused on the Oklahoma quarterback and took him first overall. We’ve heard nothing but praise for Mayfield’s competitive nature, but questions persist about his size. And, while many like Mayfield’s potential in the long run, he’s positioned behind Tyrod Taylor on the Browns’ depth chart.

Many football evaluators feel that Saquon Barkley is not only the best talent in this year’s crop, but also the safest. The Giants’ decision to use the No. 2 overall pick on a running back was not well received by everyone, but he profiles as a star at the next level with a prime opportunity to excel immediately. Barkley will anchor the Giants’ running game and should have room to run as opposing defenses account for an aerial attack led by Odell Beckham Jr.

The other tenants of MetLife Stadium also feel good about their top overall pick. Sam Darnold was the darling of the scouting world for years and few expected him to fall to No. 3 back in January. Darnold continues to draw rave reviews from camp, but he is still stationed behind Josh McCown – and maybe Teddy Bridgewater – on the depth chart. It’s possible that Darnold will wind up as the Jets’ starter at some point this year, but it’s also possible that he will not see the field in his rookie season.

Beyond the much ballyhooed top three, there are plenty of other quality bets in the top ten. New Broncos defensive end Bradley Chubb has the size and athleticism to excel right away, guard Quenton Nelson could help to fix the Colts’ porous offensive line, and Roquan Smith‘s top-end speed could make him a terror right off of the bat for the Bears. Alternatively, you may feel bullish about Denzel Ward‘s coverage ability, Josh Allen‘s cannon of an arm, Mike McGlinchey‘s pro-ready blocking technique, or Josh Rosen‘s potential to overtake a pair of veterans to become the Cardinals’ top QB.

Click here to cast your vote and defend your choice in the comments section below:

New Poll
Saquon Barkley (Giants) 48.25% (771 votes)
Bradley Chubb (Broncos) 13.20% (211 votes)
Roquan Smith (Bears) 12.20% (195 votes)
Quenton Nelson (Colts) 6.13% (98 votes)
Sam Darnold (Jets) 4.19% (67 votes)
Baker Mayfield (Browns) 3.38% (54 votes)
Josh Rosen (Cardinals) 3.38% (54 votes)
Josh Allen (Bills) 3.19% (51 votes)
Mike McGlinchey (49ers) 3.07% (49 votes)
Denzel Ward (Browns) 3.00% (48 votes)
Total Votes: 1,598

This Date In Transactions History: Julius Peppers

June 26th, 2018 at 12:12pm CST by Zachary Links

After a mysteriously quiet 2007, Julius Peppers mounted a strong comeback campaign in ’08. Then, on the heels of notching a career-high 14.5 sacks and helping the Panthers return to the playoffs, Peppers wanted out. Specifically, Peppers expressed a desire to join a team with a 3-4 scheme so that he could move from defensive end to linebacker. 

Peppers insisted that he would never sign a long-term deal with Carolina and tried hard to discourage the team from using the franchise tender on him in the 2009 offseason.

“The front office has been informed of my desire to explore opportunities with other NFL teams following the expiration of my contract next month,” Peppers said in a statement (via ESPN.com). “At this point in my NFL career, I am seeking new challenges that will allow me to grow, develop and reach my personal potential on the football field.”

The Panthers held firm, however, and applied the one-year, $16.7MM placeholder on their top defender. In theory, another team could have signed Peppers as a restricted free agent, but that would have required the forfeiture of two first-round picks on top of a mammoth contract. While he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, Peppers abstained from offseason activities. The multiple-time Pro Bowler’s absence cast a serious shadow over the Panthers’ offseason and made the football world wonder whether the Panthers would cave and trade him.

Ultimately, Peppers’ agent was unable to find a suitable deal for him. And, on June 26, 2009, Peppers inked his one-year deal with the Panthers.

Peppers earned another Pro Bowl nod in 2009, and that proved to be the final season of his first Panthers run. After the season, the Panthers declined to use the franchise tag on him, allowing him to reach unrestricted free agency and to a six-year, $91.5MM deal with the Bears. When that deal was terminated in 2014, he stayed in the NFC North and signed with the Packers.

It took a while, but Peppers ultimately came full circle. In 2017, the veteran joined the Panthers on a one-year, $3.5MM deal. A few months later, the Panthers canned GM Dave Gettleman and brought back Marty Hurney as their top football executive, but there were no hard feelings between Peppers and Hurney. This past March, Peppers and Hurney shook hands on a new one-year, $5MM deal to keep the 38-year-old in Carolina.

Poll: Which NFC East Team Had The Best Offseason?

June 25th, 2018 at 5:11pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Over the past couple weeks, we’ve asked you which teams from the AFC North, AFC East, AFC West, NFC West, and NFC North had the best offseasons. Today we’ll be looking at the offseason each team from the NFC East had, another division with a lot of moving parts.

The Redskins may have had the most tumultuous past couple months of any team in the division. Their years long drama with Kirk Cousins finally culminated in the team trading for Alex Smith and allowing Cousins to walk in free agency. Coach Jay Gruden has been adamant that there will be no downgrade from Cousins to Smith, and that the team is very high on Smith. Washington’s receiving corp will look quite different, with Terrelle Pryor and Ryan Grant gone, and Paul Richardson brought in from Seattle in their place. They added defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne with the 13th overall pick to help shore up their run defense and selected running back Derrius Guice in the second round. Guice was viewed by most as a first round talent who fell into the Redskins’ laps due to off-field concerns. They also signed cornerback Orlando Scandrick and linebacker Pernell McPhee in free agency, and will return several key players from injury, like defensive lineman Jonathan Allen. It was an offseason of change for the Redskins, and the team will have to hope Smith can carry over his play from last season when he was the best of his career.

The Giants’ 2017 season went off the rails fast. After a playoff appearance in 2016, the team started the year 0-4, which quickly led to infighting. Both head coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese, replacing them with Pat Shurmur and Dave Gettleman respectively. The team ultimately passed on taking a successor to Eli Manning with the number two overall pick, instead taking running back Saquon Barkley and signing the veteran Jonathan Stewart to be his backup. The team made Nate Solder the highest paid tackle in football, signing him away from the Patriots to help bolster their offensive line, and area of weakness the past few seasons. They also drafted guard Will Hernandez 34th overall to help along the interior. While the team has announced they plan on riding Manning for the foreseeable future, they did take the intriguing small-school quarterback Kyle Lauletta in the draft. They traded Jason Pierre-Paul to the Buccaneers in March, leaving a hole at pass-rusher. Overall, the Giants 2018 season will depend on how much Manning can bounce back from his poor 2017. If Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. can both return to form, the Giants could sneak back into the playoffs.

The Cowboys didn’t add many major pieces this offseason. The biggest storyline surrounding the team was the release of Dez Bryant. The Cowboys were apparently fed up with Bryant’s antics and his on-field production no longer justified keeping him around. They signed Allen Hurns from the Jaguars to replace him and step in as their new number one receiver. Dak Prescott‘s receiving options will look a lot different next year as they also lost Jason Witten to retirement and Brice Butler in free agency. They drafted linebacker Leighton Vander Esch in the first round to strengthen the defense. Other than their pass-catchers, the 2018 Cowboys will look fairly similar to last year’s underachieving squad. They’ll have Ezekiel Elliott for the full season after he was suspended for part of last year, and will look to recapture the magic of their 13-3 2016 season.

The Eagles went into the offseason riding high off their Super Bowl victory. They lost several players, but moved quickly to replace them all. When defensive linemen Vinny Curry and Beau Allen left in free agency, they promptly traded for Michael Bennett and signed Haloti Ngata. They lost offensive coordinator Frank Reich who took the Colts’ head coaching job and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo who left to become the Vikings’ offensive coordinator. LeGarrette Blount left to sign with the Lions, but the Eagles have a deep running back depth chart still. The team rewarded Super Bowl hero Nick Foles with some extra incentives in his contract, although he still could possibly be dealt at a future point. They re-signed linebacker Nigel Bradham and added Corey Nelson and Paul Worrilow in free agency to further strengthen the linebacking corp. The biggest storyline for the defending champions this summer will continue to be the progress of Carson Wentz as he rehabs from a torn ACL. If Wentz is healthy, with all the pieces added to the defense this spring, the Eagles should be able to compete for another Super Bowl in 2018.

Which NFC East Team Had The Best Offseason?
New York Giants 34.11% (510 votes)
Philadelphia Eagles 30.17% (451 votes)
Washington Redskins 19.93% (298 votes)
Dallas Cowboys 15.79% (236 votes)
Total Votes: 1,495

94% Of Draft Picks Have Signed

June 25th, 2018 at 1:11pm CST by Zachary Links

As shown in PFR’s tracker, the overwhelming majority of this year’s draft picks are now under contract. Of this year’s 256 selections, 239 have inked their first NFL deal. As of Monday morning, that leaves just 17 players – or 6.6% of this year’s class – unsigned. Here’s the complete breakdown of the stragglers, round by round:

First Round (12)

Second Round (3)

  • Colts, 2-36: Darius Leonard, LB (South Carolina State)
  • Colts, 2-37: Braden Smith, G (Auburn)
  • 49ers, 2-44: Dante Pettis, WR (Washington)

Third Round (1)

Fourth Round (0)

Fifth Round (1)

Sixth Round (0)

Seventh Round (0)

At this point, the bulk of this year’s stragglers are in the first round – specifically, within the top ten. So far, Broncos defensive end Bradley Chubb (No. 5 overall), Colts guard Quenton Nelson (No. 6), and Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen (No. 10) are the only players in the top ten who have signed their deals. The rest of those players are likely haggling over offset language. Offset language was at the root of Joey Bosa‘s protracted negotiations with the Chargers in 2016 and kept him from signing until the very end of August.

Contract Guarantees

June 25th, 2018 at 12:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Unlike in the NBA or MLB, players’ contracts in the NFL aren’t guaranteed by default. Typically, an NFL player will receive at least some guaranteed money when he signs a deal, but that money often comes in the form of contract bonuses, and in particular signing bonuses. While a player’s base salary, or P5 salary, will occasionally be guaranteed for a season or two, more often than not future seasons in that contract are fully non-guaranteed, allowing the team to escape the contract without much of a cap hit, particularly if the player’s bonus money was limited. 

Take Tyrann Mathieu for example. The safety inked a five-year, $62.5MM extension with the Cardinals back in 2016, but only $21.25MM of that sum was fully guaranteed. Rather than paying Mathieu a $5MM roster bonus in March, the Cardinals released him, leaving $9.3MM in dead money on the cap. Mathieu’s $60MM+ contract seemed like a whopper at the time of signing, but he only collected on a fraction of it.

Signing bonuses, which are generally paid in one or two lump sums, are fairly straightforward forms of guaranteed money, but not all guaranteed money is created equal. We saw a prime example of that when Colin Kaepernick inked a long-term extension with the 49ers in 2014. When word of the agreement first broke, Kaepernick’s guaranteed money was reported to exceed $60MM+. However, upon learning the full details of the contract, we found that only about $13MM of that total was fully guaranteed, whereas another $48MM+ was guaranteed for injury only.

An injury-only guarantee is one of three types of guarantees that a team can write into a player’s contract that apply to his base salary in a given season. These guarantees are as follows:

  • Guaranteed for injury: If a player suffers a football injury and cannot pass a physical administered by the team doctor, he would still be entitled to his full salary if the team were to release him. For a player like Kaepernick who has several future seasons guaranteed for injury only, it would take a career-ending injury for the Niners to be on the hook for all those future injury-only guaranteed salaries.
  • Guaranteed for skill: The most subjective of the three, a player whose talents have significantly declined and is released for skill-related reasons (ie. another player beats him out for a roster spot) would still be entitled to his full salary if that salary is guaranteed for skill.
  • Guaranteed for cap purposes: This form of guarantee ensures that a player who is released due to his team’s need to create cap room will still be entitled to his full salary.

A team can use a combination of these forms of guarantees, making a player’s salary guaranteed for injury and skill, for example. In the event that a player’s salary is guaranteed for injury, skill, and cap purposes, we’d refer to that salary as fully guaranteed, since the player would be eligible for his full salary regardless of the reason for his release.

As is the case with prorated bonuses, all future guaranteed salary owed to a player by a team is considered “dead money” and would accelerate onto the club’s current cap in the event of his release (over one or two years, depending on whether the cut happens after June 1). For the most part though, beyond the first year or two of a deal, that prorated signing bonus money is the only guaranteed figure remaining on the contract, which is why teams often don’t have qualms about releasing a player in the later years of his deal.

Note: This is a PFR Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to free agency, trades, or other aspects of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Information from Over the Cap was used in the creation of this post. This post was modified from an early entry by editor emeritus Luke Adams. 

This Date In Transactions History: Joe Horn Retires

June 25th, 2018 at 8:03am CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 2010, wide receiver Joe Horn officially called it a career. By signing a one-day deal with the Saints, Horn found the perfect way to ride into the sunset while also patching things up with the franchise that helped make him famous. 

Horn entered the league with the Chiefs in 1996, but he made his name with the Saints starting in 2000. Horn seemingly came from out of the blue to notch 94 catches, 1,430 yards, and eight touchdowns in his first season with New Orleans, earning him his first of four career Pro Bowl selections. Through the highs (helping the franchise to its first playoff victory), lows (a five-year playoff drought), and the in-between (hiding a cell phone in the goal post), Horn was out in front as one of the Saints’ premier players.

However, his Saints tenure ended on an awkward note in 2007 when he joined up with the rival Falcons. Things were a bit frosty between the outspoken wide receiver and the organization, but the two sides patched things up years later when he was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.

“I appreciate the city that welcomed me, and I’m humbled by this day, ” Horn said (via the Times-Picayune). “When I was embracing Coach [Sean] Payton and we immediately started reliving the good times, I felt very good leaving that golf course.”

Horn tried hard to find success after his time with the Saints, but he was never able to replicate those results. At the age of 35, the Falcons used him as a bit player in 2007. He later auditioned for the Lions, Giants, and Titans, but did not find a deal in 2008 or 2009.

It only makes sense that the Saints and Horn put the ugliness behind them to focus on the positives. Although Marques Colston and Jimmy Graham pushed him down the list in many statistical categories, Horn is still third all-time in Saints history in touchdown receptions (50), receiving yards (7,622), and receptions (523).

PFR Originals: 6/17/18 – 6/24/18

June 24th, 2018 at 9:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

 

This Date In Transactions History: Matt Cassel

June 24th, 2018 at 4:39pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

When the Patriots drafted Matt Cassel in the seventh round of the 2005 draft, nobody would’ve guessed that Cassel would go on to have a lengthy and significant NFL career. Cassel never started a game in college, he was a backup all four years at USC, but landed himself on NFL teams’ radars with a strong Pro Day performance. On this day 13 years ago, Cassel signed his rookie contract with the Patriots. 

It was a surprise when Cassel even made the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster in 2005, and even more of a shock that he continued to stick around. Eventually he worked his way from third string into being Tom Brady‘s primary backup. Cassel would entrench himself in NFL and Patriots history when Brady went down with a torn ACL in the first game of the 2008 season. Cassel stepped in and ended up starting the next 15 games for New England.

He led the Patriots to an 11-5 record while throwing for 3,693 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Although the Patriots became the first team since the NFL switched to their current playoff format to go 11-5 and not make the playoffs, it was an incredible season for Cassell. Just a couple months earlier beat writers had been predicting he would be cut from the team.

At the end of the year, the Patriots franchised tagged him and ended up trading him to the Chiefs for an early second round pick. Cassel would go on to make the Pro Bowl with the Chiefs in 2010, but flamed out soon after that and has bounced around the league as a backup ever since. He’s spent time with the Chiefs, Vikings, Bills, Cowboys, and Titans since his magical season in New England. This past April, he signed a one-year deal with the Lions.

The seventh round pick who hadn’t started a game in high school somehow saw himself quarterbacking the Patriots to an 11-5 record and earned himself a spot in the NFL for the next decade. It was a great pick by the Patriots, who ended up getting a season of stellar quarterback play and a second round pick for the 230th pick in the 2005 draft. And it all started on this day, 13 years ago.

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