This Date In Transactions History: Ed Reed
In his prime, few players were more fearsome than safety Ed Reed. On this date in 2006, the Ravens rewarded Reed with a six-year, $40MM contract, making him the highest-paid player at his position in league history. 
The previous league-leading deal for safeties belonged to Adam Archuleta, who inked a six-year, $30MM deal with the Redskins in March of ’06. Reed blew past him on a rocket ship, and for good reason.
Reed became a starter as a rookie in 2002 and quickly cemented himself as a key cog in Baltimore’s defense. He notched 21 interceptions in his first three seasons and led the league with nine picks in 2004. Although he was held back by an ankle injury in 2005, the Ravens saw a Reed as a multiple-time Pro Bowler who was ready to get back to his old form.
“It was his time,” GM Ozzie Newsome said. “He has earned the contract.”
Indeed, the Ravens were right. Reed came back in a big way in ’06 as he started in every game and tallied five picks, plus two in the postseason. He earned Pro Bowl nods in every season from 2006 through 2012 and picked up four First-Team All-Pro nods in that span.
Reed earned his first ring in the Super Bowl following the 2012 season and notched his ninth career postseason interception in the big game. Although he was still productive, Reed and the Ravens went their separate ways in the offseason. Reed signed a three-year, $15MM deal with the Texans, but that deal was terminated midway through the ’13 campaign. He reunited with Rex Ryan by signing with the Jets, but he was unable to turn back the clock. After sitting out the 2014 season, Reed signed a one-day contract with Baltimore so that he could retire a Raven.
Reed’s final season on the field was forgettable, but the extension he signed with the Ravens in 2006 proved to be a win-win for both sides. Reed cashed in and gained financial security in a violent sport, and the Ravens got elite level production out of him for the majority of the deal.
Extension Candidate: Anthony Barr
Over the past two offseasons, the Vikings have signed a number of their defensive players to extensions: cornerback Xavier Rhodes, defensive end Everson Griffen, defensive tackle Linval Joseph, and (most recently) defensive end Danielle Hunter. That leaves linebacker Anthony Barr as the one defender who’s yet to sign a new deal.
Barr, a 2014 first-round pick, is heading into his fifth-year option season, and he’ll earn a $12.3MM base salary. Plenty of teams would line up to sign the three-time Pro Bowler should he hit free agency next year, especially if he has another season like he did in 2017. The 26-year-old finished the year having compiled a career-high 75 tackles to go along with one sack and six passes defended.
It sounds like the Vikings are going to now shift their focus to locking up Barr (and wideout Stefon Diggs), with general manager Rick Spielman indicating today that he wants to retain their entire core. While recent reports had hinted that contract negotiations were progressing, Barr didn’t sound as optimistic earlier this week. The linebacker said an extension was “more about feeling valued and respected than the actual dollar amount.” He also noted that while he wants “to be there long term… It’s not my decision; it’s on them, and I would like to get it.” Barr had already skipped out on non-mandatory workouts, perhaps showcasing his unhappiness with the situation.
While Barr is surely frustrated with the fact that his teammates have received lucrative extensions, he’s probably also aggravated at the team’s disappearing cap space. Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune estimates that the Vikings will have around $27MM in cap space in 2019. While that’s still enough space to sign Barr, they might have a tough time signing him if he’s looking to become one of the highest-paid linebackers. While it’s unlikely that he’ll receive a deal that’s more than the $12MM annual salary he’s set to earn this year, an $11MM annual salary would still place him in the top-5 among 4.3 outside linebackers. Considering the team’s cap constraints, this would likely be the most money they’d be willing to offer.
Fortunately for the Vikings, their defense will be fine with or without Barr. In fact, their decision to hold off on the linebacker’s extension could be an indication of his standing within the organization. While a deal is still expected to get done, it wouldn’t be overly surprising if Barr ends up hitting free agency next summer.
This Date In Transactions History: Desmond Bishop
Five years ago today, the Vikings added what they presumed would be their new starting linebacker. Unfortunately, the veteran’s injury woes continued during his brief tenure in Minnesota.
On June 27th, 2013, the Vikings signed linebacker Desmond Bishop to a one-year contract. The 2007 sixth-round pick out of California had spent his entire career with the division-rival Packers, and he proved to be a revelation in Green Bay. After serving as mostly a backup during his first three seasons in the league, Bishop had a breakout campaign in 2010, finishing with 99 tackles (which was more than his previous three seasons combined). He also had a fumble recovery in his team’s Super Bowl XLV win over the Steelers.
His breakout campaign earned him a four-year, $19MM extension, and Bishop followed that up with an even better season in 2011. He ultimately established career-highs with 115 tackles, five sacks, and two forced fumbles. Unfortunately, Bishop suffered a significant hamstring injury during the 2012 preseason, forcing him to miss the entire campaign. He ended up being released by the team prior to training camp in 2013.
After having visited the Chiefs and Vikings, Bishop ultimately decided to join Minnesota. While he was projected to slide into the team’s starting lineup, he lost the gig early on during the 2013 season. Then, in mid-October, the linebacker tore his ACL, ending his season. During his one year in Minnesota, Bishop compiled only five tackles in four games (one start). He’d later have brief stints with the Cardinals, 49ers, and Redskins.
Following a 2012 campaign that saw them go 10-6, the Vikings were probably hoping that Bishop would provide them with a veteran presence on defense (they even released former fourth-rounder Stanford Keglar to make the necessary roster space). Fortunately for Minnesota, they didn’t lock themselves into a long-term deal with the linebacker.
PFR Glossary: NFL Supplemental Draft
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
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?
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:
This Date In Transactions History: Julius Peppers
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?
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.
94% Of Draft Picks Have Signed
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)
- Browns, 1-1: Baker Mayfield, QB (Oklahoma)
- Giants, 1-2: Saquon Barkley, RB (Penn State)
- Jets, 1-3: Sam Darnold, QB (USC)
- Browns, 1-4: Denzel Ward, CB (Ohio State)
- Bills, 1-7: Josh Allen, QB (Wyoming)
- Bears, 1-8: Roquan Smith, LB (Georgia)
- 49ers, 1-9: Mike McGlinchey, T (Notre Dame)
- Falcons, 1-26: Calvin Ridley, WR (Alabama)
- Steelers, 1-28: Terrell Edmunds, S (Virginia Tech)
- Jaguars, 1-29: Taven Bryan, DT (Florida)
- Vikings, 1-30: Mike Hughes, CB (UCF)
- Patriots, 1-31: Sony Michel, RB (Georgia)
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)
- Broncos, 3-71: Royce Freeman, RB (Oregon)
Fourth Round (0)
Fifth Round (1)
- Giants, 5-139: RJ McIntosh, DT (Miami)
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
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.