Poll: Which AFC West Team Had The Best Offseason?
Of all the divisions in the NFL, perhaps none had a busier offseason than the AFC West. The Chargers were the only team in the division that didn’t change their head coach or starting quarterback. Each team had their own clear strategy for navigating the spring, but only one will emerge as the top dog in the division next season. 
The Raiders kicked off a new era in January when they signed Jon Gruden to a ten-year deal to be their new head coach. Over the last few months, Gruden has totally remade the team to fit his vision of a squad with lots of veteran leaders, while getting rid of some players whose personalities he didn’t like such as Michael Crabtree and Marquette King. They’ve signed a slew of aging veterans like Doug Martin, Jordy Nelson, and Leon Hall. They added offensive tackle Kolton Miller with their first-round pick to help bolster their offensive line and keep Derek Carr upright. The 2018 season will be the team’s first without Sebastian Janikowski as their kicker since 1999, as the team let the longtime fan favorite walk in free-agency. This Raiders team will be one of the oldest in recent league history, but with some top-line talent in Carr, Amari Cooper, and Khalil Mack, along with a very experienced locker room, they have the potential to make some noise in the AFC.
The Chargers had by far the quietest offseason of all the AFC West teams. They opted to mostly stand pat in free agency, although they did sign Mike Pouncey after he was cut by the Dolphins. The Chargers are mostly counting on the talent from last year’s team being able to get them over the hump this year. They got what many considered to be the steal of the draft when Florida State safety Derwin James fell to them at the 17th pick in the first-round. They’ve sought to address the kicking game, the team’s biggest weakness in 2017, by bringing in Caleb Sturgis and former second-round pick Roberto Aguayo to compete. On paper, the Chargers are one of the most talented teams in the league. A couple of missed field goals at the end of games was the only thing stopping them from being a playoff team last year. They’ve been a popular media pick so far to win the AFC West in 2018, and could make a deep playoff run if they can put it all together.
The Chiefs kicked off the NFL offseason by making a blockbuster trade with the Redskins, shipping out quarterback Alex Smith and officially starting the Patrick Mahomes era in Kansas City. The team had no first-round pick, but did make a splash in free agency. They signed Sammy Watkins to a three-year deal to pair with Tyreek Hill on the outside. They lost offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who took a head coaching job with the Bears. They also traded All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams, in part due to his clashes with the coaching staff. It was a tumultuous offseason for the Chiefs as they look to restart rather than rebuild. Mahomes showed flashes of brilliance during his lone regular season start last year, but it will be hard to win in a tough division with a quarterback making his first meaningful starts. Still, if any coach could pull it off, it’s probably Andy Reid.
The Broncos are coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Following their Super Bowl win in 2015, they went 9-7 in 2016 only for the wheels to come off this past year. They ended up starting three different quarterbacks, and none of Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, and Brock Osweiler were effective. Siemian and Osweiler are gone now, and Lynch will be fighting for a roster spot this summer. The team brought in Case Keenum to be their new starting quarterback, and added defensive end Bradley Chubb with the fifth overall pick. They traded Aqib Talib, a former staple of their legendary “No Fly Zone” to the Rams, and traded for former second-round safety Su’a Cravens. While the Broncos didn’t do anything crazy to revamp their roster other than bringing in Keenum, things tend to change quickly in the NFL, so it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the Broncos rebound fast from their dismal 5-11 season.
Which team do you think had the best offseason in the AFC West? Vote in PFR’s poll below and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section!
This Date In Transactions History: Andre Hastings
Last month, the Steelers traded contract-year wide receiver Martavis Bryant to the Raiders and essentially replaced him with second-rounder James Washington. This marked the latest of Pittsburgh’s decisions to move on from wideout talent during or after a first contract.
This practice has transpired for many years. In the late 1990s, the Steelers opted to let a few of their young wideouts walk as free agents. One of the first such defections came on this day 21 years ago, when the Saints signed Andre Hastings.
Hastings was a third-round Pittsburgh pick in 1993 and played on four early-Bill Cowher-era teams. Hastings’ most notable contribution came in catching a game-high 10 passes for 98 yards in Super Bowl XXX, and in his contract year, he produced a career-high 739 yards and six touchdown receptions. That was second on the 1996 Steelers, behind Yancey Thigpen, whom Pittsburgh let leave for a monster Tennessee Oilers contract in the 1998 offseason.
For the otherwise forgettable 1997 Saints, Hastings again produced a 700-plus-yard season — second to Randal Hill (also signed on May 28, 1997) — and played two more years in New Orleans. But for Pittsburgh, it was one of the first of many similar choices involving homegrown wide receivers.
The Steelers let 1998 receiving leader Charles Johnson, a 1994 first-rounder, walk in free agency before forming a stable set of wideouts — the Hines Ward/Plaxico Burress/Antwaan Randle El troika — over the next few years. This group established consistency in the early 2000s. The Steelers chose to keep Ward long-term and let Burress and Randle El walk. While the former enjoyed a strong stint with the Giants, the Steelers have proven for decades now they can identify receiving talent capable of replacing departed standouts. The next wave involved first- and third-round picks Santonio Holmes and Mike Wallace, both of whom were not retained as UFAs despite playing key roles for Super Bowl-qualifying teams. Both enjoyed their best seasons in western Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh has since hit on a third-round pick in Emmanuel Sanders and a fourth-rounder in Bryant, with neither seeing a second Steelers contract. While Sanders delivered far superior work in Denver than in Pittsburgh, the Steelers rightly prioritized Antonio Brown, who has since signed two extensions and has authored one of the most dominant stretches by a pass-catcher in NFL history.
The cycle’s continuing with Washington, who joins Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Although a proven (albeit mercurial) deep threat in Bryant is out of the picture, the Steelers have a receiver trio that’s now locked up for at least three more seasons. And the franchise has shown a time-tested acumen for big-picture planning in this department, churning out wideouts regardless of the ones that leave.
This Date In Transactions History: Ryan Clark
14 years ago today, a former undrafted free agent’s future was in question. Fast forward to now, and he’s one of the most beloved players in Steelers history.
After going undrafted out of LSU in 2002, safety Ryan Clark spent two forgettable seasons with the Giants. The defensive back was relatively productive during his sophomore campaign (21 tackles, one sack, two passes defended in 16 games (four starts)), but he seemingly didn’t do enough to earn a longer look from the organization. On May 27th, 2004, the Giants let go of the young safety.
This ended up being a blessing in disguise for the Steelers, but it’d take several years to translate. After all, Clark initially caught on with the Redskins, who he’d play with for two seasons. Thanks to injuries to Matt Bowen and Andre Lott, Clark got an opportunity to start, and he ended up starting 24 games between 2004 and 2005. However, in a widely-panned moved, Washington ended up moving on from Clark after inking Adam Archuleta to a lucrative deal.
Clark then landed in Pittsburgh, where he’d spend the next eight years of his career. The safety started all but two of his games while he was with the Steelers, and he compiled at least 80 tackles for six straight seasons. Clark started all three postseason games for the Steelers en route to their Super Bowl XLIII victory, and he also helped guide the team to a Super Bowl loss during the 2010 campaign. He even made a Pro Bowl in 2011 after finishing with 100 tackles, one sack, five passed defended, and one interception.
By the time Clark ended up returning to Washington in 2014, he had earned a spot on a couple of the Steelers all-time top-1o lists, including tackles (10th – 448) and passes defended (8th – 44). Still, if the Giants had decided to give the safety a longer look, who knows if Clark would have ever found his way to Pittsburgh.
PFR Originals: 5/20/18 – 5/27/18
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- In our latest This Date In Transactions History post, Zach Links examined the one-year contract wide receiver Jerry Rice inked with the Broncos inked at this time 14 years ago. Rice, who had spent the end of his career in Oakland and Seattle, realized he would be no higher than fourth or fifth on Denver’s depth chart, and opted to hang up his cleats.
- Now that the Chargers have lost Hunter Henry for the 2018 campaign, Zach asked PFR readers whether Los Angeles should consider re-signing franchise icon Antonio Gates. The Bolts had previously indicated Gates wasn’t in the club’s 2018 plans, but that may changed now that Henry is down with a torn ACL.
- In another This Date in Transactions History entry, Ben Levine looked at the curious case of defensive back Will Allen, who signed a two-year extension with the Dolphins in 2009…but proceeded to play in zero games under his new deal. A torn ACL and a DUI arrest forced Allen to miss time and ultimately renegotiate his contract, but Miami cut ties nonetheless.
- Sam Robinson probed Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers‘ next contract in our latest Community Tailgate post. Rodgers is fully expected to become the league’s highest-paid player, so it’s just a matter of how the deal is structured. With that in mind, Sam wondered whether Rodgers’ extension could be tied to a percentage of the salary cap.
- The safety market has been infamously slow to develop this offseason, leading Rory Parks to ask PFR readers who will be the first safety to ultimately land a new deal. Kenny Vaccaro and Tre Boston are virtually tied in the polling, with Eric Reid perhaps weighted down by his national anthem stance.
Community Tailgate: Rodgers’ Contract
With Kirk Cousins‘ and Matt Ryan‘s landmark deals completed, the market is seemingly set up for Aaron Rodgers to reset it. He seems to agree, if an airport encounter with Thomas Dimitroff is any indication.
But now that those dominoes have fallen, and the QB market’s per-year ceiling has been raised by $3MM as a result, what will Rodgers’ deal look like?
Cousins ushered the NFL into new territory with a fully guaranteed contract. The Packers’ starting quarterback’s accomplishments dwarfing the Vikings’ new one, he will certainly command more money. But the Packers may not be eager to structure Rodgers’ deal this way — a three-year, fully guaranteed agreement — since he’s under contract through 2019 on his current pact.
Green Bay has Rodgers signed to what became an incredibly team-friendly contract (five years, $110MM), and while it’s virtually impossible to imagine Rodgers getting to the 2019 season on his current deal and the leverage that would come with that position, his through-’19 accord wouldn’t seem to line up with a Cousins-type deal.
Ryan’s contract structure — five years, $150MM — would make more sense for the Packers, and that certainly would be the floor for the two-time MVP that’s probably the most valuable commodity in the NFL. Rodgers is only entering his age-34 season and recently said near-future retirement is not in the cards for him.
The 2005 first-round pick had to wait until his fourth season to start, and top-tier QB peers like Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger are much closer to retirement than he is. The Packers’ long-term future can still include the two-time MVP, and thus a perpetual Super Bowl window. And with those future Hall of Famers out of the picture at some point, Rodgers could have an even bigger opportunity to burnish his legacy.
Assuming the Packers follow the Falcons’ blueprint here, how much can Rodgers justifiably earn? The quarterback market moved rather slowly after Rodgers signed his extension in spring 2013. Entering the summer of 2017, the NFL hadn’t yet seen a $25MM-per-year player. But now that the market’s rapidly escalated, it sets up well for Rodgers to transport salaries further north.
Ryan’s $30MM AAV comprises approximately 17 percent of the league’s $177MM salary cap. Rodgers’ $22MM-per-year deal actually represented a greater percentage of the $123MM cap (18 percent) in 2013. An 18 percent chunk of the current cap is nearly $32MM, which would be quite reasonable. But with the cap rising, and Rodgers’ value being displayed via his absence last season, he could obviously ask for more. Is any kind of Packers-friendly discount, for the purposes of the franchise optimally building around him, in the cards? The cap’s steady rise and Rodgers’ 2013 contract becoming outdated (currently 10th among QBs) may nix that logic quickly.
Is a contract that is tied to a percentage of the salary cap a viable scenario? If a player was going to pursue that, Cousins may have been the one — a free agent franchise-level passer in his prime. But Rodgers’ immense importance to his team may make him a logical candidate for such an attempt. It would prevent his deal from becoming a bargain as the cap climbs toward (and eventually exceeds) $200MM in the next few years, but the Packers would obviously be hesitant about this type of player-friendly structure.
So, what will Rodgers’ next contract look like? He seems likely to exceed Ryan’s $94.5MM fully guaranteed figure, but by how much? Is he going to push for a $35MM-per-year deal and take the quarterback market to another stratosphere, or is a pact somewhere in between that and Ryan’s AAV where this will end up? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section!
This Date In Transactions History: Will Allen
In 2009, Will Allen was coming off three productive seasons with the Dolphins, and he was quickly establishing himself as one of the most reliable cornerbacks in the NFL. On May 26th, the cornerback signed a two-year, $16.2MM extension ($10MM guaranteed) with Miami… and he proceeded to play zero games under his new deal.
With one year remaining on his contract, Allen signed the deal prior to the 2009 season. The deal was set to kick in during the 2010 campaign and would last through 2011. He looked like he was worth the money during the first chunk of the 2009 season, compiling 21 tackles, two interceptions, and six passes defended. It quickly went down hill for the defensive back, as he tore his ACL in a Week 6 matchup with the Saints, ending his season. That offseason, Allen was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after nearly blowing through a police roadblock.
Then, one week before the 2010 season (the season when his new contract was set to kick in), Allen was placed on the IR with a knee issue. To stick around Miami for the 2011 campaign, the defensive back had to rip up his lucrative deal and settle for a new, one-year contract that paid significantly less than the $5.5MM he was set to make. However, the veteran was ultimately released from this new deal prior to the start of the regular season.
Allen ended up catching on with Miami again in mid-September, and he ultimately compiled 43 tackles and three passes defended in 15 games. However, the team technically ended up getting zero production out of their initial $10MM investment.
Poll: Should The Chargers Re-Sign Gates?
Earlier this year, the Chargers informed Antonio Gates that they would not re-sign him for a 16th season with the Bolts. However, their situation has changed in recent days after Hunter Henry‘s season-ending ACL tear. 
“We’ll look at all the options that are out there. We’ve got time to do it right now,” GM Ted Telesco said when asked about Gates earlier this week.
Gates, 38 in June, isn’t quite the player he was in 2009, but he was highly productive as recently as two years ago when he caught 53 passes for 548 yards and seven scores. On a limited snap count, Gates could help replace some of Henry’s production in 2018, even if he doesn’t match his 12.9 yards per catch average.
Gates’ familiarity with the Chargers’ offense and personnel also shouldn’t be discounted. He’s been catching passes from Philip Rivers since 2004 while earning eight Pro Bowl nods and three First-Team All-Pro selections along the way.
The 6’4″ tight end probably represents the splashiest move they could make, but he’s not the only noteworthy tight end available. Julius Thomas, Brent Celek, and Coby Fleener are all out there for the taking and it’s possible that one of those three players would be more amicable to playing in a limited role than Gates.
Alternatively, the Chargers could patch things up at TE by shifting sixth-round rookie Dylan Cantrell from receiver to tight end. Cantrell has the height (6’3″) and may have blocking ability ability to make the move, but he’s untested.
All things considered, do you think the Chargers should change course and re-sign Gates? Cast your vote below and support your decision in the comment section.
This Date In Transactions History: Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice is best remembered for his remarkable 16-year career with the Niners, in which he earned a dozen Pro Bowl nods and ten First-Team All-Pro selections. After that, Rice had some less remarkable – but still productive – seasons with the Raiders. His final NFL games were spent in a Seahawks uniform, but that wasn’t the original plan. On this date in 2004, Rice signed a one-year contract with the Broncos. 
“For so many years there was so much pressure on me,” Rice told Denver beat reporters on a conference call after signing his deal (via The Associated Press). “I had to set a certain standard and I still carry on that standard. But I had a lot of weight on my shoulders. I had blinders on. I couldn’t hear the crowd. I couldn’t hear them chanting my name and I couldn’t see little kids in the stands. I was so focused on what I had to do. The last couple of years, though, he has been more of a role player. The ball was not coming my way every down and I’m really enjoying the game and having fun.”
Rice was 42 years old at the time, meaning that his plans to continue playing were ambitious, even by Jon Gruden‘s standards today. In 2004, the legendary receiver totaled just 30 catches for 429 yards and three touchdowns. Even though he still averaged an impressive 14.3 yards per reception, he was no longer the player that he once was, and Denver head coach Mike Shanahan did not guarantee his place on the roster.
“I told Jerry that I don’t know if he’s lost a step or two steps, but you’re going to come here for one reason and that’s to compete with the other guys,” Shanahan said. “And if you’re one of our top five guys at the end of camp, then you’re going to be on our football team. If you’re not, I said I’d have one of the toughest jobs in the world.”
As the season drew near, Rice realized that he would be no higher than fourth or fifth on the Broncos’ depth chart. After serving as a role player in ’04, Rice decided in September that he would rather retire than be a role player in Denver.
The receiver left the game with remarkable league-record totals of 1,549 catches for 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns – numbers that are in no danger of being eclipsed anytime soon, unless Larry Fitzgerald changes course and decides to play into his 40s.
So, Rice’s run with the Broncos never came to pass, but if you happen to have his replica orange-and-blue jersey hanging in your closet, you can probably fetch a nice price for it on eBay.
PFR Originals: 5/13/18 – 5/20/18
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past seven days:
- With the draft now in the rearview mirror, Ryan Posner asked PFR readers which rookie quarterback will log the most playing time in 2018. Given that five signal-callers came off the board in the first round, a number of rookies figure to see significant snaps during the upcoming campaign. But the Jets’ Sam Darnold is currently leading the results with roughly a third of the vote, with Josh Rosen (Cardinals) and Josh Allen (Bills) trailing just behind.
- Rookies are only part of the quarterback equation, as many clubs addressed their weakness under center through the free agent market. With that in mind, Sam Robinson asked PFR readers which team best attacked the quarterback position this offseason. So far, the Vikings — who signed Kirk Cousins to a fully guaranteed three-year deal and acquired Trevor Siemian from the Broncos — are taking the cake with 29% of the vote.
- Dez Bryant hasn’t garnered any concrete interest since being released by the Cowboys last month, and it’s unclear if the former Dallas star will land a contract any time soon. In our latest Community Tailgate post, Rory Parks asked PFR readers where Bryant will play next season, noting potential destinations such as the Packers and Bills.
- In a pair of This Date in Transactions History posts, Ben Levine examined both the Bruce Irvin‘s 2012 suspension and the Patriots’ decision to sign Malcolm Butler as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Irvin’s ban led the Seahawks to sign both Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, while Butler’s signing paid off immensely (until his untimely benching in this year’s Super Bowl).
Community Tailgate: Where Will Dez Bryant Play In 2018?
Dez Bryant sits atop PFR’s most recent ranking of the top 10 offensive players still available on the free agent market. Still just 29, he is a three-time Pro-Bowler with one first-team All-Pro nod to his credit, and he was targeted 132 times last season. Though he is clearly no longer the player he was earlier in his career, the fact that he has only piqued the interest of just one team — the Ravens — since he was released by the Cowboys is a surprise.
Of course, the timing of his release was a bit unfortunate. He was cut over a month after free agency opened, and at that point, most of the WR1/WR2 vacancies had been filled, and teams did not have as much money to spend. Plus, with the draft right around the corner, clubs were devoting more attention to collegiate prospects than anything else.
Baltimore did offer Bryant a three-year, $21MM pact, but he turned it down, as he prefers a one-year deal that would enable him to boost his value and give himself one more shot at a big-money contract (if he had his way, he would also sign on with an NFC East team). Outside of the Ravens’ offer, however, the only news on Bryant is that teams are not interested in him, even on a league minimum deal. There are a number of clubs that still make sense as a potential landing spot — like the Packers and Bills — but those teams have generally indicated that they do not plan to pursue the former first-round selection.
Bryant was never a gifted route runner, and his earlier success stemmed largely from his athleticism and his ability to make contested catches. As he has gotten older and dealt with injury problems, his physical advantages have evaporated to a large degree, and that reality, combined with his perceived attitude issues, is doubtlessly scaring teams away. But still….no interest at all?
As always, players will sustain injuries, players will underperform, and front office executives will reassess their roster on a daily basis. Bryant will find a job, even if he has to accept a contract not at all to his liking. But we would like to know your thoughts on the matter. Why is no one willing to entertain the notion of signing him right now, where will he ultimately end up, and what does the future hold for the Oklahoma State product who was one of the most exciting players in football not too long ago?