PFR Originals 5/10/15 – 5/17/15
The original content produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- Luke Adams looked at the largest contracts of the 2015 offseason, noting that Ndamukong Suh‘s deal with the Dolphins dwarfs nearly every other deal signed over the past few months.
- I examined the possibility and parameters of a potential extension the Eagles and quarterback Sam Bradford.
- Luke also provided several updates on 2015 franchise-tagged players.
- Zach Links asked if Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will have his DeflateGate suspension reduced from four games, and roughly 63% of you think it will be lessened. Thanks for voting!
Poll: Will Tom Brady Get His Suspension Reduced?
After being slapped with a four-game suspension, Tom Brady is digging in his heels and he’s bringing serious firepower with him. Brady, as we learned earlier this week, will enlist the help of the NFLPA, despite his previously tenuous relationship with them. He’s also bringing Jeffrey Kessler, a man who has been termed as the “arch nemesis” of the NFL. Kessler ran point on Adrian Peterson‘s recent appeal and is also widely credited with helping to forge free agency in football after winning the Freeman McNeil case and settling the Reggie White case.
However, the deck seems to be pretty stacked against him. The 2011 CBA affords commissioner Roger Goodell the right to hear any appeal and, despite the very vocal protests from the union, he’ll be exercising that right. The statement released by the league office seemed to be pushing the notion that Goodell will be an unbiased arbiter, claiming that NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent was the one who determined the punishment with Goodell being the one to “authorize” it. It all seems pretty unfair. That is, if you can ever say life for a four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback who is married to one of the world’s most renowned supermodels is unfair.
The Patriots are still undecided as to whether they’ll fight the penalties handed down to them, but both Brady and Goodell are preparing for battle. The quarterback may be coming in with a Dream Team legal defense, but Goodell plans to interview indefinitely suspended Patriots employees John Jastremski and Jim McNally as witnesses for Brady’s appeal. Brady, meanwhile, is expected to file suit against the NFL to have Goodell replaced with a neutral arbitrator. It is certain that things will get ugly, but the outcome is anything but certain. When all is said and done, do you think Brady will be able to get his suspension slashed from four games?
Largest NFL Free Agent Contracts Of 2015
A year ago, identifying the NFL’s largest free agent contract wasn’t so easy. If you looked at a list of the biggest contracts by overall base value, Denver’s Aqib Talib topped the list at $57MM over six years. However, Talib only ranked third among free agents in per-year salary, and he didn’t even crack the top 10 in fully guaranteed money.
This time around, there’s less ambiguity. A player of Ndamukong Suh‘s stature rarely reaches the open market, so it’s no surprise that his new contracts blows away the field when it comes to overall value, annual average, and fully guaranteed money. After Suh, Darrelle Revis, who opted for a long-term contract this time around rather than settling for another short-term deal, places second on each list.
After those two top-tier free agents though, the lists diverge a little, as you’ll see below. One thing seems certain though, when comparing this year’s data to 2014’s — teams were more willing to pay top dollar for the best players on the market in 2015. A year ago, only Revis and DeMarcus Ware earned eight-digit annual salaries in free agency, and both players were on fairly short contracts. This year, five players signed for $10MM per year or more, and all of those players are on at least four-year contracts.
Similarly, a year ago, Branden Albert‘s $20MM guarantee topped all free agents — the Dolphins’ tackle was the only player to receive at least $20MM in fully guaranteed money. This time? Not only does Suh’s guaranteed money nearly triple Albert’s, but Revis’ almost doubles it, and a total of eight players were guaranteed at least $20MM.
We could point to a number of factors for that increase in spending. Most notably, the top of this year’s free agent class was simply more impressive than 2014’s class; additionally, the cap is in the rise, which means player salaries are too. Whatever the reason, a handful of clubs were willing to roll the dice this offseason on big-time free agent contracts that will be on their books for years.
While the lists below include players who neared free agency before ultimately re-signing with their own teams – think Jerry Hughes or Kareem Jackson – it doesn’t include a number of other big-name free agents. Greg Hardy‘s one-year, $11.312MM deal with the Cowboys isn’t included in the group of contracts with the largest per-year salaries, since most of his money is tied to per-game roster bonuses, which Hardy won’t earn while he’s suspended.
Meanwhile, franchised players like Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Justin Houston, and Jason Pierre-Paul would also crack that list of top annual average salaries if they accept their one-year offers. But so far, none of those players has actually signed his franchise tender, as I outlined yesterday.
Without further ado, here are the biggest free agent contracts of 2015:
Largest contracts by overall base value:
- Ndamukong Suh, DT (Dolphins): $114.375MM, six years
- Darrelle Revis, CB (Jets): $70.121MM, five years
- Byron Maxwell, CB (Eagles): $63MM, six years
- Jeremy Maclin, WR (Chiefs): $55MM, five years
- Devin McCourty, S (Patriots): $47.5MM, five years
- Julius Thomas, TE (Jaguars): $46MM, five years
- Jerry Hughes, OLB (Bills): $45MM, five years
- Rodney Hudson, C (Raiders: $44.5MM, five years
- Jared Odrick, DE (Jaguars): $42.5MM, five years
- (tie) Randall Cobb, WR (Packers): $40MM, four years; DeMarco Murray, RB (Eagles): $40MM, five years; Torrey Smith, WR (49ers): $40MM, five years; Mike Iupati, G (Cardinals): $40MM, five years
Largest contracts by annual average:
- Ndamukong Suh, DT (Dolphins): $19.063MM
- Darrelle Revis, CB (Jets): $14.024MM
- Jeremy Maclin, WR (Chiefs): $11MM
- Byron Maxwell, CB (Eagles): $10.5MM
- Randall Cobb, WR (Packers): $10MM
- Devin McCourty, S (Patriots): $9.5MM
- Julius Thomas, TE (Jaguars): $9.2MM
- Brandon Flowers, CB (Chargers): $9.1MM
- Jerry Hughes, OLB (Bills): $9MM
- Rodney Hudson, C (Raiders): $8.9MM
Largest contracts by fully guaranteed money:
- Ndamukong Suh, DT (Dolphins): $59.955MM
- Darrelle Revis, CB (Jets): $39MM
- Charles Clay, TE (Bills): $24.5MM
- Jeremy Maclin, WR (Chiefs): $22.5MM
- (tie) Devin McCourty, S (Patriots); Byron Maxwell, CB (Eagles): $22MM
- Julius Thomas, TE (Jaguars): $21MM
- Kareem Jackson, CB (Texans): $20MM
- (tie) DeMarco Murray, RB (Eagles); Brandon Flowers, CB (Chargers): $18MM
- Jerry Hughes, OLB (Bills): $17.625MM
- Jared Odrick, DE (Jaguars): $17MM
Data from Over The Cap was used in the creation of this post.
Update On Franchise-Tagged Players
Pro Football Rumors’ list of current free agents features a number of interesting names, including veteran players like Steven Jackson, Wes Welker, and Reggie Wayne. But the most intriguing free agents remaining on the list are a handful of players with an “(F)” following their names — Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Justin Houston, and Jason Pierre-Paul.
Of course, if these players were truly unrestricted free agents, they would’ve been snapped up about two minutes after free agency opened back in March. That “F” signals that they’ve been franchised by their respective clubs, with the non-exclusive tag. They’re still technically free agents, since they have yet to sign their one-year tenders, but their free agency is restricted — any team wanting to sign one of these players would have to submit an offer sheet, and surrender two first-round picks if their offer isn’t matched by the player’s current club.
That’s a steep price to pay for any team, which is likely why we haven’t heard of any potential suitors trying to make a run for any of these players. You could make an argument that a team with cap flexibility that expects to pick late in the first round in the next couple years – the Packers, Bengals, or Chargers, for instance – should consider making a run at a star pass rusher like Houston. However, spending time negotiating with a franchised player and attempting to craft an offer that his team won’t match takes a lot of time and effort. And when the alternative to simply wasting time is losing two first-round picks and committing upwards of $15MM annually to a free agent, it makes sense that teams would be wary.
In all likelihood then, these four “free agents” will simply return to their current teams. So far though, none of the four have reported to their respective clubs’ offseason programs.
Asked about Pierre-Paul’s potential attendance at next month’s mandatory minicamp, Giants coach Tom Coughlin told Newsday’s Tom Rock, “I expect him to be there.” That’s a sentiment I imagine head coaches Jason Garrett, Gary Kubiak, and Andy Reid would echo for their own franchised players.
Because these four players have yet to sign their tenders though, they’re under no obligation to attend a so-called “mandatory” minicamp or even July’s training camp. Those camps are only mandatory for players under contract, and Bryant, Thomas, Houston, and Pierre-Paul aren’t under contract for now.
So what’s the next step for these players? That next step could still be a couple months away. July 15 represents a key deadline, since it’s the last day a franchised player can sign a multiyear extension with his team. If no long-term deal is in place by then, the player will likely have to simply sign his one-year tender (though not necessarily right away) and play out the 2015 season before potentially hitting unrestricted free agency in 2016.
The Cowboys, Broncos, Chiefs, and Giants are all believed to have discussed long-term contracts with their franchised players at some point, whether that happened recently or as far back as last fall. While those talks may not have been fruitful up until now, deadlines tend to spur action, so over the next two months, it will be worth keeping an eye on these four players to see how many of them bridge the gaps and reach agreements on multiyear extensions, avoiding the uncertainty of a one-year deal for 2015.
For what it’s worth, the only player whose franchise tender remained unsigned as training camp approached last year was Jimmy Graham — Graham and the Saints ultimately struck a deal on – you guessed it – July 15.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Extension Candidate: Sam Bradford
As soon as the Eagles acquired quarterback Sam Bradford on March 10, rumors began to swirl that the former Ram wasn’t long for Philadelphia. Both St. Louis head coach Jeff Fisher and Eagles head coach Chip Kelly both claimed that they’d been offered a first-round pick for Bradford (the Browns were eventually revealed as the mystery club), and many assumed that the former 
No. 1 overall pick was simply trade bait, an asset for Kelly to flip in an effort to acquire his former college QB, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota.
As the draft approached, it appeared that Bradford was still on the table, as reports indicated that Kelly was attempting to deal some combination of draft picks, defensive lineman Fletcher Cox, cornerback Brandon Boykin, linebacker Mychal Kendricks, and Bradford in an effort to acquire either the No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick. Kelly later denied that he offered Bradford (or any other players) in trade negotiations, but Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report said the Eagles offering up Bradford “like he was a slice of pizza.”
In the end, neither the Buccaneers nor the Titans accepted any of Philadelphia’s rumored proposals, and ultimately selected quarterbacks Jamies Wintson and Mariota, respectively. The Eagles, meanwhile, stayed put at pick No. 20, and drafted USC receiver Nelson Agholor. Kelly & Co. now appear fully committed to utilizing Bradford as their starting quarterback in 2015, and apparently still have interest in extending him.
Even if Bradford and the Eagles agree to discuss a multi-year deal, there could be significant hurdles to clear. For his part, Bradford has indicated that he won’t accept a “substandard” extension; rather, he’d prefer to play out 2015, hope for a strong season, and reassess his market value during next year’s free agent period. So if Philadelphia has hopes of leveraging Bradford’s injury issues into a team-friendly contract, it might be disappointed.
For Bradford, this mindset makes complete sense. As the final No. 1 overall pick under the previous contractual bargaining agreement, Bradford was able to sign a rookie deal that had no slot value, and offered significantly larger base salaries and guarantees than the current CBA allows for. Somewhat surprisingly given his injury history, Bradford will end up playing out the entirety of his six-year rookie contract, earning $78MM in the process. Provided he’s managed his money correctly, Bradford has zero financial incentive to settle for a mediocre extension — he can simply wait out the Eagles until they offer a package that he likes, or head to free agency next March.
From the Eagles’ perspective, a possible extension for Bradford carries risk for two opposing reasons. On one hand, Kelly’s offensive scheme has the power to inflate quarterback statistics — take Nick Foles‘ 2013 season, or part of Mark Sanchez‘s 2014 season, for example. Bradford may not be the perfect fit for Kelly’s system that Mariota was, but neither was Foles or Sanchez. It’s not difficult to imagine Bradford posting an excellent 2015 season, and in the process significantly upping his contract demands. With that in mind, working out an extension now could save Philadelphia money in the long run.
On the other hand, it’s difficult not to be wary of Bradford’s lengthy injury history. He’s now suffered two torn ACLs in his five-year career, and he’s played in only 49 out of a possible 80 games since entering the league. The Eagles unquestionably field a better offensive line than the Rams, which should lead to a cleaner pocket for Bradford and in theory, less injury potential. But it could be tough for Philadelphia to commit a large sum of money to a player who might not be on the field too often.
Though Bradford may not be the perfect fit for Kelly’s scheme, Kelly realizes that finding such a quarterback could prove difficult. Additionally, the Eagles plan to be in a constant state of contention, meaning they will reload, not rebuild, as Kelly explained to Derrick Gunn of CSNPhilly.com last week:
“[T]he one thing I can promise is that we’re not going to just sit there and hopefully in a couple of years we’re going to build this thing. We’re not waiting for the draft of 2017 to turn this thing around.
“[I]f you want to play with the odds as we want to play, it’s got to be with a quarterback situation and then the only way you’re going to get a quarterback is you got to be really not very good so you finish in the top 1-2 in the draft. If we’re not very good and we finish with the top 1-2 in the draft, I don’t think I’m going to be here, so we better find another way to find a quarterback.”
Kelly is clearly happy with Bradford as his starting quarterback, and Bradford seems to want to stay in Philadelphia, as reports last month indicated that he would only sign an extension that contained a no-trade clause because he wants to play for Kelly. Now that the draft has passed without him being dealt, Bradford probably isn’t dead-set on such a clause any longer, but the sentiment remains.
Ultimately, I think a short-term extension makes the most sense for both sides. It’s easy to forget that Bradford is still just 27 years old, so tacking on three years to his current deal would result in him hitting the free agent market at 31, when he could garner yet another large contract. Bradford could end up earning a somewhat surprising total — the fact the clubs were willing to part with a first-rounder to acquire him signifies his value in the current QB-scarce landscape.
A three-year deal that compares to that of Cardinals signal-caller Carson Palmer could make some sense — at age 35, Palmer is significantly older than Bradford, but he also has a more recent record of success. Palmer is scheduled to earn almost $50MM over three seasons, with $14MM in full guarantees. I’d guess that a Bradford extension would come in lower than that, maybe around $35-40MM, with roughly the same guarantees. It would also need to come with serious injury protection for the Eagles, and would probably contain quite a bit of money tied up in per-game roster bonuses — if Bradford isn’t on the field, he wouldn’t be earning those bonuses.
Whether or not Bradford would accept such a deal is the central question. Would he prefer to bet on himself, hope to perform well this season, and offer his services to the highest bidder next March? Or does he want to commit to a talented coach in Kelly and a team that is set up for success? The answer could provide the blueprint for the Eagles future for years to come.
PFR Originals: 5/3/15 – 5/10/15
The original content produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- Luke Adams provided us with an update on restricted free agents. A large portion of the restricted free agent class, including Seahawks wideout Jermaine Kearse and Ravens safety Will Hill, simply signed their tenders. Defensive end George Johnson and safety Sean Richardson signed offer sheets with other teams, and Chris Polk had his RFA tender rescinded by the Eagles. Although the deadline to sign with another team was in April, two restricted free agents (both Browns) remain unsigned: safety Tashaun Gipson and defensive tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen.
- The deadline for teams to decide whether to pick up their 2012 first-rounder’s fifth-year option was last Sunday, and Luke reviewed who had their option exercised and who did not.
- Luke asked which draft-day faller ultimately ended up being the best value. More than a quarter of you pointed to the Cowboys‘ selection of defensive end/linebacker Randy Gregory, while 18-percent of you said Texans‘ wideout Jaelen Strong.
- As teams look to ink their draft picks to rookie contracts, you can stay updated on the progress of your favorite team.
Update On Restricted Free Agents
Most of the league’s notable unrestricted free agents come off the board in mid-March, within days – or hours – of officially hitting the open market. However, the process for restricted free agents can often drag out a little longer.
Over the last several weeks, players who received restricted free agent tenders from their respective teams have, for the most part, simply signed them. Players like Ravens safety Will Hill, Jets defensive tackle Damon Harrison, Colts linebacker Jerrell Freeman, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, and – most recently – Seahawks wideout Jermaine Kearse will return to their clubs for at least one more season, earning either $1.542MM (the low-end tender) or $2.356MM (the second-round tender). Then, if they don’t work out a longer-term deal, they’ll be unrestricted free agents in 2016.
Not every restricted free agent has simply signed his tender. Lions defensive end George Johnson signed an offer sheet with the Buccaneers, and Packers safety Sean Richardson inked one with the Raiders. After disputing the terms of his offer sheet with the Bucs, the Lions eventually let Johnson go to Tampa Bay, getting a draft pick in the deal for their troubles. Green Bay, meanwhile, matched Oakland’s offer for Richardson, bringing him back to the team.
One restricted free agent, Eagles running back Chris Polk, had his RFA tender rescinded by the team, allowing him the freedom to sign with another team — Polk and his new club then wouldn’t have to worry about Philadelphia matching an offer sheet. The running back quickly found a new home with the Texans, just a couple days after the Eagles withdrew their one-year offer.
The deadline for restricted free agents to sign an offer sheet with another team came and went last month (April 24), but two players appear to still be unsigned, and both of them are Browns — safety Tashaun Gipson, who received a second-round tender, and defensive tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, who got a low-end tender, have yet to sign their contracts for 2015.
There’s no indication that Kitchen is unhappy with his situation. In fact, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported two weeks ago (via Twitter) that the defensive lineman intended to sign his tender. No confirmation has come from the team or Kitchen’s camp since then, but it’s possible he signed his tender and it has yet to be announced — it’s also possible he’ll make it official any day now.
Gipson’s case isn’t quite so simple. The 24-year-old has started 26 games for the Browns in the last two seasons, racking up 146 tackles during that stretch and showing a knack for coming up with big plays — he has grabbed 11 interceptions during the last two seasons, returning two of them for touchdowns. Despite playing just 11 games in 2014, Gipson earned a Pro Bowl nod.
After an impressive first three seasons, Gipson was reportedly less than thrilled to receive a second-round tender from the Browns, and didn’t report to the club’s voluntary offseason program last month. Head coach Mike Pettine indicated that the club is “very optimistic” about working something out with Gipson, but the team has most of the leverage here, at least for the 2015 season.
Since the deadline has passed for Gipson to negotiate with other teams, if he wants to play in ’15 and earn his $2.356MM, he’ll have to sign his tender with the Browns at some point. In Philadelphia, Polk was expendable after the Eagles signed a pair of running backs in free agency; for the Browns, Gipson is a key contributor, so they’re not about to withdraw his RFA tender.
A longer-term deal is also a possibility for Gipson and the Browns, but the team isn’t under any pressure to work something out with the safety. According to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, Browns sources don’t expect Gipson to be on the roster is 2016, believing that he has priced himself out of the team’s range. That asking price could eventually come down, but for now it appears Cleveland is simply satisfied to welcome Gipson back to the roster for 2015 if and when he signs his RFA tender, with no guarantees beyond this season.
Poll: Best Value Among Draft-Day Fallers?
With NFL rookie contracts coming in at a far more affordable rate than they used to, the most effective way a team can build a cap-friendly roster involves nailing a few draft picks every year, and carrying those players on cheap deals for the first four years of their NFL careers. And given how important it is to get those picks right, teams are increasingly shying away from players with off-field, character, or injury concerns, which might derail their NFL careers or result in suspensions down the road.
A team like the Browns provides a case study for how drafting high-risk, high-reward players can backfire — heading into the 2015 campaign, Cleveland’s best receiver, Josh Gordon, is facing a season-long suspension for repeated drug violations. Meanwhile, the team’s first-round quarterback from a year ago, Johnny Manziel, is coming off a stint in rehab, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to bounce back from a forgettable rookie year and contribute to an NFL franchise.
In 2015’s draft, a handful of players who would have been first-round talents, or even top-10 picks, had a number of question marks swirling around them as the draft approached. In some cases, those players still went about where we expected — cornerback Marcus Peters didn’t fall far, going 18th overall to the Chiefs, and defensive end Frank Clark was a second-round pick despite an alleged domestic violence incident that got him kicked off the team in Michigan.
Still, most players who had off-field questions or injury concerns slipped precipitously on draft day. Potential drug concerns for Shane Ray and Randy Gregory resulted in them going 23rd and 60th respectively, rather than in the top 10. Dorial Green-Beckham, Ronald Darby, and P.J. Williams had very strong cases to come off the board on day one if not for off-field question marks. And health concerns caused players like Jaelen Strong, T.J. Clemmings, and Jay Ajayi to fall further than expected.
In some cases, teams’ wariness may be warranted. But given the talent these players possess, I expect at least a couple of them to have long, successful NFL careers, and to make the teams that passed on them regret it. It’s just a matter of identifying which of these players is most likely to overcome the roadblocks currently facing them.
What do you think? Which of the following picks will provide the best value?
Fifth-Year Option Decisions For 2016
While the deadline for exercising fifth-year options typically falls on May 3, teams around the league had an extra day to make those decisions this year, since May 3 didn’t land on a business day. For 2012’s first-round picks, if their fifth-year options for 2016 weren’t picked up by midnight on Monday, they’re now on track to become unrestricted free agents after the 2015 season — assuming they’re still even playing on their rookie contracts, that is.
In total, 20 of 2012’s 32 first-rounders had their fifth-year options exercised by their respective teams. However, that leaves 12 players whose options weren’t picked up, including four of the top seven picks from the ’12 draft.
Of those 12 players, five didn’t have an option to exercise for various reasons, including release, suspension, or retirement. One of the remaining seven, Whitney Mercilus, inked an extension with the Texans to avoid the need for the option. That leaves just six players who had their option years outright declined.
The numbers suggest that if a first-round player plays out the first three years of his rookie contract, there’s a very good chance his team will exercise his fifth-year option. Even players who were considered potential question marks, such as Robert Griffin III, Matt Kalil or Dre Kirkpatrick, had their options exercised, and it’s hard to question their clubs’ decisions. After all, these fifth-year salaries are only guaranteed for injury at the moment, so those teams have until the start of the 2016 league year to rethink their decisions.
Here’s a full breakdown of the fifth-year option decisions for 2016:
Exercised:
- Andrew Luck (QB, Colts), $16.155MM: Exercised
- Robert Griffin III (QB, Washington), $16.155MM: Exercised
- Matt Kalil (T, Vikings), $11.096MM: Exercised
- Ryan Tannehill (QB, Dolphins), $16.155MM: Exercised
- Luke Kuechly (LB, Panthers), $11.058MM: Exercised
- Stephon Gilmore (CB, Bills), $11.082MM: Exercised
- Dontari Poe (DT, Chiefs), $6.146MM: Exercised
- Fletcher Cox (DE, Eagles), $7.799MM: Exercised
- Michael Floyd (WR, Cardinals), $7.32MM: Exercised
- Michael Brockers (DT, Rams), $6.146MM: Exercised
- Quinton Coples (OLB, Jets), $7.751MM: Exercised
- Dre Kirkpatrick (CB, Bengals), $7.507MM: Exercised
- Melvin Ingram (OLB, Chargers), $7.751MM: Exercised
- Kendall Wright (WR, Titans), $7.32MM: Exercised
- Chandler Jones (DE, Patriots), $7.799MM: Exercised
- Riley Reiff (T, Lions), $8.07MM: Exercised
- David DeCastro (G, Steelers), $8.07MM: Exercised
- Dont’a Hightower (LB, Patriots), $7.751MM: Exercised
- Kevin Zeitler (G, Bengals), $8.07MM: Exercised
- Harrison Smith (S, Vikings), $5.278MM: Exercised
Not exercised:
- Trent Richardson (RB, Raiders): Not applicable due to release
- Justin Blackmon (WR, Jaguars): Not applicable due to suspension
- Morris Claiborne (CB, Cowboys), $11.082MM: Declined
- Mark Barron (S, Rams), $8.263MM: Declined
- Bruce Irvin (OLB, Seahawks), $7.751MM: Declined
- Shea McClellin (OLB, Bears), $7.751MM: Declined
- Brandon Weeden (QB, Cowboys): Not applicable due to release
- Whitney Mercilus (OLB, Texans), $7.751MM: Signed extension
- Nick Perry (OLB, Packers), $7.751MM: Declined
- A.J. Jenkins (WR): Not applicable due to release
- Doug Martin (RB, Buccaneers), $5.621MM: Declined
- David Wilson (RB): Not applicable due to retirement
PFR Originals: 4/26/15 – 5/3/15
The original content produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- Prior to this weekend’s happenings, Rob Dire published the second edition of the Pro Football Rumors Mock Draft.
- Rob also finished his positional previews, looking at linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties.
- Once the first round of the draft had concluded, I asked who was the most surprising prospect left on the board. Randy Gregory narrowly edged out Landon Collins; both players, of course, were chosen is Round Two.