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This Date In Transactions History: Ravens Sign Shannon Sharpe

February 16th, 2020 at 8:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Twenty years ago today, Shannon Sharpe began a memorable NFL second act. After 10 seasons with the Broncos, the future Hall of Fame tight end opted for a change and signed with the Ravens.

Baltimore added the then-31-year-old Sharpe on a four-year, $13.8MM deal with a $4.5MM signing bonus. This offer eclipsed what Denver was proposing by around $1MM per year. This turned out to be a seminal transaction, based on where the Ravens were headed.

Sharpe suffered a broken collarbone early in a down 1999 season for the Broncos, who went 6-10 after losing both Sharpe and reigning MVP Terrell Davis that October. Those injuries came months after John Elway‘s retirement. Sharpe later returned to the Broncos but did so after being a critical component on the best team in Ravens history.

Sharpe proved to be a key get for the Ravens, then a fifth-season franchise without a playoff berth. Baltimore in 2000 featured one of the NFL’s all-time great defenses, but Sharpe led that team with 810 receiving yards. A four-time All-Pro in the 1990s, Sharpe came up big during Baltimore’s playoff run. He caught a 58-yard touchdown pass in the Ravens’ 21-3 win over the Broncos in the wild-card round, and his one reception against the Raiders two weeks later became a 96-yard score in a 16-3 Raven road win. The Ravens routed the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, giving Sharpe a third Super Bowl ring.

The Ravens were not as successful in 2001, having made a Trent Dilfer-for-Elvis Grbac offseason quarterback change. But Sharpe delivered nearly identical numbers — doing so after a memorable role on the maiden voyage of Hard Knocks — in amassing 811 receiving yards. However, the Ravens used a first-round pick on Todd Heap in 2001 and released Sharpe the following February. Sharpe made his eighth and final Pro Bowl in 2001 and broke then-Ravens executive Ozzie Newsome‘s records for most career receptions and yards by a tight end that season.

Denver brought Sharpe back in 2002, and he wrapped up a 14-year career a year later. Sharpe, who caught eight touchdown passes on a Broncos team that returned to the playoffs in 2003, also retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in TDs (62) by a tight end.

This Date In Transactions History: Roddy White Retires

February 15th, 2020 at 9:55am CST by Ben Levine

Three years ago today, an Atlanta Falcons legend decided to hang up his cleats. We learned on February 15th, 2017 that wideout Roddy White was calling it quits.

Similar to most professional athletes, it didn’t sound like White necessarily went out on his own terms. After having one of the least-productive seasons of his career in 2015 (43 receptions, 506 yards, one touchdown), the receiver struggled to find his next gig. After getting cut by Atlanta, there were rumblings that he’d catch on with the Patriots, but the team ended up opting for Nate Washington (kind of ironically, the Falcons and Pats would meet up in that season’s Super Bowl).

He was approached by the Vikings midway through the 2016 campaign, but the team was out of the playoff picture by the time White was in game shape. The Titans and Buccaneers also expressed interest, but the veteran was content on only signing with a contender. White ultimately sat out for the entire 2016 season, leading to his retirement decision.

White retired having compiled 808 receptions for 10,863 yards and 63 touchdowns. The 2005 first-rounder spent his entire career with the Falcons, making four Pro Bowls and earning a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2010. He also owns a number of franchise records, both for a career (receiving touchdowns, receptions) and for a single game (including most receptions in a playoff game (11)). White was was inducted into the Falcons Ring of Honor this past December.

Release Candidate: Alec Ogletree

February 13th, 2020 at 10:43am CST by Rory Parks

Giants GM Dave Gettleman is entering a make-or-break offseason. While plenty of fans were clamoring for his ouster at the conclusion of the 2019 campaign, team ownership elected to give him another shot to right the ship, but if Big Blue should disappoint again in 2020, Gettleman will almost certainly be gone.

So he needs to tread carefully when navigating free agency and the draft and in determining which players to jettison from the roster. LB Alec Ogletree, whom Gettleman acquired via trade with the Rams in 2018, presents an interesting case study in that regard.

Ogletree, a former first-round pick of the then-St. Louis Rams in 2013, has never been an advanced metrics darling. But he has been a full-time starter throughout his first seven years in the league, and he has even been something of a playmaker, accumulating 12 interceptions and four pick-sixes in his career. He typically plays all or almost all of his team’s defensive snaps, and in the years in which he has played a full 16-game slate, he has recorded well over 100 tackles.

On the other hand, the only Ogletree team that has qualified for the postseason was the 2017 Rams, so perhaps Ogletree’s playing time and the raw numbers that go along with that are attributable at least in part to the fact that he hasn’t played on particularly good clubs. He has never made the Pro Bowl and has not quite lived up to his status as a first-round pick, which suggests that the Giants could part ways with him this offseason and save $8.25MM against the cap in the process.

That savings must look tempting to Gettleman, but keeping the Georgia product also has its merits. Although the Giants do not lead the league in cap space, their $61MM of estimated room is nothing to sneeze at, so the financial benefits of releasing Ogletree are not as critical as they might otherwise be. And the team’s defense is young and will be learning a new scheme under DC Patrick Graham, so Ogletree’s experience and leadership could be a boon to Graham’s unit. Plus, Gettleman has never been one to put much stock in advanced metrics, so the fact that Ogletree doesn’t score highly in that department probably doesn’t bother him too much (though he did dangle Ogletree in trade talks in advance of the 2019 deadline).

Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv recently suggested that a pay cut may be in the cards, and it’s easy to see why. Ogletree is certainly not worth the $10MM he is due to make in base salary in 2020, and he would not fetch that much on the open market. A reduction, though, may still pay him more than he would earn as a free agent, it would give him a shot at staying with the Giants in 2021 and earning the $9MM that he is due for that season, and the Giants would get a little more cap flexibility.

That sounds like a win-win for both sides, but if Ogletree doesn’t agree to a pay cut, either on principle or because he might want an opportunity to catch on with a team that gives him a better chance at a title, he could be playing elsewhere in 2020.

Poll: Who Will Tom Brady Play For In 2020?

February 9th, 2020 at 10:05am CST by Rory Parks

As expected, Tom Brady‘s name has become a mainstay in NFL headlines as we creep closer to the opening of free agency in March. Even as the 2019 season was in progress, his future in the league was often discussed, and several teams were rumored as potential landing spots if he should continue his playing career and elect to leave the Patriots.

And while Brady put an end to any retirement drama immediately after New England’s ouster from the playoffs by saying he would return to the field in 2020, the question of where he will play is still very much unsettled.

The Chargers, long rumored as a possible fit, were definitively linked to Brady just last week, when Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirmed that the Bolts would make a push for the six-time Super Bowl champ. Given the talent that LA boasts at the skill positions and the fact that the club could incorporate Brady’s TB12 workout facility into its brand new stadium — not to mention Brady’s connections to SoCal — a Chargers-Brady partnership is a logical one.

But LA’s division rival, the Raiders, are also planning to pursue the future Hall of Famer. Adding Brady at this point in his career would not necessarily represent a slam-dunk upgrade over Derek Carr, but it would make a ton of sense from a marketing perspective for the Las Vegas-bound outfit and for Brady, and if the Raiders improve their receiving corps — which they are fully expected to do — they could compete for a wildcard berth in 2020.

The Colts and Titans have been more speculative fits than anything else, but the Colts hung around the playoff picture for much of the 2019 season, the AFC South looks like it will be up for grabs again in 2020, and Brady could be the boost that gets Indianapolis back to the postseason. The Colts are also flush with cap space, so they could afford to sign Brady while also providing him with a couple of additional weapons, though they already have a few talented pieces at the skill positions.

Of course, the Titans were the team that ended the Patriots’ 2019 playoff run, and they advanced to the AFC Championship game behind a dominant running game and good defense. Ryan Tannehill was more of a game manager in the playoffs than he was in his regular season renaissance, and recent reports have suggested that Tennessee may not be as committed to him as was once believed. If Brady is interested, the Titans may be, too.

And then there’s the Patriots, who became one of the all-time great dynasties in sports with Brady under center. Owner Robert Kraft has made it clear that he wants Brady back, but some around the league believe the 42-year-old will leave Foxborough, leaving the Pats without a definitive answer at QB for the first time in 20 years.

So what do you think? Will Brady remain with the only team he has ever known, or will he play out the remainder of his career trying to bring glory to another franchise? Vote in the poll below and show your work in the comments.

This Date In Transactions History: First NFL Draft

February 8th, 2020 at 10:48am CST by Ben Levine

If you’ve read any of our “This Day in Transactions History” entries, you’ve probably realized that the transactions are somewhat recent. Well, thanks to NFL.com analyst and Pro Football Hall of Famer Gil Brandt (on Twitter), we’re going to go back all the way to 1936.

On this date 84 years ago, the first NFL Draft took place. The event was held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philly, with 81 selections being made over nine rounds. The draft ultimately produced four Hall of Famers: offensive tackle Joe Stydahar (1.6 by the Bears), fullback Alphonse “Tuffy” Leemans (2.18 by the Giants), tight end Wayne Millner (8.65 by the Boston Redskins), and offensive guard Dan Fortmann (9.78 by the Chicago Bears).

However, the most amusing anecdote from the 1936 NFL Draft revolved around the first-overall pick. After winning the inaugural Heisman Trophy following a standout campaign at the University of Chicago, running back Jay Berwanger was selected as the first-overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Berwanger was demanding around $1K per game. The Eagles weren’t confident that they could meet those monetary demands, so they ended up trading the halfback to the Bears for offensive tackle Art Buss.

Berwanger didn’t immediately sign with Chicago, but that decision didn’t have much to do with money; rather, the athlete wanted to maintain his amateur status so he could compete in the decathlon at the 1936 Olympics. After being eliminated from Olympics contention, it was back to negotiating, with Berwanger requesting $15K. Bears owner George Halas‘ top offer was $13.5K, and the two sides refused to find common ground.

Berwanger ended up walking away from the NFL, joining the University of Chicago coaching staff before spending time as a sportswriter. Unfortunately, he never made an NFL appearance, emphasizing that these stubborn financial disputes have basically been occurring throughout the league’s history.

Release Candidate: Trumaine Johnson

February 4th, 2020 at 10:06am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets will have some tough decisions to make in the months ahead. Will they part ways with running back Le’Veon Bell, even though that would result in an absurdly high dead money hit? Will they give safety Jamal Adams a top-of-the-market deal, stand pat, or open up the phone lines on trade inquiries, as they did before last year’s trade deadline? And how about free agent wide receiver Robby Anderson, who is gunning for big bucks after posting a so-so stat line?

Those are just some of the issues that need to be addressed by GM Joe Douglas this offseason. However, there are also easier calls to be made, including the future of cornerback Trumaine Johnson.

In 2018, former GM Mike Maccagnan inked Johnson to a five-year, $72.5MM deal with $34MM guaranteed at signing. Previous to that, Johnson performed as one of the league’s better cornerbacks with the Rams across six seasons. In New York, Johnson fell way, way short of expectations.

In his first year with Gang Green, Johnson missed significant time with a quad injury that some Jets staffers believe he could have played through. He did come away with four interceptions in 2018, but that stat doesn’t tell the whole story – Johnson struggled in coverage and looked like a shell of his former self.

Things deteriorated even further in 2019 – Johnson appeared in only seven games before landing on IR in early November. He was also benched for performance reasons and, unsurprisingly, they were unable to find any takers for him at the trade deadline.

Coach Adam Gase was vocal about his frustration with Johnson, but there was no sense in releasing him last year due to his deal. Cutting Johnson in 2019 would have resulted in $24MM in dead money with zero cap relief. This year, they’d still be saddled with $12MM in dead money, and they’d only save $3MM by dropping the 30-year-old, but that’s exactly what the Jets will do, in all likelihood.

The $3MM saved won’t be enough to sign a new starting cornerback, but it’s at least something. Expect Douglas to tack that on to his existing ~$50MM in cap room, a number that could grow even further by cutting vets like guard Brian Winters, cornerback Darryl Roberts, wide receiver Quincy Enunwa, and linebacker Avery Williamson.

NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Jeff Okudah

February 3rd, 2020 at 1:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Much of this year’s draft buzz is centered around LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young. Beyond those two, however, this year’s crop is chock full of potential superstars, including Young’s teammate Jeff Okudah.

No one was surprised when Okudah, one of the nation’s best cornerbacks, decided to forego his final season of eligibility to go pro. As a junior, Okudah notched 34 total tackles, three interceptions, and effectively turned his side of the field into a no-fly zone. Physically, he checks pretty much every box you could want for an NFL corner – he’s 6’1″, well-built at 200 pounds, and has the speed to keep up with just about any receiver.

Thanks to his tools, the Buckeyes were able to deploy him in man-to-man coverage whenever they wanted. He’s been lauded for his instincts as well. Okudah has a natural feel for guarding defenders and the general belief is that he won’t have a serious learning curve as he adjusts to the speed of the pro game.

Those intangibles were on display throughout the year, but they were especially apparent in Ohio State’s September win over Nebraska. In that game, Okudah came away with two of his three picks on the year. The first interception saw Okudah read the eyes of Adrian Martinez and turn on the jets to come away with the ball – making a huge play when most cornerbacks would have been forced to settle for a completion. The second interception was a SportsCenter producer’s dream – Okudah slips as he covers Wan’Dale Robinson, but continues to keep his eyes on the ball and manages to snag the interception while laying on his back. It’s the sort of thing that you could teach, or drill for, yet Okudah has the natural instincts to make the big play.

He’s also craftier than your average rookie CB, which should help him navigate around NFL zebras.

“Being on an island does not faze him,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler recently told Ethan Greenberg of the Jets’ team website. “He’s able to make contact without drawing flags and that’s something that’s a subtlety that’s a strength to his game. He’s able to get physical and be aggressive but do so without attracting the yellow flags from officials.”

There aren’t many knocks on Okudah – Brugler notes that he’ll have to improve on his footwork, for example, but evaluators generally view Okudah as a safe top-end choice with the potential to eventually become one of the very best CBs in the NFL.

With all of that said, Okudah probably won’t garner consideration for the top overall pick. At No. 1, the Bengals are widely expected to tap LSU’s Joe Burrow, giving them a signal caller that can usher the club into their latest rebuild. Then, at No. 2, many feel that Chase Young is a slam dunk for the Redskins and new head coach Ron Rivera.

Okudah, who would be a true candidate for the No. 1 overall pick in most drafts, might not have to wait much longer than that. The Lions have the third overall pick and they could certainly use a game-changing corner like Okudah. If the Lions choose to fill multiple defensive holes by trading down, the Chargers and Jaguars are just two of the Top 10 clubs that could consider a top-flight corner just as Okudah. The No. 9 pick – owned by Jacksonville – pretty much represents his floor. And, right now, we’re expecting him to be long gone by that point.

This Date In Transactions History: Pats Sign Player To Unprecedented Futures Deal

February 1st, 2020 at 11:00am CST by Ben Levine

When we add entries to the “This Date in Transactions” series, we generally don’t focus on players without an NFL appearance, especially when said transaction is a usually-anonymous futures deal. However, on this date in 2013, one of the more unusual futures contract was signed.

On February 1st, 2013, the New England Patriots officially signed Armond Armstead to a futures contract. The defensive tackle had once been a top prospect at USC, but the school’s medical staff refused to clear him for the 2011 campaign after learning of a major heart issue (Armstead would later sue the school, saying the team doctors’ use of painkillers contributed to the heart issue and ultimately compromised his earning potential). With the lineman being forced to miss his senior season, he ended up going undrafted in the 2012 Draft.

Armstead later took his talents to the CFL, where he earned an All-Star nod after compiling 43 tackles and six sacks en route to a Grey Cup Championship. Following his standout campaign, the lineman requested (and was granted) his released so he could pursue an NFL gig.

It didn’t take long for him to find his next deal, as he inked a futures deal with the Patriots on February 1st. So what’s so unusual about the contract? Well, let’s first review the standard futures deal. These contracts tie players to a teams’ roster throughout the offseason, and it counts towards the salary cap and 90-man camp roster for the subsequent season. These deals are usually one-year, minimum-salary, non-guaranteed deals. In fact, in 2011, the NFLPA filed a collusion suit against the league claiming that front offices were conspiring to keep these values especially low (among other, more notable salary-cap machinations).

Armstead’s deal was one of the few futures contracts that offered anything of substance, with the total value being practically unprecedented. The team signed the lineman to a three-year futures contract that included $655K in guaranteed money (the deal could have been worth up to $1.48MM). This kind of commitment by the Patriots proved that the organization was high on the prospect and there was probably some competition for his services.

Unfortunately, the deal didn’t end up working out. Armstead required surgery to treat an infection during the 2013 offseason, leading to his placement on the reserve/non-football injury list. He didn’t see the field during his rookie campaign, and he ended up announcing his retirement during the 2014 offseason.

While Armstead’s NFL career didn’t work out, he still has this interest footnote (as well as $655K) to fall back on.

This Date In Transactions History: Chiefs Trade Alex Smith To Redskins

January 30th, 2020 at 10:03am CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 2018, the Chiefs traded Alex Smith to the Redskins in blockbuster move that had wide-ranging implications across the entire NFL. The deal brought the Redskins a proven quarterback who was coming off of, arguably, the best season of his career. For the Chiefs, the trade gave them a 2018 third-round draft pick, a promising young cornerback in Kendall Fuller, and a clear path to elevate Patrick Mahomes to the starting lineup.

Even as Smith led the league in passer rating (104.7) and finished third in adjusted net yards per attempt, the football world was buzzing about the potential of Mahomes. The Chiefs didn’t see much of the youngster in live action, outside of some time in the meaningless 2017 regular season finale, but they saw enough of him on the practice field to know that he was special and that he was ready. Smith, meanwhile, had one year remaining on his deal. The Chiefs opted to turn his salary into draft capital, support for the secondary, and extra cash that they could spend elsewhere.

After Smith set career-highs in completion percentage (67.5), yards (4,042), and touchdowns (26), the Redskins saw him as a fitting replacement for Kirk Cousins, who was on his way out after years of friction and botched extension talks. The acquisition of Smith ruled out any possibility of a reconciliation and officially set Cousins on course for free agency, where he found a fully-guaranteed multi-year deal with the Vikings.

The Chiefs’ side of the swap made total sense – they were parlaying their surplus into extra ammunition. For the Redskins, the deal raised some eyebrows. Even after Smith posted a career-low interception rate of 1%, many doubted that he would be an improvement over Cousins. Keeping Cousins would have been more costly in terms of guaranteed dollars (and would have required a whole lot of fence-mending), but there was plenty of cost that came with Smith – Fuller, valuable draft capital, and the four-year extension given to him the day after the trade. That deal, taking Smith through 2022, gave Smith $23.5MM per year, making him the sixth-highest paid QB in the NFL at the time of signing.

Two years later, it’s hard to get a true read on the Redskins’ end of this blockbuster deal. Smith led the club to a 6-3 start in his first season with the Redskins, but a gruesome leg injury in Week 11 changed everything. The compound and spiral fracture to his tibia and fibula required complicated surgery, and the post-surgery infection that he developed led to 17 more operations. Smith missed all of 2019 and no one knows when, or if, he’ll return to football. For his part, Smith says he still wants to play.

“I still have dreams of getting back to where I was and getting back out there,” Smith said in January. “This has been a crazy ride with a lot of unforeseen turns, but without a doubt, that’s still my goal.”

Smith, now 35, is set to count $21.4MM against the Redskins’ cap this year. No cap savings can be gained by releasing him until 2021.

In Kansas City, Mahomes lit the NFL on fire, leading the league with 50 passing touchdowns against just 12 interceptions. He was unstoppable again in 2019 – even a fairly serious knee injury could only limit him for a few weeks. This week, he’ll lead the Chiefs into the Super Bowl, where they’ll aim for their first championship since 1970.

This Date In Transactions History: Travis Kelce Signs Extension

January 29th, 2020 at 7:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Travis Kelce will check off another career milestone this weekend when he makes his first Super Bowl appearance. Four years ago today, he achieved one of the first major accomplishments, inking a five-year extension with the Chiefs.

Back when the deal was signed in 2016, Kelce was an up-and-comer at the tight end position. The former third-rounder had compiled 850-plus receiving yards and five touchdowns for the second-straight season, and he earned his first Pro Bowl nod. Despite the production, Kelce was still working to endear himself to the organization. Kelce missed his entire rookie season recovering from knee surgery, and coach Andy Reid referred to him as “immature” following an incident during his sophomore campaign.

Still, the organization believed in him enough to give him a market-setting five-year, $46MM extension (with a bit more than $20MM guaranteed). In hindsight, that deal ended up working out brilliantly for the Chiefs. Kelce has evolved into the league’s premier tight end, averaging 92 receptions, 1,182 receiving yards, and 6.75 touchdowns over the past four seasons.

That extension is set to expire following the 2020 season, and assuming Kelce remains relatively healthy, he should earn another lucrative payday. The $46MM deal is still the highest at the position, but the veteran has predictably been surpassed in guaranteed money (where Trey Burton, Jordan Reed, and Zach Ertz top Kelce) and average value (Jimmy Graham is the leader).

Austin Hooper, Hunter Henry, and Eric Ebron are among the players hitting free agency this offseason, so there’s a chance the market could reset. Kelce will surely have his eye on those various deals as he prepared for the 2021 offseason. For now, the tight end is going to prepare for the biggest game of his life, although he may briefly think back to four years ago today when he inked his extension with the Chiefs.

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