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Reactions To Devonta Freeman’s New Deal

August 9th, 2017 at 11:59am CST by Zachary Links

fOn Wednesday morning, Devonta Freeman finally signed a long-term extension with the Falcons. The new deal means that the Falcons can keep their star running back through the 2022 season and is reportedly worth $41.25MM. Was it worth it for Freeman to give up next year’s franchise tag or a shot at the open market? Reasonable minds can differ on that, Mike Florio of PFT writes.

Freeman gets $22MM in guarantees (including a $15MM signing bonus) and that’s significant for a player who has yet to have his big payday in the NFL. On the other hand, the five-year extension hardly guarantees Freeman’s place in Atlanta for the full term. In essence, the Falcons are really only tied to Freeman for three years. After that, it’s fairly easy to hit the eject button.

Still, Freeman is not in the same position as a high-end quarterback. The risk of injury for running backs is far greater and there is greater incentive for them to grab the guaranteed dollars when they can.

Here are some other takes on Freeman’s new contract:

  • Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link) has a more complete breakdown of Freeman’s finances. Of note: Freeman’s $3.75MM salary for 2019 is guaranteed for injury only at time of signing but converts to a full guarantee in March of 2019. That means that if Freeman’s performance declines, the Falcons can cut ties with him just two years from now. After that, his 2020-22 salaries are not guaranteed.
  • Former agent Joel Corry (on Twitter) doesn’t believe that Steelers star Le’Veon Bell will match Devonta Freeman’s $22MM of guarantees if/when he signs his long term deal with Pittsburgh. For comparison, fellow Steelers standout Antonio Brown has $19MM of guarantees on his $17MM per year deal.
  • In addition to Freeman’s deal, Cardinals back David Johnson should consider the deal Bell rejected as a part of the running back marketplace if Bell remains unsigned in 2018, Corry tweets. Prior to this year’s franchise player extension deadline, Bell said no to a five-year deal worth roughly $60MM. The proposal included $30MM across the first two years of the contract and $42MM over the first three seasons. Bell reportedly turned the deal down in part because he wanted a deal that reflected his status as an elite running back but also as a top receiving option.

Mike Matthews Suffers Torn Patellar Tendon

August 8th, 2017 at 9:04pm CST by Connor J. Byrne
  • Center Mike Matthews, whom the Steelers waived Tuesday, will miss four to six months with a torn patellar tendon, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Matthews, the son of Hall of Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, will go on injured reserve if another team doesn’t claim him via waivers.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/7/17

August 7th, 2017 at 9:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

  • Waived: TE Zach Conque

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

  • Waived: DE Arthur Miley

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Redskins

Steelers Expect Martavis Bryant Clearance

August 7th, 2017 at 6:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Steelers expect wide receiver Martavis Bryant to be fully cleared for return at some point this week, a source tells Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link).Martavis Bryant (vertical)

Bryant, who was suspended for the entirety of the 2017 campaign following repeated violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, was conditionally reinstated in by the league in April. The NFL decreed that Bryant would need to arrange “clinical resources” in Pittsburgh before suiting up for preseason practices or games, so it’s likely those machinations are holding up Bryant’s return to the field.

“Upon his conditional reinstatement in April, Martavis Bryant was made aware it was only the beginning of a process toward a return to being a full contributing member of the Pittsburgh Steelers,” general manager Kevin Colbert said last month. “We have been informed by the NFL that Martavis is still in the process of being fully reinstated. Until that time, Martavis will be permitted to take part in off-the-field team activities at training camp, but he will not be permitted to practice or play in any games.”

Bryant, of course, is one of the more dynamic pass-catchers in the NFL when on the field. In 21 career games (eight starts), Bryant has totaled 76 receptions for 1,314 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/17

August 6th, 2017 at 7:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s a list of today’s minor moves:

  • A day after the Dolphins cut him, tackle Terry Poole landed with the Texans via waiver claim, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets. Poole was initially a Seahawks fourth-round pick but hasn’t yet played in an NFL game.
  • The Saints worked out their longtime long snapper Justin Drescher this week and reached an agreement to bring him back on Sunday, Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate reports. Sean Payton had been frustrated by the long snapping during camp recently, and the team made the decision to release veteran Thomas Gafford and Chase Dominguez on Sunday. Drescher returns to the Saints after spending the past seven seasons in New Orleans. The team did not re-sign the 29-year-old specialist after his contract expired following last season.
  • Former VCU basketball player Mo Alie-Cox cleared waivers and will revert to the Colts‘ IR list, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
  • The Titans have signed RB Brandon Radcliff, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). They waived/injured Victor Ochi to make room, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com tweets. Ochi tore his ACL on Friday.
  • The Steelers have signed cornerback JaCorey Shepherd and cut defensive end Nelson Adams. Originally a sixth-round Eagles selection in 2015, Shepherd followed Chip Kelly to San Francisco and played in 11 games for the 49ers last season.

Steelers, Mike Tomlin Agree To Extension

August 4th, 2017 at 2:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have inked an extension with coach Mike Tomlin. The new deal will take him through the 2020 season. Mike Tomlin (Vertical)

“I am pleased to announce we have extended Mike Tomlin’s contract through the 2020 season,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II. “Mike continues to prove he is one of the top head coaches in the National Football League. We appreciate the leadership that Mike has provided over the last 10 seasons, and we are confident and excited to have him continue to lead our team as we focus on winning another championship.”

A new deal has been expected for weeks now. This year, Tomlin’s deal automatically vested through the 2019 campaign based on wins, but the Steelers wanted to lock him up for an even longer term.

Tomlin is entering his eleventh season as the coach of the Steelers. In his time at the helm, Pittsburgh has made the playoffs seven times and has never finished a season with less than eight wins. Overall, Tomlin has a 103-57 regular season record, two AFC Championship titles, and one Super Bowl ring.

Next up for the Steelers could be an extension for general manager Kevin Colbert. His current deal expires after the 2018 draft.

The Steelers have just three coaches since 1969, the year of Chuck Noll‘s hiring.

Ben Roethlisberger Discusses Future

August 2nd, 2017 at 9:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Both the Texans and No. 1 wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would like to reach a long-term deal this summer, and odds are that it will happen, suggests John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Hopkins, due to make $7.9MM as a fifth-year option player this season, became all the more important to the Texans’ cause for 2017 after No. 2 receiver Will Fuller suffered a broken collarbone Wednesday. Fuller’s multi-month absence could mean even more opportunities for Hopkins, who easily led the Texans in both targets and receptions in each of the previous two seasons. Despite having to catch passes from middling or worse quarterbacks throughout his career, Hopkins has a history of terrific production. Thanks to his output thus far, the 25-year-old looks poised to become one of the NFL’s highest-paid wideouts in the coming weeks.

More from the AFC:

  • Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is keeping all options on the table beyond 2017, including retirement and playing a few more years. “I hope (to play multiple future seasons), but I’m only going to focus on this year,” Roethlisberger revealed Wednesday (via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review). Whether the 35-year-old sticks around will depend somewhat on how much of a beating his offensive line allows him to take this season. “If those guys up front are playing as well as they have been playing, getting sacked (a career-low) 17 times in (2016) — it might keep me around a little longer,” he said.
  • With 2015 first-round pick Phillip Dorsett and free agent signing Kamar Aiken, the Colts have a pair of notable receivers behind starters T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief. However, the unheralded Chester Rogers has emerged as Indy’s likely No. 3 wideout, according to Kevin Bowen of the team’s website. As an undrafted rookie last year, Rogers accrued 34 targets and 19 catches in 14 games (two starts), and he averaged 14.4 yards per catch. Both Dorsett and Aiken bettered Rogers’ counting stats in 2016, but the second-year man has nonetheless turned into a “virtual 12th starter for the Colts,” writes Bowen.
  • Defensive tackle Roy Miller‘s contract with the Chiefs is a one-year, $1.4MM pact that could be worth up to $2.5MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The deal includes $300K in guarantees.

Latest On Ryan Shazier, Stephon Tuitt Talks

August 1st, 2017 at 9:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Steelers will not reach an extension agreement with linebacker Ryan Shazier this summer, but could still negotiate a long-term deal with defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).Ryan Shazier (Vertical)

That Shazier is unlikely to be extended prior to the regular season doesn’t come as a major surprise, as Pittsburgh controls the 24-year-old through the 2018 season thanks to his fifth-year option. Thus far, not a single 2014 first-round pick has agreed to a new deal, as clubs apparently don’t feel an urgency to act given that they have talented players under contract at cheap prices for at least two more seasons.

Shazier, notably, isn’t a fan of the fifth-year option, as he’ll earn only $1.716MM in 2017 and $8.718MM in 2018 before becoming an unrestricted free agent. While Shazier may not be able to match the $12.5MM annual salary recently scored by Browns linebacker Jamie Collins, he should be able to clear the $10MM threshold. Shazier, a 2016 Pro Bowler, graded as the league’s No. 31 linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus, earning excellent marks in run defense and as a pass-rusher. Health is question for the former Ohio State Buckeye, as Shazier has never played a full 16-game slate.

Unlike Shazier, Tuitt doesn’t have to worry about a fifth-year option given that he was selected in the second round of the 2014 draft. Tuitt posted four sacks a season ago while grading as PFF’s No. 20 interior defender, and will earn $1.049MM next year before hitting the open market. The going rate for non-Muhammad Wilkerson/J.J. Watt 3-4 defensive ends is around $10MM annually, and given his age (24), Tuitt could reach or surpass that mark.

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