Deshaun Watson

Deshaun Watson Will Not Play In Week 4

October 1st, 2023 at 9:45am CST by Rory Parks

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will not play in the team’s Week 4 game against the Ravens, as Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reports. Watson is dealing with a right shoulder contusion, and while player and team hoped that he would be able to play through the injury, that will not be the case.

Watson struggled through the first two games of the 2023 season, but in Week 3, he looked like the Pro Bowler the Browns believed they were getting when they made the now-infamous decision to trade a king’s ransom for the embattled quarterback and hand him a fully-guaranteed five-year, $230MM contract in March 2022. In Cleveland’s 27-3 romp over the Titans last week, Watson completed 27 of 33 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns.

As James Palmer of the NFL Network notes, Watson did not throw much in practice this week as he attempted to rest his shoulder. During today’s pregame warmup and throwing session, it became clear that he was not healthy enough to suit up.

Fifth-round rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson will get the nod in Watson’s absence, and he will be tasked with leading the team in an important divisional matchup. The Browns had initially planned to have Josh Dobbs serve as Watson’s backup this year, but when the QB-needy Cardinals made an “out-of-the-blue” trade offer for Dobbs at the end of August, Cleveland decided to pull the trigger on the trade and elevate Thompson-Robinson to the QB2 role.

Obviously, that decision indicated that the Browns were comfortable with Thompson-Robinson being called into action in his first professional season. Thompson-Robinson justified that faith with a strong preseason in which he completed 37 of 58 passes for two touchdowns and added 14 carries for 69 yards.

Although he did not always look like an NFL prospect during his collegiate career at UCLA, Thompson-Robinson put himself on the radar during his final season with the Bruins, completing just under 70% of his passes and throwing for 27 TDs against 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 645 yards and 12 touchdowns while maintaining a healthy 5.5 yards-per-carry rate.

DTR will at least have Cleveland’s top tight end at his disposal. After suffering burns to his face and arm during a household accident this week, David Njoku is expected to play against Baltimore.

The Browns have a Week 5 bye, and given that they were optimistic Watson would play this week, it seems reasonable to expect Watson to take the field against the 49ers in Week 6. However, it is obviously too early for the team to make that call.

AFC North Rumors: Browns, Steelers, Gordon

August 5th, 2023 at 4:10pm CST by Ely Allen

This offseason, the Browns gave offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt the added responsibility of quarterbacks coach. According to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, the move was part of a concerted effort to give quarterback Deshaun Watson everything he may need in order to succeed.

The team went out this offseason and secured receiving reinforcements for the veteran passer. This offseason, the team added two speedsters of varying vintage. The younger Elijah Moore comes over from the Jets in a trade as he tries to find his footing in the NFL. He’ll have an established veteran to learn from in Marquise Goodwin, whom the team signed back in March. They also added tight end Jordan Akins in free agency and used their top draft pick on Tennessee receiver Cedric Tillman in the third round.

Lastly, they gave Van Pelt the added title, a move that Watson reportedly endorsed heavily. Van Pelt has coached quarterbacks before for the Bills, Buccaneers, Packers, and Bengals, so the move isn’t completely out of left field. But the promotion of such an important coaching position shows just how far Cleveland will go to keep Watson happy.

Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC North:

It’s no surprise that the Steelers plan to start this year’s first-round pick, Broderick Jones, as a rookie. The surprise is that, in their efforts to start the tackle out of Georgia, they are resorting to shuffling around their offensive line configuration. Last year, Chukwuma Okorafor started every game at right tackle for Pittsburgh, while Dan Moore covered every game on the blindside for the Steelers. According to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, the Steelers opened up the first team period of camp this week with Jones at left tackle, pushing Moore over to the right side of the line. Neither Moore nor Okorafor were necessarily stellar at their positions last year, hence the drafting of a tackle in the first round, but to see Pittsburgh push Moore out of position to make room for Jones shows just how much they want Jones to be in a position to succeed. Keeping Moore in the lineup shows that the Steelers are more concerned with starting the best tackles than keeping their tackles specialized on either side of the line.
The Ravens added some veteran running back depth last month in Melvin Gordon on a deal reportedly worth up to $3.1MM. Jamison Hensley of ESPN was able to provide us a few more details on the deal, disclosing that the contract has a base salary of $1.17MM with no reported guarantees. The remaining $1.94MM to get to the potential ceiling of the deal comes from undisclosed incentives that are not likely to be earned, meaning they won’t count against the team’s salary cap this year. If Gordon does, in fact, earn the full value of the contract, the $1.94MM will be counted against the 2024 salary cap.

QB Notes: Hooker, Dolphins, Watson, Draft

July 13th, 2023 at 3:32pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Lions added one of the draft’s most talked-about quarterbacks in Hendon Hooker. The third-rounder is rehabbing the ACL tear which ended his college career, and 2023 is not expected to see him on the field much, if at all.

Hooker has been making progress in his recovery, however, and he indicated last month that he is ahead of schedule. Detroit has no need to rush the Tennessee alum, with veteran Jared Goff in place and high expectations for the offense as a whole after last year’s performance. Hooker remains on a positive track to be available at some point during the year.

The 25-year-old said that he is “progressing very well,” via Cora Hall of the Knoxville News Sentinel. The Lions are not thought to be seeking an addition to their QB room, pointing further to Hooker being available if need be, perhaps as early as the fall. His recovery will be worth watching during training camp and the preseason.

Here are some other quarterback-related notes:

Plenty of attention will be focused on the pivot position during the season for the Dolphins, given the health uncertainty surrounding Tua Tagovailoa. The backup spot is up for grabs this summer, with 2022 second-rounder Skylar Thompson and free agent signing Mike White vying for the QB2 role. The former “appears to have the early lead” in the competition, per Adam Beasley of Pro Football Network. Thompson made two starts to close out the regular season, and was in place for the team’s narrow playoff loss to the Bills. Moving on from veteran Teddy Bridgewater, Miami inked White to a two-year, $8MM deal. That investment was larger than the team anticipated they would make, and it is noteworthy White could be third in the pecking order heading into training camp. Beasley notes that the Dolphins’ Week 1 backup may not yet be on the current roster, and Bridgewater is one of a few veterans still on the open market.
Deshaun Watson‘s 11-game suspension made his debut Browns campaign a shortened one, and his brief stint at the end of the season was far from the Pro Bowl level of production he has demonstrated earlier in his career. During his first full offseason in Cleveland, though, the returns have been impressive. Watson drew positive reviews for his work in the spring in addressing the issues most prevalent in his 2022 play, as noted by Pro Football Network’s Adam Caplan. A step forward from the 27-year-old – along with the Browns’ re-tooled receiver room – would go a long way in helping Cleveland return to the postseason and justifying the team’s enormous investment (in both trade capital and finances) in him.
The 2024 draft class is headlined by a few highly-touted passers, and it comes as no surprise that USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye are receiving the most attention at the top of the board. The pair are thought to be in a QB tier of their own entering the college season, as detailed by Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Williams won the Heisman trophy in 2022 and has drawn comparisons to Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Trevor Lawrence with respect to how he is rated as an NFL prospect. Maye, meanwhile, finds himself behind Williams in summer rankings, but trainer Jordan Palmer (one of the evaluators with whom Breer discussed the top QB prospects) stated that he would be the No. 1 option at the position in most drafts. Wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. has been named as a possible contender for the top pick in April, but Williams and Maye likely represent the favorites for that distinction heading into the fall.

Largest 2023 Cap Hits: Offense

July 11th, 2023 at 3:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s salary cap once again ballooned by more than $10MM, rising from its $208.2MM perch to $224.8MM. Factoring in the pandemic-induced 2021 regression, the NFL’s salary risen has climbed by more than $42MM since 2021.

This has allowed teams more opportunities for roster additions and opened the door for more lucrative player deals — at most positions, at least. However, it does not look like this season will include a $40MM player cap number. The Browns avoided a record-shattering Deshaun Watson $54.9MM hit by restructuring the quarterback’s fully guaranteed contract, calling for monster figures from 2024-26.

Here are the largest cap hits for teams on the offensive side going into training camp:

Patrick Mahomes, QB (Chiefs): $39.69MM
Ryan Tannehill, QB (Titans): $36.6MM
Jared Goff, QB (Lions): $30.98MM
Jake Matthews, T (Falcons): $28.36MM
Trent Williams, T (49ers): $27.18MM
Dak Prescott, QB (Cowboys): $26.83MM
Laremy Tunsil, T (Texans): $26.61MM
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (49ers): $23.8MM
Amari Cooper, WR (Browns): $23.78MM
Mike Evans, WR (Buccaneers): $23.69MM
Ronnie Stanley, T (Ravens): $23.67MM
Joe Thuney, G (Chiefs): $22.12MM
Russell Wilson, QB (Broncos): $22MM
Lamar Jackson, QB (Ravens): $22MM
Daniel Jones, QB (Giants): $21.75MM
David Bakhtiari, T (Packers): $21.29MM
Kirk Cousins, QB (Vikings): $20.25MM
D.J. Moore, WR (Bears): $20.17MM
Matthew Stafford, QB (Rams): $20MM
Brian O’Neill, T (Vikings): $19.66MM
Taylor Decker, T (Lions): $19.35MM
Deshaun Watson, QB (Browns): $19.1MM
Braden Smith, T (Colts): $19MM
Josh Allen, QB (Bills): $18.64MM
Courtland Sutton, WR (Broncos): $18.27MM

As should be expected, quarterbacks dominate this list. Mahomes’ number checks in here despite the Chiefs restructuring his 10-year, $450MM contract in March; the two-time MVP’s cap hit would have set an NFL record had Kansas City not reduced it. The Chiefs did not restructure Mahomes’ deal last year, but if they do not address it — perhaps via a complex reworking — before next season, Mahomes’ $46.93MM number would break an NFL record.

The Titans have not touched Tannehill’s contract this offseason, one that included some trade rumors months ago. This is the final year of Tannehill’s Tennessee extension. Mahomes and Tannehill sat atop this ranking in 2022.

Cousins is also heading into a contract year, after the Vikings opted for a restructure and not an extension this offseason. Cousins does not expect to discuss another Minnesota deal until 2024, when he is due for free agency. Two relatively low cap numbers have started Wilson’s $49MM-per-year extension. The Denver QB’s cap number rises to $35.4MM in 2024 and reaches historic heights ($55.4MM) by ’25. The subject of a Goff extension has come up, and it would bring down the Lions passer’s figure. But Goff remains tied to his Rams-constructed $33.5MM-per-year deal through 2024.

Jackson and Jones’ numbers will rise in the near future, with the latter’s contract calling for a quick spike in 2024. Next year, the Giants QB’s cap hit will be $45MM. Watson’s 2024 hit, as of now, would top that. The Browns signal-caller is on the team’s ’24 payroll at $63.98MM. Long-term consequences aside, the Browns can be expected to once again go to the restructure well with Watson’s outlier contract.

The Raiders did not backload Garoppolo’s three-year contract; it only climbs to $24.25MM on Las Vegas’ 2024 cap sheet. The Bills did backload Allen’s pact. Its team-friendly years are done after 2023; the six-year accord spikes to $47.1MM on Buffalo’s cap next year. The Cowboys have gone to the restructure well with Prescott. Like Watson, the Cowboys quarterback is tied to a seemingly untenable 2024 cap number. The March restructure resulted in Prescott’s 2024 number rising to $59.46MM. Two seasons remain on that $40MM-AAV extension.

Another notable cap hold that should be mentioned is Tom Brady‘s. When the Buccaneers did not sign the again-retired QB to another contract before the 2023 league year, his $35.1MM dead-money figure went onto Tampa Bay’s 2023 cap sheet. The Bucs will absorb that entire amount this year. Brady’s 2022 restructure, after retirement No. 1, led to the $35.1MM figure forming.

Were it not for another O-line-record extension, the Tunsil number would have come in at $35MM this year. Matthews signed an extension last year. Moore would have come in higher on this list were he still on the Panthers, who took on $14.6MM in dead money to move their top wideout for the No. 1 overall pick. Sutton came up regularly in trade rumors, with the Broncos wanting a second-round pick for the sixth-year veteran. The former second-rounder’s high base salary ($14MM) hinders his trade value.

Browns Likely To Carry Three QBs

July 10th, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Adam La Rose

Much of the Browns’ success on offense in 2023 will be dictated by Deshaun Watson‘s ability to rebound from a suspension-shortened debut season with the team last year. Cleveland will likely have a pair of signal-callers backing him up this campaign.

The Browns have Watson on the books through 2026 after going all-in on him via a huge trade with the Texans and subsequent fully-guranteed contract (which, having been restructured, will represent a major cap burden starting next year). The three-time Pro Bowler put up less-than-impressive numbers during his six games in 2022, which marked his first regular season action since 2020. After a full offseason in Cleveland, one which has included upgrades to the team’s receiving corps, expectations will be raised significantly for Watson.

His backup will be veteran Joshua Dobbs, who was in Cleveland in 2022 to serve as Jacoby Brissett‘s backup until Watson’s suspension had been served. Dobbs signed with the Titans late in the year, and he started Tennessee’s final two contests while the team dealt with the absence of Ryan Tannehill. Cleveland lost Brissett in free agency, but brought back Dobbs to resume his QB2 duties.

The Browns added a long-term backup option in the form of Dorian Thompson-Robinson by selecting him in the fifth round of this year’s draft. The presence of the UCLA product leaves Cleveland likely to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster this year, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. The NFL’s move to allow emergency QBs to dress despite not counting as a gameday activation has left teams with interesting roster decisions to make.

As Easterling notes, the Browns view Thompson-Robinson as their Watson understudy for the foreseeable future, though Dobbs has seen second-team work in spring practices. Thompson-Robinson had a career-year in 2022, which helped make him one of several developmental passers selected on Day 3 as teams looked to emulate the success the 49ers found with Brock Purdy in 2022. Given his experience in Cleveland in particular and the NFL in general, though, Dobbs represents a logical candidate for the backup position at this point.

With a top three at the QB depth chart seemingly settled, Easterling adds that the Browns are unlikely to retain Kellen Mond. The former Viking was claimed off waivers last August and he remained on Cleveland’s roster throughout the year. After the other moves made at the position this year, however, he is likely to find himself on the outside looking in come roster cutdowns at the end of the summer.

Browns Notes: Stefanski, Watson, Smith, Winfrey

June 26th, 2023 at 9:27pm CST by Ben Levine

The Browns’ record has gotten worse in each of Kevin Stefanski‘s three seasons at the helm. However, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com doesn’t believe the head coach is on the hot seat heading into the 2023 campaign.

Stefanski’s apparent job security is partly due to the Browns not “thinking negatively,” as Cabot notes. The organization has high hopes for the 2023 campaign, and they believe their head coach can get the most out of a roster that should feature a full season from QB Deshaun Watson. With other stars like Myles Garrett, Nick Chubb, and Amari Cooper, Cabot opines that this is the most talented roster the coach has had during his Cleveland tenure.

It sounds like the front office is willing to write off the head coach’s 2022 campaign thanks to an uncertain QB depth chart, and Stefanski was always going to be afforded a longer leash thanks to a 2020 campaign where Cleveland won 11 regular season games and another playoff contest. As a result, there isn’t any clear ultimatum heading into next year.

Of course, if the Browns fall short of expectations, then “all things will be taken into account.” So, while Stefanski isn’t on the hot seat entering the season, he’ll surely be facing some calls for his job if the Browns don’t take a step forward in 2023.

More notes out of Cleveland…

Speaking of Watson, the player has been a “low-maintenance QB,” according to Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. Watson has reportedly been building a strong relationship with Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, with the trio exchanging ideas on how the offense will operate. Pluto believes the grouping wasn’t able to establish the same rapport last year with Watson’s impending suspension and the coaching staff’s need to temporarily cater the offense to the pocket-passing Jacoby Brissett.
Defensive end Za’Darius Smith was acquired from the Vikings last month, and he may see a different role in Cleveland. Cabot writes that the veteran defensive lineman could play some defensive tackle opposite Dalvin Tomlinson. This formation would allow the Browns to play their best four defensive linemen in Smith, Tomlinson, Garrett, and Ogbo Okoronkwo. Of course, Smith will also be used on the edge, in which case 2020 third-round pick Jordan Elliott could step up as the third DT on the depth chart.
Perrion Winfrey’s case for misdemeanor assault was dismissed earlier this month following completion of a pretrial conversion program, per Cabot. The 2022 fourth-round pick will be competing for one of those aforementioned interior DL roles. Winfrey got into 13 games as a rookie, compiling 22 tackles and 0.5 sacks.
We heard earlier today that the Browns are happy with their current grouping of wide receivers, including newcomer Elijah Moore. As a result, the organization isn’t expected to pursue DeAndre Hopkins and reunite the receiver with his former quarterback.

Browns Rumors: Watson, Deposition, WRs

April 9th, 2023 at 8:07pm CST by Ely Allen

Many seem to blame Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson‘s fully guaranteed contract for some of the issues the Ravens have faced in attempting to extend Lamar Jackson, asserting that the Browns intended for this to be the outcome. Sunday, Terry Pluto of cleveland.com refuted that common assertion with a bit of reasoning.

Following Pluto’s logic, Cleveland extended several contract offers that were not fully guaranteed to Watson. In response, Watson was no longer considering the Browns as a potential suitor and seemed to be on a clear path to Atlanta. Watson had eliminated the Browns and Panthers the night before he eventually committed to Cleveland. The Browns, not ones to go down without a fight, reportedly committed to doing whatever it took to obtain the former Texans passer. Watson’s representation then took full advantage of their leverage, resulting in his current fully guaranteed deal. As Jackson attempts to secure guarantees in Watson’s neighborhood, no QB currently comes within $100MM of the sixth-year passer’s $230MM guarantee.

Here are a few other rumors concerning the Browns:

Watson is set to give a deposition tomorrow regarding one of his alleged instances of sexual misconduct, according to Tom Wither of the Associated Press. In the Monday proceeding, Watson will be asked to provide “records of any communications” between himself and the plaintiff, who was not among the 24 women who settled their lawsuits with the Browns passer. Cleveland’s offseason program is set to begin just over a week from now.
In a Q&A this morning, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com addressed a question about the Browns’ position needs when asked whether or not the team would pursue Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, should he be cut by Arizona. Cabot’s response indicated that the Browns are content with their wide receiver situation. The team returns Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, David Bell, and Anthony Schwartz, among others, from last year’s group. The team also brought in Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin through free agency in an attempt to supplement the talent at the position. Additionally, Cleveland should finally get to debut Jakeem Grant in a Browns’ uniform after the return specialist sat out 2022 with a torn Achilles tendon.

Arthur Blank Denies Falcons Were Serious On Deshaun Watson, Addresses Lack Of Lamar Jackson Interest

April 5th, 2023 at 10:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Most of the reporting done regarding last year’s Deshaun Watson sweepstakes revealed the Falcons were set to land the then-embattled quarterback via trade, but the Browns’ $230MM fully guaranteed contract won out. Arthur Blank‘s stance now is the team was not especially close to acquiring Watson.

Asked about the differences between the Watson pursuit and the Falcons joining the rest of the QB-needy or borderline QB-needy teams in avoiding Lamar Jackson, Blank said staff conversations led the team to view Watson as a poor fit.

“I think we explored the one last year, which is what our responsibility was,” Blank said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter. “We didn’t explore it deeply, deeply. We spent some time on it from a legal standpoint, personal standpoint, value standpoint on the player and a variety of things. Soon after we got into exploring, we decided it wasn’t a very good match.

“… I think Lamar’s situation, and I don’t really want to spend a whole lot of time talking about players on other clubs, but Lamar’s situation, I think is very different. A different player. Different time.”

The Falcons joined the Browns, Panthers and Saints as meeting the Texans’ trade price, and a report the day Houston agreed to send Watson to Cleveland indicated Atlanta was “very close” to acquiring the Georgia native. Watson had narrowed his list to the Falcons and Saints — before the Browns’ contract offer — and the quarterback was believed to be recruiting Jarvis Landry and Leonard Fournette to Atlanta. That report and others later in the year viewed Watson as being Atlanta-bound were it not for Cleveland’s historic guarantee structure — one that has altered Jackson’s path.

The Texans only permitted the four finalists to meet with Watson had they offered satisfactory trade compensation, pointing to Atlanta being much farther down the Watson road compared to Blank’s assessment. The Browns’ Watson agreement has directly impacted the Ravens’ Jackson talks, with the former MVP long being connected to asking for Watson-level guarantees. No other quarterback is tied to a guarantee north of $124MM, and teams have attempted to make the Watson accord an outlier. Thus far, franchises’ efforts have been successful.

The Falcons drafted Desmond Ridder a few weeks after missing on Watson, and they are committing to the third-round pick as their 2023 starter. With Atlanta having not made the playoffs since 2017 and Ridder far from a sure thing, Blank’s club would seem to be one of the most logical Jackson suitors. No team has emerged as a suitor, and Blank alluded to Jackson’s run-oriented skillset as one of the reasons for the Falcons’ current stance. Jackson’s recent injury history (11 missed games since 2021) is believed to have affected teams’ interest levels, though his contractual demand has long been viewed as the main impediment.

“Looking at it objectively, there is some concern about whether or not he can play his style of game for … how long can that last,” Blank said. “I’m not sure. He’s only 26. Hopefully a long time for his benefit or anybody that he’s signed with. But he’s missed five to six games each of the last two years. This is not like baseball and basketball where you’re playing 82 or a 182 games, or whatever baseball is now.”

Blank confirmed Arthur Smith, GM Terry Fontenot and Falcons CEO Rich McKay looked into Jackson. Blank was not involved in the evaluation. While Blank called Jackson “one of the top quarterbacks in this league,” the Falcons will stand down on an expensive pursuit and go with Ridder. The four-year Cincinnati starter worked as the Falcons’ first-stringer in four games last season. Ridder completed 63.5% of his passes, threw two TD passes and no INTs, but averaged just 6.2 yards per attempt.

Ridder’s rookie contract runs through 2025, and it will help Atlanta build its roster. Although Ridder will need to prove worthy of being a player good enough to build around, the Falcons came into free agency with a top-three cap-space figure. This standing came after the team ate a dead-money record from the Matt Ryan trade ($40MM) and also took on dead-cap hits from the Julio Jones and Deion Jones swaps.

During Blank’s run as Falcons owner, the team has authorized three big-ticket quarterback contracts — Michael Vick‘s 2004 extension and Ryan’s second and third accords. It appears Blank, whose team certainly appears to have been close to acquiring Watson last year, would like to build around a rookie deal for a while.

“We just came out a period of time … last year we set a record for the most dead money in the history of the NFL,” Blank said. “In my 21 years as an owner, we had close to the least amount of cap room than we’ve ever had before. This year, we had a healthy amount of cap room. Not very much dead money, a little bit, not much.

“Having compensation at 25% or so tied up in one player, we’ve lived through that. It definitely can put a lot of restraint on your ability to round out a roster and to have the depth on the roster given 17 games and the nature of this game, it still a contact sport … we need to build a team.”

NFL Restructures: Watson, Gage, Edwards, Hines

March 13th, 2023 at 9:03am CST by Adam La Rose

As expected, the Browns have restructured the contract of quarterback Deshaun Watson, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). The move saves Cleveland just under $36MM in cap space, and avoids Watson breaking the NFL record for the highest cap hit in a single season (he was due to count for $54.9MM in 2023).

As was recently noted, the Browns did not require Watson’s permission to convert base salary into signing bonus, though he was reportedly open to the idea. His historic, fully-guaranteed pact signed last offseason upon his acquisition from the Texans was always seen as a financial burden beginning in 2023 due to its structure. While this move thus comes as no surprise (and will, of course, affect his cap hits in future years), it will give Cleveland the spending power needed to make at least one or two notable additions in free agency this week.

Here are some other recent contract restructures, as teams look to carve out much-needed cap space for the coming free agent frenzy:

Buccaneers receiver Russell Gage took a slight pay cut for this year to remain in Tampa Bay. Per Rapoport (on Twitter), the 27-year-old agreed to lower his salary from $10MM to $7MM – the latter figure now being fully guaranteed – with incentives in place to earn it back. After a slew of recent cost-cutting moves and financial maneuvering, Tampa Bay is now slightly under the cap ceiling in time for the start of the new league year.
Backup Ravens running back Gus Edwards has been seen by many as a potential cut or trade candidate, as the team looks to add financial wiggle room. He will remain in the fold for the coming season, however. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the 27-year-old has agreed to drop his base salary (set to be $4.4MM) by roughly $1MM (Twitter link). He, too will have the chance to make back that amount and more if he hits the new incentives in place in his deal. Edwards is entering the final year of his contract.
The Bills will have Nyheim Hines in the backfield at a different cap number than he was originally scheduled for. Rapoport’s colleague Mike Garafolo tweets that Hines is re-working his contract to move part of his base salary into a signing bonus. The midseason trade acquisition was due a base salary of $4.45MM in 2023, and set to carry a cap hit of $4.79MM. Garafolo notes that Hines will have the chance, via incentives, to earn more than the latter figure this season. He is on the books through 2024.

QB Notes: Giants, Geno, Watson, Pats, Jets

March 11th, 2023 at 3:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a frenzied run-up to the franchise tag deadline, the Giants have been a bit quieter leading up to free agency. The team’s top business is complete, though they will also be prepared to add talent next week and try to negotiate a Saquon Barkley extension before the July deadline. The Giants’ top contract is done, however, with Daniel Jones agreeing to a four-year, $160MM deal. That contract includes $82MM fully guaranteed — eighth among QBs — and both his 2023 and 2024 base salaries ($9.5MM, $35.5MM) are fully guaranteed, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. Most of Jones’ 2025 base ($30MM) is guaranteed for injury at signing, but it does not become fully guaranteed until the 2025 league year. Rather than a year-out vesting date, Jones’ 2025 guarantees not vesting until that point gives the team an out barring injury. Jones’ $46MM 2026 base salary is nonguaranteed, Florio adds.

Although the nonguaranteed 2026 money more accurately tabs this deal as a three-year, $112.5MM pact, the Giants would be on the hook for just $18MM in dead money were they to shed it from their payroll in 2025. Here is the latest from the QB ranks:

The Seahawks look to have convinced Geno Smith to accept a “prove it” contract, albeit on a major raise. Initially reported as a three-year, $105MM pact, Smith’s deal includes full guarantees ($27.3MM) that only stretch through 2023. An additional $12.7MM is guaranteed for injury until February, when NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes (on Twitter) it shifts to a full guarantee. That gives the Seahawks additional time to evaluate Smith, who surprised most with his 2022 performance. Smith’s guarantee consists of a $26.1MM signing bonus and a $1.2MM base salary in 2023, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. The Seahawks could designate Smith as a post-June 1 cut in 2024 and be charged with just $8.7MM in dead money. Pete Carroll has spoken of the possibility the Seahawks could take a quarterback at No. 5. While the trade-down-happy team may be trying to create a market for the pick, the Smith details point to the team’s QB situation not being settled beyond 2023.
Browns GM Andrew Berry discussed the possibility of a Deshaun Watson restructure. While this is a restructure-crazed point on the NFL calendar, the prospect of adjusting this particular deal would create some new territory due to the $230MM fully guaranteed sum. The Browns do not need Watson’s permission to reshuffle money on his deal, Florio notes. Watson is on Cleveland’s 2023 cap sheet at a record-shattering $54.9MM. A restructure this year could create $33.69MM in cap space, Florio adds. Moving more money onto future caps would create some eye-popping figures, but it is a route the Browns can take to create cap space this year. Cleveland is currently more than $14MM over the cap.
Bailey Zappe‘s cameo as a Patriots starter caused became a storyline briefly last season, and while Mac Jones won his job back, Jeff Howe of The Athletic notes Zappe will have a chance to push Jones for the job in 2023 (subscription required). After a record-setting season at Western Kentucky, Zappe completed 70.7% of his passes and won both his starts as a Patriot. Jones helped Bill O’Brien learn Alabama’s system back in 2021, when the former was preparing for the draft, so it would be interesting to see if Zappe will cause a legitimate QB controversy this year.
The Jets are interested in bringing back Mike White, but they are expected to have some competition. Other teams are interested in adding the popular Jet as an option to compete for a role, Garafolo notes (video link). This could be as a bridge option for a team planning to draft a quarterback. The Jets have zeroed in on Aaron Rodgers. If the all-time great does decide he wants in on the Big Apple, White would seemingly be headed elsewhere.

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