Mario Addison - Pro Football Rumors

Contract Details: JPP, Cousins, Weatherly

March 17th, 2020 at 12:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Deals are coming in quickly, so we’ve compiled some important contract details below:

DE Jason Pierre-Paul, Buccaneers: two years. Deal is worth $25MM, and could be worth up to $26MM ($12.5MM/season, up to $1MM in incentives). Via The Athletic’s Greg Auman on Twitter.
DE Stephen Weatherly, Panthers: two years, $12.5MM. Deal includes $6.25MM guaranteed, $4MM signing bonus. Annual per-game active roster bonus up to $100K, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
QB Kirk Cousins, Vikings: two-year, $66MM extension. Effectively now three-year, $96MM deal. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com observes, this gives Cousins the highest AAV at his position ($32MM, bumping Russell Wilson‘s $31.4MM).
DE Arik Armstead, 49ers: five-year, $85MM extension. Includes voidable sixth year, allowing team to lower cap number. $6MM cap number in first year, $12.5MM in second year, $20MM+ in 2022 through 2024. All via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner on Twitter.
QB A.J. McCarron, Texans: re-signed. One-year, $4MM deal, including $3.75MM guaranteed. Via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter.
DE Mario Addison, Bills: three years. Worth $30.45MM, including $15.25MM guaranteed. $14MM in first year of deal. Via Pelissero on Twitter.
QB Nate Sudfeld, Eagles: re-signed. One-year, $2MM deal, including $500K guaranteed. Another $1MM in incentives. Via Pelissero on Twitter.
TE Blake Jarwin, Cowboys: three years, $24.25MM. Includes $4MM signing bonus. Base salaries: $2.25MM (2020), $3.5MM (2021), $4.5MM (2022), $5.5MM (2023). From 2021 through 2023, there are active roster bonuses totaling $750K and escalators maxing out at $750K per season. Via ESPN’s Todd Archer on Twitter.

Bills To Sign Mario Addison

March 17th, 2020 at 10:03am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have agreed to a three-year deal with defensive end Mario Addison, according to Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal is yet another example of the power of networking – Buffalo’s “Carolina North” leadership was happy to reunite with the veteran.

Addison is coming up on his age-33 season, but he’s shown that he has plenty of football left in the tank. Last year, he tallied 9.5 sacks. And, in each of the past four seasons, he’s had at least nine sacks. His durability isn’t in question, either – he’s missed just one game over the past three years with strong attendance dating back to his first season as an NFL regular with the Panthers back in 2013.

Addison will help soften the blow after the Bills lost Shaq Lawson to the Dolphins. He might not be a one-for-one replacement, but he should be able to keep the pressure on, alongside Jerry Hughes, Trent Murphy, and the rest of the gang.

Financial terms of the deal are not yet known.

Panthers Interested In Re-Signing Addison

March 6th, 2020 at 9:10am CST by Sam Robinson

Mario Addison has already signed one extension to stay in Carolina, and the Panthers are interested in retaining him on another one. However, the defensive end would like to see what’s out there.

The 32-year-old edge defender wants to test free agency, according to David Newton of ESPN.com, who adds the Panthers have shown interest in bringing Addison back. Addison has played with the Panthers since the 2012 season.

In 2017, Addison opted to re-sign with the Panthers before free agency began. He inked a three-year, $22.5MM extension with the then-Dave Gettleman-run franchise. That quickly became a bargain deal for the Panthers, who saw Addison post 29.5 sacks over the course of that contract.

Addison’s 39 sacks over the past four years rank 11th in the league; his $7.5MM-per-year contract ranked 31st among edge defenders. Despite the team-friendly contract, Addison did not hold out during his most recent Carolina pact. But it appears he will see how he stacks up on this latest edge defender market, which, per usual, will see several marquee pass rushers removed from consideration via franchise tag.

Carolina has lost multiple cornerstone players this offseason, cutting Greg Olsen after Luke Kuechly‘s retirement. The Panthers did not pick up Dontari Poe‘s option, and Cam Newton‘s status is not yet certain. James Bradberry is also likely to depart in free agency. This would signal a rebuild is brewing in Carolina, with Matt Rhule receiving a six-year contract. But the team at least will explore retaining Addison.

A UDFA out of Troy, Addison is now the team’s longest-tenured defender and would stay on as 2019 first-rounder Brian Burns‘ edge counterpart if retained. Addison’s 55 sacks as a Panther rank fourth in franchise history, a half-sack behind Mike Rucker for third.

Panthers, Mario Addison Adjust Contract

November 7th, 2018 at 9:24am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have converted $2.5MM of defensive end Mario Addison‘s base salary into a signing bonus, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will create $2MM in extra cap space for this season, giving the Panthers some wiggle room for the current year.

Before the adjustment, the Panthers had just $1.942MM in cap space this year. Only five teams in the NFL had less cash to work with than Carolina. Now, the Panthers have flexibility to add any impact veterans that may pop up on the open market between now and the end of the year.

Addison passed on free agency in 2017 to re-sign with the Panthers on a three-year, $22.5MM deal. He’ll be back next season with a cap number of $9.916MM.

Through eight games, Addison already has 7.5 sacks and 21 total tackles. The 31-year-old is tied for ninth league-wide in sacks and is on pace to top the career high of 11.0 sacks he set last season.

Panthers Re-Sign DE Mario Addison

February 26th, 2017 at 8:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers announced that they’ve re-signed defensive end Mario Addison to a three-year deal. Addison, 30, was scheduled to become a free agent next week, but is now locked up through the 2019 campaign at a total cost of $22.5MM, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Addison will receive $11.5MM in guaranteed money and earn $9.75MM in 2017, per Rapoport (on Twitter), while the total value of the pact could creep to $25.05MM.

“Mario has shown he is one of the best emerging pass rushers in the league and he deserves this contract,” general manager Dave Gettleman said in a statement. “He consistently affects the quarterback, and we envision an increased role for him in our defense. He’s a pro in the way he approaches the game and brings an upbeat attitude to our locker room. We’re thrilled he will continue his career with the Panthers.”

Addison led Carolina with 9.5 sacks in 2016 and graded as the No. 16 edge defender in the league, per Pro Football Focus, but did so while playing on fewer than 500 defensive snaps, an indication that he may not be capable of playing a full-time role. However, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera did refer to Addison as a “complete defensive end” at the end of last season, and he’s certainly a valuable defender as a rotational option.

PFR’s No. 14 free agent edge defender, Addison had indicated an interest in re-signing with the Panthers earlier this year. With Addison’s deal now complete, Carolina will now turn its attention to retaining other members of its defensive line, which led the NFL in sacks last season. Kawann Short, Charles Johnson, Wes Horton, and Kyle Love are all heading for the open market, and could become unrestricted free agents on March 9.

Addison’s new yearly average of $7.5MM represents a significant raise from the $1.28MM annual salary he earned under the terms of his previous extension with Carolina. Additionally, that $7.5MM figure makes Addison one of the NFL’s top 10 highest-paid 4-3 defensive ends, as he’s now just behind the Vikings’ Everson Griffen and the Bengals’ Carlos Dunlap.

Top 2017 Free Agents By Position: Defense

February 24th, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

NFL free agency will get underway on Thursday, March 9th, and while the list of free agents will change between now and then, we do have some idea of who will be available when free agency kicks off. The frenzy is right around the corner and it’s time for us to break down the outlook for each position. After looking at offense, we’ll tackle defense and special teams today.

Listed below are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each defensive position. These rankings aren’t necessarily determined by the value of the contracts – or the amount of guaranteed money – that each player is expected to land in free agency. These are simply the players we like the most at each position, with both short- and long-term value taken into account.

Restricted and exclusive-rights free agents, as well as players who received the franchise tag, aren’t listed here, since the roadblocks in place to hinder another team from actually acquiring most of those players prevent them from being true free agents.

We’ll almost certainly be higher or lower on some free agents than you are, so feel free to weigh in below in our comments section to let us know which players we’ve got wrong.

Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by defensive position for 2017:

Edge defender:

The Cardinals have already made it abundantly clear that Chandler Jones will see the franchise tag this offseason, and Melvin Ingram and Jason Pierre-Paul are also candidates to be tagged by the Chargers and Giants, respectively. If the latter two are able to hit the open market unfettered, however, they both figure to break the bank. Ingram, Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 edge defender, could be a fit for both 3-4 and 4-3 schemes, while JPP will be looking for a long-term commitment after signing consecutive one-year deals.

The rest of this year’s crop of free agent pass rushers is a blend of young defenders searching for their first payday and veterans on the hunt for one last contract. Among the players with youth still on their side, Packers edge defenders Nick Perry and Datone Jones figure to interest different clubs, as Perry is a better match for a 3-4 defense while Jones needs to restart his career as a 4-3 defensive end. John Simon has been overlooked while playing alongside the likes of J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, and Whitney Mercilus but could represent a hidden gem, while the Dolphins are reportedly prioritizing Andre Branch.

After managing nine sacks over the first nine years of his NFL tenure, Lorenzo Alexander busted out with 12.5 quarterback takedowns in 2016, and now could be looking for a double-digit annual salary. James Harrison and Charles Johnson, meanwhile, look like good bets to return to Steelers and Panthers, respectively, but DeMarcus Ware could be something of a wild card — after missing 11 games in the past two seasons, does the 34-year-old have enough left in the tank? The same could be asked of Dwight Freeney, who at age-37 posted three sacks in a rotational role for the Falcons.

Interior defensive line:

Unlike the edge defender market, the 2017 cadre of interior defensive lineman shouldn’t be overly affected by the franchise tender. Head coach Ron Rivera recently confessed the Panthers will “probably” have to use the tag on Kawann Short, but the rest of the defensive tackles listed here should be able to hit the open market. Of the remaining defenders, Campbell is the best overall player, but given that he’s entering his age-31 season, he may not cost as much as Johnathan Hankins, Brandon Williams, and Dontari Poe.

Hankins is only 24 years old, and though the Giants are trying to retain him along with the rest of their defensive core, the 6’3″, 320-pound mauler should represent an attractive option to a number of clubs this offseason. Williams, too, offers a massive presence on the inside, while Poe could intrigue clubs based on his first-round pedigree and athleticism (though his play hasn’t always matched his potential). The Redskins’ Chris Baker is a solid, well-rounded defensive tackle, and could constitute a consolation prize for teams that miss out on their top targets.

The rest of the class offers an interesting mix of nose tackles (Bennie Logan), interior pass rushers (Nick Fairley, Earl Mitchell), and run stoppers (Karl Klug, Alan Branch), so clubs hoping to bolster their defensive line should find no shortage of options. Jared Odrick recently hit free agency after being released by the Jaguars, while Terrell McClain, Lawrence Guy, and Stacy McGee could be underrated finds for the right team. McClain, for what it’s worth, has already been linked to the Falcons.

Linebacker:

As usual, the non-rush linebacker market isn’t exactly overflowing with elite talent, and Dont’a Hightower stands as far-and-away the best player among this group. The Patriots already traded away several of their best defenders, including Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins, an indication that they view Hightower as the best best to stick around long term. Hightower has communicated an openness to the franchise tag, but New England may go in another direction and offer him the transition tender instead.

Coming off a disappointing four-year run with the Titans in 2016, Zach Brown was last year forced to sign a one-year deal with the Bills for less than $1.5MM. That won’t be the case this spring, as Brown finally lived up to his second-round draft status by grading as one of the league’s best ‘backers. Brown especially excelled in pass coverage by using his speed to chase pass-catchers around the field, and in today’s NFL, that’s a skill-set that equals a hefty paycheck.

Kevin Minter has captained the Cardinals defense for the past two seasons, and has indicated he wouldn’t mind following Arizona defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to New York. Lawrence Timmons, meanwhile, is talking about a return to the Steelers, but general manager Kevin Colbert admitted an agreement between the two sides could be hard to reach. After years of playing behind Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, A.J. Klein is seeking a starting job, while Mike Morgan and Nick Bellore are more likely to be signed as primary special teamers.

Cornerback:

The Texans are unlikely to use the franchise tag on A.J. Bouye, a decision which sets up the young corner to be the single-most intriguing player on the 2017 free agent market. Only 25 years old, Bouye came out of nowhere to grade as PFF’s No. 3 corner in 2016. But the former undrafted free agent played on less than 900 defensive snaps over the first three years of his career, so he’s going to get paid on essentially one season of production. Bouye earned less than $3MM total during his time with Houston — his next contract could contain five times that amount…annually.

The cornerback market stands as one of the best free agent positional groups this offseason, as strong players permeate the list from top-to-bottom. Trumaine Johnson faces an outside shot of being franchise-tagged, but if he hits the open market, he’ll likely be aiming for a contract similar to that of his former Rams teammate Janoris Jenkins (five years, $62.5MM). Elsewhere among corners, Stephon Gilmore is a more high-profile name than Logan Ryan, but Ryan has simply played better over the last few campaigns, and offers a more dependable output.

Morris Claiborne is a former first-round pick but didn’t play like it until last season. Dre Kirkpatrick is a former first-round pick but has never played like it. The rest of the cornerback list has warts, as well: Prince Amukamara has dealt with injury, Kayvon Webster has only two career starts, Terence Newman is entering his age-39 season, and Sam Shields is coming off multiple concussions. All of these players offer upside, but they are all undoubtedly attached to risk.

Safety:

The Chiefs are working to re-sign Eric Berry, but if the two parties can’t agree to a new deal, Kansas City will likely employ the franchise tag for the second consecutive season. The only problem? Berry is adamant that he won’t play under the tag again, even though it would guarantee him a one-year salary of nearly $13MM. Realistically, Berry won’t have any choice but to sign the tender — given that he’s already 28, he can’t afford to sit out the season and risk hitting the open market at close to 30 years old.

Tony Jefferson, meanwhile, is expected to hit free agency, and could be the second-highest paid safety in this class behind Berry. Jefferson did reach the free agent market in 2016 as a restricted free agent, but he didn’t come with draft compensation attached. Any club could have signed him to an offer sheet, and if the Cardinals declined to match, would have acquired Jefferson scot-free. No team did so, which could be an indication that Jefferson’s 2016 market could be less robust than expected.

Also working against Jefferson is the fact that he plays close to the line of scrimmage, a role that’s relatively easy to fill, as Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus explained on a recent podcast. Duron Harmon, on the other hand, has demonstrated an ability to play deep safety, and thus could be in for a surprisingly high salary. The Cowboys’ Barry Church is “solid at everything, great at nothing,” tweets Andy Benoit of Sports Illustrated, while Jonathan Cyprien and T.J. McDonald are primarily run defenders. Darius Butler may be the most fascinating case among this list of safeties, as the former corner should theoretically offer above-average coverage skills.

Kicker:

The Seahawks don’t figure to re-sign Steven Hauschka after bringing in fellow kicker Blair Walsh, but the longtime Seattle placekicker should be able to quickly find a new home in free agency. Nick Novak attempted the second-most field goals in the NFL last season after many Texans’ drives stalled, while Robbie Gould filled in admirably for the Giants after they released Josh Brown, converting of all ten of his field goal attempts.

Nick Folk was released as a cap casualty, and still has the talent to become another club’s kicker, while Mike Nugent — cut by the Bengals at midseason — may be nearing the end of the road after missing six extra points. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Phil Dawson come back for a fifth season with the 49ers, but Greg Zuerlein could move on from the Rams after the club threatened to bring in competition last offseason.

Punter:

Jeff Locke, 27, managed to pin opposing clubs inside the 20-yard line 34 times in 2016, good for fifth in the league. Britton Colquitt isn’t quite the punter that his brother, Dustin, is, but he found a new club soon after being cut last season and should do so again in 2017. Now 40 years old, Shane Lechler is a seven-time Pro Bowler, but the Texans lost 12.7 points of field position on punts last season, meaning Houston could go in another direction at punter.

Mario Addison Wants To Re-Sign With Panthers

January 21st, 2017 at 7:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Pending free agent defensive end Mario Addison would like to re-sign with the Panthers, according to David Newton of ESPN.com.

The 29-year-old Addison led Carolina with 9.5 sacks in 2016 and graded as the No. 16 edge defender in the league, per Pro Football Focus, but played on fewer than 500 defensive snaps, an indication that he may not be capable of playing a full-time role. However, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera did refer to Addison as a “complete defensive end” at the end of last season, per Newton, and he’s certainly a valuable defender as a rotational option.

Addison isn’t the only Carolina defensive lineman scheduled to hit free agency in March, as Kawann Short, Charles Johnson, Wes Horton, and Kyle Love are all heading for the open market. As such, the pass rush could be an area of focus in the coming months, as I detailed while covering the Panthers’ top three offseason needs.

Panthers Extend Chandler, Addison, Jones

June 19th, 2014 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 11:32am: According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter), Addison’s new deal is worth $3.205MM over the next three years, with $660K guaranteed, while Jones’ three-year value is $2.5MM, with $300K guaranteed. Both guarantees are in the form of signing bonuses (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 1:23pm: The Panthers have signed three players to contract extensions, the team announced today in a press release. According to the club, offensive tackle Nate Chandler has inked a three-year extension, while defensive end Mario Addison and safety Colin Jones have each signed new two-year deals. All three players had been entering the final year of their respective contracts.

“You have to think long-term and be proactive,” general manager Dave Gettleman said in a statement. “Around here we talk about earning the right, and these three young guys have earned the right to these contract extensions. We think all three are ascending as players. This gave us a chance to lock them up long-term.”

With Jordan Gross no longer in the picture at left tackle, Chandler could be competing this summer for the right to protect Cam Newton‘s blind side. The third-year player out of UCLA started eight regular-season contests and a playoff game at right guard for Carolina last season, and figures to see his fair share of playing time somewhere on the Panthers’ offensive line. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), Chandler’s three-year extension will be worth $7.95MM, with $1.87MM in guaranteed money.

As for the pair of players receiving two-year extensions, Addison is expected to head into the 2014 season as a reserve defensive end, after recording 2.5 sacks and 28 total quarterback pressures in 264 defensive snaps last season. Jones, meanwhile, didn’t see much action on defense in 2013, but he and Addison are key contributors on special teams — they each recorded nine tackles in kick and punt coverage last season.