Trent Brown

Seahawks To Meet With T Trent Brown; Patriots Remain In Mix

5:03pm: Brown is still considering a return to the Patriots, according to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson, who relays Brown’s comments about his free agency (Twitter link). The mammoth tackle said he is open to signing with another contender as well. The right tackle market is especially thin, giving Brown some value as one of the best linemen still available. New England’s line will look a bit different next season, with starters Shaq Mason and Ted Karras departing. Brown’s decision will determine if the Pats need to replace two starting blockers or three.

3:36pm: After agreeing to terms with interior offensive lineman Austin Blythe, the Seahawks are eyeing a bigger (in every sense) fish on their line. Free agent tackle Trent Brown is planning to meet with the team Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Brown has spent time in the NFC West, beginning his career with the 49ers, before relocating via a 2018 trade. Brown’s value has yo-yoed in the years since that deal, but he played well when healthy in New England last season. The Seahawks are also short on tackles presently, having lacked a right-side option for a bit and having Duane Brown in free agency.

Trent Brown set an offensive lineman record when he signed a four-year, $66MM deal with the Raiders in 2019. That partnership proved effective for one season, when Brown became the rare right tackle invited to the Pro Bowl in 2019, but various 2020 setbacks led to the Raiders trading him back to the Patriots. Brown ran into more injury trouble in New England, missing eight games last season, but the 6-foot-8, 380-pound blocker was a key part of one of the NFL’s top O-lines when on the field.

With Duane Brown in free agency, the Seahawks only have one notable contract on their O-line — ex-Trent Brown Raiders teammate Gabe Jackson. The Seahawks acquired Jackson via trade last year. One year remains on his contract.

Trent Brown has played both left and right tackle in his seven pro seasons, though most of that work has come on the right side. Brown played left tackle for the Super Bowl-winning 2018 Patriots but has been a right-side fixture in every other season.

Trent Brown Considered Retirement After 2020 IV Incident

Trent Brown considered retirement after what he described as a near-death experience last season. An IV mishap before Raiders-Browns game last season led to the then-Las Vegas tackle being hospitalized.

The 380-pound offensive lineman was on track to play last season in Cleveland, after a bout with COVID-19 previously sidelined him. But the hospitalization, compounded with the coronavirus contraction, led to Brown experiencing issues for several months into the offseason.

To actually fully recover, it probably took about eight months to feel normal again,” Brown said, via NFL.com. “And to actually start making steps, as far as improvement, to feel like myself again on the field after eight months.”

In his second Raiders season, Brown suffered a calf injury in Week 1 — a pattern that recurred this season — and returned on time a month later. But an October COVID-19 contraction sidelined him again. After the IV incident, when air was accidentally introduced into Brown’s bloodstream, the mammoth blocker passed out at a Cleveland hospital. He was shelved — via a second stint on the Raiders’ reserve/COVID-19 list — for another five games after missing the Browns contest on Nov. 1, 2020. Brown spent three days in the hospital before returning to Las Vegas.

That was different. Coming off of COVID and then just expecting to play a game, and then make it all the way to the city, to the game, to the locker room,” Brown said. “And I’m going through my normal routine, getting an IV, and to just pass out and almost going into cardiac arrest was crazy.

To kind of come back and play against the Browns [last week], I thought was pretty cool, because I almost died before we played them last year. When I was laid out on the floor, I definitely thought about my kids. I even thought about retiring, honestly. It was that scary. I was about to be done with it. Then after it kind of settled down a bit, I was fine.”

The Raiders traded Brown back to the Patriots in March, but the seventh-year tackle has played fewer than 100 snaps this season. Brown was ready to go by Week 1, but seven snaps into New England’s opener, the first-string right tackle suffered a new calf injury. He did not return until Week 10. Brown did play 69 snaps in the Pats’ win over the Browns upon returning, however.

Although Brown signed a four-year, $66MM deal with the Raiders that ran through the 2022 season, he and the Patriots agreed on a restructure that has the 6-foot-8 lineman on track for free agency in March.

Patriots Activate Trent Brown, Place Jamie Collins On IR

For the first time since Week 1, Trent Brown is expected to be in uniform for the Patriots. They activated the veteran tackle Saturday, while placing Jamie Collins on IR.

Brown sustained a calf injury in New England’s opener, and the team did not place its right tackle starter on IR immediately. The Pats initially hoped Brown would come back without an IR stint, but they parked him on the injured list in early October. The seventh-year veteran is now back but has certainly gone through some unavailability issues since his first Pats stint.

After missing five games with the Raiders during a Pro Bowl 2019 season, Brown missed much of the 2020 season because of calf issues and multiple stays on the Raiders’ reserve/COVID-19 list. Brown has played just seven snaps this season, costing himself money through the incentives the Patriots included in his restructured contract. While the 380-pound blocker remains an imposing presence who could make a difference for a run-geared Pats team, he suddenly has much to prove during the second half of his age-28 season.

The Patriots listed Collins as doubtful for Week 10. After beginning the season with the Lions, Collins made his way back to the Pats for a third stint and made a slick interception in their Week 9 blowout win in Charlotte. Collins has played in five games since re-signing with the Pats, registering a sack and seven tackles in addition to his INT.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/10/21

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals 

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: K Lirim Hajrullahu

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Patriots Move T Trent Brown To IR

Trent Brown has not played since Week 1 due to a calf injury. The Patriots’ right tackle starter is now guaranteed to miss at least three more games; the team placed Brown on IR Saturday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Since his first stint with the Patriots ended, Brown has been unable to stay healthy. He did make the 2019 Pro Bowl, becoming the rare right tackle invitee that year, but played in just 11 games. Last year, a calf injury in Week 1 sidelined him before multiple stints on the Raiders’ reserve/COVID-19 list wrecked his season.

The Patriots reacquired Brown for a Day 3 pick but have not been able to deploy him much. As part of a redone contract, Brown is only signed through the end of this season. The 6-foot-8 blocker’s value has taken a major hit since the Raiders gave him a four-year, $66MM deal early in free agency two years ago.

In addition to Brown’s extended absence, the Patriots are set to be without three other offensive line starters against the Texans. Left tackle Isaiah Wynn and guards Shaq Mason and Michael Onwenu are out. Mason is injured but not on IR; Wynn and Onwenu are on the team’s coronavirus list. This will leave center David Andrews as New England’s lone first-string O-lineman available Sunday in Houston.

Patriots’ Trent Brown To Miss Week 2

Trent Brown will not be in the Patriots’ starting lineup against the Jets on Sunday. The calf strain the recently reacquired right tackle suffered last week will keep him out.

This marks the latest health setback for Brown, who missed much of last season due to injury and COVID-19 complications. Second-year UDFA Yasir Durant is the top candidate to fill in for Brown, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.

This marks the second straight year a calf injury will sideline Brown. His 2020 started similarly, with a Week 1 calf ailment leading to missed early-season time.

The Pats traded a 2022 fifth-round pick to the Raiders for Brown and a seventh-rounder and redid the large lineman’s contract. Part of Brown’s reworked deal includes per-game roster bonuses totaling $2MM. While Brown was called day-to-day after his latest injury, he missed New England’s Wednesday and Thursday practices and managed a limited session Friday. This participation may point to Brown missing just one week, but the run of bad breaks for the seventh-year veteran should be a bit of a concern for a team that also has a left tackle (Isaiah Wynn) with an extensive injury past.

Though he became the rare right tackle Pro Bowl invitee in his first Raiders season, Brown missed five games in 2019. He missed 11 in 2020. After Brown’s calf issue forced three missed games last season, he had two stints on the Raiders’ reserve/COVID-19 list. While Brown did not miss a game for the Patriots in 2018, when he played a major role in the franchise winning its sixth Super Bowl, the 6-foot-8 blocker’s health in the time since he initially left New England has become an issue.

Injury Updates: Penny, Davenport, Taylor, Brown

Rashaad Penny has struggled to stay healthy during his brief NFL career, and the Seahawks running back suffered another injury on Sunday. Penny left the game early with a calf injury, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the 25-year-old is expected to be “shut down for a few weeks” while he recovers. An IR stint could be a possibility for the running back.

Fortunately for the Seahawks, they’re rostering a handful of capable running backs behind Chris Carson, including DeeJay Dallas, Travis Homer and Alex Collins. Head coach Pete Carroll pointed to that depth when explaining why the team would be cautious during Penny’s recovery.

“He’s got a calf strain, so it’ll take us a bit to figure out what the return would be on that,” Carroll said (via the team’s website). “He ran really well when he ran the other night, so we’re going to miss him, it looks like this week, we won’t know. We’ll let you know how that goes. But Alex is ready to go, and both Homer and DeeJay, they’re ready to go too, so we’re in good shape. We had four running backs up this week, so we’re in pretty good shape at the position. Unfortunately, if it takes him a couple weeks, then we’ll figure out how to handle that.”

Penny, a 2018 first-round pick, appeared in only 13 games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Some more injury notes from around the NFL:

  • Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport will be sidelined while he recovers from a pectoral strain, per Rapoport on Twitter. The pass rusher is expected to miss some time but “should be back sooner rather than later.” Following a disappointing 2020 campaign, Davenport was hoping for a bounce-back season in 2021. He was already on his way, as he compiled three tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, and one QB hit before falling to his injury.
  • Texans defensive tackle Vincent Taylor suffered an ankle injury yesterday that will require surgery, according to Mark Berman of Fox26 in Houston (via Twitter). Taylor is expected to be sidelined for six weeks. Taylor signed a one-year contract with Houston this offseason, and he started Sunday’s game before suffering the injury. The 27-year-old got into a career-high 15 games for the Browns last season, finishing with 12 tackles.
  • Patriots offensive tackle Trent Brown exited yesterday’s loss with a calf injury, but the offensive lineman is now just considered day-to-day, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Brown re-joined the Patriots this offseason after having spent the past two seasons with the Raiders.

Trent Brown, Gabe Jackson Declined Raiders Pay Cuts

The Raiders made major changes on their offensive line this offseason, jettisoning two Pro Bowlers and their longest-tenured starter. Two or three first-year starters are expected to block for Derek Carr this season.

Prior to the Raiders separating from Rodney Hudson, Trent Brown and Gabe Jackson, the team offered the latter duo pay cuts in order to stay, Vic Tafur of The Athletic notes (subscription required). It is not known how substantial the proposed cuts were, but both Brown and Jackson declined the Raiders’ offers.

After reports surfaced Jackson would be cut, the Raiders found an 11th-hour trade partner and sent the seven-year guard starter to the Seahawks for a fifth-round pick. That pick (No. 167) became Illinois cornerback Nate Hobbs. The Raiders dealt Brown to the Patriots for a fifth as well; Las Vegas also sent New England a seventh-rounder in that swap. Both players have since reworked their contracts.

The Raiders gave Jackson a five-year, $56MM extension in June 2017; two non-guaranteed years remained on that deal. The Seahawks and Jackson have since agreed to a three-year, $22.58MM extension, which came with $16MM in total guarantees and $10.75MM fully guaranteed.

Given a then-tackle-record four-year, $66MM deal in March 2019, Brown battled injuries and COVID-19 last season. He made the Pro Bowl in 2019, however. Signing up for a second Brown stint, the Pats have the mammoth tackle under contract at $9MM for the 2021 season. He is due for free agency again in 2022. Brown did end up agreeing to a pay cut in New England, though incentives can take the pact up to $11MM.

Las Vegas has since drafted Alex Leatherwood in Round 1; he will be projected to take over for Brown at right tackle. Richie Incognito, who did agree to return at a reduced rate, and Denzelle Good are back in the fold at guard. John Simpson, a 2020 fourth-round pick, is also set to vie for Jackson’s old right guard spot as well. Andre James, who has since signed an extension himself, may well succeed Hudson at center.

Contract Notes: Bucs, Rodgers, Rudolph, Pats

We’ve got a handful of interesting notes on contracts to pass along, including for several quarterbacks:

  • The Buccaneers’ quarterbacks room is a bit crowded now with Kyle Trask getting drafted in the second-round. One of Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin will be the odd man out, since Bruce Arians won’t be keeping four signal-callers. “Their new contracts tell you who’s ahead” in the competition to hold Tom Brady‘s clipboard in 2021, Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets. Auman reports that Gabbert got $1.5MM in guaranteed money, $750K in base salary and a $750K signing bonus. On the other hand, Griffin only got a $75K signing bonus guaranteed. Gabbert has always been Bruce Arians’ guy, while Tampa’s front office has loved Griffin enough to keep him around since 2015. If these financial figures tell us anything, and they usually do, it’s that Gabbert will be back for the title defense while Griffin won’t be.
  • The language of Aaron Rodgers‘ contract is going to get a lot of attention if his current beef with the Packers turns into a real holdout. Rodgers earned a $6.8MM roster bonus on the third day of the league year, but he hasn’t actually received that money yet since it’s to be “paid concurrently with his 2021 base salary,” former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry tweets. Corry notes that Green Bay has “the right to take fines & any recapture of signing bonus due to a training camp holdout from this money.” There was talk of Rodgers having to pay back that $6.8MM, but it turns out he hasn’t even gotten it yet. The Packers can start chipping away at that the moment he doesn’t show up for mandatory practices.
  • One last quarterback note. Mason Rudolph recently got a one-year contract extension from the Steelers to keep him under team control through 2022, and it turns out the team gave him some real money. Rudolph’s new pact with Pittsburgh is worth $5MM for the 2022 season, which included a $2MM signing bonus, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic tweets. As Kaboly points out, Rudolph is the only passer the team has under contract for 2022. Rudolph hasn’t exactly looked like a franchise quarterback in his nine career starts, but with Ben Roethlisberger‘s status more than uncertain beyond this year, it makes since why the Steelers would want to make sure they have someone at least somewhat competent under center just in case.
  • When Trent Brown got traded from the Raiders back to the Patriots, he reworked his contract from having two years and $29.5MM left to a one-year pact for $11MM. Turns out that new one-year deal has some interesting details. The massive offensive tackle’s contract has a series of weight-based incentives, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes. The 6’8 behemoth will have earned $150K if he weighed “385 pounds or less on the first day of the offseason program (April 19).” Brown will have an opportunity to earn another $150K if he clocks in at or below 375 pounds on June 1, and another $200K for 365 pounds on July 15. That’s a total of a half million bucks in weight-based incentives. Brown was with the Patriots for one season back in 2018, and won Super Bowl LIII with the team.

NFL Contract Details: Fuller, Ford, Barr, Pats

As free agency’s second wave continues, here are the latest contract details from around the league:

  • 49ers DE Dee Ford: Two years, $24MM. $11.6MM guaranteed, with $4.6MM of that sum due in 2022, David Lombardi and Matt Barrows of The Athletic note (subscription required). Ford’s 2021 guarantees ($7MM) include a $4MM base salary. Ford’s contract also includes a void year (2023).
  • Dolphins WR Will Fuller: One year, $10.63MM. Contract maxes out at $13.63MM, with $3MM available in performance-based incentives, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Fuller will receive a $9.6MM signing bonus and is due a $990K base salary.
  • Vikings LB Anthony Barr: One year, fully guaranteed $9.4MM. $8.4MM signing bonus, $1MM base salary. Barr’s cap number will drop to $6.1MM. Contract includes $3MM in sack-based incentives and features two void years, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling (all Twitter links).
  • Patriots T Trent Brown: Fully guaranteed $6.5MM base salary, up to $2MM in per-game roster bonuses, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Contract can climb to $11MM based on the roster bonuses, $1MM for 90% playing time, $1MM for a Pro Bowl nod and $500K in weight incentives. Brown must stay under 380 pounds, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets.
  • Bills DE Mario Addison: $4.1MM base salary in 2021, $3.25MM of that is guaranteed, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic tweets. Addison is also due a $1.9MM roster bonus. His contract will now void after 2021.
  • Colts T Sam Tevi: One year, $2.51MM. $1MM guaranteed, $1.5MM base salary. The deal also includes $1MM in playing-time incentives, Wilson tweets.