This Date In Transactions History: Dolphins Acquire Junior Seau From Chargers
For a three-year stretch in the mid-2000s, the Dolphins rostered three All-Decade defenders. Eighteen years ago Friday, Miami brought in Junior Seau to start on its Jason Taylor– and Zach Thomas-led defense.
On April 16, 2003, the Dolphins finalized a trade that brought Seau over from San Diego. It took only a conditional draft choice for the Dolphins to acquire the 13-year Chargers starter, who was 34 at the time of the trade. (That pick ended up becoming a fifth-rounder in 2004, which turned into future LaDainian Tomlinson backup and Falcons Pro Bowler Michael Turner.)
The 2003 offseason brought considerable change for the Chargers, who said goodbye to Seau and Rodney Harrison. While these two would end up teammates again in New England, Seau took a three-season detour. The Dolphins brought Seau over to join a defense that had ranked fourth in 2002; it ranked third in ’03, which turned out to be Seau’s best Miami season.
A Chargers first-round pick in 1990, the San Diego native became the greatest defender in franchise history. Seau ventured to 12 straight Pro Bowls from 1991-2002 and was a first-team All-Decade performer in the 1990s. The USC alum was the best player on the Bolts’ Super Bowl XXIX team, pairing elite tackling skills with pass-rushing ability that allowed him to put together three seven-sack seasons despite not working as a pure rusher. The Chargers, however, moved in a different direction in 2003, allowing Seau to seek a trade. The Bolts paid Seau around $2MM of a $2.7MM roster bonus, which was due the day before the trade was finalized.
Seau started 15 games for the ’03 Dolphins. He posted 96 tackles (12 for loss) and three sacks that season, a 10-6 Dolphins campaign that ended with the team just missing the playoffs. However, the Dave Wannstedt-run team could not generate momentum coming out of the season. The Dolphins started 1-9 in 2004 and fired Wannstedt. Seau battled through injuries — a pectoral tear in 2004 and an Achilles malady in ’05 — and was only able to log 15 games in that span. Prior to joining the Dolphins, Seau had not missed more than three games in a season.
The Dolphins released Seau in 2006, and he retired soon after. However, the Patriots pulled him out of retirement and used him as a starter in 2006. Seau played four more seasons, becoming one of the only NFL defenders to enjoy a 20-year career, before retiring for good in 2010. Tragically, Seau died by suicide in 2012. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2015.
Chargers, Falcons, Steelers, Texans, Jets To Skip OTAs
3:57pm: Add the Jets and Texans to this list. They are the 13th and 14th teams to reveal players will not show up Monday. Veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson tweeted the Texans voted not to attend. Though, the Jets (Twitter link) join the Chargers and Falcons by pointing out that “many players” have agreed to do so. Some are likely to attend workouts.
3:47pm: Three more teams joined the lot of those who have pledged to pass on the NFL’s in-person OTAs this spring. The Chargers, Falcons and Steelers indicated all or most of their players will not attend workouts at team facilities.
The Bolts and Falcons’ statements said “many” of their respective players will not attend workouts (Twitter links), while the Steelers’ statement (on Twitter) provided no such qualifier.
Thus far, these three join the Broncos, Seahawks, Buccaneers, Bears, Browns, Giants, Patriots, Lions and Raiders in vowing to stay away from team facilities this offseason. The Steelers’ statement indicated the protocols that were in place last season are not entirely present for the NFL’s offseason program, creating confusion. Teams can begin holding onsite offseason workouts Monday, and more than half the league’s franchises are set to do so.
The NFL and NFLPA have been discussing offseason protocols for several weeks. No resolution has come, leading union president J.C. Tretter to call for these boycotts. The Chargers, Steelers and Falcons will proceed virtually, though some players — presumably the ones with workout bonuses — will likely show up. It will be interesting how teams navigate this matter after the draft. Draft picks and UDFAs can gain more from onsite offseason work, with the latter group not exactly in position to shun developmental opportunities. How rookies proceed may influence how certain veterans do as well.
For now, however, there are 12 teams who have come forward to say they will stay away from OTAs due to COVID-19 concerns. That list may continue expanding ahead of Monday.
Chargers Owner Dean Spanos’ Sister Attempting To Force Sale
There’s been plenty of NFL ownership drama over the past year, and the Broncos are now no longer the only AFC West team with a power struggle going on. The Chargers have entered the fray, as Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times writes.
A sister of Chargers owner Dean Spanos, Dea Spanos Berberian, has filed a petition in Los Angeles County Court asking a judge to force a sale of the team. Fenno writes that Berberian argues “that mounting debt has imperiled the family’s finances and the only solution is to put the NFL franchise on the market.”
Berberian is a trustee of the family trust alongside Spanos, and she “alleges the trust’s debts and expenses exceed” $353MM. “Every day that passes increases the risks that the charitable beneficiaries and the Spanos family legacy will suffer irreparable financial and reputational damage,” if the team isn’t sold, the petition reads.
According to the court filing this has been going on behind the scenes for quite some time, as Spanos told his siblings in a 2019 letter that he would retain an investment bank at the end of the 2024 season to help sell the team. Berberian is attempting to force a move sooner than that, but either way it sounds like the Spanos family won’t be owning the franchise long-term.
That being said, Spanos and two of his other siblings released a defiant statement in response to this filing, which you can read in full here, denouncing Berberian’s effort.
“For the three of us the Chargers is one of our family’s most important legacies, just as it was for our parents. Unfortunately, our sister Dea seems to have a different and misguided personal agenda. If Dea no longer wishes to be part of this family legacy, the three of us stand ready to purchase her share of the franchise, as our agreements give us the right to do. In the meanwhile, the operations of the Chargers will be entirely unaffected by this matter, which relates only to the 36 percent share of the team that was owned by our parents,” it reads in part.
Spanos is no stranger to controversy, as he became a very polarizing figure among Chargers fans in San Diego after moving the team to Los Angeles a few years ago. This will take months if not years to fully play out, but we’ll keep you posted.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/30/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Micah Simon
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: DL Tyler Lancaster
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Ryan Smith
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/retired list: TE Hale Hentges
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Cole Hikutini, DB Joshua Kalu, DB Christopher Milton
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S Matthias Farley
Patriots Made Late Push For Joe Thuney
Before Joe Thuney left for the Chiefs, the Patriots made a late push to keep him in New England, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. In addition, the Bengals and Chargers were also in on the standout guard. 
[RELATED: Chiefs Sign Joe Thuney]
The Patriots shocked everyone by tagging Thuney last year. This time around, they opted against cuffing him again at a 20% increase, but they still tried to keep him with a multi-year offer. Ultimately, the Chiefs won out – they were the first team to put an offer on the table for Thuney and it proved to be the most lucrative of the bunch. The longtime starter is now tied to Kansas City for five years at a whopping $80MM. The first two years are fully guaranteed at $32.5MM. Meanwhile, Year 3 goes from guaranteed-for-injury to 100% guaranteed in 2022, so $48MM of the deal is effectively locked in. Thuney didn’t come cheap, but he’ll help to fortify a line that has lost starting tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz.
When Thuney went elsewhere, the Bengals pivoted towards lower cost moves, such as re-signing guard Quinton Spain. Unless they make a splashier signing like veteran Nick Easton, they’ll probably look to find a starter early on in the draft. Meanwhile, the Chargers managed to ink All-Pro center Corey Linsley and versatile lineman Matt Feiler, so Justin Herbert should be well protected.
In addition to those aforementioned teams, the Jets also tried to land Thuney. He’s long been a target of Gang Green – they were planning to make a big push for him last year, too, up until the Patriots kept him from the open market.
Chargers, Chase Daniel Agree To Deal
Chase Daniel will make his way to Los Angeles to mentor the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Chargers agreed to terms with the veteran backup on Friday night, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year agreement.
Recently released by the Lions, Daniel will move to his sixth NFL team and work as Justin Herbert‘s backup. Daniel was with the Bears during Brandon Staley‘s final season in Chicago (2018). Being quite well traveled, Daniel also has a history with new Bolts OC Joe Lombardi. Daniel worked with Lombardi during both his Saints stints.
The University of Missouri product has been one of the most financially successful backup quarterbacks ever, and despite being set for his age-35 season, Daniel has remained a coveted QB2. The Lions signed him to a three-year, $13.1MM accord in 2020 and used him at points. The Lions attempted to trade their backup but ended up releasing him. Now, Daniel and Matthew Stafford are each L.A.-bound.
Daniel has remained a viable passer despite having never started more than two games in a season. The former Heisman finalist has only started two games in just one of his 12 NFL seasons (2018, when a Mitchell Trubisky injury thrust his backup into action). Over his career, Daniel is a 68% passer. But that total has come on just 261 attempts.
He will step into the role Tyrod Taylor vacated. Brought in to be Philip Rivers‘ backup in 2019, Taylor entered the 2020 season as the Chargers’ starter. However, a pregame injection mishap began the Herbert era in Week 2 of last season. Taylor has since signed with the Texans.
Chargers Sign OLB Kyler Fackrell
Kyler Fackrell will make his way to a third team in three seasons. The veteran edge defender signed with the Chargers on Wednesday.
Formerly a four-year Packer, Fackrell played the 2020 season with the Giants. He started nine games and recorded four sacks and a pick-six with Big Blue, but he will head west ahead of his sixth NFL season.
A third-round Packers pick in 2016, Fackrell mostly served as a rotational rusher in Green Bay. However, he did record a career-high 10.5 sacks despite playing the off-the-bench role in 2018. That season, which did include seven starts, helped lead Fackrell to New York. He signed a one-year, $4.6MM deal with the Giants in 2020. While the 29-year-old defender spent some time on IR last season due to a calf injury, he returned for Week 17 and played 12 games with New York.
The Chargers have some questions at their edge spots. The five-year Joey Bosa–Melvin Ingram partnership may be disbanding, with Ingram taking free agency visits. Ingram was a Charger for nine seasons but played out his contract last season, which came after the former first-round pick attempted to secure a new deal. With Bosa signed to a defender-record $27MM-AAV pact, the Chargers are unlikely to pay up at the other edge-rushing spot.
Colts To Sign OL Sam Tevi
Following the retirement of Anthony Castonzo, the Colts have been seeking a new left tackle. The organization has added one potential replacement, as NFL.coms’ Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that Indy has signed offensive lineman Sam Tevi.
The 2017 sixth-round pick out of Utah had spent his entire four-year career with the Chargers, including three seasons as a full-time starter. After starting 29 of his 30 games at right tackle between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Tevi started 14 games at left tackle in 2020. He finished the season having appeared in a career-high 1,025 snaps (87 percent of the Chargers’ offensive possessions).
The Colts have been relatively busy looking for players to protect Carson Wentz‘s blindside. We learned last week that the team was hosting free agent lineman Julie’n Davenport.
As Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com writes, the Chargers will likely turn to Storm Norton to replace Tevi’s spot in the lineup. The 26-year-old joined the organization last summer, and he proceeded to appear in six games (with three starts).
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/22/21
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Released: K Lirim Hajrullahu
Los Angeles Chargers
- Re-signed: TE Stephen Anderson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DL Matt Dickerson
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR/QB: Kai Locksley
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Ola Adeniyi
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/21
Here are the minor moves from Day 4 of official free agency:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: K Brett Maher
Houston Texans
- Signed: OL Cole Toner
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed (from Cowboys): WR Jon’Vea Johnson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Re-signed: DB Brandon Facyson
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: CB Dontae Johnson