Chargers To Franchise Hunter Henry
For the first time in six years, a tight end will receive the franchise tag. The Chargers are following through with their rumored plan to tag Hunter Henry. The Bolts will cuff their fifth-year tight end, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
No tight end has been franchise-tagged since the Saints locked down Jimmy Graham in 2014. Henry’s price will come in a bit higher. It will cost the Chargers approximately $11.1MM to tag Henry, making him the NFL’s highest-paid tight end for the time being. This ensures the promising but injury-prone target will not hit the market and thus potentially help another team that is courting Tom Brady.
The Patriots have needed a tight end for over a year now, having not replaced Rob Gronkowski. They naturally would have been a Henry fit, but the Bolts — also in the hunt for Brady — now have Henry’s retention as a selling point. The Chargers have Henry, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams under contract for 2020. They just extended RFA Austin Ekeler as well, giving Philip Rivers‘ to-be-determined successor a nice complement of weapons.
Henry, however, is not yet a surefire bet to be a long-term Pro Bowl candidate. He has flashed promise and posted career-high catch (55) and yardage (652) numbers last season, those coming in just 12 games. But Henry tore his ACL in 2018, missing the regular season, and missed four games due to a knee injury last season as well.
The Bolts will have roughly $46MM in cap space after tagging Henry. Unlike the Raiders, they have not yet shown an indication they are backing out of the Brady sweepstakes. At just 25, however, Henry profiles as a player who would stand to help the next long-term Chargers quarterback. He, Williams and Ekeler are each 25 or younger.
Former Chargers LB Kyle Emanuel Comes Out Of Retirement
Kyle Emanuel is ready to get back in the game. Last year, the former Chargers linebacker retired at the age of 27, but he has decided that he wants to return to the NFL, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Emanuel walked away for a multitude of reasons, at a time when he had multiple contract offers as a free agent:
“There is no specific reason why I came to this decision, but as I contemplated it this offseason, something told me it was time to walk away,” Emanuel wrote last April. “Although it wasn’t the sole reason, the injuries have started to pile up and I had to take my long-term health into consideration. I have no idea what will come next, which is scary and exciting at the same time, but I can’t wait to get started on whatever it is.”
Across four seasons with the Chargers, Emanuel appeared in 63 games with 33 starts. In 2018, he finished out with 30 tackles, one sack, and a fumble recovery. The Raiders were among the clubs to express interest in him prior to his retirement.
Latest On Tom Brady: Patriots, 49ers, Chargers, WRs, TEs
The Patriots saw their offense decline considerably last season. The team cycled through wideouts and did not come especially close to replacing Rob Gronkowski. With Tom Brady on the doorstep of free agency, this certainly marks an unusual time for the 11-time reigning AFC East champions.
New England is looking into potential trades for wide receivers and/or tight ends, Albert Breer of SI.com notes, perhaps to help entice Brady to return. A trade-happy franchise during more stable offseasons, the Pats exploring deals should not necessarily surprise. But it could pertain to their quarterback situation.
Brady worked with either Randy Moss or Gronkowski from 2007-2018 and had high-end Gronk replacement Martellus Bennett in the fold in 2016. But the Pats struggled for much of last season, failing to bring in a viable Gronk successor and seeing both Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon in uniform for a short time. Julian Edelman remains under contract, going into his age-34 season, and N’Keal Harry will ideally be available for the first half of the 2020 slate. But Brady has expressed a desire to be surrounded with more talent, per Breer, and the Patriots are now competing with other teams for their 19-year starting quarterback.
The Patriots — who acquired Bennett, Gordon, Phillip Dorsett and Brandin Cooks via trades in recent years — have just one week before the legal tampering period. It is also possible the Pats will use the trade market to upgrade around a Brady replacement. But for now, they are still interested in re-signing the future Hall of Famer.
The Titans and Chargers remain in the mix for Brady, with a few other teams likely looming with some degree of interest. The 49ers rumors that emerged last week were driven more by the Brady camp than the 49ers, Breer adds. While the Raiders may be pivoting to a cheaper quarterback option, Breer notes the Bolts are still in this chase. They have Keenan Allen and Mike Williams under contract and are expected to use their franchise tag on Hunter Henry, thus taking away a potential free agent option for the Patriots.
Latest On Chargers, Tom Brady
- The Chargers have gone quiet on the Brady front, but Volin notes a source indicated the 42-year-old passer’s only realistic option outside of the Patriots would be going to Los Angeles. That is an interesting description of Brady’s market, pointing to some of these suitors not being as high on the legendary quarterback as other reports would indicate. The Bolts’ lack of history regarding these types of moves in free agency, however, leads the Los Angeles Times’ Sam Farmer to question how serious the Chargers’ pursuit of Brady will be.
Chargers, Austin Ekeler Agree To Deal
The Chargers have identified the running back they’d like to keep for the long haul. Instead of Melvin Gordon, former UDFA Austin Ekeler now has a second Bolts contract.
Ekeler agreed to a four-year, $24.5MM deal on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). This pact will include $15MM in guaranteed money. Ekeler was a restricted free agent but is now locked up through the 2023 season.
This represents a remarkable rise for Ekeler, who entered the league in 2017 undrafted out of Division II Western State (Colo.). While he backed up Gordon for most of his first two seasons, Ekeler thrived in a starting role and then alongside the former first-round pick in 2019.
He finished with 993 receiving yards — fifth-most ever in a season for a pure running back — and totaled 1,550 from scrimmage. Ekeler added 11 touchdowns and became the first Charger in 34 years to post a 100-100 game, which occurred against the Jaguars in December. His 10.3 receiving yards after catch ranked second in the NFL, per ESPN Stats & Info.
A report pointed Gordon toward free agency Thursday, and this Ekeler accord confirms it. After Gordon became extension-eligible in January 2018, the sides went two years without agreeing to terms. And Gordon’s 2019 holdout undoubtedly benefited his backup’s case for a payday. Ekeler agreed to his re-up — at a price south of what Gordon sought during his holdout — after being extension-eligible for barely two months. The Bolts and Ekeler began negotiating the extension in January, Schefter adds.
At 24, Ekeler is two years younger than Gordon and has logged 443 career touches — well behind Gordon’s 1,283. The Chargers should be able to rely on their passing-down back for a few more seasons, while Gordon will now have a chance to gauge his value on the open market.
Melvin Gordon To Test Free Agency
Although Melvin Gordon said as recently as late January he wanted to stay with the Chargers, it appears he will hit free agency. The expectation is the running back will be allowed to test the market, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets.
This does not exactly come as a big surprise, given Gordon’s history with the Bolts. The 2015 first-round pick held out into last season, and the Chargers broke off negotiations until 2020. Talks certainly do not appear to have gone in a positive direction, and the two-time Pro Bowler will be one of the bigger names on the market.
However, Gordon’s free agency trip comes at potentially bad time. Deals for the likes of David Johnson, Todd Gurley and Le’Veon Bell have not worked out for the respective teams. With the running back market in a stagnant place before those contracts were authorized, and the draft set to produce more cheap labor, it is not a great time to be a free agent at this position.
Gordon has averaged fewer than five yards per carry in four of his five seasons, and last year, current RFA Austin Ekeler outplayed him in the Bolts backfield. Gordon, though, totaled at least 1,375 yards from scrimmage from 2016-18 and scored 12 touchdowns in each of those seasons. He will generate interest. This proposed CBA could produce major salary cap spikes over the next few years, possibly enticing a running back-needy team to offer a nice contract come March.
Chargers, Panthers Agree To Okung/Turner Swap
6:01pm: Turner wants a new contract, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. It remains to be seen whether the Chargers would be willing to give him a deal that reflects the current guard market.
4:44pm: The Chargers and Panthers have reached tentative agreement on a trade that would send tackle Russell Okung to Carolina and guard Trai Turner to L.A., according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). It’s a swap of two big-time and big-bodied offensive lineman that addresses areas of need for both teams. 
The deal is not yet official, but it sounds like the core pieces are in place. Once the new league year begins on March 18, the deal can be finalized.
The Panthers started shopping Turner earlier this month and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. He’s got two years to go on his four-year, $45MM pact, but the Chargers are happy to pick up what’s left of the tab. The contract is not cheap by any stretch, but the guard market has rapidly advanced to the point where interior enforcers are getting ~$15MM year.
Turner, who has made the Pro Bowl for the last five years, has 84 career games and 80 NFL starts to his credit. Last year, he graded out as the No. 31 ranked guard in the league, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. In 2015 – his coming-out party – he positioned as one of the game’s very best.
Okung was skeptical of his future with the Chargers and vocal about his complaints against the team. His L.A. tenure has been a bit of a mixed bag. In Year One, Okung earned Pro Bowl honors. Unfortunately, he lost much of last season due to blood clots in his lungs and a painful groin injury. All in all, he appeared in just six games for the Chargers.
No one expected Okung to fetch a ton on the trade block – he has one year left on his four-year, $53MM deal and the Bolts seemed likely to cut ties. His contract calls for a sizable $16.7MM cap hit; the Chargers had an escape hatch, however, that would have left them with just $3.5MM on the books.
The Chargers already have more than $50MM in available cap room and shedding Okung’s deal would push them into $60MM+ territory. They can direct those funds towards finding Philip Rivers‘ replacement or stick with Tyrod Taylor as their starter and spread the funds all around.
Okung, who is also looking to lead the NFLPA’s charge in CBA discussions, would probably be happy to rejoin offensive line coach Pat Meyer.
Chargers, Travis Benjamin To Part Ways
The Chargers and wide receiver Travis Benjamin are “mutually parting ways,” a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Benjamin will hit the open market in a couple of weeks and he apparently won’t be discussing a new deal with the Bolts. 
Benjamin joined the Chargers as a free agent in 2016 after talks with the incumbent Browns broke down. He landed a four-year, $24MM deal with $13MM guaranteed, a solid payout for a player who came out of nowhere to post 68 receptions, 966 yards, and five touchdowns in his platform year.
Since then, Benjamin’s production has been in decline. In Year One with the Chargers, he posted a 47/677/4 line. After the move to L.A., things cooled – 34/567/4 in 2017, 12/186/1 in 2018, and, thanks to injuries, he had just six grabs in five games last year.
Benjamin won’t be the only Chargers veteran leaving L.A. Quarterback Philip Rivers – an even more notable San Diego import – will be signing elsewhere in March.
At wide receiver, the Chargers will have some work to do – they don’t have a lot of proven talent on hand, outside of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
QB Rumors: Stafford, Dalton, Saints
A rumor surfaced recently indicating the Lions discussed a Matthew Stafford trade. GM Bob Quinn denied this, and multiple key parties were quick to state the 11-year veteran quarterback does not want to leave Detroit. Stafford’s agent, Tom Condon, informed NFL.com’s Michael Silver his client does not want a trade (Twitter link). The quarterback’s wife, Kelly Stafford, shared on her Instagram (Twitter links via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett) they are not angling for a new NFL city. Matthew Stafford, 32, is under contract for three more seasons.
Here is the latest from the quarterback realm, moving to a passer who very much is available for trade:
- Despite the Saints set to start a 41-year-old Drew Brees and apply a high tender to intriguing gadget player/backup Taysom Hill, they may not be prepared to draft a passer this year. Although some mock drafts have the Saints taking Utah State’s Jordan Love, Larry Holder of The Athletic notes (subscription required) the Saints do not appear to be interested. The Saints hold the No. 24 pick in the draft, and it might now be a surprise to see Love still on the board at that point.
- Brees-Hill 2020 looks like the Saints’ plan. Combine buzz centered around Bridgewater’s next team, with Holder speaking to no NFL decision-maker who expected Brees’ backup of the past two years to return. Sean Payton said it would be unrealistic for the Saints to bring back all three, and Bridgewater is expected to receive interest as a starter in free agency. The Bears, Buccaneers, Chargers, Panthers and Patriots may possess some interest, Holder hears. Though, unlike Tom Brady and Philip Rivers, no team has been connected to Bridgewater yet.
- Like Brady and Rivers, Andy Dalton has also been connected to a team. The Bears discussed a trade with the Bengals but may have to battle other teams for the nine-year veteran starter. Dalton’s agent has been working with the Bengals on potential Dalton deals, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com names the Colts and Patriots — in addition to the Bears — as teams who could potentially have interest in the contract-year passer (video link). The Colts have been connected to Rivers at multiple junctures this week, while some around the league have indeed viewed New England as a landing spot for Dalton if Brady does decide to defect in free agency. Cincinnati and New England have made multiple trades involving high-profile Bengals, and the same two decision-makers — Mike Brown and Bill Belichick — remain in place from when Corey Dillon and Chad Johnson were dealt to New England in 2004 and 2011, respectively.
Chargers Hire Analytics Head
- The Chargers are becoming the latest team to emphasize the importance of analytics in their front office. Los Angeles hired Aditya Krishnan away from Cleveland to become their director of analytics, according to Seth Walder of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Walder notes that the Chargers didn’t have any analytics employees prior to hiring Krishnan, and it’ll be interesting to see if this is the start of a new department to report to GM Tom Telesco. Krishnan had previously served as an analyst with the Browns.