Chargers, Chris Hairston Agree To Deal
The Chargers have agreed to bring back free agent offensive lineman Chris Hairston, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune, who reports that the two sides have struck a new two-year deal.
Hairston, who turns 27 in April, was one of the few San Diego offensive linemen who didn’t miss time due to injuries during the 2015 season, despite getting pretty banged up over the course of the year. Originally expected to be the team’s swing tackle, Hairston ultimately played nearly 800 offensive snaps for the Chargers, seeing playing time at guard and tackle on both the left and right sides of the line.
Pro Football Focus, which grouped Hairston with the offensive tackles, ranked him 65th out of 77 qualified players at the position. Despite his unspectacular grades as a run- and pass-blocker, Hairston should be a valuable depth piece for the Chargers in 2016, given his versatility, though he’ll likely enter camp as a backup once again.
Hairston is the second offensive tackle to re-sign with the Chargers this month — starting tackle Joe Barksdale inked a new four-year contract with the club. The team has also re-signed backup quarterback Kellen Clemens and veteran tight end Antonio Gates, and added wide receiver Travis Benjamin to the offense.
On the other side of the ball, the Chargers have signed defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, safety Dwight Lowery, and cornerback Casey Hayward.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Contract Details: Weddle, Sensabaugh, Hayward
Listed below are several of the latest contract details on recently agreed-upon or signed contracts from around the NFL. All links are courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle unless other indicated.
AFC:
- Eric Weddle, S (Ravens): Four years, $26MM. $13MM guaranteed ($9MM fully guaranteed). $7MM signing bonus. $1MM roster bonus due on April 4. $4MM base salary guaranteed for injury at signing; becomes fully guaranteed if on the roster on the fifth day of the 2017 league year. $1MM annual Pro Bowl incentives from 2017 to 2019 (Twitter links).
- Casey Hayward, CB (Chargers): Three years, $15.3MM. $6.8MM guaranteed. $2.5MM signing bonus. $3.3MM roster bonus due on March 18. $1MM roster bonuses due on third day of 2017, 2018 league years (Twitter links).
- Chris Hogan, WR (Patriots): Three years, $12MM. $7.5MM guaranteed. $4MM roster bonus paid on March 14. $500K in annual per-game active roster bonuses (Twitter link).
- Mackenzy Bernadeau, OL (Jaguars): Two years, $3MM. $250K signing bonus. $250K option bonus to be exercised 22 days before first day of 2017 league year (Twitter links).
NFC:
- Coty Sensabaugh, CB (Rams): Three years, up to $19MM. $6.5MM guaranteed. $3.5MM roster bonus due on March 18. $1MM roster bonus due third day of 2017 league year (becomes fully guaranteed this Friday). $1.5MM annually incentives for playing time, fumble recoveries, interceptions, and playoffs (all Twitter links).
- J’Marcus Webb, G/T (Seahawks): Two years, $6MM. $2.45MM guaranteed. $1.2MM signing bonus. $500K in annual per-game active roster bonuses (Twitter link).
- Zach Miller, TE (Bears): Two years, $5.5MM. $3MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus. $500K roster bonus due on March 18. $500K in annual per-game roster bonuses. Up to $1MM in annual incentives for playing time, catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns (Twitter links).
- Chris Conte, S (Buccaneers): One year, $3MM. $2.5MM guaranteed. $1.5MM roster bonus due on March 17. Up to $1MM in incentives for playing time, stats, and playoffs (Twitter link).
- Josh Robinson, CB (Buccaneers): One year, $2MM. $500K roster bonus due on March 18 (Twitter link).
- Sealver Siliga, DT (Seahawks): One year, $1.05MM. $200K signing bonus. $50K Week 1 active roster bonus. Up to $350K in incentives (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Bradley Sowell, T (Seahawks): One year, $1MM. $200K signing bonus. Up to $500K in playing-time incentives (Twitter link).
- Dan Orlovsky, QB (Lions): One year, minimum salary benefit. $160K guaranteed. $80K signing bonus (Twitter link).
- Red Bryant, DL (Cardinals): One year, minimum salary benefit. $55K Week 1 roster bonus. $25K workout bonus (Twitter link via Pelissero).
Tyron Smith, King Dunlap Restructure Contracts
A pair of veteran offensive tackles have restructured their contracts, creating some cap room for their respective clubs. Todd Archer of ESPN.com has the details on Tyron Smith‘s reworked deal with the Cowboys, while Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports on King Dunlap‘s new-look contract with the Chargers.
As Archer explains, Smith’s contract change is a simple restructure, with the Cowboys converting $9MM of his $10MM base salary for 2016 into a signing bonus. Rather than counting solely against this year’s cap, that $9MM bonus will now be prorated over five seasons, counting for $1.8MM annually from 2016 to 2020. That means Dallas will free up $7.2MM in cap space for the ’16 season, while adding $1.8MM to the cap each year from 2017 to 2020.
Dunlap, meanwhile, was set to have his $4.5MM salary for 2016 fully guaranteed last week. Before that happened, according to Gehlken, the Chargers lowered his salary to $3.3MM, which is now guaranteed. The veteran tackle, who missed much of the 2015 season due to injury problems, can earn back that missing $1.2MM if he’s able to stay healthy for most of the 2016 campaign.
According to Gehlken, Dunlap will earn a $400K bonus if he plays 50% of San Diego’s offensive snaps in 2016. He’ll earn another $400K if he reaches the 65% threshold, and a final $400K if he makes it to 80%.
The move creates $1.2MM in cap savings for the Chargers.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chargers, Casey Hayward Agree To Deal
3:45pm: Hayward will receive $6.8MM in guaranteed money, reports Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Jounal-Sentinel (Twitter link).
2:53pm: The Chargers have agreed to terms with free agent cornerback Casey Hayward, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link). Hayward will sign a three-year, $15.3MM deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The 26-year-old Hayward had spent the entirety of his four-year career with the Packers, but 2015 was his first season a full-time starter. Hayward started 11 games, playing 87% of Green Bay’s defensive snaps, and while he didn’t post any interceptions, he did defense six passes, and graded as the league’s No. 16 corner according to Pro Football Focus.
In San Diego, Hayward will join an impressive group of corners that includes Brandon Flowers and Jason Verrett, and while Hayward has shown that he can play on the outside, he’ll likely line up in the slot — where’s he proven to be one the NFL’s truly elite defenders — with the Chargers. The signing of Hayward could be an indication that San Diego is bracing to lose fellow corner Patrick Robinson, who is also an unrestricted free agent, and seems unlikely to return to the Chargers as what would now be their fourth corner.
The Chargers have been relatively active during the free agent period — in the secondary alone, the club also added former Colts safety Dwight Lowery in addition to Hayward. San Diego got stronger on its defensive line with the addition of Brandon Mebane, and on the offensive side of the ball, re-signed veteran tight end Antonio Gates and brought in former Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin.
Green Bay, meanwhile, will rely on Sam Shields, Damarious Randall, and Quinten Rollins to headline their group of corners for the foreseeable future. The Packers have a history of re-signing their own internal free agents, so it’s a little surprising that they weren’t able to reach an agreement with Hayward, who was not only drafted and developed by Green Bay, but signed for a very reasonable annual value of $5.1MM.
Hayward ranked as PFR’s No. 29 overall free agent, and the No. 4 corner on the market. The options listed ahead of Hayward — Janoris Jenkins, Sean Smith, and Prince Amukamara — have all reached new agreements, leaving Brandon Boykin, Leon Hall, and the aforementioned Robinson as the best remaining cornerbacks available.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: Kaepernick, Ware, Dunlap, Irvin
Colin Kaepernick should call the 49ers‘ bluff and rescind his trade request, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Kaepernick’s $11.9MM base salary becomes fully guaranteed on April 1 — the Browns reportedly are willing to send a third-round pick to San Francisco in exchange for Kaepernick, but only if the quarterback agrees to lower his salary. The 49ers don’t want to pay that total, either, so Florio argues that if Kaepernick drops his request to be dealt, he forces the Niners to either guarantee him almost $12MM or release him, allowing Kaepernick to choose his next destination.
Here’s more the NFL’s two West divisions…
- We learned earlier today that as part of his restructure, Broncos linebacker DeMarcus Ware can earn back all the money he agreed to cut through sack-based incentives. Per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com, Ware can earn between $1.25MM and $3.5MM when he hits eight, nine, 11, and 13 sacks. It’s a smart structure by Denver — because Ware posted 7.5 sacks in 2015, every penny of those incentives will be labeled “not likely to be earned,” meaning the club won’t have to carry any portion of that total on its 2016 cap.
- Chargers left tackle King Dunlaps‘s 2016 base salary of $4.5MM became fully guaranteed today, as Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune notes (Twitter link). Dunlap, entering the second year of a four-year deal, will count for roughly $6.34MM on San Diego’s cap next year.
- Former Seahawks linebackers coach — and current Raiders defensive coordinator — Ken Norton Jr. played a large role in luring Bruce Irvin to Oakland, as Irvin explains to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. “I wanted to get back with him,” Irvin said of Norton Jr. “Like I said before, that guy, he’s done a lot for me, not only on the field, but off the field. He saved my career by bringing me from defensive end to a linebacker, so I have the utmost respect for that guy.”
- In a separate column, Florio reports that agents are advising their clients not to sign contracts with the Rams that seem to be bound by Missouri laws. The issue, per Florio, is that California, where the Rams will play next season, has much more pro-labor workers’ rights laws, thus the club would rather the deals be controlled by Missouri language.
Extra Points: Sanchez, 49ers, Blackmon, Washington
The Eagles traded quarterback Mark Sanchez to Denver on Friday, but the Broncos were just one of several teams that had interest in acquiring the seven-year veteran. The 49ers were among the intrigued clubs, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Had the Niners landed him, it would’ve reunited Sanchez with head coach Chip Kelly. The two were together in Philly the previous two seasons, when Sanchez completed 64.3% of his passes and tossed 18 touchdowns against 15 interceptions.
Here’s more from around the NFL as Friday wraps up:
- Washington and free agent cornerback Will Blackmon are discussing a contract, reports Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic (Twitter link). Blackmon, a nine-year veteran, spent last season in Washington and put up impressive numbers in 15 games (10 starts, 49 tackles, three forced fumbles, two interceptions), though he ranked just 84th out of 111 qualifying corners at Pro Football Focus.
- The Chargers will continue looking for tight end help after losing Ladarius Green in free agency and missing out on James Hanna earlier today, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. There are some decent veteran options in Jermaine Gresham, Zach Miller, Jared Cook and Owen Daniels left on the market, notes Gehlken, though he expects the Chargers to address the position via the draft.
- Northern Illinois linebacker Perez Ford had a busy Friday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The draft prospect talked with the Browns, Dolphins, Chiefs, Jets, Lions, Chargers, Seahawks, Bears and Washington.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/11/16
Here are the minor moves on Day 3 of free agency.
- Defensive tackle Josh Mauro signed his exclusive-rights free agent tender with the Cardinals, ArizonaCardinals.com’s Darren Urban tweets.
- The Chargers are set to re-sign defensive lineman Damion Square on a one-year, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (on Twitter). Square was a restricted free agent San Diego elected not to tender, but re-signed him anyway, per Gehlken (on Twitter). The 27-year-old Square played in six games, starting in one, for the Chargers last season after being promoted from the practice squad in November.
Compensatory Picks For 2016 NFL Draft
The NFL has officially announced the 33 compensatory picks for the 2016 NFL draft. These picks are awarded to the teams that suffered the most significant free agent losses during the 2015 offseason. So, for instance, the Lions, who lost Ndamukong Suh, get the top compensatory pick this year.
The comp pick formula assigns picks who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks. These selections can’t be traded.
Here’s the full breakdown, by round and by team:
By Round:
Round 3:
- Detroit Lions
- New England Patriots
- Seattle Seahawks
- Denver Broncos
Round 4:
- Green Bay Packers
- Baltimore Ravens
- San Francisco 49ers
- Baltimore Ravens
- Dallas Cowboys
- Denver Broncos
- Green Bay Packers
- Cleveland Browns
- Buffalo Bills
Round 5:
- Arizona Cardinals
- Seattle Seahawks
- Cleveland Browns
- Cleveland Browns
- San Francisco 49ers
- San Diego Chargers
Round 6:
- New England Patriots
- Baltimore Ravens
- Detroit Lions
- San Francisco 49ers
- Dallas Cowboys
- San Francisco 49ers
- New England Patriots
- Seattle Seahawks
- Dallas Cowboys
- Dallas Cowboys
- Buffalo Bills
- Denver Broncos
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- New England Patriots
By Team:
- Dallas Cowboys (4)
- New England Patriots (4)
- San Francisco 49ers (4)
- Baltimore Ravens (3)
- Cleveland Browns (3)
- Denver Broncos (3)
- Seattle Seahawks (3)
- Buffalo Bills (2)
- Detroit Lions (2)
- Green Bay Packers (2)
- Arizona Cardinals (1)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (1)
- San Diego Chargers (1)
Free Agent Rumors: Wisniewski, Jaguars, Giants, Sanu
The latest free agent rumors:
- Center Stefen Wisniewski remains an option to return as a starter for the Jaguars, but he is still shopping himself around, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. The Jaguars, meanwhile, continue to seek out depth on the offensive line. Cowboys free agent guard Mackenzy Bernadeau is visiting the Jaguars, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets.
- New Falcons receiver Mohamed Sanu says that his agent indicated that the Giants, Chargers, Patriots, Bucs, Titans, and Washington were all interested in him, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Raiders sniffed around Jerrell Freeman but they seem closer to signing a different inside linebacker in Erin Henderson, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The Jets are also after Henderson, he adds.
- Browns free agent linebacker Craig Robertson is on his way to visit the Seahawks, Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer tweets.
Draft Rumors: Bosa, Powell, Chargers, Browns
The latest draft buzz:
- Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa will be dining with the Chargers on Friday evening, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net tweets.
- Safety Tyvis Powell had one-on-one interviews with the Browns, Lions, Titans, and Saints, per Pauline (via WalterFootball.com). The Titans are looking to grab a safety on day two of the draft while the Lions are hoping to grab a safety early after whiffing on George Iloka in free agency.
- Tight end Nick Vannett met with the Eagles, 49ers, Broncos, Seahawks, Falcons, and Jets. The Ohio State tight end was said to have had a strong showing at the 2016 Senior Bowl. At 6’6″ and 257 pounds, he has the size to compete as an NFL tight end. The Jets met with Vannett previously, so they could have a heightened level of interest in him.
- Fast-rising Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee interviewed with the Browns and Saints on Thursday, per Pauline.
- Mississippi State defensive back Taveze Calhoun met “extensively” with the 49ers and he has had private meetings with the Dolphins, Giants, and Rams. It sounds like Calhoun could be rising up draft boards.
- Ohio State receiver Michael Thomas looked impressive at the program’s Pro Day and Pauline added that he met with the Saints on Thursday. He also had an “outstanding” meeting with the Browns and he’ll meet with the Patriots next week.