2021 Cap Space For All 32 NFL Teams
There are still plenty of quality free agents left on the board as we look ahead to training camp. Cornerback Steven Nelson, tackle Russell Okung, and longtime Legion of Boom leader Richard Sherman headline the list, along with accomplished edge rushers like Justin Houston, Melvin Ingram, and Olivier Vernon. That list will only grow larger, of course, as more teams shed veterans to redirect their funds elsewhere.
With that in mind, here’s a look at every NFL team’s cap situation, starting with the league-leading Jaguars:
- Jacksonville Jaguars — $32.7MM
- Denver Broncos — $28.9MM
- New York Jets — $28.5MM
- Cleveland Browns — $20.6MM
- Los Angeles Chargers — $19.9MM
- Detroit Lions — $17.9MM
- San Francisco 49ers — $17.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals — $17.4MM
- Washington Football Team — $16.7MM
- Indianapolis Colts— $14.3MM
- Carolina Panthers— $14.3MM
- Minnesota Vikings — $13.5MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers — $13.1MM
- New England Patriots — $13.1MM
- New Orleans Saints — $11.4MM
- Arizona Cardinals — $11.3MM
- Buffalo Bills — $10.5MM
- Baltimore Ravens — $8.8MM
- Atlanta Falcons — $8.6MM
- Seattle Seahawks — $8.3MM
- Tennessee Titans — $8.3MM
- Kansas City Chiefs — $7.9MM
- Los Angeles Rams — $7MM
- Chicago Bears — $6MM
- Dallas Cowboys — $6MM
- Miami Dolphins — $5.3MM
- Green Bay Packers — $5MM
- Houston Texans — $5MM
- Las Vegas Raiders — $3.3MM
- Philadelphia Eagles — $3.2MM
- New York Giants — $2.4MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — $489K
Kyle Shanahan Discusses Decision To Take Trey Lance Over Mac Jones
Even up until the day of the 2021 Draft, it was still uncertain which QB the 49ers would take with the No. 3 pick. Our final report on the subject indicated that the decision was down to the team’s eventual pick, Trey Lance, and Alabama’s Mac Jones, who ended up going to the Patriots at No. 15.
During a recent appearance on the “Flying Coach” podcast, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan seemed to indicate that the team did seriously consider Jones before ultimately choosing Lance.
“I think either one would have been a good decision,” Shanahan said (h/t Yahoo’s Josh Schrock). “Like, you’re not moving up if you don’t feel good about both of those. And if it had just been one then we probably would have said no — well, we probably wouldn’t have said that because it’s still risky. But we really — either one of those players would have been a great pick, in my opinion. And the third guy with Justin [Fields], he would have been a great pick. It’s just what direction do you want to go.
“There’s so many things that go into it and you’ve got to make that decision. But I didn’t blame people at all for thinking it would be Mac Jones. Because Mac Jones deserves that. He’s that good of a player and he put it on tape for a whole year, and everyone did want to relate me to Kirk [Cousins] because that’s the only guy that I was openly going for as a free agent, so people talk about him. But Trey brought another element. And it doesn’t mean he’s better or worse. It just means he brought another element that over the course of us studying it really intrigued us, and that’s a direction I would love to go and have always wanted to go.
“But the guy has got to be able to do it all, and Trey sold us that he could and that’s why I’m excited to work with him and it’s up to us to get him to do it.”
After acquiring the No. 3 pick from the Dolphins for No. 12 and a pair of future firsts, the 49ers never really showed their hand, but it sounds like the team was sincerely exploring all of their potential options. As Shanahan noted, the 49ers seemed to value Lance’s diverse skill set, something that was especially evident during a 2019 collegiate season where the quarterback ran for 1,100 yards. For comparison’s sake, Jones had 42 rushing yards throughout his entire college career.
While Lance will eventually be under center for his new team, it sounds like the team is going to give Jimmy Garoppolo every opportunity to win the starting gig.
49ers Notes: Julio, Jones, Draft, Hurd
The 49ers were in the mix for Julio Jones, which would have reunited the All-Pro wide receiver with his former offensive coordinator. But Kyle Shanahan‘s team is not believed to have made a firm offer for the 10-year veteran, whom the Titans ended up acquiring. All four NFC West teams discussed Jones with the Falcons, and Shanahan — after losing out on Matthew Stafford when the Rams landed him — said he would have been more willing to part with higher-end assets if he believed the Rams were a true threat to land him.
“That’s actually the most frustrating thing for me,” Shanahan said during his appearance on The Ringer’s Flying Coach podcast with Sean McVay and Peter Schrager (via RamsWire). “I always say, ‘Let’s do it the right way,’ which, there’s no right way or wrong way, but you don’t want to have to risk your future to compete in one year. And that’s the hardest thing about being in our division because I know how Sean rolls. That’s very similar to me. Julio would have helped everybody, but you know what it’s doing to your organization for that year and the years to come.
“That’s a really risky thing, but man, if Sean’s getting him, I’m going to risk that. I know that’s how he thinks, that’s how we all think. You’ve got to compete with your division first.”
The Rams are frequently linked to big trades, having made a few since relocating, but the team’s Robert Woods–Cooper Kupp–DeSean Jackson–Tutu Atwell wideout depth chart would have made Jones quite the expensive luxury. Here is more out of San Francisco:
- Another for the “what if?” file: the 49ers did some thorough investigating on Mac Jones. Linked to the Alabama prospect up until draft day, the 49ers reached out to Jones’ high school quarterbacks coach — Kevin Fagan (not the ex-49ers D-lineman) — according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic (subscription required). Jones and Lance became San Francisco’s final two candidates for their No. 3 overall pick, after the team traded two future first-round picks for the purposes of landing a QB at 3, but the team opted to go with the North Dakota State product.
- The 49ers are eyeing a slot role for Jalen Hurd, if the former third-round pick can make it to the regular season — something the 2019 draftee has yet to do. As a bigger slot cog, at 230 pounds, Hurd sharing some tight end responsibilities in Shanahan’s scheme may well be on tap, according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows and David Lombardi. Hurd and former seventh-round pick Jauan Jennings are candidates for this hybrid position. This would be a way for the 49ers not to carry four true tight ends. A former running back at Tennessee who later transferred to Baylor and played wide receiver, Hurd missed his entire rookie season with a back injury and suffered an ACL tear last summer. Jennings, a Hurd teammate at Tennessee before the latter’s transfer, also has yet to play an NFL snap.
- Although Daniel Brunskill started all 16 games at right guard last season, second-round pick Aaron Banks is expected to take over as the Niners’ first-stringer there this season.
49ers' Aaron Banks Expected To Start In Week 1
- Although former UDFA Daniel Brunskill provided some stability amid 49ers injury chaos last season, starting 16 games, the team plans to return him to a utility role. The 49ers are eyeing second-round pick Aaron Banks as their starting right guard, Matt Barrows and David Lombardi of The Athletic note. Brunskill worked as a swing backup as a rookie in 2019, primarily filling in for left tackle Joe Staley. The 49ers selected Banks 48th overall; the 325-pound rookie started in part of his sophomore season and throughout his junior and senior years at Notre Dame.
Shanahan: 49ers Aimed To Acquire Matthew Stafford
During a year of major quarterback movement, the 49ers experienced a particularly interesting offseason. San Francisco surrendered a historic haul to move up for Trey Lance. Had the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes ended a bit differently, Lance would be preparing to take the starting reins for another team.
Kyle Shanahan confirmed the 49ers were in the mix for Stafford. The fifth-year HC spent multiple weeks studying Stafford, whom the Lions made available in late January. The 49ers are one of several teams to be interested in the former No. 1 overall pick, but the Rams ended up finalizing an agreement to land him on the night of Jan. 30 — to Shanahan’s chagrin.
“I was studying it all. … I remember looking through it because everybody was telling me it was a possibility,” Shanahan said, during an appearance on The Ringer’s Flying Coach podcast with Sean McVay and Peter Schrager (via NFL.com), of a potential trade to acquire the 12-year veteran. “Stafford’s the man. I studied him hard coming out of college, and you always play against him, so you know how good he is.
“But to know he might be available and to spend two weeks really watching him, Sean, yeah, he’s better than I realized.”
The 49ers are not believed to have made a firm offer for Stafford, but the 33-year-old passer knew of San Francisco’s interest. Washington and Carolina did make offers — each involving first-round picks and change — while Denver’s proposal included a first-round pick swap. At least six teams sent the Lions proposals. The Rams ponied up for Stafford to replace Jared Goff, sending Goff, two first-rounders and a 2021 third for Detroit’s longtime starter.
“That was frustrating. I was in Cabo,” Shanahan said of the Rams’ acquiring Stafford, who joined McVay in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, at the time of the agreement as well. “… I remember Saturday I was so stressed out and finally we talked to someone, it was seven at night, and they’re like, ‘No, nothing’s happening (with a trade) at the earliest until tomorrow, so you can finish your night.’
“Half an hour later, my buddy calls me and is like, ‘I’m just telling ya, if you want Stafford, you need to get a hold of him right now.’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean? We just talked to people. I can sleep on this. We’ll talk to them tomorrow.’ ‘I’m just telling you, you need to talk to him right now.’ And then it was all over.”
McVay added that the Rams-Lions trade came together faster than he expected. The Rams are now eyeing a five- to eight-year partnership with their recently acquired QB.
January’s Stafford proceedings led the 49ers to look to the draft for a potential upgrade on Jimmy Garoppolo. They joined the Rams in trading their 2022 and ’23 first-round picks for a quarterback, sending those to the Dolphins to move up nine spots for Lance. If the 49ers’ plans go accordingly, the NFC West will feature Stafford-Lance matchups for the next several years. The teams’ competition for Stafford certainly adds intrigue to this rivalry.
49ers Cut LB Nate Gerry
Nate Gerry‘s stint with the 49ers has ended after only a few months. The team cut the linebacker today, according to SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter).
The 49ers added Gerry back in March on a one-year, $990K deal that included an additional $137+K in incentives. The contract contained no guaranteed money, so San Francisco is off the hook financially.
The 2017 fifth-round pick out of Nebraska had spent his entire career with the Eagles, appearing in 46 regular-season games and six postseason games (including three during Philly’s 2017 run to a Super Bowl championship). After serving as mostly a backup during his first two years in the pros, Gerry started 12 of his 16 contests in 2019, finishing with 78 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions (including a pick-six), and five QB hits.
The 26-year-old started each of his seven games in 2020, collecting 57 tackles, one sack, and four tackles for loss. He was placed on injured reserve in late October with an ankle injury, ending his season.
Gerry struggled at linebacker in 2020, and the 49ers already had plenty of depth at the position. The veteran’s best chance to make another roster will be via special teams, especially after he logged 834 special teams snaps for the Eagles over his four years with the team.
Cowboys, 49ers, Jags Penalized For OTA Violations
SATURDAY: It turns out the 49ers were not forced to cancel their final week of OTAs this year, with Schefter adding the team avoided such a penalty after having already canceled its final OTA session and its mandatory minicamp (Twitter link).
THURSDAY: Three organizations have been slapped with fines following OTA violations. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the league handed out the following punishments:
- Cowboys fined $100K, HC Mike McCarthy $50K
- 49ers fined $100K, HC Kyle Shanahan fined $50K
- Jaguars fined $200K, HC Urban Meyer $100K
The three teams violated CBA rules focused on offseason workouts.
The Cowboys will also have to forfeit one of their OTA practices during the 2022 offseason, while the Jaguars will have to forfeit a pair of 2022 practices. The 49ers have already carried out their penalty; per Schefter, the NFL Management Council “ordered” the organization to cancel the final week of OTAs back in June. When we reported that the 49ers were cutting short their offseason program, the decision was attributed to injuries, as the team lost part-time starters Justin Skule and Tarvarius Moore for the season and running back Jeff Wilson for the next few months.
“The health and safety of our players is our highest priority, and we take following league rules very seriously,” the 49ers said in a statement today (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area on Twitter). “We will continue to work with the NFL and the NFLPA to ensure compliance.”
This Date In Transactions History: 49ers Re-Sign John Taylor
Wednesday’s Ryan Ramczyk extension notwithstanding, June 30 is not typically a hotbed of NFL activity. But, amid a notable period for the 49ers’ wide receiving corps, one of the better No. 2 wideouts in NFL history inked his final contract on this day 26 years ago.
On June 30, 1995, the 49ers brought back John Taylor. The 49ers previously released Taylor — a move that helped them sign first-round receiver J.J. Stokes — but reached an agreement to re-sign Jerry Rice‘s longtime sidekick two days later. Taylor signed a two-year deal to stay in San Francisco. The then-33-year-old receiver agreed to an incentive-laden pact that included a $300K 1995 salary and a $1.3MM payout in 1996.
Taylor arrived in San Francisco as a third-round pick in 1986, when Dwight Clark was winding down his career alongside Rice. As Rice made his historic ascent, Taylor — a 1980s All-Decade punt returner — became a full-time starter as well. Although he is best known for making a game-winning touchdown reception in the final minute of Super Bowl XXIII, Taylor was not a primary starter during that 1988 season. The Delaware State alum became a first-stringer a year later, when he compiled a 1,000-yard season for a 49ers team that repeated as Super Bowl champs, and remained in this role through the 1994 season — when the 49ers won Super Bowl XXIX. San Francisco changed up its receiver equation in 1995, however.
The 49ers had re-signed Taylor in 1992, after the second of his two 1,000-yard seasons, but saw him dip under 600 receiving yards in 1994. The franchise then traded up 20 spots in the ’95 draft to select Stokes 10th overall. Taylor still started 12 games in 1995 but caught just 29 passes for 387 yards in first-year OC Marc Trestman‘s offense. Stokes outproduced that total as a rookie, though Rice’s then-NFL-record 1,848 yards overshadowed everything else about San Francisco’s offense that season.
The 49ers cut bait on the Taylor contract in 1996, and the Division I-AA success story opted to retire. San Francisco’s post-Taylor plan became complicated after a 1996 Stokes injury. Terrell Owens (Round 3, 1996) seized Taylor’s former gig as Rice’s top wingman; the two played five seasons together. T.O. had a rather notable career in the years that followed as well. Taylor remains in the top 10 in career catches, yards and touchdown receptions in 49ers history.
49ers’ Jeff Wilson Likely Out Until Midseason
A bit more clarity has emerged on Jeff Wilson‘s recovery timeline. The 49ers’ recently re-signed running back is recovery from surgery to repair a meniscus tear, and the team is not expecting him back until the midseason point — at the earliest.
Wilson will miss at least six games this season, Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes (subscription required), adding that midseason will be the goal for the fourth-year veteran. This would suggest Wilson is a candidate for the reserve/PUP list, which shelves a player for at least six weeks to start the regular season.
The fourth-year back went down with the injury in May, but late September surfaced as a possible return window. That no longer appears to be the case. The 49ers have a Week 6 bye. A return for the team’s Oct. 24 game against the Colts would allow for Wilson to miss just five games.
San Francisco gave Wilson a one-year, $2.1MM deal in January. This allowed the parties to bypass the RFA tender process. The North Texas alum is due for unrestricted free agency in 2022. Wilson’s deal also came with $1.55MM in incentives; his injury will interfere with those potential earnings. The 25-year-old back suffered a high ankle sprain midway through last season but returned to lead the injury-riddled 49ers with 600 rushing yards. This included a 183-yard game against the Cardinals.
The 49ers also changed their running back depth chart considerably after extending Wilson. They signed Wayne Gallman, the 2020 Giants’ top rusher, and drafted Trey Sermon in Round 3 and Elijah Mitchell in Round 6. Raheem Mostert is expected to return as San Francisco’s starter, but he is coming off a multi-injury 2020 season. Like Wilson, Mostert is a 2022 UFA.
Latest On Unsigned First-Round Rookies
After the Falcons inked first-round tight end Kyle Pitts to his rookie deal earlier today, there are eight first-round rookies who remain unsigned:
1) Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB (Clemson)
2) New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB (BYU)
3) San Francisco 49ers (from Texans via Dolphins): Trey Lance, QB (North Dakota State)
13) Los Angeles Chargers: Rashawn Slater, OT (Northwestern)
14) New York Jets (from Vikings): Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL (USC)
15) New England Patriots: Mac Jones, QB (Alabama)
25) Jacksonville Jaguars (from Rams): Travis Etienne, RB (Clemson)
26) Cleveland Browns: Greg Newsome II, CB (Northwestern)
This isn’t a huge cause for concern, as first-round contracts are pretty standard and by-the-book. However, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has an explanation for why at least a handful of these players still haven’t put pen to paper. According to the reporter (via Twitter), there are still some “wrinkles to work out” for the notable quarterback deals. This sentiment would presumably apply to each of the top-three picks, and it could even be referring to Patriots first-round quarterback Mac Jones.
There’s a number of minor details that agents could be pushing for, including signing bonus terms or any other contract language that goes beyond the standard, boilerplate options. On the other side, teams could be pushing for some type of offset language, meaning the organization would get some financial flexibility if the player for some reason doesn’t finish their rookie contract with the team.
When it comes to the quarterbacks, most of the agents are probably waiting to see how Lawrence’s deal unfolds in Jacksonville. Alternatively, if Bill Belichick and the Patriots (somehow) give in to any demands from Jones camp, you can bet the top-three QBs would argue for similar benefits. While there are a number of reasons why the other, non-QB players have yet to sign, one could guess that the two offensive lineman may be pushing for similar terms (Vera-Tucker could also simply be waiting for his teammate to sign their contract). Etienne is in a unique position as one of only two first-round running backs (or, like Vera-Tucker, he could be waiting for his teammate), while Newsome recently fired his agent.
The teams and the players will want the contracts settled prior to training camp in late-July, but that still leaves a few weeks for negotiating.