Minor NFL Transactions: 4/27/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Chicago Bears
- Released: TE Dax Raymond
Denver Broncos
- Released: S Tyvis Powell, TE Bug Howard, DL Deyon Sizer, DL Jay-Tee Tiuli
Detroit Lions
- Released: RB Tra Carson, LS James Fisher, G Casey Tucker, P Matt Wile
Green Bay Packers
- Released: QB Manny Wilkins
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: TE Billy Brown, WR Steve Ishmael
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: QB Kyle Shurmur
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: RB Mark Thompson
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: C Coleman Shelton (Exclusive Rights Free Agent)
- Released: LB Jeff Holland
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: S Jacob Thieneman
Rams Were In On Trent Williams; Latest On Williams’ Contract
Earlier today the Trent Williams saga finally came to an end, when the Redskins traded the left tackle to the 49ers. Right at the end we heard the Rams could emerge as a suitor, and apparently Los Angeles did in fact kick the tires.
The Rams, who currently have 38-year-old Andrew Whitworth at left tackle and Rob Havenstein at right tackle, were in the race, and head coach Sean McVay “dabbled” with reuniting with Williams as a guard, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets. McVay previously coached Williams when he was Washington’s offensive coordinator. McVay didn’t sound too happy about losing out to his division rival, saying, “thanks for reminding me. I need to go drink a couple of more beers,” when asked about the deal, via Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network (Twitter link).
A proposed trade to the Vikings apparently would’ve come with an extension, but Williams torpedoed that deal earlier this morning. Now, it doesn’t sound like he’s getting an extension anytime soon. 49ers GM John Lynch said the team will let 2020 play out “and see what happens after the season,” per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports (Twitter link). Indeed, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Williams himself made it clear that he wanted to wait on an extension and to earn a new, lucrative pact.
“Trent has been out of football for a year and a half, and Trent made it clear to everyone he wants to come back and didn’t want to do a deal right away,” Shanahan said (via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). “He wanted to play and try to get back into it and see where he was at with the rest of the league and pick up where he left off.”
Of course, that’s quite a contrast from earlier reports suggesting that Williams not only wanted out of Washington, he also wanted a brand new contract that puts him at the top of the LT market. But perhaps the opportunity to leave the Redskins and to get a fresh start with the defending NFC champs mitigated his financial demands for the time being.
Williams sat out all of last season due to his dispute with the Redskins, but before that he was one of the league’s best tackles. He’ll slide in as an excellent replacement for Joe Staley, who elected to hang up his cleats earlier today.
49ers Trade Marquise Goodwin To Eagles
The Eagles found some more help at wide receiver. They’ve acquired wide receiver and former track star Marquise Goodwin from the 49ers, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In exchange, the Birds will send a fifth-round pick to SF.
The Eagles needed additional weapons for Carson Wentz this offseason – specifically, receivers with serious speed. They’ve done that by picking up Goodwin and drafting TCU’s Jalen Reagor this weekend. They’ll join a receiver group that also features Alshon Jeffery, elite deep threat DeSean Jackson, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, and Greg Ward, Jr. Meanwhile, at tight end, the Eagles have one of the best in the biz in Zach Ertz, plus youngster Dallas Goedert.
The 49ers have been trying to trade Goodwin for a while, and in the lead-up to the draft GM John Lynch said he had come close a couple of times. Many 49ers beat writers believed they wouldn’t find a taker and would have to end up cutting him, so it’s a nice win for San Fran to get a fifth-rounder.
Goodwin entered the league as a third-rounder with the Bills back in 2013, but the speedster never did much in Buffalo. He had a breakout season with the 49ers in 2017, racking up 962 yards while averaging 17.2 yards per reception. He’s been hampered by injuries the past two years though, and only had 186 yards in nine games this past season. He has two years left on the three-year, $20.3MM extension he signed with San Francisco in March of 2018.
49ers Trade Matt Breida To Dolphins
The 49ers are shaking up their backfield and sending a member of their surplus to south Florida, dealing Matt Breida to the Dolphins for the No. 153 overall pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Miami did not previously address its backfield need but made multiple overtures to teams dangling veterans. The Dolphins discussed a Leonard Fournette deal with the Jaguars, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes (on Twitter). Those talks occurred in March, however, and did not appear to lead to a serious change Fournette would change Florida cities.
With Jerick McKinnon still in the picture for the 49ers and three other backs in that mix as well, the defending NFC champions were a candidate to make a deal. Breida is entering a contract year and was mentioned as a possible trade chip earlier this offseason. While he was the odd man out for carries in Super Bowl LIV, Breida has displayed intriguing skills during his three-year 49ers run and looks to have a much clearer path to carries in Miami than he did in San Francisco.
The speedy ex-UDFA surpassed 600 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons, filling in for McKinnon in 2018 and being part of a productive timeshare with Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert last season. Breida eclipsed 5.0 yards per carry in each of the past two years. The 49ers still have Coleman, Mostert, McKinnon and Jeff Wilson under contract. They turned to Mostert, a career special-teamer, last season and appear prepared to give him more work.
Miami traded Kenyan Drake to Arizona before last year’s trade deadline and cut Mark Walton after yet another arrest. Breida will join free agent addition Jordan Howard in the Dolphins’ new-look backfield.
Fournette remains in Jacksonville, though his place there is certainly less certain than it was exiting last season. The Jags have engaged in Fournette trade talks for over a month but have not found trade talks to be particularly enticing. Fournette has one season left on his contract, but the Jaguars have another week and change to decide on his fifth-year option.
With their No. 153 pick, the 49ers took West Virginia offensive lineman Colton McKivitz.
49ers’ Joe Staley To Retire From NFL
Now, the Trent Williams trade makes even more sense for the 49ers. Six-time Pro Bowler Joe Staley informed the club that he will retire due to “health concerns”, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) reports. Specifically, it was Staley’s neck injury that forced him to make the decision, as Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets. The ailment become especially painful in San Francisco’s playoff run, and doctors informed him that it had become quite serious.
[RELATED: 49ers Trade For Trent Williams]
Staley, 35, has been one of the league’s best offensive tackles for years. And, out of loyalty to the team, he gave the Niners a quiet heads up on his plans so that they could replace him. 49ers GM John Lynch, in turn, swung a deal for seven-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams.
Staley has reportedly been pondering retirement for a while now, despite repeated denials. In January, Staley insisted that he would continue playing despite a slew of injuries, including a broken fibula suffered in Week 2 of the 2019 season.
“I don’t know why everyone’s been asking me that question,” Staley said. “Because I got injured, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, you’re going to be retiring now.’” He added,“I signed a contract here. I still love playing football. It’s like the ninth time someone’s asked me that, and I’m starting to wonder why.”
Staley first entered the league as the No. 28 overall pick in the 2007 draft. Despite the medical hiccups, he played hard right through the end. In the season finale against the Seahawks, he turned in his best performance of the year to help SF lock down the top seed in the NFC. And, with Staley up front, the 49ers reached the Super Bowl to cap the campaign.
Before all of that, Staley was able to stay relatively healthy and play through the pain. He missed just four games from 2011-18 and was named to five Pro Bowls in that span. Despite being in his 12th pro season in 2018, Staley graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 overall tackle – and that was actually a slight drop from his performances for most of the decade.
Staley leaves the sport after 181 games played, good for eleventh on the 49ers’ all-time list. As of last year, Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was the only active non-quarterback to start more games for the team that drafted him than Staley.
Staley indicated he wants to remain in football in some capacity and has discussions with the 49ers in that regard (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). He also has media options to consider, but he will spend 2020 with his family before entering the next chapter of his football life.
We here at PFR wish Staley the best in retirement.
Redskins Trade Trent Williams To 49ers
Trent Williams is heading to San Francisco. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Redskins are trading the lineman to the 49ers. Washington will receive a fifth-rounder in this year’s draft and a third-rounder in next year’s draft. ESPN’s Josina Anderson previously reported (via Twitter) that the Redskins had a “deal in place” for the lineman. 
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network notes (on Twitter) that a contract extension isn’t in place. Williams has been seeking a new contract that would make him one of the highest-paid lineman in the NFL. Those contract demands ended up influencing the Redskins’ return in a trade; while plenty of teams were reportedly interested in trading for Williams, they were wary of signing him to a long-term deal. Williams has one year and a $12.5MM base salary remaining on his current contract.
Interestingly, a new deal for Williams is not part of the deal with the Niners, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Had Williams gone to the Vikings, he would have received a fresh pact to reposition the tackle market. The Vikes deal fell through, however, because Williams did not want to go to Minnesota, Rapoport hears. The Browns also were in the mix – and long believed to be the frontrunners – but the 49ers and Vikings were the last teams left in the sweepstakes (Twitter link).
The Buccaneers and Jets were also connected to Williams in recent weeks, but they opted for younger (and cheaper) offensive line help in the first round of the draft instead. At No. 11, the Jets landed Mekhi Becton, who shoves defensive linemen and trucks with ease. At No. 13, the Buccaneers got Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, who offers four position potential and ridiculous athleticism for his size.
We heard earlier today that the 49ers could emerge as a suitor. For starters, it’s uncertain if Joe Staley will come back next year, as the veteran lineman has flirted with retirement. Furthermore, Williams has a relationship with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who was Washington’s offensive coordinator between 2010 and 2013. Considering the seven-time Pro Bowler’s familiarity with the system, he’s a logical fit for San Francisco.
Trent Williams Nixed Redskins/Vikings Trade
It sounds like the Trent Williams saga almost came to an end last night, but the offensive lineman ended up squashing the trade. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Redskins and Vikings were close to a deal, but Williams made it clear that he didn’t want to play for Minnesota.
“At some point over the course of today, Williams made it known he would rather not go to the Minnesota Vikings,” Rapoport said (via ProFootballTalk.com’s Charean Williams). “Essentially, that ended the trade right there.”
Any hope for reconciliation was quieted towards the end of the second round. The Vikings ended up satisfying their need for a lineman by taking Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland with the No. 58 pick.
Williams denied the rumors on Saturday:
“No, that’s not true,” Williams told ESPN’s John Keim and Courtney Cronin.
Just because the Washington/Minnesota trade didn’t happen, it doesn’t necessarily mean Williams won’t be dealt. Keim reports that several teams remain interested in the lineman, including the 49ers. However, San Francisco’s interest is tied to the status of Joe Staley, who’s flirting with retirement. Keim notes that the Rams could also be a team to watch, as head coach Sean McVay previously worked with Williams in Washington.
We’ve also heard this week that a number of teams haven’t pursued the offensive lineman, including the Eagles and Buccaneers.
Williams, 31, has one year and a $12.5MM base salary remaining on his current contract. While some reports have indicated he wants to become the NFL’s highest-paid tackle with a new deal that averages something near $20MM annually, Williams’ agent has denied those claims.
NFL Draft Rumors: Vikings, Jags, Redskins
The Vikings have “done a lot of work on” Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link), but Minnesota may have to move up in Round 2 in order to land him. Per Wolfson, the Vikings may need to get ahead of the Jaguars at No. 42 if they want to grab Cleveland. Minnesota’s second-round pick doesn’t come until No. 58 overall, so general manager Rick Spielman would need to work some magic in order to move up. Luckily, the Vikings have 12 picks remaining in the draft that could be used as trade ammunition.
Here’s more on the 2020 draft:
- Speaking of the Vikings and offensive tackles, the ideas of Minnesota acquiring Redskins tackle Trent Williams and moving up in Round 2 aren’t mutually exclusive, as Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune tweets. Washington wants draft capital it can use this year, and while the club has been asking for a second-round pick, the Redskins could also accept a combination of selections that add up to the value of a second-rounder, per John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Minnesota could use any number of those aforementioned 12 remaining picks in order to patch together an offer for Williams.
- Two clubs were attempting to move into the Buccaneers‘ No. 14 slot in order to land Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs, which prompted Tampa Bay to move up one spot into No. 13 and take Wirfs for themselves, reports Jenna Laine of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Presumably, the Bucs figured teams moving to No. 14 would also be trying to move to No. 13, which was held by San Francisco. Instead, Tampa Bay shipped a fourth-round pick to the 49ers and added Tom Brady‘s new right tackle.
- When the Raiders‘ first came on the clock at No. 12, the club’s initial discussions involved offensive tackles, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. Oakland’s interest in tackles is a little puzzling, as it already has 2018 first-rounder Kolton Miller on the left side and the high-priced Trent Brown on the right. Eventually, the Raiders settled on Alabama wideout Henry Ruggs.
NFL Draft Rumors: Dolphins, Raiders, 49ers
Before the Dolphins stuck at No. 5 overall and drafted quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, there were rumblings that Miami wanted to trade up not for a signal-caller, but for an offensive tackle. Had the Dolphins followed through with that plan, they would have been targeting Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Thomas ended up coming off the board to the Giants at No. 4, so Miami would have had to get to the third overall pick in order to have a chance. The Dolphins ended up finding an offensive tackle later in Round 1 with USC’s Austin Jackson:
Here’s more from last night’s action:
- The Falcons were heavily linked not only to a potential trade up, but specifically to Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson prior to the draft. Atlanta did want to move up for Henderson, per Rapoport (Twitter link), but they couldn’t find a trade partner for a number of reasons. Both the Dolphins and Chargers wanted quarterbacks, the Panthers refused to trade within the division, the Cardinals were stuck on Isaiah Simmons, and the Jaguars wanted Henderson for themselves.
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The Raiders were attempting to trade back from the 12th pick before selecting Alabama wideout Henry Ruggs, according to Vic Tafur of The Atheltic (Twitter link). Speculatively, Las Vegas may have been happy to land any of the top-three pass-catchers and figured it could move down, acquire more picks, and still find a wide receiver. Instead, the Raiders surprisingly went with Ruggs, who was widely viewed as the third-best WR behind CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy.
- After trading DeForest Buckner to the Colts in March, the 49ers “quietly” tried to sign several free agent defensive tackles with no success, tweets Rapoport. Instead, San Francisco moved back one pick before adding South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link), Kinlaw was off at least one team’s board due to medical issues. Most clubs, however, deemed him only a “moderate” injury risk.
- The Cowboys debated between Lamb and LSU edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson at pick No. 17 before ultimately deciding on Lamb, per Rapoport (Twitter link). Chaisson was a popular target for Dallas in many mock drafts, but when Lamb unexpectedly fell to the middle of Round 1, the Cowboys couldn’t pass. Dallas will now feature a superb three-WR set of Lamb, Amari Cooper, and Michael Gallup.
Vikings Trade 25th Pick To 49ers
The pace of trades is starting to pick up as the first-round draws to a close. The Vikings are trading the 25th pick to the 49ers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets.
The Vikes will get the 31st, 117th, and 176th picks from San Francisco in return, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). The 49ers made the move to ensure they got the receiver they wanted, as they drafted Brandon Aiyuk from Arizona State with the 25th pick. This was the Vikings’ second pick of the first-round, after they took LSU receiver Justin Jefferson at 22.
It’s interesting that the 49ers opted to trade up, considering all the talk surrounding them has been they were looking to move down. San Fran made the draft’s first trade when they swapped the 13th pick for the 14th and 117th picks with the Bucs. They didn’t have any second, third, or fourth-rounders before that deal, and they are without a pick in those middle rounds once again after giving 117 right back up.