More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/19
We’ve already posted one round of minor transactions, but NFL clubs keep making moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: LB Matthew Thomas
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed off waivers: TE Donnie Ernsberger
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: TE Daniel Helm
Minnesota Vikings
- Claimed off waivers: G Tyler Catalina
- Waived: G Tiano Pupungatoa
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: TE Jake Powell
- Waived: QB J.T. Barrett
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Nyqwan Murray
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Chris Nelson, DE Jordan Williams
- Waived: DB Jonathan Crawford, LB Gimel President
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Garrett Sickels
- Waived: RB Elijah Wellman
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/19
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Nicholas Grigsby
Buffalo Bills
- Released from injured reserve: OL Jeremiah Sirles
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: LB Justin Phillips
- Waived: G Larry Allen Jr.
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers: DE Markus Jones
- Waived/injured: CB Javien Hamilton
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: RB Devante Mays
- Waived/injured: RB Taj McGowan
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: P Stone Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed off waivers: WR Brandon Reilly
- Waived/non-football injury: CB Alexander Myres
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: WR Daniel Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Claimed off waivers: T William Poehls
- Signed: WR Matt Eaton, TE Scott Orndoff
- Waived: TE Donnie Ernsberger, T Riley Mayfield
- Waived/injured: S Orion Stewart
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Tanner McEvoy, WR Papi White
- Waived: WR Joe Parker
- Placed on injured reserve: WR Cameron Batson
This Date In Transactions History: Russell Wilson’s First Extension
A Seahawks quarterback. A self-imposed deadline. A new average annual value that ranks among the NFL’s highest. No, we’re not talking about Russell Wilson‘s recent extension with Seattle. We’re looking back at the 2015 deal Wilson inked with the Seahawks, a four-year, $87.6MM pact that contained $31.7MM in full guarantees.
Just as he did before his 2019 extension, Wilson put a deadline on his 2015 negotiations with Seattle. The former third-round pick told the Seahawks that he’d close down talks if a new deal wasn’t agreed to by the start of 2015 training camp. Similar to 2019, it’s unclear how serious Wilson was about his proposed deadline, but the gambit seems to have worked on both occasions. Although a report just a day before the 2015 extension was reached indicated that no deal was close, Wilson and Seattle agreed to fresh pact on July 31, 2015.
While he didn’t quite reach his goal of becoming the NFL’s highest-paid player at the time, Wilson did come close. His annual average value of $21.9MM came up just short of Aaron Rodgers‘ $22MM/year salary. In terms of fully guaranteed money, however, Wilson didn’t approach Rodgers, trailing the Packers signal-caller’s $54M in true guarantees by nearly $22MM.
At the time of his extension, Wilson had led the Seahawks to a 36-12 regular season record and posted a Super Bowl victory. During his first three years in the NFL, Wilson put up a 98.6 quarterback rating, 6.93 adjusted net yards per attempt, and averaged 3,316 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions per 16 games. Seattle’s winning percentage has dropped in the four seasons since, but Wilson’s production has remained consistent. From 2015-18, he posted a 101.5 quarterback rating, 6.97 ANY/A, and a 3,918/31/9 line per 16 contests.
As in 2019, Wilson’s 2015 extension was followed by a new deal for linebacker Bobby Wagner. But while Wagner was retained, the Seahawks — who no longer had the benefit of Wilson on a cheap rookie contract — had to get rid of other veterans. Significant members of Seattle’s Super Bowl roster, such as Michael Bennett, Richard Sherman, Russell Okung, Bruce Irvin, and James Carpenter were either allowed to walk via free agency or traded.
Wilson’s current annual salary takes up 18.6% of the Seahawks’ salary cap, which could potentially affect Seattle’s ability to retain talent down the line. Clearly, when you’re lucky enough to have a quarterback like Wilson, you pay him whatever he’s worth. But as Wilson’s 2015 extension showed, there likely will be ripple effects that permeate the rest of the Seahawks’ roster.
L.J. Collier Dealing With Ankle Sprain
- Speaking of injuries, it sounds like Seahawks first-round pick defensive end L.J. Collier is going to be on the shelf for a while. Collier, the 29th overall pick in April’s draft, is dealing with a high ankle sprain, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Collier almost certainly won’t be playing in the preseason, and it sounds like he’s in danger of missing regular season time. The Seahawks traded away their best pass-rusher in Frank Clark this offseason, and they’re counting on Collier to play a big role for them in 2019. If he’s sidelined for regular season action, it’ll be a huge blow to their already depleted pass-rush.
Seahawks Extend LS Tyler Ott
The Seahawks are making sure their long snapper sticks around a while longer. Seattle is extending Tyler Ott, they announced on Twitter.
Terms of the deal weren’t immediately disclosed, but the team’s announcement said it was a “multi-year” contract. An undrafted free agent from Harvard, Ott originally signed with the Patriots back in 2014. He never made the 53-man roster and after a brief stint with the Rams, he landed with the Giants. After a short stay in New York and another one with the Bengals, he finally settled in Seattle.
He’s snapped in all 16 games for the Seahawks each of the past two seasons. As Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times pointed out in a tweet, Ott would’ve been a restricted free agent after this season prior to this extension. Seattle should have a solid special teams unit for years to come with Ott, punter Michael Dickson, and kicker Jason Myers all in the fold.
Extra Points: QBs, Cap, Sanders, Nkemdiche
The latest installment of Mike Sando’s annual quarterback tiers emerged recently, via The Athletic (subscription required). While Russell Wilson ascended into Tier 1 for the first time, evaluators are much less bullish on two of his top dual-threat brethren. Both Cam Newton and Dak Prescott come in on Tier 3, with the shoulder injuries the Panthers passer has suffered in recent years dropping him off his previous Tier 2 placement. The anonymous voter panel, comprised of executives and coaches, placed Newton as the league’s No. 15 quarterback and the Cowboys‘ fourth-year pilot at No. 17. In a separate piece, Sando notes no Tier 3 quarterback who has been paid as a top-10 passer, which seems likely for Prescott by Week 1, has taken his team to the playoffs that season. Newton has two years remaining on his Panthers-friendly deal. Tier 2 quarterbacks, per past Sando surveys, were 8-for-29 in guiding teams to the playoffs with top-10 APY figures since 2014.
Here is the latest from around the league:
- One of the topics brought up in this year’s CBA talks: the spending floor. Currently, teams are required to spend 89% of their cap over a four-year period. The NFLPA has proposed forcing teams to spend more, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes. One of the proposals floated would increase that 89% threshold to 95%; another would involve reducing the number of years factored into these spending equations from four to two. There is no policy in place mandating teams spend a certain amount each year, only through four-year windows.
- One issue that will likely change in the new CBA, per Graziano: the league’s marijuana policy. The NFL has already softened its stance on marijuana, through a 2014 change, and has now formed a committee to study alternative pain-management techniques. This points to more leniency on the weed front.
- No team was willing to take on Robert Nkemdiche‘s first-round contract the Cardinals just shed. The 2016 first-round pick cleared waivers Monday and is now in free agency. The former No. 1 overall recruit reported to Cardinals camp in less-than-ideal shape and is coming off a season marred by a torn ACL. It may be a long road back for the 24-year-old defensive lineman, who did register 4.5 sacks (the first QB drops of his career) last season.
- Emmanuel Sanders returned to 11-on-11 work at Broncos camp Monday, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic (on Twitter). This marked the first such participation for the 32-year-old wide receiver since before his Achilles tear last December. The Broncos did not stick Sanders on their active/PUP list to start training camp, and with more than five weeks remaining before Week 1, it appears a good bet the 10th-year wideout, barring a setback, will be ready to start the season on time.
Contract Details: Sproles, Kendricks, Hawks
A look at the details on recent deals from around the NFL:
- Darren Sproles, RB (Eagles): One year, $1.33MM. $600K fully guaranteed, including a $300K signing bonus. $650K in performance bonuses, classified as NLTBE incentives, exist in Sproles’ contract for a Pro Bowl appearance and unspecified yardage totals, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio tweets.
- Lance Kendricks, TE (Patriots): One year, $1.02MM. Kendricks’ $50K signing bonus represents this deal’s only guarantees. If he makes the team, he will earn a $930K veteran minimum base salary. Kendricks, who can also earn $40K worth of per-game roster bonuses, will count $735K toward New England’s cap, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets.
- Earl Mitchell, DT (Seahawks): One year, $930K. $90K signing bonus. Mitchell will carry a $735K cap number, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com notes.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/19
Today’s minor transactions:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: RB A.J. Ouellette
- Waived: OT Ka’John Armstrong
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Moral Stephens
- Waived: P Justin Vogel
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers from Bengals: RB Darrin Hall
- Waived: OG Larry Williams
Houston Texans
- Waived: S A.J. Hendy
- Waived/injured: WR Isaac Whitney
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Amba Etta-Tawo
Philadelphia Eagles:
- Waived: DT Anthony Rush
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DL Jordan Thompson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Jawuan Johnson
Tennesse Titans
- Signed: DB Jonathan Crawford
Seahawks Sign DeShawn Shead
DeShawn Shead is coming home. The defensive back is returning to the place he made a name for himself and signing with the Seahawks, his agency announced on Twitter. 
It’s a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum, tweets Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. In a separate tweet, Condotta notes that Shead visited with the team on Friday and had a workout earlier today, and that the plan is to play him at safety. Shead originally entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Portland State in 2012, and he turned into quite the diamond in the rough for Seattle.
After playing sparingly his first couple of years in the league, Shead became a big part of the defense at cornerback. Between 2015 and 2016 he started 21 games, racking up 129 tackles, two interceptions, and 22 passes defended. He was a full-time starter in 2016, but suffered a torn ACL in the playoffs.
That injury limited him to just two games in 2017, and he ended up signing a one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Lions last offseason. Snead was cut by Detroit right before the start of the season, but then re-signed a couple weeks later. He ended up appearing in 12 games, making one start. He had a quiet market this offseason, as the first we heard of him was when he worked out for the Saints a few days ago. Shead will have the chance to carve out a role as a safety, and if nothing else he’ll be a nice nostalgia piece for the fans, as he’ll be one of the only players still on the team from Seattle’s legendary ‘Legion of Boom’ defense.
Seahawks Extend LB Bobby Wagner
The Seahawks have locked up one of the best defensive players in football. Seattle is signing linebacker Bobby Wagner to a three-year extension worth $54MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
In a follow-up tweet, Rapoport notes that Wagner will get $40.2MM in guaranteed money. At $18MM annually, Wagner is now the highest-paid inside linebacker in the game, eclipsing the $17MM that C.J. Mosley got from the Jets earlier this offseason. Wagner made it clear a few days ago he would attend training camp on time even though he didn’t have the new deal he wanted yet, as he wanted to be a good leader and locker room presence.
Wagner has been standing off to the side and observing practice at the first few days of camp, clearly waiting for this deal to get done. The Utah State product had been set to enter the final year of a four-year, $43MM extension he signed back in 2015. There’s now a huge gap between Wagner and Mosley at the top and the rest of the inside linebackers. Deion Jones is in third place with the extension he recently signed with the Falcons, which will pay him a tick over $14MM annually.
Wagner originally entered the league as a second-round pick back in 2012. He’s since firmly established himself as the league’s best off-ball linebacker, making the Pro Bowl in each of the last five seasons and being named a first-team All-Pro in each of the last three. One of the last remaining pieces of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl winning defense, Wagner is the team’s next most important player after Russell Wilson. He’s been a rock for them, starting at least 15 games in each of the past four seasons.