Minor NFL Transactions: 5/25/21
We’ll keep tabs on today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Ross Travis
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: Kamaal Seymour
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Willie Henry
- Waived: LB Joe Bachie
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Cam Sutton
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Dee Delaney
Buccaneers Re-Sign Antonio Brown
It’s officially official. On Tuesday, Antonio Brown formally signed his brand new contract with the Buccaneers, per a club announcement. 
[RELATED: Julian Edelman On Bucs Rumors]
In late April, Brown agreed to a new one-year deal with the defending champs. However, the deal was still pending a physical following a recent knee procedure. Head coach Bruce Arians termed the operation as “getting his knee cleaned out” — in other words, a minor surgery. Still, it’s not clear why Brown waited until the spring to get it done.
“We wanted AB back,” Arians said. “He was a model citizen the whole time he’s been here. We wanted him back and he’s never had surgery in his life. It’s just a matter of physical done. I wanted him back the whole time.”
Assuming the terms have not changed, Brown will have the chance to earn up to $6.25MM with $3.1MM fully guaranteed and a $2MM signing bonus. The remaining half could be achieved via incentives.
In eight regular season games last year, Brown notched 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns. In theory, that’s 90 catches, 966 yards, and eight touchdowns when extrapolated for a full season. If Brown can do that in 2021, the Bucs will be over the moon.
WR Julian Edelman Quiets Buccaneers Connection
Despite Julian Edelman announcing his retirement last month, rumors will continue to persist about a potential reunion with Tom Brady. This theory has always seemed unlikely, but it certainly isn’t impossible. After all, Brady managed to coax Rob Gronkowski out of retirement to join Tampa Bay, and he also recruited Antonio Brown despite the team already having Chris Godwin and Mike Evans on the roster.
So, would anyone really be shocked if Edelman ultimately joined the Buccaneers? Probably not. However, the long-time Patriots receiver did his best to quiet the rumblings during a recent appearance on the Michael Irvin Podcast, stating that he’s a “one-team guy.”
“My knees breaking down, I’m not gonna sit here, you know, I got everything I wanted,” Edelman explained (via NFL.com’s Nick Shook). “I got three rings, played in a magical dynasty, with an unbelievable franchise coach, best quarterback of all time, like, yo, I’m not a greedy guy. I played to win, I played to compete, I don’t need anything else to prove. I’m good with what I did, I left it all out on the field.”
Edelman was limited to only six games this past season as he dealt with a knee injury, so a potential return would obviously hang on the wideout’s health. Plus, as the 34-year-old noted, there’s not much more he can do to add to his resume; Edelman won three rings and a Super Bowl MVP, and he ranks second all-time in receiving yards and receptions. Assuming his career has come to an end, the former seventh-round pick finished his career with 36 regular-season touchdowns, all via Brady. The future Hall of Famer quarterback has tossed 581 touchdowns during his career, with Edelman ranking third among Brady’s all-time touchdown connections (behind Gronkowski and Randy Moss).
Considering those accolades, will Edelman eventually find him in the Hall of Fame? That’s not a concern to the retired receiver, who noted he’s focused on his new gig as a member of Inside the NFL.
“I’m not here to make a case, man,” Edelman said. “I didn’t play the game to be in the Hall. … It’s an honor to even be mentioned. You know and if something happens, something happens, you know I’m not gonna be worrying about that, I’mma be worrying about my new job here on Inside the NFL.”
Bruce Arians Plans To Honor 5-Year Deal
Three months after the Buccaneers’ second Super Bowl parade, Bruce Arians is not backing off the pledge he made at that time. The third-year Bucs HC not only wants to pilot a Bucs title defense but coach the team beyond 2021.
In 2019, Arians said he would retire if the Bucs won a Super Bowl. Now, the 68-year-old leader wants to finish out the five-year contract the Bucs gave him and could potentially coach beyond 2023.
“Oh yeah, that’s the plan. I don’t have any plans on retiring,” Arians said of finishing out his contract during an appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast. “It’s just, when do I not want to go back to work? When I’m not excited about going back to work then I’m cheating somebody. I’m cheating the Glazer family, I’m cheating my players. Right now I can’t wait to get back to work.”
[RELATED: Bucs GM: Tom Brady Can Play Until He’s 50]
Tampa Bay deviated from its usual approach to contract structures this offseason, doing so in order to keep its Super Bowl squad together. The maneuvering involved a Tom Brady extension, which is packed with void years that stand to affect future Bucs payrolls. The Bucs are firmly in win-now mode, but Arians also dispelled the notion he would walk away when Brady does. Brady is signed through 2022.
“I don’t know when that’s going to happen,” Arians said of his own retirement, “but no, I’m not tied to any players. … I could get extremely excited about having another young quarterback and going to war with one,” Arians said. “I’ll be honest with you. I’d be excited to take Blaine Gabbert to war because I love Blaine Gabbert. I think he is the most underrated player in the NFL. So yeah, when its not fun, then it will be time.”
Arians is the third-oldest head coach in the NFL, after Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick, but he did retire after the 2017 season. A three-time cancer survivor, Arians spent 2018 in the broadcast booth. But he has made his comeback one of the best in NFL coaching history, ending a lengthy Bucs playoff drought and giving the franchise its second championship, and wants to continue this chapter beyond 2021.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/19/21
The Colts have now officially signed every member of their draft class. We’ll keep track of all the new draftees signing their rookie deals today here:
Indianapolis Colts
- TE Kylen Granson (fourth-round; SMU), QB Sam Ehlinger (sixth-round; Texas)
Minnesota Vikings
- DE Janarius Robinson (fourth-round; Florida State)
New England Patriots
- Signed: RB Rhamondre Stevenson (fourth-round; Oklahoma)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- WR Jaelon Darden (fourth-round; North Texas)
Antonio Brown Has Knee Surgery, Bucs Not Concerned
There was some brief concern earlier this morning when it was reported that Buccaneers receiver Antonio Brown hadn’t actually signed his contract yet. Head coach Bruce Arians said Brown still needed to pass his physical, and it appeared for a second his return to Tampa could be in some doubt.
That doesn’t appear to be the case. The oft-embattled wideout did in fact have knee surgery on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. Rapsheet says the procedure was a success, and that it was just “a clean-out after some issues last season.” Fortunately for the friend of Tom Brady, it’ll apparently only be “a few weeks of recovery, then he’ll be ready to go.”
Bucs GM Jason Licht also confirmed that it’s no big deal. “No, not concerned. The plan all along is to have him come in — I think he is coming in Monday to sign,” Licht told Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan.com.
Brown attracts drama like a magnet, but it doesn’t seem like this is going to be a lingering issue. He might be more concerned about the new lawsuit he just got hit with a few days ago.
Antonio Brown’s Bucs Deal Still Pending Physical
The Buccaneers may have agreed to terms with Antonio Brown, but it’s not a done deal just yet. Brown’s contract is still pending a physical following a recent knee procedure, head coach Bruce Arians says. 
“He has to pass the physical,” Arians said (via Pewter Report). “Hopefully we’ll have a scope on Tuesday, he’s getting his knee cleaned out, and everything will work out fine. It’s just a matter of a physical.”
In late April, Brown reportedly agreed to a new one-year deal with the defending champs. Assuming the deal holds up, Brown can earn up to $6.25MM with $3.1MM fully guaranteed and a $2MM signing bonus. The remaining half of the $6.25MM could be achieved via incentives.
Brown was dealing with knee issues throughout the playoffs but, for one reason or another, he held off on the surgery. The Bucs may be scratching their heads about Brown’s chosen timetable, but Arians still seems enthusiastic about another go ’round with Brown.
“We wanted AB back,” Arians said. “He was a model citizen the whole time he’s been here. We wanted him back and he’s never had surgery in his life. It’s just a matter of physical done. I wanted him back the whole time.”
In eight regular season games last year, Brown notched 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, 20 of those 45 grabs came in the final three weeks of the regular season, a sign that AB could have some monster games in store this year.
NFC South Notes: Lance, Tryon, Spencer
Let’s take a look at some news and notes from the NFC South as we approach the witching hour on this Tuesday evening:
- The Falcons were perhaps the most interesting team to watch during the first hour of last month’s draft, as they could have gone in any number of directions. Ultimately, they kept their No. 4 overall pick and selected Florida TE Kyle Pitts as part of their effort to gear up for one final run with Matt Ryan. But if the 49ers had not selected North Dakota State QB Trey Lance one pick before Atlanta, then Lance might be holding Ryan’s clipboard this year. The Falcons were represented at both of Lance’s Pro Days, and as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes, if there was a signal-caller to stop Atlanta from taking Pitts, Lance might have been it (subscription required). A source tells Fowler that Lance thought the Falcons were the club most interested in him, and after the Pro Days, NDSU coaching staff got the sense that Lance would not fall past Atlanta.
- The final pick of the first round of this year’s draft, Joe Tryon, underwent a knee scope a few weeks ago, per Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians (Twitter link via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com). Luckily, Arians said the Washington product should be ready to go by next month’s mandatory minicamp. Tryon opted out of the 2020 collegiate season, but he was a menace in 2019, racking up eight sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. He should provide even more firepower to Tampa’s front seven.
- The Panthers continue to make additions to their personnel department. Carolina has hired former Washington Football Team scout Cole Spencer as its new director of college scouting, the team announced. The Panthers hired former linebacker Dan Morgan as their assistant GM last week, and new general manager Scott Fitterer is continuing to put his stamp on the front office. Spencer had been with WFT for over a decade and was promoted to national scout in 2019.
Antonio Brown Facing Another Lawsuit
Antonio Brown just won a Super Bowl and then inked a new one-year deal worth up to $6.25MM with the Buccaneers last month, but his off-field issues don’t appear to be over just yet. The oft-embattled receiver is dealing with yet another lawsuit, Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times writes. As Baker notes, this stems from an already settled criminal case where a moving truck driver alleged assault and battery.
Brown was arrested for the incident last year, and he pleaded no contest in June, receiving two years of probation. Brown broke the driver’s car key and “proceeded to verbally and physically attack (Tumanov), causing severe personal injuries,” the lawsuit, which is seeking more than $30K in damages, alleges. Brown’s attorney issued a statement decrying the suit and painting it as nothing more than cash-grab. Since the criminal matter was already resolved, this shouldn’t have any impact on Brown’s standing with the league or status with the Buccaneers.
Bucs Sign 4 After Weekend Tryout
The Buccaneers have signed cornerback Antonio Hamilton, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). Greg Auman of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that Tampa has also agreed to terms with tight end Jerell Adams, running back Troymaine Pope, and safety Curtis Riley. That quartet was part of a five-man group invited for tryouts during this weekend’s rookie minicamp and did enough to earn a contract.
Hamilton, who signed with the Raiders as a UDFA out of South Carolina State in 2016, played a full 16-game slate with the Giants in 2019, and he also enjoyed perfect attendance in 2020 as a member of the Chiefs. Most of his work has come on special teams, as he has played a total of 335 defensive snaps in his five-year career. If he makes the Bucs’ roster, it will probably be due to his ST prowess, but he could get some action as a backup corner.
Adams was a sixth-round selection of the Giants back in 2016, but he has played in exactly one game over the past three seasons. In that game, a 2018 appearance with the Texans, Adams played only five special teams snaps. Over his first two years in New York, the South Carolina product tallied 24 catches for 214 yards and a score.
Tampa’s tight end depth chart is pretty full, and Adams will try to convince the club to roster four TEs again. He will join Tanner Hudson and Codey McElroy in that endeavor.
Riley, 28, worked as a full-time starter for the 2018 Giants, lining up with their first-stringers in all 16 games. He intercepted four passes that season. He then landed in Oakland, playing as a Raiders backup/spot starter in 2019. Last season, Riley saw limited action with the Vikings and Cardinals.
The Bucs will be Pope’s sixth NFL team. A Jacksonville State alum, Pope has been in the league since arriving as a 2016 UDFA. Stints with the Seahawks, Jets, Colts, and Texans preceded work as a Chargers backup from 2019-20. Injuries in Los Angeles’ backfield summoned Pope to action on offense briefly at the midseason point last year, but he mostly played special teams with the Bolts.
Tampa Bay’s backfield is also crowded. Leonard Fournette was re-signed this offseason, and Giovani Bernard joined up with the Super Bowl champs. Ronald Jones and Ke’Shawn Vaughn, both on their rookie contracts, will also return.