Contract Details: JPP, Boston, Waynes
A new batch of contract details to pass along, all via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter):
- LB Jason Pierre-Paul, Buccaneers: two year extension. $25MM, including $20MM guaranteed. Salaries: $6.5MM, guaranteed (2020), $12.5MM, with $7.5MM guaranteed for injury (2021).
- S Tre Boston, Panthers: three years, $18MM. $8MM signing bonus. Salaries: $1.16MM (2020), $2.25MM (2021), $3.69MM (2022). $1MM third day 2020 roster bonus, $1MM third day 2022 roster bonus.
- CB Trae Waynes, Bengals: three years, $42MM. $15MM signing bonus. Salaries: $5MM (2020), $8.4MM (2021), $10.4MM (2022).
- DT Linval Joseph, Chargers: two years, $17MM. $8MM signing bonus. Salaries: $1.5MM (2020), $5.5MM (2021). $1MM annual playtime, sacks, Pro Bowl incentive.
- OL Wes Schweitzer, Redskins: three years, $13.5MM. $4MM guaranteed, $3MM signing bonus. Salaries: $1MM guaranteed (2020), $3.49MM (2021), $4.49MM (2022).
- LB A.J. Klein, Bills: three years, $18MM. $9.7MM guaranteed, $1.2MM signing bonus. Salaries: $2.2MM guaranteed (2020), $4.1MM, with $3.2MM guaranteed (2021), $4.2MM (2022).
- OL Tyler Shatley, Jaguars: signed. One-year, $1.511MM deal with $600K guaranteed. $1.375MM salary for 2020.
Latest On Tom Brady’s FA Experience
As we await the terms on Tom Brady‘s new deal with the Buccaneers, Albert Breer of TheMMQB has tweeted out some of the quarterback’s “conditions.”
Brady was seeking a two-year deal that would be backed by guarantees, and while he was seeking $60MM, he was open to “creativity.” Of course, Breer also cautions that the negotiations weren’t entirely about money; after all, Brady wanted to “give his new team financial flexibility to add.”
Further, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes that Brady presented these conditions to both the Buccaneers and Chargers, with both organizations agreeing to the financial terms. As a result, the further Hall of Famer was able to basically choose between the two franchises.
Florio provides reasons why Brady ultimately opted for Tampa Bay over Los Angeles, noting the difference in income taxes between California (13.3-percent) and Florida (zero). Staying on the east coast also allowed Brady to remain relatively close to his 12-year-old son who lives in New York, and Florio is of the opinion that the Buccaneers are in a better position to compete than the Chargers.
Buccaneers’ Tom Brady Wants To Play With Antonio Brown
Teams that have spoke with Tom Brady in recent days believe that the new Buccaneers quarterback wants to reunite with Antonio Brown, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear whether the Bucs are willing to sign Brown, whose status with the league is still up in the air.
We also heard chatter that Brady wanted to play with Brown in the lead-up to free agency, though those were sourced from anonymous people “close” to the wide receiver. Now, we’re getting word of Brady’s desire to play with Brown directly from the teams that were courting him.
From a football perspective, it would be a huge win for the Buccaneers. With Brown, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin at wide receiver, they’d be impossible to guard for opposing defenses.
Still, the NFL says Brown’s status remains under review. Even if he’s cleared to play, the Bucs might have reservations about bringing him into the locker room. Remember, even before all of the ugly accusations and disturbing social media videos, Brown was perceived to be unstable for his behavior in Pittsburgh and the drama that nixed his Oakland tenure before it even began.
Brown has caught 841 passes for 11,253 yards over the course of his ten-year career, which includes seven Pro Bowl appearances. Brady, meanwhile, has thrown for 74,751 yards and 541 touchdowns en route to 14 Pro Bowl selections.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/17/20
We don’t dance now; we make minor moves.
Detroit Lions
- Waived: QB Kyle Sloter
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released: TE Geoff Swaim
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: LB Keionta Davis
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: DT Hassan Ridgeway
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: LS Kameron Canaday
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE Antony Auclair
Tom Brady Expected To Sign With Bucs
It looks like the Tom Brady sweepstakes are coming to a close. The expectation is that Brady will sign with the Buccaneers, sources told Jeff Darlington and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Tampa’s offer is “roughly” $30MM annually, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets, although the duration is unclear.
Rapoport added that the Buccaneers have been confident all day about landing him. It’s not at all unexpected given today’s developments, but it still is a wild conclusion to an unpredictable saga. A couple of years ago we got the first reports that Brady might want out of New England, but nobody at the time could’ve predicted it would end with him teaming up with Bruce Arians in Tampa Bay. It became clear in recent months that Brady leaving was a very real possibility, and earlier this morning the legendary quarterback announced he wouldn’t be back with the Patriots in 2020.
We heard just a little while ago that the Chargers were out of the running, which left the Bucs as the only known team aggressively pursuing Brady. The Raiders had been floated at various points, but they recently signed Marcus Mariota and the same report that had the Chargers out indicated Brady wanted to stay closer to his family on the east coast.
The Patriots were one of the best teams in the league last season, but it was mostly because of the defense and not the offense. Brady had one of his worst seasons statistically, averaging his lowest yards per attempt (6.8) since the 2002 season. The Pats were widely criticized for not providing him with enough weapons, and that won’t be an issue in Tampa.
The Bucs have arguably the best receiving duo in the league, with Chris Godwin and Mike Evans forming a matchup nightmare for any opposing secondary. Their defense also made major strides down the stretch last season under DC Todd Bowles, and they’ll now be considered an instant contender in 2020.
Brady spent 20 incredible years in New England, helping to create one of the most iconic dynasties in sports history. He’ll leave the Patriots at the age of 42, having won six Super Bowls with the team. We may never know exactly what happened the last few years, but it seems clear that Brady wanted a fresh start. His frustration with the offense was evident toward the end of last season, and it culminated in an embarrassing home loss to the Titans in the first round of the playoffs.
As for the Buccaneers, they’ll obviously be moving on from Jameis Winston, who they drafted first overall back in 2015. The game of quarterback musical chairs has almost ended, and there aren’t too many starting jobs left available for Winston to nab.
Chargers Out Of Running For Tom Brady?
Momentum for Tom Brady going to the Buccaneers continues to build. The Chargers believe they are out of the running for the quarterback, according to Jim Trotter of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Everything we had heard indicated that the Chargers and Bucs were the two teams with strong offers on the table for Brady, and if the Chargers are out then there aren’t many other known suitors outside Tampa. In a different tweet, Trotter reports that Brady’s camp “led the Chargers to believe he is going to stay back East because of family considerations.” Obviously Brady’s family lives in the New England area, and Tampa would certainly be a lot closer than Los Angeles.
Many had speculated that Brady might choose the Chargers because Los Angeles would provide a better pivot for off-field ventures like the entertainment industry a la LeBron James and the Lakers, but that apparently wasn’t the case. The Raiders just agreed to terms with Marcus Mariota and they’re out West as well, which likely takes them off the table too.
At this point, it seems like it’ll either be the Buccaneers or a mystery team swooping in that we haven’t heard much reporting about. That’s not out of the question given how wild things have been this week, but as of right now Tampa seems to be considered the solid favorite. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network said when free agency opened that it was down to the Bucs, Chargers, and Patriots, and two of those teams have since been eliminated.
As for the Chargers, they’re in an interesting spot. They decided to let long-time quarterback Philip Rivers walk this offseason, and most of the top free agent passers are now off the board. They could turn their attention to the trade market and go after someone like Cam Newton, or they could focus on the draft where they could theoretically get Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert with the sixth overall pick.
Contract Details: JPP, Cousins, Weatherly
Deals are coming in quickly, so we’ve compiled some important contract details below:
- DE Jason Pierre-Paul, Buccaneers: two years. Deal is worth $25MM, and could be worth up to $26MM ($12.5MM/season, up to $1MM in incentives). Via The Athletic’s Greg Auman on Twitter.
- DE Stephen Weatherly, Panthers: two years, $12.5MM. Deal includes $6.25MM guaranteed, $4MM signing bonus. Annual per-game active roster bonus up to $100K, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- QB Kirk Cousins, Vikings: two-year, $66MM extension. Effectively now three-year, $96MM deal. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com observes, this gives Cousins the highest AAV at his position ($32MM, bumping Russell Wilson‘s $31.4MM).
- DE Arik Armstead, 49ers: five-year, $85MM extension. Includes voidable sixth year, allowing team to lower cap number. $6MM cap number in first year, $12.5MM in second year, $20MM+ in 2022 through 2024. All via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner on Twitter.
- QB A.J. McCarron, Texans: re-signed. One-year, $4MM deal, including $3.75MM guaranteed. Via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter.
- DE Mario Addison, Bills: three years. Worth $30.45MM, including $15.25MM guaranteed. $14MM in first year of deal. Via Pelissero on Twitter.
- QB Nate Sudfeld, Eagles: re-signed. One-year, $2MM deal, including $500K guaranteed. Another $1MM in incentives. Via Pelissero on Twitter.
- TE Blake Jarwin, Cowboys: three years, $24.25MM. Includes $4MM signing bonus. Base salaries: $2.25MM (2020), $3.5MM (2021), $4.5MM (2022), $5.5MM (2023). From 2021 through 2023, there are active roster bonuses totaling $750K and escalators maxing out at $750K per season. Via ESPN’s Todd Archer on Twitter.
Bucs Still In Contact With Jameis Winston
The Bucs have been exploring their options under center, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll make a change. The Buccaneers are still in “close communication” with Jameis Winston, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).
This jibes with what we heard yesterday as well – the Bucs, clearly, see an opportunity to upgrade from Winston and his endless stream of interceptions. However, they’ve let to find their solution. As of this writing, they seem intent on making a big play for Tom Brady. No one knows where Brady will go – not even Brady himself – but he won’t be back with the Patriots. The Chargers are also believed to be a leading suitor for TB and other teams could still get involved.
Ditto for fallback options like Teddy Bridgewater and Philip Rivers, so the game of musical chairs could very well lead the Bucs back to Winston. It’s impossible to forecast how it’ll all play out this week, but here’s a scenario that could lead to a reunion: Bridgewater to the Patriots, Rivers to the Colts, and Brady to the Chargers.
Tom Brady Bids Farewell To Patriots
Tom Brady doesn’t know where he’ll play next season, but he knows it won’t be with the Patriots. On Tuesday, the future Hall of Famer took to social media to announce that he’ll be signing elsewhere. 
“To all my teammates, coaches, executives, and staff, Coach Belichick, RKK, and the Kraft family, and the entire organization: I want to say thank you for the past twenty years of my life and the daily commitment to winning and creating a winning culture built on great values. I am grateful for all that you have taught me – I have learned from everyone.
You all have allowed me to maximize my potential and that is all a player can ever hope for. Everything we have accomplished brings me great joy and the lessons I have learned will carry on with me forever. I couldn’t be the man I am today without the relationships you have allowed me to build with you. I have benefited from all you have given me. I cherished every opportunity I had to be a part of our team, and I love you all for that.
“Our team has always set a great standard in pro sports and I know it will continue to do just that. Although my football journey will take place elsewhere, I appreciate everything that we have achieved and am grateful for your incredible TEAM accomplishments. I have been privileged to have had the opportunity to know each and every one of you, and to have the memories we’ve created together.”
There’s been talk of Brady leaving the Pats for more than a year, but many believed that the two sides would ultimately resolve their differences and come to terms on a new deal to cover the rest of his career. Ultimately, that was not the case – Brady found lots of suitors, and greener pastures, when the league’s legal tampering period opened this week.
Beyond the obvious reasons, Brady’s departure will sting the Patriots badly. Thanks to his revised deal from last summer, Brady will count $13.5MM in dead money against the Patriots’ cap – while he plays elsewhere. The Pats may be able to spread that hit out over the course of two seasons, but it’s a blow to their limited flexibility nonetheless.
Brady’s next destination remains a mystery, though the Buccaneers and Chargers have both made strong offers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. He has not reached a handshake (elbow-bump?) deal with any clubs, either: he’s still exploring his options, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets.
The Dolphins, long rumored to be a potential suitor for Brady, did not make a major play for him, according to Rapoport. And, according to previous reports, the same goes for the Giants, Colts, Titans, and 49ers.
It’s not clear where the Patriots will go from here, but history suggests that they will not replace Brady with a similarly high-priced quarterback. By the same token, it’s hard to imagine the Pats relying on a rookie QB as their Week 1 starter. Instead, the Patriots could bypass the star signal-callers and acquire a less glitzy veteran via trade – Bengals QB Andy Dalton, perhaps.
Brady has been the Patriots’ starting quarterback for the past 19 seasons, entering the fray in 2001 after a frightening Drew Bledsoe injury. He grew from sixth-round pick to a game manager-type role in his early years to one of the most legendary players in NFL history, being tabbed for an NFL-record-tying 14 Pro Bowls.
The New England icon does not lead the quarterback pack in MVPs or All-Pro honors (three and three, respectively), but his postseason resume dwarfs his peers. And his nine Super Bowl appearances will be difficult for future passers to match. He will attempt to book a 10th big-game outing in another uniform, however.
Raiders Still In On Tom Brady, Not The Favorite
Over the past couple of days, the options available to free-agent quarterback Tom Brady have become clearer. After reports emerged that the 49ers are not pursuing Brady and the Titans resigned Ryan Tannehill, two of the most speculated destinations are no longer on the table. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Raiders are not totally out of the Brady sweepstakes but are behind the Buccaneers in their pursuit.
Of course, it remains unknown how Brady feels about a reunion with the only organization he has ever played for. Brady has already etched himself into football’s Mt. Rushmore over his 20-year career with the Patriots. If the Patriots, Bucs, and Raiders are the only suitors for Brady, the Patriots are the only team that made the playoffs last season and would seem to clearly be the best option for Brady if he is prioritizing winning.
Still, Brady’s priorities (and sentiments towards the Patriots organization) remain a mystery. While the Buccaneers quarterback last season, Jameis Winston, like Brady, is a free-agent, the move would be a bit more complicated for the Raiders who have Derek Carr under contract through 2022 with a $21.5MM cap hit. However, Carr’s deal has plenty of cap flexibility and could easily be moved for assets if Brady did choose the Raiders.