Latest On Titans, J.J. Watt
- Watson’s longtime teammate, J.J. Watt, has been on the market a week. He has been connected to a few teams, including the Titans. After GM Jon Robinson confirmed the team had engaged in discussions with Watt, Mike Vrabel — Watt’s former defensive coordinator in Houston — addressed the possibility of a signing. “You mentioned J.J. Watt, and there will be other veteran players that become available that we’ll have discussions on, and we have had discussions on J.J. Watt,” Vrabel said during a call with season-ticket holders. “… There’s a lot of things that go into bringing in free agents, certainly ones that are past 30 or in the back half of their career.” Vrabel was the Texans’ linebackers coach from 2014-16 and DC in 2017. The Titans signed ex-Vrabel charge Jadeveon Clowney last year, but he is on track for free agency. And Tennessee’s pass rush remains in need of bolstering.
Titans Plan To Keep Isaiah Wilson
Earlier this week, Titans GM Jon Robinson put Isaiah Wilson on notice. However, the team does not plan to trade or release the offensive tackle, according to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (on Twitter).
The Titans selected Wilson No. 29 overall in last year’s draft and they already have buyer’s remorse. After receiving a DUI and taking two turns on the COVID-19 list, he played just four snaps as a rookie. In Week 13, the Titans suspended him for violating team rules.
“He is going to have to make a determination on if he wants to do everything necessary to play pro football,” Robinson said, adding that he hasn’t spoken with Wilson since placing him on the NFI list.
Wilson, who just celebrated his 22nd birthday, has three years to go on his four-year, $11.6MM rookie deal. If he can get things in order, he could have a promising career ahead of him. Leading up to the draft, many saw Wilson as a potential Top 10 pick. At Georgia, Wilson was a standout. The 6-foot-6, 350-pound lineman earned All-SEC second team honors in 2019 after starting 10 of his 11 games. And, before that, he was named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team.
Browns Lead NFL In Salary Cap Carryover
Earlier today, the NFL Players Association announced (via Twitter) the salary cap carryover amounts for all 32 NFL teams for the 2021 season. Effectively, teams are able to rollover their unused cap from the previous season. So, when the 2021 salary cap numbers become official, they can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that individual club’s official cap for 2021.
This follows news from earlier today that the NFL has raised its salary cap floor to $180MM for 2021. This total could clue us in to the salary cap maximum, which could end up landing north of $190MM. The salary cap was $198.2MM for the 2020 campaign.
As the NFLPA detailed, the league will rollover $315.1MM from the 2020 season, an average of $9.8MM per team. The Browns lead the league with a whopping $30.4MM, and they’re the only team in the top-five to make the playoffs. The NFC East ($68.8MM) and AFC East ($65.3MM) are the two divisions will the largest carryover amounts.
The full list is below:
- Cleveland Browns: $30.4MM
- New York Jets: $26.7MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $25.4MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $23.5MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $22.8MM
- New England Patriots: $19.6MM
- Denver Broncos: $17.8MM
- Washington Football Team: $15.8MM
- Miami Dolphins: $15.2MM
- Detroit Lions: $12.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $10.8MM
- Houston Texans: $9.2MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $8.3MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $8.1MM
- Chicago Bears: $7MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $5.7MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $5.1MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $5MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $5MM
- New York Giants: $4.8MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $4.6MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $4.5MM
- Carolina Panthers: $4.3MM
- New Orleans Saints: $4.1MM
- Buffalo Bills: $3.8MM
- Green Bay Packers: $3.7MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $3.6MM
- Tennessee Titans: $2.3MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $1.9MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $1.8MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $956K
- Baltimore Ravens: $587K
Jayon Brown Hopes To Stay With Titans
Jayon Brown is on track for free agency. But, if the Titans linebacker has his druthers, he’ll stay put, as ESPN.com’s Turron Davenport writes. 
“It would be huge staying with the Titans for another however-many years. I’ve grown to love the city,” Brown said. “The team drafted me, I know the system, know what’s expected of me and love the fan base. There’s a lot of comfort.”
Brown has developed into one of the Titans’ defensive leaders since joining the team as a fifth-round pick in 2017. This past season was set to be a huge platform year for the UCLA product. Instead, a complicated elbow injury shut him down in November.
This past season, the 25-year-old finished with one sack, one interception, eight passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and five tackles for loss in ten games. Previous to that, Brown logged a career-high 105 tackles in 2019. In 2018, his first year as a starter, he scored six sacks.
Up until his injury, Brown was on the field for every Titans snap in 2020. He’s an integral part of the defense, but he could find more lucrative offers elsewhere. As it stands, the Titans have less than $5MM in breathing room. Meanwhile, they’ll have to consider other internal free agents such as wide receiver Corey Davis, tight end Jonnu Smith, and cornerback Desmond King. There’s also the matter of defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who says he wouldn’t mind staying in Nashville.
Titans GM On Isaiah Wilson, Offseason
We already talked about how Titans GM Jon Robinson confirmed the team had made contact with J.J. Watt‘s reps this morning, but there were some more interesting nuggets to come out of Robinson’s press conference.
For starters, Robinson talked about perhaps the biggest mistake of the 2020 NFL Draft, Isaiah Wilson. Tennessee drafted the offensive tackle 29th overall last April, but he played only four snaps as a rookie. After getting drafted, Wilson was arrested for DUI, received a trespass warning for attending a party at Tennessee State and twice landed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. He was suspended for Week 13 for a violation of team rules and then was placed on the reserve/NFI list in December shortly after finally making his NFL debut.
Robinson revealed on Tuesday that he hasn’t spoken with Wilson since placing him on the NFI list, via Jim Wyatt of the team’s official site. Robinson said others had been in some degree of contact with the first-rounder, but he didn’t sound particularly optimistic about his future with the team. “He is going to have to make a determination on if he wants to do everything necessary to play pro football,” Robinson said bluntly.
Wilson only just turned 22 last week so he’s got time to figure it out, but it sure sounds like the Titans won’t be counting on the Georgia product for 2021. Meanwhile, Robinson seemed to indicate there’s a good chance receiver Corey Davis and tight end Jonnu Smith could walk in free agency.
Robinson said he had the same conversation with those two guys that he did with tackle Jack Conklin last year, saying the team “will make competitive offer, but wishes them the best if they opt for free agency,” Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets. Conklin, of course, left for the Browns in free agency. Davis, the fifth overall pick of the 2017 draft, is set to be a free agent since Robinson elected to decline his fifth-year option last May. Davis responded with a resurgent season, racking up a career-high 984 yards in only 14 games. It’ll be very interesting to see what kind of offers he gets on the open market.
Titans Have Had Contact With J.J. Watt
The J.J. Watt sweepstakes appear to be heating up. We heard earlier this morning that the Browns were seriously in the running for the pass-rusher’s services, and we now know of at least one more AFC team that has already had some communication with him.
The Titans have had contact with Watt’s camp, GM Jon Robinson confirmed at a press conference Tuesday. There had been an initial report days ago that Tennessee was expected to be in the running. Robinson emphasized that it was early and talks were still in the exploratory stage, but it’s now official that Houston’s AFC South rival is interested in keeping him in the division.
Wherever he lands, it sounds like there’s going to be somewhat of a bidding war between numerous interested teams, and even though he’s about to turn 32 we should expect him to land significant guaranteed money at this point. Tennessee, of course, could desperately use Watt’s help getting after opposing quarterbacks.
They had one of the worst pass-rushes in the league last season, and their big offseason splash acquisition of Jadeveon Clowney didn’t work out as he played in only eight games and registered no sacks before getting shutdown. The Steelers and Bills are other teams reported to be interested in the Texans legend so far, although there will surely be more.
A.J. Brown Undergoes Two Knee Surgeries
- Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown is recovering from surgery on both knees, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets. While this certainly sounds serious, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets these operations were minor. Brown missed early-season time with knee trouble but returned before the midway point and made his first Pro Bowl.
Steelers, Bills, Browns, Titans Among Teams Interested In J.J. Watt
Hours after the Texans released J.J. Watt, the free agency pursuit of the three-time Defensive Player of the Year is underway. Around a dozen teams are interested in the future Hall of Fame defensive end, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets.
Among the early pursuers are the Bills, Browns, Titans and Steelers, Werder notes. While Watt would be a fit in most places, each of these teams could use an additional pass rusher. Watt intends to sign with a contender but does not plan on making a final decision until next week.
The Texans received calls on Watt over the past two weeks but opted to grant his release request. Watt will turn 32 later this year. Under his Texans contract, Watt was set to make $17.5MM in 2021. The salary cap reduction and Watt’s injury history may prevent him from a monster free agency deal, but the number of teams in the mix here stands to drive up the veteran’s price — if, in fact, this pursuit will come down to finances.
The Steelers would likely be unable to match some of the top offers for Watt, but they certainly have an interesting selling point. Younger brothers T.J. and Derek Watt are under contract with Pittsburgh for 2021; T.J. is on track for a big-ticket extension in the near future. The Steelers are well over the projected cap, as of Friday, and may have to replace several veteran starters next season. One of those could be free agent Bud Dupree. Pittsburgh’s fit would also be interesting considering their talent at Watt’s position. The Steelers have Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt signed to long-term deals. While Watt has been dominant as an inside and outside pass rusher, the Steelers have two high-end starters at his position.
Coming off their first playoff berth in 18 years, the Browns are projected to be in the league’s top sector in terms of cap space. Olivier Vernon suffered an Achilles tear late in the season, and the defensive end is on track for free agency anyway. The Browns, who will be looking for an edge rusher opposite Myles Garrett, made a steady push for longtime Watt teammate Jadeveon Clowney last year.
The Bills have several veteran defensive ends under contract, but Watt is younger than Buffalo starters Mario Addison and Jerry Hughes. The team that did land Clowney, Tennessee struggled mightily on defense last season. The Titans’ Clowney and Vic Beasley signings produced zero combined sacks. Watt did play under Mike Vrabel for a time in Houston. Both the Titans and Bills reside in the middle of the pack in projected cap space.
While Watt did not make the Pro Bowl, he did play a 16-game season for the second time in three years. Despite major injuries in 2016, ’17 and ’19, Watt graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 7 overall edge defender in 2020, with the advanced metrics site praising the veteran’s work against the run and pass. His five sacks, however, were a career-low for a season in which he played 16 games. Watt made the most recent of his five All-Pro first teams in 2018, when he recorded 16 sacks and forced seven fumbles. More teams figure to emerge in this pursuit soon.
Jadeveon Clowney Open To Re-Signing With Titans
Jadeveon Clowney‘s stop in Tennessee may last beyond the 2020 season. A source told Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com that the pass rusher is “definitely open” to returning to the Titans next season. The 27-year-old is still expected to test free agency this offseason, but “the Titans apparently remain an option to re-sign him.”
After sitting unsigned for months, Clowney eventually joined the Titans on a one-year, $12MM deal last offseason. The former first-overall pick failed to collect a sack in any of his eight regular season games, and he ultimately finished the season having compiled 19 tackles, one forced fumble, and six quarterback hits. A left meniscus injury (and subsequent surgery) ultimately knocked Clowney out for the season.
Of course, Clowney isn’t far removed from his stretch of three-straight Pro Bowl appearances. From 2016 through 2018, the former Texans standout averaged 8.2 sacks and two forced fumbles per season. Clowney has only appeared in 16 games once throughout his career, although that injury risk will surely depress his value in free agency.
As McCormick notes, a reunion would make sense for the Titans. The team lacks depth at outside linebacker, and they finished with the third-fewest sacks in the league last season. Plus, Clowney has a relationship with head coach Mike Vrabel that dates back to their time in Houston.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/1/21
Today’s reserve/futures deals will be posted here:
Indianapolis Colts
- QB Jalen Morton, WR J.J. Nelson
Tennessee Titans
Nelson has a bit more NFL experience than your typical reserve/futures signee. A fifth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2015, Nelson made some real noise with Arizona for a while. A speedy deep-threat who has averaged a whopping 17.4 yards per reception on his 85 career catches, he had 568 yards and six touchdowns in 2016. He topped 500 yards again in 2017, but quickly fell out of favor and wasn’t re-signed after his rookie deal ran out.
He signed with the Raiders in 2019 but was released after catching only four passes, and then was in camp with the 49ers this past August before getting hurt and then cut. He signed to the Bills practice squad a month ago, but lasted only a few days in Buffalo. Still only 28, it wouldn’t be shocking if he manages to crack a roster again as a field-stretcher.