49ers, Fred Warner Agree To Record-Breaking Extension
The 49ers have agreed to a five-year, $95MM extension with All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The new deal will lock him up through 2026 and make him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history. 
Warner, a former third-round pick from BYU, was previously set to hit the open market next spring. The Niners refused to let him get away, giving him a whopping new deal to top Bobby Wagner as the league’s highest-paid ILB. At least, that’s the mantle he has right now — Colts star Darius Leonard may top him in the coming weeks.
“I want to get it done personally,” said head coach Kyle Shanahan in May when asked about a new deal for Warner. “I kind of feel like I’d say the same about him as I did about [George] Kittle when we were talking about it [last year]. I just see that kind of as a matter of time.
“I know he’s not going into his free agent year or anything like that, so that’s why it’s not always on my mind. But Fred’s a guy that I plan on being here forever and who has earned that. I’d be surprised if that doesn’t start sooner than later.”
Wagner has a perfect attendance record as a pro, playing 95% of the team’s snaps over the last three years. He earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in 2020, notching 125 tackles and grading as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 off-ball linebacker (by far).
All along, Warner has said that he wants to be a “Niner for life.” Now, at minimum, he has a deal to cover much of his NFL prime.
Cowboys Sign Chauncey Golston, Wrap Draft Class
The Cowboys have agreed to terms with third-round defensive end Chauncey Golston (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). With Golston signed, the Cowboys now have all eleven picks in the fold.
Golston was grabbed with the 84th overall pick, shortly after the Cowboys selected UCLA defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. Together, the two rookies will work to bolster the defensive line depth. Golston will support starters DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory, provided that he can outrank options like Tarell Basham, Dorance Armstrong, and Bradlee Anae. He could also see time on the interior, like he did at Iowa.
“At the end of the day, it’s just football,” Golston said earlier this year. “As long as you’re preparing the right way and you’re not — if I was to just train on the left side, then playing on the right side would be hard. But I’m trying to be as versatile as possible. So, I train on both sides.”
Now that Golston and cornerback Nahshon Wright have agreed to terms, the Cowboys have all of their rookie paperwork squared away. Here’s the full rundown of their 2021 draft class:
- Round 1: No. 12 (from 49ers through Dolphins through Eagles) Micah Parsons, LB (Penn State)
- Round 2: No. 44 Kelvin Joseph, CB (Kentucky)
- Round 3: No. 75 Osa Odighizuwa, DT (UCLA)
- Round 3: No. 84 (from Colts through Eagles) Chauncey Golston, DE (Iowa)
- Round 3: No. 99 Nahshon Wright, CB (Oregon State)
- Round 4: No. 115 Jabril Cox, LB (North Dakota State, LSU)
- Round 4: No. 138 Josh Ball, OT (Marshall)
- Round 5: No. 179 Simi Fehoko, WR (Stanford)
- Round 6: No. 192 (from Lions) Quinton Bohanna, DT (Kentucky)
- Round 6: No. 227 Israel Mukuamu, CB (South Carolina)
- Round 7: No. 238 Matt Farniok, G (Nebraska)
Cowboys Sign Nahshon Wright
The Cowboys have officially signed third-round cornerback Nahshon Wright, per a club announcement. The Oregon State product will earn $4.8MM over the course of his four-year deal, in accordance with his slot.
Wright, taken No. 99 overall, notched 64 tackles, five interceptions, one sack, and one forced fumble over the course of his collegiate career. He started out at Laney College, a community college in Oakland, CA, before transferring to Oregon State in 2019. Between his late arrival to the Beavers and the pandemic, he’s seen just one year of Division-I action.
Many analysts didn’t have Wright as a third-round prospect, but Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn saw him as a perfect fit for his scheme. Standing at 6’4″, he definitely has the length to cover taller receivers at the pro level. Now, he’ll try to carve out a role behind Jourdan Lewis, Trevon Diggs, and second-round pick Kelvin Joseph.
With Wright in the fold, defensive end Chauncey Golston stands as the last straggler. However, that deal should be just around the corner, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 7/20/21
Here are today’s draft pick signings:
Baltimore Ravens
- OL Ben Cleveland (Georgia, third round)
Buffalo Bills
- OT Spencer Brown (Northern Iowa, third round)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- CB Tyson Campbell (Georgia, second round)
- OT Walker Little (Stanford, second round)
New England Patriots
- DE Ronnie Perkins (Oklahoma, third round)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- OL Kendrick Green (Illinois, third round)
The pair of Jaguars rookies are the most notable names on the list. The Georgia product rebounded from an injury-plagued 2019 campaign, finishing with 29 tackles, five passes defended, and one interception. The Jaguars selected Campbell with the first selection of the second round, and he should compete for a starting gig right away. Meanwhile, Little was selected with the 45th pick of the draft following a standout collegiate career that saw him earn first-team All-Pac-12 honors. He’ll likely have to work his way into playing time behind Cam Robinson and/or Jawaan Taylor.
Meanwhile, the Steelers’ signing of Green means the team has officially inked their entire draft class to rookie contracts.
Jets Sign First-Round OL Alijah Vera-Tucker
Jets fans are still waiting for their team to ink second-overall pick Zach Wilson to his rookie contract, but the organization did manage to sign their other first-round pick today. The team announced that they’ve signed first-round guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.
The USC product was selected with the 14th pick during this past year’s draft. The offensive lineman’s rookie contract is worth a fully guaranteed $15.88MM, including an $8.9MM signing bonus.
A darling of scouts across the league, Vera-Tucker was lauded for his versatility and hard-nosed playing style during his time at USC. AVT was already considered a top offensive guard prospect heading into the 2020 season, but he added even more intrigue following a successful transition to tackle. After earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2019, he made a jump to the first team in 2020. He also earned the Morris Trophy this past season, awarded to the best OL/DL in the Pac 12 (as voted by players).
Vera-Tucker lacks elite athleticism, which means his future will probably be on the interior. Indeed, the rookie is currently projected to start at left guard for the Jets.
Following the signing, the Jets have only a pair of rookies who remain unsigned: Wilson and second-round wideout Elijah Moore.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/20/21
We’ll keep track of tonight’s minor transactions here:
Denver Broncos
- Waived: WR Damion Willis
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on NFI list: LB Dylan Moses
Chiefs Re-Sign Alex Okafor
Free agent edge rusher Alex Okafor has agreed to return to the Chiefs (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Financial terms are not yet known, but it’ll be a one-year deal to bring him back for a third KC season.
Okafor joined the Chiefs prior to the 2019 season, suffering a torn pec after just ten games. He re-upped on another one year deal, notching three sacks a tackle for loss, and ten quarterback hits in eleven games. Unfortunately, he also lost time in 2020 — this time, due to a hamstring issue.
All in all, the ninth-year pro has 30 career sacks, 34 tackles for loss, and 67 QB hits to his credit. His best work came in Year Two, when he notched eight sacks. Since then, he’s been productive, but has yet to revisit that mark.
Okafor isn’t quite a sure thing, due to his injury history, but his new deal probably didn’t cost KC all that much. At last check, the Chiefs had about $8MM in cap room for the coming year.
Torn Achilles For Rams’ Cam Akers
Rams running back Cam Akers has suffered a torn Achilles (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The injury will likely rule him out for the entire 2021 season. 
Akers was the Rams’ leading rusher last year, notching 625 yards and two scores on 145 carries. He also caught eleven passes for 123 yards and one TD. Now, Darrell Henderson stands as the Rams’ top RB with support backs like Xavier Jones, Raymond Calais, Day 3 pick Jake Funk, and UDFA Otis Anderson also in the mix.
For what it’s worth, Akers outrushed Henderson by just a single yard in 2020. Henderson finished with 624 yards on the ground and five TDs off of 138 carries. The veteran also caught 16 passes for 159 yards and a score — a virtually identical stat line to Akers’. Still, the Rams were counting on having both players in the lineup and Henderson has injury history of his own.
It’s a bad blow for the Rams, who may seek veteran support in the backfield. Old friend Todd Gurley is still available, but it’s hard to imagine a return to L.A. under head coach Sean McVay. Other stars still on the market include Adrian Peterson, Le’Veon Bell, Frank Gore, and LeSean McCoy.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/20/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OT Chaz Green
- Released: OT Jarron Jones, LB Calvin Bundage
Steelers To Sign Melvin Ingram
Well, that was fast. Soon after meeting with the Steelers, defensive end Melvin Ingram inked a one-year deal to play in Pittsburgh (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
Ingram has had an unexpectedly long stay in free agency, likely due to health concerns. Last year, a knee issue held him to just seven games for the Chargers. But, before that, he notched 49 career sacks en route to three straight Pro Bowls from 2017-19. He had exactly zero sacks in 2020, but Pro Football Focus gave him a solid 76.3 pass-rushing score, good for top-20 among all OLBs/DEs.
Ingram, 32, met with the Dolphins and Chiefs earlier this year, but left both visits without deals. Fortunately for them and other teams in need of edge help, Justin Houston, Everson Griffen, Olivier Vernon, and Bruce Irvin are still on the board.
Now, instead of Joey Bosa, he’ll have two-time All-Pro T.J. Watt as his opposite end counterpart. Beyond those two, the Steelers also have rookie Quincy Roche, youngster Alex Highsmith, and veteran Cassius Marsh in the mix.