Panthers Extend T Trent Scott
Expected to do what is necessary to retain right tackle Taylor Moton, the Panthers took another offseason step at tackle Tuesday. They reached an agreement on an extension with swing man Trent Scott.
Scott was set to be a restricted free agent in March. This move will bypass the RFA tender process, keeping the former Chargers starter with Carolina. It is a one-year contract that will still have Scott set for unrestricted free agency in 2022, barring another extension.
The Panthers picked up Scott as a waiver claim in September, putting him in a familiar position despite changing teams. Scott worked as one of Russell Okung‘s backups with the Bolts and operated in the same capacity with the Panthers, who traded for Okung last year. A former UDFA, Scott started nine games with the 2019 Chargers and took Okung’s place as the starting left tackle in four Panthers contests last season.
Scott and center Matt Paradis are under contract for next season, but most of Carolina’s O-line is not. The Panthers are prepared to use their franchise tag on Moton; he and Okung head up a lengthy list of Panther blockers who are on track for free agency. Guards Chris Reed, John Miller and Michael Schofield are also unsigned for 2021.
Texans Release OL Senio Kelemete
Less than a year after extending Senio Kelemete, the Texans will part ways with the veteran offensive lineman. The Texans released Kelemete on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Houston will save $1.73MM by making this move. The franchise is also cutting linebacker Peter Kalambayi, which will create nearly $1MM in cap space.
Kelemete came over from the Saints in 2018. He started 14 games at guard that season, one in which Deshaun Watson was sacked 62 times, but only opened six games in Houston’s lineup over the past two years. Kelemete, 30, suffered a season-ending injury in September 2019 but returned to play in 14 games last season.
The Texans drafted Kalambayi in the 2018 sixth round and used him exclusively as a backup and special-teamer during his three seasons. One season remained on his rookie contract.
Given the state of the Texans, Kelemete certainly will not be alone among cap casualties this offseason. The Texans are set to hold barely $7MM in cap space after making these moves. With Nick Caserio now presiding over the roster, more starters acquired by previous GMs will be in jeopardy of being cut.
Jaguars To Decline Option On Tyler Eifert
The upcoming free agent tight end market is getting another notable name. The Jaguars will decline the 2021 option on Tyler Eifert‘s contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets.
As Rapsheet points out Eifert had been set to make a little under $5MM in 2021, and they understandably viewed that as a little hefty given his production this past season. In 15 games and four starts with the Jags in 2020, he caught 36 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns. It was his first year in Jacksonville after spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Bengals. The receiving numbers don’t jump off the page, but on the bright side he was able to stay healthy for the second season in a row.
Eifert broke out and became a big name during the 2015 season, when he turned a strong connection with Andy Dalton into a whopping 13 touchdowns and a Pro Bowl berth. Unfortunately things went downhill fast after that due to a string of serious injuries, and he would only play in 14 total games over the next three seasons.
The 21st overall pick of the 2013 draft bounced back to play all 16 games in 2019, which earned him the two-year contract from the Jaguars which turned out to be one year plus an option. Eifert will now be hitting a tight end market that has some solid options, including Hunter Henry, Rob Gronkowski, Jonnu Smith, Gerald Everett, and Jared Cook.
Browns Re-Sign Robert Jackson
The Browns have re-signed cornerback Robert Jackson, as Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer tweets. Jackson was released by the team just ten days ago in a move that now appears to have been based on finances.
Jackson, 27, appeared in ten regular season games last year, spending the bulk of his time on special teams with just six defensive snaps. He was on the field for a good chunk of the Browns’ playoff win over the Steelers, but a hamstring injury forced him to the sidelines. Of course, Jackson wasn’t supposed to be part of the postseason plan, but the team’s COVID outbreak forced them to dig deep. Jackson wound up surrendering an easy touchdown to Chase Claypool, though it didn’t effect the final outcome.
Now, Jackson will work to solidify his spot on the 53-man roster between now and the fall. If he doesn’t make the cut, he’ll likely be a contender for the practice squad.
Panthers, C Matt Paradis Rework Contract
After moving on from three players yesterday, the Panthers are continuing to open up cap space. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the team has reworked center Matt Paradis‘s contract. Specifically, the team converted $7.04MM of the veteran’s $8.03MM base salary into a signing bonus, opening up $4.69MM in cap space.
Following a five-year stint with the Broncos (including a 2015 campaign where he started all 16 games for the eventual Super Bowl champions), Paradis joined the Panthers on a three-year, $27MM contract in 2019. He’s started all 32 of the Panthers’ games since joining the organization, and he appeared in 100 percent of his team’s offensive snaps in 2020.
The Panthers made a handful of financial moves this week. On Tuesday, the team released defensive tackle Kawann Short, saving the team $8.6MM in space. Then yesterday, we learned the team was planning to cut safety Tre Boston ($3.5MM in savings), punter Michael Palardy ($1.9MM), and defensive end Stephen Weatherly ($5.9MM).
Carolina is now rolling with an estimated $31MM in cap space, and these recent moves have saved the team more than $24MM in space. As Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com observes, that would be more than enough extra money to slide someone like, say, Deshaun Watson onto the roster. We learned earlier this week that the Panthers were planning on making a run at the Texans quarterback.
Panthers Release P Michael Palardy, DE Stephen Weatherly
In addition to jettisoning Tre Boston, the Panthers parted ways with two other contributors Friday. They released three-year punter Michael Palardy and 2020 defensive end starter Stephen Weatherly.
Together, these moves will create nearly $8MM in cap space for the Panthers. Combined with the releases of Boston and Kawann Short this week, the franchise will save around $16.4MM. Both Palardy and Weatherly were released with failed-physical designations, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
The Panthers signed Palardy midway through the 2016 season, picking him up after placing previous punter Andy Lee on IR. Carolina kept Palardy around for the next three seasons, doing so via three-year, $7.52MM extension. One season remained on that deal. Palardy, 28, suffered a torn ACL last summer, leading the Panthers to use rookie UDFA Joseph Charlton as their punter.
Weatherly, 26, inked a two-year, $12.5MM deal with the Panthers last March and opened the season as the team’s defensive end starter opposite Brian Burns. Weatherly suffered a finger injury that required surgery, sending him to IR after nine games. The Panthers then turned to second-round pick Yetur Gross-Matos. Both Burns and Gross-Matos can be controlled through the 2023 season on their rookie contracts.
A seventh-round Vikings pick in 2016, Weatherly has managed to stick around beyond his rookie deal. He recorded six sacks between the 2018 and ’19 seasons and replaced Mario Addison as a Panthers starter last year. The Vanderbilt product did not register a sack with the Panthers, however.
Packers Cut Christian Kirksey, Rick Wagner
The Packers turned to street free agents Christian Kirksey and Rick Wagner to plug lineup holes last March. A year later, both are out of the picture.
Both veterans received notice they are being released. The Packers announced the cuts Friday. They released Kirksey with a failed-physical designation, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Green Bay will create just more than $10MM in cap space by making these moves. Wagner is considering retirement, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
This is familiar territory for both. The Browns dropped Kirksey after six seasons in 2020; this move came around the same time the Lions cut Wagner after three seasons. The Packers scooped both up and turned to them as regular first-stringers. Wagner started nine games; Kirksey started 11.
The Packers recently created $8MM in cap space by restructuring David Bakhtiari‘s contract. They are now close to $20MM in savings over the past week, which should lead to speculation they are eyeing a certain Wisconsin native. J.J. Watt remains a free agent and has been connected to the Bills and Browns thus far. But the Packers make sense as a Watt landing spot, given the superstar defensive end’s ties to the area and Green Bay having qualified for the past two NFC championship games.
Pro Football Focus graded Wagner well last season, slotting him as the No. 23 overall tackle. While he struggled against Shaquil Barrett in the latter’s three-sack NFC title game, Wagner should draw interest — if, in fact, he chooses to play in 2021. Wagner has played eight NFL seasons, doing so after being a fifth-round Ravens draftee in 2013. With Wagner gone and Bakhtiari suffering an Achilles tear on New Year’s Eve, the Packers have a major need at tackle.
The Browns acquired Kirksey in the 2014 third round. He began his career as a high-end cog on bad Cleveland teams, but his early work prompted the Browns to give him a deal worth north of $10MM annually. However, Kirksey struggled with injuries in 2018 and ’19. His 11-game 2020 season, which featured 77 tackles and two sacks, continued the injury theme to the latter part of his career but also doubled as his most extensive work sample in years. Kirksey will turn 29 just ahead of the 2021 season.
Eagles Release DeSean Jackson
It appears DeSean Jackson‘s second stint with the Eagles will end after two years. Following two injury-plagued seasons, the Eagles intend to release the veteran deep threat, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio tweets. The Eagles have since announced the move.
Jackson still plans to play next season, but the 13-year veteran will attempt to do so after suiting up for only eight games over the past two years. The 34-year-old wide receiver was due to count $10.7MM against Philadelphia’s cap in 2021. Unless this cut will be designated as a post-June 1 transaction, the Eagles will save nearly $5MM by making this move.
Philly’s 2019 trade for Jackson turned into a sunk cost quickly. He suffered a core muscle injury early in his first season back with the Eagles and aggravated the malady upon return. Jackson played in just two games in 2019. This past season, hamstring and ankle ailments limited Jackson to five games. He ended up catching just 23 passes for 395 yards in his second Eagles tour.
Neither of Jackson’s past two teams have gotten what they hoped to out of the elite long-range weapon. Jackson’s last 1,000-yard season came in 2016 with Washington. He did not mesh too well with Jameis Winston in Tampa Bay, with his 774-yard 2018 slate doubling as his top output in the past four seasons. The Buccaneers traded him to the Eagles after that ’18 season.
While Jackson’s second Eagles stay did not go well, with an ugly anti-Semitic remark producing a fine last year, he still rates as one of the best receivers in franchise history. With 6,512 receiving yards as an Eagle, Jackson ranks behind only Harold Carmichael and Pete Rezlaff in franchise history. Jackson accumulated most of that total in his initial six-season Philly run, during which he made three Pro Bowls.
The Eagles’ decisions to extend Jackson and Alshon Jeffery produced little in the way of production, with both contracts quickly becoming albatrosses. A Jeffery cut, which is expected, would still cost Philly money in 2021. The Eagles are set to take on a record $33MM dead-money sum by trading Carson Wentz. Even with the Jackson move, they remain more than $40MM over the projected 2021 cap.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/18/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: QB Kurt Benkert
Denver Broncos
- Released: DT Kyle Peko; Peko was a COVID-19 opt-out in 2020
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DL Joel Heath
Raiders Bring Back DL David Irving
David Irving booked multiple visits to other teams early this offseason, but the veteran defensive lineman will make his way back to Las Vegas.
The Raiders and Irving agreed on a deal that will keep this partnership going for a second year. The team announced the move. After the NFL reinstated him midway through last season, Irving signed with the Raiders. He will stick around and hope to see more playing time.
Known mostly for his work in Dallas and issues with the NFL’s drug policies, Irving made visits to Detroit and Indianapolis this year. But he opted for a second season with Raiders D-line coach Rod Marinelli, who was previously his defensive coordinator in Dallas. Irving will work in a new system, however, with Gus Bradley now overseeing Las Vegas’ defense.
While Irving landed with the Raiders in October of last year, he played in just two games with the team and saw action on just 40 total defensive snaps in his initial Vegas season. A former Chiefs UDFA, Irving has shown flashes previously. He registered seven sacks in eight games with the 2017 Cowboys, moving to primarily an inside-rushing role. However, issues with the league’s substance-abuse policy led to Irving missing the 2019 season. Irving has incurred four suspensions since entering the league in 2015.
The 27-year-old defender has not had a full offseason with a team since 2018. A suspension and an off-field issue interrupted Irving’s 2018. Back in the NFL’s good graces, Irving will attempt to rebound this year.