Minor NFL Transactions: 2/12/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: DT Woodrow Hamilton
- Waived/failed physical: S Natrell Jamerson
New York Giants
- Waived: WR Da’Mari Scott, CB Shakial Taylor
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: WR River Cracraft
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed to futures deals: RB C.J. Prosise, DT Sam Renner, C Donell Stanley
Kendall Wright Signs With CFL’s Toronto Argonauts
Former Titans first-round pick Kendall Wright has signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL, as NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Wright, 32 in November, signed his last NFL deal in 2018 when he had a cup of coffee with the Cardinals.
[RELATED: Shane Ray Signs With Toronto Argonauts]
Wright, a 5’10” veteran receiver, does his best work out of the slot. The Titans used a first-round pick on the Baylor standout in 2012 and saw some promising results early on. In his second pro year, Wright tallied 1,079 yards and two touchdowns off of 94 grabs. But, after that, he never topped 1,000 yards in a season – or 800, for that matter. Despite the drop off, he did manage a career-best six touchdowns in 2014.
Wright’s last live NFL action came in 2017 with the Bears, but he’s been pushing for a return ever since. In that season, he was one of the Bears’ very few bright spots on offense as he racked up 59 catches for 614 yards.
In other Argos news, Toronto recently welcomed ex-Broncos first-rounder Shane Ray. Ray’s last regular season game came in 2018. After that, he inked a deal with the Ravens, but did not make their final cut in 2019.
Steelers’ Maurkice Pouncey, Chargers’ Mike Pouncey, Retire From NFL
Maurkice Pouncey and Mike Pouncey have retired from football. The Pouncey twins made the announcement on Friday, via Maurkice’s longtime teammate Ramon Foster (Twitter link). 
“It’s my honor that my brothers from another asked me to announce the next stage in their life. After over a decade Maurkice Pouncey and Mike Pouncey are retiring from the NFL,” Foster tweeted.
They came into the world together and they’re leaving the NFL together, but they actually turned pro in separate years. Maurkice entered the league in 2010 when the Steelers drafted him No. 18 overall. In 2011, the Dolphins tapped Mike with the No. 15 selection. They both went on to enjoy long careers as starting interior linemen, playing predominantly in the middle.
Maurkice spent his whole 11-year career with the Steelers and earned a reputation as one of the game’s best centers. He leaves the sport with nine Pro Bowl nods and two first-team All-Pro selections. Mike, meanwhile, was limited to nine seasons by injury, but still managed five Pro Bowl appearances.
“We began this journey at 6 years old and now, at 31, we will close this chapter of our lives.” Mike wrote. “I am thankful for everything football has taught me and everywhere it has taken me! Dream big, kids, because [dreams] do come true..Never be afraid to make a mistake, learn from them, and fix it!“
Texans Release J.J. Watt
The Texans have released J.J. Watt. Watt, 32 in March, recently suggested that he does not want to be part of a rebuild. Now, he’ll have the opportunity to join a contender. In a video posted to Twitter, Watt reflected fondly on his time in Houston and thanked fans for their years of support. 
“I can’t imagine my life without Texas in it. The way you guys treated me — besides draft night, you guys booed me on draft night — every day after that you treated me like family and I truly feel like you are my family,” Watt said. “Since that day, I have tried to do everything in my power to work and earn your respect, and try and make you proud on and off the field. You guys have given me everything and more, and I can only hope that you feel like I’ve given you everything I have.”
With a new coaching staff and front office, things were already expected to look a whole lot different in Houston next season. In the last year, the Texans have parted ways with wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, head coach Bill O’Brien, executive GM Brian Gaine, and longtime president Jamey Rootes. Even if the Texans don’t trade Deshaun Watson, they’ll be down at least one superstar in 2021.
“Change is never easy, especially when it involves the ones you love,” Texas CEO Cal McNair said in a statement. “J.J.’s impact on not only our organization, but the entire Houston community, is unlike any player in our franchise’s history. I told J.J. earlier this week that we will forever consider him a Texan. We take solace in knowing that this is not a goodbye but a ‘see you soon.’ For now, we will build upon the foundation that J.J. created here and forge ahead with our unwavering mission to bring a championship to our city, create memorable experiences for our fans and do great things for Houston.”
Watt, a self described “kid from Wisconsin,” was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2011 draft. He went on to appear in 128 games for the Texans across ten seasons, earning five Pro Bowl nods, multiple First-Team All-Pro selections, and three DPOY trophies. He leaves Houston as the team’s all-time leader in sacks (101), tackles for loss (172), quarterback hits (281), and forced fumbles (25).
Per the terms of Watt’s contract — a record-breaker, at the time of signing in 2014 — Watt was set to earn $17.5MM in 2021, which would have been his walk year. However, that sum was completely non-guaranteed, so the Texans will be left with $0 in dead money as they begin a brand new era.
There have been rumblings about a Watt departure, but the news is stunning nonetheless. Watt resonated with Houstonians in a way that few athletes ever have. Between Watt’s impressive work on the field and his humanitarian efforts off of the field, he’ll always be beloved in Texas, even as he finishes his career elsewhere.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/11/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: CB Robert Jackson
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DT Isaiah Mack
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Alize Mack
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: S Kai Nacua
Jaguars Release LB Kamalei Correa
The Jaguars will make Kamalei Correa‘s stay brief. A few months after trading for the veteran linebacker, the Jags will release him, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
This is not surprising. Correa’s season ended when the Jags placed him on the reserve/left squad list in December. Jacksonville acquired the former second-round pick from Tennessee in October.
Correa, 26, played in six games with the Jaguars and started all six. While Correa saw an uptick in his playing time compared to how the Titans were utilizing him, he still worked as a part-time linebacker with the Jags. He finished his season with seven tackles in six Jaguar games.
The Titans were planning to release Correa last year, but the Jaguars offered them late-round draft compensation. The Ravens traded the 2016 draftee to the Titans in 2018. With Urban Meyer now in charge, there figure to be quite a few changes to Jacksonville’s roster in the coming weeks.
Washington Extends Taylor Heinicke
Taylor Heinicke briefly lit the NFL world on fire with his electric performance in a wild card playoff loss to the Bucs, and Washington isn’t about to let him walk out the door. Washington has given Heinicke a two-year extension worth $8.75MM to keep him around, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Rapoport adds that there are “also incentives depending on how many games he starts.” Washington’s quarterback situation is very unsettled, so it makes sense why they’d want to at least have Heinicke as a fallback option. Alex Smith is sounding like he wants to keep playing and is under contract for 2021, although the team can get out of it and they probably don’t want to pay him his hefty salary.
Heinicke has one of the most remarkable stories we’ve seen in some time, as just a couple of months ago he was out of the league and taking classes at Old Dominion, where he starred in college. He hadn’t been with an NFL team since training camp of 2019, when Washington signed him to their practice squad on December 8th.
An injury to Smith put him on the active roster, and then Dwayne Haskins was so ineffective he was benched for Heinicke in Week 16. He played surprisingly well, but Smith returned for Week 17. Washington got the win to get them in the playoffs, but Smith’s calf still wasn’t right, leading to Heinicke getting the postseason start.
He very nearly pulled off a massive upset, keeping them close against eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay the entire way. He had previously only made one start, a spot start in 2018 with the Panthers in place of an injured Cam Newton. His familiarity with Ron Rivera and OC Scott Turner from those Panthers days ended up paying off for him, and that gutsy performance against the Bucs flipped him from working a day job to making millions as an NFL quarterback.
Broncos Release A.J. Bouye
We’ve got one of our first big cuts of the young offseason. The Broncos are releasing cornerback A.J. Bouye, a source told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link).
It ends an unceremonious run in Denver for Bouye, after the Broncos traded a fourth-round pick for him last March. Injuries limited him to only seven games this past season, all of which were starts. The move means the team will save the non-guaranteed $11.7MM he was owed for this upcoming season, and new GM George Paton clearly wasn’t about to pay his excessive salary. An UDFA back in 2013, Bouye had a couple of really solid years with the Texans which he parlayed into a five-year, $67.5MM deal from the Jaguars in March of 2017.
Things went well initially, as he was a second-team All-Pro and had six interceptions in his first year in Jacksonville. Things went south quickly after that (as they did for that entire Jags defense), and he had only one interception in each of the next two seasons.
In addition to the injuries, Bouye was also hit with a six-game PED suspension back in December. He’ll still be sidelined for the first two games of the 2021 season, which could complicate things when looking for his next contract this spring. That being said he’s still only 29, and there should be significant interest in the established starter.
Buccaneers Sign 11 Players To Futures Deals
The Super Bowl champs have signed eleven players to reserve/futures contracts for 2021. Shortly after their boat parade, the Buccaneers announced low-cost deals for:
- OLB Quinton Bell
- WR Cyril Grayson
- S Javon Hagan
- WR Travis Jonsen
- G Nick Leverett
- TE Codey McElroy
- CB Herb Miller
- G John Molchon
- WR Josh Pearson
- DL Benning Potoa’e
- DL Kobe Smith
The list mostly draws from the team’s year-end practice squad, save for Leverett who was dropped in the postseason for the returning Earl Watford. Now, the Bucs will work to keep the band together with wide receivers Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin, tight end Rob Gronkowski, and edge rusher Shaquil Barrett among those scheduled for free agency.
Chiefs Re-Sign Deandre Baker
The Chiefs have re-signed Deandre Baker for the 2021 season, per a club announcement. The cornerback joined the Chiefs on a practice squad deal in November, shortly after the Broward County State Attorney’s Office dropped armed robbery charges against him. 
Baker struggled as a first-round rookie with the Giants, allowing a 116.2 passer rating. Then, heading into his second year, Baker was arrested on multiple felony charges. Cops alleged that Baker orchestrated a robbery at gunpoint with Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar as his accomplice. Then, after a number of twists and turns — including payoff allegations against one-time Dunbar attorney Michael Grieco — the charges were dropped.
After a month on the taxi squad, Baker got called up to the varsity squad for a couple of games. Now, he’ll work to make the 53-man cut in KC.
In addition to Baker, the Chiefs announced the following futures deals:
- TE Evan Baylis
- LB Omari Cobb
- DE Austin Edwards
- WR Maurice Ffrench
- WR Joe Fortson
- DE Demone Harris
- LB Emmanuel Smith
- C Darryl Williams
- G Bryan Witzmann