Ravens’ Andre Smith Opts Out Of 2020 NFL Season
Ravens offensive lineman Andre Smith has opted out of the 2020 season, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). More than a dozen players have opted out as of this writing and that number figures to grow larger between now and the Aug. 1 deadline.
[RELATED: Patriots’ Hightower Opts Out]
Smith, 33, hooked on with the Ravens at the end of the 2020 season to bolster their blocking unit in the playoffs. A former top-10 pick, Smith was once one of the game’s better protectors. He’s way past his prime, but the Ravens were hoping to have him around for depth. In total, Smith has appeared in 116 regular season games during his career, but he’s been somewhat limited since 2016 thanks to multiple injured reserve trips. He hasn’t earned a quality score from PFF since 2014.
Smith, who boasts 90 career starts and tons of earnings over the years, probably didn’t need the money this year. That’s especially true since his contract was at, or near, the veteran’s minimum.
Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower To Opt Out Of 2020 Season
Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower will opt out of the 2020 season, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hightower wrestled with the decision, but ultimately decided to skip the season in order to protect his 2-week-old son. 
“Me and my fiancée are just more concerned with the health of our family than football — especially the new addition to our family,” Hightower explained.
With that, Hightower becomes the fifth Patriots player to opt out. Running back Brandon Bolden, right tackle Marcus Cannon, fullback Danny Vitale, and guard Najee Toran have also decided against playing. Hightower is the highest profile player of the Pats bunch, and one of the more notable players league-wide to opt out.
Hightower was slated to make $8MM in base salary before reaching free agency in March. Now, his contract will toll, with that final year being moved to 2021. With Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, and Elandon Roberts out of the picture, the Patriots were counting on Hightower to hold down the fort at linebacker. There aren’t a ton of impact off-ball linebackers left on the open market, so the Patriots will likely have to work with what they have on hand.
Hightower, 30, has been a staple in the Patriots’ starting lineup since entering the league in 2012. Injuries aside – including a mostly lost 2017 – he’s served as the club’s locker room leader and the point guard of the defense. Last year, Hightower earned his second Pro Bowl trip and even managed 5.5 sacks from the middle.
Hightower’s opt-out falls under the “voluntary” label, meaning that he’s entitled to a $150K salary advance (likely negated by his 2020 earnings to date). Cannon, meanwhile, is “higher risk,” which means he’ll get a $350K stipend (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Cannon had two years to go on his current deal with a total of $9.5MM in base pay. His contract will also toll, with his 2020 season being bumped up to 2021.
15 NFL Players Land On NFL’s Reserve/COVID-19 List
The Dolphins, Browns, Ravens, Bengals, Steelers, Jaguars, Chiefs, Cowboys and Buccaneers have placed players on the newly created reserve/COVID-19 list. Here’s the full rundown, per the league’s transactions wire:
Baltimore Ravens
Cleveland Browns
Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys
Jacksonville Jaguars
- CB Luq Barcoo, DT DaVon Hamilton, CB Josiah Scott, OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms
Kansas City Chiefs
- WR Aleva Hifo
Miami Dolphins
- LS Blake Ferguson, DT Benito Jones, CB Cordrea Tankersley
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The reserve/COVID-19 designation is for players who have tested positive for the coronavirus or are in quarantine for potential exposure. In turn, these players are removed from the roster and allowed to return after three weeks.
Giants, First-Round Pick Andrew Thomas Agree To Deal
The Giants have finalized an agreement with first-round pick Andrew Thomas on his rookie contract, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY tweets. Thomas will receive a fully guaranteed $32.4MM, and the fifth-year option included in his deal would tether him to the Giants through 2024.
Of the several high-end tackle prospects this year, Thomas went off the board first. The Giants using the No. 4 overall pick on a tackle, despite deploying the No. 31-ranked DVOA pass defense last season, illustrates their need for a long-term piece at this position. New York has struggled to fill its tackle spots for several years.
Thomas declared for the draft after his junior season at Georgia. He started for the Bulldogs as a true freshman, protecting fellow 2020 draftee Jake Fromm for the past three seasons. Thomas is expected to start his career at right tackle, replacing Mike Remmers, before being projected to move over to the left side after Nate Solder‘s Giants tenure ends — likely after the 2020 season.
Here is the Giants’ 2020 draft class:
1-4: Andrew Thomas, T (Georgia): Signed
2-36: Xavier McKinney, S (Alabama)
3-99: Matt Peart, OT (Connecticut): Signed
4-110: Darnay Holmes, CB (UCLA)
5-150: Shane Lemieux, G (Oregon)
6-183: Cameron Brown, LB (Penn State)
7-218: Carter Coughlin, LB (Minnesota)
7-238: T.J. Brunson LB (South Carolina)
7-247: Chris Williamson, CB (Minnesota)
7-255: Tae Crowder, LB (Georgia): Signed
49ers, Raheem Mostert Agree To New Deal
The 49ers have smoothed things out with Raheem Mostert. The two sides have agreed to a restructuring to keep the running back in the fold this year, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
[RELATED: 49ers Sign CB Jamar Taylor]
Mostert demanded a trade earlier this summer when extension talks stalled. The running back wanted a deal to reflect his 2019 performance, by way of a contract that would match Tevin Coleman‘s. Coleman is set to enter the backend of his two-year, $8.5MM deal. The Niners, predictably, pushed back – Mostert still had two seasons left on his three-year, $8.7MM pact. Ultimately, they met somewhere in the middle. Mostert’s existing deal will continue, but he’ll get a little more in the way of current year comp to stay satisfied and productive.
“Happy we got things worked out and looking forward to him having another great season there,” said Mostert’s agent, Brett Tessler. “Thanks to the organization for taking care of him.”
The new deal will pay Mostert $2.575MM in base salary this year, with a $300K bonus, per Schefter. He’ll also be able to earn up to an additional $2.75MM through incentives and bonuses.
Mostert, 28, bounced around the league for a while before landing with the 49ers in 2016. The former UDFA is the team’s longest-tenured running back, but, up until 2018, he barely saw any work in the backfield. Mostert averaged 7.7 yards per carry (on 34 totes) in 2018. Then, he broke out in 2019, leading the 49ers with 772 rushing yards and pacing all running backs with 5.6 per carry. He then set a conference championship game record with four rushing touchdowns.
With Mostert firmly in the fold, the Niners are set to feature a solid stable of Mostert, Coleman, Jerick McKinnon, and Jeff Wilson.
Seahawks Sign First-Round Pick Jordyn Brooks
Another first-round pick in the books. On Monday, the Seahawks announced that they have agreed to terms with linebacker Jordyn Brooks. Per the terms of his slot, his four-year deal will pay $12.35MM in total, including a $6.458MM signing bonus. After that, the Seahawks will hold a fifth-year option to keep him in the fold through 2024. 
Brooks wasn’t projected to be a first-round pick, but he was pleasantly surprised when he heard from the Seahawks at No. 27. Most analysts pegged Brooks as a second- or third-round pick, but Seahawks GM John Schneider didn’t want to take any chances.
“When people aren’t talking about players, that’s when you get pretty nervous,” Schneider said in a press conference following the first night of the draft. “And Jordyn was clearly one of those players. At the combine, I totally stayed away from him. I didn’t talk to him at the combine. I just evaluated all the different interviews.”
Brooks, lauded for his grit and work ethic, projects to start as the Seahawks’ strongside linebacker, joining Bruce Irvin, Bobby Wagner, and K.J. Wright in the first-string group. With the Texas Tech product now in the fold, there are now just a handful of first-rounders in the NFL left unsigned.
Seahawks Cut Joey Hunt, Branden Jackson
The Seahawks have dropped nine players from their roster, including a couple of surprise releases. Center Joey Hunt and defensive end Branden Jackson were let go in an apparent effort to trim salary. Between Hunt and Jackson, the Seahawks have saved $4.26MM against the cap. All in all, they have roughly $18.7MM in space now, money that may or may not be used to bring Jadeveon Clowney back to Seattle. 
Hunt, a 2016 sixth-round pick, has appeared in 34 games for the Seahawks, including eleven starts. The Seahawks leaned on him last year after starter Justin Britt went down with an ACL tear. Without Hunt, it seems that Ethan Pocic has secured the Seahawks’ starting center job. Jackson, meanwhile, has appeared in 36 games across the last three seasons.
The Seahawks also cut running back Patrick Carr, receiver Seth Dawkins, offensive guard Kahlil McKenzie, defensive back Josh Norwood, offensive guard Jordan Roos, linebacker Sutton Smith, and tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson. Their roster now stands at 81 – they’ll likely look to get down to 80 before the August deadline, allowing them to have everyone practice at a single site.
Texans, Senio Kelemete Agree To Extension
The Texans have reached agreement on a one-year extension with guard Senio Kelemete, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The new deal will keep the veteran under contract through the 2021 season. 
Kelemete, 30, has spent the last two years with the Texans, though the 2019 season was basically wiped out by a wrist injury. He joined Houston in 2018 on a three-year free agent deal and served as the team’s go-t0 left guard that year.
Kelemete won’t necessarily be in the starting lineup this year – he may wind up supporting Max Scharping on the left side and Zach Fulton on the right side.
The move created a bit of cap space for the Texans, as Wilson reports in a full-length piece that Kelemete’s cap number dropped from $3.5MM to $2.3MM. He agreed to reduce his 2020 base salary from $2.75MM to $1.3MM, though he did receive a $500K signing bonus and can earn up to $200K in per-game active roster bonuses, so his 2020 pay will max out at $2MM. It sounds as if Houston may have been prepared to cut him, so he elected for a bit of a decrease in exchange for some security.
In 2021, he is scheduled to earn a base salary of $1.3MM, though he can rack up $4.2MM in per-game active roster bonuses.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/20
Teams are trimming players earlier than usual this year, thanks to the NFL’s recommendation for an 80-man roster max. We’ll keep track of the latest minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: LB Vontarrious Dora, QB Drew Anderson, DE T.J. Carter, OL Jackson Dennis, OL Drew Dickinson, TE Parker Houston, WR Shane Leatherbury, WR Devin Phelps, CB Jarren Williams, CB Bejour Wilson
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: G Evan Adams, G Daishawn Dixon, T R.J. Prince, K Nick Vogel
Buffalo Bills
- Waived: WR Ray-Ray McCloud, OL Garrett McGhin
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: CB Isiah Swann
Denver Broncos
- Released: DT Joel Heath
- Waived: LB Tre’ Crawford, QB Riley Neal, WR Kelvin McKnight, RB Khalfani Muhammad, S Kahani Smith, CB Shakial Taylor, C Nico Falah
Houston Texans
- Claimed off waivers (from Eagles) DT Albert Huggins
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived/Injured: DB Javaris Davis, WR Cody White
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers (from Chiefs): CB Javaris Davis
- Waived: DE Avery Moss, LB Trent Harris
- Waived/NFI: TE Michael Roberts
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: WR Shelton Gibson, WR Marcus Green, DE Daeshon Hall, DT Albert Huggins, and CB Tremon Smith
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: DL Amani Bledsoe, LB Nigel Harris, TE Cole Herdman, WR Trevion Thompson, G Zac Kerin
- Waived/Injured: RB Shaun Wilson
Dolphins Announce Trade For Bears’ Adam Shaheen
The Dolphins have officially acquired tight end Adam Shaheen from the Bears, per a club announcement. In exchange, Miami will send a conditional 2021 seventh-round pick to Chicago. 
The Bears had a major logjam at tight end and they were at a breaking point with roster cuts just around the corner. Rather than releasing him outright, Chicago managed to get something in return for the former second-round pick.
Shaheen hasn’t played up to his 2017 expectations, thanks in part to injuries over the last three years. All in all, he has totaled 26 receptions for 249 yards and four touchdowns in 27 games, out of a possible 48. For the Dolphins, it’s effectively a no-risk pickup. If Shaheen doesn’t make the final cut in Miami, they won’t have to send that seventh-round choice to Chicago. Even if he does make the Week 1 roster, the trade could still wind up as a wash – often times, draft pick conditions in trades like these are tied to snap counts.
Mike Gesicki projects to serve as the Dolphins’ top TE. Beyond that, Shaheen will fight for his spot alongside Durham Smythe and Michael Roberts.