Browns Give Myles Garrett Record Extension
The Browns and Myles Garrett agreed to a deal Tuesday that would make the Pro Bowl pass rusher the league’s highest-paid defensive player. Garrett signed the contract Wednesday.
The deal will 
make Garrett the NFL’s highest-paid defender. It will be worth $125MM over five years, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). This comes in $1.5MM north of the NFL’s previous highest-paid defender, Khalil Mack.
Cleveland will guarantee Garrett $100MM — $50MM at signing — and has its top defender signed through 2026, Rapoport tweets. The $100MM figure will surpass Mack as well, though the Bears edge rusher’s $60MM fully guaranteed will still lead all defenders.
Despite the ugly end to Garrett’s 2019 season, this process has moved fast. The Browns began extension talks with their star defensive end barely a month ago, and the team with the most cap space appears on the verge of resetting the defender market. This would give the league two new market-topping deals in two weeks, with Patrick Mahomes agreeing to a $45MM-per-year pact July 6.
Although Cleveland has a new GM, Andrew Berry was with the team when Garrett went No. 1 overall in 2017. Berry has been active this offseason, authorizing big-money payments to Jack Conklin and Austin Hooper. Garrett’s deal, though, would be the foundational piece of a Browns defense that largely consists of rookie contracts. Garrett is signed through 2021, after the Browns picked up his fifth-year option.
Garrett’s resume is not on Mack’s level just yet, but he’s nearly five years younger — at 24 — and has become one of the game’s best pass rushers. The former Texas A&M standout registered 13.5 sacks and 29 QB knockdowns in 2018. He was on his way to a better statistical season last year, recording 10 sacks in 10 games. But the NFL suspended Garrett for the rest of 2019 after he struck Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph with a helmet. Roger Goodell reinstated Garrett earlier this year.
Prior to Garrett, the Browns had squandered several first-round investments — from Johnny Manziel to Justin Gilbert to Corey Coleman — in recent drafts. This massive extension coming to pass would represent a tide change for a Cleveland team that has not seen many homegrown players come through worthy of such an accord in the modern era.
Titans Sign Derrick Henry To Extension
With less than an hour remaining until this year’s deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign extensions, the Titans appear to have a deal done. They have agreed to terms with Derrick Henry on a long-term contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Titans announced the extension.
This has been a historically quiet tag deadline, due largely to the financial uncertainty the pandemic has caused. And as recently as Tuesday, the Titans and Henry were believed to be too far apart. But they stayed in contact and have finalized an agreement. It’s a four-year pact, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports (on Twitter).
The Titans and Henry worked on a deal for months. The final result: a four-year, $50MM agreement, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweeting $25.5MM will be guaranteed. This $12.5MM-per-year pact comes in fifth among active backs, but with two years being essentially guaranteed, it will give the reigning rushing champion security at a position that largely lacks it.
Per Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the deal includes a $12MM signing bonus and a first-year cash flow of $15MM, a nice increase from the $10.278MM Henry was due to earn on the franchise tender. It also creates over $4MM of cap space this year for the Titans, giving them more than $24MM to spend. Tennessee could opt to roll most of that money over into 2021 to guard against a salary cap drop, but the club clearly has the ability to add more talent (see: Jadeveon Clowney).
The running back market spike from 2018-19, for the most part, did not reward teams who authorized the big-money deals. And the loaded 2017 running back draft class may be set to make the 2021 free agency class a buyer’s market, especially considering the cap implications COVID-19 could cause. But the Titans moved forward anyway and will now have Henry and Ryan Tannehill signed to long-term deals, rewarding the duo most responsible for the team’s first AFC championship game berth in 17 years.
Henry is coming off one of the better contract years in recent memory, following up his rushing title with dominant performances in Titans upset wins over the Patriots and Ravens in the playoffs. The former Heisman winner and second-round pick has been one of the league’s best backs over the past season and change, beginning his breakout late in the 2018 campaign.
Adding to the intrigue behind this deal: Henry’s throwback skill set offers little in the passing game, separating him from the recent group of backs — Todd Gurley, David Johnson, Le’Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliott — to sign market-reshaping contracts. The most recent recipient of a monster running back extension — Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey — is perhaps the game’s premier dual-threat option. Tennessee, however, has built a run-oriented offense around its top back. And Henry, despite his bulldozing style, has only totaled 804 carries. That ranks eighth among backs since 2016.
Despite 15 players being tagged this offseason, Henry is only the second to sign an extension. He follows the Chiefs’ Chris Jones. The other teams who have used the tag are a half-hour away from carrying the tag salaries on their respective payrolls this season. The NFL moved the start of the league year back multiple times because of the CBA ratification process, but the league keeping the tag deadline in place has likely caused most teams to stand down amid the uncertainty the coronavirus has injected into the NFL’s future.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/14/20
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Waived: LB Chris Landrum
Redskins WR Kelvin Harmon Tears ACL
Redskins wide receiver Kelvin Harmon suffered a torn ACL while working out, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Needless to say, he’ll be unavailable for the 2020 season.
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A sixth-round pick in 2019, Harmon showed serious promise as a rookie. He reeled in 30 catches for 365 yards, but he’ll have to wait until 2021 to build on that performance. His collegiate track record also indicates that there are bigger things to come. At N.C. State, Harmon finished out with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. In his final year on campus, he went off for 81 grabs, 1,186 yards, and seven touchdowns.
Harmon was set to feature as one of the Redskins’ top receivers, alongside Terry McLaurin and Trey Quinn. With Harmon no longer in the picture for 2020, Cam Sims, Steven Sims Jr., and fourth-round pick Antonio Gandy-Golden figure to move up the pecking order. Emanuel Hall, who was set to fight for a job while on the 90-man roster, is also out for the season. Meanwhile, the team is waiting to see what happens with Cody Latimer following his May arrest.
Eagles To Re-Sign Jason Peters
Jason Peters is back with the Eagles. The nine-time Pro Bowler has agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $6MM, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
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Peters, one of the league’s most accomplished tackles, will be playing right guard this time around to replace Brandon Brooks. Peters may not have much experience there, but he’ll likely thrive on the interior. Even at the age of 38, Peters still has the agility and the bulk to make it work. He also has ample experience in all sorts of blocking schemes, so it shouldn’t take him long to get the hang of it.
Peters stood as the best offensive lineman on the open market and one of the best free agents left, period. While he’s lost a step, he still turned in a solid 2019 – Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s sixth-best tackle among 81 qualifiers in 2019. Peters is also planning to stick around for a while – he says that he wants to play until he’s 40, so he could fly with the Eagles through 2022. For now, it’s a one-year arrangement.
Brooks suffered a torn Achilles in June while working out at the team facility, and it was a devastating blow for the Eagles’ O-Line. It was also personally devastating for Brooks, who tore his other Achilles in January of 2019.
Brooks performed as one of the best interior linemen in the league since joining the Eagles in 2016 as a free agent. Peters, of course, has been one of the league’s premier outside blockers. Originally, head coach Doug Pederson indicated that he’d fill the void internally, but everyone knew that Peters was the most logical choice for the job.
Giants’ Leonard Williams To Play On Tag
Giants defensive end Leonard Williams will play out the 2020 season on his one-year franchise tender, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The two sides technically have until Wednesday to hammer out a deal, but they’re both comfortable with playing things by ear. 
The Giants tagged Williams earlier this year with a one-year franchise tender. Previously classified as a defensive tackle, Williams was set to file a grievance to be tagged as a defensive end. This year, the DT tag pays $16.1MM while the defensive end tag is priced at $17.9MM. It’s possible that Williams has found middle ground with the G-Men with a deal that pays him ~$17MM for the upcoming year.
Giants GM Dave Gettleman was widely criticized for the acquisition of Williams and equally panned for his decision to tag him. The one-time No. 6 overall pick of the Jets has not met expectations in terms of sacks, but it’s worth noting that his 101 quarterback hits since 2015 rank 12th in the NFL. Williams registered zero sacks in seven Giants games last year, but Gettleman believes that he can turn the corner.
The Giants are comfortable with waiting until next year to revisit talks and the same goes for Williams. If Williams can up his sack totals across a full and productive season with the Giants, he could be in for much greater riches next March.
Lions, Jeff Okudah Agree To Deal
No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah has agreed to terms with the Lions on his rookie deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Per the terms of his slot, the cornerback will earn just over $33.5MM over the course of his four-year deal with a $21.9MM signing bonus. 
The Lions’ affection for Okudah was hardly a secret in the build up to the draft. After all, the Ohio State product filled the team’s greatest need, after they shipped Darius Slay to the Eagles. There were other draft crushes on the board, like Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown and Clemson standout Isaiah Simmons, but they couldn’t let Okudah pass them by.
“I would put Okudah down as the safest [defensive player in this draft],” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said before the draft. “I know exactly what position he plays, I’ve seen him play that position against elite competition and I’ve seen him play at a very high, consistent level. To me, Okudah is the safest.”
There aren’t many knocks on Okudah, and the experts say that his ceiling is sky high. In the long run, he has the tools to become one of the league’s better cornerbacks. He also figures to shore up the Lions’ D right out of the gate, with support from Desmond Trufant, Justin Coleman, and Darryl Roberts.
Here’s the full rundown of the Lions’ draft, via PFR’s tracker:
1-3: Jeffrey Okudah, CB (Ohio State): Signed
2-35: D’Andre Swift, RB (Georgia): Signed
3-67: Julian Okwara, OLB (Notre Dame): Signed
3-75: Jonah Jackson, G (Ohio State): Signed
4-121: Logan Stenberg, OL (Kentucky): Signed
5-166: Quintez Cephus, WR (Wisconsin): Signed
5-172: Jason Huntley, RB (New Mexico State): Signed
6-197: John Penisini, DT (Utah): Signed
7-235: Jason Cornell, DE (Ohio State)
Patriots Open Cap Space After Settling Grievances
The Patriots have opened up a chunk of cap space after settling compensation grievances concerning a pair of former players. ESPN’s Mike Reiss (via Twitter) and Field Yates report that settlements regarding Antonio Brown ($4MM) and Aaron Hernandez ($2.55MM) have opened up around $6.5MM in cap space.
Brown filed a grievance against the Patriots back in September after the team refused to pay him a $10MM signing bonus following his release. New England was also left with $4.5MM in dead money from the Brown debacle.
While Hernandez was released by the Patriots seven years ago, the NFL Players Association was still fighting on the behalf of his estate regarding a $3.25MM guaranteed signing bonus that was previously withheld by the team. Following Hernandez’s arrest (and prior to his eventual conviction for first-degree murder), the player gave up $19.3MM in non-guaranteed money while the organization voided the rest of his guaranteed money. The team also looked to recoup some of the bonus money that had already been paid out.
As Yates notes on Twitter, the Patriots started the week with less than $500K in cap space. Following today’s news and the Rex Burkhead restructuring from earlier this week, New England now has close to $7.8MM in space.
As Sports Illustrated’s Devon Clements pointed out back in February, the Patriots also had a pair of active grievances with defensive lineman David Parry ($179K) and offensive lineman Cole Croston ($163K). The status of those grievances hasn’t been reported.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 7/11/20
We’ll keep track of today’s mid- to late-round draft pick signings here:
- The Jaguars have signed fourth-round offensive tackle Ben Bartch. The six-foot-six, 305-pound rookie spent four seasons at Division III St. John’s University in Minnesota, including his first two as a tight end. He transitioned to offensive tackle before his junior season, and he earned first-team All-MIAC nod during his senior year. When Jacksonville used pick No. 116 on Bartch, he became the first Division III player to be drafted in five years, and he was the first St. John’s player to be drafted since 1974. Also, as if you didn’t like him already, Bartch previously relied on a, uh, unique smoothie of eggs, cottage cheese, grits, peanut butter, banana, and Gatorade to put on weight as an offensive lineman, thus leading to the nickname “Smoothie King.”
- The Packers have signed center Jake Hanson to his rookie deal. The Oregon product was selected with pick No. 208, one of three offensive lineman selected by Green Bay in the sixth round (along with John Runyan Jr. (No. 192) and Simon Stepaniak (No. 209)). Hanson didn’t allow a sack through his first three seasons with the Ducks, and he ultimately started 49 games during his four-year career. The lineman earned a pair of AP second team all-Pac-12 selections during his time at Oregon. Third-round tight end Josiah Deguara is now the Packers’ only unsigned rookie.
Chiefs To Waive QB Shea Patterson
Shortly after the Chiefs brought back Matt Moore, they are moving on from Shea Patterson. The defending Super Bowl champions will waive the rookie UDFA quarterback, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Kansas City signed the former Michigan Wolverines starter shortly after the draft, doing so following their addition of XFL passer Jordan Ta’amu. The Chiefs will drop from five quarterbacks to four with this move, going forward with Chad Henne, Moore and Ta’amu behind Patrick Mahomes.
Patterson loomed as a possible early-entry candidate ahead of the 2019 draft and was rumored as a later-round pick this year. Neither scenario transpired for the former Big Ten standout. Patterson combined for 45 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions over the past two seasons.
With the COVID-19 pandemic nixing teams’ onsite offseason work, rookies are set for uphill battles going into training camps. Quarterbacks’ learning curves being what they are, the UDFA passers teams signed will be in for more hurdles than normal once training camps start — if they are to begin on time.
The Chiefs will go with one of the most experienced backup quarterback groups in recent memory. Moore and Henne came into the league in 2007 and ’08, respectively. Ta’amu profiles as a practice squad candidate.