Eagles Exercise Derek Barnett’s Fifth-Year Option
Derek Barnett will be sticking around Philly through at least the 2021 season. The Eagles will pick up the fifth-year option on the defensive end, reports Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The 23-year-old will see a significant pay increase during his fifth season in the NFL. While he’ll earn $2.2MM in 2020, he’ll see that number jump to at least $9MM in 2021. Last year, a defensive end in Barnett’s draft range (14th overall) would have earned $9.45MM on their fifth-year option, per McLane.
The move isn’t a huge surprise, as the 2017 first-rounder has been productive when he’s seen the field. Barnett compiled five sacks in 15 games as a rookie, and he had the game-clinching fumble recovery during Super Bowl LII.
Core muscle surgery and a torn rotator cuff limited him to only six games during the 2018 season, but he returned and started a career-high 14 games in 2019. He finished this past year with 30 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
At only 23 years old, the Eagles are hoping that Barnett establishes himself as a long-lasting starter opposite veteran Brandon Graham. The Eagles selected defensive end Casey Toohill in the seventh round of last week’s draft.
Jaguars Sign 18 UDFAs; Cut 5 Players
The Jaguars made a slew of UDFA signings on Monday and released five players to make room for them. Here’s the full rundown, per the club’s press release.
Signed:
- Luq Barcoo, CB (San Diego State)
- Doug Cotsin, DL (Miami of Ohio)
- Nathan Cottrell, RB (Georgia Tech)
- Ben Ellefson, TE (North Dakota State)
- Nate Evans, LB (Central Florida)
- Josh Hammond, WR (Florida)
- Amari Henderson, CB (Wake Forest)
- Tavien Feaster, RB (South Carolina)
- Ross Matiscik, LS (Baylor)
- Steven Nielson, OL (Eastern Michigan)
- Austen Pleasants, OL (Ohio)
- J.R. Reed, S (Georgia)
- James Robinson, RB (Illinois State)
- Marvelle Ross, WR (Notre Dame College of Ohio)
- Connor Slomka, FB (Army)
- Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms, OL (Missouri)
- Kobe Williams, CB (Arizona State)
- Brandon Wright, K (Georgia State)
Feaster, who spent most of his collegiate career with Clemson before transferring to South Carolina, is one of the more notable names on their UDFA list. Last year, he led the Gamecocks in rushing with 672 yards and scored five touchdowns via the ground. Meanwhile, Barcoo scored a whopping $160K guarantee (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle), which may be the highest ever for an undrafted free agent in the NFL. Barcoo was one of four undrafted Aztecs to score deals this week. He’ll look to bulk up on his thin 175-pound frame as he pursues his lifelong dream.
Released:
- K Jonathan Brown
- LB Austin Calitro
- OL Donnell Greene
- WR Charone Peake
- DB Jayson Stanley
Peake showed promise as a seventh-round rookie in 2016, catching 19 passes with Gang Green. After that, he wasn’t able to keep his footing with the Jets and he’ll have to find a new NFL home now that the Jaguars have dropped him.
Redskins Exercise Jonathan Allen’s Fifth-Year Option
It’s official. On Monday, the Redskins announced that they have exercised their fifth-year option on defensive lineman Jonathan Allen. 
[RELATED: Redskins Trade Trent Williams To 49ers]
NFL teams have until May 3rd to exercise, or decline, the 2021 option for first-round draft picks from the 2017 class. As shown in PFR’s tracker, several players are already ticketed for a fifth year. Some of them were easy calls, including Jets safety Jamal Adams and Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White. Others – like Browns tight end David Njoku – required a little bit of extra thought.
Allen was one of the easier calls. After much of his rookie year, Allen has notched 14 sacks across the last two seasons for the Redskins. The Alabama product will have some additional help this year, thanks to the addition of Chase Young, who had 17 sacks in his final year at Ohio State.
Because Allen was drafted outside of the Top 10 (No. 17 overall), the salary figure on his 2021 season is not yet known. For those inside of the Top 10, those figures will correspond to the transition tag amount at their respective positions. In the case of Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (No. 1 overall), he’ll earn upwards of $16MM.
Fifth-year options for players are guaranteed for injury only, but that will change starting next year thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement.
Texans To Release S Tashaun Gipson
The Texans are moving on from Tashaun Gipson, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The safety will be released with two years to go on his three-year, $22.5MM deal.
[RELATED: Lions Deny Backing Out Of Trade With Texans]
Gipson hooked on with Houston prior to the 2019 season, fresh off of a three-year stint with the Jaguars. The Jags also dropped him midway through a lucrative deal – he was in the midst of a five-year, $36MM pact when Jacksonville let him go.
In his final season with the Jaguars, Gipson graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 37 ranked safety in the NFL. He was also valued for his durability, having started in all 48 of his games across three seasons. Unfortunately, he suffered a transverse process fracture in his back late last year, ending his season towards the end of the calendar year.
By cutting Gipson, the Texans will save $3.2MM while carrying $4.25MM in dead money. Meanwhile, they’ll look for a new partner for Justin Reid in center field. He’s been pushing for the Texans to sign his brother, Eric Reid, which would give the Texans a formidable 1-2 brotherly duo in the secondary. Whether they bring the Reid Bros. together or not, a veteran signing is pretty much a must. The Texans did not draft a safety over the weekend and their current group doesn’t offer any shoe-in replacements for the starting lineup.
Jets To Exercise Jamal Adams’ Fifth-Year Option
The Jets will exercise Jamal Adams‘ fifth-year option, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News. This, of course, won’t be the end of the Jets’ contractual dealings with the standout safety.
With the option, Adams will be slated to earn $9.86MM in 2021 – guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, he’s looking for a brand new multi-year deal that will reset the market as his position. The Jets have explored trading him in the past, but GM Joe Douglas claims that he’s staying put.
“[Adams] was a big reason I was excited about coming here,” Douglas said recently. “I feel this guy is a core player. The main goal that I’m trying to do right now is to surround him with like-minded players, because we know Jamal is a dog.”
The two-time Pro Bowler has drawn interest from the Cowboys and several other clubs, but Douglas has said that he wants Adams to be a “Jet for life.” We may soon find out whether that’s the case, though Adams’ camp has not set any sort of deadline in talks.
A new deal for Adams would likely vault him ahead of Eddie Jackson, whose recent four-year, $58.4MM deal made him the highest-paid safety in the league. His $14.6MM average annual value leads the position and his $33MM in guarantees – more than half of the deal’s total value – will be front of mind for Adams’ reps in negotiations.
Cardinals Sign 21 UDFAs
On Monday afternoon, the Falcons announced a larger-than-usual 20-player UDFA class. Not to be outdone, the Cardinals added 21 undrafted rookies to their offseason roster:
- Sirgeo Hoffman, RB (Portland State)
- Jonathan Ward, RB (Central Michigan)
- Jermiah Braswell, WR (Youngstown State)
- Shane Leatherbury, WR (Towson)
- Rashad Medaris, WR (Cincinnati)
- Devin Phelps, WR (Shepard)
- JoJo Ward, WR (Hawaii)
- Ryan Becker, TE (SMU)
- Parker Houston, TE (San Diego State)
- Jake Benzinger, OL (Wake Forest)
- Jackson Dennis, OL (Holy Cross)
- Drew Dickinson, OL (Findlay)
- Steven Gonzalez, OL (Penn State)
- T.J. Carter, DL (Kentucky)
- Adam Shuler, DL (Florida)
- Reggie Walker, LB (Kansas State)
- Zane Lewis, CB (Air Force)
- Jace Whittaker, CB (Arizona)
- Jarren Williams, CB (Albany)
- Bejour Wilson, CB (Liberty)
- Reggie Floyd, S (Virginia Tech)
The Cardinals had only 18 open spots heading into this week, so they’ll have to trim a few players from the roster. Arizona GM Steve Keim went heavy on corners in this UDFA class after passing on defensive backs throughout the draft.
Ward, out of Hawaii, is among the more notable names on the list. The wide receiver put himself on the pro radar in 2018 as he averaged a DeSean Jackson-esque 17 yards per reception. But, even with the benefit of Hawaii’s run-and-shoot offense, his production dipped in 2019. The Cardinals are still curious to see whether his solid in-game speed will translate to NFL success.
Falcons Sign 20 UDFAs
The Falcons have signed 20 undrafted free agents, per a team announcement. Between the UDFAs and their draft picks, the Falcons will be welcoming a total of 26 rookies to Atlanta. Of course, only some of those NFL neophytes will actually make the cut.
Here’s the full rundown of the Falcons’ UDFA class:
- Delrick Abrams, CB (Colorado)
- Hinwa Allieu, DT (Nebraska-Kearney)
- Hunter Atkinson, LT (Georgia State)
- Austin Capps, C (Arkansas)
- Mikey Daniel, FB (South Dakota State)
- Scottie Dill, RT (Memphis)
- Austin Edwards, DE (Ferris State)
- Rojesterman Farris, CB (Hawaii)
- Juwan Green, WR (Albany)
- Tyler Hall, CB (Wyoming)
- Evin Ksiezarczyk, OT (Buffalo)
- Sailosi Latu, DT (San Jose State)
- Jalen McCleskey, WR (Tulane)
- Jared Pinkney, TE (Vanderbilt)
- Caleb Repp, TE (Utah State)
- Chris Rowland, WR (Tennessee State)
- Ray Wilborn, LB (Ball State)
- Jordan Williams, LB (Baylor)
- Bryson Young, DE (Oregon)
- Justin Gooseberry, OG (Rice)
Rowland, a receiver out of FCS program Tennessee State, scored an $80K bonus on his deal, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Last year, Rowland led his squad with 57 catches for 727 yards and five touchdowns. He also showed his speed in the return game, where he averaged 13 yards per punt return. Rowland, Green, and McCleskey will push to stick in Atlanta behind Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Laquon Treadwell, and five other receivers under contract.
Giants Sign 15 Undrafted Players
The Giants have agreed to sign 15 undrafted free agents, per a club announcement. They had 80 players on the roster heading into Monday morning, so five players will have to be cut in order to make room for the newcomers. Here’s the full rundown:
- Christian Angulo, DB (Hampton)
- Case Cookus, QB (Northern Arizona)
- Derrick Dillon, WR (LSU)
- Malcolm Elmore, DB (Central Methodist)
- Tyler Haycraft, OL (Louisville)
- Rysen John, WR (Simon Fraser University)
- Niko Lalos, OLB (Dartmouth)
- Jaquarius Landrews, DB (Mississippi State)
- Javon Leake, RB (Maryland)
- Dana Levine, OLB (Temple)
- Austin Mack, WR (Ohio State)
- Kyle Markway, TE (South Carolina)
- Kyle Murphy, OL (Rhode Island)
- Dominique Ross, OLB (North Carolina)
- Binjimen Victor, WR (Ohio State)
Dillon’s deal includes a $40K guarantee, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. That’s an indication that other clubs were keen on the LSU product. Last year, Dillon finished out with 15 catches for 202 yards and two touchdowns in Joe Burrow‘s offense.
Cookus, a quarterback out of Northern Arizona, likely would have heard his name called over the weekend if not for a pair of season-ending shoulder injuries in college. In his final season with the Lumberjacks, Cookus threw for nearly 4,100 yards and 31 touchdowns. Still, making the Giants’ 53-man roster cut will be tough as they already have Colt McCoy and Alex Tanney slotted behind starter Daniel Jones.
Patriots’ James Develin Retires From NFL
James Develin is calling it a career. On Monday, Develin announced his retirement from the sport via Instagram. 
[RELATED: Bill Belichick On QB Plans]
“Due to unforeseen complications with the injury that ended my season last year, I have decided it is both in my and my family’s best interest to retire from the game of football,” Develin wrote. “I’ve always maintained a believe that, in the sport, the team is much more important than myself as an individual. That belief still rings true, as I have to prioritize my team at home before anything else.”
Develin’s season ended in September after he suffered a neck injury. After thinking it over, Develin decided to move on rather than jeopardize his health further.
Develin signed his first NFL deal with the Bengals, but he has played every pro down with the Patriots. Save for the 2015 season he lost to injury, Develin appeared in every regular season game for the Pats between 2013 and 2018. In 2017, he earned his first career Pro Bowl nomination. In 2018, he inked a two-year contract extension, taking him through the 2020 season.
The 31-year-old (32 in July) didn’t see lots of targets in the Patriots’ offense, but he always provided reliable blocking. In ’17, for example, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 ranked run blocker among all qualified fullbacks and fourth amongst FBs in his blocking. Many teams have gotten away from using a fullback, but Develin bucked the trend as a throwback and an underrated part of the Pats’ game plan.
Even though Develin won’t be with the Patriots this year, he’ll be cheering them on from afar.
“Thank you to New England and Pats nation for your continued support of my team,” Develin wrote. “I look forward to continuing to support them right along with you.”
Vikings Sign 12 UDFAs
On Monday, the Vikings formally signed a dozen undrafted free agents:
- Brady Aiello, T (Oregon)
- Jake Bargas, TE (North Carolina)
- Dan Chisena, WR (Penn State)
- Nevelle Clarke, CB (UCF)
- Quartney Davis, WR (Texas A&M)
- Myles Dorn, S (UNC)
- Jordan Fehr, LB (Appalachian State)
- Nakia Griffin-Stewart, TE (Pittsburgh)
- Tyler Higby, G (Michigan State)
- Jake Lacina, C (Augustana)
- Blake Lynch, LB (Baylor)
- David Moa, DT (Boise State)
The Vikings gave Davis a $100K guarantee (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle), a sizable sum for UDFAs. Davis is coming off of solid back-to-back seasons with the Aggies and many expect him to hear his name called on Day 3. In 2019, he caught 54 passes for 616 yards and four touchdowns. Davis and Chisena will fight for a place on the WR depth chart, which also includes first-round pick Justin Jefferson and fifth-round choice K.J. Osborn.
Clarke, meanwhile, fetched a total guarantee of $115K (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press) and Aiello has $45K locked in (Twitter link via Wilson).