Redskins Re-Sign OL Tony Bergstrom
Tony Bergstrom is returning to Washington. The organization announced that they’ve re-signed the offensive lineman. Terms of the deal were not announced.
Following a standout career at Utah, Bergstrom was selected in the third round of the 2012 draft. The lineman proceeded to spend the first four seasons of his career with the Raiders since bouncing around the NFL. Since 2016, the 32-year-old has had stints with the Texans, Cardinals, Ravens, and Redskins.
Fortunately for Bergstrom, he’s apparently found a home in Washington. Since joining the Redskins midway through the 2017 season, the lineman has appeared in 22 games. He played in 13 games (eight starts) last season, seeing action at both center and guard.
Considering his versatility, Bergstrom should at least be a key backup on the Redskins offensive line next season. The Redskins have added one free agent offensive lineman in Ereck Flowers, but the team’s line should pretty much look the same as 2018.
Bucs Pick Up Vernon Hargreaves’ Option
Vernon Hargreaves will be sticking around Tampa Bay for at least two more seasons. Rick Stroud TampaBay.com reports (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers have picked up the cornerback’s fifth-year option. Hargreaves will now be tied to a $9MM deal for the 2020 campaign.
The 23-year-old was selected with the 11th-overall pick by the Buccaneers during the 2016 draft. The defensive back proved he was worth his draft spot during his rookie season, as he compiled 76 tackles, nine passes defended, and one pick in 16 games. This performance earned him a spot on the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team.
Since that time, Hargreaves has battled numerous injuries. A hamstring issue limited him to only nine games (eight starts) in 2017, while a shoulder injury forced him to miss all but one game in 2018. Despite the injuries, the Bucs will be relying on Hargreaves once again heading into next season; he’s currently projected to start at cornerback alongside Carlton Davis.
Click here for a full rundown of every fifth-year option decision on 2016 first-round picks.
Falcons Pick Up Keanu Neal’s Option
The Falcons exercised the fifth-year option on safety Keanu Neal’s contract, per a team announcement. This was yet another no-brainer fifth-year option decision. 
The 23-year-old (24 in July) has started in all of his games since entering the league as the No. 17 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. In 2017, Neal earned a Pro Bowl nod after racking up 113 tackles, six passes defensed, four tackles for a loss, and one interception. His much anticipated follow-up was wiped out by an ACL tear last year, but he’s set to get back to work in 2019.
A fun fact from the Falcons’ press release: Since the fifth-year option for first-round picks was instituted in 2011, the Falcons have exercised the fifth-year option on each player they’ve selected in the first round. Overall, that’s a good indicator of the Falcons’ success rate inside of the first 32 picks.
Click here for a full rundown of every fifth-year option decision on 2016 first-round picks.
Brian Robison Retires From NFL
Brian Robison is hanging them up. The longtime Vikings defensive end is officially retiring from the NFL today, the team announced in a video they posted to Twitter.
In the video, which is worth a watch, Robison reflects on his career and his journey in Minnesota. The 2007 fourth round pick spent all 11 years of his career with the Vikings before the team cut him last September. Adam Schefter of ESPN tweeted that Robison signed a one-day contract with Minnesota to officially retire as a member of the team.
Robison will finish his career with 60 sacks, which has him tied for ninth on the franchise’s all-time list. Robison played only a rotational role his first few years in the league, but then blossomed into a full-time starter. He was very reliable, and only missed one start from 2011 through 2016. In 2017 he had his role reduced to again become a reserve, and he was released at the beginning of last season.
Robison will turn 36 in a couple of days and he spent the entire 2018 season out of football, so his decision to call it quits isn’t too surprising. A Texas product, Robison had a run of three straight years with at least eight sacks from 2011 through 2013. Robison’s emotional thank you to Vikings fans in the tribute video show why he became such a fan favorite during his time in Minnesota.
49ers Exercise DeForest Buckner’s Fifth-Year Option
The 49ers are officially keeping one of their best players in the fold. Unsurprisingly, the team has exercised the fifth-year option for defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, they announced in a tweet.
An Oregon product, Buckner was drafted seventh overall by the 49ers back in 2016. Just last week we heard Buckner isn’t likely to land an extension this offseason, so he’ll have to wait a while before getting a new deal. That was a departure from a report that came out toward the end of this past season, which indicated the two sides would discuss a deal this spring.
Buckner is coming off a breakout 2018 campaign, and will be looking to cash-in soon. Last season Buckner graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 23rd-best defensive lineman. He started all 16 games, and racked up 12 sacks while also being a force against the run. The fifth-year option is slated to pay Buckner $12.378MM in 2020.
The 49ers drafted Solomon Thomas third overall in 2017 to put next to Buckner, but so far Thomas hasn’t panned out. San Francisco picks second overall tomorrow night, and many observers expect them to draft another defensive lineman. They’ve been heavily linked to both Nick Bosa of Ohio State, and Quinnen Williams of Alabama.
Bengals Pick Up William Jackson’s Option
The Bengals have exercised their fifth-year option on cornerback William Jackson, according to a team announcement. The additional year keeps him under control through 2020, though it is guaranteed for injury only. 
Chosen with the No. 24 overall pick in 2016, Jackson missed his entire rookie year due to injury. In his re-do year, he mostly served as a backup. However, he started in all 16 of the Bengals’ games last year and tallied 41 tackles. For his work, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 26th best cornerback in the entire NFL, despite the fact that he did not record a single interception.
Jackson is just the latest 2016 first-round pick to have his fifth-year option exercised. To keep track of every decision, check out PFR’s running list, which will be updated between now and the May 3 deadline.
Ravens, Justin Tucker Agree To Extension
The Ravens are giving kicker Justin Tucker a four-year, $23.05MM extension, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will also include an $8MM signing bonus and $12.5MM fully guaranteed in the first two seasons. The mammoth deal sets new records in each of those categories for kickers. 
With the new deal, Tucker goes from uncertainty beyond 2019 to a deal that will keep him tied to Baltimore through the 2023 season. As he looks ahead to his 30th birthday in November, the new contract could secure him for the rest of his playing days. Then again, he’s showing no signs of slowing down, so he could go the Adam Vinatieri route and play well beyond this deal.
Last year, Tucker nailed 89.7% of his field goal tries, including 5 of 7 attempts from 50+ yards. For his career, Tucker owns a 90.1% field goal percentage with a 99.6% success rate on extra points.
Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger Agree To Extension
The Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger have agreed to a three-year contract extension, according to Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette (on Twitter). The new pact will keep Big Ben in place through the 2021 season. 
Once finalized, the deal will pay well north of $30MM per year for 2020-21, placing him in the top-three highest paid quarterbacks for those two years, a source tells ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). In total, he gets a $63MM base value on his two new years, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Prior to the new deal, 2019 was set to be the walk year for Big Ben. Now, he has a contract that should take him through the end of his career.
Whether Roethlisberger is a good teammate or not has been a hot topic of late, but his on-field production continues to be top-notch, as he set career-highs in completions (452), pass attempts (675), passing yards (5,129), and touchdowns (34) this past season.
Big Ben started all 16 games last year, the first time he had done that since the 2014 season. The Steelers had a down season as a team and didn’t make the playoffs, but Roethlisberger led the league in passing yards. On the flip side, he also led the league with 16 interceptions.
Advanced metrics lauded Roethlisberger’s work as well, as he finished fourth in Total QBR and eighth in adjusted net yards per attempt. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger ranked fifth in Football Outsiders‘ DYAR, which measures value over a replacement level player, and eighth in DVOA, meaning he was effective on a per-play basis. His status in the locker room, whatever it might be, was not a factor in contract talks.
The Steelers, of course, narrowly missed the playoffs in 2018 despite Big Ben’s impressive statistics, and the team is now without Antonio Brown. But Pittsburgh has never had a losing season with Roethlisberger at quarterback, and despite the trade of Brown, the club should once again compete for the AFC North crown.
Roethlisberger was set to carry a cap charge of $23.2MM this season. The extension should lower that figure and give the Steelers a little more breathing room heading into the draft and the later stages of free agency.
Saints Pick Up Sheldon Rankins’ Option
The Saints are picking up defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins‘ fifth-year option, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The money is guaranteed for injury, so, as Rapoport notes, it’s a sign they believe Rankins will make a full recovery from his Achilles injury. 
Rankins, one of the best young defensive linemen in the game, is likely to begin the 2019 regular season on the physically unable to perform list, which would force him to miss the first six games of the year. Rankins, 25, played the most snaps of any Saints defensive tackle in 2018, managing 40 tackles (12 for loss), eight sacks, and 15 quarterback hits in the process. Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, graded Rankins as the No. 23 interior defender among 119 qualifiers.
With the additional year, Rankins will be under contract through the 2020 season. And, when he takes the field this year, he’ll help anchor a D-Line that has been overhauled by the additions of Malcom Brown and Mario Edwards Jr. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Tyeler Davison and Alex Okafor will not return after signing with the Falcons and Chiefs, respectively.
Marshawn Lynch Retires From NFL
Marshawn Lynch has retired. Again. 
After returning from his first retirement to play for the Raiders, the running back is not planning to take the field again, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.
Lynch, who just turned 33, leaves the game with a legacy as an exciting fan favorite. Beast Mode earned five Pro Bowl nods throughout his career and even secured a 2012 First-Team All-Pro selection when he tallied 1,590 yards and eleven touchdowns. He also led the league in rushing touchdowns on multiple occasions and racked up 1,200 yards or more in each season from 2011 through 2014.
With the Raiders, Lynch was effective, though not super consistent. Lynch rushed for 1,267 yards on 297 carries in his 21 games for Oakland, giving him an average of 4.3 yards per attempt in silver and black. Last year, Lynch lost the bulk of the season to a groin injury and was unable to return down the stretch.
Without Lynch, the Raiders will move forward with a backfield headlined by Isaiah Crowell, Jalen Richard, DeAndre Washington, and Chris Warren. They may also look to bolster the group in the draft.
PFR wishes Lynch the best in retirement.