Dolphins To Pick Up Tua Tagovailoa’s Fifth-Year Option
Fifth-year option decisions are not due for nearly two months, but the Dolphins are making it clear to Tua Tagovailoa he remains their centerpiece player.
The team has informed Tagovailoa his fifth-year option will be picked up, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). This will lock in the southpaw passer to $23.2MM in 2024. The 2020 CBA changed the fifth-year option to being guaranteed for injury only to fully guaranteeing players’ salaries.
At the Combine, the Dolphins were not as definitive about Tagovailoa’s future. Mike McDaniel did not guarantee the team would exercise the option, but several days later, the team is moving ahead with a nice show of confidence in its starter. This comes after Tagovailoa displayed considerable improvement but did so in a season that will be better remembered for his concussion issues. Those aside, Dolphins decision-makers have said they want Tagovailoa to be their starter for a long time.
Additional uncertainty emerged when reports began to surface indicating the Dolphins were surveying the QB market and considering outside options. This early option declaration could well be an effort by the franchise to show some faith. Following the Ravens’ decision to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson, it was reported the Dolphins are not expected to pursue the star talent. McDaniel remains behind Tagovailoa, with ESPN.com’s Jeff Darlington noting the second-year HC “fully believes Tua is the perfect fit for his system.”
This will be the first of three QB fifth-year options to be picked up before May, with the Bengals and Chargers certainly set to exercise the add-ons for Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert. It will be interesting to see how the Packers proceed with Jordan Love, who has ridden the bench for three seasons ahead of his option date. With Love looking likelier by the day to be Green Bay’s starter in 2023, he will have a decent chance of seeing that option exercised despite having been a career-long backup.
The Dolphins chose Tua one spot ahead of Herbert in 2020. While that decision has benefited the Chargers, Tagovailoa’s strides in 2022 narrowed the perception gap between these two AFC passers. After two unremarkable seasons, Tagovailoa took steps forward in McDaniel’s system. His unavailability aside, the Alabama alum finished the year third in QBR — behind only Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen — and ended his third season with 25 touchdown passes despite finishing only 12 games.
Miami’s season can be divided into two relatively separate sections: with and without Tua. The Dolphins went 8-4 in the games Tagovailoa finished. They were 1-5 in the other contests. Teddy Bridgewater‘s issues staying healthy also hurt Miami’s cause, leading to Skylar Thompson making unexpected starts — including in the team’s playoff game in Buffalo — but the Dolphins’ offense suffered immensely without its starting QB on the field. Tagovailoa has been cleared from concussion protocol, though his suffering at least two concussions — in addition to a controversial Week 3 sequence in which he showed concussion-like symptoms, leading to an overhaul to the NFL’s protocol — clouds his future. Nevertheless, the Dolphins are still betting on their former top-five investment.
After making an infamous run at Tom Brady last year and pursuing Deshaun Watson in 2021, the Dolphins will attempt to have a stable quarterback offseason. Jackson being a South Florida native would have made such a pursuit interesting, but teams have made early efforts to avoid doling out the fully guaranteed contract the former MVP seeks.
Rams To Release OLB Leonard Floyd
MARCH 10: Although trade rumors emerged, the Rams are planning to release their top edge rusher Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This will give Floyd a chance to catch on with a third team and create a major need for the Rams at outside linebacker. Floyd was the only Rams edge player to record more than one sack in 2022.
MARCH 6: The Rams have already made their intentions clear with linebacker Bobby Wagner, and other cost-cutting moves are expected to come as well. That will include a parting of ways with pass rusher Leonard Floyd. 
[RELATED: Rams Allow Allen Robinson To Seek Trade]
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Los Angeles will look to trade the veteran, and in the absence of a deal materializing, he will be released (Twitter link). That is the same stance the team has taken with Wagner, whose tenure with his hometown team will come to an end after just one season.
Floyd, 30, was cut by the Bears after four disappointing seasons in the Windy City. That led him to Los Angeles on a one-year deal which paid enormous dividends for both player and team. Floyd recorded a career-high 10.5 sacks that season, and he inked a four-year, $64MM contract off the back of that production. In the two seasons following that deal, he has started all 17 games both years while remaining a key member of the team’s defense.
The former first-rounder racked up 9.5 sacks in 2021, then followed that up with 9.0 this past season. Floyd played snap shares of 80% and 86%, respectively, showing not only his durability after injuries were a factor early in his career, but also the dearth of consistent pass rushers the team had aside from him. The Rams are expected to pursue multiple additions at that position, something which will be made easier from a financial perspective with Floyd (whose deal was restructured last March) off the books.
Releasing Floyd right away would serve almost no purpose for the Rams (only $3MM in cap savings, against a dead money charge of $19MM). If he were to be designated a post-June 1 cut, though, those figures would become $15.5MM and $6.5MM, respectively. The latter path would therefore be the one taken by Los Angeles unless a trade partner could be found for an edge rusher who has demonstrated a consistent level of production.
If Floyd does hit free agency, he will likely be joined in that regard by Bud Dupree, who earlier today was reported to become the latest veteran the Titans are parting ways with. Those two, along with Yannick Ngakoue, Jadeveon Clowney, and Justin Houston, are set to headline the veterans available at the position when the new league year begins.
Cowboys Restructure Dak Prescott’s Deal
Entering Friday more than $16MM over the cap, the Cowboys have moved well under the 2023 salary ceiling. They restructured the contracts of Dak Prescott and Zack Martin, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
These revisions cleared approximately $30MM in cap space for the Cowboys, who recently allocated $10.1MM to a Tony Pollard franchise tag. The conversion involved around $29MM of Prescott’s 2023 base salary shifting to a signing bonus, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. This restructure will either bump up Prescott’s 2024 cap number or add more void years to his deal, but it will drop the quarterback’s 2023 cap figure from a historically high place. Prescott’s 2024 number now comes in at around $59MM, Archer tweets. That number will obviously be untenable for the team.
Prescott was set to carry a $49.13MM cap number this year. No player had previously played a season with a cap hit higher than $46MM, though Deshaun Watson is currently on track to do so. The Browns are considering restructuring their quarterback’s fully guaranteed deal, and Prescott’s restructure will only lead to more talk of another extension coming to pass.
Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said a second Prescott extension is likely to happen. The Cowboys have Dak signed on his $40MM-per-year contract for two more seasons. Prior to Friday’s restructure, the QB was set to carry a $52.1MM cap hit in 2024. With that number venturing deeper into uncharted waters via today’s transaction, Prescott extension talk figures to accelerate. The parties are not believed to have entered discussions about a new deal, but Prescott said recently he looks forward to an extension “when that time comes.”
This restructure will increase Prescott’s leverage, as Dallas will be eager to reduce his 2024 cap number. Daniel Jones‘ $40MM-per-year deal and the potential re-ups for Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert — and whatever happens with Lamar Jackson this year — also will work in Prescott’s favor. When Prescott and the Cowboys negotiated up until the 2020 franchise tag extension deadline, a deal in the $35MM-AAV range was rumored. It ended up being pushed to $40MM ahead of the 2021 March tag deadline. Once Hurts, Burrow and Herbert sign, the next round of Prescott talks could center around a number beginning with a 5.
“I don’t want to dare do this to Dak or me or anybody,” Jerry Jones said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill. “But I think just as [Tom] Brady became better and better and more impactful on how they won as he got into his career, I think that really [Dak] has those qualities. I think he can get better.”
Martin’s $14MM-per-year contract runs through 2024. The team is also in talks with Tyron Smith about a potential reworking, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The team is trying to reduce Smith’s $17.6MM cap number. Attached to the NFL’s longest-running contract, Dallas’ left tackle is finally near the end of that eight-year pact. It expires after the 2023 season. Two void years are already on Smith’s contract, limiting the Cowboys’ options with their 12-year tackle. The team is trying to keep Smith in the fold for a 13th season.
Eagles To Re-Sign DE Brandon Graham
One of the Eagles’ many free agents has agreed to a deal that will allow him to stay with the team. The longest-tenured Eagle, Brandon Graham is coming back on a one-year agreement, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports.
Graham is staying in Philly on a deal that could be worth up to $6MM. This will be the veteran defensive end’s 14th season with the team, putting him in rare company. Only Chuck Bednarik has previously played that many seasons with the franchise.
If Graham plays 11 games next season, he will have suited up for more contests than anyone in Eagles history. Though, Jason Kelce coming back would ignite a race to this honor; the acclaimed center is just two games behind Graham (178-176) in Eagles annals. Both are already in the top five in games played with the franchise.
With Graham going into his age-35 season, a lucrative free agency deal was unlikely to come to pass. That said, the former first-round pick was generating interest ahead of a potential trip to the market. Graham is coming off a career-best 11 sacks, helping the Eagles threaten the 1984 Bears’ single-season sack record. That was Graham’s first double-digit sack season; the rotational rusher will aim to tack on a second such campaign in 2023.
“I definitely don’t want to miss out on this championship that we’re about to make a run for,” Graham said, via McManus. “I pretty much directed [my agent] Joel [Segal] just to get a deal done before free agency so I wouldn’t have to go through that part. I’m just so happy everything came to fruition.
“It wasn’t even about no money. It was more about wanting to be an Eagle as long as I could still play at a high level, and of course I still have a sour taste in my mouth on how things ended this last year.”
The Eagles entered the offseason with three of their trench stalwarts — Graham, Kelce and Fletcher Cox — uncertain to be back. Kelce has not committed to playing a 13th season, and Cox is days away from free agency. Javon Hargrave is also on track to score a big payday next week. Graham will, however, rejoin a pass rush that still houses Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat. Derek Barnett is also under contract for 2023.
Graham said last year his goal was to reach the 15-season plateau, which would surpass Bednarik’s franchise mark. (David Akers holds the team’s games-played mark, at 188.) While the legendary two-way player’s place in Eagles lore is practically unrivaled, Graham is responsible for one of the Eagles’ signature plays. His strip of Tom Brady late in Super Bowl LII led to the Eagles’ first championship since their Bednarik-led 1960 title. Graham has remained a quality rusher in the years since that momentous sequence, and this agreement will supply depth for the defending NFC champs at the very least.
Friday’s agreement does represent a notable pay reduction for Graham, who previously played out a two-year deal worth $18.5MM. It could certainly help the Eagles retain some of their free agents. T.J. Edwards wants to stay with the team, which also aims to bring back C.J. Gardner-Johnson. While some of the Eagles’ UFAs-to-be are likely leaving — most notably Hargrave and James Bradberry — others could be brought back. Graham’s agreement would also leave some money on the table for Kelce to return.
For his career, Graham has 70 sacks and 21 forced fumbles. The sack number sits fourth in Eagles history. The starter/rotational performer sits six behind Clyde Simmons for third on that list.
Titans To Release C Ben Jones
The Titans are moving on from another of their starting offensive linemen. Not long after cutting Taylor Lewan, Tennessee is releasing veteran center Ben Jones, Buck Reising of AtoZsports.com reports.
Jones has been with the Titans for the past seven seasons. He joined Lewan and Nate Davis in ending the season on IR. Each player is now off the Titans’ roster or could be soon, with Davis set for free agency Wednesday. The trio had been with the Titans for a combined 20 seasons.
This news comes after Jones put retirement on the table earlier this offseason. Prior to missing five games last season, the 11-year veteran had been an iron man for the organization. Jones missed just one game in his first six Titans slates, becoming a central part of Derrick Henry‘s two rushing titles and the Titans’ Mike Vrabel-era resurgence. Jones’ 108 starts at center are the most in Titans history.
Jones, 33, signed a third contract with the Titans in 2022, agreeing to terms on a two-year, $14MM deal. The Titans will save $3.7MM by moving Jones off the roster. Jones’ release follows a collection of cuts by new GM Ran Carthon, who said goodbye to Lewan, Robert Woods, Zach Cunningham and Randy Bullock over the past two weeks.
As the Titans made three journeys to the playoffs from 2019-21, Pro Football Focus rated Jones as a top-10 center in each campaign. Jones and Davis were there for almost all of Henry’s performances during his 2019 and 2020 rushing crowns, with Lewan beginning to battle injuries during this span. Both Jones and Davis helped Tennessee to the AFC’s No. 1 seed in 2021. Last season, PFF rated Jones as the league’s No. 9 center, though he suffered two concussions during the campaign. The nature of these absences point to uncertainty about his going through with a 12th NFL season.
Tennessee initially brought in Jones during Jon Robinson‘s first offseason as GM (2016). That four-year, $17.5MM agreement ended up being one of the best moves in Titans free agency history, with Jones becoming a set-it-and-forget-it blocker with his second NFL franchise. The Texans initially drafted Jones in the fourth round out of Georgia back in 2012.
As far as centers go, this free agency market houses a few starters. Connor McGovern, Bradley Bozeman, Garrett Bradbury, Ethan Pocic and Jake Brendel are set to hit the market soon. The Titans will have some options in replacing Jones, with Carthon having ties to Brandel due to their time with the 49ers. Teams can begin speaking with these snappers once the legal tampering period begins Monday afternoon. Jones, however, has a slight head-start due to this release. Being considered a street free agent, Jones can sign with another team immediately.
Vikings To Release WR Adam Thielen
MARCH 10: The Vikings are moving forward with this transaction. They will cut Thielen, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com tweets. Rather than adjust his contract, the 10-year veteran will take his chances on the market. It is not known yet if the Vikings are using the post-June 1 designation.
MARCH 9: Adam Thielen has been with the Vikings since catching on as a tryout body during the 2013 offseason, but the Minnesota native’s time with the team may be nearly up. The Vikings are considering a Thielen release, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The 10-year Viking has been in talks with the team about a restructure this offseason, and Schefter notes more discussions are on tap. But a release is a real possibility here. The Vikings could save more than $13MM in cap space by designating Thielen a post-June 1 cut. A standard release would leave the team with $13MM-plus in dead money while only creating $6.4MM in cap space. The Vikings are $15MM over the cap as of Thursday morning.
This would be an interesting development for Thielen, who would be landing in a mediocre wide receiver market were he to be released. Justin Jefferson‘s rapid rise has overshadowed the longtime Viking cog, but Thielen still totaled 70 receptions for 716 yards and six touchdowns last season. Thielen has remained a go-to player in the red zone for Kirk Cousins, having caught 30 touchdown passes since Jefferson’s 2020 arrival.
The Division II product is, however, on the back nine of his career. Thielen will turn 33 in August. He has said he wants to finish his career with his home-state team, but if that proves impossible, a role elsewhere as a complementary target would seemingly be available to him.
Thielen has signed two extensions with the Vikings. His most recent deal — a three-year, $44.7MM re-up — runs through the 2024 season. That contract calls for Thielen to carry the second-largest cap hit on the Vikes’ 2023 payroll ($19.97MM); a March 2022 restructure inflated Thielen’s 2023 cap figure.
The Vikings are preparing for a Jefferson extension. Although the team can table that landmark deal until 2024, as Jefferson can be kept on his rookie deal for two more seasons thanks to the soon-to-be-exercised fifth-year option, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has openly discussed this extension. Preliminary talks have taken place. The Vikings also have found another solid Jefferson complementary piece in K.J. Osborn, who has reached the 650-yard plateau in each of the past two seasons despite Thielen’s presence as the team’s No. 2 wideout.
With the Vikings before even Stefon Diggs‘ arrival, Thielen has 55 career TD catches — third in team history behind Cris Carter and Randy Moss. Thielen’s 6,682 receiving yards trail only Cris Carter, Moss and Anthony Carter in Vikings annals. Thielen’s 14 TD grabs in 2020 were the most by a Viking since Moss’ franchise-record 17 in 2003.
Jets To Acquire S Chuck Clark From Ravens
As the Jets remain connected to a potential Aaron Rodgers blockbuster, the team is making another trade. The Jets are acquiring safety Chuck Clark from the Ravens, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The Ravens will collect a 2024 seventh-round pick for Clark, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Clark had loomed as a Baltimore departure candidate since the first-round selection of Kyle Hamilton last year, and he will have a fresh start in New York. The trade cannot become official until Wednesday, when the 2023 league year begins.
Trade buzz followed Clark immediately after the Ravens drafted Hamilton, as that move came not long after Marcus Williams‘ $14MM-per-year Baltimore pact. The Ravens will move forward with a Williams-Hamilton safety tandem, while the Jets will add a veteran starter for low-end trade compensation. The deal will save the Ravens $3.64MM in cap space; the team, which now has a $32.4MM Lamar Jackson franchise tag on the books, remains more than $8MM over the cap.
Clark said in January he wanted to stay with the Ravens, but he did request a trade during the 2022 offseason. The 27-year-old defender has been a primary Ravens starter for the past four seasons, remaining with the team as it cycled through veteran safeties alongside him. A 2017 Ravens draft choice, Clark arrived in Maryland after current Jets GM Joe Douglas had left the organization. But after talks with former coworker Eric DeCosta produced a deal, the ex-Ravens exec will have an experienced safety on his roster at a low rate. Clark is due just $2.5MM in base salary; his contract runs through the 2023 season.
A sixth-round pick, Clark worked his way up to starter status and stuck around in that role as the likes of Eric Weddle, Tony Jefferson, Earl Thomas, Williams and Hamilton came through town. Clark has made 63 career starts. The Ravens used all three of their safeties frequently in 2022, though a Williams injury prevented the team from doing so for a chunk of the season. Clark finished the year with a career-high 101 tackles, along with a forced fumble.
The Ravens used Clark in a variety of roles, lining him up in the slot on 128 snaps last season (h/t ESPN’s Field Yates) while using him sporadically as a boundary cornerback and an edge defender. Pro Football Focus rated the Virginia Tech product as a middle-of-the-pack safety (46th overall) but viewed him as one of the best run-support players at the position.
Jordan Whitehead remains under contract with the Jets, but 2022 starter Lamarcus Joyner is set to hit free agency next week. Clark’s arrival could point Joyner out of town. As for the Ravens, they are covered at safety. PFF rated Hamilton as the top safety in the league last season. Williams is under contract through 2026, while Hamilton can be kept on his rookie deal through that point due to the fifth-year option.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/23
Today’s minor moves around the league:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: LB Joe Bachie, CB Jalen Davis (two year extension)
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: S M.J. Stewart
Las Vegas Raiders
- Re-signed: RB Ameer Abdullah, G Netane Muti
Miami Dolphins
- Signed to one-day contract: C Mike Pouncey
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: OL James Ferentz
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: OL Brett Toth
Stewart was a mainstay on the Texans’ special teams units in 2022, his debut season in Houston. His play has earned him a two-year, $6MM deal with a maximum value of $7.5MM, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 (Twitter link). The 27-year-old made 41 tackles (the second-highest total of his career) in 2022, adding a pair of fumble recoveries.
Pouncey signed a one-day contract to officially retire as a member of the Dolphins, the team which drafted him in 2011. The 33-year-old is two years removed from his joint retirement with brother Maurkice. Pouncey earned three of his Pro Bowl nods during his seven-year stint in Miami, before spending a pair of seasons with the Chargers. The former first rounder reflected on the controversy surrounding his career, via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.
“If I thought how I think now, I’d still be with the Dolphins,” he said. “I look back at it like… if I was just a little bit more mature when I was playing… I have no regret of what I did here. Very proud of my career that I had here. Now, I just try to be looked at in a different light.”
Ferentz’s new deal has a value of $1.215MM, and includes $200K in guarantees, per Wilson (on Twitter). Another $30K in incentives are in place, though the 33-year-old will only account for $1.02MM on the cap by qualifying for the veteran salary benefit. Ferentz has been in New England for the past five years, starting nine games amongst his 39 appearances.
49ers Re-Sign OL Colton McKivitz
The 49ers’ offensive tackle position has a bit more clarity with free agency (and quite possibly, a notable departure) approaching. Per a team announcement, San Francisco has re-signed Colton McKivitz to a two-year deal. 
The 26-year-old was set to be a restricted free agent, but he will now remain in the Bay Area for what could be a time of increased responsibility for him. McKivitz has made 28 appearances in his three seasons with the 49ers, including five starts while operating as the team’s swing tackle over the past two years. He has also seen action in five playoff contests.
San Francisco has Trent Williams – who confirmed last month that he will not be retiring – in place as their blindside protector. However, right tackle Mike McGlinchey is scheduled to hit free agency, and while his comments regarding a deal left the door open to his 49ers tenure continuing, a discounted price for the team is not thought to be on the table.
As a result, McGlinchey is expected to price himself out of San Francisco as arguably the top RT option on the market this year. The 49ers currently sit in the bottom half of the league in terms of cap space with the new league year around the corner, and have a number of other priorities than keeping the former ninth overall pick in the fold on a second contract.
Presuming McGlinchey heads elsewhere next week, McKivitz could be in line to assume the starting right tackle role. The latter has only taken 26 snaps at that position to date, after he spent considerable time as a right guard during his rookie season and stepped in for Williams on occasion when he was sidelined by injury. McKivitz took a step forward in 2022 with a career-best PFF grade of 69.3 (excelling in pass blocking in particular), albeit in limited game action.
The former fifth-rounder can now turn his attention to the 2023 season and the opportunity, in all likelihood, to at least compete for a starting role on a 49ers offensive line which figures to look different by the start of next season.
Seahawks Cut OL Gabe Jackson
The Seahawks were in better financial shape than most other teams as of Thursday, but they have opened up more cap space by moving on from a veteran member of their offense. Seattle has released guard Gabe Jackson, per the transaction wire. 
Jackson, 31, had one season remaining on his contract, and was due to count for just over $11.2MM on the Seahawks’ books this year. No guaranteed money remained on his pact, however, putting him at risk of being let go. This move will create $6.5MM in cap space for Seattle, while generating a dead money charge of $4.8MM.
Jackson spent the first seven years of his career with the Raiders. His time there included a five-year, $56MM deal being signed in 2017, a sign of his success as an immediate starter and an indication that he could remain with the organization for the duration of his career. However, he was traded to Seattle in 2021, an offseason in which he was expected to become a cap casualty.
Not long after acquiring the former third-rounder, Seattle signed him to a three-year, $22.58MM extension. The first two years of that pact included notable guarantees, an understandable point of emphasis for Jackson after the way his Raiders tenure came to an end. He agreed to a minor restructure of his deal in October, which inflated his 2023 cap hit slightly.
Jackson remained a full-time starter in both of his Seattle seasons, missing a total of three games due to injury across that span. He generated a career-worst PFF grade of 55 in 2022, continuation of a general decline in that regard in recent years. This past season was the second straight in which he allowed 31 or more pressures in pass protection, so it comes as little surprise that the Seahawks are parting ways and turning their attention to younger options. Still, Jackson will represent one of the most experienced o-line options in this year’s free agent class.
In addition to Jackson, Seattle has released linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven. The 25-year-old contributed on special teams in 2019 and 2020, but has been sidelined by a torn ACL since, spending the entire 2022 campaign on the PUP list. With these two moves, the Seahawks will head towards the new league year next week with nearly $30MM in cap space.