Ryan Kerrigan Announces Retirement
Following an 11-year career spent entirely in the NFC East, Ryan Kerrigan is walking away. The longtime Washington pass rusher signed a ceremonial contract with the team Friday to announce his retirement.
Kerrigan, 33, will retire as Washington’s all-time sack leader. The former first-round pick collected 95.5 over the course of his 10-season run with the franchise. While Kerrigan did not add to his sack total with the Eagles last season, he played 16 games with the team after signing a one-year deal in May.
Chosen as part of a stacked 2011 draft, Kerrigan earned four Pro Bowl nods and finished with at least 7.5 sacks in each of his first eight seasons. Becoming one of the most durable players in modern NFL history, the Purdue product did not miss a game during that stretch was only sidelined for five during his career. The last came because of a COVID-19 contraction. Team success was fleeting during Kerrigan’s Washington run, but the 3-4 outside linebacker — a role he played for most of his career — remained one of the game’s more consistent edge rushers.
After trading down with the Jaguars in the ’11 draft, in order for Jacksonville to take Blaine Gabbert at No. 10 overall, Washington nabbed Kerrigan at 16. He broke into the team’s starting lineup immediately and did not play a game as a rotational sub until 2020, when the team’s current Chase Young–Montez Sweat D-end configuration formed. Kerrigan signed a five-year, $57.5MM extension seven years ago today and played out that deal. The Eagles gave him a one-year pact worth $1.425MM.
Illustrating how deep the the 2011 draft was for pass rushers, Kerrigan’s 95.5 sacks rank only sixth among that class. His 26 forced fumbles, however, are tied for second among 2011 draftees — matching Von Miller and J.J. Watt. Kerrigan’s five strips led the NFL in 2014. Kerrigan is unlikely to join Miller and Watt in the Hall of Fame, but he anchored the Washington rush for most of his career.
The team reduced his role upon drafting Young in 2020, but the elder edge defender broke Dexter Manley‘s franchise sacks record — though Manley’s 1981 rookie year came before sacks became an official stat — by recording 5.5 that year. The 2020 Washington D-line housed five first-round picks, and it played a major role in helping the team make a surprise playoff run. Kerrigan also added 1.5 sacks in the Eagles’ playoff loss to the Buccaneers in January.
Seahawks, DK Metcalf Agree To Extension
DK Metcalf is sticking around Seattle for the foreseeable future. The receiver has agreed to an extension with the Seahawks, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Jordan Schultz of Boardroom was first with the news (on Twitter).
The former second-round pick got a three-year extension worth $72MM, including $58.2MM guaranteed. The deal also includes a $30MM signing bonus, the largest ever for a wide receiver (per Schefter). By May 2023, Metcalf will have collected $43MM from this deal, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adds.
Metcalf’s agent, Tory Dandy, finalized the deal with Seahawks GM John Schneider and exec Matt Thomas this afternoon. Interestingly, Dandy is also the agent for 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel, another star receiver from the 2019 draft who’s awaiting an extension.
Metcalf had one year remaining on his rookie contract at just under $4MM. He’ll now be signed through the 2025 campaign, allowing him to get another stab at free agency before his age-28 season. As ESPN’s Brady Henderson points out on Twitter, the Seahawks prefer longer deals when it comes to first-time extensions for players. Ultimately, Metcalf’s camp got their way, leading to a shorter extension that could have been partly inspired by fellow ’19 draft mate Terry McLaurin.
The 24-year-old Metcalf now leads the WR position in guaranteed money, topping the $56.4MM that A.J. Brown got from the Eagles. The total value of the contract ranks 10th at wide receiver (alongside Kenny Golladay and Christian Kirk), and the $24MM average annual value on the three-year extension would rank sixth at the position (tied with Stefon Diggs).
Metcalf sat out mandatory minicamp in pursuit of a new contract. This move surprised some in the organization, and it may have been a bigger shock when the receiver reported to training camp this week but staged a “hold in” while refusing to participate in drills. There seemed to be some optimism that a deal would eventually be signed, although it wasn’t expected to materialize this quickly. Now, the Seahawks will have their top offensive weapon back on the practice field as they prepare for a transitional season on offense.
It didn’t take long for Metcalf to make a name for himself in Seattle. After finishing with 900 receiving yards as a rookie, the wideout earned a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro recognition in 2020 after finishing with 83 receptions for 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns. While he hauled in a career-high 12 touchdowns during the 2021 campaign, he saw a dip in his other key numbers (75 receptions, 967 yards). Still, Metcalf was listed 14th among 115 eligible receivers on Pro Football Focus’ ranking of the position.
With a pair of mainstays (Russell Wilson, Chris Carson) now out in Seattle, Metcalf will be relied on as the leader of a shaky offense. Fortunately, the receiver has had success with Geno Smith under center, at least in the red zone. In Smith’s three starts last season, Metcalf had 14 receptions for 197 yards and three touchdowns.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: Antwaun Woods
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DB Henry Black
- Waived: TE Brayden Lenius
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: RB Jacques Patrick
- Placed on IR: RB Elijah Holyfield
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR KaVontae Turpin
- Released: FB Nick Ralston
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OT Darrin Paulo
- Waived/injured: LB Natrez Patrick
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from NFI: DT Eric Johnson II
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DE Azur Kamara
- Waived: DT Cortez Broughton, TE Mark Vital
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Josh Hammond
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Austin Calitro
- Waived: LB Justin Hilliard
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE Johnathan Howard
- Waived: P Sterling Hofrichter
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Terry Godwin
- Waived: WR Juwan Green
Washington Commanders
- Activated from PUP: C Chase Roullier
Jets To Sign LB Kwon Alexander
The Jets had a standing offer out to Kwon Alexander, and the veteran linebacker will accept it. Alexander agreed to terms with the Jets on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal.
A former Buccaneers starter, Alexander has moved to the 49ers and Saints over the course of his seven-year career. The 49ers stretch is rather pertinent here, with current Jets HC Robert Saleh having coached the off-ball ‘backer during his stay as San Francisco’s DC.
Alexander, 28 next week, visited the Jets back in April. It is unclear how long the Jets’ offer has been on the table, but no other teams have been connected to the former Pro Bowler this offseason. The Saints made Alexander a cap casualty in March, and he will head to a fourth NFL organization shortly after the start of training camp.
Saleh has already signed ex-49er charges D.J. Reed and Solomon Thomas this offseason. Alexander played for the 49ers from 2019-20, though his tenure did not go so well. Given a lucrative deal to leave Tampa for San Francisco, Alexander went down with a torn pectoral muscle early in his first 49ers season. This came after an ACL tear ended his Bucs tenure midway through the 2018 season. Despite the ACL tear, the 49ers gave the ex-fourth-round pick a four-year, $54MM deal. That pact preceded the Jets’ decision to hand C.J. Mosley a market-topping — by a wide margin, at the time — five-year, $85MM pact.
The 49ers moved on with Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw as their three-down linebackers, trading Alexander during the 2020 season. In New Orleans, Alexander started 15 games — including eight last season. The 2021 campaign involved more Alexander injury trouble, with an elbow injury sidelining him for an early-season stretch. He rebounded to make 50 tackles (seven for loss) and tally 3.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus graded Alexander just inside its top 50 at linebacker, though the advanced metrics site viewed him as a plus coverage ‘backer.
The Jets have Mosley and Quincy Williams poised to be their three-down linebackers, but a significant experience void existed between the full-timers and the backups. The Jets view Alexander as an option to work alongside the full-timers in base sets, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. Alexander, whose Pro Bowl nod came back in 2017, will be in position to bridge that gap and carve out a decent role for himself in New York.
Commanders WR/TE Antonio Gandy-Golden Retires
Antonio Gandy-Golden was in line to make a position change this season. Instead, it looks like his NFL career will end after two years. Commanders head coach Ron Rivera announced Thursday the 24-year-old has retired, via ESPN’s John Keim.
A fourth-round pick in 2020, Gandy-Golden will leave the league having played just 144 offensive snaps. A hamstring injury held him to six games in his rookie campaign, a stretch which included the only catch of his career. He was among the team’s final cuts in the buildup to last season but remained in the fold on their practice squad, eventually seeing action in four 2021 games.
Washington coaches wanted to see Gandy-Golden bulk up to 245 pounds, and according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Michael Phillips, the third-year player — whose receiver playing weight was just under 220 pounds — had gotten to 230 by OTAs. Instead of trying his hand at tight end, Gandy-Golden informed Rivera he planned to return to school to finish his degree. Gandy-Golden had majored in graphic design at Liberty.
“He was making good strides in OTA and minicamp, and he showed his ability. We felt this is a guy who could have been a matchup problem for us, so I was a little surprised,” Rivera said. “He just didn’t feel it right now. He wanted to finish his education and see what else is out there for him.“
Chiefs To Sign Carlos Dunlap
Carlos Dunlap‘s name had been mentioned as one receiving increased attention late in the offseason. He has now found a new home, as the Chiefs are signing him to a one-year deal worth up to $8MM (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). 
The 33-year-old is best known, of course, for his decade-plus spent with the Bengals. Over that time, he amassed 82.5 sacks, earning Pro Bowl invitations in 2015 and 2016. With the team transitioning to younger front seven options, he was traded midseason to the Seahawks in 2020, with whom he has demonstrated his continued ability to get to the quarterback.
In eight games after the trade, Dunlap registered five sacks. That performance was initially followed by his release, though Seattle did bring him back on a new deal. In 2021, the former second-rounder put up sold numbers again, with 8.5 sacks despite a snap percentage of just 38%. After being cut once again, Dunlap found himself on the open market.
The Seahawks showed interest in another reunion, but other teams became significant suitors as well. The Panthers (his hometown team) hosted him in June, and were reported to still be in the running to sign him as recently as yesterday. Instead, the Chiefs – the latest squad to work him out – have won the bidding for his services.
Kansas City added Melvin Ingram midseason in 2021, but he departed in free agency despite having the UFA tender placed on him, leaving veteran Frank Clark and first-round rookie George Karlaftis as the top defensive ends on the depth chart. That will likely remain the case, but Dunlap showed last season that he can be effective in a rotational role.
“It’s been a whirlwind trip,” he said of his visit to Kansas City. “It’s an exciting time for me and a long time coming” (Twitter links via CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson).
The Chiefs had over $11MM in cap space entering today, so this deal will likely be the last significant one of their offseason. It could very well prove to be a productive one, though, as the team looks to retain its perch atop a highly competitive AFC West.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released from reserve/NFI: TE Alex Ellis
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Darrion Daniels
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Bailey Gaither
- Placed on NFI: G Ben Cleveland
Chicago Bears
- Placed on PUP: DL Sam Kamara, LB Roquan Smith
- Placed on NFI: S Dane Cruikshank, CB Michael Joseph, WR Tajae Sharpe
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: QB Drew Plitt
- Waived: CB John Brannon
- Activated from PUP: G Alex Cappa, RB Samaje Perine
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on PUP: WR Dontario Drummond, WR Michael Gallup, LB Aaron Hansford, CB Quandre Mosely
- Placed on NFI: LB Damone Clark
Detroit Lions
- Placed on PUP: FB Jason Cabinda
- Placed on NFI: S C.J. Moore
- Placed on non-football illness: T Dan Skipper
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: Ishmael Hyman
- Released: LB Caliph Brice
- Activated from PUP: OT Caleb Jones, DE Dean Lowry, RB Patrick Taylor
Houston Texans
- Placed on PUP: DE Jordan Jenkins, DB Tristin McCollum, TE Teagan Quitoriano
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from PUP: DL Tyquan Lewis, S Rodney McLeod
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released (failed physical designation): DT Cortez Broughton
- Activated from PUP: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Tino Ellis
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from PUP: Nick Vannett
- Placed on NFI: LB Pete Werner
New York Giants
- Signed: OT Garrett McGhin
- Waived (failure to disclose physical condition designation): OT Kamaal Seymour
- Activated from PUP: TE Daniel Bellinger
New York Jets
- Signed: DB Luq Barcoo
- Waived: DB Jovante Moffat
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on PUP: DE Tyson Alualu
- Placed on NFI: S Minkah Fitzpatrick
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Keenan Forbes, G Eric Wilson
Patriots To Extend DT Davon Godchaux
Barely a year after signing Davon Godchaux, the Patriots are extending their partnership with the veteran defensive tackle. New England and Godchaux agreed on a two-year, $20.8MM deal, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
A 2017 Dolphins fifth-round pick, Godchaux will see most of his new money guaranteed. The Pats are fully guaranteeing $17.85MM of this accord, per Schefter. Godchaux started 16 games for the Pats in 2021.
New England made a deal for the ex-Miami starter part of its 2021 free agency spending spree. Godchaux, 27, was previously attached to a two-year, $15MM pact. This raise and guarantee structure certainly illustrates the good relationship formed between Godchaux and the Pats’ coaching staff during his short time in New England.
The Dolphins used the 311-pound defender as a full-time starter from 2018-20 and had identified him as a player they wanted to keep. The Pats, as they did with a few players during their uncharacteristic signing binge, poached him with a midlevel offer. New England added Godchaux two days before Miami signed ex-New England D-tackle starter Adam Butler. Pro Football Focus placed Godchaux just outside the top 40 interior defensive linemen last season, one in which he played 59% of New England’s defensive snaps.
Godchaux and 2021 second-round pick Christian Barmore headline the Pats’ D-tackle corps. Both players are now signed through 2024. Despite Godchaux being known more for run-stopping abilities than sacks (just four through five seasons), this contract ranks in the top 15 among interior D-linemen. This extension should also clear up cap space for the Pats, who came into the day ranking last in the NFL with $2.7MM in available funds. Godchaux was to count $10.25MM toward the Pats’ 2022 cap.
49ers Release DE Dee Ford
The long-anticipated Dee Ford release came to pass Wednesday. The 49ers pulled the trigger on cutting the veteran defensive end, moving a player who struggled with injuries throughout his San Francisco tenure off the roster.
Given a lucrative 49ers extension (five years, $85MM) following a Chiefs tag-and-trade sequence in 2019, Ford ran into a number of issues with his second team. The injuries Ford encountered kept him off the field for most of the past two seasons. The former first-round pick played in just seven games from 2020-21.
This move does create just more than $1MM in cap savings for a 49ers team that came into Wednesday sitting 31st in cap space, but it also tags the team with more than $5MM in dead money. Ford’s contract will represent an $8MM-plus cap penalty for the 49ers in 2023. A cut before June 1 would have cost the 49ers more than $14MM in dead money. The 49ers redid Ford’s contract in 2020, 2021 and this year, inflating the dead-money figure. While they will not be rid of Ford cap hits until 2024, the team has finally moved on from a player who ran into a batch of bad breaks with his second NFL team.
Ford, who began his career with what amounted to a two-year apprenticeship behind Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, dealt with injuries with the Chiefs as well. Ford’s 2018 fifth-year option became guaranteed due to his inability to pass a physical that year — during the era before fifth-year options were fully guaranteed — because a of a back injury. That became indicative of the edge rusher’s future, but Ford managed to secure a lucrative contract between his bouts of back trouble. The 2018 season brought a Ford breakthrough; the Auburn product posted a 13-sack season. That prompted the 49ers to trade a second-round pick for him in March 2019.
In 2019, knee and hamstring trouble kept Ford off the field for five games. He still made an impact for the 49ers’ deep defensive line that year, totaling 6.5 sacks for the Super Bowl LIV-bound team. But back issues re-emerged in 2020; those would go on to define his Bay Area stay. Ford missed 15 games in 2020 and, after resurfacing as a rotational D-end to start last season, was shut down again. It would not surprise if a retirement announcement followed Wednesday’s release news, with neck trouble also impacting the 31-year-old pass rusher during the 2020s.
Panthers Place Shaq Thompson, Jaycee Horn On PUP List
Two Panthers starting defenders will begin their training camps belatedly. The team placed Shaq Thompson and Jaycee Horn on its active/PUP list.
Thompson landed on the Panthers’ PUP because of an offseason knee surgery, David Newton of ESPN.com tweets. While Matt Rhule described this as a cleanup-type procedure, Thompson will still miss a chunk of time leading up to the season. Horn beginning on Carolina’s PUP may be more notable, due to the extensive time he has spent rehabbing a foot malady.
Horn indicated his surgically repaired foot was sore after the team’s conditioning test. This comes two months after the 2021 first-round pick was declared “full go” after a rehab effort over the winter and through the spring. Horn should be expected to return soon, but it obviously makes sense for the Panthers to exercise caution here. The South Carolina alum broke his foot in Week 3 of last season and missed 14 games.
Players who land on the active/PUP list can return to practice at any point during camp, but if they remain on the list beyond August 23, a minimum four-week absence must ensue beginning in Week 1. Both Panthers are expected to be back at practice before that deadline, though Horn’s return to work will generate interest considering his time away.
The Panthers re-signed Donte Jackson to team with Horn long-term, and the team’s early-season trade for C.J. Henderson may pay greater dividends this season than it did in 2021. This mix of young talent will take over after the team let Stephon Gilmore walk in free agency.