Buccaneers Sign WR Chris Godwin To Three-Year Extension
Chris Godwin and the Buccaneers have agreed to a long-term deal. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the Buccaneers are signing their star receiver to a three-year $60MM deal. The contract includes $40MM in guaranteed money due at signing.
The Buccaneers had to slap the franchise tag on Godwin when the two sides couldn’t agree to an extension by the tag deadline, but there was always optimism that the two sides would eventually agree to a long-term deal. We’ve heard in recent weeks that the two sides were continuing to work towards a new contract.
The franchise tag’s value would have been at $19.2MM, so Godwin ended up passing that total with his AAV. Tampa Bay got to clear up some much-needed space via the multiyear deal; ESPN’s Jenna Laine tweets that Godwin’s first-year cap hit is only $5MM, so the Bucs carved $14MM off their 2022 cap. If the contract looks familiar, it’s actually the exact same terms that Mike Williams got on his new deal with the Chargers.
A third rounder in 2017, Godwin has certainly outperformed his draft status during his time in Tampa Bay. His 2019 Pro Bowl season showcased his ability even without a quarterback the caliber of Tom Brady in the picture. His 2021 season with the future Hall of Famer (98 catches, 1,103 yards, five touchdowns) confirmed his talent level.
Brady is sticking around in 2022, and the Buccaneers offense looks as loaded as ever. Godwin and fellow top wideout Mike Evans will both be back, and Russell Gage was brought in to replace Antonio Brown on the depth chart. The team also re-signed veteran WR Breshad Perriman. We’ll still have to see whether Rob Gronkowski or any of the Buccaneers RBs return (Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones, and Giovani Bernard are all FAs), but Brady’s main targets will be sticking around Tampa Bay for the foreseeable future.
Broncos Plan To Sign OL Tom Compton
The 49ers’ Mike McGlinchey replacement last season, Tom Compton will head elsewhere after his run as a starter. The Broncos are planning to sign the veteran offensive lineman, Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post tweets.
It’s expected to be a one-year deal for Compton, who is going into his 10th NFL season. The Broncos will be Compton’s seventh team. He spent the past two seasons with the 49ers, starting 10 games. Minnesota, however, resided among the stops during Compton’s career. Broncos GM George Paton was with the Vikings at that point; Compton started 14 games for the Vikes in 2018.
McGlinchey suffering a torn quad in November brought Compton into the lineup at right tackle. He started San Francisco’s final seven regular-season games and each of the wild-card squad’s playoff tilts. Pro Football Focus reviewed his work well, giving him one of the top grades for right tackles last season. While Compton would be an atypical fix for a team needing a right tackle as badly as the Broncos do, he has started 44 games as a pro.
The Broncos’ issues staffing their right tackle spot predate their QB struggles. They have used a different Week 1 right tackle in each season since 2013. Their 2021 option, Bobby Massie, is not expected to return.
Chargers Sign LS Josh Harris
After spending 10 seasons in Atlanta, Josh Harris is moving on. The veteran long snapper is signing with the Chargers, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
Harris will sign a four-year deal worth $5.6MM, including $1.92MM in guaranteed money.
The Auburn product joined the Falcons after going undrafted in the 2012 draft, and he proceeded to spend 10 seasons with the organization. He only missed five games during his decade in Atlanta. He finally got some recognition in 2021, earning a Pro Bowl nod and All-Pro recognition.
In total, Harris has appeared in 156 career games, collecting 28 tackles.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/22
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: WR Brandon Zylstra
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: LS Clark Harris
Houston Texans
- Acquired via trade (from Jets): LB Blake Cashman
- Signed: TE Scott Quessenberry
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: OL Will Richardson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: FB Jakob Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Re-signed: P Jordan Berry
- Signed: TE Johnny Mundt, OL Austin Schlottmann
New York Giants
- Re-signed: LS Casey Kreiter
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Hassan Ridgeway
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: RB Trenton Cannon
Texans Sign QB Kyle Allen
Houston is still awaiting a resolution on the Deshaun Watson situation, but that won’t stop them from making changes to their quarterbacks room. The Texans are signing QB Kyle Allen, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post (on Twitter).
Allen is inking a one-year, $2.5MM deal, including $2.25MM in guaranteed money.
Allen spent the first two seasons of his career in Carolina, including a 2019 campaign where he went 5-7 as a starter while tossing 17 touchdowns (vs. 16 interceptions). He was traded to Washington prior to the 2020 season, and he ended up appearing in six games (four starts) during his two seasons with the organization. In total, Allen has completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 4,318 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions in 21 games (17 starts).
The Texans reportedly aren’t interested in receiving a QB in a Watson trade, and the team is content to move forward with Davis Mills as the starting QB. Allen will join a depth chart that also includes Jeff Driskel.
Giants Sign TE Ricky Seals-Jones
Ricky Seals-Jones is staying in the NFC East. The tight end is signing with the Giants, reports ESPN’s Jordan Raanan (on Twitter).
Seals-Jones has bounced around the NFL since going undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2017, spending time with the Cardinals, Browns, Chiefs, and Washington. His best season came in 2018 with Arizona when he had 34 receptions for 343 yards and one touchdown.
The tight end spent the 2021 season in Washington, seeing time in 13 games (six starts). He had 30 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Seals-Jones also spent time on special teams.
In New York, he’ll be joining a depth chart that has a giant hole after Evan Engram left for the Jaguars. The Giants are also rostering tight ends Jake Hausmann, Chris Myarick, and Rysen John.
Packers WR Randall Cobb Takes Pay Cut
While it remains to be seen whether Davante Adams will be back in Green Bay, at least one of Aaron Rodgers‘ favorite targets will be sticking around. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (via Twitter) that wideout Randall Cobb took a sizable salary cut to stay with the Packers.
[RELATED: Packers’ Davante Adams Won’t Play On Tag]
Specifically, Cobb sacrificed $5.5MM to stay in Green Bay. The veteran wideout was set to earn $8.5MM in total salary in 2022, and that number will now drop to $3MM.
Cobb returned to the Packers in 2021 and settled into a secondary role on offense. He ended up finishing the campaign with a career-low 376 yards from scrimmage, but his five touchdowns were the most he’s had since 2015.
Besides one-year stints with the Cowboys and Texans, Cobb had otherwise spent his entire career in Green Bay. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2014, and he’s sixth on the team’s all-time list in receptions (498).
Dolphins To Sign RB Raheem Mostert
Raheem Mostert made numerous city changes early in his career but found stability in San Francisco. With former 49ers OC Mike McDaniel now in Miami, Mostert will make another move.
The Dolphins plan to sign the speedy running back, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. After already adding Chase Edmonds, the Dolphins are set to deploy a new-look backfield with an NFC West feel. Mostert agreed to a one-year, $3.125MM deal, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Though the 49ers discussed a deal to keep Mostert, he will head back to Miami.
This marks a reunion of sorts for Mostert, who was with the Dolphins briefly (three weeks) in 2015. Mostert’s Dolphins stint came during a season in which the team had both Joe Philbin and Dan Campbell as head coaches; some staff turnover has occurred since.
McDaniel was with Mostert for almost the entirety of the running back’s Bay Area stay. Mostert caught on with the 49ers during Chip Kelly‘s season in San Francisco, and Kyle Shanahan kept him around for the next five seasons. While that tenure included extensive special teams work near the beginning, Mostert carved out a backfield role beginning the 49ers’ Super Bowl LIV-qualifying season.
Mostert, 30 in April, led the 2019 49ers with 772 rushing yards but did his most memorable damage in the playoffs, gouging the Packers for 220 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the NFC championship game. That total ranks second in NFL postseason history, behind only an Eric Dickerson 1986 performance. The 49ers agreed to a new deal with Mostert in 2020, after a trade request ensued, but the former journeyman could not recapture his postseason magic. Injuries intervened in both 2020 and ’21, with ankle and knee trouble sidelining him for much of the past two years. Mostert went down in Week 1 of last season with a knee ailment.
The Dolphins were both light in the backfield and understaffed up front last season. Miami ranked 30th in rushing in 2021, limiting an offense already restricted by wide receiver unavailability. The team is working to improve here, and these additions appear set to cut into Myles Gaskin and Duke Johnson‘s opportunities under McDaniel.
Raiders To Sign CB Anthony Averett
Not long after trading for Rock Ya-Sin, the Raiders have another new cornerback en route. They reached an agreement to add ex-Raven Anthony Averett, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets.
Averett started a career-high 14 games for the Ravens last season, doing so in a year in which the team lost starters Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey. A former fourth-round pick, Averett boosted his value despite the Ravens’ collective step back.
The Alabama alum played 90% of Baltimore’s defensive snaps, allowing a 55% completion rate and 77.5 passer rating when targeted. Averett notched three interceptions and 11 passes defensed. Prior to 2021, Averett had started seven career games. The 6-foot cover man’s usage rate has steadily increased in each season, and he will have a chance to compete for regular work in Las Vegas.
Ya-Sin and Averett join a Vegas secondary in transition on the outside at corner. The team cut bait on 2020 first-rounder Damon Arnette and has standout Casey Hayward unsigned. Trayvon Mullen is going into a contract year. With new decision-makers taking over, the Raiders may not be done making changes at this spot.
Jets Sign TE Tyler Conklin
The Jets have added another tight end. The team is signing Tyler Conklin, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). It’s a three-year deal worth $21MM, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter).
[RELATED: Jets To Sign TE C.J. Uzomah]
The former fifth-round pick had spent his entire career with the Vikings, missing only a single regular season game in his four years with the team. Conklin mostly served as a blocker and special team specialist, but he had a breakout offensive season in 2021. The 26-year-old finished the campaign with 61 catches for 593 yards and three touchdowns.
In New York, he’ll be joining a revamepd depth chart that’s led by free agent signing C.J. Uzomah. The Jets are also rostering Ryan Griffin, Trevon Wesco, Kenny Yeboah, and Brandon Dillon, while Tyler Kroft is currently a free agent. Conklin will likely slide in behind Uzomah.
Uzomah’s former team, the Bengals, were among the organizations pursuing Conklin before he landed in New York (per Garafolo on Twitter).