Saints Waive K Brett Maher
The Saints cycled through a host of kickers in their attempt to replace Wil Lutz last season. Brett Maher ended up being the one to stick, playing eight games and finishing the season. But the team made a move in preparation for Lutz’s presumptive return.
New Orleans waived Maher on Tuesday. While this move makes Maher available to the 31 other teams, the former Cowboys kicker did not see game action between his November 2019 Dallas exit and the November 2021 New Orleans arrival.
Maher enjoyed two stints as a Saint, first catching on in August. A groin injury halted that stay, but after New Orleans’ procession of regular-season Lutz replacements — Aldrick Rosas, Brian Johnson, Cody Parkey — did not perform up to par, the team pivoted back to Maher. The strong-legged specialist was 16-for-18 on field goals and made 10 of 12 extra points. Maher remains the only kicker in NFL history to make three 60-plus-yard field goals.
Lutz aggravated a groin injury in August that ended up nixing his season. The Saints’ regular kicker attempted to come back in October, returning to practice, but a setback shut him down for the season’s entirety. Lutz signed a five-year, $20.25MM extension in 2019. He is under contract through 2023 and set to count $5.6MM against New Orleans’ cap in 2022.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/22/22
Here are Tuesday’s reserve/futures deals:
Chicago Bears
- LB Noah Dawkins
Cincinnati Bengals
- WR Trent Taylor
Green Bay Packers
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
Tennessee Titans
- WR Josh Malone
Texans To Extend LS Jon Weeks
No Houston Texans player has reached a 13th season with the franchise. Jon Weeks is now in position to do so.
The veteran long snapper agreed to a one-year extension Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Weeks was on track for free agency but is now signed through the 2022 season.
This agreement puts the former UDFA in position to surpass Andre Johnson as the longest-tenured player in Texans history. Johnson played in Houston from 2003-14; he and Weeks are the only 12-year Texans in franchise annals.
Weeks, 36, has never missed a game and has long since passed Johnson for the most games played in team history. Houston’s 17-game 2021 season pushed Weeks to the 193-game mark. No other player has suited up for 170 contests with the Texans. A 2015 Pro Bowler, Weeks played last season under the customary long snapper salary parameters. After playing for $1.2MM last season, Weeks is likely to return at around the veteran minimum in 2022.
Chiefs Release LB Anthony Hitchens
The Chiefs have made a cost-cutting move on defense. Per a team announcement, they are releasing veteran linebacker Anthony Hitchens. 
“When I first became general manager, one of the first moves I wanted to make was to bring in Anthony Hitchens”, said Brett Veach. “We knew how intelligent, hard working and consistent he was as a player, and we knew he’d become a selfless leader. He was that and more. He has all the intangibles and was an integral piece in our franchise winning a Super Bowl title. We appreciate everything he’s done for the organization and wish him the best as he continues his career”.
Head coach Andy Reid added: “I really enjoyed the opportunity to coach Anthony over the last four years. He’s as tough as they come in this league and is a team-first player. I appreciate the way he came to work… but also his willingness to teach the younger guys around him”.
Hitchens was scheduled to have a base salary of $7.8MM in 2022, the final year of his contract. His cap hit, however, would have been just over $12.6MM. The move saves the Chiefs more than $8.4MM, nearly tripling the cap space the team had prior to today.
The 29-year-old signed a five year, $45MM deal with Kansas City in 2018. That came after four seasons in Dallas, who drafted him in the fourth round out of Iowa. He flashed plenty of potential with the Cowboys despite only playing a full season once. His inaugural campaign in Kansas City saw him record a career-best 135 tackles, including seven for a loss, along with two QB hits and one forced fumble. In the proceeding years, he proved to be a consistent presence in the middle of the defense, albeit with a reduced snap count.
With fellow linebacker Ben Niemann a pending free agent, this move opens the door to Willie Gay Jr. and Nick Bolton taking on even more responsibility moving forward. Second round picks from the past two drafts, Bolton in particular has shown he is capable of a larger workload in the future. Linebacker could, of course, also be a position of focus in the coming weeks as well as the draft.
Lions Re-Sign LB Josh Woods
The Lions have brought back another player they were impressed with in 2021, this time on the defensive side of the ball. Linebacker Josh Woods has re-signed with Detroit, per a team announcement. David Birkett of The Detroit Free Press adds that it is a one-year deal.
[Related: Lions Re-Sign FB Jason Cabinda]
The 25-year-old began his career with the Bears, signing there as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He played as a safety during a four-year college career at Maryland, but transitioned to linebacker to try and latch onto an NFL roster. He played 46 total defensive snaps in Chicago, but established himself as an effective special teamer during his time there.
Woods signed with the Lions this past September, off of the Bears’ practice squad. While he still primarily played on special teams – quickly emerging as one of the team’s best players in that role – he did start to see time on defense. After injuries to starters Alex Anzalone and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, he saw the heaviest workload of his career, making a team-leading 13 tackles in Week 14. Not long after, though, he suffered a season-ending neck injury.
With both Anzalone and Reeves-Maybin set to be free agents, Birken notes that “Woods could compete for time on defense next season”. While the team does intend to keep Anzalone in particular, Woods’ play in the Motor City has earned him at least one more season of trying to establish a full-time defensive role.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/21/22
Here are today’s minor moves in the NFL:
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Marvell Tell
Vikings Hire Matt Daniels As ST Coordinator
Kevin O’Connell‘s staff has another addition. The Vikings have hired Matt Daniels as their new special teams coordinator, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
Daniels, 32, had a four-year playing career in the NFL, split between the Rams, Jaguars and Chargers. Undrafted out of Duke, he was almost exclusively used on special teams while bouncing on and off of practice squads. Three years after his playing days were over, he began coaching in 2018.
Daniels’ first location on the sidelines was the same as his first home on the field. He worked as an assistant special teams coach with the Rams for two seasons. That led him to the Cowboys, where he held the same title for an additional two campaigns. This will be his first time leading a ST unit at the college or NFL level.
In 2021, the Vikings ranked 13th in the league in DVOA on special teams. That was actually a slightly higher ranking than their offensive and defensive units, but still a middle-of-the-pack performance indicative of the team as a whole. Daniels represents a young, comparatively inexperienced coach to lead the unit – not unlike the selection of Wes Phillips as offensive coordinator. With those two, along with O’Connell himself serving as an NFL head coach for the first time, there will be a steep learning curve as the team looks to return to NFC contention.
Steelers Hire Brian Flores As LBs Coach
Less than a month after filing a lawsuit against the NFL and four of its teams, Brian Flores has landed a job. The Steelers announced Saturday they added the former Dolphins head coach to their staff.
Flores will serve as a senior defensive assistant on Mike Tomlin‘s staff, heading up the team’s linebacking corps. Prior to going to Miami in 2019, Flores finished his lengthy New England tenure as the Patriots’ linebackers coach.
“I am excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL,” Tomlin said. “Brian’s resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team.”
Flores is not dropping his suit against the NFL, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Not long after the Giants hired Brian Daboll, Flores filed his racial discrimination suit. The NFL is investigating the Dolphins as a result of Flores’ claim that owner Stephen Ross offered him six-figure bonus payments for losses in 2019. Flores also named the Broncos and Texans in his explosive suit. All four organizations have denied Flores’ accusations.
The three-year Miami HC and 15-year New England assistant was not on Pittsburgh’s interview list for its recently filled defensive coordinator position. The team promoted Teryl Austin to its DC post last month. The Steelers, who are coming off their fifth straight season leading the NFL in sacks, will now feature one of the more experienced defensive staffs in modern NFL history. Flores went 24-25 as Dolphins HC but led the team to back-to-back winning seasons to close out his tenure. The Dolphins have since replaced him with former 49ers OC Mike McDaniel.
The Bears, Giants, Saints and Texans each interviewed Flores for their HC jobs during this cycle, one that came after the Dolphins surprisingly cut his tenure short hours after the team finished a rare sweep of the Patriots. Despite Flores’ lawsuit, the Texans included him among the finalists for their HC position. The team, however, went with an off-the-board hire by announcing Lovie Smith‘s promotion. Flores soon included the Texans as the fourth team in his suit.
This move will also reunite Flores with Minkah Fitzpatrick, whom the Dolphins traded early in the 2019 season. Miami drafted Fitzpatrick in the 2018 first round, prior to Flores’ arrival, and the talented safety clashed with Flores and his staff a year and change into his career. One season remains on the All-Pro defender’s deal, though the Steelers can be expected to extend him this year. The Steelers will also face the Dolphins next season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/18/22
Today’s minor moves:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: G Jordan Meredith
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DE Daeshon Hall, FB John Lovett
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/17/22
Here are Thursday’s reserve/futures deals:
Las Vegas Raiders
Miami Dolphins