Cardinals Re-Sign WR A.J. Green
After bouncing back to contribute for the first playoff-qualifying Cardinals team in six years, A.J. Green is staying put. The 12th-year veteran agreed to re-sign with the Cards on a one-year deal, according to the team. Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reports that the contract is worth up to $3.5MM, with $3MM of that total guaranteed (Twitter link). Green can earn the remaining $500K in per-game active roster bonuses, and the deal also includes two voidable years for cap purposes.
This will give Green a chance to play an age-34 season; the former perennial Pro Bowler will turn 34 in July. Green is coming off a season in which he played 16 games, helping a Cardinals club that was without DeAndre Hopkins for much of the year. With Christian Kirk now out of the picture, Green again stands to be a key factor for Arizona’s Hopkins-led receiving corps.
Although Green’s days of 1,000-yard seasons appear to have passed, the 6-foot-4 wideout did re-emerge after a rough close to his Bengals career. After missing the 2019 season, Green posted just 523 receiving yards in 2020. This led him to the desert, but the former top-five pick caught 54 passes for 848 yards and three touchdowns. The Georgia alum posted two 100-yard games last season.
Green’s historic run of Pro Bowls to start his career (seven) stopped after the 2017 season, with injuries causing him to miss 23 games at the end of the 2010s. And he was not connected to any other teams in free agency this offseason. Thus, it is certainly interesting to see this Green-Cards partnership continue for another year.
The Cards might still be interested in wideout help, considering they will have two 30-somethings at receiver this year — Hopkins turns 30 in June — they still have Rondale Moore and Antoine Wesley rostered. Former second-round pick Andy Isabella remains on the team, but the Cardinals gave him permission to seek a trade last month. Green’s injury past and Hopkins’ 2021 setbacks should still make this a relative need, but the former’s return should certainly help the Kyler Murray-centered offense.
Seahawks To Re-Sign Geno Smith
The Seahawks have, as expected, retained backup quarterback Geno Smith. A new deal being agreed upon between the two sides was first reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz and corroborated by USA Today’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link). 
ESPN’s Jeremey Fowler details that the new contract is one year in length, and has a maximum value of $7MM (Twitter link). That represents a sizable raise for the 31-year-old, who had previously earned no more than $1.2MM in a single season during his tenure in Seattle.
Smith stepped in for the injured Russell Wilson midway through the 2021 campaign. In four total appearances (including three starts), he threw for 702 yards and five touchdowns, completing over 68% of his passes. While the team only won one of those games, Smith’s level of play was higher than that during most of his NFL tenure.
It came as little surprise, then, that head coach Pete Carroll publicly stated the team’s intention to re-sign him. While the Seahawks also have former Bronco Drew Lock as a result of the Wilson trade, Smith is expected to compete for the starting role, something reflected by the financial value of this new pact.
This deal, of course, doesn’t guarantee that Seattle is set with those two at the top of the depth chart for 2022. The team has been named (as recently as yesterday) as a potential trade destination for the likes of Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo; they also hosted Desmond Ridder for a draft visit, signalling that they could be willing to select a future franchise signal-caller. Regardless of their future plans, they will clearly have a familiar face available to serve as, at a minimum, an experienced backup.
Packers To Sign WR Sammy Watkins
1:14PM: Not surprisingly, the two sides have indeed been able to reach an agreement on a deal. Watkins is signing a one-year contract worth up to $4MM (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).
1:07PM: One of the teams most in need of wide receiver additions is meeting with one of the top remaining free agents at the position. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports (on Twitter) that Sammy Watkins is visiting the Packers today. 
Green Bay has been able to retain most of the key players on their NFC-leading team from 2021. Two of the most notable departures, though, are of course Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. That has left the team in search of multiple replacements for their pass-catching corps; given the current state of the free agent market, many expected the draft to become the Packers’ main area of focus.
Watkins is on a small list of notable veterans still available, though. He, along with Julio Jones, Jarvis Landry and Will Fuller could all be on the move around, or just after, the draft. The Packers would represent Watkins’ fifth career team, as he spent the 2021 campaign with the Ravens after three years in Kansas City. That, in turn, was preceded by a single season with the Rams and three with the Bills. Since his lone 1,000 yard campaign in Buffalo, he has established himself as a consistent secondary option in the passing game.
Green Bay would still have some familiar faces for the former fourth-overall pick. Head coach Matt Lafleur was the Rams’ offensive coordinator during his lone season there in 2017. Likewise, WRs coach Jason Vrable worked with Watkins as an offensive staffer when he was in Buffalo. If he were to sign, the 28-year-old would add experienced depth to the WR room, while leaving the door open to at least one other noteworthy addition, either in free agency or the draft.
49ers To Sign Kemoko Turay
Not long after meeting with San Francisco, edge rusher Kemoko Turay has found his next NFL home. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that he is signing a one-year contract with the 49ers (Twitter link). 
Turay, 26, sat down with the team one week ago, so this deal comes as little surprise. He had also visited the Falcons, but they clearly had more interest in linebacker Rashaan Evans, who has since signed with Atlanta. It didn’t take long for Turay to pivot to the Bay Area.
A second-round pick in 2018, Turay saw more playing time in his rookie season than any of his other three. Never able to break out as a full-time starter, he still put together a productive campaign in 2021. In 13 games (and only 224 snaps), he totalled a career-high 5.5 sacks. That, coupled with his age, made him an intriguing low-cost addition.
In San Francisco, Turay will join a defensive line headed by the likes of Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead. He should fill at least some of the void left by the expected departure of Dee Ford. Indianapolis, meanwhile, will lean on 2021 first-rounder Kwity Paye as well as offseason trade acquisition Yannick Ngakoue at the top of their pass-rush depth chart.
Lions, S DeShon Elliott Agree To Deal
DeShon Elliott visited the Lions on Wednesday; the meeting produced an agreement. The former Ravens safety will join the Lions on a one-year contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Elliott’s deal could max out at $3.65MM, USA Today’s Josina Anderson tweets.
A sixth-round 2018 draftee, Elliott became a full-time starter after the Ravens’ Earl Thomas experiment went south before the 2020 season. Elliott started 22 games with Baltimore beginning with that 2020 slate, a 16-start year for the ex-Texas Longhorn. Elliott will join a Lions team that recently re-signed Tracy Walker.
Elliott made 80 tackles, recorded 2.5 sacks and forced two fumbles during the 2020 season. He is coming off an injury-marred 2021 slate. The soon-to-be 25-year-old defender suffered pectoral and bicep tears midway through last season, shutting him down for the year. This continued an injury-riddled slate for a Ravens secondary that also lost Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey. Elliott also spent his entire rookie season on IR.
Baltimore signaled it was moving on from Elliott with its latest big-ticket safety signing — a five-year deal with Marcus Williams. Not typically a big-spending team in free agency, the Ravens have made exceptions at safety. Williams follows Thomas, Tony Jefferson and Eric Weddle as Raven signings at the position since 2016. The Elliott-Chuck Clark pairing represented a deviation from the organization’s big-name strategy at safety.
This Elliott agreement may also mean the Lions’ visit with Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton will not lead to a rare top-two safety investment in the draft. The Lions scheduled a visit with Hamilton for this week, though the former Fighting Irish defender is not viewed as likely to be chosen second overall. Detroit now has Elliott, Walker and 17-game 2021 starter Will Harris under contract at safety.
Raiders, Derek Carr Agree To $121MM+ Deal
5:12pm: Carr’s contract contains a $65.5MM injury guarantee, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer, and the deal will give the ninth-year veteran a $5.2MM raise in 2022 (Twitter link). Carr will make $24.9MM fully guaranteed in 2022, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes.
A key date comes after Super Bowl LVII. Three days after the Super Bowl, Carr will see $40.5MM — his $33MM 2023 salary and $7.5MM of his 2024 pay — become fully guaranteed, Breer tweets. This would give the Raiders a small window to work out a trade in 2023, but Carr’s no-trade clause gives him final say on any potential escape-hatch deal for the team.
9:33am: The Raiders and Derek Carr have agreed to terms on a three-year extension worth $121.5MM (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). With that, the Raiders’ star quarterback will remain in place through the 2025 season. 
Carr’s deal includes a no-trade clause (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo), a rarity in the NFL enjoyed by only about a dozen players. All together, Carr is set to earn $141.3MM over the next four years, with $100MM of it coming in the next three seasons, per Garafolo. That’s player-friendly cashflow for Carr, who was fighting for his Raiders future just a couple of years ago.
It’s the latest splash in the Raiders’ busy offseason, following their acquisition of wide receiver Davante Adams. Ultimately, GM Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels have kept much of the core in tact while revamping the team after a tumultuous 2021.
Carr’s $40.5MM new-money average puts him fifth among all quarterbacks and, as noted by NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link), he’s now the seventh member of the league’s $40MM/year club, joining Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott.
Carr, who just turned 31, had one year to go on his old deal with a cap hit of $19.8MM. After he notched a career-high 4,804 passing yards en route to his first ever playoff appearance, the Raiders were unwilling to risk losing him. Now, Carr’s got a fat new contract and an old friend in Adams, his former teammate at Fresno State.
“Derek’s fit on the team, as a player, is obviously what we’re looking for and what we’re trying to build around,” McDaniels said recently. “[When it comes to the contract,] you try and do what’s best for the team. When we get into those conversations with Derek, Derek’s going to have to make decisions about what’s best for him… There will be a sweet spot in there hopefully for everybody, and we’ll be excited to go forward like that.”
Today, the Raiders are undoubtedly excited as they’ve locked up their three-time Pro Bowler for years to come.
Jags’ Cam Robinson Signs Franchise Tender
Cam Robinson is back in the fold for the Jaguars. The team kicked off its first offseason program under Doug Pederson this week, and Robinson is on track to participate in team activities moving forward.
Despite the Jags having tagged their left tackle in back-to-back years, this situation is hardly contentious. Robinson became a somewhat surprising tag recipient in 2021 and is now attached to a fully guaranteed $16.7MM salary. The next three months will be pivotal for the former second-round pick’s future in Jacksonville.
The Jags have until July 15 to work out an extension with Robinson, who has a new O-line mate that navigated a similar situation. Although Brandon Scherff is a much higher-regarded blocker than Robinson, the latter plays a premium position. Scherff made it to free agency after being tagged twice, failing to reach an extension agreement in Washington this year and heading to Jacksonville. A third Robinson tag would check in at 144% of his 2022 salary, an untenable figure for the Jags. While Robinson’s status (zero Pro Bowls in five seasons) might not make a Jags extension unrealistic in 2023, the best bet for the Alabama alum to stay would be a deal by the July deadline.
Drafted during Tom Coughlin‘s run atop the front office, Robinson has now been tagged by two different regimes — Urban Meyer‘s brief operation and the Pederson-Trent Baalke setup. The sixth-year blocker is still just 26 and has made it back from a 2018 ACL tear to be a steady presence in Jacksonville’s lineup over the past three years.
The Jaguars’ second Robinson tag has led to understandable speculation they will not use the No. 1 overall pick on a tackle. They were previously linked to NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu, but Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is now the odds-on favorite to be the pick.
Texans To Sign Steven Nelson
The Texans have agreed to sign Steven Nelson, as Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network tweets. Once finalized, it’ll be a two-year, $10MM deal for the veteran cornerback.
A free agent in April for the second straight year, Nelson took a trip to Houston earlier this week. He’ll now join up with the Texans, moving on from a one-year stint with the Eagles. Previous to that, Nelson spent the early part of his career with the Chiefs (four seasons) and the Steelers (two seasons).
The former third-round pick worked as a starter with Philadelphia last season, just as he has for most of his career. To date, Nelson’s got 84 starts out of 98 total games.
The Texans re-signed Desmond King this offseason and they’ve also got Lonnie Johnson going into his walk year. Nelson, 29, will probably serve as a short-term answer at corner.
Nelson isn’t a world-beater, but he’s reliable — he hasn’t missed more than one game in any given season since 2017. His best recent work came in 2019 with the Steelers when he allowed a 50% completion rate and notched a 65.8 passer rating on plays where he was the closest defender. That year, his first in Pittsburgh, he ceded zero touchdowns. However, between 2020 and 2021, Nelson allowed 12 TDs.
Chargers WR Jalen Guyton, TE Donald Parham Sign ERFA Tenders
A pair of offensive skill players signed their tenders with the Chargers today. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), wide receiver Jalen Guyton and tight end Donald Parham officially inked their exclusive rights free agent tenders.
Guyton, a 2019 undrafted free agent out of North Texas, has spent the majority of his three-year career with the Chargers. He basically redshirted his rookie campaign before turning into a serviceable target for Justin Herbert over the past two seasons. In 32 games (11 starts) between the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Guyton has hauled in 59 receptions for 959 yards and six touchdowns.
After bouncing around the NFL and XFL to begin his professional career, Parham caught on with the Chargers in 2020. He’s seen time in 27 games (14 starts) over the past two years, hauling in 30 receptions for 349 yards and six touchdowns. His 2021 season ended on IR after he suffered a scary concussion in December.
The Chargers also officially announced the signing of linebacker Troy Reeder today. We learned that Reeder was inking a one-year deal with the team this past weekend.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/12/22
Today’s minor moves:
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Brandon King
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed ERFA tender: C J.C. Hassenauer
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: DL Patrick O’Connor