Lions Sign WR/KR Darius Jennings
The Lions have signed wide receiver Darius Jennings, per a club announcement. In a related move, center Drake Jackson has been waived. 
Jennings entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Browns back in 2015. After starting out on the practice squad, the Virginia product earned his promotion. he caught 14 passes for 117 yards in four games, showcasing speed and potential for GMs around the league.
The next couple of years were spent on various practice squads before he resurfaced with the Titans in 2018. Operating as Tennessee’s kick returner that season, he took kick 94 yards and all the way to the house. His 31.7 yards per return average led the league in ’18, but the Titans jockeyed him on and off the roster in ’19.
Jennings, 29, was set to play with the Chargers last year but that deal didn’t last. If he sees the field in Detroit, it’ll mark his first live action since 2019.
Falcons Sign D’Onta Foreman
The Falcons have signed running back D’Onta Foreman, per a club announcement. The former UT standout will now battle for a spot on the roster with just a few weeks to prove himself before final cuts.
Foreman, a 2017 third-round pick of the Texans, saw time in ten games as a rookie, notching 327 rushing yards and two scores on 78 carries. The Texans saw him as a possible heir to Lamar Miller in the backfield, but his season was cut short by an Achilles tear. His 2018 follow-up was limited to just one game and he was subsequently released.
Foreman then had a cup of coffee with the Colts, but sat as a free agent for all of 2019. In 2020, he caught on with the Titans and tallied 22 totes for 95 yards – good for 4.3 yards per carry in a very limited sample. For his career, Foreman has 421 yards rushing and a decent 3.9 ypc average.
For now, Foreman will practice alongside veteran Mike Davis, wide receiver-turned-running back Cordarrelle Patterson, and 2019 fifth-rounder Qadree Ollison.
Colts, Darius Leonard Agree To Extension
7:31pm: Guarantee-wise, it does not look like Leonard’s deal will be quite as lucrative as Mosley’s. The Colts linebacker will see $33MM fully guaranteed, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets. That comes in $10MM below Mosley’s figure, which could be expected given that the Jets linebacker was a free agent when he inked that deal in 2019.
Factoring in the injury guarantees, Leonard’s extension does lead all off-ball linebackers; the Colts included $53MM guaranteed overall. Leonard’s full $20MM signing bonus will be paid by March 2022, JLC adds. Overall, Leonard’s extension checks in at $98.5MM base valeu, per OverTheCap, but it can max out at $99.3MM through weekly bonuses and Pro Bowl incentives.
8:07am: The Colts and star linebacker Darius Leonard have agreed to a five-year, $99.25MM extension, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). Leonard is now the highest-paid off-ball LB in the league.
Leonard and 49ers ‘backer Fred Warner, both selected in the 2018 draft, became extension-eligible at the end of the 2020 campaign, and because they were not first-round choices, they were slated for free agency next spring. So it was imperative for their respective clubs to extend their defensive cornerstones sooner rather than later, and after Warner signed a five-year, $95MM pact last month, it felt like only a matter of time before the Colts and Leonard came together on a slightly more lucrative accord.
Indeed, we heard on July 21 that the two sides were close to a new deal, but as Rapoport adds in a separate tweet, negotiations came to a standstill over the past several weeks. It’s unclear exactly what the holdup was, but perhaps it had to do with guarantees and cash flow.
As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com reports, Leonard did not just set the off-ball LB market in terms of average annual value ($19.85MM). His $52.5MM in guaranteed money edges out the $51MM that C.J. Mosley pulled down from the Jets several years ago, and the $60MM that he will receive over the first three years of the deal tops Warner’s $58.7MM (Twitter link).
Leonard, 26, is certainly worthy of that type of commitment. He earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2018, and in his first three years as a pro, he has made three Pro Bowls and earned two First Team All-Pro nods. Although Pro Football Focus did not think as highly of his run defense or pass coverage in 2020 as it did in the prior two years, he consistently ranks among the best LBs in football in terms of both advanced metrics and raw stats. Since entering the league, Leonard leads all inside linebackers in tackles per game (9.9), TFL per game (one), sacks (15), forced fumbles (nine), and he is second in interceptions (seven) (h/t Field Yates of ESPN.com on Twitter).
In short, he is an elite defender and an indispensable piece of Indy’s front seven. He is now being paid like it.
Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio first reported that a deal was either done or close to being done (Twitter link).
Cardinals Sign RB Ito Smith
A second member of the Falcons’ 2020 running back trio has found a home. The Cardinals agreed to a deal with Ito Smith, whom the Falcons waived in April.
Smith joins Brian Hill in securing a landing spot, with Hill catching on with the Titans in May. Todd Gurley remains a free agent. Smith will join a team transitioning in the backfield. A year after trading David Johnson to the Texans, the Cardinals allowed Kenyan Drake to defect to the Raiders in free agency.
Arizona has Chase Edmonds and James Conner in place as its top running backs. The team appears set to give each considerable work this year. With Conner having struggled with injuries throughout his career, Smith profiles as veteran insurance.
A 2018 fourth-round pick out of Southern Miss, Smith has accumulated just 175 career carries. Sixty-three of those came in 2020, when the Falcons diminished Gurley’s workload down the stretch. Smith averaged 4.3 yards per carry last season, totaling 268 rushing yards and a touchdown. He has six career TDs, with four of those coming as a rookie — a season that featured Devonta Freeman barely see the field due to injury. Smith finished his college career with back-to-back 1,400-yard rushing seasons.
Arizona waived running back Khalfani Muhammad and safety Lorenzo Burns as well. Burns spent most of the past two weeks on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list.
Dolphins, Xavien Howard Agree To Reworked Contract
Xavien Howard is staying in Miami. The Dolphins and their star cornerback have agreed to a restructured deal that gives Howard more earning power, as Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network was first to report (via Twitter).
This was the expected outcome after we learned yesterday that Howard had returned to practice. And while this transaction is believed to mark the first time in league history that a player with four years remaining on his contract has received new money and guarantees — without a full-blown extension, at least — it doesn’t seem like a particularly onerous commitment from Miami’s perspective.
The Dolphins fully guaranteed Howard’s 2021 salary of $12.785MM and added $3.5MM in incentives tied to playing time and a Pro Bowl or All-Pro appearance, as veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson details (Twitter link). Plus, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com report, Howard will see $6.775MM of his $12.975MM 2022 pay fully-guaranteed right away. The remainder is guaranteed for injury for now and will become fully-guaranteed on the first day of the 2022 league year (Twitter links). Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network tweets that the club is also waiving the $93K of fines that Howard incurred for holding out of minicamp.
Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that the Dolphins have assured Howard that they will return to the negotiating table in February or March of 2022 (Twitter link via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald). Of course, Howard will need to stay healthy and continue to perform at a high level, and one hopes that player and team are aligned on the potential outcomes of a renegotiation next year. For instance, if Howard believes the team is open to an extension but the team is thinking more along the lines of another restructure, the relationship could sour quickly.
When Howard signed his current deal in 2019, he was the highest-paid corner in the league. But his current $15MM/year average now ranks just sixth at the position, and as he led the NFL with 10 interceptions last year and graded out as the second-best CB in the league per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, he was pushing for a pay bump and requested a trade to force the issue.
Ultimately, the fact that he was still under club control for four years limited what the Dolphins were willing to do, but the team is certainly happy to have its top defender back on the field and at peace with his contract status. The adjustments Miami made to Howard’s deal seem like a small price to pay for that.
Patriots’ Raekwon McMillan Tears ACL
Patriots linebacker Raekwon McMillan tore his ACL while practicing earlier this week (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). That marks the second ACL tear of McMillan’s career and the end of his 2021 season. is the second torn ACL for the former #Dolphins 2nd round pick, but this time on the other knee. 
This time around, it’s McMillan’s other knee. It’s another frustrating setback for the former Dolphins second-round pick who was once ticketed for a sizable role in Miami’s front seven.
McMillan spent the early part of his career with the Dolphins before being shipped to the Raiders in August of 2020. He came off the bench in most games, finishing the year with 27 stops and one forced fumble.
Before that, he flashed at times in South Beach and even ranked as the Dolphins’ best defensive player in 2019, per to Pro Football Focus. The Dolphins considered a long-term extension for him at one point but, ultimately, they were unwilling to commit, especially at the height of the pandemic.
Despite his ups, downs, and suspect pass coverage, the Patriots were excited to add him on a one-year deal earlier this year. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to join fellow newcomer Matt Judon in the LB group – at least, not until 2022.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/7/21
We’ll keep track of minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Aleva Hifo
- Released: WR Isaac Whitney
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: RB Bo Scarbrough
- Waived: OT Devery Hamilton
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DT Chris Okoye
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Edmond Robinson
- Waived: WR Matt Cole
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DL Davin Bellamy
- Retired: DL Anthony Zettel
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Jordan Roos
- Placed on IR: WR Cody Hollister
Jaguars To Sign WR Tavon Austin
The Jaguars have agreed to sign wide receiver/kick returner Tavon Austin (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s likely a low-cost, one-year deal. 
Austin signed with the 49ers in August of 2020, but was placed on injured reserve before the season started. After his release, he hooked on with the Packers. At the time of signing, the Packers didn’t seem to have much depth at WR beyond Davante Adams, but Austin didn’t see a ton of action on offense. All in all, he finished with five catches for 20 yards across four games.
Austin, the eighth overall pick of the 2013 draft, has been used more as a gadget player and returner than a true receiver in recent years. He may still offer big play ability, although at 31 he’s not quite as explosive as he used to be. Austin may get a chance to return punts for the Jaguars, but he’ll have to solidify his roster spot over the next few weeks.
Bills Sign Josh Allen To $258MM Extension
It’s a done deal. On Friday, the Bills signed Josh Allen to a six-year contract extension. The deal is worth $258MM in total with $150MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). That includes $100M fully guaranteed upon signing, the largest in the history of the sport (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
Allen is now signed through the 2028 season with a deal to reflect his performance. Last year, the 25-year-old set the Bills’ single-season franchise records for touchdown passes (37), completions (396), completion rate (69.2), passing yards (4,544), and total TDs (46). If not for Aaron Rodgers‘ even more impressive season, Allen would have been the NFL’s 2020 MVP.
The forthcoming details of the deal will reveal Allen’s true standing among the league’s highest-paid QBs. However, it’s expected that the deal will include a team-friendly structure to help the Bills’ cap situation in the short term. He seems to have leapfrogged Cowboys star Dak Prescott in both average annual value and guarantees — Prescott’s four-year, $160MM pact puts him at $40MM per year with $126MM in guaranteed cash.
The Bills did well to lock up Allen before other QBs got their deals. Of the three quarterbacks who have landed on the extension radar this offseason — Allen, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield — Allen is coming off the best season. He didn’t start his pro career quite like Jackson or Mayfield, but he has steadily improved, leading up to last year’s dominant showing.
Allen, fresh off Second Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections, now ranks as one of the highest-paid players in NFL history.
Giants’ Zach Fulton Retires From NFL
Another day, another Giants retirement. Offensive lineman Zach Fulton has decided to step away from the game, as Tom Rock of Newsday tweets. 
Fulton joins veteran linebacker Todd Davis and fellow offensive lineman Joe Looney as recent Giants retirees. Fulton hooked on with the Giants in late March, shortly after he was cut by the Texans. He started in at least 13 games across his three Texans seasons. And, this past year, he was first-string for all 16.
Fulton didn’t set the world on fire in Houston, but he profiled as a worthwhile and experienced hand for the Giants’ offensive line. Last year, Pro Football Focus had him tied as the No. 42 guard in the NFL — good enough for a starter. And, in 2019, PFF ranked him as one of the best pass-blocking guards in the league, though his weak run-blocking marks brought down his overall score.
Fulton leaves the game after seven seasons and 107 appearances (including 90 starts). Not bad for a former sixth-round pick. Meanwhile, his retirement also raises questions about the nature of the Giants’ training camp practices. However, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears that Fulton, like Looney, simply felt that his body could no longer withstand the rigors of football.