Minor NFL Transactions: 4/28/21
Today’s minor moves:
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: OT Elijah Nkansah, P Austin Rehkow, OT Casey Tucker
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-Signed: OL Tom Compton
Bengals Decline Billy Price’s Option
The Bengals will not exercise Billy Price‘s fifth-year option (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). With that, the 2018 first-round draft pick is now on track to reach free agency after the 2021 season. 
[RELATED: 2022 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
Price, the No. 21 overall pick in the ’18 draft, struggled as a rookie. The Ohio State product played in just ten games due to a lower leg injury and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-worst full-time center. When he healed up in 2019, he lost his spot to veteran Trey Hopkins, a one-time UDFA.
This past season, Price was healthy and able to dress for all 16 games, but he started just once. The Bengals’ decision was no surprise — keeping Price for 2022 would have cost the Bengals $10.41MM. And, thanks to the latest collective bargaining agreement, that sum would have been fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only.
NFL teams have until May 3 to pick up their options on 2018 first-rounders. In addition to full guarantees, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a new formula which accounts for the player’s position, initial draft placement, accolades, and playing time.
Buccaneers Re-Sign Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown is back with the Bucs. On Wednesday morning, the wide receiver agreed to a brand new one-year deal worth up to $6.25MM (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo). 
The deal includes $3.1MM fully guaranteed with $2MM coming in the form of a signing bonus. The remaining half of the $6.25MM can be achieved through incentives, though it’s not clear what those benchmarks are or how achievable they will be. Regardless, it’s a solid outcome for Brown, who had no known suitors outside of the incumbent Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers signed Brown in late October, though they had to wait until Week 9 for his suspension to end. That original deal paid just $1MM in base salary and bonuses, with the potential to reach as much as $2.5MM. But, because the Bucs won the Super Bowl, AB earned an additional $750K bonus, plus more for his catch total.
In eight games, Brown recorded 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns. Extrapolated for a full 16-game season, he would have been on pace for 90 catches, 966 yards, and eight touchdowns. It’s worth noting that 20 of his 45 catches came in the final three weeks of the regular season, a sign that there could be many more highlights in store for AB and TB.
The Buccaneers managed to keep most of the band together after the Super Bowl, but Brown was a conspicuous straggler. Now, he’s back in the fold to join Tom Brady, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rob Gronkowski for a repeat run.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/27/21
Today’s minor transactions:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: TE Carson Williams
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: DL Josiah Coatney
The Williams signing is a fun one. He split four seasons of collegiate basketball between Northern Kentucky and Western Kentucky. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound forward averaged 11.2 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, and 1.3 assists per game during his collegiate career. Jimmy Durkin of The Athletic tweets that Williams hasn’t played football since the 8th grade, although he did participate at Western Kentucky’s pro day.
Bears Pick Up Roquan Smith’s 2022 Option
The Bears are set to exercise Roquan Smith‘s fifth-year option (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). As shown in our fifth-year option tracker for 2018 first-round picks, the linebacker is slated to make $9.735MM in ’22.
[RELATED: 2022 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
Smith, the No. 8 overall pick in the ’18 class, has started in 42 of his 44 games for the Bears. Last year, he enjoyed a breakout season as he compiled 139 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, four sacks, seven passes defensed, and 2 interceptions. Some of this offseason’s fifth-year options decisions are tricky, but this one was basically a no-brainer for the Bears.
Bears GM Ryan Pace hasn’t hit on all of his first-round picks, but Smith has worked out better than the likes of wide receiver Kevin White or quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Technically, Smith is the second of Pace’s four first-rounders to get their option picked up, though Leonard Floyd was released before he could play his fifth year in Chicago.
Steelers Pick Up Minkah Fitzpatrick’s Option
The Steelers will exercise Minkah Fitzpatrick‘s fifth-year option (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The safety is now set to earn $10.612MM in 2022.
[RELATED: 2022 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
In 2019, the Steelers shipped first-, fifth-, and sixth-round picks to the Dolphins for Fitzpatrick and a pair of Day 3 picks. It’s no surprise to see that the Steelers have extended the arrangement, especially after Fitzpatrick earned his second straight All-Pro nod. In 16 games (all starts), Fitzpatrick tallied four interceptions, 79 total stops, and eleven passes defensed. He also took one of those interceptions back for a pick six, giving him four career defensive TDs.
Per the new rules for the fifth-year option, Fitzpatrick’s 2022 salary is fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/27/21
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: G Ike Boettger (RFA)
Dolphins Trade Ereck Flowers To WFT
The Dolphins have agreed to trade Ereck Flowers to the Washington Football Team (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The guard will head to D.C. in a swap of late-round picks. 
The deal frees up cap room for the Dolphins, who will have to allocate lots of dollars to their oversized draft class. On Thursday, they’ll start things off with two first-round choices at No. 6 and No. 18 overall.
Meanwhile, Washington gets to reunite with a familiar face. Flowers couldn’t hack it as an offensive tackle in the NFL, but he has reinvented himself as a guard. In 2019, he parlayed a strong showing as Washington’s LG into a three-year, $30MM contract with the Dolphins last year. It was more money than anyone expected for Flowers, though there weren’t many quality lineman on the board. After the Redskins locked down Brandon Scherff and the Patriots took Joe Thuney off of the market with a surprise franchise tag, Flowers was looking better than ever to teams in need of interior help.
Flowers stayed on the interior in Miami, serving as their starting LG in all 14 of his games. He earned decent marks from Pro Football Focus — his 65.9 overall score had him tied as the No. 32 guard in the NFL.
With two years to go on his deal, the former first-round pick is set to earn $9MM in 2021.
Packers To Pick Up CB Jaire Alexander’s Fifth-Year Option
No surprise on this one. The Packers are expected to pick up the fifth-year option on cornerback Jaire Alexander, general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters (via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky on Twitter).
As the reporter notes, the only question is if the team can sign their All-Pro to a contract extension. Alexander’s fifth-year option is valued at $13.294MM thanks to him making the Pro Bowl in 2020, and the defensive back will surely see a pay raise (along with long-term security) in any extension.
Alexander, the 18th-overall pick in the 2018 draft, was more than solid through his first two years in the NFL, including a 2018 campaign where he received All-Rookie team honors. The cornerback started earning some league-wide accolades in 2020, including a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro recognition. The 24-year-old ultimately finished the campaign having compiled 51 tackles, 13 passes defended, one interception, one sack, and one forced fumble in 15 starts. He also came up big during the postseason, snagging a pair of interceptions in two games.
The Packers have been busy retaining their cornerbacks corps this offseaosn. They re-signed starter Kevin King, and they also brought back restricted free agent Chandon Sullivan. This trio will join former second-rounder Josh Jackson and perhaps a rookie on the Packers depth chart.
Washington Exercises DT Daron Payne’s Fifth-Year Option
Washington is committing to Daron Payne for the 2022 season. The team has exercised the fifth-year option on the defensive tackle, reports Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post (via Twitter). The option is valued at $8.529MM.
The former 13th-overall pick started all 16 games and earned All-Rookie Team honors in 2018, but he had an up-and-down sophomore campaign in 2019, starting only nine of his 15 contests. He rebounded this past year, starting all 16 games and finishing with 54 tackles, three sacks, and three forced fumbles. Payne was also a standout during Washington’s playoff loss to the Buccaneers, finishing with a pair of sacks and a forced fumble.
In total, the 23-year-old (24 in May) has collected 166 tackles, 10 sacks, and 20 QB hits in 47 career game (41 starts).
Washington has been busy adding to their defensive line in recent years; they’ve used a first-round pick on a defensive lineman in each of the past four drafts. Payne will start alongside 2017 first-round pick Jonathan Allen, with the likes of Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle competing for backup reps.