Uncategorized

Sheldon Richardson became the latest high profile cap casualty when the Browns released him last week to save $11MM in space.

While Cleveland wanted to clear a hefty salary off the books to help make room for Jadeveon Clowney‘s contract, it didn’t mean they were unsatisfied with Richardson as a player. In fact, when speaking to the media this week, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski left the door open for Richardson to return, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes.

“I hope there’s a scenario,” where Richardson comes back, the second-year head coach said. “Sheldon in particular played really productive football for us. He played through injuries, and he took great pride in getting to the playoffs for the first time in his career. He was a big part of that,” Stefanski raved.

“Those are the hard decisions that are made. I really want to point out that Sheldon was such a big part of what we did last year.” Richardson spent the past two seasons with the Browns, never missing a game.

He’s still only 30 and won’t lack for interest on the open market, but it sounds like a reunion is a real possibility if he’s willing to come back at a reduced price.

Although much of the NFL’s restricted free agent news will be overshadowed in the coming days, teams have until March 17 to tender their RFA crops. The prices for such moves are now set.

Here is how much it will cost for teams to tender RFAs, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).

• First-round tender: $4.766MM
• Second-round tender: $3.384MM
• Original-round tender: $2.183MM
• Right of first refusal: $2.133MM

Restricted free agents are players who have three accrued seasons. With draftees’ rookie contracts running four years, this glut of players usually comes from the undrafted ranks. The PFR Glossary has more on this topic.

In the coming days, teams like the Broncos (Phillip Lindsay, Alexander Johnson, Tim Patrick), Chiefs (Charvarius Ward, Andrew Wylie), Patriots (J.C. Jackson) and others will need to make tender decisions. Were the Patriots to place a first-round tender on Jackson, they would be entitled to a first-round pick back if they refused to match an offer sheet. Were they to tender Johnson or Lindsay at the second-round level, they would receive a second-rounder back if they passed on matching an offer.

Restricted free agents can sign offer sheets through April 23 this year.

A.J. Bouye‘s free agency tour is underway. On Monday, the veteran cornerback traveled to Las Vegas to meet with the Raiders, as Mike Klis of 9News tweets. 

Between his shoulder injury and PED suspension, Bouye was limited to just seven games last year after coming over from the Jaguars. The cornerback has two games to go on his ban, so he won’t be able to suit up for his next team until Week 3.

Bouye went from a UDFA in 2013 to one of the league’s highest paid defensive backs. After some solid seasons with the Texans, he scored a five-year, $67.5MM deal from the Jaguars in 2017. Unfortunately, Bouye didn’t live up to expectations in the long run — to be fair, most of the Jaguars’ defensive players were lackluster during that stretch. The Broncos agreed to take him on last year, in exchange for a fourth-round pick.

Bouye did impress in his first Jacksonville season, earning second-team All-Pro honors with six interceptions. There’s reason to believe that Bouye could pan out on a low-cost deal, especially since he’s still only 29, but he won’t get that chance in Denver.

It doesn’t sound like the Deshaun Watson drama is going to end any time soon. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Texans do not view the start of free agency as any type of deadline to deal their star quarterback, noting that the stare down could last for a “very, very long time.” In fact, a deal may not even happen before the draft, and some QB-needy teams are skeptical if Watson will end up getting traded at all. Free agency is set to open on March 17, and the first round of the draft is scheduled for April 29.

[RELATED: Deshaun Watson Meets With David Culley; Trade Request Remains]

NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweeted earlier today that the Texans front office “remain unwilling to discuss” Watson trades with other teams, and rival front offices have resorted to leaving voicemails with potential trade offers. SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan passesd along a similar sentiment (on Twitter), with a “high ranking personnel source” revealing that Texans GM Nick Caserio changes the subject when a Watson trade is brought up in conversation.

We learned earlier today that Watson had recently spoke with new head coach Dave Culley, but the quarterback reiterated his trade demand. Rapoport clarifies that Watson solely attended the meeting out of respect for Culley, while Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes that Watson repeated his “extremely firm stance” during the brief talk. According to Wilson, Watson told the head coach that “I don’t want to be here.”

Watson’s massive $156MM deal (with $111MM guaranteed) would appear to diminish any of his leverage, but Wilson writes that the three-time Pro Bowler had stated that he won’t play another snap with the organization. Despite this situation closing in on the two-month mark, it sounds like we won’t be getting any type of resolution any time soon.

Allen Robinson has been the Bears’No. 1 chain-mover since 2018. Now, the Pro Bowler could be weeks away from free agency. Of course, it’s not a given that he’ll get there. The Bears could keep Robinson from the market with a pricey multi-year extension. Or, they could cuff him for another year with the franchise tag. So far, the two sides haven’t much progress on Scenario 1.

[RELATED: Bears Did Not Make Offer For Wentz]

“My personal opinion, if something could possibly work? Yes,” Robinson said (via Tyler Dunne of Go Long). “I’m not opposed to being back in Chicago by any means. I’ve even expressed that over the last couple of years — wanting to be the all-time leading receiver in Chicago which, I believe, I’m under 2,000 yards away from that. With all that being said, unfortunately we’ve come to what seems to be a fork in the road. But not even a fork. We haven’t even been given a viable option to be able to do those things that we want to do without sacrificing a ridiculous amount pretty much for the rest of my career.”

Robinson, 28 in August, is coming off of his best season as a Bear. In 2020, he finished out with 102 catches for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns, in spite of the Bears’ overall inconsistency.

The franchise tag would kick the can down the road, but Robinson doesn’t want to get tagged. Also, the Bears are facing a cap crunch, so even a one-year, ~$17MM deal could be too rich for Chicago’s blood. Robinson, meanwhile, wants pre-pandemic top-WR money — that means $20MM+ per year, on average. It’s also worth noting that he views himself as the market’s top wide receiver, ahead of Buccaneers standout Chris Godwin.

The Jets are shopping defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). However, other Jets beat writers — like Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter link) — say that “shopping” is a strong word. But, at minimum, they may be keeping an open ear to inquiries.

For the lowly Jets, it may be a matter of semantics. With a record of 0-7 and a limited budget for 2020, the Jets are clearly in need of a revamp. Trading Williams, of course, would signal an overhaul. Williams, 23 in December, was drafted third overall just last year. The former Crimson Tide standout has been a starter ever since, and he has the talent to be a cornerstone for years to come.

The Jets, according to Mehta, would want more than a second-round pick for Williams. That’s a fair ask, given his draft status and his own personal improvement in the face of the Jets’ general disarray. Through seven games, Williams has five tackles for loss and ranks as one of the league’s very best run-stoppers on the interior, according to Pro Football Focus.

It’s worth noting that Williams was the final first-round choice of the Mike Maccagnan era. New GM Joe Douglas — who took over months later — might not share the same affection

The Chiefs are nearing new six-year deals with head coach Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Once finalized, the Chiefs will have their chief architects under contract through the 2025 season. 

[RELATED: Chiefs’ Mike Pennel Suspended 2 Games]

The Chiefs dazzled the league last year en route to capturing the championship trophy. Reid and Veach have been laying the groundwork ever since they joined the organization in 2013. Reid has led to the Chiefs to the postseason in six of his seven seasons on the sideline and Veach has been a key part of the front office for that entire stretch. Starting out as a scout, Veach climbed the ranks to GM in 2017.

There’s no guarantee that Reid, 62, will finish out his new contract, though he says that he has no immediate plans to retire. He’s gone 77-35 across seven seasons with the Chiefs and another seven wins this season would move him past Paul Brown for sixth on the all-time wins list. Reid is currently the NFL’s fifth-oldest active HC — behind Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick, Bruce Arians and Mike Zimmer. This will be Reid’s 22nd season as a head coach, and it won’t be his last.