2023 NFL free agency – Page 82

Eagles news: As franchise tag window opens, focus centers on C.J. Gardner-Johnson

Eagles to prioritize long term deal for C.J. Gardner-Johnson

The Eagles made their second Super Bowl appearance in the past five years, but the roster is set to look drastically different on the defensive side of the football.

With more than a dozen key contributors set to hit free agency next month, Philadelphia could lose eight starters on defense and they still need to sign quarterback Jalen Hurts to a contract extension.

With the new league year fast approaching, the Eagles will need to figure out who the most urgent signing is, and which player could get the franchise tag designation.

Could the Patriots connection bring QB Jacoby Brissett to the Texans?

If the Houston Texans want an experienced veteran to backup their rookie quarterback, Jacoby Brissett would be a name to consider.

The Houston Texans have multiple directions they can go at quarterback.

The most likely path is they roll with a rookie signal caller in coach DeMeco Ryans’ first season. However, they still need to address who backs up their novice field general. Will they allow Davis Mills to be the second-stringer as he enters his third season, or will the club go with a proven veteran to provide stability behind their rookie?

According to Cody Benjamin from CBS Sports, a name to watch for the Texans is former Cleveland Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

Brissett played under the [Philadelphia] Eagles‘ Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo in Indianapolis; and was drafted by Texans general manager Nick Caserio, then a [New England] Patriots executive, back in 2016.

Caserio was with the Patriots in a variety of roles from 2001-20, but his most recent was director of player personnel starting in 2008. The Patriots took Brissett 91st overall in Round 3 of the 2016 NFL draft. As a rookie, Brissett even saw some action as he led New England to a 27-0 win over the Texans at Gillette Stadium on Thursday Night Football in Week 3, his first career start.

The following season New England flipped Brissett for Indianapolis Colts wideout Phillip Dorsett at the end of preseason to provide depth at quarterback with starter Andrew Luck out indefinitely. Brissett compiled an 11-19 record with the Colts over the next four seasons before landing in Miami as a veteran backup for Tua Tagovailoa. Brissett started five games for the Dolphins, going 2-3 in 2021. The Cleveland Browns used Brissett on an interim basis in 2022 as their intended starting quarterback served an 11-game suspension. Brissett went 4-7 for the Browns.

If the Texans thought their team was good enough to stay in the playoff hunt deep in the regular season, adding Brissett would be a consideration. If the Texans are going to give all of their reps to a rookie as is, it may be best to let Brissett sign elsewhere.

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What condition the position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at RB ahead of free agency

Assessing Raiders level of need at RB as free agency approaches

We take a look at the running back position for the Raiders ahead of free agency to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Returning starter: None

Depth: Zamir White, Brittain Brown, Brandon Bolden, Austin Walter, Sincere McCormick

Free agents: Josh Jacobs, Jakob Johnson, Ameer Abdullah

Jacobs had an elite season in his last year of his rookie contract. And Jakob Johnson did some fine blocking work for him. After that, the Raiders got very little. Even with two running backs from the 2022 draft on the team in White and Brown.

Condition: Unstable

Why: Unless the Raiders re-sign Jacobs and/or Johnson, they are gone. Another option the Raiders need to consider is slapping the franchise tag on Jacobs. Either to keep him or trade him. Rather than just letting him leave in free agency.

White and Brown were drafted to be potential replacements for Jacobs if/when he left. But neither showed enough to say they are ready to take over the job. So, if they lose Jacobs, they’ll be back in the market for a running back.

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ESPN identifies the best fit for the Vikings in Free Agency

ESPN believes the Vikings should target a young cornerback to fortify their defense

The NFL offseason is full of rumors and speculation, and they will only continue to ramp up as the NFL Combine kicks off on February 28th. The Minnesota Vikings, like all other NFL teams, will be busy trying to gauge interest in potential trade ideas or free agency connections with other teams and agents. The Vikings have a plethora of needs across their roster and will likely need to utilize free agency to address some of those needs.

On Tuesday, Matt Bowen of ESPN identified every NFL team’s best fit for players in free agency. For the Vikings, it’s the Cardinals’ impending free agent Byron Murphy Jr.

” The Vikings would have to make some moves to create more money on the salary cap, but there is a real need for coverage corners in Minnesota to fit the scheme of new defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Only Detroit and Chicago allowed more yards per pass attempt than the Vikes last season (7.3). Murphy’s production took a hit this season — four pass breakups — but he did record four interceptions and 12 pass breakups in 2021. And he has the man-coverage traits to play inside or outside the numbers”

This isn’t the first time that Murphy Jr. has been linked to the Vikings, and it’s a logical match. The Vikings are in need of a veteran cornerback, and Murphy Jr. would not only provide veteran leadership but also the ability to play both inside and outside. This would allow the Vikings to avoid drafting a cornerback early in the NFL Draft.

A lot can happen in the weeks leading up to free agency, but landing Murphy Jr. would be a slam-dunk start to the offseason for the Vikings.

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Yannick Ngakoue listed as best Bengals fit in free agency

Is a star pass-rusher one of the best fits in free agency for the Bengals?

The Cincinnati Bengals figure to target pass-rushing help this offseason in either free agency or the draft.

Despite nearly making the Super Bowl again, there were stretches where the pass-rush needed help, especially while Trey Hendrickson battled through a broken wrist.

ESPN’s Matt Bowen has proposed a solution — by listing Yannick Ngakoue’s best team fit in free agency as the Bengals while ranking him the 32nd overall player headed to the market:

“Ngakoue led the Colts with 9.5 sacks last season, and he has totaled 65 over eight NFL seasons. There will be a market for Ngakoue, but finding the right team fit and situation is tough, given that he will be targeted as a sub-package player. The Bengals feature a defense that produced only 30 sacks in 2022 (29th in the NFL), and a short-term deal makes sense, allowing them to slot Ngakoue as their nickel pass-rusher. He shows good burst and an ability to bend around offensive tackles.”

It’s not a terrible idea, either. Ngakoue has played with four different teams over the last three seasons, tallying eight or more sacks each year.

As the writeup notes, Ngakoue might have a bit of a quiet market as teams don’t want to pay him or play him as an every-down pass-rusher. That could be an amazing thing for the Bengals to have in a rotation with Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai and Sam Hubbard.

Besides fit, it comes down to price. The Bengals have already admitted they’ll be looking at guys similar to Hayden Hurst on the hunt for something like one-year deals on contenders to prove themselves. If Ngakoue has that type of market, he’d be a no-brainer of a signing.

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Do the Lions have any franchise tag candidates in 2023?

NFL teams can begin using the franchise and transition tags on free agent on February 21st, but do the Detroit Lions have any candidates?

Tuesday is a significant day on the NFL calendar. No, it’s not because of Mardi Gras, either.

February 21st is the first opportunity for teams to use the franchise tag or transition tag on pending free agent players. For some teams, that’s a very important item of business.

For the Detroit Lions, not so much…

Detroit has no legitimate candidates to tag with either the franchise or transition designation. It would be nice to keep wide receiver DJ Chark, but even the transition tag value for a WR, $17.9 million, is wildly above Chark’s expected open market value. The same is true for the other top Lions free agents, a group that includes RB Jamaal Williams, LB Alex Anzalone and OL Evan Brown.

Brown, the Lions’ starting right guard in 2022, has perhaps the best case. The franchise tag value for offensive linemen is $18.2 million, while the transition tag is a little lower at $16.7 million. The NFL doesn’t differentiate between tackles, guards or centers in the tag values.

Using the transition tag would commit the Lions to paying Brown $16.7 million for a one-year, fully-guaranteed contract, counting that full amount against the 2023 salary cap. But it would not prevent Brown from negotiations with other teams, and if he chose to sign with another team, the Lions would not get any compensation.

The Lions technically have until March 7th to make final decisions on using the tags. Do not expect GM Brad Holmes to have any use for either the franchise or transition tags in 2023.

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Will the Commanders apply the franchise tag to defensive tackle Daron Payne?

The window opens Tuesday and Washington has multiple options.

The window opens Tuesday [Feb. 21] for NFL teams to apply the franchise or transition tags to players set to become unrestricted free agents next month.

The Washington Commanders have a prime candidate for the franchise tag in defensive tackle Daron Payne. Payne, 25, enjoyed a breakout year in his fifth NFL season in 2022, recording 11.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss. The 11.5 sacks tied the legendary Dave Butz for the team record for an interior defensive lineman, and his 18 TFLs were fifth in the league.

Now, Washington has a dilemma: Pay Payne or let him walk.

Well, they have the franchise tag option, but it hasn’t always been a good option for Washington. The team placed consecutive franchise tags on Kirk Cousins in 2016 and 2017, only to see him walk as an unrestricted free agent in 2018. Washington received only a third-round compensatory pick for Cousins. The same scenario followed with guard Brandon Scherff in 2020 and 2021. Generally, once a player hits the franchise tag in Washington, they are as good as gone.

Could that change with Payne?

The Commanders could have opened negotiations with Payne last offseason but opted against it, apparently content to see him play out his rookie contract and hit free agency. Everything changed with his breakout season. In his first four seasons, Payne was solid, if somewhat inconsistent. However, in 2022, he took his game to another level. Should that be a cause for concern for the Commanders?

In this case, no, it should not. No one knows Payne like Washington. He never misses game, and the effort has never really been questioned. He is a competitive player who, along with Jonathan Allen, makes up the best defensive tackle duo in the NFL.

But how much are you willing to commit to one position? Washington gave Allen a four-year, $72 million extension in the summer of 2021. Allen is considered by many to be the better overall player.

There is also the upcoming free agency of defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat. The Commanders will likely pay at least one of the two.

It’s doubtful that Washington will allow Payne to hit free agency. If the Commanders apply the franchise tag and can’t agree to a long-term deal, then they could consider trading Payne for more than they’d receive next offseason, which would only be a third-round compensatory pick.

One of the franchise’s biggest mistakes with Cousins was not trading him ahead of the 2017 season when the San Francisco 49ers were willing to pay a premium price for him. Washington, of course, wouldn’t trade with the 49ers out of stubbornness because owner Dan Snyder didn’t want to trade Cousins to Kyle Shanahan.

What is the NFL’s franchise tag, and who are the top candidates for it in 2023?

Lamar Jackson is an obvious choice. But the Giants could have a tough decision between Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley.

The NFL offseason officially started around 11 p.m. EST on February 12 when the Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up their Super Bowl 57 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, nine days later, teams can officially begin taking the first step in realizing their 2023 rosters.

February 21 marks the first day in a two-week window for teams to designate their franchise or transition tag players. Those labels effectively tie a pending free agent to the team for which they played the previous season to different degrees.

An exclusive franchise tag locks that player down for one year at a cost equaling the top five salaries at his position or 120 percent of his prior year salary — whichever is higher. A non-exclusive franchise tag allows that player to negotiate a contract with other teams, though the original team retains the right to match any outside offer.

If they decide not to match, the team doing the signing is compelled to send two first round draft picks to the first team — a steep cost that rarely comes up. The non-exclusive tag comes at a cost equaling the top five cap hits at his position or 120 percent of his prior year salary — whichever is higher.

These are 2023’s exclusive franchise tag rates by position:

QB: $32.4 million
RB: $10.1 million
WR: $19.7 million
TE: $11.3 million
OL: $18.2 million
DT: $18.9 million
DE: $19.7 million
LB: $20.9 million
CB: $18.1 million
S: $14.5 million
Special teams: $5.4 million

The transition tag pays a player the average of the top 10 salaries at his position. It’s a non-exclusive tender that allows for free agents to negotiate elsewhere and original teams the right to match any deal. Unlike the franchise tag, there’s no guaranteed compensation if a team declines to match an outside offer. It’s generally used sparingly in comparison to the more popular franchise tag.

These are the projected values for 2023’s transition tag:

QB: $30.4 million
RB: $8.9 million
WR: $18.0 million
TE: $9.9 million
OL: $17.5 million
DT: $14.2 million
DE: $17.5 million
LB: $15.6 million
CB: $15.6 million
S: $12.8 million
Special teams: $5.0 million

In short, these tags are a way to keep high profile free agents off the market and create extra space to work out a long-term contract — or lock them into a single, well-compensated year. It can be the precursor to big news or a tool used to alienate players looking for larger guarantees. So who are the top candidates to be tagged in 2023?

Saints DE Marcus Davenport could be free agent solution to Texans’ edge defense

The Houston Texans could have a free agent solution to their edge defense in New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport.

The Houston Texans may be trending in the right direction with the hiring of DeMeco Ryans as coach, but they are still amid a rebuild.

Part of coming out of a rebuild is getting veterans in place to fill roster spots until younger talent with greater potential comes along. Bill Parcells use to refer to these players as “hold down the fort guys.” Houston may need to a few more in the 2023 offseason.

According to Matt Bowen from ESPN, one free agent fit who would be ideal for Houston is New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport.

New Houston coach DeMeco Ryans needs edge defenders for his system, and Davenport fits here given his physical traits in both base and sub-packages. Davenport could be schemed to isolate in one-on-one pass-rush matchups or deployed on stunts/slants from the Texans’ loaded fronts. And at 6-foot-6 and 262 pounds, he can also set an edge against the run. While the production declined for Davenport in ’22 (0.5 sacks, 20 pressures), he did record nine sacks and three forced fumbles in 2021.

The former UTSA Roadrunner and San Antonio John Paul Stevens High School product would be getting a little closer to home if he signed with the Texans. Ryans is going to be using a 4-3 front the same as Lovie Smith was deploying for the past two seasons, and having the 26-year-old would be helpful in the pass rush rotation.

Setting the edge against the run would be where Davenport could be most helpful. The Texans were horrendous at stopping the run with 5.1 yards per carry surrendered, the fourth-most in the NFL, and 170.2 rushing yards surrendered per game, the worst in the NFL. If Davenport’s presence helped Houston become respectable as a run defense again, it might be worth the signing.

Adding Davenport would also mean Houston had two young yet veteran defensive ends as Jonathan Greenard enters the final season of his rookie contract. Houston would be channeled to use their twin first-round picks in the 2023 NFL draft to fix areas other than edge defense.

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ESPN has a plan to help the Vikings improve this offseason

Bill Barnwell has a plan to improve the Vikings this offseason

As Minnesota Vikings fans, we know that last season was full of great moments, but that heading into this offseason, there are a lot of holes to fill in order to make the next season successful.

The process to getting there will be an interesting one. The Vikings signaled that they were moving on from both cornerback Patrick Peterson and defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson both had their contracts voided on Monday and will cost the Vikings $8.25 million in dead cap in 2023.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN released a series looking at the NFC teams and laid out the best way for the Vikings to improve this offseason.

“The hard work is just beginning for the Vikings, who are $21 million over the 2023 salary cap. To get there, the Vikings will need to make some tough choices on franchise icons. Wideout Adam Thielen has the second-largest cap hit on the roster at $19.1 million, and the 32-year-old failed to top 75 receiving yards in a single game in 2022. Designating Thielen as a post-June 1 release would free up $13.4 million in much-needed room, although they could instead ask him to take a pay cut from the $13.3 million he’s due. They also could free up $7.9 million by releasing running back Dalvin Cook, perhaps while using some of that money to re-sign Mattison. On defense, the Vikings will take a close look at two stalwarts: linebacker Eric Kendricks and safety Harrison Smith. Both are on the wrong side of 30, although the 34-year-old Smith did manage to pick off five passes this season. Releasing Kendricks would free up $9.5 million, while Smith would create another $15 million in space as a post-June 1 release.”

Barnwell lays out what a lot of fans already know, which is that the Vikings have tough decisions to face this offseason. Even with the tough decisions, the Vikings have many paths they can take to get better this offseason. In the same article, Kevin Seifert of ESPN mentioned a few other moves the Vikings could look to make this offseason.

‘The Vikings seemed to land a much-needed secondary pass-rusher when they added Za’Darius Smith last year, as he racked up 9.5 sacks over his first nine games. From that point forward, though, he had only a half-sack over his ensuing seven contests. Smith’s knee was a concern for teams in free agency and led the Ravens to back out of a move for their former player last March, and the Vikings can free up $13.7 million by cutting him. There’s also the elephant in the room: What will the Vikings do with Kirk Cousins? They owe the 34-year-old quarterback $30 million next season as part of a $36.3 million cap hit in what would be the final year of Cousins’ most recent contract. They could free up that $30 million by trading Cousins, but he has a no-trade clause. Adofo-Mensah could create cap space by extending Cousins, as he did before the 2022 season, but doing so only extends the passer’s tenure with the team and delays the inevitable. The Vikings seem likely to be in the market for a young quarterback as early as this offseason. While restructuring Cousins’ deal would free up room, it’s probably time to leave that tactic in the past, even if it costs them some of the players above.”

The likelihood that all these scenarios come to fruition this offseason is slim, but there is a very good chance that some of them do. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah certainly has his work cut out for him, and it’s only a matter of time until we see which direction the team will take this offseason.

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