Tag: Byron Jones

Broncos were wise to pick A.J. Bouye over Byron Jones

Broncos GM John Elway made a shrewd financial decision to trade for A.J. Bouye instead of singing a free agent cornerback like Byron Jones.

Broncos general manager John Elway has been using trades to maximize Denver’s salary cap space for the 2020 season.

Last year, Elway traded wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and a fifth-round draft pick to the 49ers in exchange for fourth- and third-round picks. Earlier this month, Elway agreed to trade the fourth-round pick he acquired from San Francisco to the Jaguars in exchange for cornerback A.J. Bouye.

That was a shrewd financial decision.

By trading for Bouye, the Broncos inherited the cornerback’s reasonable salary cap charges, about $13.5 million in each of the next two seasons. Jacksonville is eating the contract’s dead money so if Denver cut Bouye tomorrow, the Broncos wouldn’t have to take a cap hit to do so.

Elway essentially traded Sanders and a fifth-round pick in exchange for Bouye’s team-friendly contract and he got an extra third-round pick out of the deal as well. It’s a low-risk move because Bouye’s contract does not have any guaranteed money coming from Denver.

Compare that to the massive contract coveted free agent cornerback Byron Jones received from the Dolphins: five years, $82.5 million with $54.375 million guaranteed. Jones will earn an average of $16.5 million per season and Miami would take a massive dead money cap hit if they have to cut him.

Sure, Jones might have a higher ceiling, but he costs an average of $3 million per year and the Dolphins can’t easily get out of his contract if they need to. The Broncos got a cheaper cornerback and if it doesn’t work out, they can cut Bouye with no dead money and be left with an extra third-round draft pick.

That’s pretty good roster management by Elway.

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Report: Giants were in on Byron Jones before adding James Bradberry

The New York Giants were among the final bidders for CB Byron Jones, but ended up adding James Bradberry instead.

Before the news broke on Monday that the New York Giants landed former Carolina Panthers cornerback James Bradberry in free agency, they were weighing other options at the cornerback position.

After moving on from Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Eli Apple and Janoris Jenkins in the last three years, there is no doubt there was a need at corner for the Giants.

Soon after the Bradberry news broke, the Miami Dolphins signed Byron Jones from the Dallas Cowboys setting the market at the position. While this is certainly a loss for the Giants’ division rival Cowboys, the Giants were very much in on top cornerback on the market.

It might have been a situation where Jones was just a bit too rich for the Giants as Big Blue has a lot of holes to fill. There’s no doubt Bradberry is an upgrade to the roster and will likely be the Giants top corner when the season begins.

Although the Giants were outbid on Byron Jones, it is nice to see that general manager Dave Gettleman is being cautious about overspending. The Giants still have plenty of work to do on the defensive side of the football, but they have already made defense a priority with two acquisitions (Bradberry and Blake Martinez) so far.

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Byron Jones new deal with Dolphins is for 5-years, $82.5M, including $57M guaranteed

Byron Jones agrees to 5-year, $82.5 million deal with Dolphins

The Philadelphia Eagles missed out on Byron Jones and when you evaluate the numbers, Howie Roseman and company made a wise decision.

Jones will now be the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL ($16.5M per), after he agreed to a five, year, $82.5 million deal that included $57 million guaranteed, with $40 million of that in the first two seasons.

Even if Roseman trades for Darius Slay and acquires another cornerback, he still wouldn’t have spent what Miami did in securing the former Cowboys cornerback.

There are still several talented options on the market including Logan Ryan, Kendall Fuller, Trae Waynes, and others.

Report: Dolphins agree to terms with CB Byron Jones

Report: Dolphins agree to terms with CB Byron Jones

So much for the Dolphins not spending money in free agency! The Dolphins were judicious with their first two reported agreements during the league’s “legal tampering period”, moving to bring in offensive guard Ereck Flowers and defensive end Shaq Lawson on reported deals that will average approximately $10M for each player per season. With nearly $100M in salary cap space at their disposal, the Dolphins have no shortage of cap space — and they’re reportedly putting it to good use to bolster their secondary.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has reported that the Dolphins latest agreement in the negotiation window will almost assuredly be their biggest fish in free agency — former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones.

Jones’ reported deal would make him the highest paid cornerback in football — making Jones and fellow Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard the most expensive cornerback duo in the NFL.

It’s an exciting proposition for the Dolphins, who were going to need to upgrade the secondary one way or another. Their decision to commit big money to Jones is a testament to just how committed coach Brian Flores is to making sure he’s got the athletes necessary to run his exotic defense. Between Howard and now Jones, the Dolphins will be able to run a plethora of pressure looks and feel comfortable with leaving both players on an island in coverage if need be.

The full terms of the deal are not yet clear — but expect the Dolphins to have manipulated the guaranteed dollars in this deal to keep it team friendly. And that, in likelihood, will ensure Jones is getting his guaranteed cash early on in his contract. Jones, who is 27 years old, has served as a starter in Dallas for each of his five seasons in the NFL. He’s a much better player than his interception totals would indicate — and putting him on the field across from Howard should give him more and more opportunities to contest the football and will make it harder for opposing offenses to avoid him.

Stay tuned for more details and for who else the Dolphins can strike a deal with throughout the next 48 hours before free agency formally opens on Wednesday afternoon.

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Cowboys losing Byron Jones to AFC’s Dolphins

Dallas is losing their 2015 first-round pick, but he isn’t staying in division.

The Dallas Cowboys knew that they were going to lose at least one of their major stars in 2020 free agency. Even before the NFLPA approved the recent CBA, stripping the club of the outside chance at having two tags at their disposal, they knew. When team representatives met with corner Byron Jones at the scouting combine, it was reported to be an amicable understanding that what Jones could get on the open market would be more than Dallas was willing to spend.

The 2015 first-round pick seemingly has lived up to the forecast, agreeing to terms with the Miami Dolphins for what looks like the largest contract ever awarded a cornerback.

In the midst of their 2019 fire sale, the Dolphins traded their top corner Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Steelers, so they were certainly on the radar as looking to find a top DB who wanted to be in town. Jones, 27, fit the bill, as he was also being pursued by at least the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Cowboys, who also have CB Anthony Brown among their myriad of free agents, will now decide if they want to pursue a corner on the market or turn over their No.1 responsibilities to 2017 second-round pick Chidobe Awuzie. Awuzie is slated to be a free agent in 2021.

One high-priced option for Dallas to consider is already off the market also, as Carolina Panthers FA James Bradberry — who Cowboys Wire identified as a possible replacement for Jones at $15.6 million a year — is reuniting with the GM who drafted him, Dave Gettleman in New York. The Giants are giving the 26-year old a three-year, $15 million deal.

Dallas has been linked with former Denver Broncos’ corner Chris Harris, 30, as a possible replacement.

Jones was also a target for division rivals Philadelphia and Washington, so leaving the division and conference may be of some solace for the loss.

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Top free-agent CBs Byron Jones, James Bradberry agree to deals on Monday

Top free-agent CBs Byron Jones, James Bradberry agree to deals on Monday

Whoosh! Just like that, the top names on the cornerback market have reached a deal. First, it was former Panthers cornerback James Bradberry, who is headed to the Giants on a 3-year, $45 million deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The $32 million guaranteed is a big number in this contract. And the $15 million per season made Bradberry was at or near the highest-paid cornerback in the league. For about five minutes or so.

The only cornerback probably more coveted than Bradberry was former Cowboys defensive back Byron Jones. He has agreed to a deal with the Dolphins, according to Rapoport.

Jones had several teams rumored to be interested with the Raiders among them. He was rumored to be looking for somewhere in the range of $16 million per season and gets around $17 million, easily becoming the league’s highest-paid corner. He’s probably not worth that, but such is the nature of free agency.

The Raiders need a cornerback, but they will have to choose from what’s left in either free agency or via the 2020 NFL Draft.

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Byron Jones is latest CB to pass on Redskins in free agency

The Redskins are getting passed up by several top CB free agents.

The Washington Redskins have now missed out on two of their top cornerback options in free agency, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting that former Dallas Cowboys CB Byron Jones is signing with the Miami Dolphins.

The parameters of the deal have not yet been specified, but the market was expected to reset around Jones deal, which will likely see him become the highest-paid cornerback in the league.

With Jones now off the market, plus the agreement that James Bradberry reached with the New York Giants, the Redskins will likely turn their attention toward players like Kendall Fuller, Bashaud Breeland, and Darqueze Denard to fill the hole at the CB position.

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NFC East News: Giants agree to 3-year, $45M deal with CB James Bradberry

New York Giants agree to 3-year, $45M deal with CB James Bradberry

The Philadelphia Eagles suffered heartbreak on Monday with the news that Byron Jones had agreed to a deal to join the Miami Dolphins.

The news was made even worse when it was announced that the Eagles division rival, the New York Giants, scooped up the second-best cornerback on the board, landing James Bradberry.

The former second-round pick hit his stride last season.

Set to turn 28 in August, Bradberry had his best NFL season, snagging three interceptions, 12 passes defended, 65 tackles and one sack.

Bradberry has been targeted 210 times over the past two seasons, averaging out to about 7 targets per game and he’ll give the Giants a huge lift in the secondary.

Eagles miss out on Byron Jones after he agrees to massive deal with the Dolphins

Miami Dolphins make Byron Jones NFL’s highest paid CB

The Philadelphia Eagles will have to turn their sites to another cornerback after Ian Rapoport just reported that Byron Jones is heading to Miami.

Rapoport is reporting that Jones’s deal is upwards of $17 million per season for the guy many considered the best cornerback on the open market.

The Eagles have been in on Jones from the start of conversations about free agency but it appears Miami’s money was too much to pass up. The Eagles could now choose to target two other cornerbacks in free agency or make a move to pry Darius Slay away from the Lions.

The Eagles lost out on Jones, but will no longer face him twice a year in the NFC East as well.

Report: Cowboys already shopping for Byron Jones replacement

The Cowboys are among the teams showing interest in ex-Bronco CB Chris Harris after letting Byron Jones hit the market in free agency.

The noon bells chimed at the league’s New York offices on Monday, signalling the official end of many players’ contracts. With a single clock tick, any and all interested teams were instantly within their rights to reach out to free agents from other organizations to begin wooing them to new cities.

Many Cowboys fans had held out hope that the front office would see the importance of retaining a guy like Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Jones and write the last-minute check that made it binding. But that ship has sailed, and the Cowboys appear to be ready for a change at the position.

ESPN’s Josina Anderson is reporting that the club may already have their eye on Jones’s replacement.

Harris finds himself in the same boat as Jones, suddenly without an employer after his own nine-year stint with the Broncos ended on Monday. The 30-year-old Harris was an undrafted free agent out of Kansas in 2011 and has been to four Pro Bowls. He has 20 interceptions, six forced fumbles, and four defensive touchdowns on his pro resume.

He’s shorter and older than Jones, but is he cheaper? And by how much? And does he have enough left in the tank to be a viable replacement for Jones? Those are the questions the Cowboys are almost certainly weighing right now.

Adding to the intrigue is this. Over the weekend, Harris followed some new accounts on Instagram. Was he just plucking guys from around the league… or building bridges early with a soon-to-be-teammate?

Dallas won’t be the only team kicking the tires on Harris. In fact, several of the same teams who are calling Byron Jones this week are also doing comparison-shopping on Harris, according to Anderson.

It’s all just talk for now. Monday kick-started the league’s recognized legal tampering period, but teams cannot actually ink a new deal with free agents until Wednesday. Make no mistake, though, the NFL has officially thrown open the doors to its annual shopping spree.

Check out our 2020 Offseason Manifesto, where we replace Jones with our own candidate, as well as sign free agents across both the offense and defense.

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