Tag: contract

It doesn’t sound like the Saints are moving on from Derek Carr in 2025

It doesn’t sound like the Saints are moving on from Derek Carr in 2025. ESPN reports the team’s salary cap constraints won’t allow it:

Dennis Allen won’t be returning to the New Orleans Saints in 2025, but the quarterback he recruited appears to be here to stay. ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared some insight on what’s in the plans for the black and gold, and it doesn’t sound like Derek Carr will be leaving the team after a couple of rough seasons.

Derek Carr’s contract and this spring’s planned restructure, combined with the Saints’ tight salary cap situation, mean there may not be much appetite in letting him go.

“Because this team is so strapped against the cap, Derek Carr is in line to be back next year. They don’t have a lot of flexibility, he makes the most sense, and it certainly looks like he could be back next season even though he is inactive tonight,” Schefter said.

Carr missed Monday night’s game with the Green Bay Packers after fracturing a bone in his non-throwing hand diving for a first down a few weeks back, and it’s unlikely he’ll be able to suit up again in 2024. But it isn’t expected to linger into 2025, and based off what he’s heard Schefter expects Carr to remain under center in New Orleans.

That wouldn’t be a popular move for a Saints fanbase that has pretty publicly expressed frustration with Carr’s play; he made some strides with Klint Kubiak replacing Pete Carmichael at offensive coordinator, averaging the second-best touchdown rate and passer rating of his career. But he’s clocked just 214.5 passing yards per game, the second-lowest pace of his career. They haven’t won many games because of him.

And Schefter has a point about the cap implications of offloading Carr’s contract. Odds are he won’t agree to waive his no-trade clause, and cutting him would double the dead money the Saints already have on the books for 2025 — and that $48.4 million figure for Marshon Lattimore, Michael Thomas, and Jameis Winston already leads the league. It would be incredibly difficult to make competitive offers in free agency with $100 million tied up in money for players not on the team.

So Carr will likely be back in 2025. So will Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. But who would a new head coach be starting? Carr would be a highly-paid backup, and agreeing to start him because of that may be a stipulation for a new coach. That could turn off some attractive coaching candidates, but crazier things have happened in the NFL. Stay tuned to see how this all unfolds.

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Garett Bolles’ contract extension is a good deal for the Broncos

Garett Bolles’ extension with the Broncos is a team-friendly deal that becomes easy to exit in 2026.

Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles broke the news about his contract extension on Dec. 12. The deal was initially reported as a four-year, $82 million extension that could reach up to $86 million with incentives, worth an average of $20.5 million per season.

“The way he’s played — he’s available,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said on Dec. 13. “He’s someone who’s in incredible shape. I didn’t realize he was [32]. George [Paton] and I were talking — I just never paid attention to that. He does a great job at taking care of his body and then besides that — the most important thing — is he’s one of the premier pass blockers in our league.

“He stays in front of his guy. Regardless of — there are times where we have to help elsewhere and that’s hard to find. So he’s excited about it [and] we are as well. It’s much deserved and you guys know how important I feel like that position group is when you’re budling a team.”

Instead of testing the open market in 2025, Bolles took a team-friendly extension with hopes of finishing his career in Denver. Now that the details of the contract are known, it’s an even better deal for the Broncos than initially known.

Bolles has $23,735,000 fully guaranteed, according to OverTheCap.com, with all of his guaranteed salary coming in 2024 and 2025. His signing bonus will be prorated as $800,000 salary cap hits in 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028.

The Broncos have team options in each of the next four seasons and Bolles can earn $765,000 through per-game roster bonuses each season. After the 2025 season, none of his salary is guaranteed for the rest of his contract.

So, in theory, Denver could move on from a 34-year-old Bolles in 2026 by taking on a $2.4 million “dead money” cap hit with a net savings of more than $6.8 million. The team would save $27 million if he’s let go in 2027 and $26.88 million in 2028.

It’s essentially a two-year extension for Bolles and it’s easy for the Broncos to get out of it starting in 2026. Here are his cap hits for the next five season, according to OTC:

2025: $5,816,000 ($12.36M lost if cut)
2026: $9,248,000 ($6.84M saved if cut)
2027: $28,683,000 ($27M saved if cut)
2028: $27,683,000 ($$26.88M saved if cut)
2029: $9,770,000 (void year)

Bolles also has void years from 2030-2033, but those should not impact the team’s cap space. If Bolles stays healthy and continues playing at a high level, he’ll be paid well in his final years in Denver. If the veteran tackle declines, the Broncos can move on without much cap trouble. It’s a good situation for Denver.

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Derek Carr has millions of motivations to return to the field

Between guarantees for injury written into his contract and a chance at revenge against his old team, Derek Carr has millions of motivations to return to the field:

Spencer Rattler will start against the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football, but the New Orleans Saints have continued to keep the door open for Derek Carr to return at some point. With the season and hopes of a playoff berth almost over, why would Carr return to the field?

Outside of simply being a competitor, Carr has simple motivation to play again this season. Next week, New Orleans plays the Las Vegas Raiders. Getting a chance to beat his former team is an opportunity he’s been waiting for since leaving the Raiders.

The organization’s decision to move on from him infamously made Carr’s wife cry. If there is any chance to play, Carr likely won’t give up hope until that game has passed.

That’s why Carr could want to keep the door open, but what about the Saints side? Technically, the Saints still have a shot at making the playoffs. It’s a slim shot and could be over this week, but keeping the door open displays a desire for competitiveness isn’t gone. Nobody wants to go in the tank, at least not inside the building.

Carr’s injury guarantees may be a factor, too. If he plays again this season and suffers another injury, serious enough that he couldn’t pass a physical in March, the Saints would be on the hook for another $30 million that otherwise wouldn’t cash out unless they choose to pay it.

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Alvin Kamara is putting the team on his back in a unique 2024 season

Alvin Kamara is the only player in the NFL this season leading his team in both rushing yards and receiving yards. His extension only looks better by the day:

The NFL in recent years has been heavily driven by the wide receiver market, with the top two non-quarterback salaries for the 2024 season being Justin Jefferson at $35 million and CeeDee Lamb at $34 million. This is because the receiving and passing game has become more and more utilized in recent years, and receivers have become even more valuable at the top end.

However, some running backs stand out among the crowd as valuable in both the ground game and the receiving game, most notably Christian McCaffrey in recent years, as well as New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara.

Kamara had a tough few years with the injuries he had piling up, and an extension seemed far away at best. Yet, in 2024, he has shown exactly why he deserved and got one. He is the only player in the NFL entering Week 15 to lead his team in both rushing and receiving yards in 2024, with 485 receiving yards and 938 rushing yards.

He is first in the league in receiving yards at the RB position as well, showing how premier this season has been for him. All of that is great, but he has also done it with 0 fumbles, one of only three running backs in the top-10 for rushing yards to accomplish that this year, alongside Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson.

With Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Bub Means all going down from the receiver room, someone needed to step up and handle the receiving part of the offense, and Kamara has done so without a doubt.

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Is now the right time for the Saints to sign Odell Beckham Jr.?

Odell Beckham Jr. has flirted with the Saints before, saying they were the right team at the wrong time. Now that he’s been waived again, should they bring him in?

Odell Beckham Jr. has flirted with the New Orleans Saints before, saying they were the right team at the wrong time for him. Now that he’s being waived by the Miami Dolphins, should his hometown team bring him in?

It’s tough to see them meeting his criteria. Beckham wants a larger role than he’s had on the Dolphins (12 targets and 9 catches for 55 yards across 9 games), which the Saints could offer him given all their injuries at the position. But if he wants to join a playoff contender, that’s not where New Orleans stands at 5-8. Teams he’s played for in the past like the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens are both in the thick of the playoff race and those reunions might be more appealing.

Here’s where it gets tricky. Beckham is going on waivers like every other veteran this time of the year. That means he won’t have his choice of teams as a free agent unless he clears the waiver wire. A team that claims him (like the Saints) would be on the hook for about $200,000 for the final four games which easily fits under the salary cap. He isn’t really in a position to protest a landing spot given his low numbers this year, especially if the reason he sought a release from Miami was more targets on another team.

Let’s keep it real: Beckham isn’t the same player he once was. He’s 32 and hasn’t averaged even 50 yards per game since 2019. But the Saints need more help at receiver and it doesn’t seem like Chris Olave or Rashid Shaheed are coming back any time soon. Marquez Valdes-Scantling has had success since joining the Saints (he currently leads the team with four touchdown catches this season, in just five games), so maybe Beckham could see a resurgence, too. You just have to wonder what his other goals are and whether he has any interest ending the year on a team dealing with instability at quarterback.

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Garett Bolles took team-friendly deal to finish career with Broncos

Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles could have earned more had he tested free agency in 2025. “I didn’t want to go anywhere else,” he said.

The Denver Broncos gave left tackle Garett Bolles a four-year, $82 million contract extension on Thursday that will average $20.5 million per year from 2025-2028, making him the sixth-highest-paid left tackle in the NFL.

The deal includes $41.9 million guaranteed, including fully guaranteed pay in 2025 and 2026.

“This is a dream come true,” Bolles said during a press conference on Thursday. “I grew up in this city. I became a man in this city as a football player and as a husband. I get to be here long-term with my family. It means the world to me. I’m just so grateful for the Walton Penner family. What an amazing ownership group we have. Everyone in the ownership group and the love that they have here. The time I got to spend with them and to see them changing this place with new facilities and everything that I get to be a part of now is amazing.

“I love George Paton to death. I think we have one of the best GMs in all of the National Football League. The relationship I have with him and the love I have for him and his family and how grateful I am. I’m grateful for Coach [Sean] Payton and the love I have for him. He came in here — he could’ve let me walk — and he believed in me. This offense fits me and I’m just grateful I get to be a part of [it] and see him turn this around. [Offensive line] Coach [Zach] Strief, I’m so grateful for an offensive line coach that just lets me be myself. It’s a humbling time to be in my family, a place where I’d always thought I’d be. It wasn’t easy. I didn’t start off the way I wanted to start off here, but I get to finish how I want to finish. I get to be a Bronco for life and I’m just very grateful.”

Had he waited until the spring, Bolles undoubtedly could have received more on the open market, but he wanted to stay in Denver, where he hopes to finish his career.

“I just am beyond grateful that my kids get to grow up here, and continue to grow up here and we’re in Denver,” Bolles said. “This is home for us. I don’t want to go anywhere else. I could’ve hit free agency and earned more money or whatever it is. I never cared about money; I cared about a legacy. I think legacy speaks volumes for the type of man [you are], and I wanted to create a legacy here.

The 32-year-old left tackle has allowed just one sack this season, according to Pro Football Focus. His 88.7 pass-bocking grade this year ranks fourth in the NFL. After re-signing the tackle, the Broncos have now shored up Bo Nix’s blindside for the foreseeable future.

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Twitter reacts to Garett Bolles’ $82 million deal with Broncos

The Broncos gave Garett Bolles a four-year, $82 million contract extension on Thursday. Here’s how Twitter/X reacted to the news.

The Denver Broncos signed left tackle Garett Bolles to a four-year, $82 million contract extension on Thursday. Here’s a sampling of how fans and pundits reacted to the news on Twitter/X.

Bolles, 32, is now under contract through the 2028 season.

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Garett Bolles breaks news of his 4-year contract extension with great video

Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles announced his four-year contract extension with a funny video.

Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles has agreed to a four-year contract extension, the offensive lineman announced with a clever video on his social media pages on Thursday.

“Broncos Country, It’s been a great 8 years! Thanks for everything! And … I’m not leaving. The show goes on! GB,” Bolles wrote on social media.

Bolles shared a video with a photo of his face over Leonardo DiCaprio from a classic scene in The Wolf of Wall Street: “I’m not leaving,” DiCaprio says. “I’m not leaving. I’m not leaving! The show goes on!”

After Bolles broke the news, outlets quickly started confirming that the 32-year-old lineman has signed a four-year deal that will keep him in Denver through the 2028 season.

Bolles was picked by the Broncos in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Utah. He struggled early in his career but Bolles has emerged as a top left tackle in recent seasons.

After previously giving contract extensions to cornerback Pat Surtain, guard Quinn Meinerz and pass rusher Jonathon Cooper earlier this year, Denver now has a quartet of key players signed through the duration of quarterback Bo Nix’s rookie contract. The next order of business could be an extension for pass rusher Nik Bonitto, who ranks second in the NFL in sacks this fall.

The four-year deal is worth $82 million and could reach up to $86 million with incentives, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The deal includes $42 million guaranteed.

Nix’s blindside now has protection secured for the next four seasons.

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One insider offers scary thought on T.J. Watt

The Steelers have some huge contract decisions to make this offseason.

Ever since the Pittsburgh Steelers selected T.J. Watt in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft, his trajectory has been nothing but up. Aside from one season hampered by injury, he’s been one fo the best defensive players in the NFL from the jump.

This is why the next offseason could be huge for Watt and the Steelers. Watt will be heading into the final year of his huge four-year, $112 million contract. Watt just turned 30 and is showing no signs of slowing down. So he will be the team’s top offseason priority, right?

Maybe not. According to Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac, he doesn’t believe re-signing Watt will be a top Steelers priority.

 

This could be a situation similar to how the Steelers handled Cameron Heyward and his new contract in the past offseason. Pittsburgh and Heyward worked out a deal both sides were happy with but they took it right to the wire. Pittsburgh has some big contract decisions to make this offseason including two at quarterback and one at running back. We can certainly see where Watt’s contract falls behind those, especially with Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig playing so well.

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How do Derek Carr’s $30M injury guarantees impact Saints’ decision?

Derek Carr is due an extra $30 million in guarantees if he can’t pass a physical in March. How does that impact the Saints’ decision to keep playing him?

We’ve learned some more details on Derek Carr’s new injury. The New Orleans Saints starting quarterback fractured a bone in his non-throwing hand leaping for a first down late in Sunday’s win against the New York Giants, and while it won’t land him on injured reserve, he’s going to be a week-to-week decision, according to interim head coach Darren Rizzi.

But there are longer concerns at play here. If Carr can’t pass a physical by March 17, an additional $30 million becomes guaranteed on his contract.

That’s already the case anyway, as far as Carr’s performance and the salary cap are concerned. The difference is, if he suffers a serious injury and won’t be able to pass that physical upon reporting for the offseason program, the Saints would be on the hook for the $30 million in 2025. If he’s healthy, they have an off-ramp, should they choose to use it. They could say he wasn’t meeting expectations or salary cap constraints forced their hand. Carr’s 2025 salary cap hit is set at $51.4 million, but they could designate him as a post-June 1 cut, let him go by March 17, and get that $30 million back in savings on June 2 — after free agency and the draft have passed them by.

So right now, that isn’t a real factor in their decision. If the Saints choose to ask Carr to play through injury, they could risk another more-significant injury that would impact him in the longer view. That would jeopardize the $30 million tied up as injury guarantees. If they choose to shut him down instead and not risk it, they’d be following a pattern established by other teams. That’s why the Las Vegas Raiders made Carr a healthy scratch to close out his career, and why the New York Giants benched Daniel Jones before cutting him at his request.

However, this all hinges on the idea that the Saints don’t plan on paying that $30 million anyway. Their next head coach should ultimately decide whether or not to keep Carr. It’s also possible that decision has already been made and working with Carr could be a mandate from ownership or management. Restructuring his contract again would fold the $30 million into another signing bonus that’s paid out over future years, which would be the easiest path forward if they’re determined to keep building around him.

But at that point we’re speculating too much. For now the Saints don’t appear to be concerned about Carr’s long-term projection, and the injury he’s currently dealing with should be well behind him come March. It’s just something to keep an eye on if they do choose to put him into another game or four this year.

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