Tag: contract extension

Chiefs Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes comment on Noah Gray’s contract extension

Kansas City #Chiefs Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes comment on Noah Gray’s contract extension | @EdEastonJr

The 53-man roster comprises players with unique value to not only their specified position groups but also the value of the team. The Kansas City Chiefs kept several players and secured them long-term with the franchise.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes addressed the media on Wednesday, discussing tight end Noah Gray’s recent contract extension.

“He’s (Noah Gray) a good football player and he does a lot for us. He’s one of those guys that doesn’t get a whole lot of credit for all that he does but (he’s a) big time special teams player, great tight end. We do a bunch of double tight stuff plus he’s able to go in and spot (Travis) Kelce.” said Reid. “He comes out of games with quite a few snaps because of the special teams. You know, he’s a four-phase guy there, can do anything (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator) Dave (Toub) needs him to do there and is willing and he loves being here so – and a great guy on top of all that.”

Gray agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Chiefs before the Week 1 game against the Baltimore Ravens. The former fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has made an impression on his franchise quarterback during his tenure.

He’s (Noah Gray) just a smart player. (He’s an) extremely smart player that does a lot of physical stuff that we need in this offense. He’s able to get himself open. He makes the catches whenever he’s asked to do it, but (he’s) a guy that can just do it all.” said Mahomes. “You need those guys in order to win football games, and he’s one of those guys that he can come in for Travis (Kelce) in spots, and I have full confidence that he can go out there and make plays happen as well. He’s learned a ton behind Trav (Travis Kelce), and you can see him getting better and better each and every year. I was happy for him because he’s one of those guys that does it the right way and deserves the contract that he got.”

Gray has 63 catches for 640 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons in Kansas City. The new contract allows him to add and continue doing more for the franchise.

Reports: Cowboys, Prescott ‘still working’ on Hail Mary deal before Sunday’s kickoff

From @ToddBrock24f7: With just hours to go before their season begins, the Cowboys are apparently trying to swing a last-minute deal with their starting QB.

The clock is ticking. But we’re coming down to the final seconds, and the Cowboys are out of timeouts.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has reported that, according to his sources, “the Cowboys are trying” to get a contract extension finalized with quarterback Dak Prescott before Sunday’s late-afternoon kickoff versus the Browns.

The Cowboys front office and Prescott’s representatives are “working away at this,” per the network’s senior NFL reporter, to get a deal in place before the team takes the field in Cleveland, but Fowler concedes that “there is a gap here, certainly, that they would have to bridge.”

Owner Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones have both said that an extension for last season’s runner-up to the league’s MVP award was a priority, but nothing has happened on that front in the seven months and change since their 2023 playoff run ended with a brutal home loss to Green Bay. Prescott is expected to become, perhaps, the highest-paid player in NFL history with his next contract, possibly topping $60 million in average annual salary.

But whether those checks will come from the Cowboys or another team remains to be seen. Prescott is currently set to play out 2024 in Dallas on the final year of his contract- he’s been a full participant all offseason- but without an extension in place, he would hit free agency the moment the Cowboys are finished this season.

There’s a “small chance it gets done” before Sunday’s season opener, according to ProFootballTalk.

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Technically speaking, there is no reason the two sides cannot come to an agreement at any point during the season. Prescott himself has expressed a desire to remain with the Cowboys and has said that Sunday’s Week 1 matchup is not a deadline for establishing a new working arrangement.

But the preference for all sides would be to have a new deal in place before play begins. The team will be embarking on a make-or-break year in which head coach Mike McCarthy and the entire Cowboys coaching staff are also working without contracts for 2025. Wideout CeeDee Lamb just inked his extension in recent days, and defensive superstar Micah Parsons will be among those expected to sign new deals in the very near future.

Going into such a campaign with every member of the organization facing nonstop questions about the long-term employment status of the face of the franchise after every single game- win or lose- would obviously not help the team stay “rooted” in their focus on their stated goals for this season.

Of course, the same could have been said about the entire 2024 offseason, training camp, and preseason.

And it all goes away with a handshake and the stroke of a pen.

“We still got time,” a source told longtime Cowboys reporter Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS on Saturday night. “We are still working on it.”

But the Joneses had better have a fantastic last-ditch play drawn up in the dirt, because it’s suddenly Hail Mary time in Dallas.

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Pat Surtain’s record-breaking contract has already been topped

Just two days after the Broncos gave Pat Surtain an average of $24M per year, the Dolphins gave Jalen Ramsey a deal worth $24.1M per year.

Pat Surtain’s reign as the highest cornerback in NFL history only lasted about 48 hours.

Two days after the Denver Broncos gave Surtain a four-year, $96 million contract extension that averaged $24 million per season, the Miami Dolphins gave Jalen Ramsey a three-year, $72.3 million deal that averages $24.1 million per season.

Similar to the quarterback market, the highest-paid cornerback is often the most-recently paid cornerback.

Surtain’s contract already looked like a bargain because he had two years left on his existing deal. That essentially made PS2’s contract a six-year, $119 million deal worth an average of just under $20 million per season.

As the NFL’s salary cap continues to go up each year, Surtain’s contract will age well. Sauce Gardner is still playing on his rookie contract. When it comes time for an extension, Gardner’s agent will want to top the Ramsey contract, dropping PS2’s average even lower in the highest-paid rankings.

When it comes to big extensions for star players, getting a deal done sooner than later is always cheaper, as has been demonstrated with Surtain.

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Broncos salary cap update after Pat Surtain extension

After giving Pat Surtain an extension and restructuring Courtland Sutton’s contract, the Broncos have about $6.7M in remaining cap space.

After giving a massive contract extension to cornerback Pat Surtain earlier this week, the Denver Broncos have $6,760,584 in remaining salary cap space, according to an estimate from OverTheCap.com. Spotrac.com lists a slighter higher number ($7,551,316), but the websites are in a similar ballpark.

The Broncos would have been over the cap going into the season if they did not restructure wide receiver Courtland Sutton’s contract on Wednesday. Denver converted most of Sutton’s salary into a bonus, saving $9.5 million in 2024 cap space (the team was a few million over the cap before that).

With somewhere between $6.7 million and $7.5 million in cap space, the Broncos now have room for potential in-season signings. If players go on injured reserve, they also count against the cap, so Denver needed to have a cushion going into the season.

The Broncos rank 20th in the NFL in available cap space, third in the AFC West behind the Los Angeles Chargers ($9 million) and Las Vegas Raiders ($28.7 million). The Kansas City Chiefs are last in the division with $5.4 million in remaining cap space.

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Chiefs, TE Noah Gray agree on contract extension ahead of season opener

The Kansas City #Chiefs signed TE Noah Gray to a three-year contract extension just before their Week 1 matchup against the Baltimore #Ravens.

According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Kansas City Chiefs and tight end Noah Gray agreed on a three-year, $18 million contract extension ahead of the team’s season opener on Thursday night.

The Chiefs selected Gray in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Duke University, where he earned second-team All-ACC and second-team All-American honors. Now in his third year with Kansas City, the two-time Super Bowl champion is set to serve as a backup to All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce.

With this extension, the Chiefs are committing to Gray for the long term, and will continue to lean on him when Kelce is on the sideline.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1831787812502565302

Though Gray’s new deal didn’t break the bank for Kansas City’s front office, Brett Veach’s decision to lock him up for the next three years could prove to be important if injuries play a factor for the Chiefs at the tight end position.

Expect Andy Reid to utilize Gray against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night as Kansas City looks to defend its newly won AFC Championship.

Here’s what Broncos fans should know about Pat Surtain’s new contract

Broncos CB Pat Surtain will have a salary cap hit of $9.6 million this season. View his full contract details here.

The Denver Broncos signed star cornerback Pat Surtain to a four-year, $96 million contract extension on Wednesday. That $24 million per year average will make Surtain the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history.

“It means a lot,” Sutton said after Wednesday’s practice. “First off, I would like to thank the whole Broncos organization, [and] my agent Tory Dandy for making it happen. It’s honestly surreal seeing the gratitude behind it and how much it means for this organization and for myself. I’m glad to be here for many years to come and looking to build on the future.”

Surtain received a $15 million signing bonus, and he’ll have a $21 million option bonus set to become guaranteed on March 31, 2025, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. He also has a $10 million option bonus in 2026.

The cornerback will receive $77.5 million in total guarantees — the most by a defensive back in NFL history — and $39.5 million will be paid within the first nine months, according to Florio.

“It means a lot, for sure, in that margin, but at the end of the day, I just focus on doing the best I can do on the field,” Surtain said of becoming the highest-paid cornerback. “Being the best version of myself each and every day. I don’t try to allow the pressure to get to me, I build off of it and just play the game that I play and love doing.”

Surtain is the second cornerback in franchise history to be named to multiple Pro Bowls (two) in his first three seasons, joining Hall of Famer Willie Brown, who spent the first four years of his career in Denver.

Surtain has also totaled double-digit pass breakups in each of his first three seasons, something no other Bronco has done since 1999.

Surtain still had two years left on his existing deal, so the Broncos did not have to get an extension done right now, but they wanted to.

“We had spent some time talking about it,” coach Sean Payton said. “I think both sides felt really good about the timing. We went ahead and did it. It’s securing a real young talented player that is at a position that’s hard to find.”

After adding four years onto his current deal, Surtain now basically has a six-year, $119.311 million contract. In terms of average salary on the extension, he is the highest-paid cornerback ever, but as the NFL’s salary cap continues to rise, PS2’s deal could turn into a bargain.

When Darrelle Revis signed a six-year, $96 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013, that was an average of $16 million per year contract. At the time, though, that represented 13% of the salary cap, as Spotrac.com’s Michael Ginnitti pointed out on Twitter/X. Surtain will earn $8 million more per season, but his deal takes up 9.4% of Denver’s cap.

Here are Surtain’s cap hits over the next six years, courtesy of OverTheCap.com:

2024: $9,669,983
2025: $8,370,000
2026: $17,332,000
2027: $26,700,000
2028: $29,700,000
2029: $30,700,000

Already recognized as the NFL’s best cornerback, Surtain now has a contract to reflect that title.

Over the last three months, the Broncos have given long-term extensions to their two best players — Surtain and guard Quinn Menerz, who had a four-year, $80 million extension added on to his existing deal. Surtain and Meinerz are now both signed through the duration of quarterback Bo Nix’s rookie contract, including his potential fifth-year option.

“I think those are good football decisions,” Payton said.

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Texans walk away winners in Nico Collins deal following Brandon Aiyuk extension

Nico Collins might be the best bang for buck on the market among top receivers as the Houston Texans prepare for the 2024 season.

CeeDee Lamb was the talk of the NFL’s receiver market for all of five minutes before Brandon Aiyuk had to crash the party.

Aiyuk, the San Francisco 49ers star receiver who led fans and media down a wild, rickety goose choose with no end in sight throughout the entire offseason, finally agreed to a long-term deal with the team that drafted him four years ago.

The Pro Bowl pass-catcher signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension that will keep him in San Francisco through the 2028 season. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it’s the same deal that has been on the table from the 49ers since Aug. 12, the day Ayiuk made it clear he was playing elsewhere.

Not to take away from Ayiuk’s payday, but Lamb held Cowboys’ fans in his clutches after not reporting to training camp in Oxnard earlier this month.

A holdout ensued until Jerry Jones finally waved the white flag and granted him a new four-year, $136 million deal that includes a $38 million signing bonus, the largest ever given to a wide receiver, and $100 million guaranteed.

Holdouts. Hostage situations. Trade offers on the table were only a myth by the time pen touched paper.

What a nightmare in Arlington and Santa Clara for two hopeful contending NFC franchises.

For the Houston Texans, a rising AFC organization built to win a conference title in 2024, their star receiver just walked into the building and agreed to his deal with zero complaints.

Amid countless pass-catchers getting paid, Nico Collins agreed to terms on a new three-year, $72.5 million deal that’ll keep him in Houston through 2027. Perhaps he’ll follow the same path as Andre Johnson and spend over a decade as the consistent No. 1 target at NRG Stadium while totaling back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns.

Much like Ayiuk and Lamb, Collins put together a season to remember while helping his quarterback post record-setting numbers en route to a postseason berth. As C.J. Stroud’s go-to target, the third-year 6-foot-4 target totaled a career-high 80 receptions for 1,297 yards and 8 touchdowns.

He joins an elite company as just the third player in franchise history to post 1,200 receiving yards in a single season. Johnson, who just was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is one. Future Canton-bound target DeAndre Hopkins is another.

While Ayiuk and Lamb have constantly produced, no one knows what the future holds. The duo could once again thrive while serving as security blankets for Brock Purdy and Dak Prescott, respectively, while still producing in heavy-targeted offense.

They could also crash and burn while earning over $38 million annually.
Collins, who’ll earn $24 million annually, looks like a bargain buy regardless of his future outlook. As asking prices climb for targets, so does the annual salary.

With Collins locked up for four more years, his annual price will only shrink in time. And by the time he’s up for a new deal, perhaps he’s reached the perennial All-Pro status as those now swimming in sums of cash.

Even if Collins never duplicates his 2023 success, his annual salary will be manageable compared to others. The rest of the league is on notice of the ever-changing resetting market for pass-catchers in an expanded salary cap era.

The 49ers have to see Ayiuk reach similar numbers to his 2023 production justify the contract.

The Cowboys must see Lamb be a 1,500-yard playmaker to warrant his deal.

The Texans need Collins to remain on the field.

Given the trajectory of contracts, Houston might have hauled in the best contract of the offseason surrounding a blend of talent and cost.

Chiefs GM Brett Veach discusses Creed Humphrey’s contract extension

General manager Brett Veach discussed Creed Humphrey’s contract extension during the #Chiefs’ preseason finale against the #Bears. | @EdEastonJr

The first domino has fallen regarding the Kansas City Chiefs’ upcoming free agents from the 2021 NFL Draft class. The front office made securing the core of the offensive line an immediate focal point.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach joined the broadcast team on KMCI 38 The Spot during the start of the second quarter of Thursday’s game for his annual conversation in the booth.

He immediately addressed the reported deal of center Creed Humphrey, agreeing to a contract extension to become the highest-paid center in the league.

“In the last 24-48 hours, we’ve had a lot of good dialogue, and I’m pretty sure we’ll put pen to paper soon,” Veach explained. “But, needless to say, we’re extremely excited to continue Creed’s career here; he’s been great for the organization. We’ve been very fortunate to have really a good group of young guys, and hopefully, we’re able to get a little bit more work done with some of these other young guys as well.”

Humphrey has quickly become a valuable mainstay on the Chiefs’ offensive line, and after the deal is complete, he will continue to anchor for the foreseeable future.

These Raiders players deserve to join NFL $10M+ APY club right now

These Raiders players deserve to join NFL $10M+ APY club

Right now there are only eight NFL clubs who have fewer players making an average of $10 million per season than the Raiders (6). With some $34.5 million in cap room, the Raiders should seriously be thinking about making a few more players offers to keep them around for a while.

There are several players who are entering the last year of their contract who the Raiders would be very wise to lock up as soon as possible.

Not all of those players are going to command more than $10 million per season. But there are two who absolutely should, based on their talent and at the premium position they play.

Let’s start with:

Malcolm Koonce

The former third round pick out of Buffalo came on strong late last season when Antonio Pierce took over as interim head coach. And he has continued to lay claim to the starting defensive end spot opposite Maxx Crosby.

As Jon Gruden notoriously said not long after stupidly trading away Khalil Mack: “Good pass rushers are hard to find.” Well, the Raiders tapped into Buffalo again and found another one. And this time they can’t let him get away.

Koonce has given every indication so far that his play late last season wasn’t a fluke. He developed. And if the Raiders would like to keep that development in house, they need to lock him up.

Edge rushers is one of the highest paying positions in football. Maxx Crosby’s average of $23.5 million per season is still ninth in the league. The only positions with more overall value in the league than that are quarterback and wide receiver.

If the Raiders were to give Koonce a contract that averaged $10 million per season, that would land him 35th among edge rushers. Though you could understand if maybe Koonce and his agent would rather wait until after this season to see if he could get an even better contract.

Nate Hobbs

No player on this team is more deserving of a new contract than Hobbs. He’s still playing on his fifth round rookie contract and he outplayed that… well, as a rookie. He’s been the best cornerback on this team for three seasons now and asking for a contract that would put him in the top ten at his position wouldn’t be far fetched.

Something around $15 million per season would land Hobbs in the top ten at his position. And, for what it’s worth, a contract that paid him $10 million per season would land him at 18th at his position.

A deal with Hobbs should be getting done. He is part of the heart and soul of this defense and this team as a whole, he’s proven he’s worth it, and the Raiders can absolutely afford it right now.

Also see: Top 5 players Raiders should offer extensions prior to 2024 season

No-nonsense LT Garett Bolles hopes for contract extension from Broncos

Garett Bolles has a contract set to expire after 2024, but you won’t hear him complain about it. The left tackle is focused on his job.

After giving a new deal to guard Quinn Meinerz, the next massive contract extension on deck for the Denver Broncos is that of cornerback Pat Surtain.

Surtain is still under contract for two more years, though, whereas left tackle Garett Bolles is set to become a free agent in 2025. If the Broncos want to keep Bolles in Denver beyond the 2024 season, they will likely work on an extension before next spring.

Unlike Surtain, Bolles is unlikely to become the highest-paid player at his position, but a new deal — or free agency — looms.

Despite going into the final year of his current deal, Bolles has not made a peep about his contract publicly. Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton skipped part of the team’s offseason program this spring in protest of his contract that had two years left. Other players across the league have held out while negotiating new deals.

Bolles has reported for duty with an expiring deal lingering.

“This team counts on me, so any time that we have voluntary or team meetings or whatever it is, I’m going to be the first one there,” Bolles said last week. “I love this city and I love this organization. I want to play my whole career here. The front office knows that. They know I want to be a Bronco for life.

“My family is here and established here. We love it here. We don’t want to go anywhere else.  My job is to just play good football and the ball is in their court. I just have to do my job and the rest will take care of itself.”

Bolles went on a two-year church mission before college and eventually entered the NFL as a 25-year-old rookie. Now 32 years old, Bolles is entering his eighth season in the NFL. He doesn’t move like an aging veteran.

“He’s a tremendous athlete,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “He’s extremely athletic. You don’t feel eight years. Sometimes you feel that when you work with a player, other times you don’t. I don’t feel that with him.”

This will be the second time in his career that Bolles has received a new contract. When his rookie deal was winding down in 2020, Denver gave Bolles a four-year, $68 million extension. That deal is now set to expire following the 2024 season. The left tackle isn’t focused on an extension.

“They know I want to be here,” Bolles said. “There’s no — I’ve addressed that to them — they know that, but at the same time I can’t worry about that. I just have to do my job. Me and Coach Payton have a unique relationship.

“We’re super close and we talk. He just tells me to focus on the things that I need to focus on. That’s just being a good father, being a good husband, being a good son and then playing good football. If I can focus on those things just like I did in 2020, it worked out good for me.”

The Broncos have missed the playoffs and posted a losing record in each of Bolles’ first seven years in the NFL. The team now appears to be trending in the right direction, and Bolles wants to be part of the turnaround.

“I love being a Bronco,” he said. “I love this city. I love everything about this organization. We’re going in the right direction. I don’t think there’s anyone else in this building that wants to win here more than me just because I’ve been here the longest.

“I’ve seen the history that we have and the legends that we have in this organization. I feel like it’s my job to continue to build that and continue to create this team that we need to go forward.”

Following the release of safety Justin Simmons earlier this year, Bolles is the longest-tenured player in Denver. He’ll need a new contract for that status to extend beyond this fall. Perhaps an in-season extension is on the way. With or without a new deal, though, Bolles will show up with an excellent mentality every day.

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