Tag: contract extensions

NBA fans are debating whether Paul George’s new $190 million extension with the Clippers was worth it

Man, that’s a lot of money.

Paul George said he wanted to be a Clipper for the rest of his career. He may have just gotten his wish on Thursday.

Despite him just had one of the roughest postseasons of his career last season with his play in the NBA bubble, the Clippers made it clear they still believe in him.

George signed a four year, $190 million extension that will keep him with the Clippers until, at the very least, the 2024 season, according to reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He has a player option for the 2024-25 season. So, basically, if he plays this deal out, he’ll have a chance to retire a Clipper.

George could’ve potentially entered free agency next season with a player option in the final year of his deal. This extension wipes that away.

And it’s a lot of money. George will make nearly $50 million in the last year of the deal.

This was surprising news, to say the least, after this postseason for the Clippers where they blew a 3-1 series lead to the Denver Nuggets. Yes, he had a subpar playoff showing. But facts are still facts and George is still an All-Star with an All-NBA pedigree. He’s one of the NBA’s best defenders and he’s still a versatile player offensively.

It makes sense to lock him up long term. Especially when it means that he doesn’t have to worry about his contract and can now just focus on gelling with the rest of the Clippers.

Still, though, after his postseason, NBA fans from all over were mostly confused. It got so bad that “Pandemic P” trended on Twitter after the news broke.

Some fans think he’s totally worth the ticket. Others? Not so much.

Projected contract extensions for big-time Saints 2021 free agents

The New Orleans Saints have the resources to get a jump on contract extensions with key 2021 free agents like Alvin Kamara and Demario Davis

The New Orleans Saints freed up a ton of salary cap space by releasing Larry Warford earlier this month, but so far they’ve only used it to pick up free agents on one-year deals, at near-veteran’s minimum salary.

Names like Margus Hunt, Ty Montgomery, Anthony Chickillo, and James Hurst may not move the needle, but their impact could be felt in training camp later this summer. Having players with their NFL experience rounding out your roster instead of a crowd of undrafted rookies speaks volumes about the quality of this year’s Saints depth chart.

But at some point New Orleans is going to dig deep into their pockets and start planning for the future. That’s what they did last year by getting a jump on looming free agents like Wil Lutz, Cameron Jordan, and Michael Thomas. The Saints correctly identified each of those players as critical pieces to the locker room and rewarded them with new deals well ahead of schedule.

Here are several big names the Saints should consider, with projected contract extensions. Because this new money will be flowing in on top of preexisting deals, the Saints will have the option to restructure current-year cap hits and create more spending-room as they go along. It’s a tactic they’ve used often before.

And with even more lucrative contracts on the way for Marshon Lattimore and Ryan Ramczyk (who each had their fifth-year options picked up as soon as the Saints were allowed to do so), getting these deals inked now lets the Saints know exactly what they have to work with in the future. It’s like ordering a drink before choosing your steak.

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Falcons to give FB Keith Smith a three-year extension

The Atlanta Falcons will reportedly be signing fullback Keith Smith to a three-year extension.

The Atlanta Falcons will reportedly be signing fullback Keith Smith to a three-year extension:

Smith, a six-year NFL veteran that signed in Atlanta last season, was part of head coach Dan Quinn’s plan to become a more physical, run-heavy offense. The team fell well short of that goal, however, rushing for just 85.1 yards per game in 2019.

At 27-years-old, the Falcons still believe Smith brings something different than what the team already has in Ito Smith and Devonta Freeman.

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Four 2021 Saints free agents who need contract extensions this offseason

The New Orleans Saints must get ahead of the curve and work out new contract extensions for players like Alvin Kamara and Demario Davis.

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NFL free agency is just weeks away, and it’s time for the New Orleans Saints to get to work negotiating new deals with pending free agents. But their discussions aren’t limited to just the players whose contracts expire in March; they must also begin to look ahead to the 2021 offseason, getting ahead of the curve on growing markets while restructuring contracts to create more salary cap space. And some players, such as Marshon Lattimore and Ryan Ramczyk, have team options that must be triggered this summer (and they should be, without question).

Here are four 2021 Saints free agents who the Saints should consider signing to contract extensions sooner rather than later.

RB Alvin Kamara

The asking price for top-shelf running backs will only increase as new deals for Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry are handed out. Kamara will likely never be more affordable than he is right now, and the Saints can avoid a potential training camp holdout by signing him to an extension. Even when injured last year, he had the sixth-best yards per carry (4.7) among running backs who logged equal or greater total carries (171).

LB Demario Davis

Davis would be the best free agent signing in Saints history if not for Drew Brees. He’s an All-Pro talent on the field and a charismatic leader who takes charge both in the locker room and in his community. He’s everything you’d hope to add to your team when making this kind of investment. The Saints could lower his $9.9 million salary cap hit with a contract extension, retaining one of their best players for the rest of his career.

RG Larry Warford

Even if Warford may have taken a step back last season (Pro Football Focus rated his pass-blocking at 71.4, which is near the middle of the pack for guards), but he’s still a durable, positively-graded starter who’s played 91% or more of snaps in each of the last two years. Additionally, his 2020 salary cap hit is one of the highest on the team at $12.875 million, and the team could create a lot of breathing room by signing him to a new deal and converting much of his base salary into a signing bonus.

FS Marcus Williams

Williams is probably going to be the most controversial name on this list due to his high-profile gaffes, but he shouldn’t be. He was the best playmaker the Saints had in the secondary last year. He was the only Saints defender to intercept multiple passes (finishing the year with four). Depending on how contracts for talented safeties like Denver Broncos star Justin Simmons shake out, Williams could be in line for $15 million or more per year in 2021. The Saints need to get out in front of this development before they get priced out of a good player.

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Projected 2020 NFL salary cap could reach $201.2M

The Seattle Seahawks and all other NFL clubs around the league have now be informed of the potential salary cap increase for the 2020 season.

The Seattle Seahawks and all other NFL clubs around the league have now be informed of the potential salary cap increase for the 2020 season.

The new cap amount could fall somewhere between $196.8 million to $201.2 million, at least an $8 million increase over this year’s number.

Based on these figures, this would mark the seventh consecutive season the cap has increased more than $10 million per team. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the total projected player costs could be more than $7.7 billion in 2020.

Per Over the Cap, the Seahawks’ current total liabilities for next season are roughly $139 million with a projected cap space of just over $66 million – plenty of money to lock up a few players to contract extensions.

The numbers could change slightly once the official 2020 salary cap increase has been finalized.

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