Tag: contract

Report: Sean Payton leveraged Cowboys’ interest to get new Saints contract

The Dallas Cowboys gauged Sean Payton’s interest in joining them during the offseason, which he used to re-up with the New Orleans Saints.

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The news of New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton’s five-year contract extension was forgotten in the wake of a serious hand injury to quarterback Drew Brees on that same day, but it’s important to remember as we inch towards the offseason.

Specifically, the Dallas Cowboys-centric news cycle that’s sure to dominate the spring and summer. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is poised to finally move on from lame duck coach Jason Garrett, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported this week that Payton will not be an option — because of that same contract extension. Ironically, Rapoport added that previous interest from the Cowboys played a part in Payton signing on long-term with New Orleans.

“Last year after the season, through back channels, nothing official,” Rapoport said, “the Cowboys made it known that they would be interested in Sean Payton if he was interested in them. And obviously a lot of things would have to happen. Payton considered it, he helped use that leverage to land a new contract that was actually agreed to last winter, not earlier this season.”

While Payton’s friendship with the Jones family is strong (he famously came up in their organization as an assistant to legendary coach Bill Parcells), it’s clear that after considering what Dallas has to offer, he’d like to remain friends rather than employer-and-employee. And that’s perfectly understandable. It’s just too good that Payton not only turned the Cowboys down, but used their interest to expedite negotiations with the Saints and tie him to the team even stronger than before.

The next chapter of Saints football is going to be as fascinating to watch as all the previous entries, because Payton will be there to manage it. He’ll continue to make bold in-game decisions and keep the offseason lively with gambling free agent signings and draft pick valuations. By locking himself to the Saints through 2026, he’s ensured that he’ll continue to make the rules and call the shots in New Orleans — even after Drew Brees has hung up his cleats.

Whether the next Saints quarterback is already on the roster, waiting on another NFL team, or finishing up his college career before entering the draft, fans can rest easy knowing Payton’s will be here to work with them. He’s guided the franchise through a golden age of football, delivered New Orleans its first Super Bowl, and is hard at work to go in its second Lombardi Trophy. All fans can do is enjoy the ride.

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Chris Paul’s big contract a big problem for potential trades

Chris Paul is set to make almost $80 million over the next two seasons, which could keep CP3 with the Oklahoma City Thunder through the end of 2019-20.

Oklahoma City may make Chris Paul available during the trade period, but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily going anywhere.

It’s no secret that Paul’s contract makes him tough to trade. The Thunder ran into that issue over the summer when they were unable to make a deal to send the 14-year veteran to Miami.

At 34-years-old, age isn’t helping CP3 any either.

But the hope in Oklahoma City has been that Paul would get off to a great start, that potential playoff teams would need some help and, ultimately, that a deal would be able to get done. However, it appears league executives don’t believe that is going to be the case.

According to Tim Haberstroh of NBC Sports, the consensus around the NBA is that Paul will end this season exactly where he started – in Oklahoma City, due in part to his “enormous contract”:

After polling executives, the league-wide sense is that Paul will remain with the Thunder this season simply because of his enormous contract. While it’s theoretically possible that Paul could agree to turn down his $44 million player option for 2021-22 to grease the wheels on a potential trade, right now, that is the longest of long shots.

Thanks to Paul being the president of the players’ union, Haberstroh also notes, the optics of turning down such a sizable option wouldn’t look particularly good:

Besides overcoming the idea of giving up 44 million buckaroos, Paul is also the president of the players’ union and it would be a bad look to set that precedent of turning down that amount of money to make it more palatable to a team.

As pointed out by Bleacher Report, Paul is set to make just under $80 million over the next two seasons ($79.7 million, to be exact), and “holds a $44.2 million option for 2021-22.”

Currently, Paul is averaging 15.7 points and 6.1 assists for the Thunder, shooting right around 45% from the field.

Oklahoma City, though not expected to contend for the playoffs, is currently in seventh place in the Western Conference standings with the Kings and the Suns.

Broncos could have about $74M in salary cap space in 2020

The Broncos could have as much as $74 million in 2020 salary cap space.

The NFL has projected a 2020 salary cap of $196.8-$201.2 million, according to The Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan. This year’s salary cap number was $188.2 million, around $10 million less than the 2020 projection.

The Broncos have about $150 million worth of 2020 salaries scheduled to count against their cap, according to OverTheCap.com. So if the league raises the cap to $200 million, Denver general manager John Elway would have about $50 million to work with.

And if the Broncos don’t use all of their salary cap space this year (around $14 million), that unused cap will roll over into the team’s 2020 total.

Elway could also save around $10 million in 2020 cap space by parting ways with quarterback Joe Flacco, which appears to be a likely move. Flacco was underwhelming before a neck injury prematurely ended his 2019 season.

So Denver could potentially have $74 million in 2020 cap space.

The Broncos’ list of players scheduled to become free agents in March includes cornerback Chris Harris, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, safety Justin Simmons, defensive end Derek Wolfe, center Connor McGovern, defensive lineman Mike Purcell and safety Will Parks.

Denver coach Vic Fangio has hinted that Simmons will get a contract extension. The futures of the team’s other free agents are less certain.

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2020 NFL salary cap projected to be between $197 and $201 million

The salary cap in the NFL is expected to jump between $197 and $201 million in 2020. Where does that put the Houston Texans?

 

The NFL salary cap is expected to rise between $197 and $201 million in 2020.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the climb in salary cap is the seventh consecutive season the salary cap has increased $10 million per club.

The Houston Texans are expected to have $145 million in salaries in 2020 with defensive end J.J. Watt, receiver DeAndre Hopkins, and left tackle Laremy Tunsil earning the most at $15 million, $14 million, and $10.4 million, according to Over the Cap.

Going off of Over the Cap’s $200 million projection, the Texans would have the seventh-highest salary cap space in 2020, which would give them the ability to start talking about an extension for quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is still on his rookie deal.

Broncos coach Vic Fangio hinting that Justin Simmons will be re-signed

Broncos coach Vic Fangio has been hinting that Denver will re-sign safety Justin Simmons.

Broncos general manager John Elway, who is in charge of building the team’s roster, will listen to input from coach Vic Fangio this offseason to hear his opinion on certain players. It’s safe to assume Fangio is going to give safety Justin Simmons a glowing review.

Simmons, 26, will earn a little more than $2 million this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in March. Fangio has hinted more than once this year that Simmons will be re-signed by Denver.

“He’s playing very well for us,” Fangio said on Nov. 25. “We’re awful happy to have him. I think he’s going to have a great career — here. He’s been playing well all year.”

A few weeks before his most recent comments about Simmons’ future, Fangio said earlier in November that he foresess “a bright future for him in a Broncos uniform.”

Simmons appreciates his coach’s praise.

“It means a lot,” Simmons said on Nov. 26. “As you guys know, Vic is the type of guy that doesn’t really sugarcoat anything.

“He says exactly what’s on his heart and on his mind. Hearing something like that definitely goes a long way.”

Simmons was selected by Denver in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft out of Boston College. Through 12 games this season he has totaled 70 tackles and three interceptions. Simmons has also broken up 10 passes.

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ESPN senior writer says Saints are a ‘wild card’ if Cam Newton tests free agency

ESPN senior NFL writer Jeremy Fowler suggested the New Orleans Saints could be a ‘wild card’ if Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton is available

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The future isn’t exactly clear for Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Newton landed on injured reserve earlier this year; the team has since gone 5-5 without him. Questions are mounting as to whether new team owner David Tepper will retain longtime head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Marty Hurney, so big changes could be on the way for Carolina.

One of those big changes could be a parting with Newton, the Panthers’ franchise quarterback. Newton’s year ended after foot injury lingered into the regular season, and his 2018 season was cut short with a shoulder issue. He was mightily effective on designed runs (gaining 5.1 yards per carry and averaging 38.4 rushing yards per game in his career) but the hundreds of extra hits he absorbed in that role have clearly taken a toll.

So it wouldn’t be a big shock if the Panthers showed Newton the door in 2020. It’s the last year of the five-year, $103.8 million contract extension he signed back in 2015, and cutting Newton would free up $19.1 million against the salary cap. That’s money Tepper could put towards finding his new quarterback or hammering out new deals for free-agents-to-be like linebacker Shaq Thompson (2020 class), running back Christian McCaffrey (2021), or right tackle Taylor Moton (2021).

During an appearance on the ESPN Daily podcast with host Mina Kimes, ESPN senior NFL writer Jeremy Fowler noted that he could envision Newton wearing black and gold some day, maybe as an heir for New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

“The wild card here is New Orleans,” Fowler said after discussing more-realistic landing spots like the Los Angeles Chargers or Chicago Bears. “Now, it would be unlikely, but one guy I talked to said Sean Payton secretly loved Lamar Jackson in the draft, and he loves that style of quarterback. Where you can get creative — you can run and you can throw and you can do whatever you want. And so, they’ve kind of experimented with that with Taysom Hill as a result.”

Hill’s usage on designed quarterback runs and passes off of play-action rollouts could be interpreted as a trial for new elements of the always-evolving Saints playbook, and it makes sense that Payton could be considering other prospects who can do those things while staying on the field as a conventional passer.

Hill could certainly be a candidate to do that, but it’s worth mentioning that he doesn’t have an edge over Newton as far as age (Hill is 29, Newton is 30) or health (Hill went undrafted back in 2017 after four of his five years at BYU cut off with season-ending injuries) are concerned. If anything, Newton’s extended NFL experience as a passer helps his case. Any further developments Hill makes on dropbacks will be in pursuit of trying to get where Newton already is.

Still, maintaining Newton’s versatility was something Fowler stressed, and he admitted that Brees’ continued high level of play could keep the Saints out of Newton’s sweepstakes should he become available: “So if you do Newton you’d have to be all in, and it’d have to be a successor situation to Drew Brees. But (if) Brees continues completing 74% of his passes or whatever it is now, it’s going to be hard to move on from him.”

Of course, it all comes down to whether or not the Panthers even let Newton hit the free market. If they are seeking to make a long-term change at quarterback, they’d like to do so on their own terms in a trade, and Fowler made certain that a deal between the two NFC South rivals isn’t happening: “And they would never trade him there (to New Orleans). So that would have to be an outright release where he’s let go, and the Saints work him out and they sign him to a big contract.”

It’s tough to say what happens next for the Saints quarterbacks. They’re going year-to-year with Brees, who will turn 41 in January and could retire at any time without creating a huge shock. Hill should stick around another year at least on a restricted free agent tender. Teddy Bridgewater won all five of his starts in Brees’ place this year and would be the preferred successor, but he’s likely to get an offer he can’t refuse in free agency. You would think if the Saints can afford to sign Newton to a big contract, they could do the same with Bridgewater, who has already proven he can win in their system.

Nevertheless, changes are coming, and it wouldn’t be impossible for Newton to end up joining the Saints should a few factors break the right way. Crazier things have happened in the NFL, and in New Orleans. Remember when the Saints took a shot on Brees, a virtual unknown and then-San Diego Chargers washout, just months removed from reconstructive shoulder surgery?

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Broncos worked out 16 players last week

Tre’ Crawford was among 16 players who worked out for the Broncos last week.

The Broncos worked out 16 players last week and half of those players were defensive backs, perhaps a sign that Denver plans to add more depth in the secondary this offseason. Here’s the list of last week’s workouts, courtesy of The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala:

  1. DB Corrin Ballard
  2. DT Daryle Banfield 
  3. DE Tashawn Bower
  4. LB Tre’ Crawford 
  5. DB Davante Davis 
  6. DT Willie Henry 
  7. DB P.J. Locke 
  8. DB Tray Matthews
  9. DB Picasso Nelson 
  10. LB Gimel President 
  11. DE Wyatt Ray
  12. DB Tyree Robinson 
  13. DB Kahani Smith 
  14. LB Pita Taumoepenu 
  15. NT Jay-Tee Tiuli 
  16. DB Isaiah Wharton

Of note, the Broncos did not work out any punters last week. Colby Wadman has come under pressure in recent weeks and he didn’t help his case on Sunday when he had an awful 13-yard punt. He has averaged 43.8 yards per punt this season, which ranks 28th in the league.

Denver has been working out players as candidates for “futures contracts.” Players that are not on an active roster at the end of the season are eligible to sign future deals that will become official in March. Teams are allowed to have 90 players on the roster during the offseason.

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There’s someone else to blame for Cowboys coaching woes

Jerry Jones is disappointed in Jason Garrett’s coaching ability, but he knew what he had in the Cowboys coach.

Anyone who has watched the Cowboys kind of knew what was going to happen when Dallas was driving for a game-tying score with under seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter against the Patriots in Foxborough. We’ve seen it before. The Cowboys offense gets desperate, they stall and are left with a long fourth-down conversion or in this case the option to take a field goal. The failed fourth-down conversion happened in the Cowboys game against the Vikings. Dallas got conservative while Dak Prescott was absolutely cooking the Minnesota defense. The Cowboys ran the ball twice and failed to convert.

In the New England game, the Cowboys ran two desperation passes on second and third down and settled for a field goal. It makes sense when you’re down seven in a torrential downpour and heavy winds against the best defense in the league to kick the field goal to remain a score down. When you need a touchdown, always kick the field goal to still need a touchdown. Not surprisingly, Jerry Jones wasn’t exactly happy with the coaching in the game or the results.

The internet was not kind to the man at the helm of the Cowboys. Jason Garrett got absolutely roasted.

That’s fine. Many a coach has been outsmarted by Bill Belichick. The problem isn’t that Garrett was beaten by one of the best to ever coach. The problem is that he was even in this position in the first place.

See, Garrett’s coaching has been questionable for a while now. You don’t get a meme made up about you unless you’re very good or very bad. We’ll have you guess which one Garrett is.

Sure, he’s been able to coach some Cowboys teams to the playoffs, but no one would ever say Dallas had a coaching edge. He started off his career as perfectly mediocre with an 8-8 record in his first three full-time years. Since then the Cowboys have been up and down. Now they are 6-5 with one of the most talented teams in the NFL. Going into Week 12, Dallas was fourth in DVOA behind only New England, Baltimore, and Kansas City. They were ahead of San Francisco. They should be better than their record.

They aren’t because of Garrett, but maybe Garrett shouldn’t be in this situation. You can’t complain about the meal when you bought the groceries to make it. Jerry Jones knew exactly what he was getting himself into this year. He’s had a soft spot for Garrett ever since he took over as head coach and started out with that constant .500 record. Some folks say Jones liked keeping Garrett around because the head coach was never going to be a bigger star than the owner. Garrett is quiet and reserved. Jones can say and do whatever he wants and there won’t be any issues. That makes some sense. Maybe Jones has a soft spot for Garrett since he was around during the last time the Cowboys were truly Super Bowl contenders. We can guess all day as to why the Garrett-Jones relationship has worked out for so long.

It shouldn’t matter. Dallas knew it had something to build on this year, and they also knew that their window could be short with the impending contracts of Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper. This was the year. They have one of the best offenses in the NFL. They have a talented defense, yet coaching comes back to bite them at an inopportune time more often than not.

It would have been hard to move on from Garrett after Dallas won the NFC East in 2018 — over a disappointing Eagles team — and even won a playoff game. It still would have been the right move. Sometimes teams need to move on from their coach to reach the next level. We know Garrett’s ceiling. Jerry Jones knows Garrett’s ceiling as well, yet he brought him back to coach anyway. If Jones had a ton of faith that Garrett was the answer, he would have extended Garrett’s contract in the offseason. He didn’t. Garrett is a lame-duck coach.

So Jones shouldn’t be surprised when the Cowboys get outcoached week in and week out. He knew what he was getting. If only there was someone who could have made the decision to move on from Garrett in the offseason. Someone like the owner.

Future of Saints QB situation graded as too complicated to covet

The New Orleans Saints might have the NFL’s best quarterback situation in 2019, but free agency looms for Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater.

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The New Orleans Saints quarterbacks depth chart is one that should be the envy of the NFL. Drew Brees is a Hall of Fame-bound passer, sitting comfortably on top. Teddy Bridgewater proved his worth as a backup who can win games in this league. And Taysom Hill is a dynamic reserve who can fill in at almost any position, up to and including quarterback.

But according to our friends over at Touchdown Wire, that short-term strength comes with a price. All three of those quarterbacks are going to be free agents after this season, and the Saints have a tough decision to make on whether to keep Brees or Bridgewater. It’s possible they’re able to re-sign both of them, but Bridgewater will have earned far more opportunities — and much bigger contract demands — than what he was offered in the last signing cycle. And that potential instability ranks New Orleans’ outlook at the position low among the league; at No. 24, to be exact:

If this ranking pertained only to this season, the Saints might be No. 1. They have a future Hall of Famer in Drew Brees and, when he missed five games with a thumb injury, backup Teddy Bridgewater went 5-0. The Saints should have a deep playoff run this year. But, after that, things get cloudy in a hurry. Brees will turn 41 in January. He’s still going strong. It’s difficult to imagine the Saints choosing to keep Bridgewater as the starter over Brees because coach Sean Payton and Brees have such a close working relationship. It’s also difficult to imagine Bridgewater choosing to stay in New Orleans as a backup when he could likely get a starting job in free agency. Third-stringer Taysom Hill never will rise to the starting role. He’s a multipurpose threat and is used mostly on gimmick plays. Unless the Saints find a magical way to keep Bridgewater, it will be time to start looking for an eventual replacement for Brees. “Don’t be surprised if the Saints find a way to keep Bridgewater,” a panelist said. “(General manager Mickey) Loomis and Payton can be very charming. The smart move is to keep Teddy, even if he’s your backup for another year or two until Brees retires. They’ll be willing to throw good cash at him.”

To put a more optimistic spin on it: the Saints have at least two NFL quarterbacks in the building they can put faith in, and they’ll probably have their pick of them in the spring. Bridgewater will be able to command a starting quarterback’s salary in the range of $20 million or better per year, which is close to the decreased salary Brees agreed to accept the last time his contract ran out.

The Saints can afford to keep one of them, but they’ll be hard-pressed to recruit Bridgewater if Brees is determined to continue playing. At least Hill can return on a low-cost restricted free agent tender, at least for one more year.

Fortunately, the Saints have plenty of time to figure this situation out. Hopefully they’ll be able to do so with everyone crowded around the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LIV.

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What could a Jamal Adams extension look like?

Jamal Adams will want to be the highest-paid safety in NFL history, and the Jets can’t afford to wait to sign him if they want to keep him.

If Christopher Johnson really wants Jamal Adams to be a Jet for life, he’s going to have to pony up a lot of cash to keep Adams in New York.

Though the Jets control Adams through the 2021 season if they pick up his fifth-year option, they’d be apt to offer him an extension sooner rather than later, both as a show of good faith after a chaotic year and because of the potential price tag he could command in two years.

Adams is currently the 18th highest-paid safety with the $22.2 million rookie deal he signed in 2017 after the Jets took him sixth overall, but he will soon earn a much bigger salary. The Jets have three options with Adams: They can sign him to a contract extension at any point after this season, pick up his fifth-year option by May 3, 2020, or do nothing and let him play out the final year of his contract and let him hit free agency at the end of the 2020 season.

The Jets should take the first option if they truly believe Adams is the face of their franchise and the future of their defense. 

What would it take to sign Adams to a long-term deal? Well, you’d have to look at the two record-setting contracts signed by safeties Landon Collins and Kevin Byard last offseason. Collins signed a six-year, $84 million contract with the Redskins in March that included $44.5 million in guaranteed money. With an average annual salary of $14 million, he became the highest-paid safety in the NFL until Byard signed a five-year, $70.5 million extension with the Titans in July that included $31 million guaranteed and will pay him an average of $14.1 million annually.

Byard’s yearly salary is the starting point for Adams’ contract extension. In all likelihood, Adams would want somewhere close a $15 million annual salary, which isn’t completely unthinkable given Adams’ play of late.

The Jets also can’t afford to wait longer than this offseason to extend Adams because of the other safeties in line for massive deals.

If the Jets exercised Adams’ fifth-year option today, it would cost around $11.81 for the 2021 season. Since Adams was a top-10 pick, his option is calculated by taking the average of the top 10 safety salaries. That $11.81 million number could increase if another safety signs a deal that vaults him into the top 10.

That’s below anything Adams would ask for in a contract extension this winter, but by pushing the Jets’ deadline to sign Adams long-term by another season it could potentially raise the floor well for Adams if other safeties sign bigger deals.

The three names Joe Douglas will have to watch if he plays the waiting game are the Vikings’ Harrison Smith, the Bears’ Eddie Jackson and the Chargers’ Derwin James. Smith is up for an extension after the 2021 season when he’ll turn 32, so the odds of him setting the market price are low. James is already one of the best safeties in the league but also isn’t eligible for a new deal until after the 2021 season unless the Chargers exercise his fifth-year option where he’ll have to wait until after 2022. 

The price could go up for Adams if the Jets wait for Jackson’s impending deal.

Jackson is two years older than Adams and much more of a ballhawk, but he’s also one of the best safeties in the league and could easily sign a bigger deal than Byard and Collins as early as this offseason. If the Bears choose to extend Jackson before the Jets extend Adams, it could massively affect Adams’ asking price down the road.

The Jets shouldn’t wait for any of these dominos to fall. Getting Adams locked up before the market resets will be crucial to Joe Douglas’ ability to remake the roster and keep Adams at the same time. He’ll have at minimum $46.4 million to spend in 2020, and that’s before he inevitably cuts other contracts for overpaid players like Trumaine Johnson.

Yes, spending upward of $15 million per year on a safety is a massive risk for the Jets given the holes in various other positions on the roster. But for someone like Adams, it’s worth it given his performance this year. The Jets won’t just be paying for an incredible defensive back, but they’ll be paying for a top-flight pass rusher as well.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been able to unlock Adams’ versatility both in coverage and as a pass rusher. He’s blitzed Adams at multiple positions on the field – edge, safety, cornerback – which helped Adams notch five sacks the past two weeks (six on the season) and put him on pace to break the NFL record for most sacks by a defensive back (eight).

According to Next Gen Stats, Adams blitzed an average of 5.2 times per game over the first eight games of the season. Adams lined up as an edge rusher 14 times against the Redskins, rushed 13 times and finished with a 26.4 pass-rush win percentage, per Pro Football Focus. On the season, he ranks first among defensive backs in blitzes (55) and quarterback pressures (12). Though he only has one interception on the season, Adams has broken up six passes and allowed a completion percentage of 53.8 percent and a passer rating of 78.7 when targeted.

Retaining Adams will come at a hefty price, but it will be worth it to preserve the closest thing the Jets have to a superstar. Generational defensive talents don’t come around often and the Jets would be wise to lock theirs up for the foreseeable future.