Tag: free agency

Broncos exercise Pat Surtain’s 5th-year option for 2025 season

The Broncos have picked up Pat Surtain’s fifth-year option. He’ll now earn about $19.8 million in 2025.

The Denver Broncos have picked up cornerback Pat Surtain’s fifth-year option for the 2025 NFL season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Next week (May 2) was the deadline to exercise the option.

Surtain, 24, had one year remaining on his rookie contract before Denver exercised the option for next year. Surtain is set to earn about $3.5 million in 2024. He’ll get a big raise in 2025 as the fifth-year option is projected to be worth about $19.8 million.

Every player picked in the first round has a team option for a fifth season. The cost of that option depends on the player’s position, playing time and Pro Bowl selections.

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Surtain’s basic salary would have been around $12.4 million if he did not meet any of the following incentives: playing time ($13.3 million), one Pro Bowl ($17.2 million) or two Pro Bowls ($19.8 million), according to NFL Network.

Surtain maxed out his potential earnings by playing 95% of the team’s defensive snaps and earning two Pro Bowl nods in his first three seasons. The star cornerback is now under contract for at least two more years, and the Broncos will likely work on a long-term extension next.

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Mike Purcell wants to re-sign with Broncos and wear throwback uniform

“Sign me back so I can rock them!” free agent defensive lineman Mike Purcell said of the Broncos’ new throwback uniforms.

It’s safe to say the Denver Broncos’ new throwback uniforms are a big hit.

Fans love the “Orange Crush” look and players do, too. Even former players.

Broncos free agent defensive lineman Mike Purcell tweeted his excitement about the throwback uniform on Monday. The veteran defender told the team to re-sign him “so I can rock” the new uniform.

Purcell undoubtedly wanted to re-sign with Denver even before the new throwbacks dropped, but this is still a notable sign of a uniform’s success. A player is asking a team to sign him so he can wear the new uniform. Well done, designers.

Purcell, 33, has previously made it clear that he wants to finish his career with the Broncos. Before hitting free agency this spring, Purcell played in Denver from 2019-2023, totaling 166 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one safety in 65 games (37 starts).

If the Broncos do re-sign Purcell, it will likely happen after the draft.

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Broncos sign CB Levi Wallace to 1-year contract

The Broncos are signing Levi Wallace to a one-year contract, giving the team veteran depth at cornerback.

Story update: The Broncos have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Levi Wallace, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. See our original post below. 

The Denver Broncos are expected to sign cornerback Levi Wallace to a one-year contract, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Wallace (6-0, 179 pounds) won two national championships at Alabama before entering the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the Buffalo Bills in 2018. He spent four years in Buffalo, starting 52 games, before signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022.

Wallace, 28, started 18 games for the Steelers over the last two years, breaking up 24 passes and recording six interceptions. He has totaled 54 pass breakups and 12 interceptions in 83 career games (70 starts).

Wallace gives the Broncos veteran insurance at cornerback in case Riley Moss doesn’t step up as a reliable starter across from Pat Surtain in 2024.

The Wallace signing also makes cornerback a less pressing need for Denver ahead of the draft this week. While it’s still possible, the Broncos now seem less likely to draft a cornerback at No. 12 overall.

Quinyon Mitchell, Terrion Arnold, Cooper DeJean, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Nate Wiggins are among the top cornerbacks in this year’s class. The Broncos hold eight picks going into Thursday’s draft. We are tracking all of Denver’s free agency moves on Broncos Wire.

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Brian Mitchell encouraged about the Commanders under GM Adam Peters

The former Washington star and current radio host is excited about the new direction of the Commanders under Adam Peters.

Brian Mitchell likes what he sees from the Commanders’ new leadership.

The former Washington Redskins running back/returner was a guest on the “Command Center” show Thursday and was rather upbeat in comparison to how he so often had mostly bad news to report regarding the Commanders during the Ron Rivera era.

Asked initially what he felt the Commanders needed going into this week’s draft, Mitchell responded an offensive lineman, linebacker, a cornerback to replace Kendall Fuller, and then a defensive end and tight end (knowing. of course, they are selecting a quarterback in the first round).

When host Fred Smoot inquired regarding offensive tackle, Mitchell expressed he has been saying the Commanders should trade back into the first round, obtaining an offensive tackle they really want, rather than waiting to see which one is available in the second or third round.

Mitchell reminded the audience that new general manager Adam Peters was very active in free agency and made surprising moves. Thus, Mitchell believes Peters will be busy during the draft as well, and the Commanders consequently draft in different places than they are currently scheduled.

Traveling to the draft this week, Mitchell is really looking forward to the draft in Detroit. “The ultimate thing is I’m going there to begin to see how it is really supposed to work. You know, I’ve experienced this thing before, and I’ve seen how this thing has fallen off.”

“I have seen what is going on since they signed Adam Peters, and I just want to continue seeing that.”

No doubt, the Commanders look to be in much better hands with the hiring of Peters as general manager. Commanders fans, as well as former players, such as Mitchell, desperately are hoping Peters is the man to turn around a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season since Kirk Cousins was the starting quarterback (2015 & 2016).

Would Warriors vet sharpshooter Klay Thompson make sense as a free agent target for the Spurs?

Should the Spurs consider taking a flyer on the Washington State alum?

Would Golden State Warriors vet sharpshooter Klay Thompson make sense as a free agent target for the San Antonio Spurs this offseason? The Dubs forward remains one of the most feared 3-point shooters in the NBA (and for good reason, at 38.7% from beyond the arc at volume in 2023-25), and it doesn’t appear to be a lock that he will return to Golden State on his next contract with the team getting older and less effective.

Should the Spurs consider taking a flyer on the Washington State alum? Or do the Warriors know what they are doing by not leaping at the chance to extend the 34-year-old swingman?

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, sat down with “Sweep The League” podcast’s Rudy Campos to discuss the chances of the Spurs landing Thompson.

Check out the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

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Former Panthers WR DJ Chark reportedly visits Chargers

The Chargers are reportedly trying to zero in on yet another former Panther.

Bradley Bozeman and Hayden Hurst might have themselves from familiar company out west pretty soon.

According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, wideout DJ Chark visited the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday. The former Pro Bowler spent the 2023 campaign as a member of the Carolina Panthers.

Prior to landing in the Queen City for a year, Chark spent four of his NFL seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. A second-round pick from the 2018 draft, the Louisiana State University product went on to amass 147 receptions for 2,042 yards and 15 touchdowns over 43 games in Duval.

Chark then signed on with the Detroit Lions in 2022. His lone season there resulted in just 11 outings, in which he caught 30 balls for 502 yards and three scores.

The Panthers reeled in Chark last March, to the tune of a one-year, $5 million pact. He appeared in 15 games for Carolina—totaling 11 starts, 35 catches, 66 targets, 525 receiving yards (second-most on the team) and five touchdowns.

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NFL reinstates Commanders DE Shaka Toney after suspension

Toney was a seventh-round pick in 2021 and returns to a completely different team.

You can add one more name to the mix at defensive end for the Washington Commanders in 2024. The NFL reinstated five players who were suspended indefinitely last year for violating the gambling policy, and one of those players was Washington edge rusher Shaka Toney.

Things have changed dramatically since the last time Toney was in Ashburn. The 26-year-old was a 2021 seventh-round pick out of Penn State who appeared in 26 games with one start, recording 16 tackles and 1.5 sacks from 2021-22.

Toney was suspended on April 21 last year. Since then, Washington has added a new draft class, a new owner, a new GM, a new coaching staff, and over 30 new teammates.

The defensive end room is completely changed, and Efe Obada is the only familiar face from Toney’s previous time in Washington. Gone are Chase Young, Montez Sweat, James Smith-Williams and Casey Toohill. In are K.J. Henry, Andre Jones Jr., Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler Jr. and Clelin Ferrell.

Toney faces long odds making the roster, with the Commanders also likely to add a pass rusher in next week’s NFL draft.

Fantasy football: 2024 NFL free agency roundup

NFL free agency will drastically help reshape the fantasy football landscape as the new league year begins.

Now that NFL free agency is upon us, we’ll run through the fantasy football outlooks for trades, re-signings, midrange deals, and tag recipients.

This analysis will be updated as players continue to move about in free agency, so be sure to check back regularly.

Tre’Davious White explains why he picked the Rams in free agency

Tre’Davious White picked the Rams in free agency for a few reasons, including their “very authentic” training staff and successful history of rehabbing injuries

Tre’Davious White was one of the Los Angeles Rams’ big free-agent additions this offseason, heading west to Hollywood after being released by the Buffalo Bills. White is a former All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler, so the talent is unquestioned as a defender.

The primary concern with White is his injury history. He’s coming off a torn Achilles in 2023 and he also tore his ACL the year prior, so he’ll be rehabbing leading up to the 2024 season.

It was Rams doctor Neal ElAttrache who performed White’s Achilles surgery so there’s some familiarity between the team and player. That was one of the reasons White decided to sign with the Rams in free agency, citing their impressive training staff and history of players successfully rehabbing serious injuries.

“Very transparent, just very authentic, the plan that they have in place,” White said, via the team’s official site. “I’m a guy that’s very strategic (with) my approach of how I would want my rehab to go, being that I’ve had an ACL before and I know how rehab can go. So I was doing my homework. This team has rehab guys that have been very successful with the Achilles before.”

White said he’s “on a good track to get going,” which is encouraging for himself and the Rams. The team hasn’t said when White is expected to be on the field but he is in the building for offseason workouts so he’s at least getting acclimated to his new group.

As for the locker room fit, White loves what he’s seen from the Rams thus far. He said he’s looking forward to getting started after hitting it off right away with the coaching staff.

“I felt like it was a good fit,” White said. “We hit it off, it was very authentic, which is what I was looking for, being a guy that had been in the league for a while. Great staff, young group, a group of guys that’s willing to work, so I’m looking forward to it.”

White and Darious Williams will be the Rams’ starting cornerbacks in a new-look secondary, bringing not only impressive ball skills to the field but also plenty of experience. It was an area the Rams clearly wanted to improve and as long as White can stay healthy, the secondary should be better in 2024.

Broncos WR Courtland Sutton skipping offseason workouts in contract dispute

Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton is skipping the team’s (voluntary) offseason workouts as he seeks a new contract.

The Denver Broncos kicked off their (voluntary) offseason workout program on Monday and there was a notable absence.

Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton did not report to the team’s facility “as he seeks a new contract,” according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Because these workouts are voluntary, Sutton will not face any fines.

It’s a big statement for the receiver to make, though, because the team had great attendance under new head coach Sean Payton in 2023. The most notable player to skip workouts last spring was kicker Brandon McManus, and he was cut.

Denver probably won’t cut Sutton, but there have been rumblings about the possibility of a trade. Sutton has also written cryptic messages on social media, prompting speculation that he’s unhappy about his status with the club.

The Broncos already traded Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns earlier this year, so they’ll be thin at WR if they also send Sutton packing.

Sutton is set to have a base salary of $13 million this year, but only $2 million is guaranteed. His salary will increase to $13.5 million next year with no guaranteed money. The receiver is presumably seeking more security as he enters his age-29 season.

Sutton hauled in 59 receptions for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023.

Denver’s top wide receivers are Sutton, Mavin Mims, Tim Patrick, Josh Reynolds, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Jalen Virgil and Brandon Johnson.

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