Tag: nfl free agency 2021

Patriots agree to 4-year deal with former Ravens OLB Matthew Judon

Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Matthew Judon will be wearing a different color uniform next season, agreeing to sign with the Patriots

The Baltimore Ravens have officially lost their first unrestricted free agent of the offseason as the New England Patriots have agreed to terms with outside linebacker Matthew Judon. According to NFL Network’s Ton Pelissero, the Patriots are signing Judon to a four-year deal worth $56 million, with $32 million coming in the first two years.

Judon’s deal is one of the largest of free agency thus far. Though it’s well below the $16.808 million Judon earned in 2020 under the franchise tag, it’s more than Markus Golden’s and Romeo Okwara’s pending deals. The Patriots have been big spenders early in free agency, taking advantage of a wealth of cap space and a down market to grab some of the league’s best pending free agents. With Bill Belichick still wearing a hoodie and headset on the sidelines, that could make New England a contender once again in 2021.

For the Ravens, Judon becomes the first player to get the franchise tag from Baltimore and not eventually re-sign since offensive lineman Wally Williams left in 1999. That puts quite a bit of pressure on the Ravens to find and sign an outside linebacker to replace Judon’s 15.5 sacks and 54 quarterback hits over the last two years, hopefully at a better value.

Grading CB Jason Verrett’s re-signing with the 49ers: A

The 49ers bet on Jason Verrett in 2020, and it worked out for all involved, This time, Verrett bet on the 49ers.

Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the 49ers have re-signed cornerback Jason Verrett to a one-year contract that’s worth $5.5 million, and $1 million more if Verrett makes the Pro Bowl. If Verrett is able to finally stay healthy as he was able to in 2020, this could be one of the better free-agent signings in years. Because if Verrett had been able to stay healthy throughout his career, he probably wouldn’t have been an impending free agent. Instead, Verrett and his representatives would likely be mulling over which team’s offer of around $15 million per year would be in his best interest. That’s how great Verrett can be when he’s on the field, though it’s only been in fits and starts. Rapoport also reported that Verrett had a multi-year offer on the table, but chose to stick with the team that bet on him in 2020.

Verrett missed all but two games for the Chargers and 49ers from 2017 through 2019, including the entire 2018 season with a torn Achilles tendon. The 49ers had taken a flyer on him in 2019 and did so again for the 2020 season, with a one-year, $1,047,500 deal with $137,500 in guarantees. He was able to play in 13 games as seemingly every 49ers defensive back around him succumbed to their own injuries, and Verrett played well, as one would expect. He allowed 43 receptions on 63 targets for 382 yards, 141 yards after catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, and an opposing quarterback rating of 76.3.

Verrett has all the tools you want in an outside cornerback, but it’s his on-field acumen that sets him apart. After he broke off his coverage of Robert Woods to intercept Jared Goff’s pass to Josh Reynolds in the end zone in Week 6, Verrett was able to explain what he saw, and how he was able to fool Goff.

“I knew I was gonna get a flat route by Woods; it was in man-to-man. Once [Woods] widened himself, I just had vision back to the quarterback. I was reading Goff, and just made a play on it.”

Not that fooling Jared Goff is all that difficult, but the overarching point remains: The 49ers, who may lose cornerbacks Richard Sherman and K’Waun Williams, and safety Jaquiski Tartt in free agency, made the smartest possible move in bringing Verrett back into the fold.

Grading FB Kyle Juszczyk’s re-signing with the 49ers: B+

Not every team would give a fullback two straight major contracts, but the fit between Kyle Juszczyk and the 49ers is perfect.

Last season, only the Patriots lined up in “21” personnel (two running backs, one tight end, and two receivers) more often than the 49ers, which is typical of Kyle Shanahan’s mindset. Shanahan believes in the intrinsic value of two-back sets in the passing game as much as in the run game, and last season, out of “21,” the 49ers threw the ball 40% of the time for seven touchdowns and two interceptions, and a passer rating of 102.3, per Sharp Football Stats.

This is why Shanahan signed fullback Kyle Juszczyk to a four-year, $21 million deal in 2017, and it’s why the team has doubled down with a new five-year, $27 million contract, which the 49ers made official on Monday.

“Kyle is a unique football player whose versatility, leadership and skillset are a tremendous fit with us,” general manager John Lynch said in a statement. “He has been integral to the success of our offense the last four seasons and his contributions on the field are just a portion of the value he brings to our team. Kyle has helped to establish a standard for our team on the field, in the locker room and in the community. We couldn’t be prouder to reward him with this well-deserved contract extension. Welcome back Juice!”

Selected by the Ravens in the fourth round of the 2013 draft out of Harvard, Juszczyk has benefited from his presence in two of the more prominent offenses when it comes to heavy personnel, and he’s made five straight Pro Bowls as a result. Juszczyk caught just 19 passes for 202 yards and four touchdowns last season, but that’s not specifically why the 49ers value him — he’s a great blocker, and he adds a ton to Shanahan’s highly effective pre-snap motion concepts. There are NFL teams that wouldn’t throw five dollars at a fullback, but in this offense, Juszczyk is as good as they come.

Grading OL Cam Erving’s deal with the Panthers: D

The Panthers are doing something with their offensive line in free agency, but we’re not sure what that is.

Well, the Panthers are making moves along their offensive line. We’re just not quite sure what they are. Our Mark Schofield gave the deal with guard Pat Elflein a C+, which might be generous. And now, the Panthers have added to that line with former Browns first-round pick Cam Erving, who has played multiple positions for three teams (Browns, Chiefs, Cowboys) in the NFL, and not particularly well. Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, it’s a two-year, $10 million deal with $8 million guaranteed.

Traded to the Chiefs in August, 2017 for a 2018 fifth-round pick, Erving saw his fifth-year option declined by Kansas City, and signed a one-year deal with Dallas. Through his career, per Pro Football Focus, Erving has allowed 16 sacks, 27 quarterback hits, and 95 quarterback hurries, and he’s been penalized 39 times. Perhaps the Panthers see Erving as a value free agent because he’s played all over the line, but neither the tape nor the metrics point to this as anything but a throwaway deal.

Grading EDGE Markus Golden’s re-signing with the Cardinals: A

The Cardinals got themselves a steal in re-signing Markus Golden to a two-year, $9 million contract.

When the Cardinals re-signed edge rusher Markus Golden to a two-year, $9 million deal, here was my immediate response:

Last June, I named Golden as the Giants’ most underrated player, saying this about him:

This is a bit of a cheat, as Golden isn’t currently on the Giants’ roster — they placed a UFA tender on the veteran that gives him until July 22 to find another team, or he’ll be back with Big Blue. If that’s the case, Patrick Graham’s defense will certainly benefit, because Golden has been one of the NFL’s sneaky-good pass-rushers for a while now. Last season, he led the team with 64 total pressures on a defense that was otherwise bereft of true pass-rushing talent, and when he’s given starters’ snaps as he was last year and with the Cardinals in 2015 and 2016, he’s able to use everything from speed moves to a bull rush to beat blockers to the quarterback.

Golden did play seven games for the Giants in 2020 before the team traded him back to the Cardinals in October for a 2020 sixth-round pick. It turned out best for Golden, who was free in Vance Joseph’s blitz-heavy concepts to get after the quarterback with authority. Golden had 41 total pressures with Arizona in nine games and just 14 with Big Blue in seven.

Not that Golden needs a blitz to get pressure, as he showed in this Week 17 rep against the Rams, where he just burned right tackle Rob Havenstein around the edge to come down with quarterback John Wolford. At 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, he’s got a great combination of speed, power, and speed to power.

Golden has been a consistently underrated pressure machine for a while now, and with his return to the team, the Cardinals can plant him outside with bookend Chandler Jones, allowing defensive coordinator Vance Joseph to move J.J. Watt around in multiple blitz packages. Arizona desperately needs defensive backs, but their front seven just got that much more dangerous.

Grading CB Emmanuel Moseley’s re-signing with 49ers: B+

The 49ers may have churn all over their defensive backfield, which is why Emmanuel Moseley’s re-signing is a smart move.

The 49ers come into the 2021 league year with four defensive backs looking to test free agency: Cornerbacks Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett, K’Waun Williams, and safety Jaquiski Tartt. With that in mind, it was important to have as much continuity as possible, which is why the Monday news that San Francisco re-signed restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders to a new two-year, $10.1 million contract.

An undrafted free agent out of Tennessee, Mosely became prominent for the 49ers late in the 2019 season, when he replaced Ahkello Witherspoon opposite Richard Sherman as an outside cornerback, replacing Ahkello Witherspoon, who had been getting roasted in coverage. Moseley allowed four touchdowns to one interception in 2020, but that was with injuries all around him, and he’s a decent starting-lever player at his position.

Everything you need to know about NFL free agency in 2021

Do you have questions about the NFL’s 2021 free-agency cycle? You are not alone! Here are all the dates, times, and facts.

It’s been a rough year for everyone, and the people who run shop in the NFL are no exception. As you read this, the shot-callers for every team are looking at the best ways to improve their rosters via a free-agency process that begins on March 17, and includes the first reduction of the salary cap from one year to the next in NFL history — and a significant one at that. The reduction from the 2020 cap of $198.2 million to the 2021 cap of $182.5 million represents a 7.9% hit in budget for every team.

So, there’s that. Teams have been re-structuring and releasing players left and right to get in compliance and see just how much they can spend on new talent, and because of the reduced cap, you may see players who would have welcomed multi-year deals in previous years looking hard at one-year, “prove-it” contracts in order to cash in on projected revenue increases in future years.

It’s a complicated landscape for NFL teams, but it doens’t have to be complicated for you, dear reader. Here’s everything you need to know about free agency as the NFL’s 2021 league year approaches.

The Touchdown Wire free-agency podcast with Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield

It’s time for NFL free agency, which means it’s time for Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield to break it all down!

It’s nearly time for NFL free agency, which means it’s time for Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield to return to their podcasting ways, and break it all down!

Among the topics discussed:

  • The J.J. Watt deal, and how the Cardinals might use him in their multiple fronts;
  • The Dak Prescott mega-contract, and the things Dak needs to improve to take his position in the NFL’s top five at his position;
  • How the Bucs won big by re-signing Lavonte David;
  • The eight franchise tag candidates: Were there any surprises there, and were there players who should have been franchised that weren’t?
  • The top 51 players left in free agency;
  • The most underrated players and best bargains on the open market; and…
  • The players who have serious red flags, and might get more money than the tape shows is appropriate.

Doug and Mark cover a ton in this one, so check it out and get ready for the biggest spending spree of the 2021 league year!

(Also, Mark wore the “All-Juice Team” t-shirt in memory of the late, great Terez Paylor, and you can buy one here. All proceeds support the Terez A. Paylor Scholarship at Howard University, Terez’s alma mater. The scholarship will be  awarded to students majoring in sports journalism who carry a 3.0 GPA requirement).

Check out the podcast on BlogTalkRadio:

The 51 best NFL free agents left on the open market

After the Dak Prescott and J.J. Watt deals, and eight franchise tag designations, here are the NFL’s 51 best upcoming free agents.

The 2021 NFL free-agency period, which officially begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 17, promises to be like few others in the league’s history. Due to projected revenue shortfalls in the age of COVID, the league has anticipated that the 2021 salary cap will be somewhere between $180 million and $185 million per team.

That’s down from $198.2 million in the 2020 league year, which obviously puts several teams in a major pinch. Right now, per OverTheCap.com, there are 12 NFL teams over a projected salary cap of $180.5 million, and teams like the Saints ($58,718,146 over before franchising safety Marcus Williams), Rams ($35,136,331 over), Eagles ($34,146,468 over, which is mostly the Carson Wentz aftermath), Chiefs ($22,984,019 over), and Steelers (from $26,131,664 over to $3,617,086 over after a lot of pruning), will have to engage in some highly creative accounting just to get into compliance — forget about making any big splashes.

On the other hand, we have teams like the Jaguars ($71,821,714 under the cap), Jets ($67,341,082 under), Patriots ($62,211,837 under before the Trent Brown trade), Colts ($44,681,614 under), and Bengals ($40,979,130 under). The radical disparity between the haves and the have-nots when it comes to the capacity to spend in free agency could lead to an unusually constricted market, especially for those players who are more rank-and-file than sheer superstar. Not that those players won’t have offers; but those offers might not be what they may have been in previous years. It’s not the fault of the players; it’s simply how the market lands in this particular time. This could result in a lot of free agents taking one-year contracts and shining it on until new television deals and the hope of a more “normal” world make things more equitable in the 2022 league year.

After the Cowboys signed Dak Prescott to a four-year, $160 million contract, the Cardinals signed J.J. Watt to a two-year, $28 million free-agent deal, the Buccaneers signed Lavonte David to a two-year, $25 million contract, and franchise tags were handed out to eight different players (Broncos safety Justin Simmons, Jets safety Marcus Maye, Saints safety Marcus Williams, Bears receiver Allen Robinson, Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin, Panthers offensive tackle Taylor Moton, Jaguars offensive tackle Cam Robinson, and Washington guard Brandon Scherff), the free agency picture got shaken up, especially at or near the top of everybody’s lists.

So, let’s talk about remaining free-agent value, at least how we see it at Touchdown Wire. Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield have compiled their list of the top 51 players who should be available as unrestricted free agents, after tags have been applied and new deals were signed. Mark assembled the offensive players, Doug put together the defensive list, and they then compiled the top remaining free agents in the upcoming 2021 league year, regardless of position.

11 most underrated defensive free agents in 2021

The NFL offseason is packaged hope. Say what you will about the league, but the NFL knows how to command attention. Sure it is easy during the season, with the weekly build-up to a slate of games, but the league might do some of its best marketing …

The NFL offseason is packaged hope. Say what you will about the league, but the NFL knows how to command attention. Sure it is easy during the season, with the weekly build-up to a slate of games, but the league might do some of its best marketing work in the late winter and early spring. How? By selling fans hope.

Hope in the form of incoming rookies via the draft, and hope in the form of franchise-changing veterans via free agency.

When the 2021 league year begins on March 17. some huge names are going to be on the open market. Players like Allen Robinson, Kenny Golladay, Trent Williams, Anthony Harris, and more. Fans will soak up very bit of information when this process begins, believing that one acquisition or two could be the difference between a 10-6 season and a Lombardi Trophy.

The NFL offseason is packaged hope, and we love every part of that process.

Yet some of the best franchises do their work on the “secondary” free agent market. While teams pay top-dollar for the big names, other organizations nibble around the edges of free agency and spread out smaller contracts to players that are flying under-the-radar. If that sounds like the kind of team you root for, then this is your kind of piece. Here are the most underrated players to watch on the defensive side of the ball when free agency begins.