Tag: Salary

Former Saints trade target is a healthy scratch ahead of NFL deadline

A former Saints trade target has been made a healthy scratch for Week 8, potentially signaling an upcoming trade before the Nov. 5 deadline:

The New Orleans Saints were targeting a few players around the trade deadline last season but ultimately did not make any moves after their trade of Wil Lutz in August. One of the players they were targeting was edge rusher Josh Uche from the New England Patriots, however, they did not make a move to get him.

Now they may have the opportunity to take a look again, as Uche was marked as a healthy inactive for the Patriots in Week 8, and has an extremely friendly contract of only one year for a total of $3 million, however it breaks down to be even more friendly in a trade scenario.

In the case of a trade, the base salary is the primary consideration, and Uche has only a $1.3 million base salary on his current deal. Then you have to factor in the trade aspect and the games played vs. games remaining, and with nine to go for the Saints (not counting the Los Angeles Chargers this week), the contract comes out favorably. Splitting his base salary across 17 games, he makes approximately $76,470 per game, and over nine games would only need to be paid $688,235 for the remaining season. At the moment, the Saints have $2,246,030 in cap space available according to OverTheCap, which makes a deal possible.

The initial asking price for Uche last season was a fourth- or fifth-round pick, and considering his status this season now being healthy inactive, it may drop slightly depending on interest from other teams. With the Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders, and San Francisco 49ers all suffering defensive line injuries among other teams, it can be assumed that Uche will definitely have a notable market. Considering the recent history of the Saints’ fourth-round draft picks (Nick Saldiveri, Jake Haener, and Ian Book being the last three) it may not be a bad price for a quality edge rusher who could help the pass rush unit that has struggled at times this season.

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What is Oklahoma Head Coach Brent Venables buy out for 2024?

What is the buy-out for Oklahoma Football head coach Brent Venables according to USA TODAY Sports salary database?

The Sooners have not had a season that lives up to the lofty expectations at the University of Oklahoma. In his third year with the Sooners, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] is staring at his second losing season.

There will be changes at some point because this team’s offensive performance hasn’t been good enough. Brent Venables, the head coach who made the hires, bears that responsibility. At the same time, he’s helped turn the defense into a good one.

Venables has recruited well, and after a 10-win season in 2023, he was rewarded with an extension from the OU Board of Regents. His current contract is set to run through the 2029 season. Venables’ contract ranks No. 15 in the nation, just behind Dan Lanning who was hired at Oregon the same offseason the Sooners brought Venables to Oklahoma.

While some might want to see changes from the top down, it may not be reasonable for the Sooners to move on from Brent Venables despite this season’s disappointment. According to the USA TODAY Sports Coaching Salary database, Venables’ buy-out on Dec. 1 would be $44.8 million.

That buy-out is No. 10 in the nation in 2024 and the fifth-highest in the SEC. Only Kirby Smart, Kalen DeBoer, Brian Kelly, and Steve Sarkisian have larger buy-outs in 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners have some big questions to answer moving forward, in particular on the offensive side of the ball. But the head coach may be given more time to get it right.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson lost half his Saints game check in fines to the NFL

C.J. Gardner-Johnson lost half of his game check from Week 3’s win over the Saints in fines to the NFL. That’s some expensive trash talk:

You don’t see this very often. Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was fined three times by the NFL for his actions in Week 3’s win over the New Orleans Saints, losing half his game check for an illegal hit and two taunting infractions. He was a little too eager to get after his old team for his own good.

It had previously been reported that Gardner-Johnson was being fined for unnecessary roughness; he made a late hit on Saints running back Alvin Kamara after the play went out of bounds, and that came up to $11,255. But a league review found two instances of Gardner-Johnson crossing the line in taunting his opponents, which cost him two charges of $16,883 each.

Add that up and it’s $45,021 coming out of Gardner-Johnson’s paycheck. He has a base salary of $1,375,000 this year, per Over The Cap, which comes up to 17 weekly game checks of about $80,882 each (before taxes). So Gardner-Johnson really lost a little more than half of his game check because he was too hot under the collar. That’s some expensive trash talk. For his sake, it’s a good thing the late touchdown he gave up to Chris Olave didn’t cost Philly the game on top of it.

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Saints restructure Juwan Johnson’s contract to open up some cap space

The Saints restructured Juwan Johnson’s contract to open up some cap space before the regular season starts:

https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/1831452392011002098

The NFL regular season is upon us, and some teams are completing last-minute moves to cut new deals and work around the salary cap — including the New Orleans Saints. ESPN’s Field Yates reports that the Saints restructured their contract with tight end Juwan Johnson to free up $3.5 million in salary cap space.

Remember, this isn’t a raise or a pay cut. Johnson is just getting money he was already owed paid out in a different way. For the Saints, the goal was to save $3.5 million against the salary cap. The consequence? If Johnson does not sign an extension next year and leave in free agency, it’ll leave behind about $6 million in dead money. That’s nothing compared to the hefty cap hits left behind for departed free agents like Andrus Peat ($13.6 million), Michael Thomas ($11.1 million), David Onyemata ($10.1 million) and Marcus Davenport ($7.6 million), but it’s still something you’d like to avoid.

Hopefully Johnson performs well in Klint Kubiak’s offense and earns a new deal. Getting him under contract for the foreseeable future as a playmaking tight end and reliable weapon for Derek Carr (or whoever is under center in New Orleans by 2025) would be nice. But those are questions to be answered tomorrow. For today, the Saints are happy to have a little more financial flexibility, while Johnson is happy to have a little more financial security.

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Chase Young earned $450,000 workout bonus after speedy recovery

ESPN’s Katherine Terrell reports that Chase Young earned a hefty workout bonus after a quick recovery from neck surgery. He’s off to a good start with the New Orleans Saints:

Shout-out to Chase Young. The New Orleans Saints defensive end earned a hefty workout bonus after his quick recovery from offseason neck surgery, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, totaling $450,000. He needed to participate in at least 84.3% of the offseason program and Terrell says that “obviously he earned it at this point.”

Young may not have been on the field for organized team activities and minicamp practices earlier this spring, but he was in the facility every day working through his rehab, and that counts towards his bonus incentives. Dennis Allen noted his presence a few times and complimented his work ethic in getting right after that neck procedure. That aggressive approach allowed Young to return ahead of schedule and hit the practice field at the first day of Saints training camp.

Now he’s cashing in. Young’s contract is one of the more unique deals you’ll find in the NFL this year. While it’s technically a fully-guaranteed $13 million contract, Young’s deal is made up of a $2.7 million base and a $1.86 million signing bonus, with $7.99 million available through per-game roster bonuses (on top of this workout bonus). If he misses any time after Week 1 the Saints will receive a credit on the 2025 salary cap valued at about $470,000 per game. But it’s looking like he’ll earn every penny.

Good for him. Young has worked very hard to get to this point, and if all goes as well as hoped he could earn a life-changing contract next offseason — either as an extension with New Orleans or as a new deal in free agency. He just needs to keep it up.

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Wisconsin’s Phil Longo one of the highest-paid offensive coordinators in college football

Wisconsin’s Phil Longo one of the highest-paid offensive coordinators in college football

Wisconsin football stepped up its game in November of 2022 with the hire of Luke Fickell, one of the industry’s hottest young names. The move marked a substantial philosophical change by Chris McIntosh and the athletic department. It was a clear attempt to invest in an infrastructure that can compete in the modern age of college athletics.

The results will not be known for years. But the desire was clear: to compete in the new age of college football.

Related: Wisconsin’s odds to win 2024 CFP national championship

The program overhaul most notably included the hire of well-thought-of offensive coordinator Phil Longo and the installation of his air raid offense. Longo brought an impressive track record from years at North Carolina and Ole Miss. He was one of the bigger names in the sport, and brought a wave of excitement and optimism. Results have been mixed so far — Wisconsin finished the 2023 season with SP+’s No. 86-ranked offense, its worst mark in years. But optimism still exists entering 2024.

The addition of Longo and the rest of the Badgers staff required investment by McIntosh and his department. That is seen in Longo’s reported salary, which is among the highest in the sport.

Here are those rankings, according to FootballScoop:

(Note: it does not include some of 2024’s newest hires including Ohio State OC Chip Kelly, as those salaries have not yet been reported)

Salary: $1.85 million

2023 SP+ Offense Rating: No. 65

Salary: $1.75 million

2023 SP+ Offense Rating: No. 51

Salary: $1.65 million

2023 SP+ Offense Rating: No. 15

Salary: $1.60 million

2023 SP+ Offense Rating (at Kansas): No. 17

Salary: $1.50 million

2023 SP+ Offense Rating: No. 13

Salary: $1.50 million

2023 SP+ Offense Rating (at Texas A&M): No. 20

Salary: $1.40 million

2023 SP+ Offense Rating: No. 97

Salary: $1.40 million

2023 SP+ Offense Rating: No. 123

Salary: $1.40 million

2023 SP+ Offense Rating: No. 1

Salary: $1.325 million

2023 SP+ Offense Rating: No. 6

Salary: $1.30 million

2023 SP+ Offense Rating (as TE coach at Washington): No. 5

Salary: $1.25 million

2023 SP+ Offense Rating (at Boise State): No. 29

Salary: $1.25 million

2023 SP+ Offense Rating: No. 86

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

2 Broncos among highest performance-based pay earners

Broncos G Quinn Meinerz ($747,505) and OLB Jonathon Cooper ($940,000) received some of the largest performance-based pay bonuses in the NFL.

Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz and outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper were among the top 25 earners in 2023 as part of the NFL’s performance-based pay program.

“The Performance-Based Pay program is a collectively bargained benefit that compensates all players based upon their playing time and salary levels,” according to the NFL. Put simply, the program rewards players on low salaries who play significant snaps.

Meinerz and Cooper are still on team-friendly rookie contracts and they both started all 17 games last season. Meinerz received $747,505 in performance-based pay, a nice increase from his $1,095,078 salary last season.

Cooper received $738,916 in performance-based pay, which is not far away from his $940,000 base salary in 2023. The two players were rewarded for essentially outperforming their contracts.

Meinerz and Cooper weren’t the only Broncos players who received performance-based pay for the 2023 season.

The following players also got a boost to their salaries, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis: cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian ($625,000), cornerback Fabian Moreau ($526,000), defensive lineman Jonathan Harris ($485,000), safety Delarrin Turner-Yell ($387,000), cornerback Damarri Mathis ($376,000), tight end Adam Trautman ($368,000), center Lloyd Cushenberry ($357,000), linebacker Drew Sanders ($356), safety P.J. Locke Locke ($343,000), wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey ($342,000) and fullback Mike Burton ($339,000) also received performance-based bonuses.

View the full list of Denver’s bonuses on 9News.

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Report: Saints wrote injury protections into Chase Young’s contract

NOF’s Nick Underhill reports that the Saints wrote injury protections into Chase Young’s contract, though he’s expected to be ready in time for the regular season:

This is a bit of a relief. The New Orleans Saints wrote injury protections into their free agent contract with defensive end Chase Young, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. We’ll have to wait and see what shape those protections take, but typically they wipe out guarantees to save salary cap resources if a player doesn’t meet certain performance goals for play time. That can mean either games started, a percentage of snaps played, or something similar.

News broke Tuesday that Young would be undergoing neck surgery after signing his fully-guaranteed $13 million contract with the Saints, which sparked an uproar among Saints fans. While the reported expectation is for Young to miss most of the offseason program and return during training camp, there’s always the chance of complication or slow recovery. He isn’t expected to miss the start of the regular season. If he does miss time in September, the Saints have taken steps to protect themselves.

And Young knows that. He’ll have every incentive to attack his rehab and get back on the field as soon as possible. He won’t see the full $13 million he agreed to play for if he doesn’t. So it’s good to see the Saints were being proactive, too. Stay tuned for further details.

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Steelers prefer to keep WR Allen Robinson II but want him to take pay cut

One of the many decisions facing Steelers GM Omar Khan is what to do with Allen Robinson.

One of the many decisions facing Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan is what to do with Allen Robinson II.

Accounting for 280 yards and zero touchdowns on 34 receptions, the wide receiver was largely invisible after being acquired via a swap of seventh-round draft picks with the Los Angeles Rams last spring.

According to The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov, word at the NFL scouting combine was the Steelers would like to keep him, but not with that price tag.

“Allen Robinson is a potential cut candidate due to his cap number exceeding $10 million, but the Pittsburgh Steelers would prefer to retain him at a reduced salary,” Meirov wrote. “Team officials met with Robinson’s representation in Indianapolis.”

Keeping him at his $11.9 million cap number ($10 million base salary plus $1.9 million of his signing bonus) is laughable.

At 30, Robinson’s best years are in the rearview. While he once was a playmaker, posting 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2015, 2019 and 2020, his production has fallen off.

There was mentorship chatter after his acquisition, but it’s evident it fell on deaf ears considering the friction from Diontae Johnson and George Pickens.

The Steelers could see value in Robinson as a blocker, but according to Pro Football Focus’s advanced stats, he graded average in pass blocking (61.3) and below average in run blocking (57.8).

Pittsburgh would be wise to cut ties with Robinson before his $5.75 million roster bonus comes due on March 18.

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There’s a big misconception going around about Marshon Lattimore’s contract

There’s a big misconception going around about Marshon Lattimore’s contract. Any team that trades for him must pay him more than just his salary:

It’s important to remember that the NFL Scouting Combine isn’t just about the college prospects working out ahead of the 2024 draft; it’s also a mixer for personnel around the league to have dinner and drinks with players’ agents ahead of free agency, and for reporters to sit down with their contacts to gossip and source information.

Which is how we got this interesting nugget from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who emptied his notebook after a week in Indianapolis steakhouses, pubs, and other informal meeting-places.

And, based off what he’s learned, there’s a fierce market developing for talented cornerbacks. Fowler lists the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins among the teams looking to move most aggressively in upgrading their depth charts. And the New Orleans Saints could be in their crosshairs.

“Several teams believe Saints corner Marshon Lattimore — whose base salary is a paltry $1.2 million due to a restructure — is also available via a trade,” Fowler wrote. But that’s misleading.

While it’s true that Lattimore’s base salary is set at the league minimum of $1.21 million, that isn’t the only cost an acquiring team would have to pay. He’s also due to receive a $13.79 million roster bonus which will trigger one week before the start of the regular season, giving everyone involved a deadline to work out a deal. He’s going to receive $15 million in compensation from whichever team he’s playing for in the fall.

So while that lower base salary could make him more appealing to other teams in casual trade talks in March, teams are going to look at the situation with more scrutiny when they get down to brass tacks in June (when it’ll be easier for the Saints to trade Lattimore, for accounting purposes). Trading Lattimore before June 1 would cost the Saints a staggering $31.2 million in dead money. Waiting until after that date lessens the blow with charges of $10.6 million and $20.6 million in dead money for 2024 and 2025, respectively.

It’s a complicated contract situation, to be sure. And the easiest path out of it is getting everyone in New Orleans back on the same page so Lattimore can continue making plays for the Saints for years to come. But there are going to be teams willing to acquire him even if they have to wait it out through free agency and the 2024 NFL draft. We’ll just have to wait and see whether their patience wears off or if cooler heads prevail in New Orleans.

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