NFL – Free Agency 2021: 49ers working on extension with Superstar tackle

The Saturday before the start of the NFL Free Agency in 2021 didn’t mean too big deals. However, clarity was created for a few bigger names.

The Green Bay Packers found a way to keep Edge Rusher Preston Smith on a restructured contract. Meanwhile, it leaked out that the San Francisco 49ers are working on a new deal for Left Tackle Trent Williams to keep him before the start of the Free Agency and thus not allow it to come onto the market.

General Manager Trent Baalke provided a franchise day explanation for Left Tackle Cam Robinson. Ultimately, this decision was made because there were hardly any adequate alternatives on the market.

The New England Patriots reportedly asked the San Francisco 49ers about quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo before extending with Cam Newton. However, the Niners initially waved it off. Ex-Patriot Offensive Tackle Nate Solder, however, will remain with the New York Giants with an adapted contract.

The biggest surprise of the day, by the way, was the sacking of cornerback Casey Hayward from the Los Angeles Chargers. His team had previously tried to trade him.

NFL: Free Agency 2021 – the first Saturday to read in the ticker

11 p.m.: And we’ll put an end to this thought for today. Thank you for the keen interest in a not too exciting first day of our free agency coverage on SPOX. Tomorrow around 2.30 p.m. my colleague Jan Dafeld will continue. I wish you a nice rest of the weekend. Bye for now!

10.55 pm: Andrew Mason of DNVR Sports asks an interesting question: “Should the Broncos trade for Gardner Minshew to create competition for Drew Lock?” The question is what the jaguars are up to. Minshew as leverage for Lock is certainly worthwhile, especially since Minshew is probably better than Lock. But do the Jaguars really want to provide a capable backup QB that essentially costs nothing? The answer could be yes if they got a mentor for likely top pick Trevor Lawrence instead. Alex Smith is standing in this room and once played in college under the new Jaguars coach Urban Meyers in Utah.

10.45 p.m.: If we move the Bears into the green area in terms of Cap Space, five teams will still remain in the red area. And here’s one point to keep in mind: trades from expensive players won’t help when it comes to just getting out of the bad! Trades are only possible after the start of the league year, but teams must already write a black zero at the start, i.e. below the upper limit. And that makes this endeavor difficult for numerous teams such as the Eagles, for example, who have a few trade candidates in their roster.

NFL: Bears are restructuring multiple contracts to get under salary cap

10:35 p.m.: The Chicago Bears will receive a total of more than $ 23 million in fresh cap space in the coming days. This is achieved by converting the basic salaries of Edge-Rusher Khalil Mack, Safety Eddie Jackson and O-Liner Cody Whitehair into signing bonuses, as Adam Schefter from ESPN reports. That would give the Bears around four million dollars in Cap Space, which would be over the line! They are currently at minus $ 19 million.

10:25 p.m.: The question that now arises for the Chargers is what the new defense under Brandon Staley will look like. Special: How the secondary is equipped. It can be assumed that Chris Harris will take on the so-called “star” role that Jalen Ramsey played for the Rams. This means that it will mainly operate in the slot and be very variable. But who will take over the outside cornerback positions in the Zone Scheme without Hayward, who, by the way, has his strengths against the man? The existing staff does not necessarily offer itself.

10:15 p.m .: “I’ve known it for a few days. I know they tried to trade me to keep my salary the same. I’m definitely open to new opportunities and want to play for at least a few more years,” quoted Journalist Josina Anderson welcomes Casey Hayward, who has just been fired.

10:10 p.m.: Finally an official message again: The jets hold wide receiver Vyncint Smith with a one-year contract that includes guarantees worth $ 70,000. He was a restricted free agent.

NFL: Chargers entlassen Cornerback Casey Hayward

10:05 p.m.: The Chargers split from cornerback Casey Hayward. This is what Adam Schefter reports from ESPN . The 31-year-old has been with the Chargers since 2016 and has been a starter throughout. The firing saves the Bolts $ 9.75 million in Cap Space. A move that comes as a surprise.

10 p.m .: It should be mentioned at this point that many colleagues are a little misjudged the situation at the Steelers. We are always talking about which running back will be able to solve the problems in the run game. But the real problem is not the running back, but the offensive line! According to Football Outsiders , the Steelers were trailing behind in the NFL with 3.78 adjusted line yards. And: Running back James Conner managed 2.3 yards before contact per carry, which is pretty bad. But not surprising behind such a line.

9:50 p.m.: That’s interesting: Running back Adrian Peterson is said to be interested in playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports. He speculates that if he played at the league minimum of around a million dollars, he would be able to act primarily in short yardage situations and as the leader of a young group.

9.40 p.m.: Ben Goessling from the Star Tribune reports that the Vikings wide receivers want to keep Chad Beebe. But they don’t want to use the lowest RFA tender ($ 2.1 million) because it only grants the “Right of First Refusal”, but no draft pick compensation. And 2.1 million then seem to be too expensive for the Vikings.

NFL: New York Giants halten Nate Solder

9.30 p.m.: The Giants will probably stick to offensive tackle Nate Solder. As Ian Rapoport reports, both sides are working on adapting his contract. His cap hit is currently $ 16.5 million, which made him a cut candidate. Solder skipped the preseason due to Covid concerns. Now the question arises whether he will continue to play left tackle in the future and thus displace Andrew Thomas to the right or switch to the right himself.

9:20 p.m.: The Steelers hold Robert Spillane with an RFA tender – which one is still unclear – and he will also sign it, according to Brooke Pryor from ESPN NFL Nation. The Edge Rusher was an Undrafted Rookie of the 2018 Titans and has played in Pittsburgh for the past two years, where he mainly acted as a backup.

9:10 p.m.: One team that isn’t interested in Sam Darnold of the Jets is the San Francisco 49ers. This is reported by Ian Rapoport, who rules out a trade attempt by the Niners: “Don’t expect the 49ers to be in this race,” he said on the Murph and Mac Podcast.

9 p.m .: Lavonte David and Matt Milano, the two best cover linebackers, are already off the market. That, in turn, brings an earlier Lions first-round pick into the spotlight. As Peter Schrager ( NFL Network and FOX ) reports, various teams should now be interested in Jarrad Davis. That one was a starter with the Lions until preseason, but now he had no outstanding numbers in pass coverage. But if the raisins have already been picked …

8.45 p.m.: Wide receiver John Brown was sacked by the Buffalo Bills. It is unclear where he will be drawn. But if he has his way, the Steelers and Colts are at the top of the Speedster’s wish list, as he told SiriusXM Radio : “Big Ben definitely throws a good deep ball …”

8:30 p.m .: Dolphins head coach Brian Flores would like to keep QB Ryan Fitzpatrick: “We would love to have him back, but this is a unique year in terms of the cap situation,” Flores told reporters. However, the situation is fluid. As reported by the South Florida Sun Sentinel , “Fitzmagic” still considers himself a starting quarterback, which will probably leave him in Miami. Tua Tagovailoa is said to be the future here.

8:20 p.m.: The Colts have already found their new QB. And Carson Wentz gets to know his new colleagues even before his official introduction. He is currently in California with his future wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Dezmon Patmon, as evidenced by a Twitter photo.

NFL: Patriots contacted 49ers about Jimmy Garoppolo

20:10: The Patriots have checked with the 49ers because Jimmy Garoppolo loud Evan Lazar of CLNS Media before the commitment of Cam Newton in recent days. However, the Niners stated that the ex-Patriots QB was not available. That can of course still change, but that’s the current status.

8 p.m.: And one more thing … According to Tom Pelissero ( NFL Network ), Special-Teamer Tae Davis will not place an RFA tender on the Browns either. He too comes on the market.

7.45 p.m.: What’s next for running back James Conner from the Steelers? In any case, one lead leads to the Dolphins, as the Miami Herald reports. However, Conner is initially only considered a plan B, as the paper reports. The first choice, unsurprisingly, is Aaron Jones of the Packers.

7.30 p.m.: Due to their tight cap situation, the Steelers will not use an RFA tender for Special-Teamer Ola Adeniyi. He comes with it on the market, as reported by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network .

7.20 p.m.: Other names that should come into question here are linebacker Denzel Perryman and Safety Jahleel Addae – two other big construction sites of the Raiders.

7:10 p.m.: Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune writes today of a plausible theory: Since the former Chargers Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley took over this job with the Las Vegas Raiders, it is obvious that the Raiders will look for previous Chargers . One candidate could be edge rusher Melvin Ingram. But here the question arises whether it can still be effective without Joey Bosa at the front. However, Pass Rush is generally a must in the city of sin …

7 p.m .: Chargers won’t hold Restricted Free Agent O-Liner Cole Toner with an RFA tender. According to journalist Adam Caplan, however, they are interested in further collaboration. Toner was active in 10 games in 2020 and had three starts. He can play guard and center.

6:55 p.m.: In addition: Top deal in this case means a contract that would bring in more than $ 20 million annually. Trent Williams turns 33 in July, so this could be a four to five year deal that is likely to be in the $ 80 to 100 million range.

NFL: San Francisco 49ers work on overtime with offensive tackle Trent Williams

6.45 p.m.: The 49ers are apparently working to keep left tackle Trent Williams in front of the Free Agency. As Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reports, the Niners have made several “strong offers”. You should be “hopeful that something will happen” before the Free Agency starts. In any case, it is clear that a lucrative contract is needed to achieve this, because Williams would have a very aggressive market, as already indicated in the Robinson matter.

6.40 p.m.: Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune writes today of a plausible theory: Since the former Chargers Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley took over this job with the Las Vegas Raiders, it is obvious that the Raiders will look for previous Chargers . One candidate could be edge rusher Melvin Ingram. But here the question arises whether it can still be effective without Joey Bosa at the front. However, Pass Rush is generally a must in the city of sin …

6.30 p.m.: Another topic: When is the best time for the Jets to trade quarterback Sam Darnold? Before the free agency or closer to the draft? And I’ll just ask this question, because there is actually no clear answer to it. It should be clear that the Jets will trade him and then get a new QB with the second pick in the draft. But does a trade help now? The jets have plenty of cap space, so don’t be in a hurry. And desperate teams will still be desperate in four to five weeks because the Free Agency just doesn’t offer good QBs.

6:20 p.m .: More 49ers: Trent Williams is without a doubt the best left tackle available in this free agency. But if his previous team-mate Richard Sherman has it, then his future team is already certain: “I think he will stay in San Francisco.” That’s what Sherman said on The Cris Collinsworth Podcast Featuring Richard Sherman during the week.

6.10 p.m.: The 49ers have numerous free agents and the secondary in particular could get a new coat of paint in the future. But one thing will definitely stay: with cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, the Niners have now extended. He gets a two-year contract worth up to $ 10.1 million. He came to the Bay Area as an Undrafted Rookie in 2018 and would have become a Restricted Free Agent that year.

6 p.m .: Head Coach Dan Campbell says in the official statement from the Lions about the signing of Josh Hill: “This guy does all the dirty work!” And he should know, after all, he was his tight ends coach in NOLA for a total of five years.

5:50 p.m.: Means something like: Except for Trent Williams, nobody in the market appeals to us and before we lose Robinson and then end up empty-handed, we prefer to play it safe. And that makes perfect sense!

NFL: Jaguars-GM declares franchise day for Cam Robinson

5.40 p.m.: The Jaguars used their franchise day to hold Left Tackle Cam Robinson. General Manager Trent Baalke explained to reporters why this is so: “This is a difficult year on the left tackle position. With what is on the market, we see Cam as a great talent, especially with our coaching, the Culture in our team and the development we expect from them. “

5.30 p.m.: The Packers continue to work on their Cap Space and lower the cap hit from offensive lineman Billy Turner with a conversion of his annual salary into a signing bonus. How much this will bring is still unclear. But we are probably talking about Cap Space of $ 3.5 million, which will be freed up as a result.

5:20 p.m.: The Ravens agreed on a new contract with Pernell McPhee on Friday. This is what ESPN reports. However, details of the deal are not yet available. However, he’s the first of the team’s four free-agent edge rushers to land a new deal. This means that Baltimore is at least not completely blank when it comes to Pass Rush in the Free Agency.

5.10 p.m.: Very important to mention after all these restructurings: The cap hits do not dissolve in thin air in such transactions. They continue to exist, are only pushed into the future. Why do you do this? Because new TV contracts will take effect soon, which will presumably double the previous TV revenues. So you can afford it, as the salary cap will rise again drastically in the near future, especially since spectators will probably be allowed to enter the stadium again this year – sometimes even with 100 percent utilization like in Texas!

5 p.m.: The Falcons, in turn, have restructured Left Tackle Jake Matthews’ contract. That brings them fresh cap space of $ 7.95 million.

4:50 p.m.: The 49ers have restructured Center Weston Richburg’s contract, creating almost seven million dollars in Cap Space. Incidentally, Richburg tends to resign anyway.

4:45 p.m.: There is now a new Tom Brady Bobblehead from the boat trip in Tampa. Only the Lombardi Trophy is missing. I thought you should know that!

4.40 p.m.: The Bills also do similar maneuvers with edge rusher Mario Addison and defensive tackle Vernon Butler. Together they forego nearly four million dollars. However, they too can work back their original salaries with performance bonuses.

NFL: Green Bay Packers halten Preston Smith

4.30 p.m.: Meanwhile, the Packers have found a way to hold on to edge rusher Preston Smith. His contract (cap hit: $ 16 million) was restructured so that he only counts $ 7 million against the cap. How did that go? His base salary was lowered to $ 6.85 million and his squad bonus was lowered to $ 4 million. The coup here: By reaching certain sack numbers, he can recover almost his entire original salary. Roughly speaking, if he reached 14 sacks, he would earn $ 4.4 million. Together with game time and workout bonus payments, he could end up making more than the previously planned $ 12 million in real salary.

4:25 p.m.: Previously, the Texans had already extended with running back David Johnson – who came from Arizona in the still insane trade for DeAndre Hopkins a year ago. His new deal essentially includes guarantees of $ 4.25 million. Another $ 750,000 is in there if he should be active in every game of the season. There is also an additional $ 2 million for hard-to-reach stats and playoff achievements and awards.

NFL: Texans verpflichten Linebacker Christian Kirksey

4.15 p.m.: Let’s turn our attention to Texas. The Houston Texans have signed linebacker Christian Kirksey, who was previously fired by the Packers. He gets a one-year contract and can earn a maximum of $ 4.5 million. Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves also received a new one-year contract. He’s doing it in Houston.

4:05 p.m.: But that also means that his backup Ty Nsekhe is not kept. But he should find an even better market with it. Williams’ deal could become something of a benchmark for him.

4 p.m.: The Bills, in turn, have already extended with Matt Milano on Thursday. And yesterday, Friday, there was also a new contract for Right Tackle Daryl Williams. He signed for three years and $ 28.2 million, 14 million of which is guaranteed. Williams would have been one of the better tackles out there.

3:55 p.m.: From the “NFL is tough business” category: The Chargers have fired Guard Trai Turner, saving $ 11.5 million. Only a year ago they had traded him from the Panthers to California.

15:50: Again, the Brady Contract: How Albert Breer (of MMQB) points out, the deal raises receives approximately 1.5 million US dollars worth a total for both years, the NFL should change to a scheduled 17 games. This is a smart move, because a general salary increase in the event of a 17th game is not yet provided for in the CBA …

NFL: Lions verpflichten Tight End Josh Hill

3:40 p.m .: Breathe easy, Lions fans! Detroit has found a successor for Jesse James! The Lions bring in Josh Hill, who was last with the Saints. So he follows head coach and kneecap enthusiast Dan Campbell to his new employer. That’s what ESPN reports.

3.30 p.m.: The Chiefs caused shockers a few days ago with the dismissals of both offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mtichell Schwartz. But the truth is also that both are no longer the youngest and have also suffered injuries that can lead to long rehab periods. So it was not guaranteed that both would be fit again at the start of the season. And with the team’s current cap problems, it was probably the rational step. Even if it’s tough to give up two Super Bowl cornerstones from a year ago.

3.20 p.m.: In plain language that means: Newton has essentially signed a backup contract. If he plays, he is roughly rewarded as a starter, but ultimately if he sits outside, it remains moderate. This also makes it clear that the Patriots in no way see Newton as a clear starter for 2021. Rather, the search for a clear upgrade to the quarterback position will continue. With what outcome? Hard to say! It could be a draft pick, possibly after a trade on the day of the draft. But there might as well be a trade for an established starter. In principle everything is open, but at least with Newton an experienced QB is already there, which could be important in convincing any free agents in the coming days.

3.15 p.m.: After this brutal transition, another important note for the coming days: Don’t get upset about any deals too early, or don’t evaluate them until you know all the details. A fine example of this is Cam Newton’s new deal with the Patriots. At first glance, it’s a $ 13.5 million deal. In truth, this contract only guarantees the base salary and a signing bonus totaling $ 3.5 million. Anything beyond that are performance bonuses and game time incentives that can total $ 10 million.

15.10 Uhr: “Your heart is down for the count and you know you’re gonna lose it
Tonight you’re gonna go down in flames
Just like Jesse James”

Cher once sang about Jesse James. Probably not the tight end, but that one was fired by the Lions yesterday. And even before he started work today, our Steelers fan in the editorial office told me that he was confident that James would return to Pittsburgh. The Steelers community on Twitter seems to feel the same way. I’m curious!

3 p.m .: Here’s something about the regulations of the Free Agency and the salary cap and all its manipulation options … you can declare up to two players as so-called “Post-June-1-Cuts”. This means that these players will only be officially released after June 1st and their dead money will be spread over the next two years and will not be fully offset as a contractual penalty against the coming season.

That’s why Drew Brees has still not announced his resignation. And it’s probably also the reason why the Saints wide receivers haven’t officially sacked Emmanuel Sanders yet. Both should happen in the next few days. Then it’s not June yet, but this move is possible at any time after the start of the new league year.

2:55 p.m.: What can we expect today? Probably no serious signings – players who have been sacked can, as is well known, sign anywhere at any time. In return, however, further restructuring and layoffs, possibly also isolated trades. As of today, there are still six teams above the salary cap of $ 182.2 million for 2021. So there’s still a lot to do!

2:50 p.m.: Hardly written, new information seeps through! Brady has essentially signed a new two-year deal worth around $ 50 million – of which he will receive more than $ 41 million this year. In terms of real salary, mind you, the cap number is – CORRECTION – a little under $ 10 million. The Bucs still save almost $ 20 million on Cap Space.

2.45 p.m.: Before questions arise: It is still unclear what the year 2022 will look like at Brady. But it should again be designed to be team-friendly – as usual.

2.40 p.m.: And with Brady it is the case that he actually had a two-year contract with the Bucs until the end of 2021. This has now been officially extended for another four years. But technically speaking, the deal only lasts until the end of 2022, the three years after that are so-called “void years”, they automatically trigger in thin air. Brady would have had $ 15 million base salary that year, plus a $ 10 million squad bonus. Now, however, the base salary has been reduced to just under a million and the remaining almost $ 24 million is now a signing bonus. And this can also be spread over the next four years. The bottom line is that the Bucs will save almost $ 20 million in Cap Space in 2021. And with that they are in the plus again.

2.35 p.m.: At Mahomes it looks like this: At Mahomes, shortly after the start of the new league year, a squad bonus of $ 21.7 million was due. This will now be converted into a signing bonus. This will not change anything for Mahomes because he will receive the money in the coming days anyway. But the chiefs can now distribute this signing bonus over the next five years for salary cap purposes. That means: He is creating $ 17 million in Cap Space for the Chiefs, who now have $ 12 million in Cap Space and are no longer in the red.

NFL: Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes help teams with new contracts

2.35 p.m.: We’ll start with a little bookkeeping: Both Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady helped their respective teams create more cap space. Mahomes with a simple restructuring of his contract, Brady with an extension.

2.30 p.m.: Let’s go, our first day of extended free agency coverage has started!

Welcome to the first day of our intensive free agency coverage on SPOX! From today we will be accompanying the action around the first big event in the NFL calendar every day in the live ticker.

Before things really get going on Wednesday, you won’t miss any rumors, developments, or dismissals or trades. We’ll keep you up to date and also provide quick analyzes of what’s going on in the NFL. Here we go!

NFL: Free Agency 2021 – Kansas City Chiefs entlassen Eric Fisher und Mitchell Schwartz

Perhaps the biggest bomb in the run-up to this year’s Free Agency burst on Thursday: The Kansas City Chiefs parted with their starting offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz.

In addition, Center Austin Reiter becomes a free agent and is probably looking for a new team. Accordingly, the Chiefs’ offensive line will have a completely different face in 2021. You will have to pay attention to this!

NFL: Free Agency 2021 – Dak Prescott extends long-term with Dallas Cowboys

After both sides were close to an extension in 2020, an agreement has now been reached. The breakthrough came before the franchise day deadline! The Dallas Cowboys gave quarterback Dak Prescott a four-year contract for $ 160 million, making the most sought-after free agent off the market before the free agency even started.

You can find the details of the new contract for Prescott here!

NFL: Free Agency 2021 – these players will receive Franchise Day

One way to keep a player who becomes a free agent is through Franchise Day. As a result, the player automatically receives a one-year salary at a lucrative salary for the coming season and can only be recruited from another team for considerable compensation.

You can find all information about the Franchise Day here!

In the past few days, the deadline for awarding the Franchise Tag expired and the following players have received one:

NFL: players under the franchise tag

*) Player receives the day for the second time and thus 120 percent of his previous year’s salary.

**) Exclusive franchise day for the second time in a row. However, Prescott signed a new four-year contract in Dallas shortly afterwards.

NFL: Free Agency 2021 – the most important dates

The NFL’s new league year doesn’t officially begin until March 17th at 9 p.m. CEST. And only then can teams officially make contracts with free agents. In the same way, trades may only then be submitted to the league office in New York.

But that doesn’t mean that nothing happens beforehand. On the contrary! One or the other trade has already been initiated. The Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams have swapped quarterbacks – Matthew Stafford now plays in California, Jared Goff in Michigan. This is not officially yet, but everyone is aware of it.

The same applies to Carson Wentz, who no longer plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, but for the Indianapolis Colts.

The teams and free players can officially begin negotiations as early as next Monday . Today, Saturday, on the other hand, is likely to be marked by the dismissal of players, as the upper salary limit must be adhered to by all teams. To do this, as every year, it is necessary to lay off a few players who may be too expensive.