Key Additions: S Micah Hyde ($6.1M), S Jordan Poyer ($3.25M), K Steven Hauschka ($3M), Patrick DiMarco ($2.1M), WR Andre Holmes ($1.7M), G Vlad Ducasse ($1.2M), DE Ryan Davis ($1M)
Key Re-signings: LB Lorenzo Alexander ($3M), C Ryan Groy ($2.5M), T Jordan Mills, ($1.9M) Continue reading Free Agency Review: Buffalo Bills »
Key Additions: T Kelvin Beachum ($8M), QB Josh McCown ($6M), CB Morris Claiborne ($5M), K Chandler Catanzaro ($900K)
Key Re-signings: G Brian Winters ($7.25M), T Ben Ijalana($5.5M), LB Josh Martin (1.9M), LS Tanner Purdum ($980K)
Key Losses: WR Brandon Marshall (Giants), CB Darrelle Revis (FA), QB Ryan Fitzpatrck (FA), C Nick Mangold (FA), T Breno Giacomini (FA), K Nick Folk ( Buccaneers), QB Geno Smith (Giants), T Ryan Clady (FA) Continue reading Free Agency Review: New York Jets »
Yesterday we broke down spending in 2017 by position on offense and today we will look at the defense. Pass rushers were the ones to cash in while the traditional linebacker positions continue to struggle to keep up with inflation in the NFL.
Pass Rushers
The prices for pass rushers continues to explode in the NFL with the top of the market seeing over 10% salary growth, which does not even include Melvin Ingram’s one year tag that he has yet to sign. While I thought JPP and Chandler Jones actually came in under expectations, in hindsight I think it really just reinforces two things- how much the franchise tag is a burden for great players and how much the Jaguars drive prices in free agency when involved. Thus far 2017 has added four new pass rushers into the top 10 and 7 in total to the top 20. While there are a few older deals in this group it seems clear that unless there is a massive change in the value placed on rushers that the new floor for anyone with even a small ability to rush the passer is going to get close to $9 million in the future with the top of the market probably maxing out around $17 million. Continue reading Free Agency Review: Market Movement on Defense »
With the biggest contracts now signed in free agency I wanted to take a look at how each position fared at the top and compare the averages to where they stood last season. For some positions 2017 has been a banner year and for others it has not moved much despite the large amounts of cap space that teams had and continue to have this year. Today we will look at the offense and in a day or two do a breakdown of the defense. Continue reading Free Agency Review: Market Movement on Offense »
Now that the first week of free agency is nearing its end and most of the significant deals have been signed, I’d like to look at the new Wide Receivers contracts compared to their peers as well as each player’s past performance.
Alshon Jeffery: 1 year, $9.5M, $8.75M Guaranteed
Now that the first week of free agency is nearing its end and most of the significant deals have been signed, I’d like to look at the new Tight Ends contracts compared to their peers as well as each player’s past work.
Martellus Bennett: 3 years, $21M, $6.3M Guaranteed
In my 11/22/16 article, I concluded that Bennett would re-sign with New England for 3 years and $21M. While I had the team wrong, the contract is right in line with what I expected, although with less guaranteed dollars. In lieu of signing Bennett, New England opted to trade for Dwayne Allen, who will count for a total of $17.4M over 3 years with no dead money in any season. New England is saving $3.6M in cap space over 3 years by going with Allen over Bennett, but they are also slotting a player in behind Gronkowski that is a clear step down from Bennett.
I have been actively tracking the running backs that signed new deals in the 2016 offseason, and it is fair to say that most teams’ investments have seen disappointing return. Nowhere is this more evident than in the top end of the group. Doug Martin and Chris Ivory both signed deals in the top 7 range for running back contracts, but lengthy injuries and generally inefficient running have impacted any early justification of their paydays. Lamar Miller and Giovani Bernard have been about as expected, with Miller getting plenty of usage but perhaps brought down by the Texans’ lack of passing threat. Continue reading The Top 3 New Running Back Contracts in 2016 »