Free agency is just a few days away, and teams have been very active this past week as they prepare. Many veteran players were released in moves precipitated by the salary cap. The use of franchise tags and three quarterback contract extensions are discussed below, along with four moves in brief. As always, the rest of the transactions are down below with some of the more significant ones highlighted in red.
Franchise and Transition Tags
Tuesday was the deadline for teams to place the franchise or transition tag on any of their impending free agents. Usually multiple teams use their franchise tag, but the transition tag is less used. However, it has been used multiple times in recent years.
Since these tags have been much discussed already and because this week also saw numerous other moves, I am just going to list the tagged players and not go in depth for them.
The Baltimore Ravens place their franchise tag on K Justin Tucker. This tag is worth $4.572 million.
The Buffalo Bills place their franchise tag on OT Cordy Glenn. This tag is worth $13.706 million.
The Carolina Panthers place their franchise tag on CB Josh Norman. This tag is worth $13.952 million.
The Chicago Bears place their franchise tag on WR Alshon Jeffery. This tag is worth $14.599 million.
The Denver Broncos place their franchise tag on OLB Von Miller. This tag is worth $14.129 million.
The Kansas City Chiefs place their franchise tag on S Eric Berry. This tag is worth $10.806 million.
The Los Angeles Rams place their franchise tag on CB Trumaine Johnson. This tag is worth $13.952 million.
The Miami Dolphins place their transition tag on DE Olivier Vernon. This tag is worth $12.734 million.
The New York Jets place their franchise tag on DE Muhammad Wilkerson. This tag is worth $15.701 million.
The Washington Redskins place their franchise tag on QB Kirk Cousins. This tag is worth $19.953 million.
New England Patriots re-sign QB Tom Brady
Brady, 38, wasn’t set to become a free agent until after the 2017 season, but that didn’t stop him and New England from agreeing to a contract extension.
The new deal adds two more years to his contract. The monetary value is unknown, but his old cap hits for the 2015 and 2016 season were $15 million and $16 million, respectively.
He is known for re-signing with the Patriots for below market value, so the value of the extension is going to be less than you would probably think.
With this two-year extension, he is now under contract through the 2019 season when he will be 42-years-old. Brady has talked about playing well into his forties.
Last season, New England suffered multiple injuries around Brady on offense, but that didn’t stop him from producing another great season.
While completing 64.4 percent of his passes, he threw for 4,770 yards, 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a quarterback rating of 102.2.
Philadelphia Eagles re-sign QB Sam Bradford
Acquired via trade last offseason, Bradford, 28, signed a short contract to stay in Philadelphia and avoid the free agent market.
He signed a two-year contract worth $36 million with $22 million guaranteed. Another $4 million is available in incentives.
In 14 games last year, he threw for 3,725 yards, 19 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and had a quarterback rating of 86.4 while completing 65 percent of his passes.
After Chip Kelly was fired, there was some thought that Bradford wouldn’t return to the Eagles, given that Kelly was the one who traded for him. However, over the past few weeks it became clear that Bradford was likely to stay in Philadelphia.
This transaction continues an aggressive offseason so far from Philadelphia––and free agency hasn’t even started yet. The Eagles have already re-signed tight end Zach Ertz, tight end Brent Celek, offensive tackle Lane Johnson, defensive end Vinny Curry and safety Malcolm Jenkins.
The short contract is good for both parties. If Bradford plays well, he will be a free agent again soon. If he doesn’t play well, the Eagles aren’t tied to him for long.
Baltimore Ravens re-sign QB Joe Flacco
For the second time in recent years, Flacco, 31, signed a record-breaking contract.
His new contract is a three-year extension that goes on top of the three years that were left on his old deal. There is $66.4 million in new money and a huge $40 million signing bonus.
This average of $22.13 million per season in new money makes him the highest-paid player in the NFL. His contract tops Aaron Rodgers’ deal that averages $22 million.
The signing bonus of $40 million is also an NFL record.
Baltimore needed to work on Flacco’s contract because he had an extremely high cap hit for the upcoming 2016 season. This new deal lowers this cap hit by $6 million and keeps him with the Ravens through 2021.
He is coming of a season that ended with a torn ACL and MCL in week 11.
A quick look at cuts: RB Arian Foster, DE Charles Johnson, WR Roddy White and DE Mario Williams
With many teams cutting veterans, we’ll take a brief look at some of the more important ones.
Foster, 29, is the Houston Texans’ all-time leading rusher, but has struggled with injuries in recent years. Last season, he gained 163 yards on 63 carries. In 2014, he carried the ball 260 times for 1,246 yards and eight touchdowns.
Johnson, 29, had a five-year run with Carolina from 2010 to 2014 where he recorded 52.5 sacks. However, he only took down opposing quarterbacks once in the 2015 regular season, though he did have three sacks in the postseason.
With Julio Jones continuing the play as one of the best receivers in football, White, 34, became less important to Atlanta. The Falcons’ all-time leading receiver hasn’t gone over 1,000 yards in a season since 2012.
Williams, 31, had his worst statistical season since he was a rookie, recording only five sacks in 15 games. He was reported to want out of Rex Ryan’s scheme in Buffalo.
Other Moves:
The Baltimore Ravens re-sign LB Albert McClellan.
The Baltimore Ravens release LB Daryl Smith.
The Buffalo Bills release G Kraig Urbik.
The Buffalo Bills release RB Anthony Dixon.
The Carolina Panthers re-sign LB Ben Jacobs.
The Carolina Panthers re-sign G Chris Scott.
The Carolina Panthers cut DT Dwan Edwards.
The Carolina Panthers cut OT Nate Chandler.
The Dallas Cowboys cut WR Donte Foster.
The Dallas Cowboys cut DE Efe Obada.
The Dallas Cowboys waive RB Michael Hill.
The Dallas Cowboys waive OT Cody Clay.
The Detroit Lions re-sign DT Tyrunn Walker.
The Green Bay Packers re-sign K Mason Crosby to a four-year contract.
The Houston Texans cut TE Garrett Graham.
The Houston Texans release S Rahim Moore.
The Indianapolis Colts release WR Andre Johnson.
The Jacksonville Jaguars cut G Zane Beadles.
The Jacksonville Jaguars release DE Chris Clemons.
The New England Patriots release WR Brandon LaFell.
The New England Patriots release TE Scott Chandler.
The New Orleans Saints sign K Josh Scobee.
The Oakland Raiders re-sign P Marquette King to a five-year contract.
The Pittsburgh Steelers waive OT Micah Hatch.
The San Diego Chargers cut LB Donald Butler.
The San Diego Chargers cut RB Donald Brown.
The San Diego Chargers cut LB Kavell Conner.
The San Diego Chargers cut LB Chi Chi Ariguzo.
The San Francisco 49ers re-sign RB Shaun Draughn.
The Tennessee Titans sign CB Brice McCain.
The Tennessee Titans re-sign RB Antonio Andrews.
The post NFL Weekly Transaction Tracker appeared first on Fanspeak NFL Blog.