Author: nfltalk

One of the top remaining free agents is off the board, as CBS Sports HQ senior NFL insider Josina Anderson reports that the New York Jets will sign former Dallas Cowboys All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith to a one-year deal. New York is working to upgrade its offensive line, which allowed 64 total sacks in 2023, tied for fourth-most in the league.

Smith explained his decision to sign with New York on the phone to Anderson. 

“I would’ve love to have stayed home in Dallas, but as we all know it’s a business the way it works,” Smith said. “I still feel like the Jets have an opportunity to win it, and anything I can do for the team to help them out, I’m going to do me best to do it.”

The 33-year-old has spent his entire career with the Cowboys, as Smith was selected by Dallas with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft out of USC. It was reported earlier this month that Smith was not expected to return to the Cowboys, as The Dallas Morning News said it became clear at the NFL Combine that the two sides stood drastically apart when it came to financial framework.

Smith has started in all 161 career games played, and is a five-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler. While injuries have affected Smith’s availability recently, he has been great when in the lineup. In 2023, PFF awarded Smith an 88.6 pass-blocking grade, the highest in the entire league among offensive linemen to play 100 or more snaps. 

Upgrading the offensive line to keep Aaron Rodgers healthy was likely the No. 1 item on New York’s offseason to-do list, and Smith is excited to block for a future Pro Football Hall of Famer.

“I feel like it’s going to be amazing,” Smith said. “Of course me being with Dallas, he’s kicked our butts twice in the playoffs — so I know what he’s capable of. Honestly, I’m just excited about the opportunity.”

This unit struggled mightily in 2023, and was also hit hard by injuries….

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Bryce Huff keeping undrafted mindset after major payday with Eagles originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

There were 255 players selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Bryce Huff was not one of them.

So even after becoming a very rich man this week, putting pen to paper on his three-year, $51.5 million contract, Huff said being undrafted is something that will “definitely” never leave him.

“Just the fact that you came out and not a single team thought you were worthy of a draft pick, it kind of just stays in the back of your mind,” Huff said on Thursday during his introductory press conference with the Eagles.

“Even with having a new contract, just knowing that most of the guys on the team were drafted and were pinned as automatically just better than you. It’s definitely going to stick with me.”

Heck, with Huff it’s even deeper. Coming out of Memphis as a senior, Huff wasn’t invited to the combine and he didn’t even get an invite to the Senior Bowl, which is held in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama.

Huff has had to work for everything.

And because of his undrafted status, it took a while for Huff to earn a spot in the Jets’ rotation but eventually he did and he began to shine. Even though he had just 7 1/2 sacks through his first three seasons, there were some pretty strong signs in the advanced numbers that foretold a breakout season.

Huff got that breakout season in 2023, leading a good Jets defensive line with 10 sacks while playing just 42% of their defensive snaps.

How did Huff pull that off?

“Just being consistent as far as my work and my process throughout the week,” he said. “Really honing in on my opponent’s weaknesses, listening to my coaches as far as a rush plan, working together with my teammates on the D-line and just working like a team to beat the opposing offensive line as opposed to just winning 1-on-1s.”

While Huff’s per-snap win-rate was among the league leaders over the last two seasons with the Jets, he still…

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The 2024 NFL free agency period has already been chock-full of lucrative deals, from Kirk Cousins’ $180 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons to Christian Wilkins’ $110 million haul from the Las Vegas Raiders. But the best free agent signings aren’t necessarily the priciest. Sometimes, it’s actually the low-risk, high-upside bets — the “bargain deals” — that end up paying off better than anticipated.

With that in mind, here are some of our favorite value deals to start free agency:

Reported terms: 1 year, $1.2 million

Is Wilson past his prime? The numbers and eye test suggest as much. But Pittsburgh is literally paying him less than what the Buffalo Bills are paying Mitch Trubisky to sit behind Josh Allen. At 35, with a pretty deep ball still in the arsenal, the ex-Seahawks star is built to operate the Steelers’ old-school offense, leaning on the run and play-action. Odds are Pittsburgh will be back to square one in a year or two, but Wilson at least registers as an upgrade on Kenny Pickett. If he simply proves competent, keeping the club in the playoff mix a la Baker Mayfield with the Buccaneers, he’ll have easily out-earned this trial-run deal.

Reported terms: 1 year, $7 million

Why move on from Dalvin Cook only to add another aging ball-carrier one year later? For one, Jones still appears to have a second gear, fresh off a hot finish to 2023, in which his multipurpose juice helped propel a surprise Packers playoff run. Minnesota appears to be more focused on the long haul, considering its quarterback pivot, but you could do a lot worse for a one-year rental. Durability is a question, but for barely top-10 running back money, pairing Jones with youngster Ty Chandler could be truly dynamic.

Reported terms: 2 years, $6.5 million

Los Angeles needed someone to headline a backfield sans aging pass catcher Austin Ekeler, and all Edwards has ever done is push the ball forward. His…

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Report: Armstead-for-Collins trade between 49ers, Texans fell apart originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Before the 49ers released veteran defensive tackle Arik Armstead on Wednesday, the they tried to trade him to the Texans for Maliek Collins but the deal fell apart after Houston agreed to terms with free-agent edge rusher Danielle Hunter, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows reported, citing a source briefed on the situation.

In the end, the 49ers agreed to send a 2024 seventh-round draft pick to the Texans for Collins, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. A few hours later, San Francisco released Armstead, allowing him to hit the free-agent market.

Armstead’s release comes with a post-June 1 designation, a source told Maiocco, creating more than $18 million in salary-cap space for the 49ers.

Per Maiocco, the 49ers have opted to spread Armstead’s “dead money” over the next two years, so he still will count for $10.31 million on the salary cap this year and $15.55 million next year.

Collins comes to the 49ers with an $8 million base salary in 2024 and a $9.5 million base salary in 2025.

Armstead, a 49ers captain for the last four seasons, was a victim of San Francisco’s need to shed high-priced salaries in order to attempt to retain All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk this year and quarterback Brock Purdy next year.

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