Category: NFL News

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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The NFL’s 2024 league year has officially kicked off and the Las Vegas Raiders were busy making moves. As expected, the Raiders released quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. They also cut ties with former Pro Bowl wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, just two years after signing the pass catcher to a $32 million extension. QB Brian Hoyer and DT Jerry Tillery were also let go.

The 28-year-old Renfrow was due $13.7 million in 2024, but his release will save the Raiders at least $8.2 million against the salary cap. His expected exit is unsurprising from a football perspective, however, with Las Vegas already committing lucrative money to No. 1 receiver Davante Adams and last offseason signing fellow wideout Jakobi Meyers to a three-year contract.

A fifth-round draft pick out of Clemson in 2019, Renfrow quickly emerged as a reliable slot target in the Raiders’ offense, eclipsing 600 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons. He earned his first career Pro Bowl nod in 2021, leading the team with 103 catches for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns. But injuries limited him to just 10 games the following year, and after Meyers’ arrival, he saw an even more limited role in 2023.

Garoppolo, meanwhile, just arrived via free agency last offseason but was not long for the starting quarterback job, appearing in six games before his indefinite demotion. He’s set to serve a two-game suspension to start 2024, and has essentially already been replaced in Las Vegas by the club’s recent deal with journeyman Gardner Minshew.

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The Patriots were 4-13 last season and they set a new course for the franchise by jettisoning Bill Belichick in January, but neither of those developments have stopped them from bringing back a number of players from their 2023 team.

Linebacker Anfernee Jennings is among those who will be back. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Jennings has agreed to a three-year deal with the team. The deal is worth $12 million with a maximum value of $24 million.

Jennings started 14 games last year and had 66 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery.

Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, offensive lineman Michael Onwenu, tight end Hunter Henry, edge rusher Josh Uche, and wide receiver Jalen Reagor have all agreed to new deals with the team. The Patriots also used a transition tag on safety Kyle Dugger in another move designed to keep a member of the team in the fold despite the bad results the last time the band was together.

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Jordan Poyer is staying inside the AFC East. The former Buffalo Bills All-Pro safety has agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins, according to his agents (via NFL Media). 

Poyer was among the recent players whom the Bills released. The soon-to-be 33-year-old veteran is set to join a Dolphins secondary that is currently headlined by Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey and starting safety Jevon Holland.

An 11-year veteran, Poyer blossomed into one of the NFL’s premier safeties after going from Cleveland to Buffalo before the start of the 2017 season. He had five picks during his first season in Buffalo and tallied 22 interceptions during his first six seasons with the Bills. Poyer received his first All-Pro nod in 2021 after filing the stat sheet with 93 tackles, three sacks, five interceptions and nine pass breakups. 

Poyer was named to the Pro Bowl in 2022 after recording four picks and helping Buffalo win its…

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Why QB Allen’s contract extension was easy 49ers decision originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

When quarterback Brandon Allen signed with the 49ers last spring, he joined an already crowded quarterback room.

Allen entered, seemingly, as the No. 4 quarterback behind a recovering Brock Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold.

Ultimately, Allen’s presence was one of the reasons the 49ers opted to trade Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2024 fourth-round draft pick near the end of training camp.

The move was made after Purdy recovered quickly from significant elbow surgery and Sam Darnold beat out Lance for the backup job. The 49ers had enough confidence in Allen to move forward with him as the No. 3.

“This system works well for quarterbacks who can just be accurate and play on time,” Allen told NBC Sports Bay Area during training camp, citing his reason for joining the 49ers after previously serving as the backup to Joe Burrow with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The 49ers made the unsurprising move Monday of agreeing to terms with Allen on a one-year contract extension, his agent, Kyle Strongin, confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area.

Currently, Allen is the only other quarterback under contract behind Purdy, who finished fourth in the voting for NFL Most Valuable Player.

Allen, 31, did not appear in any games with the 49ers last season, though In four seasons with the Bengals, he started nine of the 15 games in which he appeared.

Meanwhile, Darnold’s future remains unclear. But his status could be settled shortly, as the early negotiating period opened Monday morning for free agents.

The 49ers would like to bring him back for another season as insurance behind Purdy, but there might be other teams who will enter the mix and provide him with a better opportunity — or a bigger paycheck.

General manager John Lynch said Darnold could have made more money last season but opted to sign with the 49ers. With so many NFL teams with…

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USATSI

The 2024 NFL offseason figures to be chock-full of big-name player movement. All 32 teams can begin negotiations with pending free agents starting March 11 at 12 p.m. ET, and both signings and trades can be finalized starting March 13.

Where are all the top free agents headed? Who’s still available?

Below, you’ll find a running tracker of the top 100 free agents of 2024, compiled from senior columnist Pete Prisco’s annual ranking of the best veterans available. Check back regularly for updates throughout the offseason:

2022 NFL Free Agent Tracker

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Kevin Byard signing sends clear message about Bears’ plans ahead of Caleb Williams decision originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Bears general manager Ryan Poles filled a key hole Sunday by signing veteran safety Kevin Byard to a two-year contract just one day before the NFL’s legal tampering window opens on Monday at 11 a.m. C.T.

Byard is a 30-year-old, two-time All-Pro safety who will fill the hole vacated by Eddie Jackson’s release. Byard gives the Bears a free safety, whose skill set should mesh well with Jaquan Brisker. Byard is better in coverage than Jackson and a much surer tackler. Last season, Byard earned a coverage grade of 70.3, per Pro Football Focus, and only missed 4.7 percent of his tackles. Jackson earned a coverage grade of 60.0 and missed 15.6 percent of his tackles. Byard has also started 121 of 130 career games, which gives him a leg up on Jackson in the availability category.

The signing of Byard checks an important box and sends a message about where Poles believes the Bears are at this point in the rebuild ahead of the expected decision to draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Bears gave Byard a two-year, $15 million contract despite the market being flooded with veteran safeties from Justin Simmons to Xavier McKinney and Quandre Diggs.

Poles could have let the safety market come to him and taken option B or C if Byard had signed elsewhere. Instead, Poles moved fast to lock down a proven veteran safety who should be a clear upgrade over Jackson in 2024 and 2025.

If Poles didn’t believe the Bears were ready to start contending this fall, there is no reason to give a strong deal to a soon-to-be 31-year-old safety when it’s clear the NFL is devaluing safeties.

Two years ago or even last year, Poles probably would have stayed patient and waited for a value signing at a preferred number. There’s no reason to jump the gun when realistic contention is far off.

But the Bears clearly feel it’s no longer far…

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Chris Jones isn’t going anywhere. The Kansas City Chiefs’ standout defender has agreed to terms on a five-year deal that includes $95 million fully guaranteed, according to NFL Media. Jones’ agency wrote on X that the deal makes Jones the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history. 

Jones said during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebratory parade that he was going to remain in Kansas City, his only NFL home since breaking into the league in 2016. His words now seem prophetic after he agreed to a deal that will keep him under contract through the 2028 season. 

It’s hard to argue against Jones becoming the highest-paid defensive tackle in league history. He’s currently rivaling future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald as the top defensive lineman in the NFL. 

A Pro Bowler each of the last five years, Jones has been tabbed as an All-Pro each of the past two seasons. He racked up a career-best 15.5 sacks in 2022 and had 10.5 sacks in 16 games in 2023. Jones has a career stat line of 75.5 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions. 

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