Blog

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…

..

[ad_2]

Read More

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…

..

[ad_2]

Read More

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.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

..

[ad_2]

Read More

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.

..

[ad_2]

Read More

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.

..

[ad_2]

Read More