Arizona
The Cardinals re-signed WR A.J. Green to a one-year deal.
Why It Matters: Green gives the team another credible outside receiver, as Antoine Wesley was in line to start outside opposite DeAndre Hopkins. He won't have fantasy relevance but could be an obstacle to a target share spike for Rondale Moore.
Kyler Murray's agent Erik Burkhardt said the team is yet to make a contract offer, and that he pulled their opening proposal weeks ago
Why It Matters: Murray could easily hold out into camp to force the team's hand instead of playing for $5.5 million this year. They say they won't trade him, but Arizona's phone would light up if they change their stance. The team should be motivated to get Murray signed, but it will likely cost them 40 million a year or more. We'll tune back into this story this summer if a new deal isn't done by then.
Baltimore
When asked about QB Lamar Jackson’s long-term contract prospects, head coach John Harbaugh said “He’s not ready, you know? And when he’s ready, we’ll be ready”
Why It Matters: Jackson is going to be a Raven through at least 2024 whether a deal gets done or not because it will be prudent for Baltimore to use the franchise tag on Jackson for two years over letting him walk as a free agent, although there is always the possibility that they could trade Jackson if they are confident in Tyler Huntley and believe they can get a package exceeding what the Browns got for Deshaun Watson. These situations are more likely to resolve with a new deal than a divorce, although Harbaugh's comment is curious because it’s difficult to posit exactly what about Jackson’s state of mind would be holding back a new deal. Jackson doesn’t have an agent, so that could kick this into an atypical timeline and path of how these deals get worked out. We are likely years from this situation coming to a head, but make a mental note that it might not settle itself as cleanly as Ravens fans hope it does.
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The Ravens re-signed DL Calais Campbell to a two-year, $12.5 million deal
Why It Matters: Campbell has been a steal for the Ravens after they acquired him from the Jaguars for a fifth-round pick in 2020 thanks to contributions that go beyond the boxscore. They were happy to beat out the Colts, Browns, and Chiefs to retain Campbell, who wanted to stay in Baltimore because he feels like they “started something special” and have “unfinished business”. The 35-year-old will likely retire a Raven.
Carolina
Mike Giardi (NFL Network) reports the Panthers have had conversations with multiple teams about moving down from the #6 pick
Why It Matters: The Panthers are meeting with Pitt QB Kenny Pickett this week and they certainly need a quarterback, but trades for Sam Darnold and C.J. Henderson have left them with no picks between #6 and #137. It’s hard to believe they would trade out of taking Pickett if they believe he is a franchise quarterback because the Falcons and Seahawks both need quarterbacks and are picking 8th and 9th, although they could prefer Liberty QB Malik Willis. This item makes it seem more likely that Pickett and Willis will fall out of the top 10 than go in the top 10 of the draft, but we should take anything we hear this close to the draft with a grain of salt. The most likely explanation for this getting out is that the Panthers are finding the trade-up market for the pick soft and want to generate interest.
Cleveland
Negligence and gross negligence claims have been added to sexual assault by two of the women suing QB Deshaun Watson
Why It Matters: Nothing is imminent, but this item is just a reminder that this legal matter is open-ended and new evidence could always come out to change the outlook for Watson in 2022 and beyond. The additional claims will make more information discoverable, which adds volatility to how the civil cases could affect his standing with the league and the Browns. There is some expectation that he will be suspended this season, but we are in a holding pattern waiting for the league to act, and the league might be in a holding pattern waiting for the civil cases to reach resolution. In the meantime, Baker Mayfield said he doesn’t know where he is playing this season. With Jacoby Brissett in tow, the Browns may not see Mayfield as giving them a much greater chance to win games without Watson than Brissett, which makes Mayfield’s 18+ million price tag tough to stomach. Only Seattle and Carolina are unsettled enough at quarterback to consider Mayfield, but there has been speculation that the Browns will have to take on some of Mayfield’s 2022 salary to get a deal done.
Green Bay
The Packers signed WR Sammy Watkins (Baltimore) to a one year deal worth up to $4 million
Why It Matters: Watkins has more lives than a cat and he usually ends up in good offenses with good quarterbacks. That doesn’t mean Watkins will be relevant in fantasy leagues this year, but he could make it harder for Allen Lazard to be consistent in the box score, at least for as long as Watkins can stay on the field. The Packers are also highly likely to take at least one receiver in the upcoming draft.
Houston
The Texans signed CB Steven Nelson (Philadelphia) to a two-year, $10 million deal
Why It Matters: Nelson is starting quality and the deal is a relative bargain. He’s probably going to be the team’s #1 corner, which highlights how weak the secondary is. It’s bad enough along with the other secondaries in the AFC South to be a tiebreaker when considering whether to draft #1 receivers A.J. Brown and Michael Pittman, who will get to face AFC South defenses six times this season, along with the NFC East and shootout-inclined AFC West.
The Texans signed WR Brandin Cooks to a two-year, $39.6 million extension with $36 million guaranteed
Why It Matters: Cooks proved just how durable his fantasy value was last year with rookie Davis Mills and the Texans did right by him, paying him in line with the red hot wide receiver salary market. They could add a receiver in the draft, but Cooks is the undisputed #1.
Jacksonville
RB Travis Etienne said he is 85-90% recovered from his Lisfranc injury
Why It Matters: The team believes he is ahead of schedule and could get on the field for OTAs, which would be great news. Etienne should be on the field well before James Robinson, who is recovering from a late-season Achilles tear, although the backfield should eventually settle into a committee, assuming a full recovery for both backs. Etienne is going at least 5-6 rounds ahead of Robinson in early best ball drafts, around RB20-24 in the fifth round.
Las Vegas
The Raiders signed QB Derek Carr to a three-year, $121.5 million extension
Why It Matters: The numbers might seem ridiculous, but know that this is around the going rate for an average NFL starting quarterback (ie Kirk Cousins) and that only 24.9 million was guaranteed, giving the Raiders an out after this season. The 2023 32.9 million dollar salary becomes guaranteed on February 15 next year, so we’ll know the Raiders' plans soon after the Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh
QB Dwayne Haskins was struck by a car and passed away on Saturday, April 9
Why It Matters: This was very sad news to hear as Haskins was clearly beloved by teammates and had personal qualities that transcended football. Our condolences to his loved ones and everyone who cared about him, which is a long list, especially in the Ohio State community. There’s video of an 11-year-old Haskins wearing the #7 jersey he would eventually don in the Horseshoe touring the campus and saying he would play quarterback for the Buckeyes one day. He did, beating out Joe Burrow and leading the team to a 13-1 record in 2018. We should remember him as a triumphant player and human being encouraging us to chase our dreams, no matter how lofty.
Seattle
The Seahawks picked up TE Noah Fant’s fifth-year option
Why It Matters: This was the first 2023 fifth-year option to be picked up from the 2019 class, so the Seahawks keeping Fant in the dark about it had nothing to do with any ambivalence about the decision. At $6.85 million, Fant’s salary will be a bargain.
The Seahawks signed QB Geno Smith to a one year worth close to $4 million
Why It Matters: Smith will compete with Drew Lock and Jacob Eason (and maybe a rookie) to start for the Seahawks, which shows you the quality of quarterback play DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett will get, assuming they are both with the season when the season opens. Metcalf would be better off than Lockett if Smith starts, as he caught four scores from Smith in about three and a half games last year.
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