Julio Jones’ June 1 shadow, Jordan Love’s time for Packers, more
June 1 is always a dreaded day for NFL veterans, but Julio Jones casts an extra wide shadow this year. Plus, the Packers could get an extended look at Jordan Love.
The NFL now owns 12 months of real estate, and has established mile markers seemingly in every month of the year. We just blew past the latest one right into what could be a gauntlet for several veteran players across the league.
With June 1 now officially in the rearview mirror, players are now generally free to cut or trade players without the remaining money on their contracts fast-tracking to the current season. Now, only a player’s current-year signing bonus counts towards this year’s cap, with the rest accelerating to 2022.
That means one thing; start your engines.
Following a season that saw most teams play in front of empty home stadiums or some — or all — of their games, the NFL’s salary cap fell to its lowest level in recent memory; $182.5 million.
As things currently stand, over half the league (17 teams) have less than $10 million in cap space. Seven teams (Falcons, Buccaneers, Eagles, Titans, Seahawks, Giants, and Raiders) have less than $5 million in spending flexibility. And the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints have less than $1 million in cap space.
“This is going to be a really, really rough week for a lot of players,” one league source tells FanSided.
Adding extra intrigue this year is the fact Julio Jones now could be traded at any moment, and teams jockeying to create the requisite cap space to add him to their roster might be extra motivated to slash and dash.
Not surprisingly, Jones’ shadow looms large over many of the teams with veteran players who could be on the move, as cutting them to free up space for the Falcons’ wide receiver might be the key to what could wind up being one of the biggest offseason additions of all.
Here’s a look at five players who could be on the move:
Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
Ertz has been the subject of persistent trade talks all offseason, especially after long-term contract talks broke down with the Eagles last spring and summer.
The Eagles have Dallas Goedert on the roster, and are thrilled with his ability in the vertical passing game, but clearly have been holding out for the best offer for Ertz. Now that June 1 has passed, the Eagles can clear up $8.5 million in cap space by simply releasing the veteran pass-catcher, which would be a significant boost to Philadelphia’s meager $3.8 million in current cap space.
Releasing Ertz could also be the impetus to a trade for another veteran to watch this week in Jones. If the Eagles cut Ertz, they would have over $12.5 million in cap space, more than plenty to accommodate the receiver that many scouts and coaches still believe is the best player at the position in the league. Philadelphia might have as many as three first-round picks, so flipping one to the Falcons for Jones isn’t the least bit unreasonable.
Anthony Hitchens, LB, Kansas City Chiefs
Similarly to the Eagles, Kansas City has been linked as a potential trade partner for the Falcons, and what an embarrassment of riches dropping Jones into an offense that already boasts Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Clyde Edwards-Helaire around the most gifted quarterback walking the planet, Patrick Mahomes, would be.
Kansas City would be wise to collect as many assets as possible, especially of Jones’ caliber, around Mahomes to prop open its Super Bowl window the widest possible in an effort to keep collecting Lombardi Trophies over the next two-to-three seasons.
Currently, the Chiefs have just $7.87 million in cap space, so it would take some salary cap gymnastics on general manager Brett Veach’s part to fit Jones. Releasing Hitchens, after investing their top draft pick in Missouri linebacker Nick Bolton last month, would create $6.44 million in cap space, upping the Chiefs’ total to $14.2 million.
Evan Engram, TE, New York Giants
Engram seemingly remains a key cog in the Giants’ offense, but following a disappointing season in which he was charged with eight drops and New York signing veteran Kyle Rudolph, it is fair to wonder if this is the offseason Engram could be on the move.
The Giants entered this week with upwards of just $4.95 million in cap space, New York could be motivated on multiple fronts to move on from Engram, which would create $6.013 million in cap space if he’s traded this week.
Both from the standpoint of creating cap space, and perhaps the flexibility to trade for Jones, pairing with free agent acquisition Kenny Golladay in quarterback Daniel Jones’ arsenal could make Engram a name to watch this week.
Jordan Hicks, LB, Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals gave Hicks permission to seek a trade last month, and a deal would seemingly be more likely than ever post-June 1.
Hicks is due just over $2 million in base salary this season and can add up to $3 million in roster and playing time bonuses in 2021. However, if the Cardinals trade the 29-year-old now, Arizona would open up $3 million in cap space, while absorbing a $3 million dead-cap charge.
Still with plenty of upside, following a 118-tackle 2020 campaign, Hicks is a starting caliber player who could be a marquee addition for any team looking to bolster its defense this week.
Latavius Murray, RB, New Orleans Saints
No team has more work to do in coming weeks than the Saints.
Give New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis for keeping the Saints’ Super Bowl window propped up all the way through future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees’ career in the Big Easy, but now the bill is coming due.
Murray, set to count $4.18 million against the cap this season despite being Alvin Kamara’s top backup, could be on the move. New Orleans can free up $3.18 million by trading Murray or $2.36 million by releasing him, absorbing a $1.85 million dead-cap charge in the process.
Either option would give the Saints spending flexibility and with more effort, perhaps position themselves to dive head-first into the Jones sweepstakes … If they can make the best offer to the division rival Falcons.
The (not so) hidden benefit for Packers as Aaron Rodgers stays away
Aaron Rodgers, as expected, was a no-show as the Green Bay Packers began voluntary OTAs last week.
Rodgers, of course, is embroiled in a bitter dispute with the organization and the possibility, however slim, remains that he has thrown his final pass in a Packers uniform.
As we touched on in this space last week, the Packers really have no motivation to trade Rodgers if they are motivated to win a Super Bowl this season — as they should be with the roster in place.
However, presuming that Rodgers returns to Wisconsin sometime between now and the Sept. 12 opener in New Orleans against the Saints, the Packers’ front office and coaching staff are likely feeling just fine in their offices inside Lambeau Field before heading to the practice fields across the parking lot.
Green Bay not only gets to stash away the $500,000 workout bonus Rodgers would have collected had he attended 85 percent of the team’s offseason workouts, but they also get an extended look at Jordan Love with the first-team offense.
“The reps are invaluable,” former NFL quarterback Sage Rosenfels tells FanSided. “They are the very same reps that helped Aaron when he was coming up, because Brett Favre wasn’t there a ton in the offseason at that time, either.”
One hurdle for Love is the fact that none of the Packers’ starting wide receivers took part in last week’s OTAs, but should Devante Adams, Allen Lazard, and Co. eventually make it into camp, it certainly improves Love’s chances of both making a strong impression and making strides in his development.
Love might or might not be the Packers’ heir apparent to Rodgers, and he very well may be the linchpin of this entire controversy, given that general manager Brian Gutenkunst chose Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft without even the courtesy of a phone call to the MVP quarterback on the roster. This is Green Bay’s chance to find out exactly what they have in Love.
“He’s very talented,” Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy tells FanSided of Love, who played in the 2020 game. “He can make ‘wow’ plays with his arm look routine. He’s a high-end starter when it comes to his tools and ceiling.”
If and when Rodgers returns, the Packers are among the handful of teams in the NFC with a legitimate chance to unseat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and advance to the Super Bowl.
But, should this situation continue to devolve and some team offer the Packers multiple first-round picks and young starting players in a trade, well, then the Packers will have collected a bounty for an unhappy quarterback … And gotten extended practice reps for Love, the player with the first chance to replace him.
“The Packers love Jordan’s talent,” Nagy says. “But they just don’t know what they have in him because there wasn’t any offseason or preseason in 2020.”
In a lot of ways, regardless of what happens with Rodgers, it’s the Packers who are the biggest winners of all should Love develop.
Quotable
"“I haven’t reached the mountain top yet. I always aim high. I want five Super Bowl rings, I want the Hall of Fame. I want the glory. I believe I’m a champion. But, more so, I want to carry some people along with me. I want my brother, Trevon, to have a good career. I want to give my mom a place where she can be comfortable. I want to give people jobs. I want to do more for D.C., my city. The mountain top isn’t just for football; it’s for life in general. The more people I can help – that’s when I’ll look back and know I made a difference.”"
– Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, via the Buffalo News
Diggs’ goal of winning five Super Bowl rings will certainly generate the headlines, but there is so much more to unpack here in terms of the Bills’ playmaker’s aspirations to make a tangible impact on people’s lives through football.
On the field, the Bills — along with the Cleveland Browns — are likely Kansas City’s top competition for the Lamar Hunt Trophy and a third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl, and Week 5 promises to be one of the NFL’s signature games this season.
The fact that Diggs is coming off a career-best 127 receptions for a league-high 1,535 yards and eight touchdowns means he’ll play a vital role in Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s continued development and Buffalo’s Super Bowl aspirations.
However, it is admirable that Diggs is far more admirable that Diggs wants to create jobs and better his hometown of Washington D.C., presumably through business ventures away from football have the opportunity to be legacy defining for the 27-year-old.
Too often, society views athletes as avatars of entertainment for the masses, but stories like Diggs’ former Giants wide receiver Russell Shepard’s various job creating ventures, and so many other athletes bettering their own financial health and the health of their local economies is commendable.
Here’s hoping Diggs reaches this goal, because he stands to possibly lift the fortunes of a great deal of folks in his hometown.
Final thought
I think we’re about to see a renaissance from second-year starting quarterbacks across the NFL.
Unlike last season’s offseason programs that were effectively canceled and held via Zoom meetings due to COVID-19, the likes of the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa, Chargers’ Justin Herbert, Bengals’ Joe Burrow, and others, have the benefit of getting on the field and spending time with coaches and teammates digesting the playbook this spring and summer.
In one of the more honest and enlightening moments you’ll see from a young quarterback, Tagovailoa admitted he didn’t know the playbook as well as he would have liked.
https://twitter.com/RossTuckerNFL/status/1399752519329488900/photo/1
That might explain Ryan Fitzpatrick’s yo-yoing into games in big spots for the Dolphins last season.
Still, even as Burrow continues to grind his way back from a torn ACL, and Herbert aims to build on a stellar 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, all three players have the potential to be markedly better in 2021.
The Dolphins went out and added Will Fuller and Jaylen Waddle to Tagovailoa’s supporting cast. Burrow will reunite with former LSU teammate, and arguably the premier wide receiver in a loaded class at the position, Ja’Marr Chase. Finally, the Chargers loaded up on offensive line help both via free agency and the draft to help cut down on the league-high pressures Herbert faced.
These organizations are committed — in varying degrees — to these former first-round picks, all substantially bolstered the caliber of players around them this offseason, and the quarterbacks themselves have the luxury of their first full offseason in the building and in the film-room. For those reasons alone, don’t rule out the Dolphins, Chargers, and Bengals from making legitimate noise this season.
Matt Lombardo is FanSided’s National NFL Insider and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday. Email Matt: Matt.Lombardo@FanSided.com, Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL