Table of Contents
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- Jeffery Simmons
- Cornerback market
- Running backs
- Joe Burrow
- Cam Jordan
- Alex Freeman
- Referee practice squad
- MetLife Stadium
- Rookie contracts
- Father’s Day
We’ve got our MMQB takeaways leading with Brendan Sorsbyand a conversation with NFLPA director JC Tretterup on the site this morning. Now here are our quick-hitters as the NFL breaks for summer …
Jeffery Simmons
The defensive tackle market has been a little slow to jump in recent years, and interestingly enough it’s largely because of how rare guys like Aaron Donald and Chris Jones are. So the fact that Jeffery Simmons got a new deal in Tennessee, which we covered in the takeaways, too, is pretty important in that it’s going to create a framework for younger guys at the position.
Along those lines, there are a few keys to the deal. First, the $100 million injury guarantee is protected by early vesting dates, which assure that, one way or another, Simmons will see that money. Second, he gets $45.8 million in new money through the third year of the deal, which is the first new year of it (he was previously under contract through 2027). And his APY of $35.276 is a significant jump, about $3.5 million, at the top of the DT market.
It’s a good deal for Simmons, who, as we detail in the takeaways, has thoroughly earned it.
Cornerback market
While we’re there, it remains pretty interesting that two star corners, the Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez and Seahawks’ Devon Witherspoon, are extension eligible for the first time, and share an agent—Reggie Johnson of WIN Sports Group.
Obviously, whichever one gets done first will help frame the negotiation for the other corner, and in this case it seems like the play may be to work out Witherspoon’s before Gonzalez’s.
Why? Seattle has already been aggressive in re-signing Witherspoon’s draft classmate Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a top-of-the-market deal, and the Seahawks are for sale, which creates some urgency on the team’s part to get something done before the new bosses are in. The corner market is another one due for a jump, with Trent McDuffie at $31 million per year, and Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr. right around $30 million APY.
Running backs
And it’s worth repeating here that a similar game of contractual chicken is playing out with Falcons RB Bijan Robinson and Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs, at another position that’s long been due for a pretty serious jump in numbers.
Joe Burrow
I love Joe Burrow pushing his teammates. If you’ve listened to him all offseason, you can see the subtle urgency he’s creating for the Bengals. I’ve thought all along that was a sign that he saw a high ceiling with this year’s group, and he confirmed that last week, telling the Cincinnati media, “You go back and watch what I said before the 2019 season at LSU, I feel very similarly about this team.” Burrow, of course, led that LSU team to a national title.
Cam Jordan
I also love that Cam Jordan is back in New Orleans. He very much considered leaving when negotiations didn’t go the way he’d hoped. But I know how much pride he has in being a one-helmet guy, and it’s great to see he’ll get to seal that with a 16th season as a Saint.
Alex Freeman
Am I the only one who didn’t know former Packers WR Antonio Freeman’s son is a world-class soccer player? Alex Freeman scored a goal in the U.S.’s 2–0 win over Australia in the World Cup on Friday. (Side note: Having Brett Favre throw corner routes to Freeman in Madden NFL 98 was a borderline cheat code.)
Referee practice squad
The fight between the NFL and NFLRA did get contentious, but I do like, in the end, the league’s intention to build a pipeline to develop better officials, something emphasized (as ESPN reported over the weekend) with the establishment of a practice squad. I believe competition for spots only makes people sharper, and this will do that.
MetLife Stadium
The Knicks’ run to a championship, ending decades of futility, only further highlights the issues the area’s football teams have had. The Giants and Jets have combined for two playoff appearances and just one playoff win over the past 15 seasons. And MetLife Stadium, which has hosted 16 Giants seasons and 16 Jets seasons, has been the setting for just one playoff game, a Giants win 14 years ago during the team’s run to Super Bowl XLVI.
Rookie contracts
Another sign of the times: Quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson are the only first-round picks who remain unsigned as the league goes on its summer break. There was a time, when I started covering the league, when few, if any, first-rounders would be signed at this juncture, and training camp holdouts were routine.
Father’s Day
Finally, a belated Happy Father’s Day to everyone out there, and in particular to people who have lost their own dads—I hope all those folks found some peace over the weekend in remembering all the good times they had.
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ALBERT BREER
Albert Breer is a senior writer covering the NFL for Sports Illustrated, delivering the biggest stories and breaking news from across the league. He has been on the NFL beat since 2005 and joined SI in 2016. Breer began his career covering the New England Patriots for the MetroWest Daily News and the Boston Herald from 2005 to ’07, then covered the Dallas Cowboys for the Dallas Morning News from 2007 to ’08. He worked for The Sporting News from 2008 to ’09 before returning to Massachusetts as The Boston Globe’s national NFL writer in 2009. From 2010 to 2016, Breer served as a national reporter for NFL Network. In addition to his work at Sports Illustrated, Breer regularly appears on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, FS1 with Colin Cowherd, The Rich Eisen Show and The Dan Patrick Show. A 2002 graduate of Ohio State, Breer lives near Boston with his wife, a cardiac ICU nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital, and their three children.
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