Your “What Salary Cap Reduction?” Monday Evening Open Thread

NFL Notes:

Well, it was Big Money Monday as the legal “tampering period” for talking to free agents began this morning. Let’s see what’s what: (note: all deals are official at 4:01pm ET on Wednesday, when the new league year starts.) 

• Kevin Zeitler agreed to a three-year, $22 million deal with the Ravens.
• Jonnu Smith got a four-year deal from the Patriots, terms undisclosed.
• Matthew Judon also got a four-year deal from the Patriots, worth $56 million.
• Romeo Okwara is staying with the Lions on three-year, $39M deal.
• Brady’s deal last week means Shaquil Barrett is returning to Buccaneers on a four-year, $72 million deal. 
• Kyle Juszczyk will stay in San Francisco, getting a five-year, $27 million deal.
• The Chargers will make Corey Linsley the highest-paid center in the league with a five-year, $62.5 million deal.
• Now-former Rams safety John Johnson will be signing with the Browns on a 3-year, $33.75 million deal.
• The Denver Broncos are keeping DL Shelby Harris on a three-year, $27 million deal.

And, some teams are working to free up cap space in order to make signings happen:

• The Chiefs are restructuring the contracts of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones.
  • The proposed bonus & deferral payments will free up $20 million in cap space for 2021.
    • Because the three of them alone were nearly $60 million against the cap, almost 1/3 of the total $182.5 million available to all teams.
  • Which has led to signing former Patriots OL Joe Thuney to a 5-year, $80 million deal.
• The Eagles are restructuring & extending Brandon Graham.
  • He is due $13 million in 2021, and has a cap-hit of $17.9 million.
  • It will keep him an Eagle through 2022.

Other league-year tidbits:

• Drew Brees officially retired.
  • He made the announcement yesterday, because it marked 15 years since he signed his free agent tender with the Saints.
    • Which is why the Saints then re-upped Taysom Hill to a four-year, $140 million deal.
      • Meaning at least $14 million for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 
  • Brees is going to NBC to be a Sunday Night Football in-studio analyst, and to join NBC’s Notre Dame coverage.
• JuJu Smith-Schuster isn’t returning to the Steelers.
  • He wants $15 million per year, but in a down market isn’t likely to find a long-term deal for 2021.
  • And he made his feelings pretty clear:

Is the @TeamJuJu era over in Pittsburgh? 🤔

(via @Kaitlin_OToole) pic.twitter.com/YozPkWoXkf

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 11, 2021

Tonight’s sports:

• NHL:
  • Philadelphia vs NY Rangers – 7:00pm | NBCSN
  • Boston vs Pittsburgh – 7:00pm | Sportsnet
  • Edmonton vs Calgary – 9:00pm | Sportsnet1
• NBA:
  • NY Knicks vs Brooklyn – 8:00pm | ESPN / TSN4
    LA Clippers vs Dallas 9:00pm –
    Indiana vs Denver 9:00pm –
    Memphis vs Phoenix 10:00pm –
    LA Lakers vs Golden State – 10:30pm | ESPN / TSN4
• WWE:
  • Monday Night Raw – 8:00pm | USA / Sportsnet360
    • the “go home” show before Fastlane this Sunday.

I’m sure there will be more money flowing tomorrow, so enjoy watching your team shoot its wad on a likely disappointment.