Jaguars put franchise tag on pass rusher Josh Allen, will cut CB Darious Williams
Jacksonville on Tuesday placed the franchise tag on pass rusher Josh Allen, who would make $24 million next season unless he works out on a longterm contract with the Jaguars before the NFL deadline July 17.
Allen, the No. 7 overall selection in 2019, played the 2023 season on his fifth-year option and posted career highs with 171⁄2 sacks and 33 quarterback hits in 17 games.
The 26-year-old was voted to his second Pro Bowl, and the Jaguars had been clear they wanted to keep him.
To help make room for Allen’s contract under the cap, reports said the Jaguars will cut cornerback Darious Williams. That’s a surprise after his productive season, which included four interceptions and 19 passes defensed.
Williams, who turns 31 this month, was set to make $9 million in 2024. Cutting him gave Jacksonville another $11.5 million in salary-cap space.
Jacksonville signed Williams to a three-year, $30 million contract in March 2022. He had 53 tackles in 17 starts last season and is already projected as a potential target of the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens, who signed Williams as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
The deadline for teams to apply franchise and transition tags, which restrict pending free agents from hitting the open market without refusal rights, was 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Bears: The team used the franchise tag to keep cornerback Jaylon Johnson from free agency. If he signs his tender, Johnson would make $19.8 million for the 2024 season barring agreement on a new deal with the Bears before training camp. A second-round pick in 2020, Johnson was the highest-rated cornerback in the NFL by Pro Football Focus in 2023, allowing a passer rating of 33.3 in more than 500 coverage snaps.
Bengals: Quarterback
Joe Burrow, who tore a wrist ligament in his throwing hand in a game Nov. 16 and had surgery to repair it, told ESPN that he hopes to be fully cleared for competition by mid-May. He said he anticipates taking part in full throwing sessions at Cincinnati’s
organized team activities in late May.
Bills: Buffalo is trading offensive lineman
Ryan Bates to Chicago for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft. Bates, 27, played the first five seasons of his NFL career with Buffalo. He was the starting right guard for 15 games in 2022 before restructuring his contract and moving to a reserve role last year.
Jets: Tight end C.J. Uzomah was informed that he will be released, creating a 2024 cap savings of $5.3 million. Uzomah, 31, will become a free agent and is trying to return from knee surgery. In two seasons with New York, he had 29 catches for 290 yards and three TDs in 27 games (21 starts). New York’s tight ends now are Tyler Conklin (61 receptions for 621 yards last season) and
Jeremy Ruckert (16 catches in 2023).
Panthers: Carolina placed the franchise tag on pass rusher Brian Burns, but the non-exclusive marker means he is free to discuss a deal with any team when free agency begins next week. The two sides were unable to work out a long-term contract since discussions began more than a year ago. Burns has 46 career sacks, including eight last season, but reportedly requested a salary of $30 million to be among the league’s highest-paid defensive players.
Ravens: Baltimore placed the franchise tag on defensive tackle Justin Madubuike after failing to reach a long-term contract agreement. The 2020 third-round pick earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2023, starting all 17 games and finishing with 13 sacks, 33 quarterback hits and 56 tackles. Madubuike, 26, will earn $22.1 million in 2024 under the tag.
Seahawks: Seattle is releasing three-time Pro
Bowl safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs and tight end Will Dissly, NFL Network reported.
Cutting ties with the three starters would save the Seahawks about $34.5 million in cash and create significant cap space.
Adams, 28, made nine starts in 2023 and recorded 48 tackles. He was a 2017 first-round pick
(sixth overall) by the New York Jets. Adams was due a base salary of $16.5 million in 2024 and carried a cap hit of $26.9 million, according to Spotrac.
Diggs, 31, started all 17 games last season and had 95 tackles and one interception in 2023. His release saves the Seahawks an additional $800,000.
Dissly, 27, caught 17 passes for 172 yards and one touchdown in 16 games in 2023. His $6.49 million base salary for 2024 is not guaranteed, and his release would save $6.97 million against the cap.
Texans: Tight end Dalton Schultz, 27, agreed to a three-year,
$36 million contract, a league source told UPI. Schultz, who signed a one-year deal with the Texans as a free agent last offseason, had 59 catches for 635 yards and five TDs last season. His new contract has $23.5 million guaranteed.