Sports
Howe: A peek behind the scenes of the Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Baker Mayfield deals
The three biggest names on the quarterback market were whisked off the board within 24 hours at the dawn of free agency, as Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield and Russell Wilson evaluated their markets and struck on their opportunities.
Each had different priorities at unique stages of their careers. And as they quickly secured their next contracts, the veteran trio also helped shape the QB market for the rest of the offseason.
Mayfield started the chain reaction Sunday afternoon when he reached a three-year $100 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wilson struck a Sunday night agreement with the Pittsburgh Steelers for one year and the $1.2 million league minimum. Cousins capped it off Monday afternoon when he landed a four-year $180 million pact with the Atlanta Falcons.
While the moves and the financial parameters were unique, they were also somewhat connected as they came together, according to at least a half dozen sources with direct knowledge of the situations.
Mayfield was coming off the best season of his career in his first go-round with the Bucs, and the 28-year-old wanted to remain in Tampa after bouncing around the league for a couple of years. He’s had eight head coaches and seven offensive coordinators while playing for four teams in his first six seasons, so continuity has been a goal of his for quite a while, league sources said.
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Mayfield appreciated the way the Bucs set him up for success last season, not just with former offensive coordinator Dave Canales but with coach Todd Bowles’ leadership and the culture of the veterans around the building. And while Canales left for Carolina, Mayfield is somewhat familiar with new offensive coordinator Liam Coen from their month together with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
The Bucs and Mayfield accelerated negotiations last week, and they intensified over the weekend with a series of proposals and counteroffers. For Mayfield and that desire for continuity, the guaranteed money in the second year of the deal was particularly important from a job security standpoint.
He got $40 million fully guaranteed, with $30 million in 2024 and another $10 million in 2025, plus an extra $10 million for injury. So as long as he plays well, Mayfield should be back with the Buccaneers in 2025. But if the Bucs decide to split after the 2024 season, he’ll have earned $40 million for his services.
Last month, league executives believed Mayfield could eye New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones’ four-year, $160 million contract as a comparable deal. And maybe, if Mayfield wanted to push his free agency into Monday when the NFL’s negotiating window opened, he could have conceivably found a deal with more total money.
But that’s not as simple as it sounds. Over the weekend, people around the league believed Cousins would decide between the Falcons and Minnesota Vikings, leaving the losing team and the Buccaneers alone in a competition for Mayfield. But the hypothetical risk with that strategy could have involved the Vikings offering a low number and the Buccaneers withdrawing their best proposal. And while the New England Patriots were internally high on Mayfield, a union between the sides just didn’t make sense — again, leaving Mayfield with two potential suitors with the appropriate cap space to make a good offer and the personnel to challenge for a division title.
Ultimately, Mayfield wanted to return to the Bucs. He got an offer that should keep him secure for a minimum of two years and accepted it.
The best chance to start
Wilson’s situation was far different from Mayfield’s. The Denver Broncos will officially release him Wednesday at the start of the new league year, but they informed him of that decision last week and permitted him in the meantime to visit with teams.
Then, there was the wild card with the economics. The Broncos are still on the hook for Wilson’s $39 million salary in 2024, and that’s considerably more than he could have gotten in free agency. So Wilson informed teams that he’d play for the minimum — with the Broncos picking up the balance of the tab — so they could use their cap space elsewhere.
Wilson had two quality meetings with the Giants and Steelers. Both were deemed exploratory sessions, and they got a feel for their visions of the offense and Wilson’s goals for the season.
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The Giants offered no assurances on playing time, as Jones is expected to start once he’s cleared from his torn ACL. As for the Steelers, who benched 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett last season, Wilson has a very realistic path to a starting job for a team consistently in the playoff mix and has never finished below .500 in coach Mike Tomlin’s 17 seasons.
Wilson met Friday with the Steelers decision-makers, including Tomlin, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and general manager Omar Khan. With Tomlin and Smith, the offense should again be physical with a strong ground game and yield enough opportunities for Wilson to throw the deep ball, assuming he wins the job.
Wilson put together a better season in 2023 before the Broncos benched him in December, in part to ensure an injury wouldn’t further complicate their offseason decision with the quarterback. If the 35-year-old can maintain that trajectory, he’ll increase his chances of finding a more lucrative payday in 2025, whether it’s in Pittsburgh or elsewhere.
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A two-team race for Cousins?
Cousins, despite coming off a torn Achilles, was the central figure on the quarterback carousel, and he had indeed settled on Atlanta and Minnesota, where he played from 2018-23. If either of those options fell by the wayside and the financial offers plummeted, a league source said the Broncos likely would have gotten involved.
But dwindling offers weren’t an issue as the Falcons and Vikings made hard pushes for Cousins, who will get $90 million guaranteed in the first two years of the deal. Cousins had previously crossed paths in Washington with new Falcons coach Raheem Morris, and the quarterback should be a quick study with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, whose principles are similar to Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell from their days together with the Rams.
It was an eventful first day of NFL free agency!
Which team made the best move? pic.twitter.com/s9LP5GjdCI
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 12, 2024
The Falcons have also been assembling a better roster in recent years, and Cousins’ arrival should help them contend for the NFC South title and a playoff spot. They’ve got a strong running game, an improving offensive line and attractive pass catchers with Drake London and Kyle Pitts.
It was a perfect recipe for Cousins, who will be 36 at the start of next season.
The Vikings tried to keep Cousins, but they also knew it was important to prepare for the future at the position and couldn’t make the same financial commitment. So when the Falcons stepped up with their offer, considering the appeal of the roster and coaching staff, it all came together for Cousins.
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The remaining QB market
A few moving pieces remain. The Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and Patriots hold the first three picks in the upcoming NFL Draft, and indications suggest each team will take a quarterback with USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels the expected candidates.
That has essentially only left the Vikings, Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders with openings. The Raiders agreed with Gardner Minshew on a two-year $15 million deal that could be worth up to $25 million, and he’ll compete with Aidan O’Connell. The Broncos still have Jarrett Stidham, while the Vikings appear to be starting over.
With Jacoby Brissett rejoining the Patriots, the free-agent market is highlighted by Sam Darnold, Joe Flacco and Ryan Tannehill. It still feels inevitable the Raiders will release Jimmy Garoppolo, and the Bears should still be looking to trade Justin Fields. The Commanders could conceivably move Sam Howell, and the Jets are expected to part with Zach Wilson in some capacity.
Now that deals are done for Mayfield, Russell Wilson and Cousins, there’s one final fascinating element in play. Those final three teams in need of quarterback reinforcements — the Vikings, Broncos and Raiders, respectively — hold picks Nos. 11-13 in the draft. They could be competing again for Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy or perhaps even Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix.
The veteran trio set the stage for more fireworks on the quarterback front over the next two months.
(Photos of Baker Mayfield, Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson:
Todd Rosenberg, Stephen Maturen and Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
As Jalen Brunson stood at the free throw line at the end of the New York Knicks’ Game 4 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, a roar of “MVP” chants filled Wells Fargo Center.
A large contingent of Knicks fans traveled about two hours south of Madison Square Garden to support their New York team, and they were rewarded with a 47-point performance from Brunson as the series returns to the Big Apple 3-1 in the Knicks’ favor.
And some of those fans leaving Wells Fargo Center stood in the lobby and were heard chanting, “F— Embiid,” referencing the 76ers’ reigning MVP, Joel Embiid.
Joel Embiid (21) of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots over Isaiah Hartenstein of the New York Knicks during the first quarter in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on April 28, 2024. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Speaking with reporters after the loss, Embiid was not happy with the Knicks’ presence in the building.
“Disappointing. I love our fans,” Embiid said, per SNY. “Think it’s unfortunate, and I’m not calling them out, but it is disappointing. Obviously, you got a lot of Knicks fans, and they’re down the road, and I’ve never seen it, and I’ve been here for 10 years.”
“Yeah, it kind of pi—s me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town. They’ve always shown up, and I don’t think that should happen. Yeah. It’s not OK.”
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It wasn’t just when Brunson took his final free throws of the game that Knicks fans started getting rowdy in enemy territory. All game long, Knicks fans were heard shouting, chanting and urging their team on as they tried to match the home Sixers fans.
Joel Embiid (21) of the Philadelphia 76ers fights for the ball with Isaiah Hartenstein of the New York Knicks during the second quarter in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on April 28, 2024. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
“This Philadelphia fan base – I’ve said this before – is very relentless, very passionate. I’m an Eagles fan, I would know. Seeing the Knicks here, hearing the Knicks here was pretty cool, and it’s awesome,” Brunson said.
“The fans are special,” Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein said. “It’s probably the closest you’ll ever get to European fans.”
Embiid, who finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, shot 7 of 19 from the field, though he was 12 of 14 from the charity stripe. He had his home fans screaming in the first quarter when he dropped 10 of the team’s 27 points to take an early lead against the Knicks.
However, the Knicks battled back, and Brunson was the one leading the way. OG Anunoby had 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Miles “Deuce” McBride dropped 13 points off the bench.
Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is shown during the fourth quarter in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on April 28, 2024. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
New York was able to win one on the road as it heads back to MSG, where their fan presence will be even louder in hopes the Knicks can end the series on Tuesday night.
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After six consecutive wins this week, three empty at-bats doomed the Dodgers on Sunday.
Despite trailing the Toronto Blue Jays by multiple runs for most of the afternoon at Rogers Centre — in a game the hosts got a big second-inning rally from their offense, a dominant start from right-hander Kevin Gausman and a bunch of dazzling plays defensively — the door to a Dodgers comeback opened in the top of the eighth inning.
But, in the kind of squandered sequence the team had avoided during its return to form, the Dodgers failed to capitalize, wasting a bases-loaded situation in their eventual 3-1 loss to the scuffling Blue Jays.
“All the games we’ve lost, we’ve had a chance or opportunity to come back and win,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “We just haven’t had that big hit. Kind of the same thing today.”
It was Muncy who came closest to flipping the script in the eighth inning, when the Dodgers (18-12) finally found life against the Blue Jays bullpen following Gasuman’s seven-inning start.
Austin Barnes drew a leadoff walk. Mookie Betts smacked a double into the gap. And with no outs in the inning, the team had the heart of its order coming to the plate.
It didn’t make a difference.
Shohei Ohtani popped up after chasing two fastballs out of the zone. Teoscar Hernández struck out after Freddie Freeman was intentionally walked in front of him. And then, Muncy watched a deep towering drive die at the warning track, just missing extra bases (if not more) on a 370-foot flyout hit a little too high to clear the wall in right center.
“Can’t really say I missed it,” Muncy said, noting the ball’s lofted 42-degree launch angle. “Just hit it too high.”
That all but sealed the Dodgers’ first defeat since last Saturday, a setback in which — well before their close call in the eighth inning — almost nothing seemed to break their way.
Right-hander Michael Grove got knocked around at the start of a scheduled bullpen game, giving up three runs on three hits — including Alejandro Kirk‘s homer — in the bottom of the second.
Dodgers pitcher Michael Grove delivers against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning Sunday.
(Mark Blinch / Getty Images)
His counterpart, Gausman, halted a poor start to the year by giving up just one run on a Freeman solo blast in the sixth.
Every time the Dodgers hit the ball hard, the Blue Jays (14-15) found a way to avoid damage.
A deep drive from Ohtani in the first inning was snagged by center fielder Daulton Varsho, who turned his body at the last second before making a leaping catch as he crashed into the wall.
A fourth-inning fly ball from Freeman was caught on an equally athletic play by right fielder George Springer, who drifted to the warning track before flashing the leather with a jumping grab.
Then, Springer went full sprawl on an Andy Pages line drive in the ninth, extinguishing any hope of a late Dodgers comeback — and unlikely extension of their week-long winning streak.
“They made plays,” Roberts said. “It was a good ballgame.”
Indeed, there were some silver linings Roberts and his team took from Sunday.
Freeman’s homer was just his second of the year, ending a month-long drought that has coincided with frustrating inconsistency for the former MVP — despite his .306 batting average on the year.
“Starting to more often [take] a good swing, rather than feeling one good swing every couple days,” Freeman said. I’m not trying to hit home runs. I don’t care. I just know once the swing is there for being a good hitter, the power will come behind it.”
Pages also continued his strong start to his first MLB call-up, collecting two more hits for a .302 batting average (and .861 on-base-plus-slugging percentage) through his first 11 career games.
“I’m happy that he’s getting a good little run,” Roberts said this week of Pages, the club’s top outfield prospect. “He’s a hitter first with some power behind it. I like it.”
The one Dodgers star who didn’t do much Sunday: Ohtani, who cemented only his second hitless game in the last two weeks with his pop-out in the eighth inning.
Ohtani chased an inside fastball on the first pitch of the at-bat, fouling it off to the screen. Then, he swung outside the zone again on a heater near his chest, recording the first of three empty outs that ultimately decided the game.
Roberts didn’t criticize Ohtani’s swing choice, arguing that while the pitch was high, it was a ball “that I thought he could drive.”
But, like so many other moments Sunday, the swing amounted to nothing, sending the Dodgers to their first defeat in more than a week.
Charles Barkley criticized the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday as they were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in their playoff series.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams each had at least 20 points as Oklahoma City won the game, 106-85. It’s the first playoff series the Thunder have won since they made it to the NBA Finals in 2016.
Charles Barkley on air before the Final Four semifinal game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the North Carolina State Wolfpack at State Farm Stadium on April 6, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
As NBA fans would jokingly say, the Pelicans are headed for a vacation in Cancun, Mexico. But the Pelicans were going somewhere worse, Barkley asserted on TNT, because of how badly the team played in the series loss to Oklahoma City. The Basketball Hall of Famer said they were headed for Galveston, Texas.
“Where they going, Chuck?” Shaquille O’Neal asked.
LEBRON JAMES EXPLODES ON DARVIN HAM DURING LAKERS’ GAME 4 VICTORY OVER THE NUGGETS
Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Michael Wilbon before the game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 7, 2023, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Mike Kirschbaum/NBAE via Getty Images)
“Galveston,” Barkley responded, leading Shaq to burst out laughing. “That dirty a– water. We not even gonna send them to Cancun. We’re gonna send them to Galveston where that dirty a– water be washing up on the shore. You people think they’re at the beach.
“We ain’t sending you to Cancun. Y’all quit. Y’all get down to Galveston. C’mon man. They didn’t even try, man. We ain’t giving them no plane ticket to the beach. We send their a– to Galveston, Texas, right where that dirty water washes up on the beach. They can’t even get in the water.”
Oklahoma City will face the winner of the series between the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks.
Gordon Hayward of the Oklahoma City Thunder embraces Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the playoff game against the Pelicans on April 27, 2024, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. (Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
Dallas leads the series against Los Angeles, 2-1.
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