As the legal free agent tampering period of the offseason begins, teams aren’t taking any chances with anybody on their salary cap bubble. Tuesday the Los Angeles Chargers shed three big contracts as they sent guard D.J. Fluker, cornerback Brandon Flowers and wideout Stevie Johnson to a big farm upstate.
The #Chargers, who released DJ Fluker and Stevie Johnson today, are also releasing CB Brandon Flowers, a former big-ticket FA signing.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 7, 2017
The Chargers were in major salary cap trouble coming into the offseason with just around $5 million available before the cuts. Setting Fluker, Flowers and Johnson loose gives the Chargers $20.8 million to work with, so at least they can sign their upcoming draft picks and maybe add some depth.
Fluker’s contract was always going to be a problem this season. He was originally drafted as an offensive tackle, but struggled at that spot. When the Chargers moved him to guard he was much better, but a guard of Fluker’s ability isn’t worth nearly $9 million a year. At that rate Fluker would have been the fourth highest paid guard in the league and while he’s a good offensive guard, he’s not “No. 4 in all off the NFL” good.
We'll always have your body slam of Sio Moore, DJ Fluker pic.twitter.com/Ydem1HH4s7
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) March 7, 2017
The good news for Fluker is he’ll have plenty of suitors in the NFL especially with so many teams dying to build up even competent offensive lines. In this market, he can probably safely make $6 million a year, which is still probably overpaying him, but there’s still a lot of talent and potential there and perhaps Mike McCoy and his inept staff just couldn’t get it out of him.
Flowers was an easy cut too. Due to make $7 million or so this season, the corner hasn’t played a complete season for the Chargers once since they signed him in 2014. Truthfully, Flowers only has one full 16-game regular season on his resume in nine years. He’s a good corner when he is on the field and will probably find a job, just nowhere near the $7 million payday he was going to get with Los Angeles. If he doesn’t want to pay for $2 million a year, he may just end up retiring.
Stevie Johnson had three solid seasons with the Buffalo Bills from 2010-2012 that have kept him under contract in the NFL ever since. Johnson posted three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and scored 10 touchdowns in 2010 and seemed like a future super star about to break out. He even got away with blaming God for dropping a touchdown pass and was not smited, at least for another three seasons.
Since 2013 Johnson’s production has settled into solid No. 2 – No. 3 receiver territory. He’s obviously still got speed since he averaged 11.0 yards per catch last season over 11 games. He too should find work, but probably in that same $2 million range Flowers will have to take.
Bills trim the fat with five cuts
It just goes to show the mess Rex Ryan got the Buffalo Bills in when a cut-down of this magnitude contains not a single player of legitimate value. But that’s what Bills coach Sean McDermott and general manager Doug Whaley are dealing with this offseason.
Monday the Bills cut long snapper Garrison Sanborn, safety Phillip Thomas, tight end Gerald Christian, cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman and kicker Dan Carpenter. The cuts open up about $6 million in cap space for the Bills who will probably be busy come Thursday.
The biggest potential cut they have looming is quarterback Tyrod Taylor. According to the News Herald and Morning Journal, that cut is coming before March 11 so Buffalo doesn’t have to pay him his ridiculous $15.5 million roster bonus.
Just heard two Jets fans aruging over who they'd rather have at QB next year: Jay Cutler or Tyrod Taylor. God it must suck to be a Jets fan
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) March 7, 2017
Taylor signed a ridiculous, team-killing five-year, $90 million contract before last season that would average him an insane $18 million a season. It came with a friendly enough front-loaded system that paid Taylor $6.9 million last season with a $3.4 million signing bonus he gets to keep and that monster $15.5 million coming due in the 2017 offseason if Taylor earned it. He didn’t. Taylor is 15-14 as Buffalo’s starter.
If Taylor is released into the wild, he too will have no trouble finding a job, especially with quarterback-needy teams out there. If the Cleveland Browns do decide to commit sepuku in the upcoming draft by taking Myles Garrett at No. 1 in stead of DeShaun Watson, it will probably be because they signed Taylor.
I have my fingers crossed for you, Cleveland.
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