Over the last few days, there have been a few new items from around the rest of the NFC East. Let's round them up here.
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Commanders are adding EDGE Von Miller
Miller is a potential future Hall of Famer who has 129.5 career sacks, most among all active NFL players. He was named All-Pro seven times (first-team three times, second-team four times), and was voted to eight Pro Bowls. He is a two-time Super Bowl champion, in 2015 with the Broncos, and in 2021 with the Rams. He had 5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles during the Broncos' 2015 playoff run, and took home Super Bowl MVP honors. He had 4 sacks during the Rams' Super Bowl run.
However, now 36, Miller is far from the elite player he once was. He hasn't been to a Pro Bowl since 2019, and for the last two seasons has just been a situational pass rusher. In 2023 in Buffalo, Miller played in 12 games (258 snaps) and had an impossibly low 3 tackles and 0 sacks. He did rebound a bit in 2024, playing in 13 games (279 snaps), and collecting 17 tackles and 6 sacks, which we cut up below:
Miller still has some speed, and the Commanders absolutely needed pass rush help, so the signing does make sense. However, as we noted in June during our "dumpster fire" series, they had 30 (!) players who are 29 years of age already, or older. Here's how that compares with the rest of the NFL:
• 30: Commanders
• 19: Falcons, Lions, Texans
• 18: Browns, Steelers
• 16: 49ers, Titans
• 15: Giants
• 14: Panthers, Raiders, Patriots, Saints
• 13: Ravens, Bengals, Colts, Vikings, Buccaneers
• 12: Cowboys, Jaguars, Chiefs, Chargers, Rams, Dolphins
• 11: Bills
• 10: Bears, Broncos
• 9: Cardinals, Seahawks
• 8: Eagles
• 7: Jets
• 4: PackersMake it 31.
I think that the perception of the Commanders, from a national perspective, is that they are a young, up-and-coming team, because they had a stellar rookie quarterback last season. They are not. They are easily the oldest team in the NFL.
Terry McLaurin isn't happy
McLaurin has been the Commanders' leading receiver since he entered the league in 2019, and always by a pretty wide margin:
Year Leading WAS receiver 2nd leading WAS receiver
2019 Terry McLaurin (919) Chris Thompson (378)
2020 Terry McLaurin (1118) Logan Thomas (670)
2021 Terry McLaurin (1053) J.D. McKissic (397)
2022 Terry McLaurin (1191) Curtis Samuel (656)
2023 Terry McLaurin (1002) Curtis Samuel (613)
2024 Terry McLaurin (1096) Zach Ertz (654)
McLaurin was a rare bright spot on a team that went 29-53-1 from 2019-2023. He is in the final year of his contract, and is seeking an extension, but according to McLaurin (via John Keim ESPN) there have been no negotiations over the last month.
McLaurin had one year left on his deal in 2022 when he signed a three-year extension worth $68.2 million. He is currently the 16th-highest paid wide receiver in the NFL, on an average per year basis per OverTheCap.com. He turns 30 in September.
If a deal gets done, expect that to be north of $30 million per season.
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Another deal gets done before Micah Parsons'
The Steelers and T.J. Watt agreed to a new three-year deal worth $123 million, or $41 million per year, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
Last year, Micah Parsons was in line for a new deal, but nothing got done as the team spent all offseason negotiating new deals for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
The Cowboys never learn. If you'll recall, they have botched Prescott's contract situation for more than a half decade, going all the way back to 2019. For the sake of brevity, we'll just skip to last offseason, when Prescott was scheduled to play on the final year of his deal. For some dumbass reason, Jerry Jones said that he wanted to "see more cards played" before getting a deal done with him. Predictably, that didn't work out, as the Lions' Jared Goff got a new deal worth $53 million per season, followed by the Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence getting a new deal worth $55 million (!) per season.
OOPS!
Just before the start of the 2024 season, Prescott signed for $240 million over four years, or $60 million per season. That made him the highest-paid player in NFL history, a title he still holds.
Similarly, when Lamb was in line for a new contract, Justin Jefferson signed a new deal first, for $35 million per year on a four-year deal. Like Prescott, Lamb signed just before the start of the season, on a four-year deal worth $34 million/year.
This year Parsons' contract situation is coming to a head And it's the same story. While Jerry was twiddling his thumbs, Maxx Crosby signed a new deal worth $35.5 million/year, and Myles Garrett got a new deal worth $40 million/year, temporarily making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history. JaMarr Chase later topped Garrett's deal when he signed a four-year deal worth $40.25 million/year. And now Watt has topped Garrett and Chase with his $41 million/year contract. All of those deals have no doubt raised the floor for a new Parsons deal, which is still expected to be the highest non-quarterback deal in NFL history.
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All quiet on the Giants' front.
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