7 Late Summer NFL Bold Predictions

Michael Ginnitti
Michael Ginnitti, Managing Editor & NFL/MLB ExpertJuly 25, 2022
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#jordan love #deebo samuel #devin duvernay #denzel mims #jessie bates iii #johnathan abram #deion jones #jimmy garoppolo #ndamukong suh
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The Seattle Seahawks acquire QB Jordan Love from the Green Bay Packers for a 3rd round pick.

Love’s shot in Green Bay probably vanished with Aaron Rodgers’ 3 year, $150M extension. It’s still conceivable that Rodgers moves on after 2022, but if not, acquiring a trade asset for their former #26 overall pick makes sense. Seattle is about to roll into 2022 with Drew Lock & Geno Smith, so adding a young arm like Love fits their current model. Love has 2 years, $4M (guaranteed) remaining on his contract, plus a potential 5th-year option in 2024.

 

The Baltimore Ravens acquire WR Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers for WR Devin Duvernay, and a 2nd round pick.

Baltimore never replaced Marquise Brown after they shipped him to Arizona on draft day. While the roster is loaded with impact running backs, and Rashod Bateman is a top tier breakout candidate, adding Samuel would change the pace and ceiling for this Ravens’ offense. Deebo has 1 year, $3.9M remaining on his rookie contract, so this deal will come with an extension in mind (4 years, $100M+).

 

The Chicago Bears acquire WR Denzel Mims from the New York Jets for a 6th round pick.

Mims is a release candidate this summer, despite 2 years, $2.4M (non-guaranteed) remaining on his rookie contract. Will a WR-needy team swoop in with a late round pick before that happens? Chicago is about to roll out Byron Pringle, Darnell Mooney, & Velus Jones Jr. for Justin Fields’ sophomore campaign. Mims should be able to compete for a spot here out of the gate.

 

The Las Vegas Raiders acquire S Jessie Bates from the Cincinnati Bengals for S Johnathan Abram & a 3rd round pick

The Raiders went “all-in” in a lot of areas this offseason, but still find themselves in one in a division loaded with pass-offense. Abram will be fighting for a starting spot this camp, despite being their #27 overall selection back in 2019. He has 1 year, $2M (guaranteed) remaining on his rookie deal. Bates has no plans to sign his $12.9M franchise tag in Cincinnati. He’s no longer eligible for a long term extension, but can be structured on any form of 1-year deal for 2022. There’s probably a world where the Raiders can get Cincinnati to retain some of the salary prior to the trade.

 

The Atlanta Falcons trade LB Deion Jones to the Denver Broncos for a 6th round pick.

Jones has been on the trade block for awhile, and his contract doesn’t help the situation much. He’s fallen off of a cliff productively over the past two seasons, but a change of scenery (especially to a contender) could very well change that course of action. The Falcons restructured Jones’ deal prior to the 2021 season, including fully guaranteeing his $9.64M salary for 2022, making this a 1 year, $9.6M traded deal for all intents and purposes. A trade leaves behind $9.9M of dead cap this season, and another $5.3M next year.

 

QB Jimmy Garoppolo accepts a 1 year, $7.5M restructured contract to remain in San Francisco for 2022

It’s getting late for starting QBs to bounce around, and there doesn’t appear to be a clear path for Garoppolo (who isn’t yet 100% healthy) to land a chance at a starting gig. Obviously a training camp injury can quickly change this, and the 49ers should wait a move like this out as long as possible, but if nothing else surfaces, dropping Garoppolo’s 2022 compensation down to the $7.5M injury guarantee, while adding in plenty of playing time/production incentives, should satisfy their need for an experience backup QB this season.

 

The Los Angeles Rams sign DL Ndamukong Suh

Suh remains available, despite having been linked to a few notable teams throughout the summer. He played out a 1 year, $14M contract with the Rams back in 2018, before his 3-year (successful) stint in Tampa Bay. Los Angeles lost a few notable names this offseason (and signed a few new ones), but a 1 year, $5M (incentive laden) deal to add him into the mix can’t hurt.


#jordan love #deebo samuel #devin duvernay #denzel mims #jessie bates iii #johnathan abram #deion jones #jimmy garoppolo #ndamukong suh
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