NFL Update (Contract Edition): Chris Carson Earns a Raise for 2020

Tonight’s Super Bowl signals the official end to the 2019 NFL season. So in order to put a bow on an eventful year for Pokes in the Pros, let’s take a look at the where they sit in terms of their contracts and outlooks for 2020, and let’s start with an OSU alum who earned a nice raise for next season.

Carson Qualifies for NFL’s PPE

Former OSU running back Chris Carson earned a nice bump for the upcoming 2020 season, the final year of his rookie deal. According to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, Carson earned that salary spike up to a non-guaranteed $2.147 million income thanks to the NFL’s proven performance escalator. He was set to make $735,000 next year based on this original deal.

The PPE allows players who were drafted in rounds 3-7 (Carson was picked in the seventh) to cash in if they played in at least 35 percent of a team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of their first three years.

Carson was limited to just four appearances his rookie season after suffering a gruesome leg injury, but he started three of those. He has started 29 combined games for the Seahawks over the last two seasons even after Seattle took Rashaad Penny at RB in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Carson’s 2019 season ended with a hip fracture he sustained in the Seahawks’ regular season finale. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2020 season.

Now let’s look at the other former Cowboys who were under contract at the end of 2019.

Other Cowboys’ Contracts

Tyreek Hill (Chiefs): Tyreek will be busy trying to torch San Francisco’s defense on Sunday night, but his affairs are in order for next year and beyond. The speedster signed a three-year extension with Kansas City last September that will having him earning $16.2 million in 2020.

Emmanuel Ogbah (Chiefs): The former Oklahoma State edge rusher will spend his Super Bowl on the sidelines thanks to a torn pectoral muscle that landed him on IR after 10 games. He is in the final year of his rookie contract and made a base salary of $1.35 million. He will be an unrestricted free agent in 2020.

Mason Rudolph (Steelers): The former OSU record-setter enters the third year of his four-year rookie deal and is set to make a $836,554, up from a base salary of $658,267. With Ben Roethlisberger set to return in 2021, it’s back to the bench for Rudolph until further notice.

James Washington (Steelers): Rudolph’s fellow Steeler is also entering his third year and is set to make $889,213 up from $684,607 in 2019. Washington took a step forward in Year 2 and should vie for a big role in the Steeler’s offense with Big Ben’s return.

Blake Jarwin (Cowboys): The Cowboy Back turned Cowboy tight end is set to be a restricted free agent in 2020. Jarwin showed some nice things in his second season in 2018 but was stymied by the unretiring of Jason Witten — despite the younger TE being more effective and efficient in the passing game.

There are lot of moving parts in Dallas with a new coaching staff coming in and now with reports that Witten is eyeing a 2020 return to Dallas. There’s a good chance the Cowboys will be able to tender Jarwin because he likely won’t have huge market value, but it might be better for him to land with a team where he can carve out a featured role.

Russell Okung (Chargers): The former Super Bowl winner with Seattle will be entering Year 4 of his four-year deal with the Chargers and is set to make a base salary of $13 million.

Tre Flowers (Seahawks): The college safety turned NFL corner will be heading into Year 3 of his rookie deal and is set to make $660,000 a bump from his $570,000 2019 salary. He is set to make $750,000 in the final year of his rookie deal in 2021.

Flowers took his lumps in a couple of games this year, but expect Pete Carroll to stick with his young cover man who has started in every game he’s played. There’s room for improvement for the young CB but there’s also reasons to expect he’ll get there.

Justice Hill (Ravens): The rookie running back made a base salary of $495,000 with a signing bonus of $185,414 in 2019. That will escalate to a base of $585,000 in Year 2 of his four-year rookie deal.

Hill was unable to really break out behind the likes of a Pro Bowler in Mark Ingram and second-year back Gus Edwards — and with QB Lamar Jackson being the team’s leading rusher — but he showed flashes of his playmaking ability.

Dan Bailey (Vikings): The former record-setting kicker at OSU is coming off of his one-year, $1 million dollar deal with the Vikings. In Minnesota, Bailey knocked down 93.1 percent of his FG attempts, good for fourth in the NFL and his best finish in four years. He is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2020.

Kevin Peterson (Cardinals): After missing all of 2018 with a knee injury, Peterson resurfaced in Arizona appear in 14 games for the Cardinals. He made a base salary of $570,000 in 2019. Peterson is an exclusive-rights free agent with Arizona so the Cardinals can easily lock him up for 2020 by offering him a minimum terms deal if they chose.

Chris Lacy (Lions): The former Cowboy receiver enters the final year of his two-year contact with the Lions in 2020. He’s set to make a base salary of $585,000 up from $145,588 in 2019. Lacy was activated from the practice squad for a Week 16 debut as a rookie and then went on to appear in seven games, mostly on special teams in 2019. He will be an exclusive-rights free agent in 2021.

Lane Taylor (Packers): The former Cowboy guard is entering the final year of his contract and is set to make $3.8 million from the Packers in 2020. Taylor has been a starter up front for Green Bay since 2016 but was placed on injured reserve after Week 2 of the 2020 season.

Vincent Taylor (Bills): The former OSU sack leader signed a two-year deal with the Buffalo Bills in 2019 after being waived by Miami. He’s set to make a base salary of $735,000 in 2020 and become an unrestricted free agent in 2021.

Marcell Ateman (Raiders): The former OSU wideout is set to make $660,000 with the Raiders next season, the second year of his two-year deal. He would be a restricted free agent in 2021. Ateman has started each of his two seasons on the Raider’s practice squad. He appeared in 11 games in 2019 but managed only five catches for 116 yards.

Jordan Brailford (Redskins): The dynamic pass rusher never got a chance to show off his skills, suffering an injury before the start of the season. He’s heading into Year 2 of a non-guaranteed four-year rookie deal with the Redskins. He’s set to make a base salary of $585,000.

Codey McElroy (Buccaneers): The former OSU hooper turned NFL tight end landed in Tampa Bay in 2019 on a one-year $72,000 deal. He was elevated from the practice squad to appear in the Buccaneers’ penultimate game. His one NFL target was a 30-yard reception. It remains to be seen if that on play will help him stick with Tampa Bay or elsewhere.