NFL Notes: Marvin Jones, Devonta Smith, Salary Cap

Marvin Jones

Lions’ impending free-agent WR Marvin Jones said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he wants to sign with a Super Bowl contending organization.

“At this point in my career, that’s what I want,” Jones said, via Pro Football Talk.

Jones did, however, make it clear that he expects to be paid fairly. 

“That is what I want, but at the same time, it’s not going to be — I’m not going to just straight sacrifice and not get what I’m worth just because I’ve put in my work to get where I’m at and it happened the first time and I did it, and I think I outplayed it the second time,” Jones said.

We have him included in our Top 100 – 2021 Free Agents list.

Devonta Smith

Former NFL scout Bucky Brooks believes Alabama WR DeVonta Smith‘s undersized frame at 170 pounds is a “major concern” as a talent evaluator. 

“DeVonta Smith is a great player but the size is a major concern. It’s hard for some scouts to envision drafting a 170 pound wide receiver at the top of the board… We haven’t seen a lot of “skinny” wide receivers dominate the pro game. It is what it is,” said Brooks, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. 

Former Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum called Smith a “top-five pick” and compared him to former Colts WR Marvin Harrison. However, he also recalled the “cautionary tale” of WR Tavon Austin, who failed to live up to expectations after being a selected No. 8 overall in 2013. 

“I see him as a top-five pick. I went to the national championship game and he was the best player on the field. Ohio State simply couldn’t cover him. They doubled him, they tried to jam him, they rolled safeties over the top and he was by far the best player. He has some Marvin Harrison in him in terms of you know what’s coming and you can’t stop it because he’s such a great route runner. My only concern with taking him in the top five is the cautionary tale of Tavon Austin, explosive, undersized player that never really panned out in the NFL. [Smith is] a much better route runner [than Austin]. But how is he going to be consistently getting off jams and getting off the line of scrimmage. That’s the big question mark,” said Tannenbaum. 

Salary Cap

• Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus is hearing that the 2021 salary cap will ultimately end up in the $185-$188 million range, adding that while TV deals are still being negotiated, this would be only a drop of around $10 million from 2020’s number of $198.2 million.
• The NFL distributed a notice to NFL teams on Thursday saying that the salary cap floor will be at least $180 million, as opposed to the $175 million the NFL and NFLPA agreed to last year.