NFL free agency has been absolutely wild thus far in 2019, completely rocking the landscape of the entire league. Every school had players on the move in March, but the Penn State Nittany Lions, in particular, saw several of their alumni get large contracts. Here is a full recap of all the former Nittany Lions on the move in 2019.
Donovan Smith
Former Nittany Lion and Tampa Bay Bucs left tackle Donovan Smith got a big payday with a three-year, $41.5 million contract. Smith was drafted into the league in 2015 and has started all 64 possible games since then. High quality left tackles who are also durable are tough to come by these days and Donovan Smith fits the bill.
Adrian Amos
Adrian Amos hasn’t reached the pro bowl yet during his young career, but he’s been on the cusp of greatness ever since entering the league. He only had three career interceptions in Chicago but managed 62 plus tackles in all four seasons. He now heads to the Packers on a four-year, $36 million deal.
Jesse James
Jesse James has been one of the most reliable players around ever since joining Penn State in 2011. For both the Nittany Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers he has been a hardworking and efficient tight end that has pretty much never been injured. He isn’t an All-Pro type who will light up the stat sheets, but he can always be counted on to make an impact. He will finally have the chance to be a full-time starter with a bigger role in Detroit with the Lions. He signed for a four-year $25-million deal.
Cameron Wake
The 37-year-old defensive end is still kicking and still ready to sack the opposing quarterbacks. He has double-digit sacks in half of his pro seasons and is coming off a six-sack, 36 tackle season. For the first time in his pro career, he will be leaving the Miami Dolphins and heading to Tennessee to join the Titans.
Stefan Wisniewski
The only player on this list to receive bad news this week was tackle Stefan Wisniewski. He was on the Eagles team that won the Super Bowl in 2017, but the team has opted not to pick up his option. He is now on the market but remains unsigned as of the time of publication.
Sean Lee
Sean Lee will actually be staying with the Dallas Cowboys for the 2019 season, but the team did restructure his deal.
Robbie Gould
Kickers get a lot of bad rep these days, but the 49ers are doing all they can to lock up Robbie Gould long term. They franchised tagged their kicker in hopes of working out a long term deal before the July deadline. He will make roughly five million in 2019, almost all of it guaranteed.
