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It's officially holdout season in the NFL, as Xavien Howard and Aaron Rodgers will testify.
Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard was signed to a five-year deal in 2020, one that very briefly made him the highest paid cornerback in the league. Not satisfied with those numbers, Howard is now angling for a move and a better contract.
According to Spotrac, Howard is currently earning around $14 million per season. At this point in the year, few teams have the cap space to bring him on board. However, he could fit in some interesting places.
Teams with pockets deep enough to bring Xavien Howard to town
#1 - Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons can bring Xavien Howard on board and give him a small pay raise. If they can negotiate a deal that keeps some of the salary with the Miami Dolphins, they could offer him a bigger pay raise. Currently, the Atlanta Falcons have about $15 million available to spend.
The Atlanta Falcons should be taking a close look at Xavien Howard. Last season, their defense ranked 29th overall in the NFL and gave up more passing yards per game than any other team. Xavien Howard could move this bottom-ranked secondary into the top 16.
Xavien Howard is coming off a ten-interception season that landed him a PFF grade of 87.3. Those are attractive numbers for a team of Atlanta's caliber. The Falcons should be all over the Miami cornerback.
#2 - Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers have $20 million in cap space and could easily afford to bring on Xavien Howard. They should consider making a run at him, if only for the fact that they will face the Kansas City Chiefs twice this season.
Last season, the Los Angeles Chargers ranked 10th overall in defense. With the addition of Xavien Howard, the Chargers could easily be a top-five defense in the NFL.
#3 - Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions have $18 million in cap space and Xavien Howard would fit into their gameplan for 2021 nicely. With Jared Goff now under center, the Lions are attempting to recreate the Los Angeles Rams' offense.
Jared Goff was at his best when the running game was playing well so he could set up a play action call which would catch defenses napping. This would allow his throws to be as easy as possible. Unfortunately for the Lions, they do not have the star power that Jared Goff is used to, so they'll need to hope for the defense to step up.
The best way for that to happen would be to sign one of 2020's best cornerbacks. As the Lions still have a lot of cash in hand, they should be taking a closer look at making a win-now move. They need a sense of urgency about getting good quickly, considering the Packers could be without Aaron Rodgers for the first time this season.
