Minor NFL Transactions: 4/21/26
A couple of teams made minor moves on Tuesday…
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: DL Jaylon Hutchings
New England Patriots
- Signed ERFA tender: FB Jack Westover
Westover entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Seahawks in 2024, but they waived the Washington alumnus before his rookie campaign. He caught on with the Patriots that year and has since played all 20 of his games with the organization. Last year was the first 17-game season for Westover, who picked up two starts and played 402 snaps (237 on offense, 165 on special teams). Westover caught one pass for no gain.
Jets Cancel Top-30 Visit With David Bailey
APRIL 21: Nearly a week after canceling Bailey’s top-30 visit, Jets general manager Darren Mougey cleared things up, sort of. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Mougey told the media, “In regard to David, we had good touch points with him at the combine, we went to his pro day, had a good dinner with him, and we were just kind of juggling our 30 (visits) and how to use them. I wouldn’t look too much into a cancellation because there was other ones that we may have changed, as well.”
He went on to note that visits can be utilized for medical checks, recruiting, opportunities for departments other than scouting to get time with a prospect, and “sometimes…it’s a smokescreen.” While he may have intentionally muddied things up with his final comments, Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports reported today that nearly all his league contacts are hearing that Bailey will be New York’s selection at No. 2 overall in two days.
APRIL 15: Draft rumors move quickly in the final weeks leading up to Day 1 of the big event. Just five days ago, Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey became the betting favorite to land with the Jets at the No. 2 overall pick. Just this evening, Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York reported that the team had canceled a top-30 visit that Bailey was supposed to attend.
There’s a lot of unspoken context here that’s worth mentioning. Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk commented that “it is unclear when Bailey was scheduled to visit,” confirming that, if a top-30 visit with the Jets had been announced for Bailey, it hadn’t been widely reported. Considering, as well, that today was the final possible day teams could host prospects for top-30 visits, just after 5pm on the final day seems an odd time for this information to break. It just as easily could’ve been reported that they ran out of time to get in a visit with Bailey, or it could’ve gone unreported and unnoticed altogether.
As Ryan Dunleavy of New York Post Sports suggests, the meaning of this report could taken in very different ways. The most obvious meaning would be that the Jets don’t intend to draft Bailey and chose not to waste his time with a visit. It could also mean the exact opposite: that the Jets know all they need to know about the Red Raider pass rusher, and they don’t need an additional visit to feel secure in drafting him. Dunleavy points out that, because the Jets have the No. 2 overall pick and the top overall pick is all but written in stone, there isn’t much potential benefit to throwing up this smokescreen.
One thing such a smokescreen could instigate to potentially benefit the Jets is trade interest. There may be teams interested in trading up for a top pass rusher, and they may not want to settle for whoever isn’t taken between Bailey and Ohio State’s Arvell Reese. We’ve seen rumors that the Cardinals, Giants, and other teams in the top 10 have shown interest in trading down, and perhaps the Jets wanted to get their phones ringing, too, to see what might be available to them.
The headline caused a bit of a stir this evening, but it remains to be seen if it will affect the current betting lines associated with each pick and player. Regardless, the intent should become much more clear eight days from now, when a selection is announced for the No. 2 overall pick.
Giants Host DT Benito Jones
With Dexter Lawrence no longer in the fold, the Giants are in obvious need of help along the interior defensive line. Cognizant of that, the Giants hosted free agent defensive tackle Benito Jones on Tuesday, per Howard Balzer of CardsWire.
Unable to successfully renegotiate with the disgruntled Lawrence, the Giants traded him to the Bengals for the No. 10 pick last weekend. The Lawrence-less Giants are now perilously thin at the position, and finding an adequate replacement for the four-time Pro Bowler in free agency or even the draft will be a tall order. Nevertheless, Jones would at least give the Giants an experienced option with plenty of starts under his belt. The same applies to D.J. Reader, who met with the Giants earlier this month. Lawrence was still on the roster then.
Jones went undrafted in 2020, but the Ole Miss product has managed a 71-game, 38-start career over five seasons divided between Miami and Detroit. Jones put together a 17-game, 15-start with the Lions in 2023. He did the same with the Dolphins in 2024. The Dolphins re-signed Jones last year and got another 14 games and eight starts from him. He ended the season on IR with a back injury.
While the 335-pound Jones has racked up a solid amount of on-field action, his production has not been particularly strong. He has never topped 26 tackles, six QB hits or 1.5 sacks in any season. The 335-pounder has also struggled in the estimation of Pro Football Focus, which ranked his performance 105th among 127 D-tackles last year. PFF has been especially bullish on Jones’ work against the run, having assigned him below-average marks in that department four years in a row. That doesn’t seem ideal for the Giants, who allowed the second-most rushing yards in the NFL in 2025, but they are nonetheless considering Jones as the post-draft wave of free agency nears.
49ers Expected To Retain Mac Jones
Although 49ers quarterback Mac Jones entered the offseason as a potential trade candidate, he has stayed put so far. That is not expected to change, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The market for Jones has not “heated up,” Schefter adds.
As a first-round rookie in 2021, Jones got off to a promising start in helping lead the Patriots to the postseason. There was hope the Patriots had found a long-term successor to Tom Brady, but Jones’ career hit the skids in his second year. After he struggled in New England through 2023, the team traded him to Jacksonville for a sixth-round in the ensuing draft. The change of scenery did not work out for Jones, who struggled over 10 games and seven starts while filling in for an injured Trevor Lawrence.
While Jones’ stock remained relatively low going into free agency last March, he still scored a two-year, $7MM pact with San Francisco. The 49ers did not make the highest offer for Jones, but he turned down less to land in a good spot under offensive guru Kyle Shanahan. For the second straight year, Jones had to step in for an injured starter. It worked out far better in 2025. With Brock Purdy missing nine games, Jones posted a 5-3 record at the helm and recorded some of the best numbers of his career. The 27-year-old completed 69.6% of passes, averaged 7.4 yards per attempt, tossed 13 touchdowns against six interceptions, and put up a 97.4 traditional rating and 62.3 QBR.
After Jones helped them earn a playoff berth last year, the 49ers reportedly tagged him with an “astronomical” asking price. As of early March, they wanted at least a second-rounder for Jones. Nobody has met their demands, and with offseason QB movement mostly finished, it does not appear anyone will.
Aside from the Steelers, who are waiting on Aaron Rodgers, everyone has a starting quarterback or at least a competition in place a few months in advance of training camp. The Colts kept Daniel Jones around on a pricey contract to remain their starter. Elsewhere, the Dolphins (Malik Willis), Vikings (Kyler Murray), Falcons (Tua Tagovailoa), Raiders (Kirk Cousins), Jets (Geno Smith) and Cardinals (Gardner Minshew) have all brought in notable veteran signal-callers. All of those players will either open next season as a starter or vie with an in-house signal-caller for the job. Meanwhile, unless the Browns veer away from their planned Shedeur Sanders–Deshaun Watson battle, Jones probably is not a fit in Cleveland. That’s likely fine with the 49ers, who have been content to keep Jones all along.
When asked in January about a potential Jones trade, Shanahan said: “As any player on our team, including myself and John (Lynch), you always listen to people and trade offers, but we’re also not into getting rid of good players. So, I’d be very surprised if Mac wasn’t around us next year.”
Saints Open To Trading Spencer Rattler?
Tyler Shough impressed after the Saints gave him the starting job around midseason last year, showing promise after losing a competition to Spencer Rattler in training camp. Rattler now faces an uncertain NFL future.
Although resilient GM Mickey Loomis drafted Rattler, the quarterback was acquired to develop in a previous offensive system. Drafted during Klint Kubiak‘s year as the Saints’ play-caller, the former South Carolina and Oklahoma prospect has two years left on his rookie contract. Rattler came up as a possible trade option earlier this year, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter mentions the third-year QB as a player who could be moved before or during the draft.
The Saints have given Rattler 14 starts; he is 1-13 as a first-stringer. While New Orleans has not fielded a particularly good roster around Rattler — with Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed down for much of his time starting 2024 — Shough fared better with this cast as a half-season 2025 starter. Shough finished as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up, taking the Saints out of QB consideration in this draft.
Rattler, 25, completed 67.7% of his passes in Kellen Moore‘s offense last year — a dramatic uptick from 2024 — but averaged just 6.2 yards per attempt. Rattler finished with an 8:5 TD-INT ratio, being benched after the Saints’ seventh loss. Shough went 5-4 in his starts. Shaheed played just one game during Shough’s starter stint, being traded to the Seahawks two days later; Kamara also missed six games during the Shough starter portion of the season.
Rattler will not carry too much in terms of trade value, but his status bears watching after the Saints signed Zach Wilson in free agency. New Orleans gave the former No. 2 overall pick a one-year, $1.4MM pact that includes nearly $600K guaranteed. That does not exactly protect the underwhelming passer from being released, but Wilson being brought in under Moore is notable for his chances of backing up Shough this season. No other QBs are on New Orleans’ roster.
The Jets came up as a potential Rattler suitor before reacquiring Geno Smith via trade, but a subsequent early-March report indicated the Saints had not yet received trade calls. The draft serves as a second trade window on the NFL calendar annually, and it will be interesting to see if the Saints do field calls on a player who will be competing for a backup job this offseason.
Seahawks Pursuing Trade-Down Move From No. 32
John Schneider‘s GM tenure has seen plenty of trades involving first-round picks. Although the GM has stayed in his first-round draft slot(s) in each of the past three years, the two-time Super Bowl winner has a history of trading out of his top draft position.
Seattle has traded four first-round picks for veterans during Schneider’s 16-draft GM run, acquiring Percy Harvin (2013), Jimmy Graham (2015) and Jamal Adams (2020). Schneider has traded down from his first-round position in six other drafts. In three of those drafts, Schneider has traded down at least twice from his first-round draft slot. Although the results of this process have not always panned out — with some unremarkable returns forming in Rounds 1 and 2 in several Seattle drafts — Schneider has a pattern. Back at the mountaintop, the Seahawks are aiming to return to their Round 1 M.O.
[RELATED: Traded Draft Picks For 2026]
Schneider said it is “no secret” (via The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar) the team is looking to trade down from No. 32. The Seahawks hold just four selections in this draft — Nos. 32, 64, 96 and 188. Two of Seattle’s picks went to New Orleans for the since-re-signed Rashid Shaheed. No team enters this draft with fewer selections than the defending champions.
The Seahawks will be willing to trade the No. 32 pick to an NFC West rival, Schneider added (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson). The Seahawks have done so in the past, moving down in 2017 to allow the 49ers to select linebacker Reuben Foster. There have been 35 intra-divisional draft trades since 2002, per Henderson. That Foster-based swap was the only Schneider-era Seattle pick flip inside the NFC West.
“We’ve talked within our division,” Schneider said. “That was kind of frowned upon for a while, like you don’t trade within your division. Everybody in our division, we would trade with. We have good relationships with all three of those teams. You’re maneuvering around the board to try to help your team no matter what. So, when you look at it through that lens, you’re basically not concerned about [helping another team].”
Seattle’s decisions to stay in its draft slot recently have paid dividends. The team held onto its Broncos-obtained No. 9 pick in 2022, selecting Charles Cross. Denver’s other pick sent in the Russell Wilson trade — No. 5 overall in 2023 — gave Seattle Devon Witherspoon. The Seahawks’ own 2023 selection became Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and they did not move down to select either Byron Murphy or Grey Zabel over the past two years.
The Seahawks’ No. 32 pick could conceivably be a gateway for the Cardinals to climb up for Ty Simpson and pick up a fifth-year option on the polarizing QB prospect, though it is certainly possible Arizona would need to move higher than 32 for the Alabama passer. Other teams could be calling by then, perhaps if one of the tackles falls to the end of Round 1, but this is not viewed as a particularly strong draft. That could lead Seattle to stay at No. 32 and perhaps trade down in Rounds 2 or 3 to add to its four-pick total.
Steelers’ Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig Seen As Trade Candidates; Highsmith Likelier To Be Dealt?
APRIL 21: It seems the Steelers may be willing to listen but would need to be wowed by an offer to actually move one of Watt’s wingmen. The odds of Highsmith or Herbig being traded are “minuscule,” according to the Pat McAfee Show‘s Mark Kaboly.
“Yeah, it happens every year — it happens throughout the year, not just now,” GM Omar Khan said regarding trade interest. “People will call and say, ‘Hey, any interest in this player, in trading this player for this player?’ Or they’ll call and say, ‘Hey, we have this player we would consider. You guys interested?’ There’s a lot. I’d say maybe probably less than 5% of those calls actually turn out to be something.”
APRIL 19: The Steelers presently boast an enviable trio of pass rushers in T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig. Although GM Omar Khan recently said “you can’t ever have enough” pass rushers, rival clubs apparently believe Pittsburgh is willing to deal from that perceived surplus, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports details.
Per Robinson, Highsmith and Herbig are “floating around front offices” as possible trade targets in the run-up to the draft, with one high-ranking personnel executive expressing his belief that the Steelers will move one of them. Robinson reports Highsmith is the likelier trade candidate.
Highsmith’s contract situation is one of the reasons for that. The 28-year-old (29 in August) still has two years remaining on the four-year, $68MM extension he signed in August 2023 and is owed $14.5MM in base pay in 2026 and $17.5MM in 2027, with cap hits in excess of $20MM in both of those seasons. The year before he signed the contract, he posted 14.5 sacks, but he has failed to hit double-digits in any of the last three campaigns and missed time due to injury in both of the past two.
On the other hand, Highsmith’s upcoming salaries are palatable for a talented edge defender, and he will likely not require a contract adjustment in 2026, as Robinson suggests. Herbig, meanwhile, is four years younger than Highsmith, is entering the last year of his rookie deal, and is viewed as an ascending player. He has performed well despite mostly operating in a platoon capacity, notching 5.5 sacks in 2024 (when he had a 50% snap share) and 7.5 in 2025 (60%).
Khan has expressed a desire to extend Herbig, and as noted above, he believes the importance of quality edge defenders justifies an allocation of resources that would keep all three of Watt (who enjoys a $41MM average annual value on his current deal), Highsmith, and Herbig in the fold. However, retaining Herbig may be impractical unless either Highsmith is traded or Herbig agrees to a team-friendly extension, and Robinson indicates another strong showing in ‘26 could lead to a $20MM/year deal for Herbig if he hits the open market.
So while it is far from a guarantee that Khan will pull the trigger on a trade jettisoning one of his top pass rushers, it is easy to see why other clubs believe he will be amenable to such a move. Quarterback uncertainty continues to loom over the Steelers, but as we get closer to the draft, Khan has plenty of non-QB matters to keep him busy.
Some Teams Prefer Jordyn Tyson’s Upside To Carnell Tate’s; Giants, Jets Showing Interest
One of the top storylines during the late runup to the draft covers the wide receiver position. It no longer appears a given Carnell Tate will be the first wideout chosen this year.
Residing as a fairly high-floor option, Tate did not operate as Ohio State’s No. 1 wide receiver during his time in Columbus. This is due to the presence of standout Jeremiah Smith, who is a candidate to be a top-five pick in 2027. But some teams prefer Jordyn Tyson‘s upside to Tate’s at the receiver spot, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes.
Breer does view most teams as having Tate as this class’ top wideout prospect; we have heard the Saints (No. 8) as a potential floor for the ex-Buckeyes talent, with the Titans, Giants and Commanders being connected as well. Several teams in the top 10, however, like Tyson, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Tyson, who battled injuries during his college career and amid the draft leadup, performed positional drills for teams at a workout last week. That audition drew extensive attention, with Giants GM Joe Schoen among those making the trip for the showcase.
As our Ely Allen noted last week, Tyson had been viewed as the class’ top wideout at a previous juncture. But injuries have dinged his stock. Tyson suffered ACL, MCL and PCL tears while at Colorado before sustaining a broken collarbone during a 2024 comeback season. He played nine games last year due to hamstring injuries, with that issue coming up during the pre-draft process as well. Tyson shined before the collarbone break in 2024, however, totaling 1,101 receiving yards and 10 touchdown receptions.
The Giants obtained a second first-round pick via the Dexter Lawrence trade. Holding Nos. 5 and 10, New York could land both a defender and wide receiver. It might be a bit of a skill-position overcommitment for the Giants to go Jeremiyah Love at No. 5 and a receiver at 10, but if Big Blue opts for defense at 5, teams may be leery of them pouncing on Tyson at 10. On that note, SNY’s Connor Hughes mocks the Jets trading up to No. 9 for Tyson, who is believed to be the top receiver on Gang Green’s board.
Smokescreen warnings are obvious at this time of the year, but we heard previously the Jets had first-round grades on just three WRs — Tate, Tyson and Washington’s Denzel Boston. Ely mocked Boston to New York at No. 16, but PFR’s mock draft did not include trades. It is quite possible the Jets — who hold four picks in the first two rounds — could be aggressive to move up for a player they like in a maligned draft class.
The Giants’ Tyson interest is “well known,” per Hughes, who adds the Jets have held exploratory conversations about what it would take to climb up for a receiver. Tyson falling to No. 16 served as a previous Jets hope, per Hughes, but Rapoport now views it as likelier the 6-foot-2 pass catcher goes off the board in the top 10. Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. sits second at the position on some teams’ boards, per Breer, providing considerable intrigue as to the order this receiver class comes off the board.
Tate did not produce a 900-yard receiving season, playing as Smith’s sidekick. Tyson flashed brightly with the Sun Devils but could not shake injury trouble. That represents the main reason why there is a debate on this year’s first receiver off the board, as Tyson would likely occupy that spot were he cleaner from a health perspective. Will Tate’s safer prospect profile outflank Tyson’s higher ceiling Thursday night?
Mike Tomlin To Land At NBC
Not appearing on the coaching carousel after his Steelers resignation, Mike Tomlin will take the path expected — and a familiar trail for ex-Steelers head coaches. NBC is hiring the 19-year Pittsburgh leader as a studio analyst, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports.
Tomlin’s move comes 19 years after Bill Cowher departed Pittsburgh for a CBS studio gig — one he has held ever since. Cowher’s successor became linked to a TV opportunity late last season, and he resigned shortly after the Steelers’ wild-card blowout loss to the Texans. FOX showed interest in Tomlin as well, according to Marchand.
Teams expressed interest in Tomlin in January, but it quickly became known the Super Bowl-winning HC was not interested in following John Harbaugh in landing elsewhere this offseason. It is not certain Tomlin will coach again. Cowher does represent the exception here, as many HCs who have stepped away for TV roles — from Dick Vermeil to Bill Parcells to Bruce Arians to Jon Gruden to Sean Payton — have returned to the sideline. Tomlin is 53, giving him some time to reassess his options (Cowher was 49 when he left the Steelers).
The Giants, who ended up hiring Harbaugh after a full-court press on the former Ravens boss, did extensive homework on Tomlin in the event he showed interest in a quick rebound opportunity. If Tomlin were to pursue another gig, the Steelers would be entitled to compensation due to holding his rights. The team held a 2027 contract option on its HC, whose contract ran through 2026. These matters will resurface as relevant if Tomlin makes it clear he will return to coaching.
Cowher-NFL buzz quieted years after his CBS landing. Vermeil, who left the Eagles after the 1982 season, returned to coach the Rams in 1997. Parcells only stayed away from coaching for two years following his health-driven Giants exit, returning to coach the Patriots in 1993. Arians was retired for all of one season, ditching a CBS game role to take the Buccaneers’ job in 2019. While Gruden was at ESPN for nine years, Payton followed the Arians track by returning after one year in TV (at FOX).
Parcells fetched the Jets first-, second-, third- and fourth-round picks across three drafts after his 1997 New England-to-New York trek; Payton commanded the Saints first- and second-rounders in a deal that sent a third back to the Broncos. The lack of noise surrounding Tomlin, whose quotable style may fare quite well in a TV post, may point to a Gruden- or Vermeil-length stay on the media side rather than the Arians/Payton-like quick turnaround.
49ers Have Discussed Brandon Aiyuk In Trades; Team May Retain WR Into Summer
Early in free agency, a 49ers plan to release Brandon Aiyuk surfaced. Five-plus weeks later, the disgruntled former All-Pro remains on the team. Aiyuk, who missed all of last season due to injury, saw the 49ers take the rare step to void future guarantees on his deal due to his rehab approach. The wide receiver and the team are headed for a divorce, but it could take much longer to finalize than expected.
John Lynch confirmed this week Aiyuk generated trade discussions at the league meetings, but the 10th-year GM does not expect (per the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch) anything to happen here during the draft. The updated structure of Aiyuk’s contract gives San Francisco some time, and the team is assuredly not eager to do the receiver any favors based on how things have gone since his extension was finalized.
As our Ben Levine noted recently, an early-September option bonus likely serves as the point of no return for the 49ers with Aiyuk. The WR is due a nearly $25MM bonus that, if picked up, would be prorated through 2030. If it isn’t exercised, then it would be owed all at once. That would drive Aiyuk’s 2026 price to an untenable $26MM. While a future in which the 49ers mend fences with Aiyuk and retain him has been floated (by CEO Jed York), it remains highly unlikely. After all, Lynch said this relationship was essentially over earlier this year.
The September bonus date creates some time for the 49ers to dangle Aiyuk in trades, and Casino.com’s Jason La Canfora notes the team may even prefer stringing this process out into the summer before moving on. This would give Aiyuk less time to acclimate in a new offense, though that is not exactly the 49ers’ chief concern. Kyle Shanahan said as much at the league meetings.
“You’ve got to do what’s right for the Niners, and you’re not trying to hook up any other team as fast as you possibly can,” Shanahan said, via Branch.
Finding a team to take on this contract, after Aiyuk has missed 1 1/2 seasons and became a distraction for his current club, will not be easy. Nonguaranteed base salaries of $27.27MM (2027) and $29.15MM (’28) are in place. An injury to a key receiver elsewhere could lead a team to consider parting with lower-level draft assets for Aiyuk, and a franchise not confident in its ability to lure the former first-round pick in free agency could always swing a deal.
Aiyuk has been closely tied to the Commanders, where he would have considered going in 2024 had the team — one built around ex-Aiyuk Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels — shown interest during that summer’s trade derby. It would be unlikely Washington would trade for Aiyuk, with the team likely confident it would win a recruiting battle. Lynch may be hoping another team will try and beat the Commanders to the punch with a trade.
The 49ers have added Mike Evans and Christian Kirk to a roster that includes 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall. The team is not expected to re-sign Jauan Jennings, whose price point has not aligned with teams’ valuations, but another receiver move could certainly commence during this week’s draft. Considering the ages of Evans and Kirk and the injury file Pearsall is building, the 49ers may well need to make another investment at WR early in the draft. Aiyuk would theoretically be an option to complement Pearsall and the other veterans, but that bridge is most likely burned. It looks like the seventh-year WR will need to wait before finding a new destination.