Dolphins Did Not Aggressively Shop Jaylen Waddle; Broncos Inquired After Combine
Sean Payton‘s Saints did acquire Jeremy Shockey via trade (in 2008), but they were known more for jettisoning playmakers than acquiring them in trades. The Saints traded Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills in 2015 and unloaded Brandin Cooks in 2017. First-round picks came back in the Graham and Cooks swaps, with the pick in the latter deal becoming All-Pro right tackle Ryan Ramczyk in an impact Saints draft class.
Entering Year 4 in Denver, however, the Broncos held the No. 30 overall pick and carried a roster without many glaring needs — especially since the team completed a host of 2025 extensions before re-signing a handful of free agents. Although the Broncos traded three first-round picks from 2022-23 — for Russell Wilson and then Payton’s rights — they felt comfortable to deal first-, third- and fourth-round picks to the Dolphins for Waddle and a fourth. Waddle joins Courtland Sutton to form one of the NFL’s top receiving duos.
The Broncos inquired about Waddle before last year’s deadline, when the Bills were believed to have come closest to acquiring the speedy wide receiver, and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes assistant GM Reed Burckhardt reached out to new Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan after the Combine to initiate talks with Miami’s new regime. This came after, per Breer, interest from other teams emerged in Indianapolis. Though, that interest did not progress too far.
Then-interim GM Champ Kelly held onto Waddle despite a Bills offer believed to include a 2027 first-rounder and a 2026 third, the Broncos also started their second Waddle process with an offer of a 2027 pick. Denver put its 2026 first on the table immediately during talks this offseason, Breer adds, but its initial proposal included a 2027 third-rounder. The Dolphins pushed the Broncos to include their 2026 third-rounder rather than their 2027 third.
No other aggressive suitors appeared to be in play here, per Breer, who notes Broncos GM George Paton trusted Sullivan not to shop Denver’s offer around the league. Paton worked with Jon-Eric Sullivan’s father, Jerry, who was a former Dolphins receivers coach during the current Broncos GM’s time in Miami’s front office. The Bills had also already made their receiver move, sending a second-round pick to the Bears for D.J. Moore and a fifth. Other teams obviously had Waddle on the radar, but it does not sound like anyone rivaled the Broncos’ aggression this month.
The Broncos used a few of their own players — from Patrick Surtain to ex-Auburn QB Bo Nix to former Dolphin safety Brandon Jones — as resources regarding Waddle, with the team contacting Nick Saban on his former charge as well. Surtain, Waddle’s roommate at Alabama, had spoken to others (via the Denver Post’s Luca Evans) about a potential trade reuniting the Crimson Tide teammates. Overall, around 15 sources led the Broncos to make this Waddle investment.
Naturally, the Broncos compared Waddle’s value to what could be obtained in free agency and at No. 30 overall. The team ranked 14th in scoring offense last season but 19th in explosive pass rate, according to Sharp Football Stats. Marvin Mims has made impactful plays as a Broncos deep threat, but the team has not regularly trusted the former second-round pick as a receiver. Mims’ increased playoff usage came after both Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant suffered injuries. Franklin and Bryant will see their paths to prominent roles blocked by this Waddle acquisition, while Mims’ future is foggier. The All-Pro return man is in a contract year.
Three years remain on Waddle’s $28.75MM-per-year contract — a deal that looks slightly better after Jaxon Smith-Njigba moved the WR market to $42.15MM AAV today — and the 2021 first-rounder is on Denver’s 2026 cap sheet at just $4.91MM. As our Adam La Rose noted in his most recent mailbag, Waddle’s deal will both line up with Nix’s 2026 rookie-deal salary and the early years of an extension. Nix will likely be extended in 2027, but the Broncos will assuredly backload the deal to keep the QB’s cap numbers manageable in the near future — especially after authorizing many extensions from 2024-25.
The Dolphins now hold Nos. 11, 30, 43, 75, 87, 90 and 94 in the first three rounds of this draft. That is an impressive war chest for Sullivan in his first draft as a GM, though the team did not do well to maximize its draft capital when it tore down the roster early in Chris Grier‘s decision-making run.
Miami, which is not planning to trade De’Von Achane, extracted plenty of value for Waddle. It should not be expected the Broncos extend the high-end trade pickup this year, as that would negate the advantage trading for a through-2028 deal (the Broncos may also be skittish about such a move considering how poorly their summer 2022 Wilson extension aged).
But if Waddle impresses this season, it should be expected his camp will want an update with his new team. For now, though, the Broncos have Waddle and Sutton sitting as the NFL’s 13th- and 19th-highest-paid wideouts.
Chargers, Bills, Patriots Book Visits With Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion
As a potential first-round pick, Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion is drawing considerable interest leading up to April’s NFL draft. The Dolphins booked a visit with the 21-year-old Concepcion last week. The Chargers, Bills and Patriots are also on the list, per reports from Ryan Fowler of Commanding The Huddle and Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal.
Concepcion began his college career at NC State, where he got off to a scintillating start in 2023. As a true freshman, the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder secured 71 catches for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns over 13 games. He was also a threat on the ground, where he accrued 320 rushing yards on 41 attempts (7.8 per carry). Thanks to his dual-threat prowess, Concepcion was the ACC Rookie of the Year and a second-team all-conference performer.
Concepcion’s numbers dipped the next season, in which he pulled in 53 catches for 460 yards and six scores in 12 games. He also didn’t pose much of a threat as a rusher; despite adding two more TDs, he ran for just 36 yards on 19 attempts in his last year as a member of the Wolfpack.
Concepcion was primarily a slot receiver at NC State. Wanting to broaden his horizons, he transferred to Texas A&M last year.The decision paid off for Concepcion, whose stock is high in the wake of a consensus All-America and All-SEC campaign.
While Concepcion continued to line up in the slot with the Aggies, he also got some work on the outside and made a major impact on special teams. As a receiver, Concepcion amassed 61 catches for 919 yards (a career-high 15.1 YPC) and an SEC-best nine touchdowns. He logged a mere 10 carries, but with 75 yards and another TD, he made the most of his few opportunities in that department. After returning just five punts at NC State, Concepcion took back 25 last year. In finding the end zone twice and averaging 18.2 yards per return, Concepcion posted excellent results.
Los Angeles (No. 22), Buffalo (26) and New England (31) are all on track to pick near the bottom of the first round, where Concepcion could come off the board. Interestingly, all three teams are among a handful of clubs on Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown‘s wish list for a potential trade, but nobody has caved to Philadelphia’s demands yet. A Brown trade may not occur until at least June (if at all). With the draft long over by then, teams will have a better idea of whether to pursue Brown in the summer.
The Chargers have receivers Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and 2025 second-rounder Tre Harris under contract for next season. However, Johnston only has a year left on his rookie contract, and Keenan Allen remains a free agent.
The Bills have already spent this year’s second-rounder on veteran wideout D.J. Moore, whom they acquired from the Bears earlier this month. But their receiving corps isn’t especially strong beyond Moore and slot target Khalil Shakir. General manager Brandon Beane could double down on upgrading the area by using his first two selections on Concepcion and Moore.
Meanwhile, although the Patriots handed Romeo Doubs a four-year, $68MM contract in free agency, the former Packer has never performed like a No. 1 receiver. The AFC champion Pats released their most productive wideout from last season, Stefon Diggs, leaving room for another significant addition. As things stand, Doubs, Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams comprise New England’s top five receivers. We’ll find out in a month if Concepcion will join the group.
Penn State G Vega Ioane Visits Eagles
Although left guard Landon Dickerson and right tackle Lane Johnson are putting off retirement for at least another year, it would behoove the Eagles to have succession plans in place. Cognizant that Dickerson and/or Johnson could be gone by 2027, the Eagles may address the offensive line as early as the first round of April’s draft, according to Zach Berman of The Athletic.
Penn State guard Vega Ioane, among the premier prospects in this year’s class, may be a solution for the Eagles. The team hosted Ioane at its facility on Monday, Berman reports. The Eagles are set to pick 23rd overall. Ioane looks like a logical candidate for their top selection, though he could be off the board by then. With that in mind, general manager Howie Roseman might have to trade up.
Notably, Roseman has not drafted an offensive lineman in the first round since the ill-fated decision to take Andre Dillard 22nd overall in 2019. Dillard, a former tackle, made just nine starts in three years with the Eagles.
While Dillard was an obvious misfire, Roseman was at the helm for the eminently successful selections of the Eagles’ current starting line. Dickerson (second round, 2021), Johnson (first round, 2013), left tackle Jordan Mailata (seventh round, 2018) and center Cam Jurgens (second round, 2022) have all been hits. Roseman also spent a 2023 third-rounder on right guard Tyler Steen, a 17-game starter last year.
If Ioane ends up in Philadelphia, he could either push Steen for a starting job or begin as depth behind him and Dickerson. Although Dickerson is just 27, the three-time Pro Bowler has grown weary of a long line of injuries and surgeries dating to his college career. The Eagles removed a year from Dickerson’s contract earlier this month, giving them two more seasons of control. Dickerson may not last that long, though, given how seriously he considered retirement this winter.
A potential long-term successor to Dickerson, the 6-foot-4, 330-pound Ioane was a full-time starter at left guard for the past two years. After earning a second-team All-Big Ten nod in 2024, Ioane took home first-team all-conference and first-team All-America honors last season. He went back-to-back years without allowing a sack, per Pro Football Focus. In ranking Ioane the 13th-best prospect in the 2026 class, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com contends that he will “be an impact starter from Day 1.” Perhaps that prediction will come true in Philadelphia.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/23/26
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Re-signed: TE Blake Whiteheart
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: LB Arron Mosby
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: DT Larrell Murchison
New York Giants
- Signed: DL Sam Roberts
The Browns brought back tight end Blake Whiteheart today. The Wake Forest product has spent the past two seasons in Cleveland, where he’s split his time between the offense and special teams. Relied on primarily for his blocking ability, Whiteheart has had limited looks in the receiving game, hauling in eight catches for 55 yards and one touchdown. He’s part of a TEs room in Cleveland that also features Harold Fannin and Jack Stoll, with David Njoku still unsigned.
The Rams are bringing back Larrell Murchison for another season. After not getting into a game during the 2024 campaign, the defensive lineman showed flashes in 2025. He ultimately got into 16 games with the Rams, compiling a pair of sacks despite being limited to only 126 defensive snaps.
Bills Host C/G Austin Corbett
With 94 games and 78 starts under his belt, center/guard Austin Corbett is among the most experienced offensive linemen left on the free agent market. The 30-year-old could continue his career in Buffalo, which hosted him on Monday, per Aaron Wilson of KPCR 2.
A 2018 second-round pick from Nevada, Corbett is now looking for his fourth team as he prepares for his eighth NFL campaign. Corbett began his career with the Browns, though they wound up cutting the cord on the 6-foot-4, 305-pounder early in his second year. Cleveland demoted Corbett to the bench ahead of the 2019 season and went on to trade him to the Rams that October for a 2021 fifth-rounder.
Buying low on Corbett worked out for the Rams, who used him as a full-time starter through 2021 – their most recent Super Bowl-winning season. He left during the ensuing offseason for Carolina’s three-year, $26.25MM offer.
Working at right guard, Corbett posted his second straight 17-start season in his first year in Carolina. However, he tore his ACL in Week 18, and injuries continued to hamper him for the rest of his Panthers tenure. Corbett played just 22 of 51 games from 2023-25.
The Panthers brought Corbett back on a one-year deal last March, and though he beat out Cade Mays for their starting center job, a Week 2 MCL injury forced him to IR. Mays usurped the center position during Corbett’s four-game absence, leading the latter to revert to right guard for the rest of 2025. Overall, Corbett started in 11 of 13 games. Pro Football Focus ranked Corbett’s performance a solid 32nd among 79 qualified guards.
Corbett would not be a candidate to start at center or right guard in Buffalo. A couple days before the legal tampering period began, the Bills retained center Connor McGovern on a three-year, $52MM contract. At right guard, three-year veteran O’Cyrus Torrence is entrenched as the Bills’ starter. Left guard is less certain, though, after David Edwards (Corbett’s former Rams teammate) inked a four-year, $61MM deal with the Saints in free agency. The relatively inexperienced Alec Anderson is the favorite to take over for Edwards, but Corbett could push for the role.
At the very least, Corbett would give the Bills a capable and versatile backup along the interior. Tylan Grable, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and Nick Broeker are currently the Bills’ other options on the inside, but they have combined for just four NFL starts.
49ers To Sign OL Robert Jones
Robert Jones‘ comeback season will take place in San Francisco. The veteran offensive lineman is signing with the 49ers, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The 27-year-old met with the 49ers earlier today.
Jones joined the Cowboys last offseason but suffered a scary injury during training camp when he broke a bone in his neck. That injury ultimately landed the guard on season-ending injured reserve.
The former UDFA out of Middle Tennessee spent the first four seasons of his career in Miami. He played his way into a larger role during his time with the Dolphins, culminating in a 2024 campaign where he started all 17 games. While Pro Football Focus was never particularly fond of his blocking skills, his ability to play both tackle and guard made him a useful piece.
Jones inked a one-year, $4.75MM deal with the Cowboys last offseason, and he was expected to be in the mix to replace right guard Zack Martin. Instead, he suffered a broken bone in his neck during a late-August practice. While there was initial hope for a two-to-three month recovery and a stint on short-term IR, the Cowboys instead opted to sit him out for the entire 2025 campaign.
While he missed out on that opportunity to start in Dallas, he may get a similar chance in San Francisco. Spencer Burford left for the Raiders this offseason, and usual fill-in Ben Bartch remains unsigned. That would leave Jones as a candidate to fill in at left guard, where he’ll compete with the likes of Connor Colby and free agent acquisition Brett Toth for reps.
Details On Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s Record-Breaking Extension
The Seahawks didn’t waste time extending their star wide receiver, as the organization inked Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a record-breaking contract this morning. We learned that the four-year, $168.6MM deal would reset the position’s average annual value ($42.15MM) and guarantees ($120MM). Thanks to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, we’ve got more details on the pact.
[RELATED: Seahawks, WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba Agree To Extension]
The receiver will earn modest base salaries in both 2026 ($1.25MM) and 2027 ($1.53MM) before seeing a significant jump in 2028 ($18.83MM). That number will increase to $19.9MM in 2029, $32.2MM in 2030, and $37.7MM in 2031. The 2028 and 2029 base salaries are guaranteed for injury at signing, and they’ll become fully guaranteed on the fifth day of their respective year’s waiver period.
Secondly, the contract contains lucrative option and roster bonuses. It starts with a $30MM fully guaranteed option bonus for 2027, followed later by a $10MM option bonus in 2029 (guaranteed for injury and fully guaranteed on the fifth day of 2028 waiver period). Smith-Njigba will also earn a $3MM 2031 offseason roster bonus (due on the fifth day of the 2031 league year). And, to top it off, the Seahawks handed the WR a $35MM signing bonus.
The extension is also full of workout bonuses and per-game incentives. The WR will earn $250K workout bonuses each season from 2026 through 2031. The 2026 and 2027 bonuses are fully guaranteed but must be earned, while the 2028 and 2029 bonuses are guaranteed for injury and will become fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the respective year’s waiver period. Smith-Njigba also has consistent $850K per-game roster bonuses (total) between 2027 and 2031. The 2027 incentive is fully guaranteed and must be earned, while the 2028 and 2029 bonuses are guaranteed at signing and will be fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the respective year’s waiver period.
As Florio points out, the contract comes out to $195MM in earnings over the next six years. That would equal out to a $32.5MM AAV, but the new money represents the record-breaking annual average. In terms of guarantees at signing, Florio adds the contract brings $69.13MM. That sits third at receiver — behind Justin Jefferson ($88.7MM) and Ja’Marr Chase ($73.9MM).
The former first-round pick still had two years remaining on his rookie contract (by virtue of the fifth-year option), and the Seahawks were eager to capitalize on those inexpensive commitments before truly breaking the bank over the following four years. It will be interesting to see if teams follow this trend vs. waiting for their WR to complete their fourth season before extending, as the Bengals did with Chase and the Cowboys did with CeeDee Lamb. Only four first-round receivers in the fifth-year option era have signed post-Year 3 extensions.
Cowboys Re-Sign CB Corey Ballentine
Corey Ballentine is sticking in Dallas. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the veteran cornerback is re-signing with the Cowboys.
Ballentine had a busy start to his 2025 campaign. After signing with the Colts last offseason, he was cut by the team at the beginning of August. He subsequently caught on for a second stint with the Packers but was among Green Bay’s final roster cuts, leading to him joining the Patriots practice squad. He made his way onto the active roster for a single game before he was cut in late September.
He quickly signed with the Cowboys practice squad, and he proceeded to get into five games with his new organization. He was limited to only 70 total snaps during his time in Dallas, with the majority of those reps coming on special teams.
The 2019 sixth-round pick has bounced around the NFL, with the Cowboys representing his ninth team. Besides some brief flashes as a rookie with the Giants, Ballentine’s most notable stint came with the Packers, including a 2023 campaign where he collected 43 stops, seven passes defended, and an interception.
Ballentine will likely be eyeing a similar ST-centric role in Dallas in 2026. The Cowboys added Cobie Durant to a grouping of CB holdovers like DaRon Bland, Reddy Steward, Shavon Revel, and Caelen Carson. The organization moved on from both Kaiir Elam and Trevon Diggs last season without figuring out a true contingency plan, and perhaps Ballentine could work his way into a role with a strong summer showing.
49ers Meet With G Robert Jones
A 30-game starter in Miami, Robert Jones joined the Cowboys in free agency last year. But the former UDFA offensive lineman suffered a season-nullifying injury, hitting free agency on a low note a year later.
Two-plus weeks into this year’s FA period, Jones remains unsigned. But he is drawing interest. The 49ers met with the veteran guard Monday, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.
The 49ers have Dominick Puni penciled in as their right guard starter, and they signed veteran swingman Brett Toth as a potential LG option. As of now, Toth and part-time 2025 starter Connor Colby would battle for the 49ers’ starting LG position, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch writes. Jones’ visit shows the 49ers still likely have this position on their radar.
No relation to the former Cowboys linebacker of same name, this Robert Jones turned is going into an age-27 season after his lost year in Dallas. Jones suffered a broken bone in his neck in August and ended up on Dallas’ season-ending IR list. The Cowboys had signed him to a one-year, $3.75MM deal with $3MM guaranteed. While that move conceivably put Jones in position to be the Cowboys’ Zack Martin RG successor, the team drafted Tyler Booker 12th overall to pair with Tyler Smith.
Pro Football Focus graded Jones 41st and 35th among guards in 2022 and ’23, respectively, though the advanced metrics site viewed Jones’ 17-game starter season (2024) as less impressive (59th overall). Jones played left guard throughout the 2024 season in Miami, which did not see its Isaiah Wynn signings lead to much work. Jones logged more than 150 snaps at both LG and RG in 2023 and played 431 LG snaps in 2022.
Toth joined the 49ers on a one-year, $2.5MM deal, Wilson adds. The 49ers guaranteed the ex-Eagle $2.22MM at signing. Colby and Nick Zakelj, whom the team re-signed in February, are in place as guard options on a line that returns starters Puni, Jake Brendel, Colton McKivitz and, as of now, Trent Williams.
In other 49ers contract news, their deal with linebacker Luke Gifford is worth $5MM over two years, according to Wilson. Gifford secured $2MM fully guaranteed. Defensive lineman Sam Okuayinonu joined the team on a one-year, $2.3MM accord that comes with $1.8MM guaranteed at signing, Wilson adds. Punter Corliss Waitman signed a one-year, $1.29MM deal that includes $475K fully guaranteed, Wilson tweets.
Patriots To Add T James Hudson
A strange penalty-filled Week 2 outing sidetracked James Hudson‘s Giants season, leading to a release. The veteran tackle, however, will have another chance.
The Patriots are adding Hudson on a one-year deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. This will check in as a veteran-minimum accord (per ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss), the signing comes after Vederian Lowe joined the 49ers shortly after the legal tampering period began. This will reunite Hudson with Mike Vrabel, a 2024 Browns consultant who helped out with Cleveland’s O-line during his return trip to Ohio.
The Giants gave Hudson a two-year, $12MM deal to become their swing tackle, a position that became more important once it was determined All-Pro Andrew Thomas was not ready to go by Week 1. After making a Week 1 start, Hudson imploded in Dallas. He committed four penalties on one drive; this included two unnecessary roughness infractions. Brian Daboll yanked him midgame, and no notable playing time commenced for the team’s expected third tackle henceforth. John Harbaugh, as expected, signed off on a release earlier this month.
Hudson, 27 in May, had operated as the Giants’ starting left tackle during the preseason and in Week 1. The team benched him for rookie Marcus Mbow in Dallas, and the latter operated as Big Blue’s swingman the rest of the way. Hudson was essentially banished despite a $6MM-per-year contract. He played one offensive snap the rest of the season, completing one of the more unusual campaigns by an offensive lineman in recent NFL history.
Prior to his Giants deal, Hudson played four seasons with the Browns. The former fourth-round pick started 17 games with Cleveland from 2021-24. Most of Hudson’s Browns work came at right tackle, where Jack Conklin battled injuries during most of his time with the team. He played 1,033 snaps at RT from 2021-23 before a 207-snap cameo at LT in 2024. The Patriots will seemingly give the sixth-year vet a mulligan for his Giants misstep, with a swing role — behind starters Will Campbell and Morgan Moses — appearing to be in play.
Lowe worked as the Pats’ primary LT starter in 2024 after having made eight starts on the blind side in 2023. The former trade pickup filled in for Campbell during the first-rounder’s four-game IR stay. The 49ers gave Lowe a two-year, $9.25MM deal two weeks ago. The Pats have tackle-turned-guard Caedan Wallace as a potential swing option, and the team used a seventh-round pick on tackle Marcus Bryant last year. Lorenz Metz and Sebastian Gutierrez are also on New England’s roster at the position, but Hudson brings far more experience.