Russell Wilson Announces Retirement
On Monday, it was reported Russell Wilson would spend the 2026 season as an analyst for CBS. That news obviously suggested his playing days were over, and that has now been confirmed.
On Wednesday, Wilson posted a video to social media announcing his retirement. The 37-year-old initially expressed a desire to play in 2026, and he received an offer from the Jets. Instead of serving as a backup for another campaign, though, Wilson will turn his attention to broadcasting.
Today’s announcement marks the expected end to a playing career which began with tempered expectations. As a third-round pick, Wilson was far from certain to serve as a capable long-term replacement for Matt Hasselbeck, whose Seattle tenure ended in 2010. As things turned out, though, the franchise enjoyed a sustained run of success under head coach Pete Carroll. His work and that of the ‘Legion of Boom’ on defense was of course critical to the Seahawks’ strong play, but Wilson was a foundational player as well.
Taking on QB1 duties as a rookie and never losing them over the course of his time in the Emerald City, Wilson helped lead Seattle to eight playoff appearances. That stretch included back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl; the Seahawks comfortably won Super Bowl XLVIII over the Broncos and nearly came out on top the following year against the Patriots. Replicating those deep postseason runs proved to be a challenge Carroll’s Seahawks were unable to meet, but Wilson continued to provide the team with strong play over a decade in Seattle.
From the start of his career, Wilson was recognized as a perennial Pro Bowler, earning invitations to the event in nine of 10 seasons with the Seahawks. He also earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2019 after finishing the year with 31 touchdowns to just five interceptions despite getting sacked a league-leading 48 times that season. He departed Seattle as the franchise-leader in passing yards, touchdowns, and several other statistical categories.
Wilson’s time with the Seahawks came to an end after the 2021 NFL season, when he was packaged with a fourth-round pick and shipped off to Denver in exchange for two first- and second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive tackle Shelby Harris, and tight end Noah Fant. Over two years with the Broncos, Westbrook struggled to produce as he followed up his only losing season as a starter in Seattle with two more in Denver.
After getting released, Wilson signed with the Steelers, going 6-5 as a starter after missing the first six games of the season and earning Pro Bowl honors one last time. He began the following year as a starter for the Giants, before ultimately ceding his job to Jaxson Dart. He failed to go out on top, but for a third-round quarterback, winning a Super Bowl, making 10 Pro Bowls, winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, and cementing himself as a top player in Seahawks history is a pretty good résumé. He’ll look now to expand his accomplishments on air.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
QB Brendan Sorsby Preparing For Supplemental Draft
Brendan Sorsby has not given up on playing college football for Texas Tech this year, but barring an unlikely injunction to preserve his NCAA eligibility, the 22-year-old quarterback seems headed for the NFL’s supplemental draft.
If Sorsby elects to go pro this year, he will have to first apply for the supplemental draft by June 22. The NFL will review his situation – extensive sports betting during his college career and subsequent treatment for a gambling addiction – and decide if he can enter.
The league has rarely rejected players in this process, though the extent of Sorsby’s infractions will draw close scrutiny given heightened attention around sports leagues’ connection to gambling. He has admitted to placing more than 9,000 bets worth over $90K in total, per Justin Williams of The Athletic, including at least 40 bets on the Indiana football team while he was a member.
Sorsby could be forced to accept a suspension as a condition of his entrance into the draft, as was the case with Terrelle Pryor in 2011. That is unlikely to scare off interested teams; a late-July supplemental draft would have him joining his new team in training camp and minimize any expectations for his rookie year.
Teams will be doing their homework on Sorsby on and off the field. He will have a shortened pre-draft process between July 5 and July 12, a span that will include a pro day in Dallas and likely some private workouts with specific clubs, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Assessments of Sorsby vary, but evaluators inside the NFL are already impressed by his arm with one executive rating him higher than Rams No. 13 pick Ty Simpson. Some area scouts even have him graded higher than Texas’ Arch Manning, per Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports.
That has created some lofty projections for Sorsby’s potential supplemental draft slot. The supplemental draft uses a complicated lottery and bidding system, but essentially, the team that selects Sorsby will give up a corresponding pick in the same round of next year’s draft. Already seen as a likely 2027 first-rounder, a strong 2026 campaign at Texas Tech could have vaulted him into top-10 status.
Teams who are unlikely to pick that high – Breer mentions the Steelers and the Colts – might take a discounted shot on a high-level arm talent. Others who were planning to add a franchise quarterback in next year’s draft could opt for a more immediate option, especially if they were already interested in Sorsby after his two standout years at Cincinnati. The result would likely be a late first- or early second-round pick, both Breer and Pauline note.
Sorsby’s off-field situation remains fluid and the biggest X-factor in his future. Teams will need to be convinced that he has put his sports gambling issues behind him as he enters a league that will not hesitate to punish him for a recurrence of the same infractions. Some clubs may be scared off entirely, but time and time again, the NFL has proven that talent, especially at the quarterback position, typically gets the benefit of the doubt – and then some.
A.J. Brown Fallout: Roseman, Rams, Hurts
The long-awaited A.J. Brown trade between the Eagles and Patriots finally came together on Monday. Before agreeing to ship out a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder for Brown, the Patriots held out hope the Eagles would accept a package headlined by a second-rounder, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The sides began discussing the 2028 first-rounder about a month ago, Rapoport adds.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was not going to move Brown unless he got a Round 1 selection back, Zach Berman of The Athletic reports.
Speaking with the media on Monday, Roseman said: “I think that when we looked at the totality of the circumstances and having the conversations we had with him, felt like where we were, where we were going, where he was, that if we could find something that kind of achieved our goals of getting a first-round pick going forward here in the near future, getting the money back to spend on other players on our team and other teams, and it was a win-win situation based on where he was and how he felt, we were open to that.”
The first-rounder Roseman received is still two years down the line, but having to wait isn’t a big deal to him.
“We’ve always been in the mindset a pick is a pick — a first-round pick is a first-round pick,” he said. “Doesn’t matter. Teams are still going to be playing football in 2028.”
The Eagles now have two firsts in 2028, which Roseman regards as “a huge, huge part of this move.” Meanwhile, the Patriots have a new No. 1 receiver in Brown, a three-time Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro who is entering his age-29 campaign. Brown will reunite with head coach Mike Vrabel, a key figure earlier in his career in Tennessee. Brown played for Vrabel over his first three seasons.
In a post-trade interview with Maria Taylor on “7PM in Brooklyn,” Brown revealed he thought his “time was up” in Philadelphia after the season. While Brown went over 1,000 yards for the sixth time in his seven-year career, he voiced frustration with the Eagles’ sputtering offense on multiple occasions. Brown admitted he should have gone about things differently in public and on social media, but he noted: “Nothing I said was ever for personal gain. it was to help the team win.”
Philadelphia ran roughshod over the NFL during a 14-win regular season in 2024 and capped off the campaign with a blowout victory over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. The team took home its second straight NFC East title last year, but it hardly resembled the juggernaut from the previous season. The Eagles went 11-6 and quickly bowed out of the playoffs in a wild-card round loss to the 49ers. Brown believes the defending champion Eagles pressed as a result of the high expectations they placed on themselves. He also revealed he and quarterback Jalen Hurts drifted apart during the season.
“Not as close as we once were,” Brown said. “And I believe that’s fine. There’s no bad blood. There’s actually still a lot of love.”
Brown will now work with a new quarterback in the Patriots’ Drake Maye, though there was a possibility of him joining Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles. The Rams ultimately bowed out of trade talks, leaving New England as the only real suitor for Brown. It turns out the Rams backed out because they “weren’t satisfied by what they saw” in Brown’s medicals, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer said on the “unCovering the Birds” podcast.
Brown has a history of knee issues, but Roseman downplayed that when McLane asked and lauded the receiver’s durability. He missed six of a possible 68 regular-season games with the Eagles, though a few of those absences came as a result of hamstring problems.
When asked about his knee after the trade, Brown responded (via Karen Guregian of MassLive.com): “Maybe in four years I’ve missed one game from a shot to the knee. So, that’s nothing to worry about. I’m ready to go.”
Arrest Warrant Out For 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk
The Santa Clara Police Department has issued an arrest warrant for 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, Edward Lewis of the New York Post reports. Aiyuk is wanted on a misdemeanor charge of exhibition of speed.
The warrant is the result of a video Aiyuk posted on his YouTube account in December. He filmed himself driving in excess of 100 mph around the 49ers’ home field, Levi’s Stadium. Aiyuk apologized afterward, but Santa Clara police investigated the video and then forwarded the case to prosecutors on Jan. 15, according to Aidin Vaziri of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The warrant continues a strange couple of years for Aiyuk, who has not played in a game since he torn his ACL and MCL in Week 7 of the 2024 season. The injury occurred about two months after the 49ers settled a contract dispute with Aiyuk, who signed a four-year, $120MM extension in August 2024. With Aiyuk coming off a second-team All-Pro showing in 2023, the 49ers’ investment was understandable at the time. The team has gotten little from it so far, however, and it is unlikely he will ever don a 49ers uniform again.
Dissatisfied with how Aiyuk was handling the rehab process, the 49ers voided his 2026 guarantees last July. Aiyuk had a 50-day window to file a grievance through the NFLPA, but he took no action and lost around $26MM as a result. The former first-round pick spent most of last season on the reserve/PUP list, but general manager John Lynch expressed hope he would return down the stretch. Any chance of that went out the window when the 49ers placed the 27-year-old on the reserve/left squad list in mid-December.
It has been obvious throughout the offseason that San Francisco will part with Aiyuk, though the team has taken its time. Lynch has held out hope for a trade, but finding a taker has never appeared likely. Just last week, two executives from rival teams told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that Aiyuk is “untradeable.” Today’s news certainly won’t do anything to improve his stock.
Although the 49ers voided Aiyuk’s guarantees, they still owe him a $25MM option bonus in early September. If they exercise the option, it would be prorated through 2030. Declining it would mean paying all of it at once. While Aiyuk is also due base salaries of $27.27MM in 2027 and $29.15MM in 2028 on his current deal, odds are the 49ers will eventually release him.
Rams Do Not Plan On Adjusting Myles Garrett’s Contract
As part of this week’s blockbuster Myles Garrett trade, the Rams agreed to take on a contract which was the NFL’s most lucrative non-QB deal when it was signed. No immediate changes to it are forthcoming.
The Rams do not intend to adjust Garrett’s existing contract, Jourdan Rodrigue and Zac Jackson of The Athletic report. The pact – which was agreed to last year and resulted in a trade request being rescinded – runs through 2030. It carries an average annual value of $40MM, a figure which briefly represented the new high point for the EDGE market.
Thanks to the contract tweak which pushed back the payment date for Garrett’s option bonuses, he is owed a total of $31.5MM in guaranteed money from the Rams for 2026. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year also has $41.7MM locked in for 2027. Option bonuses are scheduled throughout the life of the deal, but no salaries are guaranteed from 2028 onwards. It would come as little surprise if a restructure of some kind were to take place, but nothing is currently imminent.
“I will say this for [agent] Nicole [Lynn],” Rams GM Les Snead said when addressing the trade (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio). “We wouldn’t have been able to get this done without us working pretty tirelessly since the weekend. We didn’t have a lot of time to discuss contract, but thank you, Nicole.”
Garrett waived his no-trade clause to help facilitate the deal, one which saw fellow Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse and three picks head to Cleveland. A raise would help reflect Garrett’s importance to his new team while also keeping pace with surges in the pass rush market. Since the five-time All-Pro inked his 2025 extension, each of Danielle Hunter, T.J. Watt, Aidan Hutchinson, Micah Parsons and Will Anderson Jr. have signed deals carrying a higher AAV. Anderson’s new Texans contract currently sets the pace at an average of $50MM per year.
Agreeing to terms on a similar pact would of course be challenging for the Rams, given their financial commitments over the short term in particular to a number of expensive veterans. Los Angeles also has a group of key players nearing the end of their rookie contracts who will be due healthy raises in the near future. Maintaining the rest of the defensive front Garrett will now operate as a member of, for instance, will require several big-money commitments.
For now, at least, Garrett’s attention will be aimed at acclimating to a new team for the first time in his decorated career. It will be interesting to see when talks on a restructure or extension commence and whether or not an agreement can be reached.
Packers’ Micah Parsons Targeting Mid-October Return
Last January, a month after Packers outside linebacker Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL, the five-time Pro Bowler expressed hope he would make his 2026 debut in Week 3 or 4. That would have meant returning in late September or the first week of October, but it is now clear Parsons will not make it back that early.
Speaking with Ryan Wood of USA Today and other reporters Wednesday, Parsons revealed he underwent a meniscus cleanup in addition to ACL surgery. Parsons added he will not consider coming back until he is at least nine months removed from the injury, which would point to a mid-October return in a best-case scenario. Speculatively, that could mean a Week 6 debut on Sunday, Oct. 18. The Packers happen to play Parsons’ former team, the Cowboys, in prime time that night.
The Cowboys and Parsons were unable to resolve a contract dispute last summer, leading to a late-August blockbuster trade with the Packers. The Cowboys parted with Parsons for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark, and Green Bay immediately handed the superstar a four-year, $188MM extension with $136MM guaranteed. Parsons lived up to the billing in his first 14 games as a Packer, during which he recorded 12.5 sacks and became the first player with a dozen-plus in each of his first five seasons. He also chipped in 79 pressures, 26 QB hits, 12 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
Parsons went down in a Week 15 loss to Denver, where the Packers’ season began to unravel. After dropping the Broncos game, they lost out to finish 9-7-1. While the Packers still held on for a wild-card berth and jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead over the archrival Bears, they collapsed in the second half in a 31-27 loss. Their Parsons-less defense managed just one sack against quarterback Caleb Williams.
With Parsons likely to spend the first several weeks of 2026 on the reserve/PUP list, the Packers will have to lean on other edge defenders such as Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox and fourth-round rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton. The Packers still have around $25.80MM in cap space, giving them room for at least one noteworthy pass-rushing addition if they want to go that route. Cameron Jordan, Joey Bosa, Von Miller, Jadeveon Clowney, Leonard Floyd, Haason Reddick and Kyle Van Noy are among the established edge players still available in free agency.
Steelers Extend TE Darnell Washington
The youngest member of Pittsburgh’s three-headed monster at tight end last year, Darnell Washington has signed a long-term extension to remain with the team, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The Steelers will retain the massive weapon on a four-year, $42MM deal.
Measuring in as a 6-foot-7, 260-pound five-star recruit out of Las Vegas, Washington committed to Georgia and arrived in Athens with lofty expectations. After two years, though, Washington had only notched 17 receptions for 320 yards and a touchdowns in 21 games played; he missed some time after undergoing surgery for a minor foot fracture. Staying healthy enough to appear in 15 games as a junior, Washington finished 2022 with 28 receptions for 454 yards and two touchdowns before declaring for the draft and landing in Pittsburgh as a third-round pick.
So far, Washington has shown an improved ability to remain on the field, appearing in 50 of a possible 51 games in Years 1-3 and starting 29 of those contests. Over his first two years in the NFL, he was used primarily as a blocking tight end. Over that time, he saw 804 blocking snaps to 330 passing assignments, recording 26 catches for 261 yards and a touchdown over 34 games. In 2025, Washington saw a much more balanced workload, splitting his time fairly evenly between both responsibilities and reeling in 31 passes for 364 yards and a touchdown.
Having spent the first two years of his career behind Pat Freiermuth — who signed his own four-year, $48.4MM extension two years ago — and veteran Connor Heyward, Washington delivered his biggest season in Year 3 despite the offseason acquisition of Jonnu Smith. Joining his fifth team in six years, Smith had just come off a career-best Pro Bowl campaign with the Dolphins in which he recorded 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns. He finished this year with seven more catches and one more touchdown than Washington but amassed 142 fewer yards and was released at the end of the year.
With Freiermuth and Washington secured atop the depth chart and Smith out, the rest of the room is populated by 2024 seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell, 2025 undrafted signee JJ Galbreath, and undrafted rookies Chamon Metayer and Lake McRee.
Washington’s deal comes a day after the team extended pass rusher Nick Herbig. According to Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show, Washington’s deal “came together really quickly” after “(picking) up significantly over the past couple hours,” and the team has “no plans to stop spending money this offseason.” Per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers had eyes on five extension for the offseason, including those of Washington, Herbig, and kicker Chris Boswell. With three done, the final two remaining deals to get done would be for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton.
49ers LT Trent Williams ‘Probably’ On Final Contract
49ers left tackle Trent Williams signed a new two-year, $50MM contract this offseason, one that he said will “probably” be his last, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.
Williams, who will turn 38 years old in July, is entering his 16th season in the NFL with 12 Pro Bowls and five All-Pro selections (three first-team, two second-team) to his name. Retirement has been a topic of discussion for a few years, but his latest deal with San Francisco seems designed for him to hang up his cleats after the 2027 season.
That decision may still be dependent on his performance level as he enters his 40s. He has maintained an extremely high standard of play with Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition in his last four healthy seasons. But Williams will face an extremely tough test over the next two seasons: at least four matchups with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, who arrived in the NFC West this week in the Rams-Browns blockbuster. If Williams can consistently handle him, he may believe he still has a few more years left in the tank.
With a $265MM quarterback under contract, the 49ers will want to have their future left tackle situation figured out before Williams retires in the hopes of a smooth transition on Brock Purdy‘s blind side. The team currently lacks a clear successor, but the same was true when San Francisco’s last elite left tackle, Joe Staley, retired in 2020. Rather than target a rookie, the 49ers traded for an established veteran in Williams, though his medical situation made him available for a steep discount. There is plenty of time to figure out their long-term plans at the position, though some kind of draft investment in 2027 would seem warranted.
Dolphins Sign First-Round CB Chris Johnson
The Dolphins continue to shuffle paperwork for their picks from the 2026 NFL Draft. A day after landing the signatures of 10 drafted rookies, Miami has followed up with the completion of negotiations with both its first-round picks. While the team made an announcement for the signing of No. 12 overall pick Kadyn Proctor this afternoon, it was NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that announced No. 27 overall pick Chris Johnson‘s signing.
As a three-star recruit out of Roosevelt HS (CA), Johnson didn’t have a ton of options, but he chose to stay fairly close to home when committing to San Diego State over offers from Northwestern, Boston College, Boise State, and Army. After playing minimally as a true freshman, Johnson began to rotate in more on defense in Year 2, recording his first interception, a forced fumble, and two passes defensed. Earning a starting role as a junior, Johnson began to break out, consistently finding the ball with another interception, five passes defensed, and three forced fumbles.
After a senior season in which he completed his breakout with four interceptions (for 146 yards and two touchdowns), eight passes defensed, and another forced fumble, Johnson secured his status as the presumed CB3 in the draft class but ended up being the second corner taken after Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy slid due to injury. Johnson boasts quick, fluid hips and strong instincts. He tends to toy with passers, baiting them into making throws that allow him to take advantage of good hands for a defender. He shows good-not-great speed but has solid recovery quickness. He’ll likely need to bulk up at the pro level, but the effort is there physically.
Miami saw cornerbacks Kader Kohou and Jack Jones depart in free agency, and veteran Rasul Douglas‘ contract expired this offseason, as well. Making his way across the country, Johnson should immediately have a pathway to a starting role across from Darrell Baker in a young, inexperienced secondary. He may encounter some challenge for the role, but with the Dolphins trading up to land him, it may just be his job to lose.
With all the work Miami’s put in over the past two days, only Mississippi State fifth-round tight end Seydou Traore remains un-signed. Here’s a look at the team’s 13-man draft class:
- Round 1, No. 12 (from Cowboys): Kadyn Proctor (T, Alabama) (signed)
- Round 1, No. 27 (from 49ers): Chris Johnson (CB, San Diego State) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 43: Jacob Rodriguez (LB, Texas Tech) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 75: Caleb Douglas (WR, Texas Tech) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 87 (from Eagles): Will Kacmarek (TE, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 94 (from Broncos): Chris Bell (WR, Louisville) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 130 (from Broncos): Trey Moore (EDGE, Texas) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 138*: Kyle Louis (LB, Pitt) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 158 (from Vikings): Michael Taaffe (S, Texas) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 177 (from Cowboys)*: Kevin Coleman Jr. (WR, Missouri) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 180 (from Cowboys)*: Seydou Traore (TE, Mississippi State)
- Round 6, No. 200 (from Panthers): DJ Campbell (G, Texas) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 238 (from Chargers via Titans and Jets): Max Llewellyn (EDGE, Iowa) (signed)
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/3/26
Wednesday’s minor NFL transactions:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Jaden Smith
New York Jets
- Waived (with injury designation): WR Da’Quan Felton
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Chandler Martin
After only two days, Felton and Martin see their fortunes reversed. Martin is rejoining the team that waived him on Monday. The Jets will return Felton to the waiver wire two days after signing him with the apparent intent of reverting him to their injured reserve once he clears waivers.