Race For CB1 In 2026 NFL Draft Between Two Prospects
There appears to be a very clear duo atop the 2026 NFL Draft’s crop of cornerback prospects. What’s unclear at the moment is which one of the two defenders is CB1 in the class. Complicating the matter is the fact that one of them didn’t play at all in 2025.
Jermod McCoy missed his entire junior year at Tennessee with a torn ACL. It was a much-anticipated season after McCoy broke out as a second-team All-American in his first year of SEC play. Lost in the sea of high school talent in Texas, McCoy was a three-star recruit coming out of Whitehouse HS. Clearly a bright student, McCoy held a couple Ivy League offers from Columbia and Penn, but he chose to commit to the only Power 5 school to offer him a scholarship, departing Texas for Oregon State.
As a true freshman, McCoy came off the bench for his first few games as a Beaver. By the midpoint of the season, though, he earned his first start and made the most of that opportunity with his first collegiate interception. Over the rest of the season, McCoy showed several bright spots of his game while striving to keep his spot on the first-team defense. Still, some rough road outings at Arizona and Oregon left plenty of room for improvement for the young defender.
He showed enough success, though, that when he entered his name in the transfer portal at the end of the year, the offers came rolling in, this time with far more Power conference schools throwing their hats in the ring. Over offers from the likes of Auburn, Oregon, and Texas A&M, McCoy opted to visit Tennessee and committed a week later. The true sophomore earned a full-time starting role by the start of the season and put forth a phenomenal 2024 season. McCoy locked down his side of the field for the Volunteers, notching four interceptions and six passes defensed.
With a good frame, McCoy’s quick feet and body control have given him the ability to stick close to his assignments, and strong ball skills allow him to compliment great coverage with pass breakups and interceptions. He had some periodic inconsistency at times, though, which one might have hoped to see improvement on had he gotten to play this year. He also isn’t a great tackler, often throwing his weight around down low in a way the NFL tends to look down upon as of late. His recent injury and long recovery time are certain to throw up some red flags in some front offices, but the fact that he still may be the top cornerback selected in the draft speaks volumes about his assets as perhaps the best man-coverage corner in the class.
McCoy’s competition for that spot is LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. Like McCoy, Delane wasn’t a top recruit, coming into college as a three-star prospect out of Archbishop Spalding HS (MD). Graduating a year before McCoy, Delane committed to Virginia Tech after taking official visits to Illinois, Minnesota, and Maryland. He didn’t make his first collegiate appearance until Week 5 of his freshman season, and after stepping up with a big performance against the Hurricanes in only his third game, Delane was named a starter for the rest of the season.
Delane started every game for the next two years breaking out in 2024 with four interceptions and four passes defensed. For as many big plays as he made, though, he gave up quite a few, as well — Pro Football Focus (subscription required) assigns him responsibility for seven touchdowns that season. Still, when he entered the transfer portal, he became a hot target, committing five days later to the Tigers. His struggle giving up big plays disappeared in Baton Rouge. Per PFF, Delane didn’t give up a single touchdown while recording two picks and seven passes defensed. PFF graded Delane as the third-best cornerback in the NCAA for 2025, and he earned unanimous All-American honors.
Delane isn’t quite as good as McCoy in isolated man-coverage, though he’s still quite good. He’s a much more well-rounded, versatile defensive back, though. Delane works with elite instincts, and even though he doesn’t have the best hands, he plays the ball more than the receiver and disrupts a ton of passes as a result. His hips are quick, but he helps himself in coverage by making it difficult for receivers to get behind him. Like with some other defensive prospects in this draft, there are some concerns around Delane’s arm length, but his level of effort in coverage and when tackling tends to overcome any physical shortcomings.
In most draft pundits’ rankings, Delane is slotting in ahead of McCoy as CB1 at the moment. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network slots Delane in as CB1 and No. 8 overall prospect and CB2 McCoy at No. 15. Over at ESPN, Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates have McCoy at CB1 and Delane at CB2, while Matt Miller and Jordan Reid have it the other way around. Yates reports that scouts have been “getting positive reviews about McCoy’s recovery,” and that may be boosting his draft stock up towards Delane’s here, down the stretch. Regardless, both cornerbacks are expected to hear their names called in the the first half of Day 1’s selections. All that remains to be seen is which name gets called first and which teams claim them.
NFL Mailbag: Browns, Cousins, Ravens, Lions, Draft, Cap
This week's edition of the PFR Mailbag dives into EDGE-related questions for a team in each conference. Questions on the Raiders' QB plan, the Ravens' offensive setup and more are also answered.
Tim asks:
Do you think the Browns SHOULD trade Myles Garrett? Isn't this the sell-high opportunity for a team that bungled the [Deshaun] Watson trade?
I’ve felt like the Browns’ best course of action with Garrett would be a trade for at least the past two years. That’s the case to less of an extent with each passing season, but it’s still easy to see the appeal in 2026.
OT Thayer Munford Visits Titans
The Titans are returning both of their starting tackles from last season – Dan Moore Jr. and JC Latham – but they lack a backup who can line up on both sides.
Former Patriots and Raiders lineman Thayer Munford might be able to fill that swing tackle role. He has played a majority of his career snaps at right tackle, but made four starts on the blind side in 2023. He
Munford visited the Titans this week, per KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson, though he left without agreeing to a deal. Tennessee may have been doing their medical diligence on the 26-year-old’s knee. He popped up on the injury report towards the end of the 2025 season and underwent surgery during the offseason, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Originally a seventh-round pick by the Raiders in 2022, Munford primarily served as the swing tackle in Las Vegas for the first three years of his career. Injuries to other players kept him on the field; he appeared in 36 games with 18 starts during that span. He was waived during final roster cuts in 2025 and signed a practice squad deal with the Patriots shortly after. After a two-month interlude with the Browns – which featured no playing time – Munford returned to New England in November.
Despite a more prominent role in Las Vegas, Munford primarily lined up as a sixth offensive lineman in the Patriots’ ‘jumbo’ packages in 2025. Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll does not typically feature such a player in his scheme, though he is certainly capable of introducing new wrinkles to his playbook.
The Titans will certainly be looking for offensive line help in the draft. They are in more immediate need of starting options at guard and center, so they may choose to spend their higher picks on interior lineman. Tennessee could still snag a developmental tackle on Days 2 or 3, but Munford could be a post-draft fallback, provided his knee checks out.
DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches Reunites With Buccaneers
After a three-year stay in New York, veteran defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches has agreed to a deal that will bring him back to Tampa Bay. According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the Buccaneers are bringing Nunez-Roches back on a one-year contract.
Originally a sixth-round pick for the Chiefs out of Southern Miss, Nunez-Roches maintains the honor of being the first ever player born in Belize to get drafted into the NFL. After seeing minimal field time in seven games as a rookie, Nunez-Roches lost his rookie deal when the Chiefs waived him shortly into his second campaign and he went unclaimed. He signed with Kansas City’s practice squad but was signed back to the active roster a month after getting cut. Upon returning to the 53-man roster, Nunez-Roches started five of 11 game appearances to close the year. After a 2017 season in which he started 11 of 16 game appearances, the Chiefs re-signed him after placing an original-round restricted free agent tender on him, but they waived him a second time about nine days later.
Nunez-Roches spent the offseason in Indianapolis after getting claimed by the Colts, but he was waived again a week before the regular season. It wasn’t until October, a month later, that Nunez-Roches landed in Tampa Bay, where he appeared in just three games over the closing stretch of the season. He returned on a new one-year deal in 2019, coming off the bench as a rotational lineman behind Ndamukong Suh, Vita Vea, and William Gholston. When injury limited Vea to just five games the next season, Nunez-Roches stepped up, starting 11 regular season games and all four postseason games en route to the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV victory.
Nunez-Roches’ efforts that season earned him a two-year stay with the team on a $5MM deal. He returned to his rotational role off the bench in 2021, only starting one game, but he returned to a bigger role in the second year of his contract. In 2022, the last season he played in Tampa Bay, he started 10 of 17 games, notching then-career highs in sacks (2.0), tackles for loss (5), and total tackles (33).
Upon becoming a free agent, Nunez-Roches landed a three-year, $12MM contract with the Giants. After serving much of his first year in New York back in that rotational role, he earned his first full season as a full-time starter, logging 52 total tackles, six quarterback hits, and two sacks. Coming off the bench in Year 3 with Big Blue, Nunez-Roches got off to a hot start in 2025, recording a new career-high with three sacks and adding three tackles for loss and four quarterback hits in just nine games (with only five starts). Unfortunately, ankle and toe injuries landed him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
Coming into his age-33 season and coming off a season-ending injury, Nunez-Roches’ deal with the Buccaneers will probably be a relatively safe one for Tampa Bay, though they may offer him decent incentive opportunities to reward a return to health. Per ESPN’s Jenna Laine, head coach Todd Bowles had made it a goal this offseason to “get bigger and more physical along the defensive line.” Nunez-Roches joins fellow free agent signees A’Shawn Robinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad in adding size, strength, and experience to the Tampa Bay defensive line, reuniting with Vea to set a good example for recent draft picks like Elijah Roberts and Calijah Kancey to learn from.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/3/26
Here is Friday’s only minor NFL move in the wake of today’s big transaction:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed ERFA tender: S Tristin McCollum
After Vegas tendered him as an exclusive rights free agent, McCollum didn’t have much of a choice but to sign in order to play in the 2026 NFL season. In doing so, he returns to provide the Raiders with some solid safety depth and special teams experience. As an undrafted rookie with the Eagles out of Sam Houston State, McCollum only saw specials teams work in two games before getting a chance for playing time on defense in the regular season finale. In Year 2 in Philadelphia, McCollum earned two starts on the defense and saw significant defensive snaps in four more games.
After getting waived at the roster cut deadline last year, McCollum was claimed by the Raiders. He didn’t earn any starts in his third year of play, but he was a core special teamer and saw a significant share of defensive snaps in three games. With the departure of Lonnie Johnson Jr. to Miami in free agency, McCollum has a chance to step into a key third safety role behind Isaiah Pola-Mao and Jeremy Chinn in 2026.
David Bailey Visits Cardinals, Chiefs, Cowboys, Jets
6:35pm: Bailey also visited the Jets, Rapoport adds. They are looking for a young edge rusher to pair with 2023 first-rounder Will McDonald after trading Jermaine Johnson to the Titans. New York holds the No. 2 pick, which is the earliest Bailey could be drafted with the Raiders all but certain to select Fernando Mendoza first overall.
5:03pm: Texas Tech edge rusher and projected first-round pick David Bailey has made his rounds around the NFL during the pre-draft process. He first visited the Cardinals in early March with trips to the Chiefs and the Cowboys this week, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Bailey, 22, is widely expected to be selected in the first 10 picks of April’s draft. He began his college career at Stanford with solid production from 2022 to 2024. In 2025, he transferred to Texas Tech and mounted an All-American campaign in Lubbock with an FBS-high 14.5 sacks and a Big 12-high 19.5 tackles for loss.
That production, combined with an excellent performance at the Combine, vaulted Bailey to the top of a strong draft class at his position. Among edge rushers, his 4.50-second 40-yard dash trailed only fellow projected top-10 pick Arvell Reese, and his 10-foot-9 broad jump ranked third.
With BJ Ojulari and Baron Browning in the last year of their contracts, the Cardinals could use a foundational edge rusher to build their defense around. Bailey is arguably the best one available, and the shorter-than-average arms of his primary competition, Rueben Bain, might scare Arizona away from using the No. 3 pick on him. Bailey brings no such length concerns, though his slim frame and lack of elite power are knocks on his game.
The Chiefs, who hold the ninth overall pick, could also use another high-upside edge rusher opposite 2022 first-rounder George Karlaftis. Bailey’s speed-rushing capabilities could complement Karlaftis’ power and ensure that Kansas City’s pass rush continues to thrive even if Chris Jones retires in the next few years.
The Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Packers just before the 2025 regular season, and his absence loomed large all year long. Dallas has built some depth off the edge with Rashan Gary joining Sam Williams and 2025 second-rounder Donovan Ezeiruaku, but none can match Bailey’s long-term upside. No one player can truly replace Parsons, but adding an explosive pass rusher like Bailey would be a good start.
Browns Looking To Add FB, Tried To Sign Patrick Ricard
Browns head coach Todd Monken was not as aggressive as Giants head coach John Harbaugh in signing former Ravens in free agency. Four players went from Baltimore to New York, but only wide receiver Tylan Wallace followed Monken to Cleveland.
Those results, however, were not for lack of trying. The Browns attempted to sign Patrick Ricard, per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, but he instead took a two-year offer from the Giants to become the highest-paid fullback in the league.
Ricard, 31, first came to prominence as a key blocker in Greg Roman‘s offense during the Ravens’ first few years with Lamar Jackson. His playing time peaked in 2022 with a 64% snap share, but Monken’s arrival from the University of Georgia raised questions about Ricard’s future. The Ravens had just re-signed him to a three-year contract in 2022, but the deal only had guaranteed money in the first year. As a jumbo-sized fullback, Ricard may not fit in every offense, and Monken’s scheme at Georgia did not feature such a player.
However, the veteran coach’s calling card is his ability to design his offense around his talent and he did just that with Ricard. The six-time Pro Bowler saw a small decrease in playing time – his snap share hovered around 40% during Monken’s tenure – but he still maintained a crucial role as a versatile blocker.
After missing out on Ricard, the Browns are looking to add a fullback, Monken said this week. Finding a similar player to Ricard – who Monken recently called a “unicorn” – will not be easy, and the current crop of free agents at the position are not nearly as proven. Cleveland may instead look to the draft, where there are a number of blocking tight ends that could fit their new scheme.
Bears Planning Caleb Williams Extension
The 2011 CBA prevented teams from discussing extensions with drafted players until after their third seasons, and the 2020 CBA maintained that setup. While UDFAs can ink extensions after two years, players drafted must wait longer.
But teams can certainly prepare extension plans ahead of players’ eligibility to sign second contracts. The Bears are one of the franchises at work, and they are doing some early planning on what promises to be a landmark deal for the franchise.
Fifth-year GM Ryan Poles is delegating responsibility of outlining a Caleb Williams extension this offseason. The 2024 No. 1 overall pick cannot be paid until January 2027. The Bears will have more intel on what a Williams extension will look like after the 2026 season, but after the former Heisman winner’s breakthrough 2025 slate, Chicago will be spending this offseason looking into how a second QB contract — a rare development for this particular franchise — will be arranged.
“It’s really a summer project,’’ Poles said, via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley. ‘‘[Bears VP of football administration] Matt Feinstein is digging into it now. We’ve had some preliminary [internal] conversations because we want to take some of these things into consideration as we build the team.”
Chicago has run into problems at quarterback for ages. No second contracts were given to first-rounders Justin Fields and Mitchell Trubisky, and Rex Grossman only signed a one-year deal in 2008 after underwhelming on his rookie pact. Cade McNown, a 1999 first-rounder, fared worse than that trio. Chicago received eight years from Jay Cutler after a blockbuster trade, but the rocket-armed passer was rarely viewed as an upper-crust option. Williams represents the latest swing, coming via Poles’ savvy 2023 trade-down move that gave the Panthers Bryce Young, and his 2025 brought considerable optimism.
Leading the Bears to an overtime period in the divisional round, Williams finished his second season with 27 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. He averaged only 6.9 yards per attempt, however, and completed just 58.1% of his passes — down four percentage points from a shaky 2024 showing — while ranking 16th in QBR. But Williams certainly showed progress on the whole under new HC Ben Johnson. The Bears will have another season to evaluate the former Lincoln Riley pupil.
Four- and five-year deals are the norm among quarterbacks as of late. Patrick Mahomes‘ 10-year extension represents an extreme outlier, while no one else has matched even Josh Allen‘s six-year deal since the Bills authorized that in 2021. Poles was with the Chiefs when they constructed the atypical Mahomes deal (10 years, $450MM). It featured a unique structure that brought rolling guarantees for the superstar passer, and that structure has benefited the Chiefs annually. Williams’ camp will be unlikely to go for a team-friendly accord, however.
Williams’ camp made some headlines in 2024 and ’25 related to his Bears status. The QB’s team attempted to have the Bears include a no-franchise tag clause in his rookie deal; that proved to be a nonstarter for the team. Williams, who does not have an agent, also attempted to skirt tax implications from his rookie deal in 2024.
Reports coming out of a Seth Wickersham book (American Kings: A Biograph of the Quarterback) also indicated Caleb’s father Carl Williams attempted to steer the QB clear of Chicago due to the Bears’ struggles developing passers. Carl Williams discussed this with Archie Manning, who famously helped Eli Manning avoid the Chargers in 2004, and expressed issues with the NFL’s rookie wage scale.
But the Bears having a quarterback worthy of an extension will be a win in itself. It will mark a new roster-building chapter for Chicago, which has ridden with rookie QB deals (excepting the Mike Glennon year) for nearly a decade. However, once the team can begin negotiating with Williams in earnest next year, eventful talks figure to commence. Although the Bears extended Cutler twice, they will be in for a new challenge with Williams given the skyrocketing QB market in the years since.
“I’m sure it’ll present challenges,’’ Poles said of Williams’ future negotiations. ‘‘We haven’t gotten that far. But if and when we get to that point, we’ll embrace that challenge. Our offense is going to slowly get really expensive. You want to continue to have young talent to come in and help us out on defense.”
Chiefs’ Rashee Rice Will Not Face NFL Suspension
Following Rashee Rice‘s six-game 2025 suspension in connection with felony charges from a hit-and-run incident, the Chiefs wide receiver faced ugly allegations of domestic violence made by his ex-girlfriend.
The alleged victim, Dacoda Jones, filed a civil suit accusing Rice of repeatedly assaulting her between December 2023 and July 2025. In January, she displayed photos of injuries that Rice allegedly inflicted on her. Jones, who has two children with Rice, claims most of the alleged abuse occurred when she was pregnant.
On Friday, however, the NFL concluded Rice “has not engaged in conduct that violates the personal conduct policy,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. No suspension is coming at this time, per Schefter. This will be welcome news for Rice and the Chiefs, who have certainly run into a few high-profile off-field issues over the past several years. One season remains on Rice’s rookie contract.
Given the timing of this report, it certainly qualifies as a Friday news dump. Although the 25-year-old receiver was never charged with a crime, the NFL’s personal conduct policy has brought suspensions for players not charged criminally in the past. In this case, though, Rice will not enter a second straight season with a suspension.
Jones’ civil suit indicated “Rice has grabbed, choked, strangled, pushed, thrown, scratched, hit, and headbutted Ms. Jones, as well as hit her with inanimate objects.” Rice’s attorney, however, released a statement indicating that on October 9, 2025, “Ms. Jones stated under penalty of perjury in a sworn Affidavit for a Non-Prosecution that ‘Mr. Rice and I had a verbal argument, but he did not punch me.'”
Jones had alleged Rice physical abuse taking place for years; it is unclear if any cooperation issues interfered with this NFL investigation. That was the case when the league opted not to suspend then-Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill in 2019, after a second wave of domestic violence allegations surfaced against the All-Pro. Hill’s ugly college domestic violence incident, which brought a guilty plea, preceding the 2019 accusations allowed the Chiefs to construct a team-friendly extension with the star receiver. Kansas City signed Hill to a three-year, $54MM extension with a favorable (for the club) guarantee structure. Rice is now extension-eligible, and because he was a second-round pick, no fifth-year option exists on his rookie contract.
The Chiefs drafted Rice a year after trading Hill to the Dolphins, and Rice helped make up for Skyy Moore‘s failed development as a second-rounder. Rice made a big impact for the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII-winning team in 2023, totaling 938 yards and seven touchdowns. An LCL tear sustained in Week 4 of the 2024 season derailed the SMU product, who was down for over a year thanks to the six-game ban taking place to start the 2025 campaign. While the possession receiver returned and played well last season, he was active for just eight games; the Chiefs placed him on IR after a concussion. Though, the team parked a few key players on IR — including Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson — late in a lost season.
Had Rice been suspended under the personal conduct policy a second time, he would have been looking at an absence that covered more than half his contract year. Kansas City’s top receiver not being banned represents a break for the team, though off-field troubles that extend back to his time at SMU may still influence the Chiefs in this draft. Kansas City holds two first-round picks this year, the second obtained from the Rams in the McDuffie trade, and has seen Rice run into frequent trouble.
In May 2024, weeks after the street-racing accident, Rice was the subject of an investigation for alleged assault on a photographer. The accuser did not press charges, but it continued a trend of off-field problems dating to Rice’s time in college. During the 2023 pre-draft process, NFL teams became aware of an alleged incident in which Rice or a member of his party fired multiple shots into an empty car belonging to a member of SMU’s basketball team.
Rice faces a pivotal 2026 season, as he may be auditioning — based on how the Chiefs proceed early in the draft — for other teams as a prospective 2027 free agent. But the Chiefs have shown a high tolerance for off-field issues under Andy Reid. Rice being cleared today points to him being available to open the season and craft an extension case. The Chiefs hold exclusive negotiating rights with the wideout until March 2027.
Jags, Travon Walker Agree On Extension
Not long after James Gladstone expressed confidence some Jaguars extensions would be doled out, the highest-profile player included in that group has a deal in place. The Jags are extending Travon Walker, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
The sides agreed on a four-year, $110MM extension, Rapoport adds, confirming $77MM will be guaranteed and $50MM locked in at signing. This deal comes two years after the previous Jacksonville front office agreed to terms with Josh Hines-Allen.
Details of these agreements regularly trickle out slowly, but we have the key particulars upfront. That certainly indicates satisfaction with the terms from the player’s side, with Walker’s agency confirming the details.
At $27.5MM per year, Walker becomes the 12th-highest-paid edge rusher. This market settles far south of where last year’s boom moved the EDGE market, with Aidan Hutchinson — chosen one spot after Walker in 2022 — being one of the key parties in that 2025 sea change. It also comes in below where the Trent Baalke regime settled with Hines-Allen, who is tied to a five-year deal that averages $28.25MM per annum.
Considering Trevor Lawrence is on a $55MM-per-year deal, extending a second edge rusher in this realm represents a substantial commitment from the Jaguars. Walker also is coming off a down season. That certainly stood to help the team in negotiations, and Rapoport indicates talks have taken place for weeks. Walker also checks in 12th in full guarantees but 10th in total guaranteed money. It will be important to know what the early guarantee triggers are on this deal — if any exist.
A report coming out of the league meetings indicated preliminary Jags talks with Walker, Parker Washington and Brenton Strange were unfolding. We certainly made it far past the preliminary stage, as Walker’s camp accepted an offer. It is worth wondering if the former No. 1 overall pick would have been amenable to a deal outside the top 10 at his position had he stayed on the trajectory he was on from 2023-24.
Leading off a brigade of Georgia defenders chosen in the 2022 first round, Walker broke through in 2023 with 10 sacks and 19 QB hits. Although the Jaguars declined in 2024, Walker stayed on track by racking up career-high marks in sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (13). While the Jags rocketed to a 13-4 season in 2025 under Liam Coen, Walker regressed. He totaled 3.5 sacks, eight TFLs and 13 QB hits. His 19 QB pressures ranked 66th last season.
When Hines-Allen signed his five-year, $141.25MM extension, the salary cap stood at $255.4MM. It is now at $301.2MM. Had Walker come through with a third straight double-digit sack season, the Jags would have been unlikely to keep his second contract under $30MM per year. Jacksonville will pay Walker more than Denver authorized for two-time Pro Bowler Nik Bonitto in 2025 (four years, $106MM). That is a notable win here for a player without any Pro Bowl accolades.
It is impossible to examine Walker’s career without Hutchinson comparisons. We heard before the draft the Jags were split on choosing Walker’s upside over Hutchinson’s higher floor, one that stemmed from high-end production at Michigan. Baalke went with Walker, and the Lions benefited.
Hutchinson has two Pro Bowls on his resume and came back from a 2024 broken leg with a career-high 14.5 sacks to go with 35 QB hits last season. During the 2025 campaign, Hutchinson signed a monster Detroit extension (four years, $180MM). That deal, which included a defender-record $141MM guaranteed, trails only Micah Parsons among defensive players.
Baalke’s misstep gave the Lions a dominant pass rusher; it also helps the Gladstone regime sign a more affordable extension here. Walker still brings upside at 25, but he and Hutchinson certainly appear to be in different tiers as impact players.
This move is for a Baalke draftee, but it represents the third significant extension for Gladstone, who paid trade acquisition Jakobi Meyers weeks after landing him at the deadline. Meyers was brought in under Gladstone and Coen, while Walker joins offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen as a Baalke investment paid by the current regime.
The 2024 Jags offseason brought extensions for Lawrence, Hines-Allen and Tyson Campbell. Jacksonville’s current front office managed to move off the Campbell deal in a deadline trade for Greg Newsome, who has since signed with the Giants. Taking the Campbell contract off the payroll, the Jags also let Devin Lloyd walk in free agency. These decisions helped create room to afford Walker’s second contract. Walker was headed into a fifth-year option season ($15.2MM).
Gladstone and Coen will bet on Walker bouncing back in 2026. Hines-Allen, 28, has not notched a double-digit sack season since his franchise-record 17.5-sack slate in 2023. But he rebounded as a pressure artist under Anthony Campanile, tallying 48 — fifth in the NFL. The Jags will hope Walker (23rd and 22nd in pressures in 2023 and ’24, respectively) has a similar gear to reach in this defensive scheme.