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.
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.
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.
Alvin Kamara Plans To Play For Saints In 2026, Broncos Could Be Suitor
JUNE 3: Kamara was at the Saints’ facility today, as noted by Matthew Paras of NOLA.com. That marked his first appearance for voluntary offseason work, something Kamara usually declines to take part in. As the wait for clarity in this case continues, team and player are at least managing to avoid a public rift.
JUNE 1: With A.J. Brown and (perhaps unexpectedly) Myles Garrett having been traded, focus will now shift to Saints RB Alvin Kamara. We heard yesterday that while other teams have expressed interest in the veteran, the Saints have yet to determine whether they’ll move on from the franchise icon.
For what it’s worth, Kamara is currently planning to spend next season in New Orleans. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo spoke to the player’s agent, Brad Cicala, who said the RB “plan[s] on playing for the Saints in 2026.”
When Kamara was believed to be on the trade block last season, the player made it clear that he wanted to stick in New Orleans no matter what, with the running back going as far as to threaten retirement if he was dealt to a new team. It’s uncertain if the addition of Travis Etienne has changed the 30-year-old’s stance, but at the very least, the Saints’ offseason acquisition has led to renewed trade interest in Kamara.
Throughout the saga, there haven’t been any teams definitively connected to the running back, although Albert Breer of SI.com hints that the Broncos could be a suitor. The reporter says Denver “would be interested” in Kamara if the player says he’d be willing to play elsewhere in 2026.
Despite Denver’s rushing attack finishing middle-of-the-road in 2025, the team is set to return similar depth in 2026. J.K. Dobbins led the team in rushing last year despite missing half the season, and the team is hoping 2025 second-round pick RJ Harvey can take another step forward after finishing his rookie campaign with 896 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns. The team did make one notable addition in fourth-round rookie Jonah Coleman, but considering their current depth, the Broncos would be a logical landing spot for a player of Kamara’s caliber.
We heard yesterday that a post-June 1 move would be more beneficial for the Saints’ cap sheet, although that was positioned in the context of Kamara being cut. Either way, if the running back does hope to stick in New Orleans for at least the 2026 season, he may have to rework his contract to make it a reality.
Dolphins Sign OL Kadyn Proctor To Rookie Deal
Kadyn Proctor is the latest member of the Dolphins’ draft class to sign his rookie deal. The first-rounder is officially on the books, per a team announcement.
Proctor was the target of widespread interest leading up to the draft, with the Lions viewed as his floor at pick No. 17. Detroit showed a desire to move up to the 14th spot via a trade with the Ravens, but negotiations on that front stopped once it became clear Proctor was no longer available. The Alabama product ultimately went at No. 12.
That pick represented the first of 13 made over the course of the draft by new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. A full-scale rebuild is in its early stages, and making an early investment along the offensive line came as little surprise when Miami was first on the clock. Proctor played as a tackle in college, but his NFL career will begin at guard. As a result, 2024 second-rounder Patrick Paul will continue to operate on the blindside.
A shift to tackle may be in store later in his Miami tenure, but for now Proctor will prepare for a starting gig at left guard. That position was manned last season by Jonah Savaiinaea, who will slide to right guard in 2026. Savaiinaea struggled mightily during his rookie campaign, and it will be interesting to see how he fares in training camp under Jeff Hafley and a new coaching staff.
Miami lost Cole Strange in free agency but signed veteran Jamaree Salyer this spring. The team also selected DJ Campbell in the sixth round of the draft. Both of them could be candidates to take over the starting gig at right guard in particular depending on how padded practices and the preseason play out. In any event, Proctor’s unique combination of size and athleticism will lead to high expectations right away upon entry to the NFL. He will be counted on to serve as a mainstay along the Dolphins’ O-line in 2026 and beyond.
Given today’s news, 11 members of Miami’s draft class are now under contract. Only first-round cornerback Chris Johnson and sixth-round tight end Seydou Traore are unsigned at this point.
Jets To Sign K Jason Sanders, Release K Younghoe Koo
The Jets are making a change at the kicker spot. A deal has been lined up with Jason Sanders, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports. Fellow veteran Younghoe Koo is being released in a corresponding move.
Sanders was released by the Giants yesterday. He has certainly not needed to wait long to find his next opportunity, with a gig on New York’s other NFL franchise being arranged. Sanders joined the Giants this spring but all of his 118 career regular and postseason appearances have come as a member of the Dolphins.
The 30-year-old missed all of 2025 through injury. Sanders was one of several Miami veterans who were cut by new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan in March, and a short stint on the open market ensued prior to his Giants deal. New York’s NFC team will move forward with a pair of younger kicking options during training camp, but the Jets will have an experienced presence in the form of Sanders this summer.
Koo – who appeared in five games for the Giants last season – was signed by the Jets one week ago. The longtime Falcons kicker was one of three options in place for the team at that point, with Cade York and Lenny Krieg being the others. Rosenblatt predicts York and Sanders will now compete for the gig over the course of training camp. Sanders sports a career accuracy rate of 84.6% on field goals, while York has gone 33-for-45 across 23 games played for Cleveland, Washington and Cincinnati.
For much of his Falcons tenure, Koo was among the league’s most accurate kickers. The 31-year-old South Korean saw his Atlanta stint come to an end early in the 2025 season, though, and he was among the options used by the Giants to fill in for Graham Gano. Koo’s struggles over the past two years could result in a free agent spell lasting through at least the start of training camp, but he will offer his next team with a veteran capable of competing for the full-time kicking position in 2026.
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.
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.
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.”
Cardinals Not Planning Josh Sweat Trade
One season into a four-year, $76.4MM contract, Cardinals outside linebacker Josh Sweat has drawn trade interest this spring. However, it appears those teams will have to look elsewhere for pass-rushing help. The Cardinals are not dealing Sweat, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
After coming off the board in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, Sweat spent his first seven seasons in Philadelphia. He broke out as a starter from 2021-22, Jonathan Gannon‘s two-year run as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, and continued to perform well after Gannon left to become the Cardinals’ head coach.
Sweat capped off his Eagles tenure with a 2.5-sack outburst in a Super Bowl LIX victory over the Chiefs in February 2025. Hitting free agency a few weeks later enabled Sweat to reunite with Gannon in Arizona, but their second partnership lasted just one year. The Cardinals fired Gannon in January on the heels of a 4-13 season, though new head coach Mike LaFleur retained defensive coordinator Nick Rallis.
Gannon is now the Packers’ D-coordinator, which has sparked social media rumors that they will swing a trade for Sweat. It might make sense for a team that will likely open the season without elite edge defender Micah Parsons, who is rehabbing from the tore ACL he suffered last December. But Rapoport dumped freezing cold water on the possibility, writing on X: “#AZCardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat is not being traded. Not to the #Packers or anywhere.”
Sweat has stayed away from Cardinals OTAs, but that was also the case when Gannon was in charge last year. LaFleur is unconcerned. He spoke highly of Sweat last week, saying (via Grant Gordon of NFL.com): “I’m just excited about the fact that I don’t have to game plan against this guy. I got to know him when I first got this job. He’s a good dude. He goes about his process and he’s not the first guy to go about his process the way he is in terms of how he’s training and all that.”
As a member of one of the NFL’s worst teams in 2025, Sweat was a rare bright spot. He put together his second 17-game season and tallied career highs in sacks (12) and forced fumbles (four). Despite his efforts, the Cardinals tied for the third-fewest sacks in the league (30). While his importance to their defense is obvious, they are expected to remain among the league’s bottom feeders in 2026. With that in mind, there is a case general manager Monti Ossenfort should seriously consider trading Sweat this summer. It seems Ossenfort, whose job may be on the line, is in no hurry to do so.
Perhaps the Cardinals will be more open to moving Sweat around the Nov. 3 trade deadline if they are out of the playoff race and contenders come calling. With an affordable $9.78MM base salary coming his way in 2026, Sweat’s contract adds to his value. His deal does not include any guarantees past the upcoming season.