Dolphins To Designate TE Darren Waller To Return From IR
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques) that tight end Darren Waller will be designated to return from injured reserve this week.
Waller suffered a pectoral strain in Week 7 and landed on IR shortly after. After four games on the sidelines, he is now eligible to return to the field. This was his second absence this season; he missed Miami’s first three games due to a hip injury suffered in training camp.
In his three games before getting injured, Waller caught 10 of his 12 targets for 117 yards and four touchdowns. His averages of 39 yards. 1.3 touchdowns, and 3.3 receptions per game are the best numbers of any Dolphins tight end in the McDaniel era outside of Jonnu Smith. That makes sense considering the fact that Waller came out of retirement this offseason to replace Smith in Miami after he was traded to the Steelers as part of the Jalen Ramsey–Minkah Fitzpatrick swap.
Dolphins tight ends Julian Hill and Tanner Conner have offered precious little production this year, but Greg Dulcich has stepped up since taking Waller’s spot on the 53-man roster. He has eight catches for 89 yards in his last three games, but none of Miami’s TEs have scored a touchdown all season.
Waller will have 21 days to practice with the team before he must be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending IR.
Chiefs Signing RB Dameon Pierce
It was expected that running back Dameon Pierce would have plenty of suitors following his release from the Texans. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, it’s the Chiefs who have landed Pierce’s signature. The 25-year-old heads to Kansas City on a practice squad deal. 
Once viewed as a potential franchise back following a rookie campaign in which he rushed for an impressive 939 yards on 220 carries, Pierce’s production in Houston declined significantly in each successive season. He served as a featured back as a rookie, with his 220 carries eclipsing those of Dare Ogunbowale (42), Royce Freeman (41), Rex Burkhead (26), and Eno Benjamin (3).
By Year 2, Pierce’s rushing yard total was more than halved as the team brought in veteran Devin Singletary, who averaged three carries for every two for Pierce. Last year, the Texans once again went to the free agent market, going for an even bigger name in Joe Mixon. As a result, Pierce saw himself relegated to the role of the other backs from his rookie season. Pierce’s 40 carries last year tied with Cam Akers‘ — who only played in five games — and paled in comparison to Mixon’s 245 carries.
This year, despite the fact that Mixon has spent the entire season on the reserve/non-football injury list, Pierce has remained an afterthought in the Texans’ backfield. Instead, fourth-round rookie Woody Marks and veteran Nick Chubb have manned the two-headed rushing attack in Houston with nearly identical carry, yard, and touchdown totals. With Pierce’s role declining to the point of obscurity, the Texans made the move to put him on waivers.
Pierce is joining a banged up running backs room in Kansas City. The Chiefs have a stable of backs featuring Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Brashard Smith, and Elijah Mitchell on the active roster and Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the practice squad. Pacheco hasn’t played since October, and Mitchell has been a healthy scratch in every game but one, so Edwards-Helaire was called up as a practice squad elevation to backup Hunt and Smith today.
Pierce adds another body to the stable, boasting previous experience as a featured back. It’s been a long time since he’s enjoyed that kind of volume, but perhaps, now that he’s gotten out from under DeMeco Ryans, he’ll be able to reestablish himself in a new city and uniform.
Saints To Re-Sign G Shane Lemieux
August 2: Lemieux’s signing came on the heels of a knee injury to Nick Saldiveri, who is going on season-ending injured reserve, per ESPN’s Katherine Terell.
Saldiveri started six games at left guard last season and was competing for the starting job in 2025 with Penning. Though the Saints relied on him more than expected last year, Lemieux is unlikely to be a Week 1 starter and will likely served as a multi-positional backup along the interior of the offensive line.
August 1: Shane Lemieux spent the 2024 campaign in New Orleans, and he will look to do the same this season. The sixth-year guard as a deal in place with the Saints, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. 
[RELATED: Reviewing Saints’ Offseason]
Lemieux began his career with the Giants and played out his rookie contract from 2020-23. Over that span, the former fifth-rounder was marred by injuries; after logging nine starts as a rookie, Lemieux made a total of only six appearances for New York during his final three years with the team. That obviously hurt his value as a free agent.
Originally joining the Saints on the practice squad, Lemieux wound up being elevated to the active roster in October. That allowed him to make a total of seven appearances and four starts for New Orleans as the team battled a slew of injuries throughout its offense. The campaign nevertheless included another stint on injured reserve for the 28-year-old, so it comes as little surprise he remained on the open market into August.
Lemieux took part in the Saints’ minicamp in June as part of an effort to secure a second contract with the team. That has proven effective, albeit along a belated timeline. The Saints entered Friday with over $20MM in cap space, so this pact – which will no doubt check in at the veteran minimum – will not have an impact on any further moves which take place between now and the start of the regular season.
New Orleans is set to use Taliese Fuaga at right tackle in 2025 with first-round rookie Kelvin Banks Jr. a candidate to handle blindside duties. Regardless of how that plays out, Trevor Penning (who has not met expectations at either tackle spot) will move inside to guard this season. Penning is slated to operate as New Orleans’ top option at left guard, but Lemieux will look to compete for time on the right or, more likely, a backup role through the remainder of training camp.
Texans Re-Sign RB Dare Ogunbowale
The Texans have re-signed veteran running back Dare Ogunbowale on a one-year, $1.2MM deal, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
2025 will be Ogunbowale’s ninth season in the NFL and fourth in Houston. He began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Texans in 2017, but did not make the 53-man roster as a rookie. He spent the rest of the season bouncing between practice squad and made his regular-season debut with the Buccaneers in 2018.
Ogunbowale earned a full-time roster spot and a team captaincy in Tampa Bay in 2019. He carved out a role as a third-down back with 35 receptions for 286 yards and also served as a core special teams contributor. He played 361 snaps on offense and 381 on special teams, which both remain career-highs, but was not retained for the 2020 season.
The Wisconsin product was signed by the Jaguars in 2020 and amassed 282 yards on 75 carries across the next two years. He maintained his role on special teams, but did not feature in the passing game with just 23 receptions in Jacksonville.
Ogunbowale then landed in Houston, where he has spent the last three years. He continued to feature on special teams with rotational roles on offense in 2022 and 2024. Last year, he appeared in all 17 games with 112 yards on 30 carries and 198 yards on 19 receptions while playing 56% of the Texans’ special teams snaps.
In 2025, Ogunbowale will likely take up a similar role behind Joe Mixon, though a resurgence from fourth-year back Dameon Pierce could cut into his workload.
Packers’ Aaron Rodgers Wants New Deal
Aaron Rodgers wants a new contract, according to a league source who spoke with Mike Florio of PFT. At least, that’s part of what part of what the Packers quarterback is seeking after saying that his future is “uncertain”. 
Rodgers is looking for a stronger commitment from the Packers following their first-round selection of Jordan Love. Currently, he’s slated to make $22.35MM, $25.5MM, and $25.5MM in each of the next three seasons.
At the time of signing in 2018, Rodgers’ four-year, $134MM extension positioned him as the NFL’s highest-paid player of all-time. Today, that’s good for just fifth among quarterbacks. At the age of 37, the likely MVP recipient wants a deal to reflect his status and solidify his relationship with the Packers.
The Packers should be incentivized to rework his deal too. Currently, Rodgers is slated to carry a $37MM cap figure for 2021 — a new deal could smooth out the hit while giving Rodgers a pay bump.
Since taking over as the starter for the Packers in 2008, Rodgers has thrown for 312 touchdowns (the second most in the league) and led the Packers to the playoffs in eight seasons out of ten.
Notable Free Agents Impacted By June 1st Date
A number of writers–including ourselves–have published lists of the best free agents available within the past couple of months. However, now that June 1 is finally here, we can expect a number of names to come off of those lists. Our Luke Adams described the importance of June 1 as it pertains to free agency several days ago, but to summarize just one pertinent point from his piece, any free agents signed after June 1 will not impact the signing team’s compensatory pick formula.
As such, there is often a “mini-surge” of free agents signed after June 1, as teams are attaching more and more value to their compensatory picks. However, the important thing to keep in mind is that signing players whose contracts did not expire naturally–in other words, players who were released–does not impact the compensatory pick formula anyway. Those players, then, will not necessarily be impacted by the June 1 date.
As the offseason progresses and as players get injured and coaches reevaluate their rosters, released players like Santonio Holmes, Asante Samuel, James Harrison, Richie Incognito, and Michael Bush may find an opportunity. But teams are not going to pay any more attention to them simply because June 1 has arrived. With that said, here are a few of the top free agents whose contracts expired naturally and who will therefore receive more interest simply because of today’s date:
- Jermichael Finley: Finley recently received full medical clearance to play and had a free agent visit lined up with a “mystery team” on Friday. Given his athletic abilities and the fact that he is in the prime of his career, Finley may find work sooner rather than later despite his injury history. The Patriots make a good deal of sense, considering how thin they are at tight end behind Rob Gronkowski, who of course has major health concerns of his own. Some have speculated that New England is, in fact, the aforementioned “mystery team.”
- Kevin Williams: the long-time Viking still offers value as a run-stopper in the interior of a defensive line, and he visited the Giants and Seahawks this offseason, but he has stated he will consider retirement if he does not get an offer he likes.
- Eric Winston: Winston played very well for the Texans for a number of years, but he was released by the team in 2012, and he was cut by the Chiefs in 2013 after just one season in Kansas City. He did not impress after signing a one-year deal with the Cardinals last season, but he may still find a team that will give him a chance to start. The Ravens have been mentioned as a natural fit because of their lack of experience at right tackle and Winston’s familiarity with Baltimore’s new offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak.
- Terrell Thomas: Thomas played fairly well in 2013 after back-to-back torn ACLs, and he recently visited with the Lions and Patriots. Teams looking for a third corner could do much worse. Other veteran cornerbacks who teams might also look to include Drayton Florence and Quentin Jammer.
- Brett Keisel: Kesiel’s age (he will turn 36 in September) and recent struggles with injuries limit his market, but he did post four sacks and fair PFF grades last season. He could certainly offer veteran leadership and some pass rush capabilities to someone’s defensive line. Although Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin did not rule out a reunion with Keisel, it is unclear if other members of the Steelers brass are interested in Keisel’s return.
Poll: Best Remaining Free Agent
In March, PFR’s Peter Sowards took a look at the best remaining free agents. Each of those players has since found a new home, as have many of their peers. With that said, team’s don’t need to necessarily scrape the bottom of the barrel if they’re still looking to add a veteran presence.
On the offensive side of the ball, Jermichael Finley is certainly the most intriguing player available. The 6-5 tight end caught 55 passes for 767 yards and eight touchdowns in 2011, following by a solid 2012 campaign. He appeared in only six games this past season after suffering a spinal cord injury.
Teams may also be interested in former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes. He has only appeared in 15 games over the past two seasons, but he was certainly a productive wideout prior to that. On the line, two-time Pro Bowler Davin Joseph seemed to have recovered nicely from a 2012 knee injury, appearing in all 16 games this past season.
Linebacker James Anderson led the 2013 Bears in tackles, but has yet to sign with a team. The 30-year-old had compiled more than 100 tackles in three of the last four seasons. Six-time Pro Bowler Kevin Williams is also on the market. The big defensive tackle is certainly slowing down, but he still appeared in 15 games for the Vikings last season. In the secondary, Terrell Thomas could be a good option for teams lacking depth. Thomas returned from ACL tears in 2011 and 2012 and ultimately played 16 games for the Giants.
Who do you think is the best remaining free agent? Did I forget anybody? Let us know in the comments.
Recap Of Undrafted Free Agent Signings
Since the draft came to an end on Saturday evening, we’ve been keeping tabs on undrafted rookies signing with NFL teams, passing along the moves that have been confirmed by either a club or the league itself. Over the course of the week, all 32 clubs have made their UDFA signings official, and we’ve rounded up those announcements below, sorted by team.
In some cases, teams have added one or two extra rookie free agents to their group after announcing their initial class, so we’ve tried to keep those moves contained to the same post in which we initially passed along the team’s UDFA class, wherever possible.
Check out the list below to find your favorite team’s undrafted free agent signings:
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
Restricted Free Agency
Two players who received restricted free agent tenders this season remain unsigned, as Doug Baldwin of the Seahawks and Byron Bell of the Panthers have yet to accept the offers from their respective clubs. Since today is the deadline for either player to sign an offer sheet with a rival club, it’s worth taking a closer look at exactly what restricted free agency entails, and how it works.
Restricted free agency applies to players who have exactly three accrued seasons, meaning they’ve been on a full pay scale for at least six regular-season games in three years in the NFL. Players with fewer than three accrued seasons and no contract are exclusive rights free agents, while players with four or more accrued seasons are eligible for unrestricted free agency. For draftees, the default rookie contract runs for four years, meaning those players will generally be unrestricted free agents when their original deals expire.
As such, restricted free agents are generally players who aren’t coming off traditional rookie contracts. Baldwin, Bell, Broncos cornerback Tony Carter, and Lions running back Joique Bell are among the notable players who were restricted free agents this offseason, and all four guys went undrafted out of college.
As the name suggests, restricted free agency limits players from negotiating freely with all potential suitors. Unsigned players don’t become restricted free agents by default after their third accrued season — the player’s previous club must extend the player a qualifying offer, also known as a restricted free agent tender, to ensure that the player doesn’t become unrestricted. The amount of that offer varies depending on how much the team is willing to pay for one year of the player’s service, and how much the player made in the previous season. For instance, in 2014, the RFA tender amounts were the following amounts, or 110% of the player’s previous salary, whichever is greater:
- $3.113MM – First round tender
- $2.187MM – Second round tender
- $1.431MM – Original round tender
- $1.2MM – Right of first refusal only
All four tender amounts give the player’s previous club the right to match any offers for the player, so the difference in the offers – besides the salary – is related to the compensation the team would receive if the player signed with another team. For example, Baldwin received a second-round tender worth $2.187MM from the Seahawks. That means that if the veteran receiver signed an offer sheet with another team, Seattle would receive a second-round pick from that club.
Given the compensatory picks tied to those top two tenders, we typically see teams pursue RFAs who received the lower tenders. For example, Andrew Hawkins reportedly received a $1.431MM tender from the Bengals prior to free agency. Had Hawkins been, for instance, a fifth-round pick, the Browns would have had to give up a fifth-rounder of their own when they poached the wideout from their division rival. Because Hawkins was an undrafted free agent though, the Bengals maintained the right of first refusal, but didn’t receive a compensatory pick when they decided not to match the offer.
After a player signs an offer sheet, his previous team has five days to decide whether or not to match that offer, which is why leave sheets must be signed at least five days before the draft to ensure that draft pick compensation gets resolved in time. If Baldwin or Bell were to sign an offer sheet today, the Seahawks or Panthers could pick up an extra second-round pick next week by declining to match that offer. Typically, that draft-pick cost is too steep for potential suitors, so it’s more likely we’ll see Baldwin and Bell simply accept their one-year tenders, earn $2.187MM salaries in 2014, and be eligible to hit the unrestricted market in 2015.
The rules of restricted free agency apply to players as long as that qualifying offer remains in play, but teams can withdraw the QO at any time, making the player an unrestricted free agent. Additionally, restricted free agents are eligible for the franchise tag, which creates a sort of heightened version of restricted free agency — salaries are larger for franchise players, and the price tag for rival clubs to sign away a franchise player is two first-round draft picks, which is why we haven’t seen any action on Jimmy Graham this offseason.
As for exclusive rights free agency, which I mentioned earlier, it’s a more strict form of restricted free agency as well, one that essentially removes any “free agency” from a player’s decision. It applies to players with less than three accrued seasons. If a player receives an exclusive rights free agent tender from his club – which is almost always worth the minimum salary – he must either accept the offer or not play in the NFL. He’s not eligible to negotiate with any other teams.
Note: This is a PFR Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to free agency, trades, or other aspects of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Information from OverTheCap.com was used in the creation of this post.
Largest 2014 FA Contracts By Position
When I examined 2014’s largest free agent contracts by overall value, per-year value, and fully guaranteed money last weekend, many of the players on my lists played the same positions. Of the 17 total players who ranked among the top 10 free agent contracts in at least one of those three categories, 12 were cornerbacks, offensive tackles, or defensive ends.
Given how players at a handful of key positions dominated those lists from the weekend, it’s worth breaking things down a little differently, and checking in on how players at other spots did in free agency. In the list below, you’ll find the top 2014 free agent contracts by overall value, per-year value, and fully guaranteed money, sorted by position.
The players below are listed under the position they played most last season, even if their new teams don’t necessarily plan to play them at that specific spot — this can often be the case with linebackers, as well as offensive and defensive linemen. Additionally, a player’s total contract amount is considered to be the deal’s base value, not including incentives. Players who re-signed with their previous teams before free agency opened also weren’t considered.
With the help of OverTheCap.com’s free agent tracker, here are the largest 2014 free agent contracts by position:
Quarterback:
- Overall: $10.5MM, Matt Cassel (Vikings)
- Per year: $5.25MM, Cassel
- Guarantee: $5.65MM, Cassel
Running back:
- Overall: $10.5MM, Donald Brown (Chargers), Toby Gerhart (Jaguars)
- Per year: $4MM, Chris Johnson (Jets)
- Guarantee: $4.5MM, Gerhart
Wide receiver:
- Overall: $36.25MM, Eric Decker (Jets)
- Per year: $8MM, DeSean Jackson (Redskins)
- Guarantee: $16MM, Jackson
Tight end:
- Overall: $16MM, Brandon Pettigrew (Lions)
- Per year: $4MM, Pettigrew
- Guarantee: $5.2MM, Pettigrew
Offensive tackle:
- Overall: $47MM, Branden Albert (Dolphins)
- Per year: $9.4MM, Albert
- Guarantee: $20MM, Albert
Offensive guard:
- Overall: $31,347,233, Rodger Saffold (Rams)
- Per year: $6,269,447, Saffold
- Guarantee: $11MM, Saffold
Center:
- Overall: $42MM, Alex Mack (Browns)
- Per year: $8.4MM, Mack
- Guarantee: $18MM, Mack
Defensive tackle:
- Overall: $32MM, Paul Soliai (Falcons)
- Per year: $6,875,250, Henry Melton (Cowboys)
- Guarantee: $12.5MM, Linval Joseph (Vikings)
3-4 defensive end:
- Overall: $33MM, Arthur Jones (Colts)
- Per year: $6.6MM, Jones
- Guarantee: $10MM, Jones
4-3 defensive end:
- Overall: $43.75MM, Michael Johnson (Buccaneers)
- Per year: $10MM, DeMarcus Ware (Broncos)
- Guarantee: $19.8MM, Everson Griffen (Vikings)
3-4 outside linebacker:
- Overall: $11.455MM, Brian Orakpo (Redskins)*
- Per year: $11.455MM, Orakpo
- Guarantee: $11.455MM, Orakpo
4-3 outside linebacker:
- Overall: $6.25MM, Dekoda Watson (Jaguars)
- Per year: $2.1MM, Vincent Rey (Bengals)
- Guarantee: $1.5MM, Watson
Inside linebacker:
- Overall: $24MM, Karlos Dansby (Browns)
- Per year: $6MM, Dansby
- Guarantee: $12MM, Dansby
Safety:
- Overall: $54MM, Jairus Byrd (Saints)
- Per year: $9MM, Byrd
- Guarantee: $18.3MM, Byrd
Cornerback:
- Overall: $57MM, Aqib Talib (Broncos)
- Per year: $16MM, Darrelle Revis (Patriots)
- Guarantee: $15MM, Vontae Davis (Colts)
Kicker:
- Overall: $12MM, Nick Folk (Jets)
- Per year: $3.067MM, Phil Dawson (49ers)
- Guarantee: $3.35MM, Steven Hauschka (Seahawks)
Punter:
- Overall: $5.5MM, Donnie Jones (Eagles)
- Per year: $1,833,333, Jones
- Guarantee: $1MM, Jones
* Orakpo accepted and signed a one-year franchise tender from the Redskins, though the two sides may still work out a longer-term deal that reduces the 2014 amount.