Henry Ruggs To Plead Guilty, Face Prison Time In Fatal DUI Case
Henry Ruggs plans to plead guilty to felony counts of DUI resulting in death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. The former Raiders wide receiver reached a plea agreement Tuesday in Las Vegas justice court, Elizabeth Merrill and Anthony Olivieri of ESPN.com report.
Unconditionally waiving his right to a preliminary hearing, Ruggs is set to enter his guilty plea May 10. Ruggs will serve between three and 10 years in the Nevada state prison as a result of this development, according to ESPN. This comes exactly 18 months after Ruggs was arrested following a fatal car accident that killed a woman and her dog in November 2021. Ruggs, 24, also faces a misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charge.
Accused of reaching speeds of 156 mph while impaired in the crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor, Ruggs faced a harsher prison sentence if convicted. This agreement will lead the charge of DUI causing substantial harm and reckless driving charges being dropped. Ruggs refused to take a field sobriety test, but blood tests approximately two hours later revealed a blood-alcohol level of .161, which is more than twice the legal limit.
Ruggs’ Corvette collided with Tintor’s Toyota RAV4, launching the woman’s vehicle 571 feet and set it on fire during the morning of Nov. 2, 2021. The accident occurred just west of The Strip. The Raiders waived Ruggs later that day. He and a female passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.
The Alabama alum had been granted permission to leave home confinement three times per week for workouts. The court also permitted Ruggs to leave for around a month for an unspecified medical treatment. The preliminary hearing had been rescheduled six times, Merrill and Olivieri add.
The Raiders made Ruggs the first wide receiver drafted in 2020, choosing the deep threat 12th overall. Ruggs played 20 games for the team.
Chiefs Re-Sign RB Jerick McKinnon
MAY 2: The Chiefs’ third McKinnon contract is now official, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. While it will be interesting to see the terms of this new contract, McKinnon is set to play an age-32 season in 2023.
MAY 1: A third Jerick McKinnon season in Kansas City will be on tap. After making a tremendous impact in the Chiefs’ passing game last season, the veteran running back is in their 2023 plans.
GM Brett Veach had said the team planned on regrouping with the veteran back after the draft, NFL.com’s James Palmer reports (via Twitter) McKinnon indeed plans to re-sign with the Chiefs. McKinnon intends to ink another Chiefs contract on Tuesday. This pact is set to be finalized a day before McKinnon’s 32nd birthday.
This continues a remarkable turnaround for the former Adrian Peterson Vikings backup. Once on the verge of seeing a severe knee injury end his career, McKinnon has become a valuable contributor for the Chiefs. The former college quarterback did not miss a game last year and enjoyed the best receiving season of his career, catching 56 passes for 512 yards and nine touchdowns. Not only catching two more touchdown passes in a season than any other back in Chiefs history, McKinnon also set a post-merger NFL running back record by catching a TD pass in six straight games.
The 49ers gave McKinnon a four-year, $30MM deal in 2018; Kyle Shanahan saw the ex-Vikings third-round pick as a key passing-game piece. An ACL tear just before the 2018 season led to McKinnon missing all of the 2018 and ’19 campaigns. The 49ers reached a reworked deal with the resilient back in 2020, and during a San Francisco injury avalanche, McKinnon played all 16 games that season. That set the table for McKinnon’s Chiefs run.
Kansas City reached one-year deals with McKinnon in 2021 and ’22. Both have been veteran-minimum accords. McKinnon played last season for $1.27MM. It will be interesting to see if the Chiefs reward McKinnon for his contributions, or if the grim market for veteran backs leads to another bottom-level agreement. While McKinnon played a vital role in Kansas City’s latest Super Bowl-winning season, a number of productive running backs settled for one-year deals south of $3MM. D’Onta Foreman, Damien Harris and Devin Singletary joined ex-McKinnon 49ers teammates Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson in signing one-year contracts at $3MM or less.
McKinnon has helped the Chiefs recover from their Clyde Edwards-Helaire draft mistake. The Chiefs, who had used Damien Williams as their primary post-Kareem Hunt solution during their 2019 Super Bowl-winning season, turned to Edwards-Helaire after the veteran’s COVID-19 opt-out. The Chiefs released Williams in 2021 and ended up deploying McKinnon as their primary playoff back. McKinnon teamed with 2022 seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco as the Chiefs’ stretch-run options; CEH was a Super Bowl LVII healthy scratch. McKinnon played 30 offensive snaps in the Super Bowl.
While Edwards-Helaire’s first-round contract runs through 2023, this latest McKinnon agreement looks set to greenlight more of the Pacheco-McKinnon tandem as the Chiefs begin their title defense.
Lions Contemplating Jared Goff Extension
After the Lions drafted one of the more high-profile quarterbacks in this year’s class, questions were raised regarding the long-term future of Jared Goff in Detroit. A new deal keeping him in place could be on the horizon, though.
During an appearance on 97.1 WXYT-FM, general manager Brad Holmes confirmed that extension talks have begun between the team and Goff’s representatives. “Yeah, we’ve had internal dialogue there,” Holmes said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “We’ve had dialogue with his agent and we’re in a good place right now.” 
Goff, 28, earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2022 for his impressive performance in guiding the Lions to a late-season push for a playoff spot. The former first overall pick posted his highest passer rating since 2018, and went nine straight games to close out the campaign without throwing an interception. However, he is only under contract for two more seasons (at cap hits of $30.975MM and $31.975MM), and the absence of guarantees in 2024 would make it easy for the team to move on that year.
For that reason, many have pointed to this season as being Goff’s last in the Motor City. Prior to the draft, no talks had taken place regarding an extension, which seemed to leave the door open to an eventual successor being drafted. The Lions did indeed add a signal-caller, selecting Hendon Hooker in the third round after a somewhat surprising fall down the board. The Tennessee product generated first-round buzz but was expected to hear his name called no later than the second round.
Hooker is coming off a torn ACL which will limit his availability as a rookie. That will hinder his acclimation to the pro game, something which is of particular concern considering his age (25) upon arrival in the NFL. Holmes confirmed that the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year will essentially have a redshirt campaign as the No. 3 quarterback in 2023.
“Obviously he’ll be a rookie and he’s going to have to transition into playing in a different type of scheme, but we’re really excited about his upside, so how NFL ready are a lot of quarterbacks that you acquire?” Holmes added. “And that’s just part of the normal development process and again, just a testament of I think we have the right situation for him, just to come and sit back, see how Jared and [backup] Nate [Sudfeld] do things and just develop.”
Expectations will be raised for the Lions’ offense, which added running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round – later than they were willing to draft him – this season. Another strong campaign from Goff could make his financial situation even more interesting (and the team’s decision with him more difficult), especially with his potential replacement now in the fold.
TE Adam Trautman Requested Trade From Saints
Much has been made about the D’Andre Swift trade which took place over the weekend, but another notable swap happened during the draft. New Orleans dealt tight end Adam Trautman to the Broncos, allowing him to play out his contract year in a new offense. The motivation for the trade was player-driven. 
“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Trautman said, via 9News’ Mike Klis, when asked if he was satisfied with being traded away from the Saints. “I was actually hoping to get moved. This was initiated by me personally. I’ve been waiting for a little bit for something to materialize and it just happened to be the Broncos, obviously.”
ESPN’s Katherine Terrell confirms that Trautman first asked to be dealt in February, and that Denver emerged as an interested suitor (Twitter link). That comes as no surprise, given the presence of former Saints head coach Sean Payton on the sidelines in Denver. In his new home, the former third-rounder will look to operate in more of a pass-catching role than he has over the past three years.
“I feel like I was placed somewhat in a box [in New Orleans]” Trautman added. “They put a limit on what I could contribute and I felt like I could contribute a lot more. I was primarily used as a blocker. I thought I could do more and I didn’t want to get to the end of my career and think I could have done it, caught the ball a little more.”
Trautman, 26, started 28 of the 43 contests he played in with the Saints, seeing considerable playing time in the past two seasons in particular. Still, he managed just 470 yards and three touchdowns during that span. New Orleans made converted receiver Juwan Johnson a higher priority by re-signing him, which paved the way for Trautman to be included in a trade ahead of his walk year. Another factor on that front was his willingness to re-work his contract and lower his 2023 base salary, albeit in a way in which incentives could allow him to earn much of it back (Twitter link via Klis).
The latter had a highly productive career at Dayton, totaling 171 receptions, 2,295 yards and 31 touchdowns across four years. He will look to once again showcase his pass-catching skills in Denver, though 2022 third-rounder Greg Dulcich will represent stiff competition for a starting role. How much Trautman can translate his new opportunity into success will go a long way in determining his market value as a free agent next offseason.
Giants Pick Up LT Andrew Thomas’ Fifth-Year Option
The Giants had one of the easier decisions to make with respect to today’s deadline on fifth-year options. As expected, they have exercised the option on left tackle Andrew Thomas, per a team announcement. 
The 24-year old will now be on the books for at least the next two seasons, with a 2024 cap hit of $14.175MM. That figure is lowered by the fact that Thomas has yet to earn a Pro Bowl nod, but all-star appearances could be in his future considering his career ascent. His level of play in 2022 has put him squarely on the radar for a long-term deal.
Such a move could come later this offseason, a reflection of how the Georgia alum is viewed by the Giants’ front office. Thomas has taken a considerable step forward in terms of PFF evaluation in each of his three seasons, developing from a player who appeared to have been a reach at No. 4 overall to one of the game’s best pass protectors. He earned a stellar overall grade of 90.3 in 2022, ranking him third amongst qualifying tackles.
The 2020 first-round class has seen a mixed bag of results with options being picked up or declined, including along the offensive line. Thomas has proven to be a worthwhile investment for the Giants, a team which has both he and quarterback Daniel Jones in place for multiple seasons (along with another foundational piece, running back Saquon Barkley, in the fold for at least the 2023 campaign on the franchise tag).
A long-term Thomas accord will be worth far more than the price of the option next year, with Laremy Tunsil‘s latest Texans deal (three years, $75MM) considered by many to be the floor for any agreement. At a minimum, Thomas can be expected to become only the fourth blindside blocker in the league to reach the $20MM-per-year mark. If negotiations stall out this summer, the Giants will have an extended period to get a contract worked out with the anchor of their offensive front down the road.
Lions Eyed CB Devon Witherspoon; Team Considered Taking Jahmyr Gibbs At No. 6
Decisions to use No. 12 and No. 18 overall picks on a running back (Jahmyr Gibbs) and an off-ball linebacker (Jack Campbell) brought some scrutiny for the Lions. Another organizational plan would have generated more attention during Round 1.
The Lions were prepared to pounce on Devon Witherspoon if the Seahawks went in another direction, with Albert Breer of SI.com indicating the Lions regarded the Illinois cornerback as a clean prospect. But the Seahawks deviated from their past at the corner position and chose Witherspoon at No. 5, leaving the Lions in a bind.
That predicament stemmed from the team placing a much higher-than-expected value on Gibbs. After the Seahawks drafted Witherspoon, GM Brad Holmes spoke with Dan Campbell about pivoting to Gibbs at 6. While Breer adds the Lions’ initial plan was not to draft the Alabama dual threat that high, they were prepared to do so until the Cardinals called about their trade offer to secure Paris Johnson. That move to No. 12 allowed the Lions to pick up draft capital, avoiding a wildly unexpected scenario in which Gibbs went off the board before Bijan Robinson.
Teams’ interest in Gibbs became known during draft week, when reports circulated about some clubs rating former Crimson Tide contributor in the same realm as Robinson. Gibbs topped 440 receiving yards in each of the past two years, and the Lions are prepared to use thee rookie as a multipurpose back to complement David Montgomery. Holmes has acknowledged the positional value-based criticism that has come with selecting a running back 12th overall, and the Lions had the option of drafting Jalen Carter or Tyree Wilson at No. 6. Taking Gibbs over those two pass rushers would have doubled as one of the more fascinating moves in recent draft history, but the Lions added No. 34 and No. 168 to move down six spots.
Detroit did not bring Witherspoon in for a visit, and neither Campbell nor Holmes trekked to Champaign for his pro day. The Seahawks had never drafted a corner higher than 90th (Shaquill Griffin) under the John Schneider–Pete Carroll regime, but Witherspoon will team with Tariq Woolen in Seattle. Witherspoon remaining on the board at 5 helped the Seahawks resist a trade-down urge. The Lions have made a few significant additions to their secondary this offseason, signing Cameron Sutton, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Emmanuel Moseley. After the Seahawks chose Witherspoon, the Lions added Alabama DB Brian Branch in Round 2.
The team initially wanted to draft either Witherspoon or Will Anderson Jr. at No. 6, per Breer, and trade up from No. 18 for Gibbs. Trading out of No. 6 obviously reflected Lions hesitancy regarding Carter and the team placing a value gap between Anderson and Wilson. The Lions moving to 12 also kept them in front of two teams they heard were Gibbs fans — the Patriots (No. 14) and Jets (No. 15). A scouting trip to last season’s Alabama-Texas game alerted Holmes to Gibbs, and he will replace D’Andre Swift in the Motor City.
The Gibbs pick prompted the Eagles to act quickly. They swapped seventh-round picks with the Lions sent the NFC North franchise a 2025 fourth for Swift, who joins Rashaad Penny as Philly offseason backfield additions. Holmes and Eagles GM Howie Roseman discussed the Swift trade for “a few days.”
“It’s my job to keep laser-focused on the present but probably even more importantly, keep laser-focused on the future,” Holmes said, via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett. “And that’s what went into a lot of the decisions with having to make the trade with D’Andre Swift to Philly. He was in the last year of his contract and if I go back to last year, I felt really good about us being able to bring back Jamaal Williams. I felt confident as the season ended. I felt good with our conversations with his camp, and it didn’t happen. So you have to just be prepared for all those things.”
Williams did not speak highly of the Lions’ offer; last season’s rushing touchdowns leader is now with the Saints on a three-year, $12MM deal. Montgomery signed a three-year, $18MM pact with the Lions. He and Gibbs now comprise Detroit’s backfield, with the latter on a first-round contract that could have checked in at a higher draft slot.
2024 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker
NFL teams have until May 2 to officially pick up fifth-year options on 2020 first-rounders who are entering the final year of their rookie deals. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of the player’s position, initial draft placement and performance- and usage-based benchmarks:
- Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternate Pro Bowlers) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag.
- One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag.
- Players who achieve any of the following will get the average of the third-20th highest salaries at their position:
- At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
- A 75% snap average across all three seasons
- At least 50% in each of first three seasons
- Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position.
With the deadline looming, we’ll use the space below to track all the option decisions from around the league:
- QB Joe Burrow, Bengals ($29.5MM): Exercised
- DE Chase Young, Commanders ($17.45MM): Declined
- CB Jeff Okudah, Falcons* ($11.51MM): N/A
- T Andrew Thomas, Giants ($14.18MM): Exercised
- QB Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins ($23.2MM): Exercised
- QB Justin Herbert, Chargers ($29.5MM): Exercised
- DT Derrick Brown, Panthers ($11.67MM): Exercised
- LB Isaiah Simmons, Cardinals ($12.72MM): Declined
- CB C.J. Henderson, Jaguars** ($11.51MM): Declined
- T Jedrick Wills, Browns ($14.18MM): Exercised
- T Mekhi Becton, Jets ($12.57MM): Declined
- WR Henry Ruggs, Raiders: N/A
- T Tristan Wirfs, Buccaneers ($18.24MM): Exercised
- DT Javon Kinlaw, 49ers ($10.46MM): Declined
- WR Jerry Jeudy, Broncos ($14.12MM): Exercised
- CB AJ Terrell, Falcons ($12.34MM): Exercised
- WR CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys ($17.99MM): Exercised
- OL Austin Jackson, Dolphins ($14.18MM): Declined
- CB Damon Arnette, Raiders: N/A
- DE K’Lavon Chaisson, Jaguars ($12.14MM): Declined
- WR Jalen Reagor, Vikings*** ($12.99MM): To decline
- WR Justin Jefferson, Vikings ($19.74MM): Exercised
- LB Kenneth Murray, Chargers ($11.73MM): Declined
- G Cesar Ruiz, Saints ($14.18MM): Declined
- WR Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers ($14.12MM): Exercised
- QB Jordan Love, Packers ($20.27MM): Extended through 2024
- LB Jordyn Brooks, Seahawks ($12.72MM): Declined
- LB Patrick Queen, Ravens ($12.72MM): Declined
- T Isaiah Wilson, Titans: N/A
- CB Noah Igbinoghene, Dolphins ($11.51MM): Declined
- CB Jeff Gladney, Vikings: N/A
- RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs ($5.46MM): To decline
* = Lions traded Okudah on April 11, 2023
** = Jaguars traded Henderson on Sept. 27, 2021
*** = Eagles traded Reagor on August 31, 2022
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/23
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: P Joseph Charlton
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: S Tyree Gillespie, OL Jimmy Murray
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: S Jalen Elliott, T Sebastian Gutierrez
Charlton, who spent training camp with the Browns last year, has not seen game action since the 2021 season. The South Carolina alum spent the 2020 season as the Panthers’ full-time punter. The Browns signed ex-Colt Corey Bojorquez to be their punter earlier this offseason.
Gillespie signed a reserve/futures deal with the Jaguars in January. The young defensive back landed in Jacksonville after the Titans waived him last summer. Tennessee had previously acquired Gillespie from the Raiders via trade. The former fourth-round Raiders pick played in three Jags games last season.
Packers Sign 12 UDFAs
With the draft in the rearview mirror, teams’ undrafted free agent contingents are surfacing. The Packers announced theirs, a 12-man class. Here is how that group stacks up:
- LB Keshawn Banks (San Diego State)
- LB Brenton Cox Jr. (Florida)
- G Chuck Filiaga (Minnesota)
- WR Malik Heath (Ole Miss)
- DL Jason Lewan (Illinois State)
- TE Camren McDonald (Florida State)
- S Christian Morgan (Baylor)
- FB Henry Pearson (Appalachian State)
- LB Jimmy Phillips Jr. (SMU)
- S Benny Sapp III (Northern Iowa)
- T Kadeem Telfort (UAB)
- WR Duece Watts (Tulane)
As was the case last year, 2023 UDFA groups will come in older than the ones in the 2010s. The NCAA’s extraordinary rule change granting players whose careers were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic an additional season of eligibility continues to impact college rosters and the NFL. While players atop the draft are mostly unaffected, late-rounders and the UDFA tier will produce plenty of mid-20-somethings.
Benny Sapp III is the son of former Chiefs, Vikings and Dolphins defensive back Benny Sapp Jr. The Division I-FCS product participated in 19 games in 2021, with the pandemic moving FCS and Division II to the spring, and finished his 2022 senior season as an All-American. A Minnesota transfer, Sapp intercepted four passes and forced two fumbles last season. Filiaga spent five seasons at Michigan before joining the Golden Gophers; he worked as Minnesota’s full-time right guard last season.
Heath also made an intraconference transfer, changing Egg Bowl sides by moving from Mississippi State to Ole Miss. The 6-foot-2, 213-pound wideout produced his best season with the Rebels, catching 60 passes for 971 yards and five touchdowns. Watts joins Heath in following a three-wideout Packers draft class. Watts caught eight touchdown passes for the Green Wave last season, averaging 19.9 yards per catch. Pearson
A Florida transfer, Telfort earned first-team All-Conference USA acclaim as the Blazers’ left tackle. Telfort blocked for UAB running back DeWayne McBride; a Vikings fifth-round pick, McBride led Division I-FBS in rushing yards per game last season. Cox totaled eight sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss for the Gators in 2021 but saw his 2022 season come to an end early due to a dismissal from the team.
Broncos Field Calls On Wide Receivers
MAY 1: As expected, the calls did pertain to Jeudy and Sutton’s availability, Breer adds. Although the Broncos crowded their receiver room by drafting Mims, the Payton-Paton regime stuck to their previous Jeudy-Sutton prices — a first-rounder for Jeudy, a second for Sutton. Those picks would now need to come in the 2024 draft (or later, potentially). But momentum has slowed on a Jeudy or Sutton trade. The Broncos picked up Jeudy’s fifth-year option Monday.
APRIL 29: The Broncos made their first Sean Payton-era pick a fairly surprising one, trading into the back of the second round for Oklahoma wide receiver Marvin Mims. As a result, Denver’s receiver room is crowded.
Already rostering former first-round pick Jerry Jeudy and ex-second-rounders Courtland Sutton and KJ Hamler, Denver has UDFA success story Tim Patrick fully cleared from his training camp ACL tear. The team also signed ex-Payton Saints charge Marquez Callaway in free agency. It certainly seems like the group could be broken up, on some level, after the team chose Mims at No. 63.
Indeed, Albert Breer of SI.com reports the Broncos received a few calls on two of their receivers after taking Mims (Twitter link). It is fair to assume that, since Patrick is coming off an ACL tear and Hamler is rehabbing a torn pectoral muscle, the calls came in for oft-discussed trade candidates Jeudy and Sutton.
Denver has set a high price on its top two wideouts, having sought a first-rounder for Jeudy and a second for Sutton. Payton and GM George Paton said the plan is for Jeudy to be back, and Payton also said the team does not intend to trade Sutton. Drafts can change teams’ plans, but the Broncos have rebuffed offers thus far. Teams are also being stingy with 2024 picks, per Breer, who adds that draft is viewed as stronger than this one — particularly toward the top.
The Broncos, who also have return man Montrell Washington on their roster, drafted Mims in part for his return capabilities. But the Oklahoma speedster should be expected to mix in on offense early. That puts Hamler’s deep-threat role in question, assuming the Broncos hang onto Jeudy and Sutton. While the Broncos drafted Hamler in the 2020 second round, the ex-Penn State speed merchant has been unable to stay healthy as a pro.