49ers Invite K Kenneth Almendares To Rookie Minicamp
The 49ers have invited Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun kicker Kenneth Almendares to their rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Almendares won the Lou Groza Award as the top kicker in college football after a stellar 2024 season. He made 28 of his 31 field goal attempts with a long of 53 yards with conversions on all but one of his 47 extra points. The 25-year-old also earned first-team All-American and first-team All-Sun Belt honors.
If Almendares impresses in his tryout, he could have an opportunity to push Jake Moody – himself a Lou Groza winner at Michigan in 2021 – for the 49ers’ kicking job.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said in early April that the team would bring in competition for Moody after a disappointing 2024 season, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. The 2023 third-round pick missed time with an ankle injury and converted just 24 of his 34 field goal attempts after making 21 of his 25 tries as a rookie.
Moody especially struggled from distance last year. Six of his nine attempts from 40 or more yards in 2023 went through the uprights, but only 10 of his 20 such attempts in 2024 did the same. Almendares, meanwhile, led the FBS in made field goals in 2024 with a 90.3% conversion rate that ranked first among all kickers with at least 25 attempts.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/25
Here are the latest minor moves from around the NFL:
Houston Texans
- Waived: DT Jayden Peevy
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Collin Johnson
Chargers To Decline Zion Johnson’s Fifth-Year Option
The Chargers are declining offensive guard Zion Johnson‘s fifth-year option, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic, setting up the 2022 No. 17 pick to hit free agency in 2026.
The decision is no surprise given the $17.56MM price tag. Johnson has started 49 of the Chargers’ 51 regular-season games since he was drafted – all at left guard – but he has struggled to live up to his first-round billing.
General manager Joe Hortiz said that the team would try Johnson at center this offseason, but he’ll have veteran competition in 2024 starter Bradley Bozeman and free agent signing Andre James.
Johnson could still factor into the picture at left guard after starting there for the last three years, including 2024 under new offensive coordinator Greg Roman. His competition would likely be Trey Pipkins and Jamaree Salyer, who both started multiple games at right guard in Los Angeles last year. (New Chargers signing Mekhi Becton is expected to take over at right guard in 2025 after his success in Philadelphia last season.)
Declining Johnson’s fifth-year option makes interior offensive line a significant need for the Chargers beyond 2025. Johnson, Salyer, Pipkins, and James will all be free agents after the season, and Bozeman and Becton only signed two-year deals this offseason. Despite that, the Chargers waited until the sixth round to draft an offensive lineman last weekend.
They used a sixth-round pick on Branson Taylor, who played both tackle spots at Pittsburgh but will likely be moved to guard in the NFL due to his sub-33-inch arms. His mass and power make him a strong fit in Roman’s scheme, but he will still need time to adjust to a new position and the jump in competition.
Johnson, meanwhile, will likely be seeking for a new home next offseason, as players whose fifth-year options are declined rarely stay with the team that drafted them. He may not have emerged as an elite guard worthy of a first-round pick, but he is still a capable start as a position whose value has skyrocketed over the last two seasons. If Johnson can keep a starting job in Los Angeles, either at guard or center, he could cash in next March.
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs Won’t Be Ready For Training Camp
Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs is not expected to be ready for training camp as he works his way back from knee surgery, per Clarence Hill of DLLS Sports.
Injuries have not been kind to Diggs over the last two years. He tore his ACL after just two games in 2023, requiring an extensive rehab process that sidelined him until August 2024. He played through a calf injury to start the first 10 games of the season before his knee flared up, sidelining him for two games. He returned to played a full game in Week 14, but was shut down for surgery shortly after.
The Cowboys were frustrated with how Diggs handled his recovery in 2023, according to Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News, particularly his absence at team facilities during his rehab. When he injured the same knee in 2024, the team had renewed concerns, something team owner and general manager Jerry Jones hinted at recently.
“He’s more subject to injury. He’s learned that one time,” said Jones when asked about Diggs before the draft (via Watkins). “My point is, I have a lot of hope that his actual rehab and experience from the time before is really helping him out, and I think it has.”
Jones added that Diggs is “working hard” and hopes that his commitment to his rehab process will allow him to come back “quicker” and “sounder.”
Diggs’ absence at the start of the season could put pressure on third-round pick Shavon Revel to play early as a rookie. However, the Eastern Carolina product is recovering from a knee injury of his own and is not expected to be ready for the start of training camp.
A mid-camp return is more likely for Revel, whose torn ACL was repaired by Cowboys team orthopedis Dr. Dan Cooper, according to ESPN’s Ed Werder. That connection may have given Dallas more confidence in drafting Revel after he fell below his second-round draft projection.
Seahawks Looking Into CB Addition
The Seahawks added a key piece to their secondary in the draft, trading up to No. 35 for South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori. The team also added two guards, two tight ends and two wide receivers to round out an 11-pick class.
While Emmanwori will add a 4.35 40-yard dash time to Seattle’s secondary, the team looks to be a bit light at cornerback coming out of the draft. No corners arrived last weekend, and GM John Schneider described the situation (via The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar) as needing more work.
[RELATED: Seahawks Make Team History, Pick Up Charles Cross’ Fifth-Year Option]
Seattle lost part-time contributor Tre Brown to San Francisco in free agency. After injuries marred Brown’s first two seasons, he started 10 games from 2023-24. The team still rosters Riq Woolen, but he is now going into a contract year. Ditto Josh Jobe, a UDFA who started six games for the team last season. The Seahawks re-signed Jobe to a one-year, $2MM deal before free agency; that deal checked in considerably lower than the bottom-end RFA tender price ($3.26MM) that otherwise would have been required to retain Jobe. As Devon Witherspoon anchors this group, adding competition for the spot alongside he and Woolen makes sense.
Pro Football Focus ranked Jobe near the bottom (107th) among CB regulars last season. He logged 443 defensive snaps, the third-most among Seattle corners in 2024. The Seahawks have 2024 fifth-round pick Nehemiah Pritchett at the position, but Emmanwori’s arrival could open the door to another solution. Safety Coby Bryant spent extensive time at corner in college; the Cincinnati product converted to safety while a Seahawk but was twice a first-team All-American Athletic Conference CB. Regardless of Bryant’s position, he joins Woolen and Jobe in entering a contract year.
If another Bryant shift is not deemed a sufficient solution, the Seahawks would have a few intriguing outside options. The run on third-contract-seeking corners stopped without Rasul Douglas landing a job. Asante Samuel Jr. also has not signed as a free agent. PFR ranked both among the top 50 free agents in this year’s class. The Dolphins also cut Kendall Fuller after one season, while the Commanders did not re-sign 2024 Fuller replacement Michael Davis. The Raiders also recently released two-year starter Jack Jones, while the Steelers have not re-signed Cameron Sutton. Ex-Seahawk Shaquill Griffin worked out for the team in April.
The dead money remaining on Jalen Ramsey‘s contract would point to the Dolphins giving strong consideration to making that trade after June 1; the Rams are one of the interested teams. Clubs, however, are balking at taking on the All-Pro’s 2025 money. And the Seahawks have not traditionally spent heavily at corner, mostly relying on rookie-deal players following Richard Sherman‘s 2014 extension. They let Griffin and Reed find big money elsewhere in the past, and with Witherspoon set to command upper-crust CB money come 2026, the team has a Woolen decision to make. Though, the Seahawks’ past decisions to let CBs find paydays elsewhere came during Pete Carroll‘s watch — and most of that period involved a top-market Russell Wilson contract headlining the payroll.
For now, the Seahawks have several options to choose from if they are committed to finding a player to work alongside Witherspoon and Woolen this season. Bigger-picture questions loom in the not-too-distant future.
Texans Attempted To Trade Up For WR Emeka Egbuka; Rams Showed Interest?
As we come out of the draft, the annual tradition of what-ifs regarding high-value investments persists. The Falcons probably would not have traded a 2026 first-round pick had Jalon Walker been off the board (as the team expected) by No. 15, while the Cowboys had Tetairoa McMillan in their sights — before a Panthers move for the WR preceded Dallas not selecting a wideout at all last weekend.
The Broncos also eyed a trade-down move for TreVeyon Henderson; instead, they stood pat and circled back to their running back need at No. 60 (R.J. Harvey). Henderson saw four of his Buckeyes teammates go in Round 1. While Donovan Jackson (Vikings), Tyleik Williams (Lions) and Josh Simmons (Chiefs) came off the board during the second part of the round, Emeka Egbuka looks to have drawn the most interest.
Prior to the Buccaneers drafting Egbuka at No. 19, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes the Texans (No. 25) were believed to have made a trade-up effort to land him. An accomplished Buckeyes receiver who profiled as a slot option, Egbuka landed in Tampa despite the Buccaneers already carrying an apparent surplus at the position. The Bucs moving Egbuka off the board at 19 looks to have stopped the trade calls, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero said during a Dan Patrick Show appearance.
The Rams (No. 26) also were believed to be eyeing Egbuka, per Pelissero, who corroborates Breer’s account on the Texans’ interest. Both the Texans and Rams, who had been calling teams in front of them before the Bucs’ surprise WR move, then traded out of the first round.
Houston lost Tank Dell to a second major injury — this one potentially threatening to sideline him for much of the 2025 season — and a visibly distraught C.J. Stroud looked on as an ambulance transported Dell out of Arrowhead Stadium. The Texans then let Stefon Diggs defect to the Patriots in free agency, after seeing the veteran tear an ACL near the midseason point. Although receiver reinforcements came later in the draft, the Texans attempted to reunite Stroud with one of his college weapons.
Egbuka stayed at Ohio State for four years, moving past 2004 first-rounder Michael Jenkins to become the Buckeyes’ career receiving leader (2,868 yards). A four-year career and an extended season boosted Egbuka’s chances to reach No. 1 on that list, but he entered the draft as one of this year’s safest prospects. The Bucs concurred, as GM Jason Licht said during a Rich Eisen Show appearance (h/t JoeBucsfan.com) Egbuka carried a top-10 grade on the team’s board.
The Bucs drafted Egbuka despite using a third-round pick on Jalen McMillan and continuing to re-sign Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The latter turned down bigger offers elsewhere — one almost definitely from the Patriots — to sign a three-year, $66MM Bucs deal. Evans is in a contract year once again, but for 2025 at least, Tampa Bay is quite deep at receiver thanks to Egbuka’s arrival.
Stroud’s Buckeyes career overlapped with Egbuka from 2021-22. Although Egbuka shifted to a Marvin Harrison Jr. sidekick (after playing alongside Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson in 2021), his career-best 1,151-yard receiving total came with Stroud at the controls in ’22. The Texans later targeted Iowa State’s receiving corps to stock theirs, adding Jayden Higgins in Round 2 and Jaylin Noel in Round 3. That Cyclones duo will join Nico Collins, Christian Kirk and John Metchie in Houston.
The Rams did not draft a receiver until Round 7 (Pitt’s Konata Mumpfield), but they did see Puka Nacua miss a chunk of last season. That said, Los Angeles both re-signed Tutu Atwell (on a one-year deal) and added Davante Adams. The latter’s contract also includes an out after Year 1, keeping another WR addition on the L.A. radar.
Cowboys Passing On CB Kaiir Elam’s Fifth-Year Option
The Bills effectively admitted a mistake on Kaiir Elam, trading the former first-rounder in a pick-swap deal that only produced a 2025 fifth. The Cowboys took a flier on the fourth-year cornerback, but they will not authorize an eight-figure guarantee to conduct an extended evaluation.
One of this year’s easier fifth-year option decisions to predict, Elam will see his declined, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Elam will move into a contract year. Although Elam’s lack of playing time would have tied him to the lowest number on the CB option ladder ($12.68MM), that still represents a tough ask based on his performance to date.
[RELATED: 2026 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
Buffalo traded up to No. 23 for Elam in 2022, though it is believed the team’s top CB target was Trent McDuffie. The future Chiefs standout is now a two-time All-Pro (though, his lack of a Pro Bowl nod left him eligible for a cheaper fifth-year option price), and Elam’s Bills swan song featured Kansas City targeting the backup after Christian Benford‘s latest ill-timed injury. Elam’s chance to rebound after the extended AFC championship game cameo will come in Dallas.
While Elam was ticketed to play opposite Tre’Davious White once the former All-Pro recovered from a 2021 ACL tear, Benford’s rise impeded that. Elam was given more chances to start, but the Florida alum could not capitalize on them. Following White’s Achilles tear in October 2023, the Bills traded for Rasul Douglas to play opposite Benford. That setup lasted 1 1/2 years, as Elam only played as a backup during Douglas’ time in Buffalo.
The Cowboys have some questions at corner, having seen Trevon Diggs go down with a second major knee injury. The former All-Pro is not viewed as a lock to begin the season on time, opening a door for Elam. But the Cowboys also used a second-round pick on East Carolina’s Shavon Revel. A first-round talent, Revel slipped to the second because of an ACL tear sustained last year. Revel is expected to be ready before the regular season. Elam, then, profiles as a backup and potential insurance option for a Cowboys team that returns All-Pro DaRon Bland.
The recoveries of Diggs and Revel will open the door to extensive offseason work, and potentially training camp first-string reps, for Elam. The soon-to-be 24-year-old defender has made 12 career starts. It will be interesting to see if Dallas adds another starter-level option as Diggs insurance, but as of now, Elam is that player heading into OTAs.
J.J. McCarthy Addresses Recovery From Meniscus Procedures
J.J. McCarthy has seen the Vikings present him with a golden opportunity. The team passed on franchise-tagging Sam Darnold and then let the bounce-back starter walk, and it did not outbid the Colts for Daniel Jones.
The Vikings have since effectively stiff-armed Aaron Rodgers, who had informed the team it stood atop his destination list. Rodgers may be down to Steelers or retirement, though he has continued to keep the AFC North team at arm’s length. Minnesota, however, added a clear backup option during the draft by acquiring Sam Howell from the Seahawks. Howell’s full 2023 season as a Commanders starter notwithstanding, McCarthy’s path to a 2025 starting job remains clear.
As this chance awaits, McCarthy said he is fully recovered from the two meniscus procedures that defined his rookie year. Kevin O’Connell said (via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert) the second-year quarterback will have no restrictions during the Vikings’ offseason program. While pressure will await as McCarthy prepares to take the reins for a team that went 14-3 last season, the former national championship-winning passer expects to be at the controls in Week 1.
“I know I’m ready to start,” McCarthy said (via Seifert), “because of all the work I’ve put in and just the confidence in my skills and abilities and just being able to do my job. And to simplify things to the best of my ability every single day. I have a tremendous coaching staff, a tremendous group of guys around me that I can lean on and they can lean on me.”
Although McCarthy’s weight dropped into the 180s during his recovery, the Michigan product said he is back up to his 215 playing weight. This post-surgery road, though, included a November hiccup; swelling led to a PRP injection. Since that point, McCarthy has ramped up and will be ready to throw once the Vikings begin OTAs this month.
McCarthy, 22, was poised to challenge Darnold for Minnesota’s starting job at some point last year. While Darnold was to be the Vikes’ Week 1 starter, McCarthy was on track to put that status in question. Though, the way Darnold performed, a full-season redshirt for the rookie would have certainly been in the equation had McCarthy stayed healthy. Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5MM Seahawks deal, removing a bridge from the Vikings’ 2025 QB blueprint.
In addition to McCarthy, O’Connell said Christian Darrisaw has not endured any setbacks during rehab from ACL and MCL tears. With that injury occurring in late October, Darrisaw returning by Week 1 will be in play. The Vikings let fill-in Cam Robinson defect to the Texans in free agency. Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon, who suffered an ACL tear in July, will be expected to return to football activities by spring’s end, O’Connell added (via the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling). O’Connell added Javon Hargrave and Will Fries, free agents coming off season ending injuries (pectoral tear, broken leg), will likely be limited to start the offseason program.
Elsewhere on the Vikings’ roster, Isaiah Rodgers is set to compete for a starting job. The team re-signed Byron Murphy hours after it added Rodgers, but O’Connell confirmed (via Seifert) DC Brian Flores targeted the recent Eagles contributor for his defense. Flores also pushed for Blake Cashman and for an Andrew Van Ginkel reunion. Those additions helped Minnesota form a top-five defense, and they could help give the veteran coach some room to give Rodgers a long look as a starter.
A nine-game Colts starter in 2022, Rodgers has started three games since his 2023 gambling suspension. Veteran Jeff Okudah, given a one-year deal worth $2.35MM, is aboard as potential insurance. Rodgers signed a two-year, $11MM contract that came with nearly $8MM guaranteed at signing.
Packers To Decline LB Quay Walker’s Fifth-Year Option
The run of teams declining fifth-year options on off-ball linebackers will continue via a Green Bay decision. The Packers have expressed interest in a Quay Walker second contract, but their Thursday decision will put him on track for free agency sooner.
Green Bay will decline Walker’s 2026 option, ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky reports. Picking up the option would have meant authorizing a $14.75MM guarantee for next season. Considering the trend teams have set at the position in recent springs, it is unsurprising the Packers will proceed this way with Walker’s rookie contract. This comes a day after the Pack exercised Devonte Wyatt‘s option. Though, Demovsky adds Walker remains in the team’s long-term plans.
[RELATED: Packers Sign LB Isaiah Simmons]
Over the past three offseasons, Patrick Queen, Kenneth Murray, Isaiah Simmons, Jordyn Brooks and Jamin Davis had seen their options declined. The Jaguars passed on Devin Lloyd‘s on Wednesday. While some of these players did not justify a notable Year 5 guarantee, teams are passing on these payments in large part because the option formula groups all linebackers together. Thus, the ILB numbers are being boosted by the edge rusher market.
No team has picked up an off-ball LB’s fifth-year option since the Buccaneers exercised Devin White‘s in 2022. That decision did not end up paying off, and teams have strictly capped first-round ILB contracts at four years since.
Early-career maturity issues aside, Walker has proven a valuable player for the Packers. One of five Georgia defenders chosen in the 2022 first round, Walker arrived via the pick (No. 22) the Packers obtained from the Raiders in the Davante Adams trade. While the Packers have largely kept Wyatt a rotational player, they plugged Walker into the starting lineup early. Walker has started 43 of his 44 career games.
Walker is 3-for-3 in career 100-tackle seasons, and he notched a career-high nine TFLs last year. Like White, Pro Football Focus has never taken to Walker’s game. The advanced metrics website has yet to rank Walker as a top-60 off-ball LB in a season, slotting him 63rd in 2024. The Packers have deployed Walker as a regular throughout his career, and they respectively used him on 91% and 89% of their defensive snaps in 2023 and ’24. Though, lower-cost options being acquired could impact Green Bay’s decision on an extension.
Brian Gutekunst said on multiple occasions this offseason the team was interested in a second contract, but the Packers also used second- and third-round picks on ILBs last year. Second-rounder Edgerrin Cooper impressed as a rookie, becoming the team’s other three-down ‘backer. Third-rounder Ty’Ron Hopper did not see much playing time (18 defensive snaps in 17 games), but he also would profile as a potential option in the event Walker leaves as a 2026 free agent.
AFC West Rumors: Chiefs, Chargers, Miller
The Chiefs took a gamble on injured tackle Josh Simmons, who saw a patellar tendon tear ding his draft stock a bit. The Ohio State standout went down six games into the season, and some debate existed going into the draft about his availability for the season. Simmons said (via The Athletic’s Mike Jones) a July return point, potentially in time for training camp, is expected. The Chiefs have doubled up on tackles this offseason, adding Simmons after giving Jaylon Moore a two-year, $30MM deal in the early hours of the legal tampering period. Kansas City, which used four LT starters last season before its makeshift setup unraveled in the Super Bowl, has seen extensive turnover here since Eric Fisher‘s 2020 AFC championship game injury. If Simmons makes his way to the LT role early, it is worth wondering the team’s Moore plan.
Andy Reid said the Chiefs view Moore as capable of playing multiple O-line positions. Seeing as Moore has never played a guard snap in the NFL, this would mean those positions are LT and RT. Jawaan Taylor has underwhelmed at RT, becoming known for penalties and a phantom start that could draw more. The Chiefs guaranteed Taylor’s $20MM 2025 compensation in 2024, but Moore could potentially compete with the free agency miss this offseason. For now, Moore appears to be a Chiefs stopgap at left tackle.
Here is the latest from the AFC West:
- Although Kolton Miller has made it known he wants a new contract, The Athletic’s Tashan Reed notes the veteran Raiders left tackle has reported for voluntary workouts. The mid-April report pertaining to Miller’s interest in a raise suggested the eighth-year blocker would stay away; his reporting could be a sign the new Las Vegas regime is willing to play ball. One season remains on Miller’s deal, and he saw a few of his LT peers (Dion Dawkins, Taylor Decker, Garett Bolles) extended in their contract years. Those deals helped bump Miller ($18MM AAV), with assists to Ronnie Stanley and Alaric Jackson‘s March re-signings, to the 13th-highest-paid player at his position. The team did not use a first-round pick on a tackle, a rumored scenario, but did add developmental option Charles Grant (William & Mary) in Round 3.
- Alex Cappa is expected to start after signing a two-year deal, and Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline places the ex-Buccaneers and Bengals blocker at right guard. That is unsurprising, as Cappa has started for six years and never taken a left guard snap. The Raiders have Jackson Powers-Johnson, Jordan Meredith and Dylan Parham competing for interior jobs as well. All three are expected to have a say in the center battle, with third-round rookie Caleb Rogers also in this mix as well.
- The Chargers did not use a draft pick on an O-lineman until Round 6 (Pittsburgh’s Branson Taylor). The Day 3 draftee will play guard, but the Bolts still have Trey Pipkins in place as their left guard frontrunner, ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim notes. This points to Mekhi Becton moving from Eagles RG to the same spot in Los Angeles and Zion Johnson‘s rumored center foray closer to reality. This would create a logjam at center, as the Bolts signed longtime starter Andre James after his Raiders release. That said, James agreed to only a one-year, $1.17MM deal (zero guarantees). It would seem James and the re-signed Bradley Bozeman give L.A. some insurance at center, should Johnson remain at LG over Pipkins. James and Becton have provided flexibility the team did not have in 2024.
- Two Charger starters recently underwent surgeries. Daiyan Henley played through a torn labrum last season, per Rhim, but the linebacker is recovering from surgery. The injury occurred in Week 4, but the former third-round pick did not miss a game. Recently re-signed safety Elijah Molden missed the end of last season due to injury, but The Athletic’s Daniel Popper notes he is expected back for camp on time after a surgery.