HEADLINES

Month: June 2025

Jaguars Extend P Logan Cooke

June 9th, 2025 at 2:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

Logan Cooke‘s time in Duval County will continue for the foreseeable future. The veteran punter received a four-year from the Jaguars on Monday, per a team announcement.

Cooke was a seventh-round pick of Jacksonville in 2018, and he has handled punting duties immediately since his arrival in the NFL. The 29-year-old has only missed four games so far, and he has remained consistent when on the field. Cooke set new career highs in gross (49.4) and net (44.8) yards per punt in 2024.

Those totals helped earn him a Pro Bowl invite and a second-team All-Pro nod. Both accolades were the first of the Mississippi State product’s career and they have no doubt helped his case for another contract. Cooke was set to enter the final year of his latest extension, but he is now on the books through 2029.

The coming season included a scheduled base salary of $2.87MM and a cap charge of $3.92MM. This new pact is worth $16MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. That represents a $1MM raise in terms of annual value compared to Cooke’s latest deal in addition to long-term security.

Jacksonville has Pro Bowl long snapper Ross Matiscik on the books for another two years. Kicker Cam Little, meanwhile, is attached to his rookie contract through 2027. Given today’s Cooke extension, the Jags’ special teams will have continuity now and in the future.

Colts Confirm New Ownership Structure

June 9th, 2025 at 1:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Colts’ new ownership arrangement is officially in place. The team announced on Monday how the front office will operate moving forward.

Jim Irsay‘s recent passing set in motion the transition of power to his three daughters. In the aftermath of his death, it appeared as though Carlie Irsay-Gordon would take over as the Colts’ controlling owner. That is now officially the case, and her title also includes that of chief executive officer.

Casey Foyt will take on the role of executive vice president in addition to her status as a co-owner. Kalen Jackson, meanwhile, while operate as chief brand officer and president of the Colts Foundation. Since joining the organization, much of Jackson’s time has been spent working on her father’s mental health initiatives, so today’s news comes as no surprise.

Irsay-Gordon, 44, handled the Colts’ day-to-day operations when her father was suspended in 2014. She has spent the time since then acclimating to the workings of the organization in numerous ways, positioning herself as Irsay’s heir apparent. With the team’s succession plan now in place, Irsay-Gordon will take on the responsibility of overseeing the Colts on a full-time basis as expected.

Chief operating officer Pete Ward and chief legal officer Dan Emerson have both been in place for decades in Indianapolis. They will each will stay on as the Colts transition to this new ownership structure, one which keeps the organization in the same family it has belonged to since 1972.

Texans Host CB Damon Arnette

June 9th, 2025 at 10:49am CST by Adam La Rose

Damon Arnette‘s efforts to return to the NFL have resulted in at least one visit. The former first-round cornerback worked out with the Texans on Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports.

Arnette was unsuccessful in his bid to play in the UFL last year, but he did manage to do so this spring. While operating as a key member of the Houston Roughnecks’ defense, he totaled 18 tackles, five pass breakups and a pick-six. That production led to recent inquiries from multiple NFL teams.

With the Roughnecks’ season over, Arnette is free to join an interested suitor at any time as he looks to return to the NFL. The 28-year-old played a total of 13 games with the Raiders across the 2020 and ’21 seasons. He was released after a video surfaced which showed him threatening a person while brandishing a handgun. Arnette wound up signing with the Dolphins before taking a futures deal with the Chiefs, but he never saw any game time with those teams.

The Ohio State product was indicted by a grand jury on assault with a deadly weapon and firearm-related charges in May 2023. Arnette wound up reaching a plea bargain agreement and has not faced charges since then. As Wilson details, he was arrested in January 2024 but that stemmed from a matter in which Arnette did not have the proper documentation for prescription medication with him at the time.

With the UFL and (to an extent, at least) the NFL satisfied in Arnette’s ability to avoid a repeat of his legal issues, it would come as no surprise if he were to land a deal before training camp. The Texans have a strong cornerback duo in the form of Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter, but the recent retirement of Ronald Darby has created the need for a depth addition. Depending on how today’s workout went, Arnette could be in line for the opportunity to earn a backup role this summer.

Steelers Pursued WR Chris Godwin In Free Agency; Latest On Patriots’ Offer

June 9th, 2025 at 10:00am CST by Adam La Rose

Chris Godwin re-signed with the Buccaneers in free agency in a move which will allow him to remain a member of the only NFL team he has played for. The Pro Bowl wideout elected to do so despite notable interest from multiple suitors.

The Patriots were known to be in the market for a notable free agent addition at the WR spot. New England eventually inked Stefon Diggs, but before that the team also made a strong push for Godwin. The Pats wrote “blank checks” in the latter’s case, and further details on that front have emerged.

Godwin told The Athletic’s Dan Pompei New England offered him $30MM per year (subscription required). His latest Bucs pact, by contrast, carries an AAV of $22MM. Choosing to remain in Tampa Bay involved turning down considerably more money from the Patriots (whose offer could have increased even further), but three other key suitors were involved in this case as well.

The Steelers were one of them, Godwin added. That comes as little surprise, of course, given Pittsburgh’s long-running pursuit of a high-profile wideout. Well before their D.K. Metcalf acquisition, the team was heavily involved in efforts to land Brandon Aiyuk; Christian Kirk was also a target ahead of the 2024 trade deadline. With George Pickens no longer in place, the Steelers have signed Robert Woods but they are still in the market for pass-catching help.

Godwin would have provided New England or Pittsburgh with an upgrade at the receiver position, but he will instead remain a key factor in Tampa Bay’s passing game. The 29-year-old has topped 1,000 yards four times in his Bucs tenure, and he was averaging over 82 yards per game (the second-highest figure of his career) before his 2024 campaign came to an end. Despite the injury to his ankle – among other ailments – he was recovering from, Godwin drew plenty of interest as a potential free agent. His preference was to remain in a familiar setting and by doing so continue his partnership with fellow wideout Mike Evans.

“It’s not always the case that you are surrounded by a ton of good people who care about the right things, who have similar goals and treat people with respect,” Godwin said. “The first thing for me is I want to work with people that I enjoy it with.”

Evans is under contract for one more season, so his productive tandem with Godwin will continue in 2025. The latter will stay in place beyond the coming campaign given his latest commitment to Tampa Bay, one which included turning aside lucrative opportunities from a number of suitors to depart.

Eagles DC Vic Fangio On 49ers DE Bryce Huff

June 8th, 2025 at 10:08pm CST by Rory Parks

The Eagles’ free agent splurge on edge defender Bryce Huff in the 2024 offseason did not go as planned, and the reigning Super Bowl champions recently agreed to a trade sending Huff to the 49ers, cutting bait after just one season. While it was clear that Huff was not a good fit in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s system, Fangio himself was gracious in his comments about his former charge.

Fangio recently told reporters, including PHLY’s Zach Berman, that he believed Huff was showing improvement before suffering a wrist injury that required him to play two games with a hard cast on his hand. Huff was placed on injured reserve in November so he could undergo a wrist procedure and was activated for the final two games of the regular season.

“I think the one thing is, he was getting better, and when he hurt his hand, he tried to play with it for a couple weeks,” Fangio said. “It wasn’t going good because he was reluctant to use his hand.”

Interestingly, though, Huff appeared in a season-low (to that point) six snaps the game before he began wearing a hard cast, and he notched one of his 2.5 sacks during his first game with the cast. When he returned to the field following the wrist operation, he still had to wear a cast, which Fangio says further limited his effectiveness.

“Then when they operated on it, he had to play with a big cast on his hand, which basically rendered his hand useless and then rendered his arm useless because you can’t use your hand,” Fangio added. “That really had an effect on him.”

Fangio went on to reiterate that Huff’s inability to properly use his hand and arm negatively impacted his performance before adding, “I think he’ll do fine in San Francisco.”

Of course, there is no reason for Fangio to offer anything but niceties for a player who was simply unable to meet expectations. The 49ers, though, hope there is at least some truth to Fangio’s words and that a return to full health will allow their trade acquisition to recapture the form that made him a desirable commodity on last year’s market.

Huff, 27, will be reunited with Robert Saleh, who served as the Jets’ head coach during Huff’s breakout platform campaign with Gang Green in 2023, in which he recorded 10 sacks and 21 quarterback hits despite appearing in just 42% of the team’s defensive snaps. Saleh, who was fired by the Jets during the 2024 season, returned to the 49ers this offseason to reprise his role as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator, a position he held from 2017-21.

Huff will certainly benefit from playing opposite Nick Bosa, though he will have to compete for reps with first-round draftee Mykel Williams.

WR Gabe Davis To Visit Saints

June 8th, 2025 at 9:40pm CST by Ely Allen

The Gabe Davis 2025 offseason tour continues. Since being released by the Jaguars a month ago, Davis has met with the 49ers, Giants, and Steelers. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Davis is now headed to New Orleans where he’ll meet with a Saints team that could certainly use a receiver of his makeup.

After impressive contributions for four years as a WR2 in Buffalo, Davis was rewarded in free agency with a three-year, $39MM contract with the Jaguars. Through 10 games with his new team, though, Davis was averaging a career-low 23.9 yards per game and was on track for the lowest touchdown total of his career, as well. His struggles deepened when a meniscus tear required him to undergo season-ending surgery, and Jacksonville cut bait two years early despite the massive dead money doing so stuck them with.

In New Orleans, the Saints fielded a bottom-10 pass offense in the NFL last season, and with Derek Carr‘s retirement, improving on that in 2025 won’t be easy. New Orleans will have three young, inexperienced quarterbacks battling it out for the right to lead the offense this season, so having an experienced receiving corps could be extremely beneficial for the winning quarterback’s chances for success.

In 2024, the team’s leader in receiving yards was tight end Juwan Johnson, followed closely by running back Alvin Kamara, tight end Foster Moreau, and only then a wide receiver. The next three leading receivers were Chris Olave, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Rashid Shaheed, and none of the three played more than half the season. This underlines the team’s need for a reliable receiver.

The Saints are currently headed into the season with Olave, Shaheed, and Brandin Cooks as their top three receivers. Beyond that is a mix of receivers who have shown inconsistent hints of talent in the past (Cedrick Wilson, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Dante Pettis) or have relatively little experience (Bub Means, Kevin Austin, Mason Tipton, Chris Tyree, and Moochie Dixon). Adding Davis would give New Orleans another receiver in the frame of Wilson or Peoples-Jones but with more deep ball ability and more consistent results.

Rapoport points out that, with approximately $11.5MM still due to Davis from Jacksonville, the 26-year-old will likely command only a one-year deal from his new team. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football goes a step further in saying that “Davis will almost certainly get” the league minimum.

If that holds true, and Davis does not, in fact, force a bidding war between the teams he’s visited and remained in contact with, then Davis’ decision will likely come down to team fit. If the Saints decide that they want to bring Davis into the fold, they’ll likely need to demonstrate how he fits in the offense and the locker room. Depending on how the visit goes, Davis could end up one step closer to his next NFL home.

Lions CB Ennis Rakestraw Moving Outside After Rookie Struggles

June 8th, 2025 at 6:57pm CST by Ely Allen

The Lions added cornerback Ennis Rakestraw in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft last year, but a look into the rookie’s first full season brings about questions concerning whether or not he was worth the draft stock used on him. A bit of position change and some new competition should give him a chance at redemption in 2025, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

As a rookie, Rakestraw’s primary focus was playing as a slot cornerback. The 23-year-old claims that he was even in line to start the team’s Week 2 contest before suffering a pulled hamstring in pregame warmups. After a sports hernia from his days at Missouri limited him in training camp and the pulled hamstring forced him to miss two games early, the injuries compounded, and an eventual strained hamstring sent him to injured reserve for the last seven games of the season.

Even when he was healthy, though, Rakestraw struggled to get on the field as a rookie. Through eight game appearances, Rakestraw only saw 46 defensive snaps. He did see more than double that number of snaps on special teams, but a second-round pick is an expensive price to pay for a special teamer.

So far, in summer activities this year, Rakestraw has been working exclusively as an outside cornerback. Per Birkett, “he took first-team reps at left cornerback last week and should compete for the top backup” role behind returning starter Terrion Arnold and free agent addition D.J. Reed. The slot should be perfectly fine without Rakestraw as Amik Robertson returns as the primary nickelback and another free agent addition, Avonte Maddox, should back him up.

Cornerbacks coach Deshea Townsend adds that he thinks Rakestraw should benefit from being able to solely focus on playing outside cornerback. His competition for the CB3 job will be Khalil Dorsey and Rock Ya-Sin. Dorsey has been in Detroit the last two seasons. He’s started three games in that span, but outside of those three games, he’s hardly seen the field. Still, the Lions signed him to a new two-year deal this offseason.

Ya-Sin, another free agent addition this offseason, hasn’t seen significant playing time since 2022. Also a former second-round pick, Ya-Sin was traded from the Colts to the Raiders for the final year of his rookie contract, starting 38 games in his first four years. In the two years since, Ya-Sin has spent a year each with the Ravens and 49ers coming off the bench and playing mostly on special teams.

Rakestraw will have a lot to prove in his sophomore season in order to quiet the critics. Some renewed health, a move to the outside, and some real competition should help push him to improve in his second year.

Texans Looking Into RB Nick Chubb

June 8th, 2025 at 4:14pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Texans have been “looking at [the] running back market” and could pursue former Browns RB Nick Chubb, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Chubb, a seven-year veteran, hit free agency this offseason for the first time in his career after playing just 10 games in the last two years due to injury. A torn ACL robbed him of most of the 2023 season; he worked his way back to the field for eight games in 2024 before going down once more with a broken foot. Chubb expressed a desire to stay in Cleveland, but the Browns declined to re-sign him and instead pursued younger options for their backfield.

Houston signed ex-Bengals running back Joe Mixon last offseason and could look to add another former AFC North ballcarrier in Chubb. Both Mixon and his backup, Dameon Pierce, missed at least three games last year with minimal production from Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale further down the depth chart.

Chubb’s 41.5 yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry in 2024 were well below his career standards, but he was one of the most efficient running backs in the league before his 2023 injury. This late in the offseason, he will likely have to sign a one-year deal close to the veteran minimum to prove his health, which could offer significant upside for the Texans.

Fowler said on SportsCenter (via Bleacher Report’s Andrew Peters) that a return to Cleveland is “not totally off the table” but remains unlikely after the Browns selected two running back in April’s draft. That aligns with Fowler’s previous report on ESPN Cleveland that Chubb is not expected to re-sign with his longtime “barring some sort of surprise or injury.”

Fowler also mentioned the Commanders and the Bears as potential suitors at the end of May. The Commanders are returning their 2024 backfield, making Washington a less likely destination than Chicago. The Bears missed out on their preferred running backs in the draft and do not have a clear No. 2 behind D’Andre Swift.

Chiefs Wanted To Re-Sign DT Tershawn Wharton

June 8th, 2025 at 12:25pm CST by Rory Parks

After Milton Williams spurned the Panthers’ advances in March, Carolina pivoted to another notable defensive tackle in this year’s free agent class, Tershawn Wharton. The former undrafted find of the Chiefs may have been something of a consolation prize for the Panthers, but his original club wanted to keep him in the fold.

Per David Newton of ESPN.com, Kansas City simply could not match the contract that Carolina authorized for Wharton (three years and $45.1MM, including $30.25MM in full guarantees and an additional $9MM available in incentives). That stands to reason given that the defending AFC champions entered the offseason with little financial flexibility and made the surprising decision to use the franchise tag – worth a fully-guaranteed $23.4MM – on guard Trey Smith.

Kansas City’s decision on Smith precipitated the trade of its other starting guard, Joe Thuney. With a glaring left tackle need, the club’s biggest FA outlay was earmarked for former 49ers swing tackle Jaylon Moore, who landed a two-year, $30MM contract (the Chiefs doubled down on the position by selecting Ohio State OT Josh Simmons in the first round of April’s draft).

The Chiefs’ salary cap picture prevented them from spending big on a Wharton replacement, but second-round draftee Omarr Norman-Lott will have the opportunity to fill Wharton’s shoes. KC did add Jerry Tillery to the defensive front while re-signing Charles Omenihu and Mike Pennel.

Newton seems to suggest that Wharton – a Missouri native who became the first player from Division II Missouri University of Science and Technology to make a modern-era NFL roster – preferred to remain with his hometown team. The ESPN scribe writes, “[i]n a perfect world, Wharton would have remained in Kansas City, where he won two Super Bowls and went to four.”

That said, the soon-to-be 27-year-old also believes there are new opportunities in Charlotte to go along with his new salary. As Jeff Hawkins of the Charlotte Post notes, Wharton believes he was miscast when Kansas City deployed him as a pass-rushing nose tackle in its 4-3 alignment, and he expects to build on his breakout 2024 showing as a member of Panthers DC Ejiro Evero’s 3-4 scheme.

“This guy has a purpose in everything that he does,” Evero said of Wharton. “And it’s really, really impressive to watch. … So it’s great to add guys like that who can bring that experience, that mentality and that work ethic.”

Wharton played 20 games (12 starts) in 2024, including playoffs. He tallied 37 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and a forced fumble as an integral member of Steve Spagnuolo’s stout unit that finished in the top-10 in total defense and in the top-five in scoring defense.

Jalen Ramsey To Skip Dolphins’ Mandatory Minicamp

June 8th, 2025 at 11:53am CST by Nikhil Mehta

As Jalen Ramsey and the Dolphins continue to prepare for a parting of the ways, the seven-time Pro Bowler will skip Miami’s three-day mandatory minicamp, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Minicamp begins on Tuesday, June 10.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said last week (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques) that “nothing has changed” regarding Ramsey. The team has insisted that the decision to seek a trade for the veteran cornerback is mutual, but Ramsey has been pushing for an exit, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. He likely lost his $100k workout bonus by skipping OTAs and will incur another $105k in fines for skipping minicamp.

The veteran cornerback has generated “more interest…than people realize,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Jackson), but his contract remains a sticking point. An acquiring team would have to pick up at least $2.02MM in 2025 (Ramsey’s salary and per game roster bonus) with $65.7MM of non-guaranteed money due over the following three years. However, the Dolphins already paid Ramsey’s $4MM roster bonus in March and would prefer to shed the remaining $20.235MM in guaranteed money on his deal, which includes an $18.98MM option bonus due on August 31, per OverTheCap.

If Ramsey’s new team doesn’t want to absorb all of Ramsey’s option bonus, the Dolphins could handle his contract in a manner similar to the Eagles-49ers Bryce Huff trade. Philadelphia declined Huff’s fully-guaranteed option bonus, which turned into a guaranteed salary for the same amount. The Eagles then restructured a portion of that salary into a signing bonus to absorb some of Huff’s remaining money and spread the dead cap charges across two years; the 49ers took on the rest of Huff’s 2025 salary.

A completed trade would leave $10.7MM in dead money on the Dolphins’ 2025 cap, along with any additional money they absorb in the deal. Another $18.4MM would hit the books in 2026, which could increase if Miami eats 2025 salary and converts it into a signing bonus as described above.

Despite interest from around the league, a trade is no guarantee. ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes that Ramsey is more likely to be released than traded. In that case, the Dolphins would likely exercise his option bonus early, resulting in $11.8MM in dead cap charges in 2025 and a whopping $40.4MM in 2026.

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