HEADLINES

Month: July 2025

S Minkah Fitzpatrick Aiming For Long-Term Dolphins Tenure

July 31st, 2025 at 11:50am CST by Adam La Rose

Minkah Fitzpatrick is back where his career began thanks to the trade which sent him from Pittsburgh to Miami. In the wake of that deal, the All-Pro safety worked out a restructured contract with the Dolphins.

As a result of the alterations to his pact, Fitzpatrick received a signing bonus to help take the place of money which was not previously guaranteed. No new years were added to his pact, though, so the decision to accelerate compensation for 2025 did not add any term to Fitzpatrick’s second Dolphins stint. The five-time Pro Bowler is currently set to see his contract expire after the 2026 campaign, but he is interested in a long-term Miami tenure.

“I know it was reported that I wanted a new contract,” Fitzpatrick said (via the Associated Press through Fox Sports), “but I just wanted to know that I was going to be here for more than a season and I got that. And now, I’m going to go out there, play All-Pro, Pro Bowl level and hopefully earn the respect of my teammates and the organization to have that long-term contract.”

The restructure created $11MM in immediate cap space for the Dolphins, a team in need of financial flexibility given its cap situation prior to the Fitzpatrick reworking and the growing need for healthy contributors in the secondary. Of course, the move will inflate Fitzpatrick’s cap charge for 2026, providing further incentive on the team’s part to work out a multi-year commitment. Efforts on that front will be tied to how the 28-year-old fares in his return to South Beach.

Fitzpatrick’s request to be traded during his second season resulted in the swap which sent him to the Steelers. Over the course of course of 88 regular season games with Pittsburgh, he amassed 18 interceptions and 45 pass deflections. The past two seasons have seen Fitzpatrick notch just one pick, however, and a return to his previous form will be needed if he is to secure another lucrative pact. With an AAV of $18.25MM at signing, his current deal ranks fourth amongst safeties. Another accord could be in store next spring depending on how things play out.

Cowboys, CB DaRon Bland Engaging In Extension Talks

July 31st, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Nikhil Mehta

We knew back in April that the Cowboys were eyeing extensions for offensive lineman Tyler Smith, cornerback DaRon Bland, tight end Jake Ferguson, and kicker Brandon Aubrey.

Ferguson got his this weekend, and Smith switched up his representation after the team picked up his fifth-year option. While, so far, it’s been crickets for Aubrey, Bland told the media this week that his agent has been in talks with the team on a new deal, per Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS.

“Definitely Dallas is always where I want to be,” said Bland (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News). “Hopefully we can get it done.” 

The 2022 fifth-rounder is looking to cash in on a cornerback market that grew to $30MM this offseason. Though he may replace Jourdan Lewis as Dallas’ primary slot corner, he will likely want to be paid as one of the league’s top outside cornerbacks.

He entered the Cowboys’ starting lineup midway through his rookie year and led the defense with five interceptions. Bland then led the NFL in 2023 with nine interceptions, 209 return yards, and five pick-sixes on his way to first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, as well as a fifth-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He then took a step back in 2024; after recovering from a training camp stress fracture, Bland logged zero interceptions in seven games and allowed a 105.7 passer rating when targeted.

If recent negotiations in Dallas are any indication, Bland may have to wait a while for his payday. Last year, the Cowboys extended CeeDee Lamb late in training camp and Dak Prescott just before Week 1, and the team still hasn’t signed Micah Parsons to a new deal. Bland has another year left on his rookie contract, which would allow contract talks to continue until next March (and potentially longer if Dallas uses the franchise tag).

However, Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones pushed back on the idea that the Cowboys draw out negotiations with their top players.

“I don’t think there is a pattern here,” said Jones (via The Athletic’s Jon Machota). “We don’t drag deals out. We do deals when there’s an opportunity to do a deal. Certainly, no one knows what goes on internally with a particular negotiation. Sometimes players and agents aren’t ready to pull the trigger until they see other cards played.”

Jones went on to say that he does not want to overpay just to get a deal done early, especially with players who want to remain in Dallas. Bland seems to fall into that category, so he may have to wait his turn to put pen to paper unless he accepts a team-friendly deal.

49ers Work Out Jeff Wilson, Ameer Abdullah

July 31st, 2025 at 9:20am CST by Sam Robinson

July 31: The 49ers are signing Abdullah after his tryout on Thursday, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. A thin running back room in San Francisco may give the 10-year veteran a chance at making the 53-man roster as a kick returner who can provide depth in the backfield.

July 30: Jeff Wilson has spent the past his entire career in roughly the same scheme, rejoining ex-49ers OC Mike McDaniel after a 2022 deadline deal. After playing out his Dolphins contract, Wilson has lingered in free agency for four-plus months.

The 49ers are back on the radar for their former UDFA find. Wilson went through a workout with his original NFL team Wednesday, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport. Wilson played with the 49ers from 2018 until that November 2022 trade. He joined ex-Browns and Jaguars backup D’Ernest Johnson at the audition.

Additionally, the 49ers brought in veteran tackle Cameron Fleming for a recent workout, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adds. Fleming played in one Broncos game last season, rejoining the team he played for from 2021-23.

Wilson had re-signed with the Dolphins on a two-year, $6MM deal in 2023 but accepted a pay cut in 2024. The Dolphins added De’Von Achane in the 2023 third round and turned to him as a rookie, preceding Wilson adjusting his 2024 Miami terms (one year, $1.75MM). Achane received more work in 2024, reducing 2023 NFL touchdown leader Raheem Mostert to a backup and Wilson to an afterthought. Wilson totaled just 15 carries for 57 yards last season.

For his career, Wilson has logged only 531 carries. The 49ers traded him to the Dolphins shortly after acquiring Christian McCaffrey via trade, but Wilson still gained a career-high 860 yards (between San Francisco and Miami work) that season. He amassed 600 rushing yards (4.8 per carry) and seven touchdowns for the 2020 49ers. Mostert is now a Raider, and Wilson (30 in November) has a chance to head west as well.

The 49ers have Isaac Guerendo positioned as their top McCaffrey backup, having traded Jordan Mason to the Vikings in March. San Francisco is ready to redeploy McCaffrey, but his extensive injury history should call for depth to be prioritized. The 49ers did use a fifth-round pick on Oregon’s Jordan James, and ex-Packer reserve Patrick Taylor is on the 90-man roster. Wilson would certainly bring scheme familiarity to go with a light career workload.

In addition to auditioning Jeff Wilson, the 49ers (per Aaron Wilson) had Ameer Abdullah at the audition. Abdullah has lasted 10 years in the NFL, playing the past three with the Raiders. Las Vegas used Abdullah as a backup and kick returner, though more in the latter capacity, during his tenure. The former Lions second-round pick did make three starts last season, when he rushed for 311 yards — his most since 2017 — but he has made five total starts over the past seven seasons.

Abdullah spent four seasons with the Lions but did not impress much as a starter. At 32, he has still managed to impress a host of coaching staffs and stick in the league for an extended period.

Fleming worked as a regular starter for the Broncos in 2021, after the Ja’Wuan James offsite injury saga, before becoming a swing backup in ’22. The Broncos have enjoyed good health along their O-line over the past two seasons, and Fleming was not needed for the most part. Last year, the 11-year veteran caught on with Denver in-season. Mostly a swingman throughout his career, Fleming (33 in September) has played in 118 games with 62 starts.

The 49ers have Andre Dillard rostered as a swing option, though he has mostly played left tackle as a pro. They did not ultimately do a deal with D.J. Humphries, also waiving Nicholas Petit-Frere after a brief stint. Trent Williams missed nearly half of last season due to injury, and the 49ers lost swingman Jaylon Moore to a $15MM-per-year Chiefs deal. Converted guard Spencer Burford represents an option behind starting RT Colton McKivitz, but Fleming would provide considerably more tackle experience if called upon.

Raiders, LT Kolton Miller Agree On Extension

July 30th, 2025 at 8:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Four Raiders remain from the Oakland days of the franchise. The longest-tenured of those four players is now set to stick around in Las Vegas for a few more years, at least. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Raiders are extending left tackle Kolton Miller on a three-year, $66MM agreement. The new deal includes $42.5MM of guaranteed money.

It’s no surprise that Miller is getting a new deal. We knew back in April that he was seeking a new deal as he skipped the team’s voluntary offseason program. Miller was entering the 2025 NFL season on the final year of the three-year, $54MM extension he had signed in 2021 to move on from his rookie deal. This time around, he’s received a $4MM-per-year raise.

There were thoughts that the Raiders might be looking to draft his replacement with options like Armand Membou and Kelvin Banks Jr. in range at No. 6 overall, but the team opted instead for a pair of third-round, developmental lineman in Texas Tech’s Caleb Rogers and William & Mary’s Charles Grant. Following the draft, Miller returned to team activities as the Raiders seemingly started to play ball. Miller had made it clear that he wanted to retire a Raider, it was just unclear whether or not the team was going to meet him there.

Miller has been a full-time starting blindside blocker for the Raiders since they selected him 15th overall in 2018 out of UCLA. Out of a possible 116 games, Miller has been on the field for all but seven of them. It took a couple years for his massive 6-foot-8, 325-pound frame to find his mojo in the NFL, but he improved year after year. Vegas opted to extend him before they even needed to make a decision on his fifth-year option, giving him an impressive — though not boundary-pushing — deal that would make him the fifth-highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL at the time.

Miller rewarded their faith in him with the best season of his career, in which Pro Football Focus (subscription required) would grade him as the fifth-best offensive tackle in the league out of 83 players graded at the position, commensurate with his salary. Though he hasn’t graded that high in the three years since, rankings of sixth in 2022, 11th in 2023, and 13th last year show that, time and again, Miller is up there with the best bookends in the NFL.

Miller’s new deal is, once again, impressive while not encroaching on the league’s highest-paid tackles, who are creeping up slowly on $30MM per year. His $22MM-per-year average ties him as the 11th-highest-paid tackles with Jordan Mailata and Zach Tom. The three-year term of the deal is short of those we’ve seen for young stars like Rashawn Slater (four years) and Tristan Wirfs (five years), but the contract length is well in line with players closer to his 29 years of age. Laremy Tunsil (28), Dion Dawkins (29), Ronnie Stanley (30), and Taylor Decker (30) all signed three-year deals of their own in the last two years.

While kicker Daniel Carlson shared a rookie year in Oakland with Miller, he didn’t join the team until Week 3 after the team that drafted him (Vikings) waived him two weeks into the season. Having worn a Raiders jersey longer than any other player in the locker room, as a result, Miller’s tenure has been extended through the 2028 season. It’s still to be determined whether or not he’ll spend his entire career in silver and black, as he desires, but today’s deal goes a long way in helping him towards that goal.

Joe Flacco To Take Bulk Of Browns’ First-Team Reps; Shedeur Sanders Highly Unlikely To Win Job

July 30th, 2025 at 8:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The extraordinarily rare four-man quarterback competition unfolding in Cleveland is ongoing, but adjustments are being made. Kenny Pickett is out with a hamstring injury, giving Joe Flacco a wider runway to reacquire the job.

While Pickett recovers, Kevin Stefanski said (via ESPN.com’s Daniel Oyefusi) Flacco will take the bulk of the first-team reps. Flacco did not take as many offseason reps, but because of his 2023 Browns showing, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer indicates he received what amounted to a first-round bye in this battle ahead of training camp.

Flacco proved he remained a capable starter during a serviceable but unremarkable Colts stint, but his elevating a battered Browns offense to a playoff berth in 2023 carries considerable weight. The Browns are obviously evaluating how a 40-year-old Flacco differs from his 38-year-old version, but with Pickett down, the 18th-year veteran has a chance to impress and start a season opener for the first time since filling in for Zach Wilson in 2022. This would be Flacco’s 14th time earning a Week 1 NFL start.

As Flacco enjoys a strong opportunity to grab the reins, Shedeur Sanders does not look to have a chance at the Week 1 gig. Sanders entered the Browns’ offseason program “far behind” Flacco, Pickett and third-rounder Dillon Gabriel, Breer adds, and is trying to catch up. Sanders received extensive criticism for his strange approach to the pre-draft process, but beyond proving difficult in interviews with teams (as a recruiting-type mentality is believed to have taken place on the QB’s part), Sanders drew attention for being behind from a football knowhow perspective, according to Breer.

The two-year Colorado starter being as far behind as he was during pre-draft meetings surprised some, Breer adds, and he fell into fourth place during the Browns’ offseason workouts due in part to lagging on the football IQ front. To open camp, the first-team reps primarily went to Flacco and Pickett, with Gabriel taking the leftover work. Operating as an inverse option to Sanders thus far, Gabriel has impressed with his football IQ while presenting a less-than-ideal frame (at 5-foot-10) and skillset.

The Browns plan to stop sending out two offensive units simultaneously, a tactic deployed due to the unique four-man QB battle, according to Stefanski. This transition will lead to fewer reps, further increasing Sanders’ degree of difficulty as a developmental option. As it stands, Sanders faces a “Super Bowl LI”-like uphill climb to win the job, Breer concludes, adding he has gained ground since workouts started.

Although Sanders was a much-rumored first-round candidate, falling to fifth for myriad reasons made it unrealistic he would win the Browns’ Week 1 job. Fifth-round rookies are almost never in QB competitions in the first place, making this training camp more of a developmental stage for the second-generation pro.

At the preseason’s conclusion, the Browns will need to decide if they want to carry four quarterbacks — a genuine possibility — on their 53-man roster. Gabriel looks close to a roster lock here, with Sanders the wild card. Pickett’s injury would open a door for the Browns regarding an IR move, as a way to retain both rookies, but it would seem unlikely the team would proceed that way with a player firmly in the mix for the Week 1 job. (The team is not planning to trade one of its rookie arms.) Sanders would need to pass through waivers to reach Cleveland’s practice squad, further complicating the situation.

Jimmy Haslam also fielded a question about Arch Manning this week. While the owner cannot realistically comment on the Browns’ path to the soon-to-be Texas starter, he did voice a belief (via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot) the QB will stay in school for the 2026 season (kicking the can to the 2027 draft). Haslam mentioned his relationship with the Manning family in offering that prediction.

Even if Manning is unlikely to declare for the 2026 draft, next year is projected to include a much deeper class compared to 2025. The Browns having two first-round picks seemingly came in preparation for that. For now, Gabriel and Sanders continue to make their cases about future duty while the Flacco-Pickett veteran matchup represents the far more likely decider for Week 1 this season.

Trey Hendrickson Not Seeing Bengals Talks Shift; Guarantees Remain Issue

July 30th, 2025 at 8:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following Terry McLaurin, Trey Hendrickson reported to training camp after a brief holdout. The Bengals can no longer levy nonwaivable $50K fines daily, but they will not see the disgruntled defensive end suit up for practice.

Hendrickson will also follow the Commanders wideout in staging a hold-in; unlike McLaurin, no injury designation is covering this tactic. Hendrickson (via the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway) is healthy and not working out due to dissatisfaction with his Bengals negotiations.

[RELATED: Bengals Reach Compromise To Sign Shemar Stewart]

Although Hendrickson reporting to camp can be interpreted as a positive sign, the 2024 sack leader squashed a notion of improvement by saying (via The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.) “nothing has changed” with regard to his Bengals impasse. Though, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz indicates Hendrickson does plan to attend Bengals meetings to stay engaged while embroiled in this dispute.

Hendrickson wants future salary guarantees, a contract dealbreaker — for non-Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase performers — in Cincinnati. A report indicated Hendrickson rejected multiple Bengals offers following the franchise’s traditional structure, which features no post-Year 1 salary guarantees, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed (during a Pat McAfee Show appearance) locked-in money represents the final hurdle here. The parties are believed to be in agreement on total value.

The Bengals are not willing to budge much on guarantees, per Schefter, who indicates the parties are far apart here. Schefter pointed to a roughly $10MM guarantee gap existing while adding, in a notable inclusion, the Bengals have discussed a partial guarantee for Year 2 of the extension. We broached this as a possible middle ground in the latest Trade Rumors Front Office post, though Hendrickson is displeased with the amount of guaranteed money the team is willing to provide post-Year 1. For 2025, however, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero note Hendrickson would receive a “huge” raise.

Cincy broke with its guarantee M.O. for Chase while tying Tee Higgins to a traditional deal. Higgins being paid almost definitely is affecting Hendrickson, as all signs were pointing to Higgins departing — in free agency or via a tag-and-trade move — in 2025. Burrow’s persistent lobbying undoubtedly swayed the Bengals on Higgins, and the QB is still pushing for a Hendrickson extension. Considering the weight Burrow holds, his latest endorsement is notable.

“This is the guy that has the most sacks over the last two years,” Burrow said, via SI.com’s Russ Heltman. “Production is value in this league. I know you can think you’re such a good player, but to not have any production doesn’t really matter. So when you have a guy like that, you want to reward him.”

Burrow made a public plea to the Bengals on Hendrickson in May as well. Hendrickson and the Bengals being in agreement regarding value is an important takeaway here, but with the perennial Pro Bowler set to turn 31 later this year, ensuring protections beyond the first year of an extension represents an important negotiating component. An AAV number has not surfaced, but it would stand to reason it would be close to the $35.6MM figure Danielle Hunter agreed to with the Texans ahead of his age-31 season.

Early this summer, however, no $35MM-AAV proposal had come from the team. The Bengals had preferred to resolve this with a one-year add-on; Hendrickson already did that (in 2023), being tied to that one-year, $21MM bump. Significant updates to his position’s market have emerged since, many coming this year.

T.J. Watt raising the EDGE ceiling (to $41MM) before his age-31 campaign could also have inflated Hendrickson’s asking price; Watt’s full guarantees on a three-year deal ($108MM) likely emboldened the Cincinnati rusher as well.

While Hendrickson is unlikely to surpass that, the Bengals have seen this saga play out during an offseason in which the position’s market has seen four updates to its previous highwater mark (Nick Bosa‘s $34MM-per-year deal). Micah Parsons is at odds with the Cowboys, but that deal could affect a Hendrickson rate as well. Parsons going first and raising the market past $41MM per annum could introduce another element in the Hendrickson talks. For now, the sides remain dug in on the guarantee matter.

Seahawks To Extend GM John Schneider

July 30th, 2025 at 8:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks moved John Schneider to the top of their personnel pyramid in 2024, firing Pete Carroll and giving their GM final say. A year later, the team is extending its longtime front office boss.

Schneider and the Seahawks have agreed on a four-year extension, according to FOX’s Jay Glazer. The new deal will push Schneider’s contract through 2030. Schneider has been in place as Seattle GM since 2010. Were he to finish out this contract, the Super Bowl-winning decision-maker would become one of the longest-tenured GMs in NFL history. Among pure GMs in the league today, Schneider already sits second (behind only the Saints’ Mickey Loomis) in terms of longevity.

This is Schneider’s first extension since the blockbuster Russell Wilson trade. Credited with drafting the franchise QB in the 2012 third round and building a loaded roster around him in the early 2010s, Schneider cashed out at the right time by unloading the 10-year Seattle starter for an eight-asset bounty. The Broncos gave the Seahawks two first-round picks and two seconds to headline the package, one that also included Noah Fant, Drew Lock and Shelby Harris. This armed the Seahawks in the 2022 and ’23 drafts, and key starters emerged from the haul.

While Schneider’s trade gave the Seahawks prime draft resources, the team has not turned a corner since that March 2022 swap. Wilson indeed tumbled off the star tier, to the point the Broncos needed to designate him a post-June 1 cut in 2024 and take on a record-setting dead money total to do so, but the Seahawks have not reached the heights of even the QB’s late prime. They booked a playoff berth in 2022, at 9-8, but missed the following two brackets. A 9-8 2023 season led ownership to ditch Carroll and retain Schneider, who then hired Mike Macdonald. The duo signed off on significant offseason changes this year.

After reviving Geno Smith‘s career, the Seahawks traded their three-year starter to the Raiders for a middling return (a 2025 third-rounder). D.K. Metcalf had requested a trade, and Seattle parted with the Pro Bowl wide receiver days later. The team collected a second for the six-year veteran and will retool around free agency additions Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp. This swap injects considerable risk into the equation, given Darnold’s uneven history and Kupp’s injury trouble. Both Smith and Metcalf signed extensions elsewhere this offseason.

Schneider’s previous extension had run through the 2027 draft; ownership is showing confidence the GM can steer another turnaround following the offseason shakeup. This belief undoubtedly comes from Schneider being in place when he and Carroll built one of the best NFL nuclei this century, having stacked their defense during Wilson’s rookie-contract years. This produced a dominant Super Bowl win and, despite injuries piling up a year later, another run to the game’s top stage. The Seahawks have not been back to an NFC championship game since the fateful Malcolm Butler interception, and Wilson was asked to do much more during the second half of his tenure. That still brought a host of playoff berths, but the Seahawks are attempting to elevate their operation to the Legion of Boom-era level more than a decade after the Patriots loss.

The Seahawks have booked 10 playoff trips during Schneider’s tenure, forging a successful partnership in pairing Carroll with a veteran Packers exec. They are 147-96-1 under Schneider, whose draft record slipped a bit between the Legion of Boom period and the Wilson trade. The Seahawks had not picked up a fifth-year option on a player Schneider drafted until this offseason, exercising Charles Cross‘ 2026 option. Ownership is counting on the pieces from the Wilson trade changing the equation, and Schneider has security as a new-look roster tangles with the Rams and 49ers in the NFC West.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/30/25

July 30th, 2025 at 6:45pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s midweek minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The Chiefs have signed Lassiter, fresh off a spring season with the UFL’s Memphis Showboats, to help cover for the lack of camp bodies at the position. Xavier Worthy, Skyy Moore, and Marquise Brown are all currently sidelined with injuries.

In other Chiefs-related news, Niang will get a new opportunity in Washington for training camp. A former third-round pick in Kansas City, Niang was tried at starter for a bit before ultimately getting demoted to the practice squad last year. The Chiefs released him from the p-squad in November, and he’s been a free agent ever since.

Jihaad Campbell Progressing, Working With Eagles’ First Team; Latest On OLB, S Situations

July 30th, 2025 at 5:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Viewed as an upper-crust talent in the first-round mix this year, Jihaad Campbell fell to No. 31 largely because of injury concerns. The rookie linebacker missed the Eagles’ offseason program, but his climb toward the expected starting role is underway.

Although Campbell was not expected to be at full speed yet, PHLY.com’s Zach Berman notes is already mixing into first-string work. The Eagles are listing the Alabama product as limited, but the Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski indicates little about his workload suggests a limited tag is necessary. That certainly represents good news for the Eagles, as Berman points to a Week 1 lineup configuration including Campbell alongside Zack Baun at linebacker.

[RELATED: Assessing Eagles’ 2025 Offseason Work]

Campbell having dealt with trouble involving both shoulders, undergoing surgery on one in March, scared some teams during the pre-draft process. But he avoided the active/NFI list to open Eagles camp. A dynamic player who only slid to linebacker (from the edge) due to the Crimson Tide being deeper there during his college career, Campbell has already come up as a player with an edge-rushing future.

For now, the Eagles have their top prospect stationed at off-ball linebacker. Campbell is competing with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. for the job alongside Baun, Kempski adds. While noting the second-generation Eagles LB has started off camp well, Campbell being ready to roll would seemingly make this a non-competition. Campbell’s rookie contract aligns with Baun’s $17MM-per-year deal, giving the Eagles good balance once they have the rookie up to speed.

Shifting to the edge, the Eagles have two experienced options as apparent insurance policies behind hopeful starter Jalyx Hunt. Josh Sweat‘s free agency defection and Brandon Graham‘s retirement leave the Eagles with OLB questions, and they took fliers on supplementary rushers Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche. Thus far, the two vets are working almost exclusively with the second team, the Philly Voice’s Geoff Mosher adds, while Hunt plays opposite locked-in starter Nolan Smith.

Padded work in practice, along with the defending Super Bowl champs’ preseason games, could change this equation. For now, though, the Eagles are not mixing their low-cost FAs into first-string work much — to the point Kempski indicates Ojulari has not shown much early in camp. The four-year Giants contributor drew extensive trade interest before last year’s deadline but only fetched a one-year, $3MM Eagles deal in free agency. Uche is on a one-year, $1.92MM pact. A 2024 third-rounder, Hunt played 241 defensive snaps as a rookie; he tallied 1.5 sacks and three QB hits before matching each total during Philadelphia’s playoff slate.

As expected, Sydney Brown represents second-round pick Andrew Mukuba‘s primary competition at safety. The two split reps early, per 94WIP.com’s Eliot Shorr-Parks. Mukuba, who goes just 186 pounds, has missed early-camp time with a shoulder injury. The Eagles could also limit their non-Reed Blankenship safety’s usage by giving Cooper DeJean safety time in base sets, which was an offseason talking point. Brown lost his job to C.J. Gardner-Johnson last year, as the 2023 second-round pick was rehabbing an ACL tear sustained late in his rookie season. With Gardner-Johnson traded to Houston, Brown has another chance to start. Two years remain on Brown’s rookie contract.

Rounding out late-July Eagles matters, Jordan Davis said (via the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane) he has dropped 26 pounds to weigh in at 330. The imposing D-tackle is now extension-eligible, but the 2022 first-rounder’s part-time usage (down to 37% in 2024) connected him to the bottom rung on the option ladder. Davis is now tied to a fully guaranteed $12.94MM in 2026; the substantial weight loss could help him stay on the field more en route as an extension case builds.

Commanders Hesitant About $30MM-AAV Deal For Terry McLaurin?

July 30th, 2025 at 3:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

JULY 30: A previous reference to an asking price beyond $30MM per year looks to be accurate. McLaurin is believed to targeting Metcalf’s $33MM-AAV number, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes. The 2019 draftees have similar career production, with Metcalf’s coming with much more QB stability compared to McLaurin’s.

Metcalf is tied to the NFL’s fourth-highest receiver AAV; considering there are five players earning at least $30MM per year yet south of where Metcalf’s Steelers contract settled, this would help explain the holdup in the McLaurin-Commanders negotiation.

JULY 29: The 2024 offseason expanded the $30MM-per-year wide receiver club to six members. D.K. Metcalf, Ja’Marr Chase and Garrett Wilson have taken it to nine this year. Terry McLaurin is undoubtedly pushing to bump that number to 10, after seeing 2019 Day 2 classmates Metcalf and A.J. Brown land among that contingent.

McLaurin reported to training camp Sunday and landed on the active/PUP list. As our Rory Parks explained, skepticism exists about how injured the Commanders’ top wide receiver really is. An ankle injury has keyed the PUP stay, but it can be safely assumed McLaurin would be ready to practice if an extension comes to pass. Nevertheless, the Commanders have been surprised by the difficulty of these talks.

[RELATED: Assessing McLaurin’s Extension Value]

Using an injury to avoid practicing while negotiating — developments the Jonathan Taylor and Micah Parsons sagas brought — represents a third tactic, joining the holdout and the increasingly utilized hold-in amid extension talks. McLaurin shifted from a holdout to the injury route; no matter how he is accomplishing not practicing, the seventh-year veteran is aiming to land a lucrative third contract. His age provides a complication for Washington.

McLaurin is going into an age-30 season, separating him from Brown and Metcalf. Both Ole Miss products were drafted just before McLaurin, a 2019 third-round pick, but they are each two years younger. This strengthened their cases for big-ticket third contracts. McLaurin went first to ignite the second-tier boom on the receiver market in 2022, agreeing to a three-year, $69.6MM extension. That shaped the Metcalf and Deebo Samuel extensions, both of which coming in higher than McLaurin’s despite the latter’s consistency with suboptimal quarterback situations.

McLaurin’s AAV has dropped to 17th at wide receiver. The Commanders are prepared to extend their top wideout, but Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline indicates hesitancy regarding the $30MM-AAV number. Some around the league point to the team not wanting to go into that neighborhood for McLaurin, despite his five 1,000-yard seasons. Courtland Sutton and McLaurin are nearly the same age, and the Broncos’ top target signed a four-year, $92MM extension. That matches where the Titans went for Calvin Ridley (now 30) in 2024. McLaurin, though, has a better resume than both and should be aiming higher. The Commanders have a Jayden Daniels rookie contract to structure another McLaurin extension around as well.

Adam Peters was around for the 49ers’ 2022 Samuel extension but not Brandon Aiyuk‘s $30MM-per-year deal. (The Samuel extension also did not work out for the 49ers, who proceeded with a salary dump of sorts by trading him to the Commanders.) The second-year GM taking a hardline stance with McLaurin would be an interesting route given the WR’s importance to a sudden contender. Peters confirmed talks are ongoing, with that comment coming after McLaurin expressed frustration about the negotiations.

A potential gap between the pack of 20-somethings (and Tyreek Hill) north of $30MM AAV and the Tee Higgins–Jaylen Waddle–D.J. Moore tier could be relevant here, and it will be interesting to see if McLaurin settles for something just south of that $30MM benchmark. Guarantees and contract structure, of course, will be important to determining the value as well. A short-term extension should be reached soon, per Pauline, but if the Commanders hold the line at or around $30MM, the McLaurin matter could drag on for a while longer.

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