HEADLINES

Month: August 2025

Bucs To Sign QB Teddy Bridgewater

August 5th, 2025 at 1:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

1:05pm: The deal is a go. Bridgewater is joining the Bucs on a one-year agreement, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The formerly retired quarterback passed his physical and is joining Mayfield and Trask in Tampa.

10:50am: When speaking to the media, Licht confirmed Tampa’s intention of finalizing a Bridgewater deal. He added (via Greg Auman of Fox Sports) that Trask is still seen as the backup at this point, but that could of course change depending on how the coming weeks play out.

8:39am: Teddy Bridgewater has lined up another NFL opportunity. The once-retired quarterback is taking part in a visit with the Buccaneers today, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports a signing is expected in this case.

Bridgewater retired after the 2023 season but later made it clear he was interested in a return. Late in the regular season, the 32-year-old reunited with the Lions and handled backup quarterback duties the rest of the way. Bridgewater recently coached Miami Northwestern high school to begin his post-playing days, but his tenure there ended after only one season due to a suspension over using his own money to pay for food, rides and other accommodations for his players.

Tampa Bay is not one of the six teams Bridgewater has played for to date in the NFL, but this agreement will still allow him to work with a few familiar faces. Bucs defensive line coach Charlie Strong spent time with Bridgewater at Louisville, and offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard was on the Dolphins’ staff when the former first-rounder was in Miami. Provided Bridgewater officially signs in the near future, he will be in position to see preseason game time upon returning (again) to the NFL.

Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht noted (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times) Bridgewater’s experience is a key factor in the decision to add him. Former second-rounder Kyle Trask has attempted just 11 regular season passes in three years while backing up Tom Brady as a rookie and Baker Mayfield for the past two campaigns. Trask is currently dealing with a back injury, per Schefter. Mayfield, meanwhile, recently suffered a contusion in his throwing hand.

Bridgewater will thus provide the Buccaneers with a healthy option under center through the remainder of training camp, although Stroud notes Mayfield is set to return to practice this week. The former No. 1 pick is of course assured of his QB1 gig when healthy over the final two years of his contract. An extension next spring would also come as no surprise.

A veteran of 65 starts, Bridgewater’s most recent run atop a depth chart came in 2021 with the Broncos. He will not be counted on to run Tampa Bay’s offense for an extended period barring a Mayfield injury, but if today’s workout goes as planned another backup opportunity will be in play.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin Not Seeking Identical Deal To D.K. Metcalf’s

August 5th, 2025 at 12:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Terry McLaurin situation remains one to watch as the countdown to Week 1 continues. A trade request emerged last week, but to no surprise the Commanders have no intention of dealing away their No. 1 receiver.

McLaurin is owed a total of $19.4MM for 2025, the final year of his current contract. An extension (bringing with it a notable raise) has been a goal all offseason, with Washington seeking to work out a deal. The Commanders are believed to be hesitant about authorizing a pact averaging $30MM or more per year based in large part on McLaurin’s age. Entering his age-30 season, the two-time Pro Bowler is a candidate to see his production drop off while playing out his third contract.

To date, though, McLaurin has been a model of consistency with five straight 1,000-yard campaigns and a strong debut season with quarterback Jayden Daniels. A move toward the top of the receiver market has thus been sought out, with the new deal signed by D.K. Metcalf upon arrival with the Steelers named as a McLaurin target. Both 2019 draftees have strong track records of production, but Metcalf being two years younger is a factor in his favor regarding a comparison for financial purposes.

McLaurin has been linked to Metcalf’s $33MM-per-year pact with respect to his Commanders asking price. While portions of the Metcalf accord are indeed on McLaurin’s radar, Dianna Russini of The Athletic notes a matching AAV is not necessarily being sought out (video link). Once the trade sending him from Seattle to Pittsburgh was finalized, Metcalf signed an extension including $80MM in total guarantees and $60MM locked in at signing. Those figures could also be key, in addition to overall value, in negotiations between the Commanders and McLaurin’s camp.

Washington general manager Adam Peters added Deebo Samuel this offseason as part of his efforts to improve the skill-position group complementing McLaurin in 2025. A number of changes along the offensive line could also help Daniels during Year 2 as the team looks to build off last year’s run to the NFC title game. Of course, McLaurin will again be a central figure in determining the Commanders’ success provided he is on the field this fall.

Samuel is a pending free agent, and Daniels having plenty of term remaining on his rookie contract should provide Washington with the opportunity to make at least a short-term investment with respect to a third McLaurin contract. If/when a deal is reached, it will be interesting to see how similar his new pact looks compared to Metcalf’s.

Packers’ Nate Hobbs Undergoes Knee Surgery; CB Could Be Available In Week 1

August 5th, 2025 at 10:03am CST by Adam La Rose

Nate Hobbs will likely not participate in the remainder of the Packers’ training camp. The free agent signing underwent knee surgery over the weekend, as first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber.

Hobbs was dealing with a partial meniscus tear, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky adds. Playing through the issue could have been an option, but this preventative procedure has instead taken place with the aim of avoiding any missed time during the regular season. The surgery was a success, per Demovsky, who notes Hobbs is expected to miss the rest of camp.

That means the 26-year-old will be unavailable for Green Bay’s preseason contests, although he was already unlikely to take part in those. If Hobbs’ recovery goes as planned, he could still be back in time for Week 1. A clean bill of health would of course be key in this case given the investment made by the Packers on the open market.

After playing out his rookie contract with the Raiders, Hobbs was among the top cornerbacks in this year’s free agent class. He landed a four-year, $48MM pact with Green Bay. While the deal only contains $16MM guaranteed at signing, expectations are high for the former fifth-rounder as the Packers prepare for their first season since 2017 without Jaire Alexander in the fold. Hobbs could see notable time on the perimeter as well as in the slot this season while the team sorts out its best arrangement in the secondary.

News of Hobbs’ surgery and required absence helps explain the Packers’ recent decision to bring back Corey Ballentine. The veteran spent the past three years with Green Bay, making 37 appearances and seven starts. Ballentine is back in the fold as a healthy cornerback option for the time being, and he will look to earn a roster spot ahead of cutdowns later this month. Hobbs, meanwhile, will aim to recover in time for the start of the regular season.

LB Anthony Barr Retires

August 5th, 2025 at 9:17am CST by Adam La Rose

After being out of the NFL in 2024, Anthony Barr will not attempt a comeback this season. The veteran linebacker has retired, NFL insider Jordan Schultz notes.

Barr joined the Vikings in 2014 and as expected he immediately took on a full-time starting role. The former ninth overall pick developed into a mainstay on defense throughout his first Minnesota stint. Barr collected a Pro Bowl nod every year from 2015-18, and his consistent production helped his free agent stock coming off his rookie deal.

The UCLA product re-signed with the Vikings on a five-year, $67.5MM pact in 2019. That contract initially appeared to be a fruitful investment for the team, as Barr played 14 games that season and remained an every-down player on defense. After that, however, a pectoral tear limited him to just two games in 2020; he missed considerable time the following year as well. A parting of ways with the Vikings ensured.

After drawing interest from a number of suitors, Barr took a one-year Cowboys deal in the summer of 2022. That set up a single campaign with Dallas, during which he was not a full-time starter but still logged over 600 snaps. The Cowboys elected not to retain him, opening the door to another free agent pact. Once again, Barr found himself on the radar of multiple suitors, but midway through the 2023 campaign he elected to return to the Vikings.

Initially signing on Minnesota’s practice squad, Barr wound up making four regular season appearances during his second stint with the team. To little surprise, he did so in a limited role on both defense and special teams. A similar workload would have likely been in store had he signed with a team last year or in time for the coming campaign.

Barr will instead now turn his attention to his post-playing days at the age of 33. In all, he made 123 combined regular and postseason appearances – all but eight of which were starts – while compiling 554 tackles and 18.5 sacks upon transitioning from edge rusher to linebacker at the NFL level. Barr accumulated roughly $63MM in career earnings.

Raiders Trade CB Jakorian Bennett To Eagles For DT Thomas Booker

August 4th, 2025 at 10:24pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

In a rare preseason player-for-player deal, the Raiders are trading cornerback Jakorian Bennett to the Eagles in return for defensive tackle Thomas Booker, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Both players will have to pass a physical for the trade to go through, according to The Athletic’s Brooks Kubena.

Bennett, a 2023 fourth-round pick, started four games as a rookie before stepping into a bigger role with seven starts in 2024. He commanded a 71% snap share in the Raiders’ first 10 games before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the rest of the year. Despite seeming to prove himself in Las Vegas, Bennett may not have fit into new head coach Pete Carroll‘s plans for this season.

The Raiders are confident in their other cornerbacks, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, including free agent signing and projected starter Eric Stokes. Bennett had been working consistently with the Raiders’ second-string defense, per ESPN.com’s Ryan McFadden. Stokes and third-round rookie Darien Porter had been receiving most of the first-team reps, and Bennett will receive a fresh start. Two years remain on his rookie contract.

In Philadelphia, Bennett is expected to compete for the Eagles’ open outside cornerback job with Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has indicated that neither player has stood out at this point, and Bennett could mix up the competition further.

Booker, meanwhile, was deemed surplus to requirements in the Eagles’ talented young defensive line room with players like Gabe Hall and Byron Young impressing in training camp, per the Inquirer’s EJ Smith. Originally a 2022 fifth-round pick by the Texans, Booker appeared in 10 games as a rookie but was waived during roster cuts in 2023. He spent the year on the Eagles’ practice squad, earned a 53-man roster spot in 2024, and appeared in every game during the team’s championship season.

Booker will now join a Raiders defensive line room that just lost Christian Wilkins as well as 2024 starter John Jenkins earlier in the offseason. Adam Butler, Jonah Laulu, and Zachary Carter are all returning from last year’s unit with a handful of inexpensive veterans and rookies behind them. Booker will join that group competing for a depth role, though his 53-man roster chances are boosted by the fact that the Raiders moved to acquire him.

Browns Sign QB Tyler Huntley

August 4th, 2025 at 10:10pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

With a few minor injuries hampering their quarterback room, the Browns added some depth on Monday by reuniting with Tyler Huntley, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The move is now official.

Kenny Pickett has been nursing a hamstring injury for the last week, and Dillon Gabriel was limited with a similar issue on Monday, per Schefter. Shedeur Sanders has also been experiencing shoulder soreness, so veteran Joe Flacco entered the day as the team’s only fully healthy passer.

The Browns’ first preseason matchup is scheduled for Friday night in Carolina, and neither Pickett nor Gabriel are expected to play, per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. The 40-year-old Flacco played all of six preseason snaps last year, and pushing Sanders to play most of the game with a sore shoulder seems like an unnecessary risk.

Enter Huntley, who spent the 2024 offseason and preseason with the Browns but did not make their 53-man roster. He briefly signed with the Ravens’ practice squad before finishing the year with five starts in Miami. His familiarity with the Browns’ offense will allow him to serve as a camp arm and absorb preseason snaps as the rest of the team’s quarterbacks get back to full health.

He is not expected to factor into the starting competition, which has swung back-and-forth between Flacco and Pickett this summer. Though, this does bring about an interesting development due to Cleveland’s crowded depth chart. Huntley has gone from making five starts a Tua Tagovailoa relief — after making a name for himself as a Lamar Jackson fill-in — to being what could amount to a camp body. It will be interesting to see if this reunion amounts to more than that, as Huntley is still just 27 and has made 14 career starts. The Browns had carried him through past waivers last year but ultimately cut bait shortly after. The Cardinals worked out Huntley in April but did not sign him.

Flacco is atop the Browns’ first unofficial depth chart as Pickett’s absence in camp has set him back in his quest to win the starting job, something he acknowledged this weekend.

“I’m trying to get back out there as fast as possible,” said Pickett (via Cabot). “I’ve never had a soft tissue injury like this, so really a first-time experience in my career.” 

The former Steelers first-round pick is still ahead of his rookie teammates, with Gabriel listed as the third-stringer and Sanders behind him. That ranking reflects the snap distribution between the two rookies. Gabriel gets on the field before Sanders and takes more reps, but the latter has been more accurate this summer, according to The Athletic’s Zac Jackson. While neither is expected to start early in the season, Jackson suggested that Sanders’ rapid development could get him on the field later in the year.

Falcons, RT Kaleb McGary Agree To Extension

August 4th, 2025 at 10:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

Kaleb McGary‘s tenure in Atlanta will continue past 2025. Team and player have agreed to a two-year, $30MM extension, per an announcement from McGary’s agent. The Falcons have since confirmed the news.

Prior to today’s deal, McGary was on track for free agency next spring. Now, however, he is on the books through the 2027 campaign. Each of his six years in the league have come with the Falcons, and the 30-year-old’s latest contract increases the chances he will finish his career in Atlanta.

After playing out his rookie pact, McGary appeared at one point to be headed elsewhere on the open market. Instead, a three-year, $34.5MM pact was worked out to prevent a departure. With one season remaining on that $11.5MM-per-year accord, the former first-rounder has managed to increase his average annual value on this new contract without requiring much in the way of new term from the team’s perspective.

During his first three years in the league, McGary – who has started all but one of his 93 appearances – failed to land within the top 50 tackles in terms of PFF grades. 2022 saw a major step forward in that respect, with his 86.6 grade ranking fourth at the position. Since then, the Washington alum has continued to deliver strong showings in terms of run blocking in particular, although his overall evaluations have failed to duplicate that previous high mark. He will nevertheless be expected to remain a consistent and durable presence up front on this new pact, having played at least 14 games every season to date.

The Falcons have one of the league’s highest-paid guards in the form of Chris Lindstrom, and he is under contract for another four years. The same is also true of left tackle Jake Matthews, since he signed a two-year extension of his own back in March. With McGary’s post-2025 future now taken care of as well (and left guard Matthew Bergeron still attached to his rookie deal), Atlanta will look to benefit from a large degree of stability along the offensive line in advance of Michael Penix Jr.‘s first full season as the team’s starting quarterback.

Center Drew Dalman departed in free agency as expected this spring. The Falcons are set to promote Ryan Neuzil to a starting gig in his place. A similar in house-ascension could take place down the road at the right tackle spot. For the foreseeable future, though, that position will continue to belong to McGary.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/25

August 4th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

NFL teams are continuing to adjust their rosters to weather injuries and add depth with preseason games kicking off later this week. Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: CB Luq Barcoo, CB D.J. Miller
  • Waived/injured: RB Kye Robichaux
  • Placed on IR: S Dan Jackson

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

The Lions’ additions were likely a result of a shoulder injury to second-year cornerback Ennis Rakestraw. Head coach Dan Campbell said (via team writer Tim Twentyman) that “it’s going to be a while, at best” until Rakestraw returns to the field.

Ballentine returns to Green Bay, where he spent the last three seasons, after a brief stint in Indianapolis this offseason. He started six games and played 488 snaps for the Packers in 2023, but primarily contributed on special teams in 2022 and 2024.

The Giants are dealing with a number of injuries in their running back room, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. Only Tyrone Tracy, Devin Singletary, and Darius Miller are healthy, and the first two may not play much in the preseason. New York worked out a number of running backs on Monday, including Myles Gaskin and Isaiah Spiller (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson), but Ward impressed enough to join the squad moving forward.

Finley went down with a knee injury at training camp that is believed to be serious, pending additional tests, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. Triner, meanwhile, will fill in for Seahawks third-year long snapper Chris Stoll, who is dealing with a back issue, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times.

Bills WR Khalil Shakir To Miss Time

August 4th, 2025 at 6:45pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir is expected to miss four to five weeks due to a high ankle sprain suffered last Friday, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

Head coach Sean McDermott said on Sunday (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter) that Shakir was considered “week to week.”

The fourth-year wideout stepped up after the departure of Stefon Diggs last offseason, leading Buffalo with 76 receptions and 821 receiving yards in 2024 and earning himself a four-year, $53MM extension this offseason.

With little more than five weeks until the Bills’ regular season debut against the Ravens, Shakir’s recovery will have to go smoothly for him to play in Week 1. He was the Bills’ most active pass-catcher in both matchups vs. Baltimore last season. He caught 10 of his 12 targets for 129 across the two contests, the latter of which was a playoff win that sent Buffalo to the AFC Championship Game.

The Bills have a number of options to fill Shakir’s role in the slot during his absence. Veteran Curtis Samuel will likely be the next man up after rotating into the slot in Buffalo last year, and offseason signings Elijah Moore and Josh Palmer bring some experience there as well.

The Bills could also roll out more two tight end formations with Dalton Kincaid or Dawson Knox split into the slot. Still, Shakir’s injury doesn’t seem so significant that it will require major adjustments to Buffalo’s offense this season.

49ers DT Kevin Givens To Miss Regular Season Time

August 4th, 2025 at 5:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

A pectoral injury will leave Kevin Givens sidelined for the foreseeable future. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday (via The Athletic’s Matt Barrows) the veteran defensive tackle will miss “a chunk” of the 2025 season.

Givens entered the league with low expectations as an undrafted free agent, but he has managed to carve out a noteworthy NFL career. Each of his six seasons to date have come with San Francisco, and in 2022 he logged 11 starts and a career-high snap share of 44%. More commonly, though, the 28-year-old has occupied a rotational role along the defensive front.

That was set to remain the case in 2025, but Givens is now facing a lengthy recovery period. An injured reserve-designated for return placement during roster cutdowns would allow for an activation at some point during the regular season, but it would also require at least a four-game absence to begin the campaign. With a lengthy rehab process apparently in store, the 49ers will move forward with a DT group which lost Javon Hargrave via release this spring and added Alfred Collins during the second round of the draft.

In other injury news, Shanahan said running back Isaac Guerendo is week-to-week with a shoulder injury. A large role could be in store for the 2024 fourth-rounder backing up Christian McCaffrey this year, provided he can stay healthy of course. Guerendo has time to recover in advance of Week 1, but his status will be worth watching. Likewise, defensive end Sam Okuayinonu is facing a multi-week absence, per Shanahan.

As a result of the injury-induced absences the 49ers are currently dealing with at several positions, a slew of moves were made earlier today. That included the release of kicker Greg Joseph. Jake Moody is the only kicker in place at the moment, but Shanahan noted (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area) the decision to cut Joseph was based on other roster constraints rather than a poor showing on the veteran’s part. As such, Moody is not necessarily assured of the kicking gig pending how he performs during the remainder of the summer. The kicker position could still be one to watch as San Francisco balances a number of injury situations.

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