Texans Worked Out CB Sean Fresch
The Texans hosted an All-UFL player yesterday. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the team worked out cornerback/returner Sean Fresch.
Fresch spent his entire five-year collegiate career at Rice, where he transformed into one of the team’s top defenders. He was especially productive between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, when he compiled 102 tackles, 16 passes defended, and an interception. He also made a name for himself on special teams, where he returned 24 punts for 200 yards between those two campaigns.
He continued that special teams prowess after joining the St. Louis Battlehawks for the 2026 UFL spring season. In 10 appearances, he returned 32 punts for 333 yards and three kickoffs for 85 yards, earning him All-league honors. He also contributed on defense, where he tallied 29 tackles, four pass breakups, and a pair of sacks.
As Wilson notes, the player brings some notable attributes to the table with a 4.40 40-yard dash time and a 41-inch vertical. Jaylin Noel led Houston’s return game in 2025 and is expected to lead the unit in 2026, but Fresch would provide the organization with another option. At the moment, Tremon Smith represents the team’s other return option.
Bills Make Series Of Roster Moves
As part of a handful of transactions on Thursday, the Bills waived cornerback Dorian Strong with a non-football injury designation. They also waived/injured running back Desmond Reid and waived wide receiver Gabriel Benyard. The Bills signed receivers Deven Thompkins and Max Tomczak in corresponding moves.
Strong is likely to make a quick return to the organization, as he is expected to miss the season with a neck injury, per Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN. Assuming Strong clears waivers, Buffalo will place him on IR.
As a sixth-round rookie from Virginia Tech in 2025, Strong appeared in four games and made 10 tackles. He started in his debut, a Week 1 win over the Ravens, as the Bills were without injured corners Maxwell Hairston and Tre’Davious White.
While Strong looked like capable depth in limited action last season, the 24-year-old’s career has been in doubt since the Bills placed him on IR in early October. General manager Brandon Beane revealed in April that Strong underwent “specialized” neck surgery after the season. Beane admitted then that it is “unknown” if Strong will play again (via Ryan Miller of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle).
Thompkins, the only other member of this group with NFL experience, took advantage of a minicamp invitation this week. So far, all 36 of his pro appearances have come with NFC South teams. He played for the Buccaneers from 2022-23, with whom he logged extensive work as a return man, before joining the Panthers in 2024 and the Falcons last year. The 5-foot-8, 155-pounder has totaled 29 catches, including three in seven games in 2025. The Falcons waived Thompkins in early May.
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Henry Ruggs Denied Parole
Three years after pleading guilty to felony counts of DUI resulting in death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in 2023, former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs sought parole this spring. The Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners denied Ruggs’ request on Thursday, the Associated Press reports.
Ruggs, whom the Raiders drafted 12th overall in 2020, killed another driver and her dog in a November 2021 car crash. While traveling at speeds up to 156 mph in his Corvette, Ruggs slammed into 23-year-old victim Tina Tintor’s car. Ruggs refused a field sobriety test, but a blood alcohol test taken within two hours registered a BAC of .161 – twice the legal limit.
“Mr. Ruggs, and our office, continue to feel the grief and loss suffered by Ms. Tintor’s family,” attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said in a statement on Thursday. They believe there is “overwhelming evidence” that Ruggs has accepted responsibility for his actions. It is unknown if they will appeal the results of the hearing.
Ruggs, who is serving a three- to 10-year prison sentence, was moved from a low-security facility to a a medium-security facility in December. When Vanessa Murphy of KLAS 8 News Now reached out to the Nevada Department of Corrections for the reason, a spokesperson wrote in an email: “We can’t disclose specific information on offender. However, in general, an offender who commits infractions while at a lower-level custody, depending on the nature and severity, they could be reverted back to a higher level of custody.”
Ruggs’ next parole board hearing will occur three months before his Aug. 27, 2027, mandatory parole release date, executive director of the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners Kathi Baker told the AP.
Ruggs played 20 games with the Raiders, who cut him shortly after his arrest. The 27-year-old has shown interest in returning to the NFL, but that looks even less likely in the wake of the parole board’s decision on Thursday.
Lions S Brian Branch Could Start Season On PUP
Lions safety Brian Branch‘s 2025 season came to an end when he tore his Achilles in a Week 14 win over the Cowboys. The injury occurred late enough in the year that it may shelve Branch for a portion of the upcoming season.
Although Branch has not dealt with any setbacks, there is no clear timetable for his return as training camp approaches. With that in mind, head coach Dan Campbell admitted Branch “could be” a candidate to open 2026 on the reserve/PUP list, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Doing so would require Branch to miss at least four games, which would keep him out of meetings with the Saints, Bills, Jets and Panthers.
The Lions entered 2025 with the elite safety tandem of Branch and Kerby Joseph, but injuries undermined the pair during a disappointing 9-8 season for the club. Branch missed five games (including one for a suspension), while Joseph sat out 11 as he battled knee problems. With Joseph managing a degenerative condition, it is unclear if he will be ready for Week 1. The Lions are preparing free agent pickup Christian Izien to fill in for Joseph if he misses time. Some combination of free agent addition Chuck Clark, Thomas Harper and Avonte Maddox could help pick up Branch’s slack if he is unavailable.
Joseph missed just two games in his first three seasons. Thanks to his combination of durability and stellar production, the Lions inked him to a four-year, $86MM extension in April 2025. Branch, who is entering a contract year, won’t be as fortunate. On the heels of Branch’s injury last December, Birkett reported the three-year veteran and one-time Pro Bowler was unlikely to receive a new deal in the offseason. Campbell all but confirmed an extension with Branch has no chance of coming together during his rehab.
“I think you always want to know that your guys are, that they are healthy and that this is truly healed,” Campbell said. “You’re always going to kind of want to lean that way knowing the investment that would go into that.”
Extending a healthy Branch could have been a priority for general manager Brad Holmes, but the injured version is down in a pecking order that includes two other 2023 draftees: running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta. Holmes already hammered out a four-year, $81MM extension with linebacker Jack Campbell, another member of the Lions’ loaded 2023 draft haul, in late May.
Raiders CB Jermod McCoy On Track For Training Camp
Jermod McCoy was arguably the No. 1 cornerback available a few weeks before the draft, but serious concerns over his knee led to a precipitous drop down the board. McCoy lasted until the first pick in the fourth round, where the Raiders took a flier at No. 101 overall.
The Raiders have taken it easy with McCoy during their offseason program, but it appears he will ramp up activities when training camp opens in July. McCoy is on schedule to be a full participant, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post. There are not any “new issues” with his knee, per Bonsignore.
McCoy hasn’t played a down of football since 2024, when he was a second-team All-American at Tennessee. The 6-foot-1, 188-pounder deflected nine passes and came down with four interceptions in 13 games that year, but he was unable to build on it in 2025 after tearing his ACL. McCoy bounced back nicely in February at the Combine, where he showed off his athleticism with a 4.37-second 40-yard dash, a 38-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot, 7-inch broad jump.
While his Combine showing was encouraging, there was nonetheless plenty of leeriness toward McCoy going into the draft. The ACL injury had little to do with his stock plummeting in the first place. Rather, as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said before the draft, “the concern is about a bone plug that was used to repair a cartilage defect in his knee.” If McCoy eventually requires surgery to replace the bone plug, it would likely shelve him for at least a year. Worse, there is a good chance an unsuccessful procedure would end his career.
There was too much risk for any team to spend a high pick on McCoy, but he could emerge as a mid-round steal for the Raiders if his knee holds up. Also a former Oregon State corner, McCoy picked off six passes in two college seasons. Las Vegas, whose defense tied for 27th in INTs last year, would welcome that type of playmaking ability. If McCoy is indeed a full go when camp rolls around, he will presumably compete with Darien Porter for the Raiders’ No. 2 corner job opposite Eric Stokes. McCoy’s performance in camp and during the preseason will count among the Raiders’ most interesting storylines this summer.
Browns S Ronnie Hickman Signs Second-Round RFA Tender
In March, the Browns elected to keep restricted free agent safety Ronnie Hickman in the fold by applying a second-round RFA tender. That one-year deal has now been signed.
Hickman is officially on the books, the Browns announced on Thursday. The 24-year-old is due to collect $5.77MM in 2026 as a result. That represents a sharp raise in pay compared to Hickman’s first three years in the NFL, and it illustrates his importance to Cleveland’s defense in at least the near term.
During his first NFL season, the former undrafted free agent made an impact on defense while operating in a part-time role and also chipping in on special teams. Hickman saw an uptick in usage during the 2024 campaign, and he continued to impress. That helped pave the way for full-time starting gig in 2025.
Hickman appeared in every game for Cleveland last year, easily setting new career highs in many categories. The Ohio State product notched 103 tackles, a pair of interceptions and seven pass deflections. Expectations will be high for a strong follow-up season in 2026, and another productive campaign would of course help Hickman’s case for a long-term Browns commitment.
The deadline for players attached to an RFA tender to sign an offer sheet from an outside team has long passed. The Browns would have received a second-round pick as compensation for Hickman inking an unmatched offer sheet earlier this offseason, but they will prepare for at least one more season of him playing a key role in the secondary. Cleveland still has Grant Delpit in the fold and the team added Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the second round of the draft, but Hickman figures to spend at least one more season as an important contributor at the safety spot.
Rams Rework Myles Garrett’s Contract
JUNE 11: As a result of the restructure, Garrett’s cap charge for 2026 will be $8.84MM (h/t NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). That figure will experience a notable jump every year afterwards, topping $48MM in 2030. A dead money charge of $39.91MM will hit Los Angeles’ books after the contract voids in 2031.
JUNE 4: Myles Garrett became the rare edge rusher to change teams in a trade involving a first-round pick and not receive an immediate extension. As our most recent Trade Rumors Front Office piece detailed, Garrett is set to be first EDGE to be traded for a future first — excluding pick-for-pick trades — this century and not receive an extension.
We learned following the trade the Rams were not planning an immediate pay bump for the future Hall of Famer, but the sides have agreed to rework the contract the Browns designed last March. The Rams and Garrett agreed on an adjusted deal Thursday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports. While this can be framed as a five-year, $204MM agreement, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes it does not provide a raise or add any years to his Cleveland agreement.
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Garrett signed a four-year, $160MM Browns extension nearly 15 months ago. Because two seasons were left on his first Browns extension — a five-year, $125MM pact agreed to in summer 2020 — his current deal runs through 2030.
Garrett set a single-season sack record in 2025, proving he remains probably the game’s premier edge rusher and one of the NFL’s best overall players, and his Browns re-up triggered a sea change on the EDGE market. T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, Aidan Hutchinson and Will Anderson Jr. have leapfrogged Garrett’s $40MM-per-year deal in terms of AAV. Anderson moved the bar to $50MM per year in April.
But the Garrett trade was more about a team resetting and cashing in on its top asset to accelerate a rebuild, as opposed to most high-profile trades at this position. Of the seven other 21st-century instances of edge rushers being dealt for packages involving a first-rounder — for Parsons, Bradley Chubb, Frank Clark, Khalil Mack, Jared Allen, John Abraham, Kevin Carter — all involved immediate raises. So did three recent deals involving a second-rounder being swapped for an edge defender (Brian Burns, Montez Sweat, Dee Ford). The Rams having an opportunity to acquire Garrett without needing to authorize a top-market extension created even more value for the Browns in this trade, which sent Jared Verse and three draft choices (including a 2027 first-rounder) to Cleveland.
The rework will increase Garrett’s 2026 pay from $31.5MM to $37MM, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds. Like they did with Matthew Stafford in 2024, the Rams are moving money from future years into the current campaign. The Thursday adjustment also moves option bonuses to signing bonuses in some cases, per Fowler.
Garrett’s Browns deal already contained $41.7MM in 2027 guarantees. Today’s agreement, which includes $37MM guaranteed at signing, will reduce Garrett’s 2027 guarantees by $10.7MM but increase the 2028 guarantees by $7.2MM, Florio notes.
By 2027, Garrett will see a total of $62MM in injury guarantees vest, Florio adds. That makes this an appealing package for both team and player, as a two-time Defensive Player of the Year is still attached to the league’s fifth-most-lucrative EDGE AAV and said player will see a mammoth guarantee come his way next year.
This amounts to a three-year deal with two team options, with the Rams keeping Browns terms for the nonguaranteed 2029 and 2030 years; Garrett will be due an $8MM roster bonus in March 2029 and March 2030. The cap numbers will be important to observe on this rework, as the Rams have surely adjusted the contract to help in that regard.
The Rams entered Thursday with $18.29MM in cap space. Although Los Angeles moved off Verse, it has a host of extension-eligible young players. The 2023 draft brought Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Kobie Turner, Byron Young and Warren McClendon to L.A. Nacua is believed to be the top priority, but the Rams have not executed any extensions for that draft class yet. The team did give Stafford a one-year, $55MM extension. More deals should be expected.
It will be interesting to see if Garrett pushes for a true raise soon. The Rams have shown in the past — via their bumps for Donald and Cooper Kupp in 2022 — they are willing to reward cornerstone players with multiple seasons remaining on contracts. Garrett’s camp forcing the issue in the future would not surprise, but the trove of guaranteed money vesting next year should satisfy the superstar defender for the foreseeable future.
HC Kellen Moore Hopes Cameron Jordan Re-Signs With Saints
It was learned last month that the Saints have submitted a contract offer to Cameron Jordan. The franchise icon remains unsigned at this point, but not because of a lack of interest from New Orleans.
Head coach Kellen Moore said (via Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football) the Jordan offer is still on the table at this time. He added he remains hopeful the eight-time Pro Bowler will choose to stay with the only NFL team he has played for. Jordan’s entire 15-year career has taken place as a member of the Saints, and he demonstrated an ability to continue producing at a high level in 2025.
Jordan notched 10.5 sacks last season, his highest total since 2021. After accepting a pay cut last year, a lucrative short-term pact could be in order for the former All-Pro should he decide to play another New Orleans season. Retirement was not a consideration as of March, and a number of suitors would no doubt show interest in Jordan as at least a capable veteran depth option along the edge. Former Saints head coach Dennis Allen resides in Chicago as the Bears’ defensive coordinator, but a reunion between the two is not expected.
Jordan is set to turn 37 in mid-July, around the time NFL training camps will begin. He will no doubt aim to have clarity with respect to his 2026 outlook by that point, whether that consists of another Saints agreement or a deal sending him elsewhere. Jordan has indicated he will not chase the most lucrative bid at this stage of his career, although finances will no doubt be a factor in his decision. New Orleans has Chase Young and Carl Granderson set to return as key pass rush figures from 2025, while the team swung a trade for former Raiders top-10 pick Tyree Wilson during the draft.
The Saints currently have $8.13MM in cap space. That figure is among the lowest in the NFL as things stand, but it could be enough to absorb a new Jordan contract. If Moore has his way, Jordan will be back in the fold relatively soon.
Chiefs Hand QB Patrick Mahomes Extension Through 2033
11:21pm: Hours after the announcement hit the waves, Mahomes has officially put pen to paper on his new deal. With the record-setting deal finalized, the three-time Super Bowl MVP is now under Chiefs control for eight more seasons.
3:34pm: Six summers ago, the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes agreed on an unrivaled extension that ran into the 2030s. The superstar’s lengthy contract benefited the Chiefs, and other passers’ salaries began to dwarf his.
The Chiefs agreed to a reworked deal in fall 2023 but did not remove any years from the mammoth pact. The parties have now agreed to add more time on this deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Kansas City will now have Mahomes signed through the 2033 season at $504.75MM. That is the total value of the new deal, which will add two seasons to Mahomes’ term.
That whopping number covers eight seasons in total, representing a seismic adjustment to the NFL’s longest-term contract. In terms of new money, Mahomes will receive $239.1MM, per Schefter and Rapoport. The first four years of the three-time Super Bowl MVP’s deal are guaranteed at signing, representing tremendous confidence the quarterback will return to his stratospheric heights after suffering ACL and LCL tears last December.
This does not mean the Chiefs are adding $239.1MM over the 2032 and ’33 seasons, as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio points out, but the team will give the all-time great a significant raise over the existing years of his deal. In exchange, Mahomes will give the Chiefs two more years of control.
The 2033 season would be Mahomes’ age-38 campaign. That $239MM number will mark a raise throughout the eight-year contract’s life, and it represents a record-setting AAV bump for the current game’s most accomplished quarterback.
The new guarantees probably represent the most notable component of this agreement. Aside from first- or early-second-round rookie contracts and the outlier Deshaun Watson deal, teams do not authorize four years of fully guaranteed money. The Chiefs are doing so, with Schefter and Rapoport adding guarantee mechanisms — which were used in the team’s initial Mahomes extension — are present to cover the 2030s part of this accord.
While plenty of details are yet to emerge, the eight-year package worth $504.75MM comes out to more than $63MM per year. We will wait to see how this is structured, but that blows past Dak Prescott‘s previous high-water mark — set in September 2024. The Cowboys have Prescott signed to a four-year, $240MM extension, one the QB secured thanks to historic leverage. Mahomes opted for a team-friendlier deal in 2020, and it helped the Chiefs retain Chris Jones on multiple extensions — to go with other roster-building advantages. The organization is rewarding the 10th-year quarterback, and it will be interesting to see how this contract breaks down in terms of cap hits.
When Mahomes agreed to his 10-year Kansas City extension (worth $450MM) in July 2020, Russell Wilson‘s $35MM-per-year Seahawks pact had resided atop the quarterback market. Mahomes’ accord raised the ceiling, but it did not take too long for the field to catch up with him. Watson topped the deal on a much more player-friendly package — the most player-friendly agreement in NFL history — while Aaron Rodgers became the first $50MM-AAV player days earlier in March 2022.
A host of QBs are now in the $50MM-per-year club, leading to the Chiefs infusing Mahomes’ contract with guarantees in September 2023, with Prescott hitting $60MM AAV. The $60MM-per-year club now houses two passers, and Lamar Jackson‘s camp will assuredly take note of Mahomes’ latest update.
Jackson carries favorable leverage compared to Mahomes, whose previous through-2031 arrangement gave the Chiefs flexibility — which they have continually used via restructures. The Chiefs have restructured Mahomes’ contract five times since its authorization; the latest change (in February) dropped his cap number to $34.65MM for 2026. That gave the Chiefs some breathing room, as they entered the offseason well over the cap.
The contract maxes out at $522.25MM, according to Schefter and Rapoport, with incentives and escalators present. This agreement comes more than a year after the Bills gave Josh Allen a monster adjustment by adding two more years to his lengthy contract. The only QB to remotely venture into Mahomes’ contractual territory — term length-wise — Allen signed a six-year Bills extension in 2021. After Allen’s 2024 MVP season, the team rewarded him with a six-year, $330MM contract that added two years to his previous pact. This Mahomes offering looks similar, but with four fully guaranteed years, the Kansas City icon fared better on that front.
It is debatable as to whether Allen has passed Mahomes in the QB pecking order exiting the 2025 season, and the Bills superstar is a year younger. But no debate exists as to the league’s most accomplished active QB.
The Chiefs had experienced a 50-year Super Bowl drought after their Super Bowl IV victory, which closed the sport’s AFL chapter, as the likes of Joe Montana, Trent Green and Alex Smith — among others in a QB carousel that formed a San Francisco-to-Kansas City pipeline — were unable to lift the franchise back to the game’s ultimate stage. Mahomes did, and he has played in five Super Bowls and seven AFC championship games through eight seasons as a starter.
Mahomes delivered his best statistical season in 2018, throwing 50 touchdown passes and reaching 5,097 passing yards in his first year succeeding Smith. A porous Chiefs defense could not stop Tom Brady and Co. in the AFC championship game, but Kansas City’s seminal Steve Spagnuolo hire soon after allowed Mahomes to have near-Brady-like defensive protection en route to forming the NFL’s only post-Patriots dynasty. The Chiefs won Super Bowls LIV, LVII and LVIII over the next five seasons, with Mahomes earning MVP honors in each game. Also receiving regular-season MVP acclaim in 2022, Mahomes created distance between himself and the field by that point.
Since then, the Chiefs have not rivaled their early Mahomes years on offense. The team ranked 15th in scoring in 2023 and ’24, with the Tyreek Hill trade — and a few misses at wide receiver — limiting the once-explosive attack. Travis Kelce moving into his mid-30s did not help matters, and Spagnuolo’s defense — a top-10 unit in six of the decorated DC’s seven seasons in K.C. — became an underrated component of this dynasty.
The Chiefs lost Mahomes to a season-ending knee injury in Week 15 last year, but the team was on the verge of elimination with the future first-ballot Hall of Famer at the wheel. Mahomes went 6-8 as a starter last season, as the Chiefs’ close-game mojo faded. The team ranked 21st in scoring offense, with the post-Mahomes period contributing to that placement. Wednesday’s commitment certainly shows no signs the franchise is concerned about its passer’s long-term viability.
Andy Reid, the Chiefs dynasty’s other pillar, has continually fended off retirement rumors. The NFL’s fourth-winningest all-time coach is heading into his 14th season in charge of the AFC West team. The Broncos toppled Reid’s bunch last season, going 14-3, while the Chargers swept the Chiefs with Mahomes starting both games. Reid, 68, will attempt to become the oldest HC to win a Super Bowl; Bruce Arians, 66 when his Buccaneers thrashed the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, currently holds that record.
Mahomes, who had missed only two games due to injury prior to his knee setback, did some work at Chiefs OTAs and is targeting a Week 1 return. The Chiefs acquired Justin Fields via trade, bringing in some insurance in the event the longtime starter is not ready. Mahomes has beat rumored injury recovery timetables in the past, most notably playing on a high ankle sprain in the 2022 playoffs, and comparable recoveries from ACL tears have commenced.
Seeing favorable AFC West draws in the years after Peyton Manning‘s retirement, the Chiefs now enter a season — for the first time in ages — in which they are not the surefire favorites to win the division. Kelce is entering an age-37 season, while Chris Jones is now 32. The team’s questions at wide receiver persist, with No. 1 target Rashee Rice currently in jail — while rehabbing from knee surgery — due to violating his probation. The Chiefs added Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker in free agency and made three top-40 picks in this year’s draft, using a 6-11 2025 record to their advantage.
The team will hope its cornerstone player will be back in Week 1. But for the long haul — which will feature the Chiefs moving across the Kansas state line into a new stadium in 2031 — no doubt exists about internal confidence in Mahomes, who remains the NFL’s only player signed beyond the 2030 season.