Colts Do Not Plan To Pursue No. 3 WR
The Colts were on pace to have one of the league’s best passing offenses in 2025 before Daniel Jones‘ season-ending injury. Alec Pierce was only eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards, but Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs both saw statistical regression from the year prior.
This offseason, Indianapolis opted to retain Pierce on a $28.5MM per year deal and sent Pittman to the Steelers in a late-Day 3 pick swap. That leaves somewhat of a hole in the wide receiver room behind Pierce and Downs, a 2023 third-rounder who only posted 566 receiving yards in 2025 after 1,574 in his first two seasons.
However, the Colts are not planning to pursue a No. 3 receiver, according to The Athletic’s James Boyd. Instead, they are counting on a number of factors to fill the void in their passing game. The first is Pierce, who is expected to see WR1-level targets commensurate with his new status as the team’s highest-paid wideout (and non-quarterback).
Pierce has yet to reach 85 targets in a season but consistently made big gains downfield to make up for that lack of volume. In back-to-back years, the 26-year-old has led the league in yards per reception to go along with a stellar 11.9 yards per target. Maintaining that efficiency with over 100 targets would go a long way in replacing Pittman’s production.
Indianapolis is also expecting Downs to bounce back after seeing the fewest targets of his career last year, though his efficiency metrics took a sharp dip down, too. He primarily lines up in the slot, so a combination of free agent signing Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and longtime core special teams contributor Ashton Dulin will likely step up on the boundary. Seventh-round pick Deion Burks has a similar athletic profile to Downs and will likely provide depth in the slot.
Finally, the Colts are hoping to get even more out of 2025 first-rounder Tyler Warren after his Pro Bowl rookie year. The 23-year-old tight end ranked second on the team with 817 receiving yards, but almost 60% came after the catch. Getting him more involved in the downfield passing game could turn him into one of the league’s most productive tight ends.
The team has plenty of time to evaluate their current wide receiver situation. The ranks of available free agents will thin in the coming months, but there should still be some veterans available when training camp rolls around if the coaching staff is not satisfied with what they see at OTAs and mandatory minicamp.
Seahawks Agree To Terms With Round 2 S Bud Clark
Last year saw dramatic increases in guarantees for Day 2 draft picks, with eight second-rounders receiving fully guaranteed contracts for the first time. The trend is continuing in 2026.
Seahawks second-round pick (No. 64 overall) Bud Clark has agreed to his rookie contract, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, which will pay him $7.88MM over the next four years.
The rookie pay scale is set by the league, but draftees are empowered to negotiate payment schedules and guarantees. Clark will receive $5.47MM in guarantees, comprised of a $2.2MM signing bonus, his 2026 and 2027 salaries, and $1.15MM of his 2028 salary.
Clark’s guarantees represent 69.4% of his total deal, a substantial increase from last year’s No. 64 pick, Andrew Mukuba. $4.2MM of his $7.16MM deal (58.6%) with the Eagles came guaranteed (via OverTheCap), which included $343K in his third year, a first for his draft slot. For additional context, the No. 64 pick in 2024, Renardo Green, signed a rookie contract with 52.4% guaranteed with none in Year 3.
This signing continues a trend of eight-pick jumps in guarantee increases. Tyler Shough, the No. 40 pick in 2025, received a fully guaranteed contract, putting him on par with the No. 32 pick in 2024. The second-rounders behind him then sought similar bumps commensurate to the players selected eight picks earlier the year prior, as reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Accordingly, Clark’s percentage of guaranteed money lands between that of the 56th and 57th overall picks in 2025.
First-rounder Jadarian Price is now the only Seahawks draft pick who has yet to sign his rookie deal. He will receive a fully guaranteed contract, so he will be looking for improvements elsewhere in the deal. He will become the first player at his draft slot to receive over 50% of his rookie deal as a signing bonus, and he may also seek a more advantageous pay schedule via roster bonuses. The exact amount of Price’s increases will depend on the 11 unsigned picks ahead of him.
Falcons QB Michael Penix Throwing Again In Time For Offseason Program
The Falcons have a dual-lefty starting quarterback competition to look forward to this offseason, and it could be getting started sooner rather than later. After suffering a partially torn ACL mid-November last year and undergoing season-ending surgery two days later, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was spotted throwing passes to wide receiver Drake London at the team’s facility yesterday, per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi.
In the immediate aftermath of his injury last year, there was early speculation that Penix could miss the start of the upcoming season, but in an update after the season, Penix announced his expectations to be medically cleared by April. Now well into May, he’s a bit behind his own prediction, but he appears to be close to a return. Per Raimondi, a team spokesperson informed the media that Penix would be participating in Phase 2 of Atlanta’s offseason program, which can include group drills and instruction but not full practices in the traditional sense.
The Falcons have still not officially put forth a timeline for Penix’s return, but the 2024 first-round pick has been saying that he’ll be ready for Week 1. As good as that sounds, Penix will need to be back soon, in order to hold off new arrival Tua Tagovailoa for the starting job in 2026. Tagovailoa comes off a six-year tenure in Miami where he started 76 of 78 game appearances. He led the NFL in passing with 4,624 yards in 2023 and completed a league-best 72.9 percent of his pass attempts in 2024.
Penix took over the starting job in Atlanta over the final few weeks of his rookie season and opened his 2025 campaign as QB1. He made nine starts in Year 2 before landing on injured reserve. With 12 starts in 14 game appearances, Penix has completed just under 60 percent of his passes for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. He averaged about 220 passing yards per game last year before going down with the knee injury. Penix appears to be well on his way back to returning to the field, and he may be in a rush to do so now that his starting spot is up for grabs.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/13/26
Wednesday’s draft pick signings from the 2026 NFL Draft class:
Cincinnati Bengals
- CB Tacario Davis (third round, Washington)
Houston Texans
- LB Wade Woodaz (fourth round, Clemson)
After inking Davis, the Bengals now have only to sign second-round defensive end Cashius Howell to complete the signing of their 2026 rookie class. Before considering this as pretty much done, though, it may be worth remembering how long it took Cincinnati to sign its top draft pick last year.
Raiders Sign DT Benito Jones
The Raiders officially signed veteran defensive tackle Benito Jones, per a team announcement, reuniting the 28-year-old with defensive coordinator Rob Leonard.
Leonard was the Dolphins’ assistant defensive line coach when Jones arrived in Miami as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Jones appeared in six games as a rookie while being coached directly by Leonard. In 2021, though, Leonard was moved to outside linebackers and Jones did not see the field.
The Dolphins waived Jones during roster cuts in 2022. He was claimed by the Lions and immediately stepped into a rotational role along their defensive line, appearing in all 17 games with a 27% snap share. He emerged as Detroit’s primary nose tackle in 2023 and started 15 games while playing 52% of the team’s defensive snaps.
Jones returned to Miami in 2024 and made another 15 starts. He saw less playing time last year with just a 30% snap share before he landed on injured reserve in December. Like many massive nose tackles, he has not stuffed the stat sheet in his career with just 83 tackle, 3.5 sacks, and 10 tackles for loss across 71 games. In Las Vegas, Jones will replace Brodric Martin, who was waived with an injury designation in a corresponding move.
The Lions traded up to select Martin in the third round of the 2023 draft. He only appeared in five games across his first two seasons, which included an IR stint in 2024 due to a knee injury. He was waived during roster cuts last year and made his way to the Chiefs’ practice squad. The Steelers plucked him out of Kansas City and used him for one game before waiving him in December.
The Raiders claimed Martin (and his contract), keeping him on the roster heading into 2026. However, his waived/injured designation indicates that he could not pass a physical during the team’s offseason program. With just five games and 65 total snaps to his name, the 26-year-old seems unlikely to attract interest on waivers and may need to wait until he’s healthy for an offer from another team.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/13/26
Today’s midweek minor moves:
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers (from Raiders): WR Brenden Rice
Houston Texans
- Waived (with injury designation): OLB Xavier Thomas
Los Angeles Chargers
- Reverted to IR: CB Jeremiah Wilson
New York Jets
- Waived (with injury settlement): S Chris Smith
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: S Makari Paige
Jets, RB Breece Hall Agree To Extension
MAY 13: The deal will include $29MM guaranteed over its first two years, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer tweets. While it is not known if this figure is fully guaranteed, that is likely the case due to what Hall would have made on two franchise tags. If the $29MM is locked in at signing, it will rank fourth among RBs (and second among non-rookie-contract deals at the position). Two void years are included in the contract, per Breer. Hall will carry cap hits of $11.48MM (2026), $14.48MM (2027) and $15.48MM (2028).
There are $1.5MM in incentives present as well. Hall reaching seven rushing touchdowns, surpassing 1,426 scrimmage yards or being named to the Pro Bowl would carry a $250K bump in each season, Breer adds. Hall if the first of this year’s three franchise-tagged players to sign an extension.
MAY 11: The Jets have officially announced the extension. We’ve also learned that the base value of the contract actually comes in at $43.5MM, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
MAY 8: Breece Hall‘s Jets tenure will continue beyond 2026. The franchise-tagged running back has worked out an extension agreement with New York.
Team and player have struck a three-year deal, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. He adds this extension is worth up to $45.75MM. Instead of only being in place for one more season due to the tag, Hall will now be on the books through 2028.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes $45.75MM represents the base value of this deal. As such, Hall’s average annual value checks in at $15.25MM. That figure ranks third in the NFL among running backs, behind only Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey. The position’s landscape could change soon with Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson each eligible for extensions of their own this offseason. In any case, Hall’s outlook has now become much clearer.
The transition tag loomed as an option for New York to keep Hall in the fold for 2026. However, interest in offer sheets would have emerged had the Jets used the less-expensive one-year tender. Indeed, the Broncos were among the teams which would have pursed Hall in that scenario. As such, New York wound up applying the non-exclusive franchise tag. That set Hall up for $14.29MM in guaranteed 2026 earnings, but a long-term arrangement has now taken the place of the tag. The upfront payments in this new deal will be interesting to see.
On that note, ESPN’s Rich Cimini reports Hall will receive $29MM guaranteed. That figure essentially matches what he would have collected by playing on two straight franchise tags. Connor Hughes of SNY adds that locked-in money will be paid out over the next two years, with no guarantees present for 2028. This agreement is therefore a $14.5MM-per-year pact for now with incentives present in Year 3 which could increase Hall’s overall earnings.
Hall, who will turn 25 later this month, expressed a desire to remain in place with the Jets and a general confidence that he would eventually land a deal near the top of the running back market. Both goals have now been achieved. After the tag was applied, a period following the draft emerged as a target for a multiyear extension to be finalized. GM Darren Mougey expressed optimism a deal would be reached, and that has proven to be the case in time for spring practices.
As a rookie, Hall flashed plenty of potential before suffering an ACL tear. Since returning to action, the former second-rounder has handled a heavy workload and been a regular presence in the passing game along the way. Hall topped 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in 2025, but he recorded more than 1,300 scrimmage yards for the third year in a row while doing so. The Iowa State product will once again be joined by Braelon Allen in the backfield next season, although another large offensive role for Hall can be expected.
The Jets will have Garrett Wilson in place once again for 2026, and he too is under contract for the future. Mougey has been busy adding at the skill positions, selecting tight end Mason Taylor in last year’s draft and trading for receiver Adonai Mitchell as part of the Sauce Gardner blockbuster. Last month, New York used two of three first-round selections on another tight end (Kenyon Sadiq) and an additional wideout (Omar Cooper Jr.). Those players, led in large part by Hall, will serve as an offensive nucleus moving forward.
Iowa Adds Tom Moore To Coaching Staff
Tom Moore left the Buccaneers’ staff after seven seasons in January. This was classified as a retirement at the time, but the long-running assistant coach is not leaving the profession.
An interesting reunion is coming to pass, with Iowa announcing the former NFL offensive coordinator will join the staff as a senior consultant to the head coach and offensive advisor. This will bring Moore back to his alma mater 66 years after his Hawkeyes playing career concluded. Moore has not worked at the college level since serving on the Minnesota staff in the mid-1970s.
Now 87, Moore began his coaching career at Iowa as well. After his playing career wrapped in 1960, Moore entered a six-plus-decade coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater. Moore, who played and coached under Jerry Burns during his previous Iowa tenure, followed in Burns’ path to a lengthy (putting it mildly) NFL career. He has been on NFL staffs in all but one season since 1977.
The Bucs employed Moore as a senior offensive consultant. He collected a fourth Super Bowl ring during this tenure, helping Tampa Bay’s first Tom Brady-led squad to a Super Bowl LV win under Bruce Arians. Moore said in 2021 he wanted to coach as long as he was physically able. He will join Kirk Ferentz’s staff ahead of the Iowa City mainstay’s 28th season leading the program.
Winning his first Super Bowls as a Chuck Noll assistant in Pittsburgh, Moore added a third ring while serving as Colts OC in 2006. He has been on the consultant/advisory level since 2010. He stepped down after 12 seasons running the Colts’ offense that year and later moved to the Jets, Titans, Cardinals and Bucs’ staffs. Todd Bowles fired OC Byron Leftwich after the 2022 season and went through three different OCs from 2023-25, but Bowles retained Moore throughout that period. Previously the OC for the Steelers and Lions, Moore helped with Baker Mayfield‘s rebound in Tampa. He will now work with a Hawkeyes team coming off a 9-4 season.
Draft Rumors: Bucs, Raiders, Waller, Dolphins, Cowboys, Colts, Allen, Giants
Exiting a season without an eight-sack player for the fourth straight year, the Buccaneers attempted to take a big swing in free agency by being part of the Trey Hendrickson chase. The Ravens, after their Maxx Crosby about-face, ended up closing that market. Baltimore reneging on that agreement may have helped Tampa Bay land Rueben Bain Jr., with Jason Licht indicating during a Pat McAfee Show appearance the Raiders obtaining the No. 14 overall pick probably took an EDGE suitor out of the mix.
“Spytek, he and I are very close. He was taunting me a little bit, ‘Hey, we’re sitting right in front of you; I know what you need,’” Licht said of his former Bucs lieutenant-turned-Raiders GM (h/t the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin). “We’re all trying to help each other out here, especially the people that are good friends, so thanks, Spytek.”
Spytek worked under Licht before being hired as Raiders GM in 2025. The Raiders were all set to move Crosby’s $35.5MM-per-year contract off their payroll, and although the team signed Kwity Paye during the period where Crosby was all but certain to relocate to Baltimore, the team could have used more help at the premier position. (If nothing else, Spytek certainly appears to have needled his former boss about needing to trade up for a pass rusher.) Instead, Paye joins Crosby and Malcolm Koonce — re-signed before the Ravens’ seismic decision — in headlining the Raiders’ EDGE corps.
Keeping No. 14, the Ravens were connected to Penn State guard Vega Ioane. Ely Allen’s PFR mock draft delivered a direct hit there, and the move allowed the Bucs access to Bain. Tampa Bay viewed the Miami EDGE as a top-five player on its board and was eyeing ex-Bain Hurricanes teammate Akheem Mesidor in the event Bain was off the board. The Ravens keeping their pick after signing Hendrickson may well have helped keep Bain in Florida. Here is the latest draft fallout:
- The Cowboys and Dolphins agreed to a first-round trade that allowed Dallas to climb up one spot for Caleb Downs. That swap was agreed to late during Miami’s time on the clock, and ESPN’s The Pick Is In special (h/t David Furones of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel) included a note about the Dolphins initially declining the Cowboys’ offer to move from No. 12 to No. 11. Dallas initially offered a fifth-round pick to climb one spot; this did not move the needle for new Miami GM Jon-Eric Sullivan. As the clock wound down, the Cowboys offered a second fifth-rounder and potentially another pick to seal the deal. Jerry Jones did not view the Dolphins as a threat to draft Downs but worried another team could jump the Cowboys for the Ohio State safety, leading to Nos. 177 and 180 going to Miami for No. 11. Jeff Hafley said during an interview with Richard Sherman (via Yahoo.com) the Dolphins would have drafted Kadyn Proctor at 11 had no trade occurred.
- Staying with the Dolphins, they will obtain an additional 2027 draft choice. The 2025 Darren Waller trade sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Giants after the tight end unretired; a conditional 2027 seventh went back to Miami. The conditions were ultimately satisfied, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, and the Dolphins will hold an extra 2027 seventh-rounder from the Waller swap. Although Waller began the season late due to injury before being placed on IR twice last season, he caught 24 passes for 283 yards and six touchdowns in nine games played. Waller is not expected to return to Miami.
- The draft signing process annually moves slowest with second-round picks, with guarantees providing the holdup. Round 2 draftees continue to make inroads on that front. Last year, a host of second-round talents — due in no small part to Tyler Shough going 40th overall — secured fully guaranteed deals. This year continues that growth, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson noting No. 53 overall pick C.J. Allen received 83.7% of his contract guaranteed from the Colts. That is up from 75.4% at No. 53 last year (Buccaneers CB Benjamin Morrison). The bar for fully guaranteed Round 2 deals will undoubtedly move past No. 40 this year, and Allen receiving this mostly guaranteed pact will have an impact on players drafted shortly before him this year.
Former All-Pro TE Charle Young Passes Away
Former Pro Bowl tight end Charle Young, who played for four NFL teams over a 13-year career, passed away. He was 75. The 49ers revealed they were informed of Young’s death by his wife, according to the Associated Press; no cause of death has been provided.
Spending his career with the Eagles, Rams, 49ers and Seahawks, Young was selected to three Pro Bowls; a hot start to his career in Philadelphia brought those invites, and the former top-10 pick became a long-term NFL starter who enjoyed a memorable second act.
The Eagles used the No. 6 overall pick on Young in 1973, acquiring the selection from the Chargers in a trade for linebacker Tim Rossovich. Philly deployed Young, a USC product, as an immediate starter. Even with the mid-1970s known as a low-octane passing era, Young shined as a receiving tight end.
He earned first-team All-Pro honors as a rookie, helping trade acquisition Roman Gabriel to his final Pro Bowl nod. The Gabriel-Young connection hooked up for six touchdowns, Young’s career-high mark, as the 6-foot-4 target amassed a career-best 854 receiving yards. Gabriel, acquired from the Rams, led the NFL with 23 TD passes that season.
Young then strung together 696- and 653-yard seasons in 1974 and ’75, earning second-team All-Pro acclaim each year, but the Eagles struggled during a down period in their franchise history. Gabriel did not sustain the momentum his 1973 season brought, and the Eagles lacked a quarterback answer. In 1977, they used Young to land one. In Dick Vermeil‘s second offseason in charge, the Eagles traded Young to the Rams for Ron Jaworski. That turned out to be a trade that benefited Philly more than L.A., as Jaworski — mostly a backup with the Rams early in his career — was the NFC East team’s starter for nearly a decade.
The Rams did not see much from Young, who totaled just 35 receiving yards in 14 games during his first Los Angeles season. Young only started three games in three Rams seasons, but an intra-NFC West trade allowed for a resurgence. The Rams traded Young to the 49ers in 1980, receiving two third-round picks in a pick-swap deal that saw L.A. third- and fourth-round choices go to San Francisco. This trade came as Bill Walsh, in Year 2 at the helm in San Francisco, was crafting a seminal turnaround.
In Young’s second 49ers campaign, he totaled 400 receiving yards and five touchdowns. The 49ers deployed the veteran as a 16-game starter as they zoomed to a surprising 13-3 season in Joe Montana‘s first year as a full-time starter. Young then caught Montana’s first playoff touchdown pass, during a divisional-round win over the Giants, and added four receptions for 45 yards in the 49ers’ storied NFC championship game win over the Cowboys before collecting a Super Bowl ring.
The 49ers, however, sent first- and fourth-round picks to the Patriots for retired TE Russ Francis‘ rights in 1982. This preceded a 1983 Young release, but he landed a prominent role with the Seahawks soon after. Chuck Knox, Young’s coach during his first Rams season, was at the controls in Seattle when the Seahawks signed Young. The July addition made a difference in Seattle’s first playoff season, catching 36 passes for 529 yards and two scores. The Seahawks voyaged to the AFC championship game that season. Young finished his career after two more Seahawks slates, continuing to work as a regular starter.
Young finished his career with 142 career starts — that remains 30th among TEs in NFL history — to go with 418 catches and 5,106 receiving yards. Among pure tight ends at the time of Young’s retirement, those totals ranked seventh and 11th in NFL annals.