Brian Flores’ Suit Allowed To Move Forward Despite Possible SCOTUS Review; Flores Amends Complaint
Brian Flores’ suit against the NFL and six of its clubs is inching forward; sort of. Although the league is presently attempting to secure United States Supreme Court review of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision that Flores’ claims against the Broncos, Giants, and Texans shall be heard in open court rather than remain in arbitration, the presiding trial court judge has denied the league’s request to stay the matter pending a SCOTUS resolution (per sports business reporter Daniel Kaplan). In other words, even as the “arbitration versus open forum” battle continues to play out, the underlying proceeding – which was filed over four years ago – has been allowed to continue into its next phases.
This represents another win for Flores, the current defensive coordinator of the Vikings, and co-plaintiffs Steve Wilks and Ray Horton. Successfully removing a lawsuit against the NFL from the hands of an NFL-appointed arbitrator and into the more objective purview of a trial court judge is obviously critical, and now the league will need to start defending the case on a more substantive level.
Of course, the NFL could still prevail on its last-ditch effort to keep the case in arbitration. In order for that to happen, however, SCOTUS would first need to grant the league’s pending petition to hear the appeal and would then need to rule in the league’s favor, both of which are far from sure things. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, a decision as to whether the highest court in the land will hear the appeal will be made within the next month or so (but that is only for the Broncos, Giants, and Texans portion of the suit; the league’s efforts to keep the Dolphins, Cardinals, and Titans portion of the claim in arbitration were denied more recently, and the NFL will likely try to obtain SCOTUS review of that decision as well).
This case has now officially evolved into a war on two fronts, and Flores & Co. have also made a potentially-significant addition to their request for relief. As Kaplan details, the plaintiffs are amending their complaint to include a count under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which banned discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.
As sports attorney Chris Deubert explains, the Title VII count is significant because it allows a successful plaintiff to recover even if he cannot prove intent. Rather, recovery is still possible as long as the plaintiff can prove a policy that is race-neutral on its face has a discriminatory impact in practice.
The addition of the Title VII count was not made earlier in part because of the lengthy battle over the proper venue and in part because the plaintiffs had to receive a “right to sue” letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which was not issued until June 2024. With hundreds of NFL head coaching hires having been made over the course of league history, Kaplan believes Flores will have a statistically-significant sample to draw from and will thus stand a good chance of prevailing on his “disparate impact” claim.
After interviewing for head coaching jobs with three different clubs this year, Flores will remain in Minnesota on a $6MM salary. That may make him the highest-paid coordinator in the league, but the former head coach of the Dolphins still wants another opportunity to run a team.
NFL Draft Rumors: Cardinals, RBs, Downs, Woods, Terrell
As free agency slows, the general focus of the NFL is starting to shift to the 2026 NFL Draft. For one team, though, the focus appears to be the 2027 NFL Draft, per Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom. As several teams work to secure optimal situations in their quarterbacks rooms, the Cardinals appear to be working around it.
After cutting veteran quarterback Kyler Murray, Arizona seems content to move forward in 2026 with journeyman backup Jacoby Brissett, who went 1-11 as the Cardinals’ starter last year. They supplemented the room with another frequent flier with starting experience in Gardner Minshew. Neither passer is viewed as the team’s future at the position but more as bridge options until that future comes along. The prevailing opinion throughout league circles appears to be that Arizona is tanking the 2026 season in hopes of setting themselves up well for a draft projected to be a bit more rich in quarterback prospects than this year’s draft.
With that in mind, the remainder of their offseason will be focused on building an offense around their future quarterback, starting with the construction of a reliable wall in front of him. For this reason, there’s belief the Cardinals will be targeting an offensive lineman with their No. 3 overall pick, and the popular opinion is that Hurricanes top tackle prospect Francis Mauigoa could be that target. The three-year starter out of Miami (FL) has a strong chance of being available as Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is expected to go No. 1 to Las Vegas, and the Jets are expected to add to their defense with the second overall pick.
Here are a few other draft rumors from around the NFL:
- While only one or two running backs project to be top prospects in the draft, there are plenty of options for teams looking to build depth or add some fresher legs to their room. With Alvin Kamara‘s future in New Orleans in doubt, Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports reports that the Saints have shown interest in Arkansas running back Mike Washington. A Buffalo- and New Mexico State-transfer, Washington rushed for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns for the Razorbacks last year.
- When it was thought that Aaron Jones would be departing from Minnesota, some at ESPN believed the team would go to the draft, as opposed to the free agent market, to fill out the room. With Jones returning on a re-worked contract that expires after this year, running back may still be a focus for the Vikings in this year’s draft.
- Despite re-signing J.K. Dobbins and restricted free agent Jaleel McLaughlin and having spent a second-round pick on RJ Harvey last year, the Broncos are doing research on the draft’s offerings at the position. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the team hosted Indiana running back Kaelon Black for a top 30 visit. The national champion rushed for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns and has visited the Jets with visits with the Panthers, Bengals, and Raiders set in the future.
- According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, some post-combine conversations with scouts revealed a dramatic range of opinions for Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods. The former five-star recruit took over a full-time starting position in his sophomore season and grabbed the attention of scouts everywhere with three sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in 11 games while proving to be an elite run-stopper. His production declined in his junior year, which Pro Football Focus (subscription required) still saw as good but graded as his worst campaign in Clemson. As a result, some scouts still see the potential and view him as a top 15 prospect, while others have him “solidly” as a Day 2 prospect.
- The Giants have had an incredibly busy (and in many views productive) offseason thus far, so many are eager to see what approach they will take with their fifth overall pick in the draft. According to La Canfora, despite their success rebuilding so far, New York still has a glaring hole in the secondary. New head coach John Harbaugh‘s former organization invested heavily in the safety position over the course of his tenure with the team, and it’s believed that that mentality has followed him to New York. Ohio State’s Caleb Downs has been tied to the Giants before, and La Canfora doubles down on the opinion that he could be the selection at No. 5 overall.
- Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell, the younger brother of Falcons first-round cornerback and one-time second-team All-Pro AJ Terrell, is widely viewed as a top five prospect at his position. After suffering a minor hamstring injury at the combine, though, the younger Terrell will not be participating in the Tigers’ pro day, according to Jordan Reid of ESPN. Instead, he has scheduled a separate workout for scouts that will take place March 30.
NFC Contract Details: Lions, Franklin, Cross, Cardinals, Cowboys, 49ers, Bears, Saints
Here are the latest details from contracts agreed to around the NFC:
- Cade Mays, C (Lions). Three years, $25MM. Mays secured $6MM of his $7.7MM 2027 base salary fully guaranteed, according to OverTheCap. Four void years are included in the deal, per the Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers, with Mays’ 2026 cap hit sitting at $2.77MM. A $7.39MM option bonus is in place for 2028; the Lions bailing before that is due would result in a $3.89MM dead money hit, Rogers adds.
- Zaire Franklin, LB (Packers). Two years, $18MM. Two years remained on Franklin’s Colts-constructed contract — initially a three-year, $31.26MM deal. The Packers reworked it. Franklin received a $3.75MM signing bonus on his post-trade agreement, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. That is the only guarantee here, though Franklin’s 2026 salary ($4.24MM) will lock in just before Week 1 due to the LB being a vested veteran.
- Nick Cross, S (Commanders). Two years, $13MM. The deal includes $6.1MM fully guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. None of Cross’ 2027 money is guaranteed.
- Neville Gallimore, DT (Bears). Two years, $10.13MM. Gallimore will see $5MM guaranteed at signing, Wilson tweets. The Bears included a $375K roster bonus due on Day 5 of the 2027 league year.
- Benjamin St-Juste, CB (Packers). Two years, $10MM. St-Juste received just $3MM at signing, Wilson adds. The signing bonus represents the guarantee, though a $1.5MM roster bonus is due on Day 3 of the 2027 league year.
- Noah Fant, TE (Saints). Two years, $8.75MM. The former first-round pick secured $4.5MM guaranteed at signing, ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell tweets. No guarantees are in place for 2027.
- Elijah Wilkinson, OL (Cardinals). Two years, $6.25MM. Wilkinson’s contract comes with $3.1MM fully guaranteed, Wilson tweets. The veteran blocker played for less than $1.5MM during both his Falcons seasons.
- Gardner Minshew, QB (Cardinals). One year, $5.75MM. This deal comes in far south of Minshew’s two-year, $25MM Raiders pact from 2024, and the initially reported $8.25MM represented a max value. Minshew will see $5.14MM fully guaranteed, per Wilson. Minshew’s deal checks in just below Jacoby Brissett‘s for AAV; Brissett is on a two-year, $12.5MM accord.
- Larry Borom, T (Lions). One year, $5MM. Borom’s deal comes almost fully guaranteed, with Wilson noting the at-signing number is $4.9MM. This contract is double his Dolphins deal from 2025.
- Malik Hooker, S (Cowboys). One year, $5MM. Hooker’s reworking will bring a $3MM guarantee, per OverTheCap. Hooker was going into the final season of a three-year, $21MM contract.
- Olamide Zaccheaus, WR (Falcons). Two years, $4.5MM. The ex-Matt Ryan target will return to Atlanta — under the leadership of the team’s new front office boss — for $2.3MM fully guaranteed, Wilson adds.
- Cobie Durant, CB (Cowboys). One year, $4MM. Durant’s deal includes just $1.5MM guaranteed at signing, via OverTheCap, though another $1.75MM (the ex-Ram CB’s base salary) will lock in just before Week 1.
- Nate Hobbs, CB (49ers). One year, $3.5MM. The previously reported $4.5MM number represents the deal’s max value. Hobbs will see $3.11MM fully guaranteed, ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner tweets.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/26
Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Oli Udoh
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Feleipe Franks, OLB Nick Hampton
Cleveland Browns
- Re-signed: DL Sam Kamara
Indianapolis Colts
- Re-signed: T Luke Tenuta
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: C Ryan McCollum
The versatile Udoh has played every offensive line position but center since his career began with the Vikings in 2019. Udoh was a 16-game starter for the Vikings in 2021, during which he mostly lined up at right guard. He has otherwise worked as a backup for the Vikings, Saints and Titans. The 29-year-old started three of 17 appearances last season in Tennessee, which used him at both tackle spots.
Undrafted from Stony Brook in 2021, Kamara played in eight games with the Bears as a rookie. Since then, Kamara has yo-yoed between the Browns’ practice squad and roster. Over 18 games in Cleveland, including four last season, the 28-year-old has picked up 28 tackles.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/26
Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Teagan Quitoriano
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DT James Lynch
Cleveland Browns
- Re-signed: OLB Julian Okwara
- Signed: S Daniel Thomas
Denver Broncos
- Signed: S Tycen Anderson
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: DE Sam Okuayinonu
Seattle Seahawks
- Re-signed: WR Cody White
Okwara returns to Cleveland after spending the entire 2025 season on the practice squad. The former third-round pick has 10.0 sacks in his six years of NFL play with five coming in his sophomore campaign. The addition of Thomas provides the Browns with a veteran special teams contributor.
The 49ers are bringing back Okuayinonu after the fourth-year defender filled in for 12 starts and two postseason starts with San Francisco last year. He’s recorded three sacks in each of the past two years for the 49ers.
NFC Contract Details: Phillips, Saints, Evans, Bears, Cowboys, Packers, Giants, Cardinals, Eagles
We covered a batch of contract details from the AFC earlier today. Here are the numbers from some of the NFC’s biggest deals from free agency’s first wave:
- Jaelan Phillips, OLB (Panthers). Four years, $120MM. Of Phillips’ $80MM guarantee, $60MM is locked in at signing (per SI.com’s Albert Breer). Phillips secured an early guarantee as well, according to OverTheCap, with $20MM of his 2028 base salary becoming guaranteed on Day 3 of the 2027 league year.
- David Edwards, G (Saints). Four years, $61MM. Edwards secured $45MM guaranteed, according to ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell, with $40MM at signing (via OverTheCap). The Saints gave Edwards — who was tied to a two-year, $6MM Bills deal from 2024-25 — guarantees through 2028, with Terrell indicating $10MM of the guard’s $15MM 2028 base salary is locked in at signing (Edwards’ full guarantee ranks sixth among guards). The remaining $5MM in 2028 compensation vests on Day 3 of the ’28 league year, per OverTheCap. Edwards is also due a $1MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2029 league year, Terrell adds.
- Mike Evans, WR (49ers). Three years, $42.5MM. Evans will receive $14.3MM guaranteed at signing, according to OverTheCap. Two nonguaranteed option bonuses are included in the deal, per ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner, who indicates a $12.05MM option bonus is in place for 2027 and a $10.95MM bonus for 2028. Four void years are in place on the deal, which includes $4.25MM, $7.31MM and $9.7MM cap numbers. Essentially, this is a one-year, $14.3MM accord with team options.
- Coby Bryant, S (Bears). Three years, $40MM. Bryant landed $25.75MM fully guaranteed, Wilson tweets. Bryant secured a Year 2 fully guaranteed base salary ($12.25MM), SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. A $500K roster bonus is due on Day 5 of the 2028 league year.
- Jermaine Eluemunor, RT (Giants). Three years, $39MM. Eluemunor secured a $25.45MM guarantee at signing, Wilson adds. (This comes after he played out a two-year, $14MM deal.) Eluemunor received $12.15MM of his $12.4MM 2027 salary guaranteed (via OverTheCap).
- Kaden Elliss, LB (Saints). Three years, $33MM. Of that total, Terrell notes $23MM is fully guaranteed. Both Elliss’ 2026 and ’27 base salaries are fully guaranteed; his 2028 compensation is nonguaranteed.
- Sean Rhyan, OL (Packers). Three years, $33MM. Per Packers non-QB norms, Rhyan’s signing bonus ($11MM) represents his only fully guaranteed money. Green Bay included a $6.65MM roster bonus, which ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky is due on Day 3 of the 2027 league year. A $3MM roster bonus is due on Day 3 of the ’28 league year, Demovsky adds.
- Isaac Seumalo, G (Cardinals). Three years, $31.5MM. Seumalo secured $19MM guaranteed, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, with $15MM fully guaranteed. Semualo received $3MM of his 2027 base salary ($8MM) guaranteed at signing; another $4MM of the 2027 salary locks in on Day 3 of the 2027 league year, per OverTheCap.
- Javonte Williams, RB (Cowboys). Three years, $24MM. Williams scored $16MM at signing. His 2026 and ’27 base salaries are locked in, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. There are $3MM — $1MM per year — in per-game roster bonuses.
- Riq Woolen, CB (Eagles). One year, $12MM. The deal is fully guaranteed, according to OverTheCap. Seeing as this is the Eagles, there are four void years included in this contract. If he is not re-signed before the deal voids in 2027, the Eagles would be hit with $8.59MM in dead money.
Fallout From Vikings’ Kyler Murray Signing; Team To Re-Sign Carson Wentz?
The Vikings entered the offseason seeking competition for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, whose first year as a starter went awry. They found it in signing former Cardinals franchise signal-caller Kyler Murray to a one-year, prove-it deal last Wednesday.
Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort tried to find a trade partner for Murray before releasing him, but it was too difficult to pull off because of the two-time Pro Bowler’s bloated contract. Had Murray been on someone’s roster on March 15, $19.5MM of his 2027 salary would have vested. Nobody was willing to take that chance on Murray, who struggled during a limited 2025. He played just five games, none after Week 5, as a result of a Lisfranc injury.
Murray’s tenure in Arizona did not go as planned, though the 2019 No. 1 overall pick was open to staying there before the team released him. While Murray was “genuinely surprised” the Cardinals fired head coach Jonathan Gannon, he approved of the hiring of Mike LaFleur as his replacement, Albert Breer of SI.com writes. But it turns out Murray will not play for LaFleur, who will try to lead a franchise turnaround after Gannon mustered a disastrous 15-36 record in three years.
By the time the Cardinals officially cut Murray last Wednesday, he and agent Erik Burkhardt had already identified the Vikings as their ideal option, per Breer. Vikings executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski and head coach Kevin O’Connell quickly invited Murray and Burkhardt to Minnesota for a visit.
Murray was among a “handful” of experienced signal-callers the Vikings studied, according to Breer, but it appealed to both team and player that he could be more than a one-year solution. An inexpensive pact between the sides came together in short order, which prevented other clubs from meeting with Murray.
“O’Connell made sure he got first crack at him,” one GM told Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom.
Set to turn 29 in August, Murray is not the Vikings’ QB1 yet. He still has to beat out McCarthy, 23, for the role. Although the Vikings invested the 10th pick in the 2024 draft on McCarthy, multiple “high-level NFL offensive coaches” informed La Canfora that they expect Murray to win the job. If that happens, the O’Connell-led Vikings will hope for a Sam Darnold-like revival from Murray.
Darnold resurrected his career during his one season in Minnesota in 2024, but with the Vikings ready to turn the keys over to McCarthy, they let him walk in free agency a year ago. He went on to win a Super Bowl with the Seahawks in 2025, while the Vikings fell from 14-3 to 9-8 and missed the playoffs. McCarthy posted rough numbers over 10 starts and missed seven games with injuries to his ankle, head and hand.
While Murray and McCarthy will do battle this summer, they may have company in Minnesota’s QB derby. Carson Wentz, who spent 2025 with the Vikings, is among free agent possibilities. Even after the Vikings added Murray, there is “mutual interest” between the team and Wentz, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
Wentz, a late-August signing last year, filled in for an injured McCarthy for five starts. The 33-year-old journeyman was the more productive of the pair, but he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in late October. Wentz’s injury left McCarthy and overmatched rookie Max Brosmer as the Vikings’ starting QB choices for the rest of a disappointing campaign.
Cardinals Sign DL Andrew Billings
The Cardinals have been busy adding to their defensive line this offseason, and they’re apparently not done. According to Darren Urban of the team website, the team is signing defensive lineman Andrew Billings.
It will be a one-year deal for the veteran. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston reported earlier today that Billings was visiting the Cardinals.
The veteran is coming off a three-year stint with the Bears, where he started 39 of his 42 appearances. A torn pectoral muscle limited him to only eight appearances in 2024, but he rebounded with a 17-game showing (14 starts) in 2025.
He finished this past year with 31 stops and one sack while getting into just about half of Chicago’s defensive snaps. While his health was a positive, his play left some to be desired. Pro Football Focus wasn’t particularly fond of his performance, ranking him 121st among 127 qualifying interior defenders.
The site rates his last notable season as 2022, when he finished 16th among 127 qualifiers. During that one-year stop with the Raiders, Billings compiled 39 tackles and one sack. The 2016 fourth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with the Bengals, where he collected 3.5 sacks in 47 games.
The Cardinals have made several notable additions to their defensive line over the past week, including Roy Lopez, L.J. Collier, and Jonah Williams. Lopez is likely penciled in for the nose tackle role in the middle of the defensive line, but Billings will help soak up some extra snaps at the position.
Cardinals To Sign LB Jack Gibbens
TODAY, 5:55pm: The Cardinals are signing Gibbens, the team announced. It will be a two-year pact for the linebacker.
SUNDAY, 8:35am: The Patriots declined to tender restricted free agent linebacker Jack Gibbens a contract earlier this week, sending him to the open market for the second straight offseason. Gibbens’ next stop could be Arizona, which will host the four-year veteran during the upcoming week, Mike Reiss of ESPN reports.
Although Gibbens primarily worked as a starter with the Titans from 2022-24, they passed on tendering him last March. The former UDFA from Minnesota then reunited in New England with Mike Vrabel, Gibbens’ coach in Tennessee during his first two seasons.
The low-cost Gibbens pickup proved worthwhile for the Patriots, who added a solid contributor in multiple phases. Playing the first 17-game regular season of his career, Gibbens amassed 772 snaps (491 on defense, 281 on special teams) and recorded 81 tackles, eight TFL, four passes defensed, a sack and a forced fumble.
As an eight-game starter for the AFC champions, Gibbens ranked a respectable 41st among Pro Football Focus’ 88 qualified linebackers. PFF has typically given Gibbens favorable marks. The site placed him 30th among 82 qualifiers during a 13-start 2023. Gibbens then received a top-10 grade among inside linebackers in 2024, though an ankle injury limited him to 10 games.
Arizona opened up a spot at linebacker when it released Akeem Davis-Gaither before free agency began. The Cardinals relied heavily on Davis-Gaither during a 17-game, 13-start 2025, but they have not addressed the area since his exit. Gibbens would give the Cardinals another option to join Mack Wilson and 2025 fourth-rounder Cody Simon.
Cardinals To Sign WR Devin Duvernay
The Cardinals released quarterback Kyler Murray earlier this week, but now they are signing one of his relatives. The team has agreed to a one-year, $2.5MM deal with wide receiver/returner Devin Duvernay, per veteran insider Jordan Schultz. Murray and Duvernay are first cousins.
A third-round pick in 2020, Duvernay is already joining his fourth team. The former Texas Longhorn spent 2020-23 with the Ravens before one-year stints with the Jaguars and Bears. Duvernay went to two Pro Bowls and earned a first-team All-Pro selection for his work as a return man in Baltimore. The 28-year-old has averaged a strong 11.8 yards per punt return and taken back two kickoffs for touchdowns across six seasons in the NFL.
While Duvernay has impressed on special teams, his offensive impact has dropped off in recent years. He opened his career with three straight seasons of at least 20 catches, including a career-high 37 in 2022. Duvernay also logged personal bests in targets (49), yards (407) and receiving touchdowns (three) that year. Since then, though, Duvernay has combined for just 17 catches and 123 yards over three seasons and 43 games. He caught two passes for 26 yards with the Bears in 2025, his first 17-game campaign.
During his only season in Chicago, Duvernay ranked fifth in the league in kickoff returns (40) and yards (1,069). He also averaged 11.0 yards on 21 punt returns. Duvernay may end up as the top return option in Arizona, where he could replace Greg Dortch. Although Dortch was the Cardinals’ leading returner in 2025, the team has not re-signed the unrestricted free agent.