Patriots HC Jerod Mayo: Drake Maye Has ‘Outplayed’ Jacoby Brissett
The Patriots concluded the 2024 preseason on Sunday night, with both Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye seeing time under center. As a final decision on the team’s Week 1 starting quarterback is contemplated, the rookie’s performance this summer has made this a closer call than it seemed to be at the start of training camp. 
“This is a true competition, and I would say at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby,” head coach Jerod Mayo said during a Monday appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show (h/t ESPN’s Mike Reiss). “Now in saying that, we have to take in the full body of work, going all the way back to the spring and beginning of training camp… It starts in practice and also in the game, where Drake has played better.
“There are multiple factors that have to go into this decision. One is the total body of work, whether we’re talking about the spring or the entirety of training camp. And I would also say, oftentimes we forget about the overall experience that a guy like Jacoby has, which will also be weighted in the decision we have to make in the near future.”
Selected third overall April’s draft – after the Patriots turned down trade offers from the Giants and Vikings – Maye has long been known to be the team’s long-term plan at quarterback. The North Carolina product was one of the younger passers in his draft class, though, and his underwhelming play in 2023 led many to label him a candidate for a developmental rookie season. With Brissett in place on a one-year deal, redshirting Maye is certainly an option for Mayo and Co. Veteran reporter Josina Anderson notes the 31-year-old is viewed as the better option to begin the season by some in the Patriots’ organization.
To little surprise, Brissett entered training camp atop the depth chart. His summer performances have not impressed, however, and Mayo’s confirmation that Maye has outplayed him comes after the first-time head coach publicly left the door open to a change in the pecking order. With three preseason contests to evaluate (along with practice showings), the fact that Maye has made up ground adds further intrigue to this situation.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix have already earned the QB1 title for their respective teams. Maye could become the fourth rookie to see the field in Week 1, and a decision should be made in the coming days on whether he or Brissett will get the nod. A cautions approach would still not come as a surprise, but Mayo’s sentiment points to Maye having a strong chance to secure the starting gig right away.
Titans LB Chance Campbell Suffers Torn ACL
Chance Campbell had his preseason end prematurely on Sunday, and he will now be sidelined for the campaign as well. The third-year linebacker suffered an ACL tear, head coach Brian Callahan said on Monday.
Campbell was drafted in the sixth round in 2022, but his first regular season action came last season. He made four appearances in 2023, playing only five defensive snaps. Most of his usage came on special teams, and his injury will deal a blow to Tennessee’s third phase units.
The 24-year-old was in the mix for a roster spot with the Titans, a team which lost Azeez Al-Shaair in free agency. That departure was followed by the signing of Kenneth Murray, who will be counted on to occupy a starting role with his new team. Tennessee also has Luke Gifford, Jack Gibbens, JoJo Domann along with rookies Cedric Gray and James Williams in the fold at the LB spot.
Campbell has one year remaining on his rookie contract, and his limited usage to date would make it no surprise if he were to find himself as a free agent either after being released in the near future or being let go next offseason. His market value would not be high in any case, but for the time being his attention will turn to rehab. With nearly $23MM in cap space, the Titans certainly have the room needed to make a linebacker addition if one is deemed necessary.
Cowboys Increase Offer To WR CeeDee Lamb
The Cowboys have a number of key roster decisions to make over the coming days, but the status of CeeDee Lamb is another situation to monitor. The All-Pro receiver’s holdout continues, but Dallas has made an upgraded offer. 
The Cowboys’ latest submission carries an annual average value above $33MM, Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS.com reports. That marks a notable update from the latest offer, one which fell short of that mark. Still, it is another sign of traction being gained as Dallas looks to bring Lamb into the fold in time for Week 1.
As Hill adds, the newest offer is also four years in length. The Cowboys have traditionally favored longer term on monster extensions, but four years has become the preferred length for many high-profile players when they agree to second contracts. Lamb is attached to his fifth-year option for this season, so an extension of that length would keep him in place though 2028. Working out an agreement would take care of one of the Cowboys’ major contract situations.
Dak Prescott is a pending free agent, though he is set to begin the season with his contract as is. The 2023 MVP runner-up is open to negotiating in the fall, and that may be necessary given the limited time remaining between now and Week 1. $60MM per season could be the price point needed to keep Prescott on the books long term, but in any event cost certainty with respect to Lamb will be key as Dallas navigates negotiations with Prescott and edge rusher Micah Parsons.
Justin Jefferson took the receiver market to new heights with a $35MM-per-year Vikings pact. A.J. Brown (Eagles) sits second in AAV at the position, but signs have long pointed to a Lamb accord splitting the pair. The 25-year-old skipped OTAs and minicamp before electing to remain away from the team during training camp. The latter decision has led to daily fines, but Dallas will have the option of waiving those once a deal is in place. A final agreement could be coming soon if this upgraded offer sparks positive negotiations.
Seahawks To Acquire OLB Trevis Gipson From Jaguars
10:59am: It will cost the Seahawks a sixth-round pick to pry Gipson from the Jaguars, according to ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco. It is not a conditional choice, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson, so the Jags will receive a Day 3 selection regardless of how Gipson performs this season.
Nwosu suffered a knee injury in Seattle’s preseason finale. While the team awaits word on its highest-paid edge rusher, Gipson comes in as a hired gun.
8:21am: Already involved on the trade front in recent days, the Seahawks are adding Trevis Gipson. The fifth-year edge rusher is being acquired via trade from the Jaguars, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Jacksonville will receive a late-round pick in return. 
Gipson began his career with the Bears, making 19 starts amongst his 40 appearances with the team. He racked up seven sacks in 2021 despite only logging a 49% snap share, and his workload increased the following year. That season only saw him post three sacks, but his pressure total (18) remained on par with his 2021 production. Last summer, Gipson was among the Bears’ final roster cuts.
The 27-year-old quickly landed a deal with the Titans, but his workload with the team (15% defensive snap share) in eight games was surprisingly low. He attempted to remain in the AFC South by signing a Jaguars pact in free agency, but before his regular season debut he finds himself on the move. Jacksonville will move forward with an edge contingent led by Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, while Gipson will aim to carve out a rotational role in Seattle.
The Seahawks traded away Darrell Taylor last week, sending the pending free agent to the Bears. That deal left the team short on depth behind Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe and Derick Hall, but Gipson could prove to be a valued part-time contributor. The latter’s starting experience could also be useful if Seattle is struck by injuries along the edge.
The Taylor trade freed up cap space for Seattle, and Gipson will prove to be a more cost-effective option. The Tulsa product signed for $1.13MM on his Jaguars pact, carrying a cap hit of equal value. Jacksonville already paid out a $43K signing bonus, but Seattle will pick up the remainder of his outstanding compensation, including a $100K roster bonus. A strong showing in the Emerald City could help his market value on an extended Seahawks tenure tenure or a deal sending him to another new team in the spring.
49ers To Release RB Matt Breida
Matt Breida‘s second 49ers stint will not see him make the 53-man roster. The veteran running back is being released, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. 
Breida began his career in San Francisco, averaging five yards per carry and scoring 10 total touchdowns from 2017-19. That spell was followed by one-year stints in Miami and Buffalo where he logged a special teams workload in addition to backup offensive duties. The former UDFA spent the past two seasons with the Giants before returning to the Bay Area as a free agent earlier this month.
That signing came as fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo was dealing with a hamstring injury. Today’s move is a positive sign Guerendo is in better shape from a health perspective, though, and he will be one of many backup options available to the 49ers at the start of the campaign. Christian McCaffrey is set atop the depth chart, and the likes of Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason are also in place as depth.
Breida, 29, has never logged more than 153 carries in a season, and that figure dates back to 2018. He has nevertheless proven himself to be a solid depth contributor in several backfields, so he could draw interest in free agency. On the other hand, a number of players at all positions will available over the coming days, and several running backs with a notable track record will no doubt be let go.
As a vested veteran, Breida will not need to hit the waiver wire upon being let go. That will give him a slight head start on finding a new team, but it would come as a surprise if teams showed immediate interest before sorting out their own depth charts this week. Of course, the Georgia Southern alum will be a candidate for the practice squad if San Francisco elects to keep him in the fold and no outside suitors offer him a 53-man roster spot in the next few days.
Texans WR John Metchie Drawing Trade Interest
The Texans boast one of the league’s top receiving corps, and their depth at the position has led to trade interest in John Metchie. Teams are making inquiries into the third-year wideout, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports. 
Metchie had a productive final two seasons at Alabama, but an ACL tear suffered in the 2021 SEC title game led to questions about his health at the start of his rookie campaign. Those concerns proved to be a moot point, though, with an Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia diagnosis last summer forcing him to miss the year altogether. He managed to take part in 18 combined regular and postseason contests in 2023.
The 24-year-old Canadian saw a rotational role in the passing game last year, totaling 158 scoreless yards on 16 catches. During the 2024 preseason, he collected 100 yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions, suggesting he has the potential to serve as a complementary option now that he is fully healthy. However, an established trio is ahead of him on Houston’s WR depth chart. The team extended Nico Collins this offseason, one in which Stefon Diggs was acquired via trade. Tank Dell – who had a promising start to his NFL career when on the field last season – is also in place.
Diggs’ production fell off during the second half of last season, but the four-time Pro Bowler is the most accomplished receiver the Texans have in place. Collins had a career year in 2023, racking up nearly 1,300 yards and eight touchdowns. That production landed him a three-year extension averaging $24.25MM per season, cementing his status as a focal point of the team’s passing game for years to come. Dell, meanwhile, showed great chemistry with quarterback C.J. Stroud last year and expectations are high for him in 2024.
Those factors could lead Houston to move on from Metchie, but the former second-rounder has two years remaining on his rookie contract. That could entice the team to keep him in the fold as a depth option alongside the likes of Xavier Hutchinson, Robert Woods and Noah Brown. Metchie’s limited production is also likely to hinder the value of any trade package teams are prepared to offer, so it would come as a surprise if Houston moved on. This situation will be worth watching as roster moves are made around the league, though.
Browns Will Leave RB Nick Chubb On PUP List To Begin Season
Nick Chubb is expected to play at some point in 2024, but he will not be available at the start of the campaign. The Browns will keep him on the PUP list in September, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 
This moves comes as little surprise, but it guarantees the Pro Bowl running back will miss at least the first four games of the season. Chubb has made progress in rehabbing the major knee injury which ended his 2023 campaign and required two operations to repair. As expected, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports recently confirmed Cleveland will opt for a slow ramp-up period once Chubb is available to practice.
The Browns put an end to speculation about the 28-year-old’s future by restructuring his contract this offseason. As Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes, that revised pact includes a roster bonus, something which generally requires a player remaining healthy for all 17 games. In this instance, however, only 12 games are needed for Chubb to collect that $225K payment. The Georgia alum took a pay cut as a result of the restructure, but incentives are in place which will allow him to earn back at least some of the money he was originally owed.
Cleveland will move forward with Jerome Ford atop the running back depth chart for the time being after he took over RB1 duties following Chubb’s injury. Nyheim Hines was added in free agency as a pass-catching option and returner, while Pierre Strong Jr. and D’Onta Foreman are also in place as backups. It remains to be seen if both Strong and Foreman will survive roster cuts, but the fact Chubb will receive the reserve/PUP designation certainly helps their chances of doing so.
As a pending free agent, Chubb has plenty at stake in 2024. His ability to return to his previous form (5.3 yards per carry average, including at least 5.0 in each of his six seasons) will be a key storyline to watch for himself personally and the Browns as a whole. Cleveland’s offense now features Jerry Jeudy in the receiving corps, and a full season from quarterback Deshaun Watson could offer potential in the passing game. The team’s offense will nevertheless welcome Chubb back into the fold, but he will take the field no earlier than Week 5.
Dolphins’ Bradley Chubb, Isaiah Wynn To Begin Season On PUP List
As roster cuts take place, teams around the league also need to make decisions on players beginning the season on the reserve/PUP list. That designation confirms an absence of at least four weeks, and it will be used on several Dolphins in 2024. 
Head coach Mike McDaniel said on Monday (via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe) that edge rusher Bradley Chubb, offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn and linebacker Cameron Goode will begin the year on the reserve/PUP list. A final decision in the case of wideout Odell Beckham Jr. has yet to be made, McDaniel added. The other three players’ absences will be felt nonetheless.
Chubb suffered an ACL tear on New Year’s Eve, ending his first full season with the Dolphins. The two-time Pro Bowler has yet to return to practice, so today’s update comes as little surprise. Jaelan Phillips – who went down with an Achilles tear in 2023 – was able to get back on the field earlier this month, meaning he is in contention to be available for Week 1. Having Phillips in place at the start of the year would help compensate for Chubb’s absence, but the latter will be counted on to produce when healthy. Chubb has four years left on his contract.
Wynn inked a one-year deal with the Dolphins last season, one in which he was limited to seven games by a quadriceps injury. His level of play when on the field earned him a new Miami deal, and the former Patriots first-rounder is expected to serve as the team’s starting left guard when available. After an offseason featuring a slower recovery process than expected, Miami will need to turn to other linemen along the interior while also being without a depth option at tackle.
Goode joined the Dolphins as a seventh-rounder in 2022. The 26-year-old did not see any game action during his rookie campaign, spending the year on Miami’s practice squad. Last season, he suited up for all 17 regular season contests, logging a heavy workload on special teams. His absence will not have a major defensive impact, but the Dolphins’ third phase units will be shorthanded.
Beckham will not practice this week as he continues to recover from an unknown injury. Naming him to the 53-man roster after little to no time in team drills would carry notable risk given his status as the team’s No. 3 receiver, but a reserve/PUP designation would leave Miami’s receiver room shorthanded. That will already be the case at numerous positions given today’s news.
Ja’Marr Chase Returns To Bengals Practice
AUGUST 25: Chase has returned to the practice field, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports. As of now, there does not appear to be any additional news to report on the contract front, but in order to be ready for the regular season and ramp up enough to mitigate the risk of soft tissue injury, Chase needs to get some practice work in.
AUGUST 23: As efforts to work out extensions in the cases of CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys) and Brandon Aiyuk (49ers) take place, uncertainty also looms over Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals Pro Bowler continues to watch training camp from the sidelines as he seeks a monster extension. 
[Offseason In Review: Cincinnati Bengals]
Chase – unlike his receiver peers who have yet to secure a lucrative second pact – is under contract for two more years since the Bengals made the obvious choice of picking up his 2025 fifth-year option. An extension, as has long been known, will cost far more than the $21.82MM he is due next year. Justin Jefferson‘s $35MM-per-year Vikings extension represents a target for Chase and other wideouts in similar positions, but the terms of that pact may not be sufficient to get a deal done.
Multiple teams are of the view that Chase will be the league’s top earner amongst non-quarterbacks once his contract is in place, Yahoo’s Charles Robinson writes. That title belonged to Nick Bosa last year, but Jefferson eclipsed him with his Vikings pact – one which includes nearly $89MM in guarantees. That extension has Jefferson in a tier of his own with respect to not only AAV but also locked in compensation, and Chase (along with Lamb and Aiyuk) is likely to close the gap between Jefferson and the rest of the field.
Bengals owner Mike Brown has confirmed Chase’s extension is a key organizational priority (one which will require breaking with standard organizational procedure and committing guaranteed money beyond Year 1). Keeping him in place with quarterback – and former LSU teammate – Joe Burrow would help keep Cincinnati’s offensive positioned for success, but Brown has suggested the team is willing to wait one year before finalizing a massive extension. As Robinson notes, the Bengals seem to be struggling to come to grips with the potential of a record-breaking pact being necessary to get Chase back on the field.
With Cincinnati’s preseason in the books, attention will increasingly turn to the 24-year-old’s willingness to miss regular season time if no extension agreement is reached. A recent report indicated Chase was OK with delaying negotiations until 2025 – and therefore waiting until the Lamb and Aiyuk accords are in place – but it remains to be seen if he will suit up in time for Week 1. As Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic writes, the 2021 Offensive Rookie of the Year himself may not have his mind made up at this point (subscription required).
There is of course still some time for Chase and the Bengals to come to an agreement either on a new deal or an arrangement to pause talks until after the coming campaign. This situation will no doubt be influenced by those of Lamb and Aiyuk, but those pending free agents face more urgency to get a deal done in time for September. A very late extension agreement (like the one worked out for A.J. Green in 2015) could still be in the cards, but plenty of unanswered questions remain regarding Chase’s immediate future.
NFL Restructures: Thomas, Holcomb, Vikes
Andrew Thomas landed a lucrative investment from the Giants last summer, and his extension has him on the books through 2029. A recent adjustment made to the pact freed up short-term spending power.
New York converted $4.18MM in 2024 base salary into a signing bonus, ESPN’s Field Yates notes. That move created $3.34MM in cap space available to be used during the final roster-building moves of the offseason or breathing space for during the year. The Giants were already in better cap shape than many teams, however, and the move leaves them with nearly $17MM in available funds – more than what will be needed for any one-year, low-cost deals given to free agents in the coming days.
As Dan Duggan of The Athletic notes, New York had the option of converting another $10MM into a signing bonus (and thus freeing up even more room). Teams often carve out the maximum breathing room possible when executing restructures, although such moves are generally made around free agency. Thomas’ cap number is set to jump to $19.92MM next year, but that figure will remain relatively flat throughout the rest of the pact.
Here are details on some other recent NFL restructures:
- The Steelers reworked the contract of linebacker Cole Holcomb earlier this month. Pittsburgh added $3.1MM in guaranteed compensation, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. The contract includes a split, a provision which allows teams to lower the base pay of players if they land on IR or PUP. Holcomb, 28, went down with a knee injury midway through his debut Steelers campaign and is in danger of missing considerable time again in 2024. This move provides him with added locked in compensation should he manage to remain healthy this season, though. Holcomb’s original Pittsburgh pact, signed last spring, runs through 2025.
- Josh Metellus has negotiated adjustments to his Vikings pact, as detailed by Wilson. Three void years (2026-28) were added to the contract, along with incentives totaling $5MM over the next two years – although $3.5MM of that figure has been deemed not likely to be earned. None of the 26-year-old’s overall pay (ranging from $1.23MM to $3.78MM) or cap figures ($2.01MM to $4.76MM) have changed as a result of this arrangement, though. As a result, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune predicts further restructuring could take place in the future.