Raiders, P A.J. Cole Agree To Extension
A.J. Cole‘s tenure with the Raiders will continue for the foreseeable future. The veteran punter agreed to an extension on Monday, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports. 
This will be a four-year, $15.8MM deal, per Schultz. The pact includes $11MM in guarantees and makes Cole the NFL’s highest-paid punter in terms of annual compensation. The 29-year-old is now under contract with the Raiders through 2029.
This is Cole’s second extension with the organization. Midway through the 2021 campaign, he inked a four-year, $12MM deal. This latest agreement represents a slight raise in terms of AAV and moves him ahead of the Seahawks’ Michael Dickson ($3.67MM) in that respect. Cole did not receive a Pro Bowl nod in 2024, but he did for each of the three prior seasons.
That stretch also included a pair of first-team All-Pro nods, an indication of Cole’s success during his Raiders tenure. The former UDFA has posted a gross average of 50 yards per punt or more three times since 2021, and in each of the past two seasons he has set a new career high in that regard. In terms of net average, Cole steadily improved early in his career and he has remained consistent for several years.
“I love the organization, I love the fans and I love Las Vegas,” Cole said while reflecting on the deal in a conversation with Schultz. “I told my agents: I want to be here for a long time. I want to play until I’m 40. I want to play forever.”
Cole certainly has a long way to go to remain in the NFL by that age, but the first six years of his career have been highly successful. He is on track to continue operating as one of the league’s top punters for years to come, and the new Raiders regime has ensured that will still take place with him in Vegas.
Latest On Olympic Flag Football Selection Process
In 2028, active NFL players will be eligible to participate in the Los Angeles Olympics (provided the necessary arrangements can be made, of course). That has led to plenty of speculation about how international rosters will shake out, something which could sideline veterans of the flag game at the international level.
Darrell Doucette III – who has quarterbacked Team USA at each of the past four world championships – is among the advocates for allowing experienced flag players to continue representing their countries at the Olympics despite NFL players being able to take part. During Doucette’s time, the United States has gone unbeaten at the world championship level.
“This is a sport that we’ve played for a long time, and we feel like we are the best at it and we don’t need other guys,” the 35-year-old said in an interview with Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. “But we all have one goal in mind, and that’s to represent our country. We’re definitely open to all competition. If those guys come in and ball out and they’re better than us, hats off to them. Go win that gold medal for our country.”
The flag and tackle versions of football are of course fundamentally different in several ways. Nonetheless, many expect NFL players to be able to adapt sufficiently to represent the best options for their respective countries at the Olympics. That is certainly the case for Canada’s former national flag football coach, who stated in no uncertain terms in the Post piece he expects NFLers to replace the team’s current players at the 2028 Games.
Once the Olympics draw near, attention will increasingly turn to the process by which teams are selected. 10 players will be on each international squad, and one player per NFL team per country (in addition to those with international roster exemptions) will be eligible to participate. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently confirmed, to no surprise, the league will have no say in selecting Olympic teams (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
Instead, each country’s national federation will handle that responsibility. With that said, the NFL has a role in the governance of USA Football and will therefore have at least some degree of a footprint when the time comes for the inaugural Olympic team to be selected. That endeavor will include a tryout process leading up to the Los Angeles Games, one which could include a mix of NFL and flag players if Doucette’s request for an open competition winds up being granted.
Giants, WR Gabe Davis Remain In Contact
Nearly two weeks ago, Gabe Davis took part in a free agent visit with the Giants. No deal is in place at this point, but it appears an agreement between the parties could still come about. 
Team and player have remained in contact in this case, SNY’s Connor Hughes writes. Davis obviously represents a familiar face for head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen after they worked together during their time in Buffalo. The recent visit would have allowed New York to evaluate the status of Davis’ knee as he recovers from meniscus surgery.
That procedure ended the 26-year-old’s debut campaign with the Jaguars. Davis came to Duval County as an established deep threat based on his tenure with the Bills, but he was unable to duplicate his production when healthy for Jacksonville. In 10 games, the former fourth-rounder only recorded 20 receptions and averaged a career-low 12 yards per catch. The Jaguars’ new regime decided to release him despite two years remaining on his contract.
The Giants’ receiver depth chart will be led by Malik Nabers in 2025, and the Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist will have several familiar faces around him. Darius Slayton – long attached to trade rumors – re-signed on another two-year pact. Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt, meanwhile, are still in place on their rookie pacts. New York’s offseason additions included the free agent signings of Zach Pascal and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
As a result, Davis would have plenty of competition for playing time in the event he were to sign with the Giants. The 49ers (the other team which he has also visited) have substantially more cap space as things stand, but if talks with New York continue a deal could still be on the table allowing Davis to reunite with Daboll and Schoen.
Commanders’ Jonathan Jones, Trey Amos To Compete For Starting CB Role
One starting spot amongst the Commanders’ perimeter corners is assured of with 2024 trade acquisition Marshon Lattimore. Mike Sainristil, meanwhile, will again handle first-team duties in 2025 but it remains to be seen if he will find himself on the outside or in the slot. 
Determining where best to use the latter will of course take into account the competition for the other starting cornerback gig. On that note, Washington is in position to have a free agent addition and a rookie vying for that role. Jonathan Jones and Trey Amos offer different skillets, and The Athletic’s Ben Standig writes one of them should wind up in the starting lineup for 2025 (subscription required).
Jones inked a one-year deal in March to head to the nation’s capital. That pact – which has a base value of $5.5MM and includes $1MM in incentives – ended his nine-year run with the Patriots. The 31-year-old had expressed a willingness to remain in New England, but the team spent big on the open market to add Carlton Davis at the cornerback spot. Now, Jones will look to earn a starting spot on his second career team and help his 2026 market value along the way.
The former UDFA totaled 71 starts during his Patriots tenure, including 44 across the past three seasons. He would thud offer considerable experience to the Commanders if he were to handle first-team responsibilities, although at 5-9 Jones would likely be tasked with operating in the slot. That, in turn, would push Sainristil (who is himself 5-10) to the boundary, where he finished the 2024 season. That transition elevated Noah Igbinoghene to a starting spot on the inside, and having re-signed with Washington the former first-rounder is again a candidate to see playing time in 2025.
Amos was selected 61st overall in last month’s draft, making him the Commanders’ second choice of the event. The Ole Miss product dealt with a back injury leading up to the draft, something which is believed to have affected his stock to an extent. Given his size – 6-1, 195 pounds – and success as a press cover corner in college, Amos is suited to handle starting duties on the perimeter at the NFL level. As Standig notes, the ideal trio would see him operate right away on defense opposite Lattimore with Sainristil moving back to the slot.
Plenty of time remains for a Jones-Amos competition to take place, and its result will inform the Commanders’ decisions in the secondary ahead of the campaign. With nearly $23MM in cap space at the moment, Washington will be able to make a cornerback addition if one is deemed necessary.
Jets Could Make S Addition?
The Jets currently find themselves with just over $25MM in cap space. The team can therefore afford at least one notable addition during the late stages of free agency. 
If one is to be made between now and training camp, the secondary could be a place to watch. Connor Hughes of SNY writes the safety spot could be a point of focus on the free agent front. 2024 starter Chuck Clark remains unsigned, while Ashtyn Davis departed on the open market to sign with the Dolphins.
New York brought in former Jaguar Andre Cisco, adding him on a one-year, $8.5MM pact. That will provide the team with one new starter, while Tony Adams – who was retained via an RFA tender – could again find himself handling a notable defensive workload in 2025. As Hughes notes, though, Adams’ standing in the organization is something of a question mark after he “fell out of favor” with the Jets’ previous regime last year.
Of course, plenty of changes in the front office and on the sidelines have taken place this offseason. Darren Mougey is in place for his first general manager opportunity alongside rookie head coach Aaron Glenn. That pairing brought in depth at the safety spot during the draft in the form of fifth-rounder Malachi Moore. 2024 fifth-round selection Jaylin Simpson and undrafted rookie Dean Clark round out the current depth chart.
Veterans such as Justin Simmons, Julian Blackmon, Jordan Poyer and former Jet Jordan Whitehead are available as free agents as things stand. New York will thus have a number of options to choose from if a starting-caliber addition does indeed wind up being targeted over the coming weeks.
Ravens To Hold LG Competition
Four of the five starters from the Ravens’ 2024 offensive line are still in place for the coming campaign. As expected, though, Patrick Mekari departed in free agency. 
The former UDFA – who saw time at all five O-line spots over the course of his Baltimore tenure – helped his value with a strong left guard showing last year. As a result, he secured a three-year Jaguars contract which includes $22.5MM in guarantees. The Ravens thus enter OTAs with a first-team vacancy up front.
During free agency (in which veteran swingman Josh Jones also departed) the Ravens were quiet with respect to additions along the offensive line. That leaves Baltimore’s incumbent blockers as well as the members of the team’s rookie class to compete to replace Mekari. To no surprise, Baltimore’s preferred option from last season looks to have the early lead.
Andrew Vorhees finds himself as the frontrunner for the 2025 starting gig at this point, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic writes (subscription required). The former seventh-rounder’s draft stock took a hit when he suffered an ACL tear during the 2023 Combine, an injury which sidelined him for his entire rookie campaign. Vorhees was healthy by this time last year, however, and he saw plenty of first-team reps at left guard through the summer. In Week 1, he joined Daniel Faalele as a starting guard.
An ankle injury suffered in Week 3 took Vorhees out of the lineup, though, and he never returned. The ailment led to Mekari moving inside after rotating with Roger Rosengarten at right tackle; the latter handled RT duties on a full-time basis after the Vorhees injury. That can be expected to continue in 2025, and Faalele’s performance on the inside (after starting his career as a tackle) has earned him an extended look as a starter.
Given Vorhees’ lack of experience – 268 regular season snaps on offense – he is far from certain to land another Week 1 gig. Baltimore also has Ben Cleveland in place after he re-signed on a one-year deal. The 26-year-old has made 54 appearances with the Ravens, but that total only includes seven starts (none of which came in 2024). Cleveland will nonetheless receive another opportunity to secure a starting spot this summer.
Three of the Ravens’ 11 draft picks from last month were used on offensive linemen. Carson Vinson is in position to compete for the swing tackle role, but third-rounder Emery Jones could (when healthy) look to start at left guard as a rookie. One of Jones’ LSU teammates – Garrett Dellinger – was drafted by Baltimore in the seventh round, although a depth or practice squad spot is of course a more realistic expectation in his case. Nevertheless, several in-house candidates will be in place to replace Mekari atop the depth chart.
Examining Flag Football’s International Past
As expected, owners have paved the way for NFL players to take part in the 2028 Olympics. Several details are still to be worked out, with agreements including the NFLPA and International Olympic Committee (IOC) necessary for NFLers to suit up in Los Angeles. 
Plenty of time remains for that to take place, and a framework regarding playing surfaces, insurance against injury and adjustments to training camp schedules has already been voted on. Owners passed a resolution which would allow for one player per team per country to participate (with players classified as international roster exemptions also eligible). Six countries are slated to play in the event’s Olympic debut with 10-man rosters.
As preparations continue to take place, this is a good time to look back at the history of flag football at the international level. The 2028 Games will (presumably) be the first time active NFL players take part on a national scale, but they will carry on a trend of international competition in football (including the flag version) which dates back more than two decades.
IFAF – the International Federation of American Football, currently led by president Pierre Trochet – was founded in 1998. In the case of several countries, that development took place long after their own national federations were put in place (Canada’s, for instance, was more than one century old by that point). The first ever world championship for tackle football took place in 1999, and it is held every four years. Similarly, the world championship for the flag version of the sport began in 2002 – for both men and women – and it takes place every second year.
Austria won gold in each of the first two men’s world flag championships, winning the event again in 2012. France and Canada took home the prize in the intervening events. Team USA won the gold medal for the first time in 2010, and that feat has been repeated during each of the past five tournaments. In a similar fashion, the American women’s team has won each of the past three world championships after a total of five countries combined to win the first eight editions of the event.
As part of the ongoing development of flag football on a global level, IFAF received provisional status from the IOC in 2013 and recognized status 10 years later. The latter designation paved the way for flag football to be confirmed as an Olympic event, allowing for further growth on the world stage. The NFL played a leading role in that development, and the league has made a point to foster increased participation in flag football in recent years (with an NFL-sponsored league potentially on the horizon).
32 of IFAF’s 76 member countries qualified for the most recent men’s world flag championship, with six continents being represented for the first time. Continental championships serve as a qualifying path for the world championships, so it would come as no surprise if that were to also be the case in advance of the Olympics. A wide range of possibilities exist with respect to which countries will join the American hosts in Los Angeles.
Aaron Rodgers Pursuit Will Not Affect Steelers’ T.J. Watt Extension
No deal is in place between Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers, although one remains the expectation from all parties. Regardless of what takes place on that front, a lucrative T.J. Watt extension looms as a key priority for the team. 
Watt entered this offseason as one of several high-profile edge rushers in line for a new deal. The likes of Myles Garrett (Browns), Maxx Crosby (Raiders) and to a lesser extent Danielle Hunter (Texans) have each landed a raise and additional term to their pacts this offseason. That leaves Watt in a group with Bengals All-Pro Trey Hendrickson, as well as younger Cowboys and Lions stars Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson as names to watch regarding an extension.
Finalizing a Rodgers pact for 2025 represents a key goal as the Steelers look to add at least a one-year quarterback starter. To no surprise, though, that endeavor will have no bearing on Watt’s contract status. Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show reports the Rodgers and Watt situations have nothing to do with one another.
The latter has remained one of the league’s top sack artists throughout his eight years in Pittsburgh. Watt has collected a Pro Bowl nod every season since 2018, adding four first-team All-Pro nods along the way. The former first-rounder earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021, and after an injury-shortened campaign one year later he returned to his previous form with a league-leading 19 sacks. Watt managed another 11.5 in 2024, and he will be expected to remain a foundational member of the Steelers’ defense for years to come.
The 30-year-old is owed a base salary of $21.05MM in 2025, the final season of his pact. That figure is not guaranteed, though, and Watt is scheduled to carry a cap hit of $30.42MM as things stand. An extension containing new guarantees could lower his cap charges in the near future while ensuring a long-term partnership between team and player. That has publicly been the goal for both parties in this case, but an Instagram post from last month led to speculation Watt is unhappy with the state of extension talks.
No major developments have taken place since then, although Kaboly notes a contract averaging roughly $40MM per year – the new high mark for pass rushers – can still be considered “a matter of when” rather than if. The Steelers have Alex Highsmith as a fellow starter along with Nick Herbig and fourth-round rookie Jack Sawyer in place for edge rush depth, but Watt will of course play a central role in determining if Pittsburgh’s production up front remains elite in 2025.
The Steelers currently have nearly $32MM in cap space, so plenty of room exists for a Rodgers pact. Even if funds are set aside for that, Pittsburgh could move forward with a new Watt agreement at any time, and finalizing a deal before the likes of Hendrickson, Parsons and Hutchinson sign would likely be beneficial for the team.
Chargers LB Denzel Perryman Fully Healthy
Denzel Perryman exited the Chargers’ wild-card loss with an elbow injury, one which required a notable recovery process. The veteran linebacker has returned to full strength, however. 
Perryman recently revealed he has been cleared (h/t team reporter Eric Smith). As a result, he will be able to participate fully in the team’s upcoming OTAs as well as minicamp in June. A healthy campaign will be key for the 32-year-old since he enters the season as a pending free agent.
Perryman spent his first six seasons with the Chargers before signing with the Panthers in 2021. By the team the season started, he found himself back in the AFC West by means of a trade to the Raiders. The former second-rounder spent one season in Vegas, enjoying a career year and earning a Pro Bowl nod along the way. That was followed by another one-and-done campaign, this time with the Texans.
Last spring, Perryman returned to the Bolts on a one-year deal. He reprised his role as a full-time starter at the linebacker spot, registering 55 tackles and one sack in 11 regular season games. The Miami product managed to return for Los Angeles’ wild-card loss to Houston, but he was sidelined for much of the contest due to the elbow ailment. During the opening stages of free agency this year, Perryman secured another one-year Chargers pact.
That deal – which contains a base value of $2.65MM and includes up to $1.1MM in bonuses – will be expected to again yield a strong showing for the Chargers’ defense. In 2024, under new head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Los Angeles enjoyed a notable rebound on that side of the ball. Perryman will aim to continue as a first-team presence and in doing so help his market value for 2026.
The Chargers also have the likes of Junior Colson, Daiyan Henley and Troy Dye in place at the linebacker spot. That position group will be expected to deliver strong production as the team looks to reach the postseason once more in 2025, and a return to health in Perryman’s case will be a welcomed development.
Aaron Rodgers Will Not Sign With Saints; QB Hints Further At Steelers Deal
Despite not having a deal for the 2025 season in place – along with no timeline for an agreement to be reached – Aaron Rodgers remains the focus of considerable offseason attention. His latest public remarks on his future point further in the direction it has been heading in for quite some time. 
During a recent question-and-answer session while appearing on stage at an event hosted by rapper Mike Stud, Rodgers was asked about his plans for next season. Notably (albeit to no surprise), the 41-year-old confirmed he will not sign with the Saints. In the wake of Derek Carr‘s retirement, it became clear New Orleans would hold an open competition amongst the team’s remaining passers for the starting gig.
That leaves the Steelers as a logical Rodgers landing spot. The four-time MVP has been linked to Pittsburgh throughout the offseason, one in which Russell Wilson and Justin Fields departed in free agency. Steelers owner Art Rooney II has repeatedly expressed confidence that a deal will get done, and in the wake of the draft the team remained optimistic Rodgers will be in place for 2025. The latest indication that will indeed be the case came when the longtime Packers star was asked if he would be willing to ever play for the Bears.
“No, but I believe there’s a team that might play in Chicago this year on a road trip,” Rodgers said (video link). “I don’t know, not sure. Got to check it out.”
The Steelers’ 2025 schedule includes a road game against the Bears (Week 12), so that remark can be interpreted as another sign a Pittsburgh deal will be coming. The end of May was recently floated as the time at which an agreement could be in place, and the Steelers would no doubt prefer to have Rodgers in the fold as soon as possible. At the recent owners meetings, Rooney stated he and the team would remain patient “a little while longer” (h/t ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler) on the Rodgers front.
As a result, it remains to be seen when exactly the two parties – which met during a lengthy free agent visit and have discussed at least one contract offer – will come to a formal arrangement. Rodgers’ preferred destination this spring was the Vikings, but in the absence of a Minnesota deal being possible a short-term Pittsburgh pact has represented a fallback plan. That is clearly still the case at this point.
Mason Rudolph (brought back after spending 2024 with the Titans) is atop the depth chart for now, but the veteran was informed of Pittsburgh’s QB plans before he agreed to return during free agency. Skylar Thompson and sixth-round rookie Will Howard will be present for training camp this summer, but the Steelers are expected to add a fourth signal-caller, per usual. Rodgers remains atop the list of the likeliest candidates to be added at some point before camp begins in July.