Free Agent CB Stephon Gilmore Remaining “Patient” While Seeking Next Job
Stephon Gilmore is one of the biggest names remaining on the free agent market. With all 32 teams opening training camp over the next week, the former Defensive Player of the Year isn’t in any rush to find a new home. The veteran cornerback told Josina Anderson that he’s remaining patient as he seeks his next gig.
“Honestly, I’m still being patient and staying ready until teams see what they have in training camp; but you mean to tell me among 32 teams that there are 64 starting corners that are better than me? I don’t think that,” Gilmore said. “If teams want to win, I think they should sign the best players. I know I’m still a starter in this league. I started games last year, but the season doesn’t start until September, we got a while.”
Gilmore previously said that he’s waiting for the “right opportunity,” but it’s uncertain if the soon-to-be 34-year-old is still being selective at this point in the offseason. At the very least, it sounds like the veteran is seeking a starting gig. After spending the 2023 season with the Cowboys, Gilmore stated a desire to re-sign with Dallas, although there were few developments on that front. Gilmore also flirted with another former squad in the Panthers, and he recently hinted that he’d be open to a reunion with the Patriots.
The former Bills first rounder earned a number of accolades during his subsequent four-year stint with the Patriots. He’s only earned a single Pro Bowl nod while bouncing around the NFL in recent years, spending time with the Panthers, Colts, and Cowboys since the 2021 campaign. Gilmore has still graded out favorably by Pro Football Focus over that span, and since being limited to eight games with Carolina in 2021, he’s topped 1,000 defensive snaps in each of the past two seasons (the first time he’s accomplished this feat in his NFL career).
In other words, Gilmore still clearly has something left in the tank, but it sounds like he’s willing to wait for teams to evaluate their current depth options. As Gilmore noted to Anderson, he’ll also be competing with a number of defensive backs who are also unsigned. Gilmore specifically pointed to free agent safety Justin Simmons, but there are plenty of other notable veteran CBs still on the market, including Xavien Howard, Patrick Peterson, and Adoree’ Jackson. Considering Gilmore’s resume plus his recent performance and availability, teams will surely come knocking sooner than later.
Browns, Dustin Hopkins Agree To Extension
The Browns are committing to Dustin Hopkins long-term. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the organization has signed the kicker to a three-year, $15.9MM extension. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that the deal contains $8.36MM in guaranteed money.
The deal keeps Hopkins in Cleveland through the 2027 campaign. The veteran was set to hit free agency following the 2024 season.
The Browns gave up on former fourth-round pick Cade York at the end of the 2023 preseason, acquiring Hopkins from the Chargers for a seventh-round pick. After dealing with injuries for much of the 2022 season, Hopkins rebounded nicely during his first season in Cleveland. He connected on a career-high 91.7 percent of his field goal attempts and made 24 of his 26 XP tries.
However, his season ended early after he suffered a hamstring injury in late December. After not missing a game between 2018 and 2021, Hopkins has dealt with injuries in each of the past two seasons. Zac Jackson of The Athletic opines that the team is taking a bit of a risk extending the veteran ahead of his age-34 campaign, although the team is clearly optimistic that Hopkins can continue his 2023 performance into the twilight years of his career.
Hopkins had a long stint as Washington’s starting kicker, converting 84 percent of his FGA and 94.2 percent of his XPA. He spent a year-plus with the Chargers, where he connected on nine of 10 field goal attempts and all 12 extra point tries.
With his new $5.3MM average annual value, Hopkins jumps into the top-five on the list of the league’s highest-paid kickers. Hopkins is tied with Ka’imi Fairbairn and trails Justin Tucker ($6M), Jake Elliott ($6M), Matt Gay ($5.62M), and Graham Gano ($5.5M).
Latest On Browns’ DL Depth
The Browns used a third-round pick on Siaki Ika only last year, but it’s uncertain if the defensive tackle will even make it to his second year in Cleveland. Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal writes that Ika is likely on the roster bubble heading into training camp.
Ika had an inconsistent role at LSU before establishing himself as an NFL prospect during his time at Baylor. The defensive lineman earned a pair of first-team All-Big 12 nods during his time with the Bears, collecting six sacks and eight tackles for loss. That performance helped make him a top-100 pick in the 2023 draft, as Ika ultimately was selected by the Browns at No. 98.
Unfortunately, the rookie was completely buried on the depth chart for much of his rookie campaign. He was inactive through the first 13 games of the season, with the Browns finally activating him when their injury issues became untenable. He got into about a third of his team’s defensive snaps in his four appearances down the stretch, and he also made an appearance in Cleveland’s playoff loss.
Ika’s role heading into training camp isn’t any more clear than it was last season. The team used draft picks on second-round DL Michael Hall Jr. and seventh-round DL Jowon Briggs, added veteran Quinton Jefferson, and re-signed Shelby Harris and Maurice Hurst. With Dalvin Tomlinson also in place atop the depth chart, there might not be much room for Ika on the team’s initial 53-man roster.
There are some good signs, however. Easterling notes that Ika looked “much more trim” and “more muscular” during the team’s offseason program. It’s uncertain if conditioning was an issue for the six-foot-three, 335-pound lineman, but a reworked workout regimen could go a long way in helping him stick in Cleveland.
Latest On Caleb Williams’ Contract Status
With Bears rookies set to report to training camp tomorrow, first-overall pick Caleb Williams remains unsigned. With few negotiating terms on rookie contracts, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says there’s little chance the quarterback engages in a rare rookie holdout. However, Rapoport did hint that Williams may not take the practice field until veterans report on Friday.
As NFL.com’s Kevin Patra notes, signing bonus payment schedules and offset language are often the main holdups in rookie contracts. Williams isn’t operating with an NFLPA-certified agent, and Rapoport notes that his unorthodox “board of directors” approach could lead to prolonged negotiations. Ultimately, the USC product is expected to sign a four-year deal worth $39.5MM, plus a fifth-year option.
Williams didn’t sound distracted by his contract status, with the rookie deferring to his representation.
“I’m not handling that,” Williams told reporters this past weekend (via Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune). “My lawyers and attorney and everybody, the head of the Bears, everybody up there up top is handling that. That’s not my position that I’m handling.”
For what it’s worth, Williams did make it clear that he’s excited to practice with his new squad, indicating that he’s not anticipating a delay.
“You start getting to the end of the break and you’re training and you’re ready to go,” Williams said (via Kane). “Really excited. … I’m really happy to be back in Chicago and to get this thing going. We’re only about three weeks away (from the exhibition opener).”
Williams is one of seven draft picks who haven’t signed their rookie deals. This grouping includes the QB’s new teammate, ninth-overall pick Rome Odunze. Rapoport doesn’t expect there to be any issues with the wide receiver’s contract, noting that the deal will probably be completed only when absolutely necessary.
Ravens Place RB Keaton Mitchell On PUP
As Keaton Mitchell continues to rehab from a torn ACL, the Ravens are playing it slow with their second-year running back. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, the Ravens have placed Mitchell on the active/physically unable to perform list.
As Ryan Mink of the team’s website notes, assuming Mitchell remains on PUP throughout training camp, he’ll automatically move straight to the reserve/PUP list. This would require him to miss the first four games of the 2024 season, but that always seemed to be a likely scenario. Mitchell will only be eight months removed from his injury by the team Week 1 comes around.
John Harbaugh hinted back in May that Mitchell would likely miss the start of the season, but the head coach expressed optimism in the player’s recovery.
“But I will say he’s on schedule, maybe ahead of schedule. He’s doing really well,” Harbaugh said (via Mink). “He’s always got a smile on his face. He’s going to start jogging on the Alter-G (treadmill) next week. So that’s a positive thing and we’ll see where it goes.”
Mitchell was a notable member of Baltimore’s RB carousel in 2024. The UDFA started his career on IR but finally made his debut in October. Between Week 9 and Week 14, the rookie collected 480 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Mitchell finished his first season with an eye-popping 8.4 yards per carry. A torn ACL ended his season in December.
When Mitchell returns to the field, the running backs room will look a bit different. Derrick Henry was brought in this offseason to replace the likes of Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins. Justice Hill joins Mitchell as one of the team’s RB holdovers, and that duo could compete for RB2 reps when everyone is healthy.
Zrebiec reports that the Ravens also placed cornerback T.J. Tampa on PUP and linebacker Adisa Isaac on NFI. Per Mink, Isaac has been dealing with a hamstring injury that forced him to miss minicamp and OTAs. His placement on the non-football injury list certainly raises some eyebrows, but the details of the linebacker’s injury are unknown. Tampa’s injury hasn’t been reported.
NFL Active Leaders In Career Earnings
Kirk Cousins‘ four-year, $180MM deal with the Falcons this season vaulted him up the list of active career earners. This was by virtue of his $50MM signing bonus, adding to the more than $231MM he earned from the Commanders and (mostly) the Vikings throughout his career. Even under the worst-case scenario, Cousins will still see at least another $50MM come his way via his contract with Atlanta, which would push his career earnings north of $331MM.
While the soon-to-be 36-year-old Cousins will surely see a significant portion of the $80MM worth of unguaranteed money on his contract, he’ll still be hard pressed to catch Aaron Rodgers on the career-earnings list. Rodgers earned more than $306MM during his long tenure in Green Bay, and he’s already made close to $37MM during his one season in New York (mostly via the $35MM signing bonus on his reworked pact).
With at least $40MM of additional guarantees coming his way from the Jets, Rodgers will continue to grow his lead as the highest-earning NFL player of all time. Both Rodgers and Matthew Stafford were able to leap Tom Brady among the NFL’s highest all-time earners over the past year.
With all that said, we’ve listed the 25 active players who have earned the most money in their NFL careers (h/t to OverTheCap.com). While this list is up to date, it doesn’t account for soon-to-realized salaries for the 2024 campaign. This list is also solely focused on NFL cash and does not include off-the-field earnings:
- QB Aaron Rodgers: $343MM
- QB Matthew Stafford: $328MM
- QB Russell Wilson: $305MM
- QB Kirk Cousins: $281MM
- QB Jared Goff: $234MM
- LB Von Miller: $179MM
- QB Joe Flacco: $177MM
- OT Trent Williams: $171MM
- QB Derek Carr: $165MM
- LB Khalil Mack: $162MM
- QB Dak Prescott: $161MM
- DL Aaron Donald: $157MM
- QB Jimmy Garoppolo: $150MM
- DE Calais Campbell: $143MM
- QB Deshaun Watson: $142MM
- QB Patrick Mahomes: $136MM
- DE Joey Bosa: $134MM
- DL Leonard Williams: $134MM
- WR Mike Evans: $132MM
- QB Carson Wentz: $130MM
- WR DeAndre Hopkins: $128MM
- WR Stefon Diggs: $126MM
- DE Cameron Jordan: $126MM
- OT Lane Johnson: $121MM
- DT Chris Jones: $120MM
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown Suffered Serious Oblique Injury In 2023
Amon-Ra St. Brown took his production to another level in 2023. After finishing the 2022 campaign with 1,256 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns, the Lions wideout completed the 2023 season with 1,539 yards and 10 scores. This performance helped earn him both a first-team All-Pro nod and a lucrative four-year, $120MM extension from Detroit.
While everything seemingly went St. Brown’s way in 2023, the former fourth-round pick revealed on the recent Netflix Receiver series that he dealt with serious injury issues throughout last season. This included tearing his oblique “completely off the bone,” as passed along by Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com.
The injuries started popping up in Week 2, when St. Brown suffered a toe issue against the Seahawks. He was still in the lineup for Week 3, finishing with nine catches for 102 yards, but the wideout revealed that he suffered an oblique injury in that contest that he initially believed was a simple hip pointer.
“I’ve had a hip pointer before, so I thought it was a hip pointer,” St. Brown said (via Alper). “Maybe it’s just a little bruise. And I’m like, ‘Damn, my toe’s still hurting at this point. Now I have this oblique injury.’”
Despite describing his pain as eight or a nine out of 10 heading into Week 4, the wideout still showed up against the Packers, collecting 56 yards and a touchdown. A subsequent MRI revealed the true extent of his oblique injury, forcing St. Brown to miss his team’s Week 5 win over the Panthers. The receiver returned in Week 6 and proceeded to top 100 receiving yards in four-straight games, and he appeared in at least 85 percent of his team’s offensive snaps in all but two games down the stretch.
The Lions have a lot more money invested in St. Brown heading into the 2024 campaign, and with the organization having established themselves as one of the NFC’s true contenders, the team may not be as eager to have their star play through injuries. Of course, that will be easier said than done in 2024, especially with Josh Reynolds no longer around. The offense will be relying more on Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond next season, so the Lions may find it difficult to keep the offense rolling if their top receiver is sidelined.
WR Allen Robinson On Giants Roster Bubble?
Allen Robinson caught on with the Giants earlier this offseason, with the organization clearly hoping the wideout can bring some experience to a questionable depth chart. However, the 30-year-old isn’t a shoo-in for the team’s initial 53-man roster. In his preview of the Giants’ depth chart, Dan Duggan of The Athletic writes that it’s “hard to see Robinson earning a roster spot.”
[RELATED: Giants WR Allen Robinson: ‘I’ve Got A Couple More Years In Me’]
Despite injuries ruining the end of his Jaguars tenure, the receiver still garnered a three-year, $42MM deal with the Bears in 2018. He underwhelmed during his first season in Chicago but managed to put together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020, with the wideout averaging 100 catches per year between those two campaigns.
Since then, Robinson’s struggles have been well-chronicled. He hauled in only 410 yards during his final season with the Bears before getting another lucrative three-year contract in 2022, this time from the Rams. He only lasted a season in Los Angeles, finishing with 339 receiving yards. He was promptly dealt to the Steelers last offseason, and to his credit, he started all 17 of his appearances in Pittsburgh. However, his numbers hit a new low, with the 30-year-old finishing with only 34 catches for 280 yards and no touchdowns.
Robinson was cut by the Steelers back in March, but he ended up catching on with the Giants in May. While the veteran brings more experience than many of his new teammates, he still faces an uphill battle to make the squad. First-round rookie Malik Nabers is expected to lead the depth chart, and the team settled their contract stare down with Darius Slayton. With Wan’Dale Robinson, Isaiah Hodgins, Jalin Hyatt, and new addition Isaiah McKenzie also around, Robinson would likely require an injury to earn a bottom-of-the-depth-chart spot.
Duggan suggested that Robinson could end up landing on New York’s practice squad, a move that would require the player’s sign-off. Robinson recently said he’s still got multiple years left in the tank, so it’s uncertain if he’d be willing to settle for a taxi squad role during his age-31 season.
Jets Looking To Sweeten Haason Reddick’s Deal
We heard recently that the Jets are unlikely to cave to Haason Reddick‘s request for an extension. However, that doesn’t mean the front office isn’t willing to work with their new pass rusher on a contract resolution. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, the Jets will try to placate Reddick “by sweetening his current deal.”
Reddick is entering the final season of a three-year, $45MM deal he signed with the Eagles back in 2022. As Cimini notes, the Jets assumed their offseason acquisition would be willing to play out his current contract before hitting free agency next offseason. That didn’t end up being the case, as the impending free agent stayed away from OTAs and mandatory minicamp while seeking a new deal.
Reddick is set to earn $15MM in 2024, a total that just sneaks him into the top-20 among pass-rusher AAVs. The Jets are currently operating with around $6MM in cap space (per OverTheCap.com), so the front office could easily find the cash to boost Reddick up the list of edge rusher earnings. While the Jets haven’t entirely closed the door on an extension for their new sack artist, it’s worth noting that the team decided to not pay Bryce Huff the ~$17MM average annual value he earned on his three-year pact with the Eagles. Of course, the Jets decision to opt for Reddick instead of Huff was more about term, but it’s clear the team still has an intended edge-rusher budget for the 2024 campaign.
Fortunately, it sounds like there’s some optimism that the two sides will come to a resolution sooner than later. Coach Robert Saleh recently hinted at a positive conversation with the veteran, and Brian Costello of the New York Post wrote that this situation differs from the bitter Jamal Adams contract stalemate that eventually led to a trade. While the Jets didn’t intend to make a trade for a contract dispute, there does appear to be some light at the end of the tunnel.
When Reddick does finally hit the field for the Jets, he’ll quickly lead the team’s pass-rush corps. The former first-round pick has compiled 50 sacks over the past four seasons, and he’ll guide a unit that also features recent first-rounders like Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald.
Latest On Dolphins’ Roster Battles
When the Dolphins kick off training camp later this month, there will be a handful of intriguing offensive roster battles to keep an eye on. In his recent Dolphins roster projection, Adam H. Beasley of ProFootballNetwork.com noted that there could be some intriguing cuts at both running back and wide receiver.
At RB, Beasley backs what we heard back in May; veteran RB Salvon Ahmed is on the roster bubble. In fact, Beasley writes that Ahmed probably wouldn’t have re-signed with the team had he known the Dolphins would add fourth-round RB Jaylen Wright. The rookie will surely stick to the roster, as will Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane.
That means the final RB spot will likely be between Ahmed, Jeff Wilson Jr., and Chris Brooks, and Beasley opines that Ahmed is currently trailing that entire grouping. Of course, a fresh start elsewhere could be in the player’s best interest. After collecting 646 yards from scrimmage through his first two years in the league, Ahmed has been limited to only 221 yards over the past two seasons.
Elsewhere on offense, the Dolphins are unlikely to keep both of their WR draft picks on the active roster. Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Odell Beckham Jr., and Braxton Berrios are probably safe atop the depth chart, meaning sixth-round rookie Malik Washington or seventh-round rookie Tahj Washington could be squeezed off the roster. The team also has former UDFA River Cracraft and former fourth-round pick Erik Ezukanma pushing for roster spots, so the two rookies won’t be a shoo-in for Miami’s initial 53-man roster.
Beasley ultimately projects that Malik Washington will earn one of the final spots on the roster. The receiver broke out during his lone season at Virginia, finishing with 110 catches for 1,426 yards and nine touchdowns. Tahj Washington spent the past three seasons at USC, culminating in a 2023 campaign where he finished with career-highs in receptions (59), receiving yards (1,062), and touchdowns (eight).