Early Look At Seahawks’ Sale Reveals Name Of Interest
Another NFL franchise is up for sale, and once again, record numbers are being circulated as likely valuations. The process of selling the Seahawks franchise is still extremely young, but early information indicates that the final number will almost certainly set a record for the sale of an NFL franchise.
The most recent change of ownership that required a sale was that of the Commanders in 2023. Current majority owner Josh Harris acquired the franchise and Northwest Stadium from Dan Snyder with the help of a 20-member group of limited partners for $6.05BB. According to Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS, the Seahawks’ sale is expected to “without a doubt” reach at least $7BB.
This figure is much more in line with the original perceived value — approximately $6.59BB, per Sportico — and far under speculation following the team’s Super Bowl LX victory of somewhere from $9BB to $11BB. Over at SportsBoom, Jason La Canfora also challenged any figure in the double-digit billions. Citing opposing executives as his source, he ventured that, under the right circumstances, the sale may come close to $8.5BB, but even that would be a stretch.
Both reporters maintained that several names have been connected as potential bidders, but who those names belong to has been difficult information to come by. Jones, though, reportedly heard the name of Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer from two sources. Ballmer, the longtime Microsoft CEO, owns property in the Seattle area, and with a net worth over $120BB, he’d certainly be capable of covering the asking price. Another source cautioned Jones from going down that road, though, suggesting that Ballmer is “really a hoops guy” who isn’t expected to be interested in obtaining an NFL franchise.
In a bit of unrelated news, La Canfora teased that, after the Seahawks, the Ravens are reportedly “widely viewed as the team most likely to hit the market.” He reports that Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has openly expressed interest in selling “while he is still young enough to enjoy the spoils,” and he does not intend to pass the franchise down to his family.
Ravens Add Punter To Roster
The Ravens filled a literal hole in their roster today, adding a punter to their special teams room. After Jordan Stout departed for New York in free agency alongside three teammates and their former head coach, Baltimore didn’t have a punter under contract. There will likely be further additions to serve as competition, but per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Luke Elzinga will be signed as the first new specialist to come in for a chance at succeeding Stout.
Elzinga went undrafted out of Oklahoma last year. He did receive some scouting interest, participating in the Shrine Bowl and receiving an invitation to Titans rookie minicamp, but it looks like things have been quiet for him since then. Elzinga began his collegiate career at Central Michigan, redshirting a year before earning All-MAC honors in each of his next three seasons with the Chippewas. Elzinga entered the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining and opted to walk on for the Sooners.
Over the first half of his first season in Norman, Elzinga was used in tandem with another punter, taking short-field duties requiring accuracy to pin returners deep without touchbacks. By the second half of the season, he had assumed all punting and holding duties, and he ended the year with only two touchbacks. After a fifth season of collegiate play, he declared for the draft.
Elzinga seems like a promising candidate to compete for the Ravens’ (currently unopposed) job. He has a big leg, ending every season but one with a longest punt measuring over 62 yards, including a 76-yarder in his first game as a Chippewa, and impressive distance control, logging only 14 touchbacks in five years. As an added bonus, Elzinga has some experience throwing the football at both collegiate stops, completing all four of his only pass attempts for 86 yards. Former Ravens long-time punter Sam Koch famously maintained a perfect completion percentage, going seven-for-seven, up until the final year of career.
Again, the Ravens will likely add competition for Elzinga at some point in the offseason, so nothing is guaranteed for the new signee. Elzinga will have a head start on anyone who comes in to compete, though, as the default first name atop the depth chart.
NFL Injury Updates: Trapilo, Horton, Hunter
Things were looking up for the Bears as they finished the season with a winning record for the first time since 2018, made the playoffs for the first time since 2020, and won a playoff game for the first time since 2010. They also seemed to have found a possible answer to their long-standing questions at left tackle, as well, but the team’s trip to the postseason threw a bump in the road for that answer when rookie second-round tackle Ozzy Trapilo suffered a torn patellar tendon, ending his postseason and guaranteeing at least some missed games in 2026 but possibly all of them, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Trapilo was patient as a rookie. Starting out on special teams duty, the Boston College product was asked to fill in at right tackle when starting left tackle Braxton Jones went down with injury and right tackle Theo Benedet, filling in for an injured Darnell Wright, flipped over to cover the blind side. Wright was able to return the next week to spell Trapilo after he had a rough outing in his first opportunity at extended time on the first-team offense. By Week 12 of the season, though, Trapilo got his second chance at a starting opportunity and was ready for it. Mainly a right tackle in college, Trapilo was asked to try his hand at the left tackle spot, and the team saw immediate results. Not having manned the spot with a consistently reliable name since Charles Leno, Jr.‘s six-year run ended in 2020, it seemed sunshine had broken through the clouds before Trapilo went down in the playoffs.
We were aware that Trapilo was expected to miss time in 2026, and expectations had grown to speculation of a lengthy absence, but head coach Ben Johnson‘s comments this week changed that picture a bit. Per Finley, the second-year head coach informed the media that the team isn’t sure if they “will get…Trapilo back at all (for the 2026) season.” The Bears have some options to utilize as they bridge the gap until Trapilo’s return, recently adding former Browns starting left tackle Jedrick Wills to the pair that started the season at the position last year, Jones and Benedet.
Here are a couple other injury updates from around the NFL:
- A promising rookie campaign for Seahawks fifth-round wide receiver Tory Horton was unceremoniously cut short when he suffered a shin injury and missed the second half of the season. According to general manager John Schneider (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson), Horton is still going to be limited for spring workouts, but he is expected to be ready to return in time for training camp. The second-year Colorado State product will be returning to a receiving corps that still includes Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, former triple crown-winner Cooper Kupp, and — added since the last time Horton played — the dangerous, speedy Rashid Shaheed.
- Lastly, a much-anticipated rookie year for Jaguars second-overall pick Travis Hunter was similarly cut short after only seven games when he underwent a season-ending LCL repair procedure. According to Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union, head coach Liam Coen relayed to the media this week that Hunter is “very well ahead of where he’s supposed to be,” in regard to his injury rehabilitation. He added that “the docs and athletic trainers feel really good about him.” Primarily working as a wide receiver in Year 1 and playing off the bench at cornerback, the two-way player is expected to play more defense upon his return from injury, receiving fewer offensive snaps next year, as a result.
Race For CB1 In 2026 NFL Draft Between Two Prospects
There appears to be a very clear duo atop the 2026 NFL Draft’s crop of cornerback prospects. What’s unclear at the moment is which one of the two defenders is CB1 in the class. Complicating the matter is the fact that one of them didn’t play at all in 2025.
Jermod McCoy missed his entire junior year at Tennessee with a torn ACL. It was a much-anticipated season after McCoy broke out as a second-team All-American in his first year of SEC play. Lost in the sea of high school talent in Texas, McCoy was a three-star recruit coming out of Whitehouse HS. Clearly a bright student, McCoy held a couple Ivy League offers from Columbia and Penn, but he chose to commit to the only Power 5 school to offer him a scholarship, departing Texas for Oregon State.
As a true freshman, McCoy came off the bench for his first few games as a Beaver. By the midpoint of the season, though, he earned his first start and made the most of that opportunity with his first collegiate interception. Over the rest of the season, McCoy showed several bright spots of his game while striving to keep his spot on the first-team defense. Still, some rough road outings at Arizona and Oregon left plenty of room for improvement for the young defender.
He showed enough success, though, that when he entered his name in the transfer portal at the end of the year, the offers came rolling in, this time with far more Power conference schools throwing their hats in the ring. Over offers from the likes of Auburn, Oregon, and Texas A&M, McCoy opted to visit Tennessee and committed a week later. The true sophomore earned a full-time starting role by the start of the season and put forth a phenomenal 2024 season. McCoy locked down his side of the field for the Volunteers, notching four interceptions and six passes defensed.
With a good frame, McCoy’s quick feet and body control have given him the ability to stick close to his assignments, and strong ball skills allow him to compliment great coverage with pass breakups and interceptions. He had some periodic inconsistency at times, though, which one might have hoped to see improvement on had he gotten to play this year. He also isn’t a great tackler, often throwing his weight around down low in a way the NFL tends to look down upon as of late. His recent injury and long recovery time are certain to throw up some red flags in some front offices, but the fact that he still may be the top cornerback selected in the draft speaks volumes about his assets as perhaps the best man-coverage corner in the class.
McCoy’s competition for that spot is LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. Like McCoy, Delane wasn’t a top recruit, coming into college as a three-star prospect out of Archbishop Spalding HS (MD). Graduating a year before McCoy, Delane committed to Virginia Tech after taking official visits to Illinois, Minnesota, and Maryland. He didn’t make his first collegiate appearance until Week 5 of his freshman season, and after stepping up with a big performance against the Hurricanes in only his third game, Delane was named a starter for the rest of the season.
Delane started every game for the next two years breaking out in 2024 with four interceptions and four passes defensed. For as many big plays as he made, though, he gave up quite a few, as well — Pro Football Focus (subscription required) assigns him responsibility for seven touchdowns that season. Still, when he entered the transfer portal, he became a hot target, committing five days later to the Tigers. His struggle giving up big plays disappeared in Baton Rouge. Per PFF, Delane didn’t give up a single touchdown while recording two picks and seven passes defensed. PFF graded Delane as the third-best cornerback in the NCAA for 2025, and he earned unanimous All-American honors.
Delane isn’t quite as good as McCoy in isolated man-coverage, though he’s still quite good. He’s a much more well-rounded, versatile defensive back, though. Delane works with elite instincts, and even though he doesn’t have the best hands, he plays the ball more than the receiver and disrupts a ton of passes as a result. His hips are quick, but he helps himself in coverage by making it difficult for receivers to get behind him. Like with some other defensive prospects in this draft, there are some concerns around Delane’s arm length, but his level of effort in coverage and when tackling tends to overcome any physical shortcomings.
In most draft pundits’ rankings, Delane is slotting in ahead of McCoy as CB1 at the moment. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network slots Delane in as CB1 and No. 8 overall prospect and CB2 McCoy at No. 15. Over at ESPN, Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates have McCoy at CB1 and Delane at CB2, while Matt Miller and Jordan Reid have it the other way around. Yates reports that scouts have been “getting positive reviews about McCoy’s recovery,” and that may be boosting his draft stock up towards Delane’s here, down the stretch. Regardless, both cornerbacks are expected to hear their names called in the the first half of Day 1’s selections. All that remains to be seen is which name gets called first and which teams claim them.
DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches Reunites With Buccaneers
After a three-year stay in New York, veteran defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches has agreed to a deal that will bring him back to Tampa Bay. According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the Buccaneers are bringing Nunez-Roches back on a one-year contract.
Originally a sixth-round pick for the Chiefs out of Southern Miss, Nunez-Roches maintains the honor of being the first ever player born in Belize to get drafted into the NFL. After seeing minimal field time in seven games as a rookie, Nunez-Roches lost his rookie deal when the Chiefs waived him shortly into his second campaign and he went unclaimed. He signed with Kansas City’s practice squad but was signed back to the active roster a month after getting cut. Upon returning to the 53-man roster, Nunez-Roches started five of 11 game appearances to close the year. After a 2017 season in which he started 11 of 16 game appearances, the Chiefs re-signed him after placing an original-round restricted free agent tender on him, but they waived him a second time about nine days later.
Nunez-Roches spent the offseason in Indianapolis after getting claimed by the Colts, but he was waived again a week before the regular season. It wasn’t until October, a month later, that Nunez-Roches landed in Tampa Bay, where he appeared in just three games over the closing stretch of the season. He returned on a new one-year deal in 2019, coming off the bench as a rotational lineman behind Ndamukong Suh, Vita Vea, and William Gholston. When injury limited Vea to just five games the next season, Nunez-Roches stepped up, starting 11 regular season games and all four postseason games en route to the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV victory.
Nunez-Roches’ efforts that season earned him a two-year stay with the team on a $5MM deal. He returned to his rotational role off the bench in 2021, only starting one game, but he returned to a bigger role in the second year of his contract. In 2022, the last season he played in Tampa Bay, he started 10 of 17 games, notching then-career highs in sacks (2.0), tackles for loss (5), and total tackles (33).
Upon becoming a free agent, Nunez-Roches landed a three-year, $12MM contract with the Giants. After serving much of his first year in New York back in that rotational role, he earned his first full season as a full-time starter, logging 52 total tackles, six quarterback hits, and two sacks. Coming off the bench in Year 3 with Big Blue, Nunez-Roches got off to a hot start in 2025, recording a new career-high with three sacks and adding three tackles for loss and four quarterback hits in just nine games (with only five starts). Unfortunately, ankle and toe injuries landed him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
Coming into his age-33 season and coming off a season-ending injury, Nunez-Roches’ deal with the Buccaneers will probably be a relatively safe one for Tampa Bay, though they may offer him decent incentive opportunities to reward a return to health. Per ESPN’s Jenna Laine, head coach Todd Bowles had made it a goal this offseason to “get bigger and more physical along the defensive line.” Nunez-Roches joins fellow free agent signees A’Shawn Robinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad in adding size, strength, and experience to the Tampa Bay defensive line, reuniting with Vea to set a good example for recent draft picks like Elijah Roberts and Calijah Kancey to learn from.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/3/26
Here is Friday’s only minor NFL move in the wake of today’s big transaction:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed ERFA tender: S Tristin McCollum
After Vegas tendered him as an exclusive rights free agent, McCollum didn’t have much of a choice but to sign in order to play in the 2026 NFL season. In doing so, he returns to provide the Raiders with some solid safety depth and special teams experience. As an undrafted rookie with the Eagles out of Sam Houston State, McCollum only saw specials teams work in two games before getting a chance for playing time on defense in the regular season finale. In Year 2 in Philadelphia, McCollum earned two starts on the defense and saw significant defensive snaps in four more games.
After getting waived at the roster cut deadline last year, McCollum was claimed by the Raiders. He didn’t earn any starts in his third year of play, but he was a core special teamer and saw a significant share of defensive snaps in three games. With the departure of Lonnie Johnson Jr. to Miami in free agency, McCollum has a chance to step into a key third safety role behind Isaiah Pola-Mao and Jeremy Chinn in 2026.
Teams Viewing Miami DE Akheem Mesidor As Better Than Teammate Rueben Bain?
After a run to the College Football Playoff Championship game, the Hurricanes are primed to send several standout players to the league. Two names in particular have frequented top-10 projections as draft pundits offer opinions on offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa and defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. A third player has frequently been linked to first-round mock drafts, and according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, some in the league believe he’s better than one of those other two.
That player would be none other than Bain’s fellow pass rusher Akheem Mesidor. Mesidor began his college football journey at West Virginia, where he made a big impact on the edge as a true freshman, recording five sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. In Year 2 with the Mountaineers, the team opted to shift Mesidor inside to more of role on the interior line. Mesidor still produced, logging 4.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss, but opted to transfer and ended up in Coral Gables.
With Miami, Mesidor returned right back to a role on the edge, and he was impressive in doing so, leading the team with seven sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss. In 2023, Bain arrived as a true freshman, and when Mesidor was shut down with injury, missing all but three games, Bain asserted himself as a difference maker with 7.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. The next year, it was Bain’s turn to deal with injury, and though he played in nine games, he looked like a shell of his freshman self, logging only 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss while clearly limited due to injury. Mesidor didn’t fare too much better that year, registering only 5.5 sacks with nine tackles for loss.
Bain came back healthy this past season, and the duo immediately put NFL scouts on notice as they disrupted a top Notre Dame offensive line early and often to open the year, notably sealing the Hurricanes’ Week 1 matchup by meeting at the quarterback twice in the final two plays before a Fighting Irish false start ran the final seconds off the clock. Both pass rushers would go on to enjoy the best production of their careers, shining especially bright on the biggest stage. In four CFP games against Texas A&M, Ohio State, Ole Miss, and Indiana, Mesidor recorded 5.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss while Bain delivered five sacks and eight tackles for loss.
There’s certainly a case to be made for Mesidor, who hasn’t received as much love as Bain in early draft talks despite never being outshined by him on the field. Mesidor’s final 2025 figures (12.5 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss) did outpace Bain’s (9.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss). So why isn’t he up in the top 10 with Bain? One theory might be drawn from looking at their time not playing together. When Mesidor was hurt, Bain stepped up and stood out as a true freshman. When Bain was hurt, Mesidor reverted back to his old West Virginia production despite being a fifth-year athlete.
Additionally, when they did play together, one could argue quite a bit of Mesidor’s success came as a result of the disruption or extra attention being paid to Bain on the other side. The same concept could certainly be attributed to Bain, too, but Mesidor drew fewer double teams throughout the season. That’s not to say that Mesidor can’t get it done on his own, though. Mesidor is seen as more of a pure pass rusher, with a full arsenal of attack moves and an effective plan of attack. Teams looking for the more talented pass rusher will see Mesidor as the superior talent, whereas Bain gains the edge with overall disruption.
Bain offers greater versatility along the line, though both have played both edge and interior snaps. Less reliant on an arsenal, though he still has one, Bain’s methods are violent, quick, and powerful. His ability to bring the fight to his opponent often overcomes the concerns over his shorter arm length while his incredible bend for his frame help him to evade and finish. Even without the pass rushing prowess, Bain’s 83 pressures in 2025 were the most in a season since 2014.
Both defensive ends do have flaws that draw the ire of some scouts and teams. Bain’s arms are seemingly a big concern, though it increasingly appears to be more of an issue in the media than in the actual NFL. Mesidor, after six years of college (thanks to COVID-19 and an injury redshirt), will be 25 years old when he’s drafted. Regardless, some teams will overlook these flaws and take a chance on the upside both players displayed at the college level of the game, and while some may view Mesidor as the more talented pass rusher, Bain is currently in line to hear his name called a bit earlier on in the evening.
Two First-Round Tight Ends In 2026?
For much of the pre-draft process, a single tight end prospect has frequented first-round mock drafts. Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq has widely been considered the TE1 of the 2026 NFL Draft class with a stellar junior campaign and a promising build. According to Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom, another name may just sneak into the mix for Day 1 consideration. 
La Canfora relayed yesterday that multiple executives “absolutely” have a first-round grade on Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers. Behind Sadiq, there’s really not been any consensus on ordering the hierarchy of the next tier of top tight ends. Ohio State’s Max Klare and Baylor’s Michael Trigg are also considered top players at the position.
Sadiq led all NCAA tight ends with eight receiving touchdowns on 51 catches for 560 yards. Stowers led the position group with 769 yards on 62 catches with four touchdowns. Limited to 11 games, Trigg enters the picture when you bring yards per game into account, finishing second at the position behind Stowers thanks to 50 receptions for 694 yards and six touchdowns. Houston tight end Tanner Koziol joins the party with a position-leading 74 catches that went for 727 yards and six touchdowns. Klare shined more during his tenure at Purdue but made several big plays for the Buckeyes this year.
Per La Canfora, one source saw Sadiq as everyone else did, a top-15 pick, but didn’t “see a huge drop-off between him and Stowers and Trigg. Another had concerns about whether some would last as tight ends or have to shift out to slot wide receivers, indicating Stowers posed no such dilemma. That source liked Trigg, too, but noted some character issues may hurt his stock.
There is certainly some talent available at the tight end position, but the distance between TE1 and TE2 — and the identity of TE2 — are still very much up for debate. Stowers, though, is bidding to join Sadiq in the first round.
Browns Withdrew Five-Year Draft Rule Change Proposal
There were a number of interesting rule change proposals at the annual league meetings earlier this week. We saw an interesting progression in that process when Tom Pelissero of NFL Network announced that the Browns had withdrawn their rule change proposal. The proposal would have allowed NFL teams to trade future draft picks up to five years out, as opposed to the current limit of three.
The understanding around the league is that the proposal was essentially dead on arrival, but that doesn’t mean it’s dead for good. Per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic, multiple sources seem to believe an amended version of the rule change proposal will be reintroduced at some point in the future. While it seems a waste to propose something again that no one expected to get passed, reports seem to indicate that the Browns are not alone in their efforts of pushing this particular rule change.
Per Rodrigue, it’s not uncommon for teams to collaborate on potential rule changes. When it gets enough support to warrant discussion, the coalition of teams will designate somebody to champion the effort in order to gauge the general interest of the league. They know the rule likely won’t go through right away, but this test proposal airs out initial reactions, arguments against, and some idea of factions. While ultimately a failing endeavor, the failed proposal by Cleveland was a productive one.
Two supporters of the potential change were Rams general manager Les Snead and chief operating officer Kevin Demoff. In an appearance on the Up & Adams Show, Snead told Kay Adams that he would’ve backed the project. Demoff, too, showed his support, praising the idea of increased flexibility for several teams, those who build their teams by collecting excessive pick loads and those who build by trading away theirs.
Some coaches and front office staffers did voice a dissenting opinion. One noted that “teams structurally change too frequently over five years,” going on to add that, for some teams, entire front offices and coaching staffs will have turned over within that time. Because of this, the moves of a desperate front office staffer trying to save his job today may just handicap his successors as they attempt to dig themselves out of the holes created by their predecessors.
In reality, with the current rule, we hardly ever see picks three years out getting traded. Additionally, there are a lot of checks and balances that exist within an organization that would prevent such trades from occurring with too much frequency. It may be the Browns who continue to champion the rule change proposal in the future with some amendments, or a second team may take up the torch in order to show a shared interest worth reading into. Regardless, this may not be the last we see of this discussion.
NFL Dictates Plan For Replacement Officials
Tonight was the first night of the annual NFL Owners Meetings, and the big topic of the night was the ongoing labor dispute between the league and the NFL Referees Association that represents the employees that make up the NFL’s officiating crews. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the NFL has a plan in place “to begin hiring replacement officials before…May 31…if no agreement is struck with the NFLRA.” 
Per Pelissero, the aim of the owners is to not be “unprepared.” Nicki Jhabvala of the Athletic adds that the league “has begun to ‘identify and recruit’ potential replacement officials from the college level.” The early action post-expiration of the union’s CBA is seen as necessary in order to onboard and train the replacement officials over June and July with enough time to deploy them to training camps and the preseason. Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS reports that negotiations with the NFLRA will only get more complicated after that point because the cost to onboard all of those replacement officials will be considered within the costs of a new CBA.
The most recent planned negotiations before the annual league meeting were supposed to take place Wednesday in Florida, but after the NFLRA presented a counter to the league’s offer at that time, the NFL immediately rejected it and claimed that no one present was authorized to respond or negotiate any further at that point, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. The league’s representatives then promptly exited, ending the negotiations before noon. NFLRA executive director Scott Green called it “a common negotiation tactic used by the league to seek unreasonable concessions,” per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller’s response (via Peliserro) asserted that the NFL was “ready to continue negotiations” but accused the union of refusing “to engage in a meaningful way.”
At this point in the process, it seems the NFL has made new offers to the NFLRA, offers that haven’t been met with much fervor. Per Jones, the league is offering a 6.45% annual “pay increase each year over the course of a six-year CBA offer,” but the officials are pushing for 10%, and it’s become a main sticking point. The NFLRA is also pushing for an additional “$2.5MM for marketing fees the league regards as worthless,” according to Pelissero.
Another issue with the deal drawn up by the league concerns the NFL’s offer to make referees (but not other officials) full-time employees, per Mark Maske of The Washington Post. Pelissero reports that this offer was met with “staunch resistance” from the NFLRA. He asserts the officials’ union wants to see a pay increases “without any substantive changes to their jobs or hours and with a system that rewards seniority, not performance.”