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Author: Ely Allen

NFL Contract Details: Stafford, White, Moss

By | at May 14, 2025 10:04 pm

Here are recently released details on deals from around the NFL:

  • Matthew Stafford, QB (Rams): Two years, $84MM. This restructured deal was announced two weeks ago, but the details were just recently announced, including $40MM of guaranteed money. $4MM of the $84MM comes in the form of a roster bonus paid out in March, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. The remaining $80MM is split evenly over the next two seasons with $16MM base salaries and four $6MM bonuses ($24MM total) in each year. The bonus structure gives Los Angeles a bit of flexibility with the salary cap. The $40MM from 2025 is what makes up the guaranteed amount, and the 2026 $40MM fully guarantees on the fifth day of the new league year. On The Breer Report, Breer also mentioned that the new deal pays out $26MM more than Stafford was set to earn through 2026 and that Stafford essentially turned down what could’ve been deals from the Raiders and Giants for over $50MM per year in order to remain with the Rams in 2025.
  • Tre’Davious White, CB (Bills): One year, $3MM. The new deal for the veteran defender was reportedly worth up to $6.8MM. Now that we know the base value of the contract is only $3MM, we can see how much the incentives of the deal are worth, per Howard Balzer of CardsWire. White’s deal contains $2.2MM of guaranteed money, composed of his $1MM signing bonus and $1.2MM of his 2025 base salary (worth $1.56MM in total). White will have non-cumulative playing time-based incentives — $500K for 45% of defensive snaps, $750K for 55%, $1MM for 65%, $1.5MM for 75%, and $2.25MM for 90% — and non-cumulative interception-based incentives — $250K for two interceptions, $500K for three, $750K for four, and $1MM for five. Lastly, he’ll earn a per game active roster bonus of $20K for a potential season total of $340K.
  • Zack Moss, RB (Bengals): One year, $1.7MM. Like Stafford, Moss is another restructured deal. Previously set to earn $3.47MM for the 2025 season, Moss took a pay cut to hopefully avoid being a cap casualty and increase his guaranteed money for the year. The guaranteed money Moss added on the deal was a $375K signing bonus. He’ll also earn a $9K per game active roster bonus for a potential season total of $155K.
0 comments Buffalo Bills Cincinnati Bengals Los Angeles Rams

49ers Sign First-Round DE Mykel Williams

By | at May 14, 2025 9:26 pm

The 49ers were one of five teams in the 2025 NFL Draft who had the highest number of drafted rookies (11). According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, San Francisco pushed its ninth rookie contract across the finish line tonight, inking first-round defensive end Mykel Williams. Per Wilson, Williams’ four-year rookie deal (with a fifth-year option) is worth $29.94MM fully guaranteed, including a $14.78MM signing bonus.

Williams spent three years at Georgia, earning second-team All-SEC honors in each of his final two seasons. A former five-star recruit, Williams didn’t quite live up to expectations in Athens. He failed to eclipse five sacks or nine tackles for loss in any season with the Bulldogs. He only started 17 of 40 games, though he was still a regular on three Georgia defenses — including a national championship-winning 2022 group.

An ankle injury hindered Williams’ play in 2024, as well. Still, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound edge rusher’s size and athleticism had him squarely on the first-round radar. He’s a common type of prospect that we see with more tools and potential than production in college.

The 49ers are hoping that WIlliams will be able to fill in the spot vacated by another former Bulldog, Leonard Floyd, who spent the most time across from Nick Bosa on the defensive line last year. The team also sees Sam Okuayinonu, Yetur Gross-Matos, and yet another former Georgia player, Robert Beal Jr., returning from last season. The three players combined for only seven sacks in 2024.

Unless Okuayinonu, Gross-Matos, or Beal are ready to take the next steps in their careers, Williams may be expected to step into a starting role early. San Francisco will need to tap into that athleticism and potential and hope that Williams can produce more against NFL competition.

Here’s a look at the 49ers’ draft class including the final two players that need to sign their rookie deals:

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Vikings Sign G Donovan Jackson, Complete Rookie Class

By | at May 14, 2025 8:09 pm

With only five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft (tied with Atlanta and Washington for the fewest in the league), the Vikings didn’t have much work to do in order to finish off their rookie class signings. Regardless, they’re the first to get it done this offseason.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Minnesota came to terms with first-round guard Donovan Jackson, closing out the signing process for their rookies. The four-year deal (with a fifth-year option) is fully guaranteed for $17.18MM and will include a $9.42MM signing bonus. After the conclusion of his rookie season, he’ll also earn training camp roster bonuses of $616K in 2026, $1.28MM in 2027, and $1MM in 2028.

During his time at Ohio State, Jackson spent time at both guard and tackle. He started at left guard for the Buckeyes in his sophomore and junior years. When Josh Simmons suffered a midseason patellar tendon tear last year, Jackson slid out to left tackle for the remaining nine games of the season. Jackson put himself on the NFL radar after earning second-team All-Big Ten acclaim in his first season as a starter and first-team honors the next year. He upped the stakes with first-team All-American honors last season, helping Ohio State to a College Football Playoff championship.

With their only decent interior offensive line play last year coming from Dalton Risner, now a free agent, the Vikings worked to seriously upgrade their guard and centers spots, bringing in former Colts Will Fries and Ryan Kelly at guard and center, respectively. Jackson is projected to slot in opposite Fries in order to form a completely new interior for Minnesota.

With their rookie class complete, here’s a look at the five first-year players that the Vikings drafted:

1 comment 2025 NFL Draft Minnesota Vikings Transactions

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/14/25

By | at May 14, 2025 6:44 pm

Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Jadon Janke

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

Tennessee Titans

Williams, who recently worked out for Houston without getting a contract, turned a workout with the Patriots into a roster spot for the summer. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, New England also worked out former Saints running back Jordan Mims, but Williams walked away with the deal.

0 comments Green Bay Packers Jacksonville Jaguars New England Patriots New Orleans Saints Tennessee Titans Transactions

Jets Sign 15 UDFA Rookies

By | at May 11, 2025 9:58 pm

The Jets announced the completion of their 22-man rookie class this weekend. Joining the seven drafted players will be the following 15 undrafted free agent signings:

The Jets spent a ton on undrafted free agent guarantees in order to get the guys they wanted this year, according to multiple reports from Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. The largest of these deals went to Wiegand, who Wilson reports got $249K in guarantees comprised of $234K in base salary and a $15K signing bonus. Weston was next with $200K in guarantees. Skinner received $185K in guaranteed money, Edwards received $170K, (Dean) Clark received $160K ($140K in base salary, $20K in signing bonus), and Mulbah received $100K.

After spending a year at UCF in 2021, Wiegand went to Germany and played in the European League of Football. Most recently, he played for the Munich Ravens, whose offensive line coach just happens to be Browns Hall of Fame legend Joe Thomas. Wiegand caught the eyes of several scouts when he churned out 38 bench press reps of 225 pounds at his pro day, five more than the combine’s best participant. Coming from overseas, Wiegand was granted a roster exemption as a member of the International Player Pathway program.

Despite all the money getting thrown around for priority free agents, Edwards was really the only one projected to be selected late in Day 3. He didn’t take over as a starter for the Wolverines until his senior season and never broke 1,000 rushing yards. His best season came in 2022, when he was the “two” in the one-two punch with Blake Corum. He totaled 991 rushing yards and seven touchdowns that year while averaging an incredible 7.1 yards per carry. His abilities as a receiver could help him continue his role as a change-of-pace back in the NFL.

Miller arrived in Piscataway as an FCS star, having just earned first-team All-American and first-team All-CAA honors as a team captain for Monmouth with 90 catches for 1,293 yards and nine touchdowns. His final collegiate season was plagued by drops (10), but his 59 catches for 757 yards still led the Scarlet Knights in both categories.

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Colts Reveal 14-Man UDFA Class

By | at May 11, 2025 9:08 pm

After selecting an eight-man draft class equally balanced on offense and defense, the Colts continued their balanced ways with 14 undrafted free agent signings. Here are the newest additions to the team’s 22-man rookie class:

Between Washington and Tennison, the Colts brought in a strong one-two punch at safety. Washington had a knack for making a play on the ball in the air for the Rebels. During his final two years in University, Washington had four picks and 10 passes defensed. Tennison was much more of a strong safety, only recording one interception and four passes defensed in his career. Though he comes out of UCF, he played for two years alongside Washington at Ole Miss after transferring from Auburn. In those two years with the Rebels, Tennison logged 94 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.

Trujillo is the other name to note in the class. Matt Gay was mostly reliable in Indianapolis last year, but he struggled from deep, with all six of his misses coming from beyond 50 yards. The Colts released the veteran kicker a month ago, so Trujillo will now take part in kicking competition with Spencer Shrader for the placekicking job.

Shrader has a bit of a head start on Trujillo. He spent the offseason in Indianapolis last year as part of the team’s 2024 undrafted free agent class. After an injury to Gay, Shrader kicked in the team’s season opener, making three extra point attempts. He was released in mid-October and signed to the Jets’ practice squad, getting elevated for one game and converting his only attempt from 45 yards. The Chiefs then signed Shrader off New York’s taxi squad when Harrison Butker got hurt, and in two games, Shrader converted all six extra point attempts and all three field goal attempts, including a walk-off field goal to beat the Panthers in late November. He was placed on injured reserve in December and signed to return to Indianapolis in March.

Now, Shrader will have to hold off Trujillo, a former soccer player with a huge leg. While Trujillo only converted 70 of 97 field goal attempts over his time split at Austin Peay and Temple, Trujillo caught the eyes of plenty of scouts last year as he set a school record with a 64-yard kick against Utah State and then became just the third player in NCAA history with at least two 60-yard conversions two weeks later at UConn. After Gay’s struggles from deep cost him his role in Indianapolis, the Colts will surely be hoping to see Trujillo’s strong leg translate to the NFL level.

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Raiders Sign LB Jaylon Smith

By | at May 11, 2025 7:44 pm

The Raiders’ rookie minicamp concluded today. In addition to the drafted rookies and undrafted free agent rookies who were in attendance, Las Vegas also hosted players to participate in rookie minicamp tryouts. Two non-rookies ended up walking away from the minicamp with new contracts.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, one of those players was veteran linebacker Jaylon Smith. Projected to be a top five pick late in his junior season at Notre Dame, Smith’s NFL career hit its first speed bump before it even started when he suffered tears to his ACL and LCL in the Fighting Irish’s bowl game in 2016. The injury dropped him into the second round, as he was sure to miss his entire rookie season. The Cowboys were the ones who took him, in part because their team physician was the one who performed Smith’s knee surgery and was confident in his ability to recover.

Dallas wanted to be cautious in bringing him back from injury, but an injury to starter Anthony Hitchens forced him into the starting lineup to start his sophomore campaign. After Hitchens returned from injury, Smith was coming off the bench for the remainder of the year. He opened up the following season as the full-time starter, having fully recovered, and delivered 417 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and eight sacks in the next three seasons. These efforts resulted in a Pro Bowl selection and a five-year, $64MM contract extension.

Following his extension, Smith received several criticisms in 2020 about his impact on a defense that allowed the 23rd-most total yards and the 28th-most points. After offseason wrist surgery in 2021, Smith was released by the Cowboys when he declined to waive his 2022 injury guarantee contract clause. The emergence of a rookie Micah Parsons and the transition of Keanu Neal into a linebacker made the release easier to sustain.

Smith almost immediately signed with the Packers but was released a month later after only appearing in only two games and playing only 27 snaps. Near the end of the regular season, Smith signed with the Giants’ practice squad. He stayed in New York in 2022, starting 11 games for Big Blue, but found himself to be a free agent again following the season. In 2023, he spent time on the practice squads of the Saints, Raiders, and Steelers. The only game he appeared in that year was in Las Vegas.

He’ll now return to the Raiders after not signing anywhere during the 2024 NFL season. Las Vegas improved their linebacking corps this offseason in free agency, adding Devin White and Elandon Roberts. Smith will add some veteran depth to the group at the very least.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the other non-rookie who signed after a successful minicamp tryout was safety Jonathan Sutherland. An undrafted free agent two years ago out of Penn State, Sutherland signed with the Seahawks to enter the league. He spent his rookie season on Seattle’s practice squad but was waived before the start of last year. He signed to the Giants in the preseason but was ultimately waived with an injury designation. He’ll get his chance with his third team in as many years this offseason.

2 comments Las Vegas Raiders Transactions

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/11/25

By | at May 11, 2025 6:05 pm

Today’s minor NFL moves to close out the weekend:

New England Patriots

  • Signed: G Mehki Butler

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Jackson earns his first NFL contract after falling out of the draft and failing to secure an undrafted free agent contract in the past few weeks. Instead, he was given a rookie minicamp tryout and did enough to land a contract.

Jackson is one of an unfortunately select few players who played six years of college football without utilizing a redshirt. Entering school in 2019, he was granted the additional year that all players who were in college during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season got. Jackson and his teammates were granted a second additional year by the NCAA on the basis that their 2022 season was shortened because of a mass shooting that killed three of their Cavalier teammates. With that time, Jackson recorded four seasons with 100+ total tackles (five with 90+), 33 total tackles for loss, and 17.0 sacks.

Rucker’s time in DC was a short one. He was part of the Commanders’ 10-man undrafted free agent class, signing his contract just three days ago. Dankwah was an UDFA for the Eagles last year but spent most of his rookie season with Washington’s practice squad.

0 comments New England Patriots Tampa Bay Buccaneers Transactions Washington Commanders

Steelers Didn’t Reach Consensus On QB Shedeur Sanders

By | at May 10, 2025 9:50 pm

The Steelers surprised many as pick after pick went by in the 2025 NFL Draft and they continued to watch Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders slide throughout the draft. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the reason Pittsburgh never made the call was because the organization “did not reach a consensus on Sanders as a slam dunk pick.”

The Steelers came into the draft with a need at quarterback. Sure, they were (and still are) in talks with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but nothing had been signed or decided on that front, and even if it had been, Rodgers is 41 years old and is three full years removed from playing the elite level of ball we’ve come to associate him with. Securing a top passing prospect would have still been a smart move if Rodgers ends up on the roster because it would give them a student to learn and develop behind him.

Pittsburgh did end up taking a quarterback in the draft, but that selection wouldn’t come until late into Day 3, when Will Howard was selected in the sixth round. Following the departures of one-year rentals Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, Howard joins a group that contains former Steelers backup Mason Rudolph and former Dolphins backup Skylar Thompson. Both have seen time as starters in injury replacement situations in their careers, and while Rudolph has fared decently in his opportunities, neither quarterback inspires much confidence heading into the 2025 season.

This begs the question: why didn’t Pittsburgh take a swing on a quarterback earlier? Or, if they knew they were going to wait to select one, why, when they saw Sanders freefalling round after round, did they not take a flyer on his obvious potential?

One can certainly see where they liked the value they were getting for versatile Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon as a potential eventual replacement for Cameron Heyward or the hole-filling potential of third-round Iowa rusher Kaleb Johnson, who could compete with Jaylen Warren for some serious carries. But once the fourth round rolled around and Sanders, a projected first- or second-round pick, was still around, how important was it to add Jack Sawyer to blend in with a group that already contains T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig? Does Sawyer add more value to that group that Sanders would’ve to a position that only contained Rudolph and Thompson at the time? The Steelers will need to hope so.

Ultimately, Fowler tells us that the team was “comfortable with (Sanders) as a distributing point guard type,” but they couldn’t all agree that he was “a slam dunk pick.” It’s true that a knock on Sanders was his reliance on screens, quick passes, and checkdowns — only 23.7 percent of his completions at Colorado were on throws over 10 yards.

Regardless, his playing style helped him to finish fourth in the country in yards per game while throwing 37 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Even with three extra games on his schedule, Howard did not encroach upon Sanders’ yardage or touchdown numbers last year. But the team was undecided on whether Sanders was worth the fourth-round flyer, and that led him to his new home in Cleveland.

The Steelers are still getting a quarterback who had a great completion percentage (73.0) while throwing the ball a bit more downfield (9.5 yards per attempt) and still having an impressive touchdown-interception ratio. They’ll just have to hope that Howard (and Sawyer) contribute enough to erase any doubt of the decision they made.

37 comments 2025 NFL Draft Pittsburgh Steelers

Titans Sign 16 UDFA Rookies

By | at May 10, 2025 5:58 pm

MAY 16: The Titans gave significant guarantees to Jarris and Kimber, per veteran reporter Paul Kuharky. Both undrafted cornerbacks received around $200k in guaranteed money, among the highest amounts in team history.

Kimber ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at Penn State’s pro day, but his strength and technique will need to improve to play more than special teams in the NFL.

MAY 10: The success of the Titans’ 2025 rookie class will likely hinge almost entirely on the success of their No. 1 overall pick, Miami quarterback Cam Ward. Regardless, they hit on several other positions of need with the rest of their nine-man draft class and have announced the signing of an undrafted crop that will bring their rookie group to 25. Here are the 16 undrafted free agents who signed deals with Tennessee:

A lot of the focus with the UDFAs was on defense, but all three offensive signees were notable. Crenshaw-Dickson was expected to be a late-Day 3 pick based on impressive measurables (6-foot-7, 316 pounds). After three years as a starter at San Diego State splitting time between both tackle spots (18 at left, 18 at right), Crenshaw-Dickson transferred to the Gators, with whom he would start 11 games at right tackle. Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Tennessee gave Crenshaw-Dickson $245K in guaranteed money, including a $20K signing bonus, to ensure that he would land in Nashville.

Based on film and production, Restrepo was expected to be drafted in the fifth or sixth round, but a 4.85-second 40-yard dash at his pro day may have cost him. Intangibles are the name of the game with Restrepo, who, despite his lack of ideal speed or size, holds school records for the most career receptions (200) and receiving yards (2,844), over such names as Reggie Wayne, Michael Irvin, and Santana Moss. Restrepo uses instincts to feel out soft spots in coverage, physicality to block and churn out extra yards, balance and body control to get open and make tough catches, and pure competitiveness to succeed. As Ward’s No. 1 target in Coral Gables, he stands a strong chance of making the 53-man roster if that chemistry continues.

On defense, the Titans are bringing in two notable linemen. Horsley was a four-year starter in five seasons with the Eagles. He doesn’t get to the quarterback much (only 3.5 sacks in his collegiate career), but he’s shown plenty of disruption in the past three years with 15.5 tackles for loss and seven passes defensed over that time. A stout run defender in the middle, Horsley was projected to be an early-Day 3 selection as a nose tackle. Raikes held a similar role with the Tigers last year after four years at Texas A&M. The Titans gave Raikes $85K guaranteed with a $10K signing bonus on his rookie deal, according to Pelissero.

In the secondary, Harris comes from Iowa to compete for a roster spot on defense. After redshirt and pandemic-shortened seasons in Iowa City, Harris started 28 games in his final three years with the Hawkeyes. In that time, he racked up 27 passes defensed and eight interceptions.

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