Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez Sidelined For Week 1
The Patriots will be without star cornerback Christian Gonzalez in Week 1 due to a hamstring injury, but rookie offensive tackle Will Campbell will make his NFL debut.
Campbell was listed as questionable on New England’s final injury report, but the No. 5 pick will play through an ankle injury to protect Drake Maye‘s blind side.
Head coach Mike Vrabel said (via Chad Graff of The Athletic) on Friday that Gonzalez would be sidelined for the Patriots’ regular season opener against the Raiders.
“Everybody heals differently,” said Vrabel this week (via Graff), adding that he wants to make sure that his players can “do their job with confidence…protect themselves on the field and…can’t make it any worse.”
Gonzalez’s absence will leave the Patriots without their best cornerback and arguably their best defensive player against a new-look Raiders offense. Third-year corner Alex Austin will likely be the next man up at boundary cornerback opposite veteran Carlton Davis with Marcus Jones in the slot.
Gonzalez suffered the injury during the Patriots’ first day of padded practices on July 28. He hasn’t practiced since, making it unclear if he’ll even be back for Week 2, which brings a tougher set of receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
The 2023 first-round pick endured a disappointing rookie year that ended after just four games due to a major shoulder injury. He came back to start 16 games with 978 defensive snaps, two interceptions, and a 71.7 passer rating when targeted. That earned him a second-team All-Pro nod as well as a fifth-place finish in Comeback Player of the Year voting, setting up a highly-anticipated third campaign ahead of his extension eligibility next offseason. Those expectations will have to wait at least one more game while Gonzalez gets back to full strength.
Lions Initiate Aidan Hutchinson Extension Talks; Deal Not Expected Before Week 1
SEPTEMBER 7: Contract talks between Hutchinson and the Lions have been positive, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. However, no deal is expected before Detroit’s season gets underway on Sunday.
While Week 1 often serves as an artificial deadline for negotiations, Schefter does not suggest that is the case here. As such, it would not be a surprise to see an agreement announced in the coming weeks.
AUGUST 29: The Lions have opened extension talks with star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Hutchinson, the No. 2 overall pick in 2022, became eligible for an extension earlier this offseason. The Lions picked up his fifth-year option to lock down his services in 2026 for $19.872MM, but no serious negotiations on a long-term deal picked up until recently.
Hutchinson declined to offer an update on contract talks last week, saying (via Birkett) that he preferred to be “hands-off with the process.”
“I think the business side can take away from your love of the game a little bit,” explained Hutchinson. “And that’s kind of the reality of the NFL.
But on Thursday morning, Lions general manager Brad Holmes said that a “dialogue” with Hutchinson’s representation had begun. Hours later, however, Micah Parsons completely upended the EDGE market with a $47MM APY and $120MM fully guaranteed on his new deal with the Packers. It’s hard to argue that Hutchinson (or any other defender) is worth as much as Parsons, but his new contract does raise the ceiling on future edge rusher negotiations.
Hutchinson wasn’t as dominant in his first two seasons as Parsons was in his, but the former Michigan Wolverine got off to a torrid start in 2024 with 7.5 sacks in five games. It might have been difficult to carry that 25.5-sack pace through the rest of the season, but Hutchinson seemed to have a strong chance at leading the league and potentially reach 20.0 sacks, two things Parsons hasn’t done yet.
However, a broken leg abruptly ended his season after just five games, ending his shot at a record-breaking season. His recovery appears to have gone smoothly heading into the regular season, so he’ll be trying to replicate last year’s efforts and push for an APY above $40MM.
On Thursday, Holmes also said that the team has not been in recent talks to sign Za’Darius Smith, according to Birkett. The Lions acquired Smith from the Browns at the 2024 trade deadline and was released as a cap casualty before free agency. He expressed a desire to return to Detroit and stayed in touch with the team throughout the offseason. Their most recent contact was in early August, but with the regular season soon approaching, it doesn’t seem that Smith will return to the Motor City.
Offseason In Review: Baltimore Ravens
Fresh off another disappointment in the playoffs, the Ravens returned to roster-building work ahead of another push at a Lamar Jackson-era Super Bowl berth. For the first time since 2021, Baltimore returned both of its coordinators, and the coaching staff as a whole had significantly less turnover than recent years. Free agency was another situation, as the Ravens’ pricey roster left little cap space to do too much work.
GM Eric DeCosta prioritized the most important of his free agents – left tackle Ronnie Stanley – and let several others walk to collect more compensatory picks in the 2026 draft. The Ravens did add some big names at discount prices in cornerback Jaire Alexander and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins before landing safety Malaki Starks and edge rusher Mike Green in April’s draft. The result is another talented roster that will enter the year with Super Bowl expectations once again.
Extensions and restructures:
- Signed S Kyle Hamilton to a four-year, $100.4MM contract ($48.02MM guaranteed)
- Signed RB Derrick Henry to a two-year, $30MM extension ($25MM guaranteed)
- Signed WR Rashod Bateman to a two-year, $25MM extension ($16.5MM guaranteed)
- Added $500K of per-game roster bonuses to OLB Kyle Van Noy‘s contract
Extending Henry off his outstanding 2024 season was an early-offseason priority for the Ravens. Saquon Barkley’s market-resetting extension with the Eagles (two years, $41.2MM) seemed to prolong negotiations and increase Henry’s price tag.
He ultimately signed a two-year extension for $5.6MM less per year than Barkley’s deal; this contract gave the Ravens an out after 2026 if needed. However, Henry shows no sign of slowing down as he entered his 30s. He could see this contract out and retire a Raven. While conventional logic suggests the odds Henry plays out this through-2027 contract are not great — after all, he has a 539-carry lead over the next-closest active running back (Joe Mixon) — but the two-time rushing champion has continued to defy expectations.
The Ravens hedged on Henry last year, bringing him on a two-year deal worth $16MM. That contract gave Baltimore an easy out after Year 1. The Ravens, who pursued Henry in 2023, then watched him dominate to the tune of 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns. Henry became only the second running back this century to gain at least 1,900 yards and fail to land a first-team All-Pro nod, joining ex-Packer Ahman Green (2003). It took a historic Barkley stampede to deny Henry a second first-team All-Pro honor.
This represents the largest deal for any 30-something running back, highlighting Henry’s longevity and Baltimore’s faith he can keep delivering into his early 30s. The ex-Tennessee mainstay created a historic power-speed combo with Lamar Jackson, and Keaton Mitchell‘s return in earnest from a 2023 ACL tear should only enhance the NFL’s most consistent rushing attack.
The contract guarantees Henry’s 2026 compensation, creating a decision — perhaps for both player and team — in 2027, when the bulldozing RB’s $11MM base salary is nonguaranteed. Already past $74MM in career earnings, the future Hall of Famer will push for $100MM as a result of this extension.
Bateman signed an extension last offseason, partially due to a quirk with his rookie contract. After a career-best year in 2024, he came back for a raise. The Ravens gave him an opportunity to explore his trade market, and the Cowboys inquired before pivoting to George Pickens. But a Bateman-Baltimore pact eventually came together at $12.5MM AAV, still quality value for a receiver of his caliber.
Overall, the agreement brings his terms to just under $50MM over the next five years. The diversity of the Ravens’ offense may cap the 2021 first-rounder’s volume, but he can still be an efficient weapon, especially as one of Jackson’s favorite targets downfield and in the red zone.
Baltimore reportedly explored extensions with a number of their 2022 draftees, including Tyler Linderbaum, Isaiah Likely, and Travis Jones, but they only finalized a pre-Week 1 accord with Hamilton. At $25.1MM per year, Hamilton’s deal dramatically reset the safety market and made him the third-highest-paid defensive back in the league. His AAV represented about 9.0% of the salary cap, similar to the 2022 extension signed by Derwin James after he established himself as the best safety in the league at the time.
Hamilton seems to have done the same. He was a dangerous nickel defender as a rookie before breaking out as a versatile defensive weapon in 2023. In 2024, his move to a more traditional safety role midway through the season revived Baltimore’s pass defense, proving his ability to affect opposing offenses at all levels of the field. Getting the extension done with two years left on Hamilton’s contract will keep him in Baltimore through 2030 for an effective AAV of $20.7MM.
Dating back to Ed Reed‘s dominant run, the Ravens have placed considerable value on safeties. Although this position has seen its value yo-yo in the modern game, Baltimore has kept adding talent here — from Eric Weddle to Earl Thomas to Marcus Williams. Not all of the moves have worked out, but Hamilton is easily the best Ravens safety decision since Reed. This contract reflects a belief Hamilton’s prime will be transformative, as the deal comes in more than $3MM north of where Antoine Winfield Jr. and Kerby Joseph moved the market over the past year-plus.
Only 24, Hamilton is already a two-time All-Pro. The Ravens locked in some cost certainty by extending Hamilton in his fourth NFL offseason. They did the same with Marlon Humphrey in 2020. Hamilton receives money early as well, and the staggering value convinced the Notre Dame alum to commit ahead of Year 4.
The Ravens, who now have three $20MM-per-year players on defense (in Hamilton, Nnamdi Madubuike and Roquan Smith), were also looking to get ahead of Lamar Jackson’s contract with two $74.5MM cap hits awaiting them in 2026 and 2027, but talks gained little traction. That will likely be Baltimore’s top priority next offseason.
Free agency additions:
- DeAndre Hopkins, WR. One year, $5MM ($5MM guaranteed)
- Cooper Rush, QB. Two years, $6.2MM ($4MM guaranteed)
- Jaire Alexander, CB. One year, $4MM, ($4MM guaranteed)
- Joseph Noteboom, OT. One year, $2MM, ($2MM guaranteed)
- Chidobe Awuzie, CB. One year, $1.255MM ($1.26MM guaranteed)
- John Jenkins, NT. One year, $1.75MM, ($325K guaranteed)
- Jake Hummel, LB. One year, $1.2MM, ($100K guaranteed)
The Ravens have a history of adding Lamar Jackson’s desired receivers. They drafted Marquise Brown on Jackson’s recommendation in 2019 and aggressively pursued Odell Beckham Jr. in free agency in 2023 as they tried to get their franchise QB to sign an extension. This year, DeCosta signed another rumored name on Jackson’s wishlist: Hopkins.
Limited by the Titans’ poor quarterback play last year, Hopkins started to show signs of his former self after being traded to the Chiefs at the deadline. The three-time All-Pro’s $5MM deal features another $1MM in incentives. The Ravens are certainly not adding the Texans’ version of Hopkins, as he has not booked a Pro Bowl invite since 2020 and managed only three catches for 29 yards during the Chiefs’ three-game postseason. But the big-bodied receiver will be positioned as a tertiary target in an offense that has higher-priority players.
Hopkins joins Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman to form a trio pairing youth with experience (and one now housing three first-round picks). The gravity of Baltimore’s rushing game will give Hopkins more one-on-one opportunities to work his veteran route-running and skills at the catch point. The Ravens are hoping Hopkins can be a difference-maker for their offense in key situations. At a minimum, the NFL’s active leader in receiving yards (12,965) would appear to be an upgrade over last year’s WR3, Nelson Agholor.
A longtime backup to Dak Prescott in Dallas, Rush was not seen as a schematic fit behind Jackson. Instead, the team touted his winning record as a starter and veteran experience as reasons he could run the offense if needed. He’s also younger with a more live arm than Josh Johnson, the 2024 backup. Obviously, though, the Ravens will only want Rush on the field if the game is already won in a blowout.
Alexander is known just as much for his talent as his injuries at this point. With only 34 appearances since 2021 – and three seasons with seven games or fewer – the Packers understandably wanted him to take a pay cut from the $17.5MM he was due in 2025. Alexander refused, and his contract remained an obstacle in trade talks with multiple teams, including the Bills. Green Bay eventually cut him loose in June, making the former first-round pick an enticing late addition to the free agency crop.
The Ravens’ need at cornerback and Alexander’s longstanding friendship with Jackson dating back to their Louisville days made Baltimore an obvious destination. Jackson even told his general manager to “go get” Alexander during a spring press conference. DeCosta obliged, signing Alexander — who also considered the Dolphins and Falcons — just over a week after he hit the market.
As with Hopkins, the Ravens seemed to get a steal by nabbing Alexander for $4MM (plus $2MM in play time incentives), but he still carries significant injury risk. It’s no guarantee the eighth-year vet can stay healthy for a whole season, but he adds another elite talent to a Ravens secondary that was already among the best in the league.
The rest of the Ravens’ free agency signings filled some of the holes in their depth left by their offseason departures. Noteboom arrived as an inexpensive veteran swing tackle to replace Josh Jones. Awuzie was a Titans cap casualty with guaranteed salary remaining on his deal, allowing the Ravens to sign him for the veteran minimum.
With 81 career starts, Awuzie is slightly overqualified for a No. 4 CB role. But he has also missed significant time due to injury in two of the past three seasons. The Titans dropped Awuzie’s three-year, $36MM contract after he missed nine games due to a nagging groin injury. This came two years after an ACL tear stalled the ex-Cowboys draftee’s momentum. Having started in Super Bowl LVI with the Bengals, Awuzie was not a full-time starter in his final Cincinnati season. Considering Alexander’s injury history, however, Awuzie could represent important insurance.
Jenkins, who started 34 games for the Raiders in the last two years, will add nose tackle depth behind Travis Jones after Michael Pierce’s retirement in March. Needing to revamp an underwhelming special teams unit, the Ravens added former Rams special teams ace Jake Hummel on a cheap deal.
Re-signings
- Ronnie Stanley, LT. Three years, $60MM ($44MM guaranteed)
- Patrick Ricard, FB. One year, $2.873MM, ($2.87MM guaranteed)
- Tylan Wallace, WR. One year, $2.1MM ($1.35MM guaranteed)
- Ar’Darius Washington, S. One year, $3.26MM (RFA tender)
- Ben Cleveland, RG. One year, $1.17MM
The No. 6 pick in the 2016 draft, Stanley is coming off a resurgent year — his best since a devastating ankle injury in 2020. The nine-year Baltimore left tackle only played 25 games in the next three seasons and couldn’t return to his elite form even when he was healthy. The Ravens stood by Stanley (and his massive contract), but they got him to take a pay cut in 2024 to ease their cap burden and prove that he was back to full health.
The nine-year veteran responded with the first full season of his career as well as his second Pro Bowl selection. Stanley wasn’t a dominant pass protector, but he lost slowly and consistently gave Jackson enough time to make a play. He also played a huge role in the Ravens’ bulldozing rushing offense leading runs to the weak side that regularly gashed opposing defenses.
As a result, Stanley wasn’t just the Ravens’ biggest pending free agent, but one of the most coveted league-wide. PFR’s No. 4-ranked free agent, Stanley drew significant interest from the Patriots, Chiefs, and Commanders, but he took $20MM per year to stay in Baltimore. The Ravens convinced Stanley to re-sign two days before the legal tampering period.
Eagles Sign DE Za’Darius Smith
10:05pm: VanSumeran suffered a torn patellar tendon on Thursday night against the Cowboys, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He will miss the rest of the season as a result.
3:30pm: The Eagles have signed one of the league’s top remaining free agents in edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, per a team announcement.
Smith met with the team in Philadelphia on Friday and passed a physical prior to signing a one-year deal with a maximum value of $9MM, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz. He will bring a veteran presence to an Eagles edge rushing room that was considered to be one of the team’s weaknesses after losing Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham this offseason.
Smith, who turns 33 years old on Monday, is coming off another solid season with nine sacks and nine tackles for loss in 17 games. He spent the first half of the year in Cleveland before a deadline deal sent him to Detroit. Smith remained linked with the Lions throughout the offseason, but he instead lands in Philadelphia in another savvy move by Eagles general manager Howie Roseman.
Under the CBA, veteran players receive a base salary guarantee if they are on a team’s active roster in Week 1, according to OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald. Veterans signed after Week 1 do not automatically receive a guaranteed salary. Since the Eagles and the Cowboys were the first two teams to finish their Week 1 game on Thursday night, they had the first chance at signing Smith to a non-guaranteed deal. Teams may not have been willing to offer Smith a strong salary before the season since it would have become guaranteed, but the Eagles were able to offer him enough upside while managing their own risk before any club got the chance.
In Philadelphia, Smith will join young edge rushers Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Josh Uche, Azeez Ojulari, and Ogbo Okoronkwo. Ojulari and Okoronkwo were inactive against the Cowboys with Uche and practice squad elevation Patrick Johnson rotating in behind Nolan Smith and Hunt, per Geoff Mosher of PhillyVoice. With Za’Darius Smith now joining the mix, there will be even fewer snaps to go around, and the Eagles may even consider parting ways with one of their depth edge rushers.
In a corresponding move to the Smith signing, the Eagles placed fullback Ben VanSumeren on injured reserve, sidelining him for at least four games.
Bills Place K Tyler Bass On IR
The Bills have placed veteran kicker Tyler Bass on injured reserve, per a team announcement.
Bass was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice due to a hip/groin issue that will now sideline him for at least four games, including Sunday night’s matchup with the Ravens. Though he has yet to finish a season with a conversion rate above 90%, Bass has been a reliable kicker for his five-year career in Buffalo and hit a career-long 61-yard field goal in 2024.
After Bass went down on Wednesday, the Bills quickly moved to sign Matt Prater to the practice squad as an injury replacement on Thursday. The former Broncos, Cardinals, and Lions kicker missed most of the 2024 season due to a torn meniscus; before that, he made 83.6% of his career field goal attempts, so Buffalo should be able to trust him while Bass is recovering. The Bills can only elevate Prater from the practice squad three times, so they will need to sign him to the active roster if he is going to replace Bass in all four games (and potentially more).
The Bills are also likely to be without veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White on Sunday. He did not practice all week due to a groin injury and is listed as doubtful on the injury report.
The Ravens also ruled out a few key players for Sunday Night Football: fullback Patrick Ricard and tight end Isaiah Likely. Likely is an expected absence as he recovers from preseason foot surgery, while Ricard has missed multiple weeks of practice with a calf injury. Cornerback Jaire Alexander, however, is off the injury report and expected to make his debut in purple and black.
Jets’ Alijah Vera-Tucker Suffers Triceps Tear
SEPTEMBER 4: Further testing has confirmed a torn triceps in this case, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports. As a result, Vera-Tucker is headed to injured reserve and will miss the entire campaign. Surgery is now set to take place, Schefter adds.
SEPTEMBER 3, 12:20pm: Vera-Tucker’s injury is believed to be a torn triceps that could end his 2025 season before it even starts, according to Schefter. It is unknown if he tore the same triceps as he did in 2022.
10:52am: Jets right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker “could miss significant time” after suffering a “potentially serious” arm injury, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. His season may even be in jeopardy.
Vera-Tucker is seeking a second opinion on his arm with surgery under consideration, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The injury occurred during positional drills as the Jets prepared for their Week 1 matchup with the Steelers, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes.
This is Vera-Tucker’s third major injury in four years. He missed most of 2022 (torn triceps) and 2023 (ruptured Achilles), but managed to put together a mostly-healthy season in 2024 with only two games missed due to a minor injury. Staying healthy was therefore paramount to his financial future heading into a contract year, but this latest development could significantly impact his next payday. Indeed, ESPN’s Rich Cimini says Vera-Tucker will likely have to settle for a one-year, prove-it deal in 2026, as his latest health concern probably torpedoed his chances of landing a long-term extension until the 2027 offseason.
When healthy, Vera-Tucker has been a steady starter along the Jets’ offensive line, including a career-best 77.7 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) in 2024. The 2021 first-rounder was just named a team captain for the first time in his career and is considered the leader of New York’s offensive line. The coaching staff also appreciated his stability next to rookie right tackle Armand Membou, per Hughes.
Per Connor Hughes of SNY.tv, the Jets will slide third-year center Joe Tippmann to guard and insert Josh Myers at center, which was their solution whenever left guard John Simpson stepped off the field last season.
Chargers’ Najee Harris To Play In Week 1
3:23pm: Harris will be expected to suit up and play Friday, Harbaugh said (via NFL.com’s Omar Ruiz). This will run Harris’ regular-season games-played streak to 69 to open his career.
1:50pm: The Chargers having their preferred one-two backfield punch Friday firmly in play. Running back Najee Harris said (via Daniel Popper of The Athletic) that he is “ramping up” to the team’s regular-season opener on Friday in Brazil.
Harris injured his eye in a July fireworks mishap that sidelined him for virtually all of training camp. The veteran running back added that his vision has not been affected by the injury, which he described as “superficial,” the same word used by his agent when it originally happened.
Jim Harbaugh stopped short of guaranteeing Harris would be available in Week 1, but the second-year Chargers coach said (via ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim) he was cleared for contact Monday. He then went through a full practice Tuesday. Full practices usually point to players suiting up that week, but with Harris being cleared nearly two months after his injury, it would be understandable if the Bolts exercised caution here.
The Chargers gave Harris a one-year, $5.25MM deal in free agency but then used their first-round pick on Omarion Hampton. The latter move certainly affected Harris’ outlook in Los Angeles, and a player that had never missed a game with Pittsburgh then ran into this off-field injury. Harris did not resume running until mid-August, but swift progress has come since. He avoided the reserve/NFI list and represents a wild card for the Chargers’ Brazil tilt against the Chiefs.
The Bolts have not beaten the Chiefs since the 2021 season, and this is their “home” game against the perennial AFC West champions. If Harris were deemed unable to go, the Chargers would have Hassan Haskins — an ex-Harbaugh Michigan charge who joined the team after being a Titans cut — as Hampton’s backup. The 2022 fifth-rounder logged 34 carries for the Chargers last season; he has only taken 59 NFL handoffs.
With Hampton signed for four seasons (with the option of a fifth due to his first-round status), Harris looks like he will start an audition season soon. Putting this fireworks accident behind him will be critical to building a case for a better 2026 free agency accord. The increasingly run-focused Bolts will also have a four-time 1,000-yard rusher ready to complement a first-round pick soon, marking a positive update compared to where things stood not long ago.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Cowboys’ Trevon Diggs, Tyler Guyton Expected To Play In Week 1
September 3: Diggs is expected to play in Thursday night’s matchup against the Eagles, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The Cowboys are still planning to be cautious with Diggs and may limit his snap count, but his return to the field is impressive after undergoing major knee surgery in January.
Guyton is also expected to play, according to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News.
September 1: The Cowboys are hoping that cornerback Trevon Diggs and left tackle Tyler Guyton will be ready for their regular season opener against the Eagles on Thursday, but neither is certain to take the field.
Diggs is working his way back to full strength after undergoing knee surgery in January. Expectations of an early-season return kept him on the 53-man roster rather than the physically unable to perform list during last week’s cut-downs. Diggs gave himself a “75-80 percent” chance of playing on Thursday night, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
If Diggs is good to go, he’ll start on the boundary opposite Kaiir Elam with DaRon Bland in the slot. Without Diggs, however, the Cowboys may have to shuffle their secondary. Bland moved into the slot this offseason, but he could play on the boundary until Diggs’ return with backup Reddy Steward starting at nickel. Dallas could also keep Bland in the slot and call upon seventh-round rookie Trikweze Bridges or veteran special teams ace C.J. Goodwin on the outside.
Guyton is recovering from a knee injury suffered at the beginning of training camp. He was diagnosed with a bone fracture and a sprained knee, allowing him to avoid season-ending surgery as well as an injured list placement to start the season. Guyton told All City DLLS’ Clarence Hill that he is expecting to play on Thursday night, but that decision hasn’t been officially made.
If Guyton doesn’t play, 2024 seventh-rounder Nathan Thomas is next up on the Cowboys’ depth chart and would likely get the start at left tackle. Thomas spent his rookie year on the IR and started the first two games of the preseason this year.
Both Diggs and Guyton were full participants in Monday’s practice, an encouraging sign for their availability on Thursday.
Cowboys To Extend FB Hunter Luepke
The Cowboys are signing fullback Hunter Luepke to a two-year contract extension, according to Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
The deal is worth a maximum value of $7.5MM and includes more than $5MM in fully guaranteed money, per Garafolo, representing a significant raise over the three-year, $2.715MM contract Luepke signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023 (via OverTheCap). He made the 53-man roster as a rookie and appeared in all 17 regular-season games, primarily on special teams. He expanded his role in 2024, more than doubling his snap count as a key blocker for the Cowboys offense.
While the base value of Luepke’s extension has yet to be reported, it should place him among the top five fullbacks in terms of APY. He was headed into a contract year with the potential for a RFA tag next offseason. The lowest tag number is projected to be a non-guaranteed $3.453MM (via OTC), so the Cowboys gave Luepke some extra guarantees in exchange for two years of team control at a reasonable cost.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones justified the Micah Parsons trade by saying that he could sign several other players with the money that Parsons would have otherwise received.
“That’s a good trade when you need numbers,” said Jones on Good Morning America on Wednesday (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “I’ll take the numbers every time.”
Jones has started to follow through on his plans, signing DaRon Bland and Luepke to new contracts in the week since the Parsons trade and engaging Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith in extension talks as well. While none of those players have the individual impact that Parsons does, the Cowboys are at least using the money they saved to build a well-rounded roster for the future.
Buccaneers To Extend RT Luke Goedeke
The Buccaneers are signing right tackle Luke Goedeke to a four-year contract extension, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. 
The deal is worth $90MM with $50MM guaranteed, per Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Goedeke’s $22.5MM APY is a slight increase on the deal signed by the Packers’ Zach Tom last month, making him the third-highest-paid right tackle and the 11th-highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL.
Goedeke was a two-year starter at right tackle for Central Michigan before the Buccaneers made him a second-round pick in 2022. He earned the starting left guard job out of training camp as a rookie, but struggled to adapt to the new position and was benched after Week 7. He then started in Week 18 at right tackle before moving back to left guard for the playoffs.
Tampa Bay moved Goedeke back to his natural position in 2023. He started every game during the regular season with significantly-improved results, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). A concussion sidelined him for four games in 2024, but he put up a strong performance across the season and entrenched himself as the Buccaneers’ long-term right tackle. The team’s decision-makers have now formalized that role with a deal that will keep Goedeke in Tampa Bay through the 2029 season.
Goedeke was set to head into the final year of his rookie contract before today’s deal. With the improvement the 26-year-old has shown each year, it was prudent for the Buccaneers to lock him down now, as opposed to letting him show another level of play in a contract year that might price himself out of Tampa Bay. While Goedeke is getting a strong deal to stay with the team that drafted him, the open market after a strong 2025 campaign could’ve made Goedeke a truly expensive commodity.
Right guard Cody Mauch will be in a similar situation as Goedeke next offseason, after having finished his third year of play, then it will be center Graham Barton the year after that. Barton, a first-rounder last year, would technically have a fifth-year option available to push back any possible deadline on extensions, but with the way offensive linemen are priced the same regardless of position in fifth-year option formulas, centers hardly see those options exercised.
With left tackle Tristan Wirfs under contract through 2030 following his extension last year, the Buccaneers now have the bookends to their offensive line secured for the foreseeable future. If the team works to extend Mauch and Barton in the future, as well, it will have done quick work to secure 80 percent of their offensive line long term. With the way the league has been won in the trenches in recent years, this focus on offensive line building could be a recipe for success.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.