Browns Were Diontae Johnson’s Only Suitor
After a rollercoaster 2024 season, Diontae Johnson received virtually no interest in free agency until he landed in Cleveland last month.
Johnson said at mandatory minicamp that the Browns were “the only team to hit me up,” per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.
The lack of suitors for the veteran wide receiver makes sense after tumultuous stints in Baltimore and Houston at the end of last season. He averaged 51.0 yards per game for the Panthers before being dealt to the Ravens at the trade deadline, where he only saw five targets in his first four games.
Rashod Bateman‘s Week 13 injury should have been an opportunity for Johnson to seize a bigger role. Instead, he refused to enter the game, leading to a one-week team suspension and his eventual departure from Baltimore. The Texans tried their luck by claiming Johnson on waivers, but he also seemed dissatisfied with his target share despite the team’s playoff victory over the Chargers.
Houston waived Johnson as well, and after being briefly re-claimed by the Ravens for compensatory pick purposes, he hit free agency with significant questions about his ability to adjust to new teams.
The Browns could use some experience at wide receiver behind Pro Bowler Jerry Jeudy, but Johnson’s veteran-minimum salary should set low expectations for his contributions in Cleveland. He’s been able to produce in the past, but he will have to prove he can be a reliable teammate to earn playing time.
Saints To Sign RB Cam Akers
The Saints are signing running back Cam Akers after a successful tryout at mandatory minicamp this week, according to The Athletic’s Diana Russini.
The five-year veteran was a Rams second-round pick in 2020, but didn’t quite live up to his draft billing. He reportedly requested a trade in 2022, but remained in Los Angeles until he was dealt to the Vikings a year later. An Achilles injury limited his 2023 contributions in Minnesota, and Akers became a free agent when his rookie contract expired after the season.
Akers signed with the Texans last offseason and played a tertiary role in the backfield across the first third of the season. He was then traded back to the Texans in October, where he had a similar snap share and added some value on special teams.
In New Orleans, Akers will join a Saints running back room that is currently headlined by Alvin Kamara. 2023 third-rounder Kendre Miller will be looking to carve out a RB2 role with a number of ballcarriers vying for additional snaps. That group includes two former Day 2 picks (Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Velus Jones) and two rookies (Devin Neal and Marcus Yarns), giving Akers no shortage of competition on his new team.
Akers expressed appreciation for his opportunity to try out with the Saints during minicamp, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com, saying “I’m still hungry and I’m young. I’ve got a lot of tread on my tires, and I want to rewrite my story personally.”
Aaron Rodgers’ Full Steelers Contract Details Revealed
Aaron Rodgers finally put pen to paper in Pittsburgh last week, signing a one-year deal for the lowest APY of his career since his rookie contract 20 years ago.
Rodgers’ pact with the Steelers has a base value of $13.65MM, comprised of a $3.65MM salary and a $10MM signing bonus that represents all of his guaranteed money, per OverTheCap. With incentives, he can reach $19.5MM, though he and the Steelers will have to reach some significant benchmarks to realize that maximum value.
The $5.85MM of incentives in Rodgers’ contract are all predicated on the 41-year-old quarterback playing at least 70% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, a mark he easily eclipsed last year in New York. However, he cannot earn any extra money based on playtime alone, as the incentives are largely dependent on Pittsburgh’s performance in 2025.
Rodgers will earn $500K if the Steelers qualify for the postseason. That’s his only incentive that is considered ‘Likely To Be Earned’ as Pittsburgh made the playoffs last year and Rodgers played 97% of the Jets’ offensive snaps. LTBE incentives have to be accounted for on the salary cap, so Rodgers’ 2025 cap hit will be $14.15MM.
Neither Rodgers nor the Steelers fulfilled the rest of his incentives in 2024, so they are all considered ‘Not Likely To Be Earned’ and therefore do not count against the 2025 cap. He can receive an additional $600K if the Steelers advance to the second round of the playoffs via either a wild-card win or a first-round bye, and another $750K is available for a win in the divisional round. Rodgers can then earn $1MM for advancing to the Super Bowl and $1.5MM for a Super Bowl victory, though all of his playoff incentives require him to play at least 50% of each game’s snaps.
Rodgers will also receive $1.5MM if he wins a fifth MVP award that would tie him for the all-time lead with Peyton Manning. Since no NFL player has won MVP without making the playoffs in more than 50 years, Rodgers would likely earn upwards of $2MM if he manages to take home the hardware.
The Steelers have been a playoff mainstay under Mike Tomlin, and Rodgers is likely their best starting quarterback in years. However, Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016, making it no certainty that Rodgers can reach the maximum value of his contract.
Za’Darius Smith Wants To Return To Lions
Za’Darius Smith only played in Detroit for two months last season, but he quickly bought into Dan Campbell‘s culture and is seeking a return to the Lions in 2025.
“We both know where I want to be,” said Smith at the BET Awards on Monday (via USA Today’s Tyler Dragon). “Hopefully I can get back to Detroit because the coaching staff and everybody in the front office are great.”
The Lions were in desperate need of pass-rushing help at last year’s trade deadline after injuries to Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill, so they sent a pair of Day 3 picks to Cleveland for Smith, who started the season with 5.0 sacks in nine games. The 10-year veteran posted 4.0 sacks across his nine games in Detroit and was released in March.
The two sides remained in touch through the first few waves of free agency signings, but by mid-April, Lions general manager Brad Holmes indicated that communication had ceased. The team re-signed veteran edge rushers Marcus Davenport and Al-Quadin Muhammad, but neither has been as productive in Smith in recent years. He has logged 9.0 sacks in each of the last two seasons, more than any Lion outside of Hutchinson.
Smith has been durable, too. He’s started at least 16 games in each of the last three seasons and five of the last six, and in 2024, he had a snap share over 50% in 14 of his 17 appearances. Accordingly, the 32-year-old believes his age is more of an asset than a liability.
“When I’m there I feel like a leader and like I can influence the young guys and do great things,” continued Smith before repeating, “Hopefully I can get back to where I want to be in Detroit.”
Smith also made it clear that he is focused on winning a Super Bowl before he retires. Returning to the Lions could be a way to accomplish that, but money could be a barrier after a strong market for edge rushers this offseason. Smith might have to accept a team-friendly deal to land in his desired destination in 2025.
Seahawks Extend P Michael Dickson
The punter market continues to rise with the Seahawks signing Michael Dickson to a four-year, $16.2MM extension, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. 
Seattle made Dickson the NFL’s highest-paid punter in 2021 with a $3.625MM AAV deal that was set to expire after the 2025 season. In May, the Raiders surpassed that number with $3.95MM per year for A.J. Cole, and the Jaguars gave Logan Cooke an even $4MM AAV yesterday. That gave Dickson enough leverage to reclaim the top spot after another solid year for the Seahawks in 2024.
The 29-year-old has spent each of his seven seasons in Seattle, and he delivered a strong showing during his rookie campaign. Dickson earned a Pro Bowl nod in addition to first-team All-Pro honors in 2018, raising expectations and cementing his status as a key special teams contributor for the Seahawks. Since then, he has remained among the league’s most consistent punters.
On three occasions, Dickson has recorded a net punting average of 44 yards or more; in 2023, his gross average of 50 yards marked a career best. The former fifth-rounder was unable to duplicate either of those figures in 2024, but his totals still bested his career averages. As a result, today’s news comes as little surprise.
Seattle has kicker Jason Myers attached to one of the league’s most lucrative contracts at his position. He is on the books through 2026. Long snapper Chris Stoll is under contract for 2025, so he will spend at least one more year with the team. The coming season will therefore bring continuity on special teams for the Seahawks, and Dickson will remain in place for years to come.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Extension Candidate: Tyler Linderbaum
The Ravens declined the fifth-year option of center Tyler Linderbaum in May, making 2025 a contract year for the 2022 first-round pick.
Typically, that decision means that a team doesn’t want to sign a player to a long-term extension. The Ravens, for example, didn’t pick up Patrick Queen‘s fifth-year option in 2023 and let him walk in free agency the following year.
Linderbaum’s situation is a little different. The NFL calculates fifth-year option values based on the top salaries at each position, but the formula groups all offensive linemen together. With two Pro Bowls under his belt, Linderbaum’s fifth-year option reached the highest tier at $23.4MM; effectively, the Ravens would have been paying their starting center like a premium left tackle in 2026. That figure would have also set a high bar in long-term contract talks as players rarely sign extensions with an average value below their fifth-year option.
As a result, a new deal for Linderbaum is still firmly in play in the coming months. The Ravens confirmed as much in a statement when they announced their fifth-year option decisions, though general manager Eric DeCosta said the same thing about Queen on a team podcast in 2023. At that time, the Ravens had recently traded for Roquan Smith and used a third-round pick on Trenton Simpson, but this year, they have no clear successor for Linderbaum on the roster. (A franchise tag for 2026 is likely out of the question. Thanks to the same positional designation quirk, Linderbaum is projected by OverTheCap to cost $24.7MM on the transition tag and $27.603MM on the franchise tag.)
Even if Baltimore could find a replacement by next season, he likely will not offer the same elite level of play as Linderbaum. The 25-year-old center has been one of the league’s best since he was drafted in 2022 with the No. 25 pick, which the Ravens acquired as a result of the Marquise Brown trade. Linderbaum immediately stepped in as Lamar Jackson‘s starting center and put together a solid rookie year before making a leap in 2023 after the arrival of offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
Improvements in Linderbaum’s anchor in pass protection and Monken’s creative use of his athleticism in the run game has brought out the best in Linderbaum over the last two seasons. In that time, he reached two Pro Bowls and hasn’t allowed a single sack, per PFF (subscription required), and the Ravens have dominated opponents on the ground.
The former Iowa Hawkeye has also been durable in his career thus far, starting 54 of the Ravens’ 56 games since he was drafted (including the postseason). Jackson struggled with consistency at center before Linderbaum’s arrival in 2022, so the team has reason for wanting to lock the position down for the foreseeable future.
Given Linderbaum’s pedigree and durability, an extension is likely predicated on making him the highest-paid center in the NFL. Currently, that title belongs to the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey, who signed a four-year, $72MM deal last August with $35MM guaranteed at signing and $50.315MM in total guarantees, per OverTheCap. That should get Linderbaum above $18MM per year with a commensurate increase in guaranteed money.
He may even push to join the ranks of the highest-paid interior offensive linemen with the guard market above $20MM per year. That may prove difficult for the Ravens, who are working on an extension for Jackson with several other key players in the last year of their contracts. Baltimore would likely prefer to make Linderbaum the league’s most expensive center at a more symbolic $18.25MM or $18.5MM APY rather than resetting the market at $19MM or more. They could rely on a familiar strategy to accomplish that.
DeCosta has kept a lid on the team’s major contracts by offering significant guarantees at signing in exchange for a discount on APY. For example, Ronnie Stanley could have signed for more than $20MM per year on the open market, but he took $60MM over three years from the Ravens, in part because his $44MM in fully guaranteed money ranks third among NFL left tackles.
As a result, a four-year, $74MM extension with a stronger guarantee structure than Humphrey’s deal could offer a middle ground between Linderbaum and the Ravens. He has been present for all but one practice during Baltimore’s OTAs, indicating that he has no intention of holding out (or in) this year as the team works on a new contract.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/9/25
Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OT Jackson Barton
- Waived/injured: C Justin Osborne
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on reserve/retired list: OT Ryan Ramczyk (story)
Barton started two games at right tackle for the Cardinals in 2024, but ended the season on injured reserve. He will join a crowded OT room in Cleveland with Dawand Jones and Jack Conklin as the expected starters at left and right tackle, respectively.
C Elgton Jenkins Reports To Minicamp
Just as one Pro Bowler is leaving Green Bay, another has arrived. Packers offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins has reported to mandatory minicamp after skipping OTAs amid a contract dispute, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
“It seems unlikely he’ll practice this week,” added Pelissero, which could simply mean that Jenkins needs a little more time to get in shape, or that he’s planning to stage a ‘hold-in’ as he seeks a contract adjustment.
The Packers are moving Jenkins from guard to center this year, which could threaten his financial future in multiple ways. Centers are typically paid less than guards, making it no guarantee that the Packers will keep him for the $20MM in cash and $24.8MM cap hit in 2026 (via OverTheCap).
Furthermore, whether or not Jenkins hits free agency next offseason or in 2027 when his contract expires, he could have a smaller market if he’s only seen as a center. Still, it’s worth noting that Jenkins has lined up at all five offensive line positions in his career and would likely draw robust interest as a guard if he ever reached the open market.
The Packers’ release of Jaire Alexander may have clarified their financial future enough to come to an agreement with Jenkins. His specific desires – whether they be an extension, a raise, and/or increased guarantees – remain unknown. The guard market has crossed $20MM per year since Jenkins signed his current deal in 2023, and none of the remaining $32.3MM is guaranteed.
Jacob Monk and Sean Rhyan both spent time at center during Jenkins’ absence during OTAs and will likely do the same at the Packers’ minicamp this week.
Jaire Alexander’s Contract Impeded Packers’ Trade Attempts
The Packers tried to trade veteran cornerback Jaire Alexander on multiple occasions before his release earlier today, but his contract proved to be a significant barrier in completing a deal.
The Packers even reached an agreement with an unknown team on trade compensation, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, but that team did not want to absorb Alexander’s 2025 salary. He was set to earn a total of $17.5MM this season, per OverTheCap, and refused to take a pay cut to facilitate a deal, as reported by Silverstein and confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Alexander also rejected a revised contract to stay in Green Bay that would have reduced his 2025 salary and made him a free agent after the season, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. That deal would have given Alexander the opportunity to earn back some of the money via incentives, but it also lopped off the final year of his contract that was worth $19.5MM.
The two-time Pro Bowler has been worth that kind of money when healthy, but he has struggled with a variety of injuries throughout his career with a particularly tough spell across the last four years. Since 2021, Alexander has played in just 34 of the Packers’ 68 regular-season contests, including just seven in each of the last two seasons. He underwent season-ending knee surgery
Packers outgoing team president Mark Murphy said (via WBAY’s Dave Schroeder) that Alexander “has been a great player for us,” but acknowledged that his injury history played a major factor in his release.
“Unfortunately, that’s a big part of the game,” added Murphy, who expressed confidence in the Packers’ secondary without Alexander.
“We’ve been used to it,” Murphy said, specifically mentioning former UDFA Keisean Nixon as a cornerback who could step up. Nixon spent the first three years of his career as a reserve with the Raiders, but he signed with Green Bay in 2022 and started 28 games over the last two years amid Alexander’s absences. He also earned first-team All-Pro nods in 2022 and 2023 as the league’s leading kick returner.
As for Alexander, he is expected to have a market for a one-year deal, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. His injury history may limit the base value of a new contract, but he should receive significant upside if he can stay healthy and hit playtime incentives.
Texans Officially Sign RB Nick Chubb
The Texans’ Nick Chubb agreement is now finalized. The parties agreed to terms, with a passed physical greenlighting a one-year deal with a base value of $2.5MM (per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).
Chubb’s contract can reach a maximum value of $5MM with incentives, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, but it remains a far cry from the three-year, $36.6MM deal he signed with the Browns in 2021.
The four-time Pro Bowler took a significant pay cut to remain in Cleveland last year after his season-ending ACL tear in September 2023. (Chubb played for $2.28MM in 2024.) He returned to the field a little over a year after his ACL injury but was not the same prolific runner, posting a career-low 3.3 yards per carry in eight games before ending the season on injured reserve due to a broken foot.
Health will no doubt be a factor in Chubb’s ability to compete for touches in Houston, both for him and the rest of the Texans’ backfield. Joe Mixon ranked ninth in the NFL with 72.6 rushing yards per game in 2024, but missed three games due to injury. His backup, Dameon Pierce, was sidelined for the same three weeks, plus three more, and finished the season with just 111 offensive snaps. Pierce was efficient when healthy; even discounting his season-long of 92 yards, he averaged 5.15 yards across his 39 regular-season carries. No other Texans running back had more than 40 attempts or 150 rushing yards on the year.
Chubb passed his physical on Monday, but his ability to return to his pre-injury form remains to be seen. It’s not surprising that the 29-year-old struggled to hit the ground running last year, but he’ll be just shy of two years removed from his knee injury when the 2025 season starts. Provided that his foot is no longer an issue, Chubb will have plenty of time across the next three months to learn the Texans’ playbook and carve out a role in the offense.
That process will start at Houston’s mandatory minicamp this week.