Bengals Announce 3 Assistant GM Promotions
The Bengals promoted Steven Radicevic, Mike Potts, and Trey Brown to assistant general manager under director of player personnel and de facto general manager Duke Tobin.
“Steve, Mike and Trey work in all areas of the club and assist me in every aspect,” said Tobin (via senior team writer Geoff Hobson). “They’re highly capable. They’re impactful in all areas of personnel. We felt like this title fit their role with us.”
Despite the new titles, Cincinnati’s new trio of assistant GMs will largely have the same job descriptions. Radicevic, who was the co-director of college scouting with Potts, will continue to lead the Bengals’ pro scouting operation and assist in contract negotiations. Potts oversees the team’s college scouting and draft processes while also contributing to their pro personnel strategy. He also works to incorporate the Bengals’ analytics team into the front office’s decision-making process.
Brown, formerly a senior player personnel executive, has a hand in all aspects of Cincinnati’s roster management. He also uses his extensive history as a scout to contribute to the Bengals’ pro and college player evaluations. Brown is widely considered to be a future general manager after interviewing for such a position with four different teams in the last two years.
The Bengals also made a number of moves in their scouting department. Andrew Johnson was promoted from scout to scouting executive and will continue to scout players across the NCAA, the NFL, and other professional leagues. The team also added two scouts: Tyler Ramsey and Josh Hinch. Ramsey started his career with Seattle and most recently worked as the Panthers’ assistant director of pro player personnel from 2022 to 2023. He will scout college players and track the rosters of other NFL teams for the Bengals. Hinch formerly worked for the Patriots’ pro and college personnel departments and will assist in pro and college scouting in Cincinnati.
Shemar Stewart Doing Individual Workouts At Texas A&M
JULY 18: Aggies head coach Mike Elko confirmed (via ESPN’s Ben Baby) Stewart has no intention of attempting to return to college for the coming season. With today marking the reporting date for Bengals rookies, though, Stewart is of course not expected to be present as his contract standoff continues.
JULY 16: Bengals first-round edge rusher Shemar Stewart has been working out at Texas A&M’s facilities, as first reported by 247 Sports’ Ben Elliott (via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnnati Enquirer).
That has stirred speculation that he could be seeking a return to his alma mater amid his rookie contract dispute with the Bengals. Conway clarified that Stewart is only using Texas A&M’s facilities on an individual basis and is not participating in any team activities. In fact, NCAA rules prevent Stewart from returning to college for the 2026 season after declaring for the 2025 draft. Instead, he is trying to stay in shape and prepare for the NFL season with the hopes of working out his contract before Week 1.
At the moment, however, the Bengals seem poised to take their standoffs with Stewart and All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson into training camp and potentially the regular season. Cincinnati has until the end of Week 11 to reach an agreement with Stewart, per Yahoo Sports’ Jason Owens. If they don’t, Stewart won’t be eligible to play at all this season.
However, the Bengals would still control his rights until next year’s draft. If they cannot sign Stewart by then, he can enter his name into the 2026 draft, and the Bengals would not be allowed to select him a second time.
It still seems unlikely that Stewart would go down that route given what he stands to lose. Spending a year away from the field would be especially damaging to a raw prospect with untapped physical potential. Sure, Stewart can continue to get stronger and faster, but the technical parts of his game that require significant improvement would be harder to address without full-team practices and games. He would also enter the draft a year older, which could potentially drop him out of the first round where his total value and guaranteed money would be significantly lower.
Jets, CB Sauce Gardner Agree On Extension
JULY 17: Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes Gardner’s locked in compensation includes a $13.75MM signing bonus along with annual workout and roster bonuses (many of which are guaranteed upfront or are set to vest one year early). His base salaries in 2025 ($1.25MM) and ’26 ($5.25MM) are locked in. A $20MM 2026 option bonus is included and is guaranteed in full; the 2027 option bonus ($10MM) is guaranteed for injury and shifts to a full guarantee one year early. The same is true of Gardner’s base salaries for 2027 ($13.95MM) and ’28 ($19.2MM). His pay for the final two years of the pact is not guaranteed.
JULY 15: One day after extending star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, the Jets are signing All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner to a four-year, $120.4MM contract extension, per Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo, and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Gardner himself announced on social media that an agreement had been reached. His deal has the same structure as Wilson’s extension, per Schefter.
With a $30.1MM AAV, Gardner is now the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, beating out the $30MM per year deal signed by fellow 2022 first-rounder Derek Stingley Jr. earlier this year. However, Gardner’s $85.653MM in total guarantees (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter) do not quite reach Stingley’s $89MM.
It will be interesting to see where the full guarantees fall here; Stingley holds that standard — with $48MM — as well. Gardner agreeing to a four-year deal should allow him to eclipse that number, as Stingley is tied to a three-year extension.
The Jets have now spent $250MM in the last two days to lock down cornerstone players on both sides of the ball in a solid start for new head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey. Past offseasons in New York have been marked by quarterback drama and contract standoffs with key veterans, but the new regime avoided such pitfalls by signing Justin Fields early in free agency and getting the Wilson and Gardner extensions done before training camp.
Mougey has now been part of two record-setting cornerback extensions since September. The former Broncos assistant GM was in place when the team inked Patrick Surtain on a then-record $24MM-per-year deal. Despite Surtain’s Defensive Player of the Year season, he has already fallen to fifth in the cornerback pecking order. This effectively illustrates timing, rather than merit, reigns in NFL contract matters. Gardner and Stingley do owe Surtain for breaking through the ice formed over a two-plus-year period in this market.
Prior to Surtain’s agreement, the CB market had not seen anyone top Jaire Alexander‘s four-year, $84MM Packers pact — one agreed to in May 2022. Corners have seen wide receivers move into a higher tax bracket over the past several years, and even safeties — via Antoine Winfield Jr.‘s four-year, $84.1MM accord — had passed them by last year. But Surtain’s contract brought a thaw, and Jalen Ramsey‘s third contract — one already traded — came a day after the standout Broncos defender’s deal emerged.
This offseason then brought Jaycee Horn to the $25MM-per-year level. The Panthers cover man reached that place despite no All-Pro honors (to Surtain’s two). But the salary cap having jumped by another $24MM, after a record $30.6MM spike in 2024, set the stage for an overdue market boom. After all, Ja’Marr Chase elevated the WR ceiling past $40MM per year in March. Stingley and Gardner have made significant inroads for their position, creating a new tier in terms of AAV this year.
Gardner benefited by waiting, and he can perhaps owe that to the Jets changing regimes this offseason. But his rookie-contract play warranted a substantial commitment. The former No. 4 overall pick arrived under Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh‘s watch and played a lead role in vaulting the Jets’ defense — a last-ranked unit in 2021 — to fourth place (in scoring and yardage) in 2022. The physical corner earned first-team All-Pro honors for his work as a rookie, and he matched that showing in 2023.
Pro Football Focus ranked Gardner first and third among CB regulars in 2022 and ’23, respectively, but observed a drop-off in 2024. Although Gardner checked in 31st on the advanced metrics website’s list last year, issues with his tackling were apparent during a season that saw Jeff Ulbrich‘s defense take a step back (20th in points allowed). Gardner saw his yards-per-target number rise from 6.0 to 9.3 from 2023 to ’24 — a non-Pro Bowl season — creating a rebound opportunity under Glenn. But Tuesday’s agreement showed the Jets’ new power brokers did not need to see how Gardner fit into Glenn’s defense before making a historic commitment.
The Jets had never wavered from their plan to pay Gardner, having let D.J. Reed walk in free agency (after extending Michael Carter at the lower slot rate), and the team eyed the post-draft period as the window for true negotiations. Gardner had expressed interest in remaining a Jet long term, and the team had made an offer by mid-June. Although Mougey and Glenn brought in Brandon Stephens at $12MM per annum in March, the team will not let Gardner come close to a contract year. This is now the NFL’s only team with three eight-figure-per-year corners on the payroll.
New York had cooled on paying CBs since its whiffs on Darrelle Revis (the second stint) and Trumaine Johnson. But Gardner’s early-career form meant that pattern needed to end. The team’s chaotic 2024 has preceded a calmer ’25, as Aaron Rodgers is out and news of Woody Johnson meddling has drifted off the front burner. Wilson and Gardner’s paydays signal a willingness to reward Douglas-era draftees, and the moves leave Jermaine Johnson — who is coming off a season-ending injury — as the only member of the Jets’ 2022 first-round trio still on a rookie deal. Post-Rodgers, Wilson and Gardner will be asked to be the franchise’s centerpiece players as it attempts to end the NFL’s longest active playoff drought.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Anthony Richardson Is Healthy, Ready To Compete With Daniel Jones For Colts’ QB Gig
With the Colts’ veterans due to report in less than a week, quarterback Anthony Richardson is “going to be good going into training camp,” according to ESPN’s Stephen Holder.
Richardson injured his shoulder during OTAs and missed mandatory minicamp, giving new teammate Daniel Jones a chance to take an early lead in the Colts’ starting quarterback competition. Richardson only appeared in 15 games (all starts) in his first two seasons due to injuries, a key factor in the team’s decision to sign Jones and publicly announce an open competition for the QB1 gig.
It was only two years ago that the Colts selected Richardson with the No. 4 pick, but there are signs that the team considers Jones to be a legitimate starting option for the 2025 season. One is that Jones opted to sign in Indianapolis in the first place.
“There was more interest in Daniel Jones out there than people realize,” said ESPN’s Adam Schefter. If Jones chose the Colts over other suitors, that would suggest that he believed he had the best chance of winning a starting job in Indianapolis.
Schefter also noted that the Colts gave Jones $14MM this offseason, more than what Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers received. Both are more experienced than Jones and seem to be the presumptive starters for their teams, so it would stand to reason that Jones is in a similar position.
Jones’ ability to command a new offense will be crucial to his chances of winning the starting job. Richardson, meanwhile, will have to prove that his shoulder is fully healthy and develop some mental and technical consistency to put him in a position to start.
Russell Wilson Wants To Play Another ‘5-Plus’ Years
The Giants signed Russell Wilson to a one-year deal this offseason, indicating that they do not see the 13-year veteran as a multi-year proposition under center.
If his contract wasn’t enough, the Giants’ selection of Jaxson Dart in the first round hammered the message home: Wilson will be starting in New York for a limited time only.
Wilson seems to be in a similar situation to that of Sam Darnold last year in Minnesota. If he plays well, he will likely be priced out of New York with a first round pick waiting in the wings; if not, he won’t be re-signed, certainly not for starter-level money. However, Wilson is significantly older than Darnold; entering his age-37 season, he is likely done with multi-year deals altogether.
As a result, 2025 is Wilson’s last chance to prove himself as a starting quarterback after an underwhelming three seasons since leaving Seattle. He intents to play another “five-plus years” into his early 40s, according to Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr. But, if he can’t succeed in New York this year, he will likely be relegated to a backup role in 2026 and beyond.
Wilson also told Orr that his ability to extend plays and connect with pass-catchers downfield is an important measure stick of how his game ages. That will be an especially crucial skill behind a Giants offensive line that struggled to protect the pocket in 2024.
Chiefs, G Trey Smith Finalize Extension
9:45pm: Smith will see $46.75MM fully guaranteed, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. That sits second among guards, trailing only Lindstrom’s $48.2MM number. Smith’s guarantee also checks in lower than what two franchise tags would have brought, but Kansas City was still able to finalize a deal before today’s deadline.
As the Chiefs reward the former sixth-round pick, they will use their Patrick Mahomes guarantee model. Smith secured a rolling guarantee structure, per Breer, who reports the Pro Bowl right guard’s $23.25MM 2027 base salary will become fully guaranteed on Day 3 of the 2026 league year. Smith’s $23.25MM 2028 base salary is nonguaranteed, but the 2027 structure effectively ensures he will collect three years’ worth of cash on this lucrative contract.
12:45pm: The Chiefs are finalizing a four-year extension with franchise-tagged right guard Trey Smith, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
The deal is worth $94MM with $70MM in guaranteed money, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, keeping Smith as the highest-paid guard in league history. His $23.5MM APY is slightly more than his one-year franchise tag and resets the position’s market by $2.5MM after the Eagles gave left guard Landon Dickerson $21MM per year last offseason. Smith’s total guarantees of $70MM will also set a new record by $7MM, per OverTheCap, beating out Falcons right guard Chris Lindstrom.
News of the agreement comes mere hours before a 3pm CT deadline for tagged players to sign a multiyear deal. With a strong desire to lower Smith’s 2025 cap hit and lock him down for the foreseeable future, the Chiefs finally accomplished their biggest goal of the offseason. This comes three years after Kansas City failed to beat the buzzer with left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., but the team had eyed a Smith payday for a bit. The March Joe Thuney trade set this in motion, as the three-time reigning AFC champions swapped out one high guard salary for another.
Smith will be under contract through 2028, as will All-Pro center and fellow 2021 draftee Creed Humphrey, who signed a four-year extension last August. Arguably the best guard-center duo on the league, Smith and Humphrey are both the highest-paid players at their position and will form the bedrock of the Kansas City’s offensive line for years to come.
While the Chiefs are coming off a humbling loss in Super Bowl LIX — a game that saw its O-line struggle — the team had done well to reconfigure its O-line following the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV onslaught. This came via the Brown trade, the Thuney contract (five years, $80MM) and adding Humphrey and Smith in the draft. It will be on Smith and Humphrey to lead the way back following the Eagles’ blowout win.
The Chiefs also spent this offseason acquiring potential long-term left tackles to join Smith and Humphrey on the O-line, including veteran free agent signing Jaylon Moore and first-round rookie Josh Simmons. However, the team’s future at left guard and right tackle is less certain. 2023 UDFA Mike Caliendo is the most experienced guard on the roster with just three career starts, while right tackle Jawaan Taylor has struggled to live up to his $80MM contract and has no guaranteed money on his deal after this year.
Regardless of who he plays next to, Smith figures to be one of the best blockers in the league for the foreseeable future. He fell into the sixth round of the 2021 draft due to medical concerns about blood clots in his lungs, but earned the Chiefs’ starting right guard job as a rookie and never looked back.
The 25-year-old blocker has only missed one game due to injury in his four-year NFL career and was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2024 after giving up only one sack in 1,288 total snaps, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). PFF has rated Smith as a top-15 guard in each of his four seasons, and ESPN’s pass block win rate has slotted him sixth in run blocking in 2024 — after placing him fourth in pass protection in ’23.
Smith’s new contract is a final leap in a guard market that has exploded over the last few offseasons. Next up will be Cowboys Pro Bowler Tyler Smith, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He could approach Smith’s $23.5MM APY, but other guards up for new deals are either significantly older or significantly less-proven.
Three Teams Pursuing FA OLB Von Miller
Von Miller‘s Hall of Fame career is on pause after 14 seasons. The Bills moved on from his six-year contract after paying out the deal’s guarantees, swapping out the aging edge rusher for Joey Bosa. Miller has indicated he wants to play a 15th season, but he has remained in free agency for four months.
Some movement looks to have taken place in this market. Miller has “three very interested teams,” according to NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger (via Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams).
At least, that’s what Baldinger heard from his former Duke teammate and Miller’s agent, Joby Branion. Prior to this, there have been virtually no reports of interest from any specific teams. The only update has been Miller throwing cold water on a potential reunion with the Broncos due to the presence of younger edge rushers.
Part of the reason for the delay is likely Miller himself. Baldinger also said that the 36-year-old linebacker was not “too crazy about going to training camp…Most guys that age aren’t.” If Miller didn’t want to attend practices until later in the summer, he wouldn’t want to sign before mandatory minicamp and incur fines for not showing up.
However, it’s also possible that this game of telephone about Miller’s “very interested teams” is an attempt by Branion to improve the offers from those teams as training camp approaches. As it stands, Miller could be looking at one-year, incentive-laden offers for the lowest base APY and guarantees in his career. He’s missed 15 games in the last three years, though his four absences in 2024 were due to suspension, not injury. He had spurts of productivity in Buffalo, but he was a non-factor for virtually the entire 2023 season.
Baldinger expects Miller to decide on a team soon, but added that he did not know which specific teams Miller was considering. Miller is sitting on 129.5 career sacks. In the sack era (1982-present), that ranks 16th. Miller’s Broncos and Rams contributions all but assured him future Canton entry, but the former Super Bowl MVP can move into the top 12 with 6.5 more sacks. He can reach the top 10 with eight.
A role as a rotational rusher will likely be in the cards if/once Miller joins a new team. Other standout edge rushers have thrived in such late-career roles. A contending team bringing Miller in as a missing piece makes sense, and if the 36-year-old vet indeed waits until training camps wrap, injury situations could accelerate this market. But it sounds like Miller is willing to wait a bit longer before committing to a 2025 destination.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Chiefs Pursuing Multi-Year Agreement With RG Trey Smith Before July 15 Deadline
The Chiefs are hoping to reach an agreement with franchise-tagged right guard Trey Smith ahead of a July 15 deadline for him to sign a multi-year deal.
The team has been in touch with Smith’s representation in recent days, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, but negotiations are coming down to the wire. Smith already signed his non-exclusive franchise tag in March, locking in a fully guaranteed $23.4MM salary for the 2025 season if the two sides can’t come to multi-year terms before the deadline passes tomorrow.
An extension has obvious appeal for both sides. For Kansas City, it’s a chance to lock down one of their best players for the foreseeable future while reducing a 2025 cap hit that ranks third among all offensive lineman. (Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor ranks second, according to PFR’s Adam La Rose.)
For Smith, an extension would mean long-term financial security and a stronger up-front cash flow. He said last week that he is focused on football and leaves the contract talks to his agents at Creative Artists Agency.
The $23.4MM tag makes Smith the highest-paid guard in the league ahead of Landon Dickerson at $21MM per year and three others with an APY above $20MM. A multi-year agreement with the Chiefs would keep Smith in the top spot, per Rapoport, but the Chiefs may not want to reset the market by $2.4MM.
A second tag in 2026 would be unlikely with a price tag of $28.08MM, but it could establish a framework for a deal. Two straight tags for Smith would pay him $51.48MM in fully guaranteed money over the next two years, outpacing the previous high of $48.2MM set by Chris Lindstrom. The Chiefs could design a contract with a similar cash flow and guarantee structure in an attempt to convince Smith to take an overall APY below $23.4MM.
Such a deal would have to come together before tomorrow’s deadline. If not, Smith will play on the tag this year to set up another round of extension negotiations after the season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/14/25
NFL teams are beginning to adjust their rosters as players report for training camp. Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Moose Muhammad
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: QB Carter Bradley
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on active/PUP: S Elijah Molden, WR Mike Williams, WR Jaylen Johnson, LB Del’Shawn Phillips, OT Savion Washington
Molden ended the 2024 season on injured reserve after suffering a broken fibula in Week 17. He re-signed with the Chargers this offseason and was expected to be ready for training camp after offseason surgery. However, his placement on the PUP list indicates that he needs more time before returning to the field. The reason for the other PUP placements is unknown, as teams are not required to report injuries during the offseason. The five Chargers placed on the PUP list can be activated at any time.
NFL Pursuing Over $12MM In Legal Costs From NFLPA Over Collusion Grievance
The NFL is seeking more than $12MM of legal fees and costs from the NFLPA stemming from the collusion grievance that has dominated headlines in the past month, according to ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Kalyn Kahler.
This is the latest move in an ongoing battle between the league and the players’ union over guaranteed money. The issue has come to the forefront this offseason after an arbitrator’s ruling on the collusion case came to light. (Thirty of the 2025 draft’s 32 second-round picks also remained unsigned as they seek more guaranteed money on their rookie deals. On Friday, Chargers wideout Tre Harris became the first official holdout.)
The NFL’s decision to pursue legal costs came immediately after the NFLPA filed an appeal of the collusion ruling last Tuesday. That’s no coincidence, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer; the league used the potential to recoup legal fees as leverage to get the union to agree to a confidentiality agreement and discourage an appeal. The confidentiality agreement, however, seemed to draw out the standoff by extending the CBA-mandated 10-day appeal deadline for the NFLPA and giving the NFL “additional time to seek reimbursement of its legal costs,” per Van Natta and Kahler.
Once the ruling became public, pressure mounted on the NFLPA to appeal. The union did so, and the NFL followed through on its threat, though it remains unclear if the league is actually entitled to the money, per Breer.
Regardless, the back-and-forth ensures that the collusion grievance and the issue of guaranteed money more generally will remain in the spotlight, as will the overall leadership of NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell. The confidentiality agreement concealing the collusion ruling would seem to fly in the face of the transparency Howell promised when he was hired by the union. The ruling was only shared with lawyers and select executives on either side of the case, according to Van Natta and Kahler. Howell is also facing accusations of a conflict of interest after it was revealed that he worked as a part-time consultant for a private equity firm that has been approved by the league to pursue a minority stake in an NFL team.