Shedeur Sanders Unlikely To Fall Out Of First Round; Jets, Giants, Browns, Steelers In Play
One of the more intriguing storylines in this year’s draft coverage is Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders’ stock and how long Sanders might have to wait to hear his name called after the draft opens on April 24. There has been some chatter that the scion of Colorado HC and NFL legend Deion Sanders could slip out of the first round entirely, though ESPN’s draft analysts do not expect that to happen.
In a subscribers-only roundup of the latest draft rumors, ESPN’s Jordan Reid says he does not anticipate Sanders falling past the Jets, who hold the No. 7 overall selection. New York saw its latest swing at a first-round QB prospect (Zach Wilson) fail spectacularly, a miss that undermined the fortunes of otherwise talented rosters and precipitated the failed Aaron Rodgers experiment.
Gang Green signed Justin Fields to a two-year, $40MM contract earlier this month, and while there is still some hope that Fields can grow enough as a passer to sufficiently complement his running ability and to turn himself into an upper crust QB1, the short-term nature of the deal illustrates his current deficiencies in that regard. Sanders may be an imperfect prospect, but his reportedly poor performance in team interviews does not undo the touch, accuracy, and pocket presence he displayed on the field. It would thus not be terribly surprising to see the Jets’ new regime, with its 2025 starter already in place, take a shot at a high-upside talent.
One player who has been something of a forgotten man in the constant QB-related chatter surrounding the Jets is 2024 fifth-rounder Jordan Travis. Travis was in the midst of a terrific final season at Florida State in 2023 when he suffered a gruesome ankle injury that torpedoed his own draft stock. New York took a flier on him last year, though he redshirted his entire rookie season while rehabbing the injury.
According to Travis’ agent, Deiric Jackson, the Jets’ since-ousted staff rushed Travis’ rehab, thereby undermining his chances of seeing game action in 2024.
“His rehab with the Jets was not the best,” Jackson said (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini). “They tried to rush him. It was too fast. There was pressure on the coaching staff and they tried to get him going sooner than the timeline really was. That caused the setback, and we had to shut him down completely.”
The nature of the setback Jackson mentioned is unclear, though Cimini says new HC Aaron Glenn and his staffers are excited to work with Travis. At the moment, the former Seminole is behind Fields and veteran Tyrod Taylor on the depth chart, and drafting a player like Sanders would immediately put Travis’ Jets future in doubt. But if the club takes a different route in the draft, Travis could get enough reps to prove himself worthy of at least a backup job down the road.
For all of the talk suggesting Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart or even Louisville’s Tyler Shough may have surpassed Sanders on draft boards around the league, Reid believes the Giants – who own the No. 3 overall pick – would be hard-pressed to pass on Sanders. With Cam Ward looking increasingly likely to go to the Titans at No. 1 overall, one AFC executive told Reid the Giants are praying the Browns take a top non-QB talent with the No. 2 pick, thus leaving Sanders available to be selected at No. 3. Just yesterday, we learned that Big Blue’s signing of Jameis Winston would not preclude the hot-seat tandem of GM Joe Schoen and HC Brian Daboll from signing a veteran passer like Rodgers or Russell Wilson and adding a QB via their top draft choice.
In the same subscribers-only piece cited above, ESPN’s Field Yates confirms Sanders has a legitimate chance to be a top-three choice and is unlikely to fall out of the top 10-15 selections (despite some sources expressing their worry about making Sanders a top-10 pick). Similarly, Yates and Reid colleague Matt Miller notes the chatter about a dramatic Sanders slide has not come from anyone employed by an NFL club.
Miller acknowledges the Browns remain a viable landing spot for Sanders, and he believes the Steelers and their No. 21 pick represent the prospect’s floor. Pittsburgh has designs on a championship run in 2025, as it recently acquired and extended WR D.K. Metcalf and is seemingly making a hard push for Rodgers. That said, HC Mike Tomlin’s famous streak of .500-or-better seasons rarely leaves the team in position to draft a premium QB prospect, and the 41-year-old Rodgers (and even the 36-year-old Wilson, if the Steelers revisit that possibility) are obviously short-term fixes. The pre-draft concerns that could lead to Sanders falling a bit could also represent a real opportunity for Pittsburgh, as was the case when its AFC North rival Ravens nabbed Lamar Jackson with the No. 32 pick in 2018.
Cowboys, Patriots Balked At Cooper Kupp’s Price; Pats Wrote ‘Blank Checks’ For Chris Godwin?
After veteran WR Cooper Kupp was released by the Rams, he generated a healthy market and quickly found a new club. Just two days after his release, the Super Bowl LVI MVP joined the Seahawks on a three-year, $45MM contract.
The $15MM average annual value on Kupp’s Seattle deal surpassed initial expectations. The Cowboys, who were known to be in the market for a pass-catching sidekick for CeeDee Lamb, were connected to Kupp, but even the $12MM AAV that was originally believed to be the asking price for the former Rams target was seen as too rich for Dallas’ liking.
Elaborating further on that point, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes Lamb and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott called Kupp in an effort to recruit him to Dallas. Per Schefter, the club was indeed interested before bowing out due to financial considerations.
“[T]he Cowboys reached out about Cooper Kupp, and they were interested,” Schefter said on a recent podcast (via Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS). “Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, who I understand it, were on the phone with Cooper Kupp talking to him about the idea of coming to Dallas, and it was floated out there. And then the Cowboys heard the numbers, and they were at numbers the Cowboys weren’t going to get to.”
With massive contracts for Prescott and Lamb already on the books and another one for Micah Parsons in the works – despite a current lack of traction on that front – Dallas’ reluctance to make additional notable commitments to its cap sheet has been well-documented. Nonetheless, the team does hope to compete for a postseason berth in 2025, and signing Parris Campbell one day after Kupp agreed to join the Seahawks may not have been an ideal consolation prize for the Cowboys’ QB1/WR1 duo (especially since Brandin Cooks has now rejoined the Saints).
Interestingly, the Patriots, who entered the offseason with easily the most cap space in the NFL and who still lead the league in that regard, were also unwilling to exceed a certain threshold for Kupp. New England has been on the lookout for a high-end receiver for some time and was named as a suitor for Kupp. However, just like the Cowboys, the Pats bowed out when it became clear how much money Kupp was going to command (as Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal implies).
Despite the season-ending ankle injury that Chris Godwin suffered in Week 7 of the 2024 season, New England seemingly had no reservations about his price point. We already knew the Pats were preparing to make an aggressive push for Godwin, who reportedly left money on the table to re-sign with the Bucs. As it turns out, he might have left quite a lot of money on the table.
In a recent appearance on 95.3 WDAE (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk), Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht said, “[t]here were several teams that inquired but there was one that kept writing him blank checks. We got to a point of what we could do in order to keep everything together and add some pieces here, and he took it.”
Naturally, Licht did not name the blank check writer, but as Smith notes, the Patriots are believed to have extended a very lucrative offer. We may never know how high New England was willing to go to land Godwin, though QB Drake Maye cannot fault the club for its efforts to add to his supporting cast.
With Godwin off the market, the Pats recently turned their attention to free agent wideout Stefon Diggs. As of the time of this writing, a deal with the four-time Pro Bowler is not imminent.
49ers Tried To Bring Back LB Dre Greenlaw After Broncos Commitment; Latest On De’Vondre Campbell, Kyle Juszczyk
The 49ers have seen a host of high-profile talent depart in free agency and, outside of blocking tight end Luke Farrell, have not authorized an FA contract with an average annual value above $4MM. However, as Matt Barrows of The Athletic (subscription required) confirms, the club did try to re-sign linebacker Dre Greenlaw even after he had agreed to join the Broncos.
We heard back in February that San Francisco and Greenlaw were discussing a new contract, though GM John Lynch suggested even then that the 27-year-old defender could look to test the free agent market. According to Barrows, that market may have been slow to heat up but eventually became a “dogfight” that included the incumbent Niners. Barrows does not provide details on Lynch’s final pitch to Greenlaw, who ultimately signed a three-year, $31.5MM deal with Denver.
The contract is relatively light on full guarantees, which allows the Broncos to escape the pact fairly painlessly in 2026. It also underscores the fact that Greenlaw has a notable injury history; he played in only two regular season games in 2024 thanks to the Achilles tear he suffered in Super Bowl LVIII at the end of the 2023 campaign, and he also missed 14 games in 2021 due to a groin injury.
When healthy, though, Greenlaw teamed with Fred Warner to form one of the league’s best LB duos, and Greenlaw also has developed a reputation for being strong in coverage. His track record of high-level production, combined with a weak collegiate class of linebackers, helped him generate significant competition for his services.
After losing out on that competition, the 49ers – who presently have a number of recent Day 3 draftees like Dee Winters penciled in as Warner’s running mate – could look to the free agent market to bolster the position. Some of the more notable names still available include C.J. Mosley, who made plain he intends to continue his playing career, and E.J. Speed, who tallied 142 tackles for the Colts last season.
In terms of starting experience, De’Vondre Campbell also stands out as one of the more accomplished LBs on the market, but obviously his relationship with San Francisco is beyond repair. After signing with the 49ers as a Greenlaw insurance policy last March, Campbell started 12 of the team’s first 13 games of the 2024 season. Greenlaw returned in Week 15, thereby relegating Campbell to a reserve role. Then, when Greenlaw and Winters sustained injuries during that Week 15 contest, Campbell was asked to go into the game. He refused, thus leading to a suspension and the forfeiture of just over $260K in salary and roster bonuses (h/t Spotrac).
Last month, Campbell published on X a series of NSFW posts referencing the situation, though he did not go into detail as to why he refused to enter the Week 15 game.
“It’s been 2 months and I have yet to address the situation cause I know the truth and don’t care to clear anything up. … I ain’t addressing s***. I’m rich and never have to work another day of my life and I told Kyle Shannahan [sic] and John Lynch that when they FaceTime me and begged me to come out there an hour after Green Bay cut me.”
Campbell, 31, has amassed just under $40MM in career earnings. His posts suggest he is content with not continuing his playing career, and given the way his San Francisco tenure ended, teams may be reluctant to bring him aboard anyway, even for a modest salary.
While the 49ers were unable to entice Greenlaw back to the team after he tested the open market, Lynch & Co. were successful in re-signing fullback Kyle Juszczyk less than a week after releasing him. The Steelers hosted Juszczyk on a visit, and the nine-time Pro Bowler indicated in a recent interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio that other clubs were interested as well (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). His brief time as a 2025 free agent solidified his desire to remain in the Bay Area, and he returned to the Niners on a two-year pact featuring an AAV just less than what he was due to make prior to his release (but which presumably helped carve out some 2025 cap space).
“They put it in my court, whether I wanted to be released or continue to negotiate a pay cut,” Juszczyk said, while adding he was told by the 49ers that their financial constraints are real. “I think it’s good to see what your market is, so they gave me the opportunity to do that. Me and my agent, we went to work and we had some interested teams, we explored those possibilities. … I wanted to be a Niner and we were able to get to a number I was comfortable with and we made a deal and I couldn’t be happier.”
As Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle observes, the club’s decision to sign Farrell to a notable contract made more sense upon Juszczyk’s release, as it suggested the tight end would take on a portion of the FB’s blocking responsibilities. With Juszczyk back in the mix, Farrell is still likely to see significant playing time, but his presence will allow George Kittle to spend more time running routes and less time showing off his admittedly formidable blocking skills.
Ravens Willing To Trade TE Mark Andrews?
Although Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has not been previously named as a trade candidate, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic says Baltimore could look to move the three-time Pro Bowler despite seeing his $4MM roster bonus trigger last week. It does not sound as if the club is actively marketing Andrews, and Zrebiec says it would take a “legit offer” to pry him from the Ravens, but it is nonetheless notable that the team is even open to the possibility.
Andrews, 29, entered the NFL in the same year as quarterback Lamar Jackson, as the Ravens selected the Oklahoma product in the third round of the 2018 draft. He has been one of Jackson’s most trusted targets from the jump, establishing himself as one of the league’s premier pass-catching tight ends in the process. He also holds the franchise record for most receiving touchdowns (51) and is close to overtaking Derrick Mason for most receiving yards in franchise history (5,777). He is entering the final year of the four-year, $56MM extension he signed in September 2021.
Even as Baltimore has added more talent to the WR and TE positions over the past few years, Andrews has remained a key cog in the offense and even set a career-high in touchdowns (11) in 2024. The team has not advanced to the Super Bowl in the Jackson era but is constructed to make another playoff push in 2025, and removing Andrews from its offensive attack would seemingly run counter to those aspirations (his costly errors in this year’s divisional-round loss to the Bills notwithstanding).
Of course, the Ravens would not seek to move on from Andrews simply because of his missteps in the Buffalo contest. Instead, any trade would presumably be designed to acquire notable draft capital to inject more cost-controlled talent into the roster, which is a goal for any club with a top-of-the-market QB contract on its books.
Plus, fellow tight end Isaiah Likely – who is nearly five years younger than Andrews – has proven himself to be a highly-effective weapon and is (like Andrews) entering a platform year. In addition to netting about $5MM of cap space in 2025, trading Andrews could pave the way for a Likely extension while extracting more value from Andrews than a future compensatory pick (if he were allowed to leave in free agency in 2026, that is).
Zrebiec says Baltimore was never going to release Andrews, and he does not specify what type of offer would convince Ravens brass to pull the trigger on a trade. After he was rumored as an extension candidate last year, though, it presently appears as if Andrews’ future with his original club is murkier than expected.
Saints DE Cameron Jordan Returning On Restructured Deal
MARCH 18: The Saints will have Jordan back on a one-year deal worth $6.1MM, according to OverTheCap. This pay cut will see Jordan’s base salary dropped to the league minimum, but that is for cap purposes, as the Saints — in an on-brand move — have four void years included in the new deal. Jordan’s cap number checks in at $9.78MM.
While Jordan joins Tyrann Mathieu in accepting a redone deal to stay in New Orleans, the all-time Saints great leaving in 2026 will be costly. If Jordan does not re-sign before the 2026 league year, the Saints will be tagged with $18.76MM in dead money.
MARCH 12: After making it known that he intended to continue playing in 2025, Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is making it happen. Though Jordan profiled as a release candidate, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football confirms that the team and Jordan have reached an agreement that will keep him in New Orleans for his 15th season. 
It is believed that Jordan, who was due $12.5MM in 2025, is accepting a pay cut. After all, despite again starting a full slate of games last season, Jordan finished the year with a 47% snap share, which was by far the lowest mark of his career (he had never appeared in less than 70% of the Saints’ defensive snaps).
Along with the reduced playing time came a corresponding downturn in overall performance. For the first time since his rookie season all the way back in 2011, Jordan finished with a below-average Pro Football Focus grade; his 57.4 overall mark placed him 87th out of 119 qualified edge defenders, and his 54.3 pass rush grade was especially jarring in light of the sack artist’s history of production in that regard.
Jordan, who will be 36 by the time Week 1 rolls around, has just six sacks across the past two seasons after never posting fewer than 7.5 from 2012-22. At this stage of his career, the potential Hall of Famer and eight-time Pro Bowler is clearly a rotational piece.
Clearly, however, the Saints’ new regime and new DC Brandon Staley have prioritized continuity on the edge; New Orleans recently restructured the contract of defensive end Carl Granderson and agreed to re-sign Chase Young. The club also acquired Davon Godchaux via trade in an effort to fortify the interior of the D-line.
Jordan, who has reportedly become accustomed to treating the Saints’ final home game each year as if it could be his last in the Superdome, will have at least one more last hurrah.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford Intends To Play In 2026; Team To Retain TE Tyler Higbee, RT Rob Havenstein For 2025
Before the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes got underway this offseason, a competition in which the Raiders and Giants emerged as the top contenders to acquire the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning quarterback via trade, Stafford first had to determine whether he was even going to continue his playing career in 2025. A little over a week after Los Angeles’ divisional-round loss to the Eagles, Stafford told his club he would not be retiring.
Both player and team knew after their 2024 restructure that Stafford’s contract would need to be revisited again if their relationship was to continue, and this year, the Rams gave the veteran passer permission to speak with other teams to determine his value. Although both Las Vegas and New York were prepared to part with draft capital and authorize a two-year contract featuring up to $100MM in guarantees, Stafford decided to stay with the Rams on another reworked pact.
Head coach Sean McVay recently confirmed that, just as the parties did last year, compensation due later in Stafford’s contract was accelerated to this season, and that is what facilitated an agreement. The exact financial details are not yet known, but what is clear is that Stafford’s thru-2026 deal was not extended. As such, if and when the parties find themselves in the same position next offseason – which McVay expects – there will be no more future years from which to borrow money. In other words, an actual extension and/or raise will need to be hammered out to keep Stafford with the Rams in 2026 and perhaps beyond.
Of course, that assumes the 37-year-old passer will want to keep playing in 2026. While a player’s thoughts can always change, Stafford does not sound as if he intends to again contemplate retirement after the upcoming campaign.
On a recent episode of Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast, Stafford said, “I’m going to be [with the Rams] at least another year, and hopefully some after that” (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).
Stafford went on to call this offseason’s uncertainty “a little nerve-wracking,” and though such uncertainty appears to await next year as well, it may be entirely contract-related rather than retirement-related. Although Stafford always preferred to remain with McVay and the team that has employed him for the last four seasons, his use of the word “hopefully” indicates he still may not finish his career with the Rams.
The beyond-2025 futures of Los Angeles TE Tyler Higbee and RT Rob Havenstein are also uncertain, as both players are entering platform years. McVay recently confirmed, however, that both will be back with the club this season (via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic).
As Rodrigue notes, the fact that Higbee and Havenstein have one season left on their existing deals warranted such confirmation from the head coach (as did the fact that both of them are coming off injury-impacted seasons). Higbee, 32, has operated as the Rams’ full-time starter at tight end since 2017, but he sustained a torn ACL and MCL in the 2023 postseason that delayed his start to the 2024 slate (he also suffered a chest injury in this year’s wildcard round, though he returned for the divisional-round matchup, catching seven balls for 54 yards and a score).
Havenstein, who is entering his age-33 season, has been a stalwart at right tackle since joining the Rams as a second-round pick in 2015. He has never earned a Pro Bowl or All-Pro nod, but he has started all 141 games in which he has appeared and has consistently generated good to excellent marks from Pro Football Focus. His return will be key for an aging QB and a team that has designs on another postseason run.
Ravens Sign QB Cooper Rush
The Ravens have a new backup in place for QB Lamar Jackson. Per Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Baltimore is signing Cooper Rush to a two-year deal worth up to $12.2MM.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Rush will receive $4.2MM in guaranteed money, and Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes the true value of the two-year accord is $6.2MM. Rush can earn an additional $6MM in incentives (including playing time incentives) that presumably will only be hit if Jackson sustains an injury.
Luckily for the Ravens, their star passer and two-time MVP has been able to play a full slate of games over the past two years, so the club’s decision to invest minimally in the backup QB position with players like former UDFA Tyler Huntley and noted journeyman Josh Johnson has been a non-issue. That said, Zrebiec reported earlier this month that Baltimore could be in the market for an upgrade (subscription required), and the team has found one in Rush.
Cowboys QB1 Dak Prescott missed five games due to injury in 2022 and nine more in 2024, and Rush capably filled in for him on both occasions. In 14 career starts, the Central Michigan alum has compiled a 9-5 record, including a 4-4 mark last season. In 2024, Rush completed just over 60% of his passes for 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns against five interceptions.
As that TD:INT ratio suggests, the 31-year-old has been lauded for his ability to avoid mistakes. He does not offer much in the running game, so in the event he needs to relieve Jackson and his dual-threat abilities, offensive coordinator Todd Monken will need to adjust the offense accordingly. Still, Rush is a quality backup that can keep a club afloat for a stretch, and despite the strong rapport that Johnson and Jackson established, the Ravens clearly felt a more significant expenditure was necessary (though Zrebiec does leave open the possibility that Johnson could return as a third-stringer).
In light of Prescott’s market-topping contract and the massive extension for Micah Parsons that is looming on the horizon — to say nothing of CeeDee Lamb‘s high-end deal — Cowboys COO Stephen Jones recently indicated Dallas would allow Rush and fellow signal-caller/reclamation project Trey Lance to seek greener pastures elsewhere. David Moore of the Dallas Morning News believes the club will add a passer on Day 3 of next month’s draft and allow that player to compete with Will Grier for the backup gig in 2025.
Jets Sign DT Derrick Nnadi
The Jets have signed former Chiefs defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler was first to report. Kansas City selected Nnadi in the third round of the 2018 draft, and he had spent his entire career with the club, winning three Super Bowl titles along the way.
From his rookie season through 2023, Nnadi primarily operated as a starter, and he also established a reputation for durability. As ESPN’s Rich Cimini notes, the soon-to-be 29-year-old defender has missed only two games due to injury in his seven-year career.
However, he did not hit the open market with much momentum. Nnadi was relegated to a reserve role in 2024 and saw just 221 defensive snaps, which was by far a career-low mark. In that limited sample, he also earned an abysmal 35.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which was even worse than his 40.6 grade in 2023.
The Jets, though, do not necessarily need Nnadi to be a world-beater. The club saw Javon Kinlaw parlay a one-year pillow contract to work as Quinnen Williams‘ primary sidekick on the interior of the defensive line into a three-year, $45MM deal with the Commanders — this despite a mediocre 53.2 PFF grade — and the hope is that Nnadi can provide a similar steady presence at a fraction of the cost.
Although financials have not yet been disclosed, Nnadi’s performance over the past several seasons would suggest New York is not breaking the bank here. As such, the signing will surely not preclude the club from pursuing additional upgrades in the draft, with Cimini classiyfing Nnadi — along with recent adds Byron Cowart and Jay Tufele — as a depth piece (we had not previously written on Tufele’s acquisition).
Phidarian Mathis — a former second-round pick of the Commanders whom the Jets claimed off waivers late in the 2024 campaign — remains in the mix as well. The entire group, of course, will take a backseat to Williams, one of the game’s best interior players who is coming off his third straight Pro Bowl season.
Nnadi has amassed 233 tackles, five sacks, and a forced fumble in his regular season career. He has contributed 38 tackles and a sack in 18 games of postseason work.
Dolphins Sign P Ryan Stonehouse; Broncos Did Not Have Interest
The Dolphins are signing former Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse, as first reported by Justin Melo of The Draft Network and subsequently confirmed by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques adds that it will be a one-year deal). Tennessee recently declined to extend an RFA tender to Stonehouse, thus sending him to the open market.
Melo classifies the Titans’ Stonehouse decision as curious, and indeed, the former undrafted find had established himself as an under-the-radar weapon over his first three seasons in the league. In his rookie year in 2022, the Colorado State product broke Sammy Baugh‘s long-standing single-season punting average mark, moving the NFL’s standard from 51.4 yards per boot (set in 1940) to 53.1. Stonehouse matched that average in 2023, though that season ended a few games early due to a torn ACL and MCL — along with a broken bone — in his plant (non-kicking) leg.
Nonetheless, Stonehouse recovered in time to handle a full slate of punting duties in 2024, and he still managed over 50 yards per kick. On the other hand, his net yards-per-punt average dropped from 44.3 in 2023 to 38.3 last year, and he pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line just 22 times in 2024 compared to 28 times in 2023, despite receiving 20 more opportunities.
The Titans elected to move on from the 25-year-old Stonehouse and bring in the 35-year-old Johnny Hekker as his replacement. Hekker, the NFL’s most-decorated active punter, has four First Team All-Pro nods to his credit, though the most recent of those accolades came in 2017.
Miami hopes that, with Stonehouse’s injury further in the rearview mirror, he can return to the elite form he displayed from 2022-23. Interestingly, the ‘Fins recently hired Craig Aukerman, who coordinated the Titans’ special teams units from 2018-23, as their own ST coordinator.
Aukerman can certainly take some of the credit for Stonehouse’s early-career success, though it was the Week 13 game in 2023 in which Stonehouse was injured — an injury that occurred on the second blocked punt of the contest — that triggered Aukerman’s in-season dismissal. The 48-year-old did not coach in 2024.
Jake Bailey has served as the Dolphins’ punter in each of the past two seasons, and he is under club control through 2025 by virtue of the two-year, $4.2MM contract he signed last March. The club can save nearly $2MM against the cap with a dead money hit of just $550K if it releases Bailey, which Jackson suggests will happen at some point.
The Broncos are in need of a new punter after Riley Dixon agreed to sign with the Bucs, but they did not have interest in Stonehouse, per Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette. The team likewise is not presently interested in free agent specialists Pat O’Donnell and Michael Palardy.
Denver did extend an offer to Dixon, as Mike Klis of 9News reports. Clearly, it was not enough to keep him on the club.
Giants, Seahawks Pursued G Will Fries; Giants Surprised To Land S Jevon Holland
In an effort to improve their offensive front for their rushing attack and for whomever happens to line up at quarterback in 2025, the Giants “went hard for” former Colts right guard Will Fries, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Ultimately, Fries signed a five-year pact worth over $17MM per year with the Vikings.
According to Raanan, Fries’ final decision came down to Minnesota and New York, and it is unclear if his call was purely based on finances or if he also considered the respective competitive situations of the two clubs. In any event, the Giants quickly pivoted to their primary 2024 RG and re-signed Greg Van Roten.
Van Roten’s deal is unlikely to be a particularly lucrative one, so it should not preclude Big Blue from continuing to explore upgrades. That said, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post indicates the asking price for alternatives like Teven Jenkins is presently too high for the Giants. The same was true of Mekhi Becton, who recently signed a two-year, $20MM contract with the Chargers.
Jenkins is due to meet with the Seahawks tomorrow, and Seattle was also in on Fries, per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic (subscription required). Given the value of the contract Fries was seeking, GM John Schneider & Co. wanted to bring him in for a physical, as he underwent surgery in October to repair a tibia fracture. The physical could not take place until the new league year started on Wednesday, and since the Vikings did not require one – it is uncertain whether the Giants did – the ‘Hawks lost out. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times echoes Dugar’s report and adds it was the physical issue, and not contract length or value, that eliminated the Seahawks from the race.
As evidenced by their upcoming Jenkins summit, Seattle remains in the hunt for offensive line help, as the unit was one of the club’s weakest spots in 2024. Left tackle Charles Cross was an exception to that rule, as he started all 17 games and generated an excellent 82.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (which placed him ninth among 81 qualified OTs). Cross, a 2022 first-rounder, is extension-eligible for the first time, and in anticipation of contract talks taking place at some point, the formerly self-represented player has signed with Klutch Sports Agency (as relayed by Dugar in another subscribers-only piece).
The Giants may have been priced out of the Becton market and are currently unwilling to meet Jenkins’ ask, but they were luckier with respect to safety Jevon Holland. Per Dunleavy, New York did not expect Holland – who was linked to a $20MM/year deal before free agency opened – to be available at its preferred price point. When it became clear the Giants could land Holland for less, they acted quickly and acquired the No. 6 FA on PFR’s Top-50 list for a three-year, $45MM commitment.
With CB Paulson Adebo and D-linemen Chauncey Golston and Roy Robertson-Harris also in the fold, the club has undergone a significant defensive overhaul over the past week.