Rams Load Up (Again), Provide Browns Seminal Myles Garrett Cash-Out Opportunity
In between the Panthers' decision to reject a Brian Burns offer and the Chiefs' call to accept a Trent McDuffie proposal, the Rams actually refrained from blockbuster buyer's trades for an extended period. The Sean McVay-Les Snead operation remained patient from 2023-25 and even made a first-round pick. That draftee is now headed to Cleveland after one of the NFL's biggest win-now transactions this century.
The McVay-era Rams have a few such moves on that short list. Their Matthew Stafford and Jalen Ramsey additions certainly meet the criteria. But it can be argued the team's Monday decision -- to trade Jared Verse and three draft choices to the Browns for Myles Garrett -- creates the strongest roster in Los Angeles' "eff them picks" era. Garrett joins McDuffie and Jaylen Watson as high-profile additions to a team that would have been a Super Bowl frontrunner without any of those moves.
On a June NFL day that reminded of the 2000s and prior eras -- when teams needed to wait until June 1 for cuts dividing cap savings over two years -- the long-rumored A.J. Brown-to-New England trade was somehow upstaged. Ditto Russell Wilson's CBS move and Odell Beckham Jr.'s Giants homecoming. The Rams have hijacked a few news cycles with trades during the Snead years, but Garrett is the most accomplished player the team has acquired during this explosive period.
As the Rams went a whole two seasons without rostering a surefire Hall of Famer on defense, their post-Aaron Donald chapter now includes one of the greatest edge rushers in NFL history. A host of storylines emerge after the Browns cashed out on the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Browns circle back on Garrett trade, sell high
Saints Approaching Decision On RB Alvin Kamara
MAY 31: With June nearly here, it doesn’t seem like any decisions have been made in regard to Kamara. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, “there hasn’t been a lot of traction yet on the Saints’ direction with Kamara, but there is some interest” in Kamara potentially coming back, perhaps on a revised deal. Cutting or trading him before June 1 was always out of the question as it would do little to alleviate his cap impact.
Cutting Kamara post-June 1, though, could have a potential two-year effect. His cap hit in 2026 would only be reduced $376K, but his 2027 void year cap hit would reduce from $16.26MM to $5.13MM. Trading Kamara post-June 1 has the most benefit if New Orleans is looking to unload Kamara’s contract, providing $3.38MM in cap savings this year and $11.13MM next year. If Fowler is correct and a restructure remains on the table, Kamara may have to agree to a pay cut in order to stay and compete with Etienne for touches.
MAY 18: Alvin Kamara‘s place with the Saints became cloudy after the team shelled out a big contract to Travis Etienne, who received a hefty guarantee to join Kellen Moore‘s roster in March. Kamara drew trade interest soon after Etienne’s commitment, but he remains on New Orleans’ offseason roster.
Mickey Loomis said Kamara does not currently have a decision to make on his contract, which points to the Saints not yet insisting on a pay cut. But uncertainty still exists here. The longtime Saints GM said the team is moving toward a decision on the decorated dual-threat back.
[RELATED: Saints Extend Offer To Cam Jordan; Latest On Taysom Hill]
“We’re just trying to see how he’s going to fit in our roster, and obviously there’s a resource management element to it, and we’ll get to that over the next week or two,” Loomis said, via NewOrleans.football.
The 25th-year Saints front office boss said OTAs provides “a little bit” of a deadline but cautioned the voluntary workouts — which Kamara has not attended in years — do not serve as the endpoint for the sides’ latest chapter. New Orleans’ OTAs begin May 27. Kamara would see his base salary reduced by $358K if he does not attend every Saints OTA workout, ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell notes.
Kamara, 31 in July, is entering the final season of a two-year, $24.5MM extension. He is due a $1.35MM base salary but secured $3MM in guaranteed 2026 compensation in March 2025. Being that this is the Saints, a sizable dead money hit would come if Kamara is traded or released.
Loomis’ timeline seemingly aligns with the pivotal June 1 date. The Saints likely will not act before that point, as making a move after that date would be a more cost-effective solution (with regards to 2026). Parting with Kamara after June 1 would allow the Saints to spread the dead cap charges over the next two years. Cutting him after that date would take away around $900K in cap space, whereas a summer trade would save the Saints approximately $456K.
The Saints would be hit with $24.4MM if they cut Kamara, but making that move after June 1 would allow them to spread that penalty between their 2026 and ’27 payrolls. Four void years being included in this deal represents the primary dead money source if Kamara is jettisoned.
Loomis’ team was in the strange position of not carrying the NFL’s worst cap situation entering the offseason, which deviates from several years of the restructure-crazed franchise’s winter situations. The Saints hold $8.29MM in cap space. Nearly 12 months from the 2027 league year, New Orleans is projected to hold more than $48MM in cap space in 2027. Though, many variables between now and then will change the equation.
Etienne signed a four-year, $48MM deal that includes $24MM guaranteed. The ex-Jaguar’s fully guaranteed figure ranks sixth among running backs, matching Christian McCaffrey‘s 2024 extension. The Saints also have holdovers Kendre Miller and Devin Neal rostered; Neal was drafted to play in Moore’s system while Miller — who is in a contract year — arrived under Dennis Allen. Former Vikings backup Ty Chandler is also on the Saints’ roster.
It would seem the Saints could get by without Kamara, given Etienne’s presence. Kamara’s five-year run of Pro Bowls stopped after the 2021 season — Sean Payton‘s New Orleans finale — and he averaged a career-low 3.6 yards per carry last season. This came after a bounce-back 2024, when the ex-Payton chess piece tallied 1,493 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games. Kamara missed the team’s final six games last season with an MCL sprain. He also missed time to close the ’24 season, battling a groin injury. Altogether, Kamara has missed 19 games since 2021.
Teams will undoubtedly be interested in a free agency agreement if the Saints move on via release. Kamara came out against a trade before last year’s deadline, indicating he would potentially retire rather than be dealt away from New Orleans. With Etienne in the fold, it is worth wondering if the Pro Bowl RB’s stance has changed. We should find out soon, with the June 1 date — even as the A.J. Brown situation overshadows other NFL matters pertaining to the pivotal point on the NFL calendar — will provide some clarity.
Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 5/29/26
Pro Football Rumors' Sam Robinson will be holding a live chat at 3pm Central today, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!
Steelers Restructure TE Pat Freiermuth’s Contract
Even after the Jonnu Smith release and Connor Heyward Raiders defection, Mike McCarthy‘s first Steelers roster is fairly deep at tight end. The team returns Darnell Washington to go with fifth-round rookie Riley Nowakowski. Pat Freiermuth remains the veteran presence among this group.
The Steelers gave Freiermuth a four-year, $48.4MM extension before the 2024 season, and they are using this contract to create some mid-offseason cap space. The team restructured Freiermuth’s deal this week, according to Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti.
Pittsburgh’s recent move will free up $4.25MM in cap space. The team was just shy of the NFL’s salary ceiling prior to this restructure, though more work will need to be done to carve out room to complete rookie signings. The Steelers are more than $1MM in the red in terms of effective cap space, per OverTheCap. The Steelers have not signed third-round quarterback Drew Allar yet.
This conversion reduces Freiermuth’s 2026 base salary to the veteran minimum and trims his cap number to $6.9MM. No void years are being added here, so future Freiermuth cap numbers are going up. He will count for $14.2MM against the Steelers’ 2027 cap and $12.6MM on the team’s 2028 payroll. The ’27 and ’28 figures are each increasing by $2.13MM, per OverTheCap.
Seeing Washington become a more prominent pass-game component and using Heyward regularly, the Steelers reduced Freiermuth’s snap share by a significant amount last season. He closed the campaign with a career-low eight starts and played 51% of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps. The former second-round pick, who had logged a 69% snap rate in 2024, had never played fewer than 62% of the team’s offensive snaps.
Teams expressed trade interest in Freiermuth in early March; this report came before Pittsburgh released Smith, who remains a free agent. Washington, who played 57% of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps last season, is viewed as an extension candidate. No guaranteed money remains on Freiermuth’s deal beyond 2026. This restructure would make a 2027 separation a bit more costly; a trade next year would tag the team with nearly $9MM in dead money.
The Steelers also added two high-profile receiving pieces this offseason, trading for Michael Pittman Jr. — and giving the possession receiver a two-year, $35MM extension — and using a second-round pick on slot target Germie Bernard. Smith and Heyward’s exits point to Freiermuth seeing a usage uptick under McCarthy, but how the team proceeds with Washington will be worth monitoring regarding Freiermuth’s future ahead of his age-28 season.
Giants Fear WR Gunner Olszewski Tore Achilles
Spending two seasons as the Giants’ primary punt returner, Gunner Olszewski re-signed with the new-look team this offseason. But another season-altering injury looks to have occurred.
Olszewski, who missed all of the 2024 season, went down with a noncontact injury at Giants OTAs today. The team fears the veteran special teams presence suffered an Achilles tear, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The former first-team All-Pro returner is undergoing testing to confirm this.
[RELATED: Giants DL Roy Robertson-Harris Tears Achilles]
Re-signing with the Giants on a one-year, $1.4MM deal that included $300K guaranteed, Olszewski has been with the team since 2023. The Giants added him that year after a Steelers stint. Olszewski, 30, began his career with the Patriots in 2019. This could be his second season-nullifying injury in three years.
The Giants used Olszewski as their top punt returner in 2023, signing him in November of that year after the Steelers cut him in-season. Olszewski, who earned his All-Pro slot with the Patriots in 2020, returned a punt for a score in his first season with the Giants. He re-signed in 2024 but landed on IR that September and was never activated. A groin injury sidelined the veteran special-teamer two years ago, but the Giants brought him back in July 2025.
He played in 16 games for the team last season, seeing more time on offense for a team that lost Malik Nabers to an ACL tear and played without Darius Slayton for a chunk of the campaign. In addition to his punt-return duties, Olszewski caught a career-high 10 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. As kick returns became a notable NFL sequence thanks to a pivotal offseason rule tweak, Olszewski also worked as New York’s top kick-return option in 2025.
Big Blue made three key receiver additions this offseason, signing Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin before trading up for Notre Dame’s Malachi Fields in the third round. Austin will be an option in the punt-return game, having played extensively in that role with the Steelers from 2023-25. His presence did not make Olszewski a roster lock in Harbaugh’s first year, with the Giants — who lost Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency — still rostering Slayton. Nabers is not a lock to return from injury in Week 1, but it is too early to call him a reserve/PUP list candidate.
Steelers, Senior Special Teams Coach Derius Swinton Part Ways
The Steelers are moving on from one of Mike McCarthy‘s new staff hires well before the season. Senior special teams coach Derius Swinton is out, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes.
Swinton is believed to have engaged in workplace misconduct, ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor notes. The Steelers hired Swinton as a right-hand man for special teams coordinator Danny Crossman in February. Swinton, 41, has been an NFL assistant since the 2009 season.
Crossman joined the Steelers as their Danny Smith replacement; Smith, who is now with the Buccaneers, was a target to retain under McCarthy. But Crossman became the team’s pick once Smith left for Florida, leading to Swinton’s hire soon after. Now, Pittsburgh is without a top lieutenant for its new ST boss.
Swinton finished last season as the Raiders’ interim ST coordinator, taking over in that role after Pete Carroll fired Tom McMahon in November. A 2023 Josh McDaniels hire retained by Carroll, Swinton worked with new Steelers DC Patrick Graham during his time in Las Vegas. Swinton, however, had not previously worked on a McCarthy staff or with Crossman.
The lack of connections to the new Pittsburgh HC and ST coordinator made for an interesting fit, but Swinton has been coaching in the NFL since 2009. The Steelers were his ninth NFL employer. He had been a special teams coordinator twice — with the 49ers in 2016 and with the Chargers in 2021 — but mostly has resided on the assistant STC level. He has held that role for the Raiders, Cardinals, Bears and Broncos prior to his appointment in Pittsburgh.
Texans, WR Nico Collins Agree On Reworked Deal
MAY 29: $57MM of the $60MM total from this two-year arrangement is fully guaranteed, as detailed by Over the Cap. That includes a $27MM signing bonus. Collins’ cap charge for the coming year was lowered to $14.94MM by the new deal, while his 2027 hit is set to check in at $42.12MM. $16.2MM in money present during the deal’s void years has been added.
MAY 26: The Texans shot down Nico Collins trade rumors during the draft, and they are now taking care of their top wide receiver. Collins and the team agreed on a reworked deal Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Collins will receive raises in 2026 and ’27 as a part of this agreement, per Schefter, who notes the sixth-year veteran will see a $9MM cash influx in 2026 and an $8MM bump in 2027. Both Collins’ 2026 and ’27 salaries are now guaranteed.
[RELATED: Texans Give Azeez Al-Shaiir Top-Five ILB Deal]
Houston’s May 2024 extension agreement with Collins has aged extraordinarily well. He is tied to a three-year, $72.75MM deal. Even at the time, that contract looked team-friendly, as A.J. Brown had moved the receiver market to $32MM per year weeks earlier. Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase and now Jaxon Smith-Njigba have taken the market onto new tiers since the Collins contract was finalized. The Texans’ top skill-position talent, in terms of AAV, had been tied to a salary nearly $20MM south of Smith-Njigba’s market-setting pact ($42.15MM per year).
No new years are being added to Collins’ deal, but the raises here are substantial — as are the guarantee bumps. Collins was due $20MM in guaranteed compensation this year but had no guarantees in place for 2027. Collins was tied to a nonguaranteed $21.25MM salary next year. That number will rise considerably, and it continues a pattern of Texans proactivity on the contract front.
Texans GM Nick Caserio gave Derek Stingley Jr. a market-resetting extension in March 2025 and did the same for Will Anderson Jr. this offseason. The team also has shown a willingness to guarantee cornerstone players’ money in future years. The Texans have extended Danielle Hunter twice on one-year bumps and reupped Dalton Schultz for an additional year in March. Collins will loom as a 2027 extension candidate in Houston, but Caserio has again rewarded a productive player with a significant guarantee increase.
The pay hikes agreed to Tuesday will move Collins near $30MM in compensation this year and next. That still puts him outside of the top five at his position, with the NFL’s $30MM-AAV receiver club now consisting of nine players (though, a 49ers Brandon Aiyuk release would trim it to eight). Collins is entering an age-27 season and is coming off three straight 1,000-yard campaigns. Although C.J. Stroud has not made big strides since his rookie-year breakthrough, the Texans have found a gem in Collins — a 2021 third-round pick.
Collins finished with 1,117 receiving yards in 2025 and cleared 1,000 yards (1,006) in just 12 games in 2024. The Michigan product broke out in 2023, tallying 1,297 yards after previously failing to eclipse 500 in each of his first two seasons.
The Texans added Stefon Diggs via trade in 2024 but saw him suffer an ACL tear midway through his only season with the team. Tank Dell missed all of last season because of a severe knee injury sustained late in the 2024 slate. The Texans have since made moves to complement Collins with young players, adding Iowa State’s Jayden HIggins and Jaylin Noel on Day 2 of last year’s draft.
Dell is tracking to return this season, which will give the Texans interesting depth around Collins and the ex-Cyclones. But the team’s top playmaker is not in question entering 2026. Collins wants to stay with the Texans long term, and the team certainly showed appreciation for his work today. It is notable no extension has been reached, but the raise looks to settle this matter for 2026.
Latest On Browns, DE Myles Garrett
Joe Thomas was content to stay in Cleveland for the duration of his career despite the team fielding perennially bad rosters during the Hall of Fame tackle’s run. This situation involved the All-Pro being discussed in trades in his early 30s.
Thomas’ age-31 season nearly saw him moved to the Broncos, but the Browns stood down. Thomas said ahead of the 2016 trade deadline he wanted to stay in Cleveland, and a new Browns regime — one that had current GM Andrew Berry as a key front office presence — did not move the decorated left tackle. These decisions came during a 4-44 stretch. Thomas retired after the 2017 season, never being part of a Browns playoff team.
Myles Garrett will turn 31 later this year, and while the Browns have not been nearly as bad during his career (which has featured two playoff berths), the two-time Defensive Player of the Year is trapped as a dominant performer on one of the NFL’s worst teams. That brings a familiar situation for the Browns.
Garrett also requested a trade early during the 2025 offseason. The Berry-led Browns have continually stood against moving their future Hall of Fame pass rusher, who backed off his trade ask once the team gave him a then-defender-record four-year, $160MM extension. The team did not move Garrett’s new contract after emerging in a seller’s position at yet another trade deadline, and he proceeded to break the single-season sack record weeks later.
Garrett’s contract has since been surpassed by four edge rushers — T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, Aidan Hutchinson, Will Anderson Jr. — as the market has climbed to $50MM per year. We heard earlier this year another Garrett raise would be more likely than a trade, but Cleveland’s decision to rework the 10th-year veteran’s contract this offseason triggered trade speculation.
The Browns shifted Garrett option bonus dates from March until just before the regular season from 2026-28. For 2026, that means a $29.2MM guaranteed payment is due seven days before Week 1. June 1 also looms as a key date pertaining to the Browns, and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer writes a trade after that point should not be ruled out.
Some execs around the NFL are also interpreting Garrett’s absence from Browns OTAs as a sign of the player regretting his decision to sign a 2025 extension with the struggling team, Sportsboom.com’s Jason La Canfora notes. (To be fair, Garrett has missed Browns OTA work in the past as well.) Garrett has voiced frustration about the Browns’ losing at several points. Days before he set the single-season sack record, the former No. 1 overall pick said he wants to contend rather than rebuild.
Given his age, that stance is unsurprising. Garrett has also seen the Browns pass on adding a quarterback this offseason, with an uninspiring Deshaun Watson–Shedeur Sanders position battle commencing. The Browns are not expected to contend this season, and our Adam La Rose indicated during a recent PFR mailbag a trade would be the best course of action for the Browns in order to equip them with prime draft assets. Todd Monken — who was the Browns’ OC during Garrett’s abbreviated (due to the Mason Rudolph helmet strike) 2019 season — has since revealed he has not spoken with Garrett since being hired as head coach.
From a value standpoint, the Browns erred by not trading Thomas late in his career. An additional first-round pick and perhaps more would have been unlikely to save that version of the Browns, and a case can be made moving Garrett would create a massive hole for the foreseeable future. But the Browns may need more draft ammo to chase a long-term QB option. Garrett would bring back at least a first-rounder in a trade, and given what the Ravens were set to send the Raiders for Maxx Crosby (two firsts), Cleveland would assuredly ask for at least that for a player coming off a 23-sack season.
The Browns trading Garrett after June 1 would lessen their 2026 dead money blow to $15.53MM, per OverTheCap, while creating more than $8MM in cap space. However, the team would see a bigger dead money hit in 2027 — when the Watson dead cap offseasons will begin (assuming the Browns designate Watson as a post-June 1 cut next year, which appears likely, it will bring an $86.2MM dead money bill split between 2027 and ’28).
Adding Garrett dead money would create a more daunting task for Monken, who will presumably be the coach stuck with the Watson dead money after Kevin Stefanski coached the Browns with the QB on lower cap hits via restructures. But the Browns are running out of time to cash out on their top asset. Garrett’s contract runs through 2030, but given the changes on the EDGE market since that deal was finalized, it is likely he will be asking for a raise in the near future. That will presumably also impact teams’ desire to trade for him.
Offering some pushback to Garrett trade rumors, TheLandonDemand.com’s Tony Grossi does not expect the all-world sack artist to be moved after June 1. However, Grossi does acknowledge the rumors will persist due to the recent contract rework. With more Crosby rumors likely coming between now and the deadline, Garrett interest is undoubtedly set to commence as well.
Kayvon Thibodeaux Impressing Giants’ Staff; Teams Unwilling To Meet New York’s Trade Price
Creating a logjam reminiscent of their early-2010s situation on the edge, the Giants drafted Arvell Reese fifth overall despite rostering Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter. This four-first-rounder armada gives the Giants a tantalizing group at a premium position.
This cadre is deep enough the Giants are starting Reese out as an off-ball linebacker. Reese joins No. 10 overall pick Francis Mauigoa in being stationed at a lower-profile position to start his career (the Giants are preparing to use Mauigoa at guard after he spent his college career at right tackle). But it is certainly possible more time for Reese as a traditional pass rusher opens up via a Kayvon Thibodeaux trade. Moving Thibodeaux has come up on a few occasions this offseason, including on draft weekend.
The Giants rejected a Saints fourth-round offer for Thibodeaux, holding out for a second-rounder. Big Blue is believed to value Thibodeaux “significantly higher” than the rest of the league right now, according to ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan, who adds the fifth-year edge defender has impressed the new Giants coaching staff.
Thibodeaux has not delivered on his No. 5 overall draft status, but the Oregon product has produced in spurts. He registered a Giants-leading 11.5 sacks in 2023 but has dealt with injuries over the past two seasons. Thibodeaux missed five games in 2024 and seven in 2025. Last season, he only tallied 2.5 sacks and nine QB hits. That came after a 5.5-sack 2024, though the contract-year EDGE posted a career-best 17 QB hits that season. Still, teams are highly unlikely to send the Giants a second-round pick for Thibodeaux given his recent production and health issues.
I mentioned in our Giants Offseason Outlook piece a way for the team to increase Thibodeaux’s value would be to hope he can deliver a strong start to the season. A host of teams have forked over at least third-round picks for contract-year edge rushers in recent years. Not too many first- and second-round choices have been exchanged for rentals at the deadline, though the Bears sent the Commanders a second for Montez Sweat in 2023 while the Dolphins gave the Broncos first- and fourth-rounders for Bradley Chubb. Both players signed big-ticket extensions soon after those trades. Thibodeaux has been a less consistent option compared to those two, however, which makes the Giants’ second-round price a bit unreasonable.
It will be worth monitoring if the Giants’ new staff would be open to reducing the Thibodeaux asking price to clear space for Reese, whose situations reminds of Mathias Kiwanuka‘s after the 2010 Jason Pierre-Paul first-round pick.
A natural pass rusher, Kiwanuka played extensively at off-ball linebacker due to the Giants accumulating impressive depth at defensive end at the time. Reese is currently slated to team with Tremaine Edmunds at ILB, with DC Dennard Wilson and holdover OLBs coach Charlie Bullen tasked with finding ways to deploy the rookie as a pass rusher while Thibodeaux is still rostered.
An early-March report indicated the Giants would prefer to move Thibodeaux, and noise continued until draft weekend. The Giants’ decision to grant Dexter Lawrence‘s trade request looked to lower the chances of a Thibodeaux move, but the Reese pick only offered another reminder of Thibodeaux’s temporary New York status. The Giants have Burns signed for three more seasons, while Carter’s rookie deal can be extended through 2029 via the fifth-year option.
Thibodeaux trade fits had come up after the Carter pick; Reese being in the fold makes it likely a move is coming before 2027. With Reese’s fifth-year option covering the 2030 season, Big Blue is set at OLB for the foreseeable future — if/when Reese becomes a regular part of the team’s pass rush. Thibodeaux, 25, will be a prime candidate to be dealt by the deadline. A late-summer move would not be especially surprising, either, but the Giants are holding out for better offers than they have thus far received.
49ers’ Isaac Guerendo Suffers Pectoral Tear; Team Makes RB Additions
6:25pm: Guerendo has already undergone surgery, which should help him meet that aforementioned end-of-training-camp target, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
4:30pm: Isaac Guerendo is set to compete for a roster spot this offseason, with the 49ers adding a Day 2 draftee (Kaelon Black) to their backfield — one already housing Jordan James behind Christian McCaffrey. Guerendo will not be able to factor prominently into the McCaffrey backup competition for a while, however.
The third-year running back suffered a pectoral tear while lifting weights recently, Kyle Shanahan said (via the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman). Guerendo is expected to return late in training camp, complicating his path to the team’s 53-man roster now that Black has arrived as a third-round pick. Guerendo suffered the injury about a month ago, per Shanahan.
For the short term, the 49ers also made additions to their RB room. The team signed running backs Jordan Mims and Jermar Jefferson, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. The team waived running back Sincere McCormick and placed veteran safety Darrick Forrest on IR to create roster space.
A recent report indicated Guerendo may be on the outside looking in following the 49ers’ Black pick. Although the Shanahan-era 49ers have struggled mightily with mid-round RB picks — with Joe Williams, Trey Sermon and Tyrion Davis-Price joining Guerendo (a 2024 third-rounder) in failing to make much of an impact — the team is trying again with Black. The Indiana product was not invited to the Combine, but he became this draft’s third RB chosen.
Guerendo was on San Francisco’s 53-man roster throughout last season, but the team stashed him behind James and Brian Robinson among McCaffrey backups. Despite the 49ers trading Jordan Mason to the Vikings, they did not find much playing time for Guerendo. San Francisco traded for Robinson to be McCaffrey’s top backup, and Guerendo did not play an offensive snap, seeing his only time on special teams.
Clocking a sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash at the 2024 Combine, Guerendo averaged 5.0 yards per carry as a rookie (84/420) and scored four touchdowns during a season in which McCaffrey missed extensive time with injury. Robinson joined the Falcons in free agency, but Black will be competing with James to replace him as RB2. Guerendo is now all but certain to land on San Francisco’s active/PUP list to open camp. The 49ers could buy more recovery time by placing him on the reserve/PUP list to open the season; the latter designation would require a four-game absence.
Mims, 26, has 20 career carries in three seasons. The former UDFA logged all of those totes in 2024 with the Saints. A 2021 Lions seventh-round pick who spent last season with the Cardinals, Jefferson has 21 career carries. Forrest, who started 17 Commanders games from 2021-24, joined the 49ers’ practice squad in November of last year but did not see any playing time.