Saints Agree To Reworked Deal With RB Alvin Kamara
10:20pm: The Saints and Kamara have finalized the reworked deal, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport. “Alvin’s goal, and the team’s goal, was for him to remain with the and retire a Saint,” the RB’s agent, Brad Cicala, said. Although precise terms are still not known, though The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson confirms it is a pay cut, Kamara is set to play out the through-2026 deal he signed in 2024.
3:16pm: While the franchise tag deadline did not produce any drama this year, the Saints are making some news today. Despite signing Travis Etienne in March, New Orleans intends to retain Alvin Kamara for at least one more season.
Kamara is positioned to stay with the Saints for a 10th year, with NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill (along with former Saints Pro Bowler Terron Armstead) reporting the sides are finalizing a reworked contract. One season remained on Kamara’s two-year Saints extension, which he had signed during the 2024 season, but Etienne’s arrival clouded the former Pro Bowler’s status. Kamara indeed will accept a pay cut, Underhill adds, though it is unclear how much of a trim will take place.
The Saints gave Etienne a four-year, $48MM free agency accord that included $24MM guaranteed at signing. Benefiting to a degree from Breece Hall not being available (via the franchise tag), the five-year Jaguar is poised to supplant Kamara as the Saints’ top back. The Etienne signing brought more Kamara trade rumors, but months passed without a resolution.
In May, GM Mickey Loomis said Kamara did not have a decision to make regarding a pay cut. A week later, a report indicated no pay cut had been discussed. The details of Kamara’s latest Saints agreement are not known, but he will collect a reduced figure from the up to $11.5MM he was to earn this year. Kamara, 31 next week, signed a two-year deal worth $24.5MM; the Saints guaranteed him $19.23MM at signing in October 2024.
Kamara secured a $3MM guarantee for 2026 by being on the Saints’ roster in March 2025. He entered the offseason carrying a cap number of $18.12MM, but the perennially cap-strapped Saints utilized the CBA’s 50% rule — which stipulates a player’s salary and bonuses need to come in above the remaining prorated amount of that year’s signing bonus — to reduce it. As a result of that offseason adjustment, New Orleans already dropped Kamara’s 2026 cap number to $10.45MM. It appears the team is proceeding with a simpler resolution here, with this pay cut set to form an Etienne-Kamara duo for at least one season.
Starting his career 5-for-5 in Pro Bowl nods, Kamara has done well for himself financially in the NFL. The former Sean Payton chess piece agreed to a five-year, $75MM extension before the 2020 season and played four-plus years on on that contract. Although Kamara was heavily rumored to become a 2025 Saints cap casualty, the sides agreed on an extension that brought a hefty guarantee for the then-29-year-old RB. Kamara has made more than $67MM in his career, per OverTheCap.
The nine-year Saint is probably the best running back in franchise history. Kamara’s five Pro Bowls are three more than any other Saints RB. While the likes of Deuce McAllister, Dalton Hilliard, Rueben Mayes, George Rogers and Chuck Muncie experienced success in New Orleans, Kamara’s body of work — and role in the team’s late-2010s resurgence — stands out among this crowd. Although Fred McAfee played until age 38, the RB/special-teamer spent five midcareer years away from New Orleans. Mark Ingram played 10 Saints seasons but also spent time away from the team during his career. A 2017 third-round pick, Kamara is a career-long Saint.
A 2023 suspension and a run of injuries have moved Kamara away from the top tier at the position. The Tennessee product’s age and 2025 injury led to the Saints signing Etienne, who is going into an age-27 season. The team also rosters Kendre Miller, Devin Neal and free agent pickup Ty Chandler. Wednesday’s agreement, however, certainly points to Etienne and Kamara coexisting.
Kamara has expressed a desire to be a one-team player, going as far as to mention retirement if he were traded last year. The Saints held onto him at the deadline but saw an MCL sprain end his season not long after. Kamara suffered knee sprains during the 2019 and ’21 seasons, while he also missed seven games between the 2023 and ’24 campaigns.
Twice a second-team All-Pro, Kamara made a considerable difference in the Saints finding their footing again in 2017. The team made four straight playoff berths, with its impact 2017 draft class riding shotgun to Drew Brees at the time. Kamara and Ingram formed a lethal tandem from the start of the younger back’s career, and Kamara quickly usurped the 2011 first-rounder as the team’s top run-game option.
Toiling in the NFL’s middle class for most of the time since that string of postseason berths, the Saints have used Kamara as their regular RB starter. He produced 1,493 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in 2024. Last season, however, brought a step back. Kamara averaged a career-low 3.6 yards per carry and finished with just 657 scrimmage yards in an 11-game slate.
The Saints will nevertheless give him another chance, via this fourth contract. This might end up being Kamara’s final Saints season, but it marks a second instance of the team opting to complete a new contract rather than part ways with the backfield cornerstone.
Offseason In Review: Miami Dolphins
In 2019, the Dolphins launched one of the most aggressive rebuilds in modern NFL history. The Chris Grier-led overhaul did eventually produce some success, with the GM’s 2022 Mike McDaniel hire leading to the franchise’s first instance of back-to-back playoff berths since the early 2000s. But the McDaniel- and Tua Tagovailoa-centered turnaround did not last. The Dolphins moved on from Grier last fall and, after some consideration was given to pairing McDaniel with a new GM, the team started fresh in 2026.
After we covered the team’s decisions to reboot around GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and HC Jeff Hafley in our Offseason Outlook series, the Dolphins’ latest rebuild came into focus. The team made two trades, one a blockbuster, and 13 draft choices. The team also identified Malik Willis as its Tagovailoa successor, but long-term questions remain. Willis also will be leading a roster carrying a record amount of dead money, thanks in large part to the team’s decision to bail on the Tagovailoa contract two years in.
Trades:
- Dealt WR Jaylen Waddle, No. 111 to Broncos for Nos. 30, 94, 130
- Traded S Minkah Fitzpatrick to Jets for No. 238
Barely a week after agreeing to terms with Willis, the Dolphins dismantled their long-running wide receiver duo. Having already cut Tyreek Hill in an expected cap-casualty move, Miami ended a five-year partnership with Waddle by sending him to Denver. Waddle, 27, brought back a quality return — one that bettered what the Eagles received for A.J. Brown — and will be expected to turbocharge a Broncos offense that has relied on Courtland Sutton as its clear No. 1 target for the past two seasons. As a Sutton-Waddle duo looks like one of the NFL’s best, the Dolphins created a gaping hole at receiver by trading the former No. 6 overall pick.
The Bills are believed to have offered first- and third-round picks for Waddle at the 2025 deadline, but interim GM Champ Kelly wanted more to send his top healthy pass catcher to a division rival. Buffalo was prepared to part with a 2027 first-round pick and a 2026 third, but Miami decisionmakers wanted a first in the ’26 draft. The Broncos, who were involved in the Waddle market at last year’s deadline, obliged and sent the Dolphins’ new regime their first-round pick.
A February report indicated the Dolphins viewed Waddle as a core player and were unlikely to move on via trade, and it is not believed the team aggressively shopped him. Talks with the Broncos after the Combine became a launch point, however, with the Sean Payton–George Paton regime huddling up with Sullivan after gauging the Kelly-led front office’s price point months earlier. A Dolphins team taking on a record-setting $99.2MM in Tagovailoa dead money decided the Broncos’ offer was sufficient for a centerpiece player drafted by the Grier regime.
Removing Waddle from the Dolphins’ receiving corps will assuredly deal a blow to Willis’ chances of putting quality work on film this season, as the new Miami QB is saddled with easily one of the NFL’s worst pass-catching crews. Willis committed to the Dolphins with Waddle still rostered, and while Sullivan confirmed the quarterback received advanced notice about the trade, the former Packers backup did not have that information when he signed as a free agent. Willis will be following Sullivan and Hafley from Green Bay, and the $45MM guarantee at signing did plenty of work to facilitate that. But this QB job looks a bit less promising after the Waddle move.
The Dolphins did trade a No. 3 overall pick for future Hall of Famer Paul Warfield in 1970, but Waddle is the highest-drafted wideout in team history. The former Alabama speedster enticed the Dolphins to trade their 2022 first-round pick (to the Eagles) to move up from No. 12 to No. 6 in 2021, and after Waddle worked as the club’s No. 1 target as a rookie, he shifted into a high-profile sidekick role alongside Hill in 2022. Waddle started his career with three 1,000-yard seasons and played a central role in the Dolphins’ early-2020s resurgence, leading to a 2024 extension.
Miami handed Waddle a three-year, $84.75MM extension that included a franchise WR record in total guarantees ($76MM). Three years remain on the deal, one that now represents $23.23MM in dead money. The Dolphins will be free of the Waddle contract after 2026. Miami’s ’26 cap sheet has seven eight-figure dead money hits. Miami’s previous trade brought one of them.
Several days earlier, the Dolphins capped a Fitzpatrick stint at one year for the second time. The team had traded the former first-round pick after his 2018 rookie season, as Grier gutted the roster, but had reacquired him from the Steelers as part of the Jalen Ramsey trade. As Sullivan performs similarly aggressive roster surgery, Fitzpatrick found himself traded for a third time.
Grier both traded and acquired Fitzpatrick as the Dolphins’ top decisionmaker, but the former All-Pro safety’s return did not lead to a Miami turnaround. However, Pro Football Focus ranked Fitzpatrick fifth overall among safeties last season. The team’s new regime still shopped the ninth-year veteran shortly before the 2026 league year, and it did not take much to move on.
A mid-seventh-round pick sent the 29-year-old DB to a division rival. After his trade back to Miami brought no guaranteed money added, New York authorized a three-year, $40MM extension that brought $20.5MM guaranteed at signing. Fitzpatrick counts $12.99MM in 2026 Dolphins dead money.
Extensions and restructures:
- Signed C Aaron Brewer to three-year, $52.5MM extension ($21.33MM guaranteed)
- Handed RB De’Von Achane four-year, $64MM deal ($17.39MM guaranteed)
- Gave Austin Jackson pay cut; RT now on one-year, $7MM deal ($5.48MM guaranteed)
Miami’s 2019 rebuild featured two blockbuster trades of core talent, with Fitzpatrick and Laremy Tunsil moved, and Ryan Tannehill dealt for mid-round draft capital. Although the Dolphins stripped their roster of several core players via cuts and trades this year, they did make multiple holdovers priorities.
Kept out of trade talks, Achane landed a top-three running back contract. The Dolphins have the speedy back on a $16MM-per-year deal that trails only Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey in AAV.
With $27.38MM guaranteed in total, Achane secured two fully guaranteed years and will see a $3MM early guarantee (March 2027) on his 2028 salary. Another $7MM of Achane’s 2028 compensation will become guaranteed in March 2028, providing some early security. This marks a change for a Dolphins franchise that had not invested heavily in RB second contracts under recent regimes.
The Dolphins did not re-sign previous draftees Kenyan Drake, Jay Ajayi or Lamar Miller during the 2010s. Former top-five pick Ronnie Brown also left as a 2010 free agent. Miami hadn’t handed one of its RB draftees a notable extension in decades. The team had used veteran additions like Raheem Mostert, Frank Gore, Reggie Bush, Ricky Williams and Lamar Smith as starters this century. The 17-year Dan Marino era featured one 1,000-yard rushing rushing season (Karim Abdul-Jabbar‘s 1996). This franchise has next to no history reinvesting in a running back, making Achane’s deal rather significant.
Sullivan came from a Packers franchise that had both re-signed a starting RB (Aaron Jones) and added one in free agency (Josh Jacobs) since 2021. The Dolphins will change course by retaining Achane, one of the fastest running backs in NFL history and a player coming off a career-best season. The former third-round pick smashed his best single-season rushing performance by reaching 1,350 yards, and his 1,838 scrimmage yards represented a major improvement. Despite playing for a 7-10 Dolphins team navigating QB struggles and a severe Hill injury, Achane led the NFL with 5.7 yards per carry and did so on 238 totes.
He of a 10.1-second 100-meter dash while at Texas A&M, Achane gives the Dolphins one of the NFL’s most dangerous home-run threats. Miami helped his cause by signing Brewer to a three-year, $21MM deal in 2024. On a steady rise since being a 2020 Titans UDFA, Brewer made a borderline stunning leap onto the All-Pro tier. The veteran interior O-lineman earned second-team All-Pro honors last season, giving the Dolphins considerable value on their $7MM-AAV deal. Miami’s new regime rewarded the former Grier midlevel addition.
Brewer, 28, has missed just one game over the past four seasons; be it at center or guard, he has been a full-time starter in that span. The Titans placed a second-round RFA tender on the Texas State alum in 2023, moving him to center that year. That turned into a pivotal change, as Brewer put together a nice contract year — as the rare Titans O-lineman of that period to stay healthy — and built on it in Miami. Pro Football Focus ranked Brewer behind only Creed Humphrey among centers last season, identifying the ascending Dolphins snapper as the NFL’s top run blocker at the position.
The Dolphins have not seen much center continuity since Mike Pouncey‘s seven-year tenure wrapped in 2018. A team without much in the way of financial commitments — after this offseason’s wave of veteran departures — will count on Brewer helping out a mostly young O-line. Brewer had been seeking a raise, and the Sullivan-Hafley duo accommodated him.
Jackson, 28 next month, is the only other non-rookie-deal projected starter up front. The Dolphins had the former first-round pick on a three-year, $36MM extension but saw injuries intervene during that contract’s life. Jackson, who missed 15 games in 2022 before a well-timed 2023 breakout earned him a raise, has been active in just 14 games over the past two seasons. A toe injury in Week 1 moved Jackson to IR for nearly three months last season, which came after a knee injury derailed his 2024 slate. Another well-timed healthy season could alter Jackson’s career arc, but as it stands, he looks like a stopgap for a new regime’s rebuild.
Free agency additions:
- Malik Willis, QB. Three years, $67.5MM ($45MM guaranteed)
- Darrell Baker Jr., CB. One year, $1.4MM ($1.26MM guaranteed)
- Jalen Tolbert, WR. One year, $1.4MM ($1.26MM guaranteed)
- Joshua Uche, DE. One year, $1.4MM ($1.26MM guaranteed)
- Tutu Atwell, WR. One year, $1.4MM ($1.08MM guaranteed)
- Zayne Anderson, S. One year, $1.4MM ($753K guaranteed)
- Willie Gay, ILB. One year, $1.4MM ($688K guaranteed)
- Lonnie Johnson Jr., S. One year, $1.49MM ($188K guaranteed)
- Jamaree Salyer, OL. One year, $1.49MM ($188K guaranteed)
- Charlie Heck, T. One year, $1.4MM ($188K guaranteed)
- Ben Sims, TE. One year, $1.33MM ($188K guaranteed)
- Zane Gonzalez, K. One year, $1.49MM ($100K guaranteed)
- Ronnie Harrison, LB/S. One year, $1.4MM
- David Ojabo, DE. One year, $1.4MM
- Marco Wilson, CB. One year, $1.32MM
- Alex Austin, CB. One year, $1.22MM
- Jalen Reagor, WR. One year, $1.22MM
When the Broncos cut Russell Wilson and shattered the then-single-player dead money record, they drafted Bo Nix and have kept costs low at QB since. The Falcons held the previous QB dead cap record when they traded Matt Ryan to the Colts in 2022; they responded by signing Marcus Mariota that year and trimming costs further by going with Desmond Ridder at the wheel in 2023. The Cardinals are carrying a $46.57MM Kyler Murray dead cap hit this year; they are keeping costs low at QB and setting up a 2027 runway. While the Dolphins may have the same approach with the ’27 QB class, they are zagging in terms of immediate costs at the position following a seismic dead money decision.
Willis’ $45MM guarantee at signing betters what Sam Darnold received in 2025 by more than $10MM. Despite Darnold having collected an original-ballot Pro Bowl invite in 2024, he accepted a pay-as-you-go Seahawks offer. Willis did not receive top-tier QB money by any stretch, but he secured a strong guarantee given his checkered resume. He of six career starts — three with Tennessee, three in Green Bay — Willis clearly drew considerable interest to drive his market to the place it reached.
Although Sullivan said finances would be tricky for the Dolphins at quarterback, he and Hafley reunited with Willis anyway. Willis, 27, had been linked to the Browns and Cardinals in free agency. Both those teams have cost issues at QB as well, complicating this derby.
Willis’ draft-weekend freefall in 2022 did as well, but he collected a big payday to join a team without contender aspirations in 2026. While Sullivan said Willis is not necessarily a bridge QB, the Dolphins have not set him up well in terms of weaponry. A reality in which they draft a signal-caller in next year’s first round is certainly a scenario to monitor.
No Deal For Cowboys, WR George Pickens
The Cowboys have seen a handful of players spend seasons on a franchise tag over the past several years. George Pickens will follow suit, as today’s deadline for tagged players to sign extensions has now passed. The other three players to receive tags — Breece Hall, Kyle Pitts and Daniel Jones (transition) — have all signed extensions.
No Pickens extension had been expected before this year’s deadline. Cowboys COO Stephen Jones confirmed in April the team will not negotiate a long-term deal with the tagged wideout this offseason. Pickens is now locked into a tag salary for 2026 and will be unable to negotiate with the Cowboys — or another team, in the unexpected event he is traded this year — until January.
[RELATED: Players To Spend Season On Franchise Tag Since 2015]
Pickens will be tied to a $27.3MM salary. The 2025 trade acquisition has already signed his franchise tender, locking in that amount for the ’26 season. That also eliminates the likelihood of a training camp standoff, as the Cowboys would fine Pickens for missing action (had he not signed the tender, no fines could be levied). While the Cowboys can execute a tag-and-trade move after today’s deadline, Jones said the team has “zero intention” to trade him. Pickens is on track to play alongside CeeDee Lamb for at least one more season.
The former Steelers second-round pick will become the fifth Cowboy to be tied to a franchise tag beyond the July deadline over the past nine years. DeMarcus Lawrence (2018), Dak Prescott (2020), Dalton Schultz (2022) and Tony Pollard (2023) played Cowboys seasons on the tag since 2018. Dallas extended both Lawrence and Prescott after tagging them again the following year — Prescott’s second tag was procedural — while Schultz and Pollard moved on in free agency the following March. Pickens’ path will certainly be one to monitor, but Dallas will continue to evaluate the WR talent this season.
Pickens, 25, will become the sixth wide receiver to play on the tag since 2016. Alshon Jeffery (Bears, 2016), A.J. Green (Bengals, 2020), Allen Robinson (Bears, 2021), Chris Godwin (Buccaneers, 2021) and Tee Higgins (Bengals, 2024) also spent seasons on the tag. Jeffery, Green and Robinson left in free agency the next year; the Bengals and Bucs respectively reached extensions with Godwin and Higgins after applying second tags.
Dallas acquired Pickens in a May 2025 trade that sent Pittsburgh third- and fifth-round picks and a sixth back to the Cowboys. Deemed an unreliable talent in Pittsburgh, Pickens put together his best season in Dallas. The Georgia alum ripped off a 93-catch, 1,429-yard, nine-touchdown campaign. Jeremy Fowler’s annual league survey ranked Pickens as the NFL’s seventh-best receiver, only one spot behind Lamb. At the very least, the Cowboys are positioned to capitalize on the 6-foot-3 target’s age-25 season before reassessing in 2027.
Upon being acquired last year, Pickens said he aimed to play out his rookie contract. After putting together the monster 2025 season, a rumor emerged about Pickens being concerned with the prospect of the Cowboys re-tagging him in 2027. Mutual extension interest was believed to exist last season, but the prospect of a franchise tag emerged in November.
If the Cowboys tag Pickens again next year, it would cost them $32.76MM. A tag-and-trade scenario should be considered in play for 2027, but based on news to circulate this offseason, the Cowboys moving Pickens this year would be quite surprising. After all, they ranked second in total offense in Pickens’ debut slate. Pickens showing dominant form again would certainly make him a coveted 2027 free agent — perhaps the top overall option.
The Cowboys will have exclusive negotiating rights with the wideout between the 2026 season’s conclusion and the start of the 2027 legal tampering period, which arrives a day after next year’s Combine. Lamb’s $34MM-per-year extension runs through 2028; the All-Pro wideout is due only $7MM guaranteed next season, with no guarantees in place for 2028. The Cowboys broke up the Lamb-Amari Cooper tandem after two seasons. Will they take the same approach with Pickens or decide to extend him on a long-term deal next year?
Tyler Badie, Jaleel McLaughlin Vying For One Broncos Roster Spot?
Although the Broncos brought back both Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin this offseason, neither figures to be too close to the team’s starting lineup. Denver moves in free agency and the draft should see to that.
The Broncos re-signed J.K. Dobbins to a two-year, $16MM deal that included $8MM guaranteed at signing. This came after the team made what it viewed as a competitive offer for Travis Etienne, who signed with the Saints. Weeks later, Denver drafted Washington’s Jonah Coleman in the fourth round. Dobbins, Coleman and 2025 second-round pick RJ Harvey are positioned as the Broncos’ top three running backs, and the Denver Post’s Luca Evans notes this likely leaves McLaughlin and Badie battling for one roster spot.
[RELATED: Jaguars Nearly Completed Deal With Dobbins]
With Dobbins among the NFL’s most injury-prone players in many years, the Broncos kept four RBs on their 53-man roster last season. The team carried both McLaughlin and Badie after the August roster-setting deadline, though the latter saw action first while the ex-Javonte Williams sidekick was a healthy scratch during the portion of the season in which Dobbins was healthy. However, Dobbins’ Lisfranc injury reopened the door for McLaughlin, who impressed in limited duty.
The Broncos retained Badie, an ERFA, on a one-year, $1.1MM deal. Nontendered as an RFA, McLaughlin re-signed for $1.43MM ($125K guaranteed) days later. While McLaughlin outpaced Badie in guarantees, that will make little (if any) difference in a roster battle. Both players beat out Audric Estime for spots last year, but with Coleman now rostered, the Broncos almost certainly will not have room for both vets.
Badie, a 2022 Ravens sixth-round pick who landed in Denver later that year, did not make much of a statistical contribution last season; he totaled just 164 scrimmage yards in 16 games (though, the Missouri alum did average 7.4 per carry on 19 totes). The NCAA’s all-divisions rushing leader, McLaughlin totaled 570 scrimmage yards in 2023 and 572 in ’24. Despite the run of healthy scratches, the 5-foot-7 back outcarried Dobbins (37 handoffs) and averaged 5.1 per rush. Badie’s pass-protection skills remain a core component of his roster candidacy, Evans adds.
Both players would need to clear waivers if cut next month, as neither has four years of accrued service time. Denver could certainly attempt to keep both by stashing one on the practice squad, assuming the competition’s loser clears waivers, with a roster promotion potentially in the cards if Dobbins hits IR once again. Dobbins has spent time on IR in each of the past five years. While McLaughlin teamed with Harvey as Denver’s primary ballcarriers once Dobbins went down last season, Coleman will be positioned to play that role if the veteran misses time again.
Xavier Worthy’s Week 1 Labrum Tear Changed Chiefs’ Approach With WR
In Year 5 post-Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs are still waiting for their wide receiver plan to pay off. They have been unable to count on any of their wideouts since trading the all-time NFL speed merchant. Injuries, suspensions and poor evaluation at the position has led to aerial inconsistency.
The Chiefs have seen Patrick Mahomes‘ production dip from his stratospheric first five seasons, and even as two more Super Bowl berths came during the period since Mahomes’ 2022 MVP season, limitations have surfaced on offense. Kansas City ranked 15th in scoring offense in 2023 and ’24 before slinking to 21st during a 6-11 season Mahomes did not finish. As Mahomes winds down his recovery from ACL and LCL tears, the team is still hoping for a payoff on recent receiver investments.
[RELATED: Chris Jones’ Post-2026 Chiefs Future Uncertain]
While Rashee Rice has dominated the unreliability-based headlines among Chiefs WRs, Xavier Worthy has not yet justified his first-round draft slot. The explosive pass catcher compiled 157 receiving yards in Super Bowl LIX, with garbage time in the Eagles’ rout contributing heavily to that total, but saw any momentum from that finish stall after a labrum tear sustained in Week 1 last season. The Brazil injury sidelined Worthy for two games, but he returned and played with a harness. Putting off surgery until the offseason, the 2024 first-rounder finished with 532 receiving yards and just one touchdown in 2025.
Worthy has not developed into a deep threat despite his Combine-record 4.21-second 40-yard dash clocking, but The Athletic’s Jesse Newell notes the Texas product impressed during Kansas City’s offseason program. Andy Reid also said this offseason the Chiefs limited Worthy’s route tree following his shoulder injury. On track to be at full strength ahead of his third season, Worthy will be a bounce-back candidate.
Although the Chiefs have not received an indication a second Rice suspension is coming, the team’s embattled No. 1 wideout is not in the clear yet after a probation violation keyed a 30-day prison stay. The Chiefs are not expected to engage with Rice on extension talks in the near future, highlighting Worthy’s importance. The 165-pound pass catcher is signed for two more seasons, with a fifth-year option available for 2028. The Chiefs will need to make their option decision by May 2027, and Worthy’s 2026 season will go a long way toward determining how the AFC West club proceeds.
Missing on the Skyy Moore second-round pick and the Kadarius Toney trade, the Chiefs have seen Rice play in only 12 games over the past two seasons. The 2023 second-round pick is now in a contract year. K.C. let Marquise Brown walk (to Philadelphia) in free agency after the former first-rounder underwhelmed during a two-year stop. The team re-signed Tyquan Thornton to a two-year, $11MM deal but has been connected to potentially pursuing another veteran. A few intriguing options — a list headlined by Stefon Diggs and Deebo Samuel — are available, but a Worthy emergence would help provide the Chiefs a building block.
Used frequently in the screen game as a rookie, Worthy played 17 games and caught 59 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns. He added 104 rushing yards and three scores. His six-catch, 85-yard performance in the 2024 AFC championship game helped the Chiefs stave off the Bills once again. Assuming Worthy can stay healthy, Year 3 will provide valuable information about his long-term outlook.
With Rice’s future uncertain, the Chiefs will need to see what they truly have in Worthy this season. With the Broncos and Chargers leapfrogging them in the AFC West last year, the Chiefs will probably need Rice and Worthy healthy together — something that has proven elusive since Rice’s September 2024 LCL tear — if they want to return to their perch atop the division.
Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 7/12/26
Pro Football Rumors’ Sam Robinson will be holding a live chat at 2pm Central today, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!
Quenton Nelson Positioned To Use Tyler Linderbaum’s Center Windfall To Transform Guard Market
The PFR pages have not seen a Quenton Nelson update in more than three years. That is a testament to the All-Pro Colts guard’s consistency and durability. Nelson has not missed a game since signing his current contract just before the 2022 regular season.
That deal is now winding down, which should move the ninth-year Colts left guard back onto the radar soon. The Colts have made a habit under GM Chris Ballard in extending core offensive linemen late in the summer. They paid Ryan Kelly in 2020, Braden Smith in 2021, Nelson in 2022 and Bernhard Raimann last year. Nelson is due again, with his four-year, $80MM deal set to expire after the season. And some key contractual updates have emerged since the former No. 6 overall pick set a previous guard record with his $20MM-per-year extension.
Nelson, 30, has not missed a game over the past four seasons. He has rewarded the Colts, during a time that has brought some notable unreliability elsewhere on the roster, with four more Pro Bowl seasons. Nelson now has eight, and with six All-Pro honors (three first-team appearances) on his resume, a Hall of Fame bust appears likely for a player who is probably the second-best O-lineman in the Colts’ 74-year history. (All-time great Jim Parker‘s spot atop that list seems safe, but Nelson could certainly create a gap between Nos. 2 and 3 on this list by the time he’s done.)
The guard market has seen some updates in recent years, but the ceiling has not moved substantially. (Curiously, neither has the tackle market.) Nearly four years after Nelson became the league’s first $20MM-AAV guard, that club now sits at seven. Tyler Smith moved into the top spot last year, signing a four-year Cowboys extension worth $96MM. Considering the salary cap’s growth, that seems like a fairly easy target for Nelson, now Indy’s lone offensive player left from the Andrew Luck era. A center deal may do more work to move the guard market, however.
The NFL’s Eight-Figure Dead Money Hits For 2026
The NFL’s salary cap climbed to $301.2MM this offseason. The league also saw a team string together back-to-back playoff berths with record-setting dead money sums on its payroll. With the cap rising by more than $20MM once again and the Broncos navigating the Russell Wilson dead money abyss to 10- and 14-win seasons, the number of eight-figure dead cap figures this year extends beyond 40.
When I compiled the list of eight-figure cap hits in July 2024, months after Denver’s Wilson release, only 24 players counted as such on payrolls. There are now 43. After our Ben Levine covered where teams sit in terms of dead money — a list highlighted by the Dolphins’ astonishing $179.2MM number — here are the NFL’s top single-player hits for 2026:
1. Tua Tagovailoa, QB (Dolphins): $55.4MM
2. Kyler Murray, QB (Cardinals): $46.57MM
3. Derek Carr, QB (Saints): $36.67MM
4. Aaron Rodgers, QB (Jets): $35MM
5. Christian Wilkins, DL (Raiders): $29.78MM
6. Tyreek Hill, WR (Dolphins): $28.25MM
7. Tytus Howard, OL (Texans): $23.69MM
8. Joel Bitonio, G (Browns): $23.5MM
9. Jaylen Waddle, WR (Dolphins): $23.24MM
10. Kirk Cousins, QB (Falcons): $22.5MM
11. A.J. Brown, WR (Eagles): $21.84MM
12. Myles Garrett, DE (Browns): $21.37MM
13. Jalen Ramsey, CB (Dolphins): $20.87MM
14. Justin Fields, QB (Jets): $20MM
15. Tyson Campbell, CB (Jaguars): $19.52MM
16. Cameron Jordan, DE (Saints): $18.76MM
17. Rashan Gary, OLB (Packers): $17.04MM
18. Kenny Clark, DL (Packers): $17.01MM
19. Bryce Huff, OLB (Eagles): $16.61MM
20. Geno Smith, QB (Raiders): $16.2MM
21. Javon Hargrave, DT (49ers): $16.16MM
22. Osa Odighizuwa, DT (Cowboys): $16MM
23. Zack Martin, G (Cowboys): $15.27MM
24. Gabe Davis, WR (Jaguars): $14.6MM
25. Demario Davis, ILB (Saints): $14.29MM
26. Taysom Hill, TE (Saints): $13.72MM
27. Darius Slay, CB (Eagles): $13.26MM
28. Mike Evans, WR (Buccaneers): $13.07MM
29. Minkah Fitzpatrick, S (Dolphins): $12.99MM
30. Jack Conklin, RT (Browns): $12.76MM
31. Jonathan Allen, DL (Vikings): $12.67MM
32. Deebo Samuel, WR (Commanders): $12.34MM
33. Kyle Dugger, S (Patriots): $12.18MM
34. Dalvin Tomlinson, DT (Browns): $12.11MM
35. D.J. Moore, WR (Bears): $12MM
36. Ryan Ramczyk, RT (Saints): $11.98MM
37. Christian Kirk, WR (Texans): $11.4MM
38. Matt Milano, ILB (Bills): $11.07MM
T-39. Sauce Gardner, CB (Jets): $11MM
T-39. Darnell Mooney, WR (Falcons): $11MM
41. Bradley Chubb, OLB (Dolphins): $10.97MM
42. Terron Armstead, LT (Dolphins): $10.73MM
43. Javon Hargrave, DT (Vikings): $10.5MM
As they have smashed a single-season team dead money record this year, the Dolphins now hold — by a wide margin — the single-player dead cap figure via Tagovailoa’s $99.2MM number. That is spread over two years, via a post-June 1 cut. Like the Broncos in 2024, the Dolphins will take on the greater sum in Year 1.
Murray’s single-season dead cap hit will rank third all time. Both players were not viewed as serious trade candidates due to their contracts, and each signed for vet-minimum deals — as their initial NFL teams are on the hook for guaranteed 2026 salaries — in March.
Carr and Rodgers’ dead cap hits stem from 2025 post-June 1 designations — Rodgers’ a release, Carr’s a retirement. Unlike the Dolphins and Cardinals, the Saints and Jets opted to push the worse of the two dead cap numbers into Year 2.
The Jets are carrying a cool $55MM in QB dead money this year, with Fields — traded to the Chiefs in March — following Rodgers off the team’s roster. The team’s primary 2025 starter is now with the Chiefs, who are only responsible for $3MM of his 2026 compensation.
Miami signed Waddle to a three-year extension in 2024 and added more than $50MM in guarantees to Hill’s deal months later. Both are now gone, with Waddle being traded to the Broncos for first- and third-round picks in March. Chris Grier‘s ill-fated Ramsey extension — agreed to nearly a year before a post-June 1 trade — adds to Miami’s record-shattering dead money total, which goes on new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan‘s first balance sheet.
As PFR’s Offseason Outlook series forecasted, the Browns are well past $100MM in total dead cap as well. Cleveland is at $116.82MM there, with void year-driven penalties being a key component in that lofty figure — one covering more than a third of the team’s cap sheet. This year represents a good trial run for the Browns, who are all but certain to take on more than $86MM in dead cap — spread over two years — on the Deshaun Watson contract beginning next year.
The Cowboys and Dolphins structured the Martin and Armstead retirements around the pivotal June 1 date last year, defraying dead money over two offseasons. Hargrave becomes the rare player present on three teams’ payrolls this year. The 49ers designated the veteran defensive tackle as a post-June 1 cut in 2025, and the Vikings made him a standard release in 2026. Hargrave signed with the Packers soon after the latter release. Allen’s Minnesota total is part of a post-June 1 designation, with the Vikes taking on the lion’s share of that deal’s dead cap this year.
Trades after June 1 last year comprise a handful of spots on this list. By trading away a veteran after June 1, a team spreads the departing player’s dead cap hit over two years. The Eagles will carry $27.1MM in Brown dead money on their 2027 cap by waiting until after 3pm CT on June 1 to move him. Brown’s dead cap total ($48.94MM) eclipses the non-QB record for a single-player penalty.
Void years are responsible for a chunk of dead cap figures this year. The Saints re-signed Jordan but are taking on this dead cap bill because they restructured his previous contract to void in March. The Buccaneers attempted to re-sign Evans, but he opted to join the 49ers. Because of void years, Tampa Bay will carry the future Hall of Famer on its payroll this year as well.
Void year-driven penalties from 2026 free agency developments are also placing eight-figure cap dead cap numbers on Buffalo (Milano), Cleveland (Conklin), New Orleans (Davis, Hill) and Washington’s (Samuel) payrolls.
Bears Sign Round 3 TE Sam Roush, Wrap Draft Class Deals
The Bears have come to terms with tight end Sam Roush on his rookie deal, the team announced Friday. Only two third-round picks — quarterbacks Carson Beck and Drew Allar — remain unsigned.
Chicago has completed its draft class deals for 2026, and only seven unsigned draftees remain in this year’s class. Four are quarterbacks, with Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson not yet putting pen to paper after becoming first-round picks. Among non-QBs chosen in Rounds 1-3, Patriots edge rusher Gabe Jacas is the only unsigned draftee.
Roush, who joins Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland as tight ends drafted in the first three rounds on Chicago’s roster, will be tied to a four-year deal worth $7.34MM. The Stanford product’s guarantee at signing will check in between the upfront numbers given to No. 68 overall pick Markel Bell (T, Eagles) and No. 70 draftee Romello Height (DE, 49ers). Bell signed for $1.81MM, per OverTheCap, while Height landed $1.76MM at signing.
As our Ben Levine noted Thursday night, the NFL has seen far more work done on the draft signing front compared to last year. The second-round gridlock persisted into late July in 2025, with No. 40 overall draftee Tyler Shough‘s push for a fully guaranteed contract holding up matters. The bar for fully guaranteed deals moved to No. 48 (via the Falcons’ Avieon Terrell), but Round 2 — a slow-moving process in recent years due to the guarantee component — did not provide many hurdles this offseason. Round 3 has ended up dragging, with Beck’s No. 65 overall Cardinals contract providing a stumbling block this year.
Chicago has created an interesting setup with three TEs chosen in the first three rounds. Rumblings about Kmet’s status have emerged, but entering mid-July, the 2023 extension recipient remains rostered. Kmet could conceivably be a trade chip the Bears use, though the former second-round pick saw a 70% snap share last season. It is possible Chicago carries all three and addresses the Kmet matter in the 2027 offseason, because Loveland effectively cemented himself as the team’s top tight end as a rookie.
The Bears, however, restructured Kmet’s contract earlier this year. This would make the seventh-year vet more appealing in a trade, as an acquiring team would be obtaining a starter-level TE on a vet-minimum salary ($1.26MM). Because of the restructure, a Kmet trade would cost the Bears more than $10MM in dead money (spread over two years).
As for Roush, he has an extensive background as an in-line tight end while also bringing some notable receiving statistics. Last season at Stanford, Roush totaled 49 catches for 545 yards and two touchdowns. Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board ranked Roush 83rd, while The Athletic’s Dane Brugler slotted him sixth among TEs in this class. Here is how Chicago’s draft class breaks down:
- Round 1, No. 25: Dillon Thieneman (S, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 57: Logan Jones (C, Iowa) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 69 (from Giants via Texans, Bills and Titans): Sam Roush (TE, Stanford) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 89: Zavion Thomas (WR, LSU) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 124 (from Jaguars via Panthers): Malik Muhammad (CB, Texas) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 166 (from 49ers via Eagles and Panthers): Keyshaun Elliott (LB, Arizona State) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 213 (from Seahawks via Jaguars, Lions and Bills): Jordan Van Den Berg (DT, Georgia Tech) (signed)
2026 NFL Offseason In Review Series
Training camps remain weeks away, and some key transactional matters lie ahead for many NFL teams. But clubs have largely assembled their rosters for the 2026 season. While positional battles await, the key players for every team are now known. With that in mind, PFR’s latest Offseason in Review series is underway. Teams will be added to this list between now and Week 1.
AFC East
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets
AFC North
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
AFC West
- Denver Broncos
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
NFC East
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
NFC North
- Chicago Bears
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks